Don't Make Me Wait

Amari Christopher stopped searching for her one true love after her heart was broken five years ago. Her chronically single status is no problem, though, since her job as an entertainment reporter affords her the opportunity to meet plenty of truly great lovers in the music industry.

When her ex-boyfriend is tragically killed in an accident, Amari starts to rethink her party-girl lifestyle. Facing forty and determined not to be the old chick in the club, she trades in her little black book for a leather-bound Bible and starts attending church. That's where she meets Mandrel Ingram, a stable, God-fearing man who shows her that real love trumps meaningless romps.

Mandrel Ingram retired his player card when he found the Lord. After two years of celibacy and praying for God to send him his mate, he thinks he may have found her when he meets fiery, beautiful, smart Amari. While he's attracted to her free-spirited nature and charm, he wonders if this wild-child can ever be turned into a suitable housewife. He might have cause to wonder, as Amari becomes bored with their G-rated dates and starts to miss the thrill of romance in her life.

When Amari interviews up-and-coming singer Apollo Rison for an article, his no-strings, live-for-moment attitude intrigues her. Already sexually frustrated and desperate for a new adventure, Amari propositions him for a one night stand. What starts as a casual fling morphs into a complicated situation, as Amari's rendezvous with Apollo become more frequent and her feelings for him intensify. Before long, she is burdened with guilt and torn between Mandrel, who nurtures her spiritual side and makes her a better woman, and Apollo, who feeds her creative side and provides the passion she craves. Caught between the man she wants and the man she needs, will Amari turn to God for guidance?

Shana Burton is a college program director in Macon, GA, where she lives with her two sons. She enjoys dancing, reading, and spending time with her family when she is not writing. She is a two-time Georgia Author of the Year nominee for Best Fiction (First Comes Love, 2009; Flaws and All, 2011).

About Shana Burton