Jeanie London - No Groom Like Him

The way he felt right now. Alive. Aware. Of Lily. She made his arms ache to wrap around her, to pull her to him and feel every curvy inch of her pressed up against him.

She would fit perfectly against him, he knew, could feel it by the way they stood so close, their bodies almost swaying together.

She felt it, too.

Max couldn’t do a damn thing except brace himself in that moment. Her voice filtered through him. He could inhale her subtle scent. Feel the graze of her hands on his skin. Sense the warmth of her body radiating between them. Imagine the way her body would melt into his.

Max knew. He could feel it in his gut where it counted, and he had to force himself to take a step back by sheer effort of will, force himself not to do exactly what he ached to do—pull her into his arms.

Because that would change everything between them.

Dear Reader,

After I wrote Her Husband’s Partner, (Harlequin Superromance #1635) I suspected the folks in Pleasant Valley wouldn’t stop living simply because I typed the end. They didn’t. After all, who wouldn’t want to live in such a wonderful place?

Lily Angelica, for one.

She had bigger plans for her life than her tiny hometown had to offer. But while she has been off chasing her dreams, she’s lost something along the way. And that something is an important part of being happy.

Max could have told Lily her priorities were mixed up. He learned the hard way not to take life for granted and is making the most of every moment with his young daughter. But it turns out Max’s journey back from grief has skewed his priorities a bit, too, so when this unlikely pair get together to plan a wedding, they find that, sometimes, the journey to someplace better brings them right back where they started.

Ordinary women. Extraordinary romance.

That’s Harlequin Superromance! I hope you enjoy Lily and Max’s love story. Let me know at www.jeanielondon.com.

Peace and blessings,

Jeanie London

www.millsandboon.co.uk

Jeanie London writes romance because she believes in happily-ever-afters. Not the “love conquers all” kind, but the “we love each other so we can conquer anything” kind. It’s precisely why she loves Harlequin Superromance—stories about real women tackling life to find love. The kind of love she understands because she’s a real woman tackling life in sunny Florida with her own romance-hero husband, their two beautiful and talented daughters, a loving and slightly crazy extended family and a menagerie of sweet strays.

For the real Max.

You’re the stuff heroes are made of. Definitely!

And special thanks to Beth Fairweather, who

always makes coming up with brilliant ideas so

much fun ;-)

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

EPILOGUE

All About Angel blog

Wedding Angel or Antibride?

After a string of matrimonial messes, wedding watchers around the globe are wondering if the Wedding Angel—founder and CEO of a widely celebrated destination-wedding agency that shall remain nameless—has reached the end of her luck.

Consider how her engagement ended when the paparazzi caught her fiancé—an international bridal-show producer, also nameless—in flagrante delicto with a Brazilian runway model.

Now consider this weekend’s fiasco of A-list actress Emmelina Belle’s Polynesian nuptials. Celebrity and wedding bloggers alike have been reporting that this much-maligned diva was seeking public redemption with her wedding to Drew Hatcher, the leading man she hooked up with last year on the set.

Stealing Axis’s Sexiest Man of 2010 from his television-actress wife devastated Emmelina’s career, but maybe she should have reconsidered her choice of event planner. Or maybe the Wedding Angel should have washed her hands of this messy client after her own run-in with infidelity. While it’s true the event was already in the planning stages when the Wedding Angel’s engagement went bust, a woman touted as the Martha Stewart of matrimony should have recognized Emmelina’s bid for favorable press. (What some folks won’t do for attention!)

The ceremony took place during the magical moments before sunset. The media swarmed the island in helicopters, in Jeeps and on foot, scouring every corner for celebrity sightings, given carte blanche by Emmelina to publicize to the ends of the earth—or the farthest reaches of satellite coverage.

While no one could expect the Wedding Angel to control the weather…Mara’amu shouldn’t have been a surprise.

This easterly trade wind is known to gust through the islands in winter, so one would expect contingencies to be in place for an outdoor wedding. But when Mara’amu swept across the beach during the fire dancers’ tribal performance, the wind sent flames toward the highly flammable bamboo tents. The ensuing conflagration sent panicked guests fleeing in every direction. Emmelina wound up treading water. (Score one for karma! Drew’s ex-wife is probably still laughing.)

As firefighters and local emergency personnel contained the flames, Emmelina emerged from the surf, steaming from both ears while the paparazzi documented everything—including the groom’s reaction. He took one look at his ranting almost-wife (check out the photos at CeleBrats for the best shots—you can see when he makes up his mind to escape) and seized his chance for freedom, leaving Emmelina dripping wet at the fiery altar.

The paparazzi caught Drew at the airport an hour later, threatening an airline clerk to find him a seat on the first plane off the island…and said clerk politely suggesting Drew swim to the mainland.

So, thanks to the fiancé fiasco and Emmelina Belle, bridal bombs dominate the tabloids and internet, leaving wedding watchers all over the globe wondering: Wedding Angel or Antibride? Cast your vote!

All About Angel blog: the latest buzz for brides!

“ARE YOU THE Wedding Angel or the Antibride?”

That one question stood out over all the voices rushing Lily Angelica as she disembarked the private jet. She hadn’t expected to find the press awaiting her on the tarmac, and even if she had, she definitely hadn’t expected that question.

Coming to a halt, she set down her purse and laptop case, buying herself time for a deep breath. She would use the exit stairs as a makeshift podium since she was obviously conducting a press conference. Exactly what she hadn’t wanted. Not with her nerves shot and the dark circles under her eyes.

Reflex had her fixing a smile on her face. She straightened and scanned the crowd.

“Lily, any comment on Emmelina’s wedding?”

“Will you confirm the rumor Worldwide Weddings Unlimited contracted the former president’s daughter?”

“Are you in town to hide from what’s being written on the All About Angel blog?”

Mention of the All About Angel blog had Lily searching their faces to see who was rude enough to bring up such nonsense. A tabloid reporter, no doubt.

When more press rushed across the tarmac—including a cameraman—she didn’t get a chance to identify any one individual.