Recipe For Seduction (A Madewood Brothers Novel) (Entangled Brazen) by Gina Gordon Page A

spent too many years lusting after a man she’d thought she could never have. But tonight, she would make him beg to get into her pants. A small—and hopefully short-lived—victory, but she’d take it.
    “Finn…you and I, we both need to break free of our ruts,” she murmured.
    He tipped his head. “And you expect to find whatever we’re looking for in bed?”
    She nodded. It was a start, anyway. “Yes, I do.” She stepped forward, backing him into the counter. “Did you feel like a mediator when I was grinding on your lap in the alley?”
    The seriousness that had darkened his gaze instantly vanished, replaced by a glitter of desire. “Hell, no.”
    “Stepping across the line felt good, didn’t it?”
    Just as she had felt while she’d been up onstage before that. Something deep inside her had taken over. Something powerful and sexy. Something not plain, boring Veronica. Which was exactly what she’d needed.
    “Break the rules with me, Finn,” she urged.
    He needed the same thing. He needed to feel powerful, too. To have control over something in his life that wasn’t tied to his brothers. Or even the kids he mentored.
    And yeah, she knew exactly where he would find that power and control.
    “Let me make this real easy for you ,” she whispered.
    “Yeah?” His eyes turned darker still as he listened intently, hanging on her every word.
    She swept away a strand of his hair from his forehead. “Being with me is the one place you don’t have to worry about anyone else’s feelings. I give you complete control. In my bed. You can take what you want. You can do what you want, whenever you want.”
    His knuckles burned white at the strength of his grip on the edge of the counter. She had definitely sparked his interest. Although, she was pretty certain she’d had it all along. But she had just sunk a three-pointer. The ball was now in his court.
    He gulped down a breath. “Handing over control is an excellent seduction tactic.”
    “ Hmm . You have fantasies?” She leaned in closer, grazing her lips over his jawbone. “Well, I have fantasies, too.”
    He twitched, and a clatter sounded behind him. His elbow had knocked over a cup and some utensils but he seemed unfazed by the racket. He reached back and his hand wrapped around a silicone spatula. Finally, he met her gaze. His eyes were now a deep navy.
    Suddenly she tensed. This unfamiliar expression was unnerving. It nearly knocked her off her game.
    So she called upon June Beaver. But from deep inside, a little voice chided her. She was still Veronica—boring, conservative, motherly Veronica. And what was sexy about that picture?
    “Suddenly, I’m not hungry”—he held up the spatula and smiled, maintaining eye contact—“for food.” His voice was rough and hinted at exciting things to come.
    “What—” She had to clear her throat. “What are you hungry for?”
    He leaned forward and grasped her chin between his thumb and forefinger. His mouth drew closer, his breath caressing her chin. “You.”
    …
    Finn swallowed hard, then lowered his head, capturing Veronica’s lips in a kiss. Sweet, salty, innocent, and feral, all wrapped into the press of his mouth to hers.
    With one glance at a spatula, his vivid imagination had managed to start something he couldn’t take back. Didn’t want to take back, ever.
    Her hands traveled up his chest and connected behind his neck. He caressed her rib cage, then moved his arms around her back. Lower and lower he caressed her, until he kneaded the tight flesh she had squeezed into a black skirt.
    His touch elicited a moan. A sexy, needy, pulse-pounding moan he’d longed to hear since his feelings tipped over the line of friendship and set up camp in Inappropriateville. How this woman turned his insides out.
    She had put forth an enticing proposition. One he intended to accept, but he needed to make sure she meant every word. They were sinking into dangerous territory, and he cared for her too much