by Hadley Quinn
“Yeah, I do,” I also nodded.
“You already know you’re a keeper, right?” she asked, giving me the biggest hug possible.
I let her hold me for as long as she wanted to, squeezing her back just as tightly. It was the best feeling in the world.
Then she pulled back and gave me the sweetest kiss with tears in her eyes. “I love you so much. Thank you for always making life special for me.”
“It’s my pleasure,” I answered. Because it was. Just seeing how happy she was any time I surprised her with even just the smallest thing now and then was the most rewarding privilege ever.
She reached over to her nightstand and pulled out a little box. Taking the lid off she said, “Take your pick.”
I raised an eyebrow at her. “What’s this?”
With a sexy smile she replied, “Your fantasies coming true, one by one.”
Well that had me fully hooked. “I’m sold. What do I do?”
“Pull an idea out of the box and I’ll make it come true.”
I stared at her for several seconds, and I automatically wondered if these were my fantasies or hers. We’d talked about them the other day, so this could get pretty interesting. Either way, I didn’t even care.
Her smile was such a turn on already, but I couldn’t wait to see where this would lead.
“Go ahead, pick a piece of paper.”
“Just one?” I tried my luck.
“Yes, just one!” she laughed, giving me a shove. “Greedy little bastard.”
“Hey, it can’t hurt. You do know that’s a seven-day trip, right?”
With a sigh she held out the little box again. “Start with one. We’ll go from there.” But she bit her lip with a smile and I knew it didn’t even matter what I drew at that point.
I kept my eyes locked on hers as I reached into the box to pull out a little slip of paper.
All I read was ‘handcuffs’ and that was good enough for me.
~The End~
Other books by Hadley Quinn
“Kiss This”
“Tame This”
“The Fighter’s Block”
To Connect With the Author:
www.hadleyquinnauthor.com
www.facebook.com/AuthorHadleyQuinn
www.twitter.com/theHadleyQuinn
www.facebook.com/AuthorsOfftheShelf
From the Author:
The time it takes me to complete a book these days is much longer than I would prefer, but when it’s done and my readers can finally get the story they have been waiting for, it is totally worth it to me. I value the quality of each project a great deal, and I spend a lot of time fretting, worrying, trying to make sure I’m doing things the best that I can. I don’t really follow the norm when it comes to writing and publishing, and I appreciate those of you that understand this about me!
I want to thank the many hearts that have been on this journey right along with me while writing Only This. I’ve experienced many ups and downs this past year and fought through them to the best of my ability. Some of you were even the reason for those ups and downs, but no matter the outcome, I’m thankful for who I have become and I’m very grateful for the ones that are still by my side because they believe in me and know that I am good enough.
Tyse’s story, like this entire series, has personal significance to me. While writing it, I not only wanted to share with readers some of my lessons learned in life, but I was also able to teach myself a few things just by documenting them in a fictional story. Some things I am very wise to—whether it be from past experiences from long ago, or just a belief that I’ve always held—but other things are truly just advice that I wanted to leave behind for myself to come back to at a later date. My hope is that something in this story has touched your life like it has mine, and if that’s not the case, then I hope you just liked the story itself!
I want to thank Randy for being my photographer. We make a good team, buddy! And much love to Rick for agreeing to be on my cover. I get these characters in my head when they introduce themselves in a previous story, and it’s a crazy thing when you come across the very face that you imagined for them! Rick was that “oh my gosh” moment for me when I first saw him. He looked just like how I pictured Tyse! And although I don’t base my characters on the cover models that represent them, I do sometimes recognize some positive similarities between them and it makes me smile. Thanks so much to both of you guys for the friendship. I look forward to new adventures in the future.
Finally, thank you to everyone that has taken the time to read my work, and especially those of you that continually support me. You know who you are and I appreciate you more than I could ever express!
~Hadley
BONUS Feature
(For the music lovers out there…)
ONLY THIS Soundtrack:
“Best I can”- Art of Dying
“Flaws & Ceilings”- Frank Hamilton/Lauren Aquilina
“I Want You to Want Me”- Gary Jules version
“Not a Bad Thing”- Justin Timberlake
“Find a Way”- SafetySuit
“Bad Blood”- Bastille
“Come On Get Higher”- Matt Nathanson
“Give It To Me Baby”- Rick James
“Tonight”- Emphatic
“Alive”- Adelitas Way
“Forever”- Ben Harper
For a detailed description of these songs and their
relevance to Only This:
“Best I Can”- I consider this song to be the theme for this story. Take an average guy in his mid-twenties and drop him in the middle of a family of heavy hitters—a prominent Hollywood family that he’s just learned he was actually born into but never knew it. He has a very mature, very objective way of thinking, and he’s always trying to find the good side to any situation. His philosophy is simple: treat others how you want to be treated and forgive quickly. He realizes soon enough that it’s not so simple with certain family members, and his patience is definitely tested. He has to find a balance between knowing when to fight and knowing when to let things slide. With the McCallans, it’s a constant struggle to remain true to himself while trying to find his place in their family. All he can really do is… his best.
“Flaws & Ceilings”- I love the parallelism in this song: “We can’t build our walls, unless you knock down yours, so let me in.” Meaning, if you want to share the same life together, you can’t let yourself be closed off. I truly believe if you want a relationship to work, you’ll do whatever you can to value who it is you’re really with. Recognize their strengths and weaknesses, understand their emotional intelligence and/or ability to relate to yours, and appreciate their likes and dislikes. To truly let someone into your heart, you not only have to accept them for who they are, but accept yourself for who you are. I love how Tyse said it didn’t matter what he discovered about Sarah because he felt like he would love anything about her no matter what. Now that is a true example of a big heart that is hopeful for something real.
“I Want You to Want Me”- This has always been one of my favorite songs, but I love this version because it shows the difference between saying “Yes, love me!” and “Please just…want me.” The original version I feel is a declaration; this quieter version I feel is more like a last request. There’s a level of humility that can be found in this song; the plea is submissive and unassuming. Although desperation is not a word I like to use, I can certainly understand it. Sometimes all we want is to be good enough for someone…
“Not a Bad Thing”- I’ve never had a JT song on a book playlist, but this song was certainly a fit! It follows along with what’s going on in the first half of the story, when Tyse is determined to convince Sarah that she should give him a chance. I love how the song says he won’t waste her time with broken promises. That part really hits me on a personal level. He expresses all of the things he desires to have with her, but isn’t full of promises he’s not going to keep. I know that a lot of times we bite off more than we
can chew at the beginning stages of falling in love. Sometimes we not only disappoint our partner when we can’t follow through, but we disappoint ourselves even more. I do believe in making promises and keeping them. It gives your relationship hope and security and things to look forward to. But when you decide to make that verbal commitment to something, make sure your intentions match up with your ability to make it happen.
“Find a Way”- Oh my, just a beautiful, heartfelt song. You know how much I love SafetySuit when I use a song from them in every book of mine, and this song was my pick for this story. “You know I’m going to find a way, to let you have your way with me.” Yes! Talk about letting the imagination run wild. It has a romantic mystery feel to me, like it’s okay to sit there and dream about what it would be like with that person you can’t get out of your heart. You have to love a guy that will appreciate anything that you give them!
“Bad Blood”- Oooh I love this song for this story! When I wrote the scene where Max drops by the music studio, I just had the chorus of this song pulsing through me. I could feel it from the time Max entered the room to the time he left. And I swear, anytime his father was in the picture, I was like, “Cue their theme song!” It was equivalent to the creepy music in a horror movie, setting the tone for what’s going to happen next. I feel like everybody has some bit of darkness in them, but the depth of that darkness varies between us. I think that Tyse’s relatives are sometimes a mystery to figure out, but you just might get a little more insight to them in the future.
“Come on Get Higher”- I appreciate the “build up” that this song insinuates. So sexy! It starts off so sweet and honest, and then the emotion climaxes! Ha, see what I did there? In Only This, Tyse has had two dates with Sarah and is addicted to being around her. When he doesn’t see her for a couple of days, he misses everything about her. When you have that desire to physically be near someone, it’s a need that definitely should be nurtured—body and soul. “Pull me down hard and drown me in love.” Oh yes, please!
“Give It to Me Baby”- This song made it into the book all on its own! I was writing the scene with the bird at Tyse’s house when I happened to hear it play and I literally thought: “Oh…my…gosh.” So needless to say, I felt inspired to put it in the story. It’s a fun song to groove to, and I actually picture Jay messing around with this song, being silly to make Melanie laugh. Just the thought of that made me laugh so hard, and you can either assume that the bird learned parts of this song because Jay truly made an attempt to teach it to him…or Jay listens to it all the time when no one’s around! Think Matthew Lillard in “She’s All That.” Haha!
“Tonight”- “If I ask you what you need right now, would you tell me the truth? ‘Cause I can’t imagine how to live my life without you.” Tyse asks Sarah several times what he can do to make things better. He has a sincere desire to fix something, anything, if she would just let him. “We can do anything, in your arms, I’ll be all right.” That’s truly how he feels when he explains to her that he’s focusing on her and what they have together—tonight, in the present, just the two of them. I think that we sometimes let too many things get in the way of what’s truly important in a relationship. Ask yourself what really matters to you. Are you letting the trivial things get in the way of your priorities? Are you letting your mind outplay your heart? Find that balance.
“Alive”- I believe this is like an anthem for first love. There are a lot of declarations in the song, and a lot of promises too. I think it’s that freedom that you feel when you’re truly happy for the first time with someone. You feel as if you are ready to take on the world, and you want to do it for that one person in your life you’d fight through anything for. “You’re the only reason I fight, you’re the best thing in my life.” Having something so priceless in our lives can make us feel bold and untouchable when it’s for the right reason.
“Forever”- I chose this song as the one that Tyse sings to Sarah because it is simple yet says everything necessary. I could picture him sitting on the edge of the bed, playing his guitar, singing this to her because he already had his future decided. He wanted his life with Sarah, and not a day less than forever with her was going to be good enough for Tyse McCallan. To all the lovers that believe in forever… I’ll be seeing you the day after forever!
