Anthology, The Emperor--Trenton's Terms

Sidney Clark wants nothing to do with men. She’s been burned before and isn’t looking to repeat the painful ordeal. When her best friend Abby gives her a Tarot card reading predicting The Emperor, a cocky, alpha male coming into her life Sidney blows it off. She all but forgets about her mystery man until one look from across a hotel lounge changes everything. The man from her reading is real, gorgeous, and dangerous…to her heart.

From the first second Trenton Stone sees the sexy blonde he knows he has to have her. She affects him like no woman he’s ever met. When she runs out on him the first night they meet he knows he should forget about her but he can’t. Following his gut he shows up in Sidney’s hometown making it known he’s not leaving until he has her. He wants her and Trenton Stone always gets what he wants.

TRENTON’S TERMS by Kelley Nyrae is a fantastic read. I was hooked from the first page and found myself devouring this book in a short time. Ms. Nyrae has a unique way of making the characters come to life right in front of your eyes.—5 Pixies—Dark Angel Reviews

Sidney lit a vanilla incense then turned to place it on the counter behind her register. About five feet away Abby sat in her reading room with the door cracked pouting because Sid still didn’t want to talk to her about Trenton . Not that there was much to tell. She’d made sure of that when she ran away from him.
  
Walking around the counter she started rearranging a candle display. The scents of fruit mixed with her and Abby’s homemade relaxation creations making her crave a snack and a nap. The couple days since they’d been back from the fair were slow around Mystic Boutique. Not scary slow but slow enough that it wasn’t providing her enough to keep her mind occupied from her thoughts about Trenton and what she’d missed.
  
In her twenty eight years she’d never thought about sex as much as she did in the past three days. She never craved it like she did since she met the cocky, gorgeous man that wouldn’t leave her dreams.
  
A bell jingled in the distance jerking Sid out of her daydream. “Hi. Welcome to Mys-” the words died on her tongue. Standing in her doorway stood Trenton looking sexy as sin in a pair of loose fitting jeans and a blue button up shirt. His sleeves were again rolled up to his elbows showing off his muscular forearms.
                   
This couldn’t be a coincidence. He had to be here looking for her and while the thought sent explosions of excitement shooting through her body it also put her on edge. What could he want from her? Why travel all the way to River City to see an eccentric, small town girl like herself?

Only one way to find out.
   
Sid took a deep breath gathering her wits before she took small steps down the plank towards Trenton.
  
“Hello, Sidney,” Trenton’s voice came out smooth as honey. He stood there looking Mr. Cool, Calm, and Collected while she felt like she wanted to trample him over while making another running escape out the door. Why did he affect her like this? Men never made her feel like she’d downed three shots of caffeine the way he did. He made her jittery in a way she wasn’t used to.
    
“Hi. Long time no see.” Well that sounded real intelligent. It’s only been a couple days since I saw him last.
    
“What did you expect with the way you sprinted away from me the other night? I had a name and place of employment to go off, but I still had to make arrangements to get here.”
    
He spoke a little too loudly for comfort. Abby was the only person here, but she’d rather her friend stayed in her reading room until she could get Trenton out of here. “Sh. Someone will hear you.”
    
“Yeah, with all the people in your store right now I guess I better keep my voice down.”
    
“My friend Abby is here.”
    
“And she doesn’t allow men in your store or what?”
    
What a jerk! “No, she allows men in here. Just not the cocky ones.”
    
Trenton leaned toward her, his masculinity invading her space in the most welcomed way. “Now that’s a shame, Sugar, because I’m very cocky. I would have liked to show you the other night before you ran out on me. Of course, I’d be willing to give it another try. I promise you’ll like what you see.” He pulled away and gave her a sexy wink that turned her legs to Jell-O.
    
Oh yeah, she wanted to see alright.
    
“What do you say, Sidney? I didn’t get to see nearly enough of you the other night. But what I did see intrigued me. I haven’t been able to get you out of my mind since Sunday night.”
    
Sidney could tell he was just trying to get a rise out of her. It almost worked but she made herself find her tongue. He wouldn’t turn her into a giggling school girl. “You weren’t as memorable. I’d almost completely forgotten we’d met until you walked into my store.” It was a bald faced lie, but the look on his face made it worth it. She doubted anyone would find Trenton Stone forgettable. She sure didn’t, but it would be a cold day in hell before she let him know it.
    
The fact was, she wanted him and he knew it. What she couldn’t figure out is why he wanted her so much? Why did he come all the way here to find her? Not knowing made her want him more. That scared her. She never reacted to a man this way. It wasn’t smart to start now. Especially with one who lived God only knew where. It’s not like they could have more than a night together.
    
In the blink of an eye the shocked expression on his face turned into one of amusement. The left side of his mouth raised in a crooked smile that almost had her jumping him right there. This man had way too much control over her body for someone she didn’t even know.
    
“I haven’t given you anything to remember yet, Sugar. Once I have, I promise you, you’ll never forget it.”