Brock “Slim” Lucas showed up later in Mystery Man but when he did, he certainly intrigued me. Most specifically the lengths he’d go to do his job. I wondered why that fire was in his belly. And suddenly I couldn’t wait to find out.

In the meantime, my aunt Barb, who reads every one of my books when they come out, mentioned in passing she’d like to see one of my couples not struggle before they capitulated to the attraction and emotion swirling around them. Instead, she wanted to see the relationship build and grow, not the hero and heroine fighting it.

This intrigued me, too, especially when it came to Brock, who had seen a lot and done a lot in his mission as a DEA agent. I didn’t want him to have another fight on his hands, not like that. But also, I’d never done this, not in all the books I’d written.

I’m a girl who likes a challenge.

But could I weave a tale that was about a man and a woman in love, recognizing and embracing that love relatively early in the story, and then focus the story on how they learn to live with each other, deal with each other’s histories, family, and all that life throws at them on a normal basis? Would this even be interesting?

Luckily, life is interesting, sometimes in good ways, sometimes not-so-good.

Throwing Elvira and Martha into the mix, along with Tess’s hideous ex-husband and Brock’s odious ex-wife, and adding children and family, life for Brock and Tess, as well as their story, was indeed interesting (and fun) to write—when I didn’t want to wring Olivia’s neck, that is.

And I found there’s great beauty in telling a tale that isn’t about fighting attraction because of past issues or history (or the like) and besting that to find love; instead delving into what makes a man and a woman, and allowing them to let their loved one get close, at the same time learning how to depend on each other to make it through.

I should thank my aunt Barb. Because she had a great idea that led to a beautiful love story.

From the desk of Eileen Dreyer

Dear Reader,

The last thing I ever thought I would do was write a series. I thought I was brave putting together a trilogy. Well, as usual, my characters outsmarted me, and I now find myself in the middle of a nine-story series about Drake’s Rakes, my handsome gentleman spies. But I don’t wait well as a reader myself. How do I ask my own readers to wait nine books for any resolution?