Title: Colors
Series: The Dragon Knights #2
Author: Gabbie S. Duran
Genre: Adult, Contemporary Romance
Published: March 21, 2016
Series: The Dragon Knights #2
Author: Gabbie S. Duran
Genre: Adult, Contemporary Romance
Published: March 21, 2016
 | Alyssa lives her days hiding from the nightmares of her childhood, fearful of only one thing: being found. She no longer feels pain, for her soul has been numbed by the cruelties she endured. Chris is empty on the inside, even though he portrays a facade of happiness to the outside world. He attempts to fill the void with women, sex, and music. In his lonely existence, nothing really matters . . . until he meets Alyssa. When two dark souls collide, can the colors repair their broken souls, or will they surrender to the darkness of their broken pasts? |
Copyright © 2016 Gabbie S. Duran
Chris
“What are you doing?”
Ignoring her, I grab the first brush with paint my hands can get a hold of. As if predicting what I had intended to do, she reaches for it, yanking it from my hand. Annoyance fills me when she ruins my plan, so my mind is just as suddenly making a rash decision. Lifting a tube up ready to aim, she just as suddenly retreats, threatening, “Don’t you dare,” as she holds her arms out in an attempt to protect her.
It does nothing to deter my plans of retaliation. I swiftly flick the tube in her direction and squeeze at the same time. The content lands on her chest, earning an echoing gasp as it makes contact.
“There, now we’re even,” I say, slamming the tube back down on the table then begin my steps to retreat from the room. I’ve barely taken two steps when the feel of a wet substance runs down my back.
Whirling to face her, she gloats with an arched brow, holding a can.
“Now you have an array of colors to take with you,” she smirks.
“What the hell did you pour on me?”
“Dirty water,” she proclaims before spinning to place the can on the table then tries to march past me. She believes she’s won. However I’m notorious for not allowing myself to be defeated. My arm wraps around her waist and lifts her off the ground, making her yelp in surprise.
“Oh no you don’t,” I tell her, stomping my way over to where the table of paints are at while she protests with shouts to put her down. She’s furious while I’m wickedly laughing at her reaction.
“What color would look good on you?” I ask, gently placing her on the floor to grab two brushes with paint. Lifting one hand, she side steps away as she exclaims,
“Don’t you dare, Chris!” She steps right in to the other already aimed at her face.
Her stupefied reaction makes me laugh, giving her the perfect opportunity to yank one of the brushes from my hand to mimic my earlier motion, smearing paint across my cheek.
“Purple is not your color.” Lowering the brush to dip it into a dab of green paint, I’m already following her movement to dip my own brush back into the red and we both hastily return to poking at each other with the brushes.
Our laughter booms in the room as we chase one another with our brushes. My resentment of how this all started has completely evaporated and is now replaced with cheerful competition as I try to cover Alyssa with as much paint as possible. Unfortunately for her, it’s much more difficult since she has been protectively guarding her paints.
In one swift move, I reach in and manage to grab a tube off the table then open it, ready to squirt it at her. Alyssa holds her hands up in surrender as she declares, “Please, don’t. That tube is a very rare color and hard to find.”
Snorting at what I believe is a ploy, I say, “I’m not buying that shit. You’ll probably use it on me.”
“I swear, I won’t,” she pleads, holding her hands out for me to surrender it.
First to catch my eyes is how labored her breathing has become as she cautiously closes the distance between us and gently takes the tube from my hands, all while explaining, “It’s called glaucous and this particular tube must have been expensive. That’s why I haven’t opened it.”
She walks back to the table, placing it against the far end of the wall. She takes another tube and returns, holding it out for me to take. “You could use this one if you’d like. I don’t care about that color at all and rarely ever use it.”
Taking in the tube she’s given me, it’s the color black.
Gazing down her entire body, she is covered in an array of colors. To add black would be to dim the beauty shining from her.
Shaking my head, I tell her, “You look too pretty to be covered in black.” Her cheeks are completely covered in paint, but there is no denying they are blazing crimson underneath the color.
Feeling as if I’ve exposed enough of myself to her today, I swiftly change the subject. “Please tell me this stuff will come off in the shower,” I say, staring down at the colors already caking on my skin.
She giggles, using her fingers to wipe paint away from my face. “Most of it should, but even if it doesn’t, you needed a little color in your life, remember?”
“That’s what I have you for,” I tell her, completely at a loss as to how rapidly those words came out. Nonetheless, they hold nothing but truth behind them.
She shocks me when she leans forward, kissing me on my lips with the same bashful smile still on her features. I can no longer hold back the restraint I have held with her . . . My heart and mind are screaming in unison not to anymore, and since it’s the first time they’ve ever agreed when it came to a girl . . . this time, I’m going to listen.
Chris
“What are you doing?”
Ignoring her, I grab the first brush with paint my hands can get a hold of. As if predicting what I had intended to do, she reaches for it, yanking it from my hand. Annoyance fills me when she ruins my plan, so my mind is just as suddenly making a rash decision. Lifting a tube up ready to aim, she just as suddenly retreats, threatening, “Don’t you dare,” as she holds her arms out in an attempt to protect her.
It does nothing to deter my plans of retaliation. I swiftly flick the tube in her direction and squeeze at the same time. The content lands on her chest, earning an echoing gasp as it makes contact.
“There, now we’re even,” I say, slamming the tube back down on the table then begin my steps to retreat from the room. I’ve barely taken two steps when the feel of a wet substance runs down my back.
Whirling to face her, she gloats with an arched brow, holding a can.
“Now you have an array of colors to take with you,” she smirks.
“What the hell did you pour on me?”
“Dirty water,” she proclaims before spinning to place the can on the table then tries to march past me. She believes she’s won. However I’m notorious for not allowing myself to be defeated. My arm wraps around her waist and lifts her off the ground, making her yelp in surprise.
“Oh no you don’t,” I tell her, stomping my way over to where the table of paints are at while she protests with shouts to put her down. She’s furious while I’m wickedly laughing at her reaction.
“What color would look good on you?” I ask, gently placing her on the floor to grab two brushes with paint. Lifting one hand, she side steps away as she exclaims,
“Don’t you dare, Chris!” She steps right in to the other already aimed at her face.
Her stupefied reaction makes me laugh, giving her the perfect opportunity to yank one of the brushes from my hand to mimic my earlier motion, smearing paint across my cheek.
“Purple is not your color.” Lowering the brush to dip it into a dab of green paint, I’m already following her movement to dip my own brush back into the red and we both hastily return to poking at each other with the brushes.
Our laughter booms in the room as we chase one another with our brushes. My resentment of how this all started has completely evaporated and is now replaced with cheerful competition as I try to cover Alyssa with as much paint as possible. Unfortunately for her, it’s much more difficult since she has been protectively guarding her paints.
In one swift move, I reach in and manage to grab a tube off the table then open it, ready to squirt it at her. Alyssa holds her hands up in surrender as she declares, “Please, don’t. That tube is a very rare color and hard to find.”
Snorting at what I believe is a ploy, I say, “I’m not buying that shit. You’ll probably use it on me.”
“I swear, I won’t,” she pleads, holding her hands out for me to surrender it.
First to catch my eyes is how labored her breathing has become as she cautiously closes the distance between us and gently takes the tube from my hands, all while explaining, “It’s called glaucous and this particular tube must have been expensive. That’s why I haven’t opened it.”
She walks back to the table, placing it against the far end of the wall. She takes another tube and returns, holding it out for me to take. “You could use this one if you’d like. I don’t care about that color at all and rarely ever use it.”
Taking in the tube she’s given me, it’s the color black.
Gazing down her entire body, she is covered in an array of colors. To add black would be to dim the beauty shining from her.
Shaking my head, I tell her, “You look too pretty to be covered in black.” Her cheeks are completely covered in paint, but there is no denying they are blazing crimson underneath the color.
Feeling as if I’ve exposed enough of myself to her today, I swiftly change the subject. “Please tell me this stuff will come off in the shower,” I say, staring down at the colors already caking on my skin.
She giggles, using her fingers to wipe paint away from my face. “Most of it should, but even if it doesn’t, you needed a little color in your life, remember?”
“That’s what I have you for,” I tell her, completely at a loss as to how rapidly those words came out. Nonetheless, they hold nothing but truth behind them.
She shocks me when she leans forward, kissing me on my lips with the same bashful smile still on her features. I can no longer hold back the restraint I have held with her . . . My heart and mind are screaming in unison not to anymore, and since it’s the first time they’ve ever agreed when it came to a girl . . . this time, I’m going to listen.
Colors by Gabbie S. Duran is the second book in The Dragon Knights Series. The story of Chris and Alyssa enraptured me from the very first page and had me greedily turning each subsequent one with a need to find out what happens with them. This book was a 4.5 star read for me and I highly recommend this series to others.
Alyssa has been running from the horrible past she escaped from one rainy night and hasn't stopped since. Even though it's been two years she continues to look over her shoulder wondering if they will come looking for her after all the time.
A chance meeting with Chris Richardson leads Alyssa to lose her job and maybe more if she can't make enough money to pay the rent. With art as her only outlet from the darkness, she draws characatures on the streets of LA for tourists. But when her precious back pack is stolen, with all of her money inside she chases the thief and once again runs into the famous bass player of the Dragon Knights.
With Alyssa in the hospital recovering and Chris feeling a pill and guilt over being the cause, he does the unthinkable and invites her to stay in his home while she gets back on her feet. What Chris doesn't anticipate is the feelings that he begins to have for Alyssa, ones that he hasn't felt for any woman before and makes him want things he forever swore he never would.
The path that these characters take in overcoming their past and moving toward a future where they trust others to help and care for them is heartbreaking at times and makes you smile during others.
I loved that Lexie and Kaleb were a huge part of their story as the reader was able to see where their relationship was after finishing Wishful Thinking.
You MUST one click this amazing series! I cannot wait for the next book!
Colors is the second book in the Dragon Knights Series. Although it is the second book it could be read as a standalone, but I would highly recommend reading Wishful Thinking the first story Lexie and Kaleb's story because you will see more of them in this book. Gabbie's imagination is beyond any author I have read she just knows how to capture your attention from the very first page till the final word. I would give this story a 5 stars and highly recommend to others. This story will capture the lives of Alyssa and Chris, and boy what a whirlwind romance this was.
Alyssa has been through hell and back in the short life that she has lead so far but she has done everything she can to banish her past from the future she is trying to create. She has bad luck in life as it is and when she gets fired from the only job that is keeping her head above water because she had a run in with a broody stranger she finds herself doubting life once again... she continues to pick up the pieces and hopes for something bright to come her way but what she finds is herself in another situation with the same broody stranger that will forever change her
Chris has his life mapped out for him but has demons of his own and vows to never fall in love. He keeps busy with his band and his music its the only thing that keeps his life afloat. When he has a run in with a girl that causes her to loose her job he instantly feels guilt and doesn't know how to make things right... when he finds himself in an even worse situation with the same girl he will make a choice that will forever change his life as well.
Throughout the journey that Chris and Alyssa will endure they find themselves getting lost in each other, but when secrets and demons creep up will they be able to push through them to see the colors and light at the end of the rainbow?
I love this series so hard! I would highly recommend this book and any book really by Gabbie S. Duran because not once has she disappointed me with her creative mind. Get to one clickin this book you will not be at all unsatisfied. Thanks again for another great ride and I look forward to more in this series and to more in general from this author!
