Read Smashwords version Sweet Surrender for Free Online Page A

engagement half a
dozen times.  She’s a shrew, it’ll never last, I told him over and over
again, but he’s not thinking with his brain when it comes to her. And he likes
his women feisty.” Rafe shook his head, scowling. “Ha. I should hook him up with Viola then.  Except he’s
already taken, and there’s a different between being feisty and being a bitch,
and Viola only likes rock and roll guys, so never mind.  Why did you want
me to know that you used to be a cop?” “Because I’m going to be sleeping in your apartment until we get
this place more safe and secure, and I didn’t want you to think I’m just some
random pervert trying to take advantage of you. I mean, I am trying to take
advantage of you, but I’m actually a very respectable pervert.”
    Her heart thumped in her chest, but she ignored his quirky smile
and his attempts at flirtation. “You can’t sleep here.  The couch is the only bed,” she
pointed out. “So I’ll  make a mattress out of the couch cushions and sleep
on the floor.  I’ve roughed it before;  my dad used to take me and my
brothers camping all the time.” “No way.  I can’t ask that of you.  Go back to your
apartment. I’ll – I’ll call you if anyone tries to break in again.” She glanced
towards the kitchen with trepidation.  She really did feel much safer with
Rafe here – physically, anyway. Emotionally, she wasn’t so sure. “That would involve us exchanging phone numbers, which is going to
happen anyway, but no. I’m sleeping here. End of story.” She sighed and held her hand up in a “stop it” gesture. “Don’t,
Rafe. You don’t have to do that. Flirt with me, I mean. Pretend to like me.” He looked genuinely baffled. “Who’s pretending?”
    Tears welled up in her eyes, and she blinked hard, humiliated. A
lifetime of memories of handsome men looking through her as if she were
invisible, and then lighting up when they spotted her beautiful, reed thin
half-sister, burned inside her and threatened to choke the words from her
throat. “Really, Rafe. There’s got to be a million skinny, beautiful women
out there who’d love to jump you. Guys like you don’t go for girls like me. And
I’d like you to leave now;  I need to get some sleep.” As if she could
sleep. She turned to walk away from him, headed towards the kitchen.
 She wasn’t hungry, but it was the only other room in the apartment aside
from the bathroom. Suddenly, faster than she would have thought possible, he was on
her, blocking her, backing her into the wall, and his hands were on either side
of her face, tilting her head up again and forcing her to look at him. His eyes
burned with intensity, and a deep, carnal hunger. “Stop it, Poppy. Stop doing this to yourself. Have you looked at
yourself in the mirror? You’ve got a beautiful face. You’ve got a beautiful
figure.  No, you’re not freakishly thin; you’ve got boobs and an ass and a
stomach that I want to kiss and nice round thighs that I want to run my tongue
along. You understand me? I want you. I know there’s plenty of women out there
that I could have, and I’m here with you.” Poppy’s lips parted in shock, and before she could say a word,
he’d plunged his mouth onto hers, hot and hungry.  He sucked at her,
claiming her mouth with his probing tongue, and she found her trembling hands
on his shoulders, fingers sinking in and clutching him tightly.
    Warmth spread slowly throughout her whole body until she was hot
and tingly all over, and her sex was throbbing with desire and need. She could
feel moisture seeping between her lips, soaking her panties. She ached for him
to fill her, to slide between her legs, to thrust inside her… His hands on her face were gentle and strong, and his tongue swept
through her mouth, probing, conquering her. She responded by tilting her head
back, sucking on him hungrily, her tongue meeting his. She imagined his mouth moving lower, lower…tracing kisses down her
body,