Heating Up Hawaii (16 page)

“Yes.”

“Well, it wasn’t just that. A year before they separated, I caught him holding another woman. I confronted him about it, and he made me promise not to tell my mother. I kept that secret, even though it tore me apart. When they both saw me off to take that flight to see my Nana… their last argument did me in. He slipped that I knew about his affair… Her voice trailed off, but she managed to continue. “I felt sick and guilty during the flight. I knew my mom was disappointed, even though she was nice about it. I’d let her down. “

Luc lifted his hand and wiped the droplets of rain off her face. She ignored the zing of awareness coursing through her body, and focused on the tenderness in his voice, “You were just a child.”

“I lived with that burden…which was probably why I didn’t call you when I got pregnant. I feared you’d be just like him.”

“Penelope, I’d never do such a thing.”

“I know that now.”

A ball of energy, of warmth, had formed in her stomach and began unraveling inside her.

He gazed at her in silence for a moment. “I love you, Penelope. More than I deserve to love someone.” He reached for his pocket and grabbed a dark blue velvet box. “Will you marry me?”

She blinked several times, her heart in her ears.

He opened the box and a gorgeous white gold, diamond encrusted ring sparkled, with a big Sapphire rock in the center. “I planned on doing this indoors.” He chuckled nervously when raindrops glided over the jewel.

“Say it again,” she blurted out.

He raised an eyebrow, then grinned. “Will you marry me?”

“No, the other part.”

“I love you. I love you.” He picked her up and twirled her around, and she linked her arms around him. “I love you.”

“I love you too, Luc. Always have.”
Always will.

He kissed her, the heat of his mouth melded with hers. She met his passion, stroke by stroke. Despite the rain, their bodies clung to each other, wet and willing. She felt his hardness and her whole system tingled, her nerve endings about to burst. Joy filled her heart, like she hadn’t felt in a long time. Eight years and five months, to be exact.

Acknowledgements

Thank you to everyone at the fabulous Breathless Press team for making this happen. Huge thanks to my wonderful editor Megan D. Martin for your enthusiasm, professionalism, and vision. You rock!

Thanks to Marci Protsman for sharing your endless hotel knowledge. You’ll always be my person.

I’ll always be grateful for my CPs Aurelia B. Rowl and Cara Carnes for putting up with me. Aurelia, big thanks for my awesome title.

Thank you Reader for allowing me to get in your head, even only temporarily. Hope you enjoyed the ride.

Biography

Carmen Falcone learned at an early age that fantasizing about fictional characters and places beat doing Math homework any day. She traveled the world, achieved a B.A. in Tourism in her hometown in Brazil, and was soon invited to work in the USA, where she met her Swiss husband. She’d always dreamed of becoming a published writer, and after her daughter was born, she revisited that dream of writing – this time, unwilling to give it up. She lives in Austin and enjoys reading, traveling, and spending time with her family and three high-energy pugs.