Title: Love in Darkness (Shattered Castles, #2)
Author: E.M. Tippetts
Release date: May 21, 2013
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Age Group: New Adult
Event organized by: AToMR Tours
Alex had everything when he was with
Madison. But the darkness within him wouldn't go away. After two years apart,
he returns to Pelican Bluffs and to the girl he never wanted to leave.
Madison wants to give their love
another chance, but Alex can't fight fate. He is what he is. Ruined. Crazy like
his mother. And Madison deserves so much more. When his secrets spill out into
their small town, Alex has a choice to make. Hide away in the darkness forever,
or let love in.
Book Links: Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble
Excerpt:
“We have to break up,” I hear myself tell her. I’m
standing on the rocky beach, my back to the crashing surf. In front of me is
Madison, gazing up at me with pure pain in those ice blue eyes. Behind her is
the rugged rock wall of the cliff face.
Her hair is pulled back in a simple ponytail and
the breeze stirs the wisps that frame her face. The air is cool, but not cold.
“I know myself, all right?” I explain. “The moment you move on, I won’t be able
to take it. So I’ve got to let you go.”
“Don’t do this.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Take it back. Please. Alex, I don’t want to break
up.” Her eyes are wide, like clear, crystal pools.
“And I need you not to write to me,” I say.
“Why?” Now she claps both her hands over her nose
and mouth as if to hold back pain or tears, or whatever it is shining from her
gaze.
It takes every ounce of my control not to back
down. I have to stop kidding myself and finish this. “Because, I don’t want to
know the moment you move on. I just… I need you to give me space.”
“You’re going to Japan. That’s not enough space for
you?”
“I’m sorry, all right.” I back away, stepping
carefully on the rocky beach. “But it’s not like we were ever going to last.”
“Why not?”
That, I should think, is obvious. Because the two
of us together makes no sense. She’s beautiful and popular and has guys lining
up around the block for a chance to be with her. I’m a high school dropout with
a criminal record and no future. She should be embarrassed to be with me.
Eventually we’ll both have to grow up. At least I’ll have the memories.
As I turn away, I hear her scrabble behind me, then
the rapid beat of her boots against the stony ground. “Alex, wait.” Her tone is
anguished.
I set my jaw against the pain, like I’ve stitched
my own heart with a silk thread and am now yanking it hard enough to tear the
organ. I keep walking.
She grabs my hand, her supple fingers wrapping
around my palm. “Stop.”
I stop, but I don’t turn.
It doesn’t matter because she darts around in front
of me and puts one arm around my waist. The other hand she slides up my back to
grasp my shoulder. Her soft curves fit against my body. It’s how she always
holds me, and I can’t endure it this time. I bow my head and just let the tears
fall.
“Alex,” she whispers, touching her forehead to
mine, that soft breath against my lips. “Don’t, okay? You promised you’d never
hurt me.”
At that I let out a sob. Forget saving face. She
knows me for who I am anyway and now she’s wiping away my tears. “Listen,” she says,
“you need me not to distract you from your mission, fine. But I’ll always be
here for you, and when you come back, I’ll be waiting.” She strokes my cheek
with the backs of her fingers and leans up to press her lips against mine.
I don’t want to kiss back, but at the same time, I
can’t resist. She runs her fingers through my hair and the kiss goes on and on
until I’ve got both arms wrapped tight around her and I’m drinking in her
essence, liquid fire that pools in my core. I have to stop this.
But when I do, she doesn’t let me pull back. She
leans in and looks me straight in the eye. “I’ll wait for you. I don’t care if
you don’t believe me. Let’s not end things with a fight, okay? Let’s end it on
a good note for now.”
“Goodbye, Madison.”
“Bye, Alex. For now.”
“I love you.” I don’t mean to say it, but it slips
out, my whisper barely loud enough for me to hear it myself.
Madison’s chin snaps up. “What?”
I shake my head, willing her not to press me.
“Alex-”
I start to pull away but she reels me back in, not
by force, but with her gaze. Her eyes beg me not to leave. She puts one arm
around my waist again and slides her other hand up my back. “It’ll be all
right. Everything will be all right,” she says.
Author Bio:
Emily Mah Tippetts writes romance under the name E.M.
Tippetts and science fiction and fantasy under the name Emily Mah. Originally
from New Mexico, she now lives in London with her family. Before she was a
published author, she was an attorney who specialized in real estate,
contracts, and estate planning, especially literary estate planning.
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