My writing is described as ...
Intense, insightful inspirational fiction with elements of romance...
Here is a little taste...
When She Wasn't Looking
Chapter 1
“Natalie, I’m not sure I should be doing this.” Mercy Matthews halted on the broken path. She backed into the shadows of the dorm building. The globe lamps didn’t reach the old brick archway from the parking lot.
“You haven’t done anything like this all year. At least not since you started dating Connell.” Natalie Shane faced Mercy with her hands on her hips. “Why do you let him isolate you like that? I hardly see you any more.”
Mercy leaned her head back against the red brick wall. “I didn’t mean for it to get this bad. Besides, I went to church with you—”
“Uh huh, nice try, two months ago.”
“And you’re dragging me off to a fraternity party? Some positive influence you are.” Mercy grinned at the tiny brunette. Natalie reminded her of a Chihuahua because she had personality and bark much bigger than her five-foot frame. No one ever took advantage of her.
“Oh give me a break. It’s graduation and we don’t drink. We’re going to get you back into society. We’re going to laugh, celebrate, and tomorrow we’ll pack up our room. We’ll have a great time and leave if anybody gets drunk and crazy. Deal?”
“What if Connell finds out?”
Natalie challenged, “What if he does? What’s he going to do in a room full of people?” She tilted her head. “Mercy, really, I’ve been praying for you. Don’t you think it’s time you broke up with him?”
“Thanks for the nice thoughts, Nat. Church just isn’t my thing anymore. I only went because my parents made me. And Connell is going to have to go his own way soon.”
“What are you going to say?” Natalie leaned against the wall with Mercy.
“Nothing. The plan is to pack up and go home tomorrow, remember? I’ll go to my internship in New York next month and he’ll go to his new job. We’ll be in two different states way across the country. Things will taper off naturally. See? No worries.” Mercy smiled at her best friend. She’d been supportive and patient for seven months.
“I’m worried. Mercy, he’s not just in love with you. He’s obsessed. Anybody mentions you have pretty auburn hair or beautiful hazel eyes and Connell is on them like a badger. Haven’t you noticed?”
“I thought his jealousy was flattering in the beginning. It’s gotten way out of hand any more.” Mercy rubbed her elbow. Connell yanked her away from a study table two days ago because her partner happened to be male. It still hurt a little. She was tired of tiptoeing around tacks to keep him from losing it. Tomorrow couldn’t come soon enough.
Natalie sniffed the air. “Smells like rain. Come on, let’s go.” She captured Mercy’s hand and tugged her the last block to the party.
The live band pumped loud music out the door as Mercy followed Natalie inside. Most of the kids in the crowd were her friends, near graduates exploding with joyful relief as they closed the pages on finals week and prepared to end their collegiate careers at Warren College. They’d leave Northern Washington behind to move into the real world. For Mercy, it meant an interpreting internship at the United Nations. She had a chance to make a difference in the world today.
Weaving through the revelry, she kept an eye on Natalie as she beelined it toward the horse troughs filled with icy drinks outside the doorway of the overstuffed, musty fraternity house. Mercy laughed as she saw an arm rise in triumph to fist one, then another cold, dripping pop can high in the air. The crowd undulated like salmon as they pushed toward the band. The cool night air and a frosty drink beckoned her to swim upstream.
She veered left to let bouncy, twisting bodies move past, Mercy glanced up to see Connell’s muscular frame halfway across the room. A cold chill raised tiny bumps on her arms and prickled down her back. She lifted her eyes from his chest and winced at the icy, blue glare. The white stars around his pupils seemed hard as shards of broken glass. How long had he been watching? She scanned the crowd three times for Natalie. She looked back at Connell, squared her shoulders, and walked over to him with solid steps. It needed to end.
Mercy wove her way to the doorjamb he leaned against. Connell’s knuckles clenched white around a soda can.
“Hi.” She shook inside. She should have told him about the party, but she’d held back to avoid an argument. No, she wouldn’t be a doormat. She had a right to make any decision without begging his permission. Mercy lifted her chin. Don’t look away this time. It’ll be okay.
Connell’s perfect brow rose as if he were an angry parent. His head tilted expectantly.
Mercy bit the inside of her cheek, here were all the chains right back on her, tighter and more palpable than before. Adults could move and choose freely. Why couldn’t she? The blood raged back through her body like a flash flood racing into a desert wash.
“You look thirsty.” Connell pushed the drink into her hand. “Here.”
“Thanks.” Thirsty enough to down most of the can, she took a sip that became a quenching dive into the ocean. The shock of the cold cola against her parched lips stung a little and it still fizzled in gulps down her throat. “Sorry, it’s almost gone.” She scraped her upper teeth against her lower lip to soothe the itch. She brushed the container against her hot cheeks then wiped away the condensation from the can.
“Why didn’t you tell me you were coming?” He pinned her with his eyes like a bug stuck on wax in biology class. “You know I would have brought you.” He pulled her into his arms and she fell into his rock-hard chest as she tried to balance the drink without spilling the rest.
Mercy sucked hard for a deep breath trying to calm down, but he held her too tight. Her ribs couldn’t expand, only a little air wisped in and out.
“I know, Connell, but it’s just a fun girl’s night out.” So much for not explaining, she wanted to smooth it out. “I owed it to Natalie for all her support and . . .”
Connell cut her off with a harsh kiss. It enveloped her in a sloppy heat.
What made him think any woman liked that? Gross. Her bruised lower lip began to pulse sharply in sync with the waves of humiliating anger spurting through her veins. She looked around furtively while she gulped the rest of the soda to hide her face behind the can. It burned all the way down into her stomach like acid.
“I was worried about you. I came by to see how you did on your last final. Nobody seemed to know where you were. That wasn’t very nice, now was it?” His mouth hovered so close to her lips that she couldn’t miss the continuous throb. The heat from his breath dominated even the air she breathed.
She wanted to roll her eyes but knew it’d just make him worse, so she turned her face away and changed the subject, then she rolled her eyes. “How’d you find me?”
His words smacked into her cheek, “One of the girls mentioned this party.”
The popular fraternity invited hundreds to every party. She should have known, but she didn’t remember telling anyone else. No, only Natalie knew. She shook off the thought for a more important one, “Connell, I need to talk to you.”
“I know, sweetheart, don’t apologize. It’s all in the communication. You won’t do this again, will you?”
The understanding smile and gentled voice surprised Mercy. He let go of her long enough to pull something out of his pocket.
Mercy took a quick step back and drew in a huge breath. The hot stuffy air smelled of stale beer, but her lungs could expand again.
He opened a little box with one hand and revealed a beautiful heart-shaped diamond ring. Connell captured her left hand and slipped it on her finger. The band had little diamond chips worked into the filigree.
“This wasn’t the place I had in mind, but it seems like it’s the right time to make it official.”
Her eyes flew open wide. “What? No . . . I didn’t mean . . . Connell, I— ”
He silenced her with another kiss, this time an erotic one. He acted as if they were alone on their honeymoon. He pressed his tongue deep into her mouth and his arms plastered her little body into his tall frame as he lifted her off the floor. Sudden whoops and whistles followed by lurid catcalls pierced her ears. The giant wrestler swung her around to display his newly acquired trophy for all to see.
Nothing could ever be as mortifying as this moment. Mercy felt like a sack of potatoes, a root vegetable meant for consumption.
“Hey! How ‘bout some congratulations? Mercy here is now officially my woman!” Connell bellowed above the commotion. Friends crowded in to pound his shoulders while the whoops and shouts continued. The music jammed louder and became a cacophony with the crowd noise.
Mercy could do nothing but hang in the air like the plundered prize in the ransacked village while Connell’s comrades drunkenly cheered him on. How did it go so bad so fast? She struggled to regain command of her own body.
Connell’s announcement raised the level of festivity. Light-headed and near hysteria, she shouted to Connell to put her down. Finally, he slid her down his body onto her feet. She felt every one of his muscles touch every one of her sensitive areas on the way. Her broomstick skirt clung to his clothing in front and left her thighs exposed to the rough jeans Connell wore. Mercy ducked and pulled the material down as quickly as she could in the small space between them.
As Mercy lifted her head, the ground rolled. Man, major head rush! She pressed the heel of her hand against her temple to dispel the floating. Pressure built in her throat. Heat infused the close air around her as people pushed in to greet the “happy couple.”
“Isn’t this better, baby?” he whispered, “I know you were waiting for me to say the word. We’ll have a July wedding.”
“Connell, that’s not what I meant. We need to talk, but not here and not now.” Mercy fought back the urge to scream in his face and run. Instead she pulled away, and then turned toward the door intending to walk away with dignity. Where’d the door go? Everything looked a little off, cockeyed and blurry. Someone spun her around onto the sticky dance floor. Faces swung by, people she couldn’t distinguish. Images began to flicker between dark and pinpoint bright. She stumbled, tired and woozy.
“I think she’s had one too many, guys. She’d better sleep it off.” Connell laughed while he steered Mercy toward the door.
Natalie slipped in next to them. “Hey, what’s going on?”
Connell pushed by Natalie and pulled Mercy outside, his arm clamped around her. He walked her the few blocks down the road and up the weaving path to her dorm cluster. The sidewalk moved beneath her feet.
Mercy couldn’t place her feet on the stairs and tripped on nearly every one of the steep concrete steps. Then the door into her pod kept moving out of her reach.
Connell helped her with the key.
“Thanks.” She hit the doorway straight on. “Ouch.”
With Connell’s hands on her hips directing her from behind, she made it into the safety of her own space. Relieved, she stumbled to the bed and collapsed. Mercy didn’t care if her clothes were still on, she just wanted to close her eyes and stop spinning.
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