Authors: Liz Crowe
What the fuck was he thinking, making a spectacle like this?
Her eyes burned as she kept them locked on his trying to determine if the whole thing were a dream. The sapphire blue of Jack's gaze pulled her closer. When she finally arrived in front of him, she crossed her arms and cocked her head, bringing laughter from the crowd.
Jack looked around for a split second, then pulled a velvet box from his trouser pocket, opened it and went down on one knee. The room exploded with applause, chatter and more female sighs. Sara stood, frozen, observing what must be a four-carat emerald-shaped diamond set in platinum. Visions of Jack with Heather on his lap, and the feel of Craig's strong body pressed to hers as he drove her away from that terrible party fought for attention in her brain. She met Jack's eyes again.
"Really," she mouthed, arms still crossed.
"Yes, really," he took the ring out its velvet nest and held out his hand for hers.
Pushy bastard.
He pulled her close, and whispered in her ear. "You have to trust me this time. I mean it." He groaned, making her smile. "Hell I can't even do this right."
Ignoring the near silence in the room full of people she pulled back and stared at him. "Why here? What's with the big gesture? It's not fair. I feel a tad manipulated."
He grinned. "Good. That's my plan." He shut off her response with lips, firm and commanding. His tongue teased her a moment as cheers rang down around them. Sara felt her whole body lighten. Could this possibly be happening?
Sara took a deep breath, placed her hand in his and nodded, as tears slipped down her cheeks. If it were possible, the room got even louder. Sara couldn't hear anything but Jack as he stood, took her in his arms and kissed so deeply her head spun.
"You won't regret it Sara," he finally whispered. "I promise. You can trust me. I promise that too."
He took her hand, and they faced the now standing group. The fact that the words "I love you," were on her lips but unsaid did not escape her rattled brain, but there was time enough for that later. Her eyes scanned the crowd, saw that Blake had left, and that Craig was the only one not standing. He sat, legs still sprawled in front of him, arm hooked over the back of his chair, staring at Sara with unasked questions in his eyes.
She wiped her wet face, smiled at her colleagues, gave Jack a peck on the cheek and a slap on the ass to the delight of all and returned to her seat. Her face burned and the enormous diamond felt heavy on her finger..
"I'd say, 'get a room you two', but from what I understand, you don't usually require one," Greg Stewart bellowed into the microphone causing a fresh round of laughter as Sara rolled her eyes and sat not meeting Craig's look.
He leaned over to her. "Congratulations, and good luck," he pressed a soft kiss on her cheek, rose and left the room. Sara squeezed her eyes shut for a second, realizing she'd likely made the sort of fork-in-the-road decision one should not make in public. She was beyond pissed at him for putting her in such a spot. Pats on her back and a table full of friends wanting to see her ring brought her back to the room as she stared at the gem on her left hand ring finger. Smiling at the man she had agreed to marry in front of two hundred of her nearest and dearest, and about ten or fifteen intensely jealous women, her mind spun but her heart sang as it resumed something resembling a normal rhythm.
Sara took deep breaths, let thoughts of weddings and dealing with her parents flit in and out of her head. When Jack looked straight at her during her presentation and winked she surprised herself by blowing him a kiss.. Maybe this would be fine after all. Plenty of time for the "I love you's" later.
She watched as her fiancée put the final flourishes on his presentation, descended the podium and sat in the chair Craig had vacated. He leaned into her ear. "I love you Sara. Thank you." He kissed her hand then turned around to listen to the rest of the meeting, leaving her speechless and, for the first time since laying eyes on him, truly happy.
The End….
(The Realtors Book 2)
Coming February 2012 to Tri Destiny Publishing's Sizzlin' Books Line
Jack Gordon thought he'd finally made it. He had a wildly successful career, money in the bank and even returned to his life as Dom, putting an end to a string of unfulfilling sexual encounters. Now that he's made the ultimate commitment to Sara Thornton, he believes all is right in their world. However, a series of misunderstandings and a dose of self-fulfilling prophesy bring his perfectly crafted house of cards tumbling down around him, forcing him to confront lingering misgivings about marriage and trust. Could those be the only two things he can never achieve?
Sara struggles with her intense need for Jack and her desire for less volatility in her busy life, two goals which appear to be mutually exclusive. Although willing to put in the time and emotional effort to make their relationship work, she finds it futile and frustrating, littered with clashes thanks to near-identical personalities and temperaments. Given Sara's history, easing back into the comfortable status quo becomes easier than fighting a war with the one person who should be her safe haven. But will the easier choice satisfy her the way only Jack can? Is her "war" one that comes from without or within?
Buffeted by circumstance, temptation and distraction, Jack and Sara's tenuous relationship crumbles, sparking a continuous quest for the ever elusive: trust, love and acceptance. By the time they rebuild a foundation for renewal, fate has other plans. This leaves them both reeling, once again questioning their destiny.
Microbrewery owner, beer blogger and journalist, mom of three teenagers, and soccer fan, that's how Liz describes herself. She lives in the great Midwest, in a major college town. Years of experience in sales and fund raising, an eight-year stint as an ex-pat trailing her spouse around the world, and making her way in a world of men (i.e. the beer industry) has prepped Liz for life as erotic romance author. When she is not sweating beer inventory, sales figures or promotional efforts for her latest publication, she can be found walking her standard poodles or doing Bikram Yoga.
If you want an education in beer topics, follow her beer blog:
www.a2beerwench.com
Writing-related topics, including backlist titles, latest release updates, interviews, tour dates, and more, can be found here:
www.brewingpassion.com
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www.facebook.com/lizcroweauthor