Virtual Love (Sexy Alpha Male Romance)

by Amber Carew

  She didn't know. Drat. Many of her friends loved mysteries, but not her. Why hadn't one of them gotten this one? As soon as the thought crossed her mind, Lucinda felt a fierce protectiveness jolt through her. No way. This guy was hers. Lucinda had longed to be a mentor for centuries.

  A good thing, a little voice whispered inside her head. Because a seventh sense told her he was ready. She could feel the magical potential shimmering from him. Damn. She felt like a pregnant woman who'd just given birth, been handed a full-grown child, and told, "Here you go. You're a mother now." In fact, it occurred to her that in that particular analogy, not only had she not realized she was pregnant, but she'd thought she could never even conceive!

  This isn't fair! I need more time. I'm not ready for this!

  She could almost see Merlin's sardonic green gaze. Yeah, like life is always fair.

  Lucinda shook her head. Okay, she'd manage. Somehow. In fact, the thought that she could start the teaching process right away held some appeal. She'd never been a patient person. Waiting twelve or thirteen years would have driven her nuts. And a teenager would be much easier to take care of than a baby. In fact, didn't they usually want to do everything on their own?

  Sure. This would be just fine. Ever since she'd decided she might have to care for a tiny baby, a heavy sense of responsibility had dropped on her shoulders. Now it lifted. She straightened up and pushed herself away from the cold wall.

  Time to find this guy.

  Creeping further into the alley, she scanned the edges of the clutter lining the path. Garbage cans. Cardboard boxes. Wooden crates.

  The glint of tanned skin caught her gaze and she focused on a figure slumped on the ground behind a box. She hurried toward him and stopped about a metre away. What should she do now? This was definitely the person she'd been seeking. She sensed confused thoughts skimming the surface of his mind. Not quite conscious. She stepped forward and touched his shoulder.

  A fierce growl startled her and she leaped backward. He bolted to his feet as he swung around to face her. Her gaze followed his piercing eyes as he reached full height. In her peripheral vision, she saw his hand shoot to his hip. He tried to grasp something. A sword? That's what his surface thoughts revealed. How odd. A slightly puzzled expression flickered across his face, then disappeared. Hidden behind a shield of keen intelligence.

  Her breathing slowed as they stared at one another. She could almost believe he was an ancient warrior displaced in time. He emanated a strong aura of power. His hair, dark and untamed, swept back from his face and tumbled over strong, broad—and very naked—shoulders.

  Naked?

  She allowed her gaze to continue down his firmly muscled chest past his waist. She quickly became cognizant of two startling facts. One, he was a fully mature adult male. Two, he was completely naked.

  Good heavens, how did she get into these predicaments?

  As her skin pebbled, she realized his gaze had started to wander, too. The edges of his mouth quirked up in a smile and a glimmer softened his granite eyes. Lucinda suddenly remembered her attire—or lack thereof. A scrap of satin and lace.

  He took a step forward, and she jerked backwards, losing any facade of coolness she'd managed to present up to now. He stopped and studied her thoughtfully.

  Her gaze kept drifting down his chest, along the lightly furred arrow that conveniently pointed to the more interesting feature of the male anatomy. Especially in this man's case.

  Yipes, don't look there, she told herself. Yeah, right. That's like telling yourself not to look at the Eiffel Tower when it's standing right in front of you. And, right at this moment, the object of her discomfort stood as tall as that landmark.

  Forcing her gaze to meet his, she felt herself drawn into some strange, dark depths. Something about him frightened her—but intrigued her even more. She stepped back, but he reached out and clasped her hand. His body pulsed with suppressed energy, yet his touch felt gentle, coaxing.

  What's going on? I'm a full-fledged, tenth level wizard. I should be in control here.

  She tugged her hand free, folded her arms over her chest, and scowled at him. What was it about this guy that threw her off so badly?

  "Who are you?" she demanded.

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  Forbidden Mate

  Opal Carew

  Ever had one of those days?

  Aria's career fills the void that foster care left behind, and keeps her grounded in reality. But recently, steamy, erotic dreams make her think she's working too hard.

  A free trip to a luxury resort is just the ticket. Until she's ushered to a "VIP party" and abducted by an alien who insists she's his king's soul-mate. Love at first sight, let alone sight unseen, is a myth. Her increasing attraction to the ship's captain, though, is weak-in-the-knees real.

  Captain Tai Gaman's mission was simple. Kidnap Aria and deliver her to wed his twin brother, King Zander. It must be the sibling psychic link that's fueling his own blinding desire for the Earth woman. As the ship approaches his planet and her sexual hunger reaches unbearable heights, it must be simple compassion that won't allow him to let her suffer. One night leaves him stunned, facing an emotional choice. Claim her as his own, or fulfill his duty to the king.

  After a lifetime believing love doesn't exist, Aria finds her hands full with the love of two men. And considering the possibility there's room in her heart for both…

  This book has been previously published.

  Warning: This book is full of red-hot sex and smoking-hot alien studs (and one studette), along with their human abductees who don't mind getting it on with one or more partners. With or without an audience. Watching the heroine find love and the hero lose his heart may cause a strong desire to be beamed up.

  Excerpt

  “You.” The uniformed woman pointed at Aria. “Come with me.”

  “We stay together,” Eva insisted as she stepped toward Aria protectively.

  “No, actually you don’t,” the woman responded.

  As the stranger grabbed Aria’s arm and dragged her to her feet, Terrien stepped in front of Eva, preventing her from rushing to Aria’s side. The uniformed woman led Aria to a door, which slid open as they approached. Aria glanced back to see her bewildered companions led out another door by Terrien and a couple of other uniformed men. Eva mouthed some words to Aria that she didn’t understand, then the door closed behind her.

  “Where are you taking me?” Aria couldn’t hide the quaver in her voice.

  “To meet the captain.” The woman’s heels clicked sharply on the floor as they marched along. “You should be honored.”

  Maybe she should be, but she wasn’t. In truth, she was frightened and confused.

  Despite that, thoughts of her steamy, nighttime adventures stirred within her and a sexual buzz quivered through her entire body. A part of her hoped this captain was a tall, dark, sinister hunk who wanted to have his way with her. She trembled in anticipation.

  Good God, where is my brain? This is real, not some sexual fantasy. Yet she felt heat flush through her, hotter and hotter, as they progressed.

  They stopped in front of a door and her captor pushed a button beside it. A bleep sounded.

  “Send her in, Casey,” a deep voice said.

  The door slid open.

  “You heard the captain. Go on in.”

  Fear cooled her blood a little as Aria stepped through the doorway, peering ahead of her to see a sitting room but no captain. The door swooshed closed behind her. She stepped farther into the softly lit room, which looked like private quarters. A big, comfy-looking armchair and couch occupied most of the room. Not exactly how she’d pictured a spaceship.

  “Welcome.” A rich baritone voice came from her left.

  A tremor rippled along her spine. She spun around.

  At six foot four and all muscle, he was the most gorgeous man she’d ever seen. His dark, slightly wavy hair brushed his shoulders and his silver-gray eyes gli
ttered like moonlight rippling on water. Her heartbeat accelerated at the sight of him. He would definitely be the star of any sexual fantasy. Her insides seemed to melt into a pool and her vagina tightened.

  Good heavens, she had to get a grip on herself. This man had kidnapped her!

  “Who are you?” she asked.

  “I’m Captain Tai Gaman. And you are Aria Jenkins.” He pointed to a chair. “Sit.”

  She perched on the edge of the chair, keeping a wary gaze on him. He strolled to the couch and settled onto it, his masculine aura filling the room.

  “I’m sure you’d like to know why we’ve brought you here.”

  “Yes, please.” With her hands folded in her lap, and her tight, prim words, she must look like a schoolgirl summoned to the principal’s office. She noticed her hands trembling, so she clasped them tighter.

  “Relax. I’m not going to bite.” Warmth emanated from his smile.

  Relax? Was he kidding?

  She stared at him with wide eyes, waiting. He leaned forward slightly.

  “There is a power in the universe that takes a hand in our lives—we call it nata’tai. It provides the means to keep us healthy, as individuals and as races. To stay healthy, a race must grow. It must embrace other cultures. It must open its gene pool to other races, otherwise it will stagnate. Physically, emotionally and culturally.”

  A shiver raced down Aria’s spine. Had she and the others been brought here as breeding stock? Were they to provide genetic material to keep his race healthy? Nausea tightened her stomach into a quivering ball as she imagined herself chained to a bed, a trail of men lined up to impregnate the alien female.

  She imagined him first in line, his mouth capturing hers in a passionate onslaught, his naked body compressing her breasts tightly against his chest. She felt her cheeks flush and she tried to drive the thoughts from her mind as she concentrated on his words.

  “As a race matures, nata’tai gives its people the ability to sense their tanash’ae—what you would call their soul-mate—even over great distances. To ensure a mingling of races, nata’tai directs the spirits of tanash’ae—soul-mates—to be born in different races on different planets.”

  “Are you trying to tell me that you’ve brought me here because you think I’m one of these tannashays?” She sucked in a breath. “Do you think that you and I…” Her finger flicked between them. “That we are…soul-mates?”

  He raised an eyebrow. “Would that be a problem for you?”

  No, a voice inside insisted, but she ignored it and sucked in a breath.

  “Yes! Of course it would. I don’t even know you. I don’t intend to marry a man I don’t even know.”

  He flashed a devil-may-care grin. “Who said anything about marriage?”

  “Oh, I see.” A blush crept up her cheeks. “When you said soul-mate I assumed you meant, you know, love and marriage.”

  This was all too much for her. The reality of the situation was finally sinking in. She didn’t even want to think about what he actually meant. That image of the chain and the bed swept through her brain again and not as an attractive fantasy this time. Her head sagged forward as tears pooled in her eyes.

  “Aria, I’m sorry. I was teasing you. I’m not your tanash’ae.”

  “Then why—?”

  “Your tanash’ae is our king.”

  Her head jerked up.

  “I’m supposed to marry a king?”

  “Does the thought appeal to you?”

  “If I believed you, which I don’t, I would be honored, of course. It’s like a fairy tale, in a nightmarish sort of way, but I’m not going to marry some stranger on another planet, king or not. I don’t want to leave my family and friends behind.”

  He leaned toward her, his silver gaze piercing her delicately maintained composure.

  “Aria, you don’t have a family. You were separated from your mother at a very young age and she refuses contact with you.”

  She felt as though he’d stabbed her heart. The pain of long, lonely years in an orphanage, then a group home and foster care, slammed through her.

  Of course, anyone would understand why her newly widowed mother might decide to give up her young baby when she barely had the resources to care for her other four children. It had been the responsible thing to do, given the situation. Supposedly, she’d wanted Aria to have a better life than she could provide—but wasn’t being surrounded by brothers and sisters and a parent who loved her a much better choice than leaving her all alone in the world, rejected by the one person who should love her no matter what?

  Logic dictated that her mother could not have truly loved her.

  Aria stiffened her back against the debilitating pain, refusing to meet the man’s gaze.

  “I don’t want to leave my world behind.”

  He leaned toward her, his hands folded between his knees. “If he weren’t a king, you could have negotiated where you’d live. Our home world or yours. But in this case, nata’tai has given you no choice.”

  No choice. Déjà vu or what? She knotted her fingers together and sighed heavily. “Will I be expected to have sex with this guy?”

  He smiled, kindness lighting his eyes. “That’s usually what two bonded people do.”

  She glared at him. “Why do you think I’d have sex with a strange man after being abducted?”

  He smiled broadly. “You mean, you’d have sex with a strange man if we hadn’t abducted you?”

  She stared at him blankly. She couldn’t believe it. This alien captain was teasing her.

  Alien.

  Oh, God. Although he looked quite human, he was an alien. A man from another planet.

  She felt trapped. Fear and pain built inside her as she realized this was really happening. This man—this alien—had kidnapped her and intended to drag her untold light-years from Earth. She was being torn from her home, again, regardless of what she wanted.

  Click here for more about Forbidden Mate

  Owned by the Sheikh

  Opal Carew

  Three steamy captivity-themed romances each feature a bold, dominating sheikh and the strong-willed woman who is at his mercy. They endure many ordeals, but in the end, true love wins their hearts.

  Mastered by the Sheikh

  * * *

  Kidnapped by a ruthless sheikh intent on revenge,

  Lily’s only ally is a man from her past she cannot trust.

  Lily’s vacation to paradise turns into a nightmare when she’s kidnapped and taken to a sheikh’s vacation hideaway where she’s blindfolded, chained, and presented to the sheikh’s brother as a gift. She’s shocked to discover her new “owner” is a man from her past.

  When Yasin reluctantly accepts an invitation to join his estranged family to celebrate his 30th birthday, his powerful older brother presents him with a very special gift. The woman who rejected Yasin in college five years earlier. A woman Yasin has never stopped loving.

  Yasin is committed to protecting Lily from being ravaged by his ruthless family, but can he protect her from his own barbaric desires?

  Debt of Honor

  Held captive by a domineering sheikh…

  …and made to pay for a crime she did not commit

  Angelica couldn't believe that hopping off a plane during a refueling stop to search for one-of-a-kind souvenirs could lead to such a terrifying situation. She is being detained in an exotic country by a devastatingly handsome sheikh who insists she has committed a crime and intends to make her pay. And it is clear that part of her punishment will be to share his bed.

  Slaves of Love

  When Shena betrayed Keern, he swore revenge.

  Now she is his slave…

  Shena has known neither kindness nor love, until one fateful day when she meets Keern. In a few passionate hours together, he teaches her what it means to feel loved and protected. She would do anything to protect him from her evil father’s wrath, but in a moment of weakness, she reveals Keern’s identity and sets in m
otion a series of events that changes Keern forever.

  Keern believes Shena betrayed him. When her actions cause his brother death, he swears his revenge and tracks her all the way to the auction blocks. He purchases her as his slave, but will he find satisfaction for his rage or will the overwhelming sexual attraction they share make him her slave instead?

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  The Office Slave

  Opal Carew

  Her ultimate sexual fantasy brought to life…

  Sylvia loves to read erotica, and after her latest read, she's developed a sizzling fantasy about being forced to submit to the sexual whims of four incredibly hot business partners. Never in her wildest dreams did she think she'd have the opportunity to live out her fantasy... until her friend decides to make it happen. Now she's about to become an office slave… to four hunky men she's never even met. But faced with the reality, can she actually go through with it?

  Excerpt

  Sylvia walked to the entrance and opened the glass door, then crossed the lobby, her high heels clicking on the marble floor. She glanced at the directory near the elevators, then walked down the hall to the end and stopped at Suite 105. A sign said to ring the bell, which she did. Becca had told her that these four men ran a software business, programming games. This office was where they developed the games. Also, Becca had told her the guys were extremely good-looking. All but one of the men used to work with Cal as strippers before they graduated from college and started this business, so she didn't doubt it.