Today I'm bringing you an excerpt from Theirs to Cherish, the newest release in the Wicked Lovers series by Shayla Black. I'm also giving away a copy of the book.
Good luck!
Series: Wicked Lovers #8
Genre: Erotic Romance
Publisher: Berkley Heat
Publication Date: 3/4/14
The perfect place for a woman on the run to disappear…
Accused of a horrific murder she didn’t commit, former heiress Callie Ward has been a fugitive since she was sixteen—until she found the perfect hideout, Club Dominion. The only problem is she’s fallen for the club’s Master, Mitchell Thorpe, who keeps her at arm’s length. Little does she know that his reasons for not getting involved have everything to do with his wounded heart…and his consuming desire for her.
To live out her wildest fantasies…
Enter Sean Kirkpatrick, a Dom who’s recently come to Dominion and taken a pointed interest in Callie. Hoping to make Thorpe jealous, she submits to Sean one shuddering sigh at a time. It isn’t long before she realizes she’s falling for him too. But the tender lover who’s slowly seducing her body and earning her trust isn’t who he claims…
And to fall in love.
When emotions collide and truths are exposed, Sean is willing to risk all to keep Callie from slipping through his fingers. But he’s not the only man looking to stake a claim. Now Callie is torn between Sean and Thorpe, and though she’s unsure whom she can trust, she’ll have to surrender her body and soul to both—if she wants to elude a killer…
Theirs to Cherish by Shayla Black is a story of love, courage, and danger. Two alpha men and one amazing woman fight to stay apart as they are drawn closer together.
For Callie Ward, falling for one man when she’s concealing deadly secrets and running for her life is already difficult. Wanting desperately to share her soul with him feels even more challenging. But loving two very different men—both Dominant and determined to uncover everything she’s been hiding—seems impossible. Will Callie choose one or the other…or leave them both?
EXCERPT
CALLIE trembled as she lay back on the padded
table and Sean Kirkpatrick’s strong fingers wrapped around her cuffed wrist,
guiding it back to the bindings above her head.
“I
don’t know if I can do this,” she murmured.
He
paused, then drew in a breath as if he sought patience. “Breathe, lovely.”
That
gentle, deep brogue of his native Scotland brought her peace. His voice both
aroused and soothed her, and she tried to let those feelings wash through her.
“Can
you do that for me?” he asked.
His
fingers uncurled from her wrist, and he grazed the inside of her outstretched
arm with his knuckles. As always, his touch was full of quiet strength. He made
her ache. She shivered again, this time for an entirely different reason.
“I’ll
try.”
Sean
shook his head, his deep blue eyes seeming to see everything she tried to hide
inside. That penetrating stare scared the hell out of her. What did he see when
he looked at her? How much about the real her had he pieced together?
The
thought made her panic. No one could know her secret. No one. She’d
kept it from everyone, even Thorpe, during her four years at Dominion. She’d
finally found a place where she felt safe, comfortable. Of course she’d have to
give it up someday, probably soon.
She always did. But
please, not yet.
Deep breath.
Don’t panic. He wants your submission, not your secrets.
“You’ll
need to do better than try. You’ve been ‘trying’ for over six months,” he
reminded her gently. “Do you think I’d truly hurt you?”
No.
Sean didn’t seem to have a violent bone in his body. He wasn’t a sadist. He
never gripped her harshly. He never even raised his voice. She’d jokingly
thought of him as the sub whisperer because he pushed her boundaries with a
gentleness she found both irresistible and insidious. Certainly, he’d dragged
far more out of her than any other man had. Tirelessly, he’d worked to earn her
trust. Callie felt terrible that she could never give it, not when doing so could
be fatal.
Guilt
battered her. She should stop wasting his time.
“I
know you wouldn’t,” she assured, blinking up at him, willing him to understand.
“Of
course not.” He pressed his chest over hers, leaning closer to delve into her
eyes.
Callie
couldn’t resist lowering her lids, shutting out the rest of the world. Even
knowing she shouldn’t, she sank into the soft reassurance of his kiss. Each
brush of his lips over hers soothed and aroused. Every time he touched her, her
heart raced. Her skin grew tight. Her nipples hardened. Her pussy moistened and
swelled. Her heart ached. Sean Kirkpatrick would be so easy to love.
As
his fingers filtered into her hair, cradling her scalp, she exhaled and melted
into his kiss—just for a sweet moment. It was the only one she could afford.
A
fierce yearning filled her. She longed for him to peel off his clothes, kiss
her with that determination she oft en saw stamped into his eyes, and take her
with the single-minded fervor she knew he was capable of. But in the months
since he’d collared her, he’d done nothing more than stroke her body, tease
her, and grant her orgasms when he thought she’d earned them. She hadn’t let
him fully restrain her. And he hadn’t yet taken her to bed.
Not
knowing the feel of him deep inside her, of waiting and wanting until her body
throbbed relentlessly, was making her buckets full of crazy.
After
another skillful brush of his lips, Sean ended the kiss and lifted his head,
breathing hard. She clung, not ready to let him go. How had he gotten under her
skin so quickly? His tenderness filled her veins like a drug. The way he had
addicted Callie terrified her.
“I
want you. Sean, please . . .” She damn near wept.
With
a broad hand, he swept the stray hair from her face. Regret softened his blue
eyes before he ever said a word. “If you’re not ready to trust me as your Dom,
do you think you’re ready for me as a lover? I want you completely open to me
before we take that step. All you
have to do is trust
me, lovely.”
Callie
slammed her eyes shut. This was so fucking pointless. She wanted to
trust Sean, yearned to give him everything—devotion, honesty, faith. Her past
ensured that she’d never give any of those to anyone. But he had feelings for
her. About that, she had no doubt. They’d grown just as hers had, unexpectedly,
over time, a fledgling limb morphing into a sturdy vine that eventually created
a bud just waiting to blossom . . . or die.
She
knew which. They could never have more than this faltering Dom/sub
relationship, destined to perish in a premature winter.
The
responsible choice would be to call her safe word, walk out, quit him. Release
them both from this hell. Never look back.
For
the first time in nearly a decade, Callie worried that she might not have the
strength to say good-bye. What was wrong with her tonight? She was too
emotional. She needed to pull up her big-girl panties and snap on her bratty
attitude, pretend that nothing mattered. It was how she’d coped for years. But
she couldn’t seem to manage that with Sean.
“You’re
up in your head, instead of here with me,” he gently rebuked her.
Another
dose of guilt blistered her. “Sorry, Sir.”
Sean
sighed heavily, stood straight, then held out his hand to her. “Come with me.”
Callie
winced. If he intended to stop the scene, that could only mean he wanted to
talk. These sessions where he tried to dig through her psyche became more
painful than the sexless nights she spent in unfulfilled longing under his
sensual torture.
Swallowing
down her frustration, she dredged up her courage, then put her hand in his.
Holding
her in a steady grip, Sean led her to the far side of Dominion’s dungeon, to a
bench in a shadowed corner. As soon as she could see the rest of the room,
Callie felt eyes on her, searing her skin. With a nonchalant glance, she looked
at the others sceneing around them, but they seemed lost in their own world of
pleasure, pain, groans, sweat, and need. A lingering sweep of the room revealed
another sight that had the power to drop her to her knees.
Thorpe
in the shadows. Staring. At her with Sean. His expression wasn’t one of
disapproval exactly . . . but he wasn’t pleased.
Sean
sat, then pulled her onto his lap, supporting her back with a strong grip
around her waist. He cupped her chin in his palm and sent her a pointed glance.
“Eyes on me, lovely.”
She
complied, trying not to think about the fact that it was getting harder and
harder to meet his stare and not give herself to him for real.
Originally,
she’d allowed Sean into her life because he irritated Thorpe, who sometimes
looked at her as if she were the brightest star in the sky, then always chose
another woman to master. She’d wanted to make him jealous. Hell, she’d wanted
to see if he even gave a shit. Sean had walked into the club with his quiet
sophistication and dry humor, taken one look at her, and never glanced at anyone
else. It had done her ego a world of good—until Thorpe had removed his protection
and allowed Sean to collar her. Without so much as blinking, he’d let her go.
So
why the hell was Thorpe watching her now?
Wicked Lovers Series
(covers lead to GoodReads)
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