Kimberly Raye - Pleasure Principle (Harlequin Blaze)

A S OWNER AND OPERATOR of the only bar in Cadillac, Texas, Eden Hallsey came into contact with more than her fair share of men. Males of all shapes and sizesrich and poor, young and old, annoying and nice, homely and handsome. But never had she seen one as handsome, as sexy, as hot as the man standing on the side of the road, next to a steaming black Porsche.

Handsome, as in short, dark hair that framed a GQ face, complete with a straight nose and strong jaw and sensual lips.

Sexy, as in the sensual way his white dress shirt outlined his muscular shoulders and broad chest, while soft, black trousers accented a trim waist and molded to his hips.

Hot as in the beads of perspiration that clung to his forehead, slid down his cheeks, the tanned column of his throat. He wiped his brow as he lifted a hand to flag her down.

Before she even realized what she was doing, her foot shifted to the brake and she started to slow. A few seconds later, she pulled up in front of the sleek sports car and rolled down her window.

Need some help? she asked as he walked up. She reached beneath the seat for the Triple A kit her waitress and friend Kasey had given her last Christmas. A click and she started rummaging in the tackle-size box. Lets see. Ive got jumper cables. A jack. Spare can of oil. A girl had to be prepared, as Kasey always said. Of course, in this situation her friend would have been referring to the tube of Passionate Pink lipstick shed taped inside the top of the tackle box.

Eden barely ignored the urge to grab the tube and rub some of the color on her lips. Eden Hallsey primped for no man, even one as handsome as this one.

Pick your poison, she told him after shed licked her lips and ticked off the remaining contents of the box.

A gun would be nice.

Her head snapped up and her gaze collided with his. She realized he looked vaguely familiar as her breath caught and her mouth actually went dry at the sight of the most intense, vivid blue eyes shed ever seen.

A crazy reaction, because Edens mouth never went dry over a man. Sure, she appreciated the opposite sex. She even enjoyed them on occasionthough the last being so long ago she could hardly remember. She liked men, all right, as everyone well knew. But she never, ever let any one man get to her.

Until this man.

She ignored the crazy thought and concentrated on finding her voice. Pardon?

His grin was slow and easy and as breath-stealing as the record-breaking hundred degree heat baking the surrounding stretch of pasture. To put her out of her misery. He motioned behind him. The engine block is cracked and nothing short of a miracle is likely to revive her.

She couldnt help but return his smile. Sorry, but Im fresh out of miracles today.

His grin faltered and something passed in his gaze. Me, too. Thankfully.

His last comment, coupled with the flash of relief in his blue eyes, made her think that Mr. Handsome, Sexy and Hot wasnt all that disappointed to see his fifty-thousand-dollar car steaming in the midday heat.

The thought passed as he turned his attention back to her. A hungry light fired his gaze and her breath caught. It was a look she was all too familiar with since shed given her virginity to Jake Marlboro back in high school. Hed violated her trust and turned what should have been something beautiful into a tawdry good time to brag about to his friends. Thus, her reputation had been born and shed endured it ever since. The bold pick-up lines, the raunchy comments, the hungry looks.

But this was different. Her response was different. She didnt just want to slap his face. She wanted to throw her arms around him and see if his lips felt as soft and mesmerizing as they looked.

If you dont mind, I could really use a ride.

The last word lingered in her head and stirred a vivid image of him stretched out on her flower print sheets, his body dark and masculine and hard beneath her.

But if it makes you uncomfortable, I could just walk.

But that was the kicker. The notion of giving him a ride, in or out of bed, didnt make her uncomfortable in the least.

Just hot.

Id be happy to help. The words were out before she could consider that the man was a stranger, no matter how familiar he looked. He could be a serial killer for all she knew. A Porsche-driving, Gucci-wearing madman.

Then again, shed been on blind dates that looked far more scary and intimidating. This guy was neither, and her gut told her he wasnt dangerous eitherexcept to her hormones. But she could maintain control of herself for the five minutes it would take to drive him to Merles Service Station. Eden Hallsey always kept her control. She was notorious for it. She was notorious for a lot of things.

I really wouldnt want to put you out, he went on, mistaking her silence for hesitation.

Youre not. Youre the one wholl be inconvenienced. Im afraid the closest gas station is about two miles straight into town.

Its no inconvenience. Thats where I was headed.

His words surprised her. Shed figured hed pulled off the interstate near the towns only exit out of pure necessity, not by choice. They didnt see many of his type in a desperately small town like Cadillac. Not that the place didnt have its share of wealth. Cadillac was home to two of the largest ranches in Texas, not to mention Weston Boots, the oldest and largest western boot manufacturer in the country. But the wealthy were still just locals. Country folk. Men like old Zachariah Weston and rancher Silver Dollar Samso named because of the silver dollars he handed out to the kiddies when he played Santa Claus at the yearly winter festival. While they might drive fancy utility vehicles and wear solid gold belt buckles, they still spent their Saturday nights having ice cream at the Dairy Freeze right alongside everybody else.

Her gaze shifted to the man standing outside her truck window, with his expensive Italian suit and his elite sports car. Again, a strange sense of familiarity hit her, as if shed seen him in this exact pose before.

She shook away the crazy thought and reached over to unlock the opposite door. If she had come into contact with him before, she couldnt imagine ever forgetting. He was too handsome, too sexy, too stirring.

Then again, maybe she was remembering. A memory from long ago. A man whod been just a boy

She searched her mind as he climbed in beside her. But then the door closed and his scent surrounded her, and her thoughts scattered. Her heart pounded and her stomach jumped and it was all she could do to concentrate on pulling away from the shoulder of the road, out onto the main strip leading into town.

So, she licked her lips and tried to calm her thundering heart, are you visiting friends in town? Family?

Both. He didnt spare her a glance as he drank in the passing scenery, as if he were seeing pastureland and farmhouses for the very first time. At least I hope so.

Have you ever been to Cadillac before? she asked, eager to satisfy the curiosity bubbling inside her.