Blurring the Lines-nook (17 page)

“Mmm.” Visions of Gretchen going home after one of their talks, stretching out on
her sheets, and touching herself with thoughts of him had any remaining blood in his
head rushing south. “Guess I owe you for all that teasing.”

He coasted his fingertip over her hot button and enjoyed the ensuing moan.

“Yes, so much,” she said between breaths. “So much debt to pay off.”

He grabbed the condom he’d tossed on the bed after binding her, but Gretchen must’ve
recognized the sound of the package opening.

“I’m on the pill. You don’t have to unless you want to.”

He paused, caught off guard. He’d never had sex without a condom, had never dated
anyone long enough to get to that monogamous point. But the thought of being inside
Gretchen with no barrier, of being skin to skin. He closed his eyes and breathed through
the blinding rush of need.

He tossed the condom to the side and positioned himself behind her. She angled back,
the hot clasp of her body teasing the head of his cock. Holy. Christ. His hand tightened
on her. “
Fuuuuck.
”

“Yes, that. Let’s do that.”

He laughed, though it came out a little strangled, and rocked forward, giving them
what they both were desperate for. She took him fully inside her body and the feel
of her heat wrapping around him was like nothing he’d ever experienced. Perfect transcendent
pleasure. Everything in his world seemed to shift into place all at once. They were
joined—body and soul.

He’d waited his whole life for this. For her.

The island knows what you need.

Indeed, it did. And maybe it was still in a giving mood because time seemed to grind
to a crawl in that room as they made love, the hours going on and on for the two of
them. Their bodies didn’t tire, their pleasure didn’t wane, and their stamina seemed
unending. As soon as they’d reach a peak, they’d find another around the bend. The
island was giving them back some of their lost time.

And as the sun rose high outside the windowless room, Gretchen came for a final time
with a shout, her body bowing up and his name falling from her lips. He closed his
eyes, holding back his own orgasm a little longer, to revel in the ecstasy of hers.

“Burke, Burke,
Burke
.”

He’d never heard his name sound so good.

This was Gretchen untethered. Not the Gretchen who had forgotten the past. Not Gretchen
in denial. This was Gretchen who loved him back despite it all. Because of it.

This was Gretchen free.

And this was him in love.

He’d never let her go again.

~Gretchen~

I shouldn’t be up this late, but I was too close to being done. I put one last stroke
of orange on the painting that’d been inspired by our honeymoon in Brazil last week.
I stood back to see if I’d properly caught the way the sunset hit the colorful row
of buildings and the face of the man who’d been leaning against one of the doors.
My attention flicked back and forth between the canvas and the photograph I’d taken
of the scene. The man wasn’t in the photograph. No camera would’ve been able to catch
what I’d seen, but his face was emblazoned in my mind.

“Hey, my little painting insomniac.” Hands landed on my shoulders from behind. “Can’t
sleep or have you taken up sleepwalking again?”

“Nope, fully conscious, just wanted to get this done.” I put my hand over his. “Did
I wake you?”

“Nah, the barking dog next door had that privilege.” Burke kissed the top of my head
and looped his arms around my waist. “That painting’s gorgeous,
cher
. Even more beautiful than it was in person.”

I set my brush down and turned in Burke’s arms. “Thanks.”

He squinted and leaned a little closer to the painting, his expression changing. “Is
that?”

“Yeah,” I said quietly.

He looked back to me, concern there. “Everything okay?”

I nodded. “Yeah. Everything’s good.”

He glanced at the painting again. “You just wanted to paint him?”

The fact that Burke seemed to have no issue with that warmed my heart. It also gave
me the courage to be honest about why I’d put Harris in the piece. “No, I’m painting
it as I saw it. He was there that day.”

Burke’s focus returned to me, the concern lingering. “I thought on the island…I thought
he said good-bye.”

I exhaled. “Gran told me that even when souls know they’ll be happier on the other
side, that the in between is no place to linger, it’s still hard to let go. Harris
and I made our peace with each other on Eden, but I think he needed to see things
for himself. You and me.” 

Frown lines appeared around his mouth.

“I started taking photos of the buildings and then there he was. I don’t think he
realized I could see him at first.”

“God,
cher
, you should’ve told me. That must’ve been hard for you. Did he say anything?”

“He didn’t get the chance. As soon as I realized he was there, you came out of the
shop you’d been in, the one where you bought me that ridiculous hat. You plopped the
hat on my head, picked me up off my feet, and kissed me. I didn’t have time to say
anything.”

“Oh, Gretch
.
”

“When I looked back, he was still there, just like this. And then he was gone.”

Burke released me and stepped in front of the painting to study the little details.
I knew what he’d see. Harris’s lips were curved in the hint of a wistful smile and
his hand was raised.

Burke cleared his throat. “Is he…”

I put my chin on his shoulder. “Saying good-bye? Yeah, I think so.”

He let out a breath. “He’s wearing the ball cap I gave him. The one I’d sent as a
joke when the Saints beat his beloved Giants.”

I smiled. “When he got that in the mail, he’d laughed so hard about it, especially
the embroidered inscription on the back that said
#1 Fan
. I remember him saying,
Well played, bro
. He wore it more often than he would’ve ever admitted to you.”

Burke’s head lowered between his shoulders and he put a hand over his eyes. “Christ,
Harris.”

I held Burke from behind, feeling the bounce of his shoulders and letting him have
his grief. “I think that was his way of telling us both that he’s okay now. That we’re
all okay. That he wishes us well.” I took a deep breath. “I can’t…I can’t feel him
anymore.”

Since we’d gotten back from Eden, I’d had moments where I sensed him when I was alone.
He’d never shown himself or talked to me, but I’d known that when I’d said good-bye
on the island, he hadn’t done the same. But now there was a noticeable gap in the
energy around me. I couldn’t feel him anymore. He was gone for good to wherever we
went after this life.

He was finally at peace.

And so was I.

I took Burke by the hand and led him back to bed. Without a word, we crawled under
the covers, and he curved his arms around me. I laid my head on his chest and closed
my eyes. “Forever, Burke Brennan.”

“Forever, my love.”

I fell asleep without any worries of sleepwalking.

I had nowhere else I wanted to be.

I was home.

THE END

Dear Reader,

Thanks so much for reading Blurring the Lines! I hope you enjoyed your trip to the
island of Eden. I’ve always loved ghost stories, but I’ve never had the chance to
write one. So I was excited to take part in this multi-author series and pen a different
kind of story than what I normally write (contemporary erotic romance). I appreciate
you checking it out!

Read on to find out more about the books in the Invitation to Eden series and for
an excerpt from my upcoming Loving on the Edge book, Not Until You. Plus, an exclusive
sneak peek of Nothing Between Us!

Happy reading!

Roni

Enjoyed your trip to Eden?

Make sure to check out the rest of Invitation to Eden series. Sign up for our
mailing list
to receive new release alerts!

For more information about the island of Eden,
check out our website
!

March

Master of the Island
by Lauren Hawkeye

April

Random Acts of Fantasy
by Julia Kent

Yours Truly, Taddy
by Avery Aster

Escape From Reality
by Adriana Hunter

May

Hydrotherapy
by Suzanne Rock

Fight For Me
by Sharon Page

His Fair Lady
by Marian Tee

June

Breaking Free
by Cathryn Fox

Hold Me Close
by Eliza Gayle

Queen’s Knight
by Sara Fawkes

July

How To Tempt A Tycoon
by Daire St. Denis

Dare to Surrender
by Carly Phillips

The Capture
by Erika Wilde

August

Rough Draft
by Mari Carr

Blurring The Lines
by Roni Loren

Return to Sender
by Steena Holmes

September

Pleasure Point
by Eden Bradley

Wild Ride
by Opal Carew

Master of Pleasure
by Lauren Hawkeye

October

Her Desert Heart
by Delilah Devlin

Ivy in Bloom
by Vivi Anna writing as Tawny Stokes

Thorne of a Rose
by Kimberly Kaye Terry

November

Falling or Flying
by R.G. Alexander

Elusive Hero
by Joey W. Hill

Captive of Desire
by Sarah Castille

December

Delicious and Deadly
by C.C. MacKenzie

Pleasure Games
by Jessica Clare

The Last Seduction
by Jennifer Probst

Rough Draft
by Mari Carr (Big Easy, Book 4)

Capture, bondage and fantasies fulfilled. It’s all fun and games until someone gets
killed.
Bestselling crime novelist Jett Lewis is stumbling over a wicked case of writer’s
block, his fast-flowing words having run dry. His publisher’s screaming “deadline”,
the fans are ready to riot, and Jett just wants to disappear. His friend Carissa suggests
he get away, clear his head…get laid. And she has just the ticket. Literally. Two
passes to Eden, an exclusive island paradise. Recently sans girlfriend, Jett convinces
Carissa to go with him, and the resort is more than either of them bargained for—especially
when the simple beach trip turns to murder. Thrust into a plot sinister enough to
rival Jett’s books, the couple embarks on a search for the killer. The most shocking
revelation of all might be their mutual attraction…and how much Jett and Carissa love
working
undercover
.

Return to Sender
by Steena Holmes (Return to Sender trilogy, Book 1)

Lauren Summers leads a life of routine, rules and lists. She doesn’t have time for
romance or excitement and certainly not for mysterious invitations that tempt her
to break all her own rules. The only solution? Return it. It wasn’t mean for her anyways.
But while she’s determined to rid herself of temptation, someone from her past has
other ideas…

WARNING: This is a SWEET ROMANCE novella full of love, laughter, soul mates and chocolate.
LOTS AND LOTS OF CHOCOLATE.

Read on for a sneak peek at Roni’s next book in her Loving on the Edge series,

NOT UNTIL YOU,

releasing November 4, 2014.

By Roni Loren

All Rights Reserved Berkley Publishing Group

Available November 4, 2014

Chapter 1

“Andre, this isn’t a good time. Can I call you back?”

I did my best not to let my cell phone slip from between my ear and shoulder. Just
don’t drop the tequila. I adjusted the enormous bottle that my friend Bailey had given
me as a graduation present from my right hand to beneath my left arm and tried to
dig my keys out of my purse so I could open the main door to my apartment building.

“I’m so sorry I wasn’t able to make it, Cela,” my older brother said, his guilt obviously
trumping my request to call him later. “I got caught at an investigation site this
morning. I thought I’d be able to get there in time, but we had a witness wanting
to talk and . . .”

I cursed silently as my keys hit the pavement. I crouched down, doing my best not
to flash my underwear to anyone who may be passing by. “Really, it’s fine. They called
my name. I walked across the stage and got a piece of paper and a sash for being summa
cum laude. Papá yelled my name like he was at a baseball game instead of a ceremony.
Mamá cried. We all went to lunch at Rosario’s and then the two of them headed back
to the airport. Not that interesting.”