Disclaimer: For this month’s MFRW Steam Blog Hop, I’m sharing an explicit excerpt from Gelato Surprise, my newest steamy contemporary romance. By continuing to read, you acknowledge that you are over eighteen years of age and consent to read adult material.

Sorry to sound so stuffy, y’all, but one must take precautions. This is the one time each month I showcase the steamy bits. If you’re still with me, strap in!

Forty-two-year-old divorcée Danielle Peters is determined to keep her kids’ lives as normal as possible. But her ex spoils their annual beach vacation by whisking the kids away for a surprise Disney trip, leaving her stuck with a two-week rental. Her friends convince her to take the trip solo, time to think about her next chapter. Skeptical and glum, Danielle heads for the beach alone—until she meets Matteo, a gorgeous young Italian gelato vendor. She agrees to be his pretend date to thwart the matchmaking nonna mafia, but their first kiss flares into something much hotter than make-believe. In this excerpt, Danielle and Matteo have just finished a picnic on the beach: garlicky kebabs with all the fixings.

The soft whoosh of surf and the press of midday heat soon had her eyelids drooping. Stifling a yawn, she rolled onto her side. “Don’t want to fall asleep and end up stranded by the tide.”

“I can think of worse fates.” He held up a little tin. “Mint?”

“Subtle, aren’t you?” Giggling, she took two and crunched them up.

“Well, I’ve only got two weeks to convince you.” He popped mints into his mouth, stretched out on his side, and grinned.

Oh, that minty, garlic-tinged, playful, seductive, beautiful smile. The contrast between dark, close-trimmed whiskers and plush, dusky-pink lips completely undid her.

She sucked in a breath and almost smoothed the tremor from her voice. “Convince me of what?”

“To give this a try.” He pointed to his own chest, then to hers.

“You mean, a little vacation fling?”

“No, bella. A woman like you could never be just a fling.”

She snorted—probably not the reaction he was looking for.

But instead of looking hurt, he chuckled. “Too cheesy, eh?”

“Just a little. But thanks for the compliment.” “So.” He scooted closer on the blanket and rested a hand on her hip. “What do you say? Are you up for a little adventure? You’ve got a ready- made escape clause.”

Just inches away, his nearness made it damned hard to concentrate. “What do you mean?”

“Two weeks. When it’s over, you decide. If you got what you wanted, you leave me behind, knowing you made a lonely guy very, very happy.” His hand slid oh-so-slowly down her thigh. “If you still want more, we’ll figure out a way to make it work.”

“Mmm hmm.” The warmth of his palm burned through her skirt. “And if you don’t want more?”

His voice dropped to a husky growl. “Oh, Danielle, I will definitely want more. Call me crazy, but when we danced, something inside me started to—I don’t know how to describe it. Hum? Glow? Fizz?” One-handed, he gathered the cloth of her skirt, baring her thigh. The sea breeze raised goosebumps on her exposed skin.

He nuzzled the sensitive crook of her neck. “You and me, we’ve got chemistry. Electricity. Magnetism.” The soft scrape of his beard sped her pulse and melted her bones. His fingertips skimmed over her bare thigh.

Just a little vacation fling. What difference could it possibly make? When it’s over, I’ll go back home, and everything will return to normal.

“Two weeks,” she murmured and tugged his shirt loose from his belt. Her greedy hands skated over satin skin.

Maybe he was using her, a convenient distraction to keep the nonnas off his sculpted back, the horny single girls of Ocean View out of his silky hair. Even so, what he offered was far too tempting to resist. This gorgeous young man wanted her. The evidence thrust gently against her thigh—a hard, hot ridge of desire.

Heat pooled between her legs, pulsing like a drum. With a groan, she rolled atop him, her sopping panties pressed to his rough denim, and splayed her fingers over his firm pecs.

His chest rose and fell beneath her palms. His lids lowered and his lips parted on a sigh as he grasped her hips and arched up against her sex. Back and forth he guided her, each slow pass over his erection shooting bright sparks of pleasure up her spine. Her breath stuttered. She was going to come, any second now, and she wanted to feel him deep inside her as she tipped over the edge.

She fell forward and took his mouth in a sloppy, hungry kiss. “Do you have protection?” she murmured against his lips.

He gaped for a moment, then laughed. “Beautiful Danielle, as much as I want you, I don’t want to get sand in your most sensitive places. And the tide’s coming in. Let’s find somewhere more private and less gritty.”

Wincing, she rolled off him. Thank God his brain cells were still firing, because hers were totally fried by lust. While she rolled up the blanket, he stuffed the remains of their feast into his backpack. He slid the straps over his shoulders, then pulled her against him, belly to belly.

There it was again, that perfect balance of sensation: warm, firm body and cool ocean breeze. Soft brown eyes and hard, pulsing cock. Balanced on the sharp edge between risk and safety, delight and disaster. She could turn back now, or plunge ahead—but for just a moment, she rested here and breathed in rhythm with the sea. Whatever came next, she wanted to remember this moment.I deserve this.

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