The higher she climbs, the harder he falls…

Bridging the Gap

© 2009 Annmarie McKenna

Carter Malone is usually the first one to make tracks before a woman starts getting any ideas. Permanent relationships don’t fit into his personal blueprint. Now, for the first time in his life, he’s burning up the sheets with a woman who makes him think about something more permanent…like spending the night. But she’s holding something back, something he can’t quite pin down.

As a woman in a man’s world, Ryan Cooper is used to wearing a target on her back—and hiding her vulnerabilities. She hasn’t let anything, not even the ever-present threat of an epileptic seizure, stop her from working her butt off to get the foreman’s job with her stepfather’s construction company. Then she discovers the guy she’s been dating—okay, having the hottest sex of her life with—is the architect who designed the building she’ll be overseeing. The last thing she needs is anyone thinking she slept with Carter to get the job.

Or worse, feeling sorry for her.

Before the dust clears, things get a lot more complicated. The previous foreman’s injury was no accident, and whoever caused it is taking aim—at the target on Ryan’s back.

Warning: This book contains almost fully clothed sex with a little bit o’ spanking on an OCD-clean desk inside a construction trailer, a rogue set of pencils that just won’t take stay for an answer, and sweet loving in a tub.

Enjoy the following excerpt for Bridging the Gap:

Aware that he was smashing the beautiful woman beneath him, Carter Malone slowly extracted himself from the tight sheath still gripping his cock and rolled to his side. Ryan groaned with what he hoped was reluctance to let him go. He removed the spent condom, reached for a tissue to wrap it in and dropped it on the floor to deal with later, then fell to his back.

She was consuming him alive. Two weeks into their…dating—is that what she would call their relationship? Because there hadn’t been many dates—and he was already more aware of her than he’d ever been about any other woman. And if he knew a lot about anything other than architecture, it was women. Precious, soft, willing women. He didn’t get off on forcing them to do his bidding, though tying one up now and then might add to the sexual tension.

He wondered what Ryan would think of the direction his thoughts had gone. Would she run? Profess her undying love? Invite him to seek the advice of a psychologist?

Hell, what was he thinking? Outside of fucking, he didn’t know a great deal about her. They’d literally bumped into each other at a charity event he’d attended at his mother’s request. He didn’t even remember what the hell the event had been held for. Raising money for some affliction or another. From there they’d ended up at her place, something he was sure she’d either A) never done before or B) if she had, rarely. He had the feeling he was her first. Not partner, but taking a man home immediately after meeting him.

Made him feel possessive as all shit.

Carter rubbed a hand over his face as his breathing finally subsided into a more normal rhythm. He must be getting old.

Jesus. Was his clock ticking? Did that happen to men?

“I think I’m dead,” she groaned next to him.

He smiled and propped himself on his elbow. Unable to resist, he ran his fingertips over the sweat-slicked skin between her breasts. Her nipples puckered and she shivered. “Nah. If you were dead, we wouldn’t be able to do that again, and that would be a damn shame.”

She lifted her head and glanced down his torso to find his dick echoing his words and hardening.

“Right this second?”

Carter laughed at the incredulous look on her face. “I’ll give you a few minutes recovery time first.”

“You’re so gracious.” She sighed and threw an arm over her eyes. “I have to get up.”

“Bathroom?”

“That too.”

Thank God the fact her face was covered hid his confusion. What other reason would she have to get up? “You got a hot date?”

“Yep. With my bed.” She dragged herself to a sitting position and Carter swallowed.

Why should he care if she wanted to run out on him? He typically led his dates back to their house so he could make the getaway before things got to the point of wanting to stay the night.

“I was kinda thinking you might stay the night.” Pathetic, man. Pathetic.

“I can’t. Have to start a new job tomorrow which requires sleep. Staying the night here might net me an hour, two tops, knowing you.” A sly smile split her lips and succeeded in completely renewing his erection.

Carter leaned forward and licked a pert nipple. It shouldn’t be too hard to convince her to stay. They definitely had chemistry between them even if they didn’t know too many other aspects of each other’s lives.

She pushed his head away, giggling. “Don’t think you can distract me, Carter.”

“Damn it.” He trailed his fingers down her abdomen and across her hip when she rose. Sweaty blonde bangs clung to her forehead. The rest of her shoulder-length hair she gathered in one hand while she fanned her neck with the other. He loved that she didn’t try and hide her body from him. The idea was pointless really since he’d more than looked at every millimeter of her skin.

He’d nibbled, tasted, kissed, licked, bit, touched and smelled all of it. She was his addiction and he wanted more.

His fingers itched to pull her tall, slender body back to the bed. He’d kind of shocked himself being attracted to her. He usually gravitated toward women with a little more build, more voluptuous breasts for sure. Ryan’s breasts weren’t even what he’d call a handful, but damn if they didn’t respond to the slightest touch.

She cleared her throat, drawing his attention to her face where her pale blue eyes glittered in mischief.

“You’re staring.”

“Yep. And they”—he nodded toward her breasts—“would like to play some more.”

“They might want to but they aren’t going to get to.”

“Damn it.”

She looked back over her shoulder as she headed for the restroom. “You’ve said that already.”

“I mean it. And it’s not nice to keep a man hanging like this,” he called then collapsed onto his back. Where had he gone wrong? He didn’t normally cause women to feel the need to run off the minute he pulled out.

“I hardly see anything hanging. Perhaps standing is a better word,” she said through the crack of the door.

The toilet flushed and water ran before she returned, naked and swaying her hips.

“If you’re wanting to leave, then perhaps you should stop trying to tempt me.”

“Me walking is tempting?” She dropped to her hands and knees. “Where the hell is my underwear?”

“Everything you do is tempting, babe.” Jesus Christ, didn’t she realize what that particular position made him think of?

“Oh yeah?” She shook her ass.

“Son of a bitch.” Carter launched himself off the bed and knelt behind that wiggling backside to press his cock against her folds. Little nymph knew exactly what she was doing.

Ryan squealed and jerked in his hands, but he held fast to her hips.

“You better be damn glad there isn’t a condom in my hand or you wouldn’t be leaving right now.”

She lowered her head to the floor, and in the light spilling from the bathroom, he saw her suck her lower lip in. She looked like the perfect little submissive. He ran his index finger down the length of her spine, between the crease of her buttocks, over the rosy aperture and then to her opening. Gathering the wetness there, he slipped further and circled her clit. Ryan moaned and arched her back into his touch.

He had her.