A Forever Masterpiece (The Masterpiece Trilogy Book 3) (42 page)

She tensed, not sure how to answer.

"Does it bother you that I'm asking? It's out of curiosity. I'm not judging or anything. I really want to know. It's interesting. Here I am, dancing with you during my son's first date. At the age he is now, you broke out in the business. He wasn't even in kindergarten when you had your biggest hits on the radio."

She looked up at Matt. Kyra was tall at 5'8, and Matt had a good four or five inches on her. "It's a feeling I can't explain. I never expected to take off the way I did. I was different as a child. I always had a melody playing in my mind. I couldn't sit still. I'd tap out a beat, or I'd hum. I had song lyrics pop up in my mind that needed to be put to music."

"I know all about that. I remember the first time I met you." There was a twinkle in his eye.

"Yeah, I annoyed you because I tapped out a beat on your dashboard."

"Then you hummed." Matt laughed, then his grin faded. "It wasn't so much annoying as I was nervous about the storm. Adding sounds I'm not used to didn't help."

"And you didn't like me." Kyra wished she'd never said that.

Matt lowered his gaze. "It wasn't quite that."

"No?" Did she really have to ruin the good night by bringing up their awkward first meeting? Why, why, why?

Matt pulled her closer. "Okay, fine. Maybe a little, and I regret it. Let's just say there's a history with me and musicians, and I took it out on the wrong girl."

"I see." Lame, but there wasn't much else she could think to say at the moment.

"I'll make a deal with you."

"What's that?"

"Later, you and I talk. I'll tell you why I've been so jaded about musicians, and you tell me about your accident."

"I don't like talking about it!" she shot back defensively, drawing attention from some of the nearby dancers.

"Neither do I." He sent her a challenging gaze.

"But we both want to know."

"I'm not doing it to pry. I want to know so I can help you. Tell me, if you're accustomed to being around such a large crowd, why do you have this terrified look in your eyes? I'm going to take a guess that this accident you don't want to talk about changed things in you, and it's why you're being threatened now." Matt lowered his voice as he leaned close again.

Hell, he was pretty much right on the dot. So he saw right through the facade about crowds? She hadn't hid it well even to this day.

"I-" Kyra started to say before the sound of yelling interrupted them.

Her song ended, and another slow one took its place, a song from Leandra Ashlyn, another singer who'd burst out on the scene at the same time Kyra did and was just a year older. She glanced around, trying to figure out where the commotion stemmed from.

If you're looking for a quick read in the romance and suspense genre, check out debut author Chalet Fuery's
Love and Danger in the Desert
.

Up until a couple of years ago, Megan's life was calm. Now things are as volatile as a desert monsoon. During one of those famous monsoons in Arizona, she runs into Jonathan.... literally. Has Megan finally met someone who can help draw out her mysterious stalker, or will she have to run away again?

I gather my purse and walk out the door towards my car. Before I even make it to the parking lot I slam into what feels like a brick wall. Then a pair of arms goes around my waist to keep me from falling to the ground.
I look up into the bluest pair of eyes I've ever seen. The man I've run into is the most handsome man I've ever seen. I've never been attracted to nerdy looking men before, but there is something about this one that makes my body take notice and I instinctively know that if I'm not careful, this man could be trouble with a capital T.

"I'm so sorry. I wasn't watching where I was going."

He replies. "It's not a big deal."

By this time we are both soaked through, but I don't even really notice. The warm strength of this stranger's body is making it nearly impossible to focus on anything else. His arms are still around my waist and my body is responding as if he is caressing me in more intimate places. My nipples have hardened and even though I would like to blame it on the rain I know that isn't the case. My panties are soaked and it has nothing to do with the rain that is running down my body.

My survival instinct finally kicks in and I try to pull away, but the man who is a threat to my hard earned freedom doesn't let go.

"Please go back inside and let me make sure you're ok," he says.

"I'm fine. I didn't fall. I'm just a little cold from the rain." It's a blatant lie, but even though I know it's really a response to him, I can't let him know that. "I'm just going to go to my car. You should really get inside before you get soaked even more."

If you enjoy contemporary romance with life-like characters and plenty of emotions, check out Michele Shriver's
Love & Light
.

Kori Walsh knows all about the darkness in the world. After watching her mother succumb to illness, Kori sunk into a deep depression that she can't seem to snap out of, no matter who tries to help her.

As the star pitcher on his college baseball team, Landon Grayson is enjoying life as a big man oncampus, and all of the perks that come with it. He has plenty of girls vying for his attention, so why is he so drawn to the moody, sullen girl who claims not to be interested but still keeps showing up to watch practice every day?

As he gets to know Kori, Landon is struck by how much they have in common and he sets out to cheer her up. Can Landon show Kori that there is light after darkness, and if he does, will love blossom?

Practice ends, and she's sitting there on the bleachers, alone, watching. The girl with the reddish-blond hair. I've seen her before. She's in my Psychology class, but I've never talked to her. She always sits in the back of the room and is one of the first people to leave when class is over. She keeps to herself and walks with her head down, as if she doesn't want to bother with anyone else.

That's why it intrigues me to see her watching baseball practice. I first noticed her two days ago, when the last of the snow finally melted and we moved out of the field house. Even though the weather's improving and we're using our regular field now, we don't draw a crowd to our practices, so it's kind of surprising she's here again.

Instead of heading straight to the locker room to shower and change, I decide to stop by the bleachers. "Hi there," I say.

She glances up, and I notice her eyes are green, a nice complement to the red of her hair and I wonder if she's of Irish descent. "Hi." She doesn't smile.

"Are you a baseball fan?" I ask her, something that automatically earns anyone points with me.

She gives a shrug of her shoulders. "Not really. Why?"

"Just curious. I saw you watching practice the last few days, so I thought maybe you were a fan." I give her a sheepish smile. "It's nice to see someone out here. We don't exactly get a lot of people to practice, as you might have noticed." I gesture at the empty bleachers. "Especially since we just moved outside." The snow may be gone, but it's still not very warm, and I'm not sure a lot of people on campus even realize that we're practicing at Panther Park now.

"I'm here because it's something to do," she says, "and my doctor tells me fresh air is good for me. He says it will make me feel better." She laughs a little, and it's a laugh that makes me think she doesn't believe her doctor's claim.

"Are you sick?" I ask.

"Not physically."

The answer catches me off guard and all I manage to say is, "Oh."

For the first time, her lips twitch in the slightest hint of a smile. "Have I scared you away now?"

"Do you see me running?" I counter. It will take more than that to scare me off. I happen to know a thing or two about depression, and not just because my stepmom is a shrink.

"Maybe you should," she says.

"Maybe." I shrug, unconvinced. The thing is, she's just intrigued me even more. "I hope you keep coming to practice," I tell her. "Or maybe a game sometime. We're off to a good start this season." I set my gym bag down on the ground and extend my hand. "My name's Landon, by the way. I'm a pitcher."

She makes no move to shake my hand. "I don't recall asking."

And, just like that, I'm shot down. I may be pretty good at baseball, but it doesn't mean I'm smooth with women. "No, I guess you didn't." I pick up my bag and sling it over my shoulder. "Maybe I'll see you around," I add before I turn and walk away.

I've gone about ten feet when I hear her call something out to me.

I turn back around. "Excuse me?"

"My name," she says. "It's Korinne, but most people call me Kori."

"Kori," I repeat, liking the way it sounds on my lips. "Thank you. Hopefully I'll see you tomorrow, Kori." I give a little fist pump as I run to the locker room.

If you enjoy contemporary romances with plenty of emotion and humor, check out
Happy Endings
by Chantel Rhondeau.

Handsome, wealthy Quinn McCallister is the most eligible bachelor on McCallister's Paradise. Making his family's island resort a success is all that matters to this workaholic. Everything changes when he meets the beautiful new massage therapist...

Larissa Benner may have survived cancer, but its aftermath left plenty of problems besides the ever-looming fear of relapse. Her family nearly went bankrupt paying for her life-saving treatments. She desperately needs the full-time therapist position on the island and the benefits that come with it. The last thing she wants is problems with her boss, or a complicated office romance.

It's hard for her to resist Quinn's charms—or his passionate side. However, Quinn is married to his job. The choice between love and work is tough for him to juggle and has Larissa scared. If the cancer recurs, could she count on him to be there for her? Or would he leave her to face it alone, ending her relationship in tragedy?

"Look, Larissa, about the party last weekend." Quinn shifted his feet back and forth. "I shouldn't have left without saying goodbye. I also shouldn't have told you to go with Parker, when what I really wanted was to be alone with you. I don't like the party scene and dancing real well, and I thought you wanted Parker, so..."

"Is this your way of apologizing for ditching me before the fireworks?" Larissa glanced back at him.

The breeze caught his hair, mussing the black strands in a wild way that made him even more handsome. Larissa sighed internally. She was attracted to him, no matter what she tried to tell herself. Maybe brooding and grumpy did it for her. It wasn't as though she'd had many serious relationships to know what she was looking for in a mate.

Besides, the last time she gave her heart to a man, he couldn't handle things when she got sick. Jacob tried to control things and had a hard time with the fact that her illness was outside of his control. Larissa knew marrying him would be a mistake and had to break things off.

It was hard to believe anyone out there would be able to handle her being sick if the cancer returned, but apparently her heart was hoping Quinn was that sort of man, no matter how sternly her brain told it not to like him.

Quinn took both her hands, squeezing them gently. "Yes. This is an apology. I am very sorry. I haven't been the nicest guy to be around. Mom's worked hard on dinner, and I'd like tonight to go well. Can we get along?"

Larissa nodded, barely daring to breathe because the scent of Quinn's faint cologne was setting her nerves on overdrive. How could the man infuriate and attract her all at the same time? "It was nice of your dad to invite me."

Quinn chuckled and leaned into her, brushing a light kiss across her cheek that made her pulse race. What happened to Mr. Grumpy? He was being pleasant.

"I have to let you know it wasn't entirely nice," he said. "I think my parents have ulterior motives for tonight."

He was so close that his warmth caressed her like a comfortable sweater. She knew she should step away, but she wanted to move closer. She'd already seen how muscular his body was when he lay naked on the massage table, and she couldn't help but fantasize about how his strong arms would feel wrapped around her.

"Did you hear me, Larissa?"

She tilted her head up, heart pounding harder when she realized how close his lips were. If he bent slightly, she could taste them. "Ulterior motives how?" she forced herself to say.

"Throwing us together, mainly."

His voice had a slight hitch in it that Larissa didn't know how to read. "Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"

"I was wondering that myself, honestly."