Red Hot Lovers: 18 Contemporary Romance Books of Love, Passion, and Sexy Heroes by Your Favorite Top-Selling Authors

by Milly Taiden

  “Hi,” he said, giving a huge grin. She didn’t entertain guys often, so she grabbed the remote trying to break the uncomfortable silence. Adrian tried his best to stay calm, but every part of him wanted nothing more than to get another kiss. She was beautiful beyond words and it was killing him. He looked down to see Charley kicking off her strappy little heels only to have his heart speed up a bit more. She pulled her legs up on the couch to get more comfortable.

  “What are you doing?” she asked, trying to protest as he brought her feet into his lap. Admiring her hot pink manicured toes, he began to rub her soft feet. He pretended to be paying attention to the show, but couldn’t do anything but think about how her long legs were draped across him and how much he loved touching her.

  “Ow…ouch,” Charley said. Adrian laughed. So occupied with his thoughts, he didn’t realize just how tightly he’d been gripping her feet.

  Charley ran her hand up his arm stopping on his bicep. She smiled at him, watching him take care of her feet. His hands were magic and she was enjoying the attention.

  “Sorry, I can be a brute sometimes. Forgive me?” he asked, moving towards her so they could meet up with a kiss. Charley nodded, pulling him close, her lips the aggressor. She held tight to his shirt collar, not giving him an inch. And it wasn’t as if he was going anywhere, he was drawn to her like a magnet. Adrian finally let go of her feet following her body as she moved closer to him on the sofa. He moved her back against the pillows, doing his best at keeping his hands above her waist.

  “Tell me if it’s too much,” he breathed, his lips still on her mouth. She nodded, caught up in the moment, holding on to his neck as he dropped her farther back on the couch. Adrian pulled back waiting for her to stop him. When she didn’t, his heart pounded wildly, thrilled at her lack of protest. She was like no girl he’d ever been with, and he respected her immensely. But as she bit his lip, and ran her hand under his shirt, he found himself ready to explode.

  “Are you okay?” Charley asked. He seemed lost in thought.

  Charley knew what was progressing. His sweet kisses and kindness had teased her for days and it was about to put her over the edge. She didn’t want him to think less of her if she gave in to her desires for him. But what was wrong with sex between two consenting adults?

  He kissed down her neck, hitting her collar bone with more slow kisses, as she was losing all cognizant thought. She pulled at her blouse undoing the first button. Adrian moved her hands away, taking over. He had every button undone in about five seconds. Impressive, Charley thought.

  She moaned in pleasure as he made his way down her chest, and she ran her hands through his short hair. His hands trailed down her body. Charley ran her hands down Adrian’s muscular back, his skin smooth and warm.

  Her heart was racing as a thousand what-ifs ran through her mind.

  “Are you okay?” he asked, slowing down.

  “It’s been awhile,” she said, covering her eyes with her hand. Adrian smiled. He was glad to know she was just as nervous as he was

  “How long has it been for you?” she asked. She could have kicked herself as soon as that question left her mouth.

  “Uh, about two months,” he answered. He immediately wondered if honesty, in this case, was the best policy.

  Charley pulled him back to her, kissing his lips, indicating she wasn’t bothered by his truth. He slowly slid his hands down her long legs, their softness almost too much for him to bear, his hands meeting up with her ruffled skirt. Taking a breath, he slid his hand back up, going under her skirt. She wasn’t resisting so he kept going. Charley pulled her belt off quickly. Just as he started to slide her skirt off, his phone rang, buzzing them both, shattering their perfect moment. He knew who it was; she nodded giving him a sympathetic smile from below.

  “It’s okay, answer it,” she whispered, her face flushed and hair disheveled. Only a faint hint of her red lipstick was left on her lips.

  Adrian tried to pull it together, tugging at his jeans. He was halfway out of his dress shirt. Taking a few breaths to make sure he was not going to sound out of breath, he headed into her kitchen. Making sure she wasn’t listening, he quickly hit the answer button on his phone.

  “Seventy-two Davenport Avenue, the third condo on the left, Charley Harper. Blonde hair and legs to the heavens. She might have given your mother a run for her money back in the day,” Evelyn said to her son.

  Adrian swallowed down his anger; she always did this trying her best to push anyone and anything into submission.

  “Yeah, so what,” he said, taking short breaths. He was close to erupting.

  “How do you think little Miss Charley, daughter of one Sandy Harper would feel if she knew what I knew?” she asked, maliciously.

  “What is it you know exactly?” Adrian asked.

  “Oh, you’re so much like your father, it’s uncanny sometimes. But you also love your mother,” she said, waiting for a response. Evelyn knew her son’s weakness—since he was a little boy he’d wanted to be her hero.

  “I’m having a really good time right now, and if you ruin it for me, love won’t be a factor,” he warned.

  “Do you honestly believe there could be a romance with the man responsible for her mother’s death?” Evelyn was beyond thrilled she had the upper hand.

  “I’m sick of this, if it wasn’t for you pulling me into your bullshit, I wouldn’t be in this mess right now,” Adrian snapped. He regretted daily what he’d done to that woman. But his regret wouldn’t change the outcome—she was still dead. He wished he’d never driven to his parents’ house that night. The minute he walked through the doors he knew he was in a mess. His mom was completely devastated and barely able to get out of bed. She’d found out about the affair and he was only trying to help her feel better. His mother never cried so when she was crying that night, it softened him to her. So he did what she’d asked of him, never thinking he’d meet Charley. And he never thought he’d have to face his father, knowing he was the cause of him being behind bars.

  “I want the files back; I don’t care what you have to do,” she said for the millionth time. She knew with the affair, Sam had probably divulged a little too much information to Sandy, and she was afraid that information could be floating around anywhere now. She had even sent her other son in the woman’s office as a patient himself to try and find something. Evelyn had to admit that Sandy was good. She kept a tight grip on personal information and another grip on almost all of her fortune. In the midst of her husband’s love affair, he entrusted Sandy with all the pass codes to his bank accounts, canceling all the previous codes. She was sure he was about to freeze her out, and she breathed a sigh of relief knowing her hand was just as strong as his in the family, or she would be dead by now.

  “Yeah, well maybe you should have thought about that before you decided to do what you did, things might have gone to the grave, Mother,” Adrian hissed. He snapped the phone shut just in time to see Charley was standing in the doorway.

  “Is everything all right? You seem a little rattled,” she said. She stood before him in her buttoned coat, holding her purse.

  “Of course. Let’s get to this show,” he said, letting out a sigh of relief. Charley pushed him back, dropping her coat to the floor. Then she shook her hair loose as she stood before him.

  “That’s not what you were wearing a little bit ago. Don’t you think it’s a little cold for naked?” he teased, staring at her marvelous figure. It was obvious the show was going to wait.

  “Come here,” she said, holding out a hand. He was impressed; he hadn’t expected something like this from her. So who was he to deny her now? Shaking all negative thoughts from his mind, he grabbed her up in his arms, and they began a battle of the lips.

  Ethan

  Ethan shined a flashlight over the box of papers. He’d gone on the camping trip and was now sitting in his friend’s truck. Everyone else was passed out in tents. He just couldn’t let it rest; he was determined to f
igure things out—what all these papers meant. They had to mean something, didn’t they?

  The darkness devoured everything in sight leaving him illuminated by a single flashlight.

  Ethan thumbed through the shocking amounts of chicken scratch, shaking his head in frustration. It just didn’t make any sense. He shoved the papers across the seat in a fit of rage.

  “Easy there, killer,” Lainey Johnson said, approaching the passenger side of the truck. Ethan tensed up knowing how nosy she was. Austin had insisted on letting her and her two best friends go on the hike. He had been paired with Lainey who was the same age as him, but she had the maturity level of a high school girl.

  “Hey, I thought everyone was sleeping,” he said as she invited herself into the truck. Ethan barely got the papers off the seat before she sat down.

  “No, I can’t fall asleep out here in the middle of nowhere,” she said with a sigh, throwing her black UGG boots on the dashboard, her blue sweatpants hugging her thick thighs that plumed out in just the right places. She leaned her head back against the seat, turning her head to stare at Ethan. He admired her brown locks. Most brunettes wanted to trade their hair for blonde these days.

  “Yeah, me either,” he said, quietly staring out into the night. He tightened his grip on the steering wheel, agitated he had been interrupted.

  “What’s this?” Lainey asked, holding a small gold key, a red twist tie attached to the end.

  “I don’t know,” Ethan said, snagging it up in a flash. This could just be one more piece to the puzzle he needed to get his questions answered. He shoved the key into his shirt pocket, ignoring Lainey’s probing stares.

  Everly

  Everly traipsed through the cold and snow, large flakes drifting past her nose. She pulled her wool scarf tighter across her face, Club Red almost in sight. Maryland was suffering a major snowstorm, and she was tightly bundled up as she headed into work.

  “Hey, Ev,” Mark said. He was the owner of Club Red and he’d been her savior. He was the one person who’d given her and the band a shot, and now, because of his faith in them, she was doing extremely well.

  Mark was a tall, muscular man nearing forty. He had a slightly graying head of wavy blond hair, facial hair, and the greatest smile he used to dazzle every woman who graced the doors of his club.

  “Hey, Mark,” Everly said, pulling at her scarf. Mark was busy wiping down the counter.

  “How’s life?” he asked, giving her a quick glance as he set bowls of peanuts in perfect spacing from each other.

  “It’s life—it goes on. How’s yours?” she asked back.

  “My life has gotten less hectic; I actually have some free time. So, yeah, I guess you could say things are going well,” he said, cracking a smile.

  He studied Everly as she turned away to hang her jacket up, her black leggings revealing a shapely backside. He’d always had an eye on her; she was simply beautiful. She stomped her feet at the door, shaking the last of the snow from her black boots.

  “What’s with this flannel?” he asked, grinning. She tugged at her form-fitting flannel dress that stopped nicely above her knee. The purple and black accented her raven black hair and milky skin.“It’s the newest trend,” she said, laughing at Mark as he playfully gave her a hard time.

  “Break a leg,” he said, making his way out from behind the bar. Everly nodded as he touched her shoulder in passing.

  She walked down the small hallway leading to the band holding area. Her band sat content tuning their instrument--Johnny Pancakes sat plucking away at his jet black guitar, cradling it in his hands like a delicate piece of art, his hair hanging in his face.

  Luke banged away at the keyboard making it hard to hear the other two talking to each other. Mages sipped a beer as he spun his drumsticks with the other hand. His freshly-shaven head towered above them all.

  “Well, look who it is,” Mages said, giving Everly a friendly poke, indicating he was happy to see her.

  “You ready for tonight…to sing the new song?” he asked.

  “Of course. Finality will be a hit, I can feel it,” she said, giving Mages a high five. Pancakes stopped playing, bringing his gaze up to meet Everly.

  “How was your little date last night?” he asked, obviously bothered.

  “And thanks to Vinnie for leaving me stranded. I had to go home with the bartender last night. Yikes.”

  “Don’t let him fool you, Ev, he has wanted that broad for some time now. I always knew he had a thing for the portly ones, eh?” Mages said, his thick Irish accent rolling right off his tongue as he chastised Pancakes.

  “You know the deal with that, Johnny. I’m sorry he ditched you, but take it up with him,” Everly said, turning away. She was in no mood to talk about Vinnie. She’d cried over that man for the last day and a half. She couldn’t believe he’d had the nerve to take home some trashy blonde.. It was way too soon to be flaunting women past her.

  “The two of you are some of the most stubborn people I know. Do you really think you’re going to find anyone better than Vinnie?” Johnny asked, plucking one lonely string. He raised an eyebrow as he stared at her and broke into a solo jam session. His voice grew louder the more he tried to convince her of her wrong.

  “Who said I was trying to find anyone? And, he broke it off with me,” she argued.

  Mages patted Everly’s back, doing his best to console her. He knew she was upset about the breakup. He knew how closed off she was with her emotions; the first time he had seen her cry was when her mother died. Pancakes shook his head in shock.

  “See? Stubborn. And if I were you, I’d stay away from the dating world. I hate it. you know how many psychos I meet a week?” he asked. “I had one girl want to marry me three days after I met her. Odds are you’re going to fall in love with a crazed lunatic that locks you in a hole in his basement, while Vinnie is off plowing another wannabe model slash stripper.” The whole band stared at Johnny, floored at his theatrics. He knew she was going to lose him, just because she was so stubborn. Part of him wondered what Vinnie had ever seen in Everly. She was capable of ruining anyone’s mood.

  “Hey, hey, you guys are on in five!” Mark shouted from the hallway.

  ***

  Vinnie stared at his own reflection as Mrs. Lovett tried her best at the Paso Doble. He nodded his head every now and again; keeping his fist balled in his gray sweatpants pockets.

  “I just don’t feel like I am doing it right,” she said, feigning ignorance. He sighed as he snatched her arm, pressed his groin into her backside, and lifted her arm above her head.

  “Just like that, Mrs. Lovett. Now start from the top,” he said, releasing her. She reluctantly began again. Mrs. Lovett was in her late forties and not a beautiful woman. He crossed his arms watching how she never bent her leg the way he’d instructed her to. He was certain she did this on purpose so his hand would graze her inner thigh. He felt like everyone used him as their own personal boy toy.

  “Vinnie, how am I doing?” Janelle Bennington asked. She did an amazing spin on her heel, holding her arms in just the right position, giving the appearance of a cape. Janelle was thirty and on her way to wed the love of her life. That was the only reason a girl like her was here in his studio--so she could impress her guests at the wedding reception. She was toned with caramel-colored skin and athletic with a body much like Everly’s--perfect in all the right places. She had a full head of curly, light-brown hair, full lips, and the biggest and brightest green eyes.

  “Amazing as usual,” he said, coming to stand in front of her. She smiled, shaking her arms loose, making her way to him.

  “Thank you so much. You’re the best teacher ever,” she said, moving in for a hug. Vinnie gave her a cool smile wrapping his arms around her, pulling her in so her chest was pressing against his. He liked how her hair felt against his face, and how he could tell she fancied Lavender over any other fragrance.

  “It’s not so bad with students like you. Brad is going to be a
mazed with all you’ve learned. Where is he? Paso Doble is for two.” Vinnie looked around the room, the usual husbands chatting it up from the waiting area chairs. They seemed to think as long as they paid him, they were free to sit and watch football on their phones as their wives molested him on the dance floor.

  “Oh, he came down with a bug. I decided to come alone so I wouldn’t miss my lesson.” She smiled a genuinely sweet smile but quickly looked away when she noticed Vinnie kept watching her. Vinnie noticed her sudden timidity—afraid to look at him for very long all of a sudden.

  “Well, I’m glad you came,” he said, touching her arm.

  Mrs. Lovett nearly plowed her over trying to catch his attention. She took him by the hands, forcefully shoving them to her thick waist. He was immediately put off by her doughy skin and he didn’t like touching her.

  “I wanted to get my last few minutes in, get my money’s worth,” she said, moving closer to Vinnie. She kept herself close to his groin and smiled as she stared down at their closeness.

  “Every time, huh, Mrs. Lovett?” he asked, focusing on her frizzy auburn hair and not on the fact that she was grinding into parts of him that he didn’t want touching her.

  “How have you been since the breakup, Vinnie?” she asked.

  Vinnie bit his bottom lip really wishing he hadn’t said anything. He spun her in a circle to avoid the question. Janelle smiled, watching him squirm in his misery, as she took a drink from her water bottle.

  “I’m fine, Mrs. Lovett,” he said as she moved closer, her hand pulling his face down to her level.

  “It’s Jane, and I have a daughter who is single,” she whispered. Vinnie gave her a big smile, ready to lose patience with her. Her daughter was once a student of his, and she was nowhere near anyone he would ever consider dating. She was a large girl with bright red cheeks and breasts the size of watermelons. She was the spitting image of her mother with an additional hundred pounds. She stuck around until the day Pancakes publicly refused to do a lift with her for fear he’d break his back. That was the last day he ever saw her.