Alone with her journal, Bella examines her feelings and passion for Quinn Lockharte, a man who charged into her life in a storming fury and changed it forever. Quinn's duty to his family has him engaged to his childhood sweetheart, and though the promise is an old one, Quinn feels bound by it.
A surprise knock at her door brings Bella face-to-face with her destiny…but can she trust what her heart so desperately wants—especially when Quinn is determined to keep her naked and screaming his name? Mind-blowing sex has been their relationship’s strongest bond, but Bella’s tired of being his secret—and Quinn’s not willing to let her go.
Your eyes narrow in irritation so I step aside and gesture for you to come into the apartment. I’m startled more than I should be when you slam the door shut and I am suddenly caught between your body’s urgent pressure and the solid wooden door that you push me against. Every part of me wakes, like flame that had been starved for air and is suddenly set free. My response is explosive and desperately hungry. You knot your hands in my soft sweater, already lifting it, your cool touch gliding over my heated skin. I want you, but for the first time this is not enough. Brushing your thumbs indolently over my nipples, you reignite an ache that drags low in my body, threatening to make me forget everything but how much I want you.
“I don’t want you here.” It’s hard to say which one of us is more startled by the words when they spill out of me.
You pull back and look at me intently, your eyes measuring the truth of what I’ve said. Then you shake your head and catch me between your hands as you bend to cover my mouth with yours. Slipping your tongue between my lips, you push your hips against me, telling me precisely what you desire.
I’m drowning in you. When I push at your shoulders you take my hands and pin them to the door, hips thrusting in the same greedy rhythm as your tongue inside my mouth. With a rough twist of my head, I break the lusting kiss and look away.
“I said I don’t want you here!”
Frowning, you step back and run a hand through the thickness of your dark hair, youreyes shrewd and watchful as you calculate your next move. I can see you thinking and working out what you need to do to change my mind. If you only knew how easy it would be…
I see the smile that’s starting to lift the corner of your mouth, and the gleam in your eyes tells me you don’t believe my rejection is remotely genuine.
I move away, walk past you, but get only a few steps before you put your arms around me and pull me back against you. Before I can break away, you push your hands under my sweater again, cupping my breasts, stroking and squeezing, fingertips pulling on the hard buds of my nipples, your mouth soft on the curve of my neck.
“You want me, Bella. Why are we playing this game?”
Your voice is equal parts gravel and silk and I feel the question against my skin, pouring into my blood like an injection of heated desire.
I don’t have time to answer before you’re walking into the living room, pulling me behind you. The candles are flickering, the soft recessed lighting adds a warm glowto the room. Outside the glass plates of the windows, the snow is swirling lazily. You sit me on the sofa in front of the crackling fire.
“We have to talk,” I whisper.
You nod and watch me as you take your coat off and toss it onto a nearby chair.
“You talk, I’ll listen.” You come toward me, stop in front of where I am sitting and then drop to your knees and smile.
