Delicious Intent

A one week holiday to South-West France to help her two best friends plan their wedding was supposed be relaxing. A chance to recharge her batteries. But Madison didn’t figure Ben’s arrogant, surly brother, Dom, into the equation, nor his sexy cousin, Luc.
With both men flexing their testosterone-charged muscles over her, and Dom’s bitch of a soon-to-be ex-wife stirring things up, Madison has choices to make. The sexy, French chef or the sex-on-legs photographer . Both are equally appealing. Both come with hazard-warnings. But only one of them has a dark side that taps into Madison’s fragile psyche and exploits her past shame.

Excerpt from “Delicious Intent”

“Who’s that man over there, Mel?”
“Which one?” she followed the direction of my gaze.
“The one with the amazing eyes.” It was true. His eyes were the most unusual shade of pale blue, almost translucent, even from a distance. If I was a poet I would have likened them to windows into his soul. But I was the last person to be accused of being overly romantic. I hadn’t dated in over two years and sex had been off the agenda even longer.
Perhaps I just needed to get laid. On the other hand, I liked the person I was at the moment. For the first time in ages I felt OK with my past. I had flashbacks from time to time but the main thing was I was mostly healed.
“Oh, that’s Dom, Ben’s brother. I wonder where Sandrine is.”
The cautionary tone in her voice should have been warning enough but I’ve never been one to back down from a challenge. Another glance at Dom sealed it.
“Sandrine?”
“His wife. And the reason why he looks so damned hostile, no doubt.”
“What do you mean?” The on/off switch that normally activated when I encountered a good-looking, married man was definitely stuck in the off position where Dominic Caillebot was concerned. Every time I looked at him, something about him made my feminine hormones want to party.
“I shouldn’t really say anything,” Mel continued. “Dom and Sandrine have split up more times than I can count. The last time I came to Sainte Aureilles to meet Ben’s family, they were separated and supposedly about to divorce. But I hear she’s back again.”
A heavy bolt of disappointment I had no right to feel hit me in the rib cage. My focus trailed back to Dom’s last known direction. Unexpectedly, his ice-blue eyes snagged mine, rooting me to the spot. I managed to hold his gaze. Though his face showed no sign of emotion, he bored into my mind, invading my thoughts. That he could do that from fifteen metres made my pulse spike. I turned away and sipped my aperitif, conceding that in our impromptu eye battle of wills he’d just won. Something told me we weren’t finished.