If We Fly by Nina Lane

  

  

We fell in love. Then our world fell apart.

I wished so hard for Cole Danforth. And one day, he came true. He was my first crush, my first lover, my first and only love. He should also have been my last. But in a split-second, we were ripped apart, our lives broken, my heart shattered. After ten years, I've returned to my hometown, the place of my greatest joy and darkest pain. Cole is still here, but the beautiful boy I'd loved is gone. Now he's a ruthless, unforgiving man determined to feed both my resentment and my lust. Then our torturous past encroaches again, trapping us in a violent storm.  

But this time, there is no escape.

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  EXCERPT

While I’ll take Josie wherever I can get her, I’d rather be with her at the cottage than anywhere else. Reminds me of our cramped apartment where we were always bumping into each other and never had enough room.

As both a girl and an artist, Josie came with stuff. Hair bands. Fuzzy socks. Premium pastels. A thousand tubes of lip balm. I loved her stuff because I loved her. But I’d also been baffled by her inability to hang up a sweatshirt.

Her cottage isn’t any neater, which is just one reason I like it there. She doesn’t answer my knock. I unlock the door and let myself in.

She’s sprawled on the bed in the sunroom, her body moving with quick, shallow breaths indicating a restless sleep. One shapely legs rests over a pillow, and her T-shirt is pulled up far enough to reveal the curve of her ass encased in panties printed with purple butterflies.

Much as I love the sight of her, I dislike like her insomnia, the way she sleeps in fits and starts. Though I haven’t seen evidence of a nightmare, that doesn’t mean she’s not still having them. And going back to the accident site…

My chest tightens. I sit in a chair by the window and rub a hand over the back of my neck.

Two weeks. That’s it. Then she’s gone. After that…hell, you don’t have to think about after. You just need to make sure the truth stays locked down. That means keeping her away from Peterson and any reminders.

Or taking her away.

A roll of half-opened Lifesavers rests on the windowsill. Peeling it open, I find a red one and stick it in my mouth. Sugar and cherry spill over my tongue.

“You’re going to pay for that.” Her sleep-husky voice draws my attention.

She’s watching me, her arms around a pillow.

“I’ll share.” I push to my feet.

“You’d better.”

After crossing the room in three strides, I sink onto the bed beside her and lower my mouth to hers. Though I had every intention of talking to her first, her kiss fires me with heat. The tension in my chest loosens. I brush her silky hair back from her face and slide my hand over her cheek. Breathe in her strawberry smell. My unease slides away, overpowered by her soft sweetness.

She flicks her tongue into my mouth and over the cherry candy. After passing it to her, I lower her back onto the bed. My dick is already getting hard. I cup her breasts and rub my thumbs over her nipples, urging them to tighten. Josie sighs and shifts, hooking her legs around my thighs and wiggling her hips against me.

“You need to stop wearing jeans when you’re here.” She pushes me away and rises up to unbutton my jeans and shove them off. “Makes it hard for this spontaneous sex thing we’ve got going on.”

“I’m always hard for this spontaneous sex thing.” I shed my clothes before climbing on top of her again. Nuzzling my nose into her neck, I lick the hot hollow of her throat. I fucking love that tender little spot where her pulse beats so fast.

I inch my hand up her shirt, pulling it up far enough to expose her breasts, her pink nipples sticking straight up. The sight of her naked body jerks my cock into full hardness. Josie breathes out a moan and grasps my dick.

“God, Cole.” She shifts, urging me closer and parting her cherry-red lips. “Put it in my mouth.”

“Not this time.” With effort, I detach her hand from me and bend to kiss her breasts, pulling her nipple into my mouth. Her groan of satisfaction fires my lust hotter. I slide my hand between her thigh and into her pussy. Ah, fuck, my girl is already wet and primed, like she’s been waiting for me.

Moving lower on the bed, I push her thighs open. She rises to her elbows, her eyes widening. “Cole...”

When we first got together, it had taken her a long time to let me go down on her. No matter how aroused she was or how careful I was, she’d tense up and get self-conscious about being so exposed. But we’d both persisted, and I’d started with gentle licks of my tongue that soon had her panting and pumping her hips. And when she came…more than once, I’d been unable to hold back and ended up shooting my load all over the bedsheets.

That’s not happening this time.

       

 

We fell in love. Then our world fell apart. I wished so hard for Cole Danforth. And one day, he came true. He was my first boyfriend, my first lover, my first and only love. He should also have been my last. But in a split-second, we were ripped apart, our lives broken, my heart shattered. After ten years, I've returned to my hometown, the place of my greatest joy and darkest pain. Cole is still here, but the beautiful boy I'd loved is gone. Now he's a ruthless, unforgiving man determined to feed both my resentment and my lust. Then our torturous past encroaches again, trapping us in a violent storm. But this time, there is no escape.    

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New York Times & USA Today bestselling author Nina Lane writes hot, sexy romances about professors, bad boys, candy makers, and protective alpha males who find themselves consumed with love for one woman alone. Originally from California, Nina holds a PhD in Art History and an MA in Library and Information Studies, which means she loves both research and organization. She also enjoys traveling and thinks St. Petersburg, Russia is a city everyone should visit at least once. Although Nina would go back to college for another degree because she's that much of a bookworm and a perpetual student, she now lives the happy life of a full-time writer. Website | Facebook | Twitter | Newsletter  

What If Duet by Nina Lane

       

 

We fell in love. Then our world fell apart. I wished so hard for Cole Danforth. And one day, he came true. He was my first boyfriend, my first lover, my first and only love. He should also have been my last. But in a split-second, we were ripped apart, our lives broken, my heart shattered. After ten years, I've returned to my hometown, the place of my greatest joy and darkest pain. Cole is still here, but the beautiful boy I'd loved is gone. Now he's a ruthless, unforgiving man determined to feed both my resentment and my lust. Then our torturous past encroaches again, trapping us in a violent storm. But this time, there is no escape.    

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EXCERPT

“Sir?” The security guard phones in from downstairs. “There’s a woman here insisting she needs to speak with you.”

“Name?”

“Josephine Mays.”

“Let her in.”

I turn off the intercom and unlock my office door. A few minutes pass before the door flies open. Josie barges in, her hands fisted and an angry light in her eyes.

“You are an asshole,” she snaps.

“I’ve been told.”

“How dare you pull that kind of stunt?”

“It’s the truth.”

“And we both know damned well you brought it up only because I’m involved.” She tosses her backpack and art portfolio onto a chair. She’s trembling with anger. “I don’t care what you think about me, but bringing the people of this town into our personal shit is low, even for you.”

My shoulders tense. “Even for me? What do you know about me?”

“Nothing anymore.” She slams her hands to her hips, her features twisting. “But I used to know everything about you. Do you remember that? Then you walked out on me right when I needed you the most, proving you were never the man I thought you were. Now I find out that you run this company like a dictator, you’re crushing independent businesses and putting people out of work, and you’re publicly trying to stop me from creating a mural that’s intended for both this town and my parents. What the hell happened to you?”

“You happened to me.”

The words fly out of my mouth before I can stop them. The pencil I’m holding breaks in two with the force of my grip.

Josie steps back, her eyes widening. Her dark hair is windblown, her cheeks flushed, her chest heaving under her old army jacket. I’d once had the right to comb her hair back from her forehead, slide my palm over her neck before edging my fingers into her V-necked T-shirt...

Anger crushes my chest. I shove away from my desk and stride toward her. Fear flashes in her green eyes, which pisses me off even more. When the fuck was she ever afraid of me?

I grab the lapels of her jacket, yanking her closer. Our lower bodies collide. She gasps, a little catching noise in the back of her throat that used to get me hot in a second.

It still does. My blood starts to boil. She tilts her head back, her eyes flashing. I lower my head to look at her, fighting to ignore her scent—goddamned summer leaves and cherry candy.

“I once would have done anything for you.” The words grate roughly from my throat. “And then I failed you in the worst possible way. I failed you, I failed Teddy, and I failed your parents.”

She stares at me, her eyes widening. “Cole, I—”

“When you left, I hoped with everything I was that you’d have a chance at a normal life.” I pull her closer, anger warring with the undeniable flare of lust. “That you could be happy again if you weren’t constantly surrounded by reminders of everything you lost. Everything I took from you.”

“Goddamn you, Cole Danforth.” Fire flames over her expression. She plants her hands on my chest and shoves herself away. “The only thing you took from me was you.”

       

We fell in love. Then our world fell apart.

I wished so hard for Cole Danforth. And one day, he came true. He was my first crush, my first lover, my first and only love. He should also have been my last. But in a split-second, we were ripped apart, our lives broken, my heart shattered. After ten years, I've returned to my hometown, the place of my greatest joy and darkest pain. Cole is still here, but the beautiful boy I'd loved is gone. Now he's a ruthless, unforgiving man determined to feed both my resentment and my lust. Then our torturous past encroaches again, trapping us in a violent storm.  

But this time, there is no escape.

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New York Times & USA Today bestselling author Nina Lane writes hot, sexy romances about professors, bad boys, candy makers, and protective alpha males who find themselves consumed with love for one woman alone. Originally from California, Nina holds a PhD in Art History and an MA in Library and Information Studies, which means she loves both research and organization. She also enjoys traveling and thinks St. Petersburg, Russia is a city everyone should visit at least once. Although Nina would go back to college for another degree because she's that much of a bookworm and a perpetual student, she now lives the happy life of a full-time writer. Website | Facebook | Twitter | Newsletter  

Title: Sweet Life by Nina Lane

         

He knows if she's been bad or good.

Amidst the sugarplums and mistletoe, fashion stylist Julia Bennett is every inch a scrooge. Known for her ice-queen ways, she's having a meltdown over a botched business deal and an upcoming milestone birthday. Add the pressure of forced holiday cheer, and she's ready to dive into the spiked eggnog and not come out until summer.

Warren Stone, president and owner of the Sugar Rush Candy Company, is determined to make Julia slow down and enjoy the holidays. As her friend and confidante for thirteen years, he knows her better than anyone. But when decking the halls leads them to an explosive, sexy night, everything suddenly changes. 

And when Warren decides Julia is all he wants for Christmas, will she risk their longtime friendship for the gift of love?

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EXCERPT

“Now step into my office.”

Julia blinked at his hard tone, her gaze shifting to his closed office door. “I beg your pardon?”

Warren opened the door. “In. Now.”

Her features tightened with resistance just as the elevator doors opened and several employees emerged, their voices rising in chatter. Julia crossed the hallway in front of them, her shoulders rigid. He caught a whiff of Chanel No. 5 as she passed him.

He entered the office behind her and closed the door, flicking the lock shut.

“You are not to take out personal crap on my employees,” he said. “That’s not how I run this company.”

Julia’s lips compressed. “Odd that you’ve never before questioned my treatment of your employees. And it wasn’t personal. She needed to know she’d screwed up.”

“Announcing the holiday party early is not screwing up,” Warren replied evenly. “You’re pissed off because you’ve had a shitty week, you have too much on your plate, an old bucket list has thrown you off your game, and you don’t know what to do with the fact that we fucked the other night.”

Two spots of color appeared on her cheeks. “I seem to recall that what I did with that fact was tell you it wasn’t going to happen again. After which you informed me in excellent caveman style that I was wrong. You seem to forget I’m never wrong.”

About this, you are.

He bit back the words. He hadn’t become the president of Sugar Rush by throwing his weight around. He knew how to bide his time, work his way into getting what he wanted. And damned if he didn’t want her more with every passing second.

“Well?” Julia put her hands on her hips and glared at him. “Are we done here?”

Under her make-up, purplish smudges shadowed her eyes. Brackets of tension lined her mouth. His jaw tightened.

“You had a migraine yesterday,” he said.

“What the fuck do you care?” Julia snapped.

Warren’s hands flexed. He was used to her quick-fire cursing, all the more effective when delivered by a woman who looked like royalty, but he didn’t like being the recipient of her wrath.

“I’m putting Mia Donovan in charge of the Sugar Rush holiday party,” he said.

“You’re firing me?” Julia stared at him, her eyes widening. “Are you serious?”

“Yes.” He steeled himself against her shock and the knowledge that he was hurting her. “You’ve planned it for the past ten years, and it’s time to hand it over to someone else.”

“You don’t get to decide that.”

“Yes, I do. Sugar Rush is my company. This is also the event where I’ll be announcing my retirement. You’re not going to plan it.”

“Because I have too much on my plate?” Julia stopped in front of the windows, her arms crossed and her fiery gaze fixed on him. “Thanks for your concern, Daddy, but I assure you I can handle everything I take on.”

“That’s why you’re such a success. It’s also why your headaches are getting worse.”

“You are not my fucking doctor.”

“Stop swearing.”

She barked out a laugh. “You need to rethink this retirement thing, Warren. It’s making you soft.”

Given the state of his dick, he was anything but soft.

“If you won’t delegate your projects, I will,” he said.

“Because you can’t stop being the boss, even if you think otherwise.” Julia paced angrily to the desk, her eyes flaring with blue ice. “Why are you retiring, Warren? Everyone knows you’re the power behind the throne, much as you’ve let the boys take all the glory. Three months—hell, one month from now when you have nothing to do and no one to order around, you’re going to wonder why you made such a bad decision.”

Warren’s jaw clenched. He was sick of getting pushback from all sides. “I’ve been in business my entire life. I know what I’m doing.”

“So do I, dammit,” Julia retorted. “I don’t need you looking out for me.”

“I will always look out for you.”

She came to a halt, her whole body stilling. By contrast, Warren’s heartbeat kicked up, sudden heat flooding his veins. Their gazes met across the room, a crackling electric current firing through the air.

Julia took a breath, her breasts heaving beneath her jacket.

“Goddamn you, Warren Stone,” she whispered.

“I told you to stop swearing.” He advanced, his own breath increasing, his hands fisting and unfisting at his sides.

Rebellion tightened her features. “And if I don’t?”

“You sure you want to find out?”

He closed the distance between them, his lust flaring like a match to dry leaves.

What the fuck was going on with them?

The question flared like a comet through his mind and died just as fast—because he didn’t care about the answer. His mind was consumed with the thought of tasting her red lips again, sweet like cherries, spicy like peppers. Her mouth could deliver an insult as sharp and searing as a blade, but he knew—had always known, even if he’d smothered the knowledge—that the sounds issuing from Julia Bennett’s mouth could also be smooth, hot murmurs of lust that rushed straight to his blood. Weakening him of all thought, all control, inciting him with the urge to—

He grabbed her shoulders, hauling her soft, slender body against him. He’d always loved the contrast of Julia, the sharp-tongued, acidic queen and the relentlessly devoted aunt. The rigorous boss who shot orders like arrows, and the loyal friend who bought Hailey’s favorite peanut butter, sent care packages to Gavin Knight when he was deployed in Iraq, spent hours on end with Evan at the hospital.

He stared down at her fine features, pale skin, and wide blue eyes that he’d seen almost every day of his life for the past thirteen years—and suddenly now it felt as if he were looking at her for the first time. Had he never noticed that tiny birthmark right beneath her left eye? Or the silver flecks in her irises, like falling snow? Or the perfect curve in her upper lip, tempting him to put his tongue there and—

Oh, he’d noticed all right. He’d just tried to pretend he hadn’t.

“What the hell am I going to do with you, Julia?” he muttered.

“Fire me, apparently.” Her tone was bitter, her eyes blue fire.

Her gaze flickered involuntarily to his mouth, her lips parting. He slipped his hand beneath her chin, lifting her face to his. His heart jackhammered. Her breath brushed against his mouth, the familiar scent of her—Chanel No. 5, lavender soap, pure Julia—suddenly exotic and tantalizing.

“I’m going to let you go,” he said slowly, “and take two steps back. I want you to reach under your skirt and take your underwear off… if you’re wearing any.”

   

New York Times & USA Today bestselling author Nina Lane writes hot, sexy romances about professors, bad boys, candy makers, and protective alpha males who find themselves consumed with love for one woman alone. Originally from California, Nina holds a PhD in Art History and an MA in Library and Information Studies, which means she loves both research and organization. She also enjoys traveling and thinks St. Petersburg, Russia is a city everyone should visit at least once. Although Nina would go back to college for another degree because she's that much of a bookworm and a perpetual student, she now lives the happy life of a full-time writer. Website | Facebook | Twitter | Newsletter  

Title: Sweet Time by Nina Lane

     

Stuck in a boring insurance job, vivacious Mia Donovan has spent the last few years searching for her life's true path. She fills her time helping plan the wedding of her best friend to the CEO of the Sugar Rush Candy Company.

Mia has also been trying to attract the impossibly rigid Sugar Rush security chief Gavin Knight. But for well over a year, the unyielding Mr. Knight has ignored her, despite her short skirts, tight sweaters, and patently obvious flirting. And when he finally approaches her, it's only to assess the wedding plans for potential security risks.

A former soldier, Gavin has intercepted hostile anonymous letters threatening the high-profile wedding. Determined to keep everyone safe, he's forced to work with the maddeningly sexy Miss Donovan of the thousand-watt charm and irresistible body.

Irked by Gavin's many months of disregard, Mia takes her teasing flirtations to a whole new level. But her coquettish ways are no match for the edgy, lust-fueled dominant he conceals behind his impassive exterior. And when Gavin exerts his full control, Mia discovers he can protect everything except her heart.

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EXCERPT

A smile curved her mouth. She stretched one leg over him and straddled his waist. With her nipples poking out of her bra, her skin flushed and her hair a waterfall of gold, he could have stared at her for hours if he weren’t about to implode with lust. He pinched her rosy nipples and twisted the strap of her bra.

“Take this off,” he ordered. “I want you naked.”

She shed her bra, revealing her perfect round breasts. She braced her hands on the mattress and leaned in to kiss him deeply, her tongue tracing the line of his lips. He slid his hands down to grasp her ass, working one finger between her cheeks. She inhaled sharply, but didn’t protest, arching her back like she wanted more.

He’d give her more. And despite her willingness, it might be more than she could handle. More than she could take.

“Wait,” she whispered, wiggling back so she was straddling his thighs. “Where are the condoms?”

“Drawer in the nightstand.”

She reached over to retrieve one and took her sweet time sheathing his dick. By the time she was done, his teeth were clenched from the light, tickling touch of her fingers.

He grasped her hips. “Ride me.”

Mia bit her lip, a flush rising to her cheekbones. For a second he thought she’d decline, but she lifted herself up, her hand circling the base of his cock as she positioned herself.

Then she sank onto him, and the world exploded into the hot, tight clench of her pussy, the sound of her low groan, the clench of her knees around his hips. A flash of pain crossed her face before it was replaced with heavy lust. Heat sizzled through the air. She curled her fingers into his chest and started to move.

“Oh my God.” Her breath grew fast, her astonished gaze still holding his. “I feel you so deep, all the way up here.”

She pressed one hand to her belly and shifted again, working her gorgeous body up and down on his cock. He dug his fingers into her hips. His jaw clenched to the point of pain. He fought the urge to thrust, to drive them both to the edge. She was a fucking goddess, her tits bouncing, her body flexing and writhing, sweat glistening on her skin.

“Faster.” He bit out the order, his blood on fire.

She leaned forward, her hair falling in curtains on either side of her face, her little panting breaths puffing against his neck. Her eyes darkened with hunger and urgency.

“I need it, Gavin,” she whispered, her teeth capturing her lower lip again. “I need to come with you inside me, hard and deep and… oh God…”

“That’s right.” He grabbed her waist and thrust upward, needing to be inside her as far as he could. “Get yourself off… Christ, you’re incredible, all soft tight heat… you’re going to jerk me off, cover your little pussy with my come…”

A shudder rocked through her. She braced her hands on his chest and moved faster. Breathy cries came from her parted lips.

“I want you to do it first,” she gasped, sliding up and down his cock like a well-oiled piston. “Mark me.”

She moved off him before he could stop her, her chest heaving as she slid back to sit on his thighs. She rolled the condom off his erection and stroked, her tapered fingers moving up and down his aching shaft, her thumb caressing the swollen crown.

“Do it, Gavin.” Her voice was husky and threaded with anticipation. “Come on my pussy. Give me everything you have.”

“Ah, shit.” Every part of him tensed. Fiery pressure built. He gripped her smooth thighs and thrust into her fist. “So goddamned close… harder… now… .fuck.”

Heat exploded through him, jets of come splashing over her belly. She gasped, her fist still working his dick until the sensations ebbed. He groaned, sinking against the pillows.

“That’s so fucking sexy,” she whispered, releasing him only to slide her fingers through the mess coating her skin. “I love how you feel on me.”

“Get yourself off for me.” He stroked his hands up and down her smooth, damp thighs. “I want to watch you.”

Shivering, she slipped one hand between her legs and brought the other to her breasts. She twisted her pink nipple and worked her fingers on her clit. Much as he wanted to delve his fingers into her slippery heat again, he restrained himself from reaching for her.

He couldn’t take his eyes off the sight of her touching herself, her body sleek and soft. She threw her head back, her hair spilling over her shoulders. Moaning, she moved her fingers more frantically, her body tensing with need.

“Gavin,” she gasped. “I feel it… I still feel you… oh God, I’m going to… ah!”

A high, keening cry broke from her throat as her body shook, her hand still rubbing her clit. Fucking gorgeous sight, spearing him with fresh lust.

“Oh fuck.” She groaned, collapsing on top of him in a hot, sweet bundle of softness. “That was amazing. My ass is still sore from your hand, and I swear that made me come even harder.”

He gave a short laugh. Yeah, he’d lost the battle all right. He was about to lose the whole fucking war. And never before had he wanted to surrender.

   

New York Times & USA Today bestselling author Nina Lane writes hot, sexy romances about professors, bad boys, candy makers, and protective alpha males who find themselves consumed with love for one woman alone. Originally from California, Nina holds a PhD in Art History and an MA in Library and Information Studies, which means she loves both research and organization. She also enjoys traveling and thinks St. Petersburg, Russia is a city everyone should visit at least once. Although Nina would go back to college for another degree because she's that much of a bookworm and a perpetual student, she now lives the happy life of a full-time writer. 

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