Epilogue
Sophie Sullivan sat at her mother’s kitchen table, brochures spread out all around her for the various surprises she was planning for Chase and Chloe’s upcoming wedding.
Gabe, Megan, and Summer had joined her and her mother for lunch and now Summer was riding her bike out in the front yard, a bike similar to the one Sophie had when she was seven, with a banana seat and pink streamers flying from the handlebars. Back in December, the last time they were all together at her mother’s house, she’d felt a little bad about playing matchmaker by mentioning Gabe’s plans to go skiing in Lake Tahoe to Summer.
But look how well it had turned out.
Sophie was beyond happy for her brother and her friend. They clearly belonged together, even though they’d both obviously tried to—foolishly—fight their connection at first.
The door flew open and Gabe ran inside and into the kitchen. Megan and Summer walked inside holding hands a moment later, the little girl sniffling and limping on a leg with a bloody knee.
Sophie immediately went to them and had just given Summer a hug when Gabe returned with their mother’s first-aid kit. He looked strangely pale, despite his tanned skin, as he lifted Summer onto his lap. Speaking softly to Megan’s daughter, he gently cleaned, then bandaged, her knee.
He’d just finished putting on the last Band-Aid when Summer hopped off his lap and said, “Race you to the tree house.”
Sophie watched as Megan put her hand on his shoulder. “You did great.”
Gabe blew out a hard breath. “Seeing her fall off the bike onto the street and not knowing how badly she was hurt made me the most nervous I’ve ever been in my life.”
Megan leaned over and kissed him and Sophie moved back to the table to give them some privacy. Her heart squeezed tight at watching her brother be so paternal. It was so sweet.
And yet, as the two of them headed into the backyard to join Summer in the tree house, Sophie sighed, trying not to compare the way Megan and Gabe looked at each other to the way nobody looked at her. Especially not—
“Hey, Nice.”
She whirled around, shocked to find Jake McCann standing next to her mother on the Persian rug. “What are you doing here?”
Her mother raised an eyebrow at her snippy tone. “He offered to help with the bar.”
Chase and Chloe had plenty of money—and contacts—to put on a wedding without any of their help. But that was beside the point. Everyone who loved them wanted to help.
Why hadn’t her mother told her Jake was coming over? If she’d known, Sophie would have worn something other than the most boring white long-sleeved dress in the world.
Not, she knew, that it would have mattered what she was wearing. She could have been completely naked, spread-eagled on the table, and Jake wouldn’t notice. In fact, if he did notice her nudity, he’d probably toss a couple of pillows at her to cover her up without so much as blinking.
The phone rang and her mother excused herself to answer it, leaving Sophie and Jake alone.
“Pretty crazy,” he drawled as he looked out the living room window and saw Gabe, Megan, and Summer playing in the backyard, “all you Sullivans pairing up like this.”
His mouth was quirked up into one of those ridiculously hot half-grins that turned her insides to jelly and her heartbeat kicked into overdrive, just as it always did around Jake. It didn’t help that he was wearing a short-sleeved black T-shirt that showed off his muscular, tattooed forearms and dark jeans that showed off his tight a—
No. She couldn’t go there. It was too pointless.
Too pathetic.
She’d wasted enough time mooning over Jake. Approximately twenty years, to be more precise. But it was one thing to be a five-year-old with a crush. It was another entirely to be a twenty-five-year-old woman who couldn’t get over the one guy who barely noticed she was alive.
He thought of her as Nice, for God’s sake.
Which pretty much summed things up in the most depressing way, considering there was no one she wanted to be naughty with more.
“I’m happy for them,” she finally said, unable to quell the defensive tone in her voice. “Chase and Marcus and Gabe all deserve to be happy.”
He held his hands up and she hated the way it felt like he was laughing at her. “Okay. Sure they do. You’ve probably got a guy stashed away somewhere, ready to pop a ring on your finger, don’t you?”
God, how she wished she could say yes, that she could rub a gorgeous, hunky, successful boyfriend in his face.
Although, since he wouldn’t care, the victory would be short-lived, wouldn’t it?
Planting a fake smile on her face, she shrugged. “Nope. Still having fun, playing the field.”
For a split second, she thought she saw something flash in his chocolate-brown eyes, but it was gone so fast she knew she must have imagined his reaction to the idea of her dating a bunch of random guys.
If anything, he was probably feeling overprotective of her in a brotherly way. He’d probably freak out if he ever realized she looked at him as anything but, if he knew the kinds of fantasies she had about him, ones that included whipped cream and blindfolds and screaming out his na—
She forcefully snapped herself out of the wicked—pointless—daydream just as he said, “Well, don’t worry. You’re a pretty girl. Some guy will come along and sweep you off your feet.”
Oh my God. Seriously? Had the number one subject of all her secret fantasies just called her a pretty girl...and then told her not to worry about some guy coming to sweep her away?
As he gazed at her with a double serving of male condescension, something inside Sophie snapped...breaking right in two, somewhere in the region of her heart.
Sophie knew she was attractive. Even without looking in the mirror, just judging by the way men responded to her identical twin, Lori, she knew her features and figure were put together pretty well.
Only, unlike Lori, Sophie had never tried to trade on her looks for male attention.
In the past year, she’d read literally hundreds of love stories for her library project. Suddenly it hit her: What if she put everything she’d learned about seduction to good use?
What if she made Jake want her?
What if she could find a way to make him desperate to have her?
He was a man, after all. And, no matter how rusty her feminine wiles, she was a woman.
Licking her lips, the power of her new intention had her sitting up straighter in her chair, pulling back her shoulders, and crossing her legs to let her white dress ride up past her knees.
Amazingly, Jake actually looked uncomfortable, as if he were finally seeing something he didn’t want to—ever—have to acknowledge.
And in that moment, Sophie didn’t have to work for the wicked little smile on her lips. Not now that she’d decided on her plan of action. Because as soon as she figured out how to get Jake right where she wanted him, she was going to make darn sure she exacted a little revenge for her poor unrequited heart.
Oh yes, she was going to teach him the lesson someone should have taught him a long time ago.
Namely, that he couldn’t have every girl in the world.
Especially not her.
~ THE END ~
Don’t miss the first two books in Bella Andre’s Sullivan family series ~ out now!
THE LOOK OF LOVE
(Chase & Chloe, The Sullivans #1)
FROM THIS MOMENT ON
(Marcus & Nicola, The Sullivans #2)
Watch for Book #4 coming early 2012!
I ONLY HAVE EYES FOR YOU
(Sophie & Jake)
* * *
WIN A BRAND NEW NOOK TABLET!
We are celebrating the launch of CAN’T HELP FALLING IN LOVE with a special contest to win a Nook Tablet! You can enter in two easy steps.
(1) Post a review for CAN’T HELP FALLING IN LOVE at BarnesandNoble.com between now and January 31, 2012. Each posted review is eligible for entry, including reviews at sites such as Goodreads and book review / romance blogs.
(2) Email [email protected] with your reviewer/pen name under which you wrote the review and the site(s) you posted your review.
The winner will be announced on February 1, 2012. An independent third party will validate each entry and randomly select the winner. No Purchase Necessary. Please see details and other terms at http://www.BellaAndre.com.
* * *
Please enjoy the following excerpts from Bella Andre’s books...
THE LOOK OF LOVE
Chase & Chloe – The Sullivans # 1
? 2011 Bella Andre
Chloe Peterson is having a bad night. A really bad night. The large bruise on her cheek can attest to that. And when her car skids off the side of a wet country road straight into a ditch, she’s convinced even the gorgeous guy who rescues her in the middle of the rain storm must be too good to be true. Or is he?
As a successful photographer who frequently travels around the world, Chase Sullivan has his pick of beautiful women, and whenever he’s home in San Francisco, one of his seven siblings is usually up for causing a little fun trouble. Chase thinks his life is great just as it is—until the night he finds Chloe and her totaled car on the side of the road in Napa Valley. Not only has Chase never met anyone so lovely, both inside and out, but he quickly realizes Chloe has much bigger problems than her damaged car. Soon, Chase is willing to move mountains to love—and protect—her, but will Chloe let him?
Chloe vows never to make the mistake of trusting a man again. Only, with every loving look Chase gives her—and every sinfully sweet caress—as the attraction between them sparks and sizzles, she can’t help but wonder if she’s met the only exception. And although Chase didn’t realize his life was going to change forever in an instant, amazingly, he isn’t the least bit interested in fighting that change. Instead, he’s gearing up for a different fight altogether…for Chloe’s heart.
Enjoy the following excerpt for THE LOOK OF LOVE...
Chase almost missed the flickering light off on the right side of the two-lane country road. In the past thirty minutes, he hadn’t passed a single car, because on a night like this, most sane Californians—who didn’t know the first thing about driving safely in inclement weather—stayed home.
Knowing better than to slam on the brakes—he wouldn’t be able to help whomever was stranded on the side of the road if he ended up stuck in the muddy ditch right next to them—Chase slowed down enough to see that there was definitely a vehicle stuck in the ditch.
He turned his brights on to see better in the pouring rain and realized there was a person walking along the edge of the road about a hundred yards up ahead. Obviously hearing his car approach, she turned to face him and he could see her long wet hair whipping around her shoulders in his headlights.
Wondering why she wasn’t just sitting in her car, dry and warm, calling Triple A and waiting for them to come save her, he pulled over to the edge of his lane and got out to try and help her. She was shivering as she watched him approach.
“Are you hurt?”
She covered her cheek with one hand, but shook her head. “No."
He had to move closer to hear her over the sound of the water hitting the pavement in what were rapidly becoming hailstones. Even though he’d turned his headlights off, as his eyes quickly adjusted to the darkness, he was able to get a better look at her face.
Something inside of Chase’s chest clenched tight.
Despite the long, dark hair plastered to her head and chest, regardless of the fact that looking like a drowned rat wasn’t too far off the descriptive mark, her beauty stunned him.
In an instant, his photographer’s eye cataloged her features. Her mouth was a little too big, her eyes a little too wide-set on her face. She wasn’t even close to model thin, but given the way her T-shirt and jeans stuck to her skin, he could see that she wore her lush curves well. In the dark he couldn’t judge the exact color of her hair, but it looked like silk, perfectly smooth and straight where it lay over her breasts.
It wasn’t until Chase heard her say, “My car is definitely hurt, though,” that he realized he had completely lost the thread of what he’d come out here to do.
Knowing he’d been drinking her in like he was dying of thirst, he worked to recover his balance. He could already see he’d been right about her car. It didn’t take a mechanic like his brother, Zach, who owned an auto shop—more like forty, but Chase had stopped counting years ago—to see that her shitty hatchback was borderline totaled. Even if the front bumper wasn’t half smashed to pieces by the white farm fence she’d slid into, her bald tires weren’t going to get any traction on the mud. Not tonight, anyway.
If her car had been in a less precarious situation, he probably would have sent her to hang out in her car while he took care of getting it unstuck. But one of her back tires was hanging precariously over the edge of the ditch.
He jerked his thumb over his shoulder. “Get in my car. We can wait there for a tow truck.” He was vaguely aware of his words coming out like an order, but the hail was starting to sting, damn it. Both of them needed to get out of the rain before they froze.
But the woman didn’t move. Instead, she gave him a look that said he was a complete and utter nut-job.
“I’m not getting into your car.”
Realizing just how frightening it must be for a lone woman to end up stuck and alone in the middle of a dark road, Chase took a step back from her. He had to speak loudly enough for her to hear him over the hail.
“I’m not going to attack you. I swear I won’t do anything to hurt you.”
She all but flinched at the word attack and Chase’s radar started buzzing. He’d never been a magnet for troubled women, wasn’t the kind of guy who thrived on fixing wounded birds. But living with two sisters for so many years meant he could always tell when something was up.
And something was definitely up with this woman, beyond the fact that her car was half-stuck in a muddy ditch.
Wanting to make her feel safe, he held his hands up. “I swear on my father’s grave, I’m not going to hurt you. It’s okay to get into my car.” When she didn’t immediately say no again, he pressed his advantage with, “I just want to help you.” And he did. More than it made sense to want to help a stranger. “Please,” he said. “Let me help you.”
She stared at him for a long moment, hail hammering between them, around them, onto them. Chase found himself holding his breath, waiting for her decision. It shouldn’t matter to him what she decided.
But, for some strange reason, it did.
* * *
Chloe Peterson had never felt so wet, so miserable…or so desperate. She’d been beating the speed limit for the past couple of hours, before the storm had kicked into overdrive. She’d slowed down considerably on the super-slick pavement, but her tires were old and bald, and before she knew it, her car was skidding off the road.
Straight into a muddy ditch.
It might have been easier—smarter, too—to sit in her car and wait out the storm. But she’d been too keyed up to stay still. She’d needed to keep moving, otherwise the thoughts knocking around in her head were going to catch up with her, so she’d slung her backpack over her shoulders and stepped out into the rain, just as it turned into out-and-out hail.
The hard little pellets hurt her skin, but she’d been glad for the cold, for the sting. Because it gave her something else to focus on, something besides what had happened just hours ago.
She hadn’t been sure exactly where she was—or what she was headed for–but she’d hoped she was walking in the direction of town.
All night long the roads had been strangely empty, but she’d barely starting walking away from her car when she’d realized headlights were coming up behind her.
Fear had knocked into her again as the car pulled over to the side and she’d had to stop to brace herself to withstand it. She was all alone on a dark, wet, country road. She didn’t have her cell phone, and even if she had, she doubted there was enough reception out here in the storm for it to get a signal.
And then a man–a large man–had gotten out of his car and started walking toward her, telling her to get into his car.
No way.
He’d tried to convince her that she was safe with him. He’d said all the right things, but she’d had too much experience with people like that, who easily said one thing, then did another.
“I don’t know you,” she told him. He could be an axe murderer. She had feet. She’d walk and find a place to dry off later.
She could see the frustration on his face, knew he was about to try and reason with her again, when suddenly, the sound of skidding tires came at them. Before she knew what was happening, he was pulling her into his arms. She didn’t have time to think of fighting him, didn’t even consider it when she realized a fast-moving motorcycle was practically on top of them.
She closed her eyes, bracing for impact, when the man effortlessly lifted her and jumped into the ditch, holding her tightly against him.
She opened her eyes just in time to watch the motorcycle’s back tires skid and then finally catch hold just in the place she’d been standing. Her heart, which had all but stopped, started racing again as she watched it speed away.
“Are you okay?”
Chloe looked up at the man who had shielded her from harm with his own body, and for the first time since he’d stepped out of his car, she was hit hard with the realization of just how attractive he was.
No, she silently admitted to herself. Attractive was a paltry word for a man like this. Even in the darkness, she could see that he put other men to shame. As big as she’d first thought, even in the cold rain, he was utterly gorgeous.
And her body was reacting with surprising heat.
Or maybe, she suddenly realized, that heat was coming from the fact that he was still cradling her in his strong arms.
The way he’d moved her out of the way of the too-close motorcycle had her teetering on the edge of trusting him. And on any other night, perhaps it would have been enough. But was it?
They were both splattered with mud from where he’d landed with her in his arms and now that they were safe again, she struggled to stand up, to try and right her thoughts so that she could come to some sort of rational decision.
“Wait a minute,” he said, “let me get us out of here.”
A few moments later, he put her down on the side of the road. “It really isn’t safe to be out here. Not for either of us.”
Common sense told her he was right, and yet, she was still wary. Incredibly so.
But at this very moment what other choice did she have?
Replaying in her mind the way he’d protected her from harm, Chloe finally, said, “Okay. I’ll go with you.”
She sincerely hoped she didn’t end up regretting her choice.
...Excerpt from THE LOOK OF LOVE by Bella Andre ?2011.
Buy The Look of Love for your Nook.
* * *
FROM THIS MOMENT ON
Marcus & Nicola ~ The Sullivans #2
? 2011 Bella Andre
For thirty-six years, Marcus Sullivan has been the responsible older brother, stepping in to take care of his seven siblings after their father died when they were children. But when the perfectly ordered future he's planned for himself turns out to be nothing but a lie, Marcus needs one reckless night to shake free from it all.
Nicola Harding is known throughout the world by only one name - Nico - for her catchy, sensual pop songs. Only, what no one knows about the twenty-five year old singer is that her sex-kitten image is totally false. After a terrible betrayal by a man who loved fame far more than he ever loved her, she vows not to let anyone else get close enough to find out who she really is...or hurt her again. Especially not the gorgeous stranger she meets at a nightclub, even though the hunger - and the sinful promises - in his dark eyes make her want to spill all her secrets.
One night is all Nicola and Marcus agree to share with each other. But nothing goes as they plan when instead of simply tangling limbs, they find a deeper connection than either of them could have anticipated. And even though they both try to fight it, growing emotions - and sizzling attraction - keep drawing them closer together.
Close enough for them to wonder if stealing one more secret moment together can ever be enough?
Enjoy the following excerpt for FROM THIS MOMENT ON...
Marcus Sullivan was known for his patience. After helping to raise his seven siblings, he’d learned to wait out tantrums, fistfights, even tears.
But tonight, he was all out of patience.
He’d come to the club tonight to find a woman, to proposition her, to claim her for one no-holds-barred night, but he’d been watching the dancers for long enough to know that he wasn’t going to take a single one of them to bed. None of the women who’d walked in through the thick red curtain in the past thirty minutes had been contenders, either.
Until, suddenly, the curtain parted…and she walked in.
Marcus felt like a fist had slammed straight into his gut.
The woman was young, mid-twenties probably, and so beautiful it almost hurt to look at her. Her black leather dress left nothing to his imagination, fitting her like a second skin with wide cut-outs that ran down the side of her insane curves.
She was the one.
As she stood in the doorway and slowly scanned the crowd, every eye in the room was on her. She was magnetic, had that special something that made it impossible to pull your eyes away from her.
And then her eyes met his, illuminated by a beam of light in the dark room, and although Marcus hadn’t drunk nearly enough at Chase’s engagement party to be unsteady on his feet, one look at those clear blue eyes had him fighting for balance.
What was wrong with him?
He needed to remember, at all times, what tonight was about. Pleasure. Not emotion. Not a relationship. It was okay for certain parts of his body below the waist to react like a match had been lit from nothing more than looking at the woman. Everything else was off-limits. He wasn’t looking for a woman to respect.
And he definitely wasn’t going to fall in love.
The dangerous curves began to shift beneath the thin layer of leather as she moved straight toward him, never once breaking stride, even in impossibly high heels. Marcus couldn’t miss the challenge in her gaze, a look that asked if he was man enough to handle her.
He’d always liked his women tall and slim, not barely coming up to his chest like this one. A voice in his head told him she was way too young for him, young enough that if this were any other night, he’d walk away from her now.
But he wasn’t planning on walking away from whatever this woman offered. Not until first light.
And definitely not until he’d had his fill of those curves.
* * *
Talk about big and strong, thought Nicola. If this guy’s broad shoulders and gorgeous face weren’t enough, he stood out from the rest of the scummy crowd in his pressed shirt and slacks, clearly not giving a damn that he was different from them all.
He was the one.
The hassle of getting inside with all of the people clamoring to take pictures and have her sign autographs for them had almost been enough to make her hop back into the taxi and go hide out in her hotel again. But she hadn’t known where else to look, hadn’t been able to think of anywhere else to go. And she just didn’t care about the price of fame tonight, about the inevitable ramifications of what she was doing. Not when a long, lonely night was all that waited for her in her hotel suite if she turned tail and ran.
Beyond thankful that she hadn’t chickened out at the last second, Nicola was practically licking her lips as she approached him.
It was pure instinct to try and make herself look more attractive to him. She’d pushed out her breasts, swayed her hips that extra little bit. Yes, she often silently bemoaned having to use her sexuality to get things out of people, but darn it, when it worked this well, what was a girl to do?
And she really wanted tonight to work out. Especially now that she’d finally seen a man she absolutely had to have.
She waited for him to say her name, for that flicker of recognition to rise in his eyes. But when neither happened after several long seconds, it finally occurred to her that he might not know who she was.
Or, she thought with the cynicism that had taken root deep within her, maybe he was just faking it because he thought it would pique her interest in him if he seemed aloof.
“Hi, I’m Nicola.” Her real name popped out before she realized it. She hadn’t gone by anything but Nico for so long with anyone but her parents that the name felt strange on her tongue.
Kind of good, too, though.
She waited for him to correct her, to be surprised that she hadn’t introduced herself as Nico. Instead, he simply repeated her name.
“Nicola."
His low, rough voice had her shivering, thrill bumps actually rising on her arms despite the swampy heat of the club from all the moving bodies.
She studied him for long enough to confirm that there wasn’t a shred of awareness in his dark brown eyes. Nothing at all that resembled the way the guy at the hotel had looked at her, like he was dying to say he’d done a big star.
Had she actually run into the one person on earth who had no idea who she was?
It felt too lucky to be true.
Of course, her luck would only hold out so long in a public place. Which meant she needed to get them out of there as soon as possible, before anyone came up and asked for an autograph or a picture with her.
“I’m not in the mood to dance tonight,” she began, before realizing, “I don’t know your name."
She liked the way he reached out and brushed a lock of hair out of her eyes, liked it even more when he said, “My name is Marcus. And I’m not in the mood to dance, either.”
She supposed there were lots of things they could both say to each other. Things like, “Should we get out of here?” or “Why don’t we go back to my hotel?” But, amazingly, Nicola realized those words, those questions and answers, weren’t necessary.
Everything they’d needed to say to each other had already been said.
In one look.
In one touch.
Her skin burned where he’d touched her, his fingertips rougher than she’d thought they would be, given his clothes. She’d felt calluses and strength in that one brush across her skin. The thought of being touched like that—with those hands—on even more sensitive parts of her body had heat blooming inside of her in places that never usually got that hot.
The music was still playing, louder than before, perhaps, but all she could hear was the beating of her own heart. All she knew was that she wanted this night with Marcus more than she’d wanted anything in a very long time.
...FROM THIS MOMENT ON excerpt by Bella Andre ? 2011.
Buy FROM THIS MOMENT ON for your Nook.
* * *
GAME FOR LOVE
? 2011 Bella Andre
In a relationship built on lies...the only truth is their feelings for each other.
To fulfill his grandmother's dying wish, linebacker Cole Taylor must find – and marry – a good girl. First grade teacher Anna Davis fits the bill perfectly. Their deal is simple: If she'll be his temporary wife, he'll give her more pleasure than she ever imagined was possible.
Only, love is the ultimate game-changer.
Enjoy the following excerpt for GAME FOR LOVE...
His eyes, still dark with desire, were fixed on her and she felt as if he saw all the way into her soul. It was too much, too soon. Anna tried to walk inside the hotel room, but he grabbed her before she could take more than a step, and pulled her against him.
“You don’t need to run from me, Anna.”
Her breath was rising and falling too fast. “I don’t want to run, but I don’t know how to do anything else.”
His mouth found hers and she tried to lose herself in his kiss the way she’d been lost in all the others, but panic was riding her too hard now to be able to let go. His hands moved down her back, rubbing, massaging from shoulder to hips, but instead of relaxing, she only tensed up more. He lifted his head and she immediately said, “I’m sorry. I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”
“No apologies."
Grateful that he wasn’t pressuring her into anything—even though she was now his lawfully wedded wife—she said, “I want—”
Oh God, she was such a novice at all of this that she didn’t even know how to get the words out.
“You want to sleep with me."
Thankful that he clearly didn’t have the same problem, she nodded.
“But something is holding you back?"
Again, she nodded.
“How many lovers have you had, Anna?”
She flushed at his question. “Two,” she said in a voice that was barely more than a whisper. “But being with them wasn’t like being with you.”
The words were out before she realized they were coming and her flush flamed even brighter.
“You’re special to me, too,” he said softly against her lips and this time when he kissed her, she was able to sink into it a little more. “I want to give you pleasure, Anna, more pleasure than you’ve ever known. Will you let me do that for you?”
His heated words shot through her veins like a drug. “I want to, Cole.” And she did. God, how she did. “But what if I freak out again?”
“Will you trust me to make sure that doesn’t happen?”
She had no reason to trust him, not when she didn’t know any more about him than his name and profession. And yet, there was something in his eyes, in the way he’d touched her so far tonight, in the way he’d kissed her, that had her feeling cherished.
Adored.
No one had ever made her feel that way before. Not just the sexual part, which was way off any chart she’d ever had, but the safety part.
Cole made her feel protected.
“What we’ve had so far tonight is only the beginning. There’s so much more, sweet Anna. Let me show you how good I can make you feel.”
She couldn’t hold back a shiver at his words. His arms were still around her, light enough that she could walk away at any moment, but she didn’t want to go. His erection throbbed hard and thick against her belly even through his pants, and she wanted what he promised.
Badly.
But now she knew for sure that she couldn’t do it on her own. Not without him helping her. Guiding her. Leading her.
Not without trusting him.
She’d thought a quickie wedding would be the craziest thing she’d ever done, but now she knew she was wrong. Sleeping with Cole, trusting him enough to give her body over to him, letting him learn what gave her pleasure—learning it for herself—was far crazier.
“I’ll trust you, Cole."
The relief that flashed across his features was quickly replaced with a darker, deeper desire than she’d seen yet and then he was picking her up and kissing her as he carried her back inside.
Into his bedroom.
* * *
Cole didn’t throw her on the bed, didn’t crawl over her and keep kissing her. Instead, he set her on her feet again and said, “Turn around.”
Anna’s eyes flashed a combination of desire and that uncertainty she couldn’t shake at his command. But she did it.
“Good girl,” he said as he slid her zipper down and pushed her dress off her shoulders to the floor.
The fine hairs along her spine rose as his fingers followed the dress down. She moved to turn again to face him.
“Stay right where you are.”
“But I can’t see what you’re doing.”
“I know.”
Again, despite her reluctance to give up control, he hoped she was tempted enough by what he was offering to give it.
After taking a long moment to appreciate how good she looked from the back in nothing but a bra and panties, all soft curves and smooth skin—the anticipation of seeing her from the front nearly killing him—Cole said, “Don’t move a muscle.”
He could see how hard it was for her follow his instructions, even without seeing her face. She was all but bristling with anxiety as he walked over to his dresser and pulled it open.
“Tell me what you’re doing,” she begged.
God, how he liked to hear her beg.
“You’ll know soon enough,” he said, teasing her with his response. Despite what she thought she wanted, the fact was that not knowing what he was doing would make her even hotter.
And would help her let go.
That need to let go was exactly why he gently slid one of his silk ties across her eyes.
She reached for the blindfold, but he didn’t stop her. “I thought you were going to trust me, sweet Anna.”
Her hands stilled on the soft fabric. “But I didn’t think you’d be...blindfolding me.”
He had to press a kiss to the spot where her neck curved into her shoulder. But just the press of his lips wasn’t enough, he had to rake her skin with his teeth, had to begin to mark her as his.
His.
“Don’t think, Anna. Just feel.” He finished tying it behind her soft hair, tight enough that it wouldn’t slip, but not tight enough to hurt. “The blindfold will help.”
“How?”
Her whispered question gave him such a big hard-on it almost hurt. Because she was trusting him.
And he didn’t deserve that trust.
Damn it, he couldn’t go there. Not now. Not when he had a feeling the greatest pleasure he’d known yet was right in front of him, wearing his tie as a blindfold. Along with his ring on her left hand.
When she’d asked him not to betray her trust, they’d been talking about sex. He told himself that his answer had been totally honest. Enough justification that nothing was going to stop him from giving her the ultimate pleasure.
“No decisions. No choices. Just pleasure.”
He heard her breath catch, saw the flutter of excitement in the upper curve of her breasts where her heart was beating hard enough that he could see it jumping beneath her skin.
He picked her up again, her arms going around his neck to steady herself a moment before he laid her down on the bed.
With the blindfold covering her incredible eyes, he found himself enthralled by her mouth, a sweet and sexy cupid’s bow that was made for kissing. A vision ambushed him of Anna’s soft, red lips wrapped around his shaft as she sucked him deep into her throat.
“You’re beautiful, Anna. So damn beautiful.”
Those perfect lips curved up into a tremulous smile. She blindly reached up for his face, running her fingertips across his jaw, over his lips. “Thank you,” she whispered.
Leaning down over her, he licked her lips, a long stroke from one side to the other. She opened up to him on a whimper and for the hundredth time that night, he lost sight of his plan.
Because just kissing this woman was better than having sex with any other.
As her curves went soft and pliant beneath his, as he settled his erection against her wet heat and she bucked up into him, it took everything Cole had for him to remind himself that they’d been to this point before, where she was open and wanting, and she’d frozen up. If he kept at it like this, not using any finesse at all, odds were high that it would happen again.
Not because she was a tease.
Not because she didn’t want him as badly as he wanted her.
But because she was good girl.
And pleasure this extreme frightened her.
“Have I mentioned yet how much I love kissing you?”
“I love kissing you, too,” she said in that soft voice that was as warm and sweet as the woman beneath him.
“I want to kiss you everywhere, Anna.”
Her soft smile froze on her face at the exact moment that he took hold of her wrists and lifted her arms over her head.
“Cole?”
“Just relax, sweetheart.”
He’d never been one for pet names, had never bothered to force them out to get in a girl’s pants, but with Anna he wasn’t forcing it. She was sweet. So sweet he ached with the need to kiss her. To taste her. Working quickly, he drew another silk tie from where he’d been storing it around his neck and bound her left wrist to the right bedpost.
“How can I relax when you’re tying me up?”
Her earnest question had him smiling down at her. The kind of woman he usually slept with would be playing it up right now, moaning and putting on a show for his benefit.
But not Anna. Instead, she was telling him exactly what she was feeling every step of the way with beautiful honesty.
“Like this,” he said a moment before he ran his tongue lightly across the delicate skin on the inside of her wrist. “And this.” His mouth ran kisses from her palm around to her shoulder.
By the time he made it back to her face, he had to drop in for another taste of her sweet mouth. Her nipples were a hard press of heat against his forearms.
“Better?”
Her breath was coming in harsh pants. “No.”
“Maybe this will help.” With her limbs still rubbery from his kisses, he quickly moved her other arm into place and secured it to the bedpost. Moving back to stare down at her beautiful, half-bound body, he asked again, “Better now?”
“Cole. Please. I don’t know how to do this.”
“You don’t need to know, sweetheart. Not when your body already does."
Gently spreading her thighs with a hand on each leg, he inhaled her scent, more sweet than musky. His mouth watered with the urge to bury his face in her soft, wet folds, and taste her.
“Can you feel how wet you are for me?”
Her pink panties were soaked. He pressed two fingers against her wet heat and she gasped, clamping her legs together around his hand.
Leaving his hand pressed in tight against her silk-covered sex, he asked, “Do you have any idea what you’re doing to me?”
“But you’re the one touching me.”
Jesus, she had no idea how much her innocence inflamed him. Hell, he was as surprised by it as she was.