Riley’s brain tells him she’s a ticking time bomb—
but his body doesn’t want to play by the rules.
but his body doesn’t want to play by the rules.
TRYING IT ALL
Naked Men #4
Christi Barth
Releasing May 16, 2017
Loveswept
Order.
Attention to detail. Never leaving anything to chance. These are the qualities
that make Riley Ness such a terrific federal agent . . . and a pain in the ass
to everyone else. The only time Riley lets loose is when he’s hanging out with
his closest pals. So when he’s thrown together with gorgeous, flighty Summer
Sheridan, Riley’s brain tells him she’s a ticking time bomb—but his body
doesn’t want to play by the rules.
Riley has
to be the most irritating man Summer has ever met. The brooding hunk thinks he
needs to teach her a few lessons about real life, while she’d rather show him
how to enjoy it. But her BFF’s all but engaged to Riley’s best friend, and
besides, their intense physical chemistry is all too real. Summer just needs
Riley to try to meet her halfway and take a chance with the one thing that
matters: his heart.
EXCERPT
“Living
forever’s only fun if you truly live.”
That jab
stung. Because it was the same riff the guys threw at him, over and over again.
“I live. I just follow the rules. Obey the speed limit. Turn off my phone
before the plane starts to taxi.”
Summer tossed
her cloud of hair back. Gave him a knowing look. No, a knowing smirk. “Oh, I
get it now.”
“What?”
“You’re not
uptight. You’re chicken.”
The woman had
crossed a line. He’d gone through wilderness training and survival training.
He’d climbed Mount Kilimanjaro. Become a black belt in Tae Kwon Do. He’d pushed
himself to physical and mental limits most men wouldn’t be able to attain.
Being sensible? In no fucking way was it comparable to being scared.
Riley’s long
strides ate up the distance between them. Furious, he spat out, “You want me to
try something risky?”
“Yes. Just
once. But I don’t think you’ve got the balls,” she taunted.
Riley grabbed
her face with both hands. Her lips parted in surprise. And he swooped right
onto them.
Her lips were
soft. So soft and pliable it almost deterred him. But then . . . they were so
soft and pliable that he couldn’t possibly stop. Instead of holding her still,
his hands curved to cup the back of her head, his thumbs caressing those
impossibly high cheekbones that gave her the look of someone made to walk a
runway.
Riley nipped
at her wide bottom lip. Soothed it with a stroke of his tongue that savored the
sweet, lingering tang of the orange cream cheese icing on the cinnamon rolls
from brunch. He wanted to keep going. To nip and bite and lick down her neck,
over the side of the breasts she flashed at him all day. To gobble down her
sweetness and spice just like he had those rolls.
Her moan
refocused him. This wasn’t just following through on a dare anymore. This was a
real kiss. A real moment of pure, physical pleasure. So he dropped his hands to
the small of her back and hauled Summer tight against him.
Thanks to her
ridiculous—and ridiculously sexy—high heels, everything lined up right. The
notch between her thighs ground right against his dick behind the suddenly
too-tight fly of his shorts. Breasts plumped against his chest. Breasts he was
pretty sure he could fit entirely into his mouth . . . since he might have
pictured them a time or ten since meeting her in the spring. Tight nipples
insistently poked at his pecs.
The kiss kept
going. Ry slipped his tongue in as she let out a kittenish purr. God, it was
the sexiest sound he’d ever heard. The soft, tiny mewl fired through his blood.
Fired him up. His tongue tangled with hers. Like they were two swords, fencing
for the win. Because there would damn sure be a winner. The way they were
grappling at each other? It wasn’t just fun. It was about proving something.
Her
mouth—made for kissing. And more. His tongue slid deep. Felt her wetness. And
Riley couldn’t help imagining how all that warm wetness would feel locked
around another part of his body. Summer’s hands came up to fist in his shirt.
Shit—for a second, he worried she’d push him away. But then those fists pulled
him even closer. One smooth calf twined around his. He wanted to walk her back
ten steps to the nearest tree and just sink into her.
Which was
crazy. Riley didn’t even like this woman. He’d kissed her to save his pride. To
defend his honor. To get her off his back. And now he wanted to put Summer on
hers, spread her thighs, and—
That was it.
Riley let go. Let go of the sweet ass he didn’t even remember moving down to
squeeze. Let go of those luscious lips. Yanked his head back and deliberately
stepped out of the semicircle of her curved leg.
“You and I
both know that was the riskiest damn thing I could possibly do today.” Riley
looked at her still unfocused eyes, her kiss-swollen lips. Proof that she’d
enjoyed it every bit as much as he had. “Oh, and you also know now that I’ve
got the balls. I’ve got the whole package.”
USA Today bestselling author Christi Barth earned
a Masters degree in vocal performance and embarked upon a career on the stage.
A love of romance then drew her to wedding planning. Ultimately she succumbed
to her lifelong love of books and now writes award-winning contemporary
romance, including the Naked Men and Aisle Bound series.
Christi can always be found either whipping up gourmet meals (for fun, honest!) or with her nose in a book. She lives in Maryland with the best husband in the world.
Christi can always be found either whipping up gourmet meals (for fun, honest!) or with her nose in a book. She lives in Maryland with the best husband in the world.
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