âYouâre sure youâre okay with this?â
Hugh asked, lifting a hand to Giselleâs cheek and toying with a stray dark curl.
âIâm very fine with this. I think we can work around the article and not let it interfere withââ Giselle sidled closer, allowing her thigh to graze hisâ âwhat we both want.â
He caught her hips in his hands. He closed his eyes for a long moment. Feminine intuition told her she was testing the manâs restraint.
âHow soon can you have your story written?â Patience wasnât her strong suit on a good day. And with his hands on her, there was no way she could wait.
His fingers slid along the silky fabric of her dress. âI can hurry it, but it will take a few weeks.â
âWeeks?â She could hardly wait a few hours, let alone weeks, especially as his touch skated up her ribs, pausing just beneath her breasts.
âIâm very thorough in my work.â His thumbs drew idle circles skimming the edge of her bra.
âOh, really?â Awareness flared through her, made her breath catch in her throat while her breasts tingled and tightened in anticipation. She wanted to tangle tongues, limbs and sheets with him.
âI never do anything in half measures.â
And that was the best promise sheâd heard in a long while.
Dear Reader,
Chef Giselle Cesare has a whole week free now that sheâs finally managed to get all four of her brothers out of her hair at once. Whatever will she do with a few days on her own now that her personal protection squad is out of town?
Sheâs cooking up seduction, of course! And journalist Hugh Duncan looks like heâs going to make the perfect target. That is, until she finds out what kind of stories Hugh wants to write. How can she think about hot nights with Hugh when heâs determined to dredge up a past thatâs better off forgotten? Then again, itâs not often a girl gets a chance for seduction like this oneâ¦.
If you enjoy Girl Gone Wild, I hope youâll join me for next monthâs SINGLE IN SOUTH BEACH story. Date with a Diva will be a June Blaze title and weâll see whatâs in the works for Club Paradiseâs resident diva Lainie Reynolds. Visit me at www.JoanneRock.com to learn more about my future releases or to let me know what you think about the series so far!
Happy reading,
Joanne Rock
For Amy Mehl Romines, my Kentucky pal who taught me how to fake homemade apple pies and bluff my way through stir-fry. Thank you for nudging me out the door that night I ran off with my husband! You were a fun part of my happily-ever-after and youâll always be my dear friend.
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
SOME MEN COUNTED SHEEP to fall asleep. Hugh Duncan spied on people.
Peering out of the dark windows overlooking a deserted stretch of Miamiâs South Beach, he strolled through one of the quiet lounges at the back of the posh resort he was supposed to be investigating for his newspaper. At 4:30 a.m., the raucous partyers who had populated the hotelâs nightclub had just stumbled out into the early morning air, leaving this section of the resort suddenly quiet. Secretive.
Skirting around a secluded seating area in one corner of the minimalist Art Deco-style lounge, Hugh searched for a diversion to occupy his mind through what had always been his most restless hours of the day. Heâd never been one to fall asleep until at least 6:00 a.m., preferring to roam the streets of whatever city he happened to inhabit, looking for his next story. Some kind of intrigue he could write about, dissect, rant over.
Nine times out of ten, he unearthed the kind of subjects he preferred by simply watching. Observing details in a manner heâd come to realize was unique. The quirky way heâd always been able to fixate on the small, the seemingly insignificant, gave him an edge as an investigative reporter.
It also annoyed the hell out of most people, but how many guys had turned their most irritating habit into a Pulitzer? Annoying or not, he continued to indulge the practice, even in the case of stories he didnât want to write.
Like this one.
Sighing with frustration that South Beachâs most notoriously hedonistic resort could be so damn quiet, Hugh paused to absorb the colors emanating from a nearby erotic painting. Georgia OâKeefe-like in its simplicity, the picture of a red poppy flower in bloom bore disconcerting resemblance to a womanâs genitals. Then again, maybe men whoâd been without sex for as long as he had simply started seeing womenâs genitals everywhere they looked.
Damn.
Pivoting away from the picture, he considered heading for the next exit to see what he could find on the South Beach strip to entertain himself, when a womanâs voice lifted in song caught his ear.
Whoever warbled out âSummer Windâ might not have had the greatest vocal ability, but he had to appreciate the musical selection. He probably wouldnât be able to find a cover of a Sinatra tune playing anywhere else on the strip.