Featured on the Sun-Kissed Romance Anthology!

Thank you to diagnosedwithlupus for the amazing trailer!!

Going to a writer's retreat was not how I'd envisioned to spend my weekend. Having a picnic at the park, with my faithful companion, while reading the latest book I'd bought was more like it. It didn't matter that said companion would bark at anything passing by, destroying my imagination's calm environment. It was summer. My favorite season. It had just begun and I wanted to enjoy it as much as I could. Yet, when your best-friend, you're very pregnant best-friend, signs you up for a writer's workshop weekend, you can't say no. Even if your first reaction would have been to have a huge tantrum, outshining any three-year old.

However, I knew how crazy the hormones were attacking Mary's usual tame mellow mood. You did not anger a pregnant woman. Ever. I'd learned that the hard way last week when I accidentally ate the last cookie without asking her if she wanted it. The coffee shop had sold the last of them. She was mad at first, then she cried. Over a freaking cookie. Worst two hours of my life.

Putting up a mega-watt smile, I thanked her for the gift and sulked all the way to my house.

My first problem was what to pack. I raided my closet for more than casual clothes. I didn't have many; there was a blue dress that hadn't seen daylight for about two years and the usual black pants that went along with pretty much any sort of blouse. Then, it dawned on me that it was a freaking writer's retreat. We were all geeks, everyone probably dressed in jeans and graphic t-shirts, because we didn't have to impress anyone. We just needed to come up with brilliant ideas.

Then again, I hadn't come up with any for the last month. My chapters had gone from lousy to lousier. Mary got the terrible idea of sending me to this writer's thing as a Birthday-Christmas-Valentine's present to help me solve my problem. I knew she had splurged on my whole-year's celebration gift, with the best intentions; so I just had to go. I finally settled for my jeans, and a pair of nice blouses and t-shirts. I didn't even try on the blue dress, I was pretty sure it wouldn't fit and I didn't want to add being fat to my list of stressful things to overcome.

The dreaded day arrived and I hopped on the plane to fly to New York. Two hours later, I was getting on a small shuttle with a weird sign painted on the outside of the car. Two more got inside after me. A white-haired lady that reminded me of my grandma and a blond guy that was quite easy on the eyes. "Are you both writers?" My tone was soft as I smiled at the old lady. The grin faded as the woman pinched her nose, clearly annoyed.

"Isn't it obvious?" she murmured before giving me the cold shoulder. Okay. Pressing my lips together, I shifted in my seat. The van was already moving, we were leaving the comfort of the large city, riding through the interstate to the little town that hosted this life-changing workshop.

Despite enjoying the outdoors, I wasn't a true-nature lover. It was one thing to like my small patio and another completely to be interned deep in the woods. I'd googled the center we were staying at but there were no pictures of the accommodations. There were only trees and a yoga instructor. Yikes.

"Where are you from?" the blond man asked from the front seat. He laid one arm against the armrest and stared at me with a pair of baby blue eyes.

"Texas."

He bobbed his head. "Nice. I'm from San Francisco." He studied me impassively with his eyes. I couldn't pinpoint why, but the guy seemed familiar. I'd seen his picture somewhere. He'd been wearing a plaid blue shirt, unlike the deep blue one he had on right now. "I take it this is your first time here?"

My cheeks felt warm as I shrugged. "Pretty obvious, huh?"

His lips curved up. "Don't pay attention to Vilma. She's the bitter loner at the resort." My eyes widened at his bluntness, they cut to my seat-neighbor, but she didn't seem fazed.

My lips twitched, suppressing a smile. "Are you famous?" I blurted out when I glanced at him. Vilma snorted by my side at the same time he shrugged. "I feel like I've seen your picture somewhere..." I tried to remember in which back-cover I'd seen him. I read a lot and only the most memorable titles and authors stuck to my mind.

He waited for me to recognize him, to no avail. Apparently, if I'd read his book, it didn't strike me as amazing. A moment later, his bushy brows furrowed as his lips pressed into a white slash. "I'm Tom Hetch. My book, Black Night, has just been optioned for a film," he finished gloating with pride.

I swallowed hard. "Sorry. I'm not good with names," I murmured mortified.

He shook his head and grinned with the exact smile he'd worn on his book's jacket. "No need to apologize. What's your name?"

"Addison Miller," my voice was soft as I cast my eyes down. "I'm still an unknown writer."

"Nice to meet you, Addison Miller." I looked up just in time to see his outstretched hand in front of me. We shook hands before he gave me that mega-watt smile and turned away.

My stomach fluttered as I glanced to the window. Maybe Mary was right, maybe this whole trip was a good idea, after all.

My small sense of gratification evaporated the moment I found out we had a spiritual mentor. I stared at the little piece of paper they'd given us, blinking rapidly, wondering if I'd read right; but there it was, the very first line: Spiritual mentor, Craig Moore.

I didn't need a freaking spiritual mentor, I needed someone that would give me writing prompts, that would push me into writing anytime of the day or tell me that I should keep going or something along those lines. My spirit was fine, thank you very much.

The icing on top was when one of the resort's employee handed me a glass of lemonade as I finished checking in. It didn't look like normal lemonade. I only knew it was because she'd said it. There were little brown things swimming inside it. I raised the glass and stared at it for a moment, noticing that the water wasn't completely liquid, it looked like jelly. Ew.

Biting my lip, I looked around and no one seemed to have a problem with it. Even Vilma, my grumpy seat companion, was smiling and drinking the weird concoction. I started to scratch my eyebrow. Suddenly, the whole room felt too warm for me. Leaving the glass on a table, I stepped outside, took a deep breath and closed my eyes.

The breeze caressed my skin as I inhaled the earthy smell of the forest around me. There was no one outside, I enjoyed the sound of leaves rustling against each other. My heart rate started to calm down, when the sound of a man's deep voice sounded nearby.

"I'm fed up with this Kevin. I'm telling you, this is the last time I'm doing this shit. This place is full of writers," he'd spluttered writer as if it was disgusting. "Everyone knows that a romance writer is just a chick desperate to get laid."

My eyes opened up at that and I turned to see the culprit behind such an accusation. He'd stopped at the porch, observing through the windows. He was wearing jeans and an untucked gray polo shirt. His caramel hair peeked from a black cap that was hiding his face. The jerk laughed at whatever his friend had said. "Yeah, nobody looks worth it. I'll keep you updated, though." He chuckled as he finished the call and was about to put away his phone in his jean's back pocket when his eyes landed on me.

He had a strong jaw and a day's scruff and I tried to ignore the way my heart started to beat faster as his eyes raked over me. "Hi there."

Pressing my lips together, I crossed my arms before turning away and ignoring him. I wasn't usually this rude, but his whole hot-shot demeanor and the fact that he'd struck a chord had me reeling. I clenched my jaw so hard that it started to hurt.

In three forceful strides that made the porch's wooden floor shake, he reached my side. A spicy cologne invaded my nostrils. My whole body tensed. "I take it you're a romance writer?"

Slowly, I turned to him. He was too close. He'd hunched down a little and tilted his head. The first thing I noticed where his hazel eyes. Green strikes over a coffee tone. I licked my lips, uncrossing my arms. An amused look flashed through them as I puffed out my chest. "I am. And I'm not desperate to get laid. Not with a douchebag like yourself."

His lips twitched as he suppressed a smile, making my blood boil once more. I glared at him before stomping away. I heard his chuckle as I closed the lobby's doors.

Turns out the douchebag's name was Cole Reed. We ended up sharing the same spiritual mentor, along with a few other authors. The thing that got me the most was when we had to introduce ourselves and he mentioned that he wrote sports columns for the New York Times. Sports columns. He wasn't even a writer!

Thankfully, we didn't have to talk to each other and I tried to ignore him as best I could. My curiosity got the best of me a couple of times, though. Each time he'd been glancing my way. His lips had curved up on a lopsided smile before I turned away.

At dinner, I strolled through the food line, surreptitiously looking over the tables to plan where I'd sit. I hadn't seen Cole, thank God, but I did get a glimpse of Tom chatting animatedly with a brunette. Biting my lip, I vowed to overcome my shyness and reach out to them. I didn't want to sit alone. Mentally patting my back, I gazed at the food. My smile faded into thin air. Everything was green. And raw. There were some dubious white cubes on the center, but they didn't look like cheese or chicken. My stomach rumbled from hunger as I gazed at the lady behind the counter. "Hello," I cleared my throat. "What's on the menu?"

"This is a vegetarian facility. You have to clean your body in order to clean your soul." She grinned condescendingly at my panicked face. "You'll detox your body from sugar, grains and all those foods that make us ill." Then, she started to fill my plate with different leaves, brown rice and a spoonful of the awful white cubes that turned out to be tofu. I was still in shock when she sent me away, pouring another glass of that yucky water with what she explained were chia seeds.

Grimacing, I chose to sit alone and poke at my green plate, cursing my alleged best-friend's good intentions. I devoured the nuts she'd poured on top of the salad, but I didn't like the tofu. It didn't taste like anything and the texture made my stomach squirm, so I pushed it to the side and ate the rest, sulking to myself.

Damn it, Mary.

I didn't think I lead an unhealthy life. I went out for walks and I helped at my brother's ranch. That had to count as a workout. I was always sore and in pain for a week after I visited him. I also ate veggies and such. However, I wasn't a health nut. I loved chocolate, sugar and bread. I couldn't live without them.

It's only for three days, Addison. Suck it up.

Those words began to sound like a mantra, because I had to repeat it the next morning, when the phone in my room rang at 5 am for my yoga class. I kept repeating it as I ambled like a zombie throughout the hotel, until I arrived at the back garden, where a young girl was seated over a yoga-mat, clasping her hands together, humming with closed eyes.

Trying not to glare at her, I grabbed one of the mats and laid it on the grass. The sun wasn't out yet, but the dark sky was fading into a lighter shade. A couple of rough grumbles sounded behind me and I turned to look at the source. It was Cole. He was rubbing a palm across his face as he stumbled onto the patio. My lips tugged up at his disheveled hair and the way he looked half-asleep.

"Good day my friends. I'm Nadia, your yoga instructor, we can start now." The girl's tone was soft and sort of melodic. Totally annoying.

I snapped my head back at her. "What? There's only two of us!" Why the hell is everyone else asleep?

She smiled at me at the same time Cole dropped his mat next to mine. "Because you're the only ones who've never taken yoga before. Everyone else is much more advanced than you."

Even Tom Hetch? He does yoga?

"He's one of the most advanced students, Addison." My eyes widened as I realized that I'd said that out loud.

Cole snorted beside me. "Someone has a crush on the bestselling author."

Pressing my lips together, I turned to glare at him. He was smirking, hazel eyes full of amusement. He raised both hands in mock surrender. "Hey, don't look at me like that. You probably try to see romance everywhere you go," he shook his head chuckling.

"I am not desperate for romance, you moron," I muttered through clenched teeth. Glancing at our teacher, I blurted out, "Why is he here? He's not even a real writer!"

He burst out laughing. Nadia observed us, tilting her head. "I feel a lot of tension, here."

I almost rolled my eyes. Of course there was tension. The guy was an idiot. I so wanted to get up, roll my mat and hit him on the head. Repeatedly.

Her brows furrowed. "I think we're going to have to work on that." She stood up, patting her behind. "Come on. Change of plans. We're going hiking." It did sound better than meditation, so I didn't protest.

An hour later, we were walking uphill and I started to feel sharp pains in my legs. I breathed hard in short pants though I was trying not to. Nadia was ahead of me for like 3 miles and Cole was in between us both. He didn't seem fazed by the exercise, though.

Two more days. Just two more. Suck it up.

The more I thought about it, I felt like Mary was totally ripped-off. The food was mainly vegetables and fruits. No meat, fish or poultry, and there was no alcohol! No matter what people said, I couldn't write a romantic scene without a glass of liquid courage to get me through the steamy moments.

When I reached the top of the hill, Nadia sat on her meditation posture again. A few wisps of hair were dancing in tune with the wind as she started to hum. I didn't see Cole around and I was glad I didn't. I literally plopped to the ground, trying to regain my breathing. My stomach grumbled and I was so hungry that I wouldn't have minded eating the tofu this time.

"You're not the sporty type, are you?" Cole's rough voice sounded beside me as I'd closed my eyes and extended my arms. As soon as I heard him speak, I pulled both arms to my torso. I didn't dare glance at him, I was too tired to. I ignored him, to no avail; he kept on prodding. "I can imagine you sitting on your bed, with your cat next to you, typing away."

Was he implying that I was becoming one of those lonely women with five cats?

"I don't have a cat." I had a Chihuahua, but he didn't need to know that.

"You're a dog person, then..." he trailed to himself.

I opened my eyes and sat up, hugging my knees. "What do you care, anyway?" I snapped, gazing at him.

The color of his eyes looked more vibrant without his cap. The sunlight was shining right above us and the pupils were dilated; the green flecks prominent. His lips curved up, and I couldn't help but notice how the left side pulled up higher, giving him a playful, almost flirtatious smile. I didn't know if that smile was making my heart race faster, because it was already thumping loudly inside my chest due to the exercise. However, my mouth felt dry and I knew that it wasn't only because I was thirsty. There was something about the way he was smiling that made me feel flutters on the pit of my stomach.

He leaned closer to me, his breath teasing the nape of my neck. "Don't make a fuss Addison, or Nadia will make us walk for the rest of the day." I stayed silent. Mostly, because I didn't know what to say. He also had a point.

An hour later, we were back at the hotel. I didn't want to be close to him, so I ran to my room to take a quick shower and went down to the restaurant. The breakfast menu looked more promising since there were eggs. Feeling that it might be my only source of food for the day, I got a large omelet and a bowl of fruit salad.

I peeked through my schedule and grimaced. It was my turn for Spiritual coaching class. I repeated my mantra a couple of times while I walked to my room to brush my teeth. I followed the little map, asking a girl from the hotel's staff for directions. The class wasn't inside of the conference rooms, it was outside. Again.

There were six people when I arrived to the meeting point. Tom's blond head stood out, just as Cole's black cap. Freaking awesome. The guy was just everywhere.

Sulking to myself, I stepped next to Tom. He smiled, I grinned back. I could feel someone else's eyes on me but I ignored them. A middle-aged man stood in front of the circle. He was wearing some sort of Indian long shirt that reached to his knees. It was embroidered and cinched at the waist with a red belt. In his right hand, he carried a basket full of white candles. "Hello my friends," he gazed at us, pausing to examine us for a second or two. "I'm Craig and I'm here to help you reach out to your spiritual guides." He stepped closer to me and lifted one candle. "Light it up and offer the light to them."

Was he serious?

I stared at him for a moment before I realized everyone was watching me. Someone coughed and I just knew who was trying to hold his laugh. I grabbed the candle and Craig made a slight bow with his head. Awkwardly, I mimicked him.

When I looked up, I couldn't help but glance at Cole. My lips were twitching as Craig said the same to Tom. Cole was still trying not to laugh; he was pressing a fist to his lips, but when our eyes locked, I couldn't hold the imminent smile that wanted to come out. He wriggled his eyebrows as Craig moved on to the next person. I placed a palm in my mouth and averted my eyes because I was surely going to burst out laughing.

After he finished giving out the candles, Craig stepped to the circle again saying that we all have several spirit guides in our lives to help us, all we needed to do was ask. He then guided us through it. And yes, it included meditation and a lit candle. Not an easy task. I couldn't really concentrate after I sat cross legged. I wanted to peek and see what Cole was doing, but I tried, with all my will, not to.

Eventually, my curiosity got the best of me. Wrinkling my nose, I opened one eye to look at him. He was seated in the same position holding the candle with one hand; but he didn't seem as concentrated as everyone else. He started to scratch his right arm and then his neck, making funny faces. I cracked a smile. He opened his eyes at the same exact moment, as if he'd sensed that I was looking at him. Crap. My cheeks flushed and I closed my eyes, my heart racing a mile a minute.

I don't know how much time we spent like that. Good thing we were not under the direct sun. It started to get humid. A trail of sweat covered my hairline. I started to yawn. I was bored. I respected the fact that people believed in all this, but it wasn't meant for me. I did try to concentrate on my ongoing story, though. Except that every time I pictured my male character, he didn't have blue eyes anymore, they were hazel and his dark hair was now a few shades lighter. I pictured him sporting a lopsided smile and my heart flipped when I realized that I was imagining Cole in my mind. My scalp prickled and I opened my eyes, shifting my legs. What the hell?

I swallowed hard, trying really hard not to look at Cole. Casting my eyes down, I noticed the candle wasn't lit anymore. I started to pluck some grass, while my stomach churned. Focus, Addison. Focus.

With a soft tone, Craig started to talk. "Have you connected with them? Has their wisdom passed to you?" He opened his eyes. "It's time for you to go find a place and write what you've seen and felt. Go. Use this momentum to channel all of your energy." He stood up, clapping his hands. "There's a table behind you with paper and pencils. Go, dear friends, share what your guides have showed you."

Stretching and pressing my lips tight not to yawn, I stood up, avoiding Cole at all costs. He can't be my main character. Creasing my brows, I grabbed two sheets of paper and a blue pencil, when Craig added one more thing. "You'll be expected to share your writing. Nadia will be collecting all stories before lunch and will give you one to critique afterwards. The afternoon is free to read or write and we'll meet up for dinner at the dining room."

Still uneasy about it all, I wandered through the gardens, until I found a nice spot under a tree, next to a little pond. After biting my nails for a few minutes, I started to scribble down a scene when Shauna meets my brooding main character, Marco. I made sure to describe him with all the original traits I'd pictured him before. I only added the crooked smile because that was sexy as hell. My hand started to feel numb when I noticed that I'd written on both sides of all the pages.

Huh. Maybe this whole thing actually works?

I hadn't even tried to connect with my guide spirits, but the exercise, combined with the unplugging from any social media was actually helping me to accomplish something. The only thing that still sucked was the food. After lunch, I was so freaking hungry. There were soy casseroles and stuff but I rather eat more salad than that.

Nadia had collected my pages before; now she approached me with the story I needed to critique. Letting other people read your stuff isn't easy. Especially when they're writers too. Before she left, I asked her when were we getting our stories back and she said, before dinner. Everything was sort of anonymous, so at least I wouldn't have to face whoever had to read my part.

The story I had to read was well developed. It was a mystery surrounding a haunted house. It started out a bit cliché, but the author managed to twist it by the end. The use of uncommon vocabulary was a plus. I finished a few side notes, before going back to my room to grab a book.

Reading always makes time pass in a blur. Before I knew it, it was dinner time. Thank goodness, since I'd been hungry since lunch. We were supposed to collect our stories from the front desk staff. Taking a deep breath, I made my way to it. Smiling, the girl gave me an envelope with my name. My stomach was doing somersaults when I walked outside to the front porch and sat on the steps to read it.

My right eye started to tic when I noticed the amount of comments. Swallowing around the hard the lump in my throat, I took a deep breath before plunging into it. The remarks were snarky, even sarcastic. They made fun of my expressions and made jokes over my character's traits. My heart started to pound inside my ribcage as I ground my teeth. When I reached to the last paragraph, I almost lost it.

You're so sappy that you could easily take over my newspaper advice column. It actually pays. Think about it.

Cole Reed. I flared my nostrils, rolling my jaw. That asshole. The nerve of him! Crushing the papers in my hand, I glanced at the glass doors. He was so going to get it.

Stomping through the lobby, I searched for him all over the place. It wasn't that big a venue to begin with; yet, I couldn't find him. Not until Tom told me he'd seen him outside at one of the tables in the garden. Everyone was halfway through dinner already, but my starvation had been forgotten by the imminent urge to tell Cole to go to hell.

My strides were forceful as I reached the place. Cole's face was illuminated by the light of the tablet he was using. His eyes looked up as he heard me approach and his lips tugged up with that stupid smile that I'd thought was hot. I so wanted to rip the device out of his hands and throw it in the pond. Instead, I clenched my hands in fists by my sides as I glared at him. He suppressed a smile, turning off his tablet and crossing his arms, as if he was expecting this.

My temper flared. "How dare you critique my work like that? You're not even a writer. You write sports columns, for God's sake! Half of it is stating facts!" I leaned on the table, placing both palms on it. Cole's eyes squinted, lit with a glint of mischief. "I'm serious Cole! You're the most obnoxious, arrogant and egocentric jerk I'd ever came across with andꟷ" I stopped mid-sentence when the scent of bacon drifted to my nose. His grin widened as a knowing look flashed through his eyes. "Is thatꟷ" I was already salivating. My stomach rumbled, as the feeling of food shortage came crashing down on me with intense force. I licked my lips. "ꟷbacon?"

"I actually spent my afternoon doing something useful, Addison." He started to put away his tablet. There was a black backpack on the chair next to him. He pulled out a large paper bag from it and started to take out the items inside of it. "After I read your story, I drove back home and got two of the best burgers from the city." I wasn't even looking at him, my eyes were trained on the French fries and the ketchup.

Gosh. The hamburgers smelt like heaven.

He grabbed one of the burgers and started to peel the wax paper away. "I was planning to share one with you, but since you're being so rude, I might eat it too."

I stared at him, narrowing my eyes and crossing my arms. "How did you know it was my story?"

He took a bite and I swallowed hard. I could feel a black hole eating my intestines away. A drop of mayonnaise mixed with tomato juice dribbled from the left side of his bottom lip. He licked it away before placing the food back on the wax paper. "I might not be a real writer, but I'm smart. Plus, your story wasn't that sappy. It actually had a few hooks in it." He rolled his eyes before gesturing to a chair. "And I can't enjoy my food if you're salivating over it."

I was so damn hungry. Feeling exhausted, I let out a deep breath. My cheeks were burning when I pulled out the chair and sat in front of him. Trying not to appear super smug, he pressed his lips together before placing the burger in front of me. Next to a package filled with French fries and a coke. If I wasn't still reeling with anger, I would have hugged him. I unpacked the fries and popped one into my mouth. I closed my eyes, enjoying the greasy taste. "I'm still angry," I muttered after I stopped chewing.

His lips tugged up as he grabbed his burger once more. "Can I just say that I have a package of salted-caramel chocolates sitting in my room?"

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Don't push it, dude."

He burst out laughing. His cackles reverberated through the night. I couldn't hold the smile I was trying to suppress as I unwrapped my burger. "What did you write about?" I tilted my head, pausing to study his reaction.

His eyes were intense as he looked at me. "I have to go down to Texas next week. If you go out with me, I'll let you read it." My stomach flipped at the way he was gazing at me, and my heart was racing like crazy.

I stayed quiet as I started to eat my food. Cole didn't say anything more, but that crooked smile appeared on his face. I was such a lost cause. Despite everything, being around Cole had been more fun than what I'd had in months. Plus, I was a true believer in sparks. It was pretty obvious there were fireworks going on around here. I was going to say yes, but not until I got my hands on those salted-caramel chocolates.

He knew it too, because that lopsided smile appeared on his lips. My heart flipped. Cole and that damn smile.

Thank you for reading this!

If you'd be interested in reading more love stories, check out my newsletter to be able to win a free ebook! Link on my profile!