Taming Vegas (11 page)

We had fallen into a taxi sloppily and rode to the nearest
quickie wedding venue we could find. There had been nothing romantic about it
until he had kissed me, and something inside had fallen into place. Flashes of
the amazing sex we had shared throughout the night haunts me as I stare at the
moment I realized I could love him.

Then I remember the awful, painful morning afterward and
wonder what it would have been like if I had stayed. Would we have become
friends? I doubt it. He needed to grow as a person, and he needed to fall for
me to view him as a human being.

I needed to realize what love is supposed to be, and I
needed to come to the conclusion that I don’t need a man in my life. We’re far
from getting married again, but I think I could like him. If we hadn’t made
that fatal mistake like numerous drunken couples do in Vegas, we might have
grown fond of one another these past few years.

He’s staring down at that picture with me when I look up at
his face, and I see regret etched across it. Sometimes fate throws us a
curveball, and mine is still curving through the air. It’s not done teaching me
a lesson, but I hope he’s there after the lesson is learned.

“I’m sorry, Melanie.” I hear his remorse in those words and smile.
It’s a wobbly, watery smile, but I manage it.

“Me too. You were right. We should be friends. Would you
like to go out to the movies with me?” I don’t want to go on a fancy date that
involves air travel. I just want to go out to a movie with a man that interests
me in more ways than one.

“I’d like that.” As I’m putting my phone away and my sister
walks through the door with a shocked look on her face, I can’t help but think
that this is the beginning of something beautiful.

“What the fuck is that all about?” Christina motions towards
the two news vans still sitting in her driveway and she immediately heads for
the phone. I assume that she’s calling Brent.

Melanie looks as if she’s finally decided on something that
has been bothering her for a long time, and I feel the weight of something
heavy lifting off my shoulders. When she reaches out a hand to me, I take it.
We share a brief moment that shatters as Christina stomps back to her front
door.

She splutters when she sees us holding hands and waves her
arms in the air like she’s finally lost her mind.

“Listen, you’re both welcome to stay here, but could you
leave the vultures behind? And I’m counting Mom and Dad in that mix, too!” I
don’t blame her for feeling that way about her parents. One second their mother
is the nicest human being, and the next she’s like a mother hen about to peck
someone’s eyeballs out.

Before Christina can get another word out about vultures, I
pull Melanie through the door to my guest suite and close it. The curtains
aren’t pulled shut, but I don’t think anyone can see into the room at the right
angle. Just to be on the safe side, I march over to them and pull them shut
with flare.

I have an idea. It’s a crazy, certifiably nuts idea. But I
hope she says yes to me.

Pulling her down onto the bed, I watch the smolder begin in
her eyes. It’s obvious there’s a connection here that cannot be denied. My lips
brush over hers, and I feel the way her body arches into mine, and break the
kiss before it can go further.

“Hey, I wanted to ask you something.” I barely get the words
out against her lush lips.

“What’s that?”

“I want to see the world. I’ve got all this money, and not
much to do with it other than live a boring life. But I’m thinking about going
on a sabbatical for a year. Maybe see Spain, France, end the tour in Japan
before I come back to the states.” I look down at her face to judge her
reaction to my words, and there’s a small smile curving her lips.

“That sounds like a really great time.”

“Would you come with me?”

“What?” Shock.

“Would you like to see the world with me, Melanie Ingles?”

I don’t have to wait long for her answer. Oblivious to
Christina’s affliction downstairs, Melanie and I tangle ourselves up in the
sheets, and this time it feels more like making love than a claiming. It’s just
as exciting as it was the first time.

After our tryst, I book a flight via my laptop to Paris,
France. I want to go to the city of love first. Then we’ll dance under the
stars in Spain.

I’m always giving a shout out to family, but where would I
be without them? It’s the same with my readers.

James, you’re constantly pushing me forward, even on the days
where I wonder what the heck I’m doing here. You’re insistent patience when listening
to book ideas is that of a saint’s. And you make one mean cup of coffee in the
morning!

Mom, if I couldn’t call you and complain about my day or
brag about my successes, I’d be nowhere. Well, probably not nowhere, most likely
in a corner of the basement rocking back and forth like a mad person. But hey,
every writer has a little insanity in them.

Dad, your constant push forward is an inspiration. Enough
said.

And to my grandmother and Howard, I don’t know where’d I’d
be if it weren’t for the occasional dinner outing. Those intermittent breaks
that allow me to see reality actually jolt my brain.

I’d like to thank the people who have taken the time to read
my book. There is no greater joy in life than knowing that someone actually
picked my book out of millions.

I decided to try something different this time, and I found
it worked quite well. While I was writing I listened to all manner of classical
music. Greensleeves was my favorite.

A story of a woman who fights through her past and
present demons (one in particular) to have the love she deserves.

The sequel to Sarah & Liam, Jocelyn and Kyle’s story
plays off the first story. It’s about a woman’s inability to accept her flaws
and let someone love her
because
of them rather than for just her
strengths.

Inspired by my father’s love of motorcycles, Caleb finds
himself in a bind when he feels a semblance of emotion for a girl who is
property to a gang member.

More of a young adult novel, this story is about a young
woman whose life has been turned upside down by death, and she’s trying to
rectify it by helping animals at a shelter in her situation. Mason knows what
it’s like to lose someone close to him, but he still has some of his family
left. There is something about Emily that makes him want to reach out and be a
better person.

Having a famous sister comes with its perks and its
difficulties, but does Emmaline really need a bodyguard? To top all that off,
she’s has a mild form of albinism which makes her eyes a freakish violet color.
Can she forgive the one man who can look her in the eyes when she finds out his
own flaws?

Finding a naked man in your front lawn is disturbing.
Finding out that he hears and sees a person that doesn’t exist is even more
frightening. Not to mention the fact that there seems to be one or more people
out to
kill
you. Anastasia D’Salvatore is having a hard time not losing
her mind as she tries to unravel the mystery of her father’s death, and who the
man is that she found on her front lawn.

Assassin

Robert Trenton aka Troy Red aka Jack Evans is an
ex-assassin, or some prefer the term hit man. He’s killed for all types of people,
and he hasn’t thought twice about his profession until something cataclysmic
happens. In his rage, he goes to the police in an attempt to find his sister
and niece’s killer and promises to spill his entire life story, including the
names of the people who have hired him.

Robert Grant lets his farm be used as a safe house for
criminals entered into the witness protection program. In most cases, his
daughter stays away from his home while he’s harboring a witness, but this time
she can’t seem to stay away. Cassidy’s growing interest in Troy may be short
lived when she finds out just how far Troy is willing to go to keep the ones he
loves safe.

Is it possible for a man to change, and can the woman
that loves him take him for the man he has become? Or will his past interfere
with the future he so desperately craves?