Roman Reunion (Destination: Desire)
Page 15
She cleared her throat, recognizing that she’d been staring a little too long. “Thanks for sharing your ride.”
“No problem.” His gaze did a slow slide down her body, the perusal deliberate and as obvious as her inspection of him had been.
Her shoulder brushed over his chest as she bent to climb into the car. Just that simple touch made her shudder, and a wave of sweet heat sluiced through her. Holy Jesus, this was crazy. She had no idea who he was, but she hoped he was single. It would be a damn shame to be this drawn to a guy who was taken. She dragged in a deep breath, and realized that her heart had leaped into a pounding rush.
Sliding across the seat, she set her shopping bag on the floor at her feet. He climbed in after her, dropping a leather messenger bag on the seat between them. He leaned his head back against the seat, closed his eyes, and sighed. The cab pulled away from the curb and merged into the chaotic mess of people trying to get out of the rain and into some form of transportation.
Julie twisted in her seat to get a better look at her companion. Yes, definitely gorgeous. And definitely exhausted. “Long day?”
Rolling his head toward her, he opened his eyes. He offered her a slight grin. “Oh, yeah. I just finished a week-long conference, but now I’m free to relax, unwind, and…enjoy myself.”
The faintest hint of an accent flavored his words, but she couldn’t pinpoint where he might be from. A mystery. She liked that. But then what he’d said sank in.
“You finished? So you’re on your way home?” A pang of disappointment went through her. She shouldn’t care, but she did. The possibility shimmering between them was too good to miss out on so easily.
Two dimples popped into his cheeks. “Not at all. I’m staying for another week on vacation.”
Now that sounded more promising. “At the Hilton?”
“Yes, and you?” His gaze sharpened with interest, and another shiver of awareness went through her. She hadn’t been this intensely attracted to a man in forever, and it was even headier than she remembered.
She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. “I’m staying there too, until after Christmas. I flew in this morning.”
“Oh, yeah? Where are you from?” He shifted his shoulders against the seat, turning a little to face her. His scent drifted to her—musky male and a light, spicy cologne. He swallowed, and she watched his Adam’s apple bob. A totally inappropriate desire to lean over and slide her tongue along the strong column of his throat hit her.
He stared at her, one eyebrow arched. Ah, yes. He’d asked her a question. Get it together, Julie.
“California. Just outside of San Francisco.” She held out her hand to shake, because she had to know what it was like to feel his skin against hers. “I’m Julie, by the way.”
His gaze drifted from her hand to her face, and the look in his eyes told her the attraction was definitely not one-sided. He didn’t ogle her, but his interest was clear. “Lukas Klein. I’m a physics professor, and you?”
“I run a fiber arts store.” When he took her hand, she felt the restrained power in his grip. His palm had slight calluses that rasped against her flesh, and a flash of need sparked within her. Nice. Now that was what she called chemistry.
Will their second chance at love end up just the latest in a string of disasters?
She’s Going Home
© 2014 Isabelle Flynn
Ten years ago, Angie left coastal Easton, Rhode Island for calmer waters. She didn’t find them. Now a failed marriage, a stint in rehab, and a positive pregnancy test have her speeding toward the kind of comfort only home can give.
The welcome she expected didn’t include blue lights in her rearview mirror, much less the face of the man behind the badge. The man she’s spent ten years trying to forget.
A decade after he made the biggest mistake of his life, Nick Forest has come full circle. It looks like Angie, with her baby bump, has moved on, too. But that doesn’t stop his heart from teetering on the edge of falling for her all over again.
When the truth escapes the baggage Angie’s hiding it in, Nick sets out to prove he’s finally ready to help shoulder the load. But it’ll take more than a walk down memory lane to regain her trust—and convince her she really is home at last.
Warning: Caution: Small town ahead. Where nosy friends stay loyal, family always interferes and a gorgeous man in uniform is more than willing to protect and serve the girl of his dreams.
Enjoy the following excerpt for She’s Going Home:
Just perfect. Five minutes in Easton and sirens announced Angie’s homecoming. She could still see the official welcome sign in her rearview mirror. This was definitely not how she’d planned her big arrival. Her chest tightened with the familiar worry. Money. A speeding ticket would break her tight budget.
Moving back had not been a strategic decision. Going by instinct alone, she had made a plan and refused any thoughts to the contrary. She was determined to find a safe place to settle down and for some reason, Easton was still her only home.
The figure in her side mirror reminded her exactly why she was pulled over on the side of Easton’s main road. The salty East Bay breeze greeted her as she slid the window down. She simply needed to convince the officer that there was no need to give her a ticket for speeding down the winding shore road. It had been a momentary lapse of judgment. It felt so good to open up the cherry-red sports car as it hugged the curves of the coastal road. So low to the ground, she had felt like she was hovering above the pavement.
She reached over for the tan Coach satchel and the matching wallet. If need be, she could always sell the set on eBay to pay off a ticket. It was one of the few things that remained from her old life. With the license in hand and a plan in place, she turned around. Her mind went blank as she came up close and personal with a very male crotch. She couldn’t help but notice it before tearing her gaze away. The first step in talking her way out of this ticket was not sexually harassing the cop.
“You were driving sixty in a forty-five mile-per-hour zone. May I see your driver’s license and registration?”
She leaned over and opened the glove compartment. Slips of paper landed on the plush carpeting. Her stomach churned as she waded through crumpled-up receipts and a few unopened pieces of mail. The car had to be registered. Didn’t it?
It was the last piece of wrinkled paper stuck to a gum wrapper. She cheered silently and turned. The officer leaned down, close enough for her to smell his aftershave. His hand rested on her open window until he reached up for his sunglasses. Her heart jolted as he pulled them off.
Those brown eyes were heartbreaking in their familiarity.
“Nick.”
“Angie.”
“I didn’t expect to see you here.” She swallowed the lump in her throat. “I mean, I didn’t know.”
“Your hair is different.”
Her fingers slid through the straightened, highlighted hair that her brown curls had become. One quick decision she had regretted almost as soon as she walked out of the salon. It just wasn’t her.
She wondered if he saw any of the other little changes ten years brings, and, of course, the biggest change of all. With that thought, she clutched her bulky sweater closer around herself.
“You look the same.” It was true. Mostly. If anything, the years had made him sexier. Broadened the wide shoulders of a teenager into those of a gorgeous man. Blaming her interest in his body on the uniform, she tried to move her attention back to the situation at hand.
“You don’t.” His eye focused on her hair.
She held off the need to pull it all back into a ponytail and tightened her hold on the steering wheel. She tried not to fidget as he looked her over.
“Are you visiting?”
“Yes. Well, no. I’m moving back.” His silence made her anxious. “Are you going to give me a ticket? I really hadn’t realized I was going that fast.”
His lips lifted up into a slight smile and her heart tripped over anoth
er beat. “Wouldn’t that be a little rude? Giving the girl I thought I was going to marry a ticket, especially after not seeing her for ten years.”
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Samhain Publishing, Ltd.
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Roman Reunion
Copyright © 2014 by Crystal Jordan
ISBN: 978-1-61922-231-1
Edited by Holly Atkinson
Cover by Valerie Tibbs
All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
First Samhain Publishing, Ltd. electronic publication: September 2014
www.samhainpublishing.com