Never On Saturday
by Sue Barnard
#SundaySnippet
Publication Date: 2020 (revised edition)
Publisher: Ocelot Press
Pages: 170
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Also available in French translation
Two stories, two heartbreaks, one past, one present
Leaving her native France and arriving in North Wales as a postgraduate student of History and Folklore, Mel is cautiously optimistic that she can escape from her troubled past and begin a new and happier life.
She settles into her student accommodation and begins work on her thesis, concentrating particularly on one fascinating manuscript: a compelling and tragic tale of a cursed medieval princess.
Then she meets Ray – charming, down-to-earth and devastatingly handsome. Within days, Mel’s entire world has been transformed from lonely and frustrated to loving and fulfilled. Despite her failure with previous relationships, she allows herself to hope that this time, at last, she can make it work.
But Mel’s dreams of happiness are under constant threat. She is hiding a dark and terrible secret, which Ray – or indeed anybody else – must never ever discover…
“Time for a swim?” Ray squared his shoulders and strode purposefully across the sand towards the sea. Mel’s eyes took in his tall lithe body, his suntanned skin glistening with sun cream, and the shiny waves of his dark glossy hair. She caught her breath.
Mon Dieu. He’s absolutely gorgeous.
“Come on,” he called. “Or have I got to come and get you?”
Don’t tempt me. If you come and get me, I’ve no idea what I’ll…
“No, it’s all right,” she answered aloud. “I’ll be with you in a min— Oh!”
The sea-bed suddenly fell away under her feet, and the waves covered her head as she crashed headlong into the water. Gasping with surprise, she forced her face above the surface, pushing her hair out of her eyes as she struggled to regain her balance.
“Mel? Are you all right?”
Mel looked up through eyes which were stinging with salt water. Ray was now standing right beside her, putting out a hand to steady her. Despite the chill of the water, her pulse raced at his touch. She caught her breath again, hoping desperately that he would think her gasps were still the result of trying to get her breath back after her sudden submersion.
“Yes, thanks, I’m OK. I should have been more careful. It just caught me by surprise, that’s all…”
Her voice trailed off as she looked up into his dark, smouldering eyes. She was vaguely aware that his other hand had found its way round the back of her head and was gently drawing her face towards his own. Then his arms tightened around her, and the faint taste of salt on his lips gave way to a warm sweetness. Her lips gently parted as his tongue eased its way between them.
Oh Ray, this is everything I’ve always dreamed of. I can’t let you go. Can I possibly find a way to make it work this time?
...
Sue Barnard
Sue Barnard is a British novelist and award-winning poet whose family background is far stranger than any work of fiction. She would write a book about it if she thought anybody would believe her.
Sue has also edited more than thirty novels for other authors. She lives in Cheshire, UK, with her extremely patient husband and a large collection of unfinished scribblings.
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