STAKING HIS CLAIM

by

Lynda Chance

***

Twenty-one-year-old Elaina Ruiz has only just begun
college when she meets Raul Vega for the first time.
Recognizing his ruthless intensity for what it is, she
doesn’t correct him when he assumes she is an eighteen-
year-old freshman.

Raul Vega has never met a woman he couldn’t do without.
Until he meets Elaina Ruiz and knows she has to belong
to him--even if it means waiting for her to growup.

***

SMASHWORDS

EDITION

***

Staking His Claim

Copyright © 2012 by Lynda

Chance

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may

not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever

without the express written permission of the author or

publisher except for the use of brief quotations in critical

articles or

reviews.

***

This is a work of fiction. Names, places, businesses,

characters and incidents are either the product of the

author's imagination or are used in a fictitious manner.

Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, actual

events or locales is purely coincidental.

***

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only.

This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other

people. If you would like to share this book with another

person, please purchase an additional copy for each

person. If you're reading this book and did not purchase

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return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy.

Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

***

Dedication

To Rita,

Whose help has been like gold dust sprinkled around me.

And to Clayton,

Because . . . just because.

***

CHAPTER ONE

Raul Vega leaned against the wall and surveyed the
scene around him. Condensation from the ice melting in
his mixed drink soaked the red and gold napkin
wrapped around the transparent green cup in his hand.

What the hell was he doing here? He wasn't into the
social scene at all, his time eaten up with running his
ranch and the everyday minutiae that went along with it.
He didn't have time for this shit.

But Brian and Janie Canton were the closest thing
to neighbors he had, and if truth be told, the closest
thing to friends, as well. Janie had made it known to all
and sundry that Raul would be at their Christmas party,
and in the end, as cold and icy as his heart was, he still
hadn't been able to say no.

So now, here he stood, his back to the wall, and
watched the beautiful blond couple entertaining what
felt like the whole damn county. The house was
beautiful, richly decorated and spilling over with
lights and greenery that reflected Janie's passion for all
things holiday.

It

was

nauseating.

He took a drink of the bourbon he had been nursing for
the last hour and wondered how quickly he could leave
without coming off like the rude fuck that he was.

His eyes travelled around the circle of people standing
near

him. Two women stood side by side, one blonde, one
red- headed, playing up the other's charms, both vying
for his attention. He had felt their shrewd, calculating
eyes coming back to him over and over since he arrived.
They were both over the top glamorous, with long
hair and manicured hands. Both had attempted to
draw him into conversation, and after his second
heated glare, had given up momentarily. He knew
from experience they would try again.

They

always

did.

Raul wasn't interested in either one of them. They
both looked like they wanted the same two things.
Getting him exclusively in their beds, and then
getting to his bank account. He'd met their type
before, many times, and as distracting as taking one of
them to bed would be, he knew he'd regret it tomorrow.
Neither held enough appeal for him to have to suffer the
ordeal of extricating himself from the situation after.

He had to admit, the selection of available women this
far out in the rural countryside was limited. Driving
to San Antonio was always an option, but the

pleasures of mindless sex were always mitigated by
the long drive and the irritation of having to take time
away from the ranch.

These days, he didn't think it was worth it. The women
that he had met lately were all transparent. They all
had an agenda. He didn't know when or how he'd
become so

cynical, but recently, there hadn't been a single woman
to
cross his radius that seemed
genuine.

He didn't exactly know where to slot Janie. His
neighbor's new wife seemed okay. She was pretty
enough, and in her mid-thirties, she hadn't been
married before. She was blonde and vivacious and he
knew Brian doted on her. Raul figured she wasn't as
bad as the rest, and was glad his friend had found
her. But still, when Brian had returned from his trip to
Houston last year with a bride in tow, it had been a
shock to the whole county. But Janie had eyes only for
Brian, and her gaze constantly found her husband's
across the crowded room and flashed wickedly. Raul
was floored that her apparent love for her husband
seemed to be authentic and if she had an ulterior
motive, he couldn't see it.

There were probably fifty people crowded through
the house, laughing and mingling around the kitchen and
living areas. He had parked himself in this corner
and hadn't moved since he arrived.

John Garrett, another neighbor, walked over to speak
to him. John's wife had died a couple of years before,
and the guy was almost as anti-social as Raul was.

"What's up, man?" Garrett asked in a smooth
drawl.

Raul lifted his chin in a small, imperceptible nod of
greeting. "Humoring Janie. Ready to leave."

Garrett nodded his agreement. "County sure doesn't
know

what to think since Janie came. Parties and
bullshit." "Yeah."
Garrett had stayed true to his wife for twelve months,
but Raul knew from the small town gossip that since
then, his neighbor had been screwing everything far
and wide. Garrett was sandy blond, in contrast to
Raul's own dark- haired, Spanish heritage.

Everybody around town was blond. It was an anomaly
being so close to Mexico. People should have been
dark, but in this small forty or so square miles close to
the Texas Hill country, most were blond. Raul's coloring
always attracted attention. And now, standing straight
and tall next to his equally tall neighbor, the two
females who'd been watching him since he'd gotten
there were practically salivating. Raul saw the two
women eyeing them up, not even attempting to hide it
anymore.

Garrett spoke in a sneer. "Unless you got dibs buddy,
the one on the left goes home in my truck."

Raul knocked back the rest of his drink and
casually glanced over at the woman in question. He
studied her intently, waiting to feel something

other than sheer boredom. He saw her eyes flare
with a heated, predatory look that left him cold. Nothing
had changed since the last time he looked. She seemed
exactly like all the rest. Out for a good time. Out for a rich
man. Out for some sex. She did nothing for him. "Be my
guest."

Raul knew Garrett was about to make his move on
the woman when Janie breezed back into the room,
her arm wrapped tightly around a young, dark-haired
girl carrying a backpack. The girl was wearing jeans
and a pink t-shirt, with her hair in a ponytail and her face
free of make-up. She was pretty, couldn't have been
more than eighteen or nineteen, and he felt Garrett
freeze beside him.

Raul didn't know who the girl was, but he vaguely
remembered Brian telling him something about a
niece who had lost her mother recently. She was
small and looked Hispanic and some protective
instinct he never realized he had rose up within him.
He felt his body tighten and hissed a warning to the
man standing next to him. "Don't even fucking think
about it man, she's just a baby."

The other man's eyes stayed narrowed on the girl, and
Raul held himself stiffly until Garrett seemed to think
better of it and turned his attention back to the two
women.

Raul took a calming breath, using the moment to
excuse himself from getting caught in a social foursome

that he had no intention of allowing. Relieved that
Garrett had moved his attention away from the younger
girl, he spoke both to reward the man and to extricate
himself from the clutches of the two women. "Take 'em
both. I'm getting another drink."

He walked into the den where his host stood
mixing cocktails and socializing with his friends and
neighbors. Raul caught Brian's eye and in moments the
other man was

pouring him another drink. All the while, Raul felt, rather
than
saw, Janie leading the young girl around the
guests, casually introducing her.

New drink in hand, Raul was checking his watch for
what seemed like the hundredth time when Janie
came up behind him and spoke, "Raul, sweetie, look
what I've got here." Janie's voice was melodious and
filled with sincere, sweet southern honey.

Raul shifted around and his gaze ran over the girl
with Janie. He stiffened imperceptibly when brown eyes
lifted to his and he was ensnared by the exotic beauty of
her young face. Immediately, he was swamped with
unwanted heat. A raw, basic hunger pulsed through his
system he had no right or desire to feel for a girl this
young. But nonetheless, it was there, and it was
beating forcefully through his bloodstream.

She was small with silky dark hair and a skin so
porcelain- fine his eyes narrowed in on her and studied
her intently, looking for a flaw, any flaw.

There wasn't one that he could

see.

Her eyes were sexily slanted, dark brown and intense,
and her nose was straight with a slight upward tilt
that only enhanced her delicate beauty.

Of their own volition, fighting everything his brain
was advising, his eyes dropped and slid down her
body. Her

hips were narrow below a sharply indented waist. The
pink
t-shirt clung to her frame and accentuated the
slight feminine mounds of her breasts.

A fierce arrow of arousal and an alarming need to
possess slammed through him and he tightened his
body to rein in control. Total heat swamped him and he
had to force words out of his mouth. "Who's this?"

"This is my sweet baby niece, Elaina. She's home
for Christmas. Elaina, meet our neighbor and very dear
friend, Raul."

As Raul studied the girl in front of him, someone
called
Janie's name from the other
room.

"I've got to see what that's all about. I'll be right back."
She floated off and Raul was left alone with the young
girl.

He felt the need to touch her and couldn't stop himself,
so he offered her his outstretched palm. "Raul Vega."

****

As the deep, commanding voice lacerated her
insides, Elaina tentatively reached out to give her palm
to the tall, dark man standing in front of her. His hand
encapsulated hers completely and didn't let go. A
searing moment of shock hit her as she glanced at the
rough, masculine hand holding hers captive before her
eyes slowly climbed back to his face.

His hand was lean and strong, gripping hers with
enough
force to momentarily hold her immobile without
actually hurting her. The calluses she felt only
emphasized his masculinity; the combination of his
hand gripping hers and his eyes swallowing her whole
were almost more than she could handle at the
moment.

Her heartbeat accelerated and blood pulsed through
her veins. Heat swam down her body and she prayed
her face didn't show the effect he had on her. As he
continued to hold her hand in a tight clasp, she silently
studied him.

The man was magnificent. There were no other
words.

She guessed his age around thirty, and his surname
was indicative of the looks he carried. He was dark and
swarthy, his features chiseled and defined in a way
that was very much Castilian. He was tall, probably a
couple of inches over six feet, with a steely magnetism
that ran through his body.

She realized through a haze of disconcertion that he
was studying her as intently as she watched him. She
sucked in a breath and held it in her tight throat as her
body trembled beneath his too-close observation. A tiny
blossom of what felt very much like fear unfurled inside
her and mingled with the sharp bite of attraction. Her
reaction to him unnerved her.

He wasn't dropping her hand, and Elaina waited silently
to be released so she could get the hell away from him.
She

was seriously out of her depth, and she didn't want or
need
his

searing

attention.

"You don't look like your aunt." His voice was deep
and smooth and rattled her already frayed nerves. The
drive had been long, it was getting late and she was tired
and hungry. The very last things she needed right now
were to deal with a man that reeked machismo and
everything his searing gaze implied.

She needed to escape, but somehow, she managed to
be polite. "No, sir. I favor my father's side of the
family." She wanted to put space between them and
hoped the small inflection she put on the word 'sir' would
do the trick.

Right after the slightly accented word came from her
lips, her hand was dropped, but his intense scrutiny
didn't leave her.

"What's your last name?" he
asked. "Ruiz."
"Hispanic."

It

wasn't

a

question.

She

replied

automatically. "Si." "Home
from where?"
"School."
"College?"
"Yes."

The need to know her age was paramount. "What
year?" "First year."
Raul felt a deep hit of disappointment when he
received that answer. She was just a baby. And he
needed to remember it.

"What are you
studying?" "Nursing."
"What
school?"

"University of Texas." She elaborated, "San
Antonio."

"So you're close by." In the wide expanse of
Texas, anything less than seventy-five miles was
close by. "I assume that's why you're staying here for
Christmas?"

Her bottom lip trembled. "That and because Janie's
the only family I have left."

"I'm sorry, baby." His rough voice dropped an
octave.

She felt his heated sympathy wash through her.
The presumptuous way he called her baby
ignited both agitation and weakness within her. She
couldn't afford to be weak so she steeled her spine and
lifted her chin. "Not your fault, Mr. Vega, but thanks
anyway."

Her words were sharp and didn't leave room for
more questions of an intimate nature.

She lifted her backpack to her shoulder. "It's late and I'm
not
up for a party. It was nice to meet you." She turned to
go.

His eyes continued to watch her. "Goodnight, Miss Ruiz.
It's been a pleasure."

His dark voice was still clamoring in her brain as
she walked down the hallway to the bedroom that now
belonged to her. She wearily sank down on the bed and
dropped her backpack beside her. She was intensely
tired, her body physically and mentally worn out by
the struggle of living through the months and years just
passed.

Her mother had developed breast cancer at the end
of Elaina's senior year in high school. With the help of
Aunt Janie, Elaina had managed to stay in school and
graduate. But her mom had been in and out of the
hospital after that, and Elaina had taken on the
responsibility of her care as her mother fought the fight
that had ultimately taken her life.

Elaina had wanted to do anything she could for the

woman who had single-handedly raised her after her dad
had died fighting in Iraq. Nursing her mother as much
as she could from home had been a loving chore that
she had eagerly undertaken.

Her mom hadn't wanted her to delay college, but there
had been no other option in Elaina's mind. The love she
had for her mom was too strong to let her care go to
strangers. Elaina knew, rightly so, that whether her mom
won the fight or not, that her own life could always
continue later. This

might be the only time she had left with her mom, so
she
had effectively put her own life on hold, and for over
three years she'd virtually stayed at home and nursed
her ailing mother.

When exactly she had promised her parent that she
would become a nurse, she couldn't remember, but
she had promised, and now that pledge was weighing
heavily on her heart.

She'd never had an affinity for the sick room, and
admitted to herself she never had the calling to
become a nurse. She'd promised her mom solely
because the older woman thought she'd make such a
good health-care professional, and it seemed to put her
mind at ease visualizing what her daughter's life would
be like when she was gone.

And now Elaina was trapped, with just one semester
of nursing school under her belt, she knew she didn't
want to go back. She'd been struggling with it for
several months now. She didn't want to be around sick
people any longer. If push came to shove and she had
to nurse another loved one, she knew she could find

the inner strength somewhere, but as a career choice, it
wasn't going to work. She didn't want to be around
death and sickness; she desperately needed a break.

The semester had started only two weeks after her
mother had died. Before she had time to think or
plan, with the urging of Aunt Janie, she had found
herself enrolled and

going to school. Going to school for something that
she
didn't aspire to be. There were many wonderful nurses;
she knew that and was thankful to them all for the
care her mother had received in the hospital. But it was
a calling that unfortunately, she didn't have.

She was just so tired. Tired of it
all.

She needed some time off, some time to herself,
where she didn't have to constantly be going to
school and studying. She didn't mind getting a job,
and in fact was looking forward to earning her own
money, but she needed something that would give her
the evenings free, so she could just be herself and chill.

Was that too selfish a thing to want? Guilt ate at her
knowing it would be going against her mom's hopes
and dreams for her. But what about her hopes and
dreams? What about having friends, being young,
dating? She hadn't even had a date since high school.

She'd met a few people at college, young men who

had been interested, but for the first few months her
grief was still too fresh to even consider it. And lately,
the crushing workload left no time for a social life.

She sighed and closed her
eyes.

She just wanted some peace for
awhile.

CHAPTER TWO

On Monday, mid-morning, Elaina stood next to her
uncle's farm truck at the feed store and watched it
being loaded. This small town was the nearest one to
the ranch, and at ten miles away, it boasted less than
a thousand people in population. She'd been here
several times in the last six months since her mother
had died and Janie had married Brian. She really liked
the small town.

For the first thirteen years of her life, Elaina had
been raised an army brat. Just as soon as she made
friends and got used to a school, her father upped and
moved them. It hadn't been easy. She longed for a
real home and solid roots.

Everyone in this small town was friendly, and as she
wanted to be helpful, when the subject came up, she
had quickly offered to make the drive for supplies.

She stood and chatted with the boy loading the
truck, enjoying the laid-back moment having
nothing more pressing than getting back to the ranch
with the supplies.

He was about her age, maybe a year or two
younger, maybe older. This was the third time in the last
six months she had spoken to him since making her
temporary home with her aunt and uncle. It was also
the third time he had asked her out. She was actually
contemplating saying yes this time. He was good-
looking and he wasn't too pushy.

Although he didn't make her heart beat faster, he
was
sweet and cute and seemed to be someone she
could enjoy spending some time with.

She continued to smile softly at him as he tried to cajole
her into going out with him. "You know me now. You can't
keep using that excuse forever."

She was vaguely aware of a big, black pickup truck
pulling into the parking lot as she answered with a
smile in her voice. "It's not an excuse. I only found out
your name today, Trevor." She stressed his name, trying
out a soft, flirty tone that she hadn't wanted or
attempted to use in almost four years.

She watched the muscles ripple under his dusty red t-
shirt as he dropped another fifty pound bag of deer
corn in the back of the truck. He turned back to her, lifted
the next bag, and stared down at her. "I'll take you to
Uvalde tonight. We can catch a movie and--"

A dark, hard voice from behind them cut him off
and intruded on the personal conversation. "Can't do that,
Trev. I need you this week. I've got forty protein feeders

that need to be filled."

She didn't turn to face the man behind her, but
she recognized that voice easily. Raul Vega stood
behind Elaina, his hard words interrupting her
peace. Tension jolted through her from the impact of
his body so close to hers. She shifted restlessly but
continued to face Trevor as

a frustrated expression crossed the younger
man's
features.

"Damn, Raul--
"

"You were supposed to get to it last week." His voice
was dark, too smooth, too controlled.

"Yeah, I know. Mac needed me late every night,"
Trevor answered.

"You still want the extra work? I can find somebody
else,
easy, if you don't," Raul softly
threatened.

The younger man let out a puff of air. "Yeah, I want
the work." Trevor glanced down at Elaina and his face
softened as his eyes ran over her. "Another time, pretty
girl."

Elaina felt tension radiating from behind her, but
she managed to smile back. "Sure. Rain check,"

she said softly.

"Yeah. Rain check." Elaina felt Trevor's blue eyes on
her, both disappointment and anticipation shining in
them.

Trevor threw the last bag of corn up in the bed of the
truck and as he turned back, Raul slammed a
computerized list at his chest. "Need this quick-fast,
Trev."

"Sure." Trevor's gaze lingered on Elaina one last
time before he turned away and jogged back into the
store.

Elaina closed her eyes and knew she had no option but
to

turn around and face Raul Vega. Best just to get it
over
with.

Twirling the keys in her fingers in a parody of
relaxation, she attempted to compose herself as she
swung in a graceful motion to face the man who
twice now had messed with her insides. Trying to
exude a calm she wasn't feeling, she pasted a false
smile on her face and spoke lightly. "Hey, Mr. Vega."

He

cut to

the

chase.

"You planning on taking a ride with a kid who's a stranger
to you?" he blasted out.

Her muscles tensed as she lifted her chin. "He's not
a stranger. I know him. Evidently, you do, too."

"You didn't know that before I drove
up."

For whatever reason, his audacity didn't surprise her in
the least. She inhaled deeply and took her best

shot, answering him in slow, firm words. "I may seem
young to you, but I assure you, I'm an adult and can
make good decisions."

Raul steeled his guts against the lust that consumed
him once again and gave her his opinion. "I don't
think a freshman in college is an adult, baby. Maybe your
definition is different than mine." He looked her over, his
eyes going from the silky hair again in a ponytail, to
the t-shirt that molded her feminine form. His eyes
stalled on the slender

hips encased in skin tight jeans, and ended up at the
dusty
orange Ropers on her feet. Orange. Shit. She was just
a fucking kid and he was goddamn lusting after her.
He needed to get his head out of his ass and fast. His
voice snarled at her but the reminder was for himself,
"You need to grow up some before anyone in their right
mind can call you an adult."

Elaina felt a frisson of anxiety slide through her. First
year. Freshman in college. She was just about to begin
arguing with him that it wasn't any of his business when
it dawned on her that he thought she was a teenager.
The first time she met him, it hadn't occurred to her
that he might think she was younger than she actually
was. But twice now, he'd seen her without any make-
up, wearing scruffy, beat-up clothes.

Maybe she should keep him in the dark. Maybe the
age difference would put a wall between them, protect
her from him. Did she need protection from him? Did
she even want protection from him? Heat slid through her
as his dark gaze stayed on her, his countenance
filled with anger and something else she was
simply too distressed to fully acknowledge.

She didn't have loads of experience with men, but she
was smart and the female intuition banging loudly in
her head was telling her she was going to at least
need all the distance she could get from him.

She let the comment go and moved to get away from
him.
Suddenly, she didn't feel quite safe. "Thanks for
your concern. I promise I'll be more careful."

She turned away from him, left him standing alone,
his hands clenched into fists. She slipped into the
truck and pulled out of the parking lot.

It wasn't until she was nearly home that she realized
she should have been thinking about Trevor. But she
hadn't been. Her thoughts were consumed with one man
only.

Raul Vega.

****

Three days later, Raul's cell phone rang and he flipped
it open. The display read Brian Canton. "What's up?"

"Raul, I hate to bother you, man, but shit, Janie's about
to freak."

Raul cradled the phone to his ear and began ripping

the leather work gloves from his hands. "What's the
matter?"

"Elaina's car broke down three miles from the house
and we're in San Antonio. She doesn't mind walking
back, but you know Janie, she's a city girl, she's freaking
out thinking something might happen to Elaina."

Raul felt immediate and unintentional heat fuelling
his blood. "No problem. She on the south end of county
road?"

"Yeah, probably half a mile from you. Thanks, man.
Drop
her at the house. We won't be home for a couple of
days. Buying supplies for another damn party. Just leave
the car, I'll get Earl to pick it up and take it to the
garage."

"You got it." Raul closed his cell and walked to his
truck, pissed at himself for the uncontrollable and
sudden heat of arousal pumping through his veins. He
tried to rein in his lust in a futile attempt as he
reminded himself repeatedly, she's too damn young.

****

Elaina had walked about a mile from her car toward
the house when she heard the diesel motor idle up
behind her. She figured the farther she walked, the less
time she would have to spend with him. Confused and
irritated with herself for the way he made her feel, she
didn't want to be in his radius any more than was strictly
necessary. She hadn't felt comfortable admitting that to
Brian when he told her he was going to call Raul.

She scooted to the side of the gravel road and waited
for the big, black 4 X 4 to roll up beside her. The
passenger door opened from the inside and she
grabbed it with her hand.

"Get
in."

CHAPTER THREE

Anxiety and a sliver of tension coursed through her.
She didn't care for big men who thought they could tell
her what to do. She especially didn't care for big, tall,
Latino men telling her what to do. Latino men had
that certain machismo that Anglos didn't. It was the
way they were brought up, the way their fathers raised
them. They thought they were the dominant gender and
acted and lived it. Her gentle, blonde mother had warned
her often enough. Maybe they weren't all like that, but
nothing so far had indicated to her that Raul Vega
wasn't. But Brian had called him to bail her out, and she
had no choice but to make nice.

She put her dusty tennis shoes on the running board
and climbed in his truck. Easing down into the leather
seat, she swiveled to face him. "Thanks for picking me
up."

She settled in the seat and felt his eyes on
her. "Got your phone?"
"Yes."

"Pull it out."

She did as he asked and raised her eyebrows in
question. He rattled off his number and made her key
it in and then
repeat it to him. "You don't take any chances, you
need someone, anytime, you can't get Brian, you
call me. Anytime."

"Okay, thanks. Again, I'm sorry to be a
bother."

"No problem, Miss Ruiz. You can't help when your
vehicle breaks down. These things happen." He put
the truck into drive and eased his foot down until they
were slowly rolling down the deserted road.

Elaina was agitated by his presence and her brain
wasn't functioning like it should be. She said the first
thing out of her head. "Yeah, well, I didn't have to run out
of gas."

He immediately braked and turned to look at her.
"You what?"

Shit! Why the hell had she said that? Her eyes flew to his
and she mumbled, "Ran out of gas."

Fury took over his features as he slammed the truck
into park and turned fully to face her. "Tell me you didn't
just say that, Miss Ruiz."

"Look, it's not your problem, I appreciate you giving me
a ride--"

"Do you know what can happen to little girls on a
deserted road when they have a disabled vehicle?"

"It wasn't intentional--
"

"You let yourself run too low on gas." His eyes ran over
her. "That's not very smart." His voice was glacial.

"Yeah, well, I'm not a little girl-
-"

"You better be thankful you're a little girl right now."
He
looked down at her bare legs. It might be December, but
it was almost eighty degrees in south Texas.

Anger penetrated the fog in her brain and her
spine stiffened. "What the hell do you mean by that?
Are you threatening me?"

"I'm stating a fact. You. Are. Lucky. You're. A. Little.
Girl." He punched the words out, pulsating anger
coming with them.

His tone and attitude pissed her off. He was nothing to
her; he had no right to speak to her like that. She
became belligerent. "What the fuck's it to you?"

His hand reached out and swiped her wrist in a brutal
move that reminded her of a snake striking. He pulled
on her arm and her butt lifted involuntarily from the
seat as she was forcibly moved until her face was only
inches from his.

Elaina sucked in a single breath and then began
hyperventilating. Her eyes opened wide. Damn her

mouth.

"What word did you say to
me?"

She licked her lips as fear slid through her system.
Her heartbeat pounded away in her chest as her
bravado disappeared in the face of his anger and the
proximity of his large body looming over hers. "N-
nothing."

"Good answer. Little girls don't say fuck. You
understand

me? Little girls who throw the fuck word around are
askin'
for it, baby. You askin' for it?" His hand tightened on
her wrist. "Because I gotta tell 'ya, I'm trying to be nice
here. But eighteen is a legal adult, Miss Ruiz. If you're
askin' for it, I got every right to give it to you."

Elaina shivered in his hold. Now was absolutely not
the time to tell him she was twenty-one. He assumed
she was eighteen because she was first year. His
mistake. Her good fortune. Not everyone had the
money or the opportunity to start college at eighteen.
She hadn't. But no way was she telling him that now.

"I'm not asking for it. Let me
go."

He waited for the count of three very long heartbeats as
he seemed to conquer his anger. Finally, he dropped her
wrist.

She immediately scrambled back and scooted away
from him and then lifted her hand to rub her wrist. It was
red and almost sore where he had squeezed her. She
bit her lip and stared at him while she held her arm

and waited for him to say something, do something.

His eyes dropped to her reddened wrist. "Did I hurt
you?" "I'm okay." She pushed the words through
gritted teeth.
His eyes ran over her and Elaina was supremely
conscious of the fact she should have put on more
clothing that morning. Yellow t-shirt, frayed shorts and
Converse weren't nearly enough protection against
his dark, intense

inspection.

He raised his eyes from her body, to her lips. His
searing stare held her until he lifted a hand, ran it
through his dark hair, and put the truck back into drive.

Three minutes later, he was pulling around to the front of
her aunt's house.

She reached down for the handle, but before she could
get her hand there, the locks were activated and she
was shut inside with him until he decided to let her out.
Shocked, her breathing going haywire, she silently turned
to face him, her back against the door.

He broodingly watched her and took his time
about speaking. "I'm going to get one of my men to
put gas in your car and bring it around. There's no sense
in having the garage pick it up. But you can bet your ass
I'm going to tell Brian what you did. Maybe he can talk
some sense into you."

"You're too kind, Mr. Vega." Her words were sarcastic
and she watched a quick, ferocious scowl cross his
face.

"You just do not knowwhen to quit pushing, do
you?" "Let me out."
He didn't move. His eyes were glued to
her. She tried again. "Let me out."

"Doesn't feel good, does it? Knowing you're stuck.
You
better be glad it was me that found you, baby. Another
man might not have been such a gentleman."

Her eyes flared wide. "A gentleman? Are you f-
-"

Her voice stopped on that word he hated as he
interrupted her at the same time.

"You

want

your

ass

blistered?"

Great waves of intense fury mingled with fear
pulsed through her bloodstream. The fury won. "You
think you're man enough to do it?"

He reached out and swiped her wrist again, but this
time, his hold wasn't as tight. Just as strong, but not as
tight. "I'm plenty man enough, you grow up some and
I'll show you." His eyes glared into hers, then dropped
to her lips. His nostrils flared. "That's a promise, Miss
Ruiz."

He released her from his hold and pressed a button
to unlock the doors.

She didn't wait even a second before jerking the door
open and jumping down. Just before she slammed it in
his face, his dark voice hit her with one last demand.

"Elaina, do not run out of gas again, understand
me?"

She gave him a go-to-hell look, slammed the truck
door, and ran up the steps to the house.

****

At ten the next morning, Elaina sat on the side of
the unpaved county road in almost the exact same spot
where she had run out of gas the day before. Today, her
car was safely in the driveway, but she was shaken
and bruised. Her morning run had started out fine, but
the surface of the road was not what she was used to.
It was her own fault she'd tripped and fallen. She'd
more than fallen, she had a couple of strawberries on
her knees like she hadn't had since she was a kid.
They dripped blood down both shins. The palms of her
hands were rough and abraded, and one of her ankles
was twisted so badly she couldn't even stand. Shit. And
that wasn't the worst of it.

She'd been carrying her phone, listening to music and
had landed on it, crushing the screen and pretty much
disabling it completely.

She was stuck until a vehicle came by. Her aunt and
uncle were still in San Antonio. Unease trickled through
her. The good news was it was only ten in the morning,
she could sit here all day before it got dark, and
the weather was unseasonably mild. Another reason

she had strawberries on her bare knees. She was
wearing shorts again.

She hung her head between her legs and
waited.

At one o'clock, not a single car had come by and she
was getting more than a little worried. She was
ferociously hungry, her face was burning from the sun,
and she had to

pee.
Badly.

****

Raul was cutting down county road on his way to the
north pasture when he saw her and braked. Jesus
Christ, what the hell was she up to now?

Letting the truck idle, he jumped down and was
squatting beside her in seconds.

Her head was hanging between her legs and he
gently lifted her chin until he could see her face. Her
cheeks were streaked with tears and dust, and he
took in the skinned knees and dried blood.

"Christ, little girl, what happened to
you?"
"I fell." The answer was short and all she could manage.
"That's it? You fell? What the hell are you doing this far
from
the house?"

"I was
running."

"Running?"
"Yeah, you know, running. Jogging, exercising.
Whatever."

Raul was acquainted with the concept. He just never had
to do it. He got so much damn exercise around the
ranch, he needed extra calories and protein. He
damn sure didn't want to expend any of them
uselessly.

She looked at him with dark eyes swimming in tears.
"I
wanted somebody else," she whispered
quietly.

"What?"

he

questioned.

"I didn't want you to find me. I don't want your help
again. I don't want to be yelled at right now and I was
praying you wouldn't find me like this."

Damn. That cut him deep. He had been rough on
her yesterday.

"Sorry, baby. You're stuck with
me."

He reached down and as gently as he could, scooped
her up with one arm under her back and the other
under her knees. "Put your arms around my neck."

Elaina did as he said and collapsed against him. Her
eyes shut and she let out a sigh of relief. It had been a
long few hours.

He walked around to the passenger side of his truck
and deposited her there, shutting the door. She
was immediately closed in again and felt much as she
had the day before when he had locked her in with him.

He started the truck, executed a reverse maneuver
and headed down the road, back the way he came.

"Brian and Janie home yet?" he
asked. "No. Probably tomorrow."

"Right. I'm taking you to my house." It was a statement
of
intent.

CHAPTER FOUR

"No. I d-don't want to go to-
-" "Tough shit, Miss Ruiz."
Her eyes welled with tears again as she swiveled her
head in his direction and impaled him with a vicious
glare. "See? That's why I wanted someone else to find
me."

Guilt and irritation trickled down his spine. Shit. She
was young, she was alone and she was hurt.
Couldn't he fucking rein it in with her and not act like a
wad of shit? It wasn't her fault his body was screaming for
her. He needed to remember that.
He kept driving and the silence in the truck was
deafening. Minutes later, he pulled into the circular
driveway that
fronted his house. He climbed out of the truck and
walked around and opened the passenger door. He
reached in to get her and was amazed she didn't put up
more of a verbal fight about him carrying her.

He found out why seconds later as he climbed the steps
to the front door with her in his arms and pushed it open.

"I

have

to

pee."

He didn't answer her, just strode to the nearest
bathroom. He flipped the light on, and carried her to the
commode.

"Can

you

stand?"

"Yes."

He slid her down carefully and she put her weight on
her good foot and balanced on the vanity next to the
commode. "Thanks. I'll just be a minute."

"Call me. I'll hear
you."

"Okay." She waited for him to turn and shut the door
and then she sat down with a massive sigh of relief.

Five minutes later, she was sitting on the closed lid of
the commode and he was kneeling in front of her,
carefully taking her shoes and socks off.

"Damn, little girl, those are some badass skinned
knees." "Mr. Vega--"
He cut her off. "My name's
Raul."

She lifted her eyes from her torn up knees and her
gaze tangled with his.

His eyes were deep, unfathomable. "Say

it." "Raul."
"That's

right, little

girl."

She cleared her throat minutely. "You could start calling
me
Elaina."

His eyes stayed hot on hers but he didn't
answer.

She tried speaking again. "Thanks for saving me.
Again."

He did respond to that. "Not a problem. Better me than
the next guy."

She still wasn't so sure about that. "You
think?" "Yeah."
He turned away and came back seconds later with a
tube of antiseptic ointment and a moistened cloth. He
held the cloth in front of her and gently offered, "You
trust me to do it?"

She puffed out a breath as something unknown
passed between them. "Yeah."

He placed the cloth on one knee and then the
next, loosening the dried blood, rubbing gently,
carefully removing the sand and flakes of rock from the
dried sores. It took awhile and she sat still, trying to
distract herself from the pain by watching his hands on
her.

He had large strong hands, with thick, blunt fingers.
They were cool and capable as they touched her skin.

Elaina felt a trace of heat hit her high in the breasts
and slide down through her system, landing in a
damp pool of need between her thighs. Shocked,
she trembled softly and raised her eyes back to his
face.

His movements stalled and she knew he felt the tremors
in her body as his eyes left his task and lifted to
hers.

Incendiary heat passed between them. She licked her
lips
and stared at his male
beauty.

She opened her mouth and tried to speak. "So--you're
not always mean." The words were off the top of her
head but they conveyed her exact thought.

His ministrations stopped completely and she felt
his attention leave her abraded flesh and center wholly
on her.

She sucked in a breath at the naked look of self-
contempt in his eyes.

"I was hard on you yesterday." His hand stroked
absently down her leg to her calf, and he rubbed
back and forth, stopping to cup the feminine definition
of her muscle. "I'm sorry about that. I get pissed
when I get scared. And it scared me shitless to think
about you putting yourself in danger." His eyes
continued to rove over her features as his hands
stroked her skin. "You're young and small and weak.
There are bad people out there, baby." The visible

anxiety in his eyes told Elaina his worry was sincere.
"You have to be careful all the time, you know?"

His hand lifted to her face and cupped her chin,
his calloused finger tilting her face completely to his.
"Okay?"

"Y-yes." Elaina was mesmerized by his masculine
beauty so close to her. Her heart was beating in wild
gallops; her brain seemed absent from her body.
Again, she spoke without thinking, "You're so
handsome."

Her face immediately flushed red when she realized
she
had spoken the thought out
loud.

His hand tightened on her chin and one side of his
mouth lifted in an attempt at a smile that failed
completely. "Yeah? Well, you're gonna be stupendous
when you get grown. You're beautiful already and
there's no fucking way you can stay here with me. This
was a bad idea."

He let go of her face and pushed back from her onto
his haunches. I'm gonna get you cleaned up and get
you back home. I got a pair of crutches. You'll be fine
until they get back."

"Why do you get to say--the f-word and I don't?"
she whispered.

His hand lifted to her face one last time and held her
cheek, his thumb running over the tracks that the earlier
tears had left. He leaned into her, put his mouth to
her ear and whispered, "You get grown up some and I'll
let you say it to me all you want." His mouth lingered,

and Elaina quivered as she felt him breathe in her scent
and place a slow kiss on her ear.

This was the third or fourth time he had made a
comment about her growing up. It sent shivers through her
system.

Her arms were just about to reach up and enfold his
neck when he abruptly stood to his feet and turned
away.

****

The next day Raul fought with himself off and on
about checking on Elaina. He knew Brian and Janie
were home, he'd seen their truck flying down the road
leaving a cloud of dust a couple of hours before.

At three o'clock, he couldn't fight the beast inside
anymore and flipped his cell open.

Brian answered it on the first ring. "Hey man. Thanks
for bailing us out. Again."

"No problem. She was pretty shaken up yesterday.
Vicious twist to the ankle. She okay?"

"Yeah. Janie drove her to the clinic this morning just
to make sure there's no fracture. Just a sprain. Thanks,
man."

"Sure. How'd the trip go? Janie buy out the
stores?"

"Hell, yeah. Now we're throwing a goddamn New
Year's
Eve party."

"Shit. Do I have to be
there?"

"Better believe it, pard. I gotta be there, you gotta be
there." "Goddamn, Canton. You better learn how to rein
her in--"
He was interrupted by Brian's laugh. "Right. Not in
this lifetime. This is the last one. Holidays will be over for
a year. We'll let you rest after this one. Hey. You got
somewhere you gotta be on Christmas Eve? Janie
wants to have twilight drinks."

"Twilight

fuckin'

what?"

"Twilight drinks," Brian said on a laugh. "No
worries. Nobody gonna be here but us. We're gonna
light a fire and grill steaks. Dude, come on. Don't leave
me alone with both these women. They've been ganging
the shit up on me and I can't keep up. Six o'clock.
Beer and steaks. Dude. Please."

"Yeah, all right. What can I
bring?"

"Just yourself. Janie's already stocked your
brand."

****

Raul pulled his truck in front of the Canton's house
three nights later. He didn't care to acknowledge to
himself how much he'd looked forward to this night.
Already, four days without seeing her was too damn
long.

The weather was mild. If Janie had her heart set on a

fire, they were going to have to turn the air conditioner
on. He rang the bell, twelve- pack under his arm.

Janie answered the door, a smile on her face, a cold
beer for him in her hand.

Raul grinned at her and took the offering. "My kind
of woman. Too bad Canton found 'ya first." He threw a
nod at Brian who was standing behind his wife.

Janie grabbed his arm and pulled him inside. "Right.
That would have been like me robbing the cradle,
don't you

think?"

Raul continued to tease Janie, feeling free to do so with
her husband leaning against the wall, drinking a beer,
listening in. "What are you Janie, thirty-three, thirty-four?
No much of a cradle robber there, sweetheart."

"Well aren't you sweet, darlin'." She turned to her
husband. "I knew there was a reason I liked your friend."

She never gave up her age, and Raul got a kick out of
it. Maybe she was closer to forty. Who the hell knew?
She looked good was all he knew. Brian had done well.
Except for her annoying inclination to throw parties for
every damn reason, Janie seemed the perfect woman.
Brian deserved her. Ten or so years older than himself,
Brian Canton was a good man, a good friend, and he
deserved happiness just like the next guy.

Raul tossed the twelve- pack at Brian's chest as
Janie pulled his arm and brought him into the room,
coming to a stop next to the couch where Elaina
relaxed, propped up with pillows. "Come say hi to my
baby."

Raul looked down and felt a vicious kick to his solar
plexus. Completely annihilated by the transformation in
front of him, he stood zombie-like, having to force out
his voice, and all he could do was mimic Janie's words.
"Hi, baby."

Elaina heard the surprised heat in his voice and
her stomach clenched with excitement. His eyes were
running over her and his body was held immobile, as if in
shock.

Four days without seeing him had left her
anxious, unsatisfied.

She had known he was coming and prepared well
in advance. She let Janie assume it was for Christmas
Eve, but Elaina knew in her heart she was dressing up
for him. She had conflicted emotions--she didn't
particularly want him to find out her age, but at the
same time, she wanted him to see her as an adult. It
made no sense.

She was still on crutches, and her knees were
seriously scabbed over. She couldn't wear jeans, so she
had put on a little black dress that was the epitome of
the phrase, and she had done her hair and make-up. He
stood staring down at her, and on the inside she was
laughing and shouting at the gobsmacked look on his
face. So there!

Raul knew he was staring, but he really didn't give a shit.
He was seriously debating whether eighteen was too
young for him. What the hell? She was an adult. She
was old enough to vote. She was legal. Not jailbait. As
he watched her, his brain analyzed the ramifications of
making such a move.

Janie interrupted his thoughts when she swirled back
into the room and handed Elaina a can of Diet Coke.

Janie was drinking a glass of wine, he and Brain
were drinking beer. It was a vicious kick to his
stomach to see her take a delicate sip of the soft
drink. It was the kick he needed to get his head out of
his ass. She's too fucking

young, Vega. Understand it, man.

How long would he have to wait? He'd have to let her
go back to school, grow up some. Twenty-one. No.
Fuck that shit. Twenty. Just not a teenager. He didn't
want seducing a teenager on his conscience.

He was deep in an internal conflict when Janie and
Brian went outside to check the grill. The back door
slammed, leaving him alone with Elaina.
Silence pulsed between them as they stared at each
other. She cleared her throat and asked him, "What
are you
thinking
about?"

He stood over her, and took his time answering.
"I'm thinking you're dangerous, baby."

"How

so,

Mr.

Vega?"

"You're dangerous to my peace, my state of mind,
my equilibrium." His eyes roved down her legs,

the only imperfection the scrapes on her knees.
He took in everything, her tiny ankles, the pink polish
on her toenails, her feminine little feet. His eyes
slowly moved back up, stalling at the vee between her
thighs and the curve of her chest. "You think this is a
smart move, Miss Ruiz? Pulling out all the stops when
you know I'm trying my damn best to stay away from
you?"

CHAPTER FIVE

She sucked in a breath as both pleasure and a tendril
of shock trailed fingers across her spine. He was
suffering the same as she was. He was temptation
beyond temptation. Her heart was screaming at her to
reach out for him, her brain was telling her that he
was off limits. Too old. Too intense. Too macho. No
doubt he did crazy things to her insides. But he just
wasn't safe.

She took the easy way out. "It's Christmas Eve.
So I
dressed

up.

Big

deal."

He reached out and took her chin in his hand and did
that thing with his thumb across her face that made
her body tremble. Her breathing splintered and arousal
pierced her, hot and hard. His eyes were deep,
dark brown. Mesmerizing. His voice was whiskey
smooth. "It is a big deal, sweetheart. If you think you're
grown-up, you need to prove it and stop trying to entice
me. Because it's working."

He took the can from her hand and put both of their
drinks on the coffee table. He reached back for her and
his hand continued to slide over her cheek.
She nodded slightly in an attempt to agree to his
demand. "Good girl." He slid down until he was sitting
on the edge of
the couch in front of where she was reclining,
overwhelming
her. Crowding her personal space. "How you feeling,
baby? Still hurting?"

She shook her head and answered him in a whisper.
"No. I'm better."

"Ready to go dancing?" he
teased. "Not yet."
"Poor baby. Can't go out, can't go running, can't even
get up to entertain company." His words slid through
her and she thought about last night and looked away
from his eyes.

He noticed.

His fingers tightened on her chin and he demanded
her attention. "Look at me."

Her eyes slid carefully back to his. His features
hardened, like his hand on her skin. "What'd you do?"

"Nothing."

"You went out, or have company? You damn sure didn't
go running."

She tried to play down something insignificant
that somehow she knew he wouldn't like. "Yeah, I had

company. Trevor came by last night."

"Trevor." His voice radiated
anger. "Yeah."
"He

touch

you?"

"What?" Stunned, she could only manage the one
word.

When had she become his property? She
wasn't.
"Did. He. Touch. You." He bit the words out, one by one.
"That's n-not really any of your business," she
stammered. "You don't think?" His mouth
flattened in a line of
suppressed
temper.

"No."

"That boy's used to playing fast and loose, little girl.
I've known him a long time. He's screwed everything in
a four county area. You wanna be his next?"

"No," she answered softly as her cheeks turned pink.
"I'm going to ask you again. Did you let him touch
you?" "Not like that."
"Elaina."

It

was

a

warning.

She took exception to his tone and her volatile
temper exploded. "I'm not planning on sleeping with
him, Raul. Not that it's any of your fucking business."

His eyes blazed down at her. Rage colored his
expression. "I've told you before. You better watch
your mouth." His words were sharp.

She felt his dark, compelling eyes on her. "Oh, I think
you're watching it closely enough for the both of us."
Suppressed lust and territorial aggression glimmered in
his dark gaze,

easily identifiable even to someone with her limited
sexual
experience.

He sucked in oxygen and forced his eyes from her
wet, luscious lips. His hands reached down and
grabbed her wrists and pushed them over her head,
pushing them into the sofa. He loomed over her, going
for intimidation to get her to conform. "I'm trying to be
a gentleman here." His words were a low snarl. "I'm
telling you to stay away from that boy."

Heat and excitement speared through her. He was trying
to be a gentleman? She pushed against the hands
that restrained her. They didn't give. If this was an
example of him being a gentleman, she wondered what
he'd be like if he lost control. A shiver of fear and
curious anticipation went through her. But she wasn't
ready for that, not with someone like him. No way.

"You don't have the right to tell me what to do. But I'll be
nice and have mercy on you and tell you how it is." She
raised her neck and glared into his face, pushing
against his restraining hands. "I haven't slept with him. I
don't intend to sleep with him. So chill."

An arrow of pure jealousy continued to pierce through
his bloodstream. "Chill?"

"Yeah. Chill. You're way too serious. You need to
calm down. Chill."

He was about to begin interrogating her further when
the
back door slammed and he heard Brian and Janie
come back into the house.

He slid to his feet and picked his beer up from the
coffee table. Putting it to his lips, he took a long pull and
turned to greet his hosts, trying to give them no
indication of the inappropriate conversation that had just
transpired.

Janie stopped in the doorway, looked between Raul
and Elaina and slowly back again and then spoke in a
stilted manner. "Steaks are ready."

****

Raul forced himself to stay away from the Canton
household the rest of the month. It wasn't easy, but it was
for the best. Or so he told himself. By the time New
Year's Eve dawned, he was itching for the damn party
just so he could see her again.

When he finally arrived, his mood blackened when he
saw the amount of people already gathered there. All

he could think about was getting her to himself for
awhile, and now he realized that wouldn't be possible.

It was probably for the best, but that didn't stop him
from meandering through the house, nodding to people
he knew, his purposeful strides taking him in her
direction.

He found her in the arched doorway between the
living room and the darkened hallway that led to the
bedrooms.

She was covered in a tiny red dress that ended only
a
couple of inches below the point where her thighs met.
Her ankle had obviously had time to heal, and she was
standing on impossibly high-heeled strappy gold
sandals that emphasized the shape and contours of her
legs.

The only physical effects he could see from her
mishap were two pale spots on her knees where her
injuries were healing and wouldn't be noticeable to
anyone that wasn't looking for them. Her facial features
were enhanced by the subtle use of make-up and
her hair was silky smooth around her shoulders. She
looked far too sophisticated for her young years. She
was holding a glass of champagne in one hand and was
surrounded by a group of young people that included
Trevor.

Raul saw red as a jealous mist swam before his
eyes.

He ruthlessly contained his rage and approached the
group with a pleasant façade that he was far from
feeling.

He had one thought
only.

Containment.

****

Elaina stood in the circle of young people feeling
so emotionally free and happy she was almost delirious
with it. She had finally made up her mind to withdraw
from nursing school, had gotten over the guilt, and had
told her aunt what she planned to do. Much to her
surprise, Janie had been

one-hundred percent supportive. They had talked for
nearly
two hours, and Elaina was going to start looking for a
job close to the ranch when the hustle and bustle of the
holiday season was over.

Janie had well and truly convinced her that she and
Brian wanted her to stay with them, and for as
long as she wanted.

Elaina now stood, leaning slightly against the wall,
feeling completely free and easy and enjoying the
conversation around her and the slight buzz that
half a glass of champagne had induced.

A small, happy smile on her face, she glanced across
the room and her eyes tangled with the dark, intent
stare of Raul Vega.

Butterflies hit her stomach, and she actually felt her
knees get weak. Her smile slipped a bit, and she felt a
full-blown blush spread across her cheeks and warm her
face.

His gaze never left hers as he made his way across

the room to where she was standing.

She was held enthralled as she watched him approach
and briefly acknowledge the people around her,
before he simply reached out a hand to her and said,
"Come."

Her blush deepening, she didn't think to refuse him and
put her hand in his, murmuring, "Excuse me," to her
circle of new friends.

Turning back the way he came, he pulled her with him
into the privacy of the study. He shut the door,
leaned back against it and crossed his arms over his
chest.

She turned in a half circle to face him, her heart
beating triple time as he stood silently observing her.
The beat of the music from the other room bled
through the thick wooden door making the enclosed
area of the study seem even smaller, shut away from the
rest of the party.

She couldn't stop the trembling in her fingers, and
the champagne glass wobbled precariously.

His eyes narrowed in on it. "You think you should
be drinking that?"

She already had enough alcohol running through
her system on an empty stomach, and the effort it was
taking to hold the liquid still in the glass suddenly
seemed more than her nerves could handle. She
reached over and set it down on a side table. "Probably
not," she agreed mildly.

As she turned back, it occurred to her that he
was suggesting she shouldn't drink because of her
youth, and not because of her nervous state.

Once again, she chose not to enlighten
him.

He spoke, his voice rough but controlled, "You
know sweetheart, I get that you're young. Too young for
me. But I think you're old enough to know what you're
doing to me." The look he gave her was speculative,
thoughtful. "Are you

doing

it

on

purpose?"

The question caught her off guard and her breath snarled
in her throat. "No."

He continued as if she hadn't answered, his voice
turning feral, "I don't think it's escaped your notice that
I'm jealous of Trevor. And I think you're using it against
me."

She expelled a shallow pant of air. His disclosure sent
an intoxicating blend of heady power and beguiling
need through her veins. Her denial came quickly, "No, I'm
not. I--"

"You need to have mercy on me, baby," his tone
turned slightly threatening, "before I snap."

Her heart pounded in her ears and she swallowed
with difficulty.

He took one step away from the door and her voice
unfroze as she tried to explain. "I've told you

before, I'm not interested in him that way. I'm not going
to start something with him, he kissed me, yeah, but--"

He came to a jerky halt, his expression changing to lines
of fury, steel inundating his spine.

"He kissed
you?"

CHAPTER SIX

Elaina slammed her eyes closed as she realized what
she had inadvertently revealed. Stupid. She kept
her eyes closed for a few heartbeats until she felt him
move right up next to her.

Her lashes came up slowly to find his eyes blazing down
at her and his nostrils flaring.

The blood slammed through her veins and a lick of
heat stroked through her body landing in a pool of
vicious need between her thighs. What was it about this
man?

"He touched your
lips?" "Jesus Christ,
Raul--"
He interrupted her, his voice a snarl. "Answer
me."

"Yes," she puffed
out.

His jaw hardened. "That's not acceptable." His hands

came up and gripped her forearms in a hold that
restrained her.

She expelled a sound of laughter that wasn't in any
way funny. "What are you going to do about it?" she
asked him, smiling softly, licking her lips, challenging
him to kiss her. The sane part of her mind knew that
was what she was doing.

Even though he held her tightly, she felt in control. She
was in her aunt and uncle's home, and they weren't far
away. But

deep inside, a trickle of anxiety washed through her.
How
would she feel right now if that wasn't the
case?

His eyes fell to her lips again. His hands became
harder and leaned into hers with more pressure as
he slowly began to lower his head over hers. "I'm
going to wipe it from your memory."

Elaina froze in his hold as anticipation melted her
bones. Her breathing splintered as he slowly touched
his lips to hers. Gently, his mouth moved against hers, in
a caress that was the complete opposite of the fierce
restraint his hands had on her. He kissed her softly, over
again, moving his lips back and forth.

His head moved to her ear and brushed her hair aside
with his face until his lips were open over her. He
whispered, "Was it like that?"

Elaina moaned softly. No, it hadn't been anything like that
at all. Trevor's kiss had been mildly pleasant, not
something that set off fireworks inside of her and
scrambled her brain to mush.

He took her earlobe between his teeth and grazed
her softly. "Was it like that?" He demanded an answer
to his question.

"No,"

she

whispered.

Raul was hit with dual emotions; lust and arousal
from holding her in his arms, and rage from thinking
about that

boy kissing her, tasting her with his
tongue.

He needed to wipe it from her brain. Wipe it from
her memory. Wipe it from existence.

With that exact intent, he bent back to her mouth,
slanting his lips against hers, and as she took a
deep gasping breath, he slipped his tongue inside.
Oh, Jesus, she was sweet. Her tongue hesitated against
his, her arms pushing against him until he freed her.
He moved his hands to her head and lifted her mouth
more fully into his.

Her fingers came up and clamped greedily to his scalp,
her torso molding provocatively into his, and their
kiss went wild. He drank from her lips, taking what he
needed from her, holding her tightly against his
body. Their tongues entwined, their breathing
escalated as they fed from each other.

His arms stayed wrapped around her, clutching her to
him. His mouth left hers and seared its way back to
her ear, where he plunged his tongue inside and bit into
her earlobe again. He growled deep from his

diaphragm and made a demand. "No more fuckin'
kisses, understand me?"

She panted in his arms, her body liquid as he held her
up. "Yes."

"Say it." His words were abrupt,
succinct. "No more."

"No more what, Elaina?" He continued to beat out
the demand that he needed to hear.

His mouth left her ear as they sucked in oxygen and
stared at each other.

"No more Trevor." Her voice was soft, hesitant, but
sure that's what he wanted to hear.

"That's right," he rasped
out.

They stood, arms-length apart as he clenched
her shoulders in his grasp. Her breath came in
spiky inhalations as her eyes grew troubled.
Swallowing deeply, she watched him intently for several
long seconds.

His hand lifted to her hair and began to bring her to
him again.

She broke free and pulled away from
him.

He let her escape his hold and flee from the room. But

later that night, he made damn sure he was standing
beside her when the stroke of midnight neared. When
the countdown began he stared Trevor down and
straightened to his full height, his hands landing on
Elaina's shoulders. When the time came, in deference
to her age and the crowd around them, he placed a
quick, gentle kiss on her lips.

During the shouts of noise and laughter the new
year brought, he looked at her with an intensity she
wouldn't be able to help but understand.

He was staking his claim.

****

As Elaina was getting ready for bed a few hours later,
her aunt slipped into her room. The look on her face was
more curious than troubled. "Is there something
going on between you and Raul?"

Elaina was surprised by the question even though
she shouldn't have been. She answered honestly.
"Probably, but I hope not."

Janie shook her head and chuckled. "What kind of
an answer is that?"

"The truth as I know it."
"What's going on,
sweetie?"
Elaina moved to the bed and sat down, drawing her
knees up to her chin. "There are definite sparks
flying around, that's for sure."

"But?"

Elaina looked guilty. "I'm pretty sure he thinks I'm
younger than I am."

"How so?"

"He assumed when we met I was eighteen because I
told him I was a freshman in college."

"Ahh."

"Yeah."

"And you've let him go on assuming
it?"

"It seemed the safest route," Elaina
responded. "What do you mean by that?" her
aunt asked. "He's Hispanic." She stated the
obvious.
Janie let out a delicate snort. "I hate to be the one to point
it out to you, sweetie, but your last name is Ruiz."

"I understand that. But mom was very meticulous
in explaining how it works with Hispanic men. She
was married to one, you know."

"I know that. I also know she was madly in love with
your father and he with her. What's going on in that crazy
head of yours?"

"Hispanic men are more--more--just more.
More everything. More in control. More macho.
More possessive."

Janie had a dreamy look on her face. "And my sister
told you that's a bad thing?" Her voice sounded
incredulous.

"Not exactly. But I guess I took it that
way."

"Elaina, all of that may be true in a general sense.
And I
would think, certainly true when it comes to Raul. But
your

parents were deeply in love. They had a
wonderful
relationship. They were equals in every way. Your
mom never fully recovered from losing your dad. I don't
think she was so much warning you, as she was just
telling you as she sawit. I know for a fact she never
regretted her choice and she loved everything about
your father. Baby, you must have misunderstood."

Elaina thought about it in contemplative silence for
a moment. "You don't think he's intense?"

"Raul? Absolutely, I think he's intense. But he's also a
great guy. I haven't known him very long, but Brian
trusts him. Trusts him and respects him. They have a
solid friendship, and I know my husband well enough
to know he doesn't give his friendship to just anyone."

"So you're saying you think I should what--go for
it?"

"That's for you to decide. I was mostly just curious. But I
do think he's a good man and he'd never mistreat you.
Ever."

Elaina bit her lip and stared thoughtfully at her
aunt.

Janie continued, "And with your birthday coming up,
and the fact that I'm in full party mode, I don't know how
you're going to be able to keep your age under wraps
for much longer."

****

Two weeks passed as Elaina tried to come to terms

with

her feelings for Raul. If only she could talk to her mother
one
last time. She trusted Aunt Janie, but she
desperately needed one last conversation with her mom.

Obviously, she wasn't going to get
it.

She searched her soul, trying to understand her own
self. With an inborn woman's intuition, she knew if she
started something with Raul it was going to be
something serious. She felt like she had control in
that respect, at least for awhile. As long as he was
unaware of her age, she knew he would continue to try
to keep his distance. If and when she gave him the
green light, she figured he'd jump on it.

Trevor called and asked her out, and she turned him
down. She wasn't interested in him the same way
he was interested in her, and she didn't want to give
him the wrong idea. In the back of her mind, she
wondered if she was trying to please Raul. No doubt
he would be pleased that she stayed away from
Trevor, and anyway, the last thing she was thinking
about was starting something with somebody else.

All she could think about was Raul Vega. She didn't
need anything or anyone else clouding her confused
brain anymore than it already was.

She spent her days going over job prospects in the
small town. There was an opening for a teller at the bank,
and she applied for it. The interview went well, and she
thought she had a shot at the job. She waited to hear.

One day led into the next, and she couldn't believe
how

difficult it was to stay away from Raul. She thought
about
driving to his house more times than she could count,
and the knowledge that his number was programmed in
her cell phone was a temptation that was hard to ignore.

But she persevered, and in the end, managed not to call
or text him at all.

****

The day of Elaina's birthday party, Raul had trouble with
a mare in foal. The breech birth had been rough and
ended up costing him. He had to call a veterinarian out
and by that time it was too late. He lost both animals.
Losing an animal in the birthing process was never
easy.

He was in a savage, black
mood.

It had been two weeks since he'd seen her. Two weeks
in which he'd done his damndest to stay away from her.
If he could just make it through until she went back to
school, he could breathe easier and his damn

conscience could shut the fuck up for awhile.

Every day felt like pissing nails, his guts ached for her
so badly.

He arrived late to the party, after ten, and it was in
full swing. He grabbed a beer from the cooler on
the front porch and pushed his way into the house.
Janie had pulled out all the stops for Elaina's party, and
the house and yard were decorated in hundreds of
lights and lanterns. The

evening was frosty but mild with no wind, and
guests
circulated from the house, to the yard, and back
again.

He popped the top and took a swig and tried to contain
the ferocious heat running through his blood.
Experiencing death first hand sucked, and he needed
something soft and sweet to knock the dark memory
from his brain and force life back into his veins. He
needed her.

He'd managed to stay away from her for two
aggravating weeks, and now as he searched for Elaina,
he had to stop time and time again to speak to people
he knew. The guest list was varied. Older married
couples interspersed with middle-aged singles.
Dotted around in groups were teenagers and
young twenty-somethings. He imagined Janie had
invited them for Elaina. He glanced around as casually
as he could and tried to break free from a neighbor who
had heard from the vet about the loss of his animals.
Word travelled quickly. It was the last thing he wanted to
talk about, and he pulled away as quickly as he could.

Still, it was forty-five minutes after he arrived before
he found her. And when he did, his mood turned even
more black and ugly. The fire in his gut smoldered
with feral jealousy as his tortured gaze saw her and the
animal inside of him tried to break free.

She was outside in the gazebo, holding a glass
of champagne, surrounded by a group of young people,
both men and women.

That wasn't the part that made him see
red.

Trevor stood beside her with his hand playfully twirling
in her hair. He wasn't touching her anywhere else, but it
was enough to send rage and jealousy spinning through
Raul.

He stood on the pebbled pathway, downed half his
beer, and tried like shit to gain some fucking control.
He wasn't going to jump. Trevor was basically a good
kid and Raul absolutely couldn't go over there and kill
the little prick. His feet took two steps toward the gazebo
and he froze.

He was not fucking going to go over there and jump
down that kid's throat. He wasn't.

He lifted the beer, drained the rest and crushed the can.
His throat tightened and he waited for Elaina to see him.

When her eyes lifted and fell on him, she stilled.
Completely.

He was twenty feet away but he could see the tremble in

the hand that held her champagne.

It made him feel slightly
better.

Her head tilted to the side, away from Trevor, and
he watched as she surreptitiously lifted her hair off her
neck and made it fall from the younger man's hand.

The kid let his hand drop as he turned away to laugh
at something one of the other girls in the group said.

As Raul stood and watched the scene in front of him,
he
heard the rumble of an engine and looked across the
way and saw Brian on a tractor, hauling a twenty foot
trailer full of hay around to the back of the house.

One of the girls screamed, "Hayride!" and one by one
the kids took off toward the trailer loaded with hay and a
cooler full of drinks.

Elaina stayed still and Trevor reached down to pull on
her arm. She hesitated, watching Raul.

Raul shook his head at Elaina, giving her a silent
command to stay where she was.

Another girl in the group, one Raul recognized as one of
the Monroe twins, began pulling on Trevor's other arm,
trying to get him to move in the direction of the trailer.

Raul walked toward the gazebo and looked at Trevor
and the Monroe girl. "You best get going. You're
gonna miss your ride."

Trevor balked, obviously not wanting to leave

without Elaina. But the little Monroe girl was persistent,
and before long she won the fight and was pulling
Trevor down the drive while he threw looks of longing in
Elaina's direction.

The tractor rambled off and Raul wasted no time.
He picked up Elaina's hand and dragged her away
from the gazebo, away from the lights of the yard, and
marched her twenty yards from the noise of the
party. He swung her

around until her back was against the implement barn,
and
he had her caged between his arms in the darkness of
the black night.

CHAPTER SEVEN

Elaina's breathing was coming shallow and speedy.
She hadn't seen Raul in two weeks, and the sudden
sight of him watching her like a predator in the night
had the blood pulsing through her veins in a loud,
clamoring testament to the feelings she'd been trying to
understand. She felt a rush to her head as within mere
moments, she was propelled away from the party
and held hostage by the most uncivilized man she
had ever encountered.

He hung over her, his breath rattling out of his lungs,
his eyes brilliant in the dark night. They stood
together, breathing raggedly, eyes on each other.

He reached down, took both of her wrists in his
calloused hands and pulled them over her head and
pushed them up against the rough exterior of the barn.

She sucked in a breath as he leaned into her. Tendrils
of fear added to the sharp, hot bite of sexual
excitement that lacerated her insides. Liquid heat
pooled in her panties as currents of pleasure and need
coursed through her system.

"What'd I tell you?" He hissed the words at
her.

Elaina stared, eyes wide, shocked into silence, unable
to answer.

He pushed his torso into hers. "What'd I tell you?"
he demanded as his tone became harsher.

She shook her head, unable to calm her raging
heartbeat
enough to answer
him.

"I told you to stay the fuck away from him. I told you not
to let him touch you. I told you not to let him kiss you.
Did he fuckin' kiss you again? You let him fucking
touch you again?"

"N-no."

"Am I gonna have to beat the shit out o' him? Is that what
it's gonna take?"

"Raul, Jesus, you're scaring me--
"

"I'm scaring you? You're scaring me shitless, Elaina."
The blood left his face, turning it white, as the
intensity of his emotions ripped through him.

"C-calm down, nothing happened." She tried to get him
to understand. "I haven't been seeing him, I promise." He
held tight to her wrists so she reached out to him the
only way she could. She pushed her face into his neck

and tried to soothe, "Shh."

He dropped his head and sucked in oxygen. He waited
for the count of three seconds and then moved his lips to
hers.

He kissed her softly, taking light sips from her
trembling lips.

"You don't know that boy, baby. He's got a reputation
with women." He spoke between kisses, his lips lifting
from hers

and then going back for more. "He wants to fuck you.
You
know that? That's all he wants." His words were
basic.
Primal.

She trembled violently in his arms as his mouth moved
to her ear, feeling him suck in a breath. He kept
talking, his voice lowering to a ragged whisper in her
ear. "He can't fuck you, Elaina."

His hands released her wrists and dropped down until
his arms encircled her waist completely. He hugged her
to him, running his hands up and down her back. "I get
that you're too young for me. I can't have you yet." His
hands clenched tight in pure possession. "But baby, you
need to take care. You belong to me--"

She jerked in his arms and caught him off guard. "I
don't belong to you---"

His head whipped up to glare at her face and his
hand grabbed her chin and lifted it. "You're gonna
fuckin' belong to me. Just as soon as you get grown,
I've told you before. But you need to take care, protect

what's mine, or all bets are off and I'll move in now.
Your choice. I'll give you time and space but you gotta
promise. Nobody fucks you. Now. Promise now."

"I don't understand what you're asking for, Raul.
You're asking me for a commitment? Without us being
together?" Confusion creased her forehead into lines.
"You what? You want me to go about the business of
my life, but promise

my

virginity

to

you?"

Raul felt the sucker punch to his
stomach.
"You still a virgin, baby?" God, he wanted it to be true.
Elaina closed her eyes and let out a whoosh of breath.
She
hadn't meant to say that. But she figured he
already guessed it anyway. Shit, she was only making
her situation worse. He was going to shit a brick when
he found out she
was lying about her age. Not exactly
lying.

She did know one thing. She wasn't confused
anymore. She still didn't know if she was ready for this
yet, ready for someone like him. But God, she did want
him. That was for sure. His intensity be damned. She'd
learn how to handle it. She had to. She hadn't thought
of anything or anyone but him for weeks now.

The temptation was going to eat her alive. He was
so incredibly hot. He was temptation personified.

She squeezed her eyes shut tighter. She wanted
someone like him to take her virginity. She wanted him to
be the one.

She just needed some time. Some time that she knew
she wasn't going to get. She needed to make up her
mind. She needed to reconcile herself to his intensity,
quick-fast. He was so intense.

He wouldn't be easy to
handle.

His fingers clenched around her face and demanded
an

answer.

"You

still

untouched?"

Well, now, that was a different question.

She took a deep breath and attempted to answer
him. "Virgin, yes. Untouched, no."

"How

touched

is

touched?"

She felt a flush come over her face and couldn't answer
that question.

His hand jerked her chin up and his eyes seared into
hers. "You still got your cherry?"

Elaina gasped and began shaking harder. Jesus
Christ. His voice dropped as he continued. "Answer
me, Elaina." "Y-yes. I mean, I think so--I guess so."
Raul learned a lot with that shaken statement. She
didn't touch herself. At least not internally. And she
probably still had her cherry. He was going to find out.
But not tonight. He couldn't trust himself tonight. But
he would know. He needed to know.

"Okay, now for my promise." His eyes glittered down
into hers. "I'm waiting."

Elaina searched his eyes. Could she promise that?
Did she want to? And what about him? The question
came from her mouth, "What about you?"

"I'm not a virgin." His voice was deep, and for the first
time
that night, held a slight trace of
humor.

Elaina' mouth tipped in a tiny smile. "I figured. No, I
mean, I'm guessing you're telling me to have fun with
my friends, grow up some, and stay a virgin for you.
Do I have that right?"

"Yeah."

"What about you? Are you going to remain abstinent
for me?"

"Celibate?"

"Yeah. Does it go both
ways?"

Raul studied her, wanting to hold her by the hips and
sink into her so badly he thought the waiting would kill
him. He thought about having another woman and
quickly dismissed it from his mind. He didn't want one.
He wanted her. Only her.

He answered her swiftly. "Goes both
ways."

Elaina was stunned at his agreement and didn't even
think to question his sincerity. He was sincere. She
would bet on it. "Are you serious?"

"Yeah," he bit
out. "But--"
"I'm not promising I won't jack off, baby. Just sayin' if
you

promise to save your cherry for me, I'll stay clean for
you."

Elaina's legs felt jittery as he spelled out his intentions
in basic male language.

"We in agreement?" He pushed for her
answer.

"Yeah, okay. But just so we're clear. I get a job and
continue with my life. I have my friends and you have
your friends and we're both social, just no sex. Right?"

He misunderstood what she said. "You getting a job
when you go back to San Antonio?"

"I'm

not

going

back."

That was news to him. "What?
Why?"

"That was my mother's dream for me, being a nurse. I
don't want that. I'm staying here, getting a job, while I
think about my life. About what I want."

Raul was shocked to feel a combination of
stunned pleasure that she wasn't leaving, along
with a dark, tormented knowledge that he'd have
to keep fighting himself to stay away from her.

He was silent as he tried to digest her change of
plans.

She went back to the subject at hand. "So, is that
right? About us, I mean."

He knew she was talking about their agreement to
stay celibate. "That'll be what it takes to calm me down,
yeah."

"And

you'll

believe

me?"

"I have no reason to doubt your
word."

An arrow of guilt slid through her.
"Okay." "Yeah, okay?"
She

tried

to

smile.

"Okay."

She started to relax against the barn wall, but in a
swift move, he swung around until his back was against
the wall, his legs were spread wide, and she stood
between them, her pelvis pulled into his body by a
strong arm behind her back.

One hand went to her forehead and pushed a stray
curl from her face. "Happy birthday, baby."

She smiled at him, trying to overcome the guilt that
slid through her from her deception. "Thanks," she
said, knowing she needed to tell him. It had gone too
far. Now it felt like a lie. She opened her mouth to
try to form the words, but he began speaking first and

the sadness in his voice made her momentarily forget
what she needed to tell him.

"I had a shit day. You feel
good."

She relaxed her body against him, soft tendrils of
arousal hitting her system. The juncture of her thighs
pulsed against his blue jeans, making her panties
wet and her body tremble. She tried to concentrate
on his words. "What

happened?"

"Lost a mare and her foal. It was a breech birth and
lost them both. It sucked shit."

"I'm sorry." She experimented by tenderly putting her
hand on his cheek.

He grabbed her hand and moved it to his mouth,
kissing her palm. She hung against him while he
breathed in her scent and kissed her palm repeatedly.

He opened his eyes and looked deep into hers. "And
then I come to find you and he's touching you."
His voice hardened.

"Raul,"

she

chided

softly.

He took her hand and wrapped it around his neck
and leaned his forehead against hers. He slid his mouth
to her cheek and caressed her with his open lips.
Dragging kisses over her face, he demanded
reassurance in a steely voice. "You promised, right?"

"Yes."

He kissed her mouth softly and continued to run his
lips over her face, his hands moving on her back,
sliding from her waist to her hips, his fingers clenching
in her butt, and then moving to retrace his actions all
over again.

He moved his lips to her ear and whispered,
"Someday, someday soon, I'm gonna strip you naked,
lay you down on

my bed, and kiss your naked body. Jesus, baby,
you're perfect."

His mouth moved to hers, his hands lifted to her head
and angled it slightly, and then sealed his lips over hers.
He held her face, pushed his tongue between her lips
and began kissing her with devastating force. His
tongue swirled around hers, came out, licked over her
bottom lip, his teeth grazing her softly. He groaned deep
in his diaphragm, and went back for more.

She sagged in his embrace, leaning against him, her
brain separated from her body as he kissed her over
and over again. She didn't know where she stopped
and he began as she moved her hands over him,
sliding under the tails of his shirt, running her hands up
and over his naked back.

They kissed for a long, long time, his five o'clock
shadow abrading her skin. She felt it, knew it should
hurt, but it didn't. She ran her hands around to his
chest and up his pectoral muscles until her hands
covered his small, male nipples.

He ripped his mouth from hers and pulled her hands

away from his chest and held them tightly while he
dragged oxygen into his lungs.

"Can't do that, babe. You keep that up, I'll come in
my pants."

Shocked, Elaina sucked in a breath and went back for
his

mouth. He allowed her access, and lowered his lips back
to
hers.

It began again. Their tongues dueled, their arms
entwined. She moaned softly into his mouth, and he
gripped her butt tighter, lifting her into him. She
pressed against him, and started undulating against
him.

He ran his hand up the curve of her waist and landed on
a tight little nipple. He rubbed it over her dress and
when he did, she gasped into his mouth and their
kiss became wilder, wetter. He shoved her dress
down and took her small, pale, naked breast into his
hand. He squeezed her nipple between his fingers,
pulling at her, twisting her flesh until she was panted
and pushing against him almost violently.

She broke her mouth free for oxygen and he spoke.
"Come for me, babe. Give it to me."

He pushed his mouth back on hers and drank deeply
from her while his fist clenched her butt rhythmically
and his fingers caressed her breast.

Elaina's mind was numb and sheer pleasure took over
her body. She pushed against him, needing it, needing
him.

His hand left her butt and came around and pushed
her dress up and out of his way. Sinking one long finger
into the top of her panties, he landed on her
glistening clit and began rubbing, swirling his finger over
it.

In seconds, she was mewling in his mouth and coming
hard
in his arms.

He held her tight, as pleasure beyond any pleasure she
had ever known hit her body full force. She
splintered completely as the orgasm ran through her.

Her mouth fell from his and her head fell to his neck
where she took huge, gasping breaths of air while
she slowly came down.

His hands slowly fell from her sweet spots and his
arms enclosed her completely. He held her tightly as
his large body shook, trying to regain control.

His breathing finally slowed, and he rasped against her
ear, "That's mine. That's what's mine. All of it, Elaina.
Nobody gets your orgasms but me. Every one of them,
they belong to me."

She hung her head against him, completely depleted
of energy. God, yes. If he could make her feel like that,
he could have them all.

CHAPTER EIGHT

An hour later, Raul leaned against the living room wall
next to Brian and vaguely listened to his friend talk
while he concentrated on Elaina across the crowded
room.

She stood with a group of women that included Janie
and another young woman from town who was holding
a baby cuddled to her chest. He watched as Elaina
and Janie cooed softly to the baby and talked to the
young mother.

Every so often, Elaina's eyes would fall on him and
he would see a soft blush encompass her face.

He had a sudden vision of her holding a baby, cuddling
it, nursing it. His baby.

Fierce possession ran through his
blood.

The only thing calming him down and holding him in
place was the memory of her shimmering in his arms
as orgasm took over her body. It continued to play over

and over in his head.

Brian's voice droned on beside him as he too, watched
the women. "It's good to see Janie so happy again.
She and Elaina went through hell, man. Janie losing
her only sister like that--I can't even imagine. She was
ten years older than Janie, and Janie relied on her pretty
much completely in an emotional sense. And poor little
Elaina. She took on the brunt of the care for her mother.
Three and a half years of it. She went from picking up
her high school diploma, to full-

fledged
caregiver."

Raul felt something splinter in his brain as he turned
his head to look fully into Brian's face.

"Three and a half years?" It was all Raul could get out,
and his flat voice was in no way indicative of the
confusion tearing him up inside.

"Yeah, man. It was bad. Janie wanted to give Elaina
a birthday party last year on her twenty-first, but there was
just no way at the time."

Raul felt sucker-punched, but managed to ask
another question, all the while reeling from the
newly acquired information. "When did her mother die?"

"Late July."

"And then Elaina started college?" Raul knew his
voice sounded empty, but it was the only way he could
manage to hang onto the conversation at all
without losing it completely. He felt his temper rise
like volcanic pressure building inside of him, getting

ready to blow.

"Yeah, but she hates it, man. She's not going
back." "And that's okay with you?"
"Well, I think she should get an education, but Janie
seems to think it's fine, so what the hell do I know?"

"She can always go back when she decides what
she

wants to do," Raul tried for an even tone, feeling his
fists
clench

the

whole

time.

"Yeah, but for now she needs some time to heal. We
never gave her that. We rushed her off to school in an
attempt to get her life back on track. I feel damn guilty for
that."

"You couldn't have known. You did what you thought
was best at the time," Raul responded in a gravelly
voice.

"Yeah,"

Brian

agreed.

"I thought she was still a teenager," Raul gritted
out between his teeth, just as a loud ping ping
ping of firecrackers went off outside.

Brian straightened from his position next to Raul to
go investigate the noise. "No, man," his eyes held
Raul's in silent communication for a heartbeat. "She's
twenty-two," he said in a somber voice before he turned

and walked off.

The back of Raul's head hit the wall and his eyes
closed briefly before opening again and staring across
the room at Elaina. Fury clouded his brain as he tried
unsuccessfully to reason with himself. Yeah, it was a sad
story. Yeah, she'd had it rough. Yeah, she was still young.
But she had lied to him.

He went over and over their past conversations in his
head.
Had she lied to him?

He couldn't come up with
shit.

He didn't know the answer. But he suspected he
knew.
She'd kept her true age a secret from
him.

Why?

He knew he needed the answer to that question. But
for now, he couldn't seem to give a shit. He had
only one thought blaring in his brain.

She was twenty-
two.

And that meant he could have
her.

Now.

****

Elaina stared at herself in the bathroom mirror as
she washed her hands. The evening had been a
complete blur after she'd had that incredible orgasm.
Raul had been amazing, and he'd been watching her
ever since like a cat that was just waiting to get the

canary.

Her heart pounded in her chest as she opened the door
to slip back to the party.

She stopped abruptly when she saw Raul leaning
against the wall in the hallway, obviously waiting on her.

Her pulse thundered in her
ears.

Her eyes held his in question as he reached out a hand
and ran a gentle finger down her cheek. Her breath
caught at the soft gesture.

And then he opened his
mouth.

" Yo u twenty-two years old?" his voice hissed out in
a heated rush of anger.

Shock held her immobile as he lifted his hand away
from her face and moved back from her, crossing his
arms and leaning against the wall again, tension pouring
off his body in waves.

She swallowed hard and knew she was trembling,
but couldn't manage to get the constriction in her throat
to go away.

Her silence was evidently all the answer he
needed.

"Get your purse. And get a jacket, too. It's cold out,"
his menacing voice made the innocuous words sound
like a threat.

She licked her lips. This was
it.

She knew this was it. Raul was about to take her away
from here, strip her naked and claim her virginity.
Her body trembled. She was seriously about to lose
her virginity. To Raul Vega.

"Where--where are we going?" She asked the
question anyway, even though she already knew the
answer.

"We're

taking

a

drive."

She closed her eyes as the defining moment washed
over

her.

She slowly opened them and watched him leaning
against the wall, waiting on her. "Are you mad at me?"
She knew he was.

"Yep,"

he

answered

succinctly.

She shivered at his one-syllable response as a chill
went through her, but she didn't budge from her spot in
front of him. "I don't want to go, Raul. I've seen--I've
seen you mad before, and I don't like it."

"I'm not going to hurt you." The frown line between
his brows deepened, and he looked like he was
trying to temper his voice. "Go on now and get your
purse. I'm ready to leave."

"Maybe you should go on without me. We can
talk tomorrow." She tried to placate him with the
suggestion.

It didn't work.

He pushed off the wall, prowled over to her, and
crowded her back against the doorframe. Towering
over her, he invaded her space and leaned his weight
on his forearms, on either side of her head.

He reached one hand down and lifted her chin up until
her eyes were glued to his. Her breath became
shaky. His voice was low but firm when he spoke. "We
got shit to work out between us, Elaina. But it's all real
simple. You either

want me, or you
don't."

He held her chin as her breath came harder. She
blinked up at him, but still didn't speak as she waited
for him to continue.

"As for me--I guess it's pretty damn obvious I want you.
I've been wanting you bad since the night we met,
five, six weeks ago." His thumb reached out and swept
across her bottom lip. "I admit I've been an asshole a
lot of that time, but that's 'cause I was trying to stay the
hell away from you. I didn't like that--didn't like that shit
at all. Now somewhere along the line, we had a
miscommunication." His voice became acerbic. "See,
I thought you were a teenager all this time. But you're
not, are you?"

His words stopped and he waited until she softly shook
her head.

"No, you're not," he agreed with her silent answer.
"You're twenty-two now. Have I told you happy birthday
yet?"

Her head jerked up and down, just
once.

He continued, "Yeah, well, I think it's more like
happy birthday to me. You know what I mean? Now,
here's the deal. I've told you I'm not going to hurt you.
We're just going to sail right past the age thing and
continue on as we mean to go forward." His calloused
thumb swiped across her lip again. "And I mean to go
forward with you in my bed. All you have to do is
decide if that's what you want, too. See

what I mean? Very simple,
baby."

Elaina tried to get a grip on her emotional state, and
to think calmly about what he was saying. Her nerves
clanged silently in her eardrums. As much as she
wanted to deny it, she couldn't. He was right. He was still
pissed, but he was right. All she had to do was decide if
she wanted him or not.

It was really no decision at all. Or if it was, she'd
already made it, unconsciously.

She licked her lips, sucked in a sustaining breath
and opened her mouth to speak. "I want you, Raul."
She felt a vibration go through his body as he leaned in
closer to her. "I know you're pissed at me. Maybe I
deserve it, maybe I don't. But you need to remember a
couple of things," she remonstrated as her voice grew
stronger. "Yeah, I'm twenty- two. But you're still a shit-
ton older than me. How old are you, anyway?"

"Thirty," he gritted out between clenched
teeth.

"Yeah. Eight years older. So, okay, I'm not as young as
you thought I was. But I didn't lie earlier. I'm still a
virgin. That hasn't changed," she reminded him
tartly, her words coming to a momentary halt as he
gripped her more tightly. She looked down at his fingers
fisted around her and then back to his face. "Yeah, so
why don't you think on that for a bit and calm the hell
down some while I go get my things."

She pushed away from his arms and turned toward
her

bedroom.

****

It was after midnight and since the party was beginning
to break up anyway, it was relatively easy for Elaina
to slip away. Janie had merely raised her eyebrows
and nodded her head in acknowledgement of where
Elaina would be when she had told her aunt she was
leaving.

Raul made quick work of ushering her out to his truck.
Thick silence arced between them on the drive.

He pulled the truck behind the house, and with a hand at
the small of her back, led her through the darkened
interior.

Bright moonlight spilled in through the windows
helping Elaina's vision adjust to the dimness
surrounding her. Her legs trembled from the milestone
about to occur. The heady knowledge of what was
about to take place beat swiftly through her veins.

She

wanted

it

to

happen.

And she wanted it to happen with
him.

But beyond that, she wasn't willing to
think.

He slid his hand from her back and encapsulated her
wrist as he moved in front of her, leading her through the
kitchen and down a darkened hallway. He didn't
speak, and he made no move to turn on any lights.

She followed closely behind, the subtle scent of his
skin
and the virile magnetism of his hot, steely hand holding
her in an uncompromising grip going to her head like
a fine wine on an empty stomach. The blood beat
hotly in her veins and she wondered if he could feel it
where his fingers wrapped around her directly on her
pulse point.

He stopped abruptly and the forward motion of her
body brought her stumbling into his back. She felt his
corded strength, smelled the clean, potent masculinity
that exuded from his lean, muscled body. It was the
same masculinity that had fascinated her from the first
time she got close to him. A thrill of frightened
anticipation washed through her, a subtle excitement
that she could have so completely attracted a man
of his caliber. It seemed almost too much to take in,
and the fact that in a matter of minutes, she would
undoubtedly have Raul Vega hanging over her naked
body, was enough to blow her mind.

She quivered and tried to rein in her fragile control
by remembering how much she wanted this, and
reminding herself of how he had made her feel earlier
when he held her out by the barn. She sucked in a small,

shaky breath.

He pushed open a door and moved through the threshold
of what Elaina knew had to be his bedroom.

In this room, as in the kitchen, the moonlight came
in through the windows, illuminating the space around
them just enough to cast a sensuous spell between
them.

He moved to the large bed that dominated the room,
and
sat down on the side, bringing her between his
spread thighs. Her hands fell lightly to his shoulders and
she felt his tensile strength under her fingertips.

His palms began a smooth glide up and down her
body, going from the outside of her thighs, over her
hips, to the indent of her waist and back again. He
dragged air deeply into his lungs, breaking the silence of
the night.

He made no move to deepen his caresses and she
stood in front of him, her body shivering softly as
she waited expectantly for his next move.

Her breathing fractured from his nearness as she
continued to wait. Helplessly, her body swayed toward his
and she put her lips against his ear and softly kissed
him. His body tightened against hers. The oxygen
stalled in her lungs and she asked, "Why aren't you doing
anything?"

His hands gripped her hips more tightly and the air
hissed from his lungs. "I'm fighting myself," he

answered her with distinct mockery, cold sarcasm
directed at himself. "As you so eloquently reminded me,
you're a virgin and I'm still too damn old for you." He
anchored her to him, his grasp restraining. "I keep
telling myself not to start this, not to start something with
you that you won't be able to handle." He sucked in a
lungful of oxygen. "But it's not working. I'm losing the
fight. You're standing sweet and compliant in my
bedroom; I don't have the strength to do what I know I
damn well should." He pushed her away from his body,
but kept

his fists manacled around her upper arms. He focused
on her eyes watching him in the darkness of the room.

"Why the change of heart?" she asked
softly.

"It's not a change of heart. I haven't changed my mind.
I'm just trying to give you a fighting chance, baby."

"What's got you so worried? You weren't worried
before."

He let out a sound of self-directed criticism. "All I could
think about before was that I couldn't have you. Now I can
and I'm worried you're gonna hate me afterwards--hold
it against me."

For the first time since she had known him, he was
showing her a side of himself that wasn't one
hundred percent confident. "Why? Why would I hate
you?"

"Because I'm not giving you a choice. I'm rushing you
into bed--intimidating you to get what I want." He
sucked in a breath and his shoulders tightened

under her hands. "Tonight I learned you've been
through hell and back. And right now I'm finding out that
I'm such a fucked-up bastard, that apparently, I don't give
a shit."

His hands clenched in a restraining hold that
spoke eloquently of his intent to proceed.

A tiny smile played around her mouth. "You're not a
fucked- up bastard. I had a choice and I made it. I'm here,
aren't I?"

"You keep thinking that, sweetheart. You keep thinking
you

had a choice." He looked deeply in her eyes, gave her
a
layered look filled with conflicting emotions. "I don't
think you understand how this is gonna play out.
There's something about you--something that makes
me lose control. I haven't even had you yet, but
already I want the
next time and the next time and the next time after
that.
This shit isn't going to just go away--you're addictive,
baby."

"But you're saying that you're willing to let me walk
away right now? To drive me back to the house?"

His jaw clenched and his lips flattened into a distinct
snarl. "If I have to, yeah," the words rumbled from his
chest with menacing heat.

She ignored the threatening anger in his voice and
focused on the content of his answer as she continued
to beat the point home to him. "So you'd let me go if I
thought it was the right thing for me?"

"Yeah. I just said that." His words were as much

an accusation as an agreement.

"Why?"

she

questioned

softly.

"Why?" His eyebrows pulled down. "Because I want
what's best for you," he spit out, giving her a brutal and
accusing glare that was in direct opposition of the words
he spoke. "I care about you. I want you to be happy."

She nodded her head at his tortured clarification. It
was really all she needed to hear. "I'm not going to hold
anything

against you. I want this, Raul."

His hands moved and splayed over her butt as he
hauled her closer. "Yeah?"

"Yeah," she whispered.

He tightened his grip with a steely, almost
imperceptible nuance of threat. "Last chance."

CHAPTER NINE

"Pass," she murmured as her lips softly touched
his.

Raul felt her soft lips against his and let her magic
roll through him. Never in his life had he felt a need this
intense. It had been like this for every godforsaken day
since he'd met her. It beat deep from his soul and he
knew in dark exasperation that it would never go away.

He reached between them and began undoing the
buttons that went all the way down her dress. When the
slight curves of her soft white breasts were revealed
above the lace of her bra, he lowered his head and
took her silky skin in his mouth and suckled her there.

She squirmed in his arms and lifted her hands
between them, going to work on the buttons of his shirt,
excitement boiling up within her. Her movements became
frantic.

"Shh. . . slow, sweetheart." He lifted his mouth from
her breast and they worked on each other's buttons, the
silence of the night broken by the panting breaths they

were taking.

They finished releasing the buttons together, and
she began pushing his shirt off his shoulders. He
complied with her silent request and shrugged his
arms from the shirt, dropping it to the floor at her feet.

Her dress hung on either side of her body, the
buttons parting it in two, her bra and matching lace
panties peeking through.

He sucked in a breath and brushed the dress away
from her waist and sank his fingers into her soft skin.
"You're not on birth control, are you?"

She stiffened in his arms. "No," she whispered, and
he could tell she was shocked by the question.

"I'm clean, baby, I promise. What are the chances you
could get pregnant tonight?" His lips fell to her
shoulder, his hands gripping her as he waited for her to
answer.

"Can't you use something?" she
asked.

" I could use something. But I really, truly do not want
to take your virginity with a condom between us. I'll do
it if I have to. I just don't want to have to."

He lifted his lips from her shoulder as he watched her
face scrunch in concentration. She spoke hesitantly, "I
think it'll be fine. But what if I'm wrong? What if--"

"I wouldn't let anything bad happen to you. We'd handle
it together, okay? Are you close to ovulation or not?"

"No, I'm pretty sure I'm not, but you know what they say,
shit happens."

He let out an abbreviated snicker. "Yeah. I'm okay
with taking the chance, but only if you are, too."

She bit her lip and ran her tongue over the abraded
flesh. Her eyes rested on his, studying him. Her body
quivered

and she began a subtle move back from him. "I don't
know,
I--"

He interrupted her before she decided to back out
all together. "It's okay. I'll use a condom." One hand
left her briefly while he dug around in the top drawer of
his bedside table. He pulled out a small plastic square
and laid it down within easy reach.

He turned his attention back to her immediately, pulling
her into his torso and sinking his fingers into her hair. His
mouth found hers and he kissed her deeply, entwining
his tongue with hers and letting her sweet scent wash
over him. He kissed her repeatedly, over and over and
over again. She melted against him, and the sweet
feel of her innocence exploded through him, hardening
him.

The blood pooled in his groin and he felt himself
surge against the zipper of his jeans. He shifted, trying
to relieve the ache, as he gripped her tightly to him.

He tried to go slow, tried to make it good for her. As
much as he wanted her; he wanted this time to be for

her.

He pushed the dress from her shoulders and as it fell to
the floor, he lifted his mouth from hers to look down at her
body. He couldn't have begun to find the words to
describe her ethereal beauty or how much he wanted
her, so he didn't attempt to try.

He picked her up by the hips and twirled her until she
was

flat on her back in the center of his bed, her body
wrapped
in only two small wisps of
lace.

He pushed to his feet and quickly divested himself of
his boots, socks, jeans and boxer briefs.

Putting one knee on the bed, he lowered himself
beside her, completely naked, and took her in his
arms without hesitation.

He ran his hand up her side, starting at her creamy
thigh and travelling quickly up her hip, over the indent of
her waist and landed on a lace-enclosed breast.

Her soft gasp and quickened breathing made his
already rock-hard shaft pulse with need.

He reached over to the lamp on the bedside table
and flipped it on. Light glared into the room, making her
blink.
She sucked in her breath and let out a small noise of
panic. He tried to soothe her as he reached for her
again. "Shh,

everything's
okay."

"Why'd you turn the light on?" she
whispered.

"I couldn't see you," he stated the obvious, his
hands reaching for the clasp between her breasts. He
pushed the cups away from the small, tempting
mounds, his eyes fastened to the bounty he was
uncovering.

A sharp sound came from his
throat.

Elaina saw him staring at her uncovered chest and
red
flecks of arousal colored his cheekbones as he lowered
his head and covered a nipple with his mouth.

He began sucking like a starving man, his hand going
to her other breast, and pleasure, swift and intense,
had her hips lifting off the bed and pushing against him.

His chest vibrated with the moan coming from deep in
his throat. His lips lifted from her nipple and his voice
rasped against the soft mound of her skin, "You're
beautiful, Elaina. God, you're so beautiful."

She answered him, her heart constricting from
the tenderness of his tone, "You're the beautiful one."

He lifted up at her words and stared at her, his gaze
fixed on her. He peered at her intently, and she felt like
he was trying to see into her soul.

She didn't have anything to hide from him. She
reiterated her words, "I think you're beautiful--I
thought you were beautiful the first time I saw you," she
whispered.

"Why, baby? Why'd you keep me in the
dark?"

She stared with longing at him, her heart in her eyes, "I
just knew--I could tell--I wasn't ready and I knew I
wouldn't be able to say no to you."
He visibly swallowed. "Are you ready
now?" A soft, pink flush covered her face.
"Yes."

"Thank God."

He reached down, smoothed his rough hands over
her sides until they landed on her hips. He divested her
of her panties and tossed them aside.

His gaze roved down her naked body and a harsh look
of satisfaction crossed his features. He lowered himself
back down beside her, and began the slow
process of her seduction all over again.

He kissed her slowly, his tongue swirling with hers as
her hands clenched his biceps. He rolled her nipple
between his finger and thumb, and she began mewling
softly into his mouth. He ran his hand up and down her
thigh and lifted it over his hip, opening her softness to
him. His finger slid between the soft folds at the
center of her feminine core, and landed on her slick,
wet clit. She jerked against him, moaning.

He rubbed against her, his finger going up and
down between her clit and the soft opening of her
vagina.

She

was

wet.

He thought she was wet and excited
enough.

He slowly penetrated her with his finger up to his
first knuckle. She was small and her inner muscles
clenched him tightly. He felt the restriction of her hymen,
and a fierce, territorial satisfaction hammered at his
guts.

Yeah, that was what he wanted from her. That was
the beginning of what he wanted from her.

He carefully manipulated his finger while she moaned
and shivered around him. Her chin butted against his
cheek in agitation, and he sank his tongue in her mouth
and began kissing her as he tested the strength of her
virginity.

Sweat broke out on his brow when she whimpered in
pain.

Son of a bitch.

This was going to hurt her. Goddamnit! He really, truly,
did not want to hurt her.

He carefully removed his finger and slid it over her
clit again. She began mewling in need and panting
against him.

With a vague idea of getting her so hot she might not
feel the pain, he spread her legs wide and
dropped down between them.

Shock hit Elaina when Raul lifted her thighs over
his shoulders and pushed his head between her legs.
"Raul--"

"Shh, be still, it'll be
okay."

Her shaking fingers sank in his hair as he spread her
folds open and looked up at her, his face a contrast of
emotions. She saw need, worry, and arousal as he
looked at her, his finger falling on the bud above her sex
again.

Pleasure pierced her and embarrassment fled
completely
as she watched him begin swiping her with his tongue,
all the while manipulating her clit until she began feeling
great waves wrapping around her spine, flowing from her
breasts down to pulsating need beating through her
feminine core.

Her breath came quicker and mingled with the
rough growling noises coming from his throat as he
moved his tongue on her.

His dark, velvet brown eyes tangled with hers from
his position between her thighs, and she knew the look
on his face was going to push her over the edge.

He came to his knees between her thighs, picked up
the condom and began ripping the small package apart.

He rolled it down his length and came back down on top
of her, his mouth landing on hers and his finger
pushing against the pearl above her sex, wanting her
as hot as she had been ten seconds before.

He didn't have to wait that

long.

His finger on her clit and his tongue in her mouth
was enough to do it.

She became frantic in his arms, and he knew she
was about to detonate. His abs clenching in vicious
need, the muscles in his neck cording, he pushed
himself between her thighs, pressing her knees apart
and hooking her legs up and around his waist. He
lunged into her, taking her

virginity with one smooth, hard thrust of his hips,
pushing
himself into her until he didn't know where he stopped
and she began.

The blood pounding through his veins in a deep
primal rhythm, he felt her take a shuddering breath and
gave her to the count of three heartbeats to absorb the
fullness of his intrusion. Then her muscles began
contracting around him and he felt the shimmer
began to take her. He began stroking her, pushing
his hips in and out, stroking her in time with the
pulsing contractions of her inner muscles.

His lips landed on hers again, his hips pumping into
her, and he felt it the second the orgasm took her
body. She screamed against him, the sound muffled by
his tongue and mouth over hers. She shimmered in
his arms, and he pummeled into her, his erection
engorging with the last influx of blood, his ejaculation
strong as he erupted inside of her, following her
over a precipice of pleasure so intense, he didn't
know how he'd managed to live this long without it.

Elaina came back to herself, the glaring light from the

lamp not allowing her to hide from anything.

Raul lay on top of her, still deeply imbedded in her, the
only things keeping him from crushing her were his
elbow and forearm holding him apart from her, just
enough so she could draw breath.

Her mind screamed from stunned shock at the way it
had

been

between

them.

Was this normal? Was sex always like this? Surely not.
She bit her lip as her heart rate slowly receded.
She expelled a shallow, shaky sigh.

His voice rumbled from the pillow above her head,
"Did I
hurt you?"

Surprisingly, no. "No." It was all she could
manage.

That one fast climax against the barn earlier in the
evening hadn't prepared her for the complete and total
intimacy of sex. Sex with Raul Vega.

Christ.

He was right. She never had a fighting chance. Had
she
ever stood a chance against him?

A barrage of images inundated her brain. The first

time she met him when his rough palm held her hand for
as long as he reasonably could. The day at the feed
store when his anger and jealousy were already
apparent. His temper when she had run out of gas. The
first time he kissed her in the study. Tonight, with his
head between her legs.

Suddenly, it was all too much for her to
handle. "I want to go home."

CHAPTER TEN

Raul's big body jerked over her, and he surged to new
life inside of her. "No."

Elaina whimpered and pushed her hands against
his shoulders. "I can't breathe."

"You can breathe just fine," he grunted over her, his
hands lifting her face up to his and his eyes devouring
hers, trying to see inside of her.

She closed her eyes against him and he growled low in
his throat at the small defiance. When he spoke, there
was a silken thread of warning in his tone, "Open
your eyes, Elaina."

He hung in suspended animation above her, waiting for
her compliance. She held her eyelids closed a few
pulsing moments, long enough to let him know she
only opened them because she wanted to.

The beautiful brown orbs glistened up at him, fury
and determination coming from their depths. She spoke
through gritted teeth. "You're not being fair. I need a

moment, Raul. Is that too damn much to ask for?" She
pushed against him, hard. "Get off me!"

Her fury sparked an answering emotion in him, and
he jerked away from her, forgetting all about being
careful.

Her body didn't release him easily. He was fully
aroused

again, and the friction against her delicate inner
skin
resulted in pain that made her flinch as tears flooded
her eyes.

"Shit! I'm sorry," he bit out as he rolled away from
her.

She caught her breath and pushed herself up into a
sitting position with her back against the headboard.

He rolled to his back, dragging oxygen in and out of
his lungs, physically trying to subdue the violent urge
to grab her again. He clenched his jaw in suppressed
need and silently watched her. He saw her gaze slide
down his body and she stiffened visibly at what she
found. His eyes followed hers to his erection, and he
knew that what she was seeing was threatening to her.
She'd been a virgin until only minutes before, and now
she was experiencing sex in the stark aftermath. His
cock was no doubt intimidating to her, and the soiled
condom and blood weren't things from a fairytale.

It wasn't something he was used to seeing, in fact
couldn't ever remember seeing blood of any kind on

his cock. Knowing it was her blood, her virgin's blood,
gave him a swift kick in the ass and the realization that
no matter what kind of shit he was going through, she
was feeling more.

He rolled to his feet and walked to the bathroom
and quickly cleaned himself. It did little to relieve the
heat in his groin. He retrieved a warm, wet cloth and
brought it back to her.

She was watching him walk back toward the bed, her
eyes skipping down to his full blown hard-on, like he was
a snake about to strike. She clutched the covers to her
chest.

If he hadn't felt like a piece of shit before, the look on
her face cinched it for him. He couldn't do anything
about his unruly cock, but he bent down and pulled
on his boxer briefs.

He saw a slight flare of relief in her eyes from
the underwear he pulled over his hips, and he sat on the
side of the bed facing her.

He held the cloth in one hand and took hold of the
covers with the other and began slowly pulling them
away from her body.

She resisted.
"No." "Yes."
"I can do it," she said, holding out a hand for the
cloth. "I want to do it," he demanded.
"No."

"Are you about to ask me to take you home?" His

voice was sharp.

"Yes."

"Then

give

me

this.

Please."

It was the please that did
it.

She let go of the
covers.

He held her eyes with his and slowly pulled the sheet
and comforter down her body until they were pushed to
the foot of the bed. Slowly, he lowered his eyes to her
naked body.

He gently pushed her knees apart, and the raw emotion
on his face as he saw the effects of his handiwork left no
room for her embarrassment. She saw unmistakable
tension in his face as he put the cloth to the feminine
mound between her legs and began to softly cleanse
away the blood, the sweat, and the smells of sex.

Elaina was utterly unable to speak as he performed
this service for her. Everything he was feeling was
there,

right before

her eyes. Possessiveness,

satisfaction, tenderness, ownership.

Her face paled and a fine trembling began at the base
of her spine and travelled out to encompass her limbs.

Just because she was emotionally ready for sex,
didn't mean she was ready for this.

She cleared her throat in agitation and his attention
lifted. His eyes were hot on hers and glowed with a
savage, inner fire. His voice was deep and purposeful
when he spoke. "Thank you."

She searched his expression as a soft kiss of blushing
heat covered her cheeks. She knew he was thanking
her for the

gift

of

her

virginity.

She softly

nodded

in

acknowledgement.

"You still think you need to go home?" He waited for
a second before continuing, "I want you to stay."

Elaina studied him, trying to get a handle on his
true meaning. Her expression clouded with unease
and a sudden need for caution infiltrated her being.

She didn't think he meant to stay just the night. He
wanted her to stay longer. Or he would as soon as
tomorrow came. She might be new at this, but she
wasn't naïve. He had every intention of doing exactly
what he had spelled out before. Sleeping with her
again and again and again.

And then what? Whatever he wanted, that's what.
Although he was being gentle at the moment, Elaina
knew him well enough to know it wasn't his standard
operating procedure. He wasn't above railroading
her into getting what he wanted, and she needed to
find it within herself to exert her demands.

If she didn't--well, she couldn't contemplate that. "I

think I
better go back," she
said.

"Why?"

"I just should. I don't want a bunch of questions
tomorrow. I
want to wake up in my
bed."

"I want you to wake up here, beside me," he voiced
his opinion, determination in his tone.

She studied him briefly before trying to get him
to
understand. "This is all new for me, you
know?"

"Yeah, I do know, more than anyone else on the planet.
So, why are you wanting to run, to not share this with
me?" he growled.

She bristled but tried to hold on to her emotions. She
spoke with quiet firmness. "There's a hell of a lot of
emotional crap going on inside me right now. You
think it was only by circumstance that I was still a virgin
at twenty-two?"

His arms crossed over his chest, his muscles laced
into corded bands of steel. His eyebrows came
together in a hardened frown. "I don't know, why don't
you tell me?"

"Well you're acting like I shouldn't need some time
to myself. I need to regroup, take a bath--"

"You can take a goddamn bath here, Elaina." He swung
his arm in the direction of the bathroom before

continuing, "So tell me how it was."

"Tell you how what was?"

"You started it. You asked the damn question. Why
were you still a virgin? Was it because you never
had the opportunity?"

"Really? You think that?" Surprise and a small amount
of indignation colored her voice.

"Fuck no. I think every goddamn straight guy in his
right

mind that came across you wanted to crawl on
top--"

She sucked in her breath in a gasp and his words came
to a halt.

Her shoulders stiffened and her tone chilled a degree.
"I don't even want to talk about this. I don't know why I
worded it that way. I'm just saying that even though I
haven't dated a lot, what we did tonight meant
something to me. I don't sleep around--yeah, I've had
opportunities in the past--" He growled at her words and
she went on, "but it was never the right time, or the right
person--"

"So I was the right guy and this was the right time-
-" "Maybe not the right time--you pushed me into
this--"
He slashed his arm through the air and gritted out,
"And there it is! I knew you'd hold that shit against me. I
told you."

"I'm not holding anything against you. I'm just ready to
go home now. You're the one who's acting like we're
fighting. I just want to go home." She grabbed the top

sheet, jerked it away from the mattress and held it over
herself as she slid off the bed and began picking up her
clothes.

"Elaina,"

his

voice

subtly

threatened.

"I'm going home Raul, even if I have to walk." She
turned her back to him and began slipping her
underwear back on.

"This isn't about you wanting to go home. This is about
you getting your fucking way," he blasted.

"Yes!" she screamed, turning around and
mumbling, "finally, geez."

He watched her dress and glared at her menacingly.
"I could force you to stay," he said in a heated threat
under his breath.

She snapped her head up and a chill came over
her features. "That would be a mistake." Her eyes froze
his in an impenetrable glare. "I promise you."

****

Elaina had been too tired to do anything but fall into
bed when Raul dropped her off the night before. But
now, after several hours of uninterrupted sleep, she
lounged back in the bathtub, and remembered the night
before, as the warm water soothed her aching muscles.

He had pulled the truck up in front of her house and cut
the engine. He turned to her, sifted his fingers through
her hair and ran his eyes up and down her length.

When he spoke, his words were intent, questioning,
trying to gauge her feelings. His fingers were gentle on

her. "What do you want, baby?"

His eyes tangled with hers and she sucked in a breath
at the naked emotion and blatant need in his voice.
"That," she answered him softly.

His

fingers

tightened.

"Explain."

She reached up and put her hand over his where
it entangled her hair. "I want you to care about what I
need-- what I want," she said.

"I

do

care,"

he

answered.

"I think you probably do, but it's kind of hidden
underneath what you think I need--what you want for
me. What you want."

"You're saying

I'm

selfish?

"News flash, Raul. You are
selfish."

His cheekbones colored slightly. "Elaina-
-"

"I'm not saying you're a selfish person--you're not. I
know you're an incredibly good person. But when it
comes to me-
-," she stopped, looked down and cleared her throat,
"for
whatever reason--you want what you want and nothing

and no one--including me--seems to be able to stop
you."

"Are you trying to blow me off?" his voice was
sharp.

"No!" she exclaimed.
"Then what?"
"I need some distance--
" "You are blowing me
off."
"No--I'm not. Not even close. If I hadn't made you bring
me home tonight--I get the feeling that--this is going to
sound

stupid--I get the feeling you'd never let me leave." Her
voice came to a stop and she watched him silently
watching her, interrogating her without saying a word.

He never tried to dispute her
claim.

"This is serious shit, Raul. It's not a game. I wouldn't
begin to know how to play games. You think I belong to
you. That fast--I sleep with you one time and that's it for
you. Hell--you thought it before tonight. You're going to
trample all over me if I let you."

He jerked from her last sentence. "Trample you? What
the hell, Elaina?"

"Honestly? This isn't just sex. You want a relationship.
And
I'm okay with that as long as it's two ways.
Equality."

His lips thinned and his frown deepened, but he didn't try
to deny what she was saying. "So, again, I'm asking you--
what do you want?" he hissed out.

"I want to take some time to get to know you. I'll stay
here. I'm not saying we won't--have sex. I'm just saying I
need to go to bed at night here. Wake up here. It's too
soon to start staying with you, and I don't want to fight
about it every time we see each other."

"You're putting me on a goddamn
trial?"

"Do you want to give me what I need to feel
comfortable with you?"

"Yes," he blistered between grinding
teeth.

"It's not you that's on trial," she tried to soothe. "It's
us."

He jerked her to him and her hands fell helplessly to
his chest. "We'll play it your way for a while. I'll give you
space. B u t it is a relationship, Elaina. You can
argue fucking semantics with me all night long. But this
little body you got going on," he gripped her with one
hand while he ran his other up and down the curve of
her waist, "it is mine. That's not up for debate. You
understand me?"

His hand fell between them and landed on a breast
and squeezed. His eyes glittered down at her,
challenging her.

Her heartbeat escalated and her voice froze as his
thumb swiped back and forth across her nipple. His grip
tightened and he gave her a slight shake as he
demanded her acquiescence.

She swallowed hard. "Yes, she whispered in

submission, and his mouth fell on hers.

****

Elaina came back to the present and reached for a
towel as she climbed from the bathtub. Had she gotten
through to him? Had she made him understand?

Really, only time would
tell.

As for herself; she knew, she wanted him. What they
had was intense, and she was old enough to realize
that what

they shared might not ever come around in her
lifetime again.

But it had to be
right.

His masculinity was fearsome. There was no doubt
that was what she found so exciting about him. But it
was also what scared her the most.

She hoped and prayed it could work out. The sex had
been addictive. Crazy. Crazy addictive. She could
happily go her whole life with only him as a lover. If--

If they could find a happy
medium. Again, only time would
tell.
Thank God, she had a lot of time to make it
work.

****

Elaina spent the day cleaning up after the party
alongside her aunt. Janie gave her several probing
looks but never asked any questions.

It was still too new for her to talk about, so Elaina didn't
offer any details.

They spent a pleasant day together
regardless.

Her cell phone rang at six o'clock that evening and
she answered on the second ring. She knew by the
display it was Raul. "Hello?"

He cut to the chase. "What are you doing?"

"Nothing, right
now." "Have you
eaten?" "No, not
yet."
"I'll pick you up in twenty minutes."

His arrogance was inborn; she wasn't going to get him
to change that. Besides, she wanted to go.

"Okay."

She was sitting on the porch swing waiting for him when
he drove up.

He pushed the passenger door open from the inside
and she stepped on the running board and up into the
seat. She buckled and turned to him.

"Hey," she said softly.

He put the truck in reverse and looked over at her.
"Hey." "Where are we going?"
"You've got two choices--"

She cut in with a smile in her voice. "Mmm. Choices. I like
it already."

He sniggered and ran his hand caressingly over her
thigh. "Little shit."

"Me?" Her eyes cut to him flirtatiously, then away
again.
"Surely not."

His smile broadened in approval as he turned his
eyes back to the road. "The diner in town or my house.
I've got steaks we can grill."

"A real date?"

The truck came to the fork in the road and he
stopped before turning onto the county road. "Would you
like that?" His eyes radiated indulgence as he
contemplated her mischievous mood.

"Yeah." Her eyes searched his playfully. "Can we go to
the diner and then--" Her voice stalled.

"And then?" He lifted his hand and rubbed her silken
chin between his fingers.

"And then--can we go parking?"
"Parking?" he almost choked on the
word.
Their eyes tangled as incendiary heat flowed

between them. "I've never been."

"Never?" he questioned
her. "No, never," she
qualified.
He leaned down and kissed her softly on the lips. "Baby,
if you're going to be so easy to please, I don't think
we're going to have any worries at all."

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Elaina sat across from Raul in a booth at the only diner
in town. Almost all of the tables around them were filled.

His eyes were hot on her face as they searched for
hidden answers. His hand entwined hers on top on the
table as he played with her small white fingers. "You okay
today?"

Her eyes flew from watching the rough pads of
his fingertips up

to

his

heated, expectant

expression. She knew what he was asking with that
question. "I'm fine," she said quietly.

His hand compressed over hers. "You sure? No
residual effects from last night?" His thumb stroked
back and forth across her palm.

Elaina had the absurd notion she should be
feeling embarrassment. But she wasn't. Arousal,
immediate and all-consuming, slid through her veins
and landed in a pool of heat between her thighs.

His eyes pierced hers and she saw the same

arousal reflected in his expression as his jaw tensed
visibly and his skin pulled taut over his cheekbones.

She sucked in a shaky breath. "Maybe a tiny bit--sore.
But it's mostly gone now."

"You sure? You bled so much--Jesus,
babe."

Elaina glanced quickly around to see if anyone was
paying

them any attention. She was relieved to find they
were completely alone in their conversation. "Raul,
please, be quiet. I'm sure it was normal."

"I guess so. I worried about you after I dropped you
off." "Don't you know so?"
"What?"

Now Elaina did feel the blush of embarrassment.
"How much I bled," she whispered so softly she knew
he would have a hard time hearing her. "Don't you
know if it was normal?"

"No, I don't. Christ, wait--what are you asking me?"
His eyes flared and his fingers entwined with hers,
grasping her hand completely.

She remained silent as he studied
her.

His voice was firm when he spoke. "I haven't had
any virgins before you."

Pleasure, sharp and intense slid through her system.
She was about to try to convey that emotion to him

when her eyes looked past his to see the man
coming up from behind him and toward her.

It was Mr. Reynolds, from the bank. He had a smile on
his face and stopped in front of their table.

Elaina looked up at him and gave her best attempt at
a

smile as she retrieved her hand from Raul's. Had
the
banker

heard

Raul's

last

statement?

Mortification pierced her, but she didn't have time to
dwell on it as the man moved on to the business at
hand.

"Elaina, I've been trying to find the time to call. We want
you to start on Monday if you're still interested in the job."

Surprise and pleasure lit her face as she began
nodding her head. "Yes, sir! Thank you, that would be
great." As exhilaration infiltrated her, she knew
she needed to introduce the two men.

She was about to do just that when she realized it
wasn't necessary. Mr. Reynolds had obviously only now
discerned who she was with. He held his hand out
to Raul for a handshake as his eyes darted between
the two of them in inquiry.

"How are you,
Raul?" "Good.

You?"
"Fine, just fine," the other man said as he looked like
he was recovering from finding his newest employee
having a tete-a-tete with the town's hard-nosed, yet
most eligible bachelor.

Gossip was rampant around here and everyone
would know they were seeing each other long before
she showed up at work on Monday.

She thanked Mr. Reynolds and watched him walk away
and
pay his bill at the counter. She looked back at Raul
and found his frowning attention fixed on her.

"I didn't know you were actively looking for a
job."

"I was, I'm not anymore," she said with satisfaction in
her voice.

His frown became a scowl. "Why do you want a job
so bad?"

"I need a job."

"You don't need a
job."

"Yes, I do! I can't leach off Janie and Brian forever,"
she said with a distinct chill.

Raul was about to respond when he thought better of it.
She already looked about to come unglued on his ass.
He could almost see the steam rising off her. He was
irritated with her wanting a job, but he had enough

brains to realize this was the kind of shit she was pissed
about. The reaction he was trying to suppress was
exactly why she wasn't comfortable with him.

He bit the inside of his cheek until he tasted blood and
took her hand back in his again.

He gave her his best smile. "Fine,
baby."

Elaina almost laughed out loud at the play of
emotion

streaking across Raul's face. Tension gripped
his
shoulders and he held himself so tightly he looked like
he might snap. His face was twisted in a sad
imitation of a smile that totally failed. She choked back
the humor in the situation and focused on how he
was attempting to respond. There was no telling what
it was taking for him to
back down. Pleasure spiked through her. He was
trying.

She was going to give him this one.
She wasn't keeping score. She wasn't.
Still, an imaginary line went up in the chalkboard in
her head.

One

point

for

Raul.

****

The windows were foggy and her panties were
hanging from one ankle. They were in the backseat of
his truck and he was pulling her over him in a straddling
position while he sat in the middle of the bench seat.

She thought parking meant petting. She was
wrong. Evidently, it meant seducing her into going all the
way.

She was semi-ashamed to admit to herself it wasn't
taking much seducing.

She clenched her hands on his shoulders and tried to
lower herself over him. "Mmm," she let out a tiny
moan of anticipation as her legs shook with the
effort of holding

herself

over

him.

A drop of sweat dripped down his face and his
control threatened to snap as he rasped out, "Hold still
and let me get the condom on."

They were on a narrow dirt road at the back of his
property. It was dark outside but there was just
enough moonlight shining in for her to see what he was
doing.

His erection pulsed thick and hard and ready. There
was something incredibly sexy about seeing him
holding his engorged penis while he rolled the condom
down its length. She bit her lip and tried to push her torso
closer.

"Baby, just--okay, now." His hands bit into her hips as
he lifted her over him and began pushing up into her
as his grasp on her silky skin pushed her down to
meet him. He adjusted her legs, moved her minutely and
then impaled her completely.

He sucked in a shuddering breath and threw his head

back against the rear window as the fierce pleasure
from their joining consumed him. The vibrations
from her sharp inhalations reverberated through
him. He expelled his breath as the provocative feel
of the shiver that attacked her body flowed into him,
from her sweet silky arms wrapped around his neck.

They panted together for the titillating count of
five heartbeats and then he lifted her, introducing her
to the

motion of riding
him.

She sucked in a breath and he helped her take
another stroke. And another.

He felt a rush to his head as she took over from him,
lifting and falling on him, creaming for him so sweetly
he had to grit his teeth and start counting
backwards from one- hundred.

When he thought he had a modicum of control and
couldn't stand it anymore, he put a hand on her jaw
and lifted her face to him. His mouth sunk down on hers,
opening her lips and plunging his tongue inside for a hot,
wet, deep kiss that blew his mind.

He was close, but he needed her to come
first.

While she clung to his lips and gyrated over him, he
slipped a hand between them and began rubbing her
sweet spot.

It was silky, so silky, and the combination of her

internal muscles clenching him was too much for him.
He felt a last surge of blood thickening him, making him
even harder and then his mind shut down to
everything but the ecstasy consuming him.

Only when he was at the peak of pleasure did his
disjointed mind realize she was feeling it too.

They

were coming

together.

****

Two weeks slid by. The best two weeks Elaina
had experienced since before her mother had fallen ill.

The time was magical. Her days were spent learning
her new job, and her evenings were spent with Raul.

By the time he came and picked her up after he
finished working on his ranch and she got back from her
job in town, there was no sunlight left to do anything
outside.

But he came and got her every night. And they spent
every evening together, either cooking at his house
or having supper at the diner in town. They watched
movies sitting on his couch together and usually never
made it to the end of the film before they were touching
each other and were out of breath and naked.

He never complained about her job, but he did ask
her leading questions that at first seemed innocuous.
But the more nonchalant the question was, the more
she knew the answer meant to him. Finally she threw
up her hands and told him he had no reason to be
jealous. She only wanted him. She saw that statement
sink in and a calmness come over him that was almost

tangible.

He still brought her back to her aunt's home every night.
He usually became tense but he never verbally
attacked. He never criticized, but he would stand erect,
rigid, and Elaina knew he was never happy to take her
home.

But he did, and she gave him points in her
head.

She was immensely happy. He was going out of his way
to please her, and she knew why. He wanted her.
Completely. And he was trying to prove it to her.

He was going for
her. Totally.
For the win.

****

Three wonderful weeks later, Elaina was heading back
to the bank at the end of her lunch break. She'd spent
most of the hour in the small, county library with a
yogurt cup and granola bar, using the internet for
nothing more important than a bit of online shopping.

She was walking past the only grocery store in town
when
Trevor opened the door, walked out and bumped into
her.

He reached out to steady her at the same time he
realized who he had in his arms.

His grin was

infectious. "Hey."
"Hey."

They grinned at each other a moment before he
spoke again with the smile still in his voice as he
studied her. "Raul Vega? Seriously, Elaina?"

A small laugh erupted from her throat. "Yeah,
seriously."

Trevor sobered. "He's a good
man." "Yeah, he is."
"Even though you could have had all this," he lifted
his hands from her and motioned to himself like he
was a chocolate donut with cream filling.

"Right."

They laughed and chatted a few minutes. She looked at
her watch. She was going to be late if she wasn't
careful. "Later, dude, I need to get back to work."

Elaina turned away from him and kept walking as he
went in the opposite direction.

She was still smiling when she came to the entrance of
the bank and saw Raul leaning against the front of the
building, arms crossed, a frown on his face, watching
her.

Her insides quivered and her legs trembled from the
shock of him appearing out of the blue when she wasn't

expecting it. "What are you doing here?"

She came to stand within a foot of him as he answered,
"I bank here, Elaina. It's the only bank in town." His voice
was strained.

She bit her lip against the unintentional grin that
began encompassing her face. She motioned with her
head in the

direction she had just come from and asked him, "Did
you
see all that?"

His eyes narrowed on her and his lips flattened.
"Yeah."

The smile won and took over her whole
expression. "Really? You saw Trevor? You saw the whole
thing?"

His nostrils flared. "Yeah. The whole goddamn thing,"
his voice hissed out.

Elaina walked the last few inches toward him. She stood
on her tiptoes and wrapped her arms around his
neck. She studied his handsome, virile face and the
smile fell from her lips as a deeper emotion took hold of
her. "I love you."

His hands wrapped around her jaw line and sifted
through her hair until he was holding her by the
scalp. "Jesus. Finally." His eyes searched hers. "I love
you, too."

He leaned down and put his mouth on hers in a kiss
that sealed her fate.

Five years later

Epilogue

"Happy birthday, baby." It was just past midnight when
Raul came up behind Elaina and wrapped his arms
around her. She turned away from the twin bed and
snuggled into his arms.

He kept his voice purposefully quiet. "Is she
asleep?" "Yeah, she finally exhausted herself."
He reached down and around his wife to touch the
soft, downy cheek of the three-year old. Her cheeks
were rosy and she looked absolutely cherubic in sleep.

He knew it wouldn't last long. She'd been giving them fits
for awhile now as her terrible two's lingered. On fast
chubby legs, their daughter was a little terror.

Raul led Elaina by the hand and walked her out of
the baby's room.

He sat on the couch and pulled her into his lap and
put a protective hand over her swollen belly.

Their gazes tangled and held. "You don't look twenty-
seven. You still look like a teenager. You're just as
beautiful as you were the first time I saw you."

She let out a small, disbelieving
laugh.

"I'm

serious,"

he

said.

She lifted her hand to his cheek and flashed
wickedly seductive eyes at him. "You don't have to
flatter me. I'm a sure thing, Raul. Haven't you figured that
out yet?"

"A sure thing, hell." His hand absently caressed her
taut belly where his next baby snuggled safely. "You
put me through the ringer, baby, remember? You
were never a sure thing. I sweated bullets thinking you
weren't going to give in."

Their gazes caught and held. "You were hard to resist,"
she said.

"Damn straight. I had to be. I couldn't take the chance of
you getting away."

"I never wanted to get
away."

He watched her with an appreciation and love so deep,
it vibrated between them.

He leaned his forehead against hers and ran his
hand down and clenched it around the silky cheek of her
butt.

He lifted her chin and his expression grew serious. "I
mean it, baby. I love you so much. More than life itself."

His eyes swallowed hers and she felt the same flutter in
her stomach as she had when she first met him. "I
love you, too."

He kissed her lips and began the sweet seduction that
still
managed to blow her mind. He whispered in her ear,
"Let me prove it."
She kissed him back and asked,
"Again?" "Yeah, again. Always."

###

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Chance

The Thrill of the

Chase

Warning: Alpha-Males are everywhere! Three
roommates. Three men. Three impossible situations!
Ashley Weldon runs scared when Ryan McKay puts
moves

on her that are too hot to handle! The more he pushes,
the
more she pulls back. While Ryan chases Ashley, his
friend Gibson Jones is quietly stalking Ashley’s
younger cousin, Julie. Throw in a hot firefighter, a
protective girlfriend, some sexting and a Corvette or
two, and you have Temptation in Texas, Houston Style!

His Indecent Proposal

When Jenna Hardin is approached with a
business proposition that involves a short-term
marriage arrangement, she hesitatingly agrees. It
doesn't take long before she realizes the business
involved is only a smokescreen and she is the
ultimate commodity.

Seduced by the American Millionaire (Book

One: Louisiana Liaisons)

Life in the suburbs has been domestic, not daring. A

fateful trip into the city delivers unsuspecting single
mom Jenny Babin into the hands of ruthless Richard
Bergeron. Richard lives in a dark underworld where
money is made and lost with a roll of the dice.
Jenny is drawn into an erotic relationship filled
with passion, dominance and dark persuasion. Can
she escape Richard's control before it's too late? Or
will her time in the city become the life she's always
dreamed of?

Blackmailed Into Bed (Book Two: Louisiana
Liaisons)

Baton Rouge police officer Jake Fontenot has wanted
Amy for months. Under the impression that she is
married, he silently agonizes over the woman he can't
have. Divorced mom and teacher Amy Sanford refuses
to get involved with a police officer. Through a
combination of white lies and evasive maneuvers,
she purposely stays out of the handsome
lieutenant's reach. He finds out the truth one dark
night when she is stranded and scared on the side of
the interstate. Using blackmail and intimidation to get
what he wants, he soon has her under his control and
embroiled in a game of ruthless seduction and sensual
persuasion.

Bedded by the Boss (Book Three: Louisiana
Liaisons)

When Renee Guillot starts her new job with better pay
and benefits, she thinks her only worry will be a lack
of job security. Little does she know she will be
working for the Devil Incarnate. Suddenly, she is
tossed into a world of sexual coercion and dangerous

temptation.
Robert Thibodeaux can't be bothered with the
mundane details of hiring his own secretary. So
when his new employee shows up for work, one look is
enough to know it will never work out. Getting her out of
his office and into his bed isn't an easy maneuver.
But that's exactly what he wants, and it will only be a
matter of time before he makes it happen.

Under the Cowboy’s

Control

(Contemporary Novel)

Selena Taylor is an American citizen determined to find
her grandparents after she loses her family to the
violence of the drug cartel in Mexico. Crossing the
border into Texas turns out to be the easy part.
Virtually penniless and enticingly innocent, she soon
finds herself at the mercy of Travis Blake. Travis is a
hard-working, self-made rancher that has never known
love or softness of any kind. His only use for women is
sexual, and Selena is caught on his ranch with no way
out. While Selena plots her escape from his control,
Travis ruthlessly and methodically tightens his
possession and makes it impossible for her to leave.
The struggle that follows is a clash of wills that pits purity
against passion, virtue against vice and love against
lust.

The Sheriff and the Innocent

Housekeeper

(Sensual, romantic, historical

novella)

When Becky Hamilton is orphaned at the tender age
of fourteen, she comes to live with her aunt in
Waco and begins work cooking and cleaning for the
town’s brooding young sheriff. Mesmerized
immediately by his raw

masculinity and sinewy strength, her fascination turns
to
love as the years pass and his honest integrity is
revealed.

Jake Cooper manages to ignore his pretty, little
orphaned housekeeper for three long years. But when
she begins a subtle metamorphosis from girl to woman,
he can’t control his consuming need for her any longer.
It has been his job to protect the town all these years,
but who will protect her from him?

Temptation in Texas: Mike and

Megan

(Sensual Short Story)

Life in uptown Dallas is exciting enough already for
small town girl Megan. But when Mike walks into the
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Table of Contents

CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER
SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER
ELEVEN
Epilogue