Exclusive Excerpt from ACROSS THE HALL by Kylie Walker

“Come on it!” Nervously, Jillian pushed open the door. Jude was nowhere in
sight. “I’ll be right out,” she heard him yell from the back of the studio
apartment. She stood in the doorway with the door open and waited. When he came
out, she had to bite her bottom lip to keep from drooling. Tonight he was
wearing a white short-sleeved polo shirt that hugged his chest the way she would
like to and showed off his biceps in all of their yummy glory. He had on dark
colored jeans and tennis shoes and everything inside of her was screaming that
she had to have him. “Hey, thanks for bringing that. Close the door and I’ll get
your money.” She smiled, still nervously and turned and closed the door. “Come
on in,” he said as he disappeared into the kitchen. When he came back she was
advanced as far as the living room, admiring his art work.

“Very nice, is that a Galvan?” she asked about one of his paintings.

“It is. I got that in Paris a few years ago…maybe longer. Do you have any of his?”

“No, but he’s great. I’d love to start collecting some of his pieces.” She was
still looking at the painting when Jude held out the money for his food. As she
took it from his hand their fingers touched and she felt like she’d been
shocked. They made eye contact and she could actually see in his eyes that he’d
felt the same thing. She tried to work up some moisture in her dry mouth and she
said, “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome,” he said with a wink. “Thank you. Will you join me for a drink?”

Eighty reasons why she shouldn’t were streaming through her head as she said,
“Yeah, sure.”

He grinned and went over to the bar. He poured them both a whiskey and added
club soda and ice. When he handed the glass to her she made sure to take it
without touching him. Her heart was already thumping out of control. She wasn’t
sure she could take another brush with his skin. “Have a seat,” he said.

Jillian sat down on his plush new sofa and said, “Your apartment is really nice.
Did you decorate it yourself?”

He nodded. “I did. I’d much rather have what I like on the walls than what some
decorator tells me I should have.”

“Me too,” she said, honestly. “You have a great eye for colors and space…what is
it you do for a living?”

“I’m into fashion like you,” he said, taking a seat on the other side of her. He
was less than three feet away now and she was alone in his apartment. That
wouldn’t be so bad if she didn’t keep picturing herself locking lips with him.
She hoped that he couldn’t see her sweat as her internal temperature continued
to rise. He didn’t say any more about his job so she said, “So you bought the
Galvan in Paris. Was that your first trip there?”

“No, I’ve been there a lot. I love it there…just the atmosphere and all of the
culture.”

Jillian remembered saying that exact thing to Maddy a couple of weeks ago. She
was realizing that she and Jude actually seemed to have a lot in common. “So do
I,” she said. “I saw so many great art and fashion shows while I was there.”

“Did you get to be there for fashion week?”

“I did! I got to see a show at the Carrousel du Louvre!”

“I was at that one. It was great!”

Jillian found herself wishing she would have met him then. Maybe she would have
never met the other man that she’d spent her summer with and left broken-hearted.

About Kylie Walker

A true Canadian at heart, and Kylie Walker loves to travel anywhere warm.

She is a book addict, coffee addict, a wine addict and a writer!

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