“Wouldn’t you like to know,” she quipped, but Asia and Becky just crossed their arms, not offering her an iota of help. Asia even tapped her foot.
“You wouldn’t understand.”
“Why?” George put his arm around Becky, hauling her close. “Because I’m a lowly male?”
Becky said, “He’s very understanding, Erica,” and George couldn’t help but kiss her.
“George will be family, soon,” Asia pointed out. “So tell.”
Rolling her eyes, Erica blurted, “All right, all right.” She put her hands on her hips, thrust her chin in the air, and said, “Prepare yourself, kiddies.” Then she named her fantasy with a taunting smile.
Asia and Becky went wide-eyed. George straightened in surprise. Thinking of what she intended, and what she’d likely get, George started to laugh—until Erica gave him a sloe-eyed, seductive look. He could tell that she expected him to poke fun, to ridicule her. Her opinions on men weren’t overly complimentary.
Well, he wouldn’t give her the satisfaction of reacting as she expected.
But he couldn’t resist saying, “I pity the poor bastard who runs into you. He doesn’t stand a chance.”
“No, he doesn’t,” Erica assured him.
Giving up, George turned and dragged Becky back toward the bedroom.
Asia was still laughing when Becky yelled over her shoulder, “I think it sounds wonderful, Erica! You can start on Monday.”
George pulled her into the room and slammed the door. He dropped the sheet, picked her up, and crawled into bed with her held close to his heart. “Wonderful, huh?”
Becky touched his chest. “Not as wonderful as you.”
George stared into her eyes, watching her reactions as he slid his hands up her thighs, then spread them wide so he could nestle in between. Becky flinched when he touched her scarred leg, but George knew now that she’d get over that in time. In a thousand ways, he’d show her that she was the perfect woman for him. “I love you, Becky.” He stroked her thigh. “All of you.”
Big tears welled in her eyes. “I love you too.”
“Is that right?” He was already hard, but hearing her say that made him burn.
“I’ve been hung up on you for a long time. What you said about me being your fantasy? You’re mine. You’ve always been mine.”
George smiled. “That’s all I ever want to be.” He kissed her. “Yours.”
“George?”
She sounded so serious, George gave up his contemplation of her breasts to give her all his attention. “What, babe?”
“Do you think Erica is going to end up hurt?”
He rolled over and pulled Becky on top of him. “I think Erica is going to learn a very well-deserved lesson. But if you’re worried about her, I can lend a helping hand.”
“How?” Becky groaned as he began fondling her breasts.
“I’ll make sure the right guy knows what she’s up to.” Cameron had helped him along, so George figured it was the least he could do.
Becky smiled. “Ah. And I know just the right guy.”
He scowled, then caught her nipples in a tantalizing taunt. “You wanna rephrase that, Becky?”
She laughed, squirmed, and when he didn’t release her, she groaned. “The right guy for Erica.”
“That’s better. Now enough about Erica. Come here and love me.”
“All right.” She peeked at him. “Can I handcuff you again?”
George’s heart pounded and his cock flexed. Damn, seeing Becky in a frisky, kinky mood was enough to make any man lose the battle. “You know, I believe you can.”
Naughty By Night
Janelle Denison
Chapter One
Chloe Anderson hummed to herself as she blended a batch of strawberry margaritas, her hips swaying rhythmically as she worked. Heated desire ignited in the deepest part of Gabe Mackenzie and spread outward, feeding the hunger she inspired. He watched her in silence, his presence in the kitchen of her apartment still unnoticed. Hell, according to her brother, Chloe didn’t even know he was back in town. But she would. As soon as he’d looked his fill.
She was hotter and sexier than the sexual fantasies that had sustained him since the last time he’d seen her seven months ago. Her soft honey blond curls were clipped on top of her head and spiral strands wisped around her nape. He ached to press his lips to that vulnerable, exposed curve of her neck. Craved to taste and tease and coax her surrender in any way she’d allow.
Soon, he’d do just that.
His hungry gaze flickered lower. She wore a pair of well-worn jean shorts that rode low on her hips and a pink cotton camisole that was held up by thin straps he could easily rip apart with his bare hands. At the moment, he was feeling primal and possessive enough to do just that. The hem of her top ended at the inward dip of her waist, revealing a strip of tanned skin around her midriff. His fingers flexed, itching to caress her smooth flesh.
Her bare legs were endlessly long, the kind that inspired provocative images of stroking his hands up her sleek thighs as he pressed them apart…and more erotic visions of having those gorgeous, slender legs wrapped tight around his hips in the throes of passion.
The tantalizing thought made the temperature of his blood rise another notch. He lifted his gaze back to the classic lines of her profile just as she rolled a fat, juicy strawberry into a sugar bowl and took a big bite of the fruit. Juice dribbled down her chin and she caught the sticky sweetness with her fingers, then sucked each one of them clean…slowly, leisurely, thoroughly.
It wasn’t difficult to imagine her tongue swirling and licking him in the same delicious way. Arousal settled low and deep in his belly, and he drew in a steady breath to keep his unruly hormones under control. A futile attempt, he knew. She’d always had an effortless way of revving his libido, and the damnable thing was, she had no clue the power she held over him. Had no idea just how much he wanted her. Had always wanted her.
Tonight she was going to learn the truth, and more. There would be no avoiding him, and no denying what he ultimately desired. Chloe. In his bed. In his life. In his future. Unfortunately, a huge obstacle stood in the way—gaining her forgiveness for walking out of her life six years ago.
He had less than a week to breach the barriers she’d erected since that cool spring night when he’d hurt her so badly. This time, he wouldn’t allow her to reduce their conversations to polite chitchat as she now tended to do, or pretend as if what they’d shared for a very brief time hadn’t meant anything at all to her. He knew better. The emotions he’d glimpsed in her eyes over the ensuing years told a different tale.
She still wanted him, too.
The attraction still burned hot between them and he intended to confront and pursue it—and her—by any means necessary. Including executing a shameless, all-out seduction she wouldn’t be able to resist. Starting tonight, at the weekly Monday night poker game between Chloe and her brothers. And the one invited guest she wasn’t aware of. Yet.
She turned the blender off, reached into the cupboard, and brought down a crystal glass. Wetting the wide rim, she dipped it into the sugar to coat the lip of the glass, still oblivious to his presence. But Gabe was very aware of the fact that his time alone with her was limited. All three of Chloe’s older brothers were only a room away, setting up the table for the card game.
If he didn’t act fast, the opportunity to shake up her defenses and stake his claim would be lost. “Chloe,” he murmured in a low, silky drawl.
She spun around at the sound of her name, her bright green eyes widening with startled surprise when they landed on him. “Gabe!” His name escaped on a gasp.
Taking advantage of her shock, he closed the distance between them in three long strides, slid his fingers into the loose hair at the back of her head to keep her from pulling away, and claimed her mouth with his own. Her body stiffened, and she grasped the edge of the counter behind her for support. Amazingly enough her lips softened and grew plia
ble beneath the heat and persuasion of his, and he wasted no time slipping his tongue inside with a hot, searing stroke that stated his intentions in a way she couldn’t misinterpret.
A faint, strangled sound rose in the back of her throat, which quickly coalesced into a soft moan of pleasure when he angled her head and deepened their kiss. A shameless, erotic embrace designed to make her weak with wanting, and mindless with need. She tasted like the sweetness of berries and womanly desire, and the ripe flavor was like an aphrodisiac to his already overloaded senses.
Beyond rational thinking, and with his sole focus on the woman he’d waited years to make his, he placed his free hand on her bare waist and feathered his thumb across the soft skin of her belly. She shivered at his alluring touch, and he boldly stepped closer, bringing her hips into intimate contact with the fierce erection straining the front of his jeans. He moved against her, a subtle roll of his hips, letting her feel exactly what she did to him. He wanted to brand this moment into her memory for her to think about later, when he took their simmering attraction to the next level of seduction.
Too soon for his liking, he lifted his head, untangled his fingers from her hair, and glided his open palm along her jaw in a tender caress. He took great satisfaction in the knowledge that not once did she attempt to stop his advance.
Her breathing was ragged and aroused. With every rise and fall of her full breasts the taut nipples pressing against her cotton camisole top grazed his chest. He enjoyed the feeling, enjoyed even more that she wasn’t wearing a bra so that he could appreciate the way the soft material molded to those shapely mounds.
“That was a long time coming,” he murmured, his voice low and husky as his thumb stroked across her bottom lip, still hot and wet from their kiss. “But definitely worth the wait.”
Even now, when she could have found a way to evade his touch, she didn’t back down or try to move away. Adopting an indignant attitude had never been her style. Stubbornness was more suited to her personality, and that mutinous characteristic made an appearance now.
She held her ground, bare toes to his sneakered feet, never once letting on that he’d managed to ruffle her composure with his spontaneous kiss, or that his nearness bothered her. He admired her spirit and fortitude, and knew those traits would work to his favor more than her own.
Her chin lifted, and her eyes flashed with a mixture of defiance and wry humor. “A simple hello would have sufficed just fine.”
A bad-boy grin curved the corner of his mouth as his wandering finger found the pulse beating rapidly at the base of her throat. “Every simple, polite hello we’ve exchanged in the past six years has left me lukewarm when I know the two of us can burn red-hot.”
“So, you decided to just walk into my place and kiss me like you own me?”
He tugged playfully on a stray spiral curl and dipped his head closer to hers, tempted to take her mouth again. “Got your attention, didn’t it?”
She rolled her eyes in disbelief and moved her head back. The strand of hair slipped from his fingers, severing the connection between them. “You know, I don’t remember you being so arrogant.”
He shrugged, unwilling to admit that his actions had nothing to do with arrogance and were more centered on the need to claim what he’d forfeited that night so long ago. “It has its time and place.”
With an audacious wink, he turned and exited the kitchen, knowing she wasn’t ready to hear the truth about his feelings just yet. He’d fallen hard and fast for her six years ago, at a time when his life was in the midst of turmoil. He’d been drafted into the NFL, so very close to grasping his dream, and in a split second lost it all when he’d torn a ligament in his knee, which had ended his career as a professional football player before it ever began.
With nothing promising to offer her, and fearing he’d never claw his way out of the poverty that had always been his way of life, he’d walked away from her, believing he was doing the honorable thing by giving her the chance to find someone who could give her everything he couldn’t.
The ensuing years had been good to him, in ways he’d never imagined or expected. Yet no matter how hard he’d tried to forget about Chloe and move on, she’d remained deeply rooted within his mind and heart. And since there was no purging her from his soul, this time he was playing for keeps.
For him, it could be no other way.
Chloe felt as though she’d been swept into the eye of a hurricane and spit back out, leaving her neat and orderly world tipped on its axis and her body still reeling from the aftershock. Gabe had returned. And with his unexpected and thorough possession of her mouth he’d staked some kind of primitive, male claim with his hot, unapologetic kiss. But why her and why now?
She touched her trembling fingers to her puffy, still tingling lips. She had no answers to that particular question, and he hadn’t been forthcoming about those details, either. Obviously he believed he could barge right back into her life and pick up where they’d left off all those years ago. And she’d done nothing to stop his direct and explicit invasion.
Turning back to the counter, she poured the strawberry margarita mix into her glass with a shaky hand and her heart still beating wildly in her chest. If there ever was a man who could make her pulse race at the mere mention of his name, let alone a kiss, it was Gabe MacKenzie, a sexy, blue-eyed rebel who’d played a reoccurring role in every guilty, erotic fantasy she’d indulged in since high school. Unbidden, he slipped into her most private dreams and aroused her with wicked, forbidden pleasures, yet she always woke up with her breasts tight and aching, and her body throbbing with need. The same way he’d left her nearly six years ago, the night they’d finally given in to their mutual attraction.
A night that had ended in her first taste of heartbreak.
A lifetime ago, yet her recollections were as fresh as yesterday. Gabe had come home from Chicago during spring break from his senior year in college. After her brother Derek had stood him up for a hotter date, Chloe had offered to join Gabe for a casual pizza dinner. Afterward, they’d driven to a secluded hilltop spot that overlooked the city of San Diego. There, he’d told her about the knee injury he’d sustained during a football game that had ended his career as a professional quarterback and any chance at the NFL.
He’d been clearly upset and at a loss as to where his future was headed. When she’d spontaneously leaned across the console to brush her lips across his cheek in a comforting gesture, he’d turned his head and her mouth had landed on his. That’s all it took for their suppressed desire for each other to flare out of control. After slow, deep kisses and caresses that had quickly turned intimate, he’d abruptly stopped his skillful strokes just as she reached the brink of a breathtaking orgasm. Without an explanation—just an oppressive silence hanging between them—he’d driven her home, leaving her unfulfilled and aching, as well as hurt and confused. But most of all, once he was gone, she’d missed the friendship they’d shared.
She closed her eyes and shivered at the provocative memory of that long-ago night, hating that he still had the ability to affect her so strongly after all this time. She’d become adept at keeping him at arm’s length and protecting her emotions and in a moment of spontaneous passion he’d shaken her control and resolve.
Now Gabe was back, bold as he pleased, kissing her like he had every right to. She had no idea what his intentions entailed, but judging by that sexy gleam in his eyes she considered herself fairly warned.
She’d learned from the past. He’d broken her heart once and she wouldn’t allow him to do so again. No matter how the man’s kisses turned her inside out with carnal longings.
She took a big gulp of her frothy drink and waited for the double shot of tequila to settle her nerves while her mind debated a strategy of her own. She’d initially been thrown by Gabe’s aggressive overture, but having been raised with three older, competitive brothers, she’d learned young to never back down from a dare, which her male siblings considered a sign of weakne
ss they could pounce on and exploit to their benefit.
If anyone was going to be exploited tonight, it would be Gabe, because she was going to fight his brand of sensual fire with her own unabashed approach. She’d be just as brazen as he, only this time she’d walk away with her emotions firmly intact.
A private smile curled the corner of her mouth as she took another sip of her drink. Oh, yes, she liked the idea of giving Gabe as good as he dished out.
Feeling calmer now, she refilled her margarita, grabbed the snack mix she’d poured into a bowl earlier, and headed into the other room. Gabe’s back faced her as he conversed with Scott and Chad, two of her other siblings. He’d picked up a cold long-neck beer somewhere along the way, and she took a brief moment to admire a body that had, amazingly enough, improved with age. He’d been the star quarterback in high school, always in shape, and still no excess fat clung to his waist. His shoulders were still as wide as ever, tapering to narrow, lean hips, and giving way to a nice, tight ass that deserved a lingering, appreciative glance.
Tearing her gaze from that enticing sight, she placed the bowl of snacks on the dinette table. The surface had been set up with a deck of cards and colored playing chips for their Monday night poker game, which had become a weekly ritual a few years ago and a way for her and her brothers to make time for one another outside of obligatory family gatherings. While it was just the four of them for the most part, every so often someone brought a guest to make the game more interesting.
And Gabe definitely livened up the evening.
She willed her legs to move forward and join her brothers in the living room. Deliberately, she came to a stop next to Gabe, just to prove she could stand this close to him and resist the temptation he posed to her body and senses. She glanced up and met his gaze, the dark irises still hot and smoldering from the kiss they’d shared minutes ago. Thick jet black hair was tousled around his head in a way that begged her to reach out and sift her fingers through the inky strands. The ebony color provided a velvet backdrop to his striking blue eyes, which had no doubt cajoled and enthralled many women over the years. Just as the heat and awareness glimmering in the depths seduced her now.
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