Reluctant Surrender (44 page)
“Thank you.”
It was the look in his eyes. The warmth and promises that filled her with courage. “You see? Now you’ve done it.”
“What?”
“You made me love you.”
He scooped her up so her feet were off the ground and held on tight. “I love it when a plan comes together.”
She fought to breathe under the strength of his embrace. “Do you plan everything?”
He leaned back and looked into her eyes. “No, I never planned on loving you.”
Her heart skipped a beat and she wanted to cry. She had to fight back the tears.
He knew it because he playfully jostled her a little, and whispered, “Tell me what you’re thinking.”
“I’m thinking.” She took a steadying breath. “I’m thinking you better kiss me before I really start crying.”
He pulled her in close. Nuzzled his cheek against her neck and her shoulder. “Cry all you want, baby girl. Your tears belong to me and from now on I’m going to make sure the only kind you shed are tears of joy.” He kissed a slender drop as it skidded down her cheek and asked, “Are you happy?”
“Yes.”
“See?” His pleased smile warmed her from outside in.
“Thank you.”
He tilted his head. “For?”
“Being you.”
“I love you, Colin.” This time when he kissed her she melted in his arms and there was no reluctance about it. She simply surrendered.
The End
About the Author
Riley Murphy still gets a thrill when her honey walks into the room. Not bad considering they’ve been married for 26 years. She has two awesome kids whom she’d be honored to have as friends if they weren’t her flesh and blood. Gee, her life in Florida would be darn near perfect if not for the fact she’s currently being held hostage by a sassy English bull terrier who has delusions of being the Dom in their relationship. Riley loves to hear from her readers.
Riley welcomes comments from readers. You can find her website and email addresses on her
author bio page
at
www.ellorascave.com
.
Tell Us What You Think
We appreciate hearing reader opinions about our books. You can email
the author
directly or you can email us at
[email protected]
(when contacting Comments, be sure to state the book title and author).
Also by
Riley Murphy
Ellora’s Cave Publishing
Reluctant Surrender
ISBN 9781419940781
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Reluctant Surrender Copyright © 2012 Riley Murphy
Edited by Grace Bradley
Cover design by Caitlin Fry
Photo: Jeff Thrower/Shutterstock.com
Electronic book publication August 2012
The terms Romantica® and Quickies® are registered trademarks of Ellora’s Cave Publishing.
With the exception of quotes used in reviews, this book may not be reproduced or used in whole or in part by any means existing without written permission from the publisher, Ellora’s Cave Publishing, Inc.® 1056 Home Avenue, Akron OH 44310-3502.
Warning: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be scanned, uploaded or distributed via the Internet or any other means, electronic or print, without the publisher’s permission. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000. (http://www.fbi.gov/ipr/). Please purchase only authorized electronic or print editions and do not participate in or encourage the electronic piracy of copyrighted material. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.
This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the author’s imagination and used fictitiously.
The publisher and author(s) acknowledge the trademark status and trademark ownership of all trademarks, service marks and word marks mentioned in this book.
The publisher does not have any control over, and does not assume any responsibility for, author or third-party Web sites or their content.
Discover for yourself why readers can’t get enough of the multiple award-winning publisher Ellora’s Cave. Whether you prefer ebooks or paperbacks, be sure to visit EC on the web at www.ellorascave.com for an erotic reading experience that will leave you breathless.
