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Un-Edited Excerpt
One
night as she stood in the kitchen barefoot, making herself a salad
for dinner, the doorbell chimed. Munching on a carrot, she walked to
the door and pulled it open. The sight on the other side almost
caused her to choke. The man who’d been haunting her dreams stood
there, holding the cute little girl in his arms, a bag on one
shoulder.
“H…h…hi,” she managed to mutter. Holy hell, he’s even hotter than
I remember from my dreams.
Shelby
cooed and reached for her, and without thought, Yasmine took her
into her arms. The gentle scent of innocence washed over her.
“Would
you believe we were in the neighborhood?” One side of his mouth
curved up in a disarming smile. Yet she could see in the depths of
his eyes more than a bit uncertainty.
Did
she? And did she really care?
“Come on in,” she said, stepping back to allow them in the house.
“We’re
not interrupting, are we?” he asked as he moved past her.
“Nope.
Just fixing a bite to eat before Rufus and I go for a walk.”
“Rufus?”
Sedeo asked.
Jerking
her head toward the door, she said, “The one putting nose prints on
my sliding glass door.”
“Puppy!”
Shelby cried and struggled to get down.
With a
smile, Yasmine set her on her feet, well aware that Rufus was fine
with kids.
“Is
she…is he okay? Will she…?” Sedeo babbled.
Without
thought, she placed a hand on his arm and said, “She’ll be fine.
Rufus loves kids.”
The heat
from his skin seared her palm, and she swallowed rapidly. Removing
her hand, she moved to the door, opening it to allow Rufus to come
inside. Keeping her gaze on the two on the floor, she made sure all
was good between dog and child. She longed to stand near him again,
but part of her make-up was following the rules and doing what was
best. Getting involved with Sedeo Parker was not what was best.
A shadow
fell over her, and she looked up at the man who stood a few inches
taller than her. He stared down at her with a longing in his gaze.
Her belly churned, and her legs became shaky. Everything in the room
shrank to the two of them, nothing more, and nothing less. In slow
motion, he cupped the side of her face and lowered his mouth to
hers.
Nothing
else mattered, aside from the fact his lips were nearing hers. At
first touch, she whimpered. His lips were made for kissing. He
nibbled gently before covering her mouth. She moaned as his tongue
slid along her lips and sought entrance. Yasmine opened on a sigh.
It was a
slow exploration of the recess of her mouth, and Yasmine allowed him
to set his pace. Her fingers curled into her palms so she didn’t
grab him. It was over almost before it started, and when he pulled
back, his eyes swirled with barely restrained passion.
Copyright © 2009 Aliyah Burke and McKenna Jeffries
All
Rights Reserved, Liquid Silver Books.
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