SALVAGE

Caribou River Series #2

by Alexa Gregory

Cover & Excerpt Reveal

Release Date: September 30, 2021

Cover Design: MadHat Studios

Genre: Contemporary romance, Women's Fiction
Trope: Small town, second chance

Synopsis

High school sweethearts, a tragic accident, and a second chance to salvage their love.

Three years ago, an accident ripped Rowan Walker’s life apart. He doesn’t recognize himself or his life. He’s no longer a boyfriend, volunteer firefighter, and friend. But he’s got a plan to make amends and get his life back on track. If he catches the Caribou River Arsonist, it will be his apology letter to his family. To Eastwood. To Violet.

Violet Ross has always been a fighter, but the darkness in Rowan’s head never played fair. Now, Violet has to avoid the man she still loves. No easy feat. They share custody of their dogs, and he hasn’t technically moved out yet. Slowly, she lets Rowan back into her life, and her heart reminds her that she’s never been a quitter.

Old hurts don’t stay hidden long when loss and grief follow them around. Violet might still have some fight left in her, but she can’t win Rowan’s battles for him. She has her own to contend with, something she thought was long gone and buried.

Excerpt

I shuffled on my feet, stuffing my hands in my hair to keep from reaching out for her. “I should go. Thanks for letting me spend time with the creatures.”

“Sure, of course.”

I made my way to the door and was surprised that Violet followed me. I could lock up, no problem. She hadn’t asked for the key back. Yet.

“We’re gonna share the dogs for now?” She hovered over me as I slid on my shoes. “Like we’ve been doing this week?”

“Sure. We can figure everything out as time goes on.”

Violet pulled her lower lip into her mouth and chewed on it. “Yeah. Okay.” There was more she wanted to say. She didn’t.

I stood, towering over her. Every part of me demanded that I kiss her goodbye. It was so fucking weird that she wasn’t mine to kiss anymore. I turned my back to her and opened the door before I did something real dumb.

“What happened to my truck?” Violet followed me onto the porch.

I grinned. She’d noticed already. “I don’t know what you mean,” I teased.

She narrowed her eyes, but there was a smile pulling at the corner of her lips. The porch light illuminated her, a pool of light creating a halo around her silky black hair. “You fixed the running board.”

“I did, yes.”

“Why?” There was wonder in her whisper. “Was it a lo—“ She bit down, killing the end of her question.

I shrugged. Yes. It was a lovie. “It was broken. I knew you wouldn’t be able to get around to it for a while. I also know you’re so short you’ve got a hard time getting in and out without it.”

Her jaw dropped down. “Did you seriously make a dig at my height?” She jabbed a finger into my side.

As perverted as it was, I let her because I was desperate for any contact from this woman. “No. I wouldn’t dare.”

“I mean.”

My smirk turned into a full belly laugh. Classic Vi. “You know I like your size, Vivi.” The nickname slipped out before I could think better of it. Really, it was impossible to hold back. After nineteen years of flirting with Violet, of teasing her to get a rise, it was only too easy to fall back into our old, comfortable patterns.

Yet, her proximity was hard to bear. Longing turned sharper, like a deep-seated compulsion. Every inch of me wanted to wrap itself around her.

“My stature makes you feel like a big tough guy, huh?” She took a step closer to me, cutting off the air supply to my brain. The blue of her eyes was crystal clear. Her mouth was right there. Soft little tendrils of hair escaped from her ponytail. She was still all rosy and on a high from her roller derby game. The scent of her sweat enticed in a naughty way. It sparked all kinds of memories along my spine. My dick stirred, and there was nothing for it.

Violet was — would always be — the most beautiful woman.

I licked my lips, a desperate hunger pushing my sanity to the brink for a taste—only one kiss.

It was my turn to edge forward. It was only a couple of inches, but it could have been miles.

“It’s got nothing to do with your height, Vi. It’s all you. Just you.” Those two words meant way more. She knew. She had to.

“Rowan.” My name struck a silent bargain between us.

Just.

One.

Kiss.

I took my time, savoring the moment. If this was going to be our last kiss, I’d make it count. I’d make it memorable. I’d pour everything I couldn’t say into this one single embrace. It would have to last me a whole lifetime without my best friend, my lover, my soulmate.

I cupped her cheek, angling her perfectly as I leaned down. Kissing Violet was always a bit of gymnastics thanks to our height difference, but in truth, it was the only way I knew how to kiss. I didn’t want to know anything else.

Just Violet.

I inhaled her breath, letting her sink into my lungs before pressing my lips against hers in the softest brush. I repeated the movement once, twice, earning me a plea from Vi. Her hand fisted into my shirt, pulling me into her. She pushed up to the tips of her toes and ran her tongue along the seam of my mouth.

I went wild.

My free arm wrapped around her waist, pinning her to my front. If I could find a way to glue Violet Ross to me, I would.

My lips moved with hers, following the desperate pace she set.

We were two souls, slowly finding our way back to each other. Locked in the embrace, I was alive again.

Fleetingly.

It couldn’t last.

Slowly, Violet lowered back down and eased her grip on my shirt. Her breath puffed out of her in an erratic rhythm, her azure gaze burning brighter than any flame I’d ever seen. Her cute pink tongue licked her lower lip.

“Shit,” she whispered. “Sorry.”

Still holding her close and more than a little reluctant to let her go, I pressed my lips to the crown of her head. Her soft hair tickled my nose. That explained the tears in my eyes. Her scent, her proximity, her intoxicating kiss were the reasons why I was getting all emotional.

Not because my heart was breaking all over at the idea that this was it.

This was the last time I held her.

And if that was really true, I wouldn’t let Violet go until she demanded it of me.

About the Author

Alexa Gregory writes love stories for the people that fate forgot. She believes that love should bring people together, especially in the darkest of times. She began writing before knowing what words were and never stopped. The home Alexa shares with her husband is overrun with filled notebooks, stacks of sticky notes, and enough books to build a bridge to another world. She is currently working on a novel or two.