He turned on his heel and walked out of the shop, leaving her standing with a box in her hand and a tingling warmth on her cheek.
She flipped open the lid, tossed tissue paper to the floor, and then gasped, covering her mouth with her hand. A gorgeous turquoise journal lay in the center of the box. On the bottom right-hand corner, four embossed words gleamed brightly: Once Upon a Time…
It was beautiful. She couldn’t wait to fill it with ideas.
He’d placed a tiny note card on top of the journal. With a shaking hand, she flipped it open and read:
Georgia,
You are the muse and the light,
The goddess and the angel.
You are the leading lady your own story,
And my forever heroine.
Always, Grayson
She couldn’t stop the tears as they pooled on her lids. They dropped, heavy and happy, to the floor.
She read the last line more slowly.
My forever heroine.
If he felt that way, why’d he leave?
“Grayson,” she breathed. And then snapped out of it. “Grayson!” Dropping the box on the shelf near the door, Georgia gripped the card in her hand and bolted into the snowstorm. “Grayson! Wait!”
He’d only gotten halfway down the block. He turned, hands in his pockets, his head hung low to shield his face from the lancing snow.
She stopped a few feet away and held up the note. “Did you mean this?”
“You weren’t supposed to read it until I was long gone.”
“Did you mean this?”
He nodded. Only once.
“These aren’t lines, or lies, written by some playboy romance novelist?”
“I’ve never meant any words more.” He blew out a shaky breath. “And it scares the hell out of me.”
She took a step closer. “If this is the way you feel, why are you leaving like this?”
He paused and tunneled his fingers through his hair. “Because you want things that I can’t give you.”
“What things?”
“Three children making s’mores in the backyard, a home with or without a picket fence, and Fabio cutting wood, remember?” He shifted his weight from foot to foot. “As much as I want to be the person to give you those things, I can’t. It’s not in me.”
“I don’t understand.” She frowned. “If you meant what you said in the note, why can’t you stay? Why can’t we—”
“Because it’s better to be alone than miserable,” he snapped. And then he paled as the words echoed off the buildings. “That’s the motto I’ve lived by my entire life—the motto my father repeated over and over again when he divorced my mother. Relationships start off thrilling. The chase, the smoldering kiss, the first touch. But that excitement fades over time, and what’s left is a hollowed heart that barely remembers what love used to feel like.”
Holy heartbreak.
“Even though my father cheated on my mother, she stopped loving him long before that. They weren’t even friends. Not for years before my father took the kill shot at their marriage.” He took a giant step closer, eliminating the space between them. “I can’t do that to you. Especially not when there’s someone standing in front of you, wanting to give you the life you deserve. You should be with the nerdy doctor.”
“Rusty MacDermott?” She couldn’t feel her arms or legs. They’d gone completely numb. “If I wanted to be with Rusty, I would’ve asked him out a long time ago. There’s nothing there. No sparkle.”
Grayson looked down at her, the light in his blue eyes dancing like the tip of a flame.
And now she couldn’t breathe. “It’s nothing compared to what I feel when I’m with you.”
“I’ve wanted you from the first moment I saw you up on that ladder in your bookstore, but you deserve more than a one-night stand.” His chest heaved. ”I’m trying to do what’s best here, Georgia, but I’m not used to taking the high road.”
“Why does this have to end at one night?” She reached up and brushed her hand across the stubble on his cheek. “If you want more, take it. I’m yours.”
His pupils widened at her words. And then he bent his head and stamped his mouth to hers. Scorching heat flashed through her veins. She whimpered from shock and pleasure as he wrapped his hands around her neck and tugged her against him. He slanted his lips against hers to plunge deeper. He feasted on her mouth, his hunger increasing as she tunneled her fingers through his hair. She grabbed a handful, urging his mouth to crush hers.
He took what she offered, consuming her to the point of lust-driven delirium.
There was nothing but him. There never would be anyone again. The heat of his mouth, the desperation of his hands as they raked up and down her back…it was all too much and exactly what she needed.
She kissed him harder to quiet his fears, to dispel any doubts about the chemistry sparking between them. Pressing her breasts into his chest, Georgia nipped at his bottom lip and threw her arms around his neck.
He groaned in dark satisfaction—a primal sound that made her go damp.
And then without warning, he separated their kiss and held her at arm’s length. His eyes were heavy-lidded and clouded with desire.
“If we go much further,” he breathed, “I’m not going to be able to hold back.”
She licked her lips to savor the taste of him that still lingered there. “I want you, I want this, and whatever that means. We can take it one day at a time. No pressure. No rules.”
He felt something for her. She knew it deep down in her bones. They’d have to work on their issues, because everyone had them and no one was perfect, but she’d be there for him when he faltered. And something told her he would do the same.
“All I ask is that you talk to me,” she said. “Tell me what you’re thinking and feeling so I know what’s going on.”
“Georgia…” He blew out an exasperated breath and closed his eyes. Snow fell on his hair, his lashes, and danced in the space between them. “This may sound crazy, but I think I’ve written a version of you in every book I’ve published. I’ve been searching for you, creating you over and over again, waiting for you to come to my life and knock some sense into me.”
She grinned, lighting up from the inside. There were no words, nothing to say that would express what was swirling in her mind or warming her heart.
“Taking it one day at a time sounds like a good idea, considering my track record,” Grayson said, a smile curling his kiss-plump lips, “but the more I think about building a life here with you, the more I think that’s exactly what I need. You’re exactly what I need. I’ve never felt anything like this before.”
“And that’s exactly why this is going to work,” she said, rising up to catch his mouth once more. “You melt me, Grayson.”
“Sweetheart, you haven’t seen anything yet.” He wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her off her feet. “What do you say I take you back to the B&B? I could light a fire, and if you’re up for it, you could read me a few pages from your book. I’d love to hear what it’s about.”
This must’ve been how romance heroines felt at the end of their book. Completely and utterly, incandescently loved. He hadn’t said the words yet, but she felt it in his kiss. The rest would come later.
“I’m not sure I’m ready for that yet,” she said, blushing, “since the story is still really new.”
“I’ll read you the scene you inspired this morning,” he offered.
“Deal.”
“There’s one more thing.” He grinned slyly, tightening his grip around her waist. “I may not own suspenders, or an ax, but…lay a whisper on my pillow, leave the winter on the ground.”
“Oh God.”
She blinked back tears as he sang a few lines from “It Must Have Been Love.” He was a horrible singer, but she didn’t care. He’d swept her off her feet—literally—and sung for her while snowflakes fell around them. It didn’t get much more magical than that.
&nbs
p; “Grayson,” she said once he’d finished, “take me back to your room, and promise me you’re a better lover than a singer.”
“Baby,” he said, kissing the tip of her cold nose. “I’m going to give you a happy ever after you’ll remember for the rest of your life.”
And although she didn’t have a glass slipper or a fairy godmother, she got to ride off into the night with the hero of her dreams, in his trusty white steed named Ford.
THE END
About the Author
Kristin Miller
New York Times and USA TODAY Bestselling Author Kristin Miller writes sweet and sassy contemporary romance, romantic suspense, and paranormal romance of all varieties. Kristin has degrees in psychology, English, and education, and taught high school and middle school English before crossing over to a career in writing. She lives in Northern California with her alpha male husband and their two children. She loves chocolate way more than she should and the gym less. You can usually find her in the corner of a coffee shop, laptop in front of her and mocha in hand, using the guests around her as fuel for her next book.
Facebook: www.facebook.com/AuthorKristinMiller
Twitter: www.twitter.com/kristinmiller02
Web: www.kristinmiller.net
Additional Books by Kristin Miller
CRAZY IN LOVE
LET ME LOVE YOU
MY KIND OF LOVE
Lucky 7 Bad Boys
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Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright © 2015 by Lucky Romance Authors, LLC
Lucky 7 Series
Contents
Title Page
JUST ONE NIGHT
Just One Night: Chapter One
Just One Night: Chapter Two
Just One Night: Chapter Three
Just One Night: Chapter Four
Just One Night: Chapter Five
Just One Night: Chapter Six
Just One Night: Chapter Seven
Just One Night: Chapter Eight
About the Author
Heart Hunter
Heart Hunter: Chapter One
Heart Hunter: Chapter Two
Heart Hunter: Chapter Three
Heart Hunter: Chapter Four
Heart Hunter: Chapter Five
Heart Hunter: Chapter Six
Heart Hunter: Chapter Seven
Heart Hunter: Chapter Eight
Heart Hunter: Chapter Nine
Heart Hunter: Chapter Ten
Heart Hunter: Chapter Eleven
Heart Hunter: Chapter Twelve
Heart Hunter: Chapter Thirteen
About the Author
A SEAL’s Sacrifice
A SEAL’s Sacrifice: Chapter One
A SEAL’s Sacrifice: Chapter Two
A SEAL’s Sacrifice: Chapter Three
A SEAL’s Sacrifice: Chapter Four
A SEAL’s Sacrifice: Chapter Five
A SEAL’s Sacrifice: Chapter Six
A SEAL’s Sacrifice: Chapter Seven
A SEAL’s Sacrifice: Chapter Eight
About the Author
Kiss of a Lifetime
Kiss of a Lifetime: Chapter One
Kiss of a Lifetime: Chapter Two
Kiss of a Lifetime: Chapter Three
Kiss of a Lifetime: Chapter Four
Kiss of a Lifetime: Chapter Five
Kiss of a Lifetime: Chapter Six
Kiss of a Lifetime: Chapter Seven
Kiss of a Lifetime: Chapter Eight
Kiss of a Lifetime: Chapter Nine
Kiss of a Lifetime: Chapter Ten
Kiss of a Lifetime: Chapter Eleven
Kiss of a Lifetime: Chapter Twelve
Kiss of a Lifetime: Chapter Thirteen
Kiss of a Lifetime: Chapter Fourteen
Kiss of a Lifetime: Chapter Fifteen
Kiss of a Lifetime: Chapter Seventeen
Kiss of a Lifetime: Chapter Eighteen
Kiss of a Lifetime: Chapter Nineteen
Kiss of a Lifetime: Chapter Twenty
Kiss of a Lifetime: Chapter Twenty-One
Kiss of a Lifetime: Chapter Twenty-Two
Kiss of a Lifetime: Epilogue
About the Author
License to Date
License to Date: Chapter One
License to Date: Chapter Two
License to Date: Chapter Three
License to Date: Chapter
Four
License to Date: Chapter Five
License to Date: Chapter Six
License to Date: Chapter Seven
License to Date: Chapter Eight
License to Date: Chapter Nine
License to Date: Chapter Ten
License to Date: Epilogue
About the Author
Wild for Mr. Wrong
Wild for Mr. Wrong: Chapter One
Wild for Mr. Wrong: Chapter Two
Wild for Mr. Wrong: Chapter Three
Wild for Mr. Wrong: Chapter Four
Wild for Mr. Wrong: Chapter Five
Wild for Mr. Wrong: Chapter Six
Wild for Mr. Wrong: Chapter Seven
Wild for Mr. Wrong: Chapter Eight
About the Author
It Must’ve Been Love
It Must’ve Been Love: Chapter One
It Must’ve Been Love: Chapter Two
It Must’ve Been Love: Chapter Three
It Must’ve Been Love: Chapter Four
It Must’ve Been Love: Chapter Five
It Must’ve Been Love: Chapter Six
It Must’ve Been Love: Chapter Seven
About the Author
Lucky 7 Bad Boys