Excerpt: Butterfly in Frost by Sylvia Day
Roxy bounces on her feet with excitement. “Les and Marge sold their house.”
I blink. “I didn’t know they were selling.”
She laughs and heads toward the front door. “That’s the thing. They weren’t.”
“Wait, what?” I hurry after her as she steps outside.
I
look to the right at my home, a lovingly restored butterfly-roofed
midcentury, then on to the traditional house just beyond it that
belongs—belonged—to Les and Marge. Including Roxy’s, all three of
our homes have unique lots set between the homes that line the street
and the Sound, affording us unhindered views of the water as well as
exceptional privacy—all within a twenty-minute drive of the airport.
Roxy
shortens the length of her stride to allow me to catch up, then glances
over at me. “The day after you flew to New York, a Range Rover pulled
into their driveway, and the guy inside offered them cash to close—and
move out—in fourteen days.”
My
step falters, and Minnie gets momentarily tangled in her leash. The dog
shoots me what I would describe as an irritated look, then keeps
trotting forward. “That’s crazy.”
“Isn’t it? Les wouldn’t say how much the offer was, but I’m thinking it was huge.”
We
march up the inclined driveway, my head tilted back to take in the
houses scaling the hillside. Designed with big windows to maximize the
view, the homes have a look of wide-eyed wonder. Our little stretch of
the Sound used to be a secret, but with the housing boom taking over
Seattle and Tacoma, we’ve been discovered. Many residences are
undergoing major renovation to suit the tastes of new owners.
Reaching the road, we turn left. To the right is a dead end.
“Well, if they’re happy,” I say, “I’m happy for them.”
“They’re
overwhelmed. It was a lot to happen all at once, but I think they’re
happy with their decision.” Roxanne stops when Bella does, and we wait
as the two dogs mark one of their usual spots on the gravel edging the
asphalt. There are no curbs on the streets in our neighborhood and no
sidewalks. Just beautiful lawns and a profusion of flowering shrubs.
“We
all tried prying information out of them,” she goes on, “but they
weren’t sharing anything about the sale.” She gives me a sidelong
glance. “But they did share a bit about the buyer.”
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Because
Mike and I both think the buyer is someone famous. A film director
maybe. Or an artist. Can you imagine? First Emily, a bestselling author.
Then you, a reality-TV surgeon. Now this guy! Maybe we’re sitting on
the new Malibu—beachside living without wildfires or state income tax!”
The
mention of Roxy’s husband, Mike, coaxes an inner smile. A New York
transplant like me, he adds a welcome touch of the life I left behind to
the reality I’ve since created for myself—a reality that’s just been
rocked by the loss of neighbors I like.
“What
are the clues you’re working with?” I ask, deciding to play along. If
I’ve learned anything the past year, it’s to accept the things I cannot
change. A tough task for a control freak like me.
“Les
pointed out to this guy that he hadn’t even seen the inside of the
house. The guy said he didn’t need to. He knew already that ‘the light
is perfect.’ I mean, who would say that? Gotta be someone who’s in
visual arts, right?”
“Maybe,”
I agree tentatively, disquieted by the unexpected conversation. The
road rises sharply before us, the incline steep enough to put a little
burn in my thighs. “Doesn’t mean he’s famous, though.”
“That’s
the thing.” Her words carry a note of breathlessness. “Les wouldn’t
give numbers, but he did say it was crazy the guy didn’t just buy that
huge compound at the end of the street. That house is listed for three
and a half million!”
My mind staggers at the thought. Les and Marge have—had—a beautiful home, but it’s not worth anywhere near that much.
“I
think I saw the buyer once through that big arched window in the living
room,” Roxy goes on. “The blonde with him was a looker. Supermodel
skinny with legs for days.”
I’m panting when we reach the top; Roxy, who hits a gym most days of the week, is not.
A
quarter mile farther, there’s a street to the right leading to Dash
Point. Beyond that and straight ahead, the road slopes back down and
around until it’s at water level. Redondo Beach is there, as is Salty’s,
a restaurant on stilts in the water with expansive views of Poverty Bay
and beyond. I’m about to wax poetic about Salty’s seafood chowder when a
runner dashes around the corner at a full sprint. His sudden appearance
rattles me. A closer look makes me freeze midstride. My breath locks in
my lungs.
There
are too many things to register at once, so my mind attempts to absorb
the whole man. Dressed only in black shorts and shoes, he is a visual
feast of deeply tanned skin, intricate sleeves of tattooed art, and
sweat-slicked, flexing musculature.
And his face. Sculpted. Square-jawed. Brutally, breathlessly handsome.
Roxy, now a few feet in front of me, gives a low whistle. “Hot damn.”
***
About the Book
Title: Butterfly in Frost
Author: Sylvia Day
Release Date: August 27, 2019
Publisher: Montlake Romance
Summary
Once,
I would never have imagined myself here. But I’m settled now. In a
place I love, in a home I renovated, spending time with new friends I
adore, and working a job that fulfills me. I am reconciling the past and
laying the groundwork for the future.
Then Garrett Frost moves in next door.
He’s
obstinate and too bold, a raging force of nature that disrupts the
careful order of my life. I recognize the ghosts that haunt him, the
torment driving him. Garrett would be risky in any form, but wounded,
he’s far more dangerous. I fear I’m too fragile for the storm raging
inside him, too delicate to withstand the pain that buffets him. But
he’s too determined…and too tempting.
And sometimes hope soars above even the iciest desolation.
Author Biography
Sylvia Day is the #1 New York Times, #1 USA Today, #1 Sunday Times, #1 Der Spiegel,
and #1 international bestselling author of over twenty award-winning
novels sold in more than forty countries. She is a #1 bestselling author
in twenty-eight countries, with tens of millions of copies of her books
in print. Visit the author at www.sylviaday.com.
Social Media Links
Website: https://www.sylviaday.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AuthorSylviaDay
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SylDay
Instagram: http://instagram.com/sylvia_day
Goodreads: goodreads.com/author/list/19823.Sylvia_Day
My Review
5 Stars
BUTTERFLY IN FROST by Sylvia Day is the story of Teagan Ranson and Garrett Frost.
Although this book is a spin off of sorts to Crossfire Saga this is totally a standalone book. Teagan has returned home after being gone for a few weeks to find that the house next door has been sold to Garrett. Someone Teagan is immediately attracted to but she has sworn off men and she sees that he has been damaged inside, which for her makes him more off limits. Garrett though is also attracted to Teagan and he wants to follow through with this attraction between them.
This is a steamy read that for me I couldn't put down. Loved it!!
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