A.L. Parks
Genre: Contemporary /
Adult / Romance
Eve
Carlisle had a singular purpose - sell the rustic house nestled in the Colorado
ski resort town.
Tortured by her husband’s betrayal, the beautiful divorcee refused to give her heart to another man. But Jake had been a happy surprise, with his mesmerizing blue eyes, warm smile, strong but gentle nature – as well as being incredibly sexy.
She had convinced herself the relationship with Jake was nothing more than a fling. After all, she had a life in Newport, with society friends and a lucrative career as a family court judge. Still, Jake had a definitive hold over her, and she was finding it hard to think clearly where he was concerned.
The demons of prior failed marriages haunt them both, and threaten to end things just as they are beginning. When Jake tells Eve he is falling in love with her, Eve refuses to believe it can last. Returning to Newport, the hollowness of her existence exposed, she must confront her fears before she loses Jake forever.
Tortured by her husband’s betrayal, the beautiful divorcee refused to give her heart to another man. But Jake had been a happy surprise, with his mesmerizing blue eyes, warm smile, strong but gentle nature – as well as being incredibly sexy.
She had convinced herself the relationship with Jake was nothing more than a fling. After all, she had a life in Newport, with society friends and a lucrative career as a family court judge. Still, Jake had a definitive hold over her, and she was finding it hard to think clearly where he was concerned.
The demons of prior failed marriages haunt them both, and threaten to end things just as they are beginning. When Jake tells Eve he is falling in love with her, Eve refuses to believe it can last. Returning to Newport, the hollowness of her existence exposed, she must confront her fears before she loses Jake forever.
He pulled her face to his and as his
lips found hers, she accepted them. Eve could feel his need and desire. She
pulled back slightly, breaking the connection. Jake placed his forehead against
hers. “I’m sorry,” he whispered.
“No, I am. I’m just confused, that’s
all,” Eve admitted.
Jake pulled his head back and gazed
into her eyes. “What are you confused about?”
“I thought you just wanted to be
friends, and that’s fine, but I’m not good with the friends-with-benefits
thing; which sucks, by the way, because I would really like to be with you
right now.” Her voice was hurried, and she nearly tripped over her own words in
embarrassment.
“Wait,” Jake looked at her, a deep
crease across his forehead, “are you under the impression that I only want to
have sex with you?”
“No, I know you just want to be
friends. But then you keep kissing me, and I have no idea where that leaves us
as friends. I’m just saying that I’m not good at blurring that line. It’s
apparently a failing of mine in this day and age.” Eve was completely
uncomfortable with the conversation and was kicking herself for not letting
Jake kiss her and seeing where it led them.
“Why would you think I only want to be
friends-with-benefits?” Jake asked. He was completely dumbfounded by the turn
of this conversation.
“Jake,” Eve tried to assure him, “it’s
totally okay. I get it. I’m only here for a few weeks. There are a lot of fish
out there, many of them younger than me that are able to offer you more than I
can. And I’m okay with just being friends. I just can’t go back and forth
between the friends-lovers role. It’s just not me.”
“So, basically you’re under the
impression that I only want to be friends with you because I’m holding out for
a younger woman. And you think that I want to have sex with you tonight, and go
back to just being friends tomorrow? Does that about sum it up?” Jake’s voice
elevated slightly. He face was flushed, and another crease burrowed into his
forehead.
“Okay, I’m not upset. Why are you?” Eve
asked, not sure why this conversation had set him off.
Jake exhaled loudly. “I’m not upset—I’m
frustrated. I have no idea what I’ve done to make you think I want to be with a
younger woman. Let me be perfectly clear—I am not interested in finding a younger
woman. I would not ‘just be friends’ with you in hopes of finding a younger
woman. I am not at all interested in having any type of relationship with a
younger woman.” Jake took a hold of Eve’s hand, and tried to compose himself.
“I have never met your ex, so I don’t know anything about him; however, I think
he’s an idiot. How he could possibly let you go is mind boggling to me. The
fact that he set his sights on a younger woman, when
he had you, is insane. I would never—NEVER—keep you at arm’s-length hoping to
find a younger woman. That’s not my style.”
Eve shifted slightly, trying to make
sense of what Jake was saying, but still completely confused.
“Why would you possibly think that I am
only interested in you as a friend? Especially after last night? I thought I
made my feelings pretty clear.” Jake peered into Eve’s eyes, searching for
anything that would explain where this all went wrong.
“You did make it clear last night,
Jake,” Eve stated, “as soon as things became intimate— you left. It was pretty
evident you weren’t interested in being with me in that way.”
The room went still, neither of them
spoke for a moment. Jake internalized what Eve had said, and realized just how
she could have perceived something that was in direct contradiction to what he
had felt. Raising his head, he placed his hand at the back of her neck and
sighed loudly.
“I am so sorry if I gave you that
impression. It was the farthest thing from my mind, I can assure you. I can’t
do the friends-with-benefits thing either and that’s why I left. I didn’t want
you to think I was just interested in getting you into bed. I mean, don’t get
me wrong, I am very interested in getting you into bed,” he ran his hand
through his hair and inhaled deeply, “but I didn’t want you to think I was taking
advantage of you. I like you. I really like you. And if I could figure out how
to take all my vacation time right now, I would spend every minute of the next
three weeks with you.”
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Born and raised in the Rocky Mountains, A.L. Parks has spent
the last 25 years moving all over the United States. Married to the Navy - well
a man in the Navy - Parks has lived in various places throughout the United
States. Now she resides in the Washington D.C area, and loves every minute. She
has four children, and one spoiled German Shepard.
2013 marked her debut in publishing. Her first novel, Strangers, released on her 45th birthday. She was amazed at how many people fell in love with a story about two people dealing with grief, and finding love again. Abby and Bryce were the perfect couple to introduce Parks as an up-and-coming author.
Her second novel, The Return, released in December 2013. A wonderful Christmas romance, it is the first book in the Return To Me series. Book two, Return To Newport, is set to release on April 29, 2014.
2013 marked her debut in publishing. Her first novel, Strangers, released on her 45th birthday. She was amazed at how many people fell in love with a story about two people dealing with grief, and finding love again. Abby and Bryce were the perfect couple to introduce Parks as an up-and-coming author.
Her second novel, The Return, released in December 2013. A wonderful Christmas romance, it is the first book in the Return To Me series. Book two, Return To Newport, is set to release on April 29, 2014.
Book review blog: http://www.shereadsnewadult.com
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