Take the Fall

by Marquita Valentine

  “I love you, too,” she moans and I grin against her neck.

  Then I push her onto her stomach, spread her thighs wider, and pound into her for all she’s worth. I watch as her ass cheeks jiggle. Her mouth opens with a moan. I reach under her, finding her swollen and so damn wet for me that I lean down and bite her shoulder. That sets her off. She starts convulsing around my cock, milking it, until I can no longer hold back my orgasm. I roar her name, gripping her hips so tightly that she’ll have marks later.

  As I pull out of her, she’s already starting to turn, holding out her arms to take me in them. “You know what today is, don’t you?” she asks, the words teasing my skin and making my heart pound.

  Today marks seven weeks of living in Forrestville with Rowan. Seven weeks of being her man, of worshipping the ground she walks on, and taking care of her needs. “I do.” I kiss the top of her head.

  “So ask me,” she orders, propping her elbows up on my chest.

  I gently caress her cheek and push her sunshine-colored hair out of her face. Then I show her the ring I’ve kept with me for the past three months.

  “Will you let me take care of you always?”

  The most beautiful smile I’ve ever seen curves the corners of her mouth. In it I see salvation and forgiveness from the woman I hurt the most, and would die before ever hurting again.

  “Yes.”

  Epilogue

  Jase

  I can’t stop staring at her. It’s like a sickness or maybe an addiction. Either way, I’m fucked when it comes to not noticing Piper Ross.

  She’s one of those girls who gives off a don’t-touch-me vibe, but for a guy like me, Don’t touch means touch as often as possible. Don’t look means gazing at her with a hunger I can’t satisfy no matter how many women I fuck. They’re not her.

  And it pisses me the hell off.

  Piper smiles when she catches me looking at her. It’s a sweet smile, full of innocence. I don’t do well with innocence. By the time I’d get done with her, she’d be as filthy as me. Which is why we won’t ever happen, no matter how hungry I stay for her. No matter how hot it was when she watched me with another woman while I imagined it was her mouth on my cock, not some coked-out stripper’s.

  No matter—

  “Hi, Jase,” Piper says, moving closer. There is a confidence in her walk I have never seen before. Her short pink skirt and white sleeveless top make her look exactly like dessert. Like some kind of erotic Neapolitan sundae. My favorite kind of ice cream. Mostly because I’m a greedy bastard who doesn’t think I should be confined to one of anything.

  Instead of leaving like I should, I move over on the bench to make room for her to sit beside me. Though she won’t dare. She never does.

  “Hello, Piper. Enjoying the party?”

  “Yes. It was fun decorating and keeping it a secret from Rowan. Thank you for letting me use your house,” she says.

  Piper might be the sweetest thing I’ve ever seen, but she’s also the most timid. She’s gotten better. Now when she sees me, we can actually carry on a conversation longer than two words.

  It’s not because she’s stupid, either. I know for a fact she’s a college graduate. She helps kids in her free time. The neighborhood she drives to is pretty shitty, and she’s volunteering at night now, so I’ve…well, I’ve been following her. To make sure she’s safe.

  “Anytime you want, baby doll.”

  Piper sits down beside me, her breast accidentally brushing against my arm, and I have to grit my teeth. “Sorry,” she mumbles, all that confidence melting away along with her smile. She makes to scoot aside, but I grab her thigh. Her bare thigh.

  “Don’t apologize, and don’t move.” I flash her an easygoing smile. One that’s in direct conflict with my body. And my brain. My brain’s trying to figure out how to get her to straddle me so I can touch both thighs—to feel that hot, silky bare skin underneath both of my palms.

  “Okay,” she says, her body going rigid.

  I jerk my hand away. I have no business touching her. None at all. Obviously, she doesn’t want me to touch her, either, or she wouldn’t have that look on her face. The one that says You’re a disgusting pig.

  “Didn’t mean to grab you,” I say gruffly. Normally I don’t apologize to anyone, but Piper’s different. She’s always been there for Rowan, even after I went to prison, which meant she was there for me, too.

  Piper’s face flushes. “I—it’s okay. I thought I’d offended you or something. You know, with…I stumbled, and my—I hit you. And Rowan mentioned that since you and Giselle broke up that women were practically throwing themselves at you and you weren’t happy with that? So…yeah, good party.”

  I can’t help but stare at her in amazement. She was actually concerned about me. Besides my sister, the only other person ever concerned about me is me. “Quit worrying about it. You don’t count,” I say, trying to put her at ease.

  She glances away, her long, dark lashes fluttering wildly, like she’s trying to get something out of her eye. “I guess I don’t. I’m just your sister’s best friend and former roommate. So that makes us family. Or something.”

  I have nothing to say to that, and I think the less I have to say, the less I’ll offend her.

  Her tits rise and fall with a deep breath. The shirt she’s wearing is so sheer I can see the lacy camisole and bra underneath. The woman’s got curves, lots of curves. She’s soft, pretty, and feminine. Something I don’t come across too often in my world. Everyone I know is hard, their life and circumstances having made them that way.

  Hell, I’m that way.

  At twenty-six I’ve spent a good part of my life behind bars. Not exactly what normal people would want for their son.

  “How’s business going?”

  “Busy.”

  “That’s good.” She nods, her small hands making fists in her skirt. “They’ve changed my schedule again at Head’s Up.”

  “No more nights?”

  She shakes her head and finally looks at me again. “No more anything.”

  “Oh?”

  “My parents cut me off, so I have to get a job that pays money.” She takes another deep breath and I start to worry about her asthma. The girl wheezes when she gets nervous, which is normally her constant state around me. “Rowan and Seth are getting married soon, so I’ll need to move out and find an apartment, too.”

  I gaze into her pretty eyes, all green and gold with a touch of brown. “Want me to have a talk with them? You don’t have to move out.”

  Her nose wrinkles. “I really don’t want to live with them. They’re…loud.”

  I am not going to say shit about that. One, that’s my sister, and two, that’s my sister.

  “Rowan said you have an opening at work and a room I can rent.”

  My eyes almost fall out of my head. “Excuse me?”

  “You have an opening at work,” she says slowly.

  “Yeah, yeah, we need a bookkeeper, but what’s this shit about a room?” I reach into my pocket and pull out a pack of cigarettes, taking one and lighting it up.

  “It would only be for a little while,” she says, and I swear to God her lashes flutter at me.

  “You’ll stay here at my place?”

  “Oh my gosh, Jase. Thank you!” She beams at me, misunderstanding me. “I’ll tell Rowan you said yes. She said you might not, but I told her that you were the type to help out a woman in need.”

  “She did? You did?” I grin at the last bit. “Yeah, I help out needy women all the time.”

  Suddenly, I’m enveloped in expensive perfume, soft curves, and slender arms. “Thank you, Jase. I didn’t know how else I was going to pay for graduate school and living expenses.”

  Stunned, I just sit there, not touching her as she continues to hug me. I should be enjoying this, but I’m pretty fucking sure I not only gave her permission to live with me, but work with me as well.

  “I’m really good at math, and crunching numbers,�
� she says as she pulls away and stands. “Rowan says your books are a mess, but by the time I’m through, you’ll be set.”

  It feels as though a truck has hit me: a truck with a pair of nice tits and long legs. “Hold up. So you’re going to work for Emmett and me as our bookkeeper?” I need to tell her no.

  “I’ll be your girl Friday—you know, the woman who can do it all at work for her boss? I’ll work at the front desk, too—well, when I’m not in class,” she says in a rush, looking so pleased with herself that I can’t tell her no.

  Really, it’s sick that I can’t tell her no.

  “We can create a schedule,” she adds.

  I’ve told countless women no. Why should she be any different?

  “I’ll be at your beck and call. Whatever you want.”

  And that’s not what I need to hear from this girl. Not in the slightest.

  Piper takes my hand before I can let her down gently. She traces the tattoos on a couple of my fingers. “Maybe I’ll be brave enough to get one someday.”

  I sit there silently, letting her explore. She lets go of me. “If you don’t think this is a good idea, then I’ll find something else.”

  For some reason I don’t picture Piper with another job or place to live. I picture someone like Mark Williams with his preppy-ass bow ties putting his hands on her. Guys that live in the Oaks and drive fancy-ass sports cars they have no business owning. Guys like that always get girls like Piper.

  Oh, hell no.

  But it’s a really bad idea.

  Yeah, but what’s the worst that could happen?

  You could seduce her and she could sue your ass.

  Again, what’s the worst that could happen?

  Piper twists her hands together as she waits for me to answer.

  You could fall for her and she’ll leave you, once she discovers exactly how bad you really are.

  I’m not bad….I’m filthy. But, I’ll keep that to myself. But in the meantime, I’ll lie and tell Piper that we don’t—

  “You can move in tonight, if you want. We can talk about a work schedule tomorrow.” As soon as the words leave my mouth, I cringe inside. What in the hell have I done?

  BY MARQUITA VALENTINE

  Take the Fall Series

  Take the Fall

  When We Fall (coming soon)

  Boys of the South Series

  Live for You

  Only for You

  True for You

  All for You

  Wish for You

  Burn for You

  Melt for You

  Holland Springs Series

  Drive Me Crazy

  Driving to You

  Twice Tempted

  Third Time’s a Charm

  His Christmas Wish

  Just Desserts

  Not Over You

  Be Mine

  Brides of Holland Springs Series

  The Billionaire Bride

  The Temporary Bride

  The Forgotten Bride

  The Christmas Bride (coming soon)

  The Request Series

  The Request

  The Deception

  The Confession

  The Lawson Brothers Series

  Love So Hot

  Love So True

  Love So Irresistible

  Love So Tempting (coming soon)

  Seducing the Billionaire Series

  Seducing the Billionaire’s Wife

  Seducing the Billionaire’s Secretary

  Seducing the Billionaire’s Brother

  PHOTO: © MATTHEW WINSLOW

  MARQUITA VALENTINE is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Holland Springs and Boys of the South series.

  Since first taking the plunge in July 2012 to self-publish, Marquita Valentine has sold more than a quarter of a million books around the world. Her books have appeared on the iBooks, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble top-selling eBook lists. She’s been called “one of the best new voices in romance” (Guilty Pleasures Book Reviews) and her books have been accused of being “a sexy, fun, and slightly addicting contemporary read” (Book Queen).

  When she’s not writing about sexy heroes who adore their sassy heroines, she enjoys shopping, reading, and spending time with her family and friends. Married to her high school sweetheart, Marquita lives in a seriously small town in the South with her husband, two kids, and a dog.

  Visit Marquita at the links below and subscribe to her newsletter through the contact link on her website.

  marquitavalentine.com

  Facebook.com/AuthorMarquitaValentine

  @marquitaval

  The Editor’s Corner

  July is the month for sizzling romance and Loveswept has all the books for your reading needs right here.

  In New York Times bestselling author Marquita Valentine’s Take the Fall, the first spin-off novel from her successful Boys of the South series, passions run hot as a rugged, brooding marine rekindles an old flame. Elisabeth Barrett begins a heartfelt new Briarwood series with a tale of forbidden love, broken promises, and second chances in Once and Again. Club Sin returns in Commanded, a decadent new romance from USA Today bestselling author Stacey Kennedy. Next, USA Today bestselling author Claire Kent’s deeply sensual story of love, lust, and deception, Sweet the Sin, where a woman searching for the truth discovers that she’s sleeping with the enemy. Another USA Today bestselling author, Serena Bell teases all five senses in Turn Up the Heat, a poignant, tantalizing novel of fantasies long hidden…and finally indulged.

  The heat is on in Cassie Ryan’s story of temptation and total surrender, My Obsession—a powerful master gives his dream girl a new beginning in the dungeons of decadent ecstasy. Violetta Rand’s explosive new Lies & Leather series kicks off with a red-hot motorcycle racer who rides hard and plays for keeps in Loving Lucas. And New York Times bestselling author Tracy Wolff poses the question: Do nice guys always finish last? In the new Extreme Risk novel, Slashed, a burned-out underdog and a vulnerable tomboy defy the pressure to be perfect and go after what they really want.

  If you adore billionaire romances that are blistering hot, don’t miss Tracy’s Play Me series, now available as one book!

  My, it’s hot in here. And it won’t cool down for August—just wait until you see what we have in store!

  Until then,

  Happy Romance!

  Gina Wachtel

  Associate Publisher

  Read on for an excerpt from

  When We Fall

  by Marquita Valentine

  Available from Loveswept

  Chapter 1

  Jase

  I never should have agreed to allow Piper Ross to move in with me. But she’d batted those damn lashes and, like a damn pussy, I caved.

  Caved.

  I never cave. I never have trouble saying no to women. I do it all the time.

  No, I won’t call you. No, you can’t spend the night. No, your hot friend can’t join—okay, so I do say yes to that. But Piper’s not like those women. She’s different in every way. Every way that would be good for anyone who wasn’t me.

  “Can I have the room on the second floor, the one with the big bay of windows in the back?” she asks as she lightly jogs down the stairs. Her full breasts jiggle under her pink sleeveless top while her flirty skirt teases me with glimpses of the golden skin of her thighs. “It’s so pretty in there.”

  That room is right beside mine. I won’t be able to take it, having her so close. No. Tell her no.

  Piper walks up to me, a sweet smile on her face. “I promise to be quiet and not keep you up at night.”

  Oh, baby. There’s no way you’ll be the one keeping me up at night. “That room—”

  “Oh, I don’t know what I was thinking. You probably want more privacy than that.” Her smile grows faint as she shakes her head. “Sorry. I’ll bring my stuff downstairs right now and move into the bedroom on the other side of the house.”

  Shit. I’ve hurt her feelings. “Yo
u didn’t let me finish, kitten. That room—the room you want—is perfect for you. Back when they built this house in the 1920s, it belonged to the owner’s wife.”

  “You can up the rent if you need to. I think that room is bigger than the rest—except for yours.” She blushes when she says this, and I can’t help but wonder if she’s thinking of the time she walked in on me and Angel.

  I’m not proud, but I’m not exactly ashamed to admit that it turned me on watching Piper watching us. She’d stood there, in the sexiest fucking dress I’d ever seen her wear, and hadn’t moved while Angel sucked me off, and I imagined that the lips around my cock were Piper’s instead.

  Only Piper hadn’t been thinking that. It had shocked her. She’d been embarrassed, not turned on. Hell, I’m pretty sure I disgusted her, given the way she’d suddenly turned and ran down the stairs. My reaction, after I chased after her, hadn’t been the best, either.

  I’d insulted her, called her a princess, and generally treated the sweetest, most thoughtful person in the world like she was a piece of shit.

  It’s my own fault for wanting what I can’t have. For allowing myself to think I could touch someone like Piper.

  I was already in hell, but now that Piper’s moving in, I’ll be in Dante’s Inferno.

  “Rent’s firm.” I inhale the floral scent of her expensive perfume. “Can you start work on Monday?”

  “I can be there right after my last class. It ends at two p.m.” She bites her lip. “So about guests. What’s the rule for visitors?”

  I didn’t have any rules. Why would I? I’m twenty-six for Christ’s sake. “You need me to meet any potential boyfriends?”

  “You would scare them off.” She keeps biting her lip. Oh, hell. She’s not biting it, she’s chewing on it.