Read Beauty Shot (Hope Parish Novels Book 5) Online
Authors: Zoe Dawson
Tags: #Family Romance, #New Adult, #College Romance, #contemporary romance, #Sexy NA
Beauty Shot (Hope Parish Novels Book 5) (17 page)
It’s when I
knew where to go.
The White Cliffs of
Dover.
I shielded my eyes
and looked across the expanse, but it wasn’t France I focused
on. It was the tall, well-built, beautiful man with flowing,
wind-blown, wheat-colored hair, and the most gorgeous, heartbreaking
ocean-blue eyes on the planet.
The man who had
given up modeling, fame, and fortune because he wasn’t
interested, but supported me in everything I did, even knew the name
of my biggest competitors and ways to run circles around them. He was
intelligent, funny, melted my heart and my panties, and was drop-dead
gorgeous. He had his heart set on being a game designer, and that
meant finishing his degree at Columbia.
The pride I felt for
him filled me up. He was a unique, grounded, very cheeky devil.
I walked toward him,
but he didn’t hear me, didn’t turn around.
I wrapped my arms
around his waist and pressed my face into his back. “I hear
that Thanksgiving is quite important to Americans. You know, with all
that pilgrim stuff. It’s a day where they sit around and stuff
themselves with turkey and all the trimmings until they roll
themselves to the living room to watch football. And I don’t
mean soccer.”
He stiffened and I
heard his breath rush out. “You forgot to mention that we give
thanks.”
“Oh, I didn’t
forget.”
He turned around and
said, “Looks like I know what I’m going to say I’m
thankful for when we go around the table.”
“You actually
do that?”
“We do.”
He slipped his index
finger under my chin and tilted my head up. “I have a feeling
you didn’t end up at the White Cliffs to take in the scenery.”
I closed my eyes and
said, “No. I came here to make another bargain with a cheeky
devil.”
“Oh, even
though you already own his soul?”
“Quite right.”
“What’s
your proposition?”
“Forgiveness.”
“Hmm, that’s
a tough one. What else you got?”
“Not much
else, just a small thing, really, barely worth bargaining for.”
“That so?
Looks like it might be brimstone and fire for you, then, shug.”
“I think
you’ll like this. It’s the most important driving force
we’ll ever know as human beings.”
“What’s
that, beautiful?”
“Love. I love
you, Deke. I tried not to, but in the end, you took my heart and
wouldn’t give it back.”
“This cheeky
devil doesn’t like to return hearts, especially when he’s
already given his away.”
“And that
forgiveness? You have any of that somewhere in here?” I asked,
placing my hand over his heart.
“Nope.”
“Why not?”
“It’s
full to overflowing with too much love to give two shits about
forgiveness. I love you, too, darlin’.”
“Then I guess
when I’m sitting at your Thanksgiving table with your parents,
sister, and brother, that I, too, will have something to be very
thankful for.”
“Do you know
how to stuff a turkey?”
“Nope,”
I said, then whispered something very naughty in his ear. He threw
his head back and laughed, the sound carrying his joy on the wind,
probably all the way to France.
“You can bet
that I will work on that stuffing thing, but it may take me two or
three times to get it right.”
“You were
right, you know,” I said. “It is quite something special
to fuck a young man.”
I slipped my arm
around his waist, “Come home with me, please, Deke. Meet my da
and grandmum, and see where I was born and raised. Oh, my mum is
there, too.”
“Ah…”
“She’s
changed.”
“I was going
to say yes anyway, but I thought I might need a chair and a whip.
“No. Not
anymore. She was only being so outrageous because she knows how
uptight I am.”
“I can’t
think of anything else I would rather do, except taking you home to
meet my family afterward.”
He kissed me softly,
deeply, lovingly, and I returned his kiss with everything in me,
knowing it was one of the best decisions I had ever made.
********
The stories in Hope Parish continue as Rory Finnegan, a battle-hardened
Marine tries to resist the pull of home-town girl Savannah Hawkins
and discovers that the quiet and peace of a small town beats out the
big city. But Savannah is struggling into womanhood and trying to
decide what’s best for her..could that be Rory? Will she
discover the answers she needs or will her coming of age tear her
heart apart?
Zoe Dawson’s Book List
Romantic Comedy
Going to the Dogs Series
Fetched #5 (companion novella to
Hounded)
Handled #6 (companion novella to
Groomed for Murder)
Tangled #7 (companion novella to
Leashed)
Captured #8 (companion novella to
Collared)
New Adult
Hope Parish Novels
A Perfect Secret Series
Hope Parish Novellas
Urban Fantasy
The Starbuck Chronicles
Erotica
Forbidden Plays Shorts
Zoe Dawson is the alter ego of multi-published, bestselling author Karen
Anders. Karen started her career because her grandmother gave her a book to read. That book made her fall in love with
romance and started her on the trek to get published. She achieved that goal in 1996 with the publication of Jennifer's
Outlaw for Silhouette. Even with many books under her belt, she can't wait for that next idea, that next exquisite
sentence and, of course, the next hero and heroine who fall in love.
Dear Reader,
Thank you for embarking on this journey with me. It's been fabulous to write this book for your
enjoyment.
Please feel free to
message me online through Twitter, Facebook, or my website. I would
love to hear from you. To find out about my releases, check my
website, follow my blog, Like me on Facebook or sign up for my
newsletter
.
Best, Zoe