Dee S. Knight
Somebody likes it hot.
I'm somebody!
Somebody likes it hot.
I'm somebody!
On a crowded bus in San Francisco, Austin Gardner is pushed against a man. Instead of inching away, he pulls her to him. Austin is shocked at first, but then lets fate take charge. An anonymous adventure on a crowded bus might be a safe diversion in the lonely, dull life she's living.
Tyler Birch spent years waiting for Austin to welcome getting to know him better, but time is up. The same afternoon he decides to act, he finds himself pressed against her on the bus trip home. Not one to turn down an opportunity, Tyler accepts the chance to mount a two-pronged attack. One as the anonymous stranger who sets Austin on fire with his touch, and the other as Tyler, who speaks to her soul.
Austin's desire flares for both men, ensuring trouble will follow. When the truth comes out, can she forgive Tyler? Or herself?
"Impatient Passion by Dee S. Knight is one of the most amazing novels I have read this year. It's highly erotic, full of romance and great characters, but more than that it is an unforgettable journey of one woman's desire and struggle to change her life.
Out of all Ms. Knight's wonderful stories, Impatient Passion is the best. Austin entranced me, made herself at home in my heart and refused to leave. Watching her take steps to change her life and becoming more self-confidant and aware of who she was was unforgettable. Here was a woman who knew she need and wanted to change, but had no idea how to go about it. A simple remark by her boss starts a chain reaction which led to her finding herself, improving her relationship with her mother, finding love and learning more about her own strengths and weaknesses. Impatient Passion is going straight to my keeper shelf, right after I get through rereading for the third time. Don't miss this incredible novel." - Sharyn McGinty, In the Library Reviews
"I have read It's All Relative and Impatient Passion - and highly recommend them. Although they are both contemporary erotic romances, and there are some hot sex scenes (especially Austin's encounters with a mystery stranger on a crowded bus in Impatient Passion, these books are not just all about sex. You get involved with the characters and their building relationships - the stories are full of emotion, passion and depth. Ms. Knight is a talented writer - you won't be disappointed in her books." - Pam P., A reader
"...probably the best erotic romance I've read and I've read many." - Dorothy, a reader
"The love scenes are hot...I hope it is not long before Ms. Knight has another book out." - 4 Hearts - The Romance Studio
"...one of the most touching love stories I've read in a long while. Tyler is the perfect man for Austin if she can only accept his love. The love scenes are not only hot, but tender and sweet as well. Ms. Knight, where I can find a man like Tyler for myself?" - Denise Powers, Sensual Romance
"This was a very in-depth, well structured read. Ms. Knight is very descriptive and thorough with her characters, so much that the reader feels a part of the story. Austin is a strong, independent woman, who is confident in her job but not her social life. The reader watches her grow in self- confidence throughout the book. Tyler is a successful, confident, tender man who knows what he wants and is determined to get it. I really enjoyed this book, and found myself cheering the characters on." - Maryellen Kunkel - Sensual Romance
"It is delightful to watch Austin change from her reserved self to a woman of confidence. ... What appealed to me in the book is that the hero declared his love for the heroine first and had to wait for her to make up her mind (even though we all know what her answer is going to be). It was skillfully done by the author. All in all, a good read." - 4 stars, Sam - Timeless Tales
Chapter 1
The beginning of another week stretched in front of Austin Gardner.
She looked forward to it much like she would a trip across the Mohave on foot. With no shoes. Or water. She knew it would be long and painful. Not only did she have to complete work on the Morris account for her supervisor, Henry Wyatt, but she faced umpteen meetings and, she had no doubt, at least a couple of run ins with Henry along the way.
She poured a steaming cup of coffee, lightened it with cream and stirred in two teaspoons of sugar before carrying it to her mother's bedroom.
Sarah Gardner, dazzling in a frilly, shocking pink bed jacket, was propped up with several pillows against the headboard. Her head was topped with the pink satin hair cover that she used every night. She was busy arranging her many bottles of pills on the nightstand within easy reach.
Austin set the cup down on the only free space on the bedside table she could find.
"Mother, I'll probably be home late tonight, but I'll bring dinner in, okay?"
"Well, I guess I don't have any choice, do I? What are you going to bring? How late will you be? You know I can't eat too late."
Her petulant tone grated on Austin's nerves but she kept control as she watched her mother finish aligning the bottles.
"I know. I should be home by eight, at the latest and I'll pick up something from The Mandarin. I have a project that has to be finished by Friday, and then next week should be easier on both of us. Is there anything you need before I go? Ruthie should be here shortly."
Ruthie Myers was the housekeeper/sitter Austin had hired to stay with her mother so that she wouldn't be alone all day. She was a pleasant woman with the patience of a saint, and she and Sarah enjoyed watching the soaps and gossiping all day about what was going on in town, in the building, and in Ruthie's large family.
"No." Her mother sighed, and then said in a peevish tone, "Just try not to be too late. I can't eat late, you know."
With some effort Austin kept her tone light. "I know. If I can get away sooner I will. I love you, Mother. Have a good day."
"I imagine it will be like every other day," she said, with a sniff. Then she found the remote to the television and turned on the local morning news show.
Austin paused in the living room and took a long look at the morning view of the San Francisco Bay. The sun-dappled water was already broken by sailboats skimming across it, and the hills of Tiburon and Sausalito caught the morning sunlight and shone like gold. She sighed as she reflected how her life had changed over the last two years.
The death of her Uncle Dan had been a terrible shock. Her mother had the heart problem, but her uncle, who had been as sweet and easygoing as her mother was difficult, had been the one to die of a heart attack.
Austin had loved him greatly, and his death, leaving her the sole caregiver for her mother, had taken her a long time to adjust to. He left Austin a large sum of money and investments which allowed her to buy the beautiful apartment she and her mother now shared, but it didn't make up for the loss of the man she'd loved with all her heart.
Then, just after his death she was assigned the Sampson account.
Handling the intricate website design for a company like Sampson Financials had been a challenge, but her concepts had been lauded by the client and won her three technology awards.
Before the Sampson account, she worked on her own with little interference from higher ups. She was given an account and would happily settle in to develop what the client needed. In fact, reading between the lines to determine what was needed and then incorporating features the client wanted, but hadn't quite known how to express, was what had been apparent in the Sampson Financials web site, and had been her hallmark ever since.
In two years she'd gone from a happy backbench employee to one in the spotlight and up for promotion to supervisor. It was not something Austin had planned on, and not something she was sure she wanted. As the supervisor's position loomed larger, her stress level, and, not coincidentally, her brushes with Henry, increased. He not only disliked her presence on his team, he obviously didn't want her as a competitor for higher positions.
With a resigned sigh, Austin picked up her backpack, slung her pocketbook over her shoulder and went out the door. Ruthie was just letting herself in.
"Hi, Ruthie. I hope you have a good day. I'll be late getting home, but I'll bring something in, so don't bother making dinner."
"Oh, okay, but you know how she likes to have her dinner early."
"I know, and she'll live. Thanks! Call if you need anything during the day." Austin waved and made her way to the elevators.
Austin caught the Number Thirty bus at the stop directly across the street from her building. As she settled into a seat, she mentally ticked off what she had left to do for the Morris site.
Henry would need a day to go over her work before he showed it to the clients, and she knew that he would pick it apart looking for flaws. At least his pickiness kept her on her toes, but she could have done without the additional pressure this week. In fact, part of the strain she felt didn't come from work, but from personal stress.
On Saturday she turned thirty-five, and she was having a mini life-crisis. Pressure at work, her mother's increasing difficulty, not having many friends to share things with, and the lack of a family of her own were making her begin to wonder what was wrong with her.
As the bus made its starts and stops on the way to Union Square, Austin stopped thinking about her project at work and took mental stock of herself.
Many people had told her how intelligent she was, and that she had a good personality with a sharp sense of humor. Or at least I used to, she thought ruefully, wondering when she had last exhibited it.
She couldn't remember the last time she had gone out just to have fun and a few laughs. Maybe that was something she should work on. She had a sense of adventure, but again, it was not something she'd exercised in awhile. Really, since before her Uncle Dan died.
She sighed and concentrated on her physical attributes. She was no raving beauty, but she was fairly tall and slender. What people described as "willowy." I have good posture, good teeth, and nice hair with no dandruff, she thought with a smile. My hair is just ash blonde, but at least it's natural. "I'm not ugly."
At a startled glance from the man sitting beside her, she realized she had spoken out loud. "Sorry," she murmured.
So, what was the problem? She sighed again. She'd had this conversation with herself several times in the past few months, and hadn't come to any conclusion as to what to do. She knew she wasn't Jennifer Aniston, but she didn't have any illusions about finding Brad Pitt, either. She just wanted a good man to hold her and love her, and introduce her to those delicious mysteries of sex she'd been yearning for lately.
With the thought of her birthday looming ahead of her, Austin realized just how lonely she was. But she had no idea what to do about it.
The morning crowds poured onto the bus as it pulled into North Beach, and Austin knew that soon she would have to jockey for a position toward the door if she was going to squeeze off at her stop at Sutter and Stockton. Crowding was the worst thing about riding this particular bus, but in San Francisco owning a car was definitely a problem.
She felt a tingle run along her spine. One like a person gets when a disaster is about to strike. One she associated with the company president, Tyler Birch. Usually it meant that he was nearby, but she assumed it was just because she was ready to get off the bus near the office. One thing was certain, Tyler Birch was a good man to stay away from, and her early warning system normally allowed her to avoid him.
A few minutes later she stood and wedged herself between two men standing with their briefcases. One of them immediately took her seat, brushing against her as he did so. The other tried to allow her room to get to the door, but she still pressed hard against him.
"Sorry," she said without looking up.
"That's okay," he replied. At the next stop Austin exited the bus and walked to Post Street, and into the building that housed Bay Web Computer Consulting in eight office spaces on its sixteenth floor.
She crowded into the elevator and was pushed back against the wall as it made stops at almost every floor. By the seventh floor that tingly feeling was still bothering her. She felt eyes on her and looked around. Tyler Birch, president of her firm and son of the founder, was against the side wall, watching her. When their eyes made contact, he half smiled and nodded good morning to her. She caught her breath, frowned, and made a quick nod in response then looked away. What a way to start the day, she thought, wondering how she was to avoid him when they got off of the elevator. She needn't have worried about keeping her distance. He exited the elevator ahead of her and was in the suite and on his way to his corner office by the time she got to the lobby.
