Strip Tease (26 page)

© 2011 by Karen Erickson

What’s your fantasy?

Stephanie Shaw’s ready to experience a fantasy or
two all for the sake of her job. Research for the magazine she
works for could result in her own column and she wants it. Bad.

Almost as bad as the gorgeous man she runs
into–literally. Justin Hawkins is sinfully hot and ready to indulge
in her every whim. A few stolen hours in the backseat of a car
turns into the most passionate sexual encounter of her life.

But Stephanie’s keeping a secret. When she finds out
Justin is a former pro baseball player, no way can she tell him
about her job. The media-shy Justin hates being in the public eye
and Stephanie’s documenting their sexual encounters for the entire
city to read–anonymously.

A betrayal of trust hurts them both and sends them
reeling. And also renders them apart. Stephanie’s devastated,
Justin’s angry. Can this relationship be fixed?

INDULGENT PLEASURES Excerpt:

She didn’t say a word and Justin wondered if he’d
moved too fast or spoken too soon.

Too late for regrets now. Most women would’ve jumped
all over him at his invitation. Hell, they probably would’ve
already started peeling off their clothes, they were always so
eager to get with him.

Of course, not this woman, not that he was really
surprised. She studied him with caution clouding those pretty sea
blue eyes, her lush lips twisted with doubt. She’d leaned forward,
a tantalizing hint of cleavage showing with her position and her
hands still clutched the hem of her dress tight.

She was going to tell him no. He could sense the
words forming on her lips and he breathed deep, preparing himself
for the blow.

He was such an ass but hell, he rarely heard the
word no. It didn’t play a big part in his vocabulary. It hadn’t for
years.
In another life, he’d always been denied—of pretty much everything.
But that was so long ago, it should’ve been a faded memory.

It wasn’t.

“All right,” Stephanie finally said. Her voice was
so soft he had to strain to hear her.

Shock coursed through him and he sat up straighter,
staring at her in surprise. She said yes. He couldn’t believe it.
Before she changed her mind, he reached for her, his hand wrapping
around one of hers and tugging gently.

“Come here.”

She came forward, glancing about the limited space
of the backseat. “Where do you want me?”

“Where do you want to be?”

Delicate brows shot up so far they were nearly in
her hairline but she didn’t say a word. She seemed to be waiting
for his direction.

Gently he pushed her feet from his thigh and then
pulled her closer. She slid slowly across the seat until her body
collided with his, her warmth and curves molding to him as if she
belonged at his side.

He studied her face, utterly fascinated with her.
The pretty blue eyes, her plump red lips and all the freckles. So
many freckles. Reaching out, he touched her, his finger sweeping
over first one cheek, then the other, down the gentle slope of her
nose, across her sexier than hell mouth.

“You don’t see too many women with freckles.” He was
whispering, afraid to break the spell that had woven all around
them.

“I have too many,” she whispered back, a little gasp
escaping her when he dragged his thumb slowly across her lower lip.
He smudged her lipstick and turning his thumb over, saw the deep
red line there. He felt as if he’d been marked.

“I should count them.” Justin liked the sound of
that. Lingering over her body and stroking her, counting each and
every little freckle that was on her skin.

She laughed shakily. “That’ll take at least two
days.”

He leaned in closer, his face aligned with hers and
he felt her breath fan across his face, sweet and chocolaty. “That
doesn’t sound like a bad idea.”

After leaving the working world to become a
stay at home mom, Karen Erickson realized she needed to get
crackin’ and pursue her lifelong dream of being a published writer.
A busy mother of three, she fits her precious writing time in
between chasing her children, taking care of her husband and
pretending she has a maid. She lives in California.

For a complete listing of her books and to
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