Mark by Allison LaFleur

She’s a penniless orphan. He’s a brilliant scientist. Will spilled beer lead to love, or will the seedy underbelly of Dublin end their future before it starts?

***

I tiptoed around the edges of the rug, crossed the six feet from the couch to the tiny kitchen, and tried to quietly brew coffee on the stove. I must have been louder than I thought, or maybe the scent from the old french press of my mothers was too much, because moments later the back of my neck prickled, and I turned to find sleepy unfocused eyes blinking at me over the back of the couch.

“Good morning,” he rumbled, running his fingers through his hair, and reaching for his glasses.

I pulled at the neck of my nightshirt, suddenly self-conscious, realizing more skin showed than I normally displayed in public. “Um, it’s good afternoon, I think.”

He nodded, and sat the rest of the way up, the blanket falling away to expose a shirtless, well-muscled chest. My eyes widened, and I sucked in a breath. I hadn’t a clue his neat button-downs were concealing such a treasure.

Good God, his body was a well-kept secret, the kind that made me want to step out of my comfort zone and do something reckless. But I wasn’t a reckless girl. I was the one who always chose the safe path. The one where I wouldn’t get hurt.

“Hungry?” I padded the rest of the way into the kitchen, the linoleum slick and cold under my bare feet, the tail of my night shirt barely covering my ass.

“I could eat.” I had to work hard to keep from staring. Those abs!

“Cereal? Or I can run down to the corner market and grab a quiche.”

“Cereal’s fine.” He unfolded himself from the couch and stood, scratching his sculpted stomach and stretching, muscles rippling as he moved. I had trouble tearing my eyes away, to go grab the Cheerios from the cabinet and milk from the fridge.

Mark was an unexpected wrinkle in my boring life. I wasn’t sure how I felt about that.

***

The queen of adventure romance, Allison LaFleur brings you explosive sex, passion, and peril in Mark, the latest installment in Bachelors Incorporated. One-Click it today!