Excerpt: 'Midnight Play' by Lisa Marie Perry

HEA shares an excerpt from Lisa Marie Perry's Midnight Play, book three in her The Blue Dynasty series. Midnight Play comes out this week.

Here's the blurb (courtesy of Harlequin Kimani):

Love evens the score

As general manager of the Las Vegas Slayers, Danica Blue goes toe-to-toe with players whose size is matched only by their egos. Quarterback Dex Harper is the biggest and toughest of them all, with a hell-raiser reputation that he insists he doesn't deserve. And Danica, the good daughter who's always played by the rules, is suddenly tempted to break every last one.

Football is the only thing Dex has ever been able to count on. To save his career he needs Danica's PR savvy, and he's happy to help her discover her inner bad girl in return. But glimpsing the real woman behind that sexy, flawless facade is making him realize how much is at stake. Because getting back on the team could mean losing Danica, unless he's willing to risk it all—and play for keeps….

Here's the excerpt (also courtesy of Harlequin Kimani):

Danica should have walked away—except she had an arsenal of smartass comebacks ready for this guy, who had the audacity to lurk on the terrace reserved for her friend's wedding. Well, it was nice that he'd caught her in the nick of time. But he was still holding her, his arm an iron vise around her waist.

And he was watching her as if expecting an actual answer. What was stopping her from kissing him? Certainly not distance. All he had to do was lower his mouth to fit effortlessly over hers.

Lips to lips…then she'd sample his taste with a soft stroke of her tongue…then she'd open her mouth under his…

Danica squeezed her eyes shut as it dawned that she'd been staring at his mouth.

"You can put me down now, Sir Galahad."

Dex set her on her feet. "And here I was, hoping you'd make good on that offer."

"Not gonna happen. I said I could kiss you. Not that I would. Besides, it's only an expression." Danica was desperate to focus on anything but him. What was it about formal-wear that highlighted nearly every attractive detail of a man's looks, anyway? The well-cut suit seemed to emphasize his height. The titanium-colored silk necktie complemented the gunmetal flecks in his blue eyes, which were even darker now than when she'd last seen him on the balcony of Slayers Club Lounge yesterday.

Hmm. Every time she ended up alone with this man, she was left with heart-thudding horniness that she didn't know how to handle.

"So, Dex—" she maneuvered her purse and bouquet under one arm and dug into the cake "—does the bride or groom know you're hanging around in the shadows like a creeper?"

"If you're asking whether I'm a crasher, the answer's no. My date models jewelry. She knows Mekhi Corrine." He smirked. Oh, it burned her up when men smirked at her, as if she existed for their amusement. "Another thing. Coming out here to make a call is no more creepy than hiding in the dark so no one sees you eating."

A snapshot of her shoveling cake into her mouth wouldn't appear flattering splashed all over TMZ. Not that she was obligated to explain that to him. He probably wouldn't understand if she tried to explain why she had to hide to eat cake. He dated models and actresses—women who were paid to be perfect.

"Why didn't you tell me you were here?"

"The truth?"

She took a bite of cake and smiled indulgently. "Nothing less."

"I saw you come out here, and all I could think about was what happened yesterday. I'm talking about you and me on that balcony, Danica. What could I have said to you tonight that wouldn't make things awkward for us both?"

"What about Hello?"

Dex raised his eyebrows. Then he gave the slightest of nods and slowly moved in close while she sucked frosting from her fork. Taking full advantage of the fact that she was positively paralyzed with anticipation, he stepped behind her. His fingers tantalized her skin as he gathered her hair in his fist and cupped her shoulder. Cool night air touched the nape of her neck just before his warm, firm mouth did.

Lazily, he left a path of those hot, full-pressure kisses from her hairline to the carefully tied bow that held her halter gown in place.

When his hand slid off her shoulder and roamed to cover her breast, all she could do was arch into his touch with a shallow sigh. Carnal agony. What else could describe a need so immediate and so intense?

"Hello, Danica," he murmured.

The words, all dressed up in the coarse timbre of his voice, rattled her every erogenous zone. She plucked the fork from her mouth and licked her lips to double-check that she hadn't just swallowed her tongue.

He took a step back. "By the time I'd made up my mind to just go back inside, you and the bride were already talking." he said, picking up the conversation as if she wasn't standing there nearly shaking with arousal—and furious because she was so turned on. "On the upside, I did get to play your Sir Galahad. Sounds to me like you could use one."

Danica frowned. "I don't need a hero, Dex. What I do need is a drink to go with my dessert."

Find out more at www.perrytalebooks.com.