Sharing some excerpts from my book “Unbridled”. I hope you like this first one. This is basically one of the first scenes that popped into my head that gave form to the rest of the story.

Unbridled
by H.K. Rowe
Available Now

Ethan clenched his jaw in annoyance. Apparently, he was trying to be serious when she wasn’t taking his anger to heart. Elekta didn’t want to be serious; she was still too scared.

“No, it’s not,” Ethan said. But he said nothing. Elekta regarded him curiously.

“Why don’t you come into the pool then, Ethan? If it’s going to be a longer chat.”

He sighed in defeat. “Is that the only way you’re going to listen to me?”

Elekta nodded slowly. “Besides, it should cool you off.” She locked eyes with him, her expression intense. “We both had a bad night.”

Her confidence wavered though when Ethan began undressing himself at the edge of the pool, standing before her in nothing but his underwear. She eyed him hungrily, with his taut, youthful muscles, his darkened flesh, and his skin still glistening from sweat. She tried to avoid looking below his stomach, but could not resist. He was wearing tightly fitted black briefs after all. 

And suddenly, with his feet first, he jumped into the pool with her. She swam around him, but was suddenly surprised as he came up close to her and grabbed onto her arms. He pushed her flush against the adjacent edge. Ethan’s head surfaced and he was glowering at her, yet there was something else plaguing his troubled eyes.

“They almost killed you tonight,” he said, his voice an angry whisper. “I can’t believe how stupid you were.”

“I know, Ethan,” she said softly. She shifted in his grasp, and she felt him rub against her body under the water. She lifted her head and stared at him. “I know. I shouldn’t have followed you and Howin. I didn’t know that you’d be in such danger.”

“But why, Elekta? Why are you following me? Why do you even care? Haven’t I rejected you enough? When will you get the hint?” he asked bitingly at her, and his grip on her arms tightened. Elekta winced, and she knew she’d have bruises there tomorrow.

“I’m… I’m sorry, but I can’t stop,” she whined. “I had to know where you work. I wanted to find out more about you because…” She stopped. Could she really tell him her grand plan? She was afraid how he’d take it. She was sure, given Ethan’s personality, he would get angry at the idea of a silly girl wanting to save him.

“Because what, Elekta?” He shook her in the water. “Tell me!”

“Because I want to save you!” she yelled out, sobbing. Her head fell down against his chest as she cried. Ethan froze, stunned from her words. She slowly lifted her head to him, cupping his jaw in her hands. “I don’t know how, but I’m in love with you. I’ve felt your suffering since day one. Something wasn’t right, and I knew you were cursed. I also knew it had to be me that would help you.” She pleaded with him as he started to back away.

She grabbed his face. “Listen, Ethan Carpenter, you give me purpose. I’m nobody here. I’m stuck in this family with parents who barely acknowledge me, and they push me away and drop me into stupid ballet classes and piano lessons so I’ll keep away from them. My mother is an alcoholic and my father doesn’t love his family anymore. He’d rather sit downtown in a cathouse than spend time with his family. If someone annoys him enough, he just throws money at them. No one has ever cared for me, but I can still care for others.”

She paused and smiled at him. “Ethan, I have all this love to give someone, and I want to give it to you because you have none.”

He looked bewildered by her confession, and he dropped his hands from her, backing away from her. He frowned, his eyes glazing over with despair and anger. “I’m sorry, Elekta,” he said. “You can’t save me. My life belongs to someone else.”

Thanks for reading!

H.K. Rowe