Sometimes a man must put his needs above all else...
A woman needs the right man to love her.
Blurb
For years Devin Blackthorn has prided himself on being an honorable man. He stepped in to take care of Kylie James when his younger half-brother, Allen, abandoned her when she was nine months pregnant. He has spent eleven years taking care of Kylie and her son, Jamie, as if they were his own. He never asked for anything in return and he never allowed his dominant sexual feelings for Kylie to show, always maintaining a safe distance from the much younger woman. Devin has been tortured by erotic dreams of Kylie for years. At his limit, Devin is ready to admit he wants her for himself. But when secrets from Kylie’s past threaten her and Jamie, Devin’s real feelings come out and he can do no less than protect the woman he loves and the son of his heart.
Kylie James has made mistakes in her life, but her son is not one of them. For eleven years she has kept the secret of Allen’s betrayal and remained quiet of his crimes. But when Allen returns, making demands, Kylie is afraid he is up to his old ways once again. To stop Allen from destroying her son, Kylie must confront her past and reveal the secrets she has kept from everyone. Will the truth destroy the love she has found in Devin’s arms? How can she possibly protect her son from a monster who never wanted him to be born? And how can she keep the past from destroying all her dreams for the future?
When Devin learns Allen has targeted Kylie and Jamie, once again he must put all his resources into protecting them, even if it means destroying his brother to do it. Can Devin protect everything he holds dear, or will Allen get his greatest wish–destroying Devin and Kylie and the child he blames for the ruin of all his dreams?
Where Savannah’s head was in writing Dreams:
Dreams starts out rather slow, even I believe this to be true, but it was written this way intentionally. Devin and Kylie are such complicated characters, with such a complicated past and connections that the turmoil they feel in just thinking about changing the nature of their relationship had to be shown. The first several chapters is Devin at his wits end with the status of their relationship currently, but in order for him to make his feelings known he will literally have to wager everything on it working out. Kylie’s son, Jamie, is not only an important part of Devin’s life he is Devin’s nephew and the son of Devin’s heart.
If Devin was to start a romantic relationship with Kylie, Jamie would be affected in ways that could destroy the child if it didn’t work out. Devin can’t imagine not having both Kylie and Jamie in his life, but to lose Jamie would be devastating in a completely different way than if he were to lose Kylie. Devin also has an issue with the age difference between he and Kylie and this is a major hurdle for him to get over. Lastly, Devin has a very complicated family tree, which is why I included an actual family tree at the beginning of the paperback and the end of the eBook. Anything Devin does pertaining to his feelings for Kylie and Jamie have a rippling effect in Devin’s family and this is something else Devin must come to terms with before setting out to make Kylie his own.
Through the early morning hours, while Devin wrestles his demons and uncertainties, we flip over to where Kylie is starting a normal day. She owns a coffee shop and had taken the day off, but quickly finds her day’s plans having to change. Just like any single parent, Kylie must shift everything in her day and that invariably affects her son, Jamie. Instead of a leisurely morning of making breakfast for her child and seeing him off to school, she now has to wake him up at an ungodly early hour and have him come to her shop with her. He’s a child, and he has his little moments of challenging and arguing with his mother, but you see a deep respect for her in Jamie. You also see how much Kylie respects her son. She doesn’t just demand he do as she says, she considers them partners in this life even though she is the adult.
As the morning progresses Jamie tells her key things that makes Kylie angry and nervous, at the situation not at Jamie. There are several other things Kylie has to work around, find a solution to, and live with as the morning progresses. This is just a little glimpse into Kylie’s daily life. It shows the way she balances being a mother, a shop owner, and a friend, it also shows Kylie’s feelings in regards to Devin and how she is willing to take a chance on them being a real family.
I promise, once Devin makes his mind up that he would rather take a chance on having it all with Kylie and Jamie, than to spend the rest of his life the way he has the last ten years, the story picks up the pace and the action begins. Devin and Kylie’s story is one of a deep sustaining love, not only between them as a couple, but the three of them as a family. It also is a story of complicated families but the love each member holds for the others and how when just one member of the family turns out evil how it affects them all.
Dreams tackles some hard topics: like what really makes a man a father, and where does loyalty to ones blood relations end. Is it okay to put the woman and child you love above everything else, even if it means the destruction of a brother? It also tackles some unsettling topics such as rape and physical abuse, along with human trafficking. I don’t go into great detail about these harder topics but they are there and Kylie’s confession of what really happened when she was younger and the scenes where Allen makes his final move to get her back in his clutches, are very unsettling and could be a trigger to rape and abuse survivors.
You will notice I do not say rape and abuse victims. A person who has lived through such an attack is nothing less than a survivor in my opinion. It was important for me to show Kylie as a survivor, someone who is strong but still capable of love, confident but still considerate of others. It was important to me to show that she had come to terms with what had happened in her past and had found healing in the love of her son and friends. I hope I was able to relay all of the above in Devin and Kylie’s story.
I will make several promises to my readers in regards to future books in the Sapphire Springs series. They will not start out with this slow build up. Book 2, Secrets, which I am currently working on, drops you smack down in the middle of the mystery in the first chapter. I also guarantee each book can be read as a stand-alone book, but it would be helpful to understand the characters a little better if you read the series in order.
That doesn’t mean that every little thread is tied up in each book, but the main issues, trials, hurdles the main couple face will be. A few examples: In the case of Sofia and her motivation in getting Kylie away from Devin is actually tied to Tia’s story and it all comes to light in Book 2, Secrets. There is also the question of what happens to Nadine, Devin’s birth mother. She has to face the truth at the end of Dreams, but her comeuppance is really Duncan’s story to tell and it will be in Duncan and Amara’s story Book 3, Irresistible.
I promise to never have a cliffhanger ending unless I tell you well in advance, and if I do have a cliffhanger ending the price for the book will be much reduced. My main goal in writing anything is to share the experience of my characters’ lives with my readers. And hope they enjoy getting to know my characters as much as I have loved living with them throughout the years.
Thank you,
Savannah
Excerpt
Kylie took a look around to see how bad a mess was left after the morning rush and to make sure Allen hadn’t snuck in while she had been in back, but found there was not much left to do and thankfully, Allen was nowhere to be seen. Devin had cleaned the counters, started a load of dishes in the small dishwasher in the front, and had began three different flavors of coffee brewing for the nearly empty self-serve carafes located at the end of the large curved counter. A few customers were sitting at tables, visiting or reading the morning paper so Kylie grabbed the fresh pot of house blend coffee, which had just finished brewing, and went out to refill their cups. She returned to the counter where Devin seemed to be waiting for her.
“I need to talk to you,” Devin stated in a low tone.
“Thanks for the help. If you have some time I need to talk to you about Jamie,” Kylie said at the same time, in an equally hushed tone.
She nodded, pulling two cups down and poured coffee into them. She knew he drank his coffee black so she filled it almost to the rim, then headed out to an isolated table with her own cup, letting him carry the fuller of the two.
“What’s going on with Jamie?” Devin asked. He wanted to talk to her about Allen, her, Jamie, and himself, but if Jamie was having problems, then all of that would have to wait.
“It isn’t anything bad. He isn’t in any trouble. I didn’t mean to alarm you.” She blew across the top of her coffee before taking a sip.
“Okay. So what did you want to talk about?”
“There are a couple of things actually. First I was wondering if you could spare some time to spend with him. I know you’re busy, but he misses you and with Allen around, he’s feeling a little adrift.”
“Not a problem. That was something I wanted to discuss with you too.”
“Good. I was a little afraid you wouldn’t want too.”
Devin bristled under the accusation. “Why the hell wouldn’t I want to spend time with him?”
Kylie let his outburst pass without comment. Devin’s first response to anything he didn’t like was a heated verbal demand or question. She was used to it.
Rather than arguing or taking offense she moved onto the other topic she loathed to discuss with him. “Secondly, I would like to hire your firm, just a couple of your guys, to keep watch on Jamie when he isn’t with me.”
Devin raised an eyebrow. “Do you think he is into something?”
“No, nothing like that.”
“Then why do you want surveillance on him.”
“Not surveillance so much as a guard dog,” Kylie stated seriously, as she stood and walked to the counter to help a new customer.
Jake Riley, Kylie’s part-time manager, entered while she helped the customer. He had heard she was managing the store by herself and had arrived offering to take a long shift to help her out.
Kylie took advantage of his offer and returned to the table where she had left Devin. She poured him another cup of coffee, and added more to hers to warm it.
When she sat down, Devin began questioning her in rapid-fire succession. “Is someone bothering the two of you? Do you have reason to believe someone is following him? Are you being harassed? Have there been threats? Why didn’t you come to me when you first felt uncomfortable? Do you…”
“Devin, slow down. There haven’t been any overt threats. It’s more of a feeling than anything else. With Allen coming back, out of the blue like he has…I’m sure it is just my overactive imagination. I would just like to be safe, not sorry. If it’s a problem, then I can figure out something else.”
“Kylie, the only problem I have is that it has taken you nearly two months to come to me with this. I assume you didn’t feel this way before he arrived back in town?”
She lowered her eyes and gave her head a small shake. She hated lying to him. She’d felt like this since early April, when Allen had started demanding to see Jamie, but she hadn’t told Devin about Allen’s calls. Now she felt as if she didn’t have the right to bring Devin into it. She was really getting scared though. Her fear for Jamie’s safety over-rode any concern of Devin finding out she was keeping secrets from him.
Devin reached out, taking her small hand in his larger one. It felt like ice. Her thin graceful fingers intertwined with his and he felt a small tremor in them. He wanted to pull her into his lap, wrap his arms around her, and keep all the bad things away. When she looked up at him, she smiled a small smile that barely turned up the corners of her mouth. He squeezed her hand.
“You think Allen’s coming back is suspicious, don’t you?”
She nodded. “I don’t understand the turn around. It feels too sudden.” She shook her head again and laughed bitterly. “I know it’s crazy. It hasn’t been sudden. It has been ten years in the making. It’s just…”
“Devin, I hadn’t heard from him in all that time, then wham. He’s on the phone demanding time with his son. Then wham again. He is here, unannounced, to make that happen. He wants a relationship with his son. He wants visitation. He wants overnight and holiday visits. He wants to know if I’m seeing anyone. He also wants to know the nature of our relationship.” Her eyes narrowed. “He asked Jamie if you and I ever sleep in the same room. On the same bed.”
“He what!?!”
Devin’s question was all the more frightening by his lowered voice. Kylie could tell he was getting angry.
She nodded. “He has been asking Jamie all sorts of questions about me,” she lowered her eyes just a little, “about us. He’s asking if he wants things too, like a dirt bike. Offering to take him to watch the Seahawks play. He even stated that Jamie could have his bedroom decked out with any game system he wanted and a hot new computer system too. What the hell is he up to, Devin?”
“I don’t know, baby, but we’ll figure it out. I promise.” After Devin figured out his brother’s game plan, he would ram it down the bastard’s throat, along with his fist. That little sonofabitch.
Kylie continued as if Devin hadn’t spoken, she was so upset over this whole situation. “I mean, one minute it seems as if he is genuinely interested in building a relationship with Jamie, then he turns it around and sounds as if he wants to get back with me, and then another twist and it appears he is trying to get some type of evidence of my being a bad mother. And of course, let’s not forget the blatant bribery efforts.” Kylie wanted to shout or hit something, then cry for a really long time.
Hadn’t Allen done enough to her and Jamie? Did he need to come back and mess with her and her son a second time?
Devin squeezed her hand again. “Why don’t the two of you come out to the ranch tonight for dinner? We can discuss this further, without having to worry about being overheard.” Devin unclipped his cell from his belt and began scrolling through his contacts. When he came to his office’s main number he connected the call. “I’ll call the office and set up a rotation of agents to watch the school…”
“Alison, connect me with Trey, please.”
“...and to cover him when he isn’t in class. You need to contact the school and let them…”
“Hold on Hawkins.”
“…let them know you have authorized this. My guys will want to check on him while he is in his classroom.” He watched the concerned look wrinkle her brow. “No, don’t worry. He’ll never know they’re there. Now go call the school.”
Kylie left to phone the school while Devin filled Trey Hawkins in on what was happening.
He was just finishing up when she returned to the table. She seemed a little more relaxed, but Devin took her hand again once she sat down as he finished his phone call.
“Trey, Grady, and Trent are going out to the school right now. They will do a security sweep, and then Grady will take first watch. He will check on Jamie then stick close to him until he gets here after practice today. Trent will be here around four to take his watch. We will need a complete list of his extracurricular activities and who he’s allowed to be with after school. I know all of his friends, but the list will be helpful for the others. If he has anything special coming up like birthday parties, overnight stays with friends, or scheduled outings, I’ll need to know as soon as possible in order to schedule enough agents for the watch.” He squeezed her hand gently again. “Don’t look so shocked, honey, this is all routine.”
“Routine for you. He will know something is going on. He isn’t stupid Devin, and he knows all of the guys by sight.”
“I know he does, that is why we will talk to him tonight over dinner. We can either tell him the truth or we can tell him it’s a training exercise for my men. If we go with the training story he can give me an update on how many times he sees my guys. He’ll have a blast reporting in to me. If he catches the agent we will put a new one on him. We were going to rotate anyway.”
Kylie laughed. Leave it Devin to find a way around scaring Jamie to death and including him in the process. She could kick herself for not talking to him sooner about her concerns. She needed to kick herself for not telling Devin the whole truth.
“Thank you.”
Devin released her hand then stretched his arm up to softly stroke her cheek. “Baby, you never have to thank me for protecting you and Jamie. You know I consider Jamie as my own son. His safety is too important to me to not take a threat to him seriously.” He allowed his thumb to stroke her soft skin, allowing himself to get caught up in the feel of her for just a moment before continuing. “You’re a great mom, Kylie. You aren’t given to hysteria or flying off the handle. If you say something doesn’t feel right, I believe you.”
He cupped her cheek in his hand. “Will you come out for dinner? Maybe you two can stay the weekend? We can order pizza and watch videos. While we decide what to tell him, he can play the X-box.”
“We would like that, but he can play the Wii, not the X-box.” She smiled at him. A real smile this time. It was an old argument between them. The Wii gave him a little bit of exercise and the games were a bit more kid friendly, where the X-box had more exciting but violent games, games Jamie preferred to play and Devin enjoyed playing them with him.
Devin chuckled. “Okay, little momma tiger. He can play the Wii, not the X-box.”
“Don’t you have plans tonight? I mean it is Friday. We don’t want to be a bother you or cramp your style,” Kylie challenged.
“Don’t get sassy. You know I’m not seeing anyone right now.”
“Really?” Kylie couldn’t stop the excitement in her voice.
“Like you didn’t know.”
“I didn’t. Honest.”
“When was the last time I brought someone in for coffee, Kylie?”
“Oh, well, it has been a while. I’d say months, but I just assumed that was because you were mad at me and had been seeing the latest girlfriend somewhere else. What was her name? Honey? Bunny? Muffy? Barbie? Lord the list is endless.” She fluttered her eyes at him innocently.
“That was not kind. I have only dated one Harmony and a Barbie, and her real name was Barbara.”
“Oh, right. The giggler.” Kylie rolled her eyes. “I swore if she giggled one more time I was going to pour coffee on her.”
“You wouldn’t,” Devin chuckled.
“It would have been cooled coffee. I am not out to injure my customers, no matter how witless they are.”
Devin laughed. “Jealous?” He teased. When Kylie didn’t answer and turned a cute shade of pink, he knew he was on to something. “Kylie, were you jealous?”
“NO!” Kylie cringed when her voice was a little too loud as she answered. She looked around to make certain no one had heard her.
Miss Millie was sitting at the table with Mrs. Harper. She smiled and winked at Kylie. Kylie wanted to groan then bury her head in a bucket of sand. Could she possibly be any more transparent?
Devin laughed again as he stood up, towering over her. He bent down to where he was nose to nose with her. “It’s okay, Kylie. I like the thought of you being jealous.” He gave her what was supposed to be a quick kiss.
Her soft lips yielded to his, parting slightly. Devin stroked his tongue against the warm velvety texture and had to swallow his groan. He applied more pressure with his tongue on the second sweep and was rewarded when she opened her mouth fully to his gentle demand.
He was becoming addicted to Kylie’s kisses. For too many years he had denied himself this simple pleasure, then once, on a late summer day, he had taken his first taste of her. He had been in a drought for months after that first kiss, now it was as if the skies had finally opened in an effort to quench his thirst for her. Twice in less than two hours he’d had her mouth.
It wasn’t nearly enough.
“I could grow accustomed to your kisses,” Kylie whispered when he pulled away. She immediately clamped a hand over her mouth and closed her eyes, embarrassed. She couldn’t believe she had said that out loud.
Devin smiled as he gently removed her hand from over her mouth. “When we kissed, the last time we were all together, what did you say to me?”
Kylie looked shocked for a second then her eyes narrowed. “You don’t remember?” she huffed.
“I didn’t hear what you said. Cole yelled there was a client on the phone at the same time you spoke. It has driven me crazy not knowing. What did you say to me?”
“I said we needed to wait until Jamie went to bed.” A rose-colored blush crept up her neck to settle in her cheeks.
Devin wrapped his long fingers around her wrist, tugging her out of the chair and toward her office. The look he shot Jake Riley behind the counter a two year old could have understood. They were not to be interrupted.
Once behind closed doors, Devin cupped her face in his hands. “You should have said something to me,” he growled. “You must have thought...Oh hell, I don’t even want to know what was going through your head when I sent you home like that.”
Kylie tried to speak, to calm him down. Why was he angry with her? She looked closer and had to wonder, was that anger she was seeing in his eyes and hearing in his voice, or was it fear. She’d never seen Devin afraid. She wasn’t certain she would know what to do if he ever was.
“I’ve wanted you for years...for ever, Kylie. I can’t have missed my chance. Not after waiting...”
Kylie parted her lips, trying once again to find something to say to calm him down. To understand what he meant by he had wanted her for years. What chance was he talking about? She drew a small breath but before she could say the first word his lips connected with hers. They were warm and firm, demanding but giving. Her heart sped up and her stomach hollowed out. Kissing Devin was like a sensual adventure, but this time there was more to his kiss. It was as if she were freefalling while being sheltered and safe. It was the most amazing feeling she had ever had.
Kylie wrapped her fingers in Devin’s shirt, not to stop him, but to keep herself from falling. She felt Devin loosen his hold on her face as he wrapped one arm around her waist and the other hand moved to the back of her head. Before she knew what was happening, Devin pulled her close to his body as he deepened the kiss, stealing her thoughts and her willpower in equal measures.
Just as her wits began to come back to her, Devin gentled the kiss and then ended it abruptly, placing his forehead against hers. She wanted to scream at him not to stop and couldn’t say for certain if she hadn’t actually whimpered her desire for the kiss to continue.
Devin was breathing hard. He had to stop before he lost his mind completely and wouldn’t be able to stop. “I’m a fool,” he whispered. “You probably thought I was turning you down when I said it was getting late and the two of you needed to get on home.”
Kylie winced at the remembered words. He had hurt her feelings so badly with that comment. All weekend he had acted as if he wanted her. The small touches had nearly driven her mad. Snuggling on the couch together watching movies had her close to begging him to make love to her, and then that stupid football game...the tackles...that kiss, And oh God, the rubbing and petting while they had kissed. She had wanted to cry when he sent her home.
She would never admit that to anyone other than herself. He had completely humiliated her.
She looked up at him, shielding the pain and humiliation of what had happened on that day. She nodded, unable to speak from the lump in her throat.
“I would never turn you down, Kylie.”
“Well it seemed like it to me,” she barely got out without choking on the words.
Devin let his hands roam from her shoulders down her back and further, to her butt, where he cupped her perfect roundness in his palms. As he slid his hands around the cheeks of her ass, his long fingers glided along the seam of her jeans, down to her crotch, as he pulled her up on her toes and close enough she could feel his erection.
“You do this to me.” He thrust his hips forward so she could feel the hard, swollen length of his cock. A state he had been in since he awoke from that erotic dream of her. “All I can think about is having you, tasting you.”
He placed his lips against hers, and then nibbled his way from her mouth down along her jaw and up to her sensitive earlobe. He ran his tongue lightly around the shell of her ear. “I wake from dreaming about you and think I can still taste you in my mouth.” He whispered.
Kylie gasped. Her fingers clenched involuntarily tighter in his shirt as she tried to steady herself.
“I can’t wait to suck on your pretty nipples, to make them so hard and needy you weep from want.” Devin bit her lobe gently.
He held the soft flesh between his teeth a heartbeat before sweeping his tongue over the light sting. “When your nipples are pebbled hard and pouting prettily, I will kiss down your body to your sweet little pussy.”
Somewhere during this, Devin had stopped relaying his dreams and had began detailing what he would do to her once she came to his bed. And she would come to his bed.
Tonight.
“Your pussy is sweet and delicious, isn’t it baby?”
Kylie couldn’t respond. Her mind was reeling. This could not be happening. She had to be dreaming. It was the only thing that made sense.
“Is your pussy bare, or do you have soft, little curls for me to play with?” Devin waited for her to answer. “Answer me Kylie. Are you bare so I can taste your flesh or will I get to play before I shave you?”
“N-n-not…b-bare,” Kylie stuttered.
“Hmm. That’s good.” He nuzzled her again. “I will like shaving you. Taking care of you. Making you mine.” He moved his mouth down her neck, teasing her with his tongue as he went, until he reached the collar of her sweatshirt, where he placed light teasing kisses along her collar bone.
He forced himself to pull back to see her face. “You are coming home with me tonight and you will spend the night in my bed. The whole night, Kylie.”
Kylie shook her head. She wasn’t so far gone that she didn’t know what he was demanding. She couldn’t sleep in his bed with Jamie in the house.
“Yes. You will. If Jamie needs one of us we will be able to hear him, but I’m through with the way things have been. I want you, Kylie. I want you in my bed, naked and ready for me. I want to make love to your body all night long, and wake up the next morning and do it all over again.”
Kylie swallowed. She wanted that too, but how could she go back on her own rules? She couldn’t, not even for Devin.
“Devin, we have to think about Jamie, about what seeing us like that would do to him.”
“Jamie won’t know and honestly, Kylie, I don’t care if he finds out. I’ve told you before. Goddamn it, I told you nine years ago when you left my house to go live with the Salvitori’s. I never wanted you to leave. You and Jamie belong with me. I told you six years ago when I moved out to Three Peaks that I wanted you both out there with me.”
Kylie lowered her head to his chest. Her forehead seemed to thump against the hard muscles there. “I know you did but…”
“No buts. Not anymore. It is time for you and Jamie to come home,” Devin stated as bluntly as he possibly could.
“What are you saying?” Kylie asked, as she lifted her head to look at him.
-----
Where to Buy 'Dreams- Sapphire Springs':
http://www.amazon.com/Dreams-Sapphire-Springs-Savannah-Morgan-ebook/dp/B00GO3TNPA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1406207655&sr=8-1&keywords=Dreams+A+sapphire+springs+novel
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/377024
Below is B&N link but I’m still waiting for Smashwords to update the book there. I have changed the cover, had the manuscript professionally edited and lowered the price. The new version has been approved by Smashwords Premium but it hasn’t been updated to where they distribute yet.
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dreams-sapphire-springs-book-1-savannah-morgan/1117557584?ean=2940045453325
Where to Find Savvy
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Author-Savannah-Morgan/227175397443904?ref=hl
https://www.facebook.com/savannah.morgan.5682?fref=ts
http://www.author-savannahmorgan.com/
I’m currently working on opening Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest accounts, but since I don’t use those medias in my personal life I’m educating myself before I do. I am also looking in to starting a blog of my own that will be seen on my website and update automatically.
----
A Thank You from Savannah:
I want to thank you for purchasing Devin and Kylie’s story “Dreams”. I hope you enjoyed it and ask that if you are so inclined to leave a review, even if it is just a line or two. Reviews are an author’s lifeline. It lets us know what we are doing right and what we need to work on, so your words and thoughts are very important to me.
Thank you again for purchasing Dreams and I hope to hear from you soon!
About the Author
Savannah lives in the Deep South with her husband and two dogs. She loves animals, travel, and reading. She also has a passion for graphic design and photo restoration.
She has traveled and lived throughout the US and Europe during her 25 year marriage and has looked at every move as a new adventure. She enjoys meeting new people and seeing new things and attributes that to her love of learning and experiencing different cultures. She has often thought she would have been an anthropologist if she hadn’t started writing first.
Savannah is a new author and is currently working on several titles to include more in the Sapphire Springs series. Please visit her at any of the online locations below.
http://www.Author-SavannahMorgan.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Author-Savannah-Morgan/227175397443904?ref=tn_tnmn
A woman needs the right man to love her.
Blurb
For years Devin Blackthorn has prided himself on being an honorable man. He stepped in to take care of Kylie James when his younger half-brother, Allen, abandoned her when she was nine months pregnant. He has spent eleven years taking care of Kylie and her son, Jamie, as if they were his own. He never asked for anything in return and he never allowed his dominant sexual feelings for Kylie to show, always maintaining a safe distance from the much younger woman. Devin has been tortured by erotic dreams of Kylie for years. At his limit, Devin is ready to admit he wants her for himself. But when secrets from Kylie’s past threaten her and Jamie, Devin’s real feelings come out and he can do no less than protect the woman he loves and the son of his heart.
When Devin learns Allen has targeted Kylie and Jamie, once again he must put all his resources into protecting them, even if it means destroying his brother to do it. Can Devin protect everything he holds dear, or will Allen get his greatest wish–destroying Devin and Kylie and the child he blames for the ruin of all his dreams?
Where Savannah’s head was in writing Dreams:
Dreams starts out rather slow, even I believe this to be true, but it was written this way intentionally. Devin and Kylie are such complicated characters, with such a complicated past and connections that the turmoil they feel in just thinking about changing the nature of their relationship had to be shown. The first several chapters is Devin at his wits end with the status of their relationship currently, but in order for him to make his feelings known he will literally have to wager everything on it working out. Kylie’s son, Jamie, is not only an important part of Devin’s life he is Devin’s nephew and the son of Devin’s heart.
If Devin was to start a romantic relationship with Kylie, Jamie would be affected in ways that could destroy the child if it didn’t work out. Devin can’t imagine not having both Kylie and Jamie in his life, but to lose Jamie would be devastating in a completely different way than if he were to lose Kylie. Devin also has an issue with the age difference between he and Kylie and this is a major hurdle for him to get over. Lastly, Devin has a very complicated family tree, which is why I included an actual family tree at the beginning of the paperback and the end of the eBook. Anything Devin does pertaining to his feelings for Kylie and Jamie have a rippling effect in Devin’s family and this is something else Devin must come to terms with before setting out to make Kylie his own.
Through the early morning hours, while Devin wrestles his demons and uncertainties, we flip over to where Kylie is starting a normal day. She owns a coffee shop and had taken the day off, but quickly finds her day’s plans having to change. Just like any single parent, Kylie must shift everything in her day and that invariably affects her son, Jamie. Instead of a leisurely morning of making breakfast for her child and seeing him off to school, she now has to wake him up at an ungodly early hour and have him come to her shop with her. He’s a child, and he has his little moments of challenging and arguing with his mother, but you see a deep respect for her in Jamie. You also see how much Kylie respects her son. She doesn’t just demand he do as she says, she considers them partners in this life even though she is the adult.
As the morning progresses Jamie tells her key things that makes Kylie angry and nervous, at the situation not at Jamie. There are several other things Kylie has to work around, find a solution to, and live with as the morning progresses. This is just a little glimpse into Kylie’s daily life. It shows the way she balances being a mother, a shop owner, and a friend, it also shows Kylie’s feelings in regards to Devin and how she is willing to take a chance on them being a real family.
I promise, once Devin makes his mind up that he would rather take a chance on having it all with Kylie and Jamie, than to spend the rest of his life the way he has the last ten years, the story picks up the pace and the action begins. Devin and Kylie’s story is one of a deep sustaining love, not only between them as a couple, but the three of them as a family. It also is a story of complicated families but the love each member holds for the others and how when just one member of the family turns out evil how it affects them all.
Dreams tackles some hard topics: like what really makes a man a father, and where does loyalty to ones blood relations end. Is it okay to put the woman and child you love above everything else, even if it means the destruction of a brother? It also tackles some unsettling topics such as rape and physical abuse, along with human trafficking. I don’t go into great detail about these harder topics but they are there and Kylie’s confession of what really happened when she was younger and the scenes where Allen makes his final move to get her back in his clutches, are very unsettling and could be a trigger to rape and abuse survivors.
You will notice I do not say rape and abuse victims. A person who has lived through such an attack is nothing less than a survivor in my opinion. It was important for me to show Kylie as a survivor, someone who is strong but still capable of love, confident but still considerate of others. It was important to me to show that she had come to terms with what had happened in her past and had found healing in the love of her son and friends. I hope I was able to relay all of the above in Devin and Kylie’s story.
I will make several promises to my readers in regards to future books in the Sapphire Springs series. They will not start out with this slow build up. Book 2, Secrets, which I am currently working on, drops you smack down in the middle of the mystery in the first chapter. I also guarantee each book can be read as a stand-alone book, but it would be helpful to understand the characters a little better if you read the series in order.
That doesn’t mean that every little thread is tied up in each book, but the main issues, trials, hurdles the main couple face will be. A few examples: In the case of Sofia and her motivation in getting Kylie away from Devin is actually tied to Tia’s story and it all comes to light in Book 2, Secrets. There is also the question of what happens to Nadine, Devin’s birth mother. She has to face the truth at the end of Dreams, but her comeuppance is really Duncan’s story to tell and it will be in Duncan and Amara’s story Book 3, Irresistible.
I promise to never have a cliffhanger ending unless I tell you well in advance, and if I do have a cliffhanger ending the price for the book will be much reduced. My main goal in writing anything is to share the experience of my characters’ lives with my readers. And hope they enjoy getting to know my characters as much as I have loved living with them throughout the years.
Thank you,
Savannah
Excerpt
Kylie took a look around to see how bad a mess was left after the morning rush and to make sure Allen hadn’t snuck in while she had been in back, but found there was not much left to do and thankfully, Allen was nowhere to be seen. Devin had cleaned the counters, started a load of dishes in the small dishwasher in the front, and had began three different flavors of coffee brewing for the nearly empty self-serve carafes located at the end of the large curved counter. A few customers were sitting at tables, visiting or reading the morning paper so Kylie grabbed the fresh pot of house blend coffee, which had just finished brewing, and went out to refill their cups. She returned to the counter where Devin seemed to be waiting for her.
“I need to talk to you,” Devin stated in a low tone.
“Thanks for the help. If you have some time I need to talk to you about Jamie,” Kylie said at the same time, in an equally hushed tone.
She nodded, pulling two cups down and poured coffee into them. She knew he drank his coffee black so she filled it almost to the rim, then headed out to an isolated table with her own cup, letting him carry the fuller of the two.
“What’s going on with Jamie?” Devin asked. He wanted to talk to her about Allen, her, Jamie, and himself, but if Jamie was having problems, then all of that would have to wait.
“It isn’t anything bad. He isn’t in any trouble. I didn’t mean to alarm you.” She blew across the top of her coffee before taking a sip.
“Okay. So what did you want to talk about?”
“There are a couple of things actually. First I was wondering if you could spare some time to spend with him. I know you’re busy, but he misses you and with Allen around, he’s feeling a little adrift.”
“Not a problem. That was something I wanted to discuss with you too.”
“Good. I was a little afraid you wouldn’t want too.”
Devin bristled under the accusation. “Why the hell wouldn’t I want to spend time with him?”
Kylie let his outburst pass without comment. Devin’s first response to anything he didn’t like was a heated verbal demand or question. She was used to it.
Rather than arguing or taking offense she moved onto the other topic she loathed to discuss with him. “Secondly, I would like to hire your firm, just a couple of your guys, to keep watch on Jamie when he isn’t with me.”
Devin raised an eyebrow. “Do you think he is into something?”
“No, nothing like that.”
“Then why do you want surveillance on him.”
“Not surveillance so much as a guard dog,” Kylie stated seriously, as she stood and walked to the counter to help a new customer.
Jake Riley, Kylie’s part-time manager, entered while she helped the customer. He had heard she was managing the store by herself and had arrived offering to take a long shift to help her out.
Kylie took advantage of his offer and returned to the table where she had left Devin. She poured him another cup of coffee, and added more to hers to warm it.
When she sat down, Devin began questioning her in rapid-fire succession. “Is someone bothering the two of you? Do you have reason to believe someone is following him? Are you being harassed? Have there been threats? Why didn’t you come to me when you first felt uncomfortable? Do you…”
“Devin, slow down. There haven’t been any overt threats. It’s more of a feeling than anything else. With Allen coming back, out of the blue like he has…I’m sure it is just my overactive imagination. I would just like to be safe, not sorry. If it’s a problem, then I can figure out something else.”
“Kylie, the only problem I have is that it has taken you nearly two months to come to me with this. I assume you didn’t feel this way before he arrived back in town?”
She lowered her eyes and gave her head a small shake. She hated lying to him. She’d felt like this since early April, when Allen had started demanding to see Jamie, but she hadn’t told Devin about Allen’s calls. Now she felt as if she didn’t have the right to bring Devin into it. She was really getting scared though. Her fear for Jamie’s safety over-rode any concern of Devin finding out she was keeping secrets from him.
Devin reached out, taking her small hand in his larger one. It felt like ice. Her thin graceful fingers intertwined with his and he felt a small tremor in them. He wanted to pull her into his lap, wrap his arms around her, and keep all the bad things away. When she looked up at him, she smiled a small smile that barely turned up the corners of her mouth. He squeezed her hand.
“You think Allen’s coming back is suspicious, don’t you?”
She nodded. “I don’t understand the turn around. It feels too sudden.” She shook her head again and laughed bitterly. “I know it’s crazy. It hasn’t been sudden. It has been ten years in the making. It’s just…”
“Devin, I hadn’t heard from him in all that time, then wham. He’s on the phone demanding time with his son. Then wham again. He is here, unannounced, to make that happen. He wants a relationship with his son. He wants visitation. He wants overnight and holiday visits. He wants to know if I’m seeing anyone. He also wants to know the nature of our relationship.” Her eyes narrowed. “He asked Jamie if you and I ever sleep in the same room. On the same bed.”
“He what!?!”
Devin’s question was all the more frightening by his lowered voice. Kylie could tell he was getting angry.
She nodded. “He has been asking Jamie all sorts of questions about me,” she lowered her eyes just a little, “about us. He’s asking if he wants things too, like a dirt bike. Offering to take him to watch the Seahawks play. He even stated that Jamie could have his bedroom decked out with any game system he wanted and a hot new computer system too. What the hell is he up to, Devin?”
“I don’t know, baby, but we’ll figure it out. I promise.” After Devin figured out his brother’s game plan, he would ram it down the bastard’s throat, along with his fist. That little sonofabitch.
Kylie continued as if Devin hadn’t spoken, she was so upset over this whole situation. “I mean, one minute it seems as if he is genuinely interested in building a relationship with Jamie, then he turns it around and sounds as if he wants to get back with me, and then another twist and it appears he is trying to get some type of evidence of my being a bad mother. And of course, let’s not forget the blatant bribery efforts.” Kylie wanted to shout or hit something, then cry for a really long time.
Hadn’t Allen done enough to her and Jamie? Did he need to come back and mess with her and her son a second time?
Devin squeezed her hand again. “Why don’t the two of you come out to the ranch tonight for dinner? We can discuss this further, without having to worry about being overheard.” Devin unclipped his cell from his belt and began scrolling through his contacts. When he came to his office’s main number he connected the call. “I’ll call the office and set up a rotation of agents to watch the school…”
“Alison, connect me with Trey, please.”
“...and to cover him when he isn’t in class. You need to contact the school and let them…”
“Hold on Hawkins.”
“…let them know you have authorized this. My guys will want to check on him while he is in his classroom.” He watched the concerned look wrinkle her brow. “No, don’t worry. He’ll never know they’re there. Now go call the school.”
Kylie left to phone the school while Devin filled Trey Hawkins in on what was happening.
He was just finishing up when she returned to the table. She seemed a little more relaxed, but Devin took her hand again once she sat down as he finished his phone call.
“Trey, Grady, and Trent are going out to the school right now. They will do a security sweep, and then Grady will take first watch. He will check on Jamie then stick close to him until he gets here after practice today. Trent will be here around four to take his watch. We will need a complete list of his extracurricular activities and who he’s allowed to be with after school. I know all of his friends, but the list will be helpful for the others. If he has anything special coming up like birthday parties, overnight stays with friends, or scheduled outings, I’ll need to know as soon as possible in order to schedule enough agents for the watch.” He squeezed her hand gently again. “Don’t look so shocked, honey, this is all routine.”
“Routine for you. He will know something is going on. He isn’t stupid Devin, and he knows all of the guys by sight.”
“I know he does, that is why we will talk to him tonight over dinner. We can either tell him the truth or we can tell him it’s a training exercise for my men. If we go with the training story he can give me an update on how many times he sees my guys. He’ll have a blast reporting in to me. If he catches the agent we will put a new one on him. We were going to rotate anyway.”
Kylie laughed. Leave it Devin to find a way around scaring Jamie to death and including him in the process. She could kick herself for not talking to him sooner about her concerns. She needed to kick herself for not telling Devin the whole truth.
“Thank you.”
Devin released her hand then stretched his arm up to softly stroke her cheek. “Baby, you never have to thank me for protecting you and Jamie. You know I consider Jamie as my own son. His safety is too important to me to not take a threat to him seriously.” He allowed his thumb to stroke her soft skin, allowing himself to get caught up in the feel of her for just a moment before continuing. “You’re a great mom, Kylie. You aren’t given to hysteria or flying off the handle. If you say something doesn’t feel right, I believe you.”
He cupped her cheek in his hand. “Will you come out for dinner? Maybe you two can stay the weekend? We can order pizza and watch videos. While we decide what to tell him, he can play the X-box.”
“We would like that, but he can play the Wii, not the X-box.” She smiled at him. A real smile this time. It was an old argument between them. The Wii gave him a little bit of exercise and the games were a bit more kid friendly, where the X-box had more exciting but violent games, games Jamie preferred to play and Devin enjoyed playing them with him.
Devin chuckled. “Okay, little momma tiger. He can play the Wii, not the X-box.”
“Don’t you have plans tonight? I mean it is Friday. We don’t want to be a bother you or cramp your style,” Kylie challenged.
“Don’t get sassy. You know I’m not seeing anyone right now.”
“Really?” Kylie couldn’t stop the excitement in her voice.
“Like you didn’t know.”
“I didn’t. Honest.”
“When was the last time I brought someone in for coffee, Kylie?”
“Oh, well, it has been a while. I’d say months, but I just assumed that was because you were mad at me and had been seeing the latest girlfriend somewhere else. What was her name? Honey? Bunny? Muffy? Barbie? Lord the list is endless.” She fluttered her eyes at him innocently.
“That was not kind. I have only dated one Harmony and a Barbie, and her real name was Barbara.”
“Oh, right. The giggler.” Kylie rolled her eyes. “I swore if she giggled one more time I was going to pour coffee on her.”
“You wouldn’t,” Devin chuckled.
“It would have been cooled coffee. I am not out to injure my customers, no matter how witless they are.”
Devin laughed. “Jealous?” He teased. When Kylie didn’t answer and turned a cute shade of pink, he knew he was on to something. “Kylie, were you jealous?”
“NO!” Kylie cringed when her voice was a little too loud as she answered. She looked around to make certain no one had heard her.
Miss Millie was sitting at the table with Mrs. Harper. She smiled and winked at Kylie. Kylie wanted to groan then bury her head in a bucket of sand. Could she possibly be any more transparent?
Devin laughed again as he stood up, towering over her. He bent down to where he was nose to nose with her. “It’s okay, Kylie. I like the thought of you being jealous.” He gave her what was supposed to be a quick kiss.
Her soft lips yielded to his, parting slightly. Devin stroked his tongue against the warm velvety texture and had to swallow his groan. He applied more pressure with his tongue on the second sweep and was rewarded when she opened her mouth fully to his gentle demand.
He was becoming addicted to Kylie’s kisses. For too many years he had denied himself this simple pleasure, then once, on a late summer day, he had taken his first taste of her. He had been in a drought for months after that first kiss, now it was as if the skies had finally opened in an effort to quench his thirst for her. Twice in less than two hours he’d had her mouth.
It wasn’t nearly enough.
“I could grow accustomed to your kisses,” Kylie whispered when he pulled away. She immediately clamped a hand over her mouth and closed her eyes, embarrassed. She couldn’t believe she had said that out loud.
Devin smiled as he gently removed her hand from over her mouth. “When we kissed, the last time we were all together, what did you say to me?”
Kylie looked shocked for a second then her eyes narrowed. “You don’t remember?” she huffed.
“I didn’t hear what you said. Cole yelled there was a client on the phone at the same time you spoke. It has driven me crazy not knowing. What did you say to me?”
“I said we needed to wait until Jamie went to bed.” A rose-colored blush crept up her neck to settle in her cheeks.
Devin wrapped his long fingers around her wrist, tugging her out of the chair and toward her office. The look he shot Jake Riley behind the counter a two year old could have understood. They were not to be interrupted.
Once behind closed doors, Devin cupped her face in his hands. “You should have said something to me,” he growled. “You must have thought...Oh hell, I don’t even want to know what was going through your head when I sent you home like that.”
Kylie tried to speak, to calm him down. Why was he angry with her? She looked closer and had to wonder, was that anger she was seeing in his eyes and hearing in his voice, or was it fear. She’d never seen Devin afraid. She wasn’t certain she would know what to do if he ever was.
“I’ve wanted you for years...for ever, Kylie. I can’t have missed my chance. Not after waiting...”
Kylie parted her lips, trying once again to find something to say to calm him down. To understand what he meant by he had wanted her for years. What chance was he talking about? She drew a small breath but before she could say the first word his lips connected with hers. They were warm and firm, demanding but giving. Her heart sped up and her stomach hollowed out. Kissing Devin was like a sensual adventure, but this time there was more to his kiss. It was as if she were freefalling while being sheltered and safe. It was the most amazing feeling she had ever had.
Kylie wrapped her fingers in Devin’s shirt, not to stop him, but to keep herself from falling. She felt Devin loosen his hold on her face as he wrapped one arm around her waist and the other hand moved to the back of her head. Before she knew what was happening, Devin pulled her close to his body as he deepened the kiss, stealing her thoughts and her willpower in equal measures.
Just as her wits began to come back to her, Devin gentled the kiss and then ended it abruptly, placing his forehead against hers. She wanted to scream at him not to stop and couldn’t say for certain if she hadn’t actually whimpered her desire for the kiss to continue.
Devin was breathing hard. He had to stop before he lost his mind completely and wouldn’t be able to stop. “I’m a fool,” he whispered. “You probably thought I was turning you down when I said it was getting late and the two of you needed to get on home.”
Kylie winced at the remembered words. He had hurt her feelings so badly with that comment. All weekend he had acted as if he wanted her. The small touches had nearly driven her mad. Snuggling on the couch together watching movies had her close to begging him to make love to her, and then that stupid football game...the tackles...that kiss, And oh God, the rubbing and petting while they had kissed. She had wanted to cry when he sent her home.
She would never admit that to anyone other than herself. He had completely humiliated her.
She looked up at him, shielding the pain and humiliation of what had happened on that day. She nodded, unable to speak from the lump in her throat.
“I would never turn you down, Kylie.”
“Well it seemed like it to me,” she barely got out without choking on the words.
Devin let his hands roam from her shoulders down her back and further, to her butt, where he cupped her perfect roundness in his palms. As he slid his hands around the cheeks of her ass, his long fingers glided along the seam of her jeans, down to her crotch, as he pulled her up on her toes and close enough she could feel his erection.
“You do this to me.” He thrust his hips forward so she could feel the hard, swollen length of his cock. A state he had been in since he awoke from that erotic dream of her. “All I can think about is having you, tasting you.”
He placed his lips against hers, and then nibbled his way from her mouth down along her jaw and up to her sensitive earlobe. He ran his tongue lightly around the shell of her ear. “I wake from dreaming about you and think I can still taste you in my mouth.” He whispered.
Kylie gasped. Her fingers clenched involuntarily tighter in his shirt as she tried to steady herself.
“I can’t wait to suck on your pretty nipples, to make them so hard and needy you weep from want.” Devin bit her lobe gently.
He held the soft flesh between his teeth a heartbeat before sweeping his tongue over the light sting. “When your nipples are pebbled hard and pouting prettily, I will kiss down your body to your sweet little pussy.”
Somewhere during this, Devin had stopped relaying his dreams and had began detailing what he would do to her once she came to his bed. And she would come to his bed.
Tonight.
“Your pussy is sweet and delicious, isn’t it baby?”
Kylie couldn’t respond. Her mind was reeling. This could not be happening. She had to be dreaming. It was the only thing that made sense.
“Is your pussy bare, or do you have soft, little curls for me to play with?” Devin waited for her to answer. “Answer me Kylie. Are you bare so I can taste your flesh or will I get to play before I shave you?”
“N-n-not…b-bare,” Kylie stuttered.
“Hmm. That’s good.” He nuzzled her again. “I will like shaving you. Taking care of you. Making you mine.” He moved his mouth down her neck, teasing her with his tongue as he went, until he reached the collar of her sweatshirt, where he placed light teasing kisses along her collar bone.
He forced himself to pull back to see her face. “You are coming home with me tonight and you will spend the night in my bed. The whole night, Kylie.”
Kylie shook her head. She wasn’t so far gone that she didn’t know what he was demanding. She couldn’t sleep in his bed with Jamie in the house.
“Yes. You will. If Jamie needs one of us we will be able to hear him, but I’m through with the way things have been. I want you, Kylie. I want you in my bed, naked and ready for me. I want to make love to your body all night long, and wake up the next morning and do it all over again.”
Kylie swallowed. She wanted that too, but how could she go back on her own rules? She couldn’t, not even for Devin.
“Devin, we have to think about Jamie, about what seeing us like that would do to him.”
“Jamie won’t know and honestly, Kylie, I don’t care if he finds out. I’ve told you before. Goddamn it, I told you nine years ago when you left my house to go live with the Salvitori’s. I never wanted you to leave. You and Jamie belong with me. I told you six years ago when I moved out to Three Peaks that I wanted you both out there with me.”
Kylie lowered her head to his chest. Her forehead seemed to thump against the hard muscles there. “I know you did but…”
“No buts. Not anymore. It is time for you and Jamie to come home,” Devin stated as bluntly as he possibly could.
“What are you saying?” Kylie asked, as she lifted her head to look at him.
-----
Where to Buy 'Dreams- Sapphire Springs':
http://www.amazon.com/Dreams-Sapphire-Springs-Savannah-Morgan-ebook/dp/B00GO3TNPA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1406207655&sr=8-1&keywords=Dreams+A+sapphire+springs+novel
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/377024
Below is B&N link but I’m still waiting for Smashwords to update the book there. I have changed the cover, had the manuscript professionally edited and lowered the price. The new version has been approved by Smashwords Premium but it hasn’t been updated to where they distribute yet.
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dreams-sapphire-springs-book-1-savannah-morgan/1117557584?ean=2940045453325
Where to Find Savvy
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Author-Savannah-Morgan/227175397443904?ref=hl
https://www.facebook.com/savannah.morgan.5682?fref=ts
http://www.author-savannahmorgan.com/
I’m currently working on opening Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest accounts, but since I don’t use those medias in my personal life I’m educating myself before I do. I am also looking in to starting a blog of my own that will be seen on my website and update automatically.
----
A Thank You from Savannah:
I want to thank you for purchasing Devin and Kylie’s story “Dreams”. I hope you enjoyed it and ask that if you are so inclined to leave a review, even if it is just a line or two. Reviews are an author’s lifeline. It lets us know what we are doing right and what we need to work on, so your words and thoughts are very important to me.
Thank you again for purchasing Dreams and I hope to hear from you soon!
About the Author
Savannah lives in the Deep South with her husband and two dogs. She loves animals, travel, and reading. She also has a passion for graphic design and photo restoration.
She has traveled and lived throughout the US and Europe during her 25 year marriage and has looked at every move as a new adventure. She enjoys meeting new people and seeing new things and attributes that to her love of learning and experiencing different cultures. She has often thought she would have been an anthropologist if she hadn’t started writing first.
Savannah is a new author and is currently working on several titles to include more in the Sapphire Springs series. Please visit her at any of the online locations below.
http://www.Author-SavannahMorgan.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Author-Savannah-Morgan/227175397443904?ref=tn_tnmn
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thanks for commenting!