Born into the lap of luxury and a time of turmoil, Duchesse Eleonore Vigneron experiences her coming of age in the Court of Louis XVI . Embroiled in the chaos that surrounds Versailles, Eleni uses her unique blend of wit, charm, and beauty to ensure...
"That's the funny thing about love," he said. "It doesn't wait for perfection – the heart loves who it loves, exactly as they are, faults and all."--- Amanda Hocking, Between The Blade And The Heart
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November 19th, 2015 Aubrey Parish, Louisiana
Scott Feila trudges up the stairs to his comfortable old hotel room, a bag full of junk food, a few bottles of whiskey, and two joints in his bag. Fortunately, no one is around to see him. He plans to turn on the TV, turn off his brain, and figure out how to undo the mess his world had recently become.
He throws himself on the bed, sulking. Pulling up his shirt, he admires the new tattoo he'd gotten, a small and ferocious leopard on his stomach. It made his abs look more like a currently existing thing than a memory, and as always, the pain was a release. Not as good as sex or whiskey, but close.
Alisaundra was beyond angry at him, and had kicked him out of the house. After what happened, he doubted she would ever set eyes upon him again. He did the thing he didn't think he was in any danger of doing and got too comfortable in Ali's house, so much so that he was still shocked she'd have dared to tell him to leave. Once again, Eleni was so close, and yet he kept her at arm's length. He had wanted to make his presence known, but the night Eleni moved in, she wasn't alone. The man she hugged tightly didn't follow her into the house., but Scott was disheartened by the fact that Eleni was never alone. It didn't occur to him that the charming young widow didn't know how to be.
Every time the world helped bring him close to the woman he adored, he reminded himself that he was the worst thing that could happen to her. He wouldn't let that happen, even if it meant giving up what he needed more that air itself. That is why, even from the building next door, Scott ignored Eleni everywhere but in his own mind.
And Lala--well, Lala was a Bellerose, and the Bellerose sisters were the closest thing to Gypsies that still existed in a place like Aubrey Parish. They were trouble. He'd thought he could wrap Lala around his little finger, but she was stronger than he'd given her credit for. She knew his weaknesses, could see his failings, and wasn't afraid to exploit them.
He'd meant to use her first, to exploit her own shortcomings to the ultimate advantage for a man like Scott. The first time she touched him, he fully intended to tame a free spirit. Lala had no intention of being tamed. Like him, she was happy floating through life with no particular destination.
He'd wanted a triumphant conquest.
Instead, he'd acquired another temperamental woman, one he thought about more than he wanted to.
Scott unscrews the top of a new bottle, stretching out on the familiar bed and turning on the TV. He is back where he belongs, where things make sense, where he is alone and everything is as it should be. He tries not to think about the purple room next door that is now empty, and the two women who once occupied it.
