FATED PASSION
New Concepts Publishing – www.newconceptspublishing.com
Copyright 2003-2007 Marianne LaCroix
All rights reserved.

Chapter One

Fifteen years later

Alexia's eyes snapped open as she was awakened by the contractions of a dream-induced orgasm. The dream man that made her body react was no stranger. It was Robert.

Even after fifteen years apart, he still invaded her dreams. Not only time separated them, but a marriage, two children, a career, and a divorce, as well.

Alexia had gotten engaged a year after separating from him, then married a year after that. She had been swept off her feet by a suave, intelligent med student promising a life of love and happiness. Only the lifespan turned out to be a mere eight years. One night, Tom had come home saying he wanted a divorce. It was not entirely unexpected. Alexia knew Tom had been sleeping with a young nursing student, but now he wanted to marry her.

Alexia couldn't regret her marriage to Tom, however. In their time together, they'd had two beautiful twin daughters--Victoria and Elizabeth, now six years old.

Not long after she became pregnant with the twins, he'd begun to lose vision of her as a sexual being and had begun having an affair. When Alexia actually became “Mommy,” his desire had cooled even further. Completely tired after taking care of newborn twins, his lack of interest was a blessing.

After her divorce, Alexia found her only sexual partner in her dreams. Robert. He'd haunted her through the years, meeting her in those dreams to love and laugh through the nights like they had so long ago.

But if they connected again, would he still be afraid of commitment like he was so long ago? Did his successful writing career still take precedence over all? When they'd been together, she had been twenty-one and fresh out of college, ready to start living her life, while Rob had been twenty-seven and on the verge of his first big break in the publishing world. Maybe she had been a bit too harsh on him and should have waited longer before pressing to get married?

There was so much she missed about Robert. He'd made her days brighter when he would find something to joke about. He had a natural talent to make her laugh, and she was always a sucker for a man with a sense of humor. There were also those quiet times when they would just watch television together, enjoying the easy closeness. Even when they went out to perform the most mundane tasks, such as shopping, she had to touch him in some way. Just the warm feel of his hand in hers made her feel comforted and close. They had shared a connection she had never found with Tom.

Now, at thirty-six, Alexia knew she was an idiot for letting Robert walk out of her life. Instead of waiting for him to be ready for marriage and children, she had let him go and she'd ended up married to someone else. The only benefit of having that man in her life had been her daughters, who had helped her through the troubled times of the divorce.

Unfortunately, yesterday Tom had picked them up for a fun-filled summer with his new wife. Six long weeks without their happy voices would be torture, but Alexia had been determined not let it get her down. At least she hadn't let Tom see her pain. She'd flashed a wide grin as he showed up in his new SUV to drive the girls down to his beachfront condo in Panama City.

It was easy to maintain her smile because, despite how she felt about Tom and his lack of faithfulness, she wanted her girls to have quality time with their dad, and memories of loving parents … even ones who weren't married any more.

With the summer free from her job as a third-grade teacher at the local elementary school, along with the girls away on their own summer retreat, Alexia intended to use her time to write another book. Having written three short romances in the past with some success, she hoped to write something longer this summer. Maybe she could be the next Jude Deveraux or Johanna Lindsey?

After getting up and throwing on a robe and slippers, she fixed herself a quick cup of coffee and sat down outside on her patio to enjoy the morning sun. When was the last time it had been this quiet in the backyard? She honestly couldn't say. Vicky and Beth were a constant flurry of activity from the early morning until the evening. Usually, the only time Alexia had to herself was after they went to bed at eight o'clock. Not that she had much energy left to do much else than fall into bed, though, where her dream mind made up for the lack of a life away from the girls.

The dreams of Robert came more frequently these days, though she had no idea why. When had she last sat and consciously given him much thought since the break-up? Probably not too often, but he'd wandered into her thoughts now and again, even while she was married to Tom. She'd made the conscious effort not to spend too much time in remembrance, though. The pain was too much to bear at times.

Now she was free from a doomed marriage, but there was no way she could get the courage up to go and see if Robert wanted to try again at a relationship. He led a much different life now as a best-selling mystery author.

She bought his books, just to have some small way of being close to him. Pitiful, she knew, but it was the only thing she could do. Whenever Robert put out a book--about every year--Alexia would be one of the first to buy a copy. Not a huge mystery fan, she always read it anyway, recognizing the personal details of the man she had once known so intimately. She even recognized herself in some of the female characters, although not always in a flattering light. Not that she blamed him.

The years had rolled by in simplicity until the eventual divorce. Now she wondered about her future. While many people found the courage and strength to search for love again, Alexia asked herself if she could take another risk with her heart. Two strikes were enough to make anyone gun-shy. If she struck out for a third time, would she ever recover?

Finishing her coffee, Alexia went inside to shower and dress for the day. Not that she had to do it--writers could stay home in their jammies and not shower for days if they wanted to. Who would care if she wrote looking like a slob? However, today she preferred to go out to a local bookstore's café with her laptop and do some of her writing there.

Something about a bookstore motivated her. After all, if J.K. Rowling had written her Harry Potter novels in a coffee shop, why not Alexia, too?

Once dressed, she paused in front of the mirror to quickly pull back her long, dark hair into a ponytail. The faded denim shirt and khaki shorts reflected her casual style. She wished she'd lost those extra clinging pounds she'd gained from pregnancy, but she liked to snack on cookies too much to give them up. After slipping on worn-out sandals, Alexia grabbed her laptop and purse, and left her empty house.

As she got into her car, the midmorning sun felt warm against her skin, promising a typical Florida summer day. At least here in north Florida they did not get the daily thunderstorms like Orlando. They rolled through almost like clockwork down there.

In thirty minutes, she arrived at her favorite bookstore's parking lot. As she locked her car and turned towards the store, she saw the standee outside announcing an author signing. Wondering if she knew the writer, she squinted against the morning glare. Then the words cleared and she read them slowly, gasping in shock.

“New York Times best-selling author, Robert Matheson here today to sign his latest release, Fatal Kiss.” Alexia read the sign aloud, trying to come to grips with the thought Robert was here in Tallahassee.

This morning's erotic dream flashed in her memory as she stood staring at the sign. Dare she even go in and see the man who still made her climax at just the mere thought of him? And what if he didn't even recognize her after all these years? She had changed after having the girls, a few extra pounds rounding out her curvaceous body.

Maybe I should've given up those cookies? Would he feel the same strong attraction he'd felt so long ago? The thought of him seeing her naked was like plunging into a river of ice as she thought of the extra pounds she acquired over fifteen years, along with a cesarean section scar. She certainly didn't want him seeing that!

No, she decided. I'll steer clear of the book signing. In fact, maybe writing at home today was a better idea after all.

Then she realized she was letting a man push her away from what she wanted--to spend the day in her favorite café, writing. And she intended to do just that. Who knew, maybe a glimpse of Rob from across the store would inspire a hot love scene? She could see it now, sweaty bodies sliding up against each other in repeated, heated matings.

She shuddered at the image, groaning inwardly. Damn, she needed a man. Not just any man. She needed a night with Robert. But did she want a one-night stand or something more?

With a deep breath, Alexia pushed open the door and strode in, holding her head high as her heart pounded wildly in her chest. She would face the ghost of her past and see if he'd been worth pining over the past fifteen years.