STORY EXCERPT

Gracie had so many worries about starting over, but mostly about people figuring out what her life had once been like. She never wanted to return to that ugly, vile place again.

“Most folks are, until they stab you in the back.”

She arched a brow. “Does that bit of advice come with personal experience?”

“Sadly, yes.” Stone’s eyes grew heavy as he reviewed the menu in front of him. “That’s why I’m here, to set things right with an old friend.”

Before Gracie could ask any more questions, Madeline returned with the teas. “Have you decided on lunch?”

“Yes, I think so,” Gracie said. “I’d like the club sandwich with fries.” She glanced toward Stone, letting him know it was his turn to order.

“I’ll have the bacon cheeseburger with onion rings.”

Gracie inwardly sighed. “Well, I guess you’re not kissing anyone tonight,” she said with a giggle. Then her gaze settled upon Stone, whose eyes were filled with wicked surprise. Gracie felt her chest tighten and her pulse race.

The desired heat within his eyes intensified as he asked, “Is there something I should know about tonight, Gracie Myles?”

Holy shit! Was he asking if she planned to kiss him as a waitress hovered beside them? Is this what honest flirting was?

“I’ll get this out in a flash,” Madeline said, turning quickly from their table.

Gracie’s mouth felt dry, and she licked her lips, looking everywhere but directly at him. “Are you done teasing me, Stone?”

He shrugged. “You’re the one who brought up kissing me.”

She sucked in a sharp breath and eyed him. “I did not!”

“Yes, you did.”

Calming herself, she explained, “I made a general statement.”

He pinched his brow tight at the bridge of his nose. “So you don’t want to kiss me then?”

She locked onto his sexy gaze, and her heart thumped hard in her chest. “Stop,” she demanded, lowering her voice as to not draw attention. Her entire body was humming with excitement. Stone was a dangerous man. He was making her tingle just by looking at her. His teasing words had her mind racing with thoughts of sex without inhibitions.

“Stop what?” He grinned. “I’m just glad I’m not the only one.”

She crinkled her forehead. “What are you talking about?”

He licked his lips, and a crooked smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. “I’m glad you’re thinking about kissing me.” She started to argue until he added, “Because I can’t stop thinking about kissing you.” 

Her mouth formed a small O.

“What?” he said, surprise in his deep voice. “Has no one ever made a comment like this to you before?”

She pressed her lips together and shook her head.

“Now that amazes me.” He slowly reached across the table, brushed her thick, wavy hair back from her face, and gently stroked her bottom lip with the pad of his thumb. “You’re a beautiful girl, Gracie, and you have a mouth—”

Madeline returned with a pitcher of tea. Gracie eased back in the booth, and Stone’s hand quickly fell away. Silence loomed over the table as she topped off both glasses. Gracie smiled, and it was the fakest smile she’d ever plastered on her face. She couldn’t stop wondering what Stone had been about to say. She also couldn’t stop wondering if she’d enjoy being kissed by a man who clearly wanted her. That idea alone warmed her in places that had never felt so alive.

Gracie quickly picked up her glass and took a big gulp of tea to wet the dryness that had suddenly consumed her throat. Placing the glass on the table, she met Stone’s gaze head on. “You were saying?”

He grinned wide as his gaze explored her. He started at her long fingers, trailed slowly up her arm, over the tight T-shirt that covered her now sensitive breasts, and up her neck until he finally locked eyes with her once again. “You’re beautiful, and a mouth like yours was made for kissing.”

For the first time in her life she was turned on because her body wanted to be. She was attracted to Stone, and she couldn’t help but blush over his directness. She instantly felt naked under his greedy stare, and she liked it.

Gracie smiled shyly and then said, “Please excuse me.” She scooted out of the booth and walked to the bathroom.

Once she was there, she leaned against the door and rested her head on the hard wood. Closing her eyes for a moment, she sighed heavily.

Stone had a way of making her blush, and that was incredibly hard to do with the experience she’d had with men. Still, there was something so different, so amazingly sensual about him that was driving her wild. She took a few moments to gather herself, splashing some cool water on her face.

As she returned to the table, the aroma from Stone’s cheeseburger filled her nostrils. The scent was mouthwatering as was the sight of him studying her as she sat back down in the booth.

“Here you go,” Madeline said, placing their meals in front of them. “Anything else I can get for you?”

Gracie suddenly realized she needed directions to the nearest lodgings. She wasn’t likely to hang out in the diner all night, and who better to ask than a local? “Yes, actually, where is the nearest hotel?”

Stone choked on his tea, and his eyes widened.

ADULT EXCERPT

Stone demolished the distance between them in seconds and pinned her firmly against the door. “No more teasing,” he said roughly.

On a gasp, her eyes widened, and she grinned devilishly before he took possession of her mouth. His body crushed against her, caging her in. Everything inside him erupted with heat. The arousal soaring through him had him panting, his mind clouding with lust. The teasing play between them had him wondering who this woman really was. One moment she was sweet and innocent like an angel, the next she was a complete vixen, a devil with amber hair. No way in hell was this simply the girl next door. She knew how to arouse a man, knew how to make him beg and pout without thought.

She reached for the doorknob, but he gripped her wrist, pulling her arms over her head. Breathless and very eager, he took her mouth again. The kiss was deep and carnal, a tantalizing expression of his maddening need for her.

“Gracie,” he whispered against her lips. “Oh God, Gracie.”

“Take me inside,” she demanded.

“No, I’ll have you right here.” He reached around her and lifted her off the ground, forcing her to wrap her legs around his waist. Again he pressed her to the door. Arching his hips, he drilled his jean-covered cock against her pussy. “Damn these clothes,” he growled, wishing more than anything that they were naked and already fucking like wild animals.

His gaze clung to hers, and her blue eyes flickered with desire. “Are you really going to try to fuck me against this door?” She sounded amazed and exhilarated, but her expression wasn’t clear.

His lips pulled back from his teeth as if he prepared to bite her. His lungs were unable to keep the air inside. He breathed so hard he couldn’t focus, dizzy with passion.

All he wanted was to be buried deep inside her, hearing her cries of pleasure as he slid his cock in and out of her tight wetness. Then the world spun out of control as her greedy little hands trailed down his chest and stomach, unzipped his pants, and surrounded his cock. He groaned, and his hips instantly began pumping.

His body went rigid from sheer pleasure. “Damn,” he said through clenched teeth.

“Are you sure you don’t want to take me inside?” She squeezed his thickening cock harder, and he hissed, surprised by her assertiveness. “I’d prefer to have a little privacy.” She licked the seam of his lips. “I’m not really into show-and-tell.”

Who the hell is this woman?

He pressed his mouth to her neck, kissing the delicate flesh, nipping gently up to her ear. He whispered, “What if I can’t wait?”

Giggling softly, she teased, “Having trouble finding control?”

He sucked in a breath as she began stroking him from tip to balls. “Oh, fuck,” he said with a husky groan. “Damn, woman. Open the door or there won’t be one left standing when I get through with you.”

She nipped his chin playfully while her hand still pumped up and down on his shaft. “As you wish.” She unfolded her legs from around his waist and settled back onto the floor.

He heard the knob twist. The door slowly crept open, but it was way too slow for his liking. Suddenly overcome, he lifted her off her feet and shoved his way into the room. The door slammed against the wall. Without looking back, he kicked the door shut with his boot-covered foot and stalked toward the bed.

“Wait,” she said fervently, pressing her hand firmly against his chest. “I don’t want to fuck on the bed.” Her wide eyes locked on his as if the idea of having sex there would terrify her. She shook her head. “It’s too traditional. If I’m going to do this, I want something so much better than traditional.”

His eyes narrowed. The pounding of his pulse left him nearly deaf, and his mind became murky with desire. Shit, there were so many ways he wanted to have her, so many positions to enjoy.

He plopped her ass on the dresser and pulled her hand out of his pants. Glaring at her with a heightened level of disapproval, he ground his teeth together and dug his knuckles into his hips. She was driving him crazy. Could he do anything right where she was concerned? She was confusing the ever-loving hell out of him. He wasn’t a fucking mind reader. What did she want from him?

Holding her intense stare, the blue in her eyes darkened. “I tried to fuck you against the door, but you insisted on being inside. There’s nothing traditional about—”

She bit his lip and then kissed him hard, caressing her fingers over the short stubble of his hair to keep him close. Damn, this woman was ravenous for his kiss. The way she tunneled past his lips with her tongue and tasted him so thoroughly had his cock drilling through the fabric of his pants.

The frustration he’d had a moment prior was now a distant memory. Her tongue battled his, sliding up and down with fevered passions. She clawed his neck and then trailed her fingertips over his shoulders and back. He hissed as she pressed her nails deeper into his flesh.

He pushed back, ripping his shirt up over his head, and tossed it to the floor. Then he did the same with hers, gripping it with both hands and yanking with care up over her head. The black, lacy bra she wore stung his senses like a kick to his nuts.

She was fucking gorgeous. “Holy shit,” he gasped.

“What?” she cried breathlessly.

He couldn’t get the words out. Fuck, he couldn’t get his brain to function because all the blood was running south toward his cock, which now was as hard as a steel spike.