Excerpt of BayouBabe99er by Mickie Sherwood

A horn tooted.

It was Drake. The passenger–side window of his car glided down. "Hop in." Amusement crossed his face at her perturbed expression. "Come on,

Sharlene. I don't bite."

She rolled her window down.

"Let me try it once more." The rain nearly soaked her. So, she took cover behind the glass once again. Sharlene's insides quivered as her wrist twisted to turn the key. "Shoot!" Could she bear the ride beside him? She lowered the window again. "I'll just wait at Clyde's for Uncle Moot."

Woman power sent the window flying back up.

Drake was out in the downpour and next to her door before her lips shut. "That's crazy. You don't know how long he'll be gone."

She gazed through the glass.

"This liquid sunshine is mighty wet." He opened the door without her permission. "Grab your things."

Here she was—acting like a bashful schoolgirl. The insistent hand on her elbow goaded her out of the truck. She held on to all of her paraphernalia as she made the dash from plastic to leather. Sharlene peered at Drake's profile when he joined her and took off.

The rain didn't let up during the twenty–minute ride. As a matter of fact, the sky opened up, pouring out buckets of water. Drake parked across the walkway directly in front of the steps. Sharlene took that as her cue and bailed from the car.

"Thanks, Drake." She hustled up the steps trying to dodge the wet drops. "See you later." Sharlene heard the motor purr as he headed off. Then the slam of his car door jerked her around. Big mistake, for her foot skidded on the slippery surface.

His rush to the rescue landed both of them on his back, flat out in the mud. Air whooshed from his lungs as he squeezed out, "Are you hurt?"

Her breath caught in her throat. But it wasn't from the blow of the landing. She lay spread–eagle on his rock solid frame. Every time his chest rose, her intake of breath failed from the force.

However, she managed a breathy murmur. "No. Are you?"

Neither moved a muscle as the rain continued to pelt them. "You forgot your purse," he explained as the reason for his delay.

Sharlene relished the feel of his taut body as her softness draped all over him. She delighted when his muddy hands cupped her cheeks to draw her lips to his. Offering no resistance, she first tasted the watery grit before the sweet flavor of his seeking tongue. She lost herself in the moment, reciprocating his actions with fervor. There was no doubt about it. He broke down barriers she'd erected to maintain her sanity after her divorce. So what was she to do now that the natural urges suppressed for an eternity were unleashed?