Title: The Millionaire's Christmas Wish
(This book, THE MILLIONAIRE'S CHRISTMAS WISH, is a Harlequin ebook reissue of my original print book from Harlequin's Silhouette Desire line)
Author: Shawna Delacorte, USA Today Bestselling Author
Genre: Contemporary romance
Book Blurb:
ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS…
When millionaire Chance Fowler first kissed the pretty stranger in his arms, he'd only meant to dodge the photographers who'd tailed him. Then she ran off—but he couldn't forget her tempting taste on his lips. So he sought out the tantalizing woman who'd ignited his long-dormant desire….
Lovely Marcie Roper was the first woman to close her eyes to Chance's fortune. And though she'd captivated the jaded tycoon, Marcie yearned for what his wealth couldn't buy—a man who would say "I do" and mean it forever. Could Marcie convince Chance that love—for the right woman—would last a lifetime?
Excerpt:
During the course of their three encounters she had run away from him, ignored him, been rude to him, rejected his invitations and cast aspersions on his character. And still he could not tear himself away from her. He certainly was not a masochist nor was he so desperate for feminine companionship that he needed to put up with this type of treatment to spend a little bit of time with an attractive woman.
There was no logical reason for him to be standing there, but somehow this woman had reached out and grabbed hold of his senses as no one else ever had. She was her own woman, not what she thought someone else wanted her to be. She had her identity intact, unlike most of the women he knew who would rather attach themselves to his. It was a very appealing aspect of who she was. She was also intelligent, beautiful, independent—very independent. He could still feel her body enfolded in his embrace and taste her mouth pressed against his. She was everything a man could want.
"Well…" She nervously shifted her weight from one foot to the other. "If you'll excuse me—"
He offered an inviting smile. "Let's go get some coffee."
"That's not possible, Mr. Fowler. These are cut flowers, not plants. I need to get them back to the shop immediately and put them in the cooler."
"Okay. We can get some coffee after you take care of the flowers. And please, call me Chance. Mr. Fowler is reserved for dear ol' Dad, the one and only Douglas Winston Fowler."
She stiffened to attention, literally as well as figuratively. "I don't believe I'd feel comfortable calling you by some cute little nickname given to you by the press… 'Take-A-Chance Fowler,' always ready to take a chance on some new adventure…"
Her words trailed off when she saw that look dart through his eyes, the same one she had seen when she had called him a playboy. Only this time it did not disappear as quickly as it had before.
He looked away from her for a moment, as if collecting his thoughts, then recaptured eye contact with her. "Chance is my legal first name, given to me at birth. It was my mother's maiden name."
A stab of guilt caught her up short when she saw his reaction to her words mirrored in his eyes. It was almost as if she had reached out and physically struck him. She spoke with genuine regret as she tried to apologize. "I—I'm sorry. I didn't know."
He glanced away again before saying, his voice soft, "It doesn't matter."
She heard what he said, but she did not believe him. She could tell that it did matter, that it mattered very much. Without meaning to, she had hurt him and she felt bad about it. "I just assumed—"
"You seem to assume a lot."
Chance had said the words without malice or anger, but he had not been able to hide the underlying vulnerability that seeped into his tone of voice. Marcie felt the pangs of guilt stab deep inside her. She knew she had been less than gracious. That was a laugh—she had been downright rude. Something about this quick glimpse of the man beneath the façade touched an emotional place for her. It was a different place than the excitement caused by his kiss. This was a place of caring, tenderness, and concern. She took a deep breath, held it for a moment, then slowly expelled it.
"You're right." The sharp edge to her voice was gone, along with her guarded attitude. "I sometimes do tend to make assumptions. It's a bad habit of mine." An additional softness caressed her next words. "I apologize for the crack about your name. It was totally uncalled for."
"I'll tell you what, Marcie Roper." He reached out and ran his fingertips across her cheek, then cupped her chin in his hand. He plumbed the depths of her eyes. He saw uncertainty, wariness, and something else…a warmth and a passion that he very much wanted to tap into. He quickly allowed his hand to drop away as the temptation to kiss her grew stronger. "You can make it up to me by joining me for a drink when you get off work tonight."
She glanced down at the ground, indecision churning inside her. "I—I don't know."
"Now that's what I call an improvement—you didn't reject my invitation outright. You've left it open for discussion." He placed his fingertips underneath her chin again and gently raised her face until he could look into her eyes. "Why don't we try for the next level, where you agree to have dinner with me this evening?"
"You're certainly a fast worker." A shy smile turned up the corners of her mouth. "A minute ago it was coffee, then it became a drink after work, and now it's dinner tonight."
"You should have accepted my invitation at the coffee level. Now it's too late. Besides, you owe me." He saw her objection start to form, and quickly cut it off before she could give it a voice. "You owe me the opportunity to prove that your preconceived notions about me are wrong."
He flashed a teasing grin. "Surely you wouldn't deny me my Constitutional right of being innocent until proven guilty…" His smile faded as he searched out her vulnerability and caressed the essence of her soul. "Would you?"
Buy Links (including Goodreads and BookBub):
What I love most about the holiday season:
The feeling of warmth and closeness with family and friends that comes with the season. Decorating the house. The fragrance of scented candles. The aroma of Christmas cookies baking in the oven. The popping and crackling of burning logs in the fireplace. Everyone gathered around the table for the traditional Christmas dinner. The sound of Christmas carols softly in the background.
Why is your featured book a must-read to get you in the holiday mood?
Christmas is a time that should be filled with family closeness and warmth. But for multi-millionaire Chance Fowler, heir to the Fowler family fortune, it's uncomfortable time spent with his totally dysfunctional family. When he meets Marci Roper, he immediately knows she's someone very special, someone genuine and down to earth. Just the type of woman he wants to spend the rest of his life with. Marci thinks he's nothing more than a shallow rich playboy living off the family fortune, definitely not the type of man who appeals to her. Chance knows it's going to take a lot of work to get her to see the real man rather than the man in the tabloid headlines. But he also knows she's worth the effort. They could be the warm, loving family he's always desired. And what better time than at Christmas.
Giveaway –
One lucky reader will win a $100 Amazon gift card.
Open internationally.
Runs July 1 – 31, 2024
Drawing will be held on August 1, 2024.
Author Biography:
USA TODAY Best Selling Author Shawna Delacorte lived most of her life in Los Angeles and worked in television production for over twenty years. She combined her avocation of photography and interest in writing to do magazine articles featuring her photographs. Her friends said she should utilize her television contacts and write scripts. She enrolled in a screen writing class at UCLA. By the close of class, she knew screen writing was not for her but she did want to try writing a novel. Her first sale was to Harlequin followed by twenty more Harlequin novels for their contemporary romance Desire line and their mystery/romantic suspense Intrigue line. Eighteen of her Harlequin print books have been reissued by Harlequin in ebook.
Social Media Links:
Spending time with my d family!
I like to get together with friends and family for the holidays. Commenting under Michael Law
Thank you, Shawna, for sharing your book in our Christmas in July Fete!