She stopped.
“You think this is easy for me?” She faced the man who had stolen his way into her life when she tried so hard to keep him out. “You think I want to feel what I feel?” He was everywhere: her thoughts, her memories, and he never did leave her dreams. His onyx eyes and deep dimples haunted her. In his absence, she missed the way Noah made her feel like a queen, like a real woman. “This wasn’t in my plans when I came to New York. This was to be my refuge, my chance of a do-over.”
He turned away from her. “You run when shit gets hard.”
A part of her wanted to yell that wasn’t true, but that’d be a lie. She’d proven that she’d rather put off dealing with the hard things. He was quiet for so long she thought he was finished speaking.
“This is me and much more.” Noah’s hand swept the New York City landscape seen through his expansive office window. “I won’t change.”
Did she even want him to? It took a week’s worth of soul searching to come to the decision that she’d rather have him in her life than not. Avi picked up her feet and ran to the only person who made crazy sense. Her heart pounded when she slammed herself into his imposing back, willing it and him to bend—even for just a little bit. Her lungs fought for air when Avi wrapped her hands around Noah’s waist.
She exhaled when he faced her then enveloped her into his embrace. She was safe. She was home. Avi melted into Noah.
He lowered his head to hers.
Forehead-to-forehead, their breaths mingled.
His hand caressed her soft cheek.
Her lips sought his neck, breathing him in, reveling in his masculine scent that drove her insane.
“What are you doing here, Avi?”
“I want more than one night,” she confessed.
The End...
for now.
Snippet from
“Are you going to give up the goods or what?” he asked, curving into her softness.
Not bothering to turn, she inquired, “When do you ask for what’s yours?”
His hand ran the length of her thigh. He gripped her hipbone, liking the fleshiness. He never got enough of her.
“Thought I’d have to steal it like I’ve been doing these last few nights,” he said, kissing the sensitive area near her left ear.
“Um.” The sheet rustled. “Noe, I’ve been super tired. Classes are killing me. School begins in a few weeks. It’s just...”
His hand moved her underwear to the side. “Why do you wear this shit, Avi?”
He was known to rip them at will. His finger entered her and she moaned.
“Be-because,” she stammered. Clearing her throat, she tried again. “Just because you ask me not to, doesn’t mean I’m going to do as you say, Mr. Adams.”
Even with two fingers in her delicious body, drenched with her essence, she still busted his balls.
That was his Avi.
I would like to thank my husband, the visual genius who created my teasers, trailers, and book cover. Thank you, baby. He and our daughters gave me the room I needed to spread my creative wings.
I extend my heartfelt gratitude to my parents, who are the inspiration behind my pen name. To my family members who offered their support, thank you.
This project would not be of the caliber it is without the tireless efforts of My Passion’s Pen and its founder, Daphne Watson. Daph, thank you from the bottom of my heart for pushing me beyond writing the clichés I used to love and helping me target the sensory details this novel needed. I am learning so many things from you.
I have had the pleasure of meeting some wonderful and supportive women on social media whose text messages, phone calls, and private messages help to cheer me up, inspire me, or crack me up. Stefanie Allen, Connie Chavis, Hezie-Ann Chrysostom, Ella Emerson, Autumn Grey, Jessica Hood, Stefanie Kral, Emily Krat, Olivia Linden, Harper Miller, and L.C. Morgan, thanks for being a shoulder to lean on when I wanted to quit.
I am appreciative of the beta readers who have seen this novel in its many stages and offered their constructive critique.
To all the authors, bloggers, and new friends I have made during this journey to my debut novel, thank you for your encouraging words and kind deeds. Whether you have shared in my excitement, re-posted a teaser, helped me with a blog tour, hammed it up with me at a Facebook event, etc., please know that all our interactions have been a special treat for me.
I would be remiss if I did not thank Fran Walsh who was the first person I shared this story’s premise with and she assured me it could be “epic”.
And, finally, thank each of you for taking a chance on this novel.
allyn lesley writes real stories about real people.
As a teen, allyn lost herself in the pages of some of romance’s heavyweights, trusting that a happily-ever-after was just around the corner. In allyn’s own writing journey, as in life, she’s learned that people don’t always experience recovery and restoration after a fall. Her stories speak of the gritty side of life, where the right choice isn’t always easily identified and happiness not quickly gained.
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Copyright © 2015 allyn lesley
Book One of The Deeper Chronicles
eISBN 978-0-9862577-1-1
This novel is protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America. Any reproduction or other unauthorized use of the material or artwork within is prohibited.
This is a work of fiction. Any names, characters, places, and incidents are the results of the author’s imagination or are used factiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locations is entirely coincidental.
Disclaimer
Cover image © Bigstock
Design for cover image by Sixxis Design
Content and developmental editing by My Passion’s Pen
Line editing by Kayla Robichaux for Hot Tree Editing
Interior designed & formatted by:
www.emtippettsbookdesigns.com
This novel is intended for mature adults due to use of strong language, adult situations, and violence.
Table of Contents
Title Page
Books by allyn lesley
About DEEPER
Table of Contents
Dedication
Epigraph
One
Two
Three
Four
Five
Six
Seven
Eight
Nine
Ten
Eleven
Twelve
Thirteen
Fourteen
Fifteen
Sixteen
Seventeen
Eighteen
Nineteen
Twenty
Twenty-One
Twenty-Two
Twenty-Three
Twenty-Four
Twenty-Five
Twenty-Six
Twenty-Seven
Twenty-Eight
Deeper Still
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Copyright Notice