Anger and exasperation hardened his handsome face. "After you left me, I was so angry and broken up I didn't want to be anywhere near you so I worked hard for years, learning the business. I went to night school and got myself a degree in business administration too. I tried to live my life without you and thought I was doing okay." He ran his fingers down her arm, as if to soothe and comfort her. "I met Thea at a relative's wedding. We were both lonely and turned to one another. I cared for her in my own way, but for me there was always something missing." He leaned in close to her face, placed gentle kisses to her nose, cheeks and lips. "You."
Shana wrapped her arms around his neck. He smelled of soap and sex and man. "I've never loved anyone else Jared. There's never been anyone but you."
Surrounded by the scent of their pleasure and passion, Shana lay in his arms, her fingers gently sliding over his chest. She loved touching his body, the hills and valleys of his muscled flesh, the light sprinkling of dark hair circling his chest and down his firm abdomen. "Jared, can you ever forgive me?"
He looked at her, his gaze unblinking and dark. "I can't pretend you didn't hurt me, because you did. So much, in fact, that after I was served with the restraining order, I gave up on us. Instead I concentrated on building my business into one of the most reputable in town. I know Wilding has retired, but he can't hurt me anymore. All my specs are above board and all that crap is behind me."
He sighed, and swallowed hard, when he lifted her chin to meet his gaze. "But the fact is, you did what you did to protect me," he whispered. "Makes me love you even more. I'm just pissed off we lost time that could have been spent together, married, having babies."
Shana entwined her hand with his. "I know you said you've forgiven me, but I'll never be able to tell you how sorry I am that this happened, that we were forced to live without each other all these years. I couldn’t bear it if he actually followed through on his threats, Jared. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if he'd had you arrested. I hated myself for years afterward."
His kissed the hand clasped so tightly onto his own. "Let's try and put it all behind us and plan our future, starting from this moment on. What do you say, can you do that?"
Leaning closer to him, Shana didn’t even attempt to stop the flow of tears. It would take time for both of them to heal, but she believed in the power of love, and she believed in Jared. "All I know is that I love you, that I'll always love you."
Her admission of love sent him into motion. His kisses became hotter and harder, his eyes blazing a path of heat from her head to her toes. Jared's dark gaze told her that he wanted her again.
"From now on it's all about us." He cupped her breast, and she sighed from the magic touch of his fingers as he rolled her the little button between his fingers.
She smiled. "Now what?"
"Now," he kissed her nose. "We're going to do it right." Nipped her bottom lip. "We're going to have what we should have had five years ago. What I wanted to give you: A real wedding, with all the trimmings, anything you want and deserve."
Shana's heart swelled with joy. In five years, never had she thought to have Jared back in her arms and her life, now planning her own wedding. Her dream, though delayed, was finally coming to fruition. "When and where?"
He chuckled softly. "You're the wedding planner, you tell me."
Shana winked and smiled at him. "I seem to know something about that." It was good to laugh and be happy again. "I do have connections, so we shouldn’t have to wait too long. All I've ever wanted was to be with you forever, Jared. I'll make it up to you, I promise. I treated you terribly and if I live to be a hundred, I'll never be sorry enough."
In answer, Jared settled himself over her, and Shana savored the heaviness of his body as she wrapped her arms around his neck.
"Oh yes, you will, and I'll enjoy all the ways you'll make it up to me." He wiggled his eyebrows, making her laugh as he kissed her again, while his hands slowly touched every inch of her, making her shiver with pleasure. "Just one more thing."
Her lips curved upward. "Anything."
"Your stepfather is not invited to the wedding."
In answer, Shana tunneled her fingers through his hair, arousal swamping her. "Agreed."
"Then, it's settled. Now, we have a lot of time to make up, so kiss me, and don't stop." He dug his fingers through her hair while his kisses possessed and aroused her. Jared was all she ever wanted, all she ever needed.
"Hmm," she agreed.
His mouth slid lower, kissing his way down her tummy to her navel, until his tongue licked over her bare mound and slipped into her throbbing core. She nearly vaulted off the mattress as he left a blazing trail of fire behind. He licked then sucked her clit, and she let out a long, low groan.
She exploded into shards of pleasure, and Jared's arms surrounded her as he held her tightly in his arms. Only Jared possessed the power to take her to heaven and back.
He slid back up her body, and moved over her, then buried himself deep inside her heat. Then he turned them, so she lay atop him.
"Take it all, baby, I'm all yours."
He filled her to the hilt, and Shana rose up, stroking him with her body. Cherishing his large, calloused hands on her hips, she moved faster and faster, up and down his hard, long cock, until his body vaulted to meet hers.
His palms moved over her breasts, and he squeezed her nipples, until her hunger matched his, stroke for stroke.
Jared began to groan low and gripped her hips tighter. "Tell me you love me, that you'll love me forever." His voice raised in intensity. "Say it now, Shana."
"Yes, I love you, darling, forever," she cried, as his finger moved between her legs and stroked her clit until she exploded in orgasm.
Jared joined her seconds later, crying out his release, then pulled her body down onto his chest and held her tightly within his strong embrace.
He turned her face toward him. "We could have lost each other forever. But I found you again, that's all that matters."
"Don't leave me. I need you close," he whispered. The room fell quiet. He'd fallen asleep.
She raised her head to look at him once more. "I'm here, darling. This time, forever."
Whispered words of love and devotion faded to even breathing as Shana settled herself, and thinking how blessed they were to have been given a second chance. She lay close within his loving embrace, and brought her arm to rest over his heart, then joined him in slumber.
THE END
From Blanche Marriott
ONE MORE NIGHT
A legendary crystal entangles two reluctant lovers with the help of an eccentric aunt and a mystical Indian.
Celeste Jordan knows nothing about gems so she questions why she sees a mark on hers that no one else can see. Rock Foster, a mineralogist, “rockhound”, is skeptical. As a scientist he doesn’t believe in legends, but he’d heard of crystals that hold knowledge for a privileged few. Reluctantly, he agrees to take Celeste to the desert dig site where he found the gem. Little did the loner know his life would be turned upside down and that love would knock down his door.
As an image consultant, Celeste always looks her best. Dirt, sweat, and outdoor showers have never been a part of her life. But she’s determined to get to the bottom of the mysterious gem and its affect on her, even if it means leaving the comforts of home for one night. Although attracted to the ruggedly handsome Rock, she knew nothing could come of it. They were each married to their careers and their worlds were miles apart. But when Mother Nature twists up a storm that changes all their plans, one night turns into another, then another...
EXCERPT
“Celeste, he’s here, now! Hurry, or you’ll miss him.” The phone line nearly crackled from the excitement in the old lady’s voice.
“Aunt Clara, I’m in the middle of an appointment. Can it wait?” Celeste smiled and raised an apologetic shrug to the man frowning back at her from the other side of her desk. She’d have to work hard to win over her new client after this disrupti
ve phone call magnified his unease.
“No! Suppose he gets away? This might be our only chance to talk to him. I’ve read the cards. They say now is the time.”
Oh, Lord, not the cards again. As if they hadn’t already caused enough trouble over the years. Unfortunately, they were usually right. Or rather, Aunt Clara was right.
“Okay, Auntie, I’ll be there as soon as I can. Now don’t do anything foolish. Just stay put until I get there.”
***
The bright red FOR SALE sign stood like a bold insult in front of the old one-story house with brown weathered shingles that had seen better days. Celeste Jordan noted the realtor’s familiar name, probably the only realtor in the tiny tight-knit community of Ashaway. A few dried, crimson leaves clustered around the post as though clinging, like the remains of summer, to the memories of the man who never would have dreamed of selling his house.
Celeste parked her car in the narrow gravel driveway then slid out, smoothing down the wrinkles from her skirt. She walked the broken cement path that led to the lopsided wooden porch on the side, careful not to catch her high heels in a crevice while her mind rehearsed how she’d open the conversation.
But before she placed a foot on the bottom step, the sound of a car caught her attention and she turned. A taxi, most unusual in these parts of rural Rhode Island, had pulled into the driveway and idled as its passenger gathered his things and paid the fare. Even more unusual was the passenger himself.
A cowboy?
It was the first thing that came to mind when she saw the tall stranger with the scuffed and battered hat. Not so much a cowboy hat, more like an Indiana Jones hat. His western shirt, visible beneath the open suede jacket, had inched its way out of his low-riding, faded jeans as he hefted a duffel bag over his shoulder. His brown boots thudded heavily up the walk.
Almost as heavy as the stern look he aimed at her in his slow approach.
“Mr. Foster?”
He continued toward her, his look hard, but questioning. “Do I know you?”
“Not really. My aunt lives next door. She told me you were here and asked that I come speak to you on her behalf.”
He stopped abruptly, his right boot bumping the toe of her left shoe as though it were a challenge, but she held her ground. He tipped his head back, allowing the late afternoon light to shine under the brim of his hat and into his smoky gray eyes. She noticed the odd color right away. That was her job, to notice the physical, and she was always on the job, always observing, sizing up, calculating. No detail escaped her keen professional eye.
Apparently nothing escaped his either, since he took the liberty of scanning her from head to foot and back. No telltale expression showed on his tanned face but a glimmer of annoyance flickered across his eyes.
“Your aunt said I was here?” His gaze drifted to the house next door across the large expanse of patchy lawn.
“Yes, she called me at work. We’ve been trying to reach you for some--”
“Whoa, whoa.” From the strap of the duffel bag over his shoulder, he wiggled his free fingers to halt her explanation. “Your aunt said I was here?”
“Yes, I told you she called me. We’ve written to you--”
“But I just got here.”
“I know, that’s why she called.” Celeste bit back a lump of impatience and moved her foot away from his boot. Bad enough she’d rushed her client--who seemed less than confident she could clean up his image--out of her office and raced down here from Providence. Now she had to deal with a dim-witted cowboy, or whatever he was, whose overpowering presence made her feel like she was an intrusion.
“Lady, I just got off several long, bumpy flights from New Mexico and maybe my brain is a bit rattled, but the last time I checked a person didn’t arrive someplace until they actually arrived, if you catch my meaning. And as you yourself witnessed, I just arrived.”
Celeste was about to barge forward with her pitch when the full meaning of his drawn-out observation hit her. She’d been so busy concentrating on what to say to this phantom letter recipient, she hadn’t realized that Aunt Clara had been up to some old tricks.
link to the full Kindle Edition of One More Night
Other books by Heather Peters:
RULES OF THE GAME, BOOKS ONE AND TWO:
Playing for Keeps/Body Check
Face Off/Forward Pass
Whispers
Available from Amazon
With a Twist
Oz
Available from Red Sage Publishing
Toy With Me
Available from Freya's Bower
Surrender
Secret Dreams
Available from Noble Romance Publishing
About the Author
Heather Peters is a native New Yorker, who grew up in a close knit Italian family in the 60s ~ being an only child, her imagination was creating stories of princesses and happy ever after from an early age. She fell in love with Nancy Drew at the age of nine and she's been a lover of the written page ever since.
Now, with nearly nine books under her belt, she's looking forward to releasing her next sports romance in the Rules of the Game anthology, planned for late summer. Also a full length erotic romance is planned for next year, based on the Phantom of the Opera.
Her interests include cooking, gardening, old movies and music. The Beatles are admittedly her first love; but her eclectic tastes take her from Pink to Dusty Springfield, from Josh Groban to Daryl Hall, from the Temptations to Maroon 5. Her favorite movies are GWTW, Wuthering Heights, Practical Magic, The Godfather, Pride and Prejudice and Sense & Sensibility. She credits Bette Davis, Ingrid Bergmann, Sandra Bullock, Vivien Leigh and Deborah Kerr for putting strong women on the map.
Heather still believes in the fantasy of romance books, and reads voraciously when not writing; her idol is Kathleen Woodiwiss, whose books she's read dozens of times, and inspired Heather to become a writer.
Her hobbies include cooking and gardening. A widow, Heather lives in Staten Island, close to her wonderful children, family and friends, but especially to her two growing, gorgeous grandchildren, who are the lights of her life.
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