Love Me Forever Read online

  Melody of desire

  Corporate attorney Jarred Manning rarely has a problem getting what he wants—or avoiding the commitments he doesn’t. Now his father’s corporation has acquired a company with serious tech issues, and only the former owner’s daughter has the inside knowledge to fix them. Lounge owner and singer Nevealise Tempest has a golden voice and a brilliant mind. And she’s rejecting all of his proposals, for both business and pleasure...

  Growing up with a sexist father, Nevealise is determined to live her life on her own terms. She won’t let herself be used to save a business that should have been left to her, and especially not for some wealthy playboy. Yet her body has its own agenda whenever Jarred is near. If she does surrender to passion, can she trust that the renowned ladies’ man will stick around for all of the right reasons?

  “Do you want to play a game of b-ball?”

  He picked up the basketball. His muscles flexed, causing her mouth to practically drop open. Jarred was all man. A handsome man full of sex appeal. After all these years, he still had an effect on her hormones. Nevealise couldn’t deal with being up close and personal with him in a game of one-on-one. Not with the way her body was reacting to his mere presence. Instead of agreeing to the game, she took the cowardly way out.

  “Maybe. I’d like to see the rest of the house first. If you don’t mind.”

  “Sure. Come on.” He threw the ball down, took her hand and led her back up the stairs.

  With her senses already heightened, the warmth of his hand against hers had her tingling all over. So much so that she couldn’t keep from shivering a bit. Her body’s reaction to his was foreign. Sure, Nevealise had crushed on him for a long time, but this...this need was so strong it scared her.

  Oh man, oh man, she chanted over and over in her head. I am so in trouble.

  Dear Reader,

  My love for reading and writing romance has contributed greatly to my characters. I love what I do! Thankfully, I have been blessed tremendously by God to write about different family dynamics. Without my heavenly Father, I know I would not be able to do what I love—writing.

  I would like to introduce to you the Manning dynasty. I have heard often enough, and it is my belief, that opposites do attract. Meet the first of the Manning brothers, Jarred Manning, and his feisty heroine, Nevealise Coleman. The suave take-no-prisoners hero Jarred has met his match in Nevealise, whom he has often referred to as “nerd girl.” Oh, but wait! To Jarred’s surprise, there’s more to Nevealise than binary bytes. Much more.

  I hope you enjoy Jarred and Nevealise’s story just as much as I enjoyed writing it. I love hearing from readers. Drop me a line or two anytime :).

  Cheers!

  Serenity King

  [email protected]

  SerenityKing.com

  SerenityKingExpressions.Blogspot.com

  Facebook.com/Serenity.King

  Twitter.com/SerenitysCircle

  Serenity King is a USA TODAY bestselling author. She has been reading romances since she was sixteen years old and her auntie first placed a Harlequin book in her hands. Now King writes contemporary and erotic romances that feature men’s fierce devotion to resilient women. She has a strong passion for family-oriented alpha men who live, love and fight for their women. She has been a published author since 2010 and has more than eighteen titles under her belt.

  Serenity currently lives in the New York area with her husband and children. King loves feedback and welcomes readers to email her at [email protected]. Visit her at website at serenityking.com or her blog at serenitykingexpressions.blogspot.com.

  Books by Serenity King

  Harlequin Kimani Romance

  Love Me Forever

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  To my wonderful husband and children, thank you for all of your encouragement. I could not continue to do what I do without your love and support. When I wanted to throw in the towel, you all stood behind me, pushing me forward and compelling me to follow my dream. You all rock! I love you from the bottom of my heart.

  My bestie, Dora, your prayers, support and friendship have always meant so much to me. Outside of my family, you are my rock of reason as well as my inspiration to work hard and to always put God first. Love you to the moon and back.

  My awesome parents and siblings, you all know you rock so hard. Each one of you and your individual creativity has always been an inspiration to me. You guys keep me laughing and just enjoying life. You all know you’re crazy, right? *snicker*

  Yvette Hines, Yvonne Nicholas, Jayha Leigh and Jeanie Johnson, you all are just too good to me. Big hugs and much love.

  Acknowledgments

  To my fans. This series is for you.

  Thank you for your patience and your support. Remember when choosing a mate...choose wisely.

  Enjoy the romance!

  Smooches <3

  To God be all the glory!

  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

  Epilogue

  Excerpt from A Pleasing Temptation by Deborah Fletcher Mello

  Chapter 1

  “What in the world have you gotten us into, Dad?” Jarred muttered, a frustrated sigh escaping his lips. He’d been scrutinizing legal documents for what felt like hours and still didn’t have any answers to his many questions about one of their newer acquisitions, Tempest Mortgage.

  Jarred Manning had always thought he had it all: a comfortable, enviable career as lead attorney for Manning Enterprises, a multimillion-dollar banking corporation, wealth and a beautiful brownstone in the Park Slope neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York. Until the Tempest Mortgage deal.

  Just before his scheduled retirement, Jarred’s father, William Manning, the founder of the family corporation, had purchased Tempest, a failing mortgage company, from his close friend Josiah Tempest—and promptly turned Jarred’s comfortable life into a constant treadmill of work. Instead of spending his nights in the arms of a beautiful woman, he now spent them at his Manhattan office.

  William Manning had started the company slowly. An investment banker, he’d purchased one bank and then another. When Jarred and his two brothers had come into the company they’d added two more banks, just within the last five years, and as recently as a year ago the corporation had acquired a small chain of banks that specialized in mortgages for low-income families. All sound business decisions. But Jarred could not understand the last takeover his father had spearheaded, a few months ago—the in-the-red Tempest Mortgage Company.

  Nor could he understand how his father had promptly retired as CEO of Manning Enterprises right after that and moved with their mom back to his birthplace of Paris, Texas, where they owned a farmhouse. William had handed the reins of Manning Enterprises to Jarred and his young
er brothers, Langston and Brice. An attorney himself, Langston often worked closely with Jarred, while Brice, the financial wiz of the family, preferred to operate on the business services side.

  Only their sister, Katherine, the youngest of the four siblings, didn’t enter the family business. Though she held a degree in political science, the free-spirited Kat was pursuing a degree in interior design at FIT, the Fashion Institute of Technology.

  Once again Jarred scanned the numbers and sighed. “I’m convinced that I’m being punished for something,” he groaned. Yes, that had to be it. Why else would he be stuck in the office well past business hours, working on this nightmare of a venture called Tempest? He grumbled, frustrated with everything about his new duties.

  There were a rapid three knocks on Jarred’s office door before it pushed open and his brother, Langston, walked in. What now? Jarred took a deep breath, sat up in his chair and ran his hand across his bearded face. He could tell from the stiff way that Langston moved, his appearance harried, not to mention the ferocious scowl on his face, that something or someone had him pissed.

  At six feet, Langston was an inch shorter than Jarred, and he was two years younger than his own thirty-four years of age. They shared the same strong jawline and thick brows that accentuated hazel eyes, but Langston kept his wavy hair close-cropped to his head, and sported little more than a five o’clock shadow, with a mustache he kept neatly trimmed.

  Jarred watched as his brother stormed across the plush carpet to one of the leather wingback chairs, then plopped down with a heavy sigh.

  “What’s wrong now?” Jarred asked, eyeing him closely. Langston was a rather easygoing guy, but it looked as if he hadn’t slept in a few days.

  “The question should be what is not wrong?” he responded sourly. “This acquisition is going to be the death of us all. Maybe we should have listened to Brice on this one. This is a huge headache times three.”

  Jarred knew exactly what headache his brother was referring to. Tempest.

  Josiah Tempest was a longtime friend of their father’s and had taught William Manning most of what he knew about the banking industry. Unfortunately, years later, Josiah’s failing health and poor management decisions had caught up with him, which now left the Manning brothers with a mess to clean up.

  “Where’s Brice?” Jarred asked, his voice sounding as tired as he was.

  “I haven’t a clue. Probably between the thighs of a beautiful woman, which is where we all should be, instead of in the office at nine o’clock on a Friday evening.”

  Jarred groaned, pushed back in his chair, linked his fingers behind his head, closed his eyes and let out a frustrated breath. “In the arms of a beautiful woman seems to be a thing of the past. At least until we get some semblance of control over the situation with Tempest,” he said, opening his eyes and looking at his brother.

  “I can see why Tempest’s sons decided to become doctors. Their father is great at giving business advice and helping others, but he sure as hell didn’t apply any of that knowledge to his own corporate dealings.”

  “You’re right about that. To be fair, everything was running well for a long while. I can’t point my finger to exactly where it all began to unravel, other than when he took ill. But I still say something else had to have been happening on the inside. We need Brice to bring us up to speed on the most recent financials. The ones I’m looking at now are horrid.” Jarred ran his hands across his face once more. Work had always given him a sense of fulfillment, but now he just felt burdened by it all. He needed something different. What, he wasn’t sure. And he had no time to figure it out.

  Langston’s reply caught his attention. “Well, good luck with that. Brice told Dad from the very start not to take over this business. Not only did Dad not listen to him, but he went off and retired to some faraway place.” He threw up his hands in frustration.

  “Please, don’t get me started on that.” Jarred snorted. “Dad hadn’t lived in his hometown since he was a kid, and then boom, he suddenly got a ‘hankering’ to return.” He shook his head and rested it against his chair again.

  Jarred could feel Langston eyeing him. “You’re unusually quiet. What’s wrong?”

  He pinned his brother with a look. “How am I quiet if I’m talking to you?”

  “You know what I mean. No ranting?”

  He shrugged. “I’ve been venting all week. Trust me, it hasn’t been pretty. Shelley has suddenly decided to take a leave of absence,” Jarred grunted. Shelley, his assistant, had been working for him for only a short time, but had worked for Manning Enterprises for a few years.

  Langston chuckled. “That bad, huh?”

  “Apparently.”

  “You’re not exactly known for your decorum, Jarred. I’m surprised she hasn’t left sooner. I hope you know she’s probably looking for another position.” Langston chuckled again.

  “Brice slept with her. I’m sure of it. Shelley’s pissed because according to her, ‘He’s ignoring me,’” Jarred mimicked, and then scowled. He haphazardly moved things around on his desk. Still annoyed, he tossed a single piece of paper across the top. It landed on the floor, which sent Langston into a fit of laughter.

  “Now that’s more like the Jarred I know.”

  “What am I supposed to do, Langston? I’m his brother, not his damn keeper. Although at the rate he’s going, he clearly needs a caretaker or something.”

  Brice was a serial dater. His nonchalant ways with women were surely going to come back to haunt him one day. Jarred didn’t think his baby brother had ever been in a serious relationship, though there was that one time after college when Brice had been unusually snarly and impossible to live with. Jarred assumed a woman was the reason. At their parents’ twenty-fifth wedding anniversary, Brice had brought one woman to the party, left and come back with another. That little stint hadn’t gone over well with their mother. Delores “Dee” Manning had read Brice the riot act. Brice had looked contrite and vowed never to disrespect the family like that again. His brother still dated a lot of women, he just never brought them around the family, and, as he put it, never to his place.

  Langston leaned back in his chair. “Brice swears he’s never slept with Shelley. Only took her out a few times. She wanted a relationship, and according to our brother, that was out of the question. I keep telling him that if he continues to play with women like this, it’s going to come back and bite him on the ass.” Langston took a deep breath. “We both need a break from here for a little while. You’re just so wrapped up in this business you can’t see the forest for the trees. All of it will be here on Monday, ready and waiting for us. Let’s go somewhere where there’s good food, live entertainment and relaxation.”

  “And where would that be?” Jarred furrowed his brow, and a huge smile covered Langston’s face.

  “What?” Jarred questioned.

  “I know this great spot. It’s in Jersey and it’s perfect! Each night there’s something different going on—from spoken word, to live bands, to solo artists, you name it. A classy place, too. A relaxing atmosphere all around,” Langston said.

  “The last time you took me to a place that supposedly had a nice atmosphere, I was looking for someone to hand me some flowers and a pamphlet, and point me to a cabbage, claiming it to be the Chosen One,” Jarred mocked, rolling his eyes and making a face.

  “It was a retreat that focused on getting in touch with oneself. Everyone hugged. It was supposedly a way of being respectful and free.” Langston chuckled. “Besides, I was in college, bro. Different values and ideals back then,” he explained. “You’re never going to let me forget it, are you?”

  “No, never.” Jarred glared at him. In retrospect, the place really wasn’t that bad; he just liked to give his brother a hard time. Although back then he really did think Langston was into some kind of cult. No doubt thank
s to that girl he was dating, who was, in Jarred’s opinion, weird.

  “Come on, Jarred, it will be good for you to get away from this office. When was the last time you went out and had fun? I know you don’t like the club scene, but you need to get free from this place for a while. The only thing you do is work. As a matter of fact, when was the last time you went out on a date?”

  “I’ve gone out on dates, Langston,” he grumbled, lowering his head to avoid eye contact. The truth of the matter was ever since his ex-fiancée, Lainey, ran out on him and eloped with someone he thought was a close friend, Jarred hadn’t any trust in the opposite sex. That was two years ago. The sting of betrayal still lingered.

  Jarred and Lainey had dated on and off all through college. They’d parted when Lainey went abroad for her graduate studies and he had gone on to law school, but then reconnected upon her return to the States. To him it was as if they’d never separated. They got engaged and were planning a life together. He thought they had the same aspirations for their future. Evidently not, he found out, when Lainey left him with an empty house and a brief note. Apparently she was in love with their mutual friend Braxton—the man she eloped with.

  “Snap out of it, Jarred,” Langston said, no doubt seeing him lapse into a trip down memory lane. “You get an itch, you scratch it and then move on. Since Lainey left, you’ve never gone out with the same woman twice. Anyway, this is not about dating—it’s about you not running yourself into the ground with work. Take a break,” he pleaded. “I promise this place is great, and you’ll have a good time.”

  “How did you find it?”

  “Brice,” Langston murmured, and lowered his head.

  “Hell, no!” Jarred said emphatically. “I know you didn’t just try to convince me to go somewhere based on our brother’s recommendation.”

  “It’s not his recommendation. I’ve been there and it’s cool. Trust me.”

  Jarred sighed heavily. He really didn’t feel like being bothered tonight. He would’ve preferred a hot meal, some relaxing jazz music and maybe catching a basketball game on television.