Heated (16 page)

“I Bianca King love you Kahron Strong with every little piece of my heart,” she told him sweetly, kissing his lips.

“Tell me something I
don’t
know,” he teased, rolling out of the bed as Bianca reached for a pillow to swing at him.

Epilogue

One Year Later

Bianca smiled up at her father as she took her place by his side and offered her his arm in his handsome tuxedo. “Ready, Daddy?”

He nodded.

Their wedding planner and her assistant stepped forward to open the double doors to the church in unison.

“Wait,” Hank said suddenly.

The ladies stepped back, letting the door stay closed.

Bianca turned and looked up at him. “Something wrong, Daddy?”

“I just want you to know how proud I am of you. How proud I have always been.”

Bianca smiled and reached up to stroke his face, “I know that, Daddy.”

“I think a lot about how my life would be if you hadn’t forgiven me and come home. I’d probably have drunk myself to death and still been married to that barracuda.”

Bianca nodded, knowing that he had taken Trishon and Papa Doc’s betrayal hard—but never once had his sobriety wavered. Along with Dante, all three were serving time for their crimes and long gone from their lives.

“I really and truly want you to be happy because you deserve it, Bunny. I have my business back, and my daughter back, and I’m man enough to admit that I cannot thank you enough for that.”

Bianca blinked away her tears, sniffing, as she smiled at him. “I think I know what this little talk is really about.”

Hank looked bashful. “Oh you do?”

“You’re not losing me again, Daddy. We’ll still see each other everyday at the ranch, especially with my clinic set up there and anytime you need me, just call. Nothing or no one is coming between us again… okay?”

“Promise?”

“I promise.”

Hank smiled, his grin almost as wide as his broad face. “Then let’s get this thing rolling.”

Bianca reached up on her toes to kiss both of his cheeks.

The planner and her assistant opened the doors.

Bianca took a deep breath as her father squeezed her hand comfortingly. Quickly she scanned the church, and saw many of her friends from Atlanta, including Armand, who pointed to Garcelle and then gave Bianca a wicked and mischievous smile. Bianca took in her soon to be in-laws, feeling love from them all. Mimi, serving as her bridesmaid, stood near the altar in her smart and sexy lavender suit. At the front of the church Kahron turned to watch her walk to him, looking handsome in his tuxedo. Bianca smiled with all the love she felt for him as she walked down the aisle into her destiny.

Dear Readers,

Heated
was one of my favorite stories to write. A love scene that is one full chapter in length—I didn’t realize that until I was done with it. Guess I got caught up—smile.

I hope you all enjoyed Kahron and Bianca’s tale of love, passion, betrayal, and just a bit of suspense, as much as I enjoyed writing it. Of course, you probably caught all the hints that the next in what I am now naming the “Hot Holtsville Series” is Kade and Gar-celle. Their story will be just as spicy, and romantic, and, I hope, as treasured as all the rest.

See you soon between the steamy pages of another story of what I like to call “Soul Love.”

Love 2 Live & Live 2 Love.

And I’m out.

N.

Reading Group Guide Questions

1. The book opens with Bianca estranged from her father for well over a decade. Do you agree with her reasons for leaving home? Why? Would you have handled her issues with her father differently? Have you ever been in a situation you felt was best to leave?
   
2. When Bianca returned to Holtsville, she discovered how drastically Trishon had changed the family home. How would you deal with the same situation? Although she disliked Trishon and didn’t approve of Trishon marrying her father, do you think Bianca handled the situation well?
   
3. With her father struggling to stay sober, do you think Bianca should have tried to convince Mimi to stop drinking as well? Was she being hypocritical? Do you expect more from your parents than you expect from your friends?
   
4. Do you think Kahron and Bianca’s relationship became sexual too soon? Do any of you have a time frame on when you will allow sexual intimacy in new relationships? Would you have liked for your first time with a new lover to take place in a secluded spot in the woods like Bianca? Was the chemistry between Kahron and Bianca evident from the very beginning? What scene in the book showed that chemistry the best?
   
5. Did it take too long for Bianca to finally trust Kahron? Do you feel Kahron did enough to garner Bianca’s trust? At anytime in the book did you feel Kahron might have done the thing Hank accused him of? When? If so, when did you realize he wasn’t involved?
   
6. Was Bianca foolish for running out to catch the “shadowy figure” in the yard, which led to her being knocked unconscious in the grove of trees? Have you ever played vigilante and regretted it? It was never revealed in the story, but who do you think was the second figure?
   
7. Do you think Kahron forgave Bianca too quickly during the scene on his porch? Was the scene believable? Why?
   
8. Trishon is a woman with some serious issues. Discuss her issues and how they relate to the crimes she committed. Are there any justifications in her actions? Are men as gullible as Trishon thinks? Do you think a woman like Trishon will ever be capable of falling in love?
   
9. What mistakes did Trishon, Dante, and Papa Doc make that led to their capture? Were you surprised to discover Papa Doc’s involvement in Trishon’s schemes?
   
10. Are you in love?
    

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Niobia Bryant is the nationally bestselling and award-winning author of seven works of romance fiction. She lives in South Carolina with her boyfriend and is working on her next romance novel,
Count on This
, and her first mainstream novel,
Live and Learn
. For more on this author who cannot be stopped go to her Web site:
www.geocities.com/niobia_bryant
, where you can join her free online book club: Niobia Bryant News. Or feel free to email her at [email protected].

DAFINA BOOKS are published by

Kensington Publishing Corp.
850 Third Avenue
New York, NY 10022

Copyright © 2006 by Niobia Bryant

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the Publisher, excepting brief quotes used in reviews.

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ISBN: 978-0-7582-6622-4