She took one last measured look at the man in front of her. Her ideal man. What guy chased a woman to the other side of the world if he only sort of liked her? “Fair enough, Jack. I love you.”
“No, no, you’re doing it wrong.” He crushed her into his chest and bent down to nuzzle her neck. He expelled a breathy explanation into her ear. “This is how it’s done, love. Now, tell me again.”
“I love you.” It came out as a hoarse whisper only because she couldn’t catch her breath.
Ezra had arrived.
Epilogue
London, England
Eight months later
“Mom, I can’t fit my stuff in this suitcase!”
“Bring less. It’s only a few days. Sheesh.” Teenagers.
“Quinnie!” Jack’s voice boomed through the flat.
She rolled her eyes but followed his voice to her office, where he sat with his feet propped on the exquisite mahogany desk he’d gifted her. She gave him her best death stare, but it went unheeded. His eyes never left the stack of papers in his lap.
“Finished?”
He glanced up. “Quinnie, this is brilliant. Really good stuff. We’re talking chocolate ice cream with brownie chunks and fresh strawberries good. A beautiful hybrid of genres. I can’t believe you don’t like it.”
“Speaking of beautiful hybrids, my sister is getting married in two days and she’ll murder us if we miss our flight.”
“Relax, darling, I’d never miss the second Cobb-Buzzly wedding. Though, I still maintain it’s in bad taste.”
Quinn groaned and went limp against the doorframe. “Give it up already, will you?”
“I’m serious. Your poor child. His Aunt Emily is now his stepmother. Does it make his father his uncle by marriage? It’s disconcerting. We should’ve drawn the line after Douglas moved in with my mother. That alone is all the family relation confusion one boy should have to suffer. Might as well move him to Alabama and call him Bubba.”
“Will you stop it? My mother was from Alabama.”
“You said she was French.”
“I say a lot of things. Now, let it go before Seth takes you seriously and says something embarrassing at the wedding.”
“Fine. I didn’t call you in here to argue family dynamics, anyhow. I have an idea for you.”
“About the book?”
“Carla wants to push this under Clementine, but I don’t like it. I’m more than the dashing man in your life, I’m also a fan, remember? My opinion therefore counts twice, and I declare you cannot compromise the brilliance of Clementine Hazel with this half-Clem piece of work. I won’t let you do it.”
“What’s your suggestion, dashing man in my life?”
“It’s simple. You’ll need another pen name.”
She threw up her hands at the hopelessness of it. “That’s the worst idea ever! It took ages for inspiration to strike the last time.”
“Yes, but perhaps I can help with that, as well.” His Caribbean eyes pinned her with a medley of challenge, desire, and mirth that made her flesh break out in goose bumps. “Tell me, love, does the name Quinn Decker inspire you?”
A Florida native, Roxanne Smith has called everywhere from Houston to Cheyenne home. Currently residing in Roswell, New Mexico, she’s an avid reader of every genre, a cat lover, pit bull advocate, and semi-geek. She loves video games, Doctor Who, and her dashing husband. Her two kids are the light of her life and provide ample material for her writing.
LYRICAL PRESS BOOKS are published by
Kensington Publishing Corp.
119 West 40th Street
New York, NY 10018
Copyright © 2015 by Roxanne Smith
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the Publisher, excepting brief quotes used in reviews.
Lyrical and the L logo are trademarks of Kensington Publishing Corp.
First Electronic Edition: April 2015
ISBN: 978-1-6165-0689-6
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