Breaking Free (Invitation to Eden)

by Cathryn Fox

  There was no denying that he’d grown to care about Alaska. Had always cared about her, in fact, enough so that he was willing to take his chances with her father in order to bring her here.

  But where did they go from here? In a few short days, they’d be going home, and he’d be stepping back into the role of bodyguard like nothing had changed.

  Only problem was, now that he’d been with Alaska—been inside her—everything had changed.

  Chapter Nine

  Alaska stretched out on the sand beside Jesse. “It is so beautiful here.”

  “Yeah, it is.”

  “I still can’t believe you did this for me.” He felt her studying his profile as she breathed in the warm air and let it out slowly. “I knew there was a reason I always liked you.”

  He angled his head to see her. “You always liked me?”

  She rolled her eyes at him. “Of course I did. Don’t pretend you didn’t know it, either.”

  “I guess I shouldn’t be surprised,” he teased as he flexed his muscles. “What’s not to like?”

  She went up on one elbow and turned toward him. “How come you never acted on what was between us?” She winked. “God knows I tried to get you to.”

  All humor fell from his eyes. “I’m not the guy for you,” he said soberly.

  Her head jerked back. “How can you say that?”

  “You don’t know me, Alaska.”

  “Then let me get to know you.” When he went quiet, she asked, “Are you afraid I won’t like what I see?”

  “I have nothing to offer you.”

  Her glance moved over his face, taking in the scars he couldn’t hide with tattoos. “You’re right,” she said. “You were brought up in a horrible family, dragged up on the streets, and did what you had to do to survive. Really, you’re nothing but a bike-riding street thug.”

  He flinched, and even though it was true, her words still stung. “Shit, why don’t you tell me what you really think?”

  “I’d rather tell you what I know.”

  “Go ahead, then. You know, since you seem to be on a roll and all.”

  “Well, what I know is that for a guy who had to face what you did, you turned out to be pretty damn amazing.” He opened his mouth to cut her off, but she pressed her fingers to his lip and continued. “You’re the first guy, the first person in my entire life, who ever cared about me. You actually risked your life to give me a bit of excitement. Honestly, no one has ever put my needs first, especially at the risk of losing their life.” She shook her head. “Do you have any idea how much that means to me?” She trailed her fingers over his face, surfing the outline of his jaw. “But you’re right, any guy who would do what you did for me certainly isn’t the guy for me.”

  “Listen, Alaska. You have a bright future ahead of you, and you don’t need a nobody like me dragging you down. In fact, when we go back home, I’m going to talk to your father. I’m going to tell him to let you live your own life.”

  She smiled and settled her palm on his cheek. “You’d do that for me?”

  “I would,” he said without hesitation. “And I will.”

  “You know what he’ll do to you, right?”

  “I don’t care what he does to me, because I’m not going to let him hold you back anymore.”

  She traced her hands over his tattoo. “Just for the record, Jesse, you’re hardly a nobody. In fact, you’re my hero. You set all of this up, arranged a week at this amazing place, just for me. You gave me the opportunity to free myself in so many ways, and you showed me what real intimacy is.” She exhaled slowly and went back on her elbows. “And you should know, I’m not going back. I was offered a job dancing.”

  Shocked, he stiffened, but then he smiled, because the more he thought about it, the more he knew this was perfect. Here, she’d get out from under her father’s control and live the life she wanted. “You’re so happy when you’re dancing.”

  “I would ask you to stay with me, but I know you’d eventually get bored and abandon me just like everyone else I’ve ever cared about.”

  Anger churned in his gut, and suddenly feeling very defensive, he shot back, “I took the job because I cared about your wellbeing. But the second I set eyes on you, I felt this jolt inside of me.” He shook his head. “I never felt anything like that before. It was like...like...”

  “Destiny?” she asked.

  “I don’t know, Alaska. All I know is that being so close to you, watching you every day, and not being able to touch you, kiss you, make you mine, damn near drove me out of my mind.” He cupped her face. “I’m not like your parents and would never tire of you, never in a million years. Believe me, I want to stay. If you’re not in Chicago, then there’s no reason for me to go back.”

  “I guess that settles it then.” She gave him a triumphant grin.

  His head came back with a start, realizing she’d turned everything back around on him. “Wait, did you just...”

  She grinned. “Yeah. I’ve been taking psychology as my electives.”

  “Alaska, I have nothing...”

  “You have me. Do you need anything more?”

  They stared at each other for a long time, and as he thought about her fantasies, he suddenly couldn’t stand the thoughts of another man’s hands on her body. He wanted to be the last guy to touch her, care for her, give her everything she wanted.

  His fingers found hers as something in him gave. “Why do you want me, Alaska?”

  “When I first stepped foot on this island, I felt like Cinderella. But then I realized Prince Charming didn’t exist because the men in my life were greedy and corrupt and cared only about themselves. You proved me wrong.” She squeezed his fingers. “You’re my Prince Charming.”

  “I’m no...”

  “Yes, you are. Believe me. I know what I’m talking about.”

  There was a fire in her eyes that told him not to mess with her. “How?

  “Because I believe in you.”

  He swallowed and thought back to his fucked up childhood, his days street fighting. “No one has ever believed in me before.”

  She nudged him playfully. “That’s because you’ve been hanging out with the wrong people.”

  He grinned. “I should probably tell you that I was also offered a job here, as security.”

  The excited smile that she aimed his way nearly stopped his heart. “It’s like this island knew what we needed long before we did.”

  “Yeah, you might be right about that,” he said, thinking about how she crossed over into his reality at the motorcycle club.

  Her eyes lit up with hope and joy. “So you’ll stay here.” She waved her hand toward the beach. “We can disappear here together on Eden.”

  He pushed her hair from her face, his heart aching with all the things he felt for her. “Alaska, things won’t be like they were. Your fantasy ends on the weekend. You know that right?”

  She smiled at him, a smile so full of love and warmth his chest swelled until he could barely catch his breath. She leaned into him, her sweet scent overwhelming him as she pressed her lips to his, a soft kiss, a kiss full of love and promise.

  “You’re wrong, Jesse. My fantasy is just beginning.”

  “Yeah?” he murmured into her mouth, knowing everything he ever wanted was right in front of him.

  “Yeah,” she responded as she kissed him back.

  Jesse pulled her in tighter. He might be a street thug, and she might be a mob boss’s daughter, but together, they were both half of something pretty cool, something he’d be a damn fool to walk away from. “I believe mine is, too, Alaska,” he murmured, deepening the kiss. “I believe mine is, too...”

  Other Invitation to Eden Titles

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  For more information about the island of Eden, check out our website!

  March

  Master of the Island by Lauren Hawkeye

  April

  Random Acts of Fantasy by Julia Kent

  Yours Truly, Taddy by Avery Aster

  Escape From Reality by Adriana Hunter

  May

  Hydrotherapy by Suzanne Rock

  Fight For Me by Sharon Page

  His Fair Lady by Marian Tee

  June

  Breaking Free by Cathryn Fox

  Hold Me Close by Eliza Gayle

  Queen’s Knight by Sara Fawkes

  July

  How To Tempt A Tycoon by Daire St. Denis

  Dare to Surrender by Carly Phillips

  The Capture by Erika Wilde

  August

  Rough Draft by Mari Carr

  Blurring The Lines by Roni Loren

  Return to Sender by Steena Holmes

  September

  Pleasure Point by Eden Bradley

  Wild Ride by Opal Carew

  Master of Pleasure by Lauren Hawkeye

  October

  Her Desert Heart by Delilah Devlin

  Ivy in Bloom by Vivi Anna writing as Tawny Stokes

  Thorne of a Rose by Kimberly Kaye Terry

  November

  Falling or Flying by R.G. Alexander

  Elusive Hero by Joey W. Hill

  Captive of Desire by Sarah Castille

  December

  Delicious and Deadly by C.C. MacKenzie

  Pleasure Games by Jessica Clare

  The Last Seduction by Jennifer Probst

  Invitation to Eden Sneak Peeks

  Have you read Invitations to Eden’s other June releases?

  Hold Me Close by Eliza Gayle (Purgatory Club, Book 6)

  Sometimes you need to cut and run and sometimes the ties run too deep to abandon. Bonnie’s job at Purgatory keeps her on edge in more ways than one. Every day the pain of her grief over losing her Dom threatens to consume her. Her only escape comes at the hands of the resident tattooed bad boy who likes to keep things light and loose with a variety of women. He may not be the Dom of her dreams, but he chases away the darkness if only for one night... Dex is used to unattached submissives coming to him for a chance to feel the kiss of his flogger or the sting of his whip until they find their own Doms. With his busy life of ink and kink he likes keeping his women at arm’s length. Except one night a month when Bonnie shreds him every time she asks him to hold her close. When a secret invitation to an island resort arrives, is it the answer to their problems? Or their worst nightmare?

  Queen’s Knight by Sara Fawkes (a story set in the Anything He Wants world)

  A man for whom Dominance is a way of life. A woman who refuses to yield control. Dany McQueen was good at her job, and she knew it. Being the PA to one of New York’s most respected professional Doms had it’s unique challenges, but she could handle anything thrown her way...except the invitation to participate. Giving up control scared her, even when the offer was tempting beyond belief. When an invitation turns up at her door, however, that may give her a chance to live out her deepest fantasy, she’s ready to give it a shot. Gabriel Knight was getting old, and he felt every year. With his latest sub ending their partnership to pursue a vanilla relationship and family, he’s suddenly loathe to take on any more trainees. When his long-time personal assistant requests a vacation, he’s more than willing to grant it...until he realized exactly where she is going. Dany thought Eden would be somewhere she could enjoy her fantasies, safe from the pressure of her real life. She never expected for her boss to follow her, nor that his relentless pursuit would awaken a desire inside her she’d refused to allow herself before. Now that she’s had a taste of her Knight, Dany is desperate for more, but can a relationship so long suppressed work outside of their own private fantasy island?

  Excerpts

  Enjoy this Smexy Excerpt from Avery Aster

  Yours Truly, Taddy (The Undergrad Years #2)

  by Avery Aster

  No matter how hard I swam, my fears worsened. The water overwhelmed me. I could almost make out a thin sliver of land, way ahead of us, but it seemed far. I gotta ask. “Leon...”

  He stopped and turned around to face me.

  “Will we make Eden before dark?”

  “No—”

  “What are we gonna do?”

  “The moonlight can guide us,” Leon replied in all seriousness. However to me, he sounded almost romantic. I had to put my mind into some state of fantasy. Otherwise I’d go nuts with the reality of what we were doing: swimming for our life. “Need a break?”

  “Please.” I wasn’t as tired as I thought I’d be. If anything, my fears supercharged me.

  He swam over, put his arms around me, and asked, “Thirsty?”

  “Ah-huh, and hungry.” Let’s not forget horny.

  “Me too.” Leon brushed up me. I could’ve sworn I felt— “Sorry,” he muttered in a low voice.

  “I’m not.”

  “What?”

  “You’re fine.” Heck, you’re more than fine. Take me. Right here. Right now.

  His nose touched mine. Intent and close, we stared at each other as if we each only had one eye. I wrapped my arms, and then my legs, around him. His erection pressed up against me. Lowering my right hand, I glided my thumb against the head of his dick. Ever so slowly, with each trace of my finger over his cock, Leon’s devilish smile widened.

  “Your body is tight. If you loosen your limbs, you might kick better.”

  Trembling, I slipped a finger into the well of my cunt. I couldn’t help myself, Leon was right, every muscle in my body tensed. Not from the swim, but from being in his arms. He made me nervous and excited. Until meeting Leon this week, I’d never felt these urges as strongly as I did now. I held on to his shoulders, kissing him all over again.

  “Maybe this will help you relax.” His hands, controlled and focused, found mine.

  “Leon,” I whispered under my breath, unsure if we should.

  “Let me touch you.” Kissing me, he pressed his fingers up against my g-spot. He knew exactly where to go. Even in the water, Leon hit it like a switch. Jesus!

  Lip-to-lip, I whimpered into his mouth, moaning, calling out to him, “I want you.” A tingly sensation overcame the lower part of my body. “Oh, I’m going to—”

  “Come for me, Mon chére.”He spoke as if in my daydream.

  Just a little, right there, in the water, I came. Pulling him into me, I wasn’t going to stop. We didn’t have any condoms and I didn’t care. “Fuck me. I want you inside of me.” I needed him. I tightened my legs around his torso.

  Forget the fact that we weren’t an item, let alone floating in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, I never thought my first time would be casual.

  Regardless of the formalities, being with Leon Lartique, right this very second, sharing my body with him, suddenly felt like the most meaningful thing I’d ever done. The importance of this meant more to me than graduating from Avon Porter, getting into college, or making my own money. This, right here, what we were sharing, was the truest expression of oneself.

  My brain had been awake for years, in recent times so had my heart, but not until today had I thought much about my soul, about life and death. Leon touched my soul.

  Today could be my last day alive. I refused to go with regrets.

  “Mon chére, I’ve never...had unsafe sex before.”

  “Ha! I’ve never had any kind of sex before. So skin-to-skin will be new for me too.”

  The tip of his dick slid inside me. Welcoming him, I took more. My muscles contracted tight around him. “Ahhh,” I moaned, watching his face.

  He found his groove in the water.

  “Am I hurting you?” He pulled out, almost all the way.

  “Amazing—keep going.” To show my comfort, I fell back, floating in the water.

  Weightles
sness surrounded us.

  In long, slow strokes, he fucked me. The sunset cast shadows across his face. His skin was illuminated with amber hues of paradise. Leon spoke to me in French, caressing my breasts, saying beautiful things to me that sounded lyrical and poetic.

  For a minute, I closed my eyes, taking all of this in. Hypnotic! My senses felt intoxicated in a newfound euphoria. My hair floated around me as if petals in the wind.

  The water’s level rose up past my ears, over my eyelashes. Hands at my sides, they seemed unattached to the rest of me.

  Leon’s grip at my torso tightened. His penetration taught. Hips pulsating faster, he was going to come. So was I. Again.

  Inhaling deeply through my nose, he impaled me. Just a small oval of air at the surface circled over my face. It felt cool. The rest of me was submerged into the sea with ecstasy.

  A noise, faint at first, sent a humming sensation through the water. Leon’s orgasm brought new meaning to...feeling the earth shake. Holy shit!

  Suddenly Leon pulled me against him. I thought he was going to growl naughtiness in my ear, but instead he shouted, “Aeroplane!”

  ~ End of Excerpt ~

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  Another Smexy excerpt from Adriana Hunter

  Escape From Reality

  Adriana Hunter

  He bent his head, his lips moving along her collarbone, dipping lower, sliding along the edge of her gown for a moment, then kissing the valley between her breasts. His hand rose, cupping one breast, kneading her flesh with firm fingers. Leila gasped with pleasure as he slid his thumb across her nipple. The exquisite sensation as it drew up hard changed her gasp to a low moan. There seemed to be a direct line between his circling thumb and a very specific spot deep between her hips.