Brave (16 page)

She
twisted against me, and my desire exploded, my hunger turning
desperate, my need raging out of control.

And
then passion claimed us both, consumed us, pulling us under. Down,
down, into a storm of love and blinding intensity.

Awareness
returned in fragments—like slivers of light infiltrating my
mind—and she tightened her arms around me, burying her face
into my damp neck. The body of my beautiful Alissa beneath me was my
only reality.

A
tremor coursed through me, the rush of emotion so intense it was
almost unbearable, and I clenched my jaw against it.

“I
know,” she said. “After being so bereft of love from my
parents, I still get choked up when I think how blessed I am to
belong to you and your wonderful family. You’re everything I
could ever want, could ever need.”

She
slid her hand up the back of my neck, cradling my head against her
with infinite tenderness. I shuddered and pressed my face against the
curve of her shoulder, my hold on her tightening convulsively. I
closed my eyes, waiting for the ache to ease a little; then she
stroked my head and pressed an infinitely tender kiss against my
neck.

“It
was worth every moment of pain and healing to be with you, Alissa.”

She
nodded. “You weren’t only brave, my beautiful, beautiful
Dakota. You are my hero.”

And
I
was
her hero. I believed that now. Completely.

For
the rest of our lives.

This novella is proud to be a part of
The 12 NA's of Christmas.
12 Different New Adult Romances. 12 Bestselling Authors.

Click here to see them all:
www.newadult12.com

If you’re interested in reading more of my books, I currently have available my romantic comedy/light mystery series Going to the Dogs:
 
Leashed, Book #1 Free
Groomed for Murder, Book #2
Hounded, Book #3
Collared, Book #4
 
And my new adult contemporary mystery series A Perfect Secret:
 
A Perfect Mess #1

Zoe Dawson is the alter ego of multi-published, bestselling author Karen
Anders. Karen started her career because her grandmother gave her a book
to read. That book made her fall in love with romance and started her on
the trek to get published. She achieved that goal in 1996 with the
publication of Jennifer's Outlaw for Silhouette. Even with many books
under her belt, she can't wait for that next idea, that next exquisite
sentence and, of course, the next hero and heroine who fall in love.

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Dear Reader,
 
Thank you for embarking on this journey with me. It's been fabulous to
write this book for your enjoyment.
 
If you haven’t done so already, please consider leaving me a review. It
helps me out tremendously. Thank you. Please feel free to message me
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Best, Zoe