Substitution

Fiorella is depressed and not feeling well this morning, so she'll entertain you with a couple ofpassages from one of Jeanell Bolton's romances:

            
 Rafe parked the truck and came around her side to lift her out. To anyone watching, he was a tall man courteously helping a height-challenged woman out of a big truck. They wouldn't know he skimmed his hands lightly--just enough that she knew they were there--along the outline of her hips. They wouldn't know he brushed her breasts against himself, tightening her nipples and sending her signals she was trying to ignore....
 *
 Backing out of her parking space, she  headed toward G&G Chicken across the river. Not that she felt that much like eating, but she didn't want to faint dead from hunger and have everyone in Bosque Bend think it was because she was heartsick about the break-up with Rafe.
  Her smile faced as she stopped at a red light.
  Oh crap. She was heartsick about it! She missed his coyboy drawl, his easy smile, those stupid sparking eyes. She missed talking with him and laughing with him. She missed his arm around her shoulders. And, yes, she missed  his hands going wherever they wanted to go.
  But it was all for the best, she reminded herself as the light changed. She was in Bosque Bend to direct the theater guild production, notto have a love affair with the chairman of the board.
  Correction--a sexual affair--no love involved!
*
 She was silent for a few minutes after confessing the part she'd played in covering up her late husband's death, then turned to stare out the side window again. Rafe respected her silence, but had the feeling she was building up to something.
  She removed his engagement ring from her finger and held it out to him. "And if you want this ring back, here it is."
  Like hell! She wasn't going to get rid of him this easily. He clenched his hand around hers and his sparkling eyes hardened into shards of steel. "Moira, what I want is for that ring to go right back on tour finger and stay there!.I love you and I'll stand by you, not matter what!"
*