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To get you started on the Mistletop Hop, here's an excerpt from THE LAST MACKLENNA. This holiday romantic suspense takes place in Scotland, Napa, and on a Kentucky Thoroughbred Farm. In this scene, Elliott and Meredith, along with Elliott's two life-long friends are going out for Christmas Eve dinner in Edinburgh. Enjoy!
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This excerpt starts in the middle of the scene.
“It’s
Christmas Eve. Let’s talk about us,” he said.
She turned to
face him, breathing in his musky scent, gazing into his eyes. “I don’t think
there is an us.”
“We need to
work on definitions. When I kiss a woman and she faints—”
Meredith
smiled. “I was light-headed. I didn’t faint.”
He chuckled as
he pulled her coat collar up and tucked it under her chin. “My kiss turned you
weak-kneed. Admit it.”
“Never,” she teased.
“Ah, my wee
sweetheart.” He lowered his head just enough to sink into her mouth. She rose
up on tip-toes to meet his soft lips. “You’re not going to change your mind
about tomorrow, are you?” he asked, kissing the corners of her mouth.
“Hmm. I might
be too weak-kneed to go anywhere.”
“If that means
I get to keep kissing you, I’ll risk having to change plans.” He stole one more
kiss. “If you’re ready, we need to go. A wine cellar tour awaits.”
“Oh. I forgot. I didn’t even check the restaurant’s
website to see what wines they stocked.”
His teeth
closed over her bottom lip. “That sounds like someone on holiday surrendering
control. How does it feel?”
There was a
sudden uptick in her heartbeat. She leaned back to gaze into his eyes. The dark
irises were indistinguishable from the pupils, making his eyes difficult to
read. “Scary as hell.”
He wiggled his
brow and twiddled an imaginary cigar. “You have nothing to fear.”
Tickled by his
antics, she gave him a smile that radiated from within. I’m in way over my head here. For someone always in control, always
with a plan, she found letting go a bit like holding up her hands while riding
a rollercoaster—exciting yet terrifying and not something she’d likely do
again. The fare for the ride was too expensive.
Evelyn stepped
in the room and grabbed her purse off the table. “That sounds like the Big Bad
Wolf crooning to Little Red Riding Hood. Hurry, Meredith, before he has his way
with you.”
“Evelyn calls
you a wolf. You say I’m safe. I think I’m in danger either way.”
His jaw
tightened. “In my condition, I’m not a danger to anyone. Now, can we go before
James gives away our reservation?”
Maybe
dangerous. Maybe not. But he had the word heartbreaker tattooed on his
forehead. For all the common sense she had nurtured during her life, when it
came to him, she suited up in a common-sense-deflector.
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