Always (Spiral of Bliss #5)
Page 36
Dean has a smaller, matching version of the tattoo on the inside of his wrist, right where his pulse beats. We’d gotten the tattoos the fifth year I was declared free of cancer, and all tests and scans since then have come back clear. Though we never need reminding, the tattoos are small evidence of big things.
Dean and I have walked through fire together and kissed in the moonlight, but one strong, glittering thread binds us more powerfully than anything else. Throughout this life of ours, we know we will always be us, one heart beating beneath all that we do and all that we are.
A professor who showed a damsel in distress what it means to love and be loved. A student who learned how to trust that man alone with her body and her soul. A gentleman who waited for her. A barista who saved the freshest cookies for a certain handsome customer. A dorky medievalist who championed obscure foreign films. A girl who discovered she already had all she needed to become a woman. A man who protected her with every beat of his fiercely steadfast heart.
Everything Dean and I were once upon a time, we are at this moment. We’ll forever be a white knight and his beauty who battled monsters and won. We’ll always be a husband and wife who never gave up, who still believe in library call numbers, rainy Saturdays, houseplants, string figures, coffee houses, and lists of Important Things.
We’ll always be Liv and Dean, who knew at first glance that we would do more than simply live a life together.
We knew we would create a life together, one in which promises are kept, blessings are counted, and our marriage is the blissful haven to which we always return. We knew we would laugh, hold hands, cry, learn, argue, grow, cherish, and kiss an awful lot.
And so we’ve done all those things and more. As the years pass, the medieval history professor and the girl from Jitter Beans will continue, with wild passion and tenderness, to love so very happily ever after.
ACKNOWLDGEMENTS
KIMBERLY KIMBALL, AKA AUTHOR TORI MADISON, I could not be more grateful for your help with Liv and Dean’s final epic battle. Thank you so much for taking the time, sharing your experiences, and making sure I got it right. You are both a real-life warrior and a hero, and I am getting all my best hugs ready for you.
Victoria Colotta of VMC Art & Design, as always, thank you for your talent, patience, and for sticking with me as we saw Liv and Dean through to their happy ending. I’ll say it again because it’s true—I couldn’t have done it without you.
Karen Dale Harris, thank you so much for your incredibly perceptive suggestions that helped me do justice to all the characters in Mirror Lake, and for the insightful brainstorming that changed the shape of the story.
Marion Archer, I’m so grateful for your honesty and thoughtfulness (and, selfishly, I’m really glad that my writing can make you cry). Thank you so much for your time, care, and your lust for Archer West.
Jessa Slade, your insights continue to leave me in awe, as does your knowledge of all things nerdy and your appreciation for the times when I have to be a cruel author. Much continued gratitude to both you and your sharp brain.
Cathy Yardley, you were the first one ever to read Liv and Dean’s story, and I’m eternally thankful for your support and advice, which has improved my writing in countless ways. Thank you for encouraging me to delve deeper and work harder to bring Liv and Dean to life.
Thank you, Tara Gonzalez of InkSlinger PR, for your dauntless efforts to get the Spiral of Bliss books into the hands of as many readers as possible.
MJ Fryer, Debbie Kagan, Yesi Cavazos, Maria D., and Baba, thank you so much for being the first line of defense, bolstering my courage, and helping me stay true to the story I wanted to tell. And thank you especially for your boundless love not only for Liv and Dean, but for the whole Mirror Lake crew. Your opinions mean the world to me.
Rachel Berens-VanHeest, thank you for your eagle-eyed copyediting. Thank you to Aura Dyer, for “beau-tea,” which could not be more perfect, and to Gel of Tempting Illustrations for visualizing my words so beautifully.
A huge thank you to all the amazing bloggers who love Liv and Dean, especially those who have been with me and the Wests from the very beginning. I’m so thankful for your continued support, which has strengthened me in many ways.
Special thanks to the following lovelies for your unwavering support as Nina’s Ninjas and/or friends whose love for Liv and Dean kept me writing:
Jatana, Jaime, Rachel, Shermaine, Renee, Kelly, Gloria, Charleen, Angela, Shawndra, Jeanie, Alicia, Melanie, Jen, Milasy, Gitte and Jenny, Patty, Alexis, Vilma, Kitty, Aestas, Bridget, Jodie Rae, Christina, Vanessa, Sally, Nancy, Erica, Patti, Lena, Margie, Melissa, Pam, Karen, Michelle, Bobbie Jo, Debbie, Clara, Jennifer, Angie and Jessica, Priya, Susan, Rosette, Kristy, Kelly, Edlyn, Paula, Leigh Ann, Clista, Katy, Nicole, Ashley, Lucie, Kelsey, Chantal, Marianne, Tammy and Kim, Laura, Amy, Robin, Bri, Nesia, Anie, Casey, Ing, Shannon, Tracy, Livia, Rosalind, Becca, Silvia, JJ, Kristin, Keisha, Pamela, Shamika, Stephanie, Katie, Marlene, Lisa, Chutimon, Kerri-Anne, Lorrie, Lucinda, Amie, LuAnne, Dena, Jenny, Nichole, Lindsee, Jacqui, Cindy, Donna, Sunny, Autumn, Bianca, Jasmine, Ayllen, Terri, Janet, Sal, Beth, Faye, Sandy, Sharon, Sheri, Mel, Andrea, Vicky, Jessy, Rosalia, Julie, Brittany, Taslima, Candy, Rizky, Tina, Alleskelle, Nishi, Marika, Kayla, Shelly, Karen, Myriam, Heather, Allie, Samantha, Taslima, Malene, Robin, Brandi, Tiffani, Maria, Ren, Murlene, Connie, Carol, Heidi, Tiffany, Kawsar, Kendra, Carrie, Pavlina, Cleida, Rae, and Eliza.
And thank you to all the readers who have stood by both me and the Wests on their journey to happily ever after. I loved writing the Spiral of Bliss books and am honored that so many of you have discovered a unique magic in Liv and Dean’s story.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
NEW YORK TIMES & USA TODAY BESTSELLING author Nina Lane writes hot, sexy romances and spicy erotica. Originally from California, she holds a PhD in Art History and an MA in Library and Information Studies, which means she loves both research and organization. She also enjoys traveling and thinks St. Petersburg, Russia is a city everyone should visit at least once. Although Nina would go back to college for another degree because she’s that much of a bookworm and a perpetual student, she now lives the happy life of a full-time writer.
STAY CONNECTED!
Find out more about Nina and her other books at the following links!
Official Website at www.ninalane.com
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Twitter @ninalaneauthor
THE SPIRAL OF BLISS SERIES
“Give me a kiss, beauty.”
The intense, erotic romance of a medieval history professor and the love of his life…
AROUSE: Book One
ALLURE: Book Two
AWAKEN: Book Three
ADORE: Book Four
ALWAYS: Book Five
A SPIRAL OF BLISS ROMANCE
“Do you ever let go, storm girl?” he asked. “Ever lose control? Ever surrender?”
“Never,” I whispered. “I never surrender.”
A smile of both promise and warning curved his beautiful mouth.
“You will.”
BREAK THE SKY
THE EROTIC DARK SERIES
Submission is her only escape…
A downright dirty series with graphic scenes of spanking, caning, dubious consent, and a great deal of hot, raunchy, explicit sex.
THE EROTIC DARK
THE EROTIC LIGHT
STICKY
He’s the school principal. She’s a married mother of two.
Beautiful Madeline Collins is in control of every aspect
of her perfect life. The married mother-of-two and
president of the Parent-Teacher Organization prides
herself on living by a rigid set of rules.
Th
en the rules change.
Buy STICKY