Forbidden Attraction: A Contemporary Romance Box Set

by K. C. Crowne

  But, danger is lurking in the shadows.

  And business gets real personal.

  Because no one can lay a finger on my girl - or our growing baby inside her.

  Prologue

  The way he touched me turned me on more than anything else. I had to have more. It wasn’t a good idea, I knew that, but I didn’t care. The kiss was slow and sensual. It was deliberate like he knew just what he was doing, and he was going to make sure I felt every part of our embrace.

  I was on fire.

  I had to feel him inside me, and as he slowly undressed me, my heart started to race in anticipation. No one made me as wet as he did with the soft touch of his hand, then his lips. He kissed my neck then unbuttoned my dress down to my tits. He released them from the bra, kissing them then sucking while I closed my eyes, leaning my head back on the couch.

  I loved how he played with me. I could hardly contain myself. I had my eyes closed, thinking of him and how good he was.

  He kissed down to my stomach, pulling my dress all the way off, then my panties. I spread my legs as he put his lips to my pussy. He ran his tongue between my folds before stopping on my clit, sucking it between his teeth and flicking his tongue over it, sending waves of warm pleasure through the core of my being.

  With each flick of his tongue, he was pushing me closer to orgasm, and I knew it wasn’t going to take long before I was moaning and writhing on the couch, trying to stay still so he could finish me off. He was on his knees; his mouth pressed firmly over me as he licked and teased.

  I had to run my fingers through his hair as he ran his tongue through my lips. I moaned, spreading my legs further as the orgasm approached. Then as the pleasure overtook me, I started to shake.

  “Yes…yes…YES!” I cried out.

  Chapter 1

  Liz

  Nick’s hand slid down the front of my body, playing with my blouse. His eyes locked onto mine, his body still every bit as perfect as I remembered it being when I was younger. His hand snaked around the back of my head, pulling me closer to him. I was so wet, so turned on by just the thought of him. His touch was nearly enough to make me come as soon as his fingers grazed over my skin. I felt primal lust coursing through my veins as our clothes fell to the floor.

  My hands were at the front of his pants, pressed firmly against his huge cock. It would be just seconds before he was completely naked and on top of me, taking me for his own. My body was already screaming with need to have him inside me.

  I had to feel every part of his being. I had to have him all over again. Nick Brantley was an addiction, and I wasn’t sorry for it. I knew he wanted me every bit as badly as I wanted him; I could see it in his eyes. I could feel it in his touch.

  Our relationship might be entirely physical, but that was fine with me. As long as I got to have him inside me, I was happy.

  The tension that was building inside me was almost more than I could bear. I wanted on top of him. I wanted his cock in my mouth. I wanted to feel his lips running over my pussy, sucking my clit, taking me to the very edge of climax before pushing me over into the sweet relief of pleasure.

  There were so many things that I wanted to do to his body. So many things that were caught up in the moment, and I knew I had to obey. There was no arguing with how we hungered for each other. It was a need that could only be filled with his cock deep inside my pussy.

  He laid me back on the bed, his hands still exploring me, still in control. He had a feral attitude about him that I couldn’t resist, and I looked forward to the moment when he would push himself inside me.

  I was wetter than I ever thought possible. No one turned me on like Nick, and he knew it. He thrived on it as much as I thrived on the attention he gave me.

  He took his cock in his hand, and he was just about to push it inside me when suddenly, the room flooded with light. The sensual need that was running through me faded, and before I could even fathom what was going on, Nick disappeared right in front of me.

  His glorious face and perfect, muscular body vanished into thin air as I slowly blinked open my eyes and realized sunlight was pouring in through the window. Immediately, I was pissed. I was so horny, and now there wasn’t anything I could do about it.

  I’d dreamt about Nick many times over the years, his body that was so perfect it could bring me to my knees at just the sight of it. His presence commanded the attention of an entire room when he walked through the door. I had known Nick for practically my entire life, and to this day, he was the one man who returned to my wet dreams over and over again.

  I couldn’t blame myself. He was tall, tan, lean, and with the body of a god. His eyes were a warm shade of brown and his hair a shocking black. He had strong features, and when he looked at me, I sensed he was able to see into my very soul.

  It was an incredible feeling.

  But, the last remaining thoughts of my sexy friend faded entirely at the sound of a knock at the door. Surprised, I sat up in bed, holding the blankets up over my chest. The door opened slightly, and David, my older brother, poked his head inside.

  “Still in bed?” he asked with a smile. “You’re going to make us late on our first day.”

  “Shit,” I said. “What time is it?”

  “Nearly eight,” he told me. “We’ve got to be there by nine, and I know you. It’s going to take you longer than five minutes to get ready for the day.”

  “I’m a manager now, I’ve got to look the part,” I told him. “You could have woken me a little sooner, you know.”

  “I thought by the time you reached twenty-six you’d be mature enough to get yourself out of bed on your own,” he said with a laugh.

  “Give me until I’m thirty, then we can see when I can get myself out of bed,” I joked. He pulled the door closed behind him, and I threw the blanket off my legs. He was right, we had to get going if we were going to make it down to the office on time.

  Not that Nick would be too upset with us for being a few minutes late. We’d known each other forever, and David was still his best friend. It was because of him we were in New York in the first place. Going from rags to riches, Nick had made a name for himself here in the city, and he had graciously offered David and I both our dream jobs.

  Not only that, but he was also paying for our apartment, giving us both the hand up we needed to break into the city life. We didn’t have a lot of money of our own, though we both worked hard. College had taken a bite out of both of our funds, and though we had worked, we still didn’t have the money Nick did.

  But that was all about to change. With the apartment paid for and two jobs being handed to us, our lives were going to get far easier. I couldn’t wait to begin. I got dressed quickly, grateful to Nick for having the decency to get us our own bathrooms.

  Though David and I were close, I liked to have plenty of my own space, and now, I did. Though the apartment was smaller than the one I had been living in when I was back home in Phoenix, it was large for New York and much nicer than anything I thought we’d be able to afford.

  And the fact that I was going to work for the hottest man I had ever known was just a welcome bonus.

  “You ready?” David checked in half an hour later, and I nodded.

  “We going to take a cab?” I asked.

  “May as well. I don’t want to deal with parking down there on our first day. We’re already a little on the late side,” David replied. I nodded, grabbing an apple and biting into it as the two of us headed out the door. I felt sexy in my office apparel.

  I’d purchased it when I knew we were going to get the jobs at Nick’s company, and I was glad for the chance to finally get to wear this suit in particular. It hugged my curvy body in all the right places, but it also did my petite frame justice. I felt like a true professional as I followed my brother down to the street and we hailed a taxi.

  He looked good, too. As the head accountant, his job was going to be different than mine, but he didn’t look any less sharp. For the first ti
me in our lives, I felt like we had truly arrived.

  The cab dropped us off outside the tech company, and we both stood for a moment, looking at the name plastered across the top. It was as though we were starting our first day of school all over again, standing outside and taking a moment to gather our confidence before we walked inside.

  Zonology had been Nick’s dream ever since we were teens. Of course, I’d kept up with him on social media, but this was the first time that I was able to see the company in person, and I was blown away. It was far nicer than what social media had portrayed, and I was shocked to see the office we’d be calling our own.

  “There you are, you made it,” Nick said as he walked over. He grinned as he shook David’s hand, then put his arm on my shoulder. A light thrill ran through my body at his touch, but the bright smiles on both David’s face and my own were enough to mask the quick rush of memory I had.

  As if that morning’s dream wasn’t bad enough, I couldn’t help but wonder if the history I had with this man had anything to do with the fact that we’d gotten the jobs. Of course, he had given us both positions within the company, and I could argue with myself that it had more to do with the fact that he and my brother were friends than anything.

  But still, I couldn’t help but wonder.

  “Settling in okay?” Nick asked, and David nodded.

  “Some of us better than others. I thought we were going to be late because of sleeping beauty here,” David joked.

  “Come on; you could have gotten me out of bed earlier!” I punched him lightly on the arm, and Nick laughed. It felt good to have the three of us together today.

  “Let’s get you both settled into your new departments,” Nick said. “You know I like to run a tight ship, and I’d love for us all to dive in.”

  He turned and led the way through a hall before stopping in a room full of cubicles. “Alright, this is your department, David. You’re the boss man, and I’m sure you’ve read through what you need to do, right?”

  “Yes indeed,” David said. At that moment, another man walked over, and Nick motioned to him.

  “This is Mark. You’re taking over his spot, so follow him around and learn the ropes. When’s your last day?” he asked the man.

  “Next Tuesday if I can swing it,” Mark said.

  “I’m a fast learner,” David assured him. “Don’t you worry.”

  “We’ll leave you to it,” Nick nodded. He motioned for me to follow him, and I was happy to see that my space was much brighter and far more spacious. “You’re going to need room for creativity, so I thought you’d be better on the South side. We get more sunlight in here.”

  “I’m not too picky, but I have to admit that I love it,” I said with a grin.

  “Great. I’m going to set you up with Angela and Jean. They’ll be able to get you settled just fine,” Nick replied. “If you have any questions, of course, you can come directly to me if you’d like. But, most of the people I’ve got in here are trained well. They know how things need to be done.”

  “Thanks,” I said. “I’m looking forward to getting started.”

  “I’m looking forward to us working together, too,” Nick replied with a flashy smile. I tried not to let my heart melt at the sight of it, but I knew it was hopeless. Day after day of being close to him was going to be an exercise in self-restraint.

  Chapter 2

  Nick

  “Well, I thought it would be a great way to welcome you to the team. I didn’t get the chance to do it properly yesterday, so since I didn’t have any meetings today, I thought we’d get a bite to eat,” I said as the three of us settled in around the table.

  I’d wanted to take my two old friends out to lunch the day before, but life was hectic when I was constantly hopping from one meeting to the next, and Mondays did tend to be worse than the rest of the week.

  I was hoping that would change a bit with Liz on board. With her brand managing for me, I wasn’t going to have to worry about trying to carry that aspect along with the rest of the shit I had going on. Though, I did have to admit that I felt under productive on the days when I didn’t get a lot of work done.

  “We appreciate it, and all the other things you’ve been doing for us,” David said. “Really. You didn’t have to get us an apartment and everything along with the jobs.”

  “I needed someone here as soon as possible, and I know how much it can suck trying to find a place in the city. So, I wanted to get you out here as fast as I could,” I said.

  “I like the place you picked, and I think I’m going to settle into the job just fine,” Liz chimed in. “I really like Jean; she’s hilarious.”

  “Jean’s good, yes,” I said with a nod. “It’ll be nice for you to have a friend here right out of the chute if you can. The city can be pretty big if you aren’t used to it.”

  “Uh, Phoenix isn’t exactly small-town America Nick,” David reminded me. “Don’t forget your roots!”

  “That’s all I try to do,” I laughed. “Would you want to remember Phoenix?” I asked with a mock shudder.

  “I seem to remember you spent an awful lot of time at our place,” David said. “That’s because your parents are the shit,” I said with a grin.

  “And they weren’t overly thrilled with the fact we moved across the country,” Liz said. “Mom especially didn’t think we’d like New York.”

  “Well I’ve got a place with their name on it anytime they want to give it a shot themselves,” I said with a grin. “I think they might like it more than they realize.”

  “No!” Liz and David spoke at the same time; then they burst out laughing once more.

  “We talked about it on our flight. We both thought that it was high time we were real adults and didn’t live with our parents right around the corner anymore,” Liz said. “I mean, we’re all near thirty now.”

  “Two of us are thirty,” David chimed in. “I think it was time for us to put some real distance between us and the fam, but I bet they’re going to want to come out for a visit at some point.”

  “I’d like to see them if they do,” I said. “Or, should I say, when they do.”

  “You know it’s not going to be long. Our mom could hardly keep us out of her sight when we were younger. I thought it would get better when we got older, but I was wrong,” Liz said. “She’s convinced we’re going to end up dead in a ditch as she used to say.”

  I laughed again. I remembered their mother well. I had spent much of my younger years at their house, being part of the family as much as I could. My relationship with my own parents was virtually non-existent, and David and Liz’s parents had provided me with the love that I’d felt was strongly lacking in my life.

  My parents didn’t exactly give a shit where I was or what I did. Or even that I was fed. David and Liz’s parents did as much as they could for me, and they never made me feel like I was a burden or unwelcome. My parents, on the other hand, made me feel exactly that. It was part of the reason I had moved to New York City and thrown myself into creating the company. I wanted to make something out of my life, to prove to myself that my parents didn’t define me. I could be happy and successful despite their complete lack of guidance.

  The waitress came around the table and took our orders, and I quickly insisted that the two of them get anything they wanted.

  “This is my treat. I really want to give you the proper welcome you deserve after all the hard work you put into everything,” I changed the subject.

  “College wasn’t the cup of tea I thought it would be,” David said with a shake of his head. “Half the shit they made me do for accounting was just ridiculous.”

  “I felt like I got a bit of a break on that front. Marketing didn’t seem like nearly as big of a pain in the ass as what David had to do,” Liz agreed.

  “I hear you there,” I said. “I knew when I wanted to get into business, I was going to have to work my fingers to the bone to get anywhere. And, strangely enough, it came down t
o the investors more than anything. I thought I was going to have to work my ass off understanding the market, but it turns out I can pay someone like you to do that.”

  I turned to Liz with another mischievous grin, and she dropped her gaze with a shy smile. It wasn’t ever hard to make her blush, but God, after all these years, it was hard for me not to let my mind go further.

  I didn’t want her just to blush. I wanted to have her. Her body was every bit as amazing as I remembered. The past seven years had done wonders, but all in the best ways possible. I wanted to feel her under me, wrapped around me, screaming my name like she did way back when. But no. I was her boss, and that wouldn’t be appropriate. I had to control myself, no matter how damn good she looked in those dress pants and that top. All her clothes hugged her body so well, my heart raced in my chest at the thought of pulling them off, letting them fall to the floor, and having my way with her on my desk.

  “Let’s lift a glass to the fact we don’t have to deal with any of that anymore!” David said as he lifted his beer. “And to the fact when your boss is your best friend you can also have a beer on lunch and not have to worry about it.”

  “Hear, hear,” I said, lifting my bottle and clinking it against David’s. I knew enough to be careful with lunchtime drinking. I wasn’t a lush by any means of the word, but I did enjoy a drink now and then on a stressful day, or when celebrating a good one. But my investors were real sticklers about certain things, and I had to keep my nose clean and my reputation in good standing.

  My investors took more interest in my personal life than I thought they should, but I knew there wasn’t much I could do about it if I wanted their money to keep my company afloat. Perhaps it had something to do with how young of a CEO I was, but I didn’t want to push the limits with them any more than I unintentionally already did.

  It was true, I did come from a bit of a dark past, and while I didn’t like bringing it up, I also knew there were several on the board who were familiar with the bad boy image that a lot of people portrayed me as having.