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LOVE IN THE VINEYARD
Tavonesi #7
Pamela Aares
Releasing Sept 10th, 2015
A one-night stand brought Natasha Raley the greatest gift of her life—her son. She wants to give him a better life than she had, but a gambling bet lands both of them in a homeless shelter. When the shelter director gives her a ticket to a masquerade ball, Natasha finds herself dancing with the most intriguing and mysterious man she’s ever met.
Adrian Tavonesi is creating a paradise on earth in Sonoma California, determined to be worthy of his vast fortune by making the world a better place. Convinced women only like him for his money and his status, he invents an anonymous relationship with the beautiful Natasha to create a dream world for both of them.
As passion flares into an all-consuming affair, the lies Adrian and Natasha have told each other threaten to ruin everything. Adrian is kind, generous, and sincere—Natasha knows he would be the ideal father for her son. But will her past and the devastating gamble she once made destroy her new world? Or will betting on the truth this time lead to the perfect, ever-lasting love?
BUY NOW
“Tasha, I’d like to take you
somewhere. Somewhere special to me. I think you’d love this place I have in
mind.”
She froze in place. Her breath caught,
and she must’ve stiffened, for he stepped away from her as if to give her
breathing room. As if to make her feel safe.
“Not now. I mean on a date. To the
Asian Botanical Gardens.” He tilted his head and his eyes glittered in the glow
shed by hundreds of white lights strung in the nearby trees. “But perhaps
you’ve already visited?”
She’d love to visit a botanical
garden, Asian, American or any kind. She hadn’t known there was such a place nearby.
But she wasn’t ready to open herself to all that an outing with him would
likely entail. Not yet. Maybe never would be if the trauma counselor she’d met
with before Tyler’s birth was right. And it wasn’t just that she wasn’t ready.
She would never be in the league that this man played in. She shouldn’t even be
here with him now. He was in his element. She certainly wasn’t.
“I’m not dating right now,” she said,
marshaling her voice and willing it not to hitch with the tension building in
her chest. “I’m taking a break.”
Right. A six-year
break. Ten, if she were to be honest. The guy she’d dated three times six years
ago didn’t really count.
Behind the mask, Dumas’s eyes
narrowed.
“Shall we wager? Red, you agree to go
on a date with me. Black, no date. I prefer roulette unless you prefer dice?”
He couldn’t know the terror his easy
offer of a bet unleashed in her.
“No.” She said the word louder than
she’d intended, and several of the people around them looked up. “I mean, thank
you, but no,” she said softly. “I don’t gamble.”
Not anymore. She’d never wager on
anything, not ever again.
A series of chimes rang out from
inside the tent.
“It’s almost time for the unmasking,”
he said. “Let’s go in. I’ve a keen interest in the auction that will follow.”
“I have to go.”
“But it’s ten minutes to midnight. At
least stay for the unmasking.”
“I prefer my anonymity,” she said
honestly.
“Oddly, I’m enjoying mine as well. We
could go on an anonymous date. To the botanical gardens—they’re close by in
Kenwood. We can let the plants do the talking.”
Another set of chimes rang out from
the tent.
“At least give me your number so I can
call you.”
“I don’t have a pen.”
“I do.” He pulled an expensive pen
from his pocket.
“No paper,” she said, as if that would
protect her. Oddly enough, she wanted to give him her number. But the thought
of trying to write down the numbers chilled her blood.
“Who needs paper?” He rolled up the
lace cuff of his costume and flattened his palm. Then he grinned. “Better yet…”
He pulled out his phone, swiped at it and then tapped in a code. Then he held
it out to her.
She waved her hand, signaling for him
to type in the number.
Slowly she repeated the carefully
memorized numbers. She was never certain if it was forty-seven or seventy-four,
but she took a guess. She’d bought the disposable cellphone at the drugstore
and intended to use it only in case of an emergency involving Tyler. Just
repeating her own phone number was a sort of roulette, a daily game that was
neither welcome nor pleasant.
The chimes sounded again.
“Five minutes. You sure you can’t
stay?”
She was already surveying the shortest
route to her car.
“No, but thank you. For the dance. The
dances. For everything.”
At that, she turned and fled down the
lighted path to the parking area. Glancing over her shoulder, she was relieved
he didn’t follow. Maybe he was a gentleman, maybe he wasn’t. One thing was
certain, he swam in waters she’d never belong in and through currents she’d
never master.
If he called, she wouldn’t see him.
But she’d have her memories of the
evening and that would be enough. It had to be.
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Her popularity as a romance writer continues to grow with each new book release, so much so, that the Bay area author has drawn comparisons by reviewers to Nora Roberts.
Pamela Aares writes romance books that she loves reading, particularly those that entertain, transport and inspire dreams while captivating and tugging at the heart. She takes her readers on a journey with complex characters in both contemporary and historical settings who are thrown in situations that tempt love, adventure and self-discovery.
Before becoming a romance author, Aares wrote and produced award-winning films including Your Water, Your Life, featuring actress Susan Sarandon and NPR series New Voices, The Powers of the Universe and The Earth’s Imagination.
If not behind her computer, you can probably find her reading a romance novel, hiking the beach or savoring life with friends. You can visit Pamela on the web at http://www.PamelaAares.com.
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