Her breath caught, the blood rushing in her ears. He loved her? Her heart swelled with emotion and tears stung her eyes, but she blinked them away.
“It was hard enough to accept that you’d called Ken after that night we spent together at my house.” He shook his head, the anguish in his gaze evident. “But I don’t care anymore. About any of it. I’m here to beg you to give us a chance. Maybe you don’t love me now, but give it time—”
“Wait. Wait, wait, wait. You love me? Oh, hold on, don’t answer that yet.” She held up her hand. Her mind swirling with everything he was saying, but focusing on one point in particular. “I called Ken from inside the state park. Before we ever went back to your place. That was when I was still really mad at you.”
His brows drew together. “I don’t understand. How could you have? You didn’t have your phone. And, yes, I love you.”
“God, I told you not to answer that part yet.” She shook her head trying to clear it from the muddle of thoughts. He loved her. “I used your phone, but I never asked Ken to call the police. That was his doing.” She met his gaze again. “Did you honestly think I would have turned you in after that night we spent together in your house?”
Uncertainty flickered in his eyes. “I didn’t want to think it. But, yes, I did.” He pulled her against him and cupped her face.
He loved her.
“Were you ever trying to get Ken back?”
“No. Never. I just wanted to keep him from marrying Ashley. We went to high school together. She used to tell me how easy it would be to fake a pregnancy and trap a guy into marriage. I was worried that’s what had happened to Ken.”
“Oh, kitten. God, I’m sorry.” He kissed her forehead. “Am I completely out of line to think we might have a chance?”
“No.”
He pulled back.
“I mean, no you’re not out of line. We do have a chance.” She licked her lips again. “But I don’t get it. You can’t possibly love me, Clint. I’m grouchy at times. I swear too much—”
“Are you trying to talk me out of it?”
“I’m just saying…”
“Stop. It’s not going to work.” His lips brushed hers. “I love you.”
She sighed, relief washing through her as her body weakened against his. She nuzzled his chest and whispered, “I love you too.”
“Oh God.” He drew in a ragged breath and pulled her into his arms. “Have you ever considered moving to Montana? Getting away from the city? I’m sure they’re hiring teachers, or maybe you could open a nail salon. Hell, I don’t care what you do, kitten, so long as you’re there.”
“I’ve thought about it at least once a day since you dragged me out there,” she admitted. “I love Seattle, but I know I’ll grow to love Montana just as much. I already started to fall in love with the place when you took me camping. It’s beautiful.”
“And what about marriage?”
“Marriage?” Her heart clenched and her knees went weak. “Are you…are you asking?”
“Most definitely.” He kissed her again. Harder this time. “Are you accepting?”
Oh, God, oh, God. “Most definitely.”
Clint swept her up into his arms. “Where’s your bedroom.”
“Back of the apartment on the right.” She snuggled against him, burying her head against his chest.
Her heart swelled with happiness, the knowledge that he loved her clicking on the light inside her again. Offering such relief and peace. Her throat tightened with the love she felt for him. For Clint. Who would have ever known that this was their destiny?
He entered her room and carried her toward her bed, stumbling over something in the process.
His gaze dropped to the book on the ground and he grinned. “And you accused me of reading the secret baby books?”
“It was a gift,” she muttered, heat stealing into her cheeks.
“I’m sure.”
He set her on the top of her pink comforter and then lay down next to her. “How are you really feeling about this baby thing?”
She hesitated, her hand drifting over her belly. “I’m shocked. Terrified,” she admitted. There was a baby in there. Clint’s baby. “But…I kind of like the idea of a baby. I can handle it.”
“We can.”
We. She loved the sound of that.
He kissed her neck, making all her thoughts and worries scatter and a warm, comforting desire take its place.
“But, Allie?”
“Yes.” She eased her fingers into his hair, tugging his head down to hers.
God, she loved this man. So much it hurt to think how close they’d come to not being together. Thank God for Leah.
“We do need to work on that swearing thing,” he chided. “Unless you want our kid’s first word to be asshole.”
She grinned, before laughing huskily. “Could be worse. Could be fuck.”
“Allison.”
“I’ll work on it,” she promised and pulled his mouth down to hers.
About the Author
Shelli is a New York Times Bestselling Author who read her first romance novel when she snatched it off her mother’s bookshelf at the age of eleven. One taste and she was forever hooked. It wasn’t until many years later that she decided to pursue writing stories of her own. By then she acknowledged the voices in her head didn’t make her crazy, they made her a writer.
Shelli currently lives in the Pacific Northwest with her daughter. She writes various genres of romance, is a compulsive volunteer, and has been known to spontaneously burst into song.
You can visit Shelli at www.shellistevens.com.
Look for these titles by Shelli Stevens
Now Available:
Trust and Dare
Theirs to Capture
Four Play
Seattle Steam
Dangerous Grounds
Tempting Adam
Chances Are
Anybody but Justin
Luck be Delanie
Protecting Phoebe
Holding out for a Hero
Going Down
Command and Control
Flash Point
Coming Soon:
Foreign Affair
Savage Hunger
One man wants her heart. The other wants her dead…
Going Down
© 2010 Shelli Stevens
Holding Out for a Hero, Book 1
Eleanor Owen needs to get out of Chicago and quick. It’s not that she doesn’t want to obey the subpoena to testify against her drug-trafficking ex-boyfriend. It’s making it to the witness stand alive, should a dirty cop make good on his threats.
Tiny, remote Wyattville, Oregon, looks like the perfect place to disappear, but it’s hard to blend into the woodwork when one of the town’s infamous namesakes sends her heart racing. Worse, Mr. Tall, Hot and Packing is the town sheriff, which means she should stay as far away from him as possible.
Tyson Wyatt is positive the sexy new girl in town is hiding something. Question is, what? He vows to feel out her secrets—including what she feels like beneath him. Preferably naked. Until then, he’s not buying the story she’s selling.
Their chemistry is sheet-melting hot, and Ellie realizes much too late that the man with the badge is as dangerous to her heart as her ex is to her life…
Warning: A city girl on the run, and a small-town sheriff set to seduce. Explicit sex. Dirty talk. A hint of danger. Oral sex with a cupcake.
Enjoy the following excerpt for Going Down:
“Okay, you need to stop cornering me like this,” she said breathlessly.
He slid his gaze over her, took in the hardened points of her breasts beneath the tank top, and her uneven breathing.
“I think you like it when I do, Ellie.”
Instead of replying, her tongue darted out to trace over the mouth that was tempting the hell out of him.
His blood pounded harder and he knew he wouldn’t be able to stop himself.
“You do
like it. Don’t you?” his voice dropped an octave as he curled his fingers around the swell of her hips.
“Tyson.” His name on her lips was a breathy combination of plea and protest.
But when he lowered his head, there was no protest in her wide eyes. And before his lips could touch hers, her lashes fluttered down in submission as she leaned into him.
A wave of need washed through him, primal and potent. With a low groan, he closed that last distance, taking her mouth.
Her lips, pillowy soft and pliant, moved against his. The warmth of her breath teased him, ripped at his self-control.
He nipped her bottom lip with his teeth, using her gasp of surprise to thrust his tongue inside the hot cavern of her mouth.
He moved his hands around her hips and grabbed the firm roundness of her ass, squeezing, and then lifting her onto the counter.
Jesus. He was going to lose it. So much for being professional. But screw it, just like he’d told her earlier, he was off duty. And right now, his only duty was to see how far she’d let him take this.
And if he played his cards right, maybe all the way to the bedroom.
You need to stop him.
Ellie ruthlessly silenced the voice of reason in her head and moaned as Tyson pushed her legs wide to step between them. The only thing that mattered now was pleasure, and following the thread of temptation that Tyson had so carefully laid out for her.
The edge of the counter bit into her bottom, the angle and pressure adding to the intensity and spontaneity of the moment.
His tongue danced with hers, rubbing and sucking. Their mouths separated for just a second, giving them both enough time to gasp in air, before once again he claimed her lips.
His hands, confident and knowing, moved to her waist, gathering the tank top she wore and pushing it upward.
Cool air brushed her belly and her pulse quickened. If you’re going to stop him, now would be the time.
Then it was too late, and she really didn’t give a damn as the fabric lifted over her breasts and her nipples tightened.
His head lifted from hers again, and she refused to open her eyes, because she knew he was looking at her body.
“Oh, yeah, sweetheart,” he muttered thickly. “You like it.”
Wet friction rasped over her bare nipple and she groaned, pleasure rocking through her as she finally let her lashes flutter up.
The vision of Tyson’s head bent over her breast sent heat exploding in her belly and a rush of moisture between her legs.
His tongue moved against the tip, teasing and exploring her, making her nipple lengthen and tighten for his touch.
With a soft laugh, he parted his lips and drew her into his mouth, suckling lightly.
So good. It felt so damn good. How could she possibly stop him when this moment was so exquisite? She was only going to be in Wyattville for a couple months…why not indulge in a little harmless sex?
Ellie squirmed on the counter, her breath quickening as she tunneled her fingers into his short, blond hair, holding him against her. Wanting him to suck harder, to use his teeth.
His free hand came up to cover the other breast, squeezing and massaging the flesh. Then he caught the nipple between two fingers and pinched lightly.
She jerked against him, crying out. More, she wanted so much more. Wanted his fingers buried deep inside her, and then his tongue, before finally, his cock.
The image of it skittered through her head, robbing her ability to breathe, making her wetter.
Tyson switched his mouth to the other nipple, sucking fiercely as he eased his hand down her belly. His teeth grazed over the tip over her breast, before he lifted his head.
“I want to touch you here,” he muttered thickly, just before he cupped between her thighs. “Feel how hot your pussy is right now.”
“Tyson,” she moaned, her sex clenching at his erotic words. Jesus, it was like he’d known her thoughts.
“I bet you’re nice and slick, sweetheart.” He licked her nipple, moving his hand back up to her stomach. “Aren’t you?”
Yes. Her heart pounded and her body wept for release. This man, almost a stranger, had aroused her more than any man she’d ever dated before. And more than anything, she wanted him to follow up and touch her like he’d just said.
She issued a husky, “Why don’t you check for yourself?”
He lifted his head, possessiveness and desire flaring in his eyes. “No games. I like that.”
Without breaking eye contact, he maneuvered his hand beneath the waist of her pants and thong. The brush of his strong fingers at the top of her mound had her biting her lip to hold back a groan.
“No games,” she repeated and caught his wrist, pushing his hand lower. “No teasing either.”
“Ah, but teasing is so much fun, Ellie,” he muttered, before his palm cupped her sex completely. A second later, he curled one finger deep inside her sheath and Ellie’s world went spinning.
A little lying and misdirection in the name of love is never wrong. Right?
Deliberate Deceptions
© 2011 Leah Braemel
Hauberk Protection, Book 3
Chad Miller once had the perfect life—a beautiful baby daughter, a loving wife, a promising career with the FBI. Within a year, he’d lost everything. Making Hauberk Protection a success salvaged his career, but he’s never managed to get over the one fateful decision that spelled the end of his marriage. And the death of his child.
For eight years, grief and guilt have haunted Lauren Miller’s climb up the ranks of the Light Brigade, a secret international hostage rescue team. Now she’s the target of a vengeful ex-Brigade operative who’ll stop at nothing to take her down. Even if it means taking out everyone she cares about. Including Chad. Getting him to accept her as his bodyguard? It’ll take some fast talking—and faster hands.
Trapped in a remote safe house with Lauren is the last place Chad ever wanted to be. He may finally have the chance to get some answers about why she ran, but with his hard-won defenses crumbling, he’s having trouble remembering the questions. In the heat of their rekindled passion, Lauren struggles to keep her professional focus…and keep the secrets that could break his heart all over again.
Warning: Angst dead-ahead! Lost love. Angst. Reunited lovers. Angst. Sex. More angst. And did I mention the angst? A box of tissues is definitely needed. But don’t worry, there’s still a Happy-Ever-After.
Enjoy the following excerpt for Deliberate Deceptions:
He was so cold, so controlled. The struggle to keep her disappointment from showing challenged Lauren. Did he not feel anything for her anymore? Did he have none of the desire, none of the need that had tied them together? The desire that had flared inside her, setting her body aglow as soon as she’d seen him? The need for him hadn’t lessened over the years. If anything, he was more attractive than he’d been before. She’d always found a man with just a hint of silver at his temples sexy.
How could she get him to stay? To listen to her with an open mind?
She took a step closer. Please don’t let him leave. Don’t let him close the door between our rooms and shut me out completely.
She toyed with the buttons of her blouse. She’d left the top two undone out of habit, but now she toyed with the next one, undoing it, then the next. The fabric parted just enough to show the lace of her chemise. He’d always preferred the fantasy of wondering what was beneath, letting his imagination take over. “Thank you for volunteering to guard me. I was surprised when they said you’d be the lead op.”
She had been surprised, she realized. She’d been half expecting them to call the whole thing off. Fear that she’d screw things up even more and lose any chance for a reconciliation set in, leaving her frozen deep into her bones.
“I should go.” His voice was rough but at least he hadn’t moved.
“Please don’t.” She touched his forearm, letting her fingers rest on him. Heat rose through his cotton shirt, warming her. He was l
eaner than he’d been. Different. Yet the same. “I don’t think I could get to sleep, not after that helicopter ride.”
His gaze dropped to her fingers, a frown creasing his forehead. “I’d forgotten you don’t like riding in helicopters. Was the flight bad?”
“It could have been better.” You could have been with me. “There was a bit of turbulence coming over the hills.” Or were they mountains? She still hadn’t decided. “I haven’t had much to eat. Maybe we could find the kitchen, rustle up a sandwich. Talk.” About so many things she didn’t know where to start. An explanation for why she’d left? For not contacting him? Or even where she’d been and what she’d been doing? Except neither of those were possible thanks to the Brigade’s rigid secrecy agreement.
“I’ll call the kitchen and ask if they can bring something up for you. As for talking…” He scrubbed his face with his hands, breaking her contact with him. “We can talk tomorrow when we’re both fresh.” He made touching him impossible by walking to the door and standing inside his room. “When we’ve both had a chance to sleep on things.”
“Stay. I don’t want to be alone tonight.” Like she’d been for so long.
If she’d had any question he could still love her, the look he gave her removed any doubt. There was no trace of the predator on the hunt he’d had when they were first dating or even five minutes ago, the dominant man determined to win her. This look spoke of the depth of his love and longing. His voice, though controlled, revealed his pain and need even though it was barely above a whisper, husky as if he’d been screaming all night. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“I do.” She walked toward him, trying to be quiet, desperate not to give in to the urge to fall at his feet and prove herself to him. If she did, he might react like a wounded animal. One that could turn on her and rip her limb from limb.
No doubts tonight, she told herself, afraid to speak out loud, afraid of breaking whatever force was holding them together. She undid the remaining buttons, tugged her blouse from her slacks and let it drop from her shoulders onto the floor.
Seducing Allie: Seattle Steam, Book 3 Page 21