Vicki Thompson - Pure Temptation

Soft red light gave the room a glow of sinful pleasure. Exotic perfume fragranced the air and a stereo played soft, yet subtly persuasive music with an underlying beat that mimicked the rhythm of lovemaking. Gilt-framed mirrors reflected the centerpiece of the room—a bed covered in virginal white satin.

Reclining on the bed was a woman Mac barely recognized. Although the scraps of white satin covering her breasts seemed inconsequential, they managed to emphasize her cleavage. His gaze traveled to the white lace garter belt and panties, which defined her femaleness in ways he’d never imagined. The garters were fastened to white silk stockings, and on her feet… Mac couldn’t quite believe that Tess, a woman who believed in no-nonsense running shoes, was wearing four-inch heels.

Tess gave him a slow smile. “What do you think?”

“I don’t—” Mac swallowed. “I don’t believe this is about thinking.”

“True.” Her gaze swept over him. “I have the reaction I wanted. Would you like to get out of those clothes? You seem a bit…overdressed.”

He groaned softly and shook his head to clear it. He’d need every ounce of his control to make this the slow seduction he’d planned.

“C’mon, Mac, undress for me,” Tess said with a saucy grin. “I’ll make it worth your while, cowboy.”

Dear Reader,

Not long ago, my sister gave me a gift certificate for an astrological reading. During my hour-long session, the woman informed me that the stars’ alignment on my birthday meant a) I enjoy kicking over the traces, and b) I have a very erotic personality! She might as well have told me point-blank to write a Blaze and fulfill my destiny. Which I have proceeded to do.

And did I have fun! When the story called for Tess Blakely to buy books on sexual technique to prepare her for losing her virginal status, what else could I do but throw a few how-to manuals into my own shopping cart? A conscientious writer must research her subject, after all. I had no idea that the sensuality section of my local bookstore was so huge.

My poor hero, Mac MacDougal, is a bit intimidated by Tess’s spicy library, but he soon gets into the spirit of discovery. Boy, does he ever. The result is a story that is hotter than an Arizona chili pepper. I claim no particular credit for that. Blame it all on the stars!

Warmly,

Vicki Lewis Thompson

www.millsandboon.co.uk

To Alex Comfort, M.B., D.Sc.

for celebrating the beauty of love and play.

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Epilogue

Summer Project: Lose Virginity.

TESS BLAKELY rocked gently on her porch swing, a yellow legal pad balanced on her knee, a glass of iced tea on the wicker table beside her. She gazed at what she’d written and sighed. The beginning of a quest was the hardest part.

It was pitiful that a twenty-six-year-old, reasonably attractive woman found herself saddled with the handicap of virginity, but there it was, on paper. And her status had to change before she left for New York at the end of the summer, or she’d risk her credibility with the high school girls she’d been hired to counsel. Besides, she wanted to experience sex. She longed to experience sex.

She took a sip of iced tea and continued.

Goal One: Find knowledgeable candidate willing to deflower me.

Goal Two: Swear candidate to absolute secrecy.

Goal Three: Get it on.

Tess sighed again. Writing out her goals and objectives had been her cherished method for getting what she wanted, beginning at the age of eight when she’d yearned for her very own pony. But although she wanted to lose her innocence much more than she’d wanted that pony, her current project seemed about as likely of success as a personal rocket trip to the moon.

The little town of Copperville, Arizona, wasn’t exactly crawling with “knowledgeable candidates,” but even the few that she’d consider had been scared off long ago by her four very large, very overprotective older brothers. And not a one of those beefy brothers had moved away or relaxed his vigilance. They all expected their little sis to save herself for her wedding night. They were stuck in the Dark Ages, as far as she was concerned, but she loved them too much to openly defy them.

That was the reason for goal number two—for absolute secrecy. Now there was a definite sticking point. Even if she found a man her brothers hadn’t intimidated, how could she ever expect him to keep a secret in Copperville? This was a town where you could wake up with a sore throat in the morning and have three kinds of chicken soup at your doorstep by noon.

Which meant she might never arrive at the third step—Getting It On. And she was ready for number three. Extremely ready. She’d driven all the way to Phoenix to buy research books, knowing that she couldn’t be caught thumbing through One Hundred Ways to Drive Him Wild in the Copperville Book Barn, if the local bookstore even carried such a thing, which she sincerely doubted.

So much for her list. The goals were unreachable. She tossed the legal pad on top of the stack of books lying next to her on the swing. A list might have worked for the pony, but it was probably dumb to think it could cure a resistant case of chastity.

And to be honest, a list might have helped get her that pony all those years ago, but her best friend, Jeremiah “Mac” MacDougal, had been the real key. Her family lived in town and had no room for a horse, but Mac had talked his folks into keeping Chewbacca on their ranch. Tess’s older brothers had always thought they had first claim to Mac, being boys, but Tess knew better. Ever since Mac, who’d been only five at the time, had saved her from a rattlesnake, she’d known he was the best friend she’d ever have.

Mac. Mac could help her find the right guy! She mentally slapped her forehead and wondered why she hadn’t thought of him before. Unlike her brothers, Mac understood why she needed to take the job in New York and prove herself an independent, capable woman. Her brothers might have laughed at her when she asked for a light saber for Christmas, but Mac had saved his allowance and bought her one.

Surely Mac would also understand that she couldn’t go to New York a virgin. Coming from a small town was enough of a handicap. If the girls she’d be counseling figured out that she was sexually inexperienced, she’d be a real joke. Mac would see that right away. And he’d help her find the right man to solve her problem.

THE SUN HAD BARELY crested the mountains as Mac saddled two horses. He’d left his bed this morning with a sense of anticipation. He hadn’t had an early-morning ride with Tess in months. When she’d called to suggest it, he’d been happy at the prospect, although lately he’d been feeling a little jealous of her.

As kids they’d spent hours talking about the places they’d go when they were older. This September she was actually going to do it, while he was stuck on the ranch. His folks expected him to stay around and gradually take over what they’d worked so hard to build. As the only child, he couldn’t foist off that obligation on anybody else.

Tess had it easier, although she was forever complaining about how hard it was for a woman to “go on a quest,” as she put it. But she was doing it, and he wasn’t. Her mom and dad hated having her leave town, especially for some faraway place like New York City, but they still had four sons, their wives and seven grandchildren. With such a slew of Blakelys around, Tess didn’t have to feel guilty about grabbing her chance at independence. Mac envied her that freedom.