For Better or Worse (17 page)
Read For Better or Worse Online
Authors: Delaney Diamond
The employee from the shop brought the
framed photograph up on the porch, and Derrick signed for it. Right after,
Roarke made his way over to take a look. The picture showed them all dressed in
white, the three brothers standing in order from oldest to youngest, with
Cassidy between Roarke and Derrick.
Matthew had made an off-color joke, and
the photographer had continued snapping. The effect was natural and unstaged, a
moment in time with all of them laughing, their arms linked around each other.
Antonio peered over Cassidy’s shoulder. “Nice.”
“I love it,” Cassidy said.
“Ready to hang it?” Roarke asked them.
“Yes.”
Roarke called out for Matthew, and he
came running. Inside the house, they went to the wall of photos in the hallway.
Other pictures of family members through the years hung on the walls—cousins, grandparents,
aunts, and uncles at family get-togethers during various holidays. Prominently
displayed in the center was a photo of their great-grandfather Joseph Hawthorne
and his wife. Their great-grandfather had been the original owner of the house,
and it remained in a trust for future Hawthornes to enjoy.
Roarke and Derrick worked on hanging the
picture while Cassidy and Matthew gave conflicting feedback on whether or not
it was straight. When it was finally attached to the wall, they stood back and
admired it.
“Look at us,” Cassidy said. “We look so
handsome and pretty.”
“Especially me,” Matthew bragged,
rubbing his chin. Roarke popped him upside the head.
“I think Grandpa Joseph would be proud,”
Cassidy said.
“I think so, too,” Roarke said. “You’re
the first female team leader in the hacking department at your company.
Derrick’s business is expanding.”
“On my way to world domination,” Derrick
added with a devilish grin.
“I’m headed to Chile.” Chile was often
referred to as the astronomy capital of the world. After hearing him give a
speech at a conference in Germany last year, the Department of Astronomy at the
University of Chile invited Roarke to spend a year teaching there. This was not
only a huge honor, but an opportunity to work with the greatest minds in the field
of astronomy, an international coalition of astrophysicists, mathematicians,
and engineers. “And Matt, as unbelievable as it may seem, is actually married.”
“And still sexy,” Matthew added.
“And vain,” the other three said in unison.
They had a good laugh at his expense.
“Come and get it!” Uncle Reese’s booming
voice traveled in from outside.
“Let’s go.” Matthew hurried out first.
Derrick followed.
Cassidy paused at the door. “Roarke, are
you coming?”
“In a minute.”
“What are you thinking about?” She
rejoined him at the wall.
He stared at all the photos. “Wondering
how our lives would have turned out if our parents hadn’t died when they did.”
Cassidy paused before she answered. “There’s
no way of knowing. But you did good, Roarke. We turned out okay.”
He gazed down at her. “Yeah, we did,
didn’t we?”
Cassidy nodded. She slipped her arm
around his waist, he flung his arm around her shoulders, and they went outside
to join the rest of the family.
The End
More
Stories by Delaney Diamond
Hot Latin Men
series
The Arrangement
Fight for Love
Private Acts
Second Chances
Hot
Latin Men: Vol. I (print anthology)
Hot
Latin Men: Vol. II (print anthology)
Hawthorne
Family series
The Temptation
of a Good Man
A Hard Man to
Love
Here Comes
Trouble
For Better or
Worse
Bailar
series (sweet/clean romance)
Worth Waiting
For
Short Story
Subordinate
Position
The Ultimate
Merger
Free Stories
About
the Author
Delaney Diamond is the bestselling author of sweet and sensual
romance novels. Originally from the U.S. Virgin Islands, she now lives in
Atlanta, Georgia. She has been an avid reader for as long as she can
remember and in her spare time reads romance novels, mysteries, thrillers, and
a fair amount of non-fiction.
When she's not busy reading or writing, she's in the kitchen
trying out new recipes, dining at one of her favorite restaurants, or traveling
to an interesting locale. She speaks fluent conversational French and can
get by in Spanish. You can enjoy free reads and the first chapter of all her
novels on her website.
Join her distribution list to get notices about new releases.
https://www.facebook.com/DelaneyDiamond
Book
Excerpt
From
The Temptation of a Good Man
,
Book 1 of the Hawthorne Family series
Can true love be found after one night
of passion?
Celeste Burton goes out with her
girlfriends to celebrate turning thirty and winds up spending an unforgettable
night with the man of her dreams. One week later, as a favor, she attends a
wedding with a friend as his date and is shocked when she sees Roarke again.
Roarke Hawthorne despises cheating.
Cheating tore apart his family years ago. When the physics professor sees the
woman he spent the night with show up at his sister’s wedding on the arm of his
brother, he knows he should keep his distance. But because of the night they
set fire to the sheets in his hotel room, he can’t resist the urge to be close
to her—nor can he resist the temptation to have her back in his bed.
Excerpt
Lust flickered in his eyes,
and for tense moments they stared at each other, lost in the memories of heated
whispers and tangled sheets. Then, as suddenly as he’d grabbed her, he dropped
her arm like a hot coal.
“Derrick doesn’t deserve to be
lied to and made a fool of.” He stepped around her toward the door.
Celeste grabbed his forearm to
stall his exit. “Wait, please.”
“Celeste, I can’t do this.”
She slipped between him and
the door. She couldn’t be the reason for a confrontation between the two
brothers, and she couldn’t bear the humiliation of Derrick finding out she’d
slept with his brother the first night they met. “Please don’t say anything to
Derrick. I’ll stay out of your way. I promise. You won’t even know I’m here.”
He looked down at her hand,
and she followed his gaze to where her fingers wrapped around his arm. She
withdrew them with haste. When her eyes found his again, desire shimmied down
her spine at the hunger she saw in his.
“That’s not what I meant,” he
said, his voice thick and low. “I can’t be near you. You’re too much of a
temptation. Maybe you can stay away from me, but I don’t know if I can keep my
hands off of you.” He slammed his palms against the door above her shoulders.
Celeste jumped, her eyes
widening in shock. Shaken, she pressed back against the hard door to distance
herself from him. They were too close, and the instinctive movement did little
to protect her from the heat of sexual frustration emanating from his pores.
His chest rose and fell with
each deep breath, and a storm brewed in his dark brown eyes. “
What are you
doing to me?
”
The tortured question needed no
answer. Even if she’d been obliged to respond, he seized her mouth before she
could, and his tongue thrust between her lips. The muscular, dark cords of his
arms encircled her waist and held her against his body, crushing her soft
curves into each hard contour of his.
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more? Buy it now from all major online retailers.
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