A book in the Spice
Rack series.
In eight years of marriage, Eric Carlson has never forgotten to
kiss his wife Jessica goodbye—until this morning. As Jessica runs her errands,
all she can think about is the missing kiss. When Eric calls to tell her he
thinks he left the toaster oven on, she rushes home, annoyed and afraid her
house may be burning down. Instead of smoke and flames she finds Eric, looking
hot and sexy as hell as he prepares fresh waffles.
Eric knows he and Jessica have been drifting apart. He’s bought
the hot new product everyone’s talking about—the Spice Rack, guaranteed to
spice up your love life. The jar he opens advises them to “Spend a decadent day
indulging all your senses.” With the whole day ahead of them, a fridge full of
tempting treats and the house to themselves for a change, that’s exactly what
Eric intends to do—in the kitchen, on the washing machine, wherever the mood
strikes. And Jessica’s got a super-steamy surprise for him too.
A Romantica® contemporary erotic romance from Ellora’s Cave
EXCERPT:
He didn’t even kiss me goodbye. Jessica knew it was silly to get upset over
something so minor, but she couldn’t help it. In the eight years they’d been
married, she couldn’t remember another morning when Eric had forgone the
farewell kiss. Sure, the kids were running amok, a sea of backpacks and
lunchboxes, but that was normal. Eric saying goodbye with a wave was not.
“See you later.” He’d thrown her his trademark sexy grin. She’d
stood still for a few seconds, holding the door open as the kids piled out of
the house, waiting. And…nothing.
While queued in the drop-off line at the elementary school, she
flipped open the vanity mirror. She didn’t look like a beauty queen but at
least she’d showered. Her skin was clear, her cheeks even a bit rosy from
gardening the day before. She grimaced. I
should have brushed my hair. Dark
hair, wavy and out of control, pulled into a loose ponytail paired with t-shirt
and yoga pants. I look like a
teenager. Not exactly sexy. Frowning
at her reflection, she heard the car behind her honk.
“Mom, pull up, it’s our turn.” Timmy, though only seven, had
been a backseat driver for nearly five years.
“Sorry.” She inched the car toward the orange drop-off cone and
stopped. “Have a good day, guys. I love you.”
“Love you too, mom,” the chorus of three came from the backseat
as they scrambled out the door.
Taking a last quick glance in the mirror, she snapped it shut
and eased back into the parking lot. As she was about to turn onto the main
road, her cell rang. XXXXX,
Eric’s ringtone. She fumbled in her purse and slid the purple case open.
Holding the phone to her ear with her shoulder, she pulled onto the street, not
wanting to get beeped at a second time this morning.
“Hey, sweetie,” Eric said. “Can you do me a favor?”
Sighing, Jessica shifted to keep the phone in place as she
changed lanes. “What’s up?”
“I know you said you were going to the grocery store, but I need
you to stop home first. I think I may have left the toaster oven on.”
“Can’t you go check?”
“I’ve got a really important meeting this morning. I need you to
do it. Please?” She could hear the smile in his voice. The charming,
irresistible smile to which she’d never been able to say no.
“Fine.” Even if
you didn’t bother to kiss me this morning.
“Thanks.”
Did he just chuckle?
She hung up and tossed the phone back into her purse. Great. Now I have to go all the way
home, which means I won’t get to the store for another hour. Not that it was a huge deal. With all
three boys in school this year she had her days to herself. She’d been looking
forward to that for years, but it wasn’t as fun and freeing as she’d expected.
All the same responsibilities were there. The house still needed to be cleaned,
dinner still needed to be made, laundry was always piling up. And she always
had a stack of work on her desk. Freelance graphic design was the perfect
work-from-home job and she could do it any time of day or night, but lately she
felt as though everything was getting away from her. Somehow she’d had more
structure to her days when the kids were home than she managed to have with
them in school all day.
As she turned onto her block she couldn’t help but look for
signs of smoke pouring from her windows. God,
I hope he didn’t really leave the toaster oven on. What the hell was he even
using the toaster oven for? Eric
ate cereal for breakfast, though now that she thought about it she hadn’t seen
him pour himself a bowl this morning. She’d been too distracted by the fact
that he was wearing only pajama pants as he plodded around the kitchen. She’d
been so busy the past few weeks with back-to-school shopping and
beginning-of-term projects they’d barely spent any time together. Seeing him
bare chested, hair tousled from bed, reminded her that it had been a while. Too
long. Her stomach fluttered from a combination of longing for Eric and fear
that her house might be burning.
Jessica slammed the door of the minivan shut, breathing in
deeply to see if she could catch any hint of smoke in the air. Nothing. As she
opened the front door, another scent greeted her instead. The incredibly
delightful aroma of…waffles. Why
does the house smell like waffles? She
rounded the corner into the kitchen and saw the waffle maker on the counter
with Eric poised before it, faded jeans slung low on his narrow hips, a t-shirt
clinging to his muscular back, dark hair still damp from a shower hanging
loosely into his eyes. A wave of heat washed over her, settling between her
legs. Her mouth watered from thoughts of more than just a bite of the waffle
Eric was lifting out of the grates.
“Perfect timing,” he said, grinning so wide the dimples on his
cheeks were positively cavernous. Blue eyes twinkled at her, full of mischief.
“What are you doing?” She tossed her purse onto the counter,
mystified.
“Celebrating Mother’s Day.” He plucked a strawberry out of the
colander in the sink, swirled it in a bowl of what appeared to be freshly
whipped cream, and approached.
“Mother’s Day is in May. It’s October fifteenth.”
“I know.” He held the plump red berry close enough that she felt
the gentle brush of cream melting against her lips. “I was thinking it was
something we should celebrate more than once a year.”
She curled her tongue around the cream-covered berry and gave a
quick suck before biting off a piece.
The moan Eric emitted sent a tremor rolling down her body,
making her knees weak. His lips were on hers before she finished chewing. The
sweetness of his velvety tongue blended perfectly with the fruit and cream.
This was already better than any Mother’s Day she could recall.
During my senior year in high school, I was dubbed most likely to write a novel because I always had my nose stuck in a book. I would hide my romance novels under my history book until my teacher called me out on it. Writing has been my dream ever since my mother read Brer Rabbit to my sister and me so often that we were able to recite it back to each other before actually learning to read. I love reading about the adventure of love, and getting involved in the legal field developed my love of suspense. I believe love is a mystery that most people have trouble resolving. While I don’t expect we’ll ever solve that mystery, I love to read and write about characters who work to solve their love’s mystery. See more about me at my website www.loveisamystery.com or tweet me @angelaswriter
Grief stricken after an undercover investigation ends in the tragic death of his partner, FBI Agent Garret Chambers goes home to find solace in the arms of his mountain home. That is, until his boss assigns him to investigate the spirited brunette staying in the condo next door. He is assigned to investigate Reagan’s involvement with a large jewel fencing organization, but his investigation becomes comprised when his attraction to her heats up. Will his discovery destroy everything he has come to love, including Reagan?
