I approached her and she smiled.
“Hi, Tomas.”
“Hey, Gingerbread.”
That made her smile wider and my heart squeezed thinking about what she’d say to me.
But then she turned away from the hotel.
“Where are you going?” I asked. I pointed toward the Blythe.
“This way. C’mon, Goodfellow. You’re wasting a perfectly good evening.”
So I followed her down the street and she ventured into a pub called Bennington Brewery. We sat at the bar.
“Have you ever been here before?” she asked me.
“Never.” The bartender asked what we wanted and she ordered two pints of the house special.
“Can you drink this?” I asked her.
“Not really, but tonight is special.”
I shook my head. “Not anymore.” I pushed the drink back. “Got anything gluten-free?”
The bartender made a face. “We don’t have any.”
“I’ll be okay, Tomas. Just let me have a bit.” She smiled at me and the way the lights overhead hit her hair, I had to comply.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
“Changing. This is my last day.” She fished inside her purse and pulled out a list. “These are all my favorite things. Tomorrow, I’m making a fresh start.”
“A fresh start?”
“I’ve been running away for a long time. All my life I’ve worked myself to the bone to climb out of the gutter I thought I grew up in.”
I nodded.
“But I didn’t start out in the gutter. I was born to a bass guitar player and his band manager. They traveled all over the U.S. and saw the Grand Canyon before I even got out of diapers.” She smiled again, her expression wistful. “All the time I thought I’d been abandoned, I hadn’t been. My mom did what she had to because she didn’t know any better. Even when I met her, she was ill-equipped to be a mom.”
“You grew up just fine, in my opinion.”
“Yeah, but I made assumptions. I assumed I’d be happy if I learned how your life was lived. I saw your life and thought you had it easy. I loved to please other people. Pleasing you gave me the most pleasure.”
The drink in my hands cooled my palms.
“At this point I’m going in circles and I can’t keep doing that anymore. I can’t keep running and trying to find what I thought I never had…”
“Love,” I finished.
“Exactamente, Tomas.”
I wanted to kiss her at that point. I fought the growing need to lean over and press my lips to hers.
“Love was always there waiting for me.” She looked away, her face flushed. “You were always waiting for me. I thought every time when we were together I could satisfy that itch, but scenes aren’t enough.” They were never enough.
“Why?”
“I always felt like I’d cut myself when we left each other behind. The pain never changed. If I walk out that door and go back to my old life, I’ll be doing the same thing to myself.”
I’d had time to contemplate the same. The moment I got on that plane to Seoul for five months, I would allow myself to fall into my job. That was what I did. Canceling everything though would be a big financial loss.
But what if I did something different and stayed with her tonight and finished this beer instead of getting on that flight?
She looked at my watch. “It’s almost eight.”
“Yes, it is.” I smiled at her and she returned my smile.
“Your flight will take over eight hours to get to Seoul. And you probably have a meeting with your team in the morning.”
I took a generous drink and even grabbed some nuts from a nearby plate. “Yes, it will take that long. And yes, I do.”
She played with her drink and didn’t take a sip as she’d promised.
“I’m tired of letting you go,” she admitted.
“Me, too.”
“Then don’t let me go.” She pushed her drink my way and took my hand.
“How do we make this work?” I asked her.
“I’ve packed my bags. I was thinking if we left after you finished my drink, we could catch that flight to Seoul.” Her smile turned feline. “But since you happen to have a jet, I’m sure we could arrange another flight.”
“I believe that’s something I can do.”
Chapter 30
Carlie
ONE YEAR LATER
After living in Seoul for the past year, I had to say I’d never had a better city view than this one. For years, I’d taken care of myself, but I rather liked this new arrangement: I lived with Tomas now while he constructed the Goodfellow Gangnam Tower Hotel.
Even I’m not a fool when it comes to enjoying what life has to offer. Why live alone and have a rooftop sweatbox apartment in Itaewon when I could live in a luxurious ten-bedroom penthouse suite with Tomas in Gangnam? That was pretty much a no-brainer.
So I stayed and stared at the late-night moon when I couldn’t sleep. From my bed I had the best view of the Dongho Bridge and the Han River. Amber lights illuminated the girders while navy blue lights cast a glow along the tall posts. It was breathtakingly beautiful.
Seoul shined in ways London and Boston didn’t. The city pulsed as if it had a life of its own. Over the past year I’d explored the city, from the amazing Bongeunsa Buddhist temple built in 794 A.D. to the exclusive luxury shopping district in the affluent Gangnam neighborhood.
With time, I could claim this city as my own, too.
An arm slipped around my middle and drew me back to Tomas’s hard chest. Warmth enveloped me. “What are you doing up, Gingerbread?” the voice behind me asked.
“I’m daydreaming again. At night.”
“Go back to sleep.”
“I’m busy night dreaming.”
“Most people dream while sleeping.” He kissed the back of my neck, reminding me I’d made the best decision to stay.
“Sleeping is for amateurs.”
I turned around to run my hands over his corded arms. I loved touching his skin. I brushed my lips against him. Not a kiss, but a hint of something more.
“Was that a dare?” he murmured. He kissed my lips, lingering long enough to show me how turned on he was.
“I’m daring you to fuck me right here, sir,” I boldly declared.
He chuckled. “As much as I’d like to bend you over near the window and show the world how insolent you’ve become, I’m thinking you’d prefer the bed. I like you in my bed anyway.”
That got a groan of protest from me. Every now and then I went through an exhibitionist phase, but this was the one country where I had to behave. Tomas was always willing to give in to me, but apparently not tonight.
A year ago, we would’ve come to the bed as if playing out a scene. Now we lay face-to-face in our bed.
“Tomas, please love me,” I whispered.
“Always.”
No more Grace. No more Charity. We were Tomas and Carlie now. But we still satisfied each other’s needs. Right beside our king-sized bed was a cedar box with a double-lock latch. From the box, he plucked out the nipple clamps and the bondage hemp rope.
No pockets needed for toys now.
He bound my hands at the wrists and then covered my body with his, our kiss stretching out until I thought my lips would be bruised. From my mouth he drifted downward, worshiping my body with each bite along my neck until his tongue flicked each nipple. A slow sensual stroke that made my toes curl.
Then he applied the clamps. I sucked in a breath. The pain blossomed into both bitter and sweet. With a dark glint to his eyes, he threaded a thin gold chain through my nipple rings, as well as the ring through my clit. He tugged twice on the chain and a shock pulsed from my breasts and shot straight to my pussy.
Damn. So. Good. I bit back the moan crawling up the back of my throat.
“Are you all right?” he asked. “I want to play some more.”
“More please, sir.”
Watchi
ng my face all the while, he tightened the clamps a bit more—only to pluck them off again. One by one. Not too slow, not too fast. Before he added them again, he lingered to kiss the stinging flesh. I fell into the beautiful space where only he and I existed. The place where he gave pain and I experienced it.
“My beautiful Carlie.” He untied me, removed the clamps again, and lay between my legs.
The moment he sank into me, I was filled. I wrapped my arms around his broad shoulders and accepted everything he gave me. Every deep stroke filled my soul and my heart. This was where I wanted to be.
His lips met mine. Tongues brushed against tongues and our bodies danced together as if we were constructing the most beautiful symphony.
His hips pumped faster and he grabbed my ass to deepen his stroke. My nipples stung from the clamps, but it was nothing compared to the rising heat inside of me. The pounding pleasure that rose every time he called out my name.
Sweat lined his brow. He was working hard this time. Pounding hard, just how I liked it. This was my reward. The pain and then the pleasure.
My back arched and the tension along my stomach raced to my limbs and back. I screamed and he covered his mouth with mine.
Tomas
Our bodies fit together perfectly. There was something beautiful about having her with me. We each knew what the other needed. She didn’t let me go until I climaxed inside of her.
We lay together for the longest time side by side.
With a yawn, she stretched out onto the crook of my arm. Her curly red hair slid like silk against my skin. Soon she dozed off, but I continued to lie there, content and at peace. Just like her, I often dreamed at night while wide awake. Most of my thoughts were thankful.
My love was with me now, and I’d find her there in the morning, too.
No more alarm clocks for Carlie. Not that they worked for her anyway. She’d started her consulting business thanks to my investment, and soon she’d be opening her office here in Seoul. So far I considered her company a valuable asset. Especially for my hotel in Boston.
I made Kraven the president over the hotel and management. He was overdue for finding his own way.
The hit to my portfolio took some adjustment, but with time I’d see a high profit margin. Dante’s Second Floor made me a lot of money. Ending that arrangement to sell the hotel to someone else just because I needed a new toy wasn’t looking beyond my needs.
Like Carlie, I was tired of running. I did want to forge my own path, but at this point, I wanted to make something to grow into. Seoul offered that challenge to me. After that, who knew how the wind would blow, but we’d chosen each other this time. We only had to forge a path that included each other.
I pulled her closer and she woke up.
“If you keep doing this, how are you gonna get up tomorrow?” she asked me.
“I think we should sleep in. Then I can make you pancakes again.”
She groaned. “You need a new recipe. Your last batch didn’t taste too good.”
“Work with me here, Gingerbread.” So far, Korean cuisine had worked out great for her diet. Of course, having a personal chef helped in that regard.
“Not hard enough, Goodfellow. Let Raoul do the cooking.” She snorted. “Have you cleared your schedule so we can attend Sophie’s wedding next month?”
“I asked Wendy to make sure I’d be there. Maybe you should be asking yourself the same question.”
“I don’t forget things like that.”
“Will she be upset we got married without your family being there?”
She pursed her lips as if deep in thought. The wedding ring I’d given her three months ago in Thailand sat on her finger. This one was much bigger than the forgotten promise ring. “This won’t be the first time I get a lecture from Sophie or Penny, but it doesn’t matter. At the moment, it was the right thing to do.”
Doing things on a whim was what Carlie did. When she told me yes, I didn’t hesitate to have the ceremony. Now that I had her, I wasn’t letting her go, but a part of me knew she regretted getting married without her close family.
“Why don’t we do something small after Sophie gets married in Phoenix?” I suggested. Sophie, Penny, and Griffin had been there for her during the good times and the bad.
Slowly, she nodded. Sleepiness clung to her. “We could make it a vacation. I know this great Japanese restaurant where we could have dinner.”
“Fuck. No.”
She smirked at me. “Are you saying you’re not man enough to eat a fish’s sperm sac?”
Instead of answering her, I captured her lips with mine. She giggled against my mouth and I knew I was in trouble, but Carlie was the kind of trouble I planned to keep. For a very long time.
To my wonderful husband. Thanks for saying yes to that first date—even if I did ask you over email.
Acknowledgments
Crafting a book is a difficult endeavor. This book was similar to giving birth. There was pain, but the aftermath was beautiful. I can’t thank Jeannie Lin and Amanda Berry enough for helping me shape the story into what it is now.
Much love goes to my Society Sisters for their continued support.
Thanks to the Missouri Romance Writers of America CORE group for reading the opening. Your feedback was appreciated.
BY SHAWNTELLE MADISON
At Your Service
Bound to You
Surrender to You
Other Books
Coveted
Kept
PHOTO: TODD STUDIOS
SHAWNTELLE MADISON is a Web developer who loves to weave words as well as code. She’d be reluctant to admit it, but if pressed, she’d say that she covets and collects source code. After losing her first summer job (detassling corn), Shawntelle performed various jobs, from fast-food clerk to grunt programmer to university webmaster. Writing eccentric characters is her favorite job of all. On any given day when she’s not surgically attached to her computer, she can be found watching cheesy horror movies or the latest action-packed anime. She lives in Missouri with her husband and children.
shawntellemadison.com
Facebook.com/shawntellemadisonauthor
@shawntelle
The Editor’s Corner
Looking for the next romance that’ll give you the feels? Our fantastic selection of books will definitely satisfy.
You’ve never read bedtime stories like the sensual forbidden fairy tales in Sharon Lynn Fisher’s Loveswept debut, Before She Wakes. And speaking of debuts, don’t miss New York Times bestselling author Kelly Elliott’s Searching for Harmony—a gut-wrenching story of a love that transcends all odds. Vonnie Davis’s Her Survivor welcomes readers to Wounded Warrior Falls, where beating the odds is what it’s all about, while Bound beneath His Pain kicks off a deeply sensual new series from Club Sin author Stacey Kennedy.
Diana Quincy continues her Rebellious Brides series with a tale of forbidden love between a socialite and a scholar in A License to Wed. Wedding bells are ringing—and tempers are flaring—as Marquita Valentine’s Take the Fall series continues in the sweet and sexy Hard to Fall. The Brothers of Mayhem MC ride again in Carla Swafford’s explosive novel Full Heat. Ashley Suzanne follows up Raven with the next round in her scorching Fight or Flight series, Cutter. The third book in Beth Yarnall’s Recovered Innocence series, Reclaim, is brimming with angst and sensuality. And don’t miss the next book in Stacey Lynn’s deeply emotional Fireside series, His to Protect. Or the story of a war hero fighting to remember the love he left behind in Serena Bell’s emotionally charged To Have and to Hold.
Then Shawntelle Madison’s seductive Surrender to You follows two career-oriented friends with benefits. And finally we have a cold case that leads to blazing-hot temptation in Kathy Clark’s romantic suspense Almost Forever.
Until next time ~Happy Romance!
Gina Wachtel
Associate Publisher
Read on for an excerpt from
Reason to Believe
> by Gina Gordon
Available from Loveswept
Chapter 1
Ben
If I saw one more naked body part I was seriously going to throw something.
I swiveled in my desk chair, turning away from my computer, where a group of naked individuals got off on my screen. It was the sixth pornographic scene I’d watched in the last four hours, and it was all part of my job.
I had thought becoming a director of porn was going to be fun. And it had been…at first.
What red-blooded male wouldn’t want to work in an industry with hot women and access to sex twenty-four hours a day? But a few months ago, I’d been promoted to vice president of White Lace Productions, the largest producer of adult entertainment in Canada, and I had to face facts: I was in way over my head. I was floundering in a sea of corporate tasks that I had no idea how to do. I was now responsible for production schedules, budgets, casting, and actor relations, and I was so out of realm.
I was an artist.
I was the visionary, for fuck’s sake.
I watched as cars traveled east and west on the main road in front of the office building, the harsh moans and grunts playing in the background—the soundtrack to my life. But lately, I couldn’t shake the feeling that there had to be more to life than porn.
My office door swung open, tearing my attention away from the monotonous traffic, and a familiar voice blurted behind me.
“I think I’ve just done something reckless and you might have to talk me off the ledge.”
I swiveled around and watched my best friend, Max Levin, stalk into my office.
Did I mention he was the traitorous asshole who used to be VP and left to pursue his passion, opening a boutique hotel in downtown Toronto?
Surrender to You Page 19