Deception in the Truth & Giveaway

 

Deception in the Truth
A.B. Medley
Publication date: October 26th 2021
Genres: Adult, Romance, Suspense

Sometimes you think you know the truth.

Sometimes, it knows you better.

Ivie Davis’s seemingly perfect life is not quite so perfect thanks to a stalker who is determined to hurt her in every way possible.

The guy she falls for is forbidden.

Malicious intent is around every corner she turns.

She runs…for a while.

When she returns home to piece together the puzzle of her past, she finds herself working painfully close to the one man she knows she can’t have.

Her heart has other plans.

Sterling Brigg is a rancher by blood, detective by choice.

He is driven by a need to find the truth.

He fell in love with Ivie, even though he knew better.

Years later, he still searches for the answers to her past.

Now that she’s back in his life, he has no intention of letting her go again.

Together, they vow to find the truth, and in doing so, they will have to decide if the truth will bring them together or be the barrier that keeps them apart forever.

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EXCERPT:

I cross my arms over my chest, and my stomach flips. Is she going to fess up about lunch with Dean today? Do I want to hear this? I haven’t heard from Dean since last night. He made his intentions clear, but I didn’t.

“Okay, what do you want to talk about?” I ask around the dread settling in my gut.

She takes a deep breath. “I had lunch with Dean today. It was…weird.” And there it is.

“You did?” I ask, as if I didn’t already know. “Why’d you do that?”

Her brows slam together. “We were close a long time ago. I haven’t seen him in years. You already know that. It was just us…catching up.”

I feel anger coursing through my veins. “So you say.” I can feel the muscles working in my jaw.

“Sterling, why would I lie to you? You know my secrets.” She closes the distance to where I’m leaning on the counter. She reaches out to put her hand on my face, but I turn away.

She pulls back like I burned her. “Don’t do that, Sterling.” I didn’t mean to react that way. I’m just so angry and jealous, even a little scared. I don’t want her near Dean. I want her with me. I want him to know that she’s mine.

“Do what, Ivie? I don’t know how I’m supposed to react to you spending time with your ex-boyfriend. If there’s a certain way I need to act about this, please tell me.”

She bites her bottom lip like she does when she gets nervous. “He asked me if I was seeing anyone. I didn’t know how to answer him. What are we doing? Are we a thing? Was the other night a fling?”

I blow out a frustrated breath. “What did you tell him?” She looks at me, wide-eyed. “Nothing. I told him things were complicated. Because that’s how they feel right now. That’s all I said. I didn’t want to assume this was something it might not be without talking to you.”

I lift my cap and run my hand through my hair. “Ivie, what do you want from me? He’s been my best friend for years. None of us are kids in high school anymore, and I thought you knew how I felt. But if it’s complicated, I don’t know what to tell you.”

She backs up. “What are you saying, Sterling?”

“I’m saying I think you know how I feel about you, and if you don’t, you should. I’m saying I can’t tell you how to feel or what to do. You’re the only one who knows what you want and how you feel. But I can tell you this.” I walk right up to her and grab her hand and put it flat on my chest over my heart. “This, my heart, belongs to you. And only you. It has for a long time now.”

She lets a tear fall down her cheek as her fingers splay on my chest, feeling my heartbeat underneath. “And Ivie, I didn’t fight for you before. I stood on the sidelines and let you go. I can’t do that again. I won’t. My heart can’t take it. Having you back here made me realize that. So, whatever you’re going to do or decide, don’t wait too long. I can’t handle not knowing where we stand.” I brush a kiss over her lips and wipe away her silent tears. “I’m getting in the shower. You can stay, or if you need to leave, I understand.” I walk away and leave her in my kitchen speechless.

Author Bio:

A.B. Medley lives in Tennessee with the love of her life and two sons. Her husband stole her heart when she was sixteen and their relationship is one of those meant to be love stories you find in magazines and novels.

She is a dental hygienist who loves to read and has always dabbled in writing. When she's not making people's smiles shine, she enjoys belting out songs with her boys, dancing, raspberries, baseball, and anything vintage. Like any proper Tennessean, Sundrop is her drink of choice.

She loves her family and friends fiercely and believes in always chasing your dreams.

Deception in the Truth is her debut novel—but now she's hooked, and there's more to come!

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