Angie wanted to prove she wasn't a child anymore. And what better way to do so than a no-strings affair with Tyler -- the perfect love 'em and leave 'em guy? Except that the closer she got to Tyler, the hotter the attraction burned and the harder she fell in love. Somehow she had to convince commitment-phobic Tyler that she was his to claim -- permanently!
Reviews: From RENDEZVOUS REVIEWS January 2005 (original print release date) "Tyler Farrell is living a bachelor lifestyle but babysitting his partner's little sister isn't his cup of tea. However, when he meets the kid sister, babysitting doesn't seem so bad. Angie Coleman ended an engagement with a man so stiff that laughing seemed to be a chore. Angie called her brother and is ready to join the family business, but she had forgotten what a heartbreaker Tyler is. Having your lover be your brother's best friend is tough -- but somehow this storyline keeps you rooting for the couple. GOOD STUFF." Review for IN FORBIDDEN TERRITORY "Tyler Farrell is living a bachelor lifestyle but babysitting his partner's little sister isn't his cup of tea. However, when he meets the kid sister, babysitting doesn't seem so bad. Angie Coleman ended an engagement with a man so stiff that laughing seemed to be a chore. Angie called her brother and is ready to join the family business, but she had forgotten what a heartbreaker Tyler is. Having your lover be your brother's best friend is tough—but somehow this storyline keeps you rooting for the couple. GOOD STUFF." Rendezvous
Read G-rated Excerpt inside front cover
G-rated Excerpt inside front cover: "Maybe I need a sign around my neck stating I'm an adult," Angie muttered. "My brother seems to forget that." "I don't think a sign will be necessary," Tyler told her as his eyes met hers. "You certainly look grown up to me." Ty watched as a slight smile turned the corners of her mouth--the same delicious mouth he'd sampled the previous evening. He tried to clear his head of the thoughts, of desires that could only lead to trouble. His blood rushed hot and fast each time he came into physical contact with her. It was a sensation he wanted to pursue even though he knew it was forbidden territory. There was something about her. Something he couldn't seem to put into words--something intangible that scared and excited him more than anything else ever had.
(Opening) Tyler Farrell's business partner barged into his office, panic covering his face as he pleaded, "You've got to help me out, Ty. Take her off my hands for the next few days." "Take who off your hands?" "It won't take that much of your time. She's just a kid." "Who's just a kid?" Tyler's confusion began to turn to irritation. "What are you talking about, Mac?" McConnor Coleman paused a moment as he took a calming breath. "All I know is what Mom said when she called the other day. It seems that my kid sister wants to move from Portland to Seattle, get a job and her own apartment. She arrived last night and is staying with me until I can help her get settled. I promised Mom I'd keep my eye on her. You know, maybe take her to a movie one evening and buy her some pizza. Take her on the harbor tour or to the top of the Space Needle. Stuff like that." Mac renewed his determination. "It's not like you'll have to put your busy social life on hold so you can wine and dine her. Like I said, she's just a kid. You know the kind of long hours I'm going to be putting in until this new design is finished. The pivotal point of our company's expansion plans is dependent on this design. I don't want her sitting all alone at my house and I certainly don't want her going out at night by herself." Ty made a valiant attempt to put some logic to Mac's obviously frazzled state of mind. "We're on Bainbridge Island, not in Seattle. There's no reason why she can't go out alone." "A young girl should not be out on the streets alone." Mac's tone of voice said there was no room for discussion of the matter. Ty allowed a slight frown to wrinkle across his brow. An image popped into his mind of Angelina Coleman, the annoying little girl he had encountered once at Mac's parents' house in Portland, Oregon. He shook his head and emitted a sigh. "I really don't have time -- " "Am I too early for lunch?" Ty whirled around in the direction of the sound. The sultry voice perfectly matched the beautiful blond vision framed in the doorway. A quick surge of desire shoved aside Ty's initial shock. Could this gorgeous vision be the same person Mac had been referring to as his kid sister? Mac rushed toward her. "Angie...is it noon already?" He glanced at his watch, a sheepish expression covering his features. "I guess the morning got away from me." She shot a teasing grin at her brother. "Why am I not surprised?" Recovering from his initial shock, Ty leaped into action. He grabbed Angie's hand, kissed the back of it and made a courtly bow. "Angelina Coleman...Tyler Farrell at your service. You probably don't remember, but we met several years ago." A jolt of charged energy emanated from their clasped hands. A heated surge of desire swept up his arm and through his body. Her unwavering gaze, combined with the vibrancy of her expressive green eyes, sent another ripple coursing through him -- a strange combination of lustful desire and caution. "I most certainly do remember you. It was fourteen years ago, a month or so before you and Mac graduated from the University of Washington. Mac was the one worrying about finals. I was the scrawny ten-year-old with braces on my teeth." A dazzling smile lit her beautiful face and a touch of humor surrounded her words. "And you were the arrogant jerk." Ty released her hand, clutched at his chest and staggered back a couple of steps as if he had been hit by a mortal blow, his action eliciting a spontaneous laugh from her. It was an enchanting sound, one that left him wanting to hear it again and again. The moment he broke the physical contact with her a strange sense of loss made its way into his consciousness. Her words startled him, but they had been said more in fun than with any show of malice. At least that was the way he chose to take it.
(Who is Tyler?) "My family..." Ty took a deep breath, held it a moment, then exhaled. The word dysfunctional immediately leaped to his mind. He was an only child who had been raised with money and privilege, but it was not a substitute for the type of closeness Mac had with his family -- the type Angie had just described. The predominant memory from his early years was the constant fighting between his mother and father. His parents had finally divorced when he was in high school, but it hadn't stopped their ongoing battles. And then there had been his disastrous two-year marriage shortly after he had graduated from college. Hardly a day had gone by without some sort of argument or at the very least enough tension to fill a football stadium. Family? A happy, loving marriage and close family was something he had never seen or experienced firsthand. It was something he would have said didn't exist if it weren't for the single exception of Mac and his family. But marriage and emotional closeness were things he would never know and he didn't want to try to capture it with another attempt at a relationship -- an attempt he knew would be doomed to failure from the beginning. He extended what he hoped would be a confident smile. "I was an only child, born and raised in Seattle. My parents both live in the Seattle area, my mother in Bellevue and my father on Mercer Island. I think that about covers it." (What Does Tyler Want?) Ty and Angie reached the restaurant. It was a bright, sunny autumn day and they were seated outside on the deck. After they ordered lunch he leaned back in his chair in an attempt to project a casual appearance, something far removed from the uneasiness churning inside him. "So what have you been doing with yourself since you were that little girl?" A teasing grin played at the corners of her mouth. "Mostly I've been trying to get everyone to stop thinking of me as that little girl." Was she making fun of him? At that moment his mind was so muddled he didn't know what to think. His gaze slowly traveled across her features again, pausing a moment to take in the way the fabric of her blouse caressed the curve of her breasts. He finally settled on her tantalizing mouth, a mouth that deserved to be kissed long, hard and often. "What else have you been up to besides not being ten anymore?" His voice held a huskiness he wasn't happy with. He cocked his head as he made eye contact with her. A shiver of anxiety worked its way up his back followed by a shiver of uncertainty. Just pizza and a movie with Mac's kid sister -- what had he gotten himself into? He was not sure about this anymore, not sure at all. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ He flashed a dazzling smile as he blatantly did a visual trace of every line and curve she possessed. The two-piece red swimsuit revealed a body that would send any man's senses skyrocketing. The heat churned low inside him as the blood rushed hot and fast through his veins. "You...in that swimsuit..." His voice contained a huskiness he couldn't hide. "That's a sight that could make grown men tremble." And he was no exception. "Thank you." The crimson tinge of embarrassment spread across her cheeks and forehead. He held out his hand to her, but noticed the moment's hesitation before she took it. She was not the only one filled with uncertainty. He had set up dinner and an evening that screamed seduction and could only lead to sensual pleasure. But suddenly he was very unsure of himself. He didn't know how to proceed, or whether he should proceed at all. To say he felt reticent would be an understatement of monumental proportions. He knew exactly what he wanted, but his loyalty to Mac continued to play havoc with his conscience. He was torn. He suspected he was too involved as far as keeping an emotional distance from her was concerned. Suspected...that was a laugh. He didn't suspect -- he knew.
(Who Is Angie?) Angie stuck her hands in the pockets of her tailored slacks, a subconscious effort to wipe away the sensation of his tantalizing touch. The devilish gleam in his hazel eyes told her exactly what was on his mind. It was a look she had seen on the faces of many men on numerous occasions, but it had never had this type of impact on her. It was a look that spoke of excitement and the promise of many nights of sensual pleasure for the woman lucky enough to share his bed. It was a look that also spoke of fun, an open enjoyment of everyday things and life in general -- something definitely lacking in her life for the past year. She wanted to regain that sense of fun that she had lost. She needed to have it back in her life. Tyler Farrell was a very disconcerting man, yet there was something about him that she couldn't dismiss. It was more than his movie-star good looks, thick dark hair and strong athletic build. A little shiver of anticipation darted across the surface of her skin. She sensed an underlying level of passion that reached out and grabbed her like nothing ever had and refused to let go. Angie glanced at her brother. An uncertain look surrounded by a hint of disapproval covered Mac's face as his gaze darted between his business partner and his sister. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Yes, when she was ten she had thought Tyler was a jerk. A tingle of excitement heated her insides, telling her just how attractive she found him now. It had been six months since she had broken off her engagement to Caufield Woodrow III, a man her mother had kept telling her she should hang onto. A man who had everything -- wealth, family position, social status and a guaranteed future. A man who could have given her everything she wanted. But Angie had disagreed. Maybe he could have given her everything material, but he had not given her any consideration for what she wanted out of life -- it had been all about him and what he wanted...no one else. And he didn't know how to have fun. She had never laughed when she was with Caufield. She liked to laugh. Everything had always been so serious with him. Everything had to be planned out well in advance. He had needed two weeks' notice to do something spontaneous. It had been a stifling relationship, one that had smothered her in a cloak of his creation. One in which she had finally realized she had been suffocated to the point where she could hardly breathe. She shook away the thoughts. It was old territory that she didn't want to go over again. She was relieved to be out of the relationship. (What Does Angie Want?) Angie checked the clock. She still had about an hour before Ty would be picking her up. She had spent the afternoon working on her resume. When Mac had told her he was busy and wouldn't be able to take her to lunch, she had been disappointed. She wanted the opportunity to spend some one-on-one time with him, dig into the operational procedures of the company, create a viable niche for herself in the organization, then pitch the idea to Mac about hiring her. She wanted a job with Mac's company, but she didn't want him to hire her just because she was his sister -- to once again come to her rescue, to take care of her. She wanted to prove herself to him and earn a job based solely on her own merit. She wanted him to respect her as a capable adult rather than protect her like a child. She wanted his approval. Then her thoughts turned to Ty. If she had an ally within the company she just might have a better chance of Mac paying attention rather than in essence telling her to run along and play -- to not worry her cute little head about anything. That was what had happened six months ago when she had first broached the subject of a job with Mac's company. She'd had her mother mention the job possibility to him. It was right after she had broken off her engagement. Her insecurities were at odds with her aspirations. She had been too scared and intimidated to approach Mac herself. All he had done was laugh and say how cute it was of little Angie to want to go to work for him. At that moment it was obvious to her that she needed to prove herself first if he was ever going to take her seriously. Ty was not family. He wouldn't have any preconceived notions about who she was or what she should be doing with her life, what predetermined category she should fit in. She furrowed her brow into a slight frown for a moment. At least she hoped Mac hadn't put any preconceived ideas into Ty's head. If she could enlist his help, she was sure the two of them could get Mac to listen to reason and shed his old notions. Angie glanced at the clock again, then put away her work materials so she could get ready for her date with Ty. She paused a moment, a reflective mood coming over her. Date...it wasn't a date. He was just being polite, seeing that she wasn't having dinner alone while Mac worked on his deadline project. That was all it was. Nothing more. She closed her eyes and an immediate image of his dazzling smile and good looks popped into her mind. The same sensation she experienced when he had clasped her hand began to spread across her skin. Her breathing quickened and a tingle of excitement told her there was something very special about this man whether she wanted it to be that way or not. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Angie hurried down the hall toward the guest room where she was staying. She didn't know whether to be amused or annoyed by Mac's attempt to protect her. She had almost asked him if he really thought she was still a virgin, but decided against it. She didn't want to totally shock his sensibilities where his kid sister was concerned. However, his words about Ty's antics with lots of women did not escape her attention. Thoughts of Ty flooded her mind, sensual thoughts that seemed to come from nowhere and insisted on lingering in her consciousness. She felt confident she could get him to help her convince Mac that he needed to hire her, but using her feminine wiles to manipulate a man was not part of her nature and certainly not the way she wanted to approach this problem. A quick stab of guilt poked at her, touching on her deeply buried insecurities. She was not a deceptive person, nor was she dishonest. So why was this guilty feeling jabbing at her? She was not using Ty. She would never do that type of unethical thing, but if he could help her, why shouldn't she explore that possibility? She tried to shake away the guilt as she touched her fingertips to her lips, reviving all the heat and passion of the original kiss. A moment later any thought of a job with Mac's company, trying to get her priorities straight or her true interest in Ty and whether she was trying to use him totally left her head. Logic...thoughts...concerns...none of it mattered. Her entire reality at that precise moment was filled with the remembered sensation of Tyler Farrell's lips against hers and the heated desire he stirred in her.
(First Kiss) She had brains and personality in addition to stunning looks. He had never been involved with a woman who had it all. Involved -- that word had popped into his mind without him realizing it. Where had it come from? He certainly wasn't involved with Angie. She was his best friend's sister, a best friend who also happened to be his business partner. A business partner who had managed to tell him "hands off" without ever saying a word. He tried to shut out the feelings coursing through him, feelings that admittedly were mostly lust. But there was a hint of something else, too. Something he couldn't quite grasp or define. Something that made him nervous. His attention became riveted to her perfect mouth, her slightly parted lips tinted with a soft russet color. He felt himself being drawn in against his conscious will. He leaned his face into Angie's. It started as an innocent brushing of his lips against hers, but it ignited a burst of unbridled desire. Ty wrapped his arms around her and captured her mouth with a kiss that did nothing to hide the passion coursing through his veins. Her body stiffened in his arms followed by a moment's hesitation. A touch of panic invaded his reality. Had he just made the most colossal blunder of his life? Was this going to cost him more than he had anticipated? Possibly even the friendship of his best friend and business partner? |
