Excerpt: A Suspenseful Secret Revealed
In this teaser, Mac and Aidan are on the cusp of a suspenseful secret revealed. They’ve been tiptoeing around each other and keeping secrets up until this moment. Of course, I removed any major spoilers! I hope you enjoy this short excerpt from Epiphany.
Excerpt
“I thought you were beyond corruptible.”
I recalled how Aidan had said something similar on Halloween. “You remember more about that night than you let on, don’t you?”
He pulled two tumblers from a dark cherry wood cabinet. “I remember you, Bonnie.” He tipped the bottle and amber liquid sloshed into both glasses. A moment later he closed the distance between us. “Straight up?” The question sounded like a challenge.
“Sure.” I gulped down the whiskey, ignoring the burn as it slid down my throat. Heat ignited low in my belly, though whether from the alcohol or Aidan’s scrutiny, I wasn’t sure.
He leaned against the kitchen sink and finished off his own drink before pouring another. “I’m sorry I blew up on you. I didn’t come here to make friends…to complicate things.”
“I’m a complication?”
His laughter was empty, cold as a morgue. “You’re about as complicated as they come.”
I stared at the bottom of my glass. “Why’s that?”
“You look at me as if you see right through me. It’s unsettling.”
“I don’t mean to unsettle you.”
“Consider me unsettled. Problem is, I think you’re using more than eyesight.” He finished the whiskey in one long gulp, his eyes never breaking contact with mine.
I gripped my glass. I’d rather have my teeth pulled than tell him how often I’d dreamed of him over the years. “Can I have another?”
He grabbed the bottle and moved toward me, and I saw him in my mind’s eye as he’d been in the drawing. Bare chest, subtle muscles, a thin line of hair dragging my gaze below his belly button, to a place I’d shamelessly dreamed of exploring with my mouth. I stumbled back as he poured a refill.
“Thanks.” The word nearly squeaked from my lips, giving away my nervousness. I upended the glass, and the smooth whiskey went down easier the second time.
“Did you dream about me too? Is that why you followed me on Halloween?”
I took another step back, but he advanced until the edge of the counter bit into my spine. “I didn’t.” The lie sounded weak, even to my own ears.
“I think you did. The way you looked at me, like you saw a ghost or something…” Brushing against me, he set his tumbler on the cool granite. “At first, I thought maybe you recognized me from somewhere, had seen the news reports—”
“No,” I interrupted, my head spinning from the combination of alcohol and his close proximity. “You were imagining things.”
“No, I wasn’t.” He gently pried the empty glass from my fingers and set it next to his. Nothing stood between us now, not even the last shred of my secret.
I held fast to it anyway, like a child unwilling to let go of a tattered teddy bear. “You can think whatever you want. Doesn’t make it true.”
“Doesn’t make it not true.” He gripped the counter, and his arms grazed my sides.
I hated myself for giving him false hope, especially in the face of such unveiled desperation. It drove him, I realized. I feared what else drove him. Justice?
Or vengeance?
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