Filthy Rich
Dawn Ryder
Sourcebooks Casablanca
Erotic Romance
February 3, 2015
ISBN: 9781402287152
Add to Goodreads
“Tantalizing” – RT Book Reviews on Out of Bounds
SHE’S FIGHTING FOR CONTROL…
Celeste Connor swore that she’d never be a victim again. After the hell of her abusive ex, the last thing she needs is to be under another man’s thumb. But when she catches the eye of fiercely dominant Nartan Lupan at her best friend’s wedding, Celeste finds herself drawn into a glittering world of wealth and power that has her body aching and her mind reeling.
HE’S FIGHTING TO MAKE HER HIS…
Nartan is a filthy rich businessman who works hard, plays harder, and doesn’t take no for an answer—and he wants Celeste with a hunger he’s never before felt. He’ll do whatever it takes to have her. But Nartan didn’t expect that he’d want still more…
Excerpt from FILTHY RICH by Dawn Ryder
A howl
woke her.
Celeste
sat up and looked around the room.
The sun
had finally gone down sometime after ten. Now the stars were brilliant, and a
yellow moon was casting an amazing level of light in the nighttime hours.
There was
a whimper and then another long howl.
Alaskan
wolves.
She could
sleep when she got back to Southern California.
She got
up and hurried into her jeans. Only the range light was on in the kitchen, but
with so much moonlight coming through the windows, it was easy to get to the
mudroom and lace up her boots.
She
opened the outer door slowly, sliding through to keep from moving it too much.
A howl sounded, so much louder now that she was outside. She pressed the door
shut and knelt down.
The starlight illuminated the wolves. At least six of
them were pawing the ground as they moved along the road that connected the
house with the test facility offices. Those offices weren’t even in sight.
But the
wolves were.
And so
was Nartan.
He was
crouched down twenty feet away. Her breath caught as she took in the way he
blended with the moment. The wolves made yipping sounds as they came closer,
smelling the road and the air as they went.
Nartan
lifted his hand and beckoned her toward him. Her steps seemed too noisy, the crunching
sounds grating on her ears. A wolf looked toward her and she froze.
Nartan
beckoned again, turning to look at her.
The
animal was still fifty feet away, but it was looking toward her. She bit her
lower lip, afraid of spooking the animal.
Nartan closed
in on her, moving right up next to her.
“He can
smell you. You’re upwind. Come down here with me. He won’t worry about you
then.”
“Oh…”
Nartan clasped her hand and pulled her down to where he’d
been. He lifted his head, judging the wind. The wolf let out a yip and joined
the rest as they scratched at the dirt and one another. Two of them would
circle another, lowering their heads and yipping. The wolf in the center was
the one who lifted its head and let out a long howl.
“The
alpha…” Nartan whispered.
He had
his arm draped around her, his scent filling her senses.
Why did
he smell so good?
Not that
it really mattered. He was still as pond water but his skin was warm. His
attention was on the wolves, but she felt like it was on her as well. He
shifted just a bit, and inhaled next to her hair.
Fresh
from bed, it was a soft cloud. She reached up, self--conscious about how messy
it was. He caught her hand and stopped her as the alpha looked at them. The
animal’s eyes were pools of moonlight. Its mouth was open, giving her a glimpse
of its long canine teeth. It made a low sound before pushing its front paws out
and stretching its neck up and tilting its head until its nose pointed at the
moon. A long, mournful cry filled the night.
It felt
like she was suspended in time. They might have been anywhere, in any year.
“Lower
your head.”
He tucked
his chin and cupped her nape.
“To show
submission…”
Celeste
stiffened. Nartan chuckled in a bare whisper next to her ear. “To the alpha.”
She bent,
the wolf watching her before losing interest and moving along with the pack.
Nartan
massaged her neck, his fingers working the stiffness from the muscles as she
straightened. “Well done.”
It felt
like there was innuendo in his comment. But maybe she was just being too
sensitive.
To--be--dealt--with
list.
She drew
in a deep breath and forced herself to relax. The wolves were moving away now,
heading toward a forested area. The alpha looked back at them before it
disappeared into the timber.
“That was
amazing,” she whispered.
Nartan’s hand was under her hair, the touch so intimate
that she was loath to pull away. He threaded his fingers through her hair,
pulling his hand free as he finger--combed the strands. He watched her as he
did it, his eyes reflecting the moonlight just as the alpha’s had.
He was in
his element.
Call it
cheesy or lame but she couldn’t shake it.
So she
rose, backing away from him as he stood. His shirt was open all the way down
his front, his jeans sagging low on his waist because he didn’t have a belt on.
And his feet were bare.
“Aren’t
you cold?”
He slowly
smiled and extended his hand. “Judge for yourself.”
She
started to reach for him and froze. Indecision held her in its grip as the wind
blew her hair around. One of his dark eyebrows rose as she hesitated.
Chicken…
She
reached out and touched him. Allowed her fingertips to rest on his forearm for
a moment that felt like a mini eternity. It ended when he twisted his arm
around and captured her wrist. He stepped up to her, pulling her toward him.
She could have broken the hold, if she was able to think.
Which she
wasn’t.
Her brain
seemed to have shut down. Somehow, she was caught in a storm of sensations,
completely unwilling to think about anything. She simply wanted to experience
the moment.
Well, it
was quite a moment.
Rich with
scents and sensations that were intoxicating. His breath teased her ear and
then her cheek. A shudder shook her, sending a tiny gasp through her lips.
Nartan took advantage of her parted lips, pressing his down on top of them and
tasting them slowly.
God, how
long had it been since she’d been kissed?
Pleasure
flowed through her, gaining strength like a flame catching a wick. Sure, she
knew that a candle was for lighting, but until it was lit, the memory of how
bright it could shine was dim.
She
stepped back. Startled by how much she liked his kiss.
She
wanted more.
A hell of
a lot more.
But she
turned and headed back into the house before she could do anything impulsive.
Moon
madness. That was all.
Only she
wasn’t really sure if she would ever be sane again.
Dawn Ryder is the erotic romance pen name of a bestselling author of historical romances. She has been publishing her stories for over 8 years to a growing and appreciative audience. She is commercially published in mass market and trade paper, and digi-first published with trade paper releases. She is hugely committed to her career as an author, as well as to other authors and to her readership. She resides in Southern California.
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