Penelope Rutledge longs for passion, but only with the man of her dreams: the brilliant, dashing Ethan Weatherstone. If only her longtime neighbor would open his eyes and realize how much she loves him. If only they weren’t best friends with so much at stake. Penelope knows her future – and their friendship – is in her hands, but is she willing to take the biggest risk of all on the man she loves?
If it were up to Ethan, life and love would be as predictable as the figures in his ledgers – certainly nothing like the adventures Penelope longs for. Yet his childhood friend has grown into a beautiful, feisty woman blissfully unaware of the danger she causes when near. Ethan knows he must save Penelope-and her reputation…but can he save himself from the temptation of her lips?
Ethan Weatherstone was due for a piece of her mind. It was about time he understood that he had no right to interfere with her life.
Mind made up, she took one last look at the mail coach and shook her head. She reached down for her satchel and stormed over to Ethan’s carriage.
Penelope threw open the door and climbed inside, seething as she sat across from him. He didn’t even have the courtesy to look at her. Instead, he sat back against the squabs, his head turned to the window. The only reason she knew he was aware of her presence was from the way he clenched his jaw, a muscle twitching just beneath the surface of his skin.
“Were you waiting to humiliate me? Waiting until I was already seated before you dragged me away from the mail coach? Or perhaps you planned to follow me all the way to Portsmouth?”
He refused to respond or even so much as look at her. If she hadn’t been angry before she entered the carriage, then she certainly was fuming now.
“Truly, Ethan, for someone who cannot live outside the lines of your carefully crafted order, your sameness that covers you like a shroud, this is quite surprising behavior,” she hissed, baiting him. “I only wish your concern for my happiness were as great as your concern for my reputation.”
At that, he glared at her sharply. Ah, so she’d struck a chord.
Good. Yet still, he did not say anything.
There he sat, perfectly groomed, his cravat perfectly pleated, his temper perfectly managed. She wished just once he’d lose some of that control. Because here she sat, with her eyes, most likely puffy and red from having cried most of the night instead of sleeping. She was certainly not perfectly groomed, since she could feel a soggy tendril of hair plastered to her cheek. Her cloak was damp from rain. Her nose was cold and likely red as well.
“How can you be so . . . so unaffected all the time?” Her voice rose with her accusation. “Haven’t you ever dreamed for something outside the realm of possibility? Or are you content with each day so long as your cravat is perfectly pleated?”
She glared at the offending garment, struck by a ridiculous notion to crumple it. No sooner had the idea formed that she gave in to the impulse and moved forward on her seat, her arm reaching forward.
Ethan stopped her, taking hold of her wrist. His eyes flared. Before she could react, he yanked, propelling her forward to land clumsily on his lap.
“How dare—”
His mouth covered hers, silencing her outrage. Her head spun, reeling from the sudden scorching heat of his kiss.
This was a kiss, wasn’t it? Yet, it was nothing like her dreams, where his rehearsed request was followed by carefully controlled actions. No, this was no gentle dream. This was hard and demanding. His tongue didn’t request entrance but swept in and plundered.
His arms were not gentle either. In fact, he held her so tightly she couldn’t move, and grasped her wrist so she couldn’t touch him or push him away.
But she’d never push him away.
Instead, she wanted to cling to him. Her anger evaporated in a rush of steam. Her mind cried out for more of this glorious punishment. She wanted his kiss to burn her, through and through. This was the first time she’d been warm in months.
About the Author:
I fell in love with fairy tales and the romance behind happily ever after at a very young age. Like a lot of you, I tweaked the fables bit by bit in my imagination until they suited me perfectly. By the time I was eleven, a teacher encouraged me to start writing. Throughout the years that followed, my teachers remained my most fervent supporters, giving me the tools I needed to continue my journey as a writer.
My husband and I have two teenage boys, who are heroes in their own right. For now, we live in a small Midwestern town near Lake Michigan…until a time in the future when a new adventure calls us to other shores. I am currently working on my next novel, but I always enjoy hearing from my readers. Feel free to email me at vivienne@vivlorret.net.
Jennifer’s Review of Tempting Mr. Weatherstone
Review (3.75 Stars): Penelope has always loved Ethan Weatherstone but he has always acted as though she was a kid sister to him. Tired of living this way and wanting something more, Penelope decides that she is ready to set off on an exciting new adventure. Ethan has slowly noticed that his best friend, Penelope, has turned into a beautiful young woman and is caught off guard with announcement of Pen’s plan. He has organized his life by routines, numbers and books and isn’t sure what to make of Penelope’s new plan for her life. Ethan must make a choice to change with Penelope or possibly lose his best friend forever by standing by and doing nothing.
Penelope was a great character for me because she spent most of her life being best friend to Ethan when she always wanted something more but was afraid to act on it. Ethan and Penelope had this great friendship that slowly developed into something more before either of them knew what was happening. I was glad that Penelope finally acted on her feelings and she got the happy ending that she was hoping for. This novella is very short but the story moves quickly and has a sweet ending.
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It would really frustrate me no end, too, if I was conversing with someone like Ethan and didn’t get a response. Perfectly in control people annoy me. Maybe because I’m not in control of much…but at least I recognize that and admit it. 🙂 I’m a people person and I like to share emotion, opinions and feelings. And I like feedback. Thanks for the interesting post.
Friends make the best lovers, isn’t that the saying. We are all more comfortable with our friends, that we trust.
Friends-to-Lovers romances are as delectable as fresh, ripe strawberries dipped in decadent, dark chocolate…sweetly familiar…yet with anticipation of the unexpected richness of the merging of the senses.
We all know or have been told it’s better to be frienfs first so when the glow burns a little lower there’s still the friendship. But I love that theme because they know so much about esch other and it’s interesting watching the relationship grow. Thanks for the giveaway.
Carol L