Just this Once
(The Wedding Date)
by Mira Lyn Kelly
Blurb:
He can't have her.
So he moves in with her...
What could possibly go wrong?
As heir to a chain of luxury hotels, Sean Wyse III always gets what he wants. So when he sees a freeloading roommate taking advantage of his spunky best friend, Molly Brandt, he doesn't hesitate to step in. He kicks out the roommate...and moves himself in.
Molly loves quality time with Sean, but spending nights with him one wall away threatens to wake the crush she thought she'd gotten over. A crush Sean knows nothing about, which might be a problem...considering how hard Sean's been working never to think of Molly that way.
The Wedding Date series:
May the Best Man Win (Book 1)
The Wedding Date Bargain (Book 2)
Just this Once (Book 3)
The Decoy Date (Book 4)
Available for purchase at
Excerpt
Sean
took a step back and ran his hand through his hair, pausing when he realized
the state of disarray Molly’d
left it in. “You messed up my hair,” he accused, his grin telling her that he
knew how much she’d liked doing it.
She
shook her head, unable to play along. “You’re messing up my mind.”
The
half smile fell away, and then Sean was stepping closer, his eyes going
serious. “If
this is about the dancing, Moll—”
“It’s not. It’s about you and me
figuring out how to get past this inconvenient attraction and get back to just
being friends.”
Sean
sighed, looking relieved. “You’re
right. I keep hoping whatever’s going on between us will go away on its own.
That if we just ignore it, eventually it will stop being an issue.”
Molly
nodded, then shook her head and stepped into Sean’s space. “Or maybe… Okay, I know this is going to sound nuts, and
it probably is, but I was talking to Jill inside and…” And this sounded so
stupid, she couldn’t believe she was even thinking about suggesting it, but
then Sean ducked low, putting his face back into her line of sight and giving
her that smile that promised she could tell him anything.
“What is it?”
“Do you ever really wish you could
have a doughnut, but you know you shouldn’t? Like you’re trying to cut back on
bad carbs or processed sugar, or maybe they were just out of doughnuts when you
went to the stand and you figured you’d just wait until you could get one
another day, but then all day you think about the doughnut, because you didn’t
just have it when you wanted it, so when you finally, finally
see a chance to get the doughnut again, you make a really bad decision and buy,
like, all the doughnuts they have and eat and eat and eat until you’re sick to your stomach and
filled with regret?”
That
endearing smile had left Sean’s
face, but being Sean, he was taking her question to heart. He rubbed a hand
along his jaw and cocked his head to the side. “No. I bust my ass at the gym so
I don’t worry about carbs and sugar, and when I want a doughnut, I get one. And
I mean, this sounds pretty obnoxious, but if I really want a doughnut and the
stand doesn’t have one, I call down to Jerry, and I’ve got one in the next
twenty minutes.”
Molly
blew out a breath in a silent plea for patience. This guy ran the most
successful hotel in the city, could do her taxes in his head, and knew the
answer to every Jeopardy question
every time they watched the show…and yet he couldn’t see where she was going with this?
“Say it’s a special doughnut and—”
“I’m more of a bagel guy.”
Maybe
she should have used an éclair.
“You’re the doughnut, Sean!” she snapped, exasperation
wearing her thin. “You
are the doughnut I’m
craving. The one I keep thinking about when I’m supposed to be thinking of
other things. You. And all I was saying is that maybe what we need to do is
give in just a little. Have a taste to curb the craving… Before we crack and
wake up surrounded by shredded Dunkin’ Donut bags and a bed filled with
crumbs.”
Sean
had stopped moving. Heck, he looked like he might not even be breathing, he was
so still. Except for his eyes, which had gone dark and serious as they searched
hers.
“Molly, what kind of a taste are
you talking about?” he asked, his voice gone gravelly rough.
She
swallowed past the anxious knot in her throat. “A kiss. Not more than a doughnut hole.”
His
stare dropped to her mouth. “You’re
talking about now? Here?”
She
angled her head, taking in the setting. The concrete was cracked, and Dumpsters
lined one side of the alley, while fire escapes hung overhead. She looked at
someone’s
discarded McDonald’s bag and nodded. “Yeah, this is probably perfect for our
needs.” At Sean’s raised brow, she explained. “It’s not romantic, so I don’t
have to worry about you getting caught up in some princess fantasy. We’re only
semiprivate out here. While if we were at home, we’d have zero chance of
getting interrupted.”
“Plus, the assortment of sexable
surfaces on hand back at your place.”
“I know. Don’t get me started. But
here, the atmosphere isn’t really conducive to going too far. You know what I
mean?”
The
muscle in his jaw bounced, and he met her eyes. “You worried about things going too far?”
He
wasn’t? “No. But better safe
than sorry, right?”
He
moved a step closer, his single slow breath seeming to fill out his chest and
broaden his shoulders. “Sure.”
She
swallowed hard. “Honestly,
it’s probably going to be gross when we finally do it.”
Sean
nodded, close enough now for his hands to settle on her hips. “If you say so.”
Her
hands met his stomach, her fingers briefly catching the fabric of his shirt
before coasting up to rest lightly on his shoulders. “Just a taste,” she whispered, her
lungs tight as their eyes met.
“Just enough to satisfy the
craving,” he corrected, lowering his mouth to hers so slowly, she knew he was
giving her this last chance to back out. Maybe she should have, but after all
the years of wondering, being this close to knowing what Sean’s kiss tasted
like was something she couldn’t back away from.
And
then…contact.
About The Author
USA Today bestselling author Mira Lyn Kelly grew up in the Chicago area and earned her degree in fine arts from Loyola University. She met the love of her life while studying abroad in Rome, Italy, only to discover he’d been living right around the corner from her. They live in rural Minnesota.
You can find her at
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