Friday, December 1, 2017

SFR Brigade Showcase: Excerpt from INTEGRITY




The Science Fiction Romance Brigade is a fabulous group of authors who work to promote this science fiction subgenre's potential as the best niche in the galaxy! The SFR Brigade Showcase consists of excerpts by up to 20 authors to give you an idea of our work.  Please visit the SFR Brigade Showcase for this month's excerpts.  And here is mine, from a work in progress....

...in which Princess Kayla Pierson-Sinclair finds herself attracted to the brilliant but (allegedly) autistic Lord Graham Wooldridge, a master pianist....

SFR Brigade Showcase:  Excerpt from Integrity, 
book 12 of the To Be Sinclair series by Eva Caye


When they got to the room, Kayla indicated the door to a Sentinel, who stopped them by holding up one hand; he then entered to scan Elisha’s suite.

Graham wondered, “Why did he have us wait out here?”

“Sentinels search the room before any Imperial enters.”

“But, why do you need them?”

Once Captain Hathaway allowed her in, she drew Graham with her by the hand.  “Well, the Emperor’s family is supremely important, and there are a lot of horrible people who would attack us or even kill us just for the notoriety.”

She tucked her and Aimee’s clothing and shoes into the large overnight bag she had brought over while finishing her explanation.  “That’s undoubtedly why you had a watchman go with you on your tour, so he could protect you from harm.”

Turning, she was stunned by Graham’s intent stare.  “People would kill you?”

“Or you.  You’re important, too, you know.”

His eyes grew wide with horror, as if he had never been told that in his life.  “Graham, when did your father decide to favor your younger brother as his heir?”

He struggled to find the words, face going blank.  “I was eighteen when it was explained to me.  I don’t know when he made the decision, though.”

Fourteen years of high insult, alongside perhaps twenty years of utmost dedication to his art form, drawing crowds of admirers and heaven only knew how much money.  With an inadequate understanding of social mores, he probably lived in a perpetual state of confusion. 

She murmured an odd quote that came to her. “No prophet is accepted in his own country.”

He blinked.  “I’ve never been called a prophet before.  But I don’t want a future without you in it.”

Kayla set down the bag as he approached her.  She put her hands on his chest as he put his arms around her, instinctively trying to keep her distance.  “Thank you.  That was the nicest compliment I’ve ever received.”

Graham murmured, “I want to marry you.”

Her eyes flew wide.  “We aren’t even dating, yet.”

“I don’t care.  You make me happy, and I love you.”  He immediately bent to kiss her.

She was about to protest, but that gentle kiss transported her to a land of light on a pillow of fluffy white clouds, nestled in the arms of a lover.  As he tilted his face to kiss her from the other side, Kayla realized she had never felt so cherished in her life.  His arms enveloped her like the wings of an angel, and the way he pulled her against his body made her feel truly protected.  It was as if now was the only time and here was the only place when he kissed her with such exquisite concentration.

What was this pure, childlike innocence he projected?  Was he really simple, despite his intelligence?  Or just… basic, with no room for dissimulation? She leaned back slightly, and he immediately broke off the kiss, so he wasn’t completely ignorant of physical cues.

Staring at the pure satisfaction on his face, she realized she didn’t know what to say, but whatever it was, it had to be the wholehearted truth for him.  “Thank you for making this such a pleasant day.”

“No, thank you.”  He certainly wasn’t ignorant of conversational niceties, either.  “When can I see you again?”

“Ah.  Where would you like to go on a date?”

“Go?”  Graham’s eyebrows drew together.  “Do we have to go out?”

Kayla chuckled.  “I guess not.  Would you like to come to the Imperial Palace for dinner sometime?  We have a piano in the library, and I’m sure my family would love to hear you play.”

He flashed her that lovely smile, even white teeth with lips as generous as her own.  “That would be great.”  She couldn’t tell if his eyes were hazel or a kind of greenish gray in this light, but they shone with a sweetness she’d never seen in a man before.

It was hardly 20:00, and it would be a shame if she were to go home so early when she could be partying.  “How does this sound?  I’m hungry again, and I’m sure your kitchens are providing all the hors d’oeuvres for the ball.  I’ll have someone take this bag to the Sentinel ground car, we can pick up something to eat and drink, and maybe take it somewhere quiet.”

“I know exactly where to take you.”  He tugged at her hand, picked up her bag, and exited the suite. 

[ ....  ]


When they finished eating, he led her around to point out the features he had told her about.  He regaled her with details about the library in their house in Wooldridge Duchy before settling with her on a wide tufted leather couch.  When they started necking, her Sentinel and his watchman faded into the woodwork.

His roving hand stopped on her thigh over the strap to her holster.  “What’s this?”

“The strap holding my weapon.”  Kayla observed him as he gaped.  “We Imperials tend to wear hidden weapons when we go out in public because we never know if all our defenses will collapse and we’ll have to depend on ourselves.”

“Do you know how to use it?”  His wide-eyed blink showed her he had fallen into a somber mood.

“Of course, but please don’t tell anyone.  It’s our secret, and otherwise I’d like to forget about it because I was having fun.”

Graham’s grin returned, and the spark in his eyes lit up Kayla’s heart.  “I was, too.”  He drew her onto his lap for a deeper kiss….

Dozing deep in each other’s arms, half-reclining on a number of side cushions, they woke up when his grandfather, Duke Donal Wooldridge, harrumphed.  “Your Highness, please excuse my forwardness, but the party’s winding down, and I daresay you’ll want to head home.”

Kayla lightly rubbed her eyes with the fingertips of one hand before sitting up.  “Thank you, Your Grace.”  She smiled at Graham as his grandfather snorted and turned on his heel for the door.




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