He returned the kiss and by then the driver stood to the side. He shook Brent’s hand, helped them inside, and they were off. Brent couldn’t keep his eyes off Janie. She was always beautiful to him, but today she exuded joy, and it had been so long since she’d done so.
For the first part of their ride, Brent simply watched her and it was as if she were experiencing her home city for the first time. Every so often, she’d give his hand a squeeze or he’d point out something that caught his eye. Who’d have thought playing tourist would be so much fun?
“Is everything okay?” Janie asked as the driver pulled off to the side in a quiet secluded spot of the park about ten minutes into their ride.
Though a family of butterflies had taken up residence in Brent’s belly, in this he was able to confirm that everything was fine. The driver tied the horse to a nearby post and came to the side of the carriage.
“Beg your pardon,” he said. “I have an urgent matter to attend to, but I’ll be back in about ten minutes.”
Janie watched him walk away and frowned. “I don’t think they’re supposed to do that.”
They do if you pay them enough. But Brent didn’t voice that thought. After all, he only had ten minutes. “It’s fine.”
“How do you know?” Janie was still watching the path their driver had disappeared down. From the looks of it, she wasn’t going to be satisfied simply because he said so.
“Janie,” he said, and when she didn’t move or turn his way, he tried again. “Janie, look at me.” She shifted her gaze and the worried look in her eyes pained him. “Everything’s fine. The driver took off like that because I asked him when I booked the carriage to give us some privacy.”
The worried look had been replaced by confusion. “You did? Why?”
He hadn’t planned a speech or anything, having decided that the direct approach was the best. Making sure she kept her attention on him, he slid off the bench seat and knelt before her on one knee. All traces of confusion and any lingering worry left her expression and her hands flew up to cover her mouth.
His own smile came easy now that she had an idea of what he was doing. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the pale blue box that had been burning a hole in his pants. “Janie,” he started, opening the box. “It’s true we haven’t known each other long and while I’ve never been a man to rush into anything, I’ve also never been able to hold back when I know something is right. And, Janie, we’re right. I have no doubts.”
She nodded in agreement with every word he said and her eyes were wet with unshed tears.
“Janie Roberts,” he said. “Will you marry me?”
“Yes,” she answered in a near whisper. And then repeated louder, “Yes!” She dropped her eyes to look in the box and gasped. He, of course, knew exactly what she saw. He’d known the second he saw it that the ring was for her.
A simple solitaire, set in platinum. She wouldn’t have liked anything fancy; that wouldn’t have matched her personality. Instead, the unadorned setting allowed the brilliance of the diamond to be seen and admired. He realized he was grinning from ear to ear as he took the ring from the box and slipped it on her finger.
He didn’t have time to take a seat on the bench before she hauled him to sit beside her. Her arms flew around him and his followed, pulling her close.
“I love you,” she said.
He gave her a gentle kiss. “I love you.”
There was no more time for words as his lips found hers again and this time, their kiss was neither gentle nor short. Rather, it was a kiss of passion that whispered of a future filled with love and joy and desire. They were so caught up in the other that the driver, upon his return, had to cough repeatedly to get their attention.
“Would you like to continue your ride?” he asked.
Janie lifted her head only slightly. “No, but we won’t complain if you have something else you need to take care of.”
Don’t miss out on these novellas in Janie and Brent’s story from Tara Thomas!
All available 2/20/18
Look for the first novel in the Sons of Broad series
Available March 2018 by St. Martin’s Paperbacks
About the Author
Tara Thomas’s love of books and writing started as a child and though she wanted to be an author, she decided a degree in science was more practical. After fifteen years in the pharmaceutical industry, she returned to her first love and hasn’t looked back since.
She writes erotic romance as Tara Sue Me. The novels in her Submissive series appeared on both the New York Times and USA Today bestseller lists.
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Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Epilogue
About the Author
Copyright Page
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
“Twisted End” Copyright © 2018 by Tara Thomas.
All rights reserved. For information, address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.
www.stmartins.com
Jacket photographs: woman © Stephen Mulcahey/Arcangel; face © iStock.com/PeopleImages
Author photo © Glen McCurtayne Coleman-Rayner
eISBN 9781250138040
First eBook Edition: February 2018
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