by Aimee Carson
“So tell me, suit,” she said, as lightly as she could. “What exactly is a virgin supposed to act like?”
Jacqueline’s new boss is none other than her friend’s older brother—hot-shot lawyer Blake Bennington. His control freakery and his need to always, always be right would normally send fiery, unconventional Jax running a mile—but even she has to admit he looks edible in his bespoke suit!
She’s quickly realizing she’s way out of her depth...but with this contained, experienced guy, trying to get him to lose his cool is just a little too tempting….
SNEAK PEEK EXCERPT FROM
FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING
Jax Lee was trouble of monumental proportions. Impulsive. Headstrong. With a mouth to match.
Worse…everything about her made him hot.
Honey-colored hair hung in waves down her back, wild and unrestrained, while the small tattoo on the inside of her right wrist enhanced her unruly air. And, as if that wasn’t disturbing enough, her long legs were bare beneath the cut-offs.
Curbing his reaction had been doable until he discovered the sound body did indeed come with a sound mind, the sharp wit and keen intellect triggering a need the likes of which he could no longer ignore. Unfortunately, intellect did not equal common sense. Or sanity. Her amusing mouth was sassier than all his past girlfriends combined, but her reckless nature made her a risk.
A risk he had no choice but to take.
Dear Reader,
A little over seven years ago I began crafting the stories I’d been reading for years and instantly became addicted to creating modern-day heroes and heroines, watching them fall in love and then struggle to reach their Happily Ever After. Achieving the goal of becoming a published author was fantastic. Writing for Harlequin is a dream come true. Taking part in the launch of a fabulous new line…?
Indescribable.
So it is with great pleasure that I present my first story for Harlequin KISS—an exciting new line that embodies everything I love about a great book: humor, sassy dialogue and a simmering sexual tension that crackles on every page. And just as important, despite the fresh, sparkly tone there is still plenty of room to explore some of life’s edgier issues. Jax, the heroine in this story, is a perfect example of exactly that, but you’ll have to read on to find out how!
I hope you enjoy reading KISS as much as I do!
Aimee
First Time
for Everything
Aimee Carson
ABOUT AIMEE CARSON
The summer she turned eleven, Aimee left the children’s section of the library and entered an aisle full of Harlequin novels. She promptly pulled out a book, sat on the floor and read the entire story. It has been a love affair that has lasted over thirty years.
Despite a fantastic job working part-time as a physician in the Alaskan Bush (think Northern Exposure and ER, minus the beautiful mountains and George Clooney), she also enjoys being at home in the gorgeous Black Hills of South Dakota, riding her dirt bike with her three wonderful kids and beyond-patient husband. But, whether at home or at work, every morning is spent creating the stories she loves so much. Her motto? Life is too short to do anything less than what you absolutely love. She counts herself lucky to have two jobs she adores, and incredibly blessed to be a part of Harlequin’s family of talented authors.
This and other titles by this author are available in ebook format. Check out Harlequin.com.
Jacqueline “Jax” Lee, my heroine in this story, constantly amazed me with her indomitable spirit and quirky sense of humor. So it’s only fitting that I dedicate this book to two of the strongest, funniest women I know: Wendy S. Marcus and Jennifer Probst. Not only are you both fabulous authors and my soul sisters, y’all somehow manage to keep me sane.
I love you both.
Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
ONE
Ray-Ban sunglasses blocking the bright sun, Blake Bennington made his way down the courthouse steps, debating whether to ask Sara out before getting back to the office. Regardless of his decision, his fourteen-hour workday would have to be cut short for his appearance at the annual Moon Over Miami fundraiser tonight. Which meant, after ten hours in a tie, he was destined to trade his suit for a tux. But the discomfort would be a small price to pay given his sister Nikki’s involvement with the event was what had kept her out of trouble since her arrival back home.
Blake pushed the troublesome thoughts aside. “Thanks for the info, Sara.”
Beside him, the striking brunette in a power suit sent him a smile laced with a subtle come-hither vibe. Blake had been studiously sidestepping her interest since the first time they’d collaborated on the South Florida Drug Enforcement Task Force, years ago.
“Winning a guilty verdict in the Menendez case will solidify your chances for promotion, Blake,” she said. “I hope the file helps.”
“Every piece of information helps.” They reached the busy sidewalk and he stopped to face the beautiful lawyer. “Seriously,” he said. “I appreciate your time.”
“You know I’m always available,” Sara said as she brushed his arm with her fingers, and Blake bit back a smile.
Her touch seemed like a simple gesture, but he knew better.
Sara was classy. Poised. And intelligent. Known for being a bulldog in the courtroom, she possessed a dedication and pragmatism that rivaled his. Just the sort of woman Blake should date. Just the sort of woman Blake usually did date. One who understood his career goals and the time requirements.
So why was he hesitating?
While the question darted around his head, a passing lawyer stopped to ask Sara a question, and Blake paused, knowing he was a fool for ignoring the offer in her eyes. Nikki might be more of a time-consuming handful than a little sister had a right to be, not to mention the high-profile case that currently required his full attention, but he was a red-blooded man who enjoyed sex as much as the next guy. Despite ample opportunity, it had been six months since he’d last woken up with a woman in his bed. Six months since he’d followed through on the urge.
What was his problem?
As he contemplated the question, a female who looked barely old enough to vote plowed into him, her eyes fixed on her phone as one of her black-booted heels landed on his toes. Gripping her arms, Blake stared down at the long, honey-colored hair, the Beatles T-shirt and the enticing cutoffs—not short enough to reveal the underwear beneath, but coming pretty damn close. His internal debate made a lateral move from his sex life to whether there was lace or a thong beneath the shorts. And combined with the sight of sexy leather cowboy boots...
Man, he seriously needed to get a grip.
His feminine assailant slipped her phone into her pocket and removed her foot from his. “Sorry, Suit,” she drawled, and Blake set her back, his eyebrows pulling together in amusement at the nickname. “I’m running late,” she went on, “but that’s no excuse for body-slamming you.”
“You should watch where you’re going,” he said lightly. He nodded down at the fantasy-inducing footwear. “With boots like those, someone might get hurt.”
“Cheer up. Maybe you can successfully sue me for a hit-and-run.”<
br />
The infectious sparkle in her hazel eyes was more humor than seduction.
“Except you haven’t run,” he said, attempting to maintain a serious expression, knowing he was failing. “And technically, if you left me your name, I’d have no case.”
“Well, when you put it like that...” She stuck out her hand, and Blake took it automatically, noting the soft skin and the small tattoo on the inside of her wrist. “Jacqueline Lee,” she said. “And just in case you were considering asking me out—” she released his hand “—everyone calls me Jax.”
Blake realized his previous words had been misconstrued as a come-on, and his forehead bunched in skeptical humor. “I don’t date jailbait.”
“I’m twenty-three and of sound mind and body,” she said. He didn’t know her well enough to verify the state of her mind, but it was obvious her body was most definitely sound. She tilted her head. “Does that help?”
He lifted an eyebrow in amusement. “It would, except I never date a woman who goes by a man’s name.”
Her wide smile at his fictitious—and ridiculous—dating guideline was alluring. “That’s an awful lot of rules you got there,” she said. She turned to go and then paused, shooting him a mischievous look over her shoulder. “Give me a call when you want to break one.”
An amused scoff of doubt escaped as he watched her head out onto the courthouse lawn. When was the last time he’d engaged in a harmless flirtation? Too long, apparently. It was definitely time for him to start dating again if he was noticing a little hellion on heels. Hardly the kind of woman he needed in his life.
An old VW Beetle parked in front of the courthouse began to blast a song loud enough to fill the bustling courthouse lawn. And one minute his sexy assailant was crossing the grassy grounds, the next she was stepping out into a dance routine. Stunned, Blake struggled to make sense of her actions until, one by one, she was joined by adolescents in a clearly
choreographed routine. Soon, more than a dozen youth were engaged in a dance number good enough to be aired on a professional music video.
“Oh, for heaven’s sake, a flash mob,” Sara said as she came to a stop beside him. Her voice was loaded with disapproval. “Don’t kids these days have anything better to do?”
Blake stared at the group and, in particular, their leader, passion oozing from her every movement. Her earlier playful tone couldn’t be taken seriously, but the earnest enthusiasm on her face now was mesmerizing.
“They’re just having fun, Sara,” he said with a distracted tone.
There was a time when he used to live to have fun, having entirely too much of it along the way. But just because he’d crashed headfirst into reality when his father had died, leaving the responsibility for his madcap family on Blake’s shoulders, that didn’t mean the rest of the world needed one of life’s hardest lessons at the age of twenty.
“No harm in that,” he went on.
There was harm, however, in the way he was appreciating the fluid movements of the hazel-eyed girl/woman. She twisted, twirled and moved to the
Latino hip-hop song—an odd choice given her cowboy boots—with a supple grace that was capable of contorting her body into almost impossible positions. Her dancing fired his imagination, turning his blood to molten metal.
“No harm? Tell that to the police. They don’t look amused at all,” Sara said. “They look ready to make an arrest.”
With effort, Blake shifted his gaze to the two unsmiling cops rapidly approaching the dance group, his mind filling with an interesting image of his hit-and-run perpetrator in handcuffs. And not in a professional capacity.
What the hell was wrong with him?
Blake gazed at the aforementioned policemen as one of them stopped to address the dancers engaged in the routine—a routine that currently involved undulating on the grass in an impressive dance move—while the other cop made a beeline for the beat-up VW Beetle blaring the music. And, for the first time, Blake noticed the leg encased in a long cast sticking out from the passenger seat of the offending car.
A weary groan of frustration escaped his lips, and his entertainment in the scene came to a screeching halt.
There was no doubt in his mind who the leg belonged to, because it was highly unlikely there could be two casts in Miami emblazoned with a red dragon from hip to toes. A cast tattoo, his sister had called it.
Hand on the VW’s hood, the police officer hunched over to speak with the hidden occupant, the cast engulfing the leg like a plaster anchor. One that Blake had thought would keep Nikki from landing in hot water—like getting thrown in jail. At least until he’d wrapped up his current case.
And there was nothing Blake hated more than being wrong.
Six hours later
“I came to arrange your release from jail as a favor to my sister, Ms. Lee,” Blake Bennington said, and Jax winced, saying a prayer of thanks, again, that she’d been the only one arrested today. The black interior of the limo and the lawyer’s dark good looks were a sharp contrast to his cool gray eyes as he went on. “Arguing the merits of the Miami Police Department with you wasn’t part of the deal.”
Beside him, Jax squirmed against the plush leather seat. Calling her new friend, Nikki Bennington, for advice had seemed logical. When the law student had shared that her brother was less than amused by today’s escapades, Jax couldn’t have cared less about some unknown stuffed shirt. Until she’d learned that Nikki’s deal with her brother meant he’d informed his chauffer to bypass a charity event and head for the jail to help. Before Blake Bennington had arrived, Jax had vowed to honor the generous gesture by holding her tongue to keep the peace.
A peace that had been most profoundly disturbed.
The hairs on her arms still stood on end from the initial electrifying sight of her hit-and-run victim materializing to offer assistance. After hours in custody, she should have been too spent to feel anything. But it wasn’t every day a girl was rescued from behind bars by a tuxedo-clad man more gorgeous than James Bond...leaving her body both shaken and stirred.
“I wasn’t arguing the police department’s merits,” she said, trying again for a conciliatory tone, which was pathetic at best. “I was just...” She forced herself to meet his gaze, the now familiar imposing form creating a jolting sizzle.
The attraction was horribly inconvenient, especially with the disapproving vibes he exuded. Keeping her opinions to herself wasn’t her usual style, and much, much harder than she’d originally thought.
She hiked her chin, aiming to bring a diplomatic end to their debate. “I was just questioning their priorities.”
Blake tipped his head. “And I’m sure the police would love to accommodate you and your priorities,” he said smoothly, clearly not meaning the words. “But they have a job to do and are bound by the letter of the law. So for future reference—” a single brow lifted, a perfect match to his wry tone “—disturbing the peace, no matter how innocently it’s done, is illegal.”
Jax bit her tongue at his tone, reminding herself to think of Nikki. Think of Nikki. During their previous run-in, Blake had appeared approachable, almost relaxed, but the moment he’d shown up to arrange her release, his intense lawyerly attitude had shown up, as well. Yet through it all the man had remained so cool. So calm. And now he was so right, damn him.
One more statement pleading her point of view and then she’d happily remain silent. “I didn’t plan this event with the intention of breaking the law.”
As if preparing for an interesting story, Blake leaned back, his posture one of a man in control. One arm thrown along the seat behind her. One leg crossed over the other. And two eyes focused on her as if daring her to impress him with her explanation.
“Then what was your intention?” he said.
“I work as a music therapist at South Glade Teen Center, an after-school club for k
ids. The county pulled their funding...”
Her heart rate jumped, fear squeezing her chest. The club provided a safe place for the kids to be themselves. To belong. Without the facility, her high school years would have been unbearable. Shifting from foster family to foster family, South Glade had been the only constant, the one place she’d truly felt at home. Losing it now wasn’t an option.
Seeking calm, she rubbed the small tattoo that partially disguised the two well-healed scars on her wrist. Warrior wounds, she liked to call them. Symbols of her past. They reminded her of who she was.
And how far she’d come.
She straightened her shoulders and pushed the panic aside. “So I wanted to gain a little positive publicity for our cause.”
“By getting arrested?”
Was he mocking her?
She inhaled a soothing breath, straining for patience. “That’s how Nikki got involved. A mutual friend asked her for tips on how to proceed legally.”
And you should have followed Nikki’s advice more closely, Jax.
Blake appeared unimpressed with her explanation. “Well, according to the police report, the music blaring from your VW Beetle was loud enough to disturb the peace.”
Inwardly, she winced, hating her defensive tone. “I told Nikki it’s kinda hard to keep the beat to music you can’t hear.”
He went on as if she hadn’t spoken. “Not to mention the dance move that landed you on the sidewalk where you—” he leaned forward to the seat across from them and retrieved the report, scanning the page “—and
I quote...‘failed to comply with a lawful order to cease from obstructing a public sidewalk.’ End quote.”
His gaze landed on hers again, and heat crept up her face, but she refused to let him see her blush. So Jax concentrated very hard on brushing away the grains of sand clinging to her denim cutoffs, remnants of her time spent on the ground.
