by Cathryn Fox
“Trent, I’m sorry.” Pained blue eyes met his as she took a tentative step toward him.
His mind raced, hardly able to believe what he was hearing. “Sorry? What are you sorry for?”
Her mouth turned down in a frown. “I didn’t want you to find out like this.”
The room around him began to spin and a sick feeling welled up in the pit of his stomach as she apologized to him. “So what they said is true?” he managed to get out around the lump in his throat as he shook his head, still unable to believe it.
“No, of course not. Well, not all of it.”
He narrowed his gaze, hope rushing through him. “Which part is true?”
“The contract part.”
Trent raked his hand through is hair. Chaos erupted inside him and his mind raced. “You really signed it?”
She nodded quickly.
“Katy,” he began, perplexed.
“But the terms have changed,” she hurried out.
“The terms? I don’t understand.”
“It was something you said.”
“Jesus, Katy. What the hell is going on?”
“You told me there was something to be said for down-home cooking. And you were right.” She waved her hand around. “The network loved my idea of setting up a kitchen here in Whispering Cove and preparing some of the Seafarer’s famous East coast meals.”
An invisible band tightened around Trent’s heart as reality dawned. He smiled. “So you’re telling me…”
“Yes, Trent, I’m telling you that I’m staying. This is where I belong. It’s where I’ve always belonged.” She pressed her palm to the side of his face. “Thank you for giving me the freedom to discover that. Thank you for never giving up on me. And thank you for helping me find my way back home, to you.”
Tension eased from his shoulders. “Katy, really, do you mean it?” he asked, needing to hear her say it again.
“Yeah, I mean it. I’m home to stay. I wanted to talk to you. To tell you in person. But Adam said you tore out of town and—” She stopped talking, lowered her head, and whispered under her breath, “I thought the worst.”
“I had to go into Colton County.”
“Colton County? Why?”
“That’s where my savings and trust account is.”
Confusion came over her face. “Why did you have to go there?”
“I had an errand to run.”
Katy visibly relaxed. “And here I thought…”
“You thought I’d run out on you?” When she gave a remorseful nod, he pulled her in tight and said, “I told you, I’d never run out on you, Katy, and I meant it.”
“But after the news…”
“What about it?”
“I thought you believed them, that I’d been using you, and that I was leaving.”
He smiled. “Not for a second. Okay, maybe for a second when you started to apologize.”
“Granddaddy told me they tipped you off days ago. He said he’d overheard them.”
Trent’s heart pounded in his chest as he brushed the moisture away from her eyes. “It’s true, Katy. The other night some guy told me you were using me to increase viewership, then I remembered what you said at the restaurant, something about your viewership slipping.”
“You never said anything.”
“Why would I?”
“Didn’t you think…?”
“No, I didn’t think.”
She shook her head. “God, you have so much faith in me.”
“That’s because I believe in you, Katy. I believe in the strength of our love and know you’d never use me or do anything to purposely hurt me.”
Her throat worked as she swallowed. “When I left before—”
“You had to do what you had to do, Katy. I of all people know that. All that matters now is that you’ve finally found your way home.” When she got quiet, he went on to say, “I was sorry to hear about the decreasing viewership. I can just imagine how horrible that made you feel. Is that why you didn’t want to talk about it?”
She nodded.
“I want us to share everything, okay? The good and the bad.”
“I want that too.”
He let loose a slow breath. “Even though ratings were down, you and I both know you weren’t happy in Chicago.”
Her eyes widened, like something just occurred to her. “Is that why you’ve been so distracted? Because I didn’t want to talk about it?”
“No. I didn’t want to press and knew you’d talk about it when you were ready.”
“Then why?”
Before she could probe, his mouth took possession of hers and as he kissed her long and hard. In that instant it occurred to him that he’d never felt closer to her in his entire life.
“God, girl, you make me crazy,” he murmured, easing the tension around them. “But I can’t tell you how happy I am that you get to do what you love, and you get to do it here.”
“There is one little problem though,” she whispered into his mouth when he inched back.
His heart stilled, his glance taking in her nervous expression. “What?”
“The network agreed to my contract changes only if you’ll do guest spots. Lots of them. The public loves you, and I know you like privacy, but I’m still trying to find a way to work around it.”
Trent laughed with relief. “I don’t care, Katy. As long as you’re here, I’ll put up with the damn cameras.”
“You’d…you’d do that for me?” she choked out.
He dipped his head, his lips hovering over hers. “Yeah, baby, I’d do that for you. I like doing things for you, so get used to it.”
Emotions moved over her face and she smiled. “I’m glad to hear that because I’m also hoping you can help me with menu ideas. You’re pretty darn good in the kitchen.” She winked and he understood the double meaning.
“I’ll help you on one condition.”
She gifted him with an amused look. “Oh, so now you have a condition?”
“Of course.” He stepped back and dropped to one knee. “This is why I took off to Colton County and why I’ve been distracted, Katy.” He held an engagement ring out. “Because this has been waiting to go on your finger for ten years and I wanted to do it right.”
Tears welled up in Katy’s eyes. “Oh, Trent.”
“I want you to be mine. Forever. I want you to move into the house I bought for us. I’ve been waiting for you to find your way home for a long, long time, sweetheart.”
Tears filled her eyes, and when she nodded, Trent jumped to his feet and gathered her into his arms. “I love you, Katy,” he murmured as he soaked in her warmth and love.
“I love you too.” She rose up on her toes to meet his lips.
Errol cleared his throat and they both turned. Honestly, Trent had completely forgotten he was still in the room, and by the surprised yet embarrassed look on Katy’s face, so had she.
“I’m going to go get rid of the reporters,” Errol said. “You two need your privacy.” If Trent wasn’t mistaken, the old man had a tear or two in his eyes as well.
“Don’t bother,” Trent said, and gathered Katy into his arms.
She squealed. “What are you up to?”
“If they want a show, I’ll give them a show.”
Trent carried her down the lane, depositing her in front of the cameras. As soon as all the attention was on him, he announced to the world that he loved her and was going to marry her. Then he drew Katy into his arms and kissed her with all the love inside him.
He didn’t care if it was broadcast all over the world. All that mattered was that Katy had found her way home to him and they were going to spend the rest of their lives together cooking—inside the kitchen and out.
About the Author
A multi-published author in the romance genre, Cathryn Fox is a wife, mom, sister, daughter, and friend. She loves dogs, sunny weather, anything chocolate (she never says no to a brownie), pizza and red wine. She has two teenager
s who keep her busy with their never-ending activities, and a husband who is convinced he can turn her into a mixed-martial-arts fan. Cathryn can never find balance in her life, is always trying to find time to go to the gym, can never keep up with emails, Facebook or Twitter, and tries to write page-turning books that her readers will love.
A Maritimer and former financial officer, Cathryn has lived all over Canada but has finally settled down in her childhood hometown with her family.
To learn more about Cathryn please visit www.cathrynfox.com.
You can find her on Facebook. www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=692401057&ref=tn_tnmn
Twitter @writercatfox
Or come chat with her at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/wicked_writers/
Look for these titles by Cathryn Fox
Now Available:
Blood Ties
One on One
Dance of the Dragon
Pleasure Inn
All Tied Up
All Worked Up
All Lit Up
Boys of Beachville
Good at Being Bad
Coming Soon:
Whispering Cove
Brazen in Whispering Cove
Boys of Beachville
A Lick of Flame
Bad Girl Therapy
Rebuilding the fire—one kiss at a time.
All Lit Up
© 2010 Cathryn Fox
Pleasure Inn, Book 3
When interior designer Anna Deveau is hired to create a room made for romance at a Victorian inn, she is thrilled—and a little wistful. A fairy-tale ending will never be hers, but perhaps tapping into abandoned dreams will fan the flames for someone else.
Then she learns the only bricklayer available to build the room’s fireplace is Daniel Long. The sexy boy-next-door who filled her teen years with angst, broke her heart—and still colors her nights with red-hot fantasies.
Daniel never understood why Anna stopped talking to him a week before her sweet-sixteen party. Or why the wall between them remains a mile high. But now that he’s back in town, he intends to figure it out once and for all. Pushing the limits of her seductive design, he sets out to prove he didn’t burn her in the past.
Anna finds herself doing the one thing she swore she’d never do again: laying herself bare. Until the ghost of rumors past threatens to snuff out the fiery fantasy that, this time, Anna thought was real…
Warning: Years of sinful fantasies about the sexy boy-next-door lead to a night of wild indulgence. Be sure to keep a bevy of toys on hand when reading this tale, or better yet, get a boy-next-door of your own.
Enjoy the following excerpt for All Lit Up:
Now that had to be the most scrumptious ass Anna Deveau had ever set eyes on.
Tight.
Defined.
And downright squeezable.
The warm autumn sun beat down on Anna as she swiped her tongue over her dry bottom lip and zeroed in on the delectable male before her. Cripes, that man had buttocks like none other. Firm, ripe, ready for the picking.
Oh my…
As a shiver of awareness tingled deep between her legs, derailing her hard-fought ability to think straight, Anna took extra care in negotiating the cracked and pitted walkway in her thin-soled flip-flops.
Pamina kept pace beside her—the mystical-like woman who’d hired Anna’s firm to create fantasy-inspired theme rooms in the rundown Victorian inn situated on the outskirts of Mason Creek. As they strolled along the dilapidated path, Lindsay, a childhood friend and fellow colleague, caught up with them, and they all made their way to the masonry van in the driveway—where said scrumptious buns stood waiting. With the back doors spread wide open, Mr. Sex in a Pair of Jeans braced his muscular thighs against the bumper and leaned forward, presenting her with a perfect, unobstructed view of his magnificent backside.
Yummy…
His gluteus maximus muscles were perfect, all right. Perfect for pinching, or grabbing hold of and palming while he made sweet passionate love to her. A romantic at heart, Anna envisioned those strong hands of his removing her clothes, slowly, methodically, taking the utmost care with her body. Her thighs quivered as she gifted herself a moment to play out the sexy scenario—gentle fingers touching her private, intimate parts with purpose, the rough pad of his thumb working her sensitive nub into orgasmic bliss, his warm, wet mouth buried in the crook of her sensitive neck as he whispered sweet nothings in her ear. A small rapturous moan threatened to crawl out of her throat, and she promptly choked it back as the erotic slideshow played out in her mind’s eye.
Taking her by surprise, small beads of moisture broke out on her forehead, and she swiped at them, but the dampness had nothing at all to do with the hot sunshine beating down on the quaint town, and everything to do with the pact she’d made with her friends. A pact she was suddenly questioning the intelligence of. Damn, it had been so long since she’d engaged in an intimate relationship that her body had turned mutinous. Deep between her legs she felt libidinous, needy and hungry.
Positively horny.
Which had her questioning the logic behind their pact, and begged the question—exactly why had they all renounced the opposite sex again?
“What do you think, Anna?” Pamina asked.
Anna turned toward the tall, willowy woman with the knowledgeable green eyes, and struggled to comprehend the question. As Pamina stared at her, obviously awaiting a response, she shifted Abra—her very overweight cat—in her long, lithe arms as the ornery feline hissed and swatted at an imaginary fly.
Lindsay shot her a questioning glance. “Yeah, what is your opinion on it, Anna?” Her friend’s brow furrowed in concentration as she carefully picked her way forward in a pair of three-inch spiked heels that only a wild brazen woman like Lindsay could pull off.
Not understanding the question and feeling a bit flustered by the sexual energy zinging through her bloodstream, Anna tucked a short blonde lock behind her ear and blinked her mind into focus.
“Anna?” Lindsay asked again.
Just then one of the many skilled workers on assignment at the inn crossed in front of her, and she nearly bumped into him.
“I, uh.” Goodness she’d been so caught up in lusting after Mr. Sex in a Pair of Jeans, completely preoccupied with the delicious images of his hard body climbing over hers, that she hadn’t been paying any attention to their conversation, or to all the other laborers milling about in an effort to return the inn to its natural, beautiful state. Truthfully, it was hard to believe that the mere sight of a hot guy had the ability to render her senseless. She was a smart woman, logical, proper, always maintaining a professional demeanor at the workplace, so what had suddenly gotten into her? What the heck had her thinking wayward thoughts about a man she didn’t even know?
Lack of sex, she supposed.
No doubt it would shock her friends if they discovered the naughty direction her thoughts had taken. Not that she would tell them. When it came to sex, unlike the bold and vivacious Lindsay, Anna was a very private person. Then again, she shouldn’t be fantasizing about the laborer Pamina had hired in the first place. It was a distraction she didn’t need. Especially since time was of the essence. She’d put so much work into perfecting her design that she was just beginning the renovations and Lindsay and Anna were well on their way to finishing.
From her peripheral vision, she spotted Candace, the third and final partner in their bustling interior-decoration business, Styles for Living. Candace lunged forward, stretching her muscles on the sun-crisped lawn before her habitual early-morning run. Thankful for the distraction, and deciding to take the focus off her and her current lack of communication skills, Anna gave a wave and shouted a friendly greeting. Pamina and Lindsay fixed their gazes on Candace and followed suit.
After exchanging pleasantries, Anna turned her concentration back to negotiating the walkway. Fortunately for her, Pamina and Lindsay returned to their conversation, forgetting all about Anna’s opinion. Deciding to pay
a little more attention, she half listened to them discuss Lindsay’s BDSM room, but Mr. Sexy proved too much of a distraction, and Anna stole another glance as they closed the distance between them.
As though unaware of their presence as they approached his van, Mr. Sexy ripped off his professional polo shirt, the company name embroidered on the back, and proceeded to change into his work wear. Good Lord! His sun-kissed skin was bronzed, smooth and glistening under the morning rays. Firm shoulders tapered to a trim waist and the delectable sight had her feeling all warm and wicked inside. A fine tingle worked its way down her body and loitered around that hungry little spot between her legs. If the mere sight of his backside had the ability to rattle her like dice in a Yahtzee cup, she could just imagine what a full frontal would do to her.
Truthfully, only one other guy had ever made her feel so edgy, so sexually aroused, and she hadn’t set eyes on him since high school. Nor did she have any desire to. Not after what he’d done to her. Which suddenly reminded her why she’d agreed to the pact and sworn off men in the first place. She frowned, then quickly buried those thoughts in favor of more pleasant ones.
No, it certainly wasn’t the time to dredge up old painful memories of Daniel Long, the cute boy next door and Mason Creek High School sports hero who’d been coveted by all. It was time to take pleasure in the fit man before her and commit every striated muscle to memory. At least then when she was lying in bed later that night, it would give her something to fantasize about while she took the edge off. And take the edge off she would. Just because she’d sworn off men and had given up on finding her very own Prince Charming, didn’t mean she couldn’t dream about delicious, orgasmic sex, did it?
She absently toyed with the gold chain around her neck, bit back a chuckle and shook her head. To think that just a short while ago, she’d been both shocked and embarrassed as she stood on the sidewalk outside Toys4Gals and examined the array of sexual devices through the curbside window. Never had she thought she’d purchase such a toy, let alone use one. Now, here she was gathering quite the collection in her bedside table. Working solo wasn’t normally her style. But lack of action had forced her to think outside the box—or inside the box—or… Oh hell, she didn’t know what she was thinking anymore. All she knew was that she was hurting. Anna gave a quick shake of her head to clear her salacious musings and wondered if a quick shake of her hips would help push back the lust that gathered there.