Nic
Page 21
Sam was also right that it was time. To get off her duff and stop feeling sorry for herself.
Not that she’d tell Sam that. “This should have been my choice. Mine. Do you even know how old he is? He can’t possibly be more than twenty-six. I’m forty, Sam. Forty! That’s fourteen years.”
“He’s not that much younger than you, actually.” Sam waved a hand in the air, a sort of la-de-da gesture, as if somehow the explanation made it all okay. “He’s thirty.”
Liz swallowed down the panic clawing its way through her. “That’s still ten years. My God. Do you know what people will say? The kind of looks we’ll get? I’d be practically robbing the cradle.”
She’d grown up in Angel Bay, a cove on Whidbey Island, one of the five islands in the Puget Sound, just outside of Seattle, Washington. Dad had moved them here after her mother’s death when she was three. It had to be the friendliest town on earth. The majority of the residents, all 2,000 of them, had grown up together, and everybody knew everybody else. They also adored gossip. Good Lord. This little tidbit, that she dated Luc Rossi, would no doubt be all over town by noon tomorrow.
Being in the public eye wasn’t something she was used to yet. Normally, she was a quiet, private person. It’s what she loved so much about being a writer. She could lose herself in a story and do it all from the privacy of her own home. She’d chosen a pen name originally because she could hide behind it. She hadn’t wanted to know what her husband’s friends would think of the fact that she wrote erotic romance. While deep down, she knew Sam was right, that she had nothing to be ashamed of, it was still hard to rectify with the knowledge that some people saw erotic romances as little more than written porn.
If she ever wanted to land a print contract with a big New York publishing house, though, she needed to learn to tell people she was an author without shaking in her shoes. Her hometown ought to be the perfect place to start, but if gossip spread about her and Luc, it would no doubt give them all the wrong ideas.
Provided, of course, that she actually managed to write something worth publishing. Her last release had been six months ago. The last in a series she’d started during one of Daniel’s final deployments. Since his death, she’d barely written a word. How did you write about sensuality when sex was the last thing on your mind? When you didn’t feel sexy?
Sam opened her mouth but closed it again as her gaze shifted to something behind Liz. Liz didn’t need to ask to know Luc had just stepped up behind her. Dread sank like a stone in her stomach. Crap. If he’d heard all that, she’d probably offended the poor man.
“She’s right, Sam.”
Liz straightened her shoulders and forced herself to turn around. Luc stood in the archway between the kitchen and the hallway, arms folded. His mouth turned down at the corners, and deep grooves formed between his brows.
His gaze shifted to her, and for a moment, they stood regarding each other. Eyes the color dark, rich chocolate slid over her, taking her in from head to toe. Okay, so she’d admit he was gorgeous. Much better looking up close and personal. He had a basketball player’s physique—well over six feet, with broad shoulders and a wide chest. A lean, muscular frame and long limbs. His dark brown hair curled over his forehead in a way that was simultaneously sexy and boyish. He was a walking fantasy.
But he was still way too damn young.
As if somehow her best friend had suddenly become a mind reader, Sam laid a hand on her shoulder and leaned her mouth beside Liz’s ear. “You can thank me later.”
Liz elbowed Sam and whispered back, “Nope. Going to kill you later.”
“I’ll just go check on dinner and let you two get better acquainted.” Sam had the audacity to wink at her before she pranced back into the kitchen.
Leaving her and Luc alone in the hallway. They regarded each other again, and tension rose so strongly Liz was sure something would crack.
She pulled her shoulders back and flashed a smile. “I’m sorry you heard all that. It’s not you.”
“No offense taken.” He returned the same tight, uncomfortable smile.
Several more moments ticked by in painfully awkward silence. Yeah, this was going well. Christ. What the hell did she say to him now? Except the answer came as quickly as the question. If this had to happen, it would happen on her terms.
She heaved a sigh. “Look, since we’re stuck together for the evening, I think it’s only fair to tell you. I don’t normally do blind dates. Or younger men. Nothing personal. In her own, warped way, I’m sure Sam meant well, but I’m not in the market for a relationship.”
Luc’s impassive expression finally cracked, in the form of a grin. He chuckled.
“Me either. Guess we’ll have to base our relationship on sex, then.” He winked, pushed away from the wall, and returned to the kitchen.
All she could do was stand there gaping. How the hell had he meant that?
Except even as she asked herself the question, her mind filled in the blanks. He was probably laughing at her. No doubt thought his little comeback would tantalize an older woman like her. Ever since losing Daniel, she’d been wary of dating and all the things that came with it. Even though she took good care of herself, she wasn’t twenty anymore. And his teasing made her feel like a fool. A desperate, forty-year-old fool.
She drew her shoulders back, irritated—at him and Sam and this whole damn night. It would serve him right if she gave a little back, showed him that older women were smart and could both take it and dish it out. Yup, Luc would learn that two could play at this game.
To purchase this ebook and learn more about the author, click here.
For more from J.M. Stewart, check out:
Her Soldier’s Touch
Praise for Her Soldier’s Touch:
“Contemporary romance fans, and those who are looking for a story of lovers with broken pasts and love conquering all will enjoy this one!” -- InD'tale Magazine
“An emotional story that will keep you engrossed from beginning to end.” --Still Moments Magazine
Her Knight in Black Leather
“I fell in love with this story, and I think you will too.” -- 5 Lip Bites and Top Pick 2013, MsRomanticReads
“I highly recommend this outstanding book to all romance lovers who are looking for a deeply satisfying read. This is a Harlequin Junkie top pick!” -- 5 Hearts and HJ Top Pick, Harlequin Junkies
In the mood for more Crimson Romance?
Check out It’s Been You by Rina Gray at CrimsonRomance.com.