The Valentine Effect
© 2008 Bonnie Dee
Carrie Morrison is resigned to spending another Valentine’s Day alone, but Cupid brings her a surprise—packaged in the hot body of the father of one of her third grade students. When Enrique Torres stops by her classroom to discuss his son, sizzling chemistry erupts between them.
Ric is a widower, father, garage mechanic, and the hottest Latin lover a woman could wish for to fulfill her Valentine fantasies. One hot night with Carrie in his bed leaves him wanting more, but she’s not sure if she’s brave enough for a relationship beyond a one night stand.
But Ric isn’t about to let Carrie go that easily. She has healed his broken heart, and he’s ready for forever.
Enjoy the following excerpt for The Valentine Effect
Watching him weave through the throng around the bar, Carrie realized he wasn’t really that much taller than most of the men in the club. He just seemed that way because his presence was so overpowering—at least to her. She turned her attention to the dance floor again, watching the couples spin around. In an unbelievably short time, Ric was beside her again, handing her a glass of soda.
“How’d you do that?” She glanced at the bar, which she couldn’t even see for the crowd surrounding it.
“What?” His eyebrows raised, honestly clueless.
“Never mind.” The sweet, cold soda had never tasted so good. She chugged the glass empty in a few swallows, set it on the table, and pushed her hair back from her sweaty forehead.
Ric drank a little of his beer before placing his glass beside hers and moving to stand in front of her, his hands at her waist.
Head tilted back, she looked up into his face.
He ran his finger down the bridge of her nose, felt the texture of a lock of her hair, then cupped her cheek and gazed at her mouth for a long moment.
The anticipation of a kiss had Carrie’s heart racing and her body yearning toward his. She wanted to curl her hands around the back of his neck and pull him down to her, but waited, breathless, while his thumb traced her lips and his eyes examined the contours of her face and mouth. When she thought she could stand it no more, he leaned down slowly and pressed his lips to hers.
Just like on the dance floor, the bustle and clamor of the club faded away and Carrie felt they were in an impermeable bubble. She breathed in his scent. His lips closed over hers and his tongue flicked over the seam of her lips until she opened them and allowed it inside. The mingled taste of sweet soda and malted ale combined as his hot, wet tongue slipped over and around hers. She rested her hands against his chest, feeling the strength of his hard muscles, the heat of his skin and the rapid beating of his heart.
He kissed her breathless again, leaving her gasping when he pulled away. Then he pressed a kiss to the corner of her mouth, her cheek, her jaw and neck. The soft movement of his lips was like a feather being trailed across her skin. She shivered and clamped her cheek to her shoulder to shut him out.
“Do you want to leave? It’s hard to talk here,” he spoke near her ear to be heard over the music, then straightened to look into her eyes, his hands resting on her shoulders. “Maybe one more dance first?”
A slow, sultry number was playing and Carrie couldn’t refuse the offer of another chance on the dance floor with him. “Sounds good.” She was ready to agree to just about anything he wanted under the spell of his breath-stealing kisses.
Once more, Ric led her onto the dance floor. He held her for a moment in the classic waltz pose as they moved in time to the hypnotic beat, then he spun her around so her back was to him. One hand pressed against her stomach, while the other clasped hers. She leaned back into his solid body, which was like a wall at her back. His erection pressed against her rear as their lower bodies swayed in sync with one another.
Carrie allowed her head to fall back against his chest and gave herself over to the sensual music and tropical rhythm. The song was in Spanish, which she remembered just enough of from high school to catch words like amor and siempre. Love and always.
Ric brought her hand up to rest on the back of his neck, and then ran his fingers lightly down her arm, leaving chills in their wake. He ended with his hand on her ribcage just beneath the swell of her breast.
Her nipples hardened at the proximity, aching for him to fondle them. She arched her chest forward slightly and pressed her ass back against him, all without losing the beat.
They moved together in a slow, erotic dance. Just when Carrie thought it couldn’t get any sexier, Ric began to sing, softly, his baritone a counterpoint to the woman singing. The words could have been about buying laundry detergent. It didn’t matter. The sound of the foreign language and his husky voice had her quivering. Her pussy was a throbbing muscle of need, pulsing in time to the song and soaking her underwear. Need. Want. Now! Her body begged for fulfillment.
After several moments of moving in a dreamlike trance, Ric twirled her around to face him and drew her close again. Resting her head against his chest, she listened to his thundering heart, while their bodies moved in perfect harmony. His erection nudged her stomach, and his arousal sent another wave of raging lust through her. If the dance didn’t finish soon, she’d fall on her back on the floor, legs spread wide.
Finally, the song ended. Carrie stepped out of the circle of Ric’s arms and looked up at him. He inclined his head and kissed her again, a long, slow exploration of her mouth right there on the crowded dance floor. He took her hand again, such a familiar, comfortable feeling already, and led her from the room.
Back outside, the rush of cool air felt like a blessing. She lifted her overheated face into the breeze, letting it ruffle through her hair.
“Little stuffy and smoky in there,” Ric said. “But the dancing’s fun.”
“Thanks for taking me. It was great.”
An awkward silence fell. She wondered if he was thinking about what would come next like she was.
“Do you…?” she said at the same moment he asked, “Would you like to…?”
They both laughed then she gestured at him to continue. “Go ahead.”
“I wondered if you wanted to go back to my house for a while. Nando’s at my mom’s house. Overnight,” he added.
Her mind raced, weighing the pros and cons of his place versus hers. She’d feel more secure on her own ground, but if she wanted to end the evening, it would be difficult to ask him to leave her apartment. At his place, she could simply make an excuse and go home.
As the moment dragged out, Ric’s smile dimmed. “I’m sorry. That came out really sleazy, didn’t it? I don’t mean to sound like some kind of—”
“I’d love to see your house,” she interrupted. “But I can’t stay too long, I have school in the morning.” Although I could take a sick day. When’s the last time I took a day for myself?
“Great.” His smile lit his face, setting his eyes sparkling and calling up that delightful crease in his cheek. How could she not be entranced by a guy with a charming dimple, especially one who sang to her in Spanish, and danced with a sensuality that had her pulse pounding?
Happy Valentine’s Day to me!
Samhain Publishing, Ltd.
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