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Yours In Black Lace
By Mia Zachary Harlequin Enterprises, Ltd.
Copyright © 2004 Harlequin Enterprises, Ltd.
All right reserved. ISBN: 0-373-79140-2
Chapter One
You're all I think about, all that I dream of. I can't wait to get my hands on you. I want to strip you bare and pleasure your gorgeous body in the most erotic ways.
In my fantasy, I slowly unbutton your shirt and slip it off your shoulders. As I lightly stroke your neck and chest, I feel your skin heat beneath my fingers. Then my hands glide lower, over your belly and down to your waist.
I unsnap your jeans and slide the zipper down. Then I push them, along with your shorts, over your hips and down your thighs, leaving you naked at last.
I take my time, touching and tasting and enjoying you. I wait to hear you moan and whisper my name. Then, and only then, will I be ...
Yours, in black lace.
HE WAS READING one of her letters. She recognized the pearl-gray note card right away. Stephanie Madison stood in the doorway of Emelio Sanchez's office and concentrated on him, instead of the packet she was gripping in her left hand.
South Florida sunlight poured through the large windows, flashed off the steel-and-smoked-glass desk, highlighting Emelio's coffee-brown hair. Tousled strands fell loosely around his face then were absently pushed aside, his attention focused on the provocative words she'd written for him.
Stevie took advantage of his distraction, using the time to study features she'd already committed to memory on her first day at January Investigations. It was a compelling face, a blend of cool reserve and masculine appeal too beautiful to be called handsome and yet devastatingly male.
Her eyes roamed over his strong jaw, regal nose and the high ridge of his cheekbones. His hazel eyes, she knew, were flecked with amber and green and the shadows of distant secrets. His lips were firm and full in a wide mouth that rarely smiled.
Just now, there was a slight softening of his normally brooding features. Had the contents of her letter gotten to him? She hoped so. Dreams about Emelio, about what she wanted to do with him, made for long, frustrating nights. Her pulse accelerated and a delicious longing settled into her belly.
She'd been lusting after her boss ever since she joined the agency. But only on paper. Women called the office for him all the time, so she didn't stand much of a chance with a playboy who was already juggling at least three girlfriends. Still, she hadn't been able to resist the urge to write down her fantasies.
There was power and magic in words, because once she dared to put her thoughts on paper, she started to give Emelio the occasional flirtatious glance or inviting smile at work. When the looks he sent her in return began to hold a bit more than professional interest, she took a chance and mailed him one of her letters. Over the past four months, she'd sent eight more.
But she hadn't yet figured out when or how to tell him of her attraction. Somehow the timing never seemed right. And, truthfully, she liked controlling the situation for now. She wanted to seduce his mind before she risked going after his body. She'd changed a lot, was almost a completely different person than the girl who'd fled New Orleans five years ago. However, inside, the fear of rejection, of not being good enough, remained.
Stevie continued to admire the sight of him. How could any man look so good in a polo shirt the color of pistachio ice cream? The pastel green material offset the golden brown of his skin and emphasized his muscular shoulders and broad chest. The short sleeves wrapped snugly around rock-solid biceps. But Emelio's hands fascinated her most.
Long, tapered fingers curved around the letter he held. His hands had a surprising eloquence that accompanied his words when he spoke. Those hands had haunted her for months now. She longed to feel them cradle her neck as he kissed her, then slide along her bare skin until his fingers delved lower, making her moan with pleasure.
She must have made some sound because his head came up fast, like a wolf sensing danger. His amber-green eyes shimmered with a sensual heat before the emotion vanished behind his professional mask. In the same instant, he turned the letter facedown on his desk and brought his left hand out of his lap.
Stevie assumed her words had caused his need for adjustment but suppressed a grin. She wished she could give in to the laughter but for one thing, Emelio had no idea she'd been mailing him the erotic notes. For another, she was too damn upset to laugh right now.
All last night, she'd lain in bed awake, startling at the slightest noise, fighting the restless urge to escape into a glass of wine. As a result, her skin felt too tight, as if all of her nerve endings were exposed. She clutched the envelope in front of her as she stepped onto the gray-and-black area rug.
"Did I disturb you, Emelio?"
He cleared his throat, but a trace of huskiness remained. "No. Come on in."
Out of habit, she looked over at the original Jose'
Castillo paintings on the wall as she passed by. The bold slashes of color swirling across the canvases seemed out of place in the stylishly austere corner office.
"You always do that."
Stevie shifted her gaze at the sound of his voice.
"I know. It's impossible to look away. The artist's work is so ... passionate."
Passion. Lately the only passion he experienced was vicarious, through either art or words. Emelio leaned back in his leather executive chair and glanced down at the latest note from his secret seductress. Just as with the last seven letters, these erotic images burned themselves into his brain.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from Yours In Black Lace by Mia Zachary Copyright © 2004 by Harlequin Enterprises, Ltd.. Excerpted by permission.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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