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Path To Passion
Nana Prah
The man who broke her heart…Is the man she now needs more than ever!Heir to his family’s global empire, branding genius Miguel Astacio turns everything into marketing gold. Only his best friend’s sister seems immune to his magic touch. Until Tanya Carrington comes to him to save her floundering nightclub. Miguel is ready to rectify past mistakes. But will his supreme sacrifice win the heart of the woman he loves?
The man who broke her heart...
Is the man she now needs more than ever!
Heir to his family’s global empire, branding genius Miguel Astacio turns everything into marketing gold. Only his best friend’s sister seems immune to his magic touch. Until Tanya Carrington comes to him to save her floundering nightclub. Miguel is ready to rectify past mistakes. But will his supreme sacrifice win the heart of the woman he loves?
NANA PRAH first discovered romance in a book from her eighth-grade summer reading list and has been obsessed with it ever since. Her fascination with love inspired her to write in her favorite genre where happily-ever-after is the rule.
She is a published author of contemporary multicultural romances. Her books are sweet with a touch of spice. When she’s not writing she’s overindulging in chocolate, enjoying life with friends and family, and tormenting nursing students into being the best nurses the world has ever seen.
Also By Nana Prah (#u415ec6e1-ab39-5ed2-916a-8be4022b4524)
A Perfect Caress
Path to Passion
Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
Path to Passion
Nana Prah
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
ISBN: 978-1-474-08491-8
PATH TO PASSION
© 2018 Nana Araba Prah
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)
“Tanya.”
“Yes.” She hated the shyness that had come over her. Couldn’t she wind back the hands of time and make things between them comfortable again? She’d have to go back to before she’d ever laid eyes on him in college, and she never wanted to have never known him. Even after everything she’d been through, meeting him was the best thing to happen to her.
“Sweetheart, look at me.”
The butterflies in her stomach took flight, but she feigned interest in the occurrences of the busy city. She had no choice but to obey when he grasped her shoulders and turned her. Staring at his chest did nothing to ease her anxiety, so she took a leap and looked up into his eyes. Back to the brilliant hazel she’d always loved.
For every moment they stood gazing at each other she sank deeper. She could barely remember who she’d been when he hadn’t been in her life for the past ten years. He was her world at that moment and nothing else mattered.
Her breaths came out in little pants as dread competed with nerve-racking anticipation. Would he kiss her? The air pulsed around them.
Dear Reader (#u415ec6e1-ab39-5ed2-916a-8be4022b4524),
For some reason, the term “being on the down low” popped into my mind one day and refused to leave. That’s the reason why Tanya Carrington ended up having an ex-husband who epitomized the phrase. It made for a fascinating and painful backstory for the heroine. The reintroduction of the man who rejected her years ago added to the drama that is her life.
I’ve been crushing on Miguel Astacio since I first introduced him in A Perfect Caress as the heroine’s younger brother. Handsome, rich, fun, sexy, dimpled and always seeking the limelight, there’s a lot more to Miguel than his partying ways. He’s now put in the position to prove himself to his family, to the world and especially to the woman he gave up but now has a second chance to be with.
I hope you enjoy the story.
Nana
To Ortanyi Arrington. Something about being the “wind beneath my wings” and a super fantastic friend.
Acknowledgments (#u415ec6e1-ab39-5ed2-916a-8be4022b4524)
I’d like to thank all of the people who have encouraged me with my writing over the years—you know who you are.
To every person who has ever read one of my books—thanks for keeping me going.
A huge thanks to Keyla Hernandez, Glenda Howard, Melissa Senate and everyone at Harlequin Kimani for your expertise and guidance.
To Hamzeh for your discussions on clubs and disguises that made the story even better.
As always I thank God for...everything!
Contents
Cover (#ud3c261ba-d096-5ae9-9a04-087706227bfe)
Back Cover Text (#u0cff53f7-3b6a-5153-b60d-de59fdf186dc)
About the Author (#u07ca0b32-009e-5f1e-af55-5d6d01d1e2e1)
Booklist (#u0ff22549-3390-536c-8fbb-14b47b9a3236)
Title Page (#uab55fa55-bd12-5c7b-a575-27416d2e5636)
Copyright (#ue2dc3d0c-36e6-599f-93fc-0e904533a6ce)
Introduction (#ue1187c38-b9ac-5737-b08f-bad1d4d214de)
Dear Reader (#u3461b7db-f8a1-52bc-b7a0-8019228c89b4)
Dedication (#ua0eb60af-7a8b-5f5f-86e6-74f496fa8396)
Chapter 1 (#udf6f1d78-133c-57b0-b080-ad56b20fb2fa)
Chapter 2 (#u260661d6-8955-54a0-9806-c9e9caf11d14)
Chapter 3 (#u759bc95c-fc26-5db1-836a-5f8b83b278b1)
Chapter 4 (#ua7db5a4c-83e0-5e2c-acc0-2f79297d2059)
Chapter 5 (#u0bca1f3d-b1b4-5098-acfd-476e115d4a26)
Chapter 6 (#u6601fb5f-bf50-5a89-bcd2-e0ec2dbcc910)
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)
Chapter 18 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 19 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 20 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 21 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 22 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 23 (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 24 (#litres_trial_promo)
Epilogue (#litres_trial_promo)
Extract (#litres_trial_promo)
About the Publisher (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter 1 (#u415ec6e1-ab39-5ed2-916a-8be4022b4524)
Miguel Astacio slid on his tailored suit jacket for the third time in twenty minutes, found the material irritating and flung it onto his seat. He hadn’t been this nervous since... Well, never.
He went into his office’s private bathroom to splash cold water on his face. Maybe that would take away some of the heat making him so unbalanced. Was he coming down with something? Maybe a case of food poisoning from the lobster thermidor he’d had for lunch? It would be a more comforting explanation than being panicked about seeing his best friend’s sister.
Josh had called him a couple of days ago asking for a favor. His friend from college never asked for anything. The request hadn’t even been for him. His sister was on the cusp of losing her nightclub and Josh claimed she needed his help. Miguel had no idea what he could do, but he’d at least listen to her story.
Tanya Carrington was the one woman he’d fallen irrevocably in love with back in college. He’d refused to acknowledge his feelings and had denied them to anyone who’d attempted to guess how much she meant to him. He’d already lost a couple of good friends in the past because he’d stupidly decided to date and inevitably dump their sisters. Lesson learned. When he’d been attracted to Josh’s older sister after they’d first met, he’d stayed the hell away from her, or had tried to. When she’d insisted on hanging out with her brother, Miguel had had no choice but to get to know her better. The more he learned, the more he’d wanted her.
She’d been unlike any other woman he’d dated. Unimpressed by his wealth and status as an Astacio, she’d treated him as she did everyone else. Her genuine personality had placed her in a category above all others. He’d loved her chubby cheeks and on the rare times they’d hugged, her full curves had felt perfect against his body. He’d appreciated everything about her. Big mistake, because whatever had zipped between them every time they were together had threatened his much-needed friendship with Josh.
He and his soul brother had met in their sophomore year. Josh hadn’t initially known Miguel was one of three heirs to the Astacio empire, and when he’d found out, it hadn’t made a difference. At first, Miguel had been wary because everyone wanted something from him; after all, he wasn’t just an Astacio but a Gill on his mother’s side, which meant double the prestige, money and power. His parents owned a conglomeration of companies all over the world and kept creating more just because they could.
He recalled Josh’s words on the day he connected his last name to that of the famous Astacio family: “I don’t understand why you’d want to hang out with a geek like me, but if you don’t mind catching some of my uncoolness, I don’t mind sharing. Just don’t expect me to be a groupie. I don’t have time for that.” His words had cemented their friendship. Miguel could never give up having such a supportive and loyal person in his life. The man’s innate integrity and comedic nature had made him indispensable.
The splash of cold water against his face didn’t help settle his nerves. Miguel wiped away the liquid and frowned at his reflection. Where had those sweat rings under his arms come from? Dammit. He stripped out of the shirt and stormed to the closet where he kept extra clothes.
He had to calm down. This wasn’t the suave man he’d branded himself into since stepping out in front of the cameras with enviable confidence at the age of twelve. This nervous, sweaty man had to go.
Ten years had passed since he’d last seen Tanya. He’d been with more women than he could count during that time. Why the hell was he jittery about seeing her again? Sure, she’d been on his mind over the years and he couldn’t help comparing every woman he’d been with to her, but he’d gotten over his best friend’s sister. Right?
Momentarily distracted from his plight, Miguel smiled as he glanced at his watch and thought about how he’d used his marketing savvy to put the newly launched Astacio watch line in competition with established timepiece designers such as Movado and Breguet. Now people of prestige were wearing their Asombra watches.
Only ten minutes before her arrival. Pulling out a lavender shirt with a matching tie, he ignored the fact that it used to be Tanya’s favorite color. What did he expect from her? To be the same sweet, intelligent, loyal-as-her-brother woman he’d spent all night talking to back in school? He scoffed as he slid the gold-and-onyx cuff links into the sleeves. She owned a nightclub. How sweet could she possibly be anymore?
The thought calmed his agitation. He’d changed over the years so it stood to reason she must’ve, too. Of course he’d become more handsome, confident, charming and responsible. If she’d headed in the same positive direction as him, then he had every right to fear this meeting, because other than being Josh’s sister and two years his senior, she’d been damn near perfect.
* * *
Tanya Carrington had sat in her car for the past fifteen minutes willing herself to get out. Repeating phrases like “Turn off the engine. Unlock the door. Breathe, girl, breathe...” hadn’t helped one bit. The heater keeping her warm in the harsh Cleveland weather could attest to that. Not only did she want to avoid the blistering wind, she’d become paralyzed at the thought of seeing Miguel Astacio live and in person again.
It was one thing to daydream about him after watching him give some speech or catching the entertainment news feature him with his latest girlfriend. He couldn’t see how dejected she became every time his virtual presence crossed her world. She took a quick glance at the car’s digital clock—in ten minutes she’d be walking into his office to ask for the biggest favor of her life.
Her heart thundered just as it had all those years ago when she’d first met him and every time after. Her brother’s friends had never interested her. In college, her focus had been on her studies in order to keep the full scholarship that had allowed her to major in computer science at Ohio State University.
She’d been drawn to him the moment she’d walked into her brother’s room and locked eyes with the new transfer. She could’ve sworn she’d seen an answering flash of interest in hazel eyes set in the most flawless light brown skin she’d ever seen. His long eyelashes had distracted her until he’d smiled and two dimples had appeared, making her knees so weak she’d sunk down into the first chair she could stumble to. She didn’t know anything about him other than being the most handsome man she’d ever met in her life, but she’d known for sure that she’d wanted him.
While her nerdier-than-her brother had gone on and on about a sci-fi movie he’d just seen, she’d tried to pay attention, but Miguel kept stealing it. Not that he’d paid any mind to her after their initial introduction, where he’d tipped his chin up and said, “Sup,” before ignoring her.
She’d spent more time in her brother’s room those few weeks than she had in her own just so she could sneak glances at Miguel when he’d drop by. It took a while for him to warm up to her, but he had and they’d became friends.
