Scorched
Surrender - 4
by
Melody Anne
This is dedicated to my grandma Janet. Your memory will be with me forever, and I will cherish the time I had with you.
I lost you way too soon, but you will remain in my heart forever!
Note from the Author
Thank you to all of you who have stuck with me through this series and my other series, as well. What a joy it is to hear from you and to see your response to my books. What started out as a pastime for me has turned into a great and unstoppable passion.
I love writing. I love coming up with characters and putting them in seemingly unimaginable situations. This is the greatest job on earth. Thank you to all my fans for your words of encouragement and for your loyalty.
Thank you to all my new friends in the author community. It’s a close group, since we share a lot of the same experiences, both highs and lows. I love being able to spend time with you, and to share ideas. After my fantastic weekend in South Carolina with the fabulous Ruth Cardello, Kathleen Brooks, and Cali MacKay, I couldn’t wait to get home and start writing again. There’s something about hanging around amazingly talented women that kick-starts the creative process.
Thank you to my amazing team — Jeff and Patsy Winchester, Ray White, and Kathiey Dame — who do so much behind the scenes to allow me to sit down comfortably and write to my heart’s desire.
I owe a huge thank-you, as always, to my family, whom I love more than life itself. My daughter left for college at the end of September, and my heart broke a little bit, but it also expanded because she’s having so much fun and is really thriving there. It’s hard to let go, but she will always be my baby girl. I have my son at home for only another two years before he’s off into the world. Family is what life is all about.
I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season this year.
Prologue
“This tradition of not seeing the bride before the wedding is ridiculous. I think it would be so much wiser if we just met up for one hour to help…ease our…nerves,” Rafe said with a seductive purr.
“Mmm, sounds good to me. Now if I could just get away from my mother for
“I can pull the fire alarm,” Rafe suggested.
His tone implied that he was 100 percent serious about doing just that. The strange part was that Ari was actually considering it.
“I think our parents would disown us,” she said.
“I can live with that.”
“I love you, Rafe,” she told him, overcome with emotion as she cradled the phone to her ear, wanting so badly to touch him, feel him there next to her. She’d only been apart from him for one night, but today was her wedding day — the day she would become his wife.
She wanted to throw out all tradition and simply be in his arms. Their years apart now seemed like such a waste, though she knew that the time had helped them grow and mature.
“You are the center of my world, Ari,” he replied.
It meant more to her to hear him say that than a simple
“After the wedding is over, I have a very special surprise for you,” she whispered as she glanced over at the bathroom door to make sure it was still tightly shut.
The breath rushed audibly from his mouth. “What is that?”
Oh, the excitement she felt at so easily arousing her fiance.
“For starters, what I’m wearing beneath this wedding dress wouldn’t even cover a Barbie doll,” she replied.
“You’re going to give me a heart attack before I’m able to say my vows,” he whispered, strain in his voice.
“I wouldn’t want to do that. I couldn’t do a striptease for you then, and… Oh, I shouldn’t give it all away,” she taunted him.
“That’s it! The alarm is getting pulled right now.”
Ari didn’t want to argue. She wouldn’t mind getting rid of her pre-wedding jitters by spending an hour in his arms. Heck, she’d take fifteen minutes.
Sandra knocked. “Ari, I can hear you on the phone,” she said through the door. “That’s cheating, young lady,” her mother added with a smile in her voice.
“We’ve been busted, Rafe. I guess you will just have to wait until tonight to see my bright red negligee.”
“We’ll see about waiting that long. I may not be able to stand it — just like I can’t wait to say my vows with you.”
“Becoming Mrs. Palazzo can’t come soon enough for me.”
They hung up and Ari reluctantly left the bathroom so the huge team who had been hired to make her perfect could continue to prep her. Soon, she would be Mrs. Rafe Palazzo. The minutes would creep by, but at least the end was in sight.
Chapter One
Perfect timing.
Damned makeup. Damned mirror. Damned nausea.
Up until this point she hadn’t felt even the slightest indisposition, but here it was, the day of her brother’s wedding, and she was suddenly overcome with morning sickness. In the middle of the freaking afternoon. She dropped the mascara, reached down to feel her stomach, and groaned heavily.
“Please, just let me get through the ceremony. Then we can tell the family all about you. We don’t need to make your presence known by my throwing up all over your uncle Rafe’s polished new shoes,” Rachel said aloud.
She had to smile. She hadn’t wanted be a mother yet, but that didn’t change the fact that it was going to happen. It seemed that she’d gotten past most of the fear and was now moving on to acceptance. Amazingly enough, she was beginning to love this little creation she’d made by accident.
It hadn’t taken her as long as she’d thought. Only three and a half months. Now, she couldn’t picture her life without this child.
“I promise to buy you a pony if you just allow me to get through the wedding with no problems,” she offered with a chuckle.
