Love's Edge (A Dark Erotic Romance Novel) Read Free

Mr. Harrison had promised. I opened the envelope giddily in my room and pressed the ticket to my racing heart, trying my best not to squeal in delight. It was finally real. My escape had arrived. I looked at the destination on the ticket and my eyes grew wide. Connecticut. I had never been that far East, or that close New York City before. I imagined myself on a business trip to the city, walking hurriedly down the packed sidewalks and taking elevators to the top floor of towering skyscrapers. New York was the place for serious people with big dreams and I was taking my first huge step in that direction.
     
    The day finally arrived on a foggy morning. I expected to be more excited than ever, but when I woke up I discovered that a calm had fallen over me. I was ready to leave. I quickly changed into jeans and a lacey white tank top, but threw on a lavender cardigan at the last minute to guard against the chilly early morning air. My parents were still asleep, so I slipped out of the house as silently as I could with my purse and my one rolling suitcase.
     
    I walked down the road, listening to the silence of the early morning. Mercy River was a boring town, but the magic of an early summer morning gave it a certain beauty. I enjoyed the sounds of birds and crickets as I pulled my suitcase after me on the one-lane road. I arrived at the bus station half an hour before my bus was set to leave and found a seat on the slightly cracked bench outside to wait.
     
    The bus finally pulled up as I was starting to grow sleepy, my eyelids drooping against my will. The loud creak of brakes yanked me awake and I quickly grabbed my bags and boarded the dusty bus. There were only a few other passengers, and most of them looked angry or were sleeping against the windows, so I found myself a seat near the back and curled up with my bags as well. I slept through the first few hours of the trip, falling in and out of strange dreams, where I floated on a river watching the current pull me further and further from my friends and family on the shore. I woke up to the staccato sound of quiet rain pattering against the window.
     
    The rest of the ride, I alternated between reading the book I had brought with me—Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray —and staring out the window at the towns and cities as we passed. Mostly, I liked to watch how quiet the world looked as the rain gently bathed the highways. The time passed much more quickly than I imagined and before I knew it, we were pulling up to the dingy Connecticut bus station. It looked similar to the one in Mercy River, but much bigger and teeming with people.
     
    I quickly gather my belongings and made my way to the exit, trying my best to elbow any other passengers. Most of the other passengers did not have the same concern, so I was one of the last people to exit and step into the large parking lot.
     
    A kindly looking older gentleman in a suit caught my eye. He was holding up a sign, so I took a few steps forward to get a better look.
     
    Grace Martin , the sign said. I sighed in relief that I wouldn’t have to wander through the parking lot until I found my ride.
     
    “Hello, that’s me,” I said, pointing to the sign and then extending my hand to him.
     
    “Nice to meet you Grace,” the man replied with a warm smile that reached all the way to the crinkles by his eyes. “Let me help you with those bags.”
     
    He quickly hoisted up my bag in a feat of strength that surprised me given how slender he was, and walked me to a shiny black limo. He opened the door for me, and then went to put my bags in the trunk.
     
    “This fancy car is just for picking me up?” I asked incredulously as the driver climbed into the front seat and started the engine.
     
    “My dear, I think you’ll learn that Blake Harrison expects nothing but the best, at all times, and in all areas.”
     
    I mused the driver’s words over in my head as we pulled out of the parking lot and headed