Public Displays of Affection

246 Pages·2011·0.96 MB·English

by  Donovan Susan

Praise for the Novels of Susan Donovan
PUBLIC DISPLAYS OF AFFECTION
“Sassy, smart, and sensual. Susan Donovan will steal your
heart.”
—Christina Dodd, New York Times bestselling author of Almost
Like Being in Love
“Fresh, fun, and oh, so sexy! Susan Donovan is gonna be a
star!”
—Susan Andersen, author of Hot & Bothered
“A perfect blend of humor, highly charged sexual tension, and
emotional intensity. Susan Donovan is a must-read!”
—Janelle Denison, USA Today bestselling author of The Wilde
Side
TAKE A CHANCE ON ME
“Comic sharpness… the humorous interactions among Thomas,
Emma, and Emma’s quirky family give the book a golden warmth
as earthy as its rural Maryland setting. But there are also enough
explicit erotic interludes to please readers who like their romances
spicy.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Donovan has a real talent for painting hilarious word pictures
that are pure gold.”
—The Oakland Press
“Donovan blends humor and compassion in this opposites-
attract story. Sexy and masculine, Thomas fills the bill for the man
of your dreams. Emma and Thomas deserve a chance at true love.
Delightfully entertaining, Take a Chance on Me is a guaranteed
good time.”
—Old Book Barn Gazette
“Full of humor, sensuality, and emotion with excellent
protagonists and supporting characters… a wonderful tale. Don’t be
afraid to take a chance on this one. You’ll love it.”
—Affaire de Coeur
“Impossible to put down… Susan Donovan is an absolute riot.
You’re reading a paragraph that is so sexually charged you can
literally feel the air snapping with electricity and the next second,
one of the characters has a thought that is so absurd… that you are
laughing out loud. Susan Donovan has a very unique, off-the-wall
style that should keep her around for many books to come. Do NOT
pass this one up.”
—Romance Junkie Review
“Susan Donovan has created a vastly entertaining romance in
her latest book Take a Chance on Me. The book has an ideal cast of
characters… a very amusing, pleasurable read… all the right
ingredients are there, and Ms. Donovan has charmingly dished up
an absolutely fast, fun, and sexy read!”
—Road to Romance
“Contemporary romances don’t get much better than Take a
Chance on Me… such wonderful characters! You want sexual
tension? This book drips with it. How about a love scene that is
everything that a love scene should be? There’s humor, a touch of
angst, and delightful dialogue… Take a Chance on Me is going to
end up very, very high on my list of best romances for 2003.”
—All About Romance
KNOCK ME OFF MY FEET
“Spicy debut… [A] surprise ending and lots of playfully erotic
love scenes will keep readers entertained.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Donovan’s blend of romance and mystery is thrilling.”
—Booklist
“Knock Me Off My Feet will knock you off your feet… Ms.
Donovan crafts an excellent mixture to intrigue you and delight
you. You’ll sigh as you experience the growing love between
Autumn and Quinn and giggle over their dialogue. And you’ll be
surprised as the story unfolds. I highly recommend this wonderfully
entertaining story.”
—Old Book Barn Gazette
“From the beginning I was hooked by the author’s fast-paced
writing and funny situations… I highly recommend this debut book
by Susan Donovan. You’ll just have to ignore the ironing and
vacuuming and order pizza for the family until you’ve finished
being knocked off your feet by this saucy, sexy romp.”
—A Romance Review
“Hilarious… full of sass and sizzle.”
—Julie Ortolon, USA Today bestselling author of Don’t Tempt
Me
St. Martin’s Paperbacks Titles
by Susan Donovan
Take a Chance on Me
Knock Me Off My Feet
Public Displays
of Affection
Susan Donovan
St. Martin’s Paperbacks
PUBLIC DISPLAYS OF AFFECTION
Copyright © 2004 by Susan Donovan.
Cover photo of lipstick by Ben Perini.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without
written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. For
information address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.
ISBN: 0-312-99232-7
Printed in the United States of America
St. Martin’s Paperbacks edition / June 2004
St. Martin’s Paperbacks are published by St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
This book is dedicated to the men in my life.
Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-one
Chapter Twenty-two
Four Years Later
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The author would like to acknowledge the following people for their assistance.
Susan Burkey, thank you for telling me about your life as a young widow with children. I
couldn’t have created the character of Charlotte Tasker without your help.
Supervisory Special Agent Will R. Glaspy and the staff of the Drug Enforcement
Administration Office of Public Affairs, thanks for being so generous and patient in answering
my stupid questions, then, soon after, my stupid follow-up questions. I hope this book answers
once and for all the hotly debated question of which branch of federal law enforcement
employs the best lovers.
Kim Lancaster, thanks for answering questions about real estate sales, and Celeste Bradley
and Marilyn K. Swisher, thank you for reading early drafts of the manuscript.
To my editor, Monique Patterson, thanks for being patient with this one, and to my agent,
Pamela Hopkins, thanks for cheering me on.
And finally, to the Reed-Shuster kids a big thank-you for being who you are—Sir Joke-A-
Lot, Sir Go-With-the-Flow-A-Lot, Lady Brave-A-Lot, and Sir Loves-Animals-A-Lot. I adore
you all, and I trust you will someday forgive me for shamelessly stealing pieces of your real
personalities to create the fictional Hank, Justin, and Matt.
Thirteen Years Ago
The air was thick and sugary with honeysuckle, and Charlotte breathed deep, pulling the
sweetness into her lungs until she could taste the possibilities.
Of course she would say yes. In less than an hour, probably right there at Gate B-16 of
National Airport, she was going to look into the eyes of the most wonderful man she’d ever
known and say yes—yes, yes, yes! For once she was glad that Kurt’s roommates couldn’t keep
a secret. She wondered if the diamond would be emerald cut or a classic round solitaire and
whether it would have a platinum or gold setting.
The wind lashed into the convertible, whipping a few strands of hair across her cheek and
sending others straight up like tongues of strawberry blonde flame. She looked into the
rearview mirror and smiled. She was wild. Carefree. A bad, bad girl.
The thought was so ridiculous that she laughed.
A slap of hair covered Charlotte’s eyes, and she eased up on the gas to be on the safe side.
She had plenty of time. She should just relax and enjoy the baby blue sky, the heavy green
tunnel of leaves along the George Washington Parkway, and all that rich, sweet honeysuckle.
She sighed, thankful for the magic of this borrowed sports car. How odd that just the
absence of a roof could make her feel so free. It was as if she’d been given permission to touch
the whole big world along with the wind—and it made her feel strong, uninhibited, and, okay,
she was going to admit it—she felt sexy!
She felt ready.
Charlotte’s foot thumped and her thigh bounced as The Clash poured from the car’s
overtaxed CD player. She raised her voice to sing along—and why not? Why not sing loud
enough to scare the birds? Why not feel the air caress the bare skin of her arms? Why not live
in the moment? Wasn’t that what life was—just a finite number of moments strung together?
And how could anyone know how many moments they got in this life? How precious was
the number?
She checked the rearview mirror again.
That man was still there.
Charlotte first noticed the guy in the black Jeep and even blacker Ray·Bans before she left
the Beltway. When he followed her onto the GW, she’d told herself that there was nothing to
worry about—it was the most beautiful route into the city on a day like this and he was
entitled to enjoy his open-air ride, too.
So what if he just flashed that Top Gun smile again? So what if he just wiggled his fingers
in another flirty wave? So what if one quick look at him made her belly catch fire?
She was a big girl. She could handle him.
Then he puckered his lips and blew her a kiss and Charlotte’s pulse spiked. She jerked her
eyes back to the road in front of her. She thought of Kurt Tasker, coming home to her in less
than two hours. She focused on her future, on everything noble she had planned for her life,
everything she had saved herself for.
With a trembling hand, Charlotte reached for the little notepad on the passenger seat.
Maybe seeing Kurt’s flight number once more would anchor her, keep her safe.