A Sister's Survival (The Reeves Sisters, Band 2) - Softcover

Rax, Cydney

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1496715403 ISBN 13: 9781496715401

Verlag: Kensington, 2018

Inhaltsangabe

To keep their family ties strong, the five Reeves sisters meet regularly to give each other a reality check. But explosive family secrets begin to pour out like molten lava, and forever change all they treasure most . . .
 
After a shattering revelation, youngest sister Elyse struggles to overcome the sexual abuse that nearly destroyed her. Between her tough eldest sister, Alita, and a promising fresh start with a new man, she’s finding the strength to make the most of her fierce intelligence. But Elyse still has a score to settle with the perfect sister she feels betrayed by—and she's going after everything Burgundy can’t afford to lose . . .
 
 Coco thinks her useless baby daddy is finally about to commit—until she catches him with a woman who’s everything she’s not. As she tries to move on with her life, she can’t resist carrying out the ultimate revenge. But when she inadvertently gets caught up in Elyse’s plan, she must confront an unforgivable truth that could crush any chance these sisters have to make things right.
 
Praise for If Your Wife Only Knew
 
“A dramatic tale of betrayal.” —Booklist
 
“Secrets, scandal, betrayal and revenge—there are no clean hands in the first book of this saga.”—RT Book Reviews 

Über diesen Titel

Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

CYDNEY RAX became obsessed with becoming a writer after reading Terry McMillan’s Disappearing Acts. Her author dreams were realized through her eyebrow-raising debut novel, My Daughter’s Boyfriend. Her novels include My Husband’s Girlfriend, Scandalous Betrayal, Brothers & Wives, and My Sister’s Ex (cited by Essence® as one of 2009’s best reads). She has also contributed to the anthologies Crush and Reckless.
 
Born and raised in Detroit, Cydney graduated from Cass Technical High School and earned an undergraduate degree from Eastern Michigan University. She resides in Houston.  Visit her online via Facebook, www.cydneyrax.com, or email her at booksbycyd@aol.com.

Auszug. © Genehmigter Nachdruck. Alle Rechte vorbehalten.

A Sister's Survival

By Cydney Rax

KENSINGTON PUBLISHING CORP.

Copyright © 2018 Cydney Rax
All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-1-4967-1540-1

Contents

Also by, 
Title Page, 
Copyright Page, 
Chapter 1 - Survival, 
Chapter 2 - License to Marry, 
Chapter 3 - Love Hurts, 
Chapter 4 - Ghosts of Troubled Pasts, 
Chapter 5 - March Madness, 
Chapter 6 - Why Did I Want to Get Married, 
Chapter 7 - Sex Ain't Better Than Love, 
Chapter 8 - Basic Training, 
Chapter 9 - Unfinished Business, 
Chapter 10 - Daughter, 
Chapter 11 - Girls' Trip, 
Chapter 12 - Back at Ground Zero, 
Chapter 13 - Everything Must Change, 
Chapter 14 - Side Deals, 
Chapter 15 - No One Wants to Swim in the Rain, 
Chapter 16 - Reinvention, 
Chapter 17 - The Weary Blues, 
Chapter 18 - Coco is Loco, 
Chapter 19 - Sleeping with Married Men, 
Chapter 20 - Death Is Better than Life, 
Chapter 21 - Survivor's Remorse, 
Acknowledgments, 
Cydney Rax Social Media, 
Teaser chapter, 

CHAPTER 1

Survival

It was the early part of January. Gamba Okorie and Elyse Reeves were in the parking lot of an AutoZone on the west side of Houston. Elyse was quietly stationed in front of Gamba's Chevy pickup. She peered through the lightly tinted windshield and watched as Gamba pulled on a handle underneath the dashboard. Then he exited his truck and stood beside her.

After months of running into each other while she was working at her sister's restaurant, the two had become close. Gamba had become someone Elyse could rely on as she dealt with the mess of her family.

"Go ahead, Elyse," he said.

"Reach down over here. And when you feel underneath it, you will come across a skinny metal part. Push it to the right, then lift it up. Do it." He patiently waited.

Elyse hesitated but desperately wanted to follow Gamba's precise instructions. However, compared to her petite frame, the steel hood appeared enormous. What if it she wasn't strong enough to lift the hood and it slammed on her delicate hand? She knew it would hurt and she'd look like a fool. But she nodded at Gamba and struggled to do as he said. Gamba smiled at her effort and meekly assisted her till the hood was all the way up and secured.

"Great job," he said with an encouraging wink. Elyse's knees felt like a bowl full of jelly.

Twenty-six-year-old Gamba was tall and dark with thick, purplish lips topped by a mustache. His wide nostrils hinted of his Zimbabwean roots, with broad shoulders that swelled with thick muscles that warned his enemies to never ignite his fury.

"Now tell me, Elyse. Do you know what you're looking at?"

She stared at her mentor with lustful eyes. Do you know how perfect you are, she asked on the inside. But she pulled herself together and tried her best to appear as if she were deeply interested in an assortment of engine parts.

"Nah," she finally admitted. "Not really."

"No problem," he told her. "I will teach you. I'd be happy to do it."

The second that Gamba began to talk and point, an erotic sizzle swirled around in Elyse's belly. Elyse simply wanted to close her eyes and fully enjoy listening to the authority and strength that he always conveyed.

"No problem. You won't ever have to worry about that as long as I'm around, but just in case I'm not here, you ought to know these things."

"Mmm hmmm." Elyse would turn twenty years old in April. And up until that point, she hadn't experienced a romantic relationship with a man. She'd never known how it felt to make love. She'd only known brutality and coldness. Sex that was never consensual. She remembered how horrible it felt to be violated by Nathaniel Taylor, her older sister Burgundy's husband. The abusive experience she endured at the hands of Nate nearly caused her to lose her mind.

She stared at Gamba, hoping that if they ever got together, he'd be different from her brother-in-law — prayed that he'd never hurt her.

When Elyse realized that Gamba could quiz her at any moment, she tried her best to concentrate.

"This, Elyse, is where the transmission fluid is kept. And that's the receptacle for your windshield wiper fluid."

Gamba reached inside and grabbed a yellow plastic handle.

He removed the dipstick, glanced at the tip, then thrust it back inside of the long tube. "This, Elyse, is very important. The best type of engine is a well-oiled one. And you must learn to check and see how much oil is remaining, for you never want it to run out."

"Why not?" she politely asked, silently wishing she had a fan with which to cool herself off.

"Good question. The oil is a lubricant, and all the parts need it to keep the engine functioning and moving. It's like humans needing oxygen to breathe or else we will die."

Elyse felt her mind wandering again, and she nearly let out a moan until she realized what she'd been doing. Her cheeks flamed red, and she felt ashamed. Would her emotions for a man ever be normal? Could she ever enjoy a true relationship?

She and Gamba had been hanging out since last December when he decided to take her under his wing. He'd never shown any romantic interest. She figured it was because she used to act and look too much like a tomboy with her long-sleeved shirts, golf hats, and baggy slacks that covered her figure. These days she wore shirts that clung to her breasts, paired with hip-hugging jeans, and occasionally she'd throw on some booty shorts or a dress.

But even with the cute little outfits, it seemed as if Gamba barely noticed.

What if she was wasting her time? What if she had no real future with this man or any other man?

"And so, if the oil runs out," Gamba went on to say, "the engine will start to grind. It will make loud, screeching noises then, God forbid, it will lock completely up. Basically, the parts grind together, engine gets overheated, and the car parts get hotter and hotter."

Feeling overheated herself, Elyse waved her fingers across her face and enjoyed the little bit of cool air. She hoped Gamba didn't think she was weird, like everyone else — people, especially her family, thought she was an oddball, awkward young woman.

But Gamba was deep into his lecture, not aware of how Elyse fanned herself and the cute way she licked her bottom lip.

"Elyse, I'm going to teach you how to change your own oil. You understand?"

"Yeah," she firmly told him. "I understand."

"And by the time we're done, you will know how to change your own tire."

Her brown eyes widened in distress. At nearly seventy-four inches, Gamba's pickup stood much taller than Elyse, who was only five feet one.

The tires were so huge it seemed like they could easily crush her to pieces. She was thin and willowy and hadn't been active in a gymnasium since she'd graduated from high school.

She glanced at her bony arms. "You see this?"

"Yeah." He nodded. "So?"

"I'm not strong enough."

"Shhhh," he told her and pressed his finger against her soft lips. As his finger lingered for a moment Elyse tried to keep herself from whipping out her tongue. She wanted to suck his finger, suck on other parts of Gamba's sexy body. But she told herself that he wasn't thinking about her, her lips, or her shameful lust. He saw her like a sister, nothing like a lover. And Elyse hated that all Gamba wanted to do with her was to teach how to change a damned tire.

"Gamba," she said, her voice quivering with anger. "No! I can't do this."

"You, young lady, are...

Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: Kensington
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2018
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 10: 1496715403
• ISBN 13: 9781496715401
• Einband: Taschenbuch
• Anzahl der Seiten: 304
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: Nicht verfügbar
• Verantwortliche Person: gpsr@libri.de; gpsr@libri.de; ; Friedensallee 273; Hamburg; 22763; Deutschland