Let Me In
Let Me In
By Callie Croix
On leave for Thanksgiving, the last thing marine lieutenant Talia Barnett expects to find is Liam Brodie waiting for her at the airport. He’s had a starring role in her fantasies for the past two years, and although she’d love to make them a reality, she has a dark secret that prevents her from taking things further.
A former marine, Liam’s specialty is planning tactical operations, and that’s just what he plans to do to win Talia. The woman has kept him at arm’s length for too long, and this time he’s finally going to claim her—body and heart.
What begins as comfort quickly turns hot. When Liam shows Talia a hint of the dominant nature inside him, the submissive part of her flares to life. Though she desires him, she’s going back on deployment and doesn’t want to dump all her drama on him. Will he find a way to break through the protective walls around her heart and convince her they have a future that goes far beyond the bedroom?
37,000 words
Dear Reader,
I love May. In my part of the world, May is the beginning of two things: beach season and festival season. Granted, beach season is just barely starting in May, but it’s still starting. And with the unseasonably warm winter we’re having, perhaps it won’t be too cold for the beach, even in early May. As for the festivals, well, in my area we’re spoiled for choice. From April to October we have everything from BBQ and beach festivals, to apple, strawberry and watermelon festivals—even a river festival. It seems like every week there’s something new to look forward to!
But if festivals don’t interest you it doesn’t mean you can’t have something to look forward to as well. Each week in May we showcase a variety of new Carina Press titles.
This month we’re proud to present debut author Cynthia Justlin’s compelling novel
Edge of Light.
A true spine-tingling and thrilling romantic suspense, this is one that will have you on the edge of your seat and wondering where this author has been! Get ready for a fantastic read.
Kicking off May, we have
Brook Street: Rogues
by Ava March, which finishes up her fantastic male/male historical novella trilogy. Releasing along with Ava is paranormal romantic suspense author Alexia Reed and her novel
Hunting the Shadows.
Later in May are three historical romances joining the Carina Press lineup. From Jennifer Bray-Weber comes a swashbuckling pirate adventure,
The Siren’s Song.
Alyssa Everett gives us a charming and passionate Regency romance in
Ruined by Rumor.
The White Swan Affair
by Elyse Mady is the third of our historical romance offerings this month.
Not quite historical romance but in the historical period comes Christine Bell’s new steampunk romance
The Bewitching Tale of Stormy Gale.
Join Christine as she takes you on a romantic adventure through time.
Two erotic romance books are sure to satisfy those craving a slightly naughtier story. Check out
Let Me In
by Callie Croix, a hot BDSM novella, and Daire St. Denis’s erotic ménage romance
Party of Three.
Rounding out the month of May are releases from two returning Carina Press authors.
Guarding Jess
by Shannon Curtis is the next novel in her McCormack Security Agency series and the follow-up to her debut title,
Viper’s Kiss.
Rebecca Rogers Maher offers up a satisfying and emotional, yet sexy, read in her contemporary romance novella
Snowbound with a Stranger.
I hope you enjoy this month’s new releases as much as we’ve enjoyed bringing them to you.
We love to hear from readers, and you can email us your thoughts, comments and questions to
[email protected]
. You can also interact with Carina Press staff and authors on our blog, Twitter stream and Facebook fan page.
Happy reading!
~Angela James
Executive Editor, Carina Press
www.carinapress.com
www.twitter.com/carinapress
www.facebook.com/carinapress
Dedication
Thanks to Rhonda and Katie, who encouraged me to tell Liam’s story. You ladies rock my socks!
Chapter One
“Welcome back, soldier.”
Lieutenant Talia Barnett smiled politely at the customs officer. “I’m a Marine, actually.” It was stenciled on her uniform, so kind of hard to miss. Most civilians didn’t understand the difference though.
He glanced up at her. “Oh. The few, the proud…”
“That’s us.” She
was
proud to be a Marine. And apart from allowing her to serve her country, her job had the added bonus of taking her as far away from home as she could get for long periods of time.
The man studied her passport, graying brows pulling together in concentration. “Where’re you coming from?”
“Kandahar.”
He nodded, tapped a few keys on his keyboard. “Home for Thanksgiving?”
“Yes.”
Looking up at her, he actually smiled a little. The first time she’d ever seen a customs officer do that. “Bet you’re looking forward to a home-cooked meal while you’re home. Probably didn’t get much of that over there.”
“Food was pretty good, actually.” She kept her tone civil, but not so friendly as to invite further conversation. All she wanted was to get settled at a hotel and figure out what she was going to do.
The man handed her back the passport. “Have a good visit, and thanks for your service.”
Pleasantly surprised by his refreshing attitude, she smiled. “Thank
you
.” Was it the holidays that were making everyone so appreciative all of a sudden? The last couple of times she’d come home no one had said anything to her, but today a handful of people had stopped her since landing stateside to thank her. She appreciated the acknowledgement.
Shouldering her carry-on duffel, Talia headed through the glass doors into the waiting area. Out near the entrance of the airport, a crowd of people waited for the passengers filing out of the security area. She watched as several other Marines from her flight hurried past her, met with open arms by ecstatic family members.
One little boy about five years old held a fistful of balloons in his little hand. When his father rushed up to hug him, the boy’s face lit up with a joyous smile, his little arms and legs wrapping around his dad.
A hard lump settled in her throat and she had to look away. All around her people were hugging and crying, laughing. Stupid of her to be lonely now. It had been her decision to come home instead of spending her leave in Europe with friends. But seeing all these happy reunions hit her harder than she cared to admit. She dreaded the holidays because they were a constant reminder that she had no one to spend them with. Figured the start of her leave would fall on the week of Thanksgiving. How ironic was that?
Hyperaware of the reunited families around her, she couldn’t help but imagine what it would be like to have a loved one waiting at the airport when she arrived. In the handful of times she’d come home over the past three years, not once had anyone been there for her. Maybe because she only had one relative. And half the time she never even saw her mother while she was home. If not for the Brodies, she’d have no reason to come home at all.
Stop feeling sorry for yourself,
she scolded, walking faster past the milling families toward the exit. Outside was a taxi with her name on it, to take her to her hotel for a hot shower and a good night’s sleep.
“Talia!”
Startled, she whipped her head around to see her closest friend, Angie, hurrying toward her with a big bouquet of yellow roses in her arms. Talia grinned in surprise. “Hey,” she called, dropping her bag to hug her.
Angie’s arms closed around her fiercely, the sweet scent of the roses drifting around them. “God, it’s good to see you.”
Talia squeezed her in return. “You too. What are you doing here?” she asked, pulling back.
“To pick you up.”
Her eyebrows shot up. “What?” No way.
Angie’s dark eyes gleamed with amusement. “Surprise!”
“You came here for
me?
You didn’t have to—”
“Oh, shut up and let’s get out of here before my brother gets a ticket for being double parked.”
“Liam’s here?” Her belly flipped at the thought. She fought the sudden urge to fix her hair, put on some lip gloss or something. Seeing him was always hell on her hormones, but the idea of facing him in her cammies right after coming off a long flight left her feeling self-conscious.
“Yep. We decided you should get a proper homecoming this time.”
A sweet ache spread through her and her cheeks flushed. “Aw, thanks.” Their thoughtfulness meant more than they would ever know, though she felt slightly awkward. She wasn’t used to people doing things for her.
“You’re welcome.” Angie hooked an arm around her waist and handed her the bouquet, tossing her long, dark hair over her shoulder. “These are for you, from my family.”
“Thanks. They’re beautiful.” It was all a bit overwhelming. She didn’t know what to do, what to say. Their kindness was unbelievable. But then, it shouldn’t have surprised her. The Brodies were like that.
“Traveling light, aren’t you?” Angie asked, nodding at the single duffel Talia carried.
“Yeah. Won’t be here for long.”
“Are you ever?” she teased.
“Guess not.” She had her reasons. For her, serving overseas was mostly a blessing.
They stepped through the automatic doors into the cool Denver air. The stiff November breeze stole her breath. She shivered, but despite the shocking temperature change from the comparatively balmy weather in Kandahar, the cold felt good. Home. She was home. Such as it was.
“There he is,” Angela said.
She spotted Liam’s black truck parked at the curb up ahead and her heart started to beat a little faster. It had been well over a year since she’d last seen him, but it never got any easier. She felt as nervous now as she ever had. If Angie had ever suspected Talia had a crush on her brother all this time, she’d never let on. “You guys didn’t have to go to all this trouble for me,” she protested.
“Oh, be quiet, it’s no trouble. You think we were going to let you come home alone once we found out when you were getting in? Besides, like we keep telling you, you’re family.”
The words caused something in her chest to tighten. They’d always tried to make her feel so welcome, like she was part of them. Like she belonged. Secretly she treasured that more than anything.
Their family was everything she’d ever wanted, and though they made every effort to make her a part of it, she always held herself back. Because she knew it was only an illusion.
Before she could respond to Angie, the truck door opened and her three-years-older brother Liam climbed out of the driver’s side. Talia’s mouth went dry.
Well over six feet tall, wearing faded jeans and a black leather jacket that stretched across his broad shoulders, the sight of him took her breath away. He’d done many years and tours in the Corps, and it showed in the way he carried himself. His whole bearing screamed military, that absolute air of confidence, his self-assurance in everything he did sexy as hell.
It left her weak in the knees every time she saw him.
His short black hair gleamed in the sunlight; his skin tanned a golden brown, probably from his most recent stint as a military contractor in Afghanistan. Those dark, melted-chocolate eyes crinkled at the corners as he smiled at her.
A warm tingle flooded her body, suffusing her with sudden heat until she barely noticed the cold wind tugging at her.
“Hey, Tal,” he said when she got close enough, reaching out to pull her into a hug.
Talia automatically wound her arms around his neck and returned the embrace, fighting the need to press up against all that hard muscle and bury her face in his neck the way she’d dreamed of for so long. God, he felt good. Her skin was overly sensitive, her nipples tightening in response to his nearness. He smelled fantastic, clean and masculine, his arms strong and familiar about her. Caring and protective. Even this platonic embrace made her wish she could indulge in her fantasies of him just once. Without a doubt he’d be every bit as amazing in bed as she’d always imagined.
Embarrassed by her wayward thoughts, she pulled away.
He released his hold but closed his hands around her shoulders to keep her close. Hands she’d imagined a thousand times, smoothing over her naked skin while he whispered secret, illicit commands in her ear. She suppressed a shiver at the thought of being under his control in the bedroom. Something she’d never wanted with anyone but him.
“Welcome home, sweetheart.”
The endearment triggered a smile and set off a bittersweet ache beneath her ribs. He’d always called her that, though he never meant it the way she wanted him to. A result of her own doing, but she’d made the right choice when she’d drawn the line between them at friends from the start, more than two years ago. Crossing that barrier would mean she risked losing him and his family forever if things didn’t work out between them. She’d never risk that. “Thanks. I can’t believe you guys did this for me.”
He squeezed her shoulder before letting go to pick up her bag. “You deserve it. Nothing we wouldn’t do for you, Tal.”
She couldn’t wipe the stupid smile from her face, aching for so much more, holding it all tight inside where it wouldn’t show. “You look great.”
“So do you. Especially in uniform.” He gave her an appreciative once-over that spiked her pulse.
Blushing, she allowed him to put her bag in the back and climbed into the backseat of the truck cab, struggling to wrestle her hormones into submission. Liam was a huge flirt. She knew not to take him seriously. Or encourage him.
“Ang told me you rented out your apartment when you deployed, so where are you going to stay?” Liam asked when Angie had hopped in and shut the passenger door.
She clasped her hands in her lap, cleared her throat. There was no way to hide her awkward circumstances. “I was going to see if the Best Western had any rooms.”
He glanced up into the rearview mirror, held her gaze for a moment before exchanging a pointed glance with his sister. Her stomach tightened and she fought the instinctive urge to bristle at their concern. Talia knew what they were thinking but she neither needed nor wanted anyone’s pity. She was a big girl, could handle herself. Had since she was a teenager, as soon as she’d been old enough to escape her situation at home and join the Corps at eighteen. A decision she’d never regretted.
“I don’t think so,” he stated firmly. “We were going to take you to Mom and Dad’s with us anyway, since Mom’s dying to see you. You can stay there.” His tone made it clear it was more a command than an invitation.
“No, it’s fine,” she argued, unwilling to impose on their hospitality.
Liam didn’t bother glancing at her again. “You’re staying. If you don’t like it you can try and argue your way out of it with her later.”
His adamant tone surprised her. “You’ve all done more than enough for me already.” Picking her up from the airport might not seem like a huge deal to someone else, but it did to her. And she knew perfectly well they wouldn’t leave it at that. Without a doubt they had much more in store for her.
Liam shared another glance with Angie but stayed silent as he drove them out to the suburbs. She knew what that look meant. They weren’t going to take no for an answer without a fight. She wished they wouldn’t push her about it. Their concern just made her feel pathetic and more awkward than she already did.
Staring out the window, Talia drank in the sight of the rugged surrounding mountains, capped with snow. Not unlike parts of Afghanistan she’d been to, but here she didn’t have to worry about a rocket attack or the risk of an ambush whenever she left the relative safety of the base. The stark difference was jarring. It always took her a few days to adjust and let her guard down when she came stateside.