With only the wedding dress on her back and her honeymoon luggage in the car, Kari Worthington is running away. Determined to put her controlling father, her rigidly structured life, and the uptight groom she left at the altar in her rearview mirror, she escapes to the Texas Hill country . . . and lands on a tall, dark, and gorgeous winery owner's doorstep. All she needs is a job and a place to live until she can get back on her feet. So why is she fantasizing about losing herself in his powerful arms?For Marc Cordero, freedom is so close he can taste it. He's devoted his life to managing the family business and being a single dad. Now with his daughter away at college and his brother taking over the winery, Marc is ready to hop on his Harley for parts unknown-until a runaway bride bursts onto the scene. Free-spirited and tantalizingly sexy, Kari excites him like no other woman has before. But when irresistible passion turns into something more, will Marc give up his future to take a chance on love?
About Jane Graves:
New York Times bestselling author Jane Graves is a nine-time finalist for Romance Writers of America's RITA Award, the industry's highest honor, and is the recipient of two National Readers' Choice Awards, the Booksellers' Best Award, and the Golden Quill, among others. Jane lives in the Dallas area with her husband and a very sweet kitty who kindly keeps her lap warm while she writes. You can write to her at jane@janegraves.com. She'd love to hear from you!
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Excerpt:
And now he was kissing her and loving every
minute of it. She returned his kiss with a fierceness that astonished him. He
loved the way she tasted‑‑sweet and hot and silky smooth‑‑everything he'd
imagined she would be.
It was as if he'd fallen into an alternate universe, one where a beautiful
woman had appeared in front of him and all the restrictions he'd put on his
love life for the past eighteen years had been blasted away.
Then her hands were on his
shirt buttons, flicking them open with the enthusiasm of a prospector who'd
spotted gold and was going after it. If he'd been in his right mind
he might have call a halt to this. But not only had he lost his train of
thought, it had veered off the track and plunged over a cliff.
It's just you, this woman,
and nobody else. What do you need? An engraved invitation? Go for it!
He ripped off his shirt and tossed it aside,
then went for her robe. He loosened the tie and pushed it off her shoulders,
and she gave a little shimmy and it dropped to the floor behind her. He saw
what she had on underneath it and froze. Leopard print panties. And that was
all.
Holy
shit.
He
felt like some kind of Pavlov's dog where this woman's panties were concerned.
What could she possibly wear that didn't
turn him on?
His gaze rose to her breasts. It was just as he'd
suspected. They were the Eighth Wonder of the World, clearly the ones God gave
her, so he felt justified in deciding they were just about perfect. He spread his hands wide over them and rubbed
them in circles, squeezing, releasing, kissing her deeply at the same time.
Just
touching her made his jeans grow tighter by
the second. He
shifted, trying to take away the exquisite pain, but only one thing was going
to cure that problem. He couldn't remember ever wanting a woman this much. He
was dying to make love to her, willing to walk through fire for it.
He pulled away and sat down on
the sofa to yank off his boots. When he stood again, she pressed her hands against his chest and dragged them down to
his belt buckle. In no time she had his belt off and then he was kicking both
his jeans and underwear aside. She fell back on the sofa, and he stopped for a
hard-breathing moment to stare down at her.
"My
God," he whispered.
"Don't
stop now."
He
sprang into action again, sliding those leopard panties down her hot, silky
thighs. He pulled them all the way off and tossed them aside.
"Damn,"
he muttered. "Sofa bed. Gotta pull it out."
"Forget
that," she said. "Don't need it. Right here. Just like this."
Her
eyes were alight with excitement, those green eyes that had messed up his mind
in ways he'd never felt before. All he wanted to do was fall on top of her,
slide inside, and make love to her until his nerves exploded.
Then
he remembered.
Condom. Christ, he didn't have a condom!
What the hell was he supposed to do now? Think.
Think!
Okay.
Daniel stayed at the cottage whenever he was in town. And he never hesitated to
entertain women. Lots of women. And that meant he needed lots of condoms. Marc
only hoped he'd left a few behind.
"Wait," he told Kari,
pointing at her. "Don't move. Do not
move!"
He jerked open the dresser drawer
and plowed through it. He shoved pens, notepads, paperclips, and other assorted
junk aside. Come on, Daniel. Don't let me
down now!
Then he saw it. A whole freaking box of condoms. He opened the box and
snagged one of the plastic packets. It was the most beautiful thing he'd ever
seen. Would she think it was weird if he kissed it?
He
ripped it open. Rolled it on. Then he turned, fell between her legs, and slid
inside her, groaning out loud with the sheer pleasure of it. She was so hot and
tight that he damned near came on the spot. He wanted to go slow. Knew he
should. But it had been too long. Too damned long, and now he couldn't get enough. He had to move hard and fast.
Had to. His brain was telling him to go slow, but his body was telling him to
hit the gas. His body was winning. Kari's
fingertips dug into his back, and no matter how hard he thrust, she lifted her
hips to meet him, urging him on, and that shoved him even closer to the brink.
Her breath was fiery hot against his neck, coming faster and faster with every
stroke.
Then she gasped, a single sharp
intake of air. Then the gasp became a groan of pleasure. Her thighs tightened
around him. She whispered his name between hot, heavy breaths. He whispered
hers.
And
then he was coming.
He
plunged deep inside her, gritting his teeth against the indescribable
sensations. Oh, God…this was it. What he'd wanted for so long, what he'd lain
awake nights thinking about. Maybe any woman would have made him feel this way.
Or maybe she had to have wild auburn hair. Electric green eyes. Breasts to die
for. Long, tanned legs he could slide his hands up until they reached the
promised land.
He
lifted himself away from her, then sat down on the end of the sofa, his breath
still labored, his body still a boneless mass of pure ecstasy. Kari sat up next
to him, leaning in to kiss his neck.
"Hang
around for a while," she whispered. "You never know what might pop up
again later."
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