Authors: Heather B. Moore

Tags: #Series, #Romance, #Aliso Creek, #clean romance, #novella, #Contemporary Romance

Third Time's the Charm (6 page)

BOOK: Third Time's the Charm

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Rocky delivered a sharp jab, and Jack shook his head as if
he couldn’t be bothered with his younger brother’s immaturity.

“Guys, we’ve got a lady with us,” Sloane said.

Liz laughed. “It’s totally fine. Reminds me of my siblings.”

“Do you have brothers and sisters?” Rocky asked.

“I have a step-brother and a step-sister. Both are several
years younger than me, so I was basically an only child until about fifteen.”

The waitress showed up with water glasses and took their
orders. The rest of the time at the restaurant was spent with the brothers
teasing each other, sometimes directing it toward Liz, which she loved.

When the meal was over, and she and Sloane were alone again,
walking back to his car, Liz said, “Your brothers are awesome.”

He stopped and stared down at her. “You’re an angel.”

“Whatever. They’re funny and charming, and seem like great
guys.”

“They think you’re pretty great, too.” Sloane pulled her
close. “Thanks for coming tonight, and for everything. I think the nightmare is
finally coming to an end.”

Liz buried her face against his neck and inhaled his warmth.
“It was definitely a unique experience.”

They stayed in each other’s arms for a few more moments,
then broke away, and Sloane opened the car door for Liz.

As he walked around the car, she leaned against the seat and
exhaled. It was incredible that just a few weeks ago, she didn’t even know
Sloane, and now he seemed to fill every gap of her life.

When he climbed in the car, he took her hand, and they drove
back to her apartment in comfortable silence. Liz had a million questions about
the deal that had been reached in the conference room and what Sloane thought
Darci or her father might do next. But that could all wait until later. For
now, she was just content to sit and hold his hand.

Brittney was watching TV when Liz unlocked the apartment
door. Sloane came in behind her as Liz asked, “Did Paisley go to bed all
right?”

“Oh yeah,” Brittney said, rising from the couch and
pocketing her cell phone. “And she said to be sure to wake her up by eight
o’clock in the morning so that she can get ready for Balboa Island.”

Liz laughed. “All right—because it takes a six-year-old
quite a while to get ready.” She handed money over to Brittney, who left,
bounding down the stairs to her apartment beneath Liz’s.

With Brittney gone, Liz shut the door and turned to Sloane,
who had stayed in the entry way. “Are you sure you want to go to Balboa
tomorrow? I thought your busiest days were on the weekend.”

Sloane leaned against the wall. “They are, but my brothers
will be more than happy to cover for me since we just got a lawsuit dropped
against us.”

“True,” Liz said.

Sloane reached for her hand and tugged her toward him. “But
I do have some things to get done tonight, so I’ll let you go.” He pulled her
into his arms, his face inches from hers.

“All right, see you later,” Liz said with a smile.

But instead of leaving, he cupped her face in his hands and
kissed her. “Bye.”

“Bye,” she whispered and wrapped her arms around his neck,
nestling closer.

Sloane kissed her slowly. Apparently he didn’t have to leave
right away after all. Liz let the tingles consume her body at his touch. His
mouth moved from her lips to her jaw, then to her neck.

She pressed even closer, and his hands drew her against him
more possessively. His kisses deepened, becoming more serious and intense. An
ache of longing started inside Liz, and she knew it was time to break away.

“I almost forgot,” she said in a breathless voice. When he
didn’t stop kissing her, she said, “Sloane.”

“What?” He lifted his head.

The look in his eyes sent a tremor down to her toes. She
reluctantly drew away and tugged the ring off her hand. It felt strange to have
it off—as though she’d grown used to it already. “Here’s your prop.”

Sloane blinked down at it. “That’s yours.”

“Maybe you’ll need it again sometime,” Liz said, handing
over the ring.

But he wouldn’t take it. “No, I bought it for
you
.”

Why was he making a big deal out of a piece of costume
jewelry? “All right. Maybe Paisley will want it. Wearing a gigantic fake
diamond isn’t really my thing.” She laughed, but Sloane didn’t even crack a
smile.

“It’s not fake.” Sloane’s gaze was totally serious. “It cost
more than my car.”

“What do you mean?” Liz didn’t understand where he was
coming from. “Is it your mom’s or something?”

“No, I bought it for
you,
Liz,” he said.

She stared at him, stunned. “You bought me a
diamond ring
?”
She looked down at it. What she thought was gaudy at first, she realized was
stunning and exquisite. No wonder Darci had been furious. This was no fake.

“Liz, I know that if I proposed right now, you’d be freaked
out, so I’m not going to,” Sloane said.

Her breath caught, and her heart seemed to stop for a
second.

“But the ring is yours,” Sloane continued in a quiet voice.
“You don’t have to wear it or anything, but I’m not taking it back. I bought it
for you. Although I’d advise not to let Paisley use it as a dress-up.” A small
smile touched his face. “And then, maybe someday, when you’re ready . . .”

Liz looked down at the ring, then back to Sloane. She was
speechless. This man was too much, but he was real, and beautiful, and she was
definitely falling in love with him. She blinked against the tears forming in
her eyes.

“You’re absolutely crazy, you know that?” Liz said. Despite
her effort, a tear escaped and fell onto her cheek.

Sloane brushed her cheek with his thumb, soaking up the
tear. “I know. That’s because I’m crazy in love with you, Liz.”

She felt like laughing and crying at the same time. With a
trembling hand she put the ring back on. It was simply the most gorgeous piece
of jewelry she’d ever seen. But it wasn’t an amazing diamond ring that tied her
to the man in front of her. It was a million and one other things.

“All right. You win, Sloane,” she said, wrapping her arms
around his neck and raising up on her toes to kiss him. “But only because I
love you too.”

More Aliso Creek Novellas

Gemma’s story in the Aliso Creek Novella
series:

Picture Perfect

As part of
A Timeless Romance
Anthology—Spring Vacation Collection

Dear Reader,

If you enjoyed
Third Time’s the Charm
, please
consider posting a review or rating on Amazon, Goodreads, or Barnes &
Noble. Thank you for reading! Also, please feel free to email me:
[email protected]
I would love to hear
from you. All of “the Five” will receive their own story in 2013 as part of the
Aliso Creek Novella series.