“Have lunch with me on Friday.”
My eyes pop open. “Pardon?”
“Lunch. You and me, we’ll eat and talk about books and non-shooting things. We won’t mention bullets or hospitals or nightmares of seeing a friend covered in blood,” she says, her smile quivering at the corners.
“You had nightmares?”
She nods. “I didn’t think I could ever come back here again.”
“Why did you?”
A little shrug and she looks away. I turn her face back to mine with my free hand. Heat arcs between us, my thumb dusts her lower lip, and her mouth parts. I dip my finger in slightly, and her tongue touches the tip before she pulls away.
A groan escapes before I can stop it. My sweet solnyshko. “Love, tell me why you came back.”
First I have to thank my husband, Brian, and our kids, Jack and Mary. You make me remember what matters.
A huge thank-you to my friends and family for being amazing cheerleaders. From my siblings to my grad school buddies, to my ninety-six-year-old neighbor who has her visiting nurse hooked now, I couldn’t ask for better book pimps.
To everyone who provided me feedback on this crazy twisty-turny plot—especially Heather Carver, Rhonda Helms, Adrienne Hogan, and Samantha Leighton. A special shout-out to Annie Swanberg, who threatened to write Here and Now fan fiction if I didn’t have the guts to end this book the way it needed to end. You were right, of course.
Thank you to the team that helped me package this book and promote it. Sarah Hansen at Okay Creations designed my beautiful cover, and if I have my way she will do many, many more for me. To my editing team, Rhonda Helms, Mickey Reed, and Arran McNicol, you make my books better. To Chris, my assistant, who keeps me organized against all odds. Thank you to Christine at iHeartBigBooks for designing my gorgeous promo materials, and a massive shout-out to Julie with AToMR for organizing my promotional events. To all of the bloggers and reviewers who help spread the word about my books—you’re amazing. Every one of you.
To my agent Dan Mandel and my foreign rights agent Stefanie Diaz for getting my books into the hands of readers all over the world—you’re making my dreams come true.
To all my writer friends on Twitter, Facebook, and my various writer loops, thank you for your support and inspiration. Special thanks to the NWB—Sawyer Bennett, Lauren Blakely, Violet Duke, Jessie Evans, Melody Grace, Monica Murphy, and Kendall Ryan—you ladies make me smile on a daily basis!
And last but certainly not least, thank you to my fans all over the world. To those who read Unbreak Me and Wish I May and wrote begging for another New Hope story. To those who read Lost in Me and Fall to You and begged for early copies of All for This. You’re the best fans an author could ask for. I couldn’t do this without you and wouldn’t want to. Thank you for buying my books and telling your friends about them. Thank you for being gracious and kind in your letters. And thank you for being the reason I have to pinch myself. You’re the best, and you’re the reason I get to live this dream.
~Lexi
I love hearing from readers, so find me on my Facebook page, follow me on Twitter, shoot me an email, or find me on my website.
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Copyright © 2014 by Lexi Ryan
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This book is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to institutions or persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
Cover © 2014 Sarah Hansen, Okay Creations
Table of Contents
Title Page
Other Titles by Lexi Ryan
Dedication
About This Book
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Epilogue
Playlist
What Lexi’s Reading
Acknowledgements
Contact
About the Book Designer
Copyright Notice