Living in Shadow (Living In…) (24 page)

Kara began walking in the direction of the pool bar. Man, if all he was going to do was give her a talking to then she’d be forced to take more serious action. Like drop the coat and do a sexy dance in the middle of the bar. Not that she knew any sexy dances, but she was sure she could improvise. That would probably embarrass the crap out of him.

The pool bar itself was dimly lit, a bit shabby and full of the usual Saturday late-night crowds, an odd cross-section of people ranging from students and business types to a group of old guys and what looked like a hen party.

As Kara scanned around the pool tables looking for Vin, she soon discovered why the hen party was making rather a lot of noise. There was a tall guy playing the table next to theirs, causing them do a lot of whispering, pointing and giggling.

No wonder. It was Vin. And his tall, lean figure in low-slung jeans and a black T-shirt was enough to make anyone stare.

Kara wound her way slowly through the tables, unable to take her eyes off him as he lined up a shot, one muscled, tanned arm out, his cue held firmly between long fingers. The severe beauty of his features was shadowed by the overhead lighting as he focused on the ball, but the light picked up the sheen of copper in his dark hair, the only other similarity he had with Ellie.

The sheer physical magnetism he possessed held her and the entire hen party at the next table absolutely hypnotized as he drew back his arm to take the shot. The white hit a green ball which then bounced off the side of the table and hit a red with unerring accuracy. The red shot straight into one of the pockets.

The hen party clapped but Vin didn’t look at them. He lifted his gaze from the table and looked at her instead.

Electricity whispered over her skin as she met his dark, stormy blue eyes, and she had to take a deep breath, trying to slow her racing heartbeat.

God, this was insane. Where had all this sudden sexual tension come from?

Telling herself to move, she approached the table, her coat still pulled tight around her. He straightened, holding his cue by his side, looking her up and down.

“I’m still wearing the costume,” she murmured, wanting to push him in some way. Get him back for the way he made her feel so off-balance. “Wanna see it?”

His gaze didn’t move from hers. “Show me.”

Kara caught her breath. She hadn’t expected him to want to. She’d thought to flash him and catch him off guard. Shock him and maybe embarrass him a little. Part of her had even been looking forward to it. But now, perversely, she wanted to refuse. Deny him just to taunt him.

She lifted a brow. “My, Vincent. So demanding. Say please and I might.”

“No please.” His voice held a note of command she’d never thought she’d ever want to obey. “Show me. Now.”

But she did want to obey. Because another, secret part of her wanted him to see her.

So she let the two halves of her coat open, giving him a glimpse of the slave collar and chain, the metal bikini top and exposed length of her torso and thighs.

Vin didn’t move but the way his gaze swept from her head to her feet made her whole body prickle with heat. She felt like she’d been licked with fire, scorched. A voice inside her head screeched at her to cover herself, that she’d made herself vulnerable, but she resisted the urge. She wanted a reaction from him first. Some evidence that she hadn’t shown herself to him for nothing.

Because somehow it felt important.

Slowly Vin lifted his gaze from her body to meet her eyes. The look on his face was hungry, skin drawn tight over the classical bone structure beneath it. His eyes glittered. The intensity of him held her motionless, made it difficult to breathe.

He liked what he saw, that much was obvious. And the fact that he did made her ache. Made her want.

“Stop, Kara,” he said after what felt like an age, that edge of command still in his husky voice. “Stop sending me texts. Stop sending me pictures. And stop pushing me. Because you may not like the consequences.”

Slowly she leaned her hip against the side of the pool table and folded the coat around herself again. Breath, long denied, filled her lungs. “Why? You don’t like?”

“I don’t like you messing with me, no.”

“Sure you do. In fact, I think you love it.” She eased away from the table and came closer to him. He watched her approach, unmoving. “I think you want me to mess with you more.”

She didn’t know quite why she felt the urge to keep pushing at him. Or what reaction she wanted from him.

Sure you don’t.

Kara inhaled. Yeah, she knew. And perhaps it was time to stop denying her own feelings. Her own needs. Perhaps it was time to admit to herself what she wanted and why she could not leave him alone.

She hadn’t wanted any of those guys at the Con. The guy she really wanted was Vin.

For a long moment neither of them said anything, the space between them full of tension and unspoken desires.

Then he said, “What do you want, Kara?”

“You said you were going to offer me an alternative to all the guys I’ve been sending you.” She turned, leaned back against the pool table, her hands gripping the sides. “So here I am. What’s your alternative?” Somehow telling him exactly what she wanted felt too hard. Made her too vulnerable. She’d been rejected too many times before to leave herself open to the possibility of it happening again.

His gaze had dropped to where the coat had opened a little, giving him a glimpse of her bare leg. Good. Let him look. Let him see what he could have if he wanted. He just had to say it. Just had to tell her.

“An alternative?” he murmured. “You really want to know?”

“Yeah.” Her voice wasn’t as steady as she would have liked it to be.

Vin didn’t move, but his gaze lifted from the gap in her coat back to her face again. “Me.”

Wine her, dine her…then untie her.

Sweet Obsession

© 2014 Kelly Jamieson

Windy City Kink, Book 1

Sasha Bendel is a bundle of nerves as she knocks on the door of a Gold Coast penthouse. Her landscape design business took a hard hit when one of her biggest clients defaulted on his payment, and she desperately needs this rooftop garden design project to get back in the black.

But when her potential client answers the door, she’s stunned. It’s her old high school boyfriend, the one her wealthy parents ran out of her life when they were discovered engaging in some youthful exploration of bondage and discipline.

Twelve years ago, Jack Grenville let Sasha’s powerful father intimidate him into giving up the love of his life. With the help of a sensei, he’s overcome his obstacles and accepted his sexual dominance. Now he’s back in Chicago to claim what’s his—Sasha.

One look at Jack brings back all the forbidden desires Sasha’s put on lock-down since that shameful night. No way can she turn down this money-is-no-object job…but can she resist Jack’s no-knots-barred determination to recapture her heart?

Warning: This book contains a woman with a sweet tooth, a man with a sweet obsession, a cupboard full of bondage rope, and some not-so-sweet kink.

Enjoy the following excerpt for
Sweet Obsession:

Jack jumped to his feet, hands curled into fists. “You wanted everything we did together as much as I did.” Bewildered, he battled for control. “Sasha.” He lowered his voice. “Didn’t you?”

“What we did was…wrong.”

“Wrong?”

She sank her top teeth into her plush bottom lip. “Yes.”

How could she think that? Was that what the problem was here? “Why would you say that?”

She shook her head.

He moved closer. “Seriously, Sasha.” He brushed her hair off her shoulder. She still looked like she wanted to flee, but she didn’t move. “Why?” He clasped her hips, gently, his big hands spanning them. “Okay, let’s deal with this.”

“With what?”

He barreled ahead. “Do you blame me for what happened that night?”

“Oh.” She swallowed. “Yes. No. I don’t know. I’m confused. You confuse me. You get me all…”

“Aroused.”

She groaned and closed her eyes again, her cheeks washing even redder. Gorgeous.

“It’s okay, Sasha.” He pulled her against him and slid a hand up her back, then rubbed up and down in a gentle, hopefully soothing motion. “It’s okay. I’m aroused too. You turn me on. All I have to do is fucking look at you, and I’m hard.” He pushed his hips into her to show her, and she moaned again. “I’ve wanted you again from the minute you walked in here that day. We’re all grown up now. We can do whatever we want. It’s not like back in high school. Right?”

She said nothing, her pretty lips pressed together, her eyes still closed. Christ, she was acting more virginal now than she had when she was sixteen. Weird. But fuck it, he was still hot for her and clearly she was just as turned on. She was resisting for some unfuckinggodknown reason.

“You’re my client,” she whispered. “This isn’t professional.”

He laughed. “Yeah, whatever.”

Her eyes slowly opened. “You confuse me,” she repeated. “You do all these nice things for me, you touch me like that…I don’t know why you’re hiring me and paying me all that money—”

“Wait just a minute.” He cut her off, his voice hard. “Those are two separate things, honey. Hiring you and paying you all that money is because you’re the best at what you do and you’re entitled to be fairly compensated for that. That has nothing to do with…this.”

“Really?”

“I told you that before. Cross my fucking heart, babe.” He paused. That had sounded flippant. He held her gaze steadily. “I swear on my parents’ graves, Sasha. Two. Separate. Things.”

Her eyes widened and her face softened. Yeah. She was probably the only person in the world who knew what it meant for him to say that.

She touched his face with her fingertips, and he closed his eyes at the gentle contact. Her thumb brushed over his bottom lip and heat once more rushed to his groin.

“Are you afraid of me?” he murmured against her fingertip.

“Yes. For lots of reasons.”

After a short pause, he said, “I’m glad you are.”

She stared back at him. “What?”

“I’m glad you’re afraid of me. If you weren’t a little afraid, you wouldn’t be so turned on.”

“Jack.” She closed her eyes. “We can’t do this.”

He smiled. “Even so, you’re not running.”

“No.” She exhaled. “I’m not.”

He wanted to shout with joy and relief, and he wrapped his arms around her. Her soft breasts cushioned against his chest, her hips pressed against his and her hands slid over his neck and shoulders.

He bent his head and her mouth opened to his again. She melted against him, winding her arms around his neck, and he wrapped her up in his and crushed her to him. They kissed over and over, soft, lush kisses, tongues rubbing. Her hands slid into his hair and played there, teasing him, sending tingles cascading from his scalp all down his spine.

It was driving him fucking nuts, Sasha in and out of his home all the time, looking so freaking hot and sweet and sexy and focused on business. Watching her talking to the construction guys and directing them made him horny as hell. The fact that she was obviously so knowledgeable and talented in what she was doing made him hot for her.

He wanted the damn rooftop garden done. And yet, he didn’t want it done, because then Sasha wouldn’t be there.

All those times she came to ask him questions about little things…sometimes he wondered if she really needed to ask him. She could’ve made those decisions. He was easy. But she sought him out and consulted with him and discussed options, and he loved talking to her and sharing ideas with her and watching her.

He’d been patient. He really had. And he thought she was relaxing a little around him, since they’d been friendly and getting to know each other again. In a non-sexual, non-threatening way.

Well. It wasn’t completely non-sexual. You’d have to be blind and stupid not to notice the electricity that arced between them whenever they were together. Adam had noticed it. Emma had noticed it. Sasha might be pretending it wasn’t there, but she’d definitely noticed it.

He’d kept his hands off her, difficult as that had been. Until now.

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This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locale or organizations is entirely coincidental.

Samhain Publishing, Ltd.

11821 Mason Montgomery Road Suite 4B

Cincinnati OH 45249

Living in Shadow

Copyright © 2014 by Jackie Ashenden

ISBN: 978-1-61922-213-7

Edited by Christa Soule

Cover by Lyn Taylor

All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

First
Samhain Publishing, Ltd.
electronic publication: August 2014

www.samhainpublishing.com