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ISBN 0-7582-1828-1
Table of Contents
One Trying to be inconspicuous, Libby Preston glanced over her shoulder—and found that sexy, dark brown gaze still following her every move. He had a way of looking that felt like touching. Warm and gentle, but bold. Brazen, but complimentary.She wanted to fan herself, but that’d be giving too much away, so instead she pretended not to notice and continued setting out more food on the buffet table.They’d been at the stupid party for hours now and he’d done little more than watch her, smiling occasionally, giving her that sensual once-over that made chills race up her arms. He was a devil all right, and very sexy. She’d be smart to steer clear of him.But really, what choice did she even have? Doctors and not-quite nurses didn’t mix very often. Her uncle hadn’t given her the job of playing waitress for his party so that she could flirt. No, it was one more way to pay him back for all she owed him, and she’d do well to remember that. And to remember her place: a lowly nobody among esteeme
Two Instead of obeying, her fingers covered his mouth. “I don’t know,” she fretted. “This feels very dangerous.”“So live dangerously.” Axel nipped the tip of her finger, sucked it into the warmth of his mouth, and her lips parted on a whispered, “Oh.”Satisfaction roared through him. He licked the center of her palm and rumbled, “Better yet, I’ll kiss you.” He didn’t give her time to think about it or to deny him. He took her mouth with the verve of a sexually starved man, when in fact he never stayed celibate for more than a week. But somehow, this felt different. Hotter, more exciting.He had to have her. No other option would do.Her lips parted to the prod of his tongue and he sank in, tasting her deeply, slanting his head and bending her back so she’d feel his power, his greed. This time she groaned. The box of matches hit the ground with a quiet rustle and her nails sank into his shoulders, giving him a quick thrill that burned down to the core of his masculine being.Usually, he cal
Three Libby punched her pillow hard, shoved it this way and that, but it didn’t help her get comfortable. And she knew why.For three weeks now, she’d tried to forget the big lug and his compelling dark eyes. Her first foray into sexual matters had been less than awe-inspiring—if she ignored the way he’d made her feel. But she couldn’t. She remembered it oh too well. Every single shiver and tremor and spark and gasp. It plagued her mind and left her achy and fidgety and…needy. She didn’t like it. She didn’t like him.So why couldn’t she get him out of her head?Flopping to her back and throwing an arm over her face, Libby tried to block out the memory of how exciting he’d been, how sexy—up until the moment he’d turned into such a jerk.He’d called her a baby. Now there was a laugh. Maturity was her middle name. Losing her mother so young had forced her to grow up quick, to plan her life long before most kids even thought about tomorrow, much less years down the road. She was mature all rig
Four Damn, she was sweet, Axel thought, watching the way her thick eyelashes lowered over her blue eyes and her lips parted. Sweet and so damn ready. He’d never tortured himself before. It sucked. But he felt a vested interest in her now. In a way, he’d gotten things started and now he felt compelled to involve himself further. He owed her that much.The feeling was odd because, other than sexual satisfaction, he’d never really felt he owed a woman before. He stuck with experienced women who knew the score and wanted no more than he offered. He avoided virgins and young hopefuls, and kept a clear conscience because of it.But not this time.Libby slowly went on tiptoes, putting her mouth level with his. She clasped her hands around his neck and in a husky, take me voice, said, “What do you suggest?”Oh, he had suggestions, all right.No. Get a grip, Axel.He caught her elbows and moved her back, putting some necessary space between them. That spontaneous kiss he’d planted on her mulish mouth
Five Libby did her best to hold still as Axel pushed her nightshirt up the rest of the way, dragging his palm over her breast, across her stiffened nipple, until he cupped her shoulder. No matter where he touched, she felt it in other places. Low in her stomach. Between her legs.A sweet, swirling ache filled her and she wanted to tell him to get on with it, even as she enjoyed his casual lack of haste.He urged her upright enough that he could remove the sleepwear completely. After tossing it off the other side of the bed, he allowed her to lie back again.Excited, anxious, and a little uncertain, Libby watched his face to see his reaction to her nudity. He’d said she was thin, but she knew she wasn’t skinny. He’d probably seen hundreds, maybe thousands of naked women. Between his sexual freedom and his vocation, naked women were nothing new to him.Would she measure up?Given the hot expression in his narrowed eyes, both intense and scrutinizing, he liked what he saw. His mouth tightened,
Six Never in her life had she felt more miserable. She hurt everywhere, in every bone and joint, and it felt like an elephant sat on her chest. It took enormous effort just to move, just to breathe. But she forced herself into a mostly sitting position and even managed a half-baked smile. Shivering, her teeth clattering together and tears stinging her eyes, Libby rasped, “It’s been swell, doc, but I can see the party’s over.”Instead of being relieved that she’d let him off the hook, fury darkened his face. “Don’t push me, Libby.”Why was he mad? And at the moment, did she even care? She was so damn cold, deep down inside herself, that she couldn’t stop shaking. “I know how to treat illness. Remember, I’m a nursing student, soon to graduate. Go with a clear conscience. I’ll be fine.”Axel closed his eyes, looked to be counting to ten, then opened them again. Composed, he said, “I’m not leaving you, so forget that.”“You already told me what a self-centered ass you are, remember? It’s all r
Seven After the strangest weekend of her life, Monday should have been comforting, a return to the familiar. Once again Libby had her space to herself. There was no naked man to bump into, no one hovering over her or monitoring her every move. No one fretting, no one holding her, kissing her nose and forehead and ear. No one making her wish she was well so she could take advantage of the proximity of that hulking, muscular, totally male bod.But instead, it felt odd to have the place to herself, and worse than that, she felt…empty. How had she gotten used to him so quickly?And how would she handle it if she never got to see him again?Pining over her circumstances was just plain dumb. Axel was still a doctor, which meant he had patients to see, women who depended on him for a lot more than she did.And against his wishes, she had classes she couldn’t miss. Graduation was just around the bend, with plenty of exams to take between now and then.She told herself it’d be wise to relegate the w
Eight Libby froze, her hands flat on his back, her legs around him.Axel rose up enough to see the fear in her eyes, the paleness of her cheeks. It didn’t matter. He just plain didn’t give a damn.“Because I love you.” He was still inside her, a part of her, and never before had that carried so much meaning. What if she was as cavalier about sex as he’d always been? What if she didn’t feel the special closeness now, closeness so precious that it choked him up and put him in knots?He struggled to find the words. “I love making love to you, and sleeping with you.” He pushed her hair back from her face with both hands. “I love talking to you and just being with you.”Time passed, and with each second of heavy silence, Axel grew more rigid.“Maybe…” She cleared her throat, looking trapped. “Maybe you just think you do because things have been weird.”“Weird how?” He wouldn’t move until he got the answer he wanted.“I’ve been sick and you’ve felt responsible for me.”“No, I took responsibility bec
One Violet Caruthers had known that Frank wasn’t the most attentive of boyfriends. But if she had been asked, she would have thought that even he would have noticed that his girlfriend had fallen off the back of his fishing boat.She would have been wrong.Violet coughed as the shock of cool la
ke water splashed over her face, and she flailed her arms in panic to keep herself afloat. “Frank!” she screamed at the back of the retreating boat.The churning motor, the spraying surf, and the obnoxious laughter of the fool she was having sex with drowned out her cry.She hated dating.Hated flirting, and posturing, and all the awkward accompaniments of sharing an intimate relationship with a man. She was painfully shy, always had been, and if it wasn’t for one deep, driving urge, she wouldn’t be forcing herself to do it at all.Except she wanted a baby.“Frank!” she shrieked again as the enormity of the situation smacked her like the rocking wave from the boat’s wake. “Oh, this is bad, this is reall
Two Violet screamed. She didn’t mean to, but when she opened her eyes and realized she was lying on a strange man’s crotch, and it was all her fault for being stupid enough to think she could charm Frank into getting her pregnant, well, it was the last straw.She clapped her hands over her mouth to stifle the volume of her horror. The man had saved her life. She should show a little gratitude.After all, she had been drifting for what felt like twenty minutes, getting weaker and more worried, resorting to drown-proofing techniques to save her strength.“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scream…lie on you…cause you any trouble.” Violet winced. She hated meeting new people. It was so awkward and she never knew what to say. And this was awkward in spades.He pushed himself up onto his elbows and raised an eyebrow. The position brought him squarely into her space. She blushed. Because he was too close to her, because she had stupidly thought his lap was a pillow, and because she was suddenly aware o
Three Violet didn’t have a sense of humor. It was yet another thing that separated her from the masses and made her feel like a misfit. The first was that she didn’t really like sex, and stood around puzzled a lot of times when her friends talked about it, their eyes rolling back in their heads.If her eyes were rolling back, chances were she was having a seizure and 911 should be called.She felt capable of a convulsion right now, because she, Violet Caruthers, kindergarten teacher and the epitome of the social wallflower, was trapped on a sailboat with a gorgeous professional baseball player.It would have been smarter to die wearing the bikini.“What do you do, Vi?”No one called her Vi. It made her sound like a fifties film star, which wasn’t a good fit. She wouldn’t know sassy and sultry if it bit her on the butt.She chanced a look at Dylan. She wasn’t a rabid baseball fan, but she went to several games a season and caught a few on TV. She remembered seeing him at bat, noticing him pre
Four Dylan’s mouth was close enough to feel Violet’s hot breath when her hand rammed into his nose and pushed him back.“Ow,” he said, thinking that was an all-time first. He’d never once had a woman ram her palm up his nostrils. He wrinkled his damaged nose, sniffled a little, irritated with the interruption.“Sorry,” she said. “But what do you think you’re doing?”He’d thought it was obvious. “I was going to kiss you. And I’d like to try again if you promise not to hit me.”“I don’t want you to kiss me.”Violet looked serious. She didn’t look like this was a really funny joke and she’d start laughing any second now.Dylan wanted to whimper. It had been a whole year, and he’d been fine, damn it, just hanging in there, and now he wanted her so badly he was itching in his own skin, and she was saying no.But he had to ask. “Why not?” Why exactly the hell not? He was decent-looking. He made a lot of money. He just wanted a kiss. Just a very small one. Maybe with a little tongue tossed in. And a
Five Dylan hustled Violet down the dock and up the wooden stairs to the elevator. He said a prayer for it to hurry as he pressed the button, then wondered if it was morally wrong to pray for speed in getting a woman naked.Probably.But he did it anyway.“This is a nice building,” Violet said, standing very close to him, arms crossed over her chest.“It’s not bad. It’s got a good view and it’s quiet. It’s kind of sterile, though. No personal touches.” He took her hand and pulled her into the elevator.Violet dragged her bare feet a little. “Are you sure you want to do this? Maybe you should just take me home.”Willingly take a strike-out? No way. “Do you have a key to get into your apartment?”“No. It’s in my purse. My friend Trish has the spare.”“And Trish didn’t answer her phone?”Violet shook her head, her lips pursing. “No.”“Then have dinner with me. Relax. Enjoy the night.”The front of his T-shirt had dried on her, but her hair was still damp, curling at the tips and fuzzing on top. She r
Six Violet turned around and nearly fainted. Dear God in heaven, he was naked.“What are you doing?” she shrieked, clamping her eyes shut. The sight was so distracting, she couldn’t think. “Why aren’t you wearing any clothes?”“It kind of works better that way.” He sounded amused. “Now come over here.”Violet opened one eye. Holy cow. She’d never seen a man that gorgeous in person before. Her experience with male nudity was limited to skinny, quiet types, and the naked hottie e-mails Trish sent her. Dylan qualified as a naked hottie. He was hard and big. Everywhere.“What works better that way?” And he was crazy if he thought she was getting anywhere near him. That thing looked like a lethal weapon.Switching eyes, she spotted another tattoo on his hip, but couldn’t tell what it was without her glasses. There was suddenly spittle in the corner of her mouth. Oh, shoot, she was drooling.And she didn’t think it was lake water that had her bottom damp.“Making a baby. It’s easier without clothes
Seven Eyes closed, Violet clutched the thick down pillow to her crotch, listening to the sounds of Dylan chatting with the deliveryman.He had given her an orgasm. In the shower.She was shocked down to the tips of her water-shriveled toes.It had felt so good. Easy. She had made sounds, for crying out loud. At one point she had been sure her back was going to snap from straining towards him.Now she felt a touch embarrassed, a bit sleepy, and a whole lot satisfied. She could go for months on this high.She was positive she could just slip under his navy duvet and fall asleep. But Dylan expected more. Turnabout was fair play. She owed it to him to let him finish, after the way he had yanked more pleasure out of her in five minutes than Frank had in four months.So she was mentally prepared to give it to him when he came back into the bedroom, chewing, a cherry tomato in his hand.“Tomato?” He held it out to her as he tossed the towel to the floor and climbed onto the bed.“No tha—” Her words w
Eight Violet stuck a pillow under her butt the minute Dylan pulled out of her.“What are you doing?” he asked, wiping the sweat off his forehead with his arm.“Keeping it in there.” She lifted her hips up and clamped her legs together. She had read this little technique in a book and figured it was worth a shot. It probably looked stupid, but she felt so relaxed, she didn’t care.Even if she didn’t get pregnant, Dylan had given her the most incredible sex she had ever had. He had shown her there was nothing wrong with her sexually, that she wasn’t some kind of mutant lacking certain hormones needed to get it on.“Keeping what…Oh.” He flopped onto his side next to her and kissed her shoulder. “Keeping the ball in the glove, I get it.”She laughed. “Ball in the glove? Could everything in life and sex be described by a baseball metaphor?”“Probably.” His big hand brushed lazily over her stomach as he grinned. “We’re hoping to hit a home run here, right?”“Yes.” She licked her dry lips. “And I gu
Nine “I’ll let you know what the test results are in a few weeks.”Dylan stopped checking out the family pictures on Violet’s wall and turned to stare at her. “Excuse me?”He had driven her home after a nice lazy morning at his place, coffee and eggs and lots of groping. If it wasn’t for his game, he wouldn’t have taken her home at all, but he had to be at the airport in a few hours. She was wearing a pair of his sweat shorts, having pulled the drawstring so tight the shorts overlapped at the waist in a pleat. She’d put her bikini top on like a bra, then one of his smaller T-shirts. He liked seeing her standing there in his clothes, but he didn’t like the look on her face.She seemed distracted as she glanced over at her answering machine. “Shoot. I was hoping Frank had called. I need to get my purse from him.”“I can take you over to his place.” Dylan swung his keys around
on his finger. “Now let’s go back to what you said before. Test results?”He had a sickening feeling in his gut. One t
Ten Three weeks later Violet sat on Ashley’s sofa and tapped her thumb on her knee.“Who’s keeping time?” Ashley asked, her hands in her blond curly hair.“I am. I told you that three freaking times,” Trish said, eyes on her watch.Kindra sat down next to Violet and put her hand on her shoulder. “It’s okay, sweetie, no matter what the test says, it’s going to be okay. We’re here for you.”Violet felt a pit in her stomach that wasn’t a baby. It was guilt. She hadn’t told her friends about Dylan, wanting to wait to see the results of their night together, if there were any. If there was no baby she wasn’t sure she could ever bring herself to talk about him.It had just about cracked her heart in half when he had left her apartment that morning, his face hurt and angry.She had thought she’d done the right thing at the time. Now, she wasn’t sure about anything.It had been a hellish three weeks, her thoughts straying to Dylan over and over again. Wondering if she should call him. Wondering if so
Eleven Violet glanced at her watch as she checked her tomato vines for ripe vegetables, on her knees on her gardening mat. Dylan should have gotten her letter by now. With a sigh, she picked a tomato and put it in her basket.She shouldn’t have listened to Trish. Her gut had told her not to send him that impersonal document, but Trish had scared the daylights out of her, insisting that without it Dylan could contest her custody at any point in her child’s life. So she had sent it, and now she regretted it.Whatever feelings he had for her had surely been killed by that move.Which should have made her happy, but only made her profoundly sad.How downright stupid that the first man to treat her with respect, admiration, and sexual interest was the very man she had intentionally hurt.She heard footsteps in the grass coming from the driveway, and when she looked up, she only needed to see as far as the ankles to know it was Dylan. She could feel his anger, emotion, before she even looked up a
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