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An Excerpt From: CHALLENGE PROTOCOL
Copyright © DAWN RYDER, 2008
All Rights Reserved, Ellora's Cave Publishing,
Inc.
She needed a drink.
Actually, she needed a man, but since she’d left Dack and Logan, a good bottle of wine would have to
fill in the gap. Hot arousal clung to her as she pulled her car into her
garage.
Cambria kicked off her stilettos
as she opened her laundry room door from inside her garage. Picking them
up, she sat them on her washing machine. Her little lace panties needed to go
as well. They were wet and irritating now. She removed them, tossing them
into the laundry basket. She took off her garter belt, carefully unsnapping
each stocking to keep them from running.
Better.
The air was still warm and getting rid of most of her clothing
felt nice. She walked into her kitchen, lifting a wineglass out of its
place. Opening another cupboard, she found a bottle of wine and pulled it
out.
She kept her alcohol consumption strictly monitored, but
tonight she was having a glass of wine alone. Possible consequences be damned.
Boy, when she decided to play with fire, she sure did
try to pick up an entire barbeque pit full of it. She frowned as she
realized that neither Dack nor Logan had said
goodnight to her. Not that she’d given them much of a choice in the matter
but something still nagged at her about the easy way she’d ditched them. As
far as teasing went, she’d been hitting them pretty hard.
Maybe she was just disappointed they had been so easy to
cut loose.
She sighed as she rolled her neck to loosen the tense
muscles. She’d gone looking for a high-stakes game and had managed to find
exactly that. A smile decorated her lips as the memory of them showing up
replayed across her mind. Yes sir, they were something else and that was for
sure.
A flicker from her patio almost stopped her heart. She
looked through the kitchen window as the two candles on her tiny patio
table began to burn. Soft yellow light washed over the frame of a man as he
turned his attention towards her. She cussed low and deep as a shudder
moved down her body. Dack hadn’t told her
goodnight because the man wasn’t planning on being sent home so early.
It was arrogant. Completely presumptuous too, but the
excitement flowing through her veins couldn’t be masked by her irritation
over his methods. He was watching her, half bathed in candlelight. She saw
just a hint of a smug grin on his lips and that made her chuckle. The man
was finally at ease. Flipping the lock on the back door, she stepped
outside as he pulled it open for her.
Her back terrace was decorated island style. She had two
large wicker chairs with thick cushions near that tiny table. Two candle
trees stood on either side to provide better lighting, but Dack left them unlit. The majority of the space was
occupied by a large hammock. One large, flat surface hammock that was held
steady in a steel frame. She had a patio cover above it that she’d placed
palm mats over to complete her tropical island escape. Ferns and a small
water fountain made it perfect in the summer air. She had the added bonus
that her unit was an end one, so with the patio covered, it was also
private.
“You know, there are words for men who hang out in
women’s backyards without asking. Stalker comes to mind.”
“A very underappreciated group
of people.” His voice was deep and husky. Relaxed now, and it reminded her
of smooth brandy. “Think about it for a moment. A stalker is one hundred
percent dedicated to his idol. With all these people getting upset over
infidelity, you’d think the stalker would gain a little respect for their
unwavering focus.” He pointed a finger at her. “You never have to worry
about who a stalker is thinking about. He’s obsessing over you. Stalkers
take devotion to the limit.”
“Well, when you put it like that, I guess you’ve got a
point.” His grin widened as she agreed with him. “Not that I’m getting in
line to get one.”
He moved, his body fluid and
controlled in the night. He cast a look about before closing the distance
between them. Her skin tingled as he came close enough for her to catch the
scent of his skin. All humans had a scent and some men just smelled more
manly than others. Cheesy or not, it was true. Dack
smelled warm and strong. It set off various jolts of sensation inside her.
He propped a hand on the side of her house, next to her face. His
expression was hidden in shadow, since the candles were behind him.
“Does that mean you want me to leave?”
He didn’t give her the opportunity to answer. His mouth
pressed down on top of hers in a kiss that almost burned her. It stole her
breath and froze the air in her lungs. Sweet delight poured down her torso
as his mouth pushed her lips apart. He slid one hand over the nape of her
neck, firmly gripping the tender spot as he closed the remaining distance
between them. Her hands landed on the side of his shoulders she’d spent a
few too many hours thinking about. Sliding her fingers along the hard
surface, she sighed as she found all the strength she’d fantasized about.
He smoothed his hand down her neck and across her shoulder.
He caught one of the thin straps holding her dress up with his fingers and
pushed it off the edge of her shoulder.
“You didn’t wait for me to answer that question.” She
was teasing him. Dack heard it in her voice and
it touched off a feeling he’d forgotten he had locked up inside him. A
tender rush of warmth that melted clean through some of the thick calluses
he’d grown over his emotions. Women chased him for his brawn or his dark
aura. It had been a really long time since a female poked fun at him.
“I told you, I like to win.” And he wasn’t backing away
from her. She was warm and full of life. Pushing the other strap off her
shoulder, he watched the way she confidently stood still as her dress
slithered down her body to her ankles. There was no protest, real or faked,
just a sure and steady stare from her dark eyes. She was magnificent, caramel
skin from head to toe with dark nipples that were drawn into beads. Her mons was bare, the hair waxed away, allowing him to see
her cleft.
“You’re one hell of a woman, Cambria.”
The tone of his voice was dark. She shivered as she
watched him sweep her bare body. He did it slowly, taking the time to soak
up every detail her dress had hidden from him. His face drew tight as he
focused on her newly waxed mons. She stared at
the raw look of hunger, her confidence soaking up the moment.
“So glad that I meet with your approval.”
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