A figure stepped out of the shadows made by the failing early-winter light fighting its way through a southwest window. A woman. The way she moved”¦the curve of her hip”¦it reminded him of”¦

“Hello Aaron.”

He couldn’t speak her name.

She stopped in front of him.

“Am I dreaming?” He whispered hoarsely.

Holly reached her hand out to him, cupping it against his cheek.

He leaned into it and brought his own hand over hers as a wave washed over him””a wave of longing and regret so deep and strong it made his head swim. His knees gave out and he slid to the floor in slow motion, head down, holding tight to her hand.

She cupped her other hand under his chin. Slowly, gently, she tilted his head until she could kiss him. He released a deep, guttural sound somewhere between a sob and a moan.

I do not deserve this!

His head began to drop again, but she would not allow it, taking his lips in hers.

She continued to kiss him as she helped him onto his feet. Taking both his hands in hers, she guided him into the bedroom. His knees were weak, and he moved as if drugged. When he was sitting on the edge of the bed, she knelt before him and removed his shoes, then his socks”¦then his prosthetic. Still he could not utter a word.

She removed his tunic and then, still kneeling, began unfastening his shirt one button at a time.

He finally found his voice. “You’re more beautiful than I remembered.”

She brushed her hands across his shoulders as she pushed his shirt off, and the feel of her hands made him dizzy with desire. He took her face in his hands and kissed her, and his stomach and groin tightened. His kisses grew more desperate, a guttural moan escaping with each deep kiss. He slipped his hands beneath her shirt and drew it over her head in one fluid motion.

Desperate to feel her body against his, he pulled her to him roughly. He toppled onto his back, the weight of her now-naked body igniting a fire that blocked out everything else. He ran his hands the length of her torso; it was as if every curve and crevasse was calling out to him.

He moaned and thrashed as she moved on top of him and took him inside her. The pleasure and the pain were so tightly bound that he didn’t know where one ended and the other began. He did not realize he was calling her name, over and over”¦

Getting to Know the Character”¦

Can you talk about the friends you’ve lost?

[deep breath] That’s a difficult topic”¦there were two deaths in particular that had a profound impact on me. And when you are betrayed by your best friend (as I was), it’s a sort of death as well.

When did you realize you were in love with Holly?

I would have to say that it was the morning after I got into that bar fight. She turned me down then. And it wasn’t until I was sicker than a dog, trying to kick my pain pills, that I realized why.

Why?

Ah, you’ll have to read the book to find that out. But I will say this: she did change her mind. A few times!

Read More about Aaron Bricewick’s rescue from terrorists here. Available everywhere books are sold (even in audio!).