When the Lights Go Out (7 page)

Chapter Seventeen

April plopped on the couch. She looked around and smiled. It was really shaping up. She should have brought a fan in while she painted the bathroom. She started to wipe her arm across her face but stopped when she saw the paint on there. The other arm wasn’t any cleaner. At least the room looked nice.

Her mother had frowned at the white subway tile and square pedestal sink April purchased at the home improvement store a couple of nights ago. But April couldn’t help herself. She’d insisted the tile she was using as a backsplash was economical, and it was.

She sure wasn’t going to tell her mother it reminded her of the Business Depot bathroom and someone she wasn’t going to have again. Truth be told, April couldn’t get that morning out of her mind. She was hoping it would have some cathartic effect if she put it on her walls. So far, it wasn’t working.

Turning out her bedroom lights at night, April could still feel how good Mr. James’s arms felt around her. She could still feel the press of his body and the perfect way his touch zapped everything ordinary about sex from her universe.

She’d hoped she could just go back to her job and revel in her independence. Now she was distracted. She’d done her supply order online like she always did, but looking at the Business Depot logo made her think about the manager she got to know in the dark.

Dammit.
The paint fumes and the tile grout must be screwing with her brain. She had been doing okay today not thinking about him. She just needed some air.

That was all. She was just a bit high from the fumes. She already had the back door open since it was close to the bathroom. If she opened the front she’d have a good cross breeze to air the house out faster.

April popped up and pulled down her ponytail holder to redo her hair where it had fallen on the sides. She swung the door open and was just about to put her hair back in its restraint when she saw the plant. Her mouth fell open when she realized who was holding it.

“Oh.”

“I..” Mr. James stuttered. “I…” He thrust the plant at her. “I brought you a housewarming present.”

April backed up. “How did you know where I lived?”

“Your mother─”

Of course it was her mother. “She told me she sent you flowers.”

“She sent me a card. Told me your name.”

April shook her head. “I assume you’re okay?”

“Concussion, but other than a few days off work, I’m fine.” He pushed the plant forward. “So. Here’s the plant.”

April looked at him.

“I also wondered…if you wanted to go…for coffee or something.”

After putting the plant in April’s hands he obviously didn’t know what to do with his, so he shoved them in his pockets. He was wearing jeans and a polo. His face was clean-shaven and his hair was just a little wet from where a bit of rain began to mist down around him.

“I do drink coffee.” April conceded.

His smile pressed a dimple into his left cheek. He was adorable, and April found herself grinning back.

“Can I tell you my name now?” He asked.

“I don’t know, Mr. James,” she teased. “That depends on what you want out of this little visit.”

His hands flew up. “Just coffee. I swear.”

“When?” she asked.

“I can meet you down at the Starbucks at the corner. How about in thirty minutes so you have time to change?”

She looked him up and down. He was nervous and sincere, and he set off every nerve in her body. She couldn’t resist. “Okay. And if it goes well, maybe I’ll show you
my
bathroom.”

About the Author

Roxy wrote her first story at age six on an electric typewriter. It was about a cat and a haunted house. Thankfully, her stories and technology have matured since then. Now Roxy spends her days fighting the evil day job in hopes of conquering the stories that run rampant in her head when she comes home at night. When she discovered Erotic Romance, Roxy fell in love. She can’t wait to share all her fun and sexy stories with everyone. To connect with Roxy Mews find her babbling on
Twitter
, friend her on
Facebook
, visit her
Blog
, or find all these links on
RoxyRocksMe.com

Look for these titles by Roxy Mews

Now Available:

Coral-600

Hart Clan Hybrids

A Love Worth Biting For

Love’s a Witch

Coming Soon:

Three’s a Clan

Continue reading for excerpts from the full April Fools For Love Collection.

April Fools For Love…Where Pranks Make You Pant.

Best April Fools joke ever—falling in love.

Part of the April Fools For Love collection

Biting Love Short Bites
, Book 4

Serendipity “Sera” Braun wears glasses and a bun to teach during the day, but at night, she adds a breast-plumping vest and dirndl for her job hoisting beer steins at Nieman’s. The big, leather-vest-and-earringed Viking bouncer? He’s bedsheets waiting to get sweaty, but all he does is scowl at her. She’s trying to keep her geriatric stripper of a granny from breaking a hip, but it’s hard when she keeps getting distracted by that sexy, smoky baritone.

Thorvald Thorsson is bitingly lonely—every vampire around him is mating. But his ex-fiancée rejected him as a killjoy, so it’s high time Fun Thor comes out to play. No way he’d pair up with the cute but too-serious little schoolmarm who waits tables at the bar.

Sera bridles the wicked, delicious things she’d like to do with the muscular Viking, suppressing herself until she’s a volcano about to blow. Then they are thrown together in a prank war, and all his potent masculinity is focused on her. He makes her burn to let loose, but how can she and still be responsible for Granny and set a good example?

Warning: A terribly lonely vampire, a conflicted schoolmarm with a caged wild side, nosy roommates and the female version of a bromance, not to mention scorching sex, a whole town full of busybodies—and the best April Fools joke ever.

Enjoy the following excerpt for
Biting Serendipity:

“Doesn’t matter. The boss ordered us to do this contest, so we do this contest.” Thor jerked one shoulder in a shrug.

The sleeveless T-shirt and leather vest meant what shrugged was bronzed, naked skin, muscles jerking, especially luscious triple-scoop deltoids that I wanted to lick.

Wanted to lick so bad, to keep myself from doing it, I had to run my tongue over my suddenly throbbing lips instead.

His gaze dropped to my mouth and darkened, stormy this time like a steamy tropical squall. “What are you doing?”

“M-me?” Nerves prompted me to lick again. “Just…nothing.”

He leaned closer, his hair swaying forward to frame his chiseled, handsome face. “Nothing?” His pupils dilated to pools of black.

My heart shot into overdrive. Air seemed to have left the small room; contrarily, what there was of it smelled, not of lime and coconut, but leather and male.

Searching my gaze, he reached out and gently cupped my chin. His fingers, warm and slightly rough on my skin, thrilled me down to my toes. His face was so near mine now I could feel the heat of his breath on my skin.

He’s going to kiss me.

My lips parted on quickened breaths. My desire must have shone in my eyes because the saucers of his pupils lit with a red flame. Blood pounded in my ears.

The vampire was staring at me.

Insanely, that turned me on. I tightened toes in my ballerina flats and lifted toward him.

The moment crystallized between us. His red gaze was tethered to mine, the hand that so gently held my face was crowned by a hint of talon, and when his lips parted, fang tips were revealed.

Vampire, human. I was prey. Yet I was also something precious. My lids slid shut in anticipation.

His mouth captured mine.

He tasted of whiskey, hot and oh-so-smooth. The sweet fire of his kiss sent my blood from hot to boiling, my mouth like the inside of an oven. I opened under his beguiling lips, to vent some of the heat.

Instead, more heat rushed in, his breath, scorching.

I trembled, my belly fluttering with excitement. My muscles yielded, and I fell into him. My breasts pressed against the wall of his chest like smashing against a cliff. Sharp, sweet desire stabbed my groin, and my blood whooshed ever harder in my ears.

“Sera,” he groaned. He backed off to swirl lips against mine, thousands of brief, buffing kisses that kindled my skin until my lips were burning.

My breath came in quick gasps, his scent like the crashing, salty sea. His fang tips grazed my lips as he kissed, sweet and heady sensations taking on an edge. I dipped my tongue between his parted lips, hinting for more, then thought, “Ah, fuck it,” threw out Staid Sera, wrapped arms around his neck, arched my body into his, and thrust my tongue into his mouth, telling him in no uncertain terms.

A growl ripped from his throat. The fiery thrust of his tongue battled past mine into my mouth, claimed me. I groaned at the taste of him, the feel of him, filling me. My jaw dropped, yielding to his onslaught.

He seized my bun in one big hand and held me captive for his plundering. He kissed me savagely now, a Viking invader.

One powerful arm wrapped my ribs, crushing me to him. His scent, tangy leather, wrapped me even tighter. My nipples tingled and hardened. I released his neck to slide palms over his shoulders, the ones I’d wanted to lick so badly, reveling in crowns of notched, rock-hard deltoids as big as bowling balls. My pelvis flooded with heavy, hot need.

He was all hard muscle, but something even harder, growing long and fat against my skirts, snagged my complete attention.

Thor
wanted
me.

Double Dare

© 2015 Jodi Redford

Part of the April Fools For Love collection

From the moment Graham Barlow and Matt Spencer moved into the bungalow across from hers, Dani Tipton’s willpower has been strung to its limit. Ignoring the hot and heavy fantasies the two hunks inspire on a daily basis is more than any woman’s libido can take. Although temptation beckons, Dani’s determined to be a good role model for her wild, trouble-prone younger sister. Jumping in the sack with either of her sexier-than-sin neighbors sure as hell wouldn’t help her case. But when her sister sets up the ultimate April Fools’ prank, Dani suddenly winds up neck-deep in a compromising position. Literally.

For the last eighteen months, Graham and Matt have been carrying a major case of blue balls for Dani. No matter how hard they flirt or lay on the charm, she’s kept them strictly in the friend’s zone. So when they discover her buck naked in their swimming pool they figure they’re either hallucinating—or have been handed their one shot at rocking Dani’s panties off. Not too difficult to do, seeing how she’s not wearing any. Convincing her to indulge in a little frisky threesome skinny dipping? Easy enough. And the sexy interlude that follows is hot enough to boil the pool water. But when it comes to making their unconventional triad permanent, Matt and Graham issue Dani the biggest dare of all—entrusting them with her heart.

Warning: This M/F/M ménage brings new meaning to getting to know your neighbor. Lusty pool shenanigans and creative uses for hot tub jets. No bathing suit required, but bring an extra towel. Things are bound to get wet.

Enjoy the following excerpt for
Double Dare:
 

A motion across the street distracted Dani and she shifted her focus. Graham Barlow lifted from his crouch in front of a large stand-on lawnmower and swiped his grease-streaked forearm across his brow. The movement pulled his black tank top snug to his chest, molding the fabric to the mouthwatering contours of his ripped muscles. He tossed a look toward the shiny silver pickup truck that he and his roommate used for their landscape business. “Did you find that wrench yet?”

One of the truck’s doors slammed, and Matt Spencer popped into view. He strode to the disabled mower and passed the tool to his partner. A grunt fell from Graham. “What were you doing over there, jacking off? Took ya long enough.”

Oh Lord. Like she needed
that
image implanted in her brain. Especially since her hormones were already performing their own version of an exuberant Riverdance thanks to the yummy ogle fest Matt and Graham provided.

Damn it, she really hated that Erin was right. The two men
were
walking advertisements for lady boners. Unlike Graham, Matt had forgone a shirt, which put every inch of his strong, sculpted back on mouthwatering display. Her fingertips tingled as she imagined running them down the deep groove of his spine, cruising toward those cute dimples that rode just above—

A car horn tooted, and Dani jumped guiltily. Both men swiveled their heads and sent a wave to Erin as she reversed out of the driveway. 

Erin poked her head out the car window, the sticky breeze rustling her neon blue pixy cut. “When are you gonna grow some balls and ask my sister out?”

Dani groaned, desperately wishing she could mimic a chameleon by blending with the nearby flowering lantana bush. Before she could safely duck inside the house without anyone being the wiser of her presence, her neighbors slashed their attention her way. She was fairly certain her cheeks were red enough Graham and Matt would be able to detect their nuclear glow from a mile away.

Matt’s chuckle floated in Dani’s direction. “Just as soon as we’re certain she’ll say yes.”

Her pulse revved at the wickedness of his expression and the resulting heat wave that swamped her body. There was no mistaking the blazing interest he and Graham had leveled on her. Since they’d moved in roughly a year and a half ago, they’d attempted to lure her to the Dark Side with a steady dance of flirtation, so she had a bad feeling those twin sparkles of determination in their eyes bode an outright war against her resistance.

Gulping, she tore her focus from Graham and Matt and slunk back inside the house. Snicking the door closed, she thunked her forehead against the whitewashed wood grain. Why must fate be such a devious bitch? Florida was full of retirees. Why couldn’t her neighbors be a pair of old coots who owned a closetful of lime green Bermuda shorts and compression socks?

Grumping under her breath, she detoured to the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of iced tea from the fridge. She twisted off the cap the same instant the doorbell chimed. Heart knocking, she stared in the direction of the front entry. Safe to say that wasn’t the milkman.

“Thanks a lot, Erin.” Grumbling, Dani shuffled to the door. A quick peek through the peep hole confirmed her suspicions of who stood on the other side. Sending a memo to her hormones to get a grip, she sucked in a deep breath and swung open the door. She returned Matt and Graham’s megawatt grins with her own wobblier version. “Hey.”

His gaze sparkling, Graham propped one hand high up on the doorframe, the position hiking the hem of his tank top. “Hey yourself.”

An endless moment passed while she stared transfixed at the intriguing peppering of dark hair that formed a happy trail down Graham’s washboard abs and disappeared beneath the low-slung waistband of his navy blue cargo shorts. His pointed cough snapped her from her trance. The muggy heat contributing to the warmth already occupying her cheeks, she lifted her focus and met his amused regard.

The tiny upward hitch at the corner of his mouth did funny things to her tummy. “We couldn’t help but notice that your bush is in need of a little TLC.”

She double blinked. “Uh, what?”

He cocked his head toward the flowering lantana to the right of him. The wicked glint in his whiskey-hued irises verified that he was plenty aware of his double entendre. “Wouldn’t take us but a minute or so to shape it up.”

“That’s incredibly nice of you guys, but—”

“Consider it a trade,” Matt offered.

She frowned. “For what?”

“The empanadas that your sister promised you’d bring when you come over for dinner tonight.”

She stifled a groan. “Please tell me Erin didn’t invite us over.” It’d be right up her sister’s alley to do something both embarrassing and rude, all while not giving a hoot.

Graham shook his head and chuckled. “Just you.”

His clarification instantly deflated her sharp bloom of relief.
I’m going to kill Erin. Plain and simple.
“Look, I don’t want you guys getting the wrong idea about what she said earlier.”

“You mean asking you out?” Matt’s teeth flashed brilliant white against the sun-bronzed backdrop of his complexion. This up close, she easily detected every glistening bead of sweat dampening his sculpted pecs.

Do
not
allow yourself to be distracted by gorgeous man titty.
She nodded vigorously, both at her inner reprimand and Matt’s question. Best to nip this in the bed—
bud! Get your mind out of the gutter.
—before she gave in to the urge to offer herself up as a human towel. “Erin likes to instigate things.”

“Yeah, but I happen to think she’s got the right idea. So does Graham.” Without warning, Matt’s fingers closed around hers. She jolted at the unexpected skin-on-skin contact, but it was the lazy stroke of his thumb along hers that spurred her wispy intake of breath.

His smoky blue gaze locked with hers, he pried her bottle of tea from her frozen grip. He lifted the beverage to his mouth and took a swig. She was too entranced by the sweep of his tongue catching a droplet of the tea on his bottom lip to be miffed at him brazenly availing himself of her drink without asking permission.

He passed the bottle back to her. “Dinner’s at eight. Don’t forget the empanadas.”