Hotter than Texas (Pecan Creek) - By Tina Leonard Page 0,106
This book’s half-naked Shakespearean actors are not approved of or acknowledged by people with actual literary merit. Neither are the dirty limericks.
Enjoy the following excerpt for The World is a Stage:
When Rachel returned to the theater, Michael took one look at her face and got to work. Her expression bounced between a heavy-browed, murderous gleam and the wobbly smile women always got when they were trying hard not to cry.
He wasn’t sure which one was worse.
“Oh, good. You’re back,” he called, drawing Rachel’s attention before she could run over poor Jillian, who was doing her best to scatter back toward the light rigs. He’d settled comfortably in the director’s chair near the back entrance to the stage, a sort of lordly position that let him see most of what was going on. Dominic had already told him to get out of that chair five times, but it was cozy, and he pretended he needed it for security purposes.
Mostly he just wanted to keep an eye on all the entrances.
“Why is that good?”
There was a hesitancy to her voice that didn’t sit well with him, so he laid the charm on extra thick, just the way she liked it. “Well, it just so happens I have a proposition for you.”
“I’m surprised you even know what that word means,” Rachel replied, her back bristling up within seconds, the murderous gleam taking a clear lead over tears. Good girl.
“Proposition. Noun. A fancy way to tell a woman you want to see her honey pot.”
“You are not seeing my honey pot.”
“Now, now,” he chided, wagging his finger. God, she was easy to rile up. “We’ll get to that question when we come to it. What I was really asking was if you’ll do me the honor of coming to my house next week.”
“No.” She stalked halfway across the backstage area before stopping. “Why? Do you have some secret underground lair or something? Is that your new plan?”
He raised a brow. “You mean a sex room? As in, nipple clamps and ball gags and thirty-one flavors of lube?”
The vein near her temple throbbed a warning, so he put a hand over his heart and winked. “Not yet, Red. But you say the word, and I promise to dig you one with my own two hands.”
“You’re disgusting,” she said, though Michael noted she didn’t actually move away. He launched right ahead.
“See, what I figure is you owe me. I’ve been doing some thinking, and I decided how I want you to make it up to me. And you’ll be happy to know it doesn’t involve honey or the pot it comes in. Or nipple clamps. Yet.”
She pokered up even more, so much that a light wind would have caused her to go crashing to the ground. Michael was man enough to admit that it turned him on. Big-time. A magnificent redhead, magnificently angry. If he could wind her up with a few breezy words, just imagine what some intense, one-on-one face time would lead to. Rolling. Pinching. Slapping. Teeth.
His cock stirred, and his balls shifted. God bless those boys of his.
“I’m aware of…of a debt of gratitude,” she’d said stiffly. “But if you think I’m going to—”
“You have no idea what I’m talking about. I’ll have you know that director in there offered me the male lead for this naughty little play of yours.”
“You’re lying. He wouldn’t dare.”
Michael went smoothly on. “Oh, he did dare. And for your sake, I turned him down. I know how much it would kill you to stand opposite me up there every day—there are sex scenes in this story of William’s, right? Or is it just kissing? Maybe some heavy petting?”
Her eyes grew wide, the color in her cheeks mounting. He knew it must be costing her to remain silent and still.
“Well, the point is, I thought about how you might react to such news and said no. I hate to cause a lady’s head to explode. It’s one of my Ten Rules to Live By. Do you want to hear the other nine?”
“No. I don’t want to hear another word out of your stupid, oversized mouth.”
He held up one finger. “Rule Number One. A gentleman always sleeps on the wet spot. Rule Number Two. A really good gentleman does his best to ensure that there are, in fact, nothing but wet spots. If you know what I mean.”
She was unmoved. “Can you be a little bit less revolting for one second? Are you or are you not telling me