Seducing Zeb (Tarnished Saints Series) (28 page)
Read Seducing Zeb (Tarnished Saints Series) Online
Authors: Elizabeth Rose
“Get a room,” shouted out Nate, and it broke the tension and the crowd cheered and clapped for the new couple
once again.
Then Cat threw her bouquet over her shoulder and it slammed into Aunt Cappy’s big bosom.
“Oh!” she cried out, taking the bouquet in her hand. “I don’t want this! I’ve been married enough times.” She tossed it out to the crowd and Judas’s daughter, J.D. ended up catching it and holding it up proudly in one hand while holding her baby in the other.
“I got it,” she said happily holding it high to show her best friend Ch
arolette who was standing next to her.
“Good, now maybe you’ll get a husband to help you raise that baby,” said her father, Judas.
“You know that means we’ll have to pay for a big wedding,” his wife Laney reminded him.
“Throw it back, quick!” Judas called out
, and with laughter the music started up again and the people came forward to congratulate the newlyweds. Levi popped a cork from a champagne bottle and filled up two flutes and gave them to Zeb and Cat.
“Make a toast,” someone called out, and Zeb held his glass high to do just that.
“To a wonderful wife, a wonderful honeymoon and many children,” said Zeb. Glasses clinked together and Zeb had no idea at the time that he’d get everything he wished for – and quicker than he thought.
The next day, Zeb celebrated with his new wife aboard the cruise ship the S.S. Seduction, with his brother Simon and also his youngest brother, Thad.
“It’s so good to see you again,” he said to his brothers as they leaned on the railing and looked out over the sea. He was waiting for his new bride
to come join them, and had noticed that Cat was seasick already, and was starting to wonder if they should have planned a different honeymoon since she really didn’t care for boats or water that much to begin with.
“Zeb, I’m glad you decided to take the cruise,” said Simon, leaning over the railing and squinting slightly at the sea. He looked a lot like
Zeb and James and was born less than a year after them. While growing up, people referred to Simon as the Irish twin – or Irish triplet in this case. And he very well could have been a triplet with the way he resembled Zeb and James, except that Simon had bright blue eyes the color of the sea. “I love the sea,” Simon said, taking a deep breath and releasing it and getting this odd look on his face that almost made Zeb laugh.
“What’s with the face?” he asked.
“That’s his pirate’s face,” said Thad from next to him. Thad was the youngest of the Taylor boys at only twenty-four years of age and had gone through some hard times with substance abuse back in high school. And he was an Irish twin with his brother Nate, as they were less than a year apart in age as well. Thad’s body was covered with colorful tattoos on his arms, and his blond hair was shaved short on the sides and was long and spiked over to one side in the center. “Simon always gets that stinkface when he’s lost to the sea.”
The breeze blew against them and S
imon put a quick hand on his uniform captain-type hat to keep from losing it. He looked proud in his seaman’s uniform that identified him as one of the ship’s crew, and Zeb knew he still prided himself he’d been a navy man though he was no longer enlisted.
Zeb figured
Simon hadn’t come home yet because he not only loved the sea, but was probably watching over Thad as well, though Thad was a man now and in control of his life and didn’t need watching over.
“I’m here now,” said Cat coming to join them with a big smile on her face.
“We’re so glad to have you in our family,” Thad told her and Simon agreed.
“Thanks, guys,” she said. “So, when will you two be returning to Sweet Water to claim your inheritance?”
“Well, funny you should ask,” said Simon, pulling his gaze from the water. “Because Thad and I were just talking about that since we found out you two were getting married.”
“I’m ready to come home now,” said Thad, being the quieter of the two. “I was angry when I found out Ma had
Alzheimer’s and even angrier when I heard she’d died.”
“Is that why you didn’t come home for the funeral?” asked Zeb.
“Thad just nodded. “I guess I just didn’t want to accept it.”
“But we’re both coming back now,” said Simon
with a nod. “This will be my last cruise aboard the ship. My job ended almost before it began, but I decided family is more important than anything in life and that I need to move back to the Sweet Water area.”
“That’s great news!” said Zeb, slapping Simon on the back. “Isn’t it, sweetheart?”
He looked over to Cat and she was making a funny face. And the next thing he knew, she hung her head over the railing and emptied the contents of her stomach.
“Cat?” asked Zeb, starting to realize that it wasn’t seasickness that was bringing this on. “Is there something you want to tell me?”
Simon snagged a napkin from a waiter walking by and handed it to her and she wiped her mouth then looked up to him and nodded.
“I went to see the ship’s doctor this morning, and he gave me a test to take back to my cabin.”
“A test?” asked Thad.
“A stick yo
u pee on,” Zeb growled. “Do we have to explain everything to you, Thad?”
“
That’s right,” said Cat before Thad could respond, obviously wanting to intervene before there was a riff between the brothers. “Anyway - I didn’t pass the test.”
“You mean . . . you mean . . .” If Zeb had had a hard time saying the M
word, he certainly was having a hard time saying the B word now.
“She’s obviously pregnant.” It was Thad’s turn to insult his big brother. “You do know what that means . . . a baby?”
“A b . . . b . . . b . . . ”
“Baby!” Cat, Thad and Simon said together.
“What’s that face you’re making?” asked Simon.
“It’s either his bachelor face or his stupid face,” said Thad. “Either one isn’t very admirable, especially with those black eyes.”
“Yep. I’m pregnant, Zeb,” Cat confirmed. “It’s still very early and I can’t believe it happened so fast, but the doctor told me it’s true. We’re going to have a baby.”
Zeb just stood there with his mouth open, not sure what to say.
“Close your mouth, brother,” said Simon. “With those black eyes and gaping mouth you’re starting to remind me of a grouper I caught last week.”
“
Sweetie, are you happy about this?” Cat asked Zeb, looking at him curiously.
“I’m elated.” He
pulled her to him and gave her a hug, kissing her atop the head.
“And just think, now we’ll be having a baby the same time as everyone else
back home,” she pointed out.
“So it looks like you two had a little honeymoon before the honeymoon, didn’t you?” asked Thad.
“No,” said Cat raising her chin with a smile on her full lips. “I wouldn’t call it a honeymoon that did this, I’d say it was just the results of the fine art of
Seducing Zeb
.”
Cast of Characters For Seducing Zeb:
James Zebedee Taylor (Zeb)
– A lawyer. Thirty-four years old and identical twins with James.
Catalina Rose Cordovano
(Cat) –
Zeb’s new wife and blackjack dealer in Vegas.
James Alphaeus Taylor
– Zeb’s twin brother – a cowboy.
Crazy Aunt Penelope (Aunt Cappy)
– The Taylor brothers’ aunt and only sibling of their deceased father.
Denny Gianopoulos
– Cat’s boss at the Diamond Dust Casino and her ex-boyfriend.
Nate Taylor
– one of Zeb’s younger brothers – the musician.
Thomas Taylor
– The eldest of the Taylor Twelve and father to six boys:
Dan, Sam, Zeke, Josh & Jake, Eli.
Angel
– Thomas’s wife who has her young daughter,
Gabby
from a previous marriage.
Levi Taylor
– Second oldest of the Taylor brothers. Mayor of Sweet Water and half owner of the Three Billy Goat’s Diner.
Candace
– Levi’s wife.
Vance & Val
are their six-year-old twins.
Judas Taylor
– A brother and also Sweet Water’s sheriff.
Delaney (Laney)
– Judas’s wife and owner of the Timeless Treasures Antique Shop.
Judith Delaney (J.D. or Jaydee)
– their 17-year-old daughter who just had a baby boy named
Matthias.
Lorenzo Rudawski
– Cat’s younger brother who she thought was dead.
Widow Mabel Durnsby
– Sweet Water’s past mayor and present busybody.
Charolette Burnham
– J.D.’s questionable best friend.
Vincent Burley –
Owner of Burley’s Bar and Strip Club
Thad Taylor
– The youngest of the Taylor brothers.
Simon Taylor
– Another brother who was once in the Navy and now works on a cruise ship.
I hope you enjoyed
Seducing Zeb – Book 4,
in the
Tarnished Saints Series.
These twelve brothers are trouble all right, and writing their stories is a challenge, because they have minds of their own.
For example, I had every intention on having Cat and Zeb retire from their elaborate ways of living, but they really didn’t want to. So we came to a happy medium where I let them keep the clothes and the car and the perk of doing whatever they want with their money, but I made them live in the lake house by Zeb’s brothers and give up the condo. Of course, we all know that won’t be good enough for either of them and in the next book you’ll see the plans they’ve made for improving their cottage.
This is a twelve book series and if you’ve missed any of the first books, I’ve listed them for you.
Tarnished Saint Series:
Watch book trailer
.
Doubting Thomas
–
Book 1
Luring Levi
–
Book 2
Judging Judas
–
Book 3
Seducing Zeb
–
Book 4
And watch for
Saving Simon
– Book 5
, to be released later this summer. You will have the chance to meet all the Taylor brothers soon, as there will be a new book out every couple of months. You can see the covers slated for the other books of the series by
clicking here.
You may also be interested in my medieval series:
Legacy of the Blade:
Legacy of the Blade Prequel
- FREE
Also, please take a look at my medieval
Elemental Series
.
Book trailer video
The books in the series are:
The Dragon and the Dreamwalker
,
Book 1: Fire
,
The Duke and the Dryad,
Book 2: Earth
,
The Sword and the Sylph
,
Book 3:
Air,
and
The Sheik and the Siren
,
Book 4: Water.
Greek Myth Fantasy Series:
Watch book trailer video
Daughters of the Dagger Series:
Book Trailer
T
his series is followed by my Scottish
Madman MacKeefe
series, with the first book being about the girls’ brother,
Onyx – Book 1
,
who they thought was dead.
Aidan – Book 1
,
is next, followed by,
Ian – Book 3
.
Please visit my website at
Elizabethrosenovels.com
and make sure to subscribe to my email list in order to receive updates on new releases. You can also read excerpts from any of my novels on my website as well as get sneak peeks at covers of upcoming books. And please remember that there are other authors by the same name, but my novels can be identified by the rose on every cover. And be sure to take a look at my new
book trailer videos
.
