FADING (A novel)(128)

I fuse my lips with his, never wanting to let go as he lays us down on our sides, bodies still connected, facing each other. I’ve missed this so much, and I don’t even try to hold back my tears. I love this man from a place inside that I never knew existed. He’s saved me in a way I never knew a person could be saved. He holds me close, and it’s only when I sniff that he pulls back from our kiss. “Babe.”

Looking at him, I take my time before saying, “I never want to know what life is without you.”

He reaches down and pulls the sheets over us as we tangle our legs. “You won’t ever have to.”

We continue to hold each other and kiss until we drift off together.

?????

I wake from our afternoon nap, and the mist from earlier is now coming down harder. I lay in Ryan’s arms for a while as I watch the raindrops trickle down the windows. I never knew home until now. It’s with him, in this house, in this bed. My mind and body are free of doubt. This is my dream. He is my amazing.

Looking back over my shoulder at him, his eyes still closed as he sleeps, I know I will never love as powerfully as I do with him. I reach down, grab his discarded t-shirt, and shrug it on as I make my way to the bathroom. I flick on the light and before I can close the door, I see my necklace lying next to his sink. Walking over and looking down at it, I see that he got the chain fixed from when I ripped it off my neck. I run my finger along the etched letters: And though she be but little, she is fierce.

Looking up, I see that my toothbrush is still next to the other sink along with a bottle of my perfume. Warm arms slowly snake around my waist as his lips press into my neck. Our eyes meet in the reflection of the mirror. “I could never let you go.”

He picks up the necklace and clasps it back around my neck where it belongs. I will never be close enough to him to satisfy me. Maybe it was supposed to be like this all along; maybe I needed the pain of losing Ryan to make me finally pull myself out of the madness. Maybe I just had to lose him for a moment to keep myself from fading.





Every 2 minutes, someone in the U.S. is sexually assaulted. Approximately 2/3 of assaults are committed by someone known to the victim. And only 46% of assaults are reported to the police.

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You just read about Candace who suffered from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Flashbacks, Sleep Terror Disorder, and Nightmares.

These are only a few of the effects one can experience after being sexually assaulted.

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There is help.

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National Sexual Assault Hotline 1.800.656.HOPE

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National Sexual Assault Online Hotline ohl.rainn.org/online/

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Visit www.rainn.org to find more information and resources.





Other Titles in the Fading Series Freeing

(book 2)

Knowing who you are and accepting who you are come at different prices.





Falling (book 3)

Sometimes it takes someone else to show us what we are truly capable of becoming.





Upcoming Releases



The Black Lotus Series Bang

(book 1)

(Releasing May 22, 2014) They say when you take revenge against another you lose a part of your innocence.

But I’m not innocent.

I haven’t been for a very long time.

My innocence was stolen from me. Taken was the life I was supposed to have. The soul I was born with. The ruby heart embedded in a life full of hopes and dreams.

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Gone.

Vanished.

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I never even had a choice.

I mourn that life. Mourn the what-ifs.

Until now.

I’m ready to take back what was always meant to be mine.

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But every plan has a fatal flaw. Sometimes it’s the heart.

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**Due to the dark and explicit nature of this book, it is recommended for mature audiences only as some scenes may be particularly disturbing.*





Echo

(book 2)

(Releasing Late 2014)

Hush

(book 3)

(Release date unknown)

Connect with E.K. Blair

www.EKBLAIR.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/ekblairauthor

Twitter: EK_Blair_Author





Acknowledgements


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Deciding to write a novel did not come easy. There was a lot of self-doubt before I actually typed my first word. I never could have anticipated the power of this journey. It took the support and encouragement of many people to make this book a possibility.

It was my husband who first told me that I should write a book. I honestly thought he had lost his mind. But he saw something in me that I never knew was even there. He believed in me when I first started stumbling through the prologue. It was his encouragement that kept me going, and before long, I became unstoppable. I am so lucky to have such an amazing man in my life that provided me the freedom I needed to immerse myself in this book. He took on all mommy and daddy duties, along with all the cooking and cleaning while I typed my heart out. I would thank you from the bottom of my heart, but for you, there is no bottom.