by Mari Carr
Christian proved him wrong. “We’re married,” he whispered, almost reverently.
“Yeah,” Charlotte said, twisting to face him. Vincent winked at her over Christian’s shoulder, which provoked a grin. “What do you think our first fight is going to be about?”
Vincent chuckled. “Seriously? Best sex ever and you’re worried about the first fight?”
“I’m not worried. I’m just curious. Right now, I’m having a hard time figuring out what you guys could do that would piss me off.”
“I never put the cap back on the toothpaste,” Christian admitted.
“Learn,” Vincent said. He hated toothpaste globs in the sink.
“There’s a good chance my clothes will always be in deep piles all over the bedroom floor,” Charlotte added.
“What is this? Confession time?” Vincent asked. “I have a maid. She’ll pick up your clothes and deal with the toothpaste. The real problem is going to be me. I’m a jealous man.”
Christian looked over his shoulder. “How jealous? I mean, it’s not uncommon for me to play roles onstage that have me kissing other women…sometimes even men.”
Vincent took a deep breath. “I’ll have to learn how to deal with that.”
Charlotte’s face was more serious than Vincent could recall seeing it. He was used to her continual smiling. “All I’m saying is, we don’t know each other very well. And despite that, I’ve never felt closer to anyone in my life.”
“I feel the same way, Chuck. Don’t worry about the fights. That’s part of every relationship. I’m pretty sure we’ve got a strong enough base underneath us that we can weather anything. I mean look at this past week. Talk about initiation by fire. How many new relationships could have survived all that crap?”
“Good point,” she said. “Is it bad that I’m kind of looking forward to that first fight?”
Vincent rose up on his elbow so he could see her better. “Why?”
“Can you imagine the make-up sex?” she asked with all sincerity.
“Christ, I’m still trying to recover from the honeymoon sex,” Christian replied with a groan. “Besides, apparently, there’s that Hulk thing we need to be careful of.”
Vincent laughed. “You two are insane. But you’re mine. Now, go to sleep so we can wake up and do morning sex.”
“I feel like we might need a checklist for all these sexual adventures,” Charlotte said, looking over her shoulder for a pen.
“We’ll make a list in the morning.”
“Why wait?” She started to move, but Christian tightened his grip on her hip, holding her in place.
“Charlotte,” Vincent warned.
“I don’t want to forget anything,” she teased. “Shower sex, sex in a public place, sex in a pool, a bathtub, a waterbed, a—”
“Chuck?” Christian said.
“Yeah?”
“I’m hoping to continue the list with fucking Charlotte while she sleeps.”
“Ooo, that sounds good.”
Christian placed a soft kiss on her cheek. “So go to sleep.”
She giggled softly. “Yes, Sir,” she whispered. And then, just like that, she was away, drifting in dreamland.
Vincent kissed Christian’s shoulder. “Good job. Make sure to include Christian dominating Charlotte on that list.”
“What about Christian dominating Vincent?” he asked sleepily.
Vincent narrowed his eyes. “I’ll think about it.”
“All I’m saying—”
“Christian,” Vincent interrupted. “For the record, I plan to wake you up slowly with sex as well.”
“You don’t have to tell me twice,” Christian murmured, giving in to his own exhaustion.
Vincent rolled to his back, staring at the ceiling without seeing it, wishing sleep would claim him as well. However, he was too busy looking forward to morning and making the list.
And then checking everything off the list.
Epilogue
Rose rubbed her gritty, dry tongue against the roof of her mouth and tried to swallow.
“Drink.” It was a man’s voice, a low, rough whisper.
A straw bumped her lips, and Rose gulped the cool water desperately.
As the burn of thirst faded, she was able to focus on her surroundings. When she lifted her head, she felt the pull of the blindfold over her eyes.
“Who are you?” Despite the water, her voice was ragged and scratchy.
There was no reply.
“Where am I?” Rose shifted, twisting her wrists, which were bound to the arms of a chair by rope. The familiar feeling of rope and the restriction of bondage triggered her submissive nature. She fought against it, thinking back to the moment when she’d been snatched from the tunnel with a bag over her head, then the sting of a needle going into her thigh. She was in danger. She needed to fight, not submit.
“Where?” There was a gritty male laugh. “You’re not in Kansas anymore.”
“Devon?” The voice wasn’t Juliette’s, and Devon was the next most likely person. Plus, there was something familiar about it.
Rose’s stomach rolled and she bent forward, sucking in air through her nose to keep herself from puking.
“Where am I?” she demanded in a strong voice.
“Keep your voice down,” he barked in that rough whisper.
Rose snapped up, shoulders straight. Behind her blindfold, her eyes closed.
“Yes, Sir” waited on her lips, and Rose hated herself for it. With a force of will, she kept herself from saying it.
Her captor sighed, and the blindfold loosened. Rose blinked against the sudden bright light. When she could focus, she looked up to see her captor standing before her.
Rose stopped breathing. She could only stare.
Her chest ached and she finally remembered to take a deep breath. As she exhaled, the first tear spilled down her cheek.
“I thought you were dead.”
Cipher
Solve this cipher using Delicate Ties for a clue about the future of the Trinity Masters!
1-1-4
6-18-3
6-11-40
7-4-25
3-2-8
2-7-1
1-9-82
7-4-15
Read more about the world of the Trinity Masters…
Elemental Pleasure
Trinity Masters, book 1
A dangerous Marine. A tech genius. A brilliant scientist.
When Carly Kenan joined the secretive Trinity Masters in college, she received entrée to an exclusive club that gave her access to wealth and power. But there’s a price all members must pay—they accept an arranged marriage, between not two, but three people.
Ordered to return to the Trinity Masters’ headquarters in Boston, Carly meets Marine Lance Glassco, a mathematician for DARPA, and Preston Kim, a dangerously intelligent chemist.
Though on the surface they have nothing in common, it’s clear the Grand Master thinks that together the three of them can do something amazing. And that’s why he’s declared that Carly, Lance and Preston must marry.
Though the physical attraction is instantaneous and incendiary, Carly is unprepared for the emotional intensity of the ménage relationship. Pushed beyond her limits, Carly runs from Lance and Preston. What she doesn’t understand is that she now belongs to them, body and soul…and they belong to her.
When Lance uncovers a dangerous crime at Preston’s company, Carly is caught in the crossfire and the struggling lovers are forced to move beyond desire…to trust. For the Trinity Masters, there is passion and power in three.
Primal Passion
Trinity Masters, book 2
An FBI agent. A billionaire CEO. A virgin scientist.
Deni Parker doesn’t have time for anything but her cutting-edge scientific work, and that’s how she likes it. She doesn’t have time for relationships. When she’s called to the altar—years ahead of what she expected—by the very intimidating, and far too handsome, Price Bennet
t, Deni’s more than a little unprepared.
Price didn’t join the Trinity Masters to play messenger. As CEO of a major security firm and heir to one of the largest fortunes in the world, he’s annoyed when the Grand Master orders him to transport the disorganized scientist to the ceremony to meet her partners. It’s only when they arrive that Price realizes he isn’t a messenger—he’s been matched with Deni.
Gunner Wells has been in love with Deni for years, but he’s resisted giving in to his attraction. When he arrives at the Trinity Masters headquarters to be bound in marriage, he’s delighted to discover Deni is not only a member of the secret society, but one of his partners…along with billionaire playboy, Price.
Their strong personalities clash—in the bedroom and out of it—but Price and Gunner have to put aside their overprotectiveness, and Deni must put aside her pride, when someone tries to stop her research—with deadly methods.
Scorching Desire
Trinity Masters, book 3
A reformed spy. A respectable lawyer. A renowned playboy.
When Damon Corso is blackmailed it’s not just his career that’s in jeopardy, but the existence of the Trinity Masters–America’s oldest and most powerful secret society. He and fellow member Marco Polin, a world famous playboy musician, enjoy sharing women, a secret that until now they’ve kept quiet.
Tasha Kasharin, the reformed spy sent to help them, knows this is more than simple blackmail. Marco and Damon’s lives are in danger. She ignores her increasingly vivid fantasies about being part of a trinity with them until their investigation is interrupted by the Grand Master, who calls them to the altar and binds them in a ménage marriage.
The men must trust their futures to the unexpectedly innocent woman who’s now their wife, while dealing with the change in their own relationship, and the complicated feelings that come with it. Blackmail escalates to violence, and they’ll have to trust and accept one another if they’re going to survive.
Forbidden Legacy
Trinity Masters, book 4
An enigmatic leader. A talented doctor. And the man who can bring them together.
Harrison Adams has served as leader of the Trinity Masters for a decade. He’s always placed the group above his own needs—even when it comes to the one woman who calls to him. When a dangerous threat to the secret society surfaces, Harrison sets a plan in motion that could save the organization, but it comes with a price.
Alexis turned down an invitation to join the Trinity Masters, afraid to relinquish control over her life, her future…her heart. That rejection means night after night of unrequited lust as she and Harrison are forced to ignore their desires. Her heart aching, she throws herself into her job and her difficult working relationship with her boss, Michael. He’s attractive and maddening, but Alexis has zero plans to give in to the crazy chemistry between them.
Harrison asks Alexis to experiment in a ménage relationship with him and she agrees unable to take another moment of longing for him. Perhaps with a third around she’ll be able to keep her heart intact. She is completely unaware their third will be Michael. She couldn’t have known how giving herself to them would inflame her desires. Or how much she would enjoy submitting to them.
But when an evil man looking for revenge sets his sights on Harrison, time is the one thing none of them have. And it soon becomes apparent Harrison’s forbidden legacy could destroy them all…
Hidden Devotion
Trinity Masters, book 5
A reluctant leader. A CIA agent. And a lost legacy.
Juliette Adams’s spent her life running, from both her status as the daughter of the Grand Master and her arranged marriage. Until the day everything changed and she became Grand Master—a position she was never meant to hold.
Devon Asher has more than a few secrets, the least of which is that he’s desperately in love with Juliette, which shouldn’t be a problem since they were betrothed when they were children. Now that she’s Grand Master his secrets aren’t safe.
Franco Garcia Santiago always assumed the tales of a Trinity Masters were fantastical stories his grandfather made up, until Juliette shows up at his door. Together they uncover the secrets of the Trinity Masters, unaware of the danger they’re putting themselves in.
Juliette must decide if she’ll turn her back on her destiny or embrace the role of Grand Master, and if she’ll use her power to discontinue the trinity marriages she grew up despising, or follow her heart, which tells her happiness lies with both Devon and Franco.
Elegant Seduction
Trinity Masters, book 6
A spoiled heiress. A corporate mediator. And a man with a secret.
Sebastian has dedicated his life to upholding the ideals of the Trinity Masters. However, when his best friend, Juliette, is named Grand Master, he knows secrets he’s harbored will be revealed. While he expects Juliette to be angry, he does not expect her to call him to the altar, to bind him to a stranger, Grant, and to Elle, the woman who’s haunted his dreams for years.
Then Juliette reveals a secret of her own. There’s evil at play in the secret society and she needs him to root it out. Sebastian has no choice but to go undercover to spy on his own trinity. As the danger surrounding the trio grows, Sebastian is forced to choose between loyalty and love.
Because reluctantly bound to Elle and Grant or not, Sebastian can’t deny the pair have earned their place in his heart.
Secret Scandal
Trinity Masters, book 7
A dashing thief. A passionate scholar. And the beautiful bodyguard engaged to protect them.
Eli Wexler is a prominent art historian, a job that under normal circumstances isn’t dangerous. But Eli is a member of the Trinity Masters, and when he’s called to the altar he not only meets the man and woman he’s to marry, but is given a mystery to solve as well.
Jasper Ferrer realizes there’s trouble coming when he meets his trinity. Given Jasper’s checkered past, he doubts Eli will be thrilled by their marriage. Art historians, as a rule, dislike art thieves.
Irina Gentry knows what her trinity needs from her—her new fiancees are both art experts, and she’s there to protect them. It’s a job she’s more than qualified for, though she doubts there will be any need for her skills.
But the task the Grand Master gives them is far more dangerous than it seems. The quest for a long lost sculpture pits the new trinity against a hidden faction within the secret society, a faction who are willing to kill to keep the secrets Eli, Jasper and Irina are working to uncover.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Writing a book was number one on Mari Carr’s bucket list. Now her computer is jammed full of stories — novels, novellas, short stories and dead-ends. A New York Times and USA TODAY bestseller, Mari finds time for writing by squeezing it into the hours between 3 a.m. and daybreak when her family is asleep.
You can visit Mari’s website at www.maricarr.com. She is also on Facebook and Twitter.
Lila Dubois is a top selling author of paranormal, fantasy and contemporary erotic romance. Having spent extensive time in France, Egypt, Turkey, England and Ireland Lila speaks five languages, none of them (including English) fluently. She now lives in Los Angeles with a cute Irishman.
You can visit Lila's website at www.liladubois.net. She loves to hear from fans! Send an email to [email protected] or join her newsletter for contests, deleted scenes, articles, and release notifications.
Other Books by Mari Carr
Trinity Masters:
Elemental Pleasure
Primal Passion
Scorching Desire
Forbidden Legacy
Hidden Devotion
Elegant Seduction
Secret Scandal
Delicate Ties
Sparks in Texas:
Sparks Fly
Waiting for You
Something Sparked
Off Limits
No Other Way
Whiskey Eyes
Big Easy:
Crash Point
Full Position
Rough Draft
Triple Beat
Winner Takes All
Going Too Fast
Second Chances:
Fix You
Full Moon
Status Update
The Back-Up Plan
Never Been Kissed
Say Something
Compass
Northern Exposure
Southern Comfort
Eastern Ambitions
Western Ties
Winter’s Thaw
Hope Springs
Summer Fling
Falling Softly
Farpoint Creek
Outback Princess
Outback Cowboy
Outback Master
Outback Lovers
Bundles
Cowboy Heat
What Women Want
Wild Irish Boxed Set
Scoundrels
Individual Titles:
Sugar and Spice
Everything Nice
Erotic Research
One Daring Night
Assume the Positions
Do Over
Tequila Truth
Rough Cut
Slam Dunk
Happy Hour
Power Play
Seducing the Boss
Just Because:
Because of You
Because You Love Me
Because It’s True
Lowell High:
Bound by the Past
Covert Affairs
