Trigger Happy - Ashley Bostock - E-Book

Trigger Happy E-Book

Ashley Bostock

0,0
1,99 €

oder
-100%
Sammeln Sie Punkte in unserem Gutscheinprogramm und kaufen Sie E-Books und Hörbücher mit bis zu 100% Rabatt.

Mehr erfahren.
Beschreibung

MONEY CAN’T BUY HAPPINESS…

No one knew that better than heiress Amber Prescott. Money couldn’t bring her parents back and money can’t erase the guilt she feels over their deaths. Despite what people think, Amber is more than BMWs and designer clothes and when she wants something, she gets it. Currently what she wants is to further the girls’ foundation her mother started, to help the women win the competition that could propel them to national league status. Winning is her main focus…until she sees him again.


OR LOVE.

Gage Alexander has worked hard to get where he is. Despite a few hard blows in life, he’s finally where he wants to be: In Control. He will take numbers over love or women anytime. Sex, sure, but he will never risk his heart again. But when a past lover strolls into his office, Gage knows she’s trouble. The memory of their one night at a sex club so many years ago is something that could ruin his career, and though he tries to avoid her, Amber won’t take no for an answer.

While working together, Amber is determined to have Gage in her bed again. She just didn’t count on her heart getting involved. But when Gage’s life is in danger, Amber must face her fear of losing someone she loves all over again and will be forced to find out if the ‘heiress’ is more than a spoiled rich girl after all….

Das E-Book können Sie in Legimi-Apps oder einer beliebigen App lesen, die das folgende Format unterstützen:

EPUB

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2021

Bewertungen
0,0
0
0
0
0
0
Mehr Informationen
Mehr Informationen
Legimi prüft nicht, ob Rezensionen von Nutzern stammen, die den betreffenden Titel tatsächlich gekauft oder gelesen/gehört haben. Wir entfernen aber gefälschte Rezensionen.



Trigger Happy

A Love On Target Novel

Ashley Bostock

Copyright © 2015 by Ashley Bostock

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination and are being used fictitiously. Any references to such are entirely coincidental and are used for merely the telling of a fictional story.

Mark,

A little bit of you is in every one of my heroes. Thank you for so much!

Contents

Not to Miss!

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Irresistible Billionaires

Not to Miss!

Also by Ashley Bostock

About the Author

Not to Miss!

FREE ebooks when you sign up for my newsletter.

Click here to sign up and claim your books!

Are you on BookBub? Would you like notifications about new releases? Click here to follow me on BookBub!

I love to hear from all of my readers. Connect with me at any of the links below or visit my website!

Instagram

Facebook

BookBub

Pinterest

Snapchat

Prologue

It was her twenty-first birthday and she was here.

Finally.

Amber had waited not so patiently for the day that she could legally come to this place, though some would think she was crazy for doing so. As she walked down the hallway of the Silver Slippers Saloon, Amber had yet another moment of indecision—for like the hundredth time. The idea of coming here and doing adult-like things had sounded like a great idea during the interview process, but now that she was actually here, in the flesh, Amber was extremely nervous.

Like throw up on the red carpet before her nervous.

This was crazy.

She should leave.

Screw it, she should like run away now, and forget that this day ever happened. Well, not her birthday, but that she had made this decision to do on her birthday.

Amber paused at the tenth door on the left, just as the hostess had instructed. How could she keep track of all the rooms when she was this nervous? Or was this excitement? Amber wasn’t really sure.

Nor was she sure that this was door number ten.

Amber looked down the long hallway from where she had come, trying and failing horribly to count the doors that she had passed. Okay, door number nine. That was nine, right? Not eight?

Oh, why couldn’t there be numbers on the doors?

How hard could it be to put a silly plastic number on the door indicating which room was which? Okay, ten. Amber was sure this was ten.

Her heart sounded like a freight train in her ears. Was she a hundred percent sure? No, not completely, but she was already late and there was no way she was going to walk down this hall again. If she started back the way she came, she would completely chicken out and head home. And this was something she’d been wanting to do more than anything for quite some time…ever since she’d accidentally on purpose seen her single neighbor getting down and dirty.

Amber shook the thoughts from her head. With shaking hands, she gripped the knob and opened the door. The room was dim, just as the madam had told her. She held her breath as she stepped into the room and quickly shut the door. In her instructions, the madam had told her that voices carried, so it was imperative that she keep as quiet as possible not to disturb the other guests.

Amber glanced around the room.

Guests. That was a funny way of describing what was going on here.

Could this really be what she signed up for?

Taking up most of the room on both sides of Amber—like a pathway—were women kneeling on black cushions. She bit back the nervous laughter gurgling in her throat at the plastic serving numbers sitting on the floor in front of them. That way, when their man came to find his match, he knew which girl he was taking.

It was like taking a number at the DMV or meat counter.

She did a quick count of everyone else in the room, insanely curious to know how many women were embarking on this taboo adventure with her. There were twelve women, all blindfolded and kneeling on their cushions. Like herself, some of the female’s breathing was rapid—their chests moving wildly up and down as they awaited whatever was going to happen next. Which was, whatever they signed up for—simply here to live out their wildest fantasies.

Their ultimate dirty fantasy.

Amber found small comfort that these women’s hearts were likely pounding loudly in their ears like hers.

Amber found her restaurant serving number on the right side and somehow her legs carried her over to the square cushion. Her fingers smoothed across the black velvet mask. Number fifteen. What did number fifteen hold in store for her tonight?

Amber slowly lowered herself to the cushion, mimicking the other women in the room before she pulled her blindfold over her eyes. The blindness was intimidating, even though Amber knew she was going to wear it—it’s what she wanted. She lost all sense of where she was and not having sight, her ears were fine tuned to everything around her—grasping for sound. The room deathly silent. No matter how hard she tried to still her shaking, Amber could feel the slight tremor of her hands that were clenched in her lap. Sitting there, she could smell melted wax—vanilla—and she tried to recreate the moment she walked in, conjuring up if she had in fact, passed candles.

She blew out a breath, not caring how loud she was. Was she really going to do this?

Yes. She needed to do this. It was the only way she felt comfortable acting out her fantasy. She came here to spend the night in the arms of a man and a woman–secretly and anonymously. Most people would think she was crazy for doing this—which is why she hadn’t mentioned it to anyone. Maybe once the deed was done and it was all but a small memory, she’d tell her friends. But, yes, this was what she wanted. After her neighbor had had a party at his house—he was older than Amber—like, by twenty years—but he was muscular and athletic. He looked younger than forty. He was gorgeous. Wetness coated her panties as she thought about the way he’d fucked those women that night. Amber had watched.

Not for long and he never knew, but she watched long enough to know that she was going to do something like that, too. Those women were so beautiful and sexy—the way they’d kissed each other with David’s cock between their mouths.

Amber shivered.

Her nipples tightened.

She definitely wasn’t going anywhere.

She didn’t know how long she knelt there for. The way she played the scene of her neighbor over and over in her head—it could have been hours, though it was likely only a few minutes. The door creaked open and a mere second later a masculine voice teased the skin of her ear. “Number fifteen, you’re with me. Let’s go!”

He grabbed her arms and hauled her onto her feet, moving her forward before Amber could really find her footing. She bit her tongue to keep from squealing while he led the way.

“Don’t speak,” he warned.

Shit. Amber was scared. Hungry for this but scared all at once. Her heart beat frantically inside her chest, and her legs had turned into strawberry jelly. She tried to put one foot in front of the other, but she kept stumbling over herself, forcing the man that was holding her to constantly redirect her.

Tears stung at her eyes beneath her blindfold, and she wanted to pull back. This was all wrong. But in her right mind—it was right—it was what she wanted. What she deeply desired.

The man stopped suddenly, his warm, firm hand cupped her chin and tipped it up. One of his fingers idly brushed against the sensitive skin along her jaw. “Be quiet. You’re coming with me.” The masculine smell of his cologne made her knees weak, even with all her reservations. His closeness made her both nervous and excited all at once. That finger brushing on her jaw—and now her lower lip—gave her pause. Like, this wasn’t going to be a bad idea at all…

“Do you understand?” His voice was low. So low, she had to strain to hear him. But she felt the power it held. He was completely in charge of this situation, and Amber wasn’t sure if she was scared by him or highly turned on. She tried nodding her head, but he still held firmly onto her cheek.

“I understand,” she whispered finally, unable to find her voice. Shit, I need water.

He began pulling her along again and Amber grasped his arm, trying to keep her balance as he led the way. She had no idea where they were going, or what she would see once she was able to remove her blindfold. Or who? What did he look like? Did he look as great as he smelled?

Twenty-one years old and her life would never be the same after this. He stopped abruptly and she bumped into him.

A warning would be nice.

Amber heard the telltale sounds of a key in its lock followed by a fresh wave of air as the door opened. One of his hands held her elbow and gently guided her into the room. Amber’s breath caught at his touch. Her excitement skittered down her spine. His presence next to her was large, overwhelming. It was hard to figure out, but her blindfold fine-tuned all her other senses. What did he look like? How would he feel against her palm? What would it feel like for him to touch her all over?

He stopped her again this time and his body brushed against her back briefly. “Here, Reina,” he said.

“What?” she stuttered. “What did you call me?” As soon as the words came out of her mouth, Amber bit down on her lip. She couldn’t speak. Hadn’t the madam told her that? Amber, as the guest, was only supposed to answer questions, not ask questions. This had already been disclosed when she signed up—what Amber wanted. Or at least, thought she wanted.

The man chuckled, the sound flowing over her like honey. It was mellow and laid back, like he was a patient man and not some type-A for asshole kind of guy. “A rule breaker, huh? It means queen.”

Amber was pushed gently up against a wall, and she could feel the circular curve of a column beneath her backbone. All went quiet for a brief second before her hands were suddenly yanked upward. She let out a gasp. Oh, she felt the smooth satin of cloth wrap around her wrists and realized that he was tying her hands behind her, around the column. With her legs still free, Amber moved the arch of her right foot up and around, trying to get a better feel for the column’s size.

The man’s chuckle tickled the flesh of her neck. “Inquisitive little thing, aren’t you? It’s a column. A white one. Not very big. I won’t hurt you,” he promised.

Amber nodded. She had paid for this encounter. Rough and manhandling, but not too rough all the time. She’d checked boxes and boxes of what she was okay with and not, until her fingers were cramped. Anal. No. Whips. No. Strap-ons. Yes. Her mind blurred with everything she’d signed. The madam had said that they wouldn’t do anything she didn’t like. Guaranteed. The Silver Slippers Saloon had a firm policy that their paying customers would leave with everything they’d desired and nothing they didn’t.

But with the blindfold on and not being able to see what was going on, did make her even more nervous than she already was. She should have thought that through better. Could her mystery man smell her nervousness? Could he feel how fast her pulse was fluttering in her wrist? The cloth tightened around her wrist in finality. She pulled slightly, confirming that she was in fact bound to the column.

Oh, shit.

“I’ll be right back,” he said abruptly.

Amber made a noise in her throat. He was leaving? Was this part of the encounter? She didn’t want him going anywhere. She was relying on his comforting, albeit silent, presence way too much. “Don’t leave me,” she whispered, just as she heard his footsteps stalk off.

Gage had to get out of there. Fast. He knew if he didn’t, he would take that woman, and fuck her until she couldn’t take it anymore, and that was not part of this plan.

Not yet, anyway.

Still, she was clouding his thoughts, the smell of her floral perfume was driving him crazy. It didn’t help that she was gorgeous. Even though he couldn’t see her eyes. Were they green? A blazing blue? Gray?

He blew out a deep breath and turned the cold water on. He scooped a handful and doused it over his face. He needed to stay in control.

But what he hadn’t anticipated was how he was even more aroused due to the fact that he knew more about her than she did him. She knew nothing about him.

Whereas he knew she enjoyed dancing and yoga. He knew she was just getting ready to graduate college with a degree in Anthropology. Those were parts of the application she had filled out so that they could put her fantasy together.

He didn’t know personal details about her, like her name or where she lived, who her family was or whether she was married. It was part of the anonymity of the services provided—though Gage knew he would recognize her anywhere outside of the saloon. He could already feel it in his blood that this wouldn’t be one he would readily forget, no matter what happened tonight.

And her sexual desire? The gorgeous blonde wanted to watch a man and a woman. Not only did she want to watch, but she wanted to become a part of that desire. A threesome.

And he could not wait to fulfill her fantasy.

Left alone in the room, Amber’s breathing began to return to normal. Her ears strained to hear anything, but there was not a sound. Only her swallowing she could hear. Her wrists were starting to get sore. When she signed up for this kidnapping-type charade, it didn’t say she would have to sit here—no, stand here, for an undetermined about of time.

Who in the hell did he think he was anyway? Did he think this was turning her on? Because he had news for him.

Where did he go?

The longer Amber stood there, propped up like some sort of mannequin against the cold column, the more annoyed she got.

When the door swung open, though, Amber swallowed any words that were on her tongue.

He was back.

Oh god, he was back. What came next? What would he do to her? Would she like it? She leaned her head back, oh who was she trying to fool? Of course, I’m going to love it. I obviously have needs that aren’t met by the general college-aged guys I see.

When warm hands landed on her outstretched arms, Amber jumped. It was him.

“Are you ready? We won’t hurt you. Promise.”

A little late on that promise. Her wrists hurt already. She’d really like to tell him that—give him a piece of her mind…But she didn’t think that was how he meant it.

“We just want to play.” A female was in the room!

Amber’s lower region tightened in awareness. The woman’s voice sounded actually quite sweet and comforting, very unlike the man that was with them.

“We are going to take the blindfold off now, but we aren’t going to untie your wrists. Do you understand?”

Trying desperately to adhere to the rules, Amber nodded her head and whispered, “Yes, I understand.”

Suddenly the blindfold was off, but she couldn’t see. Amber blinked continuously, trying to get her eyes used to the light flooding in, desperate to see what her surroundings would reveal. Once they adjusted, there in front of her, stood the most beautiful woman Amber had ever seen. The woman’s curly blonde hair cascaded around her slender frame, like a halo. The woman’s lips were ruby red, and she was tall and slender. The purple satin outfit she wore, pressed her boobs together, teasing Amber with peek-a-boo coverage of her areolas. The woman’s nose was small and perfect. Holy cow. Amber’s gaze moved down her long slender legs—legs for days.

“You’re beautiful,” Amber said.

The woman gave Amber a movie star smile. “You are beautiful, as well.”

Amber gazed around the room, looking for him. Disappointment flooded her. It was just Amber and the goddess. Where had he gone? She was dying to see what he looked like, the man behind the voice. Behind the touch that had aroused her when he’d walked with her down the hallway into this room. The man who had given her those torturous light touches against her jaw.

“This is going to be so fun.” The woman smiled and moved her hand down her racy lingerie, between her cleavage and to her stomach. “Are you excited?”

Amber hesitated. She had fantasized about this for such a long time, and here she was finally doing it, but she was scared in such a way that she wasn’t sure if she was ready. Would they let her back out now? They already had her money, so they probably wouldn’t care. And she had to touch that man—if she walked away now, she would always wonder about him.

But if she walked away, that would mean she was a quitter, and Amber was no quitter.

She swallowed down the fear and pushed the words out. “Yes, I’m ready.” The words sounded so shaky that even Amber didn’t believe them.

The woman smiled and moved out of Amber’s direct line of vision, giving Amber the first view of the room. Now that I can focus.

The tall ceilings made the room appear impressively large. There were apparatuses here and there—to tie someone up or other things that Amber wasn’t interested in. In the center of the room was the largest bed she had ever laid eyes on. It was draped in silver satin. Next to the ginormous bed was a Queen-style couch with velvety red cushioning. Various nightstands were placed strategically around the room.

Everything inside the room was theirs to use as they needed. The drawers—all of the toys inside—torture devices, handcuffs, vibrators, etc. were available. Amber’s imagination ran rampant. At the farthest side of the room was a closed door, and light spilled out from underneath. He had to be in there.

Had they been able to match her preferences? She had put her ultimate man on paper: tall and muscular, with eyes that were any color than brown. No piercings, but tattoos were okay, and stubble was a plus. She loved a scruffy jawline. For the woman, she hadn’t put anything down for her, yet the one standing before her was both the object of lust and intense jealousy. She was gorgeous, yes, but almost to the point where you wanted to turn away, from feeling wholly inadequate next to her.

Amber’s attention went back to the woman, who was now crawling with the grace of a tiger up onto the massive bed. She took her place in the center of the bed, her feet pointed toward Amber. Amber found herself mesmerized by each little move, physically unable to take her eyes off the woman. Whose fantasy was this? Amber’s, the woman’s or the mystery man? The lines were blurring for Amber.

Even though the lady was taller than Amber, she was wearing some killer stilettos that added another five inches, and excitement zinged through Amber as the lady spread her legs apart. Amber’s cheeks burned with a cross between embarrassment and curiosity.

The goddess wasn’t wearing any underwear.

It wasn’t like Amber hadn’t seen another woman’s parts before, but this wasn’t some tv show. This was reality and she had asked for it.

Amber waited with bated breath. What would the woman do now?

Before Amber could find out, the door swung open.

Finally.

It was too far away for her to get a clear view of the man, completely surrounded by the light. What was with these people looking like angels with halos? Even still, the electric connection between them was surreal. Her knees threatened to buckle, but she held herself upright, not wanting to pass out so soon in the game.

No, she wanted more, so much more.

He strolled in with a predator-type pace, like a panther ready to pounce. Her heart went into overdrive, beating rapidly as he got closer. He was extremely tall, towering over her five-foot eight build. His body was camouflaged beneath a dark shirt and denim jeans, but she was certain it was a body she wanted to see more of.

Unfortunately, though, she wasn’t his prey. He turned to the woman on the bed.

Amber pouted. She didn’t want to wait. She wanted him. Now.

His dark hair was cut short and she itched to feel it—to feel him beneath her, inside her. Above her.

When he swung his gaze her way, their eyes locked, and Amber found it hard to breathe. His face was chiseled from stone, his strong jawline dusted with, oh god, a nice stubble. His lips were full. His eyebrows were thick and perfect. His skin was milk chocolate and she craved a taste. He was everything she wanted.

Instinctively, Amber squeezed her legs shut. He was gorgeous. His eyes held hers like they were the only two people in the room and for a moment, Amber wished that they were. She was completely captivated by his stare—the way it bored into hers.

When he turned toward the bed, where the blonde lay, Amber felt a spurt of jealousy, wanting to call him back to her. She swallowed.

She wanted him for herself.

The blonde was still there with her legs spread open, her hand in between them now, a catlike smile on her face as she touched herself. Oh God. What am I doing here?

The man turned back to Amber, a hint of a grin on his face. “How does that make you feel?”

She wanted to lie to him, to tell him she was not turned on by what was going on, but she wasn’t here to lie. She was here because she wanted this. “Hot. It makes me feel really hot.”

He turned away. “It is very hot.”

Amber couldn’t even respond as he approached the bed, giving her a good view of his backside. He pulled his shirt off at the edge of the bed, intently watching the goddess as she did those intimate things to herself. He didn’t say a word as he sat on the bed, and pushed her fingers out of the way, his taking their place.

Amber couldn’t look away from this hot, sexual interlude between these two unknown people. Hottie Number One and Hottie Number Two. She watched this man drive the woman crazy, as he brought her to the brink of orgasm only to hold her off and start over again. Her cries of pleasure filled the room and Amber was right there with her.

He was teasing the woman physically, but mentally he had Amber by the balls. He unbuttoned his denim jeans, and his manhood stood at attention. He was large and thick. In short, he was so beautiful. He was the grown man she desperately craved.

Amber almost couldn’t take it anymore. She wanted that. She wanted to be that woman on the bed, receiving all that sexual energy from that gorgeous man. Amber craved for it to be her who was receiving attention from him. She needed release so badly, but with her hands tied behind her back, there wasn’t a damn thing she could do about it and she found her body rubbing slightly against the column like she was trying to scratch her back.

Look at me please. I can make you happy, too.

But the couple was too involved in what they were doing to each other to give her a backward glance. It was like she wasn’t even there.

Slowly the man slid himself into the woman. Her back arched and she screamed in delight. Amber bit her tongue. It was more difficult than she anticipated, staying silent. He moved with a slow rhythm inside the woman, pushing her legs up to her chest as he drove into her. He was competent. Skilled. His hands didn’t fumble around. He knew what he was doing.

The woman’s breast got freed from the lingerie and they bounced in perfect harmony to his pounding inside of her. Amber wanted to look away, mainly because she wanted to be that woman on the bed. She was intensely jealous. But more so, she was aroused beyond relief. She never would have imagined she could be this turned on in her life.

And she wanted that man. With or without the other woman. She really didn’t care at this point. She just wanted hands on her flaming hot body, touching her and giving her the release she was due.

He stopped and turned the woman over and started fucking her from behind. The woman moaned in pleasure. Yes, oh yes. Your cock is so big. You’re so deep. The steady slap of his body against the woman’s naked flesh made Amber’s throat dry. God, she was so jealous of what that woman must be feeling. All the goodness. The feel of his large hands gripping her hips as he thrust in and out of her.

And Amber wasn’t getting any of it.

Amber watched for what felt like eternity. She wanted to cry out in frustration, ready for her turn at the fun. Her clit ached badly—like at any second it might explode into its own orgasm without any touch. Her thighs burned from her attempt at rubbing her legs together, trying to squash the ache.

The idea turned her on to watch, but now that she was actually enduring all of it—enduring it with no relief, she wanted to gouge her eyeballs out. The pleasurable feeling that had been teasing her since the get-go, now bordered on pain. Her wrists. Her thighs. Her goddamn pussy.

Her eyes were even giving up, tired of the spectacle. She couldn’t take this man doing all these pleasurable things to this woman anymore. She was going to pass out, she was certain, as her eyelids grew heavy and her ears heard no sound.

Oh, thank God.

Were they done?

Amber hoped so. She pried her eyes back open and there he stood, in all his male glory, directly in front of her. There was a faint sheen of sweat glistening against his skin and Amber longed to run her tongue across it, to taste its saltiness. He rose his eyebrow at her in question.

“Did you watch or were your eyes closed the whole time?” he demanded.

“I watched.”

He moved slow. His hands gripped her waist as he slowly but surely pulled her skirt down past her hips and buttocks, finally letting it fall to the floor.

“Did you like it?” He was so close to her she could smell sweat and sex and his cologne. His breath touched her cheek.

“It drove me crazy. I’m dying.”

His lips quirked into a little grin, one that Amber found to be utterly adorable. “But did you like it?”

“Yes. I liked it,” she whispered.

Before Amber could think, his fingers had found their way inside her panties, inside of her. She arched her back, her head ramming into the column. “Aggh,” she screamed. She was unbelievably close to an orgasm. She wanted him to take her to the bed. Fuck me, she begged silently, want me!

“You’re so wet. So breathtaking. I’m glad you liked it because you know what, reina?” His forehead rested upon hers. She could smell her sex wafting up between them. His breath was on her lips. His thumb drove circles against her clit. She was going to come. One more circle and she was going to orgasm standing and tied, at his will. “It’s time for you to join us. I have been dying to pleasure you.”

His words pulled the aching orgasm from her. Her body pulsed. Her mind went black as she moaned, and all she could feel was his steady fingers as they drove her past ecstasy.

Chapter One

"Sorry I'm late. It sounds like you ladies are making yourselves comfortable. Can I get you something to drink before we begin? I have coffee, tea, water, pop."

A shiver ran down Amber’s spine. She would have recognized that husky voice anywhere. Her body was instantly drawn to him like he was a new dawn. She knew it was him before she even caught a full look of him. She could feel it was him by the thick tension he brought into the room, bringing her body back to that night all those years ago when she was a gangly twenty-one-year-old, just trying to live out her naughtiest fantasies.

He really was here in Windsor? When she saw him at Agave, she figured her luck would be that he was only here on business. But never did she think about him living here, or anywhere near her for that matter. Oh shit. And he’s my best friend’s boyfriend’s good friend?

"No, we’re fine. Thank you, though." We’re fine, right? Marilyn silently mouthed to Amber. Amber gave one firm shake of her head. How could she convey to her bestie that it was him? Gage Alexander. His name rolled around in her head so well, and she knew if she spoke it, it would roll off her tongue like honey. He made his way to his chair behind his desk. He was large and muscular, just the way she remembered him. He looked like he fit in a boxing ring more so than in an office setting.

After setting some papers on his credenza, he turned around and extended his hand. "How you are? I'm Gage Alexander, CEO to this place. You must be Marilyn Jacobs; Blake has told me a great deal about you. It’s so nice to meet you—he’s said a lot about you."

It wasn't until he spoke to Marilyn, that he saw Amber and recognition crossed his face. He looked exactly the same as he had all those years ago. His hair was still dark as night, but now held small sprinklings of grey. His face showed no signs of aging. Maybe maturity, but still mysteriously sexy.

Amber's palms were already damp from thinking about having to shake his hand. Her heart was beating so fast, she was convinced she might pass-out from lack of oxygen. And the rest of her body—the way he stared so intently at her like he knew her deepest darkest secrets—was on fire. Because he did know them.

He’d given them to her.

He would recognize her anywhere. In a big city, or in a small town, and here she was in the same town he worked and lived. Not too many things surprised Gage Alexander, but this did. He didn't like surprises.