LooseCorset (7 page)
Authors: Christine Rains
Because I’d acted like an idiot. Paranoid because he was
talking to another woman. Negative about our relationship because he lived far
away. I wasn’t being a realist, just a plain jerk.
“I mean, if moving in together is too much for you right
now, that’s okay. I understand. We don’t need to rush it.” There was Dean the
perfect guy again. “Whatever you’re comfortable with. I can get my own place.
My internship pays, so I don’t have to worry about finances.”
Thoughtful and gorgeous. He was doing this for me.
Russell was right. I’d never seen Dean drink wine or even
heard him talk about it. He drank beer.
All for me. That hollowness filled until I thought I might
burst.
“Yes.” I grabbed his hand. “Yes, move in with me.”
Dean smiled as he drew me to him and kissed me long and
hard. I relaxed against him, wanting nothing more than to celebrate by
finishing what we’d started earlier. Too bad there was an audience now.
Emily tackled us with a hug onto the bed. “This is so
awesome! Everything is working out.”
“Now we can have a celebratory foursome.” Russell stood over
us and started to unbutton his shirt.
“Whoa there!” Dean untangled himself and tugged me to him as
he laughed. “I don’t share. Sorry.”
Emily hopped up and swatted at her husband. She flushed as
she said, “You’re such a horndog.”
“And you love it.” Russell nipped at her neck.
I buried my face against Dean’s shoulder. I did not in any
way want to watch my best friend getting mauled by Snidely Whiplash. But it was
clear by the little noises Emily made, she did truly love the horny bastard.
“Breakfast in an hour, ladies and gentleman,” Russell
announced. “I’ve collected my things and I’ll load them into the car. We’ll
meet you two down in the hotel restaurant.”
Emily gave me one more hug before she skipped out of the
room behind Russell. Our whole world had changed in less than fifteen minutes.
I had expected to feel broken by the time the day was out, but now all the
pieces of my life’s puzzle were coming together, and the picture they were
creating was glorious.
“I love what you’re thinking.” Dean kissed me softly.
“How do you know what I’m thinking?” I shifted to face him,
still wrapped in his arms. I hooked one leg over his body and cursed my wet
curls as they fell into my face.
Dean brushed my hair back and pressed his forehead to mine. “That
light in your eyes, the lovely smile on your lips. God, you’re so beautiful.”
Heat rushed up to my face. “Did you plan all along on taking
an internship in Bloomington?”
“Not until this weekend. My adviser and I have been
discussing for over a month now what might be right for me.” He caressed my
cheek and then traced over my lips. “When she mentioned a few openings in the
wineries in Bloomington, I knew it was fate.”
His little touches sent my blood to boiling. I wiggled my
body more closely to his. “Fate, hmm?”
“I don’t believe in coincidence.” Dean kissed me and rolled
so that he was on top. His arousal was barely contained in his pants.
“So it wasn’t coincidence two years ago when we both joined
Steampunk Quest?” I pattered my fingers up along his back.
“Nope. Fate.” He ground down against me as his lips grazed
mine.
I groaned. “And when you came across me outside the bathroom
at the pub when I was having corset problems?”
“Fate,” Dean repeated and pressed himself against me again. “Beautiful,
magnificent fate.”
Tingles sparked throughout my body. Like a night sky full of
stars. And I was inclined to believe that fate had, indeed, brought us
together.
Frak. I was a romantic.
Christine Rains is a writer, blogger, and geek mom. She has
four degrees which help nothing with motherhood but make her a great Jeopardy
player. When she's not reading or writing, she's going on adventures with her
son, watching cheesy monster movies or playing games with friends. Christine is
a proud member of the Untethered Realms and S.C.I.F.I. She has several short
stories and novellas published in other genres. The hilarious and nerdy Dice
and Debauchery series is her first one with Ellora's Cave.
Christine welcomes comments from readers. You can find her
website and email addresses on her
author
bio
page at
www.ellorascave.com
.
Tell Us What You Think
We appreciate hearing reader opinions about our books. You
can email
the
author
directly or you can email us at
[email protected]
(when
contacting Customer Service, be sure to state the book title and author).
Ellora’s Cave Publishing
Loose Corset
ISBN 9781419992933
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Loose Corset Copyright © 2015 Christine Raines
Cover design by Allyse Leodra
Cover photography by Shutterstock
Electronic book publication January 2015
The terms Romantica® and Quickies® are registered trademarks of
Ellora’s Cave Publishing.
With the exception of quotes used in reviews, this book may not
be reproduced or used in whole or in part by any means existing without written
permission from the publisher, Ellora’s Cave Publishing, Inc.® 1056 Home
Avenue, Akron OH 44310-3502.
Warning: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this
copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be scanned, uploaded or
distributed via the Internet or any other means, electronic or print, without
the publisher’s permission. Criminal copyright infringement, including
infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is
punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.
(http://www.fbi.gov/ipr/). Please purchase only authorized electronic or print
editions and do not participate in or encourage the electronic piracy of
copyrighted material. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.
This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons,
living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The
characters are productions of the author’s imagination and used fictitiously.
The publisher and author(s) acknowledge the trademark status and
trademark ownership of all trademarks, service marks and word marks mentioned
in this book.
The publisher does not have any control over, and does not assume
any responsibility for, author or third-party websites or their content.
Discover for yourself why readers can’t get enough of the
multiple award-winning publisher Ellora’s Cave. Be sure to visit EC on the web
at www.ellorascave.com to find erotic reading experiences that will leave you
breathless. You can also find our books at all the major e-tailers (Barnes
& Noble, Amazon Kindle, Sony, Kobo, Google, Apple iBookstore, All Romance
eBooks, and others).