Nicole wanted to keep things casual with Ray after returning to the island, but a positive pregnancy test causes complications for them both. Can Nicole stop fighting Ray long enough for the two to have a second chance? Readers who love Kennedy Ryan and Nicole Snow will love Kiss of Fate by Louise Lennox, an unexpected pregnancy, second chance romance.
Blurb
The Carolina Lowcountry is sexier, because the beautiful Kiawah Kisses rule the Sea Islands with strength, spice, and sass. This summer, each friend will reconnect with a Gullah hometown hero and learn to love again. This is Nicole’s story…
When two lines appear on a pregnancy test, Hollywood’s top casting agent Nicole Mack knows exactly who’s to blame-Ray Baines! They’ve happily hooked up for two years now, so the positive result is no surprise. But it is a problem! Ray is back home on Kiawah Island; the very place Nicole worked hard to ignore after he broke her heart a decade ago.
Hooking up proves she no longer hates him, but she’s still mad as hell.
Ray Baines has terrible luck. He was NBA rookie of the year, before he got hurt. He was the hometown hero before he became a hermit. And he lost the love of his life, Nicole, to foolish pride and an ill-advised marriage ten years ago.
As a matter of fact, the only good thing in his life is Miracle, his daughter, and he refuses to complicate her life. So, when Nicole arrived in town two years ago to support a friend, he cautiously agreed to hook-up and keep things light. But now she’s pregnant and all bets are off!
Nicole Mack is his… Well, at least, she was. If she stops fighting him long enough; she always will be.
Kiss of Fate, book 3 in the Kiawah Kisses Series, is a steamy, small town, contemporary romance featuring a strong, smart heroine and the compassionate and sexy boy-next-door who recaptures her heart. Download it today and get ready to fall in love with your next favorite book boyfriend.
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Excerpt
Copyright 2021 @Louise Lennox
My stomach turns somersaults as I wear a tight smile to keep the nausea at bay.
Casting next summer’s hottest blockbuster is the break I’ve been waiting for since starting my agency last year. When I left Lorraine McIntosh’s firm, we were on good terms, but she made it clear I could not bring any clients over with me. I didn’t trip, even if I worked my Black ass off to get her those clients. I respect her gangster. I knew I’d make it on my own, because that’s what Black women do. Call it magic, the secret, or whatever else you want. Success is inside my DNA.
I’ve been on the grind for the past two years. I built my firm from scratch. Next to Lorraine, I am the most sought-out casting director in Hollywood. I’m determined to surpass her. All I have to do is the one thing she never had the guts to do, and that’s establish an international office. I want to handle casting for Dubai’s emerging film market, Nollywood’s market in Nigeria, and eventually China’s dynamic cinema scene.
This afternoon, I’m standing in front of Cornerstone Film’s Head of Development and Production, ready to shake on one of the biggest deals in Hollywood this year. I outbid Lorraine, and she’s seething. This meeting is the culmination of weeks of negotiation. I only wish I was in a better mood. I feel like shit and all I can focus on is keeping the carbonara I had for lunch from coming up to say hi.
“Ms. Mack. I’m looking forward to working closely with you on this deal. Your company has been such a joy this week; I know I will miss you when I finally sign this deal.”
I barely smile when he stands. I’m scared any sudden movement will definitely end with my lunch on the floor. But I can’t just sit here. Fatin Ayad expects a handshake, and this is one man you don’t disappoint.
Tunisian and fine as hell, the industry knows him for his high standards and integrity. He also has a strong foothold in the Dubai film market, and I need this business relationship to flourish. At the moment, he’s flirting with me, but I know he’d never compromise the ethics of a deal for sexual antics. I performed an extensive background check. He’s an odd mix of modern business practices, such as meetings at the local Judo studio instead of on a golf course. He did his research, too. While he’s so old school, he still seals deals with an actual handshake.
I slowly stand, and his eyebrows scrunch. “Are you feeling OK, Ms. Mack? Should I get you a glass of water, you look faint.”
Shit. I can’t afford to appear weak. I square my shoulders and clear my throat as I move towards him.
“No, Mr. Ayad. I assure you, I’m fine. Must be the heat.”
Must be the heat… it’s 80 degrees and breezy today. Now he knows I’m full of shit.
His eyes fill with concern. And I hate it. I clear my throat again and close my eyes as another wave of nausea attacks me. Somehow, I reach my hand out for a shake.
“I look forward to providing the best talent for this project and many more Mr. Ayad.”
He nods his head, and a faint smile hints at the corner of his mouth. He shakes my hand with a latte-colored grip. His strength is an aphrodisiac. I look up at his 6’0 frame and admire his firm jaw. He wants to say something else, but he refrains. Instead, he steps around me and signs the contract on my desk. He turns back to me and flashes a winning smile. That’s when I notice his dimples for the first time. He’s a beautiful man. If he finally asks me out, I’m saying yes… for one night. Then maybe we can kick it lightly if he’s as drama-free as I heard, because I don’t do relationships.
Men are full of shit. They say they want a successful woman, but when you become one, they leave. If they stay, you dare not out earn or perform them, because their fragile ego will break. If it doesn’t don’t break, then the man hardens into a mean and vindictive toddler trying to make you miserable. I’ve seen it all, and I’m good on all that. But a nice fuck with a rich and sexy man hurt no one.
“Oh Ms. Mack, I’m looking forward to it as well. Now that all of our business is taken care of, may I ask you to dinner? I’ve waited weeks to ask you and this entire meeting I’ve been bursting at the seams to do so.”
Oh God, don’t say bursting. I give him a weak smile. “Sure. I’m free Friday night?”
He nods. “It’s a date. I want to take you two the new sushi restaurant in Wilshire. I read you’re a fan of the cuisine. Their sashimi is to die for. And their seaweed salad bursts with flavor the moment it hits your mouth. I look forward to your review.”
I open my mouth to agree, but I buck back. The picture of seaweed and sashimi bursting with flavor is the last straw. Right there on the crocodile shoes of one of the finest and most powerful Hollywood executives, I throw up every bit of my lunch, covering his feet in Carbonara.
With my mouth covered, I run into my office bathroom and shut the door. I hear him call after me, but I can’t face him right now. First, I’m embarrassed. But most of all, my body is not through with me yet. I lean over the toilet and finish dumping the rest of my lunch as his loud knocks land on the door. This is the fifth day in a row my food has attacked me. I’m pretty sure there is only one explanation.
I’m going to kill Ray Baines!
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About Louise Lennox
Contemporary romance Author Louise Lennox is a hopeful romantic writing steamy romances full of heart and healing.
A Spelman College and Georgetown University graduate, Louise provides women with diverse and meaningful representation in romance novel pages. Not seeing enough women like herself headlining positive love stories, she launched #HappyBlackRomance; a community of readers and writers committed to the creation and sharing of positive romance stories featuring Black heroines.
Louise Lennox plots highlight the joys of Black relationships across the diaspora; pushing readers from all cultural backgrounds to admire them for their strength and downright sexiness. In her novels sparks always fly; the sex amazes; and the characters always leave the world better than they found it through their love.
When she’s not writing, Louise is enjoying her work as a school leader, wife, and mother of the two cutest dragons to ever walk the earth!
To learn more about #HappyBlackRomance and to score a free book or two, check out her website www.lovelouiselennox.com.
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