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Having Cake by Christy Gissendaner

On her birthday, Meg is offered the chance to fulfill one of her ultimate fantasies.

Her friends, Patrick and Noah, have concocted a plan to achieve her voyeur fantasy.

But can one wild night lead to love for her and the guy she’s wanted for months?

Or has having her cake and eating it too ruined her chances?

Release Date: April 1, 2013
Genre: Erotic Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Liquid Silver Books

Excerpt & More

Excerpt:
Curly tendrils of steam rose from the surface of the water. Ripples sluiced across Meg Anderson’s bare thighs as she slid beneath the heated water of the outdoor hot tub. Goose bumps prickled her limbs when her chilled skin encountered the warmth.

“Feels good, doesn’t it?” Patrick Wheaton lazily stretched and then propped the back of his arms on the hot tub’s rim. His damp chest and shoulders gleamed bronze in the dim deck lighting and drew her gaze to his hard body.

Patrick’s firmly molded six-pack lay beneath the surface of the water, but his rigid pecs and toned arms were on display for her viewing pleasure. Damp black hair was pushed back from his forehead. One stubborn curl fell across his right eyebrow. In the semidarkness Meg couldn’t see the color of his eyes, but she knew them to be a deep, rich brown. To look into them was like swimming in a vat of warm, gooey chocolate.

Meg wrenched her gaze from the amazingly sexy man sitting across from her and belatedly answered his question. “Good doesn’t even begin to describe it.”

A flush burned her cheeks as their knees brushed beneath the water. One simple, innocent caress could make her melt like an ice-cream cone in July. She adjusted the straps of her sensible blue bikini top and wished she had more curves to fill out the padded cups. Patrick was probably used to bombshell brunettes, not a petite blonde with barely average breasts. “This cabin is to die for.”

He smiled as if he knew he made her nervous. “Thanks. My parents left it to me when they moved to California. I still pinch myself to see if I’m actually still here and not back in Atlanta.”

Patrick had been a high-powered attorney in Georgia, but he’d moved to Tennessee a few months ago to enjoy the relative peace and quiet. Meg had met him when he’d opened an art studio next to her store. Her candy shop specialized in making taffy, which was a huge draw for most visitors to Gatlinburg. The day his studio opened, he’d come next door to purchase a box and introduce himself. It hadn’t taken long for the newcomer from Atlanta to make an impression on her. His dark good looks and droolworthy body were the stuff of fantasies… her fantasies, to be exact.

“Hey, dude. Where are your shot glasses? It’s time to get the birthday girl drunk.”

Meg rolled her eyes at her friend Noah Sanders, who stepped onto the back deck of Patrick’s luxurious cedar cabin. Noah held a clear bottle with a cork stopper in one hand. She couldn’t be sure, but it looked like tequila. “Jeez, Noah. I only agreed to this shenanigan to get you two off my back. I didn’t say I was going to do shots.”

Noah’s damp trunks laid low on his slim hips, held up by only a thin nylon cord. His washboard abs and well-defined chest were easy on the eyes, so she looked her fill. He was blond and lean. His overly long hair and baby-blue eyes gave him the quintessential surfer dude look. To look at him, few people would realize he was a well-respected family physician.

Noah hefted the bottle of tequila. “Okay, fine, party pooper. Pat and I will do the shots, and you can be the beer bitch.”

She and Noah had briefly dated in college, but they’d decided they were much better as friends. She was used to his teasing, but Meg shot him an evil look anyway. “Excuse me. It is my birthday.”

“You did say you weren’t drinking,” Patrick interjected.

Meg waved her hand in dismissal. “Shush. You’re not helping.”

“Did you just shush me?” Patrick questioned.

Meg gave him a sheepish look, but her tone wasn’t the least bit apologetic. “Sorry.”

Patrick’s deep chuckle shifted the water and sent ripples tickling across Meg’s breasts. Her nipples tightened at the sensation. It was as if Patrick himself had touched her.

Meg ignored her body’s reaction and held out her hand to Noah. “Give me the bottle. If anyone is drinking, it’ll be me. It’s not every day a gal turns twenty-five.”

“Twenty-eight,” Noah muttered and then disguised his words with a fake cough.

Meg shot him another firm look. “I’m going backward now. Thought I told you?”

Noah cocked an eyebrow at her. “I must’ve missed the memo.”

Her attention strayed back to Patrick as he stretched his arms over his head. His triceps tightened in an oh-so-heavenly way and the muscles beneath his armpits flexed. Meg wanted to groan just watching him.

Seriously, is it even right for one man to be so gorgeous?

Meg realized Noah had yet to give her the bottle, so she glanced at him and snapped her still-outstretched fingers. “Hand it over.”

Noah padded closer and placed the glass bottle in her hand. Meg closed her fingers around it and pulled it closer so she could read the label. She grinned wide enough for her cheeks to tingle. “Cabo Wabo?”

Noah clambered over the side of the hot tub and dropped into the water with a messy splash. “Yep.”

“Happy Birthday, Meg. Noah told me it was your favorite.” Patrick slid closer to her to make room for Noah.

With two large males in the hot tub, the tight space suddenly seemed smaller. Mere inches separated her from the guys. Two pairs of knees brushed hers, and it wouldn’t take more than an inch or so to press her body against a damp, nude chest.

A jolt of heat shot through her core, and Meg tightened her thighs in response. When Noah had suggested they all go out to dinner to celebrate her birthday, she’d never imagined they would end up at Patrick’s cabin. She’d thought it would be a simple meal and then she would go back to her apartment, alone and single, on her birthday. Her plans had included a night with The Rock, her eight-inch purple dildo, and maybe a glass of wine or two. Noah and Patrick’s planned celebration came as a nice surprise. She couldn’t imagine a better way to celebrate growing another year older than by having two incredibly sexy men wine and dine her.

She realized she still hadn’t thanked Patrick. She hefted the bottle toward him in a mock salute. “Thank you.”

Noah nudged her in her side with a muscular forearm. “Take a shot, birthday girl.”

“Stop trying to get me drunk.” She laughed and nudged Noah back. It was like shoving a brick wall.

Meg glanced down at her soft belly beneath the water and wished she’d taken Noah up on his invitation to join his gym. She’d gained a few pounds since she’d opened her candy shop. Normally she wouldn’t think twice about it, but wearing a bikini for two Men’s Health-worthy specimens brought her extra weight to the forefront of her mind.

Meg clasped the cold bottle to her chest with one hand and twisted on the cork stopper with the other until it popped free. Without waiting for the shot glasses to be located, she lifted the bottle to her lips and took a deep swallow. The alcohol burned a fiery trail down her throat.

She gasped as tears came to her eyes. “Wow! It’s stronger than I remembered.”

She passed the bottle to Patrick on her right, and he repeated her action. Unlike her, the strong tequila didn’t seem to faze him. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and grinned. “It goes down pretty smooth.”

Noah was next. He took the bottle and turned it upside down to take a long swallow. He winked at Meg after he pulled the tequila from his lips. “You’re so weak.”

“Give it to me.” Meg reclaimed the bottle and took her second drink.

It went down much better this time. Pleasant warmth, which had nothing to do with the water surrounding her, spread through her limbs. A delicious thrum of energy pulsed in her veins. She wasn’t drunk, but the alcohol eased her nerves a bit.

She passed the bottle on to Patrick and slid lower in the water. The current played around her shoulders as she trailed her fingertips across the glassy surface. The sensation of floating and the liquor in her bloodstream had a calming effect. It was nice to have no worries. “It’s been so long since I’ve had tequila.”

Noah leaned forward to touch her. His lean fingers tickled the sensitive skin at the dimple of her kneecap. “I was going to bring your favorite moonshine, but remember what happened the last time?”

Meg kicked his shin. “Noah! For the last time, I didn’t make out with some old guy.”

A grin appeared on Noah’s face. Humor flashed in his eyes. “Tell it to the judge, Meg. We all saw you.”

Patrick gave the bottle to Noah and leaned in close to Meg. The clean scent of his body wash tempted her to lean in close and lick the skin of his neck. She’d always been a sucker for a man who smelled great.

“What’s this about some old dude?”

Noah opened his mouth to answer Patrick, but Meg shushed him and spoke before he could. “Don’t pay any attention to Noah. He likes to make up stories to aggravate me.”

Noah glanced at her with laughter in his eyes and then turned his gaze to Patrick. “Oh, the stories I could tell you about Meg and her geriatric admirers.”

Meg waved her hand in a dismissive gesture. “I may be hard up, but not that hard.”

Realizing what she’d just admitted, Meg put her hand over her mouth and wished the simple gesture could take the words back. She hadn’t meant to let the tidbit about her recent lack of a sex life slip, but it was difficult when she was surrounded by men who were nothing short of sex-on-a-platter hot. Unbidden, her unsated libido awoke. She clamped her thighs tight at the thought of just how hot Patrick and Noah were.

Noah set aside the bottle after he’d taken his second drink. “How long has it been now? Two, three years?”

Meg wanted to kick him again, but harder this time. “Thank you, pal. Just go ahead and broadcast my sad love life, or lack thereof.”

Patrick appeared intrigued. He held up his hand and motioned between the two of them. “How long has it been since you two were together?”

Meg immediately cut him off. “A long, long time ago when we were freshmen in college.”

Unless she was mistaken, a spurt of interest lit Patrick’s gaze. Meg watched him, a huge part of her daring him to finally make his move. She’d wanted him for months now, but he’d never done more than ask her to join him for lunch. Noah had told her earlier that Patrick thought they’d still been dating. Had he truly held back all these weeks for fear she and Noah were an item? Meg would love to test the waters, so to speak.

She slid over to Patrick and leaned in close as if she were about to impart a dark secret. The woodsy scent of his aftershave teased her nostrils, making her mouth water as she inhaled. “I’m cursed.”

Patrick angled his head toward her and bent forward slightly. “What do you mean?”

Meg made a broad, sweeping gesture with the arm not pressed up against his body. “In dating, love, what have you. All my relationships fizzle out before the first kiss.”

A short bark of laughter escaped Noah. “Not all of them.”

Meg lifted an eyebrow, but she didn’t protest. It was true her one night with Noah had been explosive, but his heavy course load and her part-time gig at the bookstore had made it impossible for them to stay together. They’d parted, but remained friends for going on ten years now. Sometimes she wondered what might’ve been had they met at another point in their lives. Now they were too settled in the friend zone to do anything differently.

Patrick’s gaze flickered to Noah and then returned to Meg’s face. “That’s a shame.”

Meg shivered as the husky sound of his voice whispered across her cheek. “Isn’t it?”

He lifted his hand and cupped the back of her neck. “We’ll have to see what we can do to rectify it.”
~~~~~~

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