Inner Diva Page 17
Just as she was where she belonged, in his arms. “Which means they’ll never come after you again.”
“Looks like.”
She grinned at him. “You’re safe. We’re safe.”
Instead of an answer, he leaned in again and kissed her. The joy at his news made her heart go into over-drive.
“Your place?”
His face was so close to hers, she pulled back just a little to take in the whole handsome picture – his cocoa-dark eyes, his beautiful skin and chiseled chin. “Absolutely.”
He shifted the car in gear and pulled away from the curb. Then, he braked and looked at her face, soaking it in. “I love you, you know.”
A smile burst out. “Te amo, Carlos.”
The car engine’s roar fed their urgency to get to her place and demonstrate just how much.
###
Did you like Monica and Carlos’ love story? Then you’d probably like Laurie Larsen’s other books. Did you know Laurie is a multi-published, award-winning author? She’s got a lot of other stories to offer you. Check them out today!
Check out her website www.authorlaurielarsen.com for information on her other books, news updates and contests!
A word about the author …
Laurie Larsen lives with her husband and two sons amidst the scenic cornfields of central Illinois. Her sons being the athletic creatures they are, she can bet that she’s dragged her lawn chair to every dusty baseball diamond within an hour’s radius, shivered through more football games than she can count, and cheered many a runner across the finish line across the state. Along the way, she’s taste-tested every concession stand’s offering of popcorn, hot dogs and an unusual concoction called “Walking Taco.”
As if life in Illinois isn’t exciting enough, Laurie spends her evenings in front of the computer, writing novels about love, families and relationships – everyday situations, with just a twist of worst-case scenario. Laurie’s current release, Inner Diva, is her sixth published book. Her fourth book, Preacher Man, gave her the esteemed title of Award Winning author when it won the 2010 EPIC Award for inspirational romance. For more information on her other books, as well as a journal, photo album and contest offerings, visit Laurie online at www.authorlaurielarsen.com.
And now, an excerpt from Laurie’s newest book, Keeper by Surprise:
The drone of a lawn mower floated on the hot summer evening. Lisa glanced towards the house and her breath caught in her throat. Oh. My. God.
The most gorgeous man in the world was over there, mowing the lawn.
Lisa paused in reaching for the door handle and slipped lower in her seat so she could spy on the hunk for a moment without being noticed. Was this the right house? She grabbed the paper and double-checked the address. Yes! It was.
Lisa took a deep breath to get her heart rate under control. Boy, it was beating up a storm! Like she had never seen a gorgeous guy before. Well, it had been a while.
His hair, a light chestnut brown, sported hints of blond highlights. But not intentional highlights. No way was this the type of male to sit in a salon seat, paying big bucks to get highlights chemically applied. He was clean-shaven and glistening from the heat of the evening. He wore only a pair of shorts, his chest bare as he pushed the mower back and forth across the lawn.
And wow, what a magnificent chest. Hair-free and muscular, he practically shone with physical fitness. Lisa squinted for a better view. This was a guy familiar with the inside of a gym. What kind of athlete was he? Not a body builder. He didn’t sport those obnoxious over-done muscles. His sport subtly sculpted his body. A swimmer, maybe? A gymnast? Who knew, but the guy had a perfect build. Not too scrawny, but without an ounce of fat on him; that was clear.
And his face. Straight out of GQ magazine, he had classic good looks. She imagined running her fingers along his chiseled jawline, then feathering across those luscious lips. They looked a tad bit full for a male – all the better to kiss you with, my dear!
She was too far away to see his eyes. She wondered with glee what color they were. It wouldn’t really matter. Whether they were crystal blue or smoldering brown, they would do nothing but enhance that strong, handsome face.
Feeling hot suddenly. God, it’s been way too long. Seeing a good-looking guy was making her hot. Pathetic.
Lisa straightened in her seat. She’d had her fun, now it was time to work. She needed to find this young rebel who thought with his fists instead of his brain and get him straightened out. Maybe she could flirt with the lawn crew guy afterwards.
As she prepared to exit, the lawn-mowing Adonis stopped his progress. Oh God, he was looking in her direction. He had noticed her car and it distracted him. Oh well, he had distracted her from her work. Guess she was repaying the favor. Lisa got out of the car and walked casually across the street, hoping beyond hope her knees wouldn’t weaken in front of this stud and make her do something stupid like trip and fall.
Her game plan was to walk right on by him without even a glance, step up to the door and ring the bell. If this delinquent Keith kid was home she would complete her professional visit, and on the way out, if the Greek god was still there, she’d strike up a casual conversation, as if she had just noticed him for the first time. She certainly couldn’t let him know she’d spent the last five minutes drooling over him from afar. She sauntered right on past him, not even deigning a glance his way, and would’ve made it to the front porch, too, if he hadn’t cut the engine on the lawn mower and spoken to her.
“Hi, is there something I could do for you?”
Boy, was that a loaded question. To Lisa’s dismay, the mere sound of his voice caused a double-shot of female hormones to take a dive into her groin. It was deep and gravely, but polite. A touch innocent. She’d love to let his voice lap over her like ocean waves for hours at a time. She cleared her throat and attempted, probably failing miserably, a cool nonchalance. “Oh, don’t let me interrupt you. I’m here on business.” She commenced her determined trek to the front door.
He took a few steps toward her, then stopped. “I’m sorry? Who is it exactly that you’re looking for?”
She looked at him over her shoulder. He was gazing intently at her, his head cocked slightly to one side. “Uh,” she started, forgetting her name for a moment under the intense stare of those gorgeous … green! … eyes. Who would’ve figured him for green eyes?
He tore his gaze away from her and started looking around. He backed up a few steps to a piece of white fabric lying nearby in the lawn. He picked it up and Lisa saw it was a shirt. He slipped it on effortlessly, while she mourned the sudden and quite unexpected loss of her view of that spectacular chest.
He approached her then and continued his curious inspection of her. Lisa cleared her throat. God, she had to pull it together here. She was working, and she needed to continue to function, even in the presence of this hunk. “I’m here to see Keith. Keith Hanson.”
To her surprise, he smiled, his face lighting for a moment, like a lamp would brighten a dark room. “I’m Keith Hanson.”
Available in e-book and paperback in all online bookstores, starting fall of 2012!
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Five
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten