Shades of Desire: 10 Sweet & Spicy Romances

by J. A. Coffey

  Once both feet were wrapped, she moved on to her knee. Not wanting to take her pants off, she ripped the hole bigger and cleaned the gash the best she could. This wound continued to bleed, making her use the three gauze pads provided in the first aid box. The one cut on her palm was deeper than she'd expected. She covered the wound with two regular band-aides. Not enough but worked for the moment.

  Even with the first aid applied, she still needed something to weaken the pain. She plucked a prescription bottle out of the medicine cabinet. Oh yes, a narcotic pain reliever. Out of curiosity, she glanced down at the name on the bottle. Jill Chalmers.

  "Sorry about what's happening in your cabin, Jill," Gabrielle said as she dropped one of the white pills into her mouth. She found a stack of paper drinking cups in the cupboard underneath the sink and washed the pills down.

  Clayton walked by the door to the sitting area of the living room. Had he been checking on her? He didn't have to worry about her trying to escape. There wasn't a window in the bathroom.

  But she didn't plan on leaving the bathroom unless he made her. There was no desire to be around the man. She sat down on the toilet lid again and leaned her head back. Minutes passed in silence. The medicine must've started to kick in because the wooziness consumed her head. She rubbed her hand over her eyes and let her head drop down.

  A large crash sounded near the front door. She jerked her head up, but even the startling loud sound didn't snap her out of her dizziness. Maybe she'd just pass out in the tub until Mikolas rescued her. He wouldn't let her die at the hand of Clayton. Because he loved her.

  She moved to the side of the bathtub and the room spun around her.

  Another crash.

  "Gabi?" That sounded like Mikolas. He'd found her already or was it a hallucination? She shook her head to clear the fog. It didn't work.

  Another crash followed by a moan.

  Her imagination or not, Gabrielle couldn't just sit in the bathroom and miss the opportunity of Mik saving her. With all of the banging around out there, it could be him needing her help. She grabbed the towel bar and pulled herself to her feet. She rubbed her eyes to try to wipe away the dizziness once again without succeeding. Her eyes were heavy and begged to be closed.

  She opened the bathroom door and used it to keep herself steady. Another groan came from her right, in the direction of the front door. The cabin spun as she stepped out into the living room.

  "Gabi," Mik called out to her. He was on the floor underneath Clayton, wrestling over a gun.

  "Mik?" The image of the two men swirled together.

  Mik smashed his forehead into Clayton's nose. At least that's how it looked to her. Everything was blurry and it became harder to keep her eyes open with each passing second. A gun flew out of Clayton's hands and slid across the wood floor. It stopped at her feet.

  "Get it," Mik yelled.

  She picked it up and held it in position. Clayton was hurt but didn't slow down at all. He struggled to get out of Mik's clutches. Her eyes watered as she tried to focus. She took a step forward and it didn't hurt as bad this time.

  But she was woozy and the dizziness increased. Clayton looked like he had gotten on his feet, blood pouring from his nose. Mik shortly behind him. She took a step back.

  "Don't come any closer," she ordered. She cocked the gun, blinking her eyes quickly to clear her vision. Focus, Gabrielle. She needed the room to stop spinning and the image of the two men to stop blending together.

  "It's over for you now, Clayton," Mik announced.

  Clayton reached toward her as she pulled the trigger. The blast boomed through the small cabin. She landed on her ass but kept her aim on Clayton staggering toward her. His bloody hand close to her reached again.

  "Shoot again, Gabi," Mik said. "Shoot!'

  She fired another time. Blood flew out of Clayton's chest as he tumbled forward. His face bounced off the wood floor like a basketball.

  "Oh my God, Oh my God," Gabrielle rambled. "I killed him, Mik. I killed him." Even through her sleepy fog filled mind, her actions were real. She had killed someone. Setting the gun on the floor next to her, she let her face drop down in her hands. Mik scooped her in his arms and held her against his chest.

  "I'm sorry you had to kill him, honey." His lips pressed against her forehead. "But I'm worried about you. Did he drug you?"

  "I did it." She blocked the horror on the floor by closing her eyes.

  "What? Your voice is going in and out. What did you say?"

  Her voice sounded fine to her even though all she wanted to do was sleep in the safety of Mik's embrace. Sleep. It never had sounded better. She leaned her face against his chest and took a deep breath of his scent. Even through the sweat and dirt, he was heavenly.

  "Love you." The world faded to black.

  *****

  Mikolas' muscles strained as he carried the sleeping Gabrielle across the yard in the direction of Enrico's cabin. He hoped Enrico was doing all right. The impact of the day's events had hit Enrico halfway over to the cabin where Mikolas had found Gabi. Mikolas had sent Enrico back to wait there. The old man had argued a bit but gave in, claiming the need to pay respects to the dead men and make arrangements.

  He didn't know what the rest of the night held for him beyond protecting her while she rested. Maybe Enrico would be willing to talk man to man with him while she was asleep. He'd pack after that and they'd be out of there.

  His arms ached more with each step he took. Once they emerged from the woods, he let out a sigh of relief and found Enrico sitting on the porch, sucking on a cigar. His head was leaning against the rail with his eyes closed.

  As Mikolas approached the porch, Enrico looked at them. "Is she okay?" His mouth twisted with concern.

  "She took some pain killers and is asleep. It looks like he roughed her up a bit." Mikolas started up the steps with her, holding her securely to his chest as if she was the most precious thing in the world.

  "Put her in the back of the van. I want to talk to you when you're done."

  Mikolas only nodded as he headed for the white van. He didn't have anything left in him for a fight or even a disagreement with Enrico. Mikolas had reached his threshold.

  He opened the back door, put her on the bench seat, and spread a blanket over her. She snuggled into the warmth around her.

  Mikolas turned back to Enrico. "She's going to be okay," he said, keeping his voice quiet as he made his way back to the porch. He sat down on the top step next to Enrico.

  "Want one?" Enrico held another cigar out to him.

  He shook his head. "No thanks."

  Enrico kicked a small spot of snow off the porch. "We were discussing your relationship with my daughter earlier."

  Running his fingers through his hair, he waited for the next bomb to be dropped on him. "Lay it on me, boss."

  Enrico patted him on the shoulder. "You did well tonight. You saved both Gabrielle and me."

  "I didn't save you." He eyed Enrico with confusion.

  "You certainly did. I was too tired to go up against Clayton. You made me turn back-" Enrico faced Mikolas. "What about Clayton? You never said."

  Even though Mikolas preferred to discuss his future plans with Gabi, he recounted the events for Enrico, who sat in silence until the story ended.

  "Gabrielle shot him?"

  Mikolas nodded. "She sure did. She's going to be shaken up once she's awake, I'm afraid."

  "She is. I have a big mess to clean up over there." Enrico held the van keys out to him. "I don't want the two of you involved."

  "You can't deal with it yourself." Mik took the keys from Enrico and held them in his hand, not sure of what Enrico wanted.

  "Your dad was in an accident, but he's okay and should be out of the hospital soon. Take the van to town. When you get cell service have your dad come up here." Enrico held out a roll of hundred dollar bills. "Take this and go far away. Bad things'll be coming to our family."

  Mikolas shook his head. "Are you su
re?"

  "Don't question me." His voice softened, saying, "I can see now you're the man who'll take care of my baby girl. I should've kept her away from the life. Now you have to. Take her far away from Vegas, Mikolas."

  Mikolas stood up. "Okay."

  "And make sure she gets medical attention." Enrico pulled Mikolas into a hug. "Give her a good life, Mikolas, and check in now and then."

  Mikolas let go of Enrico and turned toward the van. Their time had come to move on. The journey promised to be bumpy for a while, but each mile was worth it with Gabrielle by his side. They would get through all life threw at them together.

  Epilogue

  Gabrielle watched the waves crash against the shore. The water held amazing blue hues, shades she doubted she'd ever get tired of watching. It had been three years since arriving on the island and she hadn't regretted it yet.

  She played with the wedding band on her finger before glancing over at her parents. "Isn't it beautiful?" she asked.

  Her mother nodded as she took a sip of her fruity drink. A bright pink mini-umbrella sat against the rim of the glass. Gabrielle had never seen her mother happier.

  "It is. You guys chose a fantastic place to live. Even your boutique is doing well here." Her father turned to Leon. "Where's that son of yours? You'd think he'd be in a hurry to see us."

  "He's a working man now," Leon said with a robust laugh.

  Gabrielle and Mik had been forced to relocate to a country that didn't extradite even though none of Mik's crimes had been linked to him yet, but the move had been worth the sacrifice once they became citizens, and the island they'd moved to provided enough solitude for her to come to terms with killing Clayton.

  The sliding glass door opened. A second later, Mikolas was at Gabrielle's side, giving her a kiss. "I missed you."

  "You should be saying that to them." She pointed to their parents.

  "Well, look at you, Mikolas Russo!" her mother exclaimed. "A man in a uniform. Just as it should've always been."

  Mikolas sauntered in front of them, pretending to be a model for only a second before their parents swarmed with pats on his back and a hug from her mother. Mik tapped the police badge on the front of the uniform. "Did you ever think this was possible?" He spread his arm out wide. "Any of this?"

  Gabrielle wrapped her arms around her husband in a hug. She looked out at the sweeping ocean and knew she had the life she'd always wanted. Peaceful, beautiful, and full of love.

  The End

  Dear Reader,

  Thank you for reading Dangerous Flames. I hope you enjoyed Gabi and Mik's story as much as I enjoyed writing it. If you did like their story, please leave a positive review and email me at authorwendyely@gmail.com to find out how you can receive free books and other fun things.

  Thanks,

  Wendy Ely

  About The Author

  Wendy Ely is a contemporary romance author. She writes some romantic suspense, really hot stories, and the wonderful happily-ever-after. She lives in Phoenix, Arizona with her own real-life hero and her two teenagers.

  Wendy loves to hear from readers. Email her at authorwendyely@gmail.com

  A DECADE FOR DARIUS

  By

  Dorothy Callahan

  Other books by Dorothy Callahan

  Taming the Stallion: How does a girl arrest the most perfect man?

  "A strong debut novel!" USA Today Bestselling author Mary Buckham

  "A book that touches the heart of Animal lovers." Ria Donée Waters, author of Raven's Heart and Lube Job

  "Pick up this book today and enjoy." CozyReader, TheRomanceReviews.com

  Loving out of Time: Do you sacrifice the family you have, or the one you want to start?

  "If you haven't read a time travel I would recommend this one."-- KindleCoffee

  "Romance. Time travel. Adventure. What more could you want?" Print & Film Fan

  Third Eye's a Charm: Lies. Deceit. Denial. A ghost. Must be Wednesday morning.

  "The details give the story such imagery that it's easy to lose yourself in this book." Heather Ladue

  "Dorothy Callahan's books remind me of Jill Shalvis' books in that they are a sexy, fun read with a great storyline built in!" Stephanie Coffee

  "There are days when you just want a story that is easy to read, makes you feel good and reassures you that all is right with the world. This is one of those books." USA Today Bestselling author Mary Buckham

  "Dorothy Callahan's sense of humor reminds me of Janet Evanovich's. I could not put it down." Carissa

  Dedication

  To my husband, Craig, the most supportive man on the planet.

  Prologue

  "Mother, you cannot take this job." Those were Jessalyn's spoken words, except, to her ears, they sounded a lot more like, "Mudder, you canna take dis dob." God, how she hated orthodontia. Her lips felt raw from the cheese-grating edges of the recently-installed torture device.

  Instead of reacting, Anna just sat there, stacking each bill neatly as she wrote out the checks.

  So, Jess tried another tactic. "You can pay those on-line, you know."

  Her mother just nodded and licked an envelope. "What job are you talking about?"

  Jess tossed her hands in the air and began pacing, finger pointed at her mom as she stalked across the floor. "Don't act dumb, mother. The bus driver had the radio on. Now everyone knows that Anna Swan will be the first female county sheriff in Hillsborough. I'll be ruined."

  But Anna only allowed a ghost of a smile to touch her lips as she shook her head and wrote another check. "Don't be ridiculous, Jess. My job is an honor, not something to be ashamed of."

  That comment squeezed a gasp of horror from Jess, the one noise not fouled by miles of chrome. "It's bad enough to have glasses. Now I have this awful radiator grill all over my face. And if that's not enough to chase the boys away, let's arm the parents with semi-automatics. I will never get a date."

  Pragmatic as always, Anna tossed back her dark-blonde hair and focused on her bills. "You're over-reacting, Jess. Eric has plenty of dates, and he's only one grade older than you."

  But Jess was only just warming to her topic. "Sure. No parent has a problem sending their daughter here. They've got a cop and a trooper to shoot Eric if he violates her. But me? Boys my age are already repelled by my looks. They certainly aren't going to face down the county sheriff for a prom date."

  Anna squared up her envelopes and placed them aside before looking up. "Any honorable boy will be happy to meet us, Jess."

  The look she gave told Jess she knew all about those raging hormones of yesteryear, making Jess clench her very-sore teeth. She wanted a kiss. Lots of them. From Jeremy Baker. But from what she knew of him, he didn't like to chat with too many parents. He liked to giggle with the girls, maybe play with her hair, and Jess had spent too many nights wondering what it would feel like to be swept up in his shop-class muscled arms. She turned away before her warming face turned tell-tale red.

  "You're a beautiful girl, Jess. I don't know why you come down so hard on yourself. Your friends have told me they'd kill to have hair like yours."

  She grabbed a lock and pulled it up for inspection. She did have nice hair. Reddish-gold. Thick and full and down to her waist. Just red enough to make her hateful freckles dance across her nose every time she tried to enjoy the sun. "Great. Now even my friends want me dead."

  Anna chuckled and came up behind her, holding her shoulders and placing a kiss on the back of her head. Despite her theatrics, Jess leaned back against her mom and accepted the wrap-around hug as she glared out the window. Outside, everything was in full bloom, unlike her love life, which stagnated like the blustery winter that just finally ended. "I'm never going to get a date for the prom." A dreaded tear leaked out as the futility of the situation loomed. Six weeks left, and no one had asked.

  Anna spun her around. "Tell you what. If you don't get a date, I'll still buy you the most shimmery emerald green gown I can find, and we'll go t
o Uncle Ollie's ball that night. Okay?"

  She screwed up a lip in reply. "A geezer ball?"

  Anna chuckled. "Yes, and now he's gone and married some young little thing who will probably take him for everything he's got." A shadow of anger crossed Anna's face, making Jess study her mother. "Uncle" Ollie was the beloved best friend of Grandpa, Anna's late father, richer than the day was long, and to this day still a fantastic and involved parental figure for her family. And apparently, Anna still felt the loss of her dad even nine years later.

  The comment made her frown. "What do you mean?"

  Now her mom looked really angry, and she went to the window and grabbed the sill as she glared at the budding trees. "She doesn't love Ollie, just his cash. She's a conniving little gold-digger, and he never should have gotten tangled up with her." She shook her head and whispered, "She doesn't love him. He deserves so much better."

  It was a side of her mom she'd never seen. She knew her parents loved each other--it was kind of gross, actually--but she never realized how deeply her mom loved Uncle Ollie until just this moment, watching her mom's temple brush the windowsill and her finger trace the mullions.

  "You really like Uncle Ollie."

  "He's family, Jess." The look wavered between cautionary and incredulity. "I've known him my whole life, as have you. He's always been there for us, whenever we've needed him. I love him as much as I did my own father, and Ollie loves us like the family he never had."