Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors !

 I’m back this week with more from my WIP As Long As You’re Mine. I plan on releasing this book sometime in summer 2024, so stay tuned to find out when to expect it.

As Long As You’re Mine

BLURB:

Desperate to marry a man who will not touch her heart, Lady Amantha Easton has pre-arranged to get herself compromised by a gentleman who fits that bill. By mischance, she enters the wrong bedroom where she instead meets Rafael Beauregard, an American architect and charming bad boy. Despite his attractive and playful attitude, Amantha leaves the room untouched (almost) and undetected by her father. She resolves to contact her prospective husband the next day and try the compromise again.

Unfortunately, while waiting for her would be lover, Amantha gives in and kisses Rafe–and is then discovered by her father and forced to marry him. Amanth’s greatest fear is that she will fall in love with him but that he will never fall for her given the circumstances of their marriage. Despite her fears, Amantha decides the best way to prevent her inevitable heartbreak is by making Rafe fall in love with her.

In today’s snippet Amantha is on the brink of putting her desperate plan into operation. She’s afraid to marry a man she loves for fear he won’t love her and will break her heart–just like her father broke her mother’s heart. Her mother died a miserable woman and Amantha refuses to follow in her footsteps. So when her father refuses the man she wants to marry, she takes matters into her own hands to force the issue. I’ve skipped ahead a little bit to chapter 2. Enjoy!

EXCERPT:

Ignoring the wild fluttering in her stomach, Amantha straightened her shoulders, shook back her hair and, with a determined nod, turned the handle.

The dim interior of the room, lit only by the thin moonlight spilling around the drapes at the single window, made Amantha pause as her eyes adjusted to the lack of light. She then crept to the foot of a massive four-poster bed that jutted into the center of the room. For a moment she simply stood there, looking down at the shadowy lump under the coverlet. A gentle snore rumbled from the still figure.

“You fell asleep?” she murmured into the darkness. She would’ve thought the man would be wide-awake and eager to take her into his arms, into his bed. Disgusted by Raif’s lack of interest, she turned to go. It was one thing to want a man she could hold at arm’s length, but not one so weak-willed he had no spine—or enthusiasm—whatsoever.

And a bit more . . .

She sighed. It would be wonderful to marry a man who knew her, who understood her and would love her. A man she could love in return. But that was the fairytale her father had spun and a far cry from the reality of his own marriage. She shook off the thought. After tonight, Raif would at least understand the depth of her determination if nothing else.

She moved to the far side of the bed, careful not to make a noise. Another glance toward the closed door and her heart sped up at faint words audible in the hallway. Had her father come that quickly? She needed time to get into bed with Raif, time to wake him up so he could at least look like they had been in the throes of passion. She had to be thoroughly compromised for this to work, although she supposed just being in the room like this would assure her ruination. But she had to make certain.

Don’t forget to check out the rest of the Warriors here. There are some fantastic snippets to be read!