novella

What your mind sees when you close your eyes marks the entrance to an endless universe: your imagination.

Absolutely. No more pretending!

Because that was the problem with society. It cared too much about who you fell in love with but never about why. The why matters.

Why the anchor?""Because sometimes, it's nice to feel like there's someone who can save you.

You feel pretty ,manly to me," I breathed out, all jelly-legged with half-mast eyes."And you feel like a woman worthy of a fight, Ms.Greene.

I think I like you," I muttered, pressing my face to his muscled torso in a hug. I felt his heartbeat under my ear."I think I like you back.

Yes, Mel. That's exactly why I left without explaining. Because I think about you before I think about myself. Always remember that, Little Ballerina. Always.

The pure menace radiating from my younger sister is undeniable. She can hate me, but I need her to know that she has something that Stella never did: a place to fall. "And if he hurts you or if anyone hurts you...you have me." It feels unnatural, but I hug my sister. Her arms are limp at her sides, but she doesn't push me away. "Remember, you have me," I repeat.

Chase rushed after her in pursuit. The woman lost one of her high-heeled shoes and Chase took advantage of her lack of balance to tackle her. They crashed to the ground.__hy are you running from the ball, Cinderella?_ he asked.

Chase stooped to inspect it. Angelo handed him a latex glove, which took Chase three attempts to pull on before tearing it. He had never had a good relationship with latex. He tried two more, tearing each one of those too.

Just calm down and think, sir. Think. Where is your wife?

How was she supposed to be in the same room with the man that made her want to simultaneously kiss him and kill him?

Turning on him, she placed her hands on her hips, glad he was still sitting. "You keep telling me that I need to be sure, but I'm starting to think this is all your bullshit, Ryan O'Callaghan." His eyes widened a fraction, but she continued, letting the steam that had been building inside her break free just a tiny bit. "I know what I want and I'm not going to beg you to mate with me.

I don't believe I've ever truly appreciated flowers before tonight.

Even sporting a frown, his upper lip was full with a pronounced 'Cupid's bow' that inspired the image of her nibbling his tender flesh to manifest in her mind. At the thought, her cheeks heated with a blush she knew he saw by the smirk that lifted the corner of his mouth."What are ya thinkin' about?" He winked, adding insult to injury where her pride was concerned.Taking a step back and turning on her heel, Abigail growled, "I was thinking you have the manners of a stable boy but are dressed like knight.

Barbara felt lightheaded, almost dizzy with what she was about to say. But she said it anyway. "As you wish, Your Majesty. In that case, I am afraid I must resign my position as Baba Yaga. If I am forced to choose between the work I was destined to do and the man I was destined to love, I choose the man.

She hesitated. "You know I'm older than you, right?" Richard stared down at her and forced himself not to laugh at the irony. He may be over two hundred years old, but he looked as if he were in his late twenties, thirty at the most. And Jenna was worried that her being thirty-seven would be a problem?A hint of insecurity entered her features. "I don't mean to press this, but... I dated a guy once--- very briefly---who said the same thing until his friends found out and started to razz him about it. I'm thirty-seven. Are you sure that isn't a problem?""I don't know why his friends would tease him about dating you unless they were envious. You look like you're in your twenties, Jenna. Not much older than your son, in fact. And, if you looked like you were in your forties, guess what. I would be just as interested." She smiled and closed the distance between them. "And if I looked like I were in my fifties?""Still interested.""Sixties?""I happen to think laugh lines are hot.

Coming home seemed to have started the healing process. No longer vivid and garish, the memories seemed to be covered in gossemer, fading behind a curtain of time and forgiveness.