Freedom by S.A. Wolfe
(Fearsome #2)
Publication date: April 7th 2014
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult, Romance
(Fearsome #2)
Publication date: April 7th 2014
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult, Romance
*This is a stand-alone sequel to Fearsome. No cliffhanger!
Dylan Blackard is back in town and certain everyone knows his secrets.
Putting away his notorious reputation as the wild guy with a womanizing past, he’s now on a new path, wanting to be the good guy his brother can stop worrying over. As long as he gives up his old vices—including women—he can keep himself on the straight and narrow and finally live up to everyone’s expectations.
However, obsessing about his lack of self-control is making Dylan one humorless, cranky hermit. That all changes, though, when his brother hires a new employee, the stunning Emma Keller, who will be sharing an office with him and all of his tightly wound nerves.
Emma, a spunky young woman from New Jersey, isn’t about to feel sorry for Dylan and his situation. She is beyond distracting to him, and that is enough to turn his emotional balancing act upside down. Not only is she intelligent, and a smart aleck, she’s also very determined to pull the sexy Dylan Blackard out of his self-imposed isolation.
From the moment he meets her, he feels alive again, but Emma doesn’t come as a gift with a pretty bow; she comes with major baggage—a family embedded in its own tumultuous history.
Will Emma be the tipping point that causes Dylan to regress into his past destructive behaviors…or will he actually pursue her for keeps?
*Due to adult language and sexual content, this New Adult Contemporary Romance is intended for readers over the age of 18.
Dylan Blackard is back in town and certain everyone knows his secrets.
Putting away his notorious reputation as the wild guy with a womanizing past, he’s now on a new path, wanting to be the good guy his brother can stop worrying over. As long as he gives up his old vices—including women—he can keep himself on the straight and narrow and finally live up to everyone’s expectations.
However, obsessing about his lack of self-control is making Dylan one humorless, cranky hermit. That all changes, though, when his brother hires a new employee, the stunning Emma Keller, who will be sharing an office with him and all of his tightly wound nerves.
Emma, a spunky young woman from New Jersey, isn’t about to feel sorry for Dylan and his situation. She is beyond distracting to him, and that is enough to turn his emotional balancing act upside down. Not only is she intelligent, and a smart aleck, she’s also very determined to pull the sexy Dylan Blackard out of his self-imposed isolation.
From the moment he meets her, he feels alive again, but Emma doesn’t come as a gift with a pretty bow; she comes with major baggage—a family embedded in its own tumultuous history.
Will Emma be the tipping point that causes Dylan to regress into his past destructive behaviors…or will he actually pursue her for keeps?
*Due to adult language and sexual content, this New Adult Contemporary Romance is intended for readers over the age of 18.
“You’re living
with her and you’re trying to keep it platonic?” Dr. Wang pauses his typing and
squints at me.
“Am I screwing
up?” I ask. “I really like Emma, but I don’t want this to go to crap. I don’t
want to do what I did to Jess… I don’t want to get in deep and then find out
I’m on another bender.”
Dr. Wang
smiles at my term for going manic. “I’ve been seeing you for months and you’re
doing well. There’s nothing wrong with being attracted to Emma and dating her,
if that’s what you’re suggesting, although living and working together so soon
may be a challenge. However, if it’s comfortable for both of you, it doesn’t
mean you’re doing anything wrong. Although, you seemed to have rushed right in
to living with her, the circumstances are unique. Dylan, no one—not even your
brother—expects you to never have a relationship with a woman again. This
choice of celibacy was yours. Did you plan on living like that forever?”
“I’m not sure.
I suppose I thought I could pull it off and keep it together.”
“Do you really
think it’s realistic?” Dr. Wang leans back in his chair and looks at me.
“You’re young, you’re healthy, and for the most part, you’ve got your
depression under control. You sound indecisive about it. Tell me about that.”
“I’m
indecisive about what to do with her. I don’t know what I’m allowed to do.” I
get nervous just talking about Emma and my hands start fidgeting on the
armrests.
“Allowed?
You keep referring to these rules you think someone has established for you.
Tell me more about what you’re feeling with Emma.”
“I like her a
lot.”
“You’ve said
that at least six times since you walked in the door.” He smiles. “From my
perspective, I can see you’re different. You’re happier. Is that all because of
Emma?”
“Yeah. When
I’m around her, I think I actually feel my blood pumping, and I start feeling
optimistic. It’s like every part of me has finally been woken up from a coma.
It’s very vivid and that’s what’s scary.”
“So you’re in
love?” Dr. Wang asks thoughtfully.
“No, I like
her a lot, though.” I have to downplay my feelings for her. If I say that I
think I’m falling in love with her, I really will sound like a nut job.
“That’s seven likes.”
He smiles again. “Okay, I see where this is going. I’m going to ask you two
questions, and I want you to give me the first thing that comes to your mind. A
quick response without deliberating. Understand?”
I nod and
think of Emma back at the office, probably wondering why I have been keeping my
hands off her for the last two days since our hot and heavy, near-sex episode
on the couch. We drive to work together and spend our days dealing with
accounts, and then when we go home, I cook dinner and we watch TV while she
knits. We’re like an old married couple that never has had sex, not even the
consummation part. That’s my fault, of course. She is not shy about what she
wants, and I would want it, too, if I knew that my crazy head couldn’t possibly
put us on the road to ruin.
“Go ahead,” I
say.
“Why do you
like Emma?”
“She makes me
feel fantastic.” I sound remorseful rather than thrilled.
“Why are you
afraid of being with Emma?”
“Because she
makes me feel fantastic… and I might turn into the old Dylan again. I might
lose all this self-control I’ve been managing for months.”
“Okay, this is
what I want you to hear. Fact, you like her a lot and she makes you feel
fantastic. You worrying about losing control and turning into the old Dylan are
speculation and fear, not fact. We have to work with facts. If
you keep letting your fear dictate how you live, you will miss some very big
things in life.”
His words provide
some relief. It’s like my shrink is handing me a golden ticket.
S. A. Wolfe lives with her very loud, opinionated children and husband. She is a voracious reader and passionate about writing, and when those two activities don’t keep her locked away in her room, she loves roaming the streets of New York City. Sometimes she even hikes mountains, but most of the time she finds excellent ways to procrastinate.
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