Dear Sir, I'm Yours (30 page)

“Call me at my house in say…thirty minutes,” he said loudly, his voice carrying to her easily. “She’ll be ready to talk to you then. No, better make it an hour. This is a rather troubling emergency. It may require a pink parasol.”

Laughing, Rae cut across the lawn and ran harder toward her English professor’s cottage.

About the Author

Joely always has her nose buried in a book, especially a romance or fairy tale. She, her husband, and their three monsters live in Missouri. By day, she’s a computer programmer with a Masters of Science degree in Mathematics. When night falls, she bespells the monsters so she can write. Read more about her current projects at www.joelysueburkhart.com.

Only one way to trust her—teach her the true meaning of
tamed
.

Terms of Surrender

© 2009 Becky Barker

Years ago, Cassie Pallard let her wild and headstrong nature cost her the best thing in her life: Brody Chambers. Older and wiser, she’s back to try to heal the hurt and win her way back into his heart—and his bed.

Not so fast, says Brody. He loved Cassie most of his life, but her temper-driven desertion destroyed his faith in her and their future. If she wants his trust, she’ll have to earn it.

Before he opens his heart again, he plans to make it clear his love comes with strings.

And handcuffs. And a blindfold…

Warning: This one’s short and hot with some BDSM, so not for the faint of heart.

Enjoy the following excerpt for
Terms of Surrender: Emotions in total chaos, Cassie nodded and climbed from the truck. He hadn’t allowed her to collect anything from her car and he hadn’t relaxed one bit during the ten-minute ride.

His rigid hostility sent a tingle of apprehension over her body.

She watched as Brody strode ahead, up the steps to the porch and then to the door. The faded jeans molded his flat stomach, narrow hips and long legs. The form-hugging green Tshirt emphasized the broadness of his chest and his muscled arms. She’d always thought him a hunk, but he seemed to have grown bigger, stronger and harder, in more ways than the physical.

He turned and looked at her, pure male arrogance and pride. His expression said this was her last chance to back out of the deal. If she followed him inside, she’d be completely at his mercy, and he didn’t seem to be in a very merciful mood. He had two years full of anger and frustration to vent. The risk to her body might be minimal, but she didn’t know how much torture her battered heart could survive.

She didn’t believe he’d do her any physical harm. The man she’d known and trusted had been a gentle lover with a generous heart. What she didn’t know is how her desertion might have changed that man. He certainly didn’t seem too approachable right now.

Still, she loved him with all her heart. She never would have left if he’d loved her as deeply. She’d thought her threat to join the rodeo would elicit a marriage proposal, but her plan had backfired. He’d let her go without a fight, without a call or letter or speck of protest. Now she had to do whatever it took to make things right between them. Even if that meant submitting to his every whim until he’d been pacified.

“Are you coming?”

Cassie didn’t hesitate any longer, but followed him into the coolness of the house. He tossed his hat aside and ran his fingers through overlong hair that always threatened to curl.

His eyes glittered and thick brows furrowed as he studied her. She noted new frown lines around his eyes. The grooves in his cheeks seemed deeper, his overall appearance more grim.

He’d never be considered handsome in a pretty-boy fashion, yet his face portrayed the strength and character of a man who could be trusted to keep his word.

After slamming the door, he spoke to her in a voice more harsh than she’d ever heard from him. “Take off your clothes. Right here, right now. No arguments or this arrangement is finished before it starts.”

Her eyes widened in shock and she stared at him to see if he was joking. He wasn’t. His jaw was locked in determination. His eyes were so cold that a shiver raced over her. Was he trying to scare her into leaving? Was this a test?

She’d never been a particularly modest person and he’d seen her naked before, yet she stood frozen.

“Now.”

His command made her wary, but he wouldn’t send her running again. In fact, now that she was back in his home, he’d have a hell of a time chasing her away. She’d yearned for him too long to let him scare her off so easily.

Cassie started to turn her back to him.

He grasped her arm. “Don’t try to hide from me!”

Eyes sparkling with annoyance, she stood directly in front of him and whipped her top over her head and off her arms.

She hadn’t thought his expression could get any tighter, but it did. Somehow, it made her feel more exposed than the shedding of clothes. She’d known she’d have to swallow a lot of pride if she wanted to put the past behind them. But baring herself, even physically, wasn’t as easy as she’d hoped.

Quivering and unsure, she gave herself a mental pep talk. This is what she wanted more than life. She wanted Brody looking at her with that tight, needy expression, so she unzipped her skirt and let it fall to the floor.

His eyes flared with a sexual hunger so stark it dampened her defiance a bit and sent another hot tremor over body. He quickly lowered his lashes to hide his reaction. She dropped her arms to her sides.

“All of it, the bra and panties, too,” he insisted gruffly.

She understood. She didn’t like it, but she understood his need for control. Slowly, Cassie reached behind her back and unclipped her bra. It fell away from her breasts and dropped to the floor. Her nipples puckered as cool air wafted over them. The heat of Brody’s gaze had them tightening into hard nubs.

Without another word, he reached out and cupped both breasts, molding them and fondling them with his big, calloused hands. When she closed her eyes on a sigh, he brushed her nipples with his thumbs until a tremor shot through her. If this was his idea of torture, she could deal with it twenty-four hours a day. Heat speared her low in her belly and moisture collected between her legs. She stifled a moan. It had been so long. So damned long.

When she thought her legs would collapse, she reached for him.

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