CHAMPAGNE AND CHOCOLATE:
Historical Western romance
From different worlds, drawn by desire,
passion is about to change their lives forever....
Austin Standish is a man of refined tastes.
Intelligent and educated, Austin enjoys all of the best life has to offer. A
gambler, a gunslinger, and a man who has plans to taste the sweetest prize at
The Palace Casino and Saloon - the lovely owner, Chantille L'Amour, the most
sought after jewel on the Barbary Coast.
Running a high-class brothel and casino
isn't exactly the life she was born to but Chantille is determined to overcome
the ruin her family was left in once the Civil War ended. But, she has chosen a
difficult path... one that demands much and leaves her lonely. She's noticed
the handsome man who comes into her world from time to time, and when she
chooses to give in to desire, the passion evoked by Austin's touch may change
her life forever....
Excerpt:
As she led him to the private wing of the
large building that housed her home and business, Chantille had time to
question the wisdom of her actions—again. She'd been berating herself for most
of the past thirty minutes. Austin Standish was a danger to her; she knew this
on an instinctive level. Not that he would hurt her, of course. But, he was
dangerous, just the same.
She was acutely aware of every
panther-like, lissome step he took behind her. He was elegant in manner and
dress, quietly contained but always alert. The sense of being in perilous
company assailed her with new severity. She opened the twin doors to her living
suite and went inside, hearing him close the doors behind him before joining
him.
She continued into the room, uncomfortable
as she chafed against the restraints of her heavy dress and the many layers
beneath it. She'd permitted a few select men into this suite over the past five
years, but none had ever made her so acutely aware of herself and the desire to
shed her clothes and feel solid muscles and male hardness pressed to her warm
curves. Her breasts felt heavy, and her nipples strained against the fabric of
her chemise, rubbing against the soft material until the pebbled points ached.
Between her thighs, a slow, steady throb began to increase in rhythm, finding a
matching tempo in her heartbeat.
The soft illumination from the fireplace
touched the wood that dominated the room's furnishings, warming the smooth,
lustrous finish as shadows danced on the walls and glimmered in the reflections
of the mirror that adorned one wall of the room. She saw nothing, only the
darkness that had grown around her so steadily throughout the past half-hour, a
darkness that touched her with fears she couldn't clearly define, much less explain.
Watching the play of light catch in the
soft gold of his hair, Chantille was struck again by the intuitive knowledge
that dominated the man's handsome features. Barely suppressed sensuality and
anticipation were so strong in the shadowed intimacy of the suite that she felt
she could reach out and touch the things that presently put them on opposite
sides of a chasm she didn't know with certainty she wanted to close. The only
thing she did know was that she wanted to be with him more than she had any man
she'd ever met.
"Tell me what you're feeling right
now, Chantille."
"Angry."
"At me?"
"No," she whispered, then shook
her head to deny her dishonesty. "Yes."
"Why?"
"I don't like being vulnerable."
* * * * *
For the first time, Chantille looked right
at him, and Austin could read all the uncertainty he hadn't taken the time to
notice before. He answered her honestly, unwilling to do anything less.
"Being vulnerable isn't always a bad
thing, Chantille. Sometimes it makes you stronger."
"I don't believe that, and you
certainly don't." The edge crept back into her tone. "I feel like I
did when I was a child, needing to be wanted. When I came to San Francisco, I
swore I'd never feel that way again."
Austin drew in a deep draught of air and
ran a hand through his hair.
"You don't have to be afraid of
anything, Chantille." He knew the words were weak, and he could have
kicked himself for them once they were spoken.
She actually managed to smile at the statement,
though there was no warmth in the expression.
"Weak women hold no appeal for men
like you, Mr. Standish," she remarked.
"Is that what you want? To appeal to
me?"
She laughed, a low murmur of sound that
stirred the air between them.
"I want to share my bed with you,
Austin," she conceded. "What I don't want is for it to cost me
everything I've worked for."
"What are you afraid of losing?"
"My independence."
"Your heart."
"Don't be ridiculous."
"Don't lie to me, or to
yourself."
Chantille met his eyes as if she were
trying to pierce the shadows that surrounded them, to see what lay hidden
behind that confident stare. When nothing shone forth, she closed her eyes.
Austin let the silence engulf them again
for a long minute, then he closed the distance, touched her chin, and made her
face him. His thumb brushed at the tear welled in the corner of her eye.
"I do want you," she murmured,
voice raw with the force of her feelings.
The loneliness and the need for reassurance
was almost a physical presence in the room with them, and Austin was forced to
wonder just how long it had been since Chantille L'Amour had uttered those
words to any man. If she ever had.
"I want you, too, Chantille."
Austin's whispered words were like a soft
breath of air touching her face as he leaned forward to cover her lips with a
tender kiss. She moved into the caress with a soft gasp, and her knees seemed
to buckle as Austin's tongue slipped into her mouth with possessive hunger.
Chantille broke the intense kiss, and her
head fell back as a sigh of relief and pleasure slipped out of her. She wrapped
her arms around Austin's neck, then buried her face against his broad shoulder
as she shivered into the sensations they were igniting in each other. She smiled
at the slight catch already detectable in Austin's breathing, then shuddered
when his hands began to work the buttons of her gown.
Suddenly, she eased free of his embrace and
took a step back. He watched, eyes narrowed for a moment as he waited to see
why she'd withdrawn. The wariness left his gaze a few seconds later when she
lit another lamp and stood next to it.
The soft golden glow of the flickering
lamplight illuminated the deft movements of her hands as she undid the buttons
and hooks that held her gown together. Austin smiled and went to sit in a chair
near the fireplace, his eyes never leaving her. The beautiful amethyst silk
crumpled into a heap at her feet, and she gracefully stepped free of the
shimmering mass. Next, the petticoats and crinolines fell into a crisp white
pile, and she smiled, her expression faintly wicked with delight. He forced
himself to remain still while she undid the hooks of her corset, her actions
slow and deliberate. Her eyes never lost their hold on his, and she walked
toward him, hips swaying seductively.
When she was standing directly in front of
him, Austin smiled up at her. His look dropped, and his eyes locked on the
thrusting peaks of her breasts, mere inches from his lips, nipples a soft
shadow against the white of her chemise. She bent slightly and cupped his face
in her hands as she leaned into a slow, exploring kiss. Austin's arms went
around her, and he lifted her off her feet and sat her astride his thighs as he
settled deeper into the armchair. The kiss went on forever and grew more
intense with each tiny stroke of tongue they exchanged. When he thought he'd
die for want of air, she drew away again and met his gaze.
Austin's smile became a grin when Chantille
slipped the straps of her chemise off her shoulders, then tugged on the front
of the thin garment. She peeled the material away from her skin, offering lush
ivory breasts to him. He was only vaguely surprised when she took his hands,
and kissed each palm before placing his eager fingers over the smooth swells of
her flesh. She placed her own hands on his shoulders and slid closer to him,
her thighs gliding against his.
She turned as she pushed closer, and her
breath hissed from between her teeth when he licked slowly at the ripe nipple
she'd all but guided to his lips. She kissed his temple and pressed against him
until he took the hard point into his mouth and began to suckle. He repeated
the erotic play, first lavishing attention to one nipple, then the other,
encouraged by the soft moans that escaped Chantille as she rocked gently in his
lap.
"Austin…."
"Mmm?"
"Let me up?"
He leaned back in the chair and released
her, curiosity holding his lust at bay for the moment.
She slid back, laughed shakily when her
knees wobbled, then she walked a few steps from him. The light trailed her,
seemed to be drawn to her within the room, and he watched with renewed
fascination as she finished opening the chemise and tossed it aside.
She locked her gaze with his again for an
instant, then smiled when his eyes followed the motion of her hands...
Denyse Bridger
"Live the Romance, Become the
Fantasy..."
** Preditors & Editors Best Author 2013
**
ARe Romance:
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Publisher:
http://naughtynightspress.com/
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Thanks so much for allowing me to invade your space yet again, Blak!! Always a pleasure to be here!! Hugs, D
ReplyDeleteYou're very welcome! It's never an invasion. :) Thank you!
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