eyond Desire Collection

by JS Scott, M Malone, Marie Hall, et al

  She craned her neck and looked at him, his emerald green eyes watching her carefully. Just as it had years ago, his handsome face took her breath away. He’d always reminded her of some ancient blond god, so damn perfect that his body and features should be carved in marble. However, at the moment, he might be as hard as marble, but he was far from cold. Heat emanated from his body in waves, his eyes just as fiery and molten. “Go fuck yourself, Hudson.”

  Sam’s lips turned up, twitching precariously like he was trying not to grin. His hands splayed over her back, pulling her body completely into his as he whispered into her ear, “I’d rather fuck you, Sunshine. Much more satisfying. You’re still the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. Even more beautiful than you were years ago.”

  Liar. He’s such a damn liar. If I had been so desirable he wouldn’t have done what he did. “Let go and get the hell out of my office.” The bastard was playing her, and it was intolerable. She wasn’t beautiful and she was nothing like the twiggy blonde models that he sported on his arm and took to his bed.

  “Kiss me first. Prove to me that there isn’t something left unfinished between us,” Sam answered, his dark green eyes lit with sparks of fire, his voice hard and demanding.

  “The only thing left unfinished is the fact that you never even said you were sorry for what you did. You didn’t give a damn. You didn’t-”

  Maddie never got a chance to finish. Sam’s hot, hard mouth smothered her bitter words, never asking, only demanding her response. His large, agile hands moved down her back, grasping her ass and lifting her to a sitting position on the desk, making it easier for him to devour her mouth.

  Sam never just kissed: he branded, he claimed. Maddie moaned into his mouth as his tongue entered and retreated, entered and retreated, until she was breathless. Surrendering, her arms wound around his neck, her hands fisting his silken wavy locks of hair, savoring the fall of softness over her fingertips.

  Wrapping her legs around his hips, needing to somehow find an anchor to keep her from drifting away in a tidal wave of lust, she allowed her tongue to duel with his, feeling his arousal against her heated core. Her hips surged against his erection with every hard thrust of his tongue.

  Sam groaned, his hands delving under her sweatshirt, his fingertips stroking over the bare skin of her back, making her shiver with longing.

  Maddie was drowning, lost in a sea of desire and need, slowly being pulled under the surface by a force stronger than her will.

  I have to stop. This has to end before I’m completely lost.

  Yanking her head back, her mouth disconnected from Sam’s, leaving her panting for oxygen and completely shaken. Sam pulled her head forward to rest against his heaving chest.

  “Shit. Maddie. Maddie,” he choked out, one hand spearing into her curls, stroking her hair reverently.

  Oh, God. No. She couldn’t be sucked in by Sam Hudson again. Not in any way. She shoved hard against his chest, twisting away and lowering her legs until her feet hit the floor. “Get off me.”

  Fury built to a raging inferno inside her. How dare he use her, play with her because he was bored and she was the only available female in the building? Sam Hudson was a playboy, a man who took women to his bed and discarded them, finding another plaything soon after he was done with the last one. Did the man have a conscience? Did he care about no one but himself?

  Maddie wanted to curl up into a little ball to protect herself, shamed by the way she had responded to Sam even though he was a complete dog. What kind of a person did that make her?

  She shrugged away from him, turning to sprint for the door.

  “Maddie. Wait.” Sam’s voice was husky, pleading, demanding.

  He grasped her arm, swinging her to face him before she was able to get to the door. Maddie glared at him, her fury and fear battling for dominance. “Don’t touch me again. Ever. I’m not the stupid, naïve woman you once knew. I trusted you once, and I forgave myself because I was young. I won’t do it again. I don’t have the excuse of youth to even justify being that stupid.”

  “You still want me,” Sam answered vehemently, his eyes raking over her body, settling on her face.

  Looking him straight in the eye, she answered angrily, “No, I don’t. My body might respond to a gorgeous man, but it’s just physiological, a sexual reaction. You,” she poked a hand to his chest as she spat out, “mean absolutely nothing to me anymore.”

  “You want me to fuck you until you scream. I can still make you purr, Kitten,” he told her arrogantly, a satisfied smirk on his face.

  She shrugged, trying to force down her violent desire to slap the conceited look from his handsome face. “I wouldn’t know. You’ve never fucked me. And you never will.”

  Wrenching her arm from his hold, Maddie vaulted through the office door, scooping her jacket from the hook by the reception desk and bolting through the lobby and out the front door of the clinic. Maddie didn’t look back. She couldn’t. One of Hudson’s security officers escorted her to her car and Maddie drove away like she was a convicted criminal with the law on her tail, wanting nothing more than to get as far away from Sam as she could possibly get.

  Maddie drove in a daze, two words playing through her hazy brain like a broken record.

  Never again.

  Never again.

  ***

  Sam Hudson walked slowly through the reception area of the clinic, lost in his own thoughts. What the hell had just happened? He’d stopped to see if Maddie was okay, concerned that she was still at the clinic so late, a quick stop to make sure all was okay. Damn. Could he ever see the woman and not want to possess her, make her want him as much as he wanted her.

  You’ve never gotten over her. You probably never will. She’s haunted you for years. She got under your skin like a sliver of wood that’s always a little bit raw and irritated, never working its way out again.

  Stepping outside, Sam closed the outside door behind him. He glanced at one of his security officers. “Can you lock up?”

  The man nodded. “Yes sir. Hope your meeting with Dr. Reynolds went okay.”

  Sam barked a humorless, self-mocking laugh. “Yeah. It was very informative.” He lifted a hand to the other guards as he departed, making his way to his vehicle.

  Yep. That meeting had gone really well, he thought darkly as he stepped into his Bugatti and started the engine.

  You never even said you were sorry.

  Her words tormented him, would probably always torture him now. “Fuck!” Sam slammed his fist against the steering wheel in frustration. Nope. He hadn’t ever said he was sorry. Then again, Maddie had never given him the chance. Still, he should have said it, found a way to apologize. He hadn’t had a chance back then, and he had just blown his second chance a few minutes ago.

  What was it about Maddie that made him lose his reason?

  You’re acting like an asshole because she doesn’t really care about you anymore and it’s eating you alive. You might be able to have her body if you seduce her…but never her heart. Never again.

  Once, years ago, Maddie had looked at him with eyes that sparkled with admiration, adoration. One stupid action, one idiotic incident, and he had washed that look from her beautiful eyes forever.

  Leaning his forehead against the steering wheel, he closed his eyes, still able to picture the Maddie who had looked at him with respect and affection even when he hadn’t had two pennies to rub together. It was ironic: now that he was one of the wealthiest men in the world, that she eyed him like a bug that needed to be squashed, a rodent that needed to be exterminated.

  You’ll see her again. She’ll be forced to talk to you for Simon and Kara’s wedding. The wedding was being held in his home, so Maddie wouldn’t have a choice. He was the best man and she was the maid of honor. Maddie would have to at least be civil, and Sam knew she would. She was considerate and loyal to anyone she considered a friend. Her own feelings would take a back seat to making sure Kara had a happy wedding, one wi
th no hassles or ugliness.

  And no matter how Maddie treats me, no matter how she looks at me, I won’t be a dick to her.

  Sam sat back in his seat with a heavy sigh and put his car in gear, wondering if that were even possible anymore. Truth was, the years had changed him, made him into a man that he wasn’t at all certain he liked anymore.

  Find a woman, someone to take your mind off Maddie.

  Snapping his seatbelt on as he backed out of the parking space, Sam took a deep breath and ran through a mental list of willing females…until he caught a tantalizing smell, an elusive scent that clung tenaciously to his sweater. Her fragrance. A reminder of what had just occurred in her office.

  “Fuck! I can’t do it. I can’t be with another woman. Not now,” he whispered to himself, pissed off that he had kissed her, felt her lush curves against his body. Now, thinking about spending the night in the bed of any other woman but Maddie left him cold.

  Sam braked his vehicle at the exit of the parking lot, glancing quickly at his watch, grinning as he turned left instead of right, headed toward Simon’s condo.

  It was time.

  Simon had called him earlier, informing Sam that he was going to be an uncle, and asking for a favor, which was a complete rarity for Simon. Honestly, there was nothing Sam wouldn’t do for his little brother. He had failed to protect Simon once, and it wasn’t happening ever again. Whatever Simon needed, he’d be there for him.

  Thank God Simon had found Kara. Sam adored his brother’s fiancée, wanting to kiss the ground she walked on because she loved his little brother unconditionally, made Simon happier than Sam had ever seen him. And Simon deserved that happiness, that kind of devotion from a woman. Unfortunately, watching Simon and Kara together made Sam realize just how empty his own life was, how desolate and superficial his existence had become.

  Kissing Maddie, holding her again after all those years, had made things even worse. It was like something was awakening deep inside him, a sensation that was familiar, yet not. Certainly, it wasn’t comfortable.

  Forget her. Forget what it felt like to lose yourself in Maddie’s softness, her scent, the feel of her lush curves and deliciously eager mouth.

  Sam cursed, knowing he’d be sleeping alone tonight, taking himself in hand as he fantasized about Maddie. And this time, those memories would be much more vivid, newer, more real than ever before.

  Fuck! He was so completely screwed…and definitely not in a good way.

  Chapter Five

  “Yes!”

  Kara punched her fist in the air, ecstatic that she had finally conquered the first level of Simon’s new game. Actually, her new game, the computer game Simon had designed especially for her, named after her. The Adventures Of Kara was awesome, not that she was surprised. Her fiancé was a freaking genius, and every game that he designed was unique. It was no wonder that she was completely addicted to anything Simon created.

  Running a hand over the computer screen, she sighed. What man would spend countless hours on a game designed especially for her, a game that he never intended to reveal to the world?

  Only Simon.

  Kara swung the computer chair slightly, glancing at the clock. Oops. She had spent more time than she had intended in the computer lab once she had gotten involved in the game. But it was so incredible, so damn addictive.

  The new computer game had been a Valentine gift from Simon, one of many, a present that she would always cherish because Simon had done this himself, probably spent weeks of his nearly nonexistent spare time designing it just to amuse her. Simon had led her up here over an hour ago to surprise her. He had left, grinning broadly, when she had sat down in the computer chair, unable to wait before trying to master one of his creations.

  Kara shut the computer down eagerly, ready to find Simon and thank him properly. The diamond on her left hand caught the abundant light in the room, glittering brightly, making her heart contract painfully.

  Simon’s mine. We’re going to be married. Have a child together.

  Her sadness and hesitation had dissolved like they had never existed. Kara felt like herself again with Simon. She realized that her irrational fears had to do with the fact that she had suspected she was pregnant and hadn’t wanted to acknowledge it, afraid of Simon’s reaction to the news. She should have known better. Really, when had the man she loved ever disappointed her? If anything, he was way more protective than he needed to be. But that was Simon, and Kara loved everything about him, even when his high-handed dominance pissed her off.

  Kara smirked, thinking about his promise to try not to be so domineering and controlling. He’d been good all afternoon and evening, taking care of her, making love to her gently, as though she would break because she was pregnant. The intimacy and tenderness had been comforting, something she had needed after the turbulent emotions she had experienced the last few weeks. However…she was about to tweak her alpha. Simon’s sexual dominance was something she not only enjoyed, but reveled in. He was one half tenderness and the other half complete testosterone. It was time for her caveman to come out and play.

  She stood, pulling the red silk robe she was wearing tighter around her body. It was strange that she hadn’t seen Simon in over an hour. Usually, he would sit with her, work on one of his games while she played on the usage computer in the lab.

  Her bare feet didn’t make a sound on the plush carpet as she padded down the stairs, her freshly painted toenails peeking out from under the robe as she went. Looking down at her feet as she took the last step, she decided that maybe she would go for a pedicure again in the future. Her feet were smooth and it had been really relaxing. Maybe she and Maddie could go right before her wedding.

  Her wedding. Simon was going to be her husband. Kara Hudson was a name she’d always carry proudly, knowing the sacrifice that both brothers had made to achieve their status.

  “Simon?” Kara called to him as she entered the kitchen, perplexed when she didn’t find him there. Surely he wasn’t asleep. He never went to bed without her.

  “In the bedroom, come here,” Simon called hoarsely, demandingly.

  A small smile formed on her lips as she moved toward their bedroom. Simon rarely asked; he instructed. Kara complied when she wanted to, and right now she felt compelled to follow his instructions. Curious, she wandered down the hallway. The door to the bedroom was partially closed, swinging open soundlessly as she placed her palm on the wood and pushed gently.

  She gasped as her eyes landed on Simon, clad in nothing but her lucky penny on a gold chain and a pair of silk Valentine boxer shorts decorated with hearts and devils, completely bound to the bed. Heart racing, she rushed to the bed. “Simon, what are you doing?”

  Kara had been in the restraints herself several times, once because it was the only way that Simon could have sex, and later just because it was erotic and sexy. Considering Simon’s history, she couldn’t believe what she was seeing. She blinked, and blinked again.

  Both of his hands were restrained, but he opened one of his fists, revealing one of the heart-wishes she gave him every holiday, a tiny paper heart, good for one wish, one thing that he wanted from her. The tiny paper fluttered in his hand. “I wish you would believe that I trust you completely.”

  “No, Simon. No.” Kara climbed onto the bed, tearing at the restraints in a frenzy of fear and panic, but the bindings held fast. Frustrated, realizing that she wasn’t completely sure how to get them loose, she begged him, “Tell me how to release these.” Desperate, she jerked hard on one of the arm restraints, needing to free him, not able to see him helpless. This had to be killing him. Damn him. Was there nothing he wouldn’t suffer just to prove himself to her? “You didn’t need to do this. I do trust you completely.”

  “Kara, stop. Now. Before you hurt yourself” His voice was stern, rigid in a way that she had never heard from him before. And it stopped her in her tracks. In a more relaxed tone he added, “I’m not uncomfortable. Well…except for some minor s
welling.”

  Kara slapped a hand over her racing heart and looked at Simon’s face for the first time since she had entered the room. He was…smiling. A complete shit-eating grin that made her relax slightly and examine the situation. Holy hotness, the man was sexy as sin. All four of his limbs were bound and there was nothing on the bed except his body and the black silk fitted sheet beneath him. The black boxers were new, one of her many Valentine gifts to him this year, and they molded over his erection perfectly.

  His erection? Simon was actually aroused? How was that possible? With his history, the things that had happened to him, how could he do this without emotional pain and distress? Searching Simon’s face for any sign of discomfort, she found…none. His eyes were hot, devouring her, without a trace of unease.

  “How did you do this? How is it possible to put yourself into these things?” All four of his limbs were bound snugly, judging by the lack of give when she had been yanking on them.

  “Sam,” Simon answered in a disgruntled voice. “I think the bastard enjoyed making them as tight as possible.”

  Slapping a hand over her mouth, Kara tried to stop a delighted giggle from escaping her lips…and failed. “Your brother did this?”

  “I’m sure I’ll never hear the end of it. I wanted to be naked, but he insisted that I cover my family jewels so he wouldn’t go blind,” Simon answered, unhappy.

  Oh God, Kara would have given anything to see that event while it was taking place. She could only imagine Sam tying his brother to a bed, insisting that he cover his privates. Sam didn’t know all of Simon’s secrets, so he had probably just considered the situation odd, something he could tease his little brother about eternally, rather than finding it alarming. “I can’t believe you did this.” She plucked the heart from his palm and tore it up, throwing the tiny pieces over her shoulder. “Wish granted. But I already trust you completely, Simon. I told you it was hormones. And I’ve done some thinking. I realize now how my actions could have seemed like rejection or doubt to you, but it was my issue, not yours.”