She met his every thrust. She wrapped her legs around him and hooked her heels together. The leather from her boots squeaked. He drove harder and deeper until she pulsated with pleasure around him. His own heated pleasure swept through him with more intensity than a wildfire. His release didn’t take long to follow. He collapsed, totally spent.
He rolled off her and attempted to catch his breath. She rolled with him curling into the curve of his arm. Her warm hand rested on his chest. He placed his hand over hers. His thudding heartbeat penetrated through her palm and into his. He wondered if she had a clue as to the intensity of his feelings for her. They’d yet to exchange the “L” word. In fact, he’d never used it before. For some reason, he fought the urge to say it now. Why was he fighting it? He truly felt it. Why not say it? Fear swept through him. What if she didn’t say it back? He’d feel like such an idiot.
Her breaths grew slow and even. Exhaustion finally consumed her. She’d fallen asleep. He couldn’t blame her. She’d had a pretty tough day. Her silky red hair spilled over his shoulder and chest. He inhaled, capturing her scent. Her hair always smelled like a fresh spring morning.
The “L” word still lingered in his mind. Perhaps he should practice saying it now while she slept. What harm could come of that? It escaped his lips before he could think twice about it this time.
She lifted her head and met his gaze. Her eyes sparkled. “I love you too, Nick.”
She brushed her full sweet lips softly across his and laid her head back down on his chest.
Relief swept through him. That wasn’t so bad. His eyes watered. He’d never heard anything so beautiful and satisfying in his life. His blurry gaze shifted to his jeans on the floor in the bedroom doorway. He thought about the ring in his pocket. He glanced at the clock, two minutes to midnight, still Valentine’s Day. He still had time to do what he’d set out to do on this particular day.
About the Author
Valerie Clarizio lives in beautiful Door County Wisconsin with her husband and extremely spoiled cat. She loves to read, write, and spend time at her cabin in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. She's lived her life surrounded by men, three brothers, a husband, and a male Siamese cat who required his own instruction manual. Keeping up with all the men in her life has turned her into a successful hunter and fisherwoman. She holds a Master of Business Administration degree and works as a Finance Director. She is a member of Romance Writers of America and the Wisconsin Romance Writers of America.
Twitter:@VClarizio
http://www.facebook.com/val.clarizio
http://valclarizio.wordpress.com/
Other works by the author with Melange Books
Covert Exposure, A Nick Spinelli Mystery
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Covert Exposure
A Nick Spinelli Mystery
by Valerie J. Clarizio
Detective Spinelli's life is tossed sideways when he is reassigned from the Homicide division to assist in the Child Services division of the Social Services Department for the holiday season. From the beginning, Spinelli and Caseworker Shannon O'Hara generate their own kind of fireworks, causing more than the normal workplace stress. They both have their own philosophies for dealing with the clientele. However, the forces of nature have their own plan for Spinelli and Shannon.
Shannon moonlights as Santa Claus' little helper at the mall, and when Santa and an elf turn up dead Shannon appears to be next on the killer's list. Spinelli is placed back on homicide and goes undercover as Santa to help capture the killer. He catches a great deal of grief along the way but will he capture the heart of his little Santa's helper as well?
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Waite for Midnight
by J. B. Wolfe
Vivian Waite has spent her entire life pretending to be someone else. As a KGB mozhno in 1957 Florida, she seduces whomever her novator and would-be paramour Viktor Petrov has targeted for her. Her life is changed dramatically, however, when a small oceanographic firm in Florida discovers a dangerous breach in the American coastal defenses exposing a secret which catapults the fledgling KGB agent, the little girl who survived the Siege of Leningrad, into the gnashing maw of the "Space Race" and leaves her fighting for her life.
As Viktor, the Soviet "Devil in the Details", guides her through the dangerous maze of Cold War espionage she is doggedly pursued by the ambitious Leland Bell, a CIA officer striving for recognition and respect, and Bell's tight circle of CIA henchmen. Will Vivian's near-photographic memory, her quick-thinking, and her passion for Viktor be enough to enable her to evade her enemies, to define her identity... to live? Can Vivian, an inexperienced former mozhno, little more than a KBG call girl, piece together an answer for the riddle that lies off the Florida coast; the enigmatic C-FAR breach?
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The Winemaker
by Charmaine Pauls
Etán Perez-Cruz, world-renown winemaker, excels in everything he puts his mind to, but self-expression. When an intoxicating woman crashes head first into his life, he finds a way to communicate his feelings through his wine bouquets. As knowing Zenobia becomes a hedonistic pleasure, he fights to keep her safe, and to keep his all-consuming desire from destroying her happiness ... and his brother. Etán will need more than his exceptional talent of taste and smell to overcome the dangerous obstacles set in their path.
Zenobia Rambling considers everything about herself utterly average. Leaving England to marry her boyfriend in South America, she finds herself dumped three short weeks after her arrival. Going home is not an option. Zenna possesses a visionary gift that has become her curse. Out of love, luck and money, Zenna turns to her famous Chilean neighbor for a temporary solution ... and finds far more in the deal than she has bargained for.
Craving Vengeance Page 13