Suddenly, she lifted her sultry blue gaze to him. “Need something?”A loaded question. Yes! In fact, he feared he’d gone beyond wanting her to needing her.Luc drew in a shaky breath. No. He just needed to get laid. His sex drive had finally reasserted itself after Kimber and Deke’s decision to become a couple—and exclude him. Alyssa just happened to be the first female in a fifty-foot radius.Except . . . if he’d met her yesterday and she looked like she’d be the sort of mother he had in mind, he would have hustled her into bed and into a relationship as fast as he possibly could. He didn’t just want her; he was beginning to like her. And that made her all the more dangerous.Nor did her pretty pink nipples, hard and bobbing on the water’s surface, help clear his thoughts.“Alyssa, don’t do this to me.” God, he barely recognized his own voice. “Please.”She raised a brow at him, dragged the loofah across one breast, over her nipple, licked her lips, and let loose a little whimper. Lu
Luc took another long swig from the bottle. “I’m . . . sorry.”“I get it. In your head, we’re from different worlds. You’ve put me in my place, and I won’t overreach again.” She stiffened her spine and headed for the stairs, then turned back to him. “For the record, Tyler’s visit was about the break-in at the club. At tonight’s sweep, he thoroughly investigated the entire upstairs. Seems that my stalker left me another knife and ‘love note’ embedded in the pillow of my bedroom at the club. And this one not only called me a whore; he said he’d put a stop to me for good very soon.”*********ALYSSA marched up the stairs. One foot in front of the other. Get to your bedroom. Shut the door.No damn way was she showing Luc Traverson her tears. She’d already given him too much power to hurt her. And he’d used it thoughtlessly.“What did you say?” he demanded. A moment later, he darted up after her and grabbed her, spinning her around to face him. “The same pervert who broke into your car bro
“More,” he growled.Breath catching, she hesitated. But despite her trepidation, she could refuse him nothing.She parted her legs again, until the muscles of her inner thighs strained. Need was a pool of heat shimmering and undulating in her blood. Emptiness thrummed inside her. Everything cried out to be filled with his cock—and all the blazing passion that came with it.He grabbed her hips, then slid his hands to the small of her back and pulled up. At his silent command she arched for him, bending her knees, thrusting her breasts toward him.“Perfect,” he murmured, then perched himself above her body, the rasp of his chest raking hers, making her tingle.A hard press of his lips against hers morphed into a sweltering line of kisses down her neck, collarbones, then straight to her breasts. As he cupped one, he devoured the other, his mouth a hot shock to her system. He sucked hard on her nipple, and she felt the draw all the way between her legs. He thumbed the other simultaneously
“Come again, sugar. For me.”He tiled her hips until they pressed completely against his, then rubbed her up and down his cock, forcing friction on her clit. Alyssa undulated with him, her groans becoming whimpers that turned to a plea, then . . .“Luuuucccc!” She screamed his name as if it were a twenty-syllable word as her cunt clamped down on him. He used all the strength in his arms and thighs to keep her moving.The pleasure was excruciating, scorching, beyond anything he’d ever experienced—or imagined. The sensations roiling around inside him melded into a tight ache in his balls. Then, primed, the orgasm began to explode.Luc grabbed her tighter, clutching her hair, throwing an arm around her waist. Oh, fucking hell. This was going to bring him to his knees. Destroy him. It swelled and built and converged, big as a mountain, powerful as an earthquake.“Alyssa,” he gasped. “Oh, God. Shit. I can’t . . . Oh, my—” To merge with her in every way possible; it was his most basic insti
A moment later, she heard a car door slam. Tyler was back in record time. She breezed past Luc, headed for the restaurant’s front door.He grabbed her by the arm and pulled her close. “Where are you going?”She jerked free and lunged for the door. Luc didn’t want her . . . but he didn’t want anyone else to have her. Alyssa refused to play that game. Hopefully, dishing back some of his own medicine would put some distance between them.Smiling tightly, she quipped, “Maybe it is time I let someone else scratch me.”THE mock dinner service was winding to a merciful end. The evening had been flawless. The muggy afternoon had given way to a cooler evening, and Alyssa had thrown open the doors to the patio, bringing the outside in. The food had been impeccable, the help she’d hired perfect. Not a hint of an undercooked steak or overcooked vegetables. The waitstaff had been deferential and efficient. Patrons all around smiled—and Bonheur had secured lots of future reservations.Professionall
So he was past the anger and knew he’d pissed her off, and accordingly wheeled out an apology. But . . . “In other words, it’s none of your business if I fuck Tyler, but you still think I am and will try not to growl at me about it?”“It doesn’t matter what I think. It’s your life, and I have no right to tell you how to live it. I have four days and some change left here. I’d rather spend the time enjoying you than fighting with you.”“So let’s put all the emotion behind us so we can fuck like rabbits for four days?”God, why didn’t he just slap her in the face instead of slowly stabbing her in the heart?“I meant that you’re right. I haven’t been a monk since we first got together, and it’s wrong of me to expect that you have no other life. I don’t know whether you and Tyler have something going. I’m not passing judgment. All I’m saying is that I’d rather spend time with you, whatever we choose to do, than argue.” He sighed, and shot an enigmatic dark stare at her. “You’re a fascinat
Problem was, he actually liked Alyssa. As a woman. As a person. And whatever they had, it wasn’t just sex.Worse, last night, he’d gotten this odd pleasure in taking care of her. She worked so damn hard, fulfilling the needs of her businesses and her employees before seeing to her own.Once he was gone, who would take care of her?Tyler.God, even the man’s name burned like acid in his gut. He squeezed his eyes shut. Why the hell should he be so jealous of another man when he was the one lying naked beside her?Because it’s not going to last.Shoving the ugly thought away, he propped himself up and looked at Alyssa’s clock. Ten eighteen. Wow, they’d both been exhausted, sleeping a good nine hours plus.Suddenly, she rolled over slowly and opened her eyes. Her lashes batted slumberously, her makeup smudged beneath her eyes. Rather than resembling a raccoon, she looked vulnerable.Once she saw him, Alyssa glanced away, vague panic on her face. “What happened?”Damn it, she was pulling a
“No. Please, no.”That was all the cue he needed. Grinning, he settled his mouth around her clit once more and sucked in. With teeth and tongue, he worked her, scraping her with pleasure until her whole body tightened, then pulsed. She keened out a release that stripped her throat raw.Satisfaction spiked through Luc. God, he loved a job well-done.But he wasn’t through with her yet.He urged her down his body, spreading her legs wider with his knees, holding his waiting cock up with his other hand.“Wait!” She sounded as though she was trying to catch her breath. “Condom? We . . . forgot last time.”He’d been too busy and overwhelmed to think of it.Luc hesitated, then finally said, “I’m clean.”“I am, too, but not on birth—”Surging up, he covered her mouth with his. No need to let her finish that sentence. Didn’t matter, and he didn’t want to think about it, much less confess his sterility. He probably should wear a condom with her . . . but taking Alyssa bareback was a sublime exp
“I believe you. I’m sorry I left the way I did. I had a lot of time to think between Omaha and Wichita.”“About us?”“That and some other stuff.”“Like what?”“I’ve been thinkin’ about safety issues and helmets and all that since Ryan died. And then after what happened to Dirk, I realized I wanna do more than talk about it; I wanna act on it. It’s a murky idea right now, but I have an opportunity to make a difference and I’m going to take it.” He kissed her just because he could, because she was here with him, where she belonged. “Enough about that. Tell me how long you were in LA, because Hollywood, I was headed there first thing in the morning.”“A couple of hours after you left, I got a casting call for a new sitcom and flew back to LA. I should come clean and let you know that my agent called me three times over the course of our road trip, after she’d lined up auditions. And every time I declined to go back to LA to audition. I didn’t know what it meant at the time, besides I didn
Ava gave Hannah an arch look. “Besides I know how damn good the man looks in chaps?”“Smartass. But really, what’s the point after Chase’s meltdown last night?”Her heart seized, thinking about how Chase had lost it on live TV. She’d wanted to jump through the screen and drag him off to comfort him. Assure him that not every wreck would have the same outcome as Ryan’s. Assure him she’d be there for him no matter what.“I know you can hear me, Ava, so stop ignoring—”“Ssh… They’re giving the injury report on Dirk.”The camera cut to an interview with the head of the sports medicine team. When he finished detailing the bull rider’s injuries, the announcer asked his opinion on Chase McKay’s comments about mandatory safety helmets. The doctor looked directly into the camera and said, “Helmets save lives. Period.”The camera returned to the main announcers. Their on-air banter circled to rider standings on tour and current matchups with bulls for the final round. When the list of the fifte
“After a few years, we started having you boys and… Well, my life was busy. Good. Happy. But I never forgot about that sweet baby boy I held in my arms for one short hour. Not a single day went by that I didn’t wonder about him. Pray his life was good. Pray he was loved.”*****Gavin’s eyes were on the shot glass he rolled between his fingers.“So I was shocked when your Aunt Kimi confronted me after your grandpa Jed died. She said one night Jed was loopy on pain meds and he told her that my father told him that I was pregnant. My father bragged to Jed I’d rather give the baby up than have it raised in a godless home as a McKay. Which was a total lie, but Jed must’ve believed it. After Kimi told me that, I finally understood why Jed never liked me and why he refused to live with us.”“Aunt Kimi never told Uncle Cal?” Chase asked.“No. But she told your Aunt Carolyn.”Gavin said nothing.“When did you tell Dad?” Ben asked gently.“Right after Quinn and Libby got back together.” She loo
Quinn? Yes.Ben? Yes.His folks? Absolutely.And probably any other McKay relation he called.They were just that way. They might fight like cats and dogs, but when it came down to it, family was everything. And he would do everything to reclaim his place in his family.“Chase?”“I’m here. Just figuring the logistics. If I leave now, I can be there by noon tomorrow. Is that early enough?”“You’re really not gonna compete in the final round and you’re coming home?” Ben said with total shock.“Hard to believe, but yeah. I’ve realized there are more important things than those eight seconds I spend on the back of a bull. I ain’t gonna be the one who lets Mom and Dad down.”Ben was very quiet.“What?”“You have changed. I’m looking forward to seein’ you. Drive safe.”Immediately after Chase hung up he called Elroy.“You’d better not be calling me to bail you outta jail, McKay,” Elroy barked.“Good morning to you too, sunshine. I’ll keep this brief. I have a family emergency in Wyoming and
“Me.”“And who are you?”Gavin took a deep breath. “I believe I’m your son.”****The crowd roared behind him, ready to party at the PBR on a Saturday night.Chase braced himself. The PBR’s newest female reporter, a fiery redhead named Lissa, stuck the microphone in his face as soon as he cleared the contestant gate. He’d been expecting it since he’d avoided an on camera interview last night. To ensure his cooperation, the cameraman blocked him in. Bastard.“We’re here with Chase McKay after that amazing ninety-one point ride on Devil’s Due. Congratulations, Chase, that’s gotta feel good to be back on top.”He focused on the woman and not the camera. “It does. Especially after an extended break and such a poor showing in Dallas.”“Tell us about the ride.”“Well, Devil’s Due is an ornery little cuss and highly unpredictable, so I wasn’t sure if he’d go into spin mode tonight or hopscotch around. Luckily I was able to stay with him no matter what he did.”“So the past few weeks you’ve b
“Okay. Thanks.”“And if that doesn’t work? Go with plan B.”Her mother, businesswoman extraordinaire, always had a backup plan. “And what is that?”“Track him down, tie him up and force him to listen to reason. It helps if you’re naked. And holding beer.”“Ah, Mom. I don’t think that will work.”“It sure did with your dad. Good luck, sweetie, keep in touch.”Ava packed her bag and booked a commercial flight to LA.“Why am I so nervous?” Ava asked Hannah, two days later.“I’ll tell you what I think after the audition.” Hannah straightened Ava’s miniskirt for the third time.“That’s not helping my nerves.” She tried not to think that Chase would know exactly what to say to her to calm her down. The door to the conference room opened and a long-legged blond strolled out. “We’re ready for you, Miss Cooper.”Ava squeezed Hannah’s hand and followed Corporate Casting Barbie into the conference room. Well, at least this production company didn’t have the clichéd casting couch. Ava chose the c
“No. And here’s fair warning: that is not a topic of discussion. With you. Or anyone else.”“Never thought I’d be happy to hear you say ‘no comment’ and mean it. Warms the cockles of my cold PR heart, McKay.”“You’re a riot. What else?”“The PBR is picking up your transportation expenses. You’re in New York now?”“Yeah.”“I can’t get you to Wichita directly—”“Book me into Omaha. I left my truck there. I’ll drive to Wichita.”“Done. What day you wanna leave?”“Today. As soon as possible.”Ava stared at him with shock.“The event isn’t for another couple days.”“I’m aware of that. But there are other things I need to take care of first.”Elroy sighed. “Fine. Contact me when you get to Kansas. And I don’t gotta remind you no press unless you’re escorted by a PBR media liaison.”“I get it. I’ll keep in touch.”“Good.” Elroy hung up.Chase returned to the bedroom and picked up his bag.“You’re leaving? Just like that?”“Yep.”“No discussion. No yelling, no hashing it out?”“What is there
Evidently he hadn’t realized she’d set up a goddamn camera in their room either.He hit the pause button, his head spinning, his gut churning, his thoughts focused on one awful thing.Betrayal.Yes, he knew she’d been taping all the fucking time, but he had no idea she’d been making a goddamned movie. The whole time they were together. To think he’d invited her to share his experiences on the road. He froze. Wait a second. He hadn’t invited her. She’d invited herself. Offering a convincing argument about wanting to see real life outside her poor, privileged upbringing.But Chase sure as hell hadn’t encouraged her to creep around, sticking that camera in everyone’s face. Capturing their private moments. Having no shame in using them for her own gain. For a woman who claimed to hate the intrusion of paparazzi, she’d become damn good at acting like one of them. She’d promised him she wouldn’t show her home movies to anyone.A new thought chilled his blood. Did Ava have footage of Ryan’s
“So I’ll think of you whenever I wear it.” Like I’ll ever stop thinking of you. Ava tried really hard not to cry, but a couple of tears slipped free. The last man who’d given her jewelry had been her grandfather.“Ava?” Chase tipped her face up. “Ah, hell. Don’t cry. I told you that you can take it back.”She made a sound half-laugh, half-sob. “No way am I taking it back, McKay. It’s beautiful. Perfect. I love it. Thank you.”The guardedness in his eyes vanished. “You’re welcome.”Chase paced in the hotel room, glaring at his phone. He hadn’t minded that the fucker hadn’t worked at all yesterday, since he and Ava had spent the whole day in their room, most of it in bed after they’d returned early in the morning from the penthouse.Dammit. He needed to access his email. Nothing was showing up on his phone. And he’d been in such a hurry to get away from the sorrow in Nebraska he’d accidentally left his laptop in his truck at the Omaha airport.His gaze landed on Ava’s computer on the de