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.