by Shelly Bell
She pursed her lips and studied him. “That’s deep, Brady.” A crooked grin gradually appeared, erasing the worry wrinkles from her forehead. Then, without any encouragement from him, Mac took a step closer and leaned into his chest, sliding her arms around his waist.
He hesitated only a second before wrapping her in his arms and pulling her close. A groan escaped him.
She shifted her head to glance up. “Do you mind?”
A soft chuckle vibrated through him. “Sugar, I’ll hold you anytime, anywhere.”
Mac snuggled closer, and he tipped her head with his fingers, slowly covering her mouth with his, giving her plenty of time to change her mind. When she didn’t, he drank of her sweetness like a man dying of thirst. Again and again he kissed her, his tongue pushing into her mouth, swirling and dancing with hers. He couldn’t get enough of her full, soft lips, her sweet taste, and the bold way she pressed against him.
Brady couldn’t say which of the day’s events was responsible for her change in temperature where he was concerned, but it wasn’t important. They were taking steps in the right direction, and he wasn’t going to do anything to screw that up. He wanted her warm and willing in his hands, but he also wanted her there for the right reasons. The decision was hers to make.
When he lifted his head, there were tears on her eyelashes, but her smile made his heart grab an extra beat. He let his fingers trail across the satin skin of her cheek as he kissed her neck tenderly and breathed in her sweet scent.
“God, you smell good.” He kissed each of her closed eyes, then leaned his forehead on hers and took a deep breath. “I’d love for this to go on all night. Unfortunately, Joe wants us to meet with Maria.” He steadied her as she straightened and took a step back.
Mac’s gaze was uncertain. “We could meet later . . . if you want to . . .”
“Aw, sugar. If I want to? That’s like asking if I want to keep breathing.” He threaded his fingers through her hair and brushed his lips over hers. “I’ve wanted you since the first time you lied to me.” Brady chuckled as her eyes lit up.
She punched his chest with a fisted hand. “Hey! That was the only time I lied, and I had a darn good reason. Some big galoot knocks me down, pounces on me, and then expects me to be truthful. Nuh uh. I don’t think so.” Her eyes sparkled with challenge.
“Galoot, huh? No more John Wayne movies for you, sugar.”
She sucked in a big breath, and he could tell by the mischief in her eyes that she was getting ready to let him have it. He touched his fingers to her lips to silence her. “Let me say this, okay? There’s a good chance we’ll go in and meet with Maria, and sometime before, after, or during, you’ll think about us—about me—and decide we’re not a good idea. I want you to know two things. First . . . it’s the best idea I’ve had in a long time. Second . . . if you decide it’s a mistake or that you’re not ready to get any closer, that’s okay. No pressure.”
He stepped back and gave her some room. It struck him that he’d just lied to her. What he said would have been true for any other woman he’d ever known, but he damn sure wasn’t going to give up on Mac that easily.
A grin made the sparkle in her eyes dance as she slipped her hand into his. “Obviously you’re confusing me with some other woman, because I don’t usually change my mind once it’s made up, and I’m a big girl, so you can stop worrying that your charm, good looks, and sex appeal will bowl me over. As for thinking about you—yeah.” She stepped closer and lowered her voice to a silky whisper. “You might cross my mind once or twice . . . so let’s get this meeting over with.”
“You got it, sugar.” Brady couldn’t remember when he’d been so contented—or when he’d ever used that word to describe himself before. Whether or not tonight ended with him in bed with this amazingly beautiful and brave woman didn’t really matter. The last few minutes had made it clear that his interest in her went way beyond just the prospect of sex. He wanted everything she had to give. Shit! She’d turned him upside down and inside out until he doubted his own ability to walk away . . . or even if he wanted to.
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Excerpt from White Collared Part One: Mercy copyright © 2014 by Shelly Bell.
Excerpt from When Good Earls Go Bad copyright © 2015 by Megan Frampton.
Excerpt from The Wedding Band copyright © 2015 by Lisa Connelly.
Excerpt from Riot copyright © 2015 by Jamie Shaw.
Excerpt from Only In My Dreams copyright © 2015 by Darcy Burke.
Excerpt from Sinful Rewards 1 copyright © 2014 by Cynthia Sax.
Excerpt from Tempt the Night copyright © 2015 by Dixie Brown.
RED HANDED. Copyright © 2015 by Shelly Bell. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
EPub Edition MARCH 2015 ISBN: 9780062396464
Print Edition ISBN: 9780062396471
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