Yearning For Her, page 1
Yearning For Her
A STANDALONE NOVEL
TIFFANY ROBERTS
Contents
Blurb
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Epilogue
Author’s Note
Also by Tiffany Roberts
About the Author
Blurb
A wicked incubus. A curvy, delectable human female. One night of passion that changes everything.
Willow Crowley’s world comes crashing down when she discovers her boyfriend has been seeing another woman. The dream she’d held of a life with him is shattered in an instant, leaving her alone with nothing except heartache.
She vows to never open herself to that hurt again…
Until a seductive, otherworldly stranger with white hair, piercings, and icy blue eyes promises her a single night of pleasure. No strings attached.
But that night isn’t enough for him. He wants more, more than she’s ready to give. How can she trust him not to break her heart when he isn’t even human?
Kian has lived promiscuously for four hundred years, feeding on the desire of the humans he and the fae considered prey. But when he locks eyes with a purple-haired female, something inside him shifts irrevocably.
No one else can sate his hunger.
He wants her.
Needs her.
Yearns for her.
Yet she refuses to submit to the carnal delights he promises. She wants more. She wants…love.
Can he mend her broken heart? Can he love a mortal woman?
Copyright © 2023 by Tiffany Freund and Robert Freund Jr.
All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be used or reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form by any means, including scanning, photocopying, uploading, and distribution of this book via any other electronic means without the permission of the author and is illegal, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, contact the publishers at the address below.
Tiffany Roberts
authortiffanyroberts@gmail.com
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or people, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Cover Illustration by Vamorii
Created with Vellum
To you, because you’re beautiful.
One
Eli was going to propose.
Willow thrummed with excitement, which built with every step as she walked along Central Boulevard with Eli. Since he’d texted her this morning to let her know he’d made dinner reservations for them, she’d hardly been able to contain her giddiness, and no amount of begging had convinced him to reveal anything about where he was taking her. All he’d said was that it was a surprise, and that she should dress up fancy tonight.
He never took her anywhere fancy.
It’s finally going to happen. He’s going to propose tonight.
They were going to get married, and Willow would claim the happily ever after she had always dreamed of.
She grinned and looked up at her boyfriend of three years. His short brown hair was slicked back, his square jaw was cleanly shaven, and he was wearing a dark, perfectly tailored suit. Eli usually wore business casual attire for work, but Willow couldn’t recall the last time she’d seen him quite like this.
Hell, she couldn’t recall him having ever worn a suit for her before tonight.
He looked handsome.
And he’s going to be my husband.
She squeezed his hand.
Eli shifted his brown eyes toward her and chuckled. “We’re almost there, Willow. Calm down.”
“How can you expect me to calm down when I’ve been waiting for this all day? You know how I am with surprises. It’s torture!”
He smirked. “Well, I really hope you’ll love this surprise.” Eli faced forward again, and said in a softer tone, “I already do.”
Giving her hand a tug, he led her around a group of people gathered in the middle of the sidewalk. The boulevard was always busy, but with this being a Friday night, it was packed. The entire area had been transformed by developers over the last few years, and nowhere else in the city of Memoree existed such a concentration of high-end stores, clubs, restaurants, and venues.
It wasn’t hard to see why this area was popular beyond the businesses here. The golden glow of the streetlamps, the lights from the storefronts, and the conversations, music, and sound from all directions came together to form a welcoming, alive ambiance. Concrete pavers along the sidewalks, old-fashioned light posts, and the many trees and planters lining either side of the street elicited a sense of some bygone era. Just behind Central Boulevard, numerous footpaths and bridges allowed pedestrians to stroll along the river that ran through the heart of the city.
People had likely been lured out by the weather too. The air was pleasantly warm, which was never a guarantee here in western Washington, even on spring nights like this.
The petticoat beneath Willow’s dress brushed her bare knees. Each touch only heightened her anticipation. She never dressed up like this, and it had been a long time since she’d gone anywhere nice, especially not on such a busy night. She’d normally be in her pajamas, cuddled under a blanket on the sofa, watching a horror movie or reading a romance book with her three cats curled up beside her.
Despite her eagerness to get to dinner, she couldn’t help but let her eyes wander. Most of the boutiques nearby were places where she could’ve easily spent half her month’s earnings on a handful of items. As nice as they were to look at, she just couldn’t bring herself to spend money like that. Whether she was shopping for something for herself or for her business, she’d always had luck at the thrift stores she frequented, where she could find items with far more personality and uniqueness for much cheaper.
Those neat rows of shops were soon broken by a large brick building. The thumping bass of the music from inside vibrated the concrete under Willow’s feet. Velvet ropes sectioned off the sidewalk in front of the establishment, containing a line of people that stretched around the corner.
The club’s brickwork and blacked out windows created an industrial aesthetic on the ground floor, but the second story windows were filled with lights that pulsed and changed color to the beat of the music. The big sign over the entrance read Reverb in flowing red neon script.
When was the last time Willow had gone dancing? She and her long-time friend, Jamie, used to go occasionally when they’d worked together, but that had been…four years ago? Five? She wasn’t sure why they’d stopped.
Probably because life got so busy for both of us.
Willow looked up at Eli. “We should go dancing sometime.”
“Hmm?” He turned his head toward the club, and his lip curled. “It’s loud and crowded. Why would you want to deal with that?”
She smiled and nudged him with her arm. “Because dancing is fun.”
“If you like people sweating on you and spilling their drinks on your clothes, maybe.” Eli shook his head. “Not my thing, Will.”
Something inside her deflated, and she dropped her gaze to the sidewalk. He’d brushed aside something she wanted to do, and that hurt, but it was more than that.
Will. The way he always shortened her name grated on her, and she tried so, so hard not to let it get to her, especially not tonight. She’d asked him not to call her that so many times, but…
He just forgets, Willow. Let it go. He means it as…an endearment.
But that thought didn’t sit well with her. It felt like she was making excuses for Eli when she hadn’t asked much of him. It was such a small request.
Before she could explore those thoughts further, something called her eyes back up. They fell upon a man standing at the entrance of the alleyway on the far side of the nightclub, a man who somehow seemed entirely out of place and exactly like he belonged there.
A man who was looking right at her.
He stood at least half a foot taller than Eli, and his black coat, which hung to his shins, only accentuated his height. The red button-down shirt beneath the coat was only liberally buttoned, revealing his sculpted chest. A necklace with a silver dagger rested at his collarbone, directing the eye lower…but Willow’s gaze rose.
Locks of long, white hair lay over his shoulder, swept aside to reveal the shaved side of his head and an ear with several silver piercings. He was sharp featured, with an angular jawline,
Those compelling eyes locked with Willow’s and rounded.
Her skin prickled with awareness, her heart skipped a beat, and heat sparked low in her belly, blazing outward to flood her.
Willow’s stride faltered, and were it not for Eli holding her hand, she might’ve fallen. Thankfully, nearly tripping over her own feet broke the spell the stranger had cast upon her, and she wrenched her gaze away from him.
“You all right?” Eli asked, placing his free hand on her shoulder to steady her.
The heat that had filled her coalesced in her cheeks, and she felt like her face turned so red that even her concealer wouldn’t be able to hide it. She’d been a photographer for seven years. She looked at people all day, found ways to capture both their outer and inner beauty in still images, but never had she absorbed so much of a person in a single glance as she had with that tall, pale man.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” Willow said as she looked up at Eli. “My, uh, heel came down wrong.”
Eli’s gaze ran down her body to her high heels. “I’d tell you to wear something more comfortable, but they do look pretty sexy.”
Willow chuckled. “I’ll leave them on for you tonight if you’d like.”
“Mmm, I’d very much like that. But don’t get me started now.” He tipped his head in the direction they were heading. “We have a reservation. Let’s go.”
She made it a point to not look at the stranger as they passed him, but somehow, she felt his eyes on her. His attention was a siren song coaxing Willow to turn her head and behold him once more.
Really, Willow? Getting turned on by a complete stranger while you’re walking to dinner with your soon-to-be fiancé?
Stop it. I have nothing to feel guilty about. It was just a look. I can’t help my body’s reaction, but I can control my actions. Feeling attraction toward someone is natural.
So why had that single fleeting look filled her with more yearning than she’d ever felt with Eli?
Her guilt resurfaced, and she shoved it aside.
Physical attraction. It was a spark of lust and nothing more. Besides, I’ll never see him again after tonight.
Eli came to a stop, breaking Willow away from her tumultuous thoughts, and released her hand. Confused, she watched as he reached into his pocket to retrieve his phone.
“We’re here,” he said distractedly as he tapped something out on his phone. He glanced at her and smiled. “Wait here and give me a minute to make sure everything’s all set.”
Looking past Eli, Willow gaped. “Eden? Oh my God, you got us reservations at Eden?”
The intricate stonework on the restaurant’s front was broken by three tall archways. The windows in the lower half of each arch were tinted dark, but the upper portions were adorned with clear glass and intricate, polished brass that allowed the intimate orange glow from within to spill out onto the sidewalk. The big entry doors were fashioned like gates—the gates of paradise, if local food critics were to be believed.
“Yeah. I just found out about it a couple weeks ago. Ma— My, uh, buddy at work said everyone should experience it at least once. Supposed to be the nicest restaurant in town.”
A slight frown played upon Willow’s lips. “I mentioned this place to you months ago.”
His brow furrowed. “Did you?”
“You don’t remember? One of my clients came here with her partner. They said it was amazing, and that the atmosphere was wonderfully romantic.”
Eli shook his head. His attention had returned to his phone, which had flashed with a message notification. “I don’t remember that, Will. I only heard about this place recently. But hey, guess it works out, right?”
Guess he also forgot that I suggested we try this place when I told him about it.
She couldn’t prevent the pang of hurt in her heart, but it faded quickly. They were here now. The rest didn’t matter. In the end, he’d still chosen to take her here, and that was all that was important, right? Eli worked a demanding job, and he had so many things to keep track of. She couldn’t expect him to remember every little conversation they’d had.
She smiled again. “Yeah, you’re right. This place looks incredible, and we’re not even inside yet.”
“I told you it was going to be a special night.” Eli tucked his phone away. “I’ll be right back.”
“Okay.”
After he entered the restaurant, Willow stepped aside and turned toward the window. All the dark glass allowed her to see was her own reflection.
Biting her lip, she ran her fingers through her long hair, pulling the loose curls over her shoulders as she looked herself over. She’d taken great care with her makeup, outlining her eyes in black eyeliner with the best wings she could manage, but her efforts felt inadequate now. When Eli had told her to dress up, she never could’ve guessed just how fancy a place he was taking her to.
She smoothed her hands down the satin and lace skirt of her dress and smiled.
The dress had caught her eye as she was passing a plus-size clothing shop a few weeks ago. She had no idea how long she’d stood outside, staring at the vintage-inspired dress with its cinched waist, flaring skirt, lacy bodice, and short, off-the-shoulder sleeves. It was beautiful, elegant. It was also her favorite color, purple, and perfectly complemented the lighter lavender shade of her hair.
She’d itched to own it, and that itch had quickly become impossible to ignore. So, she’d splurged on it, paying more than she should’ve been comfortable with.
All she’d needed was the right occasion upon which to wear it. Now that she was standing here, it felt like fate that she’d happened to see it, that she’d decided to buy it for herself.
The perfect dress for what is going to be the perfect night.
Slipping her hand into her dress pocket, Willow pulled out her phone. She had two missed texts, both from Jamie. Willow unlocked her phone to read them.
Well?
Willow don’t leave me hanging! Did he ask?!!!
Willow grinned and quickly sent a reply. We just got to the restaurant. It’s Eden, Jamie! Eden!
She could picture Jamie curled over her phone, eyes glued to the screen as she’d awaited Willow’s message, because Jamie’s response came almost instantly.
HOLY SHIT! He’s gonna propose!
“They’re ready for us, Will,” Eli said.
Willow turned toward him, and her smile widened. He stood at the front entrance, holding the door open.
This is it, she thought as she approached him, slipping her phone back into her pocket. This is the next step in spending our lives together.
They entered the restaurant, and were greeted by the maître d’, who introduced them to their hostess. As they were shown to their table, Willow followed in a daze, unable to keep herself from looking around in awe.
The warm, gentle lighting made the plants, flowers, and metalwork on display come together beautifully, and the large, burbling fountain at the center of the restaurant only added to the relaxing atmosphere. The fountain was a combination of sculpture, natural stone, and flora, with a small apple tree—complete with golden apples—perched atop it.
Their table was toward the back of the restaurant, tucked away in cozy nook with walls of ivy on either side. An open bottle of champagne stood atop it, accompanied by three tall glasses filled with the bubbly, golden nectar.
