Chapter One (19 page)

language told him everything she didn’t want him to know. Her

“You always have a choice, Blair.” He wasn’t going to back held ramrod straight as if the slightest shift in posture let her take the easy way out. If what was going to happen was would reveal too much of what she was feeling. Her breasts what he thought was going to happen, then it was going to be rising with each sharp intake of breath—oh yeah—that meant her conscious decision. It didn’t work any other way.

she was well aware there was a man in the room. And he was

“Not always.” After she dried her hands, she wandered sure as hell aware of her. Every, lickable inch of her. The way through his living room as if she were taking inventory. Okay, her red hair caught and held the light as it streamed in through so he was a bachelor and it wasn’t pretty. A few hand me down the half-opened shutters, surrounding her face like a fiery halo.

antique pieces here and there, but otherwise completely Her skin, tan and glistening with some kind of body lotion that threadbare. He kept meaning to do something about that, but made it sparkle, and smelled like pure springtime rain. Mixed frankly, who cared? He never had before. She turned to face within all that was the unmistakable musky scent of a woman him. “How about that beer?”

primed for sex.

He grabbed two bottles from the fridge, returning and He took a long swallow of beer, the cool liquid rolling handing her one.

down his throat and at least quenching the fire there. It did

“Sit down.”

nothing to cool the flame between his legs, though. Then again, She chose the single recliner. Figured. Safer that way.

nothing would. Not until he had Blair stripped, spreadeagled God forbid she should park on the sofa. He might actually sit and begging him to fuck her. Once those sweet words passed next to her.

her lips, he’d drive his cock deep in her cunt and finally have

“I’m sorry about your granddad,” she said, and from the what he’d wanted for fifteen long years.

tone of her voice, he knew she meant it. His grandfather had He’d never needed a woman more than Blair. He’d passed on a month ago, though he’d been in a nursing home for always wanted Blair. And he knew damn well Blair wanted two years. The last of his relatives were gone now. All that was him. But she’d built this wall around herself where he was left of his family was this house.

concerned. Instead, she spent her time with wimpy, useless, 87

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Wild, Wicked & Wanton
/Unedited Advance Reading Copy Berkley Heat/May, 2007

pansy assed toadies who were worthless in and out of the
Grab a clue, Rand. I’m here, I’m sexy and horny as
bedroom. No wonder she never kept a man around for long.

hell. Fuck me, goddammit!

What good were they?

But no. He continued to stare at her as if he expected What Blair showed to the world and what Blair really her to make the first move instead. Surely she hadn’t read him needed were two different things. Sometimes Rand wondered wrong all these years. He couldn’t be like all the other men if he was the only man who saw underneath that cool, she’d dated, could he? Spineless, weak, too afraid to take what controlling exterior to the frightened woman who was afraid to they wanted? Had she misjudged him?

express her true needs.

Disappointment washed over her, her mood souring so All she had to do was say the word, and he’d open the fast and making her stomach ache with such a hollow world to her. He’d give her everything she’d ever wanted. He’d emptiness it almost made her cry. How could she have been so make her come over and over again.

wrong about him? The games they played, the way he teased
Come on baby. You know I can give it to you. Just ask
her, touched her, tormented her all these years with promises of
me.

the best sex of her life. No way could she have been wrong Because the one thing Rand would not do is take. If about her body’s reaction. No freakin’ way!

Blair wanted it, she’d have to ask him for it.

But still, he sat there, while she was all but spreading Once she did, though, there’d be no going back.

her legs in front of him. Was he waiting for an engraved invitation? Her verbal permission to come over and touch her?

If Blair held this position for much longer her back was That so wasn’t like Rand, wasn’t at all like the man who’d going to go into spasms. It was like a game of chicken between damn near fucked her by the side of the road yesterday.

them. A stare down until one of them flinched. And she wasn’t If it wasn’t for the bet, she’d get up and leave. Instead, about to flinch. But Goddammit, Rand was staring at her. And she had to stay here and fuck this jackass who was beginning to not just staring at her, but devouring her with his probing, annoy the hell out of her. Fine. The sooner she got it over with enigmatic eyes that always seemed to be able to see right the better. She stood, took a long guzzle of her beer, then through her. As if he knew all her deep, dark secrets and was swaggered over to the sofa, plopping herself down next to just waiting for her to blurt them out.

Rand. She tilted her head down and looked at him through She’d made it this far. She was inside his house, she lowered lashes, one of her sexiest moves.

could see the line of his erection in his jeans, and knew he was

“What is it that you want, Blair?” he asked, a slight hot for her. Why the hell hadn’t he made a move on her yet?

smile curving along his generous bottom lip.

Did she have to do a striptease on his coffee table to get his

“You need me to spell it out for you?”

attention? It wasn’t like she showed up at his place in her

“I need you to tell me what you want. What you really sexiest outfit on a regular basis.

want.”

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Jaci Burton/
Wild, Wicked & Wanton
/Unedited Advance Reading Copy Berkley Heat/May, 2007

His gray gaze challenged, daring her to be the one to because I won’t be asking for a goddamn thing this weekend.

say the words. But Blair was an expert at this game, knew how I’ll be taking. You stay, you’re mine. Any way I want you, any to manipulate men better than any woman she knew. She time I want you.”

leaned into him, pressing her breast against the solid flesh of Oh, God. He knew. Somehow, he knew what she

his arm. “Why don’t you tell me what you’d like to do?”

craved, knew what she hadn’t had all these years. All those He shifted and pushed a knee in between hers, his gaze men, they’d never known what kind of woman she was, what direct and intense. “I’m not the kind of man to tell you what I kind of needs she had. But Rand did. He was offering her might like, Blair. I’m going to tell you what will happen if you everything she’d ever wanted, and everything she feared.

stay here. I want you on your knees in front of me sucking my The one thing she wanted most of all, the one thing that cock. I want to fuck that sassy little mouth of yours until I scared her most—to completely submit to a man.

shoot a hot load of come between those beautiful lips. Then And not just any man, but Rand McKay.

I’m going to fuck you. I’m going to tie you to my bed, your Her body was on fire, her nipples hard and straining legs spread, your pretty pussy spread open for my view. I’m against the soft cotton of her top, her pussy juices coating the going to lick and suck your clit until you scream my name and thin strip of panty covering her crotch. Her clit swelled, the beg me to fuck you. Then I’m going to drive my cock hard and knot throbbing with an incessant pulse. The thought of what he deep inside until you’re squirming underneath me and pleading could do to her—what he could do for her.

to come. After that I’m going to turn you over on your belly, He almost made her come yesterday without even spread those sweet cheeks and spear my dick between them touching her pussy. Without even rubbing her clit.

into your tight ass. I’m going to fuck you all night long, all She’d had nothing but lousy sex for the past fifteen weekend long, until you can’t remember any man you’ve been years.

with before, because no man has fucked you like I’m going to.”

She had a bet to uphold.

Oh holy hell
. The room temperature raised ten degrees It was one weekend, not forever. The chance to throw in an instant and she’d just gone up in flames. Blair swallowed, out her inhibitions and give up control to a man. No parting her lips to breathe in great gasps of air, stunned at the commitment other than giving into her deepest, darkest, most images his words created. No man had ever spoken to her like wicked desires.

that. The men she chose damn near asked permission before Just for the weekend.

kissing her. Rand had gone way beyond asking permission.

After the weekend, it was over. He had no power over He’d given her a graphic outline of every wicked thing he her, no control, no expectation that this would last beyond the intended to do to her.

weekend.

“My patience is wearing thin, Blair. You’re here and I What harm would it do to indulge in her fantasies, to want you. You don’t want this, now is the time to say so, experience what she already knew would be the greatest sex of 89

Jaci Burton/
Wild, Wicked & Wanton
/Unedited Advance Reading Copy Berkley Heat/May, 2007

her life? Quite possibly the only chance she’d have at such phenomenal sex.

It wouldn’t do any harm at all. As long as she remained in control, as long as she knew that once the weekend was over, this game was over.

As long as she didn’t involve her heart, then when the weekend was over, she could walk away with a smile on her face.

A big ass wicked smile.

She raised her chin, refusing just yet to give up complete control. “You want it. Then take it, Rand.”

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Jaci Burton/
Wild, Wicked & Wanton
/Unedited Advance Reading Copy Berkley Heat/May, 2007

her tongue like it was the nectar of the gods. His cock was ramrod stiff and insistent on breaking free of the denim, straining his zipper. His balls ached, his fingers itching to wrap themselves around the firm globes of her sweet ass.

It wasn’t until he was damn near delirious that he realized the only one spiraling out of control was him. Blair Chapter Three

was stiff, unyielding, holding back. Though her palms were braced against his chest, her mouth responding under his, she Rand watched the play of emotion cross Blair’s face as wasn’t participating. She was following his lead, but not in the she spat out the words. Indecision, a shadow of fear. Even way he wanted her to.

anger, then resolution. She held her chin in a stubborn tilt as if Blair was scared to let go. Which meant he was going daring him to command her to do anything she didn’t want to to have to take over and force it. Take the control away from do.

her so she wasn’t acquiescing, but being forced to participate.

She didn’t yet understand. But before the weekend was He knew the game; it was the same one they’d been playing for through, she’d realize she was the one who held all the power.

fifteen years. Obviously they’d have to continue to play it.

He stood and looked down at her, holding his hand out.

He slowed down his kiss, forced his racing pulse from For the longest few seconds she stared at it, then slid her warm its breakneck speed into something more manageable. Time to fingers in his palm. He pulled her to her feet, jerking her gather his wits and take over this situation before Blair turned roughly against his chest.

into a steel girder in his arms.

“I’ve waited fifteen years for this,” he said, then slanted He broke the kiss and stepped away from her. Her eyes his mouth across hers, breathing in the scent of cinnamon.

shot open and she stared at him, frowning.

The first touch of his mouth to hers was wildfire.

“What?” she asked.

Uncontrolled, unchecked flames scorched him. He knew it was

“On your knees.”

going to be like this, yet he still wasn’t prepared for how

“Excuse me?”

goddamned hot she was, how perfect her body felt pressed

“You heard me.” He flipped open the button on his alongside his. Her full breasts crushed against his chest, her jeans, his cock pounding in anticipation. “Get down on your hips nestled against his pelvis. He wanted to touch her and kiss knees.”

her everywhere all at once.

She looked to his crotch, her gaze riveted on the slow
Slow. Down
. His heart pumped like a churning freight slide of his zipper as he drew it down.

train as he moved his lips over hers, digging his fingers in the

“You’re joking.”

lush softness of her hair, devouring her mouth and licking at 91

Jaci Burton/
Wild, Wicked & Wanton
/Unedited Advance Reading Copy Berkley Heat/May, 2007

“Do I look like I’m joking?” He drew his shirt over his One damn sexy octave too.

head and tossed it on the sofa behind her. Her gaze never left

“I don’t intend to. This is stupid. I’m not playing—”

the vee of his jeans. Not until those gorgeous baby blues took a

“And neither am I,” he interrupted, grabbing her wrist long, leisurely look up and over his hips, stomach, chest, and jerking her against him. In seconds they had switched finally focusing on his face again. Only this time she wasn’t positions and Rand was seated on the couch with Blair belly wide eyed with shock.

down across his lap. “This has been a long time coming.”

She was pissed. But beyond the frown and tight lips Her breath momentarily left her diaphragm or she there was a fire in her eyes that hadn’t been there before, a would have been screaming. Instead, all she could manage was passion that had been lacking when she had come to him a grunt of outrage as Rand placed one firm hand on her ass,

“willingly”.

sliding her skirt up over her hips and ripping off the tiny scrap Okay, so she liked to be told what to do. He could sure of her thong to bare her buttocks.

as hell live with that. “I meant now, Blair. Do what I tell you or