âMarry me, Jamie. Tonight.â
Everything inside Jamie screamed for her to say yes. But her practical side urged her to proceed with caution. She and Kell had tried to be together twice before. âI want to, very much, Kell. But not like this.â
âWhy not?â He held her tighter in his arms and trailed slow, sensual kisses down her collarbone.
Jamie melted. âKell, you arenât being fair. I canât think with you pressed this close to me.â
He lifted his head and looked deeply into her eyes. âI like being pressed close to you. As you can feel, I want to make love to you. Here. On the beach.â
âMy, my, you are impetuous tonight. First you want to marry me, then you want to make love to meâall in the same night.â
Kell pulled back. The bright moonlight illuminated the look of bemusement on his face. âWell, thatâs the right sequence, isnât it? First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes making love on a moonlit beachâ¦â
âI think you forgot the baby carriage.â
Kell pulled her down to the sand. âNot without the making love part firstâ¦â
Dear Reader,
How many times have you heard couples say⦠âWe were high school sweetheartsâ? Or, âIâve known him since we were kidsâ? For many, this isnât a fantasy, but a wonderful reality. They got it right the first time.
But that doesnât happen often. And I got to wonderingâ¦would these people have fallen in love if theyâd met again when they were older? Would the same chemistry be there? Hard to know, isnât it?
In my first Temptation, Her Only Chance, I got to explore these possibilities. Jamie is a child of divorce and seeks security. Kell is a Navy SEAL, used to risking his life but not his heart. They have tremendous passion for each otherâand share just as many problems. They canât be togetherâyet they canât stay apart. Neither one is willing to throw away all the love and the history theyâve shared.
Do they stand a chance? Read on and find outâ¦.
Enjoy,
Cheryl Anne Porter
âI ALWAYS KNEW you were crazy.â
âGee, thanks.â Jamie Winslow came to a stumbling stop as she jogged with her sister along Bayshore Boulevard. To her left, the waters of Tampa Bay sparkled and winked. Breathing hard, Jamie squinted at Donna through the bright morning sunshine. âSeriously, Donna, I have to go to these therapy sessions. Theyâre required before I can be licensed.â
âYes. I remember those well myself.â Jamieâs sister, a petite woman with delicate features much like Jamieâs own, was bent over at the waist, her hands clasping her knees. Finally, she managed to ask, âBut why are you so worried? If you really were crazy, theyâd already know by now.â
âHa-ha. Very funny.â Still, Jamie couldnât help obsessing a little about the tricky ground she and her therapist would cover in that afternoonâs session. She was reluctant to mention it to Donna, who always felt compelled to fix her younger sisterâs problems, even when, like this one, they werenât the least bit fixable. âBy the way, Ms. Junior-High Counselor, we in the psychology field no longer refer to people as crazy.â
âWe should. Most of them are. Except for us, of course.â Donna straightened up and groaned. âEvery muscle I own hurts right now.â With that, she limped off to the nearest concrete bench. Jamie followed her, watching her sister gracelessly flop down on the seat. âSo,â Donna continued, âit canât be your grades that are worrying you. Youâve always aced any class you took.â
Jamie made a face. âAced them with a lot of hard work. It was never easy for me like it was for you. But, still, youâre right. My grades arenât bad. But apparently Iâm a mass of insecurities.â
Donnaâs blue eyes rounded with feigned surprise. âNo! Seriously?â She then chuckled sympathetically. âYou poor kid. You must be at the part where they tear you down so they can rebuild you.â
Jamie nodded, asking desultorily, âHowâd you know?â
âBecause thereâs nothing like therapy to unravel a person. Finding out youâre susceptible to your own emotions and experiences isnât all itâs cracked up to be, is it?â
âNo,â Jamie griped, crossing her arms. âNow I know how it feels to be a specimen in a biology lab.â
Grinning, Donna squinted at the bright sunlight and shaded her eyes with a hand as she stared up at Jamie. âThatâs the spirit, sis. Seriously, though, try thinking of your time with the shrink as another bit of class work.â
âClass work? How?â
âThis is where you understand how your patients feel when they come to you and you start doing the same thing to them.â