Excerpts:
LONG
“Excuse me, Mr. Vincent?”
My head whips around to see the stranger
standing to the side of us. His eyes are
stern and intense, and are locked on Gareth.
“Please don’t consider me rude, but
you’ve absconded my date and this is our song.
May I steal her back?”
Mr. Vincent looks from the stranger to
me and back again. It is easy to tell
from his expression he would very much like to keep me
here and wring any secrets I might hold from me, but he won’t make a scene in
public.
“Of course. I wouldn’t want to deny you the company of
this lovely woman.” He eyes me once
again and everything in them tells me he doesn’t believe what I’ve said. But he turns, and walks away.
When Gareth glances over his shoulder,
the stranger wraps one hand around my waist, and takes my hand in his.
“One of the downfalls of working with
clients; having to kiss dirty, disgusting asses,” he says, still glaring in Mr.
Vincent’s direction. “Right?”
I am very well practiced at looking calm
and confident; it comes second nature.
But something about Mr. Vincent’s accusations has shaken me. “Yeah,” is all I manage to get out.
“You’re welcome for the rescue.” Suddenly his voice is low in my ear and I
faintly feel his lips brush my ear.
“Know I don’t say this often,” I say, my
confidence quickly returning. “But thank
you.”
“What did the dick want, anyway?” His hand slides around my back a bit more and
his fingertips brush my bare back.
It is just warm enough in here to keep
the goosebumps from rising on my entire body.
“Company secrets,” I say, trying to
sound dismissive. “He obviously doesn’t
know what he’s talking about. I think it
was just an excuse to get his hands on me.”
He’s quiet and contemplative for just a
moment too long and I wonder what he’s thinking about. “Hmm,” he finally says. “Who can blame him?”
Feeling completely normal again, a smile
curls on my lips. He pulls me slightly
tighter.
“Are you flirting with me?” I ask,
letting my voice drop low and quiet.
A small laugh comes between his
lips. “Well, if you could dance, I’d
already have you in my bed, but since you’ve already stepped on my toes twice
in the last two minutes, I’m having second thoughts.”
I pull away from him slightly so I have
a clear view of his face. “Excuse me?” I
say in half mock, half real offense. “We
are simply shuffling in a circle. How
could you possibly tell I am a bad dancer?
And I did no such thing as stepping on your toes.”
His smile curls once again and he drops
the hand that was at my waist. Keeping
my hand in his other, he takes one step toward the front door. “I could use some fresh air,” he says. “How about you?”
I’m half tempted to tell him to go find
someone else to insult, but it is hot and stuffy in here. Knowing I’m probably setting myself up for a
bantering blowout, I allow him to lead me through the crowd.
The noise and music instantly die away
when we walk through the glass doors.
It’s nearing ten o’clock and all the streetlights around are on, adorned
by lights twinkling from windows further in the distance. There might be stars overhead, but they’re
covered by a thick layer of Washington late spring clouds. They reflect back a soft city-orange hue.
“I’m sorry about that idiot,” he says as
he lets my hand go. He walks to one wall
and leans against it, stuffing his hands into his pockets. “Any man should know that’s no way to treat a
woman.”
“I know I said thank you earlier,” I say
as I wrap my fingers around the other wrist behind my back. “But I could have handled him myself.”
“I don’t doubt it,” he says as those
intense eyes stare at me. “I get the
feeling you could be quite terrifying if you want to be.”
“I’ve been told that before,” I say as I
take two lazy steps toward him. “It
usually works pretty well in keeping most men away.”
“Is there a reason you like keeping men
away?” he asks, raising an eyebrow.
“I’m not a lesbian,” I defend, though
not in the least bit offended. It
wouldn’t be the first time I’ve been accused of it. “So don’t let your imagination start running
away from you.”
He shrugs and gives a little cock of his
head to the side. “Just checking to make
sure I’m not wasting my time.”
“Wasting your time doing what?” I am now only two feet away from him. Away from the packed room filled with
well-dressed but overheated bodies, I catch the scent of him: clean and crisp
and sophisticated.
“I don’t know yet,” he says. “But I sense it’s going to be something
fairly epic.”
SHORT
Lake stares him down hard for a few long
and heavy moments. Finally, his arms
relax slightly. “So you know this is the
part where I have to say if you hurt her I will kill you, right?”
“And there are two more of us that will
kill you two times again once he’s done with you,” Kale pipes up. He’s looking at Julian, but he’s fighting a
smile and one of his eyebrows is raised in a way that tells me he’s fine now
and Julian has passed into the cool range.
“I’d expect nothing less,” Julian says
with a nod.
“You boys are so dramatic,” I say with a
roll of my eyes. The microwave beeps and
I pull the bagels out and stick them into the toaster. “I’d think all of you would know by now I can
fend for myself against any man.”
“Seriously, Julian,” Kale says with a
chuckle. “You have my respect if you can
hold your own up against the likes of my sister.”
I look over at Julian and he meets my
eyes. A genuine smile spreads on his
face and I can’t help it when I smile back.
“Who, Sage? She’s a peach.”
Moments of Julian by Keary Taylor
Publication date: May 6th 2014
Genres: Adult, Romance
Synopsis:
Genres: Adult, Romance
Synopsis:
It was just a work party, filled with kissing the well-dressed rear ends of clients and fake smiles. Until my boss accused me of something I didn’t do. Until I got pissed and then there was this guy who was hot and flirting with me, and then there were his hands and the backseat of my car and a night of everything but you know what.
I never expected to see him again. But suddenly Julian Dohring is everywhere. And I can’t get over the endless tattoos that cover his arms, how he’s apparently a recovering video game addict, and dresses like he’s ready to walk down the red carpet at any moment.
Ten years ago I made a pledge to stay away from alcohol and sex, and to never get too personal with anyone. It’s gotten me this far. I’m twenty-seven, I have a career I’ve worked my heart and soul into, and more money than I could ever blow on shoes and the finer things in life. My attitude and pride have always been enough to keep any man from getting too interested. Until Julian…who claims I can’t dance, and has the nerve to call me a “peach.”
I’m Sage McCain, and needless to say, Julian has my attention.
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AUTHOR BIO
Keary Taylor grew up along the foothills of the Rocky Mountains where she started creating imaginary worlds and daring characters who always fell in love. She now resides on a tiny island in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and their two young children. She continues to have an overactive imagination that frequently keeps her up at night. She is the author of THE EDEN TRILOGY, the FALL OF ANGELS trilogy, and WHAT I DIDN'T SAY. To learn more about Keary and her writing process, please visit www.KearyTaylor.com.
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