Stranded: Night Calls, #1

By J.C. Valentine

A twist of fate lands a disillusioned bachelor at the doorstep of a small-town beauty. Their undeniable chemistry promises healing, but combustible secrets threaten to tear their vulnerable hearts apart.

 

Seeking refuge from a storm, jaded bachelor Felix Sinclair comes upon the home of Poppy Montgomery, a wounded beauty hardened by grief. As lightning sets the night ablaze, their instant magnetic attraction erupts into passion.

 

Felix thought his ability to love perished along with his previous relationship. Poppy believed true romance had passed her by. But in their fateful union, hope awakens.

 

The night leaves them both shaken to their cores. Is this just a fleeting comfort or a destined encounter? Or could it be the beginning of a profound connection that heals their past hurts?

 

Fans of J.S. Scott and Skye Warren will be swept away by this poignant, emotionally charged romance about embattled souls colliding in a perfect storm of transformative love.

 

Download now to get swept up in this destined romance!

• Language: English
• Publisher: J.C. Valentine
• Release date: May 10, 2017
• ISBN: 9781386801542

Book preview

STRANDED

A Night Calls Novella

By J.C. Valentine

All rights reserved. This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This book is copyrighted material and must not be copied, reproduced, transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or publicly performed or used in any form without the prior permission of the publisher, as allowed under the terms and conditions under which it was purchased or as strictly permitted by applicable copyright law. Any unauthorized use of this text may be a direct infringement of the author’s rights, and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly. Thank you for respecting the work of this author.

STRANDED: A Night Calls Novella by J.C. Valentine

Copyright © 2013 by J.C. Valentine

Cover design by Mayhem Cover Creations

Proofread by Mitzi Carroll.

STRANDED is a work of fiction. All names, characters, places and events portrayed in this book either are from the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, establishments, events, or location is purely coincidental and not intended by the author. Please do not take offence to the content, as it is FICTION.

Trademarks: This book identifies product names and services known to be trademarks, registered trademarks, or service marks of their respective holders. The author acknowledges the trademark status in this work of fiction. The publications and use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.

ABOUT THIS BOOK

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Seeking refuge from a storm, jaded bachelor Felix Sinclair comes upon the home of Poppy Montgomery, a wounded beauty hardened by grief. As lightning sets the night ablaze, their instant magnetic attraction erupts into passion.

Felix thought his ability to love perished along with his previous relationship. Poppy believed true romance had passed her by. But in their fateful union, hope awakens.

The night leaves them both shaken to their cores. Is this just a fleeting comfort or a destined encounter? Or could it be the beginning of a profound connection that heals their past hurts?

Acknowledgements

As always big thanks go out to the people who keep me grounded and focused on my dreams: my family, especially my husband, who reads everything I put in front of him, and my friends, you know who you are, who always give the best advice and words of encouragement. Most special thanks go out to those of you who read my books, because without you, none of this would be possible.

Books by

J.C. VALENTINE

Night Calls

Stranded

That First Kiss

Surrender to Love

Trust

Wayward Fighters

Knockout

Tapout

unDefeated

Blue Collar

Sweetest Temptations

Noel: A Blue Collar Christmas

Forbidden

Dance for Me

Lie to You

Fall for Him

Forbidden Valentine

Spartan Riders

Grit

Mettle

Vigor

Brash

Cocky

Read the full box set

Blind Jacks MC

Marked for Death

Fighting Dirty

Ace of Hearts

Roped by the Cowboy Duet

Finding Home

Staying Home

Based on a True Story

Mami

Papi

Haunted Real Estate:

Haunted Real Estate: Where's Gary?

Standalones & Novellas

Under the Mistletoe: A Reverse Harem Novella

The Affair: A Romance Novella

Indecent Proposal: A Reverse Harem Romance

Taken: A Romance Novella

Santa Baby: A Christmas Short Story

Raine

Her Only Salvation

Buried Secrets

Deadly Deception: A Dark Romance

SOB: A Stepbrother Romance

1

The sky was black as pitch, the soft glow from moon overhead blotted out by a bank of dark and threatening storm clouds. The car glided over the dotted line. The truck ahead blared its warning and Felix Sinclair jolted upright, jerking the wheel and sending the car jettisoning toward a ditch.

"Shit! Shitshitshit." Fighting the pull, Felix struggled to right the car, but succeeded only in sending it in the opposite direction, back over the center line, narrowly missing the reflective mile marker sign standing at the side of the road.

With a lurch, the vehicle threw itself over the embankment and down, down into the thicket of cattails and tall grasses. On impact, Felix’s forehead bounced off the steering wheel then snapped violently back when the airbag exploded, nearly breaking his nose in the process before sending him spiraling into oblivion.

Searing pain in his side was the first thing Felix noted when he came around. That, and the tight, swelled feeling in his teeth, as if someone had punched him in the mouth. Moaning, he tried to push away from the pillow encompassing his face. His first thought was, where was all this pain coming from? Had he gone for a drink with the guys last night and ended up in a brawl? It would certainly explain the feeling that his teeth had been smashed in with a two-by-four. Or maybe that new routine Marco had him doing at the gym was the problem. It could explain why every inch of his body screamed with every fraction of movement.

Whatever the problem, none of it explained why he felt like he was standing upright and cold in his own bed.

And why the damn pillow wouldn’t stop smothering him!

Battling it back, Felix managed to get enough distance to see past the enveloping expanse of white and take stock of his surroundings.

What the hell was he doing inside his car?

It all came back to him in an instant. The truck, the horn, careening across the road. The accident.

He had been on his way back from a writers’ convention, tired and worn from the weeklong event that had left him with terrible insomnia and dry, puffy eyes. He couldn’t sleep away from home, and so was running on less than three fitful hours a day. Coffee was the only thing that saw him through, but once confined in the warmth of his car, luxurious leather seats cradling his body lovingly, he found it a constant battle to keep his eyes open.

He did everything he could think of to stay awake: rolling down the windows to let in the blustery fall air, blasting the stereo, slapping himself in the face. None of it worked, though. His eyelids would eventually grow heavy again and he would find himself jolting back into consciousness. It was frightening, but he really thought he could make the final hour stretch, and once he hit the city lights, he would be home free, too on edge traversing the constant flow of traffic to slip into unconsciousness again.

Obviously, he had been wrong.

Not more than a few miles into the journey down the country road—a path guaranteed