If you like your romances with equal parts sweetness and heat, then Kianna Alexander's Back To Your Love won't disappoint! Check out the excerpt below to see what we mean!
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Gently, he draped
his arm around
her bare shoulders. The feel of his touch radiated through her, the growing warmth inside her far exceeding
the temperature of the
sultry June night.
Being in his arms again
didn’t feel foreign, the way it should have after so many years.
His touch felt as natural and
familiar as her own heartbeat. She noticed the rapid
pace of her breathing and wondered
if he noticed it as well.
The low timbre
of his voice broke the silence. “If I’m
making you uncomfortable, just say so. That’s the last thing I want to do, Imani.”
So he had picked up on her nervousness. She shook her
head. While her mind told her not to let him get behind her defenses, her heart
didn’t want him to with- draw his touch. Instead, she answered him but kept her
eyes directed at her lap. “No. It’s all right.”
“If
you say so. I brought you out here to talk, so let’s talk. What have you been up to these last ten years,
other than growing more beautiful?”
She felt the smile creep
over her face at the smoothly
delivered compliment. “Let’s see. I did undergrad in biology at Spelman, then
med school at Meharry, then my dermatology certification—”
“Whoa. Are you telling me all you’ve
been doing for the last decade is being a student?”
She shrugged. “I guess so. But I had a goal in mind, and
hard work and lots of school were the only ways to reach it.”
That drew a low, rumbling chuckle from him. “I can’t say
I’m surprised. You always were intelligent and determined. I’m glad to see
you’re accomplishing your goals.”
She took a chance and raised her gaze to his. His rich,
dark eyes held the same sincerity she’d detected in his words. “Thank you,
Xavier. I appreciate that.”
A silent moment passed between them, their gazes
connecting.
When his scrutiny became too intense, she broke the
silence. “So, uh, what have you been up to? I’ve read in
the paper, and heard from Mama, that you’re doing a lot of good work in the community.”
A broad smile spread across his face. “I’m glad to know Ma Alma speaks of me so highly.
When I’m not in
the office handling the books for my clients, I volunteer
at a youth center in the old neighborhood, and I do a little work at Second Harvest Food Bank
from time to time. I’m no saint, but I do what I can for the community.”
“I’m really impressed, Xavier.”
“Thanks.” His smile broadened,
dazzling her. “Then I hope I can count on your vote in the city council race.
If I win, I can do even more.”
Listening to him talk about his good works in such a
modest way, she realized he still had a wonderful heart. In the few weeks she’d
been home, her mother had gone
on and on about Xavier’s
activism. As an all-star athlete and scholar in high school, he
could have chosen any career path he’d wanted. But instead of taking some
high-paying, high-profile position, he’d chosen to make a modest living so that he could give back to the com-
munity that had nurtured him as a child. Yes, Xavier Whitted was a rare bird,
and if the look in his eyes was any indication, he was ready to build a nest.
There, beneath his searching gaze, she could feel her very soul opening up. Once upon a
time, she’d been certain she’d marry this man. Now, she felt like an
inexperienced adolescent. No matter how she tried, she couldn’t look away from him.
The heartbreak she’d suffered at Xavier’s hands had
colored her perception of men. He’d been her first love and had shown her a
first glimpse of real pain. Maybe she should thank him for that, because it had
allowed her to focus on her goals, rather than be consumed by chasing after a
suitable mate.
“Imani, I’m going to kiss you. Is that all right?”
She heard his soft words, and even as her brain yelled at her to back away before she lost her
heart to him a second
time, no words
would come. All she could manage was to look into the endless
pools of his eyes.
An instant later,
his lips touched
hers.
###
Title: Back to Your Love
Author: Kianna Alexander
Series: Brothers of TDT, #1
ISBN: 9781492646983
Pub Date: April 4, 2017
Genre: Contemporary
Xavier Whitted, CPA and city
council candidate is excited to get away to the Crystal Coast for his best friend’s
wedding. He is shocked when he runs into his high school sweetheart there, the
only woman he ever truly loved.
Dr.
Imani Grant is just about ready to open her own dermatology practice when a
serious wrench is put in her plans—in the form of Xavier Whitted. Old feelings
resurface along with old secrets from the past. Imani isn’t willing to go
there, until Xavier starts a new campaign: win Imani back—no matter what it
takes.
Like
any good Southern belle, Kianna
Alexander wears many hats: loving wife, doting mama, advice-dispensing
sister, and gabbing girlfriend. She's a voracious reader, history nerd and
craft fanatic. Kianna lives in North Carolina with her husband, two kids, and a
collection of well-loved vintage 80's Barbie dolls.
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