His Loving Caress

His Loving Caress
Candace Shaw

Hearts in harmony?Instead of falling apart when her childhood sweetheart chose his music career over marriage, Elle Lauren fled to Paris to study fashion design. Her stunning wedding gowns now give other brides the happily-ever-after she didn’t have. Ignoring Braxton Chase’s long-distance apologies has been easy. But seeing him once more stirs the deep longings and desires that a decade has not erased.Braxton walked away from the pressure to marry at a young age, and he’s regretted breaking Elle’s heart ever since. From the moment he sees her again at his Atlanta jazz club, he knows he wants more than forgiveness—he wants a second chance at the heart-and-soul connection that they once had. Can he convince her to trust the sweet, seductive melody of their lost love?

Hearts in harmony?

Instead of falling apart when her childhood sweetheart chose his music career over marriage, Elle Lauren fled to Paris to study fashion design. Her stunning wedding gowns now give other brides the happily-ever-after she didn’t have. Ignoring Braxton Chase’s long-distance apologies has been easy. But meeting him once more stirs the deep longings and desires that a decade has not erased.

Braxton walked away from the pressure to marry at a young age, and he’s regretted breaking Elle’s heart ever since. From the moment he sees her again at his Atlanta jazz club, he knows he wants more than forgiveness—he wants a second chance at the body-and-soul connection that they once had. Can he convince her to trust the sweet, seductive melody of their lost love?

Braxton closed the space between them and lowered his head to hers. “It’s never too late for something that’s meant to be. Did you enjoy the song?”

“What do you think?”

“Oh, I think you did. It was plastered all over your lovely face, Sunshine.”

Elle winced at the nickname he’d given her in high school because he said she brightened up his life. She used to love when he called her that, but now she simply loathed it.

She poked her finger into his hard chest while saying, “Don’t call me that. You lost those privileges.”

When he nestled his hand around her finger, the feel of his skin on hers sent a wave of shivers through her. She regretted being in his personal space, yet she couldn’t move as he held her in a steady trance. He brought her hand to his lips and kissed it tenderly while studying her carefully.

“You are still the most beautiful woman I’ve ever laid my eyes on.”

Her lids fluttered shut as he kissed her hand once more, and a long, relieved sigh released from her throat.

Dear Reader (#ulink_ff420a8c-cd82-57e3-ba3b-9d446f00a64c),

Elle Lauren is a resilient woman. The fact that Braxton Chase was a no-show on their wedding day made her stronger and made her realize that she could depend only on herself. She does miss him sometimes, especially when the orchids he sends after every fashion show arrive. Elle never stopped loving Braxton. Instead, she’s learned to live without him. Now that he’s back in her life, buried emotions have surfaced, and she wrestles with the notion of trusting him again.

Being an accomplished jazz pianist and living life in the limelight isn’t all that Braxton thought it would be, especially without Elle to share in his success. He realizes his first love wasn’t music after all and vows to make her his once more, but this time forever.

I hope you enjoy reading Elle and Braxton’s second chance at their unforgettable love. Feel free to contact me at candaceshaw.net (http://www.candaceshaw.net).

Always,

Candace Shaw

His Loving Caress

Candace Shaw

www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)

CANDACE SHAW writes romance novels because she believes that happily-ever-after isn’t found only in fairy tales. When she’s not writing or researching information for a book, you can find Candace in her gardens, shopping, reading or learning how to cook a new dish.

She lives in Atlanta, Georgia, with her loving husband and their loyal dog, Ali. She is currently working on her next fun, flirty and sexy romance.

You can contact Candace on her website at candaceshaw.net (http://www.candaceshaw.net), on Facebook at Facebook.com/authorcandaceshaw (https://Facebook.com/authorcandaceshaw), or you can Tweet her at Twitter.com/candace_shaw (https://Twitter.com/candace_shaw).

Contents

Cover (#u8a77c208-dec0-5b1c-97b9-161398a93f97)

Back Cover Text (#uc3b435e3-c1fd-5a38-ad2b-7cb558ea6bfe)

Introduction (#uc5c1dbda-78f8-50a9-b761-e8b2a624b07e)

Dear Reader (#ub6d11c03-8e96-5552-b1d3-1ec01695e020)

Title Page (#ud8686845-f5a4-5230-998e-ebec98342e52)

About the Author (#u7c2177e9-415e-5f68-ae1f-58866fb35059)

Chapter 1 (#u1d2421d4-1590-5f9f-b2b0-98d795ddb861)

Chapter 2 (#u4b8eaf51-5d48-50ec-9a68-fed487afdebf)

Chapter 3 (#u4fefb43a-a464-5c60-9186-0a027691abbf)

Chapter 4 (#litres_trial_promo)

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)

Epilogue (#litres_trial_promo)

Copyright (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 1 (#ulink_7bae2dd4-3d09-5d40-9a86-658dfa3a5652)

“Are you sure he isn’t here?” Elle Lauren halted her steps on the sidewalk as tiny beads of perspiration formed on the back of her neck. “I mean...he does own the place.” She ran her turquoise-manicured fingers through her thick back-length curls hoping to suppress any more nervous energy. Her heart stopped beating as she entered the revolving glass door into Braxton Chase’s Jazz and Dinner Club, the hottest jazz club in Atlanta, which was owned by her ex-fiancé.

Megan Chase-Monroe bestowed a comforting smile as the ladies continued along the corridor to the mezzanine level. “Relax, Soror. My big brother is rarely here on Saturday mornings. It’s his only day to sleep in and I promise you I didn’t tell him you were coming.”

Elle remained silent as she made her way up the grand black-marbled staircase and gripped the banister tight for fear of falling. She could barely concentrate as knots twisted at a rapid speed in her stomach. Her legs hardened with each step as if they were filled with lead. She suddenly felt as though she were walking the plank of a pirate’s ship, and she realized she’d made a mistake. He may not have been there but his presence surrounded her and it began to restrict her breathing.

She hadn’t planned on attending her sorority’s scholarship fundraiser brunch once she learned of the location. However, Megan had promised that her brother would definitely not be present, and he wasn’t even aware that she was in town that week on business. Still, she felt uneasy as she perused the massive club that screamed Braxton wherever her gaze landed. From oversized portraits of some of his favorite jazz musicians such as Miles Davis, Duke Ellington and Thelonious Monk covering the walls along with pictures of Braxton’s band, to the black grand piano that sat center stage on the floor below. She’d tried to drag her eyes away, but it wasn’t possible as her mind conjured up the image of his fingers caressing the keys just as he used to travel them along her body in the same tender, loving way.