Also by this author: Healed By Love, SEASIDE NIGHTS, Seized By Love
Do you believe in fate?
World-renowned mountain climber and nature photographer Ty
Braden never believed in second dates, much less heart-pounding,
steal-his-breath love. But that was before a trip to Saint-Luc, where he met
funny, strong, and entrancingly beautiful Aiyla Bell, a ski instructor and
fellow photographer whose hopes and dreams, and love of the outdoors, aligned
perfectly with his—and whose kisses alone turned him inside out.
After spending five magical days and four sweet, soulful
nights falling in love, Aiyla couldn’t imagine a day without Ty. But when he
asked her to go with him on his next assignment, his reputation for having
women at his beck and call stopped her from upending the life she’d worked so
hard to create.
Months later fate steps in when a chance encounter brings Ty
and Aiyla together for a five-day wilderness event held in the Colorado
Mountains. Their deep, passionate connection is stronger than ever, and Ty is
bound and determined not to lose her again. But when tragedy strikes and their
worlds are turned upside down, their love faces the truest test of all.
He leaned in close, and she held her breath, readying for a kiss she wasn’t sure she should accept—but she wanted nonetheless. She closed her eyes and his lips touched her cheek.
“Good luck out there, baby cakes,” he said just above a whisper, and walked away.
The air rushed from her lungs. Baby cakes. That’s what he’d called her last time they were together, though she’d never known why. Did he call everyone baby cakes? And if so, did those other women feel as special as she did when he said it? She watched him walk away and noticed several other girls also enjoying the view of his fine ass in those tight cycling shorts. Life would be a whole lot easier if she were more like her much-older sister, Cherise, who had raised her from the time Aiyla was fifteen, when they’d lost their mother. Cherise lived a careful, meticulously orchestrated life, void of any risks, including those that pertained to her heart. She’d married a safe, reliable accountant with no sense of adventure. They had a comfortable home with a white picket fence and two adorable little boys. Just the idea of living such a mundane life made Aiyla’s stomach turn. Hadn’t their mother’s death taught her sister that fate played its hand no matter how many walls one erected? Living a safe, boring life in fear of it all being taken away wasn’t living at all.
Aiyla had accepted long ago that she’d never be a white-picket-fence type of girl. She loved adventures, thrived on capturing in photographs that would live on forever the faces of people who had lived full, even if torturous, lives. And she felt rejuvenated when surrounded by untamed wilderness. As she forced her gaze away from Ty, her fingers absently brushing over the cheek he’d kissed, she had to admit, she also enjoyed the sheer energy of a man marking his territory.
Now, if only she could focus on the race instead of the man who’d set her heart on fire.
York Times & USA Today bestselling and award-winning author. She writes
sexy and heartwarming contemporary romance and new adult romance with
emotionally compelling characters that stay with you long after you turn the last
page. Melissa’s emotional journeys are lovingly erotic and always family
oriented–perfect beach reads for contemporary romance lovers who enjoy reading
about wealthy heroes and smart, sassy heroines.
