A COVERT
CONQUEST -
The Weathermen
7
Evernight
Publishing***
BLURB
When
Rissa Kerry overhears harmful gossip about the CEO of the company she works
for, she makes a phone call to Barclay Hampton. What follows is the adventure
of a lifetime for Rissa as she becomes Barclay’s assistant in data recovery
from a laptop that might reveal the hackers of The Madeline Project.
But
she never counted on falling in love with the CEO along the way. Will she
become his next flavor of the month, or this is the real thing for Rissa and
Barclay?
Barclay
is part of a group of friends financing the efforts to put a stop to The
Madeline Project. The program now has a mind of its own, thanks to a virus
called Tommy Twister. These men have power, resources, and money, but they’re
as ruthless and possessive as the storms ravaging Earth.
They
call themselves the Weathermen…
ADULT EXCERPT
He
stroked her palm, and when she didn’t pull her hand away, hope began to build.
He wanted to push the emotion away and stop this, but he couldn’t. This girl
had captivated him, and he was powerless in her presence.
“Why
do you say that? Why do you think you need to?”
She
gazed at him with dry eyes now, filled with clarify and purpose. “Because I’m
ready to move on. I’m ready to start living again. I don’t want to dishonor his
memory, but he’d want me to be happy and I’m not. I don’t mean in my work. I
love my work. I mean…”
He
sighed because he knew exactly what she meant. “You mean you’re lonely, right?
Your days are filled with meaningful things to do, but then at night, when the
fake sun goes down, the dark creeps in and you wish you could change everything
about your life, but you don’t know how or where to start.”
She
stared at him as if he had lobsters crawling on his face. “How did you do
that?” she whispered. “How did you reach into my head and nail it, just like
that?”
“Because
I feel the same way, Rissa.”
“But
… forgive me, but you’re in the tabloids constantly. You’re never without a
date.”
“It’s
a ruse. I don’t want to be that person any longer.”
She
looked really uncomfortable, glanced at the pitcher, which was nearly empty,
and pulled her hand out of his grasp. Then she pushed her margarita glass away.
“Guess we’ve both had enough to drink.”
“I’m
not drunk. And I’m sorry if you feel I’ve said too much. You’re very easy to be
with and talk to.”
“You
talk to people all the time, Barclay.”
He
took her hand again, unable to stop himself. He wanted this woman, and he knew
she wanted him, too. He could feel it in the air, hanging between them, and it
wasn’t the tequila talking. “Yes, I do, but there’s something about you that
has me spellbound, Rissa.”
She
definitely wasn’t drunk, but then neither was he, and as she pulled her hand
away again and rose, he realized he needed to tell her that.
“Barclay,
don’t misunderstand me. I’m grateful for the opportunity to work on this
project with you, but I have no intentions of becoming your next conquest. I
think we need to make some coffee or drink some water, or something. Then we
should get back to work.”
She
picked up the pitcher and their glasses, and he followed her into the kitchen.
“I’m not drunk.”
“Good
to know.”
“Rissa,
you want me as much as I want you.”
He
saw her back stiffen, and then watched her place the pitcher and glasses on the
counter, but she didn’t turn to face him.
“You
do, don’t you?” He spoke softly now, not wanting to frighten her.
“Not
the point.”
“It’s
exactly the point.”
“I’m
not going to do this.” Her voice shook, but not from fear. She was as aroused
as he was.
“Why
not?”
“I
told you.”
“I
don’t want to conquer you. I just want to make love to you.”
“You
don’t even know me.”
“You’re
worked for me almost a year. I do know you.”
She
finally turned to face him, and his damn dick was so hard now it was painful.
The look on her face made him want to hold her for the rest of his life.
“The
last man I had sex with was Harry. That was over seven years ago.”
He
hadn’t expected that. Barclay’s feet finally worked, and he moved toward her
slowly. When he reached where she stood, he resisted the urge to simply pull
her into his arms. Instead he placed a hand on each shoulder, and the shaky
intake of her breath tugged at his heart. She blinked against wet eyes again,
and he hoped like hell it wasn’t because she suddenly wished she was anywhere
but here.
“Then
I will be very, very careful.”
Thank you!!<3
ReplyDelete