STORY EXCERPT

Carter Verdel sucked in air for a good five seconds when he saw her. As she turned to face the crowd, her smoky eyes settling on each of the male faces shouting their approval, he couldn’t breathe at all. One by one, the rowdy men quieted as her gaze settled on them. When those eyes caught his, his heart kicked into a higher gear, slamming against his rib cage.

Did that incredible creature stare at him a little bit longer than any of the other men? Perhaps that was just wishful thinking.

Her ivory skin was clear and clean, her hair the shade of honey and long enough to reach below her slender shoulders. Her back was straight as a lance. She bore herself like a conquered queen—captured but not broken. Dressed in tight black leggings and a black tank top like the rest of the women, she wore them like the latest fashion, each gentle curve of her lithe body there for all to see and admire. Full breasts. Rounded hips. A tight backside. She glided across the auction platform, almost as if her tiny bare feet floated above the wood. Her chin lifted in defiance, she was practically daring the men in the crowd to claim her.

Carter would take that dare. Even if it cost him every single coin and money card he’d brought to the auction. Even if he had to borrow or steal more.

Glancing around, he noticed several of the men were such cowards they couldn’t even hold her gaze before they looked away. A woman like that was not what they came here for. They came for the women who were afraid and willing to do anything to survive on Pagonna. They sure didn’t bargain on a strong and independent creature like this.

He strained to listen for the auctioneer, pushing his way forward in the crowd. While he and Brandon had held quite a few discussions about what they were seeking at the sale, Brandon had left the ultimate choice in Carter’s hands, telling him he trusted his mate to find the woman to complete their perfect lives. Probably because Carter always led with his head rather than his heart.

The moment he saw the blonde, his heart took the reins.

Whether she was a criminal or not, he wasn’t leaving that auction without her.

Breathe. Be patient. See what they drive her price up to.

“Gentlemen,” the auctioneer shouted, “seems we’ve got a tempting one here.” He reached out to cup her ass, and her hand shot out to slap his face before he could even react. The sound was so loud that it echoed through the field, making most of the crowd burst out in guffaws in response. The auctioneer scowled at her as he rubbed his reddened cheek, but he quickly regained his aplomb and gave her a leering smile. “A feisty one, though. More than enough fire to keep you warm at night.”

“It’s plenty warm here already!” one of the men shouted back. “That much heat’ll burn ya!”

That response boded well. Carter had been right. Some of the men were actually afraid of her. Fools, the lot of them.

“I’ll give you a hundred uni-credits!”

“Hundred twenty-five unis!”

And so the bidding began while Carter waited patiently, calculating and ready to pounce as soon as the enthusiasm waned. Since the first woman was passably pretty and sold for the inflated price of five hundred universal-credits, he feared he might have to pay twice that much for this woman. He looked at her face again. Her eyes were now the color of the clouds before a lightning storm. Anger? Fear? Would they turn the same stormy gray when she was in the throes of passion?

Pay twice as much for her? Three times if he had to.

“Holding at four hundred-fifty unis, gentlemen. Hard to believe a specimen like this’ll go that cheap. What happened to your balls, boys?”

“’Fraid she’ll cut ’em off if I let her have a kitchen knife!” one man called back.

“What’d she do to get thrown in jail?” another asked.

“Now, boys,” the auctioneer cautioned, “you know the rules. You can’t ask that. Everyone who comes to Pagonna gets a fresh start.”

“That means she murdered her husband!” a laughing voice shouted, setting more hilarity through the crowd.

The beautiful woman’s chin rose, and a small smile tugged at the corners of her pink lips.

“Five hundred,” Carter said, just loud enough to be heard but with no emotion or enthusiasm at all. A hard task considering that his cock was now standing at attention, wanting him to promise anything and everything to secure this woman in their bed.

Her gray eyes settled on him, capturing him and holding him in her grasp. He wanted to sweep her into his arms, take her back to the farm, and make love to her until neither of them could move. Shit, he’d have a hard time waiting that long. He’d probably fuck her on the boat trip back.

What the hell was wrong with him? When had he been reduced to paying for sex with a woman?

Adult Excerpt

“Then wrap those gorgeous legs around me,” he ordered. And then he was kissing her again, wading out of the surf as Carter followed close behind, constantly running his palms over her ass or up her spine.

When they reached the veranda, Brandon set her back on her feet and grabbed a towel he’d left over a wicker chair. He started rubbing her hair with it while Carter picked up another towel and gave tender attention to her arms before gently patting her breasts dry. She watched his face, and when he licked his lips, her pussy spasmed and flooded with fluid at the pure desire she saw in his eyes. Before she could offer herself to him, he dropped the towel, wrapped an arm around her waist, and arched her back.

He buried his face between her breasts and inhaled deeply. “Damn, Lyri. You smell wonderful.”

“Can we call you Lyri?” Brandon asked, rapidly drying himself with the towel he’d been using on her.

“Sure,” she replied. “Hannah always…” Her words turned to a moan as Carter ran a tongue over her nipple before drawing it deep into his mouth. Heat raced to her cunt as more moisture rushed out. She tried to keep her legs tightly together to keep from drenching her thighs.

“Can we take her inside to the bed?” Brandon asked, staring down and looking like a kid left out of a game as Carter feasted on her breasts. “At least that way I can eat her pussy while you’re having fun with her tits.” He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “Sorry, Lyri. I shouldn’t be so…blunt.”

As she tangled her fingers in Carter’s hair, wanting to keep him right where he was, she managed to say, “I like it when you talk dirty.”

A groan rose from Carter as he pulled away from her breasts. “Fuck, I think you’re the perfect woman.” He swept her into his arms, walking into the house in long strides as Brandon followed close behind. “Maybe the big bed isn’t such a bad idea,” Carter said over his shoulder.

“I like it,” Lyrianna said as he laid her on the sheets. She scooted to the middle as Brandon walked to the other side. The men stood on opposite sides of the bed, doing nothing more than staring at her. She stared back, taking in the cocks jutting from their muscular bodies, when it suddenly dawned on her that these men—these perfect men—were hers. All she had to do was call, and they’d give her anything she wanted. Her heart swelled with affection as she held up her hand and crooked her finger. “C’mon, boys. Make love to me.”

Brandon hadn’t realized he could move that quickly. He got to Lyrianna first and tackled her to the sheets, covering her body with his. He gave her one hard kiss on the mouth before working his way down her body, wanting to taste every inch of her soft skin. Taking little, nibbling bites and long licks, he followed the line of her collarbone to the center of her chest. As he palmed her full breasts, loving the feel of the hard nipples tickling his hands, he inhaled, remembering what Carter had said about how wonderful she smelled. His mate had been right—she was the perfect woman for the two of them. Clean female with a whiff of musk from her arousal. His cock was already spurting out pre-cum, and he didn’t care. The first time was going to be quick, probably embarrassingly so, but fuck it. He’d rebound fast enough to make love to her a second time tonight. And maybe a third.

If they weren’t careful, he and Carter would wear her pussy out.

Pussy. That was what he’d been craving. He kissed each of her nipples as Carter scooted closer and started kissing her lips. Her hands tangled in his hair, and she moaned. Brandon figured he’d give her something to really make her moan. Dragging his tongue down her flat belly, he loved watching the gooseflesh he raised in his wake. One kiss on each hip bone, then he reached between her thighs.

Gently spreading them, he buried his nose in the tight, blonde curls and inhaled. “Shit, Lyri. You smell so sweet.” Running his fingers between her lips, he spread them, baring her pink jewel. With no warning, he leaned down and sucked her clitoris.