Stay
for Me
These Three Words # 1
By:
Carlene Love Flores
Released
February 14th,
2015
Evernight
Publishing
One
night to finally make it right before it all gets torn apart…
Two
years ago, best friends Emma Chester and Sam Jason tried being
intimate.
Due
to Sam’s massive size, it didn’t work. Embarrassed, they did
their best to move on. Now the day has come where Emma must suspend
Sam as a dancer at the club they work at, awakening the buried pain
of that one night.
Sam
has seen this day coming but is shocked when Emma asks him to strip
for her just once before he leaves the club. Allowing himself to feel
for her again is too dangerous but she’s clearly not in her right
mind and needs him.
Can
he maintain his restraint and help her? When she hands him his
uniform to strip out of, is she handing him her heart? Or is it too
tattered to ever belong to him again?
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There
was something about this room she hated.
And
very little else to do inside besides be together. Which he was sure
she also must hate after the way he’d hurt her before.
He
had one word for her and feared like a little girl that saying it
would be the one thing to push her away for good. But he had to say
it.
“No.”
This
wasn’t a place to enter on the premise
that you trusted a person. You either went in here not caring a damn
about what might happen, like most of the show patrons he’d
brought, or fully aware and in control of yourself. No in between.
Sam had watched her toe the line throughout their entire
conversation.
“I
won’t take you in there. You’re not ready. Don’t be stubborn
and ask me how I know that. I just do.”
“It’s
not up to you right now.” Her lips stopped speaking and it was
clear that was the last thing she would say until he either followed
her in or left her in the hallway, alone.
Like
fire that realized it was on dry ground and free to burn, the thought
of being in there with her jolted his body awake. Years old, buried
and desperate desire, came out of hiding. He would put himself
through hell to be able to have her and not hurt her. But standing
directly behind Emma as she unlocked and opened the black door, he
saw how he still engulfed her.
From
her petite shoulders came a giant heave as she took the first step
inside.
In
that instant, he knew she was wrong. He could and should choose not
to go inside, but he did have something to show her. That she was
safe when they were together. He couldn’t believe that was what
this had turned into but found some small ground to stand on and be
thankful. He wouldn’t piss this opportunity away. A man took
responsibility for his actions, no matter how far in the past they’d
happened and how much time he’d spent racking up distance, hiding.
Sam would be the ambassador of control and restraint once they were
on the other side of this door.
He
had to prod her forward the next step. And the next, which set off a
mile-long trail of red flags.
He
waited and let her be the one to turn and close the door.
As
soon as he heard it click, he slid his hands inside the tight pants
pockets and held them there.
The
room was dark and chilly; her breathing echoed in his ears. He went
in search of the light switch. The low bulb setting purposely only
lit the room one shade lighter but it was enough to see the shadow
dampening her pretty face.
“Okay,”
she said out loud, like she was her own coach. “Okay.”
“We’re
out of here, Emma. Now.”
She
held up her small hand and he’d have latched onto it had his hands
been available. “No. We’re not leaving. I’m fine. I just needed
a second,” she said. That wasn’t her “I’ve got this” voice.
She was acting and not doing a very bang-up job of it.
Sam
had no choice but to touch.
He
fumbled around and found her other hand and took it into his,
receiving an instantaneous jolt of comfort. He hoped he affected her
the same way but couldn’t be sure. She was awfully still.
Emma
looked at the neon hands of the wall clock. “We have one hour
before the second show lets out,” she said.
“I’m
assuming you have some plan, Emma.” God, please tell him she had a
plan. Because the only one he had was to let go and keep his hands to
himself, no matter what.
She
stared through him and scanned the near nothingness of the room. “I
do. I do have one. I want you to strip for me, Sam.”
Carlene
Love Flores is a big fan of the stars (especially Orion), honest
music (especially Depeche Mode), and her traveling family (no
favorites there-she loves them all). These things inspire her
intimate style of romance writing. She feels honored to be a member
of Washington DC Romance Writers (WRWDC) and RWA San Diego (RWASD).
Carlene currently lives in the San Diego area where she can often be
found listening to live music and looking up at the sky on clear
nights. If she could touch someone’s heart with her writing the
way others have done for her, she’d say truly there never lived a
luckier girl.
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