A Little Harmless Ride (28 page)

“
Of course I did. What did you think I would do when I called him to tell him you almost died and you were in the hospital?”

He rolled his shoulders and then winced in pain.

“
Feeling sorry for yourself, are you?” she asked showing no outward reaction. Eli didn’t understand tenderness all the time, and he definitely needed a swift kick in the ass at the moment.

“
Not feeling sorry for myself.”

She turned back to the television, trying to keep her emotions in check. “Sure sounds like you are. Kind of whiney.”

“
Look, woman, I’m not in the mood to deal with you.”

“
Yeah? Well, whatcha gonna do about it?” she asked.

He said nothing but she felt his glare.

“
I want to know what the bloody hell you were thinking?”

She sighed. They had done this the day before and she just wasn’t in the mood. “I was thinking I shouldn’t let you die just because I am a woman.”

He said nothing for a few moments. She glanced over at him and he was staring straight ahead.

“
You want to be pissed because I followed you, because I saw what was happening and I wasn’t about to let that bitch kill you? It wasn’t like I came alone. I had Sean with me, and he definitely knew what he was doing. Get pissed, and then get over it.”

“
You put yourself at risk.”

Crysta fought the need to tell him to fuck off. He was sick. He almost died. If she said those two phrases enough times, she might remember them.

“
Oh, and so that explains your reason for acting like a pissy little boy?”

“
I said to stay at the house. I had it under control.”

That one little comment pushed her over the edge.

“
You had it under control? You?”

Unable to sit any more, she stood and started pacing the room. “I was supposed to sit at the ranch not knowing what the hell was going on, what the fuck was going to happen to you? You would have died without me. You know and I know. Oh, but I could have said I obeyed your order? I don’t think so.”

“
Crysta—”

She didn’t want to hear it. She’d been through too much. After everything, she just couldn’t take this.

“
You’re just going to have to get over that shit, right now. Jesus, you almost died, right there and for second, I couldn’t find your pulse. I thought you were fucking dead, and all you can say is that I didn’t follow your orders?”

She hadn’t been paying attention and got too close to the bed. He grabbed her hand and tugged her down. “I’m sorry, Crysta.” He pulled her down for a kiss. “Please stop crying. I can’t take it when you cry.”

“
I’m not crying,” she said on a sob, then she realized she was crying.

“
I’m sorry.”

“
How can you say that? How can you care? You would have died without me, and you just have to admit it.”

“
No worries,” he said then kissed the tip of her nose.

“
And I’m not leaving. I’m staying here and you just better get used to it.”

He gave her a smile. “Okay.”

“
And at some point, you’re going to have to propose or something because my father isn’t going to be happy about me living with you.”

“
Sure.”

She sighed, and then she realized what she had just yelled at him.

“
Okay, you don’t have to marry me, but you have to stop all the crap about me coming after you. I thought you were dead and I didn’t want to live anymore.”

“
No, love, you just said we have to get married.”

“
I didn’t say
have to
.”

She tried to move away but he held her tighter.

“
You did and now I’m going to hold you to it.”

“
And why would you do that?”

“
You stupid woman. I love you too.”

For a second or two, she didn’t think she heard him right.

“
You love me?”

“
Oh, love,” he said cupping her face and pulling her closer for a kiss. “I started to fall in love with you when I first met you. Probably even before that.”

“
You don’t have to lie, Eli,” she said, trying to keep herself from believing.

“
It was Joe talking about you; something you said, something you did, and I couldn’t seem to stop thinking about you. Then you were here and you have this love of life that just amazes me. You’re kind and strong, and damn, I love a woman who likes a good spanking.”

“
Yeah?” she asked as a lump rose in her throat. No man had ever said those things about her.

“
Yes and I recall telling you I loved you when I got shot.”

“
That doesn’t count. I thought you said it because you thought you were dying.”

“
Silly woman.” He pulled her down for a long, wet kiss. “So, what do you say, Crysta. Marry me, raise some smartass kids, and run a ranch? Does that sound like fun?”

“
That sounds splendid.”

He scooted over. She could see the wince and knew he had hurt himself.

“
Don’t move like that.”

He ignored her and situated himself, patting the bed next to him. She lowered the lights, slipped off her sandals and joined him in bed. He wrapped his arm around her as she settled her head on his shoulder.

“
So, tell me what’s been going on at the ranch.”

And there, with the low hum of the television in the background and the morning sun peeking through the shades, they talked about nothing all that important.

And, for your pleasure, see how the Harmless Series all started! Here is the first chapter of A Little Harmless Sex, book one of the series:

Is it love, or just a little harmless sex?

Max
 has always been 
Anna
's knight in shining armor. But Max has always seen her as a charming, and very sexy, little sister.

Until Max's cold fiance dumps him, Anna unloads another of her many conquests and she invites him over for margaritas and Mexican food. Too much tequila, too much flirting, and too many years of fighting the attraction — Max loses control and has mind-blowing sex with Anna on her couch. And in her shower. And in her bed. When the sun rises the next morning, both of them must face that their night together is just the first of many.

For Max, he knows he wants Anna forever, but convincing a commitment-phobe like Anna is no easy task. For Anna, she can't believe she has finally slipped beneath Max's steely self-control. He is every woman's dark, wet fantasy come true.

But what happens when Max pushes Anna for more than just A Little Harmless Sex?

»
WARNING: The following book contains: explicit sex, graphic terms for body parts, torture via silk stockings, a little spanking, and shower and office sex.

*

“
You have to understand, Max, this has nothing to do with you.” Cynthia tucked a strand of her blonde hair behind her ear then blinked several times. The sweet smell of jasmine filled the humid Georgia air along with the clink of glasses and silverware against fine china.

Maxwell Chandler stared at his fiancée—strike that—his soon-to-be ex-fiancée, and wondered why she’d dragged him out to lunch just to dump him. It would have been so much easier and cheaper if she had just called or sent a note. Hell, Max would have been happy with an email telling him to fuck off. But then, that wasn’t Cynthia’s style.

Cynthia probably worried he’d cause a scene. Max never made a scene. It would be bad for business. Which meant that she didn’t know him well. And as his best friend Anna had pointed out, that wasn’t any way to start a marriage.

She’d claimed that if you were going to marry someone, you should know every single bad habit that person had. That, in her humble opinion, was the only way to tell if you truly loved the person. He probably didn’t know much more past Cynthia’s surface than she knew past his. Maybe that’s why all he felt was…relief.

“
You’re calling off our engagement, so I think it has a little to do with me,” Max said in an agreeable tone. “Have you met someone else?”

Her blue eyes widened and a look of complete horror passed over her face. “No. It’s not that.”

“
So, you’re just dumping me because you don’t like me?” Max tried to sound a little hurt. Truthfully though, the tension eased out of his shoulders and the constant throbbing in his head lessened. He’d gotten so used to the pain, Max hadn’t realized how intense it had become. Showing his true feelings would be in bad form. Sort of like making your fiancé pay for lunch when you planned to dump him.

Cynthia reached across the table and grabbed his hand. A look of acute distress marred her perfect face. Her eyes filled with tears. She spent most of her days with that look on her face. Any tiny thing set the woman off, and not in a pleasant way. Not that she would ever cause a scene. Cynthia Myers never lost her temper, never showed an ounce of passion.

What had he been thinking when he proposed to her? It couldn’t have been because the sex was great. It was good, but someone who stressed out when she had to pick the color of her car couldn’t relax enough to have fun in bed. He came, but there was no real satisfaction in fucking the woman. She didn’t like wet, hot, messy sex. He’d had to invest in lubricant for the first time in his life. Why marry a woman who couldn’t get wet?

“
No, I like you a lot. It’s just that…well, I think we aren’t suited.” She picked at the linen tablecloth nervously. Her attention was apparently captured by the complexities of the ivory color and the wrinkle she eased away with her index finger. Without looking at him she said, her voice filled with anxious worry, “I hope there will be no hard feelings.”

In Max’s opinion, what Cynthia hoped was that he wouldn’t take this out on her father. Their families had been doing business for years. It was one of the reasons he’d proposed. And probably one of the reasons—if not the main reason—that she’d agreed to begin with. That and her father had wanted the match. Cynthia usually did anything her father wanted her to do. Well, until today. And the fact that Max had been ready to marry her based on a business relationship didn’t say much for him. From the very beginning of their “courtship”, Cynthia had seemed like a nervous rabbit. Not once had he ever seen her relax, which explained why she didn’t like sex and probably never would.

Max smiled and did his best not to look too relieved. “No. You should know me better than that.”

Cynthia looked up, worry puckering her brow, but then she returned his smile, albeit warily. “That’s nice to know. I think it best if we tell our parents right away. Daddy is going to be furious.”

“
Tell him it’s my fault.”

She sniffled a bit, wiped her nose and then the tears disappeared. “You are a true gentleman.”

No, he was a true putz, but he knew Cynthia’s father. Max felt like a shit because, for the first time, he realized his heart hadn’t been with her or the engagement. “Just tell him I had second thoughts. We’re months away from even picking out the invitations. No harm done.”

The smile that brightened her face did nothing more than exasperate him. “I truly appreciate it. You know how Daddy is, and he so wanted this”—she gestured back and forth between them with her hand—“marriage to take place.”

She licked her lips and reached for her iced tea. It was then that Max noticed her hand shook as her fingers wrapped around her glass. Being nervous was one thing. Being frightened was a whole other ball game.

When he spoke, he reminded himself to keep his voice calm. One word the wrong way and she might bolt. Or, God forbid, change her mind back. “Your father will get over it, Cynthia. It isn’t like I won’t do business with him.”