Hotblooded (30 page)
Authors: Erin Nicholas
Daniel grinned, a panty-twisting expression that made her knees weak. He propped his rake against the wooden wall and tilted his head toward the door. “Come, we can talk while we walk.”
“No.” Her fingers were tangled together, and she dragged them apart, not sure where to put her hands. She felt about twelve years old with a first crush. “We’re private here—that would be better.”
He gestured to a bale. “Have a seat.”
She’d practiced this so it didn’t sound too desperate or sluttish. She hoped. “I was thinking about what you said the other day—”
“About us seeing each other?”
He sat beside her, their thighs touching as he faced the opposite direction. The scent of his skin rolled over her, the earthy fragrance of a man who’d done physical labour—raw and powerful. She barely stopped herself from leaning into him and offering her lips.
Instead, she nodded.
Daniel chuckled. “You’re getting all tongue-tied again, Miss Beth.”
“I’m interested in you, but I’m not looking for a long-term relationship.” The words burst out exactly how she’d rehearsed them. She twisted to face him, determined to finish. “I think we should just have some fun together.”
There. She’d said it. Maintaining eye contact was impossible, and she stared down at her fingers twisted together in her lap. He covered her hands with his, pulling one free.
“Now why did I think you were going to go and say something like that?”
He did?
“I mean, you’re very attractive, but I don’t think I should get involved with anyone. It’s too soon and I don’t want—”
“The boys, right?”
Exactly
. She relaxed a little. “I don’t think it’s fair for them to see me with another man.” Oh Lord, he was kissing her knuckles, his tongue teasing the seam between her fingers. The pulse between her legs quickened, and she had to force herself to stay motionless.
“Hmm. Makes sense, I guess.” He opened her palm and kissed it. “So, you’re interested in me sexually, but we can’t see each other in public. Is that what you’re saying?”
A shiver raced up her arm as he licked her wrist then gently sucked her skin.
“Yes. No. I mean…” How was she supposed to think with him touching her? When he leaned closer and nibbled on her earlobe? “Daniel, please.”
“I aim to.” He smoothed a hand over her shoulder, tangling his fingers in her hair. He pulled her head back so they could see into each other’s eyes. “You want to spend time with me.”
“Yes.”
“But the boys can’t know?”
She swallowed, watching his lips move closer. “Right.”
“Hmm.” He kissed her, lips faintly brushing back and forth as he directed the speed, the pressure. She slipped out her tongue to touch his bottom lip, and he captured her, sucking her tongue into his mouth. The kiss deepened, and she wrapped her arms around him, pressing as close as she could while seated side by side. The desire and need that had haunted her since the start of summer built to a high boil, and she gasped for air when he broke contact.
He traced a path over her body with his gaze. “How are we supposed to see each other without the little tykes catching on? And if they did find out, wouldn’t that cause more trouble?”
No. No more thinking about it. She didn’t want to analyse this anymore. She’d already had five restless nights trying to figure out how to satisfy her craving for him. “They won’t know. We’ll keep it quiet.”
He reached for her chin. “So what you’re saying, and pardon my crudeness, is you want a fuck buddy.”
She cringed. The phrase had skipped through her brain earlier, but it sounded far worse when said out loud.
Daniel stroked his thumb over her cheek. “You’re not looking for a friend with benefits because I ain’t allowed to be your friend.”
“It’s not that, it’s just—”
“Don’t know if I can do that.” She squeaked as he picked her up and placed her on his lap. “If all you’re looking for is some sex, I’m not interested. There’s a part of me that says,
hell yeah
, and I could be fucking you up against the wall in two minutes flat.”
Oh God, the images racing through her mind.
“But if you remember our conversation in the back hall of the bar, I don’t think you’re that type of woman. I’m not that kind of man. Honesty is one of the things that makes us who we are, and I’m going to be honest with you, darling.”
Beth held her breath as he cupped her face then stroked his other hand down her body intimately. He opened her legs and settled his fingers over her crotch. Could he feel how hot she was through her jeans?
“I find you very attractive, and I don’t just mean your body. I don’t know what troubles you’ve had in your past, but I hope we’ll get to talk them through at some point. So here’s what I suggest—you tell me if you agree. You and I do both. We fool around like you want, as long as you let us try to learn to be friends, like I want.”
It sounded so reasonable. Then he pressed a finger to the seam of her jeans and rubbed, and all logical thought fled. The slight friction against her clit was enough to cause an instantaneous reaction. She trembled in his arms. “I can’t…”
He hummed, caressing the tender skin behind her ear, tracing patterns down her neck with his tongue. “I think you can do a lot of things, Miss Beth, if you put your mind to it.”
The constant motion of his hand was driving her wild. “Please…”
Kisses descended again, and for the first time in a long time Beth let go. All her tension and fear she let fall away and simply accepted the rising passion. He was a thorough kisser, tasting her lips, her cheeks, brushing his fingers through her short hair and tugging her closer so their bodies melted together.
Hotblooded
Erin Nicholas
Her mama always said the women in their family were hotblooded…
And it’s been causing Brooke Donovan trouble her whole life.
But it wasn’t until her mother took on the most powerful man in Honey Creek, Texas, that Brooke truly realized the daughter of the town whore didn’t stand a chance.
When she left, it was supposed to be for good.
But now, thanks to her late husband’s deal with their hometown, she’s back in the last place on earth she wants to be. Temporarily. As soon as her debts are paid off, she’s outta here. Until in walks the one man who can make her rethink everything.
Dr. Jack Silver fixes things. So, when he learns his uncle is responsible for Brooke losing her husband, his sense of honor drives him across Texas to make amends. Instead of a broken woman, though, he finds a gorgeous, feisty physician’s assistant trying to survive in a town that wants her gone. She also has a mile-high fence built out of pride—and a clinic that’s at risk of going belly up. She may not want his money, but the clinic? He can fix that. He just never expects that in setting Brooke back on her feet, he’ll be swept right off his own.
Warning: Contains a hot-blooded woman, a man who really likes that about her, a town with a long memory, and a cappuccino machine that makes it all worthwhile.
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This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locale or organizations is entirely coincidental.
Samhain Publishing, Ltd.
11821 Mason Montgomery Road Suite 4B
Cincinnati OH 45249
Hotblooded
Copyright © 2011 by Erin Nicholas
ISBN: 978-1-60928-751-1
Edited by Lindsey Faber
Cover by Scott Carpenter
All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
First
Samhain Publishing, Ltd.
electronic publication: November 2011
