Taming Talia Read online

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  About the Author

  Marie-Nicole Ryan grew up in western Kentucky, and after living for several decades in Nashville, TN, she returned to her old stomping grounds. She worked as a RN and a case manager before she gave up that glamorous profession to write fulltime.

  She’s an award winning erotic romantic suspense author and a member of ROMANCE WRITERS OF AMERICA, MUSIC CITY ROMANCE WRITERS, and Published Authors Special Interest Chapter (PASIC).

  She lives with a Sheltie diva by the name of Cassie who if she could talk would no doubt have amazing stories of her own to tell.

  You may find more about her work at the following sites:

  Web site: www.marienicoleryan.com

  Facebook: www.facebook.com/marienicoleryan.author

  Twitter: @marienicoleryan

  eMail: [email protected]

  Look for these titles by Marie-Nicole Ryan

  Now Available:

  Too Good To Be True

  Love on the Run

  One Too Many

  Holding Her Own

  Loving the Lawman

  Seducing the Sheriff

  Half-dressed and going for naked.

  Seducing the Sheriff

  © 2009 Marie-Nicole Ryan

  Starlight Tyler needs to lose her virginity, as in yesterday. With her mother, a Pinkerton, and a wealthy man she doesn’t love on her tail, there’s only one place to cut their cruel intentions off at the pass—get herself back into the arms of long-lost love Cordero Tate. Pronto.

  She never expected to be tripped up by someone else’s past.

  Sheriff Cordero Tate is a haunted man on a mission. Come hell or high water, he’ll round up every member of the gang responsible for the deaths of his wife and unborn child…and make damned sure he never puts his heart on the line again. As in never impregnating another woman. One look at Star, though, and all the old feelings come back in a rush. Worse, she’s just as determined to brand him as hers as he is to keep her chaste.

  Their exploration of ways around that impasse lead to three nights of unbearable sensual pleasure. Until her past catches up to her…

  Warning: This story contains a lot of hard ridin’, some ass kickin’, and a whole lot of lovin’ goin’ on. No doors left unopened.

  Enjoy the following excerpt for Seducing the Sheriff:

  “I knew you’d come to your senses.” Star buried her face in Cord’s strong shoulder and held on tight while he bounded up the stairs.

  At the top of the stairs, he managed to gasp, “Just this one time; then we wait ’til we’re man and wife.”

  “Just once? Is once enough?”

  “Just once to finish what we started. Has to last ’til Sunday.”

  He set her down on the floor and started undoing the buttons on her men’s pants. “So sweet and so pretty. You smell so good, like washing hung out on a sunshiny day.”

  “Had no idea you were such a poet, Sheriff.”

  He lifted her hair and kissed her neck, then left a trail of tiny kisses across her shoulders across her back. She shivered with every touch of his lips against her skin. “Had no idea you had so many freckles. I aim to kiss every one of ’em.”

  “Might take all day if you do that. I have another place in mind that wouldn’t be offended if you gave it the same regard.”

  He chuckled. “Just bet you do. But I’m of a mind to take my time.” He spun her around to face him. “We’ll get there eventually.”

  Desire mixed with a healthy dose of impatience eddied through her body in waves. “Never know. We might be interrupted again.”

  He frowned. “You expecting somebody else?”

  She grinned, then shook her head. “I guess there’s plenty of time if you’re not in a rush.” His dark eyes glittered with something she’d never seen in the gaze of a man before. It wasn’t the sick lust of old Darwin. Nor was it the love of a man for his child.

  No, pure and simple it was desire and passion and hopefully more than a bit of love. Emotion surged through her, weakening her knees. What a powerful feeling to realize she could bring so much heat to his gaze.

  Never taking his eyes off her, he slowly unlaced her bustier. “You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.” Once it was unlaced, he removed the bustier. “Women around here don’t wear these, unless they’re…”

  “What? Soiled doves?” Of course he’d know about such things. He was a man. A man whose wife was in the ground these last two years. “Every decent woman back East wears proper undergarments. It’s a half-corset. I’m used to ’em. But I hate pantaloons. Knickers fit better under trousers anyway.”

  “You going to wear those trousers to our wedding?” His mouth curved into a grin as he cradled both breasts in his palms and gently squeezed the tender flesh.

  No, she wouldn’t wear trousers to the wedding. The very idea. But what would he think if he found out she traveled all the way to Texas disguised as a young man. “They’re just more comfortable” —she gasped as he latched onto one nipple and nipped it—“round the ranch.”

  He slid the knickers down over her buttocks, then cupped her naked bottom. “Love your ass. Round and firm—just damn near perfect.”

  “Just ‘damn near’? It’s a damn sight better than that. Careful, I might have to make you pay for that insult.” Still, her teasing threat didn’t keep her from unbuttoning his shirt and running her hands up and down his flat belly. There wasn’t an ounce of fat on the man. Years of riding and working his pa’s ranch had seen to that. “I think you ought to get rid of this.” She tugged at his heavy gun belt.

  Cord straightened, smiled down at her, unbuckled the gun belt and set it on the chest of drawers. He held back a deep sigh. The woman wouldn’t be denied. A man made of stone couldn’t deny this one.

  And only one part of his anatomy could be compared to stone. Before this day was over, he’d have to put it somewhere, but maybe not where she expected.

  Still, there was plenty of time before he took his pleasure. Giving her what she wanted was all well and good, but he wouldn’t risk her life. Too many good women were buried in the church graveyard. Too many women who died bringing children into the world.

  Never. Star was too precious. Couldn’t risk losing her again.

  Her hands were unbuttoning his trousers and yanking them down to his ankles. He stepped from them and nudged them aside. Her warm, delicate touch, lightly caressing his cock, threatened to make him come. His breath caught in his throat. “Hold on. Easy. You don’t want to do that.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because I’ll come and lose interest in finishing what we started.”

  She cupped her breasts and offered them to him, their small, coral nipples tightened into pert nubs. “You’d leave me in the lurch?”

  A shudder shook his body. Untutored and still a virgin, yet his Star possessed the instincts of a true wanton. “Never.”

  Eyes widened and with a seductive smile, she shimmied out of her denim trousers with a wiggle of her hips. “Lesson one?” she asked with a smile that put a dimple in her cheek.

  He nodded. “Lesson one. Now, listen to me darlin’. I can’t make love to you, not like married folks. But there’s other things we can do. Don’t want to risk you having a baby.”

  “What other way is there? I only know one way. And before you think I’ve done this before, I haven’t—b-but I sort of know how it’s done.”

  “Yeah, you saw how it’s done out in the corral, but you’ve got a lot to learn and I’m just the man to teach you.” Mouth dry as the desert, he swallowed, then collapsed onto the chair at the foot of the bed. He leaned back and groaned. “Darlin’, you’re killing me. Got me hard as a rock.” He reached for her, pulled her down to sit in his lap, then slowly loosened the pins from her hair one at a time. She shook her head and let her hair cascade down her back. The silken red mass reached almost to her ass.

&nb
sp; “Now what?” Star held her breath while he lifted the hair and kissed the back of her neck, tiny hot kisses that sent threads of sensation pulsing to her nether regions. His breath was warm, and the image of the horses mating in the corral was vivid in her mind’s eye. Her core twitched in anticipation. At some point he’d mount her. He’d have to. Her cleft ached with desire to have him fill her. Ride her like his stallion had ridden her mare.

  And just as hard.

  He nipped her neck. It was just like the horses. She bent forward, resting her hands on the bed, and wiggled her bottom. Every part of her body was burning hotter than the Texas midday sun. And her nether regions were the hottest of all, not to mention slick and wet.

  Forbidden love is the sweetest temptation…

  Wyoming Solace

  © 2012 Alanna Coca

  Elise Vickerson waited a long time to gather the courage to flee her abusive marriage. To stay beyond his reach permanently, though, will take money. Getting it will take months of backbreaking labor to resurrect then sell her inherited Wyoming ranch.

  With her future hanging in the balance, and her bruises still fresh, Elise will never again play doormat for any man. Except a cowboy from the neighboring spread has a way of firing her imagination—and her temper.

  The news of Elise’s arrival sends Cody Campbell tearing through his files for the proof that the Vickerson ranch belongs to him. He’ll have to cool his boot heels until his father returns with the papers, but at least the view is fine—the beautiful, prickly Elise ignites a desire that’s hard to resist.

  Elise tries her best to ignore her handsome neighbor, but his kisses, his arms make her feel something she hasn’t felt in a long time. Safe. As long as the spectre of her past lurks in every shadow, though, security—and any hope for a future with Cody—can never be hers.

  Warning: This book contains a feisty woman on the run, a tough-as-nails cowboy who wants to wrangle her, and a villain who won’t give up.

  Enjoy the following excerpt for Wyoming Solace:

  The man who stood with his back to the window was much taller than Elise’s husband. The hair beneath his tan, wide-brimmed hat was dark, not stark blond. While waiting for the door to be answered, the man turned on his heel and placed strong hands onto slim hips, facing the entrance to the ranch, then quickly turned back to knock on the door again. It wasn’t Jonathan, but she couldn’t relax until she saw his face. She took a steadying breath and, after an encouraging nod from Daniel, straightened her shoulders and opened the door.

  The first thing she noticed was the broad chest, with a crisp shirt stretched over the wide expanse. Her gaze traveled up the row of buttons to the strong brown neck to a jaw set in determination. Her breath caught as she made eye contact.

  They were a golden brown, like cinnamon swirled into rich coffee. Captivating and exhilarating.

  “Good morning.” His rich baritone added yet another facet to his attractiveness.

  “Good morning.” At the tremble in her voice, she mentally hiked up her chin.

  He scrutinized her, his attention lingering on the quivering collar of her dress. She held her breath until she gathered the courage to speak.

  “Can I help you?”

  His traveling gaze worked from the hands clasped at her waist up to her face, until his eyes narrowed. With that small gesture, panic seized her. She hoped he couldn’t tell that behind her confident façade, she shook like a leaf.

  “Mary?”

  She nodded, then bit her tongue. She wasn’t Mary anymore.

  “Cody Campbell. I don’t know if you remember me.” He removed his hat and moved forward a step. She backed away and clenched the doorknob in her fist. A tiny muscle twitched in the corner of his mouth. “Your neighbor. Our parents have known each other for years.”

  She swallowed, the cool flush of fear on her skin slowly warming. Cody was a few years older than she and rarely had had time for the little neighbor girl. He’d certainly changed. No longer the skinny teen of her youth, the Cody Campbell before her was all man.

  “Yes, I remember.” She moved aside to allow him in. “Please come in.”

  Cody ducked beneath the doorjamb, blinking against the dim lighting.

  She studied her neighbor while he looked around the room. His dark hair brushed the nape of his neck, drawing her attention, hinting at the strength of the shoulders beneath his collared navy-blue shirt. His strong back tapered to narrow hips gloved in dark blue denim. His thighs were muscular; she could see that even beneath his jeans. From the breadth of his shoulders, she could tell he was a powerful man, and not just physically but by the aura of strength that surrounded him.

  “I was sorry to hear of your father’s death.” He turned to face her. “I received the telegraph last evening.”

  Elise’s polite smile disappeared. Blood drained to her toes. Why would anyone back home telegraph the news to Wyoming? Had Jonathan discovered a connection between herself and the Campbells?

  “Last evening?” Her voice sounded hollow, even to her own ears. “But my father has been gone for months now.”

  A telegraph from Wyoming. This could spell the demise of her carefully laid plans. Elise glanced frantically around the room. Only decorum kept her still, though she desperately wanted to race to her room and pack her things. Where is Daniel?

  “I hadn’t heard the news,” Cody said. “So when Thomas told me you’d come, I wanted to verify it.”

  “I…see.” She twisted her hands together. “I apologize. I never thought to send word here after his death.”

  Had he unwittingly informed one of Jonathan’s cohorts about her whereabouts? She hadn’t even given out that information to her closest confidants for fear of Jonathan’s wrath against them. What they didn’t know couldn’t be used against them. If Cody’s telegraph reached the wrong person, she could be in jeopardy.

  When she looked back up, she caught the intensity of his gaze. He’d surely find her next question audacious, but the need to know what she was up against overrode manners. “Who did you speak to in Virginia?”

  “I didn’t get the man’s name.” One eyebrow quirked.

  She prayed he would elaborate. She must know! She searched for a way to ask for more information.

  “I assumed it was a bank employee. I was given an address to forward condolences to you, which turned out to be your father’s home address in Virginia.”

  So whoever answered the telegram didn’t seem to know that she’d left town. It couldn’t have been one of Jonathan’s men. Or could it be that Jonathan’s pride was so hurt by his wife’s desertion, he hadn’t told even his friends? She stared at the scuffed toe of Cody Campbell’s boot as she tried to take in the information.

  Hadn’t anyone reported her disappearance to the authorities? Wasn’t there a crew out searching for her? Wasn’t her neighbor Mr. Parks curious about her whereabouts? The thought that she might not be missed disconcerted her. Jonathan could easily have killed her, and no one would have been the wiser. The only public appearance she made was an occasional visit to church, and then always veiled. Always at Jonathan’s side. The man on the other end of that telegraph could very well think she was alive and well in Virginia. Jonathan might have been preparing for her disappearance all along.

  Pulling herself back to the present, Elise moistened her lips. He looked to be the type of man who never missed a detail. Her strange behavior surely piqued his curiosity. Daniel walked in bearing a tray, and Elise could have kissed him for his timely appearance.

  “Oh, thank you, Daniel. Would you like some coffee, Mr. Campbell?”

  “Your husband?”

  Elise nearly bit her lip in two. A husband wouldn’t serve his wife and caller. A wife would certainly introduce her husband as such. Her tongue seemed to swell. Her prepared speech had scattered into the deep recesses of her mind. She glanced at Daniel.

  “Elise and I are married.” Daniel smiled. It wasn’t a lie. Both were married, just not to each ot
her.

  “Elise? But I thought—”

  “My name is Mary Elise. I prefer Elise now.”

  “Do you take sugar?” Daniel set down the tray, his interruption saving her from further inquiry.

  Elise led their visitor to the living room and lowered herself onto the couch, breathing easier when Cody didn’t voice a question regarding her marriage. He sat across from her as she poured the coffee. With the cup of coffee in hand, her flaring nerves settled, and she felt more equipped to deal with their visitor. “My father loved this ranch. He wanted so much to come back here before he passed. Did you know him well?”

  Cody looked a bit out of place in the upholstered chair. She imagined him to be much more at ease in the saddle on the open plains. He emanated the vibrancy of the wild. His entire being seemed constrained by the four walls.

  “He and my father were good friends. I’ll always remember the old prairie schooner he’d drive around.”

  “I loved that old thing.” Elise smiled. “I wonder whatever happened to it.”

  “Your father sold it to the Wilson’s in town. They have something like twelve kids and counting.”

  “I used to take my dolls in there and play all day long. Until my mother dragged me in for lessons.”

  “I remember you as a girl. Things have changed since you left.” His voice lowered, giving his words a different—much more personal—meaning.

  Taming Talia

  Marie-Nicole Ryan

  She'll take her pleasure hot...until it burns its way to the cold truth.

  Loving the Lawman, Book 2

  Over her not-so-dearly-departed husband’s grave, newly widowed Natalia Montrose vows to shake off the memories of her abusive marriage by bedding the first suitable man she meets. Enter handsome, flirtatious Jared Fields, who offers to help her manage her assets.