Seducing the Matchmaker. Elaine Overton

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      “I’ll show you.”

      In a flash Derrick was off the sofa, and with two steps in her direction, he reached down and pulled Noelle from the loveseat. His large hands fastened on her hips and moved her forward in one swoop until they were standing, pressed body to body.

      Before Noelle’s brain had time to even process, he was kissing her. And much to her amazement, she was kissing him back.

      Oh, he tasted good! Like a cinnamon bun, Noelle thought dreamily, even as she parted her lips and allowed his warm tongue inside. Of their own volition, her arms slid up and over his broad shoulders, and she discovered he was just the right height for her to rest comfortably against him.

      Noelle was not able to resist the soft sigh that escaped from her mouth. His tongue darted out and ran over her bottom lip in a slow, sensual caress, and Noelle felt her knees weaken.

      But his strong hands tightly gathered the material of her skirt at each hip, holding her up and against him. She couldn’t have fallen if she wanted to. Feeling the growing warmth pressing against her center, Noelle knew she should end the kiss, end the touching. This was wrong…so wrong.

      But all she could do was allow her head to fall back as his soft lips left a trail of kisses from her chin to her collarbone. Her heartbeat sped up as she felt him grinding his growing erection against her. She couldn’t have lied to herself if she wanted to. The feeling was mutual and she spontaneously began to meet his grind with her own.

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      ELAINE OVERTON

      currently resides in the Detroit area with her son and dog. She attended a local business college before entering the military and serving in the Gulf War. She is an administrative assistant, and currently works for an automotive industry supplier. She is also an active member of Romance Writers of America. You can contact her via e-mail at www.elaineoverton.com.

      Seducing the Matchmaker

      Elaine Overton

       www.millsandboon.co.uk

      To the Creator of all that is good in my life.

      Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

      1 Thessalonians 5:16–18

      Rejoice evermore.

      Pray without ceasing.

      In everything give thanks; for this is the will

       of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

      Dear Reader,

      Thank you for taking the time to read Seducing the Matchmaker. I hope you have enjoyed Derrick and Noelle’s long, winding road toward a loving, open relationship.

      Like most authors, I spend the majority of my writing time not actually putting words to paper but trying to show the reader what I see in my head. To me the characters are these fully formed, complicated people with lives and histories, and I want to share those stories with you, the way I think of them.

      As a longtime romance reader, there is nothing I love better than the iconic diamond-in-the-rough, tortured hero and his journey to find a woman capable of loving ALL of him. I like to think of Derrick as just such a hero.

      Noelle, who had her own hurdles to climb over—including her fear of emotional pain and her preoccupation with logic and reason—was still finally able to give her heart what it most desired. I think of her as the epitome of the old adage that sometimes what you want is not what you need.

      I hope I did a fair job of explaining Derrick’s troubled background and the events that forged his character, as well as Noelle’s reasons behind her doubts. Now I would love to hear what you think, so feel free to write me at [email protected].

      Take care,

      Elaine

      Contents

      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

      Chapter 17

      Chapter 18

      Chapter 19

      Chapter 20

      Chapter 21

      Chapter 22

      Chapter 23

      Chapter 24

      Chapter 25

      Chapter 26

      Chapter 27

      Chapter 1

      Early December in Philadelphia, PA

       Shortly after the first snow…

      “I know what you must be thinking, Mr. Brandt.”

      I doubt that, Derrick Brandt thought, sitting in one of the comfortable, overstuffed guest chairs facing the neatly organized desk that belonged to Noelle Brown, the owner of Love Unlimited, a small but successful matchmaking service.

      “You’re thinking, why Love Unlimited and not one of the more popular online dating agencies? I have three words for you.” She lifted three elegantly shaped fingers. “The personal touch. That one-on-one human contact that simply cannot be determined with questionnaires and evaluations. It’s been my experience that any long-term relationship is only forty percent chemistry and sixty percent compatibility. And if the chemistry is right, it’s instantaneous. So, that leaves the other sixty percent.”

      All the while she spoke, Derrick struggled to keep his eyes above the low-cut neckline of her mint-green silk blouse. He unconsciously licked his lips, imagining the bountiful treasure that lay just beneath the thin material. Try as he might, he simply could not help himself as his eyes repeatedly drifted south. She was so wonderfully endowed, and he was such a devoted breast man.

      “Our methods are not always what one would consider traditional.” She stretched her body to reach behind her chair and around to the credenza. Derrick allowed his hungry eyes to roam over her taut outline. Although the rest of her was hidden behind the desk, he already knew she was mostly legs. Long legs he could wrap around his waist. When she’d greeted him in the office lobby, his first impression had been of a luscious Amazon.