The
finale of Erika and Darien's epic rollercoaster romance.
Tag
- How can Erika prove to herself and Darien
that she loves and trusts him? Simple. All she has to do is jump out
of a plane.
Concerned for his fiancée, Erika Bailey’s
safety, rock star Darien Scott races to Bangkok to protect her, only
to discover his brother is missing. Fearing the worse, he contacts
his nemesis, Gan, and makes a repulsive deal that will free his
brother and protect Erika’s club, The Pink Flamingo. Or so he
thought. When a python and Gan are involved, things go sour, and
Darien sinks into a deep depression.
Erika is disheartened by the betrayal of her
parents. Her father's destruction of her club, and the humiliation of
her mother’s drunken behavior have her feeling down, but those are
the least of her worries. She has a wedding to plan, but won’t.
Having been betrayed too often, she’s scared to trust Darien.
How can Erika prove to herself and Darien that she
loves and trusts him? Simple. All she has to do is jump out of a
plane.
At - eXtasybooks
Excerpt
Sweat streamed off Darien’s brow. Some
dripped into his eyes. It stung. His heart throbbed against his ribs.
Fire inched down his throat. Every muscle in his body ached. His head
pounded from the pandemonium. The explosions. The screams. The pain
threatening to split his skull. Dropping his head back, he closed his
eyes. His chest heaved as he gulped air. He needed a moment. Get some
strength back.
The screams grew louder.
Damn.
He inhaled and released a long breath.
They wanted him. He had to continue. To
perform. Like a trained monkey.
Do people even do that anymore? Train monkeys?
He peeled his eyes open. The glare of the overhead lights blazed down
at him. He lifted his head. The screams grew louder.
“Oh. So, you want more?”
But what if I don’t have any more?
What if I just can’t continue? Twelve weeks. Four shows a week. I’m
beat.
The roar from eighty thousand Parisians
was tumultuous. Fans yelled at the top of their lungs. They pounded
their feet on the floor, raising their hands in the air, clapping.
Glow sticks, cell phones, and lighters swayed like flowers in a
breeze.
He grinned. Eighty thousand Parisians and
one fiancée. He glanced to his left. Seated on the top stage step
was Erika. She’d arrived just minutes before the show started. Just
enough time for a passionate, but quick, hello kiss. He needed more.
He needed her, and he knew it. She smiled at him. He loved that
smile. He could stare at it all day. The way her soft lips curved up.
A hint of sassiness in her expression.
Just finish the show. Grab Erika and
run. Dodge the fans. Just get out of here.
He looked out over the crowd. “But what
if I’m too tired to continue?”
“No,” the crowd wailed.
He grinned. “Well, maybe I could go on
if you told me you loved me.”
The cacophony of sounds was deafening.
“Je t’aime.
Love you.”
He lifted his hands. “Do you love me?”
“Oui.
Yes.”
He ripped his black t-shirt over his head
and threw it into the fans. “Do. You. Love. Me?” He yelled out as
he glanced at Erika.
She jumped up and down, screaming with
the crowd.
“I can’t hear you.”
The building shook with the fans’
frenzy.
“Five. Six. Five. Six. Seven. Eight.”
Fireworks exploded. Lasers shot around
the stadium. Cass, the drummer, crashed the symbols as Darien spun,
posed then inhaled a deep breath and opened his mouth to sing.
About the Author
Daryl
Devoré lives in an old farmhouse in Ontario, Canada, with her
husband, a black cat named Licorice and some house ghosts. Daryl
loves to take long walks up her quiet country road or snowshoe across
the back acres, and in the summer, kayak along the St. Lawrence
River. She's touched a moon rock, a mammoth and a meteorite. She's
been deep in the ocean in a submarine, flown high over Niagara Falls
in a helicopter and used the ladies room in a royal palace. Life's an
adventure and Daryl's having fun living it.
Where
to find Daryl Devoré
Friendships
are important. How do they start? CS Lewis knows
Friendship
is born at that moment when one person says to another: "What!
You too? I thought that no one but myself…"
Thanks for sharing Daryl,
Tina
