The Watson Brothers

by Lori Foster

  For one thing, he didn’t love her. If he had, he wouldn’t be so easy right now. He should have realized that sooner.

  As he went down the walk, he felt the sun on his face, the chill of a late spring breeze, the freshness of the day—but he didn’t feel hurt or heartsick. He felt no real sense of loss.

  For another thing, sex with Kara had offered no more than base physical release. She’d never blown his mind, never burned him up. During their engagement, he’d been faithful, and he’d made do with the few quick, passionless screws he’d gotten from her.

  But God, he missed the burning satisfaction of hot, sweaty, grinding sex. He missed the bite of a woman’s nails, her teeth, when she felt too much pleasure to be gentle. He missed the clasp of sleek thighs wrapped around his waist and the softer, hungrier clasp of a woman’s body on his cock. He missed the throaty, raw groans during a woman’s climax.

  Don’t miss Lori’s Christmas anthology,

  YULE BE MINE,

  in stores now.

  Sparkling days, crackling fires, long steamy nights . . . Christmas is all about making memories. In three delicious tales of seduction and romance, New York Times bestselling author Lori Foster brings you all the pleasures of the season— and then some . . .

  Officer Parker Ross hates Christmas, while Lily Donaldson lives for it. But he’s willing to be converted, especially when Lily is the one doing the persuading.

  Sergeant Osbourne Decker suspects pet psychic Marci Churchill is barking mad, but she’s also a knockout. And when she’s accused of stealing a donkey from the local nativity scene, he can’t stop thinking about frisking her.

  Furious at her cheating fiancé, Beth Monroe decides to enjoy a payback tryst with his gorgeous best friend, and finds that revenge is best served hot and sweet . . .

  Read on for a special preview from each of her three stories in this book!

  White Knight Christmas

  “Parker . . .” Lily fidgeted with her hair. “May I ask you something?”

  Mesmerized, he watched her delicate fingers as she teased that long, loose curl hanging over her shoulder, twining it around and around. He asked, “What?” and was appalled at how hoarse he sounded.

  “It’s kind of personal.”

  His gaze shot back to her face. She looked far too serious and alarm bells went off in his beleaguered brain. “This might not be the best time . . .”

  “Why don’t you like me?”

  Damn it. Her blurted words hung in the air. She looked anxious and young, and Parker wanted to reassure her—then ravage her for about a day and a half.

  “Don’t be ridiculous.” Unable to meet her gaze, he stared down at his plate of food. “Of course I like you.”

  “But you’ve never asked me out.”

  Trying to appear blasé instead of edgy, Parker forked up another big bite of ham. “We’re neighbors, Lily. Friends.”

  She folded both arms onto the table and leaned toward him, giving him a clear shot of her cleavage. His tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth. Lust churned in his belly. Heat rose.

  “I’d like us to be more.”

  A man didn’t get to be his age without meeting plenty of women. He’d liked some, he’d lusted after others. A few he’d really cared about.

  But none of them had ever looked at him the way Lily did. None of them had ever sent a jolt to his system that obliterated all thought. More times than he cared to admit, he’d gone to sleep thinking of her, and awakened in the middle of explicit dreams.

  “I’ve tried,” she pointed out, as if he might not have noticed all the ways she deliberately provoked him. “But you don’t even see me as a woman.”

  Parker did a double take, and sputtered. “That’s just plain stupid.”

  “Is it?”

  Gaze dipping to her breasts, then darting away, Parker snorted. “Trust me, Lily. Your . . . femaleness, is not something I’d miss.”

  “Then you must find me unattractive.”

  He rolled his eyes. She deliberately put him on the spot, but Parker couldn’t stop himself from reassuring her. “You have mirrors. You know what you look like.” When she remained quiet, just waiting, he huffed out a long breath. “You’re beautiful. Okay?”

  Pleasure brought color to her cheeks. “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  “So if you like me and find me attractive, why haven’t you asked me out?”

  A full frontal attack. And at a time when his defenses were down. Stalling for time, he took another bite of ham. Hell, he was too hungry not to eat. He swallowed, then eyed her with cynicism. “What’s this all about?”

  Lily pushed out of her seat and began to pace.

  Parker again noted her bare feet. She really did have cute, sexy toes.

  Turning to face him, she folded her arms under her breasts and drew a deep breath. “I want you.”

  A Christmas Present

  Why oh why couldn’t this be a normal storm? Instead of soft, pretty snowflakes dotting her windshield, wet snow clumps froze as soon as they hit, rending the wipers inadequate to keep the windshield clear. Even with the defroster on high, blasting hot air that threatened to choke her, the snow accumulated.

  Refusing to stop and refusing to acknowledge the headlights behind her, Beth Monroe kept her hands tight on the wheel. Let him freeze to death. Let him follow her all the way to Gillespe, Kentucky.

  She’d still ignore him.

  She’d ignore everything that had happened between them, and everything she felt, everything he’d made her feel.

  Oh God, she was so embarrassed. If only she could have a do-over, an opportunity to change the past, to correct mistakes and undo bad plans. That’d be the most perfect Christmas present ever.

  A simple do-over.

  But of course, there was no such thing, not even with the magic of Christmas. And there was nothing simple about the current mess of her life, or the complicated way that Levi Masterson made her feel.

  Finally, after hours that seemed an eternity, her stepbrother’s hotel came into view. Beth breathed a sigh of relief. Now if she could just park and get inside before Levi shanghaied her. Ben knew of her imminent arrival. She could count on him to send Levi packing.

  Not that she wanted Levi hurt . . . or Ben for that matter.

  Fool, fool, fool.

  Tires sliding on the frozen parking lot, Beth maneuvered her Ford into an empty spot. After shutting off the engine, she grabbed up her purse, a tote bag loaded with presents, and her overnight bag. Arms laden, she charged from the vehicle.

  Three steps in, her feet slipped out from under her. The stuffed overnight bag threw her off balance and she went flying in the air to land flat on her back. Her bag spilled. Wind rushed from her lungs. Icy cold seeped in to her spine and tush.

  For only a moment, Beth lay there, aching from head to toe, stunned and bemused. Then she heard Levi’s hasty approach.

  “Beth, damn it—”

  Determination got her back on her feet. She gathered her belongings with haste and then, slipping and sliding, wincing with each step, she shouted into the wind, “Go away, Levi.”

  Harsh with determination, he yelled back, “You know I won’t.”

  Daring a quick glance over her shoulder, Beth saw him ten feet behind her. He hadn’t even parked! His truck sat crossways in the middle of the lot to block hers in, idling, the exhaust sending plumes of heated air to mingle in the frozen wind.

  Good God, he looked furious!

  Beth lunged forward and reached the door of the diner attached to Ben’s hotel. She yanked it open and sped into the warm interior. The tote bag of presents fell out of her hands, scattering small gifts across the floor. Her overnight bag dropped from her numb fingers.

  Several people looked up—all of them family.

  Oh hell.

  Why couldn’t there have been crowds of non-filial faces? An unbiased crowd, that’s what she sought. Instead she found Noah and Ben in close conv
ersation at a table. Their wives, Grace and Sierra, sat at a booth wrapping gifts. And her father and stepmother paused in their efforts to festoon a large fir tree situated in the corner.

  Upon seeing her, her father’s face lit up. He started to greet her—and then Levi shoved through the door, radiating fury, crowding in behind Beth so that she jolted forward with a startled yelp to keep from touching him.

  In a voice deep and resolute, vibrating with command, he ordered, “Not another step, Beth. I mean it.”

  She winced, and peeked open one eye to view her audience.

  Not good.

  Levi obviously had no idea of the challenge he’d just issued, or the uproar he’d cause by using that tone with her in front of her family.

  And now it was too late.

  She hadn’t wanted this. She wanted only time to think, to hide from her mortifying and aberrant behavior, to . . . She didn’t know what she wanted, damn it, and it wasn’t fair that Levi refused to give her a chance to figure it out.

  Muttering to herself, she dropped to her knees to gather the now damp and disheveled gifts one more time. As she did so, she said, “Hello, Dad. Hello . . . everyone else.” She tried to sound jovial rather than frustrated and anxious and at the end of her rope.

  She failed miserably.

  With a protectiveness that still amazed Beth, her stepbrothers moved as one. Noah’s expression didn’t bode well, and Ben appeared equally ready to declare war. Even her calm, reasonable father stalked forward with blood in his eyes.

  Plopping her belongings on a nearby booth, Beth held up both hands. “Wait!”

  No one did. From one second to the next, Levi had her behind him . . . as if to protect her? From her family?

  Unfortunately, even that simple touch from him, in no way affectionate or seductive, had Beth’s tummy fluttering and her skin warming.

  She quickly shrugged off her coat.

  Levi took it from her, then asked, “Did you hurt yourself when you fell?”

  “No. You can leave with a clear conscience. I’m fine.” She reached for her coat.

  He held it out of her reach. “I’m not going anywhere, so you can quit trying to get rid of me.”

  The men drew up short. Her father barked, “Who the hell are you?”

  Levi turned to face their audience. Positive that she didn’t want him to answer that himself, Beth yelled from behind him, “He’s a friend.” And she tried to ease backward away from him.

  “A whole lot more than a friend,” Levi corrected, and he stepped back to close the distance she’d just gained.

  “Where’s her fiancé,” Noah asked.

  “Busy,” Beth said.

  “Gone,” Levi answered in a bark. He reached back and caught Beth’s wrist. His thumb moved over her skin, a gentle contrast to the iron in his tone. “For good.”

  Confused, Ben asked, “You mean dead?”

  “Far as Beth is concerned, yes.”

  Oh for crying out loud. Knowing she couldn’t let this continue, Beth yanked her wrist free and, without quite touching any part of Levi’s big, hard body, went on tiptoe to see beyond him.

  The masculine expressions facing her didn’t bode well.

  She summoned a smile that felt sickly. “Hello, Dad. Brandon is fine, but we’re not engaged anymore.”

  Kent Monroe brought his brows down. “Since when?”

  “Since she’s with me now instead,” Levi told them.

  “No,” Beth corrected sweetly, “I’m not.”

  Levi half-turned to face her. “Wanna bet?”

  His challenge got everyone moving again.

  Oh God, she had to do something. “Dad,” Beth begged, “I don’t want him hurt.”

  Her father stopped in his tracks. Noah and Ben did not.

  But her lovely sisters-in-law took control.

  “Noah,” Grace called from across the room. “You heard her.”

  Frowning, Noah paused about three feet from Levi. “I also heard him.”

  Sierra, a little more outgoing than Grace, raced up to Ben’s side and thumped his shoulder. “Knock off the King Kong impersonation, Ben. You’re embarrassing me.”

  “You’ll survive.” Keeping his eyes on Levi, Ben crossed his arms over his chest and waited.

  For reasons that Beth couldn’t begin to fathom, Levi stood there as if he’d take all three of them on at once. Idiot.

  Determined to gain control, she chanced touching him long enough to give him a good pinch.

  “They’re my family, Levi.”

  He nodded—but didn’t relax.

  Fed up, Beth moved around him. “I’m sorry for the dramatic entrance, everyone. Levi is a friend—”

  “Damn it, Beth, we left friendship behind days ago.”

  Beth let her eyes sink shut. She’d kill him. She’d never speak to him again. She’d—

  His hand caught her shoulder and he turned her to face him. As if they stood alone, as if he had no concept of privacy or manners, Levi lowered his nose to almost touch hers.

  In a voice that carried to every ear in the room, he ground out, “I’ve had enough, Beth. I mean it. We’re both adults, both healthy, and finally we’re both single. It’s ridiculous for you to be embarrassed just because—”

  “Don’t!”

  But her warning came too late, and Levi had already said too much. Silence reigned as everyone absorbed his meaning.

  Then she felt it, the smiles, the amusement, the awful comprehension.

  It took three breaths before Beth could speak.

  Eyes narrowed, she nodded at Levi, turned to face her family, and announced, “I’ve changed my mind. Hurt him all you want.”

  And with that, she literally ran away.

  Noah and Ben kept Levi from following.

  Do You Hear What I Hear?

  Osbourne Decker had no sooner pulled his truck into the frozen, snow-covered parking lot to start his shift than his pager went off. Typical SWAT biz—a barricade with three subjects holding two hostages. He’d grabbed his gear, ran into the station to change so he could respond directly to the scene, and from that point on, the night had been nonstop. Being SWAT meant when the pager went off, so did the team.

  After a lot of hours in the blustery cold that stretched his patience thin, they resolved the hostage situation without a single casualty. And just in time for his shift to end. He couldn’t wait to get home and grab some sleep.

  He’d just changed back into his jeans, T-shirt, and flannel when Lucius Ryder, a friend and sergeant with the team, strolled up to him. Osbourne saw the way Lucius eyed him, like a lamb for the slaughter, and he wanted to groan.

  He fastened his duty firearm in a concealed holster, attached his pager and Nextel, grabbed his coat and tried to slip away.

  Lucius stopped him. “Got a minute, Ozzie?”

  Shit, shit, shit. He already knew what was coming. Lucius would be on vacation for ten days—the longest vacation he’d ever taken. He’d be back in time for Christmas, but laying low until then, soaking up some private time with his new wife in Gatlinburg. But the wife was concerned about her loony-toons twin sister.

  And that’s where Lucius wanted to involve him.

  “Actually,” Ozzie said, hoping to escape, “I was just about to—”

  “This won’t take long.”

  Ozzie thought about making a run for it, but Lucius would probably just chase him down, so he gave up. He dropped his duffel bag and propped a shoulder on the wall. “Okay. Shoot.”

  “You think Marci is hot?”

  Ozzie gave him a double take. “Is that a trick question?”

  “No, I’m serious.”

  Serious, and apparently not thinking straight. Marci and Lucius’s wife, Bethany, were identical twins. No way in hell would Ozzie comment on her appearance. Hell, if he admitted he thought Marci was beyond hot to the point of scorching, well, that’d be like admitting that Lucius’s wife was scorching, and his friend sure as hell wouldn’t like
that.

  If he said no, it’d be a direct cut to Bethany, Marci’s twin.

  “She’s a replica of your wife, Lucius, all the way down to her toes.” Ozzie shook his head. “You really want to know what I think of her?”

  Struck by that observance, Lucius said, “No. Hell no.” He glared at Ozzie in accusation, then slashed a hand in the air. “Forget I asked. I already know you’re attracted to her because you went out with her a few times.”

  “No way, Lucius.”

  Lucius warmed to his subject. “I thought you two had something going on for a while there.”

  “No.”

  “You were chasing her pretty hot and heavy—”

  Ozzie forgot discretion. “She’s a fruitcake. Totally nuts. Hell, Lucius, she stops to talk to every squirrel in the trees.”

  “She does not.” But Lucius didn’t look certain.

  “She even chats with birds.” Ozzie nodded his head to convince Lucius of what he’d seen. “She gives greetings to dogs as if they greet her back.”

  “She’s not that bad,” Lucius denied, but without much conviction.

  “Not that bad? I’ve heard her carry on complete conversations with your dog!”

  Lucius shook his head. “It’s not like that. Hero doesn’t talk back to her. She just . . . she’s an animal nut, okay? She’s real empathetic to them, so she likes chatting with them.”

  “No shit. But she doesn’t chat the way most of us do. She chats as if she knows exactly what they’re saying, when anyone sane knows that they’re not saying a damn thing.”

  Lucius paced away, but came right back. “It’s an endearing trait, that’s all.”

  Because Ozzie loved animals, he might have been inclined to agree. But crazy women turned into insane bitches when things didn’t go their way, and he’d had enough of that to last him a lifetime. There was nothing more malicious, or more determined on destruction, than a woman who refused logic. “No thanks.”