Rochelle Alers - Bittersweet Love

Griffin’s heart slammed against his ribs when he showered kisses around Belinda’s lips and along her jaw. Lowering his head, he fastened his mouth along the column of her velvety, scented neck, nipping, suckling, licking her as if she were a frothy confection.

“You taste and smell so good,” he mumbled over and over.

Baring her throat, Belinda closed her eyes. She wanted to tell Griffin that he felt and smelled good but the words were locked in her throat when a longing she’d never known seized her mind and body, refusing to let her go.

has been hailed by readers and booksellers alike as one of today’s most popular African-American authors of women’s fiction. With nearly two million copies of her novels in print, Ms. Alers is a regular on the Waldenbooks, Borders and Essence bestseller lists, and has been the recipient of numerous awards, including the Gold Pen Award, the Emma Award, the Vivian Stephens Award for Excellence in Romance Writing, the Romantic Times BOOKreviews Career Achievement Award and the Zora Neale Hurston Literary Award. A native New Yorker, Ms. Alers currently lives on Long Island. Visit her Web site at www.rochellealers.com.

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To Michele Robinson…

A true Philadelphia princess.

Hear, O children, a father’s instruction,

be attentive, that you may gain understanding!

Dear Reader,

Belinda, Myles and Chandra Eaton come from a family of Pennsylvania teachers, but they are about to learn something about love they could never find in a textbook.

In Bittersweet Love, Philadelphia high-school history teacher Belinda Eaton has made it a practice to avoid Griffin Rice. Now she finds her future inexorably entwined with his when they share custody of their goddaughters following a family tragedy. In this story, Belinda encounters a very different Griffin when the high-profile sports attorney romances her, and proves he can be a loving father and husband.

In the second installment of THE EATONS trilogy, law professor Myles Eaton has never forgotten the woman who jilted him two weeks before their wedding to marry another man. But when he comes face-to-face with recently widowed Zabrina Cooper at his sister’s wedding, he must decide whether to walk away or exact his own Sweet Revenge.

In Sweet Dreams, the final story of the Kimani Romance trilogy, elementary schoolteacher Chandra Eaton returns to Philadelphia after a two-year stint in the Peace Corps, and is distressed when she finds that she’s misplaced the journals in which she recorded her highly erotic dreams. Her life changes dramatically when celebrated playwright Preston Tucker informs Chandra that he’s found her journals. She is faced with the dilemma of walking away from the man she loves, because Preston’s latest play is based on her journal entries.

But before you enjoy the next two EATONS books, look for the next story in the Hideaway series from Arabesque. The next Hideaway-saga book, Secret Agenda features Diego Cole-Thomas and Vivienne Neale, whose romance takes them from business to pleasure.

This summer, wedding bells will ring again, but this time it’s the guys who fall in love in THE BEST MEN series from Arabesque. Three childhood friends are so focused on career success that they are reluctant to give up their carefree bachelorhood. Nevertheless, in one unforgettable year, each man will meet an extraordinary woman who will make him rethink love and marriage.

Yours in romance,

Rochelle Alers

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

No one sitting in Grant and Donna Rice’s family room had even noticed Belinda Eaton’s brittle smile, clipped replies or that her delicate chin was set at a stubborn angle. They had come together to celebrate the birthday of twelve-year-old fraternal twins Sabrina and Layla Rice.

The two girls took turns opening envelopes, reading birthday cards, unwrapping gifts and hugging and kissing their parents as well as both sets of grandparents and their aunt and uncle.

Belinda, the twins’ aunt, hadn’t realized she was grinding her teeth until she felt the pain in her gums. It was either clench her jaw or spew expletives that were poised precipitously on the tip of her tongue. Her eyes narrowed when the object of her fury flashed his Cheshire cat grin.

That’s it! she raged inwardly. It ends tonight. Bracing her hands on the arms of the club chair, she rose to her feet and made her way to where Griffin Rice stood with his arm around his mother’s shoulders. The expressive eyebrows that framed his olive-brown face arched with her approach.

“Excuse me, Mrs. Rice, but I’d like to speak to your son.” Belinda deliberately neglected to acknowledge Griffin by name.

Griffin Rice’s large, deep-set dark brown eyes widened appreciably. Whenever he saw his brother’s sister-in-law, which wasn’t often enough, she looked different. Belinda had a wealth of thick dark hair that she’d styled in a ponytail. The soft glow from the recessed lighting in the room flattered her flawless sable face. A light dusting of makeup accentuated her exotic slanted eyes, high cheekbones, short nose and generously curved lips.

A hint of a smile lifted the corners of his lips as he stared boldly at the fullness of her breasts under a burnt-orange cashmere pullover, which she’d paired with black wool slacks and suede slip-ons. He’d always found her alluring, but Belinda gave off a vibe that made her seem snobbish and aloof. She’d been that way at nineteen, and now at thirty-two she was even more standoffish. Her request to speak to him was somewhat shocking yet a pleasant surprise.

“Where would you like to talk?”

“Outside.”

The response came across as a direct order and Griffin curbed the urge to salute her. He pressed a kiss to Gloria Rice’s forehead. “I’ll be right back, mother.” Grabbing Belinda’s arm, he steered her toward the rear of the house.

“The front porch,” Belinda ordered again. The back porch was too close to the kitchen and she didn’t want anyone to overhear what she had to say to him.

Reversing course, Griffin led her through the dining and living rooms and out to the front porch of the modest Dutch Colonial–style house. He held the front door open, waiting for Belinda to precede him, then stepped out onto the porch and closed the door behind them.

Leaning against a thick column on the porch, he slipped his hands into the pockets of his slacks and crossed his feet at the ankles. The seconds ticked off as Belinda sat on a cushioned love seat. Twin porch lanterns flanking the door provided enough light for him to make out her features. Griffin glanced away to look at the large autumnal wreath hanging on the door.