Steen didn’t hesitate. He shook Thomas’s hand. “The honor is mine, sir… Thomas.”
Thomas said his farewells to the rest of the crew, and then jogged down the stairs to a black Mercedes idling in the driveway.
Steen didn’t even bother to close the front door. He simply turned to Erin, took her hand, and went down on one knee. “Will you marry me?” He wanted to say a million things, to tell her how much he loved her, to shout to the world the gift that Thomas had just given him, but in that moment, he wanted only one thing, for Erin to be his wife, so he could hold onto her forever.
Her eyes shimmered with unshed tears. “Of course I will. You didn’t need to be pardoned for me to marry you.”
“I know I didn’t, but I needed to be the man you deserve.” He dug into his front pocket and held up the diamond ring he’d bought on his way to Virginia. He’d had it in his pocket since that day, always prepared to show it to her if she began to doubt his intentions. Never in a million years had he thought he’d have the chance to give it to her so soon. “I know it’s not as big as the one Louis gave you—”
“It’s perfect.” Her whisper was so full of emotion and love, that he knew it was. She held out her hand, and he slipped the ring onto her finger. The diamond glittered like the stars on a summer night, and he pressed a kiss to the sparkling stone.
She held out her arms to him, and he rose to his feet, pulling her into the fold of his body. He kissed her, their first kiss as an engaged couple, and it was a thousand times more perfect than all the other perfect ones they’d shared. Her body felt amazing, incredible, and perfect against his. He broke the kiss, whispering in her ear. “Let me take you back home. I need to make love to my fiancée,” he whispered.
She beamed up at him, her face glowing with happiness. “Yes, please do.”
He looked over her shoulder at Chase and Mira, who were beaming at them. “I think we’re going to head out. Thanks for dinner.”
“Not yet.” Chase held up his hand, exchanging glances with Mira, who nodded. Then both of them looked at Steen and Erin. “We’d be honored if you guys wanted to do a double wedding with us. I know it’s soon, but not really. It’s been a long time for you guys. No pressure, but the invite’s open.”
Rightness roared through Steen, and he knew that he wanted nothing more than to marry Erin as soon as possible. He looked down at her, and his heart softened when he saw the expression on her face.
He took her hand and pressed a kiss to her palm. “I’ve been waiting for you for years,” he said softly. He’d been willing to wait for as long as it took to make himself worthy of her, but now that Thomas has purged his past, now that he had the opportunity, his entire soul was burning for her, to make her his, forever. “I’d marry you tonight, if I could. I know that you probably want your own wedding, and that’s cool. I’ll wait as long as it takes, but—”
“Yes.”
He broke into a grin. “Yes? Yes, to the double wedding?”
She grinned. “Of course, yes. I think we’ve waited enough years, don’t you?”
“Hell, yeah.” He let out a whoop and swung her in his arms, unable to wipe the grin off his face. He grinned stupidly at his brother and Mira. “You guys sure? I mean—”
“Family, man.” Chase walked over. “It’s all about family.” Then his big brother dragged Steen into a bear hug. For a split second, Steen hesitated, then he felt Mira’s arms go around him and Chase, locking them together. Steen wrapped one arm around his soon-to-be sister-in-law, and then held out his other arm to Erin.
She came willingly, sliding into his embrace and into the circle of the family that he was no longer willing to run away from. He couldn’t turn them away. It just felt too damn good to be a part of it, and he knew that it was Erin who had given him the strength to reach out and be willing to try.
“I love you,” he whispered to her.
She smiled up at him. “I love you, too, cowboy. Always and forever.”
The best damn words he’d ever heard.
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Sneak Peek: A Real Cowboy Rides a Motorcycle
A Wyoming Rebels Novel
He was tired.
He was cranky.
He was wet.
Zane Stockton idled his motorcycle outside his brother’s ranch house, narrowing his eyes at the darkened windows. Gone was the time when he’d let himself in and crash. There was a woman in there now, and that changed all the rules, especially when it was two in the morning.
He probably shouldn’t have come tonight, but he was here, and he was done being on the road for now. Rain had been thundering down on him for hours, and he was drenched all the way to his bones. He just wanted to sleep and forget about all the crap that had gone down today.
Trying not to rev the engine too much, he eased his bike down the driveway past the barn and turned right into the lean-to beside the bunkhouse. He settled his bike and whipped out a couple towels to clean it off, making sure it was mud-free before calling it a night.
He grabbed his bag from the back of the bike, scowling when he realized it had gotten wet, then sloshed across the puddles toward the front door of the bunkhouse. He retrieved the key from the doorframe, and pried the thing open.
It was pitch dark inside, but he knew his way around and didn’t bother with a light. He dropped the bag, kicked off his boots and his drenched clothes, then headed for the only bed that was still set up in the place, ever since Steen and Erin had rearranged it for their own use during their temporary stay there. At least they’d upgraded their lodging so the bunkhouse was now available again for use by the family vagrant.
Zane jerked back the covers and collapsed onto the bed. The minute he landed, he felt the soft, very real feel of a body beneath him, including the swell of a woman’s breast beneath his forearm. Shit! “What the hell?” He leapt to his feet just as a woman shrieked and slammed a pillow into the side of his head.
“Hey, I’m not going to hurt you! I’m Chase’s brother!” He grabbed the pillow as it clocked him in the side of the head again. “Stop!”
There was a moment of silence, and all he could hear was heavy breathing. Then she spoke. “You’re Chase’s brother?” Her voice was breathless, and throaty, as if he’d awakened her out of a deep sleep, which he probably had. It sounded sexy as hell, and he was shocked to feel a rush of desire catapult through him.
Shit. He hadn’t responded physically to a woman in a long time, and now he’d run into a woman who could turn him on simply by speaking to him? Who the hell was she? “Yeah,” he said, sounding crankier than he intended. “Who are you?”
“You’re Steen?” He heard her fumbling for something, and he wondered if she was searching for a baseball bat, pepper spray, or something that indicated she hadn’t been nearly as turned on by his voice as he’d been by hers.
“No, a different brother,” he replied, his head spinning as he tried to figure what was going on, and why he was reacting to her so intensely. “I’m Zane. Harmless. Good guy. No need to decapitate me.”
There was a pause in her movements. “I wasn’t going to decapitate you. I was looking for my shirt.”
“Your shirt?” he echoed blankly. “You’re not wearing a shirt?” He hadn’t noticed much bare skin for that brief moment he’d been on top of her. How had he missed it?
“I’m wearing a camisole, but it’s not exactly decent. Give me a sec.” A small laugh drifted through the darkness. “You’re such a guy. Of course you’d fixate on the possibility of me being naked. Do all men think only of sex?”
He grinned, relaxing. He’d startled her, but she’d regrouped quickly, and he liked that. She wasn’t a wimp who was running to the door screaming. “What’s your name?” he asked.
“Taylor Shaw. I’m Mira’s best friend from home. I surprised her for a visit, but it turns out, there’s no space in the house.”
“Nope. Not a
nymore. I’m displaced too.” He suddenly wanted to see her. “You decent yet?”
“Yes, but barely—”
He reached over and flicked on the small light by the bed. The soft yellow glow was less harsh than the overhead light, but it still took his eyes a moment to adjust to the brightness. When they did, he saw Taylor sitting on the bed, curly blond hair tumbling around her shoulders in a disheveled mess that made her look completely adorable. Her eyes were green, fixed on him as she squinted against the sudden light. He could see the curve of her shoulders beneath the light pink, long-sleeved shirt she was wearing. The faint outline of a white camisole was evident beneath her shirt, not quite obscuring the fact that she wasn’t wearing a bra. Her gray yoga pants were frayed at the knee and cuff, but they fit her hips with perfection. She looked like she’d just tumbled right out of a bed, and she was sexy as hell.
But it was her face that caught his attention. Her gaze was wary, but there was a vulnerability in it that made him want to protect her. He had zero protective instincts when it came to women…until now, until he’d met this woman who’d tried to defend herself with a pillow.
Then her gaze slid down his body, and his entire body went into heated overdrive. It wasn’t until her eyes widened in horror when her gaze was at hip level that he remembered something very important.
He was naked.
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Sneak Peek: Shadows of Darkness
An Order of the Blade Novel
Levi Hart froze, his senses shocked into hyper-awareness when he caught the unmistakable scent of a woman. It plunged past his shields, invading his being with a force so strong he had no chance to protect himself from the sheer intensity of her presence. He swore and went utterly still. His mind went into hyper-focus as he fought to regain control, his body barely swaying on the ancient meat hook he’d been chained to for over a century.
But with each breath he took, the fragile, delicate scent of pure femininity wrapped itself tighter around him. Hot. Sensual. Tempting. And utterly dangerous to a Calydon warrior who was driven by a dark, powerful need for a woman.
His ancient instincts rose fast and hard, a driving lust that he hadn’t succumbed to in centuries. Swearing under his breath, he closed his eyes, summoning what was left of his once formidable discipline to regain control of his body and his senses. It took precious seconds to shut down the lust burning through him. He had to engage strength he couldn’t afford to waste in order to crush the almost insurmountable need to find her right then, but he did it.
The relief was instant, but a residue of emptiness resonated through him, as if his very being was stumbling in the absence of that sexual hunger. Without the distraction, however, a sharp-edged focus settled over him. He narrowed his eyes and called upon his preternatural senses, sending waves of psychic energy out into the surrounding tunnels, searching for the physical presence of the woman he had scented.
He found nothing.
A dark fury raged through him, anger that he couldn’t find her. Urgency mounted, and he sent out another wave of energy, but this time, he opened his mind, sending the tentacles of his consciousness out into the air, searching with ruthless speed. Within seconds, he picked up her feminine energy again. This time, he kept his physical response contained, and he allowed his mind to hurtle toward her at a mind-numbing pace, racing through tunnels and around corners, faster and faster, gaining speed with each millisecond, her scent becoming stronger and stronger until—
He found her.
The moment his mind touched hers, she sucked in her breath, and her mind snapped to his, injecting warmth and passion into his cold, isolated being. His entire body clenched in response, and tension radiated through his muscles as he fought to concentrate. She smelled of spring and outdoors, of grass, of nature, and of a lazy sensuality, things he hadn’t experienced in over a hundred years. But since he’d opened his mind to her, it wasn’t simply her physical being he accessed. Her emotions assaulted him, a dizzying onslaught of fear, courage, and desperation, all of it ruthlessly contained by her single-minded focus and determination. His name reverberated through her mind, and it was layered through her entire being.
All her attention was centered on him.
His body responded to the knowledge, a tightening of his cock that he couldn’t control no matter how hard he fought it. To have his name and his existence so intricately woven into the fabric of her being was so visceral that he could almost feel her presence, as if she was right in front of him. He couldn’t keep his physical response contained, and his lust spilled over their connection into her. Instantly, desire flooded her, and he felt her body respond to his.
The connection between them was electric and intense, igniting his cells like fire licking its way through his body. He was a cold-blooded assassin who’d spent a lifetime honing his utter lack of emotion and eradicating his need for physical connection with a woman, and yet, in mere seconds, she’d stripped away every last defense and created a need in him so powerful he knew he’d be sprinting through the tunnels in search of her if he weren’t locked down.
Who the hell was she? And why was she there? No one had set foot in any of the caverns surrounding his prison since he’d been chained up, and he didn’t believe it was a coincidence that she was so close, thousands of feet below the surface of the earth in tunnels that no human being would ever stumble across, thinking about him. Who are you? He pressed the question at her, instinctively erecting a telepathic bridge between their minds.
She froze in response, and for a split second, he felt her confusion that he was speaking in her mind. Then fear rippled through her, and she slammed up her mental shields, severing their link. Emptiness assaulted him at the lack of connection, and he swore, struggling to regain his equilibrium. She’d cut him off, but he knew she’d heard him.
She’d heard him. After more than a century of complete isolation, she’d heard him. The sudden shock of having his existence recognized by another living creature hit him with an almost violent crash of emotion. His entire being suddenly burned with a need to be acknowledged, to be recognized, to be seen.
He shoved aside the emotions before they had a chance to claim him. He’d lived his whole life alone. He’d been a shadow in the night, a phantom who was everyone’s worst nightmare. His solitary existence had never bothered him, not even for an instant, and he wasn’t going to let it start grating on him now just because he’d been strung up like a carcass for a century and had scented a woman so enticing it could drive him mad if he let it consume him.
Her essence became stronger, and he realized she was headed right for him, on a direct path through the tunnels. She was seeking him out. Anticipation burned through him, an escalating need to see her, to hear her voice, to drag her against him and taste her mouth against his.
He swore and closed his eyes, raising his own shields to block her scent so he could recalibrate. What the hell? Why was he reacting like that to her? Was it just because he’d been isolated for so long? Or maybe she was some sort of seductress? Not that it mattered. He didn’t want to make out with her. He wanted to escape.
This might be his chance.
He took a deep breath, summoning the combat-focus that had once been as instinctual as breathing and staying alive. Decades of no food, no water, and no external stimulation had weakened him, and his mind fought against his commands to concentrate so intently.
With a snarl of fury, he forced his mind to respond, channeling what was left of his strength into his mind until it coalesced into the razor-sharp clarity that had once defined him.
Straining to see in the darkness, he scanned the cave that had been his prison for so long. It had taken years for his eyes to adjust to the rampant darkness enough for him to be able to see anything, and even now, he could make out only the faintest dark shapes that indicated tunnel openings, escape routes that were only yards away, and yet completely out of reach.
She w
as in one of those tunnels, getting closer with each step.
Manipulating his body weight with the effortless grace of a man who’d spent countless hours figuring out how to stay fit and strong even while he was suspended by his wrists in a frigid, underground cave, Levi spun in a circle. He systematically inspected every inch of his cave, searching for indications that would tell him which direction she was approaching from.
Unable to resist the temptation, he inhaled again, and her scent wrapped around him, diffusing through his cells like a tendril of sunshine in a body that had long been dead. Energy pulsed through him, a sense of vitality he hadn’t felt in decades. He reached out to her again, this time searching the space around her for more information on who she was. With his attention no longer only on her, he noticed the presence of two powerful males flanking her.
His hands clenched, and his muscles went taut. She was with two Calydon warriors. Possessiveness surged through him, a sudden fear for her safety. Was she their prisoner? Were they going to lock her up the way he’d been strung up? Suddenly, it was no longer about sex. It was no longer about his need to be acknowledged. It became only about protecting her. Are you in danger? He pressed the question ruthlessly at her mind, shattering her mental shields.
Again, she flinched, clearly hearing him, but once again, she didn’t answer. Instead, she thrust him out of her mind as efficiently as he’d penetrated it.
He had to admit, he was impressed with her defenses, but at the same time, it was annoying as hell. He had no idea what the situation was. Did he need to protect her? Was she in danger?
No. No. No.
His job wasn’t to protect anyone. He had one last mission to accomplish, and he couldn’t afford to get distracted by a woman. He had to escape, hunt down the man who had nearly destroyed Levi’s soul…and then kill him. He could allow the approaching threesome to mean only one thing to him: a chance to gain his freedom.
A Real Cowboy Knows How to Kiss Page 19
