by Lilly Atlas
He held her head still and lowered his mouth to hers in a passionate kiss that went on for many minutes. When he pulled back, they were both panting for breath and Amanda’s eyes had the glimmer of unshed tears.
“I love you, Nick,” she whispered despite the fact that there wasn’t another soul around.
Love wasn’t strong enough a word for what he felt for her, but as no one had invented a better one, he stuck with it. “You’ve got nothing on how much I love you, baby. Nothing.”
Amanda smiled his favorite smile. It was her beyond-happy smile. She wasn’t even aware of it, but he had names for a few of her smiles. This was one reserved only for him.
She settled against him once again, wrapping an arm around his mid-section. “Can we stay like this for a while?” she asked. “It’s so peaceful.”
He dropped a kiss on the top of her head then stared out at the water. In that moment, his inner turmoil calmed until it rivaled the stillness of the glassy lake. “We can stay like this forever.”
Thank you so much for spending some time in the No Prisoners’ world. If you enjoyed the book please feel free to leave a review on Amazon or Goodreads.
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Please read on for a sneak peak of ESCAPADES, the first book in Lilly’s new Trident Ink Series
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Books in the No Prisoners Series
Hook: A No Prisoners Novella
Striker
Jester
Acer
Lucky
Snake
Escapades Preview
Beautiful didn’t come close to properly describing the woman waiting for him at a cozy two-person table in the most romantic restaurant in town. Stunning. Alluring. Captivating. Breathtaking. Sexy-as-fuck. And the adjectives just grew more erotic from there.
Really, she was just gorgeous, plain and simple, with her golden blonde hair flowing down her back in stylish waves. Damn, he was a sucker for blonds. Always had been. And the longer the better.
There wasn’t much that topped wrapping long silky strands of feminine hair around his fist and pulling his woman’s head back, exposing her delicate neck as he plunged in and out. Perfect opportunity to feast on the exposed skin of her throat. She would moan and arch into him—
Shit.
Derek’s cock began to fill despite the chilly November evening.
Well, really, what did it matter if he was aroused beyond reason?
This entire date was a prelude to sex. First order of business was to go in and make nice. Flash charming smiles, be charismatic and witty during the meal. Then leave together and find a secluded place to fuck each other’s brains out.
So really, what did it matter if he was hard now? She knew the drill. Hell, this entire charade was her idea, to begin with.
He blew out a harsh breath, fogging the window with the warmth of his exhalation. Time to go in. He’d stalled long enough. For some reason, a brick of nervousness had settled in his stomach the moment he spotted the expensive Georgetown restaurant.
The promise of sex wasn’t what made him nervous. In fact, quite the opposite was true. Sex was something he was pretty damned certain he excelled at. Excelled at and loved. So, why the unease?
Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that for the past two years—shit, he still couldn’t wrap his mind around that insane length of time—the only thing to come into contact with his dick was the palm and five fingers of his right hand. And maybe the left a time or two.
To think of all he’d taken for granted. The months he’d lost due to…what? How he’d allowed this to happen was still a giant mystery. One he needed to spend some serious time and brain power solving. It was the only way to fix it. To ensure it never happened again. No matter what life threw at him. No matter how deep the pain cut, how suffocating the grief became, he could not neglect this part of his life.
Next to him, a loud throat cleared causing him to flinch. “Excuse me, sir?”
The maître d’ stood just three feet away, bouncing on the balls of his feet, no doubt to keep warm blood pulsing through his veins. “Yes?”
“There’s quite a lovely young woman in there who seems to think you may be here to join her.” A cloud of steam drifted from his mouth as he spoke. His smile was questioning, like he was dying to ask why the hell Derek was standing outside freezing his ass off while a smoking hot woman waited for him inside.
How long had he been staring at the breath-fogged pane without actually seeing anything? He wiped a gloved hand through the cloudy condensation. Sure enough, clear blue eyes with a hint of mischief met his. She offered a half smile as one light eyebrow rose in question as if to ask, “You coming anytime soon?”
Sooner than she knew if she kept looking at him like she was starving and he was the only thing that could satisfy her hunger.
“Yes. I’m here for her.” The words were gruffer than he’d meant them to be but the idea of another man, any man, admiring his date was unacceptable. He’d always been a bit of a possessive beast. Not in a controlling and creepy way, but he sure as hell didn’t like to share.
“Excellent, sir.” The maître d held the door and allowed Derek to pass into the restaurant. “Allow me to escort you to your table.”
“Thank you,” Derek said, his eyes riveted on his date. He was so captivated by her he nearly missed the ambiance of the restaurant. Low lighting and flickering candles gave the upscale steakhouse a romantic vibe. The place wasn’t exactly his style, he’d always been more of a beer and wings kinda guy, but he could play the part of an upscale man for a few hours. Especially if the gig bought him a non-self-induced orgasm.
Garlic, peppered beef, and the aroma of good wine blended together, making his mouth water for more than just a taste of the woman who waited for him.
“Here we are, sir.” The maître d pulled out a sturdy wooden chair with one hand and extended a menu with the other.
“Thank you,” Derek said. It was as much a dismissal as an expression of gratitude. He wanted, needed, a few minutes alone with his date before being interrupted by restaurant staff.
“Hi,” she said. Her eyes glowed with genuine pleasure and a radiant smile spread across her face. “Glad you finally decided to join me.”
“Hello, Kristin,” he said, not missing the twitch of her lips when he used the name.
“Jake,” she replied with a sassy smile.
He answered her mirth with a chuckle of his own. But he’d agreed to play the game from the get-go. No real names. Pure fantasy for one night. A chance to lose himself in a sexual escapade devoid of past pain, baggage, and heartache.
“Not joining you was never an option. I just saw you through the window and couldn’t tear myself away from the view.”
“You’re sweet.” She flushed with obvious pleasure at the compliment as though unaccustomed to the true words. Damn shame. A woman like her deserved to hear it daily. The men in her life must be such fools… Guilt churned in his stomach at the thought.
He shook it off. “What are you drinking?”
She lifted the wineglass to her glossy coral lips and took a delicate sip. “It’s a Spanish Rioja. Delicious.” A tiny purple drop remained on her plump lower lip.
Derek couldn’t help it. As though on autopilot, he reached across the small table and captured the bead with his thumb. With his eyes on hers, he brought his finger to his mouth and licked. “You’re right. Delicious.”
Her throat worked as she swallowed and a pink flush coated her skin that had nothing to do with the warmth radiating from the nearby fireplace. It was desire; hot, passionate, and more intoxicating than the wine.
There was no way in hell his body wasn’t going to respond in kind. Blood rushed to his cock so fast the immediate stiffening was almost painful.
&n
bsp; The air between them and surrounding their table popped and crackled with electricity. If it was up to him, they’d skip the meal entirely and find a quiet place where he could peel her out of that sexy black dress that hugged her body in the most sinful way. But, this was her show, so he’d stick it out through the first act, but not much more than that.
“So,” he said, settling into his seat, resigned to the fact that the meal would be spent with an iron rod between his legs. “Tell me about your week.” As he spoke, he rolled the sleeves of his black dress shirt to just below his elbow. Their proximity to the fireplace had him a bit overheated. Or maybe it was just the proximity to his date.
Her gaze was fixated on his forearms and her eyes flared as each colorful inch of inked skin was revealed. “Well,” she said her voice husky, “I’ve been out of work for a while due to…difficult circumstances and yesterday was my first day back.”
The breath seized in his lungs and he stalled his movement. How did he not know she’d just gone back to work? Was his head really that far up his own ass? Difficult circumstances. He almost snorted out loud. That was quite a benign description what she’d been through over the past few years. But tonight, wasn’t about wallowing in the agony of the past. It was about forging forward, connecting, pleasing one another.
“How did it go? Your first day.” His voice was hardly above a whisper. Deep emotions pummeled him from all directions as he looked straight into her slightly sad eyes. Emotions seeking to destroy the thick wall he’d erected over the past two years. Emotions he hadn’t allowed himself to feel and still didn’t want to deal with because they were guaranteed to bring an off-the-charts level of pain.
Her entire face lit up. “It was wonderful. Scary, exciting, fulfilling…really, really good.”
Her enthusiasm was contagious and Derek found himself shedding the morose feelings from seconds before. Later that night, when he was alone, he’d allow himself to finally feel. To face the demons chasing him. For moment, and for the rest of his date, he’d focus solely on the amazing woman who dined with him.
She was what was important. Too bad it took him so long to remember that.
About the Author
Lilly Atlas is a multi-award-winning contemporary romance author, proud Navy wife, and mother of three spunky girls. For years, Lilly has been daydreaming and plotting characters in her head while driving, showering, and sometimes when she was supposed to be paying attention to something else. She finally decided to get the ideas out of her head and into books.
Every time Lilly downloads a new ebook she expects her Kindle App to tell her it’s exhausted and overworked. She’s been waiting for the pop up asking to please give it some rest. Thankfully that hasn’t happened yet, so she can often be found absorbed in a new book.