It’s my pleasure to welcome Rebecca Raine back
to the blogger site with her latest book—“This Time Forever.” For those readers who like series novels, it’s
the third book in the Finding Forever
series.
Rebecca writes
sassy and hot romance. Her latest book tells the story of Kelly and Jake’s
reunion. What does Kelly do when heart-breaker Jake reappears from her past and
wants to spend the night in her house? It’s more complicated than Jake crashing
on the sofa.
There’s some good book reviews on Amazon…
“An achingly
beautiful story that touched my heart.”—Romantically Jaded, Amazon.com
“Jake and Kelly's
relationship has its ups and downs… I couldn't put this story down!”—hmg_vermont,
Amazon.com
Here’s the Blurb
She
wants him to want her—desperately—but without the inconvenience of wanting him
back.
When Jake Caine
walked out on Kelly Rawlins ten years ago, after taking her virginity and her
faith in love, she put the whole incident behind her and went on with her
life—or so she thought. Now Kelly’s been dumped by the man she thought she’d
marry and her carefully ordered life has been turned upside down once more.
At this low point,
Kelly is feeling less than special, but Jake’s unexpected return presents all
sorts of interesting possibilities. The attraction between them burns hotter
than ever and Kelly sees in Jake the key to regaining her sense of feminine
power. She’s going to seduce him, and she plans to make him beg.
Jake Caine wants a
second chance at love. Convinced Kelly is the perfect woman for him, he is
thrilled when she reignites their passionate affair, until she makes it clear
their relationship ends at the bedroom door. Committed to showing Kelly he
wants more from her than just sex, he begins to rebuff her advances. But when
Kelly responds by launching a no holds barred sensual ambush, will he be able
to resist her? Will he break before he can convince her that, this time, he
wants to love her forever?
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
“This Time Forever” is available now for the Kindle price
of $2.99 US and $3.99 Aus.
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
Rebecca kindly provided an excerpt of the story.
Kelly Rawlins knew one
thing for sure. When you get home from work on a Friday, you are not supposed
to find the man who took your virginity and dumped you the next day sitting on
your couch. So, when she saw Jake Caine lounging against the cushions, his eyes
caressing her with bold familiarity, she froze for what felt like an eternity
before her gaping mouth closed with an audible snap.
He stood to
approach her with long, lazy strides. “It’s good to see you, Kelly.” His voice
was deep and husky, just as she remembered, and her breath caught at the sound
of it.
Making sure to lace
her own tone with the perfect amount of sardonic amusement, she replied, “I’d
say the same to you, but we both know I’d be lying.”
He lifted an
eyebrow in surprise, even as a grin stole across his face. “Well put.”
Satisfied she’d
caught him off guard with her bluntness, she dropped her work bag on the coffee
table before facing him again. “I assume Trina is around here somewhere?”
He nodded. “She
said she needed something from her room. I imagine she’s frantically trying to
contact you right about now.”
Kelly allowed a
small laugh to escape her. “Whatever for? Do you think she feels the need to
warn me the great Jake Caine is once again gracing us with his presence?”
He chuckled,
sliding his hands casually into his pockets as he took a step closer.
“Actually, I was thinking more along the lines of her not wanting you to toss
my arse over the balcony the moment you saw me. I am family, after all.”
A faint smile
tugged at the corners of her mouth as she considered his suggestion and found
it decidedly appealing. Against her will, her eyes trailed down his body. He
hadn’t changed much. His dark hair was shorter, and there were some new laugh
lines around his eyes, but he was still gorgeous. Still held himself with the
same quiet confidence that had impressed her all those years ago.
He dressed better
these days. A respectable business suit had replaced the old denim jeans and
faded t-shirt that had been his trademark. He looked every bit the successful
architect she knew him to be. She cursed silently. Why the hell didn’t she run
a brush through her hair before leaving the office?
Turning away, she
picked the day’s mail up off the nearby sideboard to flip through it. She
couldn’t have read the names on the front of the envelopes to save her life,
but at least it gave her hands something to do, and it meant she didn’t have to
keep looking at him.
“What are you doing
here, anyway?” She tossed the question over her shoulder in what she hoped was
a casual manner.
“I’ve been offered
a job in the city. I’m moving back to Melbourne—for good.”
Despite her best
intentions, Kelly’s gaze snapped back to his. “How nice for you.” Hearing the
quiver in her voice, she glanced down at the mail to find the envelopes crushed
in her hands. She dropped them back on the sideboard. “Welcome home.”
“Thank you, Kelly.”
He had the nerve to sound sincere and she felt like poking him. But that would
involve touching him and that was… not a good idea.
“You’re still an
interior designer, right?” he asked. She was surprised he remembered what she’d
been studying when they met.
“Yes,” she replied
with a nod. “I work in the city too. It’s a small firm, but busy.”
“And you’re living
with Trina again now?”
She gave a curt
nod, preferring not to explain that part.
“I heard about you
and Simon. I’m sorry things didn’t work out.” He said the words, but didn’t
sound particularly sincere this time.
Kelly shrugged,
though she felt a flush of annoyance bloom on her cheeks. Apparently she didn’t
need to explain. Five minutes back in town and already he knew about the
shambles that was her love life.
“Don’t be. The
decision was mutual. There are no hard feelings between us.” The blatant lie
rolled off her tongue with surprising ease. Simon Peterson had dumped her after
a perfectly good five year relationship she had thought would lead to marriage
and children. Until, of course, he decided the younger, and apparently more
sexually compatible, new girlfriend he already had presented a more appealing
option.
“And here I’d hoped
to take advantage of Trina’s extra bedroom tonight,” Jake said. “I guess that’s
out of the question now.”
Kelly snorted. “You
guess correctly.” She gestured toward the brown monstrosity behind him and
added, “If you’re desperate enough, there’s always the couch.”
“How generous of
you.” His knowing smile, and the way his eyes travelled over her with wicked
delight, gave Kelly the distinct impression he saw her words as a hopeful
invitation rather than the sarcastic retort they were meant to be. Her blood
began to boil at his arrogance. How dare he assume she would care where he
slept at night?
She squared her
shoulders, raising one imperious eyebrow. “Truly. It makes no difference to
me.”
His smile only
widened and Kelly felt like stomping her foot in frustration. All this time and
the man still had an ego the size of the Sydney Opera House.
He came to stand in
front of her, all traces of humour fading from his expression. The faint
muskiness of his cologne teased her nostrils and she fought the urge to inhale
the enticing scent deep into her lungs.
“Kelly, I want to
thank you for being so welcoming.” She snorted again, but he continued as if
she hadn’t made a sound. “I know you have every reason to hate me, even after
all these years. What I did to you—”
“Is in the past,”
she cut in, stepping around him to escape to the other side of the room. It was
bad enough his last memory of her involved her sobbing her heart out, begging
him not to break up with her. The last thing she wanted to do now was reminisce
about the experience. “We were both young and more than a little stupid.
There’s nothing else to say.”
He stared at her
for a long moment, a deep frown drawing his brows together. She lifted her chin
a notch higher and stared right back. No way would she back down on this and if
he pushed the issue she would happily fight him on it.
Finally, he gave a
deep sigh. “If that’s the way you want it.”
“It is.”
A tense silence
fell between them. Kelly began to fidget with a button on her jacket, unsure
what to do next. Jake cleared his throat, his gaze dropping away, and she
wondered if he felt as uncomfortable as she did. The thought, though doubtful,
should have made her feel better—it didn’t.
“Damn it. Where the
hell is she?” They both turned in surprise as Trina burst into the room,
swearing at the mobile phone in her hand.
Kelly cringed
inwardly. “Were you looking for me?”
Trina’s head
snapped up, her eyes horrified. “Oh, crap. You’re home.”
“I got in a few
minutes ago.” She forced a bright smile, while trying desperately to convey
with her eyes the need for her friend to calm down. “Is there a problem?”
Trina’s gaze
flickered from her to Jake and back again before she let out a bark of
laughter. “N-No. Of course there’s no problem. I… ah… wanted to ask you to buy
milk on the way home.”
Despite the dubious
recovery, Kelly turned to Jake with smug satisfaction. He crossed his arms over
his chest and smirked his disbelief. The urge to poke him returned with a
vengeance.
“My phone is flat,”
Kelly said. “Silly me, I forgot to recharge it last night.” She stalked into
the kitchen and poured herself a glass of water. The extra distance didn’t help
much, given the whole living area was open plan, but at least with the kitchen
counter between them she had less chance of being charged with assault. “Jake
and I were getting reacquainted.”
“That’s right,”
Jake added. “Kelly’s been reminding me what a prick I am.” He winked at her and
she rolled her eyes in response.
“Well, hell, I
clued you in to that truth when you were nine, cousin,” Trina said with a
nervous laugh.
“So you did. And
because we’re family, you’ll do me a huge favour. Right?”
Trina’s eyes
narrowed. “Depends on the favour.”
“Let me crash on
your couch tonight.”
Kelly felt the
bottom drop out of her stomach. He wants to stay here? She looked at Trina,
whose eyes had widened to the size of dinner plates. And the night keeps
getting better.
“Are you insane?”
Trina asked. “You can’t stay here.”
“It’s just for one
night, I promise. I’ve booked an apartment not far from here for the next month
but I can’t pick up the keys until tomorrow.” The plaintive look he gave his
cousin had Kelly rolling her eyes again. “You don’t want to leave me homeless
do you?”
“We have a big
family, Jake,” Trina argued. “There are other places you could stay.”
“Yeah, but, I’m
already here and I haven’t seen you in forever. Plus, Kelly already offered.”
He turned to her for corroboration. “Didn’t you?”
Kelly balked. “I
did?” What the hell was he talking about? At that moment, her earlier joke
about the couch resounded in her ears and she had to stop herself from groaning
aloud. “I guess I did.”
Jake’s devilish
grin returned full force as he faced Trina once more. “See? If it’s okay with
Kelly, it’s okay with you, right?”
Trina looked at
Kelly, a frown creasing her brow. “Are you sure?”
Kelly knew she
either had to say yes or admit to both of them Jake’s presence in their home
would bother her.
Would it bother
her? It wasn’t like she’d spent the last ten years pining over the tragedy that
was their misguided romance. She’d gotten over it years ago—mostly. But, holy
hell, couldn’t he have aged badly or something? A pot belly would have been
nice, or maybe a big bald patch on his head. She’d have found either one
enormously helpful in dealing with this situation. But no, he had to be all
gorgeous and successful and turn her insides to mush with a single glance.
Several traitorous parts of her body chose that moment to pulse with warmth.
Apparently her libido was all sorts of bothered by his presence, though she’d
be damned if she would ever admit it.
Kelly lifted her
chin and gave a disinterested shrug. “If you want to sleep on that lumpy, old
thing, then you’re welcome to it.”
“Great.” Jake
rubbed his hands together in delight. “I’ll go grab my bag from the car.” A
moment later, the front door clicked shut behind him.
Kelly and Trina
gawked at each other in disbelief.
“What the hell just
happened?” Trina whispered.
Kelly shook her
head in dismay. “I have no idea.”
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
About “This Time Forever” from Rebecca
This Time Forever
is the reincarnation of one of the first books I ever wrote. I had such a great
time pulling the whole thing apart and rebuilding it piece by piece. Jake and
Kelly have grown up a lot over the years, just as I have grown as a writer. Now
felt like the right time to bring their story back to life and give Jake and
Kelly the happily ever after they always wanted.
About Rebecca Raine
Rebecca is a
long-time lover of all things romance. Whether it’s a book, movie, or
real-life, she will always have more fun if there’s a love interest thrown into
the mix. She lives in Queensland, Australia with her very own hero husband, two
adorable children and one big, black dog. Other than reading and writing books,
her favourite things include loud music, enjoying a glass of wine on the patio,
organising everything in existence, and spending too much time on the Internet.
Connect with Rebecca
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
Rebecca’s
other books...
No. 4
The path to true love may not begin with a threesome, but you have to start somewhere.
Blog post link; Everything We Need
No. 2
True love should always come with a convenient
expiry date.
Blog post link; Lost In Amber
No. 1
Some risks are worth taking.
Blog post link; Our Little SecretAmazon.com
Ignite the magick within, or be hunted in the dark.
Blog post link; SplinterAmazon.com
Rebecca, congratulations for the
launch of your forth book! And you say there is another book on the way! It’s
been fun having all of the "Finding Forever" series books on the
blogger and watching you grow as an Indie publisher.
Have a good week everyone.
♥ Ashlyn
No comments:
Post a Comment