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Synopsis: They lived the life they were given; they loved the life they made.
Cheerleader
Taylor Smith doesn’t want to die a virgin. Unfortunately, if the terminally-ill
leukemia patient doesn't find a lover or a stem-cell match within months, her
fear will become reality. When her cancer mentor is revealed to be a hottie
entrepreneur from California, it seems fate might finally be on her side.
Tech-geek Gavin Taylor has everything he ever wanted, except someone to grieve for him when he's gone. With his
melanoma cancer beyond the help of his riches, he agrees to participate in a
cancer patient mentoring program where he's matched with a dying teen from
Texas. Despite his immediate attraction, the Silicon Valley whiz intends only
to provide friendship and happy memories to the beautiful, young woman who is
determined to win his love
When it's discovered that his frozen sperm and her harvested eggs
could lead to a cure, Taylor's mother offers to be a surrogate. And Gavin must
decide if he can risk the heart he has never given and a child he'll never know
to a girl he just met.
Sneak
Peek!
He
leaned to kiss my cheek, but I stuck my fingers over his lips. His mouth was
soft and warm. Heat spread from my fingers into my arm and through my body. I
pulled my hand away so I could concentrate. I was not about to let this end
here. “I don’t want a kiss on the cheek, Gavin.”
“I
understand.” He held out his hand for me to shake. Captain Oblivious.
I
crinkled my nose and frowned. “No. You don’t understand. I want a kiss, but not
on the cheek.”
He
rubbed a palm across his forehead. “Taylor, we’ve gone over this.”
“No, we
haven’t. You’re leaving and—let’s face it—I’ll never see you again. You know
it, and I know it.” My voice broke. I stood tall and continued, “You came here
to mentor me, take me on a few outings, and give me happy memories. You’ve done
that. But I’m asking for one last thing.” I twirled my hair and met his gaze.
“I want a real kiss.”
He
started shaking his head before I’d even finished. “No.”
Crud-ola!
“Why not?”
“Taylor,
you know the answer. I told you from the beginning. It’s not appropriate.”
He
hadn’t said he didn’t want to. I glared at him and decided to pull out the big
guns. “It’s one harmless kiss, Gavin, and it’s a dying girl’s wish.”
His jaw
twitched. “That’s not fair, and you know it.”
“Fair?
Are we talking about fair now? What’s not fair is that I’ll never get married
or have children or even be in love. You’re all I get.” I waved my hand between
us. “This is all I get.”
He set
his jaw stubbornly, but his eyes betrayed him. “I’ve offered you what I’m
willing to give.”
Tears
stung my eyes. Damn it. I hated crying, but I couldn’t help it. He’d hit the
nail. “You’re no better than those doctors offering me another round of chemo,
knowing it won’t do any good and would only make me weaker, sicker.” I crossed
my arms over my chest. “Well, I won’t settle for less. I’m settling for too
little as it is.” I swiped at my stupid tears. My pulse pounded. I was fighting
with everything I had. “How many women have you been with?”
He
squinted in apparent disbelief. “What kind of question is that?”
I
stamped my foot. “How many?”
He
almost yelled it at me. “A few.”
“Do you
remember how it felt to be with them? To love them? Would you trade those
memories because a few people said it wasn’t okay?”
He
darted his gaze around the front yard, shifting his weight from side to side.
Even in the dim light of the porch I could see his mind working through
possibilities, making him uncomfortable.
“There’s
no one out there in the dark to tell you it’s okay. You have to decide.” I
pressed on. “What memory do you want to leave me with? What memory do you want
to take? Is it really such a sickening thought? Just one kiss.”
He
stared back at me with a wildness that scared me. My heart drummed a xylophone
chord across my ribs.
“Taylor.…”
I
locked in on his gaze and stepped toward him. “Tonight you get to decide what
you can live with—or without. I’m asking for one moment.”
Stopping
inches from him, I absorbed the tension like a thirsty towel. Electric sparks
flew between us. The only sounds were our shallow breaths.
Softly,
I went in for the kill. “A kiss goodnight. Is it really too much, Gavin?"
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