Beguiling Briley

By Allie Standifer

Beware, sexy curves ahead.

Briley knows love exists. She just doesn't want it touching any part of her well-ordered life. Until her computer blinks the blue screen of death and flips her life out of control. She's forced to Carter Moore's computer shop, where she starts drooling over the back of his neck without bothering to see the front of him.

Carter knows Briley's different from every other woman. She's smart, funny and has more luscious curves than a fun house. Curves he can't wait to get his hands, tongue and other body parts on. He's head over heels in love with the sexy business owner. Unfortunately Briley's resistant to his honesty, so Carter needs to come up with another way to start Beguiling Briley.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Totally Bound Publishing
• Release date: Oct 4, 2010
• ISBN: 9780857153012

Book preview

A Total-E-Bound Publication

www.total-e-bound.com

Beguiling Briley

ISBN # 978-0-85715-301-2

©Copyright Allie Standifer 2010

Cover Art by April Martinez ©Copyright October 2010

Edited by Jess Bimberg

Total-E-Bound Publishing

This is a work of fiction. All characters, places and events are from the author’s imagination and should not be confused with fact. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, events or places is purely coincidental.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any material form, whether by printing, photocopying, scanning or otherwise without the written permission of the publisher, Total-E-Bound Publishing.

Applications should be addressed in the first instance, in writing, to Total-E-Bound Publishing. Unauthorised or restricted acts in relation to this publication may result in civil proceedings and/or criminal prosecution.

The author and illustrator have asserted their respective rights under the Copyright Designs and Patents Acts 1988 (as amended) to be identified as the author of this book and illustrator of the artwork.

Published in 2010 by Total-E-Bound Publishing, Think Tank, Ruston Way, Lincoln, LN6 7FL, United Kingdom.

Warning: This book contains sexually explicit content which is only suitable for mature readers. This story has been rated Total-e-burning.

Club Botticelli

BEGUILING BRILEY

Allie Standifer

Dedication

To David—Until we meet again…you are always in my thoughts and forever in my heart.

Trademarks Acknowledgement

The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the following wordmarks mentioned in this work of fiction:

OnStar: OnStar

Jell-O:  Kraft Foods

Twinkies: Hostess Brand

Diet Coke: The Coca-Cola Company

Chapter One

She fell in love on April Fool’s Day. That alone should have told Briley Evans she’d lost her mind. Love had never factored into her life. She knew two of her friends were happy with the men in their lives. But love…for her? Never in a million years would she have used her name and that one word in the same sentence. The emotion might work for other people, but she lived in reality where love existed only in movies and sappy greeting cards.

The two exceptions to the rules in the game of love came in the form of Emma and Olivia. Two of her four closest friends had found men who genuinely cared about the women and didn’t want to change a thing about them. Given that all five friends shared a waist size larger than the usual starving super models said a lot about the men who loved them.

The night her world flipped upside down happened by sheer accident and stupidity as did most things in her life. Briley needed to get her laptop fixed. Instead, she ended up giving her heart away. Not the plan when she’d walked into Immortality, the tattoo and computer repair shop one of her friends had recommended. And not that she allowed herself to acknowledge the strange emotions. Love meant leaving yourself open to pain. Since Briley wasn’t a masochist, it left love off her to do list.

The nights were still cold in Avalon, so she’d bundled up her generously curved self and driven over. The shop stood out, not in the seedy porno/biker way she’d imagined. The frosted glass and simple lettering looked classy not cheesy. Housed in an old warehouse district, the store looked clean and inviting. A shock, but a pleasant one.

A bell tingled over her head as she opened the door to warm air and the scent of peppermint. Definitely not the clean smell she’d expected either. Briley looked around, trying to get a feel for the place and maybe a hint of the talent that supposedly worked there. Instead, she saw him.

He had his back to her, a thick hunter green sweater fitted over his runner’s frame as he bent over and fiddled with the strange looking machine in front of him. Tousled dark brown hair curled over the tanned nap of his neck while long fingers played over wires. Worn jeans and brown scuffed hiking boots completed the back frame of the picture, and Briley’s stomach tightened from just that small glimpse of him.

Stupidly, naively, she shrugged the reaction off. After all, she saw good-looking men, including their nicely formed fronts, all the time at Club Botticelli, the club one of her best friends, Olivia, owned. What did the curve of one man’s neck matter? Even though said neck made her mouth water with the urge to bite and nibble her way across his skin. She could almost taste the salty tang of his flesh on her tongue.

Irritated at her unusual and completely out of character response, Briley straightened her shoulders, made sure her chin tilted up in just the right angle and cleared her throat. If no one else had come at the door’s chiming, surely he must be the lone employee there. Granted, the time she’d chosen to show up was rather late, but still a place like this, which catered to people’s temporary emotions with permanent reminders, should be accustomed to late arrivals. Not to mention all the people staring at the blue screen of death and two-seconds away from throwing their now useless computers off tall buildings or bridges.

Being the owner of her own business Briley knew you had to put the client first. She did it every day at her travel agency. Customers first, personal life second. The motto had gained her a great reputation, a solid client list and a very lonely personal life.

When the man with the nibble worthy neck didn’t turn around at her subtle attempt to get his attention, Briley decided to make herself known by getting deep into his personal space. She wanted her computer fixed and ready tonight before she lost what little remained of her sanity.

Her boots made a sharp clicking sound in the quiet of the room, yet the stranger refused to move and continued to play with whatever had caught his focus. He hummed a low tune under his breath as he worked seemingly content and happy. When she rounded the flat table to face him, she finally saw why. Two small black buds were cradled in his ears and were also the source behind the humming. When he jerked upright at her presence, she found herself staring into the most startling light green eyes surrounded by silver rimless glasses.

With a quick pull, he stumbled to his feet, dropping everything in his hands as he stared at Briley. Ah… In a vague wave he brushed away the stray lock of hair that had fallen over his eyes. Hi. He flashed a bright and slightly flustered smile. Didn’t hear you come in, he confessed and sheepishly pulled the buds out of his ears.

A part of her she didn’t even know existed melted at his slightly self-conscience smile. Hello. A nerd, she mused, enchanted without knowing why. Men with brains were nice, but were never required in her chosen bed partners. Briley preferred her men to be buff and orally talented. Reciting Shakespeare couldn’t turn her on as fast as a well-timed thrust.

Those uniquely coloured eyes quickly scanned the room. Surprise lit his gaze as he realised they were alone. Ah… he stammered again in a way she found charming. Strange, but charming. Sorry about that. I didn’t know Trev had left. Normally, he lets me know before leaving the shop.

Not knowing or really caring who this Trev person was, Briley kept her mouth shut. She’d found out a person would learn more by keeping their tongue silent than filling the air with useless words. So she gave him a small smile and nodded. Not sure what devil perched on her shoulder and encouraged her behaviour.

I’m Carter. He introduced himself in an absentminded gesture. Carter Moore. Again, I’m sorry I didn’t hear you come in. It’s so late I didn’t think to keep an eye on the door. He scraped a hand through his hair before nervously shoving both hands into the worn pockets of his jeans. Ah, I didn’t know I was supposed to keep an eye on the door.

He looked so anxious and cute Briley had to bite her tongue to keep from speaking, but something about the man with his blinking ice green eyes warned her not to break the moment. No matter how weird the moment felt. She took him in with one long, leisurely glance. Carter Moore stood six feet and some inches with broad shoulders, slim hips and worn-out boots. A few crisp brown hairs curled from the open neck of his shirt. His sleeves had been rolled to the elbow, displaying strong, corded forearms, and Briley guessed the shirt hid muscles in all the right places. Yummy. Tousled brown hair waved over his eyes and along his neck giving him a slightly dishevelled and distracted look, which was substantiated by a five o’clock shadow. Perfect white teeth flashed against a broad smile. She felt her stomach jerk and her heart race.

Can I help you with something? Again, he looked around like the answer might be painted on the sterile white walls surrounding them with their stark framed photographs. Are you thirsty? I can make you some coffee, tea or cocoa if you’d like?

His awkwardness soothed her in a way she’d never