Diego Ortiz has too many demons to fight to even consider taking on a relationship. But when socialite and former model Lilly Carmichael needs rescued in the midst of a crowd of people, he’s right there to lend her a hand. Proximity forces him to acknowledge that he needs to be with her and when they finally give in, it’s a revelation to them both.
Lilly Carmichael sees the real man Diego is, though he tries to discourage her. Angry and secluded he tries to shove her away, but she hopes that if she’s persistent enough, he’ll bend. And he doesn’t seem to be protesting as hard as he used to be…
As she’s thrust into a situation she has to fight against, he’s right there supporting her, being the man that she had always hoped for.
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Excerpt
A delicate finger stroked down his ear again and flicked the diamond stud. He glanced back at her, wondering if she was trying to knock him off balance.
“How long have you had an earring?”
His mouth twitched. “Well, I had one when I was a kid. The hole never sealed over. Once I got out of the Marines I started wearing it again.” He shrugged a little. “Kind of balances out the patch.”
Lilly grinned at him, resting her hand on his shoulder. “It does,” she agreed. “It’s very sexy.”
That hadn’t been what he’d meant.
She squeezed his shoulder, then slid her fingers up to the collar of his jacket. She stroked his hair, her sharp fingernails dragging lightly over his skin.
Those damnable fingers reached forward and dragged a line of fire along his jawline. Diego could hear the rasp of her nails along the short growth of his beard. “Lilly, I’m not sure what you think you’re doing, but I don’t think it’s a good idea.”
“I’m trying to get to know you. Getting to know the feel of you. I thought now was a perfect time. You can’t take your hands off the wheel and you can’t walk away like you normally do.”
“Lilly…”
“Sh…” she whispered.
If they weren’t on a schedule, he would whip the car to the side of the road and kiss her like he’d been dreaming about. Instead, he kept the car steady and let her touch him. Honestly, it felt better than anything he’d ever felt before. All she did was run her fingers through his hair, down his neck and across his shoulders, but it was something he wasn’t used to feeling. It had been a long time since he’d been with a woman, and an even longer time since he’d been in an actual relationship. Then she leaned forward a little more and suddenly her fingers were inside the collar of his shirt, moving around toward his chest. Diego felt his heart skip a beat and his hands twitched on the wheel. When he glanced into the mirror to see if Lilly had noticed, she was staring back at him, grinning. There was a light in her eyes that told him she was taking great delight in rattling him.
Diego tightened his fists on the steering wheel, arousal contracting every muscle in his body. Lilly Carmichael needed to be put in her place, but he was not in a position to do it just then.
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