At Last

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Interests:

• Best Friend's Brother
• Contemporary
• Enemies to Lovers
• Family Saga
• Friends to Lovers
• Medical
• Reunion
• Romantic Comedy
• Suspense

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Wendy stared at herself in the mirror above the bathroom sink at Fitzpatrick’s Bar and Grill. There were no more signs of the crying jag she’d been through. She knew going to Africa to work for six months was going to be hard, but it was something she wanted to do. And, she needed to do it. For herself.

It probably wasn’t the best idea to tell her pregnant friend at said friend’s reception that she was leaving Tuesday. Lord, what had she been thinking? It was a mistake of the first order, but she hadn’t had much time to prepare. One person had to return to the US, and she could fill the slot. She had no significant other, and her blood relatives wouldn’t even know. The Fitzpatricks, her best friend’s family and now her adoptive family, would understand. Fitzpatricks served.

She took one last look in the mirror to reassure herself that she no longer looked horrible then she picked up her purse and headed out. She opened the door and ran directly into a large, warm, figure.

Without looking up, she knew it was Aeden Fitzpatrick. It drove her crazy that he had this much effect on her.

“Whoa,” he said, grabbing her by the forearms. She looked up, and his smile turned to a frown.

“Why have you been crying?”

“Dammit. I thought I cleaned up the mess.”

“You didn’t answer the question. Did one of the Santinis make a move on you?”

She wanted to laugh. Kaitlin, her best friend, and Aeden’s sister had just married Brando Santini. He came with a whole group of sexy brothers and cousins. All of them had flirted, but none of them had been disrespectful. From what she gathered, there would be hell to pay from one of the Santini mamas if they didn’t behave.

“No.”

“I saw you dancing with that cowboy.”

“Yeah. I also danced with all your brothers. I don’t see you having a problem with that.”

“They think of you as a sister.”

The heavy moment before seemed to evaporate. “Ah, so you all find me unattractive.”

“What? No.”

“Oh, so you find me attractive?”

His eyes narrowed. “Are you trying to keep me from finding out about why you are crying?”

She sighed. The man always knew what she was up to.

“No. Not really. It’s just an emotional day. Your sister is married and pregnant. And I’m leaving Tuesday.”

“Leaving? Where are you going?” he demanded.

She was taken back for a moment. Aeden was acting almost angry at her.

“Uh, Africa. I’m going to work with a charity there for six months.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

Once again she hesitated as she tried to process his question and his tone. “Tell you?”

“I meant the family. My family. Why didn’t you tell them?”

“I just found out. I’m taking over someone’s position since she has to come back early.”

His frown turned darker. “I don’t think you should go.”

“Excuse me?”

“You heard me.”

She did. Hard not to since Aeden was always so damned loud and they were in a very small space together.

“Well, I am going to do it. And really, where do you get off telling me if I should or should not do this?”

For a long moment, he said nothing. Wendy studied him, her gaze raking over him, taking one last look at him. He had always been pretty as all the Fitzpatricks. Blond hair, blue eyes, and a core sense of goodness they all seemed to have. The longer the moment drew out, the harder her heart beat.

“So, you have no answer?”

He muttered something under his breath then he grabbed her and yanked her against him. Before she could think, he crushed his mouth down on hers.

She couldn’t think, didn’t want to. For years, she’d wondered what it would be like to kiss him, to feeling those strong arms wrapped around her body as he teased her with that glorious mouth of his. Now, she knew, and she was damned well going to take advantage of it.

Wendy slipped her hands up over his shoulders then behind his neck as she opened her mouth to his teasing tongue. She didn’t realize he had backed her against the wall until she felt it against her back. As he pressed closer, she felt the long length of his erection against her stomach. A shudder of need coursed through her, and she shivered. She was far from being a virgin, but nothing had prepared her for Aeden. As his hands roamed over her body, she forgot where they were, what was going on, and even who they had been before this. All that filled her mind was how he made her feel.

Aeden broke away from her but kept her in his arms. “Well…we don’t seem to have much self-control.”

She chuckled and tried to move, but it caused her breasts to brush against his chest. They both sucked in a breath at the contact. Instead of moving away like she thought he would, leaned closer.

“What are we going to do about this?” he asked, as his breath feathered over her ear.

“What can we do? I’m leaving Tuesday.”

He took her earlobe between his teeth and gave it a gentle tug. Then he licked it. She shivered.

“We have tonight.”

“Is that the best you can do, Fitzpatrick?” she asked, trying to sound as sarcastic as possible, but her voice trembled, ruining the effect.

He pulled back and looked her straight in the eye. “It’s hard to come up with anything better.”

“Why is that?”

“You melted my brain, woman.”

His gaze didn’t waver, and there was no mistaking the truth laid bare for her. It wasn’t something she would expect from Aeden. She opened her mouth to answer him, but there was a shout from the main room of the restaurant.

“Things are getting rowdy, and it’s only a matter of time before we’re discovered,” she said.

“Say you’ll meet me later.”

It wasn’t a demand, but a plea. Normally, she would steer clear. Aeden was a complicated man with the problem of Kaitlin being her best friend. Add in the fact that her feelings for him scared the living bejesus out of her, and he was someone Wendy would avoid. She didn’t like complications with men, in her professional or personal life. But tonight, he was standing there, and she was leaving in a few days. Dammit, she wanted this…needed it on some primal level.

“Okay. My apartment.”

A look of relief passed over his face. Then he gave her a long, hard kiss before stepped back.

“You go on. I’ll catch up,” he said. She hesitated, and he smiled. “Won’t look good if we both walk out there. You know they’ll catch on. Besides, I need a moment,” he said glancing down.

For the first time in a long time, she blushed, and he chuckled. “You’re blushing.”

“I am not.”

“You are, and it’s cute. Go before I haul you into the bathroom.”

“Okay,” she said and hurried off. It might be a mistake, but it was one she wanted to make.  For once, she would throw caution to the wind and indulge herself.

End of Excerpt