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--Warning: This book is intended for readers over the age of 18.

Editor: Vicky Reese

Photographer: Konrad Bak

Chapter One

Dallas, Texas

Her thong was driving her crazy. It was the only thing wrong in an otherwise perfect evening. Morgan loved this time of year. Bright orange pumpkins lined the oak bar inside of Champ’s Dance Hall & Saloon. Fake bats, ghosts, and witches hung from the ceiling casting shadows on the walls as the dance floor lights shone on them.

Outside, the crisp air carried the first smells of fall and brought back happy childhood memories of trick or treating for her. She loved every second of it with the exception of the thong.

“I swear no one can see you from here,” Kathy said for the third time.

Morgan cast another worried glance around the packed parking lot. Even with her best friend’s repeated reassurances, Morgan didn’t feel any more confident about stripping off her panties in public. Between the car and Kathy, she was relatively hidden from the building, which had surpassed fire code capacity hours earlier, but she still felt exposed.

In the end, it was the combination of a fifth of vodka, two margaritas, a shot of Jager and the evil underwear that convinced her to hike up her costume. Hooking her thumbs in the silken waistband, she slid the material down her thighs and past her knee high socks. A cold breeze touched her bare ass, needlessly reminding her of her public display. The parking area was so full of cars, people had made the grass surrounding the building into a second lot. Despite the large number of vehicles, it seemed Kathy and Morgan were the only two people not inside enjoying the loud music of the live band.

“It’s all your fault,” Morgan whispered down at the hated string, which had been cramming itself up the crack of her ass all night long and ruining her fun.

“I don’t recall having done anything wrong, but I’d like to.”

At the sound of the man’s voice behind her, Morgan squealed and shot forward. Unfortunately, the evil underwear got the last laugh as they tangled around her ankles. Before she could hit the ground, a pair of warm hands encircled her waist, steadying her. Kicking free before she could further embarrass herself, a slow realization seeped into Morgan’s intoxicated brain. Glancing down, she slowly accepted the truth, her dress was still tucked up to her navel and her bare ass was shining out at the man behind her. She shot an accusing look at Kathy. “I thought you were keeping an eye out.” Kathy stared wide-eyed over Morgan’s shoulder.

“You’re the guy who was singing on stage earlier.”

At Kathy’s words, Morgan covered her face and groaned. If the singer was behind her then chances were good so was the whole damn band.

Champ’s Dance Hall & Saloon was turning out to be an interesting place, Wade decided as he eyed the hot blonde in his arms. He’d not been overly thrilled with the idea of performing at a costume party, even if the crowd had been a wild one. That is, until he’d been weaving his way through the parking lot after finishing a set and spotted the gorgeous, tight and bare ass waving at him from between two cars. Now that its owner’s mouthwatering hips were within his grasp, things were looking up. In fact, a lot of things were up.

She was wearing a football jersey sexy girl costume that ended mid-thigh or would have ended mid-thigh if Wade’s hands hadn’t stopped the material from sliding back down after steadying her. Her friend was staring at him in awe, which he thought was a bit funny, but he wasn’t above using it for his purposes in order to snag the hottie in his arms. With a sigh of regret, he pushed her dress down, hiding her ass from sight. It was delicious and he hated covering up such a work of art, but the rest of the guys would be along any second. He didn’t intend on sharing.

“I’m Wade,” he said by way of introduction. The woman in his arms moved to pull away and he reluctantly released her. When she turned to look him over, her face was bright red, but she kept her chin high and a surge of respect ran through him. She was embarrassed but she wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of showing it.

“Thank you for keeping me from landing on my face.”

“You’re still likely to end up there if you don’t pull those off your shoe,” he said pointing at the ground. She glanced down at the underwear wrapped around one shoe before quickly looking away again. Using the hood of the car to steady herself she lifted her foot and untangled the thong before tossing it inside the car. Her lips were pressed together and one dimple peeked out in spite of her best efforts at hiding her laughter.

“I’m Kathy and this is Morgan,” her friend offered. “Are y’all done playing for the night?”

“For you, darling, we’ll play a few more songs,” Tex, the band’s drummer spoke up behind Wade, signaling their arrival. Wade watched as Kathy’s green eyes lit with joy. Everywhere they went, it was the same. Women loved Tex’s dark hair, blue eyes and smooth ways. Tex loved women. Kathy was a bit too skinny for Wade’s tastes. Her straight brown hair brushed her chin as she gestured for Tex to join her for the trip back inside. He also didn’t care for short hair. Long curly blonde hair combined with blue eyes and a luscious body was what he’d always been drawn to. Lucky for him, not only did Morgan fit the bill perfectly, but Tex was leading Kathy away and leaving the two of them alone.

Morgan chewed her bottom lip as she watched the pair heading back inside the club. “He won’t do anything,” Wade said in an attempt to reassure her. After a moment, he added, “Well, anything she doesn’t want done to her anyhow.”

She met his eyes for the first time and smiled. The combo was the equivalent of a one two punch to his gut. Not only was she easily one of the most beautiful women he’d ever seen, he also couldn’t remember a time he’d been enamored so quickly. “I’m not worried about Kathy. Your friend is the one who might need to be scared.” Damn, even her voice was amazing. It held a smooth southern lilt that rolled down his spine.

“I’m sorry if I embarrassed you,” he blurted out before he could stop himself. In spite of the way they’d met, Wade could tell she wasn’t the type girl a man toyed with. Men could size women up with a glance. There were women who men fucked, and then there were women who men married and Morgan was the latter of the two. In other words, despite her beauty he needed to leave her alone.

“Don’t worry over it. You didn’t do anything wrong. I’m the idiot who was pulling off her panties in a parking lot.” She blushed again causing him to smile. If she was this embarrassed by something so minor he could only imagine the flush that would cover her body when he whispered all the naughty things he wanted to do to her. He shook himself at the thought. He wouldn’t be whispering anything dirty, he reminded himself. She was off limits.

“I was taking a quick break between sets. It’s almost time for me to get back on stage, but I’d love it if you would allow me to escort you back inside. I wouldn’t feel right leaving you out here alone and unprotected. Bad things happen in parking lots.”

Morgan eyed her unlikely parking lot protector with suspicion. Five minutes earlier, he’d fondled her ass like a man with a mission, but now he was all chivalry. She didn’t trust it wasn’t an act, but he wasn’t mauling her and she appreciated the gesture. Especially since Kathy had abandoned her without as much as a backward glance. With her decision made, she slammed the car door closed and walked toward the club, forcing him to rush to catch up with her. When he fell in stride beside her, she asked, “Where you from, Wade?”

“Just up the road a piece,” he answered as he shoved his hands in his pockets. “Abilene, to be exact.” She tried not to focus on the way the muscles in his forearms flexed or the smell of his cologne. The alcohol was obviously going to her head.

“That’s not too horrible of a drive,” she said for lack of anything else.

“It’s nowhere near long enough.”

She had no idea what he meant, but she let it stand without question. He clasped her elbow and steered her toward the back door of the club. “Let’s go this way and avoid the crowd.” His hand moved from her elbow to the small of her back as he led her through the employee entrance. Several people nodded and spoke but Morgan didn’t hear a word of it. Her smile remained in place by habit alone while her entire being focused on the warmth of his hand. Wade wasn’t her usual type. She preferred bigger men who made her feel protected and while Wade wasn’t especially tall—maybe only five-ten—he possessed a rough sexiness she couldn’t ignore. Sneaking a glance at him, she suppressed a sigh. Stubble covered his jaw and his full bottom lip begged for a taste. Her hand shot to her stomach as a nervous flutter ran through her.

“I’ve enjoyed meeting you,” Wade said near her ear, taking her by surprise. She’d not realized he’d moved in so close. Turning her head, she took note of how the neon lights did nothing to take away from the green of his eyes.

“This has definitely been one introduction I won’t soon forget,” she agreed with a laugh. A quick grin flashed across his face. In the parking lot, she’d been distracted by her embarrassment, but now she didn’t have that to concentrate on, and she was almost twice as horrified. He was a bit intense, more than a little lickable, and his hips had been pressed against her bare ass only minutes earlier. She was having a hard time accepting the fact those few moments were the most action she’d seen in a long time.

“How much longer will y’all be playing tonight?” She didn’t know what else to talk about but she also didn’t want to leave him right away.

“About another two hours,” he answered, and as if her question reminded him of the fact he should be on stage already, he motioned toward a swinging wooden door. “If you head through there, you’ll be right beside the stage. You know, just in case you’re interested in seeing the show up close.” He looked so hopeful she couldn’t help but laugh.

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