Catching Raven
Page 21
It was downright filthy. The things this girl can do to me, there’s no equivalent. She rules my heart, and my body.
Her muscles relax into the sheets and her eyes glaze over with a dreamy haze.
I take a sip of coffee. “You’re thinking about it, aren’t you?”
“Nope. Thinking about that cup of coffee.”
I lower the mug from my face and scowl.
Do you see what I have to put up with?
She props herself up on her forearms, clearly in a mood to negotiate. “Give me a few sips of that coffee, and I’ll let you crawl back into this bed and do whatever you want.”
Oh, hell yes. She can have the entire pot. All of it. With an attitude like that, I’ll fly to Colombia and buy her some of the world’s finest.
Undying love: it often comes in the form of caffeine.
With a steady hand, I pass off the mug. She steals it and takes a few sips.
“Drink faster,” I order.
She closes her eyes, savoring the taste. Pretty sure she’s doing that on purpose. She’ll pay for that later. When they reopen, she gives me a sleepy-eyed, tousle-haired, sexy-but-insanely-cute smile. It’s my favorite look, favorite feature, favorite everything. Cue another mental snapshot.
“That’s enough coffee.” I pry the mug from her fingers and set it down on the floor.
“Hey! I wasn’t finished,” she protests.
“Yes, you are.”
I crawl onto the bed, grab her upper arms, and roll us over so she’s on top.
She stares down at me with naughty eyes. “Tell me you love me,” she demands.
“No way.”
She leans down to kiss my neck. Her hot breath tickles my skin, causing my entire body to erupt in chills. She travels further up the side, nipping my earlobe. Soft palms caress my chest.
“Say it,” she exhales into my ear.
“You say it first.”
She brings her face close to mine so we’re nose to nose. She bites her lip to stifle a grin. The energy is contagious. Like the sucker I am, I succumb and give her exactly what she wants. I can only deny the woman for so long.
“I love you.”
I’m rewarded with another knockout smile. “Love you, too, baby.”
If I’m lucky enough, I’ll have the privilege of hearing those words every day until we bite the dust. There’ll be a few other choice words thrown in there, too, I’m sure. But then again, I suppose she’s worth the hassle.
Acknowledgments
A big thank you to Lisa Cerasoli, who was the very first person to see my potential and pipe up. You arguably put just as much hard work into this novel as I did. Thank you for pushing me (and boy did you push me on this one). It never ceases to amaze me how far you go for your clients. Two books down, countless more to go! As always, love you long time.
Thank you to Danielle Canfield, Lisa’s editorial assistant, for your critiques and hard work on the interior. I’m so pleased with how it turned out.
To Ken Atchity for taking another chance on my work. I can’t even begin to tell you how much I appreciate the creative freedom you allow us authors to express at Story Merchant. Best of both worlds.
To Sarah Hansen at Okay Creations for a breathtaking cover. I told you exactly what I wanted, and you captured it brilliantly. So excited to work with you again on future projects.
To Anthony Fenner, your street art and lifestyle loosely inspired Eric.
To all the bloggers who read and reviewed this book, I can’t thank you enough. You ladies are the backbone to an author’s career. Real talk.
To my proofreaders, Carol Blodgett, Sandy Knott, Jamie Melton, Vicky Stafford, Cassie Nania, Rikki Schechinger, and Heather Brown: You girls rock. Thank you for all the time and effort you’ve spent critiquing my novel and giving me feedback.
To my parents, John Smith and Carole Lund-Smith, for supporting me along this journey and encouraging me to pursue what I love.
To my brother, Zach Smith, for always encouraging me to take risks and challenge myself. I know you’re patiently waiting for a non-romance book. It’s coming, I promise.
To my boyfriend, Ben Pratt, who deals with my shit on a daily basis. You are my rock. Thanks for putting up with the endless roller coaster of emotions, and for always believing in me, even when I don’t always believe in myself. Olive juice.
And last but certainly not least, thank you to all the readers who’ve read, reviewed, and asked for more of my books. The feeling is indescribable. You are the reason I love what I do.
About the Author
Lauren Michelle Smith was raised in the small Midwestern town of Alleman, Iowa—a town where everyone knows everyone, and where detasseling corn is just another summer job. To the surprise of many of her Cyclone-cheering friends and her family, Lauren eventually found herself in the metropolis of Iowa City where she studied Psychology at the University of Iowa. The notion of becoming a published author was put on the back burner. Then during one of many cold, autumn night study sessions, a seemingly platonic friendship with her nerdy roommate blossomed into something more.
Two semesters and a Bachelor's degree later, Lauren drove a thousand miles to Austin, Texas to chase the love of her life. She applied to Graduate school with hopes of breaking into the field of therapy, but was kindly turned away. This would turn out to be a blessing both financially and artistically.
While the view out her window changed from horizons to highways, books remained a constant in her life. She began writing with hopes of giving other people the same inspiration, connection, and escape that reading has given her, using her own life experience as a loose template.
When she's not reading or writing, Lauren is the nanny to two adorable little kiddos. And by day’s end; a hot pizza, an ice cold beer, and snuggling with her man to a great movie is her version of paradise.
You can find Lauren on Facebook: www.facebook.com/AuthorLaurenMichelleSmith
Email: laurenmichellesmithauthor@gmail.com
Follow her on Goodreads at: www.goodreads.com/author/show/8184326.Lauren_Michelle_Smith