eyond Desire Collection

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

  Nobody expected me to go there. “I’d never been to Asia. Thought it might be fun.”

  “Odd choice for a career-minded white woman.”

  “Oh, that part wasn’t too bad. You do your work, you get your promotions.”

  “But then you left. So something must have soured you on the place.”

  “No, I left because it was time to try something else. Hours can get old fast.”

  “Even when you’re a VP?”

  “Even then. Just because I was good at my job doesn’t mean I wanted to do it for the rest of my life.” She tapped the rim of her wine glass. “Your turn. Why are you in Virginia? Global Strategies is headquartered in New York City, right? If you’re filling in for the CEO, shouldn’t you be there?”

  “Don’t have to physically be there to get the work done. Also, I’ve been out of the country for a while, and my mother lives nearby in Maryland.”

  His mother. Who undoubtedly doted on him.

  “How about you,” Ethan asked. “Any family around here?”

  The rest of the dinner went in a similar vein, Ethan gently probing for information about her, and she parrying with polite answers that revealed very little. He was persistent, but forthcoming when she asked him questions, as though daring her to match his frankness. Well, let him wait. A girl needed a secret or two, and Kerri didn’t bow to pressure when it concerned her personal life.

  Still, she couldn’t remember the last time she’d enjoyed herself as much.

  Hours later, he pulled her chair out, helped her stand. “You sure you don’t want me to help you clean up?” Kerri asked.

  “Nah. I’ll just let the plates soak. Housekeeping’s coming tomorrow.”

  A smile lingered on her lips as she gazed up at him. “Thank you for the lovely time, Ethan.”

  One of his hands rested on the back of her chair, the other held hers. He looked directly into her eyes, and just like that the charge in the air altered, electrified.

  Her heart tempo picked up. Their breaths mingled in the small distance between them. Something fluttered in her belly—a hunger for him.

  All she wanted was his body, nothing more. This was lust, pure and simple. Two mature, intelligent adults interested in making each other feel good.

  He slid the hand down to her wrist, his warm thumb resting against the rapid beat of her pulse. “So,” he murmured, his lips tantalizingly close to hers. A millimeter more and they would graze against each other.

  She couldn’t speak, not with her blood hot, thick and roaring in her head.

  He closed the gap.

  All her senses sharpened and focused as their mouths fused. His lips were firm and persuasive, molding her softer ones to his. Sudden heat suffusing her body left her tingling and needy from head to toe. The memories hadn’t been romanticized at all. They were actually a pale shadow of reality.

  Still, once they slept together and the sexual tension dissipated, she wouldn’t want him like this anymore. She’d be firmly back in control of her body and its reaction to him.

  Wouldn’t she?

  Her hands sought out his wide shoulders, her nails digging possessively into the hard muscles. She didn’t want to let him go, not tonight. She’d been responsible for putting seven long years between them since their last time. Surely she deserved one night of decadence.

  He placed his hand on the small of her back, pulling her closer to his tall, powerful frame. His thick, hard length pressed against her belly. It made her feel sexy and feminine. This man—this gorgeous semi-stranger—wanted her as much as she wanted him. She opened her mouth and sucked on his tongue, while her leg came up almost of its own accord to rub along his.

  He crushed her to him, and her world tilted as he picked her up in what she knew was a prelude to ravishment.

  He carried her to his bedroom and kicked the door open, all the while continuing the kiss. Her mind no longer functioned, her body so focused on the promise of what was to come, his erection, his intent. He placed her on the bed, the silken sheets cool and sensuous against her bare neck and arms. His trembling fingers pulled her top and pants away, unwrapping her like a Christmas gift. Then he stood back and admired her body in the matching bra and thong.

  “If I’d known what you were wearing this whole time, we might have skipped dinner.”

  She gave him an impish smile.

  He covered her body with his still fully clothed one, looking into her eyes. “No second thoughts?”

  “Ethan… Shut up and deal.”

  He kissed her again, this time more intensely. He was no longer seducing her, but taking her like it was his right. She loved the assertiveness, the sure masterfulness of his mouth and hands as they explored the contours of her body. She turned her head to give him better access to her neck. His hot breath fanned against her pulse, and she willed him to understand just how much she wanted this. Wanted him.

  He undid the clasp of her bra, pushed it up over her breasts and slowly rubbed her nipples against his shirt. She moaned at the delectable friction as waves of heat went streaking to the junction of her thighs. Yet it wasn’t enough. She wanted—

  His mouth closed on a nipple. She arched her back, her fingers cupping the back of his head. He sucked, his mouth hot, wet and savage. Her legs parted and her hips surged up, cradling his erection in the molten core of her sex.

  “Ethan, please,” she whispered. “Now!”

  ***

  Not now, but soon, he thought. Very soon. And then again and again after that.

  Ethan intended to make her orgasm so often she forgot her own name. Wouldn’t notice if the roof fell in.

  Her beautiful eyes were full of heat but also underlying thoughts and calculation, and the latter simply wouldn’t do. The only thing on her mind by the time he was done would be him. Just him.

  He gently rolled the other nipple between his long fingers, loving the way her breath hitched and shuddered in response. She undulated beneath him, and he could feel her searing heat even through his pants. Unable to resist, he ran his thumb along the crease of her sex and groaned at how wet and ready she was for him.

  “Oh my god, do that again,” she breathed.

  He obliged.

  Her breath became rough with need. A thin sheen of sweat coated her as heat flushed her delicate porcelain skin.

  Ethan pulled back for a moment to drink her in. Her eyes were dark with passion, glazed with mindless want. Her body moved to the rhythm of his thumb rubbing against her moist sex. She was without shame or inhibition, giving herself completely to the passion of the moment. There was honesty in her response, all seething heat that nothing could disguise or deflect.

  He inhaled her scent at the spot where her neck and shoulder met. She smelled incredible—soft floral and pure femininity. His cock throbbed as sensual intoxication clouded his mind, but he reined himself in. He wasn’t going to ruin it with impatience. They had all night. Hell, they had all week.

  He flung his clothes off, needing to feel her bare skin against his.

  His mouth ran down the elegant, sexy length of her body. His fingers followed, learning its contours, the curves and dips, burning them into his memory. Her legs parted wider, and the muscles in her flat stomach flexed.

  “Ethan.”

  He swore. He wanted to draw it out, but he couldn’t wait anymore, not when she looked at him with so much passion, not when her voice trembled with unfulfilled need. The original plan of making a single session of love last for hours was suddenly replaced by one in which they would both have several orgasms that night.

  He put a condom on and tore her thong apart. She was whispering “Hurry, hurry, hurry,” like a mantra.

  His bigger body covering hers, he surged inside her. She was so wet, so tight, he clenched his teeth trying to control himself. He wanted to make it good for her. If he didn’t get a hold of himself, it was going to end in the next five seconds.

  She angled her pelvis for deeper penetration and moved
. He wrapped his hands around her hips, guiding her to ensure she didn’t push him over the edge too soon.

  “You’re so hot,” he muttered. “If you don’t stop, it won’t be good for either of us.”

  She made a sound that was halfway between a laugh and a gasp. “Speak for yourself. It’s already plenty good.”

  “You have no idea what I have in mind for you.”

  He slowly withdrew, relishing the delicious way she clenched around him, trying to hold him inside. Then he surged back into her, loving the way her wet softness gave in to his hard length.

  She put a hand to the back of his head and kissed him, her mouth openly carnal as she devoured him. She sucked his tongue and used her other hand to grip his shoulder, her fingernails digging into his flesh. He grabbed her ass more firmly as he continued sliding in and out of her. He could feel the tightening of her body, her muscles starting to spasm as she spiraled closer and closer to her climax.

  At one strong savage thrust, she screamed his name, her back arching as she orgasmed in his arms. Heat suffused her, making her glow like a rose in full bloom. Her inner muscles rippled, milking him, and he couldn’t hold back any longer. He let go, a guttural groan escaping through his clenched teeth.

  He collapsed upon her for a few moments, then levered himself up on one elbow to ensure he didn’t crush her with his full weight. She had undone him with her honest and generous passion. He rested his forehead on hers until his breathing normalized, then rolled to his side, pulling her close. She fit perfectly against him, her beautiful soft body molding to his.

  Somehow, she was different from all the other women he’d been with. He didn’t know how or why. He was too out of breath, too immersed in the afterglow of mind-blowing pleasure to figure it out at the moment. The sex was even better than it had been all those years ago.

  This time he intended to hold on to her. She wouldn’t slip away again.

  Chapter Four

  Kerri lay on her side, dazed, with Ethan flush against her. Whatever she’d felt way back when hadn’t been a fluke. God, he really was just freaking amazingly good in bed, and she hadn’t been romanticizing the past in the slightest. If anything, he was even better than she remembered.

  Or maybe it was just added experience on his part. The thought made her a little less happy.

  His warm hand caressed her belly. She liked the weight of it. It was solid, comforting and seemed to create a new kind of connection between them.

  She swallowed, careful to keep her body relaxed. This was just a fling, a one-night stand—a repeater, of course, but a one-night stand nonetheless—with a man who made her heart beat a little faster. There was no shame in that. This was the twenty-first century, and she was a modern woman. She was no longer the young girl who tried to please others, passively waiting for approval from those around her.

  Having sex with Ethan was part of who she was—a woman who went after what she wanted. A woman in control.

  He kissed her shoulder. “You’re beautiful,” he murmured.

  She put a hand over his. “So are you.” She twisted so she could look at him.

  “Spend the night with me,” he said, already semi-hard against her.

  She gave him a feline smile and wrapped her hand around his cock, which instantly stiffened and grew to the point where her fingers couldn’t quite meet her thumb. “What do I get if I do?”

  “Let me show you,” Ethan said. And the magic began all over again.

  ***

  Kerri felt Ethan leave the bed. What time was it? The bedroom was still dark—maybe past three?

  He moved quietly, a phone clenched in his hand. She surreptitiously watched his gorgeous nude body, limned by streetlights from the outside. A set of shoulders wide enough to carry the weight of the world, then the thickly muscled chest, and the clean lines of his torso flowing into a tight ass and powerfully sculpted thighs and calves. The man was simply a work of art.

  She lay there and soon heard his low gravelly voice coming through the slightly ajar door. It didn’t sound like the call was going to be a quick one.

  The luxurious gold-trimmed sheet glided like silk against her skin as she pushed herself up. He’d asked her to spend the night with him. They’d already made love three times and slept for a bit. He had to be sated by now. Besides, she’d never said she would spend the entire night anyway. Her answer to his question had been a question, not a definite yes or no. She couldn’t be responsible for how he decided to interpret it.

  She gathered her clothes from where they lay strewn around the room. The thong wasn’t salvageable. Oh well, time to go commando. She shoved the fabric into her pants pocket and put on her outfit. The stilettos dangling from her fingers, she padded quietly past his study as his voice grew tense. She grabbed her purse from the dining room chair and quietly slipped out the door, putting her shoes on once she was in the hall outside his penthouse. She felt vaguely like a thief, stealing away, but there was no reason to stay. Why ruin a good night of sex with a bunch of sappy post-sex moments? She wasn’t good at them, and frankly, what could they possibly do in the morning? Have more sex? Engage in pointless small talk to alleviate the inevitable awkwardness? Make promises they would both know were lies?

  Leaving on a high—and clean—note was far better.

  The doorman looked at her with curiosity.

  “Any chance of catching a cab at this hour?” she asked.

  “Not a problem, ma’am. Lemme call you one.”

  She didn’t have to wait long. She slid inside the taxi and let out a breath. Spend an entire night at a boyfriend’s—or lover’s—place? Hadn’t happened yet, and probably never would. She preferred to keep things at a proper distance and didn’t plan on changing her ways, especially not for Ethan. She knew she’d been right to peg him as being unmanageable. When dealing with such men, it was even more imperative to stick to her rules: don’t get too attached; don’t give them any power over you; keep things in perspective. Rules that ensured nobody could ever hurt her again.

  ***

  “Anyway, Jacob’s missing. His stripper wife too. They—”

  “Wait, what?” Ethan blinked. “Catherine’s become a stripper?”

  “No, no. He apparently married some Vegas bimbo years ago. Some spur of the moment thing, but she showed up in Houston last week demanding to see him.”

  “What, at his house? Was Catherine there?”

  “No, thank god. At our office. But Catherine, ah, well…she’s not, ah, married to Jacob anymore. Technically speaking.” Simon Caldwell, an executive from The Lloyds Development, cleared his throat. “Actually, she was never his wife. He married this other woman before he met Catherine, and he didn’t, ah, resolve that union. So Catherine and Jacob’s marriage was never valid in the first place.”

  Ethan swore and kicked. His wheeled chair spun lazily.

  “Look, Ethan. We’re up against Sterling & Wilson on another critical bid, and there’s nobody here to steer TLD.”

  Ethan knew what that meant. Jacob was apparently MIA, and his family didn’t believe in letting strangers control their company; too many Lloyds depended on the dividends to maintain their lifestyles.

  “You haven’t been involved in running the company, but you’re next in line,” Simon continued.

  Ethan put his foot down, stopping the chair, and stared out the giant floor-to-ceiling glass wall. The neighborhood sparkled with night lights and traffic on I-66 flowing in and out of Washington DC. The oldest of the Lloyd siblings, Jacob had made sure his brothers and sister weren’t welcome in the family business. Ethan had joined the company after graduating from college, but left within two years when Jacob had made it clear Ethan’s presence was unwanted. It had been easier to step aside and avoid unnecessary conflict. Jacob could not only be stubborn but hot-tempered as well. There hadn’t been any reason to provoke him, especially when the business was doing well.

  “It’s not the first time TLD has gone up against Sterlin
g & Wilson, so it’s not like you don’t know what needs to be done. I’m not free at the moment to devote much time to a new project,” Ethan said, thinking of Global Strategies and glancing briefly at the wall adjacent to his bedroom.

  “I know, but you’re the second oldest and have the experience and business savvy. It makes sense that you take over until Jacob comes back.”

  Ethan tapped the arm of his chair with his index finger. What would they have done if he’d remained overseas? He’d been in charge of European operations at Global Strategies and worked out of its London office until a few months ago. There was always Gavin, his youngest brother, but he didn’t seem to get along with Jacob…or Catherine, for that matter. Gavin wouldn’t want to deal with TLD if Catherine remained in Houston or on the TLD board.

  “Have you tried Jacob’s cell or email?” Ethan asked.

  “We’ve tried everything. Messages go straight to voice mail. Email has so far been unanswered. We couldn’t locate him by the GPS on his car either. He left it at a motel in Louisiana. Probably using the stripper’s car now.”

  A stripper. From Vegas. What a cliché.

  Ethan rubbed his face, suddenly weary. “Catherine knows everything?” He needed to tell her if she didn’t. He didn’t like her much, but he didn’t relish having to give her the bad news.

  “I believe he texted her, so yes.”

  Ethan sighed, both disappointed and furious with his brother. A text? Jacob should’ve talked to her in person. That was the least she deserved after four years of marriage, even though it was no secret she was a gold-digger. Jacob hadn’t cared so long as he had a beautiful, well-bred wife to grace his home. And Catherine certainly did fit that particular bill.

  “How about Mother?”

  “I imagine Mrs. Lloyd has been informed by now,” Simon said carefully.

  And she would be upset. The Lloyd family matriarch put the well-being of the family over everything else. Ethan’s hand clenched. He hated it that he wasn’t going to be able to shield his mother from the taint of the scandal. People would talk, that was inevitable. And there was nothing good about the situation, no way to put a better spin on it.