First, the beautiful cover from Jay Aheer of Simply Defined Art. Jay is simply amazing!!
Does the heart have a memory?
Noah
McKinney and Maverick Rodriguez met when they were seven years old. Maverick’s
family moved into the house next to Noah’s aunt, where Noah spent every summer
of his childhood. During those three months every year, the boys were
inseparable as they swam in the waters of coastal North Carolina, rode bikes,
told ghost stories, and dreamed of finding hidden pirate treasures. A sweet
friendship developed into an even sweeter young love, but then Maverick
disappeared out of Noah’s life as suddenly as he appeared.
Twenty-two
years later, Noah returns to Beaufort, North Carolina after he receives a call
that his ancestral home has been vandalized. He is overwhelmed with a feeling
that fate has something more up her sleeve than a simple home repair, but never
in a million years would he have guessed what was waiting for him.
Maverick
has returned to Beaufort in an attempt to stop running from his past and what
better place than the source of his happiest memories. He quickly earns a
reputation as the best in the business at restoring old homes to their former
glory. No matter how successful his business has grown, he still feels there is
something missing in his life. Or is it someone?
Noah
and Maverick’s reunion is nothing like either man has fantasized about for so
many years, but beneath the strain is an undeniable attraction and a feeling of
rightness that neither man can deny or resist. However, giving in to their
desires doesn’t erase their doubts and fears. Maverick knows that nothing of
the boy Noah loved remains inside of him. He thinks he’s better as a memory
than the man he’s become. Noah fears that Maverick will disappear again and
doubts he could survive the heartbreak a second time.
The heart wants what the heart wants and it won’t be
denied.
Can
the two men overcome their fears and doubts to take a chance on a love that
promises to burn brighter than the sun? Or will they use the obstacles they
face as excuses to spare themselves from potential heartbreak?
Return
to Me is the fifth book in the Fated Hearts series. It can be read as part of
the series or as a standalone novel.
*This
book contains sexually explicit material and is intended for adults only.
And finally, the unedited excerpt from Maverick's POV:
Noah
was standing waist high in the water with his back towards me. He was throwing
a tennis ball into the water and cheering on his dog while she retrieved it.
“Atta girl, Madge. That’s daddy’s good girl.” Madge? I suddenly remembered how much Noah loved Madonna and I
smiled at the name he chose for his dog. I was certain it wasn’t a coincidence.
I sat down on the porch steps and
watched them play together for what seemed like hours. I could’ve called out to
them and made my presence known, but instead I chose to observe. The memories I
tried so hard to repress came rushing back at me one right after the other and
it left me feeling dizzy. I closed my eyes and tried to will away the agony of
loss that accompanied my memories. I had just about gotten myself together when
Noah walked out of the water like some beautiful mythic God.
Even in the fading sun, I could see
how perfectly his tall body was sculpted. I was jealous of the water that
cascaded off of his body and I itched to run my hands over his lean muscles.
Man and beast shook off the water and then flopped on a towel to look at the
ocean. Did the water still make him feel small and insignificant? He often said
that when we were kids.
I
never thought of him as insignificant and I always told him so. The various
smiles that he would give me flashed through my mind. First there was the gap
tooth smile at age seven, then there was his brace face smile at ages eleven
through thirteen, finally there was the prettiest smile I had ever seen once
his braces were removed. I loved each and every one of the smiles he gave me
and I had sorely missed his sunny disposition during the years I had been without
him.
It wasn’t long before Noah and Madge
headed back to the house. I stood up then, because I didn’t want to make it too
obvious that I had been spying on him for so long. By this time, dusk has
started to fall so I was sure that I wasn’t much more than a silhouette on his
deck. Still, I knew the moment his eyes met mine in the semi-darkness that he
knew who I was. Madge’s fur stood up on her back, but Noah reached out and
placed a calming hand on her head.
Did the heart have a memory? If so, it
had a very long one and my heart thumped to a staccato beat that it only played
for him. I was starting to sound like some sappy-ass line in a cheesy soap
opera, which annoyed the fuck out of me. I felt his eyes on me, sizing me up,
and possibly judging me. Did I measure up to his expectations?
He stood in front of me and looked
into my eyes searchingly. His eyes were exactly as I remembered them, a unique
mix of blues and greens. He offered me a timid smile before he said, “Hello,
Mav.”
Release Date:
Noah and Maverick are coming to a kindle near you on March 29th!
Thank you so much for stopping by my blog to check out Noah and Maverick. Teasers will be staring really soon!
XOXO
Aimee
