STORY EXCERPT

With the intention of finding the fastest way out of here, Serena lifted her eyes, squinting against the light.

Her breath caught when she spotted him, her entire body stiffening.

He was here.

Fate wouldn’t be denied.

Her skin prickled with awareness, the jagged ice stabbing at her slowly being replaced by a warm strength that soothed as it poured over her.

His appearance never failed to startle her, the power emanating from him alarming, but also provided a steadying presence that somehow wrapped around her and made her feel safe and secure.

The evil around her suddenly became distant and less threatening.

Others surrounded him, but they blurred and dimmed until she saw only him.

In contrast, he remained sharply in focus, so sharply it hurt her eyes to look at him.

But she couldn’t look away.

The veneer of sophistication did nothing to disguise the tightly leashed power beneath it—power even more pronounced in person.

Even knowing in advance she would meet him, she couldn’t believe he was actually here.

Her heart pounded furiously, her stomach muscles tightening as she watched him move almost effortlessly through the crowd. Her nipples pebbled and she squeezed her thighs together against the tingling awareness in her pussy and clit, a new addition that surprised her. Her dreams had never made her feel quite like this.

Seeing such a compelling man in her dreams hadn’t prepared her for the impact of seeing him in person.

Unable to look away, her eyes followed him around the room.

Power. Strength. Confidence.

He exuded those characteristics like no one she’d ever met. It drew the eye of everyone around him even as they moved aside to get out of the way of his powerful stride.

His black tuxedo had been tailored to mold his tall, powerful frame to perfection, but did nothing to conceal the barely leashed power of the man beneath. His height and breathtaking presence made every other man in the room pale in comparison.

His shoulder-length tawny hair and the grace with which he moved made her think of a lion stalking its prey. Smooth, powerful, but very controlled strides with those long legs glided him smoothly across the room.

A look of impatience crossed his face as he bent to the woman who rushed up to him. Tilting his head in an apparent attempt to hear her, he didn’t appear to be interested in whatever she had to say. His hooded gaze swept the room continuously, his eyes sharp, as though searching for something.

Her. He was looking for her. She knew it as well as she knew her own name.

Even standing this far away, she could see that his polite smile didn’t reach his eyes. He said something to the woman and straightened, removing her hand from his sleeve with a careless gesture that had the other woman stepping back, the hurt on her face plainly visible. He moved several feet away from her until he stood alone, his formidable posture and expression causing others to give him a wide berth.

His eyes continued to sweep the room, the bored look on his face not fooling her for a minute.

He missed nothing.

She knew also how quickly he could strike without warning.

He moved confidently, his stride graceful and full of arrogance as he glided through the crowd and closer to where she stood. She knew instinctively that his lovemaking would be just as graceful and confident.

Serena drew in a shaky breath, her hands tightening on her purse as she waited.

She knew the exact moment he saw her.

He’d found his target.

Her.

For the first time, she wondered why he was looking for her. She’d never considered it before, but now wondered.

He stilled, as though sensing her presence, and turned toward her, his golden eyes locking on hers and holding them.

In that moment she knew her life would never be the same.

His razor-sharp gaze swept over her, from her head to her toes, making her entire body burn, and washing away the last of the cold evil clinging to her. She couldn’t tear her gaze from his, caught in a web she had no hope of escaping.

The golden heat scorched her, branding her as his forever.

Frozen in place, she watched him walk toward her.

She would be his. It was destined.

The voices around her faded more as he closed the distance between them.

He extended his hand, the raw sexuality in his smile weakening her knees. He even smelled sexy and expensive. “Hello. You must be Elise’s cousin, Serena Abbott. I’ve heard a lot about you. My name is Alastair Wyndham. Everyone calls me Wyn.”

With a sense of inevitability, Serena placed her hand in his, unable to hold back a gasp at the jolt of power and raw sensuality that shot through her. Because of it, her senses whirled and she spoke without thinking. “No. You’re not. You’re Ian Wyndham, his brother.”

ADULT EXCERPT

Serena hadn’t reached out to anyone in so long that it had stopped being an automatic gesture, but the sight of Alastair’s wide, golden chest made her fingers itch to explore.

“You’re gold everywhere, aren’t you? I can’t believe how handsome you are.”

Her face burned when she realized she’d said that out loud, and biting her lip, she forced herself to meet his gaze.

He smiled, the encouragement in his eyes giving her the confidence to sit up and reach for him, moaning at the feel of Ian’s hands sliding over her back.

She laid her hands on his chest, smiling when he stiffened. “You’re so hot.” The size of his cock worried her some. She didn’t realize they could be so large. From the size of his body, she should have guessed.

Grinning, he nudged her to her back, covering her body with his. “So are you.”

Stiffening when his cock nudged at her pussy, she pushed at his shoulders. “Alastair, I’ve only done this once and it was a long time ago. I’m not sure—”

Wrapping his arms around her, he pulled her close and brushed her lips with his. “I’m sure enough for both of us.”

Ian rubbed the leg wrapped around Alastair while pushing her hair back from her forehead. “Don’t worry, love. You were made for this.” He shot a warning look at his brother, and she would have bet anything that he communicated silently to Alastair.

She wanted to ask, but Alastair thrust his hips forward, pushing the head of his cock into her. She wanted to look away from the intensity of his stare, but he didn’t allow it, holding her face turned toward his as he slowly began to enter her.

His small, shallow thrusts went deeper with each slow stroke, his cock stretching her with each inch he gained.

“God, you’re amazing. You feel incredible. I’ve been dying to sink my cock inside you since I met you.”

She’d never felt so needed, thrilling at the harsh rumble of his voice against her ear. She tried to force herself to be still, but she couldn’t stop clamping down on his cock, or rocking her hips into his thrusts. The intense pressure of his cock stretching her pussy shocked her, each thrust making it more difficult to breathe.

Alarmed at how hard his cock felt inside her, and how wide it stretched her, she felt the stirring of panic, but the pleasure kept her tilting her hips for more.

Digging her heels into his tight butt, she held on, pressing her fingertips into the broad shoulders that blocked out everything else.

“Alastair! Oh! Too full. I feel too stretched, but it feels so good. Move faster. It feels so hot inside me.”

Ian groaned from next to her. “The way she blurts things out makes me crazy. I can’t wait to see what kinds of things pour from her mouth when we get a little kinkier with her.”

Alastair bent to kiss her again, holding her to him with a hand at her bottom. “She’s not sophisticated at all, is she? So natural and passionate.” He resumed thrusting, brushing his lips over her forehead. “She says whatever comes to mind.” His strokes took him deeper and came faster, the friction of his cock over her inner walls sending her higher and higher as the pressure she already recognized continued to build.

She felt as if she lost a part of herself with each stroke, but she didn’t care as much as she should have, stunned at how much she gained. She had his strength to rely on, his hold wrapping her in it. Secure in his arms, she let herself go, giving in to the most amazing pleasure, pleasure she’d missed and hadn’t even known about. Her body hummed with sensation, each new surge of pleasure drawing her further into a world of decadence and a sense of belonging that seemed to swallow her whole.

He took her, but gave to her at the same time. He filled her with a warmth that she’d been missing, a feeling of being accepted and wanted. Desired.

He took her vulnerability, and gave her his strength.

The rush of power—feminine power—washing over her had her body making demands that even she didn’t understand.

“Christ, she’s so tiny, I feel like I’m going to crush her.”

Lifting slightly off of her, he braced himself on his hands and started thrusting in earnest.

Awash in pleasure, Serena arched and clenched on him. “More. Faster. Harder!”

“Yeah, Serena. I’ll fucking give you more and harder.”

Ian pinched a nipple, earning another cry from her, before sliding his hand lower, spreading her folds wide and using fast, smooth strokes on her clit, not stopping at her cry. “Yeah, I know it’s sensitive, baby, but you can take it.”