Liquid Assets
By Layne Blacque
Loose Id
Genre: Contemporary
Format: eBook
Blurb
Nathan Warner is leery when Cassie Prescott, an old friend and unforgettable one-night stand, offers him the promise of easy money…and easier loving. After her aunt’s death, Cassie is bequeathed one hundred thousand dollars, but can only collect in one of two ways: Upon her thirtieth birthday, or after a marriage.
The twenty-five year old schemer is unwilling to wait five years to collect her inheritance; she intends to use her windfall to fund a new life. But when she asks Nathan to be her husband, she’s perplexed by his outright refusal. Not even the ten thousand dollars she offers as payment sways him.
When Cassie offers the hunky contractor the one thing he can’t refuse–nightly conjugal visits–Nathan accepts her proposal. Both parties think they’ve won. Yet their new alliance uncovers secrets from the past–secrets that threaten to destroy a passion neither is strong enough to resist.
Excerpt
“Make the bitch wait,” called the familiar voice from the other side. “Can I come in?”
Cassie?
Suddenly flustered, he looked around his bedroom, dismayed to see a week’s worth of magazines and newspapers piled in one corner of the room. The weights and jump rope sitting in the other corner weren’t going to move into his closet by themselves, either. Wait. It’s only Cassie. Why am I freaking out like this? “Yeah. Come on in.”
She poked her head through the door. He was amazed at how good she looked. She’d sheared off half her hair months ago, right before Linda’s departure, and had never grown it back out. Though he’d never been much of a fan of women with short hair, the slick cut really worked for her. Cassie Prescott looked more stunning than ever.
“Hey, hot stuff,” she said. The white sundress she wore looked great against the bronze of her skin, and her legs seemed extra long in the sexy ivory mules that showed off her freshly pedicured toes. Hot pink. “You have a minute?”
“Not really,” he lied, tearing his eyes away from her. “And how the hell did you get in here, anyway?”
Her gaze was trained on his bare chest as she spoke, and he thought he detected a bit of a blush spreading across her pretty face. “I still have a key, remember? Linda gave it to me years ago. How else do you think I used to get in to watch TV in the guest bedroom?”
He rolled his eyes. “Well, I haven’t seen you use it since Linda moved to California.”
“Never had a reason to until now.” She shrugged. “Do you want me to give it back?”
“What I really want is for you to tell me why you’re here. And don’t give me any bull about wanting to chill with old friends.”
Her eyes narrowed as she moved toward him. She scanned the room briefly, but soon, she was staring at him in that disconcerting way she had. She plopped down beside him. “What can I do to get you to change your mind, Nathan?”
“Nothing.” Her fragrance was driving him crazy. It was a blending of natural scents — lavender, apple, and maybe honey — wafting off her hair and body. Angered by her closeness, he was forced to remember how good it had felt to be enveloped in that smell. “There’s nothing you can say or do to change my mind.”
“I don’t believe that.” She gazed unflinchingly into his eyes and smiled — a calculating smile if he ever saw one. “In fact, old friend, I’ve thought of a way to sweeten the deal for both of us.”
Something in her tone made his blood rush into his cock. He recognized the throaty rasp of it; his traitorous flesh did, too. When Cassie put on that voice, it meant she was playing hardball. Nathan grinned. He’d play harder.
“Oh yeah? Sweeten it even more than ten grand? How you gonna do that, gorgeous?”
She smiled at him and absently ran her hand over his chest. A manipulative gesture to be sure. But that didn’t stop his nipples from hardening. “If you agree to be my husband, not only will I give you ten percent of my inheritance, but I’ll also allow you conjugal visits.”
Copyright © Layne Blacque, 2007.
All Rights Reserved.
Liquid Assets, is Available Now at Loose Id. Buy here.
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