by Opal Carew
Desire
Ten sizzling, romantic tales for Valentine’s Day!
Opal Carew
Cynthia Sax
Jayne Rylon
Avery Aster
Bianca D’Arc
Sarah Castille
Daire St. Denis
Evangeline Anderson
Lauren Hawkeye / T.J. Stokes
Contents
Opal Carew
Taken by Storm
Taken by Storm
Excerpt - His to Possess
Excerpt - The Office Slave
Excerpt - Three Happy Endings Collection
About Opal Carew
Cynthia Sax
Seducing My Billionaire Boss
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Excerpt - One And Done
About Cynthia Sax
Jayne Rylon
Going Down
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Meet the Divemasters
About Jayne Rylon
Avery Aster
Unscrupulous
Reader Warning
The Literary Gossip
Cast of Characters
Part 1
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Part 2
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Part 3
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Excerpt - Undressed
Acknowledgments
About Avery Aster
Bianca D’Arc
All About the Bear
Author’s Note
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Excerpt - Mating Dance
About Bianca D’Arc
Sarah Castille
Naughty Wishes
Naughty Wishes
Excerpt - Against the Ropes (Redemption, #1)
About Sarah Castille
Daire St. Denis
The Chase
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Excerpt - The Window - A Wicked One Night Stand
About Daire St. Denis
Evangeline Anderson
Abducted
Author’s Note
Part 1
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Part 2
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Part 3
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Part 4
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Part 5
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Epilogue
Excerpt - Protected
Alien Mate Index
About Evangeline Anderson
Lauren Hawkeye / T.J. Stokes
The Other Brother, Part 1: Forbidden
Foreword
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
The Other Brother, Part 2: Taboo
About Lauren Hawkeye / T.J. Stokes
Desire
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Copyright 2016 Opal Carew
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Ebook Design by Mark's Ebook Formatting
* * *
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.
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this story are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual events, locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
* * *
First edition: January 2017
www.OpalCarew.com
Taken by Storm
Opal Carew
Jessica doesn't like to take risks, but when she's almost run over by a red hot rock musician named Storm on his motorcycle, she realizes that some risks are worth taking.
Taken by Storm
Opal Carew
* * *
Copyright © 2011 Opal Carew
* * *
www.OpalCarew.com
To Rose,
thanks for all you do
Taken by Storm
“Oh, no, no. NO. Don’t do this to me!” Jessica groaned, stomping on the gas pedal in vain.
But heedless of her words, as she reached the bottom of the hill, the car simply coasted, losing speed rapidly. She steered to the shoulder of the dark, country road and stopped the car. She turned off the ignition, then tried to start the car again, but nothing happened. She pulled the hood release and got out of the vehicle, then lifted the hood and stared at the engine. There were no streetlights this far out of town, and she could barely make out the engine in the light of the half moon.
She grabbed a flashlight from the glove compartment and shone it under the hood.
Not that she knew what to look for. She bit her lip. There was nothing smoking and no obvious broken things. And even if there had been, she wouldn’t have known what to do about it. She got back in the car and grabbed her cell phone from her purse.
Damn, no service. Most places in and around her small hometown of Bakersfield had excellent cell reception, but there were still pockets where the signal was just too weak.
And I’m lucky enough to break down in one of them!
Now what would she do? She glanced around at the isolated road lined with bushy trees, the sound of the crickets almost deafening. She shivered and wrapped her arms around herself, not entirely because of the coolness of the summer night and the fact she was wearing a halter dress.
She reached into the back of the car and grabbed her shawl, then wrapped it around herself.
It was at least a five mile hike back to town. She could manage the walk if she had to, but in high heels walking along a sandy shoulder it would be dicey, and walking on the paved road would be downright dangerous, especially at night.
Alternately, she could sit here in the car and hope someone would drive by and help her. But what if no one came? Or worse, what if someone scary passed by and saw her in this vulnerable position? At least if she was walking, she could dodge into the bushes if she heard a vehicle approaching.
Maybe she was being overly cautious. Accepting a ride from a stranger didn't have to end in tragedy, but why take the chance? A long walk never hurt anyone.
Except for her feet, which would certainly wind up covered in blisters. She should have listened to Mom’s sage advice to never drive in high heels.
She sighed. She didn’t want to wait around here. Better to take her fate into her own hands.
She pushed herself from the car, grabbed her purse and started to walk. She stepped off the pavement onto the sandy roadside. It was difficult walking on the uneven surface, especially since she’d chosen to wear her really high, spike heels to Sally’s engagement party.
Sally was her cousin, and her boss. She owned her own website development business and employed Jessica as office manager, and several technical people to do the actual development. Sally handled the artistic side of things.
The eerie sound of scuttling in the bushes sent shivers down her spine. She walked a little faster. She thought she heard an engine in the distance, and glanced back, but couldn’t see any lights. Of course, the slope of the hill and the trees would block her view of any vehicle until it was fairly close. The sound seemed to be getting louder, though.
She was wearing a white dress, making her fairly visible, which was great for not getting hit, but not so good for trying to stay out of sight. She walked to the far side of the shoulder, looking for a place where the ditch wasn’t too deep so she could scurry in behind the brush. She glanced back and saw the glow of headlights from the other side of the hill. The approaching vehicle seemed to be moving pretty fast. She stepped carefully down the slight incline of the ditch, watching her footing on the grassy surface.
A crackle caught her off guard, then the bushes rustled. A sharp screech escaped her throat as something leaped toward her. She jumped back, then twisted around and lurched toward the road, her heart thundering in her chest. A light flashed in her eyes—a single headlight—as her heel caught on the pavement and she tumbled forward. The animal bound across the road and tires screeched, then the approaching motorcycle swerved and spun around, barely missing her as her hands hit the ground.
The driver gained control of his bike, then leaped off it.
“Shit! What the fuck, lady? Are you fucking insane?”
She shivered as she stared up at the tall, muscular man in jeans and a black leather jacket, silhouetted by the light of the single headlight behind him.
He offered his hand and she reached for it, then he lifted her to her feet, none too gently.
“I could have been killed. You could have been killed. What the fuck are you doing walking around in the dark?”
She just stared at him, adrenaline pumping through her, as he pulled off his helmet, revealing dark spiky hair.
Oh, God, when she’d feared someone scary would come driving by, this is exactly what she’d had in mind. Only this was worse.
What would he do once he calmed down and realized she was out here all alone. She shuddered.
Storm stared at the woman in front of him, unshed tears glazing her eyes, though he didn’t think she’d be able to hold them back much longer, and he cursed himself for swearing like a fucking sailor.
He’d been hanging around with a rough crowd lately and had picked up some bad habits. That’s why he’d decided to move on. A band in the little town of Bakersfield just ahead needed a guitar player and he’d been offered the gig.
But right now, he needed to try and calm the frightened woman in front of him and see if he could help her.
“Is that your car back there?”
She nodded.
“I take it you couldn’t get it started.”
She shook her head.
He raised an eyebrow. “And you were going to walk all the way to town? Do you know how far that is?”
She nodded, and just when he thought she’d never utter a word to him, she added, “Five miles.”
“You live there?”
She nodded.
“Okay.” He walked to his Harley and opened the hard-shell compartment on the back, then retrieved the spare helmet. He offered it to her. “I’ll give you a ride.”
She shook her head. Great, back to non-verbal communication.
“What’s the problem?”
“I don’t know you. And I certainly don’t want to ride on that.”
“Really? You’d rather stay out here on your own?”
She glanced around and he could see she was shivering, but whether it was because she was wearing that pretty little sundress, all white and sexy, or because of fear he didn’t know. Probably both.
“I’ll be okay.”
“Like hell. Lady, I’m not leaving you here alone.”
Her eyes widened at his tone and she stepped back.
He drew in a deep breath and dropped the helmets into the compartment. “Look, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.” He ran his hand through his hair and smiled reassuringly. “I promise I’m not going to hurt you. Okay?”
She shook her head and backed away another step. She glanced around and he was sure she was going to bolt.
He held up his hands, palms toward her. “Okay, what if we walk back to your car together and I’ll see if I can get it going again?”
He could see the car down the road, about fifty yards behind them.
“I’ll walk in front if you promise not to run away. That way you’ll know exactly where I am, and I can’t sneak up behind you. Deal?”
She nodded. “Okay.”
Good. At least they were making some progress.
He pushed his bike further onto the shoulder, then turned around and started toward the abandoned car behind them. He heard her footsteps on the sandy gravel behind him. Once at the vehicle, he released the hood, then walked to the front of the car and gazed at the engine. After a quick perusal, he noticed that the serpentine belt was gone.
She peered at the engine from the other side of the car.
“The serpentine belt must have broken,” he said. “That’s the part that drives the water pump and circulates coolant to cool the engine, the power steering pump and the alternator.”
“Could we jump start the engine to get it going again?” she asked.
“Not from my bike, and even if we could get the engine started again, it might not be safe to drive. It’ll have to be towed to a garage.”
She nodded. “Okay. Thanks anyway.”
She turned and started walking again. He started after her, then fell in step beside her. She sent him a sidelong glance, but kept on walking. He matched his pace to hers, which was slower than his natural gait. He had longer legs, and he wasn’t wearing high heels.
When they reached his bike, she kept on going.
“Really? You’re still insisting on walking?”
He stepped ahead of her, blocking her path. “Look, let’s talk about this.”
Jessica frowned. “There’s nothing to talk about.” She stepped past him, then started forward again.
Just then, something scurried across her path
. At the flash of white on black, she realized it was a skunk. She screeched, then spun around and lurched forward, smacking straight into his chest.
His big, broad, solid chest. His arms came around her and stopped her from tumbling. She hesitated a moment, her face pressed against his buttery soft leather jacket. Mmm, it smelled so good. Musky man scented leather.
“You okay?”
Oh, God, she knew she had to pull away, but she didn’t want to fight anymore. She didn’t want to walk five miles to town. Her feet already hurt. And it was scary out here, with deer and skunks, insects and such.
And big, scary bikers. Or, at least, one in particular.
The thing was, she didn’t really find him scary. He was actually pretty sexy. And helpful. And kind of nice. Despite the anger and foul language that had been their first exchange.
But he seemed to regret yelling at her.
And if he was going to murder her, or rape her, wouldn’t he have done it by now? Why take her somewhere on his bike to do it?
Many reasons started poking through her brain, but she pushed them aside.
“Miss? Are you okay?”
She nodded against his leather jacket, trying to find the strength to pull away.
“Okay, good.”
He didn’t seem in a rush to push her away, either.
She gazed up at him, without pulling herself from the warmth of his arms. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be clinging to you like this.”
“I don’t mind. It’s a big improvement over you being afraid of me.”
Finally, she drew in a breath and summoned the will to stand up on her own two feet again.
“My name’s Jessica.”
He smiled. “I’m Storm.”
He offered his hand and she shook it.
“Does this mean you’ll accept a ride to town with me?”
“Yes.” She eyed the big bike warily. Unfortunately, that meant climbing on his big beast of a machine. But it was better than staying out here on her own.