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And to make sure you follow through, you’ll be moving to New York and living with me.”
    As heart-wrenching as the decision was, Anita severed all ties with Raven, leaving the little girl with a mother who refused to show her the love and affection she deserved and craved so desperately; and a father who took pleasure in seeing her cry.
    The world just never seemed fair. So Raven Ripley learned early on that the only two people she could rely on were God and herself. And sometimes even she was a little suspect.

    ❤ ❤ ❤

    Pierce Randall could never be a part of her future. He was too potent, too powerful and evoked a longing that made her feel out-of-control. No man was worth that.
    “Raven, are you still there?”
    She sighed softly, jarred back to reality by a deep, melodic voice that would make any woman melt into the woodwork. “I’m here, Pierce.”
    “Talk to me baby. What’s going on with you? Why can’t you answer that simple question?”
    “There isn’t a simple answer.”
    Pierce let out a long slow breath and said, “I’m fairly intelligent, so complex will work for me, too.”
    Raven’s gaze swept across the pictures of her dysfunctional family on the coffee table. “Pierce, can’t you just forget it. This isn’t—”
    “When can I see you, Raven?”
    She closed her eyes, trying to rein in the swell of emotions overtaking her. What was it about him, exactly? “I’m on tour right now. It’s really hard to manage things when I’m traveling.”
    “Just tell me when and where and I’ll come to you. Let’s try this weekend.”
    “I’ll be in Atlanta, but it’s going to be real tight for time. The group is paying me to come so I’m on their dime and they control my time from can’t see to can’t see.”
    “All day?”
    “Yes, sir,” she quipped. “And part of the night, too.” Disappointment crept in and before she could think she added, “So what about next week? Can you come to Chicago?”
    “I’ll be in Monaco on a video shoot for the next two weeks, then it’s off to Los Angeles to finish up a live album. Damn!”
    Several different emotions battled within her, with a sense of impending loss taking a strong lead.
    “What if I come late on Friday or Saturday,” he asked.
    “I have to go out with the book club members after the signing.”
    “What about midnight, when you’re done?”
    Raven’s fingers froze on the tablet. “I am not a booty call. And I don’t know you well enough for a late night visit, my brother.”
    He muttered something she couldn’t quite make out before asking, “What about breakfast?”
    “Gotta do a brunch, sweetheart. Then I have eighteen book signings and book club appearances over a five day period, three different cities.”
    Pierce was silent for so long she thought he had disconnected the call.
    “With your schedule,” she finally said after a few moments. “How do you manage to get a date?”
    “I haven’t given a woman more than minutes of my time in two years.”
    “You’re kidding me.”
    “I’m not trying to be on television with my business all in the street,” he whispered in a voice so husky that she had to shift her position on the sofa. “I have a lot to lose. A woman has to be important for me to invest my time. And for the record, you’re not a booty call, I want you for a lot longer than just one night. I want to build something good, something that will last.”
    Raven bit her bottom lip as she tried to come up with a witty comeback—and couldn’t.
    “Raven?”
    “Yes.”
    “Talk to me, baby. What are you feeling right now?”
    She took a long, slow breath, trying to regain some composure after that sweet admission of his. “You’re the closest I’ve come to wanting a man in a long time, but it’s not going to work. Our lives are just too hectic. And I’m not ready for an intimate relationship. I have too much on my plate already.”
    With that said, he whispered. “Close your eyes, let me talk