Jack’s face grew grim and regret haunted his eyes. Then he stared directly into Jace’s eyes.“Take care of her for me.”“I will,” Jace said shortly.“And tell her I’m sorry,” he added quietly. “Tell her I love her. I’ll always love her.”“If you love her, you’ll take this opportunity to straighten your life out,” Jace said. “If you’ll stick it out, I’ll hire a lawyer for you. Try to work out a deal where you go to rehab and get probation as opposed to a jail sentence. Can’t guarantee anything. I don’t want you anywhere near Bethany. She’s been hurt enough. If things work out, I wouldn’t be opposed to you keeping in touch with her.”Jack stared at Jace for a long moment. “You’d do that for me?”“I’m doing it for Bethany,” Jace said stiffly. “Only for her.”Jack nodded. “Thanks, then. I’ll do it. It’s time to do something . . . different. Better. I almost killed the person who means the most to me. Can’t even say what that does to a man. I won’t touch that shit again. Ever.”“I hope you
Then he leaned down and pulled her into a scorching, toe-curling kiss. Complete with tongue and hoots and hollers from the others.When he finally released her, she was dazed and wore a stupid grin. She turned to the others with that goofy smile, joy filling every part of her heart.“You guys! I can’t believe this!” she exclaimed.“Happy birthday, sweetheart,” Ash said, coming forward to hug her.One by one, all the others came to wish her a happy birthday, hugging and kissing her until she was aglow with happiness.Jace caught her hand and tugged her toward the table.“There’s another reason to celebrate at this party, but first you have to open your present from me so we can get to that part,” Jace said with a huge grin.There was a mischievous glint in his eyes and he looked excited and . . . happy. Then he handed her a square wrapped present with a gorgeous ribbon and bow arrangement.“Open it!” Chessy squealed. “Oh my God, I can’t wait to see what you got!”The others chimed in w
She took a step back, her frown deepening. “Your Dom waiting for you?” Her eyes widened and her fingers automatically went to the collar where his fingers had been just seconds before. “What’s your name?” he asked, when she remained silent. “I gave you mine. The polite thing to do is return the favor.” “Josie,” she said barely above a whisper. “Josie Carlysle.” “And who owns you, Josie?” Her eyes narrowed then and she clutched her bag, shoving the remainder of her pencils into it. “Nobody owns me.” “Then did I misunderstand the significance of that collar you’re wearing?” Her fingers brushed over it again, and it made him itchy. He wanted to remove it. It wasn’t right for her. A collar should be carefully chosen for a submissive. Something that matched her personality. Something made especially for her. And not just any woman. “You didn’t misunderstand,” she said in a husky voice that sent shivers down his spine. Her voice alone would seduce a man in a matter of seconds. “But
After a few minutes, the man had taken down the last painting and started toward the desk in front of the gallery. Then he paused and turned, a thoughtful look on his face.“I have one more. In the back. She just brought it in two days ago. I didn’t have the space to hang it, but I didn’t have the heart to tell her no. Not when I’d already told her I wouldn’t be able to take anything else until I sold something.”“I want it too,” Ash clipped out.“Sight unseen?”Ash nodded. “If she did it, I want it. I want every piece of hers you have.”The man’s expression brightened. “Well, then. Perfect. She’ll be thrilled! I can’t wait to tell her.”Ash held up his hand, halting the man before he went to the back to retrieve the painting.“You tell her whatever you want, but you do not give her my name or any information about me. I want complete anonymity or the deal is off. Understand? Furthermore, I’m going to leave you my card. If she brings in anything else, you call me. I want whatever she
Jace frowned. It was evident he didn’t quite swallow Gabe’s explanation. It didn’t wash with Ash either, but Gabe’s face was implacable. And him saying it was a business decision was bullshit. It was personal. Ash didn’t know what the hell had gone on in Paris, but whatever it was had turned Gabe solidly against Charles Willis. The man had dropped off the face of the earth after being cut loose from HCM’s operations.Ash shrugged. All he cared was that they’d salvaged the whole bloody mess. He wasn’t going to get into what had gotten Gabe’s underwear in a knot over the whole thing. It was behind them. No harm, no foul.“Now if we’re done, I’d really like to get home to my future wife,” Gabe drawled.Gabe rose and Jace followed suit. Christ, they really were getting old. It wasn’t even ten yet, and they were already folding up the tent for the night and schlepping home. But then, they had women to go home to. In their position, he wouldn’t be so eager to spend a night out with friends
Surprise gripped him at the earnestness and urgency in her tone. He leaned forward, his gaze narrowing at her.“You want out. What does that mean exactly, Brittany?”“I want away from them,” she said shakily. “All of them.”“What the hell did they do to you?” Ash demanded.She shook her head. “Nothing. I mean nothing more than usual. You know how they are, Ash. I’ve always envied you so much. You tell them to fuck off and you’ve made your own way. All I’ve done is marry a man my mother wanted me to, try to make the best of a bad situation and fail miserably. I got nothing in the divorce and I was okay with that. I just wanted out. But I have nothing without Mom and Dad’s help. And I don’t want it anymore. Because their help comes with strings. I’m thirty years old and what do I have to show for my life? No life, no money. Nothing.”The desolation in her voice hit Ash deep. He knew exactly what she meant. It could have easily been him in this same situation. His brothers certainly were
The pawnshop had been the very first place she’d gone after depositing the check into her bank account. And she’d sworn to herself that no matter what, she’d never part with the jewelry again.Only now it was gone, and so was the last link to her mother.She left the shop, stepping onto the busy street, uncertain of where exactly she was going next. As she turned to the right, she was stopped by a familiar face. She blinked as she stared back at the man she’d met in the park several days earlier. He was standing there, not looking surprised. In fact, he looked as though he’d been waiting for her. Crazy thought, but she didn’t get the impression he was startled at all by the unexpected meeting.“Josie,” he murmured.“H-hello,” she stammered out.“I believe I have something that belonged to you.”He held out an opened box and as soon as she saw inside, her breath caught and stilled in her chest.She raised her gaze back to him in confusion.“How did you get this? I don’t understand. How
“Sounds like one big happy family,” she murmured.“Of sorts.”They arrived at the restaurant and the maître d’ immediately ushered them to the table always reserved for himself or Gabe or Jace when they chose to eat here.Josie sat across from Ash, but she didn’t fully relax. She was perched on the edge of her seat and her gaze kept darting left and right and beyond Ash. She looked ill at ease and like she’d rather be anywhere but here with him. His ego was taking one hell of a beating. Women didn’t normally have to be blackmailed in order to agree to a date with him.“Would you like wine?” he asked when a waiter immediately appeared.She shook her head. “No. Water will be fine. Thank you.”“Make that two,” Ash murmured to the waiter.“Don’t let me keep you from enjoying wine if that’s what you prefer,” she said. “I just don’t want to drink and then have to get back home. Alcohol makes me pretty fuzzy. Last thing I need to do is be stumbling around Manhattan after dark.”“So you can’t
He’d never seen Tell so mad. And what sucked is Chase didn’t blame him for his fury because Tell hadn’t said a thing that Chase hadn’t considered.But you discarded the guilt and did what you wanted anyway, didn’t you?“Look. I’m sorry.”“Goddamn right you should be. Does your family know you’ve done this?”He shook his head.“And why is that?” Tell let the pause linger. “Because you know it’s wrong. They’d tell you it’s wrong, and they’d kick your ass until you made it right. I look at you and I feel like I don’t know you at all.” Tell stormed off, stopping when he reached the metal fence by the livestock gate. His fingers curled around the rail and he stared across the arena, his posture vibrated with anger.Why hadn’t Chase considered he might run into his cousin while skipping from event to event in Tell’s jurisdiction?Because once again you only thought about yourself.Seemed to be a theme.Chase slumped against the corral and waited for the impending ass-chewing from his upstan
“How’d you meet? Since you all have diverse occupations.”“I graduated from high school with Lance and he met Dylan through a friend.” When Ava remained quiet, he said, “What?”She reached for his hand and threaded her fingers through his. “Is that where you were before you decided to hide out at Ginger and Kane’s?”Yeah. And I felt like a fucking loser the entire time. Sitting alone in a place as impersonal as another damn hotel room. Wishing I could go home, but feeling like I didn’t have one. Didn’t have anyone I could really talk to either. Not like I’ve learned to talk to you.Rather that share that embarrassing memory, he brought her hand to his mouth and kissed her knuckles. “Smart and beautiful. How did I get so lucky?”Ava laughed. “And wily, because you’re avoiding the question, cowboy.”“Oh, I ain’t the only one who avoids questions.”“Meaning what?”“Meaning…why won’t you tell me what you’re working on so diligently? Since you spend hours on it.”She gazed out the window.
“No way,” she sneered. “I hate that whining, puntastic drivel.”“And ‘Poker Face’ is what? Pure musical artistry?” Chase sneered right back.“Yep.” Ava cranked the music a notch higher.He turned it back down. “You’re starting to piss me off.”“The feeling is mutual.”How had they survived these last two weeks?Wait a second. Hadn’t Chase told her he’d rarely made it past the two-week mark with any lover? Maybe this was how he intended to end it. By picking fights.But you started it. Be the bigger person and let it go.“I wish I had your damn camera pointed at you right now so you could see your diva side, a side which you claim ain’t there, because darlin’, it sure as hell is.” Spit. Spit.That smart comment totally screwed him for her being the bigger person. “I wish I had my damn camera pointed at you right now so you could see how ridiculous you look with your mouth crammed full of sunflower seeds,” she mimicked. “Ooh, and the bonus? You’d get to hear how fucking irritating it is
“What? Why?” Recognition lit her eyes and a secretive smile appeared. “Really, Chase? Right now?”“Yep.”“But I’m all sweaty. Can’t I take a shower first?”He growled, “No. Seeing your hot, bendy body stretched out over that ball does it for me in a bad way.” Using a single rough-edged fingertip, he leisurely traced the waistband of her yoga pants, low on her hips. But not nearly low enough. “Take. Them. Off.”She stood and peeled the stretchy black fabric down her legs. She began to remove her bra, but he said, “Leave it. Same position you were just in. Arched over the ball, hands on the floor behind you, feet on the floor, legs spread.”With effortless grace, Ava returned her body to its previous pose.Goddamn she was beautiful like this. Not just her bared body, but also her willingness to cede control to him. His hands skated up the outside of her thighs, still trembling from her workout. Or were they trembling in anticipation? He palmed her hips and squeezed, stopping to stroke t
He growled at the visual feast before him. Ava bound, at his mercy.Chase rocked his hips faster, driving his cock against that pliant skin, pinching her nipples in time to his thrusts. When his balls lifted, his hands fell away and almost told her to open up and swallow him to the root. But he stopped.Too soon. Not about you. About her. She needs this.Ava whimpered at the loss of contact.He caressed her cheek as he leaned forward to grab his supplies off the nightstand. “You’re beautiful. Incredible. Christ, Ava, you undo me.”She twisted in her bonds. “I want—”He placed his fingers over her lips. “In time. Now hold still.” He scooted back until he straddled her pelvis. Holding open the old-fashioned, spring-loaded wooden clothespins, he simultaneously attached them to her nipples.When she arched and emitted a surprised cry, he murmured, “Seems you have some feeling there after all.” He hopped off the end of the bed. Tapped her ankles. “Spread your legs for me. Wider. Nope wider
“Thanks.” Ava sat up and drank all the water. “So I crashed for over twelve hours. Guess I missed the rodeo last night. How’d you do?”Chase wore a stoic expression.“What? Did you have like a ninety-nine point ride or something?”He snorted.“Seriously. What happened?” Her gaze swept over him. “Did you get hurt?”“Nothin’ happened, Ava. I didn’t compete last night.”“What? Why not?”“Do you really think I’d just leave you here alone when you were so goddamn sick?”She froze.Chase grabbed her hand and rubbed her knuckles against the razor stubble on his cheeks. “I was freaked out about you. I wasn’t exactly sure what to do. I’m not…well, I don’t have much experience taking care of sick people. My first response has always been to get the hell away, so I sort of winged it.” A sheepish smile curled the corners of his mouth. “You don’t look too worse for the wear.”“I can’t believe you didn’t compete last night.”“There are more important things in life than bull ridin’.”This tough man
“The camera showed you that?”“Ava. I don’t need to look through a viewfinder to see you’re upset.”Damn intuitive man.“The camera is off. Talk to me.”“My grandfather commissioned a necklace for my sixteenth birthday. A tiny beautiful Swarovski crystal rose with a gold stem artfully twisted into an ‘A’. The one time I didn’t take it off before I jumped into the ocean? I lost it. I don’t know if the chain broke or what, but I was devastated because it happened about a month after he died.”“Aw, sugar, I’m so sorry.”Evidently Chase had enough taping. He returned the camera to the case and faced forward, wiggling to get comfortable.“Before you nod off, tell me why we’re backtracking. You planned a route through Montana and now we’re back in Cornhusker territory.”He rolled his eyes. “South Dakota is not Cornhusker territory. The reason I’m not goin’ to the event in Billings is because Ryan told me a former PBR bull rider who switched to the PRCA circuit will be competing. I don’t wan
He’d known the second he touched her he was done for. Ava needed him in a way no other woman ever had. He was a different man when he was with her, regardless if they were naked. So maybe that’s why he couldn’t freakin’ wait to get naked with her again, day after day after day.Seemed to take forever to check-in. He ditched the bags in the corner of the room. In the mirror above the sink, he saw Ava flop on the bed and heave a huge sigh.“Before you get too comfy, maybe you oughta see if you got the door shut.”She popped to her feet and resituated her skirt as she crossed the room, those fucking sexy little pleats teasing the back of her legs.When he’d gotten a look at her outfit this morning—short plaid skirt, plain white blouse, black ballet shoes—his cock had been hard all day as his head conjured up bad-schoolgirl-needing-a-spanking scenarios.Ava tested the door by pushing on it. “I don’t know why you were worried it wasn’t shut—”“Lock it.” He put his mouth below her ear and p
He stirred, moaning as his cock hardened. Lengthened.When Ava started sliding his shaft over her tongue, his hand landed on her head.Immediately it snapped back and Chase scrambled upright. “Ava? What the devil are you doin’?” He inhaled a sharp breath through his teeth when she tongued the tip. “Hell. I thought it was a dream.”She pulled off his shaft long enough to say, “Nope. I want to make this buff body to squirm.” She licked him like a lollipop.“Oh, I’ve no doubt you can make me squirm. You probably could get me to beg.” He brushed her hair back from where it’d fallen in her face. “But—”Again, Ava eased off and met his gaze in the near darkness. “But nothing. You don’t get to direct this.”If she thought he’d lovingly pet her, agree, and murmur encouragement, she was mistaken. Chase’s big hands were on her face, gripping her jaw. “Yes, I do.”His answer turned her panties damp. As did his explicit command, “On the floor. On your knees.”As Ava moved, so did Chase. He perche