Finding Destiny (14 page)

THE TWISTED SERIES: BOOK 1

Can a man and woman be just
friends?

Have a look at Christa Simpson’s debut
release!

After having graduated from law school
with honors, Edwin Santora, Abigail’s occasional ex and handsome
housemate, could get a job anywhere he wanted. Of all the places to
land, why does he take a position with her small firm? As if
sharing a house with her irresistible ex wasn’t bad enough, it
quickly becomes the least of her concerns. When Edwin’s macho
arrogance begins to seriously affect her dating life, Abigail
starts to reconsider their friendship. Not that Edwin believes a
man and woman can be
just friends
anyway.

With Edwin’s swoon-worthy stunts and fierce
persistence, Abigail finds herself catching feelings. When Edwin
makes a friendly proposal, no-strings-attached, Abigail can’t
resist. After some sexy role playing, she finds herself dangerously
in love and wrapped back up in his powerful grip. When Abigail
selfishly risks their relationship to get what she wants, will
their friendship pass the test? Or will they give in to the
mysterious forces trying to drive them apart?

Available now!

http://christasimpson.com/twisted

Excerpt:

I rubbed my eyes, pulled open by
bedroom door and trotted down the stairs for breakfast.
No
Edwin.
I ran back upstairs, showered in our shared bathroom,
and returned to my bedroom.
No Edwin.
I carefully unclipped
a long black pencil skirt from a hanger, and slipped the fitted
skirt over my hips. Before I topped it with a flirty blouse, I
decided I should’ve probably brushed my teeth first. There’s
nothing worse on a Monday morning, than tooth paste splatter on
your white shirt.

Acting quick
and careless, I headed for my door, and when I stepped out into the
hallway, I bumped right into Edwin.

"Whoa," he
said. He seemed equally as stunned by the imposition, but he didn’t
budge an inch.

Being inside
his personal space was incredibly awkward. It wasn’t exactly the
place I had expected to be this morning, but there I was, wearing
nothing but a barely-there bra.

My eyes
flashed away from his glimmering aqua glance and landed on his
luscious smiling lips. Lower yet, my eyes focused in on his smooth
chest peeking out of his crisp white, mostly unbuttoned shirt.
Damn it
. He looked like a tasty morning treat, his shirt
fully tucked into those black slacks hung handsomely from his
masculine hips.

I swallowed
the lusty lump from the back of my throat. "Sorry," I said, softly.
I didn't even know whether I was apologizing for getting in his
face or eyeing his body like a piece of man candy.

It didn’t seem
to matter to him. He took my chin in his hand and looked right
through me with his piercing gaze. "You can feel sorry for a lot of
things, but this shouldn't ever be one of them."

His lips
covered mine, his drugging kiss long and slow, as I struggled with
myself to make him stop. I should have. I could have. But I
didn't.

Edwin stopped
first and smiled at my carelessness. I stood there a little stunned
and a lot disappointed with my lack of judgment. With fists bunched
at my sides, I forced a stern look to make its appearance. It was
hard to keep it together.

"What do you
think you’re doing, Eddie?"

"I couldn't
help myself, and you didn't stop me. What do you expect? I'm only a
man."

How can I
argue with that?
I loosened my fists and took a deep breath, in
an attempt to relax my tense muscles. "Well, maybe you can give me
a little notice next time."

"I didn't plan
for this. It just happened,” he insisted.

"I'm sure.
You're lips just bumped into mine.”

"Like you just
happened to rush out of your door at the exact time I was passing,"
he challenged. His arrogance was starting to make me angry, but I
was relieved to feel any emotion other than sadness and
despair.

"Wait a
minute: that really happened! Don't try and turn this on me."

"Mmm, hmm," he
replied, pressing my every button.

"Well, I hope
you enjoyed yourself, because I’m not going to let you take
advantage of me like that again.” I backed away, more for me than
for him. He smelled so good.

He laughed and
just stood there, shaking his head, staring at me. His fresh
aftershave and fragrant cologne mixed with his arousal in an
enticing aroma. It had a terrifying effect on me, heightening my
senses and messing with my mind. After being so dangerously close
to him, I was desperate for some privacy to regain my composure.
But his eyes never left mine and I worried that he was magically
deciphering my thoughts.

With my nerves
getting the best of me, I did what any reasonable woman would have
done in the circumstances: I bolted for the washroom.

"I was just
going to brush my teeth," I announced, trying to prove my
innocence. I ducked into the washroom, feeling safe once I was out
of the fathomless aqua force field he was wielding.

"Oh really?"
he replied, following after me. "Funny. Because that's exactly what
I was coming to do."

My eyes grew
wide with anxiety and as soon as I noticed, I glared at myself in
the mirror.
Time… space… I need...

Edwin appeared
nonchalantly in the reflection behind me. I tore my eyes from his
firm chest and confident stare, and fixed them on my toothbrush, as
I shakily applied the paste. I put the tube down and pressed both
of my hands against the cold marble countertop to support my
weight, stop the shaking and avoid his mystical eyes.

Continuing
with his casual lack of concern, Edwin reached around me and under
my outstretched arms to retrieve the toothpaste and his brush. I
closed my eyes and inhaled his scent, totally disarming my anger
and arousing my budding curiosity.

I took a deep
breath. "What are you doing?" I asked, as I ran my brush under the
water.

"Brushing my
teeth. Obviously."

"Hah!" I
replied, with a mouthful of paste.

Edwin began to
fight me for the sink bowl, playfully hip checking and trying to
shove me out of the way. I defended better than a seasoned veteran,
boxing him out with my hips and rear-end.

"I better warn
you," Edwin mumbled, with paste foaming around his lips. He nudged
me aside and emptied his mouthful into the sink. "I may try and
kiss you again when you're done brushing."

I sputtered
into the sink, reacting to his terrifying words. "Don't even think
about it!" I squealed, feeling extremely uncomfortable with the
notion.

"You asked for
notice and service is effective," he taunted, dipping his mouth to
the tap. He slurped up some water and swished it around in his
mouth as I took a mouthful of water myself.

I rinsed out
my mouth and dried it on the towel as Edwin spewed out the last of
his mouthwash. I wanted to be mad. I tried to be mad. But how could
you be mad at that handsome face?

"Don't say I
didn't warn you," he said, winking.

There was no
denying that spending time like this with Edwin made me feel a lot
better about everything. Playful was doable, and I was pleasantly
surprised that he was being so good about it so soon. Taking my
good old time, I flossed every tooth and gargled with mouthwash.
Edwin watched me intently.

I acknowledged
his presence, but tried to act emotionless. It was extremely
difficult. An overpowering inquisitiveness hung thick in the air
between us as I dried the wetness from my mouth. I found myself in
desperate need of oxygen, the room entirely starved of it as Edwin
stepped up beside me.

"We're gonna
be okay," he said, his low, sexy growl cutting through the hazy
air.

I reached past
him to put the bottle of mouthwash back where it belonged, and he
didn't move out of my way. My sensitive sniffer caught a whiff of
him again, as I nudged him aside to open the vanity door.
Mmm.
That scent.

Edwin stood,
unmoved, blocking my path to the door, making me brush past him to
make my exit. As I walked away, he slowly followed, but stopped
when he reached the hall. I pretended not to notice.

"You are
pretty messed up," he said, stopping me in my tracks.

"Excuse me?" I
spun around to face him, and my facial expression was cold and
conceited.

"Did you
forget already?" He hoped for a stunned response and so I acted
clueless, as my eyes locked onto his heated gaze.

"I have no
idea what you’re talking about." If he only knew that I wanted him
to try me on for size, something fierce. But I knew what was good
for me. I should stick to my original plan: evade, retreat and
regroup. If I stayed away from Edwin I could move on a lot faster.
So why wouldn't my feet move?