Happy Wednesday! In this scene from STRONG ENOUGH, the fourth and final book in the Masonville small town romance series, Damon has been forced by circumstances, including a renovation gone bad, to temporarily stay at Charlotte's house. He hadn't realized how hard it would be on his peace of mind to sleep just down the hall from the beautiful Charlotte.
Love can make you stronger, if you let it.
Blurb:
Charlotte Saunders has a full life—a rewarding career as a nurse, meaningful volunteer work at a dog shelter, and family, friends and pets she adores. But no matter how hard she tries, she can’t forget the horrible event that’s haunted her for ten years.
A survivor of childhood sexual abuse, Damon Greyson now helps others who have suffered trauma. His experience and intuition alert him to trouble in Charlotte’s past, and he wants to help her, if only she’d let him.
As they work together to help veterans suffering from PTSD and neglected dogs needing loving homes, their feelings for each other deepen. But when the trauma from Charlotte’s past roars back to life, both are forced to confront their painful histories—or die trying.
Excerpt:
Damon woke early, with sunshine streaming in through the window. He’d slept so soundly he was momentarily disoriented and couldn’t remember where he was. As he glanced around the small bedroom, he remembered he was in Charlotte’s house. And Charlotte was down the hall. In her bed.
Damon rolled over and groaned into his pillow. He’d underestimated how tortuous living with Charlotte would be. In each of the four nights he’d lain in this bed, he imagined Charlotte in hers. Did she sleep in t-shirts and cotton boxer shorts, or in silk nighties? He wanted the silk. He imagined running his hands over the soft material, and then her bare skin, unable to tell where the fabric ended and the silk of her skin began. His body burned with wanting her, burned with wanting to sink inside her, to love her.
But it wasn’t what Charlotte wanted. Or needed. Damon groaned into his pillow one last time before pushing himself to a seated position. Time for another cold shower.
He threw on a pair of sweatpants, grabbed his bag of toiletries and opened his door. Charlotte emerged from the bathroom at the same moment, a fluffy white towel covering her from just above her breasts to the top of her thighs. Her wet hair clung to her bare shoulders, and little rivulets of water disappeared beneath the towel. She was like an exotic mermaid rising from the sea. Damon stared transfixed at the streams of water flowing over her skin before lifting his gaze to her face. Her eyes were wide, her mouth partially open in an expression of surprise. She clutched the top of the towel with one hand, hiking it higher up her thighs.
She was so damn beautiful she rendered him speechless. Hell, he could barely breathe.
“Sorry.” Charlotte’s cheeks flushed pink. “I forgot my robe. I’m used to being on my own.”
Damon cleared his throat and tested his voice. “I…I’m the one who should apologize. I just woke up. I didn’t hear the shower.”
She nodded and bit her bottom lip. Damon watched her mouth, his body on fire despite the awkwardness of the moment.
“I should go,” she whispered.
“Yeah, me too. I need to shower.”
For a second, neither of them moved. Then Daisy approached and barked once, then twice more. Charlotte blinked as if waking from a deep sleep. She tightened her hold on the towel.
“I have to go.”
With that, she hurried to her room and closed the door. Damon stood immobile, staring after her. It took all his self-control not to go after her. The only thing stopping him was the knowledge that she didn’t want him.
Someone had forced himself on her in the past, he was sure of it. If he and Charlotte ever made love it would be because she initiated it.
Damon entered the bathroom. He stepped under the shower and turned the water as cold as he could stand.
Buy Links:
Universal Link: https://books2read.com/Strong-Enough-by-Jana-Richards
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