Six paragraphs from
A Different Yesterday
An erotic sci-fi, futuristic, post-apocalyptic romance novel
Available from Whiskey Creek Press Torrid
1. He gazed at the two pictures, at the chunky, tow-headed boy named Drew with the almost pure white hair, and the girl named JoBeth with her hair twisted up in one of those French braids. They were goofing off in front of the kiosk’s camera. Here, they’d stuck their thumbs in their ears as the flash went off. The lower photo showed them forehead to forehead, staring at each other as the bulb caught their profiles. Jo’s hair was a deep, russet red. Not quite orange enough to be a redhead, but not brown enough to be called brunette. She had a mass of freckles all over her body, her face and arms especially. And bright blue eyes. She’d told him her parents called them cornflower blue, then they had gone online to look up what a cornflower was.
2. Tollson scribbled, and left it at that. If truth be told, he had made no other plans beyond getting to Renoir and looking for Jo. It had been his single purpose in life growing up. That, and learning every trick he could in order to survive the journey. Because traveling the two-thousand-plus-mile trip alone and virtually unarmed would take a whole handful of virtues like courage, and strength, and stamina, and “pure-dee ol’ luck”, as Uncle Carter called it.
3. Tollson swiveled around in his seat. At first glance he realized Polinski was accompanied by a female, rather than another man, and he automatically got to his feet. A second look at the slender young woman, and he felt his face growing taut and cold as blood rushed straight to the center of his chest. The woman was staring at him in disbelief. Her movements slowed as she seemed to hesitate to meet him. Wide, cornflower blue eyes glittered with gathering tears, and her mouth hung open in undisguised shock.
4. Seventeen years ago they had shared their first-ever kiss on the mouth. Three times they had pressed their lips together, just like they had seen adults do. Innocent kisses that had tasted like peppermint and spaghetti sauce. Kisses that had been pure and uncomplicated. Kisses that had meant nothing more than a silent, unspoken promise. Her mouth was hot and wet, and she tasted like cinnamon. He felt her breath catch in her throat as his tongue sought hers, met, and sealed together. These were lovers’ kisses not meant for children. He pulled back, questioning her with his eyes, and giving her the chance to stop him. Jo refused to let him go as she hungrily reached for him, melted into him, and silently demanded an end to years of loneliness. His fingers dove into her hair, massaging her scalp with his fingertips.
5. Tossing the writing materials onto the table, he bent over at the waist and dug his fingers through his hair. He had hurt her last night. He almost did the same thing tonight. The thought of physically abusing her was like bile rising in his stomach, searing his throat with its acidic fear. Tollson was unaware he was rocking forward and back until Jo placed her hands on his skin, trying to soothe him as she made soft shushing sounds. After several minutes she managed to coax him back under the covers where she joined him. Holding her in his arms, he felt her slowly relaxing against him. Her weariness was evident in the boneless feel of her body as she melted against his warmth. He listened as her breathing slowed, letting him know she felt certain that he wouldn’t have another episode tonight. Confident his terrors were restricted to one episode a night. There was no way he could assure her that was the truth.
6. He took the half-dozen steps leading up to the first landing in two leaps. The closer they got to Jo’s room, the faster he moved. Bednorz could see the tension building in the man’s face and in the way he continually gripped his hands into fists. It was like watching a wreck about to happen. Or the death of something too pure and good that couldn’t be allowed to live. Her stomach lurched, anticipating the outcome. Knowing it wouldn’t be happy, nor would it be the end. These two people needed each other. They had paid every debt owed to be with each other. There was no doubt in anyone’s mind that Drew and Jo were one soul trapped in two bodies. After seeing the two of them together, it was as if a puzzle had found all its missing pieces to finally become a whole picture. A picture of happiness and contentment. The truest picture of love that she had ever witnessed.
