“See? Your cheeks are pink and your voice is rising,” he broke in. “Tantrum.”
She realized he was pushing her buttons. As usual. “If you’re not going to take me seriously and you’re going to argue with everything, then I don’t know about this after all.”
“But you love me.”
She felt a little thrill shoot through her. “Yeah, but I also kind of want to smother you with a pillow.”
His grin grew. “So that’s a yes to the question about whether you’ll be back in my bed tonight.”
She fought her smile. “You might want to sleep with an eye open.”
“Oh, I don’t intend to do a lot of sleeping at all.”
And just like that, heat and desire swept through her. And happiness. There was a huge dose of that too. “I have to work tonight. I don’t know when I’ll be done.”
He shrugged and took a step toward her. “Well, I’m doing these crazy cemetery tours, so I’ll be late too. Come over whenever.”
“Oh, that reminds me…” She rummaged in her bag and pulled out the black T-shirt she’d bought him. “I need you to wear this tonight while you do the tours.”
He caught it when she tossed it to him. He shook it out and held it up and read, “I licked it so it’s mine.” He grinned. “I like it.”
“It will keep your tour groupies away.”
He slung it over his shoulder. “That’s kind of clingy of you.”
She nodded. “Yep. Get used to it.”
He stepped closer. “I think I’ll manage.”
She sighed heavily. “Well, fair warning—I think it might get even worse. I might want to marry you eventually.”
“Wow, that’s pretty cliché,” he said, but his eyes were swirling with emotion.
“I think I’ll manage,” she said, echoing his statement.
He was nearly on top of her now. “Well, tell you what. We won’t be totally traditional Sapphire Falls. We’ll work past midnight every night and sleep late every day and we’ll make a living hacking bad guys and making pizza.”
“Oh yes.” She wrapped her arms around his neck. “Let’s stay up late and sleep late for sure. I guess until we have kids at least.”
His eyes got hot and possessive. “We could homeschool.”
“Now that would make my mom crazy,” Riley said. “Let’s totally do that.”
Derek put his hands on her ass. “She’ll really just be glad you’re here, you know.”
Riley nodded. “Yeah. Most of the time.”
“And I can help with those other times.”
Her heart softened and she rose onto her tiptoes. “You are really good at handling me.”
“Yeah, I am.” He squeezed her ass and leaned in. “And don’t think for one second that’s easy.” Then he kissed her hot and hard.
When he finally lifted his head, she sighed happily. “Okay, let’s go do our night owl thing and I’ll meet you at home later.” Man, she really loved calling his place home.
“Sounds perfect.” He kissed her again and then let her go.
She turned and started down the sidewalk.
“And, Ry?”
She looked back. “Yeah?”
“I love you too.”
She gave him a big smile. “I know.”
He winked. “So, bring your mug. The big heavy ceramic one that’s just a lot easier to keep at my place and use there every morning. Forever.”
Feeling her heart nearly overflowing, she nodded. “You know…you’re pretty good at this clingy stuff too.”
“Yep. Get used to it.”
She already was.
Thank you for reading After Tonight! I hope you loved Derek and Riley!
Be sure you check out the rest of Sapphire Falls! You can find everything about the books, the people, the places, the traditions and more at www.SapphireFalls.net!
Want MORE fun, sexy, small town romance?
Check out the Billionaires in Blue Jeans series, starting with Diamonds and Dirt Roads!
He’s pretending to date her sister.
She’s pretending to BE her sister.
So why do things feel so real whenever they’re together?
He only has one job: make sure the Carmichael triplets meet all of the stipulations in their father's will.
She has a few more things to do: Move to BFE, Kansas. Run a pie shop with her sisters for a year. NOT fall for her father's attorney... who's supposed to be dating her sister.
Well, two out of three isn't bad.
Grab Diamonds and Dirt Roads today!
Billionaires in Blue Jeans
Diamonds and Dirt Roads
A pretend relationship romance
High Heels and Haystacks
An enemies-to-lovers-boss-employee (kind of) romance
Cashmere and Camo
A friends-to-lovers romance
Read on for an excerpt from Diamonds and Dirt Roads!
Enjoy this excerpt from Diamonds and Dirt Roads, book one in the Billionaires in Blue Jeans series!
“I assume if we’re putting on this relationship show in your little town, we’re going to have to make it believable.”
He nodded. “Definitely. There’s no way anyone will believe that I’m serious about someone I’m not attracted to.”
Evan could have sworn she moved closer. That was…interesting.
“But I’m not sure we have any chemistry,” she said, her voice a little husky now.
He wasn’t sure they did either. But he knew that he liked her in this tank top. And he really loved her smile and her laugh and the way she seemed to know that he was full of shit.
“Well, there’s only one way to know for sure,” he said, to them both. Then he stepped in, wrapped an arm around her waist and drew her up onto her tiptoes and against him.
She took a quick, soft breath, but didn’t seem shocked. And didn’t move to put more space between them.
“So far so good,” he said gruffly as his body responded to having her up against him.
“Yeah,” she said, staring at his mouth.
He had no choice but to cup the back of her head…and kiss her.
Because, seriously, they needed to know how much acting this whole chemistry thing was going to take.
And the answer was clear almost immediately. Not one damned bit.
Without her heels, she was a little short of the perfect height for making out against a door, so Evan scooped under her ass and lifted her slightly so he could press his suddenly aching cock into the soft apex of her thighs.
She groaned and wrapped her legs around him, her arms slipping around his neck.
He groaned in return.
Yeah, the next six months was going to be just fine.
As their tongues tasted and danced, he memorized the perfect curve of her ass, the feel of her breasts against his chest—also perfect—the smell of her skin, and the way she squeezed him with her thighs, almost as if she was trying to hold him in place.
He had no intention of going anywhere any time soon.
“Hey! Who was at the door?”
Unless of course one of her sisters interrupted.
Evan pulled back and stared down into the big blue eyes that were filled with heat and surprise, if he wasn’t mistaken.
She took a long breath, then called back, “Evan Stone.”
“Oh, is there a problem?” the other voice asked.
Her mouth curled up and her gaze went to his lips. “Well, maybe just a slight one.”
He lifted an eyebrow, but also loosened his hold on her, letting her feet swing to the ground. He stepped back, still able to feel her butt in his palms.
“That didn’t feel like a problem,” he said. “This plan will work.”
She took a deep breath, ran a hand over the front of her tank, where her nipples were even more prominent now, and said, “There’s just one little thing.”
“What’s that?”
“You’re really going to have to le
arn to tell us apart.”
Grab Diamonds and Dirt Roads today!
About the Author
Erin Nicholas is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of over thirty sexy contemporary romances. Her stories have been described as toe-curling, enchanting, steamy and fun. She loves to write about reluctant heroes, imperfect heroines and happily ever afters. She lives in the Midwest with her husband who only wants to read the sex scenes in her books, her kids who will never read the sex scenes in her books, and family and friends who say they’re shocked by the sex scenes in her books (yeah, right!).
And find the Sapphire Falls series and ALL of her books,
right here!
http://www.erinnicholas.com
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