by Morgan Fox
Texas Stallions 3
Stone Temptation
Ex-marine Stone McGraw stalks into Temptation to resolve unfinished business, but nothing could prepare him for what happens next. Meeting Gracie Myles, the most beautiful woman he’s ever seen, changes everything.
Deputy James Ryan spent most of his life angry about past mistakes he can do nothing about. Coming face-to-face with Gracie triggers emotions he never expected, but can’t get enough of.
For years, Gracie endured a past filled with regret and emotional darkness. Wanting a fresh start, she seeks a job with the sheriff’s office, but a new life may not be possible as her past quickly catches up to her.
A well-known drug dealer followed Gracie and is threatening everything she has come to love.
Now Gracie’s life rests in the hands of Stone and James. Can they save her from harm, put an end to their differences, and keep her from running from her past?
Genre: Contemporary, Ménage a Trois/Quatre, Western/Cowboys
Length: 50,689 words
STONE TEMPTATION
Texas Stallions 3
Morgan Fox
MENAGE AND MORE
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
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A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK
IMPRINT: Ménage and More
STONE TEMPTATION
Copyright © 2012 by Morgan Fox
E-book ISBN: 978-1-62241-769-8
First E-book Publication: November 2012
Cover design by Harris Channing
All cover art and logo copyright © 2012 by Siren Publishing, Inc.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.
All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.
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Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
Letter to Readers
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DEDICATION
Many, many thanks to Eric Wolf for always standing by me and for helping me find balance in my life. Without you none of this would’ve been possible. Thank you to the wonderful Lydia Mazza and Andrea Ashby for all your continued support. You ladies are amazing and so very much appreciated.
STONE TEMPTATION
Texas Stallions 3
MORGAN FOX
Copyright © 2012
Chapter One
Hard-edged, Stone McGraw rode into Temptation, Texas, with the largest chip on his shoulder. Unfortunately for him, time had not mended the misjudgments from his youth. After spending several years in the Marines deep in combat, he decided it was time to track down his only living connection to his past.
Sighing heavily, he figured there was no time like the present to open up old wounds and allow hell’s fury to pour down on him. Even though he knew his appearance would provoke a fight, he also understood that he deserved whatever came his way.
It still doesn’t mean I have to like it.
Military life had been hard. In fact, it nearly killed him, but it was nothing like what he expected the reunion with his estranged best friend, Clay Garrett, to be like. Things between them had been turbulent in the end, and coming face-to-face with Clay after all these years would be less enjoyable than being kicked in the balls with steel-toe boots.
Clay would most likely slam the door in his face, but he had it coming, and if that was all that was done to him, he’d be getting off way too easy.
When Stone first left his hometown of Houston to join the military, he had big hopes and dreams of not only forgetting what an asshole he’d become, but of being the world’s most decorated soldier. Something he could finally be proud of.
As luck would have it, a roadside bomb almost took his life, and those dreams were quickly shattered. Never had he suspected that a child he’d spent months bonding with would end up being the one to bring down his entire platoon.
After that fateful night, his perspectives changed. Once he’d healed from his injuries, burns on his face, hands, and chest, broken ribs and legs, and spent years in rehab, he started thinking back on his life. During those grueling hours in physical therapy, he made a life-changing decision.
If the accident had killed him, would the life he’d lead be how he wanted to be remembered? Would he be okay leaving things messed up with Clay? Would he go peacefully into the beyond knowing that not a single person from his childhood would attend his funeral?
No.
The loneliness and solitude of his actions left him yearning to make amends.
I’ve got to try to make things right, even if Clay doesn’t.
Sadly, he didn’t have any family left to speak of. Clay was the closest thing to a brother he had. He needed to fix the broken bond and rekindle the friendship that had meant so much to him. Hiding behind the shadow of the military had worked for several years, but after his attack, things didn’t seem so clear. All he could think about was finding the brother he had pushed away.
He tracked Clay’s whereabouts to the Texas Hill Country where he resided as the local town sheriff.
It would appear that some things never change.
During their childhood, he assumed Clay would finish college and become a lawyer or a doctor, a role where he’d end up making tons of money saving people from their misery. Strangely, he hadn’t considered a law enforcement officer as an option, but thinking about it now made perfect sense. His friend had always been the strong leader type, and the idea warmed his heart. He respected Clay. He only wished he’d figured it out sooner.
As he
stepped foot off of the bus, he knew there was no turning back. He’d made the decision to rectify his mistakes, and no matter how hard he knew it was going to be to face his friend, it had to be done.
Stone shook his head as nerves churned in his gut. He was venturing into a new kind of emotional territory, and no matter how much military training he had, nothing could teach an overconfident man how to enjoy swallowing his pride. Time and again, he imagined what his first encounter with Clay would be like. The outcome never ended well.
Groaning, Stone wasn’t sure how he was going to apologize for sleeping with Catherine Garrett the night before he disappeared. He hadn’t even told a single soul that he’d joined the Marines. At that time in his life, he’d been a lost young man with a heart full of regret and jealousy.
Unfortunately, the last thing he did before running away was total Clay’s muscle car and break the heart of a girl he should have cared more about. She’d been like a sister to him, and instead of cherishing that, he’d taken advantage of her innocence, using and discarding her like she meant nothing at all to him.
Clay’s going to rip my balls off through my throat. That’s what I’d do to him if he wrecked my car and fucked my sister like she was some two-bit whore.
Stone ran a stiff hand over the stubble of his hair and looked around the parking lot of the bus depot. Casting a glance over his shoulder, he spotted the face of a woman who looked strangely familiar. Suddenly, he found himself sucking in a sharp breath. If God had a sense of humor, surely this was a prime example of it.
His gaze trailed up long, lean legs, a narrow waist, and over the round curves of succulent breasts. A tight, white T-shirt tucked into high-thigh blue jean shorts tickled his senses. Reddish-brown hair cascaded down to the middle of her back. Her porcelain skin magnified the crystal-blue in her eyes and the ruby-red of her lips. Everything around him slowly faded into the abyss as he stared at a woman who looked unforgettably like Catherine Garrett.
* * * *
Gracie Myles stood with her hands on her hips, gazing out at the unfamiliar surroundings. The infamous Texas winds whipped past her with a vengeance, causing her hair to sweep across her face. Brushing back the amber strands, she studied the vast trees that lined the horizon. The afternoon heat of summer beat down upon the asphalt mercilessly.
Wishing for an inch of shade, she nibbled on her bottom lip, unsure of what to do now that she arrived. She gently kicked her brown cowboy boot against the side of her dingy, gray duffle bag. Sadly, she managed to hide everything she owned inside. Growing up poor hadn’t been all bad. At least now there wasn’t much she had to lug around.
Leaving Houston had been the best thing she ever did, but she still wasn’t sure if settling in Temptation was going to be any better. If she had trouble finding honest work in a big city, she imagined that it was going to be even more difficult in a town so small she was sure everyone knew everyone.
What the heck was I thinking when I boarded that bus?
She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, knowing exactly what she was thinking when she decided to get away from all the darkness that infected her family. With an all-consuming need, she had to find a place where she could escape without being found. Finally, her life had to be hers, and the decisions she made had to be for herself.
As the oldest of five siblings, and with no father to speak of, she’d been forced to find work at the age of fourteen. Now twenty-five, she shuddered remembering what she had to do to keep food on the table for her and her brothers. Without a true guardian, Gracie had been determined to keep her family together, and with no help from her drug-addicted mother, she did whatever she had to do to get the bills paid.
It wasn’t until recently that she had the opportunity to break free of those dark shadows and start living a better life, one she could be proud of.
After years of dreaming for that day, it finally happened. Her brothers had all turned of age. Joshua, the youngest, celebrated his eighteenth birthday a week ago, and now that her brothers no longer needed her, she was free to walk away from a past she wished she’d never had to remember.
She loved her brothers, but she despised the choices she’d been forced to make. Adam, Michael, and Noah had all chosen a path she could not stand by and watch consume them any longer. Each one had managed to follow in their mother’s footsteps, dealing and using drugs. Her heart twisted with worry and regret as she wondered what would become of them now that she wasn’t there to watch over them.
Frowning, she hated that she had little positive influence over her brothers and that no matter what she said they were going to do their own thing. Watching her siblings self-destruct was the hardest thing she ever had to do. Actually, what was the most difficult thing she ever did was walk away from them, but she had no choice if she was to escape the horrors of her life and the men that used and abused her.
Recently, a terrifying man with scars and tattoos marring his body approached her. His cold, menacing eyes sent chills down her spine, and the moment his fingers curled around her delicate throat, all the air in her lungs whooshed away. With the violence of rape and murder looming over her, he explained that Adam owed him for a drug shipment he was supposed to have sold. With a solid punch to the left side of her face, he confirmed that if he didn’t receive his money, he would take what was due out on her instead. That was the instant she realized she no longer could remain in Houston. If she didn’t escape, surely she would end up dead.
Brushing away a trickle of sweat on her neck, she pulled her hair back into a ponytail. The seasonal heat was upon them, and the hundred-degree days had just begun. There was nothing like a Texas summer.
Casting a glance askance, she spotted a tall drink of water with a military bravado. She found men who had shaved heads, a fierce stare, and sexy posture mouthwatering. Men who sacrificed themselves for the good of all were something of a turn-on for her.
Even though sex was different for a woman who sold her body for a living, it didn’t change the allure and desires that lingered under the surface. The way he gazed at her, she could sense the attraction was mutual.
A second later, he stalked toward her. His towering, muscular frame shadowed hers as he closed the distance between them. Once they locked gazes, his dark eyes softened and a slow smile tugged at his lips.
“Forgive me,” he said, pausing a moment before adding, “I thought you were someone I knew.”
She arched a brow, and with an alarming amount of confidence, teased, “That’s too bad. I was sure I wanted to be the person you knew.”
With a crooked grin, he replied, “That can be fixed, you know?” He extended his hand out to her, and she took it. “I’m Stone McGraw.”
“Gracie Myles,” she acknowledged. “So who were you hoping to meet?”
Holding her hand a little tighter, he said, “It’s funny you should ask that, Gracie Myles. I was hoping to meet you.”
She nibbled her lip and smiled. Slowly they released each other’s hands. “Oh, that’s a good one. I haven’t heard that one before.” She winked at him. She couldn’t remember a time she intentionally flirted with someone who wasn’t paying her to do so. There was something naturally sexy and alluring about Stone McGraw, and the playful connection they shared simply felt right. “I have to admit, that was pretty slick.”
Chuckling, he said, “That did sound kind of cheesy, didn’t it?” He lowered his head as his eyes glanced down for a brief moment. The sweet, boyish grin that played at the corners of his mouth brightened his slightly scarred face.
Silently she wondered what had happened to him, but she wasn’t about to ask. The damage done to his skin did little to take away from the sexual appeal he possessed. He was a natural charmer, and the slight burn scars didn’t take any of that warmth away.
Besides, it was hard to see anything past his rich, brown eyes, shaved, dark hair, and towering frame that made him the perfect specimen to help her start a new life.
She patted hi
m on his shoulder. The wall of muscle beneath her hands was solid. Slowly, her fingers trailed down his large, well-defined forearm. “I’ll still give you points for trying.” You also get points for being so damn hot and for making me think I could actually start over.
“Thanks.”
Staring into eyes that were filled with mystery and excitement, she realized that she wanted an adventure. Being forced to live a certain way the last eleven years had turned her cold against physical affections, but perhaps now was the time for her to start over again in more ways than just a career. Maybe it was time for her to explore men she wished to have a more intimate and personal relationship with. It was time that she felt like most women. It was time that she felt normal.
“So what brings you to Temptation?” he asked.
She pressed her lips together as she searched for the right words. Lord knew she wasn’t about to tell him anything about her past. Once word got out in a small town like this, she’d never be able to start fresh with a clean slate. Being the subject of town gossip was not on her list of things to accomplish.
She knew better than most that the world was not a forgiving place. Plus, she couldn’t stomach the ridicule she’d surely endure. Nor did she want to hear the haunting whispers or see the unforgiving stares of disgust. She already had enough of that lingering inside. She didn’t need anyone else adding to it.
“I’m looking for a job,” she told him.
Stone chuckled. “You do know that we’re in a recession and Temptation is a small town, right?”
