by Croft, Pippa
‘My mother must be watching,’ I whisper.
‘I don’t doubt it …’ he murmurs. ‘And if mine is watching too, I should think she’s a hell of a lot happier than yours.’
OK, I can feel the tears threatening now and yes, I’m wearing the Hunt family heirloom along with my bikini, and my mother is definitely watching because I can see her in the French windows, one hand over her mouth like she’s waiting for Daddy’s results on election night.
Alexander sees her too, but neither of us cares.
Something has shifted in both of us and he gives me that slow, lazy smile I can never resist. ‘So, um, Lauren, I have a week before I have to rejoin my regiment.’
‘Only a week?’ I moan, instinctively leaning in closer to him. How on earth am I going to say goodbye in a week’s time?
‘I’m sorry.’ He pauses, then adds, ‘So how do you propose we fill it?’ He really is outrageous. One minute you can almost hear the sound of my heart cracking in two and the next I could rip all his clothes off right here in front of my mother. I shake my head and take a moment to steady my thoughts before grinning at him helplessly and walking my fingers up his chest. ‘There’s a lot that can happen in a week …’ I whisper.
‘That’s what I’m worried about. I don’t want to go back to my unit in a worse state than I just left it.’
Every inch of me is fizzing and now I really don’t care what my mother sees or thinks. I slip my hand down the back of his shorts, revelling at the look on his face as he closes his eyes and I reach up to kiss him. ‘Like what could I possibly do to hurt you?’ I whisper.
He gives me such a look. ‘Severe mental trauma? Physical exhaustion?’
‘You think?’ I tease.
‘Oh, I know. And frankly, I can’t bloody wait.’
Acknowledgements
There’s probably a statement at the start of this book, reminding people that the contents are purely a work of fiction, but I’d just like to add my own ‘disclaimer’. While I have done a lot of research into many aspects of the worlds I’ve been creating, I’ve also – shock horror – made a lot of it up. So I apologize to all the generous people who’ve helped me gain insight into military life, horsey things, hunting etiquette, American culture, etc. If I used some of your information while changing other aspects to suit my story. While many of the places mentioned in the book are real, all the people and the events are pure fantasy. Actually, no one would believe it if I did include some real stuff, but that’s another story …
So now I’ve got that out of the way, I can have the pleasure of thanking all the people who helped and supported me in writing the series. It has been a total joy as well as an exciting challenge. I’m sure I’ll miss someone out, but here goes, in no particular order: Janice Hume, Liz Hanbury, Nell Dixon, Lizzie Forbes, Mike V., David I., James T., Hannah T., Catherine Jones, Debra Ross, Leah Larson, Karen Markinson-Ambrose, and a bunch of great students, who had better remain nameless.
At Penguin, a huge thanks goes to my ed, Claire Bowron, for her skill and forbearance, and to Alex Clarke for making me laugh in a good way and giving me this wonderful chance. Also thanks to the copy-editing team, especially Emma Horton, to Charlotte Brabbin and Viola Hayden, and the fantastic sales and marketing gurus, in particular Katie Sheldrake and Anna Dercakz.
To my agent, Broo. You are a legend. ’Nuff said.
Finally, to my parents and my family, ILY. John and Charlotte, you are amazing and I genuinely couldn’t have done this without you.
THE BEGINNING
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