Boots on the Ground: Homefront, Book 1
Page 11
Bronnik eyed Tilly warily as she leaned way over the counter of the kiosk to extend her hand—and to give him an up-close view of what was stored inside her low-cut top.
“I’m sorry, I don’t think we’ve met. I’m Tilly Slater.”
“Bronnik Mason.” He gave her hand a brisk shake. “I’m Lacey’s fiancé.”
Suddenly Tilly’s jaw was on its way toward the floor, and her own was racing it there.
“We’re shopping for her ring today,” he continued easily. “I was in such a hurry to propose, I couldn’t stand waiting to find the right one.” He slipped his arm across her back and hugged her tightly to his side in what was becoming a familiar gesture.
“How sweet.” Tilly’s voice was shrill with tension. “And where is it you’re from? England?”
“South Africa,” Lacey supplied, sliding her own arm around his narrow waist. His proximity, the warm, solid, secure feel of him, made her feel powerful. She knew he would back her up, no matter what she said or did now. “I may be moving there.”
“Well, how interesting.” She could practically feel Tilly’s fingers itching to grab her phone and call everyone she still knew from high school—which was probably a lot of people—to spread the word that Harlen Cross’s little sister had gotten herself a man.
“Anyway, we’d better get going. It was nice to meet you.” Bronnik smiled, and its effect on Tilly couldn’t have been more apparent if she’d fainted on the spot. He steered Lacey away, his arm draped over her shoulder.
“She’s watching us,” he murmured after a few steps.
“Probably. She’s a notorious gossip.”
“I mean I can see her.” He nodded to a mirrored panel in a light fixture on the distant, high ceiling. “She’s watching us walk away.”
She rolled her eyes. “I wouldn’t be surprised if she found a reason to bump into us again this morning. She—”
Suddenly he swung her to face him, pulling her close against his chest. His face was blank and inscrutable as he raised his palm to cup her cheek, his thumb brushing lightly over the line of her jaw. Bewildered, she opened her mouth to protest, and that was when he pressed his lips to hers.
Lacey’s heart was beating so fast, her head swimming with shock and confusion, that she worried she might pass out. But as the kiss slowly moved from gentle to insistent, the dizziness was replaced by a simmering liquid heat that seemed to wash over her, filling her rib cage. His hands tightened on her waist as she pressed her palms against his chest, savoring the contrast between the soft cotton material of his shirt and the unyielding muscle beneath.
As her surroundings faded from her consciousness she parted her lips slightly, eager to invite him deeper, to encourage him to explore. Her nipples grew taut against his chest and an urgent, burning desire began to pool at the apex of her thighs.
Bronnik broke away as abruptly as he’d begun, and the cool draft of air that flowed between their parted faces struck her like a slap. When she opened her eyes his expression was strange, sitting somewhere between smug and bemused.
He brushed a lock of her hair behind her ear, the tender gesture made casual and friendly in his hands. “I can’t stand a gossip,” he told her flatly. Then he took her hand in his and tugged her down the hall.
Sometimes falling in love is the easy part…
Trust in Me
© 2013 Dee Tenorio
A Rancho del Cielo Romance
Locke Jackman is single, childless…and he has a bad case of empty-nest syndrome. For years, as he fought tooth and nail to keep his brothers and sisters together after his parents died, his entire life was focused on his responsibilities.
Now his siblings have all moved on with their lives, and there’s no one around to distract him from his overpowering attraction to his sister’s best friend. Their mutual desire is stunning…but then again, so are the secrets keeping them apart.
Susie Packard’s nightmarish marriage taught her what happens when she gives in to her weakness for powerful men. Too bad the big, stoic frowner across the street—the one who sets her bells jangling just by breathing—has her in his sights.
Try as she might to keep her emotional distance, Locke is determinedly knocking down all her walls. But as much as she wants to be the woman he needs, she knows better than most— passion may have its rewards, but every secret has its price.
Warning: This book contains a hot, modern-day Viking seducing his way to the heart of his woman, a stubborn lingerie designer with a world of secrets and a very deep bathtub… Enjoy!
Enjoy the following excerpt for Trust in Me:
“Fine.” He set his forearms on the table, leaning toward her, hoping like hell he didn’t screw this up. The thought of walking out the door and never being let back in scared the shit out of him, leaving his gut in knots. Be gentle… “I want to hold you, all night long. I want to feel you stretched out next to me, breathing against my neck. I want to smell your hair and whatever that flowery shit is you put in it and dream about holding you all night long. I need some goddamn peace, Susie, and I want it with you.”
She blinked, swallowing so hard he heard it. Practically felt it. Maybe he would have if his heart wasn’t beating so rough his temples ached.
“I-I don’t think there was a question in there.”
“If I ask, you’ll say no just to prove you can.”
Her lids fluttered closed.
“It’s just us, baby. We can be honest when it’s just us. I need you tonight. And I think you need me. It doesn’t have to be more than that.”
A lick to her lips. Her brows came together again while she seemed to argue with herself. “People will talk.”
“When has that ever stopped me from anything?”
She seemed to weigh that, finally opening her eyes. “We can’t have sex, I mean it.”
“I can live with that.” For now.
She studied him, her lips twitching at the corners. “I’m gonna regret this, aren’t I?”
“Not if I have anything to say about it.”
“I know,” she muttered, shaking her head. “That’s what worries me.” She stood, reaching her slim hand out and slipping her fingers over his. She tugged and just like that, he could breathe again. “One night, Jackman. Just sleep.”
“Just sleep.”
She didn’t miss his lack of agreement to the other stipulation, but thankfully, she didn’t make a fuss about it. Just sighed and pulled him toward her bedroom.
The short trip wasn’t easy on his nerves. A million questions ran through his mind. Would she allow him under the blankets with her? Would they sleep skin to skin? Could he keep his hands off her all night long, as he’d promised? Would she forget herself and let her own hands wander over him? If she did, did that mean all bets were off?
He wasn’t the only one second-guessing himself, he decided, when Susie stared at her wrought-iron girl bed like it was a dragon come to eat her. She let go of him and brought her hand up to worry her fingers over the charm on her necklace. “I’m insane to be doing this.”
“It’s not like we haven’t done it before.”
She turned to pierce him with a displeased look.
Well, it wasn’t.
“That was different. We were carried away. This time, we’re just walking in. It’s…it’s…”
“Lacking romance?”
She snorted on her laughter. She actually snorted. Then kept right on laughing.
“What? I can be romantic.” That night in the cabin was damn romantic. Fire burning, a soft bed, beers and pretzels… He frowned. Maybe that last bit hadn’t been the stuff women dream about, but sitting across from her on the cabin’s rug while she clutched the sheet over her chest, watching her throat move as she swallowed from the long-neck? It was damn romantic to him.
Susie’s hand fell on his chest, soothing over his heart. He liked it, until she used the other to wipe the tears from her eyes. “Don’t hurt yourself thinking about it. Just trust
me, romance isn’t something I think you’re able to do on purpose.”
Interesting. “So you think I’ve done it on accident all this time?”
“No, I think you’ve tried it with a sledgehammer all this time.” But she was smiling while she said it. Relaxed. Which meant she must not mind sledgehammers too much…
He saw the exact instant she realized what he meant to do. Her eyes widened, the tension in her shoulders coming back in a heartbeat. “Locke…”
“I’m not going to break my word.” He caressed her cheek with the back of his fingers, stroking down and under to tip her chin up. Then he ran his lips over hers, a taste of a kiss. She moaned, just a little one, but it was almost enough to push him past his limit. He’d waited so long to feel her again. To touch her. Hunger threatened to steal his intentions, feeding the urge to sink his hands into her hair and hold her in place so he could kiss her the way he’d been aching to for months. Drowning himself in her feel and warmth and flavor… He almost gave in, but he couldn’t rush this. Couldn’t overwhelm her. She had to come to him on her own or she wouldn’t come at all… “I’m just setting the mood.”
“There wasn’t supposed to be a mood,” she reminded, but her hands slid up his arms and she leaned into him.
It was all he could do not to shout in relief. Instead, he kissed her again, firmer this time, and damn she felt good. Warm and strong, her body sinking into his and her needy little touches at the back of his neck and shoulders telling him he was doing this right. He wanted to squeeze her closer, run his hands down her back and mold her to the heavy rise of his cock, but more than ever, he needed to behave. But it was incrementally easier to keep his hands loose, let her guide the moment, the intensity. Next time, he promised himself, next time he wouldn’t need to hold back.
“Sure there was,” he responded softly, straining to keep his tone reassuring.
She tilted her head back, and he followed her unspoken request, kissing and caressing his way down her throat.
“Restfulness, remember? Let me help you rest.”
Her moan this time was full of caution. “This is asking for trouble.”
“No.” His palms settled on her hips, his thumbs finding their way under the hem of her shirt. Silken skin trembled beneath his calluses. “I’m asking you to trust me. For one night, let me prove that you can trust me.”
Her eyes gleamed, shadows of pain he couldn’t miss in their depths. Pain and secrets he hoped to God he was wrong about. “Maybe you’re not the one who can’t be trusted.”
“Then trust me enough for both of us.”
He brought his mouth down on hers and they both gave in.
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Samhain Publishing, Ltd.
11821 Mason Montgomery Road Suite 4B
Cincinnati OH 45249
Boots on the Ground
Copyright © 2014 by Rebecca Crowley
ISBN: 978-1-61922-291-5
Edited by Jennifer Miller
Cover by Erin Dameron-Hill
All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
First Samhain Publishing, Ltd. electronic publication: October 2014
www.samhainpublishing.com
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
About the Author
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