Unforgettable You
Me, You, and Us Series: Book 2
by
Deanndra Hall
Unforgettable You
Me, You, and Us Series: Book 2
Celtic Muse Publishing, LLC
P.O. Box 3722
Paducah, KY 42002-3722
Copyright © 2015 Deanndra Hall
Kindle Edition
All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the author.
This book is a work of fiction.
Names of characters, places, and events are the construction of the author, except those locations that are well-known and of general knowledge, and all are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to persons living or dead is coincidental, and great care was taken to design places, locations, or businesses that fit into the regional landscape without actual identification; as such, resemblance to actual places, locations, or businesses is coincidental. Any mention of a branded item, artistic work, or well-known business establishment, is used for authenticity in the work of fiction and was chosen by the author because of personal preference, its high quality, or the authenticity it lends to the work of fiction; the author has received no remuneration, either monetary or in-kind, for use of said product names, artistic work, or business establishments, and mention is not intended as advertising, nor does it constitute an endorsement. The author is solely responsible for content.
Formatting by BB eBooks
Cover design by Novel Graphic Designs, used by permission of the artist
Disclaimer:
Material in this work of fiction is of a graphic sexual nature and is not intended for audiences under 18 years of age.
Dedication
To Heidi Ryan:
Sometimes when things get tough, I hear your voice:
“Don’t you fucking quit, you hear me?”
Yes, I hear you. And I won’t.
So thanks for that, and for all your support.
I’m proud to call you friend.
A word from the author . . .
This book’s predecessor, Adventurous Me, was a surprise.
This book was not. And I have a lot of people to thank for that. I’ll get to that in a minute.
After Adventurous Me came out, I decided that the characters were far too multi-dimensional and interesting to just walk away from them. Steffen, in particular, was someone I wanted to know more about. I have to admit: Every time I picture him, I see Alex Skarsgard. Sorry. That did make it impossible to leave him alone.
And so, here it is, Steffen’s book. The impression you got from him in Adventurous Me may not be accurate. Sure, he seems like an ego-driven stud, but that’s not who he is at all. Read on. You’ll love him like I do, and along with heart-rending and sweet, it’s just incredibly funny.
So here you go. Yes, there’s sex. Yes, they spend time at Bliss. Yes, it’s gritty and raw and nasty. And funny. And sexy. And tender. And family-oriented. But don’t give it to your twelve-year-old – BIG mistake. Still, enjoy it. And we’re not finished yet. You’ll get to see into Dave’s soul in the last book in this trilogy, and I promise you, it’ll turn you inside-out just like these two have.
Thanks to Drue, Heidi, and the Construction Crew for their tireless efforts to get my name out there. And thanks to Sir, who said, “Of all your books, I love Adventurous Me the best.” I heard you, baby.
Love and happy reading,
Deanndra
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More Titles from this Author
Love Under Construction Series
The Groundbreaking (Prequel)
The Groundbreaking is a preview of the main characters contained in all of the Love Under Construction Series books. Not intended as a work of erotic fiction, it is simply a way for the reader to get to know and love each character by discovering their backgrounds.
Laying a Foundation (Book 1) COMBO VOLUME includes The Groundbreaking (Prequel)
Sometimes death robs us of the life we thought we’d have; sometimes a relationship that just won’t die can be almost as bad. And sometimes the universe aligns to take care of everything. When you’ve spent years alone, regardless the circumstances, getting back out there can be hard. But when you’ve finally opened up to love and it looks like you might lose it all, can love be enough to see you through?
Tearing Down Walls (Book 2)
Secrets – they can do more damage than the truth. Secrets have kept two people from realizing their full potential, but even worse, have kept them from forming lasting relationships and finding the love and acceptance they both desperately need. Can they finally let go of those secrets in time to find love – and maybe even to stay alive?
Renovating a Heart (Book 3)
Can a person’s past really be so bad that they can never recover from it? Sometimes it seems that way. One man hides the truth of a horrific loss in his teen years; one woman hides the truth of a broken, scarred life that took a wrong turn in her teens. Can they be honest with each other, or even with themselves, about their feelings? And will they be able to go that distance before one of them is lost forever?
Planning an Addition (Book 4)
When you think you’re set for life and that life gets yanked out from under you, starting over is hard. One woman who’s starting over finds herself in love with two men who’ve started over too, and she’s forced to choose. Or is she? And when one of them is threatened by their past, everyone has choices to make. Can they make the right ones in time to save a life?
The Harper’s Cove Series
Beginning with the flagship volume, Karen and Brett at 326 Harper’s Cove, find out exactly what the neighbors of Harper’s Cove are up to when they go inside and close their doors. According the Gloria, the drunken busy-body of the cove, they’re all up to something perverse, and she’s determined to find out their secrets. As she sneaks, peeks, pokes, and prods, her long-suffering husband, Russell, begs her to leave all of their nice neighbors alone. But could Gloria be right?
The Harper’s Cove series books are fast, fun, nasty little reads priced just right to provide a quick, naughty romp. See if each of the couples of Harper’s Cove shock you just enough to find out what the neighbors at the next address will do!
Karen and Brett at 326 Harper’s Cove (Book 1)
Gloria wants more than anything to be invited to one of Karen and Brett Reynolds’ parties, and she’s very vocal about it. Karen and Brett, however, know full well that if Gloria were ever invited to one of their parties, she would be in a hurry to leave, and in an even bigger hurry to let everyone know they’re the scourge of the neighborhood. Every Saturday night, Karen and Brett keep their secrets – all twelve of them.
Becca and Greg at 314 Harper’s Cove (Book 2)
Even though they’re quiet and stay to themselves, Becca and Greg Henderson seem pretty nice and average. They don’t go out much or have many people over, except for that one couple who are probably relatives. But when that half-sister of Becca’s moves in, it all seems a little fishy; she gets around pretty well for a person recovering from
cancer. And where was Becca going all decked out in that weird outfit? The Henderson are tight-lipped, but Gloria hopes she can eventually get to the bottom of things. If she does, she’ll get the biggest surprise of her life.
Donna and Connor at 228 Harper’s Cove (Book 3)
Those nice people at 228, the Millicans? They’re religious counselors, trying to help lovely couples who are having marital problems. Problem is, they’re not counseling; training, maybe, but not counseling. But no matter what Donna says, Gloria still thinks the truck that delivered large crates to the Millicans’ house in the wee hours of the morning two weeks after they’d moved in was pretty suspicious. Donna says it was exercise equipment that the moving company had lost, but Gloria’s not so sure. Could it be that they’re not as they appear?
Savannah and Martin at 219 Harper’s Cove (Book 4)
Savannah and Martin McIntosh are new to the neighborhood, but that doesn’t stop Gloria from trying her best to find out what they do on the second and fourth Friday nights of the month. Savannah insists they play cards, but Gloria’s pretty sure it’s more than that, considering the men she sees leaving the house in the wee hours of Saturday morning. But when she decides to get a little “up close and personal,” she may get more than she bargained for.
And we’re just getting started!
The Me, You, and Us Series
Adventurous Me (Book 1)
Boring, tiresome, predictable . . . all words Trish Stinson’s soon-to-be ex-husband uses as excuses for why he’s leaving after almost 30 years of marriage. But Trish’s efforts to find adventure and prove him wrong land her in the lap of a man who leads her to an adventure she could’ve never predicted. And when that adventure throws her into a situation with a man who can’t stand her, she’s forced to decide between honor and her life.
Unforgettable You (Book 2)
Reeling from a relationship that didn’t happen, Steffen Cothran stumbles upon a woman who may be the answer to his prayers, but Sheila Brewster has problems he couldn’t have anticipated. They work hard to forge a relationship, only to have it destroyed by someone from Steffen’s past – the one person he’d forgotten about. As Sheila, hurt and angry, walks out of his life, Steffen eventually gives up on love until that fateful night when curiosity takes him somewhere he never thought he’d be to see something he never dreamed he’d see.
Incredible Us (Book 3 – Coming Fall 2015)
Dave Adams has just what he wants: Bliss, a well-respected BDSM club, all the subs a man could want, and a growing family who loves him. He expects his retirement years to be the best of his life – until he opens the club’s back door and finds something, or someone, he could never have expected to find. He doesn’t want to love Olivia Warren, over three decades his junior, but Dave is a natural protector, and he’s never met anyone who needs protecting more than Olivia. Problem is, when her danger is over, he finds out that the relationship meant more than he ever dreamed.
The Celtic Fan (independent novel)
Journalist Steve Riley sets out to do the seemingly impossible: Find Nick Roberts, author of the bestselling book The Celtic Fan. When his traveling buddies lose interest, Steve continues on to a stolen address and finds someone who couldn’t possibly be Roberts. As time goes by, Steve has to decide if he wants to break the story of a lifetime and break someone’s heart, or give in to the feelings that promise him the love of a lifetime. Set in the beautiful Smoky Mountains of North Carolina, The Celtic Fan is both Steve’s journey and excerpts from the original book written by Roberts about a young, wounded, WWII veteran and the forbidden love he finds.
Support your Indie authors!
Independent (Indie) authors are not a new phenomenon, but they are a hard-working one. As Indie authors, we write our books, have trouble finding anyone to beta read them for us, seldom have money to hire an editor, struggle with our cover art, find it nearly impossible to get a reviewer to even glance at our books, and do all of our own publicity, promotion, and marketing. This is not something that we do until we find someone to offer us a contract – this is a conscious decision we’ve made to do for ourselves that which we’d have to do regardless (especially promotion, which publishers rarely do anyway). We do it so big publishing doesn’t take our money and give us nothing in return. We do it because we do not want to give up rights to something on which we’ve worked so hard. And we do it because we want to offer you a convenient, quality product for an excellent price.
Indie authors try to bring their readers something fresh, fun, and different. Please help your Indie authors:
- Buy our books! That makes it possible for us to continue to produce them;
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Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Disclaimer
Dedication
A Word from the Author
More Titles from this Author
Support Your Indie Authors
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
About the Author
Sneak Peek: Incredible Us
Connect with Deanndra on Substance B
Chapter One
“Hey, can we have lunch? I’d really like to talk to you, you know, clear the air and all that.”
I want to sigh very loudly. It’s bad enough that I put myself out there and got knocked down. Now the victor wants to rub it in? Not nice – not nice at all. It’s been five weeks since the collaring ceremony following the pairing event, and I’m nowhere near past all of this.
For reasons I don’t understand, I say, “Sure. Where do you want to go and when?” I want to scream, No! I don’t want to sit at a table with you! But I’m not going to do that. I’m better than that.
Two hours later, he rises from the table as I walk up to it in the café down the street from the bank. “Steffen! It’s good to see you!” His hand reaches out, and I take it and shake it.
“Clint. So what’s this all about?”
“Let’s order so we have a little bit of uninterrupted time, okay?” He motions for the server to come to the table, and we order quickly so she’ll leave. “So, I just wanted to touch base with you. It’s been five weeks and . . .”
“I know exactly how long it’s been, thanks. What is it that you want, Clint?”
He gives me a sad look. “I want to know we’re okay, that we’re still friends. None of this was meant to hurt you, Steffen, you know that.”
I sigh deeply. I know that in theory, but it still hurts. I’d been so sure when he and Trish had their problems that I’d be next in line. I wanted her; I’d had her when she first started coming to the club, and I was pretty sure we could have a good relationship if I just had some time with her. But that wouldn’t be happening. Once again, good old Steffen gets passed over
.
So I decide that it’s not worth losing a long-term friendship over, and Clint and I have known each other for a long time. “I know. I realize that. I just don’t know what to say. I don’t want to feel this way, but I do. Remember, I was there with her when she was pretty sure you despised her. I just wanted a chance to see if we could have a relationship, you know? But she was gone. You snagged her.”
Clint shakes his head and stares at the table. “I thought I’d lost her. You have no idea how that felt. I didn’t think I could be more hurt than I was when Christi did what she did, but I was wrong. I don’t know what the hell I was thinking, acting the way I did, but that will never, never happen again, never. She didn’t deserve that and I’m so sorry about all of it. But I think we’re going to be okay. Every day is a little better than the one before, and I’m really, really hopeful that it’s all going to be fine.” He finally looks up at me. “I’m sorry it all happened the way it did, Steffen. I hope we can still be friends.”
I’ve never seen Clint Winstead look as sheepish as he does right now, and I feel bad that he feels so bad. He’s had a rough time of it, and I’m glad he has someone like Trish now. His life has sucked so badly for so long. It’s his time.
But what about my time? Will it ever come?
Thursday night is usually a slow night at the club. It’s a crisp, early fall night when I stroll into the club and head to the locker room to find Gary, Austin, and a guy I haven’t met talking about the ballgame the night before. It’s weird, walking into a room and finding a bunch of bare-chested guys in leathers talking about football.