STORY EXCERPT

After racing home, showering, and getting dressed again, she headed for the bar. The guys were already gathered around a table, beers in hand with one waiting for her. She smiled pulling out the stool beside Spencer.

“Thanks. You guys made it here in record time, I see.”

“Beer and burger night,” Kurt reminded her, raising his beer in greeting.

She smiled. “Right.”

She glanced up at the bar and noticed a man with a familiar profile. For a moment, she couldn’t put her finger on it, but then it hit her like a brick upside the head after being launched from an F5 tornado.

Liam.

What were the chances that he’d be at Iron Horse? Why was he at Iron Horse? Wasn’t a place like this beneath a Snobville guy like him?

Then she spotted the fancy-suit guy joining him up at the bar. They shook hands and patted each other on the back like old friends. Her mouth dried as Liam twisted to see her staring at him. She averted her gaze back to her beer.

Her body tingled, the hair raising all over her skin with the heat of his gaze, and even though she wasn’t looking at him, she was sure he was still staring at her. The absurd fire licking upon her flesh told her so. She swallowed down a giant gulp of beer to try and cool the flames.

What is it about him that’s so…annoying?

Was she supposed to speak with him or pretend she hadn’t noticed him? What was the professional thing to do? It’s not like we’re friends or something. The unfamiliar situation was odd.

I always know what to do.

“You okay?” Spencer leaned over and nudged her with his shoulder. “Are you hot for that guy?”

She crinkled her nose. “He’s the potential new client I visited this morning.”

“No kidding?” Owen and the rest of the guys glanced over at him. All but Dusty. Her body was locked in place. Looking at him only made her question herself more.

“He’s sitting with Victor Caldwell,” Seth told everyone, as if that was common knowledge.

It wasn’t. “Who’s Victor Caldwell?”

“He’s a lawyer, and I’m pretty sure his wife works here, too.”

So that’s how Jeremy got the job lead. Zerina and Victor’s wife are friends.

“What an incestuous group we are,” Kurt added with a snicker before taking a big bite of the burger that had just been brought to the table. He didn’t even wait for everyone to get theirs before devouring his.

Maybe that was why Liam didn’t seem happy that she’d been the one to show up at his home this morning in place of Jeremy. She hated to stereotype, but the suit duo was clearly in a men-only club. Working up a bid was likely a waste of time. It wouldn’t be the first time a sexist shit had turned her down because they didn’t think a woman could handle the job.

Assholes.

Dusty finished a burger, a few beers, and then headed to the restroom. Liam wasn’t at the bar any longer. He must’ve gone home. Iron Horse didn’t seem to be his kind of scene. The sports bar was loud, pumping with music and filled with smiling, happy people. As she cut a trail to the back of the bar, it became more secluded. The posters on the wall were of 80s hair bands and of famous people who had past through the bar over the years. It was definitely her kind of scene. She grinned.

“Shouldn’t you be working on that bid for me?”

A startled jolt rocketed through her as she stepped out of the bathroom and into the darkened hallway. Liam stood with his shoulder pressed to the wall, eyeing her.

Was he waiting for me?

She cleared her throat, a lump lodged like a giant apple. “I’ve already started, and as I told you earlier, I’ll email it to you tonight.”

He hiked his thumb over his shoulder in the direction of the bar area. “Those men you’re sitting with, are they your crew?”

“Yes.”

“Good,” he breathed, standing tall.

She folded her arms over her chest. Good? What the hell does that mean? “Is there something wrong, Mr. Lawson?”

“Not anymore.” He turned as if to walk back to the bar. “I look forward to seeing what you come up with, Ms. Smart. Be sure to call me tomorrow to arrange the timeframe you can start the job.”

Her mouth hung open as she watched him disappear. She didn’t know what to make of Liam Lawson. He was nothing at all like the men she worked with, and that wasn’t a good thing.

One thing she picked up from her stalker-inspired conversation with Liam was that he would’ve never hired her had he not seen her “all men” crew.

Maybe I’ll add a few grand to the bid for pain and suffering.

ADULT EXCERPT

With the sweep of his arm, he cleared the table, sending everything crashing to the floor. Then he hauled her out of the chair, and she squealed as he twisted them about until her bottom was resting on the table with him firmly wedged between her legs. He cupped her face and took her mouth hard, kissing her from her lips to her cheeks, along her chin, and down the column of her neck. Her nipples beaded with each blazing caress.

She was burning alive. She yanked her shirt up over her head and tossed it to the floor. He reached around her and kissed her neck as he unhooked her bra and added it to the pile of clothing on the floor. His mouth clamped onto her nipple and sucked until she was deliriously demanding more, guiding his hand down her body.

He towered over her as she grabbed the fabric of his shirt and tugged on it until he helped her yank it up over his head. The pile of clothing on the floor grew. Breathless, she drank in the smooth tight flesh of his body and explored the firm muscles of his chest, arms, and stomach. He was hard, but not bulky. Fit, but not scrawny. With his slacks, collared shirts, and ties, she hadn’t noticed his physique. His body was a welcomed discovery.

“You must work out a lot.”

He took her wrist and placed the palms of her hands on his chest. “Touch me”

Was he begging? He didn’t have to beg.

The pleasure she received from the heat of his skin was unbound. It had been so long since she’d touched a man so thoroughly. Never had she imagined a moment like this with Liam. He was different, sophisticated, but athletic and stubborn, yet gentle. He was sexy—the kind of sexy that would have her thinking about him long after they’d moved on from this night.

One and done. We can’t do more than that.

Her breath fled from her lungs as her fingers trailed down his corded sinew and cupped his fierce erection. He was as hard as a steel spike. She quivered. She was frantic to keep the fire blazing, to feel him thrusting inside her. Her desires were outweighing any hesitations she might’ve had otherwise.

“Please tell me you have a condom.”

“I’m a doctor.” He smirked. “Of course I have condoms.”

He kissed her once more, wrapped his arms around her, and carried her to his bedroom. Their kisses never stopped as his long, powerful strides ate away at the distance, shredding it in seconds. He placed her gently on his bed and demanded, “Don’t move.”

She studied him as he dug through the drawer of his nightstand. He found a brand-new box and tore it open, tossing a golden foil square onto the thick blue comforter. She picked it up and ripped the end.

He quirked a brow.

“I’m ready whenever you are.” She reached down to unbuckle her belt.

He placed his hands over hers. “Allow me.”

Her heart pounded with the surge of blood in her veins. She was about to erupt in flames. She couldn’t shake the desire flooding through her. The connection. The need. She missed it.

She reached for him, caressing his arms as he unfastened her pants and slid them down her legs. He returned like a predatory lion for her panties. The slowness he took to reveal her pussy was torture. She was ready to tear them off, spread her legs, and yank him down on top of her. She was dying, waiting to feel him inside her.

“If you don’t hurry, I’m going to finish myself,” she warned, and she wasn’t kidding.

His devilish grin was her undoing. She scooted to the edge of the bed as he pulled her panties off her legs. She cupped his cock through his pants and went to work unbuckling his brown leather belt and shoved his slacks and briefs down his long, muscular legs. His cock sprang forward, and she gasped at the size. Her eyes shot to his. Liam was impressive, from head to toe.

She stroked the velvety smooth skin of his cock, starting at the head and working her way down to the base. She squeezed tight and released. His breath grew ragged, his eyes darkening. Brazen, she licked the tip of his cock and felt him quiver under her touch. Control over him compelled her to moisten her lips and suck his cock into her mouth. He groaned as she swirled her tongue around his shaft, plunging as deep as her throat could take him and surging back to the tip. She repeated the motion a few dozen times, cupping his balls and pulling the smooth skin of his cock tight.

“Enough!”

He brushed his thumbs over her cheeks, gliding his hands along the oversensitive flesh of her neck and shoulders, and encouraged her to lie back on the bed. She did, even though he was now too far away from her. He grabbed the condom and slid it over the long, thick length of his cock, and without hesitation, she parted her legs. He took hold of her hips and shimmed her to the edge of the bed, crumpling the comforter beneath her bare bottom. She quivered as he trailed his fingers over her breasts and belly, diving between her legs to caress her pussy. She bit her lip as he teased her clit, but when his finger slipped inside her wet pussy, she moaned, riding his pulsing digit. Her desire spiked, and she clawed for him. He held her hips and slowly shoved inside her.