Accidentally Hers (Sterling Canyon #1) (28 page)

She turned to face him, her hands clutching his shirt. “Because I love you.”

His gray eyes flickered, the outer edges crinkling as he grinned. “I’m sorry, but I think all that piano playing has made me a little deaf. Can you speak up?”

“I love you, Grey.” She wound her arms around his neck, determined to never let go. “
Forgive me.
”

“No more secrets?” His intense gaze had turned serious as he pulled her against his body.

“Never again. I swear it.”

“
Forgiven.
” He reached his hand behind her neck and pulled her into a desperate kiss.

Avery clung to him, weak from the stress of the past few days. “I missed you. I hated myself, probably more than you and Trip hated me.”

“I never hated you.” He kissed her again, slow and hot, melting her insides. “But you have to believe in this, in us, Avery. We have to put each other first, or it will never work.”

“I know.” She burrowed her face into the crook of his neck. “I swear, Grey. You never have to doubt my loyalty again.”

He squeezed her hard, both their hearts pounding. When he eased away for a second, he smiled. “Trip won’t be back for at least thirty minutes. How do you feel about make-up sex?”

“Pretty enthusiastic.” She nuzzled his neck again.

“That’s my girl.” He tugged her into the bedroom, kicked the door closed, and stripped out of his clothes.

Any reservations Avery had been harboring after making herself so vulnerable faded the minute he captured her in his arms. In that moment she knew, no matter where she lived in the future, he would always be her home.

Acknowledgments

I would like to thank my husband, children, parents, brother, and friends for their continued love, encouragement, and support.

I am grateful to my agent, Jill Marsal, as well as my editor, Irene Billings, and the entire Montlake family for believing in me, and for working so hard on this story.

A special thanks to my friend, Herb Cohen, who patiently answered my questions about personal injury law, and to Bill Scrima for answering questions about arrests, arraignments, and other police matters. For the sake of fiction, I took liberties with the information they provided, but their time and input were invaluable.

I also owe much to The Revisionaries (Monique, Annette, and Rob), and my Beta Babes (Christie, Siri, Katherine, Suzanne, Tami, and Shelley), for their input on various drafts of this manuscript. And many thanks to the Alta 8 (Dusty, Jordan, Dan, Carol, Charlie, Pete, Stacey, and Brad) for helping me retitle this book.

As always, the wonderful members of my CTRWA chapter provided endless hours of support, feedback, and guidance, and I love and thank them for it as well.

Finally, thank you, readers, for making my work worthwhile. With so many available options, I’m honored by your choice to spend your time with me.

About the Author

Photo © 2013 Lora Haskins

Jamie Beck is a former attorney with a passion for inventing stories about love and redemption. In addition to writing novels, she also enjoys dancing around the kitchen while cooking, and hitting the slopes in Vermont and Utah. Above all, she is a grateful wife and mother to a very patient, supportive family.

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