Endangered Hearts

STORY EXCERPT

“Falconiformes, as you all must know by now, are diurnal birds of prey, but for the sake of our new arrival, please bear with me if I repeat myself.”

Standing at the back of the group, Sabine felt the full force of Rick Dwyer’s megawatt smile. All heads turned in her direction. The men flashed welcoming smiles. The other three females in the group fixed her with warning scowls that screamed hands off. She wanted to tell them to lighten up. She wasn’t there to dance the horizontal mambo with the hunky group leader.

Unfortunately.

“I appreciate your making allowances for my ignorance,” she said. She’d read up on the eagles nesting here in Nevella so she would seem convincing in her role as a conservation enthusiast, but it suited her purpose to play dumb.

“No problem.” Rick returned his attention to the entire group. “These birds used to be a common sight in Nevella. Now we have less than twenty pairs nesting here. Our job is to ensure they can nest without being disturbed until their eaglets hatch and can fend for themselves. Now that the Nevellians have woken up and realized they have an endangered species on their mountainsides, we have their backing to carry out our protection program—”

“But they’re not putting their money where their mouths are?” someone said censoriously, speaking English with a heavy German accent.

“Unfortunately not, which is why I need you guys. You share my passion, are willing to suffer the less than salubrious accommodations, and work for free.”

General laughter greeted this comment. They all knew they were being exploited, Sabine figured, but since it was for the greater good of the eagles, it made them feel like they were making a difference. Sabine had to hand it to Rick. By reminding them they were doing their bit to save the dying planet, he had them eating out of his hand. Hmm, now there was an idea. No, don’t go there!

“Look upon your time here as an investment in the future. It would be a tragedy if later generations were deprived of the sight of these magnificent birds in their natural habitat. But, if we do our job right then in time their numbers will increase.”

“How could anyone steal their eggs when they nest in such inaccessible places?” asked one of the volunteers. “I know the eggs are sought after, but they’re not worth breaking your neck for, surely?”

“You’d be surprised how much they fetch on the black market,” Rick replied, grinding his jaw. “Where there’s that sort of money involved, people tend to get inventive and take crazy risks to cash in.”

“They could abseil down that cliff face,” one of the guys suggested.

“They could, and they have, on more than one occasion. That particular access point has been blocked off, but they could still climb up from this position, and will probably try it at some point. That’s why we are here.”

Sabine hated to admit she could have listened to Rick talking about his environmental program all day. In spite of her knowing he wasn’t the idealistic conservationist he made himself out to be, his enthusiasm was still infectious. His expert knowledge on the various protection schemes running in Nevella, and the soft, lilting cadence of his voice as he explained more about this particular one, held her spellbound. She could see it had the same effect on her fellow volunteers. They were friendly enough, but had bonded before she arrived. Their closeness reminded her she was the new girl, as evidenced by the females’ wariness of her. Whether that was intentional or not, Sabine couldn’t have said. Nor did she much care. She came here with an assignment to complete and it had nothing to do with winning popularity contests.

Rick was a tough, disarmingly handsome guy, very easy on the eyes, which is probably what had gotten the other girls’ panties in a wad. He sported a thick head of red hair held back in a ponytail to show off chiseled features, gorgeous greenish-blue eyes, and the most devastatingly wicked smile she had seen in a very long time. Not that she was interested in him as a person. It was part of her job to be observant—to look beyond the obvious—and Rick Dwyer was very obviously a Class-A hunk. Not that such considerations would affect her judgment, but perhaps it explained why he had been able to fly beneath the radar for past two years when a lot of important people were very anxious to get their hands on him. In her experience, people were always more accommodating, more willing to overlook flaws, if the guy who required accommodating was a sexy hunk who oozed charm and machismo. That was the way the world worked and Sabine had long since stopped railing against the unfairness of it all.

 

ADULT EXCERPT

 

Another blow hit her rear end, at the same time as the fading sensation from the first one hit her nerve endings, setting them on fire. Hell, perhaps there was something to this weird shit after all. He was watching her, probably gauged her reaction, and slapped her a little harder. This time she welcomed the blow, impatient for it to become pleasurable. If she wasn’t feeling so vulnerable this might actually be fun.

“Yeah, I know. Didn’t I tell you you’d take to this like a natural?” Rick sounded smugly pleased with himself. “If you could see your backside, honey. It’s all nicely pink, just asking to be fucked.”

She shuddered. “No, not that.”

“Not tonight, no. But soon. You have to let me have all of you, sweet darlin’.”

“I don’t think I can.”

“Shush. Turn onto your back. That’s enough punishment for the first time.”

He straddled her, taking his weight on his knees and clutching his throbbing erection in both of his hands. He rubbed its tip over one of her nipples, tantalizing and teasing. Hell, she was ready to come again already but he looked set to play for hours. Where did he learn such self-control?

“Will you let me sink this baby into your tight little cunt, darlin’?”

“You’d damned well better!”

He chuckled. “My, my, hot little thing, ain’t you?”

“Whose fault is that?”

“I need to taste those sweet lips of yours again.”

He stretched full length above her, this time bracing himself on his elbows, still not touching her as he claimed her lips in a firm, drugging kiss. She knew what to expect this time and opened her mouth to invite him inside, thinking the unthinkable. She wanted use of her hands so she could wind them around his neck, pull the band from his hair, and sink her fingers into it. She felt his thick cock pressed against her belly, pulsating, throbbing, and lifted her hips, hoping to persuade him to really get the party started. He chuckled around their fused lips and did nothing to ease her aching need, other than to stoke it with seductive sweeps of his magical tongue. God, but he was good at this and Sabine never wanted the moment to end. Except, of course, she did. The need to have him inside of her grew more urgent by the second. In the end she could stand the torture no more, and tore her mouth away from his.

“Rick, you’re a lot better at this than I am, I freely admit that. But please, don’t make me wait. I need you.”

“I know you do, babe, but I wasn’t sure you did. I wanted to hear you say it.”

He climbed from the bed, rummaged about in a drawer and ripped open a foil packet with his teeth. She watched as he rolled the condom down his thick length. Then the bed dipped as he rejoined her and positioned himself above her.

“Seeing as how I can’t use my hands, given how much you would hate my touch—”

“I might not—”

He silenced her protest with a brief kiss. “A promise is a promise, babe.”

Sabine didn’t recall him promising not to touch her, but now wasn’t the time to debate the point. He put a finger beneath the waistband of her panties and pulled it away from her body before his finger did more than graze her skin. She lifted her butt for him and he whipped her panties down her legs. He dropped his head and bit lightly at one of her sensitized nipples as he nudged the head of his cock into her entrance. She spread her legs wider, greedy to finally have him where she most wanted him to be. Then she did something she never imagined she would ever voluntarily do and wrapped her legs around his waist. With the few men she had picked up for sex in the past, she had always been the one on top, directing operations. This was entirely new, frightening, but entirely exciting. Rick’s cock was almost too big for her, and stretched her pussy to the limit. The feel was exquisite torture, especially when he bit a little harder at her nipple at precisely the right moment.

“That’s it, honey.” He lifted his head from her breast, his forehead peppered with perspiration, his hair falling from its ponytail and cascading over his shoulders. “My, you’re a greedy girl. You’ve taken all of me already. Come on now, let’s really fuck.”

He upped the pace and Sabine moved with him, loving the feel of his loaded balls crashing down each time he thrust into her, seemingly holding nothing back. Seeing he was so perceptive, he must have realized she needed to be fucked as hard as he could give it to her. She tightened her muscles around his length, reveling in the abrasive feel of his cock against the walls of her pussy, watching the cords in his neck standing out in harsh relief as he worked her hard. And then harder still.

“You feel that, darlin’? You like my cock inside you?”

“Shit yes! Keep fucking me, Rick. I’m so damned close.”

“Let it go, sweet thing. Don’t hold back on my account.”

“How can you…your control, it’s astonishing.”

He chuckled. “Practice.”

The undulating motions of his body caused the hairs on his glorious chest to brush against her sensitized tits. It was a new experience for Sabine, but she didn’t try to shy away from glancing physical contact—in fact, she welcomed it.

 

Fire and Ice

STORY EXCERPT

Jack chuckled as he loaded her skis and poles into the exterior basket besides the chopper’s skids. Klaus and Yannick followed suit and then, without waiting to be told, climbed into the backseat of their transportation. Jack looked at Chelsea, shrugged, and opened the right-hand side front door for her.

“Grab the handhold at the side of the door and pull yourself up, darlin’,” he said. “Unless you need a push from behind, that is.”

“I’ve got it,” she replied, wondering what he would have done if she’d taken him up on his invitation.

She could hear a smile in his voice, like he’d interpreted the nature of her thoughts and found them amusing. Well, of course he had! A man who looked like he did would have wall-to-wall women more than ready to have their arses manhandled.

“Need to put your legs either side of my cyclic,” he said, grinning as he pointed to a long lever that was positioned right where she wanted to put her legs. “It vibrates once we get airborne,” he added so only she could hear him.

She shot him a lifted eyebrow look but had no choice but to do as he asked. Once she was settled, he helped her to buckle up, his fingers loitering a little longer than was necessary on the buckle that spanned her middle. With another of his annoyingly knowing smiles, he turned away and cast a cursory eye over the guys in the back to make sure they’d fastened themselves in. He then walked around to his side of the bird, climbed aboard, and donned headphones with a microphone attached, through which he could communicate with his passengers. Chelsea put hers on as well but the Dutch didn’t bother. Jack shrugged, implying it was their choice.

“Earth to Chelsea,” Jack said, grinning as he flipped switches and went through his pre-takeoff routine. “You okay there?”

“Fine.” It was no hardship to smile at him, even though she was only doing so for professional reasons. Why else would she? “I’m looking forward to this.”

“You done it before?”

“I’ve done a lot of off-piste stuff but never from a helicopter. In fact, it’s my first time up in one.”

“A virgin, huh?” That damned sexy smile again. The limitations she’d placed on the relationship she planned to have with him were, she could already tell, going to be challenging to stick to. “Ask me nicely and I might give you a private aerial tour of the country.”

“Now why would you want to do that?”

Jack winked at her from behind his Ray-Bans. “I can’t think of a single reason,” he said as he lifted the ’copter smoothly from its pad. But don’t worry, something will occur to me.”

Chelsea bit her lip to stop herself laughing at his corny lines. No point being too much of a pushover. She gasped as the helicopter dipped forward as it took to the air, sending her stomach lurching and making her regret the pastry she’d just wolfed down.

“This is amazing,” she said when she opened her eyes again and looked down at the village spread below them like a snow-covered patchwork quilt.

“Glad you like it.”

Chelsea didn’t like it. She loved everything about it. There was just something about being in this noisy tin machine and placing her life in Jack’s capable hands that fulfilled an unidentified need within her. She loved taking risks. In her line of work, that was a given. She loved the rush she got from driving race cars, competing at martial arts and, of course, off-piste skiing. But this was in another league. If she could afford it, she’d qualify as a chopper pilot herself. It was the ultimate rush.

Remembering what she was supposed to be doing, she glanced over her shoulder at the guys in the backseat, more convinced than ever that she was right about them. They were annoyed to have her tagging along, at having to have a guide, and at the prospect of being videoed. She could see them now, arguing with one another in some sort of silent shorthand. They couldn’t talk over the noise of the rotors but there was a lot of hand gesturing going on.

Chelsea turned back to enjoy the view of the scenery below them, to say nothing of the pilot’s rugged profile. All too soon, Jack brought the chopper down to a smooth landing on what seemed like the top of the world.

“There we go,” he said to her, leaning across to unfasten her harness. She allowed it, even though she was perfectly capable of releasing it herself. Playing the part of the helpless, passive female had never sat well with Chelsea but, needs must. “Go and have a great time. Take care and don’t forget to call into Hadleigh’s tonight. I’ll have a glass of wine with your name on it waiting for you.”

 

ADULT EXCERPT

 

Now let’s play, she begged, somehow sensing she wouldn’t be allowed to set the tempo and rush matters along. If she’d learned one thing about Jack Gower, it was that he took his pleasures very seriously. Oh, and he liked to be in charge in the bedroom. Okay, that was two things, neither of which gave her any reason to be suspicious of him.

But Chelsea was suspicious by nature. It came with the territory.

The bed was sinfully comfortable and she sank into the mattress as she lay on top of the covers like a nervous, virginal bride. She closed her eyes, willing him to join her. Willing him to delay so she could enjoy the anticipation indefinitely.

“Raise your arms above your head.”

Her eyes flew open and there he was, standing directly over her in all his glorious male splendor. He moved as stealthily as a cat and she hadn’t heard him approach.

“What are you going to do?”

“Tie your hands to the headboard.”

She blinked. “Why?”

“Haven’t you ever been tied up before, sugar?”

“No. Well, a guy wanted to once but I wouldn’t let him.”

“Will you let me?”

Would she? “I still don’t understand why you want to—”

“Do you trust me, Chelsea?”

“Yes,” she replied without having to think about it. And it was true. Despite her doubts about his activities outside of the bedroom, inside of it he had her complete trust.

“Then let me show you what you’ve been missing.” He twirled something feather-light across her belly, igniting renewed desire deep within her core. “You won’t be sorry and you know I’ll untie you the moment you ask me to, don’t you?”

His soft, hypnotic tone had her nodding before he finished his sentence. The desire to please him overrode every other consideration.

“There’s my good girl.”

He tied something soft around both wrists—it felt like a silk scarf—and then attached the long end to the headboard.

“Comfortable?”

She nodded.

“Answer me, Chelsea. When I ask you a question, I need you to answer with words, just so I can be sure I’m not pushing you too far.” He chuckled. “Unless I have you gagged, of course—”

“Gagged!” Her eyes bugged.

“Gagged,” he said, tapping her thigh, as though chastising her for interrupting him. “And in that situation, we’ll work out another method of communication.”

Holy moly, he made it sound as if they’d be doing it again.

“Yes, I’m comfortable.”

“Good girl. And good girls get a reward.”

He knelt by the side of the bed and played gently with one of her breasts. But the gentleness didn’t endure. He lowered his head, sucked her rock-hard nipple into his mouth, and bit at it hard enough to make her cry out.

“Shush! Control your breathing. Roll with the pain, darlin’, and see what it does for you.”

Before she could respond, he took the same nipple between his teeth and pulled it away from her body until the skin stopped stretching. She opened her mouth to protest, but he covered it with his lips and she lost herself in the intensity of his kiss. The nipple that he’d released in order to kiss her thrummed and tingled, but oddly in a nice way. Jack clearly got off on rough sex. She’d never tried it but all early indications were that it could be rewarding. Might as well carry on. She already knew he was right about one thing. Being deprived of the use of her hands and therefore unable to do much for him meant all the attention would be on her. It was rare, in her limited experience, to meet such an unselfish man and she wasn’t about to complain and pass up the chance.

“Spread your legs as far as they’ll go, angel, and bring your knees up.”

In a trance, Chelsea didn’t hesitate. She felt his hair flopping against her sensitized skin as he lapped and nipped his way down her torso, stopping to give special attention to her most reactive areas. The bed dipped as he climbed onto it. Unable to move from her prone position and see what was going on, she could only assume that the moment had come.

She was wrong. She smelled his addictive citrusy scent as his hair fell across her pussy as he applied his swirling tongue to her labia. She cried out, almost orgasming when he sucked her sweet spot and two fingers found their way into her slick entrance.

“My, my, we are anxious, aren’t we?” he said tauntingly before returning his lips to where she most wanted them to be and sucking a little harder.

She felt more fingers stretching her pussy wide and then—hell no!—surely that wasn’t his entire fist?