“You’re gorgeous, Cullen. This was more than I could even fantasize about.”
Cullen glanced down at her.
“Yeah, and did you fantasize a lot?”
“Of course.”
“Tell me.”
“No.”
“Fine.” Cullen smiled then grew serious. “So tell me. Promise me. We’re in this for the long haul, yes?”
“Oh, yeah. I give you my word.”
“I’m going to hold you to it, you know.”
“You won’t have to. I’m not going anywhere Cullen.”
“Good.”
“And you? You’re ready to put Sara and all the others behind you and be with me only from now on, right?”
“From now until forever, Julia.”
“You know, the champagne was good, but I like this way of celebrating more.”
“Mm, as do I. Are you ready to celebrate some more?”
“I’ll never say no to you, Cullen.”
“Promise?”
“I swear.”
Cullen took a deep breath. She knew it was too soon, but was it really? She had feelings for Julia that she’d never had before. Yes, there had been other women and other relationships, but Julia was different. Dare she speak those words yet?
“What are you thinking?” Julia asked.
“There’s something I want to tell you, but I don’t want to freak you out.”
“What is it? You’re into whips and chains? You need me to dress up like a schoolgirl? Talk to me, babe.”
Cullen was laughing too hard to speak. She got control of herself and took another deep breath.
“No, nothing like that.”
“Then what?”
“Promise not to freak?”
“I’ll do my best,” Julia said.
“I think I love you.”
“You think or you know?”
“I know, okay? I love you, Julia.”
“You know what?”
“What?”
“I love you too.”
About the Author
MJ Williamz was raised on California’s central coast, which she left at age seventeen to pursue an education. She graduated from Chico State, and it was in Chico that she rediscovered her love of writing. It wasn’t until she moved to Portland, however, that her writing really took off, with the publication of her first short story in 2003.
MJ is the author of eighteen books, including three Goldie Award winners. She has also had over thirty short stories published, most of them erotica with a few romances and a few horrors thrown in for good measure. She lives in Houston with her wife, fellow author Laydin Michaels, and their fur babies. You can find her on Facebook or reach her at [email protected]
Books Available from Bold Strokes Books
Beautiful Dreamer by Melissa Brayden. With love on the line, can Devyn Winters find it in her heart to stay in the small town of Dreamer’s Bay, the one place she swore she’d never remain? (978-1-63555-305-5)
Create a Life to Love by Erin Zak. When sixteen-year-old Beth shows up at her birth mother’s door, three lives will change forever. (978-1-63555-425-0)
Deadeye by Meredith Doench. Stranded while hunting the serial predator Deadeye, Special Agent Luce Hansen fights for survival while her lover, forensic pathologist Harper Bennett, hunts for clues to Hansen’s disappearance along the killer’s trail. (978-1-63555-253-9)
Death Takes a Bow by David S. Pederson. Alan Keys takes part in a local stage production, but when the leading man is murdered, his partner Detective Heath Barrington is thrust into the limelight to find the killer. (978-1-63555-472-4)
Endangered by Michelle Larkin. Shapeshifters Officer Aspen Wolfe and Dr. Tora Madigan fight their growing attraction as they work together to destroy a secret government agency that exterminates their kind. (978-1-63555-377-2)
Incognito by VK Powell. The only thing Evan Spears is focused on is capturing a fleeing murder suspect until wild card Frankie Strong is added to her team and causes chaos on and off the job. (978-1-63555-389-5)
Insult to Injury by Gun Brooke. After losing everything, Gail Owen withdraws to her old farmhouse and finds a destitute young woman, Romi Shepherd, living in a secret room. (978-1-63555-323-9)
Just One Moment by Dena Blake. If you were given the chance to have the love of your life back, could you ignore everything that went wrong and start over again? (978-1-63555-387-1)
Scene of the Crime by MJ Williamz. Cullen Mathew finds herself caught between the woman she thinks she loves but can no longer trust and a beautiful detective she can’t stop thinking about who will stop at nothing to find the truth. (978-1-63555-405-2)
Accidental Prophet by Bud Gundy. Days after his grandmother dies, Drew Morten learns his true identity and finds himself racing against time to save civilization from the apocalypse. (978-1-63555-452-6)
Daughter of No One by Sam Ledel. When their worlds are threatened, a princess and a village outcast must overcome their differences and embrace a budding attraction if they want to survive. (978-1-63555-427-4)
Fear of Falling by Georgia Beers. Singer Sophie James is ready to shake up her career, but her new manager, the gorgeous Dana Landon, has other ideas. (978-1-63555-443-4)
In Case You Forgot by Fredrick Smith and Chaz Lamar. Zaire and Kenny, two newly single, Black, queer, and socially aware men, start again—in love, career, and life—in the West Hollywood neighborhood of LA. (978-1-63555-493-9)
Playing with Fire by Lesley Davis. When Takira Lathan and Dante Groves meet at Takira’s restaurant, love may find its way onto the menu. (978-1-63555-433-5)
Practice Makes Perfect by Carsen Taite. Meet law school friends Campbell, Abby, and Grace, law partners at Austin’s premier boutique legal firm for young, hip entrepreneurs. Legal Affairs: one law firm, three best friends, three chances to fall in love. (978-1-63555-357-4)
The Last Seduction by Ronica Black. When you allow true love to elude you once and you desperately regret it, are you brave enough to grab it when it comes around again? (978-1-63555-211-9)
Wavering Convictions by Erin Dutton. After a traumatic event, Maggie has vowed to regain her strength and independence. So how can Ally be both the woman who makes her feel safe and a constant reminder of the person who took her security away? (978-1-63555-403-8)
A Bird of Sorrow by Shea Godfrey. As Darrius and her lover, Princess Jessa, gather their strength for the coming war, a mysterious spell will reveal the truth of an ancient love. (978-1-63555-009-2)
All the Worlds Between Us by Morgan Lee Miller. High school senior Quinn Hughes discovers that a broken friendship is actually a door propped open for an unexpected romance. (978-1-63555-457-1)
An Intimate Deception by CJ Birch. Flynn County Sheriff Elle Ashley has spent her adult life atoning for her wild youth, but when she finds her ex, Jessie, murdered two weeks before the small town’s biggest social event, she comes face-to-face with her past and all her well-kept secrets. (978-1-63555-417-5)
Cash and the Sorority Girl by Ashley Bartlett. Cash Braddock doesn’t want to deal with morality, drugs, or people. Unfortunately, she’s going to have to. (978-1-63555-310-9)
Counting for Thunder by Phillip Irwin Cooper. A struggling actor returns to the Deep South to manage a family crisis, finds love, and ultimately his own voice as his mother is regaining hers for possibly the last time. (978-1-63555-450-2)
Falling by Kris Bryant. Falling in love isn’t part of the plan, but will Shaylie Beck put her heart first and stick around, or tell the damaging truth? (978-1-63555-373-4)
Secrets in a Small Town by Nicole Stiling. Deputy Chief Mackenzie Blake has one mission: find the person harassing Savannah Castillo and her daughter before they cause real harm. (978-1-63555-436-6)
Stormy Seas by Ali Vali. The high-octane follow-up to the best-selling action-romance, Blue Skies. (978-1-63555-299-7)
The Road to Madison by Elle Spencer. Can two women who fell in love as girls overcome the hurt caused by the fathe
r who tore them apart? (978-1-63555-421-2)
Dangerous Curves by Larkin Rose. When love waits at the finish line, dangerous curves are a risk worth taking. (978-1-63555-353-6)
Love to the Rescue by Radclyffe. Can two people who share a past really be strangers? (978-1-62639-973-0)
Love’s Portrait by Anna Larner. When museum curator Molly Goode and benefactor Georgina Wright uncover a portrait’s secret, public and private truths are exposed, and their deepening love hangs in the balance. (978-1-63555-057-3)
Model Behavior by MJ Williamz. Can one woman’s instability shatter a new couple’s dreams of happiness? (978-1-63555-379-6)
Pretending in Paradise by M. Ullrich. When travelwisdom.com assigns PR specialist Caroline Beckett and travel blogger Emma Morgan to cover a hot new couples retreat, they’re forced to fake a relationship to secure a reservation. (978-1-63555-399-4)
Recipe for Love by Aurora Rey. Hannah Little doesn’t have much use for fancy chefs or fancy restaurants, but when New York City chef Drew Davis comes to town, their attraction just might be a recipe for love. (978-1-63555-367-3)
Survivor’s Guilt and Other Stories by Greg Herren. Award-winning author Greg Herren’s short stories are finally pulled together into a single collection, including the Macavity Award nominated title story and the first-ever Chanse MacLeod short story. (978-1-63555-413-7)
The House by Eden Darry. After a vicious assault, Sadie, Fin, and their family retreat to a house they think is the perfect place to start over, until they realize not all is as it seems. (978-1-63555-395-6)
Uninvited by Jane C. Esther. When Aerin McLeary’s body becomes host for an alien intent on invading Earth, she must work with researcher Olivia Ando to uncover the truth and save humankind. (978-1-63555-282-9)
Comrade Cowgirl by Yolanda Wallace. When cattle rancher Laramie Bowman accepts a lucrative job offer far from home, will her heart end up getting lost in translation? (978-1-63555-375-8)
Double Vision by Ellie Hart. When her cell phone rings, Giselle Cutler answers it—and finds herself speaking to a dead woman. (978-1-63555-385-7)
Inheritors of Chaos by Barbara Ann Wright. As factions splinter and reunite, will anyone survive the final showdown between gods and mortals on an alien world? (978-1-63555-294-2)
Love on Lavender Lane by Karis Walsh. Accompanied by the buzz of honeybees and the scent of lavender, Paige and Kassidy must find a way to compromise on their approach to business if they want to save Lavender Lane Farm—and find a way to make room for love along the way. (978-1-63555-286-7)
Spinning Tales by Brey Willows. When the fairy tale begins to unravel and villains are on the loose, will Maggie and Kody be able to spin a new tale? (978-1-63555-314-7)
The Do-Over by Georgia Beers. Bella Hunt has made a good life for herself and put the past behind her. But when the bane of her high school existence shows up for Bella’s class on conflict resolution, the last thing they expect is to fall in love. (978-1-63555-393-2)
What Happens When by Samantha Boyette. For Molly Kennan, senior year is already an epic disaster, and falling for mysterious waitress Zia is about to make life a whole lot worse. (978-1-63555-408-3)
Wooing the Farmer by Jenny Frame. When fiercely independent modern socialite Penelope Huntingdon-Stewart and traditional country farmer Sam McQuade meet, trusting their hearts is harder than it looks. (978-1-63555-381-9)
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Table of Contents
Synopsis
What Reviewers Say About MJ Williamz’s Work
By the Author
Acknowledgments
Dedication
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-one
Chapter Twenty-two
Chapter Twenty-three
Chapter Twenty-four
Chapter Twenty-five
Chapter Twenty-six
Chapter Twenty-seven
Chapter Twenty-eight
Chapter Twenty-nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-one
About the Author
Books Available from Bold Strokes Books
Scene of the Crime Page 25
