TUESDAY TALES - FREE READS FROM 22 AUTHORS

   Welcome to Tuesday Tales, stories written to the prompt "love" today. Please click on the name of the author and you will be taken to the story. We hope you enjoy them and please leave a comment.
JEAN JOACHIM (Contemporary Romance - R)
"The Renovated Heart"

Jim Caterson, head of the English department at Kensington State, saw Sarah Morgan, his next door neighbor, through his bedroom window. 
KHARISMA RHAYNE  (Contemporary Military Erotic Romance, heat level 1)
In high school I thought I was in love with Mr. Football. All right, well, his name was Matt and he was the captain of the football team and had been the star varsity quarterback since his freshman year. That alone was a very rare occurrence.

SIOBHAN KINCADE  (Contemporary Military Rom., G)

Dearest Preston,

It has been two weeks now since you left me standing on my front porch.  I don’t know where in the world you might be or what you might be doing, but I do know one thing… you are all I think about.
KAREN CINO (Contemporary Romance)Billy and Alexandra remained in each other’s arms under his black satin sheets.  The smell of their lovemaking remained evident in the room, along with the smell of the meal Billy had cooked and they had yet to eat.  Alexandra wanted to lay there all night with him.  The warmth of Billy’s body felt good against hers.

DAWNE PROCHILO (Contemporary erotic, PG-13)

"Weekend Retreat"

“Well, he leaned in to the car to talk, was looking around at everything then when I got him my registration, I saw the remote. I just tossed it on the seat next to me. When I turned back to him, he was smiling.”

Silence filled the airwaves.

“You there? Did you hear me? I'm mortified.”

“Babe...” Vinnie broke off into laughter.

CATHERINE GREEDFEDER (YA Paranormal)

“He really loved Mary, and he thinks you’re her, Georgina. Maybe you better change out of that antique gown. It’s not your style, and neither is he.”

RUTH CASIE (Historical Fantasy - PG)

Lisbeth reached under the blanket and threaded her fingers through the soft hair of his torso to rest her hand on his bare chest. A sense of unease came over her. She pushed it aside for the moment. His breathing was shallow and slow but his heartbeat was strong. With her other hand she reached to lift his eye lid.
LINDSAY DOWNS (Sensual Mystery)

Stepping outside the she winced at the change from dreary dark to bright Wyoming sun. From atop her mahogany hair she slid a pair of pilot style sunglasses down over her soft green eyes.
MORGEN BAILEY (General Fiction)

You wonder if she’s married. She talks in first person. Always I, never we. Singular. No ring. Like you. You’ve never spoken to her, of course, just heard snippets of conversation from two rows ahead.

TAINA VICARI (Fantasy, Heat Level, subtle)Henry stood with Ishmael and Carmine in the middle of the woods waiting for the arrival of Sabrina. It had been four months since he had last saw her. He had hoped that was long enough for him to be able to extingquish his feelings for her.
SELAH JANEL (Urban Fantasy - PG)
The patter of footsteps on the pavement between buildings was nice. It reminded Alyssa that she was alive, that there were others hurrying across the quad to their next class besides her. All too often it seemed she got trapped in her own little world of studying and worrying about what would be left for her after graduation.
LINNA DREHMEL (Sci Fi)

"Sabotage - Part One"The yellow sun of their world beat down on them. Symon and two of his bonded friends worked on a small house for his beloved Jude. DraDonna and DraDevon had told him not to work like this. They could not risk him getting hurt.

CAROLYN GIBBS (Contemporary Romance - PG)

There was a knock at the bedroom door. It must be Tyrone because the kids never knock. They just bust in. A year ago our home had no closed doors.
CHRISTINA COLE (Sweet Contemporary Romance)

"Lover Boy"Never again.

Mariah swore under her breath as she traipsed through the gloomy winter’s night, her footsteps crunching over the snow-covered earth. She bent low, ruffled the icy branches of a juniper bush and muttered once more.
KATHLEEN TIGHE BALL (Contemporary Cowboy Romance)

"Summer's Desire Twenty Six"

Stone watched as the colors of the Christmas tree lights washed over Summer. He wanted to strip her bare and see her luscious body bathed in red, green, yellow and blue. The desire to make love to her grew to insatiable hunger. His body responded painfully but he couldn't turn way.

LEE ANN SONTHEIMER MURPHY (Sweet Romance)

"City Mounse, Country Mouse"

Coffee and a bagel; that was the morning routine as each dawn without fail Mandi made her way through the city streets to the small café. She, who grew up running barefoot through green pastures, now traveled the asphalt jungle as if it were her native habitat.

Most days she bought a paper, usually a Post or the Times because she was a city person now, not a hillbilly, not any of those names they called her when she arrived, suitcase in hand from a Greyhound Bus.

SHERRY GLOAG (Fiction, PG)
“Don’t forget to turn the magazines face down when you put them back, especially the TV program magazines.”  Sally, on her way to stack the shelves with her armful of boxes of little cakes reminded the newest member of staff.

THOMAS COWIE (Sci Fi) 

"Machines of Darkenss - Part Four"

One month down, and what excitement thought Wayde sarcastically. He was just finishing up another uneventful shift at Universal Tech. and thinking back on his days here.
KAY SPRINGSTEEN (Contemporary Romance)“What if I told you I loved you?” Kyle asked. “What would you say to that?” 
STEFAN ELLERY (Sci fi/Fantasy)

Paul followed the alien through the busy streets, it did not seem that anyone cared to take notice that an unconscious person was being carried over someones shoulders. They certainly noticed him walking by. The crowds he strode through even went to the point of pressing themselves against the walls of buildings or ran inside the shops.
E.a. IRWIN (Contemporary)

Martha fastened the strap around her ankle ensuring the five-inch Lucite stiletto wouldn’t slip off her foot. Slowly dragging her hands along fishnet stockings, she sighed vampishly as she playfully snapped their lacy tops against her firm, tanned thighs.

KATHLEEN GRIEVE  (Paranormal Romance)

Freshly showered and changed, Tatum sat absorbing the Sun’s healing rays streaming through a coffee shop window just down the street from the hotel.