by Marilyn Lee
"That sounds like a threat."
"It is, sweet girl."
The endearment removed any possible sting from his remark. "Oh, yeah? And what if I tell you that such threats will almost ensure I call his name out on purpose just so you can punish me appropriately."
To my surprise, he laughed.
"And you, Darkwater? What are you?"
"I'm what I've been for years now, my sweet, sensual girl, your exclusive property. No matter who I was with for the last few years, my heart was always yours and always will be."
"And those five to seven women you've slept with?"
"They were to ensure what I already suspected; that I no longer had a need or desire to sleep around because you were all the woman I needed and wanted in my life," he promised, bending his head to blister my lips with hot, demanding kisses.
As I happily lost myself in him, I closed my eyes. He was everything I'd ever wanted or needed. More, he was mine for more than just a transitory moment. He was mine forever. I didn't delude myself into thinking we wouldn't have problems.
He probably wouldn't say I love you nearly as much or as freely as I wanted to hear it, but that was something we could work on. Fate was smiling on us and I was going to have my happy ever after fairytale ending with my very own Prince Charming. Finally.
Loving Large 2—Yours, Now and Forever Excerpt
© 2011 Marilyn Lee
All rights reserved
“Oh my god, Neida. Your tall, sinfully handsome brave has noticed you. He’s looking this way!”
Oneida Armstrong’s heartbeat increased. She swallowed quickly before she looked across the room and into the dark brown eyes of the handsome man seated alone at a table on the opposite side of the restaurant.
A shock of desire and emotion overwhelmed her senses. She felt as shaken as she had after their gazes met and briefly locked on Monday morning. Then, as now, she knew she looked at her ultimate fantasy. His raw, sensual masculinity stroked her most primal passions and needs. Something deep in his dark, compelling gaze whispered to her heart.
He’s the one. With him you’ll know either heartache and pain or endless nights of bliss and a long life of shared love and devotion. He's the one. Don’t let him slip out of your reach. Do whatever is necessary to get and keep him.
She sucked in a breath. Did he feel a sense of destiny as he looked at her? Did his heart and sensual desires recognize her as his soul mate?
They locked gazes for several more moments.
She felt as if he were probing her most secret desires. Instead of shaming her, the thought excited and aroused her. She felt beautiful, sexy and hungry to satisfy his deepest passions. Did he feel her need for him? If so, did it stroke his cravings?
He abruptly rose. Keeping his gaze locked on her, he put several bills on the table and moved in her direction.
“Here he comes. Get ready to bat your gorgeous eyes and to flaunt that outrageous rack of yours at him so he’s knocked right off his big feet.”
Neida dragged her gaze away from the handsome stranger’s and turned to give her best friend Betty a frantic look. “I can’t.”
“Yes, you can!”
“He’s out of my league.”
“The hell he is! You’re beautiful. He's gorgeous! I’m so sure he’s your Mr. Right, I can almost hear the beautiful babies you’ll make together calling me Auntie Betty.”
Neida’s gaze was drawn back to the object of their discussion. With the exception of her first crush and love, her most intimate fantasies had always revolved around Native American men. She loved their skin tone, their high cheekbones, their glossy brown hair, and the mystique surrounding them.
Although a lot taller than the men populating her sensual desires, the sexy hunk strolling towards their table might have stepped right out of her most erotic daydream. She moistened her lips imagining herself slowly peeling the clothes off of his big, buff body. She loved a man who possessed a muscular build without the appearance of an overly muscled weightlifter.
She swallowed, envisioning stroking her hands over his wide shoulders, down his massive chest and his rippled abs to cup his cock. As he hardened against her fingers, she’d part her legs and welcome him inside her body. A rush of moisture filled her thong at her erotic desires.
Get a grip, Neida. What are the chances he’s attracted to plus-sized black women? He didn’t ask your name on Monday and he’s not going to ask it now.
“Neida!” Betty nudged her foot under the table. “Here he comes! Snap out of it already. Say something witty or at least smile at him.”
Even as an inner voice urged her to seize the second chance she’d been given to capture his attention, the fear of rejection kept her silent and unsmiling.
“Neida!”
The man with the sinfully dark, compelling eyes slowed his stride.
Betty reached across the table to give her hand a hard squeeze. “Smile at him and give him a reason to stop.”
He paused at their table.
Neida sucked in a slow breath, unable to look away from him. Her heart thundered against her ribs.
“Good morning ladies.”
Her imagination ran wild at the sound of his deep, sexy baritone. Undress me with your eyes. Stare at my lips and my breasts. Give me a sign you feel some of what I feel.
“Good morning!” Even as Betty smiled at him, she gave Neida’s hand a vicious squeeze.
“Good morning,” he said, his gaze still locked on Neida.
She gave herself a mental shake. “Good morning.”
He glanced at her left hand before raising his gaze to her breasts. “It is now.”
Neida swallowed hard.
His gaze lingered on her breasts for so long her nipples hardened.
Finally, he looked into her eyes again. he long, searching look in his dark, sensual gaze pinned her to the seat.
She parted her lips and drank him in with her eyes. He must have been at least 6’ 5” or 6’ 6”. The most attractive male she'd ever seen in person, he exuded confidence and sex appeal. Was he married?
Noting her gaze shifting downward, he lifted his left hand. He turned it slowly, allowing her to see that it bore no signs of having recently been adorned with a wedding band.
Cheeks burning, she looked into his eyes again.
Loving Large 2: Yours, Only and Always available from marilynle.org and other online sites
Falling For Sharde Excerpt
©2010 Marilyn Lee
All rights reserved
Ninety minutes into the three-hour drive, snow fell hard and heavy, making driving and visibility difficult. Sharde sat in the passenger seat of Jefferson’s SUV, praying he wouldn’t decide to turn around and head home. No matter what, if they made it to the cabin, she was going to find some way to get him in bed before the weekend was over.
Five hours after they’d left Philly, he stopped the SUV in front of the cabin. They sat staring through the windshield. Several inches of snow covered the roof and the ground around the modest small cabin. The snow still fell heavily. She squinted. Or was it now sleet?
He swore softly and reached into the glove compartment for a flashlight. “I’d better go see how things stand. Wait here,” he told her and climbed out of the vehicle, leaving the engine running.
She cast a smile upward, leaned back against her seat, and offered a silent prayer of thanksgiving. The weather had done its part, now all she had to do was hers. She closed her eyes, considering strategies for seducing him.
“Damn!”
The harsh sound and a cold blast of air snapped Sharde out of her lovely thoughts of nights of lust and unbridled passion spent under Jefferson’s big, sweaty, thrusting body.
Cheeks hot, she opened her eyes. Jefferson slid into the driver’s seat.
“So?”
“The power is out and it’s cold as hell out there and inside. We’ll be snowed in if this damn snow doesn’t stop soon.”
A feeling of delight
danced through her. It was difficult not to laugh out loud or at least grin! She cast a quick glance upwards. Someone up there must think it was time to give her a chance at happiness. Or at least a taste of bliss, Calder style.
“There’s a fireplace in the cabin,” she reminded him. She went hot and then cold at the thought of lying naked and aroused in front of a roaring fire with Jefferson lying on top of her, between her legs, loving away all her emotional aches and pains.
He squinted through the windshield. “Maybe we should go back while we can.”
She fought back panic. “It took five hours to get here. God only knows how long it will take to get back. Why don’t we just go inside, start a fire, and get something to eat? I’m tired and hungry.” And desperate to be alone and snowbound with you.
He sighed. “Okay.”
She released her seatbelt and moved to open her door.
His arm brushed against her breasts as he reached across her to place a hand on hers over the door handle. “It’s cold as hell and slippery out there. Stay here while I start a fire and get our stuff inside.”
Very aware of his arm brushing against her body, she turned her head. His gray eyes were inches away. “It will go faster if I help carry our bags inside.”
“Stay inside,” he said again, withdrew his arm, and got out.
Enjoying the warmth of the SUV, she watched him make several trips to the cabin. She had seen how chivalrous he could be when he was in love, but he’d always tended to treat her like an old family friend instead of a woman he wanted or needed to play Sir Galahad with. So he could be a gentleman when it came to her. A smile touched her lips.
Fifteen minutes later, he emerged from the cabin and opened her door. She turned off the engine, removed the keys, and was surprised when he placed his hands on her waist and lifted her down.
She smiled at him. “Thanks.”
“Be careful,” he said and turned away.
She took a step, her right foot landed on a slick patch of snow and slid out from under her. “Jefferson!”
He whirled around, slightly off balance, his arm shooting around her waist. “It’s all right. I’ve got you,” he said against her forehead.
Heart hammering, she sighed and leaned against him, laughing weakly. “That was close.”
“Too close. I told you it was slippery as hell out here.” He took a step back to balance himself. His foot hit a slick patch. He made a small sound of surprise, his arm tightened around her waist, and he lost his balance.
She tried to steady him, but he was too big and heavy. He fell, taking her with him. He slammed onto the snow with her on top of him. “Damn! What more could possibly go wrong?” he demanded furiously.
From where Sharde lay, sprawled between his legs, things were perfect. She lifted her head and looked down into his eyes, laughing.
He frowned. “Exactly what amuses you about our present situation?”
Her smile widened. “You’re awfully cute sprawled in the snow like a six-foot plus snowman.”
His eyes danced with amusement and he laughed. “You’re nuts, Sharde.”
“Yes,” she admitted, softening her voice. “About you.”
In Blood and Worth Loving Excerpt
© 2009 Marilyn Lee
All rights reserved
The door of the master bedroom to the Mountain Retreat opened.
Brandi Knight, standing in front of the full-length mirrors mounted on the closet doors, had a clear view of the door.
A tall, handsome man with the high cheekbones of a Native American male filled the doorway. He had short dark hair silvering at the temples. His face was unlined. He appeared to be what she considered the perfect age for a lover—just over forty. He had wide shoulders, a narrow waist, and long legs. His dark pullover, opened at the neck, revealed an enticing glimpse of his massive chest. He projected an air of mystery and danger. Brandi could easily imagine him bare-chested with the sun glinting off his blue-black hair, astride a horse galloping across the Plaines eager to return home to ravish his woman.
His woman. She savored the thought of being his woman. Was this just another fantasy? Her constant struggle to be a good girl had ended a year earlier with the death of the aging grandparents who raised her. After her parents’ death, they had sought to impress upon her the need to carefully choose her boyfriends. Eager to please them, she had only dated men of whom they approved. With the sharp edge of grief dulled, her years of pretending she didn’t prefer bad boys to good ones were over.
She was finally about to reap the reward for the years of dating safe and dull men who left her emotionally untouched and sexually dissatisfied. This weekend she would get to be the lucky woman the handsome bad boy, Adrian, teased and pleased.
She flashed him a quick, tentative smile.
“And just who the hell are you?”
The obvious displeasure in the deep, sexy baritone with the hint of a southern drawl diminished some of her excitement. She moistened her lips. “My name is Brandi.”
His eyes narrowed and his nostrils flared. “Brandi?”
She nodded. “Yes. Brandi with an I.”
“You’re Brandi Knight?”
“Yes.”
“You’re Rayna’s co-worker?”
“Yes.” Having seen his picture on Rayna’s desk at the library branch where they both worked, she knew who he was. As Rayna had promised, he did not disappoint. “And you’re Adrian.”
“Yes. I’m Adrian.”
She gave him another tentative smile in the mirror. “We have all weekend to get to know each other.”
“All weekend?”
Why was he repeating everything she said? “Yes.”
“Oh, hell, no!” He slammed the door shut.
A sudden air of menace permeated the room. In the act of turning to face him, she froze. Ok, Brandi, maybe agreeing to this weekend was not one of your brighter ideas.
He took a slow deep breath. It didn’t seem to help. In the mirror, she saw him clench and unclench his right hand. He leaned back against the door, staring into the mirror at her.
If her research was accurate, the fact that he cast a reflection indicated he wasn’t evil. But he sure as hell was mad. Brandi could almost feel his fury as he allowed his steel-blue eyes to rake along her back. She suspected he didn’t like the view. What now? What did a good girl who wanted to be bad do when her chosen bad boy didn’t want to be bad with her?
“Tell me this is a belated April Fool’s joke that you and Rayna are having at my expense.”
Oh, Rayna. What did you tell him about me? He didn’t look like a male with a preference for full-figured black women. “April Fool’s was last month,” she reminded him.
“I said belated. So you’re telling me this isn’t a joke?”
Brandi hesitated. Each of her answers seemed to increase his anger. “No. It’s not a joke.”
“It had better be.”
Oh, great. He was definitely not amused or interested. “I—”
“If you think for one minute that I’m going to spend the weekend here with you, you...” He pushed himself away from the door.
She froze and sucked in a breath. Whatever misstatements Rayna might have made to him, she hadn’t misled Brandi. The male stalking across the room towards her with bared incisors was clearly the real thing. After years of fantasizing about spending her birthday with a man capable of validating her belief in the supernatural, she’d made a fatal error in her attempt to be bad. She was alone in a remote cabin with a vampire she hoped wasn’t angry enough to kill her.
* * *
Adrian Redwolfe felt as if the top of his head was on fire. Rayna had gone too damn far this time. After months of indecision, in a weak moment, he’d finally admitted he was ready for a monogamous relationship. Insisting she had the perfect mate for him, Rayna had lured him to the Redwolfe family Pocono Mountain retreat with the promise of a weekend with a pretty, slender green-eyed supermodel with long, blond t
resses.
He had half-expected to arrive and find his longtime friend and lover, Marcella awaiting him. Instead, he found himself alone with a full-figured, human plain Jane. Her dark hair was shorter than his was. The cream bra and thong she wore looked as if she’d stuffed herself into them.
Although he couldn’t hurt the female he and his brothers had reared as their niece, her duplicitous friend was another matter. She would suffer the consequences for having deceived him.
He stopped several feet from the woman, allowing his gaze to slide down her body. Her ass was so large the back of the thong was nearly lost in her crack. Each cheek was round and brown. In the act of curling his lip, he paused. Actually, her skin tone reminded him more of rich, dark, melt-in-your-mouth-decadent chocolate. The kind Marcella said made her wet and ready for a night of mindless fucking.
The dark three-inch heels the woman wore drew attention to her plus sized thighs and her long legs. He looked at her ass again and found it difficult to look away. Damn. It was large, but very nice. While he stood staring at it, she turned to face him.
He raised his gaze to her face. Although she was plain as hell, she had dark, sexy eyes, beautiful, clear skin and full, soft looking lips. He glanced at her breasts. His cock stirred. Damn if she didn’t possess the largest natural breasts he’d ever seen. Each round mound spilled out from the cutout bra to reveal dark aureoles that must have been an inch wide. Talk about all day suckers. Maybe she wasn’t so plain after all.
He looked down her body. Surprisingly, the noticeable swell of her belly generated heat in his balls instead of repulsing him. A strategic opening in the thong highlighted a pretty, unshaved pussy. The dark outer lips glistened with moisture and seemed to beckon his cock.
He inhaled, filling his nostrils with her musky aroma. A pussy this fragrant sole purpose was to provide some lucky male with a weekend of endless pleasure. His cock roared to life, making a tent in his pants.
Get a grip, Redwolfe. She’s the last woman you can bed. She conspired with Rayna to trick you. His attempts to maintain his anger at having been misled and deceived did little to put out the flame of need tightening his nuts.