All Chapters of A writers' conference in California : Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

NADIA'S POV Even before I married my husband, Marlowe, I knew he was an average kisser. He struggled with the whole concept of kissing, and I couldn't count how many times our tongues had clashed disgracefully when we attempted a French kiss. When the technician whose name I didn't even know kissed me, I discovered how much I had missed being kissed properly. He tasted of mint, and the scent of his earthy cologne invaded my nostrils time and time again, leaving no room for common sense. My hands went up to his neck, uncontrollably and of their own accord, dragging him deeper into the kiss than he probably wished to. When his hand went to my waist, I leaned into him, subconsciously pleading with my hips that he take me there and then as I grinded on his groin shamelessly. When I came up for air minutes later, I was breathless. He stared at me, his green eyes mirroring mine and conveying the same message I was sure my eyes did. We wanted each other. Badly. Desperately and without

NADIA'S POV “Nadia? I'm waiting outside your hotel. We're still going to the airport together, right?”Morning had brought with it the bitterness of making decisions. My phone pressed to my ear, I listened to the voice of Bobbi as she reminded me that my flight was due in an hour. On the bed was the contact card I had received from the receptionist the previous night; the only link to which I could see the technician again. I stared at the contact card and at that moment, I found myself questioning my life and everything I had ever believed in. “Nadia? Are you there?”Bobbi's voice told me that time wasn't on my side either. What exactly was I doing? Why was I going in search of a man whom I didn't even know? If he wanted me the same way I wanted him, wouldn't he have come to the hotel, at least?“Nadia?”“I'm sorry, Bobbi, I think something's wrong with the signal. Let me call you back, alright?”I ended the call and proceeded to pack my clothes which hung in the wardrobe into

FABIAN'S POVWhen I saw her come out of the house with the basket of plates in her hand, I was instantly reminded of the image of her holding the table in the small hotel room while I thrusted into her from behind, her hands grabbing the table which now held a basket. I ran a hand through my hair as she came closer, my heart slamming repeatedly in my chest. I watched her place the plates on the table carefully with the help of her son whom Marlowe had introduced to me earlier. “So, Fabian, what have you been up to? You've been off the grid for twenty years, brother. What did you do in all that time?”I glanced at Marlowe, and at the beautiful family he had managed to raise in such a short time. It just seemed like only yesterday we were getting dressed for a fraternity party. “I lived, Marlowe. I lived.”He smiled in understanding as he stood up to attend to the steak. I stole a glance at Nadia, who had barely looked at me since she came into the backyard. “You know, sometimes,

NADIA'S POV As soon as Marlowe and the kids left, I got busy. Grabbing a bin and rake, I cleared the grass of the debris that littered the yard after yesterday's dinner. With every minute that went past, I tried in vain to ignore the fact that the guest room had a window that was directly facing the backyard and that Fabian Davenport could be watching me at that moment. I continued working, knowing that the only way I could successfully ignore Fabian and forget that he was in the house was by keeping myself as busy as possible. By the time I had completed the clean-up, the sun was up in the sky, and I knew that continuing to stand in the yard was going to cause sunburn. Gathering my tools, I made my way into the kitchen, then stopped short when I saw Fabian. He stood next to the door, his legs crossed, a strand of tousled hair in between those powerful green eyes. The fact that he was wearing only a thin tank top that showed off his lean body seemed to make the weather even mo

NADIA'S POV I got back home in time to rustle up dinner before Marlowe and Fabian's arrival. Cooking gave me time to think carefully about my situation and how I was going to tackle it. But even as I mixed the dough for the lemon flavoured cake I was preparing, I knew that my mind had refused to come up with anything tangible as a solution. When it came to him, the ability to think clearly suddenly became impossible. “Mum, I'm having difficulty with my homework. Can you help?”I rolled my eyes, making sure my back was turned so my daughter, who had asked the question, couldn't see my facial expression. “I'll wrap up cooking in an hour, my baby. I promise to help you before I tuck you into bed. Have you tried asking Anderson?”I heard Nancy scoff behind me, her voice getting even louder as she came up to me. “He's been on his laptop since he came back from school.”I shook my head disappointedly, knowing that it had been a bad idea for Marlowe to gift him the gaming laptop, the