If You Want Me Page 10

  When Sara returned, she had tears in her eyes. Ben hugged her and pressed a kiss into her hair. “I’m sorry. He’ll come around.”

  Sara shook her head. “I don’t know, Ben. I just don’t know. He’s really hurt and angry.”

  “I just want to say, Sara…” Carolyn took a deep breath and clasped her fingers together. “I know we didn’t grow up together like you and Kyle, but for what it’s worth…I always wanted a sister.”

  Even Javier had probably spent more time here at the Ashford Estate than Carolyn, but despite being raised by a loathsome woman, Carolyn had always had a sweet, even fragile spirit about her.

  Sara blinked, and Ben couldn’t miss the tears brimming in her eyes. “You know what, Carolyn? Me, too.”

  Kyle held his arms open to Carolyn and Sara. “Okay, ladies, bring it in for a hug.”

  Sara’s smile was infectious, and it spread through Ben’s heart. The Ashfords were lucky to have her in their family. He’d do anything to make her part of his, but he’d made his desires clear and now the ball was in her court.

  “Well isn’t that cute. Bonding already.” Javier’s voice made Ben’s brows shoot up. They hadn’t heard him coming on the grass, and even Sara turned in surprise. “Just don’t think this means Kyle and Rayna are getting free babysitting for their chicken or anything. We might be related now, but I don’t do pet sitting. No offense, Rayna.”

  “No offense taken, Javi,” Rayna told him.

  Javier crossed his arms. He still looked pissed, but the fact he’d come back had to be a good sign.

  “I’m glad you didn’t leave,” Sara said to her brother. “I know this is a shock, but we’re still a family and we will get through this.”

  “I wish it were more of a shock, to tell you the truth. I always thought there was something fishy about that bastard and the way he looked at Mom.” Javier glanced from Kyle to Carolyn. “Sorry. I use the term bastard with the utmost respect.”

  Kyle laughed. “Nah. He is a bastard. Don’t stop calling it like you see it, Javier. I always liked that about you.”

  Sara met Javier’s eyes. “So you’ll stay a while? At least until we get this resolved with Mom and get Kyle’s DNA test back?”

  “Yeah, I’ll stick around for a while. I mean, I’ve barely been off the plane for an hour and the day is young. You want to drop any more bombshells on me, I’m open for business.”

  “Actually, now that you mention it—” Sara looked to Ben and smiled, “—since you’re all here, there is one more thing you might want to know.”

  Javier put his hands palms-up. “No, really. I was kidding, Sara.”

  Ben watched as if in slow motion as she took the gold band from her right hand and shifted it to the left, sliding it up her ring finger. Blood pounded through his veins. He couldn’t believe it. “Yes?” he bellowed. “Yes, Sara?”

  “Yes!” She nodded and rushed into his arms, throwing her hands around his back. He picked her up and twirled her around, laughing and whooping all the while.

  “What the hell is going on?” Javier asked.

  “Ben and I are getting married!” she called as Ben squeezed her tight and held her with her feet dangling off the ground. He was never going to set her down if he could help it, and he sure as hell was never letting her go again.

  “What am I missing here?” Kyle asked. “You guys go away for a few days on a party-planning trip, and I’m scared you’re going to kill each other, and then three weeks later you’re engaged? Is this a joke?”

  “That’s exactly what I want to know,” Javier agreed.

  Sara smiled up at Ben and kissed him square on the lips. “It’s a long story. Remember back in college when Ben would come to visit, and we would go study…”

  “Yeah,” Ben continued for her, “we didn’t get much studying done. But that’s okay, because we were in love. And I think we always have been. We were just too stupid to see it.”

  “I saw it. I just wasn’t brave enough to face it. No other man ever made me feel like you do,” Sara said.

  Kyle’s face turned red and his expression hard as stone. “Are you telling me you were sleeping with my baby sister back in college?”

  Javier’s eyes narrowed. “Please don’t tell me you were having sex with my sister—our sister.”

  Carolyn just winked.

  Sara saw the moment when Ben knew he was in trouble. Kyle lunged and Ben leapt straight into the reflecting pool and took off, splashing through the knee-deep water. “I love you, Sara!” he said over his shoulder. “You’ve made me the happiest man on earth!”

  “Go around that way!” Javier called to Kyle, and they took opposite sides of the pool, chasing down their prey.

  Ben called back to her, “Don’t go anywhere. I’m not leaving you—ever!”

  “Run, baby, run!” she screamed, but she was clapping her hands together like it was the winning touchdown in the final seconds of the game. This time, she was going to be here waiting when he came back.

  About the Author

  Cassi Carver lives in sunny Southern California with two dogs, four kids and a hubby who gives great massages. She gets to the Gaslamp Quarter for research (okay, happy hour) as often as possible. She’s never saved the world, but she keeps sexy boots on hand just in case the opportunity arises.

  When she’s not busy plotting or writing, Cassi enjoys reading, spending time with family and friends, caring for pets, getting outdoors and watching sappy movies that deliver reliably happy endings.

  Website: www.cassicarver.com

  E-mail: cassicarver1@gmail.com

  Twitter: www.twitter.com/CassiCarver

  Facebook: www.facebook.com/CassiCarverAuthor

  Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/cassicarver/boards/

  Or friend her on www.goodreads.com/author/show/5307736.Cassi_Carver

  Look for these titles by Cassi Carver

  Now Available:

  The Shadow Slayers

  Slayer’s Kiss

  Shadow Rising

  The Silverwing’s Sorceress

  Dark Flight

  The Ashford Legacy

  If You Need Me

  Coming Soon:

  The Ashford Legacy

  If You Love Me

  How far will she go for love?

  If You Need Me

  © 2014 Cassi Carver

  The Ashford Legacy, Book 1

  Erotica author Rayna Sommers wears a daring smile in her publicity photos, but the truth would shock her legions of fans. The woman whose stories take readers on wild sexual adventures to exotic locales is terrified of the world outside her front door.

  Isolation may be safe, but it’s also quite lonely until Rayna meets a charming fan online. Kyle is sexy, funny, everything Rayna desires, and soon their daily emails flare into sizzling-hot video chats. Too bad Kyle lives on the East Coast and Rayna on the West. For a woman who can’t even cross the street, much less the country, her dream of a life with Kyle is just too far out of reach.

  Kyle has an even bigger problem than getting Rayna Sommers to step outside her comfort zone. He’s head over heels in love with her, but he hasn’t told her the truth. He’s really Kyle Ashford, billionaire heir to the Ashford empire. The owner of the company that’s about to shut her publisher—and her livelihood—down for good.

  Warning: This book contains a sexy billionaire who knows what he wants, a housebound author who’d love to give it to him, and a special-needs pet hen that just might steal your heart.

  Enjoy the following excerpt for If You Need Me:

  The image on the screen solidified, going from black to gray to the grainy colors of a dimly lit room. Kyle’s navy sofa was dead center with rumpled shirts in one corner. That expensive-looking painting of a schooner battling frothy waves hung on the wall behind him. And in the middle of it all—Kyle.

  His button-down white shirt was bright in the otherwise gloomy shot. He clearly hadn’t been to the gym or even had time to change into casu
al wear yet, so either he was exhausted from a long day or he was extra-eager to chat. His gaze flitted around the screen, taking her in, and he smiled. “Hey there. How was your day?”

  Three months, and it still made her heart race to sit on the couch and exchange pleasantries with the man. “Good, except I just got off the phone with my mom.”

  “How’d that go?”

  “It was interesting. I learned our next-door neighbor just passed away, and I’m pretty sure my parents are arranging my marriage to his son so they can combine their parcels of land into a never-ending expanse of cattle and cow pies.”

  He cocked a brow. “Nice. Is that matchmaking, Texas-style?”

  “I’d call it more…medieval. Besides, the guy is like a brother to me.”

  “Huh.” He smoothed his palms over his slacks, looking kind of cute with his lips pressed into a jealous line. “And what did you say to her?”

  Rayna grinned. “Well, of course I told her to sign me up!”

  He finally chuckled. “Hey, as long as your new rancher-brother-husband doesn’t mind me coming into your living room every night, we’ll make it work.”

  “I won’t marry him unless he accepts you into my virtual harem, I promise.”

  “Now I’ve been demoted to your virtual harem? And I thought what we had was special…” He buried his face in his hands for a moment, then looked up at her. “I think I’m overdue for a visit to California. Maybe I could change your mind.”

  She laughed it off, showing him with her devious grin that she was enjoying teasing him. She usually didn’t answer directly when he spoke of a visit. It was less awkward that way.

  After a minute, he relaxed back into his sofa. “So how did your writing go today?”

  “I got four thousand words down. Hopefully they were good words.”

  “Oh wow. You’re really flyin’! Another four thousand means you’re almost done. I’m loving what you sent me, by the way. Your descriptions of the sand and the reefs in Barbados are so vivid, no one will believe you’ve never been there. Add to that the amazing sex and the totally inspired use of coconut oil and this book may be my favorite so far.”

  “Aww…thanks.” She wasn’t sure if that expansive feeling in her body was her head swelling or her heart. “Feels like I’m never going to finish, but I guess I’m four thousand words closer to beating this deadline, so that’s something. How was your day?”

  “Eh.” He exhaled and shook his head. “Not quite as good as yours, I bet. No betrothals. Nothing to write home about.”

  Rayna chuckled at his attempt at corny writing humor, but it didn’t escape her attention that he was deflecting again. Kyle hated talking about work. He’d admitted that his desk job was stressful and he was nothing but a glorified paper-pusher, but beyond that, he didn’t say much. Rayna knew that in some ways, their time together was an escape for him, so she didn’t pry. And with how he tried to let her in to the inner workings of his mind—his thoughts, his feelings, his desires—the lack of work gossip didn’t bother her much.

  The way he reclined made his dark slacks mold to his muscular thighs. “So how’s my girl doin’?”

  Rayna grinned. The first time he’d asked that question, she’d thought he was talking about her. “Bratty’s doing great.” It took everything in her not to let that grin stretch to idiotic proportions. “We went for a walk this morning.”

  “Hmm…” He leaned forward, resting his forearms on his slacks. She had his full attention now. “Is that a flower in your pocket, Miss Sommers, or are you just happy to see me?”

  She pulled the dark-orange starburst from her T-shirt pocket and held it close to the camera—close enough to fill his screen as she slowly ran the tip of her finger along the Gerbera daisy’s rust-colored petals. “Both. It is a flower, and I am so happy to see you.”

  He chuckled softly but then narrowed his eyes. “You’re getting too good at these challenges. I’m starting to wonder if maybe I got played. When you’re not writing, you could be a door-to-door salesperson for all I know. Those panic attacks may simply be a ploy to get into my pants.”

  She snorted, wishing for a moment that it was a ploy, that her agoraphobia hadn’t destroyed every single relationship she’d ever attempted. But Kyle knew it was real. He’d sat with her countless nights, talking through her fears but not judging her—his limitless compassion and support crammed into a fifteen-inch screen.

  “You know,” he said regretfully, “if you keep winning the challenges and keeping me up late, you might wear this old body out.”

  Old? At twenty-nine, Kyle was only a year older than Rayna. But whereas she had the soft curves of a woman who spent eight hours a day at the computer, Kyle looked like his office chair was a treadmill.

  “Wear you out? Maybe, but a deal’s a deal. You owe me, handsome.” She placed the flower in a water-filled coffee cup on the table and sat back on her tan corduroy sofa, splaying her legs suggestively. She’d chosen these shorts because there wasn’t much to them, and Kyle seemed to appreciate that fact.

  His gaze flickered down, running over her bare thighs. “I always pay my debts. You know I’m good for it.”

  “So you say. Show me.”

  Sea, air, land, the bedroom…this SEAL is always in command.

  As Hot as it Gets

  © 2014 Elle Kennedy

  An Out of Uniform Story

  After watching his teammates settle down one by one, Navy SEAL Jackson Ramsey is ready to say goodbye to the single life. He’s even met a woman who intrigues him, challenges him, and turns him right on—Mia Weldrick, the funny and beautiful gardener he can’t wait to get to know better.

  Except Mia isn’t interested in dating him, which means it’s time for Jackson to unleash his Texas charm and do some serious wooing.

  With a teenage brother to raise, two jobs, and, frankly, a complete disinterest in sex, Mia has no room in her busy life for a six-foot-five SEAL with a naughty streak a mile wide. But one hot kiss from Jackson has her imagining all the dirty ways she could fit him in.

  It isn’t long before their no-string fling transforms into something more. As desire unearths emotions and deeply buried secrets, Mia has to decide whether to give love a chance to grow, or let it slip it away.

  Warning: This Southern gentleman is wickedly ungentlemanly in the bedroom. He likes it rough and kinky, and he’s not afraid to make his sexual demands known. Anal, spanking, voyeurism, and other surprises await you in this last and dirtiest Out of Uniform installment.

  Enjoy the following excerpt for As Hot as it Gets:

  “I want to go out with you again. You’re being difficult. So here’s what I propose.”

  “Gee, I can’t wait to hear this.”

  He ignored the sarcasm and swept his tongue over his bottom lip, an act so sexy she shivered.

  “I’m goin’ to kiss you.”

  Her breath hitched. “What?”

  “I’m goin’ to kiss you,” he repeated. “And if you like it, then you have to agree to see me again.”

  Damned if her heart didn’t start pounding. The heat in his whiskey-colored eyes seared right through her clothing and sizzled her flesh, making her feel hot and dizzy.

  “You’re nuts,” she stammered.

  “Maybe, but that’s the deal, sugar. You claim that nothin’ gets you goin’, not even a kiss. You also said you had a good time tonight, did you not?”

  “I did, but—”

  “The reason you don’t want to pursue this is because you think I’ll never be able to turn you on—”

  She felt herself blush. “That’s not what I—”

  “—so it stands to reason that if I can prove to you I’ve got the moves, you’ll have no choice but to give this a shot.”

  Mia’s mouth closed. His reasoning was certifiably wacky, but she couldn’t seem to argue with it.

  “Do we have a deal?” he prompted, shooting her an adorably crooked smile.

  It was sheer curiosity t
hat had her nodding.

  “Good. Then here goes—prepare to have your world rocked.”

  The laugh that flew out was cut short by the feel of Jackson’s mouth on her neck.

  Her neck?

  Surprise jolted through her at the same time a flurry of shivers danced across her skin. His lips were warm against the side of her neck, his dark hair tickling her chin as he bent his head to latch his mouth on to her bare flesh.

  “Um…is this what you…consider a kiss?” she murmured between shivers.

  “Quit distracting me. I’m busy,” came his muffled voice.

  Mia’s neck was on fire as he trailed soft kisses along its column. The rasp of his stubble scraped her flesh, leaving tiny pricks of pleasure in its wake.

  “You smell so dang sweet, Mia.” His breath tickled her ear.

  Jesus. What was he doing to her? She could barely stay upright, and he hadn’t even kissed her mouth yet.

  With a soft rumble of approval, he buried his face in the crook of her neck, then kissed his way up to her ear and enclosed the delicate lobe with his lips.

  Mia shuddered, stunned by the shockwaves that surged through her. Her knees wobbled as he sucked gently on her earlobe, hands trembling so bad she had to rest them against his chest to steady herself. And oh boy, touching him was a bad idea. His chest was rock solid beneath her fingers, his muscles so defined they may as well have been carved out of stone.

  Chuckling, Jackson slid his hands down to her waist, and the next thing she knew, she was being led backward to the shadowy strip of gravel between the two trucks. Still grasping her waist, he backed her up against the side of her pickup, then moved one hand to her face, his thumb sweeping over her cheek.

  “Close your eyes,” he said gruffly.

  Her eyelids fluttered obediently. She stood there, eyes shut, heart pounding. Waiting.

  The rustling of his clothing hinted that he was moving closer, and then his body heat surrounded her and the most intoxicating scent filled her nostrils. God, his aftershave was addictive. A hint of spice and lemon, with a woodsy fragrance thrown into the mix.