while she sleeps. Some of her favorite wine—a strict half glass, and none for me—and then I go into the laundry room and bring out a gardenia. I put it in the center of the table before setting plates for us. I guess she’s tired from the day, because she sleeps while I serve chicken parm and asparagus for both of us, and even find and light a pair of candles.
When she wakes up, she smiles until her eyes are wet. “This was really sweet.”
I shrug.
“You’re really sweet.” She kisses my chin, pulling on my neck so I lean down. We share a slow kiss.
“For you,” I whisper.
“Mine.”
We eat in near silence, just smiling, while the small white flowers look down on us.
“You look hot in my apron.”
It says Hers, and it’s right. This is right. No matter how hard the road here was—for both of us—the destination is where we belonged.
That night, as we fall asleep under the twinkle stars, I send up a thank you for our long, sad, perfect fucking story.
Gwen and Barrett. Pig and Bear.
There are almost no dreams now: only our two warm bodies, curled together underneath the rainbow.
THE END
Afterword
Murder is the second standalone in my Sinful Secrets Series, where each story is inspired by a sin and centered around a life-altering secret.
The first sin, Sloth, will be 99 cents for the month of June, $4 cheaper than its usual list price. Here’s the blurb!
Dear A. –
I am writing to express my gratitude for your gift. There are no sufficient words, but please accept my sincerest thank you.
Yours,
R.
She writes me back.
I didn’t expect that.
She tells me she’s a lover of chicken pizza and video games, a hot sorority girl with the nickname Sloth. She wants to know something about me in return. She says I owe her.
This is how she saves my life. She doesn’t even know it. We’ve never even seen each other. But I need a reason. Just one reason to continue. She becomes mine.
The anonymity is good. She doesn’t need to know me, but I need her kindness. We both live our lives: a letter here, a post card there. For three years, I escape my demons. And then one day I’m pulled back in.
I’ve resigned myself to what I know is coming. Until the girl I’m spanking gives her safe word: Sloth.
And then the lie I’m living starts to unravel.
BUY SLOTH HERE
I’m planning to write Covet next. It wasn’t next in my lineup, but it’s pushed its way to the forefront of my mind because the characters are amazing. You can add Covet to your Goodreads bookshelf and see the beautiful cover by Mae I Design here: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25867615-covet
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I’m so excited to feature the first chapter from Flawlessly Broken, a contemporary romance standalone from the very talented new author Anna Paige. Flawlessly Broken is free if you have Kindle Unlimited. Trust me—it’s well worth your time.
FLAWLESSLY BROKEN
SPENCE
ONE
Two weeks.
What the hell was I going to do with two solid weeks?
I sat behind my sleek, cherry desk, looking over the neatly-stacked files in my outbox. My inbox stood empty on the other side. Mocking me. How was it possible that only a few months ago I had more on my proverbial plate than I could handle, and now I had nothing? Absolutely nothing.
Brant — one of my business partners and a close friend for many years — strolled in with a smile on his face, not a care in the world. He took a handful of chocolates from the bowl on my desk before plopping himself into the soft leather chair across from me. "It's just about quitting time isn't it, Spence? You ready to start your vacation?"
I tapped a pen on my blotter and glanced at the clock, not feeling nearly as chipper as my friend. "I wouldn't call it a vacation. A delay, yes. An inconvenience? Absolutely. This 'vacation' is throwing off the entire build schedule."
He let out a soft chuckle and shook his head, crunching on the last of the candy-coated chocolates before leaning forward. "Come on, man. It's not your fault