A Little Harmless Fantasy (35 page)

Zeke
threw his hands up in the air. “You would have freaked.”

It
was so normal listening to them bicker.

“There
you go again making grand plans and expecting us to skip along behind
you.”

She
giggled. They both stopped and looked at her.

“I’m
sorry, but I can’t believe you flew all this way to convince me
to take you back just to stand on the beach and bicker.”

Zeke’s
mouth curved. “Sorry, love, but Rory and I like to bicker.”

“Way
to sell the whole living together. Are you saying I’ll have to
play referee?”

They
glanced at each other.

“Oh,
God, I will.” She sighed dramatically.

“Love,
if you take us back we will never bicker,” Rory said.

She
laughed. “Really? Starting off forever with a lie, Rory?”

He
stepped back and took her by the shoulders. “Are you saying
you’re taking us on?”

She
nodded. “Yeah, I think you need to be saved from each other.
With your knowledge of weapons, one of you will end up dead at some
point.”

He
smiled as he pulled her closer. A soft brush of Rory’s mouth
had her heart tumbling. She sensed Zeke walking up behind her. She
turned and accepted a kiss from him.

“People
will think we’re freaks,” Zeke said.

“I
told you before, Zeke, fuck them. All that matters is us.”

Zeke
looked up at Jillian and Conner’s house.

“Don’t
worry about him. He’ll come around. And if he doesn’t,
don’t worry about it.

“He’s
your brother,” Zeke said.

“And
you two are the loves of my life. He has to accept it.”

Rory
kissed her again, pulling her close as Zeke stepped up behind her.

“So,”
she said with a smile, “tell me you came with a plan of where
we’re staying, ‘cause there’s no way I’m
going to deal with my brother in that little house.”

“Not
really, but I’m sure we can find a room for the night, Maura,”
Rory said.

“All
we cared about was getting here and getting you back,” Zeke
said.

“Well,
I suggest you figure it out soon.” She slipped out of Rory’s
arms. “Because one of you is going to have to get me to wear
this.” She shook the collar at them.

Rory
grabbed her and pulled her back into his arms. “So, is that a
challenge, Dillon?”

She
smiled. “You betcha.”

She
heard Zeke talking and she realized he was calling one of the hotels
to reserve a room.

“I
guess we can’t complain too much about his planning at this
point,” Maura said.

“No,
love, we’ll let him plan all he wants, as long as he let’s
us sleep in.”

Joy
filled her heart, her body already warming under the sensual assault
of Rory’s sweet kisses.

“Sounds
like an excellent plan to me,” she said deepening the kiss as
the warmth of their love filled her.

Want to know how Zeke and
Maura first ended up together? Read the short
Prelude to a Fantasy
available at most online stores!

Enjoy the first chapter of A Little Harmless Fascination-

Wanting her
isn't smart, seducing her is inevitable, but falling in love with her
could be downright deadly for both of them.

A Little Harmless Fascination

Harmless Book 7

Security expert
Conner Dillon isn’t a man who often takes a vacation. So when
he is ordered to take a month off and his sister insists on a trip to
Hawaii, he isn’t very happy. But, after seeing his landlady
Jillian Sawyer again, he might just find something—or
someone—to occupy his time.

For years, Jillian
has always had a crush on Conner. Now an erotic romance author with a
thing for Doms, she finds herself beyond intrigued by the man. He is
good to the core, but there is something else darker in him that
calls to her.

After one night in
bed, they both find themselves addicted. In Jillian, Conner has found
the perfect sub…and in him she finds someone she can trust.
Falling in love isn’t what they expected, but walking away is
impossible—especially when they realize someone wants Jillian
dead.

WARNING
this book contains the following: An uptight security expert who
prefers schedules, a romance writer who does not, tattoos, a trip to
the Aloha Swap Meet, and of course this would not be a Harmless book
without a trip to Rough 'n Ready. Ice is recommended as any Harmless
Addict will tell you, but the author takes no responsibility if a
reader should become overheated. Read at your own risk.

How the fuck did
I end up here?

It was the only
thought that came to mind when Conner Dillon looked around the small
quarters. It wasn’t the fact that it was sparse in amenities
that bothered him. He didn’t like clutter. Actually, he liked
the little apartment. It had a small kitchen and eating area, with a
no-nonsense bathroom and bedroom. He had a big house in Miami, but
this suited him just as fine. So his irritation wasn’t about
the living area—it was about the location. There was only one
person in the world who could get him to Hawaii when they had a big
job in LA to handle.

Maura.

It only took one
freaking doctor telling her that Conner’s chest pains were a
sign that something was seriously wrong, and that Conner was heading
toward a heart attack, for Maura to breakdown. After losing both of
their parents when Maura was only a teenager, she had freaked. And
this time, his best friend and business partner Zeke had turned on
Conner and sided with Maura.
Bastard
. There had been no
fighting the two of them.

Now he was in
fucking Hawaii.

“Is there
something wrong?” the sultry southern voice asked from behind
him.

He turned and looked
at his new landlady for the next month. Jillian Sawyer was a
contradiction in terms. Her voice spoke of her upper-middle class
upbringing in Atlanta. Whenever he heard her speak, he thought of hot
summer nights and necking on the back porch. He’d been feeling
uneasy since she’d opened the front door.

The tattoos down her
arms and braided hair, along with the nose piercing, would be a shock
to most people. The light cocoa skin brought out her sea green eyes,
and she was graced with the most amazing bone structure. Most people
wouldn’t suspect she had one of the highest IQ’s of her
graduating college class—or so his sister had told him. Her
dress didn’t fit with her upbringing. A worn out T-shirt cupped
her abundant breasts and stopped just above her pierce navel. Her
jeans were just as worn, hung low on her hips, and clung to every
damn curve.

She cleared her
throat, and he realized that he had been staring at her for several
moments without saying anything. He tried to ignore the way his blood
was starting to heat and smiled at her.

“No. The space
is good.”

Her lips twitched.
“Don’t overwhelm me with your praise, Conner.”

He hadn’t
missed the sarcastic tone, and he was pretty sure his sister had
acquired it from her the two years they’d roomed together at
the University of Georgia.

“Sorry. I just
don’t like mandatory vacations.”

“From what
your sister says, you don’t like vacations at all.”

He could tell she
was fucking with him. There was always a look in her eyes that warned
she was in a mood. He should let it go because it would start out as
flirting and end with them yelling at each other. But, right at this
moment, he didn’t want to. Something was urging him to tease
her.

He opened his mouth
to respond but her cell phone rang out the University of Georgia
fight song.

“Speak of the
devil,” she said before answering. “Yes, your big brother
is here, and he’s fine. I understand the FBI taught him how to
get around on planes. And, seeing that he’s an old man, he
knows how to drive. He made it all the way over here to my little
oasis without getting lost or running anyone over.”

She was silent for a
moment or two, and Conner could just imagine his sister rattling off
instructions.

“I’m
sure it was very serious. Of course, bugging him constantly is going
to end up being worse for him. He came here to rest, so you need to
let him do it. Do you want to talk to him?” Silence again.
“Okay, well you get some rest and behave.”

She hung up and gave
him a cocky smile.

“Your sister
is concerned.”

He rolled his eyes.
“Tell me about it. I can’t believe she talked me into
coming here.”

She shook her head.
“What a shame. You have to spend time in Hawaii relaxing. Quit
being such a whiner.”

Before he could
respond, there was a shout from outside.

“Jillian,
love, what are you doing in there?”

“Give me a
second.”

She turned and
headed toward the door. After flinging it open, she settled her hands
on her hips.

“What do you
want, Mick?”

“Adam and I
are going for a ride. Wanna come with?”

She shook her head.
“No, I have a new tenant to attend to. You two have a good
ride.”

She shut the door
and turned to face him. She shoved her hands into the pockets of her
jeans and tapped her thumbs against the fabric. “Well, what do
you think?”

“I already
said it was a good space.” He noticed her fidget, and Jillian
didn’t do it that often. He didn’t know much about the
woman, but he did know this was a sure sign she was nervous. He
didn’t think he’d ever seen her nervous before. Not like
this.

“Cool. I have
some work to do, so if you can handle settling yourself in, I need to
get back to it.”

He cocked his head
to the side and studied her. He had known her, or known of her, for
about ten years, but he realized then how little he knew about her.

“You just told
your friend you couldn’t go for a ride because you would be
helping me.”

Her cheeks reddened.
“I don’t like lying, but I have a deadline breathing down
my neck. Mick and Adam don’t understand about that. They think
being a writer is just all fun and games.”

“Isn’t
it?”

Her eyes narrowed.
“I don’t have time for your fun and games, Agent Dillon.”

He shook his head.
“I’m not an agent anymore.”

“You will
always be Agent Dillon, overprotective brother and the talk of the
dorms to me.”

“Talk of the
dorms?”

She laughed. “It
was embarrassing to Maura, but you were the subject of much gossip
when you came to visit. Anything else?”

He shook his head.

“I should
finish my edits tonight, and if you want a tour of the island, I’ll
be happy to do it. Tomorrow. Afternoon. No, after one.”

He nodded. “I
have a feeling I’ll crash for a while.”

She gave him one of
those sultry smiles that had been driving him crazy since he’d
arrived.

“Call if you
need me.”

If he didn’t
know better, he would have said she was being suggestive. While she
flirted with him sometimes, he had never really taken it seriously.
There was a barrier there she put up for all men. In his
relationships, he needed something more. Submission from a partner
did not work if the partner did not completely trust him…and
he had a feeling Jillian trusted few people. Especially men.

Before he could
respond, she turned and walked out the door. He couldn’t help
but admire the way her jeans molded to her very generous ass. Once
the door shut, Dillon looked around the small living space. It was
humid and hot, even with the windows open. He knew before coming that
the place didn’t have AC, but even living in Miami didn’t
prepare him for this.

He sighed as he
opened the fridge and pulled out a bottle of water. Jillian had said
not to worry about having any groceries at first, and she had been
right. There was bread, some milk and a few eggs, along with several
bottles of water. He twisted off the cap and took a long drink.
Glancing at his suitcase, he realized that for once he would wait to
unpack. It wasn’t like him, but hell, maybe he should revel in
the vacation.

Before he knew it,
he’d finished off the water. He tossed it into the recycle bin
Jillian had in the kitchen area. The thought of Jillian brought up
her image in his mind. He wondered just how many tattoos she had and
just where they led to.

He shook his head,
amused with himself. It was a testament to just how tired he was that
he was fantasizing about Jillian. The woman had no schedule, led a
completely bohemian lifestyle, and was friends with his sister. She
might as well be wearing a big sign that said “Off-Limits.”

Conner rolled his
shoulders. Damn, he was still hot. He grabbed his suitcase to find
something to wear for the night but first, a cold shower. Hopefully,
it would help cool him off…and take his mind off his luscious
new landlady.

* * * *

Jillian groaned when
she heard the knocking on her door. She had been up until after two
in the morning working. It was Conner Dillon’s fault. He’d
broken her concentration the night before. Not because he was a new
tenant, but because he was Conner. Sexy Conner. But she’d
gotten the edits back to her editor, and she had a week off before
she had any other new work to do. Her back still hurt from the hours
hunkered over her laptop. Even just rolling over hurt. She would
definitely need a massage this week, or she would end up spending the
next two weeks working the kinks out.

She buried her head
and prayed whoever it was would leave. She was sleeping in, dammit.
It couldn't be important, not really. If it was, someone would call
her. More than likely it was some lost tourist. So many of them came
to Hawaii thinking that all the inhabitants of the islands worked for
the tourism board. While she normally didn't mind, today was just not
the day she could be an ambassador of aloha.