Stronger than Sin (Sin Hunters)
Page 25
“Just one, but there’s a little problem,” she teased and took hold of the hem of the shirt.
“And what’s that?” he asked, shifting his hand to her face to run his thumb along the edges of her lips.
“You’ve got way too many clothes on,” she said and yanked the shirt over his head.
Jesse chuckled and pulled her into his arms but then turned serious.
“Tell me this isn’t a dream. That this nightmare is over—”
She laid her index finger on his lips. “This is for real, Jesse. The bad stuff is over. Now it’s time for us to explore what we’re feeling. To find out if it’s real.”
He kissed the pad of her finger. “It’s real for me, Liliana. I love you.”
As she glanced up at him, the truth of it was clear on his face. In his eyes—those beautiful blue eyes that reminded her of the ocean on a summer day. The doubt she’d had in her heart evaporated with the love pouring from him.
“I love you, too. I know we can make this work.”
He bent and she rose on tiptoe, met his lips in a kiss to seal that promise.
CHAPTER 37
Four months later
Jesse ran his hand over the soft swell of her belly, and Liliana covered his hand with hers and brushed a kiss across his lips.
He returned her kiss hungrily, but then a soft, amused laugh broke them apart.
“Get a room, bro,” his sister Jackie said and walked up to the table in the radiation-therapy room.
“Already did, sis,” he said and once again ran his hand along Liliana’s burgeoning belly.
Jackie chuckled, took a position on the opposite side of the bed, and grabbed hold of Jesse’s hand. “I know you’ll make a good dad.”
Liliana glanced at her new sister-in-law fondly. “And how do you know that?” she asked.
Jackie smiled and playfully shook her brother’s hand. “ ’Cuz he was a great big brother.”
“I wish you didn’t have to do this,” Jesse said, all traces of lightheartedness gone from his demeanor.
Liliana knew that it weighed on him to have to rely on his sister for a transplant, but the plasmapheresis treatments had lost their efficacy. If they didn’t undertake the radiation treatment to kill off his bone marrow and reintroduce untainted cells, she feared what the implanted genes would do to his body.
“It’s nothing, Jesse. Not when you were willing to risk your life for me,” Jackie said, bent, and dropped a kiss on his cheek. “Just get better,” she whispered and, with a final playful tug on his arm, left the room.
Liliana stared at him and pressed his hand tighter to her belly. “You’re going to be fine. I need someone around to chase after this baby.”
A glimmer of joy crept back into his gaze at the mention of their child.
Their baby.
It had taken some discussion to go ahead with having a child, but both of them had known it was the right decision. Samples of Jesse’s sperm had not shown contamination by the Wardwell DNA strains, but with the prospect of radiation therapy, sterility was a risk.
Becoming pregnant hadn’t taken long, much to Jesse’s regret. She imagined that he wouldn’t have minded keeping her in bed for far longer, not that she would have complained. Being with Jesse was… well, just amazing. Emotionally and physically.
And because they wanted to possibly have more children, they had stored away more of Jesse’s sperm for the future.
The future.
She had hopes it would be a long and happy one.
Bending, she kissed Jesse and whispered, “We will grow old together, mi amor.”
Beneath her lips she could feel his smile as he said, “Just as long as you never stop loving me.”
“Never,” she said and, with another kiss, left him alone in the treatment room.
In the viewing area, Carmen came over with a heavy lead apron and handed it to her. “No sense taking any chances,” she said, and, together with Jackie, they stood at the window to watch as the tech began the series of irradiations to kill off the hybrid bone marrow.
The apron dragged on her shoulders, much like the fear that despite all the favorable prognoses, Jesse’s condition would get worse.
Sucking in a breath, she bit her lower lip as the kathunk-kathunk of the radiation unit signaled that it was working.
A moment later, Jackie and Carmen bracketed her and slipped their arms through hers, offering their support.
“It’s going to be okay,” Carmen said, and Jackie echoed the sentiment.
Their faith bolstered her sagging optimism, reminding her that she wasn’t alone. Outside in the hallway, the rest of her family waited, along with Jesse’s mother.
Their family, she thought and reached beneath the heavy lead apron. She placed her hand over their baby. A child conceived by their love, and inside of her hope chased away her fears.
They would grow old together, she repeated, certain in their love.
Certain that it was stronger than anything that would come their way.
CHAPTER 38
Men like Morales and Edwards possessed incredible vision, Bruno thought as he stared at the reports sitting on his desk.
But it took more than mere vision to change the world.
It took genius.
Many had possessed such genius in the past, he thought and flipped open the first report. Men like the Roman Caesars, Alexander the Great, and Napoleon. Even those society looked upon as murderers—Hitler, Stalin, and Mao—had defied their own limits to envision a different world created by their hand.
Bruno considered himself such a man, and so did the CIA.
It was why he was involved in the most delicate and complex of matters. The ones where either failure or success meant a possible change in the way most people lived their lives.
Bruno grabbed the second and third reports and laid them out next to the first.
Each report contained information on a case solved and information acquired by the Firm. Separately they were interesting in and of themselves, but put them together…
World-changing.
Edwards and Morales’s magnificent genetic engineering and mind control had been revolutionary.
Hiroto’s nanotechnology was cunning.
And then there was the adopted son he had called Adam. Nearly twenty years had gone by since he discovered Adam and his people. Learned about all they could do. Coveted their abilities.
Bruno faced his computer and began melding the information from all three reports, preparing the documents necessary to create the special project that would incorporate the most viable elements from all three into something amazing.
He worked through the night and into the morning, so caught up in his zeal that neither hunger nor fatigue registered.
And when Bruno was done, he gave it a name.
Genesis.
He already had Adam. He needed to find an Eve.
Once he did, a new race would arise and change the course of mankind.
THE DISH
Where authors give you the inside scoop!
From the desk of Roxanne St. Claire
Dear Reader,
I’m the youngest of five, a position of little power but great benefits. Yes, it meant I got the car floor on road trips (seriously, the floor!) but that position also allowed me to reap the rewards of parental guilt for sometimes treating #5 as an afterthought. On my tenth birthday, that meant the ultimate gift for a budding writer: a typewriter. I think I’ve had my fingers on a keyboard ever since.
So when I decided to launch a new romantic suspense series, I knew I wanted to anchor the stories around a big family. I hoped to translate the always-fascinating sibling dynamics into complex relationships and unforgettable characters. Since I married into an Italian family, I’d been given a window into one of the most colorful of all cultures, and choosing that background for my characters was a natural move. But this couldn’t be an ordinary Italian family, since I like extraordinary characte
rs. To work in my stories, they’d have to be fearless, protective, risk-taking, rule-breaking, wave-making heroes and heroines, willing to take chances to save lives. Oh, and the guys must be blistering hot, and the ladies? Well, we like them a little on the feisty side.
Thus, the Guardian Angelinos were born. They are the five siblings of the Boston-based Rossi family and their two Italian-born cousins, Vivi and Zach Angelino. The security and investigation firm these two blended families form is created in the first book, EDGE OF SIGHT. When soon-to-be law student Samantha Fairchild witnesses a murder in the wine cellar of the restaurant where she works and the professional hit man has her face on tape, she seeks help from her friend, investigative reporter Vivi Angelino. Sam gets the protection she needs, only it comes in the form of big, bad, sexy Army Ranger Zach Angelino… who stole her heart during a lusty interlude three years earlier, then went off to war and never contacted her again.
I had fun with Zach and Sam, and just as much fun with the extended family of renegade crime-fighters. One of my favorite characters is eighty-year-old Uncle Nino, who is grandfather to the Rossi kids and great-uncle to the Angelinos. He joins the Guardian Angelinos with typical Italian passion and gusto, carrying a spatula instead of a Glock, and keeping them all in ziti and good spirits. Oh, and Uncle Nino is a mean puzzle solver, a trait that comes in handy on some special investigations. But what he does best is Sunday Gravy, a delicious, hearty meat dinner in mouthwatering red sauce that the family gathers to enjoy at the end of a hard week of saving lives and solving crimes. He’s agreed to share his secret recipe, just for my readers…
Uncle Nino’s Sunday Gravy
Ingredients
• 1–2 pound piece of lean beef (eye of round)
• 1–2 pounds of lean pork (spare ribs)
• 2 pounds of hot or sweet Italian sausages
• 4 tbs. olive oil
• 4–5 garlic cloves, sliced
• 1–2 Spanish onions, chopped
• Pinch of dried chili flakes (optional)
• Pinch of sugar
• 1 can tomato paste
• 2 26 oz cans whole, peeled San Marzano tomatoes
• 2 cups dry red wine
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• ½ cup torn fresh basil leaves
• Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
1. Cut and trim the meats into smaller pieces; halve the sausages, cut eye of round in four sections
2. Heat olive oil in large pan or Dutch oven (deep, heavy casserole) over medium heat
3. Sear meats in hot olive oil until golden brown; may be done in batches and removed from pan, set aside
4. Sauté onions in same the same pan until translucent
5. Add garlic and continue to sauté until garlic turns golden (spicy Italians—and these guys are—add the chili flakes here)
6. Add tomato paste and constantly stir until paste reaches rich, rusty color
7. Add thyme and oregano and stir
8. Deglaze the pan with red wine, using spatula to scrape all bits of charred meat (Uncle Nino says this is the key to success) until reduced by half
9. Crush whole, peeled tomatoes (by hand!), then add to sauce
10. Season sauce with salt and pepper and—this one from Grandma Rossi in the old country—a pinch or two sugar to balance the acidity of the tomatoes
11. Add seared meat into the sauce and simmer for two hours, stirring occasionally
12. Serve over pasta (Uncle Nino recommends rigatoni)
13. Sprinkle fresh basil on top just before serving
(Note: with one pound of pasta, this recipe serves six. Hungry heroes may want more to keep up their stamina, so feel free to add homemade meatballs. Sorry, but Nino’s recipe for meatballs remains a family secret. Stay tuned for future books to unlock that and many more mysteries.)
Mangia!
www.roxannestclaire.com
From the desk of Caridad Pineiro
Dear Friends,
I want to thank you for the marvelous reception you gave to SINS OF THE FLESH! Your many letters and reviews were truly appreciated and I hope you will enjoy this next book in the Sins series—STRONGER THAN SIN—even more.
From the moment that Mick’s sister, Dr. Liliana Carrera, walked onto the scene in the first book, I knew she had to get her own story. I fell in love with her caring nature, her loyalty to her brother and her inner strength. There was no doubt in my mind that any story where she was the heroine would be emotionally compelling and filled with passion.
Of course, such an intense and determined heroine demanded not only a sexy hero, but a strong one. A man capable of great love, but who needs to rediscover the hero within himself.
Jesse Bradford immediately came to mind. Inspired by the many sexy surfer types I encounter on my walks along the beach, Jesse was born and bred on the Jersey Shore. A former football player who had to leave the game he loves due to a crippling bone disease, he is a man who has lost his way, but is honorable, caring and loyal. Jesse just needs to meet the right woman to guide him back to the right path in his life.
Together Jesse and Liliana will face great danger from a group of scientists who have genetically engineered Jesse, as well as the FBI Agents entrusted with his care. The action is fast-paced and will keep you turning the pages as you root for these two to find a way to be together!
If you want to find out more about the real life Jersey Shore locations in STRONGER THAN SIN, please visit my website at www.caridad.com where you can check out my photo gallery or my Facebook page at www.facebook.com/caridad.pineiro.author@Caridad Pineiro!
Wishing you all the best!
From the desk of R.C. Ryan
Dear Reader,
My family and friends know that I’m obsessively neat and organized. I work best when my desk is clean, my office tidied, my mind clear of all the distracting bits and pieces that go into being part of a large and busy family.
And so it is with my manuscripts. When I created the McCord family and started them on their hunt for their ancestors’ lost fortune, I had to find a satisfying ending to each cousin’s story, while still keeping a few tantalizing threads aside, to tempt my readers to persevere through this series until the very end.
My editor remarked that, until reading MONTANA GLORY, she hadn’t even been aware that the family needed the balance of another generation. Cal and Cora provided the narration for much of the family’s history, and a steady anchor for these three very different cousins. Jesse, Wyatt and Zane provided enough rugged male charm to stir the hearts of even the most unflappable female. The women they love brought excitement and fresh flavor into the family dynamic. But it was four-year-old Summer who changed each member of this fascinating household in some way. It is the ultimate gift of a child. They touch our lives, and we are forever changed.
In MONTANA GLORY, I was free to delve even deeper into the McCord family’s history to reveal long-held secrets. I made a point to reveal a bit more about Cal, Cora, and the things that shaped them and the other members of this family. And, I hope, we learn things about ourselves in the process.
I hope you fell in love with this diverse, fascinating family as much as I did while writing their stories. And I hope you’re as satisfied with the ending as I am. Like I said, tidy, organized, with all the loose ends neatly tied up. I’m a sucker for a happy ending.
Happy Reading!
www.ryanlangan.com
Table of Contents
Front Cover Image
Welcome
“I wasn’t sure you’d come back.”
Dedication
PROLOGUE
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 10
CHAPTER 11
; CHAPTER 12
CHAPTER 13
CHAPTER 14
CHAPTER 15
CHAPTER 16
CHAPTER 17
CHAPTER 18
CHAPTER 19
CHAPTER 20
CHAPTER 21
CHAPTER 22
CHAPTER 23
CHAPTER 24
CHAPTER 25
CHAPTER 26
CHAPTER 27
CHAPTER 28
CHAPTER 29
CHAPTER 30
CHAPTER 31
CHAPTER 32
CHAPTER 33
CHAPTER 34
CHAPTER 35
CHAPTER 36
CHAPTER 37
CHAPTER 38
THE DISH
Also by Caridad Piñeiro
Praise for SINS OF THE FLESH
Copyright
Also by Caridad Piñeiro
Sins of the Flesh
Praise For
SINS OF THE FLESH
“Caridad Piñeiro never disappoints, and her new series looks to be a winner in every possible way. No author is better at crafting novels which explore the paranormal than Caridad Piñeiro. Sins of the Flesh expertly intertwines suspense and passion to create a spellbinding story of the paranormal.”
—SingleTitles.com
“Faster than the speed of light… an action-packed thriller that never takes a breath… Caridad Piñeiro provides another one of her super romantic suspense thrillers.”
—Midwest Book Review
“I can hardly wait for the next in this exciting new series to come out. This is as good as paranormal gets!”
—RomanceReviewsMag.com
“Captured my full attention with its too-human characters and its too-real plot. A fascinating, adrenaline-fueled read! I could not stop turning pages!”
—Debra Webb, national bestselling author of Everywhere She Turns
“The beginning of what promises to be a fascinating series… If you’re looking for a book that will grab your attention and keep it, get a copy of Sins of the Flesh today.”