Ellora's Cave

ISBN: 9781419924309
Genre: Contemporary/Ménage/BDSM
Release date: Nov 4th  2009
Length: Short Novel
 

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He loved her enough to let her go…

Intimidated by the prospect of facing the man who broke her heart years past—the man she cannot stop loving—Madison Porter hatches a plan for her long-time roommate to accompany her home. To help her make her ex jealous.

Pretend to want her?Brady Michaels has sported a crush on Madi since day one. Now she wants him to hold her hand, to kiss her in public? For him there’s nothing fake about it—and this is the perfect opportunity to seduce her. Starting with a few practice make-out sessions…

Only one glitch… Madi’s plan has worked a little too well. Now Will wants her back. Determined not to keep Madi from pursuing her dreams, Will Ryder may have dumped Madi, but his love for her never changed…only hers has. Now Madi must choose. Will it be Will, the man who broke her heart, or Brady, the one who healed it? If only happily ever afters came in package deals…

Practice made perfect.

Practice had made Brady’s arm around her real. The sensation his kisses left behind real. Two days ago their relationship had been completely platonic. Now she readily expected his hand at the small of her back, the passionate kisses he whisked her into at any given moment.

Yearned for more of the pleasure he’d given her.

Oh yes, it had felt very real, no show at all, to flirt with him over dinner, to pretend they were in love. It’d felt good.

And then she’d gone and looked at Will. Meeting those fathomless raven eyes, the burn in her chest had never been stronger. She’d brought Brady because she thought having him at her side would make facing Will easier. And sure, some part of her wanted him to be jealous.

But Will hadn’t been eating. Or talking. Will hurled his balled-up napkin to the table, practically knocking over his seat to quit the room when she asked what was wrong.

What was with that? And why’d it have to hurt so bad?

Laughter and conversation droned around her, but Madi was lost in her own world. No longer in the mood for her own games. She just wanted to get out of here.

“Hey, Madi… Earth to Madi…” Leah chimed. “Are you in there?”

Madi tried to shake off her thoughts—easier said than done. Will could flirt with a waitress but she couldn’t bring home a guy? “Yeah, I’m fine.” More like she was giving herself a headache to match her heartache.

Leah narrowed her gaze, crooking her neck. “I didn’t ask if you’re fine. Which tells me you’re not.”

“You do look pale.” Brady clenched the hand he was holding and she squeezed back, never needing his comfort, his fun-seeking nature and the distracting way he made her feel more. He leaned closer, asking in a low voice, “Are you upset?”

“No, no.” Madi rubbed two fingers to her forehead. “I’m sorry. I just…I think I’m ready to go home. Go to bed.” With Brady? God…where’d that come from? She was a mess! “It’s just been a really long day.”

“Okay, sure. I understand.” But the look in Leah’s feline eyes said she didn’t buy her friend’s excuses, not a bit.

They said their goodbyes and five minutes later they were strolling down the sidewalk, chilled by the cool fall air that’d turned blustery in the few passing hours. Wrapping an arm about her shoulder, Brady sheltered her in his warmth. “That was hard for you, huh?” His fingers stroked circles along her shoulder through her sweater. “You want to talk about it?”

Shit, Brady was such a good guy, supporting her through this.

“It wasn’t hard, actually. It was fun,” she admitted. So was kissing Brady. Coming over his fingers. So why did she torture herself, constantly living in the past? “For a while there I forgot it was all lies. Well, mostly.”

“So what’s the matter?”

“When I looked at him…” Just thinking about it, her chest tightened painfully. Every muscle in her body went tense. “You know what? I don’t want to talk about it. I hate myself for loving him still.”

“Don’t do that.” Brady stepped in front of her, blocking her way and taking her face in hand. The light from the streetlamp illuminated the concern in his eyes as they locked with hers. “You’re human, Madi. You can’t flick a switch and change the way you feel.”

So tenderly he held her jaw, spoke to her, yet there was strength in his actions. The way he cared, understood. There was a certain masculine potency that radiated in his every touch. Brady made her feel safe, protected. Loved—no matter what.

“But you can change the way I feel,” she realized out loud. “And I do want that.”

“How, Madi?” The ache in his voice relayed how badly he wanted that. “Just tell me how.”

“Kiss me,” she whispered, closing her eyes to the emotional yank the request gave her, as if she were turning her back on her own heart. She would get over Will. In Brady’s arms. “Kiss me then take me home and give me all the incentive you can.”

“God, yes.” Brady’s mouth crushed hers, sweeping her into a furious kiss. Hungrily, his lips twisted over hers, his tongue plunged and she met his almost-crazed need with a fervor of her own. The immediate arousal that ignited was like fireworks blasting off, raining tingles all over her body and, as promised, his wandering hands grasped a breast, squeezing, while the other dove to her butt and clenched the muscle tight, as if to claim mine.

His passion was intense, bruising. Not at all nice—and yet entirely so. It was all she needed. All she wanted, to be his. To feel like this and not be so torn in two.

Will had never touched her like this—

Will. Out of my head!

“More!” she whimpered, tearing her mouth free to plead with Brady. “Harder. More, I need more.” Needed him to erase Will, images of the slow, seductive love he used to make to her… In the tall grass by the creek on warm summer nights. In the cab of his old pickup, riding his lap on cold winter nights. In the bed of that truck after gazing at the stars.

Over and over and over the sultry memories buzzed like an annoying fly and Madi mentally swatted them away, determined.

“Oh God, Madi,” Brady groaned, coming up for air a second before claiming her in another severe kiss that locked their lips. The hand at her bottom pushed fabric and fingers between her crack, flexing possessively, and Madi squeaked in surprise at how deeply that turned her on. How her anus clenched, her clit pulsed. How wet she was, how she loved his other hand roughly plucking her nipple while she was went weak in his embrace. Completely at his mercy.

“More,” she whimpered. “More.”

Deep down, she wanted him to hurt her, to punish away her ridiculous feelings for Will. Spank her. Tie her up and make her scream.

Ridiculous, she knew. What normal person did those things? She’d always figured herself too tame for naughty sex. Never before had she wanted it…or admitted it to herself at least. Not in the light of day.

But face those welling desires she did now, fiercely. Right there on the open street, under the streetlight she moaned for him to take her. If only there was some way of letting him know, of relaying what she needed.

With a growl, Brady wrenched his mouth free. “Tell me we can sneak in without seeing your mother.” Abandoning her breast, he grabbed her other ass cheek and hauled her off her feet, seeming to know exactly what she wanted. Roughness. Dirtiness. Anything but sweet, anything but Will.

“Not through the window. Mom nailed it shut when I was sixteen so I couldn’t sneak out and have sex.” Oh the irony. Now she was trying to sneak in to have sex. Naughty sex. With a giggle, she wrapped her legs around his waist, trailing her lips over his chin, suckling at his neck. “But she’s not off work for a little bit yet, so hurry!”

“Madi, wait! I have to talk to you!” Will?