A Desperate Longing

by Brenda Williamson

  “You didn’t make it very hard to find you,” Gulliver said from behind her.

  “I wasn’t hiding.”

  “Yet you wouldn’t tell me where you were.”

  “I assumed you could find me if you wanted to.” She turned slowly.

  His brown eyes displayed apprehension. He knew she’d come about the decorator job—what he didn’t know were her thoughts about him. Nervously combing his fingers through his hair, he seemed speechless.

  “How’s your sister doing?” she asked.

  “She’s recovering from the shock. They hadn’t been getting along for a while and now she has an explanation for his mood swings. She’s still somewhat in denial of all he did.”

  Gulliver stuffed his hands in the pockets of his jeans. He looked good in casual clothes, with muscles rippling beneath a black T-shirt. She’d never met anyone sexier.

  “And Livia?”

  His jaw tightened.

  “He didn’t…Gulliver he didn’t do anything to her, did he?”

  His gazed shifted rapidly over her face. She didn’t like him holding back any information and yet she recognized why he thought he should.

  “How are you, Kacy? How’s everything been? Normal, uneventful?”

  She smiled and nodded. “I’m doing well and I can handle most anything.”

  Her comment prompted Gulliver to answer her question.

  “They don’t know for sure if Allen touched Livia or not. She’s not saying and I think Laura’s afraid to find out.”

  “Maybe if I talked to Laura and explained about how the mind copes with trauma…or maybe she wouldn’t want to see me.” She turned away. “I did kill her husband.”

  “Actually, she does want to see you, Kacy. She feels at fault for what happened to you and terrible about suggesting you were crazy when you were on the phone.”

  “Allen is the only one to blame.” She turned from him, trying to find something else to talk about. “Can I have a tour of the house?”

  He waved her through the entrance.

  She stepped inside and her head tilted back to look at the light above. A skylight framed the entire ceiling of the foyer.

  “When you said you liked to look at the stars, I thought it was some macho line you were trying on me.” She laughed.

  “It worked pretty well, didn’t it?” His fingers pressed into her back as he guided her further into the house.

  “It really was a line, then?” She looked over her shoulder at him, unable to resist the heat of his body near her.

  “Best I could do on short notice when I wanted to come in and check the layout of your place.” His hand moved down the center of her back.

  “Gulliver, why am I here?” She rotated slowly, never losing contact with his hand on her hip.

  “To see the extent of what I’d do for you. The skylights up there are my new way to seduce a woman. I put them in…actually, I built this entire house for you.”

  She hadn’t realized how foolish she’d been to stay away until that moment.

  “For me?” Her eyes watered. She had missed him.

  “And me, if you don’t mind.” His arm circled her waist and pulled her closer. She shivered.

  He wasted no time placing his mouth over hers and kissing her. She drew him tight so he’d know not to pull away too soon. The kiss went on for a long time and their tongues retraced familiar territory.

  “Mmm, what eight months of abstinence can do for a kiss,” he hummed as they parted only at the mouth.

  Kacy touched the scar over his brow. “How did you get this?”

  “I was chasing a man who murdered his girlfriend in an alley. He tripped, I fell over him and my face met with a tin can. I think it was lima beans.”

  “Oh Gulliver, are you always in such danger?” Her chest constricted.

  “From lima bean cans? Not anymore.” He cupped her jaw and stroked a finger over her cheekbone. “I’ve been promoted to captain since solving your case and a few others. It’s a desk job and takes some getting used to, but it’s more nine to five-ish. It allows me to be home at night.”

  Gulliver’s face neared. His lips brushed hers lightly.

  “Will you marry me?” He swept another kiss along her cheek.

  “Gulliver we knew each other for a couple weeks and I never got to actually know you without all the…”

  “…lies,” he finished. “Okay, how do you feel about living with me until you decide?”

  “I guess that could work.”

  Gulliver scooped her up. “Good, now how about I show you the bedroom?”

  “Do you know that man outside thinks you’re nuts?”

  “Yeah, I’ve been getting that a lot.” He nuzzled her neck as he walked to the staircase.

  “I might have to agree if you want to do what I think you do…”

  “Eight months is a mighty long time to do without, sweetheart. It’s even longer when I’ve been spying on you, unable to touch.”

  “Gulliver, you haven’t?”

  “I’ll confess I’ve known where you were since the very beginning. How else did you expect me to make sure no other man came along and stole my girl? That fellow, I think his name was Havershaw?”

  “Joe?”

  “It’s a good thing he ended up having a wife, and then there was always Peter. I was sure I made a bad choice in getting him to help me find the perfect place to build a house for you.”

  “Oh Gulliver, don’t tell me you have jealous tendencies, I can’t deal with anybody else’s craziness.” He set her down on her feet in the bedroom as Peter’s involvement sank in. “Peter helped you do this?”

  “He and I have mended fences where you’re concerned. He understands how right we are together. Besides, I have a sister that may have caught his eye. She’ll need time to sort through the mess with Allen, but Peter does have a knack at making her smile. At the closing on this place, he left me thinking that he and my sister might hook up down the road.”

  “So you and Peter were keeping tabs on me.” She tried to get angry, but she’d never heard of anything so wonderful.

  “I wanted you to have time to yourself, but damned if I was about to give you a chance to fall in love with another man before you knew I loved you.”

  “You love me?”

  “I thought I made that obvious.”

  “You did. I just like hearing it—to be sure my mind isn’t playing games with me.” She nestled herself against his chest, hugging him. “I love you, Gulliver. You’ll never have a need to be jealous.”

  “Okay, but would it bother you if I’m screwy sometimes?”

  Kacy leaned her head back. “It would bother me if you weren’t.”

  “Oh, why is that?”

  “Sane people make me crazy.” She laughed softly until the sound faded into a sigh under his deep kiss.

  “I can’t wait to see the stars,” she murmured as their lips parted.

  Gulliver stared at her. She saw herself smiling in his pupils. She felt truly content. She had a desperate longing to feel happy and be in love, and her dreams had finally come true.

  “I already see them.” He smiled and rested his forehead against hers. “And they’re beautiful.”

  Déjà vu swept her heart up into her throat. Unable to speak, she kissed him for what became an eternity.

  About the Author

  To learn more about Brenda Williamson, please visit her at www.BrendaWilliamson.com. You can also send an email to Brenda at Brenda@BrendaWilliamson.com. To keep updated on her upcoming releases, join Brenda’s newsletter—http://www.BrendaWilliamson.com/Newsletter.htm. You can also hang out and talk to Brenda along with other readers and writers at: http://www.groups.yahoo.com/group/BrendaWilliamsonRomanceParty/

  Look for these titles by Brenda Williamson

  Now Available:

  Sword of Rhoswen

  Wolverton Blood

  Devil’s Kiss

  A Beautiful Surrender

  One Ba
shful Lady

  Can separated soul mates learn to trust each other again before a ruthless killer ends their second chance?

  Bed of Lies

  © 2007 Pam Champagne

  Drug Enforcement Agent Ace Bear returns to Spruce Harbor, Maine to investigate a deadly drug ring. He’s prepared to deal with the town’s bigotry against his Cree heritage, but when he comes face-to-face with the woman he loved twelve years ago, passion flares. He realizes the ties between them cannot be broken.

  Brenna McKenzie is furious the man who deserted her the day their infant daughter died has dared to show his face. When she discovers why Ace is in town, however, fear for her brother, who she suspects is a drug addict, forces her to swallow her animosity. Ace’s return ignites a chain of events and soon Brenna’s own life is in jeopardy.

  As Brenna and Ace struggle to understand the treachery that once ripped them apart, they fight to stay one step ahead of the danger that threatens to put an end to their reunion—and their lives.

  Enjoy the following excerpt for Bed of Lies:

  Brenna floated on the brink of sleep when Ace returned. Like the night before, she watched him move around the small interior. He stacked wood next to the stove before taking off his boots. She ogled his lean, hard body. She’d grown accustomed to his long hair, pulled back and tied with a thin piece of rawhide. When he moved to blow out the kerosene lantern, she sat upright, the blanket falling to her waist.

  He spun around, his eyes widening. A hardened expression spread over his features, adding years to his age. For a brief moment, her bravery faltered. No. After all that had happened, honesty between them was vital. Plain and simple, she wanted Ace. As much, if not more, than when they’d been kids.

  She held his gaze and refused to back down at the cold amusement in his eyes. The loud, slow tick of the windup alarm clock filled the room. He may not like it, but passion flared in his eyes, convincing her that he, too, remembered the hot sex they’d once shared.

  He came toward her in the dim light. “People will talk,” he whispered.

  The sexy huskiness in his voice sent a thrill straight to her belly. “You think I give a damn?”

  “You sure?”

  “I’m tired of the way we’ve been circling each other. We’re adults now. We know what we want.”

  His mouth curved into a smile. “Hot sex?”

  She shook off the feeling that the smile held a hint of sadness. “You remember. Back then it was more than that.”

  He knelt on the floor beside the bed and stroked her cheek with fingers still cold from being outdoors. “And now?”

  “I don’t know,” she lied.

  Ace captured her hand and brought it to his lips. Her breath hitched at the wet warmth of his tongue on her palm. He released her wrist and kneaded her shoulders. “You’re beautiful. Back then you were a girl. Now you’re a woman.”

  “And you’re now a man, no longer a boy.”

  His mouth twisted in a half smile before he buried his face in her hair. He trembled against her. The hands clutching her body gave away his need. Did they have another chance at love?

  Ace trailed kisses down her neck to the necklace that hung in her cleavage before returning to her mouth. His kiss held the same hint of sadness as she’d seen in his smile. The kind of kiss that had once seen a hot fire and now hoped to fan the burning embers.

  She drank in his kisses, an occasional moan of pleasure escaping. Just when she thought she’d explode from want, his fingers burrowed beneath the blankets and closed around her hips. She kicked off the covers, craving cool air on her overheated skin. Ace bent and trailed his tongue across her navel.

  Need overwhelmed her. She swallowed the sob that rose in her throat. “Ace, please.” Her fingers clutched wildly at his hair.

  Without warning, he tugged her to the floor. She scrambled to her knees so they knelt, facing each other. Her stomach somersaulted at the intense hunger in his eyes. Their gazes locked. Her heart beat in time with his erection throbbing against her.

  Ace feared detonation any second. His erection pounded, demanding release. He forced himself to loosen his tight grip on Brenna’s shoulders. Surely, she’d have bruises. Such soft skin, never meant to be treated harshly.

  His body screamed to hurry and plunge deep inside this woman clinging to him as if she’d die if he didn’t. His brain sang a different chorus.

  “Been there, done that, jerk. Look where it got you the last time.”

  “This time’s different.”

  “Right. That’s what they all say.”

  “Ace?” Brenna’s soft voice interrupted the mind battle, and he realized he’d stiffened in her arms.

  “No talk,” he muttered and claimed her mouth, toppling her to the floor. The floor better suited his mood.

  His lips feathered her belly, tasting the slightly salty skin. In the yellow glow of the kerosene lantern, he focused on the myriad of thin, spidery scars above her bikini panties. From carrying their child. Joy and pride rushed to his head and quickly vanished, as cold anger pumped through his bloodstream. She’d tossed their daughter to the wolves. Given the infant away without even a glance. Ace rolled away.

  “What’s wrong?” Brenna’s hoarse voice revealed her hot arousal. “Ace?”

  The small hand touching his shoulder burned. He shook it off and got to his feet. “I can’t do this. There’s too much bad history between us.”

  Brenna got to her knees. “That’s not true. We can work around the past. As long as we’re together, anything is possible. Don’t make me responsible for what my father did.”

  Was she crazy? The Brenna he’d known would never act like giving away their child was of no consequence.

  “Ace?” He focused on her face. Confusion dimmed the warmth in her eyes. God she was beautiful. He still wanted her. Wanted to grab the hand she stretched toward him and pick up where they left off.

  His words came out more brutal than he’d intended. “No. It’s impossible.”

  “I don’t understand. Why are you so hostile? It’s almost as if you hate me.”

  “Hostile? Believe me, you don’t know the meaning of the word.”

  She maneuvered away from him, leaned against the bed and hugged her knees, head slightly bent. “Get out. I want to be alone.”

  His fingers itched to stroke the graceful shape of her bowed neck and tangle themselves in the black silk of her hair. For long moments he simply stared, then without a word, he left her.

  Outside, Ace pressed his forehead against a tree trunk and gulped the cold night air. The frigid temperatures soon brought him to his senses. He’d been unfair, both to himself and to Brenna. She must know why he was so bitter. He had a hard time understanding why she didn’t know already, but if she needed to hear the words, he’d give them to her. Pushing away from the tree, he walked back inside.

  He entered the cabin and moved to where she still sat on the floor. “How could you give away my child?”

  Guns, drug runners and a horde of angry alligators can't keep them apart.

  Inventing the Abbotts

  © 2007 Jerri Drennen

  Ava Stanton may be one of Aztec Security's best agents, but following the rules has never been her strong suit. She dresses too sexy, lives too loud and likes her men disposable. And Thorn Abbott loves her despite—or maybe because—of it.

  Thorn isn't exactly your average field agent—he's known more for being “Mr. Computer” than James Bond. When Ava goes on a dangerous mission, Thorn leaves the office behind to be her backup, determined to keep her safe no matter what.

  The two embark on operation “Fly to the Spider”, a high stakes game of seduction designed to trap a deadly criminal. It doesn't take long before Ava's seeing a whole new side of Thorn. Who knew he was hiding a killer set of abs beneath his conservative clothing? Maybe Thorn's love isn’t so unrequited after all.

  Soon they're dancing a dangerous two-step through the bayous of Louisiana, and between th
eir igniting passion and the terrorists on their tail, it's difficult to tell who's the spider and who's the fly…

  Samhain Publishing, Ltd.

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