Too Much: A Loveswept Contemporary Erotic Romance (All or Nothing) (32 page)

“I am yours,” she whispered at his lips.

“Mine,” he affirmed.

“We’re going to do this, you and me,” Daly said shyly.

“Forever,” he responded in a gruff voice. “I have to apologize to your brother. I don’t know that he’ll come back to work for me.”

Surprise filtered through her. “He left you?”

“Just like you did. I can’t blame him. Another Edwards I have to make things right with.”

“I didn’t leave you. You left me this time. That kinda makes us even now, right?”

He shrugged. “We aren’t keeping score. I can safely say I don’t ever want this to happen again.”

Daly snuggled against his chest, kissed his neck, and smiled. “I don’t know. I kinda dug that spanking you dished out last night.”

He growled. “It wasn’t too much?” he asked as he palmed the ass he’d spanked so well.

“Oh, baby, it’s not ever … could never be …” Daly met his gaze and put all of her heart into her eyes.

His gaze widened as the beautiful gray lightened to a brilliant blue. “What?”

“Too much.”

“I hear you, Toby, but he needs you,” Daly said into the phone as she stepped out of the Town Car Jeremiah insisted she be driven around in. To the driver she said, “I shouldn’t be too long, Mr. Craft. Maybe ten minutes tops.”

He nodded.

“I understand, Toby, just go talk to him, okay? He thinks you hate him because he’s the one who told the cops about Heyward—” Daly took a deep breath. “Don’t cut me off, brother. Go see him. And I expect to see you at my house tonight for supper. No! Don’t give me any shit, Tobias Edwards. Eight o’clock. Oh, and Ruthie will be there—’bye,” she said quickly, and then hung up before her brother could voice a protest.

Daly settled her phone in her purse and walked into Mick’s Restaurant. The hamburgers at Mick’s were always a draw for her, but she wasn’t here to eat today. She had another appetite to fill.

“Excuse me,” she said to the server. “I’m here to meet a Detective Cavanaugh.”

The server nodded. “Please follow me—she’s already here.”

Daly took a deep breath. She hadn’t told Jeremiah she was coming here today. There’d been no need. Ruthie knew. Candace knew. That was enough. She was about to do something that had needed to be done weeks ago.

Savannah Cavanaugh was watching for her and the knowing smirk on her face tried to worm its way into Daly’s confidence, but then she remembered how nasty the woman had been to her and she steeled her spine.

Daly took a seat opposite Cavanaugh and raised an eyebrow. “I’m glad you showed.”

Detective Cavanaugh laughed. “Oh, I’m looking forward to this.”

“Your waiter will be here soon, ma’am,” the server said to her and then left.

Daly smiled at Detective Cavanaugh. “I’ve got to get back to work, so this won’t take long.” The other woman inclined her head and Daly got right to business. “The first time I met you was at The Underground. It wasn’t pleasant, and I can honestly say each time I’ve seen you since has been less pleasant than the first.”

“I don’t—”

Daly held up her hand. “Oh, there’s no reason for you to talk. I don’t care to hear anything you have to say. I simply wanted to tell you that I know how you feel about Jeremiah.”

The woman’s smirk faltered, mouth falling open. Daly smiled politely and pushed away from the table.

Finally, Detective Cavanaugh sputtered, to which Daly smiled wider and leaned over the table.

“Yeah, I
know
you. I
see
you and I want you to be aware of one thing. Are your ears wide open,
Savvy
?”

The woman said nothing. Daly shrugged and continued on anyway.

“That man is all mine. His heart, his trust, his soul—
mine.
You come after what’s mine in any way and there will be hell to pay. Enjoy your meal, Detective,” she said smartly and walked out of the restaurant.

She stepped into the Town Car and met Mr. Craft’s gaze in the rearview mirror.

“All settled now?” he asked with a secretive smile.

“Absolutely. That was … refreshing.”

“I’m sure Detective Cavanaugh disagrees,” Jeremiah’s voice came over the speakers in the car.

“You told on me?” she exclaimed to Mr. Craft.

His gaze skated away from hers but his smile was still in place.

“What did you say to her, Day?”

“Nothing that shouldn’t have been said that first night at The Underground,” she said with a smile of her own.

“I guess I should tell you I had already taken care of that,” Jeremiah said gruffly.

She nodded. “As you should have. But I have handled it once again, you know, just to drive the point home.”

He growled, and Daly shifted on the seat.

“Bring her to my office, Craft.”

“What?” She gaped. “I have to go back to work.”

“This won’t take long, Day,” Jeremiah responded, and in his voice was a promise.

“Buckle up, Ms. Edwards,” Mr. Craft said.

Daly sighed as she did just that. She was wet already. Wet and needy. She checked her watch. She had exactly forty minutes to meet her man and get back to work.

Maybe not enough time.

One thing she could be assured of, though: he’d make it worth her while.

She practically sprinted to the elevators in his building and when she stepped off at his floor, she felt the atmosphere charge. Energy danced along her nerves, jumping from goose bump to goose bump and sliding down her spine.

Jeremiah’s secretary had a smile on her face. It reminded her of her husband’s from moments ago.

“Mrs. Craft, how are you?”

“I’m really good, Ms. Edwards. Mr. Copeland asked me to escort you to his office,” she said as she gestured for Daly to follow her.

Daly did and impatiently glanced at her watch. Thirty-five minutes. She walked into Jeremiah’s office, and that feeling of anticipation she’d acknowledged breaking over her skin in the elevator floated back up and made the hair on the back of her neck rise.

“He’ll be in shortly,” Mrs. Craft said and closed the door behind her.

Daly walked over to the windows and stared out over downtown Atlanta, loving that the trees still had some vibrantly colored leaves on them. One more look at her watch and she began tamping her foot.

She heard the door open and close, and he was there. Her heart rose to her throat and she swallowed, love for her man clogging her lungs, making it difficult to breathe.

“I seem to have loved you in numberless forms, numberless times … In life after life, in age after age, forever,”
he said in a husky voice.

Their eyes met in the glass in front of her. He was so tall behind her, shoulders wide enough to carry her world and everything in it. Her stomach rolled, a free fall she relished, and she turned to face him.

“My spellbound heart has made and remade the necklace of songs, that you take as a gift, wear round your neck in your many forms, in life after life, in age after age, forever,”
she responded.

He raised her left hand to his lips and kissed the knuckles, soft, wicking kisses that made her joy bubble.

“Rabindranath Tagore had the right of it, Day,” Jeremiah said. “Close your eyes.”

She cocked her head, confusion moving through her in a great wave, but she did as he asked.

Something cold and lightly weighted touched her neck. Her breath caught suddenly as his action became clear.

“I want forever, Day. Yet instead of gifting you with a necklace, I would give my devotion to you in the form of this collar.” His voice was infinitely deep and full of all that he was. “Open your eyes.”

She did, and their gazes clashed as knowledge rippled over and through her.

“Do you accept me? All that I am, all that we can be together, forever?”

“If you accept the same from me, I will wear this collar proudly, knowing that my heart gave it to me, along with your trust,” she responded solemnly.

She moved to wrap her arms around him, but he shook his head and went to one knee. Her mouth gaped open, and she wondered if she looked like Savannah Cavanaugh had looked earlier.

He smiled knowingly and she wanted to tackle him to the floor, take him over as surely as he was doing to her.

“I have your submission and it is a beautiful gift. Now I would have your heart and your promise of forever. I grew up rough, you know this. I didn’t know what love was until I fell with you. Then you introduced me to possession. You’ve given me something precious and I want to be yours for the rest of my life. Dalia Grace Edwards, will you marry me?”

“Yes!” There was no hesitation and she went to her knees in front of him, reaching to bury herself against his body.

He laughed and kissed her, endlessly, his vow already sealed in her soul. She felt him put the ring on her finger but she couldn’t be bothered to look at the ring, the collar, or anything other than his blue-gray eyes so beautifully shining with love for
her.

“Everything,” she whispered when he raised his head.

“Always,” he affirmed.

She made it to work with two minutes to spare and a great, big smile on her face. Not that she would have cared if she’d been late. For her man she had all the time in the world.

Loving Jeremiah Copeland was never too much.

This book wouldn’t have been possible without three very important people: Sidney Bristol, Becca Jameson, and Stacey Kennedy. Your dirty minds, unparalleled support, and willingness to listen to me whine allowed me to keep it together. Oh—and did I mention your dirty minds? Because … yeah …

L
EA
G
RIFFITH
began sneaking her mother’s romance novels at a very young age, cutting her teeth on the greats: McNaught, Woodiwiss, Garwood. As she got older, her need to devour all genres of romance—including contemporary, paranormal, and sci-fi—grew. Now, when she’s not working her day job, you can usually find her at her keyboard, using every spare second to write. She lives with her husband and three teenage daughters in rural Georgia.

www.leagriffith.com

Most people look forward to summer vacations: warm, sunny days filled with nothing but reading on the agenda. Every year, I can’t wait to lie on the beach, lounge by the pool, or relax at a picnic at the park—always with a good book in my hands. If you’re looking for some hot reads, Loveswept has some great ones this month. But I warn you—it’s going to be a fiery summer.

June brings two scorching reunion stories: Lea Griffith’s Loveswept debut,
Too Much
, an erotic romance where two lovers who have shared exquisite pain and unforgettable bliss find solace back in each other’s arms; and Serena Bell’s heartwarming
Hold On Tight
, about a young mother and a battle-scarred veteran who must decide if they can rekindle the sparks they once shared. Speaking of sparks, in Jamie Schmidt’s stylish and sexy book,
Heat
, a martial arts trainer introduces an ER doctor to a passion so intense she wants nothing more than to surrender to his touch. Then the temperature rises with the first book of Tina Leonard’s seductive new Hells Outlaws series,
Last of the Red-Hot Cowboys
, which brings passion hotter than the Texas sun. And if you’re looking for a classic romance, look no further than Iris Johansen’s steamy novel,
Wicked Jake Darcy
, where fate brings together a carefree beauty and a charismatic playboy—only to separate them all too soon.

~Happy Romance!

Gina Wachtel

Associate Publisher

by Jamie K. Schmidt

Available from Loveswept

After two months of running, Mallory Bryant gave up. She was sick of vending machine food and waking up in terror every night wondering if the LSD-laced Ecstasy tab David shoved down her throat had done permanent damage.

She was sick of crying during
Dr. Phil.
Sick of staring out the window, afraid that David was going to find her. And Mallory was terrified that when he did, this time he would not stop until she was as strung out as he was. But most of all, her mother had slapped down the ultimatum: Go to your sister or come back home to Nevada. The fact that her mother would even consider Colleen a viable source of responsibility showed how worried she really was.