Gems in the Attic

VALENTINE TIME@Kathleenlawless

Steel rolls his eyes when I get out the Valentine’s décor late in January, but I know he secretly enjoys my passion for the day and all its historical connotations; from a monk secretly marrying lovers at the expense of  his own life in 3^rd century Rome, to the fact that today 150 million Valentine’s Day cards are exchanged world-wide.  Plus it is a great excuse to brighten up an otherwise gloomy February.

Valentine’s Day is not just another day brought to you by Hallmark.  From early days to modern times poems and songs have been written, copious books penned, along with the exchange of rings and vows.  Which sent me on a quest for romantic poetry.  Here are a few classics to get you in the mood.

“Love is a single soul inhabiting two bodies.”  Aristotle

“If I had a flower for every time I thought of you, I could walk through my garden forever.”  Alfred Tennyson

“How do I love thee?  Let me count the ways.”  Elizabeth Barrett Browning

“Age does not protect you from love.  But love, to some extent, protects you from age.”  Anais Nin

“Love is like quicksilver in the hand.  Leave the fingers open and it stays.  Clutch it and it darts away.”  Dorothy Parker

“The best and most beautiful things in the world can not be seen or even touched.  They must be felt with the heart.”  Helen Keller

“My bounty is as boundless as the sea, my love as deep: the more I give the more I have for both are infinite.”  William Shakespeare. 

Times have changed, sentiments have shifted, but love is all around.  In keeping with the day of love in 2018, my novella  INTIMATE STRANGERS is included in a sexy box set LOVE ME HARD with 14 other authors. 

Today I am featuring a fresh new voice in the romance world, Whitley Cox. 

From  SEXY DAD by Whitley Cox  as featured in LOVE ME HARD 

“Jesus Murphy,” Amy said with a whisper chuckle. “You two need to go get a room. There are children here. You can cut the sexual tension in this place with a knife.”

I shook my head, removing my gaze from Sam. He didn’t follow but instead continued to watch me. I let out a huff as I turned to face Amy. “It’s all him. He’s looking at me like he wants to take me into the janitor’s closet and have his way with me.”

She elbowed me in the ribs and bobbed her eyebrows. “Maybe he does.”

A few moments later, I was busy chatting with my mom posse, trying my damnedest to ignore Sam when my phone vibrated in my pocket.

S: You look really nice today. I like the high-tops. ;)

Did he just winky-face me?

I glanced up to find him with his back to me as he played trains with Landon. I texted him back.

H: Are you TRYING to out us to the “coven”?

S: The coven?

H: My mom posse.

S: You call yourselves the coven?

H: As a joke. More importantly, are you trying to out us? Those looks were anything but innocent. Amy said she could cut the tension in this room with a knife.

Notice I didn’t say sexual tension. I’d had to delete that at first. I didn’t want to presume anything or, more importantly, give him any ammo.

S: What kind of “tension” are you referring to? I’m not tense. Are you tense? Why are you tense?

Damn him! Even when he was texting and not even looking at me, he was being cute and getting me all flustered.

H: I think you know EXACTLY what kind of tension.

S: Sexual?

H: Oh God!

S: You’re blushing.

My head popped up from my phone. Sure enough, he had swiveled his big sexy body back around and was sitting cross-legged on the floor with Landon, his phone in his hand.

H: Because you’re trying to embarrass me.

S: I’m not trying to do anything but get to know you. And now I know you embarrass easily. I also know I like it when you wear that tight sweater. Shows off your …

With a wry smile, I lifted my head. He was watching me. My phone vibrated again, and I looked down.

S: Elbows. You have GREAT elbows.

H: You’re incorrigible.

S: I prefer the word smitten, but to each their own.

“Are you two sexting?” Amy’s voice was low right next to my ear. Her breath smelled like coffee with a hint of chocolate. The woman always had chocolate in her pocket and would slip a square in her mouth when she didn’t think any of us were looking.

I shook my head. “Not sexting.”

“But you are texting?”

“Yes.”

“Is he being all adorable and flirty?”

“Yes.”

She bounced on her heels a couple of times. “Oooh, I am so good at this. You two are too cute.”

“Shhhh.” I shot her a dirty look. She was getting loud, and the other moms, no matter how boisterous and noisy their conversation about diaper rash was at the moment, all seemed to have ESP when it came to gossip.

“Oh, relax. My lips are sealed. But this is so exciting.”

I brought my gaze back up to Sam and smiled at him. He smiled back, and the butterflies in my abdomen—the wild and crazy kind—started to dance. “It really is.”

So why not treat yourself on this special day?   Curl up with coven of sexy new reads and a heart-shaped box of chocolates.      ORDER NOW books2read.com/lovemehard