Joanne Rock - In Hot Pursuit

He stood close, one hand on either side of Lexi, bracketing her against the door. The dominant position made her think about lying beneath him in her bed, his arms levering him above her body as he made love to her.

At that moment she looked up at him, only to find his gaze focused on her mouth.

He made a hungry sound that rumbled right through her in the moment before his mouth met hers. She shivered at the wet heat of the kiss, and twisted her way closer to the hard wall of his chest.

Josh’s hands moved to hold her against him. He stroked his way down her spine, sealing her body to his. His arousal nudged her belly, making her want to drag him inside and indulge herself in him.

Suddenly he pried himself away.

“Honey, I need to know if this is what you want.”

Lexi wriggled against him shamelessly, wanting more of this feeling. “Don’t make me break out the handcuffs again, Detective. You’re not going anywhere tonight.”

Dear Reader,

New York police detective Josh Winger has never been so relentlessly pursued, but then again, he’s never had fashion critic Lexi Mansfield on his tail before. He needs to remain anonymous to protect his drug-smuggling investigation, yet Lexi seems determined to drag him into the spotlight. When the outrageous beauty clicks a pair of handcuffs on him at a ritzy buy-a-celebrity’s-freedom fund-raiser, Josh doesn’t know whether to put up a fight…or encourage her.

I had so much fun writing Lexi and Josh’s story. These characters first appeared in my Blaze novel #26, Silk, Lace & Videotape last February, and they captured my imagination from the moment they stepped on the scene. I hope you enjoy their rocky—and very steamy—road to love.

Visit me at www.JoanneRock.com to learn more about future releases or to let me know what you think of Lexi and Josh. I’d love to hear from you!

Happy reading!

Joanne Rock

P.S. Don’t forget to check out tryblaze.com!

To my father and favorite storyteller, Cornelius Goes. If I can weave a tale half as entertaining as the ones you’ve been telling me all my life, I count myself fortunate indeed. To my mother, Louise, thank you for the unwavering support and for showing me how to move through life with quiet strength and grace.

I am grateful to you both for the model of

your marriage—a wonderful testament

to happily-ever-afters.

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

“STEP ASIDE, LADIES. Jailer coming through.” Dangling handcuffs from her manicured fingers, Lexi Mansfield swept past the other socialites thronging the ladies’ room mirror in the trendy Manhattan bar.

She didn’t need to see her reflection to confirm she looked as good as her hodgepodge of features would allow. She’d blown two paychecks to ensure New York’s best hair and makeup people maximized her questionable beauty assets for tonight’s fund-raiser.

A girl couldn’t go into battle unarmed, after all.

She stuffed her handcuffs into her purse for safekeeping until her jailer stint for tonight’s Buy a Celebrity’s Freedom event kicked in. She would have served as MC tonight, if not for the rampant gossip currently making the rounds about her. Being demoted to jailer might be a step down, but Lexi was determined to wrest all the fun she could out of the handcuffs.

Behind her, a compact snapped close and a pair of high heels clicked double time on the ceramic tile. “Hold up, Lex,” Lexi’s girlfriend Amanda called.

Lexi forced herself to stop, even though she couldn’t wait to leave the smothered giggles and gossipy whispers of the powder room behind. She knew all too well that she was the hot topic of the night, and the knowledge ate away at her stomach far more than did the two glasses of merlot—although the smoke and hair spray fumes didn’t help much, either.

No doubt the ladies’ room rumor mill couldn’t wait for Lexi to scram so they could continue their discussion of the day’s scandal. Lexi Mansfield—one of New York’s leading fashion reviewers and most popular magazine columnists—had been shredded to ribbons in a scathing letter to the editor written by an up-and-coming designer.

The designer in question, Simone Bertrand, had been Lexi’s nemesis since boarding school. A trust-fund baby with more boobs than brains, Simone had the morals of a tomcat, but her scads of money usually covered up the fact.

Amanda smoothed a hand over a nonexistent stray lock of light brown hair and frowned at Lexi. “You are dangerous tonight. I about twisted my heel to catch up with you.”

Lexi couldn’t help a twinge of envy for her gorgeous friend, a ringer for a young Grace Kelly, except for the darker hair. Despite Lexi’s designer duds and expensive makeup job, she paled in comparison to Amanda’s born beauty.

“Amanda, I appreciate what you’re doing, but you don’t need to baby-sit me. I’m a big girl, I can handle the gossip hounds.” Lexi opened the bathroom door to greet the pulsing bass of a pop dance tune.

Amanda pushed the door shut again and grabbed Lexi by the elbow. Lexi squealed, but allowed her friend to tug her back into the restroom toward the semi-quiet corner by a condom-dispensing machine.

Lexi snorted at the picture of the ecstatic-looking couple plastered on the front of the dispenser. It had been far too long since Lexi had needed condoms for a damn thing.

“Why do I get the feeling you want me to leave?” Amanda huffed, crossing her arms over her blue taffeta gown. “Don’t tell me you’d rather face the vultures by yourself.”

Lexi shrugged. “Maybe I’d be better off facing them on my own, so people can say what they want about the letter and get it over with.” The charity they were raising money for tonight—Shelter the Homeless—was one of Lexi’s pet projects. She wouldn’t leave until she’d done her job.

Amanda studied her for a moment. “Are you sure?”

What was the worst people could say? I agree with Simone’s letter to the editor and I think you are a blot on the concept of style, too? I second Simone’s observation that you have all the magnetism of a houseplant? Besides, Simone’s public attack might be embarrassing, but it didn’t scare Lexi half as much as the anonymous threatening notes she had been receiving for the past month.

She didn’t breathe a word of those letters to anyone, however. Lexi had grown accustomed to fending for herself a long time ago.

Lexi nodded. “I’m sure. I’ve made my entrance. I’ve scoped out my territory. I’m ready to take them on.”

“I don’t know, Lex.” Amanda glanced uncertainly over one shoulder toward the crowd of cackling social divas spritzing hair spray and layering on lipstick. “They look like they can’t wait to get their talons into you. Want me to wait until the Buy a Celebrity’s Freedom event begins? Once you start your gig locking up the celebs, you should be okay.”

Lexi still fumed to think she would be stuck filling the makeshift jail cell with wealthy patrons. She should be the MC tonight, but after the scathing letter, the charity had asked her to let someone else take center stage.