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. 2932 Ross Clark Circle, #384 Dothan, AL 36301 Consumed Copyright © 2006 by Moira McTark Cover by Anne Cain ISBN: 1-59998-377-X www.samhainpublishing.com 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: December 2006
Consumed Moira McTark
Dedication For my husband, Chris, and all the McTarks.
Consumed
Chapter One “A few rounds of sex with some random hottie is not what I need, but thanks for the suggestion. Look, I don’t even know about going out tonight.” Amber Grayson spoke into the small phone wedged between her ear and shoulder as she squinted down the platform into the evening sun. The train was late; she was hot and tired. Weeding through the riffraff in search of a date required effort and, truth be told, she was experiencing a bit of an emotional and motivational slump in the romance department. So tonight, Amber planned to settle for the kind of satisfaction achieved through a party of one. Distracted from the call, she looked over the smattering of black silhouettes that milled back and forth, waiting for their own connection to retrieve them from the workday grind and transport them home to the rest of their night and life. A tired looking man in a gray suit shook off his fatigue, dropping his briefcase as a young woman flung herself into his arms. The couple’s gazes locked and wide smiles spread across their faces. Love. Amber turned away. It was a feeling she had never experienced and sometimes being witness to it left her feeling disconnected and alone. She’d dated enough, but never really fallen. Never been consumed. Never known real love. God knew she’d waited for it. Held her breath, hoping her time would come. But it hadn’t. She’d met men. Nice ones. But no one had been able to compete with the standard she’d set so many years before. Eventually
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she stopped waiting for the magic and settled for a good time. She was a practical girl. “Amber? Amber!” the voice from the phone squawked. “No, no, sorry. I’m still here,” she sighed. “I’m beat, I feel like—” She stared from behind her dark lenses at a figure in the crowd looking directly at her. Tall build, broad shoulders tapering down to narrow hips, sturdy thighs. Her breath caught in her chest and wound tight, straight down the center of her body. That stance. Confident. Familiar. No, it wasn’t possible. It couldn’t be him. She spun around and walked over to a deserted segment of the platform. “—I feel like crap about Eric. He called from New York last night and left a message. I didn’t call him back…” Her mind drifted back to the man on the platform. If the way he stood made her hot, maybe it was time to get out for some sex after all. Still, something about him was so much like… She’d
sneak
a
quick
glimpse
and
make
sure
he
wasn’t
a
hallucination. Subtle. Smooth. The guy probably wouldn’t even be there anymore, she thought, biting her lip. In the lamest attempt at nonchalance of all time, Amber turned slowly around and found herself face to chest with the hard planes of Brian Matthers’ imposing frame. She stepped back, mumbling a quick apology as her eyes dragged up to his face. “Jilly, I’ll call you back.” An easy smile and sea blue eyes sparkled at her, sending chills down her spine and her heart racing. “Don’t I know you from…somewhere? Abby?” he asked, quirking his eyebrow, somehow making it sound less like a pickup-line than a cashier asking for a price check on tampons. She wished she were Abby or any other name he wanted to call her. Her brain seemed to ooze into her stomach as she looked at that perpetually cute eyebrow. She knew a lot of girls in high school, women 6
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now really, who had wanted to throw caution to the wind because of that very look. Girls like her. Girls who never got the chance. Her mind slipped into panic mode as she took a mental inventory of what she looked like the last time she’d faced a mirror. She didn’t wear much make-up beyond lipstick, and three hours ago there had still been some color on her lips. Of course, she’d finished a soda and eaten an apple since then. Her blonde curls had been presentable, but that was before she’d stuck a couple of number two pencils in them, twisting the heavy mass into a knot without the benefit of a mirror. Her heart sank. Shifting a bit on his feet, Brian’s charming smile turned sheepish without actually fading. “I’m sorry, maybe I made—” “Brian Matthers,” she managed to get out, smiling like a fool. “It’s Amber, Amber Grayson, actually. What a long time. Since high school,” she said more smoothly than she would have expected, considering the way her blood tore through her body. His cheeks flushed slightly as he shook his head. “Amber? Oh, I’m sorry. I’ve never been good with names. Hope I didn’t call you the wrong one back then.” She smiled, certain beyond a shadow of a doubt that he’d never called her anything to her face. Never spoken to her beyond the simple “hi” in passing. They hadn’t been part of the same crowd, but his was the face she’d looked for every day throughout four years of high school. Her stomach did flip-flops when he walked down the hall with the other baseball players and she couldn’t even explain what her body did when she’d watch him stretching out his arms and shoulders after pitching a game. Brian Matthers was the reason she’d forced herself to leave fantasies behind and learned to live in reality. He had been the one she’d waited for, though he never knew it. The one who stirred such intense emotion www.samhainpublishing.com
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in her, she could barely function. The fantasy no one compared to. But she was a woman now, with practical expectations about romance. Her feet were firmly planted on the ground and she would be damned if she’d stand there smiling at him like a lust-crazed schoolgirl without enough brain function to speak. God only knew what possessed her to say it, but when she opened her mouth, the words simply tumbled out. “Brian, you’ll have to excuse me, I had such a terrible crush on you in high school. I’m standing here making a complete jackass out of myself.” She thought she’d die when his eyes widened, but then his head rocked back and the full-bodied laugh of the unquestionably confident erupted. “That funny, hmm?” she asked, surprised by her sudden ease. The laughter subsided, retreating into his eyes. “High school? Well, I’m pretty sure I was total pain in the ass back then. Nothing like college and getting a job to put life into perspective for you. If only I’d known you were interested.” Then with a squint and subtle head shake, he retracted. “No. Better, I think, that I didn’t.” “That bad to the girls? I can’t believe it.” “Not bad, I hope. Just had my mind on baseball all the time. No attention to anything or anyone else. I have a singular focus problem.” Amber fought against the urge to look over the body she had longed for, to study the ways Brian had improved from boy to man. The mere thought had every part of her pulling together at her core, dying to be on the receiving end of his singular focus. “I’m sure it wasn’t that bad. But what are you up to now? I take the same train every night and I’m sure I haven’t seen you up here before.”
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“A happy accident, I guess. I normally catch the next one, but I got out a little earlier tonight. I’m working at over at Dyson & Dale. Accounting. Boring. How about you?” “I’m a programmer for Clybourn Elliot. Not too boring. I like it.” A rush of hot air and thundering steel pounded by them as the train slowed to a stop. It was the number three. Amber sucked up her breath and, hoping desperately, said, “Well, this one’s mine.” Brian smiled and gestured for her to step on board. “It’s mine too, but I was going to pretend it wasn’t—to talk to you a little more.” Amber’s heart pounded against her ribs as he placed the palm of his hand against the flat of her back. Brian guided her to an open seat—a gentleman on public transit. His touch was like liquid electricity, running through her with a jolt and flooding between her legs. She almost thought it couldn’t get any better than this, but the steady pulse in her clit making her press her thighs tightly together was a reminder that it definitely could. Her cheeks flamed at the thought of the many fantasies Brian Matthers had starred in. Being escorted to a seat on the El wasn’t one of them, but she was fairly certain it would be after today. “So, what’s your stop?” he asked, smiling a little too platonically for her taste. What was happening to her? Men simply didn’t elicit this kind of full body and mind response from her. But here she was, giddily hoping the man beside her would feel a connection. Would want more. Wasn’t just pleased to see an old familiar face. She said a silent prayer, begging the lust fairies to accost him at full throttle. Anything to ensure this wasn’t the beginning of some beautiful friendship. Her life was filled with friendships, deep and meaningful ones, but Brian Matthers was someone she could never look at without wanting. It wasn’t possible. “I’m off at Addison, live down a few blocks on www.samhainpublishing.com
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Beekman. I picked up the lease from Jill Meyers. She was also in our class.” Amber paused, then unable to resist, she added, “You might remember her as Judy…or perhaps Jen?” Brian bit his lip, nodding, but Amber just laughed. “So you like to play, hmm?” he asked with a smirk. “You’re easy. And yes, I do.” She’d intended it to be a simple statement about goofing off, but when her eyes caught his, they lingered there, lost in all that blue. Brian tore away first, clearing his throat. “Well, that’s good to know. Good to know. I’m actually the next stop after you. So it looks like I’ve got about,” he rolled up his cuff, exposing dark, well-muscled forearms and a simple sporting watch, “seven, maybe eight minutes to convince you to have a drink with me tonight. Maybe let me take you out for some dinner?” Her throat was dry as she stared back at him, noticing the slight falter in his smile, as though he were worried she might actually say no. Would straddling him here on the train reassure him? “I’d love to. When did you have in mind?” “Tonight? Now?” “Now?” She looked down at her slacks, short sleeve blouse and sensible shoes with dismay. To go out with Brian looking like this would be a crime against sex. Which was where she had every intention of a date with him heading. As if sensing her trepidation, Brian quickly offered, “I’ve got a car, maybe you would let me pick you up about seven? It’s Friday and it’s been way too long since I had a date. What do you say?” Amber wanted to say that she didn’t believe for one minute that he had gone more than two hours since his last offer of a blowjob, but something in his expression said he was telling the truth. 10
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Not that it mattered. Her heart had been pounding since the moment he’d called her Abby. Lifting the flap on her messenger-style computer bag, she pulled out a small notepad and jotted down her phone number and address. Pressing it into his hand, she didn’t want to let go. “So where are we going tonight?” “My friend owns a bar with a nice restaurant on the side. It’s even got access to a club upstairs, if you like music. Riley’s Place, ever been there?” She nodded. “I know Danny, too. Great beer, great food. It’s fun.” “So, it’s a date.” Amber felt the heat rise in her cheeks and quickly looked out the window at the passing terrain. Suddenly it felt as if nothing were passing her by. A date with Brian. “So it is.”
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Chapter Two Brian pulled up five minutes early and waited for the clock to run out. His sisters would have killed him if it ever came to light that he’d arrived for a date even one minute early. On time, they’d drilled, and he’d listened. By the way Brian figured it, if the woman he wanted agreed to go out with him, he damn well better be on time. And he wanted Amber. She’d been pretty in high school, but the years had filled in the curves and darkened the hollows. Now she was gorgeous. And she’d made him laugh inside of thirty seconds. Not the kind of laughter that a best girl pal offered, but the kind that made him want to drag her off to bed and then talk with her for the rest of the night. Smart, funny, beautiful and sexy as all get out. Hell yes he wanted her. He’d had a bad run in the past six months. With most of his time spent focusing on work, the only dates he’d been out on were set-ups by the bozos at the office. The guys were well intentioned, but their taste in women was for shit. The hair color varied from girl to girl, but the vacant stare and subtly confused or bored smile seemed a standard. No thanks. He’d finally made it clear—when he was ready for a date, he’d find one on his own. And look at who he found. The conversation with Amber, after he’d secured her company for the evening, had only gotten better. She had an intelligent, teasing, flirtatious way about her and by the time she stepped off the train, he’d found himself staring out the window after her receding form, praying
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she hadn’t noticed the swell in his pants as the ride went on. He didn’t want her to get the idea he was just some horny creep. He was horny, but it was all her. Amber. Shit. His cock was getting hard again just thinking about her. It was six fifty-nine and he needed to get Mr. Happy under control before he got to her front door. Steering his brain toward the unsexy, he thought of fishing. Gutting fish. That was it. Sliding through that soft flesh—no. Gross. Get your head out of it. By the time he made it up the stairs to her door, he’d worked his thought process through the Home Shopping Network, taxidermy and what he’d found the last time he’d cleaned out the vegetable drawer in his fridge. Disgusting. With his hard-on under control, he knocked. The door opened and Amber stepped back to let him in. “You made it. Long time no see.” “Yeah,” Brian fumbled, suddenly at a loss. “You know your security door doesn’t latch? I hope it’s okay that I just came up.” “Perfectly fine. I’ve been waiting for you…I mean, I was expecting you.” She laughed, looking shy. “You know what I mean.” They stared at each other. Amber had changed into a short black tank top which left her hard stomach accessible for viewing and a long loose skirt hung low on her shapely hips. She’d let her hair down. Unbelievable. The long mass of gold curled below her shoulders, stopping right above her breasts. Her lips, pouty and full, were painted a darker brown and she’d put some make-up around her jade green eyes. Sexy. So much for the vegetable drawer. “Are those for me?” she looked down at the small bouquet of flowers he carried.
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“Yes. Wow. You look incredible.” He handed her the flowers. Their fingers touched lightly as she took the bouquet, their gazes met and held. He could see her breathing, feel his own chest rising and falling at an increasing rate. Her lips parted slightly and then closed, as though she too were feeling the incredible pull between them. Mesmerized by her every curve and valley, he wanted to strip her and take her on the floor. Get her underneath him. God, it was going to be impossible to keep his hands off her. “Thank you,” she said a little breathlessly as her gaze drifted over him in turn. “I’ll get these in some water and then we can get out of here.” She walked back through the open living room to the kitchen, divided only by the wide breakfast bar. His eyes trailed the gentle swing of her skirt as he followed. “This is a great space. Makes my apartment look downright austere.” “It’s a rehab. So far, my apartment is the only one finished. The landlord got the crew cheap, but the guys can only work weekday mornings, so it’s taking a while to get the other two apartments done. I’m living in this big building all by myself for now.” She bent down to a retrieve a vase from a lower cabinet and her cropped tank pulled up her back, revealing a tantalizing stretch of skin. Brian wanted to come up behind her, flip up her skirt and rub his cock against her ass. It was perfectly round and, from the trousers she’d been wearing earlier, he knew it was tight and hard. Taking a deep breath, he wondered how he was going to get through dinner without crawling under the table and pressing his face between her legs. Wiping the excess water off the yellow vase, Amber set the flowers in the windowsill and turned around, leaning back against the sink. Her eyes were intense, hungry, as she faced him. Her chest rose and fell in a 14
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strained rhythm, matching his own. Sexual anticipation flowed between them like a current, increasing as the seconds ticked past. Amber broke the silence with a throaty whisper. “We might not have anything in common.” Her hands ran lightly against her hips and thighs. Brian walked toward her. “I think we might have something in common.” “Maybe we should wait. See how it goes.” “Maybe we should.” He closed the distance between them so his body was only inches from hers. He could feel the heat radiating off her. See the desire in her eyes. This close, she smelled like lilacs. “I suppose we could consider this some kind of compatibility test,” she breathed, her eyes focused on his mouth. “See whether you even want to go out with me after?” He traced her collarbone with the pad of his thumb, her skin was warm and soft. “A test.” His fingertips floated over the exposed swell of her breasts and dipped into the deep cleavage. Her breath caught and she arched into him, pressing her chest up against his hands and torso. Brian lowered his head, brushing her lips feather-light with his own. “I test well,” he whispered against her open mouth before sinking into a slow, deep kiss. The tip of her tongue slipped into his mouth, rubbing against his own, tasting like heaven. His arms circled around her waist and pulled her tight against him. She felt good in his arms, their long bodies a perfect fit together. Desperate to explore her, he let his hands run down over the firm curve of her ass, bunching the flimsy fabric between them until he could feel her smooth skin against his palm. As he took a handful of the strong muscle and kneaded it firmly, she let out a moan against his devouring
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mouth. He plunged his tongue into her and she opened wider, turning her head to maximize the effect of his invasion. His mind blanked of everything but one word: More. Completely erect, his penis pressed against his pants and the top of her mound, which she rubbed slowly against him. His long arms easily reached behind her. He slid one hand down to where her thigh met her ass and then, in between her legs. Cupping the fullness of her round curve, then reaching his fingers forward to the source of her wet heat, he discovered she wasn’t wearing any panties. His own ragged groan escaped as he fingered the slick, wet folds of her sex from behind. More. Amber pulled back from the kiss and frantically began tearing at the buttons of his shirt. Tugging the tails out of the front of his pants and yanking at his belt and zipper, until, finally his cock bounced out, free of restraint. Her breath sucked in as he slipped his finger deep into her wet hole. He slid in, stroking against the tight inner walls with one finger and then two. He gripped the muscle of her ass. Such a hot ass. Such a hot little pussy. He thrust his fingers in and out of her as she bucked her body and gasped in response. Withdrawing his fingers from her wet depths, he stepped back from her and let his hands play over the bare flesh exposed at her middle. Skimming up under the bottom of the tank, he maneuvered the garment over her arms and head, tossing it aside. Her bust was almost as spectacular as her fine ass, bound tightly in a black lace contraption that ruthlessly elevated her breasts and barely covered her hard nipples. More. Brian dropped open-mouthed kisses over the tops of the swells, leaving a wet trail from his tongue as he went down to his knees in front 16
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of her. Amber’s breath came fast as she waited patiently for him to continue his exploration. The skirt was next. He worked it down over her hips, exposing a thin strip of blonde pubic hair. Removing the skirt, he set it aside and ran his wide hands over her long, muscular legs. She was amazing, leaning back against the counter, her legs spread apart, her breasts raised up on a black lace platter in delicious offering. He could smell her musk mixed with the lilac now and nuzzled his face into the source, pressing his lips into the wet slick, tasting the tang of her juice with a deep lap of his tongue. He could feel her body throb in response to his mouth, and feel his own pulse of pleasure knowing he was the reason she begged, “Please… More!” Amber had fought the arousal since she saw him on the platform and had come home aching with need. It had been the longest hour and a half of her life. This was the man her fantasies were made of and now she was living one out. Her fingers curled into the thick, sandy brown waves of his hair as Brian spread her lips apart and began to stroke his tongue against her clit. Pure desire washed over her in a wave she thought would drown her completely. His tongue circled her erotic bud as his hands moved over her. One up to her nipple, the other around to her ass. He pulled the nub from the sheath of her bra and rolled it between thumb and forefinger, shooting hot streaks of pleasure from her pussy up through her breast. His tongue thrust into her hole and then he eagerly sucked her clit, while his other hand played greedily with her ass. Panting little mews escaped Amber’s lips as his tongue slid over her with increasing pressure, he rolled her nipple in his grasp, his strong hands caressed her everywhere. Her inner thighs dribbled with her juices www.samhainpublishing.com
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and tingled from his hot breath teasing them. Harder, he sucked at her. Harder, he pulled at her. Harder, he probed into her. Every muscle in her body tensed in sheer ecstasy, every nerve tingled in the culmination of fulfillment and release. Then he pressed his mouth and tongue brutally against her and she came in series of fierce spasms, bucking against the pressure of his hands and mouth, crying out his name. Brian continued to lick at her pulsing clit, plunging two fingers up into her pussy, pushing against the slick contracting walls of her core. Her legs felt like rubber bands as she rocked through the final waves of orgasm, pressing herself against his welcoming mouth. Leisurely, he continued to taste her, and then began to work his way up her torso to her bra and the hard nipple pointing out the top of it. Flicking at it with his tongue, it crinkled into a tighter nub and sent new waves of pleasures washing over those still rippling through her. Amber pressed her hands against the sculpted muscles of his chest and then dipped her hand down to his thick cock. It was big. She could barely get her hand around half of the width. She gripped it firmly and was rewarded when he pulled her nipple into his hot mouth with a powerful suction. Amber stroked his cock and, with her thumb, smeared a bead of precum over the silky hard organ. She’d been with large guys before, but never this big and she couldn’t wait to feel him pressing in against her, forcing her walls to expand around him. Rubbing his cock back and forth, she let out a sharp cry as Brian clamped down on her nipple. A gush of wetness ran down her thigh as her pussy clenched in anticipation. “Brian, I want it. Please,” she begged.
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His mouth pulled off her tight nipple and he stood. His pants, open at the fly, still hung at his waist. He reached into a pocket, pulled out a condom and sheathed himself. Amber bit her lip as she watched. He returned her stare, sparking a heat even more intense between them. “I can’t wait anymore,” he growled. Leaning forward he grabbed her by the backs of the thighs, pulled her off the ground. Her legs wrapped around him, her clit sliding against his cock, pinned between them. “I want it,” she said, a prisoner in his grasp. Their eyes locked, breath steadied. He pulled her up the length of him, her pleasure building fast as her sensitive nub caressed him. Slowly, he lifted and positioned her over him, so the head of his cock protruded slightly into her hole. She was so wet, all he had to do was let her down. “Please.” He lowered her another inch and the delicious invasion began. She could feel the giving resistance as her body stretched to envelop him. She had never felt this kind of intensity with anyone before. He’d barely entered her and she was starting to come again. He eased her down further and her muscles contracted around him. “God, yes, you feel so good.” She had to bite her lip from screaming. Her fingers dug into the unyielding muscles of his shoulders. And still she descended more, until, at last, she was filled to capacity, seated to the hilt, her slick lips opened wide, pressed against his groin in a hungry kiss, her throbbing clit firm against him. “Do you like that?” he asked, holding her as though she weighed nothing. “Yes, yes.” “What do you want me to do to you?” He ruthlessly squeezed her thighs. There had never been a pleasure so intense within her before.
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She dragged the air into her lungs and forced herself to speak. “I want you to fuck me. Please, fuck me.” He raised her up several inches, again taking his time, and then slid her back down hard against him. The pressure of his cock against her cervix and her clit ramming against his groin was taking her fast back toward climax. He pumped her up and down over him, her cum making the descent slick and fast. Before she even realized what he was doing, he’d taken the few steps to the wall and pressed her back against it. Pinned, all she could do was succumb to the ecstasy as he slammed into her. Sweat dotted his brow and color flushed his cheeks. He sought out her mouth and thrust his tongue deep into the wet cavity with the same rhythm his cock thrust into her silky hole. Again and again, he filled her. Harder, he drove into her, pulling her against him with every thrust, until she screamed, “Yes! Fuck me, fuck me, fuck me!” Coming powerfully around him, her body molded tight to him with every penetration, opening further to him with every plunge. His body tensed as he thrust faster. She ground herself against him with every fuck, riding him over and over, until at last, his own deep groan escaped and he pulled her down and held her firm against him. His cock pulsed inside of her as his cum spilled into the rubber. Her inner walls hugged him, milking him of every drop. He rested his forehead against her ear, his heavy breath warming the skin on her neck. “Amber,” he whispered into her hair, “will you let me take you out now?” She let out a soft laugh. “I definitely think we are compatible, in at least one way.”
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Chapter Three This is too good to be true, Amber thought with an anxious mix of hope and suspicion. No, she decided, picking at the linen napkin in her lap, I’m going to live in the moment and take this night for whatever it is. Plenty of time tomorrow to fret and analyze. She looked up across the intimate candlelit table for two and saw Brian’s blue eyes fixed on her quizzically. “Is there something wrong?” Had she been so obvious? “No, Brian. Not at all. Sometimes I just have to remind myself that it’s okay to have fun.” His expression reflected concern. “You aren’t having fun?” She reached across the table for his hand and quickly reassured him. “Nothing like that. I’m having a wonderful time. Almost too good to believe.” His smile instantly relaxed and he pulled her hand up to his mouth, dropping kisses over her knuckles. “I can’t remember the last time I felt so comfortable with someone I just met. I mean, I know we knew of each other in high school—” “Abby?” “Okay, you know what I mean. This is really the first time we’ve talked. It feels right. I don’t know what to say other than I hope you’re enjoying yourself as much as I am.” “Do you always have a perfect response?”
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“Hardly, I usually have to spend the evening prying my foot out of my mouth. I don’t usually click. Not like this.” Amber felt small as he held her gaze, like she’d stepped into something much bigger than she could have imagined. Suddenly overwhelmed by the intensity of his stare, she pulled back, needing to break the connection. She leaned away from the table and pointed up. Deep bass resonated through the ceiling from the band that had started playing upstairs. “Do you dance?” she asked. Brian stood, pulled a few bills from his pocket and dropped them on the table. With a wolfish grin he held out his hand for her. “I love to dance. Let’s go.” Emerging through the crowded hallway which led from Riley’s downstairs, Brian pulled Amber into The Grind. The club catered to local bands and was known for delivering consistent talent. The room was a mash of hot skin swaying to a heavy beat. He held her hand as they wove through the bodies, tangled together in slow sensual dance, to a small open space in the back corner of the room. Pulling her in front of him, he wrapped his arms around her waist, tucking her into him as they swayed with the rest of the crowd. With her back pressed against the length of Brian’s long body, Amber reached her arms behind her so that her hands rested against his firm thighs. Brian’s stance was wider than her own, allowing their hips to move as one. Soon, his hands began to roam over the hills and valleys of her figure. He skimmed over her arms and shoulders, into her tangle of curls and along the outer ridge of her chest, to her hips and across the flat of her abdomen. Then down further, dangerously close to her inner thighs. The crinkled fabric of her skirt rubbed between them as he moved
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possessively over her, spreading a wet, erotic ache between her legs. A quickening sense of need. For now, every inch of her belonged to him. Stealing a quick glance from the corner of her eye, she noted that the other show goers were to the left and in front of them, all completely focused on the stage, their faces turned up toward the carefully disheveled man crooning about time and women under the spotlight. She and Brian were all but invisible in their dark corner. His muscles rippled under her hands with every sway and soon Amber found herself unable to be good. She wanted to feel each muscle in his body flex and relax. Leaning forward at her waist, she added a sensual turn to the dance. Her hips moved against Brian’s groin as she pressed her splayed fingers down over his knees and thick calves, up the front of his legs until she felt his cock going rock hard against her ass. She leaned up, backing slightly into the pressure of its swell, swaying in a motion only a second behind Brian, letting her movement follow, teasing, inviting, until his erection was fully raised and nestled between her cheeks. His low groan in her ear and warm breath over her neck sent chills racing over her body. Her nipples tightened under her push-up bra and wet lust trickled down her thighs. What could they get away with here? Would he think she was crazy for getting so hot in the middle of all these people? She had to find out. Brian seemed to be of the same mind. One hand rubbed across her bare midriff and stole up under her top, taking a handful of lacy breast and massaging it to the beat of the music and then pulling the thin cup down to play with the tight point of her nipple, until she had to struggle to keep from moaning. The other hand, farthest from the crowd, swept circles over her hip, pulling up the filmy skirt with every turn until he had bunched it at her side. From the front or left, the excess fabric hung www.samhainpublishing.com
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in deceptive folds, but at the right, his strong hand was smoothing across the taut skin below her abdomen. She quivered as his cock pulsed against her ass and his fingers teased through her small strip of pubic hair. His chest rose and fell quickly against her back, intensifying her excitement. The cool air circulating around the floor of the room breezed up under her skirt, chilling the wet trail where her juices dripped against her thighs. “Touch me,” she whispered, turning her head to speak into his ear. His mouth found her shoulder and teeth gently grazed the muscle as two fingers brushed over her swollen, wet folds. “Like that?” “More.” With expert attention, he spread her pussy lips and slid one thick finger deep inside her. “God you’re so wet. I want my tongue inside of you. I can still taste you and I want it again.” “Do I taste good?” He pulled his finger out of her and up to his mouth, licking up one side of it. She turned her head and licked up the other side. “Mmm, so good,” she said, sucking around the base of his finger so the sweet tang of her juices coated her tongue, fueling the fire building within her. Brian continued to play with her erect nipple and work his groin against her ass. To the casual observer they were lost in the rhythm of the music, two lovers dancing as one. No one the wiser. Our little secret, she thought as her heart raced. But, she wanted more. Feeling the exhilaration of risk, she pushed his hand back down to her bare skin, guided him back under her skirt, between her legs.
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His hips never stopped moving, swaying back and forth, around and again, his fingers spreading her swollen folds open, circling around her aching clit, dipping inside her, stroking along her deep crease, the pressure of his rock hard cock rubbing against her ass, all in time with the music. Her breath came in steady little pants as he worked her, dragging a gentle suction of kisses up the long line of her neck to the tiny depression behind her earlobe. “I want you,” she let out in a sultry moan, feeling the tiny spasms of pleasure increasing as his fingers thrust inside of her. “Where?” He added a third finger to her hole, stretching her in a tease, and pressing in deep. She gasped as he filled her, looking around to make sure all eyes were still ahead. It was the start of a new song. “Here.” Pressing into his cock, she lifted the back of her long skirt so that her bare ass was hugging him through his pants. He groaned and ground against her, thrusting his fingers deep into her one more time before withdrawing them to paint tiny circles around her clit. He pulled away from her so her hands fit between them. She rubbed his enormous cock, wishing she could wrap her mouth around it, and then pulled the zipper down carefully. While she preferred no panties at all, Brian was a boxer man. Concentrating hard on the task at hand, while having her clit worked in relentless excess, she freed his penis and stroked him. “So wet.” Smearing her creamy fluids over her lips and creases with one hand, he withdrew the other from her shirt and she could feel him reaching through her legs from behind. One hand gently pinched her erect clit, making her cry out in a muffled moan of pleasure, while the other teased her opening. She was suddenly sure she’d never be able to stay quiet enough not to attract the attention of everyone around them. www.samhainpublishing.com
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But it was too late to stop now. The tip of his penis rested against her ass as he played with her. She began to stroke it with a firm grasp. The hand at her hole suddenly stopped and retracted. As if connected through telepathy, she spread her legs a few inches further apart, almost coming as she did it. No one was looking. She could feel his stance change slightly and the bulging head of his cock press up between her legs to her slick hole. She tilted her pelvis back, offering herself to him, begging him to fill her. He started to slide in, pushing up into her slowly. She was looking forward, standing still, breathing hard, beginning to climax, when the man standing in front of her turned around, checking out the crowd. His eyes stopped on her and raked down her body in appreciation as she stood motionless, her pussy contracting wildly with Brian’s cock still sliding up into her, shielded only by the sheer fabric of her skirt. She stared at him, her controlled expression one of complete disinterest, until the stranger looked back up at the stage, and she came in an explosion around Brian’s penetrating cock. Waves of searing heat and pleasure pulled from every nerve in her body, collecting in a tidal wave of intensity deep within her core. Her legs started to give out under her as she panted, trying not to scream. Brian’s strong arm immediately came around her waist holding her tight against him. Wrapped up together in a spell, no one on the planet but them, nothing more important than their immediate union, bodies and souls fusing as one. “I’ve got you. I’ve got you, baby,” he said against her ear as he thrust into her. His other hand moved back under her skirt to her pussy, his palm cupping her, guiding her movement in rhythm to the music, as his middle finger circled her pleasure nub. “I’m going to make you come again.” 26
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She moved under his direction, lost in ecstasy as he stretched her to take him. She watched the crowd, unable to control the pressure building within her, harder, faster. They moved together until she was no longer moving herself. Supported by the backs of Brian’s solid thighs and iron grip around her waist, she felt him pumping in and out of her as she watched the crowd, trying not to scream. It was building fast. He ground against her back, thrusting deeper. So good. Deeper and deeper, until, gasping, she came in a series of silent spasms. Brian rocked her slowly then, nuzzling his face into the back of her neck. Kissing her shoulders until every last wave was through. And then he withdrew and lowered her skirt. With a quick adjustment he returned his unspent organ to its khaki prison and, still supporting her, turned her to face him. He pulled her in close and leaned down into a slow and tender kiss, brushing his lips over hers with a back and forth motion, sinking into it with infinite care. When he pulled back, he said, “Dance with me.” Amber leaned her cheek against his chest, feeling the pounding of his heart over the music from the stage. He stroked her hair as they swayed together, dancing with the crowd. When they returned to the street, it was after two a.m. The night air was cool and pedestrian traffic light. Amber couldn’t believe how late it was. They’d talked for hours and the time had simply slipped away. She lost track of everything in Brian’s company. Time, inhibitions, impulse control. It was fantastic. So good, that every time she stopped to think about just how good it was, she tensed with apprehension. She didn’t get vulnerable. It didn’t happen to her. And yet, she couldn’t stop worrying about losing this feeling she’d never had before.
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Brian was one of the most handsome and genuinely sexy men she’d ever met. And more than all of his exceptional physical attributes put together, he was the most interesting. His stories charmed her, his tenderness warmed her, and his every touch—every look—excited her. He knew about everything and they shared so many common interests that at one point she had to stop him and get him to swear that he wasn’t just trying to hustle her. He’d simply laughed and asked why, so he could get into her pants? They’d both laughed and she’d decided to take his word for it. Now they were walking along the sidewalk, past darkened storefronts, holding hands and talking softly about their families. “Three brothers and two sisters? Oh, your poor mother!” “Yeah, a good Catholic bunch,” he joked. “But it’s nice. As much as we hassled each other as kids, now it’s like having five best friends. Even as scattered as we are.” Reaching into his pocket, he withdrew his wallet and showed her a picture of his family. Amber took the photo, holding it carefully at the edges, and smiled at the bunch of them. A handsome group. It was several years old and reminded her of the boy she had known in sigh school. A gust of wind burst past them and blew the picture from between her fingertips. “No,” she cried, trying to retrieve it with a wide sweep of her arm. Brian stepped back and caught it out of the air. “I’ve got it, don’t worry.” “Amber, is that you?” Her heart stalled at the familiar voice that shouldn’t have been within shouting distance. She spun around and looked down the block at a
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pale, lanky man with a shock of bright red hair. It was Eric, walking with a couple of friends. His smile grew wide as he jogged over and swept her up in a bear hug. “Baby, I tried to call, but you were already out. This is perfect.” She stiffened as he set her down and looked at Brian who stood back a few feet and watching the exchange with a dark expression. “Brian, this is—” But Eric moved past her with his hand extended in introduction. “Hey, Brian. I’m Eric Henner, Amber’s boyfriend.” Brian took the hand and shook it politely before stuffing his hands back into his pockets and staring at the ground. Amber’s eyes widened and her heart sank. This couldn’t be happening. She stepped over to Brian, leaning in close. “Brian, this isn’t what you think. Eric’s been in New York—” “Oh, New York? That explains it.” His voice was low and cold, edged with accusation. She immediately saw he thought she was sneaking around behind her boyfriend’s back. But that wasn’t right. She couldn’t let him think it. “No, you don’t understand—” “I understand perfectly. This schmuck was away and you thought you’d play.” Those blue eyes, so open and inviting before, now reflected like cold hard ice. Her mind turned to sludge as panic edged in. She was already losing him. She had to explain. Eric had left months ago, left her months ago. In an effort to show Brian where he stood, she turned to Eric and braced herself to tell him the truth. This was a date. She hated to hurt him, but she would talk to him later. “Eric, Brian is someone I know from high school. We ran into each other on the train today—” www.samhainpublishing.com
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“—and just decided to catch up some,” Brian cut in. Then with a low aside to Amber, he said, “Pretty much what I figured with a girl like you.” Turning back to Eric, he gave a nonchalant shrug. “But since you’re back, I was pretty much done here anyway. I’m beat. Mind if I take off and leave you two alone to top off the night?” The blood drained from Amber’s face, as the shock of Brian’s callous dismissal set in. And then all of that blood flooded back in a hot rage as she understood what he was saying. He’d been just about done with her anyway? Too good to be true. Well, to hell with him, then! Eric grinned and threw his arm over Amber’s shoulder. “Hey, no problem man. Need a ride?” Turning to walk the other way, Brian paused. “No, I’ve already had one—I mean, I’ve got my own. Thanks for the good time, Amber.” It felt like a slap to the face. As intended, she imagined. Hugging her arms defensively around her bare midriff, she felt sick to her stomach. Eric pulled off his sport coat to wrap around her shoulders. Ever the gentleman. “You ready to get out of here?” he asked, rubbing her arms over the jacket. Brian shot a quick glance back over his shoulder at them. It was a look of contempt. Amber frowned watching her fantasy fade into the night. “Yes. Take me home, please.”
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Chapter Four Damn it, why did she feel like this? Like her heart had been crushed beneath a boulder. When Brian had smiled and spoken, Amber felt like her chest would burst open if she didn’t let go and give in to the current pulling her toward him. The current she thought was bringing them together. For once in her life, her mind had relinquished control to her heart and for a moment, it had been heaven. Amber didn’t believe in magic, but last night, she’d felt it. Felt freed by it in a way she could never have imagined, never dared to fantasize about. Sniffling, she wiped a stray tear with the back of her hand and sighed. She’d been under a spell all right, and then everything had gone to hell. There was no fairy tale. Just a handsome prince out for a fuck. What of it? If she’d had her head screwed on straight, she would have known that was all it was and would be sipping coffee and smiling over a pleasurable conquest. Instead, she was sulking under her comforter in the same clothes she’d been out in. “Aggh,” she groaned throwing off the covers and sitting up in bed. Enough wallowing. Life moved on. One thing Amber had learned and would never forget: fantasies weren’t worth waiting for. This broken dream wouldn’t hold her down for another second. Eric had to be dealt with and that wouldn’t be pretty. She’d told him goodnight from the sidewalk in front of her building and had made plans to see him that afternoon. It was time to make the assumed break-up
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official. The emotional investment in the relationship had always been out of balance. Typically, Amber couldn’t feel what he felt. Then he transferred to New York and the affair had ended easily enough. Or so she’d thought. Though why Eric imagined that he was her “boyfriend” after a month without speaking to her, she had no idea. Whatever the reason, when Eric belted his former status out it gave her a chance to see Brian’s true colors before she found out the hard way—sitting by the phone and waiting in vain for it to ring. Better to discover the truth early than to realize she was the only one spellbound and stupid. Prince Charming had been ready to wash his hands of her. Fuck-and-chuckstyle. Asshole. Well, she would scrub him from her memory. Pretend Brian Matthers was nothing more than the high school boy she used to pine for. She should have known the whole bourgeoning romance was all an act. No one was that good. It was her own damn fault for wanting to be proven wrong. It had all been sex. If only he’d been straight with her about it, instead of playing head games, she would have jumped into bed with him anyway. He was her damn fantasy man! The opportunity of a lifetime, she thought, with a bitterness rising in her throat. As angry as she was, physically he’d been worth pining for, she grudgingly conceded with a quiver at the memory of the night before. She could still feel the lingering sensations of his presence within her, still smell the scent of his subtle cologne on her skin and clothes. A shower was definitely in order. Once the hot stream was pounding against her skin, soothing the tension gathered in the muscles of her back, she stared into nothingness, wishing the water could loosen the tight hold of hurt in her heart. Screw him. 32
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Well, she’d been there and done that. And it had been amazing. Was it just the unbelievable physical compatibility between them that was confusing her? When he’d touched her, it had been electric. She’d never had a man give her such powerful orgasms before. She would have sworn it was the same for him. He thought she was a slut for all but demanding he fuck her in the middle of a crowded club. But who cared, that was one fantasy he had fulfilled. Just the thought of it was turning her on again. The crowd around them, clueless as to what they were doing. She’d tried so hard to keep her face blank, but when that man turned and looked her in the eye… Her breath hitched at the thought of Brian’s thick cock pushing inside of her. He was so big. That kind of penetration was something she’d never had before, either. Her fingers nestled between her legs. There was no way she’d be able to give herself that kind of satisfaction without a bigger dildo or some special toys. If she wanted to get over it, then a few presents for herself would help. She’d hit the internet as soon as she finished her shower, and then she’d deal with Eric. “It’s not a hangover.” Brian held his head in his hands as he sat at his kitchen table. He felt hung-over, but he hadn’t had enough booze the night before to merit the diagnosis. His discomfort was something else altogether. Neil snorted. “Well you sure look like shit. What’s up then?” “Nothing. Maybe you’re right, it’s just too much of the drink.” He didn’t want to get into the details of the night before with his neighbor. Neil was a great guy and the two men shared personal information freely, but Brian didn’t want to deal with this himself, let alone confess it out loud to a friend. Cheating was something Brian had no tolerance for. He www.samhainpublishing.com
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respected commitment and, unlike many of the guys he knew, felt the same way about stepping into someone else’s relationship as he did about stepping out on his own. He just didn’t do it. He always asked women if they were single before asking them on a date. How had he gotten to the point where his dick was coated in Amber’s cream before finding out she had a boyfriend? He felt like crap. The worst part of it was, for every minute he spent with his stomach knotted up with guilt, he spent another trying to keep his dick from getting hard while he thought about the way she felt around him. Neil spun a kitchen chair around backwards and swung a leg over it to sit. “So it’s not a hangover.” He stared across the table at Brian, wearing the smirk of a man who knew. “Which means a chick must have messed with you something terrible. You know what I say about that: One bucks you, the next one fucks you.” “This isn’t an issue of getting laid.” “Sort of doubted it was. Not your style. But it is a girl.” Brian sighed, staring past his friend at nothingness. “She was amazing. We went to high school together, but didn’t really know each other. Met on the train last night and hit it off, I mean, it was intense and immediate. She talks and I forget about everything else on the planet. I can’t stop looking at her. She’s beautiful. She’s smart. She’s so fucking sexy, I can’t see anything but her. And then, after we spend an incredible night together—” “Together?” Neil raised his eyebrows as he made obscene hand gestures to verify. Brian’s shoulders slumped. No sense denying it. The sex was the biggest problem. “Yes, we had sex. A few times. Being with her—it was like nothing I’ve ever experienced before. She was so free and confident 34
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and racy and… And then her boyfriend showed up, back early from his trip to New York.” Neil leaned back nodding. “So she’s gotten to you, but she’s a cheater, and worse than that, she made you a cheater, too. Been to church yet?” “Picked up the coffee and paper on my way back.” “Do any good?” “No, I had to leave because I kept getting stiff thinking about her.” Neil bowed his head into the back of the chair, his forehead turning red as his shoulders bunched. “Don’t laugh, man. This isn’t funny.” But it was no use. Neil broke down, rubbing his eyes as he howled. Brian wanted to stay pissed, but Neil had a way of wearing a guy down. Finally he gave in. Cracking a smile and shaking his head, Brian flipped him off. It had been four days since Amber met Brian on the train and her life had run completely amuck. Eric was back in town, at least temporarily. He would be back and forth from New York over the next four weeks until the Spanex deadline hit. Knowing she would see him at the office, and because she did genuinely care about him as a friend, she had followed through on her plan to end the relationship with a clean, honest break. But Eric hadn’t been that easy to shake. He’d called every day and finally, on Wednesday, she’d agreed to meet him for dinner. Now he was seated across the table, holding her hand between the water and iced-tea glasses, and pleading with her to give him one more chance. “Amber, I know I fucked up. But you mean more to me than I realized. I can’t let you go.” www.samhainpublishing.com
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She took a deep breath. “Eric. What we had was nice, but it was never that serious. You have to know that, too. I mean, one day you tell me they offered you a job at the New York office and the next you were gone. There wasn’t any question. You didn’t hesitate for a minute, wondering if what you had here was worth more than what you might get there. Because you knew. And I’m not mad about it, either. I just think you aren’t being realistic about what our relationship meant.” “No. That’s not true. I was just confused. I didn’t ask you to come because I knew how much you loved your job, I couldn’t ask you to leave it, and we didn’t have another opening for you in New York. And I thought you wouldn’t respect me if I didn’t follow my professional path as diligently as you were following yours. I mean, what if I turned the promotion down and then they offered it to you?” Eric squeezed her hand and then flagged the waitress. “More bread? Thanks.” He turned his attention back to Amber, waiting for her to respond. Shifting uncomfortably in her chair, she answered him. “Eric, I guess what I’m trying to say is that I didn’t feel that sad when our relationship ended. I felt like I should be sad, hurt, mad…something. But I really wasn’t. That says something to me. I think it should say something to you.” She wanted to extract her hand from his grasp, but he had her in a double grip now. “That’s understandable. I wasn’t a good boyfriend to you before. Distance has given me perspective.” The waitress arrived at the table with a basket of bread and cleared her throat. Seeing the opportunity, Amber retrieved her hand and moved a few glasses to accommodate the basket. It wasn’t fair to string him along, 36
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and he clearly believed there was more of a chance than she did. When the waitress retreated, Amber removed the linen napkin from her lap, placed it on the table and stood up. “Eric, I’m sorry. I just don’t feel the way I once did. There isn’t anything more to talk about. I’ll see you around the office.” She turned to leave, not wanting to wait for his argument. There was nothing he could say to change her mind. She was halfway to the open exit when a steely hand wrapped around her upper arm and spun her awkwardly around. Eric pulled her against him and into a full kiss. His tongue swept wildly into her mouth as his angular joints pressed into her body. He tasted like Thousand Island dressing. All she could think, as he tried his best to pull her into his passion, was that Brian had ruined her for any other man. Eric pulled back and wiped his mouth with the back of his sleeve, offering up a smoky gaze. “Should we get out of here?” he asked, trying to weave his bony fingers through hers. Amber shook her head and pulled her hands away. “I hope we can stay friends. Good bye, Eric.”
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Chapter Five By Friday night, Brian was ready to move on. He’d spent the week vacillating between guilt over what he had done and guilt over what he wanted to do more of. Amber was in his mind at all times. He was embarrassed by what he’d said, but his temper had flared when he realized he’d been played. Tonight, however, his experience with Amber was going to be a thing of the past. After days of Neil’s berating, Brian relented and agreed to venture back into the sea in search of another fine fish to help him clear his mind of all things Amber. But now, leaning back against the bar at Riley’s, he wondered what he’d been thinking returning to the scene of the crime. He knew Amber came to this bar, but he’d justified the selection with the rationale that he’d never run into her there before and he imagined she wouldn’t risk bringing her boyfriend anywhere near a bar Brian frequented. What if he exposed her for the cheater she was? No, Riley’s was probably the safest spot in town. But if that were really what he was thinking, then why was he watching the door like a hawk, his cock half hard at the prospect of running into her again? Neil swaggered up to the bar, flashing the business card he held between two fingers. “This would be number three for me. Or should I say the third number I’ve collected tonight. Reeling them in, baby!”
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Brian chuckled lightly, but his friend’s boisterous demeanor wasn’t catching. Brian had already brushed off two passably attractive women for no good reason at all. Looking for more support, or possibly more competition, Neil scowled and tipped his longneck back, draining it. “Hey man, loosen up and go wash off that babe-repellent you slathered on. We came out to get you a distraction from the piece of tail who took a bite out of your ass last week.” Brian bristled at the offensive description and then quickly reined in his aggression, reminding himself that Amber wasn’t a woman he wanted to defend. “I know. Here, let’s get another round.” He pulled out his wallet and retrieved a few bills. Waiving them at the bartender he signaled two more beers and then changed his mind and signaled four. Neil clapped him on the back and laughed. “Now we’re talking.” The girl behind the counter smacked the bottles down. Brian leaned further over the bar. “There a band playing tonight?” She shook her head, no, and bumped the till in with her hip, showing off the top of a tattoo peeking out of her low-cut jeans. She must have seen him staring at it. “It’s a daisy.” She had a small voice and had to shout to be heard over the crowd, but she seemed happy enough to linger there with him, pulling down the side of her jeans to offer a better look. Brian smiled at her. She was pretty with nice curves. “You got a boyfriend?” She blinked twice, with a stalled out smile hanging on her lips before answering. “You move pretty fast, mister. Don’t much bother with names or any of the usual pleasantries, do you?”
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Feeling like an ass, he shrugged and shook his head. “No, no. I just… You’re pretty. But I didn’t want to bother you if you had a boyfriend who wouldn’t appreciate me doing it.” She seemed amused, but her neglect of the patrons was catching up. “Looks to me like you could take on most guys whether they appreciated your talking to me or not. But as it is, I don’t have a boyfriend. And my name is Daisy. Like the tattoo. Gotta work.” She winked at him, then changed gears to taking drink orders and ignoring requests for an encore viewing of the tattoo. Brian followed her progress down the bar, but it felt more like a duty than it should have. There was nothing wrong with her, but he couldn’t help thinking that she didn’t make him want to listen. The chemistry wasn’t there. Brian turned back around to find Neil wrapped around a buxom female. She giggled as Neil whispered into her ear. Looking down at the four beers, Brian knew that no matter how parched his friend might be, at times like these, it just wasn’t cool to interrupt and offer a refill. Taking a deep slug from one of the bottles, Brian was lonely. Daisy’s interest didn’t excite him. And she wasn’t really available, in the immediate sense, anyway. How was it that other than Neil, he didn’t know a soul in this place tonight? He planted his ass on a barstool and finished off the first of the four-bottle round. No sense in denying it, he was sulking. What a pisser. By the end of the third beer, the scene wasn’t as depressing as he’d found it thirty minutes before and halfway through the fourth, Brian was feeling downright sociable. Daisy was swamped at the other end of the bar. And though she’d made it a point to glance down at him, periodically throwing an impish smile his way, she still didn’t do it for him. Turning away from the bar, his newfound friendly attitude knocked directly into the very woman who had kept it under wraps for a solid 40
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week. Amber stumbled back, spilling a full drink down her chest, as he grabbed her arm to keep her from falling. Shit. Exasperation evident, she looked up from the white tee-shirt plastered against her breasts, clearly not expecting to meet Brian’s eyes. Anger instantly replaced the mere annoyance. She wrenched her arm from his supportive grasp and glared at him. He couldn’t believe she was here, and he couldn’t believe the way that betraying mouth of his was splitting into a wide smile at the sight of her. The drink he’d knocked into her chest made her look like a first prize taker in a wet tee-shirt contest. Her nipples, dark circles against creamy swells, were bunched into tight buds under the chill of the thin material. Her breasts hung loose tonight, no bra constricting them, just the full round curves, sexy in their gentle swing. He knew what he wanted. To just reach out and touch them, take their weight in his palms. A shrill whistle followed by a loud hoot broke through his admiration for Amber’s tits. He wasn’t the only one enjoying the show. Amber’s eyes darted around the room as she crossed her arms over the fabric plastered against her chest. “I’m sorry…about the drink I mean.” She mumbled, “Oh, about the drink.” Then her gaze shot back to him and, apparently forgetting about modesty in the crowded testosteronecharged bar, she put one hand on her hip and jabbed the other into Brian’s chest. “Well, thank God you apologized for offending me with a well-drink. Very much the gentleman. Now, get out of my way.” She tried to shove him aside and in doing so attracted even more attention to her breasts, which might have actually sparked less interest if she’d been totally naked. As it was, she was turning into the number one attraction for the night. Hell, it was all Brian could do to keep from www.samhainpublishing.com
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running his hands over them and brushing the hard nipples with his thumbs. He wanted to do it until she moaned his name again. “This man giving you some trouble?” a burly guy asked. He talked like a gentleman but his stare was locked on the buoyant tits in front of him. A wave of proprietary jealousy Brian knew he wasn’t entitled to washed over him. “No, thanks,” she said, scowling at Brian. “He’s about to leave. And I’m fine.” The guy didn’t even bother trying to look away from her chest and when he licked his lips, Brian had enough. “Hey, buddy, get the hell out of here will you? She’ll be fine.” He turned to Amber who was glaring at him with her hands on her hips. “Is Eric here?” He meant it only to find out if she had someone to look out for her tonight, but it came out sounding accusatory. She snorted out a laugh and tried to turn away from him with a sloppy wave of her hand. She didn’t look drunk, but she could have had enough where her own sense of invincibility might be impaired and Brian wasn’t about to walk away from her like that. Not with the pack of vultures circling around her transparent chest. Two other guys were already leaning in, trying to offer their support in getting rid of him and pretty soon he’d be in bad shape if he didn’t resolve the situation. He unbuttoned his Oxford shirt and pulled it out of his waistband, untucking the plain white tee underneath. He was about to take the top layer off when a seedy pack of crap with a thick mustache and too tight jeans reached out and helped himself to Amber’s left breast, causing her to shriek and turn away, right into another grabby grasp. That was the last straw. Before he even realized he’d done it, Brian’s Irish was up and running the show with a single well thrown punch. Tight Jeans was flat on his 42
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back and holding his hands up against his face. Amber was tucked into Brian’s chest, soaking his tee-shirt with the sodden fabric of her own. Her breasts pressed flat against him as he lifted her with one arm and carried her out of the bar. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” she hissed, pushing out of his grasp. Dumbfounded, he stared back at her. “Are you freaking kidding me, Amber? If I’d known your goal was to get mauled by a bunch of strangers, I would have offered you a second drink to splash over your tits, given you a leg up to stand on the bar.” “Screw you, Brian. I was fine. That guy was grabby, but I was fine.” Her voice faltered slightly, giving away her shaken state. He yanked the shirt off and held it out. If he was going to get arrested, he’d at least leave Amber with a little coverage. He shoved the shirt towards her. “Here, put this on.” She looked down at it like he was offering her rancid meat. “That’s it.” He stalked over to her, grabbed her shoulders and spun her so she faced the darkened glass of a closed storefront. “Look!” Amber gasped at her reflection, crossing her bare arms over her chest. “Give it to me!” She grabbed for the shirt and quickly slipped it on. The absence of her ample bosom was a bittersweet victory. Brian leaned forward, trying to control the delivery of his words. “Are you here with anyone? Can someone take you home?” She was still looking in the glass at the image of herself now wrapped in Brian’s shirt. “No. I had a crappy day at work, made a stupid mistake—my head…anyway, I just wanted to get out and burn off some steam. Danny was going to meet me during his break, but some delivery got screwed up and he had to run out. So it was just me. I didn’t think I’d see you here. I figured it was the last place you’d go.” www.samhainpublishing.com
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She turned to face him. Her eyes glittered with tears for a second before she turned and walked toward her apartment. Brian’s fingertips tingled where he’d wanted to run them over her cheek and soothe away that look of sadness. He stepped back and searched the bar window for Neil, who was nowhere to be found. Maybe Miss Giggles had gotten lucky, or maybe Neil was in the john, but either way, Brian didn’t have time to stick around and find out. Amber was already pushing the corner when he caught up with her. She shot him a scathing glance and kept walking. “What are you doing out here?” “Amber, look, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to ruin your night. I want to make sure you get home, okay? The way you look right now, it’s probably not a good idea for you to be walking alone.” She had on tight grey Capri pants that hugged her ass in a way that told the story of someone who ran religiously. With every breeze, his shirt billowed open, revealing the soaked little baby tee that cropped off at just about the bottom of her ribs and left a sexy expanse of flat abdomen for the casual observer’s viewing pleasure. With all that skin and swell, there was no way he could let her walk home alone. “That’s awfully noble of you, Brian, but I don’t need your help.” “Well, do you want me to call Eric to come and get you?” “What the hell? Eric is probably off banging some intern tonight. Even if he’s not, no, the last thing I want is you calling him. And not that it’s any of your damn business, but Eric isn’t here because Eric and I are not together.” She finished, jutting her chin at him. He took a long stride and grabbed her arm, pulling her even with him. “What do you mean you aren’t together? Tonight? Or at all anymore?” “At all. What’s wrong with you? Why do you care?” 44
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He shouldn’t care. It shouldn’t matter if she was single or not. He knew she was a cheater and she’d made one out of him. She wasn’t the kind of girl he wanted to know much about. But he couldn’t help the way she was ruling his mind, which made him all the angrier. “Actually, screw that. I don’t care.” “I didn’t think so. Here’s your shirt back. Take a hike.” She pulled the oversized shirt off, tossed it back to him and stomped off. He would have loved to take a hike. To get as far away from those perfect tits and jewel-hard nipples pointing through her shirt, as he could. Remove himself from temptation. God knew that any poor bastard who wanted to have a try at Amber tonight would be lucky to get away with his life. But of course, he couldn’t do it. She would be inside her apartment with the door locked before he’d walk away. “I’m walking you home, then I will gladly take a hike.” “Ah, his chivalry extends beyond fucking in public and then dumping at the nearest street corner.” Blood rushed up his neck and into his head. “That is bullshit and you know it. You started that in the club and I’m pretty sure you loved every damn second of it as much as I did. And as for the street corner, you ended it there. Eric showing up must have been a bit of a surprise. How’d you manage to explain me away? Oh, wait, you aren’t together anymore. That why you’re out alone tonight? Looking for another dick to fill your void?” “You’re a prick. I don’t need to go out to get stuffed, asshole. And as phenomenal a fuck as you are, that’s all you’re good for. I’ve got a dildo as big as you and it’s a lot less complicated.” She shouldn’t have told him that. It was information he shouldn’t have. His mind flooded with images of her kneeling on the floor, legs www.samhainpublishing.com
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spread, her wet pussy taking in a giant rod. His chest got tight and he felt all that boiling blood in his neck plummet to his cock. They were at the sidewalk stairs to her building. He grabbed her by the arm, spun her around to face him. “You were a fantasy, Brian. One rock hard fantastic fantasy. But the reality of you isn’t so attractive.” She tried to yank her arm out of his grasp, but her statement had shocked him and he held firm. “That’s what this was about, Amber? Some high school crush…some old fantasy? That’s what you said, right? Did you feel like the prom queen fucking me?” Her eyes smoldered as he held her there, a subtle smile curving at the corners of her mouth. He tightened his grip on her arm and pulled her a step closer. Her breath caught as she pushed ineffectually against him, her eyes flashing anger and something more. “Fuck the prom queen. It was better than that.” The overhead streetlamp cast a yellow cone of illumination over them, enough light for Brian to see every ridge and bump of her nipple through the damp shirt. God help him, but he reached out and grazed her nipple with the pad of his thumb, pushing his palm roughly up against the bottom curve, squeezing it hard. Amber sucked in her breath and then let it out with a slow hiss, leaning in to his grasp. “Damn you.” He trapped the erect nub between his fingers, rolling it tightly as he rubbed his thumb back and forth against it. She looked like she was going to come on the spot, and then kill him within seconds. He ran his tongue over his bottom lip. “So I’m good for a fuck?” “And not one damn thing more.” Her breath was coming in short pants as he pulled at her, their eyes locked together, aggression and arousal sparking between them. 46
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“Better than that dildo you have upstairs?” He tweaked the nipple with a pinch until she bit her lip and took a short step closer to him. “I don’t know. It just came today.” “I’m flattered.” “Don’t be. I hate you.” He tugged her closer, holding her captive, eliciting a small cry from her and turning his cock to stone in the process. Her parted lips and smoldering eyes were an irresistible invitation. Lowering his head, he brushed his mouth against hers, probing with his tongue as he pinched her nipple harder. She shuddered, opening to him, and slid her tongue over his. His cock strained painfully against the front of his pants. Wanting Amber to feel the hard bulge, he grabbed her by the waist and forced her roughly against him. His grip tightened and he straightened up, lifting her off the ground. Her legs immediately wrapped around his waist, her ankles locked together behind his back. He spun around and rammed her back against the outside concrete wall of her stairway, grinding with rough thrusts against her spread legs. She gasped, tearing at his tee-shirt to rip it over his head. “Inside,” he growled against her ear, biting her lobe and wrenching her breast in his hand. “Yes,” she panted, trying to get free, grabbing at his fly. Slamming through the lobby door, Amber’s back made contact with the wall beside the mailboxes with a loud thud. He slid his hands up under the baby-tee and against the unhindered swell of her breasts. Her erect nipples felt like small stones as he brushed them with his thumbs. She arched against him as he pounded between her legs, grinding at the source of his longing. He thrust his knee between her thighs and pressed www.samhainpublishing.com
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it against the wall so she straddled his leg. Brian pulled open the button and unzipped the front of her pants, rubbing over the stretched fabric. It was already damp. She kissed him, biting his lip hard, just shy of drawing blood. He groaned, not sure if it was the pain or the pleasure making him do it. He had to get her inside, had to get inside of her. They crashed against the stairs in a heap of grappling limbs, crawling up, writhing against each other. At the landing, beyond the view of the street below, Brian grabbed her by the hips and stuffed his hand down the front of the open pants, cupping the wet folds of her sex. The pressure of his fingers parted her lips, making a slick nest for him to burrow in. “You’re so wet,” he breathed against her neck, spreading her open and smearing the juice in brushing strokes until they were both coated in it. “Do you get this wet for every stiff dick that comes your way?” “Yes,” she hissed, trying to press her hips forward so that his fingers would enter her. “Every one. Inside me,” she demanded with a throaty plea. “Now.” Brian pushed his hand further, sliding two fingers to her hole, where he played teasingly at the edges with the tips of his fingers. He pressed them against the opening, circling the smooth cleft. “Now?” She yanked his button fly open and grabbed his cock with the grip of a vise. “Now.” Her hard stroke was incentive aplenty. He jammed into her, as deep as his fingers would allow, thrusting once, twice, and three times before releasing her. Amber crawled up, stopped a few steps shy of the top of the flight and without turning back to see him behind her, hooked her thumbs into the sides of her pants and shimmied them down her hips, exposing her naked ass. Brian stopped short and watched as she stepped out of the 48
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pants and pulled her tee-shirt off. With a scathing glance over her shoulder, she tossed the wet shirt at his face. Then she spread her legs a few feet apart, arched her back and bent forward planting her hands at the top step. Brian almost came on the spot. Her pussy was drenched in her cream and bent over as she was, her exposed hole dribbled with more. His chest was tight as he reached out and touched the glistening fissure. “Do you like it like this?” she asked him, without bothering to look. The way Amber rocked her ass back at him begged for him to fuck it. He jammed two fingers into her milky hole, making her groan and push back against him. He slid in and out of her and then lowered his mouth to the fleshy curve of her ass—God, he loved her ass—and bit, as he pressed a third finger inside of her. Her pussy clenched against his fingers. He had to have her. Brian leaned over her back, thrusting his fingers in for one last deep plunge, and growled into her ear, “Stand up. I’m going to fuck you so hard, you’ll need a mattress to land on.” He pulled out his fingers, coated in her juices, and snapped a single spank over her pulsing pussy. Amber lay diagonally across the bed, her eyes open wide as she stared at the ceiling. Brian’s matted hair pressed against her hip where he had collapsed, face down in exhaustion. Their breath came ragged and harsh, sweat coated their used bodies. She looked down at his shoulders, red with scratches left from her viselike grip, rising and falling in quick repetition as he struggled to catch his breath. She almost reached out to sooth the enflamed skin, but stopped short, reminding herself that the night of sexual gratification had been nothing more than
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the
culmination
of
overflowing
hostilities
and
incredible
sexual
chemistry. God, he was so good in bed. Out of bed. On the stairs, the chair, the wall—Brian had slammed into her body against almost every surface the apartment offered. He was adventurous and uninhibited. Rough and soothing, all at once. Physically speaking, she’d never shared anything even close to the experience she had with him. Chills broke out over her body and her nipples pebbled as she thought about everything he’d done to her. He was the boy she’d ached for in her youth, couldn’t stand as a person, and couldn’t get enough of as a man. She wanted him to fill her again, surprise her with his touch. Looking at the clock, she saw it was after four a.m. She couldn’t fall asleep like this. She needed a shower. She rose quietly and walked into the bathroom. He was asleep in her bed. It was no good having him there. Between her legs—yes. Between her sheets, threatening to be there in the morning when she woke, possibly feeling the need to awkwardly explain the casual nature of what had happened between them—no way. The water warmed while she gingerly brushed the tangled knots from her hair and wiped away the traces of last night’s make-up. She hadn’t intended to come home with anyone. She wasn’t looking for it. She’d been looking for a little company, the conversation kind, but Danny had been busy and Brian had been an oaf. Though to be honest, it hadn’t taken more than one look at him before that first coil of desire twisted within her. No matter how infuriating, judgmental and rude he was, there was no denying that he was the most incredible lay she’d ever had. No harm, so long as she remembered that was all he was. So what if she’d finally felt that pull in her heart, the one she’d thought might be love. She’d been wrong. Love wasn’t one-sided and though Brian talked a
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good game, a game was all it was. Well, games were fun and she liked to play. At least that was what she told herself. The air surrounding her was thick and warm, the shower ready. She stepped into the hot spray, closed her eyes, and bowed her head into the stream. She washed herself slowly, taking time to cleanse every spot he’d touched, every inch of her body. Washing her leg, she thought of the way his tongue had snaked up the length of it, ankle to apex, and the memory of it almost made her call him, invite him to join her for more play. No more tonight, though, or he would be there in the morning. She turned off the shower and reached for her towel. Rubbing it over her hair, she squeezed the water from the sodden mass and dried the rest of her body. What would she do when she went back out? What would she say to him? Polite conversation was pretty much out of the question at this point. Even the time for impolite conversation had passed. She didn’t want to trade barbs anymore. She knew where he stood. So where did that leave her? Hiding in her own bathroom indefinitely? No. She smoothed lotion into her legs in long sweeping circles, up over her hips and abdomen. Her arms and neck. She combed through her hair, keeping her eyes on the door. She was being ridiculous. If she didn’t want to sleep next to Brian, she could simply curl up on the couch for the rest of the night and maybe take off early, before he woke up. The knob felt cold in her grip as she turned it, eyes shut, and pulled the door open. She took a deep breath and exhaled through her nose. Brian wasn’t there. She’d been bracing herself for…what? She didn’t know. The bed was empty, the door of her room open to the rest of the silent apartment. She walked out to the living room, checking the hall bathroom and kitchen along the way. Nothing. He was gone. She went to the front door www.samhainpublishing.com
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and saw that he had switched the lock to engage when he closed the door behind him. Thoughtful. She almost laughed. Throwing the deadbolt, she turned on the lights, wondering if he might have left a note…something. But, of course, there was nothing. She didn’t know why she kept searching for a sign that he’d considered their time together as more than the sex it was. There wasn’t going to be a tender note, promising thoughts of her until he saw her again. They had fulfilled a need in each other and that was the whole story. Flicking the lights off, she headed back to the bedroom. The air was still heavy with the musk of their play. She smiled, enjoying the fragrance but wishing she didn’t have to lie down on the sweaty sheets after she’d just gotten clean. She sat back on the bed, feeling the quilt under her. The bed was made, sheets and quilt pulled up to the pillows— once again at the head of the bed. Before he’d left, Brian must have pulled the sheets back on to the mattress and then…no. She felt under the quilt. Flannels covered the bed now. Her eyes now adjusted to the darkness, she realized he’d stripped the bed—the pile of sweaty sheets lay in the corner of the room—and changed the sheets while she’d showered. That was…sweet? Another strange contradiction was all she could think before sinking back into her fresh bed and falling asleep.
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Chapter Six After sleeping in until almost eleven, Amber started a load of wash, put on her sneakers and went out for a run. As a rule, she preferred to run in the early mornings, before the day got too hot and while the paths were still all but deserted. Now, she was faced with the Saturday morning crowd: families and couples, out picnicking at the lakefront, milling in and out of her way. She’d come out needing to clear her mind, but was finding it harder by the minute. Not exactly the satisfaction she’d had in mind, but she put in her five miles nonetheless. Returning home, she was jumpy and irritable. Restless. She did some chores around the apartment and decided she’d head into the office and double-check some of the code on her project. She needed to get her head back into work. When she walked into the office, she was surprised to see the lights on and several computers booted up. She must not be the only one with a need to catch up. There wasn’t any reason to be concerned about safety in the office, the only people allowed access had to enter using a key card and knew the code for security. Whoever was here was supposed to be here. Walking briskly through the maze of cubes, she swung her laptop case off her shoulder and set it on her desk. The repetitive swish and clunk of the copier sounded from down the hall. She plugged the laptop
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into her network port and started to boot up while she headed to see who else was in and grab some coffee. Knowing her footsteps were muted by the industrial grade carpet, she offered a “hello” in warning as she approached the corner. The shuffling of papers ceased and a freckled head popped around the partition just as she was about to turn. “Amber! Awesome. Here to get a little work done in the peace and quiet?” She smiled politely. “Yeah, Eric. Looks like great minds think alike. I’m surprised to see you here, actually. Isn’t it enough that they displace you weeks at a time, without making you work Saturdays as well?” Eric’s smile faltered. He started to reach for her hand, but seemed to think better of it, ultimately stuffing it into his pocket. “Look, I’m actually here now because I was hoping you wouldn’t be.” Amber felt her cheeks redden. But he quickly went on. “No, not because of us. I miss you, no doubt about it, but that makes me want to see you—not hide from you. I’m here because of some problems we’ve found on the Spanex project. They asked if I’d check some of your work. I’m sorry, babe. Didn’t think I’d find anything and didn’t want you to have to know about it.” He brushed his hair back from his face and shrugged sheepishly. “I…I’m sorry they put you in this position, Eric. I don’t know what to say. You didn’t find anything else, did you?” “Nothing really worth reporting.” He licked his lips and shook his head. “A few little things, but they were easy to fix so I went ahead and made the corrections. I wouldn’t have even mentioned it to you, but here you are.”
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The job meant so much to Amber, she didn’t know what to say. She didn’t want someone acting as a safety net to keep her from making mistakes. She didn’t want to make them at all. It was humiliating. As though reading her thoughts, Eric went on, “I’m serious, Amber. You do great work. This little stuff is nothing to beat yourself up about. Just some code errors. I’m good at finding them, that’s all.” He reached out and pulled her into a quick hug and then let her go. “Remember the JAX project? That time we were here until midnight?” “Sure, that was intense. A lot was riding on getting done on time. It was exciting.” “I know, I remember how excited you were,” Eric said in a low voice. Amber looked up at him and knew exactly what he was talking about. They’d caught a cab together after they finished, and he’d walked her back to her apartment. The rush of completion and success had gone to her head and they’d ended up falling into bed. Somehow the relationship had gone from there. Until he’d been promoted and left for New York. And she’d realized she simply didn’t care that much. “Yeah, it was a thrill. Eric, I’m here for the same reason you are. I’m trying to make sure there aren’t any other mistakes. I need to get back on track—” “Amber, I told you, I just checked the work myself. You don’t need to worry about it. Maybe we could get out of here and do something fun.” She shifted uncomfortably for a moment. There was really no temptation to go with him, but she still cared about his feelings. “Just the same, I’d feel better checking the work myself. I planned to come in today, my head’s in the work, and since I’m here, I might as well make the most of it. But thank you for the offer.” She started to turn back, forgetting about the coffee, but Eric’s deep sigh and shaking head stopped her. “What?” www.samhainpublishing.com
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“Amber, just go home. They asked me to check the work. If you go back, I have to do it again. It won’t be like this forever, but for now, they don’t want you to be the last person to have access to something before it goes out. Obviously they value your work and they don’t want to lose you. They just can’t risk… I’ve been here for hours, I’m asking you not to go into the files, because then I’ll have to be here all night.” The color drained from her face and her stomach plummeted at his words. She was barely able to agree before she had to spin away, hoping the tears wouldn’t spill in front of an audience. Eric didn’t need to see that. She hurried back to her cube, shut down her computer and left. She didn’t know what she was looking for. Not true. She was looking for Brian. But she didn’t know what she was expecting. It was after ten and the day had been a bust. Throwing herself into work wasn’t an option, and she was trying hard not to think about it. There was nothing she could do until Monday when she had a meeting scheduled with the director. Spending time with girlfriends hadn’t appealed to her, either. The last thing she wanted was to get into a discussion about what had happened with Brian. She couldn’t stop thinking about him. The way she felt when he touched her. The way she felt when his eyes lost that hard guarded quality and opened up to her—the way they had been the first night. That look in his eyes never lasted though. She was looking for a new fantasy to live out and lose herself in. Something to take her breath away when she remembered it later. She wanted more of Brian’s singular focus. That was what she was looking for. She walked into the bar dressed in jeans and a black tank top. Her hair hung loose around her shoulders. The floor was crowded with the usual Saturday night rush and Amber had to elbow her way through to 56
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find the bar. Danny Riley looked up from the corner where he was pouring drinks and, seeing her, waved her over. “Amber, I tried calling you today. I heard what happened here last night. Do you see any of those guys now? Daisy wasn’t sure who was involved, but whoever they are, I’m not interested in their business. That’s for damn sure. I’m glad Brian was here to take care of it and see you home okay. How’s it going with you two?” It was hard not to let the bitterness gurgle out with a snide comment, so she kept her answer brief. “I’m fine. Last night was an unfortunate accident I’d just as soon forget. And nothing is going on with Brian. I was actually just looking to see if he was here, to…thank him. I take it you haven’t seen him.” “No. Sorry, not tonight. Nothing going on with you guys?” His expression conveyed his disbelief. “No.” “Well, too bad. I would have thought you two a good match. You certainly looked good together last week. Daisy’ll be happy to hear it. I probably owe the poor girl an apology for shutting her down when she came in here raving about him.” Amber’s stomach tightened at the mention of another woman’s interest in Brian. It was crazy. She knew it. He wasn’t hers. But she still took a long sideways look to the pretty girl behind the bar, dressed in a tight miniskirt and barely-there halter. “She’s pulling out all the stops tonight.” Danny smiled. She hadn’t done a very good job covering the catty tone in her voice. “Suppose she is.” “I’m sorry. I know she’s sweet. And,” she paused, seeing the look Danny was giving the barmaid, “I can tell she’s got your attention.” www.samhainpublishing.com
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The look of embarrassment that crossed his face was quickly masked when he returned to pouring drinks. “Yeah, but she works for me. Office romances. I don’t have to tell you.” “No, definitely not.” Danny’s company was nice, but his time was limited. Amber had come to the bar for one reason, to find Brian, and he wasn’t there. She stepped off the stool. “I’m going home. Not up for much conversation after all tonight.” With a quick nod goodbye, Danny moved down the bar to take orders. Amber walked home in a funk. It was silly really, wanting to find him again. For crying out loud, he’d had her bent over every piece of furniture in the apartment last night. Hadn’t she gotten enough? With a heavy sigh, she knew the answer was a resounding no. She felt like an addict. He was bad for her, but she wanted more of him just the same. Every step of the path back to her apartment brought her another memory of his touch and by the time she’d gotten to the stairs, she could feel her juices pooling between her legs. What had he done to her? At the top of the flight her nipples were pebble hard, rubbing in torturous friction against her shirt. She slipped one hand up under her shirt and pinched the tight bud. Pleasure pulsed in a shot from her core and a fresh wave of moisture seeped from her depths. Damn it, why hadn’t he been at the bar? Rounding the corner, she stopped short. His huge frame leaned against the wall next to her apartment. He looked over at her, his expression dark. She felt another gush of wet heat at the mere sight of him. “Are you alone?” he asked in a low voice, taking a menacing step to her. He reached for her breast and cupped it over her shirt in his wide palm. Circling in to the nipple, which pointed out hard against the fabric, 58
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he brushed the tip lightly and then pinched it hard. “Or is there someone you need to get rid of?” Her inner walls contracted hard as she moaned. “There’s no one.” Moving her hand over his own, intertwining their fingers, she encouraged him to do more. To pinch harder, to pull and squeeze. She shuddered under his touch, chilled under his glare. “I was out…looking for you.” The stormy expression darkening his face was replaced by one of curiosity and then interest. He bent, grazing her mouth with his lips, back and forth until she opened to him, inviting him to sink into her, take her with his tongue. When he did, she caressed him with her own, sucking lightly against him. His hands circled her waist and pulled her into the warm, hard planes of his body. He pulled back and his mouth roamed around the line of her jaw, along the curve of her neck, his hands massaging her breasts as they made their way to her door. Inside, she dropped the keys on the ground as Brian pulled her into his arms and licked around the edge of her ear, sucking the soft lobe between his teeth. Her head fell back and to the side, offering up more access to the sensitive skin he played with. “What were you going to do?” he asked. Her skin was on fire under his touch, a blaze frantic to burn stronger, begging to be fueled. The idea of him not being here brought a tightness to her chest. “I don’t know. But you’re here, so what does it matter?” His roaming hands and exploring mouth released her. He stepped away. “Pretend I’m not.”
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It was a command and the determined expectation behind it excited her. She looked up at him, biting her lip in contemplation of her wouldbe actions. “I would have come into the apartment and put my keys on the table.” She walked over and picked them off the floor, depositing them in the small tray she kept for them. He nodded. “And then? What do you do now? Tell me what you feel.” “I’m disappointed. Upset. Frustrated. I needed you. I wanted to find you, make you touch me, fill me completely. Now, I’m home. I want to be touched, so I’ll…pretend…that I’m being touched by you.” She slid her hands under the bottom of her shirt and pulled it over her head. Her breasts bounced free of the tight shirt. Her nipples, already erect and stimulated, bunched tighter in the cool air and under Brian’s rapt attention. “It feels good to be free. I like to be naked.” She rubbed her breasts and rolled her nipples between her fingers. Looking up from lowered lids at him, a coy smile played at her lips. “Sometimes, I like to be…restrained. But I can only admit that when I’m alone. Right now, I’m wishing you were here using some of my new toys on me. But I can’t wait for you to come…to make me come.” She watched him watching her. His body was stiff; he looked like he couldn’t breathe. Not a muscle moving. She was his singular focus. Sliding her hands back down over her ribs, abdomen and thighs, she wriggled out of the tight-fitting jeans and nestled her hands between her legs. Leaning back against the door, completely naked but for the black strappy heels that snaked around her calves, she spread her legs, and stroked herself, offering a clear view to Brian. “I’m so wet. When I think about you, I can’t help it, I start to ache. So I have to touch myself, like this…” Her fingers caressed the swollen folds 60
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of her sex, spreading them open to explore. Sliding one finger around in the dripping juice, she withdrew it and raised it to a nipple, smearing the cream into the rosy bud. The musky scent filled her nostrils, exciting her all the more. She pulled at her tight nipple with the slick fingers of one hand while the other traced the long, wet crease of her sex. “Mmm, I’m so sensitive here…” she circled her erect clit and then slid down to her pussy hole, sinking one finger deep inside herself, “…but I’m throbbing here.” She pressed in and out, in and out, stroking her wet velvet interior. The coil of arousal wound tight within her as she touched herself. The solid door supported her back as she shivered with the pleasure of her own touch. “So wet. I’m thinking of you teasing me with your fingers, making me tighten around you, throb for you. I’m so hot, so wet, my finger feels so good inside of me. I’m going to slide another one in now.” Already slick with her juices, she slid a second finger inside, doubling the intensity of her self invasion. She thrust into herself again and again, pressing in as far as her fingers would go. Her breath came in rapid puffs as her pleasure mounted, until she moaned, “I’m going to come soon, it feels good, wet, soft, so good.” Her thrusts intensified and she brought her other hand down from her pointed nipple and worked over the tight bud of nerves, circling it tightly until she gasped, her knees nearly giving out on her. “I’m coming…” She thrust into herself. “I’m coming…” She looked directly into Brian’s eyes as her inner walls contracted in pulses against her fingers and she let out a small cry. He stayed where he was, a few feet away, his breathing ragged. He looked down at his white knuckles and slowly released his grip. When he spoke, his voice sounded rough.
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“Was that enough? Do you feel like I’ve taken you? Will you be able to sleep now?” Amber was still trying to slow her racing heart. She stood up from the door and began walking to the bedroom, shaking her head. “No. I need more.” Though she didn’t look back, the sound of his footsteps behind her and soft thud of his clothing against the hardwood floors told her she would be getting it, too. She was in the shower, washing him off her. Getting rid of him. Had that become the habit already? He caught himself thinking about Amber in the context of the long-term every now and then, but then shook it off and reminded himself that this was not some love story unraveling between the sheets. It was the smacking together of sweaty flesh with an incomparable excellence. She was an awesome fuck, and he simply hadn’t had his fill of her yet. He almost wished he could beat himself up for thinking that way about any woman, but in this case, it was clearly a mutual truth. He raked his fingers through his matted, sweaty hair and pulled his jeans on over his boxers. What was he doing here? He hadn’t been able to stay away. Tonight, it had felt imperative that he be with her. To know what she was doing. Make sure she wasn’t with anyone but him. When she hadn’t been there, he’d decided to wait. There was no way he could let her bring another man home to touch her, get inside of her. Not until they were through. Who was he kidding? Not until she told him she was through with him. What had she done to him? Yanking the tee-shirt over his head, he looked for his sweater but didn’t see it. Maybe it was still out in the living room. He’d thought he’d 62
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gathered up everything, but now he couldn’t see it. And for some reason, his being out of the apartment by the time Amber was through with the shower seemed an unspoken expectation. Before she’d mustered the strength to get off the floor, she’d brushed the hair from his forehead and told him she was glad he’d come. It was a clear message for him to be gone by the time she finished. Stuffing his feet into his sneakers and jamming his socks into his pockets, he did a quick check around for his lost sweater. The shower turned off and he hopped on one foot toward the door, trying to lace the shoe and still get out. It seemed worse to leave when she was standing there. And part of him wondered if he’d even be able to. No matter what their relationship had turned into, he seemed to find it impossible to want to get away from her. At the door, he turned back and looked around at the space he was vacating. Suddenly, he noticed things he hadn’t seen before. The novels lying open on the coffee table, tattered cookbooks stuffed with sticky flags on the counter, a corkboard by the closet tacked with photos of Amber and her friends. Some of the snapshots even went back as far as high school. She was beautiful then, as she was now. But shy and quiet. Someone he smiled to in the hall, because he liked to see her smile back. A noise from the back of the apartment reminded him of his effort to be gone by the time she was done showering. Quietly, he left, making sure the door would lock behind him.
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Chapter Seven Brian sat in the back of the cab as it cut in and out of the city’s Saturday
afternoon
traffic,
zipping
around
busses
and
dodging
pedestrians. Though a beer with Neil and Danny before heading home would be a welcome break following his the three-day business trip out East, Amber was foremost in his mind. Three days since he’d last seen her. Since he’d last touched her. Would she welcome him tonight? Should he even go back? The timing of the trip had been right. He’d hoped to gain some perspective about their relationship, but in three days and nights, all he’d done was think of her. Before the trip, he’d been at her apartment almost every night for two weeks. Showing up unannounced, waiting for her to arrive if she was out. Never any plans. Never any expectations. Never a goodbye. Just the crush of bodies coming together, the fulfillment of needs. But he would swear, in those first seconds when she saw him waiting at her door, her green eyes shone with…happiness, relief? Something. An emotion that he couldn’t describe but pulled at his heart and made him yearn to see it again. That fleeting look haunted his nights. Distracted his mind all day. Made him tap his toes and check his watch as he held out, waiting for the minutes to tick by until he saw her again. He’d started keeping track of the details she let slip and clues she’d left out in the open of her apartment. He’d started thinking of her as his. Arguing with himself like some sort of lunatic, rationalizing and justifying
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the lack of relationship and what it was doing to him. He knew she was coming home alone. Knew she wanted him, at least in a physical way. But he also knew what she was capable of. And though he’d catch her watching him sometimes before she tiptoed into the shower, Brian had no idea where he stood with her. Where they were going. What she thought about their time together. Hell, he had no idea what he thought about it. Hot and erotic, without question. He’d never been with a woman who sent such a current of sexual hunger through him with nothing more than her presence. The connection he felt, the possessive greed—he couldn’t explain it. But there was something else bothering Brian, too. This wasn’t the way he lived his life. When he was with a woman, it was because he cared for her. The casual one-night variety didn’t often tempt him, but when it did, it wasn’t with a woman he spent half the night fighting with and the other half fucking. That was for sure. He was on unfamiliar ground and didn’t like the way he was feeling about his own actions. He needed to figure it out. After having debated over mentioning the business trip to Amber, simply so she would know he was out of town and at the risk of sounding committed, he’d opted to leave a note on her pillow when she’d gone to the shower. It had been brief. New York business for a few days—don’t fuck anyone else. Short, not exactly sweet. But being back in town, he knew it was time to make some decisions. Would she be waiting for him? The cab dropped him in front of Riley’s. With all the pent-up frustration knotted between his shoulder blades, Brian took a deep breath and tried to blow a little of the stress out with the air. Pushing open the door, he saw Neil and Danny hunched over a small table off to the side of the otherwise empty bar. The evening crowd wouldn’t show up www.samhainpublishing.com
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for another hour or so, which gave the men time to relax, have a beer and catch up. Neil looked up and waved. “Welcome back, take a load off.” “Thanks, man.” Brian slid into an open chair and gave Danny a solid pat on the back then picked up an untouched longneck and took a deep pull from the bottle. Tasted good. He looked at his two friends who had stopped talking as soon as he’d come in. “What’s up?” Danny shrugged and took a swig. “Not much. Neil was just telling me about your little problem.” His knotted muscles cinched tighter. “Must have me confused with some other guy. I don’t have a problem. What gives?” Neil leaned forward stretching across the table to squeeze the muscle of Brian’s shoulder. Looking at him seriously, he said, “You’re being an asshole, man.” How did they know? Had Amber talked to Danny and now both of them were confronting him about his shitty behavior toward her? He started to sputter out a response when Neil waved a dismissive hand in front of him. “Look. I know this has to do with some woman. But there is no reason on God’s green Earth that you should be sulking around like this, being a complete jerk to the menfolk. Bros before hos, man.” Danny looked kind of disgusted by Neil, but they all went back quite a ways and somehow managed to get along regardless of the dramatic personality differences. “Neil says this has been going on for weeks. You’ve been skulking around, short-tempered. Said you nearly bit his head off on the phone when you talked to him today. Not like you at all. “I haven’t seen you around in ages. Not since you came with Amber that night. This about her?” 66
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Brian chewed on the side of his cheek, keeping his eyes on his beer. Nodded. “Yep.” “That sucks. I would have thought you two would be perfect together. What didn’t take?” Neil took a long swallow and slammed his beer down. “She played him.” Danny looked at Neil and then back to Brian as though nothing had been said. “Okay, don’t let it get to you. I love her, but Amber is a strange girl, has crazy high standards for men. From what I understand, she’s got some perfect guy in her mind, and no one ever matches up. Half the time, I’d swear she doesn’t even register the guys sniffing around after her.” Brian rubbed an open palm over the rough wood of the table. “No, she… She blew me away—” “She does with everyone. Guys, good guys like you. Like me,” Danny admitted, hanging his head a bit, “come around, asking her out all the time. She turns everyone down without a second’s pause. And then all of the sudden, out of nowhere, she finds some sub-par guy and just settles. It’s like she goes out of her way to pick some mediocre hack so she doesn’t risk getting attached. I think she just breaks down and wants some guy to ride her a while, and then she goes back to waiting for Mr. Right. That girl’s awesome, she’s a great friend and I’m happy to have her as mine, but in romance, Amber’s got issues.” Brian was clenching his jaw so tight his teeth were ready to crack. Was he just some guy to “ride” her? Was this all she ever wanted from a relationship? Here he was, going crazy, and she was kicking back, getting her itch scratched. Commitment free. Worry free.
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Neil was dipping an onion ring into a pile of ketchup, shaking his head. “Mr. Right? Shit, I might be Mr. Right. Maybe I should try to get with this chick if she’s so hot.” Danny snorted. “Too bad for you. Mr. Right is some punk kid she went to high school with. Amber sure as hell played him close to her vest, but my sister says she knew it was some athlete in her class, but no one could ever get her to tell. But that guy, poor schmuck, even he probably couldn’t live up to the ideal she’s created after all of these years.” The beer in Brian’s mouth tasted stale. Was it possible? Some guy she’d had a crush on all through high school. Some guy she threw all others over for. Was he just the world’s biggest egomaniac even thinking it, or was this what she was talking about when she mentioned a crush to him that first day on the train? Mentioned it like it was nothing. Girlish silliness. Well, maybe it was nothing. Or maybe she’d finally gotten a chance to see what a complete disappointment her fantasy turned out to be in real life. He raked his hair back, ready to pull it out, he was so frustrated by the idea of being held up to such an unrealistic fantasy—and even more irritated by the fact he was feeling sorry for her. But, no matter what kind of crush she’d had, it didn’t give her the right to play with guys’ hearts the way she did. Didn’t give her the excuse to cheat and trick another person into being a part of the betrayal. Anger was better than the alternative, so he took the coward’s way and went with it. “Yeah, Danny, that’s a sad story, and it certainly gives me some insight. But here’s the thing—it doesn’t excuse her for lying. You can never trust a person like her.”
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“What are you talking about?” Danny sounded irritated. Apparently her promiscuity and lack of commitment weren’t a problem, but he took offense at someone suggesting she wasn’t honest. “Amber doesn’t lie.” “An omission that important is basically a lie. It’s deceit. Plain and simple.” Neil polished off his beer and set it on the table with a solid thud. Waving his hand apologetically, he cleared his throat. “Didn’t get to those details, Danny. She was cheatin’.” Danny let out a short laugh, looking amused. “Okay, let me rephrase. Amber doesn’t lie and she doesn’t cheat. Never has. We’ve been friends for a long time, she and I, and those are two things that don’t happen with her. Trust me when I say that I spent a long time paying more attention to the details of her existence than I should have, and she’s not that kind of girl.” A tightness built in the pit of Brian’s stomach. “What about Eric?” Danny looked back at him, confused. “What do you mean, ‘What about Eric’? He’s a manipulative little punk sleaze. A prime example of the sub-par dates Amber sometimes puts up with. How do you even know Eric? The guy moved to New York—like four months ago didn’t he? Easiest way to unload that kind of prick—just move him out.” The tightness was now as solid and uncomfortable as a cannonball and Brian could feel the color draining from his face, his pride plummeting out of him, and his precious sense of righteous indignation being rapidly replaced with overwhelming shame. “He was back,” Brian said in a low, controlled voice. He wanted to slam his fist on the table and scream it, but he kept control. He needed to understand. “When I met him, he introduced himself as her boyfriend.”
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“Typical. Some nerve from that guy. I guess he’s smart enough. I mean Amber had to find something interesting about him, to date him for whatever it was, a month or two. But it was over when he left, the guy didn’t even call. He wishes they were still together. I’m pretty sure he still lives out East, though. Might be back for business, but I don’t think he’s living here. They work at the same company.” Brian felt like he might be sick. Every word he’d said to her, every insult and offense, popped into his head. Everything had been wrong and uncalled for. Hell, he knew, even if he’d been right about her situation, his behavior was inexcusable. But he wasn’t right. She hadn’t been cheating. She’d been with him and everything that happened had been because things were right between them. And then he’d basically called her a whore and left her with some schmuck she’d thought herself rid of—oh yeah, after he’d fucked her in a crowded club. About the only decent thing he’d done with her was use a condom every time he came. He was the dream come true. “Look, guys, thanks for the drink. I’ve got to go. I’m sorry. I was offbase about Amber. Thanks for clearing it up for me.” Rising from his chair, Brian could hear the guys saying goodbye and yammering on about whatever, but he was pushing his way out the door before they’d finished. He couldn’t listen anymore. He didn’t know what to do. There was too much to process and the idea of setting all the things right he needed to was making him sick. He would go home and get his head straight and then he’d talk to Amber. He owed her an apology and it was long overdue.
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Chapter Eight Black and white snapshots of his past flickered by like stock footage from a disjointed movie reel. Brian flipped to the index of the senior yearbook and ran a thick finger down the page searching for Amber Grayson. He began flipping back and forth from the index to the pages where she appeared, learning more about her in that thirty minutes than he had in four years of high school. She looked sweet in every shot. Hugging friends, taking notes in class, doing the splits midair in her cheerleading
uniform,
God
help
him.
Why
didn’t
baseball
get
cheerleaders? The last photo showed her in a group shot with the squad, all the girls smiling at the camera. All except Amber, who was looking off into the distance, a shy smile playing on her lips. He could tell from the background, she was facing the baseball diamond. And in a flash of memory he recalled a distant spring day, walking off the field and seeing all of the cheerleaders striking a pose—and Amber, offering him one of her beautiful shy smiles. Could that be this picture? Somehow, the familiarity of it left him feeling off-balance. What was he doing with this girl? How could he treat her the way he had? Talk to her the way he had? His damn ego was no excuse. He was a jackass. He’d called her twice, but there’d been no answer. Standing up, he grabbed his keys and headed for the door. He needed to talk to her.
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The elevator shut behind him with a hushed rush of air, leaving Brian in front of Clybourn Elliot’s double glass doors. He was starting to sweat, realizing what a stupid idea it was to come to Amber’s work. But he’d been so desperate to talk to her, and when she hadn’t been home he’d come here, the only other place he knew to look. Being Saturday afternoon, the reception lights were off, but the office area was lit by banks of florescent lights. A fiftyish woman dressed in jeans and a teeshirt was walking toward the doors. Pushing them open, she shouted over her shoulder. “Have a good weekend, Amber, don’t stay here all night.” “Was that Amber Grayson you were calling to?” The woman looked Brian over appraisingly with a half smile. “Sure was, go ahead on back, honey.” Brian nodded, returning the smile, but once inside he felt like a criminal gaining entry under false pretense. He was here now, so he forced his legs to move and began walking through the complex maze of partitions in search of her desk. She’d be busy, so all he would do is ask if he could see her later, take her to dinner. Talk to her. Arrogant ass that he was, he hadn’t bothered making plans with Amber since that first night, but today he couldn’t risk missing her. He had to explain, to apologize, to beg for another chance. Muffled voices filtered in and out from somewhere toward the back of the office. He was getting closer. “…We’re alone now…missed you… so sorry…” Brian froze, he could barely make out the words, but instantly knew who was speaking them. Eric. Amber’s sub-par boyfriend. Ex-boyfriend. Amber’s voice sounded in a low groan. “Eric…” Were they making up, making love?
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Brian hung his head and, feeling sick to his stomach, turned to leave. What right did he have to interfere? Two steps later he stopped, took a deep breath and clenched his jaw. No way. He couldn’t leave without telling her how he felt. That he was sorry. He didn’t deserve a chance, but he was going to ask her for one anyway. In front of Eric, in front of anyone, it didn’t matter how fast she shut him down. He’d never be able to live with himself if he didn’t try. “…I want you…” “…Eric, I said no…” Brian’s brow furrowed, his chest tightened and blood began to pump through him at an increasing rate. Faster he moved though the maze, looking into each passing partition. Closer, “Damn it, get off of me—” Brian reached the last cube in two strides. Amber was backed up against the desk, Eric cornering her at the wall. Brian’s vision tunneled as he reached out, grabbed Eric by the belt and the back of his shirt, all but tossed him to the far side of the cube. “Aghgh! What the—” Eric screeched as Brian lifted him up and slammed him into the wall. “What part of ‘no’ don’t you understand?” “Brian, oh my God!” Amber was behind him, her hands on his shoulders. “Please put him down, he’s done, he didn’t hurt me.” He looked back, saw the shock and fear on her face. Not wanting to add to it, he released his hold, letting the slighter man slip to the floor. Coughing, Eric stood up straighter. “Mr. High School, huh? I should sue your ass for touching me. You’re trespassing, get out of here.” “I’m not going anywhere, but, by all means, call the cops, I’m thinking they should be here anyway.” www.samhainpublishing.com
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Eric’s eyes darted around the small space. He ducked and grabbed his messenger bag, trying to push past Brian, but ended up knocking himself to the floor when Brian’s mass didn’t give under the assault. The bag flipped open, spilling dozens of CD files and stacks of printed out code. Amber ducked to her knees, flipping through the slew of paper. “This is my code, Eric. What the hell?” She blanched as understanding dawned. “It was you—” “You don’t know what you’re talking about. Those files are confidential, hand them over right now. I was trying to help you, Amber.” She looked at him aghast. “Bullshit!” Flipping through the pages, she pointed to a line with scrawled purple ink around it. “This code is correct and your notes here are the exact error they found. You were trying to get me fired.” “No, it’s not what you think. I wanted us to be together, I wanted you to come to New York with me. I was wrong, but it’s because I love you. I’m sorry, give me another chance.” “Screw you.” Amber picked up the desk phone and started dialing. “I’m calling Michaels and the cops. You’re getting fired and then going to jail.” Brian stood scowling over Eric, refusing to let him pass. Listening to the very words he had planned to say come out of Eric’s mouth had made him feel even more pathetic. He had no right to ask for anything. Eric tried to move for the door, but Brian stepped into his path. “Just give me a reason.”
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Amber glanced over her shoulder at Brian, who had been sitting in the corner since he finished with the cops and her boss had arrived. Excusing herself she walked over to him. “Brian, I’m glad you showed up when you did, but what are you doing here?” Even amidst the chaos with Eric, seeing Brian round the corner had brought one thought to her mind. He’d come back to her. But in the moments that had passed since, she’d sensed a difference in him, and wondered
what
prompted
the
change,
what
it
meant
for
their
relationship. “I wanted to talk to you, but not right now, it can wait. I’ll wait…here…until you’re ready to go.” Holding up a hand at her boss to signal one more minute she turned and smiled nervously at Brian. “No, you go. It’s going to be a while here. I’ve got some work to sort out, but later. Okay?” “Sure, no problem. Later. Good luck, call me if you need anything at all.”
Even at half past seven, the late August air was hot and humid, the sky still bright. Amber’s mind was lost in work, confusion over how she could have missed Eric’s sabotage, as she turned the corner and headed up the concrete stairs of her building. She leaned her back against the wide glass pane and pushed. It didn’t budge. She looked back with a frown and noticed the shiny copper of a new fitting against the “security” door, which hadn’t actually secured once since she’d moved into the place. Fumbling for her keys, she looked inside and saw Brian coming down the stairs in a worn pair of jeans and a tee-shirt. Her mind
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snapped to the here and now as he offered a smile and opened the door from the other side. He was waiting for her. “How did it go back at the office?” “It was confusing and frustrating to find out what Eric was up to, but I think we got a lot of it straightened out. I’m just exhausted. Is there any way we can just forget about it for now?” He nodded with a slight shrug. “I fixed your lock.” She stared, not sure what to say. “Wha—” “I don’t like the idea of anyone being able to walk in here any time they like. I spoke to your landlord—what an asshole—and he didn’t have a problem with my fixing the door. Here’s your new key.” He fished in the pocket of his jeans and pulled it out. “Thank you. I’ve always felt pretty safe, but it did bother me that the door never locked. After asking to have it repaired ten times, I just got used to it.” She felt somehow awkward talking with Brian about the security of her building and thanking him for the protective measure. She’d thanked him plenty of times for his generosity in the bedroom, but never for something like this. Never for something heartfelt. It made her surprisingly self-conscious. Nervous. “Would you like to come up? I’m just throwing a salad together for dinner, but…I have enough for both of us.” Brian’s gaze seemed to reflect the same uncertainty she was feeling. In the past, there had never been a question of his coming up. Or what they were going to be doing once he did. He would show up at her door. When she opened it, he pushed his way in and took her, both of them hot and demanding. This was different. He’d built a level of security for her. Allowing her another defense with which to hold him back. Did she want another layer of defense between them? Or did she enjoy that 76
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subtle sense of lost control? The power out of her hands. Submission to his hunger and lust. “You’ll have to let me in. I just gave you the key.” “No spare?” she asked, but of course he wouldn’t keep one. “Landlord has all the copies.” Brian reached over her shoulder and pulled the door open for her. The gentleman. No, she knew better. A pulse of heat throbbed between her legs as she wondered what kind of ungentlemanly behavior he might engage in upstairs. Or maybe that wasn’t his intention at all. He’d wanted to talk to her. With her anxiety on the rise, she led the way. The air inside the apartment was stuffy. She’d closed it up before she left for work, thinking there might be rain. But the sun had held off the showers all day and by evening the clouds had been swept away. Amber and Brian opened the windows and turned on the ceiling fan in the living room. “Glad I didn’t promise you a lasagna. I can’t even imagine lighting a candle in this heat, let alone turning on the oven.” He nodded from across the room. “What can I help you with?” “Nothing. I’m just chopping up a few things, I made the dressing this morning.” Brian seemed satisfied to survey the apartment as she worked in the kitchen, staring at his wide back as he fingered through her CD collection and selected Mazzy Starr to play softly in the background. She chopped up some grilled chicken breasts and roasted red peppers, asparagus and fresh mozzarella, piling it into a large bowl as she finished with each item. Brian opened the small Tupperware of dressing, smelled and then tasted with the tip of his pinky. “Wow, that’s good. Honey?” www.samhainpublishing.com
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“Mmhmm.” He moved around the kitchen opening a few cabinets until he located the dishes. He selected two shallow bowls, running his finger around the vegetable relief at the edge of one as he set them carefully on the counter. He moved to another cabinet with the glassware. “Wine? Water?” Watching him move around her kitchen searching out dinnerware was having a strange effect on Amber. The normalcy of his actions seemed out of place in the fantasy relationship she was living out with him. There was sex, but the conversation had died weeks ago, after that first night. That first night when Brian had taken her in the kitchen where she now stood, chopping and preparing a casual dinner for two. Strange. Brian, still poised with his hands at the cabinet, looked back over his shoulder at her and Amber had to remind herself to answer. “White wine. And maybe water too. It’s pretty hot. I’ve got a Pino Grigio in the door of the fridge.” Brian pulled out the stemware and retrieved the wine. Pouring two glasses, he handed one to her. It was delicious, cooling its way down her throat. Crisp. Clean. A contradiction to her time spent with the man who had poured it. They stood in the kitchen leaning casually back against the counter while they drank the wine and ate the salad. Even eating standing up, Brian wowed her with his manners and good form. He used a napkin and a fork, but what had she expected? Beast in the bedroom that he was, it wasn’t like he would shove his face in the bowl and lick up the dressing. He leafed through one of the Fusion Cookbooks she had lying out on the counter, pointing out recipes that looked good. Recipes that looked complicated, but that he guessed would be worth it. She liked his presence in this casual setting. The nearness that offered more than 78
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physical pleasure, though her body was responding to him nonetheless. Amber’s stomach tightened as she watched him relaxing in her home. This was what she wanted for her reality, even if she knew it wasn’t real. This was not the way he saw her. Not the way he spent time with her. Not the way it would stay. She was vulnerable. If she was smart, she’d turn on the attitude and change the tone. Regain control of the situation. Realign the expectations so she couldn’t be hurt. If she was smart, that was what she would do, but she couldn’t bring herself to make it end. She couldn’t lash out with cruel words and the offer of intense sex. Not when she had this brief moment of perfection to live through. No matter how painful the descent from this elevated place would be, she wanted it. Every minute, every second, as long as it lasted. Even though it wasn’t real. She hadn’t realized that she’d been clutching the plate so tightly until Brian’s strong hands smoothed over her white knuckles and gently pried the earthenware from her grip. He set the plate on the counter atop his own. The heat of his body radiated against her already hot skin, he stood so close. She was afraid to look into his eyes. Afraid that she might see the unguarded warmth and attraction she had so briefly glimpsed that first day. Afraid that she wouldn’t. She didn’t want to know what simmered behind the sea blue eyes. Keeping her chin down, averting her gaze, she reached for her glass and took a slow sip. How long could he stand there, patiently waiting her out? He took the glass from her and with a crooked finger under her chin, tilted her head up to look at him. His startling blue eyes locked on hers, taking her breath away.
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“I can’t be cold with you anymore. I don’t like pretending to be that guy. It’s not the way I am.” Her lips trembled. What could she say? That she knew he wasn’t being real with her? He felt real, but the callous rebuttals and sparring banter, that wasn’t him. It wasn’t her, for that matter. It was a means to an end. And she was ashamed to admit it, even to herself. “So, where does that leave us?” She prayed the question wouldn’t prompt his immediate exit from the apartment and her life. His head lowered, closing the distance between them. She could feel his breath against her cheek and over her lips, until his mouth covered hers in a slow, sinking kiss. The sigh that escaped her, unbidden, came from deep in her heart, and was trapped and taken gently by Brian’s waiting mouth. He circled his arm loosely against her waist and when she tilted her head up, slanting to sink further into his kiss, his own sigh volleyed back to her. He was so tender by nature. When his tongue traced the outer edge of her bottom lip and then slid into her mouth, brushing against hers, he tasted like sweet wine. Her arms slinked around his neck and rested there as he lazily explored her mouth. His kiss so slow and seductive, she could have melted into a pool at his feet, only that would have ended the contact and she wanted to feel the soft touch forever. For as long as he would give her. She tangled her own tongue with his, absorbing the heat of his body, stoking the small flame fueling her simmering desire. How had they never kissed like this before? Like they had forever to savor every slow touch, light probe, graze of fingertips and flesh against flesh. It was leisurely, the pace of his touch, a promise they had all the time in the world. Her heart fluttered against her chest as Brian leaned into her, bending her back in a soft arch. He ran his hand from her neck down her chest, around the side of her breast and ribs, back over the 80
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curve of her hip and thigh. Where he leaned between her legs, she could feel the length of him growing between them, the hard swell of his erection impossible to miss. But rather than drag her off to the bed or down to the floor, he moved his hands back up to the tiny buttons of her shirt and opened each one, dropping a kiss along the path of newly revealed skin. Amber sifted her fingers through his hair as he bent low to run his mouth down the line of her stomach and lick a slow circle around her belly button. She whimpered softly, feeling a new gush of moisture pulse between her legs. He shifted his arms around to one side and swept her off her feet before carrying her back into the bedroom. As he lay her across the bed, undressing her with slow, determined care, she took his face between her hands and held him there a moment. His blue eyes focused on her, leaving her nearly breathless. Turning his mouth into her open palm, he kissed and circled his tongue in a gentle caress before returning to the task of peeling off the light layers of clothing. When she tried to move, to help him, he pushed her back with a gentle pressure and shook his head. Then he ran his hands over her arms and placed them above her head. “No, Amber. Let me touch you. Let me make love to you.” Make love? The meaningful words made her want to swing her leg over him and wrestle him back to the bed, cover him in her own wet kisses, touch him with her own possessive hands. But not this time. This time, she would lie back and relinquish control. She would surrender to his touch and savor every second of it. When she was stripped bare, Brian quickly removed his own clothes and knelt over her, one knee wedged between her legs. He leaned down to kiss her and she could feel the soft hair on his thigh tickle the swollen folds of her aroused sex. She wanted to pull him on top of her and beg www.samhainpublishing.com
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him to fill her, but every time she moved to invite him in, he pressed a hand to her hip or chest and stilled her before resuming his intimate attentions. She moaned quietly, rolling her head back to the side as he nuzzled behind her ear, brushing his lips against the shell and teasing his tongue into to the whorl. His hands traced lazy swirls over her full breasts, grazing her nipples until they became so hard they ached. She arched her back, pressing her nipples toward him, only to have his warm hand urge her chest down. When she resisted no more, he moved his mouth down to her collarbone and pressed his mouth against her skin, pulling with a light suction. He dragged his mouth down over her breast toward the erect peak, kissing his way toward the nipple, decreasing the suction as he closed in, until his lips merely grazed the bunched ridges around the hard tip. Flicking with his tongue and then probing with his mouth’s pressure, he closed his teeth against the erect tip lightly and tugged, brushing his tongue over the trapped bud. Amber cried out, fighting the overwhelming urge to grab his hair and press him against her. And when he opened wide over her breast, drawing her nipple into his mouth with a strong pull, she felt the coil of climax tightening in her depths and her hot juices trickling out of her, down over the curve of her buttocks. He suckled against her breast, alternating between hard pulls and soft sucks until Amber could feel herself nearly ready to come. “Brian, please, I’m so close.” He released her nipple from his mouth, laving it with one last swirl of his tongue and began to run his kisses further down her abdomen. Every time he moved, she felt his cock throbbing as it brushed against her. He was so hard and swollen, she ached to have him inside of her.
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“Soon.” He nipped at the skin beside her belly button with his teeth and then dropped a deep suctioning kiss against it to soothe. “I want you to wait.” He ran the tip of his tongue against the outer ridge of her belly button. More moisture dripped from her core and it took every bit of willpower she could muster to stay still. He kissed lower, backing down the bed until his mouth was poised above her strip of soft curls. He blew into the light hair and settled his hands against her hips. Splaying his fingers wide over her abdomen, he ran his hands back up her torso to her breasts and gently captured her nipples. Amber’s heart was thudding at the light sensation, frustrated by the barely-there touch and the close proximity of his mouth to her mound. Soon, she reminded herself. She looked down at him, realized that Brian was staring back, his mouth but an inch from the aching source of her need. Her inner walls clenched at the sight. Though he had asked her to wait, she couldn’t be still any longer. Holding his gaze, she tilted her pelvis up in offering, spreading her thighs wider. Brian moved his open mouth so that it nearly covered her now exposed inner flesh, but did not touch. He exhaled a deep, warm breath over her clit, making her cry out, tilting further to him as he pulled his mouth back and looked at the valley between her legs. “God, you are so beautiful. Do you have any idea what you’re doing to me? I can see your pouty hole clenching, dripping wet, begging me to fill you.” He was so close she could feel the heat coming off his skin. He looked up into her eyes. “Do you want me to touch you?” he asked. She clenched again. Barely able to keep from screaming her plea, she cried, “Yes, please!” He still held her nipples between his fingers and, as he lowered his mouth to cover her open folds, he tightened his hold on them. His tongue www.samhainpublishing.com
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lapped against the length of her slit, ending with a probing pressure at her aching nub. He sucked it into his mouth, rubbing it with his tongue, while pulling hard against her nipples with his fingers. She gasped—it was too much. Her pleasure rocketed. Higher, more, faster it built until she screamed, coming harder than she ever had before. Hot flames of heat licked over every nerve as Amber climaxed in waves of tight pulsing pleasure, her hips bucking involuntarily as she spasmed against his mouth and hands. He sucked and bit and stroked with his tongue over her engorged clit, until the last ripples of her orgasm passed and she began to writhe anew under his dedicated attention. “Brian,” she begged, as he pulled back from her and dropped his hands to stroke between her legs. He spread her lips wide and slid two fingers deep into her, making her body constrict around his hand. He smiled, thrusting slowly into her a few times, and then withdrawing to smear her juices around the lips. “I need you,” he groaned, his tone sounding desperate. God, she wanted it to mean more than in the immediate sense. She could almost convince herself that there was some promise there, but she knew better. She watched him as he ran his fingers around her folds, painting her with her own cream, smearing it into her lips, in slow circles down around her buttocks. She moaned as he dipped into her, stroking from inside. She was starting to rock against him, needing more than his hands and his mouth to invade her. She wanted his cock pressing between her legs. And he was ready. He retrieved a condom and quickly covered himself, positioning the thick head at her hole. “I need you, too,” she heard herself whisper as he leveled his muscular chest over her. He eased inside, finding no resistance in the 84
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drenched channel. She’d never wanted him more, never needed to be connected to him more. He filled her, pressing in as she pushed up and over him, wanting to hold him completely within her body. His width stretched her open, making her moan as she took him completely, giving against his depth. When she sheathed him to the hilt within her taut walls, he paused, pressing even further until she began to seize around his shaft, shuddering as he moved in and out of her, making sure to brush her clitoris at every slow stroke. She received his thrusts, slow and steady, again and again. Felt his muscles ripple and bunch with each motion, tensing tighter as he drew closer, bringing her along to another crest. At last, she cried out, clenching so hard around him, Brian shuddered and gave in with a roar as she raised her hips to match his last thrust, she gasped, “I need you too.”
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Chapter Nine For a long time they lay together, Brian’s face resting against her stomach, his chest over her hip. The damp shocks of sandy hair, sticking up invitingly from where she’d curled her fingers through it, grabbed it, held it while Brian had buried himself within her, now seemed forbidden territory. She wanted to curl her fingers through it, smoothing the mess only to ruffle it again. But that wasn’t what happened after they were finished. After they had used each other for the night. No, she would get up, walk into the bathroom and turn on the shower. She would talk herself out of the feelings that boiled in her heart. She would wash her body and clear her mind. And when she returned to her bed, Brian would be gone. That was how it went. What she was supposed to do. Only tonight she was afraid to move. She could sense that something was different and a sadness filled her heart when she realized the change in tone probably signaled goodbye. Her chest and throat tightened at the thought, but she resisted the gasps and chokes that threatened to come. She would wait until he was gone, and only then would she give in to her despair. She took a deep breath and inhaled his masculine scent. Tears perched at the corners of her eyes. His hand began to move lightly over her hip and thigh. A gentle touch. Light. Fingertips grazing her skin in slow circles. It wasn’t seduction. It felt more like a simple passing of time,
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enjoyment, perhaps a study of the one he was with. It was tenderness and that was enough for her to confirm her suspicion. Tenderness seemed almost a cruelty to her now, knowing it meant the end. She couldn’t bear to feel it any longer, to know what they could have been—maybe what they should have been. She pushed up from the bed, forcing herself to be cool. Brian eased off her, but still refused to meet her eyes. She understood. Giving in for only one brief second as she stood up from the bed, she turned back and ran her fingers through his hair and down the side of his face. Time to let go of the fantasy. She willed her legs to move, one step at a time, to the bathroom where she shut the door behind her. Starting the tap, she sat on the flat edge of the tub, letting the water warm and the tears roll down her cheeks. What was she doing? Crying over a fantasy? It was ridiculous and yet she couldn’t stop. She turned on the spray and rose to step into the spacious shower. The water rinsed her face, sluiced over her body, between her breasts, down her back, buttocks and legs. She would force her emotions back into check. She would reorder her life. Regain control. She knew finding someone else should be on the list, but the idea of another man was something she couldn’t bring herself to consider. And then, through the distortion of a clear shower curtain decorated with tiny stars, she saw the bathroom door open in a dark wide void, only to be filled with the huge, naked mass of Brian. Her heart stalled. What is he doing in here? This wasn’t part of the routine. She smoothed her soaked hair out of her eyes and pulled back the curtain an inch. He met her stare as he leaned against the doorframe, comfortable in his nudity, but clearly disconcerted by his attempt to infiltrate her after-sex sanctuary. He rubbed his jaw and looked around at the bathroom. “So you had a crush on me in high school?” www.samhainpublishing.com
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Amber blinked water and confusion from her eyes. “What?” “That’s what you said that first day at the train. Who else did you crush over back then?” Defenses came slamming in as she forced her expression to remain flat. “I don’t know…what do you care?” Crossing her arms over her chest, she felt the skin across her body tighten uncomfortably regardless of the water beating down against her shoulders and back. He pushed the curtain open further. “I’m curious. Who? Just one name, who else?” Amber looked around the room, shifting her eyes from one spot to the next, growing more anxious by the moment. This was the most uncomfortable she’d ever been with Brian. “I can’t remember their names. I mean, it was so long ago. I only remembered you because I nearly walked into you. This is silly. What are you getting at? Trying to figure out if there’s anyone else I’d let jump me on sight?” “No, damn it!” He shoved the curtain aside and grabbed her shoulders. “I want to know if it’s true. If there was just the one guy, and he—I—turned out to be worst disappointment of your entire life.” When she found her voice, it was barely a whisper. “Who have you been talking to? What did they say?” His brows furrowed deeply as he leaned in, closing the distance between them. Only inches apart, she saw what she had thought was anger, was actually anguish. Desperation clouded his eyes. “Brian—” “Just tell me the truth.” “Yes… No. I mean it’s both.” She sighed and looked into the face that had haunted her for years. “You were the only one. But, this has not been a disappointment. Look, Brian, even back then I had enough sense 88
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to know that I didn’t really know you. Sure, I knew enough to build the foundation for an incredible fantasy, but that’s all you’ve ever been. A fantasy I used to keep everyone else away. Not intentionally. But when I saw you, when you smiled at me, I felt something incredible. Something no one else made me feel. It was overwhelming and intense. I waited, but I’ve never felt it with anyone else. No one could compete with what I wanted.” Brian stood stock still, his face unreadable. “When we ran into each other after all of these years, that feeling swept through me and I didn’t want to let it go. I didn’t expect you to be the man I dreamt up in my head. I wanted to find out who you really were, and for a while, it was even better than my dream. But I guess nothing lasts, and the rose colored glasses have to come off sooner or later. I was angry, frustrated because I’d been so close to finding someone who really moved me. Made me feel everything.” He took a step closer. Licked his lips, but Amber continued, needing to get it all out. “That night at the bar, with the drink—when you followed me home…the chemistry was so strong, I still couldn’t resist you…I gave in. Lived in the fantasy with the body and face and voice that started it all. Only, every now and then, I see the guy from that first night in you, and my heart starts to break because I want you so bad. But, that’s not who you are with me. And now, I’m pretty sure I know where this is going.” Her voice cracked as she admitted the truth. How could she make herself so vulnerable to this man? Brian’s voice was ragged when he spoke. “I’m sorry. I’ve acted like such an ass. I can’t stand the things I’ve said to you, the way I’ve treated you. I don’t understand it. I felt used and angry, and I let myself lash out. It’s not the guy I am, I don’t know how I let myself be that way www.samhainpublishing.com
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around you. There is no excuse. But even as angry and shut down as I’ve been, every night I leave here, I see some other piece of who you are. I walk through your apartment, see the comic you taped to your fridge door, and laugh. The music you’ve been listening to is what I have in my car. The books you read, I’ve read. Your friends are my friends. The conversation from that first night was so…right.” Amber’s throat was tight as he spoke. She’d wanted so much to believe she wasn’t the only one who had felt the connection between them. Needed to. “I know you are the woman I’ve been waiting for. It’s why, even when I believed you used me to cheat on your boyfriend, I couldn’t stop myself from wanting you. I couldn’t stop thinking about you. Wanting to taste you, hold you, touch you.” The bathroom was filled with steam, but the emotion behind his eyes was crystal clear. “No woman has ever affected me like this. I don’t know how, when I was trying so hard not to, but I think I fell in love with you. Damn it, I know I did. And it drives me crazy that every night I leave, you come in here and wash every trace of me off of you. I don’t deserve it, but I can’t help wanting to have some bit of me stay with you, even when I’m gone.” She blinked back the tears threatening to pour over her lids and extended her hand to reach for his, letting the water stream down her arm and pool on the floor. Brian took the offering and let her pull him into the shower, closing the curtain behind him. The water sprayed over them as they stared at each other for a moment, and then Amber rose up onto her toes and wrapped her arms around his neck. He slid an arm around her back, pulling her against him, as he lowered his head to graze her mouth with his lips. She tightened the hold around his neck and tilted her head, opened her mouth and pulled him into a deep kiss, 90
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her tongue inviting his with a wet caress. Between them, Brian’s cock grew, filling out and rising to stand between Amber’s wet legs. She moved her hips to caress the length of him with her slippery nether-lips. Brian groaned and pressed his face into her neck, moving in rhythm with her, stroking them both into arousal. Suddenly he stopped and pulled back to look her in the eyes. “You said you were living out your fantasies with me. Have we hit all of them already?” Laughing, feeling free and relaxed, but for the tightening coil of arousal building again within her loins, she asked, “Didn’t you hear? I’ve been working on these for years. We haven’t even made a dent.” His erection bulged in response to her words and she squeezed her legs together a little over it. Reaching for the bottle of baby oil in the hanging rack over the shower head, she flipped open the lid and poured a generous portion over their touching bodies, rubbing her hard nipples against him to smear it around. Brian cupped her breasts in his palms and massaged across the peaks before running his slick palms over her shoulders and down her back to where they kneaded her buttocks pressing her close against him. “So would you care to enlighten me with a few highlights?” She could feel the blood rising to the surface of her skin. It was funny, this was the man she’d been living out her fantasies with for the past month and suddenly, when he’d explained that he wanted her, in a real and solid way, she was shy. That wouldn’t do. Not after the incredible rush she’d experienced with each fantasy lived out. So she smiled and in a demure voice, said, “Well, there was a little something to do with some silk restraints. First me, then you. I’d have to decide how much you need to be punished, after all.” His cock pulsed and pressed at her. “Interesting. I like it.”
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Brian slid one hand over her hip, down her thigh to the back of her knee, and pulled her leg up against him. Amber slipped her hand between them and stroked the oil-slathered shaft, up to the head of his cock as she positioned it to enter her. Brian lifted her other leg, holding her weightless in his arms, and let her slide down the thick length of his cock until she was seated at the hilt. He throbbed within her core, building her pleasure though neither moved. Brian licked around the edge of her ear, shooting chills over her skin and making her pussy contract hard around him. “Tell me more,” he growled in her ear, pulling her up his cock in one long motion and then easing her back down, making her quiver as he moved her to where her clit rubbed against his groin and his cock filled her completely. “Have I ever mentioned how exciting I find a really crowded train ride?” He pulsed inside of her. “No, tell me.” He lifted her up and down, slow and hard, as she held her knees up against the side of his slick body, completely supported by his strong hands. “The people pushing in on you from all sides, it’s such anonymous intimacy. So many bodies, safely in such close proximity. It’s almost private within the press of a crowd. You could do almost anything and, with everyone squeezed so close together, no one would even know. You could wrap me inside your jacket with you, lift my skirt, unzip your pants, find me ready for you. Just the vibration of the train and the jostling bodies all around us.” He groaned, moving her up and down over him faster. “I’m going to sell my car.” She would have laughed except that she was coming hard as he rammed her down over him, again and again, the water beating against 92
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her back, her nipples dragging against his chest, the sound of their bodies smacking together, and all she could do was dig her fingers into his shoulders and scream as the pleasure exploded within her. He stayed buried within her until the last wave passed and then carefully set her down. She could see he was still rock hard and covered with her cream and it started a new and immediate response within her. She traced her finger along his shaft, shielding him from the spray with her body and dipped to her knees to drop kisses over the source of her satisfaction. She ran her tongue over the edge of the head, tasting the tang of her cum. His cock rose, begging for more. She wanted more, too. She wanted him to fill her in every way possible. She wanted to taste him, to suck him, feel him deep in her mouth and deep within her core. Swirling her tongue around the head she caressed his balls, bunched tight against him, and then took the length of him into her mouth, opening as wide as possible to accommodate his tremendous size. She pressed over him, deep, until he was nestled into the back of her throat and she thought she might come again on the spot, it aroused her so much. Applying a light suction, she moved back, letting her tongue run against him, lapping up the sweet taste of her on his skin. And then sucking harder, she took him in deep again. He groaned and tensed as she buried him, rubbing his balls with light strokes and then pulling back and beginning a quick rhythm of heavy suction. She knew he was close. Moving one hand down between her legs, as she gripped the base of his cock with the other, she slid two fingers around between her plumped slick lips, rapidly circling her clit. She sucked, wanting him to fuck her mouth the way he’d fucked every other part of her so thoroughly, furiously stroking his shaft in time with the strokes against her clit. His body tensed harder as he pumped into her mouth, again and www.samhainpublishing.com
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again, until he bucked, tight juts of his hips over and again, his deep voice echoing through the bathroom as he roared, his seed spilling into her mouth and throat, thrusting into her again, her own hips bucking involuntarily as she came against her hand. She continued to suckle him, moving her lips up further to the base of his shaft, not wanting to relinquish her hold on him. His hands moved over her hair and face, stroking the rivulets of water from her brow. Amber released him, and let him pull her to her feet. He looked into her eyes and whispered, “I love you. I’m going to prove to you that I can be as good as your fantasy.” She blinked back tears and pulled his head so their mouths were but an inch apart. “You are my fantasy. I’ve always loved you.”
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Epilogue A month later, Brian was living in Amber’s apartment. They spent their time cooking together, making love, watching old movies and talking late into the night. Amber’s work problems disappeared with the discovery that Eric was sabotaging her projects in an effort to advance his own career and hold her back. He’d wanted to get her fired in the hopes she would turn to him during her time of need. Only his plan backfired—Eric was out of a job and Amber was offered his position in the New York office. Now, Brian searched her face for any sign of regret. “You told them you didn’t want the promotion? Are you sure?” He knew how much her career meant to her. “It was the easiest decision of my life. Sure, it was a thrill to be offered the New York office, but I get bigger thrills in bed with you every night,” she said with a mischievous grin. It was the truth, after finally finding love she hadn’t hesitated one second to pass on the offer. “I never want to say goodbye to you. No job is that important. I love you.” Turning away, Brian walked over to his briefcase. “I love you, too. And it means more than you can imagine to know where I stand in your heart. But…is it too late to change your mind about the job?” Amber stood stiff, shocked that Brian would even want her to consider a move away from him. Was she wrong?
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He turned around to face her, holding his arms behind his back and a shaky smile on his lips. “Pick a hand.” “Games? What is this?” “Just pick, please.” Amber arched one eyebrow skeptically and reached out to touch his right arm. “Good pick.” He pulled his hand out and handed her the single leaf of paper he held in it. She scanned down the page, both eyes going wide. “A job offer for New York? When did you get this?” Brian grinned. “Today. About two minutes before I graciously turned them down. Maybe we’ll talk to them tomorrow about reconsidering?” Her heart skipped several beats and she threw her arms around his neck. “Brian—” “Hold on now. Don’t you want to see what’s in my other hand?” She hadn’t even realized it was still tucked behind his back. “Okay…” she said, slowly stepping back and tapped his left arm. Brian pulled his hand from behind his back and extended it out to her, palm cradling a black velvet box. He sank to one knee and opened the box, revealing a brilliant square cut diamond ring. “Marry me, Amber. I love you. Make my fantasy come true.” Her heart ceased to beat and time stood still. Dragging the air into her lungs, she reached one shaking hand out to take the ring. “Yes. Yes! Brian, God, yes! I’ll marry you.” He slid the ring over her slender finger, a perfect fit. She crushed her mouth against his, kissing him frantically. Unable to get enough. She was consumed by their love.
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An invitation too hot to pass up.
Bound for the Holidays © 2006 Mackenzie McKade
Angela Clarke finds herself bound for the holidays, literally. Not by one, but two gorgeous men—a powerful executive and one sexy cowboy. Angie expected to spend Christmas alone, not in the arms of her new boss after the office party. Their attraction is hot enough to melt ice, and his wicked promises alluring. What he’s offering she has only fantasized about. To her surprise, the night not only involves silk scarves and a set of handcuffs, but one tall dark cowboy. Ryan Tyler has never thought twice about sharing his women with his best friend—until Ryan touches Angie. She stirs something deep inside him. But it’s too late to stop the decadent night from unfolding. What starts as hot sex with a warm, willing woman turns into something more. After tonight, Ryan knows he’ll never be satisfied with just one taste. Could his fantasy lead to something lasting, or will it only be one night of pleasure? Enjoy the following excerpt for Bound for the Holidays: The lights were dim as Angie entered Ryan’s bedroom. His masculine scent and the woodsy cologne he used were prevalent in the air. The furniture was southwest style. His king-size bed was yellow pine with large bedposts. The smell of sulfur rose briefly as Ryan lit tea-lights along the mantelpiece, and Wade started a fire in the flagstone fireplace. The mood was soft, sexy, and Angie couldn’t wait to be touched by these two strong men. She drew her attention back to the bed and a
wave of excitement dampened her panties. That was when she heard soft music begin to play in the background. These men knew what enhanced a women’s sexuality. Tonight her fantasy would come true. But what about tomorrow? The little voice in her head rose, but she vanquished it. She wouldn’t look any further than tonight. Angie startled when she felt Ryan’s palms on her shoulder. He leaned in close, his breath a warm whisper across her skin. “Lay down on the bed.” The clicking of her heels against the marble floor made her tense. It was really going to happen. The man who had wreaked havoc with her hormones would be hers tonight. Add to that a sexy cowboy and Angie couldn’t ask for more. Clad in only her bra, thong, garter belt, silk stockings and heels, she slinked across his dark brown velour comforter. It was soft across her skin as she lay upon her back. “Fucking hot,” Wade growled his approval. Ryan remained quiet. Flickering shadows danced across his face, giving him a mysterious quality. Both men began to take their shirts off at the same time. Angie’s pulse leaped. They were amazing. Where Wade was hard muscle, obviously built from physical labor, Ryan was sculpted by hours in the gym. She couldn’t wait to thread her fingers through the light covering of hair on their chests. Kiss where the hair swirled around their belly buttons, and then move down further with her tongue and mouth to taste them. Wade started to take off his cowboy hat, but Angie said, “No. Keep it on.” His chuckle was deep and sexy. “You want a cowboy, darlin’?” “Oh yeah. I want both of you.”
Wade reached in his duffle bag and extracted a piece of rope and a small remnant of material that look like velvet. “Lock your fingers together and raise your arms above your head,” Ryan directed. When her fingers folded together, her heart crashed against her chest. She was really going through with this? Wade wrapped the soft velvet around her wrists before he looped the rope over it and fastened it to the headboard of the bed. She felt the strain of the muscles in her arms. A quiver slithered up her backbone releasing a flood of moisture between her thighs. Her breasts felt heavy, aching to be touched. The bed moaned beneath their weight as both men sat on the edge, one on each side of the bed, and began to remove their shoes and socks. What they did next, she didn’t expect. Each man cradled one of her feet, slipping off her heels, which they tossed over their shoulders. The shoes made a thud when they hit the floor. Their warm hands cupped her feet, taking away the chill. As if they had done this a million times, in unison they smoothed their palms over each foot from the toes up around her ankles and then back. Carefully, they stretched each joint, sliding them from base to tip between their thumb and index finger. Their touch through her silky stockings was wicked. When they pressed gently all over the soles of her feet she moaned softly. With feathered strokes they drew their fingers over her feet toward her toes then back up to focus on her ankles and calves. She felt like a decadent piece of chocolate beneath the sun, slowly melting
into
their
touch.
Every
muscle
relaxed
beneath
their
ministrations. Each garter made a snapping sound as they disengaged them from her stockings. Then smoothly the two men drew her hose down her thighs, until the silky material slipped from her feet. Without a word,
they used her stockings to secure each of her ankles to a bedpost at the foot of the bed. Spread eagle, her arousal flushed across her body as two sets of male eyes scanned her splayed body. Desire flared in Ryan’s eyes. “Looks like we have a problem.” With a knuckle, Wade inched his Stetson higher. His eyes reflected the same heat of passion. “What’s that, partner?” “Our woman still has her thong on, and with her legs tied we can’t remove it.” Wade dug in his pants pocket and extracted a folding knife. It made a sharp click as he opened it. “Looks like we’ll have to cut it off.” Angie’s breathing elevated. The way they looked at her and the smooth cadence of their voices made her pussy clench. They were unbelievably sexy. She squirmed, pulling against her restraints. She needed to be fucked now. The scent of sandalwood filled her nostrils as Wade drew closer. His fingers dipped beneath one side of her thong. The material snapped, giving way to the sharp blade that slid across the material. He did the same thing to the other side, then peeled her thong from her heated body. Cool air touched her moist center. Wade placed the knife next to her garter belt when Ryan spoke. “Leave it. I like how it frames that beautiful patch of hair between her thighs.” Leaning forward, he placed a kiss upon her mound. “Would you like to see what this lacy bra is hiding?” Wade asked Ryan as he slipped his knife back into his jeans. “Oh yeah. Take it off.”
The Volk want to eliminate her, the medved desire her, but only Zoya can decide her own fate…
The Lure of Passion © 2006 Eryn Blackwell Zoya is Rusalki, a powerful Russian forest sprite, whose heart navigates her destiny. Luka, a medved shifter, knows she’s his mate, the problem lies in convincing her of that before the Volk attack. The passion and desire between Luka and Zoya is unmatched, but will they bond before their sworn enemy, the Volk, take away a secure future for both of them? Enjoy the following excerpt for The Lure of Passion: The forest was growing dark. The trees, littered the ground with dying foliage. The days, this time of year, were shorter and colder. He looked down at the tracks as his great horse stomped again. Luka stroked the beast’s neck and breathed deep. A noise drew his attention, and he climbed from the horse, black as the shadows and mean as an adder. “Dvori, stay,” he told the animal. He followed the faint tracks in the ground, barely moving away as one of the tree limbs swung towards him. There was not a breeze to have born the limb’s movement. He paused and waited. The forest was silent; a storm was moving in and he knew it would not be long before the cold of winter beckoned at their door. This time, he stilled himself, let his medved, his inner self, tease the air around him. His heart was still beating too quickly—out of anger and a good dose of fear.
Fear was something he rarely dealt with, but his fear for Zoya wouldn’t abate. Damned foolish woman, she knew, knew the Volk were after her and would stop at nothing until they had her in their clutches. The pulse pounded in his skull. He took another deep breath and tried to calm his senses. The forest settled. The noise drew his attention again, almost like laughter, but not. Singing. It was singing. Carefully, he tracked the sound. He closed his eyes and listened, allowed his instincts to take over and follow the faint sounds that broke through the trees. The farther he scouted, the quicker he moved through the brush, along the paths and over fallen logs. Then he saw her. Luka froze and breathed deep, shaking his head and shoving the lingering fear for her down deep. A slight dance of notes on the air, whether from her or the air itself, he couldn’t tell and didn’t care. Fates, she stole his sanity. No wonder legend told of the Rusalki, beautiful women, luring young human men to their doom. She was of the powerful Rusalki women, forest dwellers. She stood in a pool of water no deeper than her calves. Her rubakha was already drenched and molding her body as he wanted to. Zoya would damn well lure any man—not that he’d allow it. He watched from the shade of the trees. Idiot. Plain and simple. What the hell was she doing out here alone? Already he’d seen where the Volk had tracked her to the edge of the forest. No one had noticed she’d been missing all damn day. When some observant soul had finally noticed his betrothed had not been seen in
hours and verified she was no longer within the fortress walls, it had taken another two hours to locate him and give him the news. His betrothed had disappeared yet again. He’d picked up her scent quickly and followed her, always behind, always in the shadows, never wanting her to know. He took another deep breath, hoping to calm his still racing heart. She smelled of rain, of the mountains, of the forest itself. His cock had hardened the first time he’d caught the scent of her, weeks ago. Now, that he knew of her will, of her spirit, he couldn’t decide if he wanted to sink balls deep into her or run in the other direction. Actually, he had little choice in the matter. She was his. “She’s an enticing little piece isn’t she?” a deep voice growled beside him. Luka didn’t turn at the sound of his second-in-command. Instead he watched as Zoya cupped the water in her hands and let it cascade down her body. “Damn, Luka.” The tone had Luka slowly turning to stare at the man standing just behind him. “Did you need something?” Boris dropped his gaze to the ground. “I apologize, my lord, but your bride is a very beautiful woman.” Luka didn’t answer, instead he sighed and waited. “We can’t leave you unprotected in the woods.” Boris finally looked at him with hard, determined eyes. “Fine. Go wait over there while I fetch my beautiful bride-to-be.” The dark chuckle danced between them. Boris slapped him on the shoulder. “Look at it this way, you’ll likely never be bored, and she’s special enough to free you, my lord.” Luka ignored the remark and shoved the branch out of the way, stepping from the shadows.
He listened as he heard his men mount up and ride several hundred yards away. He glanced over his shoulder and noticed that the fog was quickly moving in. When he turned back to the pool, he saw she was watching him with her wide, slanted blue eyes. “I wondered when you’d come.” He looked at the water. “Think to pull me under do you?”
He's vice. She's nice. This potent mix has to be handled with care…
Strip Tease
© 2006 Kate Davies It seemed easy enough. Hit the local all-male strip club, pick a likely target, and hire him for her best friend's bachelorette party. But the stripper who catches Caroline's eye has a different agenda. He's an undercover cop, and Caroline ends up under arrest – for solicitation! Tony DiMarco realizes too late that he's made a mistake. Caroline's reputation and business are suffering, and he feels responsible. He feels something else, too – the pull of red-hot desire. He wants Caroline, but she's afraid that he's just trying to make up for his mistake. Can this determined vice cop teach her to trust again? Enjoy the following excerpt for Strip Tease: What the hell? Caroline stopped at the entryway into the club, staring around in confusion. When she’d slipped backstage, everything had been calm, almost comatose, especially since the stripper who had followed Tony had been the poster child for anticlimactic. Now, the entire room was in chaos. People were shouting, tables knocked over, drinks spilled across the floor. A uniformed police officer stood in the doorway yelling orders through a megaphone that no one was listening to. One of the bachelorette party attendees was bent over the funky-haired waiter, her knee in the small of his back, cuffing his hands behind him. Another was lining up the dancers against the far wall, holding a gun on them.
A gun! Caroline backed away, trying to escape the madhouse in front of her. There had to be a back exit somewhere around here… She made it a couple of steps before she ran into a solid object. A warm, well-muscled, breathing object. “Where are you going?” Tony gripped her upper arms. Any other time, she would have focused on how good it felt to have his hands on her. Right now, though, she only wanted to escape. “We have to get out of here. The whole place has gone crazy.” She turned just enough to see his profile. “I think some people are getting arrested.” She couldn’t get caught up in this. It was tough enough being a massage therapist, what with all the assumptions about the profession. If news got out that she’d visited a strip club—especially one where illegal activities were evidently happening—it could destroy her career and her reputation. “This is a bust,” Tony said in her ear, his hands sliding down her arms. “I know,” she hissed back. “I can’t be found here. Is there a back door or something?” “Yes,” he said, his fingers circling her wrists. “But you won’t be using it.” Too late, she realized he was snapping something around her wrists. “What are you doing?” She struggled, but the restraints were metal and unyielding. “You have the right to remain silent,” he answered. Grasping her by the elbow, he pulled her into the main room. “Everything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law.” “You’re arresting me?” Caroline knew she was shrieking, but it wasn’t as if anyone could hear her besides the stripper-slash-cop dragging her into the fray. “What for?”
“Solicitation.” He turned her around so she was lined up with the rest of the criminals. Criminals! “Solic—” She gaped at him. “You thought I was trying to pay you for sex?” Silence descended on the room, heads swiveling her direction. “You have the right to an attorney,” Tony continued, unaffected by her outburst. “I was trying to hire a stripper for a friend’s bachelorette party, you moron,” she yelled, too angry to care that they were the center of attention. “Let’s get everyone down to headquarters and sort this out,” a female cop said, placing her hand on Tony’s shoulder. Her lips twitched, as if she were trying to hold back a grin. “Nice show, by the way. I don’t blame her for wanting to see you strip again, whatever the circumstances.” “Stuff it, Phillips,” he replied, his gaze focused on Caroline. “You probably do.” Caroline looked at his groin contemptuously. “And after I sue you for false arrest, you’d better believe I never want to see you—in or out of your clothes—again.”
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