
More Than Pleasure You
REED FAMILY RECKONING, BOOK 5.5Can I convince her our hot but temporary engagement should last forever?
I’m Stephen Lund, confirmed bachelor…and son of a successful billionaire whose sins I can’t forget—or forgive. Though he insisted I get over his transgressions, I can’t. So I put space between us with a temporary getaway to Maui. My rental’s sexy caretaker, Skye Ingram, is a beautiful distraction. Yeah, it’s a terrible time to start a fling, but I can’t help wanting to give her every bit of pleasure she’s willing to take.
When Skye needs a date to her ex-boyfriend’s wedding, I’m game to play her pretend fiancé. The jerk should see what he passed up…and that I’m holding her now. But our pretend engagement begins to feel real. Our passion certainly is. So are the consequences. When I’m confronted with the reality that our lives are now irrevocably entwined, I have to choose between leaving Skye to return to the life—and wealth—I’ve always known or abandoning everything familiar to start over with the woman who awakened my heart.
Novella
Reed Family: Novellas SERIES
EXCERPT
Closing the door behind us, I turn to her in the entryway. “Skye, honey, I—”
“Are you changing your mind?”
“No.” Is she insane? “Absolutely not. But—”
“Thank god.”
With a sigh of relief, she kicks off her boho beaded wedges, tosses aside her purse, and plasters herself against me, pressing her lips to mine.
I’m all too happy to open up and kiss her. I’ve hooked up more than my fair share, but I don’t remember ever deriving such singular pleasure from simply kissing a woman. There’s something about Skye… She’s sweet but slightly exotic. The way she fills my mouth boldly one moment, then retreats coyly the next makes me so hot.
She pulls back, panting. “You’re sure?”
“Honey, the only thing that will keep me off you tonight is if you say no.”
“When it comes to you, I’m afraid I don’t know that word.”
Is she feeling this insane desire, too? The same inexplicable gut-sense of rightness and inevitability, like we met because the stars aligned and this was meant to be? It sounds hokey, and I’ve never believed in any power beyond one’s own intelligence and good planning. But I didn’t scheme this seduction at all, and my feelings aren’t logical. None of that changes how much I need to touch this woman.
“Good.” I lift her into my arms, cradling her against my chest. “Put your arms around my neck.”
Instantly, she complies, and I start up the stairs. By the time I reach the top and flip the switch to turn on the bedside lamp, I’m breathing heavily, and it’s not just the physical exertion that has my body going haywire. Anticipation, thick and ripe, hangs in the air. I have this sense that whatever happens next will change everything.
When I cross the threshold to the bedroom, I set her on her feet, slowly brushing her body against mine. Without her heels, she barely reaches my shoulders, but that doesn’t stop her from cupping my nape, pulling my mouth down to hers, and opening beneath me.
I sink into her and lose myself in everything that makes Skye uniquely her. Frantically, I tug on the pins that keep her silken hair from spilling into my hands. She nudges my fingers aside, then quickly dismantles her ’do and gives her tresses a wild shake before she attacks my suit coat and tears it from my shoulders.
As she tosses it on a nearby chair, I kick out of my shoes and lay into the buttons down my chest, slipping them free one after the other, and yanking the tails from my pants until my shirt hangs open.
“I want to touch you…” she murmurs.
The second her fingertips skate up my abs and across my chest, I shudder. “You’ve massaged me for sixty minutes every day since we’ve met. It’s my turn to touch you.”
She sends me a breathless little smile. “That’s an unfair comparison. I tried to look at you academically.”
“Did you succeed?”
A pink flush crawls up her cheeks. “Notice I said tried.”
“So that’s a no.” I grin. “For the record, I’ve never looked at you as anything other than a woman. I’m dying to get my hands on you.”
Her eyes slide shut. “When you say things like that, it makes me flash hot everywhere.”
“Oh, honey… If you like what I’m saying, wait until you feel what I can do for you.”
AUDIO EXCERPT
PLAYLIST
PRAISE
5 Stars! “A great, sexy, sweet story from an author I adore.” – New York Times bestselling author Larissa Ione
6 out of 5 Stars! “An outstanding, deliciously hot, fun and addictive plot that had me hanging off every word.” – The Sassy Nerd Blog Review
5 Stars! “Awesome characters, gorgeous locale, witty banter, steamy sex, and best of all secrets and surprises.” – iScream Books Blog
5 Stars! “Shayla Black has a way of drawing you into a story and making you feel like you are part of it until the very end.” – Goodreads Reviewer
5 Stars! “Super sexy, lots of fun and the sunshine of Maui warms the pages along with the passion!” – Wicked Reads Review Team
5 Stars! “This book has all the feels and it's just that good. Do yourself a favor and pick it up!” – Goodreads Reviewer
5 Stars! “A great addition to the More Than Series. Shayla Black once again creates characters that we cannot help but fall in love with.” – The Overflowing Bookcase
5 Stars! “This fast paced story will leave you with a smile on your face and a warm heart!” – Goodreads Reviewer
5 Stars! “Shayla Black delivers another sizzling romance that draws you into her clutches and holds you there until the very end.” – Goodreads Reviewer