People come into our lives. Some stay, and many go. Some build us up, while most tear us down. They become our friends, our enemies, our lovers, our tormentors.
Christian Davison came into mine, and I knew I’d never be the same.
To Elizabeth Ayers, New York City had always been a dream. She’s worked her entire young life to make it here.
Groomed to one day take over his father’s law firm, attending Columbia University was Christian Davison’s only option.
Neither wanted anything more until they sat across from each other at a café table after being paired as study partners. Christian wants her, but Elizabeth knows better than to give into their intense attraction. Yet there is little she can do to stay away.
Lost to You, the prequel to the bestselling romance, Take This Regret. A New Adult novella, recommended for readers 17+. It’s unnecessary to have read Take This Regret to enjoy Lost to You.
“So how’s your math class going?” Christian wiped a napkin over his mouth, sat back in his chair with a satisfied sigh as he pushed his plate away. Completely casual, he appeared to be unaware of the chaos he created in me.
“Okay, thanks to you.”
A smirk pulled at his mouth. “What would you do without me, Elizabeth?”
“Oh, I don’t know, find another cute boy to help me with math,” I said, anticipating his reaction if I teased him a little.
For a flash, his eyes narrowed, then a dangerous grin spread across his face. “So I’m just dispensable, huh? Easily replaced?” He hunched and lowered, pressed his chest into the table to meet me at eye level, this slow playfulness coming across him. “How about I let you fail next time?”
“Well how about I feed you the wrong answers when we study for our next government test?” I countered.
He faked a disbelieving laugh, a gentle ribbing that twisted its way straight to my heart. He was so cute like this, like a harmless boy and not the man who made me fearful, not the one who urged me to hold onto my affections, careful not to let them go.
“You’re going to feed me the wrong answers, huh? You?” he challenged.
The entire meal I’d felt his leg stretched under the table, reaching, giving in to casual brushes, then receding as if they hadn’t happened.
Now Christian abruptly extended his leg, wove it between my legs, direct and bold. My breath caught. It was the closest we’d ever come to an embrace.
I averted my gaze, but couldn’t for long because I could feel him staring at me. His voice dropped. “You, sweet Elizabeth, the most innocent girl I know, is going to feed me the wrong answers? I bet you’ve never even told a lie.”
Heat flooded my face. He was taunting me, prodding. Is that what he really thought of me? Innocent? But honestly, I guess I was. Well maybe not innocent. . .just inexperienced. I had no idea how to play Christian’s games, no idea of what the girls he surrounded himself with were like, although I could only imagine. It had to be my greatest disadvantage. Vulnerability oozed from my consciousness, and I shifted in discomfort. Christian could devour me whole.
His expression shifted as he edged even closer, his voice a whisper, “Just how innocent are you, Elizabeth?”
There are some mistakes we make that we will regret for the rest of our lives.
For Christian Davison, it was the day he betrayed Elizabeth Ayers.
For five years, Christian has regretted the day he walked away from his family and will do anything to win them back.
Can Elizabeth forgive someone who has committed the unforgivable? Or are there some wounds that go so deep they can never heal?
If Forever Comes, the final chapter in the New York Times Bestselling The Regret Series.
Christian Davison’s life is complete. With a ring on Elizabeth’s finger and his daughter at his side, he’s ready to run headlong into their future.
Elizabeth Ayers never believed she would again find this kind of joy—the joy of a family and the wholeness found in the touch of the man she’s always loved.
Their love is intense and their passion only grows as they set out to rediscover each other.
But life is never easy. Rocked by the unforeseen, Christian and Elizabeth will find themselves fighting for the one thing they hold most important—family.
A.L. Jackson is the New York Times bestselling author of Take This Regret and Lost to You, as well as other contemporary romance titles, including Come to Me Quietly, Come to Me Softly, Pulled, When We Collide, and If Forever Comes.To stay up to date with important news on A.L. Jackson, including new releases, sales, and exclusive specials and excerpts, text “jackson” to 96000 to subscribe!
