Overly Sensitive... And an Iced Coffee Recipe?

I've been doing a lot of writing lately. A heck of a lot... I'm very attached to my characters, I love them as though they're my children. That probably sounds weird but it is what it is. So with all this writing I've been doing lately I've noticed an unusual side effect.

I'm a sensitive person. I think it probably stems from the environment I grew up in. My brother is Down Syndrome X Double Y. He is a very special, very beautiful and I love him to bits. He's a year younger than me, so obviously he has been there my entire life. I can't remember a time when he wasn't there. I think growing up with him has made me very sensitive.

I've been joking lately to hubs that I have too many feelings. But part of me is beginning to wonder if this is a joke? I cry at advertisements that are even vaguely emotional. Watching television programmes usually has me in bits. We've been watching Fringe and I absolutely love it. But the character of Walter completely breaks my heart. The more I watch, the more I find myself getting upset. I don't think this is a bad thing. Maybe a little embarrassing when my mascara spends most of its life half way down my face. Really need to invest in some waterproof stuff.

And while it probably stems from how I was brought up, I think with my writing I've tapped into it a lot more that normal. I don't know why, I'm not even sure if it's a good thing. It probably is and I just need to figure out a way to control it a little better.

I'm not sure where I'm going with all of this. Maybe I'm just wondering do any of you find yourself being overwhelmed by your emotions? Do you think it influences what you read? Much in the same way it influences what I write.

On a far more positive and possibly interesting point, I've discovered I can make my own Iced Coffees. *Pauses to drool* I can't drink coffee. I know, I know, I can hear all of you wondering then what the hell am I doing drinking iced coffee? Well it must be the amount of milk in it or something because I can't get enough of this stuff... Granted after drinking one yesterday I spent last night wide awake in bed but I refuse to believe the two are connected...

So if like me you want to attempt to create this delightfully creamy and nummy drink I direct you to this wonderful woman, who I've only just discovered. The Pioneer Woman Her recipes are amazing! And her instructions on making Iced Coffee are fool proof, seriously I tried it.

Happy Hump Day!

Millie

Remember Me a New Adult Romance is Live!

Remember Me is now available from Amazon and Barnes and Noble. I'm hoping it will find its way over to Apple before too long as well.

When he held my hand I felt safe, protected, as though no one on this earth could ever hurt me. When he held my hand I was the happiest I had ever been. And it frightened me. Surely one person wasn't entitled to so much happiness? What happened when the universe realised its mistake? When it tried to take it all away… By loving him I'd allowed myself to become vulnerable. But I wouldn't change it for the world.

Bella Brooks' adult life is just beginning. Leaving college to go out into the real world she runs into Aidan Crantree, the man of her dreams. Tall, hot and ever so sexy he's everything Bella never thought she deserved.

Aidan's a rookie detective, desperate to prove himself. On the trail of a man who has been kidnapping young women, Aidan must discover how the victims are being chosen before another disappears.

Neither of them expected to fall in love.

It's not long before Bella is drawn into Aidan's deadly world. Fighting her feelings for him isn't an option. She soon discovers that her heart may not be the only thing at stake. With Aidan growing ever closer to closing the case, the game is quickly changed when Bella becomes the target.

Aidan is given a choice, let the killer escape or Bella becomes his next victim. Which will prevail… Love or justice?

Remember Me is a New Adult Romance with some thriller elements thrown in. Those of you who have read Desired by the Billionaire will recognise the characters, Aidan and Bella. This is their story. There will be a second book, for those of you wondering called Forget Me Not.

Below you'll find the first chapter.

Chapter One

Bella

Fumbling with the lock on my bike I sighed in frustration. It was just my luck that the key wouldn’t fit properly. It was a brand new lock too, the last one had mysteriously disappeared, but judging by the weight of my handbag I suddenly knew where it had disappeared to.

“Work damn it!” I muttered more to myself than anyone nearby.

“Problem?” His voice was smooth and it rolled across my skin like the caress of satin. I shivered and turned to look over my shoulder. My blonde hair blew across my face obscuring my view but when I saw him my heart skipped a beat.

He was tall, his shoulders broad and his arms looked like tree trunks. I could imagine being wrapped in arms like that. Safe, warm and utterly at his mercy. He could do whatever he wanted to me and I would be helpless to stop him.

“I-uh…” I stammered my brain refusing to work. My hand slipped and a ragged edge on the chain bit into me. It was the jolt I needed to pull me from my daydreaming. I dragged my gaze from him and back to my hand and the impossible lock. A small cut had opened up along the top of my finger. The red blood dripped steadily onto the asphalt.

He was there before I could move. His hand wrapping around mine and tugging it into the light. Inside my brain was screaming to move. To pull my hand away from this beautiful weirdo who was examining the cut on my finger like he was an expert.

He pulled a white tissue from his rucksack and wrapped it around the wound, pressing into it so hard I sucked in a deep breath through my teeth.

“It’s not deep.” His voice seemed to vibrate through me deep down into the core of me, touching places I didn’t even know existed.

“Uh-thanks…” I cursed at myself inwardly. Was I such a complete imbecile? The best I could muster was a thanks? I wanted to ask for his name, why he had chosen to talk to me. Guys didn’t talk to me. I wasn’t that girl. The pretty one, witty and popular who drew guys to her like moths to a flame. In fact I was the complete opposite of that girl. Shy, awkward and apparently completely socially inept.

He smiled and my knees went weak. I knew it was a cliche but I didn’t care. It was something that happened in the movies and yet here I was going weak at the knees for a guy who had barely said two words to me.

His grin was infectious and I couldn’t stop the grin that spread across my face in response. He shoved his hand out towards me.

“I’m Aidan, and you are?”

“Bella… I’m Bella…” I took his strong hand and his fingers closed around mine. There was no jolt of electricity. There was always a jolt of electricity in the movies and the fact that there was none here made me breathe a little easier.

You need to pull you head out of the clouds. The little voice inside my head chastised me. It was true I did need to live in the real world a little more. But fantasy land had always been far more interesting… Until now.

“Lovely to meet you, Bella.” He held my hand for a little longer than was necessary. And when he released me I felt a little colder. As though simply by touching me he made the world a warmer place. It was that protective vibe I was getting from him. It had to be.

“Well I should let you get back to whatever it was you were doing?” He cast a look from me to the bike and back to me again.

“I couldn’t open the damn lock on my bike. I have the key but it won’t work.” I held the key up in front of me as though that was enough proof of its failure.

“May I?” He held his hand out and very carefully took the small key from me. He brushed past me and bent over the lock. A moment later he stood up and handed both the key and the lock to me. The ghost of a smile hovering on his lips.

“How did you do that? I’ve been here for ten minutes struggling with the stupid thing.” My words came out sounding more like an accusation than an actual question.

He shrugged and glanced around as though he was waiting for someone to show up. I could imagine the type of person that would be coming to meet with him. Tall and leggy, stunningly beautiful, beside her I would look like one of Cinderella’s ugly step sisters.

I shook my head in an attempt to shake the nasty thoughts from my mind. I wasn’t like this. It wasn’t like me to be constantly comparing myself to invisible beauties. I had always accepted who I was. I wasn’t the girl who ended up with guys like Aidan, it just wasn’t something that would ever happen. And I was ok with that… Or at least I had been until Aidan had turned up.

“Well, thanks for your help, Aidan… I guess I’ll see you…”

He nodded and gave me a small tight lipped smile. Something had changed, he suddenly wasn’t as inviting as he had been initially. I had clearly done something wrong, something to offend him. But what that was, I had no clue?

I grabbed the lock and the key dropping them into my bag and hanging it across my body. I climbed onto the bike and pushed away, peddling as fast as my legs would allow me to go. I rounded the corner and looked back over my shoulder. Aidan was still standing where I’d left him but this time his gaze was trained on the apartment building we’d been standing in front of.

The sound of a horn blaring drew me back to what I was doing. I swerved the bike, narrowly avoiding the oncoming car whose horn had rattled me. I ran over and over in my mind the scenario with Aidan. What had I done to make him go from hot to cold so fast? And  anyway he was the one who had approached me. I’d never asked for his help. But if I was brutally honest with myself I was glad he had come to me. For those few moments in his company I’d felt special. I’d felt a connection between us and I was pretty sure I hadn’t imagined it…

But then if I had imagined it, it wouldn’t be the first time I imagined a connection where there was none. Mark’s face crossed my mind, leaving the bitter taste of ashes on my tongue. If ever there had been a time when I was wrong it was where he was concerned. I never wanted to be that wrong again… Or that hurt… I couldn’t bear it.

Aidan

Watching her cycle away Aidan tried his best to draw his attention back to the matter at hand. There was something about her that drew him in, made him want to spend time with her, get to know her… This wasn’t the first time he’d set eyes on her. But it was certainly the first time he’d found the courage to talk to her. And what did he end up doing? Frightening her so much that she cut her hand…
“Smooth, Aidan, very smooth…” He muttered the words beneath his breath as he stared up at the old stone apartment block.
Another girl had disappeared just a few blocks from here. Aidan had a feeling that whoever was taking them, had a hunting ground and this was pretty close to it. It just didn’t make any sense. How the hell was he supposed to figure out what made a girl the perfect choice for this psycho… And what was he doing with them once he got them.
Two of the six girls missing had turned up. Dead. Their bodies mutilated beyond recognition. But the other four were still missing. The more time that passed the more Aidan worried that all he’d find was more bodies.
“Looks like I missed all the fun.” Aidan turned at the sound of his friend and partner’s voice. Hunter jogged towards him, his badge hung around his neck on a small silver chain. Aidan never understood why he wore it so prominently. People tended to clam up the moment they saw the badge. And it wasn’t exactly conducive to blending in.
“What?” Aidan scrubbed his hand across his eyes. He needed coffee, he’d missed his usual morning cup and the lack of caffeine was causing a headache to build behind his eyes.
“Who was she? Case related or?” Hunter quirked an eyebrow and grinned. “It’s that girl you’ve had the hots for, isn’t it? Did you finally ask her out?”
Aidan shook his head and dropped his gaze, his eyes narrowing as he caught sight of the small droplets of blood across the pavement. It had been silly to creep up on her like that. But at the time it had seemed like the right thing to do. He’d wanted to know her name ever since he saw her…
“No I didn’t ask her out. I’m not going to.”
Hunter punched Aidan playfully in the shoulder and shot him a stern look. “Don’t be stupid. You can’t bury yourself in work forever… You need to get out, get to know people. Ask her out for the love of God!” Hunter lifted his hands towards the sky in a gesture of pleading desperation. “I’m not sure I can take much more of this moping.”
“Can we get back to the case?” Aidan’s voice had become strained. He didn’t like to be pushed into things. Particularly when he knew how right Hunter was. He did need to build a life outside work. Or one day he’d wake up married to the job.
“Not until you go and ask her out. Now go! I can handle the paperwork due from the last…” Hunter’s voice trailed off as he remembered the girl they’d found. It wasn’t something you could shake. And Aidan could tell from the dark circles beneath Hunter’s eyes that he hadn’t forgotten the girl in the alley.
“Fine, I’ll go. But if you hear anything you call me…”
Hunter’s expression changed, as though he was pulling a mask away revealing his happier side. He smiled and slapped Aidan on the shoulder.
“If anything comes in, you’ll be the first one I call.”
Aidan turned and began to jog down the road. He knew just the place to go. If he was lucky he might even be able to top up his flagging caffeine levels. A pair of beautiful brown eyes flashed in front of him making him smile. Or maybe all he really needed was to see her again.

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