Baked
by
Colleen Charles
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GENRE:
Contemporary Romance
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
The
first time I saw Gabe in my sensual cupcake bakery, I had no idea who
he was. All I knew was chiseled perfection like him could never
really want a girl like me. That didn't stop me from craving and
lusting after everything I could never have. Success.
Gabe.
And
I was trapped in a twisted frenemy relationship with my douche bag ex
fiancee. I never would have dreamed who Gabe really was, what he
wanted and why he wanted it.
Gabe
My
f*cked up family taught me a lot. Take rather than give. Anything.
Everything.
Ally
made me feel clean. Whole. I'd do anything to have her and even more
to keep her. In spite of my past but more importantly ... because of
it.
I
took her tenuous control and worshiped her killer curves. I never
suspected she'd steal my heart.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Excerpt:
Blackness
and strange noises rang through the gloom. What was this? I floated
through it, as though I didn’t have a body, couldn’t feel any
sensations. I was pretty sure I’d died, but heaven was black and
smoky. Or had I gone to hell?
Then,
there were voices, strange tones which skipped and repeated.
“Miss?”
A gravelly voice, deep and comforting pierced the despotic darkness.
“Can you hear me?”
Strong
arms enveloped me, lifting me from the floor. I cracked an eyelid and
slammed it shut again immediately. The smoke remained thick and the
burning was so bad I couldn’t see through the moisture pooling in
my eyes, the flood of tears protecting them. The crackle of fire
returned in a rush and my body turned rigid in response.
“It’s
okay. I’ve got you,” he murmured, and folded me closer to his
hard chest. Safe. I felt safe in his arms. He took measured steps.
“Is there anyone else in here? Anyone who needs help.”
I shook
my head as a bout of coughing took over any ability to speak. Shouts
rang out, men rushed by, disturbing the smoke, creating a whirlwind
of warm air which brushed the sweaty strands of hair clinging to my
forehead. It felt like a film of smoke and perspiration had encased
my entire body.
“Codsworth,”
I choked.
“What?”
he asked. He had to be a fireman. Fresh air now. Or, was it him? He
had the most amazing smell. I couldn’t open my eyes, could hardly
breathe, but the scent of some woodsy cologne — Gucci? —
permeated my nostrils through the haze of soot that lingered there.
“Codsworth,”
I repeated. “My cat. He’s upstairs.” I clutched his arm with
all my remaining strength. “Please …”
“Don’t
worry,” he replied. “I’ll get him for you.” He quickened his
pace and I clung to him with arms like noodles, resting my head
against the fire retardant suit. He was as hard as a rock and for
some reason, I felt like everything would be okay as he took charge.
The air
grew clearer; there was a rush of wind and sound. Sirens blared,
people chattered.
“Oh my
God, can you believe it,” a woman said nearby.
“It
doesn’t look too bad.” That was a man’s voice. Spectators
probably, but my eyes were too scratchy to open yet and I didn’t
even want to try.
“Here,
take her,” the firefighter carrying me said, his deep voice raspier
with the smoke. Then he placed me on a bed, a stretcher. Fingers
brushed my ear, and the heat of his breath penetrated. “I’ll come
back after I’ve found Codsworth. You’re safe now,” he promised,
all calm confidence.
My skin
erupted in tingles as gooseflesh spread across my skin. I forced my
eyes open, staring through the blur of tears, but he was already
gone.
“Who—?”
“You’re
fine now, just relax.” A woman in a paramedic outfit appeared
beside me and placed an oxygen mask on my face.
I
frowned at her, my eyes had cleared pretty fast, though my chest
still felt croaky. My limbs were floppy too. None of it mattered
compared to losing the bakery. Or Codsworth.
I tried
to pull the mask off, but she stopped me.
“No,
you rest now. There’ll be enough time for talking later.” The
medic lifted a flashlight and checked one eye then the other. “Looks
okay there.”
I let
her carry on with her protocol, but I felt stronger by the minute.
I’d inhaled a bit of smoke. I’d not been burned to a crisp. The
blessed oxygen flooded my lungs, clearing my mind and body. But
still, I was exhausted. To the bone.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR
Bio and Links:
Colleen
Charles is the pen name of Tami Stark, #1 Bestselling Author on
Amazon.
Colleen
Charles held a leadership position for a fortune 500 company for 26
years while writing suspenseful romance by night. Thrilled that she's
now able to write full time, she can't wait to spend more time
connecting with her readers. She’s also a certified life coach and
a Reiki Master. She loves reading and writing stories that entertain
and sweep women away from their everyday life. Colleen has shown and
bred Arabian horses for over 30 years and lives in the Midwest with
her human and furry families. In her spare time, she enjoys
volunteering for underprivileged girls and homeless pets.
Baked
is FREE on Kindle or Nook during the tour.
FOUR
FREE BOOKS
ColleenCharles.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GIVEAWAY
INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE
Colleen
will be awarding a $25 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner
via rafflecopter during the tour, and the author will be awarding all
hosts free copies of her starter library which includes a full length
novel, two novellas and an exclusive audio book.
1 comment:
I'm really excited to connect with readers today. Thanks for hosting Baked!
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