"Love's Intensity" is a dramatic story of teens, Brad and Kressa, whose parents, Bradford and Nina, have a connection that can only be complicated by the fact that Bradford hires Nina's family as live in workers at his home. All it takes is one kiss to heat things up. Oh, and don't get me started on Brad's stepmother, Rosetta, and Kressa's dad, Julio. Who knows what will happen with all this fire under one roof? How long can Brad and Kressa's parents keep them apart?
Love’s Intensity Blurb: Brad loves fast horses, cars, and bikes. Life
would be perfect if his stepmother could only mind her own business.
Instead, his father hired a longtime friend and her family to work in their
home, turning his world into a feudal mess.
He wants to hate the new
arrivals and it doesn’t help that Kressa, daughter of the newcomers, is the
most gorgeous girl he’d ever laid eyes on. With a scent that draws him to
her, Kressa causes him more internal conflict than he ever dreamed
possible. He falls for her so deeply, he tells her a secret he’d never
even told his best friends – that he’s training to be a ninja warrior.
Kressa adores her country
and loves hanging out with her many cousins. News of the move to
Massachusetts comes as a shock to her. She refuses to be happy in this
new place working as a servant for a rich man and his mean son, who had the
nerve to be cute. And why does her skin tingle every time her hand
brushes against his?
Despite her efforts, she
finds herself desperately longing for a friendship with the one boy who scowls
at her. Matters are only made more complicated when his family and hers
clash. When he goes on a dangerous mission, she wonders, will he return so she
can tell him he’s won her heart or will their families manage to keep them
apart?
Love’s Intensity Excerpt:
Brad had been
standing in the doorway in time to see Kressa fall off the horse. When he had gotten up and walked to the
office to grab the key, he found it missing and figured Kressa must have
already taken it. Running to the stable,
he hoped she was okay setting up her horse for the ride. From the way she was sprawled out on the
stable floor, he could tell she had a little difficulty. Brad walked over to Kressa and gave her the
boost she needed to sit properly on the saddle.
“Good job with
the saddle,” Brad encouraged Kressa, “but next time you may want to use the
stepping stool I got you yesterday. Keep
Gentle Rider tied up to this post until you get settled, then you can untie
her.” Moving the rake and pitchforks to
the far end of the stable, Brad continued, “I have no idea what I would have
done if you landed on these. I should
have made sure these were properly put way, so the horses wouldn’t knock them
over.” He picked up and brought the
stepping stool over, placing it near Gentle Rider’s area.
“I suppose Papa
would have had your head too.”
“Yeah, I’m glad
you’re okay.”
Kressa rode her
horse out the stable while Brad got his horse saddled, fed, and watered. After
leading Silver Bullet into the yard, he asked Kressa, “Did you give her feed
and water?”
****
Oh, no. Now he’ll be upset. He adores his horses.
“Sorry, I
forgot. I was so eager to ride. I can do
it now,” Kressa said, embarrassed that she forgot.
“No. It’ll take too much effort to get you on your
horse again. I’ll go get it.” Kressa noticed Brad did not sound
annoyed. He spoke to her in a
matter-of-fact tone.
After feeding
and watering her horse, Brad and Kressa galloped around the large grassy
area. After riding for a half-hour, Brad
pointed to the forest area. “Would you
like to go through there and see what’s on the other side?”
“Yes,” Kressa
eagerly responded, “I’ve wanted to know where you go when riding your
horse.” Kressa realized too late she had
exposed her secret.
“Have you been
watching me? One day, I felt like I was
being watched. I thought it might be
you, but when I saw you in the dining room, I figured I must have been wrong.”
Kressa knew she
ought to fess up. “It was me. I hid because I didn’t want you to know I was
watching.”
“How did you
run upstairs so fast? You didn’t look
out of breath.”
“I held my
breath until you moved away. I was
exhausted.” Kressa tried to smile while
casting her eyes to the ground. Brad
laughed heartily.
“Let’s go,” he
said, leading the way through a path in the forest, which had been created by
much riding, to the grassy field on the other side.
When Brad and
Kressa came out of the tree cover, the sun seemed to shine brighter due to the
open space. No shrubs or little trees
existed here, only light green short cut grass which reflected the
sunlight. They raced the horses around
the perimeter a couple times before coming to a stop.
****
Nina studied
Julio while he watched Kressa during her riding lesson. When Brad led Kressa into the forest, Julio
turned to Nina and barked, “Where is he taking her? I don’t like that boy. He’s not trustworthy. If he touches my girl...”
Nina
interrupted, “He won’t touch her. He has
strict orders from his father.”
“Nina, he’s a
young man with an active libido. I don’t
care what his orders are; he can’t be trusted to control what comes
naturally. Now, he’s alone with her and
under the cover of those trees,” Julio fumed.
“Julio, Kressa
is a smart girl. She knows what we’ve
taught her, what we expect. Even if he
tried something, she would push him away.”
“But only if
she doesn’t want him, Nina. He’s strong,
good looking, and the only boy around to talk to. I’m going over there.”
“Please wait a
few minutes. If they’re not back, then
go, but please don’t hurt him.”
“You would
elevate him over our daughter’s innocence?”
“No, Julio, of
course not. I just don’t want you to do
something you can’t return from. I love
you.”
Julio shook his
head and moved away from her. He must
hate me for bringing him here. What can
I do to change his mind?
****
Brad rode
Silver Bullet alongside Kressa and Gentle Rider so the horses faced each other
upon his approach. He gazed into
Kressa’s eyes, longing to learn something new about the girl who lived in his
house. Brad removed his riding glove and
reached over to brush Kressa’s hair away from her face so he could touch her
cheek. She did not shrink away. His fingertips tingled where her skin met his.
So
beautiful. Brad’s heart pumped a
little faster and his mind swirled. Does
she feel drawn to me too? He shook
his head slightly. “We should go back
now,” Brad said tenderly, realizing once again that the warmth he felt when he
touched Kressa also did something to his heart.
It was better not to remain alone.
He wondered if Kressa would ever admit whether she experienced any
affection toward him. He found her hard
to read sometimes.
Brad pulled on
his glove, led the way back through the forest, and headed for the stable. After brushing, feeding, and watering all
four horses, Brad and Kressa strolled back to the house. “Great lesson today. I think before long you’ll be able to go out
on your own.”
“Really? That would be great. How many more lessons do I need?” She said
eagerly.
“I would
imagine one or two more.”
They both
laughed at the good news. At that
moment, Kressa’s dad appeared around some shrubs at the base of the hill. His
face held a fiery red glow.
“Kressa, get to
the house right now,” Mr. Morales said grabbing her arm and pushing her toward
their apartment. “I don’t know what you
were thinking today taking her through those woods, but I don’t like it.”
“Sir, there’s
wide open space to run the horses on the other side of the trees. I wasn’t trying to seduce her,” Brad said,
feeling some guilt for touching her cheek earlier.
Mr. Morales
shot Brad a fierce look and took Kressa away.
She followed, pleading with her father to let her go and trying to
convince him nothing happened. Kressa
and her father began speaking in Spanish, so Brad could no longer comprehend
what was being said. Brad headed back to
his room in anguish over what he just witnessed. He picked up the handkerchief and rubbed it
on his cheek. He was sorry for causing
her so much trouble.
Over the next
few hours, Brad spent time on his laptop looking up home schooling rules. He gathered all the information he could and
went looking for his father. Brad and
his dad needed to do a lot of preparation if Kressa were to start school at
home in a week. Finding his father in
the office, Brad presented him with the draft for a lesson plan needed. It had
to be submitted to the school administration.
Dinnertime proved tense for Brad, and he didn’t doubt it was for Kressa
as well. He avoided looking at her as
much as possible, not because he experienced nervousness concerning their
interaction earlier in the day, but because he did not want Kressa’s father to
take it out on her. She seemed stiff
whenever she served Brad a side dish. He
knew her reaction was due to her father keeping a close eye on them all
evening. Brad wanted to talk to his new
friend, but knew it would be better if he waited until morning.
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