by Nikki Winter
Table of Contents
Even When You Don't Believe
Sometimes Fate
Will Intervene
And it All Starts
With Some
Sweet Words
Nikki Winter
Sweet
Words
Nikki Winter
www.beautifultroublepublishing.com
Sweet Words
Nikki Winter
Copyright © 2011 by Nikki Winter
All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or shared in any form, including but not limited to: printing, photocopying, faxing, recording, electronic transmission, or by any information storage or retrieval system without prior written permission from the authors or holders of the copyright.
This book is a work of fiction. References may be made to locations and historical events; however, names, characters, places and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination and/or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons (living or dead), businesses, events or locales is either used fictitiously or coincidental. All trademarks, service marks, registered trademarks, and registered service marks are the property of their respective owners and are used herein for identification purposes only.
Published by
Beautiful Trouble Publishing, LLC
PO Box 61
Colfax, NC 27235
www.beautifultroublepublishing.com
Cover Art: Marteeka Karland http://www.marteekakarland.com/
Editor: Stephanie Parent
Proofreader: Novellette Whyte
http://authorgurunovellette.blogspot.com/
Formatter: Jim & Zetta, http://www.jimandzetta.com/
E-book Conversion: Jim & Zetta, http://www.jimandzetta.com/
ISBN: (eBook) 978-1-61788-134-3; (print): 978-1-61788-135-0
For all my people who are romantic at heart, this one is just for you. Jayha made me do it. Oh, and so there is no confusion, Dex belongs strictly to her. —Nikki
Note about eBooks
eBooks are NOT transferable. Re-selling, sharing or giving away eBooks is a copyright infringement. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without written permission of the author or Beautiful Trouble Publishing.
CAVEAT
This work of erotica contains adult language and sexually explicit scenes, which are smoking hot. This book is intended only for adults, as it is defined by the laws of the country in which the purchase is made. Keep this book out of the hands of under-aged readers.
Even When You Don't Believe
His long-legged strides quickly carried him up the steps of the large building. Since his hands were full, he took one huge booted foot and kicked the door a few times. Despite the fact that the place was closed and it was after hours, he had no doubt she'd open up for him. It was their nightly routine, something neither of them would ever break—or at least he knew he'd never break it. He stepped back when one large mahogany door cracked open just the tiniest bit.
“What's the password?”
Dex tried not to laugh at the poor imitation of a baritone that Harlow Roberts gave, but it slipped out anyway. Balancing his book bag, he held up the containers and cups. “Chicken-fried steak, rice pilaf, mac and cheese, a large sweet tea, and blondie brownies for dessert,” Dex answered.
There was a husky moan that had his jeans tightening before the door swung open completely. “You're trying to do one or two things, Dexter Franklin.” Her thickly lashed gray-green eyes sparkled behind her glasses as her perfectly arched brows rose.
“And that would be?”
“You're talking dirty to me about good foods and such to get me outta my panties or add some more meat to these hips.”
He watched as her hands ran down her sides and to said hips, mentally arguing with his cock. So far there had been statements like, Take her! Take her now, dammit! and, I'm begging you to take her! Please! Dex ignored each one and focused on swallowing normally. “Either result would be fine with me,” he retorted.
She rolled her eyes and grabbed his arm. “Get in here, man. I'm starving.”
Chuckling, he followed her as she locked the doors and then led him to their normal spot toward the back. She already had their table set up, the chairs pulled out. They got everything organized before sitting and saying grace. While Dex had picked up all of Harlow's favorites from Grayson's Place and Sweet Temptations, he'd gotten something different for himself. However, listening to her moan over every bite of her food had him forgetting said food.
Harlow must've felt him staring, because her eyes opened and she peered over at him. “You're not eating,” she stated around a mouth full of food.
His lips quirked. That was Harlow—too blatant to censor herself and too aloof to give a shit. This was the same woman who'd once told him, “Generally when people give a shit it means I don't.” With the face of an angel, body of a full-figured vixen, and personality of everything one man could want, Dex often found himself wondering why someone hadn't snatched her up yet. She was, in a word, perfect—or at least perfect for him. It was a fact he could state out loud, if he wasn't so damn chicken-shit scared of her laughing in his face if he so chose to ask her out.
He'd met Harlow when he'd started working on his MS in Biological and Agricultural Engineering at Texas A&M. He’d lived off campus but not too far away, which meant his apartment complex was full of frat boys, and that inevitably led to parties and noise, which inevitably led to him trying to find a peaceful place to study before he created a massacre. The more time he'd spent at the library, the more they saw each other. Eventually Harlow had just come out and asked him if he was some kind of weirdo. “You aren't some kind of freak who’s studying decapitation methods and old-world-torture just so I can be your next victim, are you? Because while I know everybody has to go sometime, I'm just not interested in that being my particular fate.”
True, he'd watched her more often than not, but what were you supposed to do when your living wet dream was right in front you? It had to have been the strangest introduction he'd ever had in his life, but the woman was just too quirky and cute to pass up knowing. So much about her, from the simple way those strangely colored eyes looked at him to the way anything she wore hugged her generously curved figure, made him want her. The question was whether or not he was good enough for her. Harlow had a mind like none he'd ever known. Her imagination knew no bounds, which wasn't a surprise since she was in fact a librarian; a hot, sexy, adorable librarian who had him going through bottles of lotion like he was back in high school again.
Dex realized he was still staring and tried to fight the heat creeping up his neck. She could distract him in the worst way and not even be aware of it. “Uh...sorry. I zoned out, thinking.”
She smirked a little. “From the expression on your face, I'd say you had ass on your mind.”
He almost choked on the bite of soft shell crab po'boy he'd just taken but managed to get it down with a swig of cream soda. “What?” Dex croaked when he was finally able to talk again.
“You looked like you had ass on your mind,” Harlow repeated, grinning.
Clearing his throat, he sat back. “Why would you say that?”
She shrugged and imitated the way he sat. “The way your nostrils flared the tiniest bit, your pupils dilated, and your lids lowered. That's a 'I've got ass on my mind' look if I ever saw one.”
Snorting, he shook his head. “The things that come outta your mouth...”
“Are usually true unless I'm lying and someone can prove it.”
He grinned and picked up his sandwich again while shaking his head. “Insanity wrapped in a very pretty package.”
***
Was it wrong that her
heart stopped just a little at the words? Or that she was staring at Dex just a little too hard? He always made her stare with the way that one piece of dirty blond hair always fell on his forehead, or how those two dimples he had in one cheek peeked out when he talked, or maybe it was the way those wide hazel eyes sparkled with a constant humor that intrigued her.
Dexter Franklin was a conundrum. He was a walking advertisement for why saving a horse and riding a cowboy was a good idea, but there was such a boyish, heartfelt romantic underneath that sometimes she had to just sit back and listen to him talk. The way his deep voice hitched with excitement every time he talked about working on the Halima ranch or how much closer he was to graduating never failed to enthrall her just a little.
He was sweet, goofy, and he had one of the best asses she'd ever seen in a pair of jeans or otherwise. His build was beautiful. Standing at six foot five, he had the muscle mass of a man who worked and worked hard. Broad shoulders with a cut chest and back. Just watching his biceps flex made her bite her lip at times. The man was something straight out of a Beautiful Trouble Publishing romance. From the low rumble of his voice that bottomed out in the pit of her stomach to the lazy grace he possessed, Dexter Franklin turned all her gears on and into overdrive. Now if she could just figure out how to get him to fuck her until she was close to the edge of unconscious, then all would be right in her world.
Sometimes Fate
“What're you doing?” Dex jumped a little when Harlow's question reached him. He'd wandered off in the library when she'd gone to the bathroom, but he still hadn't gotten what he'd been looking for, dammit! Turning, he scratched the back of his head and said, “Uh...I was just looking for a book.”
She raised a brow and tilted her head. “What kind of book?”
He shrugged. “I dunno, just a good read.”
“You do know that you're in the romance section, don't you?”
He did his best to look confused. “Really?” Faking it as best as he could now, he looked up and down the shelves and grunted. “Hunh, I didn't even realize that.”
“That's funny, because the big-ass sign hanging over this aisle that says 'Romance Section' is usually a clear indicator,” Harlow replied.
Dex gave a mock frown. “Are you calling me a liar?”
Snorting, she answered, “I'm saying that you're over here for a reason but you don't wanna tell me, and I'm gonna respect that.”
Puffing out his chest, he did a little male posturing. “I don't read girly books, thank you very much. I just wandered over here by mistake.”
“Whatever you say, Dex.”
“You sound skeptical. Do I need to prove my status as a man here?” He growled playfully. “Because I will.”
Giggling, she backed away from him. “No, cro-magnon. I already believe you're all man.”
He nodded. “Damn right.”
“You just happen to be a man who reads romances.” She was backing away as he mirrored her footsteps.
“I don't read those touchy feely 'I'm gonna sigh now because this was just so romantic' stories.”
Harlow's eyes went wide, and she bit her plump bottom lip before smirking. “Really?” One hand emerged from behind her back, and with it a book. As a matter of fact, it was one of those touchy feely 'I'm gonna sigh now because this was so romantic' books. The same book that Dex had been looking for the sequel to before she'd busted him. His face heated as he stared at the way her eyes twinkled. “What's that?”
“Just one of those girly stories that I found in your book bag,” she answered all nonchalant-like.
Now how did he get out of this one with his manly pride intact? Dex started to open his mouth, but she held out her other hand. “Whatever lie you're about to tell need not even leave your mouth, dude. So you read romances. What's the big deal?” Harlow shrugged, tossed the book at him and sauntered off. But she didn't get it, did she?
He didn't read these books for the hell of it. There was something to those stories. Dex could admit that he wasn't exactly ready to scream that he had a collection of Beautiful Trouble Publishing romances hidden in the back of his closet, but the storylines, the heroines...
He couldn't explain it, but those books always managed to take him somewhere he'd never been. At least not until he met Harlow. And for the past few weeks, they'd even been teaching him how to step up to being an alpha. Dex looked down at the cover of Walk Softly and Carry a Big Lick. Sighing, he muttered to himself, “Maybe it's time to apply a few of those lessons,” before heading after Harlow.
***
Great shizz balls! The man read love stories! Harlow was still in a state of shock. The man who was big as shit just because, the man whose voice sounded like thunder every time he spoke, and the man whose muscles had muscles who had muscles, was actually reading love stories! She didn't know whether to laugh or tell him how adorable it was.
So deep in her contemplation, Harlow didn't even hear Dex when he came up behind her, but she definitely felt him when he swung her around and pinned her to a side wall. The look on his face made her swallow whatever she was about to say. He was wearing the “I've got ass on my mind” face again, and if she didn't know any better she'd swear that it was her ass on his mind. “Uh...Dex?”
Those hazel eyes never stopped their slow appraisal of her, and every place they touched left a trail of heat behind. “Yeah?” Was it her imagination, or had his voice gone just a little lower and a little deeper? The fact that her clit thumped as if it were nodding to her question was answer enough for her.
“What're you doing?”
He stepped closer and leaned in before answering, “Something I've been thinking about for a while now.”
Her breath stilted and then sped up. “And that would be?”
“Asserting my dominance and claiming what's mine.”
Forcing a laugh, she sassed, “Learn that from those girly books, did you?”
Dex's smile was slow and wolfish at best. “As a matter of fact...yes, I did.”
She opened her mouth to respond, but he took that exact moment to show her he'd meant exactly what he’d said. It wasn't rushed. No, Dex took his time. His mouth softly pressed to hers, coaxing a response before he nipped her bottom lip and gently sucked the sting away. From there his tongue probed and then pulled back, while hers followed with a whimper.
Dex chuckled darkly and then gave her exactly what she'd been waiting for; taking her mouth so hard and fast that Harlow lost her balance and gripped his shoulders just to regain it. His hands left their resting place on either side of her body and splayed across her back, bringing her toward him again. Everywhere his palms touched made her feel hot and achy, so when his hands slid from her back and gripped her ass through the loose floral skirt she'd been wearing, she damn near lost her mind, his touch felt so good. He gripped a little harder on both halves and growled, more aggressive, but nothing had ever felt better. The cock that she'd been fantasizing about for months felt like granite as he melded their hips and pushed into her slightly.
Harlow's short nails dug into his shoulders, and she couldn't help but push her hips back, his groan sending a shudder right through her. When the need for air became more important, he pulled back. Panting now, Dex stared down at her before grinning. “I think I learned pretty well, don't you?”
All she could do was stare all wide eyed and nod before stuttering out, “Uh...y-yeah. I'd say so.”
Will Intervene
If he thought kissing Harlow would solve anything or make anything easier, he was so wrong. Somehow he just couldn't bring himself to make the next move, and so he fled like a virgin on prom night. For three days straight he'd been just dropping off food for her and making his lonely way home. How was he ever supposed to get Harlow if he couldn't even get past a kiss? Frustrated, Dex kicked around a haystack until a voice cut in.
“Abusing the hay is not gonna make you feel any better, dude.”
He turned toward Victory Hines, raising a brow at
her. “Excuse me, penguin, hasn't your waddling been restricted to the grounds close to the ranch house only?”
She rubbed one hand across her large belly and grinned. “Yes, but you and I both know that my 'give a shit' is off kilter due to recent changes in my body. Therefore anything my husband says is promptly ignored unless the words fried, pickles, and/or fried pickles are involved.”
For the first time in days, Dex smiled. “You say that now, but when Rod finds you it'll be a whole different story.”
Snorting, she found an unmoved haystack and he watched, with great amusement, as she tried to sit down. Finally she appeared to get fed up and glared at him. “Will you help?”
He grinned a bit. “I was kinda hoping to see you roll over by mistake and end up on your back...like a turtle.”
“Dexter Franklin.”
Sighing, he rolled his eyes and helped her. “There, now you're all comfy.”
“You wanna tell me what happened between you and Harlow?”
He swung back around at the question. “How...”
Smirking, Vic said, “I took the troop to the library to grab some new books, and while they were outta earshot she kept muttering something about 'your goddamn asshole of a rancher.' Normally I would think she was referring to Rod, but I figured it had to be you.”
Dex winced and rubbed the back of his neck. “I'm not surprised.”
“Exactly what'd you do to set her off?”
Sighing, he sat down across from her. “Can I ask you something?”
“Oh good Lord, why am I afraid of this question?” Vic asked, looking toward the ceiling.
He pointed at her stomach. “Keep it up and I'm paging Rod.”
“Fine, fine.” She held up her hands. “What do yah wanna know?”
