STIRRING ATTRACTION
Second Shot #2
Sara Jane Stone
Releasing June 7th, 2016
Avon Impulse
The
second, sizzling book in Sara Jane Stone's Second Shots series...
When Dominic Fairmore left Oregon to
be all he could be as an Army Ranger, he always knew he’d come back to claim
Lily Greene. But after six years away and three career-ending bullets, Dominic
is battered, broken, and nobody's hero—so he stays away. Until he learns Lily
has been the victim of a seemingly random attack. He’ll do anything to keep her
safe . . . even go home.
Lily is starting to find a life
without Dominic when suddenly her wounded warrior is home and playing
bodyguard—though all she really wants is for him to take her. But she refuses
to play the part of a damsel in distress, no matter how much she misses his
tempting touch. He’ll leave as soon as she’s safe and Lily knows her heart will
never heal.
But as attraction stirs to so much
more, danger closes in. With more than Lily’s heart at stake, Dominic can no
longer draw a line between protecting Lily and loving her . . .
Prologue
“You
painted your toenails pink.”
Dominic
Fairmore stared at Lily’s bumble-gum colored nails. He didn’t trust himself to
look up. Downstairs, his dad’s dogs made the familiar trip to the water bowl
and back, probably stopping to sniff the bag of Chinese take-out he’d abandoned
on the kitchen table. The animals’ nails tapped against the hardwood floors,
but otherwise silence filled the farmhouse. His little sister was at the beach
and his dad was pulling a double at Forever, Oregon’s woefully understaffed
police station. And yeah, he kept track of their locations because at
twenty-two he still lived at home.
Lily
raised one perfect eyebrow. “I have two hours before my mom expects me home and
you’re looking at my toenails?”
Her
ironic tone pushed him damn close to his breaking point. He’d take her. Here.
Now. Against the wall, pictures falling to the floor. Because he knew she
reserved her humor for him. The rest of Forever saw a blond-haired, blue-eyed
woman who charmed a room full of five-year olds day after day. A girl who’d
been born here, grown up here, and put herself through the local university
while still living at home to care for her wheelchair-bound mother and
alcoholic father.
But
Dominic saw the only girl he’d ever loved. If he closed his eyes, he could
still picture her, walking down the halls of their high school. She’d been one
year ahead of him. She’d graced the dreary high school halls with her sunshine
smile and confidence. And yeah, her short skirts.
He’d memorized the way
her cheerleaders outfit teased her thighs while she led the squad her senior
year. He’d been a junior, but already shepherding the football team to one
victory after another. And sometimes it felt like he busted his ass on the
field and won the game just to see her smile . . .
But he
couldn’t close his eyes and block out the way Lily looked right now. His gaze drifted up her calves. Every inch of
bare skin wrapped around his heart like a noose. He took in the curve of her
thighs and tried to go slow. His jaw tightened and his eyes disobeyed.
Fuck
slow.
His gaze locked on the slip of fabric
disappearing between her legs.
“Your
panties match your toenails,” he growled. There wasn’t a hint of humor in his
voice. He couldn’t picture laughing now. In two days, he’d wreck her heart. He
would shatter their love and leave her with nothing but memories and the
promise that he’d come back.
I
swear I’ll come back for her.
But so much could change
while he was on the other side of the country training to be all he could be.
And later, once he deployed, on the other side of the world.
Two
more days. Two more nights. How many times could he make love to this woman before
they ran out of time?
“Are
you sure they match?” she teased. Her fingers brushed the waistband of her
panties and then her thumbs slipped beneath the pink fabric.
His
hands formed tight fists at his sides, watching as she drew her underwear down
to her toes. Her upper body stole away his view of the blond curls, instead
offering the sight of her full, bare breasts hovering in front of her legs.
Long locks of blonde hair drifted down as she compared the color of her
underwear to her nail polish.
“Lily,”
he growled and stepped closer.
She
glanced up at him and slowly, as if she knew every movement of her body turned
him on and pushed him closer to that place where he lost control. But hell,
after six years together, Lily Greene damn well knew how to drive him crazy
with lust and longing.
“My
nails are a light pink. I think the bottle said ‘Ballet Slipper.’ But my
underwear is closer to fuchsia.” She tossed her panties at him. “See?”
Years
of training on the football field kicked in and he caught the slip of fabric in
his right hand. “You’re right,” he said and he took a step forward. He threw
her underwear down to the carpet without bothering to study them.
“You
need to be home in two hours?” he asked.
Her
teasing smile faded at the reminder of the reality beyond the bedroom walls.
“You know I do.”
“We
might not have time for the Chinese food.” He momentarily blocked his view as
he drew his ‘Go Army!’ T-shirt over his head. He discarded the reminder of
where he was heading in two days’ time. He wanted to leave this town and the
dead-end future it promised, but not Lily.
“I
hate Chinese,” she said.
She reached forward and
grabbed onto the belt buckle his father had given him after he won the state
championship with his high school football team. He pressed his palms flat
against the wall, one on either side of her head. He couldn’t touch her. Not
yet.
“I
know.” He allowed her to pull him close, her fingers working to free his belt
and undo his jeans. “I didn’t want to run the risk that you would want to eat
first.”
She
smiled as her hands won the battle with his belt. Drawing his zipper down, she
leaned forward and whispered in his ear. “Smart man.” Her hands pushed his
pants over his hips and then went in search of their target.
“Lily,”
he gasped as her fingers wrapped around the part of his body that thought
‘slow’ spelled disaster. Hell, it just might. He wanted her so damn much he
might come in her hand. “Careful,” he added. “Or I’ll be about as useful as I
was the first time. In the front seat of my truck.”
“Have
as much self-control now as you did at seventeen?” she challenged, her hand
moving up and down now.
“You
know it.” He took his right hand off the wall and cupped her jaw. Angling her
lips up to meet his, he kissed her. He knew her mouth. He’d memorized the way
she liked his tongue to tease hers.
His hand moved down her
neck and over her shoulder. His fingers froze, hovering on her collarbone. He
knew the feel of her soft skin as well as he knew his own. But dammit, he
couldn’t take the weight of her breast in his hand, her nipple brushing against
his palm, and still maintain control.
She broke the kiss.
“Don’t hold back, Dominic,” she whispered. “You never have before. Don’t start
now. You know how to touch me. You’re the only one—”
His growl cut off her
hushed words. He was the only one who knew the color of her panties. The only
man in her bed. The only one who heard her sly humor. And yeah, the only man in
Forever, Oregon who loved her.
For now . . .
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After
several years on the other side of the publishing industry, Sara Jane
Stone bid goodbye to her sales career to pursue her dream-writing
romance novels. Sara Jane currently resides in Brooklyn, New York with her very
supportive real-life hero, two lively young children and a lazy Burmese cat.
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