Timeless by Brynley Bush

Title: Timeless

Series: Black Brothers (Standalone Novella)

Genre: Erotic Romance

Author: Brynley Bush

 Release Date: January 26, 2016

Blurb

Marcus Dunn came into my life ten years ago and possessed me body and soul, introducing me to a world of dark and forbidden pleasures before disappearing without a word.
I’ve never forgiven him.
Or forgotten him.

Walking away from Ariana McKnight was the hardest thing I’ve ever done.

But running into her after all these years, handcuffed to a spanking bench, has me forgetting everything I promised myself ten years ago.

I still can’t have her.

But I can’t stay away.

One tough FBI agent who longs to give her power away—just not to him.

One former Navy SEAL who wants to take it, but can offer her nothing in return.

One snowbound weekend in the middle of nowhere with no choice but to resolve their unfinished business.

***STANDALONE NOVELLA *** (Black Brothers series)

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AMAZON US / UK

Excerpt

Chapter One

Ariana

"Are you sure about this?" my friend Tori asks, shooting me a doubtful glance as we pull into the drop-off lane at the Austin airport. She frowns. "I still don’t think it’s a good idea.”

"You're one to talk," I tease as I open the door. "I swear I saw rope marks on your wrists this morning."

She has the good grace to blush at that.

I open the passenger door as Tori slams the car into park and gets out to follow me around to the back. Damn, but that woman can be persistent. It's one of the many reasons she’s one of the top FBI agents in the field office where we both work, and why I love being assigned to work cases with her. That and the fact that she’s one of my closest friends, along with Kate, the other female agent in our office who’s the third member of our bad-ass girl gang.

"If you want to see if you like being tied up, fine," she continues as I lift my carry-on bag out of the trunk. "I’m not judging, I promise. I just don't think your first experience with BDSM should be at a weekend retreat out in the middle of nowhere where you don't know anyone. Find a guy you like, get to know him, and then explore your fantasies with him. "

"You're the one who told me about the retreat," I remind her.

She rolls her eyes. "I thought you were asking for a case."

I love Tori, but she has no idea what it's like to be me. She's married to one of the sexiest and most self-confident men I’ve ever met, who in addition to being rumored to have singularly erotic tastes, also happens to be charming, wickedly funny, an incredibly talented singer, and completely and unequivocally in love with his wife.

I set my bag down and look her in the eye. "That would be ideal,” I agree, “but men like Drake are rare. You're lucky that you found someone who's not intimidated by your job. Men are only into me until they find out who I am or what I do. After that they either run for the hills or become groveling idiots. After eight to ten hours a day of being a bad ass, I just want someone else to take charge. Is that so wrong?”

Tori sighs. “Of course not. I just don’t know if this is the best way to go about finding what you want.”

"I can’t think of a better way,” I say resolutely. “This is actually perfect. I can explore what it’s like, and what I like, without any strings attached, and I won’t run into anyone I know since it’s in Denver. And you said yourself that your brother-in-law’s friend who organized the retreat is both classy and experienced with this…this kind of thing.”

Tori nods slowly. “That’s true. He’s owned an exclusive club in Houston for years and I know he’ll make sure things stay safe and consensual.”

“Don't worry. I’ll be fine," I assure her. "I catch bad guys for a living, same as you. You should know better than anyone that I can protect myself."

"I'm more worried about your heart,” she mutters darkly as I give her one last hug before walking into the airport.

My heart is the last thing I’m worried about. I’ve given up on finding anyone worthy of it, and I certainly have no intention of giving it to anyone. My body, on the other hand, is another story. It craves a man who can own it, who can take my senses, my power, and my choice and give me freedom in return. I want a man strong enough to possess me, a man I can surrender to, who can take what he wants and in the process, pry the world from my tight grip and set me free to just feel and experience.

I sigh. If I didn’t know a man like that existed, maybe I’d be content to settle for less. But I found it once, and that one man who made love to me a lifetime ago has ruined me for everyone since. I don’t even know why I’m thinking about Marcus Dunn now. It’s been ten years since he pinned my hands over my head and drove into me with a force that sent me spiraling into pleasure I’d never experienced before or since. I shake my head, trying to rid myself of the unwanted memory of him—the sculpted hard planes of his tanned face, his powerful body that he worked hard to keep in prime condition, the way his smile reached his expressive brown eyes, and his naturally commanding presence that demanded respect and deference from everyone he came in contact with.

I shake my head, mentally shoving the memories back into the box distinctly marked Do Not Open. I distract myself by talking to the sweet five-year-old seated next to me, and when my plane lands in Denver, I’ve successfully banished all thoughts of the man I shared the best summer of my life with. I’m ready to have some fun, and if things work out the way I hope, some mind-blowing sex!

I pick up my rental car and begin the hour-and-a-half long drive to the lodge that’s hidden in the mountains northwest of Denver. It starts to snow, and I watch the flakes melt on my windshield with awe. Living in Austin for the last two years and Miami before that, it’s been awhile since I’ve seen snow, and it’s absolutely beautiful.

I don’t think it’s quite as beautiful an hour later when I’m standing in it beside the rental car, freezing my butt off while I consider my options. One flat tire, no spare anywhere to be found, nonexistent cell service, and night quickly falling leave very few. I’ve about to decided to start walking when I see approaching headlights. Thank God!

My hazards are already on and I step out into the road and start waving my arms. Thankfully, the car pulls to a stop. The middle-aged couple inside immediately offer to take me to the nearest town and I gratefully climb into the backseat of the sport utility. They look harmless enough and I have excellent instincts, but I have my gun tucked into the waist of my jeans just in case I’ve misjudged them.

“Thank you so much,” I say politely. “I wasn’t looking forward to walking God knows how far in the snow at night.”

The woman shudders. “I can’t even imagine, my dear. You shouldn’t be driving out this way alone,” she tsks. “A beautiful young woman like you out here by yourself after dark! Thank goodness we came when we did. We almost took another way home, didn’t we, Herb?” Her husband’s grunts in affirmation. “Don’t you watch the news? All those stories of abductions and sex trafficking rings and bad things happening.” She shakes her head. “You can’t be too careful nowadays.”

I contemplate assuring her that I’m one of the good guys who stops those bad things from happening, but it might shock the curl right out of her perm if she knew the woman she picked up on the side of the road is an FBI agent. Most people don’t believe me when I tell them at first anyway. I don’t know what they expect, but it’s usually not me.

“Yes, ma’am,” I say dutifully.

They drive me to the next small town where they seem to know everyone, and an hour later they leave me in the capable hands of a beefy and thickly-bearded man named Clyde who runs the town’s car repair shop and has agreed to drive me back to my car with a spare tire.

“He’s good people,” the woman, whose name is Margaret, assures me in a low voice. In the short time we’ve been together, I’ve learned she has a so