Chapter One
"My wedding dress makes me look fat." Shelly Myers pouted as she plopped down on her sister's couch. The elegant wedding dress she wore was pillow fluffy with a lot of fabric in the skirt. The last thing anyone saw when looking at her was fat. "Shawn isn't going to want to do me if I look like a pumpkin."
Jenny studied her sister, wondering where the minuscule pound of fat was. She found nothing. Her sister was a size four, with a boyish figure compared to Jenny's size eight and full of curves. The sisters were complete opposites.
"Stop whining. If you wanted to look skinny, you shouldn't have picked a cloud of fabric to call a dress." She sat in the leather recliner opposite her sister. "Besides, we both know Shawn's already seen all you have to offer. He knew what he was getting before he ever paid the price."
"Not helping, Jenny. You're supposed to say: 'You're not fat, Shelly. You're beautiful, and Shawn won't be able to keep his hands off you.'" Shelly pouted on the verge of tears.
Jenny rolled her eyes. "I'm not saying that. If you're so worried about it, use the blindfold on him I saw in your last order when you have sex. That way you won't have to worry about his judgment of your fat."
"That is rude, Jenny. Take it back. I'm your sister, and you could be a little more sympathetic." Shelly lay back against the couch and closed her eyes. "I don't know why you've got to be so cold all the time. No wonder Christian broke up with you."
Jenny pursed her lips. After a whole year of the bitchy bridezilla, she couldn't wait for tomorrow. This Christmas Day, Shelly Myers would become Shelly McKenzie and be on with her happy life with Shawn.
"What time is my bachelorette party? I want to make sure I have enough party favors to pass around. I just got some new demos in." Jenny exclaimed a colorful curse, and Shelly's eyes popped open. "You did plan a party, didn't you?" When Jenny didn't respond, Shelly groaned. "Jenny, how could you? You're my maid of honor. Everyone knows the maid of honor plans the bachelorette party."
Jenny smothered a groan. "Who is going to come to a bachelorette party on Christmas Eve? Dammit, Shelly. Why couldn't you have picked another date, like June twenty-first or something?"
"Because June twenty-first isn't special!" Shelly stood with tears in her eyes. "Since Shawn popped the question, you've never supported my engagement. If I didn't know better, I'd say you didn't want me to marry him."
A complete misunderstanding if she ever heard one. Shawn, the nerdy computer genius, couldn't have come at a better time in Shelly's life. Ever since Shelly graduated high school, she and Jenny lived together. Total opposites, Shelly was the anal perfectionist, whereas Jenny liked everything her way. They butted heads more than once per day, and over the course of five years of living together, it was time for them to go their separate ways.
Jenny even planned a relaxing night at home the day after Christmas to enjoy the peace and quiet living alone would bring.
"Shelly, stop pitying yourself. I'll put together a party, and we'll have the time of our lives. Piece of cake." Jenny mentally added up their friends for the guest list. "Do you have to buy food for these things?"
"Ugh." Shelly stomped to the hall and disappeared before coming back in normal clothing. She grabbed her purse by the door. "I'll get the food. You make the guest list. We'll meet up at seven tonight."
Jenny refrained from thumping her head against something hard. It was four o'clock. "Sure. Yeah. Okay."
She watched Shelly leave before she pulled out her address book and began flipping through the pages. Dialing everyone she knew, she received the same repeated answer with every phone call. "Sorry, but I already have plans with my family for Christmas."
Two of their cousins agreed to come, but they were part of the wedding party. She rounded up a neighbor and begged her best friend Kristy until she caved. With the four guests and herself, she had five partygoers.
How many people are expected at these things?
A tap on the door interrupted her planning. Jenny shifted everything to the side and went to answer it.
"Yes?" She swung the door open and found Shawn's brother, Dane, on the other side.
Blond spiky hair covered his head, while piercing green eyes pointedly stared at her. Dane smiled, and her pussy contracted. Her heart skipped a beat, and her body's heated reaction surprised her. What the hell?
"Well if it isn't the good sister." He fiddled with his keys. "I was in the neighborhood, and I need to use your bathroom."
It was an innocent request that she should have over looked. Truth was, Dane had no reason to be in their neighborhood. He lived across town in a nice neighborhood supported by the money he earned working for his father's company. For him to be over here, he had one reason and Jenny's heart skipped a beat as she thought about it. He came to see her.
"There's a tree in the front yard." Her gaze roamed to his crotch, and she swallowed hard and reminded herself to breathe. Whatever he may want, she wasn't about to give him that.
He chuckled. "I don't have to pee."
Jenny licked her lips. "Too much information." She stepped to the side, reluctantly allowing him inside.
His scent flooded her senses in passing, a spicy cologne she detected every time he was around. It was branded in her memory, something that made her body ache in want. She slowly closed the door behind him. It was perfectly natural for her to be attracted to him. There wasn't an adjective in the modern English language that did justice in describing him. He was a hottie, and with his back to her, Jenny gave herself permission to take in his magnificent body. His olive-green T-shirt stretched across wide shoulders, covering his hard muscled back and leaving nothing to the imagination. Matching army fatigues sat at his hips, smoothing over his nice, firm ass. The fabric concealed his long legs, tapering down to black army-issue boots to complete his bad-ass look. The damn clothes looked two sizes too small yet fit him perfectly.
Yeah, this schoolgirl crush I have for Dane McKenzie has to end right here and right now.
"Bathroom?" he asked, turning to face her.
She forced her eyes away from his ass and met his gaze. Deep green eyes mesmerized her, held her motionless as he waited for her response. It was hard for her to focus, to comprehend what he was asking. Jenny bit her lip, taking a deep breath, before she said something stupid like "fuck me." "Down the hall on the left. Please use air freshener."
He chuckled again, a deep male rumble that made her knees weak. "I don't have to do that either."
It took Jenny ten seconds to regain control over her body, the wetness between her thighs a distraction as she watched his powerful body move with each stride, and comprehend what he said. When she did, she took off down the hall after him. "If you don't plan to use it, what the hell are you doing in my bathroom then?"
He was grinning ear to ear when she found him going through the cabinets as if he had every right to. "I'm looking for something."
Jenny stepped inside the bathroom. "Like hell you are. Quit going through my stuff!"
"Or what? You're going to make me?" His tone mocked her.
She'd heard rumors about Dane. She could imagine what kinds of pain and torment he experienced as a Marine, or could subdue the enemy with. He spent five years in active duty and never lost the bad-ass routine. He didn't scare her, not that much anyway.
"Don't be stupid. You're bigger than me." She propped her hand on her hip. "But I do have a phone, and I recall the police being in my directory."
"Chill out, Jen." He looked up with that damn, sexy grin. "I'm not harming you. Besides, we're family."
Nobody called her Jen. Jennifer was for her parents and the occasional telemarketer or business client. Jenny was everyone else. Nobody ever called her simply Jen.
"Don't call me that. And no, we're not. Our siblings may be getting married, but that doesn't make us anything to one another."
"Right." He dug in the cabinets again and finally pulled out a black box and a light pink pouch. Heat flooded her cheeks. "Found it."
He shut the cabinet doors, and settled the two items on the vanity. "See, your sister may sell sex toys but, according to Shawn, her toys are kept in the bathroom and happen to be ones she plays with at bath time. He wanted me to sneak over here and dispose of them, because he's too chicken shit to do it himself." Dane opened the pouch and pulled out a sizable dildo. "Who the hell would buy a purple rubber dick?"
"Give me that. That's not Shelly's." Jenny tried to tone down her embarrassment, but talking about sex with Dane did anything but. Not to mention his holding the sizable dildo she won at one of Shelly's parties.
He arched an eyebrow. "Oh, honey. You can do so much better than this little thing."
The object in question was anything but little. The head was plump, the shaft thick, and the details of it were quite accurate. Veins were sculpted into the silicone for realism, not to mention the little slit on the end. Jenny's cheeks heated even more when she saw him assessing the purple dildo, sizing up the length and taking in the two balls positioned at the base. The damn thing even had a suction cup so it could be attached to any flat surface.
"It's not mine, either." She grabbed it from his hand and stuffed it back in the pouch. "Not really."
When Shelly got the bright idea to start selling sex-toys in people's homes, she forced Jenny to host her very first one. She tried to calm the heat rising in her cheeks, hoping Dane didn't notice her embarrassment. The last thing she needed was to give him ammunition to tease her or embarrass her.
He gave her a skeptical look. "'Course not. You wouldn't disappoint me by choosing a small, rubber dick. You'd rather have the real thing, am I right? A large cock that will put this little thing to shame." He turned and lightly brushed against her.
Her desires have been dormant for so long, she didn't remember the real thing. "To be honest, I can't remember the real thing."
He tilted his head to the side, but she cut him off before he could say anything. "Why the hell would Shawn want you to steal her dildo? He never spends the night here. How does he even know where it's at?"
The grin returned. "Who the hell knows with Shawn? I do know for a fact he's too stiff to have fun with toys. And doesn't have the balls to tell Shelly to get rid of hers." He leaned forward. "You, however, I'm guessing, enjoy playing. Am I right?"
"You're wrong. I wouldn't know the first thing about them." Liar, liar pants on fire. "I won that at a party. It's never even been used."
"Really? Do you want a little instruction? I love playing with toys. Of course, making a woman scream her throat raw with pleasure I'm giving her is one of my favorite pastimes." Dane's body heat surrounded her as he effectively pinned her against the wall. "I could give you a little demonstration?"
He trailed a finger down her bare arm, and she shivered. Encouraged, he moved back up, crossing her shoulder, and skimmed down to the curve of her breast, lightly caressing her nipple with the pad of his thumb. Her traitorous body reacted, her nipples puckering hard underneath her flimsy shirt and bra. Jenny groaned and arched her body toward him.
"You're so damn hot." He rolled her nipples with his thumbs, murmuring words of nonsense. "Fuck. If Shelly is anything like you, I can see why my brother chose your snotty little sister for a wife."
He bent down and pressed his lips against her neck. "So damn responsive. I've barely touched you, and you're melting in my hands. How long has it been since you got off on a hard cock inside you?"
"Too long." She moaned as his teeth grazed her neck, his tongue darting out every now and then to add to the pleasure.
Dane was different than any other man she'd met. She always went for the safe, sane choices for boyfriends, Christian being the perfect example. Dating him had been an experience. He was a clean-cut accountant who liked his job more than his girlfriend. He spent the weekends with her at her house, more or less taking up her space and giving nothing to her in return. Sex, when they had it, was horrible, and she had to beg for it then. But he was safe. The "perfect" guy for her in her parents' eyes and somehow, she thought, in her own. But he never created a desire as strong as the one she had for Dane. She wasn't sure anyone ever would.
Dane, however, was the exact opposite of Christian. Shelly introduced them at her engagement party right after Shawn proposed. There was an instant attraction. And now, the attraction only ignited into an inferno.
He pushed up her shirt, kissing her savagely. Her mind was a jumbled mess as his tongue swept inside her mouth. He tugged at the flimsy lace bra that barely contained her breasts. The cooler air made her stiff nipples even harder. She wanted his hands on her body, his mouth tasting every inch.
He pulled back and took in the rosy peaks, his greedy eyes growing darker the longer he stared. Jenny's chest rose and fell with each labored breath. He licked his lips and glanced up at her, his eyes locked on hers. She loved putting that look on a man's face. The look of raw desire, the I-need-you-now look that made her feel like a river was running between her thighs. Jenny glanced down, breaking the trance he put her in. Her breasts jutted out between the hem of her shirt and the lace of her bra. It was provocative and so erotic she squirmed. She loved it.
Dane tilted up her chin with a knuckle, and Jenny smiled. He opened his mouth to say something, but she didn't want to hear it. She reached out to him, cupping his head, and pulled his mouth down for her kiss. She took his mouth the same way he did hers. They fought for dominance, and eventually, Dane won.
His tongue swept inside her mouth at the same time his thumbs rolled her nipples. She moaned against his mouth and pulled him closer. His body pressed hers against the wall, his cock stiff against her belly. All rational thoughts left Jenny's mind while he sparked delicious tremors of excitement throughout her needy body. She needed him inside her.
"Jenny!" Shelly's voice echoed down the hall from the living room. "What is Dane's car doing in the driveway?"
Dane pulled away, panting hard, and quickly tugged her bra and shirt into place. "Damn, baby."
In five seconds, Shelly would be down the hall, exploring. Jenny sucked in a breath between her teeth and pushed at Dane's chest. "Stay in the bathroom."
She hadn't so much as closed the door when Shelly popped around the corner. "What are you doing?"
"Dane's not feeling so well. He was in the neighborhood and became sick. Some kind of stomach thing, I think. I just brought him a wet washrag to cool him down." Jenny smiled at her sister, knowing how big a hypochondriac she was.
Shelly's jaw dropped as she slowly averted her gaze to the closed door. On cue, Dane made grunting noises that nearly had Jenny laughing and blowing the whole story.
"Is he going to be okay? He is Shawn's best man. He can't be sick for the wedding." Shelly wrinkled her nose.
Jenny rolled her eyes. "He'll be fine. I'll give him a little Pepto, and all will be settled."
Dane made grunting noises again, louder this time, and Jenny couldn't stifle the giggle. Shelly looked thoroughly disgusted. "You'd better be well tomorrow, Dane. I won't let you screw up my big day."
Jenny tried to keep her face expressionless. "Did you get the food already?"
"No. Not yet." She smiled. "I came back for the new product I received yesterday. You know, the anal beads. I wanted to surprise Shawn." A choking sound came from the other side of the door, and Jenny's mouth thinned to a straight line to hold back the need to giggle.
"Anyway," Shelly continued, "I came back to grab a pack. I'll drop it by Shawn's and then go to the store. Are you working on the bachelorette party? I want a lot of people here, Jenny. The least you owe me is that."
Jenny's hand tightened on the doorknob. "I have five guests, which is more than enough, considering it's Christmas Eve."
Shelly started to say something when Dane opened the door, pulling Jenny back with it. His arms came around her body, steadying her. "I feel so much better."
He laid his chin on Jenny's shoulder and smiled at Shelly. "Your sister is a saint."
"Uh-huh. I'm going now. You'd better be well by tomorrow at six. I'll never forgive you if you ruin my big day."
"Oh, bite me, Shutter Bug," Dane snarled.
Shelly's face reddened. "Don't call me that!"
"Maybe I'll use that in my toast." Dane smirked. "Tell everyone the infamous story that involves porno pictures of you. Tell me again, how many you take of your pussy before he took the bait and sunk balls deep? Got to make sure my memories are accurate."
Shelly's face reddened both from anger and embarrassment. "If you weren't Shawn's brother, I'd tell you what you could do."
"Tell me anyway." Dane grinned.
Shelly turned her attention to Jenny. "I want him gone, Jenny. The only reason I'm civil is because he's soon to be family. It doesn't mean I have to be nice, though."
Jenny watched her sister disappear into her bedroom then looked over at Dane, who did nothing but grin. "You're enjoying this aren't you? One day, and we don't have to worry about it. One day, and she's out of my house and away from my business." She turned and pushed him back against the wall with her finger poking his chest. "You screw that up for me, and I'll fillet your balls myself."
"You owe me." Dane pulled her hand away from his chest and bent down to brush his lips against hers.
"Do not. If anything, you owe me."
Dane nuzzled her cheek. "Tonight we can pay each other's dues."
She snorted. "You can't afford the bill you raked up."
His grin was nothing but pure sin. "No?"
"Jenny, I need you to sort through the stock merchandise and come up with a list of inventory for me. I plan on having several parties when I come back from my honeymoon, so I need to know what I have and what I need to buy." Shelly stepped into the hall, closing the bedroom door behind her. "I'll love you bunches if you help me out. Shawn already says I work enough as it is."
Jenny refrained from rolling her eyes. "Right. I'll see if I have time."
Satisfied, Shelly headed down the hall. Jenny sighed, relieved to see her sister go. She loved her dearly, but Shelly was beyond being a pain in the butt. Dane's hands roamed beneath her shirt while his lips found her neck. What would Shelly think if she actually told her that she wanted to sleep with Dane?
"Stop. You're sick, remember." Jenny grabbed his hands before he could cup her breasts.
"So?" He turned her around and pressed her body against the hall wall, hands bracketed around each wrist. He leaned into her, infusing her senses with the smell of his cologne. "Your sister's a bitch. If she didn't mean so much to my brother, I'd purposely show up late to the wedding, or maybe drunk. Wreck her perfect day in spite."
Her mind boggled at the thought of being with him. He was what she wanted in the bedroom, and she knew without a doubt they'd have no troubles there. But where relationships counted, Dane wasn't that kind of material. He liked his freedom, not some woman tying him down. Lust, isn't love, Jenny. No matter how much you think it, or want it to be.
His mouth grazed her neck, streaming kisses across her skin. "I am, however, willing to help you count her inventory. Nothing I'd love better, actually. Maybe we could even review a few products."
"Dane." Jenny's soft plea brought his eyes to hers. "We can't do this right now."
Jenny felt his hard cock pressing into her stomach with every motion he made. The thin cargo pants did little to hide the massive bulge, not that she minded. He wanted her. There was no doubt she wanted him. She thought of every way around it, and her decision remained the same. He made her knees weak, standing there pleading silently with his eyes for her to concede.
"I want you tonight," Dane said, "after the stupid bachelor parties we both must attend. I want you all to myself, at my house, in my bed."
He kissed her, licking at her mouth, and made her forget her own name. Her body melted when he touched her, when he pressed his cock against her and demanded that she knew what she did to him. Jenny couldn't deny it or hold back the effect he had on her. Pulling her wrists away from his grasp, she wrapped her arms around his neck. Now standing chest to chest, her breasts pillowed against him. Her nipples ached for his touch, his mouth and his tongue. She pictured him tasting her tonight when she sprawled out in the middle of his bed, offering to him what they both wanted.
She combed her fingers through his spiky hair, noticing how soft it was to the touch. Surprisingly soft, in fact, she couldn't stop running her fingers through it. If she didn't stop kissing him and nearly humping him in the hallway, they'd be naked within five seconds.
"Go." She pulled back, taking a deep breath. "You have to go. Now. I can't concentrate with you around, and I have a party to plan."
He took two steps back his face a vast array of different emotions. She didn't know how to read him just yet and found herself wanting to learn. What made Dane McKenzie tick? What did he like? What did he dislike? She licked her lips and tasted his kiss. What would he be like when they finally got together? Would he be wild? Would he be tender? Somehow she figured he was anything but tame and bit her lip to keep from smiling. She wanted him wild.
"Please say you'll come over tonight." He tilted her chin to force her to look at him.
Jenny nodded "After the parties, I'll come over tonight. You better be ready for me."
She would have him, at least for one night. Jenny swallowed, knowing she probably sounded ridiculous to him, but time was of the essence. And dammit, she didn't know if she'd be able to give him up when it was all over.
Dane nodded, reached for the black box of Shelly's toys from the vanity. "This yours, too?"
She smiled. "No."
"But you have some, right?" Hope filled his face as much as desire. "Bring them tonight."
A little thrill shot down Shelly's spine. "I'll see what I can come up with."
He kissed her one last time and left. Jenny stayed in the hallway, forcing her body to calm down. His scent still lingered around her, on her, and it only turned her on more. If she made it through this damn party, it'd be a miracle.
)
Jenny Myers is counting down the days until her sister, Shelly, gets married. Having lived together since Shelly graduated college, she's in desperate need for her own space. The wedding is set for Christmas Day and Jenny is the maid of honor. She forgets to plan the bachelorette party and cold-calls four of her friends, neighbors and relatives to attend. But in the middle of planning the forgotten event, Dane McKenzie, the best man and brother to the groom, interrupts. Sexual sparks fly every time Dane sees Jenny. He's an ex-marine turned businessman with a frivolous taste in women, yet Jenny Myers stops him cold. He wants her, has wanted her from the time they met six months ago at his brother's engagement party. And when he sees her sprawled out in the floor, planning a bachelorette party for her snotty sister that doesn't deserve it, he sees the perfect opportunity. After all, Christmas is the season for giving, and with the sex toys all around, Dane plans to give Jenny anything and everything she wants. [Erotic Contemporary Romance: Contains graphic sexual content and adult language.]
