Need You Now (Martha's Way Series Book 2)
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NEED YOU NOW
Martha’s Way Book 2
Mika Jolie
Sensual Romance
Secret Cravings Publishing
www.secretcravingspublishing.com
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A Secret Cravings Publishing Book
Sensual Romance
Need You Now
Copyright © 2014 Mika Jolie
E-book ISBN: 978-1-63105-405-1
First E-book Publication: November 2014
Cover design by Dawné Dominique
Edited by Theresa Stillwagon
Proofread by Laurie White
All cover art and logo copyright © 2014 by Secret Cravings Publishing
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.
All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.
PUBLISHER
Secret Cravings Publishing
www.secretcravingspublishing.com
Dedication
To my husband, thank you so much for all of your support and for taking over our happy chaos when I need to write. A toast to our lifetime of dating. You are my biggest fan and that makes you even sexier than you already are. Je t’aime.
My wonderful group of writers – WWLR – You all ROCK!
A special thanks to:
Taylor Sullivan
PM Carson
Ann Cae
Lisa Bell
Kate DeHart
Marianne Stark
Nancy White
and
Jeanne King.
You continue to push me and make me better.
A big awesome hooray to my beta reader Bonnie Messinger. What can I say? You and I make a great team.
My twin Beneta Rolser, don’t think I don’t appreciate you…because I do. A whole lot!
Last but not least, to all the readers - without you this wouldn’t be as much fun. Thank you so much for all you’ve helped me to accomplish.
Anyone else I may have missed. Fear not, there are more books to come.
Love you all!!!
The Cravings Ebook Club
The Cravings Paranormal Ebook Club
Have you heard about the newest idea in ebooks, the ebook club? Secret Cravings Publishing has two ebook clubs, The Cravings Ebook Club or the Cravings Paranormal Ebook Club, and we invite you to become a member.
As a new member, you will receive Trouble With a Cowboy* by Sandy Sullivan and Blood Kisses** by H.N. Sieverding FREE, just for joining!
You’ll also receive 4 BRAND-NEW EBOOKS, specially selected by our Editorial Director, every month in a variety of genres for a total price of only $9.99 for all 4. This comes out to barely $2.50 per book, much less than the retail price and you’ll be able to enjoy your books even before they are uploaded to the popular sales sites. One of several privileges of club membership.
*Trouble With a Cowboy, a western, erotic romance:
18 wheels had her heart until one hard-up cowboy found her kickin' up her heels and propositions her to take his bull to Vegas.
Jacie Hawkins drives big wheelers for a livin'. Something not a lot of women do. Littleton Oklahoma is just a dry stopover for a few hours of rest and relaxation at the nearest bar. Jacie needs to find a hot cowboy to release some of her pent up frustrations on for the night, but wannabe's aren't her style.
Tucker Marshall needs a big-rig driver to haul his prize bull to National Finals Rodeo and he needs one fast. Who would have thought he'd find one shootin' pool at the local bar dressed to kill and takin' numbers?
Can some slashed tires and an ornery bull bring two hard-headed people together for some fun in the sun and a little more?
**Blood Kisses (Nightwalkers 1), paranormal erotic romance:
Ashleigh Brown, the author of the popular Nightwalkers series, lives a quiet life free of the limelight. She keeps her real identity secret by writing under the pen name, Victoria Allure. She soon finds herself in a bind when she's kidnapped by a group of handsome vampires seeking Victoria. She then agrees to meet their Master, who's a huge fan of her books. But instead of meeting him, she accidentally crosses paths with her rock star crush. He is the sexy muse behind Nightwalkers and the man she based the hero in the series upon. She would do anything to meet him but little does she know her crush has a secret…
We will try to match your books to your preferences, however, if you’re a major paranormal fan, we suggest you join the Cravings Paranormal Club. Everything is the same except that three of your four books will be paranormal. The remaining book will be of a different genre.
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We hope our Secret Cravings books will delight you each and every month.
Best wishes,
Beth Walker
NEED YOU NOW
Martha’s Way Book 2
Mika Jolie
Copyright © 2014
Chapter One
“Sex is the consolation you have when you can’t have love.”
Gabriel García Márquez
At the age of twenty-eight there were things Lily should be immune to or come to expect, like colds and cheating boyfriends. Correction—cheating lovers. Really, she had no clear definition of what role Adam played in her life, and that was part of the problem. Of course, after she caught her fiancé sexting another woman, you’d think she’d be more guarded. Nope. Instead she went to Martha’s Vineyard for a weekend. Hooked up with the sexy Italian, gave him the benefit of the doubt and agreed to their long distance, no strings attached, no dating or exchanging any bodily fluid with anyone else relationship.
Ha! Once again, she found
herself to be the butt of the joke.
Lily fought back a sneeze, and the terrible need to close her heavy eyelids and drift into a sweet, mindless sleep. Except she already knew such sweet relief would be impossible to achieve for several reasons.
First reason, it appeared she’d managed to catch a cold in the middle of September–the wonderful month when summer said its final farewell to autumn, when one could start saying goodbye to the stifling heat, welcome the cool, crisp air of fall, and go for long jogs against the backdrop of colorful leaves.
Nope. Not her.
Instead, she spent most of the day cuddling with her new BFFs—a box of tissues and antibiotics. How she managed to get out of bed and wiggle her way into her sexy, come-get-me little black dress was still a mystery.
“We could have rescheduled,” the strong, masculine voice said from across the table.
She flashed her date a smile and tried her best to show some interest, because the second reason for sleep deprivation was why she had agreed to this blind date. Adam Aquilani, the lethally gorgeous, unflappable Formula One racer, the reason behind her superhuman strength. She needed to forget him and say arrivederci to her lover for the past year.
“No, I’m okay. Just a little cold.” In reality, she was b-o-r-e-d out of her brain and every muscle in her body ached. She needed her bed. She was angry at Adam. He needed to stop occupying all of her functioning brain cells. Just the knowledge that he possessed the ability to penetrate her thoughts during this hour was irritating.
She was done with him. Wasn’t she?
Well, of course she was. She just needed to tell him. And she would do that first thing in the morning and interrupt his beauty sleep at wherever the hell he was at the moment. Morocco. No, Italy. He should be there now with his parents for a few days before flying back to Boston. Possibly jet-lagged. She smiled as she considered his displeasure when she’d interrupt his sleep.
Yes, the time difference suited her just fine, although she would have preferred to catch him while he was in Morocco for his race. After a year of sleeping with him, she knew his days never started before nine in the morning, North America, Eastern Time zone, regardless of the continent.
She would call and tell him to go to hell. That was sure to bruise his inflated ego. She’d bet her beloved 1997 SL320 convertible Benz that no female had ever given the great Adonis his walking papers. This would be a first. A sudden, grating sound interrupted her thoughts as her phone chirped inside her tiny green purse on the table. She glanced at the thin watch around her wrist; probably one of her overly protective brothers checking up on her. She decided to ignore the call. Time to show some interest in…oh…what was his name again? Shit! She couldn’t remember her date’s name. She just knew it wasn’t Adam. And thank goodness for that. What’s-his-name was sexy in his own way, tall, dark, and handsome. As a matter of fact, he even resembled the dark, brooding Italian she was getting ready to dump.
Wait, could one dump a fuck buddy?
She needed to check the etiquette on that. But not now. She needed to focus and enjoy what’s-his-name…Paul. There, she remembered.
She smiled in relief. Paul smiled back before ordering a bottle of wine. Okay, the wine would help.
“So, Paul, you must enjoy working with children.” Small talk always lightened awkward situations.
Her date’s handsome face frowned a little, only to be replaced quickly with a smile. “Of course, they’re fun.”
See, she could do it. Her phone chirped again.
“Should you check to make sure all is well?”
Lily dismissed the suggestion with a slight wave. “That’s one of my overly protective brothers.”
Paul’s face knitted in agreement. “Oh…how many are there?”
“Three,” she answered as casually as possible. She didn’t need to tell him her brothers had threatened to break the legs of her last boyfriend. Correction—ex-cheating scumbag fiancé.
Paul choked on his water and flagged the waiter. It was obvious the thought of three protective brothers scared the guy a little bit. Lily didn’t blame him. She wondered how Adam would react to her brothers. He’d most likely go toe-to-toe with them.
Did he even know she had siblings? She searched her mind and tried to remember if they ever talked about anything other than what are you wearing? Another round? Let’s fuck.
Nope. Nothing.
She leaned forward and tried her best to appear more inviting. “They can be a bit much, but nice guys.”
“I’m sure,” he replied, his voice, deceptively calm.
“Tell me all about your life as a pediatrician,” she quickly suggested, hoping to shift gears and focus back on handsome doctor Paul. Her friend responsible for this set up had told her he was reliable and a one-woman-at-a-time type of guy. Not the type who would be caught on camera kissing scantily-clad women with fake, perky breasts after a victory race.
“Actually, I’m a chiropractor,” Paul corrected.
Oh. Damn. Her mistake. Embarrassed, she fanned her warm cheeks. “I’m so sorry.” She made a mental note to get all the facts straight next time she agreed to a blind date.
Her phone beeped again. Damn it! It wasn’t like her brothers to bother her that much…unless something was actually wrong. “I’m sorry, but I need to check my messages. Something may be wrong.” She offered the apology while reaching for her phone.
The text read—
Liliana
Her heart hitched. Oh Lord, only one man ever called her by her full name.
The second text read—
Where are you? I’ve been trying to reach you for two days.
Her breath caught. She had been ignoring his calls and text messages the last two days. She needed to focus and figure out how to dump his ass. Even the fact that her best friend, Minka, had defended him and advised her to give him a chance to explain had set her off. She couldn’t blame her friend, though. Her mind was clouded and she was high on love. In about eight weeks, Minka was going to marry one of Adam’s best friends. Except Jason had been a model fiancé and never felt the need to kiss any other but his lovely soon-to-be wife. She couldn’t say that about Adam Aquilani.
I’m imagining you naked in my bed.
Oh, God. The room became sweltering hot. She sat in the broiling heat Adam generated even miles away.
I’m horny and I want to make you come. Phone sex?
Her breath rose to her chest and that little spot between her thighs throbbed with need. She didn’t need to read further. She knew the messages would get more explicit. That was Adam’s way and somehow he had managed to entangle her in his dirty little games, including phone sex.
As if the metallic device burned her skin, she dropped the phone in her purse and turned her attention to Paul.
“Is everything okay?” he asked, his eyes on her.
“Ummm, yes. Sorry about that.”
“You look flushed.”
Flushed was an understatement. More like completely turned on and would jump Adam if he were the one sitting across from her. Except it was good old pop-your-back Paul. And thank God for that.
“I’m okay.” But her voice came out a little shaky, rough.
Paul continued to stare at her, confusion evident. Lily flashed him a perky smile, leaned toward him and tried to appear interested.
Her date smiled pleasantly as he reached for her hands. “Lily, there’s someone else.” It was more a statement than a question, his voice calm with no hint of anger.
Damn you, Adam!
Stricken with guilt, she pulled her gaze from his. It was one thing to want revenge on her lover, but it was another to bring an innocent party into her mess. “Yes,” she confirmed in a soft whisper. It made her angry that someone could have such a hold on her even miles away. Hell, right now he was on another continent altogether. “No…I mean, kind of, but not really.” Damn it, she was rambling. Lily let out a frustrated sigh and looked into Paul’s friendly eyes. “H
e’s not a boyfriend.”
Paul chuckled, probably over how ridiculous she sounded. He released her hand and leaned back in his chair. “Well, whatever he is, he’s pretty persistent. Is he going to show up here?” he asked with genuine concern.
“Oh, God no. He’s in Italy.”
Paul brows went up. “You’re dating a man who lives in Italy? That’s almost an impossible relationship unless he’s some globe-hopping superstar.”
She almost laughed in agreement but instead said, “We’re not dating.”
Her date nodded, seeming to finally understand the status of her relationship. “How about we continue to enjoy dinner with no expectations? Maybe I can even convince you to drop him and go for something steadier and closer to home. You don’t seem like the casual type.”
Paul was right on one thing, she’d never done the casual thing until she threw caution to the wind and threw herself at Adam. As for convincing her to go for something steadier and closer to home, she doubted that very much but decided to continue their date anyway. Although the more she tried to brush Adam out of her mind, the more he penetrated.
Stubborn was his middle name.
* * * *
Lily stepped out of the elevator while fumbling in her purse for the keys to her apartment. Once she and Paul managed to get the whole Adam thing out of the way, they had a good time. Oh, the chemistry was zilch, zero, all because of the man she’d been casually sleeping with the past year.
A whole freaking year of great, mindless sex, wherever and whenever. A low groan escaped her throat as she opened the apartment door. As soon as Lily stepped inside her condo she knew she had company, and it wasn’t one of her brothers. She didn’t need to see him to know who it was either. His presence filled her condo. The smell of nature, similar to the wilderness–rugged, undiscovered, and comforting even in silence only belonged to one man. Her body tingled, betraying her. Traitor. It was definitely time for a tête-à-tête with her body. It should not be so weak while in a state of indignation.