The Sweet Shoppe: Tempting Prudence (3 page)

“Now, that is what I call gorgeous.”

With her newfound confidence, Prudence climbed back on the bed and straddled him. She sat down, brushing her dripping pussy against his cock. All the heat that had been coursing through her seemed to gather in her stomach and then slid between her legs.

“Before you even think of doing that, top drawer.”

She reached over and almost slid off him. But she managed to open the drawer, and pulled out a box of condoms. Dumping them on the bed, she ripped one open and rolled it down his cock in record time.

Positioning herself directly over his cock, she took it in hand and slowly sank down on it. Her gaze never left his until he closed his eyes and groaned her name. Placing a hand on each side of him on the bed, she built a rhythm, slow, measured. She would push up, almost all the way, then slowly sink back down again. Adding a twist to her hips, she smiled at his loud response. As her body tensed, she felt as if she were close, so close. She leaned forward and captured his lips in a kiss, tongues tangling. It was hot and wet and it almost sent her over the edge, but not quite.

“Oh, baby, uncuff me.” She shook her head. He growled. “You’re close. You’re so wet. I can feel it. You need to come. I can help.”

She stopped his plea with a soulful kiss. Taking command, she thrust her tongue
into his mouth. A delightful tremor ran through her as she continued moving her hips, teasing him with her mouth, with her body. Never before had the need to run the show, to be the one who decided the way things would go, spurred her into action. But having this big hunk of man shaking with a need for completion -- for her -- urged her on.

But her own desire took over her body. Her muscles clenched tighter and tighter with each thrust, and she felt herself slipping over the edge of control.

“Baby, I don’t want to go alone. I know you’re close. Let me help you.” Jonas managed to get the request out between kisses. Her body screaming for release, she gave in to his pleas and pulled the Velcro on the cuffs free.

Instead of rolling them over as she expected, he slid his hand between their bodies. She sat up again, allowing him room. His fingers brushed against her clit, once, twice ...

Her inner muscles clamped down hard on his cock as her orgasm ripped through her. He followed a second later, shouting her name.

Moments later, she collapsed on top of him. She drew in a deep breath. The scent of passion lingered in the air. Her whole body felt ... relaxed and somehow complete. He slid his arms around her waist and she sighed. Nothing had ever felt so right.

He nuzzled her cheek. “I’m going to have to buy stock in chocolate-covered cherries.”

She laughed, a new experience for her. Playing in bed had never been something any of her lovers had done before. He rolled them over, then balanced himself on his elbows. His tawny gaze roamed over her face, her hair, and then he l
ooked her straight in the eyes.

“God, you’re beautiful.” Before she could protest, he swooped down for a toe-curling, brain-numbing kiss.

“How about you feed me the cherries this time?”

Chapter Five

Jonas hurried into the lobby of his office building, happy to finally be back in Dallas. Never had seven days seemed like such an eternity. Being away from Prudence had driven him insane. He hadn’t wanted to leave her, but he’d had no choice in the matter. They’d made plans for him to call her as soon as he landed, but he wanted to surprise her. He’d rearranged his trip home so he could make it to the Sweet Shoppe before it closed. After the night they’d had, he definitely needed another box of those cherries.

As he neared the shop, he noticed the lights weren’t on. The window display had been removed. He frowned as worry turned to panic when he tried the door and it wouldn’t budge. Looking closer, he noticed that the shop was empty except for a few stray strands of ribbon and the empty display cases.

“They closed up.” Jonas turned around to find one of the security guards eyeing him. “They just opened.”

“Don’t know what happened. They paid up for the next six months from what I hear, but I showed up early Monday and they were gone. Guard on duty didn’t notice a thing.”

“But ... they just opened last week.”

The guard looked at him strangely, probably because the panic churning his gut could be heard in his voice.

The older man shrugged and walked away. What was he going to do if he couldn’t get those cherries? Until that moment, he hadn’t realized just how much he had been depending on using them to entice Prudence. When she ate them, something had happened. Her usual inhibitions disappeared. He ran a hand through his hair and let loose a frustrated sigh. What was he going to do now?

He’d planned on surprising Prudence in her office with a new box of chocolates. And as crazy as it sounded, he was worried he wouldn’t be able to entice her without them. The few times they’d spoken this week had been hurried. He wasn’t too sure that old woman hadn’t put something in the recipe; an aphrodisiac, maybe.

Glancing toward the elevator, he decided to head home and keep his date with Prudence for later that night. By the time he picked her up, he just might have an idea of how to prove to her that he loved her.

*  *  *  *

Prudence shivered and thought, not for the first time, that wearing nothing but a lacy bustier, stockings, and a thong wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. She should have turned up the heat in Jonas’s apartment. But then, she didn’t feel quite right turning it higher, since she didn’t pay the bills. She rolled her eyes. Oh, convincing his secretary that she’d left papers over here she needed, and then breaking and entering, she could do, but no way could she change the damn thermostat.

With another shiver, she once again started having second thoughts about the idea. They hadn’t talked much this week, but when they did, she felt the same connection she had with him that night. Like no one else in the world understood her, but him. And in a way, that was true. She trusted him. When she was with him, she didn’t care that she was a dowdy accountant with no sense of style. He made her feel beautiful.

When she realized that he accepted her for who she was -- extra curves, accounting nerd, and all -- she knew she was in love with him. Not lust, or even a fleeting type of love. This was something she knew she would feel until the day she died.

True, they had just started their relationship, but she’d worked with him for six months, and Prudence knew you could tell a lot about a man by the way he acted at work. Besides, the way he looked at her with those tiger eyes made her go all melty inside. She wasn’t going to think about the way she felt when he touched her, because her body wouldn’t be able to handle it. Just the thought of his hands on her skin ...

The sound of the front door opening brought her out of her thoughts. At that last second, she wondered if she’d made a mistake. Maybe he wasn’t as interested in her as she was in him. If he didn’t want her here, she was going to be mortified. She glanced
furiously around the room, wondering if she would get arrested if anyone saw her running to her car dressed the way she was.

But even as she thought about it, the door to his bedroom opened. She drew in a deep breath as the hallway light spilled over her. Fo
r a second, he just stood there—a silhouette with the light shining around him. She couldn’t see his face, but she knew it was him. She tingled from her head to her toes. Her heart flipped. And every hormone in her body stood up and applauded. No one had ever made her feel like that just by showing up.

“Pru?” His voice was strangled and her self-doubt increased. Oh, God, this was going to be horrible. Her face burned in humiliation. “Umm ... what are you wearing?”

“Just a little something I picked up at the store.” She started to inch over to the edge of the bed. “But that’s okay. I have some clothes --”

“Don’t move.” This time, his voice was strong, sure.

She stopped moving. Really, when he used that voice on her, it sent a bolt of excitement racing along her skin.

He didn’t step closer, but did reach over to flip the light on. She blinked against the brightness. When she could see clearly again, she watched Jonas approach the bed. Even as he took measured steps, he pulled off his tie and began to unbutton his shirt. His long limbs moved with a lion’s lazy grace, and his eyes gleamed with anticipation.

“Now why would I want you to dress? Hmmm?” His voice had deepened, and her body responded to the dark desire that threaded through his questions. “Wrapped up like a pretty little package, in red lace and silk.”

He walked to the other side of the bed, never taking his eyes off her. Prudence was mesmerized. He dropped his pants and shirt on the floor, leaving only his knit boxers on. His erection strained against the soft cotton, and she licked her lips.

Slowly, he crawled onto the bed and sat behind her. The heat of his body surrounded her, warmed her. The musky sent of his aftershave filled her senses. He slid his hands down her arms.

“Last time, you were in charge.” His heated breath warmed her earlobe. He encircled her wrists with his fingers. “This time, it’s my turn.”

Anticipation, fear, and love raced through her. He freed one wrist and then moved aside. Before she could react, Prudence was flat on her back, and he was covering her body with his. Her breath caught in her throat and arousal hummed through her at the predatory light in his eyes.

He drew both her arms above her head and held them in one hand. Leaning to one side, he skimmed his hand over the swell of breast bulging out of her corset. She shivered as a rush of goose bumps followed in the wake of his fingertips.

“Does this little gift you’ve given me mean it was more than a one-night stand?”

He wasn’t looking at her. He was watching the movement of his hand as he brushed the backs of his fingers against her nipple. It drew tighter, almost painfully, and she moaned. His lips curved into a satisfied smile.

“Is that a yes?”

Prudence wanted to answer, but she couldn’t find the words. He’d pulled the top of one half of the corset down to reveal her breast. He bent his head and took her nipple into his mouth. The feel of his lips on her skin sent a rush of heat to her stomach. He grazed his teeth against the tip, and her pussy clenched.

He lifted his head and gazed at her. “What do you say, Pru? Something more?”

She smiled, her body warm with arousal and love. “Yes. You know I don’t get trussed up like this for just anyone. ”

He frowned and she wanted to kiss him. Hell, all he had to do was look at her and she wanted to kiss him.

“And you better not, wench. Now that I have you in my bed, I’m not letting you out for a few days. You know I love you, don’t you?”

She nodded, and he smiled evilly. “Now, where are those handcuffs?”

Prudence laughed as he reached over and pulled the
m out of his nightstand drawer.

“God, I love you,
” she said, happiness spreading through her.

He paused in his motions to handcuff her to his headboard. “And that’s all I ever need, Pru.”

His heartfelt statement had her curling her toes. “Me, too, Jonas. Me, too.”

Moments later, as he inched his way down her body, his mouth on her skin, her body vibrating with each touch of his tongue, Pru was pretty sure that nothing would ever be as tempting as making love with Jonas.

Coming this July, the next exciting Harmless book, A Little Harmless Ride.

When this Dom falls hard, he will do anything to protect the woman he loves.

Elias St John
 has lived a life most people wouldn’t believe. An Aussie by birth, he has found his way to the Big Island working as the right hand man to Joe Kaheaku. When his boss dies and leaves the ranch to Eli and Joe’s niece 
Crysta Miller
, Eli finds himself more than a little attracted to her.

After finding her fiancé in bed with another woman and helping her father through his illness, Crysta is ready for a new start. The offer of the ranch far away from home is perfect. The only problem she has is with Eli who constantly tells her what to do. When an argument turns into a passionate kiss, both of them get more than they were expecting.

Eli finds himself completely enthralled with Crysta as his submissive. As seemingly simple accidents turn deadly, Eli realizes that someone is bent on destroying the ranch by any means possible—even murder.

»
 WARNING: this book contains the following: A cynical Dom, a woman ready for adventure, Hawaiian cowboys-yeah they have them, horse rides, stunning sunsets and a new island for Addicts to cherish. Remember, it’s Harmless so bring on the ice water and towels.

Now, enjoy this unproofed excerpt!

The sharp sting of the whip against his flesh jolted Eli awake. Pain surged through his body once again. He tried to swallow but found his throat too dry. He didn’t know how long he’d been there…he didn’t care. All he wanted to do was die.

“We can’t have you falling asleep, St. John,” the sultry voice whispered in his ear. He had been stupid enough to let that voice seduce him…and now he was paying for it.

He opened his eyes. Correction. He opened his right eye. The other was swollen shut. His arms were stretched above him. His wrists were shackled. He was just high enough that his feet touched the floor but he couldn’t gain any traction.

Every cell, every muscle, every bone in his body hurt.

“There is too much information I want from you...Eli.”

She walked in front of him and stopped. The whip she held in her ha
nd was huge. She used it like a fucking master, as if she had been trained for it. Knowing the bitch, she had. A bullwhip, and with every flick of her wrist, she caused him more pain. Worse, he knew she was getting off on every bit of pain she caused him. Sadistic bitch.

She stepped up so their faces were only inches apart.
She slipped her hand beneath his chin to raise his head so she could look at him. “Ah, Eli, does it hurt too much?”

He looked at her, then stared at that wall.

“You know, I thought you would be harder to get into my bed.”

He heard the snickering. It stabbed him in the gut. After five years in SA
SR, he should have been known better, been more prepared for a witch like her. After the last mission though, he had wanted to forget. Just lose himself in bed and forget.

And now, he was paying for that.

“No comment?” she asked. He looked at her again and understood why he had let her get to him. She was what he liked. Dark hair, dark eyes...athletic without being too skinny. And Jesus, what an ass. But, it had all been a game to her. She wanted what was in his head.

He would die before he would give it to her.

“Tsk, tsk. I guess we need another round,” she said, sick excitement filling her voice. He knew men like her in his own unit. They got off on pain, on seeing how far they could hurt someone before they could break the person they were torturing.  She stepped back and flicked her wrist. The slap of the whip sent another jolt of pain coursing through his body. He was almost numb to it. He’d stopped caring the moment she had turned on him.

“
Hmm, I think we need another tactic, boys. Let’s get the water.”

*

Eli woke stifling a scream. His heart was smacking hard against his chest as he drew in huge gulps of air. He scrubbed a hand over his face and tried his best to escape the memories of the dream. It didn’t diminish the taste of bile in his mouth, or his need for a cigarette, although, he’d quit smoking five years earlier.

He opened his eyes and stared at his ceiling. The fucking nightmares were back and they were worse than before. He could blame it on all kinds of things, but he knew without a doubt why they’d returned.

Damn Joe for dying on him, the old bastard.

With a sigh,
Eli slipped out of bed and headed to his bathroom. It was a long walk, he thought. His room was big enough for a family of five. Joe had insisted on it. Eli had said all he needed was a bed and a bathroom to use, but Joe wouldn’t hear of it. The California king bed looked small in the middle of the room. The sitting room Eli had scoffed at now had a comfortable loveseat and a table covered with books he’d been reading.

For a guy who barely made it out of
SASR and grew up in Australia’s foster system, this was one damned wonderful way to end up. He turned on the cold water and splashed his face. The last bits of the nightmare dissolved, almost forgotten.

As he d
ried his face off, he thought of the nightmares. They’d resumed when Joe had been transferred to Queen’s Medical on Oahu a few months earlier. When Joe’s health had deteriorated, the dreams had intensified. Eli was pretty sure a psychologist would have a field day with it, but he didn’t have time for that. The Millers were arriving today and there was a memorial service to conduct.

He turned on the shower and waited for the water to heat. He told Joe when they built the house they should have put in those heated pipes, but the man had said Eli needed time to contemplate his problems. Waiting for the shower to heat was a good way of doing that
according to Joe.

The thought had Eli’s lips curving—although it hurt.
It was hard to think Eli would never have another conversation with Joe...that he would never get to argue about unimportant things or sit and watch the sun set over the land.

He shook himself out of his funk and decided to get on with it. He needed to keep his wits about him when dealing with Joe
’s relatives. He knew they weren’t going to be happy—especially his brother Dave. Man wasn’t going to be happy when he realized that not one inch of the Big Island ranch was going to be his.

The other part of the family was a mystery. Joe had spent time with his niece and brother-in-law, but they had never come to the Big Island. Eli didn’t have any idea how they would take an outsider owning the ranch. Of course, as far as he knew, Joe’s niece hadn’t stepped foot on Hawaiian soil…
ever
.

Again he shook his thoughts away and started to get ready for the day.  Joe had entrusted his ranch to him, and Eli wouldn’t let anything happen to it.

*  *  *  *

Crysta Miller stared out the window of the rented car and sighed. Huge mountains shot up into the sky as green as a field of clover. The little bit of rain they had hit on the way to the ranch was now just a drizzle with the sun peeking through the clouds. Crysta thought it was perfect when she saw the rainbow. Well, perfect if Joe had been there with them.

She rubbed her hand over her chest and tried to ignore the pain. It was naïve but Crysta had always thought Joe would live forever.

“You know the
Kaheaku don’t live long, honey. Actually, Joe lived a pretty long life considering he was a SEAL and then worked on a ranch,” her father said.

She glanced at him. For so many years it had always been just the two of them. They both knew each other well enough to guess their train of thought. When she had been a teenager, it had been disturbing but now in times like this, it was comforting.

“Stop being reasonable. I want to be sad,” she said.

He chuckled. “I wished we would have made it over last year. It would have been better to see the ranch with Joe to give us a tour.”

“Yeah.” She looked at her father. “But, you know we couldn’t come. Joe understood that you were getting treatment.”

The last year and a half had been a hard one. Losing her mother at the age of five had been enough of a blow to Crysta, but when her father had been diagnosed with cancer, it had shaken her world to its very core. Logically, she knew there was a day when that would happen, but she hadn’t been ready to face it last year.

Now, Joe was gone.

“Do you know anything about this St. John?” she asked.

“Not much, just that Joe had known him for awhile.”

“Someone from the military he knew? I hope he takes good care of the ranch.”

“You really think Joe would leave it to him?” her father asked.

“I think he should. From what Joe said, this St. John helped him build the ranch back up. I actually think he saw him as a sort of surrogate son.”

She left it unsaid that neither of them wanted her other uncle to get any part of the one hundred acre ranch. He was one of the reasons Crysta’s mother had left and never returned to her island home all those years ago. His prejudice against her father for being black and her for being part of him, kept her from knowing her mother’s life before marriage.

“We’ll see,” was all her father would say.

He had been vague about his conversations with Joe the last few weeks. She’d tried to get more out of him, but Hammond Miller was a typical SEAL.

He stopped when they arrived at the gate to the ranch, which was open.

Eli stood on the front lanai of the house and watched Hammond Miller park the rental car. He had offered to pick them up at the airport, but Miller had insisted that Eli had too much on his plate to handle. He watched as Miller unfolded himself from the car and smiled. Joe had genuinely liked Miller. He had said he was a good guy, a good father and even more importantly, he had been a fine Navy officer. But, what was gaining his attention wasn’t the man…but the woman with him.

The pictures Joe had of Crysta Miller hadn’t done the woman justice. She was tall…like her father, her skin a softer shade of mocha than his. A wealth of curly hair was tied at the nape of her neck but a few springy tendrils had escaped. She leaned back into the car to grab her purse and Eli had to force himself to look away. The woman had a world-class ass on her.

“Eli St. John, I presume,” Miller said as he approached him.

Eli pushed himself away from the post and walked down the steps. “Yes, sir.”

“Please, call me Hammond, or better yet, Ham. Neither of us are in the service anymore.”

So, Joe had told him he had been in SARS. Eli should have figured he’d do that.

“I’d like you to meet my daughter, Crysta.”

She stepped up beside her father and Eli was jolted again. She had a face that could stop traffic. It was an old adage, but it was true. Blue eyes that curved up slightly at the edges stood out on a heart-shaped face. Her skin was so smooth his fingers itched to touch it.

“Ms. Miller,” he said and dipped his hat.

She laughed. “Oh, my, what a nice greeting, but just call me Crysta. I haven’t been Ms. Miller since I stopped teaching last spring.”

He nodded. “I’m sure you two would like to get settled.”

Ham smiled. “Yes. It’s a long trip from DC to here.”

“How would you know, Dad? You slept for eight hours,” Crysta said as she turned to get things out of the car and stopped. His men were already pulling things out. She hurried forward and grabbed a box. “I’ll take care of this.”

She made the mistake of smiling at Mike, one of the younger men he’d hired recently. Mike said nothing and Eli figured it was because the kid couldn’t. There probably wasn’t any blood left in his brain.

Crysta seemed oblivious though. She returned to stand beside her father and smiled. “Ready when you are.”

*  *  *  *

Crysta stepped into the kitchen and sighed. Lord, it was a work of art. Long counters lined each one of the walls; there was a six-burner gas stove, and an island with a separate sink and pot rack hanging over it. Joe had always said Crysta got her love of cooking from him and the kitchen proved that.

“I take it you couldn’t get rest?” Eli said. She turned and looked at him, trying her best to hide her reaction. The man was a tall drink of…well, not water. That was too bland for the delicious package of Eli St. John. He was taller than she was by a good three or four inches, had the sexy weathered look that cowboys had, and he never really smiled with those full lips of his. Add in that damned Aussie accent, and she was barely keeping her tongue in her mouth.

“What?” she asked when he kept staring at her.

“The kitchen, you approve?”

She nodded. “Love it.”

She walked around and looked at the fixtures. It was pretty evident that Joe hadn’t spared any expense.

“That’s right. You teach this kind of stuff.”

She slanted him a look then turned her attention back to stove. She’d kill to have a professional grade stovetop at home. “I taught. I resigned last spring.”

There was a beat of silence. “Joe didn’t tell me that.”