“Congratulations. That’s wonderful! I have news of my own too. I’m marrying Chloe Ruskin.” Gideon’s smile was so wide it made his cheeks hurt. The pleasure of saying it out loud was just too much to contain though.
“I never expected it to happen so quickly, but you Blackwoods find a mate and that’s that.” Greg grinned back at him.
“Cindy, I’m happy for you.” Gideon held out his hand. To his surprise, Cindy took it, and he pulled her into a brief hug. “You deserve to be happy.”
She stepped back and offered him a small smile.
“Couldn’t be better news.” Gideon handed her back to Greg. “Will you join us for breakfast?”
Cindy looked in the window and hesitantly nodded. Greg took her hand with a wide grin. “Wouldn’t miss it.”
When Gideon entered the restaurant, he saw his family, his friends, and then he glanced at Chloe. Her curls stuck up every which way, her eyes were puffy and her face tear-stained. She’d never looked more beautiful to him. As he took her into his arms, the simple joy of hugging the woman he loved made his eyes prick with tears.
* * * * *
Chloe stepped into Gideon’s room, the twilight making everything a shadowed gray. She’d slept there the night before, wrapped in his arms, but had been too tired to notice her surroundings. He was downstairs cleaning the restaurant. Most men didn’t clean, so it was definitely something she could get used to. Hazel and Martha had gone home with Jake and his beautiful tall wife Gabriella. The twins had taken a shine to the baby, Rebecca, and Chloe knew they were in good hands.
Chloe looked around the room, snooping a bit. Gideon didn’t have much in terms of personal things. There were a few books, his pistols and rifle, some clothes hanging on hooks. Nothing else marked this room as his, almost as if he was simply staying there instead of living there.
“Pretty sparse, isn’t it?” His voice startled her, and she yelped. “Sorry, honey. I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“You didn’t scare me, just gave me a start.” She pressed her hand to her heart. “You are the quietest big man I ever met.”
He shrugged. “Habit.”
She knew he was talking about the war, but she didn’t want to go any further in that conversation. Today was a day about moving on, not staying in the past. Chloe started unbuttoning the pretty blue dress Genny had given her. Lee’s wife was the most similar in size and background as Chloe, and she liked her quite a bit. In fact, she liked all of the Blackwoods and knew she was lucky to have found them.
“Before I got here, I thought family was people you shared blood with. Your kin.” She shook her head. “I was dead wrong. Family is people who love you and who you love, no matter what blood they have. You’re my family now because I love you.” She swallowed the lump that had formed.
“I love you too, honey.” He started unbuttoning his own shirt while his gaze followed her hands as she continued to undress.
Chloe felt a surge of pure love for this man. She smiled at him. “That reverend better marry us soon, since we’re committing a sin.” She stepped toward him and put his hands on her aching bare breasts. “I don’t plan on waiting till you say I do to be naked with you again.”
“Thank God.” He dropped to his knees and took a breast into his mouth.
Chloe gasped at the sensation, holding his head steady as he pleasured her. His tongue lapped at the nipple, and then he nibbled at it. She groaned as her pussy started pulsing with each swipe and nip. He knew exactly what she liked.
He scooped her into his arms and laid her on the bed more gently than she thought possible. “You are so beautiful it makes my heart pound to look at you.”
Chloe felt beautiful. In his eyes, she saw herself as someone who was loved and cherished.
“Come here, then, and show me.”
He shucked the rest of his clothes and climbed into bed, covering her with his warmth, his hardness. She spread her legs, and he slid into her welcoming core, wet with need for him. They had been together numerous times, but this was different. Every bit of her body rose to meet his. Each thrust was like the note of a song, and she was the instrument he played. They spoke to each other with their bodies, pledging themselves, declaring their love without saying a word.
This was a gentle lovemaking, one she rejoiced in as the new person she had become. Chloe’s mouth found his as they both reached their peak. Pleasure washed through her, stealing her breath, stopping her heart. Gideon had breathed life back into her heart and soul.
He tucked her under his arm and pulled a quilt up over them. As Chloe drifted off, safe in the arms of the man she loved, she knew she had found where she belonged. In the arms of a Devil named Gideon.
About the Author
Beth Williamson, who also writes as Emma Lang, is an award-winning, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of both historical and contemporary romances. Her books range from sensual to scorching hot. She is a Career Achievement Award Nominee in Erotic Romance by Romantic Times Magazine, in both 2009 and 2010, and a semi-finalist in the 2014 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Contest.
Beth has always been a dreamer, never able to escape her imagination. It led her to the craft of writing romance novels, fueled by Reese’s and tenacious pursuit of the perfect story. She’s passionate about purple, books, and her family. She has a weakness for shoes and purses as well as bookstores.
Life might be chaotic, as life usually is, but Beth always keeps a smile on her face, a song in her heart, and a cowboy on her mind. ;)
Website: www.bethwilliamson.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/bethwilliamson
Twitter: twitter.com/authorbethw
Newsletter: eepurl.com/fd822
Look for these titles by Beth Williamson
Now Available:
Marielle’s Marshal
Branded
Endless Heart (as Emma Lang)
The Malloy Family
The Bounty
The Prize
The Reward
The Treasure
The Gift
The Tribute
The Legacy
Hell for Leather
The Present
The Fortune
The Prospect
The Jewel
The Gem
Devils on Horseback
Nate
Jake
Zeke
Lee
Gideon
Private Lives
On His Knees
Coming Soon:
Devils on Horseback: Generations
Adam
Jesse
Clint
Elias
Spencer
Devils on Horseback: Millennium
Her Bucking Bronc
His Prairie Blossom
Her Dark Cowboy
His Dream Spirit
Don’t miss these other titles by Beth Williamson
Coming December 2015
Sometimes the universe has to turn your life sideways so love can find its way in.
Devils on Horseback: Generations, Book 1
As the oldest of five, Adam Sheridan’s life is full of obligations. He longs to do something, anything, besides working his family’s flour mill in Tanger, Texas. His mama always says the universe moves in its own sweet time.
Apparently the universe was waiting for his wagon load of flour to overturn so he could meet the woman he was destined to love.
Eve Tate is a woman from nowhere with a shady past and an uncertain future. When she is left behind in Adam’s care, she reinvents herself again to be his perfect mate. Little does she know who she was will haunt who she tries to be.
And, just like the couples of old, Adam and Eve must find a way to live together—or lose everything they have.<
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Warning: Contains a redheaded man with a Texas-wide stubborn streak, and a chameleon-like woman with a heart that needs attention and a soul that needs redeeming. Foolishness, canoodling and deep abiding love result.
Rereleased December 2015
A cool man, a fiery woman, a love destined to ignite.
Devils on Horseback, Book 3
Intense, reserved and known for his strategic thinking, Zeke Blackwood has struggled to find his place in the post-war world. After the violent death of the first woman to capture his heart, Zeke retreats into a whisky bottle—until he’s handed the position of town sheriff.
Zeke sobers up and tries his damnedest to be the best lawman he can be. He hadn’t counted on the tempting new saloon girl to jeopardize his cold, unhappy existence.
Naomi Tucker is a survivor, a woman who made it through the war on her own wit and strength. She hoped moving to Tanger, Texas would bring her the peace and stability she yearns to find. Instead she runs head-on into a cool-eyed sheriff who welcomes her to his bed, only to push her away.
The wildness of the West is far from tamed. It threatens the town’s efforts to rebuild, Zeke’s bond with the Devils—and his fragile relationship with Naomi. As Zeke’s hold on sobriety slips, he and Naomi must choose between settling for half a life apart, or embracing all they could be. Together.
This title has been revised for rerelease.
Warning: Take one hard-ass lawman with inner demons and a down-on-her-luck waitress. Mix well and add in bullets, danger and life-threatening bad guys. Wait for the fireworks.
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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
Devils on Horseback: Gideon
Copyright © 2015 by Beth Williamson
ISBN: 978-1-61923-383-6
Edited by Sasha Knight
Cover by Kim Killion
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.
Original Publication: 2011
First Samhain Publishing, Ltd. electronic publication: December 2015
www.samhainpublishing.com
Devils on Horseback: Gideon, Book 5 Page 21