SXL Story Sampler | The Shadows Between Us
Hi, lovers,
Welcome to the SXL Story Sampler. Here’s your chance to dip into stories you might’ve missed. Each feature includes a full chapter from one of my published novels to inspire your next read.
Check out the prologue + chapter one of The Shadows Between Us below. ♡
PrologueDavid JohnsonI don’t know when the dreams started. It could’ve been after the first time I saw her at my pops’ diner when she smiled and lit up the whole damn room, changing my mood for the better every time I encountered her. Or maybe it was later when she handed me my orange juice and her fingers skimmed mine, sending me an intense sensation of something indescribable.
Everything about it felt like it was meant to happen… like she belonged in my life, and I’d been waiting for her without even knowing it. Either way, she’d haunted me ever since. Everything about her, especially her off-guard laughter, natural dark brown beauty, and how she gracefully carried herself.
In my dreams, it was always the same. She was out of reach, her full-figured silhouette blurred by shadows, but I knew it was her. I’d recognize the plump curve of her lips anywhere, how they were always parted slightly, combined with low, skeptical eyes that constantly held back secrets.
Her hair—dark and falling in loose waves over her shoulders—spotlighted her beautiful round face and cascaded down the middle of her back. Every time our gazes met, I tried to hold onto it for as long as I could before she pulled away and went on about her business.
I move closer, my hand reaching out, but she slips further away every time. The scent of her—a soft, sweet mix of vanilla, coconut, and something floral—always lingers in the air, making my pulse quicken because I can’t help but crave it so fucking desperately. I try to hold on, but the shadows coil around her persistently, wrapping her up and pulling her back into the dark. I call out, but my voice gets caught in my throat like choking on everything I’m too afraid to say. All I can do is watch as she disappears, leaving me cold and with a tightness in my chest.
I wake up sweating, my fists clenched, and my body tense. I tell myself it’s just a dream and nothing more than my mind playing tricks on me. But every time I see her serving at the diner, it hits me again: how she aggressively tucks a strand of hair behind her ear when she’s annoyed… and how she laughs, soft and genuine, with her hand sometimes covering her face.
It’s all exactly like in my dream.
She’s the woman my mind refuses to let go of, and I can’t shake the feeling that it’s some kind of… warning. Because the shadows are getting closer, curving tighter around me, I don’t know if I can keep them from trying to take her away… or if I’m the one they’ll drag down first.
All I knew for sure every time I woke up was that I was willing to protect her with my life.
Akeaya Mitchell “What happened when you tried to talk to him, girl?” I asked, trying to keep my voice balanced, even though everything around me was falling apart.
I lay across the bed, painting my nails a deep Ruby Red. The small brush glided back and forth as I focused on staying within the lines. The familiar scent of nail polish clouded the air as Rehab by Rihanna played softly in the background, a small comfort in the chaos that had become my wild ass life. I needed to distract myself and do something with my hands while my mind raced.
Talking on the phone with my co-worker, Cassie, I tried to keep my tone level and casual. Deep down, I couldn’t hide the truth; I was worried about my man, David. My chest ached just thinking about how he’d been acting with me as if I wasn’t even a factor anymore. He hadn’t been coming home to me, and when he did, it was like I disgusted him. No kiss, no touch, and barely a damn hello; he moved around our apartment like a ghost.
He only came home when he knew I’d be gone to grab things from his safe or pack another bag. Each time I walked into our three-bedroom home and saw more of his things missing, my stomach dropped. He was out of town so often lately for his so-called business trips, but he wouldn’t even tell me when he left anymore. I had to find out by coming home to an empty place.
I constantly called and texted him, begging for answers or a hint that he still cared. But whenever he did pick up, all I got was, “What do you want, Akeaya?” His voice was always cold, and it was as if I was nothing but an inconvenience. The first time he said it, I thought he was having a bad day… until it became his standard greeting, a fatal blow to my gut every time.
When I told him I was pregnant the other night, he barely reacted. He only stared at me with those cold, distant eyes, breaking my heart into more pieces. I thought back to when we first tried to conceive and how excited we were. We made love several times a day, and back then, every touch and kiss felt like magic. We shared an energy and connection that felt unbreakable. Our memories made me smile, but they were now bitter recollections.
Months later, and now it seemed I was invisible. I thought a baby might change things, but his blank stares made me wonder if he cared. It was more than just distance now; Our love was slowly deflating, slipping away from us.
So, submitting to my desperation, I had my co-worker try to talk to him.
I needed to know what he was doing when he wasn’t home. Did he have another place, one he took other women to? Was someone else making him smile how he used to smile at me? I needed to know if he was giving the time I deserved from him to another woman. And I knew he was because he wasn’t making love to me anymore… every woman knew what that meant.
“I don’t think you have much to worry about because he hardly paid me any mind. Trust me, that never happens to me. But he was hanging out on the strip downtown like you said he would be, and I slipped him my number,” she explained, smacking her gum loudly in my ear.
I sighed, my eyes rolling so hard they almost hurt. Cassie was so full of herself. It was one of the reasons I picked her to help me set David up. I knew her confidence was possibly exaggerated, but she believed she was the hottest thing walking. She was cocky and had the looks to back it up—an interesting mix of Dominican and Black. Her features were striking, and her green eyes and coke-bottle-shaped body caught my attention on her first day at the insurance office last week.
I’d set my plan in motion instantly. She was gorgeous, but her attitude sometimes made me want to gag. Working with her eight hours a day was draining. Still, she was the kind of girl David might notice.
I chuckled, shaking off those thoughts before they took me somewhere I didn’t want to go. “Alright, girly, thanks for trying. Let me know if he uses that number,” I said, my tone fake chipper, though urgency was hidden underneath. I needed to end the call before my real feelings slipped out, and I took my disappointment out on her, confessing how much I couldn’t stand her.
“Will do,” she promised, sounding almost bored.
I ended the call and stared at my phone screen, feeling that familiar waft of doubt crash over me. Was I just being paranoid? Was David still faithful? I rubbed my belly, the new life inside me feeling like a blessing and a burden. Maybe I was trippin’. It could’ve all been in my head. But deep down, I knew better. David could charm the panties off any woman, just like he did with me when we first met. Those pearly whites and deep dimples were dangerous, and they hooked me immediately.
I let myself sink into the memory of his smile and touch. I could practically feel his beard against my skin, reminiscing how I ran my fingers through it when he kissed me. He was solid—two hundred and twenty pounds of pure strength and standing at six feet four. His smooth, brown skin and confident walk made women double-take. I’d been proud that he was mine and often called him my everything.
Three years in, something had changed. We had promise rings and even an engagement ring. I’d been with him from the beginning, through the struggle, when he had nothing, and I was there for his rise. I watched him go from being broke to becoming one of the top guys moving weight in the city. I was beside him when he built his empire, as he always told me, “Hold me down, and I’ll continue to take care of us.”
“But what the hell was going on now? And why did it feel like the time he’d promised me was slipping through my fingers?” I wondered.
I sat up and released a frustrated sigh. It felt like time had betrayed us, leaving me alone to spiral. I’d been working hard and taking care of our home. Meanwhile, he was out there somewhere, probably with someone else. The worst part was I couldn’t even bring myself to ask anymore. Whenever he came home, I wanted to question and confront him, but my fear of pushing him further away kept me mute. I tried to focus on loving him, but my doubts tore me apart.
Finishing the final coat of polish on my nails, I stared at my phone again, then sent David another text telling him how much I missed him. After a few minutes with no response, I threw myself back on the bed and clutched the pillow as if it could somehow pacify the emptiness he’d left behind. I scrolled through old photos of us—his smile and mine, the two of us together, happy and in love. It felt distant now… like it all happened in another lifetime.
I knew it was bound to be another lonely night. Another night of craving him and missing how he used to hold me, touch me, and make me feel more alive than I ever had before. Only he could give me that feeling. I closed my eyes and imagined him beside me, the thought of him making me ache. I tried to remember how he touched and kissed every inch of my skin, making me feel wanted. My hand moved down my body as I let the memories take over, and I touched myself the way he used to… the way he caressed and made love to me before everything changed.
But no matter how much I tried to recreate the feeling, it wasn’t the same. Nothing would ever be the same if I lost him.
Tears burned my eyes, and I let them fall, the wetness mixing with the lonely chill in the room. As I drifted off to sleep, I whispered his name, praying that wherever he was, he still remembered the love we once had.
#end of sample#
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Loved these chapters and want to know how it all unfolds? The full story is AVAILABLE for your reading pleasure: —> https://amzn.to/42eIVJx.
That’s it for now, lovers. ♡