Tangled

The girl can’t help herself…until she helps herself to a triple-hot fantasy.

Playing With Fire, Book 2

Always wanting what she can’t have. Scarlett learned this the hard way, and this time is no different.

Drake, the one guy she’s hot for, isn’t hot for her. Nope, he’s hot for Trevor, the gorgeous, arrogant actor

she works with. Maybe it’s time she let loose and let the right man capture her, for a change.

Trevor wonders why she can’t see that the right man is right under her nose. He’s crushing big time

on the quirky, sexually confident Scarlett—a huge turn-on for a guy who’s not your standard looking-forvanilla-sex kind of guy.

When an argument with Trevor explodes into the hottest sex of her life, Scarlett thinks nothing has

ever felt so right—until Drake joins in and kicks it into white-hot gear. Trevor is astounded that she trusts

him enough to make her three-way happen for her. But suddenly he’s not so sure he wants to share…

Warning: Contains m/m sex, m/f/m sex, naughty, delicious punishments and naughty, delicious

everything. It’s filthy good.

eBooks are
not
transferable.

They cannot be sold, shared or given away as it is an infringement on the copyright of this work.

This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or

have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual

events, locale or organizations is entirely coincidental.

Samhain Publishing, Ltd.

577 Mulberry Street, Suite 1520

Macon GA 31201

Tangled

Copyright © 2010 by Karen Erickson

ISBN: 978-1-60504-876-5

Edited by Bethany Morgan

Cover by Scott Carpenter

All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written

permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

First
Samhain Publishing, Ltd. e
lectronic publication: January 2010

www.samhainpublishing.com

Tangled

Karen Erickson

Dedication

This one is for the readers—the people who buy my books and make this job so rewarding. Thank

you!

Chapter One

She shouldn’t be here. She had told herself not to come and yet she had. And already she’d been

caught.

Scarlett Goldsmith glanced toward the large double doors that led to the exit, tempted to walk right

through them and never look back. If she left now, no one would be the wiser. Yes, Austin and Michaela

had seen her, but Austin would keep his mouth shut and Michaela didn’t really know anyone from their

inner circle so she wouldn’t be a problem.

But deep down inside, she didn’t want to leave. She wanted to stay. She wanted to find Drake. The

man she’d been chasing for the last three months. The handsome yet elusive Drake who she had found out

by accident would be here tonight.

One last time,
she told herself.
If he ignores me again tonight, I’m done with him.

If she even found him. Tom’s was busy. She couldn’t believe her bad luck that Austin had spotted her

and from behind no less. She wasn’t dressed in her normal attire. Deciding to pull out all the stops, she’d

gone through the theatre’s closet, going for the stern schoolmarm look. She’d hoped it would arouse Drake

if he took one look at her.

She was getting downright desperate, considering the normal Scarlett didn’t seem to do much for him.

She decided to change it, explore another facet, another side to her already many-sided self. She had too

many sides. She’d explored too many avenues.

That’s my problem. I don’t know who I am anymore. I don’t know
what
I am either.

Depression wrapped around her like a wet blanket, too heavy a burden to carry. It made that exit door

all the more enticing. With a sigh, she turned and headed for it as fast as her painful four-inch heels could

take her. She wobbled on her feet, cursed tonight’s choice of shoes then nearly screamed out loud when she

felt someone’s strong fingers wrap around her upper arm, almost sending her off balance.

Said strong fingers whirled her around and she found herself face to face with…ugh…her nemesis,

the man she couldn’t stand more than anyone, Trevor Braxton.

She withdrew from his grasp, her brows lifting in disbelief at the sight of him. He smiled, cocksure,

arrogant and downright smug.

She wanted to slap that smug look right off his freaking gorgeous face.

Tangled

“What are you doing here?” She crossed her arms in front of her and tapped her foot, the pain

shooting around her foot from the tight shoes. But she chose to ignore it, focused instead on taking the stern

part of her costume to the fullest.

Trevor’s stormy gray gaze assessed her from head to toe in a slow, lingering perusal that made her

skin pebble with gooseflesh. As if he could see right through her clothing, through her entire façade and to

the very core of her. All of her insecurities, her problems, her fears.

She didn’t like it.

“I could ask the same of you.” His rich, honeyed voice made ladies swoon on a daily basis. Not that

she ever swooned. Not over Trevor Braxton, oh no. He was an actor. And she didn’t have very high esteem

for most actors, having worked with them for so many years at the theatre.

The fact that Trevor Braxton was one of the most conceited actors she’d ever met really didn’t help

her feelings toward the breed whatsoever.

“I come here on a semi-regular basis.” She lifted her chin, daring him to object or make fun. She

wasn’t ashamed. She refused to be, especially in front of
him.
“Everyone knows that. Didn’t you?”

“Actually I did.” He mimicked her position, crossing his arms in front of his broad chest. Biceps

bulged beneath his dark button-up shirt straining the fabric. His strong forearms, dusted with golden brown

hair, were revealed by the rolled-up sleeves. “I was hoping to run into you tonight.”

Her mind blanked at his words. Huh. Why in the world did he want to run into her? He didn’t like her.

Just as much as she didn’t like him.

And yes indeed, she hated every blessed, muscular, sexy, handsome, velvety smooth bit of him too.

“I hoped you could show me around. I’ve never been to one of these places before,” he continued.

She snorted. She really couldn’t help herself. He’d never been to a sex club? Well, Tom’s was

technically a voyeur’s club but hey close enough. All sorts of things were going on around them even as

they spoke, every single one of them sexual in nature. The unmistakable scent of sex drifted on the air, faint

but present. A couple walked by them, headed toward the door with satisfied expressions on their faces.

The woman’s skirt was hiked up almost to her hips. Scarlett even caught sight of her white panties and the

man’s ruffled hair—as if hands had clutched at his hair, tugging and pulling maybe while he knelt in front

of the woman and licked between her legs.

Damn. Yet again, her fertile imagination took over at the most inappropriate of times. She squeezed

her legs together, the position made more awkward by the high heeled shoes. Trevor still stared at her as if

he might be…interested. In her.

No way.

“You can’t be serious,” she finally said when she realized he was waiting for a reply.

www.samhainpublishing.com

7

Karen Erickson

“Why not?” He shrugged, bringing her attention to his wide shoulders. Very capable looking

shoulders. Shoulders a woman could anchor herself onto and never let go. All while she rode him, his thick

cock pounding swift and sure within her wet, welcoming body…

God.

Scarlett’s skin flushed hot, and she brushed a few stray hairs away from her forehead with shaky

fingers. The position stretched her shirt tight across her bosom, and she forgot how many buttons she’d

undone on the starchy white shirt. Enough buttons to show acres of naked skin, the black swirling lace of

her skimpy bra.

His gaze locked right there, of course. Zoomed in on her cleavage, and she swore she saw a flash of

appreciation in their brilliant depths.

Damn him, he had beautiful eyes. Eyes that could make a woman melt, and a voice that could make a

woman come. At the very least shiver with awareness and bring her nipples to hard, aching life.

Yeah, she hated this guy. So very, very much.

She couldn’t answer him, couldn’t remember what he’d said. He smiled, a one-sided curve of sensual

lips that was loaded with all sorts of meaning.

Sexual I-know-just-how-to-make-you-lose-your mind meaning.

“Nice outfit,” he drawled, his gaze locked on her breasts. “Love the bra especially.”

“I’m sure.” She stood tall, though she wanted to cover herself. Or bare herself completely. Take your

pick.

“Kind of different from your usual look,” he continued. She glanced at him sharply, surprised that

he’d even noticed. “Not that I don’t mind this particular outfit. You remind me of the librarian we had

when I was in grade school. She was pretty. Hot. Young. I’d go in there and pretend to study after school

just so I could sneak looks at her, maybe even talk to her.”

Scarlett couldn’t imagine Trevor Braxton as a child. He’d probably been a handsome little devil full

of deviousness. Tricks and trouble and mischief—she could only surmise the torture he’d put his parents

through.

“I’m sure you stood out. Someone like you hanging out in a library every day.”

Trevor’s dark brows drew together, his expression confused. “Someone like me? What do you mean

by that?”

“Well, look at you.” She waved a hand at him, wondered if maybe she should’ve kept her mouth shut.

“I’m sure you’ve never studied a day in your life. You got by on your good looks alone.”

He laughed, the sound warm and…how could this be? Inviting?

She really wanted to hate this man. But he made it hard. And that drove her nuts.

“I was a big nerd in school,” he admitted once he quit laughing. “Dressed bad, funny looking, wore

glasses, had braces. The works.”

8

www.samhainpublishing.com

Tangled

“I don’t believe you.”

He ran his hand over his jaw, and she swore she heard the rasping of his stubble against his palm. “It’s

true. I have proof. Old photos don’t lie.”

She didn’t want to have this conversation. The little details, the way he looked at her, the intimacy of

it all, it humanized him. Made him more of a real person than the plastic handsome Ken doll she saw on

stage five nights a week. He’d never paid her much attention. He’d rarely spoken to her let alone looked at

her. She was surprised he knew her name.

But he
had
noticed her, and he knew her name. For whatever reason he had come to Tom’s to find

her. How he had gotten the code to get inside in the first place, she had no idea.

“How’d you get in here anyway?”

“Well, I came with someone.” He stuffed his hands in the front pockets of his jeans and shuffled his

feet. Looking very much like the little boy he used to be, she bet.

Well, minus the ugly bit. He was so far from ugly it wasn’t even funny.

As his words sank in though, her hackles went up. “Who are you here with? Don’t tell me you’re on a

date.”

“No, no date. I came with Drake.” His gaze met hers once more, direct and unwavering. “He had the

night off so he called and asked me to come here with him.”

“Oh.” She swallowed and dread filled her. Damn it, those rumors were probably true though she’d

chosen to ignore them. Plenty of women had approached Drake, trying to get his number, a date, a wink,

any type of interest, yet he gave none. He was friendly and polite but never flirty. No one had ever heard of

him dating a woman, let alone had seen him with one.

The rumor was he might be gay. And now that he was here with Trevor, she had a feeling that rumor

might be true.

Though she’d never heard that particular rumor about Trevor, plenty of employees at the theatre were

known for their experimentation.

Including herself.

Trevor was friends with Austin, though. Austin was the lighting director at the theatre and one of her

closest friends. Another man she’d had a hopeless crush on years ago when they first met.

Yet another one of her personal faults. She always developed crushes on men she could never have.