Let It Burn

by Dee Ellis

  Completing the semi-circle were her brothers and their wives, here a little early for thanksgiving. For this, too. A man had once done this to her for all the wrong reasons. I wanted to wash away all the bad shit and give her good to remember. That’s what this was about.

  “Uh...Hi?” Charli giggled nervously, the sound singing to the deepest parts of me. I circled her and dropped to one knee, opening the ancient copy of Pride and Prejudice, a rare find Lola had scored for me. Tied inside, just below the quote I had used in that first note, was a promise of our future. A tiny diamond with lovely detailed flowers woven around it.

  “Charli...I wanted to do it right, for the right reasons, with just the right people. Everyone here loves you. None of them more than me,” A round of awes and chuckles, “you are the great love of my life. I was always searching for you even when I didn’t really believe it. You are my future, my forever. I want to fight fires and battle your ghosts and if I have to, burn the entire fucking world down for you. I will always chase you if you need to run but, hopefully this weighs you down a little. Will you marry me, Charli Dixon?” Charli gaped at me, tears pooling in her beautiful gray eyes before she nodded and held out a trembling hand.

  “Yes. Abso-fucking-lutely.” Then I was holding her, lifting her against me and taking her mouth as our tears mingled.

  Then I had to share her with the rest of the room for the huge dinner my mother, who cried happy tears as they started talking about weddings and babies, and Charli prepared for everyone. It should have scared me. I knew the minute I met her, Charli was going to change my life. Talk of a wedding, of babies, did nothing to scare me.

  After seeing her coo at the dimpled baby earlier, I was actually thinking about throwing away her birth control to get that started. Charli was my home just like I was hers; there was nothing to be scared about. Not anymore. I felt like a fucking king with her looking at me with love in her eyes and holding my hand beneath the table as we ate with our families.

  After they were all gone, and after plenty of talk about the ring, her mother’s that Cash had given to me hours earlier, I locked the door and chased her. Up the stairs into our bedroom, ruining that tiny skirt and baring her creamy skin to me. Again I dropped to my knees, burying my face between her legs and eating at her like I hadn’t had a massive meal earlier. I would always be hungry for her.

  When I pinned her to the bed, lacing our fingers together and thrusting deep inside her, needing that connection to complete the night, I knew I was home. I made love to her for hours, eyes fixed often on that ring on her left hand.

  On the tattoo curving beneath her left breast, my name in the same green and pink as the matching one I wore over my heart. I chased our orgasm like I had chased her and would always chase her.

  Later I told her I liked dimples and thought that one day, a baby with her beautiful eyes and my dimple might not be so bad.

  “I like dimples. I love you, Cage Cooper.” Was her breathy, satisfied reply.

  “I love you more Sugar.” And I did. I was certain.

  I would burn the fucking world to the ground just to get to her and I think, just maybe, she’d let it burn to let me have her.

  h

  About The Author

  Dee Ellis lives in the Midwest with her husband and four fur babies. While working a ‘real job’ Dee began writing down ideas that became steamy works of fiction that were very much NSFW. In her spare time, Dee likes to watch movies, travel and, of course, read. Dee is looking forward to interacting with fans, should there be any, so please feel free to look her up and give some feedback!

  Acknowledgements

  Well, where to start? Before I do…I have the mouth of a sailor, the heart of a saint and the mind of a dirty, dirty slut. Be warned I’m not entirely at fault for what comes next.

  First I need to thank my husband for being patient and listening to me rant about filthy mouths and book boyfriends. You may not have understood it but you didn’t have to. You understand me and that’s saying a lot. I love you most often.

  Secondly to the amazing authors and readers I’ve met so far. My journey has, hopefully, just begun, and it’s been blessed with beautiful people. Beautiful people who have filthy mouths and dirtier minds. My kind of people. Thank you for answering my questions and talking up a book from an author you didn’t know. Thanks for the teasers that made me weep. The supportive comments that brightened my days when I was ear deep in edits.

  Thank you to my betas. Audrey for being so fucking awesome and breaking my beta cherry. You were gentle ♥. Thank you Simmy for the amazing edits. ♥ Thank you Caroline. Michelle. Jenny. Naomi. Nikki. Belle. Brynn. Lisa. ♥ Thank you for taking a chance and giving me honest but gentle feedback.

  Thank you to all my Insta Smut Sisters & Book Bitches. You kept me excited as I raced towards a release, pretended to be excited even if you weren’t, introduced me to new and welcoming authors and basically did nothing to cure me of my addiction to reading and now writing good old fashioned smut. Thanks, Dolls!!

  Huge thank you to the authors I have met in my short time since joining the ranks. For your feedback, enthusiasm and support. A special shout out to Dani and Dee for being always supportive and honest, even when it hurt. ♥

  Lastly, and possibly most importantly. Thank you to my mother. The day I wrote The End on this book, I cried. I wanted to share it with you, wanted you to know if not even another single soul read it, or did and hated it, I did it. I think of you so often and wonder if you would be proud of me. I don’t think it would take me writing a book for that to be true, but it can’t hurt, right? You are there in the mostaccioli I feed my family, in the stockings I hang every year, in the beanie babies we still cherish and in the eyes that look back at me in the mirror. Love you, always, Mother.

  Coming Soon

  Burn It Down

  Finn Cooper is living the life of a real life hero: saving lives by day, giving orgasms by night. He’s fairly skilled with both, too. He goes in, does his work then gets out; no scars if he can manage. Still he’s barely surviving. The only thing good he has is the brotherhood with the other men at his firehouse. That is until his best friend’s little sister suddenly decides she wants him to be her superhero. As hot as she is smart, she screams ‘Out of Your League’ and Finn knows messing with her is like signing his death certificate. Too bad he thinks it might be worth it.

  Gigi Cooper is not used to holding her tongue. Just wasn’t raised that way; with a steel strong mother and similarly strong sisters to look up to, being cautious or careful just is not in the cards for her. Like the Cooper men, she goes after what she wants; doesn’t matter to her that what she wants is her brother’s older, hotter and badder best friend, Finn. What everyone else thought was a crush at first, Finn included, is really the most challenging and important relationship in her life. Besides the one with her super protective brother Cage. Gigi is the last Cooper waiting to find her happily ever after, but she knows a secret: hers has been there the entire time.

  Can Gigi convince Finn she’s worth the risk? Or will the threat of something real and solid be enough to force Finn to burn them both to the ground?