by Marie Force
“I do,” he said as he entered her slowly, taking his time because he knew that drove her crazy. “I love you more than anything, and I always will.”
“Show me.”
He did as he was told, over and over and over again until they had no choice but to sleep.
*
David held Daisy’s hand all the way to his house. “I need a shower in the worst way,” he said when they walked inside.
She curled up on the sofa, tired but content after the day of dramatic twists and turns. “Take your time.”
He double-checked that the door was locked before he went into the bathroom. That he cared so much about making her feel safe with him was one more reason to love him. And that he loved her… That was the most amazing thing of all.
“He loves me,” she whispered into the quiet night air in which the only sound was that of the shower running in the other room. Under normal circumstances, the news that Truck was out of jail and looking for her would’ve been the only thought in her head. But tonight, knowing David was in the next room, knowing she was locked safely in his home, knowing he loved her as much as she loved him… There was no room in her mind for thoughts about someone who’d already gotten far more of her time and care than he’d ever deserved.
David came into the room wearing a towel around his waist, his chest still damp and his hair pushed back from his face with impatient fingers. In all the weeks she’d known him, in all the time it had taken to become close to him, she’d never seen him look so alive or so engaged or so happy. He glowed as he sat on the coffee table facing her.
“I want to say something to you, and it’s going to sound absolutely insane. But I’d really like it if you could listen to the whole thing before you tell me I’m crazy, okay?”
Daisy was discovering that she loved this euphoric version of David even more than she loved the quiet, thoughtful, caring man she’d come to know. She nodded, willing in that moment to give him anything he asked of her.
“I’ve been walking around in a daze for two years. It’s been like dragging my feet through quicksand, you know? No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t seem to find my way out of it. It wasn’t even about Janey anymore. That was over such a long time ago. It was about me and about finding my way. No matter what I did, I couldn't find the way out until I found my way to you.”
He reached for her hands and bent his head to kiss both sets of knuckles. “Today I realized I have a very real purpose. I’m here, on this island where I grew up, to save people who matter to me. I saved Janey’s life. I probably saved her baby, too. I was meant to be here so I could do that for her today. I was meant to be here the day Chris Allston cut off his finger while trimming his bushes and when Mrs. Murtry had an allergic reaction. I was meant to be here to help Paul and Alex through this journey with their mother and to make it possible for them to keep her at home for as long as they can. I was meant to be here the night Sarah Lawry showed up battered and broken and when Hailey McCarthy came into the world blue and unresponsive.”
Deeply moved by his words and the emotion behind them, Daisy said, “You were meant to be here the night I ended up in your clinic after Truck tried to kill me.”
“Yes, and I was meant to be with you just about every night since then. When I went to your house today and saw what he’d done, all I could think about was getting to you. The fog had lifted, the daze was gone, and what matters to me—who matters to me—became very, very clear.”
She blinked back tears. “David…”
“When I told you I love you, I hope you know I meant it. I didn’t say that because I’d hurt you by leaving you to take care of Janey.” He propped his head on their joined hands. “I said it because when I realized you could’ve been hurt or worse… All that mattered was you and being with you and protecting you and making sure no one ever hurts you again.”
Without thinking much about what she was doing, she moved onto his lap and wrapped her arms around him, bringing his wet head to rest against her chest.
“Don’t take that house, Daisy. Move in here with me until we can buy our own place together. I want to wake up with you every morning and come home to you every night and…and I need you. I need you. Just you.”
She couldn’t believe what he was saying.
He looked up at her. “I need you to keep the fog away. I need you to show me the way.”
“But that house… It’s my security for the future.”
“When we buy a house together, we’ll put it in your name. If anything happens between us, you’ll keep it.”
“You can’t do that! Most of the money to buy it would be yours.”
“I want you to feel safe and secure. I want you to feel completely at home wherever we are. I don’t care what I have to do to make that happen. I just want you with me.” He looked up at her imploringly. “I love you, and I want to move forward with you by my side. Will you come with me and live with me and be with me?” His sweet words were punctuated by sweeter kisses.
She knew she ought to think before she leaped, but he’d offered her everything that was most important to her. How could she say anything other than, “Yes, I’ll come with you.” Placing her hand on his face, she kissed him.
Without breaking the kiss, he stood with her in his arms and walked them to the bedroom. As he laid her on the bed, his cell phone rang, making him groan with frustration. “I swear, if this is a kid with the sniffles, I won’t be responsible for my actions.”
Daisy laughed and released him so he could answer the phone.
“Dr. Lawrence.” He watched her as he listened to the caller. “Yes, she’s with me, and I’ll give her the news. Thank you for letting us know.” Ending the call, he placed the phone on the bedside table and crawled onto the bed next to her. “They’ve got Truck in custody. The police tried to call you, but when they couldn’t reach you, Blaine told them to call me.”
“I put my phone on vibrate when I was watching Hailey, and I never put the ringer back on.” She glanced at him. “They’ve really got him?”
“They really do. The state police are coming over to pick him up tomorrow. His bail has been revoked twelve hours after he was released.”
“Some people never learn, do they?”
“And others do. They learn what really matters in life, and they do everything in their power to protect it.”
Daisy reached over to try to bring some order to his messy hair.
He turned his face, leaving a trail of hot kisses on her palm and wrist.
“Want to know when I first realized I loved you?” she asked.
“Uh-huh.”
“When you sent me the lilies. You heard me when I said I loved them, and that touched me so much. I knew I was in big trouble after that.”
“Want to know when I first knew?”
“It wasn’t today when you thought Truck had found me?”
He shook his head. “That was the final nail in my coffin.”
“You make it sound so romantic,” she said, laughing.
“It was when you made it your mission to feed me. You showed me every day how much you cared, and I wanted to be around you all the time.”
“Now you can be,” she said, still trying to believe this was really happening.
“Now I can be.” He raised himself up on one elbow. “Is this okay?” he asked as he hovered above her.
“Very okay, but it could be better.”
His lips curved into a smile as he kissed her softly at first but with increasing urgency as she responded enthusiastically. As he came down on top of her, it never occurred to her to be worried or afraid or anxious, because this was David. Her David, and he loved her.
The emotional day fired their passion for each other, and Daisy couldn’t seem to get close enough to him. She tugged at the towel around his hips as he helped her out of her dress and ogled the second bra and panty set she’d bought from Tiffany—this one light blue with lacy trim.
“I
want to kiss you everywhere,” he whispered against her ear, setting off a flurry of sensation throughout her body.
“Next time,” she said, still not quite used to saying what she wanted in bed.
“Is someone in a big rush tonight?”
“Very big.” She took hold of his erection and stroked him. “And getting bigger.”
David sputtered with laughter that quickly turned into a groan. He caressed her breasts through the silky bra and ran his hand straight down the middle of her, pushing her panties down her legs. When he was positioned between her legs, he gazed down at her, his heart in his eyes. “Is this okay?”
“Could be better,” she replied with a coy smile, raising her hips to show him what she wanted.
He bit his lip to keep from laughing as he entered her, teasing his way in by giving her small increments before backing away and starting all over.
“David! Stop!”
He froze. “Are you okay?”
“I meant stop teasing me.”
“Oh, okay. You scared me for a second there.”
It mattered so much to her that he cared about frightening her. “I’m absolutely fine. I’ve never been better, and I want you right now.”
Keeping his eyes open and fixed on hers the entire time, he gave her exactly what she wanted, taking her on a wild ride that sent her flying more than once before he pushed hard into her the last time, letting go with a cry that came from his soul.
He collapsed on top of her and rested quietly for a second before he seemed to realize what he was doing and started to move off her.
“Don’t go,” she said, tightening her arms around him.
“Are you sure?”
“I’m very sure.”
“So how was that?” She felt the smile on his lips as he kissed the slope of her breast.
“Couldn’t have been better.”
“Oh, we’ll see about that.”
Daisy shivered with delight and anticipation of all that was ahead for her and her sexy doctor.
***
Thanks so much for reading Time for Love! Make sure you’re on my mailing list to receive notification when Book 10, Meant for Love, is available. If you enjoyed Time for Love, please consider leaving a review at the retailer of your choice or on Goodreads to help other readers find my books.
When you’re done reading, join the Time for Love Reader Group. Since spoilers are permitted (and encouraged) there, we ask that you wait to finish the book before you join the group.
Not yet a member of the McCarthys of Gansett Island Reader Group? Come join the fun in the Tiki Bar. Get your Gansett Island T-shirts, hats, bumper stickers, beach bags and towels! Join us Memorial Day Weekend 2014 for a Reader Weekend in Rhode Island, complete with a day on Block Island, the real-life inspiration for Gansett Island. Join the 2014 Memorial Day Reader Weekend Group on Facebook or visit Marie's website for more information.
WIN an All-Expense Paid trip for Two to the 2014 Memorial Day Reader Weekend!
We have a contest with fabulous prizes to go along with the release of Time for Love! The contest will run from July 23, 2013 through midnight EDT, July 31, 2013 and will require you to provide Marie with your TOP FIVE favorite lines from the book. Make plans to read the book in time to submit your favorite lines by the deadline!
Three randomly selected winners will receive one of these great prizes!
First prize winner will receive an all-expense paid trip to the 2014 Memorial Day Reader Weekend in Rhode Island including a day in Block Island, the inspiration for Gansett Island. This prize includes roundtrip airfaire for two (continental US only, international entries must be able to get themselves to a US point of entry), three nights hotel and registration for two. Additional details about the Reader Weekend in RI will be available later this summer.
Second prize $250 gift card to the e-book retailer of the winner's choice.
Third prize $100 gift card to the e-book retailer of the winner's choice.
Enter the contest here!
Until next time, may you have fair winds and following seas all the way to Gansett Island!
Other Contemporary Romances Available from Marie Force:
The Treading Water Series
Book 1: Treading Water
Book 2: Marking Time
Book 3: Starting Over
Book 4: Coming Home
The McCarthys of Gansett Island Series
Book 1: Maid for Love
Book 2: Fool for Love
Book 3: Ready for Love
Book 4: Falling for Love
Book 5: Hoping for Love
Book 6: Season for Love
Book 7: Longing for Love
Book 8: Waiting for Love
Book 9: Time for Love
Single Titles
Georgia on My Mind
True North
The Fall
Everyone Loves a Hero
Love at First Flight
Line of Scrimmage
Romantic Suspense Novels Available from Marie Force:
The Fatal Series
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
Single Title
The Wreck
About the Author
Marie Force is the New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling, award-winning author of more than 25 contemporary romances, including The McCarthys of Gansett Island Series, the Fatal Series, the Treading Water Series and numerous stand-alone books. Her new series, Green Mountain Series, is coming in on Valentine's Day 2014. While her husband was in the Navy, Marie lived in Spain, Maryland and Florida, and she is now settled in her home state of Rhode Island. She is the mother of two teenagers and two feisty dogs, Brandy and Louie. Subscribe to updates from Marie about new books and other news. Follow her on Twitter @marieforce and on Facebook. Join one of her many reader groups! Contact Marie at [email protected].
2014 Memorial Day Weekend Reader Event in Rhode Island!
Come to Rhode Island Memorial Day Weekend 2014!
Friday, May 23 – Monday, May 26, 2014
Tentative Agenda
Arrive in Newport on Friday for a fun-filled reader weekend during which you'll get to see many of the places featured in Marie's books.
Spend Saturday (weather permitting) on Block Island, inspiration for Gansett Island
Spend Sunday touring Newport, seeing the sights that make the City by the Sea so unique and special
Home again on Monday!
We are well under way with the planning and trying to get a bit of an idea of how many readers might be interested in coming to the weekend in Rhode Island! Please join the group to chat about the weekend and keep abreast of the details as they become available! Join the Facebook group devoted to this event at and/or email [email protected] to be put on the mailing list for information.
Stay tuned! We're looking forward to seeing you in Marie's hometown next May!
Table of Contents
Copyright
Who's Who on Gansett Island
Author's Note
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Other Books by Marie Force
About the Author
2014 Memorial Day Weekend Reader Event in Rhode Island!
Table of Contents
Copyright
Who's Who on Gansett Island
Author's
Note
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Other Books by Marie Force
About the Author
2014 Memorial Day Weekend Reader Event in Rhode Island!
