In Too Deep

by Delilah Devlin

  His smile stretched as he halted the horses and wrapped the reins around a porch rail.

  “How many times I have to tell you the porch isn’t a hitchin’ rail,” Colt grumbled as he opened the door.

  “Maybe I’ll remember if you repeat it a couple hundred more times,” Gabe said, chuckling.

  Colt patted his pockets then cursed. “Left the keys to the cruiser on the dresser.” He opened the door. “Zuri, why’d you let me leave without my keys?”

  Lena and Gabe waited until Colt’s footsteps faded before they let loose with laughter.

  “He does it every morning,” Gabe said, as he lowered to sit beside Lena on the step. “He doesn’t have anyone fooled. Just wants to sneak another kiss before he heads to work.”

  “And she stays in bed waitin’ for it. Takes him an awful long time to find those keys.”

  Gabe drew in a deep breath as he watched the smile lighting up her face. “You look beautiful.”

  “If you say I’m glowing, I’ll hit you. Never could figure out what that meant. If I’m glowing it’s because I’m always sweaty hot.”

  Gabe reached across and rubbed her rounded belly. “Breakfast staying down?”

  “So far, so good. Don’t think either of us is going to have to change our clothes today.” She placed her hand over his and hugged it against her body. “Ready for another day?”

  “Not getting bored yet?”

  She rolled her eyes. “As if. Zuri and I will be busy baking all day.”

  “Don’t overdo.”

  “Don’t fuss. I’m not an invalid.”

  “How’s Grandpa?”

  “Getting around nicely on his cane. Can’t keep him down now. Says it’s time to get rid of that damn ramp,” she said, mimicking the gruff old codger’s voice.

  Gabe held her hand and looked out across the corral to the pasture beyond. “Is he happy here?”

  “He hasn’t said, but since he’s got lots of ideas about how you should be runnin’ this place, I’m guessin’ yes.”

  Gabe laughed and turned to lock gazes with Lena. “Are you happy?”

  Her eyes welled with tears and she chuckled as she wiped a fingertip beneath one eye. “Worst part of pregnancy. Everything makes me cry.” She sniffed and her expression cleared. Her cornflower blue eyes held steady. “My son loves it here. Loves you.”

  “That’s not what I asked.”

  Her gaze fell away and she leaned against the rail beside her, still staring at him. “I’ve never felt this way. Like I’ve come home. Zuri’s the sister I never had. Your brothers have been amazing, making sure we all feel welcome and that we have a place here.”

  Gabe blew out an exasperated gust of air.

  She laughed, a twinkle glinting in her eye. “And I have the most amazing husband. He can’t keep his hands off me. Won’t let me sleep at night. Whispers the sweetest, dirtiest little nothings in my ear. He makes me feel beautiful and desired. He rubs my feet when they swell. My belly when I’m nauseous.” She shook her head. “I’ve never been so blessed.”

  Gabe dropped his gaze and smiled, winding his fingers with hers. “I’m a rancher,” he sighed. “I should do some ranchin’.”

  She tugged on his hand, and he came closer. “Tommy said he had it covered,” she whispered.

  He arched a brow. “I owe that boy.”

  “He’s not sleepin’ so good. I think he’s just glad to be out of the house. Says it’s quieter.”

  Gabe’s shoulders shook and he tilted back his head to laugh. “Soon as Colt and Zuri finish with their renovation, they’ll be movin’ into the new wing. Then he’ll only have us keepin’ him awake at night.”

  “We could try not to make so much noise.” But her dubious frown said she wasn’t sure she could manage it.

  Gabe stood and pulled her up. “We can start practicin’ now.” He held the door for her and then swatted her backside as she ducked beneath his arm.

  “Ouch!” Her bottom swayed as she led the way down the hall to their bedroom.

  Gabe canted his head, listening to the voices coming from the kitchen, of Tommy and Grandpa arguing amiably over how many jalapenos to add to the chili. They’d be at it for a while. Would never notice if he and Lena got busy makin’ hay.

  He hurried behind his wife and waited until the door closed before pouncing.

  She giggled as he swept her into his arms. “I’m too heavy for that,” she said, swatting his chest.

  Gabe ignored her, striding straight for the bed. He lowered her to the mattress, stripped off her pants and underwear and went to work opening her blouse and bra. He didn’t bother removing his own clothing, just opened his belt, tugged down his zipper and shoved down his jeans just enough to free his cock. He climbed onto the bed, rolled her on her side and settled behind her, lifting her thigh to ride the top of his and opening her to his thrust.

  Only when he was eight inches deep did he slow down and breathe. He wrapped his arms around her, cuddling her belly, and began to move. Gabe closed his eyes and breathed her in. He held his whole world inside his arms. “I love you, Lena.”

  “I love you, Gabe.”

  With the sounds of her soft moans echoing around the room and her warm body moving against his, Gabe gave silent thanks for all his blessings. He’d never felt so at peace with himself. He was at last comfortable with his place at the Triple Horn. Had a son he doted on and a woman who filled the empty places in his heart.

  Lena moved his hands from her belly to her breasts. “They ache,” she murmured.

  Smiling against her hair, he filled his hands with her ever-ripening breasts and gave her gentle caresses until she groaned her discontent, and then he began to pinch and pull her sensitive nipples.

  With their hips churning together, their breaths breaking apart, they loved each other, forgetting at the last to practice being quiet. No, lonely quiet was a thing of the past for at least two of the Triplehorn brothers.

  About the Author

  Until recently, award-winning erotica and romance author Delilah Devlin lived in South Texas at the intersection of two dry creeks, surrounded by sexy cowboys in Wranglers. These days, she’s missing the wide-open skies and starry nights but loving her dark forest in Central Arkansas, with its eccentric characters and isolation—the better to feed her hungry muse! For Delilah, the greatest sin is driving between the lines, because it’s comfortable and safe. Her personal journey has taken her through one war and many countries, cultures, jobs and relationships to bring her to the place where she is now—writing sexy adventures that hold more than a kernel of autobiography and often share a common thread of self-discovery and transformation.

  To learn more about Delilah Devlin, please visit www.delilahdevlin.com. Send an email to delilah@delilahdevlin.com or join her Yahoo! group to enter in the fun with other readers as well as Delilah: DelilahsDiary@yahoogroups.com

  Look for these titles by Delilah Devlin

  Now Available:

  Saddled

  Stone’s Embrace

  Undeniable

  Lone Star Lovers

  Unbridled

  Unforgiven

  Four Sworn

  Breaking Leather

  A Four-Gone Conclusion

  Delta Heat

  Five Ways ’Til Sunday

  Fournicopia

  A Perfect Trifecta

  The TripleHorn Brand

  Laying Down the Law

  Seeking sanctuary could be the hottest mistake she ever made.

  Laying Down the Law

  © 2012 Delilah Devlin

  The TripleHorn Brand, Book 1

  A lifetime ago, Zuri Prescott kicked the dirt off her boots and ditched her small-time small town for the glam city life—and lived to regret it. When she’s framed for a bank job, she lights out for home, seeking refuge with her old high school sweetheart while she figures out her next steps. Only she discovers that the boy she left behind is the last man she should trust.

  Sheriff
Colt Triplehorn knows trouble when he sees it, especially when it comes in the form of a familiar trespasser, caught naked between an angry bull and her underwear. Sure she’s up to her usual no good, he grants her sanctuary at his ranch—the better to keep an eye on her, and purge her from his system once and for all.

  Reconnection is sweet and hot, but the heat can’t hide the truth. When Colt inevitably finds out the truth, it’s too late to put the fire out, and he’s got a career-compromising choice on his hands. Follow the letter of the law, or follow his heart.

  Warning: When a sheriff captures the girl who got away, expect revenge so hot it leaves brands on two lonely hearts...

  Enjoy the following excerpt for Laying Down the Law:

  Zuri bit back a complaint, wishing he’d quit hovering because he was keeping her on edge. But when he didn’t budge, she dragged her feet to the bed, scooped up the wash-softened cotton and turned toward the bathroom.

  “Uh uh,” he said, tsking softly. “My house. My clothes. My rules.”

  She glanced over her shoulder, not knowing if she’d heard him right, but that same hard challenge he’d issued when he’d demanded the kiss was stamped all over his granite features.

  She knew she ought to ignore him and lock herself into the bathroom to dress and gather her scattered wits, but the underlying tension riding the edge of his jaw excited her.

  Colt had never been this dominating…except when they had sex. She’d loved it then. Her body seemed to crave it now. Heat bloomed again, winding around her core. A delicious little thrill accelerated her heartbeats.

  Without a saying a word, she walked back to the bed and tossed down the clothing. Then keeping her gaze glued to his, she slowly untied the belt and let the robe fall open. With a sexy shrug, she let it slide off her shoulders and pool behind her on the floor.

  Colt blinked first. His gaze trailed downward. His throat worked around a tense swallow, and Zuri couldn’t help the smile that tugged at the corners of her mouth. He might think he was in charge, but she knew better. Colt liked what he saw.

  His quickening breaths were the first clue. The curving of his fists the second. When he opened his stance, just a few inches, she nearly crowed.

  Reaching for the cotton pants, she wished she had something sexier to slide inside, then wondered if she’d lost her good sense to think that way. She had enough problems on her plate. But how could she dress and prevent him seeing what this was doing to her? Bending and opening her legs to step into the sweatpants made her feel vulnerable, exposed in a way that just standing there naked hadn’t. “I don’t understand you, or why you’re doin’ this.”

  “You don’t know me.”

  “I guess that’s true. It’s been a long time.”

  “You didn’t know me then.”

  She pulled the pants upward, over the curve of her bottom, feeling a little less off-center now that her lower half was hidden from his view. The waist of the pants settled on her hips and she rolled the band to gather up the excess fabric. “Guess that’ll have to do,” she muttered.

  As she dragged the T-shirt over her head, she reminded herself why she was here. Definitely not to play games with her ex-boyfriend. She needed a safe place to stay. And she needed to keep Colt clueless until she had a chance to find her car and get rid of the damning evidence before the police found it. Her story might sound a little more believable then.

  When she’d pulled the fabric down, fully covering her body, only then did she raise her glance to Colt’s again.

  His brows pulled together. “Gonna tell me what’s going on? Why you’re here?”

  “I’m a little hungry,” she said, knowing her attempt to stall was completely transparent. “I don’t suppose I could eat first?”

  Colt dropped his fists and stepped closer, forcing her chin higher to hold his steady gaze. “If you’re in trouble…”

  What? He’d help? She didn’t think so. Colt appeared to be the same inflexible cowboy. He’d always judged a person’s actions as either black or white, right or wrong. No interesting muddying of the colors accepted. She’d forgotten that about him.

  She pondered telling him part of the tale, but worried he’d use what he learned to play with her some more. He seemed to like that fact he held the reins.

  Zuri licked her lips. “I need a place to stay. Just for a little while.”

  His gray eyes, once so warm and open, narrowed. A muscle flexed alongside his jaw.

  She waited him out, knowing he wasn’t satisfied with her response. The longer the moment stretched between them, the more uncomfortable she grew. Still holding his steady gaze, she shifted her bare feet, supremely conscious of the fact she wasn’t wearing a stitch of underwear and that his clothing, while freshly laundered, still carried the hint of his unique scent. She was at his mercy. Completely.

  Colt inhaled deeply, and then issued a soft, masculine grunt. He reached down and closed his hand around hers, then tugged her closer to the bed. He sat on the edge, staring at their hands before he looked up. “If you stay…you’ll sleep here,” he said, his voice tense and ragged.

  Zuri wet her lips with her tongue because her mouth had suddenly gone dry. What he proposed sounded both so…wrong, yet incredibly tempting. She couldn’t get words past her tightening throat. If she could have, she didn’t know whether she would have told him to go to hell or given him a breathless yes. Instead, she squeezed his fingers.

  So many thoughts swirled in her mind. Their past, her impossibly complicated present. It sounded so simple. She’d sleep beside him. Make love with him. Maybe she’d even find out that her memories of their being together were painted in rosy hues because she’d been younger, and he’d been her first.

  Perhaps in exchange he’d give her clothes and money so that she could make a graceful exit.

  Zuri crowded closer to his knees, tilting her chin.

  Colt’s lips curved slightly at the corners, and although his gaze remained narrow, he scooted back.

  She climbed over his lap, facing him, her thighs sliding over the outside of his, not saying a word, following her instincts although they’d led her down treacherous paths before. She slipped her hand alongside his neck, felt the heavy thrum of his pulse and bent down, her mouth hovering above his. “Think you can keep this uncomplicated, cowboy?”

  A deep, throaty groan seeped between his lips, and she leaned into him, settling over the ridge throbbing beneath the placket of his jeans. She could do this. She could take what she wanted from him without losing her heart again. It was just sex.

  Their love never died, but her secrets could break his trust beyond repair.

  Texas Two Step

  © 2012 Cynthia D’Alba

  Texas Montgomery Mavericks, Book 1

  After six years and too much self-recrimination, rancher Mitch Landry is ready to admit he was wrong. He’d loved Olivia Montgomery but commitment wasn’t high on his list back then. That was his first mistake. He’s just divorced his second, and he’s set to do whatever it takes to convince Olivia to give him another try.

  Through hard work, determination and more than a few tears, Olivia survived the break-up with Mitch. She’s rebuilt her life around her business and the son she loves more than life itself. She’s not proud of the mistakes she’s made—particularly the secrets she’s kept—but when life hands you manure, you use it to make something better of yourself…lest you get stuck in it.

  At a hot, muggy Dallas wedding, they reconnect. Olivia’s first instinct is to play it cool, but after one devastating kiss things flare real out of control, real fast. Maybe a quick roll in the hay will get him out of her system once and for all. Funny thing about hay though, once it’s tangled in your hair, getting it out risks revealing things that were never meant to see the light of day. Warning: Bourbon shooters, shirtless cowboys, and a hot rendezvous or two…

  Warning: Contains hot sex, a vindictive ex-wife and hot chocolate-chip cookies.

  Enjoy the following e
xcerpt for Texas Two Step:

  He kissed her and the world stopped revolving. She swayed into him. Ran her fingers into his thick, wavy hair. Stroked his tongue with hers. Tasted the champagne inside of his mouth. Sucked gently on his tongue. Soaked him up like an arid desert in an unexpected rainstorm.

  Olivia could have blamed the dim lights, or the romantic setting, or even Mitch’s raw animal magnetism for her response to his kiss. Instead, she admitted she wanted this night, this man, his touch, his kiss. All of her fantasies started this way.

  Could reality be as good as her imagination?

  What would it be like to be with him again? Make love with him again?

  There was curiosity, but that wasn’t what was driving her response to his kiss. Desire ran rampant through her veins. A soul-deep lust consumed her.

  Their love story was history, so she’d waste no time planning a future that would never come. She’d take what he offered, take what she wanted. Here and now, not a future. Tonight was all there was. She’d not walk away from his arms until she’d gotten what she needed.

  Mitch’s mouth scorched her lips as he took her mouth with a rough passion that left no doubt of his intentions. He pulled the pins holding her chignon and threaded his fingers through her hair, holding her head in place as he plundered her mouth with his tongue.

  Returning his kiss with a fervor matching his, she allowed the all-consuming yearning to fill her. The desire to touch him, be close to him, make love with him overwhelmed her.

  She flattened her hands against his chest. His heat seared through the shirt’s material and burned into her flesh. She stroked hard muscles sculpted from years of physical labor. His nipples stiffened to her caress. The soft cotton of his shirt teased the nerve endings in her palms.

  He leaned his huge body over her and cupped her breast in his work-roughened hand. He squeezed and flicked her now distended nipple.