Something Forever

by M. Clarke

“What are sisters for? Anyway, I’ll let you go. Thanks for listening.”

  There was a silent pause. I knew Becky didn’t want to hang up. She was worried about me. The truth was, though I was hurting, I felt a sense of freedom. Was this a temporary thing? Had I made a mistake? I guessed time would let me know.

  “Any time, Rachel. Do me a favor.”

  “Anything. What is it?”

  “When you get there, don’t sulk. Forget Greg. Forget everything. Date many hot surfer guys. Have a blast with Stacey. Be free and make out with lots of guys, but be responsible. Do what you were supposed to do for the past two years.”

  “Okay,” I said. I didn’t know about the hot surfer guys, but I would definitely leave all of my worries behind and go to a peaceful place to help me clear my head. “Thank you. I’ll see you soon.”

  I heard Becky giggle and a moan, even though she probably didn’t mean for me to. “Come to bed. It’s cold without you,” I heard Matthew’s voice murmur. I didn’t know if that was meant for me to hear either, but it made me smile. I loved how playful Matthew was. I meant it when I’d said it was Matthew’s fault. He made me see what type of man I wanted forever with. From all of the shuffling and steps on the other end of the line, I was assuming that Matthew carried her to bed.

  “Call or text me to let me know you’re safe. Call me anytime. You’ll be three hours behind my time zone. And I’m really sorry about the break up. It’s always hard, no matter the reason. Love ya.”

  “Love you, too. Bye, Becky. Say good-bye to Matthew for me.”

  “Bye, Rachel,” Matthew said. I was surprised to hear his voice. “Sorry about that. The one that was meant for you will come when it isleast expected. I’m talking from experience. When you get there, go to Poipu. There’s a restaurant bar my friend owns at the beach, called Ocean Front. You can’t miss it. It’s the only one there. His name is Hendrix. I’ll give him a call. When do you leave for Kauai?”

  “Next week. I haven’t made any reservations yet. Stacey and I decided spur of the moment.”

  “I won’t take no for an answer. I can set both of you up at Sheraton. I’ll call tomorrow. Have a great time and be safe. You’re my sister now, and I’m going to treat you like one, so guys better be aware.” I heard a sweet, manly chuckle. It was half serious and half teasing. Being the type of person he was, I knew he spoke the truth.

  “Thank you, Matthew.”

  “By the way, you should be getting a phone call tomorrow. The photography department loved your work. The job is yours if you want it.”

  “Are you serious?” I asked with elation. It was the first time I smiled this week. “I don’t know what to say.”

  “Just say yes. Come and work for us, but only when you’re ready. You don’t have to start right away.”

  “Thanks, Matthew.” Although I hadn’t made my mind up yet, that was the perks of having a connection and a great future brother-in-law. “You’re the best.”

  Matthew chuckled. “She said I’m the best.” That was meant for Becky to hear. “She’s so smart.”

  “Of course you would say that. You are the best.” I heard chuckling from my sister.

  “I’m best at everything, but mostly making Becca happy.”

  There were more giggles from her. “Sorry, Rachel. Oh my God! Stop, Matthew.” More laughter rang through the phone. “I’ll talk to you later.”

  “Bye, Matthew. Bye, Becky,” I said out loud, laughing, then hung up.

  My Serenity

  (Stand-Alone Spin-off to My Clarity)

  Prologue

  Seth

  “I’m on my way,” I said through the Bluetooth, knowing who it was.

  “You have the directions?”

  “Of course I have the directions. I told you I was on my way.” I huffed a little. Elijah was like a brother to me, but sometimes he drove me nuts.

  “Just checking, ’cause last time you told me you were on your way you lost the directions.”

  He was right; the last time we were supposed to meet, I had forgotten the directions at home. I had been helping my mom at the restaurant and didn’t want to drive back to get it. “I called you then,” I reminded. “I didn’t call you now. You called me. Stop being a nag and let me get to you. I’m hanging up.”

  “How far are you?”

  I was going to be about twenty minutes late, which was my fault because I hadn’t calculated the traffic in the time of destination. “Okay...so I forgot about the traffic.”

  “Seth?” His pitch rose. He was not happy with me. “I have to get to work soon. How far are you?”

  “You’re just showing me one of the potential spots you’re thinking of proposing to Alex.”

  He didn’t answer me, but persisted with the previous question. “How far?”

  “About ten.” It was somewhat of the truth. I hoped traffic would be on my side for the next several miles. If so, I would definitely make it in ten minutes.

  “Okay, I can do that. Drive carefully.”

  “I will, but would you relax? You’re not proposing today.”

  “I am relaxed. I’m always relaxed, but not when you’re late.” Elijah was joking, but he tried not to sound like that in his tone.

  “Okay, okay. I’ll be there as soon as I can. The traffic is better now. See you soon.”

  “Thanks. Bye.”

  “I love you, too,” I mumbled under my breath even though I knew he couldn’t hear; it wasn’t meant to be heard. I was just a little annoyed that the first week I came back from Berkley for a summer vacation, my mom’s employees quit. Not just one, but several of them, so I had to fill in for their shifts. I told her many times to hire more responsible people that needed a job, not just these college students that needed to leave to go home during the summer.

  Regardless, I was ecstatic for Elijah. He’d been through so much, but at the end, he finally found his happiness...Alex. And I couldn’t believe he was going to propose to her. They had lived together for almost two years now at the same condo where they fell in love. The proposing date would be exactly two years they had been together. Leave it to Elijah to be the romantic type. Even though he was known as the player, he knew how to treat girls. I respected him for that, and for many other reasons. He also knew how to swoon them, too. I wasn’t very good at that department, though.

  How fast time flew. I couldn’t believe I’d just finished my second year in Business Graduate School at Berkeley. I should be doing my internship with a promising business company, but I decided to come home and help my mom take care of both the restaurant and the body shop, since my dad passed away from heart attack about six months ago. That was the hardest time of my life. Jimmy, Lexy, Elijah, and Alex, and even Emma were there for me. I don’t know what I would have done without them.

  Suddenly, the sound of the horn snapped me out of my thoughts. I had to press my brakes really hard and pray that I didn’t hit the car in front of me. Asshole! He almost made me crash into him when he sharply cut in in front of me. He freakin’ cut me off! Not having a great day, I felt confrontational, so I purposely tailgated this person. It was immature, but I couldn’t help the anger that coursed through me like a blazing fire. I’m not the angry type, but I was today...especially when he purposely slowed again even though he had a clear path to pick up speed.

  Being blocked on both lanes, I couldn’t swerve to either direction to pass this car. I was just about to change lanes, when he shifted to the left. That bastard slowed down. This was the perfect opportunity to give him the finger. Elijah had mentioned before that that God created our middle fingers for moments like this, and I was going to use it.

  When our cars were side by side, I turned my head to get a good look at the asshole...Holy shit! It was a female. She was ‘take my breath away’ gorgeous. My heart did a funny flip inside of my chest and my stomach. And for some reason, my anger subsided. I hated to admit it, but pretty girls could do that to a man.

  My finger never lifted
as I stared for a brief second, then turned back to see the road ahead of me. Getting into an accident while gawking at a beautiful girl was not a good idea. When her passenger’s side window started to roll down, I turned to her again. The wind tousled her long, brunette hair. Her eyes grew wide, while she bit her bottom lip. Maybe she thought I was cute? Maybe she wanted to get my number? Excited, I rolled down mine, too. Before I could wave to apologize or give her my charming smile, she gave me the bird and shouted, “Asshole!”

  Nice! I’d just got burned. I didn’t know why I was so pissed off again, beside the fact that it was her fault in the first place, but I gave her one right back. Her level of beauty went right down with her dirty mouth, not to mention her bad temper. It was too bad. At least it would be the last time I’d ever see her again. I was sure of it when she cut in front of me and sped away.

  Read how it all started with My Clarity

  My Clarity (Stand-Alone)

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  A Teaser from The Bondage Club

  By Alexandrea Weis

  http://amzn.to/1pNST7z

  The veil of evening was reaching across his office window when Hunter’s cell phone on the side of his desk rang. Checking the caller ID, he frowned when he saw that the number was blocked.

  “This is Hunter Donovan,” he barked into the phone.

  “Do you always answer the phone in such a cheerful manner?” a seductive female voice reprimanded.

  “That depends on who this is.”

  “Cary told me of your little meeting today, and your interest in my next book. You don’t waste any time do you?”

  Hunter’s heart skipped a beat. “Well, well, Ms. Slut. Nice to hear your voice again. I hope your time at the Book Expo was worthwhile.”

  “You were the highlight of my trip, Mr. Donovan.”

  Hunter smiled as he sat back in his creaky desk chair. “I’m so glad. I was beginning to think you didn’t like me.”

  “Have you ever met a woman who didn’t like you?”

  The question made Hunter chuckle. “Which answer will get me your next book, Ms. Slut?”

  A high-pitched tinkling laugh came through the speaker of his iPhone, making Hunter’s stomach flutter ever so lightly. “I like a man who doesn’t waste time with sweet talk. Check your email. I just sent you the manuscript. It’s called The Bondage Club, and if you’re interested, e-mail me a contract, and I will look it over.”

  “Can I ask what it’s about? I mean, with a title like that I can guess, but….” His voice faded as his curiosity rose.

  “There are many different kinds of bondage, Mr. Donovan, that don’t involve ropes, chains, or even handcuffs.”

  Hunter gaped at his cell phone. “I don’t get it.”

  “Love can be a form of bondage,” she explained. “We can get tied to someone just as easily as we can be tied up by someone. The book is about bondage in all of its forms.”

  “Then I look forward to reading it.” He paused as he thought of an idea. “But why not come to my office? We can discuss the details of the contract over lunch,” he pursued with a hint of insistence in his voice.

  “I don’t think so. Lunch with you would be dangerous.”

  Hunter coyly smiled. “For which one of us, Ms. Slut?”

  “I’m not your type, Mr. Donovan.”

  Hunter’s body rippled with the hint of a challenge. “You never know; if Donovan Books handles your novel, we may grow on each other.”

  “I hope not. Getting involved with the man who publishes my book would complicate matters. I’m also a very demanding author. I might get on your nerves after a time.”

  “I have a lot of demanding authors. You would fit right in.”

  “Do you usually try and date your authors, or will I be the first?”

  He fingered a corner of the manuscript open on the desk before him as his imagination began to wander. “You would be the first. I never date clients.”

  “I heard a nasty little rumor to the contrary, about your brother and Monique Delome. They were engaged and then she up and married some Texas oil man. Lucky girl.”

  “Lucky to be rid of my brother,” Hunter returned, pushing the manuscript in front of him to the side.

  “Oh, do I detect a note of sibling rivalry, Mr. Donovan?”

  He leaned back in his chair and turned his eyes to his arched window. “Rivalry, nah. More like deep-seated hatred. And if I’m going to bare my soul to you, you should start calling me, Hunter.”

  “Let me guess, Hunter.” Her voice was throaty and delicious, spurring on his desire. “He stole your Legos when you were six and you have never forgiven him.”

  Hunter ran his hand over his face, feeling the conversation was getting a little too personal. “Never mind my brother. Let’s talk about you.”

  “I make it a practice never to talk about myself. The less people know about me, the better.”

  “I don’t agree, Ms. Sl….” Hunter crinkled his brow. “What else can I call you? Ms. Slut is too—”

  “Call me Smuttie, if you like.”

  “Smuttie…don’t you have a real name?”

  “Smuttie is all you need to know.” The sound of voices in the background broke in. “Let me know what you think of my manuscript, Hunter. I’ll be waiting to hear from you.” Then the line went dead.

  True North

  Book 1 Finding Home

  Livie and Jake

  By

  Allie Juliette Mousseau

  Available Now

  Sold Worldwide

  True North Book 1 Finding Home Livie and Jake

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  True North Original Songs:

  “Run with It” and “My Heart is your Home”

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  ***

  If I could be brave enough to let myself fall apart just this once, would I someday find the courage to put myself back together again when he was gone?

  What mattered most now, above everything else, was that I lived in this moment, because just like I’d come to life when he kissed me—I was so alive now simply by being with him.

  I had never been pulled to anyone’s presence like I was to Jake.

  We drove an hour north on 85 towards the Canadian border. Eventually, Jake turned us into the Lake Zahl Wildlife Refuge. The roads were empty and it felt like we were the only people in the world.

  Jake brought us to the edge of the lake. The sun glinted off the water’s surface like magic. He shut down the engine and dropped the side stand.

  “Don’t move.” He carefully got off the bike, while My Darkest Days still played on. Slowly, he turned around and settled himself back on the bike, only this time he was facing me.

  I felt like a magnet, and he was steel.

  He drew his body over mine and I held my breath in anticipation. He leaned himself across me to reach into his saddlebags. I was completely and utterly undone by the press of him against me. I nearly died.

  He came back up with two bottles of local Black Shox Porter from Laughing Sun Brewery. They were dripping with condensation and I realized he’d had them on ice. Securing one of the bottles between his thighs, he popped the top off the other. He met my eyes as he lifted the bottl
e to his lips for a long pull. I watched, mesmerized by the movement of his throat and the dip of his Adam’s apple.

  Jake brought the bottle back down and held it out to me. The electricity in his eyes stirred my butterflies. In the exchange, I wrapped my fingers around the bottle and his hand, sending sparks clear down my arm. I tasted his mouth on the bottle’s edge like a kiss and was immediately aroused.

  I had to close my eyes against these feelings and him and the intensity of the music before I shattered into a million pieces.

  He was quiet, and when I finally opened my eyes, he was watching me. Neither of us said anything. I felt like we were trying to stitch the wound of the last three years that we’d lost so that we could come to this moment. Was that possible?

  His gaze was too intense, and I looked out over the lake. Wild Canada Geese were flying overhead—my favorite birds.

  “Are you going to fly away, Liv?” His voice was deep and thick again.

  When I brought my eyes back to him, he was looking at the geese too.

  I offered him back the brew. “No.”

  He thoughtfully ran his thumb over the lip of the bottle, and I wondered desperately what he was thinking about.

  “Are you?” I tried.

  “I’m tired of flying,” he said flatly.

  I thought for a minute. “Well, this is a good place to land.”

  “Thanks for forgiving me for last night. You really kicked my ass. I wasn’t expecting it,” he confessed. “Not an excuse for me being an asshole. I’m not sure exactly what came over me, really.”

  I nodded and watched him drain the bottle.

  He switched the empty with the full and continued, “That’s not entirely true.” He popped the top and offered it to me first. I took it in my hand and listened intently so I didn’t miss a word. “They were all looking at you like you were good enough to eat, and I wanted to kill the lot of them. I’m not accustomed to jealousy, and it hit me hard.”

  Jealousy’s good, right??? I guessed that sometimes it could mean being possessive in a bad way...but I was pretty sure that wasn’t Jake.