The Color of Love

By Brenna Lyons

Grace Mallory owns a small but very profitable art gallery. Michael Justice is a spoiled artist, used to getting what he wants. This Christmas season, he wants Grace back in his life. A few little problems? He dumped her in a rather vicious fashion a year earlier. She's moved on to a new relationship with an annoyingly-perfect man. Oh ... And, then there's the magical mood ring, telling Grace what she doesn't want to hear about her feelings.

Includes the prequel read "A Safe Heart": If there was one thing Michael Justice taught Grace it was that the most important thing in a relationship was a safe heart...so, why does she still think of Michael, when Josh is so safe and comfortable? This is the story of how the hero and heroine of The Color of Love started their tempestuous relationship.

CONTENT ADVISORY: This is a re-release title.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Fireborn Publishing
• Release date: Feb 1, 2017
• ISBN: 9781946004390

Brenna Lyons

Brenna Lyons wears many hats, sometimes all on the same day: ex-president of EPIC, author of more than 100 published works, teacher, wife, mother... She's a member of ERWA, IWOFA, Broad Universe, and more than 60 other author groups. She's taken Spinetingler's Book of the Year for 2007, and she's also finaled for multiple times for the EPPIE, PEARL (including one HM, second to Angela Knight), CAPA, and once for a Dream Realm Award. Brenna writes in 25 established worlds plus stand-alone fiction books and stories, poetry, articles, and essays. She's a bestseller in indie/e fantasy and horror, straight genre and cross-genres thereof. Brenna has been termed "one of the most deviant erotic minds in the publishing world...not for the weak." (Rachelle for Fallen Angels Reviews) Milieu-heavy dark work is practically Brenna's calling card, with or without the erotic content. She teaches classes in everything from POV studies to advanced editing, networking to marketing.

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Fireborn Publishing Copyright Statement

The Color of Love

A Safe Heart © 2007/2015/2017

The Color of Love © 2006/2007/2015/2017

by Brenna Lyons

eBook ISBN: 978-1-946004-39-0

eBook Publication: January 2017

Cover Artist: Brenna Lyons

Photo Credit: 123rf

Logo copyright © 2014 by Fireborn Publishing and Allison Cassatta

Licensed material is being used for illustrative purposes only. Any person depicted in the licensed material is a model.

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All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is strictly coincidental.

This book is written in US English.

PUBLISHER

A Safe Heart

Prologue to The Color of Love

Grace Mallory stared at the half-empty glass of white wine...her second thus far, running her finger along the upper edge of the crystal.

Something wrong, Grace? Josh asked.

Besides the fact that I'd rather be drinking a beer? Of course, Joshua Winters would probably be shocked, if she ordered barley and hops with a seventy-dollar meal. For him, it was the finest vintages, yet another difference between Josh and Michael.

She shook that thought away, masking it as a negative response, pasted on a smile and raised her glass to her dinner companion. Forget the past. Josh is the present. There's no reason to compare them. Michael is gone.

It's Justice again, isn't it? he asked, setting his glass down and picking up his fork. His grip was light, nearly pretty in its elegance.

Grace wanted to deny it, but there was little point. Josh had waited three months to approach her about furthering the relationship between them. Though he didn't want to be a rebound, he knew she was hurting and would for a little longer.

Unlike Michael, Josh had a heart and could appreciate such things. Josh wasn't clumsy. He wasn't without perception and empathy.

It still stings. I guess it will, for a while, she offered.

You don't just turn off your feelings, he agreed, twisting his fork in the perfect primavera.

The perfect primavera. The perfect man. So, why doesn't it feel like it sometimes? Why do I still think of Michael? It was insane. No rational person would be thinking about Michael Justice, after what he did. At least she could honestly say she didn't want him.

If you don't mind me asking... Josh glanced up at her, assessing her mood.

No. Go on.

How did you ever fall in with Justice? I would never have pegged the two of you as compatible.

I suppose we weren't, Grace conceded. Which made her feelings all the more incomprehensible.

How did it happen? He went back to his meal, giving Grace space to choose to answer...or not.

Space... Did Michael ever give me space?

* * * *

Really? This is no joke? Michael asked.

Grace nodded. I told you that Adam Silver is a fan.

Convincing the art critic to detour to cover Michael's show hadn't been difficult. Not that Grace was going to tell Michael how easy it had been. If he thought she'd had to do some major wheeling and dealing to pull this off, let him think it.

Grace...I...you really—

She smiled at his stumbling. For once, she'd left Michael Justice speechless. Grace had never met a more self-assured man. He was gorgeous, buff, talented, intelligent, and good-natured. What was there not to be self-assured about?

His hands cupped her head, and his mouth closed on hers. Grace's surprise was drowned out by an uncompromising arousal.

She'd wanted Michael Justice since the first time he'd set foot in Le Artiste; this response was too good to be true. Grace pressed her hands flat to his chest and opened her lips wider, moaning as he deepened the kiss.

The faux ivory pins holding her hair up eased out then clattered onto the edge of her desk. Her hair loosened then unfurled, the weight sliding along her shoulders and back. Michael buried his hands in its length, fisting then releasing it, exhaling hard against her cheek.

Grace slipped her arms up, circling his neck and bringing herself flush to his