perfectionist, he simply admires sincerity and hard work. Aries is a strong man. A man’s man. Big boys don’t cry. He is both level-headed and hot tempered, but keeps a sense of fairness and justice about him, drawing people to him like a moth to a flame.
Lauren McKinney is an entrepreneur. She is an educated woman with a passion for reading, hot beverages, beautiful places, and plenty of books. She is strong, determined, and has always gone after what she wanted with a vengeance. With some hard work, love, and support from her close family and friends and willpower, she reached her goals and quickly made new ones. The sky was the limit.
However, despite her best intentions, tragedy struck. She, like Aries, believes big girls don’t cry. Yet, inside, she is a volcano. Only thing is, she is in complete denial of her current condition. Her loving, outward nature covers pain so deep and wide, it rivals an ocean. Together, these two bring the fire and rain to one another. They forge a friendship after a tumultuous start, one that blossoms into a torrential storm and a raging blaze.
This is a tale of two headstrong souls who find one another, and become each other’s medicine.
Come along as I take you on a journey of two people who’d given up on love, but in each other, find a reason to embrace their fears, step into the unknown, and trust one another to shower each other with healing. Join me, and witness new passions ignite within…
Are you ready?
Perfect!
Grab a drink, get comfortable, and curl up with Aries and Lauren.
They can’t wait to meet you…
CHAPTER ONE
Taken to Task
“Mr. Creed, I’d like to go over some preliminary information with you, specifically, and the rest of the Creed family.”
“All right.” Aries ran his hand down the stiff material of his work shirt until he felt the reassuring rectangular bulge in his top, right pocket. He pulled out the box of cigarettes, removed one and lit it with a cheap black Bic lighter. All eyes were on him in that stodgy room decorated in shades of forest green, copper and rust. Twisted scowls and penetrating stares of animals out for his blood. Fifty percent of the blood that flowed through his veins he didn’t know anything about – hadn’t cared until now.
Smoke eddied from his cigarette as he slinked back into the grand chair with the lion claw wooden arms. Fancy shit.
“Mr. Aries Creed, let’s see here…” The distinguished looking fellow with the black and silver hair, black suit, and blue tie sat before him, flipping through a large folder. He was an attorney in the state of Georgia. He came from old money, old ideas, old lies. Behind him hung a large framed oil painting of a Civil War battle scene, and to the left of that, an American flag. “Okay, here we go. Please confirm the information with a yes or no, Mr. Creed. If something is incorrect, we will update it.” Aries nodded. “Your birthdate is April 9th.”
“Yes.”
“Your home residence is in Kennesaw. The address is 5837 Wind Haven Court.”
“Yeah, that’s it.”
The lawyer continued on, then handed him back his driver’s license.
“Okay, Mr. Creed. You are the only living child of Mr. Benjamin William Creed. Your father has stated that due to such, he—”
“Mr. Smith, with all due respect, I am rightly confused. I and this man didn’t have an affiliation. If he’d walked past me on the street, I wouldn’t have even known it. I told you when that girl called me from your office, the one at the front desk,” he waved at the closed office door, “that I don’t know Benjamin. I never laid eyes on the man a day in my life.”
“But you know he is your father, correct?”
Aries shrugged.
“Not until I was older. I knew his name eventually, Mr. Smith. I know he lived here in Atlanta his entire life. I didn’t find out until recently that he was important around town, a bigshot businessman who’d done ‘okay’ for himself.” He rolled his eyes and hooked his fingers to indicate quotation marks. “But that’s it. That’s all I have. Now, if he left me some fishing poles, a car or two, that’s fine. I’ll take his gifts of guilt and be on my way.”
The attorney slowly removed his glasses and placed them on the big wide desk he sat behind. He clasped his hands and his beady dark brown eyes zeroed in on Aries. A kink in his