Series: Love by Design
Author: M.C. Cerny
Genre: Adult Contemporary Romance
Release Date: August 25, 2020
Cover Design: Amy Queau from QDesigns
Cover Design: Amy Queau from QDesigns
For Kiara Roberts, cancer was a b*tch. It took her teenage years, her shot at the Olympic team, and her leg. She was not letting it take her new job as the high school track coach and health educator. Sketchy test results put her patience on edge and made it a struggle to keep pushing forward. She needed a night of dancing, drinking, and fun with her friends to mark a new beginning, no matter what the future held.
Coming home was supposed to be a relief for Army Specialist David Easton. He served his country and after months of rehab, the PTSD remained unbearable. Drinking wasn’t the answer, nor was co-owning the family bar with his brother. Getting the job at his old high school was manageable and put his family at ease giving the illusion that life was back to normal. It was anything but, and the moment he spotted Kiara across a crowded dance floor during the lowest point in his life everything changed.
Kiara wasn’t attracted to jarheads. She didn’t have room in her life for players no matter how sexy and sweet they seemed. So why was David Easton showing up everywhere? There was no escaping him, and her only option left might be surrender.
Book six in the Love By Design series of contemporary romantic comedies.
Mission For Love is written to be read as a standalone, but many readers prefer to read the series in order.
After rounds of amazing sex, we ended up doing shots of tequila for some ungodly reason playing twenty questions. None of which, I remembered. Definitely time to go.
I slipped out from under his arm listening to him snuffle in his sleep. Turning, I watched him for a full minute before delicately padding to the door backward in my booted feet. I didn’t see a pen or paper in his neat apartment, so I went without leaving a note. What would I have said anyway? I made it without having to take off my princess slippers and revealing my secret. It wasn’t about protecting David or my sensibilities, but because I needed something unspoiled about this special evening.
With my focus on my job and getting my girls cross country team to Sectionals, I couldn’t do more than this. A new school year was always insanely busy, and I was considered new faculty in my third year. Last night was wonderful, exactly as it was and while I might regret walking away someday, I needed this for now. Besides, I knew he lived here.
I slipped out the door feeling a little reckless and thief-like as I let the door lock in place behind me. I rested my head against the frame for a second and then pulled up a local car app on my phone the college kids frequented. Luckily, a driver was two minutes out and I would be on my way.
I was almost to the landing when a door opened and a tiny little redhead peeked out startling us both.
“Oh heavens!” She shouted and I shushed her as I looked back at David’s door.
“You lost, darling?” She asked with a faint southern accent and I grimaced a smile.
“No, just on my way to a ride.”
“You uh, entertaining with one of the Easton’s?” She eyed me up and down and I didn’t quite appreciate the early morning side eye. Sore muscles and little sleep on an empty stomach did not present the best version of me.
“Not that it’s any of your business, but yes. I’m leaving now.”
Her eyes narrowed and she huffed. “Don’t let the door split ya, where the good lord made ya.” She shut her door with a loud thump probably aimed at waking David. I didn’t stay to find out as my phone beeped signaling the driver was here and waiting.
What a bizarre morning in my sleepy little town.
I slipped out from under his arm listening to him snuffle in his sleep. Turning, I watched him for a full minute before delicately padding to the door backward in my booted feet. I didn’t see a pen or paper in his neat apartment, so I went without leaving a note. What would I have said anyway? I made it without having to take off my princess slippers and revealing my secret. It wasn’t about protecting David or my sensibilities, but because I needed something unspoiled about this special evening.
With my focus on my job and getting my girls cross country team to Sectionals, I couldn’t do more than this. A new school year was always insanely busy, and I was considered new faculty in my third year. Last night was wonderful, exactly as it was and while I might regret walking away someday, I needed this for now. Besides, I knew he lived here.
I slipped out the door feeling a little reckless and thief-like as I let the door lock in place behind me. I rested my head against the frame for a second and then pulled up a local car app on my phone the college kids frequented. Luckily, a driver was two minutes out and I would be on my way.
I was almost to the landing when a door opened and a tiny little redhead peeked out startling us both.
“Oh heavens!” She shouted and I shushed her as I looked back at David’s door.
“You lost, darling?” She asked with a faint southern accent and I grimaced a smile.
“No, just on my way to a ride.”
“You uh, entertaining with one of the Easton’s?” She eyed me up and down and I didn’t quite appreciate the early morning side eye. Sore muscles and little sleep on an empty stomach did not present the best version of me.
“Not that it’s any of your business, but yes. I’m leaving now.”
Her eyes narrowed and she huffed. “Don’t let the door split ya, where the good lord made ya.” She shut her door with a loud thump probably aimed at waking David. I didn’t stay to find out as my phone beeped signaling the driver was here and waiting.
What a bizarre morning in my sleepy little town.
M.C. Cerny is a USA Today Bestselling author of fresh sexy books. She experienced her first real ugly cry reading, Where The Red Fern Grows, and never looked back. She lives with a menagerie of human and feline fur-babies in rural NJ. When M.C. is not writing, you’ll find her lurking in Starbucks, running stupid marathons, and eating all the tacos.
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