Winston Brothers 01 Tangled Sheets

by Lori Foster

  Tangled Sheets Winston Brothers 01 by Lori Foster

  The other Winston Brothers

  by Lori Foster

  “Tangled Dreams”

  To uncover a family heirloom, two ghosts orchestrate a most passionate tryst between a demure lady and the sexy bartender she can’t get out of her mind—Chase Winston…

  “Tangled Images”

  When Mack Winston agreed to model loungewear for a catalog, he had no idea he’d be working with the only woman who’s ever intrigued him—serious, standoffish Jessica Wells…

  Lori Foster’s full-length novel Wild—

  to be published in January 2002—

  features Zane Winston.

  Turn to the back of this book for a special sneak preview…

  JOVE BOOKS, NEW YORK

  If you purchased this book without a cover, you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as “unsold and destroyed” to the publisher, and neither the author nor the publisher has received any payment for this “stripped book.”

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  THE WINSTON BROTHERS

  A Jove Book / published by arrangement with

  the author

  PRINTING HISTORY

  Jove edition / December 2001

  All rights reserved.

  Copyright © 2001 by Lori Foster.

  “Tangled Sheets”copyright © 1999 by Lori Foster.

  “Tangled Dreams” copyright © 1999 by Lori Foster.

  “Tangled Images” copyright © 2000 by Lori Foster.

  Excerpt from Wild copyright © 2001 by Lori Foster.

  This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced

  in any form without permission.

  For information address: The Berkley Publishing Group,

  a division of Penguin Putnam Inc.,

  375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014.

  Visit our website at

  www.penguinputnam.com

  ISBN: 0-515-13173-3

  A JOVE BOOK®

  Jove Books are published by The Berkley Publishing Group,

  a division of Penguin Putnam Inc.,

  375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014.JOVE and the “J” designare trademarks belonging to Penguin Putnam Inc.

  PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

  10 987654321

  Thank you readers!

  You’ve overwhelmed me with the wonderful response to my beloved Winston brothers. Your letters and e-mails have been very much appreciated.

  When I first decided to write Cole Winston’s story as a novella, I never dreamed that so many of you would enjoy him and his interfering, zany brothers as much as I did. I must admit though, I hoped my editor would like Cole’s story enough to want the other brothers.

  To my relief, she did!

  And so you got Chase Winston, the quiet bartender with the very kinky, and very hot, sexual predilections. Then the youngest brother, Mack Winston, surprised his family—and his woman—with a core of maturity and responsibility normally hidden behind a carefree facade.

  Now, in January 2002, I present you with Zane Winston in Wild, a Jove single title. Zane is well-known as the rowdiest Winston brother of them all—with good reason. Zane is sexy, outrageous and unstoppable. All he needs is a not-so-perfect woman to turn his orderly bachelor world upside down. And what a woman she is!

  I hope you’ll enjoy Wild and all the Winston brothers as much as I enjoyed writing them.

  My best,

  Lori Foster

  www.lorifoster.com

  P.S. Prepare yourself as I introduce a new Winston male in Wild. Joe Winston, a disreputable, rough and sexy cousin, is guaranteed to knock your socks off!

  To Cindy Hwang,

  From the first Winston brother to the last, working with

  you has always been a pleasure. Thank you for making this

  so much fun!

  Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter One

  Contents - Next

  She refused to spend her twenty-sixth Valentine’s Day as a virgin.

  Despite her circumspect upbringing, despite the well-meaning strictures of the maiden aunt who’d raised her, she was ready to become a woman, in every sense of the word. And Cole Winston—bless his gorgeous, sexy soul—was offering her the opportunity she needed to see her plans through.

  Sophie Sheridan scanned the flyer again as she hesitated just inside the door of Cole’s bar, previously called The Stud by some macho former owner, but changed to merely the Winston Tavern after Cole bought it. Heaven knew, the bar’s reputation was notorious enough without a suggestive label. Though, to Sophie’s mind, The Stud was pretty apropos, given what the Winston men looked like, Cole Winston especially.

  All the neighboring shops had received a flyer inviting women to take part in a new Valentine’s Day contest. Not that the Winston men needed an incentive to draw in the female crowd. Women loved to come here, to see one of the four brothers serving, tending bar, simply moving or smiling. They were a gorgeous, flirtatious lot, but Sophie had her eye on one particular brother.

  The door opened behind her as more patrons hustled in, allowing icy wind and a flurry of snowflakes to surround her. For just a moment, intrusive laughter overwhelmed the sound of soft music and the muted hum of quiet conversation. Distracted, Sophie stepped farther inside the bar, then headed for her regular seat at the back corner booth, away from the heaviest human congestion. Since she’d met Cole some seven months ago after buying her boutique, he’d gone out of his way to accommodate her, to make certain her seat was available for her routine visit each night. He did his best to cater to all his customers’ preferences, which in part accounted for his incredible success at the bar. Cole knew everyone, spoke easily with them about their families and their problems and their lives.

  But he was so drop-dead sexy, Sophie spent most of her time in his company trying to get her tongue unglued from the roof of her mouth. It was humiliating. She’d never been so shy before; of course, she’d never received so much attention from such an incredible man before, either. Cole made her think of things she’d never pondered in her entire life, like the way a man smelled when he got overheated, so musky and sexy and hot, and how his beard shadow might feel on the more sensitive places of her body.

  She shuddered, drawing in a deep breath.

  While Cole believed she was timid and withdrawn, and treated her appropriately, Sophie had concocted some sizzling, toe-curling fantasies about him. Now, thanks to his contest, she just might be able to fulfill them.

  Heat slithered through her, chasing away the lingering cold of winter, coloring her cheeks. Unfortunately, Cole chose that moment to set her requisite cup of hot chocolate in front of her. He’d put extra whipped cream on the top, and the smell was deliciously sinful. Almost as delicious as Cole himself.

  “Hello, Sophie.”

  His low voice sank into her bones, and she slowly raised her gaze to him. Warm whiskey described the color of his eyes, fringed by thick, black lashes and heavy brows. She swallowed. “Hi.”

  Slow and easy, his grin spread as he looked down to see the flyer clutched in her hand. “Good.” There was a wealth of male satisfaction in his rough tone, and his gaze lifted, locking onto hers, refusing to let her look away. “You going to enter?” he asked in
a whisper.

  Here was the tricky part, the only way she could think to gain her ends. Their relationship, already set by her tongue-tied nervousness, was hard to overcome. She couldn’t merely go from reserved to aggressive overnight, not without confusing him and risking a great deal of embarrassment.

  Her aunt Maude had drummed the importance of pride and self-respect into her from an early age. If she gambled now, and lost, she’d also lose the comfort of coming to his bar every night, the excitement of small conversations, and the heat of her fantasies. If he rejected her, she wouldn’t simply be able to pick up and carry on as usual. Something very precious to her—their relationship— would have been destroyed. Everyone she loved, everyone she felt close to, was gone. She didn’t want to risk the quiet, settling camaraderie she shared with him in the atmosphere of his bar.

  But if she won, if she was able to interest him for even a short time, it wouldn’t last. Cole was renowned as a diehard bachelor; he simply didn’t get overly involved with anyone. At thirty-six, you had to take his dedication to living alone seriously. The man obviously liked being a bachelor, had worked hard at staying that way.

  His rejection could put a distance between them she wasn’t willing to chance. So she had to use deception.

  “I couldn’t,” Sophie said, laying the colorful flyer aside. She licked her lips in nervousness and toyed with the cup of hot chocolate, making certain it sat exactly in the center of her napkin. “I’d feel silly.”

  Cole’s smile was indulgent and blatantly male. He pulled a chair over from the next table rather than sitting opposite her in the booth. He straddled it, his arms crossed over the back. “Why?” He sat so close, Sophie could smell his scent, cologne and warm male flesh, a combination she hadn’t appreciated or even noticed until meeting Cole. She breathed deeply and felt her stomach flutter, as if his scent alone could fill her up.

  Cole tilted his head at her, cajoling. “All you need to enter is a photo. I can even take your picture here at the bar. There will be dozens of other pictures up, too, you know. Already, we’ve had around twenty women sign up. I’ll hang all the pictures in the billiard room, and on Valentine’s Day, we’ll vote on the prettiest picture.”

  “There’s no point in it,” Sophie said, though she hadn’t meant to. She wasn’t fishing for a compliment, but she realized that was how it sounded when Cole made a tsking sound.

  His hand cupped under her chin, lifting her face, and his look was so tender, so warm, her heart tripped over several beats, making her gasp. “You’re very pretty, Sophie.”

  Oh, to have him mean that! But Sophie had seen Cole treat everyone in the bar in the same familiar way. He was simply a people person: open, solicitous, and friendly. He teased the older women until they blushed, left all the younger women giddy with regret, and the men, regardless of whether they were businessmen, laborers, or retirees, all liked and respected him. They gathered around him and hung on his every word. Cole liked people, and he made everyone, male and female, young and old, feel special.

  The heat from his hand, the roughness of his palm, was a wicked temptation, inciting sinful thoughts. She wondered what it might feel like to have that hard palm smoothing over other parts of her body, places no one had ever seen, much less touched. Her breathing quickened and her hands shook.

  Clamoring to get her thoughts in order, Sophie held up the flyer and tried for a bright smile. “I think this might be more suitable for my sister. I don’t photograph well, but she’s in town for a brief visit and might like the idea.”

  For an instant, Cole froze, then he dropped his hand and studied her. “You have a sister?”

  “Yes. A twin actually.” The words slipped easily past her stiff lips. “Though we’re not that much alike in personality. Shelly is much more… outgoing.”

  “Outgoing?” He looked intrigued. Shifting slightly, he said, “A twin,” and his tone was distracted, low and deep. “Tell me about her.”

  Sophie blinked at him. “Um, what’s to tell? She looks like me, except she’s not so…”

  That small smile touched his mouth again. “Buttoned down?”

  “Well, yes, I suppose.” Buttoned down? What did that mean? “Shelly was always the popular one in school.”

  Suddenly, he shook his head and his dark, silky hair fell over his forehead. Sophie loved his hair, how straight it was, the slight hint of silver at his temples, the way it reflected the bar lights. She wanted desperately to smooth it back, to touch him, to see if it felt as silky and cool as it looked. She clasped her hands tightly on the table.

  “You should both enter. Maybe even together. The judges would love it.”

  “Who…” She had to clear her throat. Cole suddenly stood, and his size, his strength, always sent her brain into a tailspin. She peered up at him, liking the differences in their sizes, imagining how they might fit together. There was just so much of him to appreciate, to tempt. “Who are the judges?”

  Now his grin was wicked. “Me and my brothers. I think it’s justice, given the way the media has taunted us this last year. Did you see that most recent article?” He snorted in amusement. “My brothers ate it up.”

  Sophie smiled, too. All the Winston brothers were superb male specimens. Cole owned the friendly neighborhood bar, but his brothers, Mack and Zane and Chase, helped work it. Mack was the youngest, and still in college, but at twenty-one, he had the quiet maturity of a much older man. Zane, at twenty-four, was the rowdiest and split his workload between his own computer business, which was still getting off the ground, with the sure paycheck from his brother. Chase, at twenty-seven, only a year older than Sophie, shared all the responsibilities with Cole. Though Cole owned the bar, he consulted with Chase on all major decisions. Chase, unlike Cole, was quiet, and more often than not, worked behind the bar, handing out drinks and listening, rather than talking.

  In the seven months since she’d first met them, Sophie found the brothers got along incredibly well, and combined, they were enough to send the female denizens of Thomasville, Kentucky, into a frenzy.

  “They actually suggested we should go topless,” Cole said.

  Sophie covered her mouth in an effort to hold back her mirth. The local papers had a fine time with their good-natured taunting of the Winston men. They teased them for their good looks and their overwhelming female clientele, constantly soliciting them to do an article on their personal lives. The brothers always refused.

  Cole sounded disgruntled, but Sophie thought the idea had merit. Heaven knew, even with the business they had now, their popularity would likely double if the Winston men strutted around bare-chested. It was an altogether tantalizing thought.

  “Zane has been threatening to take his shirt off all day,” Cole added, “and the women have been egging him on. Knowing Zane, he just might do it. I have to make sure he doesn’t end up doing a striptease and get us shut down.”

  This time there was no stifling her laughter. She, too, could picture Zane doing such a thing. He flirted outrageously, and like the other Winston brothers, had his share of admirers.

  “You don’t laugh very often.”

  Sophie bit her lip. His look was so intense and intimate, her belly tingled. He had the most unique effect on her, and she loved it. No other man had ever listened to her so attentively, shown such interest in her thoughts and ideas and feelings. He made her feel so special. She had no idea what to say, then didn’t have to say anything as his concentration was diverted by Mack, who had sauntered up to his side. “The delivery guys are here.”

  Looking back at her, Cole nodded. “I’ll be right there.” He waited until Mack had turned away, then leaned down, one large hand on the booth seat behind her, the other spread on the table. “Enter the contest, Sophie.”

  His breath touched her cheek and she jerked. She stared at the table, her hands, anywhere rather than meet that probing gaze at such close proximity. She’d likely throw herself at him if she did. “My sister will be in later ton
ight. She’ll enter.”

  He straightened slowly and she heard him sigh. “All right. I’m not giving up on you, but you can tell her to come see me when she gets here. I’d like to meet her.”

  Sophie watched him walk away, loving his long-legged stride, the way his dark hair hung over his collar, the width of his back and hard shoulders. As he maneuvered around the tables, women watched his progress, their sidelong looks just as admiring. He stopped to speak to many of them, leaving laughter and dreamy smiles behind, and Sophie knew he’d convince them all to enter. That was just the way he was, attentive to everyone, easy to talk to.

  He’d meet her sister, all right. Sophie could hardly wait.

  * * *

  “Here.”

  Cole started in surprise as Chase shoved the icy cold can of whipped cream into his hand, drawing his attention away from Sophie. He raised a brow. “What?”

  “You’ve been standing there salivating ever since she lifted her spoon. I always wondered why you put so damn much whipped cream on her chocolate. Now I know.”

  Cole didn’t bother to deny the charge. Hell, he’d been half hard since Sophie had lifted the first spoonful to her mouth. Such a sexy mouth, full and soft and—he was obsessing, damn it.

  He remembered the very first day he’d met her, when she’d bought the boutique a few doors down and across the street. She’d come in after work, looking prim and proper and very appealing, and she’d ordered hot chocolate, of all things, even though the weather in July had been steamy. Amused, he’d put an extra dollop of whipped cream on top, then watched in sensual appreciation while she’d savored it, her small tongue licking out over her upper lip, her eyes closing with each small taste. She’d been unaware of his scrutiny, and for seven months he’d been allowing her to torment him nightly with the ritual.

  “Since she’s finished that up, you want to go for broke and give her more?”

  Cole shook his head, choosing to ignore the jest. “Too obvious. If she had any inkling how much I enjoy watching her, she would never order hot chocolate again.”