Fugitives of Love Read online

  However, if the events that had robbed her of so much had never transpired, she wouldn’t be in the arms of the woman who had changed her life. She looked at Brenna, listening so intently to Marie. Her face shone brightly and her hair had remained slightly tousled from their lovemaking earlier that day. Her breath caught in her throat. This wonderful woman, who believed in her and had fought for her, would be next to her when she started a new chapter in her life.

  Sinclair was finally free. Previously, she wouldn’t even contemplate the possibility because it came with the pain of impossibility. But now a simple phone call and a few words from Marie had severed her chains.

  She didn’t quite feel like celebrating, though. Her family had been torn apart. Her cheerless childhood had made her and Topher the products of a cycle of familial violence, molding him into an abuser and driving her into exile.

  Topher could have chosen a different path, but then again, maybe he couldn’t. He had always been such an angry young man, and the tragic decision he’d made that night so many years ago had cemented his fate. She’d never know if he had planned the murder or if the idea had just sprung like a wire worn thin from chafing. She doubted he’d ever reform, but she wished him some kind of peace.

  After a childhood of pain and destruction, happiness sometimes seemed like a long, dark tunnel ride away.

  But she was confident the happiness would come. One day the scars would fade and eventually her guard would fall completely.

  And then she would be whole.

  Chapter Thirty-nine

  Sinclair walked out onto the rocks, feeling the crunch-pop of kelp under her feet as she surveyed the washed-up fisherman’s ropes and lobster traps. The wind carried a conversation between a Maine lobster captain and his first mate from a few hundred feet offshore as if they stood nearby.

  She closed her eyes for a moment, allowing the morning fog to lightly kiss her face and deposit a salty taste on her lips.

  Some seagulls argued over a beached fish and the sun was attempting to punch through the clouds. The familiar rhythm of the waves crashing and the silence in between sounded so welcoming and reassuring, it seemed to help cleanse her soul of the lifelong burden she had left in Little Creek.

  It had been a long while since she’d collected her sea glass. She looked around, spotting rich deposits in all her secret spots.

  Brenna joined her on the beach. “You’ve got some catching up to do.”

  “Looks like I might need a co-collector.”

  “Looks like you do.”

  “You’ve been trained to find sea treasure so you’d be a good candidate.”

  “I’d like to apply for the job right away.”

  Though they’d have time to collect all the sea glass, she couldn’t help but pluck a beautiful, matchbox-sized piece of lavender and hold it up to the sky. Its rounded shape and calming, dark-lilac color enthralled her.

  “This, and the red piece you found when we met, will make the perfect centerpiece for the window you asked me to make for you.”

  “That day you first took me hunting for sea glass. I remember. And it’s beautiful.”

  “I’m going to call the window Freedom.”

  Brenna wrapped her arms around Sinclair, who rested back against her, feeling her lover hold her tighter.

  “How ironic,” she said.

  “What’s ironic?” Brenna’s breath tickled her ear.

  “If it hadn’t been for my stepfather’s last act of abuse, there wouldn’t have been any blood to prove my innocence, and I wouldn’t have been freed from my own imprisonment.”

  “It’s a fitting irony. And one that I’m sorry you had to endure.”

  “Speaking of fitting, you and I are doing that pretty well, aren’t we?”

  “Yes. A million times, yes.”

  The woman she completely trusted loved her no matter what. Their stay in Little Creek had tested their relationship rather arduously. But, determined, Brenna had struggled and risen above her self-admitted inexperience to finally embrace the emotional tenacity deep inside herself. By believing so completely in their union, she had given Sinclair the strength to overcome her doubts about ever having a successful relationship. And now, they could start the love affair of their lives.

  She turned to face Brenna, her love for this amazing woman overwhelming her, and moved a lock of wind-blown hair from her face.

  “You never gave up.”

  “Never.”

  “And now we can be together.”

  “Forever.”

  About the Author

  Lisa Girolami has been in the entertainment industry since 1979. She holds a BA in fine art, an MS in psychology, and is a licensed MFT specializing in LGBT clients. Previous jobs included ten years as a production executive in the motion picture industry and another two decades producing and designing theme parks for Disney and Universal Studios. She is now a Director and Senior Producer with Walt Disney Imagineering.

  Writing has been a passion for her since she wrote and illustrated her first comic books at the restless age of six. Her imagination usually gets the better of her, and plotting her next novel during boring corporate meetings keeps her from going stir crazy. She currently lives with her partner in Long Beach, California.

  Books Available from Bold Strokes Books

  Haunting Whispers by VK Powell. Detective Rae Butler faces two challenges: a serial attacker who targets attractive women, and Audrey Everhart, a compelling woman who knows too much about the case and offers too little—professionally and personally. (978-1-60282-593-2)

  Wholehearted by Ronica Black. When therapist Madison Clark and attorney Grace Hollings are forced together to help Grace’s troubled nephew at Madison’s healing ranch, worlds and hearts collide. (978-1-60282-594-9)

  Fugitives of Love by Lisa Girolami. Artist Sinclair Grady has an unspeakable secret, but the only chance she has for love with gallery owner Brenna Wright is to reveal the secret and face the potentially devastating consequences. (978-1-60282-595-6)

  Derrick Steele: Private Dick The Case of the Hollywood Hustlers by Zavo. Derrick Steele, a hard-drinking, lusty private detective, is being framed for the murder of a hustler in downtown Los Angeles. When his best friend Daniel McAllister joins the investigation, their growing attraction might prove to be more explosive than the case. (978-1-60282-596-3)

  Nice Butt: Gay Anal Eroticism by Shane Allison. From toys to teasing, spanking to sporting, some of the best gay erotic scribes celebrate the hottest and most creative in new erotica. (978-1-60282-635-9)

  Worth the Risk by Karis Walsh. Investment analyst Jamie Callahan and Grand Prix show jumper Kaitlyn Brown are willing to risk it all in their careers—can they face a greater challenge and take a chance on love? (978-1-60282-587-1)

  Bloody Claws by Winter Pennington. In the midst of aiding the police, Preternatural Private Investigator Kassandra Lyall finally finds herself at serious odds with Sheila Morris, the local werewolf pack’s Alpha female, when Sheila abuses someone Kassandra has sworn to protect. (978-1-60282-588-8)

  Awake Unto Me by Kathleen Knowles. In turn of the century San Francisco, two young women fight for love in a world where women are often invisible and passion is the privilege of the powerful. (978-1-60282-589-5)

  Initiation by Desire by MJ Williamz. Jaded Sue and innocent Tulley find forbidden love and passion within the inhibiting confines of a sorority house filled with nosy sisters. (978-1-60282-590-1)

  Toughskins by William Masswa. John and Bret are two twenty-something athletes who find that love can begin in the most unlikely of places, including a “mom and pop shop” wrestling league. (978-1-60282-591-8)

  [email protected] by K.E. Payne. Is it possible to fall in love with someone you’ve never met? Imogen Summers thinks so because it’s happened to her. (978-1-60282-592-5)

  High Impact by Kim Baldwin. Thrill seeker Emery Lawson and Adventure Outfitter Pasha Dunn learn you can never truly appreciate what’s important and what you’
re capable of until faced with a sudden and stark reminder of your own mortality. (978-1-60282-580-2)

  Snowbound by Cari Hunter. “The policewoman got shot and she’s bleeding everywhere. Get someone here in one hour or I’m going to put her out of her misery.” It’s an ultimatum that will forever change the lives of police officer Sam Lucas and Dr. Kate Myles. (978-1-60282-581-9)

  Rescue Me by Julie Cannon. Tyler Logan reluctantly agrees to pose as the girlfriend of her in-the-closet gay BFF at his company’s annual retreat, but she didn’t count on falling for Kristin, the boss’s wife. (978-1-60282-582-6)

  Murder in the Irish Channel by Greg Herren. Chanse MacLeod investigates the disappearance of a female activist fighting the Archdiocese of New Orleans and a powerful real estate syndicate. (978-1-60282-584-0)

  Franky Gets Real by Mel Bossa. A four day getaway. Five childhood friends. Five shattering confessions…and a forgotten love unearthed. (978-1-60282-585-7)

  Riding the Rails: Locomotive Lust and Carnal Cabooses edited by Jerry Wheeler. Some of the hottest writers of gay erotica spin tales of Riding the Rails. (978-1-60282-586-4)

  Sheltering Dunes by Radclyffe. The seventh in the award-winning Provincetown Tales. The pasts, presents, and futures of three women collide in a single moment that will alter all their lives forever. (978-1-60282-573-4)

  Holy Rollers by Rob Byrnes. Partners in life and crime, Grant Lambert and Chase LaMarca assemble a team of gay and lesbian criminals to steal millions from a right-wing mega-church, but the gang’s plans are complicated by an “ex-gay” conference, the FBI, and a corrupt reverend with his own plans for the cash. (978-1-60282-578-9)

  History’s Passion: Stories of Sex Before Stonewall edited by Richard Labonté. Four acclaimed erotic authors re-imagine the past…Welcome to the hidden queer history of men loving men not so very long—and centuries—ago. (978-1-60282-576-5)

  Lucky Loser by Yolanda Wallace. Top tennis pros Sinjin Smythe and Laure Fortescue reach Wimbledon desperate to claim tennis’s crown jewel, but will their feelings for each other get in the way? (978-1-60282-575-8)

  Mystery of The Tempest: A Fisher Key Adventure by Sam Cameron. Twin brothers Denny and Steven Anderson love helping people and fighting crime alongside their sheriff dad on sun-drenched Fisher Key, Florida, but Denny doesn’t dare tell anyone he’s gay, and Steven has secrets of his own to keep. (978-1-60282-579-6)

  Better Off Red: Vampire Sorority Sisters Book 1 by Rebekah Weatherspoon. Every sorority has its secrets, and college freshman Ginger Carmichael soon discovers that her pledge is more than a bond of sisterhood—it’s a lifelong pact to serve six bloodthirsty demons with a lot more than nutritional needs. (978-1-60282-574-1)

  Detours by Jeffrey Ricker. Joel Patterson is heading to Maine for his mother’s funeral, and his high school friend Lincoln has invited himself along on the ride—and into Joel’s bed—but when the ghost of Joel’s mother joins the trip, the route is likely to be anything but straight. (978-1-60282-577-2)

  Three Days by L.T. Marie. In a town like Vegas where anything can happen, Shawn and Dakota find that the stakes are love at all costs, and it’s a gamble neither can afford to lose. (978-1-60282-569-7)

  Swimming to Chicago by David-Matthew Barnes. As the lives of the adults around them unravel, high school students Alex and Robby form an unbreakable bond, vowing to do anything to stay together—even if it means leaving everything behind. (978-1-60282-572-7)

  Hostage Moon by AJ Quinn. Hunter Roswell thought she had left her past behind, until a serial killer begins stalking her. Can FBI profiler Sara Wilder help her find her connection to the killer before he strikes on blood moon? (978-1-60282-568-0)

  Erotica Exotica: Tales of Sex, Magic, and the Supernatural edited by Richard Labonté. Today’s top gay erotica authors offer sexual thrills and perverse arousal, spooky chills, and magical orgasms in these stories exploring arcane mystery, supernatural seduction, and sex that haunts in a manner both weird and wondrous. (978-1-60282-570-3)

  Blue by Russ Gregory. Matt and Thatcher find themselves in the crosshairs of a psychotic killer stalking gay men in the streets of Austin, and only a 103-year-old nursing home resident holds the key to solving the murders—but can she give up her secrets in time to save them? (978-1-60282-571-0)