Published by HARLEQUIN Genres: Contemporary, Romance
From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Lori Foster comes DRIVEN TO DISTRACTION, the first in Lori’s sizzling new Road to Love series! Grab your copy today!
DRIVEN TO DISTRACTION Synopsis:
When desire gets this hot, you’d better buckle up…
Mary Daniels doesn’t let anything get in the way of her job acquiring rare artifacts for her wealthy boss. But this particular obstacle—huge, hard-muscled, unashamedly masculine—is impossible to ignore. Stuck in a cramped car with Brodie Crewsfor hours en route to their new assignment, Mary feels her carefully crafted persona—and her trademark self-control—is slipping, and she won’t allow it.
Brodie can’t imagine what secret in Mary’s past has left her so buttoned-up, though he’d dearly love to find out. Maybe then she’d trust him enough to explore their explosive chemistry. But he needs this job, so he’ll play by her rules and bide his time…until an enemy determined to outwit them strikes and he needs to get close—in every way—to protect her. Otherwise they could lose much more than a precious collectible. They could lose it all.
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EXCERPT:
As he wove them seamlessly through the traffic, off an exit ramp, along a short drive through a commercial area, then back onto the expressway again, Mary had a revelation: everything about Brodie Crews was over the top.
His rugged good looks.
His teasing manner.
His frank way of speaking.
And now, she had to add, his skill at driving. He maneuvered with ease, weaving through traffic without speeding, seeming to find his way in and out of communities instinctively, all the while being completely relaxed.
In fact, if it hadn’t been for seeing his anger at the men who’d approached his car, she would wonder if Brodie Crews took anything seriously.
For the rest of the drive, she helped keep watch but she didn’t spot the SUV again.
Finally, she could relax too. “I think you lost them.”
He shot her a look of comical indignation. “You had doubts?”
Not really. And for some absurd reason, she was proud of him. What would he think if she told him that? He’d probably make a few more jokes, laugh it off, and continue being outrageous.
Belatedly, she answered him. “No.”
“No?”
“I didn’t have any real doubts.”
“Good. Because my guess is that they’ll somehow catch up to us on the way back. I mean, if they’re following, the whole point would be to steal from us whatever your boss bought, right?”
That was always a possibility. There’d been other times where she and a driver were waylaid, the goods stolen, and she’d had to go back to Therman empty-handed.
She would avoid that as best she could. “Yes, it’s possible.”
Cavalier, somewhat cocky, he said, “Hey, don’t sweat it. I’ll make sure we make the delivery, and on time, too.”
Mary appreciated his confidence because it boosted her own—especially as they left the highway for the less traveled roads that would take them to their destination.
Giving up her vigilance, she watched Brodie instead. His relaxed posture belied the alert way he took in his surroundings.
She realized that he knew trouble could happen, but also believed that he could handle it.
Astounding.
She’d never known a man so convincingly capable. She’d call him arrogant, except that he was so big, so powerful and formidably hard all over, it was easy to believe he could handle just about everything that might come their way.
Thinking that warmed her and she slipped off her button-up shirt, leaving her in the thin tank top, her arms exposed to the cooler air-conditioning. That helped, but not enough.
Especially when she knew that Brodie noted her every movement, even though he wasn’t obvious about it.
More heat uncurled from deep inside her, making her breasts feel heavy, her inner thighs tight. It was an un familiar heat, but she recognized it for what it was—base lust.
For Brodie. Insane. Ill-advised.
But apparently unavoidable.
Before she did something stupid, it seemed wise to distract herself by ensuring Brodie understood every possibility. “They could have been following us for another reason.”
“Yeah?” He pulled up to a red light and, after checking the traffic in every direction, turned to look at her. “What’s that?”
Having that dark, direct gaze aimed at her didn’t help to redirect her thoughts. His eyelashes were almost girly, they were so thick and dark, but Brodie was more elementally male than any man she’d ever met.
He quirked a brow. “If we were anywhere else, I’d take that as an invitation.”
As if coming out of a trance, she blinked. “What?”
“The way you’re looking at me?” His voice was deep, a little rough. “That usually means—”
“They may just want to rule out what Therman is getting,” she blurted, cutting him off. Dear God, she had been staring at him like a starving woman.
She almost considered putting her button-up shirt back on, just to make sure he didn’t misunderstand. But maybe that would be even more obvious, displaying her uncertainty in situations like this.
“They?” he asked, his supercilious brow still up.
“The men following us.” She jumped on the topic, hoping to talk past her own embarrassment. She wanted him, really wanted him, and it didn’t make any sense at all. She tried for her confident smile. “There are several collectors who want the same items. Usually whoever is willing to pay the most comes out the victor.”
He grinned. “Sounds like some serious sport.”
“Oh, believe me, collectors take it very seriously.” Needlessly, she checked her hair, smoothed her skirt, and overall squirmed over her own revelations.
She’d been forever without a man. Why now, and why him?
She didn’t have any answers; she only knew that he was off limits. Damn.
About Lori Foster:
Since first publishing in January 1996, Lori Foster has become a USA Today, Publisher’s Weekly and New York Times bestselling author. Lori has published through a variety of houses, including Kensington, St. Martin’s, Harlequin, Silhouette, Samhain, and Berkley/Jove. She is currently published with HQN. Visit her online at LoriFoster.com.
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