By
RoseAnn DeFranco
BLURB:
When Emma Grant returns to her family's Audubon Springs beach house to fulfill the stipulations of her father's will, she has every intention of forcing her former lover out of the house for good. She's never fit into her wealthy family and would prefer avoiding her past, but with her brother threatening to reveal her young daughter, she has no choice.
Rafe Iuliano has other plans. The wealthy Grants tried to bribe him out of Emma's life years ago, but he's determined to prove once and for all that a master carpenter is worthy of Emma and the house.
Their ridiculous and steamy battle for the house reignites the love and passion that bloomed between them years ago. But when Rafe discovers she's kept their daughter a secret for two years, can he overcome anger and pride to claim his family and the love of his life, or will the deception drive a final wedge between them?
Read an excerpt:
“It’s good to see you too, Emma.” Rafe smiled. A flash of dimples tugged on her memory and heart. “Is falling into men’s flower beds a habit or should I feel special?”
“As it happens, I don’t see this as your flower bed, but rather my own.” Covered in dirt, Emma feasted her eyes on Rafe. She didn’t try to stand. Instead she pushed her hands further into the sticky mulch, needing something to hold on to, momentarily thankful to be on solid ground. She licked her lips. He looked good.
“Finally here to claim what’s yours?”
“Are you going to help me up or not?”
Rafe took a deep breath, and reached out a hand. When they touched, the same powerful jolt of electricity that used to exist between them ran up her arm and straight to her heart. He pulled harder than necessary and Emma slammed into his chest. She took a quick step back, needing space, and almost landed in the garden again. Rafe held on and steadied her.
“Whoa, easy. I don’t think the shrubs can take anymore.”
Her stomach twitched at the sound of his voice, so close it resonated in her ear and vibrated down her spine. His scent, masculine and fresh from-a-shower-clean, mesmerized her. He surrounded her even though he only stood in front of her, balancing her.
“Let go of me,” she whispered.
He complied by raising his hands, palms out, in the air as if they’d been burned. His heat lingered on her skin, and she ached with the loss of his touch. Emma went to work brushing the gritty mulch from her shaking hands.
“You always were a bit clumsy, huh, Ems?”
She snapped her head up, and her eyes landed on his playful grin.
RoseAnn DeFranco grew up in upstate NY with her nose in a book and a song in her heart. Following the pursuit of a musical theatre career in NYC, she turned her creative energy to writing romance. RoseAnn blogs about her writing experiences with her critique partners at www.thevioletfemmes.com. A NJ shore transplant, she enjoys time spent at the beach with her family. She would love to one day live in a quaint shore town like the fictional town Audubon Springs from her BROTHERS OF AUDUBON SPRINGS series. More information about these Contemporary Romantic Comedies can be found at www.radefranco.com.
Web links: www.radefranco.com; www.thevioletfemmes.com; @radefranco; https://www.facebook.com/#!/roseanndefrancoauthor
Thank you for hosting
ReplyDeleteHello! Thank you for hosting me on your blog today. I love that moment between Emma and Rafe. She's so determined to be confident and poised and instead lands in the mulch!
ReplyDeleteWhat is the most embarrassing thing that has ever happened to you?
A Jersey Shore transplant? Love it. I spent a few summers in Belmar. Now I live near the beach in NC. You can't call it the shore here!
ReplyDeletecatherinelee100 at gmail dot com
What an excerpt.. lol had me snickering a bit. Love the confidence that Emma possesses.
ReplyDeletevalshemi at gmail dot com
Catherine...if you know Belmar, then I'm wondering if you would be able to guess what town Audubon Springs is based on?
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