Page 1 of Red

Chapter 1

Caffeine really was a girl’s best friend. Whoever made up that lie about it being diamonds obviously hadn’t been introduced to the right cup of coffee.

Melinda entered Into the Woods coffee house, taking a deep breath to enjoy the brewing beans. It had been a long day, and she needed the pick-me-up before heading home for dinner with her grandmother.

Melinda stepped to the end of the line and grabbed her phone from her jeans back pocket. Swiping the screen to life, she dove into her emails—having been too lost in her writing to check them earlier.

She deleted the garbage cluttering her inbox until her eyes landed on a possible life changer. An email that could either break her heart or make her day. Taking a deep breath, her insides shaking, she opened the email. This could be it.

Two sentences in, the shaking stopped, and the nagging twist of despair surfaced.

Her heart sank into her thick wool socks.

Another rejection.

She knew it was bound to happen. Over and over again, she’d be rejected before a literary agent picked her up. And then it would be another few rounds of rejection before a publishing house picked up the book. A lot of agony to get to the big payoff at the end—a publishing deal.

It was what she’d worked her ass off for the last two years. With her MFA degree in one hand and her dreams in the other, she’d jumped out into the world. Each new rejection chipped away at the newfound confidence, but she’d get there.

She had to.

It was all she really had left.

“Excuse me, can you move up?” A woman behind her tapped her shoulder. Melinda looked up, noting the large gap in front of her. While her career had taken a step back, the rest of the line had taken a step forward.

“Oh. Sorry.” Melinda hurried forward, tripped on her own boot, and stumbled smack into the next customer’s broad back.

“Oomph! Sorry!” She retreated a small step.

He twisted halfway around, but it was enough for her to see his rugged features. Clear blue eyes peered down at her. Full lips curled into a joyless grin. She couldn’t see his chin beneath his thick dirty-blond beard, but, judging from the muscular mass of the rest of him, she easily assumed it was tense.

“Are you okay?” he asked in a low tenor.

“Yes. Thanks. Sorry about that.” She pulled the lapels of her coat together, needing to feel more guarded with him.

“Maybe you should put the phone away. It seems to be distracting you.” His pointed gaze moved to her hand gripping the device.

Her cheeks heated at the obvious reprimand.

“Yeah. Maybe.” Her lips tightened, but she kept smiling. She had bumped into him, after all. But he didn’t need to be such an ass about it.

“Well?” He raised his brows at her, like he was waiting for something.

“Oh. Uh.” She blinked a few times, not really sure what was happening.

“Put it away,” he said in that same deep voice. Quiet enough the rest of the coffee shop couldn’t hear their exchange, but she heard it. The authority in his tone, the steely resolve in his eyes, all of it sent a familiar tingle through her body.

A tingle she didn’t have time for, she reminded herself. No distractions. Just work. The thick air of authority hanging around him made it more difficult, but she would have to power through.

With a huff, she slid the phone back into her pocket. If it would get him to turn around, she’d put her phone away. He just needed to focus his attention elsewhere.

“What can I get for you, sir?” The young girl behind the counter rescued Melinda.

He stepped up and gave his order. A black coffee. Simple. It seemed to fit him.

She shook her head. Fit him. What the hell was she thinking? Deciding to tune out his presence, she focused her eyes on the menu. She already knew her order. Medium Caramel Latte. Same as always. Always knowing what was coming. That was safety.

After he paid, he moved to the left to wait for his drink. Melinda stepped up, doing her best to ignore his hulking presence.

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