Southern Comfort: Compass Brothers, Book 2

by Mari Carr

  In the distance, she caught a glimpse of the two men she sought astride gorgeous mounts. When she waved her arms but kept running, they spurred the horses to a gallop. It was silly. She couldn’t reach them faster than they could ride back. Still, she didn’t bother to stop herself from ducking between the rails of the fence to intercept them a millisecond sooner.

  Thank God they hadn’t left for the outer pastures yet.

  On any other day she might have taken an instant to admire the two powerful men racing side by side—the owner of Compass Ranch and his foreman—as they barreled down on her. Right now, she needed the arms of her husband as she delivered terrible news.

  The stuff of a parent’s nightmares.

  Colby started dismounting before his horse had come to a complete stop. He dropped beside her, cupping her shoulders in his broad hands to peer at her tear-stained face.

  “What’s the matter, Luce?” His sun-kissed cheeks appeared pale, an impressive feat. “What is it?”

  He shook her a bit when the truth strangled her.

  JD pried Colby’s fingers from her arm then snuggled her into a paternal embrace. In the six years since her dad had suffered a massive heart attack and died while treating a foal in the middle of the night, JD had taken over as her honorary father. After raising four sons and countless ranchers, he got a mite protective over his little girl.

  He smoothed her hair, shooting a glare at Colby after inspecting the red marks lingering on the skin bared by her tank top.

  “Shit! Sorry.” Her husband whipped his hat from his head and slapped it on his thigh. “You’re killing me, baby. What’s wrong?”

  Lucy gulped, reaching for his hand. He cradled it this time, begging her with those sky blue eyes not to say their worst fear aloud. She couldn’t give him what he hoped for.

  “It’s bad.” She smothered another sob. “It’s Si.”

  “Oh, Jesus.”

  “Is he…” Even tough-as-nails JD Compton couldn’t finish the thought.

  “He’s alive, but seriously injured. There was some kind of explosion. He’s been in the hospital for three weeks.” Regret knotted her guts, making it almost impossible to continue. She drew one ragged breath, then another and another. “Twenty-three days. Suffering. Alone. With no one by his side when the doctors weren’t sure he’d pull through.”

  Relief chased terror across the faces hovering over her. She could relate. Her heart hadn’t stopped stuttering since she’d taken the call from a concerned nurse who had the good sense to ignore Silas’s idiotic request not to notify his family.

  From one caregiver to another, Lucy could understand. Sometimes the patient couldn’t determine the best course of treatment. She owed the woman big time.

  “The fool broke his femur, three ribs, sustained countless lacerations, contusions and burns. Plus, he had one hell of a concussion. Internal bleeding and the damage to his lungs caused the most concern, though. He’s had seven surgeries and they say he’ll probably always walk with a limp.”

  Anger had replaced the initial horror swamping her as the woman in the Anchorage hospital relayed the extensive list of Silas’s injuries. How dare he keep his family ignorant when he needed them? She’d had enough of his arrogance. What gave him the right to steal other people’s choices?

  The girl she’d been might have been bowed beneath his heavy-handed ruling.

  The woman she’d grown into certainly would not.

  “The oil company is recognizing him as a hero. They say he saved hundreds of lives when their safety equipment failed.” She glanced between JD and Colby.

  She’d shared the brief phone conversation she’d had with Silas’s roommate a couple months ago. She hadn’t been able to stand the silence when he’d stopped emailing his brothers for two weeks, cutting off her information pipeline. The guys had tried to reach out to Silas when she pestered them. None of the three had gotten a response.

  So she’d broken down and dialed, expecting to hang up on Silas’s terse greeting like usual. Instead, the unfamiliar man on the other end of the line had startled her into making a betraying gasp. She’d begged him not to tell Silas she’d called. After he’d agreed, she couldn’t help prying, just a little.

  Silas had picked up extra shifts. No biggie there. She’d wondered if he had finally moved on when the sweet man on the other end of the line appreciated her genuine concern and expressed curiosity about Silas’s history. Lucy had given him enough to help him understand the situation. It had hurt, but she’d hoped Silas could find some measure of happiness. In fact, she hadn’t worried when he dropped off the grid this time because she assumed his obvious lover had kept him too busy for correspondence.

  The poor man. “Red Covington died in the blast.”

  JD made the sign of the cross.

  Colby swept her into his arms, surrounding her with his gentle warmth and reliable shelter. God, how she loved this man. So much, she accepted that she could lose him when Silas came home.

  Tomorrow.

  After a decade of exile, Prince Silas would return to his kingdom. Colby might still be under his spell. Denying her own infatuation would be pointless, though she wasn’t the one in danger of being captured.

  The passionate exchange she’d interrupted between Colby and Silas had fueled her best dreams and worst night terrors for ten long years. Never far from her mind, she remembered it often. How it had boiled her blood and frozen her heart.

  The two men she craved wanted each other.

  Not her.

  Despite her naïve attempts at seduction, both men had kept her at arm’s length. Colby had held her hand, kissed her sweetly and melted her heart but neither had shown her the raw lust she’d discovered they were capable of. At least not then. After Silas left, Colby had gradually warmed. She had no complaints about their love life but neither had he shown her that abandonment to raw obsession again.

  Only one person had inspired that in him.

  “They’re sending Silas home. I arranged the flight with the hospital. Judy agreed to take over three of my homecare patients to clear time in my daily schedule. They’re releasing him into my care.” She cupped Colby’s jaw with her trembling fingers. Could he read her understanding? His enduring desire for the other man didn’t make her prize him less. No, even more, because he’d remained faithful to her all this time when she couldn’t give him everything he needed, no matter how badly she wished she could. “Our care.”

  “Silas is coming home?” Colby sounded like she felt. Dazed. Excited. Terrified.

  “Silas is coming home.” JD whooped then hugged them both, a solid arm around each of them. “Things are gonna work out. The way they always should have been. You’ll see.”

  Colby watched his wife jog to the house. She’d left Silas’s mom, Victoria, inside. The woman had probably already rung half the state to arrange all they’d need to bring her eldest son home.

  Colby distracted himself from worrying about the man he’d called his best friend once by studying Lucy’s fine ass in those snug jeans, the curves highlighted by her soft pink shirt and the wild mass of her untamed hair. He adored those fiery curls, especially when they fanned over his chest each night as they fell asleep together.

  She issued a watery smile over her shoulder before ducking inside. The quiet desperation thinning her lips made his stomach do flip-flops.

  “What the hell are you going to do now, boy?”

  “Don’t have a fucking clue. Go on as usual, I suppose.” Like anything could be normal with Silas at Compass Ranch again.

  “Your wife is in love with my son. Has been since she was no higher than my knee.”

  “You think that’s news to me, JD?”

  “And what about you? Gonna admit you want Silas too?”

  There’s only one man she needs to believe in. Him.

  If You Believe

  © 2009 Crystal Jordan

  Unbelievable, Book 1

  When it comes to her love life, the
name of Aubrey Mathison’s coffee shop says it all: “Bean There, Done That”. There’s only one harmless man in her life right now—the homeless one parked outside the shop. Except the crazy things he says keep coming true.

  She has to laugh at “You'll meet your soul mate today”, though. Divorce taught her that men as gorgeous as sexy police chief Price Delacroix are not to be trusted. She’s totally up for a one-night stand, but more than that? No, thanks.

  Price bears his own scars from the past, but he knows instantly that Aubrey is his. How to convince her he wants more than to be her personal jungle gym? Cut her off. That means no more mattress gymnastics—until she starts seeing things his way.

  Aubrey is just as determined Price’s campaign to wear down her resistance is going to fail, no matter how wickedly determined he is. Until her resident prophet spouts a new prediction: her soul mate’s life is in danger…

  Enjoy the following excerpt for If You Believe:

  Mr. Crazy Man was back. He hummed a little before speaking again. “Dogs are bad luck for you today.”

  Shit. She hunched her shoulder and spun away. “Thanks.”

  If she went her normal route home, she’d have to pass by the dog park that made up a corner of the town square. Maybe she would try a different way. Just for the change of scenery. Change was good for the soul, wasn’t it? If she went by the dog park, it just seemed like too much self-fulfilling prophecy.

  Taking a left off the main path where she usually took a right, she wandered into the older district of town that had great Victorian houses. She’d always loved that style of architecture, but Scott had wanted modern. Now that she lived alone, it just seemed like too much upkeep. And maybe it was because she was afraid it would put her one step away from crazy cat lady to rattle around in a big old house like that. She turned the corner on to her street. She had four blocks left to go.

  “Woof.” Her blood ran cold at the deep bark that came from behind her. A lot of people walked these streets in the evening. And took their dogs with them.

  A kid of about twelve had lost the leash on his Great Dane. The air went whistling out of her in what might have been a high-pitched squeak.

  It wasn’t that she believed Jericho or anything, but the fire thing had kind of creeped her out. Watching that pony-sized excuse for a dog running at her made her blood run cold. Anyone would freak out. It had nothing to do with Jericho’s warning. Nope. Not a thing.

  She backpedaled as fast as her legs could carry her just the same. The back of her ankles hit something that yelped and the next thing she knew she was going down hard on the pavement. Her back arched when her tailbone made sharp contact with the ground and all the breath rushed out of her lungs. Curling into a fetal position on her side, she wrapped her arms around her knees and tried remember why she didn’t want to die right then.

  When she opened her eyes, a pointy little muzzle snapped in her face as a dachshund yapped. Dog breath, blech. She groaned and pushed into a sitting position. A strong arm wrapped around her back to cradle her against a wide chest. Price Delacroix.

  “Don’t move, Aubrey.” His deep voice rumbled, and that was all it took to get her hot and bothered. Her sex dampened at the sound of his rich, deep tones. The way he smelled. The hardness of his muscles against her body. Thank you, Jesus.

  “I’m fine.” She tried to pretend the breathiness of her voice was just from having the wind knocked out of her. The way her nipples tightened and her muscles softened told her it was a lie.

  “You took a hard fall. Stay there.” His words were almost harsh, but his touch was gentle when he brushed her hair away from her face. She fought the urge to lean her cheek into his palm. Everything about this man made her react.

  Her original assessment that the two of them were destined to burn up the sheets was dead on. She really wanted to try him on for size. She’d bet he fit just fine. “I’m really all right, Chief.”

  “Price. You’ll call me Price.” His other arm slid under her bent knees and lifted her as he stood.

  She squeaked and clutched his shoulders. His soft T-shirt bunched in her fingers as she held on tight. “Don’t drop me.”

  A wicked grin flashed over his face before he focused on her eyes. Some of her panic must have shown because he cuddled her closer. “Not a chance, sugar.”

  “Is she all right, Chief Delacroix?” Mrs. Chambers, the biggest gossip in town, reined in her wiener dog and stared at the two of them.

  “Oh, she’s fine. Ma’am.” He dipped his head in a nod, dismissing the older woman while he turned to walk up the driveway in front the big Victorian on the corner. She sighed in envy when she saw it.

  She glanced over his shoulder at Mrs. Chambers. An avid gleam entered the older woman’s eyes as he mounted the porch. Pitching her voice low, Aubrey had to warn him. “Look, I know you’re new in town, but Mrs. Chambers—”

  He nudged the front door of his house open, and then kicked it shut behind them. “Will spread it all over town that I carried you into my house? And will probably embellish it by saying that I practically stripped you on the sidewalk and fucked you against the street lamp.”

  She always got anything she wanted…

  Scandalous

  © 2010 Karen Erickson

  Playing with Fire, Book 3

  A teenage crush on her big brother’s boyfriend. It was one of the few times in her spoiled-little-sister life that Alexa had to swallow the word “no”. She got over it, or she thought she had—until her brother’s wedding brings Eric back into her life, as flirty and fun as ever. It never mattered to her that he’s gay. Attraction is attraction.

  One illicit kiss, and their reconnection blows her mind and rekindles girlish hopes. Then he sets her away from him and runs like hell.

  Eric can’t believe that a woman’s touch arouses him. Not just any woman, but sweet Alexa, and he can’t help but want more. Desperate to come clean, he confesses all to his steady boyfriend, Brandon, expecting anger. But Brandon’s intrigued. He wants to meet the woman who’s tied Eric up in knots. With luck, maybe she’ll relight the spark between them.

  Alexa may have lost her chance with Eric, but the consolation prize—a fling with him and Brandon, is too tempting to resist. She never expected to love both men, or to secretly yearn to belong to the one who commands her body like no other…

  Enjoy the following excerpt for Scandalous:

  Alexa went still at Brandon’s seemingly innocent words. Well it was his tone that was innocent—his words were anything but.

  “Then what would you say if I told you that you could have sex with Eric, but I’m part of the bargain. Would you be interested?”

  She accepted their invitation for drinks and ended up getting propositioned within minutes of arriving? What the hell?

  And what the hell was wrong with her that she was actually considering it?

  “You don’t have to answer that,” Eric said, reaching across the table to give her hand a gentle squeeze. His expression was full of both understanding and worry, and she wondered if he even knew his boyfriend had been going to mention something like this.

  Her gaze drifted back to Brandon and noted the tension in his firm jaw, the rigid line of his impossibly broad shoulders. The guy was a regular Adonis. She bet if she stripped him naked he would be male perfection personified. And his face…no wonder Eric fell for him. It was a thing of pure masculine beauty with the most gorgeous set of lips she’d ever seen on a man.

  The thought of those lips wandering over her skin, kissing her mouth, sucking on her nipples, sent a rush of tingles cascading throughout her body.

  “I’ll answer it,” she finally said, once she recovered her voice. “Is that why you guys invited me out tonight? To see if you could get in my pants?”

  “Of course not,” Eric said at the same time Brandon offered a simple “yes”.

  The two men glared at each other, and she had the insane urge to giggle uncontrollably.

  �
�I have a tendency to believe Brandon over you, Eric,” she said, her voice soft, her breath lodged in her throat as she waited for their reply.

  Eric sighed and shook his head. “Fine. It was his idea. He became interested when I told him I kissed you and became…aroused.”

  A little thrill filled her at the thought that their outrageous kiss had caused the same reaction within Eric as it had for her. “I told you it was intense.”

  “It was,” Eric admitted, his gaze skittering in Brandon’s direction.

  Brandon didn’t seem bothered by his admission in the least. “He’s never been interested in a woman before. Not like he’s interested in you, Alexa. And that interests me.”

  She finally couldn’t contain it any longer; she laughed. Laughed and laughed even as the server brought over their plate of appetizers. Her hunger was long forgotten as she considered this odd situation she found herself in.

  Months of the single life and she’d been okay with it. She hadn’t found anyone who interested her and that had been fine. She had her vibrator when the urge for an orgasm came over her. She viewed it as stress relief more than anything.

  But now she had not just one but two gorgeous guys interested in her. Two gay guys who…what? Wanted to include her in their kinky sex games? Did they both want to fuck her at the same time? Were they exhibitionists and wanted to fuck each other while she watched?

  Her pussy grew wet at the thought. These two gorgeous men, naked bodies entwined, mouths wrapped around each other’s cocks. Brandon sinking his cock inside Eric’s body and both of them moaning…

  Her cheeks flamed, and she took another much-needed drink. “So you want to fuck me.”

  Eric nearly spit out the potato skin he’d been munching on. “Jesus, Lex.”

  “I want to get to know you first,” Brandon said quietly as he watched her carefully. Damn if she didn’t want to squirm. “I think something could—happen if we let it.”

  “This is weird,” she said with a slight shake of her head.