Bio:
Angela Kay Austin has always expressed herself through words. An
infatuation with music and theater led to years playing music and extra
roles in TV shows before giving way to a degree and career in radio and
TV production. After completing a second degree in marketing, Angela
found herself combining her love for communications and marketing and
worked in advertising and promotions for many years. But, writing
called again, which led to her first published work, which hit the best
seller list for her publisher and All Romance E books.
Contact Angela
website: http://www.angelakayaustin.com
blog: www.angelakayaustin.blogspot.com
Rumer Wilson married the love of her life ten years ago, has two
beautiful children, and what she believes is a wonderful life to prove
it. But, does anybody ever control love? Her world spirals into an
unfamiliar place of uncertainty for everything she holds dear, when her
husband falls in love with a woman hiding secrets.
Sebastian Ortiz has loved many women.
Rumer is a means to an end. He doesn’t want to hurt her, but he needs
her – for revenge on the man who hurt his sister – the sister he’s
protected from harm his whole life.
Neither Rumer nor Sebastian could imagine what comes next…
RUMER
Baths were given. She read Maddie her favorite bedtime story, and turned
on Tyler’s musical dancing lights. She showered, and then put on her
pajamas.
Then she stopped. She stood in front of the mirror hanging on the back
of her closet door, and she stared at herself. Next to Gabriela, she
looked like a man. It had been six months since Tyler was born. She
hadn’t lost the baby weight, yet, and it showed in her round hips and
belly. She hadn’t done anything to her hair. She cut it and wore it in a
pony-tail most of the time. She never wore make-up, and she couldn’t
remember the last time she’d been to a spa for anything. Who had the
time? She was a full-time mom—cook, maid, chauffeur, butler, teacher,
and nurse.
Tugging at her stained blue flannel pajamas with little yellow ducks,
she wondered if any man would think they were sexy. They were a gift
Luke and Maddie had bought her for Mother’s Day, and they were comfy.
Hurriedly, she tore them off, and searched through her dresser for
something silky and more grown up. The only thing she could find was a
black full slip she would normally wear to church under one of her
dresses.
Rumer assessed herself again, and thought much better. The black slip
had thicker bra-like straps, but the silky fabric flowed softly over her
breasts and hips. It had a little split on the right side, and a little
strip of lace encircled the hem. She sprayed a little cucumber melon
body spray on her skin; turned the radio on to one of her favorite jazz
stations, and lit some vanilla scented candles. Then she focused on the
bed. Snatching at the covers, she searched through the linen closet for
the black satin sheets that she knew were there somewhere.
They’d never used them.
She waited in bed propped up by black satin covered pillows, and waited
for her husband to come home.
At 11:30 P.M., she heard the chime of the alarm system. Luke walked down
the hall to Maddie’s room, then to Tyler’s, and finally he came to
their room. She couldn’t hear his footsteps, but she knew his routine.
The same thing every night.
Rumer sprang from bed, and bounced into her husband’s arms. She wrapped
her arms around his neck, and attempted to kiss him.
He kissed her on the cheek before pushing her away. “I’m tired. I had a
long day at work and then I had to drop by the church, too. I really
want to go to sleep.”
She retreated at his rejection. Pulling at the bottom of her slip, she
tried to stretch it to cover the rest of her body, but it wouldn’t
budge. The lace at the bottom ripped. She grabbed her fluffy robe from
the walk-in closet, and stood there in the closet doorway, watching as
Luke undressed to his boxers, prayed, and then climbed into bed and
covered himself with the covers.
He buried his face in the pillows, and conceded an unintelligible, “Good
night.”
“Good night.” Rumer left the room, and padded barefoot down the carpeted
hallway to the laundry room. Instantly, the overpowering smell of
detergent and fabric softener flooded her senses. The chill of the tiled
laundry room floor cooled her feet. She reached into the wooden cabinet
behind the laundry detergent, and removed the letters Gabriela had
given her. Leaning against the dryer with the pages crushed to her
heart, she sobbed.Rumer cried until she had no more tears to shed.
She checked on her son, and then walked into her daughter’s room where
she curled up next to her on her tiny twin bed and prayed, “Give me the
strength.”
She closed her eyes, and drifted off to sleep. Maybe it was all a dream.
Brian spent fifteen
years writing and researching a biography of Gene Wilder entitled Gene Wilder: Funny and Sad, published in December 2010 by BearManor Media. Brian is
widely considered the foremost authority on Mr. Wilder and his work,
and his book has been cited in publications in the United States,
Europe, and India.
