âYouâre planning to kiss me again. And Iâm afraid I might kiss you back.â
If that happened, and things got out of hand then turned irretrievably sour, Shelby would have no one to blame but herself.
That night when their lips had brushed, time had wound down, hormones had sat up and, for that moment, the urge to surrender it all had been hypnotic. Theyâd barely kissed and yet never in her life had she felt that level of raw sexual need. Sheâd been gripped so soon, so tight, her reaction afterward had been just as fierce.
Reaching forward, she swept the bag off the floor. âI donât want to complicate things.â
As Dex came to stand before her, those wonderful, frightening feelings sparked again. When his fresh male scent slipped into her lungs, she held her breath and skirted around him.
Leaning back against the lounge, he crossed his arms and ankles. Relaxed. In control. Insufferableâ¦and irresistible.
ROBYN GRADY was first published with mills & boon in 2007. Her books have since featured regularly on bestseller lists and at award ceremonies, including a national Readersâ Choice Award, a booksellersâ best Award, CataRomance Reviewersâ Choice Award and Australiaâs prestigious Romantic book of the year Award.
Robyn lives on Queenslandâs beautiful Sunshine Coast with her real-life hero husband and three daughters. When she can be dragged away from tapping out her next story, Robyn visits the theater, the beach and the mall (a lot!). To keep fit, she jogs (and shops) and dances with her youngest to Hannah montana.
Robyn believes writing romance is the best job on the planet and she loves to hear from her readers. So drop by www.robyngrady.com and pass on your thoughts!
Shelby Scott glared at the spectacle unfolding in front of the world-famous hotel and pursed her lips. With amused people skirting by, Dex Hunter was going all-out, kissingâor was that mauling?âone extremely enthusiastic lady. The blaze from her diamanté dress could help bring home a ship in a gale. A starlet wannabe, Shelby surmised, given that Mr. Hunter owned his very own movie studio.
When theyâd met earlier that dayâafter sheâd splashed hot coffee all over his shirt cuffâShelby had promised herself that waitressing was only a stopgap. New to California, she had her heart set on finding a good nanny position. She had experience and everyone back home knew she loved kids. As luck would have it, Mr. Hunter was in the market.
A busy bachelor and head of Hunter Productions, Dex needed a suitable someone to help care for his little brother who was due to pay a solo visit. When Dex learned that child care was her vocation of choice, heâd seemed interested. Then heâd discovered that sheâd read every book in the boyâs bestloved childrenâs series and even knew the difference between a stegosaurus and a T. rex. Apparently his brother loved dinosaurs.
Dex said he felt as if heâd struck gold. Sheâd felt the same way. Because heâd been short on time, theyâd agreed to meet tonight to talk more and hopefully finalize the deal.
But the cheap display she was witnessing now quashed any chance of them working together. When his five-year-old brother arrived from Australia, Dex Hunter could make other arrangements. Sheâd had enough of dealing with Casanova types. In Hollywood or Mountain Ridge, Oklahoma, in blue jeans or tailored trousersâ¦
Hell, they were all the same.
The snap-lock kiss finally broke apart. Dex Hunterâs focus shifted and, as if guided by radar, landed smack-dab on Shelby. While she watched, he set the clearly giddy woman aside then strode past two awnings and straight up to Shelby. Over the scent of coming rain, his fresh musky scent filled her lungs at the same time his masculine presence enveloped her. Broad through the shoulders and tallâeven compared to her five-foot-ten-inch frameâtonight he exuded a born-to-bed confidence.
But his lidded, tawny-colored gaze was the kicker. Beneath the streetlights, those eyes might be mistaken for a lionâsâ¦an intelligent, potentially dangerous beastâs.
âYouâre early,â he said, straightening his collar.
âIâm sure Iâm right on time.â Shelby couldnât help herself. âAre you in the habit, Mr. Hunter, of making a downright show of yourself in public?â
His eyebrows knitted together before he caught on and threw a glance over a jacketed shoulder. One corner of his mouth curved with a grin.
âShe did kind of pounce, didnât she?â
âOh, and he palms off responsibility, too.â
His gaze sharpened, then he dragged a finger and thumb down each side of his mouth. When his hand lowered, his jaw was tight and his grin was rubbed clean away. âWeâve gotten off on the wrong foot.â
âWeâre not getting off at all.â
Finished and done, she headed for the nearest bus stop.