Breathless (74 page)

Nuzzling against his wide chest, with his strong shoulder as her pillow, Claire replied, “Every day is a celebration. As long as we have each other and as long as we’re together, I know we can handle any consequences.”

“Only good consequences from here on out, Mrs. Rawlings.”

“Only good...” Claire’s words slipped away as the beat of Tony’s heart lulled her to sleep.

A parting note from Aleatha:

Theirs was a long, complicated story with a monster and a knight. What made their story unique was that these two players were the same person.

—Aleatha Romig, CONVICTED

Dear Reader,

While you have just read a glimpse into the future of Anthony and Claire Rawlings, be aware the journey they took to reach this point was anything but ordinary. If you have enjoyed this novella and would like to know more about their story, please check out the entire Consequences series. In order to fully appreciate the Consequences series, the books should be read in order:

Book #1: CONSEQUENCES

Book #2: TRUTH

Book #3: CONVICTED

Book #4: REVEALED

For a more in-depth look at Tony’s thoughts in books #1 and #2:

Book #1.5: BEHIND HIS EYES CONSEQUENCES

Book #2.5: BEHIND HIS EYES TRUTH

A novella: A PEEK BEYOND THE CONSEQUENCES

Thank you for purchasing BREATHLESS, and for spending some of your valuable time reading my novella. I hope you have enjoyed A PEEK BEYOND THE CONSEQUENCES as well as the other amazing stories within this anthology.

Sincerely,

Aleatha

Aleatha Romig

Aleatha Romig is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, who has been voted #1 “New Author to Read” on Goodreads, July 2012 - Present!

Aleatha has lived most of her life in Indiana, growing up in Mishawaka, graduating from Indiana University, and currently living south of Indianapolis. Together with her high-school sweetheart and husband of twenty-seven years, they’ve raised three children. Before she became a full-time author, she worked days as a dental hygienist and spent her nights writing. Now, when she’s not imagining mind-blowing twists and turns, she likes to spend her time with her family and friends. Her pastimes include exercising, reading, and creating heroes/anti-heroes who haunt your dreams!

Aleatha enjoys traveling, especially when there is a beach involved. In 2011, she had the opportunity to visit Sydney, Australia, to visit her daughter studying at the University of Wollongong. Her dream is to travel to places in her novels and around the world.

CONSEQUENCES, her first novel, was released August 2011, by Xlibris Publishing. Then in October of 2012, Ms. Romig re-released CONSEQUENCES as an indie author. TRUTH, the sequel, was released October 30, 2012, and CONVICTED, the third in the series, was released October 8, 2013. Unexpectedly, the fourth book of the Consequences series came to life with REVEALED: THE MISSING YEARS. It is the fourth full-length novel in the series. It explores the missing years in CONVICTED that previously were only mentioned, as well as a complete character glossary and timeline. REVEALED was released May 20, 2014.

Aleatha also wrote reading companions for the Consequences Series. BEHIND HIS EYES CONSEQUENCES (Book 1.5) and BEHIND HIS EYES TRUTH (Book 2.5) are currently available for those times and scenes when the readers asked, “What was he thinking?” These companions also contain never before released behind-the-scenes scenes.

Aleatha is a “Published Author’s Network” member of the Romance Writers of America and represented by Danielle Egan-Miller of Brown and Miller Literary Associates.

Coming soon

INSIDIOUS, book #1 of Aleatha Romig’s new series, TALES FROM THE DARK SIDE.

I play the role well.

The grieving widow is a new one, but I can do it: shaking hands, sad smiles, even a tear or two when necessary. The acting isn’t new. I’ve been doing it my whole life.

The truth is too painful to reveal, too upsetting for those around me. They don’t want to see who I truly am…what I truly am.

They don’t want to know I’m a killer
.

This new series will consist of standalone erotic thrillers. Each book will have new characters and a new storyline. Though the story will conclude, with Aleatha’s signature twists and turns, each book will leave you with a bang! Can you handle more from Aleatha? Can you handle TALES FROM THE DARK SIDE? Book #1, INSIDIOUS, coming autumn 2014.

Share Your Thoughts

Please share your thoughts about BREATHLESS and A PEEK BEYOND THE CONSEQUENCES on:

*Amazon, BREATHLESS, Customer Reviews

*Barnes & Noble, BREATHLESS, Customer Reviews

*Goodreads.com/Aleatha Romig

Stay Connected with Aleatha

“Like” Aleatha Romig @
http://www.Facebook.com/AleathaRomig
to learn the latest information regarding Consequences, Truth, Convicted, Behind his Eyes, and other writing endeavors.

You may also “Follow” @aleatharomig on
Twitter
and on
Goodreads
!

Email Aleatha: [email protected] / Check out her blog:
http://aleatharomig.blogspot.com

Some people search their whole lives for that special someone. If you find them, never let them go. Hold them close to your heart and be thankful, for you are one of the
lucky
ones.

Prologue

There are some days when I don’t even remember that my world has ended. I can watch the leaves blowing in the wind and listen to the birds chirping while the sun warms my soul and I’m quite content. Happy, even. My only worry is how best to spend the day. He doesn’t even cross my mind on those days, and I’m not thinking about what I could have done differently.

And then, there are the days like today, when I’m just walking through a store and I see a card with a funny message, it says “To my favorite brother” or something similar and I feel my world stop suddenly. It’s as if someone has sucker-punched me, and I stand there unseeing for what seems like hours. It takes everything in me to stop the whirlwind of emotions threatening to bring me down.

I don’t know if the grief or the guilt is worse. The grief never goes away, but sometimes it hides out waiting to be found. Grief is tricky like that. It likes to play games. It likes you to think that it’s gone. But then when it’s found, and the guilt hits you once again, it is even harsher, and even more unforgiving, because it makes you think: how could I have forgotten? For even one second? How could I live my life and enjoy myself when he’ll never be able to?

I sat at the table with the business card in my hands, trying not to let my guilt consume me. I twirled it in my fingers, staring at the numbers. I looked from the card to my phone and waited. It was as if I thought the phone would magically dial the numbers itself. And if any business card were to have those powers it would be this one. It was so sturdy and impressive looking. This was no flimsy card made of cheap cardboard. Not at all. The man who had given it to me after the funeral had also looked very dignified and confident as he had tried to convince me to call him. He said that his name was Special Agent Waldron and that he had reason to believe that there was more to Noah’s death than a mere suicide. He told me that it was of vital importance that I call him. At the time, I had been too angry and upset to listen, but now I wanted answers. I wanted to know what had really happened. And if there was someone to blame for Noah’s death, I wanted revenge. I was going to make it my mission to avenge Noah’s death, and nothing was going to get in my way. This was my life now.

Chapter 1

I was annoyed and impatient as I walked into the diner. It was too tacky for my taste. The silver exterior screamed of days gone by and the green and black booths reminded me of
Happy Days
, and I was certainly no Richie Cunningham. I watched as Emily applied her lipstick outside the diner and stood for a moment, waiting for someone to greet me. I counted to three and looked around to see what was taking so long. Didn’t they know this was an important night for me? I looked at my watch in annoyance, and it was the sound of her laugh that first caught my attention. It was a light, happy and cheerful sound and I looked up to see where it was coming from. Without quite knowing what I was doing, I felt myself walking toward the laughing waitress and the other lady she appeared to be dancing with.

“One, two, three, one, two, three.” She continued laughing as she followed the other waitress’s footsteps. I stood for a second and just watched her attempt to salsa in the somewhat tacky burger joint I found myself in. She had a pretty smile, one of those smiles that was engaging and genuine. Her hair was long and chestnut brown in a ponytail, and there were wisps of hair that had escaped her hairband and framed her face. As I stood there and watched her dancing, I felt myself smiling and if it wasn’t for my date, I would have stood there waiting for a few more minutes as well. I felt my annoyance and impatience fade away as I watched her carefully trying to master the dance steps.

“Excuse me, I’m sorry to bother you two dancing queens, but do you think we can get a table?” I regretfully interrupted her careful dance moves and I felt a jolt of electricity dart through me as she looked up and her eyes met mine. Her face flushed red and she gave me an awkward smile.

“Hi, sorry about that,” she laughed. “Let me get some menus.”

“I see you’re quite a dancer, you girls going out tonight?” I wasn’t sure why I asked the question and ignored the image that flashed in my mind; an image of dancing with this unknown girl in a sweaty club.

“No, no.” She shook her head. “We work pretty late.”

“That’s a shame.” I was about to ask her another question but she grabbed the menus and looked away from me quickly.

“I’m sorry, Sir. This way please.” She walked quickly and I followed behind her closely.

“I thought I had walked into a dance class and not a diner.” I teased her and laughed to myself as I saw her blush again.

“Sorry about that.” She looked up at me and shook her head. “Maria and I get a little carried away at times.”

“I think…” I paused as I felt the tap on my shoulder. I looked around and saw my date, Emily, standing there. I was annoyed by the look on her face but gave her a fake smile. “Hey.”

“I thought you were going to come and get me.” She frowned, looked around the diner, and wrinkled her nose. “Is this where we’re eating?” She looked at the waitress in front of me and snapped. “Do you guys only have burgers?” There was an uncomfortable silence as we all looked at the sign directly in front of us that read Lou’s Burger Joint.

The waitress stood there with an awkward smile on her face, and I felt bad that Emily was being such a bitch. “What is this place, Zane? I thought we were going to Ruth’s Chris?”

“They didn’t have any reservations, Emily.” I sighed, annoyed, but made myself reach over to grab her hand so that she couldn’t sense how fed up I was with her. “A burger won’t kill you, just this once.”
And the meat comes from the same animal as a steak
, I thought to myself.

“I guess so, Zane.” She purred my name and the waitress looked up at us with a tight smile. I wanted to tell her that Emily meant nothing to me, but I didn’t know why. I didn’t even know this girl. And I didn’t want to get to know her. Not when I had so much to figure out. I squeezed Emily’s hand and allowed her to sit down in the booth before I took a seat.

“It won’t be so bad, and if it is, I promise we can go camp out at Ruth’s Chris. We’ll stay all night until they deign to give us a table.”

“Oh, Zane.” She giggled, throwing her blonde hair over her shoulders. Her blue eyes sparkled, though they still looked cold and distant, and her perfect white teeth lured me in with their pearly gloss. Everything about Emily was seemingly perfect, yet everything about her also felt fake. I tried to ignore the happy genuine brown eyes of the waitress next to me as I sat with Emily. Emily was the sort of girl that most men would kill to be with. And I needed her to provide me with information. That was the most important thing. I didn’t have time to sit here and think about some waitress.

“Do you guys know what you want to drink?” The waitress interrupted my thoughts and I glanced up at her again quickly, happy for an excuse to stare at her face. “I’ll have a Corona, please.”

“And I’ll have a glass of water, no ice, add lemons.” Emily didn’t look up from her menu, and I saw the waitress stifle a sigh.

“I’ll be right back.” She walked away quickly and then stopped and came back to the table. “Hey, sorry, I forgot to tell you. My name’s Lucky and I’ll be your waitress today.”

“Nice to meet you, Lucky.” I nodded at her and she smiled before turning away again.
What a name
, I thought to myself.
Who calls their kid Lucky?