Watch Me (15 page)

God, her temperature was rising, so fast, so high. Ali was an inferno in her blood, and she feared she’d never get enough. A moment later, his pants fell past his knees. In the next instant, he thrust deep, pressing her harder onto the desktop and filling every bit of her with his cock. His gaze locked onto hers and never wavered as he withdrew almost completely, then glided back inside her, all full of

-121-
Shelley Bradley

seduction and friction so dazzling, her body felt like one big firecracker. The last inch of his erection he shoved inside her, startling her with a spike of pleasure as he rubbed right against her cervix, against sensitive tissues clamoring for more.

She gasped at the delicious coil of want gathering between her legs and closed her eyes. Being with Ali was like making love with a tornado. Wild, unpredictable, always strong and tumultuous. Constantly amazing.

“Look at me.” His voice was hoarse, raspy as he pulled back and plunged deep again. “Mine.”

His possessive streak shot her with thrill. He was definitely on the caveman side, and she loved it.

“Yes,” she assured as she met his next thrust, hips rising, fingers clutching his biceps, which bulged with effort as he pushed deep again.

“And you’re mine.”

“Let me show you how much.” He gathered her legs in his arms and warned, “Hold tight. This will be a wild ride.”

Excitement spiked deep, striking right behind her clit as he hammered inside her once, twice… God, at a pace so relentless, the orgasm that had been dancing just out of her reach, teasing her since he’d touched her, now loomed, pooling, converging, until the pleasure bubbled out of control, exploding with mega force. It drowned her completely.

Ali smothered her cry with his fervent kiss as he followed her over the edge, his body stiffening, shuddering, against her for long moments…then sinking deep against her, as if he’d found home. At first, he didn’t move, just peppered her face with adoring kisses. Shanna wondered if she’d ever been happier. But she knew she hadn’t. Suddenly, she had it all—the trophy, the man…the sense of peace she’d been wanting for years.

“I’m crushing you.” Ali sighed with regret and started to rise.

-122-
Sneak Peek: Watch Me

“What a way to go.” She smiled. “You know, I really don’t have anything to wear out of here.”

He smiled, sharp, greedy, just like she imagined a pirate would.

“Hmm. I could happily keep you naked.”

“And I would stay that way willingly if you’d keep having your wicked way with me, but, um…we have to get out of here first.”

Ali glanced around at the utilitarian office. “Agreed.”

Suddenly, he pulled away, zipped his pants, and prowled to a dark corner of the office. He grabbed a trench coat off the rack and turned to face her with a triumphant smile.

He tossed the coat her way. “Shall we get out of here, find someplace private?”

With a giddy laugh, she wrapped the coat around her and shoved the remnants of her costume in the trash. “With pleasure.”

She barely had the sash belted around her waist when Ali pressed her back against the desk. Oh, my. No mistaking the fact he was ready for round two.

“Good. We’re leaving. Now. You will come to my bungalow and stay all night?”

“Yes.” And the next, and the one after, and the one after that, if he’d have her.

“You will not leave?”

“In the morning? No.”

“Ever?”

Was he saying… “Are you asking me to…move in with you?”

He clenched his jaw. “No.”

Her stomach plummeted. “Of course not. I misunderstood.”

“My
mamá
, she would be very disappointed if we lived together. Just before you sent her to dance with Kristoff, a brilliant move, by the way, she asked if you were my girlfriend.”

-123-
Shelley Bradley

“You said yes.” A smile crept across her mouth.

“I did, then I whispered in her ear. Do you recall?”

“Yes, what did you say? And what is a
nuera
?”

“I told her I had other plans.” Alejandro kissed her neck, her cheek, working his way softly to her mouth, then whispered, “
Nuera
means daughter-in-law.” He took a little black box from his pocket. “Interested in the role?”

“You’re proposing?”

“Yes.”

“Aren’t you supposed to be down on one knee?” she teased.

“I would rather be on top of you, always. Will you marry me?”

“
YES!
” She clutched Ali tight as he opened the box. She fell in love all over again. “Yes!”

“Good. I wasn’t taking no for an answer.”

“It’s beautiful,” she breathed as he stood up and slipped the square solitaire on her ring finger. Tears gathered in the corners of her eyes, slid down her cheeks. Probably ruining her mascara—and she didn’t care.

“When did you buy this?”

His cheeks flushed a dull red. “About four hours ago. But I have known that I love you for far longer than that.”

“Me, too. I was just too afraid that love meant giving up my dream. I’m sorry. Never again.”

“Together, we can face anything. Shall we tell my mother and your father?”

“Yes. Just… I want another moment alone with you.” She squeezed his hand. “This is the happiest night of my life! The win, the engagement… Wow, almost too much good stuff to take in. I feel so complete.”

He brought her against him for an intimate hug. “Me, too. I’ll be here to share your triumphs for the rest of our lives. But…” he frowned. “What

-124-
Sneak Peek: Watch Me

happened to the blackmailer? He threatened to circulate Kristoff’s DVD

to the judges to prevent you from competing and winning.”

“I know. I’ve been scratching my head, too. Maybe he changed his mind?”

A pounding on the door interrupted their closeness and musings. Oops…someone wanted their office back, and they’d made an absolute mess.

Shanna wiped away the mascara from beneath her eyes as Ali opened the door with an apology on his lips. “We are very sorry…”

But instead of an event manager standing on the other side, it was Kristoff.

“What?” Shanna asked. “Is something wrong?”

“I must talk to you.”

She’d promised to talk to him in fifteen minutes. She supposed those were up. “Okay.”

Kristoff paced; he looked oddly hesitant. “You are happy we won, yes?”

“Of course! Aren’t you?”

He nodded. “Very.”

“I don’t know how, given the DVD and the threat but—”

“I did that.”

“Did what?”

Grimacing, he confessed, “I created the DVD.” He risked a glance at Ali. “Before you force me from Sneak Peek…I will tell you that the people in the video consented to be filmed. They are my…how should I say, boyfriend and girlfriend. We are together, and they agreed to help me.”

Shanna had no idea Kristoff was in any sort of relationship, much less with both a man and a woman. Whatever floated his boat, but…

“You’re telling me you filmed the DVD and left it for me with the blackmailing note?
You
staged this? Why they hell… I worried until I was

-125-
Shelley Bradley

sure I had no stomach left for days!”

“This, I know. I apologize. But, um… before I invest many months and years in being your partner, I must know if you will stay with me. If I pretended like the news of my…relationship reached the judges, I wondered what would you do, keep me or dump me.”

“So the blackmail…it wasn’t real?”

“No. Do not hate me.” His pleading expression tore at her heart. A moment of anger surged through her…then died. He would never have needed to test her if she hadn’t spent years partner-swapping to feed an ambition that, in the long run, had nearly eaten her spirit and happiness alive.

“I don’t. Just don’t, um…surprise me again.”

“Now I know where I stand, so…never.” He grabbed her left hand, noted the ring there, and grabbed her in a bear hug. “Engaged?”

She nodded, her smile off the charts. “Just now.”

“Congratulations! You are happy, yes?”

“Incredibly so.” She sent Ali a warm smile, and he caressed her back in return.

“I think all will be good now,” Kristoff pronounced.

“Not just good.” Ali brought her closer to his side, and she rested her head on his shoulder. “It’s going to be perfect.”

“Are you sure?” Alejandro teased.

“I’m a champion with a great dance partner and a wonderfully hot fiancé. I’m going to grab happiness with both hands and run.”

“Really?” Alejandro challenged.

Shanna sent him a saucy smile. “You bet. Don’t believe me? Just watch me.”

“Oh, I will.” He kissed her. “With pleasure.”

-126-

About the Author

To learn more about Shelley Bradley, please visit

www.shelleybradley.com or
www.myspace.com/shelleybradley. Send an

email to Shelley at
[email protected] or join her newsletter via

the link from her website to hear more about new and upcoming titles.

Look for these titles by Shelley Bradley

Now Available:

Naught Little Secret

The Lady and the Dragon

Coming Soon:

Dangerous Little Secret

He promises to indulge her secret fantasies, if only she dares to accept.

Sneak Peek: Show Me

© 2007 Jaci Burton

Socialite Janine Bartolino has always been in the public eye. Managing her late father’s philanthropic interests, she keeps her pastimes above reproach. But when a surprise thirtieth birthday celebration at a private club opens her eyes to wicked pleasures, and an intriguing man offers her the chance of a lifetime to indulge her every secret fantasy, Janine takes a leap of faith…at great personal risk. Phillipe “Del” Delacroix knows what Janine wants, even if she isn’t aware of it herself—a chance to explore the world of voyeurs and exhibitionists. Soon, the once staid and reserved woman transforms into a daring and passionate lover, giving Del everything he could ask for in a partner. But when something happens that puts Janine’s reputation, her career, all she’s worked for, in jeopardy...Del must prove that loving him is worth the risk.

Enjoy the following excerpt for
Sneak Peek: Show Me:

“Your friends thought you’d run.”

She shrugged and took a long swallow of rum. It burned, but it felt good. Courage-inducing. “They’re very adventurous. Me? Not so much.”

“So, you’re the conservative one in the group?”

“I’m hardly conservative.” Boring, maybe, but not conservative. She led a wicked, sexy, adventurous lifestyle—in her fantasies. Her reality was something entirely different.

He drained his glass and set it back on the table. “Why do I get the feeling you’re trying to convince me of something that’s not quite true?”

“My friends, Susan, Terri and Melinda have fascinating lives. One’s an author of mystery books who travels the world researching and doing nationwide book tours. One’s an actress and the other’s a model. Their careers alone are profoundly more exciting than mine.”

“And what do you do?”

“I manage my father’s estate. He’s the late Louis Bartolino.”

“Ah. I’ve heard of your father. My condolences on his death last year.”

She nodded. “Thank you. I took over the Bartolino Foundation after his death. That’s my work.”

Del crossed his arms. “Big job for one person.”

“It can be. I handle it. Nevertheless, it hardly makes me…exciting.”

His lips twitched. “I don’t know about that. I find you intriguing.”

It would be rude to snort. “Right. Of course you do.”

Del picked up their glasses and refilled their drinks. “Being exciting has nothing to do with your career, Janine. It’s an inner quality, a glow.”

He walked back to her and handed her the glass, his fingers brushing hers. She felt a zing of electricity.

“You shine like a woman who has a secret.”

“I have no secrets.”

“Is that right. None at all?”

“No.” She sipped the rum, wishing she’d never come in here. Del made her uncomfortable. He was too probing, as if he knew something about her that she didn’t. Which was ridiculous.

“We all have secrets, Janine. Sometimes things even we aren’t aware about ourselves.”

“I’m an open book. Read the society section in the newspaper. You’ll find out anything you want to know about me.”

“That’s surface. Public relations. That’s not who you really are.”

She shook her head, fighting back a laugh. “Really. You’ve known me for ten minutes. Who am I?”

He shrugged and moved away from her. “Not sure. Let’s find out.” He pressed a button next to the mirror and the lights went out. Janine startled, not sure what was happening. But then the mirror glowed. No, wait. A picture was forming. What the hell was that?

It wasn’t a picture. It was a two-way mirror. On the other side was a room, with a bed and a chair and nothing else. There was a man and a woman in the room, both young and extremely attractive. The man was tall, well built, with cover model good looks. He was naked from the waist up, wore no shoes, only a pair of jeans with the top button undone. The woman had long blonde hair loosely cascading down her back. She wore only a scarlet red bra that barely contained her copious breasts, and a matching thong. She looked like she worked out, her body in fine shape. She was on her knees in front of the man, dragging the zipper down his jeans. The blonde licked her lips, anticipation clearly showing on her face. Janine licked her lips, too, her throat gone dry. What was she looking at? It was an intimate, personal moment between two people. She should turn away, walk out of the room, but she couldn’t move. Her feet seemed to have glued themselves to the floor.

And her body’s response to what she saw was off the charts. Her nipples tightened, her breasts felt hot and swollen, and her clit quivered. She was turned on in a major way, and she sent up a thankful prayer for the darkness surrounding her. What would Del think of her?

What kind of place was Sneak Peek?

As if in answer to her unspoken question, Del moved behind her, his body seemingly surrounding her, crowding her personal space. She inhaled, picking up his scent, letting it fill her. His cock was rigid against her ass as he pressed against her, letting his hands rest on her hips.