One Night With Her (7 page)

He was a good drug, the kind who could wash
away the bitter aftertaste of unrequitedness.

Now, here in the light of day, her mind
tripped briefly back to Clay. She’d been in love with that man for
ten years, and it sucked that he hadn’t loved her back. She’d hoped
that Liam, the charming actor she’d dated a few months ago, would
blunt her feelings. But as she flipped open her laptop to check on
her next appointment, Michelle knew there hadn’t been enough of a
spark with Liam—there wasn’t a true light-up-the-night ignition
that could erase the past.

It would take a once-in-a-century eclipse to
blot out the ache she’d felt for Clay, who was now so happy with
another woman. Longing had camped out in her heart for so many
years it had squatter’s rights. She wished someone had warned her
that loving someone who doesn’t love you is like a permanent sore
in the mouth—painful, and you want to touch it all the time, to
worry away at it. The ache had dulled in the last few months, but
he was still in her heart and she had no clue how to fully erase
him.

She clicked open her calendar, checking on
the details of her next session. At least she had her work to focus
on. Her clients and their challenges fed her, made her whole in a
way that only her work as a psychologist could do. She scanned the
notes from her office manager who’d arranged the appointment,
though she knew very little about the man coming to see her. That
was par for the course. She rarely knew much in advance, and her
job was to get to know clients during their time together.

But she knew this much. No first name, but
the last name was Sullivan. His sister had called to set up the
appointment for him, citing
intimacy issues
. There was a
line about “difficulty moving on from last relationship,” and a
reminder that discretion of the highest order was vital, since the
patient was a prominent businessman.

Not a problem. Never a problem. Discreet was
Michelle Milo’s middle name. She hadn’t even breathed Shayla’s name
out loud to Jack when she’d called her service late in the middle
of the night to talk.

Well, let’s see what we’ve got
. She
was ready to focus on this Sullivan fellow for the next hour.

When she heard a knock at two o’clock sharp,
she opened the door to her office, and all thoughts rushed out of
her brain but one.

One word. Blaring like a neon sign.

Smoldering.

This man was smoldering.

And she’d already met him last night.

Stay tuned for Michelle and Jack’s love story in
the full-length novel
NIGHTS WITH HIM
releasing Nov. 11, and
available
to order here
.

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Check out my contemporary romance novels!

The New York Times and USA Today
Bestselling Seductive Nights series including
Night After Night
,
After This Night
,
and
One More
Night

Caught Up In
Us
, a New York Times and
USA Today Bestseller! (Kat and Bryan’s romance!)

Pretending He’s
Mine
, a Barnes & Noble and
iBooks Bestseller! (Reeve & Sutton’s romance)

Trophy
Husband
, a New York Times and
USA Today Bestseller! (Chris & McKenna’s romance)

Playing With Her
Heart
, a
USA Today bestseller! (Davis and Jill’s romance)

Far Too
Tempting
, an Amazon
romance bestseller! (Matthew and Jane’s romance)

Stars in Their
Eyes
, an iBooks bestseller and
the start of the new adult series Wrapped Up In Love!
(William and Jess’ romance)

My USA Today bestselling
No Regrets series that includes

The Thrill of
It
(Meet Harley and Trey)

and its sequel

Every Second With
You

My New York Times and USA Today
Bestselling Fighting Fire series that includes

Burn For
Me
,
(Smith and Jamie’s romance!)

and
Melt for
Him
(Megan and Becker’s romance!)

I love hearing from readers! You can find me on
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LaurenBlakely3
, or
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,
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LaurenBlakely.com
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