by Marie Force
“It was a good day for me, too.”
“I’m glad. If I promise to keep my mother and her expectations far, far away from you, do you still think you might be persuaded to see me again?”
I smile, because he’s so adorable and charming. And he’s fragile, just like me. “I could be persuaded.”
* * *
CAMILLE
I cozy up to my new husband, having raised the armrest between us in the first-class seats. After waiting so long to get to this day, I don’t want anything standing between me and Rob. There were times in the last year of finishing law school and planning a wedding while I was in New Haven and he was in the city that I questioned my sanity. But yesterday had made it worth all the sacrifices and sleepless nights. It was the best day of my life.
Rob’s head rests against the seat and his eyes are closed, but his hand is wrapped tightly around mine.
We’re exhausted after the best kind of sleepless night. We partied with our guests until the wee hours and then went upstairs to our suite and made good use of the king-size bed. Wanting our wedding night to be special, I’d suggested we stop having sex a month ago. Pent-up Rob was a wild man, not that I’m complaining.
I know exactly who I married, and wild or not, he’s the right man for me. Of that I’ve had no doubt since the day we met at the fundraiser for his dad two years ago. We’ve been together ever since.
We have ambitions, big ambitions, plans we’ve shared with no one, except his father, who’s vowed to help us get where we want to be. Bob Tilden understands ambition. It took him all the way to Albany, but unlike his son, Bob doesn’t seem to have higher aspirations for himself. He certainly has them for the eldest of his four children. Yesterday was much more than a wedding. It was a merger of sorts between two New York families that traced their roots back to the Mayflower.
Like me, Rob was raised to believe that anything is possible, and we plan to ride the wave of possibility as far as we can. We have a twelve-year plan that includes him running for office within the next two years, and the wheels will begin turning in that direction upon our return from Hawaii.
I’m going to start my career as general counsel to an organization that provides aid to children in crisis.
In pursuit of our goal, I turned down huge offers from major law firms. Rob told me that every move we make will be scrutinized later, so we’re determined to make every move count, starting with the job I accepted as a top graduate of Yale Law.
“You could’ve done better,” my dad had said, his disappointment apparent.
Yes, I could’ve done a lot better, but Rob is paying off my law school loans as a wedding gift. His family has money. Lots of it. Since we don’t need to work for a paycheck, we will work toward the goal.
“How about Eric and Ava?” Rob asks, the gruff timbre of his voice indicative of a hangover.
“I know! How cool would that be?”
He opens his eyes and looks over at me. “She won’t hurt him, will she?”
“Ava? She’s a lamb. She couldn’t hurt a fly.”
“From the little time I spent with her, she seems very sweet.”
“She is very sweet. What you see is what you get with her. Don’t worry.” Though Ava is three years older than me, I often feel like the elder sister in our relationship. Where Ava is quiet and reserved, I’m outgoing and determined. People have often joked about whether we have the same father, and the jokes have hurt Ava on more than one occasion.
I hate that, because I love my sister, even if I struggled to maintain a relationship with her while she was in San Diego. Now that Ava is back in New York, I hope we can be closer than we’ve been in the past.
“I do worry about Eric,” Rob says. “After what happened with Brittany the bitch, he can’t handle another disappointment.”
“You’re getting a little ahead of things by making them into a couple. They hung out yesterday because they were paired together. That might be all it is.”
“Don’t forget he spent the night in her room.”
“Because she got drunk, and he took care of her. She told me nothing went on, and I believe her. Something happened when she was in San Diego. I don’t know what it was, but it was something.”
“How do you know?”
“She’s different. Quieter, even more reserved than she used to be, which is saying something. I’ve tried to get her to talk to me about her life out there, but she never would.”
“Keep an eye on the situation with Eric, will you? I couldn’t bear to see him go through another disaster like Brittany.”
“I’ll keep an eye on it, but Ava’s not a bitch, and she could never do something like what Brittany did. You have nothing to worry about. Besides, how much fun would it be if your brother and my sister got together?”
“Lots of fun.”
A flight attendant comes by to offer drinks. Rob orders a Bloody Mary.
“That sounds good. Make it two, please.”
“Coming right up,” the attendant said.
“A little hair of the dog, my love?” I ask him.
“Let’s hope it works. I feel like death warmed over.”
“Two weeks in Hawaii will fix everything.”
He brings our joined hands to his lips. “This is the part I’ve been most looking forward to.”
“Me, too. The wedding was amazing, but the honeymoon…”
He leans in to kiss me. “Will be epic.”
* * *
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Other Books By Marie Force
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 1-3
Gansett Island Boxed Set, Books 4-6
Gansett Island Boxed Set, Books 7-9
Gansett Island Boxed Set, Books 10-12
Gansett Island Boxed Set, Books 13-16
Gansett Island Boxed Set, Books 1-10.5
Gansett Island Boxed Set, Books 1-16
Book 1: Maid for Love
(Maddie & Mac)
Book 2: Fool for Love
(Joe & Janey)
Book 3: Ready for Love
(Luke & Sydney)
Book 4: Falling for Love
(Grant & Stephanie)
Book 5: Hoping for Love
(Evan & Grace)
Book 6: Season for Love
(Owen & Laura)
Book 7: Longing for Love
(Blaine & Tiffany)
Book 8: Waiting for Love
(Adam & Abby)
Book 9: Time for Love
(David & Daisy)
Book 10: Meant for Love
(Jenny & Alex)
Book 10.5: Chance for Love, A Gansett Island Novella (Jared & Lizzie)
Book 11: Gansett After Dark
(Owen & Laura)
Book 12: Kisses After Dark
(Shane & Katie)
Book 13: Love After Dark
(Paul & Hope)
Book 14: Celebration After Dark
(Big Mac & Linda)
Book 15: Desire After Dark
(Slim & Erin)
Book 16: Light After Dark
(Mallory & Quinn)
Book 17: Victoria & Shannon (Episode 1)
Book 18: Kevin & Chelsea (Episode 2)
A Gansett Island Christmas Novella
Book 19: Mine After Dark
(Riley & Nikki)
Book 20: Yours After Dark
(Finn McCarthy)
* * *
The Green Mountain Series
Book 1: All You Need Is Love
(Will & Cameron)
Book 2: I Want to Hold Your Hand
(Nolan & Hannah)
Book 3: I Saw Her Standing There
(Colton & Lucy)
Book 4: And I Love Her
(Hunter & Megan)
Novella: You'll Be Mine
(Will & Cam’s Wedding)
Book 5: It's Only Love
(Gavin & Ella)
Book 6: Ain’t She Sweet
(Tyler & Charlotte)
* * *
The Butler, Vermont Series
(Continuation of Green Mountain)
Book 1: Every Little Thing
(Grayson & Emma)
Book 2: Can’t Buy Me Love
(Mary & Patrick)
Book 3: Here Comes the Sun
(Wade & Mia)
* * *
The Treading Water Series
Book 1: Treading Water
(Jack & Andi)
Book 2: Marking Time
(Clare & Aidan)
Book 3: Starting Over
(Brandon & Daphne)
Book 4: Coming Home
(Reid & Kate)
* * *
Single Titles
Five Years Gone
Sex Machine
Sex God
Georgia on My Mind
True North
The Fall
Love at First Flight
Everyone Loves a Hero
Line of Scrimmage
* * *
The Quantum Series
Book 1: Virtuous
(Flynn & Natalie)
Book 2: Valorous
(Flynn & Natalie)
Book 3: Victorious
(Flynn & Natalie)
Book 4: Rapturous
(Addie & Hayden)
Book 5: Ravenous
(Jasper & Ellie)
Book 6: Delirious
(Kristian & Aileen)
Book 7: Outrageous
(Emmett & Leah)
Book 8: Famous
(Marlowe)
* * *
Tame Quantum Series
All the romance, none of the kink…
Box Set 1, Books 1-3
Box Set 2, Books 4-6
* * *
Romantic Suspense Novels Available from Marie Force
* * *
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
Book 12: Fatal Chaos
Book 13: Fatal Invasion
Book 14: Fatal Reckoning
* * *
Single Title
The Wreck
* * *
Historical Romance Available from Marie Force
* * *
The Gilded Series
Book 1: Duchess by Deception
About the Author
Marie Force is the New York Times bestselling author of contemporary romance, including the indie-published Gansett Island Series and the Fatal Series from Harlequin Books. In addition, she is the author of the Butler, Vermont Series, the Green Mountain Series and the erotic romance Quantum Series. In 2019, her new historical Gilded series from Kensington Books will debut with Duchess By Deception.
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All together, her books have sold 7.5 million copies worldwide, have been translated into more than a dozen languages and have appeared on the New York Times bestseller list many times. She is also a USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestseller, a Speigel bestseller in Germany, a frequent speaker and publishing workshop presenter as well as a publisher through her Jack’s House Publishing romance imprint. She is a two-time nominee for the Romance Writers of America’s RITA® award for romance fiction.
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Her goals in life are simple—to finish raising two happy, healthy, productive young adults, to keep writing books for as long as she possibly can and to never be on a flight that makes the news.
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Join Marie's mailing list for news about new books and upcoming appearances in your area. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter @marieforce and on Instagram. Join one of Marie's many reader groups. Contact Marie at [email protected].