Thanks to everyone who's downloaded a free copy of Lessons In Love. Today, it hit #3 on the Kindle Bestseller list, and is #1 in Kindle Romance!Samhain's promo of Lessons In Love, available free from Amazon and Books on Board, ends tomorrow. So if you haven't picked up your ABSOLUTELY FREE NO STRINGS ATTACHED copy yet, don't miss out!
But maybe "free" isn't enough of an incentive for you? Fear not, here's an excerpt to tempt you. Enjoy!
ADDED BONUS: All comments (and re-tweets on Twitter) will be entered into a drawing to win a free copy of Lessons In Trust, the follow-on book to Lessons In Love. Own both connected books at absolutely no charge!
Alex was sure that he had never been quite so exquisitely tense in his life.
Brynn Dexter was asleep in his arms.
He shifted slightly, wishing his body wasn’t reacting in quite so predictable a manner. But he was, after all, a man. And Brynn was—a desirable woman.
She stirred a little in her sleep. Although the royal plane was luxurious, it was still a challenge to sleep sitting up, even on a deeply padded leather couch.
Her eyelids had started drooping the moment they boarded the plane, and Alex had suggested she use the bed in the sleeping quarters at the rear of the plane to rest. Indignantly, she informed him that she wasn’t the slightest bit tired.
Then she had taken a seat next to him on the couch for takeoff. By the time they were in the air, Brynn was slumped against his shoulder, breathing deeply.
Amused, he considered taking her back to the bed and tucking her in, but swiftly vetoed that idea. Brynn and bed was a dangerous combination in his mind. He was just about to move aside and give her space to stretch out on the couch when she wrapped an arm about his waist and snuggled into the crook of his neck.
She smelled like a citrus grove.
So now he was well and truly trapped, both by the slim woman wrapped around him and by the emotions barreling down on him. He should be at the conference table at the front of the plane, working on his paperwork. He should be anywhere but here.
The problem was, he didn’t want to be anywhere else.
Besides, he hadn’t bothered to bring any work with him on this trip—which was yet another sign that he wasn’t acting like himself lately. And even if he had brought a stack of papers to read and sign, he had a sinking suspicion that he would have chosen to act as Brynn’s pillow anyway.
He sighed, glancing down at the woman sleeping against his shoulder. The two of them were alone in the opulent interior of the plane, having been given a little privacy by Niles and the two flight attendants. All had worked with the royal family long enough to know how much he appreciated a break from the hovering that seemed to go with the territory of being royalty.
After all, what could happen to him on a private plane several thousand feet in the air?
He let his arm drop just a fraction so his fingertips touched Brynn’s bare arm. Tempted beyond belief, he traced delicate patterns, wishing he could explore the soft skin that lay hidden behind her casual outfit. Brynn shifted again, the curve of her breast brushing against his side. Alex dropped his head back against the couch, wishing he didn’t have such an active imagination. He knew what he wanted to happen; he also knew it was an impossibility.
Trying in vain to turn his thoughts in a less dangerous direction, he glanced around the interior of the plane. Those packages which contained clothing that did not need to be altered and delivered were stowed at the front of the cabin, a neatly stacked tower of boxes and bags. A blue-and-gray striped gift bag was tucked in back, barely visible behind the rest.
After agreeing to leave Brynn to her own devices at the dress designer’s, Alex had spent an hour or so just wandering through the shopping district of Milan, trailed by Niles. He’d picked up a little statue of a horse, knowing that Carissa’s current obsession with ponies would make it a popular gift. And then the display in a tiny shop, tucked away on the edge of a piazza, had caught his eye.
Involuntarily, he glanced at his sleeping companion. It had been an impulse purchase, but he couldn’t bring himself to regret it. It was perfect for Brynn. Now he just had to find the right time to give it to her.
If he gave it to her at all. Really, it was too personal, too intimate for someone who was, after all, just his daughter’s nanny.
Except he couldn’t seem to make himself believe that anymore. Something had shifted for him, some invisible connection that seemed to grow stronger each time they were together.
It was more than a physical attraction, he mused, glancing at the woman sleeping on his shoulder. Although he could not deny the ache of desire that curled through him, it went far beyond that now.
Her passion, her joy, her enthusiasm—all aspects of her personality that made her even more attractive than just her outward beauty. And it was becoming much more difficult to remember the reasons he had to stay away from her.
Brynn shifted in her sleep, her curls brushing his face. He breathed in the scent of her shampoo, that citrusy blend that captured her sunshine spirit perfectly.
When he turned to look at her again, Brynn was just opening her eyes. The dreamy, captivating glow in her doe-soft eyes was quickly replaced by embarrassment.
“Oh my God.” She sat up, shoving the curls out of her face. “I am so sorry. I can’t believe I fell asleep on you.”
“It’s all right.”
“Please tell me I didn’t snore. Or—or drool on your shoulder or something.” She lifted a hand to her mouth, surreptitiously checking it for moisture.
Alex knew without a doubt no woman had ever mentioned drooling to him before. Enchanted by her artlessness, he reached over and captured her hand in his. “You were perfectly appropriate.”
He ignored the fact that with the direction of his thoughts while she slept, she was alone in that regard. “I am glad you felt comfortable enough to rest.”
“Exhausted is more like it.” She rolled her shoulders. “Who knew shopping could take so much out of you?”
His mother. His former wife. Most of the women in his social circle. To them, shopping was a blood sport, and to the victor went the spoils. Shopping with them was wearing.
With Brynn, however, it was a delight. Like a prism, she took experiences that were common to him and fractured them, adding a wash of brilliant color to everything. Unexpected, but enjoyable all the same.
She sat up, moving away from him. He missed the subtle pressure of her head on his shoulder, the soft brush of curls against his cheek. He missed her rhythmic breathing as she slept.
What would it be like to spend the night with her wrapped in his arms?
(c) 2007
Michelle
Kimmy L.