“Is that what you want?”

“Hell, no. I’m happy to shout it from the rooftops.” He grinned. “We could put it on the front page of the magazine.”

He pulled her into his arms and kissed her, gliding his tongue deep into her mouth and stroking until he felt her melt against him. His hand slid to the small of her back and he pulled her tight to his hips, his cock already growing for her. Ready to slide inside her.

He spun her around and backed her to the wall, then pressed her to it. He continued to kiss her, her head pressed to the wall as he grabbed her wrists and drew them over her head, then pinned them there with one hand.

She seemed to struggle a bit against him and his cock twitched. The thought of her resisting him … of him having to subdue her … God, his cock hardened to a steel column. Role-playing with her was going to be fan-fucking-tastic.

He cupped her breast, then stroked down her body. He pivoted his hips against her so she could feel how hard he was, then he grabbed a handful of her flowing, floral skirt and drew it upward.

She shook her head, dislodging their lips.

“No, Adam. Please.”

He frowned as he saw the panic in her eyes.

“Sorry, Ash.” He released her skirt, but still held her hands and body in place, then grinned. “I just wanted to make good on my promise to dominate you in my office.”

Then he kissed her again, his lips persuasive on hers, and her stiff body relaxed. Then he glided his tongue into her mouth. Gently this time. Caressing.

She murmured and even arched a little against him. He could feel her nipples, like hard beads pushing through the fabric.

But as soon as he drew away his mouth and smiled down at her, she said, “Please let me go. We need to talk.”

The words were like a knife to the heart. Nothing good ever came from those words.

But he knew he was overreacting. He and Ash had finally gotten past all the obstacles to their happiness. She was his now. He’d shared the delights of her body while they’d shared intense, incredible pleasure together.

This was their happily-ever-after. There was no way this could be the end.

*   *   *

Ashley stared at Adam’s face. Uncertainty flickered through his warm, brown eyes.

Oh, God, she didn’t know what to say now. What to do. But she couldn’t let this continue without saying something.

She remembered that Adam had been in a serious relationship years ago, just after she and Jessica had left for college. Ashley had never met the woman who’d hurt Adam, but he had been devastated when she’d left him and as a result, he’d only had a couple of relationships in the handful of years since then. She knew he was afraid of having his heart broken again, and she definitely didn’t want to be the one who did that.

“Are you dumping me?” he asked as he stepped back, giving her room to breathe.

“No, it’s not like that.” She sidestepped him and walked to one of the two chairs by his small, round meeting table, then sat down.

He sat across from her. “What is it then?”

She folded her hands on the tabletop. “A few hours after you left yesterday … in the afternoon…” She was aware of his intense scrutiny while he waited for her explanation. She sighed. “Dare came to see me.”

“What?” Anger flared in his eyes. “Why? I thought it was over between you.”

She nodded. “I thought so, too, but…” She forced herself to hold his gaze. “He told me he wants to get back together again.”

Adam snorted. “Back together? You were never really together. He just fucked you a couple of times.”

“Adam…”

He stood up. “No, really, Ash. Don’t tell me you’re considering this. It isn’t real for him. He doesn’t have feelings for you. You’re just a distraction from his busy life. Believe me, when his business is done here, he’ll be gone and all you’ll have left is a broken heart.”

The pain in his eyes made her realize that he was remembering the agony he’d suffered after losing the woman he’d loved.

“No, he said he wants more than that. He wants to keep seeing me even after. He said we can make it work.”

The pain in his eyes turned to simmering anger. “So that’s it? He beckons and you’re just going to drop what we could have?” He took her hand and squeezed, the warmth of his fingers around hers tugging on her heart. “After all this time when we’ve clearly wanted each other…” He lifted her hand to his mouth and his lips brushed lightly across her skin. “Can you really give up what we have so easily?”

She shook her head, her heart crushing. “Adam, it’s not easy.”

*   *   *

Adam’s heart froze. Fuck, this was it. She was going to walk away. The remembered pain of abandonment from last time … the only other time he’d allowed himself to love …

“Oh, Adam, no.” Ashley’s soft hand rested against his cheek. “I didn’t mean…” She drew in a deep breath. “What I meant was, there’s nothing about this situation that’s easy.” She stroked his cheek. “You are my close friend and what we shared this weekend was amazing—”

“But?”

She shook her head. “No buts. I don’t want to end what we have between us.”

His eyes lit with hope.

“But I also have to honor the fact that…” She pursed her lips. “Well, I have feelings for Dare.” As she gazed into Adam’s anxious brown eyes, she knew she had to tell him the whole truth. “I think I’m falling in love with him.”

He drew her hand away from his face. “Fuck, so how is this not ending it with me?”

She frowned. “Because, Adam, I think I’m in love with you, too.”

Don’t miss the latest serial erotic romance

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About the Author

Opal Carew is the award-winning author of seventeen previous erotic romances for St. Martin’s Press. To learn more, visit her on the Web at www.opalcarew.com. Or sign up for email updates here.

      

Books by Opal Carew

Bliss

Forbidden Heat

Secret Ties

Six

Blush

Swing

Twin Fantasies

Pleasure Bound

Total Abandon

Secret Weapon

Insatiable

Illicit

His to Command

His to Possess

His to Claim

Riding Steele

Hard Ride

Stepbrother, Mine

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Contents

Title Page

Copyright Notice

Begin Reading

About the Author

Books by Opal Carew

Copyright

This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.