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Rugged Texas Cowboy

Page 23

by Lora Leigh


  She was flying, soaring in a world of dark pleasure unlike anything she had ever known, feeling her body as though it were an alien creature, erupting again, then again, as her orgasm ripped through her soul and—rather than tearing her asunder—made her whole.

  For the first time in her life, she was whole.

  She didn’t know how long she lay there, her body convulsing in the aftershocks of the pleasure, but she knew Jack was with her. His arms enfolded her, holding her tight, his face buried at her neck as his body shuddered atop hers.

  Then his head turned, his lips ghosting over her ear.

  “Angel-mine,” he whispered. “I love you.”

  A smile tugged at her lips as she drifted sleepily within the waves of pleasure that still surged through her.

  “I love you, Jack,” she whispered in turn then. “Now remove these chains before I’m forced to kill you.”

  She tugged tiredly at the restraints. There wasn’t a chance in hell she could sleep like this, and she wanted nothing more than to sleep.

  A rough chuckle sounded, but he moved, hurriedly releasing her wrists and ankles before dragging his nude body back up the bed.

  “Let me catch my breath and we’ll try that again.” He yawned as Angel brushed the nipple clips that had fallen beside them on the bed out of her way.

  “Sure.” She snuggled against him. “In the morning.”

  He sighed deeply.

  “We’re going home in the morning,” he said, his arms tightening around her. “To my ranch. Then later, I think we might like to live in Ireland for a while. Later.”

  “Home.” Her eyes closed, a smile tilting her lips.

  Yes, she was going to go home.

  EPILOGUE

  Joseph Manning hung up the phone and stared at the portrait that hung over the fireplace of the family room his wife had so loved.

  “I did it, my love,” he whispered, smiling at the laughing violet eyes that showed the wit and charm that had been so much a part of her. “Just as you said I would. I found our daughter her American warrior.”

  At first, no one could have ever imagined Jack Riley was a warrior. A charmer. A playboy. Not a warrior. But the weeks he had spent at the estate had given Joseph another insight into the young man. A loner because he believed what he sought didn’t exist. A man who feared love was an illusion.

  And, ahhh, the sparks that had flown whenever his Angel was in the cowboy’s company. She had lit up like a grand light, her eyes sparkling, her cheeks flushing as she fought against the attraction that was so very apparent.

  In those weeks Jack had stayed with them, he had watched them seek each other’s company, only to bicker like children fighting for supremacy.

  He had known Jack for many years, but he had never seen him react so to a woman. And he knew his daughter better than she imagined. She had fallen in love so easily, yet had fought it so hard.

  “Well, love, I was looking forward to returning to your loving arms,” he sighed, though without regret. “But I think when we meet again you would like to know of the grandchildren that will soon be coming. Perhaps a fine granddaughter looking like yourself that the torque will bless as well.”

  He lifted the glass of wine that sat at his elbow and toasted the portrait.

  “I miss ya, love,” he whispered, his chest aching with the loss. “But I was blessed in you.”

  He sipped at the wine.

  It had been many years since he had visited America. Perhaps it was time to return. To see the fine ranch Jack spoke of and to share in the happiness he could hear in his daughter’s voice.

  “Just a short visit, love,” he whispered, glancing at the portrait once again. “Shall we go?”

  She was gone these many years, but he knew she traveled with him, no matter where he went. She was his heart.

  Just as Angel was now Jack’s heart. As Jack was Angel’s.

  A generation for the torque to bless.

  Coming soon …

  FROM #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR

  LORA LEIGH

  COLLISION POINT

  AVAILABLE IN MARCH 2018 FROM ST. MARTIN’S PAPERBACKS

  ALSO BY LORA LEIGH

  THE MEN OF SUMMER SERIES

  Dirty Little Lies

  Wicked Lies

  THE CALLAHANS SERIES

  Midnight Sins

  Deadly Sins

  Secret Sins

  Ultimate Sins

  THE ELITE OPS SERIES

  Live Wire

  Renegade

  Black Jack

  Heat Seeker

  Maverick

  Wild Card

  THE NAVY SEALS TRILOGY

  Killer Secrets

  Hidden Agendas

  Dangerous Games

  THE BOUND HEARTS NOVELS

  Dangerous Pleasure

  Secret Pleasure

  Intense Pleasure

  Guilty Pleasure

  Only Pleasure

  Wicked Pleasure

  Forbidden Pleasure

  ANTHOLOGIES

  Real Men Last All Night

  Real Men Do It Better

  Honk If You Love Real Men

  Legally Hot

  Men of Danger

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  LORA LEIGH’S NOVELS ARE:

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  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  #1 New York Times bestseller, LORA LEIGH is the author of the Navy SEALs, the Breeds, the Elite Ops, the Callahans, the Bound Hearts, and the Nauti series. You can visit her website at www.loraleigh.com, or sign up for email updates here.

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  CONTENTS

  Title Page

  Copyright Notice

  Cowboy and the Captive

  Prologue

  One

  Two

  Three

  Four

  Five

  Six

  Seven

  Eight

  Nine

  Ten

  Eleven

  Twelve

  Thirteen

  Fourteen

  Fifteen

  Sixteen

  Seventeen

  Eighteen

  Nineteen

  Twenty

  Twenty-One

  Twenty-Two

  Cowboy and the Thief

  Prologue

  One

  Two

  Three

  Four

  Five

  Six

  Seven

  Eight

  Nine

  Ten

  Eleven

  Epilogue

  Also by Lora Leigh

  Praise

  About the Author

  Copyright

  This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

  Originally published separately as Cowboy and the Captive and Cowboy and the Thief.

  RUGGED TEXAS COWBOY

  Copyright © 2017 by Lora Leigh.

  All rights reserved.

  For information address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.

  www.stmartins.com

  eISBN: 9781250150882

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  St. Martin’s Paperbacks edition / December 2017

  St. Martin’s Paperbacks are published by St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.

 

 

 


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