Kimberly dabbed a nervous tongue to her lip
The gesture grabbed Nigelâs attention, sharpened the pull between them. Following the bad-boy rules she had set out earlier, he moved slowly across the bar toward her, stopping directly in front of her chair.
She looked up, her lips parted as though to speak. Instead, she fluttered her fingers to the top button on her blouse.
He shifted closer, his knee brushing hers. The accidental touch triggered small fires over his skin. And from the flush on her cheeks, he could see she felt it, too. The unspoken desire in her eyes made him bold. He slid one arm around her waist and pulled her to him, feeling her swollen breasts against his body. She shivered.
In his best bad-boy tone he leaned forward and whispered hotly into her ear, âI want you.â
Dear Reader,
Many of you have asked about the hunky, former professional wrestler Nigelâaka âThe Phantomâ with the body of The Rock and the heart of E.T.âwho loved to bake brownies for the heroine in Joyride (Harlequin Temptation #867, February 2002).
Well, Nigelâs back and heâs bad.
Make that almost bad. In Building A Bad Boy, Nigel has decided heâll never win the woman of his dreams by sitting next to the phone, so he signs up with a dating agency whose owner, Kimberly Logan, enrolls him in her âHow To Make a Bad Boyâ program. After all, women love bad boys, right?
What Kimberly is totally unprepared for is the impact her coaching hasâ¦on her!
This is one of my last books for Harlequin Temptation, and Iâll miss the line as both a reader and writer. My history with this series goes back to 1992 when, as an unpublished author, my story placed second in their fifth annual Harlequin Temptation contest. I finally sold to Harlequin four years later.
I hope you enjoy Building A Bad Boy. To check out my upcoming books and enter my monthly contests, please visit my Web site, www.colleencollins.net.
Happy reading!
Colleen Collins
HARLEQUIN TEMPTATION
867âJOYRIDE
899âTONGUE-TIED
913âLIGHTNING STRIKES
939âTOO CLOSE FOR COMFORT
977âSWEET TALKINâ GUY*
HARLEQUIN DUETS
10âMARRIED AFTER BREAKFAST
22âROUGH AND RUGGED
30âIN BED WITH THE PIRATE
39âSHEâS GOT MAIL!
108âLET IT BREE CANâT BUY ME LOUIE
KIMBERLY LOGAN PUSHED OPEN the polished mahogany door with the stenciled words Life Dates⦠where youâre coached along the path to love. The buzz of Las Vegas traffic faded as she stepped inside and clicked the door shut behind her. She paused to catch her breath while eyeing the recent renovation of her waiting room from cheery yellow to seductive dusty rose. The new color scheme was infinitely more stimulating, excitingâ¦precisely the environment Kimberly wanted for her clientele who came seeking love ever after and lust evermore.
The air-conditioning seemed a tad cool, though. Even in February, she liked to keep it humming on a low setting. Most dating service first-timers were anxious. Cool air helped soothe them. Too chilly, however, would only add to their nervousness.
Iâll ask Maurice to adjust the temperature ASAP. Kimberly headed to his deskâher high heels clicking across the polished parquet floor until she stepped onto the thick Oriental rugâand halted at a teak desk.
Behind which sat Maurice, his tanned face creased by his Iâm-not-happy-with-you look. Despite his attitude, he looked natty as usual. Khaki pants, pink polo shirt. Gay men sure knew how to dress.
She glanced at her office door, which was closed. âI know,â she demurred, meeting her office managerâs gaze. âIâm late.â
âKimberly,â he said crisply, âyou must stop making appointments for 9:00 a.m. and not showing up untilââ with a flourish of his wrist, he checked the time ââ9:38. Worse, this guy showed up fifteen minutes early, so heâs been cooling his heels in your office for almost an hour. Fortunately he has the patience of a saint, unlike that guy two weeks ago who copped a âtude and used your Waterford bowl for an ashtrayââ
âItâs those weekly Chamber of Commerce breakfast meetings,â she said on a release of breath. âPeople arrive late, speakers talk too long. Iâm on time for all my other meetings.â
âWhen youâre here, not cavorting about in your Beemer, doing networking things.â
âYouâre right. Iâm still reacting to Great Dates opening up one of their national offices two blocks away. I keep thinking if I donât do everything to promote Life Dates, especially as it has such a similar name, theyâll cut into our business.â
âKimberly, what you offer is unique. No global dating agency can begin to cater to Vegas clients the way you do. Theyâre like Hersheyâs chocolate, youâre like Francineâs Gourmet Bonbons.â
Francine, a local high-end chocolatier, had a loyal following who thought nothing of shelling out twenty-four dollars for a dozen homemade, hand-dipped bonbons.