Notorious (16 page)

He turned his head as if to speak, but she cut him off.

“Then again I could be mistaken.”

“For old time’s sake?”

Cowboy’s tone was so soft that only she heard him. Her stomach clenched, and her knees went weak.

Move away. Get away from him…

Then he laid his hand on her arm.

Electricity shot through her nervous system and short-circuited her brain. Every cell in her body leapt to awareness as if she’d been asleep and he was the only one who could awaken her. Shaken, all she could do was stand there and stare at where their flesh joined.

His fingers tightened on her arm. The scar across his first knuckle—she’d been there when he’d cut himself. Barely ten, she was so panicked at the sight of so much blood that she’d screamed her head off. Ryan had come running only to slap electrical tape over it and tell Jeff to get back to work. The pale scar on his wrist was her fault. While repairing the fence she’d distracted him, and the wire snapped back and caught him. He’d bawled her out only to apologize minutes later.

She’d spent countless lazy summer days watching him work with the horses. He had a limitless supply of patience with even the wildest of animals. These were the hands of a man who worked hard and played even harder. And they belonged to a man who, once upon a time, made her feel safe.

Special.

“All right,” she croaked.

Notorious

Karen Erickson

Loving her is easy. Proving to himself he deserves her? Baby steps…

Playing With Fire, Book 4

King of one-night stands, all-around man whore, that’s Eric. And you know what? He doesn’t give a rip. After being dumped by the two people who mattered most to him, numbing himself with alcohol and anonymous sex was the easiest thing to do. Men, women, they’re all the same to him. Feelings, caring, it all just gets in the way.

Then he meets Stacy. Sweet, beautiful, a delicate combination of shy and forceful, she’s unlike anyone he’s ever known. She sees right through his façade and makes him face his ugly truths, brutal reminders he doesn’t deserve her. He wants her like no one else—and it scares him out of his mind.

Stacy can’t help herself, she’s attracted to gorgeous, sexy,
hurting
Eric. There’s more to him than meets the eye—even though what’s meeting her eye right now is a complete mess. Broken hearts will do that to the strongest man—she should know. If she can get him to forgive—especially himself—maybe things could work out between them. But first, she can’t let him get away.

Warning: Two vulnerable people become lovers—and all sorts of confusion ensues. As well as a healthy dose of naughty, delicious sex mixed with a hint of m/m action thrown in.

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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.

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Notorious

Copyright © 2011 by Karen Erickson

ISBN: 978-1-60928-478-7

Edited by Bethany Morgan

Cover by Scott Carpenter

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: June 2011

www.samhainpublishing.com