The moment they crossed the threshold, Preston took Lee Ann into his arms. He caressed her cheek with his fingertips, trailing down the curve of her neck, sending shivers of delight racing through her body.
She sighed with pleasure, and the sweet sound of it deepened Preston’s arousal. Lee Ann wrapped her arms around his neck as the desire to give herself totally to him pounded in her veins.
“Let’s go upstairs,” he breathed in her ear.
“Lead the way,” she whispered seductively.
He kissed her once more, twirling his tongue against hers, before they mounted the stairs together. When they reached the top, he opened his bedroom door and swept her up into his arms. He crossed the room and eased them both down onto the bed.
“I dreamed about this last night,” she said softly.
“Now we can make it real,” he said, before taking her lips with his own in a long, searing kiss.
About the Author
DONNA HILL began writing novels in 1990. Since then, she has had more than forty titles published, including full-length novels and novellas. Two of her novels and one novella were adapted for television. Donna has won numerous awards for her body of work. The editor of five novels, two of which were nominated for awards, she moves easily from romance to erotica, horror, comedy and women’s fiction. Donna was the first recipient of the RT Book Reviews Trailblazer Award and currently teaches writing at the Frederick Douglass Creative Arts Center.
Donna lives in Brooklyn with her family. Visit her website at www.donnahill.com.
Dear Reader,
Welcome to the exciting world of my brand-new family miniseries, the Lawsons of Louisiana. Following the success—thanks to you—of my Pause for Men and The Ladies Cartel miniseries, I began to think about what direction my next work would take. I’d been asked and had thought about doing a family series for a while and finally the opportunity presented itself. The idea of bringing to the page a dynamic, powerful, sexy, politically connected family began to take shape. And what better time than now to showcase the beauty and power of a black political family?
The first character that came to me full-blown was Rafe Lawson. OMG! I had a thing for him before he was even fully formed. Then there are his twin sisters, Dominique and Desiree—identical in looks but as different as apples and oranges. Justin is the youngest, dashing brother who you will see come into his own over the course of the series.
To kick things off is the eldest sister, Lee Ann. When she meets Jr. Senator Preston Graham, there’s no telling what will happen between them, save for a little bit of scandal and a whole lot of passion.
I’m so excited about the Lawsons and I hope you will enjoy each and every one of their stories, beginning with Spend My Life with You.
I’d love to hear from you. Send your thoughts to [email protected] and be sure to tell a friend!
Until next time,
Donna
Other Books by Donna Hill
Kimani Romance
Love Becomes Her
If I Were Your Woman
After Dark
Sex and Lies
Seduction and Lies
Temptation and Lies
Longing and Lies
Private Lessons
Spend My Life with You
Spend My Life with You
DONNA
HILL
Chapter 1
Lee Ann Lawson leaned toward her dressing table mirror and fastened the diamond studs into her ears, just as the booming voice of her father called out to her from the other side of the Louisiana mansion.
“Coming!” she called back, tightening the belt of her white silk robe around her slim waist and wondering as she padded barefoot along the winding hallway what it was that he couldn’t find. She smiled inwardly and prepared herself to fuss over her daddy for the next few minutes. She was stopped halfway when one of her twin sisters, Dominique, leaped out from her bedroom door, hands planted boldly on her round hips.
“Sis, would you please tell my darling dull twin that this dress does not show too much cleavage!” She flashed a scowling look at her mirror image, who sat demurely on a cushioned foot stool.
Lee Ann looked Dominique up and down. Of the two, Dominique was always the flamboyant one, ready at the drop of a hat to be the center of attention. And her dress definitely did that. Cut in the front to nearly her navel, the sparkling silver floor-length gown barely held her size Cs in place.
“You sure your dolls aren’t going to pop out and introduce themselves at the party?” Lee Ann asked, only half in jest.
Desiree covered her mouth and laughed. “Told you, Dom. And it’s the same thing Mama would have said.”
Dominique pouted. “I have a cover-up.”
“Be sure you have it with you,” she warned. She peeked around Dominique. “You look beautiful, Desi. And you, too, Dom,” she said with a big-sister wink.
“Lee Ann!” Branford bellowed.
The sisters exchanged a knowing look as Lee Ann hurried down the hallway. The voices of her brothers Rafe and Justin floated to her from the main room below. She couldn’t wait to see her handsome brothers all decked out. She tapped on her father’s door.
“Come in.”
She pushed the partially opened door and stepped inside. Even after five years, she still had not adjusted to the reality that every night her father slept alone and that their beloved mother was no longer with them. As the oldest girl, she’d stepped into the role of caregiver for her mother during her mother’s long illness and then the caregiver for her family—her father in particular.
“Hey, Daddy. Sorry, I got waylaid by those girls.” She laughed lightly and crossed the circular room to where her father sat on the edge of the king-size bed struggling with his cuff links. “Here, let me.” Her slender honey-toned fingers moved expertly to insert the onyx cufflinks and fasten them.
“You fix me up just like your mama, God rest her soul,” he murmured and affectionately patted Lee Ann’s hand.
The ache in his voice twisted inside of Lee Ann and settled where it always did—in the center of her heart. She leaned over and kissed her father’s cheek then sat back and adjusted his tie, turning her head right then left as she did.
Her father was one of the most powerful men in the state of Louisiana. Senior Senator Branford Lawson not only carried clout but respect across both sides of the aisle. Some of his closest friends were those who for the average person were only seen on television and in newspapers, but to her they were Aunt Hillary or Uncle Bill. At any given time, the Lawson mansion would become the epicenter for political gatherings. She remembered one day as a young girl waking up and seeing former president Carter sitting in the kitchen sipping coffee with her father.
It had been her mother, Louisa, who’d overseen the Lawson household and clan like the queen of England oversaw her country. She was the consummate Southern hostess, the nurturing but watchful mother and loyal and devoted friend. Lee Ann became the woman she was because