He had a ticket...to her bed!
Country music star Laci McCall is on the run. Away from her punishing tour schedule and her pushy manager. Away from the exhaustion. All she wants is to escape to her home-away-from-home in Woodsville, Kentucky. But thereâs a small problemâher bed at the Bradford Ranch is occupied by a damnably hot country boy...her first love.
Kane Dalton is overwhelmed by the fierce lust heâd long thought gone, and feelings heâs tried to forget. He walked away from Laci onceâa second time would damn near kill him. Now they have only a small, stolen moment together. Enough to surrender to that lightning-hot electricity once more. Enough to shake them to their cores...before reality crashes in and reminds them that their two worlds were never meant to collide.
âA cold beer on a hot day is almost better than sex...â
âThen youâre not having the right kind of sex,â Laci countered with a mildly teasing grin.
âMaybe youâre right,â he said, his gaze unreadable.
Was he going to kiss her? He had that look on his face as if he was going to bend her over and take her right there on the kitchen counterâand if she were being truthful, she wouldnât lift a finger to stop himâbut just as he crowded her personal space and she angled her lips to his, his chuckle broke the spell as he deposited his empty bottle in the trash bin behind her.
Drat. Way to get your hopes up, Laci.
âWhy, Laci McCall...is that disappointment I see?â he murmured.
âGo wash up,â she told him. She didnât want him thinking he had her figured out and twisted around his finger. If anyone was going to get twisted, it was Kane. Sheâd be sure of that.
âYes, maâam,â Kane said with an exaggerated drawl that sent arousal coursing through her body. Once he was out of the room, she let out her breath in a whoosh as she sagged against the sink for a minute to regain her bearings.
Sheâd plainly underestimated the raw, animal attraction still pulsing between her and Kane, even after all these years. Maybe it was stupid to share the same space together, even for a few days. Itâd taken her a long time to get over Kane.
Maybeâif her reaction to him was any indicationâshe never had.
Dear Reader,
Whoa! The Hottest Ticket in Town is my first Blaze and I do believe it is smoking! I was a bit nervous jumping into the sexiest line in the Mills & Boon family, but I think I managed to pull it off, and I hope you agree. The love story between Laci McCall and Kane Dalton is my favorite kindârekindled first love. I think first loves are the sweetest and the hottest of all kinds because everything is fresh and new.
The challenge is to rekindle that love when life has jaded you. For meâthe hopeless romanticâthe challenge is part of the journey that makes a rekindled first love...epic.
I hope you enjoy my first Blaze and I assure you, there will be more to come. In fact, Rian Daltonâs story is next!
Hearing from readers is a special joy. Please feel free to drop me a line via email through my website at kimberlyvanmeter.com or through snail mail at Kimberly Van Meter, PO BOX 2210, Oakdale, CA 95361.
Kimberly
KIMBERLY VAN METER wrote her first book at sixteen and finally achieved publication in December 2006. She writes for the Mills & Boon Superromance, Blaze and Romantic Suspense lines. She and her husband of seventeen years have three children, three cats and always a houseful of friends, family and fun.
To my Mills & Boon family...
Twenty-five-plus books in and I still love calling myself a Mills & Boon author. Thanks for taking a chance on me all those years ago. You changed my life.
1
LACI MCCALL WASNâT raised to cryânot even when it seemed the whole world was falling down...like this very moment.
âGet Laci some lemon water, now!â Trent Blackstone, her manager barked to a roadie when she wavered on her feet for just a blink of an eye. âYou feeling good, honey? Sold-out crowd again. Memphis loves you, baby!â
Thatâs right, they were in Memphis. Two days ago, it was Charleston. Next week, it would be Atlanta. A brutal tour schedule was the mark of a successful artist, so she must be on top of the world, right? Yeah, sure. Top of the world.
âYou all right, Laci?â Audrey, her makeup artist asked, pausing with her powder brush in midsweep. âYou donât look so good.â
âLast I checked, youâre not a doctor, Audrey,â Trent said, gesturing for Audrey to scoot. âSheâs fine. Itâs just prestage jitters, ainât it, honey? The minute you hit that stage, youâre gonna shine, just like you always do. Thatâs why people come to a Laci McCall show...they all wanna hear that golden angel sing.â He looked sharply at the costume designer, who was fiddling with one of the million hand-sewn sequins on Laciâs costume and said, âMake sure itâs good and tight. The last time, she looked like she was dancing around in a burlap sack it was so loose.â