Keeping Mr. Right Now: A Kisses in the Sand Novel (Entangled Bliss)

by Robin Bielman

  “I came here to apologize to your daughter.” God, he wanted to touch Sophie so badly, but he held back. His grip on the surfboard tightened.

  “With a surfboard?” Sarah asked.

  “The board is a gift. I’m hoping she’ll get lots of use out of it.”

  Sophie’s jaw fell open.

  He couldn’t stop himself this time. He cupped her chin. “I’m hoping she’ll give me a chance to explain myself and believe me when I tell her I love her.”

  Gasps and sighs sounded.

  His heart pounded.

  “Would you mind holding this?” he said, when Sophie still just stared at him. He handed the board to her mom, strategically blocking the view of her dad, then took Sophie’s face in his hands and kissed her.

  Giggles erupted. A few “Oh my’s.” None of it fazed him. He deepened the kiss. That’s when she pressed a hand to his chest and…melted against him.

  Her kiss pumped life back into him. Nothing was better than the feel of her lips and her body, the scent of cinnamon sugar and woman. He wanted to kiss her until the moon brightened the sky, but they had an audience.

  She pulled back first, but the sparkle in her eyes promised they weren’t through. “Come with me.” Her hand took his and she tugged him through the gathering.

  “That was so romantic,” a woman said as they passed.

  “It was,” Sophie said on a whisper-sigh. She peeked at him under long eyelashes. “And,” she voiced louder, “we’d like some privacy, so nobody better follow us.”

  She led him inside the house and up the stairs to a small room at the end of the hall. As soon as she shut the door, she leaned against it and let out a breath.

  “Is this your bedroom?” His lips curved up. The walls were slate blue, the bed coverings were white with a navy trim, a dark wood desk with a corkboard and shelf held small trophies and containers lined up in a neat row with pencils and pens. A striped rug in blue, brown, and white covered the hardwood floor. Total brainiac room. He loved it.

  “It was my bedroom.”

  “Ever bring any boys up here?”

  That beautiful pink hue that drove him crazy bloomed in her cheeks. “You know I didn’t.”

  “So I’m the first.” He stepped toward her, ready to pin her against the door and kiss her senseless.

  She held up her hand and, without her saying a word, he knew that was his cue, his chance to make things right.

  He swallowed the sudden bundle of nerves in the back of his throat. “I’m sorry, Sophie. Sorry for saying the terrible things I said. I panicked. I was on the phone with Julia and she was telling me she’d gotten married. That her fiancé didn’t want to wait and surprised her with an intimate ceremony. It hurt that I wasn’t included and then she pressed me about you, and the void I’ve carried with me for as long as I can remember rose back to the surface and I didn’t want to think that you had filled the spaces.

  “Because if I let you in, inevitably I’d let you down, and I hated to think about disappointing you. So I lied. I lied to my sister to get her off my back. To push away feelings I didn’t know how to handle.

  “And I lied to you because I thought you’d be better off without me. I pushed you away thinking I wasn’t good enough.”

  A tear slid out of the corner of her eye. “You let me believe the things you said.”

  “Yes. At the time I thought it was for the best, but God, Sophie, none of it was true. I came here to tell you that I love you.” He reached out and took her hands in his. “That not a second has passed since we said good-bye that I haven’t missed you. You’re in my head. You’re in my heart. And I’m ready. I’m ready for the change you’ve made in me. I’m ready to love you with everything I have. I can’t promise I won’t make mistakes along the way, but I can promise to strive to be the kind of man you deserve.”

  “Oh, Zane.”

  “I want to start forever with you. For so long I didn’t think I could love anything more than the water. But no ocean feels half as good as just looking at you feels. Everything is better, brighter, and more vital with you in it. You’re what I’ve been looking for my whole life, and if you let me, I’ll love you for the rest of yours.”

  She brought a shaky hand to her face, wiped away her tears. “Okay.”

  “Okay?” His heart jackhammered inside his chest.

  A wispy sigh escaped her beautiful mouth. She nodded. “You’re more than good enough and I love you, too.”

  “You do?” He lifted her off the floor and spun them around in a circle.

  “Yes!” She giggled. “Now put me down.”

  Having set her feet back on the rug, he cupped her cheek and ran the pad of his thumb over her lower lip. “I’ve missed you so much.”

  “I’ve missed you, too.”

  His mouth molded to hers a second later, and his hands were all over her. They kissed and touched until he was two seconds from getting her naked.

  She gently pushed him away, breathing heavily. “I can’t believe you’re really here.”

  He curled a piece of hair at her neck around his finger. “I’m here for as long as it takes to convince you we can make this work. I want you in my life, by my side as much as possible.”

  “I’d like that.” She took his wrist and brought him to sit down on the bed. “And that might be easier than you think.”

  “Tell me in that smart brain lingo of yours why.”

  “Well…” She tilted her head. “I’ve been offered a job with SHE as a special events coordinator.”

  Zane stared at her, dumbfounded. “Seriously?” His stars hadn’t only aligned. They’d shot across the sky at the same time and landed right on top of him.

  “Seriously. When I gave the Waldrons a check for SHE at the closing reception of the film festival, Jeannie was so appreciative that she took me aside to talk further. We really hit it off and not just because she’s from Montana.” One side of Sophie’s sexy mouth buoyed up. “She got in touch with me about a week later and asked if I’d be interested in working with them. At first I said no because of what happened between us, but she refused to accept my answer. A dozen or so emails and one videoconference call later, and they offered me the position a few days ago.” She leaned forward to touch her nose to his. “I haven’t given them my answer yet.”

  “If you were waiting for a sign, I think I just gave it to you,” Zane whispered in her ear, grateful and ready to show Sophie the world.

  She brushed her lips across his cheek, along his jawline. “This is all a little overwhelming. To get everything I want so quickly. What if something doesn’t work out? What if—”

  He shut her up with a kiss. Pressed her down on the bed and kissed every negative thought out of her head—until her body relaxed and she moaned against his lips. Then he lifted up and stared down at the most gorgeous creature on the planet.

  “We’ll face every what-if together. Every obstacle, every fear, every hardship and doubt. I love you with every beat of my heart and I will until my last breath.”

  A smile wider than his surfboard spread across her face. “I didn’t know what love was until you.” She ran her fingers through his hair. “I want to show you every day how much I love you.”

  “Naked?” Zane waggled his eyebrows.

  Sophie laughed. “Among other ways.”

  “I bought a house,” he said.

  “Please tell me it’s the one in White Strand.”

  He grinned. “It is. But it won’t be a home unless you’re in it with me.”

  She cupped his face in her hands. “Oh, Zane. I’ve dreamed about being back there with you.”

  “Sweetheart, from here on out, I plan to help make all your dreams come true.”

  And then he kissed her, with his heart, his soul, his everything.

  Say you’ll share with me

  One love…one lifetime…

  We’re making waves and

  hope you’ll help us celebrate.

  Together w
ith our parents, we

  Sophie Rose Birch

  and

  Zane William Hollander

  invite you to share with us

  the joyous celebration of love at our

  marriage

  Sunday, February Tenth

  five o’clock in the evening

  Our house

  1823 Sandstone Road

  White Strand Cove, California

  Cocktails and dinner immediately following

  Casual attire

  Shoes optional

  …

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  Acknowledgments

  Huge hugs and thanks to my editors Stacy Abrams and Wendy Chen for your amazing camaraderie. I’m so blessed and lucky to work with you.

  To Alycia Tornetta and Debbie Suzuki for your awesome support, and to Jessica Cantor for your always-gorgeous covers. To Tara Quigley and Erin Crum and to the rest of the Bliss and Entangled teams, from the bottom of my heart, thank you. Lots of love and giant thanks to Rachel Harris for always being so all-around wonderful. You've made this book even more special.

  To my besties, Samanthe Beck and Hayson Manning, for being not just writing pals, but friends for life. And for always making me laugh just when I need it. Oh, and Sam, thanks for the eye candy! I, uh, think I’m due for a fix.

  To Roxanne Snopek and Paula Altenburg, your emails are the best, and I can’t wait to meet up in person again. To my LARA chapter, especially Charlene Sands, for not only being my writing mentor but a special friend, too.

  To Marilyn Brant, for your overall awesomeness. Your generosity, kindness, and encouragement are gifts I treasure more than I can say.

  Thank you, thank you, thank you to my readers! I’m so grateful, and I hope you loved Zane and Sophie as much as I do. Elena and Rachel, I hope you enjoyed my special nod to you two.

  And, as always, to my incredible hubby and two sons for making it all possible and filling every one of my days with love.

  About the Author

  Robin Bielman lives in Southern California with her high school sweetheart husband, two sons, and crazy-cute mini Labradoodle, Harry. When not attached to her laptop, she can almost always be found with her nose in a book. She also loves to run, hike, and dip her toes in the ocean. Writing is a dream come true, and she still pinches herself to be sure it’s real. She is also the author of Kissing the Maid of Honor and Her Accidental Boyfriend, as well as Risky Surrender, Worth the Risk, and Yours At Midnight from Entangled’s Indulgence line.

  Visit her online:

  robinbielman.com

  @RobinBielman

  Facebook.com/robinbielman

  Goodreads.com/robinbielman

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  Reviews help other readers find books. We appreciate all reviews, whether positive or negative. Thank you for reading!

  Also by Robin Bielman

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  Her Accidental Boyfriend

  Kissing the Maid of Honor

  Worth the Risk

  Risky Surrender

  Yours at Midnight

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