Open Wounds: Abel & Hope
(A Love Against the Odds Novel)
by Inger Iversen
Publication date: June 28th
2017
Genres: Adult, Contemporary,
Romance
BLURB
If you could see your life from
inception to your death, would you change things or would you let your death
play out as fate intended?
Abel is in search of only two
things. A stable job and a safe place to lay his head at night after a mistake
that cost him eighteen months of his life. As if fate had plans made only for
him, Abel is offered a complicated job, and a chance to redeem himself to his
old boss.
And then he meets her…
And Abel adds another item to his
list—Hope.
At twenty-six, Hope has only ever
slept with one man, and at her boss’s unsolicited advice, Hope plans to forget
the abuse and degradation she suffered at her ex’s hand by seducing and bedding
the next man she meets. Only, after Hope finds a promise of death at her
doorstep, her plans are derailed and only chance at staying alive rests on the
dedication of her new bodyguard and her own sheer will to live the life she
deserves.
AND –
look out for the last book in the series, Weathered Souls: Ivory & Eric,
coming this fall!
EXCERPT:
Once Thea
and Lex dropped off the groceries, Abel started cooking away. Hope’s mouth
watered as scents wafted through the kitchen and met her nose. If the aroma
from whatever was brewing on the stove was any indication, that man could cook.
Hope
had always watched her figure while married to Mark. All it took was one extra
pound, and he’d make sure her life was even more of a living hell than it
already was. Every night, he’d force her onto the scale, and every night, he
would find something about her body that needed to change. Your
thighs shouldn’t meet in the middle. It’s disgusting. Hope’s stomach twisted in fear at the
thought of placing food in her mouth. If you cared about the way you looked,
this wouldn’t be necessary.
Mark’s
voice was engrained in her head, and the memories of his degradation were the
only reason she hadn’t gorged herself the second she was free. Because in the
back of her mind, she would never truly be free of Mark. Perhaps, one day, her
physical wounds would heal, but her soul would be forever scarred.
“No excuses,” Abel muttered as he opened a
steaming pot and stirred.
His
comment pulled her from her memories. She glanced up. “Excuse me?”
Lifting
a container of spices, Abel shook a liberal amount into the pot. “You’re going
to eat, and then you’re going to sleep a full eight hours tonight.” Stirring
the sauce, he added, “No excuses.”
Hope
prickled at the demand in his tone. “I’m not a five-year-old.”
“No
excuses.” He hadn’t even looked up, just stood there stirring, while she
silently fumed.
She’d
had enough of men telling her what to do. Taking in a deep breath with the
intention of telling him just that, she paused. Abel had leaned down and opened
the oven door. The scent of marinara sauce, baked cheeses, seasoned meat, and
Italian seasoning assaulted her senses, and she could do nothing but stare in
wonderment at the man in her kitchen.
“You’re
underweight and have bags under your eyes.”
Though
his words stung, Hope didn’t even flinch at his observation. The aroma coming
from the oven had moved her to her feet, and she was now standing inches from
him. It wasn’t as if she’d never smelled decent food before; it had just been a
long time since she’d contemplated eating a delicious meal without the fear of
gaining an ounce.
“It’s
hard to eat healthy when you are on the run.” The excuse flew out of her mouth,
as a force of habit.
Abel
slightly lifted a brow, letting her know he didn’t believe her. “That changes
tonight.” He turned his body to the side, making room for her to sidle up next
to him. “For tonight, we’ll be dining on lasagna, Caesar salad, and garlic
bread.” Gently, he took hold of her hand, his warmth invading her cold palm the
second he touched her. Guiding her hand to the wooden spoon, he said, “Stir.”
Then moved away from the oven and began to prepare the bread.
Hope
stirred the sauce, light-headed from Abel’s magnetic touch. Of course, she was
already riding on cloud nine at the thought of a full belly and a full night’s
rest. But while she was hesitant to believe she’d be able to sleep through the
night, Hope prayed Abel’s presence would trick her mind into believing she was
safe—at least for now.
“Why
are you making this sauce, if the lasagna is already in the oven?”
Abel
didn’t glance up from smearing butter on the rolls as he spoke. “That is
spaghetti sauce. We’ll make a lot of it, divide it up into containers, then
freeze it.” He sprinkled some garlic powder onto the buttered rolls. “Can you
turn the heat down under the sauce? We’ll need to let it simmer for another
twenty minutes. Then pull the lasagna out of the oven, please.”
Hope
did as she was told. Leaning her face over the cheesy meal, she inhaled.
“Jesus, this smells like five pounds.” She regretted the words as soon as they
left her mouth, but she couldn’t take them back. She turned to Abel to
apologize for her crudeness, but instead of meeting angry eyes, she found his
soft gaze.
“Listen
to me.” He moved to her, his gait sure and steady. “You’re beautiful as is.”
His words knocked her a bit off kilter. She opened her mouth to disagree, but
Abel softly placed a finger over her lips to hush her. “When I make comments
about your weight, it’s not because you aren’t attractive. It’s because I
understand the stress your body is under. I want you strong and alert—always.
After all this is said and done, you can go ahead and drop the pounds again, if
that’s what you want.
“But
never confuse me with Mark. I am not him. Whatever comments he made, or
whatever way he made you feel about your body, starts and stops with him. I am
not that man, and I never will be. We just need to get you healthy again.”
Hope
was unsure of what to say. No one had called her beautiful in years. Mark had
only ever complimented her when they were dating, and if another man so much as
glanced at her, Mark would remind her that her thighs touched and men didn’t
like that. Hope knew she wasn’t ugly, but she didn’t feel beautiful; she hadn’t
for some time now. To hear Abel say it with such sincerity, while looking
nowhere but in her eyes, made her feel good.
Author Info
Inger
Iversen was born in 1982 to Anne and Kaii Iversen. She lives in Virginia Beach
with her overweight lap cat, Max and her tree hugging boyfriend Joshua. She
spends 90 percent of her time in Barnes and Noble and the other ten pretending
not to want to be in Barnes and Noble.
Author Links:
