Title: Finding Destiny
Author: Christa Simpson
Release date: February 13th, 2014
Genre: Steamy Contemporary Romance
Skylar has rules. He has never strayed from those rules. And yet Destiny has him breaking every last one of them.
Destiny was looking forward to a bit of solitude in the north. She figured surrounding herself with her two besties, at an expensive spa retreat, would beat away the winter blues. That was the plan. Destiny liked plans. But plans don’t always work out the way you want them to.
Skylar never expected to find three ladies trudging through the snow. But after finding them stranded, in the middle of nowhere, during the biggest snow storm of the year, he’s forced to invite Destiny and her friends back to his cabin. Though he tried to ignore what was subtly unravelling between them, he couldn’t discount their attraction. The way Destiny could read into his thoughts and the way his jealousy raged at the thought of his brother taking her to his bed, he knew he had better stake his claim.
But when tragedy strikes, torn from her arms at lightning speed, Skylar’s left to wonder whether he would ever find his destiny.
After an embarrassing exchange of too much information, Destiny was relieved to hear that the headboard had finally stopped banging off the wall. It wasn’t very long after that when Felicia and Matty rejoined them, both with mischievous smiles on their faces.
Matty glanced at Felicia like she was a tasty treat that he had yet to sample. “Felicia and I have to go out for a few things. Can we get you guys anything?”
Natalie shuffled awkwardly to her feet, knocking the peas onto the old, untreated floorboards. “Yeah. My truck.”
Destiny watched how Natalie favored the wrong ankle. “Are you sure you should be standing on that?” It was supposed to be more of a tease, but Natalie didn’t get it.
Skylar smiled and glanced at the floor, having read Destiny’s sarcasm like it were written in his own baby book.
“I just want to get my truck and get this weekend back on track. This was supposed to be our weekend, remember? And now all this has happened.”
The truth was that Natalie was only upset because there were two men there and not a single one of them were giving her the time of day.
“Quit being such a party pooper. Matty says we can stay as long as we like.” Felicia gave Matty a naughty eye that said she would be happy to lock herself back in that bedroom with him for another round.
“Well, I’m going,” Natalie insisted, turning her attention to Matty. “Skylar said you can fix my truck. Will you?”
Matty shrugged his shoulders, as Natalie pulled on her puffy white jacket. “I can certainly have a look. Trouble is, I only have my truck here. It’ll only fit three of us.” Then he glanced at Felicia. “Unless you want to sit on my lap, doll.”
Felicia smiled, but everyone else cringed. Those two were a perfect match for each other.
Destiny stood from the sofa. “Do you really think we could all fit?”
When Skylar mirrored her stance, she turned to face him. She could tell he had something important to say. She stared at his lips, just waiting for him to stop her. But she worried that he didn’t have it in him.
***
Skylar didn’t know why his pulse was now throbbing in his throat, but there was no way he could let Destiny walk out on him already. They had only just met. When she had stood from her seat, a sudden stab of realization had washed over him. He had to think of something quick.
“You should stay.”
His offer had been charming, his voice soft, and the fact that he hadn’t heard the word no on her breath gave him hope.
“I don’t know,” she answered, after a slight hesitation. The look on her face suggested she was unsure of what he was offering. “I don’t know,” she repeated, like she was overthinking it. “Nat, you probably need a doctor. I can come with you.”
Skylar knew that was an outright lie. What was she so scared of?
Matty stole Destiny’s attention. “Sorry to break it to you, Dee, but the nearest doctor is close to an hour away.” He turned toward Natalie to inform her of the situation, saving Skylar the trouble. “If it’s a doctor you need, Skylar’s the best alternative you’ve got. You’re better off lifting that foot up and taking it easy.”
“That’s fine. I can do that at the spa we paid a small fortune to visit. It was non-refundable, by the way.” Natalie ignored Felicia’s disappointment, and glanced at Destiny as she zipped up her jacket. “If Felicia’s coming back out here, then you might as well hang out for a while.”
“Are you sure, Nat?”
“Yessss!” she stated, dramatically. “I’ll catch up with you guys later. You will be okay out here on your own, right?”
Skylar saw Destiny gulp when her eyes reached his. She would be very okay out there, if Skylar had anything to do with it. He raised his eyebrows in question. But he really wanted her to stay.
She turned back to Natalie. “I’ll be fine.”
A dragon took flight in Skylar’s chest from what her agreement insinuated. She wanted him just like he wanted her. With that knowledge, he grew more brave and moved closer to her.
He draped his arm over Destiny’s shoulder. “I’ll take good care of her.”
When Destiny leaned back to peer up at him, he caught his first glimpse of her angelic smile up close. Oh, God. Those lips. His gaze snared hers and he could see her innocence melting away. He wet his lips with a lick of his tongue, overcome with a desire to take her mouth against his. Her soft smile never left those perfect pink lips, telling him exactly what he needed to know. She liked what she saw.
“Let’s leave those two love birds alone,” Matty teased. “Come on, ladies. Your chariot awaits.”
They all shuffled outside, leaving Destiny and Skylar very alone, his arm still carefully strung across her back.
Cutting the silence, and escaping the closeness that left him aching to touch her, Skylar retrieved his arm and headed for the kitchen. “Can I get you something to drink? Sorry I didn’t think to ask you sooner. I must have left my manners back at home. They don’t come in real handy around those guys.”
He watched Destiny swallow again. “I can imagine.”
Skylar pulled a couple of beers from the fridge and returned to the living room. “I don’t suppose you drink beer.” He twisted the top off the bottle and handed it to her.
“Not really, but I could use one right about now.”
He chuckled as he twisted the cap off his own bottle and snapped the lid across the room. “Sorry. Old habits die hard.” He drew a long, slow gulp from the bottle, and he caught her watching his mouth.
“It’s fine. This is your place. You can do whatever you want in it.”
That suggestion gave him unwholesome thoughts. He planned on finding out whether she would make good on that promise.
About the Author:
Hi all. I'm a Canadian Indie Author and mother of two. I love reading, writing, music, movies and dancing. I like my men muscled, my music loud and my kids happy. :)
I live in a small town near Windsor, Ontario, with my husband and two little girls.
I wrote The Twisted Trilogy to entertain you. It's a sexy, sassy new adult romance with a paranormal twist. Even sexier yet is my novella, Finding Destiny. You should have a look. ;)
