This Time Forever: Second Chance Romance (Finding Forever Book 3) Read online

  Table of Contents

  About This Time Forever (Finding Forever, Book 3)

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Also by Rebecca Raine: Our Little Secret (Finding Forever, Book 1)

  Also by Rebecca Raine: Lost in Amber (Finding Forever, Book 2)

  Excerpt from Our Little Secret (Finding Forever, Book 1)

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Excerpt from Lost in Amber (Finding Forever, Book 2)

  Chapter 1

  THIS TIME FOREVER

  Finding Forever, Book 3

  Rebecca Raine

  Title: This Time Forever

  Copyright © 2016 Rebecca Raine

  All rights reserved.

  www.rebeccaraine.com

  ISBN-10: 0-9945027-3-7

  No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the author.

  Cover by Syneca Featherstone

  About This Time Forever (Finding Forever, Book 3)

  She wants him to want her—desperately—but without the inconvenience of wanting him back.

  When Jake Caine walked out on Kelly Rawlins ten years ago, after taking her virginity and her faith in love, she put the whole affair behind her and went on with her life—or so she thought. Now Jake is back and he seems determined to turn Kelly’s carefully ordered life upside down all over again.

  Recently single, after being dumped by a man she intended to marry, Kelly begins to see all sorts of interesting possibilities in Jake’s unexpected return. Perhaps he is exactly what she needs to regain her sense of feminine power. She makes the bold decision to seduce him, and she plans to make him beg.

  Jake Caine wants a second chance at love. Convinced Kelly is the perfect woman for him, he is thrilled when she reignites their passionate affair, until she makes it clear their relationship ends at the bedroom door. Committed to showing Kelly he wants more from her than sex, he begins to rebuff her advances. But when Kelly responds by launching a no holds barred sensual ambush, will he be able to resist her? Will he break before he can convince her that, this time, he wants to love her forever?

  For everyone who believes love deserves a second chance

  Table of Contents

  About This Time Forever (Finding Forever, Book 3)

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

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  Author’s Note

  Also by Rebecca Raine: Our Little Secret (Finding Forever, Book 1)

  Also by Rebecca Raine: Lost in Amber (Finding Forever, Book 2)

  Excerpt from Our Little Secret (Finding Forever, Book 1)

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Excerpt from Lost in Amber (Finding Forever, Book 2)

  Chapter 1

  Also by Rebecca Raine: Splinter

  About the Author

  Acknowledgements

  Chapter 1

  Kelly Rawlins knew one thing for sure. When you get home from work on a Friday, you are not supposed to find the man who took your virginity and dumped you the next day sitting on your couch. So, when she saw Jake Caine lounging against the cushions, his eyes caressing her with bold familiarity, she froze for what felt like an eternity before her gaping mouth closed with an audible snap.

  He stood to approach her with long, lazy strides. “It’s good to see you, Kelly.” His voice was deep and husky, just as she remembered, and her breath caught at the sound of it.

  Making sure to lace her own tone with the perfect amount of sardonic amusement, she replied, “I’d say the same to you, but we both know I’d be lying.”

  He lifted an eyebrow in surprise, even as a grin stole across his face. “Well put.”

  Satisfied she’d caught him off guard with her bluntness, she dropped her work bag on the coffee table before facing him again. “I assume Trina is around here somewhere?”

  He nodded. “She said she needed something from her room. I imagine she’s frantically trying to contact you right about now.”

  Kelly allowed a small laugh to escape her. “Whatever for? Do you think she feels the need to warn me the great Jake Caine is once again gracing us with his presence?”

  He chuckled, sliding his hands casually into his pockets as he took a step closer. “Actually, I was thinking more along the lines of her not wanting you to toss my arse over the balcony the moment you saw me. I am family, after all.”

  A faint smile tugged at the corners of her mouth as she considered his suggestion and found it decidedly appealing. Against her will, her eyes trailed down his body. He hadn’t changed much. His dark hair was shorter, and there were some new laugh lines around his eyes, but he was still gorgeous. Still held himself with the same quiet confidence that had impressed her all those years ago.

  He dressed better these days. A respectable business suit had replaced the old denim jeans and faded t-shirt that had been his trademark. He looked every bit the successful architect she knew him to be. She cursed silently. Why the hell didn’t she run a brush through her hair before leaving the office?

  Turning away, she picked the day’s mail up off the nearby sideboard to flip through it. She couldn’t have read the names on the front of the envelopes to save her life, but at least it gave her hands something to do, and it meant she didn’t have to keep looking at him.

  “What are you doing here, anyway?” She tossed the question over her shoulder in what she hoped was a casual manner.

  “I’ve been offered a job in the city. I’m moving back to Melbourne—for good.”

  Despite her best intentions, Kelly’s gaze snapped back to his. “How nice for you.” Hearing the quiver in her voice, she glanced down at the mail to find the envelopes crushed in her hands. She dropped them back on the sideboard. “Welcome home.”

  “Thank you, Kelly.” He had the nerve to sound sincere and she felt like poking him. But that would involve touching him and that was… not a good idea.

  “You’re still an interior designer, right?” he asked. She was surprised he remembered w
hat she’d been studying when they met.

  “Yes,” she replied with a nod. “I work in the city too. It’s a small firm, but busy.”

  “And you’re living with Trina again now?”

  She gave a curt nod, preferring not to explain that part.

  “I heard about you and Simon. I’m sorry things didn’t work out.” He said the words, but didn’t sound particularly sincere this time.

  Kelly shrugged, though she felt a flush of annoyance bloom on her cheeks. Apparently she didn’t need to explain. Five minutes back in town and already he knew about the shambles that was her love life.

  “Don’t be. The decision was mutual. There are no hard feelings between us.” The blatant lie rolled off her tongue with surprising ease. Simon Peterson had dumped her after a perfectly good five year relationship she had thought would lead to marriage and children. Until, of course, he decided the younger, and apparently more sexually compatible, new girlfriend he already had presented a more appealing option.

  “And here I’d hoped to take advantage of Trina’s extra bedroom tonight,” Jake said. “I guess that’s out of the question now.”

  Kelly snorted. “You guess correctly.” She gestured toward the brown monstrosity behind him and added, “If you’re desperate enough, there’s always the couch.”

  “How generous of you.” His knowing smile, and the way his eyes travelled over her with wicked delight, gave Kelly the distinct impression he saw her words as a hopeful invitation rather than the sarcastic retort they were meant to be. Her blood began to boil at his arrogance. How dare he assume she would care where he slept at night?

  She squared her shoulders, raising one imperious eyebrow. “Truly. It makes no difference to me.”

  His smile only widened and Kelly felt like stomping her foot in frustration. All this time and the man still had an ego the size of the Sydney Opera House.

  He came to stand in front of her, all traces of humour fading from his expression. The faint muskiness of his cologne teased her nostrils and she fought the urge to inhale the enticing scent deep into her lungs.

  “Kelly, I want to thank you for being so welcoming.” She snorted again, but he continued as if she hadn’t made a sound. “I know you have every reason to hate me, even after all these years. What I did to you—”

  “Is in the past,” she cut in, stepping around him to escape to the other side of the room. It was bad enough his last memory of her involved her sobbing her heart out, begging him not to break up with her. The last thing she wanted to do now was reminisce about the experience. “We were both young and more than a little stupid. There’s nothing else to say.”

  He stared at her for a long moment, a deep frown drawing his brows together. She lifted her chin a notch higher and stared right back. No way would she back down on this and if he pushed the issue she would happily fight him on it.

  Finally, he gave a deep sigh. “If that’s the way you want it.”

  “It is.”

  A tense silence fell between them. Kelly began to fidget with a button on her jacket, unsure what to do next. Jake cleared his throat, his gaze dropping away, and she wondered if he felt as uncomfortable as she did. The thought, though doubtful, should have made her feel better—it didn’t.

  “Damn it. Where the hell is she?” They both turned in surprise as Trina burst into the room, swearing at the mobile phone in her hand.

  Kelly cringed inwardly. “Were you looking for me?”

  Trina’s head snapped up, her eyes horrified. “Oh, crap. You’re home.”

  “I got in a few minutes ago.” She forced a bright smile, while trying desperately to convey with her eyes the need for her friend to calm down. “Is there a problem?”

  Trina’s gaze flickered from her to Jake and back again before she let out a bark of laughter. “N-No. Of course there’s no problem. I… ah… wanted to ask you to buy milk on the way home.”

  Despite the dubious recovery, Kelly turned to Jake with smug satisfaction. He crossed his arms over his chest and smirked his disbelief. The urge to poke him returned with a vengeance.

  “My phone is flat,” Kelly said. “Silly me, I forgot to recharge it last night.” She stalked into the kitchen and poured herself a glass of water. The extra distance didn’t help much, given the whole living area was open plan, but at least with the kitchen counter between them she had less chance of being charged with assault. “Jake and I were getting reacquainted.”

  “That’s right,” Jake added. “Kelly’s been reminding me what a prick I am.” He winked at her and she rolled her eyes in response.

  “Well, hell, I clued you in to that truth when you were nine, cousin,” Trina said with a nervous laugh.

  “So you did. And because we’re family, you’ll do me a huge favour. Right?”

  Trina’s eyes narrowed. “Depends on the favour.”

  “Let me crash on your couch tonight.”

  Kelly felt the bottom drop out of her stomach. He wants to stay here? She looked at Trina, whose eyes had widened to the size of dinner plates. And the night keeps getting better.

  “Are you insane?” Trina asked. “You can’t stay here.”

  “It’s just for one night, I promise. I’ve booked an apartment not far from here for the next month but I can’t pick up the keys until tomorrow.” The plaintive look he gave his cousin had Kelly rolling her eyes again. “You don’t want to leave me homeless do you?”

  “We have a big family, Jake,” Trina argued. “There are other places you could stay.”

  “Yeah, but, I’m already here and I haven’t seen you in forever. Plus, Kelly already offered.” He turned to her for corroboration. “Didn’t you?”

  Kelly balked. “I did?” What the hell was he talking about? At that moment, her earlier joke about the couch resounded in her ears and she had to stop herself from groaning aloud. “I guess I did.”

  Jake’s devilish grin returned full force as he faced Trina once more. “See? If it’s okay with Kelly, it’s okay with you, right?”

  Trina looked at Kelly, a frown creasing her brow. “Are you sure?”

  Kelly knew she either had to say yes or admit to both of them Jake’s presence in their home would bother her.

  Would it bother her? It wasn’t like she’d spent the last ten years pining over the tragedy that was their misguided romance. She’d gotten over it years ago—mostly. But, holy hell, couldn’t he have aged badly or something? A pot belly would have been nice, or maybe a big bald patch on his head. She’d have found either one enormously helpful in dealing with this situation. But no, he had to be all gorgeous and successful and turn her insides to mush with a single glance. Several traitorous parts of her body chose that moment to pulse with warmth. Apparently her libido was all sorts of bothered by his presence, though she’d be damned if she would ever admit it.

  Kelly lifted her chin and gave a disinterested shrug. “If you want to sleep on that lumpy, old thing, then you’re welcome to it.”

  “Great.” Jake rubbed his hands together in delight. “I’ll go grab my bag from the car.” A moment later, the front door clicked shut behind him.

  Kelly and Trina gawked at each other in disbelief.

  “What the hell just happened?” Trina whispered.

  Kelly shook her head in dismay. “I have no idea.”

  Chapter 2

  “I need a drink.” Kelly sprang into action, heading straight for the wine rack in the corner. “It’s Friday, after all. We deserve to relax.”

  She strode back to the kitchen with a bottle of Merlot firmly in her grip, grabbed two large wine glasses from the cupboard and then hunted in a drawer for the corkscrew.

  Trina sat at the counter with her head in her hands. “I’m so sorry. He showed up at the door unannounced. I swear I didn’t know he was back in town. I haven’t spoken to him in over a month but he said nothing about moving home then.”

  “It’s fine. There’s nothing to be sorry for.” Where was the stupid thing?
They’d only used it a few days ago. How far could a corkscrew go in under a week?

  Trina lifted her head, revealing the same chagrined expression she’d worn ever since she’d walked into the room. “It must be awkward though, seeing him again for the first time after everything that happened. I would have preferred to at least give you some warning.”

  Busily opening and closing drawers, Kelly replied, “Oh, please. All of that is ancient history. I am not in any way bothered by Jake Caine.” She gave up on the drawers and opened the dishwasher. If she were a corkscrew, where would she hide?

  “Really?” Trina asked, seeming oblivious to Kelly’s corkscrew dilemma. “You’re not bothered at all? Not even the tiniest little bit?”

  “Not even. It’s just Jake.” Just the first man she ever gave her heart to. Just the man who smashed it to smithereens and walked away without a second thought. Yeah, right. No problem there. Crockery rattled as Kelly slammed the door of the dishwasher closed. “If I don’t find the corkscrew soon I’m going to bite the top off this damned bottle.”

  “You don’t need one, honey. It’s a screw top.”

  Kelly’s frantic search came to an abrupt halt as her gaze returned to the bottle sitting on the kitchen counter. “Oh.” Stepping forward, she twisted the top until she heard a satisfying crack.

  Trina made a rude sound in the back of her throat. “Just Jake, my arse.” The two of them burst into laughter.

  Once she’d calmed down, Kelly poured the wine as she considered what her response would be. She knew she’d been well and truly busted. She’d have to admit to something, but it didn’t necessarily have to be the truth. She didn’t want to lie to Trina, but she wasn’t about to wax lyrical about her feelings either—not when she had yet to sort them out herself. “Okay,” she conceded, “maybe it will be a little bit weird having him sleep here.”

  “I knew it. This is a terrible idea,” Trina cried as she launched off her stool. “I can’t believe he didn’t tell me he was moving home. He must have known last time we talked on the phone.”

  “Yeah, that is strange,” Kelly commented, sipping her wine while she watched her friend pace back and forth across the room. “Maybe he wanted to surprise you?”