Nautier and Wilder
Read Nautier and Wilder Online
Authors: Lora Leigh
PRAISE FOR
Nauti and Wild
A
New York Times
Bestseller
“Romance writers Leigh and Burton contribute elements of their best-known series in
a pair of steamy novellas.”
—Publishers Weekly
“
Nauti and Wild
is definitely steamy . . . Both stories offer a strong dose of romantic suspense.”
—Roundtable Reviews
“This anthology contains two of my favorite authors blessing us with additions to
two of my favorite series . . . Both stories do not disappoint, as they are scorching
hot and clever, with yummy heroes and strong women who love them. Never a dull read
from these authors!”
—Fresh Fiction
“[These] romantic suspense thrillers are exciting novellas with kick-butt lead females
who are perfect matches to their hunks. Fans of both series will enjoy this collection.”
—Midwest Book Review
“Hot men and even hotter action. I hope these authors continue to pair up for books
like this!”
—Nocturne Romance Reads
“Sizzling . . . wickedly erotic tales . . . Steamy stories by two of the most popular
erotic authors featuring more of their charismatic bad boys and the women that succumb
to their allure. An enjoyable addition to both authors’ series.”
—Night Owl Reviews
“These two authors prove once again why they are at the top of the erotic genre.”
—RT Book Reviews
FURTHER PRAISE FOR LORA LEIGH AND HER NOVELS
“Leigh draws readers into her stories and takes them on a sensual roller coaster.”
—Love Romances & More
“Blistering sexuality and eroticism . . . Bursting with passion and drama . . . Enthralls
and excites from beginning to end.”
—Romance Reviews Today
“A scorcher with sex scenes that blister the pages.”
—A Romance Review
“A perfect blend of sexual tension and suspense.”
—Sensual Romance Reviews
“Hot sex, snappy dialogue, and kick-butt action add up to outstanding entertainment.”
—RT Book Reviews (Top Pick)
“Wow! . . . The lovemaking is scorching.”
—Just Erotic Romance Reviews
AND FOR JACI BURTON AND HER NOVELS
“Burton delivers it all in this hot story—strong characters, an exhilarating plot,
and scorching sex—and it all moves at a breakneck pace. Forget about a cool glass
of water, break out the ice!”
—RT Book Reviews
“Realistic dialogue, spicy bedroom scenes, and a spitfire heroine make this one to
pick up and savor.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Lively and funny . . . The sex is both intense and loving.”
—Road to Romance
“A fabulous read. [Burton] delivers, in every possible way.”
—A Romance Review
“Sizzling hot sex that will have you panting.”
—The Romance Studio
“Raw, dynamic, explosive. Wow!”
—Just Erotic Romance Reviews
NAUTIER
AND
Wilder
LORA LEIGH
and
JACI BURTON
THE BERKLEY PUBLISHING GROUP
Published by the Penguin Group
Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, USA
USA / Canada / UK / Ireland / Australia / New Zealand / India / South Africa / China
Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England
For more information about the Penguin Group, visit penguin.com.
This book is an original publication of The Berkley Publishing Group.
Collection copyright © 2013 by Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
“Nauti Siren” by Lora Leigh copyright © 2013 by Christina Simmons.
“Riding to Sunset” by Jaci Burton copyright © 2013 by Jaci Burton.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed
in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in
or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights.
Purchase only authorized editions.
BERKLEY
®
is a registered trademark of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
The “B” design is a trademark of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
eBook ISBN 978-1-101-61888-2
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Nautier and wilder / Lora Leigh and Jaci Burton.—Berkley trade paperback edition.
pages cm
Two novellas.
ISBN 978-0-425-24339-8
1. Erotic stories, American. I. Leigh, Lora. Nauti siren. II. Burton, Jaci. Riding
to sunset.
III. Title: Nauti siren. IV. Title: Riding to sunset.
PS648.E7N355 2013
813'.01083538—dc23 2012050114
PUBLISHING HISTORY
Berkley trade paperback edition / April 2013
Cover art by Don Sipley.
Cover design by Lesley Worrell.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the
product of the authors’ imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance
to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is
entirely coincidental. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume
any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.
NAUTI
SIREN
LORA LEIGH
Mountains majestic.
Waters of the clearest blue.
Pine, Elm and Ash standing as beacons along towering ridges surrounding you.
What peace can be found?
What joy can be attained?
What happiness awaits those whose hearts can open, whose spirit can draw in the great
richness of the land?
Not the home of my birth, rather the home my heart chose.
Not a land bequeathed, but a land enchanting, seducing my loyalty and yes, mesmerizing
my senses.
This land where I laughed as a child.
This land where I loved as a girl.
This land, how do I love thee as a woman, love thee as a child raised within your
tender embrace.
This land . . .
Yes, this land of my heart.
Kentucky.
EVE MACKAY
Somerset, Kentucky
PROLOGUE
T
his wasn’t supposed to happen.
Not in a million years. Not even one day past forever.
Because she knew the kind of man he was and she knew he was exactly the kind of man
she had sworn she would never allow herself to have.
Yet it was happening.
Suspended between complete disbelief and mind-numbing pleasure, Piper Mackay found
herself mesmerized by Jedediah Booker’s kiss.
Her lips parted.
Her fingers curled around his wrists, though in protest or simply to find something
to hold on to, she wasn’t certain.
What she was certain of—she hadn’t expected this.
His broad fingers splayed into her hair as his palms cupped her cheeks, holding her
in place for his kiss. His lips slanted over hers, rubbing sensuously, and sent spikes
of heat burrowing through her senses.
It wasn’t supposed to be like this.
It wasn’t supposed to be so sexy.
The feel of his hard, muscular body against her smaller one, pressing her against
the wall at her back, had her knees weakening at the eroticism of the position. The
feel of the hardened length of his shaft as it pressed against the towel covering
him, throbbing against her stomach, was almost too intense to bear.
She wanted to touch him.
She wanted to run her hands over his hard, powerful body and feel the flex of muscle
beneath the darkly tanned flesh. She wanted to do more than stand, frozen, on the
verge of fleeing in fear as his tongue flicked against her lips, teasing her to taste
him in turn.
Just one taste.
She could take just a moment to experience what she had promised herself she would
not tempt.
The wild, erotic promise of Jed’s possession.
Her tongue peeked out, touched his, then lingered.
A moan slipped free; completely against her will and her better judgment as she allowed
his lips and tongue free rein in the kiss they were initiating.
A deep, rough male growl sounded in his throat as his hands slid from her face and
moved quickly to her hips. Before she could process the move, before she could make
sense of it, Piper found herself lifted, her legs parting, the soft material of her
skirt falling back over her thighs, and the broad, fiery heat of Jed’s cock throbbing,
hot and naked, free of the towel, against the silk of the panties shielding her sex.
She could have protested.
She would have protested.
But it was so good.
Everything was just so good.
The lush eroticism of the kiss, the heat of his hands against her flesh, the seductive,
sensuous pleasure beginning to blaze through her senses. It was so good that resisting
was impossible.
His hands clenched on her rear, kneading the rounded curves as his hips rocked against
her, sending shudders of pleasure racing through her.
He slanted his lips over hers, one hand sliding from the curve of her ass, and she
found herself gripping his thighs with her knees as his hand pushed beneath the soft
cotton shirt she wore.
Piper fought to breathe.
She was lost in a world of sensation and pleasure. He held her to him as his hand
slid up her side, calloused palms rasping against her flesh just before his fingers
curled around the bare mound of one breast.
Finding the hardened tip with his thumb and rubbing against it, he found another way
to throw her senses into complete chaos. Her nipples were so sensitive, so responsive,
that even her own touch had the power to make her gasp.
Jed’s touch, so much more experienced and knowing, had the power to do much more.
His touch against the ripened bud had the power to bring her nearly to release. Playing
with the little bud, he rolled his thumb over it before gripping the pebble-hard tip
between his thumb and forefinger. Sharpened spikes of sensation tore along the nerve
endings to her clitoris before slamming into her womb.
Piper tightened her thighs against his hips, rocking with him, rubbing herself against
the broad thickness of the heavy cock throbbing against the heated folds of her sex.
Sharp waves of hunger rushed along nerve endings that seemed newly awakened, created
only to respond to Jed’s touch. Sensitized and now greedy for sensation they throbbed
and ached for more and more.
It was so good.
It was too good.
“Piper, sweetheart . . .”
His breathing was as rough as her own, ragged; he was fighting to draw in air as he
tore his lips from hers and buried them at her neck.
Tipping her head back, Piper fought to increase the sensation of his lips brushing
against the sensitive flesh at the curve of her shoulder. The feel of the tip of his
tongue tasting her and awakening a sensual hunger she hadn’t known existed inside
her.
Digging her nails into his bare shoulders, she told herself
just a few more seconds
. She would allow herself to experience the pleasure, the incredible building heat
burning through her body, for just a few more seconds.
His teeth raked against the side of her neck as she felt his body tighten further.
A low groan of male pleasure echoed at her ear.
“I could lose myself in you, Piper,” he groaned in building lust. “So fucking easy.”
Oh, God, what had she gotten herself into?
She had known not to enter his room.
Some part of her had known he was still there.
The temptation had been overwhelming.
Like some damned ninny in a suspense novel, she had crept right in. At the very moment
she had closed the door behind her, certain he must be gone, he’d stepped from the
bathroom, obviously having just left the shower.
Had she had the good sense to leave?
Hell, no.
“Jed.” Whispering his name, she fought to hold on to him, fought to remember why this
was a very bad idea.
“Piper. Sweetheart . . .”
The room was spinning—no, Jed was moving. Wrapping one arm around her hips, he turned,
bearing her to the bed and laying her back against the sheets he’d slept on the night
before.
The subtle scent of male warmth and the dark hint of the cologne he wore lingered
on the bedclothes, surrounding her and sinking into her senses. She felt surrounded
by him, overwhelmed by him, and unwilling as well as unable to fight against the pleasure
clouding her mind.
Before she could even consider protesting, the soft cotton shirt she wore was pushed
over her breasts and the sensitive, tight peak of her nipple was suddenly surrounded
by the wet heat of his mouth. It happened so quickly, with such heat that her senses
immediately exploded with sensation.
Piper jerked upward, a moan rasping from her lips as her eyes closed in rising pleasure.
The lash of his tongue over the sensitive peak sent sensation spiraling from her hardened
nipple straight to the clenched, aching depths of her vagina. The tight, swollen bud
of her clit pulsed with need. Heat flushed her body, and the slick dew of arousal
dampened the swollen folds of her sex and the silk of her panties.
Pushing her fingers into the overlong strands of his hair to hold him to the tingling,
heated bud of her nipple, Piper felt herself giving up—giving in.
The pleasure was too intense.
The need that had risen over the past year since her sister had moved out of the inn
their mother owned to live with her fiancé was only burning with a greater, fiery
hunger.
Had she been insane when she had taken her mother’s offer to move into Eve’s suite
just days after Jed had moved into the room beside it?
Had she known this would happen?
God, she had.
She’d known she would end up in his bed, and she knew he’d break her heart.
He wouldn’t be able to help it. He would destroy her.
That thought, that fear, had a reality check suddenly clicking in her mind.
“Jed. Jed . . . not a good idea,” she cried out, even as she lifted her hips to grind
the mound of her sex more firmly against his cock while he palmed both breasts.
“My best idea yet,” he muttered, his voice hoarse as one hand slid to the bend of
her knee to lift it higher along his hip.
His hips pressed and rolled, grinding his shaft more firmly against her clit and soaking
her panties with her juices as he used both hands to press her breasts together. His
lips moved from one hardened nipple to the other, licking and suckling, pulling repeated
moans from her lips as her ability to fight against the pleasure dissipated.
She’d dreamed of this.
She’d fantasized about it for far longer than the past year.
“God, I love how you taste,” he muttered, his head lifting, his lips coming back to
hers as he gripped her nipples between fingers and thumbs and played with them erotically.
His tongue pressed against her lips, parted them, met hers, and stroked against it
with heated demand.
He wasn’t asking for anything, definitely not the right to have her.
He considered her his due.
That thought sent a wave of trepidation racing through her, only to disintegrate beneath
a harder, deeper kiss as one hand left her breasts to stroke her thigh.
“Damn, Piper.” He tore his lips from hers to blaze a trail of fire down her neck to
her breasts once again as strong, knowing fingers pressed beneath the elastic of her
panties.
Lifting her hips, angling them to the fingers pressing closer to her clitoris, Piper
could feel the slickened fall of damp warmth spilling from her, preparing the sensitive
flesh for his touch.
She was so ready for him. So ready to have his fingers delve into the feminine folds
that ached for his touch that she felt poised on a pinpoint of agonizing arousal.
He was so close to touching her clit. So close to caressing that heated bud of sensitized
nerve endings that she could swear she could feel the warmth of his fingers as they
neared her.
So close . . .
A heavy knocking at the door had them stilling.
Piper struggled to open her eyes, meeting his gaze as his head jerked up from where
his lips had strayed to her midriff.
“Hey, Jed, we have to run.” Elijah Grant was on the other side, his knuckles rapping
against the glass of the patio doors across from the bed once again. “You ready?”
“Please,” she whispered, suddenly desperate that she not be seen here, with him, all
but naked and fucked in his bed.
Oh, God, what was she doing?
* * *
Jed could see the sudden panic flaring in her gaze. The instant withdrawal the second
she consciously realized just how close she was to having given in to him wasn’t lost
on him. The hunger that kept them bound to each other wasn’t going to go away. No
matter how hard he fought it, no matter how desperately she denied it.
“Give me ten minutes,” he called out to Elijah. “I’ll meet you at the bikes.”
She was trembling beneath him.
The feel of the subtle tremors racing through her delicate body had the power to piss
him off as nothing else could. It was like this every time he neared her, every time
the hunger flared between them. She would tremble, get that look of wariness in her
eyes, and instantly retreat.
He was damned sick of her retreating.
“Why are you scared of me?” Focusing his gaze back on her, careful to keep his voice
too low to carry beyond the room, he demanded an answer.
“I am not scared of you.” Determination and fiery stubbornness filled the deep sea
green of her eyes and tightened the kittenish features of her face.
“Then what are you scared of?” Lowering his voice further, Jed brushed his lips against
the swollen curves of Piper’s while fighting the nearly overwhelming need to steal
another kiss. To forget his partner was awaiting him and that now was not the time
to make slow, easy love to her.
He would never pull himself from her if he did.
Elijah could walk in on them and it wouldn’t stop Jed from having her.
“Don’t you have to go to work or something?” she muttered instead as she pushed at
his shoulders. “Let me up, Jed, before Elijah starts picking the lock.”
Elijah sure as hell wasn’t above it if he thought the situation warranted it.
“What makes you think he would pick the lock?” He knew Elijah would do it, but what
made
her
think he would?
Piper rolled her eyes up at him.
“Do I really look that stupid to you, Jed?” Mockery filled her gaze as he levered
himself from her body.
He watched silently as she hurriedly pulled the shirt over the swollen mounds of her
breasts and pushed the material of her skirt back down her legs before sitting up
quickly.
A second later she was standing and sliding her feet back into the sandals she had
somehow managed to lose. Or had pushed from her feet as he picked her up moments ago.
“You don’t look stupid at all.” Arching a brow, he strode to the chair across the
room where he’d laid his clean clothing earlier.
Pulling boxer briefs over his legs and then the raging erection that refused to soften,
he sat down, never taking his eyes from her, and pulled white socks over his feet.
She wasn’t saying anything more.
Her arms were crossed beneath her breasts in a classic defensive posture as he almost
gave in to the urge to sigh wearily.
Standing, Jed picked up an ink pen from the table next to him before moving to her
once again.
She always carried her date book, with a small sketch pad in it, with her. At the
moment, it was tucked in the side of the cleaning carryall she’d placed on the floor
when she entered the room.
Bending, he pulled the five-by-seven leather-bound journal from the side pocket, flipped
it open, then quickly scrawled his cell phone number in the back. The sketch pad enclosed
with it was filled with colorful sketches of clothing designs and scrawled with notes.
He would have loved to flip through the new designs he only glimpsed, but knew from
experience she’d become immediately defensive.