Welcome Today's Featured Author
Tara Mills!!!
The Senator's Wife
Blurb:
She made a promise. She didn’t know what it could cost her.
When Justine agreed to delay divorce until after her husband’s reelection, she didn’t know Sean O’Donnell was on the horizon. Now, falling fast for a man she’s admired for years, she's stuck playing the happy politician’s wife instead.
Sean noticed her beauty right away, but it was Justine’s haunting sadness that captivated him. His wish to meet her became a need to photograph her. Somewhere in between, he fell in love.
A series of chance encounters leads the pair to admit the temptation to misbehave has grown too strong to resist. Distance is the only remedy, but as soon as they’ve made that painful decision, the press closes in. Is there a way to contain the damage, preserve reputations, and protect the campaign? As a matter of fact…
The solution will shock everyone.
Buy Links:
Books2Read: https://books2read.com/TheSenatorsWife
Eden Books: https://edenbooks.org/product/the-senators-wife/
Teaser:
Putting Justine out
of his mind all week hadn’t been easy. Nights were the hardest. That’s when he
finished his work, closed out of his digital files, and strayed over to social
media. Sean told himself it was to find out what was going on in the world, read
headlines, and join discussions on topics of interest. Total bullshit. He
pulled up images of Justine visiting this place, speaking there. He found her
on Twitter, though he resisted the urge to follow her. He looked for her on
Facebook too, but let her be.
Clearly, there
were other women out there. He’d certainly enjoyed his fair share. On a
strictly practical level, his interest in Justine was ill-advised. Happy or
not, she was a married woman. Having once been a husband himself, that meant
something to him. Unfortunately, he couldn’t turn this attraction off. It was
there, like a hunger pang in his gut. She wasn’t his only option, but she was
the only one that interested him, which was why he didn’t want her here tonight.
Hoping she’d
stay away, he mingled and smiled, always with one eye on the time.
Marking her
absence off in fifteen-minute increments became an obsession for him.
Unfortunately, as the clock wound down and she failed to make an appearance he
grew tenser, not less. Eight o’clock couldn’t come soon enough so he could
escape unscathed.
Answering
questions about his upcoming ‘Famous Chefs at Home’ series for Bon Appétit
magazine, he was just hitting his stride with an interested couple when he
heard Justine’s laugh from across the room. His heart crumbled and his smile
cracked. He took a covert look at his watch. It was twenty minutes to eight.
Damn, he’d almost made it.
There was no
way to avoid her, but he could try to delay the inevitable.
Glancing over
he saw Justine in conversation with someone he didn’t recognize. The man
slipped her arm through his and walked her over to the wall and they began to
circle the room.
Sean gave his
newest patrons a warm, “Thank you for your support,” then moved on, away from
Justine determined to keep his distance as long as possible. It was a good
plan, though impossible to execute. Lise Van Zandt sought him out and led him
directly over to her.
“Sean
O’Donnell, my husband, Niels. And of course, you know Justine.”
“How do you
do?” The men shook hands. Then Sean took Justine’s. “Mrs. Hubbard. Nice to see
you again.”
She looked
fantastic. Shit.
“I noticed
quite a few of your photos have already sold. Congratulations.” She gave him an
uneasy smile, her discomfort as obvious to him as his must be to her.
“Anything you
particularly like?” he asked the trio.
Lise place a
hand over her heart and practically swooned. Her rapturous smile flattered his
ego. “Generations. I’m trying to talk Niels into letting me have it.”
The group
walked over to the photo in question and quietly studied it for a moment. The
great-great-grandmother was one hundred and two years old. The little girl was
not quite two. Enthralled, they stared at each other, inches apart, touching
the other’s face. The tips of the little girl’s tiny fingers seemed to
disappear into the old woman’s deep wrinkles. Her gnarled hands caressed the
flawless, smooth cheek of the little girl. Their mutual adoration and
fascination were unmistakable.
“It’s
beautiful,” Justine said, blinking rapidly.
The impulse to
put his arm around her was perfectly natural, given her emotional reaction—and
completely out of line. Catching himself, he stopped short before making
contact and let his hand fall to his side.
They shared a
private glance and he mumbled a soft, “Sorry.”
“No, I’m sorry,” she murmured back while the
Van Zandts engaged in a whispered negotiation over the purchase.
He nodded to
Justine and with a slight tilt of his head, signaled her to follow him and give
the couple some privacy.
As soon as they
were out of earshot, she hastened to explain. “I know I promised I’d come to
your opening, but after, you know, I
decided I probably shouldn’t. Then Lise heard I was alone this weekend because
Gary is out of town and she forced me to come with them. She said I’m becoming
a social hermit.” There was regret in her little laugh. “Maybe I am. I’m sorry
if I’ve made this awkward for you. That’s the last thing I wanted to do.”
“It’s awkward
for both of us.” Still, he couldn’t stop himself from drinking her in—the
creamy skin; warm, glowing hair; and the melancholy smile that never failed to
tug at his heart.
That’s when his
regret at seeing her again collapsed in on itself like a house of cards and he
understood he was wide open and vulnerable to all kinds of hurt with this
woman. It is what it is, he thought philosophically.
“You look beautiful.”
About Tara Mills:
I write stories I like to read, with authentic characters and realistic themes. From laugh-out-loud romantic comedy
to nail-biting suspense, I’ve got you covered. Escape with me into books.
In the real world, I’m a happy wife, proud mom, doting nana, and dog owner—again.
Visit my website for more great titles. Author Tara Mills
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