Secondhand Lover

Marilyn Lee Unleashed Presents

Secondhand Lover ©2011 Marilyn Lee All rights reserved

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. All service marks, registered trademarks, and registered service marks are the property of their respective owners and are used herein for identification purposes only. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews. Please respect author’s copyright by not trading, selling, and or giving away this book.

Chapter One I never intended to fall for Mila. I objected to everything about her. It’s true that her beautiful face and lithe, shapely body left very little to be desired, but the mere fact that she’d left a perfectly good job as a computer technician on the West Coast and come out East all on Jason’s word, told me he was irresponsible. Of course, that’s probably what attracted her to Jason, Mr. Irresponsibility himself. Or maybe I should say one of the things. Jason and I are identical twins. But for as long as I can remember, the looks we share have always seemed more attractive on him than on me. At least, all the girls we knew seemed to think so. All through high school, Jason went out with the prettiest girls while I stayed home and studied. I used to assure myself that I didn’t mind being referred to as “the smart one” while Jason was called “the gorgeous one.” But of course, I did mind. And I couldn’t quite understand the different way females perceived us. I mean we looked exactly alike. Sometimes Mom would even get us mixed up. So why wasn’t I as gorgeous as he was in addition to being more intelligent than he’d ever be? But I’m straying from the subject, which is Mila. Or, more exactly, my falling so unexpectedly and so hard for her. By the time she arrived in Philly, I owned a growing computer repair and maintenance company in Center City and was doing well. Each year I made more money. Once I became comfortable with my success, I’d bought a big Victorian house near the city limits, which I hoped to one-day share with that special woman and a kid or two. I had very little contact with Jason. He and I hadn’t been close since he’d won my first girl away from me when we were 13. He’d repeated that offense many times over the ensuing years. I began to get used to having him waltzing in and out of my life, after stealing the affection of my woman of the moment. Most of the women he took hadn’t meant much to me. I finally reached a point where I considered any woman who could be lured away from me to him as not worth having. Sharon had been the exception. The moment I looked into her warm, dark gaze, I felt an instant connection with her. Our first date had been so magical I’d practically felt as if I’d been gliding on air when she lifted her face for my kiss at the end of the night. That kiss and gone on and on until we were both so aroused we ended up making love. The next morning, when I rolled over and found her smiling at me from the other side of her bed, I felt as if I were on top of the world. We made love again before I left. On the way home, I tried to tell myself I was going too fast but I knew even then that she was the woman for me. Sharon and I liked the same things. We shared similar life goals and both wanted to settle down with a few kids. And it goes without saying that we were good together in bed. Despite all my attempts to control my feelings for her, three months after we’d started an exclusive dating relationship, I bought an engagement ring. I held it for two weeks, intending to propose during a long weekend we planned to spend in the Pocono Mountains skiing. Three days before we were due to leave, Jason waltzed back into town and turned my world upside down.

The moment I reluctantly introduced the two of them, I knew I was in trouble. Jason immediately set out to charm her. And watching the way her eyes never left his face, it was clear what was happening. In the past, once I saw the writing on the wall, I usually bowed out gracefully. But my feelings for Sharon ran so deeply, I did something I hadn’t done with any of the other women he’d taken: I fought for her. I gave it my best effort, but she called off our skiing trip. For two or three weeks, Sharon and I saw each other erratically. I knew she was seeing Jason at the same time. I tried not to mind, but it hurt like hell. Finally, she arrived at my apartment one night and told me it was over. After she left, I looked out the window and saw her getting into Jason’s car. Jason taking Sharon was the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back and led to our estrangement. He hadn’t really wanted her. He’d only taken her because he could. Once she’d fallen as hard for him as I’d fallen for her, he left town, leaving her behind. She’d come crying to me begging me to tell her where he was so she could follow him. I told her. She followed and he blew her off. She returned to Philly with a broken heart. She hinted we give our relationship another try, but there was no way in hell I was going to trust my heart to her again. Five years after losing Sharon to Jason, I was still nursing my wounded heart and unable to forgive him. I was fed up with his selfish, me-first attitude. I wanted him out of my life for good. He’d never shown me any real consideration and I finally decided it was time I returned the favor. Since Jason was a freelance photojournalist who traveled constantly, we rarely saw each other during those years. Not that either one of us would have chosen to spend more time together even if we could. Jason and I had absolutely nothing in common except our physical appearance. About the only time we saw each other was on Mom’s birthday. After Mom’s death, I felt as if the last tie that bound me to Jason had been severed. Although I continued to accept his infrequent but annoying phone calls and occasionally “lent” him money for various emergencies, I made it clear I didn’t want him in my life and had no desire to be in his. I know that sounds harsh, but how many times was I supposed to allow him to trample on my emotions? The fact that we were identical twins made his behavior all the more unacceptable. I was sick of him acting as if the world revolved around him and that I existed just for his personal pleasure. So imagine my surprise when I arrived at work early one Friday morning in late April to find Mila Jensen waiting outside my office. I’d been out late the night before entertaining John Thomas, a prospective new client who’d refused to talk business until after dinner and several drinks. I’d never been much of a drinker (having seen how too much of it had ruined our father’s life), so I’d awakened that morning with a roaring headache and the knowledge that I still wasn’t assured of getting the account. When the elevator opened on my floor, I immediately saw a pretty woman dressed in jeans and a loose sweater, sitting on one of many suitcases blocking the door to my

office. She had dark hair and dark brown eyes. Her luscious skin was the color of rich, dark chocolate. Her lips looked full and kissable. I had to resist the urge to moisten my lips as I looked at her mouth and imagined tasting her lips. The word sexy flashed into my mind. In high school, one of my best friends had only dated black girls. When I asked him why, he’d grinned and told me he loved women with dark skin. When I asked why, he’d replied: the blacker the berry, the sweeter the juice. Whoever had first applied that truism to the fairer sex, must have had this stunning woman in mind. Dismissing the rampant lust I felt, I stepped off the elevator. Who was she? Why was she blocking the entrance to my office and getting me hot and bothered the first thing in the morning? And did she date white men? Before I could speak, she gazed up, smiled, bounded to her feet, and rushed across the corridor toward me. She was tall with lush curves in all the right places and large breasts my hands ached to hold and caress. “Jason!” Damn. I should have known she was too good to be true. I stopped and shook my head. “I’m not—” “Jason!” She whispered in a soft, sexy voice, pressing her body against mine. Oh, hell, the touch of her body against mine set me on fire. I struggled to control myself. “I’m not—” “No talking.” Smiling up at me, she linked her arms around my neck and pressed the softest, sweetest, fullest lips I’ve ever felt or tasted against mine. I knew she thought I was Jason, so I shouldn’t have respond, but I don’t know any man worth the name who would have been capable of resisting the allure of having a sexy woman eagerly pressing heated kisses against his mouth. It had been longer than I cared to admit since I’d had sex and I was horny as hell. Not only did I not pull away, but feeling her breasts pressed against my chest, I slid my hands down her back to cup her big, round rear in my palms, pushed my tongue into her mouth, and devoured her lips. She trembled in my arms in response. I responded by tightening my hands on her ass and kissing her until she couldn’t help but realize how aroused I was. I was seconds away from rubbing my groin against hers in a manner that would make my desire for her all too clear. Once I got her sufficiently aroused, I’d invite her into my office for a quickie. She must have realized my intentions because she suddenly stiffened and pushed against my shoulders. Oh, hell. Don’t say no, baby. She tore her mouth from mine. Feeling as if I were about to explode with desire, I reluctantly allowed her to pull away from me. She took several deep breaths.

We stared at each other in silence for several moments. I don’t know what she was thinking or feeling, but I wanted to reach out, snatch her back into my arms, and ravish her repeatedly. Almost as if she’d read the desire in my gaze, she sucked in a sharp breath. I waited—hoping she’d rush back into my arms. “Why weren’t you at the airport to meet me?” she demanded in a voice husky with passion. I raked a hand through my hair. “I wasn’t there because I’m not—” “Lucky for you I still had that sheet of paper with your brother’s work address on it or I’d still be sitting at the airport waiting in vain for you to show up!” Watching the play of emotions chase each other around on her pretty face, I wondered what in the hell had possessed Jason to strand her anywhere. She was the kind of woman most men would gladly walk over hot coals for a chance to bed. I suppressed my natural instincts. If I held off admitting I wasn’t Jason, I might be lucky enough to get another taste of her lips. When I remained silent, she stepped closer so she could poke at my chest. “Jason!” I had a sensation of falling as I looked down into her beautiful eyes. Noting no guile, I decided pretending to be Jason would make me no better than he was. I put my hands on her arms and pushed her gently away from me. “I’m guessing Jason didn’t mention that the brother in question was his identical twin.” “Identical twin?” I reluctantly nodded. She shook her head in disbelief. “His identical twin,” I said. She gave me a cool look. “Tell me another one, Jason.” “It’s James. Not Jason.” She compressed her lips. “Okay, Jason, you know I’m usually up for a joke, but I have just spent over six hours on a plane and another two waiting for you at the airport. That should alert you to the fact that I am not in the mood for any jokes.” The sparkle had disappeared from her eyes and she looked annoyed. “I can see that, but—” I began. “You can explain yourself later.” She turned to point at her bags. “Just get my bags and take me someplace where I can sleep.” The corridor outside my office wasn’t an appropriate location for the discussion we needed to have. The elevator doors slid open and several women who worked in the office next to mine stepped off. Each looked surprised before winking at me with smiles curving their lips. Great. Jason never seemed to tire of enjoying a joke at my expense. He would pay for this latest annoyance, I thought as I took my office keys from my pocket, and stepping over her bags, opened the door. As I reached inside to turn on the reception area lights, she walked inside, leaving all her bags in the corridor.

Clearly, she wasn’t one of those progressive women who considered herself as capable of carrying her own bags as a man was of carrying his. Her assumption that I would carry her bags inside amused rather than annoyed me. Knowing my receptionist would arrive soon, I carried her bags into my private office. She sank onto the sofa along the wall and watched me in silence. After placing her last bag on the carpet, I gave her a quick glance. Although the cross-country flight in no way negatively impacted on her looks, I knew she must be tired. I crossed the room to the small refrigerator in one corner. “Would you like a—” Her lips compressed and her dark eyes flashed with annoyance. “Okay, mister. Forget waiting for later for an explanation. I want one right now and it had better be a good one.” Anger only heightened her beauty. Still, women. Couldn’t they ever make up their minds? “Do you want the long or the short version?” I asked. “I have just given up a very profitable job to come across the country to be with you.” Lucky Jason. Not so intelligent her. “Why weren’t you at the airport to meet me? And why are you wearing that monkey suit?” The “monkey suit” was one of my best business suits. It was certainly more suitable than the faded jeans and sweater she wore that had seen better days. But she clearly preferred Jason’s much more casual dress to my business attire. Okay so Jason had a way with the women, but I had something he probably never would—enough income to ensure my woman didn’t need to work unless she wanted to. I took a deep breath and reminded myself that she thought I was Jason. I kept my voice level when I spoke. “I am not Jason. I’m James Jordan, his twin.” “Not that again, Jason!” I narrowed my gaze. “The name is James. Not Jason. Who are you?” “Who am I?” “Yes. You know who I am now. James. Not Jason. What’s your name?” “You…you’re really not Jason?” I touched my suit jacket. “Can you picture Jason dressed this way?” She shook her head with obvious reluctance before frowning and touching her lips. I stared at her mouth; sure she was remembering the heated kisses we’d shared. I knew they weren’t far from my thoughts or desires. “I’m his twin.” I pointed at my closed office door. “You must have noticed that the name on the door is James. Not Jason.” She rose and crossed the floor to sink down on one of the two chairs in front of my desk. She stared at me in silence as tears welled in her eyes before spilling down her cheeks. I’ve always been a pushover for a woman in tears. I rose and went to kneel by her feet. “Please don’t cry.” I touched her arm to comfort her. At the contact, I felt a tingle shoot up my arm and quickly drew my hand back.

She dropped her hands and looked at me with tear-filled eyes that tugged at my heartstrings. “It’s true. Isn’t it?” “Yes,” I said, my voice husky. “Where is Jason?” “I don’t know.” She bit her lip and then sobbed. I couldn’t help it. I reached out a hand to caress her cheek. She pressed her face against my palm. “Where is he?” “I don’t know. I haven’t seen him in over a year. He was in San Francisco the last I heard.” Although she didn’t sob again, tears rolled down her cheeks. Her tears tugged at my emotions in ways I didn’t like and couldn’t control. I got to my feet and pulled her into my arms. After a moment of resistance, she wrapped her arms around my waist and burrowed against me. Oh, hell, yeah! Holding her felt so good and so natural that I wanted to go on doing it forever. Of course I soon wanted to do more than just hold her. As I contemplated casually slipping my hands down her back below her waist, there was a tap on my office door. Before I could react, the door opened and May, my secretary stuck her head in. “Good morning, James—oh, sorry!” she said when she saw me holding Mila. I blushed like a teenage boy but didn’t release Mila until she pushed against my shoulders. Annoyed at being interrupted, I found it difficult not to snap at May. I swallowed hard and smiled at her instead. “Never mind. May, I’ll be taking the day off,” I told her. She arched a brow. “You are?” Her surprise was understandable since I always scheduled my time off well in advance. I nodded. “Yes. I think I deserve a day off.” “You do…” “But?” I prompted when she allowed her voice to trail off. She cast a quick look at Mila before meeting my gaze again. “But?” She gave me a bright smile. “But nothing. You deserve a day off.” “I agree. I’ll be home but please don’t call unless it’s a real emergency.” She nodded, cast a quick, but uneasy smile at Mila, and withdrew from my office, closing the door behind her. I turned to look at Mila. “Do you have hotel reservations?” “No. You said—Jason said we’d stay with you.” When he finally turned up, Jason was going to have a lot to answer for. ”Fine. Then let’s get your bags and I’ll take you home.” She gave me a wary look. “Does your home have a guest room?” She was probably not sure she could trust me after those heated kisses. And she was probably right. I nodded. “Yes and one of them has your name on it.”

I watched her shoulders relax with a touch of annoyance. Jason didn’t do quiet, shy virgins so there was no need for her to pretend to be dismayed by a few passionate kisses. I was sure she and Jason had shared far more. And before this was over, she and I would share far more too. “I’m ready whenever you are,” I told her, hoping my annoyance didn’t show. She gave me a shy but sexy smile. Damn. I practically melted. How the hell did she do that sexy shyness so well? “I’m practically asleep on my feet,” she said. “Then let’s go.” She gave me another smile. I was hard pressed not to sweep her into my arms and kiss her breathless. Of course I wanted to do more than just kiss her. We got her bags and left my office. We didn’t speak again until we were in my car heading for home. “Tell me how you and Jason met,” I invited. She sighed. “We met at a party given by a mutual friend.” “When?” I pressed, eager to learn everything about her. “Three months ago.” Three months earlier? I blinked in amazed silence. She’d given up a good job and moved across country to be with a man she’d only known for three months? “How long?” “Three months.” Clearly she didn’t realize how irresponsible Jason was. But then maybe his failure to meet her at the airport would finally open her eyes. “I know what you must be thinking,” she said into the silence. “But?” “But, as I’m sure you know Jason is handsome, charming, and great to be with. We fell for each other instantly.” “Love at first sight?” I asked, casting a quick sideways glance at her. She shrugged. “Love is probably too strong a word to use for what we felt.” Why should I be glad that she wasn’t in love with Jason? “But there was certainly an undeniable connection between us the moment we met.” “And?” I encouraged, still not sure how she’d ended up outside my office after such a brief relationship with Jason. “We dated for six weeks before Jason got an assignment on the East Coast. I’m still not quite sure how it happened, but he convinced me to give up my job and come East to continue our relationship.” I bit back the urge to criticize her irresponsibility and lack of foresight in coming East just because Jason had asked her to. I saw no reason to add to the confusion and uncertainty I heard in her voice. Besides, if she’d been more responsible, we’d have never met.

And I wouldn’t now be suffering from a powerful urge to pull onto the shoulder of the highway and take her into my arms. And just how well do you think that will go over, Jimmy boy?

Chapter Two We lapsed into an easy silence. She kept smothering yawns and I was content not to talk because I wasn’t sure what to say to her or even how to view her. Should I take her at face value? Or was she more polished and conniving than she appeared to be? At home, I carried her bags inside and stood in the foyer in silence as she looked around. I watched her face, trying to gauge her reaction. Did she like my house? “I love old houses,” she said. “Old?” “I meant that in a nice way. To me, older homes have far more character and livable appeal than modern homes. I believed and felt reassured. “Would you like the grand tour?” She nodded, putting a long, slender hand over her mouth to cover another yawn. “I’d love one, but right now I’m bushed.” “Let’s hold off on the tour. Right now I need a long snooze. Where can I sleep, Jim?” When Jason and I were younger and I was considered a nerd, I’d been called Jim. After I’d won a scholarship and gone away to school, I’d become James, who was destined to be a successful businessman. I didn’t like being called Jim again, but Mila made the hated nickname sound like a delightfully intimate caress. I didn’t protest or correct her. “I have the front bedroom on the second floor. There are four others. Two more on the second floor and two on the third floor. Take any one you like.” Or share mine with me. She turned to give me a slow, sweet smile. “Hi.” “Hi.” “I’m Mila Jensen.” She held out both her hands as a child might. Standing there in the middle of the foyer with her eyes drooping with fatigue, and her hair framing her pretty face, she looked so much in need of protection and comfort that I couldn’t check the impulse to gather her in my arms. To my surprise, she wound her arms around my body and pressed her head against my shoulder. “I really need this,” she said softly. So, apparently, did I. “It’s nice to meet you, Jim.” Nice didn’t begin to describe what I was feeling as she rubbed her cheek against my shoulder. “Same here,” I said, after clearing my throat twice. She sighed. “I don’t think I can take another step.” Taking that as a not so subtle hint, I swept her off her feet. She made a small surprised sound and looked up at me with wide eyes. I stared down at her. After a moment of silence, she slipped an arm around my neck. “This is nice, Jim.” She rubbed her cheek against my shoulder. Only just resisting the urge to bend to kiss her lips, I carried her up the stairs.

I’m not sure what made me stop outside my bedroom. Okay, I do know. It was probably lust and wishful thinking. I lowered her to her feet and opened my bedroom door. Even on her feet, she leaned against me, her arms still linked around my neck. “I can’t move,” she whispered in a husky voice. Taking the hint, I picked her up again and carried her inside. The covers on the bed were already turned down. I lay her on her back and slipped off her shoes. She murmured and rolled onto her side. I know I should have left, but I stood at the foot of the bed and watched until she rolled onto her back. My gaze slid down from her neck to rest on her breasts. They were large and round. Oh, damn what I wouldn’t give to have her naked and wet on my lap as I lapped at her nipples until they hardened and her pussy gushed. I stared at her until my lustful thoughts made me so hard I felt as if my balls would burst. Okay, Jimmy boy. Get a grip. You are not going to turn into a peeping Tom. Get it in gear and get your ass out of here before you’re tempted to do something you’d regret. I went back to the foyer to get her luggage. Since I wasn’t sure which bedroom she’d want, I left her bags by my bedroom door. Then, unable to stop myself, I pulled the easy chair near the window close to the bed. I sat and watched her until she woke up four hours later. She didn’t show any surprise or discomfort when she opened her eyes and found me sitting, staring at her. The certainty that she must be used to finding Jason in her bedroom when she woke did little to improve my disposition. How could she look so sweet and be so worldly? “Who are you?” I asked. She just lay there on my pillow with her thick, soft hair mussed, looking young and sweet and like everything I wanted in a woman. She looked young and sweet until she decided to beguile me by giving me a slow, sexy smile on me. My heart thumped wildly and I felt my desire stirring. How would she respond if I kicked off my shoes, stripped naked, and joined her in bed with a raging hard-on? She sighed. “Didn’t Jason tell you about me?” she asked, sounding wistful. I shook my head. “I told you I haven’t seen him in over a year.” “I know, but surely you two keep in touch. Don’t you text, email, or call each other?” We kept out of touch by mutual consent. Every time Jason came to town, he managed to take whatever woman I was seeing away from me. To be fair to Jason, it wasn’t always his fault. Women just couldn’t seem to resist him. I’d always known I’d never be able to have a fulfilling relationship with any woman as long as Jason was around. “No, we don’t keep in touch much.” She frowned. “Oh. Well, you do know how to reach him. Don’t you?”

Even if I did, hell would freeze over before I did anything to endanger my chances of bedding her. I shook my head. “You mean you don’t know where he is or how I can get in touch with him? You can tell me where his apartment is, surely.” Given how little she knew about Jason, I found her having given up everything to follow him incredible. “On the rare occasions he’s in the area, he stays here.” “He doesn’t have a place of his own here?” “No. When did you last talk to him?” She sat up and drew her knees up to her chest. “Three weeks ago. He called me and we made arrangements to meet at the airport this morning.” She bit her lip and shivered. “Oh, God. I hope he’s okay and haven’t had any accident.” “I don’t think that’s very unlikely. I would have been notified. If you know my brother well enough to follow him across the country, you must know he’s pretty flaky.” “What?” “Jason could be anywhere.” She looked at me with fresh tears in her eyes. “Why would he be anywhere but here after he convinced me to relocate to be with him?” “To marry him?” I asked, not wanting to hear her answer. I was finding her far too attractive and was in no mood to visit her as a possible sister-in-law. She blushed and looked away briefly before meeting my gaze again. “Not exactly.” “Then why are you here?” She shrugged. “He hadn’t gotten around to proposing—yet.” “What?” I was sure I wasn’t hearing right. “You mean you quit your job and relocated without a marriage proposal?” She frowned. “It’s not as bad as you make it sound.” The hell it wasn’t. “Jason said you’d give me a job as a computer technician until we decided where our relationship was going.” I’d give her a job when hell froze over. I came to my feet in one quick motion. “He said what?” “That you’d give me a job.” “Well, he was wrong. I don’t need him attempting to interfere by picking my employees.” “I’m very good at what I do, Jim. In you need it; I have a reference from my former boss.” “That’s all well and good, but I really don’t need another technician.” I certainly wasn’t going to hire a woman silly enough to make life decisions based on anything Jason said. “Maybe you don’t but I need a job, Jim.” So how had her need for a job become my problem? I started to pace around my bedroom. “I don’t need you and—” I stopped abruptly. I didn’t need her, but I couldn’t deny that I wanted her. I turned to face her again.

She stared at me with a helpless look in her dark eyes. Meeting her gaze, I knew protesting would be useless. As that revelation set in, I allowed my thoughts to wonder. I didn’t know why Jason hadn’t been at the airport to meet her, but perhaps fate had finally decided to be fair and give me a chance to take a woman from Jason for once. Noting her steady regard and uncertain what my gaze might reveal, I turned away. It was finally time for Jason to pay the piper. I’d enjoy wining and dining her while getting to know her. By the time Jason showed up to collect his property, he’d find that his goods were no longer unsoiled. I clenched my jaw. Just as he’d taken Sharon, I’d take her. When I’d fucked her out of my system, I’d discard her, as he’d done with Sharon. “Jim? I really need a job.” My decision made, I turned back to face her, smiling. “Okay, I’ll give you a shot, but you’d better be good.” “Oh, Jim!” With a happy cry, she sprung from the bed in one fluid motion. After the briefest of hesitations, I opened my arms. She rushed forward into my embrace. Linking her arms around my neck, she planted a long, warm kiss on my. I slipped my arms around her and returned her kiss with a heat and passion that more than matched hers. The part of my brain that could think with her in my arms told me I’d have to be careful with her. Though I fully intended to make bed her and let Jason know about it, I didn’t want to fall for her or to hurt her. She made thought nearly impossible when she leaned close, her soft, sweet lips flowering open under mine. When she gasped, I swept my tongue between her sweet lips and slid my hands down her back to her big ass. She made retaining even a modicum of control difficult when she rubbed her breasts against my chest. As I continued to deepen our kisses, I felt as if I were on fire with need for her. I’m not sure how far I would have gone if left to my own devices. Fortunately for both of us, she finally called a halt by pushing against my shoulders. I was really in the grip of passion and didn’t immediately respond. She dragged her lips away from mine and pushed at my shoulders again. “Jim, please.” I blinked and reluctantly lifted my head but kept my groin pressed tight against her body. “Jim…please…” I sighed, resisted the urge to press a last greedy kiss against her mouth, and finally allowed her to leave my arms. She sucked in a breath and lowered her lids to conceal her expression. I watched in silence, thinking how sweet and shy she looked. She moistened her lips, still not meeting my gaze. “I think you misunderstood me, Jim,” she finally said.

I had not imagined her rubbing her breasts against my chest or the heat with which she’d returned my kisses. I shook my head. “I don’t think so.” She took several steps back. “You did. I’m Jason’s girl.” “Then why rush into my arms? Why kiss me?” I asked, annoyed that she now wanted to pretend she hadn’t done anything to encourage me. “I…you did misunderstand. I intended the kisses as a friendly thank you for giving me a job.” The hell she had. No woman worth the name kissed with that intensity as a thank you. But if she wanted to play games, I’d play too. “So what’s the problem? That was just a friendly, you’re welcome kiss,” I told her. “Those kisses were a lot more than that, Jim.” “What makes you think that?” “Because I could feel your…I could feel…” Why the hell was she playing so coy. “The word is cock,” I told her. She compressed her lips. “There’s no need to be crude.” Crude? Didn’t she know the difference between crudity and reality? I gave her my most sincere injured innocence look. “Surely you don’t think I’d try to seduce my own brother’s girl?” She hesitated. “I…I’d like to think you wouldn’t.” Then wasn’t she going to be disappointed? But I decided no purpose would be served by sending her fleeing from me before I had a chance to get her into bed. Unfortunately, that clearly wasn’t going to happen that night. Oh, well, I could be patient. I just had to make sure I managed to get her into bed before Jason showed up to reclaim her.

*** For once, Jason was cooperative. He didn’t call or make any effort to contact Mila that day. That night as we shared dinner on the patio, she kept casting wary glances at me. Finally, over dessert, she pushed her pie aside to stare at me. “I guess I should look into finding a hotel.” Having her anywhere but at my house wouldn’t suit me. “There are five bedrooms here. There’s no need to go to a hotel.” She cast a quick look at me before looking away. “Isn’t there?” Clearly my earlier sexual overtures had given her cause for alarm. “You can trust me,” I lied. “I have no intentions or desire to coerce you into anything you don’t want.” That was true enough. When we ended up in bed, I wanted her to want to be there. I had seduction, not heavy coercion in mind. She shook her head. “I don’t think…” I reached across the table and touched her clenched fist. “It’s all right, Mila. If you had any cause for concern, Jason wouldn’t have told you to come.” “Are you sure?” I nodded. “Yes. I am.”

It took a while, but I finally convinced her that she’d be okay staying at my house until Jason showed up. She moistened her lips. “Okay. If you’re sure.” “I am.” “Okay.” Her quick agreement helped to salve my conscience. She’d come prepared to play games. Well, this time I intended to play along. “Great.” I gave her a brief smile and withdrew my hand, settling back into my seat. Over dinner I learned she was 22. Nevertheless, she was clearly used to living with men. Given her response to me and her relationship with Jason, I was certain she’d already had a number of other lovers before Jason. So I didn’t need to worry about hurting her. Although I longed to lure her into my bed ASAP, I decided to bide my time. Sex with her would be all the sweeter for our having to wait a little while. My game plan formed, I went out of my way to treat her with a studied nonchalance and prayed each night that Jason stayed wherever the hell he was. He did and she and I soon settled into a routine that unfortunately didn’t include any hot kisses or slow grinds. We shared cold cereal and coffee for breakfast and dinner together each day. After the first few nights without my making a move on her, she relaxed and opened up. Even though I still wanted her in my bed, I started to enjoy just talking to her each night at dinner. I was careful to keep our conversations casual. That changed two weeks after her arrival. She was looking particularly alluring that night in a dark pink dress that hugged and caressed her breasts and ended just below her knees. Her black, high heels showcased her long, gorgeous legs. Imaging them bare and wrapped around me as I slid in and out of her pussy had me burning for her. My patience vanished and I knew I had to have her. During a lull in the conversation, I asked her how many lovers she’d had before Jason. Her dark eyes widened and she gave me an unblinking stare. “What?” Knowing how many lovers she’d had would help me gauge my chances that night. “How many men have you slept with besides Jason?” She shook her head. “I don’t sleep around!” Not much, I thought, hardening myself to the hurt look in her beautiful eyes. No woman as enchanting as she was could still be a virgin. Besides, knowing Jason, he’d probably had her in the sack within days of meeting her. The more time we spent together, the more I knew I wanted her. No, I had to have her. It was only a question of picking the right moment. I studied her face. She looked very unhappy. Hell. Had I picked the wrong moment to ask the question? To hedge my bets and hoping I had not blown my chance with her, I tried to look contrite. “I think you misunderstood me.” “I don’t think I did, Jim.”

Great. I was going to have to work at getting myself out of this mess. I reached across the table to brush my fingers against the back of her hand. “You did or maybe I just didn’t choose my words wisely enough. By lovers I meant boyfriends.” I watched a look of relief spread over her face before she squeezed my hand and gave me one of those delightful smiles of hers that made me smile foolishly in return. “Oh. I’ve had a few.” I’ll just bet you have. “How many were serious?” She shook her head. “None.” At that point, I decided that was good as the news was likely to get. And I reluctantly decided I’d been taking another cold shower—before I went to bed alone— again.

Chapter Three After my miss step, we got back on track and was soon in sync and in tune with each other. The next morning, I woke to the aroma of coffee and bacon. Even as my stomach growled in appreciation, I protested. “This is very nice, but unnecessary,” I told her. She put a firm hand on my shoulder and gave me a playful glare. “Look, mister, where I come from we earn our keep. If I’m going to stay here until Jason shows up without paying rent—” “That’s out of the question.” “Why?” “It’s not necessary. You’re practically family and you don’t ask family to pay rent— unless it’s absolutely necessary. In this case, it’s not.” “Okay, then I’ll do all the cooking. All you have to do is show up for each meal and pretend to enjoy my efforts.” Pretend to enjoy? That must mean she couldn’t cook. Great. Why couldn’t the pretty women ever cook? Was there something about attractiveness and culinary skill that were mutually exclusive? But I was soon pleasantly surprised. After years of wolfing down doughnuts or cold cereal and coffee for breakfast, or suffering through tasteless microwave breakfast sandwiches, having a home-cooked breakfast was off the charts. “Well, Jim? Was it edible?” “It was more than edible. It was great, Mila.” “Yeah?” She sounded surprised. I nodded. I haven’t enjoyed breakfast so much since my mother died,” I admitted. Glancing at my watch, I rose. “But if we don’t get moving we’ll be late.” “Okay, but let’s get up earlier tomorrow so we don’t have to rush,” she suggested. I liked the idea of lingering over a meal with her. “Sounds like a plan, Mila.” She treated me to one of her sweet yet sexy smiles. I stood grinning like an idiot, unable to look away from her. “Oh, well. We’d better get moving,” she said, rising. Since I’d moved from the city, I’d grown accustomed to taking the train to work most mornings, which gave me time to read the paper and unwind before starting what was often a busy and stressful day. With Mila seated beside me in the car, I enjoyed every second of the long drive into the Center City Philadelphia. I think she enjoyed the drives as well. Whenever I cast a quick look at her, I’d often find her smiling at me. And I liked that. Of course once we got into the office, we became boss and employee. I resisted the urge to have lunch with her and, as she was under the direct supervision of one of my two assistant managers I didn’t see her again until we made the drive home.

If I were lucky and she’d had a busy day, she might fall asleep against my shoulder on the drive home. I’d always hated when women did that, but it felt right to have Mila’s head against my shoulder, as if that was the natural order of things. I found Mila very attractive and I was determined to sleep with her. But for some strange reason, I made no effort to move in for the kill. I told myself I didn’t want to rush her—even as a part of me worried that if I didn’t make a move soon, Jason would show up and I’d lose any chance to sleep with her. I’m really not sure what she was thinking or feeling during those first weeks when we spent all of our free time together as we got to know each other. Nevertheless, I found it very encouraging that it took her three weeks to come to my office to ask about Jason again. That meant that she wasn’t finding my company too unbearable. “I’m so worried about Jason.” “Why?” I asked, thinking how pretty she looked in the tight jeans and blouse that hugged her breasts. “Why? Because something awful must have happened to him.” She paced the length of my office. Although Jason and I were no longer close, I had a feeling I’d know if something had happened to him. We weren’t joined at the hip anymore, but we were still identical twins and so shared a closer bond than most siblings did. “I doubt that,” I told her. “If nothing bad happened to him, why didn’t he meet me at the airport or at least been in touch with me?” She obviously didn’t know Jason very well, but she sounded so frantic that I found myself defending him in an effort to ease her mind. “Mila, trust me, Jason is fine. He means well, but he likes to be free to roam. That’s why he freelances. Sometimes he gets so caught up in what he’s doing he forgets that he’s made commitments he needs to honor.” She stopped pacing to stare at me. “You mean when he remembers me he’ll call or show up?” Since she sounded even more upset, I hesitated, not sure how to respond. “Are you saying he’s forgotten me, Jim?” I had no idea why Jason had left her stranded, but she wasn’t the type of woman a man forgot once he’d met her. I shook my head. “Of course not. I put that badly. I only meant that he’s a little forgetful.” “I see.” She bit her lip and I could see she was fighting back tears. “And where does that leave me?” “What do you mean?” “I mean what am I supposed to do?” “About what?” “About my life. I can’t leave it on hold indefinitely.” I tried to fight the desire to touch her. She was so pretty and so close and I ached to surrender to the desire I’d been trying to overcome from the moment I saw her. I rose and walked around my desk. She blinked up at me with her soft lips slightly parted.

I’d never seen anyone who looked more as if she needed a hug. Of course that might have just been wishful thinking on my part. In any case, I stepped close and pulled her into my arms. She burrowed against me. “Oh, Jim.” I had to steel my passions before I could trust myself to stroke her hair. “Hey, it’s okay, honey. When Jason’s assignment is finished, he’ll be in touch with you. Until then you have a job and a place to stay. There’s no problem.” She sucked in a breath and turned a troubled face up to look at me. “There is a problem.” Had she finally realized I had lustful designs on her? I frowned. “What?” She moistened her lips. “I can’t continue to stay here with you.” “Why not?” I asked. “Aren’t we doing okay?” Even as I asked the question, I struggled to keep my hand from straying below her waist. I’m not sure what she saw in my eyes. Mila pressed her face against my shoulder. “I don’t know. It’s getting harder, Jim.” She spoke in a very low voice. “What is?” In that moment with her soft, lush curves pressed against me, I knew what she meant. The tension I felt in her body told me the physical attraction wasn’t all on my side. She felt it, too. Was it finally time to make my move? With a little sigh, she slid her arms under my jacket and around my waist. I suppressed a shudder and waited for her response. “I’m finding it harder and harder to remember that you’re not Jason.” I swallowed, but remained silent as her hands moved over my back. “Sometimes when I wake up on the drive home and lift my head, I want to throw myself in your arms and cover your face with kisses.” Yes. Finally! That was a come-on if there ever was one. Still, for some reason I couldn’t put my finger on, I hesitated. “Well, we are identical twins,” I reminded her in a tense voice. “I know, but I know who you are when those…feelings nearly overwhelm me.” That was it. The last of my control vanished. I put a hand under her chin and lifted her face. “What are you saying, Mila?” She stared up at me in silence, her soft, sweet lips slightly parted—as if ready to be devoured by a sexually starving man. I tightened my arm around her waist. “You’re already in my arms. You only have to kiss me,” I said, my voice husky. Her hands stilled on my back. “We can’t do that again,” she said weakly. Her voice lacked conviction and I knew she just needed encouragement to dispel her remaining doubts. “Of course we can, honey. Let me show you how good things can be between us.” “We’re in the office, Jim,” she reminded me. “I don’t care—not unless you’re prepared to ask me to stop or push me away.” When she did neither, I bent my head to brush my mouth against hers. She made a soft, breathless sound.

Encouraged, I traced the outline of her mouth with the tip of my tongue. Her breathing increased and she gripped my shirt. Oh, hell yeah. I licked her sweet lips again. She trembled. Eager for the pleasure I’d denied myself from the moment I saw her, I pressed my lips against hers to really taste her sweet, warm lips. For what felt like an eternity, she held herself rigid in my arms—almost as if she were about to push me away. Oh, damn! Although certain I could kiss her into submission, I realized I didn’t want that. I wanted her to want me as much as I wanted and needed her. As I was about to release her, she suddenly gave a little moan of what I hoped was pleasure. All doubt about what she felt vanished when she leaned closer, parted her lips, and returned my kiss with a heat and passion that made me burn for her. I rubbed my groin against her soft curves, allowing her to feel my growing need. She sucked at my tongue and rotated her hips against me with an unmistakable invitation. Slipping a hand between our bodies and under her top, I stroked several fingers along her cleavage. She arched into me in response. Unable to think of anything but making love to her at long last, I tore my mouth away from her, lifted her into my arms, and carried her to the sofa by the window. Then, with our lips still clinging hungrily together, we sank down onto the sofa. Her lips were soft, sweet, and very willing under mine as I stretched out on top of her. Her fingers in my hair and on my neck made my blood boil for her. Caressing her softly curved body made my head swim with visions of delights yet to come once I slid my aching cock deep inside her pussy. I felt hot and thoroughly aroused. Satisfaction was only minutes away. Once I took her, I planned to brand her and love her so that by the time Jason showed up, she’d be mine—body and soul. “Show me you need this as much as I do, honey,” I begged. In response, she parted her long legs and stroked her hands down my back, moaning against my lips. Rolling to the back of the sofa, I pushed up her top and tried to unhook her front fastening bra. I knew we’d gone past the point of no return when she pushed my trembling hands away and quickly unfastening her bra. Her large, beautiful rack with her dark nipples already pebbled, spilt out. Damn, she had nice breasts. Sucking in a breath, I bent my head and tongued each nipple before pulling her right one between my lips to suck it. “Oh…Jim…” she moaned, cupping her hands over the back of my head. Lifting my lips, I licked and nibbled a path across to her left breast and drew it into my mouth. “Jim…” She took my right hand and pushed it down between our bodies.

That’s all the encouragement I needed. Lifting my head from her breast, I unzipped her jeans and slipped my hand inside to encounter her bare skin. With no panties or thong to impede my progress, I quickly rubbed my thumb against her clit before sliding my fingers into her. Her hips jerked off the sofa. I pumped my fingers into her. Her pussy felt wet, warm, and ready to welcome my cock. She surprised me by unzipping my pants and pushing her hands into my briefs. Feeling her fingers close around my cock, I shuddered and struggled not to embarrass myself by having a pre-mature ejaculation. “Oh, Jim, your cock feels so nice.” I arched a brow. She spoke in a surprised voice—almost as if she’d never held a cock before. “I like its girth, length, and hardness. I think it’s going to feel good going into my pussy.” “Oh, shit, honey!” I pushed her hands away, drew my cock out of my briefs and pants, and rubbed it against her. “Push your pants down for me and let’s fuck.” She pushed her jeans down below her ass, fully exposing her pussy. I stared down at her bare slit, eager to shove my cock past her dark outer lips and into the moist heat of her pussy. Overcome with lust, I rubbed my cock head against her. She gasped. “Oh, god, Jim. Don’t thrust into me. Go slowly.” “I don’t think I can,” I groaned and eased my hips forward, inching my cock head between her slit. She tensed, pushing a hand against my shoulders. “Slowly, please.” I eased her onto her back and settled myself against her with the head of my shaft nestled between her entrance. “I’ll go slowly later, honey. Right now I need a hard, quick fuck before I explode.” “Jim…” I bent and silenced her by settling my lips over hers. She moaned as I inched my hips forward. I was just seconds away from sliding my cock deep inside her pussy, when a rap on my office door startled me back to an awareness of where we were. “James?” We both froze. Then I realized that the door wasn’t locked. May was just seconds away from walking in to find me about to fully impale Mila on my cock. But I made no move to roll away from her. To my surprise, Mila didn’t attempt to push me off of her. “Yes?” I called with my cock still throbbing just inside her entrance. “There’s a call on line one you need to take, James,” May called through the still closed door. Of course, May had shown Mila into my office and she’d probably figured out what was going on. That’s why she’d knocked on the door instead of buzzing me. No doubt

she thought she was keeping me from doing something I’d later regret—like fucking Mila without protection. “Please take a message, May,” I said, reaching out to grip Mila’s hip in preparation for sliding into her. “It’s Mr. Thomas, James.” Nothing short of a call from such an important prospective client would have been sufficient to douse my rampant lust. “Tell him I’ll be with him in a minute.” I didn’t feel very grateful as I reluctantly pulled my cock head from her entrance and then quickly forced myself away from Mila’s alluring pussy. I got up with a muttered curse. I crossed the room to my desk without pushing my cock into my pants. Maybe I could wrap up the call quickly and still get a fuck. But Mila dissuaded me of that notion when she pulled up her jeans and sat up. Damn! Pushing my cock into my briefs, I walked around my desk to my phone, my gaze on her. I could see my desire mirrored there in her eyes. Although there was no regret, as my head cleared, I wondered if the desire she felt was for me or just because I was Jason’s twin. I picked up the phone. “Good afternoon, John. How can I help you?” “My accountant and I have crunched the numbers and decided to award your company the contract to maintain and repair our computers provided we can tweak the contract a little.” That news was almost worth the interruption. I sank down into my chair and gave the call my full attention. “When can we meet for further discussion?” “I’m on my way out of town for a few days. I’ll have the proposed adjustments sent over by messenger tomorrow and give you a call early next week when I return.” “Great. Have a good trip and I look forward to talking to you next week.” When we ended the call, I crossed the room to the sofa where Mila still sat now fully dressed again. I looked down at her and my conversation with John Thomas took a back seat. She gazed up at me. I saw uncertainty in her eyes. “Jim?” I wanted to reach down and cup her breasts, but contented myself with caressing her cheek instead. “This wasn’t the place or time, but…” I trailed off, waiting for her to give some indication that she wanted to continue later when we were alone at home. “No. It wasn’t.” I glanced down at her breasts before meeting her gaze. She lowered her eyelids. “I’ll wait for you in the reception area,” she said. I stared in annoyance as she scrambled to her feet and rush out of my office without giving me any indications what she expected or wanted to happen between us that night. To be honest, I didn’t feel that sure of my chances. I sank into my chair and sat staring into space until May tapped on the door. “Do you have a moment, James?” I straightened in my seat. “Yes. Come in.” She opened the door and looked in. “Did he give you good news?” she asked.

May had believed in me and had worked for just a dollar or two above minimum wage until I was able to pay her what she was worth. I smiled and nodded. “Hopefully, once we tweak a few things, we’ll have a contract we’re both happy with.” She pumped her fist. “Great. It’s always nice to end the workday on a good note.” “I couldn’t have come this far without your support, May.” She smiled and shook her head. “Thanks, but you’re very good at what you do and you would have done fine all by yourself. Good night, James.” I smiled. “Good night, May.” I glanced at my watch. It was after five. I saved the files I’d be working on when Mila asked to see me, loaded up my briefcase, and left my office. Mila waited alone in the reception area. I walked over to her, determined to pick up where we’d left off. When she glanced up at me, I bent and pressed a long, warm kiss against her lips. Her lips moved under mine for several moments before she sat back, drawing her mouth from mine. “That must have been some call.” I nodded. “Oh, it was.” Her eyes lit up. “We got the Thomas account?” We? I loved how she said we—as if she were part of the company. I brushed my mouth against the corner of hers. “He gave me reason to hope that we’re only a few minor changes away from getting it.” “That’s great, Jim!” she said, squeezing my hands. “Let’s go out to celebrate.” Did she really want to celebrate or was she just looking for an excuse to avoid being alone with me? “Celebrating before the contract is actually signed would be premature.” “Let’s go celebrate anyway.” “What would we be celebrating, Mila?” She shrugged. “Just being alive and being toget…” She looked away. “It’ll be my treat.” Needless to say, I loved the idea that she thought our being together was worth celebrating. The night was certainly looking up. “Oh, no, honey. Dinner will be my treat,” I said, touching her cheek. She smiled up at me. “Deal. You make a lot more than I do.” “So it’s a date?” She nodded. “Yes. It’s a date, Jim.” Oh, this was definitely going to be a night to remember. At least I hoped it would be. Since I was feeling romantic and horny, I took her to the same small romantic restaurant where I’d planned to propose to Sharon. Not that she needed to know that. Of course she didn’t even know about Sharon. Or did she? I suddenly didn’t care if she did or not. I just wanted her that night. We went home and took a quick shower before we dressed and went out to eat. In the dim restaurant lighting, Mila was even more enchanting. The low-cut dress she wore made it difficult to think of anything but unzipping it and burying my face between her cleavage. I spent most of the evening staring at her and coming to the

realization that I wanted more than just sex from her. I wanted to take care of her and to share all my disappointments and triumphs with her as I was doing now. During dinner, she told me that she was an only child and that her parents had died two years before. “I’m sorry,” I said. I hated the idea of her being alone in the world. Well, at least part of me did. Another part of me welcomed the idea just in case she needed someone—like me to lean on. “Thanks.” “How have you managed losing your parents at such an early age?” She shrugged. “It wasn’t always easy. In fact, it’s been me solo against the world until I met Jason.” Great. Jason was still her go to guy—even though he couldn’t be trusted. And even though I’d walk barefooted over cut glass to avoid disappointing her. She reached across the table to brush her hand against mine. “And you.” “And me?” She nodded. “Yes. You. I honestly don’t know what I would have done without you these past few weeks.” “Jason would probably have been there for you.” She shook her head. “I’m finding out that I don’t know him as well as I thought I did. Given that fact, I don’t know if that’s true or not.” She didn’t know the half of it and surprisingly, I wasn’t inclined to tell her. “I feel like I’m getting to know you better, Jim.” The sincerity disarmed me so much that the next thing I knew I told her of my broken romance with Sharon. She gripped my hand. “Oh, Jim! How horrible to find the woman you love with another man.” I didn’t tell Mila that Jason was the man I’d lost Sharon to. At the time, I wasn’t sure why I didn’t tell her the full, unvarnished truth. Exposing all Jason’s warts might have been enough to kill any chance he had left to win her back. Still, I didn’t tell her. “How did you handle it, Jim?” Remembering how devastated and betrayed I’d felt after the numbness wore off, I shrugged. “I dealt with it. We went our separate ways and life went on.” “You make it sound far easier than it must have been.” ”I managed to survive,” I finished; surprised that the old pain I’d always felt when I thought about that time in my life was gone. “I’m glad you survived.” She tilted her head. “Although I have to say that…” “You have to say what?” “She must have been nuts to even think about another man when she could have you.” Okay. Things were moving beyond interesting to downright exciting very quickly. “But you’re here with me, Mila, and you think of Jason all the time.” She moistened her lips, but she didn’t drop her gaze as she answered me. “Do I, Jim?”

That was good enough for me. I was ready to get her home alone to make sure we were on the same page. “Would you like anything else? Or are you ready to go home?” “I’m ready,” she said softly. “You’re sure?” “Yes. I’m sure.” God knew I was as well. I signaled for the waiter. After settling the bill, we walked to the car. We made the drive home in silence. She didn’t touch or lean on me, but I felt very close to her. Hopefully she also felt as if we’d forged a mental bond.

Chapter Four After we’d gone inside and I’d locked the front door, I turned to find her staring at me. She looked so desirable I could feel my desire swelling. But this time there was nothing short of an act of God that would keep me from fucking her. “Mila?” “Yes?” “You know what I need?” She moistened her lips and nodded. “And you’re prepared to give it to me?” “Yes.” “Are you sure?” Smiling, she stepped close enough for me to feel her breasts against my chest. “Yes.” I urged her against the wall near the front door and holding her there with the weight of my body, I bent my head. She lifted hers. I touched my mouth to hers. She slid her hands up my chest to link her arms around my neck. Moments later, I felt her fingers in my hair. Nice. I thrust my tongue between her lips and drew her closer. She responded with a warmth that made me burn. Clutching each other close, we kissed until we had to break apart to breathe. By that time I was hard and she gave every indication that she was ready to spend the night in my arms and in my bed. As I bent to kiss her again, she slid her palms down my back. Feeling her hands on my rear while she slowly ground herself against me drove me wild. I struggled to retain my self-control. I wanted our first time to be memorable and special for her. That meant I had to ensure I satisfied her before I came. So get a grip on your lust, Jordan, I told myself as I pulled away from her and quickly ripped off my clothes. She smiled, licking her lips as she looked at my naked, aroused body. “Wow. You…wow,” she whispered, her gaze sliding over my abs to rest on my erection. There really wasn’t that much difference between Jason and me so I wasn’t quite sure why she seemed so surprised. It was just nice to know it seemed to be a pleasant surprise. Unless they had sex in the dark. “Your turn,” I told her, only just resisting the urge to rip off her clothes and pushed my aching cock deep in her pussy. She undressed with a slow hesitance that was probably intended to heighten my arousal but which only succeeded in increasing my impatience instead. I was already so hot I felt as if I were on fire. When she paused, wearing a skimpy thong and matching bra, my patience vanished.

I reached forward to quickly strip both off her. Then I stood back to gaze at her beautiful bare body. A vision of dusky loveliness, she nearly took by breath away. She had large, supple breasts, a flat stomach, and nestled between her long, dark legs, her pretty, hairless pussy. Shuttering with lust and need, I reached for my wallet. My hands shook as I took out a condom and sheathed myself. She biting her bottom lip, she leaned against the wall, her gaze locked on my erect cock. "Well?" I asked, my voice husky. She inhaled and slowly parted her legs. I kissed her, slipping one hand down to her ass. She trembled. I rubbed the head of my shaft along her wet slit. “Are you ready?” I asked with my lips pressed against the back of her ear. “Yes.” The soft, breathless word sent a jolt of pleasure through me. Holding her hips, I kissed her, and then thrust my hips forward, sending my cock between her nether lips and into her entrance. We both groaned at that first hot, sweet contact. After pausing for just a moment to enjoy the feeling, I pushed half my cock into her. She gasped, stiffened, and pushed against my shoulders. This was no time for her to change her mind. Besides, she was so incredibly warm and tight rational thought was impossible. Afraid of coming far too soon, I froze, giving us both a few moments before I continued to kiss her as I slipped deep inside the sweetest pussy I’ve ever fucked. She shuddered, rubbing the hardened tips of her nipples against me. “Jim…” “It’s okay, baby,” I groaned, easing my hips back and slowly pushed back into her. Yet another gasp from her heightened my lust. I couldn’t maintain control. I slid my palms around her body to her ass. Parting her cheeks, I rubbed a finger over her tight anal bud and thrust wildly in and out of her wet, hot, tight pussy. Even as she continued to push at my shoulders, she tightened her vaginal muscles around my cock and sucked hard at my tongue. I was in heaven. The pleasure I felt at being inside her while her pussy tightened and convulsed around my shaft gave a whole new meaning to the world sex. I’d never felt anything so good or so wonderful as the pleasure I found inside her. Slipping my hand from between her cheeks, I gripped her ass, and fucked her with hard, deep thrusts. “Oh, Mila, baby, give it to me,” I groaned. “Open your legs wider and give me all your sweet pussy, baby. Give it to me and take every inch of my cock deep inside.” “Oh, God, Jim,” she whispered. “Slow down. Please. You’re going too hard and too fast.” “Baby, I can’t. I’m coming!” I groaned, shuddered, and exploded.

Even though I knew she was nowhere near ready to come, she held me close, stroking her hands over my clenching ass while I pumped the last few drops of cum out of my cock. When I stopped coming and withdrew, feeling embarrassed and guilty, she kissed me. “It’s all right, Jim. Let’s go upstairs.” I nodded, not meeting her gaze. She slipped her hand in mine. “Take me to bed.” We mounted the stairs, hand in hand, and went into my bedroom. I sucked in a breath, turning away. What now? Would she tell me what an inconsiderate lover I was? Or worse, would she compare me unfavorably to Jason? I removed the condom and discarded it in the trashcan by the bed. She slipped her palm over my back to touch my ass. I shivered. “Do you have another condom, Jimmy?” Surprised by the question, I turned to look at her. After the way she’d pushed at my shoulders, her response was totally unexpected. “Mila? You mean you want more?” “Yes. Can you give me more?” “Hell, yes,” I said. To prove my point, I slid a hand under my balls and thrust my hips forward. She slowly moistened her lips and fingered her slit as she locked her gaze on my semi-erect shaft. “I want more,” she whispered. “I think I’m going to learn to…like your cock.” Now that’s what I’m talking about! I opened my nightstand drawer and took out a condom. “We’ll need more than one,” she said, slipping into bed. Oh, hell. I’d died and gone to heaven. After a moment of admiring her dark, lush curves as she lay on my bed with her legs parted, I joined her in bed, pressing my body against her side. She immediately turned to face me. We lay cuddling in silence for several minutes before she kissed my lips and reached between our bodies to cup her hand over my shaft. “I want some more cock,” she told me. “Oh, Mila, baby, you can have as much of it as you can handle. It’s yours. All yours.” She smiled and gently ran her fingers over my balls. “Then give it to me.” I closed my eyes. “Oh…yes…yes, Mila. Touch me…make me hard so I can fuck you again.” “That’s what I want, Jimmy. Another fuck,” she said, gently pumping me until I was erect again and aching to be back inside her. With a final, hot kiss against my mouth, she rolled onto her back with her legs parted. “I think you’re ready to fuck.” “Oh, hell, yeah, baby. Get ready because here I come,” I told her. After quickly slipping on a condom, I settled between her thighs with my shaft head pressed against her entrance.

She bit her lip and looked up at me with her beautiful dark eyes filled with desire. “Fuck me, Jimmy.” “Are you sure you don’t want to make love instead of fucking?” I asked. “I want you to fuck me silly, Jimmy.” Oh, shit! Thrusting my hips forward, I pushed myself into her. She moaned, closing her eyes. “Oh…oh…yes…yes…yes…I…oh…I like that.” “That’s the idea, baby,” I groaned. “This fuck will be for your enjoyment.” She thrust her hips off the bed to take me deep inside her. “Good… but I enjoyed the first time too.” I doubted that but I was determined to make sure our second time was one she would remember with pleasure. When I had my cock buried balls deep inside her pussy, she moaned and slipped her legs over mine. Lowering my weight onto her body, I crushed her breasts against my chest and devoured her lips. She curled her fingers in my ass and sucked my tongue into her mouth. And it was on. Sex with her was off the charts. Her lips and caressing hands made me crazy with hunger. I loved that she fucked me back with an energy and passion that kept me pumping into her silky, hot pussy with a greedy enjoyment I’d ever felt with any other woman. Nevertheless, I kept a tight rein on myself until her soft sweet cries of pleasure told me I’d pleased her. Only then did I allow myself to surrender to my own satisfaction. Levering my weight onto my extended arms, I fucked her hard, fast, and deep until my entire world tilted, I groaned, had an incredible orgasm, and collapsed onto her body. She tightened her pussy around me and held me close. “Oh…Jimmy, that was incredible,” she whispered. I felt so sated and weak by my climax, I could only shudder and eased my cock out of her before burrowing into her arms. When we drifted back to conscious thought, I propped myself on my elbow and stared down at her, full of wonder and gratitude. Only with my lust fully satisfied did I finally realize the gift she’d just shared with me. I caressed her shoulders and breasts. “Oh, Mila. Why didn’t you tell me?” “Tell you what?” “That you were a virgin.” She shrugged, glancing away. I turned her face back to mine. “I would have been much gentler with you if I’d known.” “You didn’t hurt me much this time and besides you were so sure that Jason and I had been lovers that I didn’t think you’d believe I’d never had a lover.” It was difficult to believe that she’d never had sex at her age. She must have read some of what I was thinking in my face. “I’ve had intimacies with other men…just never intercourse.”

I trailed a finger over her breasts. “Why not?” “I know it’s a little strange, but I’ve always felt my virginity was something I should hold onto for as long as possible. I wanted to retain it until I met a man who’d make me feel special—as if we could belong only to each other.” “And you’ve never met such a man before?” She shook her head. “None of the men I met ever wanted such a close relationship with me. Oh, they wanted to fuck and to be honest, I did too. But I never did.” And wasn’t I glad she hadn’t? A new thought stuck me and I inhaled slowly. That must mean Jason hadn’t measured up while I clearly had. Surprisingly I didn’t feel the triumph I would have expected to feel. But I certainly experienced elation and a kind of wild anticipation. “I want that kind of relationship with you.” “Oh, Jimmy!” She touched my face. “Are you sure? Really sure? Conscious that I was taking a step that I hadn’t considered since I’d decided to propose to Sharon, I took her into my arms. “Yes. I’m very sure. She kissed me and settled her body against me. “So am I. That’s why I gave you my virginity.” “And the best pussy in the world,” I told her. She laughed. “I’m glad you think my pussy was good enough to fuck the best cock in the world.” Damn. A man would lose his heart and his mind to this beautiful, sexy woman. Holding her close, I closed my eyes. Before I drifted to sleep, I remember thinking that at long last I’d found the one woman for me. Now everything was going to be fine.

*** Of course my life has never been that simple. In the back of my mind was the fear of what would happen once Jason arrived, prepared to charm her again. The next morning I woke alone in bed. I felt eager to see her and assure myself that she hadn’t had second thoughts. And just maybe we’d both take the day off so we could spend the day fucking like bunnies. I showered and dressed quickly. The aroma of brewing coffee and bacon teased my nostrils as I ran down the stairs. I paused in the kitchen doorway. Fully dressed, Mila stood at the stove with a fork in her hand. I started toward her, intending to embrace her in a bear hug. She turned suddenly. My smile vanished as I noted the guilty look in her eyes and on her face. I stared at her. Oh no. “Mila?” She bit her lip. “We shouldn’t have,” she said, her voice quivering. I ran a hand through my hair. She’d clearly been crying and was on the verge of fresh tears. “Please don’t say that, Mila—” “I have to.” I clenched a hand into a fist. After last night, she surely must feel some of what I did. “No, you don’t.” “You don’t understand.” “Fine. Help me to understand. What am I missing, baby?”

She stared at me, as if I were stupid. “What are you missing?” “Yes. What am I missing?” “You’re missing my relationship with…Jason.” I closed my eyes briefly, suppressing the urge to punch a hole in the wall. “Jason? The same guy who—” “Yes, Jason. What am I going to say to him when he comes home? How can I possibly face him after sleeping with you?” I felt bile rush up from my stomach to burn my throat and sour my mouth. Had I made a mistake in not telling her of Jason’s betrayal? Would knowing the truth about what Jason was capable of dissolve the guilt she clearly felt? “He’s no angel, Mila.” “Clearly, neither are you…or me.” She compressed her lips and turned back to the stove. I stood where I was, sighing. I wanted to comfort her, but what could I say? Rather to my surprise, I felt regret as well. The triumph and satisfaction I’d expected to feel at having avenged myself on Jason felt very much like shame. What had seemed so sweet and right the previous night in the heat of passion, now seemed just dirty, cheap, and hopeless. What had made me think that things had changed? Women had always preferred Jason. Clearly, that had not changed. It wouldn’t change. The sooner I faced that fact, the sooner I could try to get a handle on my feelings for her. She glanced at me over her shoulder. “You must be hungry. Let’s eat and worry about how we’re going to make things right later.” As far as I was concerned nothing would ever be “right” as long as she wanted to reconcile with Jason. But I wasn’t going to give her the satisfaction of seeing how stunned, hurt, and wounded I felt. I sat down at the table. She placed plates on the table. We ate in a strained silence. Whenever I glanced at her, I found her gaze trained on her plate. I pushed my plate away and rose. “We’d better go or we’ll be late for work.” She nodded. “Just give me a few moments to clear the table and put the dishes in the dishwasher.” “I’ll wait in the car,” I said. “I won’t be long.” I turned away. “Jim?” I turned back to face her. “Yes?” “I know what I said must be difficult to hear from the way I behaved last night.” “But?” I challenged. “But it’s difficult for me too.” It was difficult for her—by her choosing. I tried to tell myself I had to make allowance for the eleven-year age gap between up. But damn, I was so pissed I wanted

to grab her and shake some sense into her. Or, better still, fuck some into her. I shrugged instead. “It’s no big deal.” She blinked. “What?” “You can’t have it both ways, Mila.” Ignoring the hurt look in her eyes, I walked from the kitchen without looking back. She felt hurt? Well, so did I. Mila emerged from the house ten minutes later. I leaned across to push open the passenger side door. She leaned down to look in at me but made no effort to get in. “I think it would be best for both of us, if I take the train.” I stared at her. She was a piece of work. If she expected me to beg her, she was in for a disappointment. “Fine. Do whatever the hell you like, Mila.” Without giving her a chance to change her mind, I reached across the car to slam the door closed. As far as I was concerned, she could walk or even never show up. I backed out of the driveway and drove off while she stood staring at me. On the drive to work, I finally realized why Jason had been a no show at the airport and had failed to contact her. He hadn’t changed one bit. He’d set the wheels of this debacle in motion on purpose. We were, after all, twins with similar tastes in women. He’d probably known the moment he met her, that I’d be attracted to her. He had also surely known if we were left alone long enough, I’d find it impossible to resist my desire for her. After I’d found him and Sharon together, I’d felt more betrayed by him than her. Instead of owning up to how he’d hurt me, he’d been unrepentant and insisted that given the chance and the right woman, I’d betray him. And now, despite my many righteous protestations to the contrary, I’d proven Jason right. Knowing my twin, I knew that now that I’d exposed my feet of clay, he’d be showing up to gloat. Once at the office, I made no effort to discover if Mila had made it to work or not. I went to my office and started work. That afternoon as I was getting ready to go to lunch, May buzzed me to tell me Mila wanted to see me. It would have felt great to say I didn’t have time, but that would only make things more difficult when we were alone that night at home. “I can give her ten minutes, May.” Moments later, Mila walked into my office. I rose and nodded toward the two chairs placed in front of my desk. “Have a seat.” “Thanks, but I won’t take too much of your time.” I nodded and waited in silence. She moistened her lips. I glanced pointedly at my watch and then at her. I arched a brow. She sighed. “I came to tell you I’m moving out.” Given her reaction to our night together, I supposed I should have expected that. Nevertheless, I felt blindsided. I guess I’d thought things would somehow work out once we were alone together.

I ran a hand through my hair, trying to fight the desperation I felt at her words. Now, after having made love to her and spent the day trying to pretend I didn’t care where she was or what she was doing, I was forced to admit I wanted more. I wanted to comfort, protect, and make her happy. I wanted to make love to her and shower her with expensive gifts. I wanted to have her love me as I loved her. I couldn’t bear the thought of her leaving. “You don’t have to do that,” I told her, trying not to sound desperate or pleading. “I know you have issues with what happened last night.” “Don’t you?” I shrugged. “Yes, but—” “There’s no but.” I ignored her interruption. “We were celebrating last night and things got out of hand. That’s all it was.” She shook her head. “No. That wasn’t all it was, Jim.” She had that part right. “Mila…” “No. Please let me finish before my resolve weakens.” I think I knew I was in trouble when I realized I was going to do exactly that—just because she asked it of me. She pressed her hand against her breasts. “I’m afraid I’m not very loyal because, you see, I hardly ever think about Jason like I should.” That wasn’t what she’d implied that morning. Everything had been about Jason, Mr. Irresponsibility himself and his supposed feelings. Mine apparently didn’t merit any consideration. She gave me a pleading look. “I know I spoke of him this morning.” I arched a brow. She shrugged. “That was because I felt guilty about last night.” “And?” “But even with the guilt, I still want you.” May picked that moment to buzzed me. “What?” I snapped. “You have a call, James,” she said, her voice neutral. I stifled a curse. If May didn’t work on her suddenly lousy timing, I was going to risk losing her by snapping at her. “I’d better go,” Mila turned. “No. Have a seat,” I insisted. After a brief hesitation, she crossed the room to sit on the sofa. “Take a message,” I told May, my gaze locked on Mila. “You might want to take this call, James.” “I’m in the middle of something,” I said, struggling to hold onto my temper. “It’s important, James.” “Fine.” I sat at my desk and pushed the speaker button on my phone. “Good afternoon. James Jordan.” “Jimmy! Hey twin, how’s it going?” At the sound of Jason’s voice, I felt as if all the air had been sucked out of my lungs.

Chapter Five It took me several moments to recover from my surprise. I turned to look at Mila. Her eyes were wide and her lips parted. She seemed as thunderstruck as I felt. I turned my attention back to the phone. “Jason, I…Jason.” “Yeah, big brother. It’s me.” I felt my face burning as I thought of how I’d betrayed him. And words failed me. “Cat got your tongue?” He laughed. “Never mind. The important thing is that I’m sure you’ve met my little gem, Mila, by now.” He had definitely set me up to betray him. Would he never tire of hurting me? “But listen, Jimmy, I’m at the airport.” I found my voice. “Which airport?” “Philadelphia International.” Great. This day just kept getting worse. “You have met Mila. Haven’t you?” “Yes.” “Ahhh. That one word says it all, big brother.” I gritted my teeth. “Is she staying at your place?” “Yes.” “I hoped she was.” To my surprise, he sounded pleased rather than triumphant. “Give her my regards and tell her I’ll see you both at home tonight.” He hung up without giving me a chance to say anything else. The fact that he took it for granted that Mila was with me strengthened my conviction that he’d planned and played me like a damn sucker. Mila rose and left the office without another word. That left me with no idea how Jason’s call had affected her. I knew it left me an emotional wreck. I tried to but couldn’t concentrate on work. The rest of the day passed in a haze. I couldn’t keep my thoughts from lingering on the total mess I’d made of my life and maybe Mila’s as well. And all because I was far more like Jason than I’d ever realized or wanted to admit. Mila surprised me by calling to ask me if she could drive home with me. Under all the misery and confusion I felt, I held onto that one word. Home. Did she consider my house home? And if she did, surely there must be some hope for us. “Of course.” “Then I’ll wait in the reception area for you, Jim.” I nodded and hung up the phone. I think we were both nervous on the drive home. Mila tried to make conversation, but every time she started to talk, her voice faltered and I suspected she found fighting back tears difficult. I didn’t fare much better so we finally lapsed into a painful silence. We got caught in traffic that added an extra twenty minutes to our commute.

I found myself wondering why I’d allowed Jason to keep the key to my house when we arrived to find him sprawled in one of the two chairs on either side of the mirror in the foyer. I felt my temper soar to dangerous heights as I stared at his smiling face. Only Mila’s presence kept me from pounding on him and beating him into the ground. I’d made love to and wanted to spend the rest of my life with the woman who belonged to him. I was angry with him for toying with both our emotions for his own amusement. “So, people, how ya doing?” He rose, his smile including us both. Mila sucked in a breath before speaking in a rush. “Oh, Jason! Where have you been? Why did you leave me stranded at the airport?” The uncertainty on her face was painful to watch. I could see that she wasn’t sure if she should embrace him or slap him hard enough to make his ears sting. “I’m sorry, baby. I meant to meet you but at the last minute I got this great assignment I couldn’t refuse.” “Fine. Why didn’t you call?” “I should have but I didn’t want you to talk me out of taking the assignment.” “What? And to hell with me, Jason?” “I know it sounds bad, baby.” “It was bad, Jason and don’t call me baby!” He crossed the foyer to take her into his arms and bent his head. I was trying to prepare myself for the distaste of watching them kiss, but to my delighted surprise, at the last minute Mila turned her head and his lips brushed her cheek instead of her mouth. “Hey? What’s up, baby?” he asked. She pulled away from him. “Is that all you have to say?” She put her hands on her hips and stared at him coldly. “After you left me stranded at the airport? After six weeks of silence? After leaving me dependent on Jim, whom I’d never met before?” She glanced at me briefly before continuing. “What if Jim hadn’t been so wonderful? What would I have done?” The smile left Jason’s face and he looked from one of us to the other before meeting her gaze. “Did I miscalculate? I was sure you two would be all right until I could get here to explain.” “Did you miscalculate?” Her eyes looked like ice and she had to take several deep breaths before she could continue. “Oh, how you miscalculated. You see, when I first saw him, naturally I thought Jim was you since you never bothered to tell me you had an identical twin brother. I realized I liked him because being with him was almost as nice as being with you.” Great! I had just been a substitute for Jason. Between the two of them, they knew how to kick a man when he was down. They were perfect for each other. She looked briefly at me and I knew she was going to tell him the truth. I glanced at Jason. The dismayed look on his face gave me pause. Suddenly, I didn’t want him hurt as he’d hurt me. I turned to look at Mila and shook my head. She nodded. “I have to, Jim.”

“No,” I said. “You don’t.” There was no need for all of us to have our worlds shattered. “He deserves to know the truth, Jim.” She turned back to face Jason. “Then I realized that being with him was much better than being with you and that I liked him simply because he’s a warm, kind, compassionate man, not because he’s your twin. In fact, I liked him so much that. . .” “That what?” Jason asked. Don’t, Mila. It will shatter him. “That we fucked last night, Jason!” She spoke the last sentence in a defiant voice. Her admission was greeted by silence. She tossed us both a quick glance before she darted up the stairs, sobbing. “Mila, hey, baby, wait a minute!” Jason would have gone after her. But her tears and the anguish I heard in her voice lessened my sympathy for him. Besides, it was time he and I settled our differences once and for all. I grabbed him by the arm and spun him around to face me. “Leave her alone, Jason.” He pulled away from me. “She’s upset.” “Yes, she is. Thanks to you.” “Don’t you think I know that? That’s why I have to go after her and explain.” I grabbed his arm again. “Haven’t you done enough to her? Why on earth did you do this to us? I know you planned for us to fall in love.” I balled my hand into a fist. “You’d better start talking quick before I punch you out.” Jason stared at me, making no attempt to shake me off his arm. “If it’ll make you feel any better, go right ahead and hit me, Jimmy.” He of course thought I wouldn’t hit him. I’d rarely been able to in the past, even when I’d found him with Sharon. But this time was different. If he hadn’t called me Jimmy, I probably wouldn’t have hit him. But he had and punched him in the face, though only hard enough to make him stumble. When he righted himself, I expected him to hit me back. Hard. Jason had always been able to beat me in any fight, but he didn’t hit me back. He felt his jaw. “If that made you feel any better maybe we can move on. Can we talk now, Jimmy?” “Don’t call me Jimmy again, Jason!” I snapped, wanting desperately to hit him again. He didn’t smile as I’d expected him to. Instead, he nodded. “Okay, James. Can we go into the living room to talk?” I glanced up the stairs. I longed to go comfort Mila, but Jason and I did need to talk. I nodded and he followed me into the living room. “Okay. Talk, Jason, and this had better be good,” I warned. “Or I’m cutting all ties with you for good.” He frowned. “That’s quite a threat.” “You’ve made quite a mess of my life on more than one occasion and I’m sick of it and I’m not taking it anymore. You’re a cancer that I intend to cut out of my life.”

He blanched. “A cancer? You consider me a cancer?” I saw the hurt in his eyes and couldn’t bring myself repeat the ugly words. But damn if I’d apologize. I shrugged. “Do you remember when I came to talk to you after you’d found me and Sharon together?” he asked. I nodded, pleased that the memory no longer brought pain. “I’m not likely to forget that, am I? It wasn’t exactly the highlight of my life.” He nodded. “I know and that’s probably why—” “But if you’re going to imply that that’s why Mila and I slept together, you’re wrong!” I began heatedly. “I’m not implying anything of the sort.” “Oh, yes you are! You think I’ve forgotten what you’ve been determined to prove about me?” “Will you just give me a moment to try to explain how I tried to make amends for Sharon, James?” I swallowed the rest of my anger and stared at him. “Make it short and then get your ass out of my house and my life.” He sucked in a breath. “You sound as if you mean that.” “I do!” He sighed. “Take a moment to think back.” “You think I’ve done much of anything else since you sent Mila here? You did send her here knowing you weren’t going to be here. Didn’t you?” “Yes,” he admitted. “But not for the reason you’re thinking. I told you years ago that I was sorry and that if there was ever anything I could do to make it up to you, I would. Well, when I met Mila I knew you and she would hit it off.” That was putting it mildly. “So I connived to get you two together. I knew that if she liked me, she’d love you.” I stared at him. “What?” He shrugged. “And she does love you…just as I knew she would.” “I…what are you saying? Do you mean, you don’t love her or want to marry her?” He shook his head. I couldn’t believe my ears. “How can you not want her? “Oh, I like her well enough, but only as a possible sister-in-law.” “A possible sister-in-law?” “Yes, James. I know I haven’t given you much reason to think well of me, but when I asked her here, it was with the belief and hope that you two would fall in love.” I shook my head. “I don’t understand.” “If you two fell in love, I hoped you’d finally forgive me for Sharon. God, Jimmy, I never meant to hurt you with Sharon, but I know I did.” “How could you possibly think sleeping with the woman I was about to propose to wouldn’t hurt me?” “I wasn’t thinking with Sharon,” he admitted. “Or, I probably should say I was thinking with my cock. I did a lot of that back then. With Mila, I just wanted to do

something to earn your forgiveness. I’m sorry if I hurt you again when I only meant to make amends. Please tell me you forgive me.” Despite everything that had happened during our long-standing estrangement, we were still two parts of one whole. I knew he meant every word he said. I didn’t need to see the pain in his eyes. I could feel it in the cold part of my heart that had felt dead for years. Jason put a hand up to brush at his eyes. My own eyes welled with tears. I don’t know who moved first, but suddenly, we were hugging each other and crying together as we’d done when we were little boys and were afraid. It felt so good to be holding Jason again and admitting that I still and would always love him. After we regained our composures, he actually cupped my face in his hands, wiped it dry, kissed me several times, on both cheeks, and told me that he loved me too. Just as if I’d admitted my feelings out loud. And then I did and we were clinging to each other again. When I finally left the living room half an hour later, I felt great. For the first time in years, I felt a kinship with Jason. Now if I could only straighten things out with Mila. I rushed up the stairs, eager to make amends with her. I was heartened when she opened my bedroom in answer to my knock. She stepped aside and then closed the door after I’d stepped inside. “Is he very angry? Oh, Jimmy, how can I go to him when it’s you I want?” That was all I needed to hear. I took her in my arms. She clung to me. “Jimmy?” “It’s all right, baby,” I told her. “You don’t have to go to him. We can be together if you want it.” She slipped her arms around my neck. “I want it, but what are we going to do about Jason? I don’t want him to be hurt.” There would be time for explanations later. “Don’t worry about Jason.” “But—” I bent to touch my mouth against hers. Her warm response infused with me with desire. I pressed heated kisses against her mouth and slipped my hands down to cup her ass. She kissed me back, pushing her tongue into my mouth. Hot and eager for another fuck, I pulled away from her. We tore off each other’s clothes and then tumbled into bed together. Lying with her legs parted, she reached out to touch my shaft. “I need some cock,” she told me. “Do you have any idea where I can get some?” “Right here, baby.” Pausing only long enough to get a condom from the nightstand and slip it on, I lay on top of her, and drove my cock balls deep into her warm, heated pussy. “Oh, my God, I love having you so deep inside me,” she whispered, linking her legs over mine. “Now fuck me like this is the only pussy in the world.”

“For me it is,” I assured her and bent to suck her breast between my lips. That first time was hard and hot. We clutched at each other and ground our groins together with a heated passion that probably sent the smell of pussy and cock filling the upstairs hallway. I dug my fingers in her big, round ass and she raked her nails down my back as we fucked wildly and quickly came inside seconds of each other. After a brief respite, I urged her onto her back, she parted her legs with a sweet eagerness, and I slipped my bare cock deep inside her pussy. No. My pussy. We made love slowly, filling each other’s ears with promises of love and endless devotion. We spent several hours in bed, dozing and making love. When we finally showered and emerged later, we found a gourmet meal on warming trays in the kitchen, along with a bottle of chilled wine. Jason was gone. The note on the refrigerator read: Forgive me and be happy together. My best and all my love to you both, Jason. That was two years ago. Jason is still a roving free-lance reporter and hot stuff with the ladies. They still seem to find him more attractive than me, but now it doesn’t matter. Mila and I are married, and we’re planning to start a family soon. I have everything I could want: a wife I love and adore, a successful business, and I have my brother back in my life. We’re so happy that Mila and I are looking forward to Jason’s settling down with some nice girl. To that end, whenever he’s in town, which is much more frequently than it used to be, Mila parades all her unmarried girlfriends for his inspection. That beautiful wife of mine is very insistent. If he’s not careful, one of these days Jason will wake up to find himself married to a woman who loves him just as deeply as Mila does me. He could do a lot worse, but not better.

Holiday Heat—Secret Lover Excerpt ©2011 Marilyn Lee All rights reserved

“It’s too damned cold to be out here without a coat or the warmth of a woman to mitigate the frigid temperature.” Standing in the middle of their mother’s secluded gazebo watching the falling snow, Caine McGuire turned to face his older brother. Kristopher Macarik stood on the bottom step with a large mug in each hand. The muted sounds of holiday carols reached his ears from the big house several hundred yards down the snow-covered path. The extended family gathered there for the last of several holiday dinners before Christmas dinner at Kristopher’s father’s home. He thought of the velvet jeweler’s box resting in the bottom of his suitcase. At the beginning of the year, he’d been foolish enough to think he would finally get to spend the holidays with the woman he loved. But she’d cured him of that delusion when he spoke to her two weeks earlier. “Caine?” Tearing his thoughts away from the sexy, full-figured woman he’d fallen for the moment he saw her, he shrugged. “The only woman I’m interested in mitigating anything with thinks I should be content to be her damned boy toy.” “Thirty-five is hardly a boy, Caine.” “Try telling her that.” “Why don’t you show her?” “Isn’t that what I’m doing by being here instead of with her?” “Is it?” Caine sighed. “What brings you out here?” “Mom sent me out to bring your ass back inside.” He shook his head. “I want to be alone to think.”

“It’s too damn cold out here to do anything but freeze without a heavy coat.” Kristopher walked up the remaining three steps and extended a mug. Caine took it and tasted the contents. Hot chocolate liberally laced with brandy. Wrapping his bare cold hands around the mug, he finished the drink before he looked at his brother. “She’s not interested in spending the holiday with you?” Kristopher asked. He curled his top lip. “Oh she’s interested all right—as long as we spend it together some place where she doesn’t have to worry about meeting anyone she knows. God forbid those precious daughters of hers should discover she’s fucking a Native American male eleven years her junior. She’s afraid they’d think she’s a sex-starved cougar.” Kristopher narrowed his gaze. “You make her sound prejudiced and more than a little shallow.” As part of a large, mixed-race family, he and his brothers took any sign of prejudice very seriously. He shook his head. “She’s neither.” “I thought not or she wouldn’t have been able to hold your heart captive for so long. But do you think she would have introduced you to her family by now if you were black?” Caine hesitated. A picture of a pretty woman with smooth dark skin, large breasts and long legs formed in his mind. Her smile lit up the gloomiest day. Her low, seductive voice whispering in his ear as he drove his cock deep into her pussy or into her deliciously tight ass sent chills of delight through him. She managed to do all that while also satisfying his emotional need as no other woman had been able to. “Probably not because she’s also hung up on the age difference,” he admitted. Kristopher sighed. “The world is full of beautiful women who’ll love you just as you are. Maybe it’s time you moved on.” Caine arched a brow. “And this from a man who’s spent countless years fucking women he doesn’t care about while refusing to tell the one woman he loves how he feels?”

Kristopher shook his head. “Shanise knows I love her,” he said. “I wouldn’t count on that if I were you, Macarik.” “She knows I love her.” Caine had spent years wondering why Kristopher hadn’t married the girl next door he so clearly loved. “How? By wasting years of her life watching you dangle other women before her?” “I do not and never have dangled any other woman before her!” “Fine. Have it your way, but I’m telling you, Macarik. I would not count on her knowing anything but what your actions must surely say to her.” Kristopher frowned. “Do you know something about her that I don’t, Caine?” “No, but I’m fairly certain she’s not so sure that you love her. Remember she and I spend a lot of time out together when I can’t see Joya and she can’t see you. You know she wants marriage and kids yet you’ve done absolutely nothing to ensure she doesn’t have them with someone else.” Kristopher inhaled slowly. “I have my reasons.” “I know you do. What I can’t figure out is what they are. And neither can she. What are they? I know you like kids.” “My reasons are my own,” he said. “Okay, but shouldn’t you consider telling her before she falls for someone else? You know she’s been seeing her current man for several months now—exclusively.” He watched Kristopher’s jaw clench. “I didn’t come out here for a discussion about my relationship with Shanise, Caine.” “But do you really have one with her at the moment given how things seem to be heating up with her and this other man? Shouldn’t you consider doing something about that before it’s too late?” “I don’t need any help with my love life.” “Don’t you, Kristopher?”

“I’m not the one out here freezing his ass off. So if you were hoping to sidetrack me by talk of Shanise, you’re going to be disappointed. Do you know where your ladylove is? Your cell’s been ringing. I have a feeling it might be her.” He’d left his cell phone in his coat pocket when he arrived an hour earlier. “She’s probably at your cabin. We were supposed to spend the holidays there. You don’t mind her using it alone?” “So you’re not going to join her, Caine?” A wave of physical need ate at him as he thought of giving up spending the next six nights in her arms and in her sweet, addictive pussy. “No.” “Are you going to tell her you’re not coming?” He shrugged. “I was due to arrive two days ago. She’s an intelligent woman. She’s probably figured out by now that I’m not coming. Do you mind her staying there alone?” “No, but I think you should at least call her and tell her you’re not coming—while there’s still time for her to spend Christmas with her family.” “She’s spent the last six years pissing all over me and giving me one damned excuse after another why I couldn’t meet her daughters. Fuck her! Maybe she can pick up another man to spend Christmas with at the nearest bar. If not, she can spend it by her damned self for all I care. Now I really want to be left alone.” Kristopher sighed before he put the mug he held down on the railing. He removed his gloves and the sheepskin jacket he wore and thrust them at him. Caine took them and slipped his arms inside the coat before pulling the gloves over his cold fingers. “We’ll be sitting down to dinner soon. You know if you don’t come in for that, Mom will be out here herself.” He shook her head. “Run interference for me with her, Kristopher.” “I’ll try, but you know how she is about holiday dinners.” “I’m not in the mood to celebrate.” “You know where I am if you change your mind and need to talk,” Kristopher said.

“There’s nothing to discuss,” he said. “It’s time I took a leaf out of your book and went on a fucking rampage until Joya Fucking Vincent is an unpleasant memory.” “Sounds good, Caine, except for one thing.” “What’s that?” Kristopher turned up the collar of his suit jacket. “I’ve never managed to vanquish Shanise from my heart or thoughts—no matter how many women I fucked. I have a feeling you won’t have any more luck with your Joya Fucking Vincent.” He turned and ran back to the house through the falling snow. Alone again with dusk descending, Caine sat down. Closing his eyes, he recalled their last night together. Three months earlier they’d met at the hotel in Arizona where they spent most of their time together. After doing a slow bump and grind striptease that made his cock hard in record time, Joya stood several feet from the chair where he sat nude, smiling at him. Damn he loved her warm brown skin and her wonderful pussy nearly hidden beneath the riot of dark pubic hair he loved to feel brushing against his face when he ate her. How had any man worth the name ever objected to the sexy body that kept him aroused whenever they were in the same room? Her breasts weren’t as firm as they’d probably once been, her belly had a definite swell and she had love handles. But those physical attributes were some of the things he loved most about her. He’d take a woman with a little extra padding over a pole-thin woman any day of the week. When she wore three-inch black heels and an alluring white-garter belt that contrasted perfectly with her skin, he found it was difficult to believe she had three adult daughters. “Damn girl, you have the sexiest body I’ve ever seen,” he told her, wrapping his fingers around his cock. “Not to mention the sweetest pussy.” Her dark brown eyes sparkled and her smile widened. “Oh, my sweet sugar Caine, you make me feel so desirable and beautiful.” As a teenager, he’d hated for the females he dated to make any correlation between his name and the holiday candy. But he loved having Joya do it. He patted his thigh.

“Come over here and I’ll show you just how desirable and beautiful you are, Joya, light of my life.” “Light of your…oh, Caine.” She sashayed across the room and stood over his chair with a leg on either side of his. She reached behind him to remove the band from his ponytail. His hair, worn short on the front and sides, fell down his back. She reached down to push his hand away from his cock. “Let me do that, sugar.” He inhaled slowly as her soft warm fingers replaced his on his dick. Smiling down at him, she bent her knees and slowly lowered her hips until he felt her pubic hair against the head of his shaft. His hips jerked up in eager anticipation. Instead of experiencing the wonderful sensation of her warm, wet slit parting to receive his cock head, she teased him by rubbing the engorged head along her outer lips. She did that several times, getting him more aroused before she finally positioned the head of his shaft just between her nether lips. He caressed her breasts and pinched her nipples before he slid his palms down her body to cup his hands over her ass cheeks. He gently tugged downward. She placed her hands on his shoulders, a pleased look in her eyes. “The light of your life, my sweet sugar Caine?” “Oh absolutely. Sit on my cock and I’ll show you.” She leaned down to press her mouth against his as she slowly lowered her hips until his entire cock was encased within the hot, wet confines of her pussy. “Oh shit,” he whispered. Even after six years, the first few moments of being inside her raw, still filled him with a sense of joy and wonder at how special sex with her was. At first he’d been certain making love to her was so superior to making love with anyone else because they frequently fucked raw. But on the rare occasions when she convinced him to use a condom, the powerful emotions he felt belied that belief. With or without protection, sex with her was emotionally and physically off the charts because he was in love with her. “Making love has never been anywhere near this good with anyone else.” She stroked her fingers through his hair and slowly raised and lowered her hips.

Each time she slid back down on his cock, she tightened her vaginal muscles around him and stroked her tongue into his mouth. That sweet motion set his entire body on fire for her. Driving his hips up, he dug his fingers in her ass and thrust his cock in and out of her with a heated passion he fought to keep under a measure of control. She moaned against his lips and rubbed her breasts against his chest. “Oh, sugar. Give it to me, my sweet sugar Caine.” Oh, damn. Yes. Yes! Lost in the sweet heat of her pussy, he slapped her ass cheeks hard. She shuddered and tightened herself around him with an intensity that made retaining control difficult. He slapped each cheek again and slid his hands up from her ass to grip her hips. She bucked them against him. “Oh shit!” he whispered. “Give me my sugar cock.” “Want it? Take it,” he told her. She stroked her fingers through his hair, brushing her mouth against his. “Oh I intend to.” She made love to him with a tender hunger he cherished. Once they started to kiss and caress each other while they moved together, the feelings intensified until she was his entire world. The need to explode deep inside her proved difficult to overcome but he managed to hold on until she cried out and came all over his cock. He slid his hands down over her ass and fucked her with a ruthless desire until his passion overwhelmed him and he ejaculated inside her. She sighed with contentment and laid her head against his shoulder. “Oh Caine, that was too wonderful for words.” He curled his fingers in her hair, urged her head back and pressed a quick kiss against her mouth before he trailed his lips across her cheek to her ear. “We have to talk.”

He felt her tense against him. “What about?” “The usual,” he said. She sighed and lifted her head from his shoulder. “Oh Caine. Please. Not tonight.” “If not tonight, when? We’re leaving tomorrow.” She shook her head and slowly peeled herself off his cock. When she rose, she placed a hand between her legs as she walked over to the bed where her thong lay. She slipped it on before sitting on the edge of the bed to face him. “I need a little more time.” He stared at her. “No.” “You’re being unreasonable.” “After six damned years of excuses?” He bolted to his feet to storm across the room to stare down at her. “First you thought I was slumming or going through a phase. Then I had to realize you had three young daughters who were still hoping you’d get back with their sorry ass father. Then you wanted to wait until they were all adults so they’d be in a better position to understand that you had needs like their father. Then you had to pick the right time to even admit I existed. Well, your youngest daughter turned 18 last year and is now living on campus. “And your latest excuse for not introducing us is the need for more time? Six fucking years wasn’t enough time?” She reached out to grip his hands. “I know they sound like excuses to you but my relationship with my daughters is very important to me. Even though they’re all over eighteen now, they’re still young and I need to set the proper example for them.” “And their world would end if they knew we were dating?” He laughed. “But of course you can’t really call what we’ve been doing dating. Can you? We meet several times a year to fuck. The rest of the year you’re happy to pretend I don’t exist. “Well, you know what? I’ve had enough, Joya. Either I meet your daughters soon or I’m moving on.” “Moving on…” she stared up at him, her dark eyes wide. “You mean—”

“I mean I’m ending our sexcapade. I’m tired of sneaking around with you a few times a year. If you’re not prepared to bring our relationship into the open, I’m not prepared to continue seeing you.” “Please, don’t talk like that, Caine,” she tugged at his hands, trying to pull him down onto the bed beside her. He disengaged his hands and stepped back. In the past, she’d sweet– talked him out of ending their relationship with sex. But not this time. “It’s not just talk. I’m not prepared to go on like this much longer, Joya. I want a real relationship.” “So do I!” “Maybe so, but apparently you don’t want it with me.” She stood up and placed her hands on his chest. “I do! You think I like the way things are between us? I don’t! But I have three daughters, Caine. I don’t want them to think this is the way they should behave.” “Then why are you behaving this way? What’s so damned wrong with me that I can’t even meet them?” “Nothing’s wrong with you! Nothing. It’s not you. It’s me. What am I supposed to say to them? How can I explain that I’ve been deceiving them for the last six years?” “By that line of reasoning, I’ll never meet them, Joya and that’s no longer acceptable. You have to make a choice. Either I meet them by Christmas or I’m moving on. Is that clear?” She pressed her lips together and nodded, her eyes watering. “Yes.” He wanted to harden himself against any weakening of his resolve but the sight of her tears dismayed him. He put an arm around her shoulders. She turned her face against his neck. “I can’t lose you, Caine. I can’t. Other than my girls, having you in my life has been one of the few bright spots. I can’t lose you.” Normally, they would have spent their last night together fucking until exhaustion overtook them. That night, with the threat of their relationship ending hanging between them, they restricted their intimacy to holding each other.

In the morning they showered separately and kissed each other goodbye at the airport. “Are we still on for our first Christmas together?” she asked when he lifted his lips from hers. “I’ve arranged for us to spend the last two weeks of December at my brother’s cabin in the Poconos, but whether that actually happens will depend on you.” She squeezed his hand. “I want to finally spend Christmas with you, Caine. Let’s do that and then we’ll start the New Year off right by—” “No,” he told her. “You have nearly three months to decide how to tell your daughters about me. I won’t insist on meeting them by Christmas but they have to know I exist by then or it’s off.” He bent his head and pressed a hard kiss against her mouth before he turned and walked away from her. When he’d called her at the beginning of December, she’d reluctantly admitted she still hadn’t told her daughters about their relationship. Annoyed and hurt, he’d decided it was time to end their relationship. But he’d given her the combination to the cabin lock and the security code. Now, presumably she was now there alone. “Caine!” He looked up. His mother, with her arm through Kristopher‘s, walked towards the gazebo. Fuck! Time to pretend he was in the mood to celebrate. He rose and went down the gazebo steps and quickly walked down the path to meet them. “Yes, Mom?” She looked up at him, concern in her dark gaze. “We’re about to sit down to dinner. It won’t be a meal without you.” “Then we’d better go eat,” he said and slipped his arm through her free one. She smiled up at him and then at Kristopher. “I have high hopes of one or both of you starting off the New Year right—with a relationship with a suitable woman who will give me my first grandchild.” He and Kristopher exchanged weary looks before they walked back to the house with their mother they would probably disappoint. Her idea and theirs of a suitable woman had never been the same.

Two hours later, he stood at the patio doors staring at the steadily falling snow with a drink in his hand when Kristopher joined him. “It’s not too late to get your ass in gear and drive up to the cabin so she won’t spend Christmas alone. “ “How she spends her time is no longer my concern.” Kristopher shook his head. “If you’re going to end it, do it like a man. Tell her to her face, Caine. Not like this.” He inhaled sharply. “Are you implying—” “I’m not implying anything. I’m coming right out and saying, end it like a man. Give her the courtesy she deserves by telling her in person you’re ending it. There’s no need to allow her to spend Christmas alone. That’s not the way to treat the woman you say you love.” “I don’t just say it! I do love her.” Kristopher extended his hand for the glass. “Then act like it, Caine. If you have any more to drink you won’t be in any shape to drive tonight.” Caine stepped back and deliberately finished his drink before replying. “I have no intentions of going anywhere tonight but into one of Mom’s guestrooms.” He walked across the room to the bar along one wall and poured himself another drink. As he did, he heard a phone ring. He looked up to see Kristopher lifting his cell phone to his ear. He looked surprised and then turned away from Caine. It would be Shanise, Caine thought and lifted his glass to his lips.

End of Excerpt

Marilyn Lee Unleashed Presents Blue Desert Heat—Part One Marilyn Lee Copyright 2010 Marilyn Lee

Blue Desert Heat Part One Excerpt Tanari knew the moment she sought shelter from the hot Denhari sun within the long, white building that she was in the wrong place. Instead of the weigh station she expected, the interior of the brightly lit room was filled with naked couples of all hues and skin tones pleasuring each other. Even though all the lovers appeared fully humanoid, Tanari, a sensual empath from birth, sensed the various males rutting into the gasping and moaning women were not in their natural form. The smell of sex and pulsating music filled the air. She had stumbled into a Denhari Shifter pleasure station. Or rather, her Centaurian Stallion, Kayden Adar, had deliberately led her to one. After several moments of staring at the impossibly huge cocks slamming into willing female orifices, she turned to leave. Adar, a determined look in his dark blue eyes, blocked the exit. With the tanned upper body of a very well-developed humanoid male and the lower body of a majestic stallion with a dark coat, he made her ache for him. The long, thick dark hair she loved to run her fingers through spilled over the huge shoulders that filled the opening. She had always considered him handsome, valiant, and honorable. “You tricked me,” she accused in a shocked voice. “Not tricked, maneuvered you into accepting the fact that it’s time,” he told her in that deep, sexy voice that never failed to fill her with sensual hunger. Tanari shivered. “I’m not ready.” His big right hand shot out and under her tunic to cup her bare pussy. “No?” She burned at his intimate touch. “I have no desire to mate with anyone here,” she insisted. “Maybe your mind isn’t ready, but your tight, wet pussy is, my sensuous, brown beauty,” he said. Feeling his fingers slipping inside her, she gasped. “It’s not,” she denied, even as her tunnel flooded. He removed his fingers from her, covered with her juices and cream. “This says otherwise, Tanari.” Smiling at her, he popped his fingers into his mouth and licked them. “Sweet, virgin nectar. Delicious.”

Embarrassed, yet aroused, she leaned against his chest. “You’re the one I want.” She stroked her hands over his shoulders before curling her fingers in his long, dark hair. “Taste me with your mouth and tongue,” she invited. “And let me be your one. Your only one.” “You know no matter how much we both want it, we can’t mate, Tanari.” Even as he spoke, she felt his cock descend from its sheath and slap against her body. She reached down to caress his semi-erect length. She ran her thumb over the circumference of the hard head. “I want this inside me, Adar. I know you want it too.” “No, Tanari!” He drew away from her. As they engaged in a stare-down, each trying to bend the other’s will, he reached out and pulled off her tunic, exposing her body. She stood still, proud of the body she knew he ached to possess. After a moment of silence, she cupped her hands over her breasts before allowing them to glide down her body. “I can be yours, Adar.” For several long moments, he stared at her naked flesh, his dark blue eyes alight with desire, his big chest heaving, as if he suddenly found breathing difficult. Her nostrils flared. Centaurian Stallions ready to mate were said to secrete an intoxicating aroma few females could resist. Tanari bit her lip as the pungent scent of his desire overwhelmed her senses. She glanced down. Her tunnel flooded as she watched his cock lengthen and swell. To feel that happening inside her body as her lucky ancestors had…“Adar—” “No,” he said again. “I swore an oath to watch over you, not mate with you. You know your duty and I know mine.” She felt a moment of despair. Would she ever manage to convince him that she, rather than a Centaurides Mare, was his perfect mate? “As long as you remain uncocked, so will Nadia,” he said of her cousin. “It’s time you both stopped denying your true nature and become the sensual women you were meant to be, my dark delight. I know you feel the hunger to receive and give pleasure as only an empath born under the influence of the Crystal Falls can.” She had resisted her desire to mate for nearly five seasons because she knew the moment she succumbed to her innate need to give and receive cocking pleasure, she would lose him. Once she mated, he meant to leave her and resume his search for a mare—even though the location of his shaft made mating with a humanoid female far more practical. About to remind him of that fact, she met his dark gaze. He shook his head. “Don't concern yourself with my mating requirements, Tanari.” “But—” “I’m not getting any younger and my need to mate grows increasingly difficult to resist. I must find a mare soon, Tanari.”

“Why? You’ll never find anyone else who wants, needs, or values you as I do, Adar.” He caressed her cheek. Then, without giving her another chance to press her case, he pushed her farther into the building and pulled the door shut. She turned and tugged angrily at the door. “Let me out, Adar,” she hissed. “Not until you’ve taken cock.” How could anyone be surprised at her refusal to mate when she was denied the one male for whom she hungered? He answered along the mental link they’d developed over the years they’d spent together. There’s one here who will gladly guide you into womanhood, my love. Trust me. You’ve pushed me into a den of shifters! They’ll ravish me, Adar! This pack and my clan were once related. Even in heat and in their natural forms, they remain sentient. And I will allow no harm to come to you. Trust me. I do trust you. Then go release and embrace the sensual woman within, my love. I want to become one with you. Go. With who? Who will touch my heart and emotions as you do, Adar? You’ll know him when you see him. With the insistent, rhythmic music she felt to her core heightening her passions, she slowly turned. Her nipples hardened as her gaze was drawn to the dais in the center of the large room. A tall, muscular, tanned male with silver eyes, thick, dark hair, and wide shoulders stood staring at her. Like everyone inside, he was unashamedly naked. He fondled and pumped a huge cock and balls almost as impressive as Adar’s. He possessed an air of command and sensual excitement—like Adar. Her channel pulsed at the sight of his impressive mating weapon. A hunger she had never expected to feel for anyone but Adar ignited in her belly. It quickly blazed through her body, filling her with a primal need. Without a word, the big, handsome shifter jumped off the dais and quickly walked towards her.

*** Tanari, unable to deny the fire burning in the pit of her belly or the inevitability of what she now wanted to happen, pressed her ass against the closed door. On the other side, she knew Adar could feel her rising hunger. Close your eyes when you give yourself to him, Tanari and think of me. Pretend his cock is mine...sliding deep into your virgin pussy...stretching it...shaping it...filling it with our combined seed.

Feeling the sensual need in the bond she and Adar shared left her longing for her first taste of cock. Nevertheless, she tensed. Denhari Shifters weren’t known for their sexual finesse with any female other than their preferred mates, the pale, slender blondes they craved when they were ready to produce offspring. All other lovers usually received near-brutal treatment. How could Adar want that for her? Since she possessed a tall, thick body with ebony skin and long, dark hair, Tanari prepared for the painful loss of her virginity. To her surprise, instead of immediately thrusting his huge organ inside her and greedily taking his pleasure without any concern for hers, the shifter caressed her breasts. She shivered at his touch, surprised at his unexpected gentleness. He pinched her nipples, rolling them between his fingers until they hardened. She bit her lip, filled with both fear and excited anticipation. “I’m not going to hurt you.” He spoke in a deep, commanding voice. She looked around. None of the shifters appeared to show any tenderness towards their lovers—even the petite, pale ones. “Isn’t that what shifters do? Hurt their nonblonde, petite lovers?” “Is that what you think of us?” “It’s what everyone thinks of your kind,” she countered. “Isn’t it true?” “You’re about to find out. Aren’t you?” He gazed into her eyes while he trailed his hands down her body to finger her slit. Filled with lust and encouraged by a sensuous mental caress from Adar, she eased her hips forward until his fingers pressed against her barrier. His nostrils flared and his silver eyes danced with obvious delight. “You’ve never taken cock?” Although handsome, he didn’t appear too bright. “You’re pushing against my barrier,” she pointed out. “What does that tell you?” “It tells me I’d like you better with a lot less sass,” he told her. Clearly he was used to dealing with subservient females. “If you want a lover with no will of her own, look elsewhere, shifter!” “No doubt I will—after I’ve cocked you,” he told her, thrusting his fingers into her. She gasped and shuddered with pain as he tore her hymen. He removed his fingers from her body and, staring into her eyes, he slowly lapped the blood from them. “Virgin blood. Delicious.” She willed herself not to cry. “You’re an uncultured brute!” He caressed her cheeks. “It was a momentary but necessary pain. I’ll make it up to you.” She slapped his hand away from her face. “Like all your kind, you lack sexual finesse.”

“Do I? Let’s see if I can change your bigoted mind.” He dropped to his knees and kissed a path down her belly to her pussy. She bit her lip and balled her hands into fists, feeling the heat and sexual tension return. He touched his tongue to her pleasure knob. She shuddered. “Oh…” He lifted his head and smiled up at her. “Once I claim you and make you mine, there’ll be a little more discomfort and then hot, delicious pleasure,” he promised. Tanari sucked in a breath, enchanted by the promise. “I'll make you very happy to be my woman.” His woman? She would never belong to any male but Adar. Nevertheless, she would gladly take this beguiling shifter’s cock deep into her virgin body. She inched her hips forward. In response, he cupped his hands over her bottom, extended his tongue and slowly licked her slit. The muscles in her stomach tightened. Her tunnel flooded. This might not be so unpleasant after all. Maybe Adar had been right to insist it was time she mated. Maybe— She gasped with pleasure as the shifter sucked her clit. Unable to resist the desire flaring in her belly, she unclenched her fists and stroked her fingers over his hair. It felt as soft and silky as Adar’s. She fantasized about lying on the warm desert sands with him between her thighs, mating with her while he jetted his seed into her body. He fastened his warm, greedy lips over her pussy. “Oh…” Feeling his shifted tongue extend up into her, she shuddered, curling her fingers in his hair. She widened her stance and dragged his head closer, inviting deeper penetration. He caressed and massaged her ass as he fucked his tongue deep into her. She shook with need, consumed by an incessant hunger for more intimacy. He obliged, sucking and thrusting into her until her knees shook and she leaned against him, so hungry for his cock she could almost taste her need. “Please,” she whispered. He lifted his head from her pussy to smile confidently up at her. “What is it that you want, my dusky delight? Tell me and it’s yours.” “You…” she whispered in a shamed voice. “I want you.” “Ah. I thought you might. Where do you want me?” She touched herself. “Here. Inside me. Now. Please.”

Still smiling, he rose and caressed her breasts. “Are you sure you’re ready to be cocked?” She nodded, her pussy on fire. “Yes. Yes!” “It’s going to hurt at first,” he warned. Tanari was past caring. The ache to feel him inside her overrode her fear of possible pain. She clutched his shoulders. “Take me.” “As you wish.” When he slipped his fingers back inside her, she purred with pleasure, tightening her grip on his shoulders. Holding her hip with his free hand, he leaned down to touch his firm lips to hers. The light, sensual caress sent a wave of longing swelling in her. Wanting more, she tugged at his shoulders. “I’m ready. Cock me now.” Without breaking the sweet rhythm of his fingers inside her, he settled his mouth on hers, giving Tanari her first real kiss. She stiffened at the taste of blood and vaginal fluids on his hot, demanding lips. No. Don’t pull away, Tanari. It’s the way of a male and a female to taste each other’s sexual secretions. Revel in the taste of the enchantment yet to come. Part your sweet lips and let him kiss you. Obedient to Adar’s command, she opened her mouth. As he thrust his tongue between her lips, the shifter withdrew his fingers from her. She moaned in protest. He slipped his arms around her and continued devouring her lips while he held her close to his big, hard body. Feeling the silky dark hair on his chest and his hot, thick cock pressed against her belly, she trembled, feverish with need. She eagerly returned his kiss, caressing his shoulders and back. She wasn’t sure how long he kissed and tasted her lips before he reached between their bodies to position himself at her entrance. She dragged her lips from his, staring up at him with wide eyes. He smiled down at her. “There’ll be a little pain and then wave upon wave of pleasure.” He dragged the head of his shaft along her slit. “Trust me.” She’d never trusted any male other than her father and Adar. Other males had always seemed to want to cock her. This shifter was the last male she dared trust. She sucked in a breath, digging her nails into his back. Yet she was about to trust him with her most valuable possession. “I do,” she whispered. “You won’t regret it.” He brushed his cheek along hers, pressing the hard, hot tip of his cock against her clit. “Oh!” “Are you ready to become my woman?”

“Yes. Oh, yes.” He eased his powerful hips forward, gently brushing his heavy length against her opening. Tanari tensed, pressing her hands against his shoulders as his big shaft probed her slit. Instead of thrusting into her despite her momentary uncertainty, he paused, gazing down into her eyes. “No? You’re not ready yet? If you’re not, I’ll wait until you are.” He’d wait until she was ready? She dismissed the thrill his words gave her. No matter how smooth he was, she had no desire to mate with any non-humanoid except Adar. No. No, my luscious nymph. Relax. Open your legs and let him in. Give him your pussy. Through him, give it to me. Let us slide deep inside. He’ll shift once he’s inside me, Adar. He won’t. Trust me to do what I’ve always done. Protect you. He won’t shift while he’s inside you. Reassured, she nodded slowly. “Yes, but don’t you dare shift once you’re in me.” His gaze narrowed. “I don't allow my women to dictate in which form I mate,” he told her in a cool voice. She bit her lip. He was going to shift. He softened his voice when he spoke again. “However, I'll make an exception in your case.” “Thank you,” she whispered.“ He caressed her breasts. “Are you ready?” She nodded. “Yes. I’m ready.” “I’m not going to stop until I’m completely inside you,” he warned. She bit her lip but remained silent. “Now,” he told her. Tanari closed her eyes and cried out in pain as the shifter slowly but relentlessly powered his big cock deep into her virgin pussy. Oh…oh, Adar. It hurts. It won’t hurt for long, my Tanari. Pretend it’s my cock inside you. She did and her pussy flooded, relieving some of her discomfort. “Oh…” “Open your eyes and look at me. I want to see the expression of your brown eyes as I take you, my beauty.” Startled by the request, Tanari lifted her lids to look up at him. He surprised her by pausing to allow her to adjust to having him inside her. He held her in his arms, gazing down into her eyes. “Relax, my beauty. Don’t resist me. My cock will soon begin to feel good inside you,” he promised in a husky, cajoling voice that washed over her like a warm, sensual desert breeze.

Intoxicated by both his words and the look of wonder in his beautiful gaze, she rubbed the hardened tips of breasts against his big chest. He smiled, lifting a hand to stroke her hair. “Now show me how much you want me by tightening yourself around my cock. Do it slowly so we can both enjoy it,” he instructed. She willingly obeyed, slowing compressing her vaginal muscles around him. “Like this?” She asked, eager to please him. He shuddered. “Oh…yes. Yes. That…feels incredible.” Pleased by the need she heard in his deep voice and saw in his eyes, she smiled up at him. “I want to feel your hands on me. Touch me, my beauty.” She stroked her palms down his back to his ass. She enjoyed caressing his taut muscles. “Oh, yes. That’s it. Tease me before you please me.” She compressed her vaginal muscles around him while dragging her nails over his ass. He eased his hips back and then slowly pushed back into her. After several such motions, she trembled with unmitigated desire. “Oh…” You’re starting to enjoy your first cocking. Yes. Oh, yes, Adar. The shifter bent his head. “Give me your tongue.” She lifted her mouth with her lips parted. He touched his tongue to hers. She shivered, feeling an electric charge at the contact. He kissed her slowly while he moved in and out of her with a steady, delicious rhythm that kept her hot and aroused. Tanari moaned against his mouth, loving the feelings surging through her. Lost in a haze of enjoyment, she dug her nails into his tight ass as he fucked her with long, powerful thrusts. It’s good. Your cock is good, Adar. As is your pussy, my joy. With her eyes closed, filled with a huge, hot shaft, and Adar making sensual love to her along the mental link they shared, she pushed her hips forward, welcoming the hard, conquering cock as deep into her body as possible. That’s it, my beautiful love. Fuck us back. The shifter’s continued tenderness surprised and delighted her until the need for more consumed her. Then, sucking his tongue between her lips, she pushed her hips forward, eagerly accepting his entire thick length deep into her pussy. The big Alpha

displayed such skill as a lover that she knew had he suddenly shifted to his natural form, she would have willingly parted her legs and welcomed him into her body. Sucking his tongue between her lips, she eagerly accepted his entire thick length deep into her pussy. As she held him, she imagined she stroked her fingers over dark, silky fur instead of warm, smooth humanoid flesh. Excited by the thought, she greedily clutched him closer, thrusting her pussy onto his thick length. With them fucking each other with unmitigated lust, all remnants of pain were soon replaced by an exquisite pleasure. Moving in time with him, Tanari welcomed each stroke into her body, mindless with the need to share the ultimate bliss with him. She convulsed herself around his plundering flesh, her orgasm close. When he tore his mouth from hers and thrust his cock in deep, hitting her special spot, she moaned and thundered to her first climax. Her involuntary shudders triggered his orgasm. Clutching her close to his big body, he rutted into her for several moments and then gasped as his cock exploded inside her, sending jet after jet of seed into her. Hungry to feel his lips again she curled her fingers in his hair, seeking his mouth. They spent several moments sharing hot kisses before he dragged his lips from hers. Caressing her ass, he slowly withdrew all but the big head of his shaft from her. “Oh, Adar, that was so much better than I ever thought it would be. If I’d only known, I would have taken cock—your cock a long time ago.” “Adar? Did you call me Adar? How do you know of the Adarian clan?”

The Dare Excerpt ©2011 Marilyn Lee All rights reserved I have just about worn out the all-too-brief clip you sent. I lie awake at night thinking about all the things I'd love to do to that pretty pussy of yours. I need and want more. I know you do too. Isn’t it time for the real thing? If you're ready to take this to the next level and want to see my cock up close and personal…if you want to feel it slowly sliding between the bald lips of your pussy, let me spend the night lying between your long, beautiful, dark thighs, loving and fucking you until you're limp with pleasure. The suggestive words seemed to leap off her computer monitor and sear themselves into Kassidy Green’s brain. Moistening her lips, she read on. If the thought of spending the night with me buried balls deep inside your stretched pussy arouses you as much as it does me, meet me. I’ve taken care of all the arrangements. All you need to do is show up. When you do, I promise you'll be safe. When we part, you’ll leave very satisfied. Meet me, Siddy. I dare you. Jake. The thought of his thick cock thrusting inside her made her feel hot and very wet. Meeting in person the man she'd been having an uninhibited cyber affair with would have been out of the question. If only he hadn't dared her. She'd been foolish to reveal her difficulty in resisting a dare. Did she have the courage to meet Jake and bring their relationship into the real world? She pawed at her neck and frowned when her fingers didn’t encounter the small emerald pendant she’d worn for years. When she noted the stone turning a dark green in the presence of coworker Nick Hart, she’d stopped wearing it. Seven months later, she still missed its comforting weight around her neck. “Are you going to meet him?” At the sound of the warm, deep voice near her right ear, Kassidy quickly closed the e-mail. Her cheeks burning, she turned in her chair to face the man who stood in the opening of her cubicle. Tall and well built, Nick Hart had short, auburn hair and a pair of beautiful green eyes. With his physique, he looked equally as sexy in the dark business suits he wore at work as he did in the jeans and pullovers he wore after hours. Sexy? Beautiful? Beguiling? Get a grip, girl. She and Nick had become programmers right after college at Semi-Tech within months of each other, seven years earlier. Their friendship had developed over a ninemonth period when they'd put in long hours, working late nights and several weekends to help the company land a lucrative government contract. Her best friend, Trina, often teased her about being the only one in their circle of friends to befriend what she'd called a semi-gorgeous white guy. Initially, Trina's

characterization of Nick as semi-gorgeous had surprised Kassidy. When compared to her lover -- the tall, ebony-skinned hunk, Steven -- Nick and every other male paled in comparison. However, after her unwanted break-up with Steven, she had began to notice Nick's stunning smile, his sexy eyes, and his warm, deep voice that sent shivers down her spine, regardless of his topic of conversation. Lately, each time she gazed into his beguiling green eyes, thoughts of his cock powering between her thighs, into her pussy, teased and aroused her. Those thoughts, combined with her pendant turning what her grandmother had termed a true lover’s green in his presence, left her wondering why they weren’t friends with benefits. “Kass? Why are you staring?” “Staring?" She blinked. "Was I?” The corners of his lips twitched. “Yes. You were. Any particular reason why?” None she was ready to reveal to him. “My mind wandered.” She glanced at her watch. “It's five thirty. What are you doing still here? I thought once you made senior analyst, your days of working late on Friday nights were over.” He shrugged. “I received an e-mail that captivated me.” “In a personal way?” He nodded slowly, a slight smile curving his lips. “In a very personal way.” “Really? Who was it from?” “Wouldn’t you like to know?” “Yes,” she admitted. “I would love to know.” He arched a brow. “I can’t divulge all my secrets.” “Why not?” He gave a dismissive shrug of his shoulders. “Never mind my secrets. Why are you still here?” She hesitated. Should she press him? Almost as if he’d read her mind, he shook his head. “They’re called secrets for a reason.” “I know, but --” “You can’t expect a man to divulge all his secrets, Kass.” “Really? Well, remember that the next time you want to know things I’d rather not discuss with you,” she retorted. His smiled widened. “You mean you still have secrets from me?” She compressed her lips. “Jake --” “Jake? Having difficulty telling us apart now, Kass?” Her cheeks burned. “Nick. You know that was just a slip of the tongue.” “Was it?” Her nostrils flared and she took a deep breath. “Nick --” He held up a hand, palm out in surrender. “Before you get upset, you know I was just teasing.” She gave him a wary smile.

“So why are you still here? I think you and I are the only two still here. Is your supervisor making you burn the midnight oil again?” “No. I was so close to debugging the Marks program, I decided I’d rather finish it tonight so I wouldn’t have to face it on Monday.” Then, of course, she’d made the mistake of checking her private e-mail account before going home. But since Nick wanted to start keeping secrets, that’s all he needed to know. “Ahhh. She's pretty, intelligent, and dedicated to her job. What a find.” She smiled, her annoyance vanishing at the compliment. “That's me, all right. Pretty, intelligent, and dedicated.” Also horny and manless, but maybe not for long. He nodded, slowly. “Yes, Kass. You are all those things and more.” The soft, warm tone of his voice warmed her. “Aren’t you full of compliments tonight?” “You deserve them all, but you never answered my question.” “What question?” “Are you going to meet this mysterious Jake of yours?” Since Trina had relocated with her job to the East Coast a year earlier, Nick had become her confidant. She’d told him of her cyber affair a month earlier. He had surprised her by encouraging her to continue it. Was she going to meet Jake? She moistened her lips. Engaging in cyber sex was exciting and allowed her to be totally uninhibited without any real risks. Although she longed to be even more adventurous, should she? Did she dare? I dare you. She shrugged. “It’s not polite to read other people’s private e-mails over their shoulders.” “No, it’s not. Now you’ve avoided answering the question long enough. Are you going to meet him?” Accepting a challenge tossed down by a trusted friend was one thing. Meeting a stranger whose only interest in her was sexual would be beyond foolish. What if he wanted to tie her up or spank her? What if he were into anal sex? The pictures her imagination conjured up sent a tingle of anticipation through her, which threatened to consume her in a sensual haze -- if she allowed it. She shook her head. “Cyber sex is a great way to relieve sexual tension without any risks, but I don’t know if I’m ready to meet him.” “Why not?” “The only place succumbing to a dare ever got me was in trouble. Besides, what if he’s into anal sex? He might want to tie me up or spank me.” He entered her cubicle and leaned against the edge of her desk. “What if he does? Wouldn’t you like to be spanked?” She swallowed slowly and quickly dismissed the impulsive “yes” trembling on her lips. There were few things more sensual than a playful spanking delivered by an attentive lover. Steven had often suggested she had an ass made for spanking. Of course, he’d also thought it was made for fucking. Had her reluctance to allow him that delight contributed to his desire to return to his wife? “Kass?”

She blinked at him. “What?” “I thought we agreed it was time you tried something different to help you get over Steven.” “What makes you think I'm not over him?" He shrugged. “Oh, I don’t know. Maybe the fact that you haven't dated anyone since the breakup. How long has it been?” She stared at him, certain he already knew the answer. “Nine months.” “That’s a long time to go without a man in your bed and arms." And didn’t she know it? “That doesn’t mean I’m still stuck on him. I’m not. I just haven’t met anyone I wanted to date yet.” Well, at least no one who’d asked her out -like Nick. “Prove you’re over him by meeting Jake.” She sat back in her chair, her eyes on his face. He seemed restless and edgy lately. She suspected he needed some female companionship himself. He hadn't mentioned dating in weeks. Or was that months? She couldn't understand why he didn't have a steady woman in his life. He was on the fast track to becoming head analyst with another big boost in salary, he was true-blue in a relationship, he was kind and considerate, and he was sexy as hell. She’d begun to suspect a passionate lover lurked under his boy-next-door exterior he’d presented the first few years she’d known him. He would probably be a great lover who would sexually devour some lucky woman. Why shouldn’t she be that woman? Since they’d become close enough to discuss their personal lives, why shouldn’t they share each other’s beds -- at least until they both met and fell in love with someone else? Until then they could become friends with benefits and spend their weekends in each other’s arms having hot, delicious sex. Their gazes met and locked. Her nostrils flared. His cologne left her longing to unbutton his shirt so she could suck his nipples, while trailing her hand down his abs to his zipper. She'd either slip her hand into the waistband or unzip his pants and close her fingers around his cock. Then she’d quickly impale herself on his cock and fuck him so long and good he’d forget his name. After they’d both come, she take him between her lips, lick her cum off his shaft, get him rock hard again, and then she’d lie on her stomach with her legs spread wide while he thrust into her again and again -Ok, Kass, that's enough. This is Nick. Not Jake. Had Nick suggested they meet for a night of unbridled lust, she would happily accept. He hadn't asked or ever even hinted he had any romantic interest in her. With her favorite toy buzzing her clit, while watching the short video of Jake, she had come more than once. For all the passion she suspected or hoped lurked behind Nick’s cool, green gaze, she wasn’t certain she’d be able to rouse Nick’s passion. She knew she had Jake hot and bothered. Nick slipped a hand under her chin and lifted her head so he could gaze down into her eyes. “Stay with me, Kass.”

She tingled at the touch of his fingers, but sat back in her chair until his hand fell away. “You’re a fine one to talk. You’ve been restless and edgy and haven’t had a date in months.” He shrugged. “You want me to admit I’m horny? Fine. I’m horny as hell, but we were discussing you. Not me. I say you should meet him.” Her cyber affair, along with her sexual fixation on Nick, was a clear indicator that nine months was long enough without a man in her life and bed. Her sudden, disturbing desire for Nick would make their working relationship uncomfortable unless she learned to control it. Better yet, she needed to work on dismissing it altogether. Or do something to make him notice her. She shrugged. “Cyber sex is --” “It's very nice.” She frowned. “Are you speaking from personal experience?” He arched a brow and gave her an enigmatic smile. She shook her head, annoyed. “You listened to me talk about Jake, but never once mentioned having a cyber lover of your own.” His smiled turned into a grin. “Shocking as you might find this news, I just might have a secret or two from you.” “Why? I thought we’d grown close…” “We have.” “And become friends.” “We’ve done that too, Kass, but there are things about me I’m not sure you’re ready to hear.” “I’m a big girl, Nick. Let me make my own decision. Things such as what?” He shook his head. “We can talk about my secrets another time. Right now I'm more interested in you and Jake.” This surely meant questions about his personal life were off limits. The rebuke stung. “There is no me and Jake.” “Yes, there is,” he said softly. “And if you enjoy cyber sex with him, think how much you'll enjoy the real thing." She shook her head. "That would be sex on a first date.” “So?” “So I don't do sex on a first date.” “Not even on a dare?” She sucked in a breath. Oh, Nick, don't. “I don't think so." “Life is too short to fight your desires, Kass. Instead of thinking of sex on a first date as lowering your personal standards, why not think of it as the beginning of a new, exciting, and more adventurous stage of your life?” She smiled. “Spoken like a man who doesn’t have to worry about his reputation.” “You don’t have to worry about yours -- at least not with me. So what are you worried about?” “Oh, let's see. Aside from the reputation you tell me I shouldn’t worry about, walking into a club to meet a stranger and getting…”

“And getting naked, aroused, and fucked senseless doesn’t arouse you?”

Marilyn’s booklist: Marilyn Lee Unleashed Loving Large 2: Yours, Now And Forever A Cheating Situation Marilyn Lee Omnibus I Primal Lusts In Blood And Worth Loving 2—Lost Without You Blue Desert Heat I Blue Desert Heat 2 Blue Desert Tales: Courtesan Seduction Fantasy Knights Fantasy Knights 2—Endless Love Naughty Girls, Inc—No Commitment Required Loving Large—Yours, Only And Always The Quest—Hunter’s Passion Daughters of Takira—One Night In Vegas Daughters of Takira 2—Kyla’s Awakening Daughters of Takira 2—Revelations Soul Mates Beauty Is Alisha Hoover? My Mother’s Man Secondhand Girlfriend Any Time Any Place Large, Shy, And Beautiful Marilyn Lee Sampler Marilyn Lee Sampler 2 Falling For Sharde Nice Girls Do Some Like It Male Yesterday’s Secret Sins The Dare Coming Soon: Loving Large 2—Yours, Now And Forever A Cheating Situation Red Rose Publishing Sister’s Keeper Finding Love Again Betrayed By Love Song of Desire It Had To Be You Tempting Neal In Blood And Worth Loving

Eye of the Beholder Night Heat Summer Storm Skin Deep Ellora's Cave Night of Sin Bloodlust series: Mikhel Dumont The Talisman Taming Serge Dumont Forbidden Desires Nocturnal Heat Midnight Shadows All In The Family Moonlight series: Moonlight Desire Moonlight Whispers Long Line of Love series: Night of Desires Love Out Loud Only One Love Teacher's Pet Trina's Afternoon Delight Branded Road To Rapture The Fall of Troy Full Bodied Charmer Breathless In Black Playing With Fire White Christmas Quest II—Divided Loyalties Quest III—Return to Volter Changeling Press Moonlight Madness Bloodlust—Nighttime Magic Loose Id, LLC Dream Lover

Marilyn’s homepage: http://www.marilynlee.org Email: [email protected]

Marilyn’s Bio: Marilyn Lee lives, works, and writes on the East Coast. In addition to thoroughly enjoying writing erotic romances, she enjoys roller-skating, spending time with her large, extended family, and rooting for all her hometown sports teams. Her other interests include collecting Doc Savage pulp novels from the thirties and forties and collecting Marvel comics from the seventies and eighties (particularly Thor and The Avengers). Her favorite TV shows are forensic shows, westerns (Gunsmoke and Have Gun, Will Travel are particular favorites), mysteries (loves the old Charlie Chan mysteries. Her all time favorite mystery movie is probably Dead, Again), and nearly every vampire movie or television show ever made (Forever Knight and Count Yorga, Vampire are favorites). Marilyn has won numerous writing accolades, including a CAPA award for Bloodlust: Conquering Mikhel Dumont and the following Lub-Dubs Awards for 2009: Lifetime Achievement Award, In Blood And Worth Loving (Best erotic novel and best sci-fi/fantasy/paranormal Award. She loves to hear from readers who can email her at [email protected] or who can visit her website, http://www.marilynlee.org. She has a Yahoo! Group called Love Bytes that readers can join by sending an email to: [email protected]