Torrid Teasers Volume 40
Page 1
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Whiskey Creek Press
www.whiskeycreekpress.com
Copyright ©2007 by WHISKEY CREEK PRESS
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NOTICE: This work is copyrighted. It is licensed only for use by the original purchaser. Making copies of this work or distributing it to any unauthorized person by any means, including without limit email, floppy disk, file transfer, paper print out, or any other method constitutes a violation of International copyright law and subjects the violator to severe fines or imprisonment.
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TORRID TEASERS
VOLUME 40:
CHRISTMAS IN CHEYENNE & JACK'S FROST
by
Rusty Wicks & Annmarie Ortega
WHISKEY CREEK PRESS
www.whiskeycreekpress.com
Published by
WHISKEY CREEK PRESS
Whiskey Creek Press
PO Box 51052
Casper, WY 82605-1052
www.whiskeycreekpress.com
Copyright © 2007 by Rusty Wicks & Annmarie Ortega
Warning: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 (five) years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.
Names, characters and incidents depicted in this book are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental and beyond the intent of the author or the publisher.
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
ISBN 978-1-59374-996-5
Credits
Cover Artist: Jinger Heaston
Editor: Debbie Doggett
Printed in the United States of America
WHAT THEY ARE SAYING ABOUT
JACKIE'S BEANSTALK
By Rusty Wicks
"Jackie's Beanstalk by Rusty Wicks is hot, sexy and fun! I was totally immersed in this story from the very first page ... I got such a kick out of this take on the old fairytale. Ms. Wicks has a sense of humor that makes this story shine ... The old story has been tweaked so it all seems new and I felt like I was climbing the beanstalk for the first time. The world above the beanstalk was as realistic and vivid as Jackie's ordinary world. I wondered how the two would finally combine. I wanted this couple to find happiness in a way I never expected. When I'd read the fairytale I never cared about the giant. Jackie's Beanstalk made me care about Gabe. Jackie's Beanstalk shows that dreams do come true and happily-ever-after isn't only for fairytales! A must read!"
Marlene
Fallen Angels
5 Angels
WHAT THEY ARE SAYING ABOUT
TORRID TEASERS VOLUME 38
By Rusty Wicks
"This delightful book introduced us to two separate couples with sensual relationships which happened quickly! The only correlation between the two is the love felt between the two pairs is that they were immediately drawn to the other and, even though their attraction was rapid, it was not aggressive or overpowering ... The characters were well developed and active; there were not an abundance of sub characters, mostly inferred, but the ideas were fresh and entertaining. The sensual scenes were few and tastefully written, but not very explicit. I highly recommend this book by Ms. Wicks for fun, sexy, quick reads."
Brenda
The Romance Studio
4 1/ 2 Hearts
WHAT THEY ARE SAYING ABOUT
ONE WAY TO VENICE in the
SAMHAIN SCORCHERS ANTHOLOGY
By Rusty Wicks
"...One Way to Venice by Rusty Wicks nearly tore my heart with its bitter-sweet agony. The pain and sadness of the characters all but tears your soul. Yet, Ms. Wicks provides hope and a promise of a new future ... It is one book I would recommend to everyone looking for a good time, an escape from reality, and also to anyone who wants to witness the magic of love happen across places, planes, and between unique individuals. Of course, the scorching sex scenes and the blazing heat in every story do help as well. But for once, the heat does not override the story, and is just one part of a bigger whole.
"A delightful read, to be highly recommended."
Zee
Enchanting Reviews
5 Enchantments
WHAT THEY ARE SAYING ABOUT
CHRISTMAS CANDY ANTHOLOGY
"Kudos to Whiskey Creek Press Torrid for putting together a fabulous collection of sexy holiday stories by some super talented authors guaranteed to warm the cold winter nights. Not a single entry disappoints. From sexy vamps, and rugged wilderness guides to aggressive elves and romantic ghosts, there's something here for everyone. Highly recommended."
Jennie
Enchanted Ramblings
Five Wands!
"Whiskey Creek Press presents Christmas Candy, an anthology featuring some of the best talent in steamy romance. Whether it's a naughty little poem, a moody elf, or a spooky vampire seeking release, these stories will please any reader seeking a little Christmas cheer."
Ash Arceneaux
Rites of Romance Reviews
WHAT THEY ARE SAYING ABOUT
IRISH EYES
By Rusty Wicks
"Irish Eyes is steamy romp through the culture and history of Ireland. Ms. Wicks writing is hot and descriptive, a wonderful pairing for a story you can curl up with."
Mira
Paranormal Romance Reviews
WHAT THEY ARE SAYING ABOUT
SUMMER SOLSTICE SCORCHERS ANTHOLOGY
"SUMMER SOLSTICE is a fun-filled anthology which readers of various types of paranormal stories will thoroughly enjoy. Each story provides an entertaining plot, fascinating characters, unexpected events, and truly hot sex. Vampires, fortune tellers, ghosts, witches, demons, wizards and elves all come to life within the pages of this book. Every story is vastly different and I found myself eagerly jumping from one story to the next anticipating yet another fascinating tale. SUMMER SOLSTICE gives readers an exciting opportunity to discover new-to-you authors and several different types of paranormal stories which are represented. It's the perfect way to kick back and enjoy the summer heat."
Rating: 4.5 blue ribbons
Chrissy Dionne
Romance Junkies
WHAT THEY ARE SAYING ABOUT
THE MEAD STEED
By Rusty Wicks
"The Mead Steed by Rusty Wicks is a witty contemporary erotic romance ... This is one of those feel-good stories that makes you remember that everyone isn't perfect. Overcoming differences, building relationships and finding happiness are the themes in The Mead Steed. Rusty Wicks has shown us that everyone deserves to love and be loved, even if that means working hard to find it. I was charmed and entertained by The Mead Steed."
Marlen
Fallen Angel Reviews
Five Angels
"The Mead Steed is a fun fast paced story with quite a few well written steamy scenes. It is an enjoyable read ... Rusty Wicks obviously enjoys writing humorous scenes and does a good job in this story. This story is for you if you can't resist a hot man, irresistible girl and a Moose or two thrown in."
Tanya
Joyfully Reviewed.com
"In my honest opinion, The Mead Stead was far too short. The characters of Tom and Rose were just so real and so human—and that is very rare in a romance novel or a novel of any kind these days that I was very happy for them that they got there chance at a new star
t together.
"But I was disappointed that it had to end for the readers so soon.
"Overall well done, Rusty, very well done."
Karen
Enchanting Reviews
4 Enchantments
Other Books by Author Available at Whiskey Creek Press:
www.whiskeycreekpress.com
From author Annmarie Ortega:
Summer Solstice Scorchers Anthology
From author Rusty Wicks:
Christmas Candy Anthology
Irish Eyes
Celtic Love Knots, Volume 4
Summer Solstice Scorchers
The Mead Steed
Samhain Scorchers Anthology
Jackie's Beanstalk
Torrid Teasers, Volume 38
Dedication
From author Rusty Wicks:
For all who wish for love to fill their stockings—and hearts—during the holiday.
From author Annmarie Ortega:
Because sometimes you don't have to be physically with a person to be able to feel the intensity of their love...
CHRISTMAS IN CHEYENNE
by
Rusty Wicks
Chapter 1
Spending Christmas Eve in a remote logging cabin in the middle of nowhere wasn't Cheyenne's idea of a dream holiday. It hadn't been her intention to spend her holiday in the cabin but then things hadn't been working out as she planned for a while. Ever since she left TJ three months ago it seemed her life had been a constant series of ups and downs, with heart-stopping dips in between. The past forty-eight hours had been one of the heart-stoppingest times she'd had so far.
It had never been her plan to be in the middle of a roaring snowstorm, stranded in a barren wilderness with a strange man. But that's exactly where she was, at least until the snow let up some. And she would have to wait for the stranger to—well, to do whatever he was going to do. He had been out cold for nearly two days now and she had no idea whether or not he was going to live or die. Cheyenne wouldn't leave him as long as he was breathing but if he died she was leaving, snow or no snow. She had no intention of being stranded with a dead man. Men had given her enough trouble when they were alive. She couldn't even begin to imagine what sort of issues could come up if she was hitched to a dead guy. No—if he died, she was leaving.
There were no communication routes out of the cabin that she had been able to discover. She'd checked for phone lines or some sort of radio, but hadn't found anything even remotely familiar. The battery on her cell phone had died the day of the plane crash. Its battery had been low when she'd boarded the small Cessna but she had thought she'd be charging it in her hotel room on Oahu within hours. Now she knew she'd be more likely to charge the damn thing on Mars than in Hawaii.
Cheyenne tossed another log into the oversized fireplace and stretched, hoping to pull some of the kinks from her neck. Sleeping in an old, lumpy armchair hadn't done anything great for her back but the only other space was the bed and that's where she'd put the guy. Had she been sure he wasn't going to die anytime soon she would have gotten under the covers with him. But she wasn't sure, and wasn't taking a chance on waking up with a corpse.
Bunking in the chair gave her a sore body and stiff back but that hardly mattered. It was a reminder she was alive.
A rustling grabbed her attention and she turned to look at the man in the bed. He was staring at her.
Cheyenne rose, conscious she had removed her bra sometime yesterday. She was busty, and her breasts jiggled beneath the loose plaid flannel men's shirt she had found in the cupboard. She hoped the stranger's eyes were on her face and not on her other assets.
"You're awake.” Her voice was loud in the small space, the only other sound the snakelike hiss and crackle of the fire. “It's good to see you awake. How do you feel?"
She reached the side of the bed and looked down at him. Now that he was awake, she was acutely aware of their close quarters. That and the fact that they were isolated—very isolated.
There was also the matter of his nakedness. It was a situation she didn't think he had noticed yet, but sooner or later he would figure out his clothes had been removed. Would he mind? Or would he change from lamb to lion and assume she was his dinner?
"I don't know. Kind of fuzzy, I guess."
She reached out to smooth his hair away from the bump on his forehead. It was a gesture that came instinctively.
"That's understandable after what you've been through.” She stroked his hair again, more to touch the thick, black waves than to check on the bruised lump. It looked ugly but now that he had awakened she was pretty sure it wasn't going to kill him.
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Jason let her run her fingers through his hair. It felt so good, so warm, so—
My clothes! Where the hell are my clothes? Good God, my-my—oh, she's got to stop doing that or I'm going to have a tent beneath this blanket. But it feels so damn good—her fingers against my skin feel—damn! This has got to stop!
He jerked his head back a fraction of an inch and was rewarded with a wave of nausea and a stabbing pain between his eyes. Both sensations had an effect on his burgeoning erection. Embarrassing himself with a bulge in the blanket became less of an issue and more of a dim memory as he struggled not to vomit all over himself.
"Hey,” crooned Cheyenne. “Be careful. You've just woken up. I'm not sure you realize it but you've got one heck of a bump on your head. I wouldn't try to move too fast if I were you. Let's just take it slowly."
Scooting back on the bunk, slowly and with great caution, he managed to make room for her to sit beside him. Gingerly, she sat. As she did, he realized two things about her—apprehension and a chill coming from her direction. It wasn't a cold shoulder she had pointed at him, but a bone-chilling wave of iciness that came from her body. A glance toward the chair showed she had taken only a flimsy blanket for herself, leaving the warmest bedding covering him.
"You're cold.” The small hands he pulled between his own large, warm ones were nearly frozen. Rubbing briskly, he smiled. “Your fingers are like ice cubes. They're almost blue—here, let me warm them for you. And you can tell me what's going on here."
"What do you remember?"
Jason tilted his head, trying to gather his thoughts before he answered.
"Being on a plane, a little Cessna. Headed for Hawaii, to visit my brother. We had just lifted off and I had settled in and then there was turbulence, I remember that. The plane went down, didn't it? Is that what happened? Did the plane crash?"
Cheyenne nodded. “Yeah, that's it in a nutshell. There was a sudden bumping and a big lurch and then...” Cheyenne pulled one hand from between his and pushed a stray lock of hair back. She shrugged. “The plane went down. I think the snow saved us ... and there was no fire, so we didn't burn."
A quick glance around the cabin told him they were alone.
"And everyone else? The captain, the other guys in the plane with us? Where are they? They're not..."
Without looking at him, she answered, her voice low and even. “They are. We're-we're the only ones left. Alive."
It was almost impossible to believe the other passengers were dead but he knew it must be true. They were alone, and surely had there been other survivors they would have sought refuge in the cabin with them. Now that he was beginning to see what happened, Jason was amazed by her courage. How in the world had she gotten him here? He must outweigh her by a good sixty, seventy pounds. Except for the gorgeous breasts she was trying to hide beneath that hideous shirt, she was tiny. It must have been hell for her to carry him, then undress him and get him into bed.
His body betrayed him again. A flood of heat surged through him as he contemplated all she'd done to save them. In true never-say-die fashion, his cock stirred, then hardened. This time, he didn't let a hard-on deter him from doing what felt natural. Grabbing her by the shoulders, he pulled her against him and held her tight. Their hearts thudded in tandem for several minutes as they clung togeth
er. Finally, he forced himself to pull back slightly.
"Will you tell me everything? I need to know what's happened—all of it. I feel very much in the dark. I owe you my life and I don't even know your name."
"Cheyenne Baker."
Jason winced at the pain in his temple as he nodded. When she reached for the lump again, he waved her off and forced a smile to his lips. “Cheyenne. It suits you, I think. A pretty name for a pretty lady. So listen, like I said, I'm feeling clueless here so I'd appreciate it if you filled me in. But first, um, there's one other thing I need...” He'd never been embarrassed to be naked with a woman before but in this instant he was. More than he'd believed possible when she looked like she knew what he wanted, then reached for a ceramic jug on the floor beside the bed. Grabbing her, stilling her hand, Jason shook his head. “No. No, that's not it."
The glint of gold caught his attention as her green eyes widened. Her breath hitched, and he felt her stiffen. He hadn't meant to grab her so tightly. Loosening his fingers around her slim wrist, he said, “My pants. I seem to have become separated from my pants. Is there any chance of getting them back? I really do listen better to a plane crash story when I'm not feeling quite so exposed. So what do you think? Pants?"
Cheyenne giggled. The sound was so normal he grinned back at her. For the first time since he'd awakened Jason felt hopeful about their situation.
Nodding, she said, “I think pants can be arranged. I found some clothes in the cupboard in the corner. Ours were, well they were pretty torn up by the time we got here. But I think there's something in there that will fit you. Make you feel less exposed. I'll get them for you on one condition."
Being without pants left him in a very vulnerable position. It was damn near impossible to ignore the low thrum in his loins, the heaviness in his cock where it lay against his thigh or the tightness in his balls. Just looking at this woman, this angel of mercy who he owed his very life, made him aware that he was a man and she a delightfully sexy—from what he could tell, anyhow—woman. He hardly felt in control of anything, his life included, and with his dick hanging free he was in an even more precarious position.