Evanâs kiss was everything she remembered and more.
Unhurried but hungry, it promised all kinds of pleasures to come, and pure want drowned out any caution from her higher brain functions.
He tasted like the whiskey on the rocks heâd been drinking earlierâonly hot and far more potent. Then he leaned into her, pressing her back against the cool cinderblock wall, deepening the kiss and blocking out everything that wasnât him.
And his hands ⦠One was gentle against her cheek, but the other was strong against her hipâand both of them were caressing her, stoking the fire kindled by his tongue.
She slid her hands under his jacket to feel the hard muscles of his stomach hidden under fine cotton, then wrapped her arms around his waist to pull him against her.
A groan echoed off the walls and she wasnât sure if it was hers or his. Evanâs lips were hot against her neck, sending shivers over her skin.
You may remember from my bio that I used to dance. Not at Oliviaâs level, of course, but writing this book was, in many ways, a trip down memory laneâtaking me back to some of the best (not to mention thinnest and most flexible) days of my life. Ballet was always my first love, and the first dream I chased, and it was so much fun to revisit that world. Thanks for indulging me in this!
Had I ended up with Oliviaâs career, I like to think there would have been an Evan in my story, too. (Hey, if Iâm going to dream I might as well dream big!) Evan ⦠sigh. So cocky and sure, yet still haunted by his own insecurities. Plus, heâs hot and not threatened by Oliviaâs success. Yeah, I fell in love with him pretty easily.
I hope you come to love Evan and Olivia as much as I do. As always, Iâd love to hear from you, either through my website, www.BooksByKimberly.com, or on Facebook or Twitter.
All the best
Kimberly
KIMBERLY LANG hid romance novels behind her textbooks in junior high, and even a Masterâs programme in English couldnât break her obsession with dashing heroes and happily-ever-after. A ballet dancer turned English teacher, Kimberly married an electrical engineer and turned her life into an ongoing episode of When Dilbert Met Frasier. She and her Darling Geek live in beautiful North Alabama, with their one Amazing Childâwho, unfortunately, shows an aptitude for sports.
Visit Kimberly at www.booksbykimberly.com for the latest newsâand donât forget to say hi while youâre there!
To Marilynn, Terri, Sunny, Angela, Stacey, Marbury, both Melissas, Anna, Andrea, India, Kelly, Buddy, Chris, Susan, Nelson and the whole ASFA dance department for all the stories that start with,
âThere was this one time, during Nutcracker â¦â
âSOMEBODYâS GOT A hot date.â
It was hard for Olivia Madison to both roll her eyes and apply mascara at the same time, but she managed itâjust barely. Rehearsals had run long today and she was now running late. She didnât have time for this. âItâs not a date.â
Her roommate, Annie, flopped across the bed and examined the outfit Olivia had laid out for tonight. âHmm ⦠Silky top, the âgood buttâ jeans and âtake meâ boots. You curled your hair, youâre wearing makeup, and â¦â She stopped to sniff the air delicately. âI smell perfume. All signs point to a hot date. And itâs about time. I was getting afraid weâd have to get a couple of cats soon and the lease doesnât allow pets.â
âFirst of all, neither of us is in Cat Lady territory just yet. Getting married and having babies is what your thirties are for. Second, itâs just dinner. Pretty much a business dinner, at that.â
Annie still wasnât convinced. âIn that outfit? Please. Did you shave your legs?â
Olivia had, but that was neither here nor there and had nothing to do with the person she was meeting for dinner. âItâs with my brotherâs college roommate, for goodness sake.â
âIs he cute?â
Olivia had to admit he was. Sheâd looked him up online to see if heâd changed much in the past nine years, rather hoping to find that heâd developed a paunch or lost a lot of hair, only to be disappointed in that hope. If anything, the past decade had been quite good to Evan Lawford, maturing his featuresâand even the attitude he projected in the photosâlight-years past the frat rat she remembered. The sun-bleached hair had turned darker, probably meaning he didnât spend as much time on the beach as he used to, but the color offset his blue eyes nicely. The cheekbones and the jawline she remembered quite well, only the two-day stubble look was also gone. The difference between boy and man was stark and startling at first.