Between the Moon and the Deep Blue Sea: Southern Cross, #4
By KC Kendricks
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About this ebook
Chad Collier's had enough of providing stud service to rich men. It's true he's had more fun than any one man deserves, but now it's time to make a plan for the rest of his life. At the urging of a mentor, he takes a leap of faith and breaks with his old ways. Yet a job interview lands him smack in the path of Darcy Paulson, the sort of rich man Chad vowed to avoid.
Darcy Paulson came of age as the prodigal son in a wealthy manufacturing dynasty. Every man he's ever met has been after his money, until Chad Collier shows up on his doorstep. Darcy finds Chad prickly, standoffish, and utterly irresistible. Smitten by Chad's dark good looks and determination to stand on his own two feet, Darcy is happy to give him an opportunity. It doesn't take long for them to figure out that some private, no-strings fun is what they both need.
An unexpected event brings them face-to-face with the truth. The magic that happens between the moon and the deep blue sea is something a man can't own, and it can be fully experienced only in the arms of a lover...
* * *
His low, husky voice rippled over me in the small space. I stood still, unmoving, caught between fight and flight, as his warm palm stroked my side. I looked up into his glittering eyes and fell into his intent. Darcy's dark pink tongue flicked over his lips, leaving them moist. He meant to kiss me and, against all better judgment, I wanted him to do it. I gripped his hips and pulled him closer. I knew if I kissed him, he wouldn't push me away, but I…
"I won't hurt you, Chad. I swear."
"Don't promise me anything, Darcy. You don't know where my head is these days."
His hands skimmed my sides. "Fair enough. Just don't lie to me and tell me you don't want to be kissed again."
I let my hands fall from his hips. "What I want and what's best for me right now are several galaxies apart."
Darcy studied me for the longest thirty seconds of my life, then nodded. "Okay. I'm backing off." The corner of his mouth twitched in a quirky smile. "I don't want to, but I will."
The tiny spark of hope longing for him to push me past my reluctance died, and only when it faded did I realize what I'd done…
KC Kendricks
KC Kendricks calls herself an accidental writer. After completing her first novel writing as Rayne Forrest, she was urged to submit it to a publisher, and everything snowballed from there. Today, the author has had over seventy books published. In July of 2021, she tried to retire but her employer offered her a deal to work at home. She accepted. Now she balances work, writing, and hearth and home in a controlled chaos. A native of scenic western Maryland, the author enjoys most activities that don’t include snow. In warm weather she might be found walking the dog, biking on the C&O Canal towpath, planting delicacies in her garden for the deer to munch on at night, playing in the creek, or lazing on the patio with her Kindle reader or laptop. She recently began to research her family history and can't drive past a cemetery without stopping to search for family sites. Her mission is to photograph old tombstones before the elements erode the stones and the names are lost to time. For more about KC Kendricks and Rayne Forrest’s writing life, please visit the Between the Keys blog at http:kckendricks.blogspot.com . If you’d like to know more about the author’s country lifestyle and her daily activities full of simple country pleasures (and a lot of work), please visit the Holly Tree Manor blog at http://hollytreemanor.blogspot.com . KC can be reached through her blog, Between the Keys. All comments are strictly moderated by the author and personal messages are treated as such. Follow the author on Twitter for up-to-date announcements at Twitter.com/KCKendricks.
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Between the Moon and the Deep Blue Sea - KC Kendricks
Between the Moon and the Deep Blue Sea
by
KC Kendricks
––––––––
This book is a work of fiction. While references to actual places or events may occur, the names, characters, incidents, and locations are from the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to anyone, living or dead, is coincidental.
––––––––
Copyright © 2011, 2016 KC Kendricks
Cover art © 2016. 2023 KC Kendricks
All Rights Reserved
Reproduction of this digital e-book for file sharing or selling, regardless of whether any type of currency is exchanged, other than what the author grants in writing, is strictly prohibited by law. Permission is given for brief excerpts to be used for professional review. Piracy is a crime.
This book is intended for mature readers over the age of 18.
Thank you for purchasing a legal copy of this work.
Published in the United States of America.
About Between the Moon and the Deep Blue Sea
Chad Collier’s had enough of providing stud service to rich men. It’s true he’s had more fun than any one man deserves, but now it’s time to make a plan for the rest of his life. At the urging of a mentor, he takes a leap of faith and breaks with his old ways. Yet a job interview lands him smack in the path of Darcy Paulson, the sort of rich man Chad vowed to avoid.
Darcy Paulson came of age as the prodigal son in a wealthy manufacturing dynasty. Every man he’s ever met has been after his money - until Chad Collier shows up on his doorstep. Darcy finds Chad prickly, standoffish, and utterly irresistible. Smitten by Chad’s dark good looks and determination to stand on his own two feet, Darcy is happy to give him an opportunity. It doesn’t take long for them to figure out that some private, no-strings fun is what they both need.
An unexpected event brings them face-to-face with the truth. The magic that happens between the moon and the deep blue sea is something a man can’t own, and it can be fully experienced only in the arms of a lover...
Praise for the writing of KC Kendricks
KC Kendricks never disappoints!"—Fallen Angel Reviews
..beautifully moving in all the right places...KC Kendricks gives us a well-crafted tale
- The Romance Studio
Good to the last word....
- Sensual Reads
...Seriously entertaining and totally engaging...
- Joyfully Reviewed
...solidly written contemporary romance...
-Jessewave
The Southern Cross Series
Netting Neptune
Taming Triton
Poseidon’s Pleasure
Between the Moon and the Deep Blue Sea
Catching Fireflies
––––––––
The Southern Cross series can be read in any order. It’s presented in the order in which it was written for those who prefer to read it in sequence.
Intro: Between The Moon and the Deep Blue Sea
––––––––
...His low, husky voice rippled over me in the small space. I stood still, unmoving, caught between fight and flight, as his warm palm stroked my side. I looked up into his glittering eyes and fell into his intent. Hot blood pooled in my groin. My cock surged full in a handful of pounding heartbeats. Darcy’s dark pink tongue flicked over his lips, leaving them moist. He meant to kiss me and, against all better judgment, I wanted him to do it. I gripped his hips and pulled him closer.
Darcy’s lips touched mine, soft and clinging, whispering promises. The sweet contact jolted through me with its unexpected tenderness. His tongue teased my lower lip, and all too soon he pulled away and left me wanting more. Darcy’s thumb traced the path across my mouth his tongue had taken. He licked his lips, as though he could still taste me. All the while I stood rooted to the floor, aching for him to kiss me again, and cursing my own cowardice. I knew if I kissed him, he wouldn’t push me away, but I...
I won’t hurt you, Chad. I swear.
Don’t promise me anything, Darcy. You don’t know where my head is these days.
His hands skimmed my sides. Fair enough. Just don’t lie to me and tell me you don’t want to be kissed again.
I let my hands fall from his hips. What I want and what’s best for me right now are several galaxies apart.
Darcy studied me for the longest thirty seconds of my life, then nodded. Okay. I’m backing off.
The corner of his mouth twitched in a quirky smile. I don’t want to, but I will.
The tiny spark of hope longing for him to push me past my reluctance died, and only when it faded did I realize what I’d done...
Books by KC Kendricks and Rayne Forrest
For current availability, please visit KC’s bookshelf at
https://kckendricks.blogspot.com/p/the-bookshelf-of-kc-kendricks-and-rayne_3.html
Ian Coulter’s Amethyst Cove Series
Double Deuce
Deuce of Diamonds
Ace, Deuce, Trey
Circle of Steel
Steel Wheels
The Sundown Saga
The Back Stairs
Beneath Dark Stars
River Walk
Moon Dances
Fly By Night
The Southern Cross Series
Netting Neptune
Taming Triton
Poseidon’s Pleasure
Between The Moon and the Deep Blue Sea
Catching Fireflies
The Men of Marionville Series
A Hard Habit to Break
Open Roads
What You Don’t Confess
Your Whisper in the Dark
A Cat Named Hercules
Leather Jackets
Station to Station
Dreams to Sell
The Right Brew
Where There’s Smoke
Bourbon and Blues
Twice Removed From Yesterday
Centerville Muscle
Bored, Stroked and Blueprinted
Memphis
July Heat
Levi & Stacy
Shining Victory
No One But You
––––––––
Single Titles (not part of a series)
A Friendly Neighbor
A Perfect Hire
December Promise
Devilishly Delicious Dane
Desert Snow
Doors of Time
Eye of the Beholder
Give Me One Night
Hey, Joe
Highway Nights
Hot August Comes
Kentucky 98 Proof
Lick Me (Must Love Dogs)
Lightning Shifts
Passion’s Victory
Please Use the Door (a ghostly romance)
Ride Your Luck
Riding Against the Wind (sequel to Ride Your Luck)
SABRE
Seducing Light
September Morning
Shine A Light
Surrendered Victory
Tango in the Night
The Ghost at the B & B
The Quest
Undeniable
––––––––
Titles Written as Rayne Forrest
Science Fiction:
A Hero’s Bargain
Across Time
The Curiosity Shoppe
Science Fiction Series:
The Rea Cheveyo Chronicles: Kiana
The Rea Cheveyo Chronicles: Talyss
The Rea Cheveyo Chronicles: Reza
Futuristic Elements:
After the Sea Sprite Ball
Mischief at Midnight
Money Back Guarantee
Step Into Tomorrow
To Bed a Spy
Paranormal Elements:
Beyond the Night
A Hidden Heaven
Contemporary:
Loving Luke
One Summer
Right From the Start
Table of Contents
Between the Moon and the Deep Blue Sea
About Between the Moon and the Deep Blue Sea
Praise for the writing of KC Kendricks
The Southern Cross Series
Intro: Between The Moon and the Deep Blue Sea
Books by KC Kendricks and Rayne Forrest
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 10
CHAPTER 11
CHAPTER 12
About the Author
Dear Readers,
A bonus read from Catching Fireflies
CHAPTER 1
I did some of my best thinking in the solitude of my pickup, and the long, lonely drive from Boston to the Outer Banks of North Carolina gave me ample time to dwell on mistakes recently made. It wasn’t lost on me this trip could easily prove to be one more error in judgment, but I stayed the course until I drove over the Maryland state line. A well-known motel chain promised a decent meal and clean room, so I stopped for the night.
Stupidity is best accomplished well-rested and on a full stomach, but in this case, it was another wrong choice. I never slept well in a motel room, and a too-heavy breakfast turned to lead in my belly. The insistent burn in my gut forced me to consider what I was really doing. Food had a way of proving I was wrong when I persisted in a bad decision.
I was running away from my problems, not confronting them. Making a trip to Ocracoke Island in some vague hope of a summer job wouldn’t help me figure out what to do with the rest of my life any more than it would repair my fractured bond with Sidney, if I had, in fact, ever had one. Our relationship was over, and I still didn’t know if my moving out six months ago was his choice or mine.
Not everything in life could be viewed through a clear window, and certainly not the tenants of my memories. They had become a kaleidoscope of shades of gray, the bright colors dulled and darkened until even the light lacked luster. I’d spent the last half year allowing my regrets to twist me into nervous knots, only to have them unravel and return me to my starting point with no more knowledge of self than I’d had a decade ago.
Maybe Sidney had been right. He held firm to the conviction my impending thirtieth birthday was the root of all my problems. Of course, he also maintained my head was entirely stuck up my own ass, and if I’d only pull it out, he could make my world a rosy place. His attitude was one of the reasons