by Vivian Arend
Baby, Be Mine
What the mind forgets, the heart remembers.
Since the moment Katy Thompson transformed from annoying tagalong to desirable woman, Gage Jenick has awaited his chance. When she kicks her boyfriend to the curb, he doesn’t hold back—in spite of the next day work assignment that will take him completely off the grid for two long months.
After a head injury sustained on a storm-swept road, Katy can’t remember her own email password, much less how the little pink “positive” on the pregnancy stick got there. Barring an influx of midi-chlorians, she’s at a loss to explain what happened, or when…or with whom.
Suddenly Gage is back in her life as if he has a right to be there. While she vividly remembers the crush she had on him, she’s no one’s charity case. But another thing she’d forgotten was just how stubborn Gage can be—especially when her domineering ex tries to stake a claim…
Warning: An unforgettable night that gets forgotten. A crazy redneck ex, and a hero who’s ready to take on the world, and his past, for his heroine.
Katy was past the “what is going on?” stage and was well into the “whatever is going on, it better not be a dream” stage. She abandoned her purse to the floor and the next thing she knew her fingers were tangled in Gage’s hair, her tongue in his mouth. The front door slammed shut—had to be Gage kicking it, because she’d had nothing on her mind except getting close to him all over again.
The passion raging through her body was unfamiliar, and she didn’t ever want it to stop. Didn’t want him to stop.
He dragged his lips down her neck, hands scrambling to push her coat from her shoulders. She fumbled with his shirt, tugging it free from his jeans so she could press her bare hands against his naked chest.
Heat. Like fire licking over her, hot desire raced up her back. “God, Gage, what are we doing?” She hated to whisper the words. The last thing she wanted to do was to interrupt this, whatever this was, but she had to know.
He stilled himself, her hands on his tight abs, his fingers poised over the buttons on her shirt. “You want me to stop?”
“No, but what is this? A one-night-stand? Or…” Damn, she remembered something important. “You’re leaving tomorrow.”
His eyes flashed, and he nodded, dragging a finger over her cheek. “And you’re not seeing Simon anymore.”
A light bulb went off in her head. “Oh.”
A sheepish smile transformed his expression from sex god to reluctant, yet adorable, boy next door. “I couldn’t very well ask you to go out with me when you were seeing him, but now I’m leaving for six months, and maybe it’s crazy, but…”
“You want me to go out with you? Like, see each other exclusively?”
The instant response visible on his face was even clearer than his words. “Hell, yes.”
She stroked back the lock of hair that had fallen across his forehead. “Okay.”
Gage grinned for a moment then it faded. “I have to leave tomorrow, Katy. I made the commitment, and I need the money to—”
A slip of the hand moved her fingers over his lips to stem the flood of words. “I know you have to go. It’s okay. You’ll be back in six months, which kind of sucks to wait for a second date, but I can live with it. What I want to know is what we’re doing tonight.”
“You’re incredible.” Gage shook his head. “And I’m a shit for making a move now, but I’ve been watching you for ages, woman. I couldn’t risk waiting any longer.”
He couldn’t have been watching and waiting as long as she had. “It’s not a big deal. I need a break after dating jackass Simon anyway.”
Gage’s eyes darkened, and not in a good way. “Did he hurt you?”
She shrugged, sliding her hands around to his back and easing their bodies closer. She wanted to get back to what they’d been doing. “Does it matter?”
“Yes.” Gage tucked his fingers under her chin and lifted. “What’s wrong? What did he do to you?”
Katy sighed, the aching desire in her limbs still there, but fading. She wished she could stare at her feet while she admitted this, but instead she picked a spot over his shoulder. Pretended he wasn’t really there. Whispered her confession. “He’d started to get pretty bossy about a lot of things, and I didn’t like it. Plus, he didn’t think I was very good in bed. Not adventurous enough, or something.”
If curses had burst from his lips, she would have nodded in understanding. If he’d hummed knowingly before patting her shoulder in sympathy, it would have made sense as well.
Him busting out laughing was the last thing she’d expected. It wasn’t laughing at her, though. Didn’t make her uncomfortable, just sent another zing of lust up her spine, over her shoulders and zipping back down between her legs.
Gage dipped his head until their eyes were on the same level, his amusement fading as the fires turned back to desire. “Any guy who thinks you suck it the sack—it’s his damn fault, not yours.”
She wiggled. “You say that, but… I mean, how could you know?”
He drew a line down the placket of her shirt, playing his fingertips over the buttons like an erotic connect-the-dots. The heel of his hand barely brushed the swell of her breast, and her breath hitched. “You’re walking sex, Katy. You make me hard by just breathing. We’ve done nothing more than kiss, and I already know you’re going to blow my mind.”
She wanted to blow more than that, but her cheeks had flushed to feverish temperatures. “Thanks.”
“Don’t thank me,” he warned as his gaze dropped down her body, his finger circling the button on her jeans. “I’m too damn ready to prove it. Right here. Right now.”
There was this uneasy itch between her shoulders. Katy wanted harder than she ever remembered wanting, and with that deadline hanging over their heads?
She wasn’t sure where she pulled the confidence from but, thank the Lord, poise she didn’t usually feel arrived. “Do it.”
Gage’s head whipped up. “Do…what?”
Katy lifted her hands to her buttons and popped the first one open. “Do me. Here, and now.”
The entire time she worked on her shirt he didn’t move, except for the heavy breathing. Her every move was examined closely, though, his lids dropping to hide his eyes. She shrugged the material off her shoulders and allowed it to puddle on the floor.
His throat moved as he swallowed. Whispered, “Say it’s not crazy. Say this is what you want, even though I’m leaving tomorrow.”
“I want you,” Katy confessed. “And it’s not crazy—not completely.” She reached behind her and unhooked her bra. “I’m tired of sitting back and being told what’s going to happen in my life. I want this, Gage. I want you, even more because you’re leaving soon. There is no tomorrow, so give me today.”
Her bra joined her shirt on the floor, and that was it. Discussion over.
Baby, Be Mine is available now.
About Vivian Arend
VIVIAN AREND has been around North America, through parts of Europe, and into Central and South America, often with no running water. When challenged to write a book, she gave it a shot, and discovered creating worlds to play in was nearly as addictive as traveling the real one.
Now a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of both contemporary and paranormal stories, Vivian continues to explore, write and otherwise keep herself well entertained.
Other books by Vivian Arend
~~Contemporary Titles by Vivian Arend~~
Six Pack Ranch
Red-hot novel length contemporary western romance
Rocky Mountain Heat, Rocky Mountain Haven, Rocky Mountain Desire
Rocky Mountain Angel, Rocky Mountain Rebel, Rocky Mountain Freedom
Thompson & Sons
Red-hot novella length contemporary romance
Rocky Ride, One Sexy Ride
Let it Ride, A Wild Ride
Adrenaline Search and Rescue
Red-hot novel length romantic adventure
High Risk, High Passion, High Seduction
Xtreme Adventure
Red-hot novella length romantic adventure
Falling, Freestyle, Rising, Freestyle
Turner Twins
Sexy novel length contemporary romance
Turn it Up, Turn it On
~~Contemporary Titles by Vivian Arend & Elle Kennedy~~
DreamMakers
Red-hot novel length contemporary romance
All Fired Up, Love Is A Battlefield, Don't Walk Away
~~Paranormal Titles by Vivian Arend~~
Granite Lake Wolves
Sexy light-hearted novella length paranormal romance
Wolf Signs, Wolf Flight, Wolf Games
Wolf Tracks, Wolf Line, Wolf Nip
Takhini Wolves
Sexy light-hearted novella length paranormal romance
Black Gold, Silver Mine
Diamond Dust, Moon Shine
Takhini Shifters
Sexy light-hearted novella length paranormal romance
Copper King
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Rocky Ride
Copyright © 2014 by Vivian Arend
ISBN: 978-1-941456-00-2
Edited by Jorrie Spencer
Cover by Angela Waters
Proofed by Sharon Muha
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations.
First electronic publication: June, 2014
www.vivianarend.com
Table of Contents
Title Page
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Epilogue
Baby, Be Mine
About Vivian Arend
Copyright
