Traded
Page 9
He tried to tell himself that this need to punish himself wasn’t because of the growing rift dividing his brothers—or the fact that no one in his family had shown up for his wedding…his wedding to a woman who’d once been with his brother.
But he, not Jake, had had Jill first.
He stared up at the gray concrete and high rises and clouds as he ran. The steel and the endless dismal rain matched his mood. He could see home just ahead, the high rise where his condo was and where Jill would be waiting, but he needed this time to himself. Just him and his thoughts, his dark thoughts.
A horn blared when he stepped off the curb. He jumped back, lifting his arm to shield his face from the splash of the car speeding curbside. “Asshole!” he shouted, but the rain drowned him out along with the sounds of the morning traffic. It had been his fault, anyway, almost running out into traffic without looking. What was wrong with him? His legs were shaking as he stood there and then started jogging in place until the walk light flashed. This time, the traffic had stopped, and he started across the street, making himself look twice, right and then left, at the stopped cars crowding the intersection.
He pulled open the glass front door to his building, his sneakers squeaking on the dark tiled floor. He swiped his hand across his face, wiping away the water, and pressed the button for the elevator. In the shiny steel doors, he glimpsed the reflection of his light beard, his wet gray tracksuit with his hood up, everything drenched. Droplets of water ran down the side of his face, and he was unsure if it was sweat or water from the mess looking back at him. Even Samuel had to admit, looking at himself, that the people he had passed on his run were probably wondering whether he was a thug. At the very least, they would have known he wasn’t someone in the mood to be messed with.
The elevator dinged, and he shivered as he stepped inside, jabbing the button for floor thirty-three. He leaned against the back of the elevator, feeling his legs start to tighten, his heartbeat racing. He should have stretched before stopping, as he’d pushed himself hard this morning, much as he had every day for weeks, but lately he had embraced the burn in his muscles as he pushed himself to the brink of madness, maybe because this was the only thing he could feel that was real. This physical pain made sense, and he understood it, although it did little to help the hurt he felt from his family.
The elevator slowed and opened to his floor. He nodded to his waiting neighbor, a portly man with thin hair in his sixties, who was wearing the same blue trench coat he wore every day. What was his name? It would come to him, he was sure. All Samuel knew was that he was a banker and had visitors every Wednesday night, always a different college girl dressed in some slinky number, most likely from a local escort service.
The only things he knew for sure about the man were his impressions, and that was all he wanted to know.
Samuel slipped his key into the lock and opened the door, then tossed his keys on the counter. He could hear the clock ticking and the low hum of the appliances.
“You’re back? I didn’t know you’d gone out.” Jill was holding a mug of coffee as she walked into the small walkthrough kitchen. She was so quiet. She’d cut her dark hair shorter, framing her round face. She was lovely, and there was something about her dark eyes that haunted him.
“Should you be drinking coffee?” he said.
She put the mug on the counter as he pulled back his wet hood from his head and peeled off his hoody, dumping it over the back of a kitchen chair. The four-piece dinette was crammed against the wall, but then, this one-bedroom apartment was only five hundred square feet. He should really think of getting something bigger. Jill had already asked twice, but he hadn’t answered. He knew she wouldn’t push. She never did, never had.
“It’s only one cup.” She was behind him.
He should turn around and look at her, talk to her. He reached for the mail on the table, flipped through the bills, and then dumped them back down. “I’m going to grab a shower,” he said—a hot one he could lose himself in.
“Do you want company?” she said.
This time, he had to make himself turn around, his hand gripping the door frame as he looked at Jill, at her rounded belly, the baby she carried. “Not this morning. I need to hurry. I have to meet a client.”
She stood across the room. The tension between them was so thick he could feel it like a wall, so heavy that it kept him where he was, away from her. Why didn’t that make him sad?
“What time are you going to be home?” she said. She crossed her arms over her breasts, which were larger now. At one time, he hadn’t been able to get enough of her, touching her, making love to her, being inside her. But something had faded. He didn’t know what exactly, only that it was something between them or in him that had died.
“Late,” he said. “Don’t wait up.” He turned away, walked into the bathroom, and shut the door.
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The Complete Wilde Brothers series:
—“Hard headed, but bless those Wilde brothers.”—Reviewer, Joyce
—“The Wilde Brothers series looks like another winner…just what this author always delivers.”—Reviewer, Susan
The One: You never know when you’ll suddenly meet the one!
The Honeymoon: Joe surprises his new wife with a honeymoon that’s anything but expected.
Friendly Fire: After a roadside bomb ends his career in the marines, Logan Wilde struggles to put his life back together, taking a job as a sheriff in a small Idaho town. He expects a quiet, peaceful life that will bore him to tears…until he walks through the door of Julia Cooper’s cafe.
Not Quite Married: Logan has his work cut out for him in getting Julia to the altar.
A Matter of Trust: If Ben Wilde is sure of one thing, it’s that Carrie Richardson is trouble.
The Reckoning, A Wilde Brothers Christmas: Some scars just don’t heal.
Traded: Jake Wilde has two loves and neither is going his way.
Unforgiven: Samuel Wilde has unbreakable bond with his brothers. That is until one woman comes between them.
Afterword
Thank you so much for reading Jake’s story in Traded. If you enjoyed Traded, please do me a favor and leave a review. All authors depend on reviews, and it takes only a couple of minutes to leave one, but it would really mean a lot to me. Thank you so much.
Now, although this book and all my books have been edited and proofed, editors, proofreaders, and I are all human. If you spot a typo, please email me at lorhainne@lorhainneeckhart.com and let me know. Also, I would like to thank everyone who has emailed and told all their family and friends about my books. If you’d like to know more about my other books, please scroll to the next section or visit my website at www.LorhainneEckhart.com.
If you’d like to sign up for my newsletter, I promise not to flood you with emails, but I will notify you of all new releases and special promotions.
All the best,
Lorhainne Eckhart
Other Works by Lorhainne Eckhart
Meet Kate and Walker: Deadly Dangerous and Desired. A brand new sizzling hot series.
New York Times & USA Today Bestselling Author Lorhainne Eckhart brings you ONE NIGHT, A high-stakes suspense and sizzling, red-hot romance!
A blind date goes deadly on a night she’ll never forget!
Kate Sikes has it all: she’s smart and sexy, she has a great career, and she really does believe in happy endings—only she always picks the wrong guys. Nonetheless, she’s determined to meet the man of her dreams, and she believes she’s finally found the one when she turns to online dating. However, her high hopes are once again dashed when Mr. Right turns out to be Mr. Wrong, with some seriously heavy baggage that has Kate running for her life.
When Detective Walker Pruett comes to Kate’s rescue not once but twice, he realizes the only way to keep her safe from a crazy stalker is to keep her close. But his life is far from easy. He’s a lone wolf, and the last thing he’s looking for
is attachment. After One Night with Kate, though, Walker can’t fight the chemistry sizzling between them. Not only does he find her irresistible, he feels compelled to protect her. And Kate soon discovers just how far Walker will go to do so.
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Excerpt:
“So no missus here?” she asked, because it would have been just her luck.
The look he gave her answered that question. “Seriously, Kate?”
“Okay, just checking. With my track record, it wouldn’t surprise me if you had some Big Love thing going on with a couple of sister wives.” Now she was being ridiculous, she knew that, and she wondered what it was about Walker that made her say things she’d never say to anyone else.
“Do I look like the type of guy who has women stashed away? Good God, one woman is a handful. Now you think I have a harem.”
“Sorry, my experience with men is somewhat jaded.”
He grunted and allowed his gaze to linger on her breasts before meeting her eyes. “I’ll show you the bathroom upstairs if you want to shower.” He was already on the stairs, going up. If she didn’t follow, she was pretty sure he was going to just leave her there, so she trotted after him, up the stairs, until she was right behind him. He didn’t look back, though. “I’ll get you a T-shirt to sleep in, and you can take my bed.” He was giving orders suddenly, so cold, changing from a man who’d stopped her with one of the most breathtakingly hot kisses she had ever had to a man who was all business, who couldn’t get away from her fast enough. What had she done now?
The stairs squeaked. She figured the house had to be sixty years old, give or take a decade or two. It had dark wood and white walls. Even the floorboards creaked when she walked. The bathroom was dated but surprisingly clean, for a guy.
“There’re extra towels in the cupboard in the bathroom.” He pointed at the door as if giving a tour and kept walking.
She followed on his heels, past one of the two bedrooms upstairs. The first door was open and had boxes on the desk and other junk piled in it.
“And this is my bedroom,” he said. It was small and had a four-poster bed, neatly made, covered in a dark blue quilt, with one pillow. He opened a chest of drawers and pulled out a white shirt. She didn’t miss how neatly folded his shirts were—a far cry from hers. Most things were jammed in her drawers, and she could barely close them.
“Wow, it’s surprisingly clean. I would have expected something not so neat.”
He gave her an odd look, the expression on his face almost unreadable. “Really, you mean like the trail you left at your place? First your red dress—which, by the way, is a work of art on you—then your lacy black bra and underwear. What did you do, step out of everything and drop them as you walked to your bedroom?”
How had he known? She swallowed, because that was exactly what she’d done. She gripped his T-shirt closer, feeling her bare nipples brush the inside of the sweatshirt. Even though she was wearing shorts, as well, she felt absolutely naked in front of him. And, right now, she didn’t want to be anywhere else.
He was so close to her, and he made no attempt to move back or away. Seemed to her he really enjoyed invading her space. There was something about the way a man smelled when she was attracted to him that was better than hot fudge—and she loved fudge, anything chocolate, deep and sweet and rich. He raised an eyebrow when she didn’t answer.
“Okay, so I’m not the neatest,” she said. “Can I just say, in my defense, I was on my way to take a shower?”
The way his gaze drifted down over the bulky sweatshirt she was wearing to her bare legs and then lower, taking in all of her, was the most intimate gesture she’d ever experienced. She had to squeeze her legs together. Good God, what would it be like to have this man fuck her? She had no doubt he’d know how to do it right—and no doubt she’d think she’d died and gone to heaven. He gazed at her lower lip as she slipped her tongue out and over it. She wanted him to lean in and taste her, kiss her hard and fast and deep as he did.
Then he had her pressed against the wall, her arms above her head, and he held them with one hand in a grip she knew she couldn’t get away from, not that she wanted to move one inch from this man. No, she wanted him closer, feeling every hard inch of him pressed into her. She heard a sound and realized it was her. She’d whimpered.
“You want me hard and fast or tender and easy? Come on, Kate. Tell me what you want,” he said. He slipped his leg in between hers, and he was thick and long, pressing into her. His breath was warm as he stared so close, his eyelids heavy, eyes filled with desire. Yeah, he wanted her too.
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About the Author
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Lorhainne Eckhart’s books have been described as Longmire meets old-school Dallas, and she recently received the 2013 Readers’ Favorite Award for Romantic Suspense for her title Lost and Found. With over thirty-five titles under her belt, her big family romance series have become a fan favorite. She is frequently a Top 100 bestselling author in multiple genres, such as romance, western, military, and mystery/suspense. She has written multiple series, including The Outsider, Walk the Right Road, The Wilde Brothers, Saved, The Friessens, and her two newest additions, Married in Montana and her high-stakes suspense and sizzling, red-hot romance series Kate and Walker: Deadly, Dangerous, and Desired.
You can chat with Lorhainne on Facebook at www.facebook.com/AuthorLorhainneEckhart, Twitter @LEckhart, and her blog at http://www.lorhainneeckhart.com/blog/ ).
If you’re interested in finding out how to get your hands on early advance release copies of all her upcoming books or receiving exclusive access to weekly giveaways and special limited-time promotions, you can join her newsletter list at http://eepurl.com/ZHFNz, and all those details will be delivered right to your inbox.
Lorhainne Eckhart loves to hear from readers!
Connect with Lorhainne at
Email: Lorhainne@LorhainneEckhart.com
Twitter: @LEckhart
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Links to Lorhainne Eckhart’s Booklist
The following Lorhainne Eckhart titles are available in electronic format. Please scroll down for the links or visit her website at www.LorhainneEckhart.com for available retailers.
The Outsider Series
The Forgotten Child (Brad and Emily)
A Baby and a Wedding (An Outsider Series Short)
Fallen Hero (Andy, Jed, and Diana)
The Search (An Outsider Series Short)
The Awakening (Andy and Laura)
Secrets (Jed and Diana)
Runaway (Andy and Laura)
Overdue (An Outsider Series Short)
The Unexpected Storm (Neil and Candy)
The Wedding (Neil and Candy)
Or grab all the books in this sizzling romance series in one boxed set collection, The Outsider Series: The Complete Omnibus Collection.
The Friessens: A New Beginning
The Deadline (Andy and Laura)
The Price to Love (Neil and Candy)
A Different Kind of Love (Brad and Emily)
A Vow of Love, A Friessen Christmas
Or grab all the books in this romantic family saga in one boxed set collection, The Friessens A New Beginning: The Collection
The Friessens
The Reunion
The Wilde Brothers
The One (Joe and Margaret)
The Honeymoon, A Wilde Brothers Short
Friendly Fire (Logan and Julia)
Not Quite Married, A Wilde Brothers Short
A Matter of Trust (Ben and Carrie)
The Reckoning, A Wilde Brothers Christmas
Traded (Jake)
Unforgiven (Samuel)
Married in Montana
His Promise
Kate and Walker: Deadly, Dangerous and Desired Series
One Night
; Walk the Right Road Series
The Choice
Lost and Found
Merkaba
Bounty
Blown Away: The Final Chapter
Or grab all the books in the Walk the Right Road series in one boxed set collection,
Walk the Right Road: The Complete Collection.
The Saved Series
Saved
Vanished
Captured
Or grab The Saved Series: The Complete Collection, with all the books in this military thriller.
New in 2015
He Came Back – October 27, 2015
Loving Christine - November 24, 2015
Boxed Sets & Collections
The Outsider Series: The Complete Omnibus Collection
Walk the Right Road: The Complete Collection
The Friessens A New Beginning: The Collection
The Saved Series: The Complete Collection
Danger Deception Devotion: The Firsts
Young Adult Christmas
The Gift
A Father’s Love, Illustrated
Available on Audiobook
The Deadline
The Price to Love
Saved
The Forgotten Child
A Baby And A Wedding
Fallen Hero with bonus short story The Search
The One
Lost and Found