Own (Command Force Alpha #1) (37 page)

He handed her a full champagne flute before downing a big gulp from his. Maybe he wasn’t as controlled as he managed to appear. “Now, drink.”

Cass dove in for a healthy sip. The bubbles went straight to her oxygen-starved brain. Ryan made her half-drunk already. The alcohol didn’t stand a chance when compared to his blatant sex appeal.

“I want you to do something for me,” he said, his voice tight and low.

“Anything. Anything you need.”

“Go sit on that loveseat.”

Cass willed her feet to move. She crossed away from the serving cart and sat primly on the edge of the loveseat’s stiff cushion.

The window behind her allowed the lights of the Strip to shine in, bathing his face and his crisp, pale blue shirt in color. She just waited, perched there, loving the way he touched her everywhere with his hot gaze.

“Cassandra,” he said softly.

“
Oui
?”

“I’m going to go down on you.”

A porn star and a bookseller walk into the same BDSM hotel room suite…

Chasing Kings

© 2013 Sierra Dean

Samantha Hart wishes things would stop happening in Vegas when a case of mistaken identity lands her in the Hard Rock’s racy Provocateur suite—an S&M wet dream that’s occupied by an honest-to-God porn star. Ethan Silver’s reputation should put her off, but his naughty charm and wicked-sweet smile have her agreeing to a night on the town. Then wishing for a night in, as well.

Ethan knew the instant he stepped through the door that this wasn’t the Samantha Hart he was almost desperate to see. Yet he can’t help it. He wants to ease the blushing bookseller out of her shell and show her a good time…and not just in the bedroom.

As a hot night on the Strip turns into a hotter night at the hotel, Ethan begins to prove there’s a good guy under his bad-boy façade. There’s a loan shark hot on his tail, though, and only Sam can help keep his movie-star face intact. But telling her the truth could cost him something he needs more than money. Her love.

Warning: Contains a bad boy porn star with all the right moves, a good girl who wants to go bad, and one wild week in Vegas.

Enjoy the following excerpt for
Chasing Kings:

Ethan was leaning against one of the big white railings on the bridge, peering over the edge. When Sam came up next to him, she followed his gaze to the water below. The faux canal had the blue-green water she’d only seen in pictures of Fiji or Lake Tahoe, and a half-dozen gondolas were lined up, their striped poles bobbing with the swaying influence of the wind.

The sole working gondolier pushed a smiling couple through the canal and under the bridge she and Ethan were standing on.

“Pretty cool, isn’t it?”

She didn’t want to admit it, especially not so soon, but he was right. Seeing an Italian gondolier sweep someone away on a romantic boat ride right in the middle of a kitschy tourist city
was
pretty nifty. Maybe she hadn’t given Vegas a fair shake.

“Okay. You got me, this is neat. But this is
one
thing. I’d hardly call it an amazing spectacle or anything.”

“You say that now, Ms. Grinch, but the night is young and we have the whole Strip waiting for us. I guarantee you by the time we’re through you’re going to be madly in love with this city. And hopefully you won’t still think your vacation was wasted in coming here.”

“Want to make a bet?”

“A bet?”

“Yeah, in the spirit of the whole thing, this being Vegas and all.”

“What are the terms?”

“If we get back to the hotel and I can honestly say I didn’t have fun, you have to use all your big porn earnings to upgrade me to a nicer room.”

Ethan snorted and rolled his eyes. “I think you overestimate how much money we make, but I’m pretty sure I can swing an upgrade.”

“All right.” Sam smiled in spite of herself. She’d wanted to keep her poker face in check so he wouldn’t realize she was already enjoying herself, but the grin still managed to slip out. Stupid traitorous face.

“Don’t you want to know what I want if I win?” He stuffed his hands into the pockets of his jeans and rocked on his heels, smirking like a brazen schoolboy.

“The look you’re giving me right now makes me think I know what you’re going to say.” Her tummy churned, nerves causing a stormy sea to bubble and swirl inside her.

“Don’t think the worst. You made me promise
no sex
, remember? Not until you say the word.”

“All right. What do you want if you win, then?”

“A kiss.” A Cheshire Cat grin spread across his face, highlighting his dimples and making him seem both innocent and roguish all at the same time.

Oh boy, was she in trouble.

“Fine. One kiss. But I’m going to make you work for it.”

“I’d expect nothing less.” Ethan extended his hand to her, and she took it without hesitating.

He led her across the street towards the mammoth structure of the Mirage Hotel. Sam had watched plenty of representations of Vegas in movies and on countless episodes of
CSI
, but nothing she’d seen had prepared her for the scale of the place. Everything was
huge
, and just walking through the crowds and staring up at the hotels made her feel insignificant. She hadn’t felt that way since her first memories of walking through the redwoods back in Oregon. Somehow Vegas managed to capture the same sensation, even more than being in a
real
large city could. Maybe it had something to do with being able to see the Eiffel Tower, the New York City skyline and a scaled-down Sphinx all in one stretch of road.

It was too much stuff for her poor brain to process.

Ethan guided her past the Mirage and Caesars Palace—a structure so gargantuan Sam was sure the whole population of her home town could fit in it and still have room for ten thousand extra guests—and he didn’t stop walking until they reached an alcove in front of the Bellagio, with a view of the half-scale Eiffel Tower across from them.

“Do you think taking me to Paris is all it will take to dazzle me?” she teased.

“Paris is over there.” Ethan pointed to a blue neon hot air balloon with the French city’s name scrawled over it in shimmering yellow lights. “What I’m showing you is
there
.” He indicated a wide span of black water, which seemed utterly unimpressive compared to the edifices surrounding it.

“You figure that’s kissworthy? You must be used to some easily astonished girls.”

“As true as that might be, hold your horses for a second.” He checked his watch then angled her towards the water with two firm hands on her waist. He didn’t pull away immediately, his fingers trailing up her spine and stopping on her shoulders, both thumbs kneading the tense point at the base of her neck. “Trust me.”

“Said the porn star.”

Ethan leaned in, his lips so close to her ear she could feel the heat from his mouth when he whispered, “I’m going to make you eat those words. And you’re going to like it.”

Sam shuddered involuntarily, and liquid heat speared her in the most intimate place, making a wave of goose bumps prickle up her arm hairs.

The hard-rock song blaring over the Bellagio speakers grew quiet, and the faint strains of a classical symphony replaced them. Considering how everything she’d heard up to that point had been the most obnoxious, overpowering music available, the classical tune was a jarring—but welcome—change of pace.

The music swelled up, and with it a row of small fountains emerged from the water, lit bright white so it appeared as if the water itself was glowing. Sam stood rapt as the spouts began to bend and arc in time with the music, the water starting low then suddenly shooting up into the air sixty feet, blotting out the view of Paris behind them. A circle in the center of the display rose higher than everything around it, and the mist left behind was illuminated by the lights of the Strip, glowing like fairy dust as it fell to the lake’s surface.

The display continued for five minutes, with the fountains moving with the music, bowing and dipping like a living thing. With one final, triumphant upwards explosion the fountains vanished, leaving the water smooth and calm while the last curtain of mist fell back to the surface. The music died out, and Sam was left only with the hammering sensation inside her chest.

Tourists around them started to move away, leaving the balcony almost clear and the gleaming structure of the Eiffel Tower behind them. The hard rock kicked in again with a whining guitar solo, making Sam’s ears pound in time with her heart.

“Wow,” she said, when she could form words.

“Good wow?”

“Very good wow.”

Ethan smiled, his hand going to her waist as she turned away from the view of the fountain. “Would you say you were…dazzled?”

“I want to lie, because you’re smirking at me like you’ve won the Super Bowl, but I can’t. That was amazing. Consider me thoroughly dazzled.”

“Oh, you’re not
thoroughly
dazzled. Not yet.” His hand tightened on her waist, tugging her closer, and she didn’t feel the urge to resist him. Instead she yielded to his embrace, going willingly as he pulled her body against his.

He was taller than her, which was a delight in and of itself since she was five-foot-nine and often had trouble meeting men who weren’t put off by her stature. Ethan was barely six feet tall, but it was enough of a difference he had to bend his neck to kiss her. The gesture made her feel small and feminine.

His free hand cupped the back of her neck, and his fingers were warm in the desert night air. She trembled when his lips met hers, having difficulty remembering the last time a kiss had made her feel like a nervous schoolgirl.

Ethan didn’t kiss like a porn star, at least not how she’d decided he would based on the movie she’d seen. His lips were soft and gentle, the barest brush against her mouth, and he pecked her once, then lingered longer the second time.

When it seemed as if he might pull away, leaving her wanting, Sam reached out and held his face between her nerve-dampened palms, keeping him locked in place. Her tongue grazed his lower lip, and in its wake she nipped him lightly, then hesitated, afraid he might be spooked by her forwardness.

She felt his smile, though she couldn’t see it, and he whispered, “I knew there was a bad girl in there.”

He pushed his body firmly into hers, his grip on her neck tightening as he deepened the kiss from his end. His tongue delved into her mouth, teasing hers with a wicked curl and sending sparks of pleasure rioting through her body. He tilted his head for a better angle, forcing her mouth wider, and she drank in his unique flavor as her tongue brushed his. Ethan Silver tasted like pure lust—spicy and dangerous—and she couldn’t get enough.

He pulled away after a minute, and Sam made a small noise of protest. Ethan kissed the tip of her nose, his cheeks flushed, his smile sweet.

“
Now
you’re properly dazzled.”

And damn if the cheeky devil wasn’t right.

Behind every heroine is the pain that binds her.

Having Her

© 2014 Jackie Ashenden

Lies We Tell, Book 2

Manga café owner Kara Sinclair has one burden she’s been carrying around so long it’s bordering on pathetic. Her virginity. Getting rid of it, though, means doing the one thing that scares her the most—letting down her guard with a relative stranger. Which makes her best friend’s older brother Vin Fox’s offer too tempting to refuse.

Vin barely has room in his schedule to turn around, much less worry about Kara and her crazy quest. When she insists on going ahead with a plan that he considers unsafe, though, enough is enough. If she wants to lose it, she can lose it with him. Bonus: he gets to play out his darkest fantasies, slave collar and all.

Kara thought dealing with a known entity like sexy-as-sin, controlling-as-hell Vin would smooth the way. But when it comes right down to doing the deed, not even the safety of a costume can fool her demons.

By then the game has gone too far…and the consequences could bind them together forever. Or tear them apart at the seams.

Warning: Contains a sexy, brooding “fix you” hero and a heroine who isn’t afraid of anything…except “normal.” More kinky cosplay losts-and-founds than you can shake a riding crop at. WTF Infirmary is booked up; please make an appointment before you read.

Enjoy the following excerpt for
Having Her:

Kara dodged the crowds as she left the convention center’s bar, feeling bad about leaving Ellie alone. She felt bad about leaving full stop, but knowing Hunter was coming to get her friend helped.

Hiding the fact she was going to meet Vin didn’t.

Then again explaining to Ellie that she’d been sending the pictures Ellie had been taking of her, including the ones containing various potential suitors, to Vin all night, for reasons she couldn’t have explained even to herself, would also have been a little difficult. Ellie probably wouldn’t have cared but Kara felt awkward about it all the same.