“What makes you so sure?” Sheriff Baker asked.
I kicked the prowler’s foot and pointed out a key feature on the sole of one shoe—nails, hammered in, that had created the same mark we’d seen at all the crime scenes.
“If nothing else,” I said, once the sheriff had taken in that fact in, “he’s definitely guilty of attempted murder, arson, and breaking and entering for tonight.” One of the sheriff’s deputies came up, and Baker filled the man in.
“Good catch, Powell,” Sheriff Baker said. “It sounds like the way you handled yourself was a credit to your training.”
“She sure as hell did,” Grandma agreed.
“You know, Sheriff Baker,” I said, looking over as the firefighters began to come out of Grandma’s house. There hadn’t been enough time for the fire to spread to the rest of the house. “I’ve given it a lot of thought, and I believe I’d like to accept your offer to transfer here.”
“I’d love to have you,” Baker said. “And after the news gets a load of this, I can safely say that the town would ride me out on a rail if I didn’t insist on you bringing your skills here.”
“Why, thank you,” I replied with a grin. Given everything I’d just been through, all the thoughts that had been swirling in my brain had crystallized. I was ready for a new start, and this town was everything I needed. Whether or not things worked out with Lukas, I could have a future in Wampanoag. And it would do me more good handling the small-town crimes than it had working in the high-stress, fast-paced world of the NYPD.
I broke out laughing when Lukas came out of the house with Grandma’s favorite Bundt pan in his hands—she’d gotten it from her mother when she was barely out of her teens. He handed it to Grandma before tossing aside his helmet, rushing over to me, and grabbing me around the waist.
“You mean the world to me, Kendra,” Lukas said, staring into my eyes. “I can’t lose you.”
Reaching up, I cupped his cheek. “Well, then it’s a good thing I promised the sheriff I would stay.”
Lukas looked at me in disbelief for a few moments and then grinned. “Really?” he asked.
I nodded. “Yes,” I told him. “My job in New York was great, but as a wise woman—” my gaze flicked over to Grandma, who gave me a thumbs-up “—pointed out, why would I want to walk away from a new beginning just to go back to a past I know I don’t want anymore?”
“Sounds like a very intelligent woman,” he murmured while running his hands across my back.
“Very,” I answered.
“So, you and me?” he asked, nibbling my bottom lip.
“Definitely a go, firefighter,” I answered before swiping my tongue over his lips. “You’re my man, and I’m not letting you go without a fight.”
“About time, woman,” he answered before he slid his hand to my jaw. He tilted his head before he settled his lips across my mouth. My breath caught. He slid his tongue between my teeth. The kiss was long and deep—the stamp of his possession—and I loved it.
15
Kendra
Two years later…
Lukas and I stepped out of the country club and onto the lawn to the sounds of loud cheering and clapping. Lukas squeezed my hand, prompting me to look up at him. “Are you okay?” he asked. I knew he was worried about my reaction to the noise. I was still in treatment for PTSD ever since I’d resigned from the NYPD and joined the Sheriff’s Department in Wampanoag.
“I’m fine,” I assured him as we made our way to the crowd of people gathered for our benefit. I had to admit that while I might never be the person I was before my “incident,” I was a person my NYPD-detective self would have envied.
“You two look so great together,” Grandma’s friend Mabel said, beaming at us.
“Thank you,” we said in unison.
I could smell delicious food in the air, plenty of wine was being poured, and if I didn’t know better, I’d almost think we were back in time at Grandma’s birthday party. But we weren’t; this was our party.
“Congratulations,” Sheriff Baker said, coming up to us and shaking Lukas’s hand.
Lukas grinned. “I know… I’m a lucky man.”
“Yes,” I confirmed. “And don’t you forget it.”
Lukas and I weaved through the crowd, accepting the congratulations, well-wishes, and jokes from what seemed like half the town. Everyone asked to see the ring, and I was pleased to show it off. Lukas had retrieved his mother’s sapphire engagement ring, a family heirloom, after the fire had burned down his house. Lukas had worked with a local jeweler to customize my engagement ring, so, along with the sapphires were diamonds from my mother’s ring and a ruby from Grandma’s engagement ring. I couldn’t think of a better way to honor the women who had brought Lukas and me together.
Lukas and I finally got to the buffet table, making sure the kids who’d come from the joint sheriff’s and fire departments’ youth program didn’t sneak a drink of alcohol. I kept smiling until I was sure my cheeks would split. Damn. I’m so happy. I was going to marry a man I adored just as much as he loved me.
I heard the telltale opening notes of “our” song, and Lukas didn’t have to say a word. We moved as one onto the makeshift dance floor right away, and we danced the way we had at our prom, the way we had at Grandma’s birthday. My leg twinged a bit but not enough to make me want to stop.
“You know that we will need something flashier for our first dance as husband and wife,” Lukas told me.
“We have plenty of time to work on that,” I replied. “We’re not getting married for six months.”
“That’s not a lot of time for a six-foot-four German white boy with no rhythm,” Lukas pointed out.
“You have plenty of rhythm,” I countered. “Where it counts—in the bedroom,” I finished with a saucy smile.
“Ain’t that the truth,” he said, giving me a soft, lingering kiss before pulling away.
We left the floor when the song changed, and we got something to drink. The party wore on, and I took a break from being on my feet, sitting with Grandma and chatting with her friends while some firefighters took Lukas off for a round of vodka shots.
Something exploded. I didn’t know what it was, but the noise sent the surge of adrenaline through my body, and I rose to my feet. Fireworks didn’t bother me as much—I could tell the difference—but sudden noises still caught me off guard from time to time. I felt the familiar, dreadful sensation of a flashback, but before I could even look for him, Lukas was at my side, holding my hand tightly.
“Let’s slip away,” Lukas suggested.
Somehow, we got away from the party and into the country club. Lukas steered me toward a closet.
“Uh, what are you doing?” I asked.
“Trust me,” he insisted while getting the door open and me through it. He held me tightly in the dark, stroking my hair until my body relaxed and I started to come back to myself.
“I’m getting better at this,” I whispered. Lukas’s body shifted against mine.
“Give yourself more credit, Kendra. You’re getting amazing at this.”
Wrapping my arms around his waist, I breathed in his clean, comforting scent.
“You know,” I started. “I’ve never had sex in a closet.”
Lukas laughed. “Do you really want me to get you off in this closet?”
“I’m just saying…I’m willing if you’re game,” I told him.
Lukas tilted my face up, and despite the lack of light, his lips found mine right away. I melted into his kiss, and I knew he would try his level best to give me a quick orgasm.
“Make sure you keep quiet,” Lukas said, pulling me down to the floor.
Straddling his waist, I grinned down at him. “I’m not making any promises,” I told him. “It’s too hard to keep quiet when you’re hitting my kitty just right,” I joked.
Lukas growled, rolling over and pinning me under his body. “Well, if that’s a crime, then arrest me right now, Deputy Sheriff Powell.”<
br />
“Behave, kinky Lukas. Behave…”
* * *
Thank you for reading HEART OF FIRE!
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Twisted Lies is not your typical enemies-to-lovers romantic suspense; it’s raw, blunt, captivating, and unapologetically fueled by lust and revenge.
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About the Author
USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR SEDONA VENEZ lives in New York City with her hot ex-military hubby—hooah—and their fur babies. She loves writing sizzling, sexy intricate stories about strong but broken characters who push limits, overcome their fears and risk it all for love.
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OTHER TITLES BY SEDONA VENEZ
Aliens!
Galaxy Alien Warriors - The Box Set
Beauty and the Alien Beast
Paranormal Romance
Shifter Alphas Furever Series
Claimed by Her Two Alphas
Claimed by Her Wolf
Claimed by Her Bear
Claimed by Her Dragon
Paranormal Romance
Credence Curse Series
Breaking the Storm
When Lightning Strikes
Taming the Beast
Reason to Love
Taming the Alpha Beast - The Box Set
Werewolves!
Wolf Elite Series
Operation Wolf: Gunner
Operation Wolf: Eli
Operation Wolf: Hunter
Wolf Elite - The Box Set
Bears!
Bear Elite Series
Operation Bear
Dark Romance
Dirty Secrets Series
Twisted Lies
Twisted Lies 2
Twisted Lies 3
Twisted Lies 4
Dirty Secrets - The Box Set
Contemporary Romance (MFM Ménage)
Standalone
Shameless Desires
Billionaire Romance
Standalone
Mr. Billionaire CEO
Urban Fantasy Romance
Magic Fire Collection
Excerpt: Taming the Beast
Want to sample a new series? Check out my Credence Curse books including this book, Taming the Beast.
I was stark naked—again. With huge ebony breasts swaying, ass jiggling, and designer stiletto-encased feet slapping against the dewy grass, I sauntered over to the center of the clearing.
Perching myself on top of the smooth boulder—or what I now lovingly called my rock of shame—I surveyed my recurring fixation.
My heart seemed to freeze and then pound. “Damn. You’re such a beautiful kitty,” I whispered.
Water cascaded off the tiger’s magnificent reddish-rusty coat with narrow dark-brown stripes as he prowled out of the river toward me with rippling muscles. Its chest, throat, muzzle, and the insides of its limbs were creamy with a milky-colored area above the eyes that spread onto his cheeks.
When I extended my hand, he tilted his large head down, rubbing against it with a chuff-chuff sound.
“Hello, my big kitty. I’m happy to see you again, too,” I answered his greeting. My digits trailed up to the white spot present on the back of its ear.
He nudged my hand away before circling me, his fur caressing my bare legs while I admired the prominent ruff on his head and long tail ringed with noticeable dark bands.
Warmth radiated throughout my body as his fur deliciously tickled me.
“Every dream, you bring me here to watch you swim, and I still don’t know why.”
My mouth fell open when a deer pranced up to the river and drank from it, completely oblivious to the tiger’s presence.
The tiger stilled, waited, and then pounced. The deer didn’t even have a chance to run away before the tiger’s big-as-saucers paws latched on to its hindquarters, bringing down the deer. The tiger gripped its neck, delivering a crushing bite to its prey. The deer stopped thrashing.
My fingers touched my parted lips before I closed them. “Holy shit.”
This was a new addition to my nightly dreams. He’d never killed game before.
Wasting no time, the tiger dragged its dinner toward me, laying the carcass at my feet like an offering.
I gave him a weak half smile, trying desperately not to hurl at the sight of the dead deer. “Thank you, kitty, but it’s a little . . . rare for me.”
He flicked his tail, making a chuff-chuff sound, before his limbs quivered, shifted, and morphed into a very naked tall, muscular human.
“Elijah?” I stammered.
This couldn’t be right. Animals didn’t transform into humans, especially not into a man I was crushing on hard in real life.
“Yes, my Hope,” he uttered in a dark, masculine voice.
Electricity sparked in my body as my eyes perused his mouthwatering splendor. His short, thick black hair had hints of gold, and his beard was well groomed. But it was his stunning but strange amber eyes with gold flecks that always made my stomach flip-flop, like a fish out of water. His eyes were the windows to his soul. They bored into me with an intensity that made my sex clench.
“Damn. Even in my dream . . . you’re fucking splendid,” I declared. My eyes trailed down his hard body to his engorged, perfect shaft standing at attention.
He clutched my face between his enormous, calloused hands. “Eyes up here, darling.” His face dissolved into an exquisite grin. “Unless you’re finally ready to get on all fours for your big kitty?” His hands dropped away and grabbed me around the waist, yanking me against his naked body.
“My, you’re such a dirty pussycat, and I love it.” I licked his bottom lip.
“So that’s a yes.” It was a statement, not a question.
“Baby, I’ll do whatever you want . . . however you want. But only if you promise to lick all my cream, like a good kitty.”
We stared at each other with my legs straddling one of his rock-solid thighs.
“There’s nothing good about me, darling, but I can promise to lick you to the very last drop.” His voice was thick with emotion. “Just say when, my beautiful mate.”
Excerpt: Claimed by Her Two Alphas
Want to sample a new series? Check out my Shifter Alphas Furever books including this book, Claimed by Her Two Alphas.
In the two weeks since that conversation with Peyton, one snippet of that bizarre conversation kept running through my head. These guys were looking for their perfect mate. Not mates, plural. Not one guy wanting one and the other guy wanting…something else. Both guys were looking for the same thing, and according to Alex, that thing was me. But I was only one woman and even if I’d gotten past the weirdness of two guys wanting to share one blind date, I still hadn’t wrapped my head around how I could be the perfect mate for both of them.
Yet here I was, trying to figure out how I was going to find not just one, but two blind dates in a crowded bar. I should have backed out.
No. You shouldn’t have. It’s not going to kill you to do this. If it backfires, you can tell Peyton “I told you so.”
At least I should have figured out some way to recognize these guys, like carrying a rose or wearing a bow in my hair. Or maybe a name tag, so instead of standing in the crowd turning in useless circles, I could find these guys. I made another sweep of the room.
You’re overthinking…just take a breath and let go.
I closed my eyes, wavering slightly in my heels, did my best imitation of someone poised and collected, and concentrated on my breathing. Then I opened my eyes. The crowd parted and there he was. Or there some guy was, some really handsome guy.
He was sitting at the bar, and he was looking right at me. For a split second I thought I’d made him up, or maybe I’d hallucinated him out of desperation. Even sitting down, he was big and b
road-shouldered, taking up more physical space than anyone around him. Or maybe he just looked like he was. He should have been imposing, scary, but he radiated an all-American boy kind of feel, the hunky guy-next-door who helped you with your groceries or changed the flat on your car. A nice, safe guy.
Until I got to his eyes. Blue. Even in the dim light of the bar, I could tell they were blue. The all-American hunk had just turned the tiniest bit dangerous. There was a fire in those eyes that woke up something deep and primal, something I’d thought didn’t exist in me. Or at least I’d never experienced it. I wouldn’t go as far as calling it love at first sight; lust at first sight, maybe. Whatever it was, it was pretty amazing.
I really wanted to take a step forward, but I was rooted in place. His eyes held mine, never looking away, and it was like a magnet, drawing me closer. Something held me back though.
But wait…what about my date? Just because this guy likes looking at me…and I like looking at him…
I turned away, the act of breaking away from his gaze doing nothing to lessen the heat that had built up inside me. I was supposed to be here looking for my mystery men, not falling for the first guy who caught my eye.
Turn around…what if it’s him?
That thought came out of the blue. And for once, I listened to the voice in my head and did a slow turn. The guy was smiling at me, and something inside me simultaneously clenched and loosened up. It was a physical sensation, a thud deep and low, and I took a step back, shocked by my body’s reaction.
When he stood, I saw just how tall he was, well over six feet. He cut easily through the crowd toward me with a grace that belied his size. He stopped just in front of me, and I looked up into those piercing blue eyes.
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