Blogiversary | Meredith Into the Fire by Amanda Gale – Excerpt

EXCERPT | MEREDITH INTO THE FIRE

TITLE: Meredith Into the Fire (The Meredith Series Book Three)

PUBLISHER: Brenda & Cobena Books

PUBLICATION DATE: July 3, 2014

GENRE: Women’s Fiction, Romance

It grew late, and Meredith thanked them for a lovely evening and stood to head home. Shane walked her outside, where she bristled against the cold; it had grown quite chilly since the sun had set.

He followed her to her car and stood beside her at the driver’s side door, his hands in his pockets as he stared down at her.

Meredith said, “Thanks for inviting me to meet your sister, Shane. I had a really nice time. She’s wonderful.” She smiled warmly but wrapped her arms around herself, shivering.

“No problem.”

They passed an awkward moment in silence.

“Well,” Meredith said, looking at her car and then back at Shane, “I’d better go.”

“Okay,” he said. “Hey,” he added suddenly.

“Yes?”

“Is it still too soon to kiss you?”

Meredith felt her heart drop to the ground. Even if it had been too soon, which she finally had begun to feel it wasn’t, his simple question and sincere expression would have changed her mind. She had yet to figure him out, had felt tonight more than ever that they had a long way to go before they understood each other—but she had been more at ease with him tonight regardless, had enjoyed the glimpse into his background and had appreciated his having invited her to see it.

She looked at him, really studying his features, his thick neck and wide cheekbones, sensuously full lips—she had never noticed quite how full they were—and large eyes, his lashes so long as to make his eyes look almost feminine. They were the one soft feature about him. Everything else was almost too masculine, too angular and too powerful.

She did want to kiss him but was afraid to want to. She had promised herself she was not going to fall in love again. She wasn’t truly worried about falling in love with Shane—she sensed that, while they could get along well if they worked at it, they were operating from two very different perspectives. But she didn’t want to confuse herself. Though she didn’t think she’d ever fall in love with Shane, she did worry that she would begin to grow dependent on him, and what then? She didn’t know him well enough to know how loyal he would be, whether he would stay with her through the ups and downs of normal relationships, or whether he would leave her at the first sign of a challenge or at the first flirtatious look from another woman. Standing there, watching him waiting for her response, she knew she was thinking too hard. In her mind she imagined him telling her, It’s just a kiss, Meredith.

She had already decided he could kiss her but hadn’t had the courage to say so. Shane seemed to know this and leaned in toward her. Meredith felt the heat off his body before she felt his lips on hers and was unprepared for but delighted by how his nearness shielded her from the cold of the evening. To her surprise, his lips brushed hers lightly, and nothing more; he did not linger, but pulled away and stared at her, his eyes still serious but also touched by something like tenderness. He smiled then and rubbed her cold arms with his large, rough hands. Instantly she felt warmer, and she returned his gaze starry-eyed.

“I’ll call you,” he said, and removed his hands.

“Okay,” she responded softly, paralyzed.

He took a couple of steps backward, then waved and returned his hands to his pockets. He walked back up toward the house, entered, and closed the door, not waiting for her to drive off, not even waiting for her to step into her car.

THE MEREDITH SERIES BUY LINKS:

AMAZON | B&N

ABOUT AMANDA

A graduate of Vassar College and Boston University, Amanda Gale taught high school English before she began writing women’s fiction. She loves history, classic literature, and quiet nights at home. She lives outside Philadelphia with her family. (Photo Credit: Lisa Schaffer Photography)

AMANDA GALE GIVEAWAY

Amanda has generously provided an e-book copy of the entire series. Her giveaway is running from March 22nd-29th.

Enter here: a Rafflecopter giveaway

STORIES UNFOLDED BLOGIVERSARY GIVEAWAY

Don’t forget to enter the Stories Unfolded Blogiversary Giveaway that’s running from March 1st – March 31st.

(1) Grand Prize Winner

$25 Amazon Kindle Gift Card
(1) Signed physical copy of The End of Feeling by Cindy C Bennett
(1) Audiobook of The End of Feeling by Cindy C Bennett
(1) Signed physical copy of Family Inheritance by Terri Ann Leidich
(1) Signed physical copy of From a Grieving Mother’s Heart by Terri Ann Leidich
(1) Signed physical copy of For a Grieving Heart by Terri Ann Leidich
(1) Physical copy of Finding Zoe by Brandi Rarus and Gail Harris
(1) E-Book copy of the Off The Map Series by Lia Riley (Upside Down, Sideswiped, & Inside Out)
(1) E-Book copy of any Ginger Scott book
(1) E-Book copy of Cemetery Tours and Between Worlds by Jacqueline Smith
(1) E-Book copies of three children’s books by Alva Sachs (Circus Fever, I’m 5, & On Your Mark, Get Set,Go!)