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Jane used to have a different name, a different life—but
that was before she was rescued from the refugee camp after the Rwandan
genocide and brought to the convent to be raised. Now she is being dismissed,
told to go out into the world. But how does she do that when all she knows is
the convent?
Sometimes
she wants to scream, I am a child of
Africa! And sometimes she wants to dream about a love that will save her
from her loneliness…but mostly she wants to fit in.
Tim Singleton
lost his wife to breast cancer less than a year ago and yet the pain and anger
is still fresh in his mind. He hates the sympathetic looks from his colleagues
and tolerates the invitations from friends with their good intentions. When
Corrine died, so did Tim’s faith…so when he received the call from the convent
that his wife had focused her charitable endeavors, Tim isn’t quite sure why
he agreed to help the young African girl with a job.
She didn’t
quite fit in with the others at the law firm that wore thousand dollar Chanel
suits while her clothes were picked with care from the donation bin at the
church. At nearly six feet tall, the shy
girl tried to become invisible in the hectic world around her. But if her
ill-fitting clothes didn’t draw attention to her, then it was a beauty that
couldn’t be hidden so easily.
Soon Jane sees Tim as not only her benefactor,
but her one true love. But can Tim finally open up and allow someone else to
touch his heart? Can he forget their difference in race and age? And more
importantly, would being with him mean the loss of her innocence?
EXCERPT
(Mature readers only; adult content)
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Martier
stripped out of her clothes and stared at herself naked in the mirror. Maybe
she should shave her legs again. Only a few of the nuns shaved their legs and
underarms. Some really should shave their chins and upper lips but you weren’t
supposed to think that.
She
placed her hand over her mound. It was covered in black curly hair and would
surely sprout from the white bathing suit. She’d never shaved her pubic hair before and
her razor wasn’t the best tool for the job, but when she was finished and ran
her hand over the smooth flesh it made her quiver and grow warm. She
immediately moved her hand away and concentrated on the hair on her head.
Removing
all of the pins she let down her bun. Her hair fell into heavy waves along her
shoulders and down her back where they bounced at the middle of her shoulder
blades. Making sure that everything
looked hair-free where it should be hair-free, she slipped on the bathing suit
that Claudette had called a tool.
Martier
knew that Claudette had thought her too naive to understand. But she did want
Tim to look at her as more than a charity case that he had to take care
of. If it was a tool, then so be it. She
didn’t bother with a towel or shoes. She shook out her thick hair, and then
nervously left the house feeling naked; as naked and vulnerable as a newborn
kitten.
Tim added
extra coals because he wanted indirect heat and for the meat to cook for hours
so that it fell off the bone. He poked the coals until he was satisfied that
they took up no more than half of the grill. He heard Martier’s approach and
turned. The poker fell out of his hand and clattered to the ground.
Tim’s
mouth parted and he stared at the beautiful woman approaching him. If this was
a movie the world would have converted into slow motion and everything except
the sight of her would have been blurred out. She wore a simple white bathing
suit. It was not cut high at the thighs, the neckline did not plunge down to
show cleavage. There was nothing singularly erotic about the suit. But it
seemed to Tim that it was the most erotic thing he’d ever seen. The contrast
between the deep darkness of Martier’s skin and the stark white fabric was but
one element. But then add to that the way the fabric clung to her every curve.
And yes she was lean but she was curvy in a way that her previous wardrobe
could have never told.
Her
breast weren’t large but they didn’t have to be. Their perfect roundness was
evident even beneath the fabric. Lithe and tall didn’t mean skinny, far from
it. Her narrow waist swelled toward hips that swayed softly as she walked. Her
thighs and legs were toned and nicely formed. His eyes moved up to where her
face was haloed by luxurious waves of cascading black hair. She wore no make-up, no jewelry and yet he
thought she could rival any Hollywood actress or any Parisian runway model.
“Martier…”
He managed.
She
smiled and tried for brave, maybe even alluring but she thought it only ended
up as embarrassed. Tim blinked. His eyes
darted away; only then could he think those thoughts that needed to be thought.
Because when she had smiled at him, in just that second when she was innocence
mixed with seduction, Tim Singleton’s heart soared.
“You
look…beautiful. Your suit! I mean…you.”
He stammered and then wanted to palm his face for sounding like an idiot
schoolboy.
She tried
not to duck her head, or wrap her arms in front of her, but to stand still and
accept his compliment with good grace.
“Thank
you.” She cocked her head and glanced at the grill. “Is it ready? I left the
meat in the refrigerator-” She gestured back to the cottage.
“I’ll get
it.” He was already darting across the yard to the little cottage. Once inside
he shut the door and took a moment to try to reign everything in. He pressed
his erection with the palm of his hand, but that actually felt way too good.
Walking to the kitchen he tried to think of things to curb the sudden spike of
desire. Nuns didn’t work this time. He just kept picturing Martier.
“This
is no good.” He muttered while storming into the kitchen. He gripped the
counter. “Tonight you will jerk off like a beast, but right now pull it
together Tim!” She is beautiful, but she
is innocent. Help her the way Corrine would have wanted, but keep your hands
off!
Coming to Amazon January 22nd and Barnes and Noble Thursday January 24th.
