Total pages in book: 123
Estimated words: 115833 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 579(@200wpm)___ 463(@250wpm)___ 386(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 115833 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 579(@200wpm)___ 463(@250wpm)___ 386(@300wpm)
It’s been months since her dreams of forever were brutally shattered. Seven long months since her husband and soulmate, Lew, died in her arms, leaving her to carry on. Alone. And Davina Klein-Roberts still isn’t sure how to move forward.
To escape her anguish, Davina throws everything into work, pushing Golden Oil Co., her self-built skincare line, to become a viral success. Now she’s poised to clinch a major endorsement deal too. But it’s bittersweet without Lew by her side.
A meeting with Deke Bishop, the hot NBA star she’s courting for her brand, leaves Davina flustered. With his dimpled smile and warm handshake, Deke’s a natural pitchman. And he’s clearly interested—not only in her lotions.
Davina soon discovers that Deke’s more than just another player and carries his own pain. But as her feelings for him grow, so does her guilt. Will the pain of a future already lost keep her from embracing hope for a new one?
*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************
PRAISE FOR SHANORA WILLIAMS
Wanting Mr. Cane
“A smoldering love story that will melt the screen right off your phone! Five forbidden stars!”
—Sierra Simone, USA Today bestselling author
“A scrumptious morsel of forbidden love dusted in sugary, sexy urgency. This story had me hungry for more, long after I turned the last page.”
—Dylan Allen, USA Today bestselling author
The Perfect Ruin
“A shocking, sensual thriller.”
—Tarryn Fisher, New York Times bestselling author
“Twisty and impossible to put down! 10/10, would recommend.”
—Claire Contreras, New York Times bestselling author
“I was hooked from the very first twist.”
—Alessandra Torre, New York Times bestselling author of Every Last Secret
“With diabolical turns and surprises at every corner, it’s an ideal summer read.”
—Booklist (starred review)
“Williams is an award-winning author of romance and suspense novels; her tale of revenge will find an easy spot in fiction collections. Tailored for book clubs and for those who like to read about the sleazy side of rich elites.”
—Library Journal
The Other Mistress
“Fans of The Wife Between Us, by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen, won’t be able to put this one down.”
—Booklist
“A fast-paced psychological trip with a climax that will shock the most voracious readers. Recommended for fans of Alyssa Cole, Liv Constantine, and Megan Goldin.”
—Library Journal
OTHER TITLES BY SHANORA WILLIAMS
Ward Duet
The Man I Can’t Have
The Man I Need
Cane Series
Wanting Mr. Cane
Breaking Mr. Cane
Loving Mr. Cane
Being Mrs. Cane
Nora Heat Collection
Dirty Little Secret
Caress
Crave
My Professor
Stand-Alones
Bad for Me
Coach Me
Temporary Boyfriend
My Fiancé’s Brother
Doomsday Love
Until the Last Breath
Series
Mr. Black Duet
FireNine Series
Ace Crow Duet
Venom Trilogy
Thrillers
The Perfect Ruin
The Wife Before
The Other Mistress
The Bitter Truth
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, organizations, places, events, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Otherwise, any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
Text copyright © 2024 by Shanora Williams
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.
Published by Montlake, Seattle
www.apub.com
Amazon, the Amazon logo, and Montlake are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc., or its affiliates.
ISBN-13: 9781662518881 (paperback)
ISBN-13: 9781662518874 (digital)
Cover design by Hang Le
Cover image: © Federica Giacomazzi / Stocksy; © s8, © Kirill I, © Michael Kraus / Shutterstock
To my beautiful niece Dez
CONTENTS
AUTHOR’S NOTE
ONE
TWO
THREE
FOUR
FIVE
SIX
SEVEN
EIGHT
NINE
TEN
ELEVEN
TWELVE
THIRTEEN
FOURTEEN
FIFTEEN
SIXTEEN
SEVENTEEN
EIGHTEEN
NINETEEN
TWENTY
TWENTY-ONE
TWENTY-TWO
TWENTY-THREE
TWENTY-FOUR
TWENTY-FIVE
TWENTY-SIX
TWENTY-SEVEN
TWENTY-EIGHT
TWENTY-NINE
THIRTY
THIRTY-ONE
THIRTY-TWO
THIRTY-THREE
THIRTY-FOUR
THIRTY-FIVE
THIRTY-SIX
THIRTY-SEVEN
THIRTY-EIGHT
THIRTY-NINE
FORTY
FORTY-ONE
FORTY-TWO
FORTY-THREE
FORTY-FOUR
FORTY-FIVE
FORTY-SIX
FORTY-SEVEN
FORTY-EIGHT
FORTY-NINE
FIFTY
FIFTY-ONE
FIFTY-TWO
FIFTY-THREE
FIFTY-FOUR
FIFTY-FIVE
FIFTY-SIX
FIFTY-SEVEN
FIFTY-EIGHT
FIFTY-NINE
SIXTY
ONE
DAVINA
“You can’t say he isn’t fine, Vina.” Tish turned the screen of her phone my way to show me a picture of Declan Bishop.
Leaning forward, I studied the photo and cracked a smile to indulge her. “He is really cute, but I feel like you say that about every man.”
She shrugged, setting her phone down on my desk to pick up her nail file. “Well, I mean it about this one. I’d have all his babies.”
I laughed right along with her.
Tish and I arrived at work early so she could fill me in about our eleven o’clock meeting with the famous Declan Bishop, an NBA player many people obsessed over and one of the most popular athletes on the East Coast. The ladies loved him, and based on all the pictures Tish presented, I understood why.
He was one of the biggest faces in sports at the moment, and that’s what made it so shocking that he agreed to meet with us. A fuzzy feeling stirred in the pit of my stomach from the reminder that I’d be speaking one on one with him soon.
“Think I have time to stretch my legs and take a walk before he gets here?” I rose from my chair, pressing my palms into my back and pushing my hips forward. It felt good but did absolutely nothing to calm my nerves.
“You can stretch all you want, but I don’t suggest leaving the building.” Tish glanced at me as she blew dust from her filed nails. “I know how you get when you start walking outside and reach Confetti’s. We can’t afford you being late because you can’t decide on which donut flavor you wanna try.”
“Hey.” I threw both hands in the air in a guiltless gesture. “It’s not my fault their donuts are good.”
“The meeting is”—she flipped her wrist—“forty-five-ish minutes from now. Promise you won’t drift too far.”
“I won’t,” I assured her, already making my way to the door. “I’ll be right back, I promise. Want anything from the break room?”
She looked at me from beneath her brows. “Only if there’s wine.”
I huffed a laugh, waving a hand at her.
Most of our days started like this, but on this particular morning we were trying our hardest not to be frazzled. Though Tisha Cole was my secretary and best friend of thirteen years and we’d conquered a lot of achievements together, we had no idea what to expect from this meeting with the NBA star.
Still, we’d prepped as much as possible, and if Tish hadn’t been by my side, I wouldn’t have felt confident enough to go through with it. In fact, I wouldn’t have had half the success that I did if it weren’t for her.