The Cinderella Obsession (21 page)

He opened the front passenger door and Sandra climbed in. Aimee got into the backseat
—
the usual arrangement, since he would drop off Aimee first. As he drove, Sandra relaxed in the front seat, her head against the headrest. Suddenly she realized they’d stopped
—
she must have dozed off
—
and Aimee was getting out of the car.

“I’ll be back in a minute,” Devlin said. “I’ll just make sure she gets in all right.”

Sandra watched Devlin walk Aimee to the door of her apartment building, wondering why the two of them weren’t dating. Devlin was such a great guy, and available. Aimee really was missing out. Sandra sighed. Maybe she should say something to Devlin.

A few minutes later, Devlin opened the driver’s door and slid into the seat beside her. He pulled the car into traffic again.

“So, the year’s finally over.” He glanced toward her, then back to the road. “Are you looking forward to dating again?”

She shifted in her seat. “Not really.”

“Any particular reason?”

“Well, I’m out of practice, for one.” She glanced over at him. “And don’t say it’s like riding a bike.”

He chuckled.

“I guess I’m worried I won’t find anyone who wants to date me.” She fiddled with her hands in her lap. “And then I’m worried that if I do date someone, it won’t go well... I won’t know what to say or do. That kind of thing.”

“I’m sure you won’t have any problem finding someone—probably a lot of someones
—
who would love to date you.”

He gazed across at her. Was it her imagination, or was there a heated interest in his eyes? Butterflies quivered through her stomach, but she realized it was most likely her imagination. Probably the alcohol hazing her judgment.

“And if you want to go on a practice date or two—”

“You’ll volunteer? But that wouldn’t really be the same thing. You and I are comfortable together. There wouldn’t be any of the awkwardness of being with a stranger.”

Devlin smiled but shook his head. “No, I was going to say that I could set you up with someone. Maybe introduce you to a couple of my friends over drinks, to see if you hit it off in a casual sort of setup.”

“Oh.” As much as she’d protested, she’d actually liked the idea that Devlin wanted to do some test dates with her. The idea that he wanted to pawn her off on his friends disappointed her for some reason.

He pulled in front of her building and parked the car, then walked around it and opened her door. She stepped out of the car and, as she breathed in the fresh night air, felt a little woozy. Devlin took her arm.

“I think someone celebrated a little too much to night.” He took her hand and rested it on his elbow, then walked with her to the front door of her apartment building.

She rarely had more than a glass or two of wine with dinner, or a single cocktail in an evening, so the champagne and piña coladas had definitely gone to her head. She pulled her key from her purse and pushed it into the front door lock and turned it. Devlin opened the door.

“I’ll see you up,” he said.

She walked beside him across the air- conditioned lobby.

He summoned the elevator and they stepped inside. As the doors closed behind them, Sandra realized how small a space it was and how tall Devlin was standing beside her. And how broad his shoulders were.

And how safe she felt around him.

His arm brushed hers, and she realized he hadn’t actually moved toward her; she’d listed a little to the left and now leaned against him slightly. She should move away, but it felt cozy leaning close to him like this. Her good friend. Her buddy.

Her sexy, extremely masculine buddy.

The elevator dinged and the doors opened. She stepped into the hallway and walked toward her apartment, Devlin by her side. The lights of the city glittered below them as she walked toward the big window at the end of the hallway, where her apartment door was. Devlin took her key from her fingers and pushed it into the lock, then turned it.

“You want to come in?” Sandra asked impulsively.

TOTAL ABANDON
is available in
print in most bookstores, and in e-book form
at most on-line bookstores.

by
Opal
Carew

Hot steamy dreams…
a sexy stranger…
and his two brothers…
all add up to an erotic adventure she'll never forget.

Excerpt

How would Lori possibly get through the weekend with Marie and her new husband, Drake, the man who still starred in her erotic dreams?

After Lori had turned down two invitations to dinner and a couple more for drinks, always claiming work issues, Marie had finally insisted Lori give her a date when she could join them at Drake
’
s family cottage near Lake Simcoe, north of Toronto.

She hadn
’
t wanted to drive up with them, in case she came up with a brilliant plan to cut the weekend short without hurting Marie
’
s feelings.

She tucked the bouquet of fresh cut flowers under her arm and clung to the strap of her small suitcase as she rang the doorbell. The place was huge. It was more like a full-fledged home than what Lori thought of as a cottage.

Marie opened the door and squealed, then pulled Lori inside and threw her arms around her, practically knocking the flowers flying.

Marie pulled back and grinned at Lori, then held out her left hand and wiggled her fingers. A bright, shiny diamond glittered on her ring finger. Lori grasped Marie
’
s hand and stared admiringly.

"
It
’
s gorgeous.
"

And it was. A marquis cut solitaire in a white gold setting. The matching band had a delicate pattern engraved on the surface.

"
Here, I brought some flowers.
"
Lori handed Marie the bouquet.

"
Lovely. Thanks.
"
She led Lori into a large, gourmet kitchen and grabbed a crystal vase from the cupboard beside the stainless steel, double door refrigerator, then filled the vase with water.

Lori peeled the paper from the flowers and placed them in the vase.

"
Perfect.
"
Marie
’
s face glowed.

Well, why not? She was a brand new bride and she seemed very happy.
"
Come on. Let me show you around.
"

"
Where
’
s… ah… Drake,
"
Lori asked.

"
Oh, he won
’
t be arriving until late tonight.
"
Marie grinned.
"
He thought you and I would like some girl time to catch up without the new husband getting in the way.
"
She waved a dismissive hand.
"
I told him there
’
d be no problem but… he seemed almost nervous to meet you. Imagine that.
"

Nervous? So, did that mean he
’
d recognized her, too? Did he have feelings of lust in return? The mere possibility sent Lori
’
s hormones dancing, chased away by guilt… and the realization that if it were true, the weekend would be excruciatingly long and awkward.

Sunshine danced along the polished, dark hardwood floors as Lori padded into the kitchen, awakened by the smell of coffee. The house was very quiet. Marie and Drake must still be asleep. The coffee maker had probably been set to automatic.

She slipped into the kitchen, poured herself a cup and carried it to the stools that sat in front of the counter, facing a fabulous view of the lake. As she took a seat, she noticed a note on the black granite counter top.

‘
Gone to do some grocery shopping. Back about one.
’

Lori glanced at the clock. It was only nine now. That meant she had the house to herself for four hours.

She ate a quick breakfast then pulled on her bikini and headed for the patio doors to the backyard. She stepped through to a paradise of plants, stone decking, and a gorgeous free form pool with a waterfall-and even a hot tub.

Wow, her idea of heaven.

She stretched out on one of the lounge chairs and opened her book. After about a half hour, she dropped her book onto the table beside the chair and rolled onto her stomach. She undid the strap of her top to maximize her tan and tucked her hands under her head. The sun beat down on her, lulling her into a quiet nap.

"
You
’
re going to burn if you
’
re not careful.
"

A man
’
s voice-it must be Drake
’
s-startled her. She flushed as she realized from the back, with her thong bottoms and her top strap undone, she might as well be naked.

"
You need some protection.
"

She saw his masculine hands pick up her tube of sun block from the table beside her and felt the warm lotion form a line across her back. His large hand stroked her flesh as he massaged it in: first across her shoulders, then down her back, then the length of each leg. Next, she felt his hand cup one of her ass cheeks as he slowly and thoroughly massaged the lotion into her skin. She longed to flip over and allow him to give the same attention to other parts of her body. Her breasts tingled and her vagina tightened with need.

But he was just being a good host. He didn
’
t want her to sunburn. She couldn
’
t stand the wonderful feel of his hands caressing her a moment longer. It felt too good. She clutched her bathing suit top to her chest and rolled over to a sitting position.

He smiled that electric smile of his and winked.
"
Whatever you say.
"

He stood up and she nearly gasped. He wore the briefest, sexiest bathing suit she
’
d ever seen on a man. It left little to the imagination. She could see the length of his cock straining against the thin fabric, the head nearly pushing out the top. Clearly, applying the sun block had affected him just as much as it had affected her.

If Marie were to step out on the deck right now, it would be very embarrassing.

"
Where… uh… where is Marie?
"

"
She went out shopping. Didn
’
t you see her note?
"

Alone. They were alone? Panic shot through her. He was practically naked in front of her, and obviously turned on. A little voice inside her suggested she drop her hands to her sides and let her top fall to the ground. That would certainly heat things up between them.

But she couldn
’
t. This was her best friend
’
s husband.

"
By the way, I
’
m not Drake.
"
He sat on the lounge chair facing her.

"
What?
"
She stared at him, perplexed.

"
I
’
m Drake
’
s brother, Craig.
"
At her narrowing eyes, he continued,
"
I
’
m not kidding.
"

"
You
’
re identical-
"

"
That
’
s right. Marie said she was having a friend visit this weekend and thought I
’
d like to meet you. I
’
m glad I took her up on the invitation.
"
His gaze shifted up and down her body, coming to rest on her breasts, and her hands clinging to the loose bikini top.

"
Nice to meet you, Craig. I
’
m Lori. I
’
d shake your hand, but…
"

He smiled and a devilish glint lit his eyes.
"
I sure wouldn
’
t complain if you did.
"