Falling for a hot guy is not in her plans. He’s got a different agenda.
Nothing much ever happens in Forsythia Falls—except the only robbery anyone can remember, which leaves Asia Smith tied up in her grandmother’s antique shop. Just her luck, her rescuer turns out to be Marcus Thorne, the single most tempting morsel of male flesh she’s ever encountered. As he unties her knots, his touch sorely tests her resolve to avoid any involvement with the male species. A bestselling author, Marcus is used to women throwing themselves at him. Asia’s resistance to his charm is a whole new challenge, a temptation he has no intention of resisting. All he has to do is break down her defenses and get at the soft, willing woman he suspects is hiding inside. As chance—and her meddling grandmother—throw them together, Asia tries to remember why she shouldn’t just follow her friends’ advice to jump on Marcus and ride him until she can’t see straight. In one storm-swept night, she throws caution to the wild wind and savors pleasures she’d almost forgotten. Except some old hurts just won’t stay in the past. Marcus peels away her inhibitions with sizzling ease. But now comes the biggest challenge of all—winning her trust.
Warning: This book contains a resistant damsel in distress, a sexy-as-hell hero who can cook, adventures with rope, great food, and oodles of red-hot sex.
eBooks are not transferable. They cannot be sold, shared or given away as it is an infringement on the copyright of this work. This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locale or organizations is entirely coincidental. Samhain Publishing, Ltd. 577 Mulberry Street, Suite 1520 Macon GA 31201 Bound and Determined Copyright © 2011 by Anara Bella ISBN: 978-1-60928-483-1 Edited by Heidi Moore Cover by Angela Waters All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. First Samhain Publishing, Ltd. electronic publication: August 2011 www.samhainpublishing.com
Bound and Determined Anara Bella
Dedication
To my cousin, Sylvia. You’ve always been the sister of my heart. To Samantha Storm and Leah Braemel, the best critique partners ever. Your support and friendship are priceless. To my editor, Heidi. I can’t thank you enough for all you do.
Chapter One
The next time she was tied up, it would only be because it was her idea. Asia Llewellyn Smith squirmed around trying to find a more comfortable position, but no matter what she did it just wasn’t happening. She moved this way and that, contorted herself into every conceivable position until she felt like a pretzel, but nothing worked. With a frustrated groan, she gave up on the comfort thing and flopped back against the wall. What the hell should she do? Her gaze scanned the immediate vicinity but there wasn’t much to see. Trussed up like a pig ready for roasting on a spit, all she could do was take in what was directly in front of her—the backside of the cash register counter in her grandmother’s antique shop. Since she’d already checked it out thoroughly, she knew there wasn’t anything of use back here. Of course, that didn’t stop her from scouring the cubbyholes again, as if by sheer force of will something helpful would miraculously appear. But no, the slots still only held the usual paraphernalia needed for cashing out customers. It didn’t take a genius to know that neither blank receipts, paper, pens, nor ribbon were going to help her out of her current predicament. Not unless she could set fire to the paper with her nonexistent laser-beam vision and burn the ropes off her wrists. All without burning her hands to a crisp or setting the store on fire. Yeah, right. And to make matters worse, dust balls, lint and flakes of paper taunted her with their unwanted presence. Who knew it was this dirty in the back corners of these stupid cubbyholes? She made a mental note to give them a good cleaning first chance she got and refocused on looking for something that might help her escape these damned ropes. But nope. Nada. No way. Wasn’t happening. The only thing that might have helped was the pair of scissors lying just out of reach on the countertop. But since she couldn’t stand, they may as well have been in Timbuktu for all the good they did her up there. “Damn it.” In a sudden burst of complete exasperation, she wriggled and twisted her wrists and ankles with frenzied frustration until the pain from the ropes digging in was almost intolerable. With a final freaked-out flourish she gave up and threw herself back against the wall. If she ever got her hands on the creep who’d robbed the store and tied her up, he’d be sorry he’d ever stepped foot in the door.
Bound and Determined
And damn it all to hell, the stupid ropes were still digging in, as tight now as they’d been the last time she’d tried to loosen them a couple of minutes ago. She ignored the tiny voice that said the definition of insanity was doing the same thing over and over again hoping for a different outcome. After all, it wasn’t crazy to try to get oneself free. It’d be crazy not to. She slumped as much as she was able to in her current awkward position and tried to use her brain instead of her nonexistent brawn. Think, girl. Think. Maybe if she screamed her head off, someone walking past the store would hear her this time. It was certainly worth a try. She took a deep breath, preparing to belt out the mother of all cries for help when the friendly tinkling of the bell over the front door of Astrid’s Antiques rang out. Thank God. The cavalry had arrived. “Hello! Is somebody there? I need some help over here!” There was a slight pause and then, “Hello? Where are you?” Oh no. Why’d it have to be him? Would nothing go her way today? She gritted her teeth as the deep, ultra-sexy voice tripped down her spine, zapping awake feelings she thought she’d conquered long ago. The fact that she wasn’t the least bit interested in feeling these kinds of feelings didn’t matter because there they were doing the fandango in her chest anyway. She clamped down on the unwanted sexual awareness with a firm determination only two years of relentless stomping could accomplish. One thing she knew for sure, men were definitely overrated. At least that’s what she kept telling herself. For a moment, she was tempted not to say anything back to her would-be savior just so she didn’t have to face him in her current predicament. Fleeting hope rose. Hell, he might even go away without looking for her. She pondered which was worse. Being hog-tied by a petty criminal or having this guy find her all trussed up? She closed her eyes and for a moment wished the earth would swallow her whole. And then she relented. Like it or not, being freed was more important than the humiliation of being caught in this totally stupid, embarrassing situation. It still took her two tries to get the words out. “Over here. Behind the cash register.” The sound of solid footsteps got closer until a handsome face, complete with square-cut jaw and electric-blue eyes peered over the top of the counter. “My God, what happened?” Oh, hell. Even in her current jam, the man’s sex appeal zapped her right between the eyes. Just like it always did. The passage of time didn’t seem to lessen the impact either. No matter how many times she saw him. He was gorgeous beyond belief. In a rough-hewn, too-yummy-for-words sort of way that looked just as good in a suit as it did in well-worn jeans. If you liked that kind of look, that is. Which she most assuredly did not. At all. Nuh-uh, not her.
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She stomped on the lone dissident voice manifesting itself as a flicker of lust in her belly. Who needed men anyway? Annoyed she’d had to snuff lustful thoughts out of her head in the first place, she snapped back to attention and stiffened her spine. Metaphorically speaking that is, since she couldn’t move much so her literal spine was going to have to stay all wonky for the time being. “What do you think happened? I was robbed.” Whoa, that came out snarky. Marcus Thorne sure did have a tendency to bring out her bitchy side. Actually, all gorgeous men had that effect on her at the best of times and this wasn’t even close to the best of times for her. But Marcus got under her skin more than any other guy ever had. He put her on red alert with a vengeance every time she saw him. Yep, Mr. Hunkorama was the last person she wanted to see. Ever. And her current vulnerable state only served to make her bad mood worse. This was turning out to be one hell of a day. Starting with the coffee she’d spilled all over her morning paper right up to being robbed at gunpoint and trussed up like a calf ready for branding. And as if all of that weren’t enough, her nose itched. Not just a little bit mind you, but enough to make her eyes water. And no way in hell was she asking him to scratch it. She’d let her nose fall off first. She sighed. Yep, one hell of a day. She was uncomfortable, embarrassed and just plain mad as a stepped-on hornet. Way beyond trying to be nice to anyone. Even someone who was going to save her ass. Not when the would-be hero turned out to be the one man who was a chink in her armor. The single most tempting morsel of male flesh she’d ever encountered in her entire life. Bar none. To say she resented the effect he had on her with all her being was putting it mildly. Hunky Boy hurried around the counter and knelt beside her. He either didn’t notice her caustic tone or chose to ignore it. “Are you hurt? How long have you been like this?” Leaning closer, he examined the ropes on her wrists. “I’m fine.” She blew a wayward strand of her perpetually flyaway blonde hair out of her eyes. “Feels like I’ve been tied up for hours, but I’d guess it’s been about thirty minutes. Plenty of time for the jerk to be long gone and way past long enough for my hands and feet to go numb.” “Let’s see if I can get these ropes off you.” Thank God. For several minutes there was no sound except the soft classical music her grandmother insisted on playing in the store. Well, that and their combined soft breathing as he worked at loosening the ropes. Their unaccustomed closeness heightened her awareness of everything about him. How great he smelled, how big he was, how annoyingly irresistible she found him. His callused fingers kept brushing her skin as he worked at the knots, making her all soft and fluttery inside. And she so didn’t want to feel soft and fluttery. When that happened, lustful thoughts couldn’t be far behind.
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Bound and Determined
Sure enough, Asia’s wild imagination sprang to heated images of those long fingers doing a whole lot of things she didn’t want to dwell on. Like what those fingers would feel like on other parts of her body. Secret parts. Parts that cried out for a man’s touch. Parts she’d ignored by choice for the past couple of years. And for good reason too. Men made women messy. They made you lose yourself. Lose control of who you were. And open yourself up to getting hurt. Irritated by the way just being around this guy made her think of sex, she reminded herself that most men were jerks who wanted to take control of your life. Especially the full-of-themselves gorgeous ones like Marcus. Impatient to be free and put some distance between them, she craned her neck, trying to see if he was making any progress. But nope, she couldn’t see a thing past his touchable head of chestnut hair. Damn it. What was taking so long? “You making any headway back there?” “Almost got it.” She bit back the “hurry up already” that jumped to her lips. He was certain to be doing his best and it wasn’t his fault the thief was some kind of idiot savant with rope. “How much longer?” Damn it, she was starting to sound whiny. She hated it when she sounded whiny. When that happened, pleading couldn’t be far behind. “Almost there. Just this last little bit to go.” He shifted his position and Asia gritted her teeth again, ignoring the frisson of goose bumps dancing along her nape as his warm breath caressed the sensitive skin there. Oh God, when will this torture end? She was ready to promise her first born to the entire gamut of pagan gods just to be free and not have to endure his closeness any longer when he finally leaned back. Her sense of relief was fleeting at best. His keen blue gaze locked with hers, shocking her senses with the sheer pull of his animal magnetism. “That does it.” Her belly fluttered, her breath hitched, her face heated. Oh yeah, that did it all right. She was sucked right into the vortex of his spell. She blinked. “What?” For a second she wondered what he was talking about. And then the momentary stupor passed and she noticed her hands were free. “Oh. Right. The ropes. Thank you.” She brought her hands forward with aching slowness. Her arms felt like lead and the shift in position had her shoulders screeching their relief in an achingly unpleasant way.
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And her hands, God, they may have looked the same as they always did but they felt ten times their normal size, as if they had invisible pillows wrapped around them. And how deceptive was that, because they weren’t protected from anything. When the blood came rushing back into her fingers, it started up an excruciating knife-like tingling that all but took her breath away. She fought back tears from the weird stinging pain. In truth, she didn’t know what to do with herself. What to do to make it hurt less. To distract herself, she began the agonizing process of straightening her legs. It was slow, excruciating work because her legs also felt like lead, and she didn’t dare use her hands for fear of making the pain throbbing through them even worse. Suddenly, Marcus’s hands were there, helping to bring her legs around. It was a show of consideration that took her by surprise, although it shouldn’t have. He wasn’t a monster. Except in her overheated, lustfilled mind, and that was only because she didn’t want to feel the way she did about him. But damn it. The last thing she needed was a guy who was hot, smart and kind. Someone shoot her already. Please. At the very least it would take her mind off of him. “Let’s get these off too.” Marcus started fiddling with the ropes still around her ankles, his complete concentration evident in the tilt of his head and the way he bit his full bottom lip. Lips that looked firm and yet soft at the same time. Damn, but she wanted to kiss those lips. She licked her own in response and his gaze followed the movement, dwelling there a long moment before moving up to her eyes. She felt herself flush at the intensity in his look. She wanted to look away, knew she should, but couldn’t seem to do it. Something hot and electric flashed between them. Before long she was leaning in, yearning growing inside her exponentially. When he broke eye contact and looked back at what he was doing she felt the loss of connection with him like a physical blow. If she’d been standing, she wouldn’t have been surprised if she’d fallen to her knees. In that moment it had seemed as if time had stopped, and she was kind of surprised to realize it hadn’t. His fingers still moved with confidence over the ropes, working to loosen them, to free her. Aware of him on every level possible, she again tried to ignore the feel of his fingers as they grazed the sensitive skin surrounding her ankles. Well, on the parts that still had feeling left in them. Dear God, how did this guy manage to turn her into a sex-crazed nymphomaniac anytime he was near? No other man could turn the act of freeing her into some kind of erotic fantasy. How he did it, she didn’t know since she’d never before even dreamed of being tied up for sex. She seriously needed to get a grip. But even as she had the thought, she shivered from the delicious contact as if he’d stroked her in an intimately sexual way. She tried to be strong. She really did. But it was useless.
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Instead she fought between wishing those big, strong hands would continue on an exploratory quest up her leg to the apex of now-throbbing need and wondering how she’d endure his touch at all if he did. To cut off any more wayward thoughts about sex, she focused on the pain in her hands. The tingling had eased somewhat, but not enough for real relief. She was grateful for the distraction it afforded her. Suddenly, she was all tapped out. She didn’t know how much more stimulation she could handle from the superhot stud who was saving her, and who was the very last thing she needed in her life. No matter how tempting he was, no matter how much she wanted him, he was major big bad news for her.
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Chapter Two
Marcus glanced at the uncomfortable and clearly annoyed woman sitting before him. God, even when she was glaring at him she took his breath away. Beautiful and distant, Ms. Asia Smith was an interesting conundrum. She was the main reason he kept coming back to this shop. Just so he could see her again. Having grown up with four older sisters, he felt like he’d pretty much seen it all. That there wasn’t any mystery left when it came to women. And he sure wasn’t used to women who could confound him. He had to admit, that probably added to Asia’s appeal. As did the way she reacted to him. Most women seemed drawn to him. But not Asia. This woman was different. If he took her at face value he would have run for the hills long ago, but therein lay the conundrum. On the surface her attitude screamed back off, but her body language and a certain something in her eyes told a completely different tale. Those eyes promised a world of things he wanted to explore. A world filled with pleasure, challenge and hot sex. They called him. Drew him in. And sucked him under. Every. Single. Time. It was the message in their emerald green depths that did it, made him want more. No, made him want everything she had to give. Now all he had to do was convince her to go out with him some time. He chuckled inwardly. Climbing Mount Everest would be easier to accomplish. She’d made it more than clear she didn’t want anything to do with him. But still, beneath the tough exterior, the way she looked at him sometimes, the churning emotions he caught in her bright-green eyes, there was something more. Something elusive. Something captivating. She reminded him of a Tootsie Pop—hard on the outside but all soft and squishy on the inside. And he really, really wanted to bite into that hard outer shell, crack it wide open and gorge on the soft inner sweetness. Not that he was being pushy or anything, but he kept coming around the shop trying to soften her up. Get her used to him. Coming in once a week to buy a piece of furniture or a knickknack he didn’t need wasn’t a great plan. But it was a way to keep coming around the shop without looking like some kind of stalker. He’d figured she’d warm up to him in time, but it hadn’t worked out that way so far.
Bound and Determined
As near as he could tell, she wasn’t against him in particular. She seemed determined to keep all men at arm’s length. He didn’t know why but he aimed to find out. Because he was pretty sure that on some level she was attracted to him too. At least he hoped so, because one thing was for certain, he couldn’t get her out of his head. And his damned cock was on full-alert whenever she was anywhere close by. She was an intriguing combination of sexy and snarky that was guaranteed to get his full attention. But if he wanted to do anything about it, he had to get past her protective armor and get to know her a lot better. He wasn’t quite sure how he was going to pull off that amazing feat, but he was nothing if not inventive. And he loved a challenge. Especially one as delectable as Asia. He glanced at the beautiful woman tied up before him, and as inappropriate as it was under the circumstances, he couldn’t quite fight off images of her tied to his bed, hot, wet and writhing beneath him as he worked her into a frenzy. Forcing his mind back to what he was doing, he focused on the ropes before him. He tugged them this way and that in an effort to loosen the knots, but no matter how hard he focused on those ropes, he couldn’t forget he had her lovely delicate foot in his hand. And he couldn’t resist letting his fingers brush against the soft skin of her bare ankle. Thank God it was summer, the season of short skirts, bare legs and strappy shoes. Being this close to her, he couldn’t help but wish he had the right to touch her like this all the time. To explore the gentle curve of her calf, kiss the soft skin behind her knee, taste his way up her silky inner thigh and beyond. Wondering how he could bring that happy circumstance about was taking up more and more of his time of late. But no matter how much he appreciated being able to touch her right now, he sure as hell wished it hadn’t taken her being robbed and tied up to make it happen. As he untied the last knot and the ropes fell away, he saw the chafed skin that showed where they’d dug into her tender flesh and fresh anger made him swear under his breath. The soft skin of her wrists and ankles were almost raw from how unnecessarily tight she’d been bound. If he ever got his hands on the asshole who’d done this, he’d make him wish he’d never been born. “There you go.” “Finally.” Asia’s harsh exclamation jarred him out of his thief-throttling fantasy. “The skin looks pretty raw. You okay?” “I’m fine.” She pretty much snapped the comment out, then stopped and sighed. “Sorry. My nerves are raw too.” Not surprising under the circumstances. “I don’t doubt it. I’d better call the police.” Her head shot up. “That’s okay. I can do it.”
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He couldn’t mistake her defensive tone. “I know you can, but it’s easier for me to do it. Just rest for a minute. Give your hands and feet a chance to get back to normal.” She hesitated but finally conceded, making him almost cheer at the tiny victory. He made the call, all the while watching her massage her hands and feet, wishing he could be the one doing it for her. After giving the 9-1-1 dispatcher the particulars, he hung up. “How are you feeling? Can I get you anything?” She shook her head, which sent her riotous shoulder-length curls into a golden dance around her face. “I’m fine.” She struggled to get to her feet and he reached out a hand. “Here, let me help.” She tried to shrug him off. “I can do it myself.” He sighed inwardly. “Of course you can, but I’m right here. Don’t be so stubborn.” “I’m not stubborn.” “You are from where I’m standing.” She glared at him, conveying her annoyance, no doubt because he’d hit the nail on the head. Then she huffed and took his hand. “Fine.” The moment his fingers closed over hers he felt the sizzle between them. Her dainty hand felt so good in his. Firm, strong and yet gentle, just like the woman. Giving a slight pull, he helped her to her feet. At least he thought it was a slight pull. Obviously he didn’t know his own strength, because in the next moment her entire body was plastered up against him. He didn’t think he’d pulled that hard but somehow, here she was in his arms. Just where he wanted her to be. Maybe it was subconscious. Nice move. The hand he wasn’t holding was curled around his biceps, her ample breasts pressed up against his chest with her forehead on his shoulder. He swore electricity passed between them. And if he didn’t miss his guess, she was every bit as aware of it as he was. She swallowed, her breath fast and shallow. She was actually trembling. Things are looking up. She kept her head down, refusing to meet his gaze, so with his free hand he nudged her chin up until she was looking him right in the eyes. Uncertainty clouded the emerald-green depths, but there was a hint of want there as well. He was certain of it. The need to kiss her pulled deep in his gut. He leaned in, taking his time so she could turn away if she wanted. The last thing he wanted to do was spook her. He was almost there, just a hair’s breadth away, could almost feel her soft lips against his. Taste their sweetness. But she jerked her head back and pushed him away. Not meeting his eyes, she turned and picked the ropes up off the floor. “The police will probably want these.”
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So she wanted to play it like that, did she? Okay, he’d let her get away with it. This time. “Probably. I imagine they’ll check the store for fingerprints too.” She nodded, still avoiding his eyes. “Guess I’d better not touch anything.” Something in her tone screamed that she meant him most of all. “I wouldn’t.” And he was dead serious, because it wouldn’t take much for him to just grab her and kiss her senseless the way he wanted to. She nodded again, then turned away to wander around the store. “You don’t have to stick around. I’m sure you have other things to do.” He smiled at her obvious efforts to get rid of him but he wasn’t having any of that. “I do, but I’d better stick around in case the police want to ask me any questions.” She stopped short as if she hadn’t thought of that. “Right.” There was no letup in the awkward silence between them until the police arrived. Then all they had time for was explanations and answering questions. When the police were finished questioning him, Marcus didn’t rush off. He watched Asia while he determined to find a way to spend more time with her. A tiny crack had shown itself in her façade today. She’d almost let him kiss her. Had wanted him to kiss her until she’d talked herself out of it. That was something he could work with, and he sure as hell intended to do just that. If it was the last thing he did, he’d find a way to break that crack wide open and take everything she had to give.
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Chapter Three
Still shook up after everything that had happened, Asia sat with her two closest friends in their favorite window booth at Lettie’s Diner. The much-loved eatery was one of the few places to eat out in the small town of Forsythia Falls, but luckily for its 1,913 residents the food was excellent. Not that it made any difference. Asia wasn’t doing much more than shifting the French fries around on her plate. She was here because she couldn’t face being alone in her apartment above the shop, not because she was hungry. So she’d asked her friends to meet her here after work. Tucking her long red hair behind her ear, her best friend Thea asked, “How the hell did he get away without anyone seeing him?” Asia glanced across the street at the antique shop, flashing back to the ordeal of being tied up, and frowned. “They found the mask he was wearing by the back door of the shop. The theory is he fled out the back and just walked away like nothing happened.” Lexi shook her head. “Well don’t expect him to be caught anytime soon by the cops in this rinky-dink town. They’d give Dumb and Dumber a run for its money.” Thea snorted. “The thief is probably long gone, but he would’ve been just as safe if he’d stayed. The only way he’d get caught around here is if he was accidentally run over by a cop car while jaywalking.” They all laughed in agreement. “So true.” Still chuckling, Asia realized the laugh had helped ease something within her. Suddenly, she could breathe again. She knew getting together with her friends would help. Thea shook her head and said for what had to be the sixth time already, “I still can’t believe something like that could happen right here in Forsythia Falls.” Lexi emphatically nodded her agreement. “Me either. I mean, it’s so quiet here. Nothing interesting ever happens in this Podunk town.” Asia loved this town and everything about it. The town’s one claim to fame was their unpretentious little falls, pretty enough to draw a decent number of tourists in the summer months but not enough to overwhelm the residents. She’d grown up here and couldn’t imagine living anywhere else, but she knew Lexi was having a difficult time adjusting. “You still aren’t used to it here, are you?” Lexi shrugged. “It’s better since you guys took me under your wings, but I grew up in a big city. Guess I’m just used to a lot more hustle and bustle.”
Bound and Determined
Thea patted Lexi’s hand. “Give it some time. You’ve only been here five months. You’re still settling in.” Lexi’s sleek brown bob caught the light as she nodded. “I know. But the one thing I haven’t missed is the crime. Are you sure you’re all right?” Asia wondered how long it would be before she was sick of answering that question. Or how long it would take for her stock answer to be true, because right now she wasn’t sure when she would really feel fine again. “I’m fine. I just needed to be with my friends. I knew spending some time with you guys would help get my mind off it.” Thea grimaced. “I guess it would help if we stopped talking about it.” Having told them every detail about the robbery and her ordeal afterwards, Asia couldn’t have agreed more. “So let’s talk about something else.” Lexi put down the salt shaker. “Ooh, I know. Tell us everything you can remember about Mr. New York Times Bestseller Marcus Thorne.” Like that’s going to help. True to his name, Marcus had been the biggest thorn in her side since she’d met him. And he was the very last person Asia wanted to think about. She feigned nonchalance and shrugged. “I told you everything already.” Thea pounced on Asia’s comment. “I knew it. You like him.” Startled, Asia’s eyes shot to Thea. “I do not.” “Oh yeah, you really do.” Lexi jumped in. “Did I miss something?” Thea laughed. “When you’ve known Asia as long as I have you can’t help but see the signs.” Asia harrumphed. “You’re hallucinating again.” “No, I’m not. Any other time you’d tell me every little detail about this guy just because you know I’m interested. The fact that you’re clamming up like this means that you’re attracted to him and you’re fighting it.” Damn. “There are times when it’s really annoying that you know me so well.” Thea smirked, quite pleased with herself. “I know you better than you know yourself.” “You probably do. But I still don’t want to talk about him.” “You don’t want to talk about men, period. You can’t assume every guy you meet is the same kind of cheating shithead as Davis.” Thea reached for the pepper shaker. Asia gestured roundly with her fork. “I know that, but it’s not like the jerks have ‘shithead supremo, avoid at all costs’ tattooed on their foreheads. There’s no way to tell the good guys from the bad.” And that terrified Asia. Her instincts when it came to men sucked. She was convinced it was genetic. All the women in her family picked losers, as evidenced by the fact that she’d never known her father or grandfather.
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Thea broke into her thoughts. “Well, no. You have to get to know them better. That’s why we have this little ritual called dating. You may have heard of it.” Thea laid the sarcasm on thick. Asia ignored it. “But by the time you get to know them, it’s too late. You’re in too deep and you end up with your heart ripped to shreds.” And she should know. Hers had been shattered when she found her fiancé screwing his secretary in their bed just three weeks before the wedding. The whole thing had been like some horrific cliché. She could still picture the unrepentant smirk on his face when instead of begging Asia for forgiveness, he’d invited her to join them. She only wished the vase she’d thrown at his head had actually hit him instead of smashing to smithereens against the headboard. Lexi, who’d been quietly listening to their exchange, spoke up. “But if you don’t try again with someone new, the jerk wins. He’s still affecting your life, controlling you, even though he’s not around.” Asia stilled. She’d never thought of it that way before. Still, was it worth risking your heart just to stick it to someone else? “Lexi’s right. Are you really going to let what Davis did ruin the rest of your life? Really?” Put like that it sounded almost dumb, except… “That’s not the way it is. That’s not what I’m doing. I’m just protecting myself from getting hurt again. That’s my choice.” Thea snorted. “Are you listening to yourself here? By shutting down that part of your life you’re continuing to make Davis a huge part of it.” “No, I’m not.” Lexi interjected. “In point of fact, you are.” Asia glared at the two of them. “You’re both traitors. And you’re ganging up on me. I was just robbed and tied up, the least you could do is baby me a bit.” “For the robbery, you need babying. For the rest of it, you need a kick in the pants. Right now, the kicking part is winning. We’ll baby you afterwards. Ooh, a crispy one.” Thea stole an extra-crispy fry off Asia’s plate. Asia didn’t even bat an eye. After twenty-five years, she was used to Thea pinching food off her plate. “Gee, thanks for the understanding.” Lexi forked a couple of fries and dipped them into her ketchup. “Thea’s right. I didn’t know you before what happened with Davis, but I’ve often worried that you shut yourself off too much.” Thea snorted. “That’s an understatement. Look, you’ve had your little wallow. Had plenty of time to lick your wounds and hide from the world. I think this interest you have in Marcus is healthy. It’s a sign that it’s time for you to move on.” Lexi nodded. “She’s right.” Asia heartily disagreed but didn’t comment.
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Thea continued, “Even if you’re not ready for a relationship, after two years you must be ready for some down-and-dirty sex. And who better to give it to you than Forsythia Falls’ very own local playboy. You’d know exactly where you stand with him. By all accounts, he’s a nice guy but not the settling-down type, and he’s sure to have loads of experience. I’d say he’s perfect for the job.” Lexi nodded again. “Thea’s right. I hear he has to fight the women off with a stick, so he must be awesome between the sheets. Well worth giving him a try.” Electric-blue eyes and the memory of hard flesh under her fingers made her feel hot and cold and shivery all over. The man was seriously dangerous to her self-control. “I don’t think that’s such a good idea.” “Why the hell not? You’ve complained about Marcus hitting on you for weeks so we know he’s interested. Hell, I wish he was interested in me. I’d ride him until my eyes crossed and I couldn’t walk anymore.” For a split second indignation flared inside of Asia. And just as quickly vanished as she realized how stupid that was. Marcus wasn’t hers and Thea was welcome to him. “Be my guest.” “Listen to me, Asia. If the opportunity presents itself, go for it. Have crazy monkey sex with the guy and then move on if that’s what you really want. At least you’ll be making some progress toward getting on with your life.” Asia wanted to tell Thea to mind her own business but the words stalled in her throat. Because the truth was, no matter how much she hated to admit it, she was torn. The wild and crazy part of her wanted to do just what Thea suggested—ride Marcus hard until she couldn’t see straight. She missed sex, but what if she couldn’t keep her heart out of it? Could she risk getting hurt like that again? The mousy wimp in her wasn’t willing to take that chance and that was the part that held her back. And so far, that was the part that was winning. Had been for the past two years. And she didn’t see that changing anytime soon.
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Chapter Four
“You’re certain you’re okay?” Asia picked at a stubborn bit of gunk stuck to the bottom of the cubbyhole she was cleaning and tried hard not to feel exasperated at the oft-repeated question. She knew everyone was concerned for her, but it was hard not to think about the robbery when everyone kept bringing it up. And she really needed to stop thinking about the robbery. “Yes, Gram, I’m sure. Don’t worry about me.” Peeking over the counter, which was currently covered with the emptied cubbyhole contents, she watched as her grandmother flitted from item to item in the store like some drunken hummingbird. An action Asia usually found comforting because it was typical for Gram, but right now her grandmother just looked troubled. What made her constant motion singularly amazing was that her grandmother was sixty-five years old. But she neither looked, nor acted, anywhere near her age. Which was just one of the many things Asia loved about her. “Don’t talk nonsense, child. Of course I’m going to worry about you.” Asia frowned at Gram’s sharp tone and stood, stretching her legs in the process. “Well, try not to, okay. To tell you the truth, I’m just relieved we didn’t have much in the till.” Waving away her concern, her grandmother pshawed the very idea. “I could care less about the money. It’s you I care about. I’m so glad Marcus was here to help you. Such a nice young man.” Asia rolled her eyes at Gram’s obvious matchmaking. “Yes, but I wasn’t in any danger by then.” “Still, you could have been stuck tied up for hours before someone found you.” Asia shuddered at the mere thought of it. She couldn’t bear to think of what that would have been like. Thirty minutes had been a half hour too long. “Well, I wasn’t, so everything worked out fine. I just wish the thief hadn’t been wearing a mask so I could have identified him.” Gram stared off in the distance, looking even more agitated. “Yes. A real shame.” What was up with her today? “Is something wrong?” “No, no. It’s just that I guess we’ll never find the thief. But that’s the way it goes sometimes. So many unsolved crimes these days.” Huh? “Not in Forsythia Falls.” Her grandmother’s pacing jerked to a sudden stop. “Really, Asia. That’s only because there’s almost never any crime here. Besides, it’s for the best that you can’t identify him.”
Bound and Determined
Asia blinked. “Why’s that?” Her Gram stopped and finally let her worry show. “Because you might not be safe if he thought you could identify him. This way, he’ll leave you alone.” At last, the reason why Gram was acting so strange. She rushed to reassure her. “You’re right. He won’t bother with me or the shop anymore. Especially since he got almost nothing. No reason for him to come back.” Thank God for that. She changed the subject since the topic bothered her grandmother. It bothered her too, but she wouldn’t let Gram know that. “So, what are your plans for tonight?” Her grandmother’s periwinkle-blue skirt puffed out when she resumed traipsing about. Nothing kept her grandmother down. She had more life in her little finger than a lot of people half her age had in their whole body. With relief, Asia saw the worry leave Gram’s face as the twinkle returned to her eyes. “Sam’s taking me to dinner and then we’re going over to Frank and Myrtle’s for canasta. And don’t forget, I won’t be here on Friday.” Her grandmother stopped moving and looked back at Asia. “Are you sure about this? I still think Sam and I should cancel our weekend at the bed and breakfast.” Asia shook her head emphatically. No way was she going to be responsible for ruining Gram’s plans. It was the first anniversary of Sam and her grandmother’s first date. How many of those did you have at their age? Not many, she’d warrant. “I already told you. I want you to go.” “But won’t you be nervous in the shop all by yourself?” Asia strove to exude a confidence she didn’t feel, ignoring the nervous flutter in her stomach. She’d get over it. “I’ll be fine. Go, have fun. Enjoy your hot weekend.” Gram scrutinized Asia and then relented with a wink. “We will.” Asia grinned. “I can’t believe your social calendar is busier than mine.” “Since you refuse to date, that’s your own fault.” She’d stepped into that one. “You know I’m not interested in getting involved with anyone.” Her grandmother snorted. “You’re scared is what you are. Ever since you broke up with Davis you’ve shunned men.” Asia wanted to refute what she said but couldn’t. “That’s not because I’m afraid. It’s common sense. Men are only out for themselves.” “Not all of them are cheaters like Davis.” But they still couldn’t be trusted. “I know, but I don’t want to get involved with anyone else. I’m not ready.” Her thoughts flew to Marcus and the way he made her feel with just a look, but she shoved him out of her head. She was just missing sex. That’s all it was.
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Her grandmother stopped moving and faced her. “It’s been two years since you broke off the engagement. Someday you’re going to have to jump back into the dating pool.” Not anytime soon. Maybe never. How could she? She’d been so wrong about Davis. Could she ever again trust her instincts when it came to men? She suddenly remembered Thea and Lexi’s suggestion to forget about relationships and just have some hot sex. It was tempting. Really tempting, but way too risky. “We’ll see.” Her grandmother gave a great sigh and shook her head. Asia hoped it meant the end of the pointless topic they’d gone over too many times to count. Just in case it wasn’t, she dropped to her haunches behind the counter to discourage further conversation and went back to cleaning the cubbyholes. The front door tinkled and she glanced over the top to see who had entered the store. Damn. It was Marcus. She so wasn’t ready to see him again. She dropped down farther and prayed he hadn’t seen her. A few seconds later his head appeared over the top of the counter. “Asia. How are you feeling today?” Feeling stupid that he’d caught her hiding, she kept wiping out the cupboards with unnecessary gusto. “I’m good.” He came around the counter and dropped to his haunches beside her. “You sure? I can still see the rope burns on your wrists.” Concern resonated in his voice, making her feel all soft and fluttery inside. She would have worn long sleeves to hide the marks if it wasn’t so warm today. At least her white jeans hid the ones on her ankles. She glanced down at her wrists when his fingers gently traced the already fading red marks, causing a secret thrill to race down her spine. She shrugged, more to shake off the unwanted feeling than for his benefit. “Looks worse than it is.” Their eyes caught and held. She held her breath as if in expectation of something. Of what, she wasn’t quite sure but her gut told her it meant trouble. She broke eye contact. He stood and stepped back around the counter again. “Marcus, how good to see you.” Her grandmother’s voice cut in, enveloping him with welcome. Asia groaned to herself, knowing Gram would start in on the matchmaking again and there was no way to avoid it short of sneaking out the back way on her hands and knees. She eyed the door leading out back with more than a little longing but wasn’t willing to lower herself to that just yet. Realizing she was still crouched down like an idiot, Asia stood in time to see Marcus enfolded in a bear hug. He smiled and hugged back. “You’re looking well, Astrid.” Her grandmother primped. “Why thank you, dear boy. I do my best. You know, I can’t thank you enough for helping Asia yesterday.”
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Bound and Determined
“There’s nothing to thank me for. I’m just glad I came when I did. Although I was surprised when you weren’t here.” Asia frowned. Why would he be surprised by that? Asia often worked in the store alone. Her Gram’s eyes shifted, making her look peculiarly guilty, but of what? “Something came up at the last minute. I’m sorry I missed our appointment.” Appointment? What appointment? Asia had known since the beginning of the week that Gram wouldn’t be working yesterday. And then realization struck. More matchmaking attempts by Gram. She’d wanted them to spend time alone together yesterday. It had worked too, although not quite the way Gram had hoped, Asia was sure. He waved off Gram’s apology. “Doesn’t matter. That’s why I dropped by. I wanted to see how Asia was today and I was hoping I’d bump into you as well.” “Did you now? Well, here I am, so spit it out.” He grinned, no doubt at her choice of words. “I need some help. I found an old chest of drawers in the attic. It’s in pretty rough shape but I’d like to know if it’s worth fixing.” Her grandmother patted his hand. “You’ve come to the right place. Astrid’s Antiques has always offered this kind of help as a service to our customers.” “That’s what I’d heard. When can you come out to have a look?” Gram looked her way. “Depends on Asia.” She did a double take. What? “You usually take care of that area.” Her grandmother nodded. “Yes, but it’s in the attic. That’s a lot of stairs for my old knees to climb.” Asia’s eyes narrowed in skepticism. “Since when have you had trouble with your knees?” Her grandmother’s gaze flicked aside. “It’s a recent development.” It would have to be, since it was the first Asia had heard of it. More than a little suspicious, Asia studied her grandmother, but she just gave Asia a wide-eyed look that was pretty darned convincing. How the hell her grandmother managed to look the picture of innocence when Asia strongly suspected she was lying through her teeth, she didn’t know. She was up to something. Most likely matchmaking. Then again, Gram was sixty-five. Asia had never heard Gram complain of her knees before, but maybe something had changed. Asia relented. “Fine, I’ll take care of it.” She turned toward Marcus, not at all noticing the way his gorgeous blue eyes picked up the cerulean of his shirt. “When should I come over?” “Anytime. Tomorrow afternoon would be good.” Before she could say anything Gram jumped in. “That’s perfect. I can watch the store tomorrow afternoon. We’re not heading out to the bed and breakfast until after Sam closes up anyway.” Asia nodded, already freaking out at the mere idea of being alone with Marcus in his home. Gram had done it to her again. “Thursday afternoon it is. Around three okay?”
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Anara Bella
Marcus nodded. “Perfect. I can still get some writing done before you come.” Of course, her mind went straight to the gutter. And the last thing she needed was her mind to be wandering off to thoughts of Marcus and coming. His cock hard and ready for her. Her body warm and soft to receive him. Her stomach plummeted with desire, something she hadn’t felt for a very long time. Heat washed over her and Asia felt her face turning a lovely fire-engine red to match her sandals. She was in so much trouble. Feeling boxed in and more than a little panicky, Asia worked to accept her fate. She was going over to Marcus’s house. They would be alone. And she was horny. Shit. Could she handle her hormones for that amount of time? She called up her resolve. Of course she could, no matter how turned on she always felt around Marcus. She was made of tougher stuff than that. “I’ll see you then.” Her grandmother nodded her pleasure at the arrangement. “You’re a good girl.” Sure she was. Asia internally rolled her eyes at herself. What she was, was a sap.
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Chapter Five
Asia still couldn’t believe she was standing on Marcus’s front porch. This was the last place she wanted to be. No, that wasn’t true. The last place was anywhere inside the house alone with him. She couldn’t shake the recollection of how close she’d come to letting him kiss her the day he’d untied her. It was an unwanted memory burned into her brain with the laser from hell. She couldn’t seem to stop thinking about it. His closeness, his touch. Damn it, he’d almost kissed her and worse, she’d almost let him. And God only knew what that would have led to. The fact that he’d given her the chance to pull away still surprised her more than a little bit. He had to have been able to see how much she’d wanted him to kiss her in that moment. Thank God she’d come to her senses in time. But what concerned her most was the question of whether she’d be able to stick to her resolve if she spent too much time alone with him. Which was why she really, really didn’t want to be here. Before she’d met Marcus, she’d thought she had great self-control. But now, she wondered if it wasn’t just that she’d never truly been tempted in the past two years. Not until a tall, dark, gorgeous stud like Marcus had come into her life. Why the hell did he have to move to Forsythia Falls anyway? Couldn’t he have stayed wherever it was he came from? Nice and far away? Somewhere she wasn’t? She sighed, oddly relieved now that she’d gotten her little internal rant out of her system. Which was great, but she really needed to stop dawdling and get this over with as quickly as possible. There was no avoiding the meeting and the sky was looking very ominous to the north. With thunderstorms in the forecast, and dark clouds already headed their way, she needed to get this over with so she could get out of here and back home again before they hit. Some of these late June storms could be brutal, and the back roads she’d taken to get to his house on the outskirts of town flooded fast when there was a downpour. She straightened her skirt and double-checked all the buttons were closed on her new short-sleeved blouse. And was once again annoyed that she cared about how she looked around Marcus. It had taken her far too long to decide what to wear around a guy she kept telling herself she didn’t care about. She lifted her hand to knock, but before she made contact the door swung wide to reveal Marcus standing there dressed in casual jeans and a T-shirt. He looked yummy as hell and wore a slight grin on his face as if he knew something she didn’t.
Anara Bella
Oh great. Now she felt stupid. How long had she been standing there in indecision on his front porch? Had he seen her? Did he know how close she’d come to hightailing it out of there? Shit. She always managed to do something embarrassing around this guy. She made a stab at covering. “I was just admiring your gorgeous porch. They did a great job of restoring it.” The corners of his striking blue eyes crinkled with the amusement twinkling in their depths. It was obvious her attempted cover story hadn’t fooled him one bit. Just peachy. “Thanks. I think so too. Come on in.” There he went being all nice and considerate again by not pointing it out. Even if he was laughing on the inside. She shook off her embarrassment and stepped into the foyer. Marcus closed the door and gave her a warm smile. “I’m glad you could come over today. It was probably a huge inconvenience.” You have no idea. “No problem at all. I didn’t have anything else I had to do.” Aside from staying as far away from you as possible, that is. “Well, I appreciate it anyway.” She took in her surroundings with some surprise. “You have a lovely place here.” And she wasn’t kidding. The whole place had a definite country feel to it but it was very eclectic. And very masculine. There was nothing fussy about it. All clean lines, plank hardwood floors, a minimal amount of knickknacks to the point of being almost sparse, juxtaposed with bold modern art on the walls. It shouldn’t have worked but somehow it did, feeling very inviting in the process. “Thanks. This way.” She followed him as he led the way up the stairs. Hard-pressed not to spend the time admiring his tight ass, she forced herself to look away and take in every detail of her surroundings instead. The second floor, where the bedrooms were, was the same as the main level with clean masculine lines and a wonderful feeling of spaciousness. He led her up another set of stairs. “Watch your step here. These stairs are pretty narrow.” At the top, he opened a small door and flicked a switch. When she followed him through, she was more than a little surprised at the sight she was greeted with. She stopped and took in her surroundings. “Wow, I don’t think I’ve ever seen an attic that was this clean and dust free.” He laughed. “You wouldn’t have said that a couple of weeks ago.” She crooked an eyebrow. “So this is a recent development.”
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Bound and Determined
“Call it a project. It was packed with dust-covered boxes the previous owners left behind. I was determined to clean it out and see what was up here. That’s when I found the piece I want you to look at. It was buried behind a wall of boxes and a great old trunk.” She spotted the old steamer trunk right away and immediately fell in love with it. “You must mean this one.” Black with its original brass fittings and wood slats, in pristine condition. All it needed was a bit of cleaning to bring it back to almost new condition. “This is gorgeous. It couldn’t have been used very much.” “I know. I was thinking of putting it downstairs somewhere.” “You should. It would look amazing all cleaned up. I’ll give you some pointers if you want to do it yourself.” “I would, thanks.” When she finally tore her gaze away from the trunk, she spotted the Victorian dresser he wanted her to see. She went over and bent to take a closer look, running her hand over the bow front. “This will need a lot of work.” Handles were missing, the front of the bottom drawer was sitting on the floor in front of it, the top was warped and the whole thing was covered in at least three coats of chipped paint. But it was an antique well worth restoring. “I love the detail they used to put into their work back then. These grape and leaf carvings are beautiful.” She ran her fingers along the top. “There’s some pretty serious water damage here. But something can be done about that.” “That was the main thing I was worried about.” She nodded. “With good reason. But my grandmother’s a genius with this kind of thing. And if it turns out she can’t do it herself, she’ll know who can.” He moved in close beside her, brushing against her as he bent to take a closer look at the chest of drawers. She was always so hyper-aware of him. If it had been anyone else, she would barely have noticed. But with Marcus she noticed everything. The heat radiating off his skin. His intoxicating scent, which was a combination of soap and clean male. The fresh stubble of beard darkening his chin, which only made him look hotter than he already was. He stepped forward to examine the water damage and she immediately missed his closeness. It was official, she was in serious lust. “So you think it’s worth restoring?” “From what I can see here, definitely. We’ll know more about what needs to be done once we get it into our workshop. The lighting’s better there.”
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Anara Bella
He straightened and turned the full impact of his gorgeous blue eyes on her. “I appreciate you coming out here to have a look.” Their gazes locked and the now familiar longing she felt around him increased tenfold. “No problem. I’ll arrange for the guys to come with the truck and pick it up on Monday.” He didn’t break eye contact. “Perfect.” Oh yeah. He was perfect all right. Unbidden, she leaned toward him, wanting what she shouldn’t have. Because kissing him would be a really bad idea. She jerked back. She had to leave. Right now. Before she said or did something to humiliate herself. Like jump his bones. “Okay, so we’re done here. I’d better go before that storm hits.” She couldn’t keep her enthusiasm for escaping his tempting presence out of her voice. He nodded but didn’t comment. She had just turned toward the stairs when the first crack of thunder rent the air. She jumped. Hand to her heart, she gasped and then laughed. “I wasn’t expecting that.” “Looks like the storm’s already here.” The moment the words left his mouth, the rain came down in a torrent, pounding the roof shingles with enough force as to make it impossible to hear each other. Marcus pointed at the stairs and led the way back down. Out in the hallway the pouring rain was more muffled, but there was no mistaking that it was coming down with a vengeance as it lashed against the windows. Lightning illuminated everything, quickly followed by more booming thunder. It sounded like the storm was right overhead. When they reached the first floor, Marcus turned to her and shook his head. “I don’t think you should go out in that. Why don’t you stick around for a bit? I’ll make us some coffee while you wait it out.” It was a reasonable suggestion, she knew that. But reason had nothing to do with her desire to get away from his oh-so-tempting presence. Just looking at the man made her want to throw herself at him no matter how determined she was to keep her distance. The problem was, her reactions to him had nothing to do with logic and everything to do with raging hormones, rampant desire and raunchy sex. None of which she was going to engage in or even allow herself to think about. No sirree. But the only way to accomplish that was to get away from his broad shoulders, sexy bedroom eyes and mighty fine ass. And the last thing she should be focusing on was his ass and how great it looked in his well-washed threadbare jeans. But being in close proximity to Marcus always had this dismaying effect on her. And when the hell had she gotten so damned horny anyway? Was it the storm? The atmosphere? Her crazy outof-control hormones?
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Bound and Determined
Whatever it was, staying was a bad idea. She chanced a look his way. He was still waiting for her to tell him if she was going to stay for coffee but she was feeling more panicky by the second. Breathing hard as if she’d been running, she fought the urge to run her fingers over his soft-looking denim shirt. The cuffs were turned up, exposing his strong, mouth-wateringly sexy forearms. And when had forearms become sexy? Damn it. She was really losing it. Her seesaw of emotions must have shown because his pupils expanded until they were almost black, his lids dropped to half-mast. He stepped closer and her lips parted. When her tongue touched her bottom lip, he drew in a harsh breath at the same time as he reached for her, cupped his hand around her neck and pulled her forward. Before she could react he was savaging her mouth, kissing her with an intensity she’d never experienced before. The storm raging outside echoed the storm raging inside of her, making her senses soar in response. She threw her arms around him and pulled him closer, needing to feel his hard length against her. His tongue swept inside her mouth, learning her, tasting her. God, she’d never felt like this from just from a simple kiss. Then again, there was nothing simple about this kiss. Nothing innocent, or forgettable either. She was already getting wet for him, and judging by the erection pressed against her belly he was hot and ready for her too. How the hell had this happened? They’d gone from zero to a hundred in no time flat. No man had ever taken her to heights like this, not even during full-out sex. And this was just a kiss. She didn’t want it to end. Her tongue thrust into his mouth, dueling with his, tasting his essence. Devouring him. The sound of the torrential rain fueling the intensity of the moment. His one hand speared into her hair and the other slid down her back and squeezed her behind, pulling her closer to him, harder into his already rock-hard cock. A cock that was more than ready to fulfill its intended purpose in life. And there was no denying she wanted it. Wanted it with a pure hunger like she’d never known before. Wanted it with longing because she’d missed being this way with a man. Wanted it because she was undeniably a glutton for punishment. Because pain was the only thing this would lead to. Her sexual high came crashing down around her. Hadn’t Davis taught her that all men wanted was sex? Didn’t matter with who as long as they could stick their dick into a willing woman. Didn’t matter who else was in their life. Didn’t matter whose heart was ripped clear out of their chest in the process. Nothing mattered except what they wanted. She tore her lips from his, gasping for breath as if she’d just run a race. Thunder and lightning cracked overhead and rain hammered against the windows in a violent downpour that echoed her inner turmoil.
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Anara Bella
Backing away, she tried to make sense of what had happened, of how she felt. She touched her fingers to her still-tingling lips. “You shouldn’t have done that.” Her voice barely whispered past her lips and she hated that she sounded so weak. His gaze pinned her to the spot, eyes blazing with banked passion. “Why not? We’re both free and single. I’ve wanted to kiss you for weeks.” Panic took a stronger hold of her, dragging hyper-awareness in its wake. Something had shifted inside of her. Something she’d worked long and hard to bury deep and keep locked away safe where it couldn’t be damaged. Where it couldn’t be trampled under careless boots. Safe from predatory men. Men like Marcus who wanted nothing more than to sample every female who came within their orbit. That vulnerable something was now exposed. And it was all Marcus’s fault. Damn it. She didn’t want to feel this way. Not ever again. And certainly not for someone like him. Her friends had almost convinced her to just go for the sex, and she’d been sorely tempted, but now that she was here she knew the truth. She wasn’t ready for this. She just wasn’t ready. She’d already been with a cheater, a guy who couldn’t stick to one woman at a time. Being eviscerated by someone like that once in a lifetime was more than enough for her, thank you very much. “I have to go.” She frantically searched for the door. “You can’t go now. It’s dangerous out there.” Not as dangerous as it is in here. “I’ll be fine.” Safer than if I stay anywhere close to you. Before he could stop her, she turned and raced for the front door she’d finally spotted. She yanked it open and was smacked in the face by a wall of wind and cold rain. But it wasn’t enough to stop her. Nothing could stop her. She had to get away.
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Chapter Six
Plunging headfirst into the maelstrom, Asia was immediately soaked to the skin. Rain streamed into her eyes in a constant torrent so that she couldn’t see where she was going. She tried to divert the rain away from her eyes without much success, but it was enough so that she could see where her car was. Heading straight for the vague red shape, she sloshed through puddles and wet grass, slipping and sliding as she went. Her soaked sandal-clad feet slid around within her now-slippery insoles, making it even harder to keep her footing. It was treacherous and impossible to get solid footing because she couldn’t see where she was stepping. It didn’t help that the ground was uneven. Marcus seriously needed to get someone out here to roll the lawn. Not letting any of it slow her down, she kept going, stubborn determination the sole impetus keeping her on her feet. One second she was moving forward, the next her feet flew out from under her and she landed flat on her back in the mud with the wind knocked out of her. She gasped for breath. What the hell had happened? She looked down and saw one sandal dangling off her foot with only the strap keeping it on. She must have tripped when the sandal slid off. The cold rain still came down in buckets. It didn’t matter that it was late June, she was soaked through and she was freezing. She needed to get up and get to her car, but instead she sat there and started to shiver. She couldn’t move. Breathing was the paramount thing on her to-do list at the moment, but rain was running into her mouth, making it harder to catch her breath. And now that the shivering had started it just kept getting worse. She couldn’t stop it and it made everything harder. She needed to get out of the rain and into her car. Once she got the heater going she’d warm up in a hurry and she’d be fine. Scrambling to get up, she struggled for a foothold in the slippery mud and lost the battle, slipping on her useless mud-soaked sandals. She fell back again. A dull pain throbbed through her foot. Damn it, what had she done now? She gingerly felt around her ankle, relieved to find that it only seemed bruised. But really, was nothing going to go her way today?
Anara Bella
Adrenaline roared through her system a mile a minute. She wanted to get up and go, but it wasn’t happening. Frustration roared through her too. Already stirred up from the kiss, still trying to catch her breath, and shivering uncontrollably, she had never felt so miserable. All she wanted to do was get away from Marcus, get home to the safety of her own place and weld the armor around her emotions back in place. But even the elements were keeping her from her goal. She swallowed hard and fought back the tears that threatened to make her humiliation complete. That was all she needed now. She had to get to her car. Once she did, everything would be fine. She tried once more to get up, but the mud made it impossible for her to get her footing. Only she would manage to fall into the one mud puddle in the entire yard. What the hell else could go wrong today? Despite how ridiculous she’d look, she contemplated crawling to her car on all fours. At least it would get her away from here. Before she could put thought to action, strong arms swooped out of nowhere, picked her up and carried her back to the house. The heat from Marcus’s body was unbelievably welcome but he was taking her the wrong way. “Pput me down.” He scowled at her, water dripping off his nose. “Don’t be foolish, I have to get you inside.” “Just t-take me to my c-car, I can get home f-from there.” Ignoring her, he kept striding toward the house, not slowing until he’d gotten them both back inside and slammed the door with his foot. Without hesitation, he headed up the stairs. “Where are you t-taking me?” “You’re shivering so hard your teeth are rattling and your lips are blue. I have to get you warmed up.” “If you’d just t-taken me to my c-car I’d have been f-fine.” She couldn’t stop stuttering to her utter annoyance. “I’ve never met a more stubborn woman in my life. I should have left you out there.” “Why d-didn’t you?” He didn’t even bother to answer. Heading straight into the bathroom at the top of the stairs, he unceremoniously dumped her on the edge of the tub and turned on the water in the shower stall. Turning back to her, he whipped off the purse still miraculously draped around her neck and threw it on the floor. When he grabbed her foot to remove a sandal, she gasped, more from surprise than pain. “What is it?” “M-my ankle’s a little sore.” He gently removed the sandal and felt around her ankle, but the pain was now minimal. “It doesn’t look bad, probably only bruised. We should put some ice on it once we have you warmed up and dried off.” Asia nodded, not really listening, instead mesmerized by his strong hands as he removed the other sandal.
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He moved to unbutton her top and she jerked back, trying to push his hands away. “What do you think you’re d-doing?” His face was as black and stormy as the clouds outside. “I’m trying to keep you from catching your death of a cold. We have to get your clothes off and get you under the flow of hot water to warm you up. Besides, you’re covered in mud. We both are.” She looked down and realized he was right. Her hands and legs, as well as her clothes, were covered in splotches of mud that even the torrential rain hadn’t been able to wash off. Leave it to her to get covered in mud and get it all over him too. She acquiesced and let him continue. He had finally managed to unbutton her top and was pulling it past her shoulders when she realized with horror that he could see her nipples through the now see-through wet fabric of her bra. With great difficulty, fighting with the resistant wet fabric and her incessant shivering, she pulled her arms free of the sleeves. And shoved his hands away again. “I c-can do the rest m-myself.” He leaned back and held up his hands. “Prove it. If you can, I’ll leave the rest up to you.” She threw him a dirty look and reached for the zipper on her skirt. It took a great deal of effort but she managed to capture the zipper’s tab and tug, but the damn thing wouldn’t budge. After watching her struggle with it for a bit, he made an impatient sound and pushed her hands out of the way. “I’ll do it.” In no time he had the zipper down, put his arm around her and lifted her enough to slip her skirt off. And, oh God, now she was standing there, holding onto the towel bar with one hand for support, wearing nothing but see-through underwear that showed everything she owned. And Marcus had noticed. Boy, had he noticed. His heated gaze rested on her nipples, making them swell even more than they already had been from the cold, then it flicked down to the apex of her thighs. She no longer had any secrets from Marcus Thorne, that was for sure. He swallowed. His fingers twitched as if wanting to reach out and touch her. Instead, he swiped his hands over his face to get rid of the water still dripping down. When his gaze met hers, his pupils were black with ferocious intent. Heat flared to life between her thighs and she couldn’t look away. His hot gaze flicked down to her pebbled nipples again, and damned if she wasn’t getting wet in a whole new place. He reached out and ran his knuckles across her hardened nipples, and suddenly she wasn’t shivering from the cold anymore but rather because of his caressing touch. Her breath caught and held as she watched him lean down and brush his lips across one nipple, then take it into his mouth, fabric and all.
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Anara Bella
He sucked. Hard. Her pussy clenched. God, she’d forgotten how good this could feel. She clung to the towel bar for dear life, not because of her ankle but because she was afraid she’d topple over if she didn’t. The dull throb in her ankle had all but disappeared. Either that or she was feeling no pain right now, which was entirely possible, because the only sensation she was aware of was his lips on her breast making her all hot and shivery inside. She resented the barrier of fabric like she’d never resented anything else. Before she could verbalize it, he reached behind her and with a deft flick of his wrist undid the hooks. Her bra slid down and hit the floor. She knew she should put a stop to what he was doing but couldn’t seem to make herself do it. The next instant his tongue circled her right nipple before he took it into his hot mouth, sucking and licking, while his hand cupped her left breast, massaging it to delicious sensitivity. All at once, stopping him was the last thing on her mind. Awash in need, she suddenly realized just how much she’d missed being with a man in this way. How much she’d missed sex. Nothing short of an earthquake would have made her move from that spot. And maybe not even that. While he kissed and suckled her breasts, his hands skimmed past her waist and continued on down her hips and thighs, dragging her underwear in their wake. The next second, he trailed his fingers through her nether curls and she sucked in a harsh breath. She hung on a precipice of anticipation. He was so close. All she wanted was for his fingers to breach that final inch, to touch her where she needed his touch the most. But he persisted in teasing her, coming closer and closer, so close but not close enough. “God, just touch me already.” Marcus grunted in satisfaction. “I thought you’d never ask.” He dipped his finger and touched her clit, circling it with sensual strokes before sinking into her slippery folds. A moan escaped her lips at the sweet ache his caresses incited within her. But the ache quickly turned into so much more. In no time she was naked, wet and ready for him. More ready than she could ever remember being before. And he was still fully clothed. As if he’d had the exact same thought, his magical touch disappeared. He all but ripped his shirt off. Hard muscles gleamed as his wide chest came into view. She wanted to lick her way around that chest but was distracted as she watched his hands unzip his fly. Which couldn’t have been easy with the fabric pulled taut across his impressive erection.
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How the hell she’d missed that, she didn’t know. Then again, yes, she did. When he was touching her she couldn’t think of anything else except how he made her feel. He pulled down his jeans and holy hell, he was commando. His long, thick erection jutted straight up against his belly. How had he fit all of that inside of his jeans? Her fingers itched to touch him, but before she could move he picked her up and stepped into the shower stall. Heavenly hot water rained down on them. She’d clasped her arms around his neck when he’d picked her up, and she continued to hold onto him as he lowered her in a slow, sensuous glide down his body until she stood before him. He looked long and hard into her eyes before his mouth slammed into hers in a devastating kiss. His tongue searched every part of her mouth, dueled with her tongue, learned every part of her. She no longer felt anything but his mouth against hers and his skin beneath her fingers. And what she wanted most was for him to fill the emptiness she felt deep inside. She reached down with one hand, still hanging onto his shoulder, and grasped his hard cock, pushing it down until she could put it between her legs. Marcus groaned as she slid back and forth along his length, working herself up to an even higher pitch. She couldn’t wait any longer. She wanted him to fill her, to pound into her until they both screamed their release. He pulled back. “God, you’re driving me crazy.” He opened the shower door and yanked open a vanity drawer. Making quick work of the condom, he turned back to her. Sliding his fingers through her slick folds, he pushed her back against the shower wall with his free hand. The cold of the tiles against her heated flesh made her gasp, but she soon forgot about that when he suckled hotly on her breast again, working it until she was writhing from pleasure. Then he straightened, hiked up her left leg and pushed his hard length forward until just the head of his cock was in her. They both groaned. “God, you’re so tight.” He started to rock against her, inching his cock deeper and deeper into her tight sheath with each thrust until he was fully seated inside, and stopped. She gasped, trying to get accustomed to the extraordinary fullness. She was stretched and filled to the max in the most wonderful way possible. The fierce concentration on his features told her he was trying to hold it together, and a thrill washed through her that she could affect him so strongly. He actually shook under her fingers. “I’m sorry, but this isn’t going to last long.” She laughed, feeling free. “Shut up and fuck me already.”
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Anara Bella
He barked out a laugh and then pumped fast and hard, filling her more than she’d ever been before. Pounding into her time and again until the pressure built, higher and higher. She hovered on the brink. Almost there. Almost. And then she shot over the top, shuddering and groaning her release, her pussy rhythmically clenching his cock. And Marcus was right there with her, following her lead with one final, powerful thrust and a mighty shout, holding himself tight inside her until the fluttering within her ceased and they were both sated and exhausted. She slumped against him and he held her tight while they both caught their breath. After a minute, he pulled out of her and lowered her leg. She briefly mourned the loss of his thick cock filling her, working her until she couldn’t breathe. “That was unbelievable.” As if a switch had been thrown, the sound of his voice broke the spell. She nodded her agreement but couldn’t choke out the words. Now that the frenzy of passion had passed, embarrassment took over. His eyes narrowed, but he didn’t say anything. With quick efficient movements, she rinsed off, making sure all the mud was gone. She felt Marcus watching her as he turned off the water, reached outside of the stall and grabbed a towel. Wrapping it around her, he pat her dry and she stepped outside the stall onto the mat. He followed after her, running the towel over himself as well. She looked away, too embarrassed by what had happened to look him in the eye. She’d known he was dangerous but she hadn’t realized just how dangerous. She had just let a man she’d never even gone on a date with fuck her up against the shower wall. And that’s all she could call it, fucking. It certainly wasn’t making love. His fingers nudged her below the chin until she was forced to look at him. “Don’t do that.” “What?” “Don’t be embarrassed. Pull away from me.” She shrugged, unable to hide her mortification at having sex with a guy she hardly knew. “Sorry. I’ve just never done anything like this before.” He leaned down and kissed the tip of her nose. “It was incredible. You are incredible. I always knew you would be.” His words ran over her like a soothing balm, taking away her embarrassment. As if another switch had been thrown, everything was okay again. “You’re pretty incredible yourself.” “I think it’s us together.”
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He laughed, and she loved the carefree sound. Taking her by surprise, he bent and flung her over his shoulder, fireman style. She squealed, excitement flowing through her, and smacked him on the ass. “We need to research this in more detail to be sure it wasn’t a fluke.” “Oh, you think so, do you?” She pinched his ass cheek. He yelped and smacked her bottom and she giggled like a school girl the entire way to his bedroom, thoroughly enjoying his he-man manner of transportation. She spied his bed just before he dropped her onto it. She bounced on the mattress, her breasts matching the motion. For a moment, his eyes devoured her, a world of sinful promises lurking in their depths. Asia looked her fill of the gorgeous naked man before her, so glad she was here in this moment. She’d feared taking this step, had literally run from it, but now that she had she felt wonderfully free. Why shouldn’t she have some fun? She’d missed having sex, and Marcus was damned good at it. Her friends had had the right idea. She’d go with this, have some fun and games and damn the torpedoes. She’d be fine. His mouth crooked into a sexy grin and he put his knee between her legs, his hands on either side of her head. Leaning in, his face inches away from hers, he answered her previous taunt. “I think research is imperative. It will take a long time and many, many tries to explore all the ins—” he grazed his fingers along the inside of her thigh to her folds and dipped his finger into her vagina “—and outs.” She gasped and started to squirm from his exquisite touch, then reached up and cupped her own breasts, tweaking her nipples while he watched. His breath caught and red slashes flared across his cheeks. Her eyes lowered to half-mast. “I like the sound of that. Especially the ins-and-outs part.” “That’s the part I like best too.” A husky, seductive chuckle slipped past her lips, turning into a low moan when he added a second finger and thrust in again. She squirmed, wanting more. “You’d better be planning on using more than just your fingers.” His wicked chuckle resonated down to her toes. “I have things planned for you that you’ve never imagined. Even in your wildest dreams.”
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Chapter Seven
Marcus nibbled his way up her inner thigh, spreading her legs wide so he could feast on the creamy secret flesh he’d just been finger fucking. He spread her glistening folds, enjoying the way she bit her lip in anticipation. Ms. Asia Smith was something else, everything he’d ever imagined or hoped for and then some. Since he’d met her, she’d pushed him away so fervently, keeping him at arm’s length for so long he’d thought the huge walls she’d erected against him would be much harder to bring down. Not that he was complaining. Just surprised. Didn’t matter, though. She would have been well worth the wait even if it had taken a lot longer, but he was elated it hadn’t. A generous lover who gave of herself wholeheartedly and with great sensual pleasure, she blew him away. And he had every intention of keeping her as close to him as possible. The question was how he was going to convince her to stay with him once she had time to think. Because skittish was her middle name. It was part of her charm, actually. But he wasn’t going to let her run far. He wanted her in his bed because he had a strong suspicion he wouldn’t tire of her anytime soon. Already his cock had hardened again, and the anticipation of burying himself to the hilt in her tight sheath was enough to try his patience. He didn’t want to wait, wanted to be inside of her now. Again. Pumping furiously until she screamed his name over and over. He also wanted to make her come at least once before he did so. He looked up to see her watching him with hooded eyes. He gave her a wolfish grin before giving her sex a long, satisfying lick. She tasted like ambrosia. Her breathing turned choppy, leaving him in no doubt that she liked what he was doing. He tongued her clit while he inserted two fingers into her again, stroking several times until he could work in a third. He sucked and flicked his tongue, feeling the nerve-packed nub get harder, distending as if wanting more. Ready to oblige, he latched on and sucked until she shuddered and came all over his tongue. Without waiting for her shudders to slow, he threw on a condom and sank home with one sure thrust until he was balls deep in her tight slit. She gasped and caught her lip in her teeth, making him want to do the same. So he did, nipping her lips, ravishing her mouth with thorough strokes of his tongue, losing himself in her sweet taste, distracting himself so he could hold it together longer this time.
Bound and Determined
When he felt in control again, he broke the kiss and pulled out until only the head of his cock was still inside her pulsating core, teasing her, making her want him more. She grabbed his ass, trying to push him back inside, almost pushing him over the edge. He fought back the urge, determined not to be rushed. Instead, he eased into her with slow, measured strokes, working her up, building the tension, wanting her to explode. She whimpered, trying to thrust in counterpoint to speed him up, but he held onto his control, thrusting harder still. Increasing the speed at his own pace, pumping into her until her flushed face and lustfilled eyes—an erotic sight he couldn’t resist—undid him. Not wanting to break his rhythm, he told her to pinch her nipples. Without hesitation, she did, and once again he was blown away by her openness. She was so fucking hot he couldn’t stop. He was going to come right now. He slammed into her over and over until her inner muscles fluttered, milking his cock, finally clenching down as she came again. His balls tightened and pulled up against his body until he flew over the top to join her, semen shooting into the condom over and over until he was completely spent. He dropped onto her with a grunt, totally wrung out. He swore he’d never come so hard in his life. As soon as his arms stopped shaking, he shifted his weight so he didn’t crush her while they both caught their breath. “That was fucking amazing.” She nodded her agreement, damp shoulder-length curls dancing around her glowing face. He rolled over until she was on top of him. After he’d pulled a sheet over them both, he settled back and relaxed. Letting his mind wander. He didn’t know where their relationship was going, but he knew one thing for a certainty. He wasn’t going to tire of this incredibly sexy lady anytime soon. And he was nowhere near ready to let her go.
Asia’s eyelids popped open with a start. She’d nodded off. Noting the time on Marcus’s bedside clock, she tried to absorb the fact that it was now three hours since she’d first arrived at his front door. And in that three hours she’d had sex with him not just once but twice, and she was still in his bed. Holy shit. This was definitely a first for her. One-night stands had never been her thing until now, and she had to admit she felt more than a little awkward right at this moment. What was she supposed to do now? Get up, act all sophisticated and world-weary? Leave? What did one do in this situation? Marcus stirred beside her. “Hey.” She forced herself to look at him. “Hey.”
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Anara Bella
God, he looked even more gorgeous with a serious case of bedhead. And his sexy blue bedroom eyes were quickly making her want him all over again, despite her present uncertainty. His mouth kicked up into a warm grin and her inner tension started to ease. “You look beautiful.” Her hand flew to her hair, automatically checking to see if it was sticking up anywhere. “I really doubt that.” He nabbed her hand and brought it to his lips, dropping a kiss to her fingers. “Don’t. It’s true.” She didn’t know what to say, but she also didn’t want to overstay her welcome. “I suppose I should leave.” She put action to words and started to sit, making sure the sheet covered her breasts. “Do you have to go?” He sounded disappointed. She stopped and looked at him, meeting his questioning eyes. “I figured you’d want me out of here.” “Why would I want that?” She was so damned out of her element. “Isn’t that usually how these things go?” His brows furrowed. “What things?” “You know. One-night stands. Ships that pass in the night. That kind of thing.” He hiked himself up into a sitting position. “What makes you think this is a one-night stand?” “Well, isn’t it?” “Not for me it isn’t. You think I’ve been dropping by the shop and trying to get you to go out with me just for a quick tumble in the sack?” When he put it like that, she suddenly felt stupid. “That’s your usual thing, isn’t it?” He sighed. “For your information, I’ve never been into one-night stands.” “I’m sorry. I guess I just assumed.” He reached out and ran his fingers along her shoulder, sending goose bumps skittering in their wake. “You can’t believe everything you hear. I don’t know where we’re going or what we have, but it’s not a one-night stand. At least not for me. The truth is, I’d like to see more of you. Get to know you better. I’d hoped you’d feel the same way.” Taken aback by his honesty, she didn’t quite know what to say. Panic fluttered through her, but then she reminded herself this was just fun and games, one-night stand or multiple-night stands. Either way was fine. She could handle it. “I don’t know. This came out of nowhere for me.” “I’m not asking for a commitment. Just say you’ll see me again.” Since just looking at him made her want to jump him, she figured she could at least agree to that. “Okay.” “Good. Now I don’t know about you, but I’m starving.”
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Food. She suddenly realized just how empty her stomach was. “Me too. You got anything to eat around here?” “Always.” Her eyebrows arched in surprise. “Really? I thought you bachelor types never had any food in your fridge.” “Not this one. I like to eat.” He got up and pulled on his jeans. Leaning in to give her a quick kiss, he said, “You can put on one of my shirts, or come down naked. Whatever you like, although my vote is for the latter.” She called after him. “You mean you’re not going to feed me in bed?” He was already in the hallway. “Nope, you have to help.” She pouted, but scooted out of bed anyway. She was starving and the food wasn’t coming to her so down she would go. She grabbed a shirt out of his closet and after a quick pit stop to the bathroom, headed down to the kitchen to see what he considered edible food.
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Chapter Eight
By the time Asia got to the kitchen, Marcus had already gotten a pot of water heating on the stove, dragged all kinds of ingredients onto the counter and was busy chopping onions on a cutting board. “You don’t waste any time, do you?” “Milady is hungry and demands sustenance.” “Damned straight.” She stopped beside him and watched him expertly chopping. “You really know what you’re doing.” He grinned. “Damned straight.” She leaned a hip against the counter beside him. “You seem awfully domesticated for a bachelor.” “You can thank the women in my family for that. My four older sisters insisted that I pull my weight and Mom was in full agreement.” “You’re kidding. You mean they didn’t wait on you hand and foot?” “Not even close.” She grinned, picturing a teenage Marcus having to cook. “Good for them.” “And for me.” Surprised at his comment, she asked, “You mean you didn’t resent it?” He scraped the diced onions into a skillet, added a dollop of olive oil and turned on the heat under the pan. He handed her a wooden spoon. “Stir.” He washed and cored a crisp-looking red pepper and started slicing it into thin strips. “I won’t lie. I did at first. But after a while I realized that I liked knowing how to fend for myself. And I like it even more now. I never starve and cooking has become a hobby of mine.” The onions started to sizzle and she dutifully stirred. “I only cook when I have to. I know the basics but my cooking would never wow anyone.” And boy did she know that one for a certainty. Davis had put her down often enough for not trying harder, complaining about her lack of domestic skills. “Sounds like you haven’t put any effort into it.” For a moment she was taken aback by his bluntness but then shrugged. Marcus wasn’t putting her down for it, just stating the obvious. “You’re right. I haven’t. None of the women in my family have been into cooking. Not even my grandmother.”
Bound and Determined
Marcus grinned. “That doesn’t surprise me. Your grandmother is the complete antithesis of the grandmotherly type. It’s one of the things I like best about her.” She grinned with fondness, picturing Gram’s many eccentricities. “Me too.” The water started to boil and he grabbed a couple handfuls of linguine and tossed them in, giving it a quick stir before turning back to the pepper. “You two seem very close.” “We are. She raised me on her own after my mother died.” He stopped slicing and looked up. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know about your mother.” “It’s okay. It was a long time ago and I never lacked for love. I did okay.” He didn’t look at her. “That’s the same thing I tell people when they find out about my dad. He died when I was twelve.” The urge to hug him and place a soothing kiss on his neck was overwhelming, but she didn’t know how he’d take it, so she held back. Instead, she reached out and briefly touched his shoulder. “That had to be hard.” “It was, but we survived it and grew closer as a family.” Knowing what it was like to lose a parent, Asia nodded. Marcus was downplaying it, but she understood just how hard it must have been. “It’s a wonder your mother and sisters didn’t spoil you rotten after that.” He grinned. “It was of supreme importance to my sisters and my mother that I not grow up to be one of those guys who thinks women are put on this earth to serve them.” Remembering how Davis was exactly like that, Asia shuddered. “Heaven forbid.” He laughed. “That’s how they all felt about it too. I think they’d still slap me upside my head if they ever thought I wasn’t treating a woman right.” Asia wished all mothers would train their sons to be that way. He gave the linguine another stir, grabbed a colander from the cupboard and placed it in the sink. Then he grabbed plates and cutlery and set them on the other side of the island where the barstools were. “Do you feel like some wine?” “I’d love some.” Wine glasses were placed on the counter. Next, he grabbed a bottle of Riesling out of the undercounter wine cooler. Uncorking it with efficiency, he poured some into each glass. Turning back, he took the wooden spoon from her. “Have a seat. I can take it from here.” She relinquished the stirring duties to him, sat on a counter barstool and took a sip of the dry white wine with relish. “Mmm, this is good.” She watched as he turned off the heat under the onions and peppers, checked the linguine for doneness and dumped it into the colander. Every movement he made was sure and efficient.
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Anara Bella
There was something truly sexy about a man who knew his way around a kitchen. Especially when his jeans hugged his outstanding ass like that. He took the drained linguine and dumped it into the onions and peppers and tossed the whole thing around. “It’s ready.” Oh yeah, she was ready all right. Ready to jump his bones again. But it would have to wait until she fed her persistently growling stomach. “It smells fantastic.” “Tastes even better.” He dished it onto their plates and put what was left back on the stove. He spooned on some parmesan cheese, placed a plate before her and sat beside her. He twirled his fork in the linguine until he had a mouthful and held it to her lips. The moment it hit her tongue, she groaned in bliss. It was pure heaven. “Oh my God, this is fabulous. You are a genius with pasta. I think I’ll keep you around.” The second the words left her lips, she froze. She was afraid to look at him to see his reaction, but when she finally did he seemed totally unconcerned. In fact, he grinned back at her. “I get that a lot. I’m a better cook than my sisters.” Between his superior gorgeousness and his fame as an author, she didn’t doubt that he did have tons of women who wanted to keep him. A weird feeling of unease fluttered in her gut but she shoved it down. Good thing she wasn’t one of those saps. Nope. Not her. They ate in companionable silence for a bit before she spoke again. “So what made you decide to move way out here to Forsythia Falls?” “I got tired of city life. I grew up in a town not much bigger than this one.” “I didn’t know that. Why’d you leave?” “The usual reason young people leave small towns. I wanted excitement and I figured the big city was the best place to get it.” “You stayed there for quite a while, so you must have liked it. What changed?” He shrugged. “I think I just grew up. And I missed the more laidback kind of life that I had in my childhood.” “Why didn’t you move back to where your family is?” He grinned wryly and shook his head. “My sisters can be a bit smothering, so I wanted to keep a bit of distance between us. If I had moved back there they would’ve been dropping by all the time, and although I love seeing them and spending time with them, it would have interfered with my work. This way, they’re only about an hour and a half away. Close enough to see them as much as I like, but not too close.” She took another sip of wine while she considered his answer. “Sounds like you put a lot of thought into it.” “I did. Besides, when I saw this place up for sale, I couldn’t pass it up.”
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“You must have seen something most people didn’t. It was up for sale for quite a while.” He nodded. “It needed a lot of work. But I had no trouble looking past that once I saw the house. It was the wraparound porch that did it for me.” “That was always my favorite part too. You’ve done a great job with the renovations. It’s surpassed anything I could’ve imagined.” “You can thank my sister for that. She’s the designer.” “Oh really.” “Yeah, she’s brilliant at what she does so I nabbed her services. She helped with all the major decisions so that I didn’t end up with a mess.” She grinned. “I gather interior design isn’t one of your many talents.” “I know what I like, but it’s been nice to be able to run things past my sister first. She steered me away from making a couple of huge mistakes that would’ve cost me a fortune to fix.” “So you admit you’re not good at everything.” “Not even close. I have a gift for words, and a few other things.” He slanted her a suggestive look, letting her know exactly what things he was referring to. “Yeah, I’ve noticed you’re particularly gifted in one area for sure.” He laughed. “You’re pretty gifted in that area yourself.” Asia didn’t agree but let it go. When they’d finished eating, Asia stood and started gathering their dirty plates and cutlery. “Leave them. I’ll clean up later.” “You cooked, I’ll clean up.” He didn’t argue, but he followed her over to the sink with their wine glasses and set them on the counter beside her. Hugging her from behind, he nuzzled the super-sensitive spot just below her ear. A direct line of heat sizzled down to her core. “If you’re determined to help me out, I have this problem no one else can rectify.” He nudged his erection against her backside. She smiled and leaned back into him. All through dinner her mind had kept going back to their wild afternoon of sex and now she wanted him with an intensity that worried her. For some reason, she couldn’t seem to keep her hands off him. He was like a drug and she was already seriously addicted. What was it about him that flipped her sexual switches so fast? One thing was for certain, he was turning her into a sex fiend. Making her want him too much. Maybe she should take a break and get away from him for a while. Catch her breath. And figure out exactly how she felt about everything that had happened. “I should go home.”
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He slid his hand under the shirt and cupped her breast. The other strayed between her legs. “You should stay.” God, he felt so good. His hard cock nestled into her, his hands working their usual magic. “I need a change of clothes.” She didn’t sound convincing even to her own ears. “I guarantee you won’t need any clothes tonight.” He worked his hand past her mound and unerringly found her clitoris. “Besides, it would be a shame to waste this. See how hot and wet you are for me?” She groaned and pushed her ass back against him, her determination wavering. He had a point, damn him. He kneed her legs farther apart. With slow, deliberate movements, he inserted a finger into her vagina, teasing her with his touch as he worked it in and out of her tight sheath. It felt so good, but what she wanted was his cock inside of her. He rolled her nipple between his thumb and forefinger and her vagina clenched in response. She whimpered. “You know you want to.” She gripped the countertop as if it would keep her grounded to sanity. “I really should leave.” He shook his head, nipped her shoulder. “No, you really should come.” Oh yeah, coming sounded real good right now. The familiar pressure was building hard and fast. With his finger fucking her and his cock’s impressive girth so close to where she wanted it, all she could think about was coming. All of a sudden he removed his hands, and she almost cried out at the loss of contact until she realized he wasn’t stopping but rather trying to pull off the shirt she wore. Overwhelming relief washed over her. Who was she kidding? There was no way she could deny him, or herself, this pleasure. When she was naked, he growled. “God, yes.” The rasp of his zipper sent a thrill coursing through her, building her excited anticipation. He slapped a condom on the counter beside her. Startled, she laughed. “Do you keep some of those in every room in the house?” He prodded her ass with his cock. “That’s not a bad idea, but no. I shoved one in my pocket before I came down.” He tweaked her nipples and she gasped. “I used to be a boy scout, you know.” “Always prepared, are you?” “Since I can’t seem to get enough of your sweet body, I pretty much have to be.” Thank God for that, since she couldn’t seem to get enough of his either. All thought fled when he used his knee to spread her legs, and leaned into her, his engorged velvetyhot cock resting between her butt cheeks. He ran his hands across her breasts, over her hips, down her belly, feathering through her curls and then away, not touching her where she needed him most.
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She wanted to scream from frustration, thought she’d go up in flames at any second. And then with one deft movement he let his cock slide between her thighs, rubbing back and forth, teasing her labia with the motion. She pushed her ass back farther into him, needing to cause more friction. Marcus groaned and finally let his fingers trail down, down, down until they touched her clit. Between his cock and his fingers, she didn’t know which sensation was going to drive her insane first. “Bend forward. A little bit more. Oh yeah. Just. Like. That.” Condom in place, he rubbed the head of his cock in her slippery juices before pushing his way in with unrelenting force. Stretching her, filling her to bursting. It shocked her just how big he was each time he thrust into her. How perfect. Without giving her a chance to catch her breath, he pulled out and began pounding into her. Fast and hard. Hot and deep. Mind-blowing. Perfection. Her orgasm building fast, she was almost there. Almost… One hand left her hip, moved down until his fingers stroked her clit in delicious circles, and she flew off the precipice, soaring into the blissful heavens of release. If Marcus hadn’t held her up, she would have collapsed on the floor. But he rode her through it and slammed home, coming hard in a feral growl, spasming inside her. He collapsed against her, holding them both up with a shaky hand wedged against the counter. He’d worn her out. Again. Deep down, she suspected that no matter how many times they had sex, she would never have enough of him. And that, more than anything, scared the shit out of her.
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Chapter Nine
Asia woke up, slowly becoming aware there was an arm draped over her waist and a hand clasped around her naked breast. This was not the usual way she woke up in the morning. In fact, she couldn’t remember the last time she’d had a man cuddled up to her in bed like this. She had to admit it felt really, really good. In spite of her initial determination to go home, Marcus had managed to talk her into staying the night. They’d had a nice quiet evening talking and watching a movie in bed. In fact, that was the last thing she remembered. She must have fallen asleep before the movie ended. Not too surprising since she hadn’t been sleeping very well since the robbery. What time is it? She peeped open her eyes. “Holy crap. I slept in.” Marcus’s arm tightened around her and he squeezed her breast. “What?” His voice was groggy and sexy as hell, and all Asia wanted to do was cuddle back into him. Instead she tossed back the blanket, disentangled herself from his arms and jumped out of bed. “I’m late. I have to open the shop.” That got his attention. “Shit. I was going to make us breakfast.” She raced toward the bathroom to wash up. “No breakfast today. I barely have time to get dressed.” “Okay, I’ll pick up something and we can eat it in the shop.” Asia stopped in her tracks and turned back around. “What are you talking about?” “Breakfast. You know, food. Sustenance.” She rolled her eyes. “That’s not what I meant.” He grinned. “I’m coming with you into the shop today.” “No, you’re not.” “Yeah, I am.” “No, you’re not.” “Yeah. I am.” She took in the determined look on his face and didn’t know whether to be charmed or annoyed. “But why?” “Because in the middle of the night I remembered that your grandmother left for the weekend yesterday and I thought it might be easier for you if you didn’t have to be alone in the shop so soon after the robbery.”
Bound and Determined
The fact that she felt so relieved at the mere idea of not having to be alone in the shop annoyed her. That he’d known how she felt—even though she hadn’t told anyone—and had already decided to help her touched her more than she could even acknowledge to herself. Davis would never have thought of it, never mind put himself out this way. But she couldn’t let Marcus do this. “You don’t have time to waste all day just to babysit me.” “You’re right, I don’t. I have work to do, but that’s the advantage of being a writer. I can do it anywhere. I’ll bring my laptop, find a comfortable place to sit and work there instead of here. You won’t even know I’m there.” She blinked back tears and at the same time almost laughed at the very idea she could ever be unaware of him if he was anywhere around her. “You sure?” He got out of bed and padded over to her, his pajama bottoms hanging low on his hips, which brought her eyes down to his semi-erect penis. Her lower belly clenched in memory of the stupendous sex they’d had yesterday. Wishing they had time for a quickie right now. He kissed her on the nose. “I’m sure. Now go get dressed before I ravage you. You look damned sexy in my T-shirt.” He playfully slapped her bottom for emphasis and she giggled and scurried off. But not before teasing him with a saucy wiggle of her ass. Once back in town, she ran up to her apartment to change into a T-shirt and skirt. They’d washed and dried yesterday’s muddy outfit, but there was no way she was wearing the same thing she had on yesterday to the shop. Marcus was back with breakfast by the time she’d finished opening the store. Once they’d eaten, he set up his laptop on a Victorian pedestal desk that was close to the cash register counter and went to work. The morning passed quickly. Much more quickly than if she’d been alone, jumping every time a customer stepped into the store, and she was grateful to Marcus for that. He typed away on his laptop while she took care of her usual tasks and the customers who dropped in. Most people left Marcus alone to work, but Asia noticed that several of the female patrons eyed him with a lot of interest. One woman in particular was determined to catch his eye, and when the usual posturing didn’t work she stopped hedging and went right up to him, gushing about how much she loved his books. At first Asia wondered what was niggling at her while she watched the woman openly flirt with Marcus, until she realized she was jealous. She’d never been the jealous type before. The first time had been when she’d caught Davis cheating on her three weeks before their wedding, and even then she’d been more furious and hurt than jealous. Now she realized that Davis’s treachery had done more than just break her heart and make her question her instincts with men. It had brought out a side to her personality that she really didn’t like. One more thing she could thank the jackass for.
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And the jealousy was so unfounded. Not only did she have no claim on Marcus, but he wasn’t encouraging the woman at all. He was pleasant and charming, but that was it. She couldn’t fault his behavior at all. What bothered her more was the woman’s sheer persistence. Marcus was a handsome man, and quite well-known. It wasn’t too hard to imagine that he had women throwing themselves at him all the time, but to see it firsthand was something else. This woman had even gone so far as to purchase his book down the street and come back so he’d sign it for her. With the way she was throwing herself at him, Asia couldn’t help but feel that it was only so she could tell him her name. No doubt hoping he’d ask for her number too. Marcus handled the situation well, but he still hadn’t been able to shake the woman when Thea showed up. “Hey, girl. I see you have some very interesting company.” Asia glanced over at Marcus, who was starting to look a bit harried. “Yeah, I have a lot to tell you.” Keeping her voice low, Thea said, “I can see that. What’s going on?” “I’ll tell you later.” Thea frowned. “Okay, but I want details. I came by to see if you wanted some company for lunch.” She glanced pointedly toward Marcus. “But I’m guessing you have other plans.” “Nothing definite.” Asia took in Marcus’s phony smile that was looking more and more strained by the second and decided he needed saving. Besides, she was way past sick of this woman. She cut into whatever the woman was saying. “Hey Marcus. Don’t you have lunch plans?” He turned away from the woman and gave Asia a look of such heartfelt gratitude, she almost laughed. “Yeah, I do.” He turned back to the woman. “I’m sorry to cut this short, but I have things I have to do. You understand, I’m sure.” The woman looked seriously put out, but took the hint and left. Marcus swiped his hands over his face. “Good God, I thought she’d never leave.” Asia laughed. “You and me both.” “I need to stretch my legs. Why don’t I get lunch for the three of us?” “Great idea.” They both told him what they wanted and he took off over to Lettie’s. The second he left, Thea pounced. “Don’t keep me in suspense, what the hell’s going on?” “I took your suggestion to heart.” Thea’s eyes went wide. “You slept with him?” Asia nodded emphatically. “The earth moved, the angels wept and my dry streak is officially over.” Thea squealed like a little girl. “Wow, wow, wow. This is awesome news. And, may I say, about damned time.”
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Asia laughed, enjoying her best friend’s exuberance on her behalf. “Yes, you may.” “So how did it happen? Last time we talked you were still dead set against the idea.” As much as she’d wanted to tell Thea what happened, she was loath to give too many details. It felt way too private somehow. “Well, I went to his place, sparks flew. He kissed me and one thing led to another.” Thea’s face fell. “Please tell me that’s the condensed version. Otherwise I’ll be grossly disappointed in the man.” “Let me put it this way. We initiated more than one room in his house.” Despite her resolve to be straightforward about what had happened, Asia felt her face flame. Thea burst out laughing. “Way to go, Marcus.” “Yeah. And he definitely knows how to go the distance.” “Yeah, but did he take you the distance?” “Let’s just say I lost count of how many times I hit the big O.” Thea nodded sagely. “Ah yes. A man of many talents. A great writer and a rock star in the bedroom. How are you dealing with all of this? I take it you’re going to see him again.” Asia shrugged. “I don’t know. I mean, I guess so. This all happened so fast I haven’t had time to process it, but so far it just feels right. I’m having fun and I figure as long as I keep my heart out of it, I can have a good time without getting hurt.” “As long as you remember that he’s not the settling-down type you should be fine.” “Don’t worry. I won’t forget. That’s one of the perks of being with Marcus since I’m not ready to settle down anytime soon anyway. I might never be.” Thea studied her closely and then nodded. “Okay then. So how did he end up here today?” Asia shrugged. “He knew I’d be nervous in the shop by myself and he offered to come in and keep me company. Actually, he kind of insisted, but I didn’t put up much of a fight.” “That’s why I came by. I was worried about you with Astrid not around.” Asia hugged her friend hard. “You’re the best.” Thea preened. “Of course, I am.” They both laughed. Marcus pushed through the front door, his arms full of bags. “Lunch has arrived.” Once they’d eaten, Thea left and Marcus went back to his laptop. No customers were in the store, so Asia pulled out a book from under the counter, hoping Marcus didn’t see what it was. He glanced over. “What are you reading?” She so didn’t want to tell him. “Oh, nothing you’d be interested in.” “How do you know?” He had a point. “Well, I think it’s safe to say you don’t read romances.”
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He grinned. “Okay, you’ve got me there.” Asia blushed. “I figured as much.” “Don’t be embarrassed. There was a time when I did read them.” Her gaze shot to his, trying to discern if he was teasing her. “You did not.” He nodded. “I did. You forget I grew up in a house full of women. They all read romances. They still do.” “That may be, but I can’t imagine you reading one.” He chuckled unselfconsciously. “Let’s just say I was motivated. Especially when I found out they had sex scenes in them.” Picturing it clearly, Asia burst out laughing. “I guess I can see the appeal to a horny teenager.” “You’d better believe it. I learned a lot from those books.” Asia stood and walked over to him. Letting her fingers drift along his shoulder, she threw him an arch look. “Did you now? Anything I should know about?” He grabbed her hand and pulled her onto his lap. “I can think of a few things.” His free hand cupped her breast, shaping it, teasing the nipple as he leaned in to kiss the sensitive spot below her ear. Heat washed over her. “I’d show you if we weren’t in a public place.” “Chicken.” His gaze speared hers and his wicked chuckle set her insides on fire. “You asked for it.” He took her mouth in a slow kiss so sensual she thought she’d melt from the inside out. That’s all Marcus ever had to do. Just kiss her, and she became putty in his hands. She’d thought maybe last night was a fluke, but now she knew better. There was some kind of chemistry between them that was pure dynamite. And was as addictive as crack cocaine. She raked her fingers into his soft, slightly overgrown hair and held him close as she drank deeply from his lips. Her tongue danced with his, thrusting, searching, tasting, as urgency built deep inside her. His hand skimmed down her skirt and nudged below the hem, making its way to the apex of her thighs. Her pulse skipped to double time. She knew they shouldn’t be doing this in the shop. That they were playing with fire. After all, someone could walk in at any moment, but she couldn’t make herself put a stop to it. His wickedly clever fingers started petting her through her panties, teasing her with the almost-there touch that wasn’t enough. She was already wet for him but she needed his fingers touching her skin, giving her clit some one-on-one attention. She spread her thighs as much as she could to give him greater access and he took immediate advantage, finding the edge of her panties and working his way in until he was touching her moist folds. His groan went straight to her core.
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Her hips started to move, seeking to get closer, wanting more intimate contact. He didn’t disappoint, giving her what she sought and working his magic until she was so excited she didn’t know what to do with herself. Oh God, doing this here was so risky, but she desperately wanted to free his cock and impale herself on him right here, right now. He worked a finger into her, then two, building the pressure. If he didn’t stop she’d come right here in the shop, she was so close already. But he didn’t let up, devouring her mouth while his fingers worked inside of her, building the fire higher until the flames skirted the very edge, holding her captive to the suspended moment. He didn’t leave her there long. His thumb pressed into her clit and she flew over the top, convulsing around his fingers, burying her face in his neck to muffle her scream of release. When the shudders stilled she pulled back and looked at Marcus in stunned silence. She couldn’t believe he’d done that to her right here in the shop, even if she had dared him. And not without cost to himself. His eyes burned with unspent passion and his hard cock throbbed against her hip. “I take it back. You’re no chicken.” “Damned right.” He kissed her and pulled back. “By the way, you can dare me to do that anytime. But if you think this is over, you’re fooling yourself. We’re going to continue this at my place after work.” “You sound pretty sure of yourself.” He pointedly lifted his fingers to his mouth and sucked her essence off them. Her vagina spasmed from the erotic sight. “I have reason to be. And by the time I’m done with you, you’ll have lost count of how many times you’ve screamed your release.” Her pussy clenched again in response, and she bit her lip in breathless anticipation. He gave her a sexy grin so rakish he reminded her of a pirate. And she had the strong suspicion that he was going to take what he wanted like a pirate. Damn the consequences. She could hardly wait.
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Chapter Ten
She’d died and gone to heaven. Sinking lower into the fabulous bath Marcus had run for her, Asia felt every muscle in her body relax. He’d fed her to-die-for fettuccine soon after they’d gotten to his place, so she was pleasantly full and happy and now she was enjoying her favorite thing in the world. She had no idea how long she’d been in there but her fingers and toes were starting to go pruny, telling her she should get up soon. Instead, she let her head fall back against the tub, loath to move. A quick rap on the door preceded Marcus’s entrance. Without moving her head, she glanced his way. He looked comfortable and sexy as hell in sweatpants and a T-shirt. He had to be the only man alive who could pull the look off. “You ready for me to wash your hair?” “Does it entail movement of any kind on my part?” He grinned. “I’m afraid so, but I’ll make it worth your while.” His eagerness had her eying him suspiciously. “You’re just going to wash my hair, right?” He didn’t answer, but the sinful glint in his eyes didn’t bode well for that outcome. She watched as he grabbed a chair from the bedroom and set it behind the clawfoot tub. Next he squirted a dollop of shampoo into his hands. “Lean forward.” She did as he asked. Before long, the soothing feel of his strong fingers methodically working shampoo into her hair was her entire world. Occasionally adding water to bring out the suds, he massaged her scalp with unbelievable thoroughness until every last hair follicle on her head was as relaxed as the rest of her body. The man really did have magic fingers. “You could make a living doing this.” He chuckled and continued massaging her scalp. “You think so?” “Oh yeah.” “Well, I don’t do this for just anyone.” “You don’t?” “Nope. You’re my first.” She glanced at him over her shoulder. “I find that hard to believe.” “Believe it. Now relax, I’ll take care of everything.”
Bound and Determined
A contented sigh whispered past her lips as his magical fingers continued massaging her scalp and her nape, even slipping down to work her neck and shoulder muscles loose. “Feel good?” She was too relaxed for words. “Um hmm.” “Good.” He continued his bewitching ministrations until she almost nodded off. “Lean your head back so I can rinse out the soap.” Warm water ran through the strands of her soapy hair, until all the suds were gone. Bonelessness pervaded her body, as if he’d also rinsed away all the tension from the robbery and the last few days. She’d never been so wonderfully pampered and taken care of by a man. Marcus wrapped a towel around her head. “Okay, time to get out.” She groaned. “Do I have to?” He chuckled. “Yes, you do. Pretty soon it won’t just be your fingers and toes that are pruny.” And wouldn’t that be attractive. Conceding defeat, she rose and stepped out of the water while he enveloped her with a huge fluffy towel. He patted her dry, lavishing special attention on her breasts and pussy until every inch of her skin was tingling and turned on. Then he wrapped the towel around her and tucked in a corner close to her breast. Their eyes caught and he winked. “Why don’t you finish drying off and I’ll go get us some wine.” “Sounds wonderful.” He left and she pushed herself to towel dry her hair. It was the one advantage to having naturally curly hair that she only had to scrunch it in her fingers for the curls to set up again. They’d be a little wilder than usual without her hair defrizzing products to tame them, but there wasn’t anything she could do about that. She headed into the bedroom and sat on the edge of the bed. She should get dressed, but she was so sublimely relaxed she couldn’t make herself do it. In fact, she could barely keep her eyes open at all. She rubbed them to try to wake up, but it didn’t work. She had to rest for a minute. Just one short minute. Then she’d be ready for action. Really.
Marcus whistled in the kitchen while he uncorked the wine and grabbed a couple of glasses to take upstairs. He didn’t know what it was about this woman, but she turned him on like no other woman ever had. He’d had a hell of a time fighting off the urge to crawl into the tub and take her right there. But his goal tonight was to pamper her and let her know without words that he valued her for more than just sex. Even if he did want to make love to her until they both passed out.
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Anara Bella
He took the stairs two at a time and came to an abrupt halt once he stepped into the bedroom. He placed the wine and glasses on a dresser and stepped closer to the bed. So much for his big seduction plans. Asia was sound asleep on top of the blankets, her fist tucked under her chin. She looked so peaceful and sweet. Beautiful. His heart did a funny flip and he unconsciously rubbed the center of his chest. No way could he wake her. She was obviously exhausted. And although she hid it well, he knew she was still stressed out over the robbery. She needed the rest. He pulled back the blankets and tucked her in after removing the towel from around her lush body. She never even stirred. He stripped off his clothes and got into bed next to her. Gathering her snug against him, he kissed the top of her head and lay there holding her close, inhaling her sweet scent. For now, he was content to do just that. Well, his cock wasn’t. It had other ideas, but aside from that, he was good. Better than good. And it was more than a little scary because he knew he was getting in deep with this woman. He had begun to think he’d never find the right woman for him, and now he had a strong suspicion Asia was the woman he’d been looking for. He just had to convince Asia that he was the right guy for her.
Asia could get used to this. Being warm and secure in a man’s arms after a good night’s sleep, what could be better? She wriggled her butt back into Marcus, thrilled to the feel of his hard cock nestled in the groove of her ass. His arm tightened around her, pulling her closer. Oh yeah, she could get used to this all right. She wriggled into him again. “You’re up.” His slow chuckle did wicked things to her insides. “In more ways than one. You inspire me.” She grinned and turned over to face him. “I can see that.” He removed his arm from around her waist and trailed his fingers down her breast, making her nipples harden. He didn’t dally there long, instead skimming across her belly to bury them in her nether curls. Her stomach muscles clenched in anticipation. He didn’t disappoint. Nor did he make her wait as he slid farther, back and forth across her already slippery wet folds. “I see I inspire you too.” Her breath hitched. “Oh yeah. I’m sorry I fell asleep on you again last night.” He grinned. “Don’t worry about it. You can make it up to me now. Put your leg over my hip.”
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Intrigued, she did as he asked. “Like this?” He growled his approval. “Just like that.” As if rewarding her, he slid a finger into her vagina, thrusting in and retreating, adding another digit and another. “God, that feels so good.” Her hips started to move in counterpoint and the exquisite rhythm created a slow burn that drove her higher with each thrust of his fingers. “If you keep that up, I’m going to come.” He nipped her shoulder, then soothed the skin with his tongue. “I’m counting on it.” He continued the provocative cadence until she writhed against his fingers, dancing there on the crest. She hung in exquisite anticipation until he pinched her clit and she surged over the top in waves of bliss. While she strove to catch her breath, Marcus reached over her shoulder and nabbed a condom off the night table. Sheathed in seconds, he thrust into her slowly, inexorably. Completely. They both groaned. His hand on her hip, he started to move and the divine fullness, together with the teasing friction, had her moaning. She didn’t think she had it in her but the excitement started building again. She grabbed his ass, trying to make him move faster, deeper. He shook his head. “Good things come to those who wait.” “But I don’t want to wait. I want to come.” “You will.” He pulled out and rolled onto his back, pulling her over him. “Get on top.” A frisson of excitement danced through her body. She loved being on top. Getting onto her knees, she lowered herself onto him until he was deep inside her. Deeper than he’d ever been before. She groaned at the exquisite fullness, grinding herself down onto him, causing a delicious friction on her clit at the same time. She rose and plunged down on him again. He groaned. “I’m not going to last long this way.” “Don’t worry about it. Neither will I.” She started to lift for another stroke but instead of letting her move, he pulled her on top of him, kissing her with such exquisite thoroughness she thought she would melt. His tongue ran along hers, exploring every inch of her mouth. Tasting her, learning her, consuming her. Never before had she been kissed with such overwhelming intensity and deep absorption. Each drugging pass of his mouth, slide of his tongue, savage claiming of her lips built the powerful sensations coursing through her to a crescendo. The sheer eroticism of it pulled her under his intoxicating spell. She felt desired, worshipped, taken. It was bliss and ecstasy times a thousand. If she’d died without experiencing this kiss, she would have missed something priceless beyond measure.
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The groan built deep in her throat and she pushed her fingers through his hair, holding him to her. Not wanting him to stop kissing her, but desperately wanting him moving inside of her too. Of their own volition, her hips started to writhe. He didn’t move, but somehow he kept a constant pressure on her clit and she was so close to exploding she didn’t know what to do with herself. Finally, she couldn’t stand it and pulled her head away to break the kiss. “God, if I don’t start moving right now I’m going to die.” “I couldn’t agree more.” But instead of letting her up, Marcus grabbed her hips and raised them until the head of his cock slipped out. She almost cried at the loss until his scorching-hot cock touched her clit, sliding over it, building the exquisite sensations to an unbearable degree before slipping back inside. “Oh my.” That was amazing. “Keep doing that.” She did, quickly getting the hang of the perfect circular motion she needed to stimulate her clit against his hot, hard cock. It wasn’t long before the tantalizing movement sent her soaring over the top once more. Without waiting, he flipped her over and thrust home, pounding into her, just the way she needed him to. The heavenly pressure building until she was so close she knew she would fly apart at any second. But not yet. The knife edge of dizzying pleasure kept increasing until it was within her grasp. She was almost there. Teetering on the brink. Marcus never let up. He continued to plunge hard and deep until she convulsed around him and came with an explosive scream. Her fingers dug into his ass. She swore she saw stars. But Marcus kept pumping into her until, with one last deep thrust, he let go, coming in an agonized groan. He dropped down on top of her. Between gasping breaths, he said, “That was unbelievable.” She shook her head. “No, that was indescribable. I’ve never experienced anything like it.” As he rolled onto his back, he pulled her into his side. He didn’t say anything at first, then dipped down and kissed the top of her head. “Neither have I.” She grinned. “I guess that’s what they call chemistry.” “No, that’s called an atomic blast.” She sighed in contentment. “Yeah.” For a few minutes all was silent as they recouped their strength, but once she caught her breath, she felt fantastic. Sated, energized, ready to take on anything. She’d slept like a log and it had done her a world of good, and the sex hadn’t hurt either. She was revved up and primed for action. Her stomach growled loud enough for the neighbors to hear. Okay, so maybe she’d be ready after she ate something. He grinned. “Are you trying to tell me something?”
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Bound and Determined
“How’d you guess?” He stretched and groaned. “I guess I have to get up and feed you now.” Running her big toe up his calf, she fluttered her eyelashes at him. “That would be really nice.” Marcus squeezed her tight, heaving a great sigh of feigned long-suffering while he disengaged himself from her. “Ah well, I guess it’s the least I can do.” He got up and disposed of the condom. Giggling, she tossed a pillow at him. “You’re damned right it is.” Catching the pillow one-handed, he laughed. “Stay right there and I’ll bring you some coffee.” “Really?” “Really.” He pulled on his jeans and headed downstairs. As soon as he was gone, she jumped up and ran to the bathroom, both out of necessity and to make sure she didn’t look too much like a hag. She finger-combed her hair with dampened fingers to try and tame the wild mess, but finally gave up. It was what it was. By the time he came back with a steaming mug of coffee and the morning paper she was lounging in bed again. She took the aromatic mug from him and he tossed the paper on the bed beside her. “This smells divine. You’re spoiling me, you know.” He skimmed a knuckle along her cheek. “This is nothing. Wait until you see breakfast.” “I can help.” She made to get out of bed. He stayed her with a touch. “This is my treat. Relax. Enjoy your coffee, read the paper. I’ll be back soon.” She raised her mug in salute. “You, my good man, are a prince among men.” He chuckled. “As long as you think so, I’m happy.” He turned to go back downstairs and stopped. “Do you like apricot jam?” “I don’t think I’ve ever had it, but I love apricots, so probably. Why?” He gave her a secretive smile. “You’ll see.” “You’re not going to tell me what’s for breakfast, are you?” “Nope, so don’t bother asking. I won’t be long.” With that he left her trying to imagine what he was rustling up for them. When she thought of jam the first thing that came to mind was toast, but somehow she doubted it would be that simple. Fifteen minutes later he came into the room with a tray and placed it on her lap. There was a small glass of orange juice and a plate with two rolled crepes filled with apricot jam. The smell was heavenly. “Oh my God. This looks amazing.” “Wait until you taste them.” “I can’t wait.”
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She picked up her knife and fork and dug in while he looked on in anticipation. The first bite was pure bliss and she closed her eyes to savor it fully. The crepe was thin and light with just the right amount of jam filling. “Good?” “Mmm. This is so much better than just good. Thank you. You didn’t have to go to all this bother just for me.” He grinned. “Who says it was just for you. I love crepes.” “But how did you make them so fast?” “I made the batter yesterday while you were soaking in the tub. I was determined to make you breakfast this morning. You want some more coffee?” She held out her mug. “Yes, please.” “I’ll be right back.” In no time he returned with a tray for himself, another mug of coffee for her and propped himself up in bed beside her. Once breakfast was eaten, Marcus took a sip of his coffee and looked at her apologetically. “I’m sorry I can’t spend today in the shop with you again.” The reminder sent a nervous rush skittering up her spine. With determination, she shook it off. She was a big girl. She could handle it. “Like I told you last night, it’s okay. Really. Saturday’s our busiest day. With all the out-of-towners who like to come up north to visit the falls and go antiquing, customers will be in and out of the shop all day and the streets will be busy downtown. In all likelihood I won’t have a minute to myself.” “Still, I would have come if it wasn’t my mother’s birthday. My sisters and I are spending the day with her. There’s no way I can beg off without disappointing my mother, otherwise I would.” “And I wouldn’t want you to. Like I said, I’ll be fine.” He nodded. “I’ll be back later tonight. We could meet at Murphy’s at around eight if you’re game.” “That’d be great.” He leaned in and gave her a toe-curling kiss that had her melting inside all over again. “Something to remember me by.” As if she needed it. She already couldn’t stop thinking about him. Anymore than she could stop wanting him.
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Chapter Eleven
Asia hummed in happy contentment as she changed clothes and caught her wild hair up into a clasp. It was the quickest way to deal with the out-of-control mess her hair had become by this morning. That Marcus hadn’t run for the hills the moment he’d seen her this morning was a testament to his outstanding character. Either that or the man needed glasses. She still couldn’t believe how sweet he’d been. He’d treated her like a princess and wasn’t at all put out that she’d fallen asleep on him two nights in a row. Which she really regretted because the man was outstanding in bed. She hadn’t believed that kind of intense sex actually existed outside of books. Sex with her ex-fiancé had been pleasant enough, but nothing like the earth-shattering experiences she had with Marcus. Whatever else happened between them, she wouldn’t have missed this time with him for anything. The day passed in a blur as she tended to the shop and the constant influx of customers. She’d been spot on about not being nervous. She didn’t have five minutes to herself the entire day. Thea dropped by again, telling Asia Marcus had made a point of letting her know he couldn’t come in today, which was such a thoughtful thing for him to do. All in all, Asia couldn’t wait for the day to end so she could see Marcus again. After eating and changing into a flirty sundress, she decided she was too restless to sit around in her apartment, so she headed over to Thea’s bar early. It was a beautiful warm evening, and the sidewalks were full of people heading to restaurants, or coming back from the falls, strolling along the quaint old-fashioned street lined with shops. Gorgeous flower baskets overflowing with colorful blooms added to the charm and Asia felt peaceful and happy. And anxious to see Marcus again. The moment she stepped into Murphy’s Bar she spotted Thea behind the counter chatting with Lexi, who was on a stool at the far end of the room. She maneuvered her way through the pressing crowd toward them. The place was already in full swing for a Saturday night. She sat next to Lexi. “Hey, you two.” Lexi’s face lit up. “Hey, you look great. You’re almost glowing.” “It’s all that hot sex those two are having.” Thea waggled her eyebrows comically, making Asia laugh.
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Lexi gave a knowing grin. “That’d be my guess too.” “Well, you’d be guessing right. Marcus is a total stud between the sheets and everywhere else we’ve tried too.” They burst out laughing. “Details, girl. We want details.” Thea spoke up while Lexi nodded with enthusiasm. “We need to live vicariously through you.” “That’s because you two don’t have a life.” Asia enjoyed their banter. It was nice to be the one bugging them about not dating for a change. Thea tucked her hair behind her ear. “That’s not through choice. You’re seeing the only interesting guy around here.” Asia had to agree. “No arguments from me. He should be here soon. I’m meeting him at eight.” “Well, that explains why you’re here instead of with him.” Lexi broke in. “Hey, isn’t that Marcus over there?” “Where?” Asia turned, and as soon as she spotted him her stomach plummeted. A leggy redhead was leaning into him, giving him a front-row seat to a full-on viewing of her overflowing boobs. Jealousy roared to life. “Yeah, that’s him all right.” Thea reached out a hand. “I’m sure it’s all her. He doesn’t look at all interested.” Lexi agreed, but Asia wasn’t listening to them anymore. It didn’t matter how uncalled for the jealousy was, she felt it anyway. “Excuse me.” She headed over and fought down the green-eyed monster roaring within her. She had no claim on Marcus. She barely knew him. They hadn’t even gone on an official date yet. It was ridiculous for her to feel this way. With each step she took, she stomped the jealousy down until it simmered in the background, but the fact that she couldn’t dismiss it both annoyed and worried her. It was crazy. Was she going to spend the rest of her life feeling this way every time another woman spoke to a guy she was seeing? When she got close enough, she stopped to listen in. Sure enough, their conversation was about as innocuous as it could get. The woman was an unpublished writer who had recognized Marcus and was asking him for advice. The fact that she was flirting outrageously was beside the point. She’d seen what Marcus looked like when he was into a woman. He’d given her that look often enough. Right now he was showing nothing more than polite interest in what the woman had to say. She could handle this. She could. She just had to remember that she didn’t want forever with this guy anyway. She was just having fun. Her heart was untouched, intact. Safe and sound. At last, the monster slithered away and she made herself known. “Hey, you’re here already.”
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Marcus immediately turned from the redhead. His eyes lit up when he saw Asia, giving her the warmest, most intimate smile, the impact of which went straight to her toes. Something the redhead didn’t miss. Seeing she wasn’t wanted, she quickly excused herself and left. He took Asia’s hands and gave her a brief, but hot kiss. “Hey, beautiful. I missed you today.” Something tight and wounded unfurled from the warmth of his welcome. He was so obviously happy to see her and didn’t even give the redhead a backwards glance. “I missed you too.” He waved her into the booth he’d saved for them. Sitting beside her, he leaned in closer. “So what did you do today?” “Nothing extraordinary. Took care of the shop, sold a few things, arranged for your piece to be picked up. You know, the usual. How about you?” “I had a great day. My mother was thrilled we were all there for her birthday. She loved her gifts, we had a great time together and then she shocked us by telling us she had a date tonight.” Asia laughed. “You’re kidding.” “I’m not. Turns out she’s been seeing a man she went to high school with. Could’ve knocked me over with a feather. We’ve been trying to get her dating for years.” “That’s great.” “Yeah, it is. She deserves to find someone special. Anyway, I got home an hour earlier than I thought I would, so I decided to get in a bit of writing before our date. I don’t think the writing has flowed this well for me in years. I’ve decided you’re my new muse.” Asia laughed. “I’ve never been somebody’s muse before. Strange, I don’t feel any different.” He brushed a finger along her cheek. “I should hope not. You feel great just the way you are. In fact— ” he abruptly stood and held out his hand. “—it’s been too long since I’ve held you in my arms. If we have to be here instead of somewhere private, we need to dance so they don’t throw us out for indecent behavior.” She took his hand and followed him to the dance floor. There was nothing better than being held in his arms. She snuggled closer, loving the feel of his hard body pressed up against hers. His heat enveloped her and a sizzle started up inside. “You’re right. It has been too long.” Marcus nuzzled her neck and let one hand cup her behind. Her lower belly clenched and heat started to build there, amazing her with the speed of her response. He licked the shell of her ear and nipped the lobe, sending sparks shooting straight to her vagina. A delicious shiver ran through her.
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“We don’t have to stay, you know. I can think of another kind of dancing we could be doing.” His other hand also dropped to her butt and pulled her snug against his erection. “I know how much you like to help out with things. I have something that needs attention right now.” Asia giggled but she was already on fire. She couldn’t seem to keep her hands off of him. It was as if the two of them together were sexual dynamite. “You’d better behave. We’re in a public place.” “Yeah, but we don’t have to be.” She leaned back and batted her eyelashes at him. “Why, whatever do you mean?” He tossed her a leering grin. “Do I really have to spell it out?” “I guess you do.” He whispered into her ear, causing goose bumps to shiver along her nape. “We need to leave so I can fuck your brains out the way I’ve been fantasizing doing to you since I dropped you off this morning. I wanted to take you on a proper date but not being able to touch you the way I want is driving me crazy.” At his words, her pussy tensed in anticipation. “When did you have time to fantasize today?” “You’d be amazed. I couldn’t stop thinking about you. By the time I got home, I was so primed I put my energy into writing a raunchy sex scene so I wouldn’t jump you the second I saw you. Didn’t work though. I still want to jump you.” Desire roared through her entire body. She loved that she was the focus of his fantasies. He starred in every one of hers. “So, what are we waiting for? Let’s blow this joint.” “I thought you’d never ask.” He grabbed her hand and started toward the exit, but she pulled him to a stop. “Wait. I have an idea.” She couldn’t believe she was even considering this but urgency rode her hard and she was feeling wild and daring. She pulled him toward the back of the bar and down a corridor. She tried Thea’s office door but it was locked. “Damn.” “Where are we going?” “Maybe nowhere. Just depends.” With desperation, she tried the next door down the hallway, hoping it would open. “Eureka. Come on.” She pulled him into a storage closet, closed the door and flicked the light switch, all the while amazed at her audacity. She’d never done anything even close to this wild before. Marcus brought out a side of her she hadn’t even known she possessed. He gave her a wolfish grin. “I like the way you think.” Dragging her close, he took her mouth in a hot, possessive kiss that turned the heat simmering inside of her into a full-blown conflagration.
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She yanked her mouth away and deftly pulled his T-shirt over his head. With greedy fingers, she roamed across his wide chest, then bit one of his nipples and soothed it with a lick. His deep guttural groan was music to her ears and turned her on like nothing else. She raked her nails lightly over both of his nipples. “I take it you like my idea?” He yanked off her top and growled. “I fucking love your idea.” He unsnapped her bra, and feasted on her nipples, kissing and sucking until she thought she’d come just from his mouth on her breasts. Desperate to get at him, she worked his jeans open and reached inside. His breath hissed between his teeth the moment her fingers closed around his rigid cock. “I don’t think I can wait any longer. I have to get inside you now.” He shoved her miniskirt up around her waist and her panties hit the floor at lightning speed. She kicked them off and he pushed her up against the door. Lifting her left leg around his waist, he held it there with one hand clasped around her thigh. They both panted for breath. His fingers tangled in her curls until he found her clit, hot, hard and waiting in desperate anticipation of his touch. She gasped and her inner muscles clenched. He trembled. “You’re already wet for me.” “God, yes.” He teasingly slid a finger partway into her and stopped. “Do you want me to fuck you? Right here, right now?” She barked a laugh. “What do you think?” “I want to hear you say the words.” She bit his bottom lip, then soothed it with her tongue. Nipped his jaw, his ear. “I want you to fuck me. Right here, right now. Hard and deep.” His cock jumped. “It’s so fucking hot when you talk dirty.” He let go of her leg and, after fishing through his wallet, tossed it aside. The second the condom was on, he wrapped her legs around his waist and pinned her against the door, impaling her with his cock. He didn’t take things slow. With inexorable pressure, he pressed forward until he was inside her up to his balls. Letting his head drop back, he strove to catch his breath. “This isn’t going to last long.” “It doesn’t have to.” He chuckled. “You’re perfect, you know that?” He started to move, thrusting with powerful strokes, building speed, driving them on until they were both stretched tighter and tighter, right to the edge, to the very limit. God, each and every time was amazing with him. She was almost there, but what she sought shimmered just out of reach. “More. I need more.”
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He reached between them and pinched her clit and that was it. She shattered into a million pieces. Two more thrusts and he followed after her with a muffled shout. His forehead dropped to hers while they both gasped for breath. “You are fucking incredible, you know that?” She managed a small smile. “So you keep telling me.” He chuckled. “Good thing the music’s loud otherwise I think they would have heard us.” She nodded and tried not to think how embarrassing that would have been. Didn’t matter though, it would have been worth it. Once they’d caught their breath, they got dressed. Asia opened the door a crack, saw the coast was clear, turned off the light and they slid into the hallway as if nothing had happened. “I need to go to the ladies’ room.” “I’ll meet you over by the bar.” “Okay.” In the washroom, she straightened her hair and cleaned up as best she could, then went to meet Marcus over by the bar. And stopped dead in her tracks. Asia couldn’t believe it, but the same redhead as before was coming onto Marcus. Again. The bitch had a bloody lot of nerve. Asia’s anger rose in her throat, almost choking her. She wanted to cry and to scream and everything in between. The whole gamut of emotions crashed through her system, her stomach plummeted and she was at once both hot and cold. She watched as the bitch laid her hand on Marcus’s thigh, squeezed and then laughed at something he said. All the feelings swirling inside of her coalesced into one piercing emotion, one she’d managed to brush off earlier but somehow this time she wasn’t able to do it. Bright, vibrant jealousy flooded her, overwhelming and all encompassing to the point that it threatened to choke her. Somehow the covetous redhead’s dogged determination touched a raw nerve she couldn’t suppress. Maybe it was her flagrant persistence. Maybe it was her nerve. Or maybe it was the way her posture and attitude screamed at Marcus to, “take me, I’m yours”. Whatever it was, she couldn’t dismiss it so easily this time. The bitch knew he was with someone, but that didn’t even slow her down. She wanted him, or she wanted whatever help he could give her career. It didn’t matter which. The end result was the same. How many other beautiful women were out there who wouldn’t hesitate to throw themselves at Marcus? Who didn’t care if he had a girlfriend, fiancée or wife? And what red-blooded, healthy male with an above-average sex drive like Marcus’s could resist that kind of constant temptation? Davis certainly hadn’t. Neither had her father or grandfather for that matter.
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She’d known her whole life that the women in her family had horrible taste in men. It was in their genes. Somehow, they always picked the losers. Just look at her. She’d taken a chance with Davis and look what had happened? There was no reason to believe Marcus would be any different. And there would always be women like the redhead around, out to steal another woman’s guy. Some even considered it a challenge. And with Marcus’s fame it would be even worse. The redhead only served to plainly illustrate what Asia had tried to push out of her head, to not think about, to forget—that Marcus had women throwing themselves at him all the time and there was no way to stop it or control it. No matter what she did, it would always be there. In her face, like a wart on a nose you couldn’t ignore. And she didn’t like it one bit. Worse, she didn’t think she could handle it. What worried her the most was that she barely knew Marcus. They were just getting to know each other. Admittedly, she liked him a lot. But they were a very new couple, if you could even classify them as that after one night of sex and half a date. But none of that seemed to matter. She was possessive about him and she wasn’t even in love with him. Lust maybe, but not love. And she already couldn’t deal with the thought of him cheating on her. How would she feel once she’d gotten used to him being a part of her life? That she already had such strong feelings for Marcus just proved what a huge mistake she’d made. She’d sorely underestimated his power over her. She already felt closer to Marcus than she ever had to Davis, and Davis’s treachery had all but destroyed her ability to trust. If Marcus ever cheated on her, she wasn’t sure she could survive it. In fact, she was pretty sure she couldn’t. There was only one thing she could do. Cut her losses. She couldn’t afford to allow herself to get any more involved with him. She had to break it off now, while she still could. Before her heart was involved and he shred it to pieces with some careless action like Davis had. She watched as Marcus removed the redhead’s hand from his leg, but it didn’t change anything. Sure, he was resisting her now, but how long would that last? How long before the right woman came around at just the right moment and he caved? She didn’t want to be there when it happened. She caught Thea’s eye and pointed toward her office. Thea nodded and Asia went there to wait for her, relieved that Marcus hadn’t seen her. In no time Thea rushed over. “What’s up?” “I need to get out of here without Marcus seeing me leave.” Thea unlocked her office door and swept Asia inside ahead of her. “What’s going on? I saw you two together not that long ago and you looked pretty cozy.” “Well, that was then. This is now and I just can’t face him right now.” “Did he hurt you? I’ll kill him if he hurt you.” Asia loved her dear friend, she really did. “He hasn’t hurt me, but he will if I keep on seeing him.”
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“Okay, now that’s just crazy talk.” Asia shook her head. “No, it’s not. Marcus is gorgeous, well-known and comfortably well-off. He’ll always have beautiful women throwing themselves at him. Eventually, he’ll give into the temptation. I don’t want to be there when it happens.” “You have to stop comparing every guy to your ex. Davis was a cheating, lying schmuck. Marcus is nothing like him.” “Yeah, and Davis was nowhere near as good-looking as Marcus, nor did he have as much going for him, and yet he still managed to find someone to cheat on me with.” “And there’s the big difference between them. Davis was the one who did the pursuing. I knew he was a serial flirt and suspected he was a skirt-chaser. I wish you’d listened when I’d tried to warn you, but you didn’t and got hurt in the process. And that hurts me more than I can say. But the point now is that Marcus is nothing like that. I’d tell you if he was.” “And yet he still has that redhead groping him out there.” “Yes, he does, and he hasn’t done one thing to encourage it. She’s a persistent beotch trying all the usual tricks in the book and he’s not even remotely interested. I’m telling you, he’s not cut from the same cloth as Davis. Not even close.” Asia shook her head back and forth. “Doesn’t matter. I have to break things off with him right away. The trouble is he casts this spell over me so that all I want to do is jump his bones. I can’t even think straight when he’s around. I need to break it off with him over the phone or something. If I go out there now, he’ll look at me with those sexy blue eyes of his and I’ll end up going home with him and having sex all night long again.” Thea chuckled. “And that would be a bad thing, why? I should be so lucky.” Asia swallowed hard, fighting back the tears that rose up in her throat. “I can’t do it. I just can’t.” Thea instantly sobered and relented. “Okay. I’ll let you out the back way. You won’t even see him.” Asia nodded, so grateful for her friend’s help it almost loosened the floodgates. “You got some paper? I’ll write him a note.” “Don’t bother. I’ll tell him you went home ’cause you weren’t feeling well and that you’ll call him tomorrow.” Asia gave her a brief hard hug. “You really are the best.” “I know, I know. I can’t help it.” Thea checked outside her office door, and when the coast was clear she ushered her out the back door. Asia fled into the night, back to the safety of her lonely apartment.
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Chapter Twelve
“I’m not leaving until you talk to me.” Marcus’s voice echoed off the brick walls lining the well-lit alley at the side of Astrid’s Antiques. He banged on the door again for emphasis and to vent some of his frustration. The whole situation was ridiculous. He still couldn’t believe Asia had snuck out of the bar without a word to him and sent her best friend to give him the bad news. He felt as if he were back in grade school again. But they weren’t kids. They were adults and she could damn well tell him to his face what the problem was. He knew she wasn’t sick. In fact, he’d bet hard cash on the fact that she was jealous because of the pushy redhead it had taken him forever to ditch. He banged on the door again. “Come on, Asia. Open up.” A second-floor window above and to the left of the door opened and Asia’s face appeared over the sill. “Go away. You’re bothering the neighbors.” “It’s not that late and none of your neighbors appear to be home anyway. If you want me to leave, then have the decency to come down here and tell me what’s wrong.” He heard her sigh even from that distance. “Fine. I’ll be right down.” About time too. A minute later, he heard the locks pulled back and the door opened wide. With shock, he saw that Asia looked terrible. Her eyes were red as if she’d been crying and he’d never seen her look so pale. All he wanted to do was gather her into his arms and soothe the hurt from her sweet face. He started to step inside but she held up a hand. “If you want to talk now, then we’ll do it right here.” Taken aback, he moved out of her personal space. The last thing he wanted to do was spook her. “What happened? Talk to me. I can’t fix this if I don’t know what the problem is.” Her wan smile didn’t reassure him any. “That’s just it. There is no fixing this. We’re over.” He’d been expecting it, but the shock of her words still hit him like a lead pipe. He was not ready to let her go. He wasn’t sure he ever would be. “How can we be over? We’ve barely begun.” “You wouldn’t understand.” “Try me.” “Have you ever been jealous?” “Not really.” “Cheated on?”
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“Not that I know of.” “Then you wouldn’t understand what it’s like to come home early and find your fiancé, someone you loved and trusted, fucking the brains out of another woman. In your bed. The same bed you’d shared together. “That kind of betrayal never really leaves you. It haunts you, eats away at your self-confidence, your ability to trust. Or love. Your very soul.” Marcus had never experienced it, but he could well imagine the horror of it. He was a writer, after all. He had a pretty good imagination, and had even written about a similar scenario for one of his books. But how to make her see that one man’s actions didn’t speak for all men? “Your ex was an ass. Not all men are like him.” “Logically, I know you’re right, but emotionally I can’t take the chance. Or at least I’m not ready to yet.” Fresh anger hit him. “So you’re going to toss what we have on the scrap heap and call it a day. And I have no say in the matter whatsoever.” She shook her head. “None whatsoever. I’m sorry.” “Well, I’m not ready to accept that. We have something special between us. We owe it to ourselves to explore it and see where it goes.” But Asia was already shaking her head. “I just can’t do it. I’m sorry, Marcus. I should have kept my distance from you like I’d originally intended.” He jumped on that. “But you couldn’t, could you? You feel the pull just as much as I do.” “It doesn’t matter. It’ll fade. It always does.” He didn’t even know what to say to that ridiculous comment. How did one deal with someone who was being completely unreasonable? She didn’t wait for his brain to kick in with an effective response. “Have a good life, Marcus.” At last, he found his voice. “This isn’t over.” Her only answer was to close the door in his face with a finality that ripped his guts out.
“I think you’re making a huge mistake.” Thea took a sip of her wine. Asia snapped. She’d had it with being told she’d done the wrong thing by breaking things off with Marcus. “Would everybody just stop telling me that?” She glared at both Thea and Lexi, who just shrugged and said, “We would if you’d listen and go talk to him.” “It’s not going to happen, so give it up already.”
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“Sorry, no can do. You’re throwing away a terrific guy because of something another jerk did to you. It makes no sense.” “It makes sense to me.” Thea grunted. “Maybe so, but none of us are impressed.” “You don’t have to be. I know I did the right thing.” If only Asia didn’t sound so uncertain even to her own ears, maybe the others would leave her alone. “Sure you do. That’s why you look like death warmed over. Because you’re so happy with your decision.” The sarcasm dripping off of Thea’s tone grated on raw nerves. Asia just wanted to be left alone to get over what she now realized was a broken heart. She’d gone and fallen for Marcus and it had happened so fast she hadn’t even realized it until after she’d cut him out of her life. Now she really wasn’t sure she’d done the right thing. Of course, she wasn’t sure it was the wrong thing either. So she was kind of stuck in limbo. It was just as well to leave things as they were, because if she cared this much about him after such a short amount of time, how much worse would it be if he broke her heart down the road? No, she’d done the right thing by breaking things off. She had. Hadn’t she? Annoyed by her constant wavering, she tried to divert the conversation by going on the attack. “I don’t see either of you two taking a chance on love.” Thea and Lexi both looked a little uncomfortable under Asia’s close scrutiny. Then Thea took back control and jumped in. “Don’t change the subject. This isn’t about us, it’s about you.” “Well, I’m tired of talking about me and my problems. I’d rather talk about yours.” A commotion at the door announced a group of people coming into the bar and the conversation lagged. Thea smiled. “There he is.” “There who is?” Asia whipped around, afraid she was about to find out the real reason she’d been lured to the bar. “It had better not be Marcus.” Thea smiled in smug satisfaction. “It isn’t.” And sure enough, it wasn’t. It was, however, the last person she wanted to see. Ever again. “You knew Davis was going to be here tonight, didn’t you?” “Sure did. He reserved the pool table and a table beside it. It’s his birthday.” With shock, Asia realized she’d forgotten about it. Last year on this day she’d moped around the apartment, alternating between crying and fuming at Davis’s perfidy. This year it hadn’t even crossed her mind to care. That was a major improvement.
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“Why did you want me to see him? You used to help me avoid seeing him.” Lexi piped up. “We thought it was time you got a clear view of what Davis is really like. It’s time for you to put what happened behind you.” Only half listening, Asia observed Davis like someone would a test subject in a lab. And as she watched him, it hit her that his polished good looks had lost some of their luster. His smile was too wide, his laugh too loud, his eyes too close together. Maybe it was just her, but she’d never noticed any of those things before. As she continued to watch him interact with others, she saw him with whole new eyes. Eyes that weren’t blinded by love. And what she saw shocked her. It was obvious he’d come with his current girlfriend. It was also obvious that he ogled and flirted with any female who came within range. But he was so cunning about it his girlfriend wasn’t even aware of it. She was just as clueless as Asia had been. “What a complete jerk. How did I not see that before?” Thea snorted. “I tried to tell you. You didn’t want to hear it.” Asia wanted to deny it but that would have been a lie. Thea had tried to tell her, as had Gram. But she’d been in love, blind to his faults, and in her usual stubborn way, hadn’t wanted to hear it. She had in fact dismissed their concerns because, fool that she was, she’d been so certain they were wrong. Asia looked back at Davis again, just in time to see the obnoxious creep pinch a waitress and let his hand caress her ass, dropping his hand the moment his girlfriend glanced his way. Disgust shuddered through her. He was so revolting she couldn’t even stand looking at him anymore. She turned back to her friends. “This was a good idea. A real eye-opener. Looking at him is like looking at a stranger.” And so he was. Because she’d never really known him. Davis was a cheating bastard at heart and always would be. She was well rid of him. Something else was glaringly obvious. Marcus was nothing like him. She’d seen Marcus when he didn’t know she was watching. He didn’t flirt or encourage women’s attention. They offered, but he didn’t take them up on it. Unlike Davis, who actively sought other women. Marcus sure as hell didn’t deserve to be slotted into the same category as that jackass. If only she could be certain she could always trust him. And trust herself to handle whatever came her way.
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Chapter Thirteen
Asia had spent a sleepless night trying to figure out what she should do. Her fear of getting hurt again was very real, but if there was ever a guy who was worth taking a chance on it was Marcus. Unfortunately, fear was winning so far. Every time she tried to imagine herself back with Marcus again, the panic rose into her throat, taking away any desire to give it a try. “So when do you plan to stop moping around and fix the mess you’ve made?” Startled, Asia looked up from the book she hadn’t been able to concentrate on enough to read. Her grandmother stood in the doorway that led to the back storeroom with her arms crossed and eyes glaring at Asia. Gram was more than ready for battle, her intent plainly written on her face. Asia sighed, tired of defending what she’d done. “What mess would that be?” “Don’t be coy with me, girl. You know exactly what I’m talking about.” Asia put down her book. “I’m sorry, Gram. I’m just sick of everybody nagging me about this.” Gram dropped her arms and crossed over to where Asia was sitting behind the counter. “And still you do nothing about it. Doesn’t the fact that everyone thinks you’re wrong even register with you?” What did she think? “Everyone wouldn’t have to live with my broken heart. I’d be all alone in that one.” “That’s not the point and you know it. Marcus is a terrific young man and he likes you. More to the point, you like him too. I never thought I’d say this about any blood kin of mine, but you’re being stupid and a coward.” Wow. Gram was very upset with her. Her temper rose a bit in defensive response. “Don’t hold back. Tell me what you really feel.” “Don’t sass me. I’m telling you what I think because you need to hear it.” “The only stupid thing I did was to get involved with Marcus in the first place.” “No, that was the first smart thing you’ve done since Davis showed his true colors. You’ve done nothing but lick your wounds ever since. I tried to give you time to get over it, but you just aren’t. You’re set in cement.” Asia’s anger deflated and she shrugged. “So what if I am? I’m comfortable with things the way they are.” Well, not really, but she wasn’t going to own up to that one. Gram harrumphed. “Comfortable is just another word for boring.” Asia grumbled. “I’m not boring.”
Anara Bella
“You’re that and worse, a coward.” Asia didn’t touch that one, because deep down she suspected Gram was dead on with that particular observation. “Ha, you know I’m right. I didn’t raise you to hide from life. I raised you to live it to the fullest and I can’t stand seeing you like this anymore.” There was nothing Asia hated more than disappointing her grandmother. Her shoulders sagged. “I just don’t know what to do.” “Yes, you do. You need to stop being so afraid to put your heart out there. If you hold onto it too tight, it’ll shrivel up and die. That’s no kind of life.” “But look at what happened to you and to Mom. You were both abandoned and left to raise a child on your own. The women in our family suck at picking men. Look at our track record.” Gram snorted. “You can’t live your life based on that. Sure things can go wrong, but nothing will ever go right either if you don’t take some chances. Life is all about taking chances, putting yourself out there, going for it. It’s not about hiding away from men and doing nothing fun and exciting.” “You don’t wish you’d made different choices?” “Hell, no. And your mother didn’t either. If I hadn’t married your grandfather, your mother wouldn’t have been born, which means you wouldn’t have been born. The two most precious people in the world to me wouldn’t have existed. I can’t even bear to think of that kind of loss.” Asia’s throat tightened and tears threatened to spill. “I love you, Gram.” “I love you too. But right now I’m not very happy with you.” “I’m sorry about that, Gram. I really am. But I can’t help the way things are.” “Of course you can. You can suck it up and go for it. Now do me proud and show some courage.” All of a sudden she was six years old again. Vulnerable. Unsure. Scared. “But how do you fight back the fear? I don’t know if I can.” “Course you can. Haven’t you figured it out yet? Courage isn’t the lack of fear. Courage is being afraid and doing it anyway.” Asia blinked, taken aback. She rolled the thought over, looking at it from different angles. “I’d never thought of it that way before.” “It’s the only way to think of it. You have to acknowledge that you’re afraid and decide to do it anyway. It’s the only way you’re ever going to be happy.” A part of Asia leapt with hopefulness, another part held back. Afraid to take that first step. But then that was the point, wasn’t it? To take that step in spite of the fear. But was Marcus even interested in her anymore? After all, it had been a week since she’d sent him packing. He might have been so angry he’d decided she wasn’t worth the effort and moved on. No one could blame him. Least of all her.
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There was only one way to find out.
“So, in other words you blew it.” Marcus gave his sister a withering look. “How do you figure that?” Jen returned his look with one of her own. “She’s not here, is she? You two aren’t talking. It’s pretty self-explanatory.” “To you.” “Well, you can’t leave things the way they are. I can tell you really like this woman. You need to go talk to her again.” “I plan on it. I’ve just been giving her some space, a chance to figure things out.” “Don’t wait too long. A woman needs to know she’s wanted.” “I know that too. I didn’t grow up in a houseful of women and not learn at least that much.” Jen chuckled. “I guess that’s true enough.” She got up from the couch and stretched. “I wish I didn’t have to go already, but I have to meet Eric.” Marcus stood and walked Jen to her car with an arm around her shoulder. “Thanks for coming out.” Once they reached her car, she enclosed him in a huge bear hug. “You know I couldn’t stay away. I was worried about you.” He squeezed her back. “Don’t worry about me, sis. I’ll figure out a way to get past the walls Asia’s erected.” She squeezed him again and stepped back. “You do that. I’ve never seen you this interested in a woman before, so don’t you dare let her get away.” Marcus chuckled. “You’re determined to get me married off, aren’t you?” She nodded with a firmness that showed just how determined she was. “We all are. You don’t stand a chance.” Marcus grinned ruefully. “Don’t I know it.” The sound of an approaching car caught his attention, and he turned to see a familiar red Pontiac G5 coming toward them. He couldn’t believe his eyes, but fresh hope washed through him. “Well, look at this. You’re going to get to meet her after all.” Jen strained to catch a glimpse of Asia through the car window. “You’re kidding.” He tried not to let his hopes get too high while he strove to catch a glimpse of her himself. “Nope.”
Damn.
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Asia thought she’d have a bit of time to mentally prepare once she got to Marcus’s place, but there he was standing in his driveway. And he was hugging a beautiful woman, no less. A jolt of pain lanced through her heart, followed by the jealousy that had turned into a knee-jerk reaction thanks to her ex. It roared to life fresh and raw, ready to rip her hard-earned common sense to shreds. The unwelcome green-eyed monster urged her to turn and run, get away. It was so strong she almost did. But the need to fight her fear was still stronger. She was nothing if not determined. And logic was her friend. Don’t be such a ninny jumping to hasty conclusions. You don’t know what’s going on here. It was stupid to assume this was another woman. She might be, but even if she was, Asia had broken things off with Marcus so he had every right to see someone else if he wanted. But she also knew he had four older sisters. This could easily be one of them. She was of similar height and coloring, after all. Come on, woman, have the decency to ask questions first and draw conclusions later. Feeling in control once again now that the jealousy had been bumped down to a background hum, she pulled up beside the Buick Enclave in the driveway. Nerves fluttered like leaden butterflies, making her slightly queasy as Marcus walked over to her car, followed by the mystery woman. Don’t panic, take one step at a time and you’ll get through this. She hoped it was true as she watched him reach out and open her door. Her hungry gaze drank him in. She hadn’t seen him for almost a week and she couldn’t believe the way just seeing him made her feel. He looked so good. Strong, solid and sexy as hell. He took hold of her hand and helped her out of the car. He didn’t look angry, just a bit wary. Watching her closely, no doubt wondering what was on her mind. Or if she was going to scratch his eyes out. “It’s good to see you, Asia. You look beautiful.” “It’s good to see you too.” And it surely was. A sight for sore eyes and a balm for her soul. She looked over to the woman beside him and took the bull by the horns. Holding out her hand to the other woman, she said, “Hi, I’m Asia. A friend of Marcus’s.” Her gaze flicked over to his. “At least I hope I still am.” The other woman gave her a warm and welcoming smile as she took her hand and shook it. “Don’t worry, you are. I’m Jen, his oldest sister.” Of course she was. The relief flowing through Asia was profound. As was the pride that washed through her because she’d talked herself out of running away again. “I thought I saw a resemblance.” “Yeah, Marcus and I took after our father. The other two look like our mother.”
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Asia thanked her lucky stars it hadn’t been one of them. “I’m glad it was you then, otherwise I might have jumped to the wrong conclusion.” She glanced at Marcus again. “I’m afraid I have a slight issue with jealousy.” Marcus reached out and stroked her cheek with the back of his fingers. “With good reason.” “Okay, that’s my cue to leave.” Jen kissed her brother on the cheek and tossed Asia a cheeky wink. “It was great to meet you, Asia. Take good care of him for me.” They waved his sister off, then Marcus took her hand and turned to face her. “I’m going to guess and say that your being here is a good sign.” “That all depends on you. I’ve been informed by everyone I know, most especially Gram, that breaking things off with you was both stupid and cowardly. Now that I’ve had time to think about it, I think they’re right.” She searched his face, and all she saw there was encouragement and warmth, and she knew she’d done the right thing by coming here. “I came to apologize and ask if you’d consider overlooking my momentary insanity and start again.” He cupped her face. “You came just in time. I was only going to give you until tomorrow before heading over to your place to talk some sense into you.” Happiness soared through her that he hadn’t given up on her so easily. “Yeah, well, you would have had to stand in line behind Thea, Lexi and Gram. They were nagging me every day.” His mouth kicked up on one side. “Remind me to thank them.” “I won’t have to. They will.” His laugh rang out, warming Asia’s heart. Then he turned serious and leaned in close to brush his lips across hers. “I’ve missed you.” She leaned into him with relief and gratitude. “I’ve missed you too.” She returned his kiss and started to deepen it, loving the feel of his lips on hers, the warm smell of his skin. How could she have gotten so used to this so quickly? It was crazy, but there it was. She went to pull him even closer and then pulled back. “Wait.” Startled, he dropped his hand from her face. “What?” She held up a finger. “Hold that thought. Give me five minutes and then meet me inside.” He looked puzzled but looked at his watch. “Okay. You’ve got five minutes, no longer. And then I’m coming in after you.” She kissed him hard on the mouth. “I’m counting on it.” With a carefree laugh, she ran into the house and upstairs to the bedroom.
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Chapter Fourteen
Exactly five minutes later, Marcus headed inside. All kinds of possible scenarios as to what she was up to had run through his head while he waited. Most of them revolved around sex in varying positions so he was already half-hard as he headed up the stairs. He sure as hell hoped she was on the same page as him and was right now waiting in the bedroom. Ever the optimist, he went there first. The moment he stepped through the door he stopped dead in his tracks. The most beautiful thing he’d ever seen was before him, and he drank in the sight like a thirsty man in the desert. Asia, naked and lush, was deliciously draped across the center of his bed with her hands gracefully arranged above her head. And they were tied to the headboard. His cock jumped from semi-erect to fully armed and ready for action in a nanosecond. His jaw dropped almost clear to the floor. At that exact moment speech was beyond him. Looking luscious and inviting and more than a little nervous, she blew a wayward strand of hair out of her eyes. “The day of the robbery, I’d vowed never to let myself be tied up again unless it was my idea. Well, this is my idea. Ever since that day I’ve had this persistent little fantasy to do with you and me. Naked. With ropes. I’m hoping you’ve had the same fantasy.” At last his throat muscles opened, letting him croak out his amazement. “How did you know?” “How could I not? I fought it with everything I had, but there were so many sparks between us that day it’s a wonder we didn’t burst into flame. Besides, I thought this might be a good way to show you how sorry I am.” Amazed that she knew how he’d felt, humbled by her honesty and awed by her openness, he swallowed down the emotions that threatened to choke him. “There’s no need for you to apologize, or do this.” “I know. But I want to.” She wiggled her hands around to show him the ropes were loose enough for her hands to slip through without any problem. “You’re going to have to tighten these ropes, though. There was only so much I could do one-handed even using my teeth.” After what happened in the store, he could well imagine just how difficult it would be for her to trust him to do this. Knowing that was enough. He didn’t need more. “They’re plenty tight enough.” “But I want you to.”
Bound and Determined
He shook his head. It didn’t matter how much the idea turned him on. “No way. I don’t want to chance the ropes cutting into your soft skin again.” “Please, Marcus. I want this. I need this. I need to superimpose something good over the unpleasantness of the robbery. I need it so I can move on. At least tighten the ropes a little bit and tie a knot in them.” The genuine look of pleading in her eyes was his undoing. He wasn’t sure this was a good idea but he doubted he could deny Asia anything. “Okay, but only because you want it. Hang onto the headboard for me.” She did as he asked, grabbing onto the wooden slats, stretching sensuously, offering herself to him in complete abandon. Her lush breasts with their pebbled nipples pointed to the ceiling, calling to him in tempting invitation. Her thighs parted suggestively, letting him glimpse the heaven that lay between. His cock jumped, wanting back inside her hot, tight core. “God, how I’ve missed you. Missed being inside you.” He started removing his clothing, stepping closer to her with each item he tossed over his shoulder. The anticipation was almost more than he could stand. Once beside her, he secured the ropes, making sure they weren’t tight enough to hurt her. Then he just stood there, taking in every inch of her delectably exposed flesh. Tied up like a precious offering. One he didn’t deserve but was going to take anyway. He fought hard against the urge to take her fast. He wanted to make it last for them both. With a lazy glide, he stroked the back of his hand between her breasts, avoiding touching them even though she strained toward him. He wanted to bury his face, his cock, between the plump flesh, but restrained himself. He continued down her belly, enjoying the way her muscles contracted in response to his touch as if in unbearable anticipation. The journey downward ended when his fingers tangled in her downy curls, thrilling him when he found them already damp with her excitement, showing just how much she wanted him. She gasped, straining toward him. “I’ve missed having you inside me so much.” He slicked his fingers along her folds, loving the way she felt, soft and inviting, lush in her desire. “We’ll rectify that soon enough.” He leaned over and rolled his tongue across her right nipple, then drew it into his mouth, worshipping it the way it deserved to be worshipped, loving the way it immediately hardened and distended against his tongue. He nuzzled the soft mound. “I love the way you respond to me. No reservations, just full steam ahead.” “That only happens with you.” “Even better.”
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He crawled onto the mattress and hovered over her, trying to decide what he wanted to taste next. But in the end it was no contest. He ran his hands along her legs, encouraging her to spread them wide so he could taste his way up her soft inner thighs. She didn’t hesitate, and her eagerness touched him more than he would have imagined possible. Grabbing a pillow, he lifted her hips and placed it under her behind so that she was splayed out in front of him in open invitation. He spread her labia until her dark pink clit was exposed. “Now there’s a sight I’ll never tire of.” He leaned in and ran his tongue across the super-sensitive nub, enjoying the way she gasped in response. Holding her firmly through it all, he lavished her clit with quick flicks and twirls of his tongue, not letting up until she was writhing in ecstasy. He dipped one finger into her tight vagina, then two and three, working them in and out while he drank in her essence and she moaned her appreciation. God, he’d never get enough of her hot, spicy taste. He didn’t stop working her clit until she came with a shuddering scream. He rode it out with her, determined to milk every last drop of her orgasm from her. Swiping his forearm across his mouth, he rose above her. With awe, he took in her dreamy, sated expression and the beautiful pink glow to her cheeks. His aching cock throbbed with need. He had to get inside her soon or he’d spend himself just from looking at her, before he ever got there. “Don’t get too comfortable. This isn’t over yet.” She tossed him a sated smile. “I should hope not. You still haven’t given me what I really want.” “Is that so? And what would that be?” “I want you, your big, hard cock so deep inside me that I don’t know where I start and you end.” His cock jumped in anticipation of doing just that. “God, you’re so sexy when you tell me exactly what you want.” He rolled on a condom and kissed her hard, relentlessly drawing out her responses. He needed all of her, needed to show her that they belonged together. Always. He worked his way down to her breasts, kissing and sucking them until she was again writhing in response. Reaching down, he worked her clit until she exploded in another orgasm. Before she was done, he surged into her with strong, sure thrusts, plunging again and again, thrusting in and out without stopping, feeling the tension build, regretting he couldn’t hold off longer this first time because he never wanted this feeling to end. Letting fly, he pumped into her until she came again. Only then did he let himself go, joining her over the crest as he came in the hottest release of his life. He collapsed on top of Asia and mumbled, “Next time will be better.” She gave a shaky laugh. “If it gets any better I won’t survive it.”
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He lifted himself to look into her eyes. Loving the soft look he found there, he closed each eyelid with a gentle kiss before reaching up and untying the ropes. Rearranging himself beside her, he pulled her into his arms. “As long as you’re satisfied, I’m happy.” She let go of the headboard and cuddled into him. “No one has ever satisfied me the way you do.”
She couldn’t believe it, but she’d dozed off yet again. Gradually coming back to awareness, Asia relished being curled up in Marcus’s arms with her head pillowed on his chest as if she’d always been there and always would be. She couldn’t deny the feeling of complete belonging that washed over her. Solid. Sure. Secure. This was the only place she ever wanted to be. As the realization hit her the familiar panic started to rise, but she fought down the knee-jerk reaction, determined to not be a coward. She would face it down. And win. “You’re awake.” She tipped her head to find Marcus looking down at her. “Sorry about that. I haven’t slept well this last week. I guess it caught up with me.” “I just woke up myself. You wore me out.” She giggled. “I do my best.” He kissed the tip of her nose. “That you do.” He ran his hand absently along her arm as if he were thinking. She hoped he wasn’t regretting taking her back. Determined to face whatever came her way, she was just about to ask him what was on his mind when he spoke. “Don’t do that to me again, okay? Don’t shut me out and back away without talking to me first. I can’t take it.” Amazed that such a strong man would make that kind of admission, she sat up so she could look at him. “I can’t promise you that.” His face fell and quickly closed, all emotion wiped from his expression. “I see.” “Let me finish. I can’t promise that, but I can promise you this. I’m determined to fight that inclination. I’ve done a lot of thinking this last week. I’ve kept men at arm’s length because of what my exfiancé did to me. I thought it put me in control, but all it did was shut me off from life.” She ran her fingers down his chest, loving the feel of the crisp hairs that were there. “Everyone was so right. I had my heart, heck, my whole life, tied up so tight I was practically dead. I was missing out on the most important things in life.” Marcus nodded. “And boy, were you were determined to stay that way. I had a hell of a time trying to break through that wall you’d put up.”
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“I know. But you were chipping away at it. I just didn’t let you see it. You got under my skin like no other man ever has.” He stroked his hand along her thigh. “Thank God for that.” She laughed. “Yes, thank God for that. I don’t know how to explain it, but somehow the robbery set things in motion, showed me how stagnant my life had become.” She reached out and ran a finger down his cheek. “You didn’t just untie me that day. You shook up my entire life and untied my heart in the process. And now it’s wide open. To you, to life, to love. And I’m bound and determined to stay that way.” “Thanks to me.” “Thanks to you.” He stroked her behind with gentle fingers and then gave it a playful tweak. “So, how are you going to make it up to me?” She grinned, a dozen tempting ideas flitting through her head. But one stood out from the rest. She let her fingers drop until she grazed his already semi-erect penis, loving the way it jumped, responding to her touch. She scrambled out of his arms and bounced up onto her knees. Cupping his balls, she gently squeezed and rolled them between her fingers. With her other hand she grasped his now full erection, loving its steely strength. She leaned in and ran her tongue around the bulbous head, inserting her tongue into the weeping slit, tasting his salty essence with relish. He groaned and speared one hand into her hair, holding her head in place, encouraging her without words to continue what she was doing. She tossed him a saucy look out of the corner of her eye. “I think I have some ideas on the subject you’ll quite like.” Taking him into her mouth, she hummed her satisfaction, enjoying the sensation of his cock filling her mouth, getting more turned on by the second as she worked his hard shaft. She took him deeper and then sucked for all she was worth. He groaned and surged into her mouth. “God, yes. I definitely like.” She worked her mouth up and down his cock several more times and then let him pop out. With a loving lick, she ran her tongue along his length and around the crown before looking up at him again. “So, you don’t want me to stop then?” He reached out with his other hand and cupped her cheek. “I never want you to stop doing what you do to me.” The intensity in his eyes captivated her and her breath hitched. He hadn’t said it in so many words, but she knew in her heart he was referring to something much more important than her giving him head. “Never?”
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“Never.” Her heart expanded in her chest and she smiled, suddenly happier than she’d ever been in her life. Strangely confident that she was with the right man for her. That she was where she was meant to be. And that come what may, they would be all right. Together.
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About the Author
By day Anara is a mild-mannered writer pounding out stories on her trusty keyboard. But by night she’s the Domestic Avenger, ready to take on any and all evil that gets in her way. Okay, so the evils in question are only despicable dust bunnies and dastardly dirty dishes but they are evil. And diabolically prolific too. In reality Anara lives a quiet life in the suburbs with her hubby and two adorable cats. To learn more about Anara and her books, please visit www.anarabella.com, follow her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/AnaraBella or check out her Goodreads page at www.goodreads.com/anarabella. She loves to hear from readers at
[email protected].
Look for these titles by Anara Bella
Now Available: Ready or Not The Trouble with Curses Batteries Not Required Brazen or Bust
Coming Soon: Sweet Temptation
Nica’s got a new look and an attitude to match. Logan doesn’t stand a chance…
Brazen or Bust © 2010 Anara Bella Nica Morelli is through wasting time mooning over Logan Donovan from afar. It’s time to make him see her as more than his tomboyish, honorary little sister. Now, armed to the teeth with a sexy makeover, Nica’s kicking butt in four-inch heels and taking no prisoners. One minute Logan’s enjoying a beer at the bar. The next, he’s mesmerized by the finest butt he’s ever laid eyes on. It shimmies, it shakes. It makes him want to do all kinds of wicked things to it. Then he realizes who the butt belongs to—his best friend’s little sister. No matter how badly he wants the tasty bait she’s dangling in front of him, she’s forbidden fruit. Except now that she’s got him turned on, tied up in knots, and swimming in intense emotion, what’s he supposed to do? Fall in love? Not in a million years… Warning: This book contains hot ’n steamy graphic sex brought about by the flagrant use of seduction, near-nakedness and lavish amounts of tempting, teasing and tequila.
Enjoy the following excerpt for: Brazen Or Bust: That there was one mighty fine piece of prime real estate. Bar none, the sweetest ass he’d ever seen. Logan watched in mesmerized fascination as the mouth-watering backside in question shimmied and undulated to the heavy beat of the dance music blaring through the bar’s sound system. He’d always been an ass man and that one right there was enough to make a grown man cry. It was a pure bonus that she had red hair. He loved fiery redheads. He didn’t recognize this one though. She had to be a newcomer because he never would have missed spotting her before this. No way. Not with that ass, or with how often he came to PJ’s Bar. He took a swig of his beer. Without taking his eyes off the visual feast before him, he absently enjoyed the slightly bitter taste of the cold brew as it trickled past his tongue and cooled his throat. He was trying to get a good look at Red’s face, but with the flickering lights and strobes he hadn’t had much success. But that first-class ass was enough to make him want to get to know her better anyway. A lot better. The music finally switched to a slow tune. That was his cue. Time to make his move. Putting down his beer, he stood and then made his way over to his quarry. Her current dance partner put his arms around her and pulled her into his embrace, settling in to enjoy holding her close for the dance. But that didn’t deter Logan. He tapped the guy on the shoulder. “I’m cutting in.”
Without looking up, the guy snarled at Logan to get lost, but he wasn’t put off. He tapped him again. “I guess you didn’t hear me. It’s my turn.” The guy pulled back, and shot Logan a look meant to intimidate and chase him off. It might have worked too, except the moment the guy caught sight of Logan, his eyes widened, he dropped his arms and quickly backed away from the girl. “Okay, sure thing. No problem.” Logan hid a smile. He was used to this kind of reaction. He was a big guy. Taller than most, not to mention the fact that he worked out. People were often intimated by his size, and he wasn’t averse to using it to his advantage. Logan nodded. “Thanks.” With the testosterone war over, Logan could finally direct his attention to the tasty female treat in front of him. “Name’s Logan. And you are?” With frustration, he realized even though he was now facing the woman of his dreams, he still couldn’t get a good look at her. Not with her standing there with her hand clapped over her mouth as if she was in shock or something. Fighting the urge to make sure he hadn’t left his fly open, he tried smiling to put her at ease. This was a damned strange reaction. He was a decent-looking guy but he’d never affected a woman like this. He tried again. “I’m Logan. And you are…” She blinked a couple of times before finally dropping her hand. “Logan.” Her name is Logan? And then he realized there was something very familiar about this woman. He looked closer. He knew her. Sort of. Didn’t he? He scanned her face again. He did know her. But something was different. So different he couldn’t quite place her. All of a sudden the penny dropped. Damn! It’s… “Nica. I didn’t recognize you. What happened to you?” Okay, that didn’t come out right. “I mean, you look different.” That was an understatement. He looked her up and down, still not quite believing his eyes. Could this really be his best friend’s kid sister? Hell, she was as good as his kid sister. He’d watched her grow up and he’d never seen any sign that this little siren lay hidden beneath the shapeless clothes she usually wore. Nica blushed. For a moment she looked flustered, but then something in her expression changed. Almost seemed to firm up. She smiled and started to preen. “I do, don’t I.” She peeped up at him. “Do you like it?” Hell yeah. He’d be mortified if he liked it any better. Damn, the fantasies he’d been running through his head before he knew it was her were more than a little X-rated.
Completely thrown by both the shock of finding out the woman he’d just been lusting after was Nica and… Well, there was no and. That was enough. More than enough. Disappointment speared through him as it sank in this was Nica and he’d just been wondering how he could get into her pants. “Uh…you look great.” She smiled coquettishly. “Thanks.” “What brought on the dramatic change?” She shrugged and he noticed how the movement did interesting things to her breasts. “Oh, I just thought it was time to do something different.” She was different all right. And he wasn’t at all sure it was for the better. He glared at several guys who were staring at her, not liking the speculative look in their eyes. “I can see that.” She blushed and looked down, then seemed to come to some decision. He watched fascinated as she tossed her head back and straightened her shoulders “I’m still trying to get used to it myself.” Was this the same girl he’d watched grow up from a plain child? Just yesterday she’d been the same old Nica. Reliable. Trustworthy. People like her didn’t change overnight. What had happened to cause this radical transformation? Because it was for damn sure something had. “What’s this really all about, Nica? You’re not the type to do something so drastic.” Her eyes flashed sizzling blue fire at him. “How would you know what type I am?” That struck a nerve. “I’ve known you since we were kids. I think I know you pretty well.” She looked him right in the eyes, and he saw a flash of temper there he’d never noticed before. “You don’t know squat about me. Not the real me inside. You just think you know me.” He took in her flushed cheeks and flashing eyes, her stance screaming her readiness to take him on. Maybe she was right. He certainly didn’t recognize the spitfire in front of him right now. Taking in her sparkling eyes and heaving chest, he fought back a grin. Damned if he didn’t like her this way too. The grin finally won out. She scowled and planted her fists on her hips. “Don’t you laugh at me, Logan Donovan.” Oh look. She’s even trying to look tough. It was too much. He burst out laughing. “I can’t help it. You’re just so damn cute like this. I think I’m going to like the new you.” Maybe a little too much. Just like that her anger dissipated. “Really?” “It’ll take some getting used to, but yeah.” The smile she graced him with was like sunshine breaking through storm clouds. It lit up her entire face and accentuated the beauty he’d never noticed before. Had it always been there and he’d just not seen it? “Thanks.”
Still busy trying to take in the radical change, he jumped when she put her hands on his shoulders. “What are you doing?” Looking confused, she said, “I thought you wanted to dance with me.” Damn. He’d forgotten that was why he’d come over here. If he tried to back out now it would hurt her feelings. “Oh right. Of course.” Smooth, Logan. Real smooth. He all but rolled his eyes at himself. Feeling more than a little awkward and probably looking worse, he hesitated while trying to decide what to do. He knew he should put his hands on her waist, but the fact that he wanted to so much sort of made him feel like a perv. She was practically his little sister for crying out loud. Okay, so she wasn’t, but he’d always viewed her that way. Until now. Damn it. He couldn’t believe this was Nica. And that she looked so fucking hot. He shook the thought out of his head, told himself to snap out of it, reached over and put his hands on her waist. There, that wasn’t so hard. At least not yet. He strove to keep as much distance between their bodies as he could manage without looking too obvious. Nica had ideas of her own though, because the next thing he knew she’d draped her arms over his shoulders and clasped her hands behind his neck. In the process she’d pressed her sweet breasts up against his chest until their bodies were so flush against each other a microbe couldn’t have squeezed in if its survival depended on it. His groin started to tingle. Damn.
Wanted: One fling, orgasmic satisfaction guaranteed.
Batteries Not Required © 2009 Anara Bella In Dana Appleby’s experience, really bad, boring sex and long-term relationships seem to go hand-inhand. Enough is enough. She’s now on a mission and her main objective is finding excitement in the bedroom. And she knows just who she wants to give it to her: Reese Cooper. Short-term relationships are Reese’s specialty—and so is sex. Dana’s proposal to have a little fling is right up his alley, but things go awry when he starts to realize short-term isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. And suddenly the idea of Dana moving onto someone else doesn’t appeal one bit. So, what’s a guy to do? The only thing he can do. Set out to show Dana that long-term doesn’t necessarily mean boring. Not with relationships—and definitely not with sex. Warning: This book contains graphic sex, a scorching office quickie and the teensiest bit of newbie handcuff play. Please note: Batteries not included with this book. But don’t worry, you won’t need any.
Enjoy the following excerpt for Batteries Not Required: This was it. She’d made up her mind. Nothing could stop her now. It all started on the count of three. Dana looked towards her target and took a deep, fortifying breath before starting the nerve-racking countdown. One. Butterflies fluttered ruthlessly in her throat, threatening to choke her. She swallowed hard. Two. Her palms started to sweat. She swiped them on her hips. Two and a half. Breathing would be good about now. Hey, were those stars? Two and three quarters. Get a grip girl. Hike up your backbone and go for it. Three! By some complete miracle Dana’s legs started to move in the direction she wanted to go. Well, that wasn’t quite true. If they went in the direction the chicken side of her wanted to go she’d be headed in the opposite direction, straight out the door. But no, she was definitely headed towards Reese. Who knew she possessed this much nerve? Not her. Not anyone. She wasn’t a wimp, but in all truth, she was anything but a risk-taker. Nor was she the attention-grabbing type.
If anything, with her plain brown hair and boring brown eyes, she tended to blend into the background. She was the one everyone said had her feet planted firmly on the ground. A straight-forward, no-nonsense kind of girl, that was her. In point of fact, she was the last person anyone would ever expect to do anything the least bit daring or “out there”. Especially with regards to men. And not with a man she’d only seen around the office and never met. She was the very antithesis of a femme fatale. But tonight was different. Tonight marked the coming of the New Year and the new her. Tonight she was going after what she wanted. And what she wanted most was Reese Cooper. No more lying in bed all alone, fantasizing about what she would like to do to his super sexy body. Fantasizing about what she wished he would do to hers. Fantasizing about what they could do to each other. No sirree. She’d made her New Year’s resolution and that resolution meant she was going to start this year with a bang. Or more precisely, with a kiss. The kiss to end all kisses. Or maybe just the kiss that would bring an end to her fantasies about Reese. Because if things didn’t go the way she wanted, at least she’d finally know. And maybe, just maybe, she could move on and find a man who would give her what she wanted—a taste of what great sex was all about. She really had nothing to lose. At the very least she’d find out what it was like to kiss Reese Cooper and that alone was a thrilling prospect. Heck, it already had her tingling down to her toes. Besides, what else was New Year’s for? It was a time for change. For adventure. For new beginnings. All the things she was determined to kick off right now. After pushing her way through the crush of people, she reached her quarry and stopped just behind him. All six-foot-three-scrumptious inches of him. The place was so packed it was a wonder she was able to get this close to him, but at least the crowd and noise had helped in her quest. She was certain Reese hadn’t noticed her approach. She looked around and quickly sized up her options. Now that she was in position, it was going to take a bit of maneuvering to accomplish what she’d come here to do. Because a man like Reese was too good looking and sought after to come to a party by himself. His present arm candy was even now primping herself in expectation of getting his New Year’s kiss, and the countdown was about to begin. But Dana knew something the blow-up blonde didn’t—she was doomed to disappointment. Because, date or no date, in about ten seconds Reese was going to be kissing her, Dana Appleby. Not blissfully unaware, destined-to-fail, Cosmo girl. All Dana had to do was get the timing right. At that moment the music stopped and the host of the party called for everyone’s attention, announcing the countdown was about to commence. This is it. The moment of truth. The moment she’d been waiting for. She shored up her nerve and got into position.
“Ten…nine…eight…” Steady. I can do this. “Seven…six…five…” Now. Pretending she’d tripped, Dana very neatly fell into Reese’s very strong, very yummy arms. I did it. “Four…three…” She looked into his surprised grey eyes and almost melted. She’d never seen them up close like this before and their impact was staggering. She could happily drown in those eyes. “I’m so sorry. I’m such a klutz.” “Two…one…” He steadied her with his hands but didn’t remove them from around her. She took that as a good sign. Now if she could just get rid of the damn blush making her complexion a bright, fire-engine red. It was hard to look sexy when you looked as if your head was going to catch fire at any second. “You okay?” He seemed genuinely concerned. How sweet. A chorus of “Happy New Year” being shouted from every corner of the room effectively interrupted her answer. As the surrounding crowd whooped it up and kissed the one they loved, or whoever was convenient, Reese looked around, obviously trying to sort out his current dilemma. His gaze flitted between blow-up Barbie—who was frantically trying to shove Dana out of the way—to his armful of Dana. Dana, however, didn’t have any such dilemma on her hands. She knew exactly what she was going to do. She ignored the bimbo, disregarded Reese’s shock when she grabbed his lapels, and tossed off what she hoped was an impishly sexy grin. Red face and all. Then she proceeded to kiss the living daylights out of him. At least she hoped that’s what she was doing. For an instant, he went perfectly still, no doubt taken aback and not quite sure what to do with her, and a feeling of panic fluttered in her stomach. Oh no, what if he pushed her away? Before that thought could fully take root, he relaxed and took the kiss over with an eagerness Dana would never have dared hope for. Oh God, it was a million times better than she’d ever imagined. This was the stuff fantasies were made of. This was what a kiss was supposed to be. This was what it was like to be swept off your feet, and then some. This was what she’d been looking for. Now all she had to do was hang onto it.
