Since my fall themed romance FIRST IMPRESSIONS is still on sale, I thought it would be a good idea to give you another little snippet to entice your romance book loving tastes!
Heehee
Par Cleary is a master at seduction as he easily proves in this little sumthin’ sumthin;.
Friday evening rolled around and she stopped at the local market to pick something up for dinner. Thankfully, during this outing, no patients stopped her and she’d been able to make a quick selection and be on her way.
At home, she’d no sooner toed off her shoes than the doorbell chimed.
She opened the door, surprised to see Pat standing there, a sheepish look on his face.
“I know I didn’t call or text, but I saw you drive by the clinic on your way home and I thought you might like a visit.”
Pleasure warmed her. An unfamiliar sound billowed from inside his jacket, though, a jacket zipped almost to his collar, despite the warm weather.
“What have you got in there?” she asked, her gaze dropping to his chest.
His grin grew into a wide smile. “Like I said, a visitor.”
With a gentle tug, he dragged the toggle down a little and a chubby, whiskered face popped through the opening.
“Oh.” Clarissa reached for the kitten as Pat opened the rest of his jacket. “Come here, you sweet thing.”
When she lifted the little bundle and folded it lose in her arms, it meowed loudly and immediately began its pulsating purr. Clarissa brought the kitten to her face and dropped soft and tender kisses on its snout. Its fur smelled clean, fresh, and so like a kitten, for a second Teeny’s face popped into her mind.
She glanced over her shoulder at Pat as she carried the kitten to the kitchen. “Since you brought me such a wonderful present, I can’t very well kick you out.”
His devilish grin told her it was what he’d been hoping.
He tossed his jacket onto the back of her couch and followed her into the kitchen.
“When was the last time she ate?” Reaching up into the cabinet where she’d kept Teeny’s food, Clarissa took a small bowl down and filled it with water, never letting go of the kitten.
“Right before I left the clinic, so she’s set until I bring her back. My night crew will make sure she gets something later.”
Clarissa set the water bowl down at her feet. Sitting cross-legged on the floor, she released the kitten, who immediately began lapping at it. Her little blue-eyed gaze stayed locked on Clarissa’s legs as her tiny pink tongue flew back and forth from the water bowl to her mouth.
“Don’t let her drink too much,” Pat said, resting a hip against her kitchen counter, arms crossed over his chest. “You’ll have a mess on your hands.”
Clarissa looked up at him from her position on the floor to tell him she didn’t mind a mess and stopped breathing. He looked so handsome, so rakishly gorgeous settled against the counter. The ink black, errant cowlick was beginning to fall forward over his eyebrow again, and her hands actually throbbed to smooth it back. He had the making of a five o’clock shadow across his granite hard jaw, and the dimple clefting his chin appeared even deeper than usual. The cotton fabric of his shirt pulled against his shoulders, the muscles in his biceps pushing against the material. He was so completely and totally male in every facet of his being, Clarissa was, quite simply, in awe.
She had to mentally fight to draw her attention back to the now meowing kitten as it demanded her attention. When she picked it up and nuzzled it with her nose, she rose and asked, “What prompted this visit? Is she ready to be fostered out?”
“Soon. I wanted you to see her again, make sure you still want to.”
“I do.”
Pat nodded. “When we get back from Boston, we can make arrangements for when to transfer her over to you.”
At the mention of their planned trip, Clarissa’s nerves pushed forward. Since she was holding the kitten she couldn’t twine her hands together to quell them and in the next instant realized rubbing the soft downy fur was a much better form of self-soothing.
“What time are we leaving in the morning?”
Pat pushed off the counter and crossed to her. With a finger, he stroked the kitten’s neck, her eyes squinting in kitty ecstasy. Clarissa watched his finger move up and down across the fur, the strokes smooth and rhythmic, almost hypnotic, and licked her lips. What would it feel like for him to stroke her the same way? It was a safe bet she’d purr and moan like the kitten. Only louder.
“Moira said we’d pick you up around eight thirty. It’ll give us a relaxed driving time so we won’t be rushed.”
Clarissa nodded, knowing if she spoke, her voice would betray the raging desire shooting through her.
In the next instant, Pat’s stomach rumbled loud enough to be heard above the kitten’s deafening purrs.
Clarissa tried to contain her giggle so she wouldn’t startle the animal, but when Pat’s neck heated with a ruddy flare and he thrust his hands into his pockets, she couldn’t hold it in.
He squinted at her, and, with a menacing glare, pushed nearer to her. “You’re always quietly laughing at me,” he said, stopping so close she could feel his hot, moist breath on her face. “I can’t figure out why I want to be around someone who always laughs at me.”
“I know why,” she said, kissing the kitten again.
When his left eyebrow shot up his forehead, she answered. “It’s easy. Whenever we’re together, we’re usually eating. You’re hungry, so you want me to cook for you.”
His face went blank, and she couldn’t for the life of her discern what he was thinking. She could hear him breathing now, not only feel it, the air pushing out of him a tad faster than it had moments before. The flushed heat on his neck spread up his jaw. She could have melted to the floor when his eyes turned hot too, the lids hooded, so much so, Clarissa finally understood the meaning of a smoldering look.
His hands snaked out and grabbed her upper arms, pulling her and the kitten toward his chest. With the animal as a buffer between them, Clarissa could feel every inch of him as he pressed her body against his, one hand circling around her back and resting on her waist, the other trailing across her jaw. His eyes dilated as he crossed his tongue over his bottom lip, all the while pulling her in closer, molding her body to his.
Her panties grew damp in a heartbeat, and when he licked his lips, she felt her nipples pull and tighten inside her bra. Desire swam around the two of them. She could smell it, musky and potent, taste it against her lips, hot and spicy, and feel the heat of it warming her from head to curling toes.
“Pat?”
He didn’t answer, but continued to hold her prisoner, gaze, body and soul. She couldn’t take a full breath, didn’t dare to, afraid she’d break the spell he’d woven around them, afraid she’d lose the thin thread of control she clutched to prevent herself from jumping on him and eating him alive.
“Clarissa,” he whispered, his nose nuzzling along the outer edge of her jaw.
“Y-yes?”
His lips skimmed her throat, trailing lazily along the column of her blouse. He placed an open-mouthed, wet kiss along the skin beneath her ear, and she finally let out the breath she’d been holding, fearful she would faint dead away if she didn’t.
“I smell turkey,” he said softly, and took her ear lobe into his mouth.
As he gently sucked on it, Clarissa felt a punch of lust straight through her midsection. “Wh-what?”
She gasped when his tongue slid against her throat. “And biscuits.”
“Biscuits?” Confusion vied with a hunger that had nothing to do with food.
“Mmmm. Turkey and biscuits.” He licked her collarbone and then sucked at the skin covering it. “Oh, sweet Jesus.” With a smile dancing on his lips, he pulled back
and looked at her face.
“Clarissa, I’m starving.” She blinked a few times. “You wouldn’t, by any chance, want to share your dinner with me, would you? Friend.”
The cloud of erotic sensations he’d spun around her finally started to disperse. His stomach growled again, and even the kitten heard it this time because she startled and dug her nails into Clarissa’s arm.
“Ouch,” she said with a good-natured chuckle. “You scared her.”
“Hand her over.” He took the kitten and began stroking her chin again.
The sight of this big, strong and utter male holding the tiny kitten so tenderly and lovingly tugged at Moira’s heart. Right then she realized everything she’d heard about him was wrong.
Wrong and totally inaccurate.
“Since you brought me such a nice present,” she repeated, gazing up at him from under her eyelashes, “I think I have enough for the two of us.”
His charming grin broadened. When she turned around to finally unload the grocery bags, she heard him whisper, “Good job, kitty. It worked.”
She couldn’t help laughing.
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Peggy Jaeger, Author 