Stephanie Morris
Bestselling Author of Interracial/Multicultural
and African American Sensual Romance

Check out excerpts from my currently released books!

Kayla took a deep breath prior to walking into the conference room. She’d been rehearsing what she was going to say all day. All thoughts left her head as she entered the room. A lesser woman would have been intimidated by Dan and Trish Goodman’s glares or by Gary and Michelle Jones’ eye rolling and folded arms. Margaret and Tim Radcliffe were frowning, and Brigette Holbrock was fidgeting nervously. James Feldon overshadowed all of those distractions. He was standing in the corner of the room looking out of the window. The man was even sexier up close and personal. Every time she saw him, she fell harder for him. He could double for Orlando Bloom. He was tall and ruggedly built with thick, wavy black hair that she was dying to run her fingers through.

He had smooth, lightly tanned skin that was accentuated by straight white teeth, but it was his eyes that always captivated her. He had an angular face with eyes as blue as the sky, expressive light blue eyes that she could get lost in. She studied his face—high cheekbones, a straight nose, square jaw, and full lips. He had a mustache that connected to a goatee, and both were neatly trimmed. He was a well-groomed man. She liked men that took care in their appearance. His stance gave her the opportunity to follow his broad shoulders down to a lean and tapered waistline. He looked to stand at least four inches over six feet because she had to look up at him, something that was a rarity for her, considering she was just under six feet without shoes.

Simply put the man was sexy as hell, and he was definitely a heartbreaker.

It was the total opposite with Sean. Everyone else wanted to write him off, but she had been the only one who wanted to give him a chance. Maybe going out with Blake wasn’t such a bad idea. She had already come up with numerous ways in which they were similar.

“So you are interested in dating me?”

He nodded. “Yes I am.” He paused, looking down at Alison. “I think she is finished.”

Leslie stood up and looked down at her daughter. She was nestled snuggly in Blake’s arms. Her eyes were closed, the bottle empty. She took the bottle from Blake.

“Do you want to burp her?”

He nodded, gently bringing Alison up to his shoulder. Leslie touched her daughter’s back.

“I’m going to get her carrier. She is going to be out for the night.”

She went into the kitchen, picked up the carrier before bringing it back. She sat it on the sofa. Once Blake had belched her, Leslie took her and placed her into the carrier. She stood there and watched her daughter sleep.

“She is beautiful, just like her mother.”

She looked up at Blake and smiled. “Thank you.”

“Is she sleeping through the night yet?”

Leslie nodded. She was thankful that she was. Although Alison still had the tendency to wake up early. It wasn’t an inconvenience unless it was the weekend. She wanted to sleep in late if she could on those days. But Alison wasn’t always willing to cooperate. If she was hungry or wet, she made it known. No matter what time it was. Yet once her needs were taken care of, she would usually go back to sleep.

Leslie sat down on the couch, not wanting to disturb Alison. She looked over at Blake as he came over and sat down beside her. He placed his arm around her. She leaned into his embrace. He ran his hand up and down her arm, making her shiver. His touch, although simple, was unlike one she had ever felt before.

“You know what I would really like to do right now, Leslie?”

She looked up at him. “No, I don’t, but I’m sure you will tell me.”

He leaned down and nuzzled her neck, making her quiver. “I want to kiss you.”

Her eyes widened. It had been a while since she had kissed someone, excluding the little peck he’d bestowed upon her at the bakery earlier this week. A kiss that she didn’t think really counted. It had been months, the last person being Sean.

Her gaze fell on his lips. She wondered what it would be like to feel his lips against hers. She had a feeling the last kiss they’d shared was nothing compared to what was about to happen. Having the urge to feel his lips against hers in a real kiss, she stretched upward. He met her halfway. She sighed. Her heart pounded hard in her chest the moment their lips touched. And when their tongues began mating with an intensity that shook every nerve in her body, she had to fight the instinct to break the connection for fear of losing control. In that moment, she wasn’t aware of anything but the feel of his tongue stroking hers, the feel of hers stroking his, the rush of sensations flooding and overpowering her. She was also aware of the dampness between her legs increasing, of the way her body was beginning to ache with need.

If he hadn’t been holding her, she was certain she would have floated away. Opening her mouth slightly, she allowed him to slip his tongue further inside. She leaned more into him, mating her tongue with his. She moaned as a strong surge of desire rolled through her. Her nipples hardened into tight little peaks. She shifted to ease the sensation. When it didn’t work, she leaned even closer to Blake, until her aching nipples brushed against his chest. Slowly, he pulled back, their lips reluctantly separating. She felt a tremendous sense of loss. He was breathing as heavily as she was.

Keirra took a deep breath before getting out of her car. She walked into Sam’s Café and spotted Eric at the back of the restaurant. One of the things that she noticed was that he stood out. He had a commanding presence.

What she did know was that whatever he had to say better be interesting because she was going to have a fit otherwise. As she neared him, she figured whatever he had to say must be important because he was sitting in a secluded booth. He stood up as she approached the booth and didn’t sit back down until she was seated. She hated that he was such a gentleman. Personally, she thought it was all an act to sucker a woman in, and she refused to be one of the women that fell for that game. So much so that she didn’t even give him a chance to speak.

“So what did you want to talk about?”

If she had irritated him by interrupting him, he didn’t let it show. Instead, he gave her a reassuring smile.

“Why don’t we order some food first then we can talk.”

She frowned at him. “I’m not hungry.”

“You have to be. You haven’t eaten all day.”

Keirra laughed. “So you admit that you have been following me all day?”

Eric grinned. “I wasn’t aware that I was trying to make it a secret.”

Keirra figured he had a point. If he wanted to trail her without her knowing, his experience as an officer would allow him to do so.

“Well, thank you for the offer of lunch, but I had a big breakfast.”

As if to mock her as well as make her look like a liar, her stomach let out a loud growl. She closed her eyes in embarrassment and wondered if the day could get any worse. Eric chuckled and leaned back in the booth.

“Are you sure?”

Keirra rolled her eyes at his smugness before picking up the menu in defeat. She flipped through the menu in haste and decided on the chicken fried steak sandwich. That was one of the things on the menu she had been interested in trying but hadn’t received the chance to. Eric must have worked up an appetite following her around because he ordered enough food to feed at least three people. There was no way the man could eat the way he did and maintain the body he had. The shock must have shown on her face because he smiled.

“Don’t worry. I have a workout room at my house, so I get plenty of exercise, but you are always welcome to provide alternative methods.”

Keirra gasped in outrage, but she didn’t get the chance to respond because Nadia came up to their table and took their drink and food orders. When Nadia walked off, Keirra turned her attention back to Eric.

“So what was so important that I had to meet you here and have lunch?” she asked through gritted teeth, still insulted by his earlier comment. However, she wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of a response. He would only bait her into an argument, and frankly, she just didn’t want to go there.

Eric laughed, and her heart skipped a few beats. The man was too sexy for his own good.

“To discuss that you want me just as much as I want you, and it’s time we stop avoiding it.”

Keirra felt her eyes widen. The man was cocky as well. A little too cocky, and it made her blood pressure rise to a dangerous point.

“I tell you what. When you are ready to talk to me and not at me, let me know.”

Keirra reached for her purse and went to slide out of the booth. Eric reached out and stopped her.

“Keirra, wait. I apologize if I sounded rude.”

Keirra gave him an incredulous look. “If you sounded rude?”

She took a deep breath and tried to calm her nerves before continuing. “Eric, you were very rude, and you know it. What I can also tell you is that I’m not like the other women you have talked to. So you are going to have to do much better than this if you want to capture my attention.”

Keirra tightened her grip on her purse at the thought of just how many women that could be. “If you are looking for a typical one, I am positive there are several women around here willing to oblige you starting with Melanie.”

Eric gave her an incredulous look, but she wasn’t going to take the words back. If he wanted a battle, he was going to get one.

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When she reached the room, she took a few deep breaths before knocking on the door.

“Come in,” a gruff and groggy voice called out. She relaxed a little bit because she didn’t recognize the voice. Stepping into the room she noticed that the heavy drapes were drawn closed, and she could hardly see. She looked back to the bed and realized that she couldn’t see his face at all.

Something in her gut told her it was Chris, but she had to be sure. She had the right to know before she went forward, even though she was not sure how much of a difference it would really make.

“Good afternoon.”

His head turned toward her, and it was almost frightening. He seemed to be looking straight at her. She could feel his eyes.

“It is afternoon?”

She nodded. “Almost evening.”

He turned away. Did he recognize her? Had he even really seen her? He must not have since he didn’t give any indication. His next reply confirmed that he had. “I didn’t realize that I had been here this long.”

“How long have you been here?”

He exhaled heavily. “Three, maybe four days. They rushed me straight into surgery once I arrived, and since then I haven’t been able to keep up with the time or days. What I would like to know is when I am going to get out of this hell hole.”

The husky timbre of his voice overshadowed the harsh words he had just spoken. She would know that voice anywhere. A shiver went down her spine. Shaking her head she pulled herself together. A clear head was going to be the only way she would help him. Resolving to find out once and for all if it was Christopher, she walked over to the curtains. With a flick of her wrist she pulled the drapes open, but she remained facing the curtain.

“I had those curtains closed for a reason,” he growled.

“You always did like the dark, didn’t you, Christopher?”

She heard his sharp intake of breath, and when she turned to face him, she noticed his body had stiffened in shock, and his face matched. Hers was probably not as evident because she’d had the chance to get used to the idea. Though the fact that she was standing in front of him, the man that she hadn’t seen in two years, was still a little disconcerting.

“Well, aren’t we Mr. Sunshine?”

She saw him close his eyes and shake his head as if to clear it. Maybe he felt like it was a dream and needed to be certain. When he opened his eyes again, she was still standing there.

“Ashley, what are you doing here?”

“I was just asking myself the same question. All I did was stop by to speak to my old mentor, and he referred you to me.”

“This has to be a mistake,” he whispered, disbelief evident in his tone.

He raised the bed a little, and she took that as a good thing. The shock that had been apparent on his face was starting to subside, but not completely. She was in the same boat as he. It was hard to believe she was standing here in the same room with Chris after she thought she would never see him again. His dark blue eyes still brimmed with the passion and life they always had when he looked at her. He was a distracting and very sexy man to the point it simply amazed her. Being so close to him was the nerve-racking experience it had always been. Better yet, she had just agreed to take him on as a patient. Yes, I have definitely lost my mind.

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Shocked, Kristen stared at the man in front of her. She fought the instant reaction of wanting to rub her eyes to make sure they weren’t deceiving her. It had been six years since she had last seen him. Six years that she tried to forget him, and now, she realized it had all been in vain. She was more in love with him now than she had been when she was a teenager. He seemed to have become more handsome than she recalled. His brown eyes still held the mystery they used to, and his light blond hair was cut short, yet still long enough to show his hand had been raked through it several times despite the early hour. He looked taller. His shoulders were broader, and he it looked as though he exercised to stay in shape judging by the way his uniform fit.

Kristen gave herself a mental shake. What was she doing? Drooling over a man whom she shouldn’t be. Looking down at the paperwork in her hands, she used the distraction to collect her thoughts and herself. If she had read it before entering the room, she wouldn’t have been unprepared. It was too late to think about that now. She stepped farther into the room and closed the door behind her. Walking over to Randy, she held her hand out to him and hoped he would shake it.

“It is a pleasure to see you again, Mr. Stroud.”

Before he could react to her formal attitude, Kristen continued. “Wade is more than welcome to enroll at the day care center. I would like to explain some things to you about the operations of my center, and then you make your final decision.”

Her gaze drifted over to Wade, and another pang traveled through her chest. He was a carbon copy of Randy, and he should be their son but wasn’t. What made it even worse was that there was no reason why he wasn’t.

Randy had walked away from her with no explanation at all. After walking over to the little boy, she knelt beside him.

“Hi, Wade. My name is Ms. Smith.”

He gave her a brief look then looked to his father for approval. When Randy gave it, Wade smiled before speaking. “Hi, Ms. Smith.”

“How old are you, Wade?”

“Three.”

Kristen’s mouth curled upward in amusement. He was such a sweetheart. “Do you see the box over there?”

He nodded eagerly, and she grinned. She explained to him that it was full of toys he could play with while she talked to his dad. “But you must put the toys up when you are finished playing with them.”

He agreed to the bargain, and she stood. Once she was out of his way, he headed to the toy box. She walked over to where Randy was sitting and took the empty chair next to him.

“You are good with kids.”

“Thank you. Now to discuss the business of . . .” She stopped when Randy’s hand touched hers.

“How have you been?”

“Fine, now if we could get—”

“Talk to me, Kristen.”

She shook her head and tried to pull her hand back, but he wouldn’t let her. “There is nothing to talk about, Mr. Stroud.”

He refused to let her distract him with her formality. Instead, he leaned forward. “Yes, there is.”

“What is there to talk about?”

“You can tell me how you have been.”

“I already have.”

“Kristen, I know we didn’t end on a good note, but the past is the past.”

Her eyebrows rose in disbelief. “It may be easy for you, but it isn’t easy for me. You know me well enough to know that I don’t make the same mistake twice.”

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