Tempted by Fate (39 page)
Authors: Kate Perry
Tags: #Fiction, #General, #Romance, #Paranormal, #Fantasy
“Then we’ll make sure it thrives.” Keeping her eyes on his, she took his hands and placed them on the soil. She covered them with hers and released a gentle flow of
mù ch’i
through him and into the ground to soothe the plant.
Willow felt the plant’s sigh. She waited until its roots gripped firmly into the ground and its branches stretched out and up before she let
mù ch’i
trickle off and sat back.
Ramirez frowned at the plant. “I’m not sure I’ll ever get used to that. What else can you do?”
“Take me inside and I’ll show you.”
His stunned look melted into heat. Without a word, he stood, hauled her over his shoulder, and carried her up the stairs to his home. She wanted to make a pithy remark, but she kept quiet all the way up to his room. She didn’t even say anything when he stripped her, dropped her onto his bed, and crawled on top of her.
He kissed the tips of her breasts before making his way to her mouth. He looked down at her, so much emotion shining fiercely in his eyes. “I love you, Willow.”
She didn’t question it. She didn’t fight it. Instead, for the first time in twenty years, she embraced it. Arms snaking around his neck, she held him close to her. Her voice was hoarse with emotion when she said, “I love you, too.”
He kissed her, slowly and thoroughly. She was panting by the time he lifted his head. “In case it wasn’t clear, this is your home from now on.”
She nodded. “I think I got that.”
“No arguments?”
“I’m many things, but I’m not an idiot.”
“The only thing you are is mine.” And then he kissed her again. And again.
And again.
Where authors give you the inside scoop!
From the desk of Kate Perry
In going through my desk, I found personal case notes from Rick Ramirez, the hero of TEMPTED BY FATE, Book Three in the Guardians of Destiny series…
From the files of Rick Ramirez,
Homicide Inspector,
San Francisco Police Department
There’s something in the air, and it’s not good.
In fact, its been stinking up the city for over a year—just about the time I first met Gabrielle Sansouci Chin, in fact. Although I was investigating a homicide at the time, so maybe I was inclined to be suspicious.
Gabrielle struck me odd, and it didn’t help my image of her when she took up with Rhys Llewellyn. He may be an internationally respected businessman, but I can tell he has secrets—dark ones. So does Gabrielle, although as hard as I try I can’t seem to uncover them.
As if that wasn’t bad enough, my close
friend Carrie Woods got in over her head with the wrong people several months ago. Fortunately, she had her muscle-bound boyfriend Max Prescott to watch over her. That didn’t stop her from getting mixed up in one of the strangest deaths I’d ever seen in my career as a homicide inspector for the SFPD.And now this. Two dead bodies on a park bench.
It should be routine. It should be easy. But something is off—again—and I can’t figure out what that is.
I hate that I can’t work it out.
Worse: at the scene, I noticed a woman walking away. Or more correctly, I saw the gleam of her white-blond hair as she slipped into the night. The murderer? Highly likely. Which makes the feeling in my gut way more complicated.
Complicated? Right. Screwed up is more like it. Because I want to chase her down, and not to question her about the homicide. Let’s just say when I picture putting cuffs on her, it’s in less than a professional capacity.
A homicide inspector and the chief suspect in more than one murder. A match made in hell…
RR
I hope you enjoy Ramirez and TEMPTED BY FATE! Don’t forget to check out the equally engaging (and hot) heroes in the other Guardians of Destiny books. And drop by
www.kateperry.com
to say hi—I’d love to hear from you.
From the desk of Laurel McKee
Dear Reader,
A while back, I read a book by Paul Collins called Sixpence House: Lost in a Town of Books, that stated that a writer’s characters can no more take over a story than an eggplant can take over a kitchen. I had to laugh at the image of a bossy eggplant marching into my kitchen (and I sort of wish it could take over in there, because I’m a terrible cook), but I have to disagree about the characters.
Sometimes we’re lucky enough to meet a character who comes so vividly to life in our imagination that their story must be told—and they insist it has to be told their way! One such character for me was Lady Anna Blacknall.
Anna was the sister of Eliza Blacknall, the heroine of my first “Daughters of Erin” book, COUNTESS OF SCANDAL. When I started writing that first novel, I knew Anna would have her own story, but I wasn’t sure yet what it would be. Then I really “met” her, and she was so many things that I wish I could be: blond, tall, extroverted, a good card player. Even worse—she was really nice. She practically sat down by my desk and told me what her story would be. I just had to find the right hero for her, and he presented himself as the dark, strong, mysterious Duke of Adair. A good match for the passionate and rebellious Anna, and the two of them were more than a match for me. She told me their love story, and I just had to keep up and write it all down just as she wanted.
Writing DUCHESS OF SIN was a wild ride, and I was so sorry to say good-bye to Anna and Conlan at the end! (Luckily we’ll see them again in the third book, LADY OF SEDUCTION. You can also find excerpts and historical background on the books at my website
http://laurelmckee.net
.)
I never could have kept up with Anna and her Duke without lots of tea and sugary desserts to see me through. Since these books are set in Ireland, writing them and picturing that country made me crave some of my grandmother’s old recipes. This is one of my favorites: Sticky Toffee Pudding. It’s a great inspiration!
- 1 cup plus 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ¾ cup pitted dates
- 1 ¼ cups boiling water
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, softened
- ¾ cup sugar
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 1 tsp vanilla
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 cup heavy cream, whipped
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 10-inch round or square baking dish. Sift flour and baking powder onto a sheet of waxed paper. Chop the dates fine. Place in a small bowl and add boiling water and baking soda; set aside. Beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla; beat until blended. Gradually beat in the flour mixture. Add date mixture to the batter and fold until blended with a rubber spatula. Pour into the prepared baking dish. Bake until pudding is set and firm on top, about 35 minutes. Remove from oven to a wire rack.
Sauce
: Combine butter, cream, and brown sugar in a small, heavy saucepan; heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil gently over medium low heat until mixture is thickened, about 8 minutes. Preheat broiler. Spoon about 1/3 cup of the sauce over the pudding. Spread evenly on top. Place pudding under the broiler until the topping is bubbly, about 1 minute. Serve immediately, spooned into dessert bowls. Drizzle with remaining toffee sauce and top with a spoonful of whipped cream.
Enjoy!
Bear with me because I have a fair amount of gratitude to express, not to mention a whole lot of love. I’m warning you now: I may get mushy and sentimental. Brace yourself. If you can’t stand it, just start reading the story—it’s mush-free. Mostly.
First, the gratitude. A huge round of applause to…
My readers. You guys rock. Thanks for the unwavering support.
Matt, the kung fu cop, for explaining all things homicide to me. (Mistakes and/or embellishments are my own.)
Holly, and Latoya, and all of Team GCP.
Java Beach, both its crew and its patrons, for giving me an awesome workplace.
Now, the love.
For pouring more support, kindness, and affection on me than I knew existed, extra-slobbery smooches to…
| Parisa | Veronica and Adam | Katie and Gail |
| Andre | Clara and Owen | Afra and Diego |
| Julie | Mom and Dad | Emilio |
| Phil | Dave and Kristen | Dawn and George |
| Scott | Malik and Kekoa | Jon and Barbara |
| Carin | Candace and Jerry | Jen |
I’m truly blessed to have you all.