Hook Up

by Miranda Baker

  “You’re not going anywhere,” Crystal said, finally certain. “And neither am I.”

  She pulled him close, being careful to avoid the tender skin of his new tattoo. Her world spun into balance as she embraced him, her past, her present, her future. There were no walls between them now, just love—and the promise of forever.

  About the Author

  It makes me chuckle to think about all the romantic short stories I wrote in my rather too literary creative writing classes in college. If only one of my professors had steered me toward popular fiction! On the other hand, if I had discovered my calling back then, I wouldn’t have gone to culinary school, I wouldn’t have met my husband, we wouldn’t have had three children and I wouldn’t have turned to erotic romance to get my mojo back during all this hair-raising kid raising.

  To learn more about me, please visit www.mirandabaker.com. Send an email to miranda@mirandabaker.com if you want to chat about romance, writing, or recipes!

  Look for these titles by Miranda Baker

  Coming Soon:

  Power Trip

  Now Available:

  Come Again

  Bottoms Up

  SoloPlay

  Hook Up

  It takes two to toy with love.

  SoloPlay

  © 2011 Miranda Baker

  Come Again, Book 2

  When librarian Alisa Mane’s boyfriend accuses her of being frigid, she sets out to prove him wrong the only way she knows how—with research.

  A visit to the local sex shop uncovers the sizzling sensuality locked beneath her cool façade, and she eagerly accepts the opportunity to test sex toys for SoloPlay Enterprises. Under the code name “Sologirl”, she begins exploring her body on her own terms. After all, no one was ever rejected by a vibrator.

  Mark Winters needs his new DoublePlay line of toys to hit big, and there’s only one tester for the job—Sologirl. She fires his imagination with playfully erotic reviews and never fails to pick a winner. There’s only one problem—Sologirl refuses to test the DoublePlay toys for couples. With his company’s success on the line, he decides to make his offer again, up close and in person.

  One look at the icy hot Mark and Alisa realizes he’s her best chance to discover if any man can satisfy her. A red-hot month of experimentation more than answers that question, but now Alisa has another problem—DoublePlay is almost ready for production and her feelings for Mark have nothing to do with business. Is she brave enough to continue playing…with her heart?

  Warning: This book contains a sexy librarian, an icy hot businessman, scandalous emails, scorching male/female and female/female play time, and vibrating, well…everything.

  Enjoy the following excerpt for SoloPlay:

  Alisa toyed with her mouse, watching the cursor dart across her screen, unable to concentrate on the actual data. Ever since Mark Winters’ DoublePlay e-mail had arrived, she couldn’t stop thinking about sex with a partner. But which kind? On the one hand, her fantasies were always about men. On the other hand, no man had ever managed to give her an orgasm, so maybe she should stick with women.

  Crystal had been able to make her come. Of course, she was also psychic, totally tuned in to what Alisa was feeling at every moment. With her, she had never had to say a word. Crystal had insisted on drawing the words out of her, but there had been no real risk. That was really the crux of the problem, wasn’t it? Sex with a partner required communication, and Alisa didn’t like to volunteer information. Still, unless she wanted to spend the rest of her life communing with silicone, plastic, metal and rubber, she should probably try dating again. She giggled as the image of entertaining her visiting parents at a fancy restaurant while she held hands with a vibrating dildo popped into her head. She had been dodging her mother’s calls, but inevitably, they would have to set a date.

  “Hey, Beth?” Alisa swiveled to face her desk mate’s chair. “Do you know any nice guys?”

  Beth muttered something incomprehensible. She appeared to be on the search for an elusive title, and unless someone dropped a bomb on her keyboard, she wouldn’t give up the hunt any time soon.

  Alisa kicked her chair. “I need a date.”

  No response.

  She sighed.

  The first set of automatic doors swung open in the foyer and Alisa glanced up at the security gate to see who was coming in. Sunlight bounced off the second set of glass doors into her eyes, momentarily blinding her. When the spots cleared, she saw a man. And not one of the old guys who liked to read the free newspapers in the armchairs by the windows, either. This was a tall, blond iceberg of a man wearing a dark suit with a white shirt. His tie was pulled away from his neck, as if he had loosened the knot as soon as he’d pushed away from his desk. His hard features looked carved from cold stone. Alisa shuddered, her breath rushing out of her body.

  His pale blue eyes zeroed in on the reference desk, and Beth finally glanced up from her screen. “Check him out,” she said under her breath. “Hot date, twelve o’clock.”

  “I thought you weren’t paying attention,” Alisa accused.

  “Well, I am now.”

  Alisa felt frozen to her wooden chair as the man’s eyes dropped to her nameplate. He began to walk toward them with measured strides.

  “May I help you?” Beth asked, flipping her shiny red hair over her shoulders and giving him a smile that showcased every one of her perfect, white teeth.

  “I’m looking for Ms. Mane.” His slight smile barely thawed his features.

  Alisa eyed him cautiously. “How can I help you?”

  “I hope you can help me find Sologirl.”

  Her eyes widened, then shot over to Beth.

  “I’ve never heard of Sologirl,” Beth chirped. “Is it fiction or nonfiction?”

  “I’ve got this one.” Alisa jumped up from her chair and raced around the desk, ignoring Beth’s surprised look. She took the stranger’s arm and pulled him firmly toward the stacks. “I think I’ve seen it in the graphic novels.”

  When they reached the cover of the tall shelves, Alisa dropped his arm. “Who are you?”

  “Mark Winters,” he said, holding out his hand. “SoloPlay Enterprises.”

  “Holy shit,” she whispered.

  His laugh was loud in the quiet room, but not as loud as her thudding heart.

  Alisa shushed him. “Nobody knows about SoloPlay here, and I want to keep it that way.” Her whisper was sharp. “You shouldn’t have come here.”

  “Well, you shouldn’t have said no,” he replied, taking her hand.

  Mark watched the creep of red on her pale skin. His blood was rising in his veins too. Crystal’s cryptic comments and Sologirl’s sexy e-mails notwithstanding, he hadn’t expected Sologirl to be so hot. Alisa Mane looked like a delicate china doll, all pink and white and blue-eyed, her long, dark lashes blinking furiously against her rosy cheeks as she tugged her warm hand out of his grasp.

  “Is it a question of money?” he asked.

  “No! Don’t talk about that here! This is a library—” He watched her lips move as she searched for the right words and imagined them parted, showing even, white teeth as she pleasured herself with a SoloPlay toy.

  “That’s such a stereotype.” Mark ignored her fierce glare. “I’ve definitely seen a few movies where the staid librarian whips off her glasses, takes down her hair—”

  “Shut up!”

  “What’s the matter, Sologirl, can’t take the heat?” he challenged.

  Mark knew what kind of a woman was hiding out under the hands-off librarian outfit. The low heels, modest neckline and the skirt cut precisely at the knee did not fool him. Alisa whirled and beckoned him deeper into the stacks. As she turned, he saw a quick flash of bare flesh above her knee and maybe the hint of a garter. Nope, not perfectly prim and proper at all. He thought of the money he would have to shell out to multiple DoublePlay testers until his body finally cooperated and he could follow her without embarrassing himself.

 
When they reached the back wall of the library, Sologirl stopped and whirled to face him. “You aren’t supposed to know who I am! What about SoloPlay’s privacy policy? Identity protection? How dare you come here! If anyone overhears us—” she hissed.

  “What are you afraid of?” he asked. “No one will guess what we’re talking about.”

  “I’m afraid one of my very perceptive colleagues will figure it out! Librarians are information specialists, and the library world is not exactly a hotbed of liberal sexual politics, either. One keyword search on the Internet and I can kiss my job goodbye. If I hear you say the words,” she lowered her voice, “Sologirl or SoloPlay again, this conversation is over.”

  “Fine. Can I say DoublePlay?”

  “No.”

  “That makes my pitch a little difficult.”

  “You chose to come here, buddy.” She crossed her arms.

  “It was the only address I had.”

  Sologirl’s gaze pinned him to the stacks. “How did you get it?”

  He hesitated. “Crystal said to tell you she sent me.”

  He watched emotions play across her features. Shock. Then anger. The idea that if Crystal knew what sort of lube Sologirl preferred then they might have been lovers raced through his mind. Just as swiftly, he rejected it and repressed the stab of accompanying jealousy. Mark would stake his life, his health and the success of the DoublePlay line on the fact that Sologirl liked men.

  “You liked BodyVibe,” he began.

  Alisa’s blue eyes flashed, darkened. He continued before he could determine if her reaction was due to remembered pleasure or his temerity at bringing it up. He kept his voice just below a library whisper, not quite loud enough for her to easily hear. She edged closer, and he caught a whiff of flowery shampoo and the scent of sunshine and clean grass rising from her skin. He inhaled another deep breath of her sweet scent before he continued.

  “I also know you tested it here, in the library. In fact, your report opened up a whole new approach to the marketing department. They think it belongs in the…new product line. Since you’re already comfortable with BodyVibe, why don’t you try it out over dinner with your partner? Give up the remote control, let someone else take charge this time.”

  Sologirl’s eyebrows lifted. Her mouth opened the slightest bit and the tip of her tongue darted out to moisten her full, pink lips. Mark pressed his advantage. “Do you know how erotic it is to give someone else complete control over your pleasure?”

  When stubborn meets sexy, love is up for grabs…but one of them is playing for keeps.

  Closing the Deal

  © 2011 Marie Harte

  Derrick Warren has lusted after Sydney Fields ever since he first spotted her, and after months of intense phone conversations, he’s finally got the delectable redhead all to himself.

  All he has to do is let the old Warren magic do its thing…until an ex with an axe to grind shows up. Before he knows it, the perfect date ends with Sydney’s wine in his lap. Now she’s not taking his calls. To his utter shock, he realizes he’s going to have to work to win her over.

  Thanks to her mother’s bad example, Sydney is determined to never need a man. Just when she’s moved Derrick to her “loser” column, though, she’s tricked into giving him another chance. To her surprise, he not only satisfies her deepest sexual fantasies, she finds herself actually craving his company.

  But when she realizes they’re making love, not just having sex, her old instincts kick in. Because she’s starting to like the man, not just his body.

  And that, more than anything else, scares the hell out of her…

  Warning: Look out for a stubborn redhead who’s not afraid to throw her wine, her opinion, or her body at the annoyingly sexy architect determined to keep her for his own.

  Enjoy the following excerpt for Closing the Deal:

  “There’s something I have to know.”

  He put his drink down and waited, his gaze pensive. And then his stare slipped to her mouth for a second and she found it hard to breathe.

  “Yeah?” Had his voice always been that low and sexy?

  “How much crap have you taken from your family for what happened between us?”

  His lips curled, and her fingers itched to trace the line of his grin. “How much time do you have? I was forced to take advice from Gage. The little shit thinks he knows everything about women now because he landed Hailey. And I’m still not sure how that happened.”

  Sydney grinned with him.

  “Dylan gave me all kinds of advice.”

  “The flowers and the cards, right?”

  He sighed. “I knew you wouldn’t believe those came from me without help. Okay, yeah. He suggested that. But my mother…” He shuddered. “The woman made me lie down on her couch and gave me therapy. Sydney, you have no idea how awkward it is to hear your mother talking about sexual feelings.”

  She laughed, imagining his pain. “Good. Serves you right.”

  His gaze dropped to her mouth. “Yeah?”

  “Yeah. You really pissed me off in that restaurant. I still think you got off lightly.”

  “I don’t know how many times I have to tell you. I have no idea why Brittney acted that way. We broke up six months ago. And then she was at the restaurant crying and insulting you. Crazy.”

  “She didn’t like seeing you with another woman, I’ll bet.” Sydney liked the fact that he looked uncomfortable. Derrick wasn’t a guy who went through women like M&Ms.

  “Not one that looked like you. You’re a knockout and you know it.”

  She tried not to preen at that, but she couldn’t help it. “Oh? So you’re not into skinny blondes anymore, is that it?”

  He didn’t look away from her mouth, and she licked her lips, deliberately teasing.

  His eyes smoldered. “You really like living dangerously, don’t you?”

  “Maybe.” He seemed closer. Their good time shifted from fun to sexually intense in a heartbeat.

  She took a hasty sip of wine. He leaned across the table, and she half hoped and half worried he’d kiss her. God, she’d jump him for sure and wouldn’t let go until she’d come, at least once. No way was this man a dud, not with the chemistry zinging back and forth between them.

  Derrick lifted a finger and brushed her lips, leaving a blaze of heat in his wake. He brought his finger to his mouth and sucked it clean. “I know how much you like a nice Pinot Noir. I like your taste in wine, Syd.”

  She couldn’t look away from his lips, mesmerized by the motion of his mouth. Wine that had been on her lips touched his. She had a hard time breathing past her desire for a kiss. Then he quirked his lips and showed off his killer smile.

  Her willpower to resist sunk like the Titanic, never to be seen again.

  “You’re here at my mercy, and you’re still mouthing off.” He reached for her again and…grabbed the bottle by her plate. He winked. “But since I’m trying to get back on your good side, I’m going to let you get away with a lot tonight.” He poured her more wine and sat back with a satisfied smile.

  Get away with what? Tackling him to the floor and mounting him? He’d seemed so close to kissing her. But he hadn’t. She wanted to call him out for teasing her, but that would mean admitting she’d wanted him to plant his lips on her. Which she hadn’t, shouldn’t… Hell.

  He changed the subject to the meal, pointing out all of her favorite things. The wine, the food, the salad dressing. Impressed he’d done his research, she relaxed and found herself enjoying the conversation. They spent the rest of the meal talking about Gage and Hailey, a neutral enough subject considering how much they both cared for the pair.

  After dinner, Derrick wouldn’t let her clear a plate or lift a finger, and for once, Sydney didn’t push. He wanted to make it up to her? Fine. She’d enjoyed dinner. Maybe she’d have a bit of coffee, since she smelled it brewing. And then she’d head home to a lonely house and no doubt dream about Derrick.

  “Why don’t you go to t
he couch? I’ll finish with these.” He cleaned up a few more plates. He’d pushed up his sleeves, exposing strong, corded forearms. Dear Lord. It felt too hot all of a sudden.

  She gratefully went into the living room and sat on his leather sectional. Taking the heels from her feet, she propped her legs up on an ottoman and let her head fall back. What a day.

  She’d spent her morning wrangling with a broker and had a long conference with Lena about how to market their services to more clientele. Then a long search around a few newer neighborhoods for Brian, topped off by an afternoon convincing the Miller couple they’d found the perfect house—and for five grand under the asking price, even. She’d nailed the sale. It had been a decent commission for her, and a terrific feeling that she’d made the young couple very happy. And then Hailey had shown up with Derrick.

  Large hands on her feet shocked a gasp out of her.

  “Shh, easy. I promise not to fondle more than your feet unless you ask.”

  “Jerk.”

  He smirked at her and rubbed her soles, and she couldn’t help the moan that escaped. “Your shoes are sexy as hell, but obviously they hurt.”

  “The price of beauty.” She moaned again. Under shuttered lids, she watched him.

  He sat on the ottoman next to the one she’d claimed, his gaze fixed intently on her feet. His calloused hands were warm, firm and sent bolts of pleasure from her heels and arches to every cell in her body.

  Though she’d tried to resist, she could feel herself growing wet.

  She shifted on the seat and tried to scoot back, but he wouldn’t let her.

  “Uh-uh. I’m still apologizing. Let me.”

  Now feeling a little silly that she’d blamed him for Brittney’s bad behavior, she tugged again.

  “Be still.”

  The gravelly command eased a groan out of her. “Then stop being so sexy.”

  He paused.