Wednesday 18 August 2010

Morning Shower – an “Eternally & Evermore” excerpt

wp7b3eb1a9 Last of my pre-scheduled mid-week posts. I’m back home next week and back to the grind stone. But in the meantime, here’s a sexy excerpt from Eternally & Evermore.

I suppose I should remind you that I do write erotic romance and this excerpt is certainly erotic.

Enjoy.

The gentle chatter of Radio Four woke Will early the next morning. He normally made sure he deactivated the alarm before going to sleep on Friday nights, reactivating it again before bed on Sunday, but for once he’d forgotten. He lay on his back, his arm around Amy as she lay sleeping on his left. Her breathing was rhythmic and peaceful. Her head rested on his chest and she had an arm and leg draped over him.

Will couldn’t remember ever sharing his bed and sleeping so soundly—even when he was married. Since moving to Westmouth he hadn’t shared his bed very often, but when he did he always woke feeling tired after tossing and turning and failing to get comfortable with a relative stranger next to him.

There was one exception—Sophie, but he didn’t think she counted. And besides, if his daughter shared his bed it was because something in the dark of the night had spooked her. Ever since she was very small, she would climb in bed and snuggle up to him whenever she got scared. And he would lie awake, holding her tight, and listen to her gently fall asleep. Sometimes he’d drift off himself. Others, he’d lie awake all night just to listen to her breathe.

But that was different. He was protecting his daughter. This night with Amy...

He’d slept so soundly partly because she’d worn him out. They’d made love in every position they could until the early hours. Then when he slept, he held her close not to protect her, but to know she was still there and to feel her next to him. He felt content. Happy.

He kissed the top of her head. She looked beautiful with her eyes closed and a peaceful look on her face.

“I love you,” he whispered, so as not to wake her. “I always have.”

He slipped his arm from around her and gently pushed himself into a sitting position. Her head fell from its resting place on his chest and she woke with a jolt.

“Wha..?” She looked around the room.

“It’s okay. It’s okay. I’m just going for a shower, that’s all.”

“What? Oh. Sorry. I forgot where I was.” She smiled. “Morning, handsome.”

“Morning.”

“What time is it?”

“Too early. I forgot to switch the alarm off.”

“I wonder what made you forget.”

“I wonder.” He kissed her forehead. “Go back to sleep. I’ll have a shower then make you some breakfast and bring it up.”

She stretched and yawned as he got out of bed and then settled back into comfortable position on her side.

He padded into the en-suite, where he pulled the cord that switched on the electricity supply to the shower, climbed into the cubicle and pushed the button that turned on the jets of water. The room soon steamed up and condensation formed on the glass panel walls surrounding him.

He had his back to the shower door, his head under the water and his eyes closed, so he didn’t see the shadow that Amy cast as she approached. And he didn’t hear the door open or hear her step inside with him. He jumped and turned around when he felt her hands on his body.

“Mind if I join you?” She didn’t wait for an answer, but stood on tip toes to kiss him instead. She reached up to the small shelf in the corner of the cubicle and grabbed the bottle of shower gel.

“Hmm,” she said when she read the label, “with honey and milk extract, for sensitive skin. Sensitive skin, eh? In that case, I’ll be gentle.”

“You weren’t very gentle last night.”

“Neither were you.”

She poured some of the peach coloured cream into the palm of her hand and rubbed it on his chest. She took care to work up lather, rubbing her hands all over his chest, stomach and sides.

“Turn around. I want to do your back.”

He did as he was told as she poured some more shower cream into her hand. She gave his back and buttocks the same treatment that she had his chest then reached around and gripped his erection.

“Best make sure this is clean too.” She stroked it lovingly a few times then let go. “All done. My turn now.”

Will turned around to see her pouring the cream over her breasts.

“Hurry up and get me clean, before the water washes it away.”

Will raised his hands and massaged the soap into Amy’s bosom. She moaned and rocked her hips as his hands slipped over her skin, down her belly and brushed her pussy. Will took great care cleaning her breasts.

“These seem quite dirty,” he said, rubbing her nipples. “Better make sure I do this properly.”

He bent his head and sucked one of them. He could still taste the soap but sucked and licked regardless. When he was satisfied that it was clean, he turned his attention to the other.

“Oh, William.”

He put his hands on her hips and spun her around. She put her hands against the glass and leaned forward, spreading her legs enough to give him access. He bent his knees, guided his cock into her with one hand and held her hip with the other. When he was safely inside, he gripped her hips with both hands and moved inside her.

With his knees slightly bent, his motion was hindered, but each thrust still pushed her forward and upwards on to her tiptoes. She pushed back against him as he withdrew only to be forced onto her toes again when he returned. He pushed her higher and the higher she got, the less he had to bend and the harder he could thrust into her.

It wasn’t long before he fired his seed into her. And as he filled her she shuddered through her own orgasm. She dropped back onto the flats of her feet, forcing him out of her pussy with a plop. As soon as she was unplugged, a stream of his ejaculate flooded from her, mixed with the shower water and washed down the drain.

She turned around, put her arms around his neck and kissed him. “Wow. What a lovely way to start the day.”

“I whole-heartedly second that.”

Sunday 15 August 2010

Six Sentence Sunday 15/08/2010 – Eternally & Evermore

 

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Sunday’s mean six sentences. This week they again come from Eternally & Evermore.

Enjoy.

Maurice was waiting for him in the foyer.

“Will! It’s about damn time. A word please.” He gestured to an empty meeting room off the foyer. Once inside he snapped, “Care to tell me why I have three officers from SOCA waiting in my boardroom?”

“They’re already here?”

Eternally & Evermore will be released by Phaze in late August. For more Six Sentence Sunday posts, visit the blog.

Thursday 12 August 2010

Dance with me – an “Eternally & Evermore” excerpt

wp7b3eb1a9 Yes, I’m still on holiday, and yes, I’ve still scheduled an excerpt for your reading pleasure. This excerpt follows on from from Tuesday’s – just a few scenes further on.

Enjoy.

Will stared up at the sky. With no moon, no clouds and very little light pollution from the villages in the surrounding countryside, the great mass of stars that made up the Milky Way was on display. It reminded him just how small and insignificant he and his problems were in the great scheme of things. But to him, right then, right there, they were everything.

The band’s next song was a slow one.

“I recognise this.”

She nodded. “Eternally and Evermore. It’s unmistakable.”

“Our song.”

She turned towards him. “Dance with me?”

“Is that a good idea?”

“Please.”

He took her in his arms and as they swayed gently under the starlight, she raised her hand to his cheek and gently pulled him towards her.

“Amy, we—”

“Shhh.”

Their lips met, lightly brushing against each other, barely touching, but the thrill that ran up Will’s back was electric. He could almost feel the lightning bolt leap from his lips to hers. It was more than anything he’d felt in the years since he’d last kissed her. It was as if it was their second first kiss and it was every bit as earth-shattering as the original. It was tender. Gentle. The kiss of a couple still in love after a lifetime together. Yet they were a couple fate had kept apart.

His lips lingered on hers and he savoured her sweet taste while she made quiet gurgling sounds in the back of her throat. He slipped his tongue into her mouth and tenderly explored while his hands caressed her back and her tongue welcomed his with light caresses. Then it went nuclear. Years of passion, like a volcanic eruption, spilled into that one, mind-blowing kiss.

Finally, reluctantly, he pulled away from her. She tipped her head back, kept her eyes closed and shuddered.

“We shouldn’t have done that,” Will said.

“I know,” she whispered, her eyes still closed. “I just...”

“What?”

“I just needed to know.” She touched her lips with the tips of two fingers.

“Know what?”

She opened her eyes to look into his. “If it was still there.”

“What was?”

“Us. The spark. The connection.”

“And was it?”

“Was it ever? More’s the pity.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Because....” She sighed. “Life would have been so much less complicated if it wasn’t.”

Eternally & Evermore will be released by Phaze in late August.

Tuesday 10 August 2010

Unhappy Reunion – an “Eternally & Evermore” excerpt

wp7b3eb1a9 I might be on holiday, but I can still schedule posts. Here is an excerpt from the upcoming Eternally & Evermore.

Enjoy.

Will left the bathroom but didn’t return to the party. Instead he wandered into the foyer and slumped into one of four red leather sofas clustered around a low rectangular coffee table scattered with newspapers and magazines. He shook his head and sighed. Why had no one told him? Warned him? Or was Nugent lying? He’d always been fast and loose with the truth. But something about the way he’d spoken told Will it wasn’t a lie.

He pulled his mobile phone out of his inside jacket pocket and slid his thumb across the screen to unlock it. The screen lit up, displaying a picture of a young girl with a wide grin as the background wallpaper. He smiled as he looked at her.

“Is that your daughter? Sophie, isn’t it?” Lizzie was standing behind the sofa. He looked up at her and when she saw the questioning look on his face she said, “I came out of the ladies just as you left the gents. Saw you coming this way and thought we could have a chat without having to shout over the music.” She paused. “She’s very pretty.”

“She is, isn’t she?” He tapped screen twice to display the photo fully and handed it to Lizzie.

She sat on the arm of the sofa and looked at the picture. “She has your eyes. And your smile.”

“And her mother’s sharp tongue, which, thankfully, she doesn’t use very often. She’s very difficult to get worked up.”

“Then it sounds like she’s got your temperament too. Are there any more?”

Will reached to swipe across the screen and the picture scrolled to one of father and daughter laughing.

“That’s nice,” Lizzie said. “Where is it?”

“Her thirteenth a couple of months ago. One of the few birthdays I’ve been able to get to. I usually have to make do with an early or late celebration. Some dad I turned out to be, huh?”

“I’m sure you’re a great dad.”

He sighed. “How great can I be when I’m only part-time?”

“How often do you see her?”

“Officially I have joint custody, but since she schools in London, I normally see her every other weekend and most of the holidays.”

“Most?”

“We alternate Christmas and New Year, one year she spends Christmas with her mother and New Year with me, next year we switch. Easter and half terms are mine, and we split the summer.”

“And she knows she can call you whenever she wants, right?”

“Yeah. And she does. Although, lately it’s been to complain about some punishment or other that her mother has imposed. She’s a hell of a texter too. But that’s the youth of today.”

Lizzie laughed.

“What?”

“You keep saying her mother. As if she doesn’t have a name.”

“Lynn. Her name’s Lynn. Sad to say, that all she is to me now. My daughter’s mother.”

“You must have loved her once.”

“I did.” The finality in his voice said that topic was out of bounds.

Lizzie nudged him to scoot up the sofa, sat beside him and handed his phone back. “Is tonight as bad as you expected?”

“Who said I expected it to be bad?”

“You did.” He didn’t answer. “What are you doing out here on your own anyway?”

“Deciding if I should call a cab or not.”

“You’re leaving? Why?”

He looked at her for a few moments before answering. “I had a conversation with John Nugent while I was in the bathroom.”

“Oh.”

“Yes. Oh.” He took in the look of horror on her face, masked by forced indifference. “Why didn’t you tell me, Lizzie?”

“Tell you what?”

“Lizzie!”

She shrugged. “Amy asked me not to. Don’t look at me like that. She’s my best friend, what did you expect me to do?”

“I’m your oldest friend.”

“And you haven’t spoken to me for nearly ten years.”

“So that makes it okay to lie to me, does it?”

“I didn’t lie to you. I just... left out some details.”

“Pretty big detail,” he mumbled.

“Besides, would have come tonight if I’d have told you beforehand?”

He looked away. “Probably not.”

“That’s what I figured.”

Eternally & Evermore is released by Phaze at the end of August.

Sunday 8 August 2010

Six Sentence Sunday 08/08/2010 – Eternally & Evermore

 

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At some point today, I’ll arrive at the holiday cottage we’ve rented that will be our home away from home for two weeks.

But through the beauty of advanced scheduling, I’m able to bring you a Six Sentence Sunday post this week. So, here are six of the best from Eternally & Evermore which is released at the end of this month.

She half smiled. “You might decide you don’t want me.”

“That’s not going to happen.”

“It might. William, there’s a lot you don’t know about me, I have... baggage. When you know everything, you might change your mind.”

Eternally & Evermore will be released by Phaze at the end of August. For more Six Sentence Sunday posts, visit the blog.

Friday 6 August 2010

Off on my Jollies

Tomorrow morning I’m off on my hols for two whole weeks. A much needed break, if I do say so myself. Through the course of today I’m going to try and put together and schedule some blog posts to automatically go up while I’m away, but I expect today will be quite busy at work (being my last day and all) and tonight I’ve got some packing to do – so don’t be disappointed if I miss out.

I’ve turned in my final edits for Eternally & Evermore. I think it’s pretty clean but as the author you get so close to your text that it’s often difficult to see even your most obvious mistakes. Hopefully I’ve given the final proof-reader a tough job to find anything that needs changing, but we all know how fresh eyes spot things others don’t.

It’s been long enough since I turned the document over to my editor that when I got it back and went through it myself I was able to read it almost as if I was reading it for the first time, and I was surprised at how well the story created the emotions in me that I set out to stir when I wrote it. For example, there are two points in the story where I almost started crying as I read it – for two very different reasons, one happy, the other sad.

It’s quite strange, don’t you think, that we humans can react to two such wildly conflicting emotions in essentially the same way. For example, I cried when my son was born. Why? It was a happy event. The happiest. So why cry? Crying is what you do when you’re upset isn’t it?

Whatever.

I hope you’ll enjoy any excerpts I am able to schedule for the next two weeks. In fact, I hope you’ll enjoy them so much you’ll go out (or rather, stay in and log on) and buy the book. My editor said something the other day. She said it’s a story about choices. About how the choices we make set our lives on different paths, and how even though we may have made the wrong choice at some point, it’s possible to make up for it later by making the right choice. Or just as possible to compound it by making more bad choices.

The protagonist and antagonist of the book are examples of this. They were childhood friends, but their choices led them in different directions in life. And when they come together again later in life, it’s the choices they then make, correcting or compounding previous bad choices, that determine their fates.

Wednesday 4 August 2010

Wednesday Words - “Secret Love Match” by Nancy Lenna

secret-love-match-200x300In a follow-up from Friday’s guest post, here’s an excerpt from Nancy Lenna’s Secret Love Match which is available from Red Rose publishing now.

SECRET LOVE MATCH

By Nancy Lennea

“This has been one heck of a day, Taylor. I watched you open that van door and sweep Jamie into your arms. Until the van took off, I forgot to breathe.”

“Everything turned out okay.”

“I know. He means so much to me. I love him as if he were my own. I hope I’m blessed with a little boy like him someday.”

He squirmed slightly at her words until he pictured her with a newborn at her breast. As she ground her lithe body into his buttocks, he used all his composure to keep from coming where he stood.

“I wonder how the bad guys knew where we are staying.”

“I have no idea, sweetheart. Only Gloria and Vinnie knew.”

“That’s not exactly true.”

Taylor swung around and grabbed her by the shoulders. “What do you mean?”

“Well, I got a phone call just after you put me in your bed.”

“And?” Taylor asked, while forcing away that seductive image.

“Stuart called. He was concern for my safety and—”

“And you told him you are safe with me, in my hotel.”

“Yes. But, he couldn’t possibly have anything to do with all this.”

“Let’s go for a swim,” he said, changing the subject. He kissed her, satisfying his need to taste her lips. His hands slid around her with his yearning to pull her close.

Savoring her scent, he released her then tiptoed into his bedroom while Becka went to change in the downstairs bathroom. Vinnie lay sprawled across the bed, fully clothed. Earlier, they listened to him call Gloria to assure her of everyone’s safety. Now pain and weariness etched his face. Taylor offered him his bed. Happy to see his friend out cold, he stripped off his clothes and tugged on his swimsuit and beach robe. Grabbing condoms from the nightstand and two towels from the master bathroom, he joined Becka in the kitchen.

A small, pink bikini hugged her curves. Hoping his now-limp cock would stay that way, for the time being, he picked up a room key, slipped on sandals, and led her toward the rooftop pool.

“What about Stuart Craddock? Do you think he had anything to do with all this?”

“I don’t know, sweetheart. The man obviously wants you unless it’s part of a plot to get closer to your sister. Seems too far-fetched.”

“But, he knew what airport and what flight I would be taking home the day the cabbie attacked me at the estate. Could he have instigated the first kidnapping attempt as well?”

He couldn’t answer her question though he’d always suspected Craddock hid dirty secrets. It wouldn’t surprise him if he ran with a crook like Spratt. He wheeled the dining cart into the hall then shut the door. The two burly guards stood at attention outside Princess Sophia’s door. As they passed, Taylor stopped a moment to let them know what happened. He stressed the need to take extra precautions. The men nodded at his hushed words.

Becka sensed Bart Spratt wouldn’t give up until he had Jamie, or until they stopped him. Could he be in business with Stuart? In her naivety, she’d assumed he had earned his millions legally. She might have been dangerously misinformed.

Becka waited for Taylor to do what he did best—keep her safe. Tonight, the safety of her entire family lay in his hands. He’d told Gloria to spend the night with a friend in case Spratt and his thugs thought they’d all head back to the estate.

“Please don’t worry. They can’t reach our floor,” Taylor assured her, “the elevator requires a key card. I’ve had the entire staff put on alert. The princess’s guards will keep an eye out as well.”

The afternoon’s terror-filled kidnap attempt wiped everyone out. Laney had stepped in and taken charge of her son, but why hadn’t she kept her mouth shut about her and Taylor?

She let him pull her down the hall by the wrist. He used his key card to open a door near the elevators. A staircase led up to a tiled patio, surrounding the pool. She tossed her towel on a lounge chair. A steamy breeze wafted over the privacy wall. The scents and sounds of the city enveloped her as she removed her cover-up. Exhaust fumes mingled with fragrant tea roses blooming on a trellis. Car horns and revving engines seemed out of place amid their beauty.

“It’s getting late.” Stars twinkled above their heads making her feel as if she and Taylor were the only people on earth. She dipped a toe in the water. The deep end lay shrouded by shadow. The danger had ceased for today, but the tension in her shoulders lingered. The pain in her head had dissipated, but the horror of Jamie’s kidnapping seeped in. She needed to occupy her mind and body in order to dull terror-sparked senses.

The man of her dreams tossed his own towel into a chair, and then dove into the midnight blue water. Lit by one low-wattage underwater bulb, the water in the shallow end sparkled.

He cut through the dark water then popped up across from where she stood. She hesitated, unsure why Taylor scared her. He would never do anything she didn’t want him to do. She yearned to feel his arms wrapped around her.

She padded barefoot to the stairs in the shallow end. She sensed his gaze following her every move. When sensual warmth filled her belly, she chewed on her lower lip. The cool water soothed the heat blooming between her thighs. When the water reached her chest, she shivered, unsure if her body reacted to the night air or the hungry look on his face.

Her hands cut through the silky liquid. She swam until she slipped into his arms. Taylor held onto the side of the pool with one hand, treading water, and clasped his other hand around her waist.

Pulled into his wet embrace, lips found lips.

The near-silence, disturbed only by those faraway sounds of city life, soothed her fears. He deepened the kiss. His tongue traced her lower lip. She gasped, surprised at the sensuous softness. Her arms instinctively circled his neck while water dripped from his wet hair to slick over her trembling fingers.

“Are you cold, my love?” he asked when he released her mouth.

Did he feel her body shudder? With their faces in shadow, he must be waiting for her to answer. The cool water could not hide his body’s growing interest. When he pressed his groin into hers, she moaned before answering.

“No, Taylor, I’m a little nervous, though.”

“Nervous? You? You are the most courageous woman I’ve ever met.”

ABOUT NANCY LENNA

Nancy lives the dream. After growing up in Huntington, New York, and raising two handsome sons in New Hampshire, Nancy and her husband moved to North Carolina. She is a member of Romance Writers of America, Heart of Carolina Romance Writers, Celtic Heart Romance Writers, Fantasy-Futuristic & Paranormal Romance Writers, and Sisters in Crime. She also writes paranormal romance such as DRAGON’S CURSE from Whispers Publishing as Nancy Lee Badger: www.nancyleebadger.com

Nancy’s website: www.nancylennea.com

Visit her blog for the latest news: www.nancylennea-inlove.blogspot.com.

Tuesday 3 August 2010

Our Song – an “Eternally & Evermore” Excerpt

wp7b3eb1a9 In yesterday’s excerpt, we saw that the title of the book comes from the title of a song in the book. But why is the song significant? Read on and find out.

During the last period of the day, Will, Julie, Lizzie and Amy sat in the library and worked on an essay for their English class. As usual, Will and Amy had written far more than either of the other two by the time the bell rang to signal the end of the school day. Julie quickly packed her things away and hurried off to meet Bobby, who’d had a maths class.

“Are you two coming?” Lizzie asked as she packed her books into her bag. Amy and Will were both still writing.

“I’m staying,” said Will. “I’m nearly done with the first draft. I’d like to finish it.”

“Okay. Are you doing anything tonight?”

“I don’t know yet. Give me a shout if you’ve got any plans.”

“Yeah, okay. What about you, Amy? Coming?”

She shook her head. “No. I’m nearly finished too. It’s probably not as good as William’s, but...”

“Fine. I’ll walk home by myself then.” She faked indignation then giggled. “I’ll call you later and see what’s what.”

She left Amy and Will alone as they kept writing. Will put his pen down and stretched. Their favourite table was by a window which most pupils had to pass on their way home, so there was a lot of bustle and noise at the end of the day. Whenever he stayed late, Will always found it hard to concentrate for these first few minutes after the bell rang.

“Fancy a drink?” he said. “I’m going to the vending machine for a Coke.”

“Thanks. Coke would be nice. Here—” She pulled her purse out of her bag but Will held his hand up.

“It’s okay. I’ll get it.”

She smiled her radiant smile at him. “Thanks. That’s kind.”

When he returned with two cold cans, the hubbub had died down and he was able to concentrate again. Within half an hour, he’d finished. He put his pen down and picked up the manuscript to read through it.

“How much have you written?” Amy asked.

Will flipped through his work. “About ten sides.”

“That much? That’s way more than you need.”

“I know. It’s how I work. Cram loads in on a first draft, then refine and cut out what I don’t need afterwards.”

“Maybe that explains it.”

“Explains what?”

“Why you get better marks than me.” She grinned. “I work the other way round. Do a bare bones first draft and add in detail later.”

Will shrugged. “Don’t see why it would matter. You work the way that’s best for you.”

“I suppose.” She put her pen down. “If you’re done, I think I’ll stop too. I don’t want to stay here on my own. It’s getting dark.”

“Okay. I’ll walk you home if you like.”

“Thanks.”

They packed and left the library. Amy’s house was on a relatively new, privately built estate next to the council estate that Will lived on. It was on his way home—if he went the long way. But he didn’t mind going the long way for Amy. They chatted about nothing in particular until they got to her house. Instead of going straight in, she waited. Her bag was flung over her shoulder and she fiddled with the strap and shuffled her feet as she looked at the floor.

“William?”

“Yeah?”

“Thanks. For last night. You know, for sticking up for me. Again.” She stared into his eyes as she spoke. He could see she meant every word. “You always stick up for me.”

“Well... I mean, I couldn’t stand by and let him say those things. Could I?”

“I know. They were pretty hurtful.”

“I didn’t manage to stop him though. He’s been spreading his lies all day.”

“Yeah. It’s a good job no one believes him.”

“Ray seems to think he might have a point.”

“That’s because Ray’s an idiot. Plus, I’ve turned him down more than a few times too, remember.”

Will nodded.

“William, you do know there’s only one reason why I didn’t dance with John this weekend, don’t you?”

“Because he’s an ignorant tosser?”

She giggled. “Okay, two reasons.”

“So what’s the other one?”

She reached out her hand to touch his.

“Oh,” he said.

She smiled. “Like the song says, It’s always been you. And it always will be. You’ll be in my heart, Eternally and evermore.”

Eternally and evermore. Her hand moved up to his face and she said, “So when are you going to ask me out? Or do I need to wait for a leap year?”

Will shook his head. “No. I mean, not no, just... I don’t know. I always thought...”

“I think this is the part where you kiss me.” She stepped forward, moved her hand to the back of his head and brought her lips to his. It was a child’s kiss. Lips pressed together with the slightest pressure. Mouths and eyes closed. It lasted but seconds, but they were the most exciting seconds Will could remember.

She pulled away but slid her hand down his arm to hold his and she squeezed and said, “I have to go. My tea will be ready. But I’ll call you later. Okay?”

He nodded. He was still in shock. “Okay.”

“We can talk. Or something.”

Monday 2 August 2010

Getting Closer – an Excerpt from “Eternally & Evermore”

wp7b3eb1a9 I’m currently working through the Eternally & Evermore edits which I received this weekend in preparation for the release later this month. I’m pretty sure I can be done with them today or tomorrow and the file can go off to Phaze for them to do what they do to turn my text into a proper e-book.

People have asked me before now about the book’s title. “It’s a bit soppy,” they say. “Where did you get it?”

The answer is… long winded. But the best way to show you is with a couple of excerpts from the book. One today and one tomorrow.

I’m away on holiday in France – and almost certainly out of e-mail contact unless I pay a fortune in roaming charges on my phone – so I’m going to schedule some more excerpts from the book to post on this blog while I’m away. So, aside from this Wednesday’s post from Nancy Lenna, this blog is will be going Eternally & Evermore” crazy for a couple of weeks.

A new song began, a ballad, and on the dance floor couples came together and singles left in search of a partner, refreshment or both. The song was Eternally and Evermore by some American country singer that Will had never heard of until the song hit the top of the charts.

“I love this song,” said Lizzie.

“Me too,” said Amy.

Will shrugged. “It’s alright, I suppose.”

Amy cocked her eyebrow at him. “Dance with me?”

He pointed to his chest. “Me?”

“Well, I wasn’t asking Lizzie.”

“I... Well... Okay.”

As she took his hand and led him to the dance floor, Will’s heart thumped as loud as the song’s bass line, threatening to break free from his chest. They’d danced together before, of course they had. He’d danced with lots of girls at his birthday party earlier in the autumn. But this was Amy’s favourite song. That had to mean something, didn’t it? No. He was reading too much into it. She just wanted to dance and he was the nearest available guy. If she’d been next to some other guy when the song started, she would have asked him. Wouldn’t she?

Still, he had trouble controlling his breathing. And that wasn’t to mention the rise in his trousers that he knew would be inevitable when her body pressed up against his. So he took up formal stance instead, his right hand on her hip, his left holding her hand and a ocean of space between them.

"You're not dancing with your mother, William," Amy said with a smile brighter than all the lights of the disco combined. She let go of his hand, grabbed his waist and pulled him close. "That's better."

His hands settled on her flared hips and her arms went around his neck. She rested her head on his shoulder and they lost themselves to the gentle beat, the sweet melody and the powerful voice of the southern songstress. The other couples dancing around them faded to nothing more than ghosts. The disco lights dimmed and Will’s whole world consisted of only the song in his ears and the feel of Amy pressed up against him. Only the material of their clothes separated their bodies. If this song, this dance, could go on forever, Will could not conceive a better way to spend the rest of time. It felt so right holding Amy in his arms. He felt whole. Complete.

Her breath burned his neck and sent shivers down his spine. Her heart beat powerfully against his chest in time with his—as if they were somehow joined. As if they were one.

She sighed and sang along.

“It’s always been you,
And always will be, because,
You’re the only man I want,
And the only man I need.
You’ll be in my heart,
Eternally and evermore.”

She was singing to him. She was telling him what he wanted to hear. That he was hers and she was his and it would be like that forever. Eternally and evermore. But she wasn’t. Not really. He knew that. Just like he knew that she wasn’t really grinding herself against his erection. Even though it sure felt like she was.

She sighed again as the song finally ended. They parted and the world around them came back into focus and the people became whole again. She held his hand and looked at him with those huge expressive eyes, shining brightly and reflecting the disco lights, yet more violet now than he’d ever seen them and said, “Thanks. I enjoyed that.”

“Yeah, me too.”

They stood awkwardly in front of each other as she swung his arm gently between them. Something had changed. That song, that dance had changed things. Will knew it had. He could feel it. He could sense it in his soul. He knew that if he stepped forward and kissed her, she’d let him. But he didn’t. He couldn’t. He always said that she was his friend and he didn’t want to jeopardise that.

So instead he asked. “Want a drink?”

She looked downcast for the briefest of moments. But she brightened again so quickly that it could easily have been missed. The usual fire in her eyes—now back to their more normal shade of deep blue—burned brightly. “Yeah,” she said. “Let’s go get a drink. Then let’s see if the pool table is still free. This time, I swear I’m going to beat you.”

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