Excerpt - Forbidden Fruit

My contemporary erotic novella, FORBIDDEN FRUIT, has been doing wonderful well with readers. It's even made Caitlyn Willows one of the best selling authors at Fictionwise this quarter and that's always cool to see. So here's an excerpt to tease you.

Abby Strickland has always had crush on Richard Braddock, her best friend’s father...her father’s best friend. With Richard’s divorce six years before, that crush turned to longing, longing to love. If only Richard knew. At Melanie Braddock’s wedding, Abby decides it’s time to get this out of her system. No matter how forbidden, Abby knows she’ll regret it more if she never tries.Richard Braddock hasn’t seen Abby Strickland in six years, and he blesses the distance those years have given him. Not only can he see the beauty in the woman she’s become, he can also fully appreciate it...and want her more than he’s ever wanted a woman. And while Richard knows he risks the wrath of their families if he acts on his feelings, he also knows he cannot resist a taste of forbidden fruit this sweet.

http://www.amberheat.com/ForbiddenFruit.html

Reviews:
FIVE STARS! Both Abby and Richard Braddock are wonderful and sexy characters. Ms. Willows does a fantastic job as always in bringing together a wonderful story full of heat, interesting and dynamic characters whose sex appeal leaps off the pages, and a believable plot. In this instance Ms. Willow tackles the difficult topic of falling in love with a much older and sexy man who also happens to be a family friend and neighbor. There is also a suspense subplot that is woven into the story to keep readers on the edge of their seats. All these elements continue to make this book one captivating read...a true winner. ~Aggie Tsirikas, Just Erotic Romance Reviews

4.5 BLUE RIBBONS! FORBIDDEN FRUIT is an awesome read. Love knows no boundaries regardless of age. Caitlyn Willows did a perfect job of portraying these two characters; it’s almost as if she took a page from my life. This is a book I will be recommending to everyone I know. ~Shayla, Romance Junkies

4 CUPS! This is fabulous romantic tale, with real life situations and complications. The characters have depth first and you are kept entertained by the secondary characters as Richard and Abby discover each other, and on your toes as danger is involved. A fast paced romance with plenty of action and hot spicy sex scenes. Wateena, Coffee Time Romance
I loved that this was not a typical older man/younger woman story; there was a certain history, and more happiness at stake than just Abby’s and Richard’s. Sometimes the best things in life start out forbidden. ~Cerise, Joyfully Reviewed

Excerpt:
Abby Strickland wiped her sweaty palms over her sundress, trusting the dark tropical print to hide the evidence of how nervous she was. She doubted the periwinkle blue silk she’d selected for the wedding tomorrow would be as forgiving. Hopefully by then her nerves would have calmed. The initial reunion and the anticipation of seeing everyone would have waned. Knowing that didn’t help her now.

Just thinking of seeing him after all these years was enough to set her body thrumming. Abby could scarcely breathe without it coming out all quivery. And the dampness in her hands was nothing compared to what was between her legs.

I never should have come.

Now that she was here, Abby told herself she was foolish for even considering acting on a teenage crush that had clearly exploded beyond proportion. If the age difference wasn’t enough to throw cold water on her libido, the long-term relationship between the two families should. Failing that, her father and Richard were best friends. And still she wanted him, despite these obstacles.

Abby had been sixteen when she’d noticed, really noticed Richard Braddock was a devastatingly handsome man. Their families had lived next to each other almost her whole life. But that summer day…

She swallowed hard against the memory. Puberty had her in its clutches then. Her first hot make-out session outside the school gym following a dance had awakened the seeds of passion. But it was seeing Richard shirtless and sweaty two days later that had given Abby her first taste of adult horny. She’d watched from her upstairs window as he stripped off his shirt. Sweat glistened on the bronze planes of his sculpted chest. Abby had longed even at that age to trace the angles and see if he was as hard as he looked. A smattering of dark hair arrowed down from his pecs, thickening around his belly button before disappearing beneath the waistband of his jeans.

Curiosity had conjured up images of what his cock might look like. She’d never dared a glimpse of the pictures the older girls surreptitiously giggled over during study hall. It had never mattered to her…until that moment.

She’d passed a leisurely gaze over him, marveling at perfection. He’d taken the garden hose and drenched himself. Abby had pulled her bottom lip between her teeth. That spot between her legs throbbed. Of its own volition, her hand found its way into her panties. She’d gasped with the first touch of fingers to clit. She’d played with herself before, but it had never felt this good.

His hair darkened under the water, merging the silver ends with the dark brown undergrowth. Long fingers raked the strands apart while Abby’s hand rubbed faster. She’d watched each flex of his muscles, wondering what they’d feel like against her. She squeezed her breast with her free hand, closed her eyes, then quivered under the impact of her first orgasm. The first of many dreaming of him.

Abby laughed at herself while the muted sounds of the slot machines filtered through her fog of lust. There was certainly no harm in admiring him from afar.

Even as she told herself that, Abby knew how difficult it was going to be. She wasn’t a teenager anymore. She was a woman, with all the desires and longings that went with that state.

Despite the odds against him even noticing her in a sexual partner way, much less him wanting to act on that, Abby knew she had to at least try. Better to have her ego deflated than to be an old woman regretting she’d never tried.

Tell all that to the yellow streak wiggling down her back. Sheer force of will kept her from chickening out. Besides, staying away might have caused more questions than Abby was willing to deal with. Despite the strained relationship that had developed between the Stricklands and the Braddocks over the last six years, everyone still made a surface attempt to play nice. That consideration had more to do with the fact that Richard Braddock still worked at the same precinct with her father, not because Pam Braddock was the next door neighbor.

Abby would never forget the last time she’d seen Richard—six years ago when she and Melanie graduated from college. What was supposed to have been a day of celebration quickly deteriorated into a nightmare. Shortly after the families sat down to dinner at the Black Angus, Pam tossed down her Scotch, glared at Richard, and demanded a divorce.

His blue eyes darkened as anger replaced his previous good humor. Abby’s blood had chilled when he sliced a glare his wife’s way and replied, “There’s a surprise. Your timing is impeccable. You couldn’t wait until we’d gotten home. You just had to ruin this day, didn’t you?”

It was Pam who’d stormed away that night. Richard remained and tried to put on a good face for his devastated daughter. But Abby could see the pain, hurt, and regret deep in his eyes. All she’d wanted to do then was hold him tight and make it better. All she’d wanted since then was…

Abby pulled in a shaky breath. She hadn’t seen Richard since that night. He’d ridden home with them to get his truck, and had moved to a hotel, and, subsequently, to his own apartment. Any interaction between him and her father was on the job or well away from the house next door. She supposed that was only fair since, according to her mother, Pam had a string of men in and out of the place constantly. It wasn’t an environment conducive to children. But then the Braddock girls were officially adults and out of the house at that point.

As far as Richard was concerned, if he’d had any serious lady friends, no one said anything to her about it. And that was fine with Abby. The last thing she wanted to hear about were stories of Richard and another woman. She wanted him.

Abby scolded herself yet again.

She shouldn’t be harboring the kinds of thoughts she was about the man. God knew she’d tried to put this obsession out of her mind. But the few men she’d dated had never lived up to her expectations. Each time, she’d close her eyes and imagine it was Richard whose lips kneaded hers. Richard whose warm hands flicked her nipples to life. Richard whose hard cock pounded into her.

Abby fanned the heat from her face. Six years wasn’t an eternity, but it was a long time. Richard would be fifty now, the same age as her father. Surely he’d changed in that period of time. Seeing him once more was just what she needed to snap her perspective back in place and move on with her life. That wasn’t going to happen unless she got her feet to move forward rather than stay parked outside the entrance to The Riviera’s all-you-can-eat buffet.

She stretched on tiptoe and craned her neck for a peek over the crowd inside. There was her mother—that red hair was hard to miss—and Pam Braddock—equally obvious with her platinum hair piled up ala Ivana Trump. Melanie was right beside her, looking more and more like a recreation of Pam. Abby supposed that had a lot to do with the time the two of them spent together. Pam had recently added “and Daughters” to the name of her real estate business. Melanie worked there with both her sisters. As far as real estate brokers went, they were a formidable team.

It looked like their party included about thirty people, judging from the one side of the table Abby could see. There was no way to get a look at the other side.

“Looking for me…I hope.”

A chill curled up her spine at the sound of Kevin Calloway’s voice. Abby prayed it was a coincidence and that Melanie hadn’t had the gall to invite the son of a bitch. She didn’t bother to feign a smile as she turned to face him.

“Hardly. What are you doing here?”

Any insult was lost on him. He just gave her that dazzling surfer boy smile that actually managed to dull his bleached hair. His brown eyes were vacant, just like his head.

“I’m part of the wedding party. The main dude’s my bud.”

Abby translated that to mean he was a friend of the groom. Melanie should have warned her, but then they’d drifted apart in the six months Melanie had been dating Tommy. Still, she knew Kevin wasn’t one of Abby’s favorite people. A little notice would have been nice. Not that it would have kept her away, but she’d at least have been forewarned.

“Great place for a wedding, huh?”

Yes…Vegas…who would have thought. “Millions of people most probably would agree.”

He chortled. Abby grimaced. Seven o’clock at night and he already reeked of stale beer, cigarettes, body odor, and God knew what else. The older he got, the farther backward he slipped on the evolutionary scale. Any day now his knuckles would be scraping the ground.

“Ready to go in?” He waved his hand forward.

“Not with you,” she quickly replied. “The last thing I want is for anyone to think we’re a couple.”
He shrugged his shoulder. “Whatever flips your switch. I know plenty of chicks just lining up to ride this board.” He grabbed his crotch and gave it a shake.

The gesture made her physically ill. What she’d ever seen in the guy remained a mystery to her. Well…maybe not so much a mystery. It had been college. She was horny. He was cute and attentive. That lasted for all of one date. But to hear Kevin tell the tale…

Abby shoved the thoughts away. She chalked it up to a lesson learned long ago, but it still left a sour feeling in the pit of her stomach.

“I’d sure be willin’ to give you a lift for old times sake…if you know what I’m sayin’.”

Unfortunately, she did. At least she managed to resist the urge to tell him it wouldn’t be much of a rise.

Kevin snickered, then made a big show of brushing by her, hips first, to get to the buffet entrance. The feel of his erection touching her turned Abby’s stomach. She watched him strut inside, arms lifted high over his head in a bellow of a greeting like the simian he was.

Putting some distance between their arrivals was probably a good idea. Spying the ladies room, Abby decided it was as good a place as any to kill some time.
* * *
Richard Braddock stared at the entrance to the buffet. He’d almost rather be facing down a felon with a loaded .38 than to be dealing with this gathering. At least not today.

What he really wanted was a couple of cold beers and little sanctuary from the world. The image of Marcy Tully’s blood-splattered body was going to haunt him for a long time. She’d been shot to death while she was out walking her dogs. And, naturally, no one saw a thing. Hopefully, evidence would provide some clues. If it weren’t for Melanie’s wedding, Richard would have still been at work hunting down leads. Now all he had to do was focus on trying to enjoy himself. Not easy to do at an event that included his ex-wife.

Thankfully, Ron and Erin Strickland were here for moral support. God love ’em for that. If anyone had reason not to be here, it was them. They’d put up with Pam’s nonsense for the last six years while he was safely tucked away in his tiny apartment as far from her as he could get. Sometimes it wasn’t far enough.

He watched them from where he stood. Pam’s boyfriend-of-the-moment draped himself over the back of her chair, poised on every pearl that fell from her lips. At least this one looked like he had some degree of intelligence. He was certainly dressed nicer—from what Richard could see of his dark green pullover. It was something Richard or Ron would wear, not like men had that big a selection when it came to clothes.

He glanced at Erin. Her smile looked like it had been frozen there. Every so often she’d shoot a glance across the table—that had to be where Ron sat. Somehow Pam had managed to keep the couple separate. All eyes were on her…just the way she liked it.

So what surprises did she have in store for them this time? He’d caught her in bed with two men the day of Georgia’s high school graduation. Two days later, when Melanie graduated college, she’d dropped her divorce bomb over dinner. The only regret there was that she’d beaten him to the punch. Divorce was inevitable; infidelity made that a given. But he’d put his daughters before him, intending their respective graduations to be happy events, not days of personal disaster. Obviously, Pam wasn’t so inclined. And at Cindy’s wedding the following year, she’d announced her plan to open her own real estate business. Then she’d used the reception to drum up clients.

Despite all this, he was here. He’d never forgive himself for missing Melanie’s wedding. He’d always been there for his girls. Divorce wasn’t going to change that. He’d suck up a couple of days of Pam for them. He just had to get through tonight and the wedding tomorrow, then he’d be home free and clear…until the next family event. He prayed Georgia wasn’t planning on getting married any time soon. Or if she was, they’d get more notice than the two weeks Melanie had granted them.

He supposed he couldn’t complain. Melanie and Tommy had opted for Las Vegas and to pay for things themselves. With a house payment and alimony coming out of his pocket, the cost of a wedding would have hit hard.

“Oh well…here goes.”

Richard pushed out a quick exhale, then marched forward. Ron lifted a wave and flashed him a relieved smile. That brought other heads around. Richard scanned them all. Two faces were missing—Joanna and Abby Strickland. Joanna he could understand—she’d just blessed Ron and Erin with their first grandchild two months ago. But Abby?

A twinge of disappointment smacked him harder than he expected. He shouldn’t be surprised. According to Erin, she and Melanie had grown steadily apart over the last six years, more so since Melanie started seeing Tommy. But they were still friends, so her absence was odd.

His daughters rushed him as Richard neared the long table, each jockeying for a hug. They were all so much like their mother—the same sharp features, the same hazel eyes, the same…well, whatever color hair they wanted at the time. Each wrapped their arms around him and gave him a kiss on the cheek before leading him by the hand to the table.

“You made it,” Pam said.

Was there a hidden “damn it” in her voice? He hoped so.

“I hit some traffic on the way.”

The drive to Vegas had been a hell of its own making. Richard had spent the majority of his time watching his rearview mirror to make sure he wasn’t being followed. Who would have thought one date two months ago with Janet Brothers would turn into such a nightmare? When he declined to offer a second date, she’d fallen to her knees in a horrible display of hysterics, begging to know what she had to do to keep him. All he’d been able to say was, “This isn’t it.”

She’d been stalking him ever since—to work, to home, to the store, when he jogged. Richard knew he probably should have followed Ron and Erin’s advice, and gotten a restraining order, especially after her latest stunt—dead flowers on his doorstep and his poor old truck egged. He’d been lulled by a quiet stretch only to have her pull this stunt. Of course, he had no solid proof, and he hadn’t bother to file a report. After all, what damage was really done to the truck. Was he scared? Oh yeah. But that just made him more watchful.

Richard hadn’t seen her for the last week or so. He wasn’t a fool to think she’d given up. During the long drive, he swore he saw her tan Dodge Stratus dogging him. He wove through traffic trying to shake the vehicle. The driver always managed to stay just far enough behind to keep him from making a positive ID. She was a tenacious bitch; he’d give her that.

And yet Richard hadn’t seen her since his arrival. That alone made him wonder if he was overly paranoid.

Pam made a big show of glancing over his shoulder. “No date?”

“Just me.” He scuffed his hands together and looked around. “Where shall I sit? Looks like all the places are taken.”

The groom jumped to his feet, toppling over his chair in the process. A gasp escaped the woman across from him—Tommy’s mother judging from the looks of her—thin with thick, curly dark hair. She looked like it was all she could do to stay in her seat and not help him. Of course, her stillness could have had a lot to do with her husband’s arm over her shoulder keeping her in place.

Sadly, Melanie shot her fiancé a glare—the perfect imitation of her mother. It chilled Richard. If this was a clue, poor Tommy wasn’t going to have an easy time of it. A red flush covered the young man’s long face, spreading down his neck until it blended with his San Francisco ’49ers T-shirt. His hand shook as he righted his chair. Richard felt sorry for the poor guy.

“We can pull over another table, Mr. Braddock,” he said, scrambling to do so. That earned the poor guy a glower from the wait staff.

Richard waved him back to his seat. “We’re halfway across the room as it is. I’ll just sit over here.” Out of the line of fire and happily ensconced at a table for four. Before he could pull out a chair at the neighboring table, Ron and Erin joined him there.

“Glad to see you made it,” Ron said. “I was getting worried.”

“Sorry, I should have called your cell. We had a homicide at the last minute. I didn’t get out of there as quickly as I wanted and hit the Friday traffic heading to Vegas.”

“Who was the victim?” Ron asked.

Richard shouldn’t have mentioned it. He really didn’t want to think about it. Now he had little choice. “Marcy Tully.”

“Damn…what the fuck happened?”

Erin leaned in to the conversation. “Isn’t she the dispatcher you went out with a couple of weeks ago? The one with the cute little Lhasa apsos?”

“Yeah.”

Marcy was one of the nicest people around; everyone liked her. Recently divorced from a philandering husband, everyone also thought she and Richard would be a good match. Sadly, her divorce was too recent and all she talked about over dinner. Even she admitted the date hadn’t been a good idea. She’d apologized at the door, given him a kiss on the cheek, and thanked him for being a good listener and friend.

Now she was dead. He still couldn’t believe it. A sweet, thoughtful woman was murdered and yet psychotic bitch Janet still walked the Earth. Richard hated himself for thinking that, but he was only human.

“How?” Ron asked.

“Apparently a random drive-by while she was out walking her dogs.”

Erin blinked back tears. “Oh no…are they—”

“Her daughter has them.”

Erin didn’t need to know they’d had to comb forensic evidence out of their fur first. He’d also seen to it that someone had bathed the pooches afterward. The woman was traumatized enough; she didn’t need to see her mother’s blood splattered over her beloved pets.

“Any leads?” Ron asked.

Richard shook his head. He was about to go into a little more detail when Erin’s gaze shifted toward the entrance. Her eyes rounded.

“Holy shit.”

Richard got a sinking sensation in the pit of his stomach as he turned around. Sure enough, Janet stood there. She finger-combed her short, blond hair and looked everywhere but at him. Tight blue jeans rode low over her hips, exposing her pierced navel and the belly button ring stuck there. She wore a white tank top barely held up by spaghetti straps. Dark nipples defied the cotton.

So…he wasn’t nuts after all. She had been following him. Enough was enough.

Before he could take a step in her direction, a man edged up behind her and wrapped her in a tight embrace. Janet smiled up at his movie star face and snuggled against him.

Relief washed over Richard. She hadn’t been following him. It was just a crazy coincidence. Finally, she’d found someone else on whom to lavish her attention. He wished her well.
Ron nudged him. “That has to be a load off your shoulders.”

“You have no idea.” He was glad now he hadn’t gone after that restraining order. Considering how tight she was with this guy, they’d been together for a while. That meant the flowers and eggs had to be the work of vandals, most probably some neighborhood kids who had a grudge against cops.

Janet’s face glowed as she and her man made their way to their table. Her gaze drifted Richard’s way as they started to pass. She jerked to a stop, pulling the man with her.

“What a surprise,” she exclaimed. “Small world, huh?”

She looked so happy it was impossible not to smile. “So they say,” he replied. Even from a man’s perspective, Richard had to admit her date was handsome—tanned, blond, bulked.
She motioned to her date. “This is Clark.”

They exchanged nods as Janet made introductions.

“We’re here for the weekend. And you?” she asked.

“Family wedding,” Erin volunteered.

“Well…enjoy. I know we will.” She let Clark guide her away to their table.

“Thank God that nasty little episode is over,” Erin said after they’d gone out of earshot.

“I’ll second that.” It felt like at least part of the world was off his shoulders. “So…where’s Abby? I thought she was coming.”

Erin glanced back toward the entrance and smiled. “There she is.”

Richard looked up. A host of things happened, and in such rapid succession he could barely process them. One thing he was painfully aware of—he hadn’t had an erection this hard in ages.
To say Abby Strickland was drop-dead gorgeous was a gross understatement. Now he knew the true meaning of the phrase “brick house.” Abby didn’t specifically resemble either of her parents. It was as if the powers that be threw the couple’s genes in a blender, mixed them up real good, and out came this beautiful woman.

Her shoulder-length hair carried hints of blond in the brunette. Makeup enhanced her features delicately rather than bragged about them. She wore a tropical print sundress of deep rose, blue, and indigo that wafted against her shins with every step. He’d never wanted to see a woman’s legs more.

Laughter in her brown eyes matched the smile on her just-right lips. A smile that was directed right at him, just as those eyes were. Somehow Richard forced himself to stand, then blessed whatever gods existed that his back was to the crowd at the larger table and her parents were focused on her.

She hugged her mother, then her father, all the while watching him. Then she wrapped those wondrous arms around him. The hint of vanilla speared his senses. He was aware of every curve, every press of her body against his. And one thing was certain—she could damn well feel his response.

He expected condemnation of some kind when they pulled apart. What he got was a look so filled with longing it nearly knocked him the rest of the way off his feet.

Enjoy!

Caitlyn Willows
aka Catherine Snodgrass