Read Naked Desire: Naked Cowboys, Book 5 Online

Authors: Desiree Holt

Tags: #Cyn-Sational;hot sex;naked bodies;sexy tattoo;erotic;small town;texas;cougar;older heroine;younger hero

Naked Desire: Naked Cowboys, Book 5 (9 page)

BOOK: Naked Desire: Naked Cowboys, Book 5
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Georgie put down the phone. “Us and Jesse.”

Cyn dropped her head in her hands. “Jesse. What am I going to do about him?”

“Cyn, honey, we’ve all been through real hard times getting to the right place with our men. Not only that, I’ve told you Cade’s story. If he could find the courage to face the people in this town after everything that happened to him, can you do any less?”

Could she? Where was the backbone that had given her the strength to divorce Frank, hold on to her recipe and drive halfway across the country to start a new life?

“He-he really said he still loves me?”

Georgie nodded. “In plain English.”

“Are you sure he said he wants to marry me?”

“Uh huh. And you’d better say yes real quick.”

“I guess you’re right.” She rubbed her forehead. “But I can’t help being stunned at what the people in this town have done. Maybe it’s a sign I should call Jesse and see if he really means what he said.”

“Better than that, go see him. As a matter of fact, I sent him home a while ago to wait for you. Said I’d drive you over there.”

Cyn gawked at her. “You did?”

“I did. So go take a bath with sweet-smelling bubbles, put on something really pretty, spritz on the perfume you love that I think I’m going to steal from you and I’ll take you to his house.”

Cyn let out a shuddering breath. She could do this. She really could. She wouldn’t let life defeat her now.

“Okay. Give me an hour and I’ll be ready. And, Georgie?” She rose from her chair.

“Yeah, honey?”

“I love you. All of you.” She gave the other woman a hug. “Thank you.”

Georgie smiled. “Our pleasure.”

Cyn thought it was a good thing Georgie backed out of Jesse’s driveway right away or she might have tried to jump back into the car. She couldn’t remember the last time she was this nervous. She had dressed in new jeans and a new gauzy blouse, spent extra time on her hair and makeup and put on the earrings she’d bought the weekend she was in Austin with Jesse.

Amy and Reenie had called her to reinforce everything Georgie had said and Jinx had texted that the newspaper was inundated with letters from readers urging her to stay in Saddle Wells.

“I don’t know if they want me or my rub.” She’d laughed when she’d showed the text to Georgie.

“Cyn, I’ll bet every one of them wishes they’d been doing something to get their pictures taken. You might revolutionize the sex lives of the county singlehandedly.”

“We’ll see.”

But she felt a lot better than she had the past two days. And when she reached the top of the steps and Jesse opened the door, her heart opened as well. Dressed in black slacks and a grey shirt, he looked sinfully sexy. So did the smile on his face.

“Come here, darlin’.” He held out a hand to her.

When she took it, he pulled her in tight for a hot, hungry kiss.

Georgie, who had paused at the curb, tooted her horn and drove off as Jesse drew Cyn inside.

She had never been inside his house before, and she looked around in amazement at the glowing woodwork, the vibrant colors, the comfortable furniture.

“Oh, I love this place.”

“That’s good.” He grinned. “Because I’m hoping I can talk you into sharing it with me. Come on.” He tugged her along with him.

She gaped at the dining room table, set with candles and what looked to be fine china and crystal.

“My grandmother’s,” he said when he saw her study it.

Wine sat in a cooler to one side and a large bouquet of wildflowers took center stage on the table itself. When Jesse pulled her into his arms again, she went willingly.

“I love you, Cyn. I want to marry you and make a life with you.”

“Even after everyone saw that picture of us?”

“Hell.” He laughed. The sound was warm, even slightly sensual. “Half the men in this county are jealous of me.” He stroked her hair. “Say yes. I don’t think I can go on much longer without you in my life. The last two days were the worst I’ve spent in a long time. Make me happy, Cyn. Say yes.”

She let out a deep breath and took a step off the ledge she’d been standing on.

“Yes. I love you too, Jesse. If you want an old lady like me, then I’m yours.”

“They’re the best kind,” he teased. He touched his mouth to hers in a brief kiss. “And later I plan to show you at great length.”

“Later?” She batted her eyelashes at him. “Why later?”

“First, we have to eat the chicken I roasted with
Cyn’s Cyn-Sational Rub
. I think I’m going to need all the help I can get.”

He was right.

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

Coming Soon:

Naked Flame

Naked Heat

She’s burned out and he’s down and out, but together they might light up the night.

Bare Naked

© 2014 Desiree Holt

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 and a whole new definition for “sweat equity.”

Enjoy the following excerpt for
Bare Naked:

Calm down, Georgie. You’re not eighteen anymore. Get your damn hormones under control.

But it was certainly hard whenever she caught a glimpse of Cade working outside. Despite the spring chill in the air, he certainly worked up a sweat with the hard labor he was doing. And watching him distracted her more than she liked.

The old barn offered up some ancient equipment. He’d spent the first couple of days or so getting what he could in working order. Then he’d tackled the mess that was the yard.

“Too many critters can hide in this,” he’d told her. “It will take a lot more than a few days to get the look you want, but at least I can clear it out and neaten it up. Anyway, I need to have room to hike a ladder up and start scraping the paint,” he’d added. “If I fall off, at least I won’t have a million stickers in my skin.”

In two weeks, he had made a serious dent in the mess, and in fact was almost finished. Or at least as much as he could do for the moment. This morning, when he’d knocked on her back door, he’d told her he expected to start scraping paint in another day or two.

He had kept his distance, she’d give him that. She assumed he’d made the barn apartment as habitable as possible. He didn’t offer details and she didn’t ask. Their contact was mostly limited to filling his thermos in the morning, an amenity she’d offered, and a tap on the door when he was finished for the day.

Georgie had finished working in the dining room and moved on to the living room. The old wallpaper clung tighter than she’d expected, but now she had almost every wall clear. Maybe it wouldn’t take so long if she didn’t keep looking out the window. But the view was too good to pass up.

Cade Hannigan might be a lot of things, but out of shape wasn’t one of them. Beneath the black T-shirt and faded jeans, his muscles flexed and bulged as he worked away. Every so often, he stopped to blot the sweat on his forehead with his arm. When he did, she got a sunlit look at the deep grooves and lines in his face. The square line of his jaw.

The bulge behind his fly.

Stop it, Georgie!

She couldn’t help amusing herself by imagining what he looked like without any of those clothes on. Dark hair on his chest, maybe a little darker than the thick brown that framed his face. Lean hips. Long legs.

Why did I hire him, anyway?

Because now he’s an outsider, just like you.

That’s no excuse.

No, it certainly wasn’t.

She didn’t shoot the sheriff…but she’d sure like to strip him down.

Stripped Naked

© 2014 Desiree Holt

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 bad 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.

Enjoy the following excerpt for
Stripped Naked:

The new sheriff’s SUV as well as two deputy cars were parked at angles, blocking one lane. Neil Guthrie and another deputy were doing their best to direct traffic around the mess and desperately trying to move along the people who wanted to stop and stare.

Orange cones marked off the area where the body had been found and yellow crime-scene tape was strung as a barricade. The body itself was barely visible, mostly concealed by the people surrounding it. She recognized Ric Nevada crouched down with what she assumed to be his crime-scene kit open next to him. On the other side of him, she spotted Don Obregon, a doctor who doubled as the head of the family clinic that served the county and the medical examiner if and when they needed one.

But it was the man standing behind Ric who caught her attention. She guessed his height at six feet. His broad shoulders strained at the seams of the sport jacket he wore with an open-collared shirt and jeans that clung to long legs that ended in western boots. She’d heard the new sheriff didn’t like wearing the tan uniform that came with the office.

“Informed the commissioner that people should respect the law no matter what he wore,” her father had told her.

Jinx guessed he was right. His presence fairly shimmered with a quiet air of obvious authority and control.

Just as she reached the scene, he turned in her direction and a shock sizzled through her as if electrodes had been attached to her skin. Everything in her body tightened and throbbed and unwanted heat warmed her skin. Instantly, her nipples hardened and her thong became soaked, her body responding to the sight of him with an unexpectedly visceral reaction.

Damn!

After the disaster with Max she had so sworn off men, especially hot ones like this one. So why didn’t her body get the message?

His gaze connected with hers and heat flared in his eyes for a quick second. Apparently the same electricity had zapped him too. Then the professional mask was back in place. He placed his hands on his hips, which brushed back the lapels of the jacket just enough for her to catch a glimpse of the gun he wore in a shoulder holster.

“Sorry.” His voice was deep and slightly raspy. “This is a restricted area. My deputies should have stopped you from coming so close.”

She swallowed, hard, and hoped her reaction to him didn’t show.

“Your deputies know who I am.” She held out her hand. “Jinx Malone. I’m the publisher of
The Hill Country Herald.
I believe you met my father when you first arrived in town.”

“Sheriff Dillon Cross.” He shook hands briefly. “Yes, I did. I thought he ran the paper.”

“Only until this morning.”

“Oh, yeah. That’s right. I think he mentioned he was thinking of retiring.”

“Well, that’s what he did. Gave me the keys and took off with my mother in their camper for parts unknown.”

“Just like that?” The sheriff frowned. “It’s really none of my business, but shouldn’t you know something about running a paper before taking it over?”

What a smartass.

“I know a lot about it,” she snapped. “I grew up with that newspaper and I’ve spent ten years in New York learning even more. I assure you, the
Herald
is in good hands. And you’re right, it isn’t any of your business. As long as I get the facts right you have nothing to complain about.”

Holy cow, Jinx! Back off a little. Why are you letting this guy push your buttons?

Maybe because I had instant lust the minute I saw him? I can’t afford that. Not now. Not again. Not ever.

“Glad to hear it.” She watched his eyes as he took note of the way she was crowding the tape roping off the area. “I’m sure in New York you also learned you can’t go tramping around crime scenes.”

Jinx pulled in a deep breath and let it out slowly. It wouldn’t do any good to get this man angry at her right off the bat. The publisher of the newspaper was supposed to cultivate goodwill with the locals, not tromp all over it. She’d have to get back to the less-than-frantic ambience of the area all over again.

“You’re right. And I’m not—what did you call it?—tramping around your crime scene.” She tried on a smile. “Just trying to get the facts to report them to my readers. I, um, had them hold the paper so I could get this on the front page of this week’s edition.”

A muscle twitched in his jaw. “I don’t much care for reporters.”

She wanted to smack him. “Well, we should get along just fine since I don’t much care for cops.”

“Fine.” He ground out the word between clenched teeth.

“Fine.” She could be as abrupt as he was. “I’m so glad we understand each other.”

For a long moment he said nothing, just studied her as if she were an alien who had suddenly appeared from outer space. Then he glanced at the three-ring circus taking place along the roadside with the same frown of annoyance.

“Don’t people have anything else to do around here?”

She took in the scene again and couldn’t hold back the laugh. “They’re just curious. You’ll have to get used to it if you plan on staying around. This is the biggest thing to happen around here in the last century.”

“They can be all the curious they want,” he told her, “as long as they don’t get in my way and mess things up.”

She tilted her head, giving him a quizzical look. “Is that meant for me too?”

BOOK: Naked Desire: Naked Cowboys, Book 5
10.79Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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