New Contemporary Romance--THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY Excerpt

 


The “one that got away” catches up with twice divorced Chris Chambers twenty six years later. Is it too late to have a happily ever after?

THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY by author Susanne Marie Knight

Genre: Contemporary Romance

THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY is available for purchase electronically at Amazon.com and Smashwoods.com and Print.

Universal Link: https://books2read.com/u/ml6oE9

Buy link”

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CWSVK66J

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/153115

Print: www.amazon.com/dp/B0CX6L5DVW

RUNNING FROM LOVE

Twice divorced Chris Chambers doesn’t believe in a second chance at love... or rather, another chance. She definitely isn’t looking for love... or even a quick hook-up. She’s very happy where she is at this stage in her life. But at a business convention in Tampa, she comes across an intriguing man she just can’t say no to. He seems so familiar. When she realizes Eric is the one that got away twenty-six years ago, or rather her nineteen-year-old self ran from him all those years ago, she does the predictable thing: she runs again. But sometimes, Fate won’t be denied. After all, as the old saying goes: third time’s a charm.

RUNNING TO LOVE

Widower Eric Paulsen has it all: successful career as a medical doctor, two prospering adult children, a gorgeous house overlooking Tampa Bay... what more can he want? True, his nights do get lonely; his assistant, Hildi, imagines herself to be his next wife; and his daughter goes out of her way to help Hildi accomplish that goal. But when he takes a romantic dinner cruise, a birthday present from the smitten Hildi, he spots a woman who peaks his interest on every level. Turning on the charm, he decides Chris is to be his birthday present. The morning after, he discovers Chris is Christine, his first love from so long ago. Living all these years without her, without true love, he’s determined to convince Christine to finally become his, and his alone.

SCENE SET-UP:

On a dinner cruise to celebrate his birthday, Dr. Eric Paulsen is captivated by a beautiful fellow passenger. He decide to pursue her.

EXCERPT:

Ordering another vodka tonic, Eric then walked downstairs to the first deck, searching for a quiet corner. The first deck was where the galley was, along with dining tables handsomely set up next to picture windows. There was also a hardwood dance floor. Over the speakers, soft music swayed in the air in case anyone cared to dance the night away.

He didn’t care to, but then he spotted a woman who commanded him to look her way.

It wasn’t as if she deliberately called attention to herself. No, there was just something about her that, well, frankly, that grabbed him by the balls. He couldn’t tear his gaze from her. 

The hell! He was actually transfixed.

She was dressed in black, with a type of long Nehru jacket and tight, formfitting pants. Slender and yet shapely, she laughed with a group of women who stood next to one of the area’s many picture windows showcasing the beauty of Tampa Bay. The sun had already set so the sky was slowly deepening into velvet.

Oddly enough, she wore a black straw hat inside. Streaming down onto her shoulders was lustrous chocolate hair. As she moved, he saw the glimmer of gold from hoop earrings playing peek-a-boo with her hair. She had bronze frames on her eyeglasses--very erudite; pouty peach lips that he itched to kiss, and a lovely nose that begged for him to tweak. 

Hell. Oh hell. He had to have her. She would be the perfect birthday present.

The woman held a tumbler glass, filled with dark and lighter liquid. Probably rum. Perhaps this was a Mai Tai with its colorful straw, Polynesian flower, chunk of pineapple, and of course, a maraschino cherry.

His cruise goddess drank too fast. He watched how she guzzled the liquid down. Now done, she accepted another drink from the wandering bartender.

A few feet from her position were land sharks, also eyeing the prize. One looked like a Tampa native in his white polo shirt. Maybe he was in his forties. Another man, probably sixties, wore a Brooks Brothers suit, white shirt, and red satin tie. Yet a third one, grey-haired with a sports coat and a tie that was decorated with fingerprints kept his rapacious gaze on her. Then there was a younger man with longer hair than the goddess. No doubt the man was mealy-mouthed, and wore horn-rimmed eyeglasses.

Sooner or later one of those sharks would swoop in for the kill.

No. She was his. She was destined to be his birthday present.

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Hope you enjoy this second chance romance!

Susanne Marie Knight

http://www.susanneknight.com

Read outside the box: award-winning Romance Writing with a Twist!

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