Trouble (48 page)

He held his breath.

She stared in his direction for several seconds, then shook her head as if to clear her thoughts.

He relaxed. Of course, she couldn't have seen him. He was several rows back, much too far away.

She got in her car and drove away, and that was when the searing pain came. It mushroomed out from his gut, swallowing him whole. He'd known there'd be a reckoning; the price for the pleasure of seeing her was the agony of loss he felt now. He didn't know when—or if—he'd ever see or talk to her again. He'd have to wonder how she did on her finals.

But for now he knew she was okay, and that made it a fair trade.

Seeing her from a distance was enough.

It had to be enough.

A recovering lawyer, Ann Christopher was first published in 2006 and is the author of 18 contemporary romance novels, 5 novellas and a tragically bad starter novel that will forever remain under her bed, where it belongs. She's also written a young adult horror novel,
Monstrum
. Now available, it's the first in her
Bella Monstrum
trilogy.

When she's not writing Ann likes to do the following, in no particular order: read; cook; eat; hang out at Target looking for new stuff she doesn't need; crochet; quilt; play with her 2 rescue dogs and 2 rescue cats; and travel the world with her family. Her favorite cities are Washington, D.C., Venice and Paris, in case you were wondering. She lives in Ohio with her husband and over-scheduled teenagers.

If you'd like to recommend a great book, share a recipe for homemade cake of any kind, or have a tip for getting your teens to do what you say the first time you say it, Ann would love to hear from you via her Facebook page,
AnnChristopherAuthor
or through her Web site,
www.AnnChristopher.com
.