Release date: April 1st, 2014
Genre: Contemporary Romance
~ What's It About? ~
Monica Waters is a television editor living in Los Angeles reluctantly passing through her thirties in a damaged marriage to the love of her life Alex. They've worked hard since Alex's affair years ago to get to a place of predictable happiness in all areas except the bedroom. She's learned to accept the mediocre sex life in exchange for a comfortable and stabilizing companionship to her best friend.
When an artist from New York named Quinn Matthews moves in next door, all of the fire Monica has learned to suppress flares an obsession into a scalding and dangerously secret relationship. Quinn invigorates her lust for art, flesh and a life she hasn't been living and forces her to make the most difficult decision of her life. Will she clench to her commitment and history with Alex or be swept away by the life and lust she used to dream of with Quinn?
When an artist from New York named Quinn Matthews moves in next door, all of the fire Monica has learned to suppress flares an obsession into a scalding and dangerously secret relationship. Quinn invigorates her lust for art, flesh and a life she hasn't been living and forces her to make the most difficult decision of her life. Will she clench to her commitment and history with Alex or be swept away by the life and lust she used to dream of with Quinn?
~ Excerpt ~
When the familiar yellow SUV pulled up out front, Monica made her way down the front steps.
Quinn, shirtless as usual, was in his garden. “Good Morning!” he said. His bright eyes and smile were better than caffeine. She fidgeted a little before waving back with a shy smile.
“He is Hot! Where can I get one of those?” Robin shouted through the window as Monica got in.
“Oh my God! Would you shut up?" She sank into the seat. A sneaky glance as she reached for the seat belt revealed he was smiling.
“Have fun ladies!” He waved and Robin waved back with winking flirtation.
“You are so embarrassing. Let’s go! Forward!” Monica signaled her hand hoping to accelerate as fast away from this moment as possible. Robin shifted into drive and took off, her blonde tousled hair wild in the wind.
“Is that the artist guy?”
“Yes. That’s Quinn.”
“Holy shit! You vastly undersold that guy! I would never leave the house."
“You would make a fool outta yourself.”
“He seemed good humored. At least I’d be having fun with my time at home.” She gave a disappointed look.
“Well… I did stretch with him yesterday," Monica said with reservation.
“Huh? What do you mean stretch?”
“Stretch. Like after a workout. When I came home from the gym he asked me if I would stretch with him.”
“Oh my God! That is the weirdest pick-up method I’ve ever heard.”
“It wasn’t a pick-up method. He works out and now, so do I. He thought it would be helpful to do it together." She stumbled on her choice of words. "It did push me further.”
“I’m sure it did!" She laughed at her. “That guy wanted to have an excuse to hang out with you.”
“No he didn't. He knows I’m home all day, and he’s concerned about my ankle. We’ve become friends." Her rambling didn’t justify things, even to herself.
“I know you’re not naïve, so if it makes you feel better to think that… then you go right ahead.” She pulled into the driveway of a local café and they went inside.
They sat themselves at the cafe as the sign said, taking a great table by a window. Robin's face looked like she ate a canary.
“So what kind of stretches did you do?”
“Hamstrings and calves," Monica answered with seriousness. "We sat with our feet together and pulled each other down… then he showed me how to push it further by laying his chest against my back.”
“Oh, come, on! You can’t tell me that wasn’t meant as an invite to get naked!”
“It’s like you can’t think of anything but sex. He was a trainer. It'd be the same thing I'd do with a trainer at the gym.”
“Except you'd pay a trainer and sign a piece of paper making it a professional transaction. Plus… you would be doing this in a crowded gym. Where did you and Mr. Blue Eyes stretch?”
“In my front yard.”
Robin had her therapist face on now.
“I didn’t want any neighbors to see and start gossiping.”
“But if it’s innocent, then what does it matter?”
“You know how neighbors are?”
“That sounds like a guilty conscience to me.” She sipped her mimosa as soon as it arrived. “Hey, I think it’s awesome. I mean having a gorgeous man want to touch you is not tragic.”
“He doesn’t want to touch me. Would you stop! He's been a gentleman. We’re just getting to know each other.”
“Yeah, well I didn’t touch Mr. Kowalski’s toes when we were getting to know each other. That’s pretty intimate shit.”
“If Mr. Kowalski looked like Quinn you would!” They both cracked up, clanking glasses.
“So then you can admit that you’re attracted to that guy and that’s why you agreed to let him bend you like a pretzel.”
“Yes. I admit that I have found him nice to look at and wanted to find out what he was like," she took a demur tone.
“And? What’s he like?” Robin was all ears.
Quinn, shirtless as usual, was in his garden. “Good Morning!” he said. His bright eyes and smile were better than caffeine. She fidgeted a little before waving back with a shy smile.
“He is Hot! Where can I get one of those?” Robin shouted through the window as Monica got in.
“Oh my God! Would you shut up?" She sank into the seat. A sneaky glance as she reached for the seat belt revealed he was smiling.
“Have fun ladies!” He waved and Robin waved back with winking flirtation.
“You are so embarrassing. Let’s go! Forward!” Monica signaled her hand hoping to accelerate as fast away from this moment as possible. Robin shifted into drive and took off, her blonde tousled hair wild in the wind.
“Is that the artist guy?”
“Yes. That’s Quinn.”
“Holy shit! You vastly undersold that guy! I would never leave the house."
“You would make a fool outta yourself.”
“He seemed good humored. At least I’d be having fun with my time at home.” She gave a disappointed look.
“Well… I did stretch with him yesterday," Monica said with reservation.
“Huh? What do you mean stretch?”
“Stretch. Like after a workout. When I came home from the gym he asked me if I would stretch with him.”
“Oh my God! That is the weirdest pick-up method I’ve ever heard.”
“It wasn’t a pick-up method. He works out and now, so do I. He thought it would be helpful to do it together." She stumbled on her choice of words. "It did push me further.”
“I’m sure it did!" She laughed at her. “That guy wanted to have an excuse to hang out with you.”
“No he didn't. He knows I’m home all day, and he’s concerned about my ankle. We’ve become friends." Her rambling didn’t justify things, even to herself.
“I know you’re not naïve, so if it makes you feel better to think that… then you go right ahead.” She pulled into the driveway of a local café and they went inside.
They sat themselves at the cafe as the sign said, taking a great table by a window. Robin's face looked like she ate a canary.
“So what kind of stretches did you do?”
“Hamstrings and calves," Monica answered with seriousness. "We sat with our feet together and pulled each other down… then he showed me how to push it further by laying his chest against my back.”
“Oh, come, on! You can’t tell me that wasn’t meant as an invite to get naked!”
“It’s like you can’t think of anything but sex. He was a trainer. It'd be the same thing I'd do with a trainer at the gym.”
“Except you'd pay a trainer and sign a piece of paper making it a professional transaction. Plus… you would be doing this in a crowded gym. Where did you and Mr. Blue Eyes stretch?”
“In my front yard.”
Robin had her therapist face on now.
“I didn’t want any neighbors to see and start gossiping.”
“But if it’s innocent, then what does it matter?”
“You know how neighbors are?”
“That sounds like a guilty conscience to me.” She sipped her mimosa as soon as it arrived. “Hey, I think it’s awesome. I mean having a gorgeous man want to touch you is not tragic.”
“He doesn’t want to touch me. Would you stop! He's been a gentleman. We’re just getting to know each other.”
“Yeah, well I didn’t touch Mr. Kowalski’s toes when we were getting to know each other. That’s pretty intimate shit.”
“If Mr. Kowalski looked like Quinn you would!” They both cracked up, clanking glasses.
“So then you can admit that you’re attracted to that guy and that’s why you agreed to let him bend you like a pretzel.”
“Yes. I admit that I have found him nice to look at and wanted to find out what he was like," she took a demur tone.
“And? What’s he like?” Robin was all ears.
~ Meet The Author ~
Im a designer, author, wife and dog-lover living in the South Pasadena area of California. I got my BFA in Film Production from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, but my love of a good story came way before college. I remember writing my first full story in fifth grade on a typewriter. I cut and pasted it into a book, complete with cardboard cover and taped binding. Things have changed a lot since then. With the magnificent digital age I can produce books and give them to the world without a sticky mess.
In college numerous instructors and peers praised my dialogue pushed me to hone my storytelling skills. Of course the need to cut and paste was still there, so I went into the world of Production Design and Art Direction for films and television. It gave me the ability to connect design to storytelling in a way that no other career can. The past 18 years have spun a unique perspective on visually emotional tales of relationships and the thread that ties all things together. Now I’m shifting focus on the driving force thatn brought me here… stories. I hope that I can share a unique perspective on life, love and the pursuit in all of the above.
Official Website: http://www.author-algoulden.com/
In college numerous instructors and peers praised my dialogue pushed me to hone my storytelling skills. Of course the need to cut and paste was still there, so I went into the world of Production Design and Art Direction for films and television. It gave me the ability to connect design to storytelling in a way that no other career can. The past 18 years have spun a unique perspective on visually emotional tales of relationships and the thread that ties all things together. Now I’m shifting focus on the driving force thatn brought me here… stories. I hope that I can share a unique perspective on life, love and the pursuit in all of the above.
Official Website: http://www.author-algoulden.com/
~ Giveaway ~
Prize: 5 USD Amazon Gift Card
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