by Mari Carr
Enjoy the following excerpt for Priceless:
Eric’s words were so unexpected it took a minute for his meaning to sink in. “Decorate me.” Nia licked her lips, and she took a few steps back. “That sounds a bit…kinky.”
“Your point is…?”
Her throat suddenly felt very dry. “Yeah…not sure I have one,” she admitted, still a little floored by Eric’s suggestion. Although he hadn’t been her first lover, he was definitely the most passionate and inventive. “What exactly do you mean though?”
“What I said.”
Nia glanced over at the box on the floor then back at her husband. He couldn’t really mean… “Are we talking star on head, ornaments on nipples, decorate?”
“Well…” Eric tilted his head to the side, a contemplative look on his face. “Not star on head.”
But nipples and stuff were apparently fair game. “Oh,” she said after a few seconds, because she really had no comeback for that.
“Any objections?”
She blurted out the first thing that came to mind. “The hooks might scratch a bit.”
“Possibly, but I promise to kiss it better.” Without waiting for her to reply, Eric made his way over to the box which held the leftovers. He picked up the box and carried it to the table, setting it down with a resounding thump. Carefully, as was his way, he began to sort through the remaining decorations. “Hmmm…looks like we have lots to choose from.”
Words escaped her. He was absolutely serious. One second he’d been dogging her tree, the next talking about using her as a tree. Nia shook her head in amazement. Every time she thought she had a handle on her husband he would do or say something completely out of character. Some days she wasn’t sure who she was married to—the focused, studious, determined doctor, or the sensual, dominating, erotic lover.
Nia was torn between wanting to say hell no, and her desire to do every depraved thing he hinted at. No, that wasn’t true, she wasn’t torn at all. “What about rules? I think we should have them.”
“Fair enough.” Eric strolled over to the oven. Warm air burst from the door as he opened the appliance, taking a bit of the sting out of the room. They’d learned quickly to use that part of the stove as a heating source when they were in the kitchen. “First rule, I make all the rules.”
Nia crossed her arms over her breasts, not because she was upset, but in hopes of hiding her nipples, which instantly hardened at his words. “Sounds…” she cleared her throat before continuing, “…like a game we’ve played before.”
Eric switched on the burners on the stove, then turned, facing her once more. “We’ve never played this.”
“Maybe not, but the rules are always the same.”
With a wicked little smile on his lips, he walked over to her, stopping only when he was standing directly in front of her. “Because they make you wet.” He was so close she had to drop her arms or risk having them pinned. “Don’t they?” His voice was low and rich and held not an ounce of compromise in it.
“Maybe.” Standing this close to him, with the heat seeping into the room, she began to feel a little lightheaded. His delicious, heady aroma filled the air around her and toyed with her senses, much in the way the man standing in front of her did with her libido. “You don’t play fair,” she said after a moment.
“I play to win.”
“What do you consider a win?”
“The sweet sound you make when you come.”
His words took her aback. Damn he was good. “You should have been a lawyer.”
“Then do I have your consent to drive you out of your mind?”
“Yes.”
“Good. First things first.” Eric slipped his hand under her sweater and cupped her butt. “Take everything off.”
“But it’s still chilly in here.” Nia tried to focus on his words and not the lazy pattern his fingers were making on her behind.
“I promise you this.” His voice was soft, his breath warm as he lowered his lips to kiss right below her left ear—one of the many spots on her body he’d found that could turn her to mush when toyed with just right. “You won’t be cold for long, and you’ll never look at Christmas decorations the same way again.”
With his lips on her neck once more and his hands on her hips, cold was the very last thing Nia felt. Closing her eyes, she tilted her head to the side, giving him better access and surrendered to the moment, to the man and to the delicious tremors he sent through her body with the barest of his touches.
“Sunshine.”
Nia opened her eyes, drunkenly raised her head and peered at her husband. “Yes?”
“Take off everything then sit here on the table.”
There wasn’t even a need to reply. Nia obeyed while he watched with lust-filled eyes. Eric was quiet the entire time she undressed, silent but attentive. She felt his gaze heavy on her even when she bent over to slip off her shoes and step out of her pants and panties.
When she was wearing nothing but her grandmother’s heirloom, silver-filigree, garnet-pendant necklace, she placed her hand on her hip and stood proudly in front of him. She was going for a sexy come-hither look, but the shiver she let out and the goose bumps that broke out all over her arms instantly ruined it. The only thing remotely sexy about her now was how her nipples were erect, but even that had more to do with the crisp air than their naughty game. “Waiting for you to warm me.”
Eric picked her up and set her next to the box on the table. “You mean these dark berries didn’t come out to play just for me?” he asked as he ran his hands up and down her arms, giving a little warmth to her chilled limbs.
“Traitorous bitches.”
“I think I might have to teach them a lesson, but first.” Eric let her go and pulled a Santa hat out of the box. He dangled the red fabric with the white trim in the air and smiled in his devilish way.
Chill forgotten, Nia was ready for the fun. “Oh, Santa, I’ve been a very naughty girl.”
“I hope so, but it’s not for me.” To her surprise, Eric set the hat in her lap and reached up behind her with both hands to free her hair from her ponytail. He tossed the band over his shoulder as if it were of no importance then ran his fingers through her thick strands. When it was down on her shoulders, Eric picked up the hat from her lap and arranged it on her head. When it was situated just right, he took a step away to admire his work. “Perfect. You might make a Christmas lover out of me yet.”
“I do what I can for the cause.”
“Good. Do you trust me?”
“Absolutely,” she answered without hesitation.
Eric pulled roughly an arm’s length of wide silver ribbon off its spool, then took out a pair of scissors he’d found stored in the box. He turned the shears until the sharp part was pointing toward himself and handed them to Nia. “Cut right there.”
It only took one snip to slice through the material, but when she was done, he took the scissors away and set them along with the remaining ribbon on the table next to her.
“I’m going to blindfold you now.”
“I—”
“Do you trust me?” he asked again, just as patiently as he had the first time. They’d played trust games before, and Nia knew if she wanted to quit at any time, all she had to do was say so.
“With my life.” Nia closed her eyes, but then promptly opened them to give Eric a warning glare. “But if I hear one click from a camera, you’re a dead man.”
His lips twitched as if he were trying not to smile. “Duly noted.”
Content, she closed her eyes again and held still as he used the ribbon to blindfold her. The thin material was in no way the correct size for something like this. If she wanted, Nia could very well blink her eyes a couple of times to move it about so she could see, but that would ruin the game. So instead she held still as he tied the ribbon behind her head, before covering the back of the satin material with the bottom of the Santa hat.
“Now clasp your hands together behind
your back.”
“Looks as if someone is getting into the Christmas spirit after all,” she said as she did as he requested.
“Oh yeah, I’m feeling all kinds of jolly.”
Being unable to see, she tried her best to figure out what he was up to. She had a general idea that was confirmed when she heard the scissors cut through another piece of fabric. Then, as she’d expected, her hands were gathered behind her and tied together with what felt like ribbon.
Nia wiggled her fingers and moved her wrists back and forth, testing the bonds, but they didn’t give. “Satisfied, Kinky Klause?”
“Close.” The sharp sound of something being pulled across the floor startled her. She jerked and almost lost her balance, but as usual, Eric came to her rescue and helped her right herself.
“Careful.”
“I’d be more careful if I knew what was going on.”
“Yeah.” The scraping sound grew closer. “But where’s the fun in that?”
“What are you…?” Before she could finish her sentence, Eric lifted her leg then set her foot on what felt like one of the kitchen chairs. Her hearing, extra sensitive now that her sight was restricted, detected the nimble snip of the scissors.
Frowning, she tried to figure out what he was up to, but before she could ask, Eric placed her leg against the back of the cool chair and then tied her ankle to it. As soon as he was done, he lifted her free foot and placed it in a similar fashion, securing her to a second chair.
“Eric,” she whispered.
“Shh…” Eric took hold of her hips and pulled her dangerously close to the edge of the table. Her feeling of vulnerability increased tenfold as he pushed the two chairs out a bit, forcing her legs to spread lewdly.
Silence was something she could not do. Nia knew he was her husband and he’d seen parts of her body she’d never even seen, but this just seemed vulgar, for her to be spread open, exposed before him. “Eric…this is just…”
“Just the beginning.”
Who knew that a little Florida R&R could turn into something so thoroughly tempting!
Thoroughly Tempted
© 2007 Lyric James
Wounded cop Wesley Duncan is sent on a forced vacation to spend a week at Tempted, the perfect place for him to relax and recover. But recovery becomes the last thing on his mind when he discovers sexy spa owner Sierra is the only other person around.
After a hectic year and a half making Tempted a success, Sierra Morgan is looking forward to having her Florida resort all to herself for a whole week. The last thing she needs is someone messing up her plans to be blissfully alone.
But when a seriously hot stranger shows up, Sierra is thoroughly tempted to make a serious change of plan.
Enjoy the following excerpt for Thoroughly Tempted:
“We take out all but two each of the Skip, Reverse, Draw Two and regular Wild cards. And we only leave in one Wild Draw Four card. If I have a Skip, Reverse or Draw Two card and play it on you, you have to take off an article of clothing. If I play the regular Wild card on you, you have to pull off two items. But if I play the Wild Draw Four card on you, you have to take off all your clothes and I win.”
“But if I get the Wild Draw Four card, you have to take off all your clothes?”
“Right. But you won’t get it. I will,” she said, and laughed.
“Just shuffle and deal the cards, lady. You’ll be the one naked by the end of this game.”
“Hey, don’t doubt my skills, mister. I created this game.”
“Whatever,” he said and knocked the table twice lightly with his fist. “Deal, woman.”
Sierra smiled and began to pass out the cards. When he checked his hand he had a yellow nine and six, a red three, a green five, a blue two and eight and a yellow skip. It was time for her to start stripping.
She pulled the top card off the deck and placed it face up. It was a blue seven. She had a wicked smile on her face. “Okay, you first, since I dealt.”
Wesley placed his blue eight on top. She followed with a blue four. He played his blue eight. He hoped she’d play a card so he could change the color on his next play. He lucked out when she played a yellow eight. After they exchanged a couple of yellow cards, he ended with his skip card. “Start getting naked,” he said and laughed.
She stuck her tongue out at him, but grinned. She took off her shoes first. Since he didn’t have another yellow card, he had to pull.
Their game pressed on with both of them having to remove several items of clothing, but neither had pulled the lucky Wild Draw Four card. Sierra still had on a matching purple—he was sure now that was her favorite color—panty and bra set. He had on his boxer shorts and a wife-beater T-shirt.
“Oooh, you are so not going to win this game.” She smirked.
“It ain’t over ’til it’s over, baby.”
“I must have buried that Wild Four card deep down in the deck. But it’s coming. I’m sure of it.”
“Yep, it’s coming right to me,” he said as he pulled a card from the stack. And when he did, a slow grin spread across his face.
“Huh-uh. No,” she said, sticking out her bottom lip. “Please don’t tell me you pulled the Wild Four.”
He hunched his shoulders and smiled. “Okay, I won’t tell you.”
“Phew.”
“I’ll show you.”
“Ugh,” she growled.
Wesley slapped the card on the table, reared back in his chair and yelled. “Remove the rest of those clothes Ms. Morgan. The game is O-V-E-R,” he spelled out.
“Come on, you’re not going to really make me take them off. Are you?”
“Yep.”
“Wesley.”
“Strip.”
“Wesley,” she whined.
“You want me to do it for you?”
“Why did I make up this stupid game?”
He laced his hands together and placed them behind his head. “I enjoyed it myself.”
“Of course you did. You won.”
“That’s right. So again, start stripping.”
She rose out of her chair and hooked her fingers beneath her bra straps and pulled both of her arms through. When she unhooked it from the back, a smile melted over his face. “Oh, yeah. That’s it. Take it off.”
She tossed it across the table at him. When he picked it up and placed it on his head, she laughed. “You’re stupid, you know that?”
“Yep. Keep going,” he said.
But as she linked her fingers inside her panties and began to pull them down, his eyes glazed over. He remembered why playing this game was really fun. Her body was amazing. Full breasts, curves in all the right places, and that thatch of hair between her legs made his mouth water.
“You happy now?” she quipped.
When he stood up with a rock hard dick sticking out from the front of his shorts, she would already know the answer to that question. “What do you think?”
The tip of her tongue snaked out and licked her lips. “I guess so.”
Wesley rounded the table and took her in his arms.
Sierra stripped him of his T-shirt and shoved his boxers down his hips, freeing his thick, hard length. As she took it into her hands, he groaned. She moved her palm against his smooth hardness and slid her hand up and down. They moved back and tumbled onto his bed. She straddled him, rubbing herself against him.
There he was, Wesley Duncan, lying before her like a buffet meal, his magnificent body hers for the taking. Not only was the hardest part of his body lodged between her legs, but she felt connected to him. He had succeeded where no other man had. He was in her heart. He was under her skin, in the very air she breathed. He made her dizzy with want—no, she needed him, and that was an altogether new experience for her.
He grabbed her hips and forced her downward while he thrust upward. She gasped as he entered her, throwing back her head as she experienced the hot glide of his flesh. Her body instinctively began to make circular movements, slowly at
first, with deliberate strokes up and down the hardness of his dick. Then, he set a fast tempo that excited her.
Sierra braced her hands on the warm muscles of his chest and rode him faster, with an almost desperate urgency. Wesley bent forward and sucked the tortured peak of her nipple between his lips and whisked it with his tongue, tugging at an invisible line that seemed connected to her sex. She couldn’t get close enough. He couldn’t get deep enough.
He drove into her with a fierce possessiveness that was purely masculine, primal and insistent. He sucked and pulled at her breasts and pulled shots of electricity through all of her hot spots and filled her veins with pleasure.
Wesley reached between their bodies and expertly massaged her tingling clit. And that single touch was all it took to send her shattering over the edge. She shuddered uncontrollably as a tidal wave of ecstasy wreaked havoc on her body. He rolled her over and pinned her arms above her head while he thrust, again and again. His face flushed red and his eyes glazed with passion. He stroked his tongue between her lips in a deep, intimate kiss. He growled in his throat and pumped as wave after wave of taunting pleasure erupted inside her.
Disbelief filled her as she ground herself against him and the aftershocks of his spasm set her off again. She was absolutely positive that Wesley Morgan had ruined her for any other man. When the last vestiges of her orgasm stilled, Sierra collapsed against the bed, allowing her arms to fall weakly to her sides.
“I knew I was going to like that game,” he teased, his breathing still labored.
