Married for fifteen years, Helen and Jamie had enjoyed the special closeness often found in childless couples. Two weeks after Helen's car skidded on black ice and smashed into a tree, the doctors told Jamie that his wife would never regain the use of her limbs. He had stumbled blindly from the hospital, colliding with Gena and almost knocking her over as she came up the steps with a huge bouquet for Helen. Acting purely on instinct as Jamie's grief pierced her self-protective shell, Gena had thrust the flowers into the arms of a startled nurse, and driven Jamie back to her flat. There she poured glass after glass of brandy into him, and let him talk. At two the following morning he had passed out on her sofa, still sober despite the alcohol, but totally exhausted and drained of the incoherent rage that had threatened his own mental stability. Covering him with a blanket, Gena had crept away to her own room and lain awake for a long time. Love? Who wanted it? Love was pain. It meant laying your heart down for fate to trample on. Love was a child offering a clumsily made gift, only for hours of concentrated effort to be met with a cursory glance and an impatient sigh. Love was terrible rows and even more terrible silences as the two most important people in your life tore each other apart. Love was craving approval never to be won because you were the wrong gender. Love was wild parties, too much champagne, and one painful, careless coupling in a desperate search for affection. Waking to shame and a glimpse into a dark pit of despair she had vowed never again. Love was for fools. She recalled Jamie's pledge to salvage a future for him and Helen from the wreckage of all their hopes and plans. She had called him brave and was startled when he turned on her. He had immediately apologised and she'd told him it was OK, she understood. He had smiled tiredly and said she didn't. Then he had given her a quick hug and said it didn't matter. Flying was her life, her love. She needed nothing more. Excerpted from Dark Moon Rising by Dana James All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.