Guilty Pleasures: A Collection

Copyright December 2012 by Janelle Denison

Published by Janelle Denison, December 2012

eBook Cover Design by Novel Graphic Designs

eBook Design by
A Thirsty Mind

Publication History:

Hard To Resist

Digital publication by Janelle Denison, August 2012

Copyright Janelle Denison, August 2012

Meet Me At Midnight

Digital publication by Janelle Denison, June 2011

Copyright Janelle Denison, 2004 and 2011

Seducing Santa

Digital publication by Janelle Denison, November 2011

Copyright Janelle Denison, 2003 and 2011

All rights reserved. No part of this may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. All rights reserved. No part of this publication can be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without permission in writing from Janelle Denison.

Table of Contents

HARD TO RESIST

MEET ME AT MIDNIGHT

SEDUCING SANTA

For information about Janelle Denison and a list of other titles, please see
About the Author
and
Other Books
.

“Was it as good for you as it was for me?”

Jake Copeland's husky, sex-infused voice washed over Renee Griffen, making her shiver all over again. “Oh, yeah, it was spectacular.”

Her face warmed at the realization that she'd just had Skype sex with the same guy she'd willing gone all the way with at the end of her senior year in high school, based on a mutual pact that neither one of them wanted to head out into the real world as inexperienced virgins. Unfortunately, the experience had been less than earth-shattering. For both of them.

Now, ten years later, and that
boy
had become a devastatingly gorgeous man who knew exactly what to say and do to make a woman unravel and come apart—without even physically touching her. She couldn't believe that she'd let his seduction go so far, but then again, things had been heading in this direction ever since they'd reconnected on Facebook a little over a month ago. They'd gone from getting reacquainted via emails, to flirtatious phone calls, then more intimate Skype sessions.

But for as much as they'd shared, she wasn't sure how to define this long distance relationship. It was something they'd never talked about, and she honestly had no idea how Jake felt about
them
. And it didn't help matters that she lived in Chicago, and he resided in Atlanta working for a marketing firm, which made it even more difficult to pursue a deeper and more lasting connection.

Smiling shyly at her laptop's web cam, she readjusted the thin straps of the lacey camisole top she'd worn so that her breasts were covered once again. “The only thing that would have made it better was you being here in person.”

“Yeah, we need to arrange that,” he agreed, his blue eyes still holding remnants of lust and heat from their steamy encounter.

He braced his forearms on his desk and leaned closer to his own camera. He'd taken off his shirt just before things had gotten down and dirty, displaying a nicely muscled chest that she wished she could reach out and stroke and caress right through her monitor. As fun and sexy as this live video chat had been, and for as much as she enjoyed reconnecting with Jake, the entire situation left her wanting so much
more
.

“There's always our ten year high school reunion next month.” She bit her bottom lip as she threw out the suggestion. One that would hopefully help them to figure out where all
this
was heading.

He dragged his fingers through his dark hair, making the thick strands stick up in places. Disheveled looked very good on him. “You know, I've been thinking about that, too.”

Her heart leapt with hope. “And?”

A slow, sinful smile curved the corners of his sensual lips. “What do you think about meeting up at the reunion for a do-over?”

She tipped her head to the side. “A do-over?”

“Yeah. A do-over of our first time together after grad night.” He playfully waggled his brows at her. “You have to admit that having sex for the first time in the backseat of my cramped Honda Civic was awkward and less than satisfying. For you, anyways,” he said, acknowledging that at least
he'd
achieved gratification.

She laughed, easily recalling that eight-second ride that had left her wondering what the fuss about sex was all about. “Yeah, it was over pretty quickly.”

He groaned, his expression pained. “I swear I've got way more staying power now.”

Oh, she believed him. They'd just spent half an hour sexually teasing one another over Skype and drawing out their releases, so she knew the man could definitely go the distance. And oh, Lord, the things he'd told her that he wanted to do to her—how he wanted to suck on her nipples and go down on her before fucking her hard and fast—made her hot all over again. It had been that last declaration that had sent her over the edge, and him, too. Their orgasms had been simultaneous, and watching his expression as he climaxed had increased her own pleasure.

If he was that impressive on a video chat, she could only imagine how good he was in person. The thought made her shiver.

“Give me the opportunity to make it up to you,” he said. “We didn't even get the chance to be together again after that.” The tone of his voice expressed his genuine disappointment.

So true, and something she truly regretted, too. A few days after grad night she'd left for Europe for a month, and he'd gone off to college. They hadn't kept in touch, though Renee never forgot Jake Copeland and what could have been had they had more time to spend together that summer.

Sexually, things hadn't worked out, but in every other way, he was a prince. He'd always had a great sense of humor. He'd been popular with the guys and a real catch for the girls. She'd never been able to get the “what ifs” out of her mind, especially when she'd flipped through her yearbook to the “Most Likely” page and had seen what he'd written there a few days after they'd had sex.

She might have been voted
The Girl Most Likely to Travel the World
by her classmates, but Jake had made a change to that superlative to read:
The Girl Most Likely to Give A Guy a Second Chance
. At the time, she'd laughed at his sense of humor. But now, ten years later, Jake was asking for that second chance, and she found it hard to refuse something she wanted so badly.

“Well?” The sensual promise in his deep blue gaze coaxed her to agree.

God, she was so easy when it came to this man, which said way too much about the depth of feelings she'd developed for him. Somewhere along the way, during all their late night phone calls, chats, and conversations, she'd fallen hard. Not knowing where she stood with him left her feeling vulnerable, and set her up for potential heart ache. But she hoped, based on what she'd heard in his voice and seen in his eyes, there was something more there for him, too.

“Okay, let's do it.”

“Tell me again why I agreed to come to this shindig?”

Renee glanced at her best friend, Ali Seaver, as the two of them walked into the room at the Celebrations Resort where their high school's ten year reunion welcome reception was being held. The anxiety in her friend's voice was unmistakable, and Renee knew Ali's nerves were due to the fact that her teenage-crush-gone-wrong, Will Beckman, was supposed to be here, too.

She knew exactly how Ali felt, because somewhere in the crowd of alumni Jake Copeland was waiting for Renee, ready to pay up on a sexual promise ten years in the making.

Wanting to put Ali at ease, Renee flashed her friend a fun-loving smile. “You're my back-up plan, just in case things don't work out with my old flame.”

“Oh, yeah, I almost forgot.” Ali rolled her eyes, though there was a bit of humor lurking in the depths. “This weekend is all about
you
getting laid.”

Renee grinned, unable to argue. That was precisely why she was here, though she was hoping for something more, too. The two of them surveyed the crowd mingling at the cocktail party, where everyone was already getting reacquainted with old classmates. People were clustered in groups, and recognizing faces from her past, Renee realized that the high school cliques had remained pretty much the same and converged even now. The popular cheerleaders and jocks were gathered together, and across the way the thespians still spoke loudly and dramatically. The preppies and those involved in student council had formed their own group as well, with the men in their Polo sand Oxford shirts and loafers, and the women in their coordinating resort wear and designer purses.

Some things never changed.

Back in high school, Renee hadn't gravitated toward any particular group. She'd been labeled a
floater
, someone who was friends with most everyone because of her easy going personality and ability to adapt to any situation. While Ali had been involved in cheerleading and followed the “in” crowd, Renee's interests had leaned more toward the arts, like poetry, photography, being president of the French and German clubs, and dreaming about exploring foreign cities outside the United States. It was no surprise that her classmates had voted her
The Girl Most Likely to Travel the World—
a prediction she'd more than fulfilled.

She'd gotten her first taste of traveling abroad after graduation and she'd fallen in love with experiencing another country's cultures and customs. She'd explored many other places over the past ten years, like Japan, Ireland, Australia, and Germany, to name a few. Instead of going to college, she'd used her experience to start her own online based business as a travel agent for big corporations. She'd grown an impressive client base and made a good living, and the best part of her job was being able to travel whenever the whim struck.

Lately, however, that “whim” was striking less and less. Over the past few months she'd become increasingly aware that her personal life was lacking. She'd never minded traveling solo, but at twenty-eight, she wanted more out of life than carefree adventures and brief affairs with the men she met along the way. While she didn't want to give up her traveling altogether, she longed for a relationship with a man that could lead to something more meaningful and long-term.

For her, that someone had become Jake Copeland.

 “Ali and Renee, over here!”

The two of them turned toward the woman who'd called their names. Leanne Barton, with her meticulously styled blond hair and hot pink dress, was waving them over to her little clique, which was comprised of all the popular girls who'd once been on the same cheer squad as Ali. The same ones who'd once ridiculed Ali for accepting a date with the class nerd.

Beside Renee, Ali stiffened as they reluctantly moved toward the group. They'd had no choice—it would have been obviously rude to ignore Leanne's invitation.

“And so it begins,” Ali murmured as she fabricated a cheerful smile. “If it wasn't for you being my best friend . . .”

“I know, I know. You wouldn't be here,” Renee whispered back while giving Ali's hand a grateful squeeze. She appreciated her friend's support, but Renee hoped that Ali would take this opportunity to seek out Will and resolve what had happened between them ten years ago. It was the only way she was going to put that part of her past to rest.

Renee smiled and nodded as she half listened to the conversations going on around her, mostly gossip about other classmates and what people had heard about them through social media sites. The women were still as catty as they were as teenagers, and Renee was far more interested in scanning the crowd for Jake. Thanks to their time on Skype, she knew what he looked like now—a hotter, much sexier version of the lanky boy she'd lost her virginity to.