by Jeannie Moon
I couldn’t have finished this book, or any book, without the support of my wonderful husband Tim, and my kids, Julie, Katie, and Peter. They may grumble from time to time, but they’ve always respected my need to write and my desire to pursue my dream. I love you guys.
Thanks go to three of my most steadfast readers—Clara Antunes, Danielle Giambrone and Doreen Coffey—for always finding the time to read, no matter how rough the pages, and for always giving me great feedback. I appreciate you more than you know.
For my buddy, Donna DeLuca, thank you for the never-ending cheerleading, feedback, laughs and for giving me a glimpse into the complex relationships among sisters. Caroline and Meg are stronger because of it.
To my colleagues at school, you are the best. Your notes and calls, your encouragement and enthusiasm has made this writing road that much more fun to travel. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for all your love and support.
To my wonderful chapter mates, the Long Island Romance Writers, your friendship, knowledge, and encouragement brought me here, and I’m counting on those same things to keep me going. I couldn’t have done any of this without you.
To my plotting chickies Patty Blount, Lisa Brennan, Jennifer Gracen, and Liz Slawinski, you ladies saved me more times than I can tell you. Between our phone calls and treat-laden plotting sessions, I got this book written. Chocolate and wine for all.
Gail Chianese is a beta reader extraordinaire and I am lucky to have her as a friend.
Thank you to my critique partner, Jessica Lemmon. Knowing you giggled through this book made me happier than you’ll ever know.
For my lovely friend Kristan Higgins, thank you doesn’t seem like enough, but know that it is heartfelt. Thank you. For everything.
My agent, Becky Vinter, is one of the greatest gifts I’ve received as a writer. Thank you for your patience, thoughtful feedback, and your friendship, as well as for talking me down off a ledge or two. I can’t imagine having a better person in my corner.
My former editor, Jesse Feldman, coaxed this story out of me and helped me understand why some books are just harder than others. Thanks for helping me find my way. My new editor, Elizabeth Bistrow, has proven herself to be an unbelievable advocate in just a short time. I can’t wait to see what’s ahead.
Finally, thank you, dear readers, for spending time in my world. I hope you’ve had fun and come back again.
Keep reading for an excerpt from the next novel in the Forever Love series
THE WEDDING SECRET
Available from Intermix May 2014
Prologue
October
As a rule, Harper Poole didn’t do slutty, but she figured there was a first time for everything.
So, she just gave in to the sensations when she felt Kevin’s big hands slide up her legs and slip under her dress. He was warm and strong and as he gripped her bare cheeks and lifted her onto the table in the wine cellar, Harper could only think about the physical release he represented.
Other than deciding in the last few minutes, since he first kissed her, that his mouth was a miracle, she didn’t know this man well. Didn’t know how he felt about her. Didn’t know if he was going to tell his friends or his family how he screwed her brainless in a semi-public place.
Harper didn’t care.
She’d given up the idea of the fairy tale a long time ago. There was no happy ever after in her future, so she was content to have great sex and live the life she was meant to live. She had money, status, power and that was going to have to be enough. Loneliness never played a role in her life because she never had a lot of use for people. Of course, right then she had a lot of use for the guy who’d just tossed her very expensive thong on the floor.
“Christ,” he said as he stroked a finger over her damp folds. “You’re as bare as a baby’s bottom down here.”
“Have a problem with that?” She sucked in a breath when he kissed her mound, his lips brushing over her, light as a feather.
“Nope. None at all.” His hands were on her knees now, spreading them open so he could get his big body between her legs. “I’m going to thoroughly enjoy making you scream.”
“Oh, think you can make me scream, do you?” she teased. “I don’t know if you’re up to it.”
Kevin chuckled and pressed his crotch into her thigh. She could feel him through his suit pants and he was plenty up. Impressively so. Bracing his hands on each side of her, he leaned in, and looked in her eyes. He was so damned gorgeous Harper almost got dizzy looking at him. Big and broad, he had the bone structure of a Roman god, short, thick dark hair and brilliant blue eyes that were full of mischief and challenge. “I will make you scream, Harper, first when I put my mouth on you and then when I’m inside you. You can take it to the bank.” He dropped to his knees, and pressed a kiss to her inner thigh while his hair tickled her girly bits. His eyes were closed now as he concentrated on his task, and his lashes fluttered against his cheek. Cripes, it should be against the law for a man to have eyelashes like that, yet they always did. Bastards, all of them.
“You’re always so damned controlled,” he said as he kissed her again. “I can’t wait to see you fall apart for me.”
She was fine with falling apart, but she’d never been with a man who’d made her whimper, much less scream, and she’d had some skillful lovers. But screaming orgasms? Never had one. “Hmph,” she shrugged when he looked up at her. “We’ll see.”
Kevin flashed a million dollar grin at her from his place between her legs, obviously loving the challenge she’d just put before him. Harper realized she was playing with fire. The guy was a superstar athlete who thrived on challenge and now he was going to make her screams a part of his mission. This was getting better and better.
“Think they’ll miss us upstairs? Your sisters would have a fit if they knew what was going on in here.” He was the brother of the bride and the groom’s best friend. But she and Kevin were both a little drunk on wine and so overcome by hormones that they had to find a place to be alone. It was the last dance they shared that put them over the edge. The dance where she could feel every muscle through his dress shirt. Could smell his cologne mixing with his own unique scent. Harper didn’t usually believe in chemistry. But they had it in spades.
“Nah,” he said. “I doubt they’ll miss me. Everything is winding down.”
The wedding might have been winding down, but the wine cellar was getting kind of hot. Harper felt a shot of pleasure as his mouth landed on her center. She could feel the heat and wetness of his mouth and what he did, the sucking and teasing, was positively magic. Lowering herself back onto the hard oak table, she draped an arm across her eyes and let the sensations fill her.
She’d never been tended to quite like this. This wasn’t the usual flicking of the tongue. No glancing passes with lips. Instead, there was a thorough exploration, a gentle worship that was different from anything she’d experienced before. This was intimate. Her partner wasn’t just going through the motions. Teasing aside, Kevin was making this all about her. Every touch, every nibble, every taste was meant to bring her pleasure. And Harper could feel the climax building. Building inside her like a furious wave. Her muscles started to tense and the ache forming low in her womb told her she was primed for detonation. Mother of God, he was good at this.
Harper’s breaths became short and shallow, and she could have gone over the edge at any time, but he didn’t stop. He changed the pace and gripped her hips, pressing his thumb against the nub that was going to be her undoing. She jerked back and gasped as he dove in with more purpose.
“Don’t go anywhere,” he said against her. “You’ll miss the good part.”
This wasn’t the good part? Everything inside her was contracting. Muscles pulled in, fire shot through her nerve endings and with one final tug of his mouth, Harper’s body let go. Her mind spun and her back arched and light
ning flashed inside her eyelids. Deep within her the release kept coming, over and over. Waves of pleasure rocked her and then, without warning Harper called his name. Screamed his name. Damn.
Gasping for air, she wondered for a second if she’d lost consciousness. Before she knew it, she saw his face hovering over hers. Kevin nuzzled her neck and brushed the hair away from her face.
“Told you.”
Harper nodded, feeling the smile tug at her mouth. “Yes you did. And that was . . . that was. Oh, my God. It was . . . ”
“Hold that thought,” he said. “We’re not near done and I have to concentrate on outdoing myself.”
“You are so cocky,” she said, smiling at him. “But please, don’t let me stop you.”
“Baby, not a chance of that happening.”
***
Kevin Rossi had no idea what he was doing making love to Harper Poole in the wine cellar of a swanky private club in Manhattan. That his sister Caroline’s wedding was going on one floor above them was another thing altogether. This was not his brightest idea, but Harper was so funny and so damn hot, he couldn’t resist her. With her mile long legs and her big hazel eyes, the woman was walking seduction.
But it was her bite, her wit, which sparked his deeper interest. Behind the polished exterior was a first class brain. Kevin loved women with brains. He loved the give and take, the disagreements. Women with brains were never easy, but they always kept things interesting.
Unfortunately, in his line of work, he didn’t meet enough of them. The really smart ones thought he was just another meathead—a pro ball player with a lot of muscle, who could call a game from behind the plate, who could clear the bases with a home run, but didn’t have much in the way of gray matter. It was a good things his professors at Stanford didn’t let anyone know that he got his degree in economics with honors. It would have blown his dumb jock cover right to hell.
“Penny for your thoughts,” Harper teased.
He realized he was gazing at her, not saying anything, just taking in the features of that perfect face. “I’m thinking about what I can do to you next.” Looking around, all the wine tucked into racks along the wall offered endless possibilities. “If I could get you totally naked I’d probably pop the cork on one of those expensive bottles of champagne and bathe you in it.”
Harper raised an eyebrow and sat up. Kevin still stood between her legs and he couldn’t help but smile. She was a sight with her mussed hair and flushed face. Her dress was pushed up to her waist and her panties—where did those panties go?
“You have quite the imagination, but that’s not really practical.” Running her hands over his chest, her touch reminded him why they’d come down there in the first place. She kept moving down and stopped at his belt, tugging at the buckle. She looked into his eyes and licked her lips. “Is it my turn?” she asked.
Wrapping his arms around her and easing her back onto the table, Kevin leveraged himself over her and took her mouth in a kiss that stole her breath and his. “If you do that, I won’t reach my goal of making you scream twice.”
“Ah, well. What are you waiting for?”
Kevin smiled before dropping another searing kiss on her lips. “I want to see you again,” he whispered and he didn’t know what to think when he felt Harper tense up. “Let me take you out one night.”
She pulled him close and nibbled on his neck. “That’s not necessary. I don’t need to be wined and dined.”
“I know, but I want to.” She looked shocked. Genuinely shocked. Her hand came up and brushed his cheek. There was something hesitant and tender in the gesture. His request had definitely thrown her off her game.
“Kiss me,” she whispered. “I want you so badly, Kevin. Kiss me.”
Not hesitating, he took her mouth with his and let the heat build between them. He’d never fit with a woman like this, never been so in tune with her every movement. Her taste, the smell of her sweet breath spurred him on.
Moving away from her luscious mouth, he left a trail of kisses along her collarbone, her throat and over the swells of her breasts. Kevin loved listening to her breath quicken, loved that he could make her feel like this. Her fingers were now working at his belt and his zipper and when Harper’s hands came in contact with his very hard dick, she sighed and he groaned. “Oh, baby,” he hissed. “That’s nice.”
“Uh, huh” she began. “I’m going to make you feel very nice, but if you aren’t inside me soon, I will scream. And it will be for all the wrong reasons.”
It was now or never. They’d been down here a long time and at this point they were risking discovery. And that danger only added to the thrill. This woman had nerve.
Kevin chuckled and positioned himself at her opening, and almost lost all control when the head of his erection came in contact with all of that wet heat. Moving into her inch by inch was torture. He wanted to drive home more than anything. He wanted to ride her to that scream, but watching Harper’s face melt with pleasure as he entered her was worth the restraint.
She was hot and tight and when he finally slid the final inch, Harper said his name. It wasn’t the scream he was going for, but a blissful sigh, and when he gripped her hips and started to move, Kevin was hoping to get a few more of those.
Chapter 1
One Year Later
Fifteen minutes. Harper had fifteen minutes to get this baby settled down to nap, gather her papers and get to her meeting.
Completely doable.
Then her darling girl burped against her shoulder, but instead of spitting up on the cloth that was in place for that purpose, the child lifted her head and dribbled the warm liquid all over the front of Harper’s silk blouse.
“Of course you got my blouse. Nice aim, kiddo.” Normally, her daughter would burst into a smile, her blue eyes twinkling and her soft skin flushing pink. But this time, her face scrunched and an ear-shattering wail filled the room. Anna’s scream was so loud, Harper was fairly sure the entire building heard. “Oh, God. Shhhh. Shhh, baby. I’m sorry.”
Harper hated when she cried and was sure every tear was her fault. “Oh, Anna,” she cooed, rubbing her cheek against the baby’s soft dark hair. “Please quiet down. Mommy has a meeting.”
“Why don’t you get ready for your meeting and let me try?” Harper turned toward the voice and saw her friend and boss’s wife, Meg Campbell. Meg was an experienced mom and as much as Harper hated to admit when she didn’t know something, Meg had been a wonderful help and resource. It had been said more than once that being a single mom wasn’t for sissies and standing in the middle of her office, covered in spit up, drove that point home. Anna was still squirming in her arms, crying like, well, like a baby. Meg was actually a godsend.
“Do you mind?”
“Are you kidding?” Meg reached for Anna and practically grabbed her out of Harper’s arms. “Come here you precious baby. Let Auntie Meg make everything better.”
Meg nuzzled Anna’s soft head and Harper marveled at the dichotomy. Her friend was movie star gorgeous, with her curvy body and long curly blonde hair, but she looked most at home with small children. It was a good thing considering Meg, who was married to a billionaire, insisted on keeping her job as a teacher.
Harper went to the closet in her beautiful corner office and took a clean blouse out of the dry cleaner’s plastic. She’d learned the hard way to keep a few sets of spare clothes on hand for the baby and for herself. It seemed Anna’s second favorite thing to do after eating, was spitting up.
The soiled blouse was tossed in the corner of her private bathroom, she donned the new slate blue top and as annoyed as Harper was about the mess, she couldn’t help but melt when she stepped back into her office and saw her little Anna giggling at her. She had turned into a complete mush for the kid.
“There’s Mama,” Meg sang. “All clean.”
The baby gurgled and spit
one more time, but Meg was ready with a clean burp cloth. “Gotcha,” she said. She glanced at Harper who was putting a contract into her portfolio. “This one is a sneak. She waits until your guard is down and then gets you.” Turning Anna to face her, Meg kissed the baby’s cheek. “But it’s okay, isn’t it beautiful? We understand each other. What’s a little puke between friends?”
“You’re telling me.” Walking toward her baby she felt a pinch of guilt knowing her daughter and Meg were connected in a way no one suspected. Forget the pinch. Harper felt a bucket of guilt, but there was no way she could tell Meg the truth. She extended her hands to take the baby.
“I’m going to drop her at the nursery before my meeting.” Thank goodness for the in-house daycare. Anna’s nanny was on vacation for another three days and the nursery provided a wonderful alternative.
Meg held Anna and turned her back to Harper in a wonderfully defiant pose. “No. She’s going to stay here and play with Auntie Meg.”
“Meg, you don’t have to stay with her.”
“I want to. When she gets sleepy I’ll bring her to the nursery.”
“Are you sure?”
Meg settled into the big armchair by the window that overlooked the harbor. It was a gorgeous fall day and there were still a number of boats in the water. A seagull squawked and Harper felt her blood pressure drop. The building Jason Campbell had renovated for his firm, Reliance, was the main shop in an old shipyard. It was no longer the place where luxury sailboats were built, but instead, the entire shipyard had been taken over by the leading designer of financial security software.
And Harper kept it running smoothly.
The move from Manhattan to the old shipyard on Long Island, didn’t seem like a good idea when Jason first proposed it, but now that the renovations were done, and the campus was up and running, Harper understood why he did it. Everything about the new location was geared to employee comfort and productivity. Her boss learned from tech giants like Google and Apple that innovation, and profitability, went hand in hand with happy employees. Looking outside once again, Harper caught sight of some software engineers playing a game of pick-up basketball. Someone from marketing was sitting at one of the picnic tables in the courtyard, writing notes on a legal pad and looking at advertising sketches.