March - One Night Only

Fanny Press

PO Box 70515

Seattle, WA 98127

For more information go to: www.fannypress.com

ellenmarch.jimdo.com

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the authors imagination or are used fictitiously.

Cover design by Sabrina Sun

One Night Only

Copyright 2015 by Ellen March

ISBN: 978-1-60381-276-4 (Trade Paper)

ISBN: 978-1-60381-277-1 (eBook)

Produced in the United States of America

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A s always I cant thank Catherine or Jennifer enough for all their hard work and patience bringing each and every one of my books to life. I also dont want to forget Sabrina, who does a truly wonderful job on the covers. Im pleased to have this chance to share another small part of Wales with my readers.

Also by the author from Fanny Press:

Promises

His Girl Friday

A Ghost of an Affair

Love on the Menu

I hate the male species with a vengeance, Madison thought. Well, maybe not all.

With a dreamy smile, she pictured Mr. Dark, Sexy, and Oh-So-Shaggable. But Rafe wanted what she refused to give.

Her life.

He didnt want to live with her. He wanted to see her dead.

She was kind of attached to breathing. When she gave up that particular necessity it would be for a damn good reason, not because he wanted it. Men and their tantrums, she thought with a shake of her head.

She moved stealthily through the trees, pausing as the leaves rustled and crunched beneath her bare feet. She ignored the sharp stab of twigs digging between her toes. No time to think of Mr. Shaggable; at the moment she had her sights set firmly on Raymond.

She was itching to throttle him, to feel his throat in her bare hands. To squeeze it until he suffocated.

Her azure blue eyes glittered, spitting fire. She prayed he wouldnt hear her. Thankful that he appeared oblivious, intent on the scene before him. Madison crept forward and launched herself, grasping him firmly, her fingers gripping him. His body squirmed and twisted, trying to escape.

You little shit, she hissed between clenched teeth as the terrier snapped at air. Madison was careful to avoid his razor-sharp teeth. Clasping his collar, she gave him a quick, sharp shake. You run off again and I wont come after you. She flicked his lead on, determined he wouldnt escape anytime soon.

Raymond looked up at her inquisitively, his amber eyes glinting with mischief. His small pink tongue lolled from his mouth. She could swear he was laughing at her.

She gazed down, smiling, as the stump of his tail wagged furiously. Unable to remain cross with him for long, Madison leaned forward, patting his sandy head. Come on, shit for brains, lets go home. She breathed out a shaky sigh of relief, relieved to have finally found him after a frantic two-hour search.

Obedient was not a word youd ever use to describe Raymond. She spared a glance at the pond, glad that the ducks had transfixed him. They continued to float lazily on the calm water, casually preening their feathers. After diving down into the cool clear depths, they emerged, shaking droplets that sprayed high into the aira rainbow of colour arcing in the late afternoon sun.

Madison ambled slowly down the patha rich, vibrant red earth, hard and crusty and seared from days of hot sun.

She stumbled and blinked as a voice shed come to detest echoed eerily through the leafy trees, breaking the silence.

Hearing her name borne on the breeze, she shuddered. Nah, it cant be Adam. But she knew it was. At once Madison recognized his nasally voice, which annoyed the hell out of her.

Hed appeared next to her at the library so many times that eventually shed stopped going. His mournful gaze coveted her, and when he asked for a date she almost choked. She couldnt stand the little git with his irritating non-stop jabbering, punctuated by little snorts. However, much as she wanted to tell him what she thought, she let him down gently by lying, claiming she had a boyfriend.

Madison didnt want to see him again, much less be alone with him in the forest. Be alone with him, period. He was beginning to act like a stalker, and she wondered if he knew she was staying at the nearby farmhouse, which doubled as a commune.

Madison tried to quell her imagination by giving herself a pep talk. For pitys sake, girl, chill! A lot of people took walks in the forest. Thats all it wasa chance meeting.

She hoped. Squinting in the harsh light, she glanced around. Worry tugged at her lips. Dragging Raymond behind her, she moved quickly along the overgrown path. As she emerged into a cool green clearing, she again heard his call, low and menacing, filtering through the woods. How the hell did he know she was here? Had he caught a glimpse of her somehow?

Entering the glade, she empathized with Bambi after his mother was killed. Her situation was worse, even though her mother was alive; for all that she cared about Madison, she might as well be dead. Madison was totally alone in the world. More to the point, she was totally alone in the moment, with only a rabid mutt for protection against a lunatic intent on making his sordid dreams come true.

His dream was her worse nightmare.

Her thoughts drifted back to the day shed met Adam. Thered been no locking of red-hot gazes across a crowded dance floor. Instead, thered been an insipid glance from a creepy man holding a musty book in the silence of the library. From there his infatuationand her disgusthad grown and flourished. Shed made the stupid mistake of admitting she had an interest in herbs, thereby sealing her fate. However, what the hell sage and sex had in common, she wasnt sure. For him there was obviously a connection.

Madison! Again her name ricocheted around the glade. It bounced off the trees, standing tall and proud, their branches spread wide, resplendent with rich green leaves.

Shit, she muttered. With a burst of speed, she raced across the soft grass, heading for the sanctuary of the farmhouse. Raymonds strangulated yips resonated around the forest as she dragged him along. His stumpy short legs dug stubbornly into the ground, so she picked him up and carried him. She prayed someone was there, but at this time of day she doubted it.

Discovering the farmhouse empty, Madison locked herself in. Breathing heavily, she pulled the curtain back and peered out. There was no sign of him. Madison couldnt work out Adams infatuation. Heck, if theyd dated, she might understand. Again she checked outside. When she still couldnt see him, she debated if she were overreacting.

What did he want with her? How much of this was her imagination? If he was a stalker, wouldnt he make himself known? She didnt know anything about stalkers. All she knew was that she sensed his presence, and the feeling made her shiver. Hed given her the creeps in the librarythere was something about himand she most certainly didnt want to meet him in the woods.

It couldnt be a coincidence. Why would he turn up here, so close to where she stayed? Standing beside the window, Madison continued to scan the area as she dragged out her mobile from her pocket and dialled.

Her heart thudded and the sweat of fear sizzled over her skin. She needed to speak to someone, to offload her doubts and worries.

***

Fiona lounged in the bath, absently rubbing her big toe against the tap. She gazed dreamily at the foam settling on the water, a frothy white blanket that covered her chubby body. The latest number-one hit tinkled around the room.