A Winter Wonderland
Page 11
His accent made it hard for her to tell if his last sentence was sarcasm or if it was the closest she’d get to an apology from him. His face gave nothing away.
“Thank you,” she said carefully. “I appreciate it. Hopefully this means I can get dressed more privately in the future.”
Although maybe she should have asked if he had curtains out there, too.
Mel watched as his gaze dipped down and then snapped back up again. He was suppressing a smile. It would have been a good time for her to turn around and end the conversation if it weren’t for the fact that her swimsuit still had a gaping hole that exposed her butt. And while she wasn’t particularly shy, providing a view of her ass at this point wouldn’t do much to assert her dignity.
Much to her irritation, she felt her face flush one more time. It was no wonder that Henrik was smiling.
Nice one, Mel. Really subtle.
“If you don’t mind?” she said lightly. “I need a couple minutes.”
“Of course,” he said quickly, turning away. But after a few steps he turned back.
“Does Björn’s daughter have a name?”
She couldn’t help it—the corners of her mouth tugged up into a smile. “She does. Melanie.”
*
The next chapter of Melanie and Henrik’s story today in Stockholm Diaries, Melanie. It's on Kindle Unlimited for a limited time!
Or if you're in the mood for hot, edgy bodyguards in Australia, start the Blackmore Inc. series with Best Laid Plans.
Acknowledgements
Writing this book was itself a second chance story. I originally wrote a shorter version of Jace and Selena’s romance for the 12 Nights of Christmas anthology, so my first shout-out goes to the eleven other amazing authors who were a part of that project. A special mention goes to Stacy Finz, both for the first news article that appears in this book and for being my critique partner and unwavering source of support in this crazy career.
Thank you so much to Becca for helping me see so many new possibilities in this story, and thank you to both Kira and my sister Leah for insightful comments. xo.
About the Author
Rebecca Hunter is the award-winning author of sensual, emotional adventures of the heart. She is a reader, traveler, former English teacher, chocolate lover, and keeper of a very messy desk.
Over the years, Rebecca has called many places home, including Michigan, where she grew up, New York City, San Francisco, and Stockholm. After their most recent move from Sweden back to the San Francisco Bay Area, she and her husband assured each other they'll never move again. Well, probably not.
Rebecca's debut book, Stockholm Diaries, Caroline, won the 2016 National Excellence in Romance Fiction Award (NERFA), and Best Laid Plans, the first book in her Blackmore Inc. series for the Harlequin Dare line, won the 2019 NERFA and the 2019 HOLT Medallion contests, and it earned a starred review from Library Journal. She's currently writing more super-sexy books for Harlequin Dare...along with a secret project or two.