Where Touch Lingers (Unspoken Desire Series Book 1)

Where Touch Lingers – A Forbidden Second-Chance Romance

Some connections never fade—and some loves never truly let go.

When Nia unexpectedly crosses paths with Malik, the man she once loved but could never have, the past refuses to stay buried. Years have passed, lives have been built, and promises have been made. Malik is still married to a woman who understands parts of him—but not the pieces Nia once held so effortlessly.

What begins as a chance encounter stirs emotions neither of them ever resolved. Stolen glances turn into quiet conversations. Old memories give way to new temptation. Torn between loyalty and longing, Malik must confront the truth about the life he has chosen, while Nia faces the cost of reopening a love she never fully released.

In a world where timing is never perfect and love is rarely simple, Where Touch Lingers explores forbidden desire, emotional truth, and the fragile space between comfort and passion. This sensual second-chance romance asks a powerful question: do you hold on to the life you’ve built—or risk everything for the love that still burns?

Discover the story of unfinished love and undeniable chemistry in Where Touch Lingers by Shania Elliott.

Excerpt from the book

The park smelled like spring and second chances.

Nia hadn’t planned to be there. Her usual walking route looped closer to the east side, away from memories and maybes. But something about the softness of the afternoon how the sun flirted with the treetops and kids’ laughter echoed like music pulled her in. She needed the space to breathe.

Headphones in, sunglasses on, she moved through the winding path with a kind of practiced detachment. Just a woman alone with her thoughts, pretending the past didn’t still whisper in the corners of her mind.

She had just turned the bend by the rose garden when her breath caught.

There he was.

Malik.

Not in a dream. Not in memory. Here. Real. Solid. Still tall, still smooth, still wearing that quietly broken expression like it was stitched into him.

He stood under the shade of an old magnolia tree head tilted back like he was talking to the sky. A little girl with pigtails, probably his daughter, was tugging at his hand, trying to show him a butterfly. But he wasn’t fully present. His body was there, but his soul… it looked tired.

Nia froze. Half of her wanted to melt into the bushes. The other half? She didn’t know. All she could do was stare.

He turned slowly, like something tugged at his gaze. And when his eyes met hers, it felt like the world shifted sideways.

Recognition flashed first. Then something else. Something he didn’t hide quickly enough.

“Nia?”

His voice was the same. Maybe a little deeper. A little worn.

She swallowed hard. “Malik.”

There it was. Just his name. Just her name. But somehow it said everything.

Silence stretched between them, thick with unspoken history.

“How long has it been?” he asked, eyes searching hers like he was trying to trace the years in her face.

“Too long,” she said, even though part of her wanted to say not long enough. Not if he was still married. Still off-limits. Still dangerous in all the ways that matter.

The little girl tugged on his hand again, and he crouched to speak to her, giving Nia a moment to catch her breath.

“Sorry,” he said, rising. “This is Layla. My daughter.”

Of course. My daughter. My whole life didn’t include her.

“She’s beautiful,” Nia said honestly. “She’s got your eyes.”

He smiled at that, soft and sad. “Yeah, she’s the best part of me.”

A beat passed. He shifted, suddenly becoming unsure. “You… you look good, Nia.”

“I’ve been trying to,” she replied, not meaning to sound so honest. “You do too.”

“Trying,” he echoed. “Yeah.”

They stood there in the echo of what they said.

Of what could have been.

Of what still lingered.

He cleared his throat. “You still live around here?”

She nodded. “I moved back a year ago. I needed a reset. I run a wellness studio now. Yoga, mindfulness… that kind of thing.”

He raised an eyebrow. “That fits. You always had that peace in you, even back then. I used to chase it.”

Nia looked away, caught off guard by the weight of that memory. “And you? Still married?”

He hesitated. That one-second pause said everything.