Alannah
Lynne
Heat
Wave Series
March 23, 2015
March 23, 2015
Savin’ Me: Heat Wave
Series #1
Erik Monteague has spent the past
thirteen months trapped by the memories of his scorching-hot one-night stand
with Kat Owens. When she takes over his advertising account, he’s more
than happy to discuss positioning… but not the kind to increase his
business… the kind that will put her back in his bed and in his life.
While his perfectly executed seduction gets Kat back into his bed, their
emotional connection rips open old wounds and Erik is forced to either face his
tragic past, or spend the rest of his life running.
Advertising executive Kat Owens
has one last chance to prove to her aging grandfather she can be a success. She
can’t afford to be distracted by a charming, bad-boy client she knows from
personal experience delivers high-voltage sex but nothing more. After
succumbing to his advances and spending a weekend in Erik’s arms, she realizes
there’s more to life than a successful career and she sets out to prove to him
love can be good and lasting.
But Erik’s scars run deep and
love may not be enough to save him.
Goodreads:
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Gavin
McLeod is a man who has it all. His corporate climb has positioned him as the
next CEO at Holden Enterprises and he is financially stable, allowing him to
provide for the grandfather who raised him. His private life is also on fire,
as evidenced by the successful seduction of a sexy bartender who gets under his
skin and makes him crave more than just sex. Life is perfect until the alluring
woman in his arms turns out to be a serious road-block to his future, one that
could bring everything he's worked for crashing down around him.
Sunny Black has spent her entire life tending to the needs of others: caring for her younger brother since she was ten, and serving bar patrons night after night. For the first time in years, she puts herself first, taking a trip on the wild side with a customer whose raw sexuality is too strong to deny. The next morning, however, she learns that in addition to rocking her world, the stranger might destroy everything and everyone she’s worked so hard to protect.
Sunny Black has spent her entire life tending to the needs of others: caring for her younger brother since she was ten, and serving bar patrons night after night. For the first time in years, she puts herself first, taking a trip on the wild side with a customer whose raw sexuality is too strong to deny. The next morning, however, she learns that in addition to rocking her world, the stranger might destroy everything and everyone she’s worked so hard to protect.
A game of sexual seduction and
corporate chess ensues, but when Gavin and Sunny are unable to negotiate a
satisfying resolution, Gavin’s boss steps in and puts both their lives at risk.
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The world's best-stocked
toy drawer can only take a gal so far. Bored with her current assortment
of vibrating, plastic pieces, building inspector Sam Wallace decides to add a
new sex toy to her
collection: Kevin Mazze. The irresistible Italian is happy to help her live out her long-held sexual fantasies, while also insinuating himself into her life and
winning the affection of her five-year old daughter. But just as Sam starts to
trust Kevin with her heart, as well as her body, she learns he’s committed an
unforgivable sin.
Myrtle Beach developer Kevin Mazze is one of the good guys. He's spent his life always doing the right things and making those around him happy, even if it means maintaining a relationship long after it’s reached its expiration date. When he meets the woman of his dreams, he finds himself making bad choices in the name of good and crossing lines he never thought he would... while praying she never learns of the secret he’s been hiding.
Myrtle Beach developer Kevin Mazze is one of the good guys. He's spent his life always doing the right things and making those around him happy, even if it means maintaining a relationship long after it’s reached its expiration date. When he meets the woman of his dreams, he finds himself making bad choices in the name of good and crossing lines he never thought he would... while praying she never learns of the secret he’s been hiding.
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A good ol’ Georgia boy teaches a
Myrtle Beach princess how to get down and dirty…
It’s been two years since Callie Holden helped put her father in prison, and since then, she’s learned a lot about life and herself. To Callie’s surprise, she actually likes working and has discovered money is a tool to be used for good… or evil. She also realizes even though she’s traveled the globe, she’s never truly lived. She longs for adventure and to experience a wildly passionate romance. The last place she expects to realize her dreams is in the arms of the ever-surly man she’s dubbed “The Beast.” But when Callie and Wade Neumann are forced to work together, unexpected chemistry changes everything. In Wade's arms, Callie finds the excitement and passion she’s been looking for, as well as a few other surprises.
Wade Neumann has spent the last year burying the pain and humiliation of being left at the altar by a woman who used him as a novelty toy before settling down with someone more like herself—someone rich. He’s lost himself in a stream of nameless females since then, but instead of the trysts helping him heal, he’s only grown colder and more jaded. He hasn’t moved on with his life. He’s merely stuck going through the motions… until he meets Callie Holden, a woman who looks like his ex but is actually the opposite—sweet, compassionate, loyal, and most importantly, not wealthy. Or so he thinks. Because just as he starts to believe things with Callie are real and true, she gives him thirty million reasons to doubt all over again.
It’s been two years since Callie Holden helped put her father in prison, and since then, she’s learned a lot about life and herself. To Callie’s surprise, she actually likes working and has discovered money is a tool to be used for good… or evil. She also realizes even though she’s traveled the globe, she’s never truly lived. She longs for adventure and to experience a wildly passionate romance. The last place she expects to realize her dreams is in the arms of the ever-surly man she’s dubbed “The Beast.” But when Callie and Wade Neumann are forced to work together, unexpected chemistry changes everything. In Wade's arms, Callie finds the excitement and passion she’s been looking for, as well as a few other surprises.
Wade Neumann has spent the last year burying the pain and humiliation of being left at the altar by a woman who used him as a novelty toy before settling down with someone more like herself—someone rich. He’s lost himself in a stream of nameless females since then, but instead of the trysts helping him heal, he’s only grown colder and more jaded. He hasn’t moved on with his life. He’s merely stuck going through the motions… until he meets Callie Holden, a woman who looks like his ex but is actually the opposite—sweet, compassionate, loyal, and most importantly, not wealthy. Or so he thinks. Because just as he starts to believe things with Callie are real and true, she gives him thirty million reasons to doubt all over again.
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Some might think the phrase, “you complete me”
is a just cheesy line from the movies, but Lizbeth Sanders knows better…
In MATTER OF TIME, Lizbeth has spent the past fifteen years desperately searching for someone to fill the void left by Logan Steele’s disappearance from her life. However, rather than finding love and happiness, all she’s found is disappointment, heartache, and an ever-present longing for the man she can never have.
Fifteen years ago, Logan Steele left the woman he loved to marry his high school sweetheart and be a father to the child he didn’t know he had. He’s always tried to do the honorable thing, to be a good husband and a great father, but despite his sacrifices and best efforts, the shaky foundation of his marriage crumbles and falls apart.
When his identical twin surprises him with a reintroduction to Lizbeth, Logan feels like he’s been given a second chance—at life and love. But a lot can change in fifteen years, and after hurting her so badly the first time, building trust isn’t just hard, it’s nearly impossible—especially when duty and obligation pulls him away again.
In MATTER OF TIME, Lizbeth has spent the past fifteen years desperately searching for someone to fill the void left by Logan Steele’s disappearance from her life. However, rather than finding love and happiness, all she’s found is disappointment, heartache, and an ever-present longing for the man she can never have.
Fifteen years ago, Logan Steele left the woman he loved to marry his high school sweetheart and be a father to the child he didn’t know he had. He’s always tried to do the honorable thing, to be a good husband and a great father, but despite his sacrifices and best efforts, the shaky foundation of his marriage crumbles and falls apart.
When his identical twin surprises him with a reintroduction to Lizbeth, Logan feels like he’s been given a second chance—at life and love. But a lot can change in fifteen years, and after hurting her so badly the first time, building trust isn’t just hard, it’s nearly impossible—especially when duty and obligation pulls him away again.
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Alannah believes there's nothing more magical than finding the other half of your soul, experiencing fiery passion, and knowing you've found happily-ever-after.
She loves going to work each day (in sweats and a T-shirt) and writing about hot heroes and feisty heroines who torment each other in the most delicious ways before finding their happy ending.
She lives in the coastal region of North Carolina with her husband, who also happens to be her best friend and biggest fan. They have two sons, a dog, and two cats.
Saving Me: Heat Wave Series #1
Excerpt #1
Oh man, not the strawberry… not the
strawberry… Aw, shit.
Erik
Monteague clenched his jaw and steeled his defenses against the impending
carnal assault. The laughing guests, jazz band, overflowing food
tables—everything at the Sinclair Marketing Group open house faded into the
woodwork as his field of vision narrowed down to ruby lips and the damn lucky
strawberry about to be sucked into them.
Her pink tongue flicked across full, luscious
lips, then scooped a bead of chocolate from the bottom of the large, ripe
fruit. She opened her mouth, slid the berry inside, and wrapped her lips around
it.
Good God Almighty. Erik shifted his
stance and stifled a moan. “I can’t believe I’m jealous of a piece of fruit.”
A familiar chuckle pierced his lust-filled
haze, causing his pinpoint vision to snap back to wide-angle view. From the
corner of his eye, he spotted his best friend, Steve Vex, making like a bartender,
serving up a beer.
“What’s up?” Steve asked, laughing.
The smirk on Steve’s face proved the question
was rhetorical, so rather than answering the jackass, Erik swiped one of the
beers. “Perfect timing.”
“Yeah, you looked like you might be
overheating.” Steve tipped his bottle in her direction and
hitched his chin. “I’ve never seen her before. Who is she?”
Who is she?
Erik stared at Steve for a moment, perplexed
by the simple question. It shouldn’t have required much thought, but Erik,
always a straight-shooting, tell-it-like-it-is kind of guy, found himself
hedging.
He pinched the bridge of his nose and
squeezed his eyes shut, trying to ward off the explosive memories of her and
their night together.
Her mouth—warm and
slick—wrapped tightly around him…
Her beneath him,
bottom lip caught between her teeth in an effort to hold back her screams… Her
mouth dropping open to gasp for air as she cried out her release…
Him waking and
reaching for her, only to find himself alone…
He swallowed hard and scrubbed a hand down
his face. “I don’t know who she is,” he said, somewhat truthfully. After all,
just because you knew someone intimately didn’t mean you knew
them.
Steve quirked a pierced eyebrow. “Yeah, I
think I’m going to have to call bullshit on that.”
At times, having a friend who was closer than
a brother was a true blessing. This wasn’t one of those times. “Sometimes
you’re a real pain in the ass.”
Steve’s lopsided grin grew to obnoxious
proportions. “Yep,” he said, “it’s something I live for, especially where
you’re concerned.” He took a sip of beer and waited. And waited. And when Erik
didn’t elaborate, he pressed the issue further. “Seriously. What’s the deal?”
Erik took a long drink of beer, then studied
the floor and fought the urge to shuffle his feet like a teenager being grilled
by a suspicious parent. He and Steve had been friends since the first day of
kindergarten, when they’d both gotten into trouble for standing underneath the
monkey bars, sneaking peeks up the girls’ dresses. In their twenty-seven-year
friendship Erik had never kept anything from Steve.
Until now.
Unwilling to analyze why he wanted to keep
her identity, or the scope of their relationship, private, when he’d never
worried about that kind of thing before, he grinned slyly and said, “My friend,
we have shared many things. But whatever I might know about her, I’m keeping to
myself.”
“Damn.” All traces of amusement dropped from
Steve’s face, and he whistled low. “That sounds serious.”
Erik bristled at what he suspected could
maybe, possibly be a spec of truth, if he allowed it to go that far. But he
recovered quickly and turned it into a joke. Nailing on a smile, he said, “It
is.” He took a moment to enjoy surfing the shock waves rolling off his friend
before adding, “Serious lust. You know, the kind that results in sex that’s
mind-altering, not life-altering.”
Shit. The instant the words left his mouth,
he knew he’d taken the sarcasm too far. He’d left an opening big enough to
drive a truck through, and, as expected, Steve barreled in. “Dammit, Erik, it’s
been ten years. When are you gonna let it go and move on?”
Erik rolled his head in a circle, attempting
to loosen the muscles in his neck and shoulders that’d suddenly snapped into
tight bands. They’d had this conversation too many times to count, and he
didn’t want to have it again.
Not tonight.
Not ever.
Rather than delve into the past—a past he
couldn’t change or forget—he directed his attention across the room to
something much more pleasant.
Kat.
Kat stepped onto the small, private deck that
held one Adirondack chair and a small table. Taking a deep breath, she pulled
moist, electrified air into her lungs and watched the aggressive waves encroach
upon the beach, then break against the dunes in a thundering roar. Partial
moonlight peeked from behind a storm cloud and reflected off the water’s
surface. Lightning flashed nearby, and the sea oats swayed in the wind, all
combining to create an eerie but dramatically beautiful landscape. As raindrops
began to fall, she took another deep breath, then turned to head back inside.
Erik was standing in the middle of the room
next to the bed. He’d stripped off his shirt, his hands were dangling at his
sides, and he wore a dark and dangerous expression. “Come here.”
A shiver raced down her spine as nervous
anticipation sliced through her. She’d seen desire in a man’s eyes before, but
the fire in his transcended simple lust. And heaven help her, she was damn near
desperate for everything he offered. She pulled the door shut behind her, then
moved across the room toward him. The closer she got, the more she trembled and
the harder her heart pounded.
His pupils were dilated, and in the dim
lighting, his eyes looked like luminous sapphires. A streak of lightning
flashed and reflected off the dark orbs, so full of their own burning heat. The
house shook from the force of the thunderous boom, causing her to jump and
cease her forward motion.
She dropped her gaze to his bare shoulders
and chest, where the muscles bunched and flexed with his apparent impatience.
Her eyes raked across his well-defined abs and down the thin trail of dark hair
disappearing into the waistband of his pants. At the thought of tasting him,
she licked her lips.
His resolve must have snapped because he
closed the distance between them in one stride. He slid one hand through her
hair, then wrapped it tightly around his fist, while the other slipped around
her waist. His mouth crushed hers as his tongue pushed past her lips, demanding
complete and unlimited access. His tongue swept the inside of her mouth with an
insatiable hunger as his hand slid from her waist to her ass, then hauled her
body up tightly against his.
Despite the intensity of the kiss, she wanted
more. Needed more. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him to her
in desperation. He rewarded her by deepening the kiss and increasing the
thrusting tempo of his tongue. But then, something shifted within him, and he
suddenly broke away.
Breathing hard, he dropped his forehead to
the crook of her neck and whispered, “God help me.”
Confusion swamped her as she continued to
tremble and her breathing came in short, jerky gasps. She still had her arms
wrapped around his neck in a death grip, so she released him.
He slowly unraveled her hair from his fist,
took a few steps back, then flopped down on the edge of the bed. His chest
heaved with his labored breathing, his hands were clenched into tight fists,
and the muscles in his jaw worked overtime. Letting his gaze travel from her
bare feet to her eyes, he said, “Why don’t you undress for me?”
Bartender
Sunny Black had her head down in the beer chiller, her arm buried to the elbow
in ice, when she heard, “Can I get a blowjob, sex on the beach, and a screaming
orgasm, please?”
She rolled her eyes and continued to shift
bottles in the cooler without responding. She really needed a better system for
taking inventory.
The problem?
Bent over like this, her ass stuck straight
up in the air, which seemed to be an open invitation for assholes to hit on her
by ordering the raunchiest drink names they could think of. Hard to believe
these guys thought she hadn’t heard it all before.
She’d been hoping for a quiet night, so she
could close up early. But Mr. Hardy-har-har undoubtedly had a posse—jerks
always traveled in packs—and they always stayed until last call, using every
available minute to get as drunk and obnoxious as possible. She’d be lucky if
she got out of here before midnight.
She shifted the Budweisers to the side and
resumed counting. Seven. Eight. Nine. Ten.
“Ma’am, did you hear me?”
With her free hand, she pulled the Dum-Dum
out of her mouth and licked the sticky from her lips. “Look, Romeo,” she said,
tilting her head so her voice carried to him, rather than echoing around the
cooler, “I’ll give you five points for a nice, smooth voice. But you lose ten
for being a tad overzealous.”
She jammed the sucker back into her mouth and
resumed counting. Eleven. Twelve. Thirteen.
“What the hell are you talking…” His voice
trailed off, and then roaring laughter settled over her like thick, heavy honey
drizzled on a piping hot biscuit.
He seemed genuinely amused, and she grew
curious enough about the man behind the laugh to risk an encouraging look. She
leaned back and lifted her head so she could see over the bar.
Holy cow. Even while slurping
on a saliva-inducing butterscotch sucker, her mouth went bone dry.
The guy’s features were amazing. The Great
Sculptor had pressed her thumbs into the flesh of his cheeks, then pulled an
upward stroke, leaving behind a slight indention, while at the same time
creating high, rugged cheekbones. His square jaw led to a square chin that
projected a strong, confident individual. His eyes were like brilliant
sapphires, topped by severe dark brows.
His features were sharp, and if not smiling,
he would appear harsh, hostile even. But softened by that grin, she found him
utterly—and literally—breathtaking.
“I think you misunderstood my request.” His
eyes twinkled with amusement.
As a bartender, Sunny met good-looking men on
a regular basis. Sometimes they tripped her trigger. Most of the time, they
didn’t. What she felt now catapulted beyond mild interest and ranked more like
an internal explosion capable of launching a rocket.
Her flirting game had been packed away so
long she wasn’t sure she still had it. And if so, she doubted she could find
all the pieces. But this guy… he made her want to sort through the game drawer
and find as much as possible.
The biting sting of ice—in which her arm was
still buried to the elbow—cut through the lustful haze, and her muscle jerked
involuntarily. She glanced down, trying to remember what she was doing prior to
having her motherboard fried.
Inventory. Right.
Her cheeks blazed with the embarrassment of
her obvious attraction, and she could only imagine the glow they were putting
off. She bit down on the sucker, then tossed the empty stick in the trashcan by
her feet. “Sorry for being a smart-ass. Let me finish this and”—she smiled, and
searched for a flirty tone—“I’ll take care of you.”
His blue eyes darkened, and his eyelids
relaxed. A slow, rakish smile crept across his full lips, causing the tiny
cleft in the center of his chin to deepen. “I look forward to that.”
Damn. If they weren’t
talking drinks, this would be the opportunity of a lifetime.
When she finished counting the beers, she
patted her arm dry and grabbed three shot glasses off the shelf. She sensed him
watching her every move, and her skin heated under his scrutiny. He wasn’t
excessively tall, maybe six feet, but his presence seemed to dominate her
five-foot-four frame.
She wasn’t easily intimidated, but the
confidence and power he emanated, combined with the raw sexuality she’d
glimpsed a moment ago, made her knees weak.
Just once, I want to
have sex with a man like that.
Excerpt #2
Gavin took a step closer, then paused,
gauging her reaction. When she didn’t back away, he took another step. And
another. Caught in the grips of his simmering stare, her skin tingled, her
panties dampened, and her breasts grew heavy.
The warmth of his body and the spicy scent of
his aftershave pulled her to him like a magnet. When she was close enough to
see the individual whiskers of his five o’clock shadow, she realized how far
forward she’d swayed. She tensed, forcing the forward momentum to halt, then
stepped back until she bumped the counter with her butt.
His sapphire eyes turned to midnight as the
pupils dilated. His throat worked, and his nostrils flared. He closed the
distance between them and rested his palms against the counter at her sides,
boxing her in. Even though he wasn’t touching her, his body heat mixed with
hers, and the temperature in the room rose twenty degrees. Her palms grew
sweaty and perspiration popped out on her neck and forehead.
Could anything be more unattractive? She
reached under his arm and slid the top of the beer cooler open. As a rush of
cool air swept over her, she sighed with relief.
She could tell from his grin and the glint in
his eyes that she amused him, but that only lasted for a moment. The humor
quickly slipped away, and the sultry heat returned. He dipped his head and drew
in a deep breath. “You smell good. Like strawberries.” He nuzzled her neck,
then nibbled her ear.
The awkward nervousness she’d been feeling
gave way to hammering excitement. She’d always wanted a wild ride with a man
like him, or what she suspected he might be like. Her body recognized this was
her chance, and it responded with a resounding all systems go.
As adrenaline and excitement rippled through
her body, she started to tremble. She tightened her muscles so the shaking
wouldn’t be obvious, but he noticed anyway and pushed back to give her space.
He studied her face, then looked down at her
breasts. As hard and painful as her nipples were, they had to be visible
through the fabric of her halter-top, and she fought the urge to cross her arms
to cover herself. He made a soft, appreciative sound before flipping his gaze
to her face.
“For a minute I thought I’d frightened you.”
His voice was low and husky. “But you’re not scared, are you?”
She pressed her hand against the side of his
face and stroked the sharp ridge of his cheekbone with her thumb. “No. If
anything, I’m afraid of my strong reaction to you.”
But she sure as hell wasn’t going to let a
little fear stop her from getting on this ride.
Crossing Lines: Heat
Wave Series #3
Mirrored shades served several functions. They looked
cool. They protected the eyes. And they provided the perfect cover for sizing
up a man’s ass.
Sam Wallace always found work boots sexy, and
as Kevin Mazze stormed across the parking lot, he screamed sex with a capital S. His powerful strides were like those of a lion as he moved
with authorial grace through the concrete jungle he ruled, commanding attention
and respect.
A sigh slipped from her lips as she followed
the roll of his shoulders under his light-blue button-down shirt and the sway
of the soft, well-worn denim.
He was the man her mama warned her about.
The one her friend, Cheri, begged her to
find.
When angry, his eyes were cold and hard and
his lips compressed into a sharp, thin line. But when he smiled, those steely
eyes turned soft and gooey, like rich, dark chocolate, and his bottom lip grew
thick and plump, perfect for nibbling.
The whole package reminded her of fresh-baked
chocolate chip cookies, and her mouth watered for a bite.
She hadn’t been with a man since her
piece-of-shit ex walked out. And even though Cheri encouraged her to find one,
Sam steadfastly refused. She didn’t need a man… At least, that’s what she
claimed.
Kevin Mazze, however, put a little purr in
her motor and made her want to take a test drive.
He wasn’t wearing a ring—not that she’d been
looking. She just happened to notice his finger was bare as he silenced his
phone… Right before she saw the dark, curling chest hair peeking over the open
top button of his shirt… Which she noticed when she snapped her gaze upward in
an attempt to not get caught staring at his crotch… Which definitely snagged
her attention.
Oh hell, who was she kidding? Everything
about Mazze called to her on a deeply feminine level, guaranteeing him a
starring role in all future fantasies.
“You’ll have to overlook his irritability,”
Wade said, interrupting her thoughts. “He’s on edge because of the wedding.”
Her heart sank with the sound of screeching
tires, signaling an end to her dreams before they even got started. “Oh, yeah?
Who’s the lucky girl?” Realizing that might come across more forward than she
intended, she turned to Wade to clarify.
Before she could formulate her defense as
nothing more than a figure of speech, Wade said, “Oh, no. I doubt Wildman will
ever marry.” He laughed nervously. “He’s planning my wedding.”
A ridiculous image of Mazze in a yellow
sundress, wearing a matching hat and white gloves, directing the flower girl
and bridesmaid from the back of a church, flashed through her mind. The scene
was straight out of a bad horror movie and completely incongruous with the
real-life, testosterone-driven flesh and blood.
The closest Mazze probably ever came to a
dress was while removing one. Patience didn’t seem his strong suit, so rather
than dealing with delicate buttons or sticky zippers, she imagined he would
just rip and strip.
Kinda makes a girl
want to go out and buy a dress.
Crossing Lines: Heat
Wave Series #3
Several minutes later, Kevin returned with a
bottle of pain reliever and a soft-sided cooler. He unzipped the top, set a
Budweiser on the ground at his feet, and grabbed a bottle of water. Holding it
out to Sam, he said, “Sure you don’t want something stronger?”
A Miller Lite top peeking out of the ice had
her biting her lip, reconsidering. The water would be the smart choice, but if
she drank a beer, she’d have another excuse not to drive, at least for a while.
Better still, it might give her the courage she needed to make her move.
“Okay, you’ve convinced me,” she said,
pointing to the blue and gold cap. “I’ll take the Lite, instead.”
“Man,” Kevin said as he swiped the back of
his hand over his brow. “That was a tough sale.” He popped the top loose and
handed her the bottle. “I have plenty more in the house, so drink all you
like.”
She grinned and washed the ibuprofen down
with the beer. “This’ll do me. I’m a cheap drunk on a good day. Combined with
the drugs, if I have more than this, Michaela and I will have to crash on your
couch.”
He chewed the inside corner of his mouth as
his gaze crawled from her legs to her neck. After a quick shake of his head and
a long, long pull on his beer, he swung his legs up on his
chaise. He stretched one out in front and bent the one closest to her to use as
a prop for his forearm.
“I’ve been wondering about something.”
“My amazing athletic ability?”
His grin was quick and fleeting before he
sobered and shook his head. “Tell me about your boots.”
What? My boobs?
What the hell was she supposed to say about
her boobs?
While she sputtered, looking for an appropriate
response, he said, “You’ve obviously had them for a while and didn’t get them
strictly for this job.”
Oh my God. She burst into
laughter. And here she thought he’d be Mr. Smooth-moves. “That’s the most
original, and ludicrous, come-on I’ve ever heard.” She slipped her hands under
her larger-than-average boobs and gave the girls a proud little lift. “Nope, I
didn’t get them just for this job. I’ve had them since I was about eleven,
maybe twelve. I don’t remember exactly how old.”
Kevin’s mouth dropped open and his eyebrows
rose in surprised interest as his eyes followed the lift and bounce. When the
girls settled back into place, he shifted his gaze to hers with the funniest
what-the-fuck expression she’d ever seen. He blinked a few times before his face
lit up and he threw his head back, laughter pouring out of him. After several
moments of unsuccessfully trying to contain his amusement, he took a few deep
breaths and wiped his hand over his eyes.
“I think you misunderstood.”
He took another deep breath, followed by a
long draw on his bottle. After a slow exhale, he seemed satisfied he had
himself under control, so he tried again.
“Boots. B-O-O-T-S. Tell me about your boots.”
Sam froze with her beer lodged against her
lips. “My boots?” Her high-pitched squeak echoed around the bottle as flames
licked at her neck and spread over her face.
Shit, he hadn’t been coming on to her at all.
He was talking about her work boots. It was her
gutterbrain that turned an innocent question into sexual play. She squeezed her
eyes shut and drained her beer.
“I don’t know what to say about my boots any
more than I did my boobs.” She laughed nervously. “Other than to confirm, yes,
I’ve had them for a while… although not quite as long as my boobs. And no, I
didn’t get them just for this job.”
Kevin reached into the cooler, drug another
Lite out of the ice, and popped the top. “Here, have another. This is getting
good.”
Going All In: Heat
Wave Series #4
As they made the short ride from The Bellamy to Five Guys,
Callie forced herself to ignore how much space Wade took up in the seat, the
way the interior of the work truck carried his unique scent, or the
condensation forming on the windows. The patches of fog reminded her of the
scalding hot car scene from Titanic, and the urge to
recreate the scene, here and now, had her shifting uncomfortably in the seat.
Lord, her head was a hot mess, and not just
because the rain and humidity had turned her natural curls into a tangled rat’s
nest. Her cranial scrambled eggs had nothing to do with the weather and
everything to do with the perplexing man beside her. The morning started off as
she expected, with Wade being surly and gruff. But as the day wore on, his
hostility lessened and gradually slid down the scale to… something else.
However, because of her limited experience
with men and her inability to see situations clearly, she couldn’t figure out
what the something else was. In direct proportion to his
lessening wildebeest impression, she caught rare glimpses of his true nature,
things she’d never been privileged to see before. Like the soul-deep kindness
that radiated from his eyes when he was concerned about her hurting herself by
trying to lift too much. Or the way his soft, sensual lips pulled higher on one
side when he smiled, giving him the appearance of a mischievous little boy.
An impression that was quickly dispelled when
the eye wandered lower than his mouth. One look at his large, hard body proved
there was absolutely nothing boyish about Wade Neumann.
He also seemed to be noticing her in a way he
never had before, and based on the scowl that usually followed one of his
heated glances, he wasn’t pleased about the newfound interest.
Callie had a reputation for being a prude,
and she’d never been more dismayed about the validity of that reputation than
now. If she were like Jen—whose moral compass had been zapped by the same
unknown forces that caused planes and ships to disappear in the Bermuda
Triangle—she’d know exactly what to do to capture and hold his attention.
But she wasn’t like Jen, and she was
clueless.
Going All In: Heat
Wave Series #2
She hadn’t been to church since she was a
little girl, but she found herself saying a prayer of thanks when she returned
to find him seated on the couch, arms stretched out along the back, legs kicked
out in front and crossed at the ankles.
He was the sexiest man she’d ever
encountered, the potency made even stronger and more dangerous by his easy
confidence. He was totally at ease, while she felt like a cat that had been
rolling around in a field of catnip all day. Her eyes and thoughts bounced
here, there, and everywhere, trying to figure out the best place to sit.
The chairs across from the sofa were too far
away and would knock out any chance for more of those spontaneous kisses or
snuggling and cuddling. If she sat next to him, he’d have to turn sideways to
look at her and that would quickly get awkward and uncomfortable for both of
them. She bit down on the inside of her lip as her gaze settled on his lap.
She’d grown comfortable sitting on him at the campground, so why not go with
what worked?
She planted a knee on one side of him,
straddled his legs, then settled onto his thighs.
His eyes danced with humor as he tilted his
head to the side and grinned at her. “Comfy?”
“No. Not yet.” She scooted around, trying to
find a soft spot on a man who was all hard muscle. “I’m trying to find a soft
spot.”
The muscles in his jaw tightened as he
clenched his teeth and gripped her waist, stilling her. “Sweetheart, there
isn’t going to be a soft spot if you keep wiggling your ass around like that.”
She froze and a gust of heat swept through
her. Without conscious thought, her gaze dropped to his lap, and she sucked in
a breath as the proof of his words appeared beneath the thick denim fly of his
jeans.
His raw masculinity and deeply primal nature
melted her ultra-conservative shell, allowing her to be more aggressive than
ever before. Her hands burned with the need to touch him, so she started with
something relatively safe and familiar—his chest. As she made broad sweeping
strokes across the soft cotton fabric of his T-shirt, the heat radiating from
him seeped into her palms and turned to lava in her veins.
Even though he wasn’t making any moves of his
own, she quickly realized that didn’t mean he was less involved. The rapid rise
and fall of his chest and the way his nostrils occasionally flared showed his
struggle to control his breathing and possibly even himself.
His reaction bolstered her confidence, so she
continued her exploration, going up to his collarbone, then down to his pecs.
When her fingers swept across the rigid peak of his nipple, he sucked in a
sharp breath and stilled completely.
Unsure if the reaction was positive or
negative, she ran a quick body scan, searching for clues. The fluttering
heartbeat in his neck along with the rapid-fire rise and fall of his chest
seemed encouraging, so she lifted her gaze to his face. The hot, searing hunger
flowing from his eyes scorched her and stole her breath.
That look, right there, filled with blazing
intensity and desire for her, was something she’d longed to see all of her
adult life but had begun to fear she’d never experience.
The carnal longing pouring from him fed her
hunger and drove her to continue her exploration. She’d never taken the time—or
been given the opportunity—to study a man like this before, and she was
fascinated by the breadth of his chest and the sharp ridges and hard lines of
his shoulders. There wasn’t enough space between them to allow her to move
lower, so she braced a hand against him and slid back to the edge of his knees.
Her fingers bumped across the ridges of his
ribs and abs until she ran into the cool edge of his belt buckle. His
relaxed-fit jeans were no longer relaxed, and adrenaline zinged through her at
seeing how strongly she affected him.
She wanted to continue, but this was well
beyond her comfort zone, and fear and insecurity crept in, stealing her
confidence and slowing her progress. She paused with her hand on his belt
buckle and flipped her gaze to his, silently seeking permission to continue.
Her stomach lurched and nausea rose to her
throat as she studied his expression. He had his head cocked to the side,
looking at her through hooded lashes, but something in his expression told her
to be prepared.
Rejection loomed on the horizon.
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