Only the Beginning
by Daphne Dubois
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Wild Rose Press
Date of Publication: 25 April 2018
ISBN: 978-1-5092-2034-2 ASIN: 978-1-5092-2035-9
Number of pages: 264
Word Count: 63,300
Taking your best friend’s place on a blind date to let the guy down easy was the plan, taking him to bed wasn’t!
After a heartbreaking betrayal, Melissa Legacy shuns romance. So when her best friend joins the Lovers Oasis website and fears her fiancé will find out, Melissa agrees to meet the anonymous Romeo, prepared to explain her friend’s change of heart—then she sees him.
Failing restaurant entrepreneur, Craig Wheaton hasn’t been home since his mother’s tragic death. Now he’s back to confront his demons and stand beside his brother as best man. Dreading the reunion, he agrees to meet his avatar lover, but at the last moment he reconsiders the arrangement—until he lays eyes on her.
When Craig assumes Melissa is his online consort, she impulsively plays along, resulting in an afternoon of unexpected intimacy. But with Melissa using her friend’s identity and Craig dealing with a family fallout, is a future together impossible, or will they discover that love at first sight is Only the Beginning?
Amazon
Failing restaurant entrepreneur, Craig Wheaton hasn’t been home since his mother’s tragic death. Now he’s back to confront his demons and stand beside his brother as best man. Dreading the reunion, he agrees to meet his avatar lover, but at the last moment he reconsiders the arrangement—until he lays eyes on her.
When Craig assumes Melissa is his online consort, she impulsively plays along, resulting in an afternoon of unexpected intimacy. But with Melissa using her friend’s identity and Craig dealing with a family fallout, is a future together impossible, or will they discover that love at first sight is Only the Beginning?
Amazon
Melissa blinked a few times, trying to remember the dream. A sense of bliss made her smile into the pillow. She was warm and the bed covers were tucked around her like a cocoon. It must be Saturday, she thought.
There was a shift in the bed behind her, followed by a low sigh.
She froze. In a series of flashing images, it all came back.
The pub. Craig. The intense stare of his eyes. The way he’d kissed her as he unzipped the back of her skirt. He made her feel like she was the most desirable woman on the planet, that there was nothing he wouldn’t do to keep touching her.
And she’d reciprocated, opening up to him, losing all her inhibitions. She imagined this was what Lovers’ Oasis was like. The anonymity combined with the fantasy created a freedom Melissa had never experienced before, not ever.
But now reality set in. She’d woken naked, next to a man she barely knew and the earlier courage she’d felt—the reckless delirious abandonment that augmented her physical enjoyment of the afternoon encounter—had morphed into terrified embarrassment.
There was only one choice—she had to leave before he woke. Slowly, she slipped one leg out, her foot searching for the floor. Then she inched her way to the edge of the bed, carefully making sure not to jostle the mattress.
She stood, completely naked, looking down at Craig. He was on his back, one hand was on his chest gently rising and falling as he slept. The sheets pooled at his waist. His face was completely relaxed, his mouth opened slightly, lips parted.
A warmth began to stir inside her, remembering how those lips felt. He’d memorized each of her breasts with his tongue as his fingers slipped down her belly then nestled between her thighs. She’d come for him, then. So quickly…so easily.
Her purse buzzed from the floor making Melissa jump. It sounded like a marching band had exploded through the door. She crouched down and lunged for the purse, grabbing the phone and silencing it. Melissa waited, but there was no movement from the bed. A quiet breath eased through her pursed lips. She read her phone; there were multiple messages from Brooke. The last one was marked “urgent.”
--Where are you?--
There was a shift in the bed behind her, followed by a low sigh.
She froze. In a series of flashing images, it all came back.
The pub. Craig. The intense stare of his eyes. The way he’d kissed her as he unzipped the back of her skirt. He made her feel like she was the most desirable woman on the planet, that there was nothing he wouldn’t do to keep touching her.
And she’d reciprocated, opening up to him, losing all her inhibitions. She imagined this was what Lovers’ Oasis was like. The anonymity combined with the fantasy created a freedom Melissa had never experienced before, not ever.
But now reality set in. She’d woken naked, next to a man she barely knew and the earlier courage she’d felt—the reckless delirious abandonment that augmented her physical enjoyment of the afternoon encounter—had morphed into terrified embarrassment.
There was only one choice—she had to leave before he woke. Slowly, she slipped one leg out, her foot searching for the floor. Then she inched her way to the edge of the bed, carefully making sure not to jostle the mattress.
She stood, completely naked, looking down at Craig. He was on his back, one hand was on his chest gently rising and falling as he slept. The sheets pooled at his waist. His face was completely relaxed, his mouth opened slightly, lips parted.
A warmth began to stir inside her, remembering how those lips felt. He’d memorized each of her breasts with his tongue as his fingers slipped down her belly then nestled between her thighs. She’d come for him, then. So quickly…so easily.
Her purse buzzed from the floor making Melissa jump. It sounded like a marching band had exploded through the door. She crouched down and lunged for the purse, grabbing the phone and silencing it. Melissa waited, but there was no movement from the bed. A quiet breath eased through her pursed lips. She read her phone; there were multiple messages from Brooke. The last one was marked “urgent.”
--Where are you?--
Daphne Dubois writes contemporary romance and believes the right book at the right time can make all the difference. When she's not putting her characters in compromising positions (ahem), she works as a registered nurse. A member of the Writer's Federation of Nova Scotia, she lives in Eastern Canada, the most romantic place in the world.
Website: http://bethanymyers.blogspot.ca/
Twitter: @br_myers
Author Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BRMyersAuthor
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16265560.Daphne_Dubois
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.ca/brmyers/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brmyerswriter/
Website: http://bethanymyers.blogspot.ca/
Twitter: @br_myers
Author Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BRMyersAuthor
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16265560.Daphne_Dubois
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.ca/brmyers/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brmyerswriter/
By nature, most writers are introverts and enjoy the company of being alone with their characters. But every once in a while we need a little wisdom to help us along this winding path to the bookstore shelves.
I’ve been writing for ten years and have published eight novels. Over this time I’ve collected a few tidbits of advice. Some I’ve found through others and some are from my own experience. I hope one of these resonate with you.
1. Try to write every day—even if it’s only one page. All those pages add up and it helps foster the habit of getting words on paper in a timely fashion.
2. Write the book of your heart and take as long as you need.
3. Ignore trends. Write what you love, what you want to read.
4. Don’t edit while you’re writing. This is the most free your writing will be, let it flow. Even misspelled words, leave them there. It’s all about moving forward.
5. You are writing for your characters. You are the only one who knows their story.
6. Be grateful for the gift of imagination.
7. Writing is hard. Respect it as such.
8. Even though it may appear differently, there is no such thing as an easy success, no matter how famous the writer. Remember that we’re all in the same industry and we want it to be thriving.
9. Don’t forget about the weather.
10. When in doubt, add a food scene.
Thank you so much for having me on the blog today and helping share Only the Beginning with your followers!
I’ve been writing for ten years and have published eight novels. Over this time I’ve collected a few tidbits of advice. Some I’ve found through others and some are from my own experience. I hope one of these resonate with you.
1. Try to write every day—even if it’s only one page. All those pages add up and it helps foster the habit of getting words on paper in a timely fashion.
2. Write the book of your heart and take as long as you need.
3. Ignore trends. Write what you love, what you want to read.
4. Don’t edit while you’re writing. This is the most free your writing will be, let it flow. Even misspelled words, leave them there. It’s all about moving forward.
5. You are writing for your characters. You are the only one who knows their story.
6. Be grateful for the gift of imagination.
7. Writing is hard. Respect it as such.
8. Even though it may appear differently, there is no such thing as an easy success, no matter how famous the writer. Remember that we’re all in the same industry and we want it to be thriving.
9. Don’t forget about the weather.
10. When in doubt, add a food scene.
Thank you so much for having me on the blog today and helping share Only the Beginning with your followers!
