The Gilded Cage
By Lauren Smith
Series: Surrender, #2
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: June 9,
2015
Passion that takes
no prisoners, and love that tests the limits of ecstasy . . .
Fenn Lockwood comes
alive in the shadows. Though he might have physically survived the kidnapping
that stole his childhood, the trauma and pain he lived through have marked him
forever. Now the only place where Fenn can be himself is within the walls of
his private BDSM world—a place of erotic obsession, where desire isn’t just
captured . . . it’s bound.
Hayden Thorne knows
that behind Fenn’s hardened exterior is a man worth fighting for. Yet to save
him from the past that still haunts him, Hayden will have to abandon every
inhibition she’s ever had and venture into Fenn’s intoxicatingly sensual world.
Each tantalizing second she spends in Fenn’s searing embrace is more delicious
than the last and soon Hayden begins to think that she may never want to leave
such torturous bliss . . .
“Please Fenn, we
really need to talk. Can I come inside for a minute?” She took a step forward.
Coda whined softly from between his legs. Her blue eyes were bright and pale as
glaciers. She looked oddly more…wolflike, with dark-tipped ears and a thick
mane of fur around her neck rather than the trim ruff of a husky. Her nose was
entirely white and the white patch spread up to frame her eyes in a heart
shape. She was a beautiful creature.
A very sexy smile
curved his lips. “Sure, come on in, honey,”
“Uh, thanks.” The
way he said honey this time felt much more like a warning.
Fenn stepped back
and allowed her to climb into the trailer. The husky backed up, too, still
peering around her master’s knees, ears back, but no longer growling. Hayden
let out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. It was clear the dog
no longer thought she was a threat.
Hayden loved
animals, but her parents had never allowed her to have a pet. They ruined nice
houses, at least according to her mother. Therefore she’d never spent much time
around dogs, especially none like Coda, who looked like a wolf…one that could
eat her.
“You want something
to drink?” Fenn asked as he closed the door behind her.
A stack of empty
bottles littered the tiny counter next to the sink.
“No thanks. I think
you’ve had enough for the both of us,” she muttered.
“Probably true.” He
sighed and lifted his jeans on the left side to show a tightly bandaged ankle.
“Hurts real bad,” he explained with a curt nod at the beers and the half-full
bottle of whisky.
“So…what can I do
for you, Miss Red Dress?” He leered openly at her, but she caught the faintest
playful hint of teasing in his gaze.
“Hayden. Please,
call me Hayden.” She tried to move past him, but the cramped confines of the
trailer wouldn’t allow her to pass without fully grinding her body against his.
As she did so, she had to tilt her head back. He was the same height as his
twin, six-foot-three, easy.
“Hayden,” he
murmured, one of his hands coming to rest on her hip. His large palm squeezed
lightly as she wriggled, fighting off the invasive touch. She was a little
ticklish. When he touched her there, she flinched as a bolt of arousal shot from
the tips of her breasts down to between her thighs.
The swift movement
of her hips brought a sudden change in him. His eyes darkened and his lips
parted as he drew in a deep breath, his grip tightening. Fenn pressed his body
to hers, pinning her against the fridge behind her.
Trapped. She was
trapped and it was the most erotic thing she’d ever experienced. Nothing at the
Gilded Cuff had ever made her feel like this…flushed and all too aware of
herself and his close proximity. Instinctively she tried to dart around him and
escape. But there was nowhere to go.
“Where are you
going? I thought that’s what you wanted. A buckle bunny looking for a good hard
fu—”
Crack! She slapped
him hard across his face before she could think twice, and his head whipped
sideways. He didn’t move away, he only turned his face back to hers. There was
a handprint-shaped mark on his cheek. He reached up and touched the spot, the
intensity of his stare burning through her.
Wow. She was so not
the violent type when she was angry, but to insinuate that she…oh yeah,
slapping him was the appropriate reaction. She may go to a BDSM club
frequently, she may do a few scenes with doms, but she rarely went all the way
with those men. She didn’t just sleep around like that. When she went to bed
with a man, she wanted a deeper connection. For him to call her a…what was it?
Buckle bunny? Red tinged her vision as she seriously considered slapping him again.
“So that’s how you
want to play?” His lips firmed into a hard line.
As he spoke, he
reached up and collared her throat—not squeezing it, but the possessive hold
was fully dominant. Little flutters of excitement stirred in the pit of her
belly and a shiver rippled through her. Arousal pulsed to life between her
thighs at the gentle domination. She tried to retreat, but couldn’t. He must
have sensed her need to resist because he leaned over her, reminding her just
how much taller he was. Her whole body flashed with heat and arousal at his
silent show of power. It was impossible not to imagine him in full control of
her: the way he might pin her down on the bed, his muscled arms twining with
hers as he held her captive beneath him. Restrained for his pleasure, and hers.
He was a natural dominant. It was obvious in every sweeping gaze, the flex of
his muscles, the way he looked at her as if he could not only read her mind,
but glimpse her soul. Another thing he and his twin apparently had in common.
Dominant, alpha male instincts. She was a submissive but she’d not yet found a
dominant who could top her and make her truly want to submit. The way Fenn
stared at her, like he was furious and yet aroused, and the gentle grip on her
throat? What if he unleashed all of that control on her? It was enough to make
her light-headed.
Book 1: The Gilded Cuff
Pre-Order Now!
Book 3: The Gilded Chain
Lauren Smith is an
attorney by day, author by night, who pens adventurous and edgy romance stories
by the light of her smart phone flashlight app. She’s a native Oklahoman who
lives with her three pets: a feisty chinchilla, sophisticated cat and dapper little
schnauzer. She’s won multiple awards in several romance subgenres including
being an Amazon.com Breakthrough Novel Award Quarter-Finalist and a
Semi-Finalist for the Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley Award. Lauren loves hearing
from readers and can be reached through her website www.laurensmithbooks.com.
thanks for hosting
ReplyDelete