by Marie Force
Look at all that we’ve become
Look how high we’ve flown
Your heart has always been my home
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Listen to the rhythm of the rain
Wash away our tears and then we start again
Listen to a whisper in the wind
It’s calling me, it’s calling me
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I can’t stop wanting you for the rest of my life
Holding you in the middle of the night
Falling in love with you
All over and over again
I can’t stop wanting you for the rest of my life
Holding you in the middle of the night
Falling in love with you
All over and over and over and over again
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Found the beauty of
A timeless, endless love
So much left unknown
But my heart will always be your home
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Listen to the rhythm of our hearts
They beat as one no matter how far we’re apart
Listen to the echo of a dream
It’s calling me, it’s calling me
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I can’t stop wanting you for the rest of my life
Holding you in the middle of the night
Falling in love with you
All over and over again
I can’t stop wanting you for the rest of my life
Holding you in the middle of the night
Falling in love with you
All over and over and over and over again
The song ended with a rousing round of applause for Evan as well as Dan and Kara. Dan kissed Kara and took her by the hand to lead her from the dance floor.
Lizzie handed the microphone to Grant, who cleared his throat dramatically.
“Oh jeez,” Dan said, groaning. “Don’t give him a microphone.”
Lizzie ushered them to their seats at the table they would share with Grant and Stephanie as well as their parents. Thankfully, Chuck and Judith Ballard had hit it right off with Dave and Nancy Torrington, and the two couples were already like old friends after knowing each other a couple of days.
As he held the chair for his wife, Dan took note of his new brothers-in-law, who were hitting the open bar hard. He wouldn’t hesitate to shut them off if they started to get unruly, which was another benefit to being the host of this shindig.
“As Dan’s best man, it’s my job to thoroughly embarrass the bride and groom,” Grant said, drawing laughs from their guests. “But since Dan usually does a pretty good job of embarrassing himself—and Kara—I’ll leave that to him.”
Dan glanced at Kara to find her nodding in agreement. Traitor.
“From the first minute Dan met Kara, he had his heart set on her. It took some convincing and some cajoling and a bit of blackmail, but he finally won her over to his way of thinking.”
“A lot of blackmail,” Kara said, smiling at him.
“Raise your glasses to Dan and Kara,” Grant said. “We wish you a lifetime of love and happiness.”
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Much later, as the party began to wind down, Dan was relieved that Kara’s brothers had behaved for the most part. As he was half drunk on champagne himself, the last thing he wanted to deal with was unruly in-laws. Thankfully, that wasn’t going to be his problem tonight.
He and Kara were talking to Slim and Erin when Judith and Chuck approached them.
“Welcome home, you guys,” Dan said to their friends. “So glad you could be here today.”
“We wouldn’t have missed it,” Erin said.
“It’s good to be home,” Slim said, putting his arm around Erin to lead her away.
“This was a lovely day,” Judith said. “Well done.”
While Kara stared at her mother, seeming dumbfounded by the unexpected compliment, Dan answered for both of them. “Glad you enjoyed yourselves. We’re going to say our good-byes, and we’re leaving in the morning, so we won’t see you.” He shook Chuck’s hand and kissed Judith’s cheek. “But we’ll see you again soon.”
“I hope you’ll come to Bar Harbor to meet our friends at some point.”
“Sure, we’ll see if we can make that happen.”
Kara hugged and kissed her parents. “Thanks for coming.”
“So happy for you, sweetheart,” Chuck said.
Hand in hand, Dan and Kara made a trip around the room to say their good-byes. As soon as he possibly could, he guided her out of the room toward the stairs that led to the honeymoon suite where they’d spend their wedding night.
“You just basically told everyone we know that you can’t wait to have sex with me,” Kara said as they went up the stairs from the second to the third floor.
“So? We’re newlyweds. That’s what we’re supposed to do.”
“You don’t need to be so obvious about it.”
He stopped on the third-floor landing and scooped her up and into his arms. “Why can’t I be obvious about how crazy I am about my new wife?”
“You’re more than welcome to be obvious about it from here on out.”
“Excellent.” He opened the door to their room and swept her inside, kicking the door closed behind them. “Alone at last.” The first thing he did was pull off his tie, unbutton his shirt and remove the sport coat, tossing it over a chair in the elegantly appointed room.
“Feel better?” Kara asked him, amusement dancing in gorgeous brown eyes with the flecks of gold that made them sparkle.
“Much, but I’ll feel way better when you tell me how to get you out of that stunning dress.”
“It’s really simple,” she said. “Up and over.”
“I can handle up and over, but come here first and let me take another good long look. I won’t want to forget a single detail.”
She took his outstretched hand and let him bring her closer.
“You’re beautiful every day, but today you were…” His throat tightened, and for once, he didn’t have the words.
“I wanted to be beautiful for you.”
“Mission accomplished, my love.” He kissed her softly, giving her all the love and tenderness he felt for her. He’d give her the stars and the moon if she’d let him. “You own me, Kara Torrington. Heart and soul.”
“I was thinking today about the day you found out Kelly was here and planning to confront me.” As she spoke, she released his belt and undid his pants. “How you ran to me while still badly injured from the boat accident, and took me away so she couldn’t find me. Remember?”
“How could I forget? That was the day you agreed to marry me.”
“You’ve owned my heart and soul from the very beginning, but that day… That was it for me. You’re it for me.”
“I should certainly hope so now that I’ve shackled myself to you for life.”
Smiling, she kissed him with such sweetness, he wanted to drown in it. “How about you do that up-and-over thing now.”
“Yes, dear. Whatever you want.” He squatted to grasp the hem of her floor-length gown and rose to bring it up and over her head, blinking several times to get his brain around what she was wearing under it. “Holy shit,” he whispered. “Are you kidding me?”
Kara laughed at his befuddled reaction to the sexiest lingerie he’d ever laid eyes on—ribbons and bows and hooks and skin, lots and lots of lightly freckled white skin.
Dan placed a hand over his chest. “Am I having a heart attack?”
“I really hope not, because I have plans for you.”
“Mmm, suddenly I’m feeling much better.” He ran his hands over the lace and silk that covered her. “What’s the secret to removing this thing?”
She turned her back to him so he could see the laces that held it together.
“How’d you get this on?”
“With a little help from my matron of honor.”
“Remind me to thank her the next time I see her.” He finished unlacing the contraption and reve
aled the rest of her magnificence. With his hands on her shoulders, he turned her to face him and took a long look at his beautiful wife. “I wonder every day what I did to get lucky enough to find you, but today…” He leaned his forehead on hers. “The word ‘lucky’ doesn’t begin to describe it.”
With her hands inside his shirt, she pushed the two sides off his shoulders and wrapped her arms around him, her soft skin brushing against his making him crazy with desire for her. “I think all the time about how lost I was until you found me.”
“Thank God I found you.” He held her tight, probably too tight, but he couldn’t bring himself to let her go. Not now or ever. Slowly, he began backing her up to the bed, letting his pants fall as he went. They fell onto the bed together, him on top of her, her body opening to welcome him. He usually prided himself on his finesse, but he had the rest of his life to worship her. Tonight, he just needed her.
“Dan…”
“I’m right here, baby, and I’m dying to make love to my wife.”
“Then please do, because your wife loves you so much.”
He gazed down at her, brushing the hair back from her face as entered her for the first time as her husband. “I love you, too. More than anything else in this world.”
Kara wrapped her arms around him and held on tight as he set out to show her how much she meant to him.
“A whole lifetime of this,” he whispered. “Can you believe we get a whole lifetime of this?”
“I can’t wait for every minute of it.”
Kissing her, he said, “Me, too.”
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Thank you for reading Light After Dark! Join the Light After Dark Reader Group to chat about the book with other readers with spoilers allowed and encouraged. Watch for release week prizes in the group too! Also, make sure you’re a member of the Gansett Island Reader Group where you will find more than 10,000 other fans of the series. The series group is usually the first to hear of big news and other announcements, so don’t miss out! Join the group today! Also, make sure you’re on my email newsletter list at marieforce.com for notification of preorders, free books, appearances and other events in your area.
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Join Marie’s newsletter mailing list to never miss a new book, a giveaway or other exciting news!
I hope you enjoyed your visit to Gansett Island. My fictional island has become such a huge part of my life—and yours—over these last five years, and I’ve created so many characters who speak to me between books and during the writing of new ones. I can’t possibly give them all a new story in every book, but I still have so much to say about all of them.
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With that in mind, I’ll be launching a new “Gansett Island Episodes” series in 2017, featuring shorter stories about past characters who readers love and want more of. Mixed in with these episodes will be at least one full-length book a year. So we’ll have plenty more from our favorite island, with new stories for past characters as well as all-new stories, too. I’m looking forward to this new adventure and hope you’ll take the ferry to Gansett for the new episodes! I expect that Riley McCarthy will be the next character featured in a full-length book, but I reserve the right to change my mind about that!
Featured in Light After Dark are original songs by two talented songwriters. The first, “Smells Like Nostalgia,” was written and performed by my daughter, Emily Force. You can hear the song here. In the short story, Mr. and Mrs. Torrington, my friend David Sardinha’s song, “Can’t Stop” is featured as Dan and Kara’s wedding song. You can listen to the song here. Thank you so much to Emily and Dave for sharing their work with me and the Gansett Island family.
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My thanks as always go to my amazing HTJB Team: Julie Cupp, CMP, Lisa Cafferty, CPA, Holly Sullivan, Isabel Sullivan, Nikki Colquhoun, Cheryl Serra, Ashley Lopez and Courtney Lopes. I so appreciate everything you ladies do behind the scenes to keep things running smoothly while I write the books. Thank you to beta readers Anne Woodall and Kara Conrad for their help with every book, and my editorial team of Linda Ingmanson and Joyce Lamb. Full credit for the amazing cover goes to awesome designer Kristina Brinton. A special thanks to my friend Sarah Spate Morrison, Family Nurse Practitioner, who fact checks the medical details for me—this time on a very tight turnaround. Thank you, Sarah!
A big, huge thanks goes to the readers who continue to ask me every day for more Gansett. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate your enthusiasm for my fictional island. I couldn’t do what I do without your support. A million thank-yous would never be enough.
xoxo
Marie
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RELEASE WEEK GIVEAWAY!
Now that you’ve finished reading Light After Dark, you’re eligible to enter to win this fabulous giveaway! Entries must be received by midnight Saturday, Dec. 17. ONE grand prize winner will receive:
Gansett Island beach bag
Gansett Island fleece blanket
Tiki Bar hat
Gansett Island sweatshirt in navy, pink or grey*
Gansett Island “In Bed With” nightshirt in teal or hot pink*
Gansett Island pajama pants*
Map of Gansett Island
Signed copy of Light After Dark
Gansett Island charm bracelet in silver or gold
Naughty & Nice socks in honor of Tiffany
A 15-minute phone call with Marie!
A $100 gift certificate for a massage in your area!
* Subject to size/color availability.
Two other winners will receive signed copies of Light After Dark, a Gansett Island charm bracelet, Naughty and Nice socks, and their choice of one other Gansett Island apparel item.
To enter to win this fun release week prize package, here’s what you have to do:
1. Make plans to read Light After Dark during release week (Tuesday, December 13 through Saturday, December 17. Contest ends at midnight EDT on December 18.)
2. Take a short 15 question quiz on the content of the book
3. Join my newsletter mailing list
4. LIKE my Facebook page
Click here for the quiz.
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Other Books By Marie Force
Download A FREE Sample of Books by Marie Force
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Love Always Boxed Set, First Books in Four of Marie’s Bestselling Series
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Contemporary Romances Available from Marie Force
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The Gansett Island Series
Gansett Island Boxed Set, Books 1-10.5
Gansett Island Boxed Set, Books 1-3
Gansett Island Boxed Set, Books 4-6
Gansett Island Boxed Set, Books 7-9
Book 1: Maid for Love
Book 2: Fool for Love
Book 3: Ready for Love
Book 4: Falling for Love
Book 5: Hoping for Love
Book 6: Season for Love
Book 7: Longing for Love
Book 8: Waiting for Love
Book 9: Time for Love
Book 10: Meant for Love
Book 10.5: Chance for Love, A Gansett Island Novella
Book 11: Gansett After Dark
Book 12: Kisses After Dark
Book 13: Love After Dark
Book 14: Celebration After Dark
Book 15: Desire After Dark
Book 16: Light After Dark
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Butler Vermont Series
Book 1: Every Little Thing
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The Green Mountain Series
Book 1: All You Need Is Love
Book 2: I Want to Hold Your Hand
Book 3: I Saw Her Standing There
Book 4: And I Love Her
Novella: You’ll Be Mine
Book 5: It’s Only Love
Book 6: Ain’t She Sweet
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The Treading Water Series
Book 1: Treading Water
Book 2: Marking Time
Book 3: Starting Over
Book 4: Coming Home
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Single Titles
Sex Machine
The Single Titles Boxed Set
Georgia on My Mind
True North
The Fall
Everyone Loves a Hero
Love at First Flight
Line of Scrimmage
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Books from M. S. Force
The Quantum Series
Quantum Boxed Set, Books 1-4
Book 1: Virtuous
Book 2: Valorous
Book 3: Victorious
Book 4: Rapturous
Book 5: Ravenous
Books 6: Delirious
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Romantic Suspense Novels Available from Marie Force
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The Fatal Series
One Night With You, A Fatal Series Prequel Novella
Book 1: Fatal Affair
Book 2: Fatal Justice
Book 3: Fatal Consequences
Book 3.5: Fatal Destiny The Wedding Novella
Book 4: Fatal Flaw
Book 5: Fatal Deception
Book 6: Fatal Mistake
Book 7: Fatal Jeopardy
Book 8: Fatal Scandal
Book 9: Fatal Frenzy
Book 10: Fatal Identity
Book 11: Fatal Threat
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Single Title
The Wreck
About the Author
Marie Force is the New York Times bestselling author of more than 50 contemporary romances, including the Gansett Island Series, which has sold more than 2.5 million books, and the Fatal Series from Harlequin Books, which has sold more than 1.5 million books. In addition, she is the author of the Green Mountain Series as well as the erotic romance Quantum Series, written under the slightly modified name of M.S. Force. All together, her books have sold more than 5.5 million copies worldwide!