“You’re welcome,” he said, the lines on his face fading away. “Again.”

“Third time’s a charm?” I said, retrieving the hook where it had fallen on the floor.

He glared at the hardware, snatching it out of my hands and repositioning it on the wall.

“Let’s get this thing hung,” I said, as he pounded the nail and hook into a new patch of drywall. “We’ve both got an early morning and a long drive, so we need to get to bed.”

In this space of mostly taped up boxes and a few opened ones, the bed had been the priority. The sheets hadn’t even made it on after Jude dragged the mattress up a few flights of stairs before we’d christened the studio.

“So help me god,” Jude muttered at the wall. “If you don’t cooperate, I’m tearing you down.”

I smiled, handing him the picture. Nothing like a little “incentive” to get a man focused.

Holding his breath, he settled the wire into the hook and let it hang. Stepping down from the step stool, he grabbed my hand and led me across the room.

Five steps later, he spun us around so we could take in the full effect of the picture. It was still crooked. But less so than the first and second attempts. Maybe he was right‌—‌maybe the walls surrounding it were the things that were all askew.

Wrapping his arm around me, he pulled me close. “Perfect,” he said, kissing my head.

I glanced up at him, then back at the picture. “Close enough,” I said, tucking closer to him. “Close enough for me.”

THE END

Thank you for reading CLASH by Kindle Best-selling author Nicole Williams.

Nicole loves to hear from her readers. You can reach her at [email protected] or:

On her blog: nicoleawilliams.blogspot.com

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On Twitter: nwilliamsbooks

Other Works by Nicole Williams

ETERNAL EDEN

FALLEN EDEN

UNITED EDEN

FISSURE

FUSION (TO BE RELEASED IN 2012)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

I’m a wife, a mom, a writer. I started writing because I loved it and I’m still writing because I love it. I write young adult because I still believe in true love, kindred spirits, and happy endings.

Here’s to staying young at heart *raises champagne glass* … care to join me?

Table of Contents

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER ELEVEN

CHAPTER TWELVE

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

EPILOGUE

ABOUT THE AUTHOR