When Bruce Met Cyn. Lori Foster

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      HE WINKED AT HER.

      Her smile spread into a wide grin, then she impulsively threw herself into his arms. Bruce staggered back before gaining his wits and wrapping his arms around her slight, soft frame. Cyn was laughing, squeezing him, her hands on his shoulders, his nape, along his spine.

      From one moment to the next, his body reacted predictably to holding an attractive woman he wanted.

      Her laughter was a powerful aphrodisiac, and combined with the feel of her body in his arms, it was enough. More than enough.

      Right and wrong didn’t play into it. He wanted to lower her to the narrow cot behind them and claim her as his own.

      His mind was still fighting that image when Cyn turned her face up to his. Tears of happiness made her pale eyes glassy. The second their gazes met, he was a goner. He cupped her face, relishing the warm softness of her skin, breathing hard with growing need. “Cyn.”

      He tried to say her name as a warning, wanting her to shove him away, slap him, elbow him in the chest again. Anything that would shake off the overwhelming need.

      She stared at him with confusion, then dawning awareness. Her breath caught, and slowly, very slowly, her thick lashes dropped over her eyes in a sign of permission and acceptance.

      That did it.

      Books by Lori Foster

      Too Much Temptation

      Never Too Much

      Unexpected

      Say No To Joe?

      The Secret Life of Bryan

      When Bruce Met Cyn

      Just a Hint—Clint

      Jamie

      Murphy’s Law

      Jude’s Law

      The Watson Brothers.

      Yule Be Mine

      Anthologies

      All Through the Night

      I Brake for Bad Boys

      Bad Boys on Board

      I Love Bad Boys

      Jingle Bell Rock

      Bad Boys to Go

      I’m Your Santa

      A Very Merry Christmas

      When Good Things Happen to Bad Boys

      The Night Before Christmas

      Star Quality

      Perfect for the Beach

      Bad Boys in Black Tie

      Truth or Dare

      Bad Boys of Summer

      Delicious

      Give It Up

      LORI FOSTER

      WHEN BRUCE MET CYN…

      ZEBRA BOOKS

      KENSINGTON PUBLISHING CORP.

       http://www.kensingtonbooks.com

      Contents

      Prologue

      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

      ZEBRA BOOKS are published by

      Kensington Publishing Corp.

       119 West 40th Street

       New York, NY 10018

      Copyright © 2004 by Lori Foster

      All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the Publisher, excepting brief quotes used in reviews.

      To the extent that the image or images on the cover of this book depict a person or persons, such person or persons are merely models, and are not intended to portray any character or characters featured in the book.

      If you purchased this book without a cover you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as “unsold and destroyed” to the Publisher and neither the Author nor the Publisher has received any payment for this “stripped book.”

      All Kensington titles, imprints, and distributed lines are available at special quantity discounts for bulk purchases for sales promotion, premiums, fund-raising, educational, or institutional use.

      Special book excerpts or customized printings can also be created to fit specific needs. For details, write or phone the office of the Kensington Sales Manager: Attn.: Sales Department. Kensington Publishing Corp., 119 West 40th Street, New York, NY 10018. Phone: [phone].

      Zebra and the Z logo Reg. U.S. Pat. & TM Off.

      First Printing: July 2014

      ISBN-13: 978-1-4201-4642-4

      ISBN-10: 1-4201-4642-4

      eISBN-13: 978-1-4201-2183-4

      eISBN-10: 1-4201-2183-9

      10 9 8 7

      Printed in the United States of America

      Prologue

      Her eyes flared open and she gave a silent, gasping start—silent, because she’d learned to make no sounds, to hold her fear deep inside, protected. The night was as black and cold and empty as ever. What had awakened her?

      Rain softly drubbed the window beside her bed, and frigid air seeped in around the warped frame, but it wasn’t the nasty weather that left chills on her exposed arms.

      Out of necessity, Cynthia Potter had learned to know what would happen before it did. She picked up clues, learned to read body language.

      Even the dumbest animal learned how to survive.

      Her heart rapped painfully against her ribs as she strained to listen, but she couldn’t hear past the awful rushing of blood in her ears. Her eyes encountered only shifting darkness, molded and moved by shadows of the moon.

      Then, suddenly, a thump sounded in the hallway.

      A footstep.

      A creak of the floorboards.

      Because she recognized the soft noises all too well, they assaulted her fractured nerves like gunshots and twisted her stomach into a painful knot.

      Palmer Oaks was coming to her bedroom.

      A sob crawled up her throat, but she ruthlessly gulped it back.

      She’d known it would happen, and she’d already decided to do something about it. She had to take control of her life. She was seventeen now, a grown woman. That was both the problem, and a solution. A woman’s body took his hateful attention in a new direction, but a woman’s mind ensured she could make her own way.

      Until now, she’d had no choice. She’d been small