Off Limits

by Lia Slater

  Off Limits

  by

  Lia Slater

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales, is entirely coincidental.

  Off Limits

  COPYRIGHT Ó 2010 by Lia Slater

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission of the author or The Wild Rose Press except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

  Contact Information: info@thewildrosepress.com

  Cover Art by Angela Anderson

  The Wild Rose Press

  PO Box 708

  Adams Basin, NY 14410-0708

  Visit us at www.thewilderroses.com

  Publishing History

  First Scarlet Rose Edition, February 2010

  Published in the United States of America

  Dedication

  To my favorite fight-picker. Love you!

  PRAISE FOR AUTHOR

  Lia Slater

  Fatal Exposure

  “Good suspense and hot, hot sex keep FATAL EXPOSURE moving along.”

  ~Kris, Romance Junkies

  “A sensual and exciting read that keeps you on your toes from the start…Lia Slater takes the reader on a suspenseful ride with many twists and turns that keeps the reader guessing.”

  ~Gabrielle, Got Erotic Romance

  “Lia Slater has written a story that is fantastic, with all the sultry twists and turns that keep readers on the edge of our seat.”

  ~Fern, Whipped Cream Reviews

  “This is a first I have read from Lia Slater and won’t be the last. This author is talented as her words come to life and the story line so enjoyable.”

  ~Melinda, Night Owl Romance

  Off Limits

  Kara Reynolds squirmed against the handcuffs that bound her wrists behind her back. She glared up at Austin who, in return, flashed his signature lopsided smile. Ergh. What did he think he was doing, keeping her restrained to this chair? In her ex-husband’s home.

  How mortifying. And incredibly annoying.

  “I wasn’t going to steal anything,” she said for the umpteenth time. “You know that, Austin.”

  How lucky for her that she’d gotten caught breaking into her ex-husband’s home by her brother-in-law. Who just happened to be a cop.

  And the star of the highly erotic dreams she’d been having for the past several years. Dreams that woke her in the middle of the night, fevered and wanting.

  Her cheeks heated. She couldn’t help that. Austin had ingrained himself in her mind the day of her wedding and every day since. She’d been in her white gown, ready to walk down the aisle, and Austin, her soon-to-be husband’s younger brother, had taken her by surprise by telling her she was making a huge mistake.

  At twenty years old, eight years her junior, he’d been young and passionate. He’d told her he was in love with her and warned her not to go through with the ceremony.

  She still remembered the way he’d looked at her. More in love than she’d ever seen Clint look. And for a fleeting moment she’d thought of running out of the church with Austin, running away from a marriage she hadn’t been sure she really wanted, and into the arms of a younger man.

  A man who held enough pent-up passion that it radiated from him and warmed her skin.

  She’d brushed the silly notion aside. Run away with her soon-to-be-husband’s twenty year old brother? No, that couldn’t happen. The rational conservative part of her overcame the wild passionate side, as usual. And she’d married Clint.

  Now, ten years later, Austin seemed wiser and much more in control of his emotions.

  He sat in the recliner across the living room with his long lean legs spread out in front of him. He was a couple months away from thirty and gorgeous. He’d inherited his mother’s Spanish skin tone and thick dark hair and his father’s smoldering green eyes and lean muscular build.

  The exact opposite of Clint with his pale skin, red thinning hair, and dull brown eyes.

  Austin’s fingers steepled and tapped against his angular chin, as if deep in thought. His amused gaze glinted in the low lamplight as he studied her. He was always such a thinker, an observer.

  God, it was sexy as hell.

  “What are you doing in my brother’s house, Kara?” He finally spoke with that deep thoughtful voice, releasing some of the tension from her shoulders.

  How was she to know he would be house-sitting while Clint was away on vacation? It was somewhat ironic. She’d only broken in to get back the bracelet Austin had given her for her birthday two years ago. Six months had passed since the divorce was finalized, and Clint had obviously moved on. But for whatever reason, he refused to hand over some of her most personal possessions. Funny thing was, the charm bracelet was the only thing she really cared about. The jerk could keep the rest.

  But what would she tell Austin? The truth?

  No. God, how embarrassing would that be? Here she was, handcuffed like a thief, thanks to him.

  “I only wanted to get back some of my things. I know he’s your brother, and you have every right to protect his home but...” She blew out a breath. What was the point?

  “But what?” He leaned forward, draping his muscled forearms over his knees. “Talk to me, Kara.”

  “I just want some of my things back. Clint’s been keeping them from me.”

  His grin twisted as if holding back a laugh. “So you smashed in a basement window and broke in? I never thought you had it in you to do something so naughty.”

  She ignored his teasing tone. The man knew her better than anyone. “Clint’s in Brazil with his girlfriend.” She tried not to sound bitter. She’d only recently found out that Clint had been cheating on her for most of their marriage. What a fool she’d been for not seeing it. “I thought it wouldn’t hurt to try. I didn’t know what else to do.”

  Austin’s smile faded quickly. “You could’ve asked me. You’ve been avoiding me since the divorce, Kara. Am I to be tossed aside with the idiot you married?”

  “No.” Her heart beat rapidly, like it always did when she thought of what could’ve been. She’d avoided Austin because she hadn’t wanted him to see her at her lowest. Clint had done his best to thoroughly humiliate her throughout the divorce proceedings, going as far as to tell her she was the reason their marriage fizzled, that she hadn’t taken care of herself like she should have.

  Even though she knew Clint was only trying to take the blame off himself, the words had stung. She wasn’t as young and perky as she used to be. Would a man like Austin give her a second thought now that gravity and life had taken its toll?

  At thirty-eight, she was nothing like the type of woman he usually dated.

  “No?” Austin arched a dark eyebrow, leaving her breathless like he did so well. “Then what am I to you now?”

  Whatever you want to be.

  Crap. Where did that thought come from? He smiled at her again, as if he could read her mind. She wasn’t so sure he couldn’t. He was very good at his job as a detective.

  She crossed her legs and tried to look comfortable under his intense scrutiny. “Of course I still want you in my life. You’ve meant the world to me the past few years.” After he’d started talking to her again, that is. The wedding incident had put an uncomfortable wall between them for several years. She’d been thrilled when they became friends again. And she didn’t want to lose that friendship.

  “Which makes me wonder,” she added, “why you’re treating me like a common criminal. If you want to arrest me, then do it. Why keep me handcuffed to this chair?” She
was bluffing, of course. She could only hope Austin would let her go and forget the whole night ever happened.

  He stood and enveloped his chest with his muscled arms. Kara couldn’t tell if the T-shirt that clung to his well-developed torso was black or dark blue. With the dim lamplight, it was hard to tell. But nothing could disguise the vivacity in those sexy moss-green eyes. Or the fierceness of his defined lips. The whiteness of his teeth, contrasting with his olive skin. And the faded denim that curved along his long legs.

  She crossed her thighs tighter, but was unable to stop the flood of heat rushing to her panties, soaking them. Did he have any idea how much he turned her on? How she’d dreamed of him even when she’d been married to Clint? How when Clint finally left her for a much younger woman, the first thought that zoomed through her mind was would she ever see Austin again?

  He walked behind her, brushing her side, and she impulsively inhaled his familiar scent. Clean with a hint of musk aftershave. Was there any part of him that wasn’t perfect?

  She closed her eyes, dwelling in the nearness of him. How pathetic was she? It had been ten years since he’d shown any interest in her, and it had only been a sweet crush from a twenty year old boy. So much had changed since then.

  Judging from the warmth emanating from his body, he was right behind her, possibly looking down on her. She felt his warm breath on her ear and jerked her eyes open in surprise.

  “Maybe I just wanted to see you vulnerable for once.” His voice was a low whisper, hot against her skin.

  A whimper escaped her throat, and she hoped to God he didn’t hear it. “What...what do you mean?”

  His large hand settled on her shoulder, and he massaged her with a tenderness she hadn’t felt in a long time. “Sugar, I don’t plan on letting you go until we have some things settled, so you might as well get comfortable.”

  ****

  Austin wasn’t a man who minced words. But the idea of playing around with Kara, seeing her vulnerable and under his control, was something he’d fantasized about for more years than he wanted to admit.

  From adolescent teen to grown man, his thoughts had been dominated by this woman more than any other. He’d tried to move on after she married Clint. After all, it had only been a stupid heart-wrenching crush that motivated him to proposition her on her wedding day.

  The intense love he felt for her today hadn’t blossomed until a few years ago. Along with a friendship he refused to lose.

  His brother was a fool for letting Kara go, but their divorce gave Austin the perfect opportunity to try what hadn’t worked ten years ago.

  And maybe he’d make her squirm just a bit, to get back at her for breaking his heart. Yeah, he’d only been a kid back then, but he still remembered how she’d looked on her wedding day. Dazed and unsure. Like she’d needed a knight in shining armor to stomp in and demand she not go through with the vows.

  He’d wanted so badly to be that man, to save her from binding her life to his brother, who, even back then, was untrustworthy. A cheater. Austin had wanted to save her bad enough to open his big mouth and tell her how he’d desired her ever since he laid eyes on her.

  Nothing had changed. In fact, his desire had only grown over the years. She’d gotten more beautiful and sensual with age. And as she sat before him, her breathing elevated, her body tense, he wondered if she felt the same about him.

  Only one way to find out. Years of fantasizing led up to this moment and he planned to take full advantage.

  Her jet black locks shimmered off the lamplight and cascaded past her shoulders in waves. The same curls had called to him on many occasions, and the urge to stroke his fingers through them couldn’t be denied now.

  She shivered under his touch as he pulled her silky locks into a loose ponytail. The scent of calming lavender drifted up to his nose and he inhaled. He loved the way she smelled. The way she talked. The way she walked.

  He loved that she listened to him when he was having a bad day. He loved it when she took time out of her hectic career as the head RN at one of Colorado’s busiest emergency rooms to call him and tell him about something funny or strange that had happened to her.

  He loved it all.

  Too much. And he’d missed her like crazy the past six months.

  “Austin.” Her voice trembled intimately, and his cock tightened against his jeans.

  “Yeah, sugar.” He was lost in the soft silken heaven. His fingers weaved around the strands and tugged lightly on her scalp as he gripped.

  Like a fucking dream come true.

  How had he survived the years knowing she was being touched by his brother? Hell, he didn’t want to remember that. Only the here and now.

  “Please let me go so we can talk.”

  “Talk?” He’d had more than his fill of talking with Kara. Countless afternoons where he’d weaseled his way into a lunch date. Many evenings when Clint was away on a “business trip” and Austin just happened to be in the neighborhood with a pizza and a bottle of wine.

  He’d kept his hands to himself then because of his loyalty to his brother. But now that Kara was single...

  Well, talking was at the bottom of his long list of Things to Do with Kara Reynolds.

  “Yes. Talk.” She swiveled her head to look up at him, making him loosen his grip on her hair. Her long dark lashes hovered over her baby blues. So many times he’d caught himself getting lost in their eternal indigo depths. Not only were her eyes sexy as hell, they spoke of her intelligence and playful attitude. “You said we have some things to settle. What did you mean by that?”

  Her voice was lower than he’d ever heard it. An intimate husky whisper made only for him. A tone she’d never dared use before as his friend and sister-in-law.

  All the lines they’d drawn for themselves before were blurred, and it excited the hell out of him. He looked forward to erasing them altogether.

  He moved around her and kneeled before her crossed legs. She held them so tight, he wondered if she was losing circulation to her toes.

  “First, I want you to relax. I’m not going to hurt you. It’s just me, sugar. Austin. Your friend. The man you’ve joked and laughed with, told your secrets to.” The man who was about to fuck her senseless, wiping out any memory of her ex-husband.

  She cocked her head and studied him. “The Austin I know doesn’t call me sugar.”

  He bit back a chuckle. “Good point. I also don’t do this.” He slid his hands up her calves and gently tugged her legs from their death grip.

  She was wearing a pair of black denim jeans and a black blouse buttoned up to her neck. The ridiculous ensemble was appropriate attire for a woman breaking into her ex-husband’s home. But it was far too much clothing.

  Austin had loved seeing her in jeans, scrubs, sweats, baggy T-shirts, flannel pajamas, shorts, and pretty much everything else she ever wore. But now he wanted to see her naked.

  ****

  The air conditioner was off. That had to be the reason why her body temperature was spiking and beads of perspiration were moistening her forehead.

  She’d never felt this alive and aware before. His hands sat heavily on her knees, forcing her legs apart. His face was set in a determined expression, eyebrows drawn, lips pressed together.

  The glint in his sultry green eyes was now a warning rather than a tease.

  Her pulse thrummed at her fingertips as she clasped her bound hands. Every other part of her body was frozen. And waiting for his next move.

  His lips curved up into a half smile. “You broke my heart ten years ago. Do you remember that?”

  Kara swallowed down the knot forming in her throat. “I remember you had a crush on me. You were young and—”

  “I’m not that boy anymore.” His hands inched up to mid-thigh.

  Her body quivered in response. More heat surged down her center and moistened her panties. If he only knew what he did to her.

  What he’d always done to her.

  It had been a sin to th
ink of him this way when she’d been married. Was it sinful now? To want Clint’s younger brother so badly that her knees wobbled, her heart ached, and her cheeks flushed?

  He had become her best friend over the past few years. Always, always, her ultimate fantasy.

  Clint was right to divorce her. What other choice did he have when her mind and heart were always elsewhere? It was as if Austin had planted a seed inside her on her wedding day and it had grown into an insatiable monster.

  Damn. Her marriage never had a chance. Well, that and her ex-husband had been cheating on her since day one.

  Definitely no chance there.

  “You’re right,” she said. “All I see is a man.”

  Her shirt collar was getting uncomfortably snug around her neck, and her breasts felt swollen and achy under the close-fitting cotton fabric. She thanked God the room was too dim for him to notice how her nipples pebbled tight, anxious for his touch.

  He moved closer, wedging his lean waist between her legs. “But I think you owe me for making me wait so long.”

  Kara sucked in a breath. “Wait so long for what?”

  Her mind was fuzzy and confused from his nearness. She’d never seen him this up close. The thin laugh lines that fanned his eyes and mouth were more distinct as he grinned at her. He pulled his bottom lip in to wet it. His Adam’s apple bobbed.

  He was the most gorgeous man she’d ever known. And he was coming on to her.

  Oh, God. What did a woman do when this happened? She’d been married for so long she’d forgotten what it felt like to be hit on. To be desired.

  It didn’t help that she was handcuffed to a chair. Judging from how her captor wouldn’t stop smiling, he was enjoying her powerlessness. Her vulnerability, as he had put it.

  Was he really still upset that she’d sent him away ten long years ago?