Under His Protection (26 page)

But that appreciative glow in his eyes
banished the anger clean out of her.

ON BORROWED SERVICE
, Book 2 in
the Protect and Defend series, coming this summer!

MELT WITH YOU (Fated, Book 4)

© 2011 by Karen Erickson

Dragging a man into a
supply closet at work so she can maul him—that’s so not Lanie’s
style. But there’s something about Wes, the sexy paramedic with the
bad reputation, that she can’t resist. After a terrible breakup, a
move and a job change, Lanie’s ready to indulge in some new and
exciting adventures. But Wes wants more…

From the moment he meets
Lanie under um, stressful circumstances, Wes is a goner. Yeah, he
has a reputation around the hospital as a serial dater but lately
he’s thought about settling down. And he believes the petite nurse
with the curvy body might be the one. Too bad she only wants a
quick affair.

Lanie can’t deny the
chemistry between them is strong but will she take a chance on
fate? Or will she let Wes go?

Enjoy the following
excerpt from MELT WITH YOU…

She had no idea what came over her.
Impulsiveness was not her style. Spontaneous was not a word anyone
would associate with her but she’d become so overwhelmed with the
urge to just—get him somewhere. Alone.

The two of them wrapped up around each
other…

Okay, she was crazy. Clutching his thick
wrist with only her fingers was somehow making her entire body
react, her nipples pebbled hard and tight beneath her bra, her skin
positively on fire.

Yeah. She couldn’t even imagine what might
happen if he set his hands on her bare skin and stroked her from
head to toe. She might explode into tiny bits of ecstasy.

“Hey.” He turned his hand within her grip
and clasped her arm with his long, strong fingers. They burned into
her skin, making her shiver. “Where are you taking me?”

She glanced over her shoulder, saw the
perplexed look on his face. Gosh, he was cute. “Hold on, almost
there.”

The door to the left beckoned so she came to
a halt, wrenched it open with her free hand and dragged him in
after her. It was a supply closet, of course. Straight out of a
clichéd movie, fooling around in the closet, but she didn’t care.
Reaching around him, she slammed the door shut, the tiny space
immediately shrouded with darkness.

“What are you—?”

She cut him off, reaching up and pressing
two fingers against his plush mouth. His lips were damp and full
and just like that, her panties were wet. “Shut up.”

His lips parted and a soft exhalation of
breath brushed against her fingers. Gripping his broad shoulder
with her other hand, she stood on tiptoe, marveling at his height.
He was a giant and so…big…

Dropping her hand from his mouth, she
brushed her lips against his, a murmur of pleasure escaping her at
first contact. He settled his hands on her waist, his gentle touch
steadying her and she released a shaky breath.

“Do you usually pull innocent men into
supply closets and kiss them?” His husky whisper made her
shiver.

“No, not usually. And I’ve heard you’re not
quite so innocent.” She gasped when he touched the tip of his
tongue to the center of her upper lip.

“People in this hospital exaggerate.” He
angled his head, his lips drifting across her cheek. She clutched
both of his shoulders with shaky fingers, afraid she’d slither to
the floor if she let go. “I’m not as bad as they say.”

“Maybe I’m looking for a bad boy.” Lanie
sighed when he kissed her again. A dreamy, hot, deep kiss, his
tongue slid against hers in a sensuous dance that had her entire
body ready to melt into molten liquid.

Wes broke the kiss first. “Is that all
you’re looking for?”

She opened her eyes, could barely make out
his features in the dark of the closet. Outside real life continued
to unfold. She heard a page call overhead, the sound of people
walking by. They could get caught. It was dangerous, lingering in
this closet. She’d end up with a less than stellar reputation, and
he would have another notch on his supposed already full
bedpost.

This is what happened to a woman who was
desperate, she realized. Her thoughts had been consumed with him
since the first moment they locked gazes. She was behaving like a
complete slut and the funny thing was she didn’t care.

“Is it?”

Lanie blinked. What had he asked again? Her
brain was fuzzy, her entire body spun tight from that one delicious
kiss and she couldn’t find her tongue despite that she knew he
waited for her answer.

“Because if it is,” he continued when she
didn’t reply. “Then I’m sorry, but I’m going to have to disappoint
you.”

He disengaged himself from her grip and
without another word, walked out of the closet, leaving her
inside.

Alone.

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MELT WITH YOU
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Please enjoy the following
excerpt from
DANGEROUS SECRETS
(TALL, DARK
AND DEADLY, BOOK 2) by
Lisa Renee
Jones

“
Greed is a stronger force than
gravity.”

Chapter One

“
He has nasty little habits,” Elizabeth Moore
said with a dramatic pause before adding, “both in and out of the
bedroom. Things people wouldn’t expect from a judge.”

Julie Morrison fixed her client’s soon to be ex-wife
in an unblinking stare from across her desk, intentionally showing
no reaction. “Mrs. Moore, you really shouldn’t be here. I’m not
trying to be insensitive, but I represent your husband in this
divorce and I’m bound by certain laws and preset boundaries that I
simply don’t have the liberty to ignore.”

“
I’m not surprised he chose you as his
attorney,” she replied pointedly. “He has a thing for blondes, you
know.” Her gaze crudely raked Julie’s rather voluptuous
figure.

There was a silent ‘bimbo’ inference, and it ground
on Julie’s nerves, reminding her a little too much of her Vegas
showgirl mother and four stepfathers. She’d had a lot of those
inferences in law school, and they’d hurt, but they’d also
motivated her to work hard and prove herself. She accepted that
she’d never have the Aubrey Hepburn elegance that Elizabeth Moore
personified years before. Mostly. Once in a blue moon though, she
still burned for the instant respect a woman like Mrs. Moore
claimed when she entered a room, rather than, well, whatever it was
Julie herself evoked in people.

“
As I’ve said, Mrs. Moore,” Julie pressed,
trying to direct their conversation to an end, “I think it would be
best if you have your attorney contact me. I shouldn’t have agreed
to see you. When you said this was a matter of life and death, I
was concerned for everyone’s safety.”

“
I believe you’ll understand what I meant when
I finish explaining why I’m here.” Mrs. Moore leaned back in her
chair and crossed her legs. “I’m also certain you’ll agree it’s
best kept between the two of us. See, I’m prepared to make my
husband’s nasty little habits public if that’s what it takes to get
a fair shake in this divorce.”

Alarm bells went off at the shockingly blatant
threat, especially considering Elizabeth’s reputation as a charming
woman involved in a variety of charitable organizations. Nothing
about this visit fit that reputation, but, much to Julie’s
disapproval, Judge Moore had cut off all his wife’s credit cards
and cash flow. Not only was Elizabeth Moore in a bad position, but
her actions drove home that desperation was never smart nor
pretty.

“
Threatening a sex scandal seems a bit beneath
you,” Julie warned softly, hating to see what the judge was
bringing out in her, trying to bring her back to reason.

Elizabeth let out a humorless laugh. “Oh, honey, his
sexual preferences might be kinky, but they are nothing compared to
some of his other, shall we say, addictions.”

Her words lingered in the air for several silent
moments, inviting scary prospects to run through Julie’s mind.
Against her better judgment, she said, “I’m listening.”

A look of triumph settled on Elizabeth’s face. “As
you well know, he’s an art collector. He doesn’t make all of his
pieces public. Some of it is kept underground.“ She paused for
obvious effect. “In a hidden vault.” A slow smile turned up the
corners of Elizabeth’s delicate mouth. “There are people who would
be very interested in some of the items my husband has in his
keeping. It could cause him quite a bit of trouble.”

“
What exactly are you saying?” Julie asked,
afraid of what the answer was going to be. Pornography, or worse
even, child pornography? Please say it isn’t so, she
thought.

Elizabeth pushed to her feet. “Tell him two can play
dirty. It’s best you know nothing more because, while I don’t like
you, Ms. Morrison, I don’t want you to end up dead.” With that she
turned and headed toward the door.

“
Elizabeth,” Julie called out, not wanting to
seem too anxious as she barely kept herself in her seat.

Elizabeth turned. “Yes?”

“
If it’s that dangerous for me to know
whatever this secret is, aren’t you putting yourself in danger by
issuing this threat?”

“
My husband won’t kill me,” she said. “He
won’t kill you, either. But there are others who’ll kill us all if
they find out what he’s hiding. He won’t expect this from me. I’ve
been weak where he’s concerned. Now that I’ve proven I’m not, he
won’t risk me taking this further. He’ll give me what I want.” She
gave a nod. “Goodbye, Ms. Morrison.”

Julie watched her leave, stunned by just how nasty
this had gotten, then rotated her chair to take in the view from
her fifteenth floor downtown Manhattan window. “What in the heck
just happened?” she mumbled to the empty room. And why oh why did
it have to happen now. Tomorrow, she would leave for Chicago to
negotiate the divorce settlement for one of her many professional
athlete clients. A few days later, her best friend, Lauren
Reynolds, was getting married, and she was maid of honor.
Complications were not well-timed.

Sighing, she punched the button on her intercom.
“Gina,” she said calling her assistant for the past six months.
“Can you please track down Judge Moore?”

“
Of course,” Gina said promptly. She was
always prompt. Prickly but efficient, and that was what
mattered.

Julie reached for her coffee cup, and while she
wasn’t usually a drinker, she wished she had some hard stuff right
now. At nine o’clock in the morning she was wishing for alcohol.
What did that say about her life? She didn’t know what was wrong
with her lately, but she had this sense of dissatisfaction that
defied her growing high profile client list that should have her
reveling in success. Maybe she should consider joining the small
firm Lauren had left the District Attorney’s office for. The firm
she was with wasn’t a powerhouse, but it wasn’t an ant farm either.
Still, she was nearly thirty now, and had to think about her
future. After seven years here, she couldn’t say they’d helped her
career. She’d been hired to handle corporate law, but they’d thrown
her divorce cases no one had wanted and she’d made it work.

Her intercom buzzed. “The judge is on two.”

“
Got it,” Julie said, punching the button
before lifting the receiver to her ear. “Judge?”

He made an irritated noise. “I’m heading into court,
Julie. What’s so important it couldn’t wait?”

Julie bit back the retort that threatened to slip
out, managing an unaffected voice. “Your wife stopped by.”

“
Oh, well hell,” he grumbled. “Surely this can
wait.”

“
I don’t know, Judge, you tell me. She seems
to think she has some information you don’t want leaked. Her exact
words were ‘I can play dirty too’.”

There was a pregnant silence.

“
Go on,” he said a little too
quietly.

Intentionally vague, Julie said, “She mentioned
artwork.”

Silence, thick, and full of implications filtered
through the phone line.

He cleared his throat. “Exactly what did she say
about the subject?”

Not good, Julie thought. “She seems to think you
have some pieces you don’t want anyone to know about,” Julie
offered in a neutral tone as she tapped her pencil on her oak
desktop.

“
Such as?” he asked a pinch of urgency
slipping into his tone.

“
She wouldn’t say,” Julie told him in a voice
that was deceptively light. ”Seemed to think I was better off not
knowing.”