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Sooner or later, it won t be enough. For you or for me.
Had she made up her mind even then? Sent him off to cool his heels knowing she
could get what she wanted from someone else? He d already told her Evan wouldn t
claim jump, but hell, pushed hard enough by a woman like Lindsey&
He spun around and flung open the screen door hard enough to smack the wall and
chip the paint. Fuck if he cared.
Dogging his steps through the foyer, Catie glanced around the house.  Here?
 At The Lucky Draw.
 Oh, well, she  Her eyes widened.  Oh.
Jealousy burned in his gut as he took the stairs two at a time. If she was going to
fuck someone else, he d damn sure be there to watch, to control, to take.
 Where are you going? she called after him.
 To get what s mine.
* * * * *
He wasn t coming.
Lindsey glanced at the clock above the door of her office. Noon. If Clay was coming,
he d have shown up by now. She d risked it all and lost.
Watching him walk out the door of The Lucky Draw last night, she d made the
hard decision to back off. She d pushed and prodded and begged oh God, had she
begged and though coming on strong might have been the way to get his attention, it
wasn t the way she wanted to keep it.
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Saddle Broke
The heartache of losing him wouldn t hurt any less now than later, but the closer
she got to Clay, the more devastated she d be if when he walked away. And he
would. A man with his carnal appetite wouldn t be satisfied long with mainstream sex
even if she let him tie her up and fuck her nine ways to Sunday.
A hand settled on her shoulder and squeezed.  He ll be here.
Attempting a smile, she glanced up at Evan standing behind her.  He s probably
glad I let him off the hook. She waved off the objection she saw coming and returned
her attention to the organized chaos in front of her.  I m just glad this turned out not to
be as bad as I thought.
He leaned over her to point at the last column of numbers.  You were on the right
track.
 Thank you for all your help. I owe you big-time.
 You ll get my bill.
She laughed and, for the first time since last night, actually felt her mood lighten.
 You re worth every 
The door swung open and Clay filled the doorway, holding a black gym bag in his
hand. A navy T-shirt stretched across his muscled chest and tucked into faded jeans. He
looked so damn yummy. And angry.
Evan straightened and Clay s gaze shifted to the hand on her shoulder. Evan didn t
remove his hand, and Lindsey squelched the urge to squirm out from under it.  Clay?
His gaze flew to hers, dark eyes piercing her.  You sure you wanna do this?
 Yes, she whispered, her heart pounding.
 Did you bring your bag? He directed the question to Evan but remained focused
on her. His expression promised retribution for whatever slight she d caused, real or
imagined. Her nipples tightened.
 Never leave home without it.
 Get it and meet us upstairs.
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Darah Lace
Evan squeezed her shoulder reassuringly then sauntered around the desk. Clay
didn t budge from blocking the door and, for a moment, Lindsey was afraid he d forget
Evan was his friend. The last thing she wanted was to cause a rift between them.
She stood abruptly, the chair banging against the wall behind her, and grabbed a
ring of keys off the desk.  Evan? He turned around and both men looked at her. She
tossed Evan the keys.  Would you lock the front door on your way out? You can drive
around to the back. The door on the left leads upstairs.
 Sure. He turned back and this time Clay moved aside to let him pass.
Clay watched Evan disappear down the hall then took a step into the office.  I don t
like being manipulated.
Lindsey walked around the desk and stood in front of him.  Don t be mad at him.
I m the one to blame.
 I have no doubts about that.
 I m sorry. Her stomach sank and remorse crowded in to dampen her excitement.
 If you don t want to 
 Oh, I want to. His hand cupped her cheek and his thumb rubbed her lower lip.  I
just hope that once you get what you want, you don t find out it s not what you wanted
after all.
Covering his hand with hers, she kissed his palm.  I won t.
 Then lead the way. He motioned for her to precede him down the hall, but she
pulled him farther into the office.
 It s this way. A nervous rush of adrenaline shot through her as she unlocked the
door that opened into a small foyer. To the left, a larger metal door led to the parking
lot, and to the right, a set of stairs stretched upward to the only real home she d ever
known. She waited for Clay to shut the office door.  Lock the deadbolt, would you?
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Saddle Broke
Climbing the stairs ahead of him, she could feel his eyes on her ass. Excitement
bubbled inside her. This was it. Her chance to prove to Clay how much she wanted to
share this part of his life. There was no turning back.
At the top of the stairs, she opened another door and stepped into the small living
area consisting of a kitchenette, dining table and chairs, a sofa and television. A small
part of her was embarrassed to have him see how she d grown up. At least it was clean.
Lindsey crossed to one of three doors at the back wall. One was her father s
bedroom, one was hers and the one in the middle was a bathroom. Her apartment in
Houston was twice the size of the loft. But she had plans to expand the bar once the
delinquent taxes were cleared up, and those plans included remodeling the loft.
Lindsey glanced over her shoulder as she turned the knob and entered her
bedroom.  Dad won t be back until tomorrow.
If Clay thought any less of her, he didn t show it as he sauntered to the end of her
bed and dropped the bag on the quilt-covered mattress. His gaze scanned the sparse
room, taking in the dresser, desk, frilly pink curtains and finally the brass bed with
flowery ceramic inserts between each bar.
Grimacing at the full mattress, Lindsey wished she d moved her queen-sized bed
instead of putting it in storage.  I know it s not big enough.
 It s perfect for what I have planned. His gaze swung to hers, heat building in the
depths of his dark eyes.  Take off your clothes.
She blinked. For a moment, she d forgotten why they were here. She d been so
worried about what he thought about her home, and all he was thinking about was
fucking her and how he d do it. Her heart raced as vivid images filled her head.
Feet braced apart, he folded his arms over his chest.  Don t make me repeat
myself.
Come on, Lindsey. Don t blow this.
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Darah Lace
Taking a deep breath, she drew from the determination that had carried her this far,
along with the desire buzzing in her veins, and lifted the hem of her old, faded T-shirt
over her head. She tossed it on the dresser and reached for the button of her jeans.
His brow inched upward.  I was beginning to wonder if you owned a bra.
 A few actually. She hadn t worn one before as part of her plan to seduce him. But
this morning when she dressed, she d wanted to send a message to Clay. By wearing an
old T-shirt and jeans and confining the girls, she d wanted him to see she wasn t out to
seduce Evan.
Sliding the zipper down, she toed off her tennis shoes. His gaze followed her jeans
and panties over her hips, down her thighs, until she kicked them aside. He tugged his
shirt from his waistband and yanked it over his head. His abs rippled with the
movement. Biceps bulged as he unhooked the heavy belt buckle before lifting one foot
and then the other to remove his boots. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]