Copyright © 2011 by Nikki Winter
All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or
shared in any form, including but not limited to: printing,
photocopying, faxing, recording, electronic transmission, or by
any information storage or retrieval system without prior
written permission from the authors or holders of the
copyright.
This book is a work of fiction. References may be made to
locations and historical events; however, names, characters,
places and incidents are the products of the author’s
imagination and/or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to
actual persons (living or dead), businesses, events or locales is
either used fictitiously or coincidental. All trademarks, service
marks, registered trademarks, and registered service marks are
the property of their respective owners and are used herein for
identification purposes only.
Published by
Beautiful Trouble Publishing, LLC
PO Box 61
Colfax, NC 27235
www.beautifultroublepublishing.com
Cover Art: Marteeka Karland,
http://www.marteekakarland.com/
Editor: Novellette Whyte
http://authorgurunovellette.blogspot.com/
Proofreader: Legacy Editing,
Formatter: Jim & Zetta,
E-book Conversion: Jim & Zetta,
ISBN: (e-book)
978-1-61788-250-0
And here we go again folks. I really don’t have the
slightest idea how I ended up giving you guys a six
part series (with more to come so calm down) out of
one story but it’s been one of the best journeys I’ve
ever taken. To see these characters come alive from
one simple idea has been AMAZING and I appreciate
each and every one of you who’ve been on this ride
with me. Okay, enough with the mush. I also have no
clue who legitimately has dibs on Felix but I do believe
it’s Violette—aka Purple Rain. Now if she happens to
waive her rights, then that means my Twin (who has
been badgering me FOREVER for Felix) gets full claim
to him. I know, I know, it’s not exactly fair but guess
what? I’m Jayha’s Padawan, why would you expect
anything I do to be fair? (Grin) Enjoy folks. —Nikki
Note about eBooks
eBooks are NOT transferable. Re-selling,
sharing or giving away eBooks is a copyright
infringement. No part of this book may be
reproduced or transmitted in any form or by
any means without written permission of the
author or Beautiful Trouble Publishing.
CAVEAT
This work of erotica contains adult language
and sexually explicit scenes, which are smoking
hot. This book is intended only for adults, as it
is defined by the laws of the country in which
the purchase is made. Keep this book out of the
hands of under-aged readers.
7
There Are Moments
“Lena Nicole Ramos, get that pillow off your
brother’s face right now!”
Twenty year old Lena looked up from the task of
slowly smothering her older brother, Felix, but wasn’t
exactly quick to get up. “But Mama-”
“Little girl…”
“He called me ‘wide-ass’ again,” Lena whined,
ignoring the way Felix was starting to flail and kick.
Her mother sighed, leaned into the doorway of
the den and looked over at a very calm Archer who
seemed to be quite entertained by the fact that his best
friend was close to death. “Did you even try to help
him?”
He shot her his signature charming grin, the one
that’d had him sitting at her dinner table for the past
ten years with no problem. “Mama Mona, I would if I
hadn’t warned him twice not to say it.” He shrugged.
“He didn’t listen, so now he is suffering the
consequences” Waving a hand at the pair, he sat back
again.
Mona looked back over at her daughter. “How
long have you had him under there?”
Sweet Seduction
8
Lena shrugged. “I dunno. About fifteen minutes
maybe. Every so often I let him up for a sip of air then
push him back down again.”
Mona had been telling her boy for years that one
of these days Lena would end him if he didn’t quit with
the name calling. “I’ll give you five more minutes then
you gotta let him up because he’s not fighting as hard
as he was before—which means he’s losing
consciousness.”
When the doorbell rang everybody stopped.
Lena hopped up. “No need. Paige is here so my
torturing is done.” She walked past Archer and popped
his Stetson off because it was his favorite and she
knew it.
He mumbled something that sounded like,
“Brat” but she ignored him and headed for the front
door of the house. She was too excited to pay the prick
any mind or show concern for the fact that Felix was
on the floor gasping for breath and calling them all
psychotic and unstable. Not too long after that, she
could hear her Daddy telling him, “Get off the floor
and have some dignity boy. You insult Lena and you’re
bound to get a foot in your ass.”
Lena giggled and swung the front door open.
“Took you long enough to get here.”
One of Paige’s eyebrows rose over the rim of her
Nikki Winter
9
glasses as she stated dryly, “I’m so sorry, oh ruler of
the world, that I didn’t get here at the exact time you
demanded.”
“Well as long as you’re repentant I suppose I can
forgive the transgression.”
“Move outta my way before I kick you.”
Lena grinned and moved to the side. “Uh...Paige
one warning...”
“What?”
“Felix is home.”
When Paige made a run for it, Lena was there to
block her.
Breathing deeply and slowly, Felix stared across
the dinner table at his sister’s best friend, Paige
Matthews. Was there anything more uncomfortable
than trying your damnedest to not get a hard-on in
public? He really could kill Lena for letting Paige just
walk in like that!
Gorgeous, smart-ass, mean as a diamondback,
Paige. Those light green eyes always seemed to soften
for everything but Felix. He couldn’t understand why
but he could say that no matter how she looked at him
she made him think bad, bad things.
Sweet Seduction
10
There she sat, toffee skin glowing, hair freshly
cut in a pageboy style that framed her pretty heart-
shaped face, wearing a sundress that made him
question exactly how much control he had. The damn
thing wasn’t even overtly sexy it was just that the
yellow color against her skin looked so good he wanted
to lick her...and other stuff.
Felix shifted in his seat and tried to focus on
everything but Paige.
Baseball...Bass fishing...the time you got a
broom taken to your ass for ruining your Mama’s bed
of tulips! Think man! Think!
After dinner everyone just kind of disappeared,
because they had plans, leaving Felix and Archer to
clean up the kitchen since it was their night. Well Felix
cleaned while Archer watched.
“If you scrub that plate any harder you’re gonna
break it.” Archer teased.
Felix just flipped him the bird over his shoulder
but kept cleaning.
“Dude, you got it bad.”
“Shut. Up.”
“I’ve never seen you like this over some chick.”
Felix swung around, one arm snapping out to
point at his best friend. “Paige is not just some chick
and if I ever hear those words come outta your mouth
Nikki Winter
11
again I’m shoving both my boots so far up your ass
that I’ll be tap dancing on your kidneys. Got me?”
Archer didn’t respond, just smirked.
Sudden realization dawned and Felix’s shoulders
slumped. “She’s in the doorway isn’t she?”
“She was, before she took off running about five
seconds after your declaration of violence,” his best
friend drawled with a wide grin.
“Asshole.”
Felix tossed the dish towel at Archer’s head and
took off after Paige. Knowing her, she was gonna hop
in her car and spit rocks getting home.
She heard her name being called but she didn’t
dare turn around. There was no way in hell she was
going to face him after that. No, no, no. Hell no!
Paige kept going as far as her sandal clad feet
would carry her.
“Paige would you please stop!”
“No!”
“Dammit Paige!”
She could hear him sprint into a full run and she
tried to go faster but her foot hit a slab of uneven
pavement and she was going down before she knew it.
Sweet Seduction
12
She put her hands out, waiting for an impact that
never came.
That’s when she heard his chuckle and felt it
rumble through his chest as his strong arms caught
her just a few seconds away from breaking something
important.
“You can open your eyes, sweetheart. I got you.”
She did, very slowly and felt herself being
righted until her feet were firmly back on the ground.
Looking up at Felix, she stepped back a few feet.
“Thanks.”
“What’re you doing out here, you almost ruined
your pretty face.” One big hand came up to fix her
glasses but she slapped it away and moved back.
Felix frowned. “Wanna tell me where you were
going?”
“Home.”
“Why?”
“Because...because...”
“Waiting here, sweetheart.”
“Because of that!” Paige threw up her hands.
Felix frowned even harder. “Because I call you
sweetheart?”
“Yes and baby, and that weird Latin nickname
and every other endearment you can. Cut it out would
you?”
Nikki Winter
13
His head cocked to the side. “You’re angry.”
Her face grew hot. “No, I’m not.”
Stepping closer, he pressed his index finger to
her forehead, smoothing the wrinkles. “Yes, you are.
Why? Because I call you sweet names?”
“I...that...that’s not what makes me angry.”
“Okay then, so what does exactly?”
She rubbed her temples. “Going through the
motions with you.”
He frowned. “The motions?”
“Yes,” Paige nodded. “The motions. This game of
dancing around each other until we finally sleep
together. It’s pointless.”
“Who said all I wanted to do is sleep with you
and why do you think it’s pointless? The motions, I
mean.”
She let out a frustrated little growl. “I know it’s
pointless because I don’t want you.” She was lying and
she knew it. Paige wanted him so bad that it scared the
shit out of her. She’d seen what that kind of love could
do to a person; make them slaves to their emotions,
completely eradicate their identity, and all for what, to
prove themselves in love? No, she’d watched her
mother do it and she’d be damned if she would repeat
the cycle with Felix.
“Oh.” His brows lifted. “Oh.” A sly grin replaced
Sweet Seduction
14
the confusion on his face. “So you’re saying you’re not
attracted to me?”
Paige froze. Felix had an effect on her, making
butterflies flutter around in her tummy whenever he
got near, and a minute ago when he’d caught her…
Shaking her head, she backed away. “No, I’m not.”
He stepped closer. “I think you are.”
“Well what you think and what is, are two
different things.” Sighing, she tried a different
approach. “Listen, you’re great Felix, you really are but
I’m not...I can’t...”
“You know, I have a favorite pastime besides
annoying Lena.”
“And that would be?” She questioned, not really
wanting to know. The gleam in his eyes told her
everything.
Leaning down, Felix whispered, “Exposing a
liar.” Then his lips were on hers, his tongue sliding
easily into her mouth, tangling with hers. Paige found
herself reaching for him but she came away wanting
because he broke the kiss. His dark eyes twinkled as
he stared down at her. “Tastes like a lie to me.” He
grabbed her hand and linked their fingers. Paige didn’t
pull away because she was too dazed. “Now,” he said
tugging her along, “let’s go back before Lena goes
kamikaze and comes looking for you.”
Nikki Winter
15
Paige just followed behind, wondering exactly
what the hell had just happened.
16
Where
Ten years later...
“I’m risking my life for you. You owe me!” Oh
she was crazy if she thought he’d be paying his debt
like this. There was no way in the deepest, darkest,
dankest, recesses of hell he was doing this.
He shook his dark head and faced her glare
straight on. “No. Hell no.”
“Felix—”
“Forget it Lena. I love you and I appreciate what
you’re doing to help me but I refuse—and I do mean
refuse—to do that.” He waved a hand at the disgusting
and disturbing task before him.
“If your stupid-ass plan succeeds then you’ll be
doing this a whole lot more than just this once, genius.
So get to it.” His little sister snapped her fingers and
pointed at the wiggling baby boy that lay on the
changing table.
Felix gagged at the smell wafting from the
diaper. He gave Lena his saddest look. “Why are you
doing this to me?”
“Because you have to learn and if you think for
Nikki Winter
17
one second that Paige is gonna birth your big headed
babies and be saddled with the constant job of
changing every diaper you’re in for a Texas sized
disappointment down the line. Now,” Lena waved her
hand towards baby Liam, “do what I showed you and
do it quickly before he starts screaming.”
He turned panicked eyes her way. “Screaming?
Why would he scream?”
“Well if your diaper was full of shit, needed to be
changed and you had two adults perfectly capable of
doing it but one of them was too scared to handle the
small task when you knew and understood that they
could, you’d scream too because you’d realize that was
the only way to get the dumbass’ attention.”
“You owe Abby’s swear jar like ten bucks.” Felix
pointed out.
Lena smirked. “I don’t see Abby around any—”
Her words slowly stopped as her daughter scooted
from under Liam’s crib—where she’d been hiding—
and held out her jar with a wide grin, her golden eyes
twinkling.
In the sweetest little voice she said, “You owe me
money, Ma. Ten bucks just like Uncle Felix said. I’ve
been under there the whole time.”
Lena scowled down at the miniature version of
herself. “Your Daddy told you it was a good idea to
Sweet Seduction
18
hide under there, didn’t he?”
Abby’s grin got wider. “Yup and he gave me this
too.” She reached under the crib and pulled out a
small recorder that—Felix was guessing—would play
back every cuss word Lena had let loose in the last
twenty minutes.
His sister’s jaw clenched before she reached into
her pocket and pulled out a twenty. She dropped it in
the jar and Abby frowned up at her. “That’s a twenty,
Ma.”
Lena gave a tight smile and said, “Keep the
change because Mommy has some things she needs to
say to Daddy.” She pointed at Liam. “Get to it Felix. I’ll
be back.” Then she made her way out of the room
bellowing, “Archer!”
Felix looked down at his niece. “You just got
your Daddy in a lot of trouble, baby girl.”
Still she held that grin. “I know but I’m rich
now!”
He smiled back. “And that’s all that matters.” He
stuck out his fist and waited for her to bump knuckles
with him before he straightened and stared down at
Liam’s face—which was getting redder by the second.
“Go ahead and scream kid. I have a feeling after I open
this diaper I’ll be screaming right along with you.”
The small, bright grin his nephew gave probably
Nikki Winter
19
should’ve been his first warning that something was
really wrong.
“Sweet baby Joseph Johnson on a Christmas
Sunday morning!” Lena stopped cussing Archer, after
the bellow, long enough to watch Felix practically
sprint from the nursery with Liam held out a good foot
in front of him and diaper-less. Her brother looked
two seconds away from hitting the floor.
“Dude, green is so not your color,” Archer said.
Felix simply handed over Liam to her and
flipped his brother-in-law the bird. “That child,” he
said pointing to the toddler “is not human. I don’t care
what you say. Nothing human can produce what he
did in that room.” He gestured towards the nursery. “I
have seen some really disturbing shit in my day but
that...that was just wrong!”
Abby materialized with her jar held up towards
her Uncle and one brow slightly raised. Felix’s jaw
clenched as he took out a buck and stuffed it in the jar.
“Little miser,” he muttered. Tossing a disgusted look
at Liam, he shook his head. “And you...I hope they get
you help for whatever your problem is kid.” Then he
stormed pass them all and out the front door.
Sweet Seduction
20
Archer looked at her. “See? I’m not the only one
who feels that way about your son’s diaper changes.”
She rolled her eyes. “Yeah but he didn’t faint.”
“I keep telling you I got light headed and I had to
sit down, dammit.” He growled.
Lena waited for their baby girl to stick the jar out
towards her father but she just stood there, counting
the tens and twenties. “Um, little girl?”
Abby’s eyes focused on her. “Yes, Ma?”
“Your Daddy just cussed. Aren’t you gonna
charge him?”
Their daughter shrugged and answered, “Nope,
he’s allowed. Uncle Felix says that cussing is the least
he can do while married to you.” With that she
flounced off and Lena had never wanted to stick her
foot out and trip a kid more than she did right then.
“Don’t you dare,” her husband said.
“What? It’s not like she has far to fall. She’s only
like three feet tall.”
“Lena...”
“Alright but I’m telling you I’m gonna start
charging that kid rent.”
Archer waved his hand. “Forget that. What’re
you gonna do about Paige and Felix?”
“Oh well, we have a plan.”
One of his brows went up. “And that would be?”
Nikki Winter
21
A slow smile formed when she retorted, “A nice
family vacation that goes just a little bit wrong.”
Crazy female. Did Lena not know that he could
give Paige more than enough incentive to change every
diaper their kids would ever wear? Felix shook his
head as he packed his suitcase. Even though their plan
for him to get Paige was worth it, this would be the
last time he asked his sister for a favor. He always had
to pay her back in some life scarring way. And no he
was not being dramatic even if he’d felt the need to
run all one hundred yards to the house he’d had built
on his and Archer’s ranch a year ago, just to escape!
Felix zipped up the last of his suitcases. He’d
have two weeks. Two weeks with his woman. Two
weeks to convince her that she was in fact his woman
and that she wouldn’t be able to fight it for too much
longer. Two weeks to show Paige Matthews that she
was everything to him.
Every move she made, every time she smiled,
every single little thing about her made him feel
complete. She was intelligent and funny. Paige could
be unconsciously sexy while performing the most
innocent task, and had a light about her that managed
Sweet Seduction
22
to shine brighter than anything he’d ever seen. The
way she interacted with Abby and Liam always
managed to make his pulse race. Seeing how much
love she had for his parents and her devotion to Lena
let him know exactly how beautiful, inside and out, she
truly was.
Valentine’s Day was fast approaching and if he
played his cards right he could get the greatest present
of all. But for right now, he just needed to take a hot
shower and try to get the image of what was filling his
nephew’s diaper out of his head.
Paige couldn’t wait to leave surgery; this year
had been doubly hard on her practice. The drought
sweeping the state wasn’t just hurting the legions of
farmers, but ranchers were struggling to keep their
animals on the positive end of the climate scale. She’d
tended to more cattle that suffered from heat this year
than she’d ever even dreamed was possible. The wild
fires that had raged had luckily missed them but she’d
been called in to treat animals that had migrated
hundreds of miles to safety. Unfortunately, some of
them brought sickness that could easily affect the
native wild life as well as livestock.
Nikki Winter
23
Winter in Texas wasn’t always the best season
either but when the precipitation was still in the
negative margins it made for a miserable winter. There
had been no white Christmas, in fact she’d spent the
day in shorts and flip flops. New Year’s Day had been
blustery and a chill had frosted the air but the
temperature hadn’t warranted much more than a light
jacket.
Two weeks in Whitefish, Montana with her best
friend and god-children was exactly what the doctor
ordered if she did say so herself. Not that Paige
planned on learning anything about anything in
Whitefish, Montana. All she planned to do was kick
her feet up in front of the fireplace and teach her
adorable minions the art of s’mores making and enjoy
copious amounts of gourmet hot cocoa. She might
throw in a snow angel or two just for shits and giggles,
but mostly she was just going to hide out from Cupid’s
apprentice, Felix, and catch up on the latest news from
the back of her eyelids.
At the thought of Felix, her very skin heated. If
the man wasn’t so flipping persistent she’d maybe
have given him a chance. But his utter absorption with
everything ‘Paige’ had been driving her crazy since
they were kids.
When everyone else was teasing her, he was
Sweet Seduction
24
winking at her. When everyone else was calling her
names and picking on her in junior high, he was
calling her beautiful and threatening to kick their
asses. And when she blossomed into a woman and was
heading out to college, he’d kissed her and spoiled her
for any other man. The memory of that kiss set her
thighs to trembling and caused her to miss-chew her
gum, nearly severing her tongue with her incisors.
“Dammit,” she muttered as she sucked on the
small muscle to ease the sting. Her mind instantly
went back to that summer day when Felix had suckled
her tongue...grazing the roof of her mouth with his.
Shaking the memories from her head, she leapt
to her feet. Time to pack and get to the airport. Good
thing she was leaving a day before everyone else... she
could get to the cabin and dive butt naked into the
snow, because she was sure it would take the onset of
hypothermia to cool her desire and help her remember
that she didn’t want any part of Felix Ramos and his
devil tongue.
“What do you mean y’all missed your flight, how
could you miss your flight?” Paige questioned finally
making it through the doors of the cabin.
Nikki Winter
25
“We were taking care of Liam. He was so sick
and...”
“So you mean to tell me you couldn’t call me
before I got my black ass on a plane and flew to
Whitefish, Montana that my godson was deathly ill
and y’all weren’t going to make it?”
Lena sighed from the other end of the phone,
“Girl calm down he isn’t ‘deathly ill’, just ill and don’t
worry you won’t be alone.” Her best friend stopped
talking like she knew she’d just let something
important slip.
Paige froze, her whole body going rigid. What
do you mean, he isn’t deathly ill you just
said...wait...hold up what the hell do you mean I won’t
be alone...?”
Paige was almost sick to her stomach...she knew
beyond a shadow of a doubt what Lena meant, she just
couldn’t get her head to wrap around the thought that
her best friend would set her up like this.
“Dude, it was either this or listen to both of you
whining about each other for the rest of my life...and
remember when I told you pay back was a bitch?”
“YOU NO GOOD DIRTY ROTTEN-”
“Best sister-in-law you’ve ever had in your entire
life,” Lena finished for her.
“I am not letting him in here. There is no way
Sweet Seduction
26
I’m letting that man share this cabin with me!” Paige
declared. And she’d meant it... even when she heard
the subtle clearing of a throat behind her...
Closing her eyes, she slowly brought the phone
to her chest and turned.
There standing in nothing but a terry cloth towel
that wasn’t big enough to hide half of one thigh let
alone all of him, was what Cupid wished he could look
like.
Olive skin glistening with drops of water, dark
hair still streaming rivulets down past his evil little,
panty-melting smile and muscles twitching in ways
that suggested his entire body was being rhythmically
jolted by invisible electrodes.
“Good God have mercy...” Paige muttered, her
mouth suddenly feeling like it was full of cotton.
Obviously she’d been falsely educated about the
cold causing shrinkage because if that bulge just below
the loosely tucked cotton grew any more, there was
going to be a serious case of indecent exposure going
on.
“Okay, that’s my cue to hang up now... We sent
you some cookies from Sweet Temptations but it
sounds like you’ll be eating something else for lover’s
day,” Lena’s voice was full of smugness.
“Shut. Up.” Paige said to the air then realized
Nikki Winter
27
she needed to lift the phone in order to speak to Lena.
“Shut. Up.” She demanded again, but this time
to the ringing laughter of her best (make that former
best) friend and then the damning sound of the dial
tone.
Felix stood leaning against the smooth pine of
the door frame. He hadn’t actually heard Paige come
into the cabin. He’d been too busy trying to tame his
thirst for her in the shower. But he’d heard the
moment she answered the phone and began shrieking
her displeasure throughout the whole house. He didn’t
think she’d be so upset about the thought of having the
cabin all to herself for two weeks. He wrongly thought
that after the busy year she’d had, she’d be looking
forward to a little solitude.
To be honest, he half expected Lena to pull out
on their deal. He’d convinced himself he needed to ‘get
a grip’ so to speak and prepare to spend two weeks
entertaining his niece and that poop factory they kept
telling him was his nephew while pining for the
affection of one seriously hot doctor.
He couldn’t help the smile that crept over his
face as Lena was apparently filling Paige in on the fact
Sweet Seduction
28
that he’d been invited to share their vacation.
29
In Order
“No, no, no.” Paige shook her head as she backed
far, far away from Felix. “Outta all the best friends I
could’ve had as a kid, the one I chose just happened to
be the devil?” She looked at the ceiling. “Shouldn’t you
have intervened?”
Felix’s lips curled as he stared at her. She looked
so adorable stuffed in an over-sized parka, a Yukon hat
pulled low on her head and her bright green eyes
blinking at him. “I’ve been trying to tell you, my
parents, Archer and anybody else who would listen
that Lena was Satan from the day I met her but
nobody would listen to poor old Felix. Now,” he waved
a hand at himself. “These are the consequences.”
Paige shook her head again. “No, these are the
actions of a love child that could only be formed by
Judas and Marcus Junius Brutus themselves,” She
grabbed her bags and started for the front door. “And
these are the steps of a woman getting the hell outta
Dodge.”
Felix didn’t vacate his spot as he leaned against
the door frame and watched her as she quickly swung
open the front door and started out. It closed behind
Sweet Seduction
30
her with a soft click.
“One...two...three...four...” He counted softly.
The door swung back open as Paige tossed her
bags inside, slammed it shut and leaned up against it,
gasping for air.
“Cold out there?” Felix questioned easily.
“Where...what...blizzard...freaking
blizzard...”
She panted pointing to the door. “I haven’t been here
that long and...and...”
“We’re almost snowed in?”
“Yes! What the hell?!”
Shrugging, he replied, “It’s Montana, baby, a far
cry from Texas.” He gave her the most innocent
expression that he could. “Aw, sweetheart, you’re
shivering. Want my towel?”
Paige glared at him. “What the hell is a damp
towel going to do for me?”
Felix shrugged again. “I dunno. I just figured I’d
give you first shot at trying to get me naked.”
“I’ve been set up by the devil and left with her
gate keeper.” Paige muttered rolling her eyes.
“I know nothing about hell sweetheart but—”
Holding up a hand, she interrupted him. “If you
complete that line I’m going to make sure you don’t
see sunrise tomorrow.”
“So you plan on keeping me in bed late then?”
Nikki Winter
31
With the cutest snarl he’d ever witnessed, Paige
snatched up a bag and stomped past him checking
through the four-bedroom cabin and choosing a room
to settle into. He followed behind, trying desperately
not to laugh.
“This is such bullshit.”
“Uh...Paige?”
She slammed her suitcase down on the bed and
started unloading it. “I can’t believe Lena would do
this to me.”
“Uh...Paige?”
“After all the times I dug her ass outta trouble
and she goes and sets me up the first chance she gets.”
“Uh...Paige?”
“Me! The one person who knows how to turn her
face orange for a month, you would think—”
“Paige!” Felix shouted.
She swung around. “What? What? What?!”
“Baby, I have no problem sharing dresser space
with you but the left side already has my stuff in it.”
Her eyes widened to the size of saucers as she
looked around the bedroom that she’d been intently
putting her things away in. Felix bit the inside of his
cheek.
Her jaw clenched as she shot a death glare his
way. “This is your room?”
Sweet Seduction
32
Rocking back on the balls of his feet, one hand
still holding his towel up he answered with a bright,
“Yes’m.”
“And you let me put up half my shit without
saying anything this whole time?”
“Yes’m.”
“I hate you.”
He grinned long and hard. “I know baby, I
know.”
She was muttering angrily under her breath
now, taking her stuff out and slamming them back
into her suitcase.
“Aw c’mon, batimentos cardíacos, what could
you possibly lose sharing a room with me?”
“My soul,” she answered in all seriousness.
Not laughing was impossible. “Okay, so your
ideal vacation has gone awry—”
“Awry?” Paige cut in. “Awry? Really? No,
something going awry is my hands wrapped around
your throat. Awry is my going into that nice kitchen
and finding a tool to do you in with. Awry is waiting
for you to step out on the balcony and pushing you
over. That’s awry. This shit right here is just wrong.”
For once his little spitfire didn’t look so
unruffled. She actually looked...panicked. Felix
decided to put her mind at ease because the last thing
Nikki Winter
33
he needed was to have her feeling like she couldn’t
trust him. “Paige.” He said softly when she went back
to taking her stuff out of his drawers.
“What?”
“You do know you have nothing to worry about
with me right?” Stepping closer, he gently grabbed one
of her hands, felt it shake and rubbed her wrist.
“Right?”
Her reply was so soft that he almost missed
it...almost. “It’s not you who I don’t trust...”
She really wished he’d stop grinning like that. It
was really starting to piss her off. Over an hour ago
she’d stood in the man’s room, a few feet from his bed
with him half naked and admitted in so many words
that she was afraid that she’d jump him. Paige didn’t
like that he could do that to her—make her lose
control. In everything she did, she had control but
once she got around Felix it was like it evaporated.
That wasn’t a relationship she wanted or needed to be
in. Letting her hormones lead her around was a very
bad idea and she knew it. In any other relationship
she’d been in, she could say no without hesitation.
With him, if he asked she wanted to answer yes and
Sweet Seduction
34
that scared the shit out of her.
Now she was glowering at him as he made them
dinner, something she had no choice but to let him do
seeing as how she couldn’t cook worth a damn and she
was starving.
Watching Felix work in a kitchen was a far cry
from boring, that was for sure. Every movement he
made was fluent and slightly graceful but nowhere
near feminine. When he turned and her eyes
wandered to his ass in the well worn jeans he’d put on,
she decided to distract herself.
Offhandedly, she commented, “I’m amazed that
I haven’t heard any smart-ass remarks about my
inability to cook from you.”
Felix smiled at her over his shoulder, creating
slashes in his lean cheeks. “I grew up with a sister who
couldn’t cook remember? I know not to mock.”
She snorted. “Which begs the question as to how
it worked out that you can?”
He didn’t look at her when he answered, “Easy. I
was fascinated with Mãe.”
“Huh?”
Chuckling, he said, “Mom. I was fascinated with
Mom.”
“Really? Why?”
He took a few marinated strips of steak and
Nikki Winter
35
placed them on the island’s grill, his eyes twinkling
when he looked at her. “Well firstly, being that I hadn’t
spent much time with my own mother before she
passed, there weren’t many female influences around.
Then all of a sudden here came this sweet-smiled
woman with quick wit who didn’t hesitate to put a foot
in Pop’s ass when he got out of line.”
Paige found herself smiling.
“Every time she talked to me, her voice was soft,
gentle...maternal. She was just as beautiful on the
inside as she was on the outside and everything she
did or said to me made me feel like one of the most
important people in the world.” He stared off at
something she couldn’t see. “There were things I could
go to her for advice about that I couldn’t with Pop
without having him tease me. Mom listened. I can
remember watching her cook dinner one day. I dunno
what led me to the kitchen, maybe it was the music she
was playing or the grin on her face but I wanted to be
right there. She looked up and caught me in the
doorway and instead of chasing me out like she always
did Pop or Lena she waved me in, told me to wash my
hands and put me to work. Right at that moment, I
knew I was special because she let me into a place that
nobody else had access to.”
Focusing back on her, he continued. “I’m not
Sweet Seduction
36
saying she picked me as her favorite but somehow she
knew I needed that nurturing, that bond that I never
got a chance to have. The same way Pops knew Lena
needed it. So every chance I got, if Mom was in the
kitchen, I was in there too.” Suddenly he grabbed an
onion and sliced it expertly, grinning at her. “I just
happened to pick up on a few tricks along the way.”
Paige wanted to smile but it never quite reached
her lips. She’d always wondered what it was like
growing up in a household where two families had to
mix and blend to become one. Paige’s life hadn’t been
a fairytale in any way. She’d grown up watching her
mother do everything in her power to make her father
happy. That included giving him control over every
aspect of her life. From career choices to what she
wore out of the house every day, Sabrina Matthews
had let Eric run her; period.
If it didn’t make Eric happy then she didn’t do it.
It was just the way they’d lived. Paige’s father had
never raised his hand or his voice. He never had to,
not when he had a woman more than willing to do
anything to please him. For a long time Paige had
thought it normal until she saw the way things worked
outside of her small world; where love was always
used as a bargaining chip.
She’d never gotten used to people who openly
Nikki Winter
37
showed affection. It just wasn’t done in her family.
Emotions were locked away and unused until
manipulation was involved.
Once she reached middle school, Paige had
simply become introverted, deciding that if she kept to
herself then she wouldn’t be burned. Of course that
had all changed the day she met Lena. Being that
Paige was quiet she was an easy target. One day during
physical education, an asshole-in-the-making decided
that he didn’t like the way Paige ignored him so he was
going to make her notice him. He wouldn’t leave her
alone, kept calling her names, pulling on her hair,
anything that he could do to get under her skin.
That had quickly ended when twelve year old
Lena Ramos tried to ram her gym shoes far enough up
his ass to leave a Nike check on his tongue. Even after
getting in trouble and having to explain why she did it,
Lena never left Paige’s side. From there an
unbreakable bond was formed.
Lena’s home was the only place she found even a
little normalcy and saw what a real family was like.
Where there was compromise and true love. Mama
Mona and Pop Alejandro hadn’t been anything but
sweet to her. Hell, even Archer who had a reputation
for being an asshole of extreme proportions handled
her with kid gloves. And then there was Felix. There
Sweet Seduction
38
wasn’t a day that went by where he wasn’t saying
something sweet to her or trying to get her to smile.
Over the years that she’d gotten to know him,
really know him, she’d discovered things that never
failed to amaze her. He had one of the purest hearts
she’d ever encountered. He loved the simplest things.
She could remember the day he’d tricked her into
going to the state fair with him and dragged her
around trying to win something for her. Her mind
briefly flashed back to the almost six foot teddy bear at
home in her bed—then said mind replaced that teddy
bear with Felix…naked…
“Earth to Paige.” Felix interrupted her train of
thought, waving a hand in her face.
She snapped out of it and looked at him. His
look went from playfulness to concern in a few
seconds. “Where’d you go?”
Shaking her head, she leaned back in her seat.
Therein lay the problem. Her mind always went places
it wasn’t supposed to go around him. She was
supposed to be able to keep a lock on her emotions
and what was between her legs. Felix seemed to have
the key to both. “Nowhere. Just thinking.”
Felix didn’t stop watching her.
“What?” His stare was having that effect again,
making her warm all over. God, the things this man
Nikki Winter
39
did to her. It scared her, scared her a lot.
He leaned across the counter, his gaze now
focused on her lips. He licked his own and her
response was to do the same, when he groaned softly
and got close enough to kiss her, she snapped out of it.
Paige backed away and turned from Felix’s
frown as she headed out of the kitchen. “I’m tired. I
think I’m gonna go lay down for a while.” Then she
was running away, ignoring Felix as he called her
name.
“What did you do?” Lena demanded from the
other end of the phone.
Felix stood in the hallway a few feet from Paige’s
room door, unable to hear any activity inside. She’d
disappeared hours ago and he hadn’t heard the
slightest peep. That line about being tired was
bullshit—that much he knew.
“Me?” he said, “I didn’t do anything. We were
talking about our parents and—”
“C’mon Felix. You know good and damned well
the very last thing you want to mention to Paige is her
parents.” Lena groaned, cutting him off.
Running a hand through his hair he started
Sweet Seduction
40
pacing. “I didn’t mean to bring it up. She asked me
about Mom and I started talking and before I knew it
she was taking off.” Felix knew the story and dynamics
between Paige’s parents but it was only after he pried
it out of his little sister with blackmail.
“You know,” Felix said, “I’m surprised you took
this long to tell me being that your mouth runs like tap
water.”
“Lies! I’m the gatekeeper of secrets!”
“Um...wait...Is this coming from the very person
who swore on the shiny new chrome wheels of her
first Mustang that she wouldn’t tell Paige I had a
framed picture of her on my dresser then sung like a
Baptist choir in the south on Sunday morning the first
chance she got?”
There was silence and then, “I would’ve found
the framed picture sweet and endearing had you not
stole it outta my spring break album and Paige wasn’t
wearing that bikini.”
“I was drawn to how happy she looked.”
“You’re a liar and a raunchy pervert.”
Felix rolled his eyes. “And you’re evil incarnate
but we’re not supposed to be pointing out facts and
examples.”
“Felix just...don’t give up on her, okay?”
“I haven’t in the twenty something years I’ve
Nikki Winter
41
known her and I don’t plan on doing it now.”
“Good. Now I have to go, your brother-in-law
just walked in the room from giving the kids a bath.”
Wincing, he asked, “Is he in the fetal
position...again?”
“No, he’s just kind of staring at the wall and
shaking his head...Oh Archer, get up off the floor, it
can’t be that bad.”
Felix kept laughing, even when she hung up on
him. His gaze went back to Paige’s door. He needed to
get his shit together and fast before he started losing
ground with her.
42
To Get
She hadn’t meant to do it. She’d been minding
her damn business, looking through the double door
fridge, trying to find the leftovers from dinner when
he’d scared the shit out of her. Sadly, that resulted in
Paige picking up the cutting board in the middle of the
kitchen island and knocking Felix on his ass. Now she
was listening to him moan while she held a bag of
frozen peas to his head.
“Oh my face...my adorably roguish face...”
Paige rolled her eyes and slapped away his hands
so she could move the bag to his forehead. “Stop with
the whining already.”
“I can’t. You ruined what was once beautifully
made! Now what am I supposed to do? I’ll spend my
days alone and deformed occasionally finding joy in
scaring small children with my hideous appearance!”
Staring down at him, she really had to resist the
urge to hit him with the cutting board again. He did
look rather pathetic though with that cut over his left
eye starting to turn red and swell. “The most you’ll
have is a little scar to mar your so-called ‘perfection.’”
She stated drolly.
Nikki Winter
43
Felix gasped like she’d just admitted to fellating
one of his ranch hands behind the barn. “Scar? Did
you just say scar?” Suddenly, he gripped her around
the waist and buried his face in her chest, snuggling
deep. “This is too much for me to take. I...I need to be
held.”
“Felix—”
He fully stuck his head inside the gape in the
front of her robe. “Hmmm, you’re not wearing a bra.
That’s okay I never liked that lace stuff against my
face, makes it all itchy, yah know?” Inhaling deeply, he
sighed. “Nothing like skin to skin contact.”
“Felix—”
“Shhh, you’re supposed to be helping me come
to terms with the monstrous appearance I now have
seeing as how it’s all your fault.”
“Felix—”
“Paige do you not understand the meaning of
quiet comfort? Sometimes all a person needs is to be
held, no words spoken.” The tip of his nose brushed
her nipple, his voice now muffled as he spoke. Her
whole body shuddered. “I’m feeling better already.”
Desire like she’d never known almost made
Paige give in to any and everything Felix ever
wanted...almost. That, of course, was enough to scare
the hell out of her so when his lips made contact with
Sweet Seduction
44
her collarbone she jerked back as fast as she could.
Unfortunately, that caused Felix to roll out of her lap
like a ball and his head hit the floor with a solid
thump.
Paige winced and he grimaced. “You wanna add
brain damage to the list of things you’ve done to me
today?” He sat up and rubbed the back of his head.
“Sorry. Here.” She tossed him the bag of peas
and watched them smack him in the face. They both
groaned. Pulling her robe fully closed, Paige buried
her face into her hands. “Felix—”
“If you’re gonna hurt me shouldn’t I be wearing
a collar and calling you ‘Mistress’?”
She couldn’t help it, that first snort slipped out
and after that, laughing was inevitable. Before she
knew it, they were both on their sides.
“I’m sorry,” Paige gasped. “I swear I’m not doing
it on purpose.”
He just grinned as he sat up. “I’ll believe it when
the throbbing in my head and my cock stops.”
Her eyes drifted to the very noticeable bulge in
his pajama bottoms. Biting her lip, she asked, “Want
another bag of peas?” It was better than saying, “Can I
have it? Please, please, please?”
Smirking, he answered, “It wouldn’t help...trust
me.”
Nikki Winter
45
Paige sucked down a deep breath and stood. She
knew what would help, lots and lots of…No, no, no.
She couldn’t go there. Bed time tango wasn’t her forte.
Past experience had more than taught her that. “And
on that note, I’m going back to bed.”
Felix was off the floor in seconds and grabbing
her hand. “Oh no you don’t. You haven’t eaten all day
and I’ll be damned if I watch you go back to bed
hungry.”
He led her to her original spot at the kitchen
island and headed to the fridge. Paige watched the
corded muscles in his back bunch with every move he
made as he took out a foil wrapped plate and turned
on the oven. She rubbed her thighs together to ease
the ache that had formed between them. He set the
plate inside and set the timer before sitting across
from her and placing the bag of peas back to his
forehead.
She winced again. “Does it hurt?”
“Only when I do this.” He made a funny face that
pulled a chuckle out of her. His smile was wide and
bright. “I’m sorry I spooked you.”
“Why were you down here, skulking around
anyway?”
“I don’t skulk. I’m simply light and stealthy on
my feet.”
Sweet Seduction
46
“Dude, you weigh over two hundred and fifty
pounds yet you move like a kitten. That’s skulking.”
“I have plenty of other skills that I’d be more
than glad to show you.” He waggled his brows then
moaned. That’s when Paige got up and went around
the island to him, gripping his face between her hands.
“I think I might’ve given you a concussion.”
“Really? And where’d that deductive reasoning
come in Dr. Matthews? Before or after you almost
knocked my head off my shoulders?”
She narrowed her eyes at him. “If I didn’t do it
already I can make it happen, you know that right?”
His eyes twinkled. “You’re so cute when you’re
threatening me. You get this little line right here.”
Reaching up he smoothed his thumb between her
eyebrows. She didn’t back away from his touch. His
hands were amazing, so gentle despite the fact that he
worked with them all day in the roughest conditions.
Paige’s breath faltered as he cupped her cheek
and drew her head nearer to his. He licked his lips and
she mimicked the action. One taste couldn’t hurt,
right? It stood to reason that Felix had kissed her
more than enough over the years that she knew his
mouth almost as intimately as she knew her own so
one more kiss wouldn’t be her downfall would it?
Even as the thought crossed her mind, she knew
Nikki Winter
47
it was a lie. This kiss wouldn’t be like any of the others;
the ones that Felix stole at every opportunity—the
rushed pressing of his lips to hers before he pulled
away and ran off. No, the moment he brushed his
mouth across hers, softly, gently, she knew she was in
trouble. Lots and lots of trouble.
The concussion was worth it as far as he was
concerned dammit. He had Paige pliant in his arms,
kissing him back without resistance, without
complaint, without trying to knee him in the balls. If
all it took to get here was getting mild head trauma,
well, Felix would’ve done it long ago.
He’d been pacing the floors of his room, unable
to sleep when he’d heard her creeping down the stairs.
Figuring she’d be hungry and heading for the kitchen,
he followed and boy was he glad he did. Halfway bent
over into the double doors, her luscious ass barely
covered by the robe she was wearing, Paige had been a
welcome sight. It was just a little crappy that he’d
almost lost said sight when she swung that cutting
board at him. Honestly, Felix could admit that he
probably deserved it for sneaking up on her but the
woman had no clue what she did to him.
Sweet Seduction
48
When her tongue rubbed against his, he dropped
the frozen peas and wrapped his arms around her,
bringing her flush against him. Damned if every inch
of her soft, beautifully formed body didn’t feel good
against his. Her fingertips ran through his scalp,
lightly scratching as a whimper left her mouth. Felix’s
palms burned a trail from her back to her ass,
squeezing and kneading both halves as he lifted her
from the floor to straddle him. Standing from the
stool, his placed her on the counter top and nipped her
lips then her chin.
He pressed kisses to her throat, enjoying the way
her thighs clenched around his waist every time he
sucked her neck. His hand fumbled to get the belt of
her robe untied and he let out a triumphant grunt
when it finally opened—revealing that she’d only been
wearing tiny lace panties and nothing else underneath.
Felix’s groan joined hers when he latched onto a
taught nipple and sucked until it hit the roof of his
mouth. Paige’s back arched, pushing her groin into
his. One of his hands released her waist and traveled
down past her tummy to the seat of her underwear.
Feeling the warm moisture there, he pressed his
thumb against her clit and rubbed it through the
fabric, listening to her gasp of pleasure. He switched
nipples at the same time as he moved the lace to the
Nikki Winter
49
side and slid his middle finger between her folds and
inside of what surely had to be the gates of Heaven.
Paige tugged his hair until he let go of her breast
and latched onto her mouth again, kissing him as she
shook uncontrollably. She rode his hand without
hesitation, taking what he was willingly offering—
nirvana. Suddenly, it wasn’t enough for either of them.
Her palms seared his skin as they made their way
down his back, every touch igniting a new pleasure
point inside him as they tugged at his pajama bottoms
until his cock sprung free.
Felix ripped the side of her panties and tossed
them over his shoulder, intent of getting inside her.
Their first time wouldn’t be slow or romantic but he’d
make up for it later. He just needed her. Now. The
head of his dick brushed her wet folds and they both
gasped for air like oxygen had been sucked from the
room.
He was there, more than ready...And that’s when
the alarm on the stove rang. Paige jerked back so hard,
she almost flipped over the counter. Catching her by
the waist, he bought her back over to him but she
wiggled out of his arms, closing her robe.
“Shit, shit, shit...” She jumped down and
grabbed her panties.
“Paige...wait...”
Sweet Seduction
50
As he knew she would, she ran, and kept on
running until he heard her door slam.
Felix popped himself in the forehead and ran a
frustrated hand through his hair. “This is all your
fault. See what happens when I listen to you?” He
fussed staring down at his cock.
Sighing, he pulled his pants up and turned off
the stove alarm before getting Paige’s food out. What
bothered him the most was that after all that, she still
hadn’t eaten.
51
What You Need
Three days. Paige had purposely stayed in her
room for three days. What happened a few nights ago
had shook her to the core but she was sure that if she
didn’t come out of her room, Felix was coming in.
Seeing as how that might very well result in them
going so much further, Paige decided to come out.
Sighing, she grabbed a thick pair of socks and
boots to put on with her sweater and jeans before
venturing out of her room. She needed coffee and a
little fresh air. Just when she stepped out into the
hallway her phone started buzzing in her pocket. She
knew who it was before she even looked at the screen.
“When I get back to Texas, I’m beating you
beyond recognition. By the time I get done, you’re
gonna look like you just stepped off an extreme
makeover show.” Paige said without hesitation.
“Well at least somebody wants to touch me.”
Lena muttered from the other side of the phone.
Paige continued to the kitchen. “What’re you
talking about?”
“The asshole.”
“Uh...I thought we discussed this, Lena. You’re
Sweet Seduction
52
supposed to call him Archer or your husband but no
mean names.”
“The asshole deserves it.”
“And exactly what did he do this time? Faint
during one of Liam’s diaper changes...again?”
Lena snorted. “He swears up and down that he
was lightheaded from lack of food and needed to sit
down.”
Paige grinned as she finally reached the kitchen,
ignoring Felix as he ate breakfast at the center island.
“That’s because that’s the only way he can describe it
and hold onto his balls.”
“Yeah well, he’d have me to do that for him if
he’d just cooperate.”
Paige froze as she reached for a mug. “Okay, I
think we just crossed a pivotal line in the sand on the
boundaries of our friendship. Yet, I’m intrigued so I
need you to explain that statement.”
“Paige my marriage has all of a sudden become
sex-less.”
She took the phone away from her ear and
stared down at it for a few seconds before bringing it
back. “Come again?”
“See? That’s the problem right now. Nobody’s
coming...period.”
“So you’re telling me, the man who managed to
Nikki Winter
53
fuck you through the couch—with a broken leg and
sprained wrist—has suddenly grown a steel chastity
belt?” Felix sounded like he was about to choke on the
omelet he was chewing but Paige just kept on talking.
“That’s exactly what I’m telling you, just make
that steel titanium and you see where my frustration is
stemming from.”
“But…but...but this is Archer we’re talking
about. He-man, cro-magnon, Tarzan incarnate. The
only time he ever gave you a rest from being over,
under, or bent over in front of him was the six weeks
you had to wait after my precious little merchants of
evil were born.”
From the corner of her eye she saw Felix toss up
his hands while gagging as he threw the rest of his
breakfast away. She had to fully turn away just to stop
herself from laughing.
“Yes, I know who he is,” Lena was saying.
“Which is why I also wanna know where that Archer
went.”
“Maybe he’s having some...issues?” Paige said.
“Nope. Not even that. Dude almost put a hole in
my stomach this morning when I rolled over to face
him in bed.”
“And the line has been crossed....” Paige
murmured.
Sweet Seduction
54
Lena sighed. “I can’t figure it out. Is it me? Has
my charm somehow dimmed? Am I no longer the
woman of his dreams?”
“If you added just a little more drama to your
tone I could actually believe that’s what you’re
feeling.”
“I know. I’m really working on my acting skills.
Hey! Maybe a few tears and some sniffles will do it.”
Paige chuckled. “Maybe. Why don’t you go try
then call me back with the results?”
“Oh don’t even try it. I wanna know how things
have been going between you and Satan’s personal
assistant.”
“You guys have the cutest nicknames for each
other.” Paige stated, dryly, turning around to finally
look in Felix’s direction again. His dark eyes stalked
her every move so she stood stock still—feeling like a
hare when it knew a fox was close by, watching for the
perfect moment to strike.
His gaze ran over her in a slow assessment, one
side of his mouth kicking up when his eyes stopped at
the apex of her thighs. Wait…could he actually hear
her clit thumping in time with the sudden jolt in her
pulse?
Thump…thump…thump…
That was not good and from the way he’d started
Nikki Winter
55
grinning from ear to ear she’d bet her last dollar the
big bastard knew exactly what he was doing to her;
especially after the other night when they’d had their
hands all over each other.
“Okay, so it just got extremely quiet over there
which means I’m sitting on the phone with you while
you have some type of dirty stare down with my
brother...that’s nasty.” Lena said from the other end of
the phone.
“Well you stuck me here with him so...” Paige
answered as Felix got closer.
“Yeah, but right now we’re discussing my
problems and—”
Lena’s tirade was interrupted when Felix took
the phone from her and said, “She’ll call you back,”
before hanging up on his sister.
“That,” Paige said softly “was rude.”
He shook his dark head as he pinned her in with
his arms on either side of her, causing her to lean back
on the counter. “No, baby, what’s rude is camping out
in your room for three days and avoiding me.”
“I...wasn’t...”
“You almost choked on that lie, sweetheart,
careful.”
She glared up at him. “I’m on vacation, if I
wanna camp out in my room I can. As a matter of fact
Sweet Seduction
56
I think I’ll do so right now. Maybe I’ll stay there until
either the weather clears or it’s time to go home. Who
knows?” She started to go around him but Felix
snatched her to him so fast that her breath left her in a
whoosh.
“Try. Again.” He growled. “If you’re gonna camp
out in a room, it’s gonna be in my room, in bed, with
me.”
Good God the way those words left his mouth
had the muscles in her thighs tingling along with other
places. Irritated, Paige snapped, “What is it with you?”
His brows lifted but he didn’t respond.
“Can you not take rejection?”
This time when he spoke there was a smug smile
firmly in place. “Sweetheart, I can take rejection just
fine. What I can’t take is you lying to yourself and me
too.”
Oh, she didn’t like that. Not even in the slightest.
Felix could tell from the way her jaw flexed she was
about to tell him to fuck off, but she held it in. Her
chest rose and fell with a deep breath before she lied
again. “I don’t want you Felix.”
He smirked and moved closer to her. Nuzzling
Nikki Winter
57
her throat, he pressed his lips to her ear and
whispered, “I could believe that baby if I hadn’t heard
that little hitch in your breathing or seen the way you
clenched your thighs together. Then there’s the small
fact that every time I move like this,” He gently
brushed his chest across hers. “I know your nipples
are hard. And let’s not forget the other night when I
was close to fucking you hard enough that you
wouldn’t have had the energy to argue with whatever I
wanted from you.” Felix kissed the hammering pulse
in her neck and asked, “So, what is it you’re really
running from here Paige? Me? Or the fact that you’re
scared shitless that you want me?”
He pulled back when she didn’t respond. Her
eyes were closed and she was pulling in small sips of
air through her mouth.
Control. She was trying to gain control again.
One side of Felix’s mouth kicked up as a thought
occurred. “Paige?”
She looked at him.
“We’re here for another week and a half. You
want me out of your hair? Give me this time and when
we leave if you don’t want to continue whatever it is
we have here then I’ll walk away and leave you be.” He
was lying through his teeth. He’d fight for Paige until
he couldn’t do it anymore but he needed her to think
Sweet Seduction
58
she had the one thing she valued the most here,
control over what was between them.
Her eyes widened and Felix ran his index finger
down the side of her face. “Think about it.” Kissing the
tip of her nose, he stepped back and walked away.
“We’re here for another week and a half. You
want me out of your hair? Give me this time and
when we leave if you don’t want to continue whatever
it is we have here then I’ll walk away and leave you
be.” Those words had resonated in Paige’s every
waking move since Felix had walked away from her in
the kitchen this morning.
She kept waiting for him to come and find her, to
push her past her limit until she gave in but he’d kept
his distance all day. The only time he’d come out of his
room was to make sure she’d eaten and that was it.
Other than that, she hadn’t seen him and it was
driving her crazy.
He’d officially left the ball in her court but she
didn’t know how to play. She’d been lying to the both
of them when she said she didn’t want Felix but then
again, it had been half the truth. She didn’t just want
him, she needed him. His goofy sense of humor, over
Nikki Winter
59
protective nature, his nurturing, his love…Paige
stopped pacing her room. His love.
Closing her eyes for a moment, she tried her
damndest to stop her heart from hammering in her
chest. The one thing she needed she couldn’t have
because if she gave it back she might give too much.
“So what do I do now?”
Go get him. Her mind whispered. She sighed. A
week and a half. Paige could stay locked in her room
for that time or she could have a little happiness until
it came to an end. She wouldn’t go any further with
Felix but she could enjoy him while they were here and
go back to their normal lives once it was done.
Liar, liar. Her heart mocked but she ignored it.
A week and a half. She’d give him that and then be
done with it.
60
You Have To Use
Waiting was killing him. For every moment that
he sat in his room, wondering if she’d come to him, he
was dying a little inside. What if she’d already made
her choice? What if his hope was all for nothing
because Paige really didn’t want to be with him? What
if…
The soft knock on Felix’s door stopped his last
mental question. He was up and off his bed almost
before his brain could really give the command to his
legs. When he swung open his door, Paige was there,
staring up at him with the most hesitant look on her
face, nibbling her bottom lip.
Felix forced himself to take a deep breath and
relax. He leaned one shoulder into the doorway and
gave her a small smile. “Hi.”
One side of her mouth kicked up, her green eyes
twinkling just a little. “Hi.”
They stood just like that for what felt like hours
instead of seconds. He traced her features with his
gaze like he’d done so many times over the years,
knowing every curve of her face; from the small
dimple in her chin to the slightly slanted lift of her
Nikki Winter
61
eyes. Damn, she was beautiful. And for the rest of their
time here, she was his. Once this was said and done
he’d go after her harder than he’d ever done, refusing
her the right to run because he’d be done doing things
her way. No, he’d lay claim to her body now and finally
be able to climb the mountain that was her resistance
and place his flag there because Paige Matthews was
his.
Giving her the few moments that he knew she
needed, Felix finally stuck out his hand and waited for
her to take it. As soon as she did, he intertwined their
fingers and pulled her into his chest. He’d waited a full
ten years for this moment; nobody else in that span of
time had ever been able to make him feel the way she
could. Celibacy might’ve been harder if he would’ve
found himself drawn to anyone but her, yet that was
never the case. And considering how much he loved
her, Paige was more than worth the wait.
“Felix—”
Oh. Not. Even. He was past the point of talking
and it was about time he showed her that. Before
whatever she was about to say could leave her mouth,
he slanted his lips over hers and devoured the moan
that left her throat. Backing up, he pressed his foot
into the door and kicked it closed as he got closer to
his bed.
Sweet Seduction
62
Felix’s tongue tangled with Paige’s causing a
shudder to rack his body as her soft hands found their
way to his hair, raked through the locks that he’d
meant to cut shorter weeks ago. Now he wasn’t so
sure, her touch felt too good combing through his
scalp. His cock thumped against the zipper of his jeans
with every light scratch of her nails. When one hand
ventured from his scalp, down his neck and scraped
over the muscles in his shoulders, it felt like electricity
had shot up his spine.
Somehow she knew exactly how to touch him
and with every caress he fell deeper. Felix broke the
kiss and tried to draw in a normal breath as he stared
her directly in the eyes and reached down to grasp the
hem of her sweater. Maintaining eye contact he slowly
pulled it up and over her head, tossing it to the floor.
Paige’s hands smoothed from his back to his waist and
then up his chest under his t-shirt before she repeated
his act.
Leaning down, he trailed his lips from hers to
her jaw before pressing light nips and kisses to her
throat, enjoying every shiver her body gave at the
contact of his mouth on her beautiful skin. He kept a
palm pressed to the dip in her back as his other hand
unhooked the back of her lacey bra and tugged it off to
join her sweater on the floor.
Nikki Winter
63
He heard it when her breath stuttered as he
palmed one of her breasts and rolled her nipple
between his thumb and forefinger. His name came out
in a breathless whisper as the hand he’d previously
placed to the dip in her back, blazed a trailed
downwards until he had a hand full of her ass; the ass
that he’d been watching since adolescence. The same
ass that had played many parts in his fantasies for
years.
Felix nuzzled the top of her head when she
dipped it to kiss his Adam’s apple. He gulped when her
teeth lightly bit down and she soothed the sting away.
Capturing her mouth again, he nipped her bottom lip
and tugged before sucking it into his mouth. When he
let go, she took over the kiss as her hands made their
way to the belt on his jeans and unbuckled it, her
nimble fingers unzipping him without hurting him.
She eased that hand past the waistband and ran
her palm across his length. Air seized in his lungs
when Paige finally got past the barrier of his briefs and
gripped his cock in her hand. When her thumb rubbed
across the head before she gave one good stroke, he
knew he had to stop her before he forgot that he
wasn’t supposed to just throw her on the bed and fuck
her into oblivion.
Finally, he released her lips and grasped the
Sweet Seduction
64
hand stroking him so good that his stomach had
clenched at every touch. He took both her hands and
placed them behind her back. “Keep ’em there.”
“Felix—”
He kissed her until she was breathless, her chest
heaving as she tried to draw a normal breath. “Keep.
Them. There.” He demanded again.
Paige bit her bottom lip but didn’t argue. He
didn’t gloat on her surrender, just dropped to his
knees in front of her, taking in the expanse of toffee
colored skin before him. It was like the playground
he’d always wanted; so many curves and dips that he
didn’t know where he should start first.
Then his eyes focused on her dark chocolate
nipples, the areolas full and ripe just begging for his
tongue. Felix didn’t hesitate. He pulled one into his
mouth and sucked until her knees just about gave out.
One arm came around her waist to catch her.
“Felix!”
He hummed against the nipple in his mouth,
flicking the tip of his tongue back and forth against the
tight bud until nothing but groans were dredged up
from Paige’s throat. He let go and switched as his
other hand came up to undo her jeans and pull them
down until they pooled at her ankles. She stepped out
of them and kicked them to the side. Felix delved into
Nikki Winter
65
her panties and felt the cream that had gathered on
the lips of her pussy.
His eyes slammed shut as he once again resisted
the urge to bend her over and give them both what
they’d been dancing around for so long. Pulling back,
he stared up at Paige’s face. Her kiss swollen lips were
slightly parted as she drew in shallow breaths, her eyes
half-mast when she looked back at him.
Swirling his tongue around her belly button,
Felix used his middle finger to rub her clit in slow
circles. Her hips jerked forward. “Ahhhh…”
“Oh baby,” Felix crooned. “Is all this for me?”
Paige didn’t answer nor did her hips stop
moving with every brush of his digit against the small
bundle of nerves. “I can’t hear you, sweetheart. Is all
this for me?” He asked again.
She nodded jerkily and he shook his head. “Unh-
unh. I wanna hear you say it. Say, ‘Yes, Felix my pussy
is creaming for you.’”
Drawing in a deep breath, she dutifully repeated
what he said and his dick jumped. He licked a path
from her navel down to her bikini line.
“Ohhh…Felix…please…”
“Please what batimentos cardíacos? Tell me
what you want,” he whispered in between teasing
flicks of his tongue.
Sweet Seduction
66
Paige panted. “I want…I want…”
“Go ahead, baby. Tell me.” He urged, gripping
the edge of her panties between his teeth and tugging.
“I want you to lick me,” she answered softly and
he chuckled deviously.
“I am licking you.” Felix retorted.
She paused and he could tell she was struggling
with voicing what she really wanted. He let go of her
panties and looked up at her again. “It’s just you and
me in this room, Paige. Anything that you want me to
do, all you have to do is ask. So tell me where you want
me to lick you.”
He watched the muscles in her stomach clench
when she finally said, “My pussy.”
All too happy to oblige, Felix finally stopped
toying with her and tore her panties away before
easing his tongue between the folds of her labia and
delving into her canal. Her hips rocked forward as she
cried out and he gripped her ass to spread her legs
further apart so he could go deeper. Paige ground into
his face when he wrapped his lips around her clit and
sucked until he felt her shaking.
He ignored it when she disobeyed his earlier
command and brought her hands around to press his
mouth tighter to her.
“Felix…Felix…Felix…” She chanted over and
Nikki Winter
67
over again.
He didn’t stop tonguing her for a second even
when those first and second orgasms crashed over her.
He tunneled two fingers inside her and curled them
upwards until he found the spot he was looking for.
Paige came, screaming his name this time, and he
couldn’t stop himself from doing what he did next.
Was she supposed to be seeing stars? Yes? No?
Maybe? Paige didn’t have the slightest clue and
damned if she cared because right about now if Felix
asked her to sing “Star Spangled Banner” and twirl a
baton she would if it meant he’d make her climax like
that again.
She felt herself being lifted before her back hit
his pillow top mattress and his body blanketed hers.
Everywhere her hands could reach, Paige touched. It
was all so gorgeous. The deep olive skin, the expanse
of contracting muscles, the scars; every bit of it made
her happy to be a woman, especially when she felt the
part of him that mattered the most probing her
opening.
“Look at me, baby,” Felix rasped, his dark eyes
focused directly on her face as he rubbed the head of
Sweet Seduction
68
his cock against her clit. “There’s been no one else
since the day I kissed you.” He rubbed his nose against
hers. “Understand?”
She nodded, knowing what he meant and feeling
a tug in her heart that he would tell her that. Somehow
she wasn’t surprised, but was still elated that he’d
waited this long just to be with her. “Me either.” She
whispered back and watched as the words registered
for him.
He pressed his lips to her forehead, her eyelids,
her nose and then finally to her lips, letting her taste
herself as he slowly eased his cockhead into her. The
stretch burned a bit but felt so natural that she didn’t
want him to stop. She gripped his shoulders and lifted
her hips, urging him on as she stared at how his jaw
clenched.
“Don’t hold back Felix, please,” she pleaded.
Paige needed this, needed him. Even if it were for a
short while, being connected to this man would be the
greatest few days of her life. She wanted all of him
because when this was over she’d have to give it all up.
“I don’t want to hurt you,” he panted against her
throat.
Paige lifted her legs and spread them wide,
causing him to sink deeper as she wrapped them
around his waist, locking her heels just underneath his
Nikki Winter
69
ass.
“Paige…” Felix warned but she was tired of
talking. With one good lift of her hips, she impaled
herself completely on his cock and lights danced
behind her closed lids.
“Jesus…” she groaned.
“Fuck…” he grunted and wrapped his arms
around her, holding her tight before his hips began to
move in a frantic pace as he pounded into her body.
“I’m sorry baby… I can’t… it’ll be slower… later…
promise…” he babbled into her hair, but Paige wasn’t
listening. She was too focused on the waves of
pleasure that shot up her spine with every thrust of his
hips.
“Oh God…Felix…”
He gripped her harder, his harsh bursts of
breath hot against her neck. Paige reached down to
grip his ass, feeling the muscles move under her
fingertips as he thrust harder and harder almost to the
point of fucking her halfway across the bed. She
clawed at his back as tears crested on her lashes.
“So good…so good…so good…ahhh…” Fire
danced in her womb as her back arched off the
mattress.
“Are you about to come, Paige? Hmm baby?” He
rotated his hips one way and then the other, the base
Sweet Seduction
70
of his dick rubbing against her clit as the tip rubbed
against her g-spot.
At that point Paige didn’t know if she was going
or coming, the pleasure was too intense.
“Ah…Felix…Please…” A whimper left her mouth.
“Please what baby? What do you want?” Felix
growled in her ear then nipped the lobe.
She moaned. “Need…to…come…”
He sat back on his haunches but didn’t leave her
body. Gripping her legs, he unwrapped them from his
waist and lifted them into the air, spreading them wide
to form a perfect V as he fucked her, his cock still
delivering punishing strokes.
“Say it again, baby. Tell me what you need,” he
rasped.
Paige gripped the comforter, her hands trying to
find some type of leverage as euphoria dangled on the
horizon. “I need to come!”
“Done,” Felix growled before he reached down
and pinched her clit sending her spiraling into the
abyss that was her climax.
Paige’s throat went hoarse when she called out
his name once again as her body seized in spasms that
caused her to almost swallow her tongue. Somewhere
in the distance, she heard his roar of release before she
began to float to earth again.
Nikki Winter
71
Panting from exertion of the best kind, Felix
kissed the insides of Paige’s ankles and let her legs
down. She moved and he grunted, “Unh-unh. Stay
still.” When she stopped he gently pulled out of the
welcoming warmth that was her body.
Stumbling from the bed, he made his way into
the bathroom and found a clean cloth. He cleaned
himself first then found another and doused it in
warm water. Walking on shaky legs back to Paige, he
gently cleaned her, knowing she’d probably be sore in
the morning. She sighed but didn’t make a move or
open her eyes. Felix took the cloth back into the
bathroom to dump it in the hamper and gathered all
his strength to make it back to his bed where the love
of his life was fast asleep. A sweet smile played along
the corners of her lush mouth, one hand fisted under
her cheek as she dozed on her side.
Grinning broadly, Felix turned off the lights and
climbed into bed beside her. Pulling the duvet over
them, he tugged her to his chest until she rested
comfortably against him and kissed her forehead. “I
love you. More than you’ll ever know,” he whispered
against her hair. He didn’t expect a response and the
Sweet Seduction
72
way she snuggled into him tighter was enough for him
to close his eyes and drift off into the most contented
sleep he’d ever had.
73
Methods Of
“Don’t. Move.” The whispered words sent a blaze
of heat from the top of Paige’s head to the bottoms of
her feet as soon as they left Felix’s lips.
He had her bent over the family room sofa, her
hands tightly gripping the leather as he held her hips
still, his cock pulsing inside of her. Paige gritted her
teeth when he pulled out and with torturously slow
movement pushed back in so deep that she felt the air
still in her lungs for a moment.
He’d been tormenting her like this for an hour
now. Every time she was on the edge of a cresting
climax he’d pull back and make her wait just to build
the heat all over again. When they were done, and she
managed to be able to walk upright again, she would
kill him for toying with her.
“Felix…” she growled and he chuckled, the deep
rumble of laughter vibrating through his chest as he
pressed it to her back.
“Yes, baby?”
“If you don’t stop playing around, I’m gonna call
Lena and find the best method of inhumane torture to
end you.”
Sweet Seduction
74
“Aww baby, how am I playing around? By doing
this?” Once again he pulled his cock out until nothing
but the tip remained then shoved back in with so
much force that Paige gasped.
“Oh…God…”
“Or by doing this?” He gave her two sharp
thrusts that caused her back to arch as she got up on
her tippy toes just to meet them. Paige almost sighed.
Apparently, walking around in his t-shirt with no
panties had been more than enough invitation for
punishment—even though it had been the big
bastard’s idea that she walk around like that in the
first place.
Her jaw clenched as she bit back a moan when
one large rough palm covered one of her breasts and
pinched a nipple, sending electricity zinging right to
her clit.
Felix groaned. “Oh sweetheart when I do this,”
He pinched her other nipple and a sound close to a
whimper left him, “Your pussy squeezes me so hard.”
Paige’s breath caught when he did it again and
she couldn’t take it anymore. She moved her hips
backwards, pumping herself onto his length.
Felix hissed and smacked her on the ass before
stilling her jerky movements. “Unh-unh. What did I
say?”
Nikki Winter
75
Practically sobbing his name she tried to move
again but he held her still. “Felix, please.”
His palm came down on her ass again, causing
fire to dance between her legs. “What. Did. I. Say?”
She whimpered, her eyes slamming shut. “Not to
move…you told me not to move…”
“So why did you do it anyway?” He spread her
legs a little further apart, palming both halves of her
behind and thrusting deeper.
“Ah…”
“Why did you move when I told you not to
Paige?” Felix questioned again, reaching down to rub
her clit in slow circles. “Tell me and I might finally
give you what you want.”
“Because…because…” She couldn’t think when
he played with her like that. They’d spent at least three
days in bed after their first time and she still couldn’t
get enough of his touch. Every brush of his fingertips
across her skin ignited nothing but need. Every kiss
made her feel like she was high on oblivion and every
whispered word felt like a thousand little caresses.
Felix had her wide open; figuratively and literally.
“Because what batimentos cardíacos?”
Oh God, why did he have to whisper that? He
knew what it did every time he whispered that. Paige
felt an orgasm cresting just from those words alone.
Sweet Seduction
76
“Because I need to come.”
His laughter was low and teasing. “And what do
you need in order for you to come?”
She paused. He always did that, made her say
specifically what she needed before he gave it to her.
“Say it,” he purred and her pussy clenched.
“I need you to fuck me…hard…now…please…”
Paige panted, finally giving in.
The last words hadn’t even left her mouth before
he gripped her hips and straightened himself to pull
out then slam back in. Every thrust of his hips sent her
closer to coming. She pushed back as he pushed
forward her breath coming out in shallow puffs every
time he entered her. The growls he emitted turned her
on just as much as his movements and when he
pressed his chest to her back once again to whisper,
“Come” she did, obediently shattering into a million
tiny pieces.
Felix intertwined his fingers with Paige’s,
marveling at how small her hand was compared to his
own. Every part of her fit him just as it was supposed
to. Where he was hard, she was soft and curved.
Where he was rough, her skin was butter soft. And
Nikki Winter
77
where his skin was lightly tanned from his heritage
and days spent working in the sun, hers was a
beautifully deep candy caramel.
He loved every part of this woman, even now
when she was hogging all the Sweet Temptation
cookies. He’d intertwined their fingers so he could
hold her hand down over her head and use his free
hand to tickle the backs of her knees, her secret spot.
Paige giggled and tried to buck him off. “Stop,
stop, stop!”
“Are you gonna be nice and share?”
She finished chewing what was in her mouth and
shook her head, blowing a raspberry at him.
His brows winged and he ran his fingertips
under her knees again. When she snorted by accident,
both of them stopped. Paige’s eyes widened as her
cheeks turned bright red but Felix just busted out
laughing and let her go.
She kicked at him. “It’s not funny! Shut up!”
For as long as he’d known her, Felix had never
heard her snort and it had to be the most adorable
thing he’d ever witnessed in his life. She went to climb
out of the fort they’d built in the living room but he
pulled her back into his lap, trying desperately to stop
laughing at her. “Oh baby, I’m not laughing…at you…I
swear…”
Sweet Seduction
78
Paige punched him in the shoulder and he
started all over again.
“Asshole.”
He kissed her forehead and bit his lip to keep
from grinning. “Stop pouting.”
She didn’t.
“Cada parte é fermoso para min, mesmo as
máis embaraçosas.” Felix chuckled against her hair.
Paige looked up at him with a tiny frown. “What
does that mean?”
He framed her face in his hands and kissed her
softly on the lips. “Each part is beautiful to me, even
the most embarrassing ones.”
Her lips twitched. “Suck up.”
Grinning wide, he nodded. “Yes, now share the
cookies.”
Nose scrunching, she shook her head. “Nope.
Make me.”
His head cocked as he trailed his gaze from her
face to the apex of her thighs. Paige shook her head
again, backing up and almost taking out the pillow
wall of their fort. “Unh-unh Felix. Not again.”
He smirked. “Yes, again.”
Then he was on her before she could take off.
Nikki Winter
79
It was their last night. Over the past week and a
half, Felix had shown her in at least a hundred
different ways how much he loved her and every time
she melted. When she’d suggested building a fort in
the middle of the living room and watching Disney all
day she thought he’d laugh at her but he didn’t. If
anything, his eyes lit up like a little kid’s and he’d ran
through the house collecting blankets and pillows to
construct their mini castle.
They’d also pigged out on snacks, had several
snow ball fights and sock skated on the hardwood
floors through the cabin. Every single minute of it had
been amazing and every single time he’d made her
smile or laugh, Paige felt herself falling deeper and
deeper in love. She sighed as she traced Felix’s lips
with a fingertip while he slept peacefully. He didn’t
wake up, just gripped her around the waist and pulled
her closer to his body before settling down again. He
looked so content. Inside, she knew his ease was due
to the past two weeks, so did she really want this to
end? She loved him. Even if she’d never uttered the
words out loud, she loved him. Every. Part. Of. Him.
From his goofy sense of humor to the way he looked at
her, the way he interacted with Abby and Liam, the
way he loved Lena, the way he adored and respected
Sweet Seduction
80
his parents, his loyalty to Archer’s friendship and
every other aspect of this man was pure.
Was she willing to give all of that up out of the
fear that she’d lose herself in her feelings?
Too restless to sleep, Paige kissed his forehead
and managed to slip out of his arms. She found a pair
of jeans and a sweater to put on along with boots and
her parka. Maybe a walk would clear her head.
Paige made her way around the cabin and into
the backyard, staring out at the mountain tops and
frozen lake in the distance as her head started to
process exactly how much had happened between her
and Felix during their vacation.
She almost felt like calling Lena and thanking
her for being Satan incarnate because it had finally
made her realize something. Out of all the years Felix
had been chasing her, he’d never tried to control or
change her. There were never any lies or
manipulations used. He never held back on his
feelings and even after ten years he’d remained
celibate just to prove how much he wanted to be with
her so exactly what was she running from?
Paige slapped a hand against her forehead.
“Stupid, you can be so damn stupid.”
Felix had been the one to help her study for her
exams when she went through veterinary school,
Nikki Winter
81
always pushing her to do better right along with Lena.
When she’d graduated he’d been the one screaming
the loudest because her parents—who didn’t approve
of her choice of a career goal, since her father hadn’t
picked it—hadn’t been there and he’d seen how much
it hurt her. The day she got her first job as a vet tech
he’d brought her lunch from Grayson’s and made sure
she was eating right. And when she’d started scouting
locations for her own office, he’d helped until they
found one.
Felix had never tried to control her. All he’d ever
done was support her and she’d spent so much time
afraid that she’d lose herself that she was close to
losing him. Even when she pushed him away he just
got closer, never once giving up on her.
“I can be such a dumbass sometimes, Jesus.” So
lost in her thoughts she didn’t hear the footsteps
behind her until they got closer.
Paige spun around but one booted foot slipped
and she lost her balance. She was going down before
she knew it. She put her hands out, waiting for an
impact that never came.
That’s when she heard his chuckle, felt it rumble
through his chest as his strong arms held her just a
few seconds from breaking something important.
“You can open your eyes, sweetheart. I got you.”
Sweet Seduction
82
She did, very slowly and felt herself being
righted until her feet were firmly back on the ground.
“What’re you doing out here? You almost ruined
your pretty face.” One big hand came up to cup her
cheek and wipe a snowflake away. That’s when an
acute sense of déjà vu hit her hard in the gut.
Grabbing that hand, she stared Felix straight in
the eyes when she whispered, “I love you.”
He blinked and blinked again. Then he shook his
head. “I’m sorry. Could you repeat that? I think I
zoned out for a second and heard the wrong thing.”
She grabbed the front of his leather bomber and
pulled him in close. “I. Love. You. And I know we had
this stupid agreement and I’ve been really slow and
running for no reason but I just realized exactly how
much you mean to me and I don’t think I can give that
up for—”
Paige’s words were cut off when Felix leaned
down and pressed his lips to hers, slipping his tongue
inside and kissing her until she was breathless.
He pulled back and stared down at her with so
much love that any chance of drawing in a normal
breath was out the window. Felix didn’t speak for a
long time then he said, “When I woke up and you were
gone I thought you’d ran.”
She shook her head so hard that her hood came
Nikki Winter
83
off. “No, I didn’t. I can’t. I’m tired of running. I kept
believing that loving you would somehow change me
and it has.” Running her thumb over his bottom lip,
she smiled. “For the better. I can stop being scared
that I’m going to wake up some day and think that I
gave up everything I love just to satisfy you because I
realize I’m so much stronger than that. I’m not my
mother.”
“And I’m not your father.”
She cocked her head. “That was never my fear. I
was scared that I would give up who I am because I
thought that’s what you wanted, not necessarily
because you remind me of him. I kept panicking
because I’d feel so much love hit me just staring at you
that it’d make my head spin for a minute and the
intensity of that is what frightened me. When you love
a person the way I love you it’s mind boggling because
you realize you’d do almost anything just to get them
to keep on loving you in return. I didn’t wanna repeat
the cycle.”
He pulled her closer and hugged her tight. “I
love you without conditions, batimentos cardíacos.”
She pulled back and looked up at him. “You
never did tell me what that means.”
Giving her a lopsided grin, he placed her hand
over his heart and whispered, “Heartbeat. It means
Sweet Seduction
84
heartbeat.”
The backs of her eyes burned and she had to
blink a few times to stave off the tears that had
gathered. Unable to say anything else, she just
whispered back, “Marry me?”
85
Sweet Seduction
Three years later…
“Felix, we’re supposed to be cutting the cake,”
Paige panted against her husband’s chest as his strong
hands ran down her sides to grip her ass and pull her
tighter to him.
“I have the sweet I want right here.” He sucked
her earlobe between his lips and tugged, causing her
thighs to clench.
“Oh that’s just nasty. Respect the fresh pastries
people!” A voice called from the kitchen doorway.
Paige looked over Felix’s shoulder to see Lena
making a beeline for the cake. She wasn’t surprised
since her friend had an obsession with anything that
came from Sweet Temptations. Lena had even
managed to invite the owner Bianca Halima and her
family along with Archer’s friend Victory Graham.
Then there was Dexter Franklin who Archer also knew
along with his wife and children.
The amount of kids everyone had was damn
hard to keep up with but somehow Paige had
managed. She was keeping a particularly close eye on
Sweet Seduction
86
the one they called Bailey. There was something a
little…off in the way that girl stared at everyone.
Laughing, Paige managed to pry her husband’s hands
off of her and got out of his grasp. “We were just about
to cut it, honest.”
Lena’s brows winged. “Lies.”
Paige snorted as two more women came through
the swinging doors. “The kids are getting mighty
cranky, and I don’t know if anybody but me noticed,
but that Liam’s a screamer,” Brianna Halima—
Bianca’s older sister announced.
“I noticed it, being that I live with it every day.”
Lena sighed.
Brianna gave Lena a pat on the head along with
a pitying look. “And we feel so sorry for you.”
“Considering the fact that my children are in the
process of plotting to take over the world, I have no
sympathy for others,” Bianca stated.
They all stopped talking long enough to stare
over at Felix who happened to be the lone male in the
room at the moment. Paige wanted to yell for him to
run and never look back but she had a feeling they’d
just chase him down and hog tie him like they’d
apparently done Victory years ago. That story had
been an…interesting one.
“Uh…I’m just gonna see what Archer is up to on
Nikki Winter
87
the grill.” Then he did run, leaving Paige with the crazy
females who seemed nice enough when they weren’t
slap fighting or insulting one another.
“There’s something about the males in Damon
and being able to wear a pair of Levi’s…” Bianca
murmured, staring at Felix as he made his escape.
Paige threw a dish cloth at her. “Eyes off my
man’s bits or the cake won’t be all that’s cut.”
She just shrugged. “I have people eyeing Evan’s
bits on a regular. Why should you be exempt from
mutual husband ogling?”
Paige started to open her mouth but Lena beat
her to it. “Because she knows what to do to turn your
face orange for a month.”
Two sets of eyes widened before Brianna went,
“Can you please, please, please teach me how to do
that?”
“No!” Everybody shouted.
Brianna pouted and kicked one booted foot
against the floor. “I don’t ever get to do anything fun.”
Felix watched Evan Halima storm across the
backyard and snatch the cookie that his eleven year
old daughter Bailey was about to hand to one of
Sweet Seduction
88
Roderick Hine’s sons and had to fight not to laugh.
The boy looked terrified. That’s when he heard Bianca
yell, “Evan Halima! You leave them alone right now!”
Rod rubbed his temples. “Vic kept telling me
that someday my old ways would haunt me.” Then he
made his way across the yard to collect his son.
The rest of the party guests had ambled off to eat
or socialize, leaving Felix and Archer to man the grill.
“Dude, I don’t think our kids are gonna break the cycle
anytime soon.” Felix stated looking around at all the
little girls and boys who were huddled together in
small groups or playing.
Archer shook his head. “Speak for yourself. I
already warned all the little crumb-snatchers that
Abby was so off limits that if it even looked like they
were trying to make eye contact with her nobody
would ever find their remains.”
“And I told you to stop threatening innocent
children.” Lena said walking up behind her husband.
Archer winced. “See, what I meant to say was…”
“Zip it, giant.” She rolled her eyes and looked at
Felix. “Your birthday boy is ready to cut his cake
already.”
Felix searched through the throng of people.
“Really, where is he?”
“Right here, Papa.” A small weight hit the back
Nikki Winter
89
of his legs and Felix chuckled before turning around to
find Paige standing behind him, their son Fabian
latched onto his calf muscle. “Ah, there’s my little
man.” Reaching down, her grabbed the two year old
and kissed the top of his head full of riotous curls.
“Today you’re a big boy.”
Fabian’s green eyes lit and he clapped his small
hands. “Big boy! Big boy! Cake! Cake! Cake!”
Chuckling, Felix pulled his wife into his side.
“We’re in for one hell of a time huh?” he asked,
watching all their friends hustle their own kids to
gather them around the main picnic table.
She grinned up at him and nothing could’ve
been more beautiful at that moment. “Yeah, but I
think it’s more than worth it.”
Looking around at their newly acquired friends
and family, his smile widened. It had taken him ten
years but he’d finally gotten exactly what he needed.
The woman by his side was his everything. And all it
had taken was just a little sweet seduction.
Nikki
Sweet Seduction
90
To read more about the characters connected to this
book, check out the following stories by Nikki Winter:
Sweet Temptations (Bianca and Evan)
Sweet Surrender (Brianna and Dane)
Sweet Victory (Victory and Roderick)
Sweet Words (Harlow and Dexter)
Sweet Allure (Lena and Archer)
Sweet Valentine (Bianca and Evan holiday)
Sweet Surprise (Archer and Lena holiday)
Nikki Winter
When Nikki wrote her first story in the tenth grade, she knew
without a doubt she was destined for greatness. Now if she
could just convince everyone else…
Buckling down, she’s taken the time to polish what she refers to
as her “writing superiority.” She hopes that the tales she has
created grab the readers’ attention, and make them devoted
slaves to her will fans. If you want to let her know just how
absolutely, positively awesome she is, you can always e-mail her
at
, friend her on Facebook at
http://www.facebook.com/people/Nikki-
Winter/100002445230428
, or follow her on Twitter as
@NikkiWinter19.
