Welcome to Thrusty Thursday (TM) with me Kiru. Yes, and before you say it, there isn’t a word like Thrusty in the Oxford English Dictionary. I made it up. Well... come on. I’m a fiction writer. What did you expect? We make up things all the time, don’t we?
And another thing, you should get your mind out of the gutter. It doesn’t mean what you think it does. *Shakes her head as she laughs*
So here is my definition of the word Thrusty as it relates to me and my writing.
Thrusty (TM) means moving forward with purpose, breaking down barriers, flying high with success and in the process having loads of fun. It’s about writing stories that readers love as well as I do and sharing the fun of getting from ‘Chapter One’ to ‘The End.’
Maybe one day you’ll find the word in the Oxford English dictionary. Just remember you read it here first.
So every other Thursdays I’ll be sharing my writing journey with you here. There will be news about book releases, book reviews, excerpts from my works, my inspirations and much more.
To kick off, I’d like to introduce you to the hero of one of my current WIP titled Her Weekend Bodyguard. It is a contemporary romance set in Lagos, Nigeria.
Kola, an ex-soldier now bodyguard, is dark and dangerous, a tortured soul who finds it difficult to trust anyone especially women. Yet he can’t stop himself falling in love with sassy and troubled heiress Tari, during a sizzling weekend together with her. She is a woman he has known most of his life but believed was out of bounds. Someone he has always protected as a young girl. Now that he’s crossed the invisible line separating them, he wonders who’s going to protect her from the darkness that rages within him.
Here is an excerpt from my WIP Her Weekend Bodyguard. Enjoy.
***
“What would you like to do today?” Kola asked her as he moved to the table and sat on the chair opposite her.
“I don’t know. I haven’t thought about anything yet.”
Tari’s hazel eyes lifted to look at him. He felt a thrill of awareness unlike any he’d felt before. She lowered her eyes coyly but not before he noticed the way her eyes had darkened and her colour peaked from her neck upwards on her flawless caramel skin. He felt his body tighten in response.
Blast.
He had to get a grip. There was ‘enough on his plate’ right now without complicating it with a ‘roll in the hay’ with Miss Hazel Eyes Heiress here.
Before Tari had called him last night, he’d been on the phone trying to arrange a visit with his daughter Nike. He’d only recently found out he was the father to a ten year old girl. A daughter he hadn’t been aware of until a few weeks previously. The initial shock of finding out via a seemingly casual telephone conversation with his ex-girlfriend Sarah whom he hadn’t heard from in so many years had quickly transformed into anger that she’d kept such a secret from him for so long.
He’d had a right to know something so basic and yet so life-changing as soon as she’d found out she was pregnant. Yet Sarah had chosen to keep it a secret for so long for her own purposes. In the end he had been saddened about all the years he’d missed out with his daughter. He was now faced with having to learn all about a child who would be a teenager in a few years.
Kola physically flexed his shoulders to shake himself out of the dark mood threatening to blanket him and refocused on the woman opposite him.
“You’ve probably already seen the swimming pool outside. There’s also a gymnasium in the basement. Feel free to use it if you wish. If you’d like to go out let me know and I can take you anywhere you wish to go. Do you need anything from the shops?”
“No,” Tari shook her head. “I think I’ll just chill for now. I noticed some books on the shelf in the study as I walked past. Do you mind if I browse and help myself?”
“No, do. If you need me, I’ll be outside in the pool.”
Kola stood up. He needed to get some distance between the two of them. His body was way too aware of Tari – her feminine scent tickling his senses, her body’s warmth seeping into his. If she was staying indoors then he’d stay outdoors. Moreover in the pervasive heat of the day, the swim would hopefully help to cool his body as well as his libido.
“Kola,” her voice was soft and velvety setting the hair on his back at attention. “Thank you.”
Tari reached out and touched his arm before he could move away from the table. It seared him like a brand and sent warm blood rushing off in one direction, straight to his groin. He had to physically stop himself from flinching and pulling his arm away. Instead he stood there and stared at her soft full beguiling lips and wondered why she was thanking him. He hadn’t done anything special. Moreover if she knew what he was thinking about doing to those lips she wouldn’t be thanking him so readily.
“What for?” he asked stiffly and raised his brow.
“You didn’t have to come and pick me. You didn’t have to bring me here to invade your space and disrupt your life with my troubles.”
She looked away from him. For the first time since he’d picked her up he could see how truly unhappy she was as her eyes looked up at him again dolefully. He responded the only way he knew without even thinking about it. There would be consequences later but for now he didn’t care. He pulled her up and wrapped his arms around her.
“You are welcome to invade my space and disrupt my life any day. You should know that already,” he spoke into her dark curly hair gruffly and with a ragged breath inhaled her oh-so feminine fragrance that had a hint of strawberries.
Tari pulled back slightly and frowned up at him. “Do you really mean that? It’s just that last night you were a bit abrupt and quiet. I thought you didn’t want me here. I know I’m imposing. If you want me to leave I-.”
He sighed in resignation. “Stay. You’re not imposing. Last night I had a few things on my mind that’s all.” When she looked like she was going to ask him more he continued. “It’s nothing for you to worry about. You’re welcome to stay here for however long you feel is necessary. If you need anything, all you’ll have to do is ask.”
A smile brightened her face as she nodded. “Thanks, I will.”
“Good. If you need me, you know where I am.”
Kola took one last look at Tari as she walked towards the kitchen sink before walking out. The cautious side of him prayed she wouldn’t be taking him up on his offer anytime soon.
Copyright Kiru Taye 2011
