Walls of Ainsley
by S.J. Lynn Walls of Ainsley #1
Publication Date: November 10, 2016
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romantic Psychological Thriller
Read for FREE in KindleUnlimited: Amazon
Scarlet, a fresh out of college journalist, knows there’s an untold story here and sets off to England to hopefully guarantee her career working for the top magazine company located in San Francisco. It isn’t long before the locals tell her to turn around. They say Brigham could still be alive—or he’s dead and haunts the place. It isn’t long before Scarlet finds out which story is true.
***Excerpt 2***
After putting the last of the groceries away, she grabbed the coveted
package of peanut butter crackers to tide her over. She’d eaten dinner in her
room every night, the same room Todd had warned her about. She was prepared to
listen, but he’d said his nephew would pick the one he wanted her to have whenever
he arrived. Maybe tonight’s the night.
She sat
in the small lunchroom, in what had become her
chair since that first night’s stolen snack, and munched away, demolishing the
rest of the package she’d started eating in the taxi ride back—much to the cabbie’s
dismay—and attacking the next. “Oh, come on! Can nothing just be simple in my
life?” she said, struggling to open the wrapper with her now slippery fingers.
“Maybe I
can help.”
“Shit!”
Scarlet screamed and held a shaking hand to her pounding heart as she sought
out the source of the deep, very male voice and found herself staring into a
pair of deep gray eyes. Holy. Shit.
The eyes were only part of the gorgeous package consisting of full lips,
chiseled jaw, and perfectly straight nose, and surrounded by a head full of
wavy, dark hair. He was tall and seemed even more so standing over her. But I’m sitting. No. That doesn’t matter.
Even if she were standing, she knew he’d tower over her. His wide shoulders
completed the ominous, yet powerful picture. The nephew? Physically, he didn’t disappoint. Is he wearing a frock coat? That retired centuries ago...didn’t it?
It looked out of style, although classy with his dark pants and white shirt. He’s here. Finally. Scarlet was vaguely aware of a dog at his side—a black
retriever and shepherd mix if she were to guess.
He
remained silent, and their eyes never strayed from the other’s gaze as he took
measured steps toward her, one after another, until her neck was kinked almost
straight up.
He
reached out.
Scarlet
opened her hand, ready to be led away on some grand adventure, and the
forgotten sleeve of crackers rolled across her palm.
With one
swift pull, he ripped the package open and handed it back. “Here.”
Scarlet
blinked. “Are you a mirage?”
“No,” he
said. “Not a mirage.”
Close your mouth! “Oh.” Why can’t I close my mouth?! Scarlet watched as he backed away.
“Might I
ask what it is that brings you to Ainsley Manor? This is private property.”
“Of
course.” Didn’t Todd tell him about me?
He said he had. God, this guy is striking. “Um, I was, uh, just
looking...originally, I was looking for the owner of the—”
“You’ve
found him.”
Todd isn’t the owner? “Wonderful. You just arrived? I
mean, um, I’ve been here the whole week and . . .”
The
nephew said nothing.
Unsure how
to proceed, she fidgeted with the crackers and shifted in her seat then faced
him again. “Listen this is—”
“Illegal,”
he said.
“Yes.”
She chuckled and tried to cover for the spreading blush she felt creeping
across her cheeks. “I’m sorry, but I did try to call first, as I’ve explained
to your uncle. I really did. But there doesn’t seem to be a number. So, I
guess...basically, I thought I would figure it out when I got here. Then, my
car broke down, and this couple would only bring me as far as the bridge, and
it was raining, and…” Oh for—just stop
talking, Scarlet! When the hell did I start blabbering?
“You were
merely looking for a place to stay at that point? All the way out here?”
“Yes?”
He looked
her up and down.
Yeah, I didn’t think you’d buy that one. She crossed her arms and rubbed
her hands briskly up and down to stop the chill. Why is it suddenly so cold in here? “Well, as I said, my car broke
down…”
He gave
her another once over.
She felt
her nipples harden, and not from the near-freezing temperatures in the room,
but if he noticed, he didn’t show it.
“Why were
you abandoned at the bridge?” he asked, sounding upset. “It was storming that
night, from what you’ve said. The couple couldn’t bring you the rest of the
way?”
It seemed
strange to Scarlet that he didn’t suspect the reason. “Well, with everything
that happened...you know people and their silly beliefs.”
He only
stared.
Scarlet
sat straighter. “You must know the stories,” she said. “You can’t possibly buy
a place like this and not know.”
Glancing
away for the first time since she’d spotted him in the doorway, he cleared his
throat and looked uncomfortable as he shifted from one foot to the other. To
Scarlet, he seemed suddenly offended. “I’m ever so sorry, but I cannot allow
this any longer. I shall request you a taxi.”
He turned
on his heel, and she jumped out of her chair, grabbing his arm as he started to
leave.
He
jolted, as if burned, and yanked his arm out of her grasp. “Don’t.”
The sound
of his strangled voice as he said that one word sparked something in her, and
she slowly raised her hands in the air. “I’m sorry. I was just…”
“Please.”
He righted his coat. “Don’t handle me like that again.”
***Note from Author: Contains cliffhanger. Book 2 “Heart of Ainsley” is out now!***
About S.J. Lynn
S. J. Lynn is a romance author with varying subgenres. She loves creating stories that grab her reader’s attention from beginning to end… Stories that take you right into the world of her characters. Love, hope, loss, betrayal, action, suspense, mystery, thriller… She strives to do it all. Walls of Ainsley is her latest novel to reach the top 10 in the psychological thriller genre with its sequel “Heart of Ainsley”. Every story has had a tremendous loving reaction from her readers that fuels her desire to keep on doing what she loves. Lynn invites you to connect with her on social media where she loves to get to know her fans.
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