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An Excerpt From: FIRES OF SOLSTICE
Copyright © JUDY MAYS, 2007
All Rights Reserved, Ellora's Cave Publishing,
Inc.
Still fuming and muttering obscenities under her breath,
Meredythe barreled into the break room and slammed
the door closed. Pain-in-the-ass men! All they did was screw with her life. God,
how she wanted to punch something!
Pushing the tantalizing stranger from her mind, she
concentrated on her mentor. All those months spent on that story, gathering
leads and information. And what did she have to show for it? Not a thing. She’d
always thought James King was a fair man. But now…
He wants to give you another story,
interrupted her inner voice. Maybe it’s better.
Meredythe contemplated that
thought for a moment. Then she shook her head. “The
Albany story is Pulitzer Prize
material,” she muttered to the empty room. “It’s my story.”
The desire to punch something grew stronger. Taking a deep
breath, she forced herself to relax. She had to control her temper. And brooding
certainly wouldn’t do her any good. No. She had to formulate a plan to get her
story back. She rolled her neck and shoulders, trying to work the kinks out of
the knotted muscles. Closing her eyes, she opened her mouth and breathed deeply,
then exhaled slowly once, twice, a third time. The knot in her stomach began to
relax.
She heard the door open. Too soon for James. Some coworker
then.
“Not now. I need to be alone.”
“But I want you now.”
That voice! Damn all fucking men to hell! Spinning around,
Meredythe stared at the stranger from her boss’s
office. His silvery-gray eyes bored into hers. Six feet tall, wickedly lean with
muscles clearly defined by his tight, black t-shirt and jeans, he exuded
sensuality.
A shiver danced its way up Meredythe’s
spine and shattered the composure she’d regained as she let her gaze slide down
his body. Damn, but he was a hunk. If only he would turn around so she could get
a look at his ass. A picture of him standing naked before her flashed in her
mind. Her cunt muscles tightened and her nipples
tingled. She looked back up into his face.
The corners of his mouth lifted slightly. Amusement
appeared in his eyes. “Like what you see?”
Jerking her gaze from his, Meredythe’s
anger burned higher. How could she find such an arrogant man attractive? She
hated arrogant men.
He held out his hand. “Come to me.”
Meredythe’s eyes widened and
heat surged to her face. What was she, a dog? “Bullshit! Just who the hell do
you think you are?”
He didn’t answer. Instead he kicked the door closed and
stalked toward her, his muscles sliding smoothly beneath his clothing.
He moves so effortlessly, like an animal.
“What do you want?” she challenged again when he stopped before her.
His eyes bored into hers. “You.”
“Me!” she sputtered. This was the last straw. “And just
what makes you think—”
Before she could finish, he cupped her face gently but
firmly between his hands, nuzzled her mouth with his, then
slid his lips over hers.
Shocked, Meredythe froze.
As his spicy scent surrounded her, soft, tender kisses and
delicate flicks of his tongue teased her senses. His supple thumbs caressed her
cheeks while his strong fingers massaged the sides of her neck. Slanting his
head, he pressed his mouth more firmly against hers and tantalized her lips with
the tip of his tongue.
Slowly, her body relaxed and she leaned into him.
He growled low in his throat and sucked on her lower lip.
Something inside Meredythe
burst free from its cocoon and exploded into flight. Sighing, she opened her
mouth, all thoughts of escape melting away.
With that small victory, he seized control. Kisses that had
been gentle now seared her lips, drawing forth a hungry, burning response from
the depths of her soul. His tongue invaded her mouth, thrusting and swirling
against hers in a dance that became more and more sensuous. His mouth conquered,
dominated, demanded. A low moan escaped from her throat as she melted against
him, palms flat against his chest, and began to drown in the raw, blatant
passion of his kiss.
Wrapping one arm around her waist, he laced the fingers of
his other hand through her hair and pulled her head even closer.
Teeth clashed against teeth and tongues stabbed and swiped.
Her teeth slid across his lip.
For a second, the metallic taste of blood rolled across
Meredythe’s tongue, then
a bonfire ignited in her soul. Trapped in a kiss that seemed to drag her soul
from her body, she plummeted into a maelstrom of desire.
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