Forbidden Tenderness

He is haunted by dreams and voices of his dead girlfriend, which leads him to her best friend. Grief-stricken, she can’t believe how much she and the billionaire have in common. But do they truly see ghosts?

Can the death of a loved one bring two strangers together?

Cole Langston thought he had found the woman to marry, but her sudden death left a hole in his heart that he didn't think anyone could replace. His odd dreams of his deceased girlfriend led him to her best friend, Ashley Turner. Yet, Cole keeps hearing his girlfriend's voice in his head, urging him to help Ashley. He has two choices – believe that he has gone insane or follow the promptings.

Ashley is grief-stricken from her best friend's death, thinking that if only she had kept a better watch over her friend, she would still be alive. Suffering from her own bad relationships, Ashley is not anxious to start dating again. But when she meets Cole for the first time, she sees why her friend had fallen in love. There is more to her friend's death than she realizes, and together, Ashley and Cole search for answers. Both can feel their dead friend helping them with the dangerous journey.

Step into the warmth of this sweet and wholesome contemporary billionaire romance, where tender passion is delicately woven, inviting your imagination to complete the story.

Soft music set the mood for this evening’s entertainment.

Cole Langston closed his eyes as he held Erica Kramer’s petite frame, rocking back and forth to the soothing music. Romance was in the air, and he was going to make the best out of it tonight.

He had started the evening by taking her to a secluded restaurant where candlelight was the only glow in the dimly lit room. A violinist moved from table to table, playing soft, romantic music for the couples who were there to enjoy the food and atmosphere. After a satisfying dinner of lobster, steamed vegetables and baked potato, Cole took his lovely date back to her place, where she invited him inside for a nightcap.

Cole hadn’t been dating Erica as regularly as he would have liked, but the sweet-as-candy woman was perfect for him. She made him laugh, and yet, she could also be serious. He never thought he’d feel this way about a woman – mainly because they had all been after his money. However, Erica didn’t know he had money. She didn’t know about the several nightclubs he owned along with a few yacht clubs, nor his stock share in most of the Fortune 500 companies. His father taught him well, and Cole was a very wealthy man because of it.

Tonight, he would tell Erica everything about his life – the good years and the bad – that had shaped him into the man he was today. He was also going to confess his feelings, which was another first for him.

He pulled back slightly as they continued to dance, holding each other closely. She looked into his eyes and smiled. His heart warmed.

“I’ve had a wonderful time tonight,” Erica said.

Cole brushed his finger against her bare neck, loving that her short hair gave him access to this part of her that he loved kissing. Soon, he’d get to bury his face against her throat as he started the seduction. She would smell like lilacs as always. Because of her, he had come to love that scent.

“Tonight was magical.” Cole trailed his hand gently over her back.

Erica shivered and sighed, leaning against him a little more. He loved it when she melted beneath his touch. He felt the same way those times she touched him. They were meant for each other.

Cole dropped his face to her neck, near her ear. “I love you, Erica.” He kissed her. “Will you be mine forever? Marry me, please.”

Immediately, her body grew limp. He stopped swaying with the music and lifted his head to look at her lovely face. Slowly, the color disappeared from her face, but then splotches of blood oozed from her eyes, nose, mouth, and ears. Cole panicked and stepped back, dropping his hands from her body. Her pleading eyes were begging for his help.

“Cole, you have to stop this. Find Ashley. She’ll know what to do.”

Mystified and desperate to understand what was going on, Cole reached for Erica, but he couldn’t grasp her. Gradually, she faded into nothingness. He wanted to scream as confusion continued to fill him to the point that he couldn’t breathe. Who was Ashley? What did he need to stop?

The music continued playing in the background, and his body swayed. His stomach churned, and he felt the urge to evict the contents inside.

Dizziness assailed him, and he blinked, trying to clear the clouds out of his eyes. A bright light rested on his face. He squinted, trying to see. From the window, the bright light from the morning sun shone through the blinds. The swaying movement increased, as did his rolling stomach. Finally, he gained his bearings and noticed the familiar wood of the walls in his yacht, reminding him of where he had fallen asleep. But he couldn’t remember how he had gotten here in the first place.

His beautiful, sweet Erica had been a dream – a dream he’d had nearly every night for two months. Sadness filled his heart, making him want to cry all over again.

But he couldn’t shed any more tears. He was done beating himself up for not confessing his love and being too chicken to ask her to marry him before she died.