Moment of Weakness: One Moment, Book 1

The rules of engagement are clear: it’s all-out war. And their hearts are on the line.

One Moment
, Book 1

It’s not that Abby Harkness’s ex cheated. Hell, it’s not even that he did the dirty with her own sister. The worst part? Everyone—even her own mother—knew about it before she did.

These days, Abby’s nomadic job makes it easy to stick to the rules that protect her heart. Rule number one: Never stay in any man’s bed more than one night. But when a carefully planned tryst falls through, she finds herself stranded in a boardroom—naked—with the one man who makes her body scream
danger
.

Three hours of mind-blowing sex later, Marcus Brookhein walks out of the boardroom feeling like he just lost. That doesn’t sit with someone who lives and breathes competition. Next time, he’s making the rules. Starting by getting her assigned to work side by side with him.

Abby is desperate not to repeat a night of pleasure that left cracks in her carefully constructed defenses. But four long weeks of close proximity loom before her. And Marcus has a lot to teach her about playing dirty…

Warning: Contains a contest of wills with hot sex. Epic hot sex. Pushing-the-limits sex. On a conference table. On the kitchen counter. On the floor—because they never quite make it to the couch.

Moment of Weakness

Toni J. Strawn

Dedication

I have so many to thank, but the first belongs to Chris. Your belief in me is inspirational. Your support unwavering. Thank you.

Chapter One

“Abby Harkness, meet fellow consultant, Marcus Brookhein.”

Usually, Abby would be escorted by the HR manager for the first day meet-and-greets, but apparently he was running late. Hence, the owner of the business, Henry Crovens, had stepped in to show her around what was to be her home for the next six weeks.

“Marcus is sorting out our investment portfolio, so I doubt you’ll see much of him.” The old man laughed awkwardly.

Not that Abby was listening. She’d gotten as far as hearing
Marcus
and the rest faded into droning background noise.
Mmm.
She’d like to see more of him. Her gaze snagged on the consultant’s wide shoulders and the outline of his sculpted chest just visible beneath his white business shirt. She followed his torso downward, noting his tapering waist and long, long legs. There wasn’t a spare ounce of fat on him. Lean and good-looking. Just how Abby liked them.

Fellow consultant…or fellow
bed
consultant? Yes, that had a nice ring to it.

She bit down on her lip and let her gaze travel back up his body to meet Marcus’s stare. The impact was like falling into a tumbler of scotch. Light brown eyes that were no less intoxicating.

Oh yes. Marcus definitely plucked at the strings of Abby’s interest. She was in exactly the right mood to cultivate someone for her game at the end of this contract. A one-night only special.

The object of her lust-filled thoughts stared back and Abby blinked, subconsciously taking a step back as the first wave of unease trickled across her skin. She rubbed her arms, hastily revising her plan to lick, suck and fuck every inch of him on her last night here.

On second thought, no. Not him. This man, Marcus Brookhein, was far too perceptive, too compelling. Too everything.

The intensity of his stare was enough to give her pause. He had an air about him, like he was sizing Abby up to procure her. She understood then, that the less she wanted to become his acquisition, the harder he would play. This was a man who would not give up easily. This was a man who’d want far more than Abby was willing to offer. Behind his confident smile he shrewdly assessed every move as if he knew and accepted her challenge. Instinct kicked in with a clear warning.
Stay away.
And ever since Nathan had ripped her heart out and stomped the bloody, still-beating organ into the ground, Abby was all about instinct.

“Pleased to meet you.” She forced out a greeting and offered her hand. Only to have it grasped in a warm, two-handed grip. Marcus’s thumb grazed her wrist and her eyes flew upward.

All of his attention was centered on her.
Oh. Shit.
A small smile kicked at his lips and Abby’s breath caught, her heart stuttering back to life with a loud, lop-sided beat.

“No. Pleased to meet you.” His voice flowed around her like apple honey, a silky caress with just the right amount of bite.

“Abby? Henry! Sorry I’m late.”

Abby’s attention pitched sideways to the handsome blond who was hot-footing it down the corridor toward them. She’d never been more pleased to be interrupted as the errant HR manager launched himself into the middle of their group and clapped Henry on the back while offering a round of handshakes to her and Marcus.

“Logan. So glad you could finally make it,” Henry said drily. Although she could tell he enjoyed Logan’s easy comradery. Abby had already picked up that despite Henry’s rapidly spreading business, he was a home-town boy at heart. Why else operate out of a small city like Wellsford, when Baltimore was only a few short hours away.

Still, there were plenty of things to enjoy about Wellsford.

Her gaze tracked back to the HR manager. Logan. Now, he was more like Abby’s normal fare. Tall and blue-eyed with a naughty boy grin, he looked like a guy who knew how to have fun. Not as panty-clenching as Marcus perhaps, but definitely less hazardous to her health. And her heart. Logan was playboy material through and through. Much better suited to her needs.

Although…
Abby cast one more lingering look at deliciously dangerous Marcus. He was still watching her, that see-all smile set in place, his gaze assessing…calculating. No. Not for her. Marcus wasn’t a man to be messed with.

Shame. Abby nodded at him as they acknowledged each other, predator versus predator, before allowing Logan to usher her away.

Six Weeks Later

“Are you ready?” Full of boyish anticipation, Logan barely made it inside Abby’s hotel room before starting on the buttons of his shirt. “I want you so bad, babe.”

From the other side of the hotel suite, Abby eyed up the promise of firm pectorals dusted with wheaten chest hair. Logan might not have been her first choice but…she let her eyes linger on the appealing slices of exposed skin, thinking of all the itches she intended to scratch.

Abby had been patient and played by the rules she demanded of herself. She’d been careful to maintain a level of professionalism, flirting just enough to capture Logan’s interest before dangling herself like a tasty little carrot when her consultancy contract finished.

Now her tenure with Crovens was over. Abby’s gaze swept Logan again. He filled the brief nicely enough. He was definitely a player, and he wanted nothing more than hot, hard sex.
Mmm, yes please.
And Abby would want to never see him again after tonight.

Check. Check. And check.

So why was she hesitating? Abby crossed her arms, glancing at the bed that still had pristine corners and a coverlet so tight she could bounce a coin on it. The sheets should have been messed up by now with her body wrapped around Logan’s, sheened in a layer of sticky, sensual heat. He looked ready to go. Maybe that was it. His eagerness to get down to business was messing with her mind and chaffing at her libido. It was one thing to take a tumble between the sheets, but that didn’t mean there couldn’t be some finesse. Right? This was all she had. This one night.

One night was just enough to give Abby the illusion of satisfaction. One night never allowed them to get close enough to hurt. Like Nathan had hurt her.
Nathan.
The stabbing reminder was enough to prompt Abby into action and she moved forward until she stood in front of him.

“What’s the rush?” She ran a finger down his chest, allowing her pinkie to drift over his nipple and play peek-a-boo through the thin material of his shirt. His body jerked like it’d been jacked into an electric current. Logan was primed for action. Hot, heavy action. He grabbed Abby around the waist and, with a loud moan, planted his hot, wet mouth on hers. She let him grind against her lips for a few moments before pushing back with the heel of her hand.

“Uh-uh-uh,” she chided. “How about we be civilized and have dinner first?”

“What?” Logan pulled back to stare at her open-mouthed, no doubt hoping she was joking. When it became clear she wasn’t, he took on the look of a sulky school-boy who’d just lost his frosted cupcake. “I don’t like to play games,” he griped.

Abby smiled to hide the giggle bubbling up inside her. No, she wouldn’t have any trouble leaving this one after only a few hours. “We have time, Logan.” She petted his arm in a soothing gesture. “Surely we can appreciate the long, slow tease of anticipation?”

“You invited me here for sex.” Logan pouted. “I don’t see the point in wasting time and money on dinner.”

At some baser level Abby enthusiastically agreed.
Take him. Take him now.
The chant of her hormones grew loud and insistent. Fortunately, it wasn’t the only part of her sitting up to take notice. She wrinkled her nose, conscious that Logan’s impropriety had dampened her appetite. She’d been looking forward to tonight for the last six weeks of her contract. Which had officially finished at five p.m. today. Considering Abby’s restraint, this whiney side of Logan was definitely not a turn on.

It wasn’t too late…

No!
Abby’s sex drive stomped down hard before the thought properly formed. She needed the real thing before
her
frosting dried up altogether.

Just one night.

Swallowing back her growing disappointment, Abby dug up an enticing smile and captured Logan’s brooding stare with her own.

“The point?” She waited until she had his full attention before sliding her hands down over her breasts. “This point?” She drew her thumbs across her sensitive nipples and nibbled on her bottom lip. “Or these ones?” Her nipples hardened to tightened peaks, clearly visible through her silky top.

The sight captivated Logan, his gaze riveted on Abby’s breasts, adding another delicious layer of sensual awareness to the already buzzing air. She held back a moan as a fiery shot of need slammed through her. Her clit throbbed and it took every inch of self-control not to brush her thumbs across her nipples again.

Much more and she’d bring herself to orgasm without him. And still be left aching, she reminded herself. Which was the reason she’d reduced herself to chasing a bit of flesh on flesh action with Logan the Lusty…who was now growling and grabbing for her again. Abby sidestepped, her patience and the promise of pleasure balancing on a fine edge.

“The point is if you want to fuck me, you need to wine and dine me first.” The time for subtlety had passed. She was determined to play the game her way despite his grumbling. “Haven’t you ever heard of delayed gratification?”

His grunt of dissatisfaction gave Abby her answer. Logan was the type who took what he wanted, when he wanted. Exactly why he was perfect for her needs. But that didn’t mean she couldn’t try to teach him a few manners first.

Abby picked up her wallet and key card from the counter and made for the door. She could feel the heat of Logan’s greedy gaze boring into her, fastening on her ass as she swayed past in the short, pencil skirt she’d worn to the board presentation earlier. The jacket had already been ditched and Abby knew there weren’t any panty-lines to mar his view. With her bare legs stalking out the door, Logan had to be wondering what else she didn’t have on. He’d find the little treat of her frothy lace G-string later. And could remove it with his teeth if he liked.

Abby turned her head and blasted Logan with a smoldering look. “You coming?” she asked sweetly.

Like a good little puppy, Logan followed her out of the room.

It was disappointing to find out some dogs couldn’t learn new tricks.

Abby swallowed the last creamy bite of pasta and tried to resurrect her flailing enthusiasm for the night ahead. Logan was in serious need of being put back on his leash. Or being put down.

Damn it.
She’d waited for this night for so long. She’d imagined savoring the sweet, almost painful anticipation, the flirting, the teasing and light, seductive touches. Until they’d reached her hotel room earlier, Logan had been doing all of that perfectly. But now? Now he was so intent on burying his damn bone… Abby dodged his hand as it crept under the table in an attempt to paw at her thigh. Again.

“I want you, babe,” he growled in what he thought was a sexy voice but, in fact, was acting like a cheese grater against Abby’s last nerve.

In her mind’s eye, Abby banged her head on the table. So much for lingering looks and trailing fingers. Unless she could find a way to stave off Logan’s horndog libido, she’d have to skip dessert just to shut him up. Chocolate mousse. One of her favorites. She’d intended to get one to go in the hopes Logan might get a little creative later—the chances of which were looking slimmer by the minute.

Unless she took control and did something to slow him down. Perhaps add a little spice to their evening.

Abby leaned forward. “If you need it that bad, why don’t you take care of yourself?” she suggested in a low, intimate voice. “Work off the burn.” She flicked a suggestive glance toward the bathroom.

Logan took in her wicked smile and his eyes widened. “What. You mean?”

“Exactly.” Abby ran her finger and thumb across the back of his hand. When she reached his middle finger, she curled around it in a way that couldn’t be mistaken. “You never know, I might come and watch.”

Light gleamed in his eyes as he pumped his finger in and out of her grip. “Watch and come.” He grinned wolfishly.

Abby masked her eye-roll as a shrug. “Uh-huh.” She nodded, fighting to keep a straight face.

Logan shunted the table forward a few inches in his haste to get up. The bulge in his pants looked positively painful.

“You’d better not be playing me,” he warned, his coarse gaze turned to one of uncertainty.

“I’ll be there shortly.” Abby purred out her promise.

Of course she was playing him, but not in the way Logan worried about. He’d get what he wanted from her and wouldn’t get hurt. And she’d get what she wanted too. It was always a game. That was why Abby picked her players carefully and laid down the rules so they all got to walk away unscathed. Even if the hollowness was beginning to bite.

But better that than laying herself open like she had with Nathan. Abby’s gut clenched as she pushed back bitter memories of her ex-fiancé’s infidelity and her family’s ultimate betrayal. Not tonight. Tonight was all about pleasure. Hers.

She conjured up images of Logan and what he might be doing to his swollen, aching cock right now. Would he be going at it hard with his hips thrust forward and his head thrown back with a moan on his lips? Or was he drawing it out with long, lazy strokes, waiting for her to walk in so he could build them both up and savor her enjoyment?

Stirrings of lust wrapped around Abby’s belly and gave a sharp, downward tug. She shifted in her seat, enjoying the rasp of her G-string against the dampness of her sex. Two minutes had passed since Logan had left. She’d give him a couple more to make sure he was far enough gone before she found him. All the better to finish him off and get her own plans back on track.

Her gaze flicked around the hotel’s nicely appointed dining area. Swanky and up-market, the hotel had provided the perfect setting for Crovens quarterly board meeting. While most of Henry’s corporate team worked out of Wellsford, the bulk of his business operated out of Baltimore, which was also where most of the company’s directors lived. It had meant frequent trips in and out of the city for Abby, but she’d enjoyed her visits here. She liked to be able to move about.