Excerpt of Between the Sheets by Genie Davis, Linda Marr

“You can see the Florence sand dunes from here,” she told him, pointing. “Instead of sledding on snow, we grew up tobogganing down the dunes.” “I wish I’d known you then,” he said. “But it’s perfect meeting you now.” He wanted to take back those words as soon as he’d said them. She’d spoken about the dunes in her book, too, and her hero had made a similar, maybe even identical response. He saw her stiffen slightly. What was wrong with him? He was distracted by the beauty of the setting—even more so by the way she looked—lovely, sunlight warming her skin and making her hair shine. He couldn’t believe it. Here he was on assignment, and falling for someone. Maybe he’d just been on his own too long, but all he wanted to do right now was hold her in his arms. Would it be so awful, just to go for it? Probably it was; he was in the middle of an active crime investigation. He wasn’t the type of person to put his work aside. But then he’d never felt this kind of pull before. He wasn’t sure he could resist it. At least he didn’t still need her to get to Evan. That was mere justification, but he’d take it for now. “Jenna,” he said. She looked at him with such raw longing, that his resistance faded completely. He drew her up against him, and pressed his lips to hers. Her sun-warmed body threatened to scorch his skin through her clothes, and he desperately needed to feel her heat without barriers between them. She struggled to pull her arms from the sleeves of her jacket, he helped her, and then shrugged out of his own. Then he lifted her sweater and unhooked her bra while her fingers eagerly unbuckled his belt. Jenna was trembling with anticipation. He wondered if she were already silky and warm in the places he’d so enjoy touching and kissing. He hardened at the thought as she finally freed him from the confines of his belt and lowered his zipper. The outside view entirely forgotten, they sank to the floor. He dropped his jacket and eased her down on top of it, then looked at her lying there, her clothes in disarray. “You’re amazing,” he said, “I can’t stop touching you.” She reached for him, pulling him against her. He kissed her soft breasts, licking her nipples until they were hard. She moaned softly. He wanted her to make that sound over and over. He was so conflicted. He knew he shouldn’t be doing this, but it wasn’t his logical mind that was controlling his actions. She was so sweet, so beautiful. And knowing that she had an incredibly erotic side to her—as he’d seen in her books—a side she kept hidden from everyone, except for him, collapsed the walls he’d built for so many years on the job. All the mental barriers were melting. It was sudden, but it felt right—his whole being was on fire. He could no more prevent himself from being with her than he could stop himself from breathing. “I can’t hold back.” And she whispered, “Then don’t.”