He stepped away, leaving her a little breathless—and a whole lot frustrated. She’d finally found a man who thought she was beautiful and naturally he didn’t trust her.
Adam strode back into her bedroom like he’d done it a thousand times. He looked at Jake. “You taking first watch?”
Jake nodded and without another word, walked away.
Adam rubbed his hands together. “Well, sweetheart, it’s just you and me.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“It means you’re not sleeping alone tonight.” He tossed his lean body into her comfy chair. It was an overstuffed easy chair covered in pink and green flowers. It had been her mother’s, and though it didn’t really go with Serena’s contemporary style, she hadn’t been able to get rid of it. She could still see her mom sitting in that chair, watching over her.
Now Adam Miles made himself comfortable in the chair where Serena read every night. He looked far too masculine for the flowery upholstery, like a sleek jaguar who had stretched out for the night.
“I’ll run a trace on the text tomorrow.” He toed off his loafers and settled into the chair, his longish hair falling over his eyes and making him look years younger.
He was all soft seduction where Jake was one hundred percent alpha male.
“You won’t find anything.” It felt weird to get into bed knowing Adam intended to stay in the room with her. She hadn’t slept with anyone in years. She and Bridget had shared rooms at conventions, but it wasn’t the same. Even that had stopped since Bridget insisted on keeping the room sub-tropical at all times. “Do you need a blanket?”
He closed his eyes. “No. I’m good. Trust me. I’ve slept in far worse places. This is practically heaven.”
“Like where?” The writer inside couldn’t let that go.
“Another time, sweetheart. Go to bed. We have a long day tomorrow. You have to meet with Lara to talk about the book launch. You owe three blogs next week, so you should really get those done, and you haven’t sent your editor back your line edits on Their Sweetheart Slave. Oh, and we have to meet with Eve. I scheduled that for the morning.”
“You looked through my day planner?”
“Oh, yes. And we’re going to upgrade you to a PDA. Really, that day planner thing is a mess. Don’t worry. I’ll have you organized in no time at all. Consider it all part of the service.” His eyes came open. “Don’t hide anything from me, Serena. Jake and I are here to protect you. If that means violating your privacy, I’ll do it, and I won’t blink. You can choose to view it in that fashion, or you can treat me like a personal assistant who also happens to know how to kill a man in two point three seconds and not leave a drop of blood. It’s all in your point of view, isn’t it?”
Adam Miles knew how to go for the throat. He might look softer than that caveman currently prowling her living room, but he was no less dangerous.
And she could keep them. For a little while.
Serena climbed into bed, certain she would never be able to sleep. She closed her eyes, and for the first time in weeks, fell into pleasant dreams.
About the authors:
Shayla Black (aka Shelley Bradley) is the New York Times bestselling author of over 30 sizzling contemporary, erotic, paranormal, and historical romances for multiple print and electronic publishers. She lives in Texas with her husband, munchkin, and one very spoiled cat. In her "free" time, she enjoys reality TV, reading and listening to an eclectic blend of music.
Shayla has won or placed in over a dozen writing contests, including Passionate Ink's Passionate Plume, Colorado Romance Writers Award of Excellence, and the National Reader's Choice Awards. Romantic Times has awarded her Top Picks, a KISS Hero Award and a nomination for Best Erotic Romance.
A writing risk-taker, Shayla enjoys tackling writing challenges with every book.
Lexi Blake lives in North Texas with her husband and three kids. She began writing at a young age concentrating on plays and journalism. It wasn’t until she started writing romance that she found success. Lexi believes in happy endings no matter how odd the couple, threesome or foursome may seem. In addition to Their Virgin Captive and Their Virgin’s Secret, she is the author of the Masters & Mercenaries series. The first book, The Dom Who Loved Me, is available now. The second book, The Men with the Golden Cuffs is coming this spring.
Discover other titles by Shayla Black at Smashwords.com:
FATED – A Doomsday Brethren Novella –
ONE WICKED NIGHT –
Connect with us online:
Shayla Black:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ShaylaBlackAuthor
Twitter: www.twitter.com/@shayla_black
Smashwords: www.smashwords.com/profile/view/ShaylaBlack
Website: www.shaylablack.com
Lexi Blake:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=100002737235159
Twitter: www.twitter.com/@authorlexiblake
Smashwords: www.smashwords.com/profile/view/LexiBlake
Website: www.LexiBlake.net
Also from Shayla Black/Shelley Bradley:
EROTIC ROMANCE
The Wicked Lovers Series
Available now:
WICKED TIES
DECADENT
DELICIOUS
SURRENDER TO ME
BELONG TO ME
“Wicked to Love” novella
Coming soon:
MINE TO HOLD
BOUND TO YOU
Sexy Capers Series
Available now:
BOUND AND DETERMINED
STRIP SEARCH
Coming soon:
“Arresting Desire” – HOT IN HANDCUFFS Anthology
NAUGHTY LITTLE SECRET (as Shelley Bradley)
“Watch Me” – SNEAK PEEK Anthology (as Shelley Bradley)
DANGEROUS BOYS AND THEIR TOY
“Her Fantasy Men” – FOUR PLAY Anthology
THEIR VIRGIN CAPTIVE
PARANORMAL ROMANCE
The Doomsday Brethren Series
Available now:
TEMPT ME WITH DARKNESS
“Fated” novella
SEDUCE ME IN SHADOW
POSSESS ME AT MIDNIGHT
“Mated” – HAUNTED BY YOUR TOUCH anthology
ENTICE ME AT TWILIGHT
Coming Soon:
EMBRACE ME AT DAWN
HISTORICAL ROMANCE (as Shelley Bradley)
Available now:
THE LADY AND THE DRAGON
ONE WICKED NIGHT
STRICTLY SEDUCTION
Coming Soon:
STRICTLY FORBIDDEN
CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE (as Shelley Bradley)
Available now:
A PERFECT MATCH
Also from Lexi Blake:
THE DOM WHO LOVED ME
Their Virgin’s Secret, Masters of Menage, Book 2 Page 23
