Sweet Saturday Samples (10/15)

Today's Sample comes from my paranormal short story,

The Seduction of Damian  

(The Gossip of Mysterious Lane #1)

currently available via Kindle, Nook, or other ebook.

In this sample we meet Damian and learn right along with him 

just how much his life is about to change...

*****

Damian’s tongue spat every curse word that crossed through his mind, some of them not even English.

The face smiling at him from the front page of Paranormal Partners was one Damian recognized. Hell, he should. He looked into those dark eyes every evening in the mirror.

He crumpled up the newspaper between his big palms and chucked the wad across the room, not taking the time to relish the nothing-but-net. Plowing his fingers through his black hair he considered the ramifications of what this would mean.

His head met the solid wood top of his kitchen table, lifting for a second before dropping down seeking another hard thud. With any luck the motion would wake him from this cold-sweat kind of daymare.

Yeah … no such luck. Thud! This was reality. Thud! And this reality sucked!

More than one male’s life had been ruined by the ‘honor’ bestowed by PP and their powers that be. Females considered it a real accomplishment to spend a few hours in the arms of the poor sap named their most eligible bachelor.

No, thank you. Damian wasn’t interested in that kind of flattery. And he sure as hell wasn’t interested in the desperate females who lurked in that particular cesspool.

The dating rag had arrived in his mailbox early this evening and Damian wasn’t sure how he should handle the unwanted endorsement. It wasn’t like he could suddenly go unlisted; his number was already out in the world just waiting to be Googled.

As if the phone knew he was considering pulling the plug from the wall, the damned thing started to ring; an annoying shrill that set his fangs on edge.

“Perfect. Just freakin’ perfect.”

The journey across the kitchen became more of a walk through quicksand. One miserably slow footstep at a time. The phone sat prone on the countertop, mocking him, and a single look at the caller id had him rolling his eyes. Reaching for the phone he now understood what relief truly felt like.

“No laughing, Jocelyn.”

She did anyway.

Her giggles carried through the line and washed over Damian, easing the tension in his shoulders. Damn him, a grin lifted the corners of his mouth.

“I’m sorry.” She snorted. “I know it’s not funny.” Giggle, giggle, snort. Deep breath. “Do you wanna move in h—” Her question was cut off by another snort.

Damian shook his head and snorted right along with her, but not in amusement. “No.”

She cleared her throat and he imagined her pursing her lips to gain some composure. “Who knows; maybe nobody will care and you’ll be able to continue living your life without the nuisance of drooling women.”

Her words were meant as a comfort, but instead of calming him, they spiked a defensiveness that he didn’t understand—and was completely absurd.

“Come on, it’s not that far-fetched to think that I’m a great catch.”

Her laughter died a quick death. “Damian, you are a great catch!”

His chest puffed out a little and he was glad that she couldn’t see his peacock move.

“You’re every girl’s dream; handsome and sweet and funny and—” She trailed off.

“Yes?” A cheesy grin pulled back over his fangs.

Another snort; a scoff. “I’m your friend. Which means my job is to keep your feet firmly planted on the ground and your head small enough to fit through the door. You’re right; I’m sure it won’t be long before females are lined up around the block waiting to stroke your ego.”

*****

Thanks for stopping by. Please KEEP SAMPLING!