Novels by JL Beck

Stilling, she stared at his knees, then upwards along his thighs to that spot she now thought of as nirvana at his lower belly. Licking her lips, she gulped a second time, while still tasting the ambrosia of Nirvana Wade on her tongue.“Kandy?” he called to her as if she just floated away.She had. Floated to another plane where just he and his body mattered. SEX with Wade. She wanted more, wanted it every minute of every hour. Am I a nympho? I could write a sex manual. From Virgin To Nympho In 10 Days! Her eyes swung up to his face. “Um…Yes?”“You HAVE to stop looking at me like that.”Her head dropped. “I can’t help it. I want to just lock you up and…” “I feel the same way. Take a look.” He lifted her chin.Her eyes swung up to see his erection at full mast.“This is why you gotta stop looking like a starved sex kitten.” He laughed and turned away. “It makes it hard for a mortal man to resist, hard in more ways than one. That full body licking you just gave me was something I have n

A sex on a stick, illegal contraband of sexiness…KANDAWhen she opened her eyes, the sun glanced across the room to spin its rays upon the most wonderful sight. Her eyes focused closer on the sunlight spanning across the most magnificent chest in all the world.Wade lay sleeping….his bare chest looking smooth, hard and so very lickable.Oh, lord in heaven can this be real?Kanda wondered if she was still dreaming in her sleep as she licked her lips with a yearning to taste all that glorious skin. To wake up next to this? She rolled her eyes to the heavens. Did I do some terrifically awesome act of mercy to be gifted with this? Maybe I gave an extra dollar at church services?LOVE! She just remembered what he said last night. He up and causally said he loved her! She still couldn’t wrap her mind around it.This showed her one thing. She stayed true to her nature, stayed true to what she felt. From the moment the Sextied Idea—as Wade jokingly called it—came to her. Tie this yummy man d

“Oh…Brea honey. NO!” Cole hugged her tight and patted her back. “It’s just nerves, okay? We had a hard bump in the road. That’s all. It will be fine. You will see.”Brea tried to stop crying. He’s right. It’s just a dream. It’s fear. That old friend-monster she’d lived with her whole life. Until, she knocked him down and went with her gut when she decided to go after the man of her dreams. She needed to fight it off again. “She—stood up and—oohhh.” She started weeping again. “I can’t marry youuu!”Cole set her away from him. “What?”“I c-can’t. What if it re-all-y happens?”Cole kept shaking his head. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. If what happens?”“I—I dreamt about our wedding. It was so-so beautiful!”“Well, that sounds awesome Brea. Why is that bad? You have to tell me what all this is about.” “Vi-victoriaaaa!” she sobbed.Cole grabbed her arms and shushed her. “You need to calm down and slowly…tell me what is wrong. What do you mean you can’t marry me?”Brea sniffled an

Last time in Playin’ With FireBREAEveryone was in attendance in the 2-acre lawn covered backyard at the Triple K ranch. The grass looked newly clipped and spread out for what seemed like miles with an eye blinding, emerald green. A wide open sky sparkled from above with a sapphire blue that could only be found in Texas. It was a perfect place to hold a wedding, she agreed mentally with Mable’s words of before.Gosh, the only cliché’ missing would be doves.Brea half expected them to fly over at any second. She felt like none of this could be real in any case. She was walking on air as she nearly floated forward. Everyone was here, people she knew from town, from the diner she worked at and some of the girls from high school even. The skinny, pretty ones too. They all looked green with envy.With a sudden realization, Brea straightened her spine. Damn right! All the fatsy fat taunting and the blubber buns, plushy plush butt names they called her? The fact that she could not even get

We ride through the city, and the closer to my destination we get, the higher the buzz under my skin climbs.Today begins the end of it all.Soo glances at me, his hands clenched so tight around the steering wheel his knuckles are white. “Are you ready for this?”Of all the people in my life, only he and my brother could question me without earning a bullet to the temple.“Do I not look ready?” I counter, staring straight out the windshield.The familiar upscale neighborhood is where one of the worst crime families in the world hides out. They pretend to stay beneath the radar, but everyone knows the darkness that circles them. There is no hiding evil. It’s best to wear it like a badge of honor.Soo doesn’t comment on what I look like, so we lapse into silence. The side-gate for a large mansion stretches out in front of us. Two figures dressed in black, one carrying a small form over their shoulder, rush down the driveway. The prospect of getting revenge gives me an all-new excitement

Thoughts dip in and out of my brain hazily. I lie back on the bedspread and let the liquor gently lead me into oblivion. Maybe this is why my mother drinks? To numb her of the absurdity called her life.I can’t imagine after twenty years with Marco what I’ll look like by the end. Spirit broken, and of no more use than to plan parties and entertain his guests. Most of the men in the five families want a trophy wife. There aren’t many daughters in the pedigreed lines that make up our own little world here in Chicago. The sons of these families can take one of the daughters as a wife and have a hundred mistresses on the side. No one cares. The second one of the wives takes a lover, well… I’d seen the grave of one of their wives with my own eyes.Are their mistresses held to the same standard of conduct? I need to get my brain to shut off. The questions are compounding, and I don’t have any answers. I’m wasting my time thinking about things that don’t matter.I close my eyes and picture m

Marco leaves a few moments later, and I shut the door behind him, nearly sagging against it. I take a couple of deep breaths and gather my wits. I’ll allow myself this one reprieve before I’m forced to mask my pain and put on a smile.I suck one last calming breath into my lungs as I scrub a hand down my face and lift my chin. I might be drowning, but as long as a part of my head is still above water, I’ll continue on. I tiptoe past the dining room, hoping to escape without further notice. As soon as I reach the stairs, I race up them, stripping out of the itchy dress as I go. By the time I reach my bedroom door, the dress is off. I leave it in a heap near the door and slam the heavy wood behind me.There, if one of them wants to come speak to me after that, at least they know what they are in for. The heels that I hate just as much as the dress fly across the room in opposite directions as I kick them off. Each of my toes ache, so I sit on the edge of the bed in nothing but my underw

My father simply calls me Girl, as he did my sister. No doubt, even twenty-odd years later, he’s still disappointed we aren’t boys.Boys get names, girls get… well… married off to cement alliances.I know what she expects from me, and I hate that in the next instant I turn in my chair and offer Marco a smile. As the only daughter left, Ineed to be good, to be here. Even when I want to be anywhere else. I have a duty to fulfill, an obligation, as my mother has called it many times over. I owe this to them, my parents, and family name.“Thank you, I chose this dress because I thought you would like it.”An outright fucking lie since my mother chose the almost indecently short red A-line dress with cap sleeves and a low-cut neckline. I prefer my slacks and silk blouse combo when I need to dress up. Not Marco, he likes his girls leggy, and since my five foot three frame didn’t lean toward leggy, my mother opted to show as much of my legs as possible and hope for the best.As I sit here a

CELIAMarriage. A legal bond of love and the union of two people becoming one. For many women, it’s the greatest moment of their lives. It’s something they’vedreamt about; the beautiful dress, the gorgeous venue, and a handsome prince charming who would swoop in and sweep them off their feet.When I was a little girl, I had those same dreams. I thought I would marry for love. That my future husband would be my fierce protector, my knight in shining armor. It’s too bad that was all a lie.As soon as I was old enough to realize that my life was never really mine, I let the idea of marrying for love go and accepted reality. Which leads me to my current predicament.I have to marry this stupid man. It’s the only thing that echoes in my head as my fiancé sits beside me in my family’s dining room at dinner. Like always, no one speaks. The only sounds are the scraping of forks across porcelain and the occasional tinkle of ice when my mother lifts and lowers her whiskey glass. Her third sinc

I’m turned on.Very, very turned on. The whimper bubbles from my throat, and I catch it with my teeth as they drag across my bottom lip. It’s so wrong, and I know with every part of me that I should not be feeling this way about this brute of a man grabbing me and pinning me to the wall of a cabin that he’s kidnapped me to, but I can’t help it.He pulls back, that low growl of his still rumbling in my ear as his eyes flash pure hot fire into mine. I shiver, swallowing thickly as that fierce look burns into me, setting every part of me aflame. His jaw clenches, and my chest rises and falls with my breath. I’m aware of my skirt riding up high on my thighs, and the fact that I’m not wearing a bra becoming more and more apparent as my nipples harden beneath the flimsy top.“Not smart, princess,” Cormac grumbles, his eyes narrowing at me as I pant under his fierce gaze and strong hands.“What-what are you going to do to me?”“Sober you the fuck up, first of all,” he mutters. “Drinking at y

“You’re coming with me. Now.”She shivers, her big blue eyes blinking up at me. I’d say in fear, because, well, I’m a scary fucking guy. But with her, it’s different. She looks at me with something that isn’t fear at all. It’s fiery. It’s fierce. It’s got a little attitude to it.“Wait, excuse me?”“We don’t have time for the banter, princess,” I mutter. I look over my shoulder, scanning the crowd, hoping for more time. But time is up. I can see Sylvan’s guys stepping down the stairs from the entrance, glancing around the place. And I know Sylvan himself can’t be far behind them.“We’re going, now.”Nina’s brow wrinkles, and she gets this sassy look on her face that might just be cute if I didn’t know for a fact that men with guns were about to find us. “Uh, no? I’m here with my frien—”“I’m counting to three.” My words seem to knock her back a step.“And what happens at three?” she whispers.“I throw you over my shoulder and carry you out of here.”Her jaw drops, that sassy look turn

“I-I’m sorry.” I shake my head. “I can’t do this.”He frowns. “Huh?”“This,” I mumble, the alcohol blurring through me. “I don’t want to do this.”His frown turns into a scowl, which almost looks comical with his boyish features and his stupid little strip of facial hair.“Oh, so just leading me on for a free drink, huh, bitch?”“No, that’s not it—”“Let’s go.”He starts to drag me down the dark hallway, away from the thumping music and blue lights toward what must be the men’s room. Panic lances through me, and I try to yank my hand back from his grip.“I’m serious, okay? Look, I’ll pay you back for the stupid drink, just—”“Oh, you better believe you will.”I gasp as he whirls us, pushing me against the wall. His hand grabs my bare thigh, and I recoil.“Yeah, you like that, don’t you, baby? You like it when Mikey puts his hands on you, huh?”“Get—”I don’t even finish the sentence before Mikey suddenly goes flying away from me, like magic. I blink, trying to make sense of how exactl

Chapter OneNina“Have another shot!”Carrie screams the words into my ear, but I barely flinch. Heck, I can barely hear her over the thundering, thumping bass music surrounding us in the dim, sultry blue-lit club.I can already feel the effects of the first sugary-sweet shot she’s forced on me that tasted vaguely of lemon and vanilla. Ick. I can feel it warming its way through my stomach, making my head spin a little with the heady rush of the alcohol. Or maybe that’s the music, and the throbbing mass of people dancing and swaying and grinding all around us. But it’s probably the drink.I’d say I don’t normally drink, but that’s putting it lightly. The sugary shot I’ve just downed is my second drink ever. The first being the half-warm beer that Teddy Genaro convinced me to drink at the bonfire party he dragged me to a week after graduation. The beer was gross, but Teddy trying to put his hands up my skirt was even grosser. So, my whole first foray into drinking was cut pretty short w

ZEKEShe’s up to something.Here’s the thing about Mia: she’s a smart girl. Very smart. She pulled good grades in high school, even when her life was shit, and she takes her schoolwork seriously now, too. When she’s not studying in her room, she brings her stuff out to the living room so she can have the TV on while she’s going over her classwork. She’s not screwing around online, either—I try to be subtle, but I check on her from time to time, and she’s always typing a report or reading her digital textbooks.The problem with smart people is sometimes they think they’re smarter than they are. They might get a little full of themselves and assume they can get away with anything because they’re too clever to get caught. If anything, that makes my job easier, the way she practically broadcasts every thought she’s having.And that means I have to play it smart, too. I’ve never played chess, and I wonder if this is what it’s like. Trying to figure out her next move and how I’ll counter th

“That’s fine, but let’s leave the whole study group pretense out of it, yeah?” We exchange a smile, and it occurs to me he’s pretty cute. One of those all-American boy faces with a square jaw and big, blue eyes. The little bit of hair peeking out from under his cap is the color of wheat. And when he smiles, he flashes dimples that threaten to make my heart flutter.This is getting more interesting by the second.A sudden, jarring cough from the back of the room makes me jump. That asshole. God for-fucking-bid, I smile at a guy. I won’t look at him; I absolutely will not give him the satisfaction of knowing he caught my attention.If Dean noticed, he doesn’t show it. “Does that mean you would come over anyway?”“Um, we’re supposed to be talking about the project,” Zoe reminds us. I get the feeling she doesn’t like the way Dean is focused on me. Posey, on the other hand, is in her own world, typing notes faster than I’ve ever been able to type anything on my keyboard. She’s not even loo

MIA“All right, I’ll need you to break down into groups of four.” The instructor stands at her desk in the front of the room and waits for us to shuffle around and find our study group arrangements.I can’t pretend it doesn’t make me feel good when Posey immediately turns around and points at me, eyebrows raised. I nod quickly and try to hide my happiness. How pathetic. Am I that desperate for friendship? The desk next to mine is now empty, so she scoots over and plops down in the chair. “Awesome. I was afraid she would assign us to people we didn’t know.”“I know, right? I didn’t think we’d have our own choice.” I look around the room, letting my gaze drift over Zeke like I don’t even notice him. Like I’m not constantly aware of his presence. He’s sitting by the door, one ankle crossed over the other knee while he slouches in his plastic chair. He could be asleep with his eyes open for all I know. He’s not moving.I can’t help but want to ask Posey if it’s weird, him being here, but

ZEKEThis is so goddamn boring.I have to keep telling myself how much worse things could be. I could be out there wondering where my next paycheck’s coming from. I could be stealing, or worse, in prison, all because I was trying to find a way to put food in my mouth at the end of the day.When I look at it that way, sitting in this lecture hall, lurking around in the back like I’m not supposed to be here—which I’m not, really—is a pretty cushy gig. It doesn’t mean I have to like it.Especially when I have to sit here behind Mia and watch her every move. Do I technically need to follow the way her fingers fly over her laptop keys? Do I have to notice every time she shifts her weight, every time she twirls a strand of hair around a finger as she’s listening to the instructor? Her father didn’t order me to trace the curves of her body with my eyes, either, but that’s exactly what I’m doing this morning. She’s so fucking tempting. Right in front of me, and I’m not allowed to touch. How m

MIAI’m still so embarrassed after the scene Zeke made Saturday night; I don’t know how I’m going to show my face in class.And he doesn’t care. That’s the worst part. If anything, he was proud of himself for humiliating me. He wouldn’t tell me how he found me, either. I can only guess he tracked me electronically. I have nothing of my own. Not even privacy.We spent the entire day avoiding each other yesterday, with him in his room most of the time. He set the alarm and of course, didn’t bother sharing the code with me, so I don’t know how to open the front door without setting off a siren loud enough to make my ears bleed.And I can’t even complain to my father because I know he’s behind this. Somebody had to pay for this expensive system. Somebody had to give Zeke instructions since he can’t think for himself.Though I doubt he feels sorry for it. No, I think he’s getting off on it a little bit.One thing I know for sure: I can’t hide in my room for the rest of my life. Not only wo

ZEKE“Don’t you dare fucking march around like you’re the one with a reason to be angry,” I warn her on the way back into the building. There’s a separate entrance from the garage, leading straight to the elevator without the humiliation of walking through the lobby with her so obviously furious. I don’t feel like getting red-flagged by management, especially so soon after we’ve moved in.“Would you drop the act already?” She tosses her hair, and I have to pretend the scent doesn’t light me on fire. “Daddy isn’t here to give you a gold star. And I’m not impressed with you.”“Maybe you should be.” We get on the elevator, and I punch the button. “Because all it would take is a quick phone call.”“A quick phone call, huh? Stop, or I’ll piss myself.” Another hair toss. It’s almost enough to make me want to cut it off.“You think I’m joking?”“Considering he would have your ass in a sling, not mine, yeah. It’s pretty goddamn funny.” She folds her arms, tapping her foot on the floor before