The Feeling is Pari-Mutuel

Excerpt

Ellie Nichols snapped her mouth shut then covered it with her hand for good measure. The heat of pure mortification rose in her cheeks.

So much for playing it cool. Way to go, dummy. You just couldn’t keep your big mouth shut. They should have stayed in the bar. She should have let Jack watch the stupid Kentucky Derby. Wasn’t it bad enough that she coaxed him into coming all the way to Louisville without any hope of actually attending the famous race? No, she had to lure him up to a hotel room and babble her stupid feelings for him like a stupid fifteen-year-old.

Steeling her spine, she stared up at him, trying to gauge his reaction to her announcement. She’d been doing so well. For four whole months she’d kept her yap closed, keeping tight rein on her feelings, unwilling to jump the gate. All it took was five minutes alone in a room with Jack Rudolph for her to start whinnying like a ninny. Ellie should have known better. They’d only been alone a handful of times since she met him on Christmas Eve, but she’d ended up throwing herself at him each time. Bodily. The man was impossible to resist in far too many ways.

Surprise flared in his dark eyes. The corner of his mouth lifted in a wry smile. God she loved that smile. It crinkled the corners of his eyes and flashed a hint of the deep dimple in his cheek. Jack’s smile could make any girl chomp at the bit. He knew it too, the bastard. The smile blossomed, unleashing the full force of that wicked dimple and making her knees go wobbly with anticipation.

“I’m so glad you said it first,” Jack said with a laugh.

Ellie jerked her hand from her mouth and took an ineffectual swat at his chest. “Uh!”

Warm, strong fingers closed around hers. His dark gaze locked on her, the flame of amusement warming the bittersweet depths. Her fingers twitched, curling convulsively around his when a wisp of hot, moist breath grazed her knuckles. Ardent, passionate kisses shivered across her skin. The tiny hairs on her forearm stood on end. Ellie bit her lip and tried to cling to the last shred of her instinct for self-preservation.

This is crazy. I can’t love him. I hardly know him. Four months of phone calls, a handful of days, and far too few nights don’t make a relationship. It’s just infatuation. Distance makes the heart grow fonder, and all that crap. I’m just happy to see him. And horny. It’s been eight weeks, and god, look at him…

Jack opened her curled fingers and pressed her open palm to his cheek, sobering as he leaned into her caress. A rasp of breath shuddered through him. “I’ve been waiting months, Ellie. What took you so long?”

“Huh?”

The smile was back. That wicked, wonderful smile turned her insides to marshmallow fluff. Ellie caught her bottom lip between her teeth and tried to hang on to sanity, refusing to say another word until he did. Gently, he removed the broad-brimmed bonnet she wore as part of Kentucky Derby tradition. Seconds later, the pearl pink hat sailed across the room like a Frisbee. Jack cocked his head, raising one eyebrow in silent question. He ran his hand over her cap of short hair then conjured a real one. “You love me?”

She pressed her lips into a forbidding scowl. Jack was completely unaffected by its force. As usual, the stubborn ass refused to take the hint. Instead, he laughed. Oh god! The deep and rich rumble rose from his toes, bouncing off the walls and pummeling her with pleasure-soaked reverberation.

“Don’t laugh at me,” she snapped. The element of surprise worked in her favor for once. Ellie jerked her hand from his and took a hasty step back.

Barely a beat passed before he lunged. He grasped her hips in his big, warm hands and pulled her closer, thwarting her retreat. Ellie tried for another scowl, but he dipped his head and obliterated her frown with a quick, firm kiss.

“Never, El. I would never laugh at you.” Her defenses cracked under the pressure of the creak in his soft-spoken words. He pulled her flush against him and kissed her again, soft and seeking, salving her shell-shocked ego with sweet promise. Jack pulled back and flashed the dimple again. The man definitely didn’t play fair. “I laugh when I’m with you. I like being with you.”

If Ellie was able to get enough oxygen to her brain, she might have bristled at the use of the word ‘like’. Particularly after she blurted the other ‘L’ word. She also knew Jack well enough to know arguing semantics would only spotlight her slip-up. Instead, she chose to let it slide and nestled into his broad chest. Distraction and diversion. Ellie’s brain whirred as she tried to formulate a plan.

“Changes things a bit, though,” he murmured, resting his chin atop her head.

“What?”

“Well, you know, it just changes things…”