His Stolen Bride BN (39 page)

He looked relieved. “So you will stay?”

“Nay,” she replied, turning her back to him.

Drake rose from the bed and followed, grasping her shoulders. He cursed when she stiffened
beneath his hands.

“Averyl, please. Do not go.”

Knowing tears were just moments away, Averyl jerked from his grasp. “I will not have
any part of marriage to a man who refuses to love me. You have always known such.”

Face taut, he nodded. “Aye.”

When he said naught more, she turned away. “I will go.”

“Now?” he questioned, following her as she crossed the room to the solar’s door.

“I have no reason to stay.”

“Averyl, the words… I know—”

“Say no more.” She opened the door.

“Do not leave me! I—”

“Never fear.” Averyl whirled to face him. “I will raise our child well and with love
at Abbotsford. You will have no burden of responsibility.”

As she made for the door again, Drake grabbed her elbow. “I said stay.”

She ignored him. “I will send word when the bairn is born and you may visit. But do
not darken my doorstep until then.”

Averyl slammed out of the solar.

* * * * *

Drake watched Averyl’s retreating form make for the stairs at the end of the passage.
Feeling the cold impact of her absence in his chest, he followed.

She really meant to leave, before he could make her listen? Did she not know how much
he cared, how much he wanted her by his side? Nay. And she would not be happy until
he laid bare the contents of his heart.

She deserved no less.

Fear consumed him. He had watched his parents destroy each other. But he was not Lochlan,
nor was Averyl like Diera, as Aric had once reminded him.

And only a fool would let her get away.

Sweat broke out on his forehead, his chest. He loved her. Now he must overcome his
fears and tell her.

She had trusted him enough to overcome her fears of the darkness, the insecurity of
her own face, because he had urged her to do so. In return, she wanted only three
little words he felt so deeply it hurt.

The thought humbled him.

Sprinting now, he ran to the stairwell and followed, catching a swish of her red gown
as she rounded the corners of the stairs.

Drake frowned, his mind tearing from one thought to the next. Leaving her with Guilford
had been among the most difficult tasks he had ever seen through. The ensuing six
months without her had been naught but hell.

Her support, her belief in his innocence, her gentle nature had all earned his trust.
She had continued to give to him as a lover and a wife at moments when he had not
deserved such. And still he wanted her. With the intensity of a fever, with the pitch
of a crescendo. God, how he wanted her.

Loved her.

Realizing she was fast approaching the bottom of the stairs, panic seized him. She
could not leave. He needed her, her sunny smiles, her trickling laugh, her floral
scent. Needed her gentle soul, her trusting ways and compassionate deeds.

He needed her love.

Swallowing, he ran after her. Quickly, he caught her, her pregnant form having difficulty
maneuvering the narrow stairs.

“Averyl, wait!” He clasped her arm and drew near.

She spoke without facing him. “We have naught to say.”

He grabbed her elbow, his desperate fingers wrapping about her arm. Averyl faced him
and raised her chin, her face frighteningly devoid of all expression but fury. Had
he pushed her so far, waited too long, that he had now lost her love?

“You may release me now. ’Tis clear we are not suited and that you—”

“I—” He swallowed hard, holding her face between both hands. He let his urgent gaze
delve into hers. “I love you.”

She cast him a gaze sharp with suspicion. “Do you mean such or say what you think
I wish to hear?”

His heart raced, pounding against his chest. “I say it because I mean it. I love you.”

Anger melted her expression to wariness.

“’Tis true.” Tears hovered at the edges of his eyes. “’Twas stubborn of me not to
admit it sooner. But I feared you could hurt me, as my mother hurt my father, if you
knew I cared.”

“I’m to believe after all this time that you now love me?”

Sarcasm and disbelief swirled thickly in her voice. Drake’s gaze delved into hers,
imploring.

“’Tis difficult to believe, I know. But it is God’s truth. I have loved you for months
but was afraid to trust you, my own heart, our marriage…”

“You have been naught but a wretch.”

“Aye, and a selfish rogue, I admit. I had never known such a woman of good heart,
of gentle spirit. You made me see love as it should be. You believed in me when no
one did and gave of yourself when others turned me away. I treated you badly out of
fear. I am sorry. But never again will I hurt you thus.”

“Truly?” she asked, her suspicion easing.

He caressed her cheek. “Truly. I love you. Stay with me, as my wife, my love?”

“What if I never hear those three words again?” She bit her lip in uncertainty.

Drake restrained an urge to cover those lips with his own. Instead, he swallowed,
plunging ahead. “I will profess my love daily, even hourly, should you like.”

Tears gathered in her eyes, turning them to grassy green. “Hourly? That would please
me well.”

He gripped her hands in his, his gaze delving, cherishing, as he held back tears of
his own. “Will you love me as I love you?”

Her eyes softened with a radiant joy that warmed Drake’s heart, filling him up in
ways he knew no one else ever would.

Smiling, she murmured, “You have taken my heart captive. How could I not?”

Brothers in Arms, BOOK 3

By Shayla Black

Coming September 15, 2014

BROTHERS IN ARMS Trilogy

Return to an age of danger and chivalry, when three daring knights—fostered together
since boyhood in the warrior tradition—face their greatest challenge…winning the hearts
of the women they love.

Enemies By Day, Lovers By Night…

A reckless warrior, Kieran Broderick was half-Irish, yet bound to fight for the English
crown. So when King Henry decreed that he take an Irish wife to quell rebellion there,
he had little choice. Newly dubbed the earl of Kildare, Kieran travels to Langmore
Castle, seat of the lawless O’Shea family, to choose a bride. When he picks Maeve,
a fetching lass who seems sweetly submissive, he soon learns she’s a fiery, clever
woman. When she refuses to allow him into her bed or her heart, he finds himself fighting
the most daunting battle of his life. But Kieran will never give up. He’s determined
to conquer his rebellious beauty—body and soul.

A Wicked Lovers Novel

By Shayla Black

Coming March 3, 2015

Click
here
to pre-order.

Racing against time, NSA Agent Joaquin Muñoz is searching for a little girl who vanished
twenty years ago with a dangerous secret. Since Bailey Benson fits the profile, Joaquin
abducts the beauty and whisks her to the safety of Club Dominion—before anyone can
silence her for good.

At first, Bailey is terrified, but when her captor demands information about her past,
she’s stunned. Are her horrific visions actually distant memories that imperil all
she holds dear? Confined with Joaquin in a place that echoes with moans and breathes
passion, he proves himself a fierce protector, as well as a sensual Master who’s slowly
crawling deeper in her head…and heart. But giving in to him might be the most delicious
danger of all.

Because Bailey soon learns that her past isn’t the only mystery. Joaquin has a secret
of his own—a burning vengeance in his soul. The exposed truth leaves her vulnerable
and wondering how much about the man she loves is a lie, how much more is at risk
than her heart. And if she can trust him to protect her long enough to learn the truth.

Excerpt

“…What about you? You’re with another government agency, so you’re here to . . . what?
Be my lover? Does Uncle Sam think you need to crawl between my legs in order to watch
over me?”

Joaquin ground his jaw. She was hitting low, and the logical part of him understood
that she was hurt, so she was lashing out at the messenger because she didn’t have
anyone else. But that didn’t stop his temper from getting swept up in her cyclone
of emotion. “I’m not here on anyone’s orders. In fact, I’ll probably be fired for
pursuing this case because Tatiana Aslanov isn’t on my boss’s radar. When it became
obvious the agency intended to do nothing, I couldn’t leave you to that horrific death.
So here we are. But let me clue you in, baby girl. Uncle Sam doesn’t tell me who to
fuck. I can’t fake an erection, even for the sake of God and country. That kiss we
almost shared? That was me wanting you because just being in the same room with you
makes me want to strip off everything you’re wearing and impale you with every inch
I’ve got.”

When he eased closer to Bailey, she squared her shoulders and raised her chin. “Don’t
come near me.”

That defiance made him wish again that he was a spanking kind of guy. He’d really
like to melt that starch in her spine. If she wasn’t going to let him comfort her,
he’d be more than happy to adjust her attitude with a good smack or ten on her ass,
then follow it up with a thorough fucking. A nice handful of orgasms would do them
both a world of good.

“I am so done with people lying to me,” she ground out.

That pissed him off. “You think I’m lying to you? About which part? Your parents being
agents? That I’m sorry? Or that my cock is aching to fill your sweet little pussy
until you dig your nails into my back and wail out in pleasure?”

Her face turned pink. “You’re not sorry about any of this. I’m also not buying your
sudden desire bullshit.”

“I will be more than happy to prove you wrong right now.” He reached for the button
of his jeans. “I’m ready if you are.”

In some distant corner of his brain, Joaquin realized that combating her hurt with
challenge wasn’t going over well. On the other hand, something about arguing with
her while he’d been imagining her underneath him hadn’t just gotten his blood flowing,
but boiling. If fucking her would, in any way, prove to her that he wasn’t lying,
he was beyond down with getting busy. If she let him, he’d give it to her hard and
wicked—and repeatedly.

“No!” She managed to look indignant, but her cheeks had gone rosy. The pulse at her
neck was pounding. Her nipples poked at her borrowed shirt angrily.

He put his hands on his hips. If she looked down, she’d see his straining zipper.
“Do you still think I’m lying?”

“I’m done with this conversation.”

“If you’re telling yourself you don’t want me at all, then you’re the one lying.”

“Pfft. You might know facts about me on paper, but you don’t know me.”

“So if I touched your pussy right now, you wouldn’t be wet?”

He’d always liked a good challenge. It was probably one of the reasons he loved his
job. But facing off with her this way made his blood sing, too.

“No.” She shook her head a bit too emphatically. “And you’re not touching me to find
out. Leave me alone.”

“You’re worried that I’d find you juicy. You’re afraid to admit that I turn you on.”
He stalked closer, his footfalls heavy, his eyes narrowing in on her.

“Stay back,” she warned—but her eyes said something else entirely.

“Tell me you’re not attracted to me.” He reached out, his strike fast as a snake’s,
and gripped her arms. He dragged her closer, fitting her lithe little body against
him and holding in a groan when she brushed over his cock. “Tell me you want me to
stop. Remember, you don’t like liars. I don’t, either.”

She didn’t say a word, struggled a bit for show. Mostly, she parted her lips and panted.
Her cheeks heated an even deeper rose. Her chest heaved. Never once did she look away
from him. “I’m involved with someone else.”

“If you think whatever you’ve got going with Blane is going to stop me . . .” He didn’t
bother to finish his sentence; he just laughed.

“So you’re not listening to me say ‘no’? You’re not respecting my feelings for another
guy?”

“Let’s just say I’m proving my sincerity to you.” He tightened his grip. When she
gasped and her stare fell to his lips, triumph raced through his veins. “I’m also
testing you. That pretty mouth of yours might lie to me, but your kisses won’t.”

Joaquin didn’t give her a chance to protest again. Normally, he would have. Women
101 was never to proceed without express consent, but this thick air of tension electrifying
his blood and seizing his lungs was something entirely new and intoxicating. Their
fight seemed to be helping Bailey forget her shock and sadness, not to mention the
fact that it revved her, too. She wasn’t immune to him—not by a long shot. Thank fuck.

Thrusting a fist in her hair, he pinned her in place and lowered his head.

The Doms Of Genesis – Book Four

By Jenna Jacob

Coming August 18, 2014

I never intended Joshua Lars, the sexy-as-sin sculptor to be more than a one-night
stand. How was I to know his masterful hands and dominant command would wake the sleeping
submissive within me? Any of my friends would have said that Mellie Carson was an
independent, successful woman who would never kneel for a man. I’d already chalked
my one foray into surrendering my control up to naïve stupidity. I was far too smart
now to do it again—or so I thought. Then came Joshua… Determined to resist his powerful
draw, I tried to forget him, but Fate—and a killer—had other plans. Now, in Joshua’s
arms, I might be safe, but I fear my heart isn’t. Can he save my life while saving
my submission?