Sweet Secrets
by Constance Munday
by Constance Munday
What
will happen when dark secrets threaten a perfect recipe for happiness and
newfound love?
Left
on her own, Carrie Ann decides it is time to escape her past, empower herself
and overcome her confidence issues by turning her secret hobby of erotic cake
design into a business. Her world is then turned upside down when she bumps
into dynamic and sexy Dominic. Unwittingly, Carrie Ann sows the seeds of
disaster from day one, weaving a web of deceit, and before she knows it the
lies are multiplying.
As
news of her baking brilliance spreads, romance grows. Now, only one thing can
ruin their happiness and that is Carrie Ann’s dark deceptions and the battle
she is fighting within herself. Will she be strong enough to overcome a past
that is set to destroy her dreams for the future and tell Dominic the truth, or
will she lose him forever?
Sweet
Secrets is available on Kindle, ebook and print from:
And
all good book suppliers!
~ * ~
Excerpt:
The
sun warmed Carrie Ann Jude’s face as she glanced through the large plate glass
windows of the airport. Planes rose into the sky like silver birds, their metal
bodies transporting people all over the world on adventures. She tightened her
grip on the straps of her handbag. She had been one of those people embarking
on an adventure only two weeks ago, except her journey had not started just
with feelings of excitement, but trepidation. She pushed her sunglasses up over
her head and took out her paperback to flip through. It was hard to concentrate
with so many thoughts dancing in her head.
Carrie
Ann was so deep in thought she hadn’t noticed the stunning youth about to sit
down beside her. Wanting to be alone and not have anyone invading her space,
she’d put her large bag on the chair next to her. Before she could say
anything, he’d had his hand on it and, much to her consternation, had dropped
it unceremoniously onto the floor. Then, not giving her time to move out of the
way, he dumped a considerably weighty backpack on her foot.
“Ouch.
Watch it!” she cried out, as he bumped against her, slopping his coffee over
her hand. “That was hot.” She angrily snapped her book closed, noticing spots
of coffee marking the pages.
“Oh,
my God, I’m so sorry. Hi.” He had an American accent. “I ought to have asked if
you minded if I sat here, but that’s me.”
She
looked up to make a rude retort and found herself glaring into an impossibly
green pair of eyes. She flushed. It was so embarrassing to be trapped by his
compelling gaze.
“I’m
so clumsy, everyone says it.” He held out his hand. “I’m truly sorry. My name’s
Dominic, and you are…?”
How
could she resist those eyes and his flirtatious expression? Carrie Ann took
hold of his proffered hand and shook it unenthusiastically. “Carrie Ann.” What
she could only describe as an electrical charge danced up her legs and ended
with a pleasant fizz in the tips of her fingers and toes. He was very
good-looking and his mop of shaggy blond hair that flopped into his face seemed
to remind her of…
“Great.”
He flashed her a grin. “I’m sorry. Let me get you another coffee.”
“No
thanks, I don’t want one.” She was attempting to be more assertive, but it was
harder than she’d thought. Actually, everything was so much harder out in the
big wide world as she tried to cut ties to her past. Rommy, her father, so
named because when he was younger he’d looked devilishy like a true Romany
gypsy, had often criticised her for her submissive stance, which was ridiculous
since that was what he’d wanted from her. The thought of him sent a creepy
crawly shiver down her spine.
No
one should feel like that about their father, but she did and she couldn’t help
it. On occasion, she wondered if she would ever be able to get over him, shake
loose all the hang-ups and phobias he had given her. It had not been abuse, but
he had been good at keeping her under. She realised now she shouldn’t have put
up with it for so long, she should have fought more for her independence when
she’d had a chance to. But that was easier said than done.
The
young guy hefted his bag and again knocked her. The nerve of it. She studied
him angrily out of the corner of her eye. She had keen powers of observation—it
was another one of the little skills she’d developed from being alone so long.
Not having a lot to occupy her, she had become exceedingly observant. His arms
were bare and muscular and covered in a frosting of tight blond hair. He also
had strong, capable hands. Rommy would have said the man’s thighs were those of
a rugby player. She had a thing about blond men, she reflected. Perhaps that
was why she was instantly captivated by him. That came as a surprise and an
interesting one, since anger and desire had a potent effect on her newly
liberated self. It would be hard to be immune to his charms and it might be fun
to test her boundaries yet again. She was woefully inexperienced with men. In a
way, stepping out into the world was like learning to drive, and shy girls like
her had to approach it slowly and cautiously and be prepared for any sudden
unexpected turns in the road or emergency stops. She smiled to herself. She
might have been confined to the house for years and had no experience of love
first-hand, but she was living and breathing and had the same desires other
women had.
For
some reason she was shamefully hot and crossed her legs. It was utterly
ridiculous being affected like this since Dominic was sexy and because of that
was the kind of guy who wouldn’t flirt with her, well, not seriously. She
tugged her skirt down over her knees. When she glanced up, he was watching her
with a wry twist to his lips, as if he found her faintly amusing.
He
gestured to the terminal board. “I guess you’re heading back to England.”
“Naturally,”
she said. Carrie Ann wondered if she had a sticky label on her forehead,
stamped ‘England’.
Nervousness
made her feel hysterical. She would much prefer to be left alone with her
thoughts, besides which it was distinctly embarrassing to have a man’s leg
pressed against hers. He kept staring at her and she self-consciously stroked
her lip. Why did he keep peering at her, like that? Besides the invisible
label, there was nothing else that could make her seem even remotely
interesting…was there?
At
that moment a stunning girl strolled by and Dominic sized her up with interest,
his gaze rippling up and down her from the tips of the high heels she was
tottering in, to her layer-cut, multi-toned hair. Carrie Ann’s spirits sank
further. She only had to dissect some of the women around her to realise she
was at a distinct disadvantage where flirting was concerned. Let’s face it, she
wasn’t even dressed for seduction. She was draped in her shabby comfortable
skirt and she hadn’t even bothered with her appearance. As for what Rommy would
have rather rudely termed ‘slap’—that was like attempting a recipe that was way
out of her comfort zone. She’d only recently ventured down the makeup trail and
she still didn’t like wearing it, although that might soon have to change, if
her career plans took off. Makeup was weird stuff. It never looked right on
her—the eyeshadow she’d tried made her dark brown eyes seem to retreat
backwards so they seemed far too small, her freckles overwhelmed her complexion
and her riotous mousy curls defied brushes, combs and tongs.
Any
makeup she had used, she’d mistakenly plastered on to cover the freckles, and
red lipstick—as Myra, the girl she had met at the ranch had pointed out—made
her appear garish. Myra had given her a stick of lipstick termed nude and that
did help, teamed with a tinted moisturiser. Myra was a brick, she thought
grimly, pity she lived halfway across the world in Australia. She was also into
baking, which had been a plus. It had been great to actually have a kindred
spirit to talk with, to enthuse about her dreams to. Her heart soared and
dipped. If anything was guaranteed to lift her spirits, it was the prospect of
the new plans waiting for her when she got home.
“I
don’t bite.” He touched her.
She jumped. He was smiling at her and trying
to be funny by dipping his head and making puppy dog eyes at her.
She
laughed, she couldn’t help it. “No, I guess not.”
He
stretched out his long legs, settling back in his chair. “Did you enjoy it?”
“Enjoy
what?”
“Your
stay over here in the States. What were you doing? Was it business or pleasure?”
She
was still guilty that she’d splurged a considerable amount of Rommy’s nestegg
on the short holiday. It was the kind of thing her father, with his thrifty
ways, would have termed profligate.
“All
pleasure. Something trivial actually. I just had the Arlem experience.” She
stared him in the eye, seeing if he got it or not. Most people knew about Arlem
or they didn’t.
He
broke into a grin. “Wow! You’re kidding. The Arlem experience, that’s way cool.
I read about it in a Sunday supplement.” Brow creased, he seemed to be
thinking.
“But
that’s where the weird people go isn’t it? You a teacher? You don’t strike me
as weird.”
She
felt a short sharp violent stab of indignation. “The people at Arlem are
lovely. They specialise in helping people. People with problems.”
“Yeah,
but it’s mostly mental problems isn’t it?”
“Not
always,” she snapped. Goodness, he had no tact whatsoever. “And no. I’m not a
teacher, I was a visitor.”
He
shrugged and looked away. It was as if he hadn’t noticed her sharp tone. “I’ve
just been to visit my mother,” he explained. “She lives in California and he—my
dad—still lives in England. After that ordeal, there were a few things I wanted
to stop off and see here before I headed back. I don’t know why I come back to
see her because it winds me up so much. Dad’s worse though, so it’s the lesser
of two evils. In case you wondered. They’re divorced although it’s a sham since
neither of them abide by the rules. They frequently visit one another to have
passionate interludes.”
“Really.”
Carrie Ann was intrigued, as in her estimation, romantic folk like that only
seemed to exist between the pages of novels. “How modern of them. They must
like it and be very much in love to be like that. To want the continual spice.”
He
didn’t seem to have heard her. “It’s not like a divorce. It’s like playing at a
divorce. In fact, I reckon you’re right. They rather like it. It seems to add
something to their love life.”
“I
think it’s romantic. Fancy still loving a person when you’re half a world apart.”
“Yes.
Quaint. A grown-up kind of game. My father’s version of Viagra. I often wonder
if that’s why I’m so messed up. It would be hard not to be, with two parents
like that.”
Carrie
Ann fell silent. Dominic didn’t look messed up. He seemed the most confident
and together person she’d met. Besides being wickedly good-looking. Come on.
You deserve a slap on the wrist. He’s so young for one thing. Let’s face it,
there’s no way on earth a guy like him would ever want to date you.
~ * ~
About Constance
Munday:
Constance
is nearly always to be found with a pencil in her hand making notes for a new
story. She has led a varied life and done many jobs from cup washer, lecturer,
to new age healer but has always written since she was a child.
A
major health scare recently though, made her see life differently, and after
years as a part-time writer, she turned full-time, because as she says - life
is too short not to do what you love. She has literally climbed a mountain and
made many sacrifices to pen her novels and now builds on a fund of wonderful
encounters with intriguing people, plus her imagination, to write stories with
strong characters and determined and adventurous women.
When
asked what kind of genre is her favourite, romance is always the answer because
to Constance, romance - whether hot and steamy or sweet and emotional is always
at the heart of a good story. She hopes her stories reflect all of life’s
facets from the struggling mother at home who finds a way out of poverty, the
ardent and often disappointed dieter, to the girl who triumphs over sickness or
has the courage to embrace her rather naughty side.
Constance
loves listening to snatched conversations, which often gives her a seed to
start a story, taking walks, revelling in the mysteries of life and baking and
dancing, when she isn’t tapping away at her latest novel, of course.
She
loves her fans and their comments, so invites you to please drop a line and if
you have a second, pen a review.
Find
Constance on: http://msnc62.wordpress.com/author/constancemundayromance/
And
at her Facebook launch party on the 21st July. Come and join the
evening fun…
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