Primal Pleasure: Pendragon Gargoyles, Book 3 Page 18

  She slid her arms around his waist, snuggling up against his back. “She’ll be okay.”

  He shook his head. “She’s been hiding it, hasn’t she? Why?”

  “Maybe she’s not ready to share who her mate is.”

  “Do you know something?” He glanced over his shoulder at her.

  “Even if I did, it would be Briana’s story to tell.” And all she really had at the moment were some strong suspicions about a particular wraith.

  “That’s not answering the question.”

  She slipped around him and closed the door before taking his hand. “A very wise man once told me that it’s best not to get between siblings.”

  He snorted. “I said that once, and I’m pretty sure Elena had threatened to sew my tail to my balls at the time.”

  Leading him out of the kitchen, Emma headed for their bedroom, intent on distracting him. She didn’t have to try very hard. Once they were through the door, he slammed it closed and whirled to pin her against it.

  “Bed,” she whispered, loving the way his hands slid right under her top, boldly cupping her breasts.

  “Why?” He bent his head, running his mouth down her throat.

  She moaned, raking at his shoulders. “Because.”

  “Because you’ll be closer to the restraints you stashed under the bed earlier?”

  “You know about them?” She pushed at his chest.

  “Did you think I subjected myself to hours of Elmer Fudd and Daffy Duck for the sheer enjoyment of it? I’ve been waiting all night for you to dig them out.”

  Suspicious, she searched his eyes. “Really? I hadn’t expected you to be so receptive.”

  “To being chained up so you can have your wicked way with me?”

  “Well, when you put it like that…”

  He laughed and slanted his mouth across hers for a hard, feverish kiss that left her trembling inside. She had only a second to get her brain back online, and then he dragged her into the bedroom.

  Grinning, he dropped onto the edge of the bed and held up his hands.

  He was making it all too easy. She’d expected it to take some convincing. “What are you up to?”

  “Me? You’re the one with the handcuffs stashed under the bed.”

  “How did you even spot them, anyway?” She bent over to grab them, not even making it halfway before he scooped her up and tossed her on the bed.

  He grinned down at her, his body pressing her into the mattress.

  “You never had any intention of submitting to me, did you?”

  “I’ve already surrendered my heart. Or isn’t that enough?”

  Heart pounding from that intense look in his eyes, she pretended to mull it over. “Nope.”

  He nipped her shoulder. “You’re determined to have all of me, are you?”

  Locking her arms around his neck, she drew him closer. “Don’t I have you now?”

  He slowly swept his mouth across hers. “Until the day I die.”

  About the Author

  A born and raised Maritimer, Sydney Somers fell in love with writing at the age of eight. Since finishing her first book in 2002, Sydney has written over twenty-five romances—one of which will forever remain hidden under her bed.

  When she’s not tracking down remote controls, chasing after three very energetic children or exterminating rogue dust bunnies, Sydney can be found curled up with a good book or working on her next sexy, paranormal romance. She loves to hear from readers and invites them to e-mail her (sydney@sydneysomers.com) or drop by her website (www.sydneysomers.com) any time.

  Look for these titles by Sydney Somers

  Now Available:

  Pendragon Gargoyles

  Primal Hunger

  Primal Attraction

  Shadow Destroyers

  Unbreakable

  Stripped Away

  Storm Warning

  Dark Obsession

  Spellbound

  Say You’re Mine

  Don’t Let Go

  Whatever It Takes

  Enslaved

  Waitin’ on a Hero

  Call Me Cupid

  Talons: Caged Desire

  Coming Soon:

  Trust Me

  Scorching desire…fatal consequences.

  Dark Obsession

  © 2010 Sydney Somers

  Shadow Destroyers, Book 4

  Demon slayer Rae McAvoy refuses to let anything stand between her and getting the job done. Especially her ex. Loving Parker nearly destroyed her, and if partnering with him one last time means he’ll be reassigned and out of her life for good, bring it on.

  If Parker was the only threat to her heart, tracking down one rogue scientist would be a snap. Except the scientist in question is Rae’s father, and his experiments are hitting much too close to home.

  Parker Walsh hasn’t forgotten the passion that once burned between them, and he’s determined to remind Rae every chance he gets. But giving in to more than just lust could mean surrendering to the darkness inside him—the same darkness that once drove her away.

  Riding the edge of their rising desire pushes them to the breaking point, until an explosion of passion raises the stakes even higher. Especially when long-buried secrets force them to break the last links to their past—or else be consumed by an obsession so dark it could tear them apart for good.

  Warning: Contains a fierce battle of wills between reunited lovers, explosive sexual tension, sarcasm, gritty demon-slaying violence, scorching sex and a love worth fighting for.

  Enjoy the following excerpt for Dark Obsession:

  Air rushed across her face as an arm wrapped around her waist, dragging her off the ledge before she’d even gotten all the way to her feet.

  “Are you trying to kill me?” Parker snapped, holding her tight against him. “Stay off the goddamn ledge.”

  Shoving him back wasn’t an option. Not until she was sure her legs were going to cooperate more than her lungs—which seemed to be working fine now. Fine enough she could smell Parker’s aftershave on her next shaky inhale.

  God, he smelled good. Familiar. For a moment the good memories from her past competed with the bad and won. She’d only been twenty-one when they’d met, scared she’d end up an empty shell, like the demons that had changed her. More than anything she’d needed something to fill up the empty places inside her.

  And Parker had. For three years he’d made her forget how she’d ended up with the network, made her forget she hadn’t been special enough for her father. But in the end she hadn’t been enough for Parker either. Not enough to save him from spiraling into a dark place she couldn’t reach and not enough to get through to him when he’d been determined to believe anything except the truth.

  So she’d left, though it had taken her a long time to accept that he’d left her long before that, giving up on them and taking her heart right along with him.

  “Rae?” Parker ran his hand up her back.

  She closed her eyes, almost telling herself they were in another time and place. She was halfway there in her head, but he kept talking, forcing her back to the here and now.

  “I’m fine.” She sounded like it anyway. At least that was something.

  Avoiding his gaze, she stepped back and turned away from him.

  Parker grabbed her hand. “Hey.”

  “No.” She wasn’t talking about it. Not to him. Not today. Rae didn’t have to pull hard to get him to release her. She figured out why that was when she reached the door and stepped into the stairwell.

  He wanted her contained, the determined look on his face three-quarters stubborn and one-quarter pure arrogant male.

  Typical.

  “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “There’s nothing to tell.” Moving on had always been her best bet. Telling him hadn’t even crossed her mind when she’d been so determined to pretend she wasn’t any different than every other agent that had been cornered and changed by a demon.

  “Bullshit.�
� He sidestepped, blocking her access to the stairs.

  “No, bullshit is you standing there looking all offended when I don’t owe you any explanations.”

  “Is Lawrence Hurst your father?”

  It was the plea she heard in his voice that made the walls feel like they were closing in. God, she wanted to deny it, if only to prevent the sympathy she’d see on his face the second she admitted it.

  And where there was sympathy, disbelief and revulsion would follow. She’d seen the same reaction from dozens of people once the network had discovered what her father was working on.

  Friends of Adrian and her father, who had once looked at her like she was any other kid, became wary and appalled by her presence, as though she’d been tainted beyond saving and the condition was contagious.

  Only when she’d proven that what made her different could be an asset in the field had they stopped watching her as though they expected her to begin feeding on human emotions at any moment.

  Even years later, she dreaded trips to headquarters, knowing there would still be some who remembered the experiments and would give her a wide berth when she visited.

  She’d worked her ass off for years, determined to be more than the result of some experiment, and now Parker was standing there, demanding an answer that would undermine everything.

  “Talk to me, Rae. Please.”

  “The way you talked to me?” It was hitting below the belt to bring up the past, but it seemed to work. Parker backtracked a couple steps.

  “Oh that’s right, you didn’t talk to me, did you?” she pressed, eager to have something else to focus on other than feeling sorry for herself.

  “It’s not the same and you damn well know it.”

  “You’re right. I’m not so self-absorbed that I tuned out the rest of the world.”

  He flinched, but didn’t give up and leave her alone like she’d hoped. “Damn it, Rae, I lost my mother and sister.”

  “And I lost you.” It was out before she could take it back, and Parker took instant advantage of the slip, moving in until he had her backed against the wall.

  “Then don’t make the same mistakes I did. Don’t push me away.” He brushed his thumb across her cheek, the gentle touch at complete odds with the way he used his size and proximity to keep her from running.

  Her eyes slid closed, then she shoved him away. She couldn’t handle gentle right now, not when she felt like a house of cards one breath away from collapsing. “Back off.”

  He grabbed her arm when she tried to get past him, wrenching her back around and pressing his body into hers this time to keep her in place.

  There were at least a dozen maneuvers to neutralize him, to physically force him to release her. She just couldn’t remember what any of them were. Maybe it was talking about the past, or wanting to forget today’s turn of events, but the second his solid frame pinned her to the wall, a shock of heat sailed through her.

  Startled by the intense sensation, she wasn’t fast enough to silence the sharp catch of her breath, the sound echoing in the stairwell.

  Parker’s gaze snapped to hers, his eyes flaring with awareness.

  She shook her head, denying the burst of heat tunneling through her middle and sinking straight into her core even as she wanted to cling to it.

  He arched a brow, skeptical despite the slow, wicked smile that curved his lips. “I’ve been pushing you for weeks. Getting in your space, making it clear I want you in my bed, and you choose now to reciprocate?”

  “No.”

  “You usually sound more convincing when you lie to me.” He caged her wrists with his hands, trapping them at her sides. “I can sense how much you want me.”

  Even before he lifted his eyes to meet hers, she knew they would be ringed in silver, just as she knew no matter how much she denied anything at this point, he’d know the truth.

  She’d been lying about it for weeks, but hadn’t once lowered her guard enough to let him see it—until now.

  There’s more than one way to outsmart a fox…

  Foxy Lady

  © 2010 Marie Harte

  A Cougar Falls Story

  Trust Julia Easton to screw up Sheriff Ty Roderick’s March Madness plans. The pixie-faced vixen might be the picture of feminine perfection, but she tests his innate sense of order to its limits. Weeks ago, he let his conscience turn down a proposition his body still burns to accept—then she vanished. Now he’s in the middle of Nowhere, Washington, racing to rescue her from danger.

  There’s risk in leaving Cougar Falls, but it’s the only way Julia can hope to save her sister from making the same mistake she almost made with Ty. Settling down and having kits is one thing, but it can’t be done with a human, especially one from a hunting family. Unfortunately, her sister isn’t budging, and the fiancé’s brother won’t take Julia’s no for an answer, either.

  When Ty comes riding to their rescue, Julia plans to use him and lose him. No way is she throwing herself at that alpha jerk’s feet in gratitude. Then Ty gives her the answer her heart still longs for: he wants to spend the rest of his life making things right. Now if only she can find the courage to say yes.

  Warning: Beware a foxy sheriff, a backwoods bad guy, a cunning vixen, sexy escapades in and out of the bedroom, and the return of stubborn male shifters who think they know everything.

  Enjoy the following excerpt for Foxy Lady:

  Ty didn’t know whether to spank Julia or kiss her senseless. Just seeing her again aroused him in a way he was hard-pressed to explain. Her scent, the feel of her smooth skin under his hands, her soft kiss, all of it made him want to throw her down on the nearest bed and fuck her until he couldn’t move. He wanted to tie her to him and make her admit she couldn’t stop thinking about him. Because he sure as hell couldn’t stop thinking about her.

  Hearing that Neanderthal claim Julia had nearly ended Ned’s life. It had taken a lot of discipline to remain still. Ty didn’t like that loss of control. As town sheriff, he came into contact with conflict on a daily basis. He had a reputation as calm and collected. So why did Julia Easton tie him in knots?

  At least the woman looked nervous. As she should.

  “Well? I’m waiting,” he said in a quiet voice, pleased when Julia and Gabby jumped.

  The three sisters were exceptionally popular in the clan. Meghan was the youngest, and at the age where she needed to explore. No one had balked when she’d left town for college on the outside. Still, this Jason business would need some explaining.

  Everyone liked Gabby, the most outgoing and genial of the three. She had a tawny complexion that suited her dark red hair, and a curvy frame where Meghan and Julia were leaner.

  Slender, sexy and beautiful, Julia made him ache. She made him want to beg. He huffed. A Roderick didn’t beg. Hell, at home he rejected sexual offers from women left and right. But Julia had never asked a thing from him, not until the sly vixen had propositioned him, drunk as a skunk. Now how the hell could he say yes to that and not have her hate him in the morning?

  Meghan was the first to answer him. “Ty, uh, I’m, well…”

  “Get on with it, Meghan.” She really was cute. A younger version of Julia.

  “The brat thinks she’s in love,” Julia said, her words laced with disgust. Her gaze met his before it skittered back to her sister.

  “I am in love,” Meghan retorted. “Just because you’re turning into the neighborhood cat lady is no reason to be jealous I’ve found someone special.”

  Ty coughed to smother a laugh. “Cat lady?”

  “You know, the old lady with no life who lives with like thirty cats for company.”

  “We like cats,” Gabby defended, shooting Meghan a look that surprised Ty. She seemed genuinely annoyed.

  Meghan flushed. “I’m just saying Julia blames me for having a sex life.”

  “I so did not need to hear that,” Ty muttered.

  Julia’s eyes sparkled and her scent grew richer. When angry, the lit
tle spitfire turned him hard in a heartbeat. He casually crossed the room to stand behind an oversized chair to hide his erection. Talk about embarrassing, not to mention irritating. The vixen made him crazy like no one could.

  “Okay, you want to talk about your sex life? Fine,” Julia sneered. “Are you using birth control? Does Jason know what can happen when you go into heat? Is he prepared to help rear your litter?”

  Fascinated, Ty watched the family interplay. He’d never seen Julia so impassioned. Normally she did her job with calm precision and couldn’t be described as anything other than cool. But with Meghan, she acted like a virtual firecracker. A sultry redhead with a temper to boot. God, he wanted her.

  Meghan stared from Julia to Ty and back again, her cheeks scarlet. “I am not going to talk about this in front of Ty.”

  Thank God.

  She continued. “I’m going to call Jason to come get me.” Tears filled her eyes. “He’s the only one who understands me. The only one who cares.” She sobbed and fled the room.

  Everyone stared at the slammed door in silence.

  After a moment, he asked, “You sure she didn’t major in drama?”

  Julia’s lips curved.

  Gabby choked on a laugh. “I’ll go talk to her. You deal with him,” she said to Julia, a knowing look in her eyes that made Julia blush. Gabby joined Meghan in the bedroom, leaving Julia and Ty alone together.

  “Now it’s just you and me, honey. Where should we start?”

  Julia gnawed on her lower lip, and he wanted to kiss the sting away. She turned her direct amber-eyed gaze on him. “Why are you here?”

  “You’re welcome for saving you, by the way. Or would you rather I stepped aside so you and Ned can head down the aisle?” he asked dryly.

  “Please. I can handle Ned.”

  “Oh?”

  “Granted, he’s an ass. But I know how to handle the type.” The look she gave him heated his blood to boiling.