Forbidden Obsessions Read online

  Forbidden Obsessions

  By Jodie Griffin

  Book four of Bondage & Breakfast

  Bondage & Breakfast was a safe place for couples to explore BDSM—until an arsonist almost destroyed it. While the inn is closed for repairs, owner Gabe McConnell allows injured firefighter Olivia Watterson to stay and recover as a favor to a mutual friend. His attraction to her is unexpected and intense—but there’s no way she’s strong enough for the type of play he demands from a sub.

  When she arrives at the inn, Liv is shocked—and intrigued. Her unanticipated obsession with the sexy, skilled Dom makes her all the more impatient with her slow recuperation. Even more frustrating is the way Gabe handles her like fragile glass, and she’s determined to prove she’s anything but by pushing her body to the limit.

  Holding back should be easy for Gabe, but the more Liv challenges his limits, the more he craves her, body, mind and heart...

  Want more Bondage & Breakfast? Check out Forbidden Fantasies, available now!

  55,000 words

  Dear Reader,

  Usually I begin these letters with some chatty information, but I’m departing from my norm this time to give you the opportunity to talk to me. At Carina, we’re always discussing our books and making sure we’re meeting your needs—not just with story and content, but also in the way they’re put together. This month, I’d like to reach out to you and ask your opinion on how the Carina Press books utilize the front and back matter. Do you like having the dear reader letter in the front? Would you prefer if it were in the back? Is there something more—excerpts, book lists or other information—we could be providing after the books? We welcome your comments and hope you will reach out to us with your thoughts at [email protected].

  In the meantime, it’s business as usual here at Carina Press headquarters, and that means a lineup of excellent books (no bias here!) for the month of September. We welcome author Jael Wye to Carina Press with her science-fiction fairy-tale retelling, Ice Red, in which the tale of Snow White plays out on the deadly and beautiful planet Mars 300 years in the future. Joining her in launching a new series is return author Nico Rosso, who grabbed my attention the first time he pitched this series to me as “demon rock stars.” Misty is thrown into rock star and immortal demon Trevor Sand’s supernatural world of music, monsters and passion in Heavy Metal Heart.

  More unique voices this month include urban fantasy author R.L. Naquin’s newest Monster Haven novel, Fairies in My Fireplace, as well as Agamemnon Frost and the Hollow Ships, book two of Kim Knox’s male/male science-fiction trilogy.

  Sandy James wraps up her Alliance of the Amazons series with The Volatile Amazon. The Water Amazon leads the Alliance as they face their archenemy in their last and greatest fight. Veronica Scott joins Sandy in the paranormal category with Egypt-set Warrior of the Nile.

  We have multiple releases in the erotic romance genre this month, including Love Letters Volume 5: Exposed, in which the Love Letters ladies strip away everything but the hot truth, and four couples see each other in a tantalizingly revealing new light. Forbidden Obsessions by Jodie Griffin features Bondage & Breakfast owner Gabe McConnell, who finally gets his chance at love when he meets a novice submissive who touches a part of his dominant heart no one else ever has. In Lynda Aicher’s Bonds of Hope, former America’s sweetheart Quinn Andrews has an opportunity to revive her career by playing a sexual submissive in a highly anticipated new TV series. Quinn is ready to throw herself into the role, and sex club The Den is the ideal place for a crash course.

  Also in the erotic romance genre, we’re pleased to welcome author Lise Horton to Carina Press with Words of Lust. A career spent teaching erotic literature does not prepare brainy Professor Serafina Luca for NYC construction foreman Nick Stellato, but his lessons in lust promise to fulfill her wickedest desires, and his promise of love, her wildest dreams.

  For historical romance fans, Alyssa Everett offers up A Tryst with Trouble. The arrogant heir to a dukedom and a blunt-spoken spinster take an instant dislike to each other, but must join forces to solve a murder mystery in this clever regency romp.

  Kaylea Cross returns with another edge-of-your-seat romantic suspense novel, Lethal Pursuit. An air force pararescue jumper and a female security forces officer are locked in an intense battle of wills, but when they’re captured by an enemy warlord, it takes everything they have to survive and fight their way back to friendly lines together. Check out the other books in this series, Deadly Descent and Tactical Strike.

  We’re excited to present Corroded, the next book in Karina Cooper’s St. Croix Chronicles. Now fixated on revenge, bounty hunter Cherry St. Croix must bend all her intellect on catching a murderer—no matter whose help she must ask, and to whose demand she must submit.

  Last, I’m thrilled to announce the release of three debut authors this month. Rebecca Crowley’s contemporary sports romance, The Striker’s Chance, gives us passion on and off the pitch when ambitious PR manager Holly Taylor has to revamp the playboy image of sexy, stubborn professional soccer player Kepler de Klerk. Michelle Witvliet breaks onto the romantic suspense scene with Breaking Protocol. She can’t let go of a tragic past; he faces an uncertain future; so they live in the moment and discover all they really need is each other. And in our new adult lineup, debut author Melissa Guinn offers a new adult romance novel about first love, second chances and learning to let go in Headfirst Falling.

  I hope you enjoy this month’s releases as much as we have, and find them satisfying, remarkable and memorable!

  We love to hear from readers, and you can email us your thoughts, comments and questions to [email protected]. You can also interact with Carina Press staff and authors on our blog, Twitter stream and Facebook fan page.

  Happy reading!

  ~Angela James

  Executive Editor, Carina Press

  www.carinapress.com

  www.twitter.com/carinapress

  www.facebook.com/carinapress

  Dedication

  For N. and E.

  Couldn’t do this without you.

  Acknowledgments

  As always, thanks to my fabulous crit partners Chelle, Marcy, Ami and Rae. You reel me in, cheer me on and also kick my butt when I need it. Also, thank you to Jennifer for being my beta reader slash guinea pig. I appreciate it more than you can possibly know. Last but not least, heartfelt thanks to editor Deb Nemeth for getting me from panic to a finished novel with patience and good humor.

  Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  About the Author

  Copyright

  Chapter One

  Gabe checked the clock again and frowned. He’d expected Olivia Watterson nearly
an hour ago and he was starting to get concerned. What the hell had he been thinking, agreeing to allow a woman a week and a half out of the hospital to stay with him here, at his currently under-renovation bed and breakfast?

  The security system beeped and he glanced over at the monitor. A small SUV was just coming up the driveway. He headed outside, wanting to be there to meet his new...what? Guest? Housemate?

  He leaned against the porch railing and waited, taking a few seconds to put on his genial host face. Not that it was an act, because he genuinely enjoyed meeting new people and hosting them at his inn, but this was different. Olivia’s story had made the news, and he’d been shaken by it. As a former firefighter, he still had a lot of friends on the line, and the accident that had injured her could’ve happened to any of them. He’d agreed to this as a favor for a mutual friend, and in spite of some reservations he still had, he wanted her to feel welcome here.

  She turned off her car. He didn’t think she’d seen him, because she sat for a minute, her head tipped back against the seat, her eyes closed as if she were praying. When a minute turned into two and then into three he grew worried, but as he pushed himself away from the railing, she got out of her car, looking around with interested eyes.

  He came down the steps and offered his hand with a practiced smile. “Olivia?”

  She smiled back tentatively and placed her smaller hand in his. “You must be Gabe.”

  Her smoky voice was hotter than hell, especially with the faintest hint of a British accent to it, and the jolt he got from her simple handshake was nearly enough to fry his synapses. Now he remembered what he’d been thinking about when he’d agreed to let her stay here—his visceral reaction to the photograph of the confident, gorgeous woman that had been shown on television and in the newspapers. But the picture hadn’t done her justice, at all.

  He released her hand and she broke their visual contact, her eyes dropping down and away. As a Dom, he found her innocently submissive gesture tempting. Arousal pooled low in his gut and anticipation sizzled inside him, but he tamped both reactions down. Just out of the hospital, he reminded himself. Not a potential playmate.

  “Welcome to Bondage and Breakfast,” he said. Her cheeks pinkened slightly, giving her far-too-pale skin a much-needed bit of color. He reached out a hand. “Here, let me get your bags.”

  “No, I’m fine, thanks.” She tilted her head stubbornly, a firmness to her jaw he’d seen in many a headstrong sub. “I’ve got them.”

  He nodded once and stepped back, watching her carefully. She looked as if a soft breeze could blow her over, but he figured that had more to do with her recent hospitalization than her normal fitness. She was fairly tall, about five-eight to his six-one, and as a firefighter, she’d need to be in great shape. She had more strength in her than he’d figured, because even just out of the hospital, she managed her bags without any issues.

  He circled around her on the porch and held the door open. She murmured her thanks and stepped inside, setting the bags on the floor as she looked around the foyer. She seemed fine with stairs, which was good, because all the bedrooms were on the second floor.

  “Let me show you to your room.” He grabbed her bags before she could, and waved away her denial with a grin. “Hey, as an inn owner, it’s what I do. I take everyone’s bags upstairs.”

  The urge to argue flitted across her face, but then she shook her head and smiled slightly. “I take it you’re used to getting your way.”

  Arousal surged, hard and fast. While he’d insisted his friend tell her what kind of inn Bondage and Breakfast was, he had no idea what she’d been told about him, personally. Either way, her words and her expressions were a challenge to his dominance he wanted desperately to accept. “Most definitely. After you,” he said, gesturing at the steps. “At the landing, turn left. Your room is two doors down.”

  With the last of the renovations still going on from the fire that had temporarily closed Bondage and Breakfast, he’d put her in the suite that had a king-sized bed, a luxurious bathroom and a small sitting room that overlooked the back garden and wooded area behind the house. It was the same view his personal rooms shared, a view he loved, and he hoped it would give her some peace. Besides, the house was empty, so why not give her the most spacious suite he had?

  He shifted the bags to one shoulder, pulled the key from his pocket and unlocked the door. He handed it to her with a flourish. “The keys to your temporary kingdom, Princess Olivia.”

  * * *

  Funny, he didn’t look kinky, and neither did his bed and breakfast.

  The inane thoughts were bouncing around Liv’s head, so much so she almost missed what Gabe was saying. She caught the tail end of it, though, and she groaned. “I’m going to kill Marcus.”

  “Oddly enough, I said the same thing about him a few weeks ago, but I have no idea what you’re talking about.” He laughed, but he looked puzzled at the same time.

  She felt herself turn scarlet. She’d walked into that one. She shrugged, laughed a little. “Princess Olivia. That’s what he took to calling me in the hospital. I’ve asked him not to call me that a million times, but he insists. I don’t care for it.”

  That wasn’t entirely true, but she was sticking with that story. Marcus had spent a lot of time with her at the hospital over the length of her recovery, and if she were being honest with herself, he’d not only saved her life and her spine, but those visits had also saved her sanity. She owed him, and he could call her whatever he wanted to.

  Gabe opened the door for her, and she gasped, stepping inside. “Oh, it’s beautiful. Are you sure it’s okay for me to stay here?” She turned and looked up at him, only to find his eyes already on her. Her heart sped up at the intensity in his gaze.

  A small smile quirked the corner of his mouth. “Why wouldn’t it be? There’s no one else here, and it’s the nicest guestroom in the house.”

  When he’d met her outside, he’d worn a reserved, professional smile that didn’t quite meet his eyes, and she’d wondered what Marcus had promised him for agreeing to let her stay here. But now she was wondering if this was a setup. Marcus wouldn’t do that to her, would he?

  Sure he would.

  She stifled a sigh. She needed time away from her family and their well-meaning but overbearing attitudes, and Marcus and his fiancée, Bella, knew it. At dinner earlier this week, they’d told her about Gabe McConnell and his unique business, a kinky twist on a traditional bed and breakfast. Regardless of the fact Gabe was a former firefighter and Marcus thought the world of him, she hadn’t been sure about staying with someone she didn’t know—until she got back to her apartment and found her mother there, yet again, loaded down with food and lectures about the unsuitability of her job. She understood her parents’ concerns and worries, but she was thirty-four, not eighteen. It had to end, or she’d lose what was left of her mind.

  So here she was.

  Gabe McConnell was tall, lean but fit, sexy as hell with his close-cropped dark hair and penetrating gray eyes. He exuded intensity from every pore, stirring the attraction she’d always had for powerful men. Bella had told her he was a Dom and explained what that meant. Seeing him now, Liv had no problem imagining his intensity transferred to the bedroom.

  Another time, she’d have been sorely tempted. Unfortunately, though, now wasn’t the right time for her to indulge in possibilities. Goals, she reminded herself. First things first. Get back in shape, get back to her life, get back on the line.

  The timing sucked, no matter how attracted to him she felt.

  She ignored the queasy feeling that always rose in her stomach when she thought about going back to work and turned her attention to Gabe.

  He set her bags on the bed and walked across the room, opening the door to what she assumed was a bathroom. “It has its own sitting room, and this bathroom has whirlpool tub.
I understand you have physical therapy to do, so I thought you might enjoy that. When I was rehabbing my knee after my injury, I used a whirlpool whenever I could. The heat and jets felt great.”

  Oh, right. Marcus had told her he’d blown out his knee on the job. She poked her head in the bathroom and her jaw dropped. “Wow.”

  He stood right behind her looking over her shoulder, and she swore she could feel the heat radiating from his body. It took everything she had not to lean back into him, but instead focus on the room. It had the tub as he’d said, but he hadn’t mentioned it could seat four. This was the most decadent, elegant bathroom she’d ever seen. She looked around, her eyes lighting on the large glassed-in shower, the marble vanity that held all sizes and shapes of white candles, the green plants everywhere.

  “Like it?” he said quietly, his breath teasing her ear and making her body break out in goose bumps.

  “I love it.” She didn’t bother to hide her admiration or appreciation, but she did the best she could to mask her attraction. “Thank you for letting me stay. And for thinking of the whirlpool. Sometimes my back aches deep inside, not the muscles or the surgery sites. A soak in the tub usually helps that, so this will be lovely.”

  He stepped back into the bedroom, past the iron four-poster bed covered in sumptuous linens and a myriad of pillows. Her eyes followed him as he walked, but flew back to the bed. If she wasn’t mistaken, there were circular hooks on each of the posts. One set way up high, one set low near the mattress. Odd.

  He caught the line of her gaze and that small smile quirked his lips again. “Every room in the house is outfitted with furniture and fixtures for restraint. You do understand what kind of bed and breakfast this is, right? Marcus explained?”

  “I do,” she said. She wouldn’t tell him how intrigued she was at the thought of the things that went on here, though it was likely the flush she felt crawling into her cheeks would be a dead giveaway.