Marked

by Kit Rocha

  Mitch followed after her, wondering what she was up to now. "It's still June, babe. If you're about to suggest we go skinny dipping, you're a few weeks early and half a mountain too high."

  She pulled her shirt free from her pants. "How about tag then? First one to catch me gets to have his wicked way."

  Mitch glanced at the empty parking lot then back at the trail leading into the bush before leering at her. "I have zero objections to fucking you against a tree. I'll give you a five-second head start."

  She twirled and ran, her laughter rising to the heavens. Mitch waited long enough to ensure she'd be within the trees before he caught her. While chances were extremely remote, they didn't need to end up starring in a YouTube video made by someone who happened to drive past.

  He took off after her, running smoothly, happiness and excitement both at an all-time high. Maybe this wasn't a typical way to celebrate getting engaged, but what about them was typical?

  Mitch had the feeling he was going to spend the next fifty years chasing Anna. Which was only fair.

  She'd caught him first.

  Looking For More?

  Interested in the SIX PACK RANCH series?

  Book 1: Rocky Mountain HEAT - Blake Coleman is in denial that Jaxi, the girl next door, is all grown up. But Jaxi's not willing to take no for an answer anymore.

  Book 2: Rocky Mountain HAVEN - Young widow Beth moves to town and finds friends with benefits, and so much more, with Daniel Coleman

  Book 3: Rocky Mountain DESIRE - Matt Coleman's heart has been well and truly broken. And the only woman who seems to turn his head is the last woman he'd expect.

  Book 4: Rocky Mountain ANGEL - Allison proposes a marriage of convenience to Gabe Coleman that offers more heat and healing than expected

  Book 5: Rocky Mountain REBEL - Bad girl Vicki asks Joel Coleman to teach her to deal with horses, along with everything she needs to know about sex

  Book 6: Rocky Mountain FREEDOM - Can Cassidy and Ashley tame Travis Coleman's dark and dangerous yearnings?

  Book 7: Coming Summer 2014

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  You can also find me at my Website, on Twitter or at my Facebook Page

  Ready for more THOMPSON & SONS? Turn the page for a brief excerpt from Book 2, Gage and Katy’s story, Baby, Be Mine...

  Baby, Be Mine by Vivian Arend

  What the mind forgets, the heart remembers.

  Since the moment Katy Thompson transformed from annoying tagalong to desirable woman, Gage Jenick has awaited his chance. When she kicks her boyfriend to the curb, he doesn't hold back--in spite of the next day work assignment that will take him completely off the grid for two long months.

  After a head injury sustained on a storm-swept road, Katy can't remember her own email password, much less how the little pink "positive" on the pregnancy stick got there. Barring an influx of midichlorians, she's at a loss to explain what happened, or when...or with whom.

  Suddenly Gage is back in her life as if he has a right to be there. While she vividly remembers the crush she had on him, she's no one's charity case. But another thing she'd forgotten was just how stubborn Gage can be--especially when her domineering ex tries to stake a claim...

  Warning: An unforgettable night that gets forgotten. A crazy redneck ex, and a hero who's ready to take on the world, and his past, for his heroine.

  Katy was past the "what is going on?" stage and was well into the "whatever is going on, it better not be a dream" stage. She abandoned her purse to the floor and the next thing she knew her fingers were tangled in Gage's hair, her tongue in his mouth. The front door slammed shut--had to be Gage kicking it, because she'd had nothing on her mind except getting close to him all over again.

  The passion raging through her body was unfamiliar, and she didn't ever want it to stop. Didn't want him to stop.

  He dragged his lips down her neck, hands scrambling to push her coat from her shoulders. She fumbled with his shirt, tugging it free from his jeans so she could press her bare hands against his naked chest.

  Heat. Like fire licking over her, hot desire raced up her back. "God, Gage, what are we doing?" She hated to whisper the words. The last thing she wanted to do was to interrupt this, whateverthis was, but she had to know.

  He stilled himself, her hands on his tight abs, his fingers poised over the buttons on her shirt. "You want me to stop?"

  "No, but what is this? A one-night-stand? Or..." Damn, she remembered something important. "You're leaving tomorrow."

  His eyes flashed, and he nodded, dragging a finger over her cheek. "And you're not seeing Simon anymore."

  A light bulb went off in her head. "Oh."

  A sheepish smile transformed his expression from sex god to reluctant, yet adorable, boy next door. "I couldn't very well ask you to go out with me when you were seeing him, but now I'm leaving for six months, and maybe it's crazy, but..."

  "You want me to go out with you? Like, see each other exclusively?"

  The instant response visible on his face was even clearer than his words. "Hell, yes."

  She stroked back the lock of hair that had fallen across his forehead. "Okay."

  Gage grinned for a moment then it faded. "I have to leave tomorrow, Katy. I made the commitment, and I need the money to--"

  A slip of the hand moved her fingers over his lips to stem the flood of words. "I know you have to go. It's okay. You'll be back in six months, which kind of sucks to wait for a second date, but I can live with it. What I want to know is what we're doing tonight."

  "You're incredible." Gage shook his head. "And I'm a shit for making a move now, but I've been watching you for ages, woman. I couldn't risk waiting any longer."

  He couldn't have been watching and waiting as long as she had. "It's not a big deal. I need a break after dating jackass Simon anyway."

  Gage's eyes darkened, and not in a good way. "Did he hurt you?"

  She shrugged, sliding her hands around to his back and easing their bodies closer. She wanted to get back to what they'd been doing. "Does it matter?"

  "Yes." Gage tucked his fingers under her chin and lifted. "What's wrong? What did he do to you?"

  Katy sighed, the aching desire in her limbs still there, but fading. She wished she could stare at her feet while she admitted this, but instead she picked a spot over his shoulder. Pretended he wasn't really there. Whispered her confession. "He'd started to get pretty bossy about a lot of things, and I didn't like it. Plus, he didn't think I was very good in bed. Not adventurous enough, or something."

  If curses had burst from his lips, she would have nodded in understanding. If he'd hummed knowingly before patting her shoulder in sympathy, it would have made sense as well.

  Him busting out laughing was the last thing she'd expected. It wasn't laughing at her, though. Didn't make her uncomfortable, just sent another zing of lust up her spine, over her shoulders and zipping back down between her legs.

  Gage dipped his head until their eyes were on the same level, his amusement fading as the fires turned back to desire. "Any guy who thinks you suck in the sack--it's his damn fault, not yours."

  She wiggled. "You say that, but... I mean, how could you know?"

  He drew a line down the placket of her shirt, playing his fingertips over the buttons like an erotic connect-the-dots. The heel of his hand barely brushed the swell of her breast, and her breath hitched. "You're walking sex, Katy. You make me hard by just breathing. We've done nothing more than kiss, and I already know you're going to blow my mind."

  She wanted to blow more than that, but her cheeks had flushed to feverish temperatures. "Thanks."

  "Don't thank me," he warned as his gaze dropped down her body, his finger circling the button on her jeans. "I'm too damn ready to prove it. Right here. Right now."

  There was this uneasy itch between her shoulders. Katy wanted harder than she ever remember
ed wanting, and with that deadline hanging over their heads?

  She wasn't sure where she pulled the confidence from but, thank the Lord, poise she didn't usually feel arrived. "Do it."

  Gage's head whipped up. "Do...what?"

  Katy lifted her hands to her buttons and popped the first one open. "Do me. Here, and now."

  The entire time she worked on her shirt he didn't move, except for the heavy breathing. Her every move was examined closely, though, his lids dropping to hide his eyes. She shrugged the material off her shoulders and allowed it to puddle on the floor.

  His throat moved as he swallowed. Whispered, "Say it's not crazy. Say this is what you want, even though I'm leaving tomorrow."

  "I want you," Katy confessed. "And it's not crazy--not completely." She reached behind her and unhooked her bra. "I'm tired of sitting back and being told what's going to happen in my life. I want this, Gage. I want you, even more because you're leaving soon. There is no tomorrow, so give me today."

  Ready for Gage and Katy? Baby, Be Mine is available starting February 25.

  About Vivian Arend

  Vivian Arend has been around North America, through parts of Europe, and into Central and South America, often with no running water. When challenged to write a book, she gave it a shot, and discovered creating worlds to play in was nearly as addictive as traveling the real one. Now a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of both contemporary and paranormal stories, Vivian continues to explore, write and otherwise keep herself well entertained.

  Try my sexy contemporaries, like the SIX PACK RANCH and THOMPSON & SONS.

  If you like your reading breathtaking, how about sexy risk-takers in my red-hot contemporary ADRENALINE SEARCH & RESCUE series? Or the shorter stories in XTREME ADVENTURES

  I also write lighthearted Paranormals like the bestselling GRANITE LAKE WOLVES and TAKHINI WOLVES.

  Jump To...

  Beyond Temptation

  Rocky Ride

  All That Remains

  Note from Lauren

  Dear Readers!

  First, thank you all so much for picking Marked up and giving us all a read. All That Remains is the first in my brand new Metamorphosis series. I'll be following All That Remains up with All The Little Pieces, Summer's sister, Dulce's story in 2015. For a more detailed description of that world and the intensely erotic romances I'll be setting there, please head on over to my website!

  When Vivian Arend and Kit Rocha came to me to see if I'd be interested in doing a self published anthology with them I totally jumped at the chance. It's really fun to work with friends, especially when you all have the same basic work ethic and ideas for promotion, timelines, etc.

  But at heart I'm a big fan of both Viv Arend and Kit Rocha. Viv's one of those authors who can write across several genres and heat levels with ease, giving readers a great story again and again. You're not going to be sorry you read Rocky Ride, which is WHOA HOT! But also funny and tender and yet another book from her to go in my keeper shelf.

  Kit Rocha (and Moira Rogers and Bree and Donna) are two people (is two people?) who write books with awesome ass kicking characters, smoking hot sexytimes and a great world and storyline. I found them as Moira Rogers and when they added Kit Rocha to the mix, I was happy to have yet more books to bug them to write and let me read early. Beyond Temptation is sweet/hot. You know what I mean? The sex is raw and O'Kane dirty, but there's a tenderness between Noah and Emma that I really found sweet (wrapped in leather and ink of course).

  Enjoy Summer, Charlie and Hatch!

  Lauren

  http://www.laurendane.com

  Blurb

  New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author Lauren Dane takes you into a brand new world in ALL THAT REMAINS. Summer Killian falls fast and hard when Charlie arrives in Paradise Village. But the heat turns all the way up when she learns Charlie is also with Hatch – the man she loved four years before. While she’s not sure she’s cut out for a triad, neither man is going to give her up.

  Chapter One

  The night all around her was warm. Once it would have been considered hot, but things had changed over the last four centuries. Enough that the pockets of humanity left called it warm.

  She pulled the dress up over her head and draped it over the branch of a nearby tree and walked over the weathered boards that made up the dock. Some preferred to enter slowly at the shore, but Summer was done with easing into things.

  She sped up, running to the end, springing into the air, exhilaration racing through her system until the water enveloped her, cool, the weight of it embracing her, speeding her heart.

  Kicking her legs, she extended her arms and swam, letting the rhythm, the sound filtered through the water soothe even as her muscles began to work. A fit body and mind was a weapon in the world. A strong woman made her own way and Summer liked that very much.

  She let the repetition take over like meditation. One end of the cordoned-off swimming portion of the lake to the other. Back and forth as her strokes ate up the space. Side to side, she moved her head, gulped in air and did it again.

  The night blooming jasmine hung heavy in the air as she finished, lazily heading to the shore. Where her entry had been fast and exhilarating, her exit was languid, the water sluicing down her body, cooling her as she headed back to where she'd hung her dress and a towel.

  On her way back to her little house, she bumped into someone heading to the water.

  "Sorry about that." His hands at her waist kept her from falling but he let go once she got her equilibrium.

  "No problem. It's dark out here." It was late. Well after midnight so the paths were dark and the stars above weren't enough to do more than give his face an outline.

  "This is the path to the lake? We just arrived and I wanted to get a lay of the land."

  "Yes, just keep on the paved part and you'll eventually find it. You can swim on the north shore. The swimmers' beach is marked well, even in the dark you should see it. Just be aware it's deep in parts. There are lifeguards in the daytime if you're so inclined."

  The flash of his teeth was visible in the pale moonlight as he smiled. He took her hand and squeezed in thanks. "Appreciate it."

  "Welcome to Paradise." She turned and headed home.

  After three hours' sleep she made it to work as the sun broke over the horizon. The Circle, the metaphorical and physical center of Paradise Valley, beckoned. Permanent stalls ringed it selling all manner of things from clothing to pastries.

  Inside that ring of stalls there were tables set for the evenings where many meals were eaten communally and several nights a week people gathered for live music and dancing. Itinerant sellers sold their wares as they came and went through town over the year as well.

  Summer had found a place here. A home. No longer just passing through, she headed to the bakery she worked at. Filled with people who'd become a lot like family.

  A new harvest was set to start the following day so the village was filling up with newcomers there for the season. Her shift would be busy but even with very little sleep, she felt good.

  "Busy already," Lucy called out as Summer tied her apron on after securing her hair back with a bright blue scarf.

  When she opened up the gates fronting the shop she waved to the line of customers. "Good morning, everyone!"

  The time flew in a rush of smiles, of mugs of tea and little bags of bread and breakfast sandwiches, in its own way as repetitive and yet meditative as swimming was.

  So it wasn't until things had calmed down that she began to really see faces of the people in line. And she recognized the man she'd bumped into the night before on the path.

  She loved men, no lie. Loved to fuck them. Loved to listen to them and feel the vibration of their voices in her belly. But it was rare to look up and feel an instant zing right to her toes the way this one gave her.

  Summer's gaze slid down to his mouth and then his throat. Oh yes, she wanted her mouth there, where the bloom
of a tattoo showed above the collar of his shirt. His hair was thick with a little bit of a curl at the ear and where it touched his neck at the back.

  When she managed to get her attention back up to his eyes, he was smiling like he knew exactly what she was thinking.

  "Did you find the lake?"

  "Thought that was you. I did, thanks. We'd been on the road a long time without any real break so a long swim was exactly what I needed."

  The flush that swept over her skin had nothing to do with the heat and everything to do with his look.

  "I'm Charlie and, as well as a loaf of the brown bread and some honey I'd love your name and maybe a tip on when I could have a few minutes of your time to get to know you a little better."

  He was enchantingly forward. It was a quality she really loved in a man. If there was any takeaway from the way the world had changed, from the devastation her sister had suffered, it was that life was short and joy could be fleeting and therefore it was meant to be grabbed when it came around.

  "I'm Summer and I take a break in about an hour. I'll be over at that table." She pointed. "Having my breakfast. If not, there's a social tonight here in the circle. Live music. Dancing. Food. Ale. All the things one needs."

  "Any particular reason or is it just a night out under the stars?"

  "A new harvest starts tomorrow so Paradise has been filling up with workers for the last week or so. It's a welcome and a chance to get to know one another." And of course for all the artisans and tradespeople who came into the Village at the start of every harvest to make a few dollars here and there. The constable also liked to keep an eye out to see who might be trouble over the season and no better time than during a celebration to see who couldn't handle their liquor or mind their manners.