Welcome to another LoveCats
DownUnder Sunday Smooch!
Today we have a smooch
from PRETEND IT’S LOVE but first... the winner of last week's Sunday Smooch Giveaway is Laney4!
Can you please contact Michelle at michelle (at) michelle - douglas (dot) com to receive your copy of REUNITED BY A BABY SECRET.
And now for today's Sunday Smooch from Stefanie London
Bar manager Paul Chapman is sick of his
family’s traditional ideals. Marriage, babies, and a white picket fence? Not
his gig. But now that his ‘golden child’ big brother is tying the knot, Paul’s
screwed. His ex will be there...and she’s having his cousin’s baby. Unless he
wants to show up to the wedding alone and face his family’s scrutiny, he needs
a girl on his arm. Now.
Cocktail specialist Libby Harris has spent
her life earning the nickname Little Miss Perfect, all to win the love of her
wealthy, controlling father. But she deviated from his plan, and now her
business is on shaky ground. If it fails, she might as well kiss his
respect—and her dream—good-bye. Her only hope? Convince the hottest bar in town
to take on her product.
Luckily for her, the owner’s brother is
sexy as sin and in need of a perfect girlfriend...
Setup:
Paul and Libby are at his parent’s house for dinner. They’ve agreed to engage
in a fake relationship for mutual gain, and now they’re acting the part of his
family. They’ve gone into the kitchen to put the dishes away and Paul works out
that the family are watching the, very closely. So, being the cheeky guy that
he is, he decides to take advantage of the situation.
She looked behind her
to make sure they were alone. “This is a business arrangement, nothing more. I don’t
want things to get messy.”
Messy was an
understatement. She didn’t want to get used and discarded for a newer model the
way she had back in university. The way her father had done to her mother years
before that.
History would repeat
itself if she wasn’t careful, and Paul would only be able to use her if she let
him. But she wouldn’t. Their arrangement gave her something precious—an
opportunity, a chance—and she would otherwise keep him at a distance.
“But getting messy is
so much fun.” He reached out to her and pulled her to him, his hips flat
against her belly as he wedged her against the kitchen bench. “Besides, they’re
spying on us.”
“Who?”
“My family.” He
inclined his head back toward the kitchen door with a movement so subtle she
felt as though they were spies communicating undercover. “We should sell it; we
don’t want them thinking this is just business.”
His hands touched her
hips, his fingers tracing the line at the top of her jeans just under her
shirt. The throbbing started up again, insistent. Demanding.
“They don’t think
that,” she protested, but her hands came up to his chest as if controlled by a
puppet master tugging her strings.
His muscles were hard
beneath her palms, and she had to stop herself from rubbing against him. Out of
the corner of her eyes she saw a flash of red. Gracie.
“Okay, maybe they are
watching us.”
“Ready to play the
part?” One hand came up to cup the angle of her jaw. “Let’s see what kind of
actress you are.”
“This is purely for
show,” she said, the breath rushing out of her lungs as his face hovered close
to hers.
“Of course.” His lips
brushed the space next to the corner of her mouth, so close and yet the
distance felt like pure, unadulterated torture. “You won’t enjoy this at all.”
“I won’t.”
Liar, liar, pants
on fire.
He angled her head,
coming down over her in a way that was completely possessive and in control.
As
his lips parted hers, she sighed against him, her body losing the ability to hold
itself upright. Every nerve ending in her body sparkled like New Year’s
fireworks, and her fists curled into his T-shirt.
The moment his tongue
touched hers her mind went blank, the taste of wine on his lips and the scent
of his skin driving her to a point of desperation. His fingers thrust into her
hair, pulling her head back so he could take more, demand more. Taste more.
Unable to stop
herself, Libby pressed her hips against him, gently rubbing up and down until a
wonderfully guttural sound came from the back of his throat. He was hard beneath
her hands, the muscles in his chest perfectly shaped. The press of his thighs
against hers enough to spark wild images in her mind.
“You seem fairly
invested,” he murmured against her lips, pulling away from the kiss with a dark
fire in his eyes, “for someone who’s not enjoying herself.”
Find Stefanie's books on:
PRETEND IT'S LOVE is Book 2 in the Behind the Bar series and is set in Melbourne, Australia.
To go into the draw to win an ebook copy of the book, answer this question: What's your favourite drink? It can be a cocktail or something non-alcoholic :)
