Plaything: Paolo's Playhouse, Book 4 (7 page)

Then again, if it’s going to break anyway, maybe she should just go ahead and make a move on the man she’s loved since high school. And risk his rejection a second time.

It hasn’t been easy for Tomas to share space with the one damsel he can’t bear to see in distress. To have her within easy reach has been torture. His foster mother’s words echo in his head: a classy girl like Micah deserves more than the likes of him. But lately Micah’s been rattling his cage. If she does it one more time, she’d better be ready for the animal she awakens.

Unfortunately for him, Micah’s hot little hands are already wrapped around the bars…

Warning: Contains a Latin bad boy with twelve years worth of fantasies to get out of his system, and his goody-two-shoes best friend who learns that her inner bad girl likes handcuffs and spankings. Beware. This book could cause a riot since there’s only one Tomas to go around.

Enjoy the following excerpt for
Just One Night:

He reached out a hand and brushed the hair from her face. God, she was beautiful. Smooth, creamy skin, plump red lips, clear hazel eyes…that had popped open at some point during his perusal and were regarding him curiously.

“Are we home?” she asked and gave a sleepy stretch. The thin cotton blouse pulled tight across her chest, and it was only through sheer force of will that he managed to look away.

“Yeah. Let’s get you inside. I’ll make us some coffee and you some food.”

She didn’t respond. She just opened the car door, slipped off her shoes and weaved her way into the house without a backward glance.

By the time he got inside, her shirt was off and she was hopping around the living room on one foot. One leg was bare, the other was still tangled in her jeans. Every time she jumped, her lace-encased breasts gave a jiggle and so did his heart.

He wet his lips. “Uh, what are you doing, babe?”

“I’m stuck.”

“I see that.”

“I’m gonna take a shower. But I’m stuck. Can you unstuck me?”

He paused for a long moment and sucked in a breath. Could he? It was a simple request, but over the past few months even the simplest request seemed difficult. He was only a man, made of flesh and blood—every drop of which had drained to his cock. Taking off her jeans rode the line between
out of the question
and
abso-fucking-lutely not
.

Micah was on the floor now, wrestling with her jeans as if she was an alligator in the midst of a death roll. Her face was crinkled in concentration, her tongue perched on her top lip à la Charlie Brown, and his heart gave a lurch.

“Stop rolling around, you’re making it worse.” He walked over to help her up by the elbow. “Put your arms around me, babe.” His voice sounded like he’d been sucking on broken glass, and for that second he was glad she was shit-faced enough to not notice.

She leaned forward, nestling her head into his shoulder as she wrapped her arms around his waist. He pinched his eyes shut and counted silently until the initial shock of her scent and the lush press of her curves wore off. He got to eighty before he regained control.

She seemed perfectly content to stay where she was, but instead of getting better, his situation was getting more and more dire by the second. “Okay,” he said, patting her shoulder. “Lift your leg up.”

She nodded into his chest and slung her leg—the bare one—high over his hip. Blood pounded in his ears as the soft heat of her pussy pressed against his thigh.

“The other leg, Mike,” he ground out.

She nodded again and slipped her hands to his shoulders, launching herself in the air and hooking her jeans-clad leg around his other hip to straddle him.

Poor word choice. “I meant switch legs, not both.”

She started to slip, and he instinctively grabbed her to keep her from falling. Unfortunately, the most natural handhold left him with two palms full of luscious ass.

Staring at him through wide eyes, she mumbled, “Well this is nice,” and wiggled against him, her almost-bare sex rubbing against his throbbing cock.

“Jesus, Mike, stop it.”

“Why? What do I have to stop? It feels really good. Doesn’t it feel good to you?” She did it again to make her point. He tried to stay still, but his fingertips flexed deeper into the soft flesh of her bottom.

He groaned. And she heard him. Even the room seemed to hold its breath until she broke the deafening silence.

“You want me?” She sounded afraid.

She should be.

He started to shake.

“Tomas?”

“No.” The word felt like it was ripped out of him. There was nothing in the world he’d ever wanted more than he wanted her right now, but she was drunk. Worse, even if she were sober, she wasn’t for the likes of him. They’d both always known that.

Her face crumpled, and she pushed her hands against his chest to escape. “Let me go. Just let me go. I’m tired of making a fool of myself over you, so let me go, dammit.”

Defeated, he stared into her tear-filled eyes. “You don’t get it, do you, babe? It’s not that I don’t want you. I want you too much.”

Tomas’s intense, chocolate gaze held hers captive. “The things I want to do to you… Jesus, Mike, none of it’s nice. Do you get what I’m telling you?” His husky voice was tinged with desperation.

Heat pooled between her thighs as she tried to comprehend what he was saying. Was the tequila addling her to the point that she’d heard him wrong? And if she’d heard him right,
did
she get it?

Her heart thudded, and she weighed her response. In truth, she had no idea what he meant, and the fear of the unknown assailed her. But if she said
no
? The answer made her blood run cold and chased her pleasant buzz into oblivion. He wouldn’t sleep with her unless she was going into it with eyes wide open. If she wasn’t, he would walk away from her again. She could bear anything but that.

“I get it,” she said in as firm a voice as she could manage. Then she wet her lips and rocked onto her tiptoes, pressing her mouth to his in a soft kiss.

He groaned as her tongue swept along his. His hands slipped down, closing over her hips, urging her closer. Giddy with elation, she moved to wrap her arms around him when suddenly he pulled away, thrusting her from him as if she were on fire.

“I don’t think you do.” His pupils were dilated, his nostrils flaring.

She flicked a glance downward and could make out the thick shape of his erection straining against his zipper. He was a man on the edge. Now she needed to push him over. “Make love to me, Tomas.” Desperate, she decided she would take whatever she could get. “Give me one night,” she whispered. Then maybe she could convince him that one night wasn’t enough.

His jaw tightened, and he ran an impatient hand through his hair. “And now I know you don’t.”

His wistful tone scared her almost as much as his words. He took a step back and turned away. Panic clawed at her, and she grabbed his wrist. “No. Don’t do this to me again. Please.”

He shook his head but said nothing, refusing to meet her gaze. “You’re drun—”

“I’m better now. I’m buzzed, but I know exactly what I’m doing. I know exactly what I want.”

His face was stony, and she knew that look. His mind was made up. She swallowed the lump wedged in her throat along with the last of her pride. “At least tell me why this time. I deserve that much.”

“No. You deserve more. Much more than me. Your parents always knew it. Hell, I always knew it too. You’re good and sweet and beauti—”

“So are you!”

“See, that’s where you got it wrong, babe. I was never good. Not then, not now. I stole money from my foster parents, I smoked weed, I went through girls like potato chips.”

“You had it tough,” she argued. “And look how you turned out.”

He slammed a hand against the wall behind her. “
You
look, Mike. You look at how I turned out, because sometimes I think you don’t even see me. You just see this shiny fucking knight, your buddy Tomas, who will beat up a kid for taking your lunch or pick you up when a date goes bad and let you crash at his place.”

He laid a hand on her neck, closing it gently over her throat. His voice was low and urgent. “But what you don’t see is the Tomas who jerks off to the memory of you bent over in your boxer shorts. The one who closes his eyes and imagines fucking you from behind then pulling out at the last second so he can come on your juicy, round ass that’s still pink from the palm of his hand. The one who wants to tie your wrists and ankles to the bedpost so he can make you scream and cry out his name.”

He rubbed his thumb over her pounding pulse, and her breath caught in her throat. His eyes were wild, his expression pained. He stepped back, and his voice dropped to a whisper.

“And that? That’s just the tip of the iceberg. Do you get it now, babe? The big bad wolf is sleeping one door away. Don’t come knocking again, or you’ll wake him up for real next time.”

This Thanksgiving comes with all the fixings…and something extra hot…

Sam’s Promise

© 2011 Anne Rainey

Blackwater, Book 1

Sam Jennings promised his father he’d always take care of the woman who yanked him and his four brothers out of foster car. When his adoptive mom has a near-fatal heart attack, Sam knows it’s past time to live up to his word.

As he sets out to put the Blackwater Diner back on its feet, he runs into his first snag. Waitress Julie Rose’s sweet curves and long legs are driving Sam to distraction. Even his brothers aren’t immune to her kind heart. But Sam is determined to be the only man in her bed.

Julie doesn’t regret the years she lost caring for her Grandmom, but now, between business classes and her job, she’s left with very little time and energy for dating. Then there’s her policy about never getting mixed up with the boss’s son. But Sam’s hard body and wicked ideas have Julie forgetting all about annoying things like rules, and she accepts his invitation to show her all she’s been missing.

Sam is more than willing to take things slow as he teaches her all about the pleasures of the flesh. Luckily for him, Julie is a darned good student…

Warning: Contains explicit language, a sexy carpenter, and extra helpings of naughty fun under the stars. Heat and increased heart rate may help burn off extra holiday calories.

Enjoy the following excerpt for
Sam’s Promise:

“I think she needs to hire a full time manager at the diner, though. Of course, I’m not sure she can afford it right now.” Julie’s gaze landed on his, and he could see her worry. “Sam, I’m afraid if something isn’t done, she’ll lose the restaurant.”

He took one last swig of his coffee, then sat his cup next to hers before saying, “I won’t let that happen.”

“Short of declaring bankruptcy, I don’t see how you have a choice,” she muttered.

“I spent a good part of the morning looking everything over, and at first I had the same depressing thought. But I have an idea. I just need to talk to my brothers first.”

Her eyes widened. “What sort of plan?”

“A remodel. I want to turn the restaurant into a bar and grill.”

“It sounds great, but how will you get the funding? I’m not sure the bank will find that the restaurant is a sound investment.”

“We might not need a lot. I’ve got a little money saved back. Besides, with Vance and me doing the work and the five of us pooling our resources, I think it might be the best way to turn the diner around.”

“Our very own version of Applebees right here in Blackwater?”

“Something like that.” Sam reached out and cupped Julie’s chin, urging her to look at him. “How about we worry about the diner tomorrow?”

“Okay.” She crossed her legs and glanced over at the fire. “I love this time of year.”

Sam couldn’t pass up the chanced to learn a little more about her. “Is it the chillier weather or the holiday season you like?”

“Both.” She plucked at her sweatshirt and admitted, “I do get cold easily, but I love sitting by a warm fire. It reminds me of going to church camp when I was little.”

Sam imagined her as a young girl in pigtails and smiled. “I can see you roasting marshmallows and eating s’mores.”

She rubbed her belly. “Mm, there’s nothing better than s’mores.”

Sam tipped her chin up until he could see her eyes. “Nothing?” he murmured. “Not even gooey chocolate chip cookies with me?”

Julie clenched her eyes tight and let out a heavy breath. “I have a confession to make, Sam.”

“Yeah?”

She opened her eyes and said, “Uh, I’m nervous. It’s been a long time since I’ve been on a date, but you could probably tell that already.”

“It’s okay. No pressures or expectations tonight, Julie.” He leaned back into the swing and put his arm around her shoulders. “All you have to do is enjoy the night.”

She leaned her head on his shoulder and looked up at him. “Are you enjoying the evening?”

“I have a pretty woman snuggled up close under the stars. It doesn’t get much better in my book.”