by KD Robichaux
Two dark souls, twisted and alike, somehow created something innocent and haloed in light. Lizith and I were fated, created by the dark and not the light. We were the things you run from in the shadows. I am hers and she is mine, never to part and always intertwined. She stole me like I stole her soul, and we will never give each other back.
The End
Afterword
By KD Robichaux
The idea for Steal You came to me the night before my husband’s semen analysis. We had been trying to conceive baby number three for two years, and after I’d had a major surgery to give us a fighting chance at fulfilling our dream of growing our family, I was put on Clomid. If you’ve never been on a fertility medication, they can make it seem like you are literally going a little crazy.
I was soaking in my bathtub, my husband sitting on the floor playing his game on his phone like he always does when I’m taking a bath— stalker ;-) —when all of a sudden, this overwhelming fear washed over me. I started to panic, bawling my eyes out. When Jason asked me what was wrong, I told him, completely serious, “Maybe I should go with you tomorrow to your appointment. What if the doctor thinks you’re so hot that she steals your sperm for herself?! Do you know how devastated I would be if someone else gave you the baby I couldn’t?”
Jason, used to my insanity after almost eight years of marriage and thirteen years of knowing me, calmly told me that would never happen and that I needed to put my “crazy back in the box.”
But I couldn’t get it out of my head. And like I always do when I’m in the tub, I FaceTimed Sierra.
“I have an idea for a book,” I told her. “A fertility doctor falls for a patient’s husband, and she steals his sperm and impregnates herself.”
“Yas, bitch! That sounds insane!” she encouraged.
“But what if I make her an anti-heroine? The bad guy you root for. You WANT her to win, even though she is completely batshit crazy.”
“Oh my God, yes!” Sierra, ever my hype girl.
“But… you’re going through this infertility shit with me. Always my shoulder to cry on when I need it. This book scares the crap out of me, but I think it could be therapeutic for us both. Will you write it with me?” I asked her quietly, my throat closing up with emotion, because… fucking Clomid.
And Sierra didn’t let me down. She burst into instant tears and gave me an emphatic “YES!”
It was so much fun writing this story with one of my very best friends in the entire world. Our many conversations, plotting this book, asking each other “Just how crazy are we taking this poor girl?” will be several months I remember for the rest of my life. This was an amazing distraction from years of heartbreak as we both charted, planned, medicated, dieted, exercised, cut back on caffeine and alcohol… all for our tests to continue to be negative.
But this is our baby, CC, my sisterwife ;-) And damn, did we make a good-lookin’ kid!
Acknowledgments
By KD Robichaux
First and foremost, thank you to my CC for writing this book with me. I couldn’t have done it without you. You heard my crazy idea, and when I told you I was too scared to go it alone, you grabbed my hand and dragged me through it, lending me your strength… and your insanity.
People keep asking who wrote which character. And I love the surprise on their faces when we tell them the two of us wrote both Lizith and Xander. I’m writing this after we’ve read over twenty reviews, all saying the same thing: They can’t believe this story was written by two women, because the characters were seamless. You and I had such an amazingly clear vision of who these people were, and I cannot wait to share a brain with you again in our future books.
Thank you to my wonderful husband, for helping put my crazy back in its box. Thank you for making me feel whole, when at times I break down, feeling like I’m a lesser woman for being unable to give us another baby. Through all of this, you’ve helped me understand that we’re already complete, you, me, and our girls, and another little one would just be an extra scoop of goodness in our already overflowing sundae.
Thank you, Tina and Barb, for your awesome editing skills, and Mandy, BecBecBec, and Stacia for catching the little things that end up being a big deal. Thank you to all our early reviewers. I was terrified to release this book, but with all your encouragement, I am so ready for the world to read it.
Finally, thank you to my daughters, for being my little miracles.
Acknowledgments
By CC Monroe
Because I’m a basic bitch, and these things always make me cry, I’ma be real and short and fucking simple while still trying to be epic.
Family: You’re my backbone and you keep me from falling over when the world tries to knock me down. You’re my blood and I love you.
Friends: You are the real MVPs. Staying by my side when I can be a brutal pain in the ass. I love you.
Readers: My loyalty. My heartbeat. You are the bread and buttahhhh. You keep me writing. You keep me motivated. You give me the gusto to give my heart to these books and give you something worth reading. Love you to the moon and back. For real though.
Kayla: You got a dedication and I ain’t fixing to waste more tears on you, because you drained me dry when writing that puppy. You gorgeous fucking asshole.
Lastly, my husband. I am your Lizith. Because, straight up, I would steal you back if you ever left me. I’m mad about you. Passionately obsessed with you. You get me firy mad with how perfect you are and how patient you are with me. And I can’t keep my hands off you. But if you could not touch my ass during every single activity I am doing a day, that would be great. No, just kidding. Keep grabbing that booty and I’ll keep slapping yours while you do the dishes. I love you, my hero. Never forget you fucking saved me.
