by Karen Booth
“Uh, yeah, I was there. Remember?” I nodded. “I guess I wasn’t thinking straight.” He drew me in with his eyes and that made the tears start in my own. “Either that or I already knew I wanted to do this.”
“This is amazing. I mean, wow.” He shook his head and smiled. “Bloody unbelievable.”
“You have to promise you’ll help me in the middle of the night when the baby’s crying. We have to do all of it together. The laundry and making school lunches and all of the other things I wished I had help with when Sam was little.”
“Of course.” He circled his arms around me, smoothly sliding a hand over my hip to my butt. “I can’t wait to do those things.”
My heart puffed up inside my chest, feeling a bit spoiled. “And I want one more thing from you.”
“Why am I not surprised?” He nibbled at my neck, driving me completely nuts.
“Please tell me you’ll grow your hair back.”
“You don’t like the bald is beautiful look?” He scrubbed the top of his head and bent his eyebrows.
“I prefer your hair.” I bit my lip. “I need something to dig my hands into.”
His eyes flashed. “Sold. I’m definitely growing it back.” He kissed me tenderly, his tongue sweeping along my lip as his hands worked their way down my back. He stopped and rolled back to switch off the light, granting me a glimpse of his butt and those incredible dimples.
“Well, then,” I said. “I guess everything’s decided. That was easy. See? We can make decisions together.” I fluffed my pillow. “You and I are officially trying to get pregnant.”
He pulled me close with urgency, sending tingles through my entire body. He rubbed his nose against mine before he mumbled into my neck. “Officially trying to get pregnant, right now.”
THE END
* * *
sWant more Chris and Claire?
Download the sequel, Back Forever, today!
“I fell more in love with Claire, Chris, and Sam in “Back Forever” than I thought was possible.”-Book Crush
Also by Karen Booth
Back Forever - Excerpt at the back of this book
Hiding in the Spotlight
Rock Starred
The KISS Principle
London Calling
That Night with the CEO - Harlequin Desire
Pregnant by the Rival CEO - Harlequin Desire
* * *
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Acknowledgments
I’d like to thank the following people for making Bring Me Back possible.
Steve, my husband, who bites his tongue when I’m acting crazy, smiles when I’m happy, listens when I’m sad and loves me always.
Sara, my cheerleader, who believed in Christopher and Claire from the first word and begged me to keep going.
Karen Stivali, my critique partner, who pushes me to get better and is available when needed to yank me back from the brink.
Celia Rivenbark, Margaret Ethridge, and Piper Trace, who are always generous with authorial expertise, friendship, and off-color jokes.
The dedicated and talented women of my original publisher, Turquoise Morning Press, especially Kim Jacobs, Shelley Stevens, and my amazing editor, Suzanne Barrett.
The legion of early readers: Karrie Adamany, Angie Mack, Lisa Kaylie, Evette Horton, Christie Oppliger, Mairead Maloney, Laurie Cochenour, Amy Barefoot, Smudge Spooner, Jill Mango, Sarah Austin, Jennifer Resnick, Ashley Mattison, Monica Meyers-Shelton, Annette Pratts, Diane Badzinski, Kelley Amrein, Maura Partrick, Shannon Murley, Jenn Prenda, Tema Larter, Jennifer McCafferty, Jane Greathouse, Susie Lektorich, Rita Robbins, and Diane Tameecha.
The superhuman women of Daily Duranie, Rhonda Rivera and Amanda Pustz. You helped me find an entire community of kick-ass readers.
Thanks also to Dad, Mom, Judy, and Margaret for parental avoidance of the sex scenes.
Other folks who helped along the way with advice and encouragement: John Strohm, Sarah Dessen, Heather Ross, Jay Faires, Pat Cudahy, Jared Resnick, Sam Stephenson, Nic Brown, Django Haskins, Tom Maxwell, David Dunton, Andrea Somberg, Regina Joskow, and Billy Maupin.
Special thanks to Bobbi Ruggiero for believing in Bring Me Back and telling Patience Bloom to read it. Special thanks to Patience Bloom for bringing me aboard at Harlequin as a result. Special thanks to Melissa Jeglinski and the Knight Agency for representing me as a result of that. (It’s all connected, people.)
Extra special thanks to Peter Case for the irreplaceable and perfect lyric that inspired the title Bring Me Back.
About the Author
Karen Booth is a midwestern girl transplanted in the South, raised on ‘80s music, Judy Blume, and the films of John Hughes. An early preoccupation with rock ’n’ roll led her to spend her twenties working her way from intern to executive in the music industry. Now she’s a married mom of two and instead of staying up late in rock clubs, she gets up before dawn to write sexy contemporary romance.
Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed this book, please leave a review with your favorite online retailer or on Goodreads. Even if it’s only a few words, it means so much!
Stay in touch!
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Excerpt: Back Forever, the sequel to Bring Me Back
Back together, Christopher is determined to have everything he ever wanted with Claire. But a ring and a baby on the way can’t prepare them for the test they never saw coming.
Chapter One
Claire’s sideways “What are you up to Penman?” grin was always at the ready. “Looking for something?” She rolled to her stomach, draping an arm across the pillow.
Her bottomless blue eyes stopped me in my tracks. They captivated me in a way that I’d tried like hell to put into words, but I always fell short. As well as I’d done in my music career, turning tales of women and love into song lyrics, attempting to distill anything about Claire into a few lines of poetry only reminded me that I had a lot to learn.
Still in boxer shorts after unearthing my trousers from the clothes slung over a chair, I traipsed across the aging hardwoods of her bedroom. At some point, she’d need to admit that her house was no longer quaint—it was bursting at the seams. It had been nearly four months of cohabitation and I was still living out of two sticky, stubborn drawers she’d emptied in her bureau.
“I’m sorry I woke you.” I plopped down on the mattress, scratching my head. My hair was thankfully returning after I’d had the not-so-brilliant idea of shaving it. “I was trying to be quiet.”
“You’re sweet, but you’re not quiet.” She eased back to her side and stretched. “What time is it anyway?”
“Nearly six. Your dad wanted to run some supplies to the recording studio before I take you to the airport.”
“Why am I not surprised?”
I circled my finger on the creamy bare skin of her arm. Without fail, it thrilled me to see that my touch gave her goose bumps. “How are you feeling this morning? Still no sign of your monthly visitor?”
“My monthly visitor? You sound like my grandmother.”
“Come on. I’m just excited.” I smiled and peeled the covers back. “Scoot over.”
“Isn’t my dad waiting for you?” She slid to the middle of the bed and I cozied up next to her. She giggled as I nosed around in her neck, a musical sound that produced welcome tremors in my body.
“Your father can wait fifteen minutes.”
“Is that all I get?”
“Unfortunately, my dear, I doubt I can give you the full business this morning. Richard is far too punctual for that to happen.” I propped myself up on my elbow and combed my fingers through her tangled, flaxen hair. “I was just hoping for a bit of a morning snog.”
“I’m sure I have the worst breath.” She quickly clasped her fingers over her lips.
“I�
��ll take my chances.” I pried her hand away and pressed my mouth against hers. Even the subtlest sense of surrender had me eager to take her. Damn her father and his schedule. I reluctantly put on the brakes and kissed her forehead. “How many days late are we?”
“We?” She grinned, as sunlight filtered into the room and cast her in an unearthly, angelic light.
“Yes. We.”
“Only two.”
“Two days is better than none.”
“I could take a test when I get back from New York tomorrow if you want.”
“I don’t want to wait that long. Let’s do it now.”
“It’s pretty soon. It might be a waste of a pregnancy test.”
“Do you honestly think I care about that?” Delayed gratification had never been my strong suit, and my impatience was much worse with this matter. A lifetime was a terribly long time to wait.
Claire tugged on my earlobe with her fingers, a seemingly innocent move that zipped electricity along my spine. “No. I don’t suppose you care about that.” Her forehead crinkled as she studied my face. “If we’re going to do it, it has to be now. It’s more accurate right when you wake up, when your pee is concentrated.”
“Mmm. I love it when you talk about things like tests and urine.”
“You have to promise not to get too excited. The test could very easily be negative and then you’ll only be disappointed.”
I skimmed my finger along the contours of her collarbone. “I don’t think it’s possible for me to be too excited. And of course, I’ll be disappointed. I’d be lying if I said I wouldn’t be, but we just keep on trying. I like that part.”
“I know. I do too. I just don’t want you to get your hopes up.”
“We’ve been trying for four months. It’s got to happen soon.” I caught uncertainty in her eyes. “You aren’t worried that something’s wrong, are you?”
“No, not really.” She shook her head. “But you’re going to be forty-five this year and I’m already forty. It could take some time.”
“It’s not going to take me long to get you pregnant. I was bloody accurate the first time.”
She twisted her plump, raspberry-pink lips. “I’m not a carnival game. You aren’t swinging a mallet to ring the bell. Maybe the first time was a fluke. A lot of women have fertility issues at my age.”
“As far as I’m concerned, we’re a couple of kids.” I gently lifted her tank top and kissed her stomach. “Hopefully there’s a little nipper already in the oven, and if not, we try again.” I circled my finger on her belly. “I vote that we take the test.” I rolled out of the bed and pulled the covers back. “M’lady.”
Claire scooted across the mattress. “Here goes nothing.” She ran her hands through her messy blonde bedhead, shuffling into the bathroom. The cabinet door creaked when she opened it and took one of the pregnancy tests from our small stockpile.
“Do you really want to be in here for this?” She broke the seal on the box and unwrapped the test stick.
My brow furrowed. “Of course. I’ve been in the loo while you peed, darling. This is hardly new territory.”
“Okay. If you say so.”
I searched in the medicine cabinet for a distraction. Claire already felt enough pressure. I didn’t want to make it any worse. Band-aids? No. Pain reliever? I don’t have a headache. Ah, yes, dental floss.
She placed the cap on the test stick and set it on the side of the sink. “Get your watch. It takes five minutes.”
I stumbled into the bedroom. Much like the rest of the house, the top of the bureau was a mess of her things and mine, co-mingling. Under a few t-shirts, I found my watch. “Do we do four minutes since it took me a minute to find it?”
“No, just do five,” she called back above the sound of rushing water in the sink. “It’s the same difference.”
I returned to the bathroom and tried not to steal a peek at the dreaded stick. She lowered the toilet lid and sat, so I took a spot on the edge of the tub.
My mind was a torrent of nervous anticipation. Something felt different, but perhaps that was wishful thinking. Is she? She really could be. Our baby could be inside her right now.
Claire crossed her legs and ran her hand along the bare skin of her calf. “I need to shave.”
“I didn’t want to say anything last night, but you are getting to be a bit scratchy.”
She frowned in an entirely adorable way. “Gee. Thanks.”
“Honestly? I hadn’t noticed at all.” I glanced at the watch. Only two minutes into this exercise in mental torture. Bloody hell. “You’re perfect just the way you are.”
Her chin dropped. “That’s very sweet.”
There it was—the look on her face, the early morning sun streaming through the bathroom window, seconds ticking away at a snail’s pace—a moment captured in my consciousness. Something monumental was about to happen. It made the hair on my arms stand on end.
My vision dropped to the watch again. “One more minute. Can we look?”
She shook her head vehemently. “No. Just wait.”
“But I don’t like to wait.”
She smiled. “I know you don’t. It’s adorable. And a little annoying.”
I consulted my nemesis, the watch, again. “Ten seconds.”
“Hold my hand.” She reached for me, her fingers wagging. “We close our eyes and open them on three.”
“Deal.” I stood as she did, enveloping her hand with mine. My eyes clamped shut as ordered, she began to count.
“One…Two…Two and a half…”
“Very funny.”
She giggled. “Three. Open.”
I blinked. I focused.
There it was.
One blue line.
Bugger.
I caught the sigh before it left my throat. Sharing my disappointment would only make her feel worse. I tugged her into an embrace, pressing my cheek to the side of her head. My fingers trailed through her silky hair. “Weren’t we just saying how much we like trying?”
She managed a quiet laugh, but trembled beneath my touch. “I didn’t want to say anything, but I actually thought I was pregnant.”
The admission only made me hold on tighter, never wanting to let her go. She wanted this as badly as I did and I’d talked her into taking the test. “It’s okay, darling. Really. And it’s still early, right? We could do another test in a few days if you’re still late.” I choked back intruding tears. “I love you so much, Claire. That’s all that matters.”
“I love you too. I’m just ready for this to happen. I don’t like feeling like our life is on hold.”
“Do you really feel that way?” You know she’s right. Our life is on hold.
“Yes. I hate seeing that look of disappointment on your face. I want to give this to you and it hasn’t happened.”
“I don’t want it to be more important than us.” You’re all that matters.
“You can’t deny that you want this very, very badly.”
“I don’t want it as much as I want you.” Am I the most daft man on the face of the planet? Without another moment wasted, I dropped to my knee, which hurt like hell when it thudded against the tile floor. “Ow.”
“Chris, what are you…” She looked down at me with genuine puzzlement, certainly warranted as she was in her pajamas, me in my boxer shorts, both of us in the bloody bathroom for God’s sake. Not the most glamorous of settings, but I think it works. Her lips were lovely and pouty. Get on with it so you can kiss her.
I took one of her hands, but failed to catch the other before it flew to her mouth. Her deep blue eyes were wide with wonder.
I cleared my throat and took a deep breath. I had one shot at getting this perfect. “Claire Abby, I love you more than I have ever loved another human being.” The words left me feeling as though my heart might burst out of my chest. “You are the most extraordinary and wonderful and frustrating woman I have ever met and I want you to be mine forever.”
She ga
sped. A giggle leaked out of her.
“Did you squeak, darling?”
“Maybe.” Her shoulders shook, her eyes watered. “Please, go on.”
“I want you to be mine. Forever. Even if we never get to have a child together, I’m never letting you go. That is, if you’ll have me. Claire, will you marry me?”
Her other hand dropped and she smiled in a way that left her cheeks as full as ripe peaches on a summer day, mine for the picking. Her face was such a distraction that for a heartbeat or two, I didn’t realize she hadn’t yet answered the question. I wagged an eyebrow, hoping she had no defense for that.
“Well?” I asked.
“Shhh.” Her smile returned as soon as she relaxed her lips.
“Shhh?”
“I’m savoring the moment.”
“Why don’t we savor the moment after you give me an answer?”
Chapter Two
My face ached from grinning. I loved Chris, adored him, and he’d just asked me the question, but the temptation to toy with him was too great. “Okay. I’m sorry.” Not a breath could leave my lungs. He deserved his answer first. “Yes. A million times yes. Yes, Christopher James Penman, I will marry you. Now get off the bathroom floor and kiss me.”
He stood, peering down at me with eyes that were extra sparkly, full of the mystical green light I prized. He would be mine. I would be his, for real, forever. His strong hands gripped my shoulders and I rose to my tiptoes, closing my eyes, even when I wanted to watch every millisecond of his reaction. His lips were so tender and perfect, kissing me with a softness that felt more sincere, more real, than any kiss we’d ever shared.
He rested his forehead against mine and smiled. “Don’t cry,” he whispered, lowering his head and kissing a tear from my cheek.
“I can’t help it.” I sniffled. “I’m happy.”
“Good. Because that’s all I want.” His lips went to my jaw then inched down my neck. “I mean, in addition to this.”
