What’s the Scenario Wednesdays

Welcome back to another exciting What’s Up Wednesday! This week we are exploring Chemistry 101 but don’t worry, this is nothing like you had back in science class…or is it? 


Today's scene comes from a short by myself and Marteeka Karland entitled The Awakening kicking of a new series, Quel Scandale! coming soon!


Theme: CHEMISTRY 101

Setting: A nearly deserted neighborhood gym

Set-up:  Jordan is sick and tired of being sick and tired. She’s long since realized she’s lost the interest of her husband, who hasn’t touched her in years, but what was more, she’s lost interest in herself. Determined to change her life around and make a fresh start she decides to join a gym to shape up her body while shaping up her life. The very last thing she ever expected was for sexy gym owner Thorn to take a special interest in her journey to self disco very, but boy does he help!

"Okay, Jordan," he began in a tone that wrapped around her insides and squeezed. The man had the sexiest voice! "Tell me what you want to accomplish most with your time here?"

She almost laughed. This was too surreal. "Well, I think that's pretty obvious. I need to lose some weight. I’d like to look…better.”

Again, he eyed her up and down. Those blue eyes saw way more than she wanted him to.
"Stop that," she said. His gaze snapped back to her face immediately.

"Stop what?" His voice held genuine puzzlement, as if he didn't realize what he was doing. Which he probably didn't. He looked at women for a living. “You look pretty good to me. What am I doing that is making you blush like that?”

"Nothing, I just... It's a little uncomfortable having you scrutinize my body like that."

The last thing she expected was the slow smile that grazed his mouth. "Well, the last thing I want to do is make you uncomfortable. I just don’t think you look bad at all." He held out his hand, obviously expecting her to take it. "How about we concentrate on toning?”

Toning? Was he serious? She’d gone up at least five sizes since she’d been married.

“I think I need to lose a few pounds.” The guy was taking this whole make-the-customer-feel-good thing too far. It was silly, it was stupid, it was making her much too wet between her legs. Her sweats were light gray, for crying out loud; the last thing she wanted to do was disgrace herself utterly. “Let’s concentrate on that first.”

Thorn stepped closer into her personal space, their bodies brushing ever so slightly. God, he worked in a flipping gym! How come he smelled so good? His big hands framed her hips, then slid ever so slowly up her waist. Jordan glanced around nervously. Lord, this was awkward!

“Perhaps you didn’t understand what I was trying to say.” Thorn’s hands slid down to her hips, then back up to her waist. "I don't know why a woman with your curves would want to lose them. Though it's hard to tell exactly what you look like in the frumpy clothes you try to hide in." He stepped impossibly closer so that Jordan’s hands automatically slid up his chest. Every ridge and valley of his torso branded her palms. The man had a seriously hard body, and her mouth went dry at the thought of being able to explore it. Lord, this had to be a dream. The lopsided grin he flashed at her made her want to melt.

She tried to step back. If everyone in that stupid gym was watching them, she'd just die right there, but there was no one anywhere around them. They were alone. Jordan's heart rate leapt. What was happening here?

When she didn't move, he ran one hand up her arm to her chin and forced her gently to meet his gaze yet again. "Will you let me show you something, Jordan?" His husky question offered acceptance. She wanted that like she'd wanted nothing else in her entire life. She wanted Thorn, but she still wasn't sure what he was getting at. Hell, for all she knew, he was playing her, enjoying the feeling of power he got from turning her on.

"I'm not sure this is a good idea—" But he stopped her with a thumb to her lips.

"Don't think about it." He was rapidly closing the distance between their lips, and she was powerless to move away. "Just close your eyes and feel."

Be sure to check out other Wednesday scenarios from these red hot authors!

Koko Brown
Serenity King 
Sienna Minx
Tuesday Morrigan


What’s the Scenario Wednesdays

 

Scenario:  A cantina catering to those on the fringes or even fully underground on Earth-like planet in a far galaxy that exasperates the classes by domes.

Set Up:  All Tyr wanted was a drink. Well that and some female companionship. Being a hired assassin was a lonely life, but it was the life he chose. No strings, no problems. The little lost innocent that wandered into the bar was definitely not his problem. Spoiled little princess like her spelled trouble no matter what language you spoke. The fact she was attracting all kinds of attention was not his problem. He would not go rescue her from her fate. She should have nown better than to walk into a cantina fo far away from the cloud dome. Nope he wasn;t going to...

Aw, hell.

Click to Purchase

     “What are you doing? Let me go!” The panic in her voice was unmistakable. “I’m meeting someone --”
     “Sure you are. It’s a little late for fear now, little one,” he hissed. “You have no business in a place like this.” Deliberately, he swung her around in the direction of the two lizards. They looked as if they had every intention of fighting Tyr for her, even knowing he could break their scaly necks with little effort. Some things were worth fighting for, and this little redhead was definitely one of them. Oh, no, where the hell had that thought come from? Nope, not gonna happen. He was going to get her out of here, and that would be that.
      She trembled beneath his touch. Good. The wench wasn’t a total dimwit. She looked up at him with a mixture of fear and excitement in her startlingly green eyes. She should really stop that. He was seconds away from pushing her up against the wall as it was. That body of hers was begging for it. Her breast brushed against his arm, her sweet smell enveloping his senses.
     Tyr didn’t stop once they were outside. He kept going, practically dragging her behind him.  They needed to get to a place of relative safety, which wasn’t saying much this close to the surface. Those Cardilians might feel lucky and think the two of them could take him with no one around to break up the fight. It was tricky avoiding the entrances to alleys, and it was imperative he remain aware of their surroundings as well as the woman at his side.
      “Where are you taking me?” Her voice was going up in pitch and volume in her fright. Good. She needed to know what kind of danger she was in. She definitely didn’t need to be in this part of the city, and she needed to know why.
     “I’m going to put you on a train back to the upper levels.” And away from him. “You have no business down here.” Temptation like this was deadly to a man like him. First came the intense attraction, then BAM! he was lying in an unmarked grave somewhere because he’d been paying attention to her instead of everything around him. He was a man alone, an assassin. He was feared, damn it. Women like her were nothing but problems on top of complications.
     “At least come with me.”
     He stopped then. Maybe she really was a dimwit? Did he look like a fucking escort? “Now, why the fuck would I do that?”
     “If you send me back, I’m as good as dead.”
     Now, that got his attention. “That’s a hell of a thing to say. Why would someone want to kill you?”
     “It’s my fiancé. My father agreed to the match because he seemed so in love with me, but it was really all a ploy to get my father’s money. If you help me, I’d be willing to pay anything you asked.”
      Immediately, his half-hard cock sprang to full attention. It happened so fast, he nearly fell to his knees as the blood made a beeline away from his brain. Didn’t that just open up all kinds of possibilities? It brought to mind all kinds of nasty little scenarios. Her on her knees, mouth open, full of his cock. Legs sticking up in the air, ankles resting on his shoulders. Or the best yet, her tied to his bed, wet and open and willing. Hell, at this point, he’d take her any way he could get her.
      “I assume you had a plan when you came down here?” His voice had gone husky. He didn’t want to scare her off, but it was next to impossible to remain calm when she smelled like she did. He wondered if her pussy would smell as sweet as the rest of her. Or taste as good. His mouth watered at the thought of burying his head between her thighs. She reminded him of the botanical gardens he’d visited topside after the simulated rain. Fresh. Feminine. Innocent. And so damn hot.
     Christ! He couldn’t think about that, or he really would rip her clothes off and take her where she stood. It would be easy enough to grip her hips and enter her standing up. He’d fuck her for all he was worth, then carry her home caveman style and do it all over again. Unbidden, the image of her sex, covered in a silky down of red curls, popped into his mind, and he actually groaned aloud.
     “Well, I was hoping to find someone to escort me back and imply we’d had sex.” She looked at him with innocent eyes, and Tyr knew he was looking at her as if she’d grown a second head. Was she fucking kidding?
     “Are you serious? You expect me to imply we had sex? Just what plane of reality do you live on, lady?”
     “I said I’d pay you well.”
     Fuck! The innocence shining in her eyes couldn’t possibly be faked. She actually expected whatever man she found for this job to accept money in payment. Tyr was pretty sure the thought of her “escort” wanting more from her than money had never entered her mind.
     “Stop.” He raised a hand when she would have argued more. “What’s your name? Before we go any farther, I think introductions are in order.”
     “Arienne.”
     Well, fuck, she would have a name as sugary sweet as she looked, wouldn’t she? “Arienne.”  He repeated the name just to see how it felt on his tongue. It felt too good for his peace of mind. Her name did nothing to return blood flow to his brain. If anything, his cock only throbbed harder, more insistently. “Well, Arienne, we may come to an agreement, but I’m wondering if you’ve really thought this out.”
     “Of course I have,” she said matter-of-factly. “I can pay you any price you want. All you have to do is escort me back to my fiancé, tell him I picked you up in a bar and had sex with you. He’s so concerned with appearances, he’ll drop me like so much garbage.”
     “You need a good spanking, Arienne,” he muttered. “Besides, I seriously doubt anyone would believe you picked me up. Or anyone in this Godforsaken place, for that matter.” He already knew he would be the one doing the spanking… as he drove into her hard and fast from behind. Damned if she didn’t blush a few shades lighter than the flame of her hair. Why did that turn him on even more? “Have you considered that no one else in your class would want you, either? You’ll be condemning yourself to a life of being shunned. Your parents, too. Will they let you stay in their home if you come back to them after screwing a roughneck?” That was safer than thinking about what she’d almost done and the punishment she so richly deserved.
     Her face paled a little at that, but she only raised her chin. “My mother might have one of her spells, but my father loves me.” Tyr could see tears glistening in her eyes, but she held her ground. “He’ll be very disappointed, but he would never turn his back on me.”
     Tyr didn’t bat an eyelash. If she was willing to let her reputation be ruined, he was willing to take her up on it. “In that case, why not do the real thing? Go all out. You said to name my price.” He moved into her personal space, crowding her in the hopes she’d beat feet, run back to her safe little world. Then she’d go tell Daddy, like she should’ve in the first place. “My price is sex. With you. If you want me to take Daddy’s little girl back home, you’re going to have to let me fuck you.”
 

Hopefully this excerpt will get you over the Wednesday hump!  Want to read more introductions, click on the author links below:

Sienna Mynx
Serenity King
Koko Brown

Changeling Press - Death Bringer

Changeling Press - Death Bringer

New from Marteeka Karland and Shara Azod

All Tyr wants is a stiff drink and an easy woman. He isn't the hero type. The lost little socialite who wanders into the roughneck cantina is not his problem. Let someone else escort her back to the Sky City where the rich and powerful live.

Only when she starts to get the wrong kind of attention, Tyr can't turn away. Those luscious curves and flame-red hair are like a beacon, and he's not immune. When she tells him what she wants -- well, now, isn't she lucky he's in the mood for a little down and dirty?

How could he know the succulent little Arienne is his next contract, should he choose to take it? And who could guess she's just the woman to bring life to the Death Bringer?

EXCERPT!

All Tyr wanted was to finish his ale and find a hot woman willing to spend the entire night fucking. For once, he was Tyr. Not a lethal assassin. Just Tyr. He’d stopped in a little town -- a tiny shit-hole of a place, really -- that was directly beneath the upscale Metro City. He’d hoped to rest before delving into his next job that would take him back into a world of death. He was tired. So very tired.

Even though he was minding his own business and not on the hunt, he’d placed himself in a corner where he could see everyone while he was still swathed in shadow. But even if he’d thrown his cloak over his head and ducked under the table, he would’ve had to be blind not to see the buxom redhead walking into the cantina. She looked like a woman who was not used to being in this part of the city. She looked more like she belonged in one of the sky cities, not one this close to the surface of the planet. However, those luscious curves made up for a heck of a lot. Whoever she was, he wasn’t about to start asking questions.

The cities beneath the sky dwellings were dark, dangerous places, and this cantina was one of the worst. Deciding it would be better to let her find her own way and not invite trouble, he turned back to his drink.

He was a jaded man, but damn, she had his cock half hard just from looking at her. Despite his resolve, he kept casting glances out of the corner of his eyes, watching as she wandered into the place all adorably lost. She seemed not to notice every eye in the bar was riveted to her, and not just from the sensual way her hips swayed. He’d bet her short skirt and fuck-me boots cost more than most of the steely-eyed, questionable types here made in a full moon cycle. It was impossible not to notice several interested roughneck types mentally calculating all sorts of things, which also didn’t sit well with him. Why he should care was anyone’s guess.

“No way. Not getting involved. She came in here on her own -- she can damned well leave on her own. She should’ve had better sense.” Great -- now he was talking to himself.

There were two bottle blondes with artificial enhancements giving him the serious eye. He could talk them both upstairs right now and forget all about Little Miss All Natural and… Shit, those stiff little nipples were just begging for his lips to cover them, greedily sucking to his heart’s content. And those hips! Ummm, weren’t they just begging to take a rough rider on a wild ride?

He really should concentrate on something else -- anything else. That girl was trouble. Big trouble. Hell, he was wanted almost everywhere on the Godforsaken planet! This woman not only didn’t belong here, she was probably running. She screamed innocence. In this place, it was as good as a death sentence. After a very brutal rape, that is. $So not the kind oftrouble he needed. Chances were good somebody important was looking for her.

That was when he noticed the two Cardilian lizards heading toward her with lust in their eyes -- well, those black slits they called eyes. Those sadistic, slimy green bastards would take what they wanted, then tear her apart with those sharp, razor-like teeth. Tyr’s jaw clenched. He was going to do it, go over and save her ass despite knowing it would only lead to more trouble. Maybe if he could get her outside, she’d realize the danger she was in and just go back home to whomever she was running from.

Standing, he pulled his cloak over his shaved head and stalked toward her. He didn’t worry about anyone recognizing him -- his assassin role was hidden so deep, only one other person knew who he really was. His only concern was that someone would see him with her. Such sweet, succulent prey was easily noticed, and anyone leaving with her would most definitely be remembered. That little fact alone would severely delay his next job. Nobody gave a shit while he was just another asshole drowning his issues in gut-rot ale. He glanced at the Cardilians, flashing the tattoo on his arm that indicated his cybernetic enhancements, and grabbed the little, fire-haired woman by the upper arm. Her eyes widened in alarm, and she tried to pull free, but he held on mercilessly.

“What are you doing? Let me go!” The panic in her voice was unmistakable. “I’m meeting someone --”

“Sure you are. It’s a little late for fear now, little one,” he hissed. “You have no business in a place like this.” Deliberately, he swung her around in the direction of the two lizards. They looked as if they had every intention of fighting Tyr for her, even knowing he could break their scaly necks with little effort. Some things were worth fighting for, and this little redhead was definitely one of them. Oh, no, where the hell had that thought come from? Nope, not gonna happen. He was going to get her out of here, and that would be that.

She trembled beneath his touch. Good. The wench wasn’t a total dimwit. She looked up at him with a mixture of fear and excitement in her startlingly green eyes. She should really stop that. He was seconds away from pushing her up against the wall as it was. That body of hers was begging for it. Her breast brushed against his arm, her sweet smell enveloping his senses.

Tyr didn’t stop once they were outside. He kept going, practically dragging her behind him. They needed to get to a place of relative safety, which wasn’t saying much this close to the surface. Those Cardilians might feel lucky and think the two of them could take him with no one around to break up the fight. It was tricky avoiding the entrances to alleys, and it was imperative he remain aware of their surroundings as well as the woman at his side.

“Where are you taking me?” Her voice was going up in pitch and volume in her fright. Good. She needed to know what kind of danger she was in. She definitely didn’t need to be in this part of the city, and she needed to know why.

“I’m going to put you on a train back to the upper levels.” And away from him. “You have no business down here.” Temptation like this was deadly to a man like him. First came the intense attraction, then $BAM! he was lying in an unmarked grave somewhere because he’d been paying attention to her instead of everything around him. He was a man alone, an assassin. He was feared, damn it. Women like her were nothing but problems on top of complications.

“At least come with me.”

He stopped then. Maybe she really was a dimwit? Did he look like a fucking escort? “Now, why the fuck would I do that?”

“If you send me back, I’m as good as dead.”

Now, $that got his attention. “That’s a hell of a thing to say. Why would someone want to kill you?”

“It’s my fiancé. My father agreed to the match because he seemed so in love with me, but it was really all a ploy to get my father’s money. If you help me, I’d be willing to pay anything you asked.”

Immediately, his half-hard cock sprang to full attention. It happened so fast, he nearly fell to his knees as the blood made a beeline away from his brain. Didn’t $that just open up all kinds of possibilities? It brought to mind all kinds of nasty little scenarios. Her on her knees, mouth open, full of his cock. Legs sticking up in the air, ankles resting on his shoulders. Or the best yet, her tied to his bed, wet and open and willing. Hell, at this point, he’d take her any way he could get her.

“I assume you had a plan when you came down here?” His voice had gone husky. He didn’t want to scare her off, but it was next to impossible to remain calm when she smelled like she did. He wondered if her pussy would smell as sweet as the rest of her. Or taste as good. His mouth watered at the thought of burying his head between her thighs. She reminded him of the botanical gardens he’d visited topside after the simulated rain. Fresh. Feminine. Innocent. And so damn hot.

Christ! He couldn’t think about that, or he really would rip her clothes off and take her where she stood. It would be easy enough to grip her hips and enter her standing up. He’d fuck her for all he was worth, then carry her home caveman style and do it all over again. Unbidden, the image of her sex, covered in a silky down of red curls, popped into his mind, and he actually groaned aloud.
“Well, I was hoping to find someone to escort me back and imply we’d had sex.” She looked at him with innocent eyes, and Tyr knew he was looking at her as if she’d grown a second head. Was she fucking kidding?

“Are you serious? You expect me to $imply we had sex? Just what plane of reality do you live on, lady?”

“I said I’d pay you well.”

Fuck! The innocence shining in her eyes couldn’t possibly be faked. She actually expected whatever man she found for this job to accept money in payment. Tyr was pretty sure the thought of her “escort” wanting more from her than money hadnever entered her mind.

“Stop.” He raised a hand when she would have argued more. “What’s your name? Before we go any farther, I think introductions are in order.”

“Arienne.”

Well, fuck, she would have a name as sugary sweet as she looked, wouldn’t she? “Arienne.” He repeated the name just to see how it felt on his tongue. It felt too good for his peace of mind. Her name did nothing to return blood flow to his brain. If anything, his cock only throbbed harder, more insistently. “Well, Arienne, we may come to an agreement, but I’m wondering if you’ve really thought this out.”

“Of course I have,” she said matter-of-factly. “I can pay you any price you want. All you have to do is escort me back to my fiancé, tell him I picked you upin a bar and had sex with you. He’s so concerned with appearances, he’ll drop me like so much garbage.”

“You need a good spanking, Arienne,” he muttered. “Besides, I seriously doubt anyone would believe $you picked $me up. Or anyone in this Godforsaken place, for that matter.” He already knew he would be the one doing the spanking… as he drove into her hard and fast from behind. Damned if she didn’t blush a few shades lighter than the flame of her hair. Why did that turn him on even more? “Have you considered that no one else in your class would want you, either? You’ll be condemning yourself to a life of being shunned. Your parents, too. Will they let you stay in their home if you come back to them after screwing a roughneck?” That was safer than thinking about what she’d almost done and the punishment she so richly deserved.

Her face paled a little at that, but she only raised her chin. “My mother might have one of her spells, but my father loves me.” Tyr could see tears glistening in her eyes, but she held her ground. “He’ll be very disappointed, but he would never turn his back on me.”

Tyr didn’t bat an eyelash. If she was willing to let her reputation be ruined, he was willing to take her up on it. “In that case, why not do the real thing? Go all out. You said to name my price.” He moved into her personal space, crowding her in the hopes she’d beat feet, run back to her safe little world. Then she’d go tell Daddy, like she should’ve in the first place. “My price is sex. With you. If you want me to take Daddy’s little girl back home, you’re going to have to let me fuck you.”

Available Now

Allie's Diary - Unconditional Surrender 
by Allie Blocker $1.00


Allie moves into a new level with her relationship with Lewis. She has already given him her love, but she really to give him her everything? Take a peek into her diary and follow her journey to unconditional surrender.





I Saw You, Baby
by Shara Azod $1.99

Aina was running scared. Everywhere she looked, there was Master Sergeant Daiki Wakahisa, looking so fine it made her weak in the knees. Knowing she couldn’t
The Boys have him, she chose to run, vacating any area he was at. Little did she know the Master Sergeant was watching, and counting the second when he could make her his.

Introducing - The Boys of Summer

Working it Out
by Nikki Winter $2.99

Friends?
Carlo Santiago had good friends and bad ones but he’d never had a strange one until he met Aubrey Richards. How one woman could turn his world inside out without any effort was astonishing and scary all at the same time. Three years of having someone use all your personal things at their whim was nothing new to him but what happens when Aubrey decides she needs just him?

Or Lovers?
Aubrey was strange. She knew it and so did everyone else around her but only one man besides her Daddy seemed to have the tolerance for it. Carlo Santiago was the epitome of hotness. Everything from his intellect to his way of making her feel normal and his gorgeous looks intrigued Aubrey and she knew that if nothing else happened between them they at least needed to be friends. When the small issue came up of her needing to drop a few pounds she knew exactly where to go. Hitting the mat with Carlo becomes a challenge but the real fun starts when they hit the sheets…

Excerpt:

Aubrey smacked his shoulder, taking some satisfaction when he winced. “All that nasty stuff you got going on in your head, just let it go.”

He tried to look innocent and failed. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Yeah, right.”

“Okay, when you throw out an image of two beautiful women alone in a dressing room… What do you expect?”

“I expect for you to act like you have some sense so I don’t have to find my blade.”

“Perhaps you’ll be naked when you use said blade?” He looked hopeful.

She shrugged. “Why not throw you a bone before you take your last breath?”

“See, I thought you’d just be naked, I never thought you’d throw me a bone too.”

She patted his cheek. “Quiet yourself and feed me before I start screaming.”

Carlo chuckled and let her slide into the booth before him as they sat across from Gwen and Tony. He held the menu back from her. “They’ve got a turkey club on rye and some baked chips that you’ll love.”

“Are you telling me what to eat?” she queried softly.

“And risk the tendons in the backs of my ankles being sliced? I don’t think so. I know your eating patterns, and I know today is your sandwich day.” He sat back with a smug expression.

“It’ll also be the day I finally use my shovel if you don’t wipe that look off your face.”

Gwen and Tony snorted. Turning toward her in the booth, Carlo said, “You can’t kill me because you love me so stop with the grumpy act, order the sandwich, and then kiss me as a thank you.”

“How about I let my foot kiss your—”

Since they argued and argued a lot, Aubrey didn’t expect Carlo’s tongue in her mouth anytime soon. Not to say she hadn’t thought about it happening more than enough times, she just hadn’t expected it to happen now, and she really didn’t expect her nipples to harden so much that they stung—nor was she prepared for the flood of moisture that hit her right between the thighs.

“Damn…” she heard somebody mutter but was too busy enjoying Carlo’s hands in her hair, tugging her head back for him to plunder her mouth some more. Her hands returned the favor as she enjoyed the growl that rumbled through his chest.

“We might as well clear the table since it looks like they’ll need it.”

Aubrey managed to pry her eyes open and broke off the kiss when Gwen said that. Her back hit the booth again, and she took in a lungful of air.

“Here girl, have some water. I think he sucked your mouth dry.” Gwen handed her a glass and turned away, but Aubrey could tell she was fighting off laughter. Tony just shook his head and winked at her while Carlo looked rather…agitated.

“Any reason you’re looking at me like that other than your obvious desire to lose your eyes?” she asked when she could breathe normally.

“I wasn’t done,” he answered. Did he just…growl that? Normally Aubrey would’ve gone for her blade, but all he did was make her clit start doing the tango. Yeah, she was crazy, but this was a whole other level.

The Politician

by Marteeka  Karland &

Shara Azod$3.99

James followed the music and lost his heart. Lark wasn't a woman he could ignore even if he'd wanted to. She called to him on a level he didn't understand and could care less about. All he knew was that, once he'd seen her, he had to make her his. No matter the cost to himself.

Lark is a free spirit. She lives day to day, celebrating the good, but realizing that some things just can't be. That includes any kind of meaningful relationship with Congressman James Buchanan. The good Senator was elected in South Georgia and there was just no way in hell he keeps his seat if he's caught in a compromising situation with a black woman.

Except that's exactly what happens. Now, Lark must leave him or risk destroying his career, something she's not willing to do. But is James willing to go against the man who's always spearheaded his campaigns and helped take James so far up the political ladder?




Excerpt:
   Lark felt her world veer off kilter. Spinning around, she turned to face him. She knew anger blazed in her eyes, but she couldn't help it. "That's not funny, James." She might dream at night in her heart of hearts, but the damned man had no right to do this to her. "Don't joke about something like that. It's not nice."   She was very close to tears, and that made her all the more angry at him.

   When she would have pushed away from him, his hands framed her face, forcing her to look at him. "I'm not joking, Lark." The intensity in his eyes took her breath. Even in the moonlight, she could see passion glittering there. He shook her a little, obviously trying to make his point. "I swear to you, I will marry you, if you'll have me. House seat be damned."

   Was she a fool to believe him? She wanted to, so bad it hurt. While Lark wasn't a pessimist, she didn't believe in fairytale endings. Still, the chemistry was very real between the two of them. It just wasn't the kind of connection she expected someone like James to acknowledge. From all that she had ever seen of him he was a very practical person. Not the kind of man who fell for a woman he'd just met.

   “I want to believe you.” She really did. But she hadn't made it this far in life by being a fool.

   “Then take a chance.” James tangled his fingers in her hair, pulling her closer until they were face to face. "I promise you won't regret it." Then, he claimed her mouth with his.

   Being kissed by James was like being consumed. When his tongue swept into her mouth, she lost all coherent thought. All that mattered was him. Kissing him. Loving him. He seemed to invade every part of her, taking her outside herself and transporting her to the clouds.

   Of their own accord, her arms slid around his neck, her fingers finding the strands of hair at the back of his neck. His body pressed against her was so hard and warm, she wanted to crawl inside of him, climb him, let him take care of her. She wasn't a weak woman—quite the opposite—but James’ strength of body and character made her feel very feminine. Having him look after her wouldn't be such a bad thing.

   They'd stopped underneath the pier, the waves crashing along the pylons in deeper water. Before she knew it, her back was against one of the large wooden braces and James' hand bunched in her dress, palming her flesh as he slid it ever upward. His thumbs hooked over the waist of her thong and pulled it down her legs. He had to kneel to remove them, placing them in his pocket.

   "I'll just hang on to these," he mumbled as he stood. "You can have them back after the wedding."