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A San Diego Romance
Kianna Alexander
Heaven in his armsChristopher Marland, president of Millionaire Moguls of San Diego, is too busy for a personal life. The moment Eliza Ellicott arrives back in his world, he knows no woman has ever compared to his first love. A broken heart gave Eliza the drive to succeed and she’s opened a new boutique. She’ll gladly help Chris’s teenage daughter, but her heart is closed to him. Can she learn to trust again?
Heaven in his arms
Christopher Marland, president of Millionaire Moguls of San Diego, is too busy for a personal life. The moment Eliza Ellicott arrives back in his world, he knows no woman has ever compared to his first love. A broken heart gave Eliza the drive to succeed and she’s opened a new boutique. She’ll gladly help Chris’s teenage daughter, but her heart is closed to him. Can she learn to trust again?
KIANNA ALEXANDER, like any good Southern belle, wears many hats: loving wife, doting mama, advice-dispensing sister and gabbing girlfriend. She’s a voracious reader, an amateur seamstress and occasional painter in oils. Chocolate, American history, sweet tea and Idris Elba are a few of her favorite things. A native of the Tar Heel state, Kianna still lives there with her husband, two kids and a collection of well-loved vintage ’80s Barbie dolls. You can keep up with Kianna’s releases and appearances by signing up for her mailing list at: www.authorkiannaalexander.com/sign-up (http://www.authorkiannaalexander.com/sign-up).
Also By Kianna Alexander (#u84027630-8416-5f05-bba3-0ca9fc2863e8)
This Tender Melody
Every Beat of My Heart
A Sultry Love Song
Tempo of Love
A Love Like This
A San Diego Romance
Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
A San Diego Romance
Kianna Alexander
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
ISBN: 978-1-474-08478-9
A SAN DIEGO ROMANCE
© 2018 Harlequin Books S.A.
Published in Great Britain 2018
by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF
All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental.
By payment of the required fees, you are granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right and licence to download and install this e-book on your personal computer, tablet computer, smart phone or other electronic reading device only (each a “Licensed Device”) and to access, display and read the text of this e-book on-screen on your Licensed Device. Except to the extent any of these acts shall be permitted pursuant to any mandatory provision of applicable law but no further, no part of this e-book or its text or images may be reproduced, transmitted, distributed, translated, converted or adapted for use on another file format, communicated to the public, downloaded, 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 publisher.
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www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
They swayed back and forth together, as the night breezes caressed her bare skin in the way she wished he would. Once upon a time, he had touched her that way; always chaste, yet always as sweet and sensual as a touch could ever be. She kept her eyes straight ahead, which meant looking at his collarbone. That was far better than looking into his eyes again, because she knew that if she did, she would come undone.
As the vocalist hit a particularly high note, Chris placed his bent index finger beneath her chin. Wordlessly, he tilted her face upward, effectively forcing her to look at him. He said nothing, letting the intensity of his gaze speak for him.
Eliza gasped, but couldn’t look away. She remembered a time when he’d had full possession of her heart, and when she looked into his coal dark eyes, it was as if that time had never ended.
In that moment, it became clear why all her relationships had failed. Her feelings for Chris lingered on, despite their long separation. She wondered if she could ever really be free of the power he held over her, the power of first love.
Hi there!
I hope you’ll enjoy A San Diego Romance, my contribution to the Millionaire Moguls series. I was uncertain how this would all turn out since I’ve never done a group project quite like this before, but I think it turned out well. And I couldn’t be more thrilled to be working with Yahrah St. John and Reese Ryan. Check out Chris and Eliza’s love story, and let me know your thoughts on Facebook (Facebook.com/kiannawrites (https://www.facebook.com/KiannaWrites/)), Twitter (@kiannawrites (https://twitter.com/kiannawrites?lang=en)) or Instagram (@kiannaalexanderwrites (https://www.instagram.com/KiannaAlexanderWrites/)).
All the best,
Kianna
For all those who love a sailor, soldier, airman, marine or other servicemember. Thank you for lending your loved ones to our nation.
Contents
Cover (#ude99bbef-7bf3-51ad-94e2-07ab9bf56fad)
Back Cover Text (#uf7b414ec-e722-5ea5-a51e-f1b7289c54ba)
About the Author (#uf75e5bb6-ede5-54ca-a1fc-cb5dd0c68992)
Booklist (#u4654b36a-6e99-5260-b88b-760b4e965ac9)
Title Page (#ua6479f2a-3348-54d5-b204-d5132a96bd74)
Copyright (#u00bc0572-9a5c-5cc2-aab0-df625918fb97)
Introduction (#uf0871465-0b98-582f-82f2-6243e7222094)
Dear Reader (#u127750e5-c9a8-5f24-928e-0a09e7310ac1)
Dedication (#ud9d1b8f3-1944-58f2-b8b2-460b50acc128)
Chapter 1 (#u96f35640-5a83-5db1-9aa6-d31b8e8e1d54)
Chapter 2 (#u5545620c-944f-5e64-baba-f11dcb63d0a5)
Chapter 3 (#u2d7c4022-c427-5b2b-9c7a-05eb3aa0f770)
Chapter 4 (#u8206e3a1-2a65-5ac9-a056-b72acb163f95)
Chapter 5 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 6 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 7 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 8 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 9 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 10 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 11 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 12 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 13 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 14 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 15 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 16 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 17 (#litres_trial_promo)
Extract (#litres_trial_promo)
About the Publisher (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 1 (#u84027630-8416-5f05-bba3-0ca9fc2863e8)
Coffee mug in hand, Christopher Marland took a seat on one end of the black leather sofa inside the San Diego office of Prescott George. It was quiet for a Wednesday morning, or maybe it just seemed that way to him. As an architect who’d created designs for buildings all over the world, and a divorced parent of teenage twins, he had a million things on his mind. One of his most important roles, though, was here, as the president of the San Diego chapter of Prescott George, a club of sorts for African American millionaires. And at the moment, the problems plaguing the organization were foremost in his mind.
Vaughn Ellicott, an old friend who served as treasurer of Prescott George, sat on the opposite end of the sofa, drinking from his own mug. “Listen, Chris. We need to talk about what happened at Jordan’s studio.”
Chris felt his face crease into a frown at the mention of the incident. Jordan Jace, a gifted sculptor and fellow member of Prescott George, had recently had one of his sculptures vandalized during a Prescott George party he’d hosted at his gallery. That would be upsetting enough in itself, but there was more to it. “I’m still pissed that he would accuse Jojo.” Chris wasn’t the type of parent to believe his children could do no wrong, but he knew his daughter. “Jojo isn’t a troublemaker.”
“You don’t have to tell me. I know Jojo’s a good kid.”
“I mean, I drop thousands every year for her and Jack to go to one of the best private schools in the city.” Chris ran his free hand over his head. “She makes the honor roll every nine weeks, she does her chores and she never gives me a bit of trouble.”
“Jordan was bugging, Chris. It was probably just the stress of the whole incident that had him talking crazy like that.” Vaughn took another long draw from the mug. “Try to cut him some slack.”
While he understood that Jordan had been upset, Chris still didn’t like the way things had gone down. He felt insulted on his daughter’s behalf. “I know, I know. But I’m just not sure what to do here. I can’t go for him talking about my daughter that way. And at this point, he’s just piling on. There’s already so much bad press out there about us right now.”
Vaughn nodded. “Right. With the break-in here, and now this vandalism thing, we’re looking way more scandalous than I would prefer.”
“You and me both. As chapter president, all this drama reflects badly on me.” Chris sighed, drinking down about half his coffee in one long swig. The way this day was going, he would need the caffeine. “And the timing of all this couldn’t be worse. We finally got the Chapter of the Year nod, we’ve got a gala coming up in less than six weeks and everything seems to be going to the left.”
With a rueful shake of his head, Vaughn asked, “So, what are we going to do about all this?”
“We’ve got to think strategically, then find the underlying cause of this mess before the chapter goes down in flames.”
“Right. Can you think of anybody who might be holding a grudge against us? Either as a chapter, or as an organization as a whole?”
Chris shrugged. “Not off the top of my head.”
Vaughn set his mug aside. “I know it’s a sensitive subject, man, but I have to ask. Do you think Sheila might have been involved in any of this?”
Feeling his frown deepen at the mention of her name, Chris admitted, “It’s possible. I certainly wouldn’t put it past her.” His ex-wife was about as vindictive and petty as a person could be. Even though they saw as little of each other as possible these days, Chris couldn’t cut her out of his life because of their twins, Jack and Jojo. “I know for a fact she enjoys seeing me miserable.”
“She’s a real piece of work, your ex.” Vaughn’s phone vibrated, and he looked at the screen briefly before pocketing it.
“You’re telling me. I never should have married her.” When Chris had met Sheila, he’d been on the heels of a serious heartbreak. She’d slid right in to comfort him, and a few months later, she’d announced her pregnancy. “I mean, I don’t regret my kids. They were really the only good thing to come out of our relationship.”
Vaughn smiled. “They’re amazing kids, Chris.”
“Thanks.” Inwardly, he agreed. Jack and Jojo were the best part of his life. He simply wished he could say the same about the circumstances that brought them into this world. He sighed then, wondering if his dealings with women would ever come without the drama. “I don’t know, man. Maybe I’m just not meant to be coupled up. Seems to me my life goes a lot smoother when I’m on my own.”
“That’s what you think now. But if the right one ever comes along, you’ll change your mind.” Vaughn’s grin broadened.
“You and Miranda are different.” Chris knew Vaughn was talking about his new wife, and he was happy for his friend. What Vaughn didn’t know was that the “right one” had already come and gone. Chris had probably already blown his shot at true happiness.
“If you say so. Hey, what’s going on with that latest design project you were after?”
Chris felt his mood lighten as Vaughn changed the subject. “Oh, you mean the new Museum of Sustainable Art? I won the bid.”
Vaughn moved closer, gave Chris a slap on the back. “You snagged it? Hey, congratulations, man.”
“Thanks, V.”
“So, what’s this museum going to be all about?”
Chris scratched his chin as he recalled the description given to him by the developer. “They plan to showcase modern art and sculpture that was created using only green supplies, tools and methods. Should be a pretty interesting place once it’s open.”
“Sounds like it.” Vaughn stood then and grabbed his mug. “You done? I’m taking mine to the sink.”
Chris handed off his mug and watched as Vaughn strode off, disappearing into the small kitchen to deposit the two cups.
When Vaughn returned, he asked, “When are the final blueprints due for this one?”
“I’ve got a couple of months. They want to break ground in September.”
“I see. Well, I’m sure you’ll live up to your world renown and blow them away with your design.” The loud buzzing of Vaughn’s phone sounded then. He checked the screen, then said, “Excuse me, man. I’ve gotta take this.”
Chris nodded, settling back into his seat while Vaughn stepped around the corner to answer the call. He let his mind wander then, away from the stress of his daily life and back to the beautiful face of the only woman who’d ever really had his heart. He could still picture her clearly, despite the years that had passed since he’d last seen her. He felt the smile tilt his lips at the memory of her soft bronze skin, full lips and expressive brown eyes. She’d brought so much joy into his life, yet somehow, he’d been fool enough to let his fears come between them. He’d walked away from her, driven away by the threats of what would happen to his career if he stayed. To this day, he still regretted that decision.
Vaughn returned then, his face creased with worry. “Something’s going down at Elite, Chris. I gotta go.” Vaughn owned an exclusive surf wear company, and he was as passionate about his business as he was about surfing.
Chris balked. “Is it serious? Does it involve PG?”
