A Life Restarted

By Zoe Waters

Who hasn’t wanted to disappear from their life at some point? Hasn’t everyone been tempted to leave everything behind and start fresh somewhere new? That idea dominated Vanessa’s dead-end life for months. So when John, a man she barely knows, offers her the chance to leave it all behind, she can’t resist. With their small town in the rear-view mirror, the duo navigate the waters of a brand new life together. Warning: 18+ only due to probing sex scenes.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Zoe Waters
• Release date: Feb 5, 2014
• ISBN: 9781311545329

Zoe Waters

Zoe Waters is a freelance writer by day and an erotic novel writer by night. She has been writing and publishing mainstream fiction for over a decade but prefers the titillation of erotic fiction. When not writing, Zoe is scuba diving, hiking with her dog, or trying out the stuff she writes about, if only in her mind. Zoe can be reached at zoewaters13 at hotmail.com. Follow her on Twitter @ZoeWaters13

Book preview

A Life Restarted

by Zoe Waters

Copyright 2014 Zoe Waters

Smashwords Edition

Amazon Edition, License Notes

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Cover art by Jean-Christophe Destailleur

A Life Restarted

Who hasn’t wanted to disappear from their life at some point? Hasn’t everyone been tempted to leave everything behind and start anew? That thought has been uppermost in my mind for the past two months.

I’m stuck in a dead-end job I hate because in a small town, the options are almost zero. I am beginning to hate my dead-end boyfriend, Tommy – he reminds me of a slug you see trying to get from one end of the sidewalk to the other, leaving an oozing trail of puss behind him.

It seems everywhere I turn I come up against a wall, and those walls are closing in on me. So when John approached me with an idea – Let’s ditch this pathetic town and reinvent ourselves – I was tempted.

John. I wasn’t even sure where to start when it came to John. He’s older than me by six or seven years. He’s a mystery around here, nobody knows anything about him. He lives in a log cabin in the woods outside of town and is the outdoorsy type. I’ve caught glimpses of him on the lake ice fishing in the winter and in the summer he is often sporting camouflage clothing. He doesn’t work in town so I don’t know how he affords to live. He’s always been a fixture in these parts, albeit an extremely low-key one.

Up until two months ago, I’d never had any contact with John. Tommy and I were at the one bar in town on a Saturday night and it was busier than usual. We were sitting in a booth with a bunch of Tommy’s dead-beat friends and they were telling bogus stories of their sexual conquests. Through the crowd I caught sight of John sitting at the end of the bar. He was alone and pounded back two beers in thirty minutes. During that time, the town slut had been trying to catch his interest but he ignored her. Perhaps he had a woman at home that none of us knew about? When he finished his beer, he squared up his tab and made a beeline for the door. We made eye contact as he passed my booth and he threw me a barely-noticeable smile. His gaze pierced right through me and left me feeling unsettled but in a good way.

I next ran into John at the only gas station in town. I was filling my pick-up when John pulled in behind me. Once he had the pump nozzle in his gas tank, he came to where I was washing my front window with a squeegee. Hi, he said, his voice a whisper.

Hi, I replied, a herd of buffalo playing a game of soccer in my gut.

He stuck his hand out. My name is John. I don’t think we’ve formally met. He had a smart way about him, like an ex-military man or someone self-regimented. It was intriguing.

Vanessa. I took his hand and was surprised by the way my hand felt in his. It was just a hand yet it was a perfect fit. When I didn’t let go, he brought his free hand to the other side of mine to cup my hand between his. The sensation was strangely intimate and I couldn’t breathe for a moment. I found myself attracted to John in a way that caused my heart to double its beating rate and caused my thoughts to veer into uncharted territory.

Ten seconds must have passed before he reluctantly let go. I reached out to rest my hand on my truck, my sense of balance totally thrown off. John was polite enough to pretend he didn’t notice. We made small talk about the weather and it was surprisingly easy. Only when Marcus, the town nerd, yelled at us that he was waiting to get gas did John walk away. But not before shaking my hand one more time, leaving me off kilter again.

I didn’t see John for almost two weeks after that, until I spotted him in the grocery store. I turned to go down the cereal row and there he was, comparing two types of oats. I studied him for a few seconds, taking advantage of the fact that he hadn’t seen me yet. His hair was as black as onyx and stray wisps touched his face. He was in spectacular shape, the kind of fit that you get from the outdoors, not the sculpted look of a gym rat. His skin had a light tan and he had a few wrinkles by his eyes. They only enhanced his features though, making him more attractive. Everything about John was understated yet glaringly obvious at the same time.

He must have sensed me looking at him as he turned my way and threw me a massive smile. He didn’t smile often so when he did, it meant so much more. I walked to where he stood and he put his basket on the ground before I reached him. Vanessa, it’s nice to see you again, he said in his low tone as he put out his hand. I was hoping I would run into you again.

John, it’s nice to see you, too, I said as I put my hand into his, this time not surprised by the jolt that raced through me. I hadn’t realized until that moment how often I had thought of John in the previous weeks. I certainly hadn’t admitted to myself how interesting I found him. But that tidbit surfaced when I was face to face with him in front of the Corn Flakes.

How have you been? he asked.

I’ve been really good. How about you?

"I can’t complain. I’m thrilled to see you again. Forgive me if this is too forward but would you like to