Excerpt of Breaking the Bachelor by Maggie Kelley

She tried to speak, but nothing filtered down from her
dopamine-addled brain. And then he was kissing her.
Tenderly, at first, his kiss seemed to test its limits,
equal parts bitter and sweet, like a whiskey Manhattan.

His hands moved up her back and tangled in the curls at
the nape of her neck. He deepened his kiss slowly, adding
intensity with her every soft sigh of encouragement. Her
heart pounded against the tablet she held against her
chest as his lips traveled her skin, gliding across her
collarbone, burrowing in her neck, moving to lick at her
earlobe, until finally coming back to capture her mouth,
biting and nibbling at her bottom lip, exploring the
depths of her. Logical or not, she loved the rhythm of
his mouth against hers, light and tender, slow and
passionate, playful and teasing. How much she’d missed
the feel of him—the feel of his strong, rangy body, the
taste of his lips, the citrus and spice scent of his skin
—all of him threatening her ability to stick to her own
damned rules.

The Laundromat’s red neon sign blinked in the window.

Wash. Fold. Oh, yes, Charlie, put your lips on me.

Wash. Fold. Kiss me.

Wash. Fold. Do not stop kissing me.

Her pulse rushed ahead, but despite her body’s longing
for this man who was singularly bad for her psyche, her
brain fought back for some control. No matter how good
she felt right now, he was still the same Charlie…sexy,
impulsive, rule-breaking Charlie, kissing her senseless
in the middle of a Laundromat. Yes, the way the fresh,
soapy scent of Tide mixed with the deep spice of him made
her want to stay in the Fluff ’N Fold kissing him until
all of New York stood still. But she’d created her list
of must-haves for a reason, to ensure her relationships
would be risk-free, to protect her heart, so if she was
smart, she was going to stop kissing him right now.

Like this very second.