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  “Oh no.” I clenched my hands into fists and pressed my forehead to the door. “No, she can’t be here.”

  Another knock sounded from the other side, heavy against my ears like a hammer to a nail, and I knew I couldn’t just stand there all night, making her wait. Or maybe I could. Maybe she’ll assume I’m not home and leave. I knew it was what I should have done. It was the best choice, the safest choice. It was the only choice, I told myself. Walk away and leave her waiting.

  I nodded, having reached a decision. Then I opened the door anyway.

  ~ ~ ~

  Something was different. I knew it the moment I opened the door. Nicole stood on the other side in barely there clothes. Cut-off shorts hugged her wide hips, and a thin, see-through white top hung about the soft curves of her breasts and belly. In the moonlight, her lack of bra was clear. The dark peaks of stiffened nipples drew my gaze, and I fought to lift my head, focus on her eyes. They were bright like they had been the week before, teal and alive. In the moon’s glow, her irises seemed as if they were moving, like ocean waves rolling up and over behind the black of her pupils.

  “Dr. Richards,” she said, tone lower than usual.

  “M—” I drew in a shaky breath and swallowed the growing lump in my throat. Temptation now felt like a hot iron in the pit of my stomach, melting me from the inside. “Miss Stark,” I said, “what are you doing here?”

  “It’s the fifth. I wasn’t able to get to campus today, but I live nearby. I thought I could hand in my Whitman essay directly.”

  I licked my lips. “You… I mean, yes, of course.” I glanced down her body again, unable to help myself, and realized she didn’t have a bag. Where was her paper?

  “I hope I’m not intruding.” As she spoke, her long, springy hair caught the breeze in the most mesmerizing way. It rippled and flowed as if each strand had been dipped underwater. I couldn’t stop staring at her.

  “No,” I said. “No, I….”

  “May I come in?”

  I knew I shouldn’t let her, but I found myself stepping to the side, as if on autopilot. My feel stumbled over, and I followed. She entered, the scent of her richer than ever as she passed, and I suddenly felt needier and more helpless than I had felt in years. It was the strangest sensation. I’d wanted her, yes, but now, I needed her. Now, I was desperate for her.

  And she knew it.

  She floated further into the house without permission, without even asking, and rather than say a word, I simply followed. She was an anchor, and I was the ship tethered to her.

  “You have a lovely home.” Her tone dropped even lower. Her words danced, as if a song hummed just beneath them. It only made me want her more.

  “Thank you,” I said, watching the muscles on her back ripple with each step. Her thin shirt seemed nearly nonexistent. I could see every inch of her, from the slender stalk of her neck down to the dip in her lower back, disappearing under the band of her shorts. A shock of pain crackled through my gums like lightning, then the familiar throbbing began. My canines began to grow, dropping down to prick my lip. I needed to get her out of there, I knew, but I also needed her stay.

  I needed her to stay more than I had ever needed anything in my centuries-long life. Still, I was desperate not to harm her and terrified I would.

  “You know,” she said, “I’ve never met another like you before.”

  “What do you mean?” She didn’t answer, but I heard her voice inside me, crooning. It sent a jolt of panic through my system. “D-do you have your paper, then?”

  A melodic laugh fluttered through the air. “Oh, come now, Louise,” Nicole sang, the use of my name shocking me, “we both know that was a ruse.”

  When she turned to face me, I heard the sound of my own gasp. It shook in my ears, a trembling breath, as I took in the sight of her. Her brown skin glowed, sparkling in places like pebbles under the sea, and the teal of her eyes had brightened further. Her gaze was a precious gem calling me down, down, down, and the hum in the air, emanating from her plump lips, tugged at something deep within. The anchor wasn’t holding me at all. It was dragging me under the surface, and suddenly, I realized why Nicole had always been so different; her scent so intoxicating, her pulse so magnetic.

  “You,” I said, breathless as I stumbled closer still. “You’re a siren.”

  She smiled in the fire’s glow, each of her white teeth growing into small jagged points. Her lullaby laugh wound about my insides like dread, but still, she was so terribly beautiful. She held out a hand as she hummed, and without thought, I reached for her.

  “This,” she said, “is going to be fun.”

  ###

  About KL Hughes

  KL Hughes is an American author and screenwriter. Growing up in a small town, she spent much of her time inventing various ways to entertain herself and others. Whether through vocal performances or theatrical reenactments of books, movies, and actual events, Hughes showcased her extensive imagination and creativity at an early age.

  Hughes later pursued and earned a bachelor of liberal arts degree in theatre arts and English literature. Her collegiate studies allowed her to develop and hone her skills in both creative writing and editing.

  Working as a writer full-time, Hughes lives in California with her wife and Dalmatian. When not writing, she enjoys theatre and film, travel, visits to old cemeteries and haunted houses, putting on one-woman musicals for her wife, long walks and hikes, family time, and, of course, a good book.

  CONNECT WITH KL HUGHES

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  Other Books from Ylva Publishing

  www.ylva-publishing.com

  The Art of Us

  KL Hughes

  ISBN: 978-3-95533-891-6 (mobi), 978-3-95533-892-3 (epub)

  Length: 80,000 words (218 pages)

  Eighteen-year-old Charlee Parker met the love of her life in a parking lot—a leggy brunette with a valedictorian medal hanging from her rear-view mirror and an attitude as biting as a Boston winter.

  Alexandra Woodson was guarded, a nineteen-year-old orphan set on a bright future in hospitality administration. She never imagined an art student with a penchant for cheesy pick-up lines and stealing parking spaces would crack her rigid exterior and claim her heart.

  For four years, theirs was an enviable love—evergreen and growing. Unbreakable…

  Until it broke.

  Alex’s job now brings her back to Boston, after five years working on the opposite side of the country. When, by chance, they meet again, Charlee and Alex are swept up in a whirlwind of heart-rending history, tossed between past and present, and lovers old and new. Will their lingering connection be enough to convince them that some loves are meant to last? Or should the past remain in the past?

  Popcorn Love

  KL Hughes

  ISBN: 978-3-95533-266-2 (mobi), 978-3-95533-267-9 (epub)

  Length: 113,000 words (347 pages)

  A prominent figure amongst New York City’s fashion elite, Elena Vega is a successful businesswoman and single mother to an adorable three-year-old son, Lucas. Her love life, however, is lacking, as those closest to her keep pointing out.

  At the persistent urging of her closest friend, Elena reluctantly agrees to a string of blind dates if she can find a suitable babysitter for Lucas.

  Enter Allison Sawyer, a free-spirited senior at New York University.

  Elena is intrigued by Allison’s ability to push her out of her element, and the young woman’s instant and easy connection with a normally shy Lucas quickly earns Allison the job.

  After each blind date, Elena returns home to complain to Allison about her lacking suitors. As they bond, Elena begins to realize that the person possessing all the qualities she most desires might just be the woman who has been in front of her the entire time.

  The vast difference between the two women’s social statuses, however, may be an obstacle not easily overcome.

  The Sea

  © 2018 by KL Hughes />
  ISBN (mobi): 978-3-96324-098-0

  ISBN (epub): 978-3-96324-099-7

  ISBN (pdf): 978-3-96324-100-0

  Published by Ylva Publishing, legal entity of Ylva Verlag, e.Kfr.

  Ylva Verlag, e.Kfr.

  Owner: Astrid Ohletz

  Am Kirschgarten 2

  65830 Kriftel

  Germany

  www.ylva-publishing.com

  First edition: 2018

  No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are a product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to locales, events, business establishments, or actual persons—living or dead—is entirely coincidental.

  Credits

  Edited by Alex K. Thorne

  Cover Design by Streetlight Graphics