Breaking Skye Read online

  His voice was soothing, hypnotic, yet her pulse was racing. She understood the purpose of the blindfold: to allow her to draw inward, to concentrate only on what was happening to her in this moment. But she couldn’t shut her mind off. She couldn’t stop telling herself why this whole scenario was all wrong, even as her body responded to his nearness, his hands on her. Even though her sex was soaking wet, her nipples hard and needing to be touched.

  Pure agony.

  He was touching her again. He lifted her hair from her neck, stroked the skin there, making her shiver.

  “You’re very responsive, Rowan. I like that. You’re like a deer; hyper-aware, hyper-sensitive.”

  He let her hair fall back into place and continued stroking her skin. His fingertips moved over her face; her cheekbones, her lips, where he lingered just long enough that she knew if she darted her tongue out she could taste him.

  Where had that idea come from?

  Copyright 2007 Eden Bradley. Excerpted by permission of Bantam/Random House. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

  Now Available!

  Bonus Excerpt: FORBIDDEN FRUIT

  Eden Bradley

  From the bestselling author of THE DARK GARDEN comes an irresistibly romantic tale of forbidden attraction.

  Sometimes the forbidden…

  is irresistible…

  One taste is never enough.

  For university professor Mia Rose Curry, it was all academic: her course in alternate sexuality was a safe, socially-acceptable way for her to talk about the things she desires most—but has never let herself experience. And while students crammed into her class to learn about fetishes, bondage, voyeurism and much more, Mia kept her own raging desires, and her most private fantasies, carefully under wraps…until one student undressed her with his eyes...

  Jagger James is everything Mia wants and everything taboo, yet Mia can’t help imagining drawing closer and closer to this forbidden fruit. She soon discovers how much Jagger wants her, demanding she abandon every inhibition with him. Now, they are about to take a dangerous step, tempting each other’s flesh, savoring every touch and breaking every rule in the book—knowing that this dazzling, sensual feast is only a taste of something more to come…

  EXCERPT:

  Lips like cherries. What song was that? Jagger had heard it so many times. But now he knew exactly what it meant. Mia’s mouth was soft and sweet, with chocolate and the tangy raspberry coulis. With her.

  She was tentative at first, shy almost, but he kept kissing her, just a soft press of lips against lips, over and over. In moments she opened for him. He slipped inside, and it was like a shock, that wet warmth, the tangle of her tongue against his, the way she immediately gave herself over to him. He’d never felt anything like it.

  He took her face in his hands and went down on his knees beside her chair. He had to do it. There was no way to kiss this woman and stay on his feet.

  Jesus Christ.

  When she sighed into his mouth he just about came apart. And she went even looser, melting right into him. His cock was as hard as it had ever been in his life. He could barely breathe. But he wasn’t going to stop.

  He was nearly panting by the time she pulled back. She looked dazed, her pupils enormous, her cheeks flushed.

  “Jagger...” She pulled his hands from her face and looked away.

  “Ah, don’t.”

  She shook her head. “This isn’t right.”

  “It feels right.”

  It’s just the sex, man. You don’t need it to be anything else.

  “That doesn’t make it so, Jagger.”

  “Fuck. You’re right. I’m sorry.” He stood up. So did she.

  “I have to go.” She pushed her dark hair from her face.

  “Look, you don’t have to leave. Stay and finish your dessert.”

  “I can’t.” She moved to the console table by the door and picked up her purse. “I...thank you for the dinner, and...I really have to go. I’m sorry.”

  “I’m not. I’m not sorry I kissed you, Mia Rose.”

  She shook her head again. “I’m going,” she said quietly, but he knew there was nothing he could do to stop her.

  She pulled the door open and slipped through.

  Damn it. The last thing he’d wanted was to chase her away again. But he’d had to kiss her. And he’d told her the truth. He wasn’t sorry he’d done it.

  That kiss had gone through him like heat lightning. Like a jolt of electricity. And now he was burning.

  Fuck.

  He pressed a hand to his aching cock, willing his erection to go away. But if it had been bad earlier, simply thinking about her, it was a hundred times worse now. Now that he’d kissed her, tasted her mouth.

  He ripped his shirt over his head, yanked his pants down as he practically ran to the shower, jerked the handles, running the hot water. Steam quickly filled the room as he stepped under the sting of the spray. He grabbed the soap right away and lathered his cock, began to pump. He bit his lip, could almost taste her there still.

  Mia Rose.

  Pleasure shot through him, seemed to weigh him down, crushing him, until he could barley stand. He leaned against the wall of the shower, let his head fall back, thrust his hips into his fist.

  Yeah, wet and slippery, just like she’d be inside. He knew it, knew it from the silk of her mouth, the slide of her tongue on his.

  Mia Rose.

  His climax bore down on him. Sharp and hot, his come spurting between his fingers. He was panting hard, his hips still pumping even after it was over. It wasn’t enough. Not by far. Because his cock wasn’t the only part of him obsessed with Mia Rose. And it wasn’t only her body he wanted.

  The woman had really spun his head. This endless need to come and come and come was only the beginning of it. He couldn’t even think about the rest.

  He leaned into the cool wall of the shower, let the water wash him clean as he tried to catch his breath.

  Maybe once he fucked her he’d be able to work her out of his system. That’s what he was telling himself, anyway. Because the idea that there was something more was not acceptable. Not good for him, not good for her.

  He’d made a deal with himself, damn it. That’s what had gotten him over Elena. And it had been working. Nothing long term. No emotions involved. Never give a woman the chance to get to him again.

  The problem was, with Mia Rose, it might already be too late.

  Copyright 2008 Eden Bradley. Excerpted by permission of Bantam/Random House. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

  Available Now!

  Bonus Excerpt: TEMPTATION’S EDGE

  Eden Bradley writing as Eve Berlin

  What happens when you let yourself fall…

  Mischa Kennon isn’t one to take it lying down, at least not until she meets sexy Connor Galloway , a green-eyed Irishman with an air of authority she finds hard to resist. While performing duties as maid of honor to her best friend, Mischa indulges in a casual relationship with Connor. She’s surprised by the thrill of his dominance, and lusts for more feisty battles before surrender.

  …over the edge

  It’s all fun and games in the BDSM Pleasure Dome Club, until Mischa realizes Connor could master her heart.

  …and into temptation?

  If she gives in to desire, will it be too much to handle, or will it open her to a kind of love she never thought possible?

  EXCERPT:

  “Come sit by me,” he said.

  She did, next to him but not too close. If they had serious issues to discuss, she’d have to maintain a certain distance in order to keep a clear head. Semi-clear, anyway. The man was still in the room. And she suspected up close he’d smell too good to resist.

  “Do you want something to drink?” she asked him. “A glass of wine?”

&
nbsp; “No alcohol when we play. No alcohol when we negotiate. Clear heads.”

  “Okay. How do these negotiations go?”

  “I have a list of questions. You answer. Simple in essence, except that you need to think your answers through, be honest with yourself about what you want, where your boundaries and fears are. And just as crucial that you’re honest with me. This will determine what we might do, and perhaps more importantly, what we won’t do. You’ll be telling me yes, no or maybe for each question. ‘Maybe’ means it’s something I can push you on in the moment, or bring up again later, if I determine you’re in the right space to approach it.”

  “If you determine?” She crossed her arms over her chest. That didn’t sit well with her at all.

  Connor leaned forward, his elbows braced on his knees. “Mischa, being a dominant is a great pleasure, but with it comes great responsibility. I know we’ve just met, but can you trust in what you’ve seen of me so far? Can you trust that I am Alec’s friend? We play in the same circles, by the same code of ethics. Are you familiar with the Safe, Sane and Consensual credo?”

  “Yes. I’ve heard it at the clubs I’ve been to. And I’ve read about it.”

  “Then you have some idea of what that code means to me. I take it very seriously. All right?”

  She nodded her head. Her heart was beginning to pound. This was serious stuff. The few men she’d ‘played’ with at the clubs had been just that—play—but Connor was the real thing. It aroused her, excited her, so much more than she’d expected. But with Connor, every time she thought she knew what to expect, he surprised her. Including, right now, how quickly her irritation at his bossiness dissolved under the powerful force of his natural command. It was real—he wasn’t some wanna-be, which, she now realized, was probably what those other men she’d experimented with were. And somehow, that changed everything.

  “I should also tell you,” he went on, “that when we’re done, if you still have any questions for me, you let me know, and I will answer as thoroughly as I can.”

  She nodded again. Licked her lips.

  “Remember: yes, no or maybe. Do you want to be spanked?”

  She smiled, a little surprised at how quickly the conversation had shifted, how he’d gotten right down to business. But this question was easy enough. “Yes. Sure.”

  “Pinched?”

  Also easy. “Yes.”

  “Hit with a flogger, a slapper, a crop?”

  A lovely chill ran through her. “Yes. I’ve had a flogger used on me, but it was one of those soft suede ones. And frankly, he was far too tentative with it.”

  “What about with a single-tail?”

  “Is that like a short bullwhip?”

  He nodded. “Yes.”

  “I don’t know. I don’t know the level of pain I can handle, what I might enjoy past a certain point.”

  “But you do enjoy the pain?”

  “Yes. I always have. From rough sex to a good spanking.”

  “But you have never felt that you were a submissive.” It was phrased as a statement, but she knew he was asking her.

  “Not in the past. But…it’s different with you. Not that I’ll ever be truly submissive. The submission is part of the pain-pleasure thing. An off-shoot of that.”

  “And you’re not entirely happy about it?”

  She smiled again, a little wryly. “Not entirely.”

  “But you are willing to explore these things with me?”

  “Yes.”

  “What about anal sex?”

  “Yes. I like it a lot.”

  A slow smile from him at that. “Ah, good girl.”

  There it was, those two simple words again that just made her melt into a pathetic little puddle.

  Only for him.

  She’d been telling him the truth. Although she’d been spanked, tied up, she’d never felt that sensation of going under, of letting go of control, handing that to another person. It had been more about seeking out extreme forms of sex. Having an adventure. The adventure with him would be something else altogether.

  “How do you feel about being tied up? Handcuffed? Chained?”

  “Being tied up has never really done much for me. I don’t get the fascination with ropes, and definitely not with silk scarves. That seems…amateurish to me. I love the handcuffs. Really love the idea of chains, although I’ve never used them before.”

  “Ah, we are a perfect match, you and I. What about being blindfolded?”

  “I…I don’t like it. Enough that I’ve never allowed anyone to try it with me. I don’t like that total disconnect from my environment.”

  “You always need a shred of control to hang onto, is that it?”

  She raised her chin. “Yes.”

  “All right. We don’t have to go there right now. What about hot wax?”

  “I’ve played with it before, but I wasn’t the one on the bottom that time.”

  He laughed. “And?”

  “I like the idea of it. We’ll have to see if I like the sensation.”

  “Tell about the Kanji tattoo on the back of your neck—what does it say?”

  “My tattoo?”

  “Yes.”

  She shrugged, trying not to squirm, although she wasn’t sure why now, rather than during all the questions about the floggers and chains. “It says ‘pain is love’.”

  He raised one dark brow. “Do you really believe that?”

  There was no hesitation before she answered this time. “Yes. Don’t you?”

  He smiled a little, although at the same time he no longer looked quite so happy. “Yes. I guess I do.”

  He paused, still looking at her. She stared back, watching as he rearranged his features, let the shadow there, a flicker of emotion, fade away. She wasn’t going to ask him about that. She knew the feeling well enough herself.

  “Do you have any questions for me?” he asked her finally.

  “Are the negotiations done?”

  “For now.”

  “Then yes, I have a question.”

  “Ask.”

  “When are you going to take me to that club, the Pleasure Dome?”

  He laughed again. “You like the public play, do you?”

  “That’s the biggest draw of those places for me, or it has been in the past. More than the equipment, my partners.”

  “You like to put on a show, do you? So do I. If you really want to go, then I’ll certainly take you. Not tonight. Maybe next weekend. If you’re still interested, that is. You might run from me again.”

  “I don’t think so.”

  “What makes you so certain of that?”

  “I just…” How to explain to him, without saying more than she wanted to? Without admitting more than she was willing to look at herself? “I want to go. And I have a feeling this is going to work out. That we’ll be good together.”

  “You’re not a shy one, are you?”

  It was her turn to laugh. “Hardly.”

  He stood, absolutely towering over her. He looked a bit intimidating, she could admit to that. The man was a wall. Big and dark, his eyes glittering with mischief. But she also loved it—his size, that shadowed side of him. His wickedness.

  He held out a hand to her. “Shall we begin, then?”

  She smiled, got to her feet. And was swept into his arms so fast it made her head spin. He turned her until she was face-down on the sofa, her robe gone as if by magic. He held both her wrists behind her back in one of his hands. She was panting instantly, shocked at how quickly he’d gotten her naked and into this submissive position. She also understood, in some distant way, that he’d used that element of surprise to break right through any walls she may have put up. It didn’t scare her. Little did. She trusted him, for all the reasons he’d stated. And it was working beautifully. There was nothing but that small voice in the back of her head that was trying to tell her to slow down, to regain some balance in the power between them. But she was turned on enough to overcome it.


  He leaned over and whispered into her ear, as if he could see right into her head, “Just relax now. Give it all over to me. You don’t need to struggle. To argue with yourself about it. Just do it. It can be that easy.”

  “It’s not easy,” she gasped, realizing only then that part of her was holding back, hanging onto some last shred of control. God, this really was a mind fuck.

  “It’s as easy as you make it, Mischa.”

  She tried to shake her head, but he pressed down on the back of her neck with one hand. Gently, but it was enough to press her cheek right into the cushions of the sofa. And he was still using the other hand to hold both of her wrists at the small of her back. She began to tremble all over. It was half nerves, half desire, which was shivering through her in a series of tiny sparks, like small electric shocks. How had he known she would respond like this, when she hadn’t known herself?

  He leaned over her until he was whispering into her hair. “I know what you’re going through, Mischa. You’re fighting it. The fight makes it harder on you. I admit I’ll enjoy it a bit. But when you let go the fight, that’s when it can really begin. That’s when you’ll feel it all in some new, sublime way. That’s my goal with you, sweetheart. To take you there.”

  “I…I don’t know…” Her anxiety was mounting as she squirmed, and realized she truly could not break from his hold on her.

  “Ah, but I do. I can see it in you, the ability. The submissive response to even the most subtle tone of voice, the most subtle touch. It doesn’t have to mean you’ll ever be some kind of slave girl. There’s a world of difference there. Don’t you worry about that. Just be in the moment. Let it happen, as much as you can.” His fingers flexed on the back of her neck, the fingers of his other hand flexing on her wrists, a small reminder. “Breathe for me, now. Deep breath in, let it out slow. Like meditation. It is a sort of meditation, as strange as it may sound. As odd as it may be to think of being able to relax while I hold you down like this. But that’s exactly the point. You are in my hands.”