did you do?’
‘Take it off and have a look for yourself.’ Marla said.
‘Jesus. Please tell me we’re talking about your knickers.’
She cuffed him on the arm with her free hand and then reached down and peeled the tape back herself. ‘There. Look.’ She beckoned him closer.
Gabe dropped on his haunches until his head was level with her hip, close enough to get a bird’s eye view of the small lighthouse that had been freshly tattooed there that afternoon. She laid a hand on his shoulder to steady herself, and felt gentle laughter ripple through him as he shook his head. They had been on exactly the same page.
‘It reminded me of you,’ she murmured. ‘Like Ivan and Dora. People need someone to share their lives with. I guess I never really realized it was true for me too. We need rocks to stand our lighthouses on.’
He dipped his dark head to place a kiss on her tender skin with infinite care.
When he straightened, the laughter in his eyes had been replaced with a fierce, burning look of love. She wound her arms around him and breathed him in; delicious and familiar and all hers.
He hitched her up onto the bed and glanced over his shoulder.
‘Do you reckon there’s a lock on that door?’
THE END
A few thank yous …
To the whole Authonomy community for your kind words and support, especially the fabulous chick-lit girls.
To the minxes, my superstar writing sisters, for not flinching when I said I was going to try something different, and for having my back all along. You girls rock.
To the beautiful bob girls for your friendship and encouragement. You’re a lovely, lovely bunch of ladies.
To Scott Pack, Rachel Faulkner and all at HarperCollins for making my dream come true. Special thanks to Rachel for holding my hand through my first experience of the publishing industry, for always having time and patience with my endless questions, and for wonderful editing.
To my old and new friends on Twitter and Facebook, for making me laugh, keeping me sane and helping to spread the word.
To my wonderful family for being unstintingly interested, encouraging and proud, even when I seemed to have no news to report!
To my boys, for being the best kind of distractions.
And last but never least, to James, for believing in me even when I didn't, for supplying endless cups of coffee, and for allowing me the occasional diva strop without divorcing me. I thank my lucky stars.
About the Author
Kat French lives in England with her husband, children and the world’s oldest cat. She also writes erotic fiction under the name Kitty French.
Copyright
authonomy
An imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers
77-85 Fulham Palace Road
Hammersmith
London W6 8JB
First published by authonomy 2013
Copyright © Kat French
Kat French asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Ebook Edition © April 2013 ISBN: 9780007523573
Version 1
This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved under International Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
About Authonomy
Authonomy is an online community of authors, readers and publishers, conceived and developed by editors at HarperCollins. It was launched to provide unpublished writers with a platform to showcase their work. Authonomy is also dedicated to seeking out and publishing the very best new books. To find out how you can be involved in our brilliant community visit www.authonomy.com
About the Publisher
Australia
HarperCollins Publishers (Australia) Pty. Ltd.
Level 13, 201 Elizabeth Street
Sydney, NSW 2000, Australia
http://www.harpercollins.com.au/ebooks
Canada
HarperCollins Canada
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New Zealand
HarperCollins Publishers (New Zealand) Limited
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http://www.harpercollins.co.nz
United Kingdom
HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.
77-85 Fulham Palace Road
London, W6 8JB, UK
http://www.harpercollins.co.uk
United States
HarperCollins Publishers Inc.
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New York, NY 10022
Table of Contents
Title Page
Dedication
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Five
Chapter Thirty-Six
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Chapter Forty
Chapter Forty-One
Chapter Forty-Two
Chapter Forty-Three
Chapter Forty-Four
Chapter Forty-Five
A few thank yous …
About the Author
Copyright
About Authonomy
About the Publisher