About This Book
The anticipated sequel to Nowhere to Hide continues the story of Sedona and Micah.
As Havenwood Falls’ resident bookstore owner, empath Sedona Mathews is surrounded by a swirling mess of feelings—both fictional and real. But until now, they’d always belonged to others. Then sexy angel Micah Westbrook walked into her bookstore and her life. After a surprising twist of events, she finds herself head over heels in love with him, and no longer vicariously living through the romance novels she reads and sells. Sedona’s deeply embroiled in her very own story, with strong, intense, passionate desires erupting from inside her and throwing her world into chaos and mischief.
Love.
Infatuation.
Lust.
Addiction.
The trouble with emotions, however, is that in the space of a minute, they can twist and change—complicating life in a heartbeat. When Sedona’s hunger for Micah pushes her over the edge, she soon realizes just how much she’s neglected her abilities. But after the recent betrayal and attack in Shelf Indulgence and rumors circulating about the mysterious Collector, Sedona must figure out if her new attitude toward Micah is really part of the journey, or if there’s something more sinister at work.
Addicted to You
A Havenwood Falls Novella
Belinda Boring
Contents
Havenwood Falls Books
Also by Belinda Boring
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
About the Author
Acknowledgments
An Excerpt
Affliction Mine
Havenwood Falls Books
Forget You Not by Kristie Cook
Old Wounds by Susan Burdorf
Fate, Love & Loyalty by E.J. Fechenda
Covetousness by Randi Cooley Wilson
The Winged & the Wicked by T.V. Hahn & Kristie Cook
Alpha’s Queen by Lila Felix
Ink & Fire by R.K. Ryals
Lose You Not by Kristie Cook
Tragic Ink by Heather Hildenbrand
Nowhere to Hide by Belinda Boring
Flames Among the Frost by Amy Hale
Rock Me Gently by Susan Burdorf
From the Embers by Amy Miles
Defying Gravity by Kallie Ross
Gypsy Heart by Randi Cooley Wilson
Break Me Not by Kristie Cook
How the Dead Lie by Stacey Rourke
The Lurkers Within by Danielle Bannister
The Collector: Awakening by Kristie Cook, R.K. Ryals, Belinda Boring & Nadirah Foxx
Addicted to You by Belinda Boring
Affliction Mine by C.J. Pinard
The Ward & the Wanderers by T.V. Hahn
Toil & Trouble by Melissa Wright (April 2019)
More books releasing on a monthly basis
Also try the YA line, Havenwood Falls High; the historical paranormal line, Legends of Havenwood Falls; and the darker, sexier side of town, Havenwood Falls Sin & Silk.
Stay up to date at www.HavenwoodFalls.com
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Also by Belinda Boring
The Mystic Wolves Series
The Mystic Wolves
Forget Me Not
Testing Fate
Forever Changed
Savage Possession
Darkness Unleashed
Last Wolf Standing
Blood Oath
A Very Mystic Christmas (Collection of Christmas Memories)
Damaged Souls Series
Bittersweet Melody
Bittersweet Symphony
Enchanted Heart
Loving Liberty
Broken Promises
Havenwood Falls Titles
Nowhere to Hide
Addicted to You (Sequel to Nowhere to Hide)
Blood & Damnation (Legends of Havenwood Falls)
The Collector: Awakening
Short Story Anthology 2018
Copyright © 2018 Belinda Boring, Ang’dora Productions, LLC
All rights reserved.
Published by
Ang’dora Productions, LLC
5621 Strand Blvd, Ste 210
Naples, FL 34110
Havenwood Falls and Ang’dora Productions and their associated logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Ang’dora Productions, LLC.
Cover design by Regina Wamba at MaeIDesign.com
Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission of the owner of this book.
Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, and events are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
To my dear friend and fellow author, Kristie Cook.
Thank you for inviting me to join this incredible world.
You helped me find my joy and voice again. Love you!
Chapter 1
April 2018
“The sooner you hire someone, the sooner things can go back to normal,” Maxwell’s gruff admonition broke the silence. My ghostly friend had been studying me all morning, and now he was peering around me to the ignored paperwork by the bookstore’s computer.
It had been a long, grief-stricken four weeks since the psychic fair and the attack afterwards. Just one short month since I’d been shot and betrayed by someone I’d trusted so completely that I hadn’t seen it coming.
I still hadn’t brought myself to enter the storage area.
I still hadn’t found the courage to sort through the pile of applications stacked on the counter beside me. I wasn’t going to rush it. I prayed that my faith could be bigger than my fear, and so far, it was working. One step at a time.
Micah was the one who put away orders as they came in, and he was the one who worked on the to-do list I created each morning. I saw the worry in his eyes whenever I handed it to him, the way his lips kind of parted as though he was about to speak but thought better of it. He understood that I was processing things in my own way, in my own time. The consideration made me love him just that little bit more.
Love could be deadly for an empath.
I knew that painfully well, having lost both my parents to heartbreak. It was a mantra that I’d repeated over and over inside my head, but since meeting Micah Westbrook, there was an even louder voice in my head trying to convince me that it would be one hell of a way to go.
Micah.
The man made it worth the risk.
Maxwell, on the other hand, was not as kind or sympathetic.
I let out a weary sigh and covered the job applications with a magazine.
“Out of sight, out of mind,” I countered, not ready to deal with him either today. There was no question that my friendly ghost was struggling as well in the aftermath. His sense of helplessness had been etched across his furrowed brow as he recounted how much he hated not being corporeal. I’d listened to his furious diatribe about Austin, and the only way his temper had been somewhat placated was knowing that Austin had been banished from Havenwood Falls. He’d simpl
y wished for a chance to exact his own justice—the wringing of the traitor’s neck.
His words. Not mine.
He’d felt the betrayal keenly because he had stepped in to fill my late grandfather’s shoes and watch over me. After I’d discovered the Dunlap Broadside in one of his trunks up in the attic, the truth had come out that not only had my friend been there at the first printing of the Declaration of Independence, but he’d then gone on to fight alongside General George Washington in Yorktown. There was no doubt in my mind that he’d seen all manner of brutality fighting against the English, and had he been able to, he’d have killed Austin with his bare hands.
It had revealed a savagery in him that I’d never witnessed before. I felt like I was meant to be scared of him because of it. Instead, I felt safer. Ghost or not, Maxwell was not a man to be meddled with.
“So you’re back to sticking your head in the sand. I see.” He didn’t bother camouflaging the disappointment in his voice.
My hand hit the top of the counter a little harder than I intended.
“What do you expect me to do?” I asked, my voice filled with exasperation. “I’m not a robot. I can’t just experience something . . .” A large lump formed in my throat, making it difficult to swallow and speak. I cleared my throat and tried again. “I can’t just bounce back like nothing happened, Maxwell. Why can’t you just let me do things in my own time?”
Compassion flooded his gaze, and I could see he desperately wished he could wrap his arms around me in a hug. “Girl, I wish I could. I wish I could say we lived in a world where nothing bad happens and good people live happily ever after. Would you rather I lie to you?”
He peered deeply into my eyes until I could feel him touch my soul. His honesty helped soothe some of the jagged pieces still too raw to mend.
I glanced at the applications again. Here was my opportunity to be equally as candid—to share what was truly at the root of my hesitation.
“What if I make another mistake? What if I don’t see the danger and next time it’s more . . .” I struggled to finish my sentence.
“Fatal?” The man had read my mind perfectly.
I nodded. “I’m not being morbid or anything, but if it were just me at risk, it wouldn’t be too big of an issue. But Holly was there. Micah and I are together now, so she’s always going to be around. Micah had tried warning me about the threats he was protecting her from, and I contributed to it.” The words came tumbling out with such a force, I was breathless at the end.
Micah’s voice surprised me. “Is that what you think?”
Somewhere in the back of my mind, I’d heard the tinkling of the doorbell, but I’d been so wrapped up in my thoughts and conversation with Maxwell that I’d missed Micah entering. The very sight of him made my heart race a bazillion miles an hour, and without thinking, I licked my lips in anticipation.
Kissing was the last thing on his mind, however.
Right now, he pretty much mirrored the exact same expression the ghost did—incredulous shock.
I guess I hadn’t confessed that small tidbit to them—my feeling that the attack was my fault and that somehow I should’ve been able to prevent it.
I shrugged my shoulders, not ready to face both of them about this. “Austin was my employee, my responsibility. It was my store. I provided the chance for him and Holly to meet. I encouraged their friendship and study dates. How much clearer does it need to be?” I’d gone over the details countless times in my head, often while I lay awake at night, staring up at the ceiling in my apartment. “You know I’m right.”
Micah actually scoffed, making a sound that was a cross between a snort and a grunt. “I know you are wrong. One hundred percent, emphatically wrong.” He took a step closer, so he could cradle my cheek with his palm. “Sedona, please tell me you don’t honestly believe that.”
As much as I savored the warmth of his touch, I knew in this moment, with these guilt-riddled feelings churning inside me, it didn’t feel right to accept such kindness. Reluctantly, I stepped back and broke the contact.
Micah stared down at where I’d just been standing, a serious look of sadness crossing his handsome features. I hated the fact that I’d been the one to put that expression there. I just didn’t know how else to explain what had been bottled up inside me until now.
Maxwell disappeared once he realized this was a private moment. His only parting gift was to mouth the words listen to him.
Micah reached for me again, and I skirted away.
“Please don’t do that, Sedona. Don’t close yourself off from me.”
I couldn’t help it. I burst into a laugh that bordered on hysterical. “This coming from the man who walked through those doors practically a blank slate, a man with so many secrets that I’m surprised you’re not drowning in them all.” I could feel my skin heat from the emotional outburst, but I didn’t suppress it. “Even now, after everything we’ve been through, you still keep parts of yourself shielded from me.”
There was a hint of frustration in his response. I could feel him trying to be patient and understanding, but like every other man on the planet, he couldn’t see it from my perspective.
“This isn’t about me, though. We’re talking about you.” And with all the skill of a ballroom dancer, he sidestepped around my retort, and waltzed me back to where the spotlight was back on me. “Help me comprehend what’s going on in that beautiful head of yours.” He offered me a gentle smile to try to soften the mood, but it was too late. Everything I’d kept stuffed inside was rushing to the surface, ready to explode.
“Don’t flatter me!” I exclaimed. Part of me knew it was unfair to unleash on the man I was dating, the man I was falling in love with. Another part egged my own impatience on, telling me to purge until there was nothing left but the echoes of an empty heart. Surprisingly, there was another voice that had recently emerged. It was that voice that whispered if there was ever a person I could completely confide in and bare my soul to, it would be Micah.
“I’m sorry,” he murmured and reached for me again. This time I didn’t shrink away.
“Don’t you think it’s ironic that you expect such transparency from me, yet you keep everything within you tightly wrapped up in some impenetrable fortress?” When he nodded, not speaking a word in response, I took courage. “I may be an empath, but I’m also human, Micah. How else am I meant to feel? Tell me, how am I meant to process this? What must I do so we can all go back to pretending like the world is wonderful and filled with rainbows and butterflies?” I stared up into his deep blue eyes, the challenge thrown. When he didn’t reply, I let out a loud, unladylike grunt. “That’s what I thought.”
Scooping up the damn applications, I gripped them in one hand as I grabbed my keys and threw them at him. “Lock up after yourself. I can’t stand being here a second longer.”
With one last look over my shoulder, I fled Shelf Indulgence, not waiting to see if he’d follow.
So much for me being okay with what happened and being strong.
Being an empath wasn’t as fun as it sounded. It was taxing—both emotionally and physically—and often when I slipped up and invaded someone’s feelings (by accident), the consequences resulted in me feeling like an outcast.
Micah had offered to help heal those emotional wounds with his own angelic grace, but I’d politely declined. Every time he used his powers—for whatever reason—it sent out a beacon to those who were hunting for him and Holly. I was grateful that he’d given me a small vial of his divine essence that I wore around my neck, under my clothing. It replaced the black tourmaline pendant I used to wear, but had given to Holly to help ground her after Austin’s attack.
Micah’s gift was precious to me, and I didn’t need to think too hard to know that given time, scars would fade, and it would almost be like my young employee’s betrayal had never happened.
Almost.
I could deal with almost.
I’d spent so much time hiding away in
my bookstore, sheltering the town from my troublesome gifts, that I’d forgotten just how powerful I could be. Looking down the barrel of the gun Austin had pointed at me, threatening to take Holly away, I’d made a silent vow that should we survive, I would never make myself that vulnerable again.
But that was then and this was now.
It seemed like I was surrounded by lies at the moment, but none bigger than the ones I was telling myself.
I wasn’t doing fine.
I was falling apart, and for the life of me, I couldn’t stop the tears that finally started to fall.
Chapter 2
I didn’t get too far before I heard someone calling out after me. It wasn’t Micah, because I was pretty sure he was still rooted to the spot in the store, stunned over the tantrum I’d just thrown, his gaze flickering between the door I’d stormed out of and the keys I’d thrown at him.
Embarrassment warred with the guilt that had taken up residence inside me. It took every ounce of willpower for me not to turn around and begin apologizing profusely. I’d acted like a jerk and taken my insecurities out on him.
But I didn’t stop. Tears streamed down my cheeks, big salty drops hanging from my top lip before falling. They tasted like regret and fury. Now that I’d lifted the lid on the box that was my own feelings, there was no stuffing them back in.
Addicted to You Page 1
