by K. A. Linde
Silence lingered as our plates were cleared.
“Dessert?” the waiter asked eagerly.
“I’ll pass,” I said.
His jaw clenched. “No. Just the check.”
“As you wish, sir.”
“I thought that you liked their bread pudding,” Camden said.
“I just couldn’t stomach the carbs.” I shrugged. “Next time.”
Camden paid the check while I polished off our third bottle of wine. I was feeling good now. This dinner wasn’t half as bad I’d thought. Not that I thought the night was going to get better from here.
I set down my empty glass and began to rise, but Camden halted me. “Wait.”
I sank back down and arched my eyebrows.
Camden reached into his suitcoat and pulled out a small navy blue box with the letters HW on the front. Harry Winston. Shit.
I froze in place, going as still as a statue.
“Happy anniversary,” he said, sliding it across the table to me.
“What’s that?”
“Open it and find out.”
I didn’t reach for it.
“Why did you get me something?”
“Because we’ve been married a year,” he said evenly. “Now, open it.”
His command sent a shiver through me, and I tentatively reached out for the box. I had no idea why he was giving me this. We’d never exchanged gifts before. Not on birthdays. Not for our wedding. Not for anything. I hadn’t been expecting a gift. Did it come with strings?
I popped the lid. Inside was a pair of obscenely large diamond earrings. They each featured a central diamond with smaller diamonds haloing around the center and then five tear drop shaped diamonds winged out across the bottom like feathers. They were gorgeous and must have cost a small fortune. I should have swooned over them. Instead, my stomach tightened and I felt the chains of our binding even further.
“Why?” was the only word I got out.
“I saw them and thought of you.”
I shook my head. “You do nothing that isn’t out of your own self-interest. I know who I married…and why.”
His eyes hardened. “You don’t accept them?”
“I want to know what strings are attached.”
“Why must you be difficult?”
“You knew who you married too,” I shot back.
He said nothing for a moment as if considering and then deciding to move forward. A deliberate calculated move. Like everything he did. “I thought we could…discuss what comes next in our relationship.”
I swallowed. “What comes next…”
“We’ve been married a year, Katherine.”
“I know how long we’ve been married,” I said, clenching the box in my hands.
I knew what he was going to say. The one thing that he truly wanted from me out of this arrangement. More than the linking of our two powerful names. More than submission in the bedroom. More than his desire to break me completely.
“I want us to have a baby.”
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Acknowledgments
I absolutely adored writing The Hating Season. It brought me so much joy. All the fighting and angry hate sex. I’m so glad that I got to write Court & English with all their fiery passion. You helped me get here. So thank you!
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Also to everyone who helped make this book a reality: Rebecca Kimmerling, Rebecca Gibson, Anjee Sapp, and Lori Francis for reading early. Staci Hart for the incredible cover and helping me keep my sanity the whole way through. Danielle Sanchez for being a dear friend and taking the load off of me with PR. Devin McCain for being the best assistant there ever was especially with all the stunning graphics. Jovana Shirley for her talent with editing. I’d be lost without you! Erin Mallon & Stephen Dexter for the incredible audio narration. I love how you brought my characters to life. Katie Miller, Diana Peterfreund, Mari Mancusi, Laura Barnes, Jessica Hawkins, Kandi Steiner, BB Easton, Bethany Hagen, and many many more who helped me get through this crazy author life.
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And last but not least, my own love of my life—Joel. Thanks for listening to me rant about the characters and taking care of the pups. You’re the best.
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Dear readers, I hope you loved Court & English as much as I did and fall in love just as hard with Katherine & Camden!
A L S O B Y K. A. L I N D E
Like adult Gossip Girl meets Cruel Intentions—
One Cruel Night
Cruel Money
Cruel Fortune
Cruel Legacy
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Spin off stand alone novels set on the Upper East Side—
Cruel Promise
Cruel Truth
Cruel Desire
Cruel Marriage
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Like an angsty romance about a woman torn between her love for two men on her wedding day—
Hold the Forevers
* * *
Like stand alone companion novels about one big family—
WRIGHTS
The Wright Brother
The Wright Boss
The Wright Mistake
The Wright Secret
The Wright Love
The Wright One
A Wright Christmas
Wright with Benefits
Serves Me Wright
* * *
Like scandalous political romance—
RECORD SERIES
Off the Record
On the Record
For the Record
Struck from the Record
Broken Record
* * *
Like angsty second chance romance—
AVOIDING SERIES
Avoiding Commitment
Avoiding Responsibility
Avoiding Temptation
* * *
Avoiding Extras
Avoiding Boxset
* * *
Like rockstars—
TAKE ME DUET
Take Me for Granted
Take Me with You
* * *
Like drama-filled sports romance —
DIAMOND GIRLS SERIES
Rock Hard
A Girl’s Best Friend
In the Rough
Shine Bright
Under Pressure
* * *
Like vampire paranormal romance about blood whores—
BLOOD TYPE SERIES
Blood Type
Blood Match
Blood Cure
* * *
Like romantic fantasy about a girl who discovers magic in a world where magic doesn’t exist—
ASCENSION SERIES
The Affiliate
The Bound
The Consort
The Society
The Domina
* * *
Like fantasy about a half-Fae, half-human who falls for a dark, cursed Fae prince—
ROYAL HOUSES
House of Dragons
House of Shadows
* * *
Like a heart-pounding love story of one girl desperate to find herself again—
Following Me
About the Author
K.A. Linde is the USA Today bestselling author of more than thirty novels. She has a Masters degree in political science from the University of Georgia, was the head campaign worker for the 2012 presidential campaign at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and served as the head coach of the Duke University dance team.
She loves reading fantasy novels, lounging poolside, traveling to far off destinations, baking insane desserts, and dancing in her spare time.
She currently lives in Lubbock, Texas, with her husband and two super-adorable puppies.
Visit her online:
www.kalinde.com
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Or Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, & Tiktok:
@authorkalinde
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