By: Aubrey Wynne
Releasing October 18, 2016
Plato Publishing
Plato Publishing
Growing up in a Papua New Guinea mission, Joss Palmateer is a gentle soul with a unique view of life. Still adjusting to a new home in the U.S and the sudden loss of her mother, love is the last thing on her mind.
Sexy physical therapist, Ben Montgomery, meets his sister’s friend and the sparks fly. He takes it as a challenge when she ignores his advances, but it’s her extraordinary inner beauty that captures his heart. With the help of a stray homing pigeon and an old origami legend, Ben sets an unwavering course of romance to win her love
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As they walked past the fountain, he stopped, swallowed, and plunged into the speech he’d planned for the last week. “Joss, I know you are hesitant to date me, and I understand your reasons. I can’t blame you but it’s also not my fault that I’m...popular.”
She opened her mouth to speak, and
he gently put a finger on her lips. “Hear me out. Since I laid eyes
on you that night, my world has tilted. I feel a connection to you
that I’ve never felt before, and I think you feel the same.”
She took his finger in her hand. “I
don’t know if I’m in a place where I can move forward with a
relationship.” Her eyes held a pain that threatened to rip his
chest open. He wanted to heal her, remove the hurt from her eyes now
and forever.
“I know that. I’ve just finished
my internship, and I’m starting a permanent position at the
clinic.” He paused, stroking her cheek with the back of his finger.
“Let’s take a month to get to know each other. You decide if you
are staying or going back to your old life. I’ll get settled into
my new job. We see each other as friends, no pressure or romance.”
“So no strings.”
“Exactly. Except I won’t be
seeing anyone else. I need to prove to you that I’m not a player.
Then in a month, we’ll reassess. If you are in a good place by
then, we’ll make it official and start dating.” He let out a
sigh. He couldn’t read her face at all.
“One month?” She looked up at
him, her eyes narrowed. “You’ve thought this through, haven’t
you?”
He nodded, hoping this brilliant
idea didn’t backfire on him. “It’s a deal. So I’ll see you
without any romantic overtures?”
He hesitated. Not kissing her over
the next month would be one of the hardest things he’d ever done.
“No romance starting tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow?”
“I want you to know what you may
be missing. Over the next month you can think about this.” He
cupped her face in his hands, brushing his lips softly against hers.
Every muscle in his body jumped to attention at the touch. His desire
flared, and his head dipped again, covering her lips, coaxing her to
respond.
Her hands gripped his biceps,
clinging to him as if she might fall. A soft sigh escaped her, and he
thought he would explode. He buried his face in her shoulder, her
silky hair caressing his cheek as he breathed in the scent of her.
Joss had been sent to him. He would start the next phase of his life
with her by his side. And he would pull her through her troubled
waters. Ben gave her one more lingering kiss then pulled her hand
through his arm. They walked silently toward the parking garage.
His heart thumped slow and steady as
he realized he’d found love. No sweaty palms. No racing heart. No
panic. It was more like an enchantment, this discovery of a person
who filled him with peace and hope, who made him want to be better,
be a hero for someone else. But his usual bulldozer style would not
work on Joss. Exuberance and charm would bounce off her shield.
Patience and determination were the key; Joss would pay attention to
his actions not his words.
Just like his beating heart, slow
and steady would win this race.
Her short stories, Merry Christmas, Henry and Pete's Mighty Purty Privies have won Readers Choice Awards and Dante's Gift received the 2016 Golden Quill and Heart of Excellence award, as well as being a Maggie and Aspen Gold finalist.
Besides her Chicago Christmas novellas, Aubrey will release "A Vintage Romance" series inspired by tales of her stepfather, who served for the British Air Force in WWII. The stories will be set in the 40s & 50s. Her medieval fantasy series will launch in 2017 with Rolf's Quest.
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