A LITTLE ABOUT ME:
Currently, I live in Southeastern Pennsylvania but my dream is to return to the high desert of California. I share space with four furfriends (cats) and enjoy spending time with my sisters and girlfriends. My passion is reading romance novels, especially those with vamps and happy endings.
A multi—published author, I am a RWA PAN member who also belongs to its Passionate Ink and ESPAN chapters and I'm a member of Liberty States Fiction Writers. When not writing, I can be found snuggled in front of the TV with a good book, a cat in my lap and a cup of coffee.
I love to hear from fans and I answer ALL emails. Click E-MAIL ME above, I'd love to hear from you.
“Growl and roar - it's okay to let the beast out.” - J. Hali Steele
PART I
(Part II below)
He knew the story well, had read it a million times himself. The worn and tattered book resting with the scissors on his blanketed, useless legs contained the tale he’d heard his doting mother recite over and over, insisting they’d gotten the words wrong. How had this happened? And how had his life become a fucking fairytale? Rampion Sidonne was a living, breathing man and when Nita arrived today, he would prove it. The sound of her name rolled around his mouth like a sweet, hard candy. Sucked into his very soul, it became stained red with desire. Vinita Graveson belonged with him. Forever.The Graveson family had always been around, had always seen to the Sidonne’s immediate needs. Mother never hinted at how far back the two lines went and now there was no one around to guess. It just was. As far as he knew, no one in their families had ever fallen in love with one another. They were as different as night and day. The cared for, and the caretaker. Master and servant.For years Nita came each day after her brother had assisted Ramp with bathing and dressing. She’d brush his hair until it shone like silk, and talk about the weather. Then she would bring his breakfast. On days the sun shined and the sky was blue, she’d wheel him outdoors and down the handicap walk to the beach where he watched the waves slam mercilessly into the sand. It was his favorite place to sit. He’d watch her glistening body cut through the towering swells of water while the wind ripped his long blond hair from the abalone-encrusted clasp Nita fixed at the nap of his neck each morning. He’d smile because she would only have to brush the unruly strands again once they went inside.Her fingernails would graze his scalp which tingled with each pull of the bristles through his thick, blond mane. His buttocks would tighten beneath the throw covering his lap in an attempt to restrain the growing bulge. Stopping the flow of blood that pulsed straight to his dick was always impossible. Ramp envisioned entering her body, thrusting inside her pussy until his orgasm burst from him, filling her with a part of himself no one else had ever had. His cock wept for her to touch him there. Nita never did. Somehow she understood her place in the hierarchy of their life. A place Ramp chose not to accept any longer.Today he was determined to change her position.Sixty years had passed since his mother died from a broken heart, and two Graveson generations later, Ramp had found the only love he wanted. Her station in life stood between them. That, and his inability to leave his wheelchair without the help of Nita’s brother who hovered around him like a nuisance fly. His legs weren’t shriveled and ugly as they should have been, they just refused to function.No, his mother’s fairytales weren’t just rambling stories told by a lonely, lovesick old woman, but she never spoke of why he remained young, why he was disabled, or why the people who cared for him didn’t seem to notice they grew old and died. He’d learned early on not to ask questions when she said, “Your father will come for you. When he does, you will find love.” She’d peer at him beneath stray brown tendrils. “You should have been a girl, Rampion. Time is running out.”His stray thoughts went back to his beloved.In his eyes, Nita was a goddess. Hair black as coal and not an inch longer than his baby finger, it stood in spiked clusters on her head. One hank always fell forward and pointed to the prettiest violet blue eyes he’d ever seen. A tall, big-boned girl, she was strong and athletic, with a body like the swimmers in the magazines he hoarded as a squirrel did nuts for its winter feast. Her hips were broad, and firm, rounded buttocks topped thick, luscious thighs, thighs he’d dreamed of clamped around his waist. Nita’s skin was sun drenched and matched the color of golden desert sand. His tongue flicked across his lips. Would she taste like an exotic hothouse fruit? Tonight he would have the answer. Ramp already knew the feel of her warm, silky skin because he took advantage of every opportunity to touch her. She always smelled like the sea she loved to swim in while he stayed chained to the shore by his blasted chair.Thinking about the water reminded him of how much he resented everyone who could wade into its cool depths. Everyone but him. The pain of being unable to do that still flooded his thoughts occasionally. Especially when he watched Nita emerge from its depths with golden drops dripping from her limbs. He should have been beside her.Still holding the old book, he wheeled himself to the long mirror in his room and stared at the rope of golden hair coiled over his shoulder. Ramp lifted the scissors and began to saw neck-high into the thick plait. His mother’s voice rang out in his head. “Let down the stair, let down the stair, so that I may climb to your golden lair.”The hair dropped into Rampion’s lap, leaving his locks brushing just beneath his chin.* * * * *
Vinita Graveson not only loved her duties, but the manor’s owner was an intriguing mystery to her, stirring feelings inside that were gloriously new and exciting. Her core convulsed in his presence, her pussy grew damp and clenched with need whenever she was near him. Muscles and limbs became weak with an unrecognizable desire and she welcomed the heat as it moved through her. Nita was a caretaker, and though her family members weren’t treated as servants, it’s what they were. It was wrong to think about Ramp in any other light. Never would she be more than she was. But it didn’t stop her from lying in bed at night doing exactly what she shouldn’t. Eyes closed tight, she touched herself with visions of him flashing beneath her lids. Her breast ached and her hips would rise from the bed, thighs pressed tightly together, but she couldn’t stem the flow of cream that leaked from her as she imagined his golden hair with its enticing scent of the ocean floating around her, tangling Nita in its silky strands. This amazed her because Ramp never entered the sea--yet he always smelled like the salty water she loved to romp in.Rushing in the door, Nita flitted through the kitchen acknowledging her brother with a sunny grin.Smiling back, he said, "He's up and dressed."Practically running down the hall, she flew up the curved stairway off the living area two at a time, eager to see Ramp. A light rap on the door, she turned the knob and shoved the heavy wood open. He spun his chair around and her mouth opened expelling an audible gasp.“What have you done?”“I wanted a change.”His lovely length of thick blond hair lay in a puddle in his lap. “Why?”Mercury colored eyes became slits and she swore they glowed silver just before he said, “Thought I’d save you the trouble of doing it every day.”Nita walked over to his wheelchair. “I love brushing and plaiting your hair.” She lifted the heavy braid and it burned, sending an electric surge up her arm. Hissing, she dropped it back to his lap.“What happened?” Reaching for her hand, he drew it to his mouth, planted a kiss in her palm.His lips were soft and cool and the smell of the sea engulfed her. It was the first time he’d touched her so intimately. Pulling away, she stepped back. What the hell? Nita had cared for him his hair every day for more than a year. The tingling sensation when his lips touched her hand was new.“I don’t know.” Emotions flooded her. Nita turned away not sure what look rested on her face. Fear, surprise? “I’ll get something to clean the strands from the floor.” She braided his hair at the end of every day. He slept better without it loose and wrapping around his body in the middle of the night. The scissors must have been dull because cutting through the plait left stray tendrils all over the floor. As she stared at them, they seemed to move, wriggle around her feet. “I’ll get the vacuum cleaner.” Nita clutched her stomach and quickly left the room.Stopping at the top of the stairs, she leaned against the banister gasping for air. Nothing like this had ever happened and it caught her off guard. Her stomach roiled and bile surged in her throat.“Nita, you okay?” Her brother peered at her from the foot of the stairs.Christ, what would she tell him? “Uh, Kurt, bring the vac up for me and…” She ran down the steps, “I’m not feeling well, I’ll be back later. Ramp cut his hair and it needs to be cleaned up.”“What?”Kurt’s sharpness shook her even more as she lurched down the hall, through the kitchen and out the door. Nita gulped air into her lungs. All she could think about was the hair wiggling around wormlike on the floor. Catching her breath, she started across the meadow, careful of tripping over loose stones. She’d made this trip so often, she could do it blind folded day or night. But not this time. After, stubbing her toe on a boulder that had always been there, her foot got tangled in an ivy that had been part of the rocky terrain since the day she took her first step over the path with her mother. Get a grip already.Nita stopped near the edge of the cliff, close to where Ramp’s mother lay buried. Falling heavily to a grassy patch, she drew in drafts of fresh ocean air. Glaring out over the waves cresting the beach, she caught the glimpse of a giant fish tail disappearing into the surf. Too warm for the whales to come in, and sharks were a rarity. The sweet air eased jittery nerves, and settled her stomach as she stared at the ocean trying to spot the creature again. Standing on shaky legs, she continued the trek home. Her rational mind said she only needed to rest. Sleep had been elusive most of the night and she should have called her brother to say she’d be late, but today, more than any other, Nita had an eerie feeling she needed to see Ramp. Right now, her mind pushed aside those thoughts along with any of him. It was too soon to think of what he had done and what she had seen. Tired eyes played tricks on people and surely that’s what had caused her to see tendrils of moving hair and monster size tails flipping out of the sea.Kurt would see to Ramp, no way could she return to the Sidonne manor in her present condition. Her hand still tingled. She looked at it for the first time and sucked air through her lips in surprise. Tiny lines crisscrossed her palm. Shit! Don’t think, not now, she told herself as she made her way carefully up the path along the craggy cliff. Once home, Nita flopped on the sofa and pressed the palm to her cheek. Suddenly a sound whooshed into her ear. She’d heard it often when collecting shells from the beach. Kurt laughed when she put them to her ear and exclaimed to him, “I hear all the fishes in the world.”But this time there was no shell.It came from her hand.PART II
Ramp shoved Kurt out of his way, trying to go after Nita. His legs tingled, the muscles bunched together, throbbed and hurt like hell. What the fuck was going on? “Stay here, I don’t need you,” Ramp yelled over his shoulder as he wheeled his chair to the elevator. For the first time ever, he wished he’d kept the new fangled machine his mother bought. He couldn’t stand it because the motor was noisy and it made him feel like his handicap was forever. “It is, jackass.” His words echoed around the small elevator and he was glad when the doors slid open. Rolling through the living area into the front hall, he pushed a button to open the front door. Racing down the walk, he headed to the beach. He wheeled himself onto the heavy wooden pier that ran beside the cliffs. The one place he was at peace.Waves slammed ashore, sending cool sprays of salt water over him. The salty ocean scent teased his nostrils, pulled him to the edge of the pier. Ramp new better, but couldn’t resist. One strong wave could swipe him right into the water, and with his useless legs, he’d be lost. He didn’t care. Staring out to the horizon, he saw a huge tail flip into the air. The water was too warm for whales, and sharks just didn’t come that big. Again, and much closer this time, the tailfin flipped up, sending a huge spray into the air. The sea creature was headed toward the pier at an enormous speed. “What in God’s name… shit!” A towering wave washed over the wooden planks, dragging Ramp and his chair into the swell.Struggling to the surface, he gulped at the air before being sucked under by the force of the water left in the creature’s wake. Seaweed, some kind of vine wrapped around his waist, pulled him deeper into the dark waters. His last thought was of Nita. Ramp didn’t mind dying, hell, he may as well have been dead for as much as he’d lived in all his years on earth. But he wished he could see her once more, smell her, touch her silky skin. He closed his eyes, accepted his fate.Jesus, you’re a maudlin bastard.The voice was so clear in his head, he opened his mouth in surprise, and gulped in salty water. Laughter rang in his ears.Open your eyes, see me.Ramp’s lids seemed to disappear. The first thing he thought was why didn’t the water sting his eyes, why wasn’t he gasping for air and swallowing half the damn ocean? Instead he was staring into a face that looked like his. Mother of God!Father would work much better. Swim with me.He had to be dreaming, or he’d lost his mind. The creature flipped in the water and circled around. Ramp struggled to follow and couldn’t.Untangle your hair from the pylons.Jesus Christ, he was alive, breathing under water? Looking over his shoulder, he realized it was his hair wrapped around his waist, tangled and holding him in place. How? He’d chopped it off just hours ago.Pretty stupid thing to do since we’re famous for our long, golden hair.There was no anger over being abandoned by his father, no pain or regret. Ramp understood everything as his life unfolded before him in a kaleidoscope of color. There was only joy and love at seeing the beautiful creature before him. Looking over his shoulder again, wondering how he’d ever keep up with his dead legs, he saw it for the first time.A huge jewel-colored tail covered his useless legs. Again, laughter from the creature filled his ears.Ramp, we are Mermen. To be politically correct, Merpeople, or Merfolk Surfacing not far from the pier, his father moved into the shallow water and stood on large muscled legs. “Come, walk with me. We’ll talk.”Pulling himself up, he walked for the first time ever, and with his father. Must be a dream.“I loved your mother with all my heart, she refused to join me in the ocean, thus, your story was written.” Sadness strained the eyes and face of his father.They went to stand by the old, abandoned tower, a place Ramp was never able to reach in his chair. Ivy swirled up the rounded sides completely covering the tall stone structure. Craning his neck, he looked up to the lone window decorating the side of the circular building. “This looks like the place mother so often read to me about.”“It is the place, it has cursed our family forever.” Tears slid down his father’s face. “It’s the place my sister died in, and you’ll spend the rest of your life here unless true love rescues you.” The man lifted his face toward the cliffs behind Ramp, “You place all your hopes and dreams on the lovely waif watching us. I will no longer cloud their minds. I’ve hidden nothing from her this time, she sees you standing with me.”Looking over his shoulder to the rocky crag of land jutting above the pier, Ramp saw Nita, could even make out the surprised O formed by her sweet red lips. His father’s voice droned on.“Be with her for a day, make love to her if you wish, but at midnight, your one hundredth birthday, you return here to take your place in the tower. If she comes and releases you,” His father’s next words were low, haunting, and Ramp strained to hear them, “If she swims with you, becomes what we are, the curse will be lifted.”“And if she doesn’t?”“You die in the tower, and my line ends here. I’ve never loved after your mother, and though I could have taken a mermaid as my mate, I chose not to.” His eyes peered over the ocean swells. “I was impetuous and in love, but had I not rushed her, had I dealt with her true fear of water and the strange creatures living there, our life together would have ended differently, the curse would have been lifted.” He turned to stare at Ramp. “To keep you near me, near the ocean, she lived with her fear every single day of her life, which I could only make so long.”Watching his father walk to the water’s edge, Ramp’s thighs jumped, his lungs felt as if they’d burst like a balloon when they filled with air. He wished he could follow him, but not without Nita, he’d go nowhere without her.Ramp had made his choice.* * * * *
RAPUNZEL UNDONE
(to be continued)
