Not
Looking For Love: Episode 1
Lena
Bourne
Blurb: Sometimes, what you want is not really what you need.
Gail is only twenty-two years old and her mom is dying. Not just dying, she will be dead in a few days, if the doctors are to be trusted, and Gail is certain she herself won't survive that. After a run in with Scott, the hot gardener from next door, Gail begins to see him as the perfect distraction from her unbearable life. It's not love Gail wants. She just wants to feel good with someone who makes her forget, if only for a little while, and Scott fits that description perfectly.
Scott just got back into town and he's still trying to get his life back together. He already has more problems and regrets than he can ever hope to live with, and the last thing he needs is to get tangled up with a rich girl who is clearly a little unsettled, if not downright insane. But the fact that Gail is very attractive and keeps throwing herself at him makes it impossible to keep sending her away. Which he should, for Gail's sake more than his own.
Lena
Bourne
Excerpt:
Not
Looking For Love: Episode 1
Chapter
1 Excerpt:
I crawl through the
hole in the fence that separates my garden from Kate's. It's a tight
fit, now that I'm no longer five years old. Chairs and towels, empty
glasses and discarded clothes are still strewn across the lawn, but,
thankfully, no one is around. Likely, the cold dawn chased the last
of the party away. I glance up at the house to make sure no one is
watching. All the windows are dark. A light reflects in the first
floor windows, and I drop into a crouch reflexively, but it's just a
passing car.
I find my dress near
the pool where I took it off to take a dip. Right before Brandon
tossed me in. I just left it lying there when I ran home. Everyone
must think I'm completely mental now. I hope Brandon does too. Why
won't he just take a hint? Brandon is Kate's brother, and since she's
like a sister to me, he's like a brother to me. I can't be dating my
brother. Besides he's the love 'em and leave 'em type, and all he can
give me is a broken heart. Like he did with his last five
girlfriends. As if my heart could take any more breaking.
I look around,
tossing things aside, not caring where they land, hoping to find the
bracelet. It's not anywhere. The sun's not up yet, but birds are
chirping something awful all around me, and the sky is more white
than grey now. Dawn is my favorite time of day. I love watching the
colors of the sky change from inky black to grey to lilac blue and
finally yellow, the new day being born, bringing new hope. Today, I
just wish the sun would come up.
If the bracelet is
not in the grass, it might be in the pool. The thought of going back
in the water makes me shiver, but my desperation to get the bracelet
back right away is stronger.
I ease myself off the
side of the pool in roughly the spot where I went in before, feet
first, trying not to make any sound that could wake Kate's family.
It's like slow torture to do it that way, and my whole body cramps
up, but the last thing I need is to cause a panic. I could just go
back home and come back once the sun is up, but I can't. I need that
bracelet, or else I won't sleep.
The cold water grips
my body like a vice and I take shallow breaths until the worst of the
pain passes. The lights in the pool are off already, they're
connected to the porch lights, and someone thoughtfully turned them
all off after the party ended. Too thoughtfully. I could really use
those lights right now.
After a final deep
breath, I submerge my head, fighting the overwhelming urge to gasp as
the cold water goes straight to my brain, which is what it feels
like. I can almost see the steam coming off, but at least my heart is
no longer pounding. I let myself float on the surface, scanning the
floor of the pool. Lucky really, that Kate's pool is saltwater. I can
float, eliminating the need to tread water to keep myself on the
surface.
Shadows play upon the
mosaic floor of the pool, all blues, whites, yellows, and pinks. I
turn slightly to adjust my angle of view. No silver gleams against
the tiles anywhere. I only come up for air once my lungs start
burning and dip my face back in immediately. Grey is giving way to
white in the sky now, so the visibility should soon improve. I'm
enjoying the silence, the serenity of floating in the water, with my
long hair plastered down my ears, blocking out the chirping birds.
The eerie silence is
almost like diving, only without the crushing weight of the water
pressing against me. But I can't see my bracelet anywhere, and no
doubt the servants will be out cleaning up soon. I adjust my angle
again and am just about to come up for more air when something grabs
my waist and flips me over in the water.
I scream and flail,
gulp water instead of air, with visions of a shark attacking vivid in
my mind. Beating and kicking, I paddle hard to get out of the water,
my hair obscuring my vision.
Whatever grabbed me
is no longer touching me, but I kick back to the side of the pool
frantically anyway, still coughing, still seeing nothing. My knuckles
collide with the wall of the pool, but I ignore the pain, scraping my
knees as I struggle out of the water. My arms are shaking so badly I
can't lift myself up to get out of the pool
"Calm the fuck
down!" a man yells behind me. "You'll hurt yourself. It's
alright."
He places his hands
on my hips and lifts me from the water.
I'm panting now, but
at least I'm not swallowing water anymore. I brush my hair from my
eyes and stand up, though my legs are shaking so hard I'll probably
just topple back down even if I succeed.
The guy is still in
the water, eyeing me like I'm insane. "Are you alright?"
I nod as I finally
manage to stand.
He hoists himself
from the water in one fluid motion. His white t-shirt is plastered
against his chest, and his grey pants hug his legs tightly. He's all
muscle, from his biceps, to his shoulders, chest, and stomach that
ripples in a neat six-pack. And not those chiseled for-show muscles
that otherwise thin guys have. He's bulky, twice as wide as any guy I
know. Even his legs. No wonder he had no problem tossing me out of
the pool.
"Are you
alright?" he asks again, standing right in front of me now.
I quickly look up
into his face, hoping he didn't notice me checking him out before. He
can't be much older than me, I see now. His short blond hair looks
black near his scalp, but stands up in light colored spikes all over
his head. His eyes are either blue or grey—the kind of eyes that
change color according to the light. And deep. I could stare at his
eyes all day long just to see what I could see.
http://www.amazon.com/Not-Looking-For-Love-Episode-ebook/dp/B00QMYEYPA/ref=pd_sim_kstore_6?ie=UTF8&refRID=08HRAFCCZ6XXNYRTSMNT
http://www.amazon.com/Not-Looking-For-Love-Episode-ebook/dp/B00QMYEYPA/ref=pd_sim_kstore_6?ie=UTF8&refRID=08HRAFCCZ6XXNYRTSMNT
Authors
Bio:
Lena
Bourne is a young writer, but she has seen her fair share of the
world, of love and loss, and all that happens in between. Now she’s
here telling the stories you might otherwise have missed, which are
made up, of course, but could very well be real and true. Not Looking
For Love is her first serial, a steamy New Adult romance, which will
be released in five installments over the next few months.
Lena
Bourne – Edgy Romance Writer
Website:
http://www.lenabourne.com/
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/Lena_Bourne
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