Official Genre of both books: Contemporary Romance
TO DANCE AGAIN
They say a woman never forgets her first love, and Maricel Cardona hasn't forgotten Ramón Morales. She remembers dancing all night in Ramón's arms to the sensual beat of their homeland, Puerto Rico. When her family forced her to move to the States, she didn't know she was carrying Ramón's child.
A self-made multi-millionaire, Ramón hasn't forgotten Maricel and the passion he felt, dancing with her. Now, at the pinnacle of his success, he's withdrawn from the world to safeguard his own secret. A secret that, if revealed, would change his life forever.
Reunited after twenty-seven years, will the high school sweethearts get a second chance at love or will their secrets tear them apart?
Her head pounded. Too much booze. Too many questions.
Why was he doing this—giving her the third degree? And who gave him the right, rubbing her nose in it? Fury flooded her but rather than stay and fight, she wanted to run away. She needed to get away from him, like when they’d been driving.
But she wouldn’t run. Not this time. Instead, she threw caution to the winds. “I’ve always loved you, Ramón, from the very beginning, since we were kids.”
He crossed his leg and ran his hand down the pleat of his pants, as if to smooth it. His action was so controlled, so cool and collected, she wanted to scream.
“You could have fooled me,” he said. “You went to the States with your parents and never looked back. I begged you to return and marry me. You kept putting me off.”
“You mean you couldn’t wait. Your impatience and pride got the better of you.” She took a deep breath. “You were supporting your mother, for heaven’s sake. We both needed degrees to survive.”
“Did we? We were young and in love; we would have gotten by.” The tone of his voice was uncommonly hard, unforgiving as stone.
So this was it. He wanted her to pay for an ancient wrong? But he'd been in the wrong, too; he hadn't known how much she'd needed him.
CATALINA AND THE WINTER TEXAN
Catalina Reyes has sacrificed everything to own a beach-front recreational vehicle park. Widowed and struggling, her Park falls on hard times and needs extensive renovations to stay open.
When Manuel Batista, a widowed and successful contractor rents a slot at the Park, he's immediately attracted to Catalina and captivated by her fiery spirit and determination. Manuel helps Catalina to renovate her Park. Working together, their relationship sizzles, but Catalina realizes Manuel will return north after the winter. Unwilling to start a long-distance relationship after a painful breakup in her previous marriage, she must learn to trust again.
Can they overcome Catalina's fears and bridge the gap of hundreds of miles between their homes and families to find a second chance at love?
“Could you put Migo there?” She pointed to the counter beside the sink.
“Sure.” Manuel hoisted the Lab as if he weighed no more than a cream puff.
Watching him lift her dog, Catalina couldn’t help but notice the bulge of Manuel’s biceps and the corded strength of the tendons in his forearms.
Her mouth went dry as sawdust. The air in the kitchen felt close. She swallowed hard and fought the urge to fan herself. Like Super Glue, her gaze was locked on his muscular arms. Not only did he look like a bear, if she were any judge, he was as strong as one.
Standing this close to his raw masculine strength and with the soapy-clean, man-smell of him tantalizing her senses, her stomach muscles tightened. And lower, she felt the old, familiar stinging ache.
He glanced over his shoulder. “I’ve got him. Bring on the soap and alcohol.”
She jerked her head up, and a flash of heat basted her face. She’d been daydreaming—or fantasizing.
She grabbed a bar of soap and the bottle of alcohol she kept by the sink. Then she turned on the water faucet and lathered her hands with soap. She grasped one of her dog's hind legs and worked the lather into his fur.
Migo whined and tried to wriggle away, but Manuel clamped down, holding him still and soothing him with low words.
She focused on Migo, not daring to look at Manuel or accidentally brush against him. After liberally soaping the cuts, she used a wet dishtowel to rinse them. Then she bent over to examine the wounds.
“They’re not deep,” he said.
His voice, rumbling from the expanse of his broad chest, forced her to glance up. Her gaze met his. This close, she could see the thick fringe of his eyelashes framing his brown eyes. He had a small bump in the middle of his nose. An old break—maybe from a fistfight?
But as strong as he was, she couldn’t imagine him fighting. There was something innately gentle about Manuel Batista. Even the firm but tender way he held Migo.
A lump lodged in her throat. What she wouldn’t give to be held like that. How long had it been since someone had protected and cherished her? She closed her eyes, fighting an overpowering urge to bury her face in Manuel’s broad chest. And just as swiftly as the urge swept over her, she recoiled.
What was wrong with her? Had she flipped out?
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Hebby Roman is the multi-published author of both historical and contemporary romances. Her first contemporary romance, SUMMER DREAMS, was the launch title for Encanto, a print line featuring Latino romances. And her re-published e-book, SUMMER DREAMS, was #1 in Amazon fiction and romance.
Hebby is a member of the Romance Writers of America, and the past president of her local chapter, North Texas Romance Writers. She was selected for the Romantic Times "Texas Author" award, and she won a national Harlequin contest. Her book, BORDER HEAT, was a Los Angeles Times Book Festival selection.
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