Free Seducing Avery by Barb Han

Avery’s mind clicked through all the possibilities. She didn’t want to trust him but decided she had no choice. So she followed.
    No less than a hundred lit candles, scattered around, cast the room in a warm glow. In the center of the room, a blanket was already spread out. Avery eyed the blanket. I don’t think so . She ran her flat palm along the round, concrete wall. The dimples and imperfections made it feel even warmer and more beautiful. “This place is wonderful. How did you find it?” And how many women have you brought here before me?
    “That’s what keeps me coming back to the island. A surprise around every corner.”
    “It is quite unexpected. The beauty.”
    He took her hand and guided her to the center of the blanket where he had opened the basket of food and uncorked a bottle of red wine.
    She eyed him up and down warily. Talk about surprises. What else did Ryker Li have up his sleeve? Never mind that question. She didn’t want to think about his sleeve at all, because that rounded her thoughts back to the powerful arm inside.
    “Let’s see what’s in here,” she said, scanning the contents of the basket instead. Cheese, crackers. Some type of fresh bread. Olives.
    Ryker picked up a slice of cheese and brought it to her lips. Rather than allow him to put it in her mouth, she took it from him. She could feel her cheeks warm as she imagined his fingers doing other things. Focus .
    “We were going to talk work,” she said. His finger grazed her cheek and it lit fires inside her. Uncontrollable fires.
    “I’m afraid you’re creating a problem for me,” he said seriously.
    “I am?”
    “Yes.”
    “Why is that?”
    “I can’t seem to get you off my mind.” His tanned finger slowly slid down the cleft of her chin. “I think about you when we’re together.” He paused ever so slightly, and his voice was low and gravel-like. “And when we’re apart...”
    His gaze rose to meet hers and her heart nearly stopped in her chest. His look smoldered with passion and promise and more than a hint of tightly gripped emotion.
    And if she didn’t do something to stop it, she wouldn’t be able to.
    Avery rose to her feet. Her knees were weak, and her stomach ached. It would be so easy to melt into his arms. But Alexandria’s suspicions wound their way back into Avery’s thoughts. This scene has been set up , they said. In advance. A seduction. Ryker was seducing her like he’d done so many before her. Right here. In this very spot. Those other women probably melted like hot butter in his arms, too. And then he put them right back on the plane and moved on.
    “I—uh…can’t do this.”
    “We both want it.”
    “That’s not the point.” She folded her arms and hugged her elbows. “I should go home.” But this time home meant back to the villa.
    Before she could argue, he took her in his arms and brought her in to his chest. “It’s okay.”
    Avery felt the earth move under her feet as she momentarily melted into his solid chest where she felt safe. A false sense of security, no doubt, but against his masculinity she felt safer than if she’d been tucked away in Fort Knox.
    “Look. I dated the rich and famous back in prep school, and it didn’t end well for me.”
    “Someone broke your heart?”
    “Humiliated me, more like it. My sister set us up, told him I’d be easy.”
    His expression soured. “Your sister would do that to you?”
    “Did. She did do that to me, I’m afraid.”
    “Assholes,” he said, his disgust like a knife tearing through a carcass.
    A tear escaped at the memory. Ryker leaned forward and brushed a kiss where it tumbled down her cheek. He cupped her face. “What I want to do with you has nothing to do with humiliation.”
    His lips came down on hers with bruising need.
    Feeling every inch of the moment happening between them, Avery yielded to his powerful touch. He had the unique ability to make everything right, to temporarily quiet Alexandria’s