His Obsession Next Door (In the Line of Duty)
Page 17
“You aren’t full of yourself at all.”
He feigned seriousness. “No, not at all. If I was full of myself, we would be talking about me, but I’m trying to find out about you, so you should answer the question.”
Hot and charming. Delish.
“Well…” She wished she had some witty comeback. She settled on simply answering his question. “I was dragged here with Miss Bare-It-All over there.” She nodded toward Bree, who now only wore panties. “It’s supposed to be our graduation party.”
The man stiffened. “Graduation?”
She laughed. “From film school. Were you worried you were coming on to a teenager?”
He leaned back, distancing himself from Maddie. “Oh, you thought I was coming on to you?”
Crap! Had the teasing only been in her mind? She opened her mouth to speak, but she stuttered. “Uh…”
He chuckled. “Relax. I was totally coming on to you.”
She raised a brow. “Really? Or are you just keeping me from being completely humiliated?”
“No, I really was hitting on you. Come on, it was incredibly obvious.”
“Yes, it was. Are you still hitting on me now? Or has the moment passed?”
“Oh, no, the moment hasn’t passed.” He cocked his head and his eyes travelled down her body again, lingering at her low neckline. “So…film school,” he said after a heat-filled moment. “What’s your area of interest?”
“Uh, uh, uh.” Maddie barely kept herself from a fit of nervous giggles. “You never told me why you were here.”
“That’s boring.”
“Impossible.”
“Okay, you really want to know? I was also dragged here. By some of the guys I work with.” He craned his neck, looking around the party. “I have no idea where they are. Nor would I tell you if I saw them because they might be more attractive than I am and I wouldn’t want to give myself unnecessary competition.”
Maddie let her own eyes explore his body. His casual white-and-black button-down shirt opened to mid-sternum and she could see serious pecs underneath. The bottom buttons also remained open and when he stretched his arms above his head—on purpose, no doubt—a patch of tight abs and a trail of hair peeked out. Yum, yum, and yum. “You don’t need to worry about competition.”
“Seriously? Then I’m doing okay?”
“You’re doing just fine.” She locked eyes with him, and thoughts of him naked above her flashed through her mind. Blushing, she looked away.
“So…” she said, raising her eyebrows. Was she really flirting like this with a stranger?
“So, you never told me what area of film you studied.”
As a rule, Maddie stayed away from this conversation with people she’d just met. Saying you graduated from film school in L.A. was like saying you had breakfast. It was a dull, overdone topic. But this subject was safer than her fantasy thoughts and the man’s assertiveness easily drew the answer out. “Screenwriting.”
He nodded.
“And directing.”
He raised his eyebrows. “Hmm, now that would be fun.”
“Directing?”
“Being directed by you.”
Her eyes widened. She quickly finished off her Corona, attempting to calm her nerves. How on earth did this stranger manage to fluster her like that? Turn her inside out so easily?
She played with the label of her empty bottle as she fought to stay on solid ground, steering away from his innuendo. “Yeah, so directing is my thing. But, of course, it’s difficult to break into that biz, so I’m interested in all things film at the moment. Sound, camera, you name it. Screenwriting just fell in the mix because when you’re a kid growing up wanting to direct, you had to have material to direct so you could practice. I’ve got three full-length films under my belt—indies—but still…and I start an internship with an amazing film crew on Monday.” She stopped, realizing she was babbling.
“I’m intrigued.” He took the bottle from her and set it on the grass next to his.
Without the bottle in her hands, she felt vulnerable. And was he sitting closer than he was a moment ago? She returned to her jabber, unable to organize her thoughts. “It’s really not that interesting. I’ll be a production assistant, the lowest of—”
“That’s not what I’m intrigued with,” he interrupted, his voice husky.
Maddie met his eyes and saw a flicker of desire. He wanted her—it was obvious. Why not? For one night, why not live carefree?
She tilted her head toward him and braved herself to tempt his seduction. “Then tell me, what is intriguing you?”
In one swift move, he had her pressed against the wall, his mouth hovering above her own. The rough stone behind her barely registered as she licked her lips in anticipation of the kiss she knew was coming.
His Obsession Next Door
Cathryn Fox
Once the fuse is lit, there’s only one way to extinguish the flames.
In the Line of Duty, Book 1
Years ago, Cole Sullivan made a battlefield promise sealed in a dying man’s blood—to take care of his best friend’s little sister. Now he’s forced to live with the fact that Gemma Matthews is completely off limits.
Though Gemma’s always had a crush on the darkly handsome, far-too-serious explosives expert, she can’t forget the sting of his rejection. Now here they are, ten years later, with Cole still stubbornly in the role of protector. But when she catches him watching her from his house next door, she jumps at the opportunity to show him everything he’s been missing.
Cole can barely keep his cool at Gemma’s bedroom window performance. He’s never been a risk taker, but her all-out campaign of seduction ignites a fuse that can only blow up in his face.
All thoughts of backing off are swept away in the heat of reckless passion. Leaving him wondering how he will live with himself amid the razor-sharp shards of his broken promise.
Warning: Contains a smoking-hot explosives expert and enough heat to set an ammunition depot ablaze.
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This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locale or organizations is entirely coincidental.
Samhain Publishing, Ltd.
11821 Mason Montgomery Road Suite 4B
Cincinnati OH 45249
His Obsession Next Door
Copyright © 2014 by Cathryn Fox
ISBN: 978-1-61921-977-9
Edited by Tera Kleinfelter
Cover by Angela Waters
All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
First Samhain Publishing, Ltd. electronic publication: February 2014
www.samhainpublishing.com
Table of Contents
Dedication
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
About the Author
Look for these titles by Cathryn Fox
Also Available from Samhain Publishing, Ltd.
Back Cover Copy
Copyright Page
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