Beth's Acceptance Read online

  About Beth’s Acceptance

  Can she accept the destiny being thrust at her?

  For weeks, the darkly sinful Zachariah, her favourite customer at McGinty’s, has been raising NYC student Beth Siegel’s pulse, driving her crazy with need.

  Neither can she keep the tall, blue-eyed mysterious Luke who haunts the library stacks at her day job, out of her mind or her sweaty, desperate fantasies.

  Fate hands Beth a startling destiny: to bond with both of them—a bond formed via sex. Sex with either one of them would have been fabulous. Together? Irresistible.

  But fate is a two-edged sword and the bond comes at a price. Luke and Zack are not what they seem, and the world as Beth knows it not quite the real deal. Can Beth accept the price the bond will ask of her?

  Warning: This story features two super hot alpha heroes, multiple sex scenes, including anal sex, MM sexual play, and MMF sex. Do not read this book if frank sexual language and sex scenes offend you.

  No non-humans were harmed except for large numbers of Grimoré, who died with satisfactory squeals…

  Beth’s Acceptance is the first book in the Destiny’s Trinities series:

  Book 1: Beth’s Acceptance

  Book 2: Mia’s Return (to be released October 4, 2013)

  Book 3: Sera’s Gift (to be released October 18, 2013)

  Praise for Beth’s Acceptance

  2009 CAPA Finalist for Best Erotic Paranormal Romance.

  Night Owl Romance Reviewer’s Top Pick

  I was unable to put the book down until the very end. I was scrambling to find the release date of the next one, anxious to see what happens in the next installment. -- Coffee Time Romance

  …an alluring, intelligent, scorching hot read that will leave you waiting impatiently for more … I really enjoyed this book and I am delighted to recommend it to other readers. Night Owl Reviews

  A dark and delightfully erotic new series that sizzles in passionand crackles in danger, delivering suspense with an edge that will have readers eager for more… A stunning story. Prepare to be dazzled. The Romance Studio

  A great job of combining erotic romance with paranormal aspects. The[y] play off each other really well, each a very strong independent character. Smexy Books

  A wondrous ride in the paranormal. I cannot wait for the second book, and yes, this is my way of saying hurry please! Bitten By Books

  The heat radiates from the story from start to finish and the bits in between come close to bringing the reader to melt down in delight. These are just the right size to curl up with when you need a little time alone and a little excitement. Amberkatz Book Blog

  Contents

  About Beth’s Acceptance

  Praise for Beth’s Acceptance

  Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  More erotic paranormal romance

  by Tracy Cooper-Posey

  Stay Up To Date

  About the Author

  Other books by Tracy Cooper-Posey

  Copyright Information

  Chapter One

  “Beth. Earth to Beth...?”

  Beth blinked, looked down at the overflowing glass of soda she was pouring, gasped and switched off the mixer tap. She looked over her shoulder at Jerry, the bar manager, who lifted a brow before hurrying away. “Sorry,” she called although she knew he probably wouldn’t hear her. It was still busy even though the bar was winding down for the night. The conversational noise level was enough to drown her apology.

  She dumped the ruined drink and started again, loading a fresh glass with ice and pouring the soda, while thrusting the straw in at the same time. It was one of six on the tray. The others were alcoholic drinks. This one was for the driver of the group of yahoos she had been catering to in the corner booth, a tired businessman with bloodshot eyes who looked like he just wanted to get home. He’d drawn the short straw tonight. At least they’d picked someone to stay sober, she reflected, concentrating on the task of pushing the drink onto the tray.

  Despite trying to distract herself with thoughts of designated drivers and potential tips, as she carried the tray over to the booth she found her thoughts right back where they had been when Jerry caught her drifting a moment ago—at the library this afternoon.

  It was hot in the bar. Jerry kept the heat up to encourage drinking and it was a popular place even in the middle of the week, so the packed bodies pushed the heat higher. Even so, Beth felt a shiver rippled down her spine as she remembered that afternoon. It spread fingers across her back, making her abruptly aware of her bra-less state. Why, oh why had she left off her bra tonight? She never did that. Was it prompted by this afternoon?

  She stopped at the booth and delivered the round of drinks. The group was rowdy, happy, and was tipping well. She wondered if the lack of a bra was helping, and could feel her cheeks burning as she bantered with them like she did with all the McGinty’s crowd, wondering if they knew she was naked beneath the little waistcoat. Is that why they were paying her so much attention?

  She threw a saucy comment over her shoulder as she left the booth, balancing empties, and stopped at other tables on her way back, clearing and gathering orders, but her mind was more fully occupied on that afternoon, puzzling it out. What had happened? She still wasn’t entirely sure.

  The man who called himself Luke-no-last-name had been showing up at the library for about a month, now. Almost from the first, she had noticed him. He was hard to miss. He stood over six feet tall and he had shoulders to match. His hair was somewhat shaggy, a honey blond with bleached highlights. It was unusual coloring to catch her eye. Beth—when she spared men a thought at all—preferred her men dark.

  Beth’s library shifts were every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, and Luke was there every day she worked. Unlike most students, he didn’t settle in at a favorite carrel, or stake out a table. He wandered. One day he’d be in the philosophy section. The next he’d literally sprawl on the floor at the foot of the Zang China history stacks, books on either side of him, as happy as a puppy at play with a ball of wool. Each day it seemed to be a different subject.

  When Beth had finally had the gumption to ask him about his eclectic study habits, she’d been close enough to notice his eyes. Dark blue. Stormy blue. She was tall—at five-ten, she’d spent her life feeling like a stork—but she had to lift her chin to look him in the eye. He had seemed to hold his breath for a moment before he’d answered her. Then he’d just shrugged. “My professor gave me an open ticket. I get to write a report a day. If he likes it, I pass.”

  “Who’s your professor? I want to transfer,” Beth had instantly responded.

  He’d smiled and something in the pit of her stomach had clenched and her pussy had throbbed. Startled, she had hidden her reaction and moved away, murmuring about getting back to work. But she had found herself watching him ever since.

  From a distance.

  Like clockwork, every day she was on shift at the library, Luke showed up. She’d burned to ask her co-workers if he studied on Thursdays and Fridays or on the weekends, when she wasn’t there. But to ask would be to signal her interest in him and she didn’t want to sow the seeds amongst them for their gossip sessions. Columbia was a huge campus, but was surprisingly inter-connected. You just didn’t know who knew who and with the use of text messages and email, gossip could move way too fast. No, she wasn’t going to let this go anywhere. Besides she wasn’t even sure what “this” was, yet.

  So she watched Luke and tried to figure it out for herself. She did a slow burn at night in her lonely bed as she tried to pretend she wasn’t horny at
all, because it wasn’t just Luke—that was the problem. If it had just been Luke, that was an itch she could have easily solved.

  Every now and again, they would exchange a sentence or two. She would help him find a book, or look up a title for him. He never took notes for his study, either. It could be because he had an eidetic memory, but she knew of at least one other eidetic student, and she studied with an intense, don’t-fuck-with-me posture that barred interruptions, and a wrinkled brow. Memorizing pages of text took effort. Luke didn’t look like he was making an effort to remember anything.

  She would look up and catch him watching her from across the room, the blue eyes almost black with some emotion she couldn’t name, before he would casually turn back to the book he was reading, not embarrassed at being caught observing her.

  This afternoon, though, had been...off the charts. She had been heading back to the front desk when she had found Luke in the small business section, leaning against the stacks with a small pile of books at his feet, another in his hands and yet another small pile resting on the steps of the sliding ladder next to him.

  Beth had stopped and gripped the handle of the ladder. “We’ve got tables and carrels for this sort of thing, you know.” She tried look severe as she said it.

  Luke glanced over the top of the book he was flipping through, the blue eyes the only part of his face visible. It emphasized their color and made his stare more intense. “I’m narrowing down my choice, ma’am,” he said, his voice quiet. “Then I’ll move to the table.”

  Her grip on the ladder was not a steady thing. She had been gripping it for added support and trying to make it look like a casual thing.

  There was no hint of warning. No whisper of sound. Nothing. Even now as she kept replaying it over in her mind, she was sure of it.

  Despite the lack of any signal, Luke looked up, dropped his book and lunged towards her. He spun her around, threw his arms around her, scooped her off her feet and tucked her into him as he hunched over.

  “What...?” Beth begun.

  Books hit the ground around them. They were heavy, ancient hardcover tomes from the second floor stacks. Somebody had been filing them back on the shelves, using the ladder, and had left a pile of them sitting on the ladder steps. Beth’s grip on the ladder had brought them down around them like rain.

  In spite of the danger of the books thudding around them, all she could think of was Luke’s body pressed up against hers. Bent over as she was, her ass was pushed against him and she clenched her jaw against the need to moan in pleasure. She could feel his cock against her ass. She closed her eyes. A few more seconds...just a few more seconds and it would be over.

  Then she heard Luke gasp as a book hit him. She struggled to straighten up and managed to stand. She suspected that Luke let her. He was far stronger than her as he’d just demonstrated. She twisted in his grasp and cupped his face. “Are you all right?”

  She searched his face for pain, for signs of injury, then her gaze met his eyes and she forgot to search any further.

  She realized several things almost instantaneously. One—that Luke hadn’t let her go. She was still held hard against him. One large hand was flat against the back of her hip, low down, the tips of the fingers resting on the belt threaded through the carrier of her low rise jeans. The other hand was on her shoulder, pressing her against him so that her breasts pushed against his chest. Two—that her hair had come loose and was now brushing against both his hands. Three—that she was suddenly hungry for his kiss...no, not his kiss. For him. She wanted him to fuck her, to take her now. Her body ached to take him into her. Every nerve ending tingled. Her nipples were hard digits digging into the protective shield of her bra. She longed to rip away her bra so that she could press her breasts against his chest and let him feel her arousal.

  Did he feel it though? Did he feel the same?

  His hand on her shoulder moved. It lifted away and she bit her lip, hiding her disappointment. He was going to let her go.

  But it plunged into her hair and lifted it. She saw his gaze shift as he marveled over her hair, the bane of her life. He let it slide over the back of his hand and drop again. “It’s like liquid fire.” The husky note in his voice made her pussy clench and her clit throb. Her heart leapt in joy. He wanted her.

  His gaze jumped to her face as if he was also aware of what that rough note in his tone had revealed.

  She held her breath as he stared at her, trying to read her face. The hand on the back of her hip shifted restlessly. He was like a man skewered on the horns of a dilemma and she couldn’t help him because her own was just as painful.

  His chest lifted, as if he would speak. Briefly, he shut his eyes. Then he pushed her gently away from him, whirled and strode away from her. She watched him go, feeling the swirl of heavy want circle through her, and marveled at the power of his self-control. She had offered herself freely. He could have taken her with no consequences. He didn’t know about her own complications and didn’t need to know. If he had wanted her with anything like the degree she wanted him, his ability to say ‘no’ despite that want was staggering.

  She wasn’t sure she would have been able to do it, had they traded places.

  * * * * *

  “Tell me when you get back, honey.”

  Beth blinked and focused on the cigarette-scarred table-top. She blinked again and smiled Barney, one of her regulars. “Jeez-Louise, did I do it again?” She swept up his empty beer can and put out his new one. “That’s the third time tonight. I’m so sorry.”

  “He must be good, then.”

  She shook her head. “Mid-term exam tomorrow,” she lied. “Poly-sci.”

  “And Jerry’s got you working until closing? He’s a slave driver, honey.”

  “I gotta pay my rent somehow, Barney. You know.” She gave him a big smile, and leaned over to wipe the table. She’d hated this part of it to begin with, but it got her the big tips. Now she was used to it. Barney’s gaze crawled over her cleavage and as she stood up, sized up her legs in the black stockings and the short skirt. She checked her notepad. “That’ll be four-eighty, Barney.”

  He handed her a ten. “Keep the change, honey.”

  “Awww thanks, Barney.”

  “Sure thing, honey.” And he winked.

  She gave him another big smile and let him check out her ass as she walked away, give it all she had.

  Jenny had clocked off at midnight, which meant Beth had to cover the back acre—the row of booths lining the corridor to the fire exit. They were usually where trouble began because they were tucked away from the main bar section, but Jerry didn’t like the idea of ripping out the tables and losing sales, so the booths remained.

  She checked each empty booth in turn and came to a standstill at the second to last one. A single customer sat in the dark corner at the back, his arm spread along the back of the bench, the other along the table, his dark eyes watching her.

  Her heart thudded hard. “Zachariah,” Beth breathed. Her whole body seemed to ripple and go on high alert. Her nipples crinkled sharply. The next breath she drew seemed to burn on the way down to her lungs. “I...I thought you said you were leaving town for some time.”

  “I got called back suddenly,” he said, his deep voice low. He sat very still, watching her like a cat watches a mouse. His black hair was thick, pushed back casually, shining in the low light that filtered through to the back booths. His eyes gleaming with feral light. “So how are you, Beth?”

  She could feel her heart beating in her throat and temple. Hear it in her head. “G...good.” Her pussy was throbbing, preparing itself, the juices running, all for this man. She almost resented it. Why, why, why? He rocks up after weeks away and she just crumples for him?

  He still hadn’t moved, she realized.

  “Drink, Zack?” she asked. Her voice was shaky, giving away far too much about her state of mind, but it was the best she could manage.

  His teeth gleamed as he gave a smile. “
I need to consider,” he said. “You’ll have to run through the options for me.”

  She gripped her tray. “You’re stalling.”

  “I’m asking for good customer service.”

  She took a breath. “We have all the usual beers and most popular wines. Jerry can make the usual cocktails. If you ask for something unusual, we can provide it, if you help us with the recipe. We aim to please.”

  “Yes, you do, don’t you?” Zack said softly.

  She shifted her grip on the tray. “Why are you here, Zack?” she said at last, leaping. She had to ask because the timing of his return was too hard to ignore, so hard on the heels of what had happened that afternoon.

  Zack’s eyes narrowed and he looked at her more closely.

  Beth realized she had given away more than she had intended. She turned and walked away, but before she could take more than half a step, Zack’s hand gripped her elbow and she halted, shocked.

  How had he moved so fast?

  She looked over her shoulder at him. He was kneeling on the edge of the banquet, one hand flat on the tabletop, the other gripping her elbow. Steadily, he drew her back to the table until her knees were against the end of the banquet.

  Then he did the strangest thing. He leaned in close to her. For the length of a heartbeat Beth thought he was about to kiss her and her already frantic heart palpitated. But his face hovered over the nape of her neck...and he sniffed. A long, appreciative inhale.

  He leaned back, his eyes closed. When he opened them, his black eyes seemed to have come suddenly alive. He focused on her. “I can smell your need,” he rumbled.

  Beth thought she would melt into a puddle of mortification right there. Her cheeks were glowing with it.

  Zack gripped her knee and lifted it onto the banquet. He began to stroke the flesh on the inside of her thigh, just above the knee. She quivered at his touch. His gaze drilled into her.