Excerpt Reveal: THE SEXY ONE
“Your
language skills are better than your French-braiding skills,” she teases as she
shuts her iPad.
I
pretend to be insulted. “So not true. I can do French braids with my eyes
closed.”
She
shakes her head. “Somehow, I doubt that.”
“I’ll
prove it to you.”
She
tilts her head, and her hand freezes on her purse. “Prove it?” she asks
quietly.
Somehow
I’ve thrown a gauntlet I didn’t realize I was tossing. I do the only natural
next thing—follow through. “Sure. Got one of those hair tie things?”
She
nods slowly. “Yes, but . . .” Her voice trails off. Then she resumes the
thought. “You really learned to French braid?”
I
nod. “Hayden insisted on it,” I explain then study her face. Her pupils are
dilated, and she blinks. Ah hell, I’ve made her wary with my remark. “I don’t
have to prove it. I was just teasing,” I say, giving her an out. Mildly flirty
comments are one thing—hands in hair are another.
A
small grin spreads on her face, as she dips her hand into her purse and
produces a black elastic band. “No, I insist. You were horrible last time. Have
at it.”
She
drops to the floor, scoots over to me, and with her shoulder, she nudges my
right knee.
Hello, slippery slope. Funny to see you
again so soon.
Her
other shoulder bumps my other knee. There’s no need to think—I widen my legs
more and let her settle in between them. I’m seated on the couch, she’s on the
floor, and she waits for me to braid her hair.
As
I stare at her lush, blond locks, the breath escapes my lungs. For a moment, it’s
as if I’m hovering in a state of suspended want. Like this is the real line we’re
crossing. Not me bringing her dessert, or touching the corner of her lips, or
gazing at her face longer than I should. Not even sending texts about a pair of
wild birds or making comments about showers and nudity.
But
this.
Touching
her hair.
Fuck,
I love her hair.
I
slide the tie over my wrist, then gather up some strands near the top of her
head. “Confession,” I say in a quiet voice. “I watched a few YouTube videos
after you taught me.”
She
leans back, and I can feel her smile. “Like I said, prove it.”
“It’s
on.” I focus on the task of separating her honey-blond hair into three sections,
running my fingers through them like a comb. I lift the first strand and lay it
over the middle one, then the left, gathering more hair into the next section.
After
I failed at her first French braid lesson, I took it upon myself to learn. I
don’t like not being able to master basic skills. A man should be able to braid
his daughter’s hair.
And
his woman’s hair.
“How
does it look?” Her voice sounds a little breathy.
“Like
it was braided by a man who learned by watching YouTube videos,” I answer.
She
laughs lightly and leans into me more, inching closer. My hands still for a
moment. I feel like I’m in high school again. Like I have a crush on a girl,
and I don’t know what to do, where to go next, what to say.
The
thing is, I do know. I just don’t
know that I should. But I know what I
want. There’s no doubt in my mind. I want to touch her, to kiss her, to feel
her body press against mine. Even the chance to touch her like this is
intoxicating, a rush of blood to the head. Her waves of hair are soft, and they
feel spectacular falling through my fingers. I can’t picture a single thing
besides running my hands through these strands as I kiss her, as I touch her,
as she moves beneath me.
From NYT Bestselling
author Lauren Blakely, comes a swoony new standalone romance…
THE SEXY ONE!
Want a romance guaranteed to make you
melt? Get ready to fall in love on October 17th!
Kobo: http://bit.ly/29ZSezN
Sign up for Lauren’s newsletter to
receive an alert when THE SEXY ONE is live on Kindle on release day at http://laurenblakely.com/newsletter/.
Let me count the ways
why falling into forbidden love is not my wisest move…
1. She works with me
every single day.
Did I mention she's
gorgeous, sweet, kind and smart?
Playing with my
five-year-old daughter. Teaching my little girl. Cooking for my princess. Which
means…
3. She's the nanny.
And that makes her
completely off-limits…But it doesn’t stop me from wanting her. All of her.
***
The other nannies in
this city don't call him the Sexy One for nothing. My boss, the amazingly
wonderful single father to the girl I take care of every day is ridiculously
hot, like movie star levels with those arms, and those eyes, and that body. Not
to mention, the way he dotes on his little girl melts me all over. But what
really makes my knees weak are the times when his gaze lingers on me. In
secret. When no one else is around.
I can't risk my job for a chance at something more…can I? But I don’t know how to resist him much longer either…
**The audiobook will release the same day as the eBook on October 17th
and will be narrated by
Sebastian York and Andi Arndt!**
Since self-publishing her debut romance
novel CAUGHT UP IN US three years ago, Lauren Blakely has sold more than 1
million books. She is known for her sexy contemporary romance style that's full
of heat, heart and humor. A devout fan of cake and canines, Lauren has plotted
entire novels while walking her four-legged friends. She lives in California
with her family. With eleven New York Times bestsellers, her titles have
appeared on the New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal Bestseller
Lists more than sixty times. Her bestselling series include Sinful Nights,
Seductive Nights, No Regrets, Caught Up in Love, and Fighting Fire as well as
standalone romantic comedies like BIG ROCK, MISTER O and WELL HUNG, which were
instant New York Times Bestsellers. In the fall she'll release THE SEXY ONE, a
swoony contemporary romance. To receive an email when Lauren releases a new
book, sign up for her newsletter at laurenblakely.com/newsletter.
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