She peeked in the bag: her dress and probably all the other things they’d auctioned off. Biting her lip, she glanced at the kids only to find Kelsey grinning and waving her back toward Lucas. This was everything she wanted, everything she dreamed of, but… “You said the daisies meant love.”
“They do.” His voice ghosted over her skin, his breath ruffling her hair.
Mercedes swallowed hard, fighting the nerves her next words brought on. “You said you felt the things the flowers stood for.”
“I do.” He tipped her chin up until she met his gaze. She felt trapped there, but the urge to bolt had disappeared. “No games. No schemes. I love you, Mercedes. I love everything about you from your passion to your heart to your smart mouth.”
He loved her. Mercedes could barely breathe, but she couldn’t resist teasing him again. “And my ass, amado?”
“Yes, beloved, and your phenomenal ass.”
She started at the endearment. “You knew?”
“I found out.” He stood there, staring down at her for a long minute. “You’re going to make me ask, aren’t you?”
Mercedes shook her head. “No. No more games. No more secrets. I love you, too. Being apart from you has been killing me a little every day.”
He brushed her hair back and cupped her face. “So is that a yes to Evita?”
“Yes. Of course, yes.” She bit her lip, wondering just how far he was willing to let her into his world. If love meant love or…something less. “And after the play? Then what?”
He shrugged, a smile curling the corners of his mouth as he dipped his head closer to hers. “I was thinking skydiving.”
“Chinga tu madre. We finally reconcile and here you are pushing your luck already.”
His breath feathered over her skin, caressing her ear and neck as he leaned closer. “Then maybe we can discuss future plans for your charity over drinks at my apartment instead. I should warn you though, it’s a penthouse.”
She didn’t care about how high off the ground he lived. All she wanted at the moment was to be his again. In his arms, his mouth on hers. “I think we can work something out, amado, but once I’m up there I might be too nervous to leave before morning when I can see all the way down.”
It felt so good, so right to call him that again. She didn’t know when it had shifted from just a word she used for him to one with meaning, but she did love him, had from that first moment on the ship when he smiled at her. He’d been her beloved ever since.
“Perfectly acceptable, though you’ll have to sleep in my room.”
Her lips grazed his, barely touching, and a shiver raced through her body at the contact she’d been craving for so long. “That’s very sweet of you to take the couch.”
“Mercedes…”
Finally, she let her smile break through as she pressed her mouth to his. Fire lit inside her and she leaped into his embrace, wrapping her legs around his waist. Behind her, the kids broke into giggles and applause, but she barely heard them. The children could come first again tomorrow.
This fairytale moment didn’t belong to anyone but her and her knight in shining armor.
Acknowledgements
Every book is different, but none of mine are written in a vacuum. There are so many people who helped make this one happen.
To Katee for pushing me to figure out a Brazen idea. To Heather Howland for talking me through the ridiculous stuff I came up with. To both of them for helping me get a bit of a handle on what category required. And for the hand-holding as I drafted. (And for the awesome cover!)
To Candy for her Fast Draft class. Without that class I wouldn’t have been able to let go of my issues in order to get the draft done. And to all my betas who tore it apart for me and helped me put it back together.
To Libby for saying yes when I sent it to her.
To Shannon for taking this project on. You were never easy on me, but you made me much better. And when the going got tough, you didn’t let me crumble. For all of that, I will be forever grateful. Someday we’re going to have those drinks and a lot of laughs.
To Liz for making me cry and forcing me to put on my big girl panties. It’s been a long time since I was in that position. I needed it and totally appreciate how much stronger you made this story…and me.
To my family and friends… I don’t know what I’d do without you. Thank you all for being there with me every step of the way and believing in me. It helps more than you know.
To my kids for putting up with all my late nights and the long days of exhausted Mommy. Chasing your dreams isn’t always easy, but it is always worth it.
Author’s Note
Before this book was published, I was lucky enough to take a cruise on the Allure’s sister ship, Oasis of the Seas. While much of what is in the pages of Seducing Her Rival is as accurate as I can recall, I did take some liberties.
You don’t board onto the running track and they don’t hand you free booze. Sad but true. I have, however, been on cruises in the past where they made this lovely gesture. Additionally, the safety drill happens before the ship sets sail.
I did not get to see any of the fantastic suites, all the information there came from photos. I also did not visit the spa, so descriptions of the massage and steam room are mine alone.
The slot machines in Casino Royale don’t take quarters anymore. They all run off the shipboard cards.
The stores are not allowed to be open while in port. While I can’t speak from any position of knowledge, it’s unlikely they would “make an exception” for a stained shirt, no matter who was wearing it. Additionally, I didn’t see any shops where buying a gown would be possible—much less more than one of them.
The ship does have a Make-A-Wish walk, but the other charities I mentioned were made up (or at the very least were not advertised).
I’m sure there were many other things that weren’t quite right, but I attempted to make them as close to the real experience as possible. And props to Royal Caribbean for a wonderful trip. I hope to return someday.
Never bet against an athlete when they’re playing to win…
GAME FOR MARRIAGE
the first book in the Game for It series by USA TODAY bestselling author Karen Erickson
He’s going in deep to make her his…
Struggling artist Sheridan Harper never imagined she’d spend a sizzling night with Jared Quinn, the smoking-hot star quarterback of her local professional football team, the San Jose Hawks. And she’s even more shocked when Jared’s publicist offers her a proposition: a fake marriage to keep Jared out of the gossip mags. Being that close to Jared would be too tempting, so to protect her heart, she insists on secretly including a clause forbidding sex between them.
Jared just wants to keep his starting QB job and keep it in San Jose. His reputation as a ladies’ man has landed him in the headlines one too many times, but there’s something about his kind, passionate new wife that tempts him beyond reason. Any sort of intimacy between them is completely forbidden, but as their bodies fall in deep, will their hearts follow suit?
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Also releasing this month…
FALLING FOR THE MARINE
the next book in the McCade Brothers series by bestselling author Samanthe Beck
Pretending to be in love has never felt so sexy.
USMC helicopter pilot Michael McCade has two goals: Get his damn back into alignment and keep his nose clean until his commanding officer clears him to fly again. The doctor-recommended massage therapy seems like a necessary step toward returning to the cockpit, but when his too-hot-to-handle neighbor, Chloe Kincaid, turns out to be his masseuse, he strays from the straight and narrow in a major way.
Chloe Kincaid is looking for a simple, no strings attached, ego-boosting hook up. But when her positively panty-melting neighbor, USMC Major Michael McCade, (aka “Major Hottie”), shows up on her massage table, she lets desire get the better of professionalism. Now they’re
pretending to be engaged to avoid a whole lot of unanticipated consequences of a momentary lapse in judgment. But can a girl who avoids attachments at all costs fake an engagement to a straight-arrow soldier without falling hard?
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Also releasing this month…
WILDE FOR HER
the second book in the Wilde Security series by romantic suspense author Tonya Burrows
Friends with benefits just got hotter.
Former homicide detective Camden Wilde has been in love with his ex-partner, Eva Cardoso, for longer than he cares to admit. Not that it matters. She’s shoved him into the friend zone, and after living through the hell of his parents’ violent deaths, Ca m’s unable to give her the idyllic life she secretly desires.
Eva’s never met a person who hasn’t let her down. Cam may be sex personified, but he’s the only man she can trust, and there’s no way she’ll risk their friendship on the off-chance they could be more. Especially not after the one scintillating night she’s trying—and failing—to forget.
When a murder-for-hire contract on his head lands Eva on his doorstep, Cam knows it’s time to put up or shut up. He’s done biding his time, and he’ll be damned if he lets the delectable detective ignore what’s between them, no matter the cost.
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Also releasing this month…
DOWN THE AISLE
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She thought their future together would be easy…
Lacey Garrity is about to have the wedding she’s always dreamed of. She and Galen had planned on a big family, but now fertility issues are turning that dream to ashes. When another setback comes to light a week before their wedding day, she wonders how she can marry him knowing that being with her might mean he can never have the life he imagined…
Galen Thomas loves his woman, and whether they have a big family or it’s just the two of them forever, he can’t wait to spend his life with her. With the big day coming, he’ll pull out all the stops to remind her how good it can be between them and that, together, they can do anything…if he can just get her down the aisle.
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Also releasing this month…
CRASH INTO ME
the first book in the new Shaken Dirty series by bestselling author Tracy Wolff
She’s totally off-limits, but this rocker wants a taste…
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Seducing Her Rival Page 17