Nate O'Halloran is a PR
superstar, an expert in crisis management for his image-conscious celebrity
clients. When his college roommate, now a hospital director in Buffalo, calls
to beg for his help-- a cancer researcher on staff has disappeared with millions
of dollars' worth of government research funds-- Nate agrees to help right
away, though this situation is pretty small potatoes for him.
Val Chase, the hospital's PR
director, is none too thrilled when Nate shows up; does it mean her boss
doesn't trust her to handle this mess herself? Against her better judgment, Val
decides she and Nate have to work together to save the hospital's reputation,
though the explosive attraction they feel is making any actual "work"
difficult...
Dueling feelings of nervousness
and anticipation warred within Val’s body as Nate parked his car alongside hers
then came around to open her door and help her out. She wasn’t accustomed to
this kind of chivalry and it was keeping her off-balance. It was especially
unexpected in a man like Nate, and made it harder to keep to her assumption he
wasn’t a man she could have a future with.
He’s only in town for a little
while. Cool your jets.
Nate didn’t let go of her hand
and Val felt strange tugging it away. He closed the car door behind her and
gently pushed her against it, trapping her between his car and himself. “I have
to,” was all he said as his mouth descended on hers. She couldn’t bite back a
gasp of surprise, and Nate took that opportunity to push his tongue into her
mouth, exploring her with long, deep strokes. Val’s entire body started to
tingle and, despite her myriad misgivings, she found herself pulling him closer
and snaking her arms around his neck.
Her senses went haywire with
each touch of his fingertips to her face. Leaning in more, he pushed his
erection into her pelvis and Val let out an involuntary moan. Nate licked at
her mouth with his wicked tongue and she couldn’t help but respond, opening her
mouth farther to his advances. But when he reached down to cup her bottom in
his large hands, she finally had the presence of mind to jerk away, gasping for
desperately-needed oxygen. If he’d already gone from merely kissing her to
grabbing her ass clearly he wanted sex, and she wasn’t the type to sleep with
someone and then say sayonara. I might be for this guy. No. Nip it in the bud,
before he gets more ideas.
Despite her body screaming in
protest, Val pushed him farther away. “We can’t do this.”
“Why the hell not?”
“Because.” At his raised brow
she huffed. “Because we’re working together. Because we’re in the parking lot
of the hospital that I still have to work in after you go back to your life in
mere days.” She motioned in his general direction. “Most of all, because you’re
who you are and I’m who I am.”
He ran his hand over the back
of his neck and then looked at her, blowing out a loud breath. “What does that
even mean?”
Val scooted around him and he
turned to follow her. She held up one hand and he stopped. “I need to go.”
Ducking into her car, she started the engine and was on her way out of the
parking ramp within seconds. As she pulled out onto the road she rapped the
heel of her hand on the steering wheel.
“Dammit! Why did I let him kiss me?”
Cassandra Carr is a multi-award
winning romance writer. When not writing she enjoys watching hockey and hanging
out online. Cassandra's books have won numerous "Best Book Of" awards
and her novella Unexpected Top was nominated in the E-book Erotic Romance category
of RT's Reviewers' Choice Awards.
She thinks the best part of
being a writer is how she writes about love and sex while most others struggle
with daily commutes, micro-managing bosses and cranky co-workers. Her
inspiration comes from everywhere, but she'd particularly like to thank the
Buffalo Sabres, the hockey team near and dear to her heart.
To learn more about Cassandra,
check out her website at http://www.booksbycassandracarr.com; like her on Facebook
athttp://www.facebook.com/AuthorCassandraCarr,
or follow her on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/Cassandra_Carr.
Thanks for the spotlight! I appreciate it!
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