She turned on the coffee pot. "I'll be right back."
He nodded, keeping his attention on her but saying nothing. Dammit, why did she like that? There was something different about him, something that was making her want to giggle like a freaking teenager. Maybe because he was looking at her differently than he ever had before.
She scooted out of the kitchen and headed to her bedroom. God, it looked like a cyclone had hit her room. She must have been really lost the last couple of days working on the book. Clothes were all over the floor and draped over the chair. She sighed, opening the dresser drawer and pulling out a pair of faded cutoffs and a T-shirt. Dammit, she thought, and she opened her lingerie drawer and grabbed a bra and a pair of panties.
Five minutes later, she was dressed, her teeth brushed, and she had her braids pulled back with a do-rag. With a deep breath, she walked out to join Conner again.
He was looking out the front window, a mug of coffee in his hand. His expression told her he was thinking of more serious things than his crazy landlady's penchant for sleeping in shirts and nothing else. He looked like the weight of the world was on his shoulders. It had always been like that as long as she could remember. He had shown up at the University of Georgia that first day with Maura, acting like a bulldog, daring anyone to say anything mean to his sister.
He had been the talk of the dorm. She hadn’t been lying about that. Girls had done everything to catch his attention, but his main focus had been Maura, and in that she had admired him. She wished she’d had someone looking out for her like Maura had all those years. Strong, dependable, sexy. Okay, she wouldn’t have wanted him for a brother...but a lover? Maybe. She had a feeling he had a real dominant streak and that was something she liked in a man.
For the first time in months, she felt stirrings of attraction. He wasn’t her type. She liked a dominant man, but Conner was over the top. Plus, she was sure that a man like him would never be interested in a pierced and tattooed erotic romance author who ran on no schedule. Still, it didn’t mean that she couldn’t appreciate the beauty of the man. It was a shame that he’d chosen to wear jeans and a shirt today. She could just imagine what he looked like without a shirt. Hell, now that she thought about it, she wanted to see him like that. No shirt, a pair of board shirts, water dripping down his chiseled chest...
“Are you going to keep staring at me, or are you going to get some coffee?” he asked. He hadn’t turned around, but he must have realized she had been staring at him for a while.
“I was just thinking that Maura was really lucky to have you growing up.”
He turned and looked at her. “I doubt she’s thinking that at the moment.”
She shook her head. “You really can’t blame her. You scared her.”
He shrugged, and she could see why Maura said she wanted to throw things at him sometimes. He said nothing and turned around to look out the window, sipping his coffee.
“You might want to get some coffee, Jillian. You’re looking a bit peaked.”
She chuckled. “You don’t know the half of it.”
Shaking herself out of her stupor, she headed to the kitchen. She needed to quit drooling over her new tenant because nothing was going to happen with him. It would be a mistake—a total idiotic act—to sleep with him. He was a man that could fulfill her needs, and she would lose her friend in the process. She didn’t have many women friends, but Maura was a constant in Jillian’s life.
She poured her coffee then took a sip, hoping the caffeine would jolt her head out of the gutter.
“So, what do you plan to do with me?”
The steamy liquid caught in her throat and she began coughing. When she finally caught her breath, she looked over at him. He was smiling at her and sipping his coffee. Now she knew he was messing with her.
Jillian picked up a napkin and wiped her mouth. “Do with you?”
“Today. You said you would show me around. You haven’t changed your mind, have you?”
“No. I promised Maura I would keep my eye on you.”
His smile widened. “That’s interesting.”
She rolled her eyes. “I thought we could drive around, maybe pick up some lunch?”
“That sounds like a plan.” Then he surprised her by winking at her. “For now.”
He turned and walked out of the kitchen leaving her completely aroused and thoroughly confused.
Read Jillian and Conner’s story now available everywhere in print and digital!
About Melissa Schroeder
Born to an Air Force family at an Army hospital Melissa has always been a little bit screwy. She was further warped by her years of watching Monty Python and her strange family. Her love of romance novels developed after accidentally picking up a Linda Howard book. After becoming hooked, she read close to 300 novels in one year, deciding that romance was her true calling instead of the literary short stories and suspenses she had been writing. Since her first release in 2004, Melissa has had over 30 short stories, novellas and novels released with multiple publishers in a variety of genres and time periods. Those releases include the Harmless series, a best-selling erotic romance series set in Hawaii. A Little Harmless Sex, book 1, was one of the top 100 bestselling Nook Books of 2010.
Since she was a military brat, she vowed never to marry military. Alas, fate always has her way with mortals. Her husband is an Air Force major, and together they have their own military brats, two girls, and two adopted dog daughters, and they live wherever the military sticks them. Which she is sure, will always involve heat and bugs only seen on the Animal Discovery Channel. In her spare time, she reads, complains about bugs, travels, cooks, reads some more, watches her DVD collections of Arrested Development and Seinfeld, and tries to convince her family that she truly is a delicate genius. She has yet to achieve her last goal.
You can connect with Mel all over the web:
WEBSITE
TWITTER
FACEBOOK FAN PAGE
HARMLESS ADDICTS
THE CURSED CLAN
Or email her at: Contact@MelissaSchroeder.net
Other Books by Melissa Schroeder
Harmless
A Little Harmless Sex
A Little Harmless Pleasure
A Little Harmless Obsession
A Little Harmless Lie
A Little Harmless Addiction
A Little Harmless Submission
A Little Harmless Fascination
A Little Harmless Military Romance
Infatuation
Possession
Surrender
The Harmless Shorts
A Little Harmless Surprise-includes ALH Fling and ALH Kalikimaka
A Little Harmless Gift
The Cursed Clan
Callum
By Blood
Desire by Blood
Once Upon An Accident
The Accidental Countess
Lessons in Seduction
The Spy Who Loved Me
Leather and Lace
The Seduction of Widow McEwan
Leather and Lace—Print anthology
Texas Temptations
Conquering India
Delilah’s Downfall
Hawaiian Holidays
Sex on the Beach
Getting Lei’d
Bounty Hunters, Inc
For Love or Honor
Sinner’s Delight
The Sweet Shoppe
Her Wicked Warrior
Connected Books
Seducing the Saint
Hunting Mila
Saints and Sinners—print of both books
The Hired Hand
Hands on Training
Cancer Anthology
Water—print
Stand Alone Books
Grace Under Pressure
The Last Detail
Her Mother’s Killer
A Calculated Seduction
Tel
epathic Cravings
Coming Soon
A Little Harmless Fantasy
The Cursed Clan: Angus
A Little Harmless Military Romance: Craving
A Little Harmless Ride
A Little Harmless Military Romance: Relentless
Writing as Kiera West exclusively for Siren Publishing
The Great Wolves of Passion, Alaska
Seducing Their Mate
The Alpha’s Fall
Convincing Ethan
Shane’s Need
Rand’s Craving
Jason’s Salvation
Coming soon
Max’s Need
Claiming Their Mate
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-one
Chapter Twenty-two