Excerpt of Behind a Lady's Smile by Jane Goodger

“Mitch?”

He slipped the key in the door. “What?”

“Do you think I’m pretty?”

He gave her a quick look. At the moment, even with her
green eyes glazed with whiskey and her hair slightly
askew, she looked more than pretty. “Sure.”

“Did you think Minnie was pretty?”

“No.”

“I think she was,” Genny said a bit wistfully.

He pushed the door open and Genny heaved herself off the
wall to walk into the room. She fell onto her bed, face
first. “Tired,” she said, the word muffled by the
blankets.

Mitch lit a gas lamp, then allowed himself to take her
in, her mussed-up hair, her trim waist, her arms akimbo.
He shook his head and smiled, then let out a sigh, sat
down on the bed, lifted one of her feet and started
unlacing her shoe. He tried not to think about her slim
ankle or the silk stocking that was so smooth beneath his
calloused hand, and so he worked quickly, tossing the
shoes one by one onto the floor. When he had her shoes
off, she turned around and settled properly onto the bed.
He wasn’t about to undress her completely, so he stood
up. Let her worry about her wrinkled dress in the
morning. It would be a good lesson for her.

“Mitch?”

“Yeah.”

“Could you kiss me goodnight?”

Jesus. “Sure, kiddo.” He leaned over her, intending to
kiss her forehead, but she lifted her head at the last
moment and her lips pressed against his. He meant to pull
back, and did a bit, but she followed him, pressing
closer as he jammed one fist into the blanket beside her
to stop himself from pulling her against him. It was
obvious she didn’t know how to kiss, and that was one
thing Mitch was thankful for. She kept her mouth closed,
but her lips were so damned soft, all he could think
about was nudging down her jaw gently and tasting her.
But he didn’t.

He pulled back slowly and she smiled drunkenly up at him.
“Minnie said you looked like a man who could kiss.”

“Yeah, well, most men can.”

“Good night, Mitch.”

He grunted at her and left the room, closing the door
softly behind him. She wouldn’t remember that kiss in the
morning. At least he prayed she wouldn’t. God knew he’d
remember, and that was enough for the two of them.