by Desiree Holt
“That injury happen the other night?” Stanton asked, obviously noticing the limp.
He shook his head. “No, it’s a souvenir of the sandbox. But one of the bullets flying around grazed it that night and didn’t do it any good.” He held up his hand when the other man opened his mouth to comment. “I’ll be fine. Getting better every day. It’s Charity I’m worried about.”
“That’s why I’m here. I hope I can do her some good.”
“Me too. No one else can get through to her.” He paused at the bedroom door. “She’s in here.” He knocked before he opened the door. “Good luck.”
Through the opening, he saw Charity look up, saw surprise on her face, then Stanton closed the door, shutting him out. Swallowing a sigh, he limped downstairs. Cade was in the kitchen, getting a cold drink.
“I’ll keep my fingers crossed,” he said. “I hope things work out.”
“Thanks. If we can get through this, we can work the other stuff out. Listen, you got anything I can do around here in the meantime? I’ll go crazy just sitting here clock watching.”
Cade laughed. “Well, I finally got the bench swings up in the backyard, and the Adirondack chairs were delivered. Feel like joining me with a can of paint?”
“Sure. I wield a pretty good paintbrush. Lead me to it.”
As much as he tried not to, Liam kept sneaking glances at his watch, wondering when the minute hand had begun to move so slowly. When he heard the back door open and close and footsteps on the stairs down from the back porch, he stopped and looked up.
Stanton nodded and gave him a tired smile.
“I saw that woman handle critical and difficult and dangerous situations and never even blink. She shot people in the line of duty and handled it.” He rubbed his hand over his head. “But I know what it’s like the first time you take someone’s life. Most cops fortunately never have to deal with it. When they do, it’s a bitch to handle. Accepting that you had no choice is the first step, and I finally got her there.”
“So she’s okay? She’ll talk to me?” Liam held his breath, waiting for the answer.
“Yes, to both questions.” He gave Liam a tired smile. “She wants to see you, but let me give you a word of caution. If you want a relationship with her, you’ve got to treat her like an equal, in all situations. Don’t try to cage her in. I know you have a natural instinct to protect her and care for her, and that’s okay. Just respect her boundaries. If you can’t do that, walk away now.”
Could he do that? His first instinct would always be to protect her, like he hadn’t been able to protect Darren. Well, he wouldn’t know until he tried.
“She’s also a little upset that you got yourself shot on her account.”
“I didn’t get myself shot,” he protested. “A stray bullet grazed me because I wasn’t paying attention when I should have. And okay, because I didn’t listen to her.”
“See there?” Stanton grinned. “You’re already figuring out what to do.”
“Thanks for coming here and doing this.” He shook hands with the man. “We’ll both always be grateful to you.”
“Good. You can invite me back when you’ve both got your shit together. Meanwhile, I thought I’d check out Mike’s where Charity seems to have started a new career.”
Liam cleaned his paintbrush and set it carefully on the lid of a can. “Wish me luck.”
“And then some.” Cade gave his shoulder a fist bump. “Have at it.”
Liam climbed the stairs slowly, unsure of exactly what he’d find when he reached their room. When he walked into the room, Charity was still in the chair where she’d been sitting, hands in her lap and her face wet with tears. But then she smiled, and the lump in his heart began to loosen.
“Are we okay?” He hated how unsure he felt.
“We will be.” She held out her arms to him and her lips curved in a weak smile. “Yes, we will be.”
Hours later, they lay in bed, Charity’s head nestled on Liam’s shoulder, his arm cradling her body. She’d never felt so safe, so protected, so—right—in her life. They had talked for two hours, a painful stretch of time that had brought all their secrets out into the open. He finally got it that she wasn’t a woman who leaned on a man for protection. A hard thing for him to swallow, but he understood it. And she realized why he felt that way, which was even more important. Knew that it had more to do with what had happened in Afghanistan than a weakness he perceived in her. He’d make it work, respect her abilities so their relationship could move forward.
“If I’d known how much guilt you had about Darren,” she told him, “I wouldn’t have been so angry about you wanting to protect me.”
“Would it have changed how you felt?”
She looked up into his eyes, warmed by the emotion she saw there. “No, but I’d have handled it differently. I’ve had a lot of years to build up this need for independence. And to prove I can take care of myself.”
“And I don’t want to take that away from you. Like I said much earlier, just let me be there for you. I promise to respect your abilities if you promise to do the same for how I feel.”
She placed her hand on his warm, hard chest, loving the soft feel of the fine chest hair beneath her touch.
“I hear what you’re saying.”
“I spent a lot of years as part of Delta Force, learning to be a protector. And I may never come to terms with Darren’s death and accept the fact I couldn’t have done things differently. But I’m working on it. And on how to be part of a relationship, something I’ve never been very good at.”
“Me either, if you look at my track record.”
“Those other guys were fools and idiots. We’re both strong-willed people,” he acknowledged. “But if we want this enough, we can make this work.”
She closed her eyes for a moment, just inhaling the male scent of him. “First, you have to tell me exactly what this is.”
“I think you know we’ve got something going on here. Some people know each other for years and never connect the way we do.”
She certainly knew all about that. “But what do we do with it?”
“How about this? The repairs are almost finished on the house. Let’s move back in. Give this whole situation a chance. It hasn’t taken long for me to know I want to make it permanent. I just want you to be sure.”
“As long as we’re always honest with each other and respect each other, I want the same thing.”
“Yeah? How about we seal it with a kiss?”
His mouth was so warm and firm, and by now so familiar to her. She opened willingly for him, letting his tongue sweep inside and dance with hers. Despite the fact that they’d already made love once, her body snapped to attention. She wondered if she’d ever get enough of wanting him.
Lips still fused to hers, he rolled her to her back and moved a hand to cup her breast. He squeezed an aching nipple, sending streaks of sensation shooting straight through her. She pressed her thighs together in an effort to control the throbbing ache between them.
“You feel so fucking good.” His words vibrated against her skin. “I could do this forever.”
“Mmm. Convince me why we should.”
“How about because you love this? He closed his lips over the nipple and sucked hard on it. Those sensations of heat turned into streaks of blazing fire. “And this.” He slid his mouth down over the plane of her tummy, taking a nip here and there until he reached her pussy. “And here.” He eased one finger into her, then another, his entry made easy by the slickness of her juices from the previous orgasm.
“Or how about this?”
Without warning, she pushed him onto his back and wrapped her fingers around his thick, pulsing cock. “Or this?” She rubbed her thumb over the velvety skin of the head. “Or this.”
Without warning, she rose to her knees, bowed her he
ad and took him into her mouth. The moment her lips closed around him, he jerked against her tongue.
“Shit, Charity. I can’t believe I’m so hard and ready so soon.” He fisted his fingers in her hair, holding her head in place.
“Mmm,” she hummed, sliding her lips up and down the shaft. With her free hand, she cupped his balls and gave them a gentle squeeze.
His hips jerked in reaction and he gripped her head harder.
His response only incited her more. She stroked him up and down with lips and fingers while she continued to play with his balls.
“Enough,” he ground out. “My turn again.”
Only this time, she wasn’t on her back. Instead, he pulled her onto his chest and positioned her so he could reach her with his mouth. He used his tongue to toy with her clit, brushing it back and forth while pulling and tugging on her nipples with his fingers. All the tension had obviously ramped up their sexual responses, because in mere seconds, she was as ready as he was.
Lifting her from his body, he reached over to the nightstand for another condom and rolled it on.
“One of these days, we really have to learn how to take it slow.” She gasped as he entered her with one swift thrust. “Oh my God, Liam. You have so much more than you need.”
His chuckle was unsteady. “Enough to keep you satisfied, darlin’?”
“And then some.” She arched her hips and wrapped her legs around him. “Kiss me. I want to be kissing you when I come.”
He took her mouth in a ravenous kiss, fusing their lips together as he pumped into her. With one hand, he lifted her right leg, giving him better access to her. Now, with every push into her wet heat, his dick bumped the mouth of her womb. She grabbed his head, anchoring it in place with her hands. God, she was so ready. One more stroke, then another.
And they tumbled over the edge together. She tightened her legs around him as shudders gripped their bodies and everything fell away except the joining of the two of them.
By the time the intense tremors subsided into aftershocks, they were both breathless, skin slick with perspiration. But when he broke their kiss and she looked into his eyes, what she saw there settled her like nothing else could. She saw safety, desire, need. All the things that mattered so much to her.
And she took a little chance.
“I’ll say it first, if you want.”
He quirked an eyebrow, his breathing still choppy.
“I love you, Liam. I truly love you.”
For a moment, she feared he wouldn’t say it back. Then he smiled a smile that warmed all the cold places in her heart.
“I love you too. And I’m not afraid of it.”
“Me either.”
He slid carefully from her body, went to dispose of the condom and then slipped back into bed beside her.
“Does this mean I get to keep my waitress at Mike’s?”
“Maybe. You know, Dillon had mentioned he’s going to have an opening part time for a deputy. He offered me the slot.”
His face was completely serious as he studied hers. “What did you say?”
“That I’d like to think about it for a while. After everything that’s happened, being a waitress for a while appeals to me.”
“Then I guess that waitress slot is yours for as long as you want it.”
“That may be for a very long time,” she warned him.
“That’s fine by me.” He brushed a soft kiss over her lips. “Just fine by me.”
About the Author
Known the world over as the oldest living author of erotic romance, and referred to by USA Today as the Nora Roberts of erotic romance, Desiree Holt is three times a finalist for an EPIC E-Book Award (and a winner in 2014), a nominee for a Romantic Times Reviewers Choice Award, winner of the first 5 Heart Sweetheart of the Year Award at The Romance Studio as well as twice a CAPA Award winner for best BDSM book of the year, and winner of the Holt Medallion for Excellence in Romance Literature. She has been featured on CBS Sunday Morning and in The Village Voice, The Daily Beast, USA Today, The (London) Daily Mail, The New Delhi Times and numerous other national and international publications.
Learn more about Desiree at www.desireeholt.com, www.desiremeonly.com, www.facebook.com/desireeholtauthor, Twitter @desireeholt, Pinterest: desiree02holt or on LinkedIn and Google+.
Look for these titles by Desiree Holt
Now Available:
Naked Cowboys
Stark Naked
Buck Naked
Stripped Naked
Naked Desire
Coming Soon:
Naked Heat
Don’t Miss the other titles in Desiree’s Naked Cowboy series!
A little hard wood and a little spice is enough to get this fire smoking.
Naked Cowboys, Book 5
After a shattering divorce, Cynthia Dellinger is left with almost nothing except her most precious possession—her grandfather’s secret barbecue spice rub recipe, which made her ex a fortune.
In Saddler’s Wells, she hopes to build a business—and maybe a new life—on the strength of that recipe. But she’s totally unprepared for her sizzling attraction to the artisan carpenter her new friends send her way.
Jesse Orosco is ready to roll up his sleeves to renovate Cyn’s storefront, but it’s the self-doubt lurking in her beautiful eyes he wants to tackle first. The five-foot-nothing red-headed dynamo makes his mouth water, and not just because of the tantalizing aromas drifting from the back of her shop.
The buzz about the rub’s mysterious ingredient has customers lining up for more, and soon everyone who tries it is making beautiful music in the bedroom—including Cyn and Jesse. But her reluctance to go public with their relationship—and someone in town with a jealous bone to pick—could drive a wedge between Cyn and her smoking-hot cowboy.
Warning: Contains a sexy carpenter with calluses in all the right places, a vulnerable woman who’s locked away more than a secret ingredient in her wounded heart, and a town full of matchmakers with an appetite for love.
She’s burned out and he’s down and out, but together they might light up the night.
Naked Cowboys, Book 4
Georgie Zielinski’s success in the hospitality industry comes to an abrupt end when her new boss says she needs to put out or get out. So Georgie gets out, investing her savings and 401k in a dilapidated B&B in Saddle Wells, Texas. Hiring help isn’t high on her to-do list, but when a rough-around-the-edges cowboy offers his handyman services, she listens to her gut and takes him on.
Cade Hannigan would eat humble pie all day if he could afford it. The silver spoon he was born with is tarnished and he’s down to the clothes on his back, a beat-up truck and a reputation so bad no one in three counties will hire him. Except a newcomer like Georgie.
As they work to bring the old B&B back to life, Georgie and Cade’s connection explodes into a wild ride of passion. But when Cade’s past comes back to slap him in the face, their chance to be together starts to disappear like smoke.
Warning: Contains a bad boy hammering out a new future, a good girl not afraid to get a little dirty—okay a lot dirty—and a whole new definition for “sweat equity”.
She didn’t shoot the sheriff…but she’d sure like to strip him down.
Naked Cowboys, Book 3
Taking over as publisher of The Hill Country Herald was supposed to help Jinx Malone put her personal and professional disasters in New York behind her. Instead, she’s barely settled at her desk when news of a murder hits the police scanner.
Who knew Rowan County could be this exciting? And who knew her first story would bring her into head-butting, hormone-pumping contact with something that’s an even bigger pain in her ass than a cheating ex—a know-it-all cop?
Sheriff Dillon Cross thought retreating to Rowan Country would help him get over a b
ad case of burnout. But only a few weeks into his job, he’s standing over a dead body in a ditch, arguing with his least favorite thing: a sexy, in-your-face reporter.
Before they’re through buzzing around each other like angry hornets, the last thing either expected happens. They’re in bed, burning up the sheets. But is it a new beginning, or just a bad rerun of past mistakes?
Warning: This book contains a nekkid cowboy and enough graphic sex to singe your eye balls. Cool compresses recommended.
eBooks are not transferable.
They cannot be sold, shared or given away as it is an infringement on the copyright of this work.
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locale or organizations is entirely coincidental.
Samhain Publishing, Ltd.
11821 Mason Montgomery Road Suite 4B
Cincinnati OH 45249
Naked Flame
Copyright © 2015 by Desiree Holt
ISBN: 978-1-61922-622-7
Edited by Heidi Moore
Cover by Angela Waters
All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
First Samhain Publishing, Ltd. electronic publication: May 2015
www.samhainpublishing.com