by Violet Haze
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Title Page
Copyright
Warning
Dedication
Blurb
STOP!
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
About the Author
Acknowledgments
What He Desires
(Luna, #2)
An erotic romance
by
Violet Haze
What He Desires (Luna, #2) ©2014 by Violet Haze
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
First Edition: February 2014
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
WARNING:
This book is an erotic romance, intended for adults only.
If you are not age 16+ (UK) or 18+ (US), you may not be the intended audience of this book depending on your local laws.
If you are not of age and continue, it’s with full knowledge and consent that this book may offend you or be age inappropriate.
Also, this book is PART TWO of a series.
Not all situations are resolved, but the story is damned funny if I do say so myself.
SO ENJOY!
~*~
DEDICATION
~*~
Happy Valentine’s Day to all.
Whether your love is with you or elsewhere,
Just know that you are loved no matter the distance.
Forever and always.
~*~
SYNOPSIS
~*~
A complex proposal…
His offer could save everything I’ve worked for. In exchange, he wants me in every way possible.
An inescapable passion…
His determination to win me over is undeniable. My desire to resist may not be enough to protect my heart.
A connection that is more than it seems…
He knows something I don’t. And when the dreams come, I’m left wondering if I’ve made the biggest mistake of my life.
STOP!
This is PART TWO of a series.
If you haven’t read PART ONE, you can buy it on Amazon.
Click HERE to purchase it FREE!
Buy it and read before you continue!
If you already read Luna #1, please, carry on and enjoy!
<3 Violet Haze
CHAPTER ONE
~Present~
I don’t know what’s real anymore.
I’m surrounded by people and they are all chattering.
Someone’s fixing my hair while another is doing my nails as I sit here, silent as I mull the options available to me.
I want to panic and run.
Stand up and say I made a mistake.
Express how sorry I am and make a dash for the exit.
But I can’t.
Because I don’t break promises.
And I agreed to this.
I consented to a year and now I am stuck.
I have to do this or I’ll lose everything that matters to me.
I mean, a year isn’t that long.
At least, that’s what I keep telling myself.
I just hope I don’t lose something else in the process.
Like my heart.
Or my life.
~*~
Three Weeks Before…
Tobias’ lips devour mine.
He caught me when I ran, after he revealed his knowledge of my disguise all along.
I kissed him after he’d declared his victory so I wouldn’t say something I shouldn’t.
And in this moment, I want it to continue. I want his touch so badly I hurt.
It’s been two days and I ache.
Between the kiss he’s giving me now and the memories of the sex we had, my body is on fire.
But I don’t know if it’s sex in general I want, or sex with him.
Either way, I’m screwed and not in the way I like.
I pull my mouth away from his and turn my face to the side.
I suppose he thinks I’m taking a break because he starts kissing down the side of my neck and rocks into me, making it very clear that I’m what he needs right this second.
What he desires.
I wish I could give it to him, as well as take what I want and need.
But I can’t.
I’ve never slept with a person more than once, and even though I’ve given up my nights out as Luna, I don’t think I’m ready to change my rules. Even for him.
No. Scratch that. Especially for him.
“I can’t do this,” I whisper. “Let me go.”
He stops long enough to ask, “Can’t?” Then, he gives my neck a quick lick that causes a shiver to run through me before he inquires, “Or won’t?”
“Both, damn you.” I don’t have to repeat my request for him to let me go though. He backs off, releasing me from my imprisonment against the wall even as his hands grip my upper arms.
“Steady?” I nod and he removes his hands, turning back toward the study. “I believe we still have business to discuss.”
After a few moments, I follow him and he’s sitting behind the desk when I enter. He looks up at me as I take a seat.
“Tell me why I should help you,” he says as he pulls a file filled with papers out of a drawer. “You said it was your fathers’ business, but I learned you and him hadn’t spoken in years before he died. Why is that?”
I curl my hands into fists. How is it so possible for a man who almost had me begging him to fuck me moments before able to piss me off so quickly?
“The issues I had with my father are none of your concern.” I point at the documents on his desk. “You saw the trouble my father was in before I got here. I have improved the way the place runs immensely. The problem is all the money he owed before his death has been eating what little profit I am making.”
He nods. “Fair enough.” He leans forward, clasping his hands together as he frowns. “Here’s the thing. You need more money than someone just taking over this loan for you.”
My stomach drops even as I keep the worry from showing on my face. I’ve feared hearing someone say that. I’d been doing what I could, but I’ve known that my troubles were more than I could possibly handle.
“You will have trouble finding any lender who will buy out your loan, let alone give you enough extra money to pay all these collectors. Not with the way these documents show continual losses.” He sits back and folds his arms. “How have you been paying your personal bills? You can barely pay what little staff you have.”
Reminding myself that he said he may be able to help so I need to answer his questions, I count to three in my head before replying, “I live with two roommates. They pay the bills, as t
hey know I’ve been struggling; they’re very supportive of my efforts to save the diner.”
As he watches me while not saying anything, I resist the urge to squirm. And the urge to babble.
Then he grins, leaning back in his chair with his hands behind his head.
“I will help you.” I start to smile, only for that small glimmer of hope to sink when he says, “On one condition.”
I’m not sure what that condition will be, but something tells me I am not going to like it. I scowl at him. “And what would that be?”
“First, the terms I’m offering are in this file.” He straightens and hands the folder to me. “Once you and your lawyer go over them and you agree to my conditions, I will sign them.” I open the file as he continues, “I will pay the loan off for you. I will also give you enough money to pay off all the past due bills and fix or replace anything that needs done.” I look up and gape at him as I read the sum on the papers. “That includes the money you owe the lawyer.”
“You…” I clear my throat as tears fill my eyes. “You already knew how much I trouble I was in.”
He runs his hand through his hair, his eyes never leaving mine. “It’s my business to know these things. Anybody with half a brain could see you were struggling. I didn’t know how much until my lawyer met with yours. However, I had no idea it started with your father and had been going on for a while.”
I don’t even know what to say. I had given the lawyer my permission to discuss the details with anyone who might be able to help, so I can’t even be mad that he knew the details of my situation.
Dropping my eyes from his to stare down at the papers, I ask, “What is the condition?”
I wait for his answer.
“Luna—Jocelyn—dammit, what do you prefer to be called?”
I actually love the sound of Luna on his lips. The way he says it has my body humming every time, but I don’t want him to know that. I don’t look up as I answer him. “Jocelyn is the better way to go. The last thing I need is for anyone to figure out that I was Luna; it’s bad enough that you know.”
“All right, Jocelyn. The condition is…” He pauses. Really pauses, long enough that I look up at him to find him smiling at me. “The condition is that you marry me.”
CHAPTER TWO
Well, if his aim is to freak me out, he has succeeded.
I jump up from my chair. “Absolutely not!”
He doesn’t seem shocked by my reaction. He smiles and lifts a brow. “Do you have any other options?”
“You know I don’t.” I sigh and sit back down. “Doesn’t mean I am going to accept you.”
He chuckles. “You would be insane not to.”
“Well, maybe I am insane!” I snap, placing the papers on the edge of his desk before pointing a finger at him. “Or perhaps you’re certifiable for even asking. You don’t even know me. Hell, I barely know you.”
“Wouldn’t getting married solve that issue rather quick?”
I throw my hands up in the air. “Why in the world do you want to marry me? What’s wrong with doing this out of the kindness of your heart or something?”
“I’m a businessman.” He grins, leaning forward with his hands clasped. “Truth is, you’re doing a great job with the diner and have been since you took over. You’ve been paying off the debts, little by little, but not fast enough. You simply need money to bring yourself out of debt. But nothing is free, Jocelyn. Everything has a cost, and my money comes with a price.”
I ignore his compliment, even as I fill with pleasure at his words, sticking to the heart of the matter. “Isn’t the fact I have to pay you back enough of a price?”
He shakes his head. “If you marry me, I pay all of this for you. You don’t need to pay me back.”
My mouth drops open in shock. I recover fast, asking, “And if I don’t marry you?”
“Then you find someone else to help you.”
Bastard.
“You don’t want me to marry you,” I assure him. “I mean, I’ve never even had a boyfriend. I will not make a good wife.”
Even as I say the words, I wonder if I’m as crazy as he is for even considering it. I’m not sure how I’ll save my business without it, which means I already know I’ve lost. It doesn’t mean I have to give in easily, though.
He tilts his head to the side a little and smirks. “What do you think being a wife involves?”
“Things I never wanted to do. Didn’t you hear me say I’ve never been in a relationship?”
“Yes.” He pushes back from his desk and stands up. “I don’t see why that would bother me. It merely means you have less bad habits to break.”
What?
“Bad habits?”
As he walks around the desk, I quell the urge to stand up and escape. After all, he’d catch me fast like he’d done earlier in the evening. He makes his way to my chair and stands in front, his legs touching my knees. Then, he places his hands on either side of me as he squats down, putting us on equal eye level.
“Bad habits,” he confirms. “And no previous relationship baggage, such as assholes continually breaking your trust and treating you like crap. Unless…?”
Unless there is someone else I have feelings for that he needs to be aware of.
I shake my head at his unspoken question.
He cups my face in his palm and the contact has me sucking in a breath at the wave of lust that shoots through me. “Then why haven’t you had a relationship? Something must’ve happened.”
“Nope.” He runs the pad of his thumb over my lips and I lick my lips before continuing. “I’m just a woman who loves sex and doesn’t want the complications that come with another person’s expectations.”
“Interesting.” He brings his lips to mine and brushes them together in a tease before pulling away. “Looks like you no longer get to avoid expectations any longer.”
“You—“ A bolt of pleasure as he takes his attentions to my neck with a lick that has me shuddering. “You could probably have any woman you want. W-why me?”
He keeps his mouth on my neck and one hand cupping my face as the other glides up my jean clad leg in a slow, deliberate tease.
“Let’s see,” he murmurs, skimming his mouth up to kiss behind my ear. “You’re intelligent and funny. I already know we’re sexually compatible. I’ve no doubt that you will fulfill all my desires, in the bedroom and out.”
He takes the lobe of my ear into his mouth and sucks on it, moving the hand higher on my leg until it rests at the top of my thigh. He uses his thumb to caress me on the outside of my jeans and I do my damnedest to show no response.
He releases my ear with one final lick, chuckling. “You’re stubborn and I will enjoy every moment I spend trying to win you over. Plus, you already know how much I value routine and how I take my coffee.”
I smile in spite of my determination to not give in.
I need to get away. Having him so close to me makes me want to give in because I want him to touch me and that can’t happen. Even if I feel a pull to him, as if we’ve known each other forever, the fact is we don’t really know each other at all. It doesn’t matter that I know how he likes his coffee or that the sex had been amazing; he’s asking me for something I’m not sure I can give.
“I need to go.” I push on his shoulders. “I have to think about this.”
He doesn’t argue as he stands up; he doesn’t need to. He knows I’ll say yes in the end. I don’t have control, not really, yet he’s willing to let me pretend I do. For now.
Moving back behind the desk, he sits down as I rise. I grab the papers off his desk and ask, “How long do I have to answer you?”
“A week,” he replies with a grin. “Also, be ready to go out tomorrow night at six-thirty. We’re going on our second date.”
I glare at him for a moment, then turn toward the door.
Just as I’m about to exit, he calls out. “Oh, and Jocelyn?”
I pause, waiting.
“Wear a skirt, please. No hose.”
I almost turn around at those words. I’m curious why he makes such a demand, but part of me knows why.
Easy access.
Instead, I hold up a hand and flip him the bird before walking out.
~*~
“I can’t believe you’re going to marry him!”
I sigh.
Iris, Dexter, and I are having breakfast. It’s way too fucking early for me, even though I’m normally up this early.
I blame the previous evening, especially Tobias, for how cranky I am this morning.
Want to save your business? Marry me!
Who the fuck does he think he is?
“I didn’t say yes,” I mutter in response. “There has to be another way.”
I know better. I know there isn’t, but damn I wish there were. Tobias unnerves me and that can’t be good. If I marry him, I know I’m in serious jeopardy of…well, losing my freedom, for one.
Fuck, when did I start to sound like a commitment phobe?
“The universe sure caught up with you, didn’t it?” Dexter says this, laughing.
I scowl at him. “The universe can suck my imaginary dick.”
His laughter escalates. “It’s not imaginary. Soon, you’ll be married to one of your very own.”
Don’t laugh!
“Screw you.” Picking up the closest thing — a potholder — I aim it at his head, unable to keep the smirk from my face. “And how do we go from you being worried about my outings as Luna, to practically gleeful at me marrying a near stranger?”
When I throw it, he ducks, laughing when it hits Iris instead.
“Hey!” She looks up from her perusal of the papers Tobias gave me and scowls. “Knock it off you two! It’s almost like you truly are related.”
“Anything is possible,” I retort, irritated. “After all, I’ve never even been in a relationship and I’m getting married.”