“Then why would I go through all of this,” he asked softly. “Why would I nearly kill myself getting this done before you came home again? There were nights I brought a sleeping bag and slept on the floor because I didn’t want to take the time to go home.”
He slid his hands up over her shoulders, her neck, and finally palmed her face between his hands. “I wanted this to be ready for you because I’m not good at groveling, Cori. I’ve never had to do it and I’ve sure as hell never needed it to matter this much.”
Cori’s breath hitched, her lids lowered and she bit her lip. Silence enveloped them as the soft glow from the sunset flooded the wide window. He didn’t want to rush her, didn’t want to pressure her, but he wanted—needed—her to know just how valuable she was in his life.
“I’ve never loved a woman before, Cori. I never thought I needed a woman to complete me. But I do.” He rested his forehead against hers. “I need you.”
When Cori’s arms wrapped around his waist, Dylan’s knees nearly went weak with relief. He eased forward, closing the slim gap between them as he slid his hands up into her hair and tilted her head back.
Her lids fluttered open and those misty eyes landed on his.
“If I stay and open this restaurant with you, will I have to bake at home too?” she asked with a slight smile.
Dylan grinned. “Maybe just for my birthday.”
“If I stay, do you promise we’ll never hurt each other again?”
“I can’t promise that,” he told her. “But I can promise I’ll love you forever and be here for you, no matter the cost.”
Cori’s smile widened. “I love you, Dylan. I love how you make me feel and how far you’ve gone to prove that I mean something to you. I had my career starting back up in Miami, but when I’d come home at night to the empty condo, it was depressing and lonely.”
“I know.” He nipped at her lips. “There wasn’t a part of my house that I could look at and not see you. We made love in nearly every room and those images rolling through my head were pure torture.”
Cori slid her lips across his, coaxing his lips apart with her tongue. Softly, she kissed him until he changed the angle and attacked her mouth. Weeks of pent-up passion and frustration fueled his desire.
Her hands slid beneath his T-shirt, her nails bit into his back.
“Are we going to christen this place?” she asked against his lips.
“We’ll have to go in the back. That window is pretty large.”
Cori glanced over her shoulder. “It’s getting dark. Lock that door.”
In no time Dylan had flicked the lock and shut off the lights. Cori had backed up to the wall between the window and the door and started unbuttoning her pants. They whooshed down to the floor, where she kicked them and her sandals aside. Seeing her standing there in her cotton shirt and silky panties nearly made him weep with want.
“I need to show you how much you were missed,” she told him with an evil grin.
Dylan crossed the space between them in two strides and had her plastered against the wall as his mouth claimed hers. His hands were up her shirt, pulling down her bra, teasing her nipples as she went to work on his jeans. She jerked the button open and slowly eased down the zipper over his erection.
As soon as his jeans and boxers were pushed down, he hoisted her up, holding her firmly between his body and the wall. Cori’s legs wrapped around his waist and he plunged into her.
“Sorry for the hurry,” he told her as he pumped his hips. “I need you now, Cori.”
She squeezed his shoulders as she tilted her hips against his. “Yes, yes…”
His hands wrapped firmly around her waist, holding her still as he moved in and out at a frantic pace. Dylan claimed her lips again as her body started to tighten around him. Every part of her clenched and Dylan couldn’t hold back any longer.
As their bodies shook, he held on to her, knowing he’d never let her go, knowing this was literally the first day of so many more to come for them.
Cori eased her legs down to stand on the floor. Her hands were still tightened on his shoulders.
“That was a nice start to welcoming me back,” she told him. “But I think we may need to go home and try that again.”
Dylan smiled. “Home? And where is that for you, Cori?”
“Your house, your bed.”
“Does that mean you’ll be moving in with me?”
Cori smiled. “It means I’m living with you and we’ll be getting married.”
Dylan laughed, kissed her on the lips. “I was going to propose the right way, but you beat me to it. I was so worried about getting this place done I hadn’t gone to get a ring yet.”
Cori shook her head. “I don’t need a ring, Dylan. I need you. I need us.”
Dylan kissed her again, so thankful for second and third chances.
“Let’s go home, Cori.”
About the Author
As an award-winning author, Jules Bennett has penned her way into the hearts of readers with her sassy and sexy characters since 2005. When she isn’t tapping away on her keyboard dreaming of a happily-ever-after for her next story, she is living her own HEA with her high school sweetheart hubby and chasing around their two beautiful girls. She’s also starting her own small petting zoo with her rescue Beagle/St. Bernard mix (go ahead and laugh), her rescue bunny and a goldfish that will outlive the whole family.
Jules loves to hear from readers. Find her online via her website, www.julesbennett.com; on Facebook, “Jules Bennett’s Fan Page”; or on Twitter, @JulesBennett.
Look for these titles by Jules Bennett
Now Available:
Scandalous
Sins from Her Past
She will never be free to love…until she finds the courage to heal.
Sins from Her Past
© 2013 Jules Bennett
Scandalous, Book 1
After her parents’ deaths, Evelyn Banks endured a living hell for nearly two years at the hands of her godfather’s son. She couldn’t tell anyone…not her brother, and certainly not the godfather who took them in.
Now she is twenty-five—and still trapped in silence. After all the time, no one would believe her. And any revelation of her shame could halt her godfather’s political aspirations. But what she can do is take her design firm to the next level with a project for her brother’s best friend. Handsome, sexy hotelier Vincent Hawk.
Vin has always had a thing for Evie, but kept his hands off out of respect for her brother. Now that they’re traveling together, though, keeping his distance is tearing him apart. Except every move he makes to get close is met with not just mere resistance, but with a fear-whitened face and trembling body.
Evie can’t deny she’s falling for Vin, but accepting their future means facing her past…a past that could destroy everyone she loves.
Warning: This book contains a heroine who fights to get past her demons, a hero who’s more than willing to help, a few emotional scenes that may require a tissue and some steamy love scenes guaranteed to make you fan yourself.
Enjoy the following excerpt for Sins from Her Past:
Oh mercy.
Was the man purposely toying with her? She would not be a cliché and fall for her boss. Technically they were friends first, but right now he was her boss.
“How about if we turn the tables and discuss the woman behind the new design business?”
She laughed. “Okay, Vincent, I’ll let you dig deeper into my professional life for a bit.” But not too deep.
The water bottle popped as he squeezed it a bit too hard, so he settled it into the cup holder and screwed the cap back on. “What can you offer me?”
Tremors raced, one after the other, through her body. She knew he meant business but, mercy, his words had a whole other meaning. Almost sexual and for the first time, she wanted to explore that underlying passion, but that damn fear kept her from doing so. Still, she was thankful and almost relieved at these normal feelin
gs of desire.
Evelyn ran a finger over the stones of her single-strand diamond bracelet. “I have an eye for details and am a perfectionist. I take the work off my clients so they can relax and enjoy the process.”
“From working with you and the team at Marshall’s I can see how much you love your work.”
“Every minute.”
“That’s what will set you apart from the rest.” His eyes held hers, his tone softened. “When you love something it comes through without any effort.”
Smile frozen in place, Evelyn eyed him with a tilt of her head. “Don’t tell me you love your work. Money clouds the vision.”
“There you go assuming you know the business side of me,” he corrected. He glanced out the side window, then quickly back at her. “Yes, money is nice, but I love what I do just as much as you do. I wouldn’t be in this business if I didn’t. You know how hard I work. Money is a side benefit of doing something I love.”
“Didn’t mean to lump you into the category of rich snobs,” she told him, batting her lashes.
“Oh please. You love knocking me down a peg.” He laughed. “Seriously, I won’t let the money change me.”
“It hasn’t,” she assured him, taking in his faded jeans and black, fitted T-shirt. “I promise to smack you back to reality if it does.”
“I’m afraid you’d like smacking me a little too much,” he told her.
Yes, he owned a jet and two homes, but the man was generous with his time and money and constantly donated to children’s charities and women’s shelters. While he never bragged or boasted about it, Evelyn had witnessed firsthand the people whose lives he’d touched with his generosity. And he didn’t just donate money—often he donated his time.
“Dylan seemed excited we were working together,” she told him. “But he’s a little bummed I just got home and left again.”
“We won’t be gone long.”
Vin gripped the arm of the seat as the plane hit an air pocket. He held his breath for a moment, then blew it out as he focused on her.
“You okay?” she asked. She’d never seen him act so…scared almost. What was up with that? “You seem a bit shaky.”
“I’m fine.” He gripped his bottle in the cup holder, cracking the plastic. “I tried calling him, but he was busy. I guess with fixing up your old house he’s got his hands full.”
“I just hope he doesn’t regret staying there during the process.”
Vin shrugged. “The memories will be there no matter when he goes back. Don’t worry about him.”
“The memories of our parents will certainly be the hardest,” she told him. “But there’re also the memories of Corinne. There’s so much heartache in that house, Vin. I just hope he doesn’t regret purchasing it.”
Evelyn hated the girl who had broken her brother’s heart and nearly killed his spirit in the process. But Vin was right. Dylan was a big boy and he’d be fine…even if his world-renowned model ex-girlfriend returned to their tiny town.
“It’s understandable that you’d want to protect him,” Vin told her. “Especially after what he did for you when your parents died. Between him, Rick and Alan, you were fortunate to have people to take care of you.”
She refused to give an ounce of gratitude. Rage toward the man who murdered her innocence and continued to plague her life bubbled up in her.
Evelyn straightened her shoulders, tilted her chin. “I never needed anyone to care for me.” She came to her feet to look down at him. “I’m more than capable—”
Another air pocket jerked the plane, sending her stumbling onto his lap.
Vin merely quirked a brow and smiled. “You were saying?”
Oh no, she couldn’t be in his lap, not with that sexy mouth so close. Not with that thick, muscular body molded to hers with only their thin layers of clothing separating them. And certainly not when she was seething with anger on top of these newfound urges of desire. How could she trust her own judgment?
His heavy-lidded gaze dropped to her lips.
“Vincent.” Her plea came in a whisper, not strong like she needed it to be. This couldn’t happen. On so many levels this spark of intimacy was wrong.
But on the only level that mattered right now, this feeling in his arms was so, so right. They’d hugged countless times over the years, but nothing like this. No hold had ever felt so…safe and electric at the same time.
With one arm firmly around her, he brought his other hand to her lips, stroking the bottom one with the pad of his thumb. Without her consent, her breath hitched. The man had too much power over her. Power was something she couldn’t lose control of. For her own peace of mind, she needed to stay in control at all times.
Cupping the side of her face in one strong hand, he closed the gap between them. As his lips claimed hers, he stroked the side of her face. Evelyn couldn’t recall what her fantasies of kissing Vincent were like, which just went to prove that reality was much, much better.
Being bad never felt so good…
Born to Be Wild
© 2012 Elle Kennedy
Welcome to Paradise, Book 3
Bree Lockhart was always the good girl—on the surface. During her senior year of high school, however, her inner bad girl was lured out to play by reckless, carefree Jake Bishop. Her parents’ worst nightmare, and the man she she’s never forgotten.
Twelve years later, she’s home for a charity event and up for auction. The highest bidder? Jake. This time around, he wants more than a wild ride—he wants it all. But she’s not about to risk her heart on another fling that’ll just leave it in pieces.
Jake once reveled in showing Bree how good it is to be bad. But convincing her he can be good for her is going to take some very special tactics…
Warning: This book features a bad boy soldier determined to chip away at a good girl’s resistance with hot sex, hot sex, and…more hot sex.
Enjoy the following excerpt for Born to Be Wild:
Stepping into the ballroom, Bree searched the crowd, needing to get this over with as soon as possible. So what if her body had been consumed with heat when she and Jake had made eye contact? She wasn’t a horny teenager anymore. She controlled her hormones now, not the other way around.
Sighing, she weaved through the throng of people, then came to a standstill when she caught sight of Jake by the refreshment table.
God, he looked good. Really, really good. A white dress shirt clung to his broad chest, black trousers encasing his long, trim legs. And his face—man, he’d grown even sexier with age. Ruggedly gorgeous features, gray eyes smoldering with seductive heat. The man oozed sex and masculinity. He always had, and probably always would.
When their eyes locked, that same surge of desire she’d experienced on stage made a reappearance. Steeling herself against his potent maleness, she strode over to the drink table and managed a faint smile. “Hey, Jake,” she said, keeping her tone light.
“Bree,” he said in that husky voice of his. His stormy silver eyes swept over her. “You look good.”
She swallowed. “So do you.” So good that her nipples were already hardening against the front of her lacy bra.
Damn it. Twelve freaking years later, and her libido still kicked up a notch in the presence of this man.
“It’s been a long time,” he added.
“Yeah,” she agreed. “How’s military life?”
Something indecipherable flashed across his chiseled face. “Same as always. How’s lawyer life?”
“It’s great,” she admitted. “I love my job.”
“I’m glad to hear it.”
Was he? Because as she recalled, he hadn’t seemed too concerned when he’d persuaded her to skip the SATs so they could spend the day in bed.
Your fault, not his.
Fine, there was some truth to that. Jake hadn’t forced her to miss the test. She’d done that all by herself. So wrapped up in his sexual spell that she’d been willing to drop everything for just one more secon
d with him.
God, back then she would’ve done anything for Jake Bishop. He was the guy who’d shown her how much fun life could be, that under the surface she was a good girl just waiting to be bad. And lord, she’d been bad. Not just in exploring her sexuality with Jake, but neglecting school, rebelling against her parents.
But she was older now. Wiser. A successful lawyer, the proud new owner of a beautiful bungalow in Denver’s Cherry Creek neighborhood, a woman who was completely happy with her life.
Yet as she looked into Jake’s hypnotic gray eyes, she realized that no matter how happy she was, her life still lacked one thing: Passion. She’d slept with other men since Jake, but she couldn’t remember the last time a man’s mere proximity made her heart gallop like a racehorse. Or when the simple sound of a man’s voice brought such a delicious ache to her core.
Only Jake managed to evoke that response in her, which was really freaking annoying.
“So…” She cleared her throat. “You didn’t have to spend a thousand bucks to have dinner with me, you know. If you wanted to catch up, we could have done it over breakfast at the diner, free of charge.”
“Is that what you want to do tonight? Catch up?” His voice held a mocking note.
Bree’s heart did a little flip, but she caught herself before her pulse sped off into oblivion. “It would be nice,” she said noncommittally. “I’d like to hear what you’ve been up to all these years.”
“Really?” He edged closer and his masculine scent grabbed hold of her senses. Soap and spice and something woodsy. “So you want to listen to my anecdotes and share life stories?”
“Y-yes.”
He chuckled.
The sound sent a shiver up her spine.
“Come on, Bree, we both know conversation isn’t on the agenda for tonight.”
Secrets from Her Past: Scandalous, Book 2 Page 16