A new lover, an old flame, sultry moonlit nights. Why let inhibitions stand in the way? Bandicoot Cove: The Wedding, Book 3 Two years ago, Hayley Bryant left Australia on a round-the-world odyssey that changed her life, and her attitude. After that, coming face to face with the man whose rejection sent her packing shouldn’t affect her at all, right? Except there’s one thing that hasn’t changed—her former boss Mitchell Wood makes her burn as hot as ever. The difference is, Hayley’s now a grown woman who knows how to get what she wants, and she wants Mitch. Trouble is, she hasn’t come to her friend’s wedding alone. Her very sexy friend with benefits, Ty Butler, might pose a problem. Business was always Mitch’s first love…at least until he hired his little sister’s friend as an intern. Pushing her away was the right thing to do, but now his sister’s wedding has Hayley re-entering his life—and the empty place in his heart. Soon he’s acting less like the consummate workaholic and more like a man crazy in love. But Hayley’s “plus one” is an unexpected obstacle. Fortunately, Mitch has never been one to shy away from a little competition… Warning: Bilby Island’s sensual spell strikes again. Book contains hot lovin’ made in beautiful tropical surrounds, some exhibitionism, voyeurism and bondage. Best read with a margarita in hand and the fan switched to high.
eBooks are not transferable. They cannot be sold, shared or given away as it is an infringement on the copyright of this work. This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locale or organizations is entirely coincidental. Samhain Publishing, Ltd. 11821 Mason Montgomery Road Suite 4B Cincinnati OH 45249 Moonlight Mirage Copyright © 2012 by Sami Lee ISBN: 978-1-61921-108-7 Edited by Jennifer Miller Cover by Kanaxa All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. First Samhain Publishing, Ltd. electronic publication: September 2012 www.samhainpublishing.com
Moonlight Mirage Sami Lee
Dedication
For Jess and Lexxie, who invited me to the party and for Jennifer, who agreed to let me in. Thanks for having me. And for Chris, my own A-type hero.
Chapter One
See Aidan See McKenzie See Aidan and McKenzie get married. Dear Mitchell Wood, Aidan and Mack would love to invite you and your “plus one” to bear witness to their wedding on Bandicoot Cove’s main beach, Saturday, four p.m. Dress is completely casual as the atmosphere will be relaxed and full of laughter. No top hats, tuxedos or stilettos allowed. Please come and share in Aidan and Mack’s special day as they finally formalize what the rest of the world already knew: they were meant to be together from the start. RSVP Kylie Sullivan Bandicoot Cove Resort Bilby Island Australia Mitchell Wood leaned on the bar at Bar Evoke and made eye contact with the bartender. The athletic-looking blond guy, whose nametag read Finn, approached. “What can I get you?” “The resort manager. Is she in tonight?” Finn’s friendly expression cooled almost imperceptibly. Mitch might have missed it if he didn’t spend so much time negotiating million-dollar deals with
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men practiced at hiding their emotions behind bland expressions. They always had a tell, though. Once Mitch figured out what it was he knew he had them. “Is there a problem, sir?” The inflection on the moniker bordered on insolent. For whatever reason, Finn the bartender was protective of Bandicoot Cove’s resort manager. Loyalty. A valuable commodity for any person in a leadership position, one not all managers could educe in their staff. Mitch’s resolve to talk to Kylie Sullivan solidified. “No problem at all. A business proposition.” Finn’s countenance relaxed once more. “I’ll see if she’s around,” he offered before he sauntered away. “Tell me I didn’t hear that right.” Mitch swung around to see his sister McKenzie standing behind him, her hands on her hips and a disgusted expression on her face. Busted. Mitch raised a brow and feigned innocence. He was practiced at concealing his emotions behind bland expressions too. “Hear what?” “You mention the word ‘business’ at my prewedding celebrations. You’re supposed to be having fun.” Mitch proffered the red and orange cocktail his brother Mason had insisted he try. “I am having fun.” “That’s why you’re hunting down Kylie with business propositions. What are you going to do—offer her a job?” The fact that the woman would prove a valuable asset to his hotel development and management company had occurred to Mitch. What was wrong with mixing a little business with the pleasure of attending his sister’s wedding? “Why shouldn’t I?”
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Mack laughed. “She’s not going anywhere, Mitch, believe me. She’s committed.” “Contracts can always be broken.” “No, I mean… Let’s just say you can’t give her what she’s already got here.” The small smile playing on Mack’s lips made Mitch think of the bartender again, and the pieces fell into place. “Ah.” “Yes, ‘ah’. So why don't you come out on the floor and dance a jig with everyone else?” “I can turn the occasional waltz, Mack,” Mitch drawled. “But I’m pretty sure I’ve never jigged.” “It’s better than standing there stiff as a board.” Her perfectly innocent statement reminded Mitch of Amanda and the fact it had been four months since she’d walked out of his life. Four months since he’d been able to relieve any of his stiffness in the time-honored manner. Amanda Donovan may not have been the most scintillating conversationalist nor destined to be his one and only, but she had been very accommodating in the ways that counted. Realizing he was thinking about sex, or his recent lack thereof, with his sister not three feet away made Mitch shuffle his feet uncomfortably on the parquet floor. “I promise you, little sis, I’m having a great time.” “Uh-huh.” Mack narrowed her eyes doubtfully. “Did you bring your laptop?” “Of course I brought my laptop,” Mitch admitted before he thought better of it. “This isn’t Mars.” “No, but it is one of the most beautiful places on earth. Promise me you’ll open your eyes and take some of it in while you’re here.”
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What did she think he’d been doing since he’d arrived this afternoon? He’d made it his mission to study every little detail that distinguished Bandicoot Cove’s facilities from anything else in Australia. The tropical Queensland waters were home to numerous holiday destinations but nothing quite like the unique mix of eco-friendly construction and luxurious abundance that this place offered. It was no wonder the rich and famous sought out the tranquility and extravagance Bilby Island’s exclusive resort had in spades. Mack’s friend Kylie had obviously done an excellent job of getting the place up to par, possessing exactly the kind of flair and attention to detail Mitch wanted on his next hotel project set to open in six months. But apparently love stood in the way of Mitch snagging the talented manager for one of his own hotels. Damned inconvenient emotion. Inconvenient and wrenching and painful. As far as Mitch was concerned, love could take a long walk off a short pier. “I will open my eyes and take in the glory, Mack,” Mitch promised, affording his sister an indulgent smile and shoving thoughts of love and the one woman who had inspired it in him from his mind. Walking and talking and generally acting like he had it all together was so much easier when he didn’t think about her. “You’ll leave your laptop in your room?” Mack pleaded. “Check emails only once a day?” Once a day? Was she mad? Behind his back, Mitch crossed his fingers. A very childish thing for a man of thirty-four to do, he was well aware. “Agreed.” “And you’ll have a massage.” “Jeez, Mack. Anything else?”
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McKenzie relented with an impish grin. “That will cover it for now. Only because I’m in too good a mood to harangue you anymore. And I see Aidan over there making eyes at me.” Mitch rolled his eyes at the dreamy expression his sister wore as she looked past his shoulder to where her fiancé was obviously waiting for her. “Eww.” Mack stuck out her tongue. Then she jumped up and kissed him on the cheek. “Thanks for coming, Mitch. It means a lot to me that everyone’s here—all my family and friends in the place where I finally realized Aidan was the only man for me. Heck, even Hales came back from Indonesia. I’m so lucky.” Something in Mitch’s gut clenched and the muscles around his heart squeezed tight. There goes walking and talking and generally acting like I have it all together. “Hales? Hayley Bryant?” “Yes, Hayley Bryant, you doofus. Little Hayley, the girl I begged you to hire when she finished her degree so she could get some business experience.” Mack squinted at him. “She worked for you for over a year, remember?” Remember he did, in vivid detail. That year wasn’t one Mitch had ever managed to forget, no matter how hard he’d tried over the past twenty-two months. Hayley Bryant. The sickening sense of loss that always swirled in his stomach at the thought of her made the strong rum-based cocktail nearly come back up the way it went down. “She arrived just this afternoon, after you,” Mack went on, apparently unaware that Mitch’s throat had closed over, preventing him from contributing to the conversation. “She looks amazing. So different you’ll hardly recognize her.” A picture of bouncy pale blonde curls framing a cherubic face and green eyes that sparkled with intelligence flashed in Mitch’s mind. He wasn’t sure he liked the idea of Hayley looking in any way different.
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“She’s back for a visit?” he finally managed to choke out. His voice sounded raspy, so he took a swig of the drink he’d forgotten he didn’t like. “For good, I think.” For good. Mitch’s heart started to palpitate. “It’ll be great to have her on home soil. I always worried a little about her traveling the world on her own—force of habit to worry about Hales, I suppose. I still remember her as the shy twelve-year-old I mentored through her first year of high school when I was a senior. There is one thing I will miss though, and that’s her postcards.” Mitch had never received a postcard. Not one in twenty-two months—but who was counting? She sent some to Mitch’s headquarters in the Gold Coast because she’d made several friends there. The mementos came from America, Canada, Europe and Southeast Asia, but none had ever been addressed to him personally. Not that he expected any, after what happened. Memories raced through his mind before he could prepare for the effect they’d have on his body or his conscience. A sultry December night, a late meeting, boxes of Chinese takeaway laid out next to blueprints, and Hayley. Oh God, Hayley. Full of enthusiasm to impress the boss, and him behaving like every bad cliché about company CEOs and their cute, eager-to-please interns. In his pocket, the electronic beep of Mitch’s phone sounded, shattering his dark thoughts and drawing a scowl from Mack. “Don’t. You. Dare. No business. Give me the phone.” Mitch froze with his hand halfway to his pocket. “You’ve got to be joking, Mack.” Brother and sister stared each other down, neither willing to back off. Mitch was reminded of Mack’s fearlessness, conditioned through years of fending off the teasing delivered by six brothers. She wouldn’t hesitate to tackle him just as
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though they were in their parents’ backyard playing football instead of at a swanky resort. Mitch’s competitive streak reared. He might be five years his sister’s senior, but he wasn’t quite over the hill yet. No way can she catch me. Mitch feinted left, then darted to the right. Mack wasn’t fooled, nor was she on her own in this battle. She called to someone behind Mitch and a moment later Mitch’s shoulder connected with something hard, and two arms banded his to his sides. “Aidan.” No one else Mitch knew had arms the size and firmness of tree trunks. “Let me go.” Mack pointed a finger at her fiancé. “Don’t.” Mitch kept himself fit, but an insanely strong fireman who’d do anything for the woman he loved he could not match on physical terms. So he started doing what he did best—negotiating. “Aidan, think about what you’re doing. I’m about to become your brother-in-law.” “Thinking tends to go out the window where your sister’s concerned,” Aidan drawled. “What exactly am I supposed to do with him, Mack?” “Take the phone out of his pocket.” “I am not putting my hand in your brother’s pocket. You do it.” “Eww. I’m not putting my hand in there either, certainly not while it’s vibrating.” Mack glared at Mitch. “Take the phone out and give it to me.” Mitch grinned. “In your dreams.” “Fine,” Mack huffed. “I’ll get backup.” Scanning the nearby crowd, Mack waved at someone and gestured for them to come over. “Mack, this is ridiculous. It might not even be the office calling.”
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“Sure, and you wouldn’t have that thing surgically attached to your body if you had the chance. They never leave you alone, Mitch.” “That’s because I’m the boss.” “What seems to be the problem?” Mitch’s heart, which had already accelerated during the matchup against his sister and Aidan, moved into triple time. He knew that voice. It was a little richer than the last time he’d heard it, with a sardonic lilt that hadn’t been there before. But the sound of Hayley Bryant’s honeyed tones had haunted his sleep enough nights that he would have recognized them anywhere. With an unsettling mixture of reluctance and bone-deep anticipation, Mitch turned his head. What he saw stopped his heart altogether. She’d let her golden hair grow long, so long the ends curled over the very tips of her breasts, which looked absolutely dynamite in a low-cut green dress that perfectly matched the emerald sparkle of her eyes. Wedge heels made her slender frame appear taller than what Mitch knew was only five-foot-four. Hayley’s head barely reached his collarbones. He remembered because she’d opened his shirt and placed a kiss right there that night almost two years ago, before she’d released every other button on the garment and… Mitch slammed his mind down on that memory because it made his cock twitch inside his pants. Aroused was not a state he wanted to find himself in with a six-foot-plus fireman plastered to his back. It would be better if Hayley Bryant got out of his sight right now so Mack wouldn’t guess the impact her friend had on him. But right now, drinking in the long-missed sight of her, Mitch couldn’t have asked Hayley to walk away even if he still possessed the power of speech. He felt as though some maniacal hand had curled punishing fingers around his heart and squeezed. Love was not only a damned inconvenient emotion, it was an
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absolute killer. Oh, Hayley, how did I let you walk away from me? Why did you stay away so long? Mitch’s heart raced so fast when he heard his sister’s next words, he thought he might suffer an infarction. “Hales, I need you to frisk my brother.”
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Chapter Two
Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, why would Mack insist I feel up her brother in this one? Hayley had been so sure of herself, so certain seeing him again would have virtually no impact on her. After all, she’d grown up in the last two years. She’d moved on. She barely ever thought about how he’d cut out her heart and left it bleeding on the floor of his office. He hardly ever entered her mind…unless she was drifting off to sleep or waiting in line or in any way sitting still. Then she thought about him constantly. But other than that? She didn’t think about him at all. Or much, anyway. She was over him. So totally over him. But damn, he still looks good. Hayley tore her eyes from Mitch’s intense blue stare and transferred her gaze to his sister, hating that it took a mammoth effort for her to do it. “Did you say ‘frisk’?” “He promised he wouldn’t work while he was here.” Mitch, not working? That would be a first. “But his phone’s in his pocket. Would you get it for me?” There had been a time Hayley would have jumped at the opportunity to get into Mitch Wood’s pants. She would have happily leapt into his arms and licked him all over, like the excited little poodle she used to be. Not so now. No way.
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Hayley returned her gaze to the man Aidan still held captive, carefully constructing an aloof veneer as she looked him over from head to toe. He still kept his sandy blond hair neatly trimmed, short at the back and sides with a little length on top to keep him from looking like an army drill sergeant. The lines of his face were as implacable as ever, his eyes that same ice blue that his business competitors found unnerving and she’d found as mesmerizing as a hypnotist’s watch. His lips were… Hayley skimmed her gaze quickly over them. She remembered the rugged outline of his lips well enough. She used to live for every rare moment they curved upward, especially the way they used to when he first saw her in the morning, when she brought him coffee or when she showed initiative around the office. Business initiative. That other sort Mitch hadn’t responded to quite as well. “Forget it.” Her brusque statement was a reminder to herself as well as an answer for Mack. “Come on, Hales. I’m getting married in two days.” “How long are you going to keep milking that?” “For however long it works.” “Clearly, it’s not working.” Mitch sent his sister a self-satisfied smirk, the one he sported anytime he outmaneuvered a rival. He shrugged himself out of Aidan’s hold, and this time the other man let him go. “Hayley is a sensible girl who knows better than to blindly follow your orders, Mack.” I know better than to hang on every word you say too, you arrogant shit. Who did he think he was, acting like he knew her? He hadn’t seen her in two years. The girl he’d thought her was gone, replaced by a woman who knew her own worth and refused to let any man motivate her decisions. She’d been to Paris, for God’s sake. She’d temped in London, waitressed in the ski resorts of Canada, journeyed
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from one side of the USA to the other on the back of a motorcycle. Hayley had lived every moment of the last twenty-two months. And in the process, learned to live without Mitch Wood’s approval. As Mitch made to move away, Hayley stepped in front of him and placed a hand on his chest. Beneath his cotton shirt, his flesh was hot, hard and corded with strength. So? You’ve touched hot, hard men before, Hayley. No biggie. She raised her eyes to his and tried not to show how the proximity she’d created between them made her heart hammer. “Not so fast.” With deliberate slowness, she snaked her hand along his chest, over his abdomen—clearly he still rose at five every day to do crunches—and into his trouser pocket. She tried to pretend she wasn’t impressed by the path her fingers followed but doubted she managed it when she saw Mitch’s gaze rest shrewdly on the thumping pulse at the base of her throat. Was his heart beating as rapidly as hers? Hayley battled the instinct to press her chest flush to his and find out. She fought it with every ounce of self-restraint she possessed because Mack and Aidan were still close by, and because if Mitch was completely unaffected by their proximity, Hayley really didn’t want to know. Because she was affected. Damn it. After all this time, after all the miles traveled, Mitch still made her skin burn and her nipples peak. He still made her yearn for things he’d never allowed her to have. Holding his gaze out of sheer stubbornness, Hayley located the phone and closed her fingers around it. Her knuckles brushed against something else hard, and Mitch tensed further, his eyes turning as hot as the blue hearts of twin flames. Okay, so not completely unaffected. Hayley obtained some consolation from that as she took a step back and handed Mack the phone. “Great, thanks, Hales.”
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Mack gave her a quick hug. Over his sister’s shoulder, Mitch watched her in a way that did nothing to settle her racing heart. “Mack, we need to get back to the table,” Aidan said. “I think my parents are going to leave soon.” “Okay.” She released Hayley and waggled the phone at Mitch. “I’ll return this in the morning, if I’m feeling generous.” Mack and Aidan took their leave, unaware of the situation they were walking away from. Mitch never took his eyes off Hayley, his attachment to his electronic devices apparently forgotten for the moment. If any other man had looked at her like that, Hayley might have smiled in invitation, let him take his best shot and see where it led. But this was no ordinary man. This was Mitch, and as sure as she knew the sun would rise perfect and pink on the blue Pacific horizon in the morning, Hayley knew he would do nothing about the attraction that arced between them. “Hello, Hayley.” The gravelly rasp of his voice scraped over her skin like a welcome caress. He looked her up and down and there was no mistaking the appreciation in his perusal. Although she tried really hard, Hayley couldn’t keep the huskiness out of her own voice. “Hello, Mitch.” “You look so…” “So…?” Say it, Mitch. I look sexy and experienced, and you want to take me to a quiet corner right now and kiss me, touch me, slip your hand under my dress and— His brows scrunched tight. “That dress is short.” He didn’t sound the least happy about it. Didn’t seem he was going to take her to a corner and kiss her anytime soon. Figuring it would aggravate Mitch even more, Hayley stuck out her leg in a model’s pose and said, “Isn’t it, though? I may not have much leg, but I’ve decided what I have isn’t so bad.”
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Mitch made a sound in the back of his throat, something like a growl. “We should dance.” His brusque statement made Hayley lift a brow. “Should we?” “Mack’s been insisting I have fun. You’d be doing me a favor.” “I’m pretty sure I don’t owe you any favors, Mitch.” Remorse flashed in his eyes before he averted his gaze with a wince. For a moment Hayley felt sorry for him. It wasn’t his fault she’d fallen in love with him three years ago. As her boss and Mack’s eldest brother it had all been very awkward for him. Hayley hardened her resolve and her heart. For him it had been awkward. For her it had been soul-destroying. Mitch moved closer to her, as though he couldn’t resist the force that compelled him to be near her any more than she could tell herself to bolt before he enchanted her all over again. He reached for her hand, enclosing her slim fingers easily in his. “Let me start again. Hayley Bryant, will you do me the honor of dancing with me? I want to hear all about your trip.” Oh hell. That softly persuasive tone was more effective than any order he could have given her. Hayley felt herself being drawn into his arms as though falling into a trance. His hand burned her lower back just as the reggae tune coming from the sound system segued into an old Nick Blackthorne ballad, a song about broken hearts and love lost. Appropriate lyrics that made Hayley’s eyes sting. She stared at the front of Mitch’s white button-down shirt as he moved her against him, refusing to raise her gaze to his and show him all the emotion churning inside her. She took a breath, and the woodsy scent of his cologne filled her, as it had that night they’d almost made love.
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Or had sex. That’s all it would have been on Mitch’s part. He’d made that patently clear with all his talk of inappropriate dalliances and workplace harassment and sexual misconduct. Talk about shattering a young girl’s romantic dreams. By the end of her first week as an intern at Wood and Markham—the job Mitch had given her as a favor to Mack, who never had shucked the habit of offering Hayley a helping hand when she needed it—she’d been madly, hopelessly in love with her former mentor’s big brother. Occasionally she’d caught him gazing at her as though he felt the same way, but Hayley had waited a year for him to make a move and he never did. In the end she’d gotten up the courage to kiss him one night while they were working late. That one fiery kiss they’d shared was burned in her memory. She’d wanted so much more, yet to Mitch, finishing what they’d started would have been nothing other than a lewd fuck on his office desk, something he would need a lawyer to clean up. “It’s been a long time, Hayley.” His rumbled words reminded her that she was supposed to have grown up and grown stronger over the long time Mitch referred to. Hayley straightened her stance, forcing distance between their bodies. You’re not a twenty-two-year-old idiot with a crush any longer, Hales. “I had no idea you’d be gone two years.” Was that a note of censure she detected in his voice? “My around-the-world ticket was open ended. I told you that when I resigned.” “Everyone was sorry to see you go. I was…” Hayley’s heart skipped a beat at the unfinished sentence. Had Mitch regretted her abrupt departure from his company, from his life? Not likely. Her leaving let him off the hook, after all.
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“You were an excellent employee,” Mitch finally finished. “You haven’t been easy to replace.” “But not impossible, right?” Mitch ignored her barbed query. “Mack tells me you’re back on Australian soil permanently.” “I loved traveling but I missed home,” Hayley admitted truthfully. “I missed my family.” “Are you going back to Newcastle?” “To visit Mum and Dad, yes. I’m not sure I want to move back. I grew too used to the Queensland sun the year I spent here.” She’d gotten used to a lot of things that she’d had to get un-used to in the past couple of years. Her sporty red car. A full wardrobe of clothes. Mitch’s smiles. “Do you have a job lined up?” Trust Mitch to think of that immediately. Work was never far from his mind. “Not yet. I’m considering my options.” Drawing back, he searched her face, his expression calculating. “Who’s made you an offer?” Hayley would have laughed, but his nearness made her too breathless. He actually thought she was fielding job offers from his business rivals. What was he going to do—give her her old job back? She couldn’t possibly accept. “So far only Kylie.” At his perplexed look she elucidated. “She said I could waitress here for a while if I wanted.” “Waitress.” Mitch stared at her. “But you’re a business graduate.” “Who’s been supporting herself slinging drinks and running tables for two years.”
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“No one will hold that against you. You’re a smart woman, well qualified. You could get a good job.” “You mean a real job, don’t you?” Hayley bit out. “One that consumes my life, like yours does.” “It doesn’t consume me.” “Your company is the most important thing in the world to you.” He stared at her, clearly surprised. “That’s not true.” “It keeps you from doing so many other things.” He arched a brow. “Like?” “Like traveling. And you used to talk about taking time off to learn to sail and scuba dive, but you never did it.” “I will.” A note of defensiveness crept into his voice. “One day, when the business is rock solid.” Mitch’s hotel development company was thriving, even in this economy. Hayley knew because she hadn’t been able to resist checking up on him any time she’d come across an internet cafe on her travels, even as she called herself every kind of fool for being unable to quit the habit. “It keeps you from having a meaningful relationship.” Hayley made the accusation before she could think better of it. It brought them too close to dangerous, familiar ground. It had kept him from pursuing a relationship with her, because protecting the business from scandal had been more important than exploring what existed between them. Or perhaps Mitch had merely used their working relationship and her history as Mack’s friend as convenient excuses. Perhaps he hadn’t burned for her as hotly as she had for him and he hadn’t known how else to let her down. Blandly, Mitch stated, “I have a perfectly adequate social life.”
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“So who is the flavor of the month right now, Mitch? Is it a Miranda, a Vanessa, or perhaps Samantha? Have you ever noticed how most of your girlfriends’ names end in a?” In the twelve months she’d worked for him, Mitch had dated six different women. It wasn’t difficult to work out that two months in was when they started to push for a bigger commitment, one that Mitch wasn’t prepared to give. “I guess that’s why I didn’t get a look-in.” “Hayley.” Her name was a pained sound wrenched from his throat. “When you were in a room, I could barely stop looking at you. It made work almost impossible.” “And we couldn’t have anything getting in the way of your work, right?” “What would you have had me do? Fire you so we could see each other?” “You would never have done something so unprofessional,” she snarled. “And I wouldn’t have wanted to be one of your two-month wonders, anyway.” “Hayley, stop it. You were never a flavor of the month.” His voice hissed with suppressed vehemence. “I could never have dated you, could never have made love to you and then walked away.” “Right. Because when a relationship with the boss goes sour, harassment suits might be filed. I remember.” Mitch muttered a foul curse, one Hayley had never heard come out of his mouth before. Mitch was Mr. Controlled, the consummate professional. Business Review Weekly’s young businessman of the year two years running did not drop F-bombs around the boardroom table. It wouldn’t be fitting. He didn’t appear in control now. His blue eyes flashed, fire raging in their depths. His mouth was set in a grim line. The tension radiated from his body in waves of heat that engulfed Hayley. She sensed frustration, anger and something far more difficult to define in his stance.
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“Thank you for the dance, Mitch.” Hayley stilled as the song ended. “But I think our time is up.” When she made to extricate herself from his embrace, Mitch surprised her by tightening his hold. The hand that had rested on the small of her back throughout the dance was a hot brand as it drew her closer, until her lower body rested intimately against his. The rigid length that pressed into her abdomen made Hayley gasp. His chest rose and fell with his labored breathing, but he never lost that grim expression. “You don’t understand. I could never have made love to you and walked away.” He ground into her, a subtle flex of his hips that sent a very unsubtle message. He wanted her. The turgid bulge in his cargo pants was no accident. He was hard—hot and hard—for her. “Don’t you know what losing you has done to me?” “Mitch, you never had me. You wouldn’t allow it.” “And you hated me so much for trying to protect you that you ran off for two years?” “Protect me?” Hayley was incensed. “I’m not a child. I wasn’t one then, either. I knew what I wanted, and it wasn’t your protection.” “Hayley, you don’t know me as well as you think you do. Having an affair with me wouldn’t have made you happy.” “That wasn’t for you to decide.” “Perhaps you’re right,” he surprised her by conceding. His small smile tripped her heart. “You were always as smart as a whip. It was one of the things I liked most about you. That and your easy smile, your positive outlook, your pretty green eyes and your—” “Mitch, don’t.”
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He leaned down and whispered in her ear. “God, I’ve missed you, Hayley. Every day, every hour since you left, I’ve missed you.” Hayley melted. She’d missed him too, missed the promise in his blue gaze, the potential in the heat that throbbed between them whenever they were together. It should have diluted during the time she’d been away but it hadn’t. Her body still sang because he was close. Her heart still galloped. She still wanted him with every part of her that was feminine. “There’s no one in my life, Hayley. No one whose name ends in a or e or any of the other vowels. I haven’t brought a plus one.” His lips caressed her ear. Lust thickened his words, turning them from a mere statement of fact to a promise. A shiver raced over her body and desire, explosive desire, bloomed inside her. But the words plus one niggled at Hayley’s memory. There was something she was forgetting in the ordeal of seeing Mitch again. Plus one, plus one… Warm lips caressed the ear Mitch wasn’t whispering in just as Hayley remembered what she was supposed to remember—or who she was supposed to remember. “Hey there, Hales. You trying to replace me?” “Ty!” His name came out as a surprised sound. Hayley turned toward Ty, who stood behind her with an amused smile lifting lips used to that position. One brow arched, disappearing into his shaggy, light brown fringe. Eyes the warmth and hue of single malt whisky sparkled with devilment. Although he’d gone out of his way to make his presence known, there was no hostility in his interruption. Not so in Mitch’s case. His voice was laced with aggression as he faced Ty. “Something I can do for you?”
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“Yeah,” Ty responded breezily. “You can let me cut in. You don’t mind me dancing with my date, do you?” With that, Ty looped an arm around Hayley’s waist, drawing her out of Mitch’s suddenly lax embrace and into his. Ty Butler—champion pro surfer, rock-climbing enthusiast and experienced skydiver—never did anything by halves. He not only spun Hayley out of Mitch’s arms, but lifted her hard against his body and gave her a resounding slap on the rear that caused a squeal to tumble out of her. Ty Butler. Her plus one.
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Chapter Three
“You’re not telling me that was the guy, are you?” Right now, Hayley heartily regretted that vodka-soaked night back in Bali when she’d told Ty about Mitch. When she’d practically begged him to come to Bilby Island as her date for Mack’s wedding so she wouldn’t have to face her exboss and one of his sophisticated girlfriends by herself. Turned out she needn’t have worried about that. Mitch had come alone. Trying not to acknowledge the relief Mitch’s single status generated within her, Hayley narrowed her gaze at Ty’s dubious expression. “What’s so unbelievable?” Ty let out a wry chuckle. “He’s not your type.” “He was. Once.” Still is, Hayley silently admitted. Her blood continued to buzz with the effects of the closeness they’d shared while dancing. She might be walking lazily along the shore with Ty, but Hayley’s mind was stuck back in Bar Evoke. She could see Mitch’s hard expression following her every move as she danced and laughed with Ty, perhaps a little more loudly than she needed to. She’d downed shots and followed them up with tequila sunrise chasers, chatted with all her old friends and generally tried to act like she could care a jot that Mitch was on the other side of the room, looking like he wanted to murder her plus one and dismember the body. “I don’t see the two of you together. You and me, on the other hand…”
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Ty’s gaze coasted over her short green dress. The balmy night had cooled as a breeze came in off the ocean. The slight temperature drop mixed with the male appreciation in Ty’s eyes sent hot chills racing over Hayley’s skin, raising goose bumps. The wind whipped the silky dress against her frame, and Ty’s gaze lingered on her chest meaningfully. Hayley glanced down to see her pebbled nipples were clearly visible against the silk. She gave Ty’s shoulder a shove. “Perv.” “Something wrong with perving on my hot date?” “You’re not my date…exactly.” Ty brought his hands up to his chest, cupping his heart as though it was broken. “You wound me, fair lady.” Hayley laughed at such words forming on Ty’s broader-than-broad Australian accent. “You do have your qualities, Ty. I’m sure you’ll find some nice young girl to appreciate them, breed a few Butler babies in your image.” “Stop it, you’ll jinx me.” The very idea of marriage was anathema to Ty, as Hayley well knew. “This is no way to speak to the friend who agreed to be your buffer for this week.” “Yes, and a hard job it is too.” Hayley glanced around at the isolated stretch of beach, the softly lapping waves gilded by the moon and giving off the faint aroma of salt. To the right the lights of the resort twinkled, warm and inviting. “A trip to one of the most idyllic spots in the world, and you have to act like you like me. Must be torture.” “Come on, Hales.” He wound his arm around her shoulders and brought her in close. His lips were warm, the stubble that always graced his jaw pleasantly rough against her temple. “I do like you.” Hayley smiled, warmed by his statement. She liked him too. “You smell like rum.”
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“You like rum. You got plastered on mai tais that night in Hawaii.” And hadn’t that led her to do the craziest, wildest thing she’d ever done? “Precisely why I don’t like rum anymore.” Ty’s chuckle vibrated against her ear as his lips became mobile. “You’re not going to let that deter you…right?” Ty’s hand slid down her arm, moving up and down as he ran his tongue over the shape of her ear. Hayley shivered, responding to his familiar caresses and the enveloping heat of his body. “I haven’t decided,” she teased. Ty pouted, letting her feel the movement of his lips against her cheek. “I was promised sex, Hales.” “I don’t recall that conversation.” “Five nights in the beautiful Australian tropics, sharing a room with my good buddy, a fox of a girl with whom I occasionally do the bump and grind. Sex was implied.” Of course Hayley had intended to have sex with Ty while she was here. They were, for want of a better term, friends who enjoyed a full range of benefits. She’d first met Ty eighteen months ago in Canada when she’d been bartending at a ski resort and he’d been trying out snowboarding in his usual, take-noprisoners fashion. They’d bonded immediately the way that fellow Australians in foreign lands tended to do, and Hayley had landed in bed with him within three hours of their initial meeting. It was the first time Hayley had ever done anything like it—sex as recreation. It was a revelation for someone who’d waited until university to lose her virginity to a long-term boyfriend. Who always waited at least five dates before letting a man remove even a stitch of her clothing. Who’d waited for almost a year for Mitch to notice her, like some pitiable creature in a 1970s romance novel.
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With Ty, she hadn’t waited, and it had liberated her from the rules she’d always followed. He wasn’t the only man she’d gone to bed with over the past two years, but he had been the most regular. With Ty, everything was an adventure, and Hayley had learned to go along for the ride without expecting it to last. According to Ty, the wildest rides never did. “You’re still in love with him, aren’t you?” Ty had stopped walking and now looked down at her with a serious expression. Ty’s gaze was so rarely serious that Hayley caught her breath. “That would be pretty silly of me, wouldn’t it?” Ty’s breath fanned her face as he sighed. He lifted a hand to her cheek and cupped it. “You’re not silly, Hales. You’re one of the smartest, sassiest girls I’ve ever met.” Hayley had to swallow a lump that formed in her throat. “Thanks.” “And I…” He held her gaze so steadily that Hayley froze. Oh no, surely Ty wasn’t going to say… “I really, really need to get into your pants. Like now. Ten minutes ago, in fact.” “Oh…you dork!” Hayley gave his chest an almighty shove, sending Ty careening backward. There was no way she could have bested him had he been completely sober, but already unbalanced from too many rum cocktails, he was a…well, a pushover. He landed with a splash in the shallow water. Hayley tried not to show how hard she was laughing when Ty glared at her. “You’ll pay for that.” “Who’s going to make me?” The menacing twinkle in Ty’s brown eyes was obvious even in the meager light. Letting out a squeal, Hayley bolted up the beach just as Ty rose out of the water. She headed for the resort but didn’t get far before Ty caught her around the waist, lifted her with one buff arm and tossed her over his shoulder.
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“Ty!” Hayley tried for sternness but she was laughing too hard, and the position winded her. “Put me down!” “I will—as soon as I find a bed. Where is the damn room anyway?” From her inverted position, Hayley saw the discreet pathway that wound through the resort grounds. “You can’t haul me through the hotel like I’m a sack of potatoes!” “Who says?” Emitting a frustrated growl, Hayley hit the nearest part of him she could reach—his rock-hard butt. It only made Ty laugh. “Kinky. Gimme more.” Full of devilish mischief and cocktails, Hayley slipped her hand beneath the waistband of his wet pants and touched skin. Hard and smooth, Ty’s skin never ceased to amaze and arouse her. He was all toned, hairless muscle and sinew, despite his tendency to party almost as much as he trained. Her exploration forced a growl from Ty’s throat. He turned his head and nipped her exposed bottom with his teeth. “Hey!” “You started it. Ah, fuck this.” Hayley found herself upright again as Ty set her on her feet. She swayed a little but he held her steady against his body. She felt the solid ridge of his erection pressing against her stomach through his wet pants and gasped. Ty took advantage of her parted lips, covering them with his and sending his tongue on an exploration of its own. He kissed the way he rode waves—with gusto and an unflinching killer instinct. Hayley willingly gave over to the swamping sensations his impudent lips always evoked. Anything to push memories of that other man, of that other kiss, to the farthest reaches of her mind. A pained sound burst from her as she realized what she was doing—using Ty to assuage the mixture of carnal need and emotional turmoil seeing Mitch
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again had generated. She placed her hands on Ty’s chest and levered herself backward, breaking them apart. Ty gazed down at her in the scant illumination, his eyes turning serious again. He brushed the tips of his fingers over her cheek. “I don’t care, Hales.” “About what?” “That you’re in love with a dickhead who doesn’t love you back. I’m the one about five minutes away from having hot sex with you.” The realization that Ty saw the depth of her tumult over Mitch’s reappearance in her life made Hayley’s face heat. “Ty, I’m so—” “No apologies,” Ty cut her off. “No hearts and flowers, no strings. That’s what we always said, just fun and nothing more.” Ty grabbed the hem of his wet navy T-shirt and stripped it off, revealing every muscle and every small tattoo that decorated his body. One on his left arm of a Looney Tunes character riding a wave, a yin and yang sign just above his right hip, and on his left pec a small red heart with a fissure running through it. Reaching out, Hayley traced the outline of the heart-shaped tattoo on Ty’s pectoral muscle. Under her light touch, his flesh rippled. “You’ve never told me why you got this one.” “There’s nothing to say.” Encircling her wrist with his fingers, he moved her hand away from that place, almost as if he didn’t want her touching the cracked heart that marked his skin. He urged her hand downward, until it encountered the bump at the front of his wet cargo pants. “I’ll talk all about this bad boy, though, if you want.” Hayley chuckled. “Really? What’s to tell?” “It wants inside your sweet, tight little body. Right now, I don’t care what you feel for that Murray dude.” Ty urged her palm to move over his hard-on. “As long as you’re feeling me.”
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Hayley’s lips curved. “His name is Mitch.” She shouldn’t have spoken his name aloud. It was like calling the devil and having him appear to insinuate himself into every stroked touch, every rasped breath. Mitch… Mitch. Would he respond with such open enjoyment if she took hold of his member and stroked? Would he rip open his pants the way Ty was doing, letting her know how badly he needed her touch on his bare skin? Probably not. Mitch had to be in control of every situation. He couldn’t admit need because he’d see that as showing a weakness. “Turn around, Hales. I wanna see your tatt.” Ty’s voice rumbled, bringing her back to the man with her. Ty was so sexy when he got that focused gleam in his eye, when his body tensed with primal desire. Desire for her. If you can’t be with the one you love… Hayley had a tattoo? Mitch didn’t particularly like tattoos on women, but he’d give his right arm to be the one staring at Hayley’s right now. Where was it? On her back? On the heart-shaped swell of her taut little butt? The sound of Ty Butler’s groan of appreciation made Mitch tighten his grip on the glass of straight scotch he’d poured himself a few moments ago when he’d stalked into his suite. He’d come out to recline on a patio chair, hoping the night air would cool the fire of raging jealousy that had turned his blood to acid, desperate to escape the memory of watching Hayley acting out several scenes from Dirty Dancing with some reprobate in a T-shirt who looked like he hadn’t shaved in a week. Instead of escapism he was now being confronted by the evidence of all he’d lost. All he’d thrown away.
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Through the foliage, Hayley’s giggle filtered up to Mitch’s ears. “Stop it, Ty. Not here.” “You’re shy, all of a sudden? Did you forget about Hawaii?” Hayley’s voice lowered to an intimate thrum. An aroused thrum. “I could never forget about Hawaii.” “I bet Pete still thinks about it too. He probably jerks off every time he remembers how you let him watch while I made you come.” Holy. Mother. Of. God. Mitch froze, his heart suspending. Had Hayley participated in a threesome? The idea stunned Mitch. The Hayley he remembered was sweet and innocent, someone who played by the rules. Yet now Mitch had to wonder if Hayley had ever been as pure and conservative as he’d presumed. It only made the fact he’d given up his one chance to be with her all the more galling. What if he’d asked her to stay two years ago instead of letting her board an aeroplane for parts unknown? Would she have explored her kinky appetites with him instead of a couple of random beach bums? Not that Mitch would have been willing to share her with someone else the way Ty Butler apparently had. Mitch had always wanted Hayley Bryant all to himself. But she’d been Mack’s friend, a young girl his sister had mentored in high school, someone he’d promised to watch over. Seducing her then had been out of the question. What about now? You’re in love with a dickhead who doesn’t love you back. Was Hayley really in love with him? Was she thinking about him while she was letting that asshole touch her? “You were wearing that blue sarong and a white bikini underneath it.” Ty continued the recitation that Mitch couldn’t help but overhear, despite how
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much it killed him. “You let me tug aside those tiny triangles of material and suck your pretty nipples. You let me slip my hand beneath your sarong and stroke your pussy until you moaned. And you knew Pete wasn’t asleep. You knew you were giving him a hell of a show, and you loved every minute of it.” Hayley gasped, the sound floating on the air as a drawn-out parody of the word yes. Mitch knew, just knew, that Ty Butler was touching her, stroking inside her feminine heat as he reminded her of what they had previously done together. Mitch didn’t know which was worse—facing the truth of Hayley’s history with another man or the knowledge that she was allowing that same man access to her body right now, while Mitch sat alone, forced to absorb every gutwrenching word. Get out of here, Wood. It doesn’t matter if she still has feelings for you, you’ve lost her forever. Do you really need this blow-by-blow reminder? The only way he’d be able to escape without being detected was if he crawled on his hands and knees back to his room and slipped out the door. But Mitch wasn’t the crawling type. And then what was he going to do? Walk around the resort with a very obvious hard-on? Because as horrific as it was to listen to Hayley giving herself over to somebody else, it was also hellishly arousing. Mitch was so hard the formerly loose fit of his trousers had grown unbearably restrictive. “Yeah, that’s it,” Ty husked, his voice scraping along Mitch’s nerves. “You always get so wet when I talk about that night. You loved being the sole focus of two men, didn’t you? Loved knowing Pete was coming with us as he watched you fuck me.” “Oh, Ty. Make me come.” “I will, babe. Jesus, you are one hot piece of ass.”
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Hayley’s whimpers mingled with Ty’s ragged breaths, the unmistakable sounds of two people climbing toward the pinnacle of sexual release. Mitch was dying where he lay, horror-struck and horny and filled to the brim with bitter, breathtaking regret. He could have had it all, but he’d denied himself the things he longed for because he thought it was the right thing to do. He thought his desires would repulse or scare Hayley, that he’d be too rough, too dominating. But now she was with Ty, a man who clearly didn’t deserve her. How was that the best thing for her? And what about you? Do you deserve her? “You’re going to come like this, Hales,” Ty stated. “With me fucking you from behind while you’re wondering if anyone is going to stumble upon us. Maybe they’ll hang back and watch, just like Pete did that night.” “Yes. Oh, yes.” “Or are you too busy thinking about that loser who blew it with you and wishing you were with him and not me?” A muscle ticked in Mitch’s jaw. As the loser who blew it, he felt on some level that he deserved to hear all this, to listen to how comprehensively Hayley had discarded him. To face how wanton and adventurous she’d been with men who weren’t him. This was his penance for mishandling things with her two years ago. He should have been kinder with her. No. He should have been honest with her. He’d told her they couldn’t be together because he was her boss, instead of admitting how terrified he was. Terrified that he needed her too much, that those particular needs would frighten her, that he’d somehow tarnish her sweet innocence with his savage desire to own her completely, that in forcing her to submit to his whims he’d somehow break her.
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The woman out there in the trees, making it with a man where anyone could see or hear them wasn’t so easy to break. The kind of woman who participated in three-way exhibitionism wouldn’t shy from what Mitch wanted. His dominant tendencies were relatively tame compared to that. Mitch might have laughed if he wasn’t in such physical and emotional agony. He tried to block out the reality of Hayley’s words, the passion in her voice as she begged the man she was with to do things to her Mitch wished he could do. That he pictured himself doing just to make it through this torment. When Hayley moaned, “Oh, Ty, I’m coming. Fuck me harder, I’m coming,” Mitch inserted his own name for that of the other man. He imagined himself fucking Hayley as she convulsed around him. His cock twitched and burned with unfulfilled longings, but he refused to jerk off while listening to Hayley screw somebody else. He could exert that much control over himself, at least. The sounds of their combined groans and whimpers told Mitch they’d climaxed together. It was like having a sword slice through his gut. That their mutual pleasure was so much worse than everything else might be illogical, but Mitch didn’t want Hayley sharing her orgasms with anybody else. He wanted her to save them for him, to beg him for each and every one after he’d spent long hours teasing her to the point where she was no longer in control, where she gave herself over to him in every way. Her body, her heart, her mind. He wanted every part of Hayley Bryant to belong to him, just as he always had. Their whispered voices faded into the night as Ty and Hayley slipped along the path, presumably to their room. Their room. No doubt the uncouth surfer dude would have her there too. If Hayley were sharing Mitch’s room he’d certainly take advantage of it. He wouldn’t sleep a wink all night. He’d make it his mission to keep her in a constant state of arousal, to make her tremble with
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desire and weep his name over and over before he gave her the ultimate ecstasy then finally took his own. Mitch had always been a goal-oriented person, a planner. He was the type who identified what he wanted and did what it took to get it. He’d made a mistake two years ago by letting Hayley slip away from him. He wouldn’t make the same one again. Enjoy your night with her, Butler. The thought was bittersweet in Mitch’s mind as his intentions formed, hardening like granite. It’s going to be your last.
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Chapter Four
Hayley awoke at dawn with a heavy heart. Beside her lay a man who had spent the better part of the preceding eight hours satisfying her every sexual need, but as the sky beyond their suite’s window turned a pinkish gray, all she felt was empty. Tequila had made her decisions for her last night. Now that it had well and truly worn off, Hayley was less than proud of herself. She’d assuaged her longing for one man by using the body of another. What kind of person did that? The answer was simple—a desperate one. All Hayley had wanted was to forget about Mitch, to pretend every feeling she’d ever had for him hadn’t returned in a rush the second she’d laid eyes on him in Bar Evoke. She’d thought Ty could make that happen. Yet what little sleep she’d had last night had been plagued by dreams of Mitch. Hayley slipped out of bed, unsurprised when Ty didn’t stir. He worked hard, played harder and dropped like the proverbial log when sleep called. Besides, there was no reason Ty’s slumber should be disturbed by guilt. She was the one who’d behaved dreadfully. After taking a quick shower, Hayley dragged on the first sarong and tank top she found, and silently slipped away from the source of her guilt. The saltscented air outside balmed her soul as she breathed it in. She strolled lazily through the grounds, letting the tranquility of her surroundings sooth some of her disquiet. Bilby Island was a beautiful place. Perhaps she ought to consider Kylie’s offer and take a job here, for a few months at least. Until she figured out what she really wanted to do.
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Back when she’d worked at Mitch’s intern, she’d thought she’d had her future all mapped out. She’d thrived on the demands of corporate life, and she’d longed to make a name for herself, be a success. The transient life she’d lived over the past two years, a life devoid of possessions and schedules and goals, had shown her the only thing that truly mattered was the moment, the here and now. The future didn’t exist until it became the present, and the past couldn’t hurt you if you didn’t let it. Were you true to that edict last night when you let the past consume you? Hayley released a weighty sigh. Thinking back on all she’d said to Mitch as they’d danced, she was forced to face how bitter she’d sounded. And recalling how she’d drunk too much and made a spectacle out of her relationship with Ty purely for Mitch’s benefit made her face heat with shame. Perhaps Mitch had been right to reject her two years ago. Maybe she was simply too immature to handle a man like him. As she turned onto the path that would take her down to the beach, a flash of movement to her left arrested her attention. Her steps faltered as, through the plate glass windows encasing the resort’s gymnasium, she saw a man running on a treadmill. Although those windows would provide a spectacular view of the Pacific Ocean, the man’s head was bent, his gaze intent on the machine’s digital display. From this distance she couldn’t have signed a sworn statement that it was him, but Hayley knew immediately the runner was Mitch. Who else would sprint on a treadmill indoors when one of the most gorgeous shorelines in the world lay only meters away? So maybe she was impetuous and emotional and a tad immature. Mitch Wood didn’t have it all together, either. He never had known how to let go, to forget his responsibilities and have fun. In his own selfcontained, uber-successful way, Mitch was just as messed up as Hayley was.
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“Oh, Mitch.” Hayley sighed as everything inside her turned soft. The eldest of six, Mitch had been assigned by birth order the role of leader, and with that came an awesome sense of responsibility. It was that sense of responsibility that had made him turn her away two years ago. She’d been young, an employee and a friend of his sister, to boot. She’d tried to seduce him, and he’d done the only thing he could live with—he’d tried to protect her by pushing her away. He’d done the right thing, what he saw as his duty. How could she hate him for that? Knowing she had some reparations to make, Hayley headed toward the gym’s entrance.
The pain burned in Mitch’s calves, screaming at him to stop. As always, he ignored it. Eight hundred meters to go and he’d reach his goal of five kilometers. If he kept pace, he’d cover the distance in under twenty-four minutes, his best time yet. Besides, running cleared his mind, helped him focus. And what he needed to focus on right now was Hayley and how to steal her away from that reprobate Ty Butler. He could seduce her, of course. Mitch was confident he could entice Hayley into bed if he put in the required effort, even if she was still mad at him for not taking her up on that particular offer two years ago. After all, she wouldn’t still be angry if he meant nothing to her, would she? But as much as Mitch wanted Hayley sexually, bedding her wasn’t going to be enough. Hayley had always been more to him than a potential sex partner. Reaching down to the electronic panel, Mitch upped the speed by another half a kilometer per hour, successfully distracting himself from that thought. The second he did it, a voice came out of the dim light at the edges of the gym.
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“Slow down before you hurt yourself.” Startled, Mitch stumbled a little. The fumble screwed up his rhythm, making it impossible to maintain the pace he’d set. He felt his body careening off the back of the treadmill, but could do nothing to prevent it. His attempts to stop himself from falling face-first into the machine annihilated his balance. Toppling backwards, Mitch landed on the floor on his rear. “Mitch!” Hayley rushed forward and fell to her knees by his side, a concerned expression on her face. “Are you okay?” “Not really.” Winded, Mitch croaked the reply. “Did you have to sneak up on me?” “I didn’t sneak. I was watching.” Mitch cocked a brow as he looked at her, and a little color stole into her cheeks. “Not like that. I was worried about you.” Mitch’s momentary pleasure at the thought that she might have been ogling him vanished. “I’m only thirty-four. I wasn’t going to have a heart attack.” “I know how old you are, a whole ten years older than I am.” Mitch scowled when he saw her lips twitch. Was she making fun of their age difference? It was one of the reasons he’d used to point out why a relationship between them wouldn’t work, but at the time she’d dismissed it as unimportant. Had she changed her mind? Did she think him a pathetic, old, pompous wind— “Anyway, I wasn’t worried about your physical health. Anyone can see you’re in great shape.” The way her gaze flickered over him stilled Mitch’s litany of concerns. Hayley didn’t look at him like she thought he was too old for her. She looked at him like she was thinking of eating him for breakfast. Mitch’s blood, already heated from the strenuous exercise, caught fire, pulsing through his veins like a river of lava.
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Energy crackled in the air between them as Mitch afforded Hayley’s body the same attention she’d given his. Their positions, her kneeling on the floor beside his seated form, brought her chest to his eye level. Mitch stifled a groan as he realized there was nothing between her white tank top and her skin. No lacey outline, no cotton cups—no bra. His gaze snagged on the twin circles of dark pink flesh clearly visible through the top. As he watched, they puckered, their tips extending toward him as though begging to be touched. Abruptly, Hayley stood, breaking the erotic spell that had wound around him. “What are you doing in here, Mitch?” “Running?” Mitch tried not to sound irritable as he stated the obvious, but the strain of his cock chafing against his jocks made it nearly impossible. “Inside. On a treadmill.” Rising to his feet and trying to subtly adjust his shorts to conceal his erection, Mitch drawled, “That’s how I usually do it.” “Sure, when you’re in the city. But did you notice the long stretch of sand right outside this window?” “Oh, yeah. They call it a beach, right?” Having moved several paces away, Hayley at last turned back to face him. She matched his sarcasm with some of her own. “Did you consider jogging on it? Or wait, let’s go for broke. Would you consider taking a leisurely stroll on the shoreline?” “Hayley, you know strolling’s not my style.” Her smile was tinged with sadness. “I know.” Mitch, you idiot. Had she been asking him to go for a walk with her? And had he really responded with mild loathing like some creep with an 85 IQ? Hey, babe, I’d rather act like a complete asshole than go for a walk with you. Shit! Here was his opportunity to spend some time alone with her and he’d blown it. “Hayley, I—”
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“What’s the hurry?” She cut him off before he could say anything. “You’re already a success. You have money, a great company, respect from your peers. What are you working so hard for?” “Hard work is how I got all those things you say I have.” He was getting kind of sick of having to defend his working habits to all and sundry. “If you think I can rest on my laurels and keep everything I’ve strived for, you’re being naive. Success means having to work harder than you ever have before.” She gave him that sad smile again, the one that made him feel he was missing some vital point. “If that’s your definition of success, I don’t know how you’ll ever be happy.” Because her words jangled a nerve somewhere inside him, Mitch responded with an aggression that was as natural as the growl of a lion defending itself from threat. He strode forward, closing the distance Hayley had put between them. He stood close enough that he towered over her, knowing the pose would make her aware of her smaller stature and weaker physicality. Staring down into her face, Mitch let the desire, the naked lust, shine from his eyes. “I know something that would make me happy—that would make us both bloody ecstatic, in fact.” Lifting a hand, he trailed it down the side of her face until his thumb found the plump outline of her lower lip. It trembled when he traced its shape, the only signal Hayley gave that his touch affected her. Her body remained rigid, her eyes steady as they watched him. Mitch thought about shifting his hand farther down to cup her breast, find out if those nipples of hers were still as hard as flint. Before he could act on the impulse, Hayley slipped away from him again. “That isn’t what I came in here for.” Mitch gritted his teeth on the urge to curse. “Then why did you come in here?”
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“To apologize—for last night.” His shock must have been written all over his face because she elaborated. “I had no right to go off at you like that about something that happened ages ago. You can’t help how you feel—or don’t feel— about me.” She couldn’t possibly think he didn’t have feelings for her. Could she? “Hayley, the problems between us were never caused by a lack of sentiment.” Her smile was knowing and heartrending all at once. “Oh, I know you lust after me a little, but I’m not so immature anymore as to assume that means we belong together. That’s why you refused to take up with me two years ago, because you figured I was bound to confuse good sex with true love. And maybe you were right. I don’t know that I could have conducted a purely sexual affair back then.” Mitch’s throat felt constricted, like his heart had leapt to it and now sat there clogging his esophagus. He husked, “And now?” She eyed him steadily, a wealth of feminine knowledge glittering in her eyes. The faint curve of her lips was mysterious, sensuous. Her silence was both an answer and the start of a whole array of additional questions. Mitch wanted to clarify that a “purely sexual affair” was all she had with Ty. Before he could ask, she took a deep breath and straightened. “Mitch, I’d like to show you something.” “What is it?” “You can’t ask questions, and you have to come with me now.” Her demand unsettled Mitch. He was used to being in the driver’s seat in every exchange. Asking him to blindly follow someone else’s commands was tantamount to expecting him to jump off a tall cliff without any base-jumping equipment. When he opened his mouth to ask for more detail, the look Hayley
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sent him stifled the queries he wanted to utter. She didn’t think he could do it. She didn’t think he trusted her. A strange sense of peace came over Mitch as he let go of the need to control the situation. He realized with some surprise that he did trust Hayley. Either that or he was willing to go anywhere with her, as long as he was by her side. Both possibilities ought to have frightened the hell out of him. But he wasn’t scared as he nodded slowly. “Okay.” As it turned out, Mitch was only too happy to oblige Hayley’s request. Walking behind her on the path that led through the resort’s lush green foliage enabled him to watch her unobserved. Her blonde curls fell in thick waves over her shoulders, all the way down to the small of her back. The tank top was short, exposing a strip of lightly tanned skin between its hem and the top of her sarong. As she walked, the jaunty swing of her hips mesmerized him—especially when the floral garment started to slip low on her hips. Above the fabric, Mitch saw a glimpse of dark ink, the tail end of a swirling shape that told him the tattoo she’d gotten was right there at the base of her spine, decorating the very tops of her butt cheeks. Mitch could see the appeal of tattoos now. The mystery of Hayley’s—what it represented and how low it might go down—made his mouth dry out. By the time they cleared the resort grounds and their feet hit sand, he was in serious need of liquid refreshment. “Can you see it?” Mitch stared at the spot where her sarong had slipped another tantalizing inch, muttering, “Almost.” At her silence, Mitch met her gaze. Hayley stared at him askance, one eyebrow lifting. “I was talking about what’s out there.”
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The tilt of her head indicated he ought to be looking at the ocean. Dragging his gaze away from Hayley’s impish green eyes, Mitch stared out to sea. He looked for something on the horizon that might be interesting enough to warrant this little trek through the rainforest—a ship, a pod of leaping dolphins—but he saw nothing but an endless expanse of water and a pinkish-grey dome of cloudless sky. “I don’t know what I’m looking for.” “This isn’t a test. You’re not looking for anything, but you’re supposed to see it.” O-kay. “If this isn’t a test, why are you staring at me as though I’m missing something obvious?” “Because you are. It’s all around you, Mitch.” Reminded of the words to an old song, Mitch quipped. “Are you going to tell me it’s love that’s all around?” Her eyes remained steady on his and for once in his life Mitch was the first to tear his gaze away. He shouldn’t have mentioned the L-word even in jest, not around Hayley. “Hayley, I don’t know what you’re asking of me.” “I can see I’ll have to take a more hands-on approach.” Her steps so leisurely they made his erratic heartbeat halt altogether, Hayley moved to stand behind him. Rising on tiptoes, she placed her hands over his face. “Close your eyes.” “I think I’ll need them open if I’m to see anything.” The droll retort came out raspy as the heat of Hayley’s body infused his back. Mitch swallowed. Dry. His throat may as well be chock full of sand. “Just be quiet and do what I say.” “That’s usually my line.” The little gasp of breath and the fact her voice was now as husky as his were the only clues Mitch had that his comment had impacted her. “I bet it is. But for now, let me be in charge.”
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The “for now” conjured all sorts of intriguing possibilities that did nothing to alleviate Mitch’s so-aroused-it-was-painful situation. “All right, instruct away.” “First of all, listen. What can you hear?” My heart pounding 120 bpm because you’re close. Mitch refrained from verbalizing the truth, trying to push aside the distraction of Hayley’s nearness to concentrate on the sounds in the environment. “I hear the ocean.” “Doing what?” “Being wet.” “Mitch.” He pushed out a sigh at her warning tone, uncomfortably aware that he was being bossed around by a woman of five-foot-four who probably weighed one hundred and eighteen pounds soaking wet. “I hear water coming into shore, tumbling onto the sand.” “That’s great.” Mitch was inordinately pleased by the praise. Damn, he had it bad. “Now, tell me what you smell.” “Your perfume. Vanilla and some kind of spice, cinnamon maybe. It’s the same one you’ve always worn, the one that used to make me forget what I was saying the second you walked into the room, even if I was on the phone to Japan.” Hayley drew in a shaky breath. The inhalation caused her chest to inflate, thrusting her soft breasts against the muscles of Mitch’s back. Encouraged by her reaction, Mitch continued. “You smell so good, Hayley. Sweet and sexy and familiar. It makes me think of…” Home. The word came to him unbidden, shocking him. It was utterly illogical. Neither his family home nor his penthouse apartment on the Gold Coast had
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ever smelled like the intoxicating mix of scents that Hayley gave off like irresistible pheromones. “What?” Hayley rasped when he trailed off. “What does it make you think of?” Unsettled by the first answer that had popped into his head, Mitch provided the second. “Making love. The heady scent of silk sheets after a bout of hot, satisfying sex.” That little indrawn breath again. This time when Hayley’s breasts brushed his back he felt the sharp imprint of her hardened nipples. Mitch’s dick responded in kind, growing as rigid as a lead pipe in his running shorts. He turned his head, trying to find Hayley’s lips with his own, needing to. Lord, he hadn’t tasted her in two years. He had to know if she was as delicious as he remembered. If he kissed her now he wouldn’t stop. Perhaps sensing that, Hayley cleared her throat and put an inch of distance between their bodies. “In the air. What can you smell in the air?” Tamping down the impatient surge of his body that screamed at him to end this game in favor of more pleasurable pursuits, Mitch concentrated on the aromas surrounding him. This was important to Hayley. He’d make every effort to do as she asked, if for no better reason than to please her. “Salt,” he said at length. “And some kind of flower, something light and tropical.” “Frangipani.” Hayley’s voice was a soft murmur close to his ear. “Hibiscus and gardenia.” “It’s nice.” He wasn’t only talking about the local plant life. Having Hayley this close—her chest pressed to his back and her arms twined around him—was nice. Better than nice and worse than torture. Heaven and hell rolled into one. “Now, tell me what you feel.”
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“Jesus, don’t you know?” “You should be relaxed.” “Relaxed is the last word I’d used to describe how I’m feeling right now.” It was certainly the last word he’d use to describe his penis, which was trying to poke a gigantic hole in his running shorts. “Please, Mitch,” Hayley insisted. “For me.” If she didn’t already know her power over him, Mitch’s acquiescence would surely give him away. He’d do anything for Hayley. He’d always known it and had been afraid of it, afraid most of all of Hayley finding out how easily she could drive him to his knees. But he didn’t have it in him to deny her request, not when it was so poignantly uttered. “Okay. I’m relaxing.” “Deep breaths. In… Out. In… Out.” Mitch did as she asked, matching the drawn-out pace of her voice. The slow breathing caused his chest to expand to its fullest, bringing her body and his closer with each exhalation. She’d either forgotten to maintain the distance between them or had decided not to bother. Her breasts stroked across his back, a delicious friction that made him hotter than he’d ever been. Instead of fighting it or trying to push toward the most satisfying solution to his physical response, Mitch let it steal through him. The intense desire, the bone-melting lust. His blood pumped slow and hot, his cock throbbed with each beat of his pulse. But he did nothing but listen to Hayley and feel every exhilarating, terrifying ounce of it. “Are you calm?” In a strange way, he was. Even with the force of his sexual needs coursing through him, the sense of urgency had faded to the background. Not fighting the inevitable was freeing. He wanted Hayley more than he’d ever wanted another
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woman, and admitting the truth of it was more calming than he ever would have expected. “Yes.” “Are you here, in this moment with me?” His answer was the absolute truth. “There’s nowhere else I’d rather be.” At last, Hayley took her hands away from his face. “Open your eyes.” The brightness caused Mitch to flinch as he raised his eyelids. The muted colors of predawn had disappeared. What replaced them were brilliant rays of light in every conceivable hue from bright fuchsia to flaming orange to deepest magenta. Mitch regularly rose at dawn. He’d seen sunrises before. But this explosion of color was unlike anything he’d ever experienced. Was it because of the location or the woman standing beside him? Or was it simply that he had never really looked before? “Isn’t it beautiful?” Mitch stared at the view before him, not turning his head to look at Hayley. He was afraid to. If the sky took his breath completely away, he was pretty sure his lungs would collapse if he saw Hayley bathed in all that glorious light. Unable to speak, he merely nodded. “This is what I wanted you to see,” she said. “The start of a brand-new day when everything is untouched until this amazing kaleidoscope of color washes over it, like painting on a blank canvas. When you truly experience the sunrise, you have to believe anything is possible.” Was she right? Could anything happen? Could Hayley forgive him for being a blind asshole, for not knowing what he was rejecting when he pushed her away? Could a woman like Hayley Bryant ever really want a boring, stuffedshirt workaholic like Mitch Wood? “Mitch?”
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Mitch took a deep breath, filling his lungs in case it was the last time he’d be able to do it for a while, and turned to look at her. His chest seized, his heart stopped. The slightest of breezes lifted the curled strands of her hair, causing them to float around her face. The golden tresses were shot through with intense orange, making it look like a halo had formed around her. But she was more beautiful than any angel heaven could produce. She was a woman, and she was real, and she stood right before him with the look of wonder and awe on her face reflecting everything that was going on inside him. For a long time she held his gaze, saying nothing as the sky changed colors around them. Then her gaze lowered, trailing over his face until finally landing on his lips. It was all the invitation Mitch required. Without a word, he stepped toward her and brought his hands up to cup her face. Then he dipped his head. He wouldn’t have thought it possible for someone to taste like the sunrise, but Hayley did. She was beautiful and golden, and she enveloped him in glorious warmth. He let their lips meld in their own way, not trying to drive the kiss, using no technique whatsoever. The kiss turned brighter and hotter and more vivid until Mitch felt infused with the heat and life that was Hayley. Utterly lost, Mitch wasn’t even aware of taking her down to the sand. One minute he stood with his arms wrapped tight around her, the next they were horizontal. Writhing beneath him, Hayley drove her fingers through his hair, holding him to her. His fingers found their way beneath the hem of her top, trailing over the smooth flatness of her stomach. It wasn’t enough, so he shoved the garment upward, exposing Hayley’s breast to the gentle morning breeze. He cupped the soft mound and squeezed. Into his mouth, Hayley gasped. Beneath him, her body arched, her back coming off the sand as she sought a more complete touch. Mitch granted her wish, using his thumb to graze her pebbled peak. It blossomed under his
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ministrations, growing ripe and plump and all too tempting. Breaking free of Hayley’s ravishing mouth, Mitch trailed his lips downward, over her collarbone and shoulder. He kissed around the puckered flesh, narrowly avoiding the sensitive point that silently begged for his attention. Hayley’s grip on his head started to pinch as she tightened her hold. “Mitch, please.” Lust surged through his veins. Goddamn, that was what he wanted to hear. Hayley desperate for his touch, begging him for it. “Ask again.” “Oh, God. Just put me out of my misery.” “Ask, damn it.” She gasped at his rough delivery, but when Mitch stared into her eyes he saw no discomfort or revulsion. All he saw was molten heat. Watching him, Hayley very deliberately circled her lips with her tongue. Mitch almost burst the seams of his shorts. Then she rasped, “Please,” and all Mitch could hear was that throaty request and the roaring of his blood in his ears. Not breaking eye contact, Mitch lowered his head and enclosed her nipple with his mouth, taking it in one long, slow suck. Crying out, Hayley curved her spine, thrusting her eager flesh deeper into him. Mitch rolled the distended peak against his tongue until Hayley said his name over and over again, punctuating it with breathy little pleas that drove him insane. When he lifted his head, Hayley’s hoarse protest delighted him. Mitch gazed down at her and was awed by the sight she presented. Her golden hair was tousled, the strands splayed across the sand like sunrays. Her green eyes glittered as bright as gems as they stared back at him. Her magnificent breasts trembled with the force of her ragged breaths, and her skin was flushed pink with arousal.
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She was exquisite. The very thought that another man had seen her like this sliced him open, ruining the perfect beauty of the moment. Unprepared for the pain of it, Mitch defended himself in the only way he knew how—attack, contain, control. “How can you let him touch you when you respond this way to me?” he growled. “You’re mine, Hayley. Promise me he’ll never lay a hand on you again, and I’ll make you scream for me. Right here. Right now.”
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Chapter Five
On a base, primitive level, what he demanded sounded so good. All Hayley had ever wanted was for Mitch to call her his, and here he was, moments away from giving her an orgasm that was bound to rock her world, promising to make her belong to him. Two years ago she would have jumped for joy. But now she wasn’t so enamored of his methods. “Mitch, don’t.” “Don’t what?” “Don’t try to manage me like one of your projects.” “Is that what you think I’m doing?” He brought a hand back to her breast as though drawn there by a force he couldn’t master. “If you think I’m in charge of this, you’re wrong. This is just…us. It’s always been impossible to contain.” That wasn’t true. It hadn’t been impossible for him—only her. Like now. She’d been ready to give him anything, do anything with him right here on the sand on a public beach. Yet Mitch had retained the presence of mind to set conditions before things went too far. He was dangling the carrot of his affections in front of her, expecting her to jump through his hoops to get it. “I don’t think you have any intention of giving in to how you feel.” Sadness and frustration mingled inside her. “All you want to do is control me.” “Because I want to be the only man you fuck, you think I’m controlling?” Hayley pushed against Mitch’s chest, trying not to be enticed once more by how corded with muscle it was. Oh, damn, but she’d never forgotten the thrill of touching his body. If anything, he had gotten firmer in the time she’d been away.
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His skin wasn’t tanned but glowed a natural pale golden in the morning light. He looked like an ancient god towering above her, powerful and magical and… “Damn it, Hayley.” The hand at her breast flexed, his thumb flicking over the taut crest. He lowered his head once more and kissed her neck, causing a ripple of longing to move through her. “I want you. Can’t you admit you want me too?” The problem wasn’t that she wanted him. Hayley’s issue was with how badly her body seemed to need his. With the slightest of touches, he’d set her skin alight, as though there were secret cravings inside her that only he could bring to the surface. No other man had ever made her feel so shaky and desperate from a mere kiss. No other man had made her feel like her heart was in serious jeopardy because he placed his lips to the flesh that it beat against. What she felt ran deeper than simple sexual desire—it always had. Something about the hints of kindness beneath Mitch’s stern exterior had made her want to offer not just her body, but everything else she had in her as well. Yet what evidence did she have that Mitch felt anything for her beyond base lust? He hadn’t said he loved her or needed her—and a man like Mitch probably never would. He’d never give himself away like that, yet Hayley knew if she gave in to her feelings for Mitch she’d be lost. She’d always be the one who loved more, the one who clung, while he kept himself aloof. She couldn’t bear the thought of being that pathetic. Like one of those women he dated who’d hung around the outskirts of his life, waiting, hoping to be noticed. “Mitch, stop.” Hayley struggled out of his hold and this time he released her with a curse. The tension of unfulfilled sexual longing came off him in waves, crashing into those radiating from her own body and charging the air between them with
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latent hostility. He turned and stared out at the ocean, his elbows on his knees and his hands shoved in his hair. Hayley’s instinct was to apologize but she quelled it. She had every right to say no to sex—and that’s where they’d been headed. Glancing along the beach, she saw that it was deserted save for the two of them, but it could easily have been different. “Someone had to stop us.” “Funny, I don’t really see why at this point.” Pushing aside all the other, more difficult to explain reasons why she’d decided she couldn’t give in to her passions, Hayley drawled, “A lack of privacy, for a start.” Mitch sent her a sharp glance, the blue of his eyes piercing. “So outdoor sex is beneath you all of a sudden?” “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” “I heard you, Hayley.” At his softly uttered words, a prickle chased itself all over her skin. “Lucky me with the room beside your palm tree of choice.” Oh, dear God. The prickle intensified. It felt like a heat rash had spread all over her face. “You mean, last night when Ty and I…” Her tequila-soaked memories were a little hazy, but they returned with vivid clarity at the realization that Mitch had borne witness to her antics. Mortification made her voice harsh. “You listened?” “Believe me, I didn’t want to. You weren’t exactly being discreet.” The underlying tone of accusation made Hayley see red. “At least I wasn’t acting like a voyeur!” “But you like being watched, don’t you?” His eyes coolly assessed her face. “At least by Butler and his surfer buddy.” Oh, could her humiliation get any worse? Mitch had heard Ty talking about her letting his friend Pete watch them together. Did he disapprove? Or was last
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night’s impromptu show his motivation for being with her this morning? Mitch had never given in to his carnal urges where she was concerned before, but now after overhearing her with Ty last night she was suddenly irresistible? Did he only want her now because he thought she was…kinky? The idea stung her pride and her heart. Conditions again. I’ll sleep with you if…when Hayley would have taken Mitch any way she could have gotten him, under any circumstances. “Yeah, that’s right.” She rose to her feet, her voice caustic. “I like performing for an audience. I wish I’d known you were there last night, it would have added a real edge to things for me.” “You don’t mean that.” “How would you know?” Mitch stood as well. “Because you’re still blushing.” Hayley raised a brow. “I’m turned on. Can’t you tell the difference?” “Either works for me.” He gave her the hint of a smile she used to watch for, the one that made her heart melt like ice cream in the hot sun. It had the same effect on her now. The weakness in her knees almost made them buckle as Mitch reached to tenderly trace the line of her jaw with his fingers. “Anything you do has always worked for me.” Sweet words that Hayley didn’t dare trust. “You can’t come back into my life after two years of no contact and expect to pick up where you left off.” “As I recall, you were the one who severed all communication with me. I never wanted that.” The glimpse of hurt in his eyes almost unraveled Hayley. She backed away, evading his touch before she threw herself at him and started blubbering. “It doesn’t matter anymore who did what to whom. The point is, I’ve moved on.” “With Ty.” “Why do you sound so doubtful?”
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“Because he’s not for you.” Hayley spluttered in disbelief. “If you think you have the right—” “Your body and how it responds to me gives me the right,” he interjected. “Of course I’ll question why you’re screwing him and not me.” “I’m screwing Ty because I enjoy it,” Hayley fired back. She was furious enough to taunt him a little more. “You heard the evidence of that yourself last night.” “Do you love him?” On the tip of her tongue the retort rested. Do you love me? Afraid what his answer might be, Hayley bit down on the words. “I’m perfectly happy with mine and Ty’s relationship.” Mitch regarded her shrewdly. “That’s not an answer.” “Ty gives me what I want. He satisfies me, and for now that’s all I need.” “So public sex and a touch of exhibitionism is all you’re looking for?” “Isn’t that enough?” His slow smile spread wider over his face, full of wicked knowledge. “I don’t think so—not for you.” Hayley’s voice came out breathy, causing her rejoinder to lose the stridency she’d intended. “Shows how much you know.” Mitch bent down to whisper in her ear. “You liked it before when I made you beg.” Slick heat spilled between her thighs at the husked words. Her breasts tingled with the remembered sensation of having Mitch’s mouth working over them, driving her to the brink of crazy. She had begged him, and she’d enjoyed the fact he could reduce her to that. What did that say about her hard-won sense of independence? Her protest was barely audible. “No. I didn’t.”
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Mitch’s tongue lightly traced the shell of her ear, making Hayley quiver. “If I thought that was true, I’d back off right now. If I thought for a second you and loverboy were made for each other, I’d leave you alone.” “Are you sure about that?” Hayley challenged. “Or does this sudden determination to ravish me have more to do with the fact you have competition?” Mitch let out a derisive laugh and pulled back to stare into her face, the arrogance in his expression extreme. “For all the reasons I’ve just laid out, I’m not threatened by Ty Butler. In fact, if exhibitionism excites you so much, I’d even let him watch us.” The shock of what he said moved through Hayley like a category seven hurricane. From the look on Mitch’s face, Hayley would hazard to guess that he’d surprised himself just as much. Yet beyond the astonishment lay something else, a feeling so sinfully delicious that it made her blood turn thick and lava-hot. Pictures of Mitch and Ty turned in her mind—erotic images where one man morphed into the other and vice-versa. The night that Hayley had let Ty’s friend watch them have sex was one of the hottest experiences she’d ever had. Her mind’s eye replaced Pete with Mitch. She couldn’t fathom how intense it would have been if Mitch were the man watching them, his need for her palpable. He’d overheard her with Ty last night but hadn’t done anything to stop them. It must have nearly killed him to stand on the sidelines like that. If he actually watched, would he be able to hold back, or would he stalk over to them and yank her off Ty? Push her down on the ground and take her as his? Hayley was so aroused by her thoughts she knew her face must have turned cherry red. She saw Mitch looking down at her, hesitant for the first time since before he’d kissed her. “Hayley, no.”
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“You’re always saying no to me. Did you ever notice that? Like you get to decide what I should and shouldn’t want.” “I won’t share you.” “I want you, Mitch, but you don’t own me. If I’d like to share myself, it’s my decision. The only question is, will you do it?” “What are you saying?” His demand was terse. “That the only way you’ll be with me is if I let Ty see everything I’m doing to you?” “No.” Hayley’s heart raced as she realized what she was about to say. Even an ounce of caution would have stopped the words before they erupted from her mouth, but there seemed to be none within her. It obviously couldn’t survive amongst the seething lust and wild sense of feminine power that curled inside her. The idea of having both Mitch and Ty at her disposal… She shuddered with pure carnal desire. Her words would either force some action out of Mitch or push him away forever. Hayley knew it but made her demand anyway. She had to know once and for all how far Mitch was willing to go to get her. “What I’m saying is that I want you to watch Ty do all sorts of naughty things to me.” Mitch’s eyes turned downright glacial, and a surge of panic formed a lump in her throat. Hayley swallowed over it and pushed on. “If you do that, I’ll be all yours afterward—any way you want me.”
What Mitch needed most of all was to get stinking drunk. “Another, please,” he said to the bartender as he slammed his empty scotch glass on the counter. “And keep ’em coming.” “Hey, you might want to pace yourself,” Aidan’s best friend, Luke Beasley, said as he took a seat on the barstool beside Mitch. “You’ll be too plastered to
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appreciate the fine entertainment that I’ve gone to great trouble and expense to line up.” “I’ll live.” At the moment, watching some stripper slide up and down a shiny pole at his soon-to-be-brother-in-law’s buck’s party was the last thing occupying Mitch’s mind. All he could think about was his confrontation with Hayley that morning, the same thing that had plagued his thoughts all day. As promised, his sister had returned his phone, and his voicemail was clogged with messages. Mitch had listened to a few but had tossed the phone aside when he realized minor work issues couldn’t take his mind from its preoccupation with one petite blonde who’d shown him the sunrise and then asked him to give her something in return that he couldn’t possibly provide. “A man with too much on his mind to enjoy the visual delights of one very talented pole dancer. Now that is tragic.” “That’s me—a real tragic figure,” Mitch muttered. “Can’t have the woman I want—don’t want anyone else.” “That doesn’t sound like you. I’ve never known you to admit you can’t achieve something.” “I guess there comes a time a man has to accept defeat.” That was what he’d arrived at, surely? Hayley had to have known he would never agree to her request. No way he could stand by and watch her give her body to another man and do nothing. The very suggestion told him it was Ty she wanted, while he was destined to be relegated to the role of observer—an extra in the feature film of her life. Mitch Wood did not hang out on the sidelines for anyone, and Hayley knew it. She’d asked for something he couldn’t give her as a way of making a relationship between them untenable. It was time to give up, face the fact she wanted him out of her life, no matter how much it stung.
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Now he knew how it felt to be on the losing end of a fight—like he’d just been forced to eat a steaming pile of fresh manure. The bartender slid a fourth scotch on the rocks in front of Mitch, who immediately took a sizeable gulp. The first three hadn’t taken the edge off his misery. Now, when he looked at his reflection in the mirror behind the bar it was slightly fuzzy. Good. Maybe soon everything else would become fuzzy too. He couldn’t wait for the sharp corners of his emotions to get all soft and squishy so they could no longer hurt him. The opening bars of a raunchy pop song pounded from the sound system, and a round of cheers went up. The DJ announced, his voice laden with enthusiasm, “And now for your viewing pleasure, the delectable, the delightful Persephone!” “That’s my cue to get back to the group—best man duties and all that.” Luke took one last look at Mitch. “Sure you’re okay?” “Oh, sure. Feel like a million bucks.” Despite Mitch’s obvious sarcasm, Luke knew when to leave a man be. Alone once more, Mitch went back to the very important task of emptying his glass. He managed it so well he decided to tackle another—and another. His vision had gone from fuzzy to blurry by the time he bothered to swivel on his stool and glance at the scene laid out on the dance floor of the Oasis Bar. Persephone had moved on from twisting her lithe body in front of a blushing Aidan and was now working her way through the crowd, wiggling before each man in attendance in the hope of increasing her haul of tips. She bent her body backward over one seated guy, displaying her taut abdomen and lush sequin-encased breasts to his view. As Mitch watched, someone poured some clear liquid from a bottle and into the dancer’s navel. Raucous chanting for him to “Drink, drink, drink!”
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started up. With a laugh, the man bent his head and slurped the alcohol out of the woman’s bellybutton. In the murky light, Mitch could just make out the shaggy cut of the man’s light brown hair. Ty Butler. Ty. Friggin’. Butler. Who the hell had invited him? He was the last person Mitch wanted to see. The sight of him alone was enough to make fury course through his veins, a hotter burn than the strong alcohol. Watching him run his tongue all over some strange woman’s stomach when Hayley was off by herself, perhaps wondering at loverboy’s whereabouts… Mitch’s rage was like fire. Bastard. The man had Hayley, and he was here doing shots out of a stripper’s navel. His anger mounted when the dancer sat up and proceeded to jiggle her breasts in Ty’s face. Clearly enjoying the attention, Ty smiled like the cat that caught the canary and stuffed a bill into the woman’s cleavage. Unbe-friggin’-lievable. He could have been sprinting, but it felt like he was walking through mud as Mitch headed over there. By the time he got to Ty, the stripper had moved on to someone else, freeing Mitch to grab the other man by the shoulder and haul him out of his chair. He’d never hit another human being in his life, but the instinct to swing came out of nowhere, unstoppable. His clenched fist and Ty’s jaw connected with a satisfying thwack. A split second later, Ty retaliated, landing a punch on the left side of Mitch’s face. Mitch’s brain felt positively dislodged. Just as Mitch had never thrown a punch, neither had he ever received one. It hurt. Not even the alcohol could shield him from it. Cursing, Mitch brought his fist back once more, the innate
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urge to meet violence with violence coursing through him. Someone wrapped an arm around his waist and yanked him backward, preventing his fist from making contact a second time. Mitch yelled across at Ty, who was also being held back by one of the party guests, “You don’t deserve her!” Ty appeared mystified. “Who—the stripper?” “Hayley, you idiot,” Mitch spat in disgust. “You’re the one she wants, and you don’t even give a shit.” Ty had the audacity to laugh. “Jesus. And you call me an idiot.” The other man’s laughter made Mitch’s anger flare afresh. He struggled to free himself but either his captor was too strong or Mitch was too drunk to make escape feasible. “Let me go.” “Don’t think that’s wise right now.” The voice carried a British accent and no small amount of mirth. “Mitch, why don’t you take a walk and cool off?” It was Luke’s voice, deliberately neutral as he stepped up to Mitch’s other side and slipped into rescue mode. “This isn’t doing you any good.” “Forget it, I’ll go.” At Ty’s proclamation, the man who’d been holding him let go. Ty shrugged his shoulders, a ghost of a smile playing with his lips. “I s’pose someone’s got to be the bigger man here.” Mitch leapt forward, only to be held back once again by the British guy and Luke. Ty laughed outright. “Stop it, Wood, you’ll pull a muscle. I told you, I’m going.” Ty took a couple of steps toward Mitch so he was standing just close enough for his low murmur to be heard above the still-thumping pop music. “I have a date with a lady, a cute blonde with the tightest, wettest little puss—”
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Pain arrowed through Mitch’s head. Ty swore graphically and stumbled back, clutching his face. Long seconds after the fact, Mitch realized that he’d head-butted the man. This really was a night for firsts. In a flurry of movement, several men escorted Ty out of the club, while Luke and Aidan took Mitch to the bar and forced him to drink water, followed by coffee, followed by more water. They needn’t have bothered trying to sober him up. The self-inflicted knock on the head seemed to have dispelled the effects of his earlier intoxication. Everything was so much clearer to Mitch now. Ty Butler was a reprobate of the first order, and if Hayley got any further entangled with the man, she was bound to end up hurt. Besides, Luke had been right before. Mitch wasn’t the type to concede, it wasn’t in him. He couldn’t give up on Hayley—not yet. Not until he’d exhausted every last option available to him.
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Chapter Six
Mitch snuck out of the club before anyone else could force caffeine or Evian down his throat. The fragrant air outside swept over him as he walked around the edges of the lagoon-style pool that marked the center of the resort. It was built to resemble a tropical oasis and was surrounded by towering palm trees. The moon was a fat orb shining down on the surface of the water, making it sparkle brighter than the pole dancer’s sequins. He wasn’t sure where he was headed until he saw the lights of Bar Evoke glowing on the other side of the pool and heard the music pumping from inside. The hen’s night. Of course, that’s where Hayley would be. Filled with renewed resolve, Mitch started in that direction. He was only meters from the club’s entrance when he saw a couple emerge. The man was none other than Ty Butler. Behind him he dragged a protesting Hayley. Neither saw him as they headed in the opposite direction, toward the moonlit lagoon. On autopilot, Mitch followed the sound of splashing water until he saw them both standing in the shallows of the pool. Hayley’s dress hit her midthigh, and now the water lapped around the hem, the ripples phosphorescent where the shine cast by the moon clashed with that emanating from the underwater lighting. “I don’t know, Ty,” Hayley was saying. “I think we need to talk.” “Come on, don’t tell me watching that buff guy rip off his fireman’s uniform didn’t get you hot.” Ty reached down to clasp Hayley’s butt in his hands. He
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murmured something into her ear that Mitch couldn’t make out. Then he began inching her dress upward. “Ty…” The uncertainty in Hayley’s voice propelled Mitch forward. If Butler was going to push the issue… Mitch halted in midstride when Ty pulled Hayley’s shift dress up and over her shoulders. She wore a pair of brief blue panties that sat low on her hips and revealed the swirling design of her tattoo. In the moonlight, Mitch could see all of it—the intricately etched tropical flowers, their stems intertwining to form a frame for a word, a single word written in bold cursive. Freedom. Mitch was a heartbeat away from storming into the water and scooping Hayley into his arms, taking over the situation because he wanted things his way. But that one word and all its implications had him welded to the spot. Was that what Hayley wanted above all else—her freedom? If that was the case, dragging her off to his room to keep her captive until she admitted she had feelings for him was the last thing she’d accept. “You’re so perfect, Hales.” Ty’s soft praise echoed Mitch’s thoughts. Hayley Bryant was perfect, exactly as she was. Mitch didn’t want to change a thing about her, even if it meant accepting this…desire of hers. The one she’d expressed to him that very morning. I want you to watch Ty do all sorts of naughty things to me. Jesus. Could he do it? Would it be worth it if it meant he could have Hayley to himself after—any way he wanted, as she’d promised? Ty reached up and caressed Hayley’s pert breast. Mitch saw the way Hayley responded, her lithe body curving in the silver-blue light. Although he wished he was the one touching her, the sight of her near-naked body being stroked and
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caressed stirred Mitch’s carnal interest. He grew hard inside his cargos, his erection a thing that pulsed with a life of its own. He hated Butler, but the sight of him playing Hayley’s body like a fiddle turned Mitch on. He was officially messed up. Five, ten minutes tops, Mitch told himself. Do whatever it takes to get through it, and she’ll be yours. He could prove to her control wasn’t the most important thing in his life, that he didn’t want to manage her or make her fit any kind of mold. Mitch had to believe it would be worth it.
Hayley didn’t want Ty. She ought to. He was doing everything the way he knew she liked, and she was in dire need of sexual release, that was for darn sure. The hard-bodied stripper dressed as a fireman who had burst into McKenzie’s hen’s night was enough to get any red-blooded girl going. After the day Hayley had spent— avoiding both Mitch and Ty while being unable to stop fantasizing about them both—she was practically aflame. But not for Ty. Despite having had him on her mind all day, in her imaginings, Mitch had always been there too. Watching. His gaze would burn upon her as Ty made love to her. Before Ty could finish, Mitch would always stop him. He’d drag Hayley away and take her fast and hard, claiming her as his right in front of Ty. It was what she wanted most, for Mitch to challenge Ty for her. Dallying with Ty was wrong on every level now that she could admit that to herself. She pushed at Ty’s chest until he stopped kissing her neck and looked at her. Before she could say anything, Ty repeated in a low voice the thing he’d whispered in her ear a few moments ago. “One last hurrah, Hales.”
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He knew she wanted to end it, and he wasn’t going to make it difficult for her. He wanted to say goodbye, that was all. And seeing as sex was kind of how they’d said hello, Ty’s suggestion made perfect sense. If only Hayley could muster the required enthusiasm. Spinning her around, Ty pressed her back against one of the smooth rocks that rimmed the pool. He bent his head and captured a nipple in his mouth. Hayley let him, waiting for the usual sensations to take over, staring over Ty’s shoulder at… Mitch. Hayley blinked. The moon had to be playing tricks on her, creating mirages out of her deepest fantasies. Her heartbeat accelerated as she acknowledged he was real. Mitch stood beside the pool, clutching the trunk of a palm tree as though using it as an anchor. She sensed the intensity of his gaze, hot and electric, on her. He was doing what she’d asked of him, rising to the challenge she’d issued. It happened then in a liquid rush. Heat slicked a path inside her, firing her erogenous zones and coating her sex with cream. Ty bit down gently on her nipple, and she let out a throaty cry. “That’s it, Hales, now we’re talking.” Hayley’s breath shallowed out. She was hot, and she throbbed everywhere. “Don’t go away.” Ty muttered an agreement into her cleavage as he shifted his attention to her other breast, but Hayley’s gaze remained fixed on Mitch. In the light cast by the moon, she saw his fingernails dig into the tree trunk, as though that was the only thing stopping him from rushing forward and tearing her away from Ty. How long would he hold out before he did it?
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The question fired her arousal. She arched against Ty, encouraging him to take her hard into his hot mouth. Mitch stood in the murky shadows, appearing almost sinister. His pants were wrinkled, his white shirt open to the center of his chest as though it missed a button, and the dark line along his jaw gave an indication that he had not shaved. Hayley couldn’t remember ever seeing Mitch unshaven. Suddenly, regret stole through her. She’d visualized him jealous, possessive, but not defeated. Watching her like this was painful for him. The confirmation that he cared enough about her to be truly distressed by seeing her with Ty should have brought with it at least a modicum of satisfaction, but all Hayley felt was shame. A lump formed in her throat, and her eyes stung. She had to put a stop to this. Mitch—and Ty—deserved better from her. Hayley opened her mouth to have the talk with Ty she should have had the second he’d kidnapped her from the hen’s night. It’s over. I am still in love with Mitch. “You get off on this, don’t you?” Ty rasped in Hayley’s ear before she could say anything. “You love it with him watching.” Hayley’s heart hung suspended in her chest. Ty knew. Somehow he knew Mitch was waiting in the shadows, observing them. Ty’s soft chuckle made shivers of erotic delight dance over her skin. “I know what you’re into. When you’ve passed me over for him, I hope you’ll always remember that I was the guy who discovered this side of you.” “Ty… My God.” Hayley bit her lip when Ty reached between their bodies and sought out the slick, swollen lips of her sex. He probed her wet entrance, causing her hips to buck as though of their own volition. “Arch your back, Hales. Show him those gorgeous tits.”
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This can’t be happening. It was all so surreal—surreal and intensely erotic, like one of her fantasies. It was that sense of unreality that allowed her to follow Ty’s instructions. Hayley gripped the flat surface of the rock at her back and arched her spine, putting some distance between her body and Ty’s, shamelessly displaying herself for his—and Mitch’s—visual enjoyment. A whisper of cool night air brushed over the tips of her breasts, causing the already puckered flesh to tauten. Ty drove his finger all the way inside her primed channel, and Hayley thrust into the touch instinctively, rocking to the pace of his plundering, imagining—God help her—that it would soon be Mitch driving into her wetness. She’d promised him, after all. If he did this, she would do anything he asked, any way he wanted her to do it. The very thought caused her inner muscles to spasm. Ty groaned, enjoying her response. Hayley bit her lip and stared at the place where Ty now added a second finger and began driving them in and out of her body. She was suddenly afraid to look at Mitch again. What if she was wrong? What if he wasn’t turned on? Worse, what if he was disgusted by her behavior? Holding her breath, Hayley once again glanced over at the edge of the pool. Mitch was leaning against the trunk of the palm tree now, as though his legs had grown weak. As Hayley watched, he lowered his fly and took out his erect cock. It was long and thick and so red with arousal Hayley could see its flushed state even in the meager light. He grabbed it at the base and squeezed, as though forcing himself not to come. Hayley sensed his gaze upon her face, unwavering, as he slowly began stroking up and down. Hayley convulsed around Ty’s fingers, so excited was she by the sight of Mitch masturbating. “So wet,” Ty said. “Do you want him to watch while I fuck you?”
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Instead of answering right away, Hayley raised her eyes until they connected with Mitch’s. She let the question hang in the air between them, giving him the opportunity to say no. To stop this before it went further than he wanted it to. Mitch said nothing. He merely stared back at her, his eyes growing hooded as he continued to slowly pump his erection in his fist. “Hales?” At some point Ty had donned a condom. Now, his shaft rested at her entrance, a demand and a request at once. Hayley tore her gaze from Mitch, transferring it to Ty. She’d never seen him appear anything other than devilishly self-assured, but now there was uncertainty in his whisky-brown eyes. Briefly, he glanced over his shoulder at Mitch, then back at Hayley. “You want me to stop?” Although she wasn’t at all sure what she wanted anymore, Hayley shook her head. She couldn’t speak over the lump that had formed in her throat. He wasn’t going to prevent this. Mitch wasn’t going to fight Ty for her. Never in his life had Mitch had to battle so hard against his primal instincts. He wanted to rush over to the couple in the water and tear them apart. The need to curl his hands around Ty Butler’s throat and squeeze was like a living, firebreathing dragon inside him. The thought that he might just kill the guy if he laid a hand on him stopped Mitch from doing it—that and the knowledge that this was what Hayley wanted. She wanted her freedom, and in exchange she would give herself to him afterward. It was the anticipation of afterward that had Mitch’s cock pulsing in his hand, that had that hand moving as though of its own accord—up and down, over and over again. In the water, Hayley arched her body, opening it to the man who stepped between her thighs. Mitch forced himself to believe the other man didn’t
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matter. Hayley was beautiful, and she was his. He would show her how completely he could make her his. Afterward. This was just…foreplay. A moan fell out of Hayley’s lips as Ty entered her, a long, slow sound of pleasure that skittered over Mitch’s senses. If Butler had been anything other than gentle in his movements, Mitch might have given in to his instincts and beat the man to a pulp. But he rocked into Hayley with a hypnotic rhythm that made her eyes drift closed and her head fall backward. Her enjoyment was so obvious it delighted Mitch—and killed him at the same time. “Babe, you’re so tight and hot.” Ty’s pronouncement grated on Mitch’s nerves, even as it made his cock jerk. “You like how my dick feels inside you?” Hayley gasped as Ty shifted his hips, changing the angle of his thrusting. “Yes.” “Still wish he was the one fucking you, though. Right?” Mitch’s heart stopped beating in the moment before Hayley replied. She opened her eyes and glanced at Ty before turning her face away as though ashamed. “Yes.” “Shh, it’s okay.” Ty placed a kiss against Hayley’s temple, wrapping his arms around her as he continued to stroke inside her body. It was Mitch’s turn to look away. Witnessing the tenderness between them was worse than the sexual interplay. Yet at the same time Mitch was relieved—for Hayley’s sake—that Ty Butler was capable of showing that tenderness. “It’s been fun, hasn’t it?” There was a wistful note to Ty’s query. Hayley’s voice vibrated with a sadness to match. “It sure has.”
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Hayley’s gaze once again connected with Mitch’s, and he saw it all in her eyes. She might not love Ty, but the man meant something to her. He’d been a part of this transformation of hers, and because of that he would always own a piece of Hayley’s heart that Mitch couldn’t touch. The idea lanced him, but Mitch fought to accept it. If he’d embraced his feelings for Hayley two years ago she would never have gone off and met Ty, so the man’s involvement in Hayley’s life was Mitch’s own damn fault. Never again, Mitch assured himself. You’ll never let her go again. “Goddamn, Hales. I can’t hold on much longer.” Over Ty’s shoulder, Hayley surveyed Mitch, her gaze trailing over his open shirt and pants, coming to rest meaningfully on his abused hard-on. She said, “Then don’t,” and Mitch felt a surge of heat in his balls that made him grit his teeth. “Do it. Come for me.” As the pace of Ty’s thrusts accelerated, so did the movements of Mitch’s hand. He couldn’t help himself. Hayley was so damn sexy, so sure of her ability not only to please Ty but to drive Mitch to desperation while she did it. Her sexual confidence was a massive turn-on. That combined with the pure visual spectacle before him was enough to make Mitch admit he wasn’t in control of this—Hayley was. If she wanted him to see this through to the end, he would. “Hales, are you close?” “Uh-huh.” Hayley’s gaze never left Mitch’s as she rotated her hips with a moan. Ty let out a litany of curses as he started to pound into her body, harder, faster. Mitch worked his cock, unable to stop himself. His balls were hot, his staff throbbing with the need for release. Dear God, he was going to enjoy turning the tables on Hayley. Next time she would be the one losing her mind. She’d be bound, helpless, quivering with carnal desires that only Mitch could satisfy.
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“Harder. Oh yes, please.” The word, the way Hayley pinned Mitch with a stare as she said it, had heat exploding inside him. As Ty groaned and pumped his hips in a wild release, Mitch swore and let the inevitable claim him. His seed shot out of him in a hot burst, spilling onto the sand at his feet. His eyes drifted closed, but he could sense Hayley’s gaze burning into him as he gave himself over to orgasm. Only then did he hear the gasping moans that heralded her climax.
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Chapter Seven
“You need to leave, Butler. Now.” Although he’d withdrawn from her body and refastened his board shorts soon after they’d both climaxed, Hayley sensed the tension that threaded its way through Ty’s body at Mitch’s autocratic demand. He turned to face Mitch. “Why—you gonna hit me again?” Hayley’s glance darted toward Mitch. Once again he appeared composed and in command, his clothes arranged neatly. If she hadn’t watched him masturbate to orgasm with her own eyes, Hayley would never have believed him capable of losing it that completely. This new piece of information was like another blow to her view of Mitch as the one man who never lost his cool. He’d hit Ty? “Don’t tempt me,” Mitch drawled. “Get away from her now, or so help me— ” Ty’s caustic laugh cut off Mitch’s threat. “You know what, Wood? I’m not sure you’re good for her. I might have to stick around and make sure she doesn’t get hurt.” Hayley placed her hand on Ty’s chest. “Ty.” Ty turned back to face her and all the antagonism seeped out of his expression, to be replaced by tender acceptance. “Hell, I knew how things were going to go the second I saw you dancing with him last night, Hales. I just don’t feel like making it easy for him.”
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Hayley smiled sadly. “Then make it easy for me. For now, please. We can talk tomorrow.” “Ah, babe.” Ty sighed and brushed a hank of her hair behind her ear. “If that’s what you want.” Hayley nodded. “I’m sorry if I—” “Don’t.” Ty silenced her apology with a finger pressed to her lips. His grin was familiar in its brashness. “Nothing hurts me, Hales. I’m practically Teflon.” He placed a kiss to her forehead. Hayley closed her eyes and let her affection for this man flow through her. Affection, not love. Neither of them had allowed their mutual attraction to expand into anything more significant. Hayley couldn’t be certain of Ty’s reasons, but for her it had been because she’d already given her heart to somebody else, and she’d never really gotten it back. Ty turned away and strode out of the water, right by Mitch. Before he departed, he stopped and said over his shoulder. “I know what you think of me, but you’re wrong. I do care about her.” Ty flicked Hayley a glance, his lips tilting slightly. “If it doesn’t work out, you call me.” He winked and added, “Hot stuff.” As Mitch’s shoulders tensed, Ty’s smile broadened. Ratbag that he was, he’d tacked on the “hot stuff” just to piss Mitch off. Once Ty moved away, Hayley and Mitch stood facing each other in utter silence. Only the muted sounds of music filtering out from the hen’s night and the soft lapping of the water punctured the quiet. Suddenly hyperaware of her nudity, Hayley located her dress on a nearby rock and held it against her. Only then did she realize how badly her hands shook. Suddenly Mitch was walking toward her, apparently uncaring that his trip into the water soaked the legs of his trousers. The implacable lines of determination that marked his face made Hayley’s breath catch. Mitch said nothing as he closed the distance between them. He remained silent as he wound
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his arms around her and gathered her tight to his chest. Still without uttering a word, he slanted his mouth over hers and kissed every last ounce of breath from her lungs. Hayley’s pulse raced as his kiss claimed her. That’s what it was, a claiming. This was Mitch branding her, obliterating every last memory of the way Ty’s body had so recently possessed hers. The all-consuming power of Mitch’s kiss, the bold, sensuous thrust of his tongue, caused more of a physical response in Hayley than anything Ty had ever done to her. If there had been a shred of doubt remaining that she’d made a mistake in ending things with Ty, Mitch’s kiss would have eradicated it. With a primal growl that vibrated against Hayley’s lips and spread tremors through her entire being, Mitch tore his mouth from hers. His blue gaze appeared otherworldly in the strange blue light of the moon reflecting off the water. “Never again, Hayley.” Hayley wasn’t sure if he meant never again would she give herself to Ty, or never would she give herself to any other man. She found it didn’t matter. That kiss had emphatically reminded her that Mitch was the only man she’d ever wanted so badly her bones turned liquid from the pure intensity of it. She shook her head. Her reply was barely a whisper. “Never.” Abruptly, Mitch lifted her, cradling her against his chest. He carted her out of the pool, strode across the sand until he found the path that wound its way throughout the resort grounds. Her dress was crumpled between their bodies. She was naked and being dragged around Bilby Island by a man who appeared almost possessed with the need to reach his destination. Hayley seriously hoped nobody got in his way. Before long, Mitch located the patio of his room. He never lost his grip on Hayley as he stepped over the low railing and slid open the glass door that led
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into his suite. Once inside, he stalked to the bed and promptly deposited her on the mattress with an undignified plop. He moved to the minibar. When he returned, he switched on the bedside lamp and Hayley saw he carried a bottle of whisky. In the light, she could she how everything in his stance radiated tension. “Did you enjoy torturing me?” The barely leashed fury underpinning his question sent a shiver racing over Hayley’s spine. “You could have stopped me anytime you wanted.” “You didn’t want me to stop you.” “Maybe you don’t have any idea what I want.” Mitch’s eyes narrowed, their blue glittering. With no more warning than that, he bent down and nudged her shoulder with his, until she fell back against the mattress. He was on top of her in an instant, his clothed body covering her naked one. He used one of his large hands to trap both of her wrists above her head while with his teeth he pulled the cork from the bottle of alcohol. The strong aroma wafted out, assaulting Hayley’s senses. “I hate that I can still smell him on you. I’m going to wipe every trace of him from your body tonight, Hayley. Starting now.” He dripped some of the scotch onto Hayley’s breast before dipping his head to lick it off. The combination of wetness and heat made her squirm in decadent pleasure and arch into Mitch’s mouth. Dear God, his mouth…he worked her nipple with his lips and tongue like a man who knew all her secrets. When he brought his teeth into play in a gentle scrape, Hayley cried out. Her heart pounded in anticipation as Mitch splashed more of the drink on her stomach, following the rivulets down with his lips. When he dripped whisky onto her slick folds, Hayley gasped at the slight burn, her hips bucking. She let
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out a long, keening moan when Mitch lowered his head and lapped at the combined flavor of the alcohol and her own juices. Hayley’s thighs fell open in immediate acquiescence, allowing him full access to her feminine spaces. Mitch added two fingers to his offensive, burying them deep inside her channel and plunging them in and out. He bathed her in whisky and drank it from her, licking and sucking and fucking her with his fingers until her eyes grew heavy-lidded and a moan fell out of her mouth. She was moving toward a fast, furious climax when, with a long, parting lick, Mitch lifted his head and stared into her face. “What was that you were saying about me not knowing what you want?” “Uh…” Had she really said that? “You don’t value your freedom as much as you pretend you do,” Mitch accused as he continued to slowly—too slowly—pump his fingers into her. “What you want is to be taken, to know what it’s like to feel owned, totally possessed by another person. I’m right, aren’t I?” He was half right. What Hayley had always longed for was to know how it was to be owned and possessed by Mitch, only Mitch. It frightened her how much she wanted his love. Yet she knew she wouldn’t stop what was about to happen. She’d never been so turned on in her life. She tried to project some flippancy, but the thickness of her voice probably gave her away. “A deal is a deal, Mitch. I said I’d let you do whatever you wanted.” His smile was knowing. “This has nothing to do with the deal. You’re so wet my fingers glide right in and out of you with no trouble at all. How does it feel?” Hayley swallowed to keep from begging him to replace his fingers with his cock. “Good.”
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Mitch’s smile widened, as though he knew her answer was the understatement of the year. “I’m going to enjoy making you beg, Hayley.” She whimpered her disappointment as he levered off her to stand by the bed. Discontent turned to anticipation when Mitch started releasing the buttons of his shirt with jerky movements. He growled, “Lie back in the middle of the bed.” There was no refusing him, not when he used that tone of voice. Hayley’s heart pounded as she shuffled to the center of the mattress and lay down with her head on the pillow that Mitch must have used the night before. It smelled pleasantly of his spicy aftershave. Mitch walked to the foot of the four-poster bed, shucking his shirt as he moved. Hayley’s mouth dried out at the sight of him shirtless. The lines of his upper body were lean yet corded with latent strength. His arms were toned with muscle and his chest was smooth, his taut abdomen the same save for a small swirl of golden hair that encircled his navel and disappeared into the waistband of his trousers. “I hope you’re not too fond of this dress.” The ripping sound that rent the air made Hayley start. She stared in astonishment as Mitch proceeded to tear the garment to shreds. Realization began to dawn when she noticed he’d turned her dress into several long strips of midnight blue silk. Four, to be precise. One, she presumed, for each arm and each leg. Oh boy, oh boy. Her heart hammered as anxiety darted through her. She’d never been tied up before. Exactly how far into this whole dominant thing was Mitch? What if he did something she wasn’t prepared for? Did he like to inflict pain? Would she enjoy it if he did? What if she couldn’t please him?
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“Spread your legs.” Her sex performed a rapid clutch and release in response to his demanding tone. Hayley watched Mitch’s face as she did his bidding, easing her thighs apart. He didn’t take his eyes away from her for a second. The tense lines around his mouth were the only indication that restraining himself took effort. “That’s good,” he growled softly. Then he moved toward her right foot. The brush of his fingers against her flesh raised goose bumps, but he didn’t touch her anywhere other than her ankles and wrists as he bound her to the queen-sized bed’s four posts. By the time he drew tight the last knot Hayley’s pulse was racing in her ears and her nipples were beaded to fine points. She eyed Mitch’s taut chest as he leaned over her and had to lick her lips to wet them. “Do I have to call you master?” He seemed a little surprised by her question, even a bit amused. “That won’t be necessary.” No, she supposed it wouldn’t. There wasn’t any doubt who was in charge here, or who was mastering whom. When she was spread-eagled and firmly secured to the bed, Mitch stepped back to admire his handiwork. He walked around her, his gaze burning Hayley’s skin. She could do nothing to hide herself, nothing to stop him looking his fill. The thought shot a thrill through her blood and made her nipples stand to attention. Mitch noticed the reaction and remarked, “You like being bound.” “Yes.” “Why?”
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Instinctively Hayley tried to shrug but she couldn’t because of how she was tied. “I don’t know.” Moving to the foot of the bed, Mitch bent down and placed a tiny kiss to the very tip of her toe. “Think harder.” While he waited for her reply, he brushed his lips lightly over her instep, causing a shiver to rack Hayley’s body. Usually her feet were ticklish, but now all she felt was an unadulterated sexual response. When he swirled his tongue around the point of her ankle, her sex pulsed. “Hayley.” He actually wanted her to answer his questions coherently. Hayley searched through the fog in her mind for a response that would satisfy him. “I like being exposed.” She felt his lips curve against her calf. “My little exhibitionist. What else?” Formulating words became increasingly difficult when Mitch’s mouth moved up and up, his lips searing a trail from her calf to her inner thigh. “Um…anticipation. I don’t know what you’re going to do to me, and it’s exciting.” “What about the fact that I can do whatever I want and you can’t stop me? Is that exciting?” The underlying threat in his words made her heart skip a beat. It also made her pussy writhe in a delicious undulating motion. She knew Mitch would never physically hurt her, but the sheer vulnerability of the position she was in highlighted his strength and power while making her feel small and intensely feminine. It shouldn’t have thrilled her, but on some primitive he-man, me-woman level, it did. “Hayley?”
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Mitch’s mouth hovered over her pussy. The breath he released when he spoke her name was a warm, teasing caress on her damp folds. “Yes, it’s exciting. You can put any part of your body into any part of mine—your tongue, your fingers, your cock. And I want all of it. All of it.” Her words pulled a guttural sound from his throat. He lowered his head and rewarded her candor with a long, slow lick that bathed her clit in sensation. Her spread-eagled position left her wide open and available for Mitch’s caresses, and he took full advantage. His eyes remained open and fixed on hers as he suckled her, and watching him do it was almost as arousing as having him do it. When he slowly penetrated her with his finger, Hayley tried to arch her back to invite a deeper invasion. She couldn’t because of the bonds. All she could do was lie still and feel every nuance of pleasure that Mitch delivered and hope to hell he didn’t stop. “Hmm, so sweet,” he murmured before lifting his head, leaving Hayley hanging on the precipice of what promised to be an explosive orgasm. Hayley writhed, almost weeping with frustration. “Mitch.” Mitch regarded her with an expression of faux innocence and very deliberately licked her juices from his lips. “Yes?” Hayley whimpered. “Please.” Mitch wiggled his finger inside her one last time before withdrawing. With agonizing slowness, he swirled the dampness he’d collected from inside her around the hard point of her nipple. “What are you asking me for, sweetheart?” Hayley’s heart stuttered. He’d never used an endearment to address her before. The warmth that spread through her increased her arousal. That and the teasing circular motions of his finger over her nipple made her desperate enough to be graphic. “Kiss my pussy again. Lick me and make me come. Please.”
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His eyes glittered with lust. Her words fired his arousal, Hayley knew it. But when he bent his head to her it was to take her peaked nipple into his mouth. It was no gentle assault. He applied suction, suckling hard on her beaded flesh until the pressure grew so intense if felt like a bite. Dear Lord. He was giving her a love bite on the nipple. “God, Mitch!” He released her flesh and bathed it soothingly with his tongue. “That sounds like a complaint. You don’t like the way I suck your nipple?” The stern thread in his tone made Hayley bite her lip. She didn’t want to imagine what retribution might be ahead if she dared critique the speed of his performance. “No, no complaint. I like it.” Mitch responded by starting in on her other breast, licking and sucking hard on the pebbled crest until Hayley was panting with need so intense it made her see spots. Her clit throbbed, a fevered bundle of nerves begging for more of Mitch’s attention. Her pulse pounded in her ears, but not so loudly it drowned out the erotic sound of Mitch’s skilled, relentless sucking or the harsh rasp of her shallow breaths. When Mitch at last lifted his head, her nipples were red raw, almost purple. Mitch’s brand, a mark of ownership on her sensitive skin. Tenderly, Mitch stroked her breasts, fondling the soft mounds and gently stroking their abused peaks. The gentleness after the sharp pleasure-pain of moments ago brought an ache to Hayley’s heart. “Mitch, I need you. Please.” “You need me to make you come.” Hayley nodded. “How long are you going to make me wait?” “As long as I want to.” Mitch’s expression darkened. “Do you have any idea what it was like for me, watching you with him? How badly I wanted what you denied me?”
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If this was payback it really was a bitch. “Are you punishing me for that?” His smile was arrogant to the point of smug. “If I were punishing you, Hayley, you’d know it.” A frisson of carnal excitement skittered through her. God, was Mitch into that too? Hayley’s sex pulsed, grew wetter. She squirmed on the mattress. “Mitch…Mitch, please. Make me come. I’ll do anything. I’ll say anything you want.” “Say your orgasms are mine.” He was so ready with that demand, Hayley wondered if he’d been waiting for his moment to issue it. “That I’ll be the one to decide if and when you have one.” If? That one word held an inherent warning that she didn’t want to call his bluff on. “Yes, my orgasms belong to you. Only you decide when…or if I have one.” “Very good.” His response was an animalistic growl that signaled mingled satisfaction and sheer, primordial lust. He climbed off the bed, giving each of her nipples a parting nip that made Hayley gasp. She watched, rapt, as Mitch undid his belt and lowered his fly. His movements were efficient, impatient, as he shed his trousers and jocks, revealing his nude body to Hayley for the first time. She’d seen his equipment from within the darkened shadows rimming the pool. But in the improved light of the suite, up close, his sleek, powerful size made Hayley’s mouth water. As she stared at his erection, it jerked as though pleased with her avid gaze. Hayley felt the convulsive response of her own sex, as though it were begging to be filled by Mitch’s cock. Hayley’s voice took on a feral note of its own. “Fuck me, Mitch. Now. Hard.” He took hold of himself, squeezing his shaft at the base, exerting control. “Your pussy—or your mouth?”
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The thought of being forced to take Mitch’s cock deep into her mouth while she couldn’t move, couldn’t object or even turn away, made her hips buck—as much as they could from her trapped position. “Either. I just need you inside me.” He took a step toward her, stroking his length as he moved. “I’d so enjoy making you suck me right now, Hayley. I’d sink deep into your throat, over and over again, watching your pretty lips stroke my cock on every plunge. Then when I couldn’t hold back anymore I’d give you my come, spilling it down the back of your throat. And as I’d need time to recover…” he trailed his gaze over her lazily, from head to bound, spread feet, “…I’d have to start on you all over again.” Something in Hayley broke, splintered into a thousand pieces. He could do it too. He could take his own pleasure at will and leave her on this quaking precipice for hours—hours that she would hate with a passion, and love just as desperately. He really did own her—her body, her soul, her orgasms. Her heart. But then, he’d always had that. Even running to the other side of the world hadn’t released her from those bonds. Hayley let out a long, slow breath, shedding every remaining resistance to Mitch’s domination. Accepting how utterly she did, and always had, belonged to him. “Whatever you want, Mitch. Use me however you please. I’m yours. I have been all along.” The ruthless glint in his eyes disappeared to be replaced by a gentleness Hayley had rarely seen in him. “Oh, sweetheart,” he breathed, his voice choked. Then he pulled open the bedside drawer and plucked out a condom. With shaking fingers he ripped open the foil and rolled on the latex.
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Relief washed through Hayley. At last she was going to have him inside her. She’d never felt such joy. “Thank you.” Mitch shook his head, but didn’t say anything. Instead he climbed back onto the bed, his knees between her splayed legs. “I’m going to pleasure you now,” he announced. “Nothing but pleasure, my Hayley. Take it.” He dipped his head and buried his tongue deep into her pussy. The convulsions began immediately, long rolling spasms that started in her core and spread outward like rays of heated bliss. Her head thrashed on the pillow as Mitch kept up the relentless pressure, circling her clit with his thumb while he lapped at her feminine center, devouring the moisture she offered. Only when she lay boneless and quivering on the mattress, the aftereffects of her climax humming through her, did Mitch stop what he was doing. He turned his attention to the makeshift silk ties, hurriedly jerking the knots loose. It was a relief to feel the blood flowing freely through her stiff limbs again. Hayley moved her legs, sliding them around Mitch’s waist as he leaned above her to tug at the ties on her wrists. She lifted her head and kissed his chest, loving the way his muscles twitched against her lips. When the last tie was gone, Mitch lowered his body to hers, his shaft pressing into her. Hayley arched, welcoming him. He thrust into her in a smooth plunge that made her cry out. Keenly appreciating the freedom to wrap her arms around him, Hayley held him tight to her body as he stroked within her, her nails digging into his back as his pace quickened, desperation and need imbuing each movement with a sense of urgency that thrilled. Soon enough her blood surged, signaling her ascent toward another orgasm. As though sensing it, Mitch slowed his movements. Beneath her fingers, Hayley felt the tension in his shoulders and knew the effort it took him. She tilted her hips. “It’s your turn. Take your pleasure now.”
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His lips twitched. With a tender hand, he pushed a few damp strands of hair back from her face. “Let’s both get what we need.” He rotated his hips, making Hayley moan and close her eyes from the ecstasy of it. Of having Mitch inside her, making love to her. The slow glide of his body into hers, his chest brushing against hers with every skilled stroke, drew the sensations forth, until they caused her inner muscles to grip him in a rapid fluttering motion. “Yes… Oh, God. Mitch. I love you. I love you.” Mitch swallowed her declaration when he covered her mouth with his. His tongue tangled with hers, thrusting into her mouth as his cock thrust into her pussy, over and over. His hips bumped hers as he began to pound into her, harder, faster, until he released himself, his climax meeting hers like one ocean wave crashing into another, tumbling together to become one. Afterward Mitch held her close, the warmth of his body surrounding her as he kissed her forehead, her eyelids, her cheeks. His mouth brushed featherlight over hers, the touch so exquisitely gentle that Hayley’s heart gave way. She’d told him she loved him, and although it had been a spontaneous admission, she’d meant it. It would have been impossible not to notice that Mitch didn’t reciprocate the sentiment in words, but she was reassured by the tenderness of his embrace and the slow, steady thud of his heart against her palm. The words didn’t matter as long as she had Mitch beside her. At least that was what she told herself as she drifted off to sleep.
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Chapter Eight
A pleasant post-orgasmic exhaustion infused Mitch, yet sleep eluded him. Hayley lay curled against his chest, her peaceful breaths fanning across his skin In the moonlight that filtered through the patio doors, the curve of her shoulder appeared as smooth and unblemished as porcelain, her hair like spun gold. She was so precious, so desirable. And she was his. For now, maybe for longer. Please let it be for longer. Mitch was thinking along the lines of a lifetime, but what if Hayley wasn’t there yet? She’d cried out that she loved him a short time ago. The memory caused Mitch’s heart to inflate despite all his efforts to contain it. She’d screamed it in the throes of an intense orgasm. How much stock could he put in it? After all, they’d only just seen each other again after a two-year separation, during which she’d been involved with Ty Butler. How could she be certain of her feelings for Mitch? What if she was confused? What if she changed her mind and went back to Ty? The very notion made Mitch ill. The thought of losing her now was too horrific to contemplate. Mitch was forced to face the truth: he was in love with Hayley Bryant. Whether Hayley’s emotions were genuine or not, Mitch’s were. It was one thing he didn’t have to think through or analyze to the nth degree. He’d been head over heels for the woman in his arms since her first day on the job at the offices of Wood and Markham, and he’d been tying himself in knots trying to ignore those emotions every day since.
Sami Lee
“Mitch?” Hayley’s sleepy murmur broke into Mitch’s thoughts. “I thought you were asleep.” “Hmm, I was.” She snuggled closer to him so her breasts meshed nicely to his chest. She placed a light kiss to his pulse point that made his blood leap against her lips. “What were you lying awake thinking about?” “You,” he said. She let out an indelicate snort. “Yeah, right.” Mitch rolled his eyes. At last he had the correct romantic answer for one of those thorny questions women tended to ask, and Hayley didn’t believe him. “It’s true. Do you remember what you wore the first day you came to work for me?” “Something sedate and professional looking, I imagine,” she sighed. “I wanted to make a good impression.” “It was a black suit, totally shapeless. You had your hair pulled back in this severe bun. You looked like a girl playing dress-up in her mother’s Sunday church clothes.” Hayley shoved at his chest peevishly. “Thanks very much.” “Then after a few weeks, you started arriving in these different outfits, all range of colors,” Mitch went on, recalling that time with a mix of fondness and an acute ache reminiscent of the sexual frustration he’d suffered at the time. He’d responded to her when she’d worn the ugly black suit on day one. When the real Hayley started to emerge, he’d barely been able to keep his physical reactions in check. “Light blue, pink, red. You smiled more and wore unusual shoes—high, high heels on these tiny feet. You left your hair out. It was like watching a flower bloom right before my eyes.” Mitch brushed his lips over her temple, and she trembled against him. “I was enthralled by you.”
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She drew back and met his gaze. “Really?” “Yes, really. Every day I saw you and couldn’t touch you was a torment. But when you weren’t there it was worse. I was grouchy and impossible to work with because I hadn’t gotten my Hayley fix.” Hayley propped her head on one hand and studied his face. “Sometimes I thought I saw you watching me. I felt your gaze, like the electricity in the air. But by the time I turned around you were always wrapped up in something, totally oblivious to me.” Mitch’s lips quirked. The very notion was preposterous. “I was never oblivious to you.” She traced the line of his jaw with her fingers. “I wondered so many times if I was imagining our attraction, even though every instinct I had told me you wanted me. You’re so good at hiding how you feel.” “I think I’m losing the ability to do that,” Mitch admitted. “Ever since I saw you again I’ve been acting like a lunatic.” Her touch trailed over his cheekbone, up to the tender swelling around his left eye. Mitch stifled a wince as she stroked the spot where a bruise would surely form come morning. “Did you really get into a fistfight with Ty?” Mitch grunted unhappily. “He deserved it.” “You started it?” By way of an answer, Mitch shrugged. He was at a loss to explain why he’d hauled Butler out of his chair and walloped him, at least not in a manner that wouldn’t make him sound like a crazed, possessive jerk. Hayley frowned. “Why?” Mitch couldn’t believe she didn’t know. To hell with trying to appear sane. He’d left his good sense behind hours ago. “Because he had you,” he said, “and I couldn’t stand it.”
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“Oh, Mitch. Ty never really had me—we didn’t have each other.” She sighed, seeming to gather her thoughts. “It was like we made a tacit agreement from the very beginning that falling in love was not an option, for either of us. We had…” When she trailed off, burying her face in the pillow as though embarrassed, Mitch finished for her, using the words he recalled her uttering earlier that morning. “A purely sexual affair?” “Yes and no. We became friends, but sex was biggest thing we had in common.” “Okay, I get it.” Mitch couldn’t keep the terse note from his voice. He flopped onto his back and stared up at the canopy draped above the bed. In the light it appeared as pale and fine as gossamer. “I don’t want to talk about him anymore.” Lightly, Hayley touched his shoulder. “Mitch, you can’t pretend I was a virgin before tonight.” An image of her writhing in the resort pool in the arms of another man flashed in Mitch’s mind. “Believe me, the proof of that is indelibly burned on my brain.” Clearly piqued, Hayley flopped down on her own pillow with a thud. “You think I’m overjoyed to know I’m not the only woman you’ve tied up and made beg for mercy? Did they all promise to do anything you wanted, Mitch? Do they always scream that they belong to you?” He couldn’t say no, that he’d never made another woman plead for orgasm the way he had Hayley. What he could give her was another truth. “It never meant anything to me until you said it.” When Hayley uttered those words, Mitch had been struck speechless by the maelstrom of emotions that clogged his throat. All he could do was satisfy the primitive drive to be with her, in her, a part of her.
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And then she’d said she loved him and had knocked him for a loop all over again. Mitch still felt like he had a touch of concussion. Please say it again, he silently urged her. Say it again so I know it wasn’t some crazy fluke. When at last Hayley spoke, what she said was almost as good as any love declaration she could have made. “I want to be yours, Mitch. Only yours.” Mitch let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. He closed his eyes in relief. No more Ty Butler. No more sharing her with anyone. Reaching for her hand where it lay on the mattress, he linked his fingers through hers and squeezed. He growled in satisfaction. “Good.” “Good? That’s all you’ve got to say?” “Fantastic,” Mitch elaborated. “Spectacular. About bloody time. How’s that?” “You’re so annoying!” Hayley tried to extract her hand from his but Mitch wouldn’t let her go. She huffed in frustration. “I was going to apologize for behaving so badly the last couple of days, but now I don’t think I will.” “Don’t. You’re not the only one who’s been acting out of character.” Rolling over, Mitch covered Hayley’s body with his, loving the way her smooth skin slid against his. “I’ve been completely unreasonable since the second I laid eyes on you again. You, sweetheart, screw up my mental faculties.” Her smile appeared, and a wicked gleam came into her eyes. She mimicked his fierce tone of before. “Good.” “I see. Revenge is your game, is it?” She arched a brow. “I can play any game you want me to.” Well, that certainly made Mitch’s erection swell to painful proportions. Still, he felt the need to warn her. “Are you sure you know what a statement like that means to a guy like me?”
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“You mean a guy who likes to dominate in the bedroom? I think I know enough.” “Hayley, I’m serious. I’d never want to scare you or make you uneasy.” “You don’t scare me. In fact, I find you incredibly sexy when you’ve got your bossy pants on.” “My what?” Hayley giggled. “I said, you like to pull on a pair of bossy pants and walk around barking orders at people. And it’s always turned me on.” Having already hardened merely from tussling in the sheets with her, Mitch’s dick expanded to its full, flagrant size. He was too aroused to think of a way to contest her description of his leadership skills, which seemed vaguely belittling. Bossy pants, indeed. After a while, Hayley noted, “You’re speechless.” “I think I should make you pay for your cheek. I’m considering my options.” Not appearing in the least cowed by the warning in his tone, Hayley ran her foot up and down his calf, tilting her hips so her moist folds caressed his rigid shaft. “Do tell. What are these options?” “I could tie you up again.” She made a pretense of yawning. “Been there, done that.” Oh man, her audacity was as sexy as hell. Mitch moved his hips, rubbing his hard cock with precision over her clit. He was rewarded by the mewling sound of pleasure she emitted. “You definitely deserve a spanking.” “Hmm.” Hayley sighed, rocking her pelvis in time with his. “If you say so.” Mitch’s blood leapt. He ventured to add, “With a paddle.” The hitch in her breath was the only clue that he’d surprised her. “Okay.” Dipping his head, Mitch husked the next into her ear while his heart beat a rapid tattoo. “While you’re wearing nipple clamps.”
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The way she stilled made Mitch’s stomach drop. Damn. It was too much. He was too much. Too domineering, too overpowering, too full of base appetites for the woman he was crazy about. Where did that leave him? Lying on top of her while she was struggling to get away, that’s where. The second the meaning of Hayley’s desperate wriggling registered, Mitch rolled on his side so she could escape. “I’d never expect you to do anything you didn’t want to,” he reassured her. “It’s not like I’ve brought anything in my suitcase. Just because I sometimes—” The rest of his sentence was lost when Hayley launched at his chest, using all her weight to roll him onto his back. For a slight woman, she could really knock the wind out of a man. She sat astride his hips, her hair a wild cascade around her shoulders and her smooth skin shining alabaster in the room’s meager light. Her bare breasts rose and fell with her labored breathing, their shadowed crests jutting forward. Hard. Her nipples were hard. “I’ve never even thought about clamps,” she announced. “But with you I’m not sure that there’s anything I wouldn’t try.” Mitch’s lungs compressed. His erection throbbed painfully. God, she was perfect. When he at last spoke, his voice rasped in his throat. “I thought you were making a break for it.” “I was trying to get on top of you.” Mitch grinned, amused. “So I see. Your turn to be in control, is it?” “Darn straight.” She caressed his chest with her fingertips, the light scrape of her fingernails causing Mitch’s flesh to tingle. Bending her head to him, she chased his tingles with her tongue, using lightning-quick flickers to tease his senses. “This time I’m going to be the one to lick every inch of your body. To kiss and worship every part of you until you’re crazy with wanting me.”
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She swirled wetness around the outer rim of his flat nipple, barely touching the tip of her tongue to the pointed center. Mitch’s body came off the bed, an instinctive reaction he couldn’t suppress. “I’m already crazy for you.” He tilted his hips. “Can’t you tell?” Blessedly, Hayley responded to his hint by wrapping her hand around his shaft. Mitch closed his eyes on a sigh when she started stroking up and down while she continued to cover his chest in tiny kisses that fired his every nerve ending. Soon the sheets rustled as she shifted downward. He could feel the warmth of her breath passing over the head of his dick. A bead of precome seeped from him, and with the very tip of her tongue, Hayley licked it off. Christ. She barely had to do anything and he was possessed by the need to grasp her head and make her take him deep into her wet mouth. His hips thrust rhythmically as Hayley continued to circle around the broad head of him, leaving a trail of warm wetness behind that amplified the impact of every hot breath that fanned from between her lips. His penis was hypersensitive to her every touch, to each soft, wet lick she administered. “I liked the sound of what you said before.” Hayley continued to stroke him as she talked. “When you told me you could make me suck you and there wasn’t anything I could do to stop it. I found it arousing, and I don’t know what that says about me.” “It says you’re exquisite.” Mitch groaned as she lapped once more at the head of his cock. He opened his eyes and looked down at her golden head bowing over him and wished there was more than mere moonlight illuminating her. “Jesus, sweetheart. You’re a dream come true.”
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She met his gaze, her dark green eyes appearing black. Mitch sensed rather than saw the pure carnal response in her. “Make me do it now, Mitch. Order me to suck your cock.” It was all Mitch could do to keep from blowing his load right that second. It was as though she anticipated his deepest needs and was letting him know she accepted them. This was Hayley embracing his control-freak nature, telling him to be himself. To put on his damn bossy pants if he wanted to. And he didn’t need to be told twice. “Take me in your mouth, Hayley. Now.” With a soft sigh of delight she did it, wrapping her lips around the head of his cock and slowly taking it into the hot recesses of her mouth. Mitch groaned, relief and yearning making the sound draw out for long seconds while Hayley continued to treat his throbbing staff like a particularly tasty lollipop. “Deeper,” Mitch rasped. “Harder.” She did as she was told, her ready acquiescence intensifying Mitch’s arousal. There was something about a confident woman allowing herself to take the subservient role in bed that made Mitch crazy. The fact that Hayley, the woman he’d longed for but thought for so long he could never have, would do this for him humbled Mitch, made him want to thank every lucky star that had brought about this circumstance. “You’re doing so great, sweetheart.” His words came out in a staccato cadence because his chest was heaving so badly. Mitch reached down and tangled his hand in her lush tresses. When the tip of his staff bumped the resistance of Hayley’s throat, his fingers twisted convulsively. “Ah, Jesus. I don’t want you to ever stop.” She released him with a wet plop. “I don’t want to stop. I like doing this for you.”
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When she made to recapture him in her mouth, Mitch tightened his hold on her hair, stopping her. “Is it making you wet?” She nodded and Mitch’s balls drew tight. Control, Wood. Show some of that legendary control. Mitch cleared the knot of lust from his throat. “Then touch your clit. Do it while you’re sucking me.” Whimpering softly, Hayley took him into her warmth once more. She held him at the base with one hand, plunging his rod in and out of her mouth. Her moans of pleasure vibrated against his dick, telling Mitch that with her other hand she was doing what he’d demanded. The very idea of it made heat gather in his loins. “You can stick your fingers inside your pussy too, move them in and out the way you’re stroking my cock in and out of your mouth.” Mitch could tell she did it by the way her hips rocked back and forth, causing her mouth to come down on him with greater speed and pressure. God, he was close, so close. Hayley was too. She was breathing through her nose in everquickening beats. Mitch tightened his hold on her hair. He ordered, “Don’t come.” The cry that emanated from the depths of her throat was mournful, but the rocking motion of Hayley’s body stilled. She lifted her head, releasing his achy shaft. Then she rubbed her smooth cheek against it in a beseeching gesture. “Mitch, I need to finish.” “You and me both,” Mitch muttered. But when Hayley’s tongue swirled around him, he said, “Wait. Not like this. Come here.” Although it would be so easy for Hayley to decline, to make him climax and herself too, she acquiesced to his urging hand, letting him lift her along his body until she lay atop him. “I wanted to make you come with my mouth.” “I know.” Mitch gazed up at her, at every delicate curve of her features cast in moonlight. “But I had to see your face.”
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Her smile was beatific. “Mitch.” The way she spoke his name with such wonder, such love, made Mitch feel like crying. He hadn’t cried since he was seven years old. His voice was husky with emotion when he commanded, “Touch me now, sweetheart. Stroke me, please.” Rising to her knees to put space between their bodies, Hayley wrapped her fingers around him. The first tender pump of her hand had Mitch gritting his teeth. Reaching down, he located the hot cavern between Hayley’s thighs and delved inside it with two fingers. She arched her spine, pushing back into his invasion. They never broke eye contact as they used their hands to pleasure each other. Stroking, plundering, caressing, rubbing. The frantic fall of Hayley’s breath upon his face forewarned of her climax. Mitch waited, forced himself to hold off until her hips gyrated, her feminine muscles clamping around him and spilling cream onto his hand. Then at last he let go, erupting in a burst of energy and light, experiencing his own intense release to the soundtrack of Hayley’s ebbing pleasure. Mitch held her to him afterward, his erratic heartbeat refusing to decelerate. Dimly he recalled actually saying the word please somewhere during that incredible experience, when he, Mitch Wood, had never pleaded with anyone, man or woman, for anything. She’d lived up to every expectation, every dream he’d had about her. She was both submissive and strong, pliant and unbreakable. There was no one else like her—no one else in the world who could make him feel this off-kilter sense of euphoria. Tonight his intention had been to mark Hayley as his. But at some point, Mitch had become hers too.
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Chapter Nine
The first part of Hayley that awoke was her olfactory sense. The unique concoction of aromas surrounding her told the story of the most amazing night of her life. The faint trace of Mitch’s aftershave that still clung to the pillow beneath her head, the waft of salt air that drifted in through the open patio doors. The musky remnants of sex—hot, frantic hours of awesome, mind-blowing sex— that clung to the fine thread sheets and the piquant scent of the jojoba and lime shampoo the resort provided in its bathrooms. The last brought a lazy smile to Hayley’s face, and she stretched on the mattress like a contented cat. Sometime in the wee hours, Mitch had filled the huge tub in the en suite to the brim with warm water and bubbles and helped her into the bath. In a gesture that had touched her with its romantic bent, he had hurried to collect all the scented candles in the suite, placing them in the bathroom and lighting them. Then he’d climbed into the water with her and washed her all over, from the spaces between her toes to the very top of her head. Which is where the shampoo came in. Hayley had never had a man wash her hair before. It was a surprisingly erotic experience. Then again, everything she did with Mitch was erotic. The hints he’d given about the particular tastes he had in the bedroom only strengthened her desire. Nipple clamps and paddles, eh? Don’t mind if I do, Mitchell Wood. As the fog of her sleepy thoughts started to clear, the sound of Mitch’s voice filtered into Hayley’s peripheral awareness. He was talking to someone, the commanding tone he used one she well recognized. While she couldn’t make out
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the actual words, Hayley would bet all her remaining savings he was conducting business. She rolled on her side and opened her eyes. The sun beat a path into the suite, having burned away all traces of moonlight hours ago. She’d slept late, but Mitch hadn’t. At some stage he’d slipped out of bed, attached himself to that phone of his and started making calls. Silly, but Hayley hadn’t really thought this far ahead. Not as far as this moment, the morning after, and certainly not further ahead than that. The very last thing she’d wanted to contemplate was Sunday, the day Mitch was surely booked to leave Bilby Island. No doubt he had plans to return to work as soon as possible. So where did that leave her? In love with a man who was about to go back to his beloved career, and in the process vanish for fourteen hours a day. He’d be contactable by his staff twenty-four seven. That was how Mitch worked. His company was his baby, his first love. Yet Hayley really wished he was capable of reserving that role for her instead. God, she was such an idiot. “I don’t care if you think it can’t be done, I need you to make it happen.” Mitch had turned away from the view. With him facing the open doorway, it was easier for Hayley to hear every word he said. “Stella, believe me, this is the most important thing in the world to me right now.” His words were like blows, each one battering her heart—the heart she’d stupidly left wide open and vulnerable. As the Stella he was speaking to was doubtless Stella Hanrick, Mitch’s ever-faithful PA, the knowledge that his conversation involved work was inescapable.
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He’d just climbed out of bed with her. Today was his sister’s wedding day. But some business deal was the most important thing in the world to Mitch. “Great, thanks.” The little electronic beep indicated that he’d ended the call. The sheer curtains shifted as Mitch stepped back through the door. When he caught sight of her the little furrow between his brows disappeared. He grinned so goofily that Hayley’s aching heart stopped with a breathtaking thud. “Hey, sleepyhead. I was trying not to wake you.” “That’s okay. It must be time to get up.” Wow, her voice sounded so neutral, so blithe. How in the heck had she managed that? “The wedding’s at four.” “It’s not quite lunchtime, we have hours yet.” The meaningful look he trailed over her sheet-wrapped body as he sauntered toward the bed generated a heat within her that rivaled the tropical sun. When he leaned over her and engaged her mouth in a slow, sensuous kiss, Hayley’s pulse went positively berserk. He pulled back and his smoldering eyes trapped hers. “You are so beautiful in the morning.” Hayley had never felt such a confused whirlwind of emotions. On the one hand, he’d caused little cracks to tear at her heart with the distance he’d put between them before she was even awake. On the other it would be so easy to invite Mitch back into bed so he could really finish the job, rip that organ into tiny pieces. She had to get out of here. She needed space to get her head straight and figure out what she was going to do now—now that the reality of what loving Mitch would mean was staring her in the face. Always taking a back seat to his real passion—his business. Gathering her fortitude, Hayley slipped out from under Mitch when he looked intent on kissing her again. “I should get going.” “Going?” She felt the heat of Mitch’s gaze on her back. “Where?”
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“To my room. I have a wedding to get ready for and all my clothes are there.” “So I’ll have them sent here.” Trust Mitch to have a perfectly logical solution. “It’s fine, the walk will do me good.” “I think we both got plenty of exercise last night,” Mitch drawled. “You don’t need to leave.” The reminder electrified the areas of her body she was trying desperately to ignore. Shifting to the edge of the bed, Hayley searched around for something with which to cover herself. The torn shreds of her blue dress mocked her from the bedside table. You let him do that to you, Hayley. You begged him, you pleaded with him, you allowed him to master you. You gave everything, and he won’t ever give you the same level of devotion back. In the moment, it had been spectacular, there was no denying it. And living in the moment had become Hayley’s motto, but at some point a girl had to start facing her future. If she tried to pursue a relationship with Mitch, she’d never be anything more than a temporary distraction from his work. Hell, she’d be little more than an afterthought, the person Mitch spent time with when he wasn’t doing more important things. Could she live like that? Always playing second fiddle to his job? What if the alternative was living without him? What we have here is a lose-lose situation, Hayley girl. Hayley stood, ignoring the shaking in her knees and the sick feeling in her stomach. In lieu of clothing, she wrapped the bed sheet around her, toga style. “Do you have a shirt I could borrow? I don’t think I should walk around the resort like this.” “I agree. From now on, I’m the only one who gets to see you naked.”
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Hayley could have laughed at how presumptuous that was, but the autocratic thread in his voice triggered responses that were far from humorous. Her nipples peaked against the sheet, and her pussy fluttered. That was the tone he’d used last night when he’d ordered her onto the bed, when he told her to spread her legs, when he demanded she suck his cock. It turned her on even when she was frightened out of her wits that in giving herself to Mitch, she was going to get lost. Her love for Mitch could easily swallow her whole, become a prison. She was the girl with the freedom tattoo. She didn’t want to be locked in a cage, no matter how beautifully it was gilded. “Don’t worry, I’ll find something myself.” Hayley scanned the room until she saw the shirt Mitch had worn last night draped over the back of a chair. She walked over and picked it up, slipping her arms into it and letting the sheet drop to the floor. Fortunately, she was a lot shorter than Mitch so the garment hit her at a modest midthigh. Unfortunately it was redolent with Mitch’s scent and the way it wrapped around her made her chest contract. “What’s your hurry to get back to your room, Hayley?” “No hurry.” Her voice shuddered, betraying her nervousness over the lie. “I just want my clothes. And I really should make sure Ty’s okay.” The second the words were out of her mouth, Hayley realized her mistake. The tension in the air crackled. Somewhere out in the grounds a couple wandered the path that rimmed Mitch’s suite, talking and laughing. The only muscle of Mitch’s that moved was the one that ticked in his jaw as he stared at her. “You’re going to see Butler?” “Not just to see him. To get my clothes, like I said. He’s staying in the room, that’s all.”
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Mitch’s eyes trailed over her barely covered state. “You’re going to meet him dressed like that?” She sent her ripped dress a pointed glance. “I don’t have a lot of choice.” His lips tilted sardonically. “You didn’t complain about that at the time.” No, she sure hadn’t. “I guess there comes a point when a person has to face practical concerns.” “What’s that supposed to mean?” “It doesn’t mean anything,” Hayley huffed. “But the fact is, I’ve treated Ty badly this trip. I invited him here as my guest, and now on the day of the wedding, he’s probably wondering what he’s supposed to do.” That muscle in Mitch’s jaw jumped as though it were going to break skin. His tone was lethal. “You’re not still thinking of taking him to Mack’s wedding.” She hadn’t thought about it at all until this minute. She’d been too wrapped up in the whole Mitch-Ty thing, and then last night she’d practically dumped Ty on his ass in the middle of the pool and run off with Mitch, who had then completely dominated her time, in more ways than one. Everything had been so clear-cut then. She loved Mitch and wanted to be with him. The rest could work itself out later. Now it all seemed so messed-up and confusing. “I can’t tell him not to come,” Hayley explained, realizing the truth of it even as she spoke. “It wouldn't be fair. He’s traveled all this way and Mack’s already paid for the catering—” “Catering? Are you out of your mind?” Mitch thundered, the sudden eruption making Hayley jump. “Who gives a fuck if there’s a leftover plate of chicken? You told me you were never going to see him again.” Had she? In the pool last night Mitch had growled his demand: never again, and she’d agreed. But she’d assumed he meant she’d never have sex with Ty
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again, not that she would sever all contact. “I can’t just abandon him. He’s my friend.” “Bullshit. You told me all you had in common was sex.” “I know, but…” How to explain it? The sex had drawn them together and had motivated them to ensure they bumped into each other as regularly as possible. But somewhere along the way she’d gotten used to bouncing one-liners and ideas off Ty. She was supposed to give up all the other ways in which their relationship had grown because the sex was no longer on the table? Was it fair of Mitch to ask that? Was it reasonable of her to expect him to tolerate her having any kind of relationship with Ty? “If it means anything, I have no intention of having sex with Ty—” “Good to know,” Mitch spat. “—and you’re going to have to trust me on that,” Hayley continued. “Exactly how I trusted you last night, when I let you have the upper hand because I knew it would please you.” “It pleased you too.” “Yes, it did. But you can’t make all my decisions for me, Mitch. You can’t tell me who I can and can’t be friends with.” “Damn it, I don’t like the man. It’s not you I don’t trust, it’s him.” “That’s such a crap line. You think I can’t control myself, or that I still don’t know my own heart after everything I did with you last night, after all the things I said.” Hayley’s face heated at the reminder of what she’d revealed. I love you. Three little words Mitch had chosen not to say in return. Oh, it shouldn’t matter to her. They were only words and it was early days. Mitch might still say them, and
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even if he didn’t, what did it matter if he made her feel like he had while they’d made love—like the most amazing, cherished, adored woman on the planet? It shouldn’t matter, but it did. Mitch’s expression softened. “Hayley, sweetheart, listen to me. I spent half the morning on the phone arranging—” “I know you were on the phone, I heard you. You have to work, it’s what you do.” The statements burst from her lips, carrying a ring of accusation she couldn’t strip from them. “I’m just not sure if I’m strong enough to play second chair to it all the time. A relationship like that isn’t what I want.” “Then what do you want? Something meaningless like you had with Ty? A man you fuck but don’t give yourself to? Someone to have sex with who doesn’t give a shit what you do the rest of the time?” “I want something equal! I need to feel like I’m as vital to the man I’m with as anything else in his life. Let’s face it, Mitch.” She regarded him sadly, the tears welling in her eyes. “That’s not the case here.” Mitch stepped back, regarding her with astonishment. “You don’t think I see you as an equal? You’re the most strong-willed, stubborn, determined woman I’ve ever met. If you think I consider you in any way inferior, you don’t know me at all.” Hayley shook her head, unable to speak over the painful lump that clogged her throat. That wasn’t what she’d meant. He might take a high-handed approach in bed, but Mitch respected women. He’d always treated Hayley like a human being, not merely a girl he wanted to screw. In his business he promoted females as often as males. Merit was what counted at Wood and Markham, there was no boys’ club. And she knew that just because Mitch had mastered her last night, he didn’t consider her his slave. The inequality in their relationship derived from its
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inherent emotions, not from any latent chauvinism on his part. It was simple: Hayley’s feelings were all-consuming, threatening to pull her under. Mitch’s allowed him the room to make phone calls and place conditions on who she could and couldn’t see. If he loved her at all, it wasn’t nearly as much as she loved him. “I can’t do this.” The words tumbled out of her on a sob. “I can’t love you and keep my sanity. It hurts too damn much.” “Hayley, sweetheart.” His voice cracked and began to tremble. “I don’t know how to make you stay. Don’t you know the last thing I want is for you to be hurt?” She swiped at her eyes with the heels of her hands. “I know. You’ve always done your best to protect me. Protect me now, please. Let me go.” Without waiting for an answer, Hayley fumbled with the door handle. When at last her damp palms allowed her to grip and turn the knob, she yanked open the door and bolted into the hall.
Dumbstruck, Mitch watched Hayley vanish as though into thin air. He couldn’t work out how things had gone so wrong, so quickly. One minute he’d been happier than he’d ever been in his life. The next… Mitch dropped onto the bed, devastated. He was devastated. Hayley had run out on him. She’d said something about wanting to see Ty Butler again and it had made Mitch see red—or green if he were honest with himself. He’d never been in a position where he had to war with an opponent for a woman’s affections. The fierce jealousy was a newfound experience and it was making him behave in ways he couldn’t seem to control.
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She was right, in theory—he had no cause to dictate who she could and could not be friends with. Yet he couldn’t possibly cope with the idea of her remaining bosom buddies with Ty Butler. Resting his elbows on his knees, Mitch dropped his head into his hands. Think, Wood. Think. All he could picture was Hayley’s tear-streaked face. All he could hear were her words. I can’t do this. It hurts too much. How had he hurt her? By asking her to stay away from the man she’d been lovers with not twenty-four hours earlier? Was she saying if the situations were reversed, she wouldn’t have a problem with him going to see a former lover while half dressed? If that was true she mustn’t care about him at all. She mustn’t love him like she’d said she did. Mitch’s chest shuddered as he tried to draw breath. She didn’t love him. All he’d done this morning had been a waste. He and his PA had fought tooth and nail to clear his schedule for the rest of the week. Most of those people were going to be extremely unimpressed to find themselves dealing with someone other than Mitch, but he didn’t give a rat’s ass. He’d woken this morning with only one intention—to somehow prove to Hayley Bryant how much she meant to him. Time had been the answer. He knew Hayley was into all this living-in-themoment business. Today he’d been planning to ask her to show him how to live like that. He was going to offer to be her student for the rest of the week, here on the island. He was going to learn to sail and scuba dive, all the things she’d accused him of not doing because of his work. And he’d wanted to do it all with Hayley by his side, day and night, to prove he had time for her. That he would make room for her in his life. “Oh, Christ.” The words tore at his throat and Mitch realized how close he was to shedding tears. He loved her so much. She’d brought him to life three
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years ago when she’d walked into his office dressed in that horrible black suit, smiling from ear to ear. She’d done it again when she’d taken him to the beach yesterday morning, showing him all he’d been missing. He loved her, and even knowing that, she’d walked out on him. Something about that last thought made him still. What if she didn’t know how he felt? He hadn’t said the words. He’d chosen to wait, to give Hayley a chance to confirm or retract what she’d said when she’d been caught up in the storm of her orgasm. But she had to know, surely. He’d confessed how long he’d ached for her. He hadn’t been able to control his desire for her—he’d been hard all damn night. And each time he’d reached across the bed, she’d been there. Willing, passionate, eager. Loving. She’d loved him to within an inch of his life. She’d even told him how she felt in explicit terms, while he’d kept his cards close to his chest. What had he been waiting for? An engraved invitation? No, he’d been waiting for verification. Like Hayley’s love was a contract he needed notarized before he committed to going ahead with the deal. Wood, you are one grade-A fucking moron. Every instinct was screaming for him to run after Hayley and admit what an idiot he’d been. But her final words gave Mitch pause. Protect me now, please. Let me go. Was he supposed to ignore that plea? Or would she get even more riled that he hadn’t respected her wishes? How could he have reached the age of thirty-bloody-four and still not know a damn thing about women? Although he’d just scored extremely low on a relationship IQ test he hadn’t even been aware he was taking, he was still smart enough to know he was out of
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his depth. If he went ahead alone, chances were he’d stuff things up further. Picking up the hotel phone, he dialed a few numbers. When his call was answered, he launched straight into it. “How did you get my sister to marry you?” “Mitch?” Aidan asked. “Is this some last-minute attempt to voice an objection?” “I have no objection. Anyone can see you’re good for McKenzie. I need to know how you made her see that.” “I didn’t make her see anything. She saw for herself—eventually. It took a couple of decades.” Mitch groaned. “I can’t wait that long. I’ve already wasted enough time.” “Okay. Any chance you’ll tell me what this is about—or should I ask who it’s about?” Mitch hesitated. He’d been so careful all these years never to let Mack know anything untoward had happened between him and Hayley. The way Aidan and Mack were sewn at the hip recently, telling Aidan the truth might be tantamount to revealing all to Mack as well. “I’d rather not say yet.” There was a definite smirk in Aidan’s voice. “It’s Hayley, right?” “How do you know that?” “From Mack.” “She knows?” “She told me that Hayley’s had a huge crush on you since she was a teenager.” Mitch closed his eyes, pain and regret moving through him. His voice croaked. “She has?” Aidan chuckled knowingly. “Yeah. The sight of you punching on with her plus one at my buck’s night leads me to believe it’s become contagious.”
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“And incurable.” A crush. It was an apt description. Mitch’s chest felt like it was being slowly squeezed by a boa constrictor. “Aidan, I’m a good manager. Good enough to know when to seek advice from an expert. My sister is a real handful, sort of a dope about men.” “Gee, thanks.” “You being the notable exception,” Mitch said. “Although, as you said, it did take her over twenty years to figure out she was supposed to be with you.” “You’re right, she is kind of a dope.” There was such affection in the other man’s voice that Mitch was reassured anew that his sister was pledging her life to the right man. “My point is, Mack can be a real hard case at times. Willful, single-minded, prone to temper tantrums. But somehow you got her. I need you to tell me how you did that.” “I’d love to tell you there’s a surefire three-step program, but it doesn’t work like that. A lot of it’s luck.” Mitch sighed. “I was afraid you were going to say something like that.” “And I almost died in a fire, which made me acknowledge I couldn’t live without her anymore.” “I’d rather bypass that part, if it’s all the same to you.” Aidan chuckled. “Fair enough. Tell you what, come over to room twentytwo. The guys are all here. Maybe between all of us we can come up with a game plan.” Knowing he needed all the help he could get, Mitch did exactly that.
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Chapter Ten
Hayley took a seat in the row second from the back. The wedding was due to begin in a few minutes. She could see Mitch sitting in the front row of white chairs that had been arranged on the beach. Even that scant glimpse of him, the afternoon sun slanting across his blond head and his wide shoulders, made her heart go wild. She clutched her purse tight, her knuckles whitening. Every instinct she possessed willed her to run to him, jump on his lap and promise to do anything he wanted, anything, as long as they could be together—including cut off all contact with Ty. Not that it was necessary now. Ty had beaten her to the punch. He’d departed by seaplane early that morning, leaving behind nothing but a note scrawled on the hotel stationery. We can’t hang out anymore, not if you want to do this thing with Wood for real. You deserve someone who can love you with all he’s got, and you know I was never that guy. Not your fault, babe. My failing. Mitch is nuts about you so stop fooling around and do your best to make it work. Love doesn’t come along every day, Hales. Don’t let it go. T. As though sensing the weight of her riveted gaze on his back, Mitch suddenly turned. While Hayley had donned sunglasses to hide her red-rimmed eyes, Mitch had not. The swelling around his left eye had begun to turn purple, and there was a nick on his chin as though he’d cut himself shaving. But it was the raw emotion on his face when he caught sight of her that made her breath
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catch. The same torment going on inside Hayley was reflected there. The last few hours apart had been as harrowing for him as they had been for her. By the time she’d gotten back to her room that morning, Hayley had barely been able to control her sobs of anguish. Finding Ty’s note hadn’t helped, but his words had eventually penetrated her fevered thoughts. Stop fooling around. Hayley realized that was exactly what she had been doing. Ambling along with Ty in a relationship they both knew was heading nowhere, using it to test Mitch’s feelings, pretending she didn’t love Mitch with every fiber of her being because she was afraid he didn’t feel the same. She’d been playing games with life, and with love. That wasn’t how a mature person behaved. If she was going to move forward with Mitch—and she had to find a way to do that or walk around with half her heart missing for the rest of her life—she had to behave like a woman, not like a silly girl who didn’t know who she was or what she wanted. Mitch was the kind of man who would respond well to specific requests, not emotional outbursts. All Hayley had to do was negotiate for what she wanted—to know how he really felt about her, to be a priority in his life—and be specific and unemotional about it. Tell that to your racing heart and your sweaty palms. After holding hers for long, poignant seconds, Mitch’s gaze flickered to the seat beside her. Hayley had taken an aisle chair next to a woman she’d been introduced to the other night as Aidan’s great aunt Alberta. When Mitch looked back at Hayley, she easily interpreted the question in his eyes. She shook her head to indicate that Ty wasn’t with her. The relief on his face was obvious. Remorse jabbed Hayley in the chest. What a stupid argument she’d started. If the situations had been reversed that morning, she would have been outraged if Mitch had blithely suggested popping
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off to visit an ex-lover, no matter what his reasoning. Afraid of the depth of her feelings, Hayley had grasped any excuse to escape and had ended up hurting Mitch, as well as herself. Hayley’s determination to be unemotional started to crumble bit by bit as someone began playing I’m Yours on an acoustic guitar. Everyone turned to look as Mack’s bridesmaids, Kylie, Bianca and Sienna, all strolled down the aisle together, each wearing a simple bottle-green shift dress. Behind them walked Mack, radiating happiness as she approached her soon-to-be husband. Aidan and Mack’s love for each other was so real. What she felt for Mitch was real, and she’d treated it with the utmost disrespect the last few days. Hayley pressed a hand to her chest as though that could soothe the ache. What if he didn’t forgive her? Be specific, be clear. Be less emotional, Hayley, not more. “Today we have gathered in this place of natural beauty to be joyful, in celebration of the relationship of McKenzie and Aidan,” the celebrant began. “By their commitment to marry each other, they are saying yes to love, yes to a future, yes to…” Her heart in her throat, Hayley let her gaze fall on Mitch. He wasn't watching the ceremony going on right in front of him. His attention was on her. Her heart catapulted against her sternum. She couldn’t tear her gaze off him. The celebrant’s words as she continued to talk about the preciousness of deep love became little more than background noise as Mitch mouthed two unexpected words. I’m sorry. Hayley burst into spontaneous tears, her choked sob so loud the celebrant stopped midsentence. The entire bridal party and all the assembled guests turned to look at her.
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In the front row, Mitch shot to his feet. “Are you all right?” Mortified, Hayley managed to get herself under control enough to mutter, “I’m sorry. I’m sorry,” she repeated, looking directly at Mitch. She glanced around at the other guests, her face turning hot. “I always cry at weddings. Please, ignore me.” Mitch moved as though to head toward her, but his brother Mason stopped him. “Relax, will you? You can talk to her later. Sit down, for chrissakes.” Mitch looked at Hayley, who made a motion for him to sit. Only then did he take his seat once more. Clearing her throat, the celebrant began again. “Marriage is a supreme sharing of experience, and an adventure in the most intimate of human relationships. It is the joyous union of two people…” Once again, Hayley’s gaze sought Mitch’s. She found him watching her, concern evident in his expression. He was going to get a crick in his neck if he didn’t stop craning his head around like that. Sending him a watery smile, Hayley pressed a hand to her chest and mouthed the words, “My fault.” Then she circled her finger around her ear to indicate she knew she was crazy. His expression softening, Mitch shook his head. He touched a fist to his chest and made a circular motion to indicate… What? She made his heart go pitterpatter? He had heartburn? What? Then she watched his lips form the words, “I love you so much.” Hayley stopped breathing. Emotion welled in her chest, like a bubble trying to burst. She wet her lips. “Are you sure?” With a lopsided smile to indicate how ridiculous her question was, Mitch nodded. The tears began flowing afresh, but this time Hayley managed to stifle them by biting down on her knuckles. He loves me. The emotion on his face confirmed
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the words he’d mouthed. As Aidan and Mack spoke their vows to each other, Hayley let the knowledge flow through her, make her feel lighter than a bird lifted by the wind. At last the celebrant introduced Mack and Aidan to the gathering as Mr. and Mrs. Rogers. Hayley stood and applauded along with everyone else. She watched as Mitch kissed his sister and shook Aidan’s hand. She waited while he whispered something to his parents, who both turned briefly to look at her, surprise on their faces. Then he started striding in her direction. Unable to keep her feet still, Hayley ran, meeting him halfway up the aisle Mack had so recently walked down. She flung herself into his outstretched arms, closing her eyes on a happy sigh when they tightened around her fiercely. Mitch rasped in her ear. “I’m crazy about you, Hayley Bryant.” “I’m crazy about you too. I love you.” “You know you’ve ruined it for everyone.” The comment came from Mitch’s brother Mason, who clapped Mitch on the shoulder as he walked by. “We were so looking forward to the show.” Hayley pulled back and eyed Mitch. “Show?” Mitch sent his brother the evil eye as he scampered off. “They all had me convinced I had to make a grand gesture. The subject of serenading you at the reception came up in conversation.” Hayley laughed. “You wouldn’t have done that.” “I would have.” His gaze misting over, Mitch tucked a strand of hair behind Hayley’s ear with fingers that trembled slightly. “If that’s what it was going to take, I was going to do it.” Everything inside Hayley melted. “You really do love me, don’t you?” “Completely, utterly. I’m yours, sweetheart—if you’ll have me.”
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“Oh I’m definitely going to have you.” Hayley smiled. “Vigorously and often.” Mitch chuckled and bent down to kiss her, his lips moving languorously over hers. His arms were still wrapped tight around her, like he didn’t want to let her go. But Hayley didn’t feel in the least bit trapped or overwhelmed. She had never felt so safe, so anchored, yet at the same time, so light, so joyful. So free.
“I had a list of demands,” Hayley said. “Did you, now?” “Well, requests, really. I was going to negotiate for what I needed, like a thorough professional. I thought you’d appreciate it.” Mitch smiled, picturing Hayley in a tailored business suit—with a really really short skirt—stating her case across a boardroom table. Or on one, which was where she’d end up pretty darn quick in the scenario he had in mind. He used the arm he had draped over her shoulders to draw her closer to his side. “Why don’t you give me your list now? You have my undivided attention.” The bridal party had gone down to the beach to have Bilby Island’s photographer take their wedding pictures. The rest of the gathering had begun heading toward the reception venue while Mitch and Hayley lingered behind—a long way behind. Mitch so badly wanted to be alone with her, but for now he settled for brushing his lips over her temple and breathing deeply of her unique, vanilla-and-spice scent. He could tell Hayley enjoyed the contact by the way she practically purred, so Mitch shifted his lips down to her ear, then her cheek.
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She sighed contentedly. “I was going to ask you to tell me exactly how you felt about me.” Mitch tilted her face so he could kiss the tip of her nose. “If you haven’t already worked it out, I love you.” Her smile was a sight to behold. “And I love you. I always have.” “Since you were a teenager, I hear.” Hayley’s eyes narrowed. “Mack. She has a big mouth.” Mitch smiled and kissed away her annoyance, loving the way she drifted into him, as natural and warm as the afternoon breeze. Loving that this gorgeous, vibrant woman thought he was worthy of such a long-running infatuation, because he was infatuated with her too. When at last he drew back, they’d abandoned even the pretense of walking. Mitch held Hayley close, feeling how the nearness stirred heat in his body and willing himself not to race her off somewhere and have his way. Patience, patience. They both stilled when Mitch’s trousers vibrated. Hayley took a step back, scowling. Mitch held up a finger. “One second. I’ve been waiting on this.” “You have got to be kidding, Mitch.” Hayley shoved her hand into his pants pocket before he could, extracting the phone with lightning speed. “It’s your sister’s wedding day. What could be so important? This is so typical. In fact it brings me to my next demand.” Mitch folded his arms and regarded her with a deadpan expression. “We’re back to demands, not requests?” “Darn straight.” She waggled the phone at him. “Pass code.” He told her the digits and she punched them into the screen. “I need to know I’m going to get some uninterrupted time with you occasionally. I have to feel
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Sami Lee
like I’m important enough that you’ll turn this thing off sometimes.” She quickly scanned the text message. “It’s from Stella. What does ‘all clear’ mean?” “It means she’s been able to reschedule my last remaining appointments for the week. I don’t have to go back to the office for eight days.” “Eight days?” “That’s right.”’ “As in the Monday a week from this Monday?” “Yeah.” She was staring at him with such shock Mitch began to feel uncomfortable. He unfolded his arms and shoved his hands in his pockets. “I want to spend some time with you, here on the island. I checked with Kylie and I can have the suite for another week. Will you stay in it with me?” Her voice rasped with emotion. “That’s what you were doing on the phone this morning? Clearing your schedule?” “Yeah.” “For me?” “Who else?” Mitch swallowed nervously. What if she thought he was moving too fast? “I don’t want to lose you, Hayley. I had this idea we could spend a week making love, sleeping late and talking about our dreams for the future. Living in the moment like you tried to tell me I should.” Mitch was suddenly hyperaware of where they stood—mere meters away from the altar where his sister wed the love of her life minutes ago. He knew exactly how he wanted his future with Hayley to pan out. A few moments ago he’d told his parents, “I’m next,” indicating Hayley with a tilt of his head that had just about made his mother have a conniption. Abruptly, Hayley grabbed hold of his shirt with both hands and yanked him toward her. She growled, “Take me now.”
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Moonlight Mirage
All the air left his lungs. “What?” “We can be a little late to the reception. I mean it, Mitch. Find somewhere private and take me. Right. Now.” His loins responded with a burst of liquid fire. Mitch grasped her hips and ground against her. “Is that a yes to staying here with me?” “That’s a hell, yes.” Mitch heaved a sigh of relief. “Damn, you’re sexy when you make demands.” Hayley smiled. “Likewise.” Mitch smiled back, feeling lighter than he’d ever felt. As light as air and as happy as the proverbial clam. Then, linking hands and laughing, they began sprinting up the beach, toward the resort.
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About the Author
Sami’s been a secretary, sales assistant, bartender, waitress, student, tutor, human resource manager and administration officer, but at heart she’s always been a writer. She enjoys creating emotional, sexy stories about the gorgeous, aggravating men who live in her head and the women who were made to steal them away from her. Sami lives by the coast in Australia with her husband and two stupendous daughters. To learn more about Sami, please visit www.samilee.com join her on Facebook or Twitter, or send an email to
[email protected].
Look for these titles by Sami Lee
Now Available: Born Again Virgin Fijian Fling Chasing Sunset Sunset Knight Erica’s Choice
A second chance at love is worth fighting for.
Afternoon Rhapsody © 2012 Jess Dee
Bandicoot Cove: The Wedding, Book 1 Bianca Rogers is one signature away from finalizing her divorce. And she will finalize it just as soon as she gets home. But for this weekend, she’s putting her troubles aside and enjoying the gorgeous, sunlit luxury of Bandicoot Cove, the resort where her brother is getting married. The last thing she expects is to be knocked off her feet—literally—by gorgeous Brody Evans. The fireworks are instantaneous. Brody is just her type: sexy, warm, friendly, and in the same boat as her: in the process of getting a divorce. Spending time together is a mutual no-brainer. Attraction quickly grows to full-blown lust. But flying sparks come with increasingly personal conversations, and soon neither of them can ignore their past mistakes or the circumstances that have led them to the island. Now it’s time to determine whether old hurts and sudden doubts will prevent love from leading them to a whole new happily ever after. Warning: If you don’t believe in second chances, never thought it was possible to fall in love again and aren’t interested in scrumptious, hot love scenes, then this story probably isn’t for you. You’d be missing out—big time—but yeah…it’s probably not for you. Enjoy the following excerpt for Afternoon Rhapsody: “I have a beachside bungalow, not far from where we met this morning,” Brody told her as he quickened his pace.
She needed no encouragement to match his steps, although she had to take two for every one of his. “Me too.” Excitement fizzed inside her. “Whichever one we get to first, we go into.” “Deal.” Dripping wet, they scooted through the gardens, their steps increasing in speed from a brisk walk to a gentle trot to an all-out run. Bianca was about to shift into sprint mode when Brody took a sudden left and nipped behind an oasis of trees. He took her with him. “What the…? What are you doing?” He pressed his finger to her lips. “Shh.” That was when she heard it. Footsteps and animated chatter. She couldn’t identify the voices, there were too many of them, but the words wedding, groom and bachelor party drifted her way, and she was suddenly jolly appreciative of Brody’s quick thinking. Just like she wasn’t ready to face her parents, Danny or Great Aunt Alberta, so she wasn’t ready for anyone she knew to see her with Brody. Wasn’t ready for the speculative glances or raised eyebrows. Wasn’t ready for Rick’s name to come up while she was with him. “Good thinking,” she whispered. “Selfish thinking,” he whispered back, and kissed her again. And just like that, Bianca forgot all about the people walking by. Hidden from view, she forgot all about everything except the man who crushed her to him. The man whose back was bent so he could reach her mouth with his. The man whose erection seemed to have grown in the time it took them to cross the hundred meters from the pool to here. And she knew it had grown because she could feel it. Her hand was on the front of his boardies, cupping him. She had no memory of placing her hand
there, just a vague recollection of needing to touch him so badly, she thought for sure she’d die if she didn’t. Brody growled into her mouth but did not release her lips. Which suited her just fine, because she wouldn’t have let him go had he tried. Not when his tongue did deliciously naughty things to the inside of her mouth. Not when his lips pressed so enticingly against hers. Not when she inhaled the air he breathed. Brody’s soft growl changed to a ragged groan when the barrier of his wet boardies proved too annoying, and she slipped her hand beneath the sodden material, taking his hot, pulsing cock in her palm. Then it wasn’t just Brody groaning. Bianca let out a soft moan, the feel of his hard flesh enough to set fire to her loins. Satin-covered steel. She wrapped her hand around him, stroking up and down. Not easy. Not within the confines of his shorts, but God help her, she wasn’t letting go. Not for anything. Not when her actions made him shiver as they kissed. Not when liquid heat filled her pussy, her stomach clenched with desire and her heart pounded fiercely beneath her breast. Not when the throbbing vein lining his dick made her aware of how alive she felt with him. How her own blood roared in her ears. Pearls of moisture beaded on the tip of his erection. She stopped breathing. Ran her thumb over the wetness. Moaned. He tore his lips from hers. “Bee…” Her name was both a salutation and a plea. His eyes blazed with passion. Their bungalows suddenly seemed very far away. Unreachable. Didn’t matter. They could make it. If they walked really fast. Okay, sprinted, they could do it. Get there before the passion overwhelmed them. “Room,” she gasped. “We can make it if we hurry.”
Brody stared at her with wide eyes. “Not too far,” she muttered, her heart slamming into her ribs. “Not far at all.” “Y-you’re serious?” “Dead serious.” Disbelief filled his gaze. “We can run,” she assured him. His only response was a hoarse laugh. Hoarse and sexy. Bee would have replied but she couldn’t. Her mouth was otherwise occupied. As she’d presented Brody with her best verbal argument, she’d slid to her knees and yanked at the tie on his waistband, torn at the Velcro and finally gotten his boardies undone. Tempting and hard in her hand, his erection now pulsed before her eyes, its tip sodden. Bee couldn’t wait. No longer wanted to. She didn’t care where they stood. Trees surrounded them, their thick, lush foliage hiding them from view. She’d been a teenager the last time she’d done anything this bold, this daring. Last time she’d been giddy on fresh air and the great outdoors and a man she desired. She felt like that teenager all over again. Reckless. Hot. Free. Ravenous. She licked the moisture off the head of his cock. “Ah, fuck, Bee.” Brody tried to stop her. Grabbed at her arms, attempted to lift her back up, but she nuzzled her mouth against his belly, licking at the sensitive skin there before once again tasting the precome he produced for her. Instead of lifting her, Brody ran his hands over her shoulders, caressing, massaging. Logically he might have known they shouldn’t do this here. Physically he was in the exact same boat as her—powerless to fight the lust that had sparked between them this morning, flared during lunch and exploded in the pool.
Salt, chlorine and musk flavored her lips. The spongy tip of his cock pressed on her tongue, and Bianca could not restrain herself. She opened her mouth and devoured him. Sucked him deep inside, luxuriating in the sensation of his hard length pulsing between her cheeks. Her release was slow. A sensual exploration of satiny skin as she pulled off him. “Bee…honey…” Brody’s voice was a low rasp. The vibrations of his words rippled down her spine, making her shiver. She sucked him back in and then lost track of her actions. She simply enjoyed him, feasting on his succulent flesh, relishing the gasps and muttered curses that filtered through the air above her. She palmed his testicles and stroked the soft skin just behind as her mouth made love to him. Brody began to sway his hips, fucking her lips. No, not fucking. His actions were too gentle for that, too controlled, but Bee followed his lead, hollowing her cheeks, relaxing her tongue, and allowed him to direct his penis in and out of her mouth. She wrapped an arm around his thighs, let her hand slide over his firm arse cheeks and continued to tease his scrotum. Brody’s fingers tunneled into her hair, tightening and relaxing reflexively, as though he was unaware he moved them in time with his thrusts into her mouth. Wet heat flooded her pussy. Her breasts ached. Her clit tingled. But most of all, her heart filled. Warmth settled deep inside it, along with a sense of contentment. Of rightness.
A photographer, a firefighter, a rake. Let the debauchery begin!
Sunset Heat
© 2012 Lexxie Couper Bandicoot Cove: The Wedding, Book 2 When Kennedy bolted after a mind-blowing one-night stand with a sexy Australian firefighter, she never expected to be standing in front of him four months later on a tropical island resort. Naked, thanks to her phobia of butterflies. Trouble is, she’s equally turned on by Luke and his hunky British cousin. Not exactly how she’d intended to spend her first day as Bandicoot Cove’s official photographer. Luke never planned on falling for the feisty, flirty American he met at a New York bar. Now that he’s face to face with her again, he has two questions. Why did she run? And why can’t he stop thinking about sharing the woman of his dreams with his cousin? Addison invited himself along on his cousin’s trip for a weekend of nostrings-attached sex. But he wants to get to know Kennedy on all levels. Seriously, this is no way for a rake to behave. And how the hell is he going to tell his cousin he’s interested in the very woman Luke can’t get out of his mind? Warning: The setting sun isn’t the only thing heating up Bandicoot Cove, because when the word “threesome” gets thrown into the mix, it’s seduction on a global scale. (Note: No butterflies were scorched during scenes of burning passion.) Enjoy the following excerpt for Sunset Heat: He ground his teeth, staring hard at her. “Both of us?” His gut churned. When the hell had he stepped into a bloody soap opera?
Soap opera? How about porn film? One you’re more than interested— “Both of us?” Addison’s refined voice made his stomach roll some more. He tore his stare from Kennedy’s face and gave his cousin a quick look. Addison seemed stunned. And more than a tad interested. And aren’t you? In what Kennedy is offering, aren’t you also…interested? “Both of you.” Kennedy’s American accent was stronger than before, and the words left her lips with a slight tremble. “I tried to fight it. I really did, but…” Luke clenched his fists tighter, returning his attention to her. Every fiber in his base male DNA screamed at him to voice the unspoken suggestion hanging between them all. Remember her confession back in the New York? Remember her fantasy? Maybe it wasn’t a drunken joke as you first thought? “I’m very interested in both of you.” Kennedy’s gaze moved from Luke to Addison and back to Luke. It was as direct as her words, holding Luke to the spot. His cock twitched in his cargos. His blood roared in his ears. “I’m sexually attracted to you both and think…” Her voice faded away, pink heat painting her cheeks. Beside Luke, Addison let out a slow breath. “Think what?” Luke swallowed at his cousin’s question. On one hand, he wanted it out there. The thing hanging between them. Threesome. Ménage a trois. He wanted someone to say it so he could stop wondering if it was just him aching for it. He wanted someone to say it so he could walk up to Kennedy, the woman who— four months ago—shared with him the best sex of his entire life, the woman who—an hour ago—told him he was Rebound Guy, yank her to his body and take possession of her mouth. Kiss her until she begged him to fuck her. Fuck her until she begged him for more. He wanted someone to say the word “threesome”
so he could bury himself in her heat again, even if it meant sharing her with Addison. On the other hand, she was the woman he’d spent the last four months thinking about. The woman he’d tried to forget but couldn’t. The woman he’d seriously considered travelling back to the U.S. to find. If for no other reason than to ask her out on a date to see if the future he couldn’t help but ponder, a future with her, his one-night stand, was remotely possible. She was that woman as well, and did he want to share that woman with his cousin? As carnal and arousing as the thought of making love to her was, did he want to do it at the same time as Addison? The consummate British rake? “Think what, Kennedy?” Addison asked again. Like Kennedy, his accent was more pronounced. It was as if both their core beings had somehow been amplified by the tension of the moment. Luke wondered if he opened his mouth now would he sound like the stereotypical Aussie? Or would he sound like what he was: a man more turned on and conflicted than he’d ever been before? And would Kennedy hear that conflict and choose to go with the poised confidence of his British cousin? No. You can’t lose her. Not until you’ve lost yourself in her heat, her passion again. Not until you know if she is…if she feels the same connection you do. “Threesome.” The single word fell from his lips, low, almost guttural, and the moment it did, raw, concentrated lust surged through him. Primitive and elemental. Kennedy’s lips parted. Her breasts lifted as she pulled in a swift breath. She held his stare with her own, the blush in her cheeks growing deeper. “Yes,” she said, her voice husky. “A threesome. I want…” She paused, swallowed, her breasts rising and falling again as she sucked in another breath. “I want to be made love to by both of you. At the same time.”
Fresh lust poured through Luke at her confession. He drove his nails into his palms, undone by the tumultuous tension wreaking havoc on his body and mind. He wanted to claim her. Christ, he wanted to make her scream his name in pleasure like he had in New York, and for some God-alone-known reason, the thought of doing so while Addison shared the lush perfection of her body only made his cock throb harder. Just as it made his head spin and his gut churn. He’d never been so confused. Or horny. To his left, Addison cleared his throat. “I think we can accommodate your desires.” The agreement—so formal and proper—made Luke’s balls ache. Here they were, standing in broad daylight on a public jetty, talking about doing what just about every hot-blooded man in the world wanted to do: fuck, and Addison sounded like he was agreeing to a game of chess. Luke shot his cousin a quick look and bit back a groan. Raw arousal burned in Addison’s eyes. Etched his face. And something else. Something…more. “I am interested in Kennedy.” Addison’s words played over Luke’s fraying control, their deeper significance only now, as Luke saw the unabashed desire in Addison’s face, sinking in. Addison wasn’t just interested in her sexually, which should have made Luke furious. Instead, it made him… What? He didn’t know. He wouldn’t let himself ponder it. He was responsible for what was about to happen. He’d uttered the word threesome, he’d given voice to the fantasy and in doing so given them all permission to succumb to their desire. He’d done that
with a word and now he had to live with the consequences, whatever they may be. God help him if it was more than his stupid, foolish heart could handle. He turned back to Kennedy, and, determined to surrender to the undeniable sexual tension of the moment, he did exactly what he’d wanted to do the second she’d surprised them on the very public jetty. Crossing the small space between them, he threaded his fingers through the thick curtain of her hair at the back of her neck, framed her jaw with his thumbs, tilted her head back and crushed her mouth with his.
