by Lainey Reese
Praise for Lainey Reese
"A Table for Three is one fiery hot and passionate book.…Each touch is filled with hunger, hotness, and holy cow, total ménage goodness. I can't wait to read this sizzling book again!" ---Joyfully Reviewed
"Damaged Goods is an astounding addition to the New York series and well worth the wait. Lainey is a gifted writer with a knack for writing characters with a great balance of depth, strength, and emotion." ---Guilty Pleasures Book Reviews
Edge of Paradise
Lainey Reese
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons living or dead is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2020 by Lainey Reese
No part of this work may be used, stored, reproduced or transmitted without written permission from the publisher except for brief quotations for review purposes as permitted by law.
This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, please purchase your own copy.
Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
Cover Design by Riley Edwards
Edited by Kayla Robichaux
Manufactured in the United States
For Jeniah
Contents
Foreword
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Epilogue
Afterword
About the Author
MORE BOOKS BY LAINEY REESE
Foreword
Special thanks to Kayla Robichaux for her magical editing skills. You made the dreaded process a joy, thank you.
Chapter 1
Andria Cooper hadn't had sex in six months. As she checked her reflection one last time in the full-length mirror, she reasoned with herself that she wasn't going out looking to get laid; she was only going to open herself up to possibilities. And if she were being completely honest, she wouldn’t even be doing that if her BFF hadn’t talked her into it.
"Kiki," she said into her cell phone, "tell me if this looks all right. I wanna look sexy, but not like… desperate-to-get-laid sexy." She held up the phone and snapped a selfie from the front then angled until she was able to get an acceptable shot of the back before she sent them both off.
“Keep in mind that I do have my maroon jersey dress with me if this doesn't work."
"Okay, focusing outside my envy," Kiki answered, "the maroon one is great, but it covers up too much. Stick with this. I love the back, and that color is perfect for your skin tone."
"The back is my favorite part too. So this works?"
"Beautifully." Kiki agreed.
The cream color glowed against Andie's skin, and she hoped it wasn't just the lighting that made that little miracle happen. Or if it was, she hoped they had the same lighting in the lounge downstairs.
“So, tell me straight, Kiki. Shoes? Hair? Clutch? All good?"
"Yes, the whole shebang looks smashing. Just don't chicken out and sit in a corner like a wallflower, okay? Or worse, change your mind and decide to stay in your room like a hermit and watch TV. Get out there. Flirt. Smile at somebody and let him buy you a drink."
"That's the plan," Andie said with a sigh in her voice. She knew where this was heading.
"That's always the plan with you. Then you never make it out the door. Or once you get somewhere, you hide in the darkest corner you can find and escape within an hour. Danny is over, and you deserve better than him anyway. Always did. Now, get off the phone and get back out in the world. For real this time."
"Hey," Andie said a little self-defensively. "It's not like tonight I'm going to meet Mr. Right, you know. This is a business trip a billion miles from home. If I do just sit in a corner, only thing I'll be missing out on is a one-night stand. And you know I've never been too big on those anyway." She worked as call support for a large office supply chain out of Chicago. When the opportunity for this training seminar had come up, she’d been so excited. It’d been years since she’d been able to afford any sort of travel, and this place was only a two-hour drive from her favorite person on the planet. Her uncle Wally was going to be so surprised when she came rolling up his drive tomorrow. The anticipation of time on the farm was almost greater than the anticipation for tonight.
"A one-night stand is exactly what you need right now. One night with a handsome stranger to remind you how incredibly hot and desirable you are. You spent too many years with a jerk who tore you down all the time. Your ego could use the boost."
Andie hmm’d in lieu of a reply, because her friend made a compelling argument.
"Just tell your mind to shut up and let your body take the lead for once. You'll thank me when you get back home. I love you. Now hang up and go away."
Andie laughed a little. "I love you too. And I promise, I'll try. I won’t hide in a corner or activate my cloaking device."
“Oh my God,” Kiki chided in mock horror, “and absolutely none of your lame ass nerd jokes you geek.”
They hung up with laughter and promises to talk in the morning, and Andie headed out the door, determined to take her friend's advice and not give in to the voice in her head, reminding her there was room service, a king-sized bed, and Pay Per View. "Damn you, Kiki," she muttered as she forced herself out the door. "You know me too well."
Luke Baxter almost choked on his drink when the plump, tawny-haired woman walked into the room. She had a mass of curly hair that was piled on top of her head in one of those styles that always made him want to dig his fingers in and pull. It was streaked in about a dozen different shades. He couldn't make out much of her face from where he sat, but he could tell it was heart-shaped with full glossy lips and big dark eyes.
She had a figure that screamed old Hollywood, with full breasts, a softly rounded tummy, and drool-worthy hips that had his body sitting up and taking notice. She stood just inside the entrance as she searched for a table, and Luke saw he wasn't the only man who noticed her. A quick scan of the room showed him all the tables in the lounge were full, so she was going to have to sit at the bar. He figured he could find a smooth excuse to approach her there, when she surprised him by turning on her heel after a moment and heading back out the way she had come.
Luke jumped to his feet and caught up to her in two steps. "Excuse me, Miss," he said and smiled his best “I'm really a nice guy” smile. "I couldn't help but notice you look like you're about to leave. If it's because all the tables are taken, you're welcome to join me at mine." He gestured with one hand and reached his other out to her, palm up, offering to escort her like a gentleman, while the feelings she was evoking in him were anything but gentlemanly.
She hesitated, and Luke could tell she wasn't exactly comfortable with the idea. "Look. The place is packed, and there's no sense in taking up a whole table all by myself, when I could be sharing it with a beautiful woman instead. Just share the table. You don't even have to talk
to me if you don't want to."
She smiled a little at him and tentatively placed her cool fingers on his. He smiled back and closed his hand around hers then led her to the table and held a chair out for her.
"This is really nice of you. Thank you." She smiled and tucked a dangling curl behind one ear as she settled herself in her seat.
"Ah, it’s nothing," he said as he sat across from her. "You're doing me the favor. I was alone and starting to feel a little like the Unabomber. You've saved me." He smiled and gave her a small toast with his water glass. "I'm Luke. Luke Baxter."
"Hi, Luke. Luke Baxter. I'm Andrea Cooper. Andie for short. And you've got it backward. I'm the Unabomber type. You caught me just as I was chickening out. I was going to go back to my room and order room service once I saw I'd have to sit at the bar." She wrinkled her nose at him with a shake of her head, and he found himself charmed by the expression. "I'm not a 'sit at the bar' kind of girl. It took all the courage I had to come down to the lounge in the first place, so a bar stool would have exceeded my capabilities."
"Really?" Luke asked, intrigued. "Why is that?"
"Well, I have a theory." Andie leaned toward him, and her smile was so enchanting he only found it a little difficult to keep his eyes above her chin. "I've come to the conclusion that as a whole, women under the age of thirty are pack animals."
That surprised a full-blown laugh out of him that had a couple heads turning his way.
"I'm serious. I've been studying the phenomenon for quite some time now. I've got a pie chart and everything."
Still chuckling, Luke motioned the waitress over as she was passing their table. "I'll have a beer, whatever you've got on tap, and you…?"
"Umm, oh. Can I get a Cosmo please? Thank you."
"You were saying you're a pack animal?" he prompted as the waitress left to get their drinks.
She gave him a dazzling smile, leaned toward him—making it a little harder to keep his eyes up than it was a moment ago—and continued, "I see older women alone all the time. Confident and poised. They don't need their friends along to go to a movie or dinner; they even brave the bathroom alone."
"No!" He gasped in mock wonder. "And you say you've got proof of this?"
She widened her eyes and nodded her head solemnly. "I do. I've managed to capture this phenomenon on surveillance video. Unfortunately, it's grainy and distorted, so it looks like every Bigfoot or UFO video ever made, but you can take my word—it's real."
The waitress brought their drinks, and they both sat back in their seats so she could place them on the table. "Are you guys ready to order or is it going to be drinks only tonight?"
"Are you hungry?" Luke asked. "Let me buy you dinner." The expression he saw on her face showed him that she was open to the idea but was feeling a little uncomfortable, probably because of the situation. He decided the best course of action was to take the bull by the horns. "I'll have the chicken Caesar salad." He smiled at Andie. "It's great here. They make their own dressing and don't lay it on too thick. Make it two?"
"Sure. That sounds perfect. Thanks."
As they finished their drinks and polished off a second round during their salads, the conversation never lagged. Luke found himself enchanted by her. She was lively, witty, and had an intellect that was as appealing as her figure. It was a potent mix. She told him about her work and the training they’d sent her into town for. She also told him that she was going to take a few extra days to visit family nearby now that it was all done. “Sorta like a mini vacation.” Andie smiled and fiddled with her napkin. “I can’t afford to travel much on my own so it’s a real treat getting to squeeze a trip to the farm in on the company’s plane ticket. It was really cool of my boss to let me take the extended time. The company hoards PTO like Smaug hoards his gold.” Then she winked at him over the rim of her cosmo and she was so irresistibly cute he wanted to pounce.
“Did you just make a Lord of The Rings reference?” Luke might be in love.
“Technically it was a Hobbit reference, but yeah. I did.” Yup, he thought. I’m in love.
"I gotta tell ya." He leaned close and spoke quietly, purposefully upping the intimacy by reaching out to grip the back of her chair so she was almost in his arms. "This has been the best damn date I've had in years."
"I'm having a great time too," she admitted and ignited the fire in him when she reached out and lightly ran her fingers over the back of the hand he had braced on the table in front of him. "I really am."
"If I don't get my hands on you soon—" He broke off, unsure how to articulate the hunger and need he felt simmering inside him without freaking her out. He said instead, "Dance with me."
Waiting for her consent felt like waiting for the answer to a much more important question. One he knew without a doubt he would be asking before the night was over… if she said yes to this one. She knew it too; he could read it in her eyes as she studied his face while she considered her choices.
His muscles bunched and tensed as the seconds wore on, and when she consented, with a dip of her chin and lowered lashes, he knew she was agreeing to more than just a dance.
The dance area was small with dark wood flooring and dim lighting. It was crowded enough to justify pulling Andie close, very close, and keeping her there. As her softness registered on his senses along with the mouthwatering scent of her, Luke had to force himself to keep his strength in check. What he wanted was to crush her to him and devour her, but he settled for pulling her in a little tighter, securing one arm low on her back, and then bringing their clasped hands up to rest against the thudding of his heart. They swayed to the music that pulsed with a slow thrumming rhythm that seemed to pump through his veins.
She fit against him magically, almost as if her body was made for that sole purpose alone, and the two of them glided through the first couple songs without separating an inch. Luke could feel the delicate heat of her against his thigh when he gave in to the need for more and inserted his leg between hers ever so slightly. Arousal turned his muscles to iron when she didn’t step back. Instead, she pressed even closer, and he felt her breath catch as she quivered in his embrace.
Luke let out a soft curse, lowered the hand on her back to the very edge of decency, and pressed her hips down hard while he flexed his thigh up. Andie’s body jolted, and with a small cry, she turned her face into the curve of his neck while her hips surged against his in reaction.
“God.” Her breath was damp and warm where it brushed just under his ear. “It’s been so long since I’ve felt like this. I can’t believe how good your hands feel on me.” Her nose brushed his lobe, and her lips feathered against his skin like the brush of butterfly wings.
He’d never been so turned on by so little in his life. With a groan, Luke turned his own face into the curve of her neck and muttered against the fragrant hollow, “Come upstairs with me. Now.” When she tensed, he added, “Don’t think. Don’t say no. Just come.”
He didn’t have pretty words for her. He wasn’t a flowers and poetry kind of guy. So he left it at that and prayed to God she wouldn’t turn him down, because he’d never wanted a woman more in his whole damn life than he wanted this one.
She was motionless in his arms for a moment; then, with a nod he could barely discern, she whispered, “Yes.”
It surprised him how hard he found it to walk from the lounge instead of run. His hand clasped hers so tightly he worried he might be hurting her, but even as he told himself to ease his grip, he couldn’t. There was a fire in his blood, a primal beat of need that refused to be watered down or diluted. It was urging him to take—take it all and take it now.
The elevators required a key card in order to open, and hers was out and at the ready when they reached them. As soon as the doors closed, she was on him. He would have expected her to be demure. The type to say ‘I don’t ever do this kind of thing’ or the ‘I can’t believe I’m doing this’ or another cliché along those lines. Something to convince him or herse
lf that she wasn’t easy. It would have been unnecessary, and he would have felt compelled to reassure her. He hated that step. He didn’t need her disclaimer that she was a good person; if he didn’t believe she was, he wouldn’t be taking her upstairs. So, it was like gasoline on the fire that she was skipping the unnecessary declaration. That she was confident enough in who she was and what she wanted that she didn’t need platitudes was a turn-on of Olympic proportions.
“Christ Jesus,” he muttered as he felt every delicious inch of her against him. Then her mouth opened with decadent heat on his neck, and his knees almost gave out when her tongue licked a trail of fire from his ear to his collarbone. Luke fisted one hand in her hair, and with the other, he grabbed onto her fabulous ass. Even as he pulled her body closer with one hand, he tugged her head back with the other and fastened his lips to hers in a kiss meant to empty her mind of all but him… them… this moment.
When her knees buckled, he turned them until he had her flush against the wall. Her kiss was as hungry as his, her tongue delving into his mouth as her nails scraped little trails of fire along his scalp. He couldn’t get close enough, the clothes between them an unacceptable barrier. He groaned when he felt her leg slide up his and gripped her behind the knee to bring that limb higher so he could fit himself more fully against her. The need to consume was demolishing his higher thinking, and things like manners and proprieties were beyond him.
