Valentine's Victory
Loose Id
The heart hears love...the ears cannot.
Frankie lost everything that fateful day. Her hearing, her trust in her husband, her ability to feel. With the world of music she loved torn from her, her world shattered, she can't help but blame the man she loves for the wrenching pain he's caused her.
Tanner blames himself for the accident that tore Frankie's life apart. He still loves his wife and desires her more than ever. But before he can win her heart back, he'll have to forgive himself -- and find a way to reach past Frankie's silent barriers.
Read the Excerpt | Read the Reviews | Buy the eBook
Excerpt:
He kissed her forehead, careful not to pull her too tightly into his embrace. Distance still separated them. Something beyond the actual space. It was an emotional wall Frankie realized she alone had built. Tonight she would tear it down, or at least start its destruction.
I want you to see how I experience things.
Nodding, he glanced to the plastic bag.
She laughed as she reached inside and withdrew a pair of earplugs. It's not really the same thing, but ...
He reached out and took the hermetically sealed earplugs. With male ease he popped open the perforated backing and took out the hunter's-orange plugs. His questioning gaze rose to hers. "This will help? Ya think?"
She shrugged.
Without hesitation, he twisted them and shoved them in his ears. He worked his jaw repeatedly, evening out the equilibrium. Each movement drew her attention, focused it on his mouth, the strong line of his jaw, the fact that he was willing to give this a shot, as corny as it might seem to anyone who'd not experienced it.
How do you feel?
"Uncomfortable."
Good start. She patted his thigh. Maybe this wouldn't work, but it had already made her feel better.
His gaze moved around the room, his head cocked to the side as though he had to reacclimatize to his surroundings, as though he were seeing it for the first time. "It seems smaller when you can't hear the echo." He stood. Immediately, his arms went out to steady himself. He grabbed the arm of the couch. Concern lined his face. "I never saw you do this."
We were apart the first couple of days. I still do it, sometimes. It's not bad anymore.
Something akin to heartbreak turned his lips down. "I didn't know."
How could you?
"You know, this really isn't fair. To a degree, I can still hear."
She nodded.
"The chili smells good. Rich in spices. I wonder if I put in too much oregano."
She laughed.
"Hey!" he exclaimed. "I have an idea. We learn. We learn together. Okay?"
Having no idea what he had in mind, she again nodded.
He reached for the remote control, and she frowned. "Trust me."
I do.
Quickly, he keyed in the channel for the XM radio stations. Frankie looked to the flat screen. The caption on the bottom listed the artist and song title. He'd found the classical station. His gaze sought hers. He held out his free hand. She accepted. He pulled her into his arms.
Suddenly, she felt a whisper of movement in her feet. It crawled up her spine like the soft touch of a breeze. Turning in his embrace, she looked again to the TV screen. The volume continued to climb past twenty. Twenty-one. Twenty-two.
Her throat constricted. Music. She could feel the music. Her knees weakened. Tchaikovsky pulsed from their surround sound. Tears steamed her cheeks unchecked.
"You can hear it?"
Yes . Her throat constricted. You gave me my music back!
Tanner laughed. The vibration rumbled through his chest into hers. "It's a good thing we don't have close neighbors."
Frankie found herself laughing through her tears. She sniffed and wiped her cheeks with the backs of her hands.
He kissed her forehead, then her cheeks. "I'm glad you can feel it." His words became lost as his mouth moved to the corner of hers. He teased her with soft, feathery kisses at the corner of her lips.
I'm feeling lots of things.
"Oh, yeah?" He slipped their hands into one another and danced her around a few steps. A coy smile spread across his face, and delicious mischief lit his eyes. "What kind of things? How about you show me?"
Forgetting time and troubles, she lightly trailed kisses over his exposed collarbone. The thundering pulse at the vee of his neck emboldened her. She used her tongue to trace the taut muscle there. She felt the power she'd so desperately been lacking. Slipping her hands under his shirt, she pushed it up his back. Her hands slid over the rippling muscles of his shoulders. The shirt came off, over his head.
His breath caught. Hers did, too. She'd missed him, their contact. The feel of his strong arms around her, the heat of their skin touching.
Tanner pulled her sweatshirt off, depositing it on the floor in an unceremonious heap. He slipped his hand in the waistband of her jeans and one by one popped the buttons securing them. Firmly, he placed both hands on her hips and pushed the jeans down, then dropped to his knees in front of her.
Reviews:
The amount of emotion written in the pages of this very short story is astounding. Frankie and Tanner are feeling lost and alone, but finding inner strength, Frankie reaches out to Tanner and comes back to him. It's a truly beautiful and sensual moment. You don't want to miss Valentine's Victory. It's a very romantic story that warmed my heart and had me smiling through tears of joy.
Nannette
Joyfully Reviewed
What would you do if you suddenly lost one of your senses? Frankie's whole life and everything she enjoys is wrapped up in the musical arts. Losing her ability to hear did more than take away one of her senses. It stole her livelihood, equilibrium, and much of the enjoyment from her life. Tanner was relatively unharmed in the accident but emotionally he's hurt by what he feels is his wife's rejection. He blames himself for the accident and wants desperately to help, but he doesn't know how. Kally Jo Surbeck's VALENTINE'S VICTORY captures the intensity of emotions involved when a depressing event occurs in a couple's life, especially when there's a feeling of guilt that causes one or both of them to distance themselves from each other.
4 Ribbons, Chrissy
Romance Junkies