Switch Me On
Page 11
“Bed?” he ventured before claiming her lips once more.
Very good guess, Mr. Electricity, Ari thought, but she didn’t say it out loud. She was way too busy kissing him back.
Epilogue
“That was Ella Fitzgerald singing ‘Let’s Do It,’” Ari murmured huskily into the microphone at Boondocks. “And before that, ‘Natural Woman’ by the great Aretha Franklin. I’m about to take a break now, but more love songs will be coming your way tonight. Here’s an oldie for all you love birds out there. I don’t mean only Lizzie and Gavin, who as everybody knows, have finally decided to tie the knot. Or Sally and Paulie who, in addition to being great friends, are our hosts at Boondocks tonight. Or Robby and Alice Shoemaker. This next tune will be appreciated by oldsters like Mom and Dad Mad, who will be leaving tomorrow for their first spring break vacation alone, a romantic cruise. So here it is. ‘Just an Old Fashioned Love Song’ by Three Dog Night!”
As the music started, and the crowd began to bump and jive under the disco glitter ball, Ari felt the familiar touch of Bruno’s hands glide around her waist. Half-turning in his arms, she glanced over the festive streamers, balloons, and cake, then took in the dancing couples. She shook her head. “Lizzie’s something to behold.”
“The way she keeps borrowing your clothes, I really might wind up accidently kissing her,” Bruno warned.
Ari punched him playfully, then scrutinized her sister. This engagement was treating Lizzie way better than the last. She’d been eating ravenously, had put on a few pounds, and there was color in her cheeks. She’d never looked so good. She was becoming adventurous fashion-wise, too. “I can’t get used to seeing her in fishnet stockings,” Ari admitted.
“Don’t worry. I can still tell you apart.”
“That’s not what you just said.” She eyed him playfully. “How?”
Bruno’s eyes twinkled. “You smell different, you feel different. Everything about you is different. Nobody would ever mix you up.”
She laughed. “Thank you for that.”
Her eyes drifted to her parents. They were dancing, too. Mom Mad was even letting Dad Mad take the lead. She’d agreed to try to change, but she’d drawn the line when it came to weddings. With Lizzie’s latest, she was just as involved as she had been previously, and there was no stopping her. Gavin had proposed as soon as The Dentist had broken up with Lizzie. Nearly as quickly, The Dentist had started dating his old girlfriend, Cheryl. Not that Lizzie and Gavin were following all Mom Mad’s advice. They had insisted on this open-bar shindig at Boondocks to announce the engagement. Of course, everyone had known the news within a day, given that Blackwater Inlet was the world’s worst gossip hub. Still, it had been a good excuse for a party, and tonight, everyone was having a blast.
Ari had been spinning the most romantic songs of all time. She’d had to bring the music, of course, since Paulie didn’t usually allow touchy-feely songs in his bar. Tonight he’d made an exception. She turned her gaze from the party to Bruno, clasping her hands around his neck. In the dim light, he looked as gorgeous as ever. She was starting to wish she could see even more of him. D.C. was only three hours away by car, and yes, Bruno flew into Raleigh-Durham for the night, regularly, but Ari had spent enough time in D.C. with him to start falling in love with that city, too. Maybe she’d enjoy living there, she kept thinking.
While her bungalow was being well cared for by the pregnant couple, she missed it, too, and hadn’t been prepared for her first spring without a garden. As usual, Bruno saved the day. He was encouraging her to start creating flower beds at his cottage, and that, too, had turned into a welcome project. Slowly but surely, it seemed they were going to settle in D.C. and weekend in Blackwater Inlet, since Ari’s work was even more mobile than Bruno’s. Lucrative, too. The National Federation of Teachers account was better than she’d anticipated, a national campaign.
“This is where you were standing when I noticed you,” Bruno suddenly said. “When I heard your killer voice for the first time.”
So much had happened since then.
“What are you thinking about?” he asked, suddenly frowning.
“Honestly?”
“No, I want you to lie. Of course, honestly.”
“I...was thinking about how much I like what we’re doing, how scared I was, but how things are working out.”
“Told you so.”
“Don’t get smug on me.”
“We do well together,” he provided simply. Leaning, he grasped her hand, brought it to his mouth and kissed her fingers. “But I don’t want to wait too long.”
“For what?”
“To take it to the next level.”
She didn’t know how she felt about that. She felt so insanely happy. She’d lost herself in him only to gain more control of her own life. She loved her career, she loved the traveling she was doing and, yes, she loved him. “Everything seems so perfect. I hate to jinx it, Bruno.”
“It’s just going to get better and better, Ari.”
For some crazy reason, she actually believed him. She nodded as his fingers twined in hers and squeezed. “I know you’re right.”
“You think about it.”
It was all she’d been thinking about lately. She was starting to imagine the stability of commitment. All things that used to scare her but no longer did. He glanced up at the glitter ball and the play of light made his eyes dazzling. All at once, the age-old heat was exploding between them, the way it always did, every single time they touched. A burst of warmth claimed her heart, and it all seemed too good to be true. As much as she’d wanted to escape this town, she loved Blackwater Inlet. Here, she’d grown the roots that had given her wings. She was starting to fly. Bruno was a part of that.
Feeling the hard, taut ridges of his body against hers, she murmured, “It’s still a little too early to cut out.”
He began tugging her through the crowd, anyway, a wicked glint in his eyes. “We can do anything we want, Ari.”
“You always tell me that.”
“Because it’s true.”
She chuckled. “Where are you taking me, Mr. Electricity?”
“There are a million possibilities,” he assured, as they stepped into the spring night.
Sighing, she took in the velvet sky strewn with beautiful pinpoints of light, the stars. Otherwise, it was dark and clear, not a storm cloud in sight. “There really are a million possibilities,” she agreed as he hugged her closer, his mouth feathering down her neck.
“Just keep talking,” he coached. “Your voice is turning me on right now.”
“It’s hard to talk while you’re kissing my neck.”
“Try. Say anything.”
She smiled. “Anything,” she said dutifully, as she had many times.
As his lips found hers, she opened her eyes enough to take in the dark, liquid sky again. The stars. The winking glow of lightning bugs in the trees. Away from the music, she could hear the whirring sounds of insects. At another touch of his lips, so soft and yet firm, she felt herself melting into the kiss as if she was made to be one with him. Definitely, this wasn’t The Big Lie. It wasn’t a figment of her imagination, a fluke, or the result of a few daiquiris. He was The One. The only one. And deep down, Ari knew there was never going to be another.
“You quit talking,” he accused throatily. “Say something again.”
“Something,” she whispered, the sound of the word nearly lost, swept away by another onslaught of his mouth. Usually Bruno had been able to solicit a yes from women in less than ten minutes, and Ari knew she’d been the exception to that rule. It had taken her awhile to admit how much she wanted him. But now there was no going back.
“Anything...” she whispered.
“Now say everything, Ari.”
She didn’t answer for
a moment. But as he deepened the kiss in a way that turned her knees to butter, she felt her last resistance fall away, and the next thing she knew, the voice of her heart was on her lips and she was telling him the words he kept asking to hear, murmuring against his mouth, “Yes...oh, yes, Bruno. Yes, yes, yes. Let’s do it all together, Bruno. Absolutely everything!”
* * * * *
About the Author
As far as Jule McBride’s concerned, there are few greater pleasures in life than curling up with a good book, and that remains true whether she is writing or reading it. Since selling her first novel to Harlequin in 1993, Jule has felt extremely lucky in being able to continue to pen over forty more romances, some comedic, some scary, some suspenseful—but all with a sensual love story at the core. In particular, she’s enjoyed writing her latest—a Cosmo Red-Hot Read from Harlequin! In addition to writing, she loves knitting, growing vegetables and flowers, and spending time with friends and family. She grew up on a family farm in West Virginia, lived for some time in New York, and currently makes her home in North Carolina, surrounded by extended family and the natural beauty of mountains and beaches.
For more books by Jule McBride visit www.Harlequin.com.
Do YOU want to write a story for Cosmo Red-Hot Reads from Harlequin?
The editors of Cosmo Red-Hot Reads are looking for new writers with fresh voices and entertaining romances. The editors review each and every submission looking for bright new talent. It could be you!
Cosmo Red-Hot Reads from Harlequin are 25,000 to 30,000 word fast-paced, passionate romances for today’s fun, fearless females! Set in big cities, including glamorous international locations, each features a twentysomething heroine who values her female friendships and is building a successful career. She does not need a man to make her life complete, but he is the icing on the cake! The ensuing hot romance has strong conflict, witty repartee, a fresh contemporary voice and a hero you want to spend the weekend in bed with.
Complete details on how to submit at www.harlequin.com/harlequincosmo
ISBN-13: 9781460339572
Switch Me On
Copyright © 2014 by Julianne Randolph Moore
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