Free Trade

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by Lynda Aicher


  He knew without a hint of doubt that this was right.

  She stretched against his side, lifting her arm to maximize the extension until she melted back into him. Her expression was all sleep-soaked and sexy when she shifted to look at him. “Morning,” she murmured, her smile soft contentment.

  The small nugget of fear that she’d change her mind in the light of day drifted away beneath the warmth in her eyes.

  “Morning.” He drew his fingers through her hair, marveling at how quickly things had changed. “You’re still good?”

  She nodded, her smile brightening. “Yes.” She pressed a kiss to his chest right over his heart. “I’m good. Better than, actually.”

  “Me too.”

  She stared at him for a long beat, the connection between them building until he was drenched in happiness. “I should be done with work around two.”

  “I’ll pick you up at three.”

  “Where are we going?”

  “Does it matter?”

  “No.”

  Her grin said everything and he agreed. It didn’t matter. The best move he ever made was getting her name last night. That was one trade he’d never regret.

  * * * * *

  Keep reading for an excerpt from Strictly Confidential by Lynda Aicher.

  Strictly Confidential

  Lynda Aicher

  Life is about power—who has it, who doesn’t.

  Anyone who says otherwise hasn’t spent time in Kennedy Keller’s business-casual two-point-five-inch heels. A woman in a world very much run by men, Kennedy does whatever it takes to keep her power, in the office and outside of it.

  Until she lets her guard down and decides to submit to a man for just one night. He’s everything she doesn’t usually let herself have: sexy, strong...dominant.

  Read on for an excerpt from Strictly Confidential, the next full-length Boardroom novel from Lynda Aicher.

  Matt’s light touch to Kennedy’s arm shocked her still. Awareness vibrated outward from the touch point, both chilling and warming her. She didn’t attempt to hide her annoyance when she looked to him.

  “I’m sorry,” he said, honesty softening his expression and tone. “I didn’t mean to offend you.”

  She studied him, mouth dry. Desire hummed counter chords of want and warning. She should move her arm away from his touch, just like she should end the conversation and leave. Instead, she asked, “What happened?”

  His brows dipped, nostrils flaring in the long moment before he responded. “You make me want things I shouldn’t.”

  She could say the same. “Like?” She wet her lips, distinctly aware of the slow stroke of his thumb on her arm.

  A sound that edged way too close to a growl rumbled past her. She squeezed her legs to hold back the hunger that blazed to life. That had to have been her imagination. The bar noise distorting sound. Right?

  He leaned in, and she turned her head, giving him her ear. A stroke of heated air ghosted over the sensitive skin, sending a wave of goose bumps down her neck. “Like crushing you against the door of my room and finally tasting those tempting lips of yours. To start.”

  Oh...my... “And then?” she whispered, longing reaching out to caress a desire she barely acknowledged. What would it be like to give him what she never relinquished to anyone, ever?

  “And then...” He blew a gentle stream of air over the shell of her ear. “I’d uncover each secret hidden beneath that expensive suit of yours and tease them out until you gave me everything you’re afraid to ask for.”

  Her swallow hitched on the knot that’d formed in her throat. The image he’d just planted in her head uncurled and spread in a tantalizing shift of power. One she’d only entertained in her most secret fantasies but never dared to explore. Not within her circle of influence. Not with someone who could exploit submission as a weakness.

  He eased back, hunger brazenly displayed. Her nipples tightened in a cry of yes. She wanted every drop of the carnal energy radiating off him. Never, not once in her life, had a man affected her like this.

  And she was far from innocent.

  “Why shouldn’t you want that?” she managed to ask when she was certain her voice wouldn’t waver.

  He studied her for a long moment before releasing a slow breath. “I put that part of my life behind me long ago.” He drew his hand away and motioned to the bartender for their tabs.

  She missed his touch almost immediately. Would it burn over her skin, sink into her bones to turn her legs to jelly? Would he release that predatory growl if she ran her hand over his chest?

  “What part?” she asked after she’d yanked her thoughts back to what he’d said. “The sex part?”

  His chuckle held little humor or sound. She saw it more than heard it. He scrubbed a hand over his stubbled jaw, amusement wiping away the darkness that lurked around him. “Yes and no.”

  That intrigued her even more, but she didn’t need his life story to have sex with him.

  “Maybe it’s time to add it back into your life.” She raised a brow. “I hear it’s a really good way to relax.” She made a bad attempt to hold back her smile, failing almost before she tried.

  He shook his head in a slow swivel that countered the smirk growing in stunning increments. It erased the cool reserve and transformed him from dangerous to...gorgeous. The thought of his sexual frustration being unleashed on her turned her interest to instant want.

  “It is, is it?” He paused to sign the tab, sliding hers into his folder before she could object. He flipped the folder closed, the pen tucked inside, and grabbed his tablet before he stood. His hand grazed over her shoulder in a touch that could’ve been accidental but wasn’t.

  She stared up at him, caught in his game despite her attempt to play her own. Her pulse skittered even as she maintained her calm. She wouldn’t chase, and she was pretty certain he wouldn’t either.

  “Would you care to join me?” he asked.

  “For?” she asked with a smirk of her own, already sliding out of her chair, her briefcase and phone in her hand.

  He turned away without answering, but her grin spread as she followed him from the bar.

  Don’t miss Strictly Confidential by Lynda Aicher, available wherever Carina Press books are sold.

  www.CarinaPress.com

  Copyright © 2018 by Lynda Aicher

  Want more short and sexy stories by Lynda Aicher? Check out the rest of the erotic-office novella series The Boardroom Memo.

  DONE DEAL (The Boardroom Memo, novella one)

  SIGNED OVER (The Boardroom Memo, novella two)

  Or catch up on Lynda Aicher’s full-length erotic office romance series The Boardroom.

  AFTER HOURS (The Boardroom, book one)

  BLIND TRUST (The Boardroom, book two)

  STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL (The Boardroom, book three)

  Get your copies now!

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  We think you have a good book in you!

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  ISBN-13: 9781488097164

  Free Trade

  Copyright © 2018 by Lynda Aicher

  All rights reserved. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this ebook on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of the publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 22 Adelaide St. West, 40th Floor, Toronto, Ontario M5H 4E3, Canada.

  All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention.

  This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

  ® and ™ are trademarks of the publisher. Trademarks indicated with ® are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the Canadian Intellectual Property Office and in other countries.

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