| A Lover's Dream Excerpt |
“Damn key,” she whispered, forcing a laugh to mask her uneasiness as she tried unsuccessfully to gain
entrance to her suite.
Quest continued to lean against the wall near the door. He indulged in a few more minutes of sightseeing
before leaning over and pulling the card from her hand. “Maybe it’s not working because it’s your library
card.”
Mick’s mouth fell open and then she closed her eyes and uttered another nervous laugh. “That explains it,”
she said and began to rummage in her purse again. She couldn’t resist a sideways glance at Quest when
his soft chuckles filled the air.
Come on Mick, shape up. You can do this, she told herself while scouring the bad. All night she’d been
consumed by her conversation with Johnelle Black and the decision she’d made to go forward with the
book or rather, the investigation into a young woman’s death. Quest had to be told. This wasn’t something
she could or should wait to get into.
When? When was the right time? She’d wrestled with those questions most of the evening. Before dinner?
No. They’d had a great meal, great conversation. The usual. They took in a set by the group at the club.
Lovely. Now they were back at her hotel and it was time to show and prove. She located the key, then
cleared her throat and unlocked the door.
“What’ll you have?” Mick asked, once they were inside the room and she was heading toward the bar cart.
She never completed the trip.
Quest’s hands folded over her upper arms and he pulled her back next to his solid frame. His lips found
her earlobe and began a merciless assault, teasing the satiny skin there. One of his massive hands left her
arm to cup her breast. The nipple, already rigid and pouting, was the lucky recipient of his affections.
Oh yes…she’d forgotten this part-the heart stopping love scene that usually took place right there in that
room. It never went further than a devastating kiss and possessive caressing. Still, it was enough to leave
her writhing in ecstasy on the sofa as he pressed a brotherly kiss to her cheek and said he’d see her
tomorrow before he walked out the door.
Mick turned in his arms, determined to tell him the scene would play differently that night, but she never
had the chance.
Quest captured her mouth in a fantastic kiss. His tongue thrust lustily and deep as though he were thirsty
for the taste of her. His eyes were tightly closed, so that a tiny furrow formed between his sleek black
brows. He had the look of complete, unflinching concentration to kiss her senseless.
Mick whimpered, her hands smoothing across the incredible breadth of his shoulders. Her fingers grazed
his soft, close cut hair and she gave into the delicious sensations the kiss aroused. Her confession could
wait until the scene ended, she decided.
Quest, however, had something different in mind for the evening. Had Mick known that, she would surely
have told him her news the moment she’d seen him that evening. His mouth was everywhere, kissing her
lips, outlining the mole there with his tongue, grazing his teeth across the curve of her jaw, and suckling
her earlobe in a feverishly possessive manner.
He placed her on the sofa, then followed her down. Mick uttered an indecipherable sound into the air as
her breasts and nipples were thoroughly manipulated. The row of tiny buttons had proven to be a minute
obstacle. He favored the undersides of her breasts with gentle nudges from his nose, before delving
lower. His mouth dipped past one of the splits in her dress in search of what he most wanted. His nose
grazed her womanhood clearly outlined against the lacy fabric of her white panties. Mick’s lashes fluttered
amidst waves of unexpected arousal.
“Wait!” she gasped a moment later, her hand tensing on his shoulders. “Oh wait,” she moaned. “Mmm…”
she added, when his tongue teased her through the material.
Quest’s expression was arrogance pure and simple. “You’re sure?” he questioned teasingly, mouthing the
words against the dampening center of her undergarment.
“Wait…” she tried again, failing when a sob followed the word.
Quest rose above her then and pressed his mouth to her ear. “Do you want me to?” he asked again. To
help her decide, he smoothly inserted his middle finger just slightly inside her body.
“Oh no, no, don’t stop. Don’t stop just yet,” Mick chanted, arching up to take a bit more of the caress. He
barely rotated his finger in the wealth of moisture there.
Quest suckled the diamond stud adorning her earlobe. He loved the helpless whimpers she emitted when
he barely moved his finger or when his thumb stroked the extra-sensitive folds of flesh guarding her
femininity.
He ended the caress and she moaned her disappointment. When he settled himself fully against her and
Mick felt the extent of his thrusting power, she forced herself to sober.
“Quest, Quest, wait, wait.”
“Mick…” he groaned torturedly, hiding his handsome face in the crook of her neck.
She was just as agitated. “I don’t want you to, but you should. I…I have something I need to say.”
He raised his head to search her light eyes with his unsettling ones. “Something you need to say? Now?”
She nodded, tugging her bottom lip between her teeth. “Mmm-hmm,” she confirmed and then cleared her
throat. “Yes,” she said firmly then.
Quest closed his eyes and rested his forehead against the base of her throat. Michaela’s lashes fluttered
as she silently commanded herself not to arch or grind her hips against the delicious hardness right next
to the part of her that ached most for it. To her relief, she felt the powerful erection subside as Quest took
deep breaths and sought to quell his desire.
He moved away at last and leaned back against the opposite end of the sofa. Mick slowly pushed herself
up, her feet resting in his lap as she watched him. After a while, Quest raised his hand, signaling for her to
go on with what she wanted to say.
Mick swung her legs to the floor, smoothing her hands across her hips as she stood. “I met with Johnelle
Black today,” she announced when she felt there was enough space between them.
Quest’s head snapped up when he heard the name, but Mick had her back turned and didn’t see his
reaction.
“We talked about her daughter, Sera. Her death,” she went on, wringing her hands as she spoke. “She
insists that it wasn’t suicide, but murder. She wants me to investigate, says she’ll financially back a book or
simply a look into the case. She told me about the payoff she got from the Ramseys.”
Mick stopped talking then and turned to observe Quest. She didn’t care for the set look on his face, the
darkness of his eyes, or the way he absently massaged his left arm. She took a seat in the armchair
opposite the sofa and waited.
“Will you do it?” he asked finally.
“The woman loved and misses her daughter,” Mick said, leaning forward to brace her elbows on her knees.
“You wouldn’t understand what it does to someone like me to see that. You’ve always had the love of your
parents. I don’t know what that is,” she confided and settled back in the chair. “I can’t turn away from a
request like that.”
Quest studied her for a long moment. His expression offered no clues about his thoughts.
Mick wanted to scream at him to show some sort of reaction. It was then that he told her he should go. With
a nod, Mick stood and followed him to the door. Quest left without a word or a look back.
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