Shattered Illusions - Sheila Koerner Grice
From a Book Chapter
Excerpt from Chapter 1
“Well?” Josh asked, observing her with his piercing blue eyes. “Are you staying?”
She needed to weigh her options, which was difficult considering the most tempting choice stood right before her. Josh looked downright sexy, and that made the situation dangerous. Of course she wanted to stay and have a drink. She gulped; that was just the beginning of what she wanted to do with him. The sensible choice would be to leave the room right now. Just say good-bye and walk away. What was she doing alone with a stranger in a dark bedroom anyway? Except for the neatly made-up bed, there was no place to sit. And where would that lead? “Why not?” She held out her flute, admiring his carved profile as he poured her drink and then filled his own glass. “So where are you from?” she asked, prying beneath his guarded charm.
He twitched and hesitated. “I’m from Savannah, Georgia. That’s where my family lives, anyway.”
She’d already noticed his wedding finger, bare with no tan line. “Savannah?” A stampede of people roared outside the room, banging on the walls and inciting a roar of laughter.
“Stella,” Josh said.
The way he spoke her name caught her off guard, his voice plucked at her emotion. She lifted her eyes to meet his curious blue eyes, unable to speak. She wanted to hear him say her name again.
“Are you trying to hide from someone?” he asked.
“What are you talking about?”
“You’re acting like you’re trying to hide from someone.” He paused, watching her expression. “Is it your boyfriend?”
“No,” she snapped, her stomach in a knot. Why did Austin have to spoil everything?
“Your head was tuned into something when you were standing alone on the balcony.”
Stella took a drink. Josh had been stalking her, like a Peeping Tom of her soul. Or did she just wear her emotions on her sleeve? She thought she’d kept her emotions under tap. One thing was certain, she’d had Austin on her mind way too much, and she wouldn’t let worries about Austin interfere with this moment. “There is someone I want to avoid,” she confessed. “But I don’t have a boyfriend.”
“Then I’m glad I came to this party tonight” he said with complete sincerity.
He surprised her, taking her hand and giving it a squeeze, and she drank in his sweet southern comfort charm. But could she dare relax in his arms? After all, she didn’t know anything about Josh. Maybe she’d taken this flirting thing too far and she needed to get out. Then she looked up, and he brushed his calloused fingertips across her parted mouth. With his touch, she softened like a kitten, eyes closing as she begged God for him to kiss her.
A whimper escaped her throat as she fought the urge to succumb to his seductive patience. It was too late; his lips touched hers with an unexpected tenderness and she was a fly in thick honey, blissfully unaware of its fate.
Josh had every advantage over her, and he knew it. But he’s harmless, right? Why not stay for one more moment; it felt natural, easy. She pressed her mouth firmly on his as the pace evolved into a dance of resistance and surrender.
The responsible voice spoke, and Stella questioned her actions. Damn it, why am I giving into his seduction so easy? She gently pulled her lips from his mouth. “I don’t know anything about you.”
Josh gently urged her back to the wall. “We can fix that problem.”
She couldn’t speak, imagined his soft kisses on more intimate parts of her body, how tenderly he’d make love. Was it her imagination, or did he feel the passion too? Whatever was happening, one thing was certain: The touch of this man filled every void in her body.
Outside the room, more knocks hit the wall and voices clamoured. Stella turned her face toward the door, and Josh lured her back, covering her mouth with soft kisses. An insatiable urge to succumb and explore every inch of him owned her emotions now, emotions she’d surrendered to the moment his lips touched her mouth.
The voice urged her to consider the situation: She was in a dark bedroom engaging in a passionate kiss with a total stranger. She didn’t care, remaining oblivious to the din beyond the walls of her existence. Kissing Josh sent her imagination wild. His taste conjured up images of drinking mint juleps under a weeping willow tree, and his fresh scented skin sparked visions of him bare-chested, chopping wood by a cabin in the Rockies amongst a light dusting of snow on yellow Aspen trees. She placed her hand against the plane of his chest, hard and muscled. Oh, yes, she’d lost the plot and loved it. He took her hand, pulling her close, and brushed the calloused fingertips of his free hand on her cheek.
Another knock hit the door. Then two sharp knocks followed, bang, bang. These knocks had a different sound, abrupt and ominous. Stella felt a rush of adrenaline and instinctively shoved Josh toward the closet.
“Shhh…,” she said, placing a finger on her lips. She slid the closet door open. “Please hide,” she begged, giving him a nudge into the closet.
Josh gave her an angry look, refusing to budge. “Why?” he protested. “Tell me who you’re hiding from.”
She gave his arm a squeeze, a non-verbal communiqué pressing for his cooperation. She’d watched enough Animal Planet documentaries to be familiar with the puffed up stance of the courting male species. And although she would’ve loved the time to explain, she shoved Josh into the closet. “I’ll explain later,” she whispered, swiftly sliding the door past his frustrated face.
Stella grabbed her handbag off the bed then caught a waft of men’s cologne; Bvlgari, Austin’s favourite. His shadow loomed over the wall like a man on stilts and he flicked on the light switch. She flinched, squinting into the abrupt glare blocking her view.
“Stella!” Austin barked. “Why are you standing there in the dark?”
Austin came into focus and she licked her raw lips. If only she had a good answer.
Thanks for reading this excerpt from Shattered Illusions. Your comments are important to me; if the next chapter were available to read at this time, would you read on? Why or Why not?
Contact Sheila at info@sheilakoernergrice.com