Devoted to Love
Page 1
PRAISE FOR THE NOVELS OF
SHAYLA BLACK
“[Black] always delivers strong characters, great stories, and plenty of heat.”
—USA Today
“Shayla Black’s books are a must-read.”
—#1 New York Times bestselling author Lora Leigh
“Emotional, searingly sexy stories.”
—#1 New York Times bestselling author Maya Banks
“Shayla Black inspired us to write, and now inspires us to do more, get better. She is a master of her craft: a wordsmith, a storyteller, and an undisputed genre trendsetter.”
—New York Times bestselling author Christina Lauren
“Absolutely fabulous.”
—Fiction Vixen
“Wickedly seductive from start to finish.”
—New York Times bestselling author Jaci Burton
“A Shayla Black story never disappoints!”
—#1 New York Times bestselling author Sylvia Day
Titles by Shayla Black
The Devoted Lovers Novels
DEVOTED TO PLEASURE
DEVOTED TO LOVE
The Wicked Lovers Novels
WICKED TIES
DECADENT
DELICIOUS
SURRENDER TO ME
BELONG TO ME
MINE TO HOLD
OURS TO LOVE
WICKED ALL NIGHT
(novella)
THEIRS TO CHERISH
HIS TO TAKE
WICKED FOR YOU
FALLING IN DEEPER
HOLDING ON TIGHTER
The Perfect Gentlemen Novels
(with Lexi Blake)
SCANDAL NEVER SLEEPS
SEDUCTION IN SESSION
BIG EASY TEMPTATION
Anthologies
FOUR PLAY
(with Maya Banks)
HOT IN HANDCUFFS
(with Sylvia Day and Shiloh Walker)
WICKED AND DANGEROUS
(with Rhyannon Byrd)
Specials
HER FANTASY MEN
The Sexy Capers Series
BOUND AND DETERMINED
STRIP SEARCH
ARRESTING DESIRE
(novella)
A JOVE BOOK
Published by Berkley
An imprint of Penguin Random House LLC
1745 Broadway, New York, NY 10019
Copyright © 2019 by Shelley Bradley, LLC
Penguin Random House supports copyright. Copyright fuels creativity, encourages diverse voices, promotes free speech, and creates a vibrant culture. Thank you for buying an authorized edition of this book and for complying with copyright laws by not reproducing, scanning, or distributing any part of it in any form without permission. You are supporting writers and allowing Penguin Random House to continue to publish books for every reader.
A JOVE BOOK, BERKLEY, and the BERKLEY & B colophon are registered trademarks of Penguin Random House LLC.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Black, Shayla, author.
Title: Devoted to love / Shayla Black.
Description: First Edition. | New York : Berkley, 2019. | Series: A Devoted Lovers novel ; 2
Identifiers: LCCN 2018059572 | ISBN 9780399587382 (paperback) | ISBN 9780399587399 (ebook)
Subjects: | BISAC: FICTION / Romance / Contemporary. | FICTION / Romance / Suspense. | FICTION / Romance / General. | GSAFD: Romantic suspense fiction.
Classification: LCC PS3602.L325245 D489 2019 | DDC 813/.6—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018059572
First Edition: July 2019
Cover photo by Claudio Marinesco
Cover design by Judith Murello
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
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To my constant helpers, the duo who’s with me every day, cheering me on and making sure I’m not alone as I write ever closer to The End.
Floyd and Fiona, you’re the best felines an author could ask for. Thanks for the hours of moral support cleverly disguised as naps in my office chair, for never forgetting to remind me when it’s meal time—or rather, five o’clock—and for prompting me to take breaks now and then by lounging on my keyboard.
Love you two fur babies! My writing would be less joyful without you . . .
CONTENTS
Praise for the Novels of Shayla Black
Titles by Shayla Black
Title Page
Copyright
Dedication
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
About the Author
CHAPTER 1
Comfort, Texas
January 10
This has to be one of the most unusual weddings ever,” Josiah Grant murmured in his boss’s ear as his stare passed over the small, hodgepodge crowd gathered for the ceremony.
Was that Jennifer Lawrence on the opposite side of the aisle, one row back?
Logan Edgington, part owner of EM Security, cast a cautious gaze around the room, too. “You got that right. My wife says the bride is wearing a dress by Monique Lhuillier—I guess she’s some important designer?—to get married in a barn.”
“Hollywood types . . .” he joked.
Despite the TV show that had made her famous being recently canceled, Shealyn West was still a star—one Hollywood had proven reluctant to release from the limelight. No surprise; she was a beautiful woman with a talent for playing roles convincingly. Josiah’s teammate and fellow operative, Cutter Bryant, had been a lucky son of a bitch the day he’d drawn the assignment to protect the gorgeous blonde’s body.
“Actually, I meant the guest list,” Josiah went on as he spotted James Franco across the room. “Special agents and paparazzi don’t mix. Throw in ranch hands rubbing elbows with movie stars while half the guests are packing . . . I’m worried there might be trouble.”
Logan nodded. “Hell, I’m half expecting it. And if you add in that big compound just outside town?”
“Enlightenment Fields.” Josiah snorted. “Sounds like mumbo-jumbo bullshit and a snake-oil salesman had a baby. That place made the hair on the back of my neck stand up.”
“Me, too. That’s another reason I called you here at the last minute. I did some reading up on the group. Its leader, Adam Coleman, supposedly trained with some guru in India a few years back, then returned to the States and started gathering followers. He teaches them about ‘spiritual evolution’ through surrendering the ego.”
“If that’s what it takes to be spiritually evolved, everyone who works at EM would be shit out o
f luck.” Josiah couldn’t see any of them giving up their self-respect, pride, or free will for any reason.
“Amen.”
“As I drove in this morning, I saw the signs about conscious awakening, whatever that means. The guy sounds like a fruit loop.”
“Fruit loops can be dangerous.”
“Absolutely.”
“Turns out Coleman and Enlightenment Fields own most of the land south of town for miles,” Logan said quietly. “Maggie told me they’ve been trying to buy her grandparents’ ranch for months. They’ve repeatedly refused the group’s offers.”
Josiah didn’t blame them. The West family obviously loved their ranch. The pride of ownership showed in the homey place and the well-tended cattle. Besides, Shealyn’s grandparents were older now and this had been home for decades. All their memories were here. Where else would they go?
“Understandable. Who’s Maggie?” Since he’d only arrived this morning, he hadn’t yet met everyone.
“Shealyn’s younger sister.”
She must be the beautiful blonde who’d been hustling Shealyn out the front door and into a big SUV when he’d arrived. As they’d passed one another, they had exchanged a long, lingering glance. She was so hot, she’d damn near burned his retinas.
“Yeah? What do you know about her?”
A grin quirked at Logan’s lips. “What do you want to know?”
“Fucker.” His boss was toying with him. “Is she single?”
“As far as I know.”
Suddenly, he minded way less that he’d been ordered to attend this wedding to manage any possible threat. He had nothing against Cutter and his bride-to-be; he simply wasn’t into matrimony. But some pretty female scenery would definitely make this last-minute trip more pleasant. “Excellent.”
As Logan laughed, Josiah glanced at his watch, eager to lay eyes on the bride’s sister again. “Wasn’t this ceremony supposed to start ten minutes ago?”
“They’re running a bit behind. The family was stunned and upset this morning to hear about their neighbor’s murder.”
Josiah had heard the whispers when he’d arrived. “An old man, right?”
Logan nodded. “Everyone is on edge. Apparently, he taught Shealyn and Maggie how to ride when they were kids. They considered him something of an uncle.”
And from what Josiah had heard, the local police had no suspects. Someone had walked into the victim’s house and pitchforked the seventy-year-old widower to the floor, leaving him to bleed out. No clues. No witnesses. No motive. No mercy.
So far, nothing about this town sat well with him.
Suddenly, the background music grew louder. Cutter entered the barn through a side door and trekked to the altar, looking both confident and proud. His older brother, Cage, followed, his expression solemn. Another guy Josiah didn’t know trailed behind him. Someone nearby whispered that he was a high school pal of Cutter’s.
The music changed again. Everyone turned and focused their attention on the back of the barn, decorated with white tulle, pale satin ribbons, and rustic-chic chandeliers. Discreetly placed space heaters kept the interior toasty, despite the January chill.
Carrying a bouquet of white daisies, a brunette appeared at the back of the room, her long hair arranged in beachy waves, her dark eyes sparkling. She somehow maintained a hint of innocence, despite the slight bulge of a baby belly under her flowing burgundy dress.
“That’s Brea Bell, Cutter’s next-door neighbor. She’s like a little sister to him,” Logan murmured.
“She’s the girl One-Mile keeps getting in Cutter’s face about?” At Logan’s nod, Josiah asked, “Did Walker get her pregnant?”
Logan shrugged. He didn’t know, but that expression said he was mighty interested in the answer. “I haven’t pried . . . but that’s my guess.”
Holy shit. Pierce Walker, aka One-Mile, was a loner and an acerbic bastard. He and Cutter had been at each other’s throats for months, and Josiah had known it had something to do with a woman. Brea’s pregnancy would explain all that.
Thankfully, Walker wasn’t at this wedding or shit would be going down.
As Brea made her way up the aisle, Maggie appeared behind her, golden hair upswept, eyes that looked neither blue nor green glittering, gray lace cupping breasts he’d love to get his hands and mouth on.
As he stared, Josiah flashed hot. He hadn’t been imagining how gorgeous she was. If anything, she was more beautiful than he remembered.
Maggie floated past, casting him a sidelong glance. Their gazes connected for an instant. A strong zing zipped through his body before most of his blood jetted south.
The lust bug had bitten him hard.
A secretive smile flitted across her face as she focused forward and continued down the aisle. She wasn’t immune, either. Good. If he played this right, tonight could be mighty interesting . . .
When Josiah caught sight of her backless dress and the exposed line of her spine, his jaw dropped and he rephrased his last statement. Tonight would be interesting. He was determined.
Seconds later, the music swelled once more. Everyone stood. The bride appeared at the back of the room. When the guests turned to her, they gave a collective gasp. No denying she looked absolutely radiant. Lace hugged her famous curves from the straps clinging to her slender shoulders to the womanly swells of her hips before giving way to the tulle skirt sprinkled with appliqué flowers. She glowed with happiness and looked at Cutter like he was a king. Bryant was a good guy, and if Shealyn made him happy . . . Well, Josiah wished them the best. This marriage gig worked out for some, and maybe Shealyn was actually the kind of woman who, despite being a celebrity, kept her promises. It happened for some lucky bastards.
Josiah refused to take his chances again.
The ceremony was brief but heartfelt. Together, they lit candles and said a few words to their closest family. Cutter’s mom beamed when they handed her a rose. Shealyn’s grandmother sobbed. Her mother looked so blessed and proud as she gripped the stem and kissed her daughter’s cheek.
After that, the bride and groom had eyes only for each other, sharing promises of devotion and vows of love in front of their friends and family and in the presence of God. They kissed with abandon as people clapped. Someone let loose a whoop.
Then the newly married couple ran back down the aisle with clasped hands and shared laughter. Josiah hoped for their sake the good times lasted.
He focused on Maggie as she trailed behind her sister, her hand resting on Cage’s arm. Josiah might have felt an urge to tear Cutter’s older brother away from the pretty blonde he had every intention of propositioning tonight, but the guy wasn’t paying a lick of attention to Maggie. Instead, he scanned the crowd for someone else, but came up seemingly empty and miserable.
“What’s up with him?” Josiah gave a head bob at Cage.
“He hooked up with Karis, Heath’s sister-in-law, at my brother’s New Year’s Eve party. Now, she won’t return his calls. I guess Cage was hoping Karis would be here today, but she backed out of attending. She has a ‘cold.’”
Another example of “love.” Poor chump.
As soon as the wedding party exited the barn, the guests stood and made their way to the giant white tent pitched a few feet across the yard. Tables were set with pristine linens and accented with elegant splashes of gray and burgundy. Balloons rose all around the room. Flowers bloomed everywhere. Whoever had risen to the challenge of putting on a Hollywood-worthy wedding in the dead of winter in small-town Texas in just under four weeks had done a superhuman job.
The guests milled around, grabbing flutes of champagne from passing waiters and chatting as soft music floated in from speakers around the temporary structure. Josiah saw another handful of stars he recognized, including a few from Shealyn’s former TV show, Hot Southern Nights. Someone introduced him to a music produce
r who would be working on Shealyn’s upcoming album, as well as a TV executive determined to sign her to a new drama for the fall. The person he didn’t see was Maggie. After a few discreet inquiries, he learned the whole wedding party had returned to the barn for pictures.
Impatiently, he paced. Stars and their bodyguards collected in one corner. All the operatives had spread around the perimeter of the room. His peers looked relaxed on the surface, but he knew their watchful, twitchy natures. He shared it. None of them was remotely chill.
A bustling forty-something woman he’d seen fluttering around the barn entered, scanning the room frantically.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
She zipped her stare to him and shoved a dark lock of hair from her face. “I’m Sarah, the wedding planner. We’re having a little emergency. One of the bridesmaids is dizzy and needs some food and water now.”
Maggie? That possibility worried Josiah. “I’ll find both and bring them to you.”
Sarah gave him a wilted nod. “Thank you. This wedding has been a whirlwind of insanity. Four weeks, and trying to plan everything during the holidays . . .”
Originally, Cutter and Shealyn had planned to elope to Vegas, but both families had been adamant that they wanted to attend the nuptials. Since Cutter insisted on hustling Shealyn to the altar as quickly as possible, this wedding had been rushed. All the tabloids were speculating that the bride was pregnant.
“You did great,” he said in all sincerity. “Get back to the wedding party. I’ll be right there.”
“Yeah. Great. Thanks . . .” She sighed. “After tonight, I’m going to sleep for a month.”
Then Sarah was gone.
Quickly, he barged to the front of the bartender’s line with apologies and swiped a tall glass of water. Then he grabbed a plate and a napkin, filched some barbecued sliders and fruit from a nearby buffet table, and headed for the barn.
Inside the shaded space, everyone was clustered around Brea, who was seated in a chair, bent with her head between her knees. Josiah caught Maggie’s concerned gaze and breathed an unexpected sigh of relief when the sexy blonde looked more than fine.