Birthday Wishes - The List: Book 1 (11 page)

"Dance with me? Rach, you'll watch the table, right?" I pulled Luca onto the dance floor before anyone could protest. It was rude, I knew, but I didn't care. Rachel had left me standing guard over her possessions at clubs too many times to count. This was apparently a night for paybacks.

He
wrapped me in his arms, buffering me from the movement and jostling of the other dancers. "What's this about?"

"Hmm?" I played with his collar, the soft tendrils of hair at the base of his neck, and the sensitive skin in between. I didn't want to talk yet. A week really was too long to go without seeing him
or touching him.

He drew me closer, buried his face in my hair, and let the question drop.

We danced like that, lost in each other, through several song changes. None of them slow and romantic. A lot of teenaged girls dream of the perfect slow dance with the perfect man. The one where the tempo of the song, the noise of the room, the worries of the day all fall away and all that matters are the arms around you. Before tonight, I'd thought that kind of romance only existed in fairy tales. But I was so very wrong.

He
raised his head and looked in my eyes, searching. "We should get back. We've left them too long."

I nodded, but held
him tight. "First, tell me why Richard is here."

"Oh, that."
He flared bright red and stuttered. "Well, I thought—um. He’s number nine!" He blurted the last two words and promptly turned even redder.

"Oh." I stopped dancing.
His intentions hit me at a visceral level, low in the gut. It hit me in that naughty place that makes me weak-kneed and gushy, like a dirty whisper in the dark. The guilt-free anticipation I wanted, however, was nowhere to be found. My excitement was braided tight and inextricably meshed with regret and shame. I wanted very much to follow through on Luca's offer, but
knew
it would be disaster.

Number nine on our joint list involved Luca watching another man fuck me. We left room for it to go further, in different directions, but the fantasy started in the same place every time. Luca in a chair, fully clothed, and unable to participate. Me laid out on a bed as a man, any man other than Luca, fucked me to orgasm. The fantasy still worked. The thought of Luca's eyes on me, watching me, encouraging me, lusting for me
. . .yes, it worked very well indeed.

But not tonight. There was too much uncertainty, too many threads hanging loose. Luca and I needed to sort out Luca and I before adding another person to the equation.

"We don't have to." His expression held the same combination of hope and reservation that I felt. He wanted it as much as he didn't want it.

"I want to." I spoke quickly, my thoughts rushed and cramped and eager to find a voice. Luca looked devastated at my words. "But not tonight. Maybe in the future. But tonight is
. . ." I shook my head, unable to articulate exactly what tonight was. Special? Between us? More than a number on a list? Pivotal to our relationship?

"Right. Okay."
He was relieved. The tension in his shoulders cleared with a deep exhale, then he drew me into our dance once again. We moved in synchronicity, slow, easy, in tune with one another.

"Why is Rachel here?"

"She's. . ." A distraction, a buffer, a crutch, and a safety net. "She came because I asked her to."

"Why?"

I thought about his question and decided that the answer no longer mattered. I had more important questions that needed answers.

I kissed him gently. Yes, it was a diversion. In my defense though, I'd wanted to do it non-stop since we arrived. The two kisses we'd shared was a show of great self control.

"Tell me what a date with you looks like," I said after a while.

"In general? Or with you?"
He smiled, one of those cool full-face jobs that lit up his eyes.

I shrugged. "Either."

"Well, you are skittish." He squeezed me tighter as he said the words. "So, I'd go in slow and easy for our first date. Maybe I'd disguise it as drinks with friends?"

We laughed together. The absurdity that such duplicity would be necessary for a man like Luca
was trumped by the fact that he'd done exactly that.

"For our second date
--" He spoke with confidence now, warming to the topic and secure in the outcome. "I'd still go easy. Something simple, like dinner. Maybe a movie."

I
put my cheek against his chest. "Sounds perfect."

"Mmm."

His easy readiness to escalate our relationship still terrified me, but instead of debilitating, it was a good healthy fear. One that ensured I wouldn't take him for granted, that I would approach with caution and treat our growth with respect.

"When will you be ready for dinner with my family?" My mom would continue pushing for it to happen. I might as well put the idea in front of Luca now instead of later.

"Right now. Whenever you are."

I laughed at his eagerness. If only he knew what he was agreeing to. Then I remembered. He'd already met them and still wanted more. Brave, brave man.

"Thank you."

"What for?"
He kissed my head.

"Everything
.” I smiled at him. “Just everything."
And then I thought about my birthday, and the wish I didn’t know I’d made, but that had come true. In spite of all the reasons I thought it shouldn’t. I hugged him close. This dating stuff wasn’t so bad, after all.

End

Veronica
"Roni" Guard is an undercover cop trying to bust a drug ring. Unfortunately, she runs into her ex-boyfriend, Mateo Vargas, at an illegal street race in the California desert. He just happens to be a pretty big criminal himself. That's why they split originally. No matter how much chemistry they have between them, a cop and a gangster are not a good match. Roni Convinces Mateo to help her with her case, his reluctance derailed by the one thing that always worked between them--sex. Yes, he'll help her. But on one condition. In his world, she belongs to him, and him only.

Will Mateo's possessive
ness unravel Roni's case? Or, worse, blow her cover? And if they get out of this alive, is there a future for them together?

Blown
is intended for adults only and contains mature adult themes, including graphic and explicit sex.

Mari and Luca continue to work through their list of sexual fantasies in All Wrapped Up, Book Two in The List Series. They've abandoned their original plan of no strings attached and, for the most part, Mari's learning to be okay with it. She definitely likes Luca's strings (and whatever else he might use to restrain her), but she's not sure she's ready to take the next step in their relationship. Luca, sweet, strong, commanding Luca, insists that it's time to move in together. Mari insists it's time to relax and enjoy what they share without complicating things.

With every moment they spend together, Luca shows Mari how good they could be together. Will Mari run away from her emotions, or does Luca have her all wrapped up?

All Wrapped Up is Book Two in The List Series and contains mature adult themes
, including graphic and explicit sex.

Braxton Cole lives in the Pacific Northwest where she spends most of her time holed up in her office writing stories like Birthday Wishes. When she's not writing, she can be found riding her bike, hiking the fabulous local trails, chasing her kids, or wishing that her thumb was a little more green. She has a bad habit of killing what she tries to grow, but hasn't given up hopes of one day being a successful urban farmer.

To learn more about Braxton, visit her website online at
http://www.braxtoncole.com/
.