And when she'd become enamored of the fantasy, she'd never, ever dreamed she'd live it out. What woman did? But now that she had the opportunity, she really didn't want to walk away.
"So, don't get me wrong, I find the whole thing wildly sexy, but…"—he shrugged—"we sound a bit mean, prosecuting your brother." At his grin and the twinkle in his eye, she knew he wasn't making fun of her, but he was teasing her.
"Well, he did do you wrong."
"True. But then we're distracted by a beautiful woman."
Her cheeks burned hotter at his compliment. "Well, a woman offering sex, anyway."
He chuckled and stood up. "Okay, I think we're ready to proceed. The others know the story and are ready to go and we all know the safe word is Tiger. The minute we step out of this office, we're into our roles. Okay?"
"Okay." Her stomach quivered as she stood up.
They walked to the door together, but before he opened it, he took her hand and kissed it. Tingles danced along her skin at the delicate brush of his lips.
"Sylvia, thank you for including us in your fantasy." Then he winked and opened the door.
She followed him to the end of the big table in the open area where he gestured for her to sit down. He tapped something on his phone, then leaned back in his chair.
"The others will be here in a few moments." His tone was more business-like now, rather than the easy banter of before.
The man from the other office walked to the chair next to Mike's and sat down, glancing at her speculatively. He had short cropped, sandy hair, a wide face with a square jaw, and warm, brown eyes. He wore dark blue jeans and a shirt. A moment later, two men appeared from the hallway, and Sylvia's breath caught at the side of the tall biker named Slade she'd seen entering the building earlier. Man, this fantasy was getting better by the minute. And the man by his side was the cyclist he'd spoken with at the door.
The cyclist's short, straight hair was a little damp—he'd probably taken a shower—and he wore dress pants and a striped shirt, accentuating his narrow waist and broad shoulders. Thoughts of him naked in the shower, water sluicing over his muscular body sent a quiver through her. Her gaze shifted to Slade, still wearing his jeans and T-shirt. Clearly, he was the rebel of the bunch.
They sat down and she glanced around the table at these four men, who used to be male strippers. They were all gorgeous and soon she'd be having hot, kinky sex with them all.
"This is Sylvia, the woman we discussed a few days ago. She's here because of the arrangement to compensate for her brother's debt," Mike said. "Sylvia, this is Granger Smith, Neil Craig, and Slade Forrester."
She nodded as she gazed at their serious expressions. Tension curled inside her.
"So, she's going to be our office slave, right?" Slade said.
"Yes, that's the arrangement," Mike answered.
"Good, then I think we should start right off with seeing what's underneath those clothes she's wearing.
Her gaze locked on his and his charcoal eyes glittered as a slow smile spread across his face. Heat washed through her.
"Excellent idea." Mike said.
####
Other Books by Opal Carew
Contemporary erotic short stories and novellas
Taken By Storm
Debt of Honor
Red Hot Fantasies series
#1: The Male Stripper
#2: The Stranger
#3: The Office Slave
#4: The Captive (coming soon)
#5: The Bridal Affair (coming soon)
The Office Slave series
#1: The Office Slave (this is also Red Hot Fantasies #3, above)
#2: The Boss
#3: On Her Knees (coming soon)
Three series
#1: Three
#2: Three Men and a Bride
#3: Three Happy Endings (coming soon)
Futuristic erotic romance
Slaves of Love
Celestial Soul-Mates series
Book 1: The King and I
Book 2: The Commander's Woman
Book 3: Passion Play
Book 4: Love Unexpected (tbd)
Book 5: Fantasy Bound (tbd)
Fantasy erotic romance
Crystal Genie
Contemporary erotic romance
His to Command
Illicit
Insatiable
Secret Weapon
Total Abandon
Pleasure Bound
Bliss
Forbidden Heat
Secret Ties
Six
Blush
Swing
Twin Fantasies
Contemporary serial erotic romances
His to Command
#1: The Chase
#2: The Capture
#3: The Revelation
#4: The Arrangement
#5: The Submission
#6: The Surrender
His to Possess
#1: The Seduction
#2: The Morning After
#3: A Perfect Storm
#4: True Lies
#5: Entangled
#6: Forever
Anthologies and box sets
Unraveled – contains the novella Taken By Storm
Love In Disguise – contains the novel The Cinderella Obsession
Seduction in the Sun – contains the novella Debt of Honor (coming soon)
Northern Heat – contains the short story Three
Other Books by Amber Carew
Contemporary romance
The Cinderella Obsession
Virgin Spy
Virgin Wanted
Contemporary fantasy romance
Magical Dawn
Virgin Wizard
Contemporary futuristic romance
Captive Lover
About the Author
Opal Carew is a USA Today bestselling author of erotic romance. She was named "Fresh Face of Erotic Fiction 2009" and her books have won the National Readers' Choice Award, Award of Excellence, Golden Leaf Award, and Golden Quill Award. They have also been finalists for the HOLT Medallion, Laurel Wreath Award, Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence, and Passionate Plume Award.
Opal loves nail polish, crystals, dragons, feathers, cats, pink hair, the occult, Manga artwork, and all that glitters. She is also a Certified Zentangle® teacher. She earned a degree in Mathematics from the University of Waterloo, and spent 15 years as a software analyst before turning to her passions as a writer. She lives in Canada with her husband, two sons and three cats.
To learn more about Opal, visit her website at www.opalcarew.com or contact her at [email protected].
Connect with Opal online:
Website: http://www.OpalCarew.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/opalcarew
Newsletter Signup: http://tinyurl.com/OCNewsletter
Facebook: http://facebook.com/OpalCarewRomanceAuthor
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/OpalCarew
Blog: http://opalcarew.tumblr.com/
*~*~*
A Highlander for the Holidays
By Dawn Halliday
A Highlander for the Holidays
By Dawn Halliday
In the wintery Highland mountains, Aileen and Niall unleash their forbidden passion. But Aileen is promised to another this Christmas, and the wicked Lowlander will stop at nothing to have her.
Aileen Munro doesn't want another cruel husband. But just as the laird of the Mackenzies pledges her to a man much worse than the last, her old friend Niall MacRae bursts back into her life. Niall is a full-fledged Highland warrior now, and his quiet strength sparks a burning desire within her.
Niall has come to accompany Aileen to her brother's castle, where her holiday betrothal will secure an alliance between the bordering clans. Niall has always had strong feelings for Aileen, but to touch her will be a betrayal of the oath of fealty he has made to his laird.
Torn between loyalty, duty, honor and love,
Aileen and Niall have denied their forbidden attraction for too long. As soon as they unleash their passion, they are torn apart. But Aileen and Niall have only one wish this Christmas: to be together…even at risk to their honor…and their lives.
For Lawrence, who’s been my knight in shining armor more times than I can count.
Chapter One
A chill blasted through Aileen Munro’s bedchamber, raising the tiny hairs on her arms. She laid her embroidery aside, tucked her knees under her chin, wrapped her arms around them, and gazed into the fire. It was early November, and Aileen’s chambers were well protected from the cold, but on rare occasion, the frigid late-autumn air somehow crept inside.
And on those occasions, the cold seemed to accompany bad tidings. The last time she’d felt the icy coldness in this room had been three weeks ago, just before the men brought her husband home from the boar hunt lying on a board.
The door to the chamber burst open, and Aileen turned her head to see her maid, Jannet, rush into the room, her freckled cheeks bright pink with exertion.
“Milady”—Jannet reeled to a halt on the rug beside Aileen’s chair—“Highlanders have just arrived. They’ve come from Ellandonan!”
The chill settled deep into Aileen’s bones. She spoke slowly. “Is that so?”
“Aye, milady. I am to tell you that the laird pays his respects. And”—the lass’s petite frame shook with excitement—“he invites you to his castle.”
Of course he does. And Aileen knew the summons wasn’t an invitation. It was an order.
Releasing a controlled breath, Aileen rose, shook out her dress, and went to the window. Jannet came to stand beside her, and side by side, they peered down. Milky afternoon sunlight pushed through the fog, sending an eerie glow across the courtyard as the Highland riders crowded through the castle’s open gates.
She’d known this was coming. The Mackenzie laird, John, was her older half brother, and now that she was a widow, he wouldn’t leave her to languish here at Dornoch Castle to be kidnapped or raped by an ambitious Lowlander eager for her lands. Nay, he would bring her to Ellandonan and keep her under lock and key until he decided upon her next husband, the next master of her castle.
Her next master.
Aileen shuddered. Her brother would use her newfound widowhood as an opportunity to create a political alliance, and right now, he needed an ally in the man Aileen despised above all—Gilbert Dunbar, the heartless, cruel man who owned the lands adjacent to hers.
Aileen laid her cheek against the rough wood of the window frame. After years of misery, she had finally dug deep enough within herself to find the means to survive living with her husband. Now she’d have to start over.
Jannet stared intently at the visitors, her nose pressed to the pane and her lips parted in fascination. Below, men and children clustered around the newcomers. The crowd parted, and a magnificent white horse emerged from the mist, walking at a sedate pace. The rider, clearly the leader of the troop, wore a blue-and-black plaid slung over his mail shirt. Just inside the gate, he stopped the horse and dismounted gracefully, unfolding a tall, powerful frame.
Aileen’s pulse quickened.
Niall MacRae. She recognized him from the way he moved. The boorish mannerisms of her husband had always emphasized Niall’s inherent grace.
A smile tugged at the corners of Aileen’s lips as she gazed down at him. Niall was a full-fledged warrior now, the commander of these men. During the early days of her marriage, her husband had trained Niall in swordsmanship. The same age, she and Niall had become friends and in subtle ways had protected each other from Walter’s rages.
Niall had matured since she’d last seen him. He stood straighter, was taller and broader through the shoulders than he had been when he’d left Dornoch seven years ago. Men surrounded him, competing for his attention, but he directed his gaze up the castle walls.
The face of the youth she had once known had disappeared, replaced by a man who stole the breath from her lungs. She stared down at him—at the stark planes and angles of his face, pale skin, and dark, piercing eyes. Dark blond hair framed his face and fell to his shoulders in loose waves. He homed in on the window where she stood and locked his gaze with hers.
Frozen moments ticked by until, finally, someone demanded his attention. He looked away, and Aileen’s body roared to life. Heat crawled across her chest, and her heart thumped against her ribs.
The afternoon breeze ruffled through Niall’s golden-brown hair as he lowered his head to speak to the man. An image blasted through Aileen’s mind—of her combing her fingers through the soft strands of his hair as his lips pressed against hers—
Jannet’s voice was breathless. “Will we, lady? Will we go to Ellandonan?”
The lass’s words slammed the door shut on Aileen’s fantasy. Flexing her hands, she realized she’d clutched the windowsill tightly enough to lose the feeling in her fingers.
“Aye. We will, lass,” she said softly. Then, with Jannet’s expectant look, she remembered her duty as the lady of this castle. Aileen would be responsible for personally seeing to her guests’ comfort, for ensuring Niall’s men dined well and their leader was provided with a comfortable chamber and a warm bath.
She straightened, squaring her shoulders. “Tell the maids to ready the guest chamber for the laird’s man, and to have a warm bath ready for him when finishes his supper. He’ll be weary from his long journey.”
Jannet curtsied and left the room. Aileen turned to the window one last time. Niall was working alongside his men as they unsaddled the horses and unloaded the carts.
With one palm skimming over her stomach and the other pressed against the cool glass, she watched Niall kneel to examine his horse’s hoof. He spoke to a stable lad, then rose, brushing off his hands. For the briefest of moments, his eyes met hers again, but then he looked away. Nodding at a cluster of men gathered nearby, he turned and strode toward the entrance of the great hall.
Aileen stepped away from the window, adjusted her veil of mourning, and prepared to greet him.
***
Lady Aileen proved herself a gracious hostess at dinner. She seated Niall beside her, and as they ate, she asked him about the past several years he’d spent in service of her brother. He told her stories of training, recruiting men, and of his time at the laird’s side in war.
She was polite and guarded, but she seemed interested in learning everything she possibly could about him, asking him question upon question. He was more than willing to answer. He had no intention of denying her anything—he’d never been able to, anyhow, and he wasn’t surprised to find that nothing had changed in the seven years they’d been apart.
But as the meal progressed, awareness grew between them. Her enchanting violet eyes would gleam as she glanced at him, but then she’d demurely look away. After she took a bite of food, she’d lick her lips in a most tantalizing way. And he couldn’t seem to stop staring at the soft gleam of her black hair beneath her mourning veil, the pale skin of her chest above her neckline, her delicate fingers. Most of all, he was captivated by her face, oval-shaped and pale with small features and the most beguiling eyes he’d ever seen.
He’d always thought Lady Aileen was beautiful, even when she was a terrified new bride at fifteen. Even when he’d seen her bruised and weeping after a brutal beating from her bastard of a husband. But now…he simply couldn’t take his eyes off her.
She leaned toward him to hand him a decanter of wine. He inhaled heather and sage—scents he’d always associated with her—and his body hardened.
Long ago, Lady Aileen had been a frequent subject of his youthful fantasies. He’d thought those days had long since passed, but when the Mackenzie laird had given Niall the task of bringing her to Ellandonan, something had stirred deep inside him. Memories of those fantasies. Memories of the brief and furtive—yet innocent—touches they’d shared.
Now, he was older and far more experienced when it came to women. Still, as the d
inner progressed, unbidden fantasies began to flash through his mind. In them, his hands and mouth stroked every one of her lush curves and valleys. Unable to expunge them from his mind, he’d sat stiffly in his chair, counting the minutes until he could be by himself to douse the fire her proximity kindled within him.
After dinner, Lady Aileen excused herself while Niall remained in the hall to share a drink with her factor, Donegal, and their men. After one cup of whisky, Niall pleaded exhaustion and went upstairs. But he took the narrow tower stairs two at a time. By all rights, he should be exhausted, for they had ridden hard these past two days. Yet he felt strangely alive. Energized. Seeing the lady after all this time—talking to her—had poured fire into his blood.
He neared the doorway to his assigned bedchamber at the end of the passage. The room was the finest in the castle, Niall knew, its furnishings richer than the master’s and mistress’s chambers. This was the room Munro had reserved for visiting nobility.
Niall stopped short when the door to the chamber opened.
Lady Aileen stood before him. She had removed her veil and let down her raven-black hair so it cascaded loosely around her shoulders.
“Come inside,” she invited.
Before he could stop himself, his gaze raked down her body, taking in the rich gown tied low on her hips with a wide belt.
He nearly groaned. He hadn’t expected to see her in the bedchamber she’d assigned to him. He had come here hoping to finally be alone, but she was standing before him, her hair free and wild, watching him with intelligent violet eyes and wearing only a loosely belted dress.
A Naughty Little Christmas (Cowboys, Cops, and Kilts: 8 Seasonally Seductive Romances from Bestselling Authors) Page 29