BLURB
Jill Lincoln has the hots for her stern, hunk of a boss,
Jarrod Baine. With his piercing steel-gray-blue eyes, hair as black as coal,
and a body to be enjoyed, she wonders what it would be like to be his woman.
But she’s only one of many who would give her eye teeth to be in his bed.
The day Jarrod rescues her from a would-be assault by a
young mail clerk; she finds that he is as attracted to her as she is to him. As the two begin a relationship, it becomes
very apparent to Jarrod that Jill is a nervous, high-strung lady and he
searches for the best way to ease her tensions. Together they begin to form a
strong bond as they experiment with discipline.
As the couple realizes their feelings run much deeper than
an office affair, Jarrod asks her to be his wife. As they enter into a hot,
passionate marriage, complete with the discipline, by mutual consent, a deeper
emotional bond is formed that continues to grow much stronger over time.
But when Jill suffers a heartbreaking miscarriage and Jarrod
is not by her side, she retreats into a deep, dark depression, turning away
from the one man who can save her.
Will their bond be severed forever?
Excerpt:
On Saturday
morning, Jarrod kept his word and phoned Jill to tell her he would pick her up
at noon .
She flew around
her apartment, straightening, fluffing pillows, and making sure everything was
in place. Then she treated herself to a long soak in a cherry-blossom scented
bubble bath before getting dressed for their date. She chose a green floral
sundress and a pair of sandals. It was spring in Tennessee and the weather had turned warm.
After her makeup and hair were near perfect, she sat on the couch waiting for
him to arrive.
At
eleven-forty-five, her doorbell rang, she sprang from the couch and let him in.
“I’m early, I
know, these are for you,” he said as he entered the room and handed her a
bouquet of flowers.
“Flowers?” she
asked, “Thank you.”
“Have you eaten?”
“No, I had a late
breakfast,” she replied.
“Good, there’s a
nice little Italian restaurant in the winery. I thought we could have lunch
there before we do our wine tasting.”
“Oh, that sounds
fantastic. I love Italian food.”
He grinned. “Are
you ready to go?”
As he drove to the
winery, she said, “I thought it would seem odd to be out with you, but it
doesn’t. The other night at dinner was the only time we’ve been together
outside the office.”
“It feels
perfectly natural to me, Jill,” he replied as he cast a sideways glance in her
direction.
She smiled and
asked him about the music playing in his CD player.
When they reached
the winery, he walked around and opened her car door, helped her out, and took
her hand as they walked inside.
They sat at a
corner table and as Jill looked around, she said, “This is nice. I like the
atmosphere.”
“Romantic?” he
teased.
She blushed and
took a sip of her water.
“So after we
finish touring the winery, what would you like to do?” he asked.
“You mean there’s
more?” she asked with a smile.
“If you’d like; we
can extend this afternoon date into an evening date. Do you dance?”
“I love it,” she
replied.
As his hand
reached across the table to caress hers gently, she shivered. As her gaze met
his, she saw amusement in his eyes.
“Are you cold,
sweetheart?” he asked with a sexy grin.
“Uh… no…” she
stammered.
Their lunch
arrived and the moment passed. As they made pleasant small talk and enjoyed
their food, Jill found herself becoming aroused. The sound of his voice, the
look in his eyes, and the touch of his hand made her nipples harden and heat to
flow through her veins. She caught him watching her and she was sure he’d
looked down at her breasts. She shivered again.
“Are you sure
you’re not cold?” he asked again, the amused look back in his eyes.
“I’m really quite…
warm,” she answered with her sweetest smile.
“I can see that,”
he said in a low voice as he leaned across the table. “I think we should get
started on our tour before you get any… warmer.”
She stood up and
took the hand he offered. As they made their way to the winery, he leaned over
and whispered in her ear, “You’re cute when you’re… bothered.”
“Bothered? What
makes you think I’m bothered?” she asked.
“Your body betrays
you, my dear,” he teased as he leaned over to kiss her.
They began their
tour, tasting many of the different wines offered and finally Jill chose her
favorite, a sweet red.
“We’ll save it for
a special occasion,” he said as they walked to his car.
“Where are we
going dancing?” she asked.
“Well, this is Tennessee . Where else
but a good old country dance hall?” he asked.
“You… like
country?” she asked in surprise.
“I’m an
old-fashioned southern country boy at heart.”
“I never would
have guessed that,” she said as he pulled out of the parking lot.
They arrived at
one of the well-known bars in town and as they sat waiting for the band to
begin playing, he asked if she was hungry.
“A little, how
about you?” she replied.
“They have great
wings here, how about it?”
“Sure, that sounds
good.”
They talked some
more about movies they’d like to see, books they’d read, and when their wings
arrived, they ate, laughed, and talked some more. It was becoming more and more
natural for her to be in his company. He really was quite different away from
the office. There was still a commanding presence, but there was also a softer,
more romantic side to Jarrod Baine.
“Oh, look, the
band is ready to play,” she said as she looked up at the stage.
“And they’re
starting with a slow song. Let’s go,” he said as he stood and took her hand.
As she was whisked
into the arms of the man she’d spent months dreaming about, Jill melted. The
moment he pulled her close to his chest, she knew there was nothing she
wouldn’t do for this man. She was his. Whether he knew it yet or not, she would
surrender to him, and she would love him for as long as he wanted her in his
life.
She looked up at
him and caught sight of the corners of his mouth turned slightly upward. His
eyes danced as they gazed at her. She put her head on his shoulder and as he
pulled her closer, he whispered, “I could stay like this all night.”
She nestled
closer, letting her right hand tease the hair at the nape of his neck. Her body
was on fire, as a warm wetness flowed from within. Her nipples were aching,
begging for attention. Her left hand moved down his back.
“If you don’t stop
that, I’m going to take you to the parking lot and have my way with you in the
car,” he warned as he nibbled at her ear.
“In that case, I
won’t stop,” she teased.
“Oh, you’ve got
such sass… you know I owe you a spanking for putting yourself at risk, for
staying late that night, and now with all the sass and teasing you’ve been
throwing around, I think you’ve had your three strikes. You’re out, baby.” He
spoke in a low, husky voice.
“Three strikes?
I’m out?” she asked as she raised her face his.
I wasn't familiar with this book or this author. Is this one of your Boss's Day selections? I like contemporary DD fiction.
ReplyDeleteI'm not familiar with this author either, but this is right up my alley. Thanks Celeste
ReplyDelete