This is a book that I've been working on. Here is a taste of the first chapter...Chapter One — The Taste of Trouble Page 1 Alabama summers had a way of sticking, of pressing close and making you feel every inch of your skin at once. Danie wiped a bead of sweat from her temple and let out a soft sigh. The air carried the smell of honeysuckle and dust, the kind that reminded you of Sunday mornings and trouble in equal measure. She perched on Kesha’s porch swing, the wooden boards creaking beneath her, and took a slow sip from the glass of sweet tea in her hand. Her eyes drifted across the yard, catching the lazy sway of fireflies in the twilight, and then landed on him. Terrence. He wasn’t moving, just leaning against the split-rail fence like he owned the fading light. The sight of him made her chest tighten in a way that was thrilling and dangerous all at once. He wasn’t the kind of man who needed to make a scene—his quiet presence did enough to make hearts skip. “You see him too, don’t lie,” Kesha said, stepping onto the porch with a sly grin, hands on her hips. “He’s been watching this whole time, and don’t tell me you didn’t notice.” Danie swallowed hard, the tea suddenly tasting too sweet. “Saw who?” she asked, though she knew the answer. Kesha laughed, a soft, teasing sound that felt like both warning and permission. “Sin, girl. That man is sin with a heartbeat. Don’t tell me you don’t feel it, because I see it in your eyes.” Across the yard, Mike nudged Terrence, who finally broke his stare and smiled—not wide, not joking, but the kind of smile that promised he already knew what Danie was thinking. And maybe he liked it. Danie turned back toward the porch railing, trying to hide her pulse, but the summer air felt heavier now, charged. Every nerve in her body hummed with awareness, like the world had slowed down just enough for her to feel him before he even moved. Terrence pushed off the fence, boots crunching softly against the gravel. His gaze found hers again, unhurried, and Danie realized she didn’t want to look away. There was something about the way he carried himself, controlled and deliberate, that made her knees weak and her mind sharp at the same time.