PAIGE
I flushed and tried to choke out a laugh. “It’s funny how I can’t seem to stop embarrassing myself in front of you.”
Derek shook his head like he thought I was being ridiculous. “Stop being embarrassed.”
He started moving the piles of cassettes over to the desk and then switched off the power button on the stereo. I had no idea why. Maybe he was just trying to help clean up. Then he got on the bed beside me, stretched out and extended his arm.
“Come here,” he whispered.
I obeyed. Slowly, because I wasn’t sure what he had in mind.
But Derek wasn’t after sex. He didn’t touch me while I got comfortable. Settling against his strong body seemed like the most natural act in the world. It didn’t feel dirty or even erotic. He switched off the bedside lamp, wrapped his arms around me and let me fall asleep with my cheek next to his beating heart.
And there I slept all night, more soundly than I thought possible…
Cora Brent was born in a cold climate and escaped as soon as it was legally possible. Now, she lives in the desert with her husband, two kids and a prickly pear cactus she has affectionately named ‘Spot’. Cora’s closet is filled with boxes of unfinished stories that date back her 1980’s childhood and all her life she has dreamed of being an author. Amazingly, she is now a New York Times and USA Today bestselling writer of contemporary romance and begs not to be awakened from this dream.
There is no denying that Derek has made some mistakes in the past but there is much more to the man than his actions show. He has distanced himself from his family as he doesn’t feel worthy and he is looking for a new beginning, but it isn’t so easy when everyone he knows is familiar with his past.
Paige is a loner who lives in the house she inherited from her grandparents and only has a few close friends. She has endured a traumatic past and allows very few people close to her.
The persona that they present to everyone around them is much different than the pain and scars that they keep inside. When Derek is there for her on the night that she needs him the most a connection begins but will they be able to overcome their pasts and help each other heal or will the demons be too strong and end up destroying them both?
I loved these two together. Derek makes Paige feel safe for the first time in a long time and Paige makes Derek want to be a better man. They are two people who find out that together they are stronger.
Kari's Book Reviews and Revelations 