Beyond Chance
Authors: Karice Bolton
Copyright © 2014 Karice Bolton
ISBN-10:0990972666
ISBN-13:978-0-9909726-6-2
All rights reserved. No part of this book may
be reproduced in any printed or electronic form without permission
from the author.
This is a work of fiction. Names, places, and
events either are the author’s imagination or are used
fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead,
events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
To contact the author,
please visit her online at
http://www.karicebolton.com
or via
Twitter/Facebook @KariceBolton.
If you’d like to be included on her mailing
list to find out about
new releases,
click here
or
go to Karice Bolton’s
website
Or you can text KariceBooks to 313131 to
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A huge thank you to the readers of the
Beyond Love Series. You’ve made this series come alive, and I can’t
thank you enough for spreading the word about Brandy, Gabby, and
Lily. Thank you also to my amazing husband and mother. Your support
means everything.
BEYOND CONTROL
BEYOND DOUBT
BEYOND REASON
BEYOND INTENT
BEYOND CHANCE
BEYOND PROMISE – Coming Soon
BEYOND the MISTLETOE – Coming Soon
Coming Soon
HIDDEN SINS
BURIED SINS– Coming Soon
LONELY SOULS
ALTERED SOULS
RELEASED SOULS
SHATTERED SOULS
AWAKENING
LEGIONS
CATACLYSM
TAKEN NOVELLA (A Watchers Prequel)
RecruitZ
AlibiZ
UprisingZ – Coming Soon
I dipped a freshly picked strawberry into a
bowl of whipped cream and took a bite. The sweet juice and cream
exploded in my mouth, and I let out a little moan of delight. I
knew they had strawberries in Paris, but they wouldn’t be as
delicious as the ones in Washington. June strawberries in
Washington were the best. Glancing around the kitchen, I leaned
against the granite counter and dipped another strawberry. The
sound of boxes being taped up down the hallway pushed an odd mix of
emotions through me. I was excited to be going to Paris in a few
weeks, but I was already missing the friends and life I’d be
leaving behind.
Aaron was leaving in the morning to get
things settled before I flew over, and that made my plight even
worse. It had sounded like a great idea when he first mentioned it,
but being without Aaron for three weeks was going to be awful. It’s
not like we hadn’t spent time apart since we’d become a couple, but
truth be told it wasn’t this much time. And it wasn’t like I
wouldn’t survive without him, but I knew I’d miss him like crazy,
and I wasn’t a fan of self-imposed torture. Everything about him
always left me wanting more—whether it was his dashing smile or the
brooding look he’d get when his imagination wandered to us—and the
thought of being without either was excruciating. I let out a sigh
at the thought and convinced myself it was time for a shower. It
was starting to get chilly in only my camisole and boy shorts, and
I hadn’t planned on getting sidetracked by berries.
A strawberry stem fell to the floor, and I
bent over to grab it. A sharp pain shot down my leg that took my
breath away. I snatched the stem from the tile and shut my eyes as
I tried to shake off the pain. Recovery had been a long process,
and at times, it felt like I’d never completely be rid of the
pain.
I slowly rose, tossing the stem in the sink,
and let the pain work its way out. When it felt like the kinks had
mostly left my leg, I opened my eyes to see Aaron watching me from
the hall. There was something so intoxicating about his presence.
His dark eyes held an intelligent spark that cut most off at their
knees, but for me that spark enticed me to unwrap him and find out
who he was. And so far it had been a fun adventure. Aaron arched a
brow, accentuating his chiseled cheekbones and soft, pouty lips,
which provided the perfect balance between hard and soft. Dressed
in a pair of loose-fitting pajama bottoms that hung below his
waist, the man was without a shirt, which rocked my stability a
little too much.
“You okay? I heard a grimace.”
I drew in a breath and nodded. Aaron seemed
to be more in tune with my body than I was. It always amazed me how
he knew when I was hurting, when I needed him. I felt a slight
twinge at the thought of being without him even for a few weeks. To
most it might sound a little ridiculous, but this was how our
relationship worked. We were best friends, and we enjoyed one
another’s company. So shoot us.
“I didn’t realize I’d made a noise. It was
just a muscle twinge or something. No biggie.” I smiled and took a
bite of the strawberry I was still holding in my hand.
“Doubt it was nothing,” he said, taking a
few steps toward me. “Anymore strawberries in that bowl?”
He let me off the hook and for that I was
grateful. I hated focusing on my injuries and prolonged recovery. I
didn’t want that to define me.
“A few.” I picked an extra large berry out
of the bowl and dipped it into the cream. “If you want it, you
better come and get it.”
His mouth inched up in a wickedly,
deliciously grin, and his expression intensified as his eyes filled
with want.
“Is that so?” he asked.
I nodded and held the strawberry in front of
me. “You better hurry or the whipped cream will melt and fall
off.”
His gaze held mine as he slowly walked
through the kitchen and shook his head. “It’s going to be damn near
impossible to stay put in Paris while you’re over here.”
“We can always Skype and Face Time,” I
offered, feigning innocence.
He took a bite of the strawberry, and I
finished it off before tossing the stem in the sink.
“That’s not gonna cut it, babe.” He stood in
front of me, his eyes piercing as his stare captured mine. His
fingers traced along my bare shoulder and up my neck, sending
prickles along my exposed skin. I was at a loss for words as I
stared into this gorgeous man’s eyes. It was hard to believe how
close I’d come to losing him and how much he’d given up for me.
“So what do you propose we do about it?” I
asked, sliding my arms around his waist.
He tilted my chin with his hand and grinned,
bringing his lips only inches from mine.
“I have so many things planned,” he growled,
as his mouth touched mine.
His lips tasted like strawberries as his
kisses deepened and my body surrendered to his. Desire moved
lithely through my blood as if he was a drug, and I needed my next
fix. Feeling the heat of his mouth as his tongue dipped and teased
with every passing moment created a fierce amount of longing and
desperation. I didn’t want to be away from him for more than a
second, let alone three weeks.
Aaron’s hands slid down to my waist, and he
raised me up and gently placed me on the counter. Wrapping my legs
around his waist, my body shuddered as he lifted my camisole over
my head, tossing it on the floor. His lips left mine and slowly
worked down my neck, shoulders, and breasts. I let out a moan as he
cupped my breasts with his hands, slowly taking me into his
mouth.