My Story, My Way ~ An Indie Adventure: Excerpt From A Heart To Heal by Synithia Williams

Blurb:

Shayla Monroe fled her hometown of Helena, South Carolina, after a shocking situation broke the heart of the only guy she’d ever loved. Years later, after losing her job in Atlanta with her name once again shrouded in scandal, she has nowhere to go but home.

Now a devastatingly handsome and well-respected man, Devin Jones became a successful doctor as a way to forget Shayla’s betrayal. When she returns as infamously as she left, he plans to put aside old feelings and treat her as any other person in town. But after looking into her soft brown eyes, the feelings he thought long dead quickly rush to the surface.

Ignoring rumors, disapproval from family and friends, and promises to avoid each other, the two become friends ... then lovers. Devin wants all or nothing, but Shayla, haunted by her past, is afraid their relationship will damage what’s left of her reputation. Can two broken hearts survive the fight against past and present demons to heal and find love?

Excerpt: Note from Synithia: This is Devin and Shayla’s first kiss:

Shayla threw down her fork and dropped her head in her hands. “Stop it, stop it, stop it,” she said. She rubbed her eyes, hoping the movement would prevent the memory of that night from coming. The drinking. The shadows. Tony’s body. Devin’s anger. She slapped her hand on the table.

“No!”

It was time to get out of the house. She jumped up and looked for her keys. It was nearing dusk. No Hangman’s Woods, thanks to her promise to Devin. Her options were limited. The one good thing about being home was that there were plenty of country roads she could drive fast on, with the windows down and the music blaring loud enough to drown out stupid old memories. On the way home she’d stop by a convenience store and pick up a bottle of wine. It wasn’t as if she had a job to go too. She could spend the night drinking away the memories.

She snatched her keys of the counter, before nearly running to the front door. When she wrenched it open she gasped. Devin stood on the other end with his hand raised to knock. She stepped back and placed a hand over her pounding heart.

Concern replaced the startled look in his eyes. “Are you okay?”

She nodded. “Yes, I was just about to leave. I need to get out of here.” She tapped her hand on her leg, her eyes looking everywhere but at him.

He looked over her shoulder. “Did someone hurt you?”

She shook her head. “No.” A caustic laugh escaped her. “Yes. Just not today.”

He stepped into the house and placed his hands on her shoulders. They were large and warm, and just like in high school, sent shivers down her spine whenever they touched her.

He kicked the door shut and leaned down to look into her face. “What’s wrong? I’m sorry about yesterday. I shouldn’t have dug into you like that. But I’m still your friend. You can talk to me.”

She lifted her gaze to his and stopped breathing. Whisky brown eyes stared back at her. The dappled sunlight through her window caught the gold in their depths and the woodsy scent of his cologne washed over her. Then it happened. The concern in his eyes switched to desire. Her nerve endings sizzled, her skin heated. His gaze lowered to her mouth and despite herself, she drew her bottom lip between her teeth.

He groaned.

She gasped.

Kia was forgotten as he slowly brought his head down. Her skin tightened when his lips pressed against hers and without a thought she sank into him.

Bio:

Synithia Williams has enjoyed romance novels since she was 13 years old, so it’s no surprise that she began writing her own. When she isn’t reading or writing, she’s working on sustainability initiatives in the Midlands of South Carolina. She lives with her husband, Eric, and two boys.