With all of that in mind, I stepped closer to him, making sure the tips of my boobs pressed into that chiseled chest. I looped my hands up around his neck and lifted my eyes to his, letting my eyelids droop a little as I licked my lips and smiled.
“Is it really just a dance you’re asking me for?”
He studied me for a moment without speaking. Something akin to desire flickered for a second in those brown eyes, but I couldn’t read the insta-lust I’d anticipated. He circled my waist with his arms, but his hands didn’t stray down to my ass as I’d hoped.
Dipping his mouth close to my ear again, he murmured his answer in a soft, low voice.
“I’m not limited any of our options, sugar. But let’s start with a dance and see where that leads.”
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Other Books
Career Soldier
Maximum Force
Temporary Duty
Hitting the Silk
Zone of Action
The King Series
Fearless
Breathless
Restless
Endless
The King Series Boxset
Undeniable
Stardust on the Sea
Unquenchable
Recipe for Death Series
Death Fricassee
Unforgettable
Death A La Mode
Death Over Easy
Moonlight on the Meadow
The Fox’s Wager
Crystal Cove Books
The Posse
The Plan
The Path
The One Trilogy
The Last One
The First One
The One Trilogy Box Set
The Always Love Series
Always For You
Underneath My Christmas Tree
Always My Own
My One and Always
Always Our Love
The Perfect Dish Series
Best Served Cold
Just Desserts
I Choose You
Keeping Score
When We Were Us
Hanging By A Moment
Days of You and Me
Acknowledgements
Write a series of military books for KU, they said. Just quick ones. It’ll be easy. And fun!
Still, I am more than a little in love with this new world, and I’m excited to share Shaw and Delia’s story with you.
When I planned this series, it was only with a list of names and book titles. I honestly had no idea what each one would be about, and what I’m learning is that the storylines come to me when they’re meant. For Shaw and Delia, I was working on the end of Temporary Duty when I did my weekly volunteer day at the school where my daughter and son-in-law teach, and I saw the sign for Lunch with a Loved One. It struck me that perhaps Delia, whom I already knew was a widow, would be a great teacher . . . and Shaw would be the kind of guy who would have lunch with his friend’s kiddo.
A few days later, I was doing the 5K at the Disney Princess Race Weekend, with my daughters and sister-in-law. My daughter chatted with a woman on the bus who told her the story of how her husband, before they’d begun dating, had trained with her for a race. She later learned that he hated running and had only done it to spend time with her! What a romantic idea . . . and that’s how Shaw and Delia’s deal came about.
A little interesting vignette: Delia signing up to run a half-marathon when she’d never run before comes from my own personal experience. In 2008, I received an email from The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, inviting me to take part in Team in Training. It was late summer, and the half-marathon wasn’t until January. Sure, I could do that! Right? Fast forward to late December, when I’d yet to run AT ALL and was having nightmares about the whole thing. The good news is that I did complete the half-marathon—the first of many—and although I wouldn’t call myself a runner, I do 6-8 5Ks a year now. (I still don’t recommend choosing a half-marathon for your very first race, by the way!)
Please consider supporting The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society in whatever way you can. They are an AWESOME organization, and Team in Training is amazing. You might know that fighting blood cancers is a very important cause in my life, and I appreciate anything you can do to help.
Okay, enough yakking. Big huge thanks to Meg Murrey for my beautiful Career Soldier covers—I LOVE this one, particularly. Yum! And more thanks and hugs to Stacey Blake of Champagne Formats for making it all pretty on the inside.
My over-worked beta readers outdid themselves here. Thank you to Christy Durbin and Sue Ann Brooks for rushing the job this time. You rock, every single day! Much love to you.
And thank you for reading. All your sweet reviews, posts and emails make all the crazy worthwhile.
about the author
Photo by Heather Batchelder
Tawdra Kandle writes romance, in just about all its forms. She loves unlikely pairings, strong women, sexy guys, hot love scenes and just enough conflict to make it interesting. Her books run from YA paranormal romance through NA paranormal and contemporary romance to adult contemporary and paramystery romance. She lives in central Florida with a husband, kids, sweet pup and too many cats. And yeah, she rocks purple hair.
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