EXCERPT
“Brenna.” Tyler spoke her name softly, and his tone was one she’d never heard before.
She stood, frozen by shock as his fingers trailed slowly over her face, tracing the line of her jaw, the curve of her cheek, as if he was seeing her for the first time. She felt the warmth of his hand through the thin fabric of her pajamas, the hardness and power of his thighs pressed against hers, and it felt incredible.
It felt like a dream.
She didn’t want to breathe, didn’t want to move in case she did something to break the spell, to spoil what was turning out to be the best moment of her life.
She felt his jaw brush against the top of her head, the warmth of his touch against her skin and she closed her eyes because it was so close, so close, to what she’d spent her whole life hoping for.
He cupped her face in his hands and dragged his thumbs over her cheeks. “Brenna—” he lowered his forehead to hers, holding her gaze “—do you know how I felt watching you go out with Josh?”
“How did you feel?” She whispered the words, mesmerized by the look in his eyes.
“Uncivilized.” His voice was thickened. “I’ve known the guy since high school, and I wanted to flatten him.”
“You were jealous?” It shouldn’t have thrilled her but it did. She locked her hand in the front of his shirt. “That wasn’t why I did it.”
“I know.”
“I thought you didn’t—I mean, I assumed—”
“You assumed wrong.”
She licked her lips. “You never noticed me. There were days when you didn’t even look at me.”
“Yeah, those were the days I worked extra hard.” His eyes were on her mouth. “I noticed you. Every day. Turns out that when it’s something that really matters, I have more control than I thought.”
She lifted her hand and stroked his face, feeling the roughness of his jaw against her palm. “Why didn’t you say something?”
“Because what we have is important. We’ve been friends for years. Ours is the only relationship I haven’t messed up. I didn’t want to risk what we have by confessing that all I wanted to do was have mind-blowing sex with you.”
She was shaking. “I—I’ve never had mind-blowing sex.”
His eyes darkened. “You’re not—?”
“No!” She felt the heat flare in her cheeks. “I’m not used to talking about this.”
“So you’ve had sex, but not mind-blowing sex?” His voice was rough, the words barely audible, and she saw his mouth curve into a slow smile. “Maybe it’s time we did something about that.”
She could feel the warmth of his breath against her mouth. His lips were close enough to tease but not touch, and she stood like a bird about to fly for the first time, exhilarated and terrified.
He was going to kiss her.
Finally, after waiting a lifetime, Tyler O’Neil was going to kiss her.
Bold, terrified he might change his mind, she rose on tiptoe and closed the gap, bringing her mouth to his.
A second’s delay, a moment of heart-stopping hesitation, and then his mouth claimed hers, slowly at first and then with deep, sensual hunger. Raw, electrifying excitement rushed through her, and she moaned against his lips, opening her mouth as she felt the skilled slide of his tongue against hers.
Everything inside her melted, and she clung to his shoulders, grateful for the solid strength that kept them both upright.
She was impatient for more, and she’d thought he was, too, but he kept that side of him reined in as he kissed her slowly and thoroughly until sensation flooded every cell of her body. She closed her eyes, luxuriating in the skill of his mouth, knowing that nothing in her life before had felt as perfect and right as this.
His mouth slid over her jaw, down to her neck and fastened over a pulse beating at the base of her throat. The brush of his tongue brought a moan to her throat, and she tugged at his shirt, needing to touch him, needing to feel. He had the body of an athlete, supremely fit, honed from hours of hard physical exercise, and her seeking hands encountered hard male muscle and smooth skin.
He slid one hand behind her head and brought his mouth back to hers in a kiss that was hot and explicit. She felt him, hard and ready through the fabric of his jeans, and she could hardly breathe for wanting him.
Would it be here?
Now?
She breathed him in, tasted him, touched him and just when she was ready to do anything he asked of her, he eased his mouth away from hers.
His gaze was hooded, his expression unreadable, and then he scooped her up in his arms and carried her out of the den and up the stairs to his bedroom.
It was the only room in the house she hadn’t seen. He lowered her to the floor next to the bed, which was positioned to take advantage of acres of glass. This time she wasn’t interested in the view. Only the man.
Without shifting his gaze from hers, he slid her top over her head and then moved his hands down her body, peeling away clothing, his and hers until they were both naked. Curious, fascinated, she trailed her hands over his shoulders and down his arms, feeling the dip and swell of muscle under her fingers, exploring and discovering. She knew everything about him, but not this. This part of him had remained a secret to her. This was the only intimacy they hadn’t shared in a lifetime of friendship.
Book Information
Book: Maybe This Christmas
Author: Sarah Morgan
Release Date: October 28, 2014
Publisher: Harlequin HQN
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Summary
This winter, ex-skiing champion, reformed heartbreaker and single dad Tyler O’Neil has only one mission—making sure his daughter, Jess, has the best Christmas ever. The fact that his best friend, Brenna, is also temporarily moving into his chalet at the overbooked Snow Crystal resort is a delicious distraction he’s simply going to have to ignore. Theirs is the one relationship he’s never ruined, and he’s not about to start now.
Ski pro Brenna Daniels knows all about the perils of unrequited love—she’s been in love with Tyler for years. But living with him is absolute torture… How can she concentrate on being his friend when he’s sleeping in the room next door? Then when Tyler kisses Brenna, suddenly the relationship she’s always dreamed of feels so close she could almost touch it. Could this be the Christmas her dreams of a happy-ever-after finally come true?
Buy Links
Amazon –
iTunes –
Author Biography
USA Today bestselling author Sarah Morgan writes hot, happy contemporary romance. Her trademark humour and sensuality have gained her fans across the globe and two RITA® Awards from the Romance Writers of America. Sarah lives near London with her family. Visit her at www.sararahmorgan.com.
Social Networking Links
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Maybe This Christmas sounds like it is just the thing you to pick you up on a cold and snowy day and I would love to read Sarah Morgan’s book because she has such a talent for making things real 🙂
My favorite Christmas food is plum pudding because when my brothers and sisters were little and mother was making the plum pudding she would let us all stir the magical pudding into which she would put in little silver sixpences that we all hoped to get in our portion of the plum pudding. It is also a tradition that I have continued for my children and grandchildren.
love all the christmas cookies – fun to indulge during the holiday season
I like pumpkin pie.
I love pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving, and decorated sugar cookies for Christmas. Thanks for having the giveaway.
I like sugar cookies.
I love a really good fruitcake!
turkey
A special dessert my grandma makes-pronounced gwi gwi
I love Christmas Cookies; all the variety and types, not to mention how wonderful they look!
What a great excerpt. Super hot and I want to know what happens next. What a teaser!!!
Pumpkin Pie and the huge variety of Christmas cookies!!
Love all sorts of shortbread and sugar cookies for the holidays!
I love the Christmas turkey with all the trimmings, especially cranberry and sage stuffing! Yummy!!! Thanks for the chance to win Sarah’s book!
There’s a lot of good food surrounding Christmas, but I like making sugared pecans–this is the only time of year I do it.
Do I have to pick just one favorite holiday food?? I love all the Thanksgiving trimmings, especially the pumpkin pie! And for Christmas, I love all the cookies!