Prelude to a Fantasy: Prequel to Harmless Book 8

by Melissa Schroeder

  Prelude to a Fantasy

  Prelude to Book Eight, A Little Harmless Fantasy

  One night in Hawaii leads to more than either of them are ready for. Join Zeke and Maura for one night to see how it all started.

  eBooks are not transferable. They cannot be sold, shared or given away as it is an infringement on the copyright of this work.

  This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locale or organizations is entirely coincidental.

  Prelude to a Fantasy Copyright © 2012 by Melissa Schroeder at Smashwords

  Cover by Brandy Walker

  All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. First electronic publication: December, 2012

  Table of Contents

  Prelude to a Fantasy

  About the Author

  Other books by Melissa Schroeder

  First chapter of A Little Harmless Fantasy

  Prelude to a Fantasy

  A prequel to A Little Harmless Fantasy

  Zeke breathed in the warm Hawaiian night air as he pulled Maura out of Rough ‘n Ready trying to cool his irritation. Anger boiled in his gut and his hands itch to hit something. Zeke couldn’t remember the last time he lost his temper, but he was dangerously close tonight. Conner wouldn’t have been happy if he had to bail Zeke out of jail because he beat the shit out of some Dom with an Aussie accent.

  Zeke was known for his cool head, but Maura knew just what fucking buttons to push. Hell, it was like she sewed them.

  “Zeke, wait,” she said struggling against his hold.

  He ignored her plea. The best thing he could do was get as far as he could away from the BDSM club. The moment she had walked out into the common area of their shared suite, he had been ready to kill. Damn her for wearing a dress that clung to every small curve of her body and damn him for spending the last three hours looking at those long legs. He had studied her so closely he was pretty damned sure she wasn’t wearing panties.

  His cock twitched. Shit. He was lucky to have any kind of ability to walk a straight line at the moment. He had spent the night trying to fight every hormone in his body—especially the ones that were telling him to get a cab and make love to her in the backseat.

  What the bloody hell was the woman doing to him?

  “Your brother sent you here to check out the woman, not be checked out.”

  It wasn’t easy dealing with his feelings toward Maura. He had been protective of her from the moment he met her several years earlier. She was Conner’s sister and that made her part of his family in a way. They had been working closely the last few months and now…he couldn’t get her out of his mind. Each date she talked about had him ready to go mental on men he had never met. Tonight, he’d been damned close to beating the living shit out of a guy just because he’d tried to pick her up. It was bad enough she apparently thought she was into BDSM, but now she thought she could play.

  Not while he was within grabbing distance.

  She huffed pulling him out of his thoughts. "Well, I’m pretty sure he didn't want us to leave before we have the information."

  A growl threatened to explode. The woman just would not let it go. "We found the girl. All we have to do is call Conner. He'll come over, we'll go back to Miami."

  And I can find someone to clear you out of my system.

  He had to or he would go insane. From the moment they landed in Hawaii his body had been humming. He wanted to touch her, taste her; he wanted to fuck her until she couldn't walk.

  And that was not something a guy did to his best friend's sister.

  Right?

  Right.

  "Really, I just wanted to look around. I thought it might be interesting to talk to one of the owners."

  He stopped abruptly and she stumbled into him. His body reacted immediately. Hell, he was already half aroused, and now that she had her entire body against his, he barely had enough blood in his brain to function.

  Zeke turned and crowded her up against the wall.

  "And just what the hell do you mean by that? What are you looking for woman?"

  She settled her hands on her hips and raised her chin slightly. Oh, fuck. It was hard enough to resist the woman but when she got argumentative, it made him want to kiss her. "I just wanted to talk to him. I've been thinking about exploring my needs."

  The thought of her walking up to a Dom who was bold enough to own a BDSM club and asking him to help her with her needs had Zeke ready to scream.

  Zeke didn’t play, never got into it. Not for himself. He didn’t actually play. He had another kind of need in the bedroom, but, well, Rory was off somewhere on assignment. Besides, Zeke wasn’t sure he wanted share her with his lover. Rory wasn’t the settling down type, no matter how much Zeke wanted him to. Not to mention, Conner wouldn’t be happy if Zeke slept with her. If he shared her with Rory…well, that would end the friendship and their company more than likely.

  “Your brother didn’t finance this trip for that and you know it. Besides, what do you know about your needs?”

  Okay, now he sounded like an ass. She rolled her eyes and started to walk away. He grabbed her again and pulled her back. This time he stepped closer. He caught a whiff of her scent just then. She always smelled of cinnamon…like some kind of sweet treat.

  God help him, he wanted to take a big long lick.

  He shook his head and tried to get his mind back on the discussion. “Listen up, Maura. Those guys in there don’t play around.”

  Her lips curved and he couldn’t help the way his heart did a little tap dance. Her tongue darted out over her bottom lip. It took every bit of his control not to swoop in for a taste.

  “I thought that’s what these guys were here for.”

  “They are more than you can handle, little girl.”

  If anything, her chin went up higher. Damn her for being so fucking determined. And damn him for being in love with her.

  His brain stopped right there and then. In love. Him. With his best friend’s sister.

  Well, bugger me.

  “Zeke?”

  He shook his head trying to ignore the dominant thought. Fuck, he was in love with her. What the bloody hell was wrong with him?

  “Are you going to continue to stand there and say nothing?”

  He grabbed her hand and hauled her down the street. If he was lucky, he would ignore just how perfectly right it felt to touch her this way.

  “Your brother said to keep a low profile.”

  She didn’t snort but he knew she was close. Lately, Maura had been trying to break away from her brother. Not completely, but enough to spread her wings. The former FBI agent wasn’t too happy that his sister was so open. Zeke was caught in the middle. It was hard enough dealing with Maura on a daily basis, but now that she had decided to explore her sexual options he was having problems forming words.

  Zeke wanted to be one of those options more than he wanted his own breath.

  “Why are we heading back to the hotel?” she asked sounding more like a pissed off teenager. Dammit, why was that attractive to him?

  “Because, we have to report in.”

  The moment he said it, her phone rang with the Darth Vader Death March music.

  She smiled and answered.

  “Hello, brother, dear.”

  She frowned. “There is not
hing wrong with my tone. And to answer your question—although you didn’t ask it but I am assuming you would—yes, we found her. Not sure how long she’ll last here so you might get here as fast as you can.

  She was silent as she listened to her brother and Zeke found himself losing his thoughts again. Lately, whenever he looked at her, really looked at her, he couldn’t think. There had only been one other person who had done that to him, and it scared the hell out of Zeke.

  The wind caught a strand of her hair and she brushed it away. The gesture was small but so feminine that he found himself mesmerized by it.

  “Of course he’s still here.”

  She held the phone out to him. For a second, he couldn’t act. His brain just couldn’t seem to work.

  “Zeke?” she asked, annoyance threading her voice.

  He took the phone. “Hey, Conner, shouldn’t you be in bed?”

  His best friend grunted. “I’ve been to bed already. It’s almost six here in Miami.”

  “Ah.”

  “I want you to stay there.”

  He held the phone out and looked at it. Then he brought it back to his ear. “What?”

  “I’m going to head out that way and should get there tomorrow or the next day. I want you two to stay there and keep an eye on the girl.”

  “You want us to stay here?” Zeke asked, cursing inwardly.

  There was a pause. “Do you have a problem with that?”

  It wasn’t a good idea, but he couldn’t say that to Conner. He would ask Zeke why he didn’t think it was a good idea. Telling Conner he wanted to fuck Maura until they were both too tired to walk, probably wouldn’t go over well. It wasn’t something you said to your best friend about his little sister.

  “Uh, no.”

  “Great. I’ll get a flight. I don’t want to have the jet come all the way back here for me. Go to bed.”

  Conner clicked the phone off before Zeke could respond. Of course he did. He always did. Conner was a man who had little time for small talk and when he was done with his conversation, he was gone.

  “So, we get to stay for a few more days?”

  He looked at Maura. Her gaze was hopeful and her face flushed with excitement.

  “Yeah. Conner’s gonna try and get here by tomorrow.”

  She smiled at him, and those damn green eyes sparkled behind her glasses. “Sounds like an excellent plan to me.

  Ah, shit, he was in trouble.

  * * * *

  Maura couldn’t keep from tapping her foot in the elevator. All the energy from Rough ‘n Ready seemed to have followed her back to the hotel. She had never felt so alive. It just proved to her more that she needed to look into learning more about the life.

  She had never been to a BDSM club before. She knew that her brother Conner was a member of one in Miami or had been. Lately, all he seemed to do was work, but when they first opened the company, he was. And, she didn’t see what was wrong with her belonging to one. She had the money and she wanted to explore her sexual identity.

  “Forget it.”

  She looked at Zeke. God, was there ever a man who turned her to jelly like him? She didn’t think so. He was sex on a stick. Her best friend Jillian could use him as a hero in one of her erotic novels. Tall enough that she could look up at him when she was wearing heels—thank God for that—and so damned sexy she had trouble remembering her name when he looked directly at her.

  He had always been an odd companion for her brother—or so she had thought at first. Dreads, tattoos, an Irish accent, and the most scrumptious eyes made him impossible to ignore. She didn’t know men could have such long eyelashes. When he would look at her it was like the world faded away.

  She sighed. It was a shame he wasn’t into BDSM. He had unequivocally refused to discuss it. She knew from what her brother had said Zeke wasn’t into to the life. It was just her luck she was half way in love with him.

  “Maura.”

  God, the way he said her name always made her melt. That and made her panties so damned wet.

  She shook her head to clear it. “What?”

  “I said forget it. You are not going back to the club.”

  She shrugged allowing him to think that was what she was thinking. “I wasn’t planning on doing it tonight.”

  “Or any other night. We can’t spook that woman. Your brother has been looking for her for too long.”

  That much was true. Her brother had taken the disappearance of Marjorie Rizzoli personally, although he hadn't been the person in charge of the protection duty.

  "It wouldn't hurt to go back."

  He ignored her long enough to have the door ding open. He grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the elevator. She was getting damned sick of him pulling her along like she was a naughty toddler. But it was hard to be too angry when her skin came alive every time he touched her.

  "I’m not about to have you go there again on my watch."

  "You don't have to go with me."

  "There is no bloody way I would let you go back there on your own."

  "I am over the age of twenty-one."

  He said nothing as he marched her down the hall to their suite.

  "Zeke, I'm not doing this to be a pain in the ass."

  Silence. He opened the door and practically thrust her into the room.

  His frown irritated her. She opened her mouth to say something but he growled.

  "What was that?" she asked.

  "I am not about to let you go back there on your own."

  She crossed her arms beneath her breasts. "I believe I’m over the age of consent. I think I should be able to go where I want."

  Okay, so that made her sound like a spoiled brat, but she didn't care. She did a little bit, especially with Zeke. She'd been half in love with him for a year and it wasn't just because of his sexy Irish accent or the fact that he was a straight up Alpha. He was also kind and so understanding. There was such a good core to the man it made her all gooey inside.

  Although he would never accept that she thought of him that way.

  "First, you can’t. Your brother would kill me. Why not wait until he gets here?"

  The desperation in his voice confused her but she wouldn't let it deter her.

  "Because there is no freaking way he will let me go."

  And it had nothing to do with the fact that his baby sister wanted to go to a BDSM club. No, for Conner it would be about the case. He would worry about her spooking his quarry.

  "So, you just expect me to take you back there and watch you wander about to find a man for the night."

  The anger in his voice made her blink. "I-I'm not looking for a man for the night. I just want to look around more."

  "No."

  She blinked again. "What?"

  "I forbid you."

  She settled her hands on her hips and glared at him. "You have no right to forbid me."

  In the next moment he exploded. "You cannot expect me to watch you there, strutting around...I can't do it."

  The words were ground from some part of him as if it had been wrenched from somewhere dark and dangerous.

  "I--"

  "No."

  He started approached her and she backed up. "You cannot be so cruel to expect that from me."

  She couldn't say anything. He continued to stalk toward her, his dark chocolate gaze centered on her. It was if she were the only thing in the world. The dangerous tone in his voice scared her a little but it also sent a thrill of excitement coursing through her veins.

  She came up against the door leading into her bedroom. She held out her hand but he paid no attention to it.

  He placed his hands beside her hand on the door. “I will not allow it. I can’t.”

  She tried to swallow but she found her throat dry. “Y-you can’t?”

  Without breaking eye contact, he nodded his head. “And I won’t.”

  She swallowed. She knew Zeke was lethal and many people were frightened by just the look of him. He was
tall, lean, muscled. Add in the dark skin and the dreads and people assumed he was a threat to their safety. But she had never really been scared of him.

  Until now. Not that she thought he would hurt her, but he was threatening her sanity. She licked her lips and he moaned, bending his head closer. In that one instant their breaths mingled their lips only inches apart.

  “Oh, fuck it,” Zeke said as if making some decision.

  She wasn’t left long trying to figure out what he was all about. He crushed his mouth against her. For a second she couldn’t respond. Her brain had fizzled and all thought seemed to drain from it.

  He pulled back and he was breathing heavily. “Maura?”

  Her lips tingled, heat danced over her nerve endings. She looked at him and noticed her glasses were fogged up. Regret and embarrassment filled his expression.

  “Listen, I’ll leave.”

  She realized he was stepping back, moving away from her. It was her one chance. That thought pushed her to step forward, grab him by the shirt and jerk him back against her. She pulled off her glasses and threw them on the table next to the door.

  “Yeah, fuck it, sounds about right.”

  He froze for only a couple seconds, then he wrapped one arm around her as he opened the door with his free hand. They stumbled into the room and barely made it to the bed. He didn’t hesitate. He tipped her back and they both fell on the bed. The giggle that erupted from her mouth stopped him. He pulled back and looked down at her. An odd look came into his eyes as he continued staring at her.

  “What?” she asked.

  “I haven’t heard you laugh like that in a really long time.”

  She couldn’t say anything to that. Breath tangled in her throat; her chest started to hurt.

  His lips curved. “Breathe, Maura, you’re going to need it.”

  She shivered at the heat she heard in his voice. Without another word, he bent his head and kissed her. Slowly, sweetly…keeping his eyes open the entire time. She allowed the pleasure of the kiss to take over. Something in her chest loosened.

  He pulled back. “Maura.”

  She knew he was going to say something that would hurt, so she lifted her fingers to his mouth. They didn’t need that tonight. She wanted him now, for as long as they could handle it. For once in her life, she didn’t want promises about the future. She just wanted him.