From This Moment, an all-new sexy and emotional standalone from USA Today Bestselling author Melanie Harlow is coming October 10th!
From This Moment by Melanie Harlow
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publishing Date: October 10th, 2017
It was like seeing a ghost.
When my late husbandβs twin brother moves back to our small town, I want to avoid him. Everything about Wes reminds me of the man I lost and the life weβd planned together, and after eighteen long months struggling just to get out of bed, Iβm finally doing okay. I have a new job, an amazing support group, and a beautiful five-year-old daughter to parent. I donβt want to go backward.
But Iβm drawn to him, too. He understands my grief and anger and loneliness like no one elseβand I understand his. Before long, that understanding becomes desire, and that desire becomes uncontrollable.
We make excuses. We blame our sorrow. We promise each other it will never happen again.
But it does.
And when our secret threatens to destroy his family and my reputation, weβll have to decide whatβs more importantβloyalty or love?
Excerpt:
βOkay.β I ditched my flip-flops on the small, beach-level deck, and we set our wine glasses and the bottle on the deckβs little round table. Wes was already barefoot. Together we dragged the forest green canoe from the tall beach grasses on the side of the deck down to the waterβs edge and tipped it over.
βLet me rinse it out a little,β Wes said, frowning at the dirt and spider webs inside. βWant to grab the paddles? They should be in the shed.β
βOn it.β I went to the small shed on the embankment, opened it up and grabbed the oars, which stood in one corner. On the shelves were life jackets and sand toys and deflated rafts that probably had holes in them, and scratched into the wooden door among other graffiti was WP + CB. Huh. Iβd never noticed that before. Who was CB? I glanced over my shoulder at Wes, whoβd taken off his T-shirt and tossed it onto the sand.
My stomach full-out flipped.
Quickly, I shut the door to the shed and brought the oars down to the canoe.
Wes stood up straight and stuck his hands on his hips. He wore different sunglasses than Drew had worn, more of an aviator than a wayfarer. The body was similar, though Wesβs arms seemed more muscular, especially through the shoulder. Other things were the same and caused a rippling low in my bodyβthe soft maroon color of his nipples, the trim waist, the trail of hair leading from his belly button to beneath the low-sling waistband of his red swim trunks. In my head I heard Tessβs voice. Arms. Chest. Shoulders. Skin. Stubble. Muscle. The smell of a man. The solidity of him.
βWhatβs the law on drinking and canoeing?β he asked.
Whatβs the law on staring at your brother-in-lawβs nipples? I wondered, swallowing hard. What was wrong with me?
βI think weβre okay,β I said, handing the oars to him. Our hands touched in the exchange. βLet me grab our glasses.β
βPerfect. If you hold them, Iβll take us out.β
I retrieved the wine glasses from the table and walked carefully across the sand to the lakeβs edge, taking deep, slow breaths. A sweat had broken out across my back. I was wearing a swimsuit beneath my cover up, a modest tankini, but I didnβt want to remove it. Wading ankle deep, I attempted to step into the canoe, but it wobbled beneath my foot.
βWhoa.β Wes took me by the elbow and didnβt let go until I was seated at one end, facing the other. βOkay?β
I nodded. Despite the heat, my arms had broken out in goose flesh.
βAll right, here we go.β As he rowed us away from shore, the breeze picked up, cooling my face and chest and back.
βDrew and I used to have canoe-tipping contests.β
I snapped my chin down and skewered Wes with a look over the top of my sunglasses. βDonβt even think about it.β
He just grinned, the muscles in his arms and chest and stomach flexing with every stroke of the oars through the water. Momentarily mesmerized, I allowed myself the pleasure of watching him. It was okay if we were both thinking about Drew, wasnβt it?
In fact, it was only natural that I was intrigued by the sight of Wesβs body. He was my husbandβs identical twin, for heavenβs sake, and I missed his physical presence in my life. I missed looking at him naked. I missed feeling the weight of him above me. I missed the feeling of being aroused by him, of my bodyβs responses to his touch, his kiss, his cock.
Deep in my body, the rusty mechanism of arousal creaked to life. My nipples peaked, my stomach hollowed, and something fluttered between my legs.
Oh, Jesus.
I sat up straighter, pressed my knees together, and closed my mouth, which I realized had fallen open. Hopefully I hadnβt moaned or anything. After another sip of wine, I turned my head and studied a freighter off in the distance. My heart was beating way too fast.
Itβs only natural. Itβs only natural.
Wes stopped paddling and set the oars in the bottom of the canoe, their handles resting against the seat in the middle. βWeβll have to bring Abby out here.β
βDefinitely.β Did my voice sound normal? βSheβll love it. Here, want this?β I held his wine glass toward him and he reached out to take it. His fingers brushed mine, and I pulled my hand back as if the touch had burned me.
βThanks.β He tipped the glass up then looked along the shore. βIβd like to find a place on the lake. Maybe not along this stretch of beach, though.β
I caught his meaning and smiled. βA little too close to home?β
βYeah. But I donβt want to be too far away. Iβd like to get a boat too.β
βWhat kind of boat? Drew always talked about it, but we never quite settled on one.β
βNot sure. Maybe just a little fishing boat, something to ski behind.β
βThat sounds fun. Drew loved to ski.β
βWeβll have to teach Abby.β
I laughed. βYou, not we. I managed to get up and stay up a few times, but I am not the expert.β
βYou can teach her to cook, Iβll teach her to water ski.β
βDeal.β Separate activities seemed like a good idea.
βBreakfast was incredible.β
βThanks.β I tucked a strand of hair that had escaped my ponytail behind my ear, but the wind blew it right back into my face. βI really like working there. Iβm so glad Georgia suggested it to me.β
βHow long have you been there?β
βSince spring, when they got busy. Iβm not sure what Iβll do this winter when it slows down. Iβm dreading it, actually. Abby will be in school full time, and it will just be me at home alone.β This was something else I hadnβt talked about with anyone, how worried I was that the gray skies and cold weather and silent hours would set me spiraling into depression. βI always thought Iβd have another baby to take care of, but life saw things differently.β
βYouβre still young, Hannah.β
I shook my head. βIβm really not. And I feel even older than I am.β Please donβt go Grief Police on me and tell me Iβm being ridiculous, I begged him silently. This isnβt the life I chose. It was handed to me and Iβm doing the best I can.
But he didnβt say anything more, just sipped his wine and looked out at the horizon. I was grateful.
βWhat about you?β I asked. βThink maybe youβll get married now that youβre back? Have a family? Abby wonβt have any siblings so she needs some cousins.β
βThat seems to be a popular topic of discussion around here,β Wes said, shaking his head, βbut I really have no idea.β
βSmall town. We like to know everyoneβs business.β I smiled. βHey, what about CB? I saw your initials carved with hers on the door of the shed. Maybe sheβs still around.β
He groaned. βIs that still there? Jesus. That had to be twenty years ago.β
Hugging my knees, I leaned forward. βFirst love?β
βNot even.β He hesitated, as if he were trying to decide whether to confess something.
βCome on,β I cajoled, carefully reaching out of the canoe, and splashing water toward him. βTell me. Iβve been spilling my guts for an hour.β
βFirst kiss.β
I squealed. βAnd?β
He cringed. βItβs too embarrassing.β
βWes, I had a completely humiliating breakdown in front of you last night. I got snot on my arm.β
βThis is worse.β
βGet it out. Youβll feel better.β
βLetβs just say it was a very awkward, very fast experience.β
I gasped. βYou lost your virginity to her?β
βNo. Just my dignity.β
Laughing, I tilted my head back and felt the sun on my face, the wind in my hair, and something like joy in my heart.
It had been a long time.
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About the Author:
Melanie Harlow likes her martinis dry, her heels high, and her history with the naughty bits left in. When she’s not writing or reading, she gets her kicks from TV series like VEEP, Game of Thrones, House of Cards, and Homeland. She occasionally runs three miles, but only so she can have more gin and steak. Melanie is the author of the HAPPY CRAZY LOVE series, the FRENCHED series, and the sexy historical SPEAK EASY duet, set in the 1920s. She lifts her glass to romance readers and writers from her home near Detroit, MI, where she lives with her husband, two daughters, and pet rabbit.
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