Focus Friday: The Only Shark in the Sea

Date Shark, Book 3

By DelSheree Gladden

“You asked me before,” Vance said slowly, “if I saw you differently after hearing your story.” He shifted, bringing himself the tiniest bit closer to her. “Now I’ve heard your whole story, and it does change the way I see you, but only in the best ways.”

Natalie shook her head, knowing he wasn’t being completely honest, but he spoke over her silent objections.

“It’s not about how I see you, though. I know you’re determined to help me, but I can’t let you do that without returning the favor.” His mouth curved up in a warm smile that caused a strange tightening in Natalie’s chest. “I won’t be satisfied until you see yourself how you really are. Strong, brave, beautiful…amazing.”

Natalie used to believe she was the first two, the last she wasn’t so sure about at all, but… “Beautiful?” she whispered.

“Beautiful,” Vance echoed.

The feeling of her chest constricting was all too familiar, but the absence of panic to induce the feeling was startling. The warmth she felt touching him the night before fluttered back into her mind like a temptation. It was one thing to make accidental contact when he was asleep. Touching him, or letting him touch her, she couldn’t bring herself to do it no matter how much she wanted to feel that feeling again in that moment.

He wanted it too, she realized. It was a frightening realization, and she almost pulled back from instinctual fear. Vance had admitted it in a way a few minutes earlier, but he had been talking about comforting her. Calling her beautiful…she didn’t know if that changed his reason for wanting to touch her. It was right there in his eyes, though. All it would take was her making the first move, telling him it was okay. Desperation to feel his skin against hers almost literally took her breath away, she wanted it so badly, but she couldn’t. She hated herself for her weakness, but there was no way around it as she lay face to face with him, the gap of less than a foot of space between them an uncrossable distance.

About the book

The Only Shark in the Sea is the third book in DelSheree Gladden’s Date Shark series. She is hard at work on this installment and will publish it in 2015.!

Book 1, Date Shark, is FREE on

• Amazon
• B&N
• iBooks

Book 2, Shark Out of Water is available at

• Amazon
• B&N
• iBooks

About the author

DelSheree Gladden was one of those shy, quiet kids who spent more time reading than talking. Literally. She didn’t speak a single word for the first three months of preschool, but she had already taught herself to read. Her fascination with reading led to many hours spent in the library and bookstores, and eventually to writing. She wrote her first novel when she was sixteen years old, but spent ten years rewriting and perfecting it before having it published.Native to New Mexico, DelSheree and her husband spent several years in Colorado for college and work before moving back home to be near family again. Their two children love having their seventeen cousins close by. When not writing, you can find DelSheree reading, painting, sewing and trying not to get bitten by small children in her work as a dental hygienist.