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  “Why do you want to make everything better for me?” Lauren asked. “You could pretend we don’t know each other. You could be the asshole you claim to be and move on to your next conquest.”

  She sat up and met his gaze. He held the back of her head while he kissed her. Lauren tried her best to keep him at a distance, but his tongue touched hers and she melted into him. The weekend was hardly an indication for her future, but she enjoyed the time she spent with him. It was nice to indulge in the fantasy of what her life would be like if they continued their affair.

  “Stop thinking that you’re not good enough for me.” Reid brushed her hair from her face. “I’ll prove you wrong every time. You’re smart, sexy and fun to be around. Why would I not want to get to know you better?”

  “I just got out of a relationship. A bad one at that.” She shook her head. “I’m not ready for anything serious. I’m still trying to process my sister being pregnant and it could be my ex’s baby.”

  “We’ll go at your pace.” He brushed his finger along her jaw. “Just don’t shut me out. My schedule is crazy but I’ll give you a copy of it. If you want me to fly you out to wherever I am, then I’ll do it. I can’t always come to New York but if I get any spare time, I’ll make the effort.”

  Before she could respond, TJ entered her office. “What the hell was that back there? Mr. McKenna is probably making a to-be-fired list with all our names on it right now!” He stopped when he saw Lauren in Reid’s lap. “Um...uh...”

  Lauren cringed. “I need a drink.”

  Reid’s hand rested against her stomach. “You and me both.”

  She smiled. “TJ, I’m going home. I’ll be back in the morning to deal with this mess.”

  “Actually,” Reid commented as she stood from his lap, “you won’t be coming in tomorrow. You’re taking the day off.”

  TJ didn’t hide his shocked reaction. “Uh, okay.”

  Reid stood from the ground and dusted off his suit. “One more thing.” He met TJ’s gaze. “Don’t yell at her again or you’ll be at the top of my to-be-fired list.”

  TJ glanced between the two of them. “Yes, sir.”

  Once he left, Lauren folded her arms over her chest and stared at him. “You’re protecting me from my supervisor now?”

  He buttoned his suit coat. “He talks down to you. I don’t like it.”

  “That’s what being a woman in the corporate world is like. I don’t even notice it much anymore.”

  “Yeah, well, I do.” He kissed her temple. “Do you want to get that drink at my place?”

  She shook her head. “I’ve been at your place all weekend. I want to go home.”

  “You want company?” he asked.

  “Depends.Will you bring food?”

  He laughed. “Some women want diamonds. Some women want flashy things. You want food.”

  She walked around her desk to get her purse. “And that’s why you’re single. That attitude and those remarks.”

  He grinned at her. “What do you want me to bring?”

  “Ice cream.”

  “Anything else?”

  It was on the tip of her tongue to mention loyalty and orgasms but she kept silent. He’d practically given her both within a short amount of time.

  She grabbed her keys from her purse. “Were you really serious about me taking the day off?”

  “I have a few conference calls to make in the morning. Then I thought we could spend the day together before I leave for Duluth tomorrow night.”

  Lauren smiled. “And you’re not going to try to kidnap me and take me with you?”

  “I agreed to go at your pace.” He held the door open. “The offer is there whenever you want to take it.”

  “You can’t get enough of me, can you?”

  Reid’s eyes darkened. “Is that really even a question?”

  * * * * *

  About the Author

  Lexie’s love for writing began when she wrote her first play in fourth grade. With a big imagination and love for creating worlds, she wrote several more scripts that have placed first in contests. She started reading romance novels in high school and fell in love with the genre. Now she writes steamy stories with heartfelt characters, letting her imagination take her wherever it may go.

  She loves hearing from readers! Contact her at www.lexiedavis.com or @lexiedavisbooks on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

  Keep up-to-date with Lexie. Sign up for her newsletter here: eepurl.com/cRhtur.

  Introducing the Carina Press Romance Promise!

  The Carina Press team all have one thing in common: we are romance readers with a longtime love of the genre. And we know what readers are looking for in a romance: a guarantee of a happily-ever-after (HEA) or happy-for-now (HFN). With that in mind, we’re initiating the Carina Press Romance Promise. When you see a book tagged with these words in our cover copy/book description, we’re making you, the reader, a very important promise:

  This book contains a romance central to the plot and ends in an HEA or HFN.

  Simple, right? But so important, we know!

  Look for the Carina Press Romance Promise and one-click with confidence that we understand what’s at the heart of the romance genre!

  Look for this line in Carina Press book descriptions:

  One-click with confidence. This title is part of the Carina Press Romance Promise: all the romance you’re looking for with an HEA/HFN. It’s a promise!

  Find out more at CarinaPress.com/RomancePromise.

  Find out more at CarinaPress.com.

  More satisfying erotic romances to fill your desires.

  Read one—or all—of these!

  LITTLE DANCER by Brianna Hale

  Twenty-year-old dancer Abby Williams is shocked when a spark of curiosity and taboo desire have her wanting more from the darkly handsome and commanding Rufus Kingsolver. Under Rufus’s firm hand, they explore the erotic depths of their unconventional, yet beautiful, relationship. Abby is falling deeper in love with Rufus and the Little/Dom lifestyle, but it’s not long before she comes face-to-face with her darkest fear—judgment from the outside world.

  Daddy knows best, but what if, this once, he can’t protect her?

  PRINCESS BRAT by Brianna Hale

  Throwing tantrums may be childish behavior, but it’s the only way Adrienne Westley feels she can be heard. Bodyguard Dieter Vanderbroeck doesn’t give in to her bratty attitude, try as she might to defy him. With a commanding voice and a firm hand, Dieter’s authoritative tone calls to a part of Adrienne that she’s long kept hidden—and as Dieter begins to unravel her submissive nature, it becomes harder and harder to keep things professional.

  DONE DEAL by Lynda Aicher

  Enter the boardroom. Started by Trevor James, president of the West Coast office of Faulkner Investment Group, the boardroom is a means for like-minded people to explore their sexual desires in a safe environment. Six people total: three guys and three girls. There’ll be switching of couples, the men satisfying the women and, of course, an orgasm or two or three.

  Danielle is gorgeous, fun and Trevor’s equal in every way. Married and divorced, she has no interest in a relationship, but there’s always been something between her and Trevor. Something neither of them will speak of...

  ACTING LESSONS by Katie Allen

  When aspiring actress Topher agrees to pretend to be Danny’s newest fling at his family’s Christmas celebration, she doesn’t expect to fall for his scarred but very sexy Uncle James. The plan goes further awry when several unexpected guests arrive, including Danny’s actual girlfriend and her mobster parents. Gossip, backstabbing and cattiness abound at the holiday gathering, even as desperation drives one guest to attempt murder

  The Luminous series by Stacey Lynn

  DOMINATE ME

  The firs
t time I felt Master Jensen’s presence beside me, I knew he would be the one to show me all the kinky pleasures of Luminous. That I would give my body to him. Begin my journey to sexual freedom at his feet. But when I dared raise my eyes to his, I saw he would get a part of me no man had had before: my trust.

  “Well done and titillating. Interference from well-meaning friends adds an interesting measure of conflict to the story.”

  —RT Book Reviews

  CRAVE ME

  I know I shouldn’t covet my sister’s ex-boyfriend. She may have wanted nothing to do with his BDSM lifestyle, but I’m a born submissive. And the only place I want to be is under Simon’s command. But he won’t go near me. Not with the memory of her so close. That leaves me no choice. If he won’t touch me when he knows who I am, I’ll have to come to him in disguise. He’s worth the risk. I’m meant to be his. Now I just have to prove it to him.

  LONG FOR ME

  I’ve seen what happens when you give everything to a man. That’s not what I want. I won’t have my heart crushed in anyone’s fist. Then he changed everything. Him. Bennett Ashby. My boss. Seeing him at Luminous, dressed in leather pants and wielding a whip... Do I crave this? My mind says no, but my body is starting to have very different ideas.

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  Quick and dirty, just the way we like it.

  Introducing

  The Dirty Bits from Carina Press gives you what you want, when you want it. Designed to be read in an hour or two, these sex-filled micro-romances are guaranteed to pack a punch and deliver a happily-ever-after.

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  Do you write in the below genres? Harlequin’s Carina Press wants to see your manuscript.

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  Don’t miss

  THE ROSWELL AFFAIR by Anne Bordeaux

  Available now!

  Roswell, New Mexico

  1947

  Seven feet tall. Dark skin. Blue luminescent tattoos. Do they cover his entire body?

  Katharine Leigh Parker’s orders are the last things on her mind when she sees him. She went from fetching coffee to communicating with an honest-to-god alien in barely a day. But this was no little green man.

  First contact happens right there with him—Breccon Tallel—still chained to the table, their fated bond overshadowing her analytical mind. Her duty.

  Breccon promises Katharine pleasures unlike any she’s experienced if she frees him. The scientist in her weighs the risks. The human fears the unknown. But the desire—the need—in her knows she’ll give in to whatever Breccon asks.

  The Dirty Bits from Carina Press: What you want, when you want it. Over the top sexy micro-romances designed to be read in an hour or two.

  ISBN-13: 9781488089244

  Sharing Body Heat

  Copyright © 2017 by Lexie Davis

  All rights reserved. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this ebook on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario M3B 3K9, Canada.

  All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention.

  This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

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