A Second Chance With Emily Read online

  A Second Chance with Emily

  A Sample Story From

  The Little Romance Book of Christmas Love Stories

  A Collection of Festive Short Romantic Stories for The Holiday Season

  by

  Alyssa Lindsey

  Copyright 2012

  For free romance stories and prize contests

  go to

  www.littleromancebooks.com

  Copyright

  Copyright © 2012 Alyssa Lindsey & 3D4T - All rights reserved.

  This Kindle book contains material protected under International and Federal Copyright laws and Treaties. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited.

  Unauthorized duplication or distribution of this material in any form is strictly prohibited. Violators will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

  No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission from the author/publisher.

  The author, publisher, and distributor of this product assume no responsibility for the use or misuse of this product, or for any physical or mental injury, damage and/or financial loss sustained to persons or property as a result of using this system. The liability, negligence, use, misuse or abuse of the operation of any methods, strategies, instructions or ideas contained in the material herein is the sole responsibility of the reader.

  Contents

  Introduction

  A Second Chance with Emily

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  The Little Romance Book of Christmas Love Stories

  Introduction

  Welcome to this sample story from my first collection, ‘The Little Romance Book of Christmas Love Stories’.

  I hope you enjoy it, and would love to know what you think.

  Please take a couple of minutes to leave a review at Amazon.com.

  Many thanks, and have a great Christmas!

  Best wishes,

  Alyssa

  x

  A Second Chance with Emily

  Chapter 1

  A light snow began to fall outside. Emily watched the tiny, fluffy flakes through the window and decided it was a good sign, like a blessing from heaven for her Christmas Eve wedding. It relieved her doubts…before she had been remembering her high school sweetheart, Adam, who she always thought of as the big love of her life. He left, though, and she moved on, and now she was getting married to Lloyd.

  She’d gotten ready with her maid of honor, Alison, and her bridesmaids, and now they were out in the hallway, ready to walk down the aisle. A knock came at the door - meaning it was time! - and her father’s head poked in.

  “It’s snowing!” she started but stopped at seeing his blanched face. “What’s wrong?” Like any bride, she was a little nervous over the wedding, but so far everything was going exactly as planned. Of course, Emily was a professional wedding planner, so she had things under control, and this wedding would be the talk of the town for years to come!

  “We’re pushing things back just a tiny bit,” he said as he tried to smile. He came in and shut the door behind him.

  “Oh…why?”

  The fake smile grew wider and faker. “Not everyone’s ready, Sweetie, but don’t worry. I’ll just wait here with you. Mike will let us know when it’s time.”

  She giggled, sounding nervous and silly to herself. “If I can be ready on time in this big dress and hair, you think everyone else could manage.”

  His laughed too. His sounded tight. “Tell me about it.” He heaved a sigh. “So, you’re not my little girl anymore.”

  Tears stung her eyes but she carefully wiped them and reminded herself, this was her special day. Her dad hugged her, also being careful of the dress, the makeup and the hair do. She thought they’d gone a bit overboard but her mom, mother-in-law, sisters and her soon-to-be sisters-in-law all thought she looked terrific. And what did she care as long as they got to say ‘I do’ and head off to the Guanacaste region in Western Costa Rica? Thinking of their tropical honeymoon eased her anxiety a bit. Actually, she had things under control until this little bump in the road. She wondered where the wedding party had gone since the hallway was quiet.

  “I wish there was a clock in here,” she said. Her dad nodded. He probably had a watch on but he seemed like he didn’t want to tell her the time. So he launched into relating family memories.

  Three stories later there were shuffled steps outside. “He’s an hour late already!”

  Her dad broke off mid sentence. She threw the door open to see the backs of several tuxes running the other way. “Dad? What’s going on? Maybe you should go check on things.”

  He nodded, his face going white again. Now her heart was thumping hard enough to hurt. What if Lloyd got in a wreck? It had to be something horrible to make him late for this day.

  Alison came down the hallway, looking lovely in her rose gown, but also looking very hesitant. As she neared, Emily saw tears running down her face.

  The world went black.

  Suddenly she was gasping for breath, looking up at the ceiling. Alison was crying hysterically now and both her parents were leaning over her. “Why did you tell her?” Mom asked someone else while fanning her.

  “I didn’t!” Alison squeaked.

  Mom’s fan stopped.

  “Is he okay?” Emily managed. She tried to lift her head to look around but she was still dizzy. Her mom leaned back, out of her field of vision. The painful heartbeat came back. “Dad? You’d better tell me what happened.”

  “We can’t find Lloyd,” he said in the quietest voice ever.

  “He’s with Brooke!” Alison wailed.

  Brooke? Her bridesmaid Brooke?

  Chapter 2

  Merry Christmas to me! Emily watched the snow fall outside the airplane, but this time she thought of it burying her, hiding her for the rest of her life. She wished. It was Christmas Day and she was flying off on her honeymoon alone, unmarried. Everyone invited her to stay with them but she couldn’t stand for one more person to look at her with pity. She did not truly understand humiliation until last night.

  The long flight was emotionally and physically exhausting, and it took two hours to move through customs in Costa Rica. She was so thankful to see her driver outside, waiting with a sign. She closed her eyes on the journey to the small and exclusive resort on the west side of Costa Rica. She already knew her room was on the second floor with a private balcony that overlooked the bay, but she no longer cared. She barely noticed the hotel’s owner as he personally greeted her. Sylvester ? Was that his name? The only thing she clearly noticed was his confusion as he looked around. “Your husband is outside still?” Once in her room, she stripped off her wrinkled travel clothes and climbed into the bed, her head spinning from being awake for almost twenty four hours now.

  It’s not every day you find a beautiful woman fast asleep in your bed. Adam stood frozen halfway across the room, his keys in his hand, ready to throw on the desk. Could Sylvester Cruz have something to do with it? His best friend had a wild sense of humor.

  He pulled his phone from his pocket to call Sylvester when the woman rolled onto her side and moaned. The sound was soft, feminine and sent a shiver through him. But he quickly became worried when she reached up to her head. She stiffened, opened her eyes and screamed.

  She slid right off the bed and hid on the other side.

  Adam still didn’t move. He knew her. Emily! Emily Greer from high school. His heart jumped but fell as qui
ckly. She was the girl he’d fallen for as a teenager and the one he left behind when he went off to make his fortune.

  “Emily?” he asked quietly. Maybe she had somehow tracked him down. “Is that really you?”

  Her head came up just enough to show her eyes. “Who are… Adam?”

  He grinned. “Yes.”

  “Well, get out of my room!”

  Whoa. She was still angry after a decade. “Emily, sweetheart, this is my room.”

  Now her entire face came up. “No, it isn’t. I reserved this room and checked in with the owner himself.” Her sweet face, framed by that dark chestnut hair, smirked in triumph. True to memory, her lips were plump, pouty and sensuous.

  “Tell you what,” he said, sighing with a strange, deep down frustration, “I’ll go talk to Sylvester and see what on earth is going on.”

  He left, locking the door behind him, and headed downstairs with her face in his mind. She’d grown even more beautiful, if possible. And of course she still had no idea how sweet and tempting she looked.

  Chapter 3

  Emily stood and stared at the door. She was shaking and feeling faint again. That made her growl and reach for her suitcase. After throwing it on the bed, she yanked the zippers until she got it open. She pulled clean clothes on as quickly as possible, wondering if he would dare to waltz back in here.

  She should leave. Just pack up and go home, and take her parents’ offer to stay with them a while. But the long flight…she still felt a bit sick from the turbulence.

  She was so tired of men pushing her around and taking advantage of her feelings. Lloyd was probably off somewhere fun, laughing at her and living it up with her former friend. How could she be so stupid? This is definitely the worst Christmas ever. She sighed and it somehow turned into a sob.

  No. She would stay. She was entitled to a little fun of her own, wasn’t she? It was light outside so she brushed her teeth and hair and headed out in the shorts and tank top she’d thrown on. The beach was right below, with bright sunshine and white sand.

  Adam found Sylvester with a beer in his hand and a wicked grin on his face.

  “You did this!” Adam pointed. “But why?”

  “Well,” Sylvester wiggled his shoulders and hips in his sly aren’t-I-grand dance. “The idea came to me when I discovered that both you and Emily had booked his resort for Christmas. And then Emily showed up for her honeymoon alone…”

  “What? She got married?”

  “Did you catch the alone part?”

  Adam stopped and looked away. He felt like the biggest ass ever. Emily had been completely in love with him back in high school, and it’d scared him enough to take off. Now she’d been jilted.

  “The rest was easy, my friend.”

  “What the hell? How can you call this easy?”

  Sylvester took a step back. “The feelings are still there, huh? This is your chance, man. It’s fate.”

  “I don’t believe in that crap,” Adam said shortly, while thinking about ways to help Emily feel better.

  “Then it’s your chance to get her out of your system. Listen, how many times have you told me about her?” His friend nodded encouragingly.

  Adam gave in and sank onto a bar stool. It was true. He hadn’t been able to get Emily out of his mind. He compared every woman he met to the girl he left behind, except she was no longer a girl but a very beautiful woman. He didn’t think she could forgive him for leaving her the way he did…but maybe... “You’re right. I have to try, right?”

  Chapter 4

  She looked up from her smoked chicken salad to see Adam approaching her table with a tentative smile.

  “Hey, there,” he said and gestured toward the empty chair across from her. “Would you mind if I joined you?”

  She sat up straighter. “Yes, I would. We parted ways a long time ago and it’s best to keep things that way.”

  “Em…,” he started.

  “Don’t call me that!”

  “Emily, you’re here alone…and so am I. Maybe we could spend a little time together?” He smiled and saw the way she reacted, glancing at his lips. “You could take a few pictures for Facebook…so what’s his name would see.”

  That got her. She gave a small, sad smile. He knew her pride had to be flattened right now and he’d do anything he could to help pull her back to her feet. Actually, he’d love to knock the jackass that hurt her off his feet, and then put a foot on his neck.

  “Okay,” she said, softening. “You can join me for dinner.” As he sat down, she added, “Did you figure out a room?”

  “Oh…” He picked up the menu and intently read the special.

  “Adam?”

  He set the menu down. “There aren’t any other rooms. Christmas is their busiest holiday, and Sylvester double booked that room on accident.”

  Her hand went to her neck as she looked away. “There’s other hotels.”

  “All booked. I could sleep on the sofa.”

  She slumped back in her chair. “Why are you here alone?”

  He waved at a waitress, a quiet young woman with a shy smile, and ordered “his usual.” She almost laughed because he’d been so intent on the menu before. “I needed to get away,” he finally answered, which didn’t really answer anything.

  Away and alone for the holidays? Emily left it at that since she didn’t want to talk about her personal life either. Her main course arrived and she started to pick at it.

  “Don’t worry about me,” he said with an easy smile. “Eat up.”

  She rolled her eyes at him and almost missed him reaching across with his fork to steal a giant shrimp right off her plate. Almost missed – she caught him in time to slap the back of his hand.

  They were laughing and suddenly it felt like ten years ago. She caught her breath as memories swamped her mind. He would always kissed her check when he picked her up for a date. Later, he always wanted to nibble on her neck. All through dinner, her mind played games, playing back old memories and trying to line them up with the fully grown, dazzling man before her. She’d always loved his blond hair and brown eyes; she thought the unusual mix added to his good looks and charm.

  “Emily?”

  “Hm?”

  “How about a walk on the beach? The sun is setting.”

  She knew better, she did, but she actually wanted to go. “I guess I can’t come to Costa Rica and not walk on the beach.”

  The air was a perfect seventy five or so degrees with a light breeze off the ocean. The red sun was sinking westward over the purplish waters. Clouds in ten shades of pink skimmed the sky and water’s edge. It took her breath away. She turned to Adam, smiling, enjoying the feeling of sharing this, and found him watching her, years of regret and questions in his eyes.

  “I’m sorry about before.”

  She looked down and shrugged. “That was a long time ago.”

  “Just yesterday, don’t you think? At least it feels like it.” He took her hand and pulled it to his mouth to press a warm kiss into her palm. She hadn’t expected his gentleness. They’d stopped walking and he turned into her, taking her face with his other hand.

  I’m engaged. But she wasn’t. She was single. That hadn’t even occurred to her until just then. She could see the sunset reflected into his warm brown eyes because they stood so close. She could object or run, but why?

  He leaned over and touched his lips to hers, then leaned back just enough to look into her eyes. They closed their eyes at the same time and she felt his lips meet hers again, softly moulding to her mouth. It was the same as before but even better. The kiss started slow and built, growing deeper, more passionate and then needy - like they were picking up right where they left off so long ago. A slow burn started inside her and grew. She found herself wrapping her arms around him, feeling the back of his neck, pulling him closer.

  She leaned into him and somehow that contact shook her up. True, she was a free woman again but this man had left her once too. When Adam left th
e first time, she was devastated; she wasn’t walking that road again. Emily pushed away from him. “I’m sorry. I think that was some kind of revenge kiss.”

  The pleasure on his face changed to dismay. “Revenge? Because I left before?”

  “No, revenge on my fiancé that skipped out on me.” She turned and headed back without checking if he followed or not.

  Chapter 5

  There was no way he would let Emily walk out of his life. Adam had been an idiot before to leave her, but he’d grown since then. The truth was, he had needed to make his own path in the world and he was a better man for it.

  Adam just needed to prove himself to her. His plan was simple but brilliant; he would keep Emily as close to him as possible. Of course tonight would be tricky…

  He headed back and found her in the room, and it only slightly surprised her this time when he came through the door. Emily sat on the bed with a novel in her lap and a cup of something close by, trying to look busy, he thought.

  “Seriously?” she asked, sounding halfway annoyed. The way she lit up, however, gave her away.

  “I really would like to sleep on the sofa… we’re two free adults, right? And we can behave ourselves?”

  “After that kiss?” she returned. Now that shocked him. He hadn’t expected her to be direct about it or the electricity between them. They eyed each other for a minute. Then she gave a little sigh. “The sofa. And you will behave yourself.”