Connected Hearts - Four Lesbian Romance Stories (15 page)

Cold liquid hit her in the chest. Reflexively, she caught the now empty glass before it could fall to the floor and shatter.

She froze. So did the woman.

Wide green eyes stared down at her from behind horn-rimmed glasses.

Drew realized that her damsel was at least four or five inches taller than her own five foot six.

“Oh, my God! I’m so sorry!” With trembling fingers, the woman balanced the tray in one hand and picked up a napkin.

For a moment, Drew imagined the woman’s hands on her, dabbing at her drenched shirt, but instead, the woman handed her the napkin. She tried to soak up the worst of the spill but realized her shirt was ruined. Guess I’m more of a knight in wine-stained armor now.

“Are you okay?” the woman asked.

“I’m fine. No harm done.” Drew wiped a drop of red wine off her chin. “Well, almost none.”

A blush crept up the woman’s slender neck and brought color to her cheeks. “I’ll pay for the dry cleaning, of course.”

Drew smiled. How cute. She couldn’t remember ever seeing any of her worldly, confident girlfriends blush, which lent a hint of vulnerability that softened the stranger’s earnest features. “Don’t worry about it.”

Laughter from the people around them made Drew tear her gaze away from the woman.

A few of Jake’s friends pointed out Drew’s stained shirt to one another and seemed to find it hysterically funny.

The woman’s cheeks went from pink to a dark rosé.

The swift surge of protectiveness rising in her chest surprised Drew. She made eye contact with the worst offenders. “What?” She pulled the wet shirt away from her skin and grinned. “Haven’t you ever seen a woman wearing a glass of wine? It’s all the rage, really.”

A few of the guests laughed and finally directed their gazes away from Drew and her damsel.

“Your shirt looks expensive,” the blond woman said. “I could pay for—”

“No, you don’t need to do that. I was the one who hit the tray, so if anyone needs to apologize, it’s me. I saw the glasses sliding to the edge of the tray and thought I could help, but instead I gave you quite a scare, plowing into you like that.” She gasped, only then realizing she hadn’t taken a breath between sentences. “I’m really sorry. Maybe I could invite you for coffee to make up for it.” She had casually asked out many women in her life, but now she found herself rambling.

The woman glanced at her. Drew thought she saw puzzlement in her eyes, which, at this distance, were the color of vine leaves in spring. Then the woman frowned and shook her head. “And risk spilling hot beverages on you too? Better not.”

When the woman moved to walk around her, Drew quickly stepped forward and blocked her way, not ready to give up yet. “That’s a risk worth taking. So how about it? Will you have coffee with me?”

“It’s nice of you to offer, but it’s not necessary. It was just an accident, and I really need to go now.” The woman turned her wrist to glance at her watch, making the tray tilt again.

Ignoring the possibility of further damage to her clothes, Drew grabbed for the tray. Her fingers wrapped around the woman’s, her tanned hands contrasting sharply with the ivory of the woman’s skin.

“Sorry.” Another blush stained the woman’s cheeks. “I’m not usually such a klutz.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Drew relinquished her hold on the tray, but not without letting her index finger linger against the woman’s hand for a moment. “Being a bit clumsy has a certain charm,” she said with a wink.

The woman lifted an eyebrow but didn’t return the flirtatious smile.

Damn, she’s straight. Drew suppressed a sigh.

“I need to go,” the woman said. “Again, I’m sorry. Maybe you can borrow one of Jake’s shirts for the evening.”

She’s on a first-name basis with Jake? For a moment, Drew wondered whether the blonde was one of Jake’s many lovers, but then she shook her head. With her horn-rimmed glasses, stubborn chin, and make-up-free face, this woman wasn’t Jake’s type.

She glanced down at the wet shirt plastered against her full breasts. “I’m afraid Jake and I are not quite the same ... um ... size.”

The woman blushed for the fourth time, and Drew caught her glancing at her chest.

Maybe she’s not so straight after all. Drew grinned and decided to help her cover the awkward silence. “It’s okay. I was just about to go say hello to Jake and then head home anyway.” She nodded toward the tray. “You need any help with that?”

“No, thanks, I can manage.”

“All right.” Drew was running out of reasons to keep talking for a while longer, so she reluctantly stepped out of the way.

Her damsel said good-bye and walked away.

Drew stood watching the gentle sway of her hips. Nice. She pinched the wet shirt between two fingers and pulled it away from her skin. After a final glance at the stranger, she went in search of Jake.

###

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Manhattan Moon

Jae

ISBN: 978-3-95533-012-5 (epub), 978-3-95533-013-2 (mobi), 978-3-95533-014-9 (pdf)

Length: 28,500 words (novella)

Nothing in Shelby Carson’s life is ordinary. Not only is she an attending psychiatrist in a hectic ER, but she’s also a Wrasa, a shape-shifter who leads a secret existence.

To make things even more complicated, she has feelings for Nyla Rozakis, a human nurse.

Even though the Wrasa forbid relationships with humans, Shelby is determined to pursue Nyla. Things seem pretty hopeless for them, but on Halloween, during a full moon, anything can happen...

Something in the Wine

Jae

ISBN: 978-3-95533-005-7 (paperback), 978-3-95533-007-1 (mobi), 978-3-95533-006-4 (epub), 978-3-95533-008-8 (pdf).

Length: 99,100 words (400 pages)

All her life, Annie Prideaux has suffered through her brother’s constant practical jokes only he thinks are funny. But Jake’s last joke is one too many, she decides when he sets her up on a blind date with his friend Drew Corbin—neglecting to tell his straight sister one tiny detail: her date is not a man, but a lesbian.

Annie and Drew decide it’s time to turn the tables on Jake by pretending to fall in love with each other.

At first glance, they have nothing in common. Disillusioned with love, Annie focuses on books, her cat, and her work as an accountant while Drew, more confident and outgoing, owns a dog and spends most of her time working in her beloved vineyard.

Only their common goal to take revenge on Jake unites them. But what starts as a table-turning game soon turns Annie’s and Drew’s lives upside down as the lines between pretending and reality begin to blur.

Something in the Wine
is a story about love, friendship, and coming to terms with what it means to be yourself.

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Crossing Bridges

Emma Weimann

As a Guardian, Tallulah has devoted her life to protecting her hometown, Edinburgh, and its inhabitants, both living and dead, against ill-natured and dangerous supernatural beings.

When Erin, a human tourist, visits Edinburgh, she makes Tallulah more nervous than the poltergeist on Greyfriars Kirkyard—and not only because Erin seems to be the sidekick of a dark witch who has her own agenda.

While Tallulah works to thwart the dark witch’s sinister plan for Edinburgh, she can’t help wondering about the mysterious Erin. Is she friend or foe?

Hot Line

Alison Grey

Two women from different worlds.

Linda, a successful psychologist, uses her work to distance herself from her own loneliness.

Christina works for a sex hotline to make ends meet.

Their worlds collide when Linda calls Christina’s sex line. Christina quickly realizes Linda is not her usual customer. Instead of wanting phone sex, Linda makes an unexpected proposition. Does Christina dare accept the offer that will change both their lives?

Backwards to Oregon

(revised edition)

Jae

“Luke” Hamilton has always been sure that she’d never marry. She accepted that she would spend her life alone when she chose to live her life disguised as a man.

After working in a brothel for three years, Nora Macauley has lost all illusions about love. She no longer hopes for a man who will sweep her off her feet and take her away to begin a new, respectable life.

But now they find themselves married and on the way to Oregon in a covered wagon, with two thousand miles ahead of them.

L.A. Metro

(second edition)

RJ Nolan

Dr. Kimberly Donovan’s life is in shambles. After her medical ethics are questioned, first her family, then her closeted lover, the Chief of the ER, betray her. Determined to make a fresh start, she flees to California and L.A. Metropolitan Hospital.

Dr. Jess McKenna, L.A. Metro’s Chief of the ER, gives new meaning to the phrase emotionally guarded, but she has her reasons.

When Kim and Jess meet, the attraction is immediate. Emotions Jess has tried to repress for years surface. But her interest in Kim also stirs dark memories. They settle for friendship, determined not to repeat past mistakes, but secretly they both wish things could be different.

Will the demons from Jess’s past destroy their future before it can even get started? Or will L.A. Metro be a place to not only heal the sick, but to mend wounded hearts?