In my last post, I gave you the heads up on the
Donna Grant three part novella.
Well, you won't believe what I have in store for you today. Wait for it... wait for it... An excerpt of the story is posted below.
I know you love me and think I'm awesome! The feeling's mutual.
Take a gander and don't forget that the previous post contains the link to the three day extravaganza on
Heroes and Heartbreakers.
And now, without further delay, Dark Craving for you reading enjoyment!
Dark Craving Excerpt
Who was Hal, and why was he stocking
her kitchen?
Alice’s
smile grew. “Follow the chopping, and get ready for an eyeful. I’ve been
watching him all morning.”
Cassie
didn’t have time for another question before Alice was gone. With nothing else
to do, she threw back the covers and then stopped as she noticed her bare legs.
Had this Hal taken off her jeans?
She
gingerly stood and made her way to the flight of stairs where the bedrooms
turned out to be. It didn’t take her long to find where her one lone piece of
luggage had been taken.
After
she donned a pair of sweatpants and socks and combed out her hair, Cassie
walked back down the stairs and did as Alice suggested—followed the chopping.
She
rounded a corner and found herself peering out a dining room that was all
glass. It looked more like a sunroom than a dining room, and the views of the
mountains were staggering.
Or
at least they might be if she could tear her eyes away from Hal.
He
stood well over six feet, his long black hair pulled back in a queue at his
neck while sweat rolled down his face. Thick black brows slashed over his eyes,
eyes she wished she knew the color of.
His
face was all angles and rugged handsomeness. A dusty coating of whiskers
covered his square jaw and chin, but even the whiskers didn’t hide the slight
indent in his chin.
He
had a wide forehead and a long straight nose. And his lips . . .
Cassie had trouble swallowing as she caught sight of his mouth. No man should
have lips so wide and thin, so damned seductive.
A
jacket and sweater were discarded on the back of a wooden chair, leaving Hal in
nothing but a skintight white tee that showed every wonderful muscle.
With
each move, each swing of the axe, she watched the play of muscles in his back
and arms. The blade of the axe cut through the wood as easily as a hot knife
through butter. Cassie was mesmerized watching him.
It
wasn’t just his amazing body or his good looks, there was something different
about him that Cassie had never seen in a man. Something that would set him
apart in a crowd of thousands.
As
if he realized he was being watched, Hal halted just as he was about to bring
the axe down again and turned his head. Their gazes locked, and Cassie felt all
the air rush from her lungs.
For
several moments they simply stared at one another before he sent her a grin and
went back to chopping. It didn’t seem right to continue staring at him, so
Cassie turned away and hurried into the kitchen only to discover it was nearly
noon.
“Duke,
I’ve slept the entire morning away,” she said in alarm.
With
everything Hal had done, the least she could do was fix him lunch. Cassie
grabbed her coat from a hook near the door and shrugged it on as she stuffed
her feet into her boots.
She
walked outside and huddled into the jacket as the brisk January wind hit her
full in the face. Duke raced past her and bounded around Hal.
He
laughed and rubbed Duke before he tossed the blade into a stump as if weighed
nothing and turned to her.
Being
this close to him did something to Cassie. Maybe it was because she was hungry
and still exhausted from the day before, but it was as if she couldn’t get her
balance, as if the world kept tilting beneath her feet.
“I
hear I owe you my thanks,” she said.
His
mouth twisted in a half smile. “I did what anyone would.”
She
had never thought the Scottish brogue sounded appealing until that moment. His
deep, almost gravelly voice made goose bumps race over her body. He could read
from an accounting book and she’d listen to him. Avidly.
“I
didn’t know there was a code, and I couldn’t get a hold of Dan.”
“He
gave it to us a few years ago in case there was ever an emergency.”
Cassie
chuckled. “Thank God he did.”
“I’m
Hal.”
“Cassie,”
she said, amazed at how breathless she sounded.
Just
from being this close to him. Was it his brogue, his eye-catching body, or was
it something more that caused the world to fade to nothing around him?
Silence
stretched between them. Cassie cleared her throat. “I apologize for sleeping
away the morning. Yesterday was probably the worst day of my life.”
“Ah,
you slept all of yesterday, lass. This is your second morning here.”
Cassie
snorted, wondering if the frozen ground could open up and swallow her. “Of
course it is.” She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear that the wind kept
blowing into her face. “Thank you for having Alice bring the groceries. I can
pay you for that.”
“No
need.”
“I
think I owe you my life. Let me fix you some lunch at least.”
He
smiled once more, making her stomach flutter as if a thousand butterflies took
flight inside her.
“That
sounds good. Let me finish up here. Dan didna leave you with much firewood, and
with the weather we’ll be having, you’re going to need it.”
“I’ll
see you inside then.”
It
wasn’t until Cassie was walking away that she remembered she was an awful cook.
The only thing she could manage without burning it was a sandwich.
She
hastily looked through the small pantry and fridge and found different deli
meats and cheeses that she cut up and laid out along with bread and mayo and
mustard. There was a bag of chips, which she also put on the table.
“They’re
crisps,” she said after reading the label. “I need to remember that.”
A
glance outside showed Duke was still with Hal, so Cassie rushed upstairs and
jumped into the shower. The hot water felt wonderful, as did washing her hair
and scrubbing her body. Then she quickly blow-dried her hair.
Unable
to resist, she put a dab of blush on her cheeks before she put on a fresh pair
of jeans and her thickest sweater over a long-sleeve shirt, which wasn’t nearly
thick enough for the weather.
She
walked downstairs rubbing her hands together from the chill of the house only
to come up short when she found Hal standing in the kitchen munching on a slice
of meat, Duke at his feet.
“If
that’s the warmest sweater you have, lass, I fear you need to do some
shopping.”
She
pulled her gaze away from his amazing pale, pale blue eyes and glanced down at
her soft pink sweater and nodded. “I know. I was hoping to make it through
winter with what I had. I have a few more sweaters I was able to get before I
came, but my luggage was lost.”
“Maybe
they’ll find your luggage soon. Either way, you need more sweaters and a
thicker coat as well as gloves and scarves. A hat would also be wise.”
Cassie
sighed as the dollar signs continued to add up in her mind. “I’ll get on that
as soon as I can. Thank you for letting me know.”
“Dan
should have told you.”
Yes,
he should have, but Cassie wasn’t going to rag on her brother to a complete
stranger. Yet, this stranger seemed to know Dan pretty well.
“Dan
is . . . well, he’s so busy with . . . things,” she
finished lamely. “Are you hungry? I’m famished.”
“Then
let’s eat.”
Cassie
hadn’t found any coffee, and she was in desperate need of caffeine, so she
grabbed a soda from the fridge and told Hal to help himself.
He
spoke of the weather and the snow they were expecting to get over the next few
days while they fixed their sandwiches and ate. Cassie found herself relaxed
around him, even if she was more aware of him as a man.
A
very virile, very handsome man.
Wanna see more?
The novella itself will run on 7/23 - 7/26! Don't miss out. It's sure to be quite a thrill ride!
Until next time, Happy Reading!
