Excerpt

“I was thinking about going for a ride. I don’t get to ride as much as I used to. Just ride for the hell of it instead of to get from point A to point B.”

Her lips twitched. “My father says you’re a busy man.”

“That I am.”

It used to amuse him when she was in high school and flirted with him, but once she started getting her college degree online and gradually taking over running The Red Stone, he hadn’t been able to deny his attraction to her.

He reminded himself often that she was too young for him.

Too inexperienced.

Too innocent.

Knowing that his hard edges would slice her to pieces, he did his best to avoid her.

For the first time, he realized that she hadn’t hunted him down in months.

She inclined her head. “I’m sure those women in Dallas kept you busy while you were there.” Without giving him a chance to answer, and before he knew how he would, she continued as if not expecting an answer or not wanting to hear it. “Duff going crazy getting ready for your Fourth of July party?”

Randy Duff, a man with a heart of gold and a temper like lightning, was the cook on the Branson Ranch.

Beck allowed a small smile. “He’s mostly bossing the caterers around. It wouldn’t be so hard on him if he didn’t insist that he was the better cook. If he didn’t have such an issue with having to be in control all the time, things would be a hell of a lot easier for him.”

Caroline raised a brow at that. “That’s rich coming from you.”

Her smile turned him inside out in a way he didn’t want to look at too closely.

Firming his voice, he wished he could see her brilliant green gaze, fighting to ignore the fact that she excited him like no other woman.

She teased him, criticized him, and argued with him, while other women bent over backward to get close to him.

At times, she irritated him.

At times, she inflamed him.

But she always challenged him and never, ever bored him.

Wishing he could stroke her, he did the closest thing and stroked a hand down the silky coat of her favorite horse, Storm.

He smiled and looked up at her. “I remember when I asked you why you named him Storm. You were right about him. He’s powerful, fast, strong, and just a little mean and unpredictable.”

“Sometimes he can be very mean and unpredictable.”

Her tone worried him, and he wished once again he could see her eyes. “What’s wrong, baby?”

She stared out at the horizon for so long he figured she wasn’t going to answer, but finally she shrugged. “Nothing. Don’t call me that.”

Reacting before he could stop himself, he laid a hand on her thigh. “You’ve never lied to me before, Caroline.”

Caroline drew a steadying breath, the rock in her stomach and lump in her throat bringing tears to her eyes. “You haven’t paid enough attention to me to know that. I need to ride. I’ll see you at your party.”

He watched her ride away, angry as hell that she’d lied to him.

Confused and surprisingly hurt that she wanted to get away from him, he strode to the stable and hurriedly saddled his horse.

Something was wrong, and he wouldn’t be able to rest until he found out what it was and fixed it.

Suspecting it had something to do with her stepmother and Mona’s two spoiled brats, both in their thirties and with no visible means of support other than living off of others, he clenched his jaw, inwardly cursing.

“Problem, boss?”

Beck continued to saddle his horse, glancing at Wes Roberts, his foreman. “Not sure. I’ll be at the watering hole. Make sure no one goes in that direction.”

Wes frowned. “Somethin’ wrong with Miss Caroline?”

Surprised, Beck turned. “You know that Caroline goes there?”

Wes smiled humorlessly. “The night her mother was diagnosed, she and Mr. Cobb came home from the hospital and she disappeared. It was already dark, and everyone was worried. No one knew where the hell to find her. No one knew if she was hurt. We knew she couldn’t get lost. Hell, that girl knew the ranch like the back of her hand, but what if she’d wandered off or if she’d run into some unsavory character?”

“Christ.”

“Mr. Cobb was beside himself, and we were ready to send out a search party when Bull got back from Fort Worth where he’d gone to a sale and called off the search, said he knew where she was. I was already there and ready to go out and went with him. Found the poor thing just sitting on one of those rocks and staring out in the dark.”

Shaking his head, Wes blew out a breath. “I never felt such relief in my life. Bull just stopped there where she’d tethered her horse and waited. Hell, we must have waited an hour before she came to us. I’ll never forget how she looked. Barely a young woman, with tears in her eyes and her little shoulders slumped as if she carried the weight of the world on them.”

Wes wiped a hand over his eyes. “Turned out she did.”

Beck wished he’d been there at that time, but although he’d bought the property before her mother’s death, he hadn’t moved in until months afterward.

If he’d known her and what she’d endured, nothing would have kept him away.

And nothing could keep him away now.

Excerpt

“What did you smell?”

“Blood. Death. I’m an ER nurse, remember? I’ve smelled it too many times before.”

So have I.

He waited to see if she would continue, not wanting to rush her, especially when her voice took on a distance, as if she was trying to tell what she saw while separating herself from the horror.

Although she looked out at the lush backyard, he suspected that she didn’t see it and was reliving the moments she’d walked into her husband’s room.

“I turned toward it.”

Priding himself on the small insight into her, Liam waited.

“I called him a son of a bitch and started into the room, furious that not only would he come into my house uninvited but would bring a woman with him.”

Liam found it curious that she hadn’t mentioned the front door yet but waited while she continued.

“I walked in and noticed that the shadows on the wall weren’t really shadows. The wall was dark in places from blood. The comforter had dark stains. I saw the bullet wounds.”

“Did you touch them?”

Nodded, she swallowed audibly. “I felt Jack’s carotid. Nothing, and he was too cold. I knew he was dead, and figured she was, but I went around the bed to feel hers, too. I guess I stood there a minute or two, trying to make sense of it.”

Her gaze slid to his. “I still can’t make sense of it. Why was he here? How many times has he done this while I was working? Another thing that’s bothering me is, how the hell did the killer get inside?”

She gulped the rest of her juice. “When I came out here, the door was locked. If the killer followed Jack into the garage, Jack and his girlfriend would never have made it to his bedroom.”

“You didn’t notice that the front door was damaged?”

She whirled on him, her blue eyes wide. “What? No.” Jumping up, she raced inside and through the kitchen and living room with Liam following close behind.

He caught her arm, shocked at the rush to his senses. “Don’t touch it.”

Stopping abruptly, Caroline watched the man applying a fine black powder the door handle and surrounding area in the search for fingerprints. “The door was closed. I would have noticed if it was open.”

Liam inclined his head and reluctantly released her, promising himself he would feel her soft skin against his in the near future. “I’m sure you would have. Let’s go back into the kitchen and sit down. I have a few more questions.”

Just then, Henry came down the stairs with a men’s toiletry bag. “Sir, we found this on the top shelf of the bedroom closet.”

Wearing gloves, he opened the top, which had already been unzipped, and showed Liam the contents.

Liam had a sinking feeling in his stomach as he took in the glittering diamonds.

Glancing at Caroline, he stepped back to allow her to see them. “You ever seen them before?”

She looked into the bag, her eyes going wide. “Jesus! No. Are those real?”

If she had known about them, Liam felt she would have hidden them before calling the police.

Henry raised a brow. “You didn’t see these on the top shelf?”

Caroline crossed her arms over her chest, her eyes flashing. “Have you looked at me, Detective? I’m five feet three in my nursing shoes. I’ve never even seen the top shelf. Excuse me. I need to breathe.”

Liam watched her walk away, wanting nothing more than to hold her until she settled.

With gloved hands, Henry rezipped the bag holding the diamonds and dropped it into the evidence bag held open by the waiting detective. “Jack Webber worked as a manager at a wholesale club. He has a brother who got out of prison three months ago. David Webber.”

“What was he in for?”

Henry raised a brow. “You’re not gonna believe this. He’s a jewel thief.”

Liam grimaced. “Mrs. Webber either knows more than she’s telling us or there’s a chance that she might be in danger.”

“I understand the bedroom was searched. Why weren’t they found during the search?”

“The bag was pressed against the back wall. He would have had to be tall enough to see it. The shelves were otherwise empty.”

Liam sighed. “So unless he was tall enough to see it, he would have seen nothing but empty shelves.”

Henry inclined his head. “Exactly. I don’t know how a man who works as a manager at a wholesale club could get all of those diamonds, unless he somehow stole them.”

Liam started back toward the garage, with the intention of finding Caroline again. “And if they belong to someone else, they’re gonna be desperate to get them back.”

Excerpt

Dressed all in black, Rick slipped out the back door, keeping to the shadows as he made his way around the house, listening to the other men bragging about their conquests.

Every house around him, except the one he’d been watching, had been dark for more than an hour.

Pushing thoughts of the sexy blonde out of his mind, he crossed the yard to the tree in the middle of the yard, noting the two agency cars parked down the street on either side.

Although the bright streetlights made it harder to stay in the shadows, he stayed low and moved silently across the street to the back of the gunrunners’ van.

Scanning the area, he drew a tracking device from his pocket and reached under the van to put it into place.

Once he finished, he started back across the street, making it to the tree just as the four men he had under surveillance poured out the front door.

Stiffening, he watched them stagger toward the blonde’s house next door, his chest tightening as several scenarios played out in his head.

Irritated at the thought that she might be involved with them in some way, he watched in disbelief as they stood in front of her flowerbed and unzipped their pants.

He didn’t find it hard to believe that Chenkoff’s men could be that stupid, but glancing up at the window, he stiffened again when he saw something that made no sense at first.

When he realized what it was, he stiffened again with the urge to turn her over his knee.

The low illumination reflecting onto her face told him that while they pissed on her flowers, she stood there videotaping them.

The gunrunners Chenkoff hired had already proven themselves to be stupid, but Chenkoff didn’t hire people for their brains.

He hired them because they were violent and were willing to kill or torture on his orders.

Rick couldn’t bear to think about what the four men would do if they caught the blonde videotaping them and held his breath as they finished and rezipped their pants, his hopes that they would continue on dashed when one of them looked up at the window.

“Hey! That fucking bitch is taping us!”

Rick barely bit back a groan when the sexy vixen threw open the front door and stormed out, her bare legs visible beneath the short robe.

“Yeah! I recorded you pissing on my flowers! Again! Don’t you have a bathroom over there?”

Rick had already tucked his earpiece away, covered the gun at his waistband with his sweater, and crossed to the sidewalk in front of her house by the time she’d finished, using the distraction to get closer to her.

“Give me that phone, you fucking bitch!”

One of the men leapt forward, but Rick was faster, pressing his leg against the back of the other man’s knees as he reached for the long-legged blonde standing on the top step.

Rick ignored the drunken man he’d knocked down, hiding a smile at the other man’s groan when he hit his face against the top step. “I warned you what would happen the next time I saw you with another man.”

The blonde blinked, her jaw dropping. “What?”

Before she could say something to put herself in even more danger, he covered her mouth with his, immediately deepening his kiss while remaining alert to the four gunrunners staring up at them.

Alert for a threat from Chenkoff’s men, Rick hadn’t anticipated the danger wrapped in his arms.

She met his kiss with resistance and then a passion he didn’t expect, her soft body pliable and warm against his.

The scent of her filled his senses, momentarily distracting him when he couldn’t afford to be distracted.

To punish her for making him lose his head, however briefly, and giving him the control he needed, he slid the hand hidden from view higher, using his thumb to caress her beaded nipple.

Her soft moan went straight to his cock, and irritated that the four men heard her soft moan of pleasure, he lifted his head, keeping her body between hers and theirs.

He turned her and slapped her ass. “Get inside. You and I have some things to discuss.”

She gasped but went inside, slamming the door behind her. “I’m calling the cops.”

Turning, he faced Chenkoff’s men, unsurprised when the one who appeared to be the leader pulled out a gun.

Pushing his straggling and dirty hair out of his face, the gunrunner pointed the gun at Rick’s chest. “Get out of my way. I want that phone.”

Rick smiled faintly at the thought of dealing with the other man in the near future, ready to pull his own gun. “Put that away before I shoot you with it. Don’t try my patience. I have a woman to deal with, and if you were smart, you’d go back to whatever rock you crawled out from. I want to deal with her before she has a chance to call the cops because then I’ll have to wait.”

He narrowed his gaze. “Waiting to discipline my woman pisses me off.”

The gunrunner blinked his surprise at Rick’s claim, and seemed to understand and respect Rick’s need to deal with his woman. The other man grinned, nodding in agreement. “I can understand that. Good luck, man. Smackin’ ’em around is the only way to deal with some of these broads. The only reason we pissed on her flowers is because she gave us shit the other day for throwing our trash out with hers.”

His smile fell, and tucking his gun away, he inclined his head toward the house. “Tell her if she calls the cops, we’ll rip her flowers out and give her a beatin’ she won’t forget.”

Excerpt

Beth finished her grapefruit and coffee and washed her dishes before going to take a shower.

She knew she would get sweaty while she cleaned, but her eyes felt gritty from lack of sleep, and she hoped a hot shower would put her in a better mood.

Dressed in denim shorts and a bright pink T-shirt, and with her wet hair piled up in with a clip, Beth stripped the bed and started the laundry, drinking another cup of coffee before she started to clean.

Making sure she couldn’t be seen, she peered out the window, surprised to see that not only had all worked stopped but the men had all gone.

The number of trucks remaining and the sight of the two saws still standing in the yard told her that they would be back, but in the meantime, she planned to enjoy the silence.

She started on the bathrooms, cleaning them until they sparkled, planning to wait until they started making noise again before using the vacuum.

She’d just started on the kitchen when a knock sounded at the door.

Irritated at the interruption, especially when she suspected that she’d open the door to find Phil standing on her doorstep, she clenched her jaw, cursing under her breath.

“There’s no way to get any peace around here!” Dropping the bucket and cleanser she’d been using on the kitchen floor, she headed for the front door. “Phil, I told you that I’m not interested—”

She yanked the door open, snapping her mouth closed when she saw that the man standing on her doorstep wasn’t Phil.

It was him.

Sucking in a breath, she froze and stared at him, her mind going blank.

The sexuality he exuded made it difficult to breathe, and she found herself pressing a hand against her fluttering stomach, taking a deep breath.

He even smelled expensive.

Holding on to the door for support, she stared into brown eyes that glimmered with flecks of green and gold.

Dark brown hair, just long enough to brush the collar of his T-shirt framed a face too masculine to be handsome, but somehow was, the streaks of gray at his temple only adding to his appeal.

He had high cheekbones and a strong jaw, and lips that promised incredible pleasure, his bottom lip fuller than the top, and she found her own lips tingling with the anticipation of feeling them against hers.

His eyes glittered with interest and a confidence that unnerved her.

He smiled slowly, another of those knowing smiles that told her that he knew exactly what his presence did to her, a smile that instantly reignited her anger. “Good morning.”

Stiffening, she clenched her jaw, reining in her temper and giving him the cool tone she’d perfected a long time ago. “Good morning? I wouldn’t exactly call it that. A good morning would have been if I could sleep in on the first day of spring vacation.”

He had the grace to grimace, but it only drew her attention to his lips. “I’m sorry about that. I understand it’s been going on for some time.”

His deep voice had a seductive quality that wrapped her in a gossamer web of warmth and desire that had her fighting for calm.

Aware that her nipples had beaded, she stiffened and crossed her arms over her chest. “Yes, it has. Even on weekends, which is especially delightful. Saturdays and Sundays.”

His eyes flickered briefly with anger. “I know. I’m sorry. I just found out this morning. It won’t happen again. I brought—” He lifted a box she hadn’t noticed before, a box from the local donut shop.

“No. Thank you. Please tell those assholes to keep it quiet. Good-bye.”

Shaking by her own response to his presence, she slammed the door, leaning back against it and struggling to catch her breath.

It had been years since she’d felt anything even resembling desire, and it had never even been close to the bubbling heat now flowing through her veins.

Slowly sinking to the floor, she wrapped her arms around her knees and took several steadying breaths, which did very little to steady her.

Listening for any sound, she sat that way for several minutes, stiffening when she heard his car start from her driveway.

Jumping to her feet, she rushed toward the kitchen window, peering out from the side so he couldn’t see her.

Keeping a hand pressed to her belly, she watched him through his windshield. After sitting motionlessly for several heart-stopping seconds, he unexpectedly lifted his gaze to zero in on hers through the window.

With a gasp, she hurriedly stepped away, tripping over the bucket of cleaning supplies and landing hard on her bottom.

“Damn it!”

Bringing her knees up, she wrapped her arms around them again and listened for his car to drive away, her heart pounding.

Even after she heard his car pull out and she got to her feet to watch it disappear down the street, it was several minutes before she drew a steady breath.

“Get a grip, Beth. It’s only a man. Hell, you don’t even know his name.”

Realizing that she’d made a fool of herself in front of him, she inwardly cursed, promising herself that she’d be better prepared if she ever encountered him again.

Excerpt

Henry Davies gathered his daughter close, running a hand up and down her back as she clung to him. “You were only trying to protect her. I saw her almost fall. She’ll be all right now.”

“Take her to my study so she can calm down.” Lifting his head, he glared at the members of the band, not turning away until they fumbled and started playing again.

Carolyn Davies rushed forward, waving her hands. “Everything’s fine. Go back to the party.” Touching her daughter’s shoulder, she looked up at her husband questioningly.

He nodded back. “She’s fine. She just got a little startled.”

Lifting her head, Lana pushed out of her father’s arms, wiping away a tear. “I’m fine. I’m sorry for causing such a fuss.” Her smile wobbled as she turned to look at J.W. “I’m sorry. You just startled me, and I overreacted. I guess I’m just tired.”

J.W. raised a brow at that, silently letting her know that he wasn’t buying her excuse. “There’s nothing to apologize for.” Stilling as he saw her face in the light for the first time, J.W. fought not to show his reaction.

He felt as if he’d been kicked in the stomach, his entire body tightening with a hunger unlike any he’d ever experienced.

Green-blue, almond-shaped eyes, filled with shock and awareness, widened as her gaze lingered on his chest before lifting to his face.

More brilliant than he’d seen in any photograph, her eyes glistened with unshed tears.

The finest jewels in the world could never have competed with them.

Drowning in them, he forced himself to look away, his gaze drawn to her thick, shiny hair.

Long brown hair, shot with a million blonde and red highlights, fell like a waterfall of silk halfway down her back, making his hands itch to run his finger through it.

She lifted her chin, illuminating her high cheekbones in the hundreds of lights strung above the patio and accentuating her full red lips.

Her bottom lip quivered slightly, and even though he cursed himself for scaring her, he had to admit that it was the most erotic thing he’d ever seen.

Her lipstick irritated him, the irrational need to kiss it from her lips so strong that he fisted his hands at his sides to keep from reaching for her.

She was scared of him, the lingering apprehension in her eyes making him feel like a heel for wanting to throw her over his shoulder and carrying her to his bedroom.

He wanted to strip her out of the yards of material she’d wrapped herself in, lay her on his bed, spread her hair over his pillow, and plunder her mouth with his as he sank into her.

Swallowing heavily, he forced his muscles to relax, understanding now what Daniel had meant when he said that, the first time he’d met Kristen, he felt as if he’d been kicked in the stomach.

“Did I hurt you?” He let his gaze rake over her, searching for any sign of injury and trying his best to convince himself to just walk away.

Her forced smile didn’t fool him at all. “I’m fine, thank you. You just startled me. I didn’t realize you were…there.” Her eyes widened, the dawning realization followed by horror in her eyes telling J.W. that she’d finally realized that he’d been there all along. Looking from him to the fence and back again, she thinned her full lips, her eyes narrowing in anger.

Inordinately pleased at her anger, a far cry from her fear of him, J.W. smiled, an arrogant smile that had her stunning eyes flashing, delighting him tremendously. “I’ve been sitting there for over an hour watching the new foal and trying to get rid of a headache.”

He wanted her. Badly.

He wanted to free his throbbing cock and sink into her.

He wanted to tease her nipples until she begged him for more.

To spread her thighs and use his mouth on her until she screamed his name as she came.

To see the anger in her eyes turn to passion when he took her ass.

Blinking, he took a step back, hoping to break the spell, but it didn’t work.

Knowing that if he’d been alone with her she would have already been naked, he took several steadying breaths in an effort to calm down.

Getting involved with her would be a mistake.

She was his friend’s sister and the daughter of his mother’s best friend.

When something inevitably went wrong, he’d never hear the end of it.

His mother approached, frowning when she saw him. “J.W.! You haven’t even had a shower yet.”

Avoiding her attempt to grip his arm, he nodded toward the Davies, his gaze lingering on Lana’s face. “I’m on my way now. Excuse me.”

J.W. made his way through the crowd and inside, passing the kitchen bustling with waiters and caterers and down the long hall to his bedroom. Closing the door behind him, he thought of Lana and tried to convince himself that he didn’t want her.

Excerpt

Folding his hands across his flat stomach, Mac eyed her thoughtfully. “Apparently I haven’t been as clear as I’d intended. Did you honestly think I would tolerate this? Did you really think I would just stand aside while you went out with someone else?”

Jasmine’s jaw dropped. Blinking, she wondered if the small glass of wine she’d had with dinner had affected her hearing.

“Excuse me?”

“You heard me.” Mac’s gaze sharpened. “I’ve been waiting for over a year for you to be ready for another man. I gave you time. I never rushed you, even though I could see you’d started to show some interest. Every time I advanced, you got nervous—so I waited.” Leaning forward, his forearms resting on his knees, he stared at her unblinkingly.

“I waited. And waited. I knew you were still reeling from your divorce and wanted to give you the time you needed. I wanted you to be ready.”

Jasmine could only stare at him, hardly believing the things he was saying. “What? You’ve dated dozens of women. You only flirted with me because you were trying to make me feel better.” Unable to sit still any longer, she shot to her feet. “I thought we were friends. Why’d you have to kiss me and ruin everything?”

Mac leaned back, studying her, his eyes filled with a hunger she’d seen in them before, but that he’d always masked almost immediately. Now, he didn’t even bother to hide it. It tugged at her, drawing her into a web of erotic seduction, a web she didn’t know how to escape.

The veil of politeness had been ripped away, leaving her faced with an intense man she barely recognized.

She found him even more exciting.

He smiled, a hard smile that didn’t even come close to reaching his eyes. “Jazz, you know as well as I do that it stopped being just friendship between us a long time ago.”

Jasmine frowned, shaken at the change in him. “You know I hate it when you call me that.”

For the first time, Mac smiled a genuine smile. “No, you don’t.” He came to his feet with a grace she’d always admired, his gaze steady on hers as he took a step toward her. “I haven’t gone out with another woman in over a year, and you know it. Do you really think I’m going to stand by and watch you go out with other men?”

Her breath caught when he took another step, her pulse tripping at the sensation of being stalked, startled at how it aroused her. Backing away, she lifted her chin, not about to let him see how much he intimidated her. Mortified at the arousal that grew each moment she spent with him, she struggled to keep her voice firm.

“That’s none of your business.”

Mac’s smile widened, the threat in his eyes making him even more intimidating. “Don’t kid yourself. Everything about you is my business. We both know that.” He took another step, and then another. “I’ve been watching over you and your daughters ever since you moved in.”

Jasmine moved aside, working her way back toward the sofa.

“Stop stalking me!”

Her heart raced, beating nearly out of her chest. “I don’t know what’s wrong with you. You’ve never acted like this before.” She’d never felt so aware of her femininity and found herself drawn to his raw masculinity like a moth to a flame.

He came closer, too close for her peace of mind. “I’ve never waited as long for a woman as I have for you. My patience came to an end the minute I saw you ride away with another man.” He took another step, not allowing her to put any distance between them. “I thought you would come to me when you were ready to have another man in your life—not go out with someone else. Last night things did change between us, and I should never have let you get away.”

His voice lowered. “Once again, I gave you time and distance. It’s a mistake I won’t make again.”

Shaken and a little confused, Jasmine took another step back, yelping when the backs of her knees hit the edge of the sofa and she fell backward.

“Mac!”

He caught her, easing her down and taking the seat beside her. Sitting at the edge of the sofa and turning toward her, he effectively closed her in, making it impossible for her to escape.

Her skin tingled at his nearness, the awareness of his powerful body so close to hers filling her with breathless anticipation. Heat radiated from him, enveloping her in a warm cocoon of delight, one that made her pulse race and dampened her panties as the need for him became almost unbearable. The scent of warm, clean male surrounded her, filling her senses. Her nipples beaded almost painfully, the need for his attention making them achy and tight.

With one hand braced on the back of the sofa over her shoulder and the other at the arm at her other side, he leaned over her and smiled, a seductive smile, full of erotic intent.

His gaze lowered to her breasts as if he knew the torment he created, making them feel swollen and heavy. “Do you really think I’d wait all this time for you only to watch you take another man into your bed? You’re lucky he didn’t come in with you. I would have thrown him out on his ass and paddled yours.”

Fighting the alarm and surge of lust at the mental image of her naked and over his lap, Jasmine backed as far into the corner of the sofa as possible, giving him the cold look she’d used to keep men from bothering her for the past three years.

“I can’t believe you just said that to me. I’m not a child, damn it!”

Catching her chin when she would have looked away, Mac leaned in closer, his eyes glittering with hunger. “I’m very well aware of that, sweetheart. It would have been a very adult spanking, one you wouldn’t have forgotten soon.”

Bending closer, he brushed her lips with his, the searing jolt of lust that went through her making her nipples and clit throb. The warm caress of his breath against her lips seduced her into parting them.

“I want you, Jazz. I’ve wanted you for a long time, and if there’s going to be a man in your life, it’s going to be me.”