Kaleidoscope (Colorado
Mountain #6)
When old friends become new
lovers...anything can happen.
Sexy, gifted, and loyal, PI Jacob
Decker is a tall, cool drink of perfection who had Emmanuelle Holmes at
"hello." His relationship with Emme's best friend kept them apart for
years, but things have changed. Now that a case has brought him to Gnaw Bone,
Colorado, the road is wide open for Emme and Deck to explore something hotter
and deeper than Emme dreamed possible. So why is she sabotaging the best thing
that's ever happened to her?
It isn't easy to catch Deck off
guard, but Emme does just that when she walks back into his life after nine
long years. The curvy brunette had her charms back in the day, but now she's a
bona fide knockout . . . and she wants to rekindle their friendship. Deck,
however, wants more. Emme's always been the one; she excites Deck's body and
mind like no other woman can. But a dark chapter from Emme's past overshadows
their future together. Now only Deck can help her turn the page-if she'll let
him.
I
dropped my leg so I was sitting cross-legged in the couch and leaned into him.
“Honey, you remember everything so I don’t have to remind you I haven’t seen
you in nine years. I dig it that we reconnected and I love having you back.” I
again threw an arm out, this time toward him and back to me. “This is great.
You and me spending time together, shooting the breeze. I missed that. And I
get it that friends make gestures, but this is too much.”
His
eyes warmed during this speech and he took his arms from the couch, bent his
legs, leaned into them, and me, and put his elbows to his knees, never
releasing my eyes.
“Baby,
I want you warm and liquid. The first bein’ physically, the second bein’
financially. You stop payin’ so much for heat, you’ll have more money for the
rest of the shit you gotta do.”
This
made sense.
But
he’d again called me “baby.”
And
I needed to address that.
So
I asked, “What is that?”
His
head cocked and his eyebrows drew together. “What’s what?”
I
drew in breath and on the exhale, stated, “You calling me baby.” Then I went on
quickly,“Not that I don’t like it. It’s sweet. It’s just not…”I hesitated, “us.”
Something
happened to his eyes, his face, his whole big body and that something made me
brace at the same time it made my heartbeat escalate.
“You
know what it is,” he said softly.
I
didn’t.
“I
don’t,” I shared.
His
eyes stayed locked to mine and I knew him relatively well, or I used to. But
even if we hadn’t been separated for years, I still would not have been
forewarned to the fact he was about to blow my mind.
“Before,
we had Elsbeth between us. My head was fucked about that, about her, and it
took almost a decade to get it unfucked. Lookin’ back, havin’ you back, I now
know and I reckon you know, that’s the way it was. She was between us. She knew
it too. And she didn’t like it. But it didn’t matter. My head was fucked so I
couldn’t see clear of her and not doin’ that, I didn’t see you.”
I
knew my lips had parted. I also knew my eyes got big. And last, I had no clue
what to say.
So
I said nothing.
“Now
she isn’t between us,” he finished.
It
was then I knew what the “baby” business was.
I
just had no idea how to react to it because I never considered it. He was
beautiful. He was kind. He was smart. He was funny and interesting and affectionate.
But
he was my best friend’s boyfriend.
That
didn’t mean my mind didn’t go there in vague ways, not stupid enough to wish
for something I could never have, just silently covetous of what Elsbeth had.
And, because of all that he was and that Elsbeth had it, in the end, infuriated
she threw it away. Angry enough to end an important friendship because of it.
Sitting
there, all that was Jacob, and all that being spectacular sitting across from
me, holding my eyes, I finally understood that the reason I was angry at my
friend was because, in throwing Jacob away, she took him away from me.
And
now I had him back, but also, he was saying I’d always had him a different way,
we just didn’t go there and he was going to take us there.
Yes.
I had no clue what to say but my body had a clue how to feel. Warm and there
were a lot more tingles.
“Jacob—”
I started on a whisper.
But
he interrupted again.
“You
saw me, asked me out to dinner that same night, no fuckin’ around. Since then,
you’ve called twice for no reason except to connect, and, baby, before you
freak that I noticed that and what it said, I’ll tell you, I’m fuckin’ glad you
did and I’m also fuckin’ glad about what it said. The boyfriend you were on the
fence about, you got off the fence in less than twenty-four hours after seein’
me again and decided to get shot of his ass. And you didn’t waste any time
gettin’ me right where I am tonight. That is not friends reconnecting. You know
it. So do I.”
“I—”
“Don’t deny it.”
I shut my mouth.
ARC Provided by NetGalley
Read the first chapter
Watch Kristen Ashley's Webcast Chat
Click Below
Giveaway
Purchase Links
Kristen
Ashley was born in Gary, Indiana, USA. She nearly killed her mother and herself
making it into the world, seeing as she had the umbilical cord wrapped around
her neck (already attempting to accessorise and she hadn't taken her first
breath!).
Kristen
grew up in Brownsburg, Indiana but has lived in Denver, Colorado and the West
Country of England. Thus she has been blessed to have friends and family around
the globe. Her posse is loopy (to say the least) but loopy is good when you
want to write.
Kristen
was raised in a house with a large and multi-generational family. They lived on
a very small farm in a small town in the heartland and existed amongst the
strains of Glenn Miller, The Everly Brothers, REO Speedwagon and Whitesnake
(and the wardrobes that matched).
Needless
to say, growing up in a house full of music, clothes and love was a good way to
grow up.
No comments:
Post a Comment