He moved closer to her. She had long, dark eyelashes which brought his attention to her eyes as she blinked. Her lips were pink—soft and delicate. She moistened them subtly with the tip of her tongue.
He looked back to be sure no one had followed them.
“You aren’t exactly your average barfly.” His voice was barely above a whisper.
The young woman offered a warm smile. Resting her palm against the patch of skin between his collarbone and the open buttons of his shirt, her eyes grew wild with mischief. She brought her other hand against the nape of his neck. The surprise of what she was doing melted as their lips touched. Her mouth moved over Alec’s, lulling him into a trance. She tasted of wine and vanilla. He returned her kiss, sliding his tongue against her bottom lip. He held her silhouette against his torso and kissed her until the evidence of his desire was so clear, she couldn’t possibly mistake it.
When she pulled away, he was breathless and didn’t immediately notice the change in her stance. The fearful woman clutching her drink slowly replaced the nervy vixen who’d just kissed a stranger in a dark hallway. She caught his eye, and her naughty smile returned. Her face was flushed. He could tell she was hiding something.
The unusual pendant the woman was wearing caught the glint of the moon shining through the window behind them. Alec’s heart nearly stopped beating. The necklace was an amulet encasing a very distinct picture of a cougar. It was the symbol used by the organization that had recruited him ten years ago.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
A life-long lover of romance, Jessica took several writing classes in college, and told her professors she was one day going to write soap operas. When graduation came, she joined a critique group, and, on a whim, decided to “write a romance novel.” Then, on a train ride to her internship in the fashion industry, Jessica finally cracked open her first romance novel. That hot August morning, she fell head over heels for the genre, and has been writing it ever since.
Jessica is most intrigued by dark heroes, who have many demons to conquer…but little trouble enticing female companions into their beds! She feels that the best romances are those where the hero is already seducing the heroine from that first point of contact. “Isn’t it the hero’s job to seduce?” she says with a grin. Jessica loves to see the sparks fly when a stubborn, domineering hero crosses paths with a bold, feisty heroine, and uses the combination frequently in her stories.
Jessica is an active member of Romance Writers of America, as well as her local chapter, New Jersey Romance Writers. When she’s not writing, she enjoys listening to as much 80’s music as possible, shopping for the latest fashions and the prettiest of antiques, and taking long walks in nature where she can daydream about anything romantic. Though she resides in Central New Jersey, her heart belongs to the White Mountain National Forest in New Hampshire.
For all titles by Jessica Lauryn, please visit
www.bookstrand.com/jessica-lauryn
www.BookStrand.com
Dangerous Secret [The Pinnacles of Power Prequel] (BookStrand Publishing Romance) Page 28