Ash didn’t know what had brought him here. He never came to the cemetery, because God knew he had never missed his parents. As a child, he’d missed his mother, but as he’d grown, he’d realized he’d missed the woman she could’ve been—not the woman she had been. His father, for all he cared, could rot.But come to the cemetery he had on a cloudy May afternoon a month after he’d last seen Violet. Bitterness welled up inside him just thinking of her. He’d told himself that love was bullshit, but had he listened to his own advice? No, and look where he was now. A pathetic lovesick loser who no one wanted to be around because he was so surly.Trent had finally told him to get his act together or he could work from home until he did. In a rage, Ash had told his brother to go fuck himself and stalked out of the Fainting Goat. He’d been close to quitting completely. That was until Trent had texted him later to say, I’m worried about you. Can we talk?No, he did not want to talk to his brothe

Ash slammed his fist against the wall of his apartment, the sound ridiculously satisfying. After three days of trying to discover where Violet had gone, he’d gotten nothing. Nothing! He’d gone to Martha’s, only to have the woman basically kick him out of her house.“If she doesn’t want you to know, then I’m not going to tell you,” Martha had said. “It’s as simple as that.”Ash had cajoled; he’d begged; he’d been close to threatening a woman when Martha had looked at him like the lowliest of worms. He’d left, tail between his legs, cursing everyone and everything.Violet had a sister in Seattle, but what good was that information? He couldn’t very well go down to the city and knock on the door of every apartment, house, condo, or yacht he encountered. No matter how much he was tempted to do just that.“Goddammit, Violet,” he muttered, rubbing his aching knuckles. “Where the hell did you go?”She’d still had his number blocked, his calls going to voicemail and his texts unanswered.

Thea shivered as she peeled off her sodden jacket, trying to find a light switch inside the darkened cabin. The rain continued to fall, pounding on the roof above. Thea finally gave up on trying to find a light switch and turned on her phone to use as a flashlight. Her bladder was about to explode, and it didn’t care one bit if she couldn’t see to find a bathroom.Luckily there was a bathroom with just a toilet and sink on the first floor. After relieving herself, Thea ventured into the kitchen. She switched on the oven light, which provided enough illumination that she could get a better idea of her surroundings.It was close to midnight. She’d planned on arriving earlier in the evening, but a late start coupled with a rainstorm that had turned the twisty forest roads into mud had slowed her down considerably. She’d almost thought about turning back, but her four-wheel drive SUV and her own stubbornness had forbidden her.Her stomach growled, although fatigue pressed on her more th

A coffee addict and cat lover, Iris Morland writes sexy and funny contemporary romances. If she's not reading or writing, she enjoys binging on Netflix shows and cooking something delicious.Stay in touch!irismorland.comIris Morland’s MermaidsNewsletter Facebook Twitter BookBub Goodreads Instagram