Escape to Heaven
Adele Woolner has survived more than a year of abuse, both verbal and physical, at the hands of her now ex-husband. Calling on strength she never knew she possessed, Adele builds a new life for herself and becomes a stronger woman in the process. Adele is now ready to move forward—but she never expects love to waltz into her life when she least expects it.
Stefano Indellicati feels an instant attraction to Adele and is determined to get to know her better. Something about her calls on his protective instincts, and he realizes he would do anything to call her his own. Willing to stand and fight for what he believes, Stefano will prove to Adele that he is the only man for her present and her future.
Excerpt
Adele noticed the fine-ass man talking to Ethan and Tony and wondered what they were discussing. More to the point, she wondered what Tony and Ethan were threatening him about. Tony and Ethan looked downright surly, and so, of course, her curiosity was piqued. While training in the ring with Tyler, she’d noticed the dark-haired guy stop and watch her from the sidelines. Too focused on not messing up, she hadn’t thought much about it and had ignored him enough to focus on her workout without getting too distracted. Tyler wouldn’t have been happy if she was paying attention to something else, especially a man, while training with him.
Maybe she was a novelty for him to watch. Recognizing that not many women came into Hank’s, she could understand why he may have stopped to watch. But in reality, she wasn’t just any woman, and everybody knew it. She had earned the right to be in this gym by virtue of her past and what she had needed to learn when she’d walked through that door the very first time. While the average member of the gym didn’t know that, Hank and her brothers did, and that was all that mattered. If she remained the only woman who ever darkened the door of this gym, that would be just fine with her. Plus, the regulars knew she was protected by five guys who could be very unfriendly when they chose to be, so she was left to her own devices.
“Ethan, why aren’t you guys paying attention to me? Who’s your new friend?”
“Nobody you need to know.” Without glancing her way, Ethan was the one who responded to the question.
“Well, good gracious, guys, don’t be rude.” Leaning over the rope, she extended her hand to the stranger, ignoring the frowns that quickly formed on the faces of both Ethan and Tony. “Hi. I’m Adele Woolner. Don’t let these guys give you a hard time.”
He grasped her hand in his, his deep velvet voice reaching her ears. “Hello, Adele. My name is Stefano. Stefano Indellicati. Nice to meet you.” As he spoke, he looked into her eyes, and she felt a jolt of electricity shoot through her body. She quickly removed her hand from his and rubbed it against her leg.
When she saw his eyes drop to her hand, she knew he’d caught the motion. His mouth quirked up to the side, and she realized he was aware of how his touch had affected her. His half smile sent a silent message that she really wanted the chance to answer. Stepping back slightly, she knew she wasn’t ready to admit—not even to herself—that she was prepared to accept what he had to offer. She’d forgotten they had an audience observing their exchange, so she almost jumped out of her skin when Tony spoke up.
“Adele, Tyler’s waiting for you in the ring.” Tony’s look was searching, trying to find out if she was intimated by the stranger standing in front of her. Not that she could blame him. She had never been this tongue-tied by anyone else. Protecting her was all they knew how to do, so she couldn’t fault them for reacting this way. But damn, couldn’t she at least look at a man without them going into stealth mode?
“Oh, right! I’m going back now.” Giving Stefano a sweet smile, she almost reached out her hand again, but changed her mind. “It was nice meeting you, Stefano. I’m sure I’ll see you around.”
“Yes, I’m sure you will.”
Adele turned away from the group and made her way back over to Tyler on the other side of the ring. Damn! Did Italian men take lessons in how to make a woman melt? His voice was like aged brandy, and the look he threw her way was full of heat and promise. Sure, it was nice to look and all, but she wasn’t ready to start something with anyone right now. However, in all honesty, she couldn’t lie to herself—seeing his hungry gaze roam over her body made her feel very sexy. She hadn’t felt that way in a long time, and she could admit that it felt damn good.
