Dangerous Kisses (Siren Publishing Classic) by Tonya Ramagos

shortening his strides to keep pace with her. “I was standing out here waiting for you and wondering what would happen to this place now.”
    Megan sighed. “Yeah, my thoughts were traveling the same course on the way over. The brightest one told me it may not turn out as badly as we think. Of course, it’s likely my hopefulness that’s turning on that brighter bulb.”
    He shot her a glance. “And what is that brightness?”
    She lifted a shoulder and met his gaze. “From what I know about Brandon, he loves this place, too. If I’m not mistaken, I believe he holds a few more shares in the company than Walter and Joan, too, and therefore primary control now that Paul is gone. Maybe he will decide to reopen, keep it going.”
    “Paul’s shares will fall to Marie, though,” Drake pointed out. “That means the control will fall into her hands. I don’t how much you know, but things have been pretty rough between them for a while now, worse than they’ve ever been.”
    “You’re referring to his affair with Joan.” She made a sound that might have been laughter, but sounded closer to a scoff. “I can’t believe him. What was he thinking?”
    “Who knows?” Drake sure as shit didn’t. He would’ve never thought in a million years that Paul would cheat on Marie, no matter how unhappy their marriage had become.
    Megan stopped walking and turned to face him, shielding her eyes from the sun with the palm of her hand. “I’ll admit that I’ve never cared much for Marie. I’ve always thought Paul could do better, find someone who would make him happier. Even so, she loved him. Somewhere in that bitchy black heart of hers, she cared for him deeply. She knew what this place meant to him, how hard he struggled to build it and keep it running. I’ve got to believe that, if she can find a way to keep it going, she’ll do it, if for no other reason than to keep his memory alive.”
    She had pulled her long hair into a ponytail, and a stray strand had escaped. Drake pushed that hair behind her ear, enjoying the way her head angled into his touch. “I hope you’re right.”
    He didn’t tell her about his idea of how to save the aquarium if it came down to it. He wasn’t yet sure he could pull it off. He had a small inheritance in the bank. Nothing substantial, but money left to him by his late grandmother that he had never touched. He had been stashing money in the bank for years, too, scrimping and getting by on bare necessities so he could save every penny he could put back. At first, he hadn’t known why he was doing it. Something he couldn’t define had compelled him to start, and he had continued to see it through. When the rumors of a possible buyout had started to trickle down the grapevine, he had started thinking. He didn’t have near enough to purchase the place, wasn’t even sure he had enough for a substantial share, but he did have enough to weasel his way in if Marie and Brandon stayed on board.
     
    * * * *
     
    Drake amazed her. He hadn’t once mentioned his own part in this, how if the aquarium closed for good he would be out of a job or what he would do if that happened. With his background and degrees, he could easily find another job that would be far better than his position at the aquarium. She knew he had signed on at the aquarium, stayed all these years, because he loved it. He had to be feeling like a part of himself had been ripped out last night with little hope of being repaired.
    By the light of day, he looked ten times more dangerous, more forceful, and god help her, more appealing than ever. Flashbacks of last night hit her as she studied him. Her gaze fell to his hands, to his long fingers that had curled around her wrists and held her against the wall. Her attention slid to his right thigh, and her pussy spasmed in remembrance of the hard, toned muscle pressing against her sopping pussy lips. She pulled her focus back up, locked her gaze on his lips and her own tingled with