About Lynn
Burke:
Lynn Burke
is a full time mother, voracious gardener, and scribbler of spicy romance
stories. A country bumpkin turned Bay Stater, she enjoys her chowdah and Dunkin
Donuts when not trying to escape the reality of city life.
Her current
work, the Risso Family Novellas, revolves around four siblings from Boston’s
North End.
Website: http://www.authorlynnburke.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AuthorLynnBurke
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/38758632-lynn-burke
Straight-laced
Cole Risso has longed for his sister’s bohemian best friend Gwen
since he first laid eyes on her as a kid. Now, as future patriarch of the
Risso Family, he’s expected to marry well. A free spirit and unconventional
daughter of a pot-toking hippie hardly qualifies.
When one
night of giving into temptation ruins them both for any other, Cole and
Gwen are faced with a decision - love the other enough to let them go, or defy
family expectations and fight for their hearts’ desires. No matter
the decision, their choices have the power to destroy all they hold dear.
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Excerpt:
I rounded
the couch, but halted as a body came into view.
Cole lounged
against the far side, one hand behind his head, half-empty beer bottle in the
other. “Hey.”
Our gazes
collided, sending a shock wave of energy through my blood. My heel itched to
spin, but his focus wandered down my body and back up again, lingering on my
bare thighs.
Oh, the
temptation to taste him one more time. Three years of simmering desire had my
kettle ready to scream hallelujah. “Hey,” I whispered back. “I thought you’d
left.”
His smile
melted my bones. “Decided to stay a while and reminisce.”
My lips
tugged up. “I was eyeing the back of the couch while stealing some whiskey and
doing the same thing.” Kind of.
“Care to
join me?”
I considered
the cushion closest to me and bit on the inside of my lip as temptation and
love for the sexy man a few paces away warred in my brain. Knowing I owed Cole
an apology, I decided to sit, curling my legs under me. “Sorry for being so
harsh earlier. I…I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
Cole twisted
sideways to place the bottle on the coffee table. “I shouldn’t have cornered
you like that.” He started to sit up, but hesitated, a question in his eyes.
“It’s all
right. I won’t run.”
The leather
squeaked as he swung his feet to the floor and leaned back, hands on his
thighs. His blue tie hung loose, the top two buttons of his dress shirt
unbuttoned. A hint of dark hair called out to my fingers. Averting my eyes, I
focused on the tumbler clasped in both my hands.
“I know I’ve
said it hundreds of times, Gwen, but I’m sorry. Please say you forgive me.”
Another gulp
of whiskey gave me courage to speak. “Forgiving in my mind means making things
right—getting back to normal and moving on.” I lifted my head enough to focus
on the knot of his tie. “I can’t do that with you, Cole.”
“Why not?”
“Because
even though it’s expected you’ll marry an uptight, snobbish princess,” I sucked
in air and allowed the words to spew, “I want you every second of the day.”
His chest
stopped its rise and fall, and I glanced up at his face.
Mistake.
Longing like
I’d never known reached out from his eyes and froze me in place. My breath
caught. Nipples pebbled beneath my thin shirt.
Every muscle
in my body quivered as he stood and walked toward me, unwavering gaze on my
face.
“What—” I
licked my lips, hating how my voice wavered. “What are you doing?”
“Give me the
whiskey.”
My pulse
thrummed with life, and I put the glass in his outstretched hand.
He set it on
the coffee table without breaking eye contact and leaned down, placing his
hands against the back of the couch on either side of me, making an effective
cage. His face hovered mere inches from mine.
I breathed
in as he exhaled, the subtle scent of peppermint flooding my mouth with saliva.
His lower lip called out to my teeth; the shadow lining his jaw begged for my
tongue.
“Did you
mean what you said about once being enough, Gwen? Because it’s not for me. I
want to taste every inch of your skin. Bury myself inside you.”
My breath
caught, and moisture flooded my panties making me squirm on the cushion.
I opened my
mouth, having no idea what words would tumble out, but he swooped down,
capturing my parted lips before I could speak.
Blessed
Mary, mother of God.
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