Elle's Yearning (Book 8 of "Bikini Babes' Carwash")

By Suzie McLean

Jory has been a thorn in Elle’s side ever since he arrived to spend the entire summer with his twin brother. He has no scruples about using his raw male beauty to charm...and exploit. If only her pulse didn’t race with breathless excitement every time he turns those gorgeous chocolate-brown eyes in her direction!

But Jory is about to realize he’s just met his match in sweet, soft-spoken Elle Sutherland. Will the angry sparks flying between them bond them together, or drive them apart forever?
~~~~~ Excerpt ~~~~~
Elle’s mind suddenly went blank when Jory closed the distance between them again, and curled his arms around her waist. “Knock it off, I’m trying to work here,” she yelped—but even she could hear how feeble her protest sounded. “Damn it, Jory, I mean it!”

He retreated...but very reluctantly. Hastily she put one of the massage couches between them.

“You’re as skittish as a newborn colt,” he teased, lightly running one finger over her trembling bottom lip. “Are you that way around all men? Or only me?”

Elle’s heart was pounding so loudly that she could barely even hear his mocking question—but there was no mistaking his intent as he leaned so close that she could feel the heat of his muscular body.

“I choose my own partners,” she gasped, and wished that her whisper-soft voice wasn’t so shaky. “So if you want to help me finish decorating in here, that’s fine. But if you have anything else in mind, you can kiss it goodbye.”

“I’d rather kiss you.” His teeth flashed in another dazzling grin...then he startled her by cupping both hands around her face. His long fingers sizzled against her bare skin, and she gasped in surprise. Was this what Astra had felt when she’d let Jared make love to her?

Damn it, why did it have to be Jory? She didn’t even like him!

Every nerve in her body shattered as his mouth closed over hers in a hot, heady kiss. She never even heard the frantic whimper that tore from her throat as her fingers gripped his shirt like a lifeline, and her long body arched against his in wondering shock.

Then his nimble hand rose to possessively cup her lush breast...and the next instant, he was writhing on the floor, moaning in helpless agony.

Elle stumbled back in appalled shock. Oh God, what had she done?

Reflex. Selena had taught them all how to defend themselves against attack. A necessary skill, she’d insisted, for nine single, superbly stacked sorority sisters. The alliteration had made Elle laugh while she’d been obediently practicing her kicks and blocks on the mat. But she wasn’t laughing now. Jory’s twisted features were a sickly green, and his helpless moan was an agonized rasp.

“Jesus, Elle!” Fierce shudders racked his hunched frame as he rocked back and forth, desperately clutching himself. “What the hell! I said I wasn’t going to hurt you!”

“And that makes it all right?” Outrage rose in a choking wave, and her normally-soft voice rose with it. “I told you no! You didn’t listen! You never listen! What gives you the right to grab me against my will?” Tears of sheer rage began to shimmer in her crystal-blue eyes as she backed away, clenching her small hands into fists. “You think that since you’re drop-dead gorgeous and sexy as hell, you can just take whatever woman you want, whether she’s interested or not? You can go straight to hell, Jory Montrose!”

• Language: English
• Publisher: Boruma Publishing, LLC
• Release date: Mar 2, 2016
• ISBN: 9781310739026

Book preview

Bikini Babes’ Carwash

Elle’s Yearning

By Suzie McLean

Artwork by Moira Nelligar

Copyright 2016 Suzie McLean

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All characters in this book are 18 or older.

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Chapter 1

One Step Too Far

The remodeled carwash bay looked…empty.

Elle stared thoughtfully around the once-shabby room that her twin sister, Astra, and she had painstakingly renovated into a luxurious massage parlor, and frowned.

She was probably being silly, she decided with a rueful sigh. The customers who would shortly be flocking through their secure little door wouldn’t care whether it was stark and barren, or lush as a sultan’s paradise. They wouldn’t be coming in to exclaim over the lovely watercolor paintings Astra had scrounged at yard sales and flea markets. They wouldn’t care that the carpet was thick and plush beneath their sandaled feet. They probably wouldn’t even notice the soothing murmur of birdsong and ocean waves whispering from their cleverly-hidden stereo speakers.

They’d only want one thing: relief.

No, two things, she amended with an ironic grin. Relief from the blistering Florida summer heat, and relief from the assorted aches and pains of daily hard work.

The Bikini Babes’ Carwash would provide all of that, and plenty more.

The battered old building they’d rented from Riley Thompson had laid empty ever since Hurricane Denise, five years ago, had damaged the long bays. Over time, it had become a refuge for dozens of vagrants and homeless vets. College students had used it as a clandestine party hangout. Lazy townspeople had dumped their unwanted trash in huge, smelly piles.

The sheer scope of hauling away all the accumulated garbage had been daunting—but the Alpha Beta Xi sorority was nothing if not determined. Several weeks of hard, filthy work, and a lot of long-overdue stucco repair and repainting, had transformed the derelict bays into sparkling-clean working units again.

Originally they’d only planned to expand on their very successful college fundraising efforts by hand-washing grubby cars and trucks. But Astra and Elle were both so fair, and burned so easily, that they’d quickly expanded on that idea to create an enclosed, air-conditioned space where the tall Scandinavian twins could work in sybaritic comfort.

Using materials scavenged from a dozen different demolition worksites, they’d walled off the first bay, sanded and painted the weatherbeaten stucco, and laid down a thick pewter-gray carpet. Then Jared, their newest business partner, had called in some favors, and Seaside Bay Community College had happily donated four sturdy massage couches in exchange for a small plaque on the wall proclaiming their support of a new hometown business.

So, Elle thought with satisfaction, while her beautiful sorority sisters provided an eye-popping show outside with their skintight bikinis, hoses, and soapy sponges, their decadent ‘massage parlor’ would provide a unique diversion for the hot, sweaty drivers.

Andi’s clever fiancé, Reid Holmes, had installed a powerful little air conditioner up on the back wall that would keep the bay comfortably cool. Astra and Jared were both skilled physical therapists who’d been trained in the fine art of full-body massage. And while she might not have inherited Astra’s magic hands, Elle had a special gift for sensing pain. She and her twin often volunteered at the local hospital, helping patients who were struggling to overcome painful injuries or disabilities.

Eventually she hoped to add cosmetology to the list of services available in their cozy little hideaway, and had already set up a small salon-quality manicure table in the furthest corner. But damn it, she thought, surveying the long room again, something still was missing. Even if their customers didn’t notice it, she did—and it would continue to nag her until she figured out what was wrong, and fixed it.

They’d planned to set a big artificial tree in the opposite corner, to hide the spot where Astra had accidentally messed up their otherwise-flawless wall restoration. So far they hadn’t been able to find one that looked sufficiently real, so a pretty little table sat there now. She didn’t have a problem with that; the right tree would come along eventually.

The real problem, she realized, was the walls. They were twelve feet high—and apart from the paintings Astra and she had scattered at eye-level, they were totally bare all the way to the ceiling. Painting a faux-wood pattern on them had helped. But it hadn’t helped enough.

Their father had promised to chip in some money if their limited start-up fund ran dry. They hadn’t taken advantage of his generous offer yet. But she had a feeling that was about to change.

Hey, Astra, she said over her shoulder when the sturdy door opened behind her, what would you think of draping fabric down from the ceiling in long graceful sweeps, so the room looks like a sultan’s tent?

Would that include ultra-sexy harem belly dancers?

Elle jolted and spun around as Jory Montrose closed the door behind him, then leaned against the doorframe and shot her a dazzling smile. The mocking grin transformed his sculpted features from merely handsome into absolutely breathtaking.

Jory! Weakly she clasped a hand over her lush breasts, and tried to jumpstart her heart into beating evenly again. I’m sorry, I thought you were Astra.

That made his grin widen into an impish smirk. "I’ve been called a