Moments In Time: The Complete Novella Collection by Dori Lavelle

begged through my tears.
“Allow me to explain.”
    He straightened up again and wiped his eyes
with the back of his hand. “No.” He walked to the door. “I know the
truth now. All I need is for you to stay the hell out of my life.
You belong behind bars.”
    “Please, don’t say that.” I shot up from the
couch and ran after him as he barged through the door. I followed
him, barefoot, all the way to his car, shouting his name. But I was
too late.
    Nick climbed into the Porsche, slammed the
door shut, and drove away.
    I fell to my knees on the sidewalk—not
caring that grains of sand dug into my skin—and buried my face in
my hands, weeping. He would never forgive me. My happy ending had
turned into a nightmare. But I wanted him back. So much that it
hurt. But how could he love his brother’s killer?
     
    END OF BOOK 1
     

 
     
     
     
     
    Rekindled
Moments
    (Moments in Time #2)
    By Dori Lavelle

Chapter One
     
    The day I met Chris, I’d been inching my way
through the isolated Shop ‘n’ Carry grocery store parking lot, my
shortcut to and from campus.
    Every step was a slip. When I’d left my
apartment hours earlier, the skies had shown no sign of an
approaching snowfall. In fact, the day had started off mild, which
made me believe the long, harsh winter was finally ending. Fool
that I was, I’d taken my spring trench coat and sneakers instead of
a heavy winter coat and boots.
    My sneakers sank into the fragile cushion of
snow, my feet growing wetter with every step. I shivered and hugged
myself to keep warm as the wind whispered into my ears.
    Home was fifteen minutes away. Not that far,
but in winter distance multiplied. And I definitely didn’t have
enough money on me for a cab.
    “Want a ride?” A deep, warm voice rang out
in the cold.
    I startled and peered through the snowfall
in the direction of the voice.
    It belonged to a guy in a black pickup
truck, which was idling a few parking spaces away from me. His eyes
were fixed on my face.
    Suddenly a little warmer, I called, “No,
thanks,” and pulled my woolen hat further down my forehead,
catching a whiff of my lavender-scented fabric softener. As I
passed his truck, I evaded his gaze, but every fiber of my being
begged me to meet those electrifying eyes.
    As I did, he stuck his head out of the
window and gave me a smile that knocked my heart out of place. “At
that rate, you’ll make it through this parking lot no earlier than
tomorrow morning. I promise I won’t bite.”
    I shrugged, gave a small smile, and kept
walking.
    When I arrived home twenty-five minutes
later, I could barely feel my fingers. It took a long, hot shower
to warm me up.
    Lara, my roommate—who later fell in love
with a French exchange student and followed him back to
Paris—prepared hot chocolate for me.
    Curling my fingers around the white mug, I
inhaled the soothing aroma of chocolate. Every sip coated my tongue
and warmed my throat. Its richness reminded me of the voice
belonging to the stranger from the parking lot.
     
    ***
     
    The next day, I made sure I was dressed for
winter; the temperatures had plummeted even further. I thought of
taking a different route home to avoid bumping into the guy from
yesterday. Not that I didn’t want to see him again, it was just
that he was so sexy I feared I’d be all clumsy around him and he’d
lose interest. But I couldn’t help myself. An invisible string drew
me toward the Shop ‘n’ Carry parking lot. Besides, I needed to get
home as soon as possible. I was consumed with exhaustion after a
long, drawn-out lecture on marketing principles from my ancient
professor.
    Lacy snowflakes blinded my eyes as my gaze
raked the lot for a black pickup. Every nerve of my body told me he
was there, even if I couldn’t see his truck. Was I just being
crazy? But no—there he was, leaning against his pickup.
    He met my eyes and grinned. Despite the cold
weather, he only wore a leather jacket, white T-shirt, and jeans.
“Remember