The Harder they Come

By Kaenar Langford

Older woman + younger man = off limits. Maybe so, but the ache between Ellaina's thighs and the longing in her heart make it more and more difficult to say no, especially when Luke wants to do things to her, like turn her into a chocolate sundae.

Ellaina McReynold's quiet existence is turned upside down by the arrival of a younger man. Luke Mason has only been in Spring Ridge a short time, but his daily visits to her café have inspired way too many erotic fantasies for her own good. Although her brain knows he's ten years younger, someone needs to tell that to her traitorous body!

Luke, who has pursued her gently but persistently, is delighted when she finally agrees to spend the day with him. But her lover is not really who he seems to be. When Ellaina unexpectedly finds out the truth, can she put aside her doubts and follow her heart? Luke certainly hopes so.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Totally Bound Publishing
• Release date: Jul 7, 2008
• ISBN: 9781906590710

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The Harder They Come

ISBN #978-1-906590-71-0

©Copyright Kaenar Langford 2008

Cover Art by Lyn Taylor ©Copyright June 2008

Edited by Janice Bennett

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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.

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Published in 2008 by Total-e-bound eBooks 1 The Corner, Faldingworth Road, Spridlington, Market Rasen, Lincolnshire, LN8 2DE, UK.

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

THE HARDER THEY COME

Kaenar Langford

Dedication

As always, to my family, for whole-heartedly supporting my writing addiction

To Janice, for being such an amazing editor to work with

To Claire S., who made it all work and gave me back my groove

Trademarks Acknowledgement

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

The Dallas Morning News:  A. H. Belo & Company

Chapter One

What are you looking at? Ellaina asked Nell and Jade as the kitchen door swung shut behind her. Setting down a tray of pies, she joined her two waitresses at the counter, trying to figure out what had captivated the women. It was lunchtime and the Starlight Café was full, definitely not a time to be standing and staring out the window.

Not what, who, Nell whispered.

Pardon?

Instead of answering, Nell just nodded towards the sidewalk in front of the café. Ellaina followed her gaze. And sucked in her breath.

She’d always thought reactions like these were just fanciful musings from the romance novels she secretly liked to read. There was no way they could take place in real life—the speeding up of the heart, the flush warming face and neck, the delicious dampness between the legs. Yet those very things were happening to her thirty-nine year old body as she watched the man climb off the shiny black and chrome motorcycle to stand beside the beast.

He was tall, well over six feet, with wide shoulders encased in a black leather jacket. As he unzipped it, Ellaina caught a glimpse of a black T-shirt tucked into a pair of worn jeans, but it was his face she wanted to see. He lifted the visor, slipped off the helmet and set it on the seat of the bike, answering her silent wish. Long, dark brown hair framed a lean face, a beautiful face that belonged on the cover of a magazine, not gracing the main street of Spring Ridge, Texas. It was a face that just happened to have a body to match.

Her mind was full of questions, starting with a simple one, How did that powerful motorcycle pull up out front without me hearing it? and moving to more complex ones like, Where did a man like that come from since he certainly doesn’t belong in Spring Ridge? and most importantly, Why does he have to be so much younger than I am?

The response to the first one was easy. He’d arrived while she was in the kitchen getting the fresh pies. And the answers to the other two didn’t really matter since question three shut down any discussion on the subject.

If she had to guess, she’d say he was about ten years too young. A man who looked like that, especially a younger man, wouldn’t have much interest in a woman who was facing forty candles on the cake next year.

Dragging her gaze from the window, she made a shooing motion with her hands. Don’t you two have jobs to do?

At the sound of her voice, Nell and Jade started, as if awakening from a trance.

Turning to first one, I’m sure there are customers needing attention, Nell, and then the other, Can you put the pies in the display case and then see if there are tables to be cleared, Jade? she managed to bring things back under control.

And that’s what she prided herself on, her control. That’s how she ran her café, and her life.

Nell and Jade resumed their duties, leaving Ellaina alone behind the counter.

When the bells above the front door jingled and the screen door slammed shut, she looked up.

Is this how it happens? As soon as your eyes meet, the breath leaves your lungs in one fell swoop? You know everything is out of your control and nothing will ever be the same?

He smiled, and she was a goner.

*  *  *  *

As he pulled the bike in front of the little café and dismounted, Luke realised how tired and hungry he was. Maybe tomorrow he’d get a chance to get out and buy some more groceries, but for today his home renovations had kept him too busy to bother. It was his first day working on the old house, and once he’d started, he hadn’t wanted to stop. Until his growling stomach reminded him he hadn’t had anything to eat.

As a successful businessman, he could have paid someone to do the work for