by Lisa Suzanne
So why do I?
I take a step out of Brian’s orbit as he unlocks the door. The condo is empty when we walk in, and I can’t help the relief that spasms right in the middle of my chest.
Brian leads me through the space toward his bedroom, slamming the door shut behind us. I’m suddenly thankful for the soundproof walls in here—not because I care if someone’s on the other side of the door making noise, but because I don’t want anyone to hear what’s going on in here. Specifically Mark.
Just like in the elevator, no time is wasted. Brian grabs for me, roughly yanking my shirt over my head and tossing it on the floor while he simultaneously kicks off his shoes. My shoes come off next, followed by his shirt. I allow my fingertips to run over the cuts of muscle I missed while he was gone, and then I lean forward and run my tongue across his abdomen while my hand trails lower to grip him again. He leans his head back and growls, and then he pulls me up and makes quick work of getting me out of my jeans and panties before taking care of his own pants.
He kneels on the floor once we’re both naked with his mouth between my legs. He grabs onto my hips and positions my body over his face, and then his tongue swipes through my heat. I grip onto his hair because the pleasure is too much, too quick, and I feel like I might fall over from it if I don’t hold onto something.
I let out an erotic moan, a sound low and needy to my own ears. His tongue enters me first, then his fingers join in. I want to touch him, to hold him in my hand while he does this, but the pleasure is so fierce that I can’t even think straight. I grind down onto his face as he fucks me with his tongue, and then I glance down at him and watch as he strokes himself with his free hand.
He groans into me, and the vibration of the sound sends me into my first orgasm of the night. I keep my eyes on him as my body contracts around his tongue and his fingers, watching as his strokes become faster, more furious. As soon as my body calms enough for me to take control, I do.
I kneel and set my hand over his that’s still working up and down. “Let me.”
His eyes meet mine, then he lets go of himself before he stands. He wipes his mouth with the back of his hand. He stands above me, fierce and foreboding, and my body still aches for him, aches for more.
I grab hold of him and suck him into my mouth, and his hands find the back of my head. He pushes my face onto him, forcing me to take him deeper than is comfortable, but I do it because I want to please him in the same way he just pleased me. Part of me wishes this was sweeter, gentler after being apart, but the other part of me loves the carnality of it.
“Oh my God,” he groans, and then he pulls out of my mouth and grabs himself again to finish the job all over my naked chest.
He stares down at me as he pants. His eyes flash with lust, and I get the feeling he’s not done yet. He steps away and comes back with a wet towel. He wipes my chest clean, and then he helps me up from my position on the floor.
“Shower with me,” he says, and I nod.
He sets the water hotter than I usually like it, and steam rises all around us. He soaps me up and runs his hands along my soapy breasts. His hands slip across my body, stopping to tweak a nipple. He bends to kiss me while he holds my nipple in his grip, and I groan into him. I need more of him—I need all of him.
He turns me around and pushes my back lightly so I bend at the hips, and then he slides a long finger into me. I moan at the feel of it, and then his finger is quickly replaced with something much bigger. I grunt at the intrusion, but then he starts driving his hips against me and I’m lost again in the pleasure. I want to kiss him, want to feel the intimacy, but he’s fucking me hard from behind in the shower. He’ll snuggle with me in the bed when we’re done. He’ll kiss me later. For now, it’s all need and aches and pleasure.
He hammers away at me, pushing my body closer and closer to release. I feel his body swell inside of me before he lets out a series of moans, and then he slips out of me.
He inserts his finger again and thrusts it in and out, hooking it up to hit that spot inside so few have ever hit, and then he pulls his fingers out and rubs me until I fall into another shattering orgasm.
*
A whispered curse somewhere next to me pulls me out of a deep sleep.
“Fuck.”
I turn over and squint. Brian’s cell phone lights his face.
“What’s wrong?” I ask.
“Something’s fucked up with the deal I just made with Germany. I need to go to the office.”
I sit up in bed. I’m naked, I realize, so I grab the sheet and pull it up over my chest. “Right now?” I squint over at the clock. It’s a little after midnight. We’ve only been asleep an hour or two at most.
“Yeah.” He leans over to kiss me. “Right now.”
I sort of expected an apology. I realize it’s not his fault, but it seems like human nature to apologize when you’ve woken someone in the middle of the night with a curse word—or when someone ditches you after giving you two orgasms in one night.
I lie back down and feign sleep. I’m sure he doesn’t want me here if his brother is just down the hall, but I’m not driving home after someone woke me in the middle of the night, not to mention the glasses of wine I had—even if I drank the wine several hours ago.
“Reese?” he asks softly a few minutes later. I think I might’ve fallen back asleep in the couple minutes he took to get dressed.
“Hmm?” I murmur.
There’s a pause, then Brian’s voice comes back in a whisper. “Get some sleep.”
I fall back asleep only to be woken what seems like five minutes later.
A mouth presses tenderly to mine as a body covers me. The weight presses on me, but it’s a good feeling—a warm feeling. A loving, gentle feeling.
He’s back, and he’s treating me so differently than he did just a few hours ago. Fingertips sweep some hair away from my forehead, and then the mouth on mine opens. I’m still in the groggy state of half-sleepiness, but when his minty tongue starts to slide against mine with leisure, with such a different and hot passion, my body starts to awaken.
I wrap my arms around him with a soft moan. He’s leaner than he was a few hours ago.
And that’s when I catch the distinct scent of fresh laundry mixed with sandalwood.
I pull back instantly. I should’ve known immediately. Brian isn’t this gentle with me.
I’m still in Brian’s bed after having sex with him a few hours ago. This is wrong, no matter how right it feels.
“Wh—what are you doing here?” I stutter into the darkness.
“I can’t stay away,” he whispers. He buries his face into the soft place between my neck and my naked shoulder, peppering my skin with kisses. His mouth trails over to my chest, and he kisses both of my breasts without pulling my nipple into his mouth. I want it—I want him to suck, hard—but he needs my permission first. He needs me to kiss back, to wrap my arms around him, to show him this is okay.
It’s not okay.
It’s wrong.
But then his deft fingers travel a path along my body like they’ve done before, and tingles explode in my chest and permeate my bloodstream. My nerves come alive, my blood heats, my stomach drops.
I want this.
His lips move back to my neck and then to my lips, and I fear I’m not strong enough to push him away. I’ve done it one too many times, and I can’t do it again.
I need to ask him why he’s here. I need to know if he had something to do with the call Brian took in the middle of the night. I need to know if he’s for real, if his feelings for me are genuine, or if this is just some big competition between brothers and I’m the ultimate prize.
But I don’t ask any of those questions because Mark Ashton is on top of me and only one singular thought is in my mind. Need. His lips are on my skin and his hand trails slowly along my thigh just like that night that flashes incessantly through my mind.
Every cell in my body aches for him. It has since our one
night.
I arch my back, pushing my pelvis toward him as I wrap my arms around his middle, and he grunts over me.
“Is this okay?” he whispers. “I need this to be okay.”
I don’t answer with words.
Instead, I cover his mouth with mine and reach for the hem of his shirt.
Find out Reese’s next move in Only Ever You (A Little Like Destiny Book 2), releasing September 28. Pre-order your copy by clicking here (or click the cover below): http://amzn.to/2itLDGP
Need a support group after that cliffhanger? Join the VAIL TAIL FANGIRLS GROUP on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/VailTail
Follow Mark Ashton on Twitter: @MarkAshtonVail
Grab your VAIL TAIL FANGIRL t-shirt: https://teespring.com/vail-tail
Visit Lisa Suzanne’s Website for bonus extras like a behind the scenes look at the book, excerpts from the first draft, inspiration, playlists, and more! Click here: http://bit.ly/ALLDBonus
Check out Lisa Suzanne’s A Little Like Destiny Pinterest Inspiration Board here: http://bit.ly/ALLD_Pinterest
Only Ever You
A Little Like Destiny Book Two
Coming September 28, 2017
Add to Goodreads: bit.ly/OEYGoodreads
Torn between two brothers, Reese Brady must choose whether to live out her fantasies or opt for stability. She bears the load of her guilt to the point of exhaustion, excusing unsavory behavior as a form of self-punishment. Despite the temptation of one man, she commits to the other.
When a family crisis strikes, Reese is forced into the arms of the wrong man. How will she comfort him when she longs to be with his brother?
acknowledgments
This series has a long history behind it. Somewhere between ten and fifteen years ago, I got up the courage to share something I wrote with my husband. Back then, this series took place on a beach in Mexico. The character names and identities have remained the same, and the fact that Reese was torn between brothers remains the same, but the 2017 version of this story is about a million times better and the original is virtually unrecognizable. I have my husband to thank for that. His encouragement, his support, his willingness to talk plot at any given whim of mine, and especially his enthusiasm for reading my contemporary romance books—not his preferred genre—is what allows me to continue to do what I love.
Thank you to my littlest rock star whose dance moves are unmatched and whose smiles keep me sane.
Thank you to Trenda Tbird Lundin for the content editing. Your notes have been beyond valuable and you can’t ever leave me. Thank you to Katie Harder-Schauer for being a dependable proofer who knows the rules (and makes me feel confident that I know them, too).
Thank you to Kelly Werner for beta reading, texting, being the best, and (of course) for the title.
Thank you to HEA PR & More for the cover reveal, Buoni Amici Press for the pre-order blitz, and Give Me Books for the release blitz. Thank you to every blogger who has read an ARC of this book or who has picked it up on their own. I couldn’t do this without your tireless promotions and I love and appreciate every single one of you.
Thank you to my awesome ARC Team for your help with the blurb and for reading and reviewing my books and for getting as excited about them as I am.
Finally, thank you to all the readers who took a chance on Reese Brady. I can’t wait for you to see what happens next…
XOXO,
Lisa Suzanne
Don’t miss a thing! Sign up for Lisa Suzanne’s Newsletter.
Are you a book blogger? Sign up for Lisa Suzanne’s Blogger Only Newsletter here.
about the author
Lisa Suzanne is a romance author who resides in Arizona with her husband and baby boy. She’s a former high school English teacher and college composition instructor. When she’s not cuddling baby Mason, she can be found working on her latest book or watching reruns of Friends.
author links
Web
Newsletter
Facebook
Reader Group
Twitter
Instagram
Pinterest
Goodreads
Google+
Amazon
books by Lisa Suzanne
CONFLICTED
CLICKBAIT
STALEMATE
OUTWAIT
NOT JUST ANOTHER ROMANCE NOVEL
VINTAGE VOLUME ONE
VINTAGE VOLUME TWO
HOW HE REALLY FEELS (HE FEELS, BOOK 1)
WHAT HE REALLY FEELS (HE FEELS, BOOK 2)
SINCE HE REALLY FEELS (HE FEELS, BOOK 3)
THE HE FEELS TRILOGY BOX SET
SEPARATION ANXIETY
SIDE EFFECTS
SECOND OPINION
Flip the page for a preview of Conflicted, Lisa Suzanne’s forbidden contemporary romance.
preview: Conflicted
CONFLICTED
© 2016 Lisa Suzanne
CHAPTER ONE
“Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the brand new CEO of Benson Industries, my son and one hell of a man, Mr. Cole Benson.”
The man who was about to become my new boss stepped up to the podium. “Thank you, Dad, and congratulations on your retirement.” He smiled at his father, and then he turned toward the crowd of employees who had gathered in the lecture room. “I’m thrilled to take over the role of CEO from my father, who built Benson Industries on a dime and a dream, as he always says. Together, we will continue to drive products from design to market.”
He started outlining some four-point plan, but my mind drifted. I couldn’t help it.
I’d never met Cole in person. He’d been running the New York office, but he was relocating to Los Angeles to take on his new role.
I was sad to see Jack retire. He’d been a fair and kind boss, really like a second father to me. But as sad as I was to see him go, looking at his son was certainly much better than dear old dad.
I was sitting near the back of the lecture room, so my view was partially obstructed. I couldn’t wait to get a good, clean look at him. I knew he was attractive—I’d been in the office as his father Skyped him, and I’d spoken to him on the phone several times.
I thought back to just about a month earlier when Jack had shown me some photos from a family trip to Hawaii. Cole Benson wearing just swim trunks had taken my breath away. The man was chiseled everywhere, and I just wished I’d had the chance to forward a picture to myself so I could really give it a good inspection. I Facebook stalked him—justifying my actions in my mind with the fact that he was my boss’s son—but all his public photos were from business events.
I didn’t know what to expect other than the daily temptation I’d face working for a man whose face rivaled a model and whose body rivaled a Greek god.
After Cole’s speech ended and I realized that I hadn’t heard a word aside from his first three sentences, I returned to my desk with the hope I’d meet the man I’d be assistant to. Unfortunately, though, Jack ushered him out to lunch to introduce him to some clients, and they didn’t return by the time the clock struck five.
I glanced at my husband as the alarm clock sounded the next morning. He was snoring away. I couldn’t help the feeling of resentment that came with the fact that he’d gotten home after I’d already gone to bed the night before. Sometimes I felt like he loved his job more than me.
I shook it off. Non-communication with John was nothing new, but what awaited me at work that morning was. I wanted to make the very best impression I could on Cole, so I woke up early and put a little extra effort into my morning routine.
I chose a professional fitted navy shift dress and matching heels. I dried and straightened my hair and polished off the look with a chunky necklace and matching earrings. I felt pretty and ready to meet my new boss.
Until I stepped outside.
Cole’s first official day was a rare rainy Tuesday morning in LA.
I cursed the rain that turned my sleek hair into a frizzy mess. I ran across t
he apartment parking lot to our assigned space that was nowhere near where we lived as I wished for the umbrella that was stored in—you guessed it—my car.
I barely sidestepped a muddy puddle and patted down my hair. Normally, the apartment I shared with John was only a ten minute drive from work, fifteen if there was traffic. Unfortunately, though, with rain came accidents. So my fifteen minute drive turned into thirty.
It was five after nine when I finally arrived at my desk.
The man I’d drooled over in photos towered imposingly over my desk. Irritation glazed his handsome face as he turned toward me, and I froze for one brief moment as our eyes met.
The photos hadn’t done him justice.
This man flew right past handsome on the hunk meter with his black hair and dark eyes that were fixated on me. A perfectly manicured scruff outlined his strong jaw, and my eyes stopped for the briefest of moments on his full, ripe lips.
He was pulled together, professional, and effortless, and I couldn’t remember another time when just looking at a man had actually taken my breath away.
The attraction was instant and insane. My heart started racing as I thought about that picture Jack had shown me.
I reached up to wipe my mouth to make sure I wasn’t drooling. The only thought in my mind was what he had hidden under that suit.
“You’re late, Ms. Cleary. I expect you to be on time.”
Those were the first words ever directed at me in person from the mouth of the god.
I rushed toward my desk, and I caught a hint of his scent. Fresh, clean, and masculine. “My apologies, sir. Traffic was—”
He cut me off. “Account for traffic in your commute. You’ll stay late to make up your tardiness.”
“Yes, sir.”
I would not cry thirty seconds after meeting my new boss.
But he was right. I’d been late. I’d gotten up early to make a good impression, yet I still managed to make a bad one.
