Since the release of Winter Fire in January, I’ve had loads of emails asking whether I’ll be writing Jenna and Garreth’s story.

I’ve even noticed a few curious search engine terms on my blog:

‘Jess Dee Winter Fire sequel’

‘Jenna Garreth Jess Dee’

I apologize to everyone who doesn’t already know the answer to this.

YES! I am writing their story. In fact, I’m about 3000 words short of completing the book.

I have tentatively titled it “Ties That Bind”, but that may change.

If you’re curious, here’s a little excerpt. A short, not so sweet, and very unedited excerpt. (Please don’t hold spelling and grammar mistakes against me. This is a very rough draft!)

TIES THAT BIND: An Unedited Excerpt

(Comment from Jess, added a few hours after posting this blog:? Oops, just noticed I’d already posted the excerpt in my blog a few days ago. (Yeah, yeah, I’m losing my mind. I know.) So now I’ve changed it to a different one. You can read the original excerpt here.)

He began to sweat. ?Jenna-girl,? he coaxed, ?tell me you love me.?

She shook her head.

?Say it, Jenn.? Christ, he needed to hear the words. ?Say ?I love you, Garreth.??

?I?? She broke off. Shook her head again.

?It?s easy. Listen, I?ll go first. I love you, Jenna Brooks. I have since the moment I met you. I love everything about you. I love how you stick to your beliefs and your scruples. I love how you put your friends and family first. I love how you love them. I love how hard you try and control your environment, how you?ve made it work for you. I love how determined you are to put your trauma aside, how you triumphed in spite of it. And I love how hard you?re trying to deny you love me.? He stopped, frowned and shook his head. ?Uh, actually no, I don?t love that part. I hate it. But it?s making me horny as the devil, knowing you love me, knowing you?re making me work to prove I love you. You?re making me chase you, and believe me Jenn, I love a good chase. Especially when the prize is you.?

He took a breath. Gazed at her. Lost the very breath he?d just taken.

She looked half parts utterly smitten with him, and half parts utterly terrified.

?Tell me you love me, Jenna.?

Finally, finally, finally she spoke, and the words lodged in his heart like an arrow. ?You fucked my best friend.?

He saw red. And for the first time ever, lost his cool with her. He lost it in a spectacular fashion. ?Yes, I did.? He roared. ?I fucked your best friend. I met her, I seduced her and I fucked her. I got her into my room, I got her naked, and I fucked her. And guess what? She fucked me too. We fucked each other.?

She stared at him, aghast.

?I knew who she was too. Right from the beginning. Knew she was the love of Jackson?s life. Knew she was your best friend. And guess what? It didn?t stop me. It encouraged me. I fucked her, and I let Jackson know I fucked her.?

?Bastard,? she spat at him.

?You know why I did it? You know why I fucked her??

?Because you?re a moral-less, son of a bitch who doesn?t care who gets hurt??

?Bong. Wrong! I did it for you. For you and for your coward-assed brother.?

?Well, gee, give the man a hand,? Jenna cheered sarcastically. ?What a hero. Fucking a woman for the sake of his best friend and the woman he loves. A real fucking hero alright.?

?A real fucking hero knows what he wants and goes after it. Especially if what he wants, wants exactly the same thing he does. I want you, Jenna. I love you. You love me too. I was sick and tired of your excuses. Yours and Jackson. Both of you. Using the pact as an excuse. Putting it before your own happiness. Someone had to make you see the pact had outlived its usefulness. It wasn?t protecting you. Either of you. It was making you unhappy. It was making us all unhappy. You, me, Jackson and Rachel.?

?Ah, so you slept with Rachel to cheer her up? To cheer yourself up??

?I slept with Rachel because someone had to open your eyes. Yours and your brother?s. Someone had to make you see clearly. I slept with her because I knew it would make Jackson jealous as hell. Jealous enough to make him act, finally. Jealous enough to make him break the pact. Because if he didn?t break it, you never would. If he didn?t free you from it, I could never have you.?

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I’ll post more when it’s done, and let you know about release dates too. I promise.

😉

Jess