Blurring the Lines
Marisa Cleveland
(Men of the Zodiac #11)
Published by: Entangled: Indulgence
Publication date: November 16th 2015
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
He broke all his rules… for her.
Real estate development CEO Blake Whitman is an Aquarius with a philanthropic nature, but when it comes to work, he’s driven and focused, and he would never, ever mix business with pleasure. As far as he’s concerned, office romance is off the table.
He also never backs down from a challenge, and Kira Layton just accused him of ruining the community. What better way to get her on his side than to hire her?
But the more he tells himself to keep his hands off his new, sexy secretary, the harder it is for him to come up with reasons why office romances never work and why it’s a bad idea to cross the line…
EXCERPT:
“Are you petting your purse?” The deep baritone caught her off guard, and she whirled around to face her new boss.The elevator doors dinged open and she rushed inside, slipping the tote from her shoulder to hang between the wall and the side of her legs. Tish stepped in front, as if trying to form a barrier between them. “Good morning, Blake.”
Despite the initial shock, Kira kept her voice calm. “Coconut is malnourished and you didn’t say dogs weren’t allowed.”
His gaze dropped to her tote. Warmth spread up Kira’s neck as she noted that he stared a bit longer than a quick look, and that what probably caught his attention were her shoes.
Stilettos, really. Black, high, and with a royal blue bow tied right at her Achilles’ heel. They matched the print on her sundress perfectly, and with the blazer her friend suggested, the outfit screamed uptight but sexy, a contradiction that worked well with her warring emotions. Not that she was trying for sexy, the outfit was one that she’d felt confident in—and she needed all the confidence she could muster.
As soon as Blake entered the elevator, she caught a whiff of delicious male scent that lingered in the back of her throat and made her mouth water. Even as she told herself to calm down, that it was just soap and maybe aftershave, she still leaned slightly into him and inhaled. Something triggered her brain to alert her body that a super hot male stood near her, and her skin tingled to life. He smelled too damn good, and a wave of uncertainty sprinkled over her.
What if she fell for her boss?
He focused on her face, and she heard his incredulity when he said, “Truthfully, bringing a pet to work never crossed my mind.”
“She won’t be a hassle. I’ll keep her under my desk. I’d already committed to fostering her. I have to feed her every two hours and I couldn’t leave her at home. I promise she won’t be a disruption.” Kira’s fingers tightened around the tote’s strap. “You won’t even know she’s there.”
He looked down and then back up again. With that tilted grin she’d seen several times already, he said, “Oh, I doubt that.” He cocked his head to the side and studied her. “Tell me…did you bring a crate?”
Of all the irresponsible actions Kira could claim, forgetting about the crate had to be at the top of the list. She hadn’t given much thought to how she’d contain Coconut, thinking to tie her leash to the desk or something. “I don’t need one.”
He turned to her roommate. “Perhaps you could show Kira where to find an empty copy paper box.”
Author Bio:
Marisa Cleveland loves to laugh, hates to cry, and does both often. As a writer, she writes. Every day. If she couldn’t express herself through writing, music, and dance, she would die. Cleveland, who has a Master's degree in Educational Administration in Organizations, joined The Seymour Agency in 2011 after she ended an eight-year career teaching students in language arts, grades 6-12. Previous to teaching, Cleveland worked as an assistant director for a graduate school in Washington, D.C. before settling in Southwest Florida. She loves to connect with writers and readers through social media.
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Thank you for informing me about this book.
ReplyDeleteLooks like an interesting read!
ReplyDeleteYou know, if you're going to chase your secretary around the desk, the first thing you might as well do is invest in a smaller desk.
ReplyDeleteWhat a way to start the excerpt! :)
ReplyDeleteSherry Compton
savewish@yahoo.com