Sold to the Highest Bidder (20 page)

He ran his hand from her shoulder blade down over her bottom, adoring her skin, her scent rising in the air, a cloud of seduction weaving around them. His lips teased at the side of her mouth, tiny butterfly kisses, wanting to be gentle, slow and feeling a fire rage within him that was threatening to burn out of control. The battle, the holding back and hovering so close, was delicious.

But when she sighed blissfully against his mouth, he knew he was losing. He picked her up and carried her the few steps to the bed, laying her down on the soft duvet. And when she was stretched out before him, he felt an unfamiliar stinging behind his eyes.

Before he could do another thing, he leaned over and pressed a soft kiss to the gentle mound of her belly. It hadn’t yet changed shape, he realized with wonder. But it didn’t matter. His son or daughter—theirs—made with love. And if he had anything to say about it, they would come into this life the same way. Loved.

“Oh, Devin.” He heard her whisper, and her hand came to rest on his head.

The warmth of her skin on his face, the blessing of her hand on his hair, the absolute acceptance… This was the sweetest moment of his life. He wanted to claim her, to love her and protect her for the rest of their lives.

He gave one more kiss and straightened, unbuttoning his shirt, shucking his trousers. He needed to feel her skin on his, needed to feel himself inside her, connected in every possible way. “Do you know how much I want you, Ella?” He knelt on the bed beside her, needing to be perfectly clear before he put his stamp of possession on her.

“I think I do,” she replied, the smile sharpened by an edge of arousal. “Are you going to make me wait much longer?”

His answer was to slide within her, watch her eyelids drift closed as he moved, slowly, completely. And when her eyes opened again, nothing prepared him for the force of the connection—body, heart, soul.

It was unhurried, the way he slipped into her body, the way she gave—and took—pleasure. Sweat glistened on their skin, and still they reveled in it, until Devin could stand it no longer. He rolled over so that she was on top, and gripped her hips, surrendering to her.

“Love me, Ell.”

The tips of her hair swung against her shoulders as she began rocking her hips, driving him insane with the seductive rhythm. The beats quickened, and she put her hands on the pillow beside his head, grinding against him, seeking her own release. Swept up in the wave, Devin lifted his head and caught one sweat-slicked nipple in his mouth. He felt the goosebumps erupt on her skin at the same moment she cried out, pulsing around him. He gripped harder and with one last frantic push, emptied inside her.

As the haze cleared from his eyes, he felt the warm moisture of tears on his chest.

“Hey,” he murmured, tucking the waterfall of her hair over her shoulder. “Hey, don’t cry. It’s going to be okay.”

Ella sniffled, forced herself to slide off his warm, strong body and melted against his side. Her own body felt boneless, sated and perfect. This had been more than even love today. It had been soul-deep, life altering. And that was scary as hell in its perfection.

“Your body is different, do you know that?” His voice came, rough and sexy, from the pillow beside her.

“Different how?”

“Softer somehow.”

“Gee, thanks Dev.” Ella felt a bubble of laughter rise up. It was hard to be offended when cuddled up to a man who had just satisfied her so utterly.

“What I mean is… Oh hell. You’re the wordsmith. You’re just…blooming. Glowing somehow. Whatever it is, it’s sexy as hell.”

“I think that was a compliment.”

“Of the highest order.”

“Then thank you.”

Silence fell for a few minutes until they’d each caught their breath better.

“Dev?”

“Hmmm?”

Oh God, the lazy way he could hum that single syllable made her want to climb on top of him all over again. But there were more important things to do first. “What do we do now, Dev?”

“Do you still want the Boston job?”

She sat up suddenly, raised up on her elbow as she stared down at him. “What?”

“The Boston job. I asked you if you still wanted it.”

He looked serious. He sounded serious. “Do you mean you’d go with me?”

“If it is what you really want.”

But did she? What was in Boston? Career opportunity. But her roots were here. Devin was here, and she knew DMQ was important to him. Even mentioning sacrificing that was more than she could ask for. And he’d been right about one thing. Their child’s grandparents were here, and all sorts of other people who cared about them. The cabin… More than once she’d recalled his words about it being a weekend retreat for the family. Teaching their son or daughter to fish and ride. The picture was too beautiful to erase from her mind.

“No, I don’t still want the Boston job,” she replied decidedly, leaning on his warm chest and resting her chin on her hands. “I thought I wanted to leave here, but what I really wanted to leave was a past that had too many hurtful reminders.”

Her skin shivered. They were still naked and on top of the covers.

“Get under with me,” Devin suggested, and in seconds she was under the blankets with him, curled up in his arms, their legs intertwined.

“Devin?”

“Hmmm?”

There was that syllable again. Ella would never get tired of hearing it.

“Remember the night I came back to town?”

He chuckled, the sound rumbling in his chest and warming her from the inside out. “Like I could forget.”

“I paid two thousand dollars for a weekend with you.”

“A fool and his money…” he teased.

“Best money I’ve ever spent,” she retorted, giving him a jab in the ribs. He laughed, pulling her closer until a hair wouldn’t have fit between them.

“Dev…” She felt a little hesitancy now. She’d been the one to insist time and time again that he give her a divorce. Now to be swinging so far the other direction… But she loved him. She didn’t want to go on without him.

“Devin…”

“What, honey?”

She rose up now, tucking her hair behind her ears. She took a big breath, gathering her courage.

“What am I bid for more than a weekend with me…and our baby…” She beseeched his eyes, suddenly so nervous, so afraid and needing him to understand what she was asking. “For maybe a lot longer than a weekend.”

He laughed then, a big, glorious laugh as he pulled her back down on the mattress. “Lord, I love you, Ella. I don’t want to fix what was wrong between us. I want to start over, the right way.” He kissed the tip of her nose, looked into her eyes, his own alight with mischief. “What am I bid, you ask? Only everything I am, and everything I have. Would that be enough?”

“If only Scooter Brown were here with his gavel.”

“He’d be getting an eyeful. What’s the verdict?”

“Going once…” She slid her hand up his calf.

“Going twice?” he asked, running his fingers over her shoulder.

“Sold,” she whispered, reaching for his hand and covering her heart, “to the highest bidder.”

Epilogue

The bell over the door tinkled as another customer came in. Ella looked up at Devin with a wide smile. The bell had been tinkling non-stop since one o’clock—the moment she’d sat in a chair and started signing copies of her first novel.

“Ella, honey, you need a cup of tea or water or anything?” Betty Tucker, fully recovered and back to her old self with a full head of hair—it had come in dark brown—touched Ella’s elbow. During the months of Betty’s recovery, Ella had seen the older woman exhibit a strength of spirit that was so inspiring. Many times Ella or Devin had sat by her bedside as the chemo raged away at the cancer, had laughed as they’d picked out scarves and hats and had cheered with her when the first scan came back clean, only weeks before Jackson’s birth. Ella had dedicated the book to Betty, for without her their reunion never would have taken place at all.

“No thanks, Betty, I’m fine.” She smiled up into Betty’s face, seeing a woman who had become not only a friend but a mother and honorary grandparent to her baby. “But thank you. The whole afternoon has been wonderful.” She paused to sign a book and speak to the reader before turning back to Betty. “You’ve done a great job with The Nook. Dev’s business sense was right on the money. As usual.”

“Best job I ever had,” Betty replied with a lightning grin. “The boss is tolerable too.” She threw a wink at Devin, who was standing beside a stroller with a wide canopy. Ella signed another book, handing it to an enthusiastic customer and soaking in the sweetness of the moment.

Rather than the freelancing she’d planned, Devin had encouraged her to write a book like she’d always wanted—right after they’d taken care of the tiny detail of getting married again—this time for good. She’d still been pregnant when she’d sent the manuscript off to an agent with a wing and a prayer, never expecting her first attempt would sell but obscenely pleased with herself for accomplishing it. Now here she was, home in Durango, signing copies with her husband and their one-year-old son by her side.

Incredible.

Jackson woke from his stroller nap with a bad-natured fuss, and Ella moved to unstrap him. “I’ve got it,” Devin said, staying her hands with his and placing a light kiss on her lips. “Today’s your day. I get diaper duty while you get to be glamorous.”

When he returned, Betty had brought Ella juice and she was chatting to a couple of old school friends that she and Devin had double dated with.

“Devin, you remember Steve and Daphne.”

“Sure I do.” He shook hands with both of them, while Jackson sat on his left arm and played with the collar of his shirt. “You’re working construction now, aren’t you, Steve? For old man Durst.”

“That’s right.” Steve, six foot three and brawny, gave a nod.

“We were just saying how crazy it is that all four of us are back in town and still together, you know?”

“It’s crazy all right,” Devin replied. Jackson reached for Ella, so she took him from Devin’s arms and gave him a bounce. Ella smiled at Daphne, still so very cute in snug jeans and a pink T-shirt. “Have you got any kids?”

“Not yet,” Steve answered, and Ella dropped the subject at the way Daphne averted her eyes. A thin line of tension seemed to appear between the couple. Not long afterwards, Steve and Daphne departed.

The afternoon was winding down and Ella was down to only a handful of books when Devin and Jackson snuck up behind her again. “Did you have a good afternoon?”

She beamed up at him. “The best.”

“The best?” He emphasized the word, giving her a suggestive look. His dimple popped when her cheeks started to heat. He could still do that, even now.

“Well, maybe not the best, but definitely up there. Top five for sure.”

Betty was ringing off the till and Jackson was sucking on an animal cracker. To Ella, it was perfect.

“Then shall we go home, Mrs. McQuade?”

“Oh, I think so,” she replied, sneaking her arm around his waist and squeezing. “This wife has had enough glamour for one afternoon.”

They were almost to the car when she put a finger to her lips. “Tell me, Devin, which would you like first? A new book, or a new baby?”

He looked down at the stroller, and back up at Ella, his eyes begging the question. With a joyous laugh, she leaned up on tiptoe to give him a kiss before getting into the car.

About the Author

To learn more about Donna Alward, please visit
www.donnaalward.com
, check out her blog at
www.donnaalward.blogspot.com
, or join her newsletter. Send an email to Donna at [email protected].

He’ll let her have control…until he’s ready to make his move.

Pride and Passion

© 2010 Jenna Bayley-Burke

The only things Lily Harris inherits after her father’s untimely death are debt, scandal and loneliness. She doesn’t protest when her father’s business partner, Jake Tolliver, steps up to help with the mess she finds herself in—until Jake reveals the last promise he made to her father.

Jake may be as compelling to look at as a marble statue—and stir a frighteningly powerful desire within her—but no way will Lily agree to be his socially acceptable bride while he continues to bed his string of beautiful women—not without getting him to agree to a deal of her own first.

With a well-earned reputation as a feral hunter who goes after what he wants, Jake has his sights set on Lily, and her lack of options puts her right where he’s wanted her from the first moment he laid eyes on her.

Jake’s not above making Lily think she’s having it her way if that’s what it’ll take to have his way in the end. But once he grows tired of playing beast to her beauty, he’s not above changing the rules of the game until they’re both playing for the same prize.

Warning: This title contains a hero used to getting what he wants, a heroine determined not to give in to him, some indecent proposals, a fair amount of pride, and enough passion to burn up everyone’s control.

Enjoy the following excerpt for
Pride and Passion:

He made his way through the dark house without turning on any lights. The full moon provided just enough illumination to keep from bumping into things on his way to the kitchen. He pushed open the door and reached for the light switch, flicking it on.

Lily stood in front of the refrigerator, a carton of milk in her hand, at least until she spied him and dropped it with a gasp. His eyes widened at the sight of Lily in a pale pink nightie, her golden hair loose about her shoulders. The light material dipped low between her full breasts, delicately revealed the curve of her hips, and gave an alluring view of her bare thighs.

She wasn’t so mesmerized. She cursed, then reached for a towel on the counter and bent low to clean up the spill. Jake pulled his libido back in check and moved to help her. He took the towel from her and she stood. He had to bite back a groan at how the hem of her nightie came right into his line of sight.

“I’m sorry,” Lily said, walking around him and returning with another towel. “I didn’t expect anyone.”

“Obviously.” He finished the task and stood, enjoying the way her chest hitched with each breath as he looked down at her. “What are you doing down here?”

“Having a glass of milk, or trying to anyway. That’s what I do when I can’t sleep.” She kept her gaze locked on his, except for fleeting moments when it dropped to his bare chest.

He grinned, glad he wasn’t the only one hyper-aware after midnight. “That’s because you sleep alone.”

Her cheeks pinked, but she recovered quickly, narrowing her eyes. “You know, I think you may be right. It’s time I find someone willing to marry the penniless virgin and cure her insomnia.”

She tried to walk past him, but he caught her arm, turned her around and pulled her flush against him. “Try it, and you’ll find my patience exhausted quickly.”

“While you expect me to live a life in perpetual understanding of your need to go through mistresses faster than socks.” She tried to shake off his hold, but he pulled her closer.

“I’ve never claimed to be a saint. But I’m not going to spend my life feeding into your insecurity. I want you, only you, and have from the moment I saw you.

“I watched you, this golden angel gliding across a room, and I wanted you to be looking for me, not one of those worthless idiots you dated. We hadn’t even met, and I couldn’t get you out of my mind. Maybe I did use your father to get closer to you. It seemed kismet that we were in the same industry. Will became my friend, but he became my partner because of you. I had no other choice. I had to protect you somehow, and you never would have looked twice at me had I not thrown myself in your way at every opportunity.”

“You’ve been watching me?” Her haughty tone cut him to the quick. He was never going to be enough for her, never going to measure up to the vapid boys always trailing after her simply because he hadn’t lived their life.

“And you’ve been watching me, wondering what it would be like if you were only brave enough to step outside your perfect world for a minute and indulge in all I can offer you.” He took a step forward, moving them both until she was backed up against the kitchen table.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Her eyes flashed with an emotion he hadn’t seen in her yet. True fear, or excitement?

“What you’ve wanted me to do since you first started watching me. You think there’s something beneath what the world sees. Maybe it’s time I show you what that is.”