A Thrill To Remember. Lori Wilde

      “I’m going to ravish every inch of you,” Caleb whispered in the total darkness

      Her voice trembled with need. “Please…”

      “I’ll take you right here, right now. Up against the wall. Hard and fast. It’s dark. You can’t even see my face. You couldn’t even describe me to the authorities.”

      “But I’ve been a very bad girl.” Her playful tone let him know she was enjoying their game. “I’ve told the police where they can find you.”

      Caleb sank to his knees. “I’m going to have to give you a tongue-lashing.” He spanned both hands at the curve of her waist and slowly trailed his tongue from her breasts to her navel. Stroking her hip, he discovered she still wore thong panties and thigh-high stockings.

      “You really are as mercurial as the wind. One minute coy, the next playful. Who are you really?” he urged.

      “My identity is a secret, just as you’re a complete mystery to me.”

      Hmm. Meggie liked subterfuge in the bedroom. And as long as he wore his mask and played Don Juan, he could provide her with everything. But what could he offer her as plain ordinary Caleb Greenleaf? The unsettling thought stilled his sexual hunger.

      But not for long…

      Dear Reader,

      This is the last book in my BACHELORS OF BEAR CREEK miniseries. Writing a cross-line series for both Blaze and Duets has been quite challenging, and I can only hope all my hard work has paid off.

      Meggie and Caleb’s story was particularly poignant for me as I explored darker—and sexier!—themes than I’ve ever before explored. Both Meggie and Caleb take erotic risks that lead them on a sometimes chaotic, but always thrilling path to self-discovery.

      As I wrote, I found myself asking tough questions of these “best-friends-turned-lovers.” Questions that include the masks we wear both figuratively and literally when we’re falling in love, the mind games we play with each other and the roles we choose to assume.

      I’ve tried my very hardest to write a story that sizzles, but even more, I poured my heart and soul into these characters, reaching deep inside myself to create a real sense of romance, love and respect between my hero and heroine. Although I do hope you enjoy this red-hot read, I also hope you come away with a sharper sense of your own self and what risks are worth taking in the pursuit of true love!

      Sincerely,

      Lori Wilde

      P.S. Don’t forget to check out tryblaze.com!

      Books by Lori Wilde

      The Bachelors of Bear Creek

      30—A TOUCH OF SILK (Blaze)

      79—SEXY, SINGLE AND SEARCHING (Duets)

       EAGER, ELIGIBLE AND ALASKAN (Duets)

      HARLEQUIN DUETS

      63—BYE, BYE BACHELORHOOD

       COAXING CUPID

      50B—I LOVE LACY

      A THRILL TO REMEMBER

      Lori Wilde

      To Renee M. Roy—

       you’re a darned fine writer. Keep at it. One day it will be your name on the front of a book.

      Contents

      Chapter 1

      Chapter 2

      Chapter 3

      Chapter 4

      Chapter 5

      Chapter 6

      Chapter 7

      Chapter 8

      Chapter 9

      Chapter 10

      Chapter 11

      Chapter 12

      Chapter 13

      Chapter 14

      Chapter 15

      Chapter 16

      Epilogue

      1

      WHO WAS THAT masked woman?

      Spellbound, Caleb Greenleaf watched the auburn-haired lady in red strut through the front door of the Bear Creek, Alaska, community center and into the rowdy, masked costumed ball hosted by New York City’s trendiest women’s magazine, Metropolitan.

      “Red, hot and rockin”’ he muttered under his breath, narrowing his eyes and studying her more closely in the muted, atmospheric lighting.

      Tall. Curvy in all the right places. Good legs.

      Correction. Very, very good legs.

      In fact, showcased so fetchingly in those four-inch, heartbreaker-red stilettos, they might even be the most stupendous pair of gams he’d ever clamped eyes upon.

      The tight, scarlet bustier she wore snugged her luscious body like a second skin. The satiny material flared out provocatively over those generous curves before nipping in again at her narrow waist.

      Below the bustier she had on crimson tap pants that barely covered her bodacious bottom. Then came vermilion fishnet stockings topped with a black lace garter that set his pulse charging like a stampeding bison. She was as vibrant as a Vegas showgirl and three times as sexy.

      The term brick house permeated his brain.

      He recognized the lingerie. Had seen similar attire at Dolly’s House, a brothel museum in Ketchikan, gracing the voluptuous wax figure of Alaska’s most notorious gold-rush madam, Klondike Kate.

      What a costume.

      What a body.

      What a woman!

      Who was she?

      Brazenly, Caleb ogled, not the least bit ashamed of himself, which wasn’t like him at all. No hound dog, he. In fact, he was leaning against the wall in the insouciant slouch he’d carefully perfected for unwanted social occasions such as this.

      An introvert by nature, he found his job as a naturalist for the state of Alaska suited his personality. Caleb spent a great deal of his time alone, in the outdoors, and he treasured his freedom. He avoided big parties, but since he was one of the guests of honor, he couldn’t steer clear of this shindig. Even though townspeople, husband-hungry wannabe brides, curious tourists and an assortment of media types packed the community center, he was suddenly very glad he had come.

      Just inside the foyer, she hesitated. He observed her make the conscious decision to proceed in spite of her fear. She squared her shoulders, pasted a smile on her luscious lips and sallied forth. That split second of vulnerability, followed by her resolute marshaling of courage, touched him in an oddly tender way, and he almost applauded.

      In she stalked. Boom-shaka-boom-shaka-boom. Her breasts bounced jauntily.

      Wowza!

      Watching her bottom sway caused Caleb’s body to tighten, his temperature to spike and his breathing to quicken. A seething longing gripped his gut. In conjunction, the wistful flavor of yearning burned on his tongue. He wanted her. Badly.

      She aroused him with the stunning impact of blunt force trauma. No woman had aroused him quite like this since the object of his very horny teenage fantasies—Meggie Scofield.

      He grinned crookedly at that memory. At one time he’d been so infatuated with his best friend’s