Dane

Bad boy, Dane MacKenzie, is coming home to Surrender, Montana. It’s been ten years since he left the woman he loved behind to make a name for himself, and now he’s bound and determined to claim her once and for all. But Charlotte Munroe has no desire to welcome home the Prodigal Son with a fatted calf. The bitterness of Dane’s betrayal runs deep, and she has no plans of letting him back into her life. Especially since she’s trying to protect the son Dane isn’t aware exists from heartbreak, since she’s sure he’s only going to walk out of their lives again.

DANE The MacKenzie Brothers Quartet 1 By Liliana Hart

Copyright 2011 by Liliana Hart

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Mackenzie Quartet 01 – Dane – Liliana Hart

Chapter One There were those who said Dane MacKenzie would never amount to anything. That he’d spend his life drifting aimlessly from one thing to the next, never to settle down or take on an ounce of responsibility. There were even some who said he’d end up behind prison bars or six feet under ground. He’d been closer to both than he cared to admit. Dane had the body of a brawler and ready fists, but there were some folks—usually women—who claimed the smile that graced his sensuous lips when those fists connected with another man’s flesh was enough to make any woman want to take a walk on the dark side. Though he wasn’t as bad as he used to be, his reputation remained the same. He was a man with appetites. The ladies could attest to that as well, for he’d left many broken hearts in his wake. But no matter what the pleasure—whether it be brawls or seduction, violence or compassion—he always put everything he had into what he wanted.

What was the point of playing if you weren’t 5

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going to win? He pulled the rattrap car he’d rented off to the side of the road at the top of a hill, just past the Now Entering Surrender, Montana sign that sat weathered with age and slightly crooked. It had been ten years since he’d been home. Sure, he kept in touch with his brothers. They got together once a year for a vacation and again at Christmas. But always somewhere else. He hadn’t set foot in Surrender since the day he’d thrown his bags in the trunk of his car and sped out of town. There were too many memories. Of the old farmhouse he and his brothers had been raised in. Of the Christmases and birthdays. Of fighting and carousing with his brothers with equal abandon. The chores, the school programs, his first kiss in the alley behind Gruber’s Ice Cream Shoppe. And then later, his first taste of a woman—the fumbling, sweaty bodies on a blanket in the back of his pickup truck. All of those memories were here, but still he hesitated on the outskirts of town. Dane opened the car door and got out, ignoring the shudder of the engine and coughs of smoke from the tailpipe. There hadn’t been a lot of options 6

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for car rentals when one of his buddies had flown him to the private airstrip thirty miles south of Surrender, so he’d taken the keys of the rusted out Honda and kept his focus on getting home in one piece. But now that he was here he wanted nothing more than to turn around and head back to the airport. Everything was lush and green in the middle of July. Surrender was nestled snuggly at the bottom of the hill, a gem of white fences and red barns with hundreds of acres of pasture land dotted with roaming livestock that was so many people’s bread and butter in this part of the world. The town itself was one long road, and a row of bricked businesses flanked each side of the street. They all had matching black awnings and wooden sidewalks. It looked exactly the same as when he’d left. An uncomfortable feeling lodged in the pit of his stomach. He didn’t even know why he’d come home. Partly for his brothers. He missed them more than he cared to admit. And partly because he was tired of traveling. Tired of not having a place of his own—moving from jungles to army barracks to third world hovels to five star hotels. He’d always gone 7

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where the story had lead him. He’d needed the adventure. To prove that he could survive outside of Surrender. Without his brothers there to catch him if he fell. But now he was here. Home. And Charlotte wasn’t. He’d lost his chance there. It was his one regret for leaving. The pang of memory hadn’t lessoned over the years. He remembered her as fresh-faced and beautiful. Black hair and bright green eyes. A sarcastic tongue, and a laugh always ready on her full lips. A body just beginning to become a woman’s. She’d been eighteen when he’d felt her beneath him for the first time. And in the ten years since, no woman had ever come close to making him feel the same, though he’d try to erase her memory as often as possible. He rubbed his chest just over his heart and got back in the car. He was here to face his demons. To face his past. And there was no point in dredging up the memory of the girl he’d loved—the girl he’d walked away from because he hadn’t had the courage to stay. He saw her in his dreams most nights anyway. 8

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His brothers had told him Charlotte had packed up and left town just a couple of months after he had, and they didn’t know where she’d gone. It was for the best. The past belonged in the past. At least that’s what he tried to convince himself. She was probably married with a couple of kids by now, never thinking of the boy who’d had to leave her to preserve his own sanity. Dane shifted the car into first, and ground his teeth together at the unholy sound that greeted his ears. The car took off with a jerk and shudder and he was on his way into the bowels of Surrender, whether he wanted to be or not. The car died less than a mile from the edge of town. He took it with a shrug of acceptance—he’d been in too many similar situations over the course of his career not to take things as they came—and grabbed his bag from the trunk. The sun was just starting to set—an orange ball of flame nestled between the two hills—and the sky had turned gray, hovering just on the edge of darkness. Dane pushed his sunglasses up on his head and slung his bag over his shoulder. He hadn’t slept in more than twenty-four hours. When one was flying 9

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out of Afghanistan and catching four different puddle jumpers to get home, a man had a tendency to keep his eyes open and his brain alert. His shoes kicked up dust as he started the trek into town. Everything was getting ready to close for the night. It was still another five miles before he would reach the farmhouse, but if he was lucky his brother would be on duty for the night, and he could get a ride home in the squad car. He smiled at the irony. There were plenty of people who thought he’d spend plenty of time in the back of one before he’d left. If he was really lucky, there would be dinner still warm on the stove. He hadn’t had a decent meal in a couple of days. The closer he got to town, the more he realized things had changed. Some more than others. He heard the music before he saw where it was coming from. Classic rock pulsed from a white tin building with a blue awning and several open garage doors. It was the same building that had been there before he’d left, but it was no longer a full-service gas station. A new sign with fluid black letters said Charlie’s Automotive. It wouldn’t hurt to stop in a see if they could tow the piece of shit car he’d left 10

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down the road. It would save his brothers from having to help him take care of it later. Dane stuck his head in the barely air conditioned office. It was stark in appearance—white walls, grey utilitarian carpet and a solid black desk piled with papers and invoices. Another glass door led into the garage, and a restroom sign was tacked to another. There wasn’t anyone in sight, so he followed the sound of the music into the garage. Three of the four bays had cars in varying states waiting for attention, but he still didn’t see anyone. The jangle of metal hitting the pavement had him moving between an old Chrysler and a brand new Ford pickup. A pair of legs covered in blue coveralls stuck out from beneath the Chrysler, knees bent and boots tapping to the beat. “Excuse me,” he said, pitching his voice over the music. Or at least trying to. It was hard to compete with Robert Plant. A grubby hand felt along the ground, searching for a tool of some kind. Dane bent down, picked up a heavy crescent wrench and put it in the roaming hand. He winced as he heard the thunk of a head hit the underside of the car in surprise, and he 11

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moved out of the way as the coveralls came out from under the car with a vengeance. The first thought that came to Dane’s mind was that he’d never seen a man so tiny, but then he realized the baggy coveralls were hiding a decidedly delicate body. A smooth curve of neck and porcelain skin, smudged with grease. Definitely not a man. A grubby hand rubbed at the forming knot under thick black hair. Vivid green eyes framed with dark lashes stared at him in resentment. Mermaid eyes. Or at least that’s what he’d once compared them to. But by the way they were shooting fire in his direction they resembled that of a sorceress, ready and willing to turn him to dust with a flick of her wrist. He felt the blood drain from his face and took a step back. She grabbed the remote from the hood of the car and shut the music off, leaving an echo in his ears. Or maybe it was his heartbeat thudding wildly out of control. “Charlotte?” he whispered, afraid he was hallucinating. “Well, if it isn’t the Prodigal Son himself. You worthless son of a bitch.” 12

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Dane barely had time to duck as the heavy wrench sailed toward his head.

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Chapter Two Charlie Munroe took satisfaction as the wrench skimmed just over Dane’s ear and clanged against the metal wall of the garage. She turned on her heel and made her way to her office, unzipping her coveralls and stepping out of them quickly, revealing the denim shorts and tank top she wore beneath. She ignored her shaking hands as she closed the office door behind her and locked it. She slipped into the bathroom and soaped off the grease from her hands and face. Maybe when she came out he’d be gone, and she could pretend she hadn’t just seen Dane MacKenzie, big as life and looking better than ever. She slipped out of the bathroom and heaved a sigh of relief when she didn’t see him in the garage. She dug her purse and car keys out of the bottom drawer of her desk, her hands steadier, her heart heavier. What the hell was Dane doing back in Surrender? The last she’d heard he’d been traveling 14

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alongside a battalion of soldiers in the Middle East and writing a column about his experiences for the New York Times. He was not supposed to be in Surrender. She’d only been back six months herself. It had been her only option after her father had died and left her to handle the affairs of his sprawling ranch. And as much as she’d resented the idea at first, moving back had been the best thing for Jayden. He’d hated leaving his school and his friends in Chicago, but he’d adjusted since the move. The animals and the male influence of all the ranch hands had helped the transition. She knew it was going to be hard on him when she sold the place, but she couldn’t take care of it all by herself. And the money she got from the ranch would go a long way for paying college tuition in the next nine years. Until just now, she’d had plans to stay in Surrender permanently. Her shop was doing well and she was surrounded by the people who knew her best. But as soon as she’d seen Dane’s face, her first instinct had been to run. To speed back to the ranch, throw her clothes and Jayden’s in the trunk, and get out of town. 15

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Dane MacKenzie walking back into her life was not good. God, how was she going to tell Jayden? The answer was easy. She wouldn’t tell him. There was no way she was going to present him with the dad he’d never known only to watch him walk away again when the next big story came or when his feet itched to move on. “Dammit, Charlotte, you could have killed me.” Charlie gasped as the outside door to the office opened. It was the door customers used to check in their cars. Dammit. She’d forgotten to lock it in her hurry to get out. “Charlie. My name is Charlie. You know I hate to be called Charlotte.” The fact of the matter was, she’d loved being called Charlotte, but only by Dane. When he said it, it made her feel beautiful, special. She still remembered the sound of his voice as he buried himself inside of her, calling her name from his lips. “You used to love it,” he said, and by the huskiness of his voice she knew he was reliving the same memories she was. His voice surrounded her, as if he were physically touching her, and she bit back a moan. 16

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The short glimpse she’d gotten of him had sent her dormant libido into overdrive. He was harder than he’d been at twenty-two. His rangy body corded with muscle, and his skin darkened by the sun. His golden hair hung shaggy over his ears and collar, and his eyes—God, his eyes were the same pale, crystalline blue—but they were harder, steeled by things she could probably never imagine. She’d never gotten over him. He’d destroyed every youthful dream of love she’d ever had. And he’d left her with a child to raise on her own. Granted, he hadn’t known about Jayden. Dane was an honorable man, and he would have been there for him if she’d told him. But she’d be damned if she used a child to keep a man. Besides, she’d have had to track him down to give him the information, and at the time she’d been too stunned and heartbroken to care. With Dane’s brothers living in the community, she’d had no choice but to leave Surrender and go out on her own. Jayden was the spitting image of Dane, and there was no way she could have kept that secret from the MacKenzie brothers. Even now, she went out of her way to make sure they never 17

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crossed each others’ paths in town. They’d only gotten glimpses of him at best. “What a shame I missed,” she said, her smile menacing. She didn’t bother to make eye contact as she made her way around the desk and toward the exit. The heat overtaking her body told her everything she needed to know. They still had chemistry in spades. Only this time she wasn’t a naïve girl waiting for her prince to come. She moved to walk around him and felt his heat draw her closer, but she gritted her teeth and pushed open the door. “If you’re going to stay here, make sure you lock the door behind you,” she said. She felt the heat of his hand around her upper arm and froze. “Get your hands off me.” He dropped his hand but moved his body so he blocked her path. “Are you really going to just leave?” “Sure, why does that surprise you? Last time I checked you were an expert at it. Besides, I’ve got plans.” “We have some things to talk about. I’ve spent the last ten years thinking about you, wondering 18

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where you were and what you were doing with your life. I’d like to catch up.” She burst out in laughter before she could control herself, and she watched his eyes narrow in anger. “Save it, Dane. You don’t have to try and put a band-aid on my bruised ego with half-assed explanations. You can at least be honest. Besides, the past is the past. We’ve both got our lives now.” “Is that why you threw that wrench at me? Because you’ve left the past in the past?” “It was a gut reaction,” she growled out. “I’d prefer to see you roasting over hot coals in hell, but I’ll have to settle for never seeing you again. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to get home.” She hoped he believed the lie. She had no one to go home to tonight. Jayden was spending the night at a friend’s house, and the ranch hands were hardly company. Most of them had their own wives to go home to. The rest of them spent their nights at Duffey’s Bar and Grill, drinking, dancing and picking up women. He ran his finger up her arm, skimming it across her neck until it rested over her racing pulse. “My brother’s told me you left town and hadn’t been 19

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back.” She tried to keep the surprise from her expression. He’d checked up on her? And then dread filled her soul. How much checking had he done? Did he know about Jayden? Maybe that’s why he’d shown up after all these years. “I’ve only been back in town about six months. My dad passed away and left me the ranch.” “I’m sorry about your dad. He was a good man.” He adjusted his position again so she was neatly blocked against the wall. “Did you know, I couldn’t understand the sudden pull I had to come home? All I knew was that I needed to be here. And now that I’m here, everything feels right. Even though I wasn’t expecting to see you in Surrender, I was hoping the whole way home that you would be here waiting for me.” “I was through waiting for you to come back ten minutes after you left,” she lied. “Let me go.” “There aren’t enough words for me to tell you how sorry I am that I had to leave. I was young and stupid. Too much was happening to me around that time. Loving you…my mom’s death…” He paused and swallowed hard at the memory that obviously 20

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still affected him. “And I was running as fast and far as I could to escape something I didn’t recognize until later was fear.” She sighed heavily and closed her eyes. It wasn’t fair that he could make her feel sympathy for the boy he was. That he could still make her want. “What do you want, Dane?” she asked, warily. “What I’ve always wanted. You.” He moved closer, so their breaths mingled and the touch of his hand against her neck raised chills over her heated flesh. He dipped his head lower, as if to kiss her, and she put her hand against his chest to hold him back. “You had me, Dane. I’m not yours anymore.” “Are you married?” The look of stricken panic in his eyes almost made her lie. It would have served him right if she had married. But during the ten years he’d been gone she’d only dated and few times. And she hadn’t let any of those men touch her intimately. It just hadn’t felt right. It hadn’t been Dane. “No. I’m not married,” she admitted. “Good, because I’d hate to have to kill him.” He crushed his mouth to hers with a passion she never 21

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thought she’d feel again. His mouth was hot over hers, his tongue wild as it parted her lips and delved inside. She put her hands against his shoulders, thinking to push him away, but they wound their way around his neck and her fingers buried into the thickness of his hair. He growled against her lips and pulled her hips close to his, so her mound pressed against the hardness behind his zipper. Moisture pooled between her thighs and throaty moans of pleasure escaped her lips. He hitched her up so her legs wrapped around his waist and carried her to the flat surface of the desk. He pushed the papers aside and followed her down. His hands were everywhere, caressing, arousing, until she wasn’t sure she could hold all the pleasure inside any longer. Dane MacKenzie was the only man she’d ever been with. The thought of another man’s hands on her body brought revulsion. Even when her body had demanded release in the middle of the night, she’d tried to pretend it wasn’t Dane haunting her dreams and riding her body like he had so many times before. His weight was heavy and familiar against her. 22

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Guilt and regret swamped her and she stiffened in his arms. She didn’t know if she could do this and keep her heart hardened against him. For Jayden’s sake, she had to. She would take her own pleasure—because she had needs too dammit—and then she’d walk away and go about her own life. She was an adult. She could do this. He kissed his way down her neck, nipping at the sensitive skin until she relaxed against him. He pulled her tank top up, so it rested just above the lush mounds of her breasts. He unclasped the front snap of her bra with one hand, and Charlie watched as his eyes darkened with pleasure. He held her hands loosely above her head, devouring the sight of her displayed before him. “Christ, you’re beautiful.” He leaned down slowly and took a rigid nipple in his mouth, nipping gently before laving it with the flat of his tongue to soothe. “I haven’t been able to get your taste out of my memory. So sweet. Like cream and something darker. Something forbidden.” “Dane,” she moaned. “Please.” He pulled her shirt and bra off and tossed them to the floor, and she struggled against his grasp, 23

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trying to break free of his hold. “I want to touch you,” she begged. “Let me touch you.” Charlie ran her hands over his chest, purring in pure female appreciation. It was hard not to compare the young man he’d been to who he was now. She slipped her hands beneath his shirt and raked her nails down his chest, causing him to shudder under her touch. She reveled in the power she held and moved her hands away from him and back to her own body. She saw his eyes darken as she cupped her breasts and offered herself to him. “Christ, Charlotte. You’re driving me crazy.” “Good,” she purred. “Hurry.” He took control of the situation before she made him lose all his sense and jerked the shirt over his head. His hands went to the buckle of his jeans. It was full dark outside now and the glare of headlights coming down the main road lit on the planes and angles of Dane’s body. “Ohmigod, move. Someone might see us in here.” Mortification flushed through Charlie’s body, stifling the arousal. She still had to live in this town, 24

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even if Dane chose not to, and small town gossip would never let her live down something so mortifying as literally being caught with her pants down in her place of business. “Relax. No one can see us. The angle’s wrong.” “The garage is wide open, Dane. Anyone could walk in.” “We’ll just have to hurry. This first time.” He unbuckled his belt and unsnapped his jeans, his gaze challenging, daring her to call a stop to everything just because she was afraid of getting caught. The thrill of excitement coursed through her veins, and she knew it was too late to turn back. She wanted him too bad, and nothing was going to stop her from having him. Especially not herself. Charlie trailed her hands down the rough hair on his chest to where his hands worked at his zipper. She took over the task, pushing his jeans past his hips until his throbbing erection stood proudly before her. “You have no idea what the hungry look in your eyes does to my self-control.” “If I remember right, you were never very big on self-control anyway.” 25

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She wrapped her fingers around his length and cradled his sac in her hands, pumping her fist slowly until his head dropped back in surrender. Moisture beaded on the tip of his cock and she licked her lips in anticipation. The feel of him, hot and heavy in her hands was so familiar it hurt. This part of his body definitely hadn’t changed. “I want to taste you.” She wanted to do everything to him, and have everything done to her in return. If all she had was this one last shot at unspeakable pleasure, she wanted to do it all. She wanted to make memories that would keep her warm at night. “I won’t last if you put your mouth on me. It’s been too long.” She tried not to think of the last woman who’d pleasured his body, or wonder exactly how long it had been, but it was hard to keep jealousy from rearing its ugly head. He must have felt her stiffen against him because he took hold of her hands just before she could pull away. He restrained her wrists with one hand while he quickly stripped off her shorts and panties, leaving her bare before him. “Mmm, this is new,” he said, staring at the 26

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completely waxed area between her thighs. He released her wrists in surprise, but she didn’t move. “I like it. A lot. I can see how wet you are for me.” He touched his finger to the damp petals of her folds, and she dropped her head back on the desk, shaking with her need to be filled. “So pretty.” He knelt in front of her and propped her legs over his shoulders, splaying her open before him. She tried to close her legs, unused to the intimate attention, but he wouldn’t let her hide from him. “Relax, baby. I’ve been here before.” Yeah, but I’ve given birth since then. As much as she’d wanted the body she’d once had, that had never again been possible after Jayden was born. She was a lot curvier. Everywhere. But all thoughts of her body went forgotten as his mouth touched her. She arched off the desk, and her fingers tangled in his hair, unsure whether to pull him closer or push him away. “Oh, God. Dane. I can’t…It’s too much.” “Never.” His finger slid inside of her, then he joined it with a second, and his mouth closed over the hidden nub between her folds. He curved his fingers and pressed against her inner walls as his 27

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tongue flicked her clit rapidly. Heat gathered in her belly and tingles formed across her scalp, fingers, and toes—all racing inward as her body bowed and her cries echoed off the walls. Colors danced behind her closed lids as the orgasm ripped through her and left her limp against the cool wood of the desk, her body lightly damp with sweat and her juices dripping freely down her thighs. “You taste just as I remembered.” Dane moved slowly over her body until the coarse hairs of his chest rubbed against her sensitive nipples. She moaned as she felt the broad tip of his cock prod at her folds, and she wrapped her legs around his waist with anticipation. He kissed her deeply the same moment he plunged into her, and they both groaned in tandem, on the edge of a precipice neither could describe. “Jesus. You’re so fucking tight.” Her breath caught at his invasion, unused as she was to such intimacy, and she was thankful he gave her a moment to adjust to his size. But then he started to move against her, and she only felt pleasure. Her nails raked down his back and she 28

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arched her hips up to take more of him. There could never be enough. “More, more,” she begged. “Harder.” Mindless words escaped her lips as he granted her every wish. He pivoted his entire length in and out of her body until she felt like one massive nerve ending. Sweat covered their bodies, and their cries and moans were primal—animals who’d found their mates. His lips devoured hers and swallowed her cry as she tightened around him, her body wracked with tremors, pulsing in ecstasy. “Charlotte,” he said, thrusting one last time before stiffening against her. She felt his seed as it hit her walls and another smaller orgasm ripped through her. Dane collapsed on top of her and buried his face in her throat, but she was too exhausted to care. She had to find the energy to get up. If she didn’t leave soon, there was no way she could keep him from seeing the tears that wanted to escape. It wasn’t going to be as easy to walk away as she wanted. 29

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Chapter Three Dane wasn’t sure if he was still alive. Surely the fragile human body wasn’t meant to experience pleasure like that. Just the thought of the experience he’d just had not five minutes before had his softening penis going hard once again. Now that he was back inside Charlotte, he never wanted to be anywhere else. He finally understood why he’d trekked halfway across the world to come home. Somehow his soul knew she’d be here waiting for him. And he was going to claim her. For good. No more excuses. And no more running. It was time to right the wrongs of the past and beg her forgiveness; however he had to go about it. Dane felt her hands pushing against his chest, and he shook some sense back into his brain. She’d fucked him damn near unconscious and here he lay on top of her like an oaf. He propped up on his arms so he supported his weight and looked down where their bodies were joined. He was hard to the point of bursting. He hadn’t recovered this fast since…well, since Charlotte. 30

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He moved out and pushed back in slowly and watched as her eyes dilated in pleasure. She clamped around him like a vise, and little spasms were still jerking at his cock from her last orgasm. “Ahh,” she moaned as the small spasms turned into tremors of more pleasure. “How do you always do this to me?” “The same way you do it to me, baby. Just the thought of being inside you has me so hard I could burst. It doesn’t matter that I just had you.” Dane pulled out of her body and she groaned in protest. But she was purring again in no time when he flipped her to her stomach so she lay across the desk. He didn’t give her a chance to draw a breath, but plunged back into her until his balls slapped against her ass. “Fuck, you feel good.” He grabbed onto her hips and started thrusting in short bursts. The only thought prevalent in his mind was that he had to claim her. Had to possess. He leaned over her and laced his fingers with hers, so they both held on to the edge of the desk for dear life. “Oh, God…oh, God,” she panted. “I can’t…” “Yes. You can,” Dane demanded. “Squeeze me 31

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tight with your pussy, baby. Feel every inch inside you.” She shuddered beneath his scandalous words and her mouth opened on a silent scream. He bit gently in the crease between neck and shoulder, and that was all it took to send her over the edge. Her silent screams became louder and mingled with his grunts of satisfaction. His sac slapped against her ass one last time, and he stiffened against her, shooting his load deep inside her womb. He collapsed over her, their breathing unsteady and their hearts racing wild. He somehow found the strength to move and stood up so he didn’t crush her. “Mmm, as much as I’d like to continue this,” she purred contentedly, “I really need to close down the garage before someone comes by to see why all the lights are on.” She pushed up and off the desk so he had no choice but to pull out of her and move back. Just the sight of that lush bottom had his spent cock stirring to life once again. He had a lot of lost time to make up for. But hell, she was right. He was so horny he wasn’t thinking straight. He hadn’t been 32

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away from a small town atmosphere so long that he’d forgotten what the gossip was like. He hitched his jeans up while she shimmied into her panties and shorts, and he groaned and felt his cock swell even more as she bent across the desk to pick up her shirt and bra. She’d filled out damned fine over the last ten years. She was still tiny, but she had curves in all the right places. He couldn’t wait to discover them all at a slower pace. He grabbed his bag from the garage floor and watched as she pulled down the doors and shut off all the lights. He stepped out of the office ahead of her while she locked the door and breathed in the night. The town was already dark, the lights on the outside of Charlotte’s shop the only sign of life. He looked down the street to see if anything else was going on. He hadn’t been gone long enough for Surrender to get a night life. He shook his head in disbelief. It was barely eight o’clock. The sound of a car door opening had him looking around. Charlotte tossed her purse in the passenger seat and got behind the wheel of a classic Corvette that made him whistle with pure pleasure. He opened his mouth to ask her if she’d 33

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rebuilt it herself when he realized she was leaving. The engine purred to life and he barely reached her side before she slammed the door in his face. “Can I catch a ride to your place? My rental car broke down about a mile back.” “I don’t think that’s a good idea, Dane. I’ve got things to do, and I really think it’s best if we chalk tonight up to insanity and go our separate ways. It was fun visiting memory lane, but that’s all it can be. Tell your brothers hi for me.” Dane froze in shock when the car door slammed shut and Charlotte sped away down the darkened street. She’d walked away without a second glance after one of the most incredible experiences of his life. Is that how he’d left her so many years ago? With the same feeling of emptiness that he was experiencing now? He thought he’d explained himself as best he could. Told her why he’d had to leave. Surrender had become too stifling after his mother’s death. Laurie MacKenzie had been close to all four of her boys, but she and Dane had been the closest. She was the only one who knew about his dreams of being a journalist. Money was tight after 34

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his father died the year he turned thirteen, and his mom had sold off all the livestock and horses that had once made them one of the wealthiest families in the state of Montana, just to make ends meet. A woman and four boys under the age of fifteen couldn’t keep a ranch of that magnitude going. So she’d cleaned houses and taken in sewing. She’d used her kitchen to cater weddings and parties. And they’d survived. He’d been in the middle of his senior year of college when she’d been diagnosed with cancer. She’d kept her pain quiet for too long, the doctor had said. A week after his graduation, she was dead. And he was at loose ends. Wondering what the hell Surrender could ever offer him. All he had was Charlotte, and a journalism degree in a two-bit town couldn’t provide for her or the children they’d one day make together. She deserved better. And he’d just needed to breathe. He thought she’d understood. Maybe she understood too well. Maybe it was only him who’d spent the last ten years tossing and turning with lust-filled dreams and wishing she was beside him. After his brothers told him she’d left 35

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town, he’d almost used his myriad of contacts to search for her. But what would have been the point? He’d still been building his career. Finding her just would have left a bitter taste in his mouth of something he couldn’t have. At least not then. And now she didn’t seem to want him. Other than for a quick fuck, that is. Dane opened his bag and dug around for his phone. There was barely enough battery life to make a call. “Sheriff MacKenzie,” a familiar voice answered on the other end of the line. “What’s going on, Sheriff? Are you in the middle of busting up a wild party, or are your feet propped up on your desk and a good book in your hands?” “Ha, the only wild parties I see in this town are when someone’s cattle breaks through the fence and they start eating the town. Where the hell are you? I can actually hear what you’re saying without your reception being shitty.” “I’m standing just down the road in front of Charlie’s Automotive. I was wondering if I could get a ride.” Silence greeted him on the other end of the line 36

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as Cooper weighed what to say. He obviously knew Charlotte was back in town, and he also knew that he or his other brothers hadn’t mentioned the fact. “I’m on my way,” Cooper finally said. “It’s good to have you back, Dane.”

*** Charlie held off on the tears until Dane’s body was just a shadow in her rearview mirror. God, she was so stupid. She couldn’t go through this again. Her heart couldn’t bear any more pain. It had taken her ten years to build her life back up after he’d walked out. She’d had a child to raise, and that had kept her mind busy enough to get through the first shock after Dane had left. But then Jayden had been born, and she’d been in that hospital room all alone. She’d held her son in her arms and stared into familiar crystalline eyes while tears ran down her cheeks. She’d sobbed away the last of her innocence in that Chicago hospital. And now he was back—at least for a while—and she was going to have to start the process of grieving all over again. She passed the white fence that lined her 37

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property and drove through the gate that led to the main house. Lights were still on in the foreman’s house, but her own was dark save for the soft glow of the porch light. She hated coming home to an empty house. Things were too quiet without Jayden. And being alone gave her too much time to think. Charlie dried the tears from her eyes as she let herself in the house, and she vowed it would be the last time she cried over Dane MacKenzie. This was her home, at least until she found a buyer. She also had a son to raise and a business to run. She didn’t have time for distractions or another broken heart. It wasn’t until she was in the shower, soaping away the evidence of Dane’s passion, that she realized he could very well leave her in the same position he had last time. Alone and pregnant.

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Chapter Four “So I guess you’ve already seen Charlie,” Cooper said as Dane slid into the front seat of the police cruiser. Coop gave him a slow head to toe perusal, taking in his tousled hair and satisfied expression, and Dane felt heat rush to his cheeks. Coop raised a sardonic brow and waited for him to answer. “In a matter of speaking,” he said, for lack of anything better. “Were you guys going to tell me she’d moved back to town, or were you going to keep it to yourselves?” Cooper was his older brother by only fourteen months, but their appearances were anything but similar. Coop’s hair was black as midnight and his eyes were more gray than blue. A good bit of stubble covered his face and his long legs were cramped in the cruiser. It had always annoyed Dane that his older brother was a good two inches taller than his own six feet. “Would it have made a difference?” Coop asked. “She was here ten years ago and you still left. I 39

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thought you were over her.” “It’s complicated,” Dane muttered. “I called Thomas and Riley on my way here. What do you say we grab a beer and welcome you back properly?” “If you can find a place that’s open, I’m all for it.” Coop chuckled. “You’ll have to get used to the slow life again, city boy. Duffey’s stays open until eleven now. I thought the city council was going to go into cardiac arrest when he petitioned to serve alcohol that late.” They drove the short distance to the very end of the street where Duffey’s Bar and Grill sat, isolated from the rest of the connected buildings in a squat log cabin. The lights were bright and the bass from the stereo thumped through the walls. A whoop caught Dane’s attention, and he turned in time to avoid a full on tackle from his youngest brother. “Son of a bitch. To what do we owe the pleasure?” Thomas asked, slinging his arm around his neck and squeezing in a good natured embrace. Thomas was two years younger than Dane and shared similar looks with Cooper. The only 40

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difference was his eyes were dark brown instead of gray. Thomas had spent the last decade in medical school and had taken over the position of Surrender’s town doctor after the last one had retired. “I was in the neighborhood and thought you might like to see my pretty face,” Dane said. “It’s got to be depressing for the three of you ugly women to sit around and stare at each other all day.” He deflected the elbow to the ribs from Cooper and twisted out of Thomas’s choke hold. Riley stood off at a distance, a smile plastered on his face and his hands in the pockets of a pair of warn chinos. His dark blonde hair was cut short and a light stubble shadowed his face. His eyes were a darker shade of Dane’s. Riley was a doctor as well, only the PhD kind instead of medical. He was the dean of archaeology at a small private college not too far from Surrender, and when he wasn’t teaching he was working on new excavation sites. “Welcome home, Dane,” Riley said. “The beer’s on you.” 41

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They shoved at each other through the doors of Duffey’s and everyone in attendance stopped, slackjawed at the sight of the four MacKenzie brothers together again. The last time they’d come through the doors together a brawl had broken out. That was before Cooper became Sheriff, of course, and before the other MacKenzies became such fine, upstanding citizens, but people’s memories tended to be long in Surrender. “You boys head to the back room. I’ll have someone bring you a pitcher and glasses,” Duffey shouted from behind the tap. “I don’t want any trouble in here tonight.” Cooper rolled his eyes. “You’d think that fight had been our fault by the way Duffey carries on. It was the man’s own low-life son-in-law who started the fight in the first place.” “Yeah, but we finished it,” Thomas said. “And I’m glad for it. No one should beat on a woman like that and get away with it.” They settled themselves in the game room, and Dane propped his feet on a chair and waited for his turn at darts. Thomas and Riley were already starting a game. 42

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“So I heard you were out at Charlie’s place,” Thomas said, wiggling his eyebrows. “You sure look relaxed, brother.” Dane shot Coop a disapproving look. “It was the first place I came to when I walked into town. You can imagine my surprise at seeing her there, considering you guys didn’t bother to tell me she was back in town. I’d have come home sooner if I’d know she was here.” “Would you have really?” Riley asked. Dane watched as Thomas and Cooper shared a long look, and a tingle of awareness started to prickle up his spine. It was the same tingle that had kept him from going down a certain path in the jungle or approaching an empty car in Afghanistan. The tingle had kept him from getting dead. But he had a feeling the axe was about to drop on his head. “Why would you ask that? You guys know why I left. I just needed to get away for a while after mom died. I needed a career. Something that would make Charlotte proud of me. Hell, something that could make me proud of me. Leaving was the only way I knew how to do that. I had to leave her to 43

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make something of myself.” “But did you explain that to her?” Riley pressed. “She was still a kid, Dane. And hell, even we knew she was crazy about you. You weren’t here to see what she was like after you left. You broke her heart to the point that she had to leave town just to get away from the memories. I’m not sure you’re making the best judgment call messing with her again. I think you should just leave her alone.” Dane felt rage simmering inside him. He’d let it reign free as a kid, always looking for a ready fight, but he’d learned to keep it contained the older he got. Except there was nothing he wanted more than to take a swing at Riley and bloody his lip. And by the crooked smile on Riley’s face and the gleam in his eye, he’d gladly take the punch and throw some of his own. “Is that what you all think of me?” Dane asked. “That I just left because I’m a bastard and wanted to be free to do whatever the hell I wanted?” He stood abruptly, his chair hitting the wall in his haste. His brothers stared at him warily. “We don’t blame you for leaving, Dane,” Coop said softly. “We know mom’s death hit you hardest. 44

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And we know she would have wanted you to do something important with your degree. But ten years is a long time. People change. Everybody’s changed.” “How long do you plan to stay this time?” Thomas asked, his own anger coloring his question. Dane pushed his fingers through his hair in frustration. “I don’t know. I’m in between projects. I’ve got some time to decide before I make up my mind.” “Then leave her alone,” Thomas said. “She’s just moved back to town and has her own life now. She’s got her dad’s ranch to deal with and her own business to run.” He looked like he wanted to say more, but he pinched his lips closed at the last minute. “I can’t leave her alone,” Dane explained. “I can’t physically do it. I’ve thought of her for ten years. I’ve loved her for ten years. And her being here now…when I thought I’d never see her again. I just can’t ignore it. She’s the only woman I’ve ever really wanted.” “Then you’d better be prepared to grovel, because she doesn’t strike me as someone who 45

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could forgive and forget so easily,” Cooper said. “You broke her heart. You’re going to have to fix it. And there are some things you’re going to have to accept about her. Like I said, ten years is a long time.” Dane was just about to ask Coop what the hell he was talking about when the game room door opened and Jana Metcalfe came through, balancing a pitcher of beer and glass on a tray in one hand and a couple of baskets of fries in the other. She was plumper than she used to be and her hair was blonder, but her smile was genuine and Dane and Riley went to help her with her load. “Give me a hug, Dane MacKenzie,” she said, laughing. He pulled her into an embrace and patted her on the shoulder. She’d always been like a kid sister. The MacKenzie brothers had palled around with Jana’s oldest brother, and more often than not, she’d wanted to trail behind them. “How are you, Jana? You’re looking good.” Dane said, meaning it. She looked…happy. She rolled her eyes and passed out their drinks. “It’s nice of you to lie. I’m busy as ever.” 46

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“Jana is married to Mike Marshall now and they have a little boy that’s a pistol,” Riley said, reminding him with a smirk how much he’d missed over the last years. “Mike’s doing kid duty tonight while I’m working,” Jana said, oblivious to the undercurrents of anger in the room. “We’re having a sleepover, but for all I know, I’ll go home to find Mike tied to his recliner. Nine year old boys are a menace to society.” “Ain’t that the truth,” Thomas said, giving her a wink and taking a sip of his beer. “How is Ben? Is he ready for school to start?” “Hell, no. He’s already told me he’s decided to home school this year.” She rolled her eyes again and propped a hip against the table. “Can you imagine that? I told him if he stayed home with me in the daytime I’d make him watch soap operas and help with the laundry, so he changed his mind about that pretty quick.” “Don’t forget he’s due for shots this year,” Thomas reminded her. “Make sure you get an appointment early. Things get busy before school starts. In fact, you might remind the other parents 47

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when they come to get their kids tomorrow. What other fugitives are you harboring?” “Stop peddling for business,” Coop said, and turned to Dane. “A lot of the older folks in town refuse to call Thomas their doctor because they remember what he was like as a kid. Mr. Scranton said there was no way in hell he was going to drop his pants and let Thomas stick a needle in him after the thrashing he gave him for letting his cows out of the pasture.” “Who could blame him?” Jana asked, laughing. “You boys were a menace. And my boy and his gang are just like you, God help them all. You remember Jenny Mosely, Dane? She’s got a boy name Tucker that can talk the paint off the wall. I shudder to think what he’s doing to my house right now.” She giggled again and said, “And of course you remember Charlie. Didn’t you guys date for awhile before you left? Anyway, her Jayden is the mastermind of the group. That kid has more ideas than he knows what to do with. And every one of them always ends with him in a heap of trouble.” His brothers started coughing and talking over 48

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each other, but all he could hear was the rush of blood pounding in his head. He leaned forward and pressed his hands against the table—hard—so the pain could remind him he was still alive. Charlie had a child. A nine-year-old child. He did the math in his head, and his legs gave out from under him. He sat down hard in the chair he’d abandoned earlier. “Honey, are you okay?” Jana asked. “You’re white as a sheet.” “I think he’s just tired, Jana,” Coop said. “He came straight here from the airport, and I’m sure he’s worn out. Maybe if you could just get our check for us? We should probably take him home.” “Sure thing, Coop. Be right back.” Jana scurried out of the room and his brothers ranged their bodies in a semi-circle around him, looks of concern varying their expressions. “Did you know?” Dane rasped out. “We knew she had a kid,” Riley said softly. Red clouded his vision and he charged at his brother before he could stop himself. He and Riley went down in a heap across the table and the wood snapped beneath them. His knuckles stung as they met his brother’s jaw, and he winced as Riley got 49

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his own licks in against his ribs. “Dammit, Dane. Control yourself,” Coop yelled as he grabbed him around the shoulders to try and contain him. It would take more than Cooper to subdue his anger. The rage had been building in Dane for too long. Thomas held him from the other side, and together Coop and Thomas were able to pull him away from Riley. Riley pushed himself from the floor and faced Dane. “What the hell is wrong with you, Dane? Why should you care if she has a kid? Would you really begrudge her for having a life after you left?” “You should have fucking told me,” Dane said, pushing against the bonds of his brothers’ arms. “She has a nine-year-old kid you moron. Do the goddamned math.” Riley paled before his eyes, and Thomas and Cooper were so surprised by the declaration they dropped their hold on him. He crashed back into Riley, but instead of going down, Riley wrapped his arms around him in a tight embrace. “Shit, Dane. We didn’t know. None of us knew, or even thought it. I never even got a good look at the kid or knew how old he was. We would have 50

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told you. I swear.” Dane broke out of his brother’s hold and backed away, keeping his head down so they couldn’t see the emotions crossing his face. He couldn’t talk to his brothers right now. He had to find Charlotte. “I need keys,” he said and held out his hand. Coop stepped forward. “I don’t know if that’s such a good idea right now, Dane. Why don’t you think things through a bit and calm down before you go talk to Charlie?” A pair of keys landed in his hand, and he looked up into Riley’s battered face. “Don’t do anything stupid. And don’t wreck my car.” “Dammit, Riley,” Coop said, but Dane didn’t wait around to hear the argument. He was already out the door. Charlie owed him a hell of an explanation.

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Chapter Five Charlie had been lying in bed, wide awake, for more than an hour. She could still feel Dane’s touch, and her body heated with the memory of his kiss. She tossed the covers off, the cotton too heavy on her sensitive skin. The fan whirred slowly overhead and her nipples puckered against her thin nightgown she wore. She closed her eyes and memories of Dane invaded her mind, as if he were right there with her. The first time they’d made love he’d been so gentle, so loving. He’d cherished every inch of her body, readying her for the invasion that would take her innocence. She’d barely felt a twinge as he’d buried himself deep inside her—she’ been too lost in the sensation of him. Her fingers roamed lazily up her thighs until the nightgown was bunched around her waist. Her fingers trailed higher, dipping along her belly before she reached the swell of her breasts. She cupped the heavy globes and gasped at the sensation, and when her fingers grazed across her cotton covered 52

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nipples she couldn’t help the moan that escaped. She imagined Dane’s mouth suckling at her breasts, teasing a wet path lower until he reached the junction of her thighs. She was damp with need and it didn’t take long for her fingers to become slick with her essence. She twirled her finger around the taut bud, wishing it were Dane’s tongue. Her breathing grew heavy and she felt the familiar weight of release settle in her loins. Whimpers escaped from her throat and she tossed her head back, just on the cusp of explosion. A car door slammed just outside her window, and she pulled her gown down with a guilty start. The first thing that went through her mind was that Jayden and his friends had gotten in a fight and he’d demanded to come home. She pulled on a robe and hurried to the front door, but when she opened it, it wasn’t Jayden who stared at her with anger and hurt radiating from his body. It was his father. She opened the screen door and stepped toward him before she remembered she wasn’t going to get attached. “Dane,” she said, her voice barely more than a whisper. 53

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“Were you ever going to tell me?” It took her a minute to realize what he was saying. Jayden. She felt the blood drain from her head, and tiny spots danced in front of her eyes. The screen door slipped from her fingers, and she must have looked as unsteady as she felt because all of a sudden Dane was there, his arms holding her up. “Jesus, Charlotte. You know I’d never hurt you. You didn’t have to look at me like that.” He picked her up and walked into the house, not waiting for an invitation. “I know you wouldn’t. You just took me by surprise.” He sat down in one of the overstuffed chairs she had by the fireplace. She tried to move out of his lap, but he tightened his grasp on her and positioned her so she was snuggled against his chest. “You didn’t answer me,” he said. “Were you ever going to tell me that I have a son?” She lifted her gaze so she could look him in the eyes. Her eyes burned, but they were dry. She’d cried the last of her tears, and she wasn’t going to 54

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be anything but honest with Dane now that he’d pinned her down. “No, I wasn’t going to tell you.” It was hard not to flinch at the hurt that came into his eyes. “Why? Do you think me such a monster that I wouldn’t want to be a part of my own son’s life?” “For how long, Dane? Until the next story comes along? Until you figure out that you’re tired of small town living? Until you figure out what you want in your life? He’s a child. I can’t do that to him. I won’t do it to him. It’s cruel. And I’m going to ask that you don’t say anything to him either.” Dane dropped his head on her shoulder and she felt his breath shudder against her neck. “I’m sorry I left you, Charlotte. I’m sorry I left you to deal with everything on your own. You should have had my brothers contact me. I would have come home and helped you. Supported you.” “I didn’t need your support. The thing I needed from you, Dane MacKenzie, was something you were unable, or unwilling, to give. You had to leave Surrender. I understand that. I didn’t always understand it. But seeing you again, seeing what 55

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you’ve made of yourself, I do understand. You would have been trapped here. And you would have hated it. And eventually, you would have hated me for holding you back. We were too young to think of such permanence.” He shook his head. “I wanted that permanence with you. I just wasn’t ready for it so soon. I still want it. I’ve never stopped loving you, Charlotte. You have to believe that.” Charlie smiled but it didn’t reach her eyes. She brushed the hair that hung down on his forehead back in a maternal gesture. “My mom.” He stopped and cleared his throat before continuing. “I left partly because of her. Partly because of you. I wasn’t ready for her to go so quick. She was the only person in my life who knew all my dreams and encouraged me. My brothers would have made fun of me if they’d known I’d wanted to be a writer.” He smiled at her appalled look and shrugged. “It’s what brothers do. “She was the biggest fan I ever had. And she wanted me to do something with my life. If I’d stayed in Surrender I would have ended up like everybody said I would. Looking for the next fight. 56

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Making trouble just to pass the time. And I’d have disappointed the one person in my life who had complete faith in me.” Charlie cursed the tears she was unable to keep from falling down her cheeks. “You’re wrong, you know. I had complete faith in you too. There was a time when I would have followed you anywhere. I loved you, and I would have kept loving you if you’d given me the chance.” “I know that. But after she died I felt like I was alone in the world, and the walls of Surrender were pushing in on me. I knew you loved me. And I left because I was young and stupid enough to think that love would last until I came back. I had a lot of growing up to do, sweetheart. We both did.” Charlie knew he was right. Who knows how things would have been between them if he’d stayed in Surrender. Would they have married? Had more children? Would it have ended in a bitter divorce because Dane had been forced to give up his dreams for a woman-child and an infant?” “It’s okay, Dane,” she said, touching his cheek. “Really, it is. I understand why you left. You don’t owe me any more explanations.” 57

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*** Dane couldn’t help but lower his lips to hers. The temptation was just too great. She sighed against his lips and he could taste the saltiness of her tears. Her body was lush and warm and fit perfectly against his. “I need to make love to you again. I need it like I need to breathe,” he said, pushing her gown over her hips like she’d done earlier. He groaned when he saw she wasn’t wearing panties. “Yes,” she moaned. It was all the encouragement he needed. He stripped her gown over her head and stood, lifting her in his arms. “I want to take you in a bed this time.” She laughed against his chest. “If I remember right, we’ve never had very much luck finding one.” She gave him directions to the master bedroom and he set her to her feet at the foot of the bed. “I’m going to love you all the ways I dreamed of over the last ten years,” he said. “Get on the bed and close your eyes.” She gave him a saucy wink and crawled across the bed, her ass presented perfectly to him, and she 58

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settled herself in the middle of the pillows, closing her eyes as he’d directed. He stripped out of his clothes quickly and went to rummage through her drawers for what he needed. He moved quietly across the room, his years of sneaking in and out of hostile territories serving him well. “Do you know what I was doing before you got here?” Charlie purred. He stopped with his hand on the knob of her dresser drawer and turned to look at her. She ran her finger across the rigid peak of her nipple and he could see the chills that pebbled her flesh from where he stood. “Tell me.” His voice was hoarse with desire, and his fingers finally found what he was looking for. “I was so close.” She tweaked her nipple once before sliding her hand down between her thighs. “I was thinking of you. Wishing it was your mouth on me instead of my fingers.” “Show me.” He walked closer to the bed just as she parted her folds. They were wet with the dew of her arousal, and he watched as she circled the tight bud 59

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with her fingers. His breath came in shallow pants and he wanted nothing more than to join her on the bed. Silvery moonlight filtered through the curtains and cast a soft glow across her body. He waited until she was just on the edge of fulfillment before he joined her on the bed and crawled between her thighs. His tongue took the place of her fingers, and he brought her quickly over the edge with just a flick of his tongue. She tasted sweet, and he kissed his way up her body, paying special attention to each peak and valley, loving the woman she’d become. “I want you to feel everything I do to you tonight,” he said, taking the black stocking he’d found in her drawer and tying it over her eyes. “Tonight is all about the senses. Do you agree?” “As long as I get to taste you. I want to feel you in my mouth. It was always one of my greatest pleasures.” “Why don’t we trade places and you can see if it’s the same as you remembered.” He helped her sit up and then lay flat on his back. She used her hands along his body to help her find her way, and he groaned as she took him into her hand. 60

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“So heavy and full,” she murmured, leaning her head towards his straining cock. Her fingers were her eyes, and she made sure there was no part of him that went undiscovered. “Stop teasing me, woman.” Her throaty laughter told him she knew exactly who held all the power. And it wasn’t him. His fingers grabbed the sheets when he felt the warm wetness of her mouth surround him. “You taste of me,” she said, licking him from shaft to tip and then taking him down completely. Dane felt her throat open and the subtle undulations of her tongue against the underside of his cock. His balls tightened, and he knew if he didn’t stop her now there would be no turning back. ”Enough, baby. Come here.” He helped her move up his body and straddle his waist. She grabbed his cock and slowly lowered herself down on his rigid shaft. “Do you know how sexy it is to see you above me with that blindfold on?” She whimpered in her throat as she impaled herself, bit by bit. And when she sat on him fully her head dropped back in a moan of pure sensation and pleasure. She caressed her breasts, holding them 61

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together so they sat plump in her hands, and the sight was nearly his undoing. He grasped her hips and began to move, alternating between grinding their hips together and thrusting in full strokes into her tight pussy. To watch her above him with no inhibitions was one of the most beautiful things he’d ever seen. It was a dance to some unheard music that controlled her hips and hands, and he nearly spent himself too soon when he felt her reach around and cup his balls. Dane sat up so they were entwined together, as close as two lovers could possibly be, and he bit down on the offered nipple, causing her to gasp and her pussy to tighten around him. “Mmm, you like that, do you?” He soothed the nipple and then moved to the other, repeating the process. She clamped around him like a vise and threw her head back in surrender. The pulses from her orgasm were almost enough to send him over the edge. When she lay limp in his arms, he slowly pulled out of her and let her slump back on the bed. “I’m not finished with you yet.” 62

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“God, Dane. I don’t know if I can take anymore.” “I love hearing my name from your lips,” he said, kissing her softly on the mouth. Their tongues entwined and the lazy caress built swiftly into heat. He pulled away and moved off the bed. “Where are you going? I thought you weren’t done with me yet.” Her smile held challenge, and he was more than ready to answer it. “Far from it.” He positioned her so her feet were on the floor and her body was bent over the bed. He placed her arms above her head and made her stand so her legs were together. He tied the other stocking around her thighs so she couldn’t spread her legs. “This is going to be challenging. Or have you changed your mind? Am I too much for you after all?” Dane growled low in his throat, the sight of her ass in the air waiting for him and her body displayed like an erotic offering gave him the instincts of an animal. He wanted nothing more than to claim her. “Do you know what you look like?” he asked, running a finger down her spine. “Your skin is so smooth and pale. Your hair is tousled around your 63

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shoulders. And your sweet ass is mine for the taking.” He continued the path of his finger down the cleft of her buttocks, into the sweet nectar that coated her pussy, and then back up to the tiny rosebud of her anus. “Someday I’m going to take you here,” he whispered. “But not today. I wouldn’t last with your tight ass clamped around me. And I’m not sure I could be gentle enough that first time.” She moaned at his words, and he watched her arousal coat the inside of her thighs. She lifted her ass to his roaming finger and he gave her what she wanted. He pushed just the tip of his finger into the tight bud, and she closed around him, tightening her muscles to take him in further. She tried to spread her legs and take more of him, but the stocking tied around her thighs kept her from achieving her goal. “Don’t be so greedy, sweetheart. I’ll give you what you want. Eventually.” Dane dipped his fingers back into her wetness, coating his fingers, and then he took his throbbing shaft in his hand, making sure he was lubricated enough. He took a pillow from the bed and shoved it 64

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under her hips so the angle was better, and he groaned at the sight of her wet pussy lips, closed tight together, just waiting for his cock. He pushed into her slowly, the fit so tight in this position that sweat popped out on his brow and his hands shook with anticipation. It was the most erotic sight he’d ever seen—his cock disappearing between the tight folds that were wet only for him. When his balls touch her ass he took a deep breath and held still, fighting for control. She was tense beneath him, her nails digging into the bed. “Am I hurting you?” “No, I’m just so close. So full.” He took her blindfold off and said,” Look at us. Look how we fit together.” Her dresser mirror sat in front of the bed, and he watched her eyes adjust in the reflection and take in the sight of them together. She tightened around him even more, and she couldn’t hold back the fine tremors that shook her body. Dane held her gaze as he began to move in and out of her, slowly at first to make the adjustment of such a tight fit easier. But when she began pushing back against him, he couldn’t help but move faster. 65

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Their eyes never wavered off each other. His hands clamped around her waist as he felt her pussy grasp him tighter. Her whole body shook with pleasure and she screamed out his name as she came to pieces around him. Her pleasure was all he needed to let go. He bent over her and thrust deep. One…two…three times before his come shot deep inside of her. He collapsed over her back and nuzzled at her neck. “I love you, Charlotte. I always have.” But his words went unheard. She was fast asleep.

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Chapter Six Dane pushed away from her and untied her legs. His own limbs were unsteady as he lay down beside her and gathered her in his arms. She stirred against him and opened sleepy, wary eyes. “Dane,” she said. “Please don’t make this harder than it is. Can’t it be enough that I still want you? That you’re the only man I’ve ever wanted?” He sighed against her hair and felt his heart clutch. “Come with me,” he said, pulling her up by the hand and leading her into the bathroom. He sat her down on the edge of the sunken whirlpool tub and went about turning the water and jets on. And when the temperature was just right, he picked her up in his arms and lowered them both into the frothy water. He sat her between his thighs so her back leaned against him, and he went about the task of washing her. Paying homage to her body, and leaving her no doubt that she was adored. He reveled in her gasps and sighs of pleasure and shifted his body so his erection nestled between her 67

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thighs. He pushed into her slowly, her swollen tissues and the water washing away her natural lubricant making the entrance difficult. When he was inside her to the hilt he propped her legs over his thighs and brought his arms around her middle. Just holding her. Just touching her. He poured soap in his hands and slicked them across her breasts and down her stomach. She clenched around him in anticipation. “I want to know our son, Charlotte.” She stiffened in his arms, but he kept up his gentle massage until she relaxed again. “I can’t change the past. I’m in a position now where I can provide for you both. Give you the things you deserve to have. I couldn’t offer that to you before.” “Those things never mattered to me, Dane. You were all that mattered.” “Being able to provide them mattered to me. I’ve had an offer from a publisher to write a book on some of my experiences as a journalist. Some of the things that never made it into my columns. I wouldn’t have to travel if I took him up on it. I could write from here. Be with you. Get to know our son.” He lifted her body up and down with his soapy 68

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hands so his cock stimulated her swollen folds. He moved a hand between her legs and rubbed her clit in slow circles while massaging a nipple between two fingers with his other hand. “I love you, Charlotte. Please forgive me. Let me back into your life. Into our son’s life. I’ll beg if I have to. And I promise to never leave you again.” Quiet sobs shook her body even as she writhed against him in pleasure. Water splashed over the edge of the tub as his thrusts became harder. His fingers moved faster and his balls tightened with impending release. He buried his face in her neck and licked and nibbled at the skin just under her ear. Charlotte screamed out his name and pulsed around his cock just as he thrust one final time and spilled out his own orgasm. He stifled a curse as she pulled away from him, but he let her go. There was nothing else he could do to plead his case. He’d told her the truth about staying in Surrender. It was time to come home and put down roots. Whether or not he put them down with Charlotte would be her decision. He drained the water from the tub and followed her out, accepting the towel she offered him with a 69

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wary look. Her hair was damp at the ends, so she put it up in a clip and dried the rest of her body in silence. Dane followed her back to the bedroom and watched as she got in the bed. He was just about to start looking for his clothes so he could get dressed when she finally spoke. “Did you mean it?” she asked. “Do you really love me, or do you just want to be a part of Jayden’s life? It’s okay if you do, Dane. I won’t keep you from him. I just don’t want you to feel like you can’t have one without the other.” Dane felt his heart unclench, and he exhaled in a long, controlled breath. He padded over to the bed and got in beside her, turning her so she had no choice but to face him, and her fears, head on. “I meant every word. I’ve always loved you. I want to be part of Jayden’s life too. But I want you both.” “It’s not going to be easy on you. Jayden’s not going to understand why you left. Why you stayed away. It’ll be hard on him at first to have so much of your attention. He hasn’t had any male influences in his life except for my dad.” “We’ll take things slow, baby. All of us. And I’m 70

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sure once Jayden meets my brothers he’ll get more male influence than you can imagine.” Charlie groaned and laughed at the same time. “That’s what I’m afraid of.” He brushed a stray strand of hair back from her face and kissed her softly. “I want to give Jayden my name,” he said. “I want to give you my name. Marry me, Charlotte.” “Wow, that’s not exactly taking it slow,” she said nervously. “We’ll have a long engagement. Let Jayden get used to having me and my brothers around.” She was quiet for so long that panic began to settle in his chest. Maybe he’d pushed things too far. When she pushed her hands against his chest, he scooted away, trying to give her some room. But when he turned to his back, he was surprised to see her follow him over. She straddled his thighs and propped her arms on his chest. He felt his cock stir against the damp heat of her pussy and groaned. He was going to be sore if things kept up as they had. Charlotte took his face between her hands and kissed him. Her tongue licked along the seam of his 71

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mouth until he opened for her and she slipped her tongue inside. It was sweet and full of promise. Full of the future. “I’ll marry you, Dane MacKenzie. I never stopped loving you, and I’ll keep on loving you. Forever.” A laugh of pure joy rumbled in Dane’s throat and he flipped Charlotte to her back, entering her completely in one stroke. He rocked them both to completion and then kissed the tears of happiness from her eyes. “You’re my heart,” he whispered as he moved so they lay on their sides, still intimately joined, and he covered them with a sheet. “Forever, Charlotte.”

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About the author: Liliana Hart is the pseudonym for an author of more than a dozen books. She lives in Texas with her husband and cats, and loves to be contacted by readers. Connect with me online: http://twitter.com/Liliana_Hart http://facebook.com/LilianaHart My Blog: http://www.lilianahart.com/blog

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