by Carew, Opal
To Mark,
Matt, and Jason,
with all
my love
Acknowledgments
As always, thanks to Rose and Emily, for your continued support and hard work. You both go above and beyond and I really appreciate it.
Thanks to Mark and Colette, for their insights, helpful comments, and encouragement.
I’d like to thank Tom, Vimala and Rita, and many other helpful folks at H. B. Fenn, for helping get the word out about my books. Thanks to Nathalie Atkinson at the National Post, for the great article about me. Loved it!
Contents
Cover
Title Page
Dedication
Acknowledgments
One
Two
Three
Four
Five
Six
Seven
Eight
Nine
Ten
Eleven
Twelve
Thirteen
Fourteen
Fifteen
Sixteen
Seventeen
Eighteen
Nineteen
Twenty
Twenty-one
Twenty-two
Twenty-three
Twenty-four
Twenty-five
Twenty-six
Twenty-seven
Teaser
Also by Opal Carew
Acclaim for the Novels of Opal Carew
Copyright
One
Images of the sexy bad boy from the next cottage haunted Marie as she stepped outside onto the wooden deck and glanced across the tranquil lake. She took a deep breath of fresh country air as she walked down the stairs and headed toward the water. She wanted to sit on the beach and enjoy the sunrise in quiet solitude before other cottagers were up and about. Maybe take a refreshing dip in the calm water.
Of course, if she happened to run into the gorgeous guy from next door, that would be quite fine.
She liked his name. Zeke. It was different from the names of the other men she dated. Of course, Zeke was a completely different type of man. The men she dated were very nice. Dependable. Confident. Pleasant. Although she’d only spoken with Zeke briefly, and it had been friendly and pleasant, she could sense in him an aura of … danger. No, that wasn’t quite right. She felt safe around him. Protected almost. It was more as if he would like to … dominate her. That he would take control and totally master her. Which sent tingles through her.
It wasn’t anything he’d said. In fact, it was probably more a matter of how she reacted to his extremely masculine presence. And a result of their first encounter.
Marie’s friend Sylvia had invited her to the cottage for the Labor Day weekend. They’d arrived last night and had been enjoying a quiet evening under the stars roasting marshmallows and talking. As much as they could with a wild party going on at the next cottage, with its tough-looking crowd. Marie had never seen so many tattoos and body piercings in one group of people. As the evening progressed, the music had gotten louder and the partygoers more drunk. When tempers flared and a fight broke out, Zeke had shown up out of nowhere.
At first, Marie and Sylvia had thought Zeke was one of them, in his tight jeans and black T-shirt, a tattoo along his arm and the two spike piercings in his eyebrow, but he’d turned out to be more like a knight in shining armor. He’d settled them down, promising to bust their butts if they acted up again. He had an air of authority that they couldn’t ignore.
Nor could she. A knight in shining armor was nice, and she was glad he’d been on hand, but the bad-boy aura was a total turn-on. He’d stopped by their cottage afterward to see if they were okay, explaining he was in the cottage two doors down. He’d come to the lake to enjoy some solitude. They’d invited him in for a drink and chatted for a half hour, then he’d headed out.
She sighed as she walked past a clump of bushes toward the secluded patch of beach Sylvia had shown her yesterday. Birds chirped in the trees, the water swished against the shore, and the haunting cry of a loon sounded in the distance.
Her beach towel draped over her shoulder, she slipped between the bushes to the quiet inlet … then stopped cold. A man was wading into the water. He had a large tattoo of a fierce-looking dragon arched along his back, another tattoo coiling along his arm and over his shoulder, and a black tribal band around the other bicep.
And … he was completely butt naked!
And a fine butt it was. She couldn’t help watching the muscles ripple as he stepped forward. As if sensing her presence, he stopped and turned around. She felt her cheeks burning at having been caught ogling him, but he simply smiled, revealing beautiful white teeth. That square jaw and those rich olive green eyes … it was Zeke.
How could she not have recognized the golden serpentine body of a dragon tattooed along his upper arm and disappearing over his shoulder? Of course, she had been busy admiring those hard, tight buttocks.
The whole time they’d chatted at the cottage last night, Marie had wondered what the rest of that tattoo, which had disappeared under the sleeve of his T-shirt, looked like. In fact, she’d wondered what it would be like to see him naked, as well as what it would feel like to have his lips pressed hard to hers. Now, she knew. At least, the naked part.
As he watched her, his cock hardened and rose. Man, his butt was fine, but his cock was absolutely sensational! Enormous. She’d love to …
“Join me.” His words, almost matter-of-fact, held a spine-tingling tone of authority.
Mesmerized, she dropped her towel and walked toward him. Tremors rippled across her flesh as she got closer. He held out his hand and she took it, then he tugged her toward him and drew her into his arms. She sucked in a breath as her bikini-clad body came in contact with his hard masculine body. Naked flesh to naked flesh. He smiled a devilish grin, then captured her lips.
His mouth, firm and confident, moved on hers with quiet authority. When his tongue brushed her lips she opened and he invaded her firmly and thoroughly. Breathless, she stepped back and stared at him in awe. He scooped her up and carried her into the water, his lips merging with hers again.
It was sweet heaven. He was so … masculine. So … powerful. Yet she felt totally safe with him.
The water caressed first her bottom, then more of her … cool … but she barely noticed. As he continued deeper, the water surrounding them, he released her legs and she curled around until she faced him, then she wrapped her legs around him. His hard cock nestled between them, pressing against her. Oh God, she wanted this man. She didn’t care that they’d just met. That she never had sex with a man until at least five dates. She wanted him. Here and now. What was wrong with being a little wild and crazy every now and again? Why couldn’t she do something totally out of character?
She reached down to her bikini bottom and untied the strings holding it together at the sides, then tugged the scrap of fabric away. He grinned at the obvious invitation. His fingers slid down her belly and found her wet passage, then glided inside. Oh God, his touch felt so good.
She wrapped her hand around his thick hard cock and stroked, then pressed it to her slit, sending her hormones spinning. His cock glided over her slick flesh but did not slide into her. Thank heavens, since she’d seemed to have lost her mind and thrown caution to the wind. His hard cock rubbed against her, stroking her clit, driving her wild.
“You are gorgeous and incredible.” He nibbled her ear as his fingers found her clit and stroked. Wild pleasure throbbed through her.
His fingers slid inside her again, his thumb continuing to stroke her sensitive little button. His lips played against her neck as she gasped in pleasure over his shoulder. His thumb vibrated against her clit and a torrent of
blissful energy surged through her. She moaned, clinging to him as the orgasm washed over her.
He captured her lips and kissed her soundly.
“Sweet thing, you are something else.”
He carried her back to shore and lay her down on a towel stretched out on the sand. The seagulls cried and the songbirds chirped in the trees. He prowled over her and stripped off her bathing suit top. When he drew her hard, cold nipple into his mouth, she gasped. He sucked as his fingers toyed with her other nipple.
She ran her fingers through his black shoulder-length hair, enjoying the total decadence of the moment. The pleasure intensified, spiraling through her, sending her hormones churning.
“Oh God, take me,” she pleaded.
He grinned, then she felt his hard, hot cock stroke along her slit again.
“Have any condoms?” he asked.
She shook her head. “No, but I’m on the Pill.”
“I’ve been tested,” he said. “What about you?”
She nodded.
He grinned and surged forward, impaling her with his hot, hard shaft. His cockhead moved deeper inside her. On and on. Stretching her.
Once he was fully immersed, he lay for a moment, smiling at her.
“This is not the last time I want to do this, sweet thing. I promise you that.”
Then he drew back, his wide cockhead dragging along the walls of her vagina in an intensely pleasurable stroke, then he drove deep again. She moaned. Oh God, she’d never had a man so deep inside her. She stroked her hands across his broad muscular shoulders as he drew out again, her gaze locked on his intense olive green eyes, then she clung to him as he thrust inside. Then he drew back and thrust deep again.
She couldn’t believe this sexy, overwhelmingly masculine man was making love to her. Thrusting his big cock into her. She tightened around him, intensifying the pleasure of his thrusting. She moaned as waves of pleasure washed through her, then exploded in a vibrant, incredible orgasm.
He thrust hard again and groaned as he released inside her.
As she lay beneath him catching her breath, his big body covering hers, his big cock still fully embedded in her, she sighed. Following her instincts certainly had its rewards.
* * *
Today was the day.
Ty turned the key in the lock and opened the door. As soon as he stepped inside, he heard a thump in the kitchen followed by a series of smaller thumps as the little four-legged critter with pointed ears trotted toward him, its quizzical green gaze locked on Ty.
People always thought cats were such quiet creatures, but this little guy sounded like a small elephant, despite his sleek black form. Ty scooped up the animal and tucked its furry body against his chest while stroking under its chin and was rewarded with an agreeable rumbling. He’d never realized how much he liked hearing a cat purr. Or feeling one nudging its head against him, demanding attention.
“Hey, fur-ball. Do you miss Marie?”
The cat tipped its head in the way it did when it wanted Ty to scratch the side of its chin. Ty scratched the sweet spot as he walked into the kitchen.
“She’ll be back tonight.”
He placed the cat on the tile floor and retrieved the can opener from the drawer beside the sink, then opened the last can of food from the supply Marie had left on the granite counter. At the sound of the can opening, the cat rubbed against his legs, meowing loudly. Once Ty placed the bowl on the floor, the critter began eating noisily. He poured himself a glass of orange juice, then leaned against the counter and watched the cat devour its meal.
He’d never really liked cats before—too damned snooty—but then, he’d never really gotten to know a cat before.
And then there was its owner. Marie. From the first moment he’d met her six months ago, he’d known he was in love with her.
Problem was, she was already dating someone. Until a month ago.
When that idiot had walked out on her and broken her heart, Ty had been there. A shoulder to cry on. Every day for the past four weeks, he’d wanted to drag her into his arms and kiss her breathless, to show her exactly how he felt about her, but he hadn’t. She’d needed a friend and that’s what he’d been.
But now was the time to move forward. To tell her how he felt about her. Not completely, of course. She would probably run away screaming. With a woman like Marie, he needed to move slowly. He needed to be subtle. Tell her he was interested in her. Ask her out. Gently coax her into falling in love with him.
And keep the beast inside him in careful check.
Every time he closed his eyes, every time he thought about holding her in his arms, her warm curvy body nestled against his, his body reacted with a fierce passion. His groin flooded with heat and his cock grew as rigid as a nightstick. Next came images of her arms bound above her head, her ankles held wide apart, sending his senses whirling. He longed to tear off her clothes, then explore every silky inch of her well-proportioned body.
He trembled as the natural Dominant in him longed to command her to drop to her knees and free his cock, then draw it into her sweet mouth and suck it deep. To hear her call him Master. He almost groaned out loud at the thought.
But he wouldn’t do that to Marie.
Five years ago, it would have been a different story. Although he’d left behind the young ruffian from the streets, he’d allowed himself to keep that side of his nature in the bedroom. Dominating his women. Capturing them. Binding them. Mastering them. Whatever it was that appealed to each woman. All role-playing, of course. And every woman left quite happy with the experience.
But after the incident with his supposed best friend, he’d decided to leave that part of his life behind. Too many links to people better forgotten.
At a sound from the hallway, he jerked around, then smiled as he saw a sleepy-looking Marie leaning against the door frame, her shiny brown hair deliciously mussed and her sky blue eyes only partially open. She wore an oversized yet very enticing T-shirt, which draped nicely over her sensational body, and revealed most of her long shapely legs. Clearly, she wore nothing underneath but a thong. Or maybe regular panties, but he preferred to believe it was a thong. Or nothing. All he really knew for sure was no bra. His gaze dropped to her puckering nipples and his heart rate doubled.
“Ty?”
He jerked his gaze back to her face. Luckily, she’d been yawning so she hadn’t noticed his distraction.
“Here to feed the critter,” he said.
She glanced at the fur-ball, still munching away at its dinner.
“Right.” She crouched down and stroked the cat, who murmured then returned to eating. “How you doing, Jade?”
“Seems to be more impressed with the food than you.”
“Yeah, we did the affection thing last night. Now everything’s back to normal as far as she’s concerned.”
Marie grabbed the orange juice from the fridge and filled a small glass, then took a sip. She leaned back against the counter beside him.
“Why’d you and Sylvia decide to cut the weekend short?”
She shrugged. “I just felt like getting back.”
Her evasive manner told him there was clearly more to it than that.
Whatever the reason, she was here now, and he was anxious to move forward with his plan to win her heart.
Two
“Marie, there’s something I want to talk to you about,” Ty said. “Do you want to go out and grab some breakfast? Or I could whip us up something here.”
“Oh, uh…” She glanced toward the doorway. “It’s not really a good time.”
He grinned. “Why? You have someone in the bedroom?”
At the dark flush staining her cheeks, his gut clenched. Good God, she had a man in there?
“Thanks for feeding Jade while I was gone.” She wouldn’t meet his gaze as she headed for the doorway. “I’ll talk to you later.”
She disappeared down the hall. Back to her lover.
God damn it! He couldn’t belie
ve it. He’d waited too damn long!
* * *
Marie fled to her bedroom. Damn, what must Ty think of her? Jumping into bed with a guy she hardly knew. Bringing him back to her apartment to spend the night.
Ty was such a nice guy. He was probably shocked by her wild behavior. Not that he’d ever tell her that. He was a good friend. And sexy as all get-out. She’d often fantasized about sampling that hot body of his. In fact, daydreams had turned into hot erotic dreams where she’d woken up tangled in sweaty sheets tempted to bound down the hall and knock on his door with every intent of seducing him within an inch of his life.
Ever since she’d broken up with Everett, she’d hoped Ty would ask her out.
But he hadn’t. And it was just as well. He was just like every other guy she’d ever dated. Pleasant. Caring. Nice. But after being with Zeke, she realized what she really wanted was hot, hard, and dominating. A real bad-boy type. Someone who could teach her what a bad girl she could be. Maybe even punish her for it. She slipped into the bedroom and closed the door.
“I was wondering where you’d gone.”
At Zeke’s sleep-raspy voice, she gazed at him. His whisker-roughened face and tousled dark hair made her want to climb right back into his arms. His lazy green eyes perused her body, singeing her nerve endings. Her nipples pushed forward and her insides ached with need.
“I heard someone in the kitchen,” she said.
Suddenly alert, he pushed himself up in bed, ready to bound into action.
“Don’t stress. It was just my neighbor coming in to feed my cat.”
He relaxed, then smiled. “Ahhh, the little fur-ball.”
“Her name’s Jade.”
“Noted.” He patted the mattress beside him. “Now, how about you come back to bed.”
She smiled impishly. “Oh, I don’t know. I thought I’d get dressed and go out shopping.”
“Oh, really?” He tossed the covers aside to display his muscular naked body, an impressive erection towering over his tight abs. “That’s too bad. I have this little problem I was hoping you could help with.”