Positive and negative forces
peacefully coexist within the lives of ordinary people every day.
Aria Cole has a desire to create
beauty in whatever environment she is placed. The emotional toll of expending
her heart diverts her to a new direction, and she flourishes while creating
beauty in a new way. When a personal loss finds its way into her world, she
experiences heartbreaking devastation. Her memories have compelled her to a
place where she experiences peace and contentment.
Declan Sinclair’s occupation
demands that he use his body as much as his mind, and it forces him to move in
a fast-paced world. When the accelerated pace of his lifestyle encourages him
to personally navigate the course of his professional destiny, he seizes the
opportunity to retreat to his refuge and prepare a vocational strategy.
When positive and negative
circumstances merge the lives of Aria and Declan, they find they have more in
common than the love of a place of peace. Can the lives of two people, the
events that unite them, the circumstances that surround them, and the
attraction that draws them be enough to put their lives into balance and assist
them in finding what they both secretly desire?
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Excerpt
Having Declan’s hand so close to my cheek ignited a potent
desire within an emotional abyss that had only recently been full of sorrow.
His touch only confirmed what had been a suspicion building for days—weeks. I
wanted this man to kiss me. I could feel Declan’s breath on my upper lip. He was
so close that I could feel the air that was created by the flutter of his
eyelashes. I could barely breathe, and the breath I did take only served to
fuel the fire that was burning inside. His aroma energized my desire further. I
wanted to bury my head against him. He tucked my hair behind my ear and allowed
his hand to drift to the back of my head where he pulled me in, close. When he
asked me if I wanted him to come inside the house, I could barely breathe the
word “Please” to him. But please to what? My desires were meeting my
imagination. My lips were almost touching his, and I felt them draw me toward
him magnetically. To say a man’s lips are “delicious” makes them sound sinful,
but Declan’s lips were as wicked as chocolate, and once I had a small taste, I
wanted more. At that moment, my cravings were met by Declan crushing his lips
on to mine, and I knew that the pining I felt for him was equally met. I hadn’t
been kissed in a very long time, and certainly never like this. Emotions of excitement and fear commingled, firing
in my brain with each demanding glide of his tongue. I couldn’t think, and I
couldn’t breathe. The kiss lasted just moments, but in that time I lost all
sense and reasoning.
He spread his firm fingers through the back of my head, then
pulled my hair, tugging me back. “Do you think we should go inside, or would
you like to continue this out here?” He smiled at me with a roguish smirk.
I could feel the heat and color creeping up my chest and
neck as I blushed and quickly opened the door.
Once inside, I felt the need for air and a bit of composure,
so I attempted to put a bit of distance between us by inviting Declan on a tour
of the house. He grinned at my clever ploy, but he took my hand as I led him,
room by room, telling him stories of our family vacations on the Fourth of
July. He patiently listened to my recanting tale after tale, through tours of
the living room with its wicker furniture, dining room with a family size
table, and the kitchen where I animated remembering my dad cooking. He laughed
at some of the stories, and he was interested with regard to the history of the
building. As we went up the stairs, he was impressed with the sizes of the
bedrooms, each with their double and single beds. The one thing that piqued his
curiosity was the closet. My Uncle Bill couldn’t bear to paint it because,
every year, the kids wrote on the interior walls. We never thought that my
uncle was aware of the declarations of “I love Matt”, “Rich loves Shirl”,
“Debbie and Gary forever!” or “P luvs H”. There were writings of “Britt and
Amber—BFF”, “Di loves Keith” and “Harv was Here, Summer of 2000”. Declan
thought the little closet was like a time capsule. I told him that my uncle
confessed to me that he knew, all the way back then, that we were writing on
the walls in there, but he just kept reading the walls at the end of every
summer. He thought it was endearing, really, that so many of us kids had such
great vacations there; and we did.
As we walked back down the stairs, Declan still held my hand.
I knew that if I didn’t want to end up in bed with him that night, I needed to
end the date. I had to attempt to be firm, although I didn’t know if I could
resist another of his kisses. I didn’t want Declan to think that I was a woman
who took sex too casually. He was worldlier than me, and women threw themselves
at him, but I was a person who invested my emotions before I invested my body.
We had almost reached the bottom of the stairs, but I had a
strategy to see him eye-to-eye and be firm. I stayed on the second step to
equalize our height difference so I could look into his eyes as I spoke.
“Thank you for today,” I said, and I continued to hold his
hand.
He could tell what I was doing because he narrowed his eyes
at me.
“You’re welcome,” he said as he slipped his arm around my
waist, pulling me in to him. I could tell that he didn’t want it to end. He was
onto my game, and he was trying to entice me. I could tell he was a man who was
used to getting what he wanted.
“It was nice spending time with you,” I said as I looked at
him with genuine appreciation and affection, but an attempted firm resolve.
“It was nice spending time with you,” he said in the lowest, growling, and sexiest
voice I’d ever heard. “I want to spend more
time with you.”
His intentions were crystal clear. He wanted to play, and I
was losing my grip. I was now convinced that Declan Sinclair could sweet-talk
the panties off of a nun!
About the Author
DD Lorenzo is a fresh modern-day storyteller. Her
stories reach deep into the heart of readers and engage them through the
emotions of her characters.
DD resides in Maryland, The Land of Pleasant Living. She
met the love of her life in high school and decided to look no further.
Together, they have raised their children into fabulous adults. When she isn't
writing stories of the impassioned lives of her characters, she is rooting for
the Baltimore Ravens or the Baltimore Orioles. Her favorite pastimes include
spending time with the great people in her life and riding with her husband in
his classic Mustang to the Eastern Shore.
DD is currently working on "Selective/Memory",
Book 2 in the "Depths of Emotion" series.
Connect with D.D.
Twitter:
@d_d_lorenzo
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Susan Violante
