by Nikki Duncan
He reached out and pressed his palm against her cheek. The pressure of his palm was as light as the brush of his thumb beneath her jaw and as intense as the look in his brown eyes. She swore she felt him touch her soul with the look. Then, with the softest hint of flexion he pulled her to him.
Neither of them blinked or shifted their gazes as he lowered his head and rested his forehead on hers. Staring. Breathing.
His breaths brushed her lips with a silent encouragement to part for him. Resistance, like breathing steadily, was almost impossible. Her regular breaths became tiny inhales and with each burst of air the oxygen built up in her lungs until she feared the expulsion.
“You’re so beautiful.”
She’d never thought of herself as overly pretty. Her hips were too wide and no matter how closely she watched her calories or how many crunches she did she couldn’t get rid of the bulge in her tummy. The way he called her beautiful, intently and intimately, and the way he looked at her, steady and starved, had her believing him.
“I thought you were attractive the moment I saw you.” His thumb brushed rhythmically along her jaw. “Then you rescued me and saved my reputation, though you were clearly against how I ended up where you found me.”
Her skin heated beneath his touch. She angled her chin a little higher, rubbing her forehead against his and wishing he would kiss her. Freedom was something she’d never felt with a man, especially not a man she barely knew. That she didn’t feel the need for guards with Burton, that he aroused a sense of security in her, was enlightening and scary all at once. “It wasn’t that big a deal.”
“It was to me. So much so I hated that I regretted not finding out how to contact you.”
“Then you found me in the hardware store.”
“And realized you’d told your friends about me.” He rubbed the side of her nose with his.
If he was trying to draw out the tension, to make her want him more, he was succeeding. Her belly fluttered and then coiled with excited tension.
“The idea that one of them would know Mark as well as you and that they’d say something terrified me.”
“Are you still worried about that? Because they’ll keep your secret.”
“No. I know that now.” Burton buried his free hand in Leigh’s hair and with a gentle tug had her bun falling from the carefully placed bobby pins.
She exhaled a shaky breath of relief when the pin that had shifted and been pinching a hair too tightly fell to the floor. The weight of her hair tumbling around her shoulders was a luxury she only allowed herself in the privacy of her home. It made her feel sexy. He made her feel sexy.
“They’ll give you crap every chance they get, though.”
“Does that mean I’ll be around them more? That you want to see more of me?”
“I think I’d like that.” He had to have heard the squeak in her voice, just as he had to know she wasn’t referring to another date.
His fingers massaged her head, moved to the base of her scalp to the spot the bobby pin had been pinching. His touch, so heavenly, had her arching her neck. Her lips pressed against the soft flesh just below his mouth. It seemed to be all the encouragement he needed.
Burton stooped lower and kissed her. He didn’t push or dive or plunder. It was a simple moment of lips against lips. In the simplicity rested a liberty she’d only known in her dreams. Emboldened, Leigh cupped the back of his neck and urged him to take the kiss deeper.
He needed no more encouragement. With his right hand he continued to massage her head. With his left, he applied a smidge more pressure. She parted her lips, allowing deeper access.
An image of him gripping her hips and planting her more firmly on the desk before plundering snapped into her mind. Instead, heartbeats stretched into long moments of exploration. She moved her hands to his neck and hair. He shifted so both hands framed her face.
Time vanished as the intricacies of Burton’s kiss entwined Leigh. She shifted on the desk and spread her legs. He stepped in, never breaking the kiss. As much as she enjoyed kissing him, and she really enjoyed kissing him, she wanted to discover more. She wanted to discover the boundaries of her new freedom. Its sustainability.
Releasing another reservation, Leigh put her hands at his waist and untucked his shirt. Her pinky touched his side and he shivered. His shiver thrilled and encouraged her.
She slipped her tongue between his lips and slid it along his. On a moan that vibrated from his throat and moved through Leigh, he moved his hands to her hips.
Another car rounded the corner. Its lights shining into the room reminded Leigh that the blinds were open. With the inside lights on anyone who passed could see them. She’d never had sex outside of her bedroom with the blinds and windows closed.
“Burton, do you have a bedroom?”
“Yeah.” Holding her immobile, he molded his body to hers until she had little choice but to lay back. “We’ll go there next time.”
His toughest battle is ahead—the battle for one woman’s heart.
Morning Light
© 2013 Cora Cade
A Day of Pleasure, Book 1
During Noah Harper’s ten years as an Army Ranger, Tennyson Sharpe’s letters were his lifeline. With each mail call, the bright and vibrant girl of his youth slowly became the woman of his dreams.
Now he’s home—and he’s in hell. The problem? Tenn is his little brother’s best friend. Claiming her risks all kinds of collateral damage.
Tenn is getting nervous. Since Noah came home, they’ve been circling each other, neither willing to risk the status quo. It’s time to kick things up a notch and make a play for the man she’s loved since she was sixteen—before someone else does.
Dressing to impress works better than she could have dreamed. After a scorching interlude leads to a steamy morning wrapped in each other’s arms, reality comes crashing down. Shining a devastating light on Tenn’s deepest fears…and forcing Noah into scramble mode to convince her forever was always on his mind.
Warning: This book contains some serious foreplay in the great outdoors; stand-up sex with a hot, stand-up guy; and a wounded Army Ranger who’s determined to leave no heart behind—especially the one belonging to the girl of his dreams.
Enjoy the following excerpt for Morning Light:
Moving down the stairs from the apartment to the pub below, Noah heard the distinct sound of someone cussing up a storm. He quickened his pace to reach the door separating his living space from his workspace and gently opened it.
There, standing on top of his immaculately gleaming mahogany bar, stood Tennyson Sharpe in her bare feet. All five feet two inches of her. She was on her tiptoes, reaching for one of the light fixtures with one hand and a light bulb in the other. The stretch caused her white, fitted tee to slide up her belly and expose a sliver of summer-tanned skin.
She stuck her tongue out at an angle—in concentration, he supposed. As she twisted the used bulb from the fixture, she uttered a soft, “Gotcha.” The final motion to remove the bulb caused her to dip forward on her toes and lifted her jean skirt higher, offering a delectable view of her plain white cotton panties.
Noah instantly hardened at the sight. He’d been in lust with this girl since she was sixteen to his nineteen, and after ten years apart he was finally home. And here she stood, flashing him the sexiest view he’d seen in years. He leaned against the doorframe and watched the scene unfold, never happier to have given her a key a few months back.
As she placed the fresh bulb in the fixture, she stretched again. Her whole body lengthened, straining to reach the fixture. She was all tan limbs and womanly curves. Her body was at enough of an angle that he could see her breasts tight against the fitted tee, but more importantly her cute behind as she placed both palms on the bar to hop down from her perch. As she braced herself she lifted her perky behind and flashed him.
The curve of her sex flashed before him as those white panties intimately hugged her. In a flash, both feet were
planted on the floor and she was picking up the used bulb from the bar, then slipping her sandals back on. Time to turn around and head back upstairs before she caught him with a full-on erection and he embarrassed himself.
Noah eased the door shut and sprinted back up the stairs as quietly as he could, hoping to give himself a few moments to calm his erection before she unceremoniously showed up in his apartment for their breakfast plans.
He needed a cold shower before they left or he’d never survive the meal. He was going to have wet dreams about her white panties for weeks to come.
Stripping off his jeans and plain black tee, he dropped his clothes where he stood and snapped the bathroom door shut as his apartment door opened.
“Noah?” Tenn heard the shower start as she closed the door behind her. Well, that was unusual. Noah was nothing if not prompt. Ten years as an Army Ranger kind of beat that into you. She rapped on the bathroom door with a knuckle. “Hey, are you alive in there?”
“I’ll be out in minute. Got a late start to the morning. Give me five.”
She glanced down and saw a pile of clothes. Strange. Noah was also one of the neatest, cleanest people she’d ever known. His place was always immaculate, with nothing out of place. Let alone a pile of clothes tossed by the bathroom.
Now she was starting to sweat. Did he have a girl here? Had she interrupted the morning-after? Shit. That Amber bimbo had been making a play for Noah ever since he’d come home. And if she was in this apartment right now, Tenn was going to die of embarrassment. Right after she beat Noah to death.
They had plans. Even if they weren’t the romantic kind, they were definitely plans. They’d had Sunday breakfast as a standing date since his return from overseas. And he’d never had a woman here.
Who was she kidding? He had every right to get freaky with anyone he wanted. She was just the trusty sidekick, the platonic friend who was always there. Like a lapdog.
Picking up the clothes, she folded them and set them on the back of the couch a few feet away. The apartment was neat as a pin and pretty spacious, as far as it went. It was an open floor plan with only two separate rooms off the main living area, the master bedroom and the bathroom. Everything else was one large, airy space. From this angle she couldn’t see into the bedroom and was half-afraid to know if someone was still in his bed. Warming it for him, so to speak.
Deciding she needed to know, she took a step toward the bedroom after picking back up the stack of clothes she’d set down a moment before. It was a perfect excuse to check out the situation. His dirty clothes needed to be tossed into the hamper. Right.
She was about to fully push open the bedroom door when Noah yelled, “Hey, Tenn. I left my clothes out there. Could you grab them for me?”
And before she could whip around and not look guilty he popped his head out of the bathroom door. As she turned in his direction, she could only see a portion of his upper body, with the rippling muscle and just-now-fading tan from his time in Afghanistan, but it was enough to stop her dead in her tracks. The man was masculine perfection and her panties got a little wet looking at him.
“Oh, did you want these? Um, I was about to put them in your hamper.” Belatedly she whirled around and held up the clothes in question. “I thought they were dirty.”
For a moment he looked like he blushed. Really? “Sorry, I wanted to take a quick shower before we headed out and I tossed them on the floor in my rush.” He reached out a hand and beckoned her forward.
She was going to combust before she reached him. Not only was the man deliciously muscled, he still dripped from his shower. His dark hair, cut in a military-style buzz, glistened in the morning light. Eyes the color of the ocean on a sunny day, clear and crisp-blue, tracked her progress. She cleared the edge of the couch and his gaze skated down the length of her body, snagging on her legs before coming back to her face.
Once within reach of the bathroom door heat crept up her neck and face when she realized Noah stood naked on the other side of the door. His body was positioned so she could only see a naked hip and the curve of a well-defined ass, but it was obvious he hadn’t bothered wrapping a towel around his waist before popping his head out the door.
She dropped his clothes before he could get a grip on them and they fell to the floor with a soft impact. Unbelievably, as she bent to retrieve the clothing, her face flamed even hotter in embarrassment.
Serenades
Nikki Duncan
With passion this hot, it’ll be anything but a silent night.
Whispering Cove, Book 9
Aimee Smith found a home and friends in Whispering Cove. During the Fall Festival she found no-strings fun in the arms of her favorite country singer. Then her fling left town—and she discovered how much of himself he left behind.
Josh Bryan loved life on the road—until one Whispering Cove waitress ruined it. Not that he’s complaining. Before her, there were willing women at every stop, but none stayed in his mind, under his skin, or left him wanting a second taste. Not like her.
Almost fourteen months later, with Christmas festivities in full swing, Aimee’s days at the bar are long and her nights walking the floor are longer. Yet she’s never been happier, at least until Josh walks into the bar in a swirl of snow.
The truth could send him running, have him accusing her of setting a trap…or be her one chance to prove she wants him for more than just his money and fame. That is, if he’s willing to take a chance there’s something between them deeper than passion.
Warning: This title contains a waitressing mother, a serenading celebrity, snow-melting passion and a secret baby.
eBooks are not transferable.
They cannot be sold, shared or given away as it is an infringement on the copyright of this work.
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locale or organizations is entirely coincidental.
Samhain Publishing, Ltd.
11821 Mason Montgomery Road Suite 4B
Cincinnati OH 45249
Serenades
Copyright © 2013 by Nikki Duncan
ISBN: 978-1-61921-993-9
Edited by Tera Kleinfelter
Cover by Lyn Taylor
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.
First Samhain Publishing, Ltd. electronic publication: November 2013
www.samhainpublishing.com
Table of Contents
Dedication
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Epilogue
About the Author
Look for these titles by Nikki Duncan
Also Available from Samhain Publishing, Ltd.
Copyright Page