Loganâs eyes turned electric
Paige felt shimmery shocks of electricity that skated along her nerve endings until she ached. All she wanted was to feelâone more timeâwhat it was like to be held by Logan, kissed by Logan, loved by Logan.
The heat in his own eyes convinced her that Logan was feeling the same way. âPaige.â His voice was so low and rough. âTell me to go.â
Her heartbeat was a crazy, mixed-up symphony inside her. She knew she should send him away, but her mouth wouldnât form the words.
He stepped forward until his body was only inches from hers. She could feel the heat coming off him.
Paige gasped as his lips brushed against her own. Her hands slid up his chest, vaguely cataloging the hard muscles there before she slipped them into the shaggy hair at the base of his neck and tried to tug him closer. If this moment was the only one she would have with him, she would grab it with both hands and say to hell with the consequencesâat least for the duration of this one, perfect kiss.
Dear Reader,
I think the best romance is a combination of reality and fairy tale. A damsel or prince in distress, a damsel or prince to do the rescuing and a big, ugly dragon that needs slaying. In Deserving of Luke, I have all that and more, although the ugly dragon is not a tangible thing. Instead it is the very painful past the characters share, a past that they must slay together if they have any hope of finding their happily-ever-after.
Paige is a tough cookie who has been on her ownâwith her childâsince she was seventeen years old. Sheâs not only survived, but flourished, without much help. But she canât live that way forever, and watching as she learns to rely on Logan has been a wonderful journeyâthough it is one fraught with anger, perceived betrayal and hurt. It does have friendship, laughter and, eventually, love, though.
Logan, on the other hand, has pretty much had things easy. Seeing him learn to fight for what he wantsâand for those who need himâwas amazing. He has a long journey to finally be Deserving of Luke, his only son.
Speaking of Luke, I had so much fun creating his character. Some of my readers have noticed that when I create children they are almost all boys, and that is because, in this case, I really do write what I know. With three adorable and exasperating boys of my own to draw from, itâs always easy for me to come up with a quip or an antic or a sweet little story that springs directly from my own life.
I really enjoyed writing Deserving of Luke, and hope you enjoy reading it, as well. Thank you so much for letting meâand my storiesâinto your hearts and lives. I love to hear from my readers via my website, www.tracywolff.com, or on my blog, www.tracywolff.blogspot.com. I wish each of you a wonderful, joy-filled spring!
Love,
Tracy Wolff
Tracy Wolff collects books, English degrees and lipsticks and has been known to forget whereâand sometimes whoâshe is when immersed in a great novel. At six she wrote her first short storyâsomething with a rainbow and a princeâand at seven she forayed into the wonderful world of girlsâ lit, reading her first Judy Blume novel. By ten sheâd read everything in the young adult and classics sections of her local bookstore, so in desperation her mom started her on romance novels. And from the first page of the first book, Tracy knew sheâd found her lifelong love. Deserving of Luke, her sixth novel for Harlequin Superromance, takes place on the gorgeous Oregon coast she loves to visit.
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
EPILOGUE
PANIC SET IN ABOUT FIVE minutes after Paige Matthews realized her son was gone.
At first, she told herself it was no big deal. He was probably two rows over in the toy aisle, checking to see if the selection was up to snuff.
When he wasnât there, poring over the surprisingly extensive collection of miniature cars, she figured heâd simply wandered over to the ice cream caseâ Luke was a sucker for strawberry ice cream.
And when he wasnât there either, when the small kernel of concern that had formed the moment she realized he was not at the end of the aisle as sheâd thought he was, started to grow, she still told herself she was overreacting. This mom-and-pop grocery store in the small Oregon town sheâd grown up in was a far cry from the huge supermarkets of Los Angeles, where Luke had been born and raised. Even at eight, he knew how to take care of himself, knew not to talk to strangers and to stay in one place if, for some reason, he did get separated from herâthough it had never happened before.
So what could possibly happen to him here?
The reassuring thoughts didnât keep her from walking faster any more than they kept her from remembering her childhood here in Prospect and all the trouble she had managed to get into. While the fact that they werenât in the big city made her feel a little better, the feeling didnât last longâespecially when she got to the candy aisle and realized Luke hadnât wandered over there, either. Worse, the storeâs display of gummy animals and body parts was completely undisturbed, a sure sign that he had not stopped here at all. And that was so unlike him that concern turned to terror.