Eternity: Fire & Ice

Part one of the Eternity Serial now available at Smashwords.com as an e-book.

Excerpt:
Amanda’s hands reached to the flames, warmth and feeling surging back into her now tingling fingers.

No cell phone, car wrapped oh-so-nicely around a tree about a hundred yards back, and no one else on the road. To top it off, she was at least twenty miles from anywhere. She had started to rethink her idiotic plan to meet her boyfriend at his mountain cabin before she left home; a tiny voice had whispered warnings in her mind. She should have listened to that soft voice, she realized now. Hindsight is always 20-20, she thought. And sometimes, true sight is a little too close for comfort.

The image of her neighbor bouncing up and down on her boyfriend’s lap was burned into her memory, and would mar her dreams for weeks, if she chose to let it. That dumb blonde from next door. How could he? She was as bright as a dull penny and as sharp as a rusty, broken tack. Nothing but boobs and…

The sound of a branch cracking caught her attention. It came from behind her, she was sure, and not from the fire as it built itself up. Someone was coming through the brush, perhaps someone looking for her!

“Hello? I’m over here!” Amanda called out, her lips stiff with the cold. She saw a shadow move between the branches of a tree, and heard what sounded like a settling on the ground – something landing from above. The sounds continued to move closer to her but with no response, she began to fear it was an animal of some sort.

“Please answer me, if you can!” Oh, that’s smart, Amanda thought to herself. Telling a wild animal to answer me. Turning again to the fire, she stepped closer. The wind was beginning to pick up and she was sure the chill factor was high enough that her skin would freeze in no time. Even if the fire isn’t warm enough to keep me from freezing to death, maybe it’ll keep that animal at bay. She started to cry, feeling the tears turn to ice as they tracked down her chapping cheeks.

“What are you doing out here all by yourself?” a deep, slightly amused voice asked, just inches from her ear.

Amanda jumped and would have stumbled right into the fire, if he’d not reached out, putting his arm around her shoulders and pulling her tight to his chest. She struggled for a moment but was little match for his strength; he was at least a foot taller than her, she could feel him slouching to rest his chin on her head. She could also feel a warmth radiating from him—through his clothes, through her clothes—as though he was not chilled by the frigid air in the least.

“Let me guess,” he continued, once again leaning over to her ear, speaking softly. “You belong to the car that is decorating the tree over there, just off the road, yes?”

Amanda nodded silently.

He turned her slowly and lifted her chin so she was looking into his eyes. They were fathomless, dark and mesmerizing, she felt her heartbeat quicken as she took in his features. Dark, everything dark. His hair hung past his shoulders in waves of black, his brows perfectly even and dark against the tan of his skin. He was well over six feet tall and broad shouldered to boot. He practically encompassed her field of vision and with a start, she again realized how close she was to him, she’d leaned into him without thinking.

Attempting to step back, she remained firmly in his grasp and he did not seem to want to let go. Placing her hands on his chest, she gave him a hearty shove, all to no avail. Instead, he pulled her closer, using his other hand to settle her head against his chest. For a moment, she accepted the comfort and relaxed against him, but something was wrong, something she couldn’t quite put her finger on. Something was off.

Reviews:

The One Hundred Romances Project (From re-release, 01/11) – 3/5 Stars
A fast and cute read. Once you get into the story you can tell where things are going or so you think. A great twist at the end. I will be looking forward to seeing the next book.

TwoLips Reviews (From original publication, 10/06) – 4.5/5 Lips
Fire and Ice is a rather startling short-short tale, which has multiple convolutions. It is hotly erotic, and at the same time hopeful in its portrayal of love that lasts throughout eternity, as gods become mortals and change identities through the ages. What a great little bedtime tale Jodi Lee offers here.

Fallen Angel Reviews (From original publication, 11/06) – 3/5 Angels
The chemistry between the characters is icy hot and sinfully lustful. The sexual encounters are described in great detail and are highly erotic and tremendously passionate in nature. This is my first time experiencing the penmanship of Jodi Lee and I am definitely open to reading more interesting tales from her.