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An Excerpt From: LONG, SLOW RIDE
Copyright © MARDI BALLOU, 2008
All Rights Reserved, Ellora's Cave Publishing,
Inc.
“How
old are you, Jeff?” she whispered in his ear.
“Twenty-five.”
She
swallowed hard. He was even younger than she’d thought. “Sure you know what
you’re doing? I’m thirty-six.”
“Cool.”
He held her even tighter, which she wouldn’t have thought possible. Cool
definitely did not describe the way she felt in his arms. A pool of warmth
had gathered smack in her groin, spiraling waves of inappropriate but not
unwelcome desire from head to toe. Jeff was definitely cute—okay, hot—but
he was so not for her. Those spiraling waves had merged into one gigantic
tidal burst that threatened to pull her under.
“Yesterday”
ended. Without breaking stride, they continued dancing to “When I Fall in Love”.
Of course, by this point, it didn’t really matter what the deejay played.
Jeff and Lori were locked in their embrace, barely moving and just about
oblivious to everyone and everything.
Too
bad she couldn’t allow herself to linger in the delicious haze of being
with him. She snapped to alert and mentally smacked herself for what she
was thinking, trying—not too hard—to break away. Jeff’s crisp citrus scent
invited her to lick his skin and then take a bite. The way he held her, she
suspected he wouldn’t mind. Heck, he’d probably lick and bite her right
back. She shuddered at the prospect of his full, sensuous lips parting so
he could take a taste. Her nipples beaded and she leaned into him even
harder because the perverse, bad-girl side of herself
wanted him to feel her reaction. His groan expressed approval. So did his
growing erection.
The
proximity to his arousal practically had her whimpering with need. So close
but, in reality, way beyond reach. Cripes, she was on a public dance floor
with her work buddies all around her. They’d gathered for a colleague’s
wedding. No matter how much booze had flowed and how dim the lights were,
people would notice and talk.
“I
hate to say this,” he rasped in her ear, arching his hips so she knew they
were on the same track, “but duty calls. I’ve got to go now. Trust me, I
don’t want to leave.”
So
they wouldn’t even get to have the last dance together. She pulled herself
into polite, professional mode and cleared her throat. “Nice meeting you,
Jeff. Thanks for the dance—er, dances.”
His
eyes devoured her. “Uh-uh, this is not goodbye. I just got the signal from
the party planner. I need to bring the limo around to take the bride and
groom to Princeton
Airport. But I’ll be
back as soon as I can to give you a ride home.”
“Huh?”
He
cupped her chin. “I want to get to know you better. How about a ride in my
limo?”
CLOSE WINDOW
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