Temptation Released (10 page)
He spoke to her as if they were on a real date and he was genuinely trying to find out what interests they shared. He watched her as if she were the beauty of the night. He would reach over and brush her hand to make a point, to get her attention or sometimes just to rub her skin. God help her, she loved his attention and started to crave his touch. His long fingers would stroke her with firm pressure at times, then a soft caress at others.
When they set down their forks, she placed her hands in her lap, afraid he’d see her nerves. No man had made her feel this turned around. Maybe she’d had too much wine.
“You are beautiful when you smile,” he said all of a sudden.
Stacy’s flattered smile froze. He stared at her in a way that made her feel trapped—she couldn’t look away—and she wasn’t sure if her pulse kicking up was in fear or excitement.
He blinked, breaking the spell, allowing her to look away. She gazed blankly at her plate before her reality kicked in.
She’d hooked up with Martin through an online dating site last week, intentionally inviting the man for dinner. Not only because she loved to cook, not only because it was Valentine’s Day, but because for the first time since her ex had left her, she wanted a man in her bed. She’d had a crush on him in high school and she’d hoped to seduce him.
She stole a glance at Graham—Martin’s
son
for God’s sake—and wondered at their flirting this evening. She could see traces of his father—the wide shoulders, the dark brown hair—but that was where the similarities ended. After that, it was all Graham. Did she want to seduce him?
Images of Graham’s body, undressed, made her palms sweat. She’d felt his chest. His arms, she remembered, were strong and his lips… Oh, his lips seemed so soft she yearned to run her tongue across them. Yes, she answered her own question. She wanted to seduce him all right, but could she?
About the Author
Handed a historical romance at the age of twelve, Ayla Ruse fell in love with love and with happy endings. Having grown up living life tasting a little of this and a little of that has not changed this attitude, but it’s expanded her views. Love isn’t always happy and it isn’t always the way a person “thinks it should be.” Sometimes it’s outside the box, and it’s always a challenge.
The challenge of finding and holding onto this love is what drives Ayla in her fiction. She likes stories that strip love—among other things—down to the skin and tests the attachment and beliefs of the participants. Sometimes that test can come in the form of multiple partners, overcoming a desperate fear or even being sexually inventive.
Email:
[email protected]
Ayla
loves to hear from readers. You can find her contact information, website and author biography at
http://www.totallybound.com
.
Also by Alya Ruse
Scared Stiff: The Fires of Beltane
Paramour: Raspberries and Wine
Totally Bound Publishing
