My upcoming anthology One Week in Wyoming releases in less than a week! To celebrate, I'm giving my blog readers an exclusive look at my novella "Seduction in the Snow." Today you'll get to meet our heroine Lydia. On Monday, it's all Evan.
If you like what you read, One Week in Wyoming is available for exclusive preorder on iBooks for $0.99 and will release wherever ebooks are available on September 9th. You can check out more from all of the authors in the anthology at our series website.
Enjoy!
"Seduction in the Snow"
- Part 1 -
“I think this is me.” A voice to the right of Lydia interrupted her reading time, and she clicked her iPad off with a sigh.
She’d planted her purse on the aisle seat next to her in hopes that it would stay empty on the flight to Wyoming. No such luck. Now she’d have to wage a silent, passive-aggressive war with a stranger for the shared armrest. Mentally grumbling, she glanced up.
Oh.
Tall, sandy-haired, and handsome filled the aisle. The man glanced down at the printed-out boarding pass in his hand. “This is row ten, right?”
The low rumble of his voice turned her insides liquid. She’d fight over an armrest with him any day.
“Sorry about that. Let me get this out of the way for you.” She juggled her purse to clear his seat.
One corner of the man’s mouth quirked up—for real this time. “I’m always hoping for an empty aisle, too.”
She smiled back. “Sorry to disappoint you.”
“I’m not disappointed.”
He heaved his suitcase up and shoved it into the overhead compartment. As he moved to snap the bin closed, his eyes raked over her so fast she might not have caught it. Except she did.
Good.
He didn’t look so bad himself. He wore a thin knit sweater with the sleeves pushed carelessly to his elbows to expose a pair of strong, lean forearms. A pair of thick black glasses perched on a nose that looked like it might have been broken once, and a three-day beard covered his chin with just enough scruff to give him a rugged sort of look without edging into hipster territory. This stranger was catnip, and he’d be sitting just inches from her for the three-hour flight from San Francisco to Jackson Hole.
He let his beaten-up brown leather messenger bag slide off of his shoulder and onto the empty seat. A lock of hair fell over his forehead as his head dipped when he pulled a laptop free. It took everything Lydia had not to reach out and twine a finger around that curl.
When the man finally maneuvered into his seat, he set his laptop on his knees but didn’t open it. Instead, his head fell back with a sigh. He looked like he could use some serious loosening up. She’d be happy to help with that.
The plane’s PA system crackled, and a flight attendant welcomed them in cheerful tones, pulling Lydia’s thoughts back to her vacation. Soon she would be at Dabai Lodge with Joan and the rest of her writing group. Joan’s husband, Bruce, had invited his college friends for some skiing at the same time, but she couldn’t care less about throwing herself down a mountain with a pair of two-by-fours strapped to her feet. All she wanted was some spa time, a few good meals with friends, and a week of relaxation. That was just the sort of well-earned wind-down she needed after a few punishing months on deadline.
It would be an added bonus if the lodge had a good-looking, unattached man staying there too. Someone like the guy sitting next to her—all long legs and big, rough hands who’d let her wrap herself around him and really enjoy her vacation.
I should be so lucky.
Once they hit the runway, the plane sped up, the nose pitched skyward, and suddenly they were airborne. She sank back into her seat, silently thanked whatever genius convinced the FAA to let readers keep their devices on through takeoff, and turned her attention to her tablet.
“Do you mind if I turn the light on?”
She looked up and found a pair of icy blue eyes fixed on her. Even through his exhaustion she caught a hint of soft, sweet warmth in her seatmate’s expression.
“I didn’t know if it would cause glare on your iPad,” the man explained.
She shook her head. “It should be fine. Thank you for asking. I’m Lydia, by the way.”
She stuck out her hand. The man glanced down at it and hesitated. I won’t bite, she wanted to purr, but the poor guy already looked like he was torn between crushing her lips with his and bolting. Then something like determination crept into his expression. He took her hand.
The moment they touched, heat swept straight down to her toes and back again. She imagined his broad hands stroking over her bare skin, palms exploring, fingers teasing. Her whole body hummed for him, and the intensity with which he stared at her nearly knocked her backwards.
“I’m Evan Sullivan,” he said, his tone low and thick.
She wanted that voice wrapping around her as he whispered every little thing he’d do to make her come. It spoke of dark rooms and slow, sensual sex fueled by need. She throbbed wet and ready for him.
“Evan. It’s so nice to meet you.”
Her body screamed at her to unbuckle her seatbelt and climb into his lap, but the two no-nonsense flight attendants nearby didn’t look like they’d tolerate the idea. Still, maybe she and Evan could arrange to meet in Jackson—a little vacation fling. It was all she ever wanted from a guy, something fun with no strings attached. Flings were easier than relationships. Less messy.
Before she could decide whether to act on the idea, Evan dropped her hand. “Sorry to be rude. I’ve got a lot of work to do.”
She’d be lying if she said she wasn’t disappointed, but she nodded. “Of course. I don’t want to keep you from your work.”
Picking up her tablet again, she leaned on the armrest next to the window. Evan kept his attention so carefully locked on his computer that she wondered for a moment whether she’d imagined that the attraction went both ways. The quick pulse of a little, bitable vein at the base of his neck made her think no. Then he let out a shaky breath, and she knew he’d felt the connection too.
With a little smile, she dove back into her book.
Thanks for reading! Look out for another exclusive excerpt on Monday!
When best-selling romance author Joan Halliday invites four single female writers to stay at her family's luxurious Wyoming lodge, she's counting on a quiet week of bonding on the slopes and in the spa.