To Dance Again
&
Esmeralda and The Second-Hand Suitor
By Hebby Roman
Genre: Contemporary Romance
They say a woman
never forgets her first love, and Maricel Cardona hasn't forgotten Ramón
Morales. She remembers dancing all night in Ramón's arms to the sensual beat of
their homeland, Puerto Rico. When her family forced her to move to the States,
she didn't know she was carrying Ramón's child.
A self-made
multi-millionaire, Ramón hasn't forgotten Maricel and the passion he felt,
dancing with her. Now, at the pinnacle of his success, he's withdrawn from the
world to safeguard his own secret. A secret that, if revealed, would change his
life forever.
Reunited after
twenty-seven years, will the high school sweethearts get a second chance at
love or will their secrets tear them apart?
Placing his
glass on the coffee table, he half-turned toward her. “When did you realize you
loved me? And what kind of love is it? Are you in love with me as a man or as a
fond memory?”
Her head
pounded. Too much booze. Too many questions.
Why was he doing
this—giving her the third degree? And who gave him the right, rubbing her nose
in it? Fury flooded her but rather than stay and fight, she wanted to run away.
She needed to get away from him, like when they’d been driving.
But she wouldn’t
run. Not this time. Instead, she threw caution to the winds. “I’ve always loved
you, Ramón, from the very beginning, since we were kids.”
He crossed his
leg and ran his hand down the pleat of his pants, as if to smooth it. His
action was so controlled, so cool and collected, she wanted to scream.
“You could have
fooled me,” he said. “You went to the States with your parents and never looked
back. I begged you to return and marry me. You kept putting me off.”
“You mean you
couldn’t wait. Your impatience and pride got the better of you.” She took a
deep breath. “You were supporting your mother, for heaven’s sake. We both
needed degrees to survive.”
“Did we? We were
young and in love; we would have gotten by.” The tone of his voice was
uncommonly hard, unforgiving as stone.
So this was it.
He wanted her to pay for an ancient wrong? But he'd been in the wrong, too; he
hadn't known how much she'd needed him.
“What’s a
forty-year-old virgin doing in a predicament like this? Looking for a husband
but not because she wants one. Shy and inexperienced, Esmeralda Garcia is
terrified to be dating and would rather stay at home with her three cats. But
her late father’s will decrees she must marry or forfeit her orchard, her only
means of support.
Hank McCall, as
a romantic prospect, leaves a great deal to be desired. Twice divorced and
older than Esmeralda, he wants to enjoy his semi-retirement and avoid being
entangled in a long-term relationship again.
Scarred by their
pasts and challenged by the gap in their ages, Esmeralda and Hank struggle with
their mutual attraction and growing affection. When Hank is faced with losing
Esmeralda or surrendering to her yearning to have a real family, their fates
hang in the balance.”
“Aren't you
going to ask me inside?” Esme asked.
“No, I'm not,”
Hank replied.
“Why not?” The
stricken look on her face almost undid him.
“Because I got a
contract job and need to make an early start tomorrow.”
“Oh, that's
nice.” She smiled. “I'm happy for you. But I thought work was secondary and
money was no object.” She trailed her fingertips along his jawline.
He kissed the palm
of her hand. “It is, but I do have to live.” Then he grinned and admitted, “And
it's for a friend and he's given me a rather aggressive deadline.”
“How
aggressive?” She settled her hands on his shoulders and massaged them with her
fingers.
He tilted his
head to one side and said, “Mmmm, that feels good. Don't stop.”
“Can I come in
and give you a more private massage?” Her dark brown eyes glittered in the
half-light thrown from his porch lamp.
He grinned. “I
wish. I've got a two-day deadline. I'll probably start tonight, not even wait
until tomorrow.”
“Okay.” She
stopped massaging his shoulders and let her hands stray down his chest. “I
understand, especially if it's for a friend.”
“Good, but when
it's done, I want to see you again.” And he did.
He hated being
without her, hated missing her, trying to fill up his lonely days. Esme was a
force of nature, a quiet and unassuming force of nature, but for him, she was
special. After what Melanie had done to him; he hadn't known if he was capable
of caring again. And two failed marriages to boot. You'd think he'd learn and
give up.
But Esme was
like no other woman, not even his first wife, who'd also been innocent and
naïve when they'd started dating. He couldn't say what was so special about
Esme, but he knew how he felt. As if he could see himself spending the rest of
his days, making her happy.
Good Lord, was
he falling in love with her?
“I want to see
you again, too. When would be convenient?” she asked.
He frowned and
tried to get his bearings. What had he said and what was she answering? Then he
remembered. But the thought that he was falling in love with a woman he'd never
been intimate with had blanked out his thoughts, stolen his reason.
“Uh, yeah, I
think I need to work the weekend, but then I should be free. I'll give you a
call.”
She grabbed the
lapels of his shirt and stroked down, smoothing them. “Uh, Hank, I had an
idea.” She smiled. “But I don't want you to think I'm being pushy or trying to
get you to work more. I, uh, after today, I—”
“Spit it out.”
He grinned back at her. “I'll take what you say with a grain of salt.”
She shook her
head and her pink tongue snaked out between her teeth. Seeing it, he almost
groaned. He leaned closer, wanting to kiss her again.
“My father used
to say that but in Spanish.”
He pulled back.
“I'm not certain I want to remind you of your father. I know I told you how old
I am today, but still…”
Hebby Roman is
the multi-published, Amazon best-selling author of both historical and contemporary
romances. Her first contemporary romance, SUMMER DREAMS, was the launch title
for Encanto, a print line featuring Latino romances. And her re-published
e-book, SUMMER DREAMS, was #1 in Amazon fiction and romance. Her medieval
historical romance, THE PRINCESS AND THE TEMPLAR, was selected for the Amazon
Encore program and was #1 in medieval fiction. She was selected for the
Romantic Times "Texas Author" award, and she won a national Harlequin
contest. Her book, BORDER HEAT, was a Los Angeles Times Book Festival
selection. Her contemporary romance, TO DANCE AGAIN is a 2016 RONE Finalist.
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Laura, thank you for hosting my book tour and my GiveAway. I appreciate your support.
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