by Ava Meyers
Next to him, Claire took a step forward. “You’ve been in my house? Through my stuff? You bastard!”
“Claire,” Ty clipped out. He urged her behind him again. “Not now.” Although she shifted restlessly next to him, she quieted when he asked, “What is it, exactly, that fascinates her?”
“Don’t you know? Officer.”
Somehow he wasn’t surprised. Ty scanned the area for an ambush.
Jed shook his head. “I’m alone.”
“Ty —” Claire began.
Once again, Ty pressed her behind him. She resisted slightly and he cursed, knowing that if he told her to run, she probably wouldn’t. Because she wouldn’t want to leave him alone and risk him being hurt.
“So what now?” Ty asked.
Cocking a brow, Jed smiled. “What now? You mean, you don’t know?”
“Enlighten me.”
Jed shrugged. “Sure.” He stepped closer until only a few feet separated them. “Now I want you to return the favor.”
“What favor?”
“Several favors, actually. One, I haven’t blown the whistle on you. Two, I got the two of you back together again.”
Yes, but why? “What do you want? Money? Drugs? Immunity?”
Jed’s face grew silent and serious. His gaze narrowed, and his mouth flattened into a grim line. “I want Brad Hoyt to stay in jail. I want him ousted as the leader of the Demon Guardians. And I want you to make sure that happens.”
So Ty’s instincts about Jed had been right, after all. He fought the temptation to relax. He couldn’t. Not yet. Not until Claire was safe. “Why?”
“When you first showed up here, you asked about Paul Hathaway. It caught my attention,” Jed said.
“Why?”
“Let’s just say I was quite…disturbed when I heard what Hoyt had done to him, cop or not.”
Something about Jed’s tone made him want to dig deeper while at the same time he didn’t want to cause the man any more pain. Instinctively, he knew that’s what digging deeper would do. But it was obvious Jed was speaking the truth. Paul had meant something to both of them and that just might be enough to give them the advantage against Hoyt. “So Hoyt…You going to be the one that helps bring him down? And if so, why not just come to me a long time ago? Why all the game playing?”
“I needed Hoyt away from here. It was sheer luck he got picked up in that raid, but his lawyer’s already working on his release. As for why I waited until this weekend to say something? First, I needed to make sure you were willing to go all the way when it came to being initiated. If you weren’t, then you weren’t someone I was going to rely on. Not for something as important as avenging Paul. Second?” He smirked. “When I saw Ms. Fullerton hanging around, I knew she’d truly test how far you’d be willing to go to maintain your cover.” His gaze shifted to Claire. “He was willing to go pretty far,” he taunted, “wasn’t he? So far that I’ve now got you both on tape, admitting your prior relationship.”
He visibly jerked, causing Jed to laugh.
“That’s right. You might’ve swept the room for bugs, but you didn’t sweep her. I planted a listening device on her and recorded the transmission. Easy listening, I tell you, but I won’t share it with Hoyt or anyone else unless you give me reason to.”
Beside him, Claire winced and Ty couldn’t stop the low growl that erupted from this throat. “I can’t promise you immunity,” he gritted out.
“Not what I’m asking for. So long as you play fair and do everything you can to bring Hoyt down, it’ll stay our little secret. I can’t promise I won’t take it out now and then, though. You two are pretty…stimulating.”
Before either one of them could respond, Jed turned and walked away. At the corner of the building, he looked over his shoulder. “You can thank me later, by the way.”
With that, he was gone.
It took a minute before Ty’s muscles began to loosen. When Jed didn’t return, he looked at Claire and lifted his hands to rub her arms. “Are you okay?”
She nodded. “You?”
“I’m okay now.” He ran his hands lightly over her shirt until he found the miniscule transmitter Jed had planted on the back of her right shoulder. Ty cursed and crushed it beneath one shoe. “Let’s get out of here.”
They climbed into his Jeep. Soon they were on the main road and heading for Claire’s place. As the wind whipped their hair around, Ty glanced at Claire, who had her head tilted back against the seat. He reached out, took her hand, and squeezed it. She returned the gesture. “So are you going to tell me?” he asked.
She studied their joined hands before sighing. “You want to know what he saw in my house to connect me with you? How he knew you fascinated me?” She tentatively peeked up at him, and he smiled reassuringly.
“Did he see the picture of us together?” They’d posed for only one picture, when they’d gone into the city and walked the water by the Bay Bridge. He’d asked a woman to snap the picture with Claire’s camera and the notion that she’d kept it close to her pleased him. Of course, given her previous coverage of the Guardians, he probably shouldn’t have had the picture taken, for the very reason it connected the two of them. He hadn’t even considered the possibility that one of the Guardians might break into her home, but he supposed it was just another example of how being with Claire fried his brain.
To his surprise, Claire shook her head. “It wasn’t a picture he saw. At least I don’t think so. It was probably something I had — I had up on my refrigerator.”
He frowned. “What?”
“Your first name on a piece of paper. Along with a drawing. A replica of your tattoo. The one on your right bicep.”
“My Celtic knot?” Sure, the symbol was distinctive enough for Jed to recognize, especially with his name on the same piece of paper. But why…?
“It’s silly, I know, but after you left, I missed you. I — I wanted part of you with me, and I thought, well, if I replicated part of you on me, we’d always be together. And I like the design. It’s pretty.” She lifted her chin, as if defying him to laugh or make fun of her.
That was the last thing he wanted to do. He lifted his hand from hers and gripped the steering wheel tightly. He was overcome by an emotion that threatened to blindside him, so he slowed the Jeep and pulled over to the side of the road.
She watched him with obvious trepidation. “Ty? Are you mad?”
His answer was to pull her into his arms and kiss her. It wasn’t enough. Hands shaking, he unbuttoned her shirt and rubbed her breasts, relishing her gasps and moans. Then, acting with near desperation, he stripped her the rest of the way, freed his cock from his pants, then lifted her onto his lap. It was awkward and a tight fit given the confines of the car, even after he threw his seat as far back as it could go. The steering wheel was probably digging into her back. But he didn’t stop. Couldn’t stop. He needed her. Needed to be in her. Needed to —
“Ty!” She screamed when he pulled her down at the same time he thrust his hips upwards, his dick going deep. Penetration instantly calmed him. Wrapping his arms around her, he buried his face in the crook of her neck and simply held her.
Hesitantly, her hands lifted to stroke his hair and made soothing noises. It was because he was shaking, he realized. His entire body was vibrating like a divining rod.
“Just give me a minute. I need a minute,” he gasped.
“It’s okay. I’m here. We have more than minute. Far more than a minute.”
He pulled back, wanting there to be no misunderstandings this time. “I want forever. And I want you to get that tattoo. So when I can’t be with you, I still will be. Just like you said.”
“Yes,” she softly said, her eyes filling with tears. “To both. To the tattoo. And to forever. But I warn you, it’s going to be tough keeping up with me. I really am both good and bad. Are you sure you’re up for it?”
He bounced her on top of him, and the friction of his dick within the warm, humid walls of her body made them both bre
athless. So he kept on doing it. And even after he’d hurled her into an explosive release, even after he’d spent himself inside her, he was still hard. She laughed and so did he, the combined sounds filled with joy.
“I guess that answers my question,” she said. “Now kiss me and do me again.”
“Gladly, baby girl. Gladly.”
THE END
Please keep reading! Contest is next:
CONTEST
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Here are the rules:
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WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
All reviews received by February 15, 2011, will be entered into a drawing to receive a free copy of Novella #2 in e-format (PDF, Kindle, or ePub)
A total of 5 copies are up for grabs. Make sure you email Ava otherwise she'll have no way to send you your e-book if you win! Contest closes on February 15, 2011, midnight. Winners will be notified by email. Release of Novella #2 is planned for February 15, 2011.
Thank you for your support!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Ava Meyers is a former criminal prosecutor who enjoys exploring the light and dark sides of humanity. Her erotica novels are steamy but also infused with that most essential element of life — love.
You can find more about Ava Meyers at www.avameyers.com.
Ava also writes paranormal romantic suspense and romantic suspense under the name Virna DePaul. www.virnadepaul.com
EXCERPT of Chosen by Blood
Please read an excerpt of Virna DePaul’s upcoming paranormal romantic suspense novel Chosen By Blood (Book 1 in the Para-Ops Novels) (Berkley Publishing - May 2011 - available for pre-order now on Amazon.com):
A firm knock interrupted them. Muscles pumped as if for battle, Knox slowly stood. He didn’t turn, not even when Mahone called for his visitor to come in.
“I came as soon as I—”
It didn’t matter that he was in Mahone’s office, that Mahone was watching him, or that he and Mahone had just been discussing something as important as his clan.
He hadn’t been in the same room with her in years, but his body’s reaction to her presence was the same as it always was: instantaneous.
Her scent hit him like a sledgehammer and was followed by a wave of longing so intense it almost felled him. His skin prickled and his fangs ached as he fought to keep them sheathed. He couldn’t stop the hardening of his dick, however, or the urge he had to grab her and transport her to the Dome. To his bed. To someplace where duty and time dissolved, and he could just be with her.
She didn’t gasp or take a breath. Her words simply stopped. Something rare crystallized inside him.
Had she gotten over him? Had she found someone else?
Another emotion—pure, undiluted rage—filled him at the thought of her with another. It made everything else, every other emotion he’d ever felt, seem innocuous. Made him want to rip off his clothes—the luxurious symbols of civility that he normally loved—and make her see him as he truly was—primal, lethal, and fucking ready to prove to her that she was his, once and for all.
Instead, he took a deep breath and willed himself to calm. He opened his mind. Just a hair. Just enough to sense the desire buried beneath her resolve. Enough to dismiss that foreign emotion of fear and tamp down his rage.
When he was assured of his control, Knox slowly turned and faced the human female he’d wanted to bite from the moment he’d seen her. She was dressed conservatively in a white oxford shirt and navy blue pants, her auburn hair pulled back into a tight ponytail. Taller than most females, she was neither delicate nor bulky. While most would consider her average in looks and sex appeal, Knox saw what most didn’t.
He saw the strength in her supple body.
He saw her courage, her compassion, and her integrity.
And at that moment, he saw the fiery sensuality that flared in her eyes before she banked it and stared at him with a practiced look of mild curiosity.
Felicia had always tried to hide her attraction to him, but she’d always failed. Nevertheless, he’d abided by her wishes and kept his distance.
But not anymore.
Not-the-fuck-anymore.
He didn’t speak the words, but given the way her eyes widened, she’d guessed at his thoughts. Knox dipped his head in a courtly bow. “Hello, Felicia. Imagine running into you here.”
END OF EXCERPT
EXCERPT of Lawful Escort
Please read an excerpt of Lawful Escort, a novel by erotic romance and erotica author Tina Folsom:
“You have to help me out here, Holly, but I haven’t been with an escort before, so I’m not sure what the protocol is.” She could feel his breath on her face as he spoke to her in a low voice.
“Protocol?” she echoed breathlessly, being only too aware of his body virtually touching hers. She was pressed against the wall with nowhere to go.
“Yes. I don’t know, but … do you kiss?” His eyes were focused on her lips now. Had they been lasers, she would have been burned to a crisp within seconds.
“Y-yes,” she stammered helplessly.
His hand came up to cup her jaw, lazily stroking her with his thumb. His touch was electrifying. Instinctively her tongue snaked out to moisten her lips and if he’d waited for a sign from her, this was it. Daniel lightly touched his lips to hers, and a faint sigh escaped her mouth. And then with one sweep he captured her mouth fully, demanding her surrender.
His lips tugged on hers, suckling on her lower lip and pulling it into his mouth where he swept over it with his moist tongue. He nibbled gently on her until she parted her lips, inviting his searching tongue inside her, expecting him.
Her hand went to the nape of his neck to pull him closer, when he couldn’t get any closer than he already was. His body crushed hers against the wall of the elevator, barely leaving her space to breathe. But she didn’t care. Who needed oxygen when she could inhale his scent instead?
Daniel tasted like a fresh shower in the middle of a rain forest, woodsy, vibrant, yet so dark, with layers of hidden treasures piled one on top of the other. And with every twirl of his tongue he released yet another flavor, making her eager to capture his tongue with hers and imprison him within her.
Daniel couldn’t believe what he was doing. He was kissing an escort, a prostitute. He’d probably lost his mind – and he knew exactly when it had happened. When she had accidentally dropped the condom, he’d realized that what he’d paid for wasn’t just to have a pretend girlfriend at the reception. She’d evidently been told by her agency to expect sex.
Who was he to disappoint her? The way her mouth tasted made him feel intoxicated. He deepened his kiss, plundering her mouth and playing with her responsive tongue. Every time she moaned, he felt the sound reverberate through his chest and fill him with eager anticipation of what was to come.
Holly had a way of turning him on no other woman had ever managed to. He was a sexual guy, alright, but he generally needed more than two seconds of kissing to get fully aroused. She’d managed to arouse him with just that look she’d given him before he’d sunk his lips onto hers.
She definitely knew what she was doing. After all, she was a professional. This was her job, to arouse men and please them. He could think of hundreds of ways how she could please him, but none of those ways would have been prudent in a hotel elevator.
As soon as the doors opened, he pulled her out of the elevator with him. He looked at her face and saw that her cheeks were red, and her lips were plumper than before. He’d get back to those lips in a few seconds. But first he had to get them into his room, away from
prying eyes.
It seemed too long until they reached his room. Neither of them spoke, as if there was nothing to be said. Nothing that could be said in a public area anyway.
As soon as he’d let the door slam behind them, Daniel pulled her back into his arms and continued where he’d left off in the elevator. Those luscious lips needed more attention, and he was all too willing to give it to them. He put his thoughts about the fact that she was an escort aside. Right now, he didn’t care. She was a woman who excited him more than any woman had ever excited him, and he was only just kissing her.
He hadn’t even touched her naked skin yet. He hadn’t even kissed her breasts yet. And already he was as hard as an iron rod and yearning for release. If a woman could do that to him, he didn’t care whether she was an escort or not. To hell with conventions.
He took her wrists, fully encircling them with his hands and pulled them up to each side of her head, pressing them against the wall behind her. This woman brought out his most primal instincts in him. Her body flush against the wall behind her, she looked vulnerable, yet her eyes were hungry, filled with desire.
Daniel ground his hips against her, making her aware of his need. Her response was a stifled moan, as if she didn’t want to admit that she could feel him pressed against her through the thin fabric of her dress.
END OF EXCERPT - novel available in e-book format and Paperback from Amazon.com and other online retailers