by Chloe Lang
The Strong Cowboys of Wilde, Nevada 2
Strong Desire
Charly Wynn has taken the detour to Wilde, Nevada, and the six hot cowboys she's found there have turned her life upside down. With little money and her car in the shop, she agrees to Heath Strong's offer to transport her to Malibu.
Heath Strong is thrilled to spend time alone with the gorgeous city girl. During the trip, an unquenchable hunger for her ignites inside him. He is determined to possess her for himself, Nate, and Tobias, despite the intentions of his other brothers—Drake, Dax, and Seth.
Though Charly's plan has always been to land a job that will provide what she needs to help her mother, Heath's dominance is reaching her heart and shaking her resolve. While Charly discovers the pleasures provided by him and his brothers, a murderer plots his revenge. Will she choose the path that leads to love or the one that leads…to death?
NOTE! You are purchasing Siren's newest serialized imprint, the LoveXtreme Forever Series. This is Book 2 of 7 in the The Strong Cowboys of Wilde, Nevada collection. These books are not stand alone. Each is a continuation of the previous book and must be read in the numbered order. Each book may end on a cliffhanger but usually with a happy-for-now for the heroine and one or more men. The final book contains a happily forever after for the heroine and all her men.
Note: There is no sexual relationship or touching for titillation between or among siblings.
Genre: Contemporary, Ménage a Trois/Quatre, Western/Cowboys
Length: 23,645 words
STRONG DESIRE
The Strong Cowboys of Wilde, Nevada 2
Chloe Lang
LOVEXTREME FOREVER
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
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A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK
IMPRINT: LoveXtreme Forever
STRONG DESIRE
Copyright © 2012 by Chloe Lang
E-book ISBN: 1-61926-639-3
First E-book Publication: March 2012
Cover design by Les Byerley
All 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.
PUBLISHER
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
Letter to Readers
Dear Readers,
If you have purchased this copy of Strong Desire by Chloe Lang from BookStrand.com or its official distributors, thank you. Also, thank you for not sharing your copy of this book.
Regarding E-book Piracy
This book is copyrighted intellectual property. No other individual or group has resale rights, auction rights, membership rights, sharing rights, or any kind of rights to sell or to give away a copy of this book.
The author and the publisher work very hard to bring our paying readers high-quality reading entertainment.
This is Chloe Lang’s livelihood. It’s fair and simple. Please respect Ms. Lang’s right to earn a living from her work.
Amanda Hilton, Publisher
www.SirenPublishing.com
www.BookStrand.com
DEDICATION
While there are so many wonderful supporters and friends who help and encourage me with my books, I want to call out one in particular for this book—Chloe Vale. She’s encouraged and helped me so much with many books and in particular this one. Thank you, Chloe. We share a name and a love of books. I treasure your friendship.
STRONG DESIRE
The Strong Cowboys of Wilde, Nevada 2
CHLOE LANG
Copyright © 2012
Chapter One
Holding a calla lily, Charly walked up the aisle with Michael, Jessie’s ex-fiancé. The room was filled to the max, with every seat taken and people standing in all the free spaces of the little chapel. The middle aisle, littered with rose petals, remained empty. The wedding party stood at the front, waiting for the bride to appear. But the ones who captured her attention immediately were the Strong brothers.
Drake smiled broadly at her, making her lips curl up. Tobias and Nate tilted their heads to her in a lusty way. Seth also smiled, as did Dax. Then she saw Heath. He sent her a wicked wink, and her heartbeat sped up. Something about that man unhinged her every time she was near him.
Michael and Heath had similar roles for the service. Odd. With two best men, one for the bride and one for the grooms, this wasn’t like any marriage ceremony Charly had ever attended.
A string trio played soft wedding music. She loved the scent of spring flowers that filled the air.
Charly and Michael took their places with the other attendants, six of which were all the Strong brothers, cousins to the Wilde boys. Though the six cowboys seemed focused on the service, Charly caught all of them glancing her way. Wilde, Nevada, was one crazy town.
The music changed to the familiar bridal entrance tune of “Here Comes the Bride.” The crowd all stood, and Jessie appeared in the back with Jessie’s dad, who was Charly’s uncle, and Lee, Jessie’s recently discovered biological dad. The men looked on her with incredible pride. The three began marching down the aisle slowly, but all eyes were on the most beautiful bride Charly had ever seen.
Jessie’s bridal dress was beaded. Her hair was up. She wore a platinum circlet around her neck that had a single diamond hanging from it. Behind the sheer veil, the new bride was totally aglow and smiling.
“Are those actual tears from you, ‘Tough As Nails’ Charly Wynn?” Michael whispered by her side.
“Behave,” she scolded quietly and then sent him a grin as she wiped her eyes.
The ceremony was pretty basic to Charly, sans the five-grooms-and-one-bride oddity. At the rehearsal she’d learned how that difference was going to be handled. Each groom, one by one, was going to stand by Jessie and give his vow of forever to her.
The first was Jackson. “I, Jackson Wilde, take you, Jessica Greene, to be my wedded wife. With deepest joy, I receive you into my life. I promise you my deepest love, my fullest devotion.” His v
oice shook just a bit, and he continued. “With my heart, I vow to give you my utmost care and affection from now until my last breath.”
Next came Phoenix. “I, Phoenix Wilde, affirm my love to you, Jessica Greene, as today, we begin sharing our lives together. You are the most beautiful, smart, and generous person I have ever known. You have captured all of me.” He looked into Jessie’s eyes in a way that let Charly and all present know he meant every word. “I vow to always respect your opinion, to protect you from harm, and to love you for the rest of my life.”
As Phoenix moved back to his former place, Dallas moved next to Jessie, taking her hands.
“I, Dallas Wilde, am yours, Jessica Greene. I vow to work by your side with kindness and trust so that we may create a wonderful life together. I take you as my wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health for as long as we both shall live.”
Denver took his place and also held her hands. “Jessie, I love you. You are my best friend. Today I give myself to you. I promise to be the best husband I can be. I vow to encourage and inspire you, to laugh with you, and to comfort you in times of hardship and difficulty. I promise to love you in the good times and in the bad. I promise to cherish you and to always hold you close. These things I give to you today and all the days of our life.”
The last, Austin, took Jessie’s hands and placed her little fingers on the center of his broad chest where his heart resided beneath. He didn’t say anything for what seemed to be an eternity.
The chapel fell absolutely silent.
Finally, he spoke. “I swear on my very life and soul to honor and protect you, Jessica Greene, to ensure the best for you, to put you above all things and all persons.” He paused. Whether due to the gravity of what he was about to say, Charly didn’t know. Whatever the cause, all ears were tuned into what Austin would say next. Continuing, his voice remained strong and deep. “Jessica Greene, you are my true love, my life, my everything. I will do all that is within my power to meet your every need and desire. All this I vow in front of all these witnesses and will keep from now until the day I die.”
Without the minister’s permission, Austin kissed Jessie. Charly saw tears roll from her cousin’s eyes, and then she felt two tracks of tears drip down her own cheeks.
Looking at the five grooms standing with their bride, Charly knew that the Wilde brothers were truly in love with her cousin. And Jessie had made it clear that she loved them, too.
Jessie faced her five grooms. “Before coming to Wilde I was lost and empty. You changed everything for me. You showed me a new way full of wonder, happiness, and joy. I promise to love and care for you, and I will try in every way to be worthy of your love. I will always be honest with you, kind, patient, and forgiving. But most of all, I promise to be a true and loyal friend to you and the best wife I can possibly be. I love each of you so very much.”
Pete guided them through the rest of the vows. “Repeat after me, grooms. ‘I, state your name, take you, Jessica Greene, to be my wife.’”
As Jessie’s guys repeated the wedding vows in unison, it clicked for Charly that her cousin was going to be okay as a bride to five men. Crazy or not, the six of them were going to make it. Just like she’d done since they were kids playing together, Jessie still amazed and surprised her. Such strength and courage was something Charly always strived to have. When I land that job in Malibu, it will be my first step to becoming the woman I want to be, someone as incredible as Jessie, I hope.
Pete continued. “Just as these rings that are being given are circles without end, so should your love for each other be eternal. Do you so promise?”
In unison, the grooms and bride said, “I do.”
“Just as they are made of incorruptible substance, your commitment to each other should never fail. Do you so promise?”
Again, “I do.”
“Gentlemen, you may now give your ring to the bride and say, ‘With this ring, I thee wed.’”
The five Wilde brothers surrounded her.
Jackson held her hand. “This ring is from all of us, sweetheart. I suggested we draw straws to see who got to put it on your finger—”
There were giggles from the crowd.
“Go on, Jackson.” Pete placed his hand on the groom’s shoulder.
“We took a vote. My brothers agreed I would have this honor since I was the first to meet you when you arrived in town.”
“I’m glad, Jackson.” Jessie’s hand was trembling slightly.
The five men completely encircled her, so Charly could only catch little glimpses of her cousin. In a deep octave, they said together, “With this ring, I thee wed.”
When they separated, Charly saw a massive diamond on Jessie’s finger. It sparkled like fire. Not surprising, since the Wildes were so rich.
Pete looked at Jessie. “You have a ring for each of your grooms. You may now give the rings to them and say to each, ‘With this ring, I thee wed.’”
As maid of honor, Charly’s job was on. The ring bearer had rings on a pillow for the impact, but they weren’t the real ones. Pete had insisted that the actual rings needed to be held by the best man of the grooms, Heath Strong, and the maid of honor of the bride—Charly. After the minister told the story of a ten thousand-dollar ring being lost by a five-year-old ring bearer at a previous wedding, his case was made.
Charly took a deep breath and steadied herself.
The real rings for the grooms were in five little cotton bags attached to the flowers she held. Each bag had one of the groom’s names on it. She opened the bag with Jackson’s name on it and handed the ring to her cousin.
Jessie stepped next to the youngest Wilde brother. “Jackson, you are my joy. No one can make me laugh like you.” With her slender fingers, she placed the ring on her groom’s ring finger. Her voice quivered. “With this ring, I thee wed.”
Charly watched her cousin move to the next Wilde brother. “Phoenix, you are my protector. I always feel safe in your arms.” A single tear rolled down Jessie’s face. “With this ring, I thee wed.”
Jessie turned back to Charly for Dallas’s ring. Then she went up to him. “Dallas, you are my truth. With you, there is no doubt or darkness inside me. With this ring, I thee wed.”
When her cousin turned back for Denver’s ring, Charly saw that her cheeks were glistening with tears.
“Denver, you are my inspiration. You teach me to reach for more and make me believe I deserve it. With this ring, I thee wed.”
When Jessie stood next to Austin with his ring, she shook from head to toe. “Austin, you are my solid rock. Beside you, I feel beautiful, wanted, and loved.” Jessie closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “With this ring, I thee wed.”
Then Jessie stepped back and addressed all the guys at once. “My loves, you are my life. I give all of myself to you, now and forever.”
Charly noticed all the women in the chapel were wiping their eyes. Her own were wet with tears of joy for her cousin.
When Jessie moved back to stand in front of the minister, he nodded. Then Pete announced in a big, booming tone, “I now pronounce these men and this woman married. You may kiss your bride, gentlemen.”
From youngest to eldest, the Wilde brothers gave their new wife a kiss.
Though Charly had come to Wilde to try to stop her cousin from marrying these men, crazy or not, she was completely on board. How could she not be? Jessie was one very lucky woman.
Charly felt a hand touch her shoulder. Expecting Drake, she turned to look behind her. Her eyes widened when she saw the hand belonged not to Drake, but to Heath Strong.
* * * *
“Don’t you Strong brothers ever get tired of playing your crazy game?” Craig, the bartender, asked.
“No,” Heath Strong answered flatly and then downed the rest of his whiskey neat. The truth was that he did hate the game, but it was a necessary evil he must endure.
On the other si
de of the tent was the person who, since her arrival, had shaken Wilde, Nevada, like exploding dynamite. The sexy little bundle didn’t notice him over the music, laughter, and clicking glasses under the canvas pavilion just outside the Wilde Mansion, the home of his aunt and uncles.
When Heath had touched Charly Wynn’s shoulder at the wedding, she’d seemed shocked, but hadn’t said a word. Unfortunately, Drake had rushed her out of the chapel the moment the photographer released the attendants before Heath had found a chance to talk to her.
“This is some party, don’t you think?” Craig asked.
“Sure is.” He watched his five cousins around their beautiful bride. They’d never looked happier. Even Austin was smiling.
Heath’s mother and aunt, Maude Strong and Mary Wilde, had put the event together. A little corner of his mind noted that this wedding reception was a complete blast of off-the-hook fun, but the majority of his thoughts were dominated by how to win his prize of a naked Charly underneath him.
Time to go to battle and continue the game that he and his brothers had been playing since Gabby had sauntered into their lives years before—“steal the girl.”
Heath’s team consisted of his brothers Nate and Tobias and himself. His other three brothers made up the opposing team’s members—Drake, Dax, and Seth.
Even from this distance he could clearly see Charly’s blue eyes fringed by long, dark lashes. She exuded a cool confidence. Damn, she was beautiful!
