The Virgin's Revenge: Rancho del Cielo, Book 4

by Dee Tenorio

  Cole took a swig of the beer, feeling like an interloper but not exactly able to gracefully exit the balcony. He had a feeling either Jackman would make a case for taking him out at the kneecaps or Amanda would call him a coward with no ability to handle other people’s emotions—and she’d be right, thank you very much. And Locke might kick his ass again for leaving him in the clutches of a woman determined to talk about her feelings. Technically, he couldn’t think of a better form of payback, so he stayed right where he was and smiled at the Viking.

  Locke was smart, he’d figure out why.

  “Oh,” Amanda said suddenly, pulling back and lifting a small black box from her hip pocket. An embossed gold rope pattern glittered along its top edge. “I grabbed this from Cole’s dresser before I came out here.” She held it out for him. “You should take it back.”

  Locke frowned at the box.

  “It’s Mom’s ring, Locke. You’re the one who should have this.”

  He shook his head. “She wanted that for you.”

  “No, she didn’t.” Amanda lifted it again and Locke finally gave in, slipping his open palm beneath the little box. “Mom believed every girl has a ring that’s just right for her. I’ll know my ring when I see it. And maybe someday, you might find the right woman who’ll know this ring too.”

  “Doubtful, but okay.” Locke curled his fingers around the box and slipped it into his shirt pocket.

  “Don’t say that, man,” Cole interjected, not sure how much more sentimentality the Viking could handle. “I’m sure there’s some giant, war-mongering woman out there just dying to find a guy like you.”

  Amanda shot him a disapproving look while Locke just grunted. Sure, his gaze was still baleful, but his mouth was in that almost-a-smile shape again.

  “Do you have to be an asshole?” she demanded.

  “No,” Cole answered, winking at her. She turned pink, the way she always did. The way he liked.

  “He’s got a point, Mandy. Women get a little freaked out about my old-fashioned approach to things.”

  “Which is crazy, if you ask me,” Cole chimed in, having more fun now. “I can see you now, on your dragon ship of yore, going from island to island arranging marriages for your brothers with the local women for the price of a few pigs and horses.”

  Amanda slugged him in the stomach, but she was laughing.

  Locke looked up as if heaven had some extra answers for him. “You sure you want to stay with this guy, Mandy? Your kids could end up really strange.”

  “Yeah, I’m sure.” She wrapped her arms around him, and Cole couldn’t think of a better feeling in the entire world. “Our kids will be complete freaks, but that’s okay. They’ll be happy.”

  Happy was good.

  In fact, happy was the best damn thing in the world.

  Epilogue

  Susie sat in the booth at Shaky Jake’s, staring at her glass of water like it held all of the world’s secrets.

  Amanda stared at her, wondering how long this could go on. “You’re still not up to being out, are you?”

  “I’m fine,” Susie replied quickly, but her skin still had the sickly greenish tone of someone who’d been fighting off a flu and not doing very well. “Really, I’m past the worst of it, I think. Just some leftover tiredness.”

  Amanda didn’t think so. Susie hadn’t been right for weeks, but between her flu and the orders incoming from more boutiques, the work was knocking her down almost as much as her health. Which was why Amanda had recommended getting out and blowing off some steam. Susie had been digging herself into a hole, and something had to be done. At the very least getting some fresh air and finding out what was going on around town.

  “You look like I’m going to have to pick you up with a spatula and carry you home in a doggie bag.”

  Susie frowned, her scowl dark enough to rival Locke’s, not that Amanda would dare mention that. The two of them had taken their dislike for each other to new heights the last few months. It was getting so that the only peace of mind anyone had when they were in the same vicinity were people who had noise-canceling headphones. Like the kind Amanda had taken to keeping in her purse.

  The door opened and Amanda looked over, fully expecting to see more of the local firefighters walking in. Another training class had graduated and Shaky Jake’s was ablaze with their celebrations. To her surprise, Cole, Dean and Daniel all walked in, heading straight to the bar.

  Well, the twins, anyway. Cole spotted her right off, stopping midway to the bar to wink and wave.

  Amanda leaned across the table to keep him in her sights.

  “Oh, go to him already.” Susie sighed, sounding slightly disgusted. “You’re so in love, your cow eyes are making me sick.”

  “Want I should bring him over, cranky?” Amanda asked, not arguing at all with the rest of the sentiment. “You know Cole always makes you laugh.”

  “Nah, you’re right, I’m just tired. I think I’ll head home and get some extra sleep.”

  “You sure? I can go with you.”

  “Don’t worry about me. I’m just going to sack out, maybe finally kick this stupid bug I’ve got. Enjoy your man. I’ll see you Monday at the shop.” Susie gave Amanda’s hand a pat before she made her way out of the bar, not giving Cole or the brothers with him so much as a glance. Which probably worked out okay, because ever since the ear thing, neither of the elder twins was real interested in talking to her.

  Amanda watched, wishing—not for the first time, either—that she could get Susie to open up, but she knew that road was a long one to hoe. Some things Susie just didn’t talk about, and there was nothing Amanda could do but wait until she was ready. Soon, though, she decided. Soon, she was going to push about it.

  Alone at the table and feeling kind of abandoned, she gestured to the guys. Why not? How long had it been since she’d had dinner with the elder twins?

  She could see the trio talking back and forth, not that she could figure out what on earth they could be discussing. Finally, Dean just spun Cole around and shoved him none too gently from the bar. He called them bastards—and got two pairs of rude hand gestures for his trouble—then he walked over to her with that loose-limbed walk of his. She sighed. She wouldn’t ever get used to the sight of Cole walking toward her, his dark eyes full of mischief and love she could see for miles.

  How had she ever doubted him?

  Well, it didn’t matter now. Now was for being happy. Building a life. Better yet, enjoying it.

  That was, she’d decided, a far better revenge than anything she’d ever thought up before. Lord knew it was working fabulously on her brothers.

  “How long do you think they’re going to act like we’ve got cooties?” Cole asked, pulling her out of the booth so he could give her a kiss where anyone in town could see. Like they hadn’t seen it a thousand times since summer.

  “I guess it depends on how long you keep me smiling like a maniac.” She pressed her lips to his again, just because she wanted to. A thousand and one.

  “Sex maniac,” he whispered in her ear, walking them the few feet to the small dance floor where a few other couples were swaying to a country tune. “I plan to keep you smiling until one of us dies from dehydration and extreme sexual satisfaction.”

  Flirting was fun, but flirting with Cole had to be the best thing she’d ever learned how to do. “I like that plan, but I have a feeling it’s going to be time-consuming.”

  His grin, when she looked up at him through her lashes, could only be called carnal. “Hey, I’ve got the rest of my life to devote to your pleasure, lady. You’ve just got to give me the say-so.”

  Ah, another one of his marriage proposals. At first, she hadn’t taken him seriously at all, the way he would casually just fit them into the conversation.

  “Hey, Amanda, did you get any more ketchup? Oh, and I saw this amazing engagement ring for you to look at.”

  Or the practical, “You know, if we were living together, we wouldn’t have this
pesky problem with having to wait for one of us to get to the other to have sex.”

  So far, her favorite was the direct one he’d used last week. “So are we getting married, or what?”

  Just went to show, get to know a guy for decade or so and he wants to skip all kinds of important steps. But not her. She wanted every step a couple could go through. Every moment of specialness and anticipation.

  She just hadn’t gotten around to telling him that yet.

  “I’m thinking about it.” She smiled against his lips. She already knew, of course. Cole was it for her, always had been, always would be. And really, he knew it too. The same way he knew she needed time to prove to herself that she could stand on her own. Cole just always understood. And she understood that he had no problem giving her time she needed before they moved on with the rest of their lives.

  Still, it never hurt to keep a man guessing a little, right?

  “I’m definitely thinking about it.”

  About the Author

  Dee Tenorio has a few reality issues. After much therapy for the problem—if one can call being awakened in the night by visions of hot able-bodied men a problem—she has proved incurable. It turns out she enjoys tormenting herself by writing sizzling, steamy romances of various genres spanning paranormal mystery dramas, contemporaries and romantic comedies. Preferably starring the sexy, somewhat grumpy heroes described above and smart-mouthed heroines who have much better hair than she does.

  The best part is, no more therapy bills!

  Well, not for Dee, anyway. Her husband and kids, on the other hand…

  If you would like to learn more about Dee and her work, please visit her site and blog at www.deetenorio.com. She can also be reached by readers at AuthorDeeTenorio@gmail.com.

  Look for these titles by Dee Tenorio

  Now Available:

  Midnight Sonata

  Midnight Temptation

  Midnight Legacy

  Test Me

  Kiss Me Again

  Love Me Knots

  All Of You

  All Or Nothing

  Shaken

  Rancho Del Cielo Romances

  Betting Hearts

  Love Me Tomorrow

  Burn For Me

  Once burned is all it takes…

  Burn For Me

  © 2009 Dee Tenorio

  A Rancho Del Cielo Romance

  Twelve years ago, Raul Montenga left home to live life on his own terms. Yet for just as long, his nights have sizzled with erotic dreams of Penelope, the girl he left behind. Enough is enough. It’s time to find out if the sparks are real, or all in his head.

  Not that he expected a warm welcome, but her cold shoulder and icy rejection sting more than he cares to admit. So he’s more than a little surprised to find her tomboy daughter standing nervously on his porch…claiming to be his child.

  Dr. Penelope Gibson’s worst nightmare isn’t that her daughter wants to know her daddy. It’s facing—and keeping at arm’s length—her biggest youthful mistake. Now he’s back and the feelings she’d thought frozen solid are melting fast. Along with her inhibitions, her clothes and her better judgment.

  Problem is, Raul’s not content to stop at getting acquainted with her daughter. He wants it all—Penelope’s love, her body and her soul. After twelve years building a life without him, though, she’s not sure she trusts him—or herself—enough to try.

  Warning: This book features a wildly hot Latino firefighter dead-set on a mission to seduce. Contains bad words, fiery tempers and scorching sex. Oven mitts required.

  Enjoy the following excerpt for Burn For Me:

  The door to her office opened and a familiar red cap peeked through. Unharmed and already sheepish, Chloe slipped into the room.

  Relief, quickly overwhelmed by a surge of anger, flooded through her. “She’s here, Mother. I’ll call you back.” Penelope was already dropping the phone into its cradle, mouth pursed to demand where exactly her daughter had been, when the door pushed open further, revealing the tall, dark form of the last man she wanted within a hundred yards of her child. “Raul.”

  Twelve years since her final, rude awakening about this man, but one look at him could still make her heart stop and her brain short-circuit. For blank seconds she could only stare. Take in the rich golden brown of his skin and that inky black hair full of curl and life. All of him was full of life, as if he were crackling with energy in that powerful frame. Her eyes traced the breadth of his shoulders under an old USC T-shirt, impossibly broader than in his youth, sliding helplessly down his torso to the lean hips encased in old jeans that loved him. So not fair. Couldn’t he have gotten some kind of flaw over the years? One? But no, the same bedroom eyes, soulful and dark brown, same squared jaw and mouth with those dimples in his cheeks that never quite filled out. Full, tastable lips…

  Lips most of the women in this small town have tasted, she reminded herself harshly, snapping herself back to reality. It had been a hard decade since she’d been the girl who’d have sold her soul for one second of his affection. She wasn’t that girl anymore. She met his dark gaze with an even glance before dismissing him to address Chloe.

  “Where have you been? Your grandmother has been worried sick.”

  Chloe’s full lips quirked downward. “I should be so lucky.”

  “Hey, what have I told you about wishing bad things on your grandmother?”

  Chloe’s sigh could have moved a mountain. “Sorry.”

  “Where were you?” Pen wasn’t about to be derailed.

  “She came to my place,” Raul’s deep voice interjected softly. Not wanting to face him, unable to avoid it, Penelope turned her attention to the near-stranger leaning casually against her office door. His expression confused her. Watchful. Assessing.

  Better to stick with Chloe. “What on earth possessed you to do that? Your grandmother lives miles away.” Eight, to be precise, not that she was counting.

  Chloe’s left eye narrowed and her right brow raised, meaning she’d picked up the obvious question of how Pen knew where Raul lived. Wisely, she didn’t ask. “I needed to talk to him.”

  “What could you possibly need to talk to him for?” Not shrieking, which was impressive, because her heart was thumping like a broken washing machine.

  “Maybe you and I should talk privately, Pen.”

  Penelope skewered him with a fast glare and Raul’s brows rose too. Not the sugary sweet little girl he expected, hmm? She crossed her arms and waited for Chloe to answer.

  Chloe shrugged stiffly, her head dropping so that her hat shadowed her face all the way to her chin. When it came, her voice was small and tight. “I wanted to meet my dad.”

  Penelope felt the blood drain from her face. Without her permission, her eyes shifted to Raul and her stomach pitched sideways. A cord worked in his jaw, but his eyes held all kinds of questions that almost unlocked her knees. “Would you excuse us please?”

  His hooded eyes blinked slowly. “I don’t think so.”

  “What?”

  “She thinks I’m her father. If you can deny it, go ahead. I’ll get out of your hair. But if you can’t, then I think you and I have some talking to do.”

  Chloe’s hat came up and Penelope’s face heated beneath two eagle-eyed stares.

  “Pen?” Raul’s stance lost its casual slump against the door. He straightened, beautiful mouth flattening into a hard line before he shot another wild glance at Chloe.

  “I can’t talk about this right now.” When all else fails, deflect and hide. “I have patients out front. I’m late as it is.” She gripped each end of the stethoscope hanging around her neck, finding her center behind the bedside manner she’d spent years perfecting. “Thank you for bringing her here. I’m sorry about any inconveniences she might have caused you. If you’ll excuse me.” There, a nice polite invitation for him to go away.

  “Inconveniences?” Shock gave way to the black scowl she recognized as a very bad sign. Worse, he didn’t open t
he door and go through it. “What the fu—hell is going on, Penelope?”

  Well, he was still in control of his temper enough to censor his language. Not that Chloe particularly needed it.

  “Nothing. Nothing is going on. You just need to go and let me handle this with my daughter.” If she put a little too much emphasis on the word my, really now, who could blame her?

  Except his scowl deepened and she decided that maybe he could. Raul’s temper had been legendary when they were teenagers. He’d gotten it out of his system, she was sure, because he’d earned the rank of captain before coming home to join the local firefighters squad. Not that she thought he’d ever hurt her, but he did still have a habit of roaring a place down in a virulent mix of English and Spanish. With a host of patients in her waiting room, that could not happen.

  “Look, Raul, this isn’t the time or the place to talk about this.”

  “Then I’ll wait right here until there is a time and a place.” He widened his stance and crossed his arms to plant himself right in the way.

  “You can’t be serious.” Please, God, don’t let him be serious.

  But he was. The hard smile that registered more as a threat than a grin told her he was.

  The last twelve years never felt as heavy on her shoulders at they did at that moment. She glanced at Chloe, but her daughter was busy staring at Raul with a hopeful hero worship, and the pressure grew heavier. This wasn’t going away.

  Ever since he’d come back home, she’d expected this. Waited for him to look at Chloe whenever their paths crossed and wonder. Like she wondered. Like anyone with a pair of eyes probably wondered. Or a pair of ears, once Chloe got going with the swearing. Penelope had been lucky to have made it so long. She just hadn’t counted on having to explain today. Or having to explain to Chloe, not for years.