Ethan by Delaney Diamond ~ Excerpt
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About Ethan by Delaney Diamond
Title: Ethan
Author: Delaney Diamond
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Sometimes love isn’t enough…
At the age of seventeen, Skye Thorpe lost her parents and yearns for a family of her own, and she’s certain Ethan Connor is the one to give it to her. After all, they’ve been together for seven years. One night, she broaches the subject of marriage and learns the devastating truth. Ethan has no intention of marrying her.
Ethan married young and learned the hard way what it was like to be betrayed by the person he loved. After a bitter divorce, he promised himself he would never allow another woman to wreck his life again. So when Skye mentions marriage, he quickly shuts her down.
To get the life she craves, Skye has no choice but to end the relationship and walk away. But can she really walk away, if Ethan won’t let her go?
Excerpt from Ethan
© 2022
Delaney Diamond
“Okay, Ethan, if we do go on vacation, we need to take a real vacation. You can’t be on the phone half the time. You have to cut off communication with your office and relax.”
“Sweetheart, I run a multibillion-dollar company with offices around the world and thousands of employees. I’m in the middle of a sensitive deal in China, and although phase one of the Horizon development is nearing completion, problems crop up every couple of weeks. I can’t go off the grid.” Considering the conversation over, he took a sip of coffee.
“Yes, you can.” Skye rested her arms on the table, her dark eyes steady as they locked with his. “At least, you should be able to. Otherwise, why do all of this? What’s the point if you can’t take a one-week break every now and again? So maybe you miss a phone call and lose a few thousand dollars. Maybe even a few million. So what? You have millions more and your whole company won’t collapse. Wrap up your most important projects before we go, and leave the rest to your employees. If you did your job right, they should be able to survive a week without you. If they can’t, then you either didn’t hire the right people, or you didn’t train them well. Either way, the fault is yours, and you need to get your shit together.”
Quiet descended on the table, the only sound the buzz of conversations and utensils scraping the plates around them. Skye bit the corner of her mouth—as if she said too much—but didn’t drop her gaze.
“How long have you been waiting to say that?” Ethan swallowed another mouthful of coffee.
She sat up straight and shrugged one shoulder. “A while.”
Ethan took her hand on the table and threaded their fingers together. Her fingers were so soft, like the rest of her body, and her nails painted a deep wine color.
“You’re right. We should have time away without distractions.”
“Really?” An immediate sparkle came into her eyes, and she perked up.
A twinge of guilt landed in Ethan’s chest. Had he really been so ignorant of her desire for a business-free trip? Why hadn’t she revealed her concerns before?
“Of course. If that’s what you want.”
“Where are we going to go?” she asked.
“You decide,” Ethan said, feeling indulgent.
“Are you sure you want me to do that?” she asked playfully, and his heart rate ticked up a bit faster. For the first time in days, their relationship edged closer to normal.
“Pick a country you’ve always wanted to see, and that’s where we’ll go.”
A smile of pleasure touched her lips, and the sight of her happiness warmed deep inside his chest. He would give her anything she asked for to keep that expression on her face—well, almost anything. For a millisecond, his gaze dropped to her left hand, fingers still intertwined with his. There had been no mention again of getting married or a ring, but the wall between them remained—as thin as rice paper, but a wall nonetheless.
“Let’s go somewhere off the beaten path. No luxury hotels. Just a beach and warm weather,” Skye suggested.
“Sounds like you already have a place in mind.”
“Belize. When you went there on business a couple of years ago, you told me it was a beautiful country with friendly people, and how you wished you’d had more time to spend there. I looked at travel sites to see about taking a trip at some point, but I stopped my research because you’ve been so busy the past couple of years.”
“I would like to see more of the country than I did when I was there last. Belize it is, then. Get with Layla, and the two of you can plan the trip,” Ethan said.
“And you’ll wrap up all your major projects, so we can relax and have a real vacation?” she asked.
How bad had he been that she needed to insist?
“You have my word.”
For the first time in weeks, the smile on her lips matched the smile in her eyes, and the lurking darkness disappeared. He lifted her palm to his mouth and watched her eyes darken with desire. Maybe tonight he’d experience those soft fingers on his skin and those red nails raking his back. If not tonight, very soon.
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About Delaney Diamond
Delaney Diamond is the USA Today Bestselling Author of sensual, passionate romance novels, and was born and raised in the U.S. Virgin Islands. She reads romance novels, mysteries, thrillers, and a fair amount of nonfiction. 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. To get sneak peeks, notices of sale prices, and find out about new releases, visit her website and join her mailing list. Enjoy free stories on her website at www.delaneydiamond.com.
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