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Prologue
One Three months later S he had a body to die for and Thorn Westmoreland was slowly drawing his last breath. A slow, easy smile spread across his face. She was exquisite, every man’s fantasy come true. Everything about her was a total turn-on, guaranteed to get your adrenaline flowing, and his blood was so incredibly fired up he could barely stand it. He took his time and studied every magnificent line of her. The sight lured him closer for an even better inspection. She was definitely a work of art, sleek, well built with all the right angles and curves, and tempted him beyond belief. He wanted to mount her and give her the ride of her life…or possibly get the ride of his. He felt a distinct tingle in his stomach. Reaching out, his fingers gently touched her. She was ready for him. As ready as he was for her… “Hey, Thorn, you’ve been standing there salivating over that bike for at least ten minutes. Don’t you think you should give it a rest?” The smile on Thorn’s face faded and withou
Two T ara heard the doorbell ring the minute she opened the oven to take out another batch of cookies. “Stone, can you get that for me, please?” she called out to one of the men busy setting up the card table in her dining room. “Sure thing,” Stone said, making his way to Tara’s front door. Opening the door, Stone lifted a brow when he saw Thorn standing on the other side. “I thought you told Tara that you’d changed your mind about tonight,” he said, stepping aside to let his brother enter. “And I changed it back,” Thorn said curtly, meeting Stone’s curious gaze. “Why are you the one opening the door instead of Tara?” Stone smiled. It was hard getting used to Thorn’s jealous streak; especially since it was a streak Thorn wasn’t even aware he had. “Because she’s busy in the kitchen. Come on. You can help get the card table set up in the dining room.” “And didn’t you tell me the card game started at seventy-thirty instead of nine?” Thorn asked meeting his brother’s gaze. Keeping a straig
Three T ara’s heart, beating twice as fast as it should have, slammed against her rib cage when, after the card game was over, it became obvious that, unlike his brothers, Thorn had no intentions of leaving. She closed the door and turned to him. The air in the room suddenly seemed charged. “Aren’t you leaving?” she asked, as she leaned against the closed door. “No. I think we need to talk.” Tara inhaled deeply, wondering what he thought they needed to discuss. While upstairs in her bedroom she had managed to get her thoughts and her aroused senses under control after convincing herself that her earlier reaction to Thorn had been expected. After all, from the first she had been physically attracted to him and memories of the kiss they had shared a few months back hadn’t helped matters. Then there was the way he always looked at her with that penetrating gaze of his. After thinking things through logically, she felt confident that the next time he looked at her as if he would love to go
Four “T here’s only one word to describe your brother, Laney, and that’s stubborn.” The two women were sitting at a table on the terrace of the restaurant. They had enjoyed lunch and were now enjoying a glass of wine. A smile tilted the corners of Delaney’s lips and her eyes sparkled as she glanced over at her friend. “Let me guess. You must be referring to brother number two, none other than Thorn Westmoreland.” Tara couldn’t help but return Delaney’s smile. “Yes. Who else? Your other brothers are simply adorable and don’t have a grumpy bone in their bodies. But that Thorn…” Delaney chuckled. “I don’t know why you continue to let him get next to you, Tara,” she said, taking another sip of her wine, although she had a pretty good idea. She had been keeping a close eye on Thorn and Tara since they’d met and knew better than anyone that the spark of annoyance flying between two individuals was a sure sign of attraction. She and her husband Jamal could certainly attest to that. When they’
Five “S o what did you want to talk to me about?” Tara nervously nibbled on her bottom lip. She and Thorn had just finished the best chili she had ever eaten. The building that housed the restaurant was rustic, made of logs with tall, moss-covered oak trees surrounding it. The place resembled a roadside café more than a restaurant and was positioned almost in seclusion off the two-lane highway. Due to its lack of visibility, Tara could only assume that those who frequented the restaurant were regular customers since the place was taking in a high degree of business. It also appeared that a lot of those customers were bikers. She found the atmosphere comfortable and had almost forgotten the discussion she needed to have with Thorn. “I want to ask a favor of you.” He met her gaze over his cup of coffee. “What kind of favor?” She sighed. “Have you ever heard of Lori Chadwick?” He frowned as if searching his brain, then moments later said, “No.” Tara nodded. “Well, she is well-known around
Six T ara got to the hospital almost thirty minutes later than usual after enjoying the best sleep she remembered ever having. It was only with the brightness of morning that she had allowed herself to think of Thorn’s proposition. Last night, after he’d left, she had been too exhausted and too satiated to do anything but strip naked, take a shower, slip into a nightgown and get into bed. That morning while she had taken another shower, brushed her teeth, dressed for work and grabbed a small carton of apple juice as she raced out of the door, she was feeling angry all over again. First it was Derrick, then Dr. Moyer and now Thorn. Did she have a sign on her forehead that said, Go Ahead And Use Me? Not that she was even considering Thorn’s ridiculous offer, but if she did go with him to Daytona, she would be close to home. Her hometown of Bunnell, Florida, was less than an hour from Daytona Beach, and it had been two years since she’d been home. She frequently talked to her family on th
Seven “O kay, Mr. Westmoreland, I only need a few more shots and then this session will be all over,” the photographer said as she adjusted the lighting. Thank God, Thorn thought as he sat astride his bike once again. He had plenty of work to do back at the shop and had been at this photo session for three hours. The photographer, Lois Kent, had decided the best place to shoot the photos was outside to better show the man, his bike and the open road. They had taken over a hundred shots already and Thorn’s patience was beginning to wear thin. The only thing that kept him going was knowing that he was living up to his end of the bargain, which meant he could make damn sure Tara lived up to hers. This past week he’d been restless, agitated and moodier than ever. “It will only take a minute while I reload the film.” Thorn nodded. Things hadn’t gone as badly as he’d thought they would. Lois Kent was strictly a professional, unlike Patrice. To Lois this was a job and nothing more and he appr
Eight T ara glanced at the clock on the wall. Thorn would be arriving any minute. She had called him at the shop asking if he knew anything about repairing a leaking faucet. It was the perfect ploy since his brothers had gone on a camping trip for the weekend. Had they been available, he would wonder why she had summoned him instead of one of them. She nearly jumped at the sound of the doorbell. It had been a couple of days since she had seen him, and today she had a plan. She was intent on testing his control to the limit, with the hope that he would finally see that was more trouble than she was worth and a threat to his winning his race; especially if he strongly believed in this celibacy thing. She looked down at herself before walking to the door. Although her outfit wasn’t outright provocative, she thought it would definitely grab his attention. After glancing out of the peephole in the door, she opened it. “Thorn, thanks for coming. I really hated to bother you but that dripping
Nine T ara scanned all the activities through Dare’s SUV’s window as the vehicle rolled into the heart of Daytona Beach where Bike Week would be held. Squinting against the glare of the sun shining brightly through the window, she was amazed at what she saw billed as the World’s Largest Motorcycle Event. And to think that Thorn was a major part of it. It had been a little more than two weeks since she had seen him and she couldn’t forget the night he had shown up unexpectedly at her house. It had been the same night she had come to terms with her feelings for him. It had also been the same night he had given her a sample of what he had in store for her. But what had arrived two days after his visit still weighed more heavily on her mind—the flowers he had sent her for Valentine’s Day. The message on the card had been personal, and she still found herself wondering just what he’d meant. “Ready to get settled so we can do some shopping, Tara?” Shelly’s question got her attention. She had
Ten T ara glanced around at the many spectators in the grandstands. Excitement was all around as everyone waited for the race to begin. She nervously bit her bottom lip as the scent of burnt rubber and fuel exhaust permeated the air. The weather was picture-perfect with sunny skies. It was a beautiful day for a motorcycle race. The Westmoreland brothers had talked to her that morning and had gone out of their way to assure her that Thorn would be fine. But a part of her still felt antsy. She’d seen the preliminary races and knew how fast the riders would be going. Any incorrect riding technique of braking, cornering, sliding and passing could mean injury to a rider. She tried not to think about the numerous laps around the speedway that Thorn and his bike would be taking, as well as the sharp curves; instead she tried to think about what had happened that night she had “christened” his bike. Even now she blushed thinking about it. Afterward, Thorn had taken her to the hotel and had wal
Eleven H is woman was asleep. After they had made love twice, he had cuddled her into his arms and watched as her eyes had drifted closed. And he had been watching her since. She was lying facing him, her front to his, her face just a breath away from his. She was a silent sleeper, barely making a sound as she inhaled and exhaled. Damn, she looked and smelled good. His arousal stirred and the need to have her again sent tremors through his body. This would be the third time, but he couldn’t ride her hard the way he had planned. She was sore, and he knew that only a selfish person would put her through a vigorous round of lovemaking after what they’d just shared. He would go slow and gentle. Reaching out, he slid his hand up and down her body, his caresses lingering on her breasts, the curves of her waist before moving lower to her belly. He pushed aside the sheet that covered her, and, moving his hand even lower, he gently touched her feminine folds, inhaling the sensuous scent, a comb
Twelve T ara woke up early the next morning in her old bedroom. She glanced around. Her parents had pretty much kept things the same, and she was glad that when she’d left home two years ago she hadn’t packed every stitch she owned, otherwise she would not have had a thing to wear. Luckily for her, her closets and dresser drawers were filled with both inner and outerwear that still fit her. She knew her parents had been surprised to see her when she had unexpectedly shown up last night asking if she could stay for the next couple of days, just long enough to get a flight back to Atlanta. They hadn’t asked her any questions but had welcomed her with open arms and told her she knew she could stay for as long as she liked. She had also contacted the rental car agency to let them know she intended to keep the vehicle a while longer. She sighed deeply. Her parents had always been super and she appreciated them for everything they had ever done for her. Her brothers had returned to college a
Epilogue
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