"...Ms. Abriel packs a big punch into a small story...Compelling and moving. The story touched me on many emotional levels, from the horror of Gavin's transgressions to the undying love that Haley has for Devon...If you want a short, steamy read with great depth and emotional chemistry, this book is for you."--Teagan, Book Wenches
"...Dark and brooding, just like the hero, Devon Masters. He's a man haunted by a past full of heartbreak and sheer evil at the hands of his half-brother. Yet he can't ignore the love he feels for Haley...The love between them is strong, and the love scenes are perfectly suited to the overall tone of the story. There's a darkness that permeates the book and it lends itself to the story very well...I'm becoming quite a fan of Darcy Abriel's and can't wait to read her next book."--Satyr Vael, Literary Nymphs Reviews
Her slick, wet fingers surrounded his erection, and his eyelids lowered as he tried to hide the ecstasy that shot through him at her caress. He'd dreamed of her touching him for so long.
And then reality shot through him as it usually did and he stepped back. Which didn't take him very far inside the shower, although it did free him from her arousing grasp.
"No. You have to leave. Gavin is dead now and I can set you free."
"You mean have the marriage annulled? Is that how it is? Don't you mean set you free?"
"No. He can't hurt you now. You're free to do as you want with your life."
"Damn you, Devon Masters. Are you really that dense? It's you I want; it's always been you. And now that Gavin's gone, maybe you'll begin to listen to me."
Dev gripped the shower's gold handles and turned off the water. He didn't dare believe her. "You don't know me. Not really. You'll be far better off once you can put all this behind you. I've already contacted the attorney about setting things in motion."
His eyes burned as he turned his head to look at her. Then he stepped toward the door, determined to put distance between them. All this moist, naked skin was destroying any vestige of self-control. And the one noble act he'd probably ever done in his life would be for nothing.
She sidestepped and cut him off. She looked up into his eyes. He was taken aback when he saw the emerald and gold flare brightly in her gaze. The look seared him with its intensity. "Do you think I've been a nun all these years, just waiting for you?"
He stilled, not quite sure he heard her right. "What do you mean?"
She shrugged. "What do you think I mean?"
He grabbed her by the arms and shoved her against the wall as primal emotion surged. "You have a lover?" He stared at her, seeing her through different eyes. He blinked, then shook his head and tried to clear the image from his mind of her in bed with another man.
"I'm not seventeen anymore. I'm twenty-seven, and a woman. Will I always remember what Gavin did to me? Yes. But I've dealt with it. That's why you paid for the counseling. Remember? I have needs, Devon. Needs you chose to ignore."
She stared at him, her gaze never wavering. And suddenly, he saw the woman Haley had become, as though somehow she morphed right before his eyes. All these years he'd kept his image of her as the girl with whom he'd first fallen in love. In his mind, she'd never aged. Until now.
"Who? What's his name?"
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