I'm so excited to tell you the best news ever.  

I HAVE BEEN WRITING!!! 

I'm feeling much better and my creativity is coming back, and I can't tell you how excited that makes me. 

Right now, I've put myself on a deadline to finish the book I'm writing because my agent needs it in her hands to play with, and then I'm diving back into edits on Between the Flames, then starting on the project I teased in the New Year that I'm absolutely dying to write. 

For now, I want to share one of my favorite scenes from Sins of Sorrow. If you've already read it, let me know if this scene was in your top 3 favs. If you haven't read the book yet, whatcha waiting for? Go fall in love with Sly! 

. . . 

Rubbing my hand along my short beard, I follow their line of sight, my breath catching in my throat at the sight of the most breathtakingly bellimessa woman I have ever seen.  

She dances with an older man, the crimson of her gown billowing behind her as he twirls her effortlessly. Her laugh carries, piercing through the mindless chatter throughout the ballroom.

Even behind her mask, I can see the way her eyes glow, a stark contrast to the darkness of her brown hair swept back into a mass of intricate curls.  

She's sensational. 

Mesmerizing.  

A growl sparks through my chest when Sully steps into view with a cocky smile on his polished face. Leaning forward, I press my palm against his leg to shift him as I support my elbows on my knees, continuing to watch the dark-haired angel.  

“Did you hear me?” Sully asks, trying to garner my attention, but I'm transfixed on the dance floor.  

“No,” I bark in his direction.  

He chuckles, slapping my shoulder. “I said, I just got the heiress of Centennial Hotels to give me her number. And she agreed to meet me later.” 

“How wonderful for you.”

“Sly, I expect a little more excitement from my wingman—”

“I'm not your wingman.”

“Fine, a little more excitement from my date to this lovely ev—”

“I'm not your date, amico.” 

Sully laughs again when my eyes flicker to his for the briefest of moments. Pulling the chair out next to me, he rotates it to face the direction I'm looking in and takes a seat. For a moment, he's quiet, and I assume he's people-watching.

“She's beautiful, isn't she?” he asks, amusement dancing through his tone. Clearly, he has figured out who I can't stop staring at.

My eyes narrow. “Sì,” I say. I give him my attention this time, sensing he has more to say.  

Grinning widely, Sully relaxes in his chair, draping his arm across the back. “Beautiful. Delicate. Forbidden.” 

I look back to the woman who's captured my curiosity, watching as she now dances with Joseph's friend. A scowl rests on her beautiful features, and she looks stiff in his arms.  

Uncomfortable. 

Her body language causes me to straighten. “What do you mean, forbidden?” 

Sully smirks and goes silent and watches those who are on the dance floor, taking in the sea of tuxedos and ball gowns.

Moments later, he asks, “You really don't know?”

I don't bother answering, instead keeping my focus on the most beautiful woman in the room, watching the expressions on her face change. I'm trying to figure out what the man she dances with could possibly be saying to etch the clear signs of disgust and hatred on her face, when Sully places his hand on my shoulder and pulls me toward him, leaning his own body so he meets me halfway. Lowering his voice, he tells me the one thing that could shatter this feeling harbored in my chest. “She's a Paladino. Vinnie Paladino.” 

The room fades away as his words ricochet in my mind, ringing out against the sound of the blood rushing to my ears. The room around her becomes a blur, but she moves with perfect clarity as my eyes trail her. 

 She's a Paladino.  

Vinnie Paladino. 

How could I not recognize her? Even with the mask that conceals so little.

Fury erupts within me, squashing the flickers of desire that had begun to grow.

Grab Sins of Sorrow here!