Besides my series, I have written some very sexy standalone stories, too! I forget about them because I’m so busy trying to keep up with series, but I shouldn’t. In fact, I should go back and look at my workplan because I deserve to write something completely fun and one-off!

If you haven’t read the books below, now’s your time to peruse, and I’m including an excerpt from one of them so you can sample some of the fun. Several of them are menage stories, so if that’s your thing, be sure to check them out!

Contest

For a chance to win your choice of one of the books below,
tell me which of these covers appeal to you!

  

  

  

Click on any cover to learn more about the story!

More about Saddled…

Riding double never felt so fine…

When Bobby Blackhawk and Cale Yancey see a car slide off the highway and into an icy creek, they’ve got only minutes to get the beautiful driver out alive — and just one way to save her from hypothermia: take her to their isolated cabin, get naked…and hope like hell that when she wakes up, she doesn’t scream the place down.

When Katherine Duvall opens her eyes in a strange bed, the tingles flooding her body aren’t entirely due to thawing. She’s snuggled between two handsome, naked men — one a gruff, gentle giant, the other a sexy, playful Native American. Having just left her cheating fiancé, she’s not quite as shocked as she might have been. In fact, these two lonesome cowboys could be the perfect bookends to satisfy her hunger for revenge and bolster her dented self esteem.

With all of them bent on seduction, it’s not long before they melt the snow on the cabin roof, and soon, the threesome finds something else is melting, too. Their hearts…

An excerpt…

Bobby Blackhawk shook his head as the taillights of the little Beemer just ahead flashed red again through the falling snow. Sure enough, as soon as the driver crunched the brakes, the tail end of the car began to slide on the snow-covered ice.

“She’s gonna go right into the river if she keeps that up,” Cale Yancey muttered beside him.

They’d been following the car for the last ten miles, inching down the lonely highway. They’d already figured out the car wasn’t using snow chains, and the driver was too stupid to know she was skirting on the edge of real trouble.

“Why are you so sure it’s a woman?” Bobby asked.

“Can’t drive worth a damn.”

“Love for you to tell Lacey J. that.”

“Lacey’s not like other women.”

Now, that was an understatement that had them both sharing lopsided grins, considering how well Lacey had proven that point the previous weekend.

“Sure could use me a little of her lovin’,” Cale said, sounding wistful.

The last trip into Wellesley, Colorado in anticipation of snow blocking the mountain pass had been a wild, lust-packed two days. With a lonely winter facing them, they’d both taken Lacey up on her offer of a threesome that was sure to keep the two men growling like hungry bears for the next two months, impatient for the thaw so they could get back down the mountain.

It was a good thing they’d discovered long ago that they were compatible in ways that would make most men blanch, otherwise the wait to make it back into town would have been unbearable. Neither was squeamish about helping the other out; however, both preferred emptying their passion inside the wet, snug passage of a woman. If the woman happened to be obliging, like Lacey often was, they didn’t mind sharing.
Both vehicles climbed the last long hill right before the men’s turnoff and another half-mile beyond to the highway, tire treads biting into fresh snow.

“She might make it,” Cale said, sounding doubtful.

“Think we better follow to make sure?”

The car ahead made it to the top of the rise, and then the brake lights flashed again.
Cale cursed. “Wish she’d quit doing that.”

Rental company plates on the back of the car explained a lot about the aptitude of the driver. “Doesn’t know she should just gear down and take it slow.”

They reached the top, and Bobby geared down. Sure enough, the driver up ahead hit the brakes again, and the rear of the car slid sideways. As though watching a movie in slow motion, both men held their breaths, hoping the woman would gain traction at the last moment, but one rear tire slid off the edge of the road and then the right front followed. With tires spinning and brake lights flaring bright, the car slipped slowly down the hill and into the creek.

“Not good,” Cale said tightly as Bobby pulled into the snow bank at the side of the road and left his emergency lights flashing. Just a precaution since there wasn’t much of a chance of anyone coming up on their rear end since the road crew had been taking the barriers off the truck when they’d passed.

Bobby slammed the car into park and climbed out, following Cale as he slid on his ass down the hill. They paused at the water’s edge, staring at the vehicle, both knowing one of them was going to have to get wet.

Water was midway up the car door, and the driver had rolled down her window. Blonde hair peeked beneath a black knit hat. Terror-stricken blue eyes peered at them through the falling snow.

“Ma’am, can you get yourself out?” Cale shouted.

“I think so,” she said, her voice tight and quavering.

“If you can crawl out your window, we can help you the rest of the way.”

“I’m getting wet. It’s cold.”

“Gotta move now, sweetheart,” Cale said, his tone gentling the same way it did when he worked with a fractious horse. “You wait another second, two of us are gonna be in trouble.”

“My purse. I can’t find it.” She turned in her seat, reaching into the back of the car.

The car bobbed on the water, and for a moment, Bobby thought it might break free and start floating. “Lady, leave it,” he shouted. “You don’t have time to look.”

“But my money—”

“Not gonna spend it if you’re dead.”

She bit her lip, and then her face screwed up as though she was going to start crying.

“Fuck sake,” Bobby muttered, stepping past Cale and stripping off his coat. “I’ll get her out. It’s gonna be up to you to get us both up that goddamn hill.”

UPDATE: The winners are…Theresa Privette and Mary Preston!
*~*~*

2024 was such a big, eventful year for me, but we’re not going to dwell on the big, black cloud that descended at the very end of July. Instead, I want to remind you of the stories I put out into the world in 2024. Sixteen stories (with wonderful covers provided by my talented sister, Elle James!). Some of them were refurbished stories I republished. Some were brand-new stories I wrote. For the first half of the year, I chugged along, happy with the way the stories flowed from me. There were exciting new bounty hunter stories and fun adventures that featured my Dead Horse townspeople, even a sexy ex-military protector book. I persevered through my treatments to put together another Boys Behaving Badly anthology. So many words and adventures. I hope 2025 will be as filled with achievement.

For a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card, let me know whether any of these stories interest you and what you might like to see more of in 2025!

January 2024

Unbound by the Amazon

A pair of Army soldiers travels back in time to retrieve a powerful ancient artifact of alien origin from the queen of the Amazons…

Army Lieutenant Farideh Kalani expected her time-traveling assignment to ancient Scythia to retrieve an ancient artifact would be difficult, but gaining the trust of Amazon warriors and their legendary ruler, Queen Hippolyta, is easy compared to being partnered with Sergeant First Class Caleb MacAvoy. The soldier is too smug and sexy for her peace of mind. Posing as a warrior seeking a place among the royal guard and her devoted personal servant, the pair succumb to their attraction just as they discover another seeks the treasure they’ve sworn to find.

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February 2024

Malcolm
Montana Bounty Hunters: Dead Horse, MT, Book 10

Two fiercely independent bounty hunters must fight their attraction while learning to trust each other as they work together to bring in a dangerous skip.

Former SEAL Malcolm Winslow was looking for a change. He’s been bounty hunting on his own since leaving the teams and has missed the camaraderie of fellow warriors, so he accepts a job with the Montana Bounty Hunters. His first hunt takes a turn when the MBH team discovers that another lone hunter has found their target first. Not wanting to infringe, they stand by just in case their competition needs help.

Darleen Crockett has things well in hand. Sure, she’s alone, without a weapon (because where would she hide it in her skimpy outfit?), and the skip she’s determined to take down is one mean MF, but Darleen likes to ride that dangerous edge between victory and disaster. She’s an admitted adrenaline junkie.

When her skip attacks, she has things well in hand but is suddenly rescued by a rugged, tattooed man who makes her heart pitter-patter. What’s up with that? She’s quickly recruited by Malcolm’s agency and finds herself on the biggest hunt of her career. Denying her attraction to her temporary new partner isn’t possible when they spend so many hours alone, but what she doesn’t expect is finding something more with the equally footloose and independent Malcolm. Things get thorny between them when Malcolm can’t seem to get past the fact she’s a woman to trust that she can handle herself.

When the agency prepares to track an old adversary preparing to flee justice, Malcolm and Darleen are quickly folded into the team heading to Lander, Wyoming, to find their dangerous skip.

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March 2024

What Happens in Bozeman
We Are Dead Horse, Book 3

What happens in Bozeman stays in Bozeman…unless it’s a cowboy!

Stranded in Bozeman, Montana, for the night while snowplows clear a mountain pass, Kelly Willis decides to throw caution to the wind. After being jilted by her college sweetheart, she’s determined to have one no-holds-barred night, her way of seeking revenge against a lifetime of conformity, before she settles down in a new town to live a very circumspect life as an elementary school teacher. She chooses another stranded motorist, propositioning him with the offer of a no-strings, no-names night of pleasure.

No one is more shocked than rancher Ryan Mobley when he appears at his daughter’s parent-teacher meeting to discover the angel he’d made love to is his daughter’s new teacher. Now that she’s here, he’s going to do everything he can to convince her they have a real connection, something they can build a lifetime on.

While she wrangles the class bully and he tries to figure out who’s rustling his cattle, the two of them grow closer with the help of a classroom full of mini matchmakers.

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April 2024

Tyson’s Mission
Brotherhood Protectors: Team Eagle

A former Navy SEAL is tapped to provide security for a team of archeologists working to uncover Mayan ruins deep in a Mexican jungle that a local drug cartel is targeting.

After surviving a catastrophic helicopter accident, former Navy SEAL Tyson Quigley is taking well to his new life with the Brotherhood Protectors in the Yellowstone, Montana, office. Life’s looking up. He’s working with old teammates and feeling stronger and more himself every day.

Then he gets a call from his university professor brother, who is worried about a colleague working on an archeological dig in southern Mexico. The team has had problems with thefts of equipment and supplies. Now, one of the dig team members has been kidnapped and held for ransom, but they quickly figure out the finger they were sent in the package demanding payment is from an already dead person. Now, they have no idea whether their team member is alive or dead and worry that the attacks on the site aren’t over. After a quick conference with his Brotherhood Protector teammates, Ty heads down to Mexico to pose as his brother’s friend’s boyfriend to provide her protection for the remainder of the dig.

Cara Woodward doesn’t need a babysitter. Sure, things have gotten scary since a team member was abducted, but she thinks having a bodyguard is overkill. Their sponsors are pulling the plug on the excavation due to the kidnapping, so they’re working furiously to close the site for the season. Tyson’s everywhere she is, and it’s getting on her nerves. His looming presence is distracting, to say the least. He’s too handsome, too intense.

As the dig team continues documenting their work before they pack up and leave, they suffer a series of attacks—this time, too close to Cara for Ty’s comfort. He’s locking her down, with no daylight between them for the duration.

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May 2024

Five Ways ‘Til Sunday
Delta Heat, Book 1

A Memphis cop bent on marrying an unconventional woman turns to his friends to tick every sexy item off her bucket list to get her to “yes”…

The more Marti Kowalski tries to convince Memphis PD Officer Jackson Teague she’s not the right woman for him, the more he wants to marry her. It’s crazy, and he won’t listen to reason. Of course, she’s tempted, but there are things she wants to experience before she ties the knot. All sorts of kinky things that involve knots—just not the marital kind. And she’s written them down.

When Jackson finds out what’s on Marti’s mind, he knows just what to do. He calls on his brothers in blue, four men he trusts with his life. Between the five of them, he’s sure they can check off each and every item on Marti’s bucket list in one wild, wicked weekend.

Of course, Marti has to agree to follow through, and he has to decide if he can bear to share her.

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Fournicopia
Delta Heat, Book 2

Forget the sugar. Send her the spice.

Gus Taggert knows a setup when he sees one. The doughnut shop his police officer buddies have sent him to, Cornucopia, is too frilly, too pink. Then the woman behind the counter serves up a mini-lesson in submission that leaves him ready and willing to obey her order to see her tonight at La Forge BDSM club.

The large, burly cop is exactly the kind of alpha guy that newly minted Domme Aislinn Darby has been dying to tie up and spank. Yet after she puts him through his paces, she finds herself eager to let him take control—something she’s never before enjoyed with a man.

Determined to find out once and for all if she has what it takes to control a scene, she orders him up for one more go. Only this time, she intends to ensure he remembers who’s in charge. She’s even willing to offer a little bribe: accept her dictates, and his reward is her—any way he wants her.

Except when it’s time for payback, it comes with several twists she never sees coming.

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A Perfect Trifecta
Delta Heat, Book 3

When Craig Eason plays switch in front of an audience at La Forge BDSM club as a favor for a friend, it’s supposed to be a one-time thing. But the cop catches the attention of an enigmatic, powerful Dom watching from across the room—a man who may be the one to help Craig test the boundaries of his own sexuality.

Firefighter Aiden Byrne has strong S&M desires he keeps firmly in check. His sub, Jennifer, thinks she likes it rough, but he’s never been able to let go the way he longs to with her. When a defiant stare from a handsome man on the La Forge stage causes Aiden’s most dangerous need to ignite, he wonders if he’s found someone he can truly let go with.

Jennifer is on board, as long as she can be an active participant—but none of them is prepared for the scene that will shake them all to the core and change everything.

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June 2024

Twice the Bang
Delta Heat, Book 4

Beau wants Pansy for his own. After a BDSM party thrown by his friends to celebrate their new throuple status, Beau decides it’s time to stake his claim. He’s been taking it slow with the sexy sub, but when he sees he’s not the only one vying for her attention, he realizes a long seduction was a mistake. A handsome fireman has caught his woman’s eye.

Billy may be new to the lifestyle, and a submissive like Pansy is probably out of his league, but he’ll do whatever it takes to have her, even if he has to share her with a cop whose confidence contrasts with Billy’s inexperience.

Pansy’s stuck between a rock and a hard place—or rather, stuck between a smoking-hot firefighter with ice-blue eyes and a dark, mysterious cop who can give her goose bumps with just a look.

Of course, she could refuse to decide between them and let both pursue her and, perhaps, if she’s very lucky, they’ll play dirty.

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Once is Never Enough
Delta Heat, Book 5

Mondo Acevedo is a legendary Dom and Master at the La Forge club. He’s helped his Memphis PD friends navigate the BDSM world and find the women of their dreams. Now, the vice cop and Dom is the last single man standing. But Mondo’s waiting for the right woman, one strong enough to match his dark passions, and he’s sure a timid grade school teacher definitely won’t make the shortlist.

Sunny Boudreau is content with her somewhat vanilla life, But when a trio of lovers moves in next door, she’s drawn to them and their group of friends, especially a certain tall, dark, and dangerous Dom.

Mondo tries to warn Sonny off, but her first taste of the club only whets her appetite and ignites her desire to prove she’s exactly the woman Mondo needs.

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July 2024

Burning Up Memphis
Delta Fire, Book 1

When firefighter John Cooper accepts an invitation to go to Club LaForge with his friends, he didn’t expect the sights and sounds of the BDSM club to have such an effect on him. Far from being turned off, he’s surprised to find himself thinking this lifestyle might just be what he needs—especially if Moira, his luscious guide for the evening, is willing to teach him everything he wants to know.

Moira Blessing is an experienced BDSM trainer, and she senses that Coop is not only a Dom in the making, but he could also be the man she’s looking for—someone to be her lover and her Dom. But Coop’s best friend just died on the job, and he’s not interested in anything serious right now. Good thing Moira thinks going slow can be sexy when done right…

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Hotter With a Pole
Delta Fire, Book 2

Noah Turner hopes buying the classic ’68 Camaro from a fellow firefighter’s widow will ease some of the grief weighing down his heart. When a noise under the hood sends him looking for a mechanic, he finds so much more. Big and burly Hoyt grabs Noah’s attention right off, and not just because of his bad-boy biker looks and ice-blue eyes. The fact Hoyt is a Dom and a member of Club LaForge certainly interests Noah.

Hoyt Freeman never thought he’d feel that rush with a man again after his partner died, but his body certainly reacts to meeting Noah. LaForge seems like the perfect place to meet and work off some energy and explore this sudden flood of desire. The heat between them starts to burn through their emotional barriers, whether the men are ready to make a deeper connection or not.

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Cyrus
Montana Bounty Hunters: West Yellowstone, MT, Book 1

The first new hire of the Montana Bounty Hunters: West Yellowstone, MT, isn’t much of a team player and isn’t sure he’s ready to stick around until he meets a pretty park ranger as independent and stubborn as he is.

Former Army Ranger Cyrus Walsh signs on with the competition when he sees the handwriting on the wall. The Montana Bounty Hunters are moving into his territory, and he can either join them or move on. So, he’ll give them a try but soon discovers he doesn’t mind so much riding with a new partner or working within the confines of an agency that respects their hunters’ strengths.

While chasing a skip in the nearby national park, he and his new partner encounter the skip and a park ranger, facing down a grizzly bear. The park ranger’s actions save the day, and he finds himself intrigued by the woman, who under normal circumstances, he’d never give a second glance. It’s not like he’s looking for a relationship; he’s not an easy man to be around. But her understated beauty and fiercely independent nature draw him closer, and he finds himself, reluctantly, asking her out.

Milly Bauer knows she’s not in the same league as the burly, handsome bounty hunter, but she’s eager to let things play out between them. There’s something she wants from him, experiences she’s denied herself. Something tells her Cyrus is just the man to provide what’s been lacking in her life, if only for a while.

While they get to know each other and find themselves inextricably drawn closer, their dangerous jobs make them wonder whether they can share a future together.

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Secret Identities
Boys Behaving Badly, Book 8

Inside Secret Identities: A Boys Behaving Badly Anthology, you’ll find stories by some of the hottest romance writers out there for readers who crave mysterious, enigmatic men and women who may not be who they claim to be. Perhaps they’re the new next-door neighbor with a secret mission, an alien from a far-away galaxy looking for his fated mate, or a spy trying to catch a foreign agent. Whatever their secrets, intrigue and passion follow…

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August 2024

Rapid Entry
Delta Fire, Book 3

Firefighter Gage Eastwood doesn’t hesitate to race into his neighbor’s apartment to put out the fire there. Of course, some hesitation might have given him the time to realize he was buck naked. He’s a professional, so he can overlook the fact she’s in her underwear, but after a nosy neighbor snaps some pictures of them, the fire and his naked heroics go viral.

Shy Viviana Moore is a bestselling romance author. She might write about kink, but she’s never done anything kinky. So when her hotter-than-hot savior invites her out to his sex club, La Forge, she doesn’t admit at first to her lack of actual kinky experience. Soon, she has more than enough material for a whole new series as well as some hands-on experience of her own, and Gage is wondering if she’d let him be her muse…permanently.

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September 2024

Once Upon a Legend

When budding dime novelist Prudence Vogel travels west to meet legendary lawman Jake White Eagle, she discovers he really is the tall, handsome hero of her novel. Flustered and out of her element, Prudence is determined to shadow the handsome sheriff to lend authenticity to her next story.

While Jake certainly finds Prudence attractive, her constant presence is distracting. When things she has written seem to be coming true, he decides to get closer to see whether she’s part of a criminal enterprise he’s been trying to uncover.

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November 2024

The Demon Lord’s Cloak

After awakening in a castle, bound and at the mercy of her captor, Voletta has every reason to fear the mysterious man holding her in his arms. Instead, his brooding presence intrigues her, and his hard body excites her. However attracted she is, she must escape before he discovers her dark secret…but then she learns he has one of his own.

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I’m thrilled to be joining Elle James’ Brotherhood Protectors World with the release of Under Fire in February 2025.

This book is the first in a series about four brothers in arms, but what makes it extra special is that it was inspired by Desiree Holt, a longtime beloved author friend. Desiree contributed several books to the Brotherhood Protectors World, and the readers were always supportive and enthusiastic.

I waited a long time to approach Elle about writing in her world, but I finally got the gumption. Elle said yes, and the plotting began! The book is dedicated to Desiree, and the main characters are named after her: Desiree, the heroine, and Holt, the hero.

Here’s a sneak peek from the book. If you’d like to be notified when it’s available, click here.

About the Book…

Holt Stevens had two choices–retire from his beloved SEAL team or face a dishonorable discharge. Neither was fair, and his forced departure left a chip the size of a mountain on his shoulder. When he hears about Hank Patterson’s elite organization, it is his last chance to find a brotherhood like the one he left behind. He’s ready to pledge his life and his allegiance to the man willing to give him a second chance. What he didn’t count on was an indefinite stay in a remote mountain cabin with a single mom and her belligerent fourteen-year-old daughter.

Desiree Harbaugh has dedicated her life to protecting her daughter from the father she never knew. A powerful political force behind the scenes due to his family money and connections, Desiree discovered he was peddling his influence to foreign powers soon after becoming pregnant. After fifteen years on the run, her secret has been discovered which means neither of them are safe. When Desiree turns to her old friend and employer, Sadie McClain, now Sadie Patterson, for help, she must entrust her and her daughter’s safety to a stoic stranger.

With unlimited resources and a maniacal determination to claim his daughter, Desiree’s ex-lover corners the trio in a standoff that may cost Holt his life. If they survive, saying goodbye to the woman and child he has come to love could demand an even bigger price–his heart.

Enjoy this Sneak Peek…

“Explain it one more time, son. This time without the attitude.” Hank Patterson crossed one booted foot over the other and leaned against the wooden beam at the top of the stairs leading up to the wide front porch like he didn’t have anywhere to be.

Holt Stevens clamped his back teeth together hard enough to grind rocks. One, Hank Patterson wasn’t old enough to be his father. Two, he intentionally played off the height differential, using the advantage to try to intimidate Holt. Three, he’d been trying to shake the attitude for three months now but its grip only tightened. It was a python around his chest, slowly squeezing the life out of him.

“I was instructed to voluntarily forfeit my military career or face court martial and potentially being dishonorably discharged.”

“It would take a helluva reason for a SEAL to give up his team.” Patterson narrowed his eyes, as if that made it easier for him to peer into Holt’s skull.

He stood his ground, unphased by the Montana man’s assessment. If anything, the astute observation that he’d been forced to quit his team–not a job, not a career, but the men he’d served with–reaffirmed Holt’s conviction that his future lay with Brotherhood Protectors. Only another SEAL would understand the depth and strength of those bonds.

Which made his CO’s betrayal burn even deeper.

“I didn’t have a choice, sir.” He held Patterson’s gaze, waiting to see how hard he’d push.

“There’s always a choice. Doesn’t mean it’s easy. And a lot of times it isn’t fair.”

There it was. The open door. The invite. The test.

If he wanted a job with Patterson’s organization, there had to be trust. And it apparently went both ways.

“My commanding officer has a nineteen-year-old daughter.” Holt sucked in a breath, eyes momentarily drifting to the view of the hazy purple foothills leading into the Crazy Mountains. “She caught me in the parking lot outside a bar one night, came onto me, and I sent her on her way. She must have hooked up with someone later that evening who took advantage of her offer and assaulted her. She went to Daddy with her black eye and torn sundress and blamed me.”

“Why didn’t you fight it?” Patterson looked more curious than judgmental. “Why would she name you and not the actual perp?”

“With what proof?” Holt barked, no humor in his laugh. “It was a case of he said, she said. No one witnessed the encounter in the parking lot, and I spent the rest of the night alone at my apartment. Someone beat her up, and my CO was willing to take her word over mine. At least I left on my own terms instead of living under a cloud of suspicion and disgrace.”

“There you go.” A grim smile creased Patterson’s face. “You made your choice. But I’ll bet you’re still living under a dark cloud.”

For the first time since leaving San Diego, the python’s grip abated and Holt could breathe again. “I need a job.”

He needed more than that–a new start, a new brotherhood, a new purpose–but he’d start with employment. Steeple McGuire, one of the instructors that got him through SEAL training now retired and living in Key West, had told him about the elite organization that provided protection to those in danger. If Patterson didn’t take him on, Holt wasn’t sure what his next move would be.

“McGuire gave me a heads-up you might land on my front porch. Had a lot of good things to say about you, but he warned me you’re the type to simmer. You tend to hold a grudge. We deal with enough explosions, literal and figurative. Don’t need any more.” Patterson relaxed his stance and hitched a thumb toward the front door. “Hungry? I was just sitting down for lunch. Sadie, my wife, went into town with Emma. I’m not used to eating in silence.”

He shifted uncomfortably, remembering how things had gone south with his CO. The guy had known him for almost a decade. He was family, just like the rest of the SEAL team. But blood really was thicker than water, and the betrayal left him wary about getting close to people again.

Still…Patterson would never hire him if he doubted Holt’s loyalty and commitment.

“I’ve been sleeping in my truck and eating fast food for the past month. A homecooked meal sounds great.” He followed Holt into the rustic house, drawn in by the warm colors, natural textures, and expansive framed views of the landscape. A woman’s touch had softened the rough beams and angular spaces, turning the structure into a beautiful home.

Something hot and uncomfortable exploded in Holt’s chest. It took a few seconds to recognize the emotion as envy. The loss of his career and community left a vast empty space in his life, underscoring the consequences of choosing to serve in the military. With sudden, painfully sharp clarity, he realized how much he’d given up to become a Navy SEAL.

Now, here he was with absolutely nothing to show for it.

A burst of anger replaced the envy. All of his sacrifice and dedication had proven worthless, ripped away by the false claims of a spoiled young woman who couldn’t handle rejection. Hell, he’d done the right thing and still lost it all.

“Stewing in all that misery is going to ruin your appetite,” Patterson commented. “If you’re too obsessed with whatever dark thoughts are running through your head, I’ll make you a baloney and American cheese sandwich on white bread. My wife’s green chili enchiladas deserve your undivided attention.”

Coming in 2025!

UPDATE: The winners are…Theresa Privette, Terra Oenning, and Stacy Hartley!
*~*~*

Depending on how long you’ve been reading me, you might not be aware of my naughty cowboy ménage series, Lone Star Lovers. All my sexiest fantasies are rolled up in those stories. Two cowboys, three cowboys, four… All that attention concentrated on one lucky girl… Heck, it’s not really fair, and there must be something in the water in Two Mule, Texas because there’s a whole lotta sharin’ goin’ on. 

Reined In

Who says a cowgirl can’t have it all?

Stormy is a rancher’s daughter through and through, and although she went away to college, her soul is firmly rooted in home ground—and the cowboys she grew up tormenting. When she hears her father might be selling the ranch, she packs her bags and high tails it for home, terrified she might never get another chance to lasso the heart of one of her cowboys before the hands scatter to the four winds.

For Cam and Joe, foreman and wrangler on the ranch, Stormy was a pain in the seat of their Wranglers. But when she roars back onto the ranch, the spoiled brat they remember emerges from the cloud of dust in skin-tight jeans and spike heels and all grown up.

It only takes a hot second to figure out she’s hell-bent on seduction. But if she thinks they’re going to make it easy for her to pick which cowboy she wants most, she’s sadly mistaken. And who says she has to choose one?

Read an excerpt…

The little red Miata ground to a halt, kicking up caliche to pepper the porch’s underskirting like shrapnel.

Joe Halloran suppressed a grin and tipped up the cowboy hat riding low over his brow with a lazy finger. Minutes ago, when the sound of an engine had screamed down the long private drive, he’d groaned because this was his first break of the day and he really wasn’t up for company. But as soon as he’d seen who it was, he settled deeper into his rocking chair.

Trouble had arrived. And about damn time.

Without moving from his chair, he slid his boots inches to the left on the porch railing to get a better view as the driver ground the gearshift into park. Joe glanced to the side. “What the hell do you suppose she’s doin’ here, Cam?”

Seated beside him, his buddy grunted from beneath the hat he had dipped low enough to shade his entire face. “Not a clue. Suppose her old man let somethin’ slip?”

Joe gave a snort, lowered his brim again and settled deeper into his chair, ready to play. What had been the end of a hellacious day of work had suddenly taken a mighty interesting turn.

A car door slammed. Between the porch slats, he watched a pair of long legs scissor with brisk precision. High heels tapped on the steps.

Still, he didn’t give a single indication he’d heard her. Instead, he took a deep breath and scratched his bare chest.

A fingernail dug into his forearm. “Hey, cowboy.”

He muttered but didn’t move a muscle. She knew his damn name.

She poked him again with her nail. “Cowboy, wake up.”

The hint of irritation in her silky voice gratified him in a way that didn’t bear too much introspection. He leaned back his head and squinted at her. “Peaches,” he exclaimed, a grin stretching his mouth. “Long time, no see.”

Stormy Jordan narrowed her gaze into a mean glare. Yeah, she hated the nickname because she knew he’d given it to her based on the shape of her little ass. To make matters worse, the name had stuck like glue when her daddy had begun calling her it too. Funny, she’d never told him why she detested it so much.

“Cowboy,” she said, her voice dripping with syrup. “How ’bout you move your butt and go get my bags?”

Again, he tipped his hat up to stare into a pair of silvery-blue eyes that cut him like a Ginsu knife. “You talkin’ to me, ma’am?” he asked, being deliberately slow because he knew it irked the hell out of her.

She lowered her pale brows over that cold stare. “Well, who the hell else would I be talkin’ to? My bags? I’d like to take a shower. I’ve been on the road since dawn.”

Still, he didn’t move. He let his gaze slide over her curves, taking a detour downward then back up. When his gaze reached her reddening face again, one side of his mouth twitched. He could almost hear the steam hissing.

She tapped a toe impatiently. “Since you don’t have anything better to do…”

Joe cut a glance at his buddy.

Cam’s lips tightened, but he settled deeper in his seat, resetting his hat to shade his eyes—giving Joe his silent approval to do his thing.

Hiding a grin, Joe bolted forward in his chair, rising so swiftly she didn’t have a chance to move back. “Sure thing, ma’am,” he said, crowding her against the rail. “I’ll get on it right away, ma’am.” Only he made another slow perusal of her body to make sure she knew he was talking about more than her damn suitcases.

She cleared her throat and sidestepped him. “Cowboy, don’t get ’em dirty.”

“Now, sweetheart, that would be a cryin’ damn shame.”

Cameron Mitchell hid a smile as Stormy stomped to the far side of the porch and Joe ambled down the steps to her car. Those two had always been at each other’s throats. Watching them spar was more exciting than any UFC fight and far bloodier.

Still, as much as they poked and prodded at each other, he’d never seen either of them back away. And Stormy always came back for more, so he assumed she liked it.

Cam and Stormy’s interactions were quieter, but no less intense. The woman had a way of setting a man’s libido on fire even while she did her best to make him feel two feet tall or like he had two left feet. It was a talent. One that had kept the boys flocking all over this very porch when she’d been in high school. Which had kept Joe mean and edgy, because he’d wanted her even back then when she was still jailbait.

The years hadn’t dulled the edges of her attraction. Sun-streaked blonde hair was held up in a clip, exposing her delicate neck and ears. Her black, button-down blouse was two sizes too small, emphasizing the swell of her B-cup breasts and revealing the sliver of bare skin between the shirt and the top of her short, fanny-hugging black skirt. That hint of firm belly was enough to make Cam hard enough to hammer a nail.

He recrossed his legs and interlaced his fingers to let them rest above the swell of his hard-on. If she looked close enough, she’d know how she affected him. Even after all this time.

Maybe it was wrong, but he’d lusted after Stormy Jordan since she’d sprouted breasts and learned to wag her bottom like a siren. He and Joe had come to the Jordan family ranch when they were in high school, looking for part-time work as wranglers, thinking cowboy work couldn’t be that hard. Hell, girls dug a man in chaps and a hat. They’d stayed long after graduation because of their love for the ranch…and maybe, their enduring attraction to a certain wild filly.

Contest

Comment for a chance to win your choice of
one of my Lone Star Lovers books!
I’ll choose THREE WINNERS!

Here are all the Lone Star Lovers books, including the prequel story set over a century ago…

Click on the covers to read more about these books!

UPDATE: The winner is…Cindy!
*~*~*

I’ve had tons of fun writing stories within Elle James’s Brotherhood Protectors world. The last two books, Gunn’s Mission and Tyson’s Mission, were especially fun because the task was to write about a mission in a foreign country. In Gunn’s Mission, I sent poor Gunnar into the Arctic Circle on an ice floe. Tyson went to the Yucatan jungle to guard a woman working on an archeological dig. Both stories required quite a bit of research, which was challenging and added interesting complications to the characters’ journeys. I hope you read both, but if not, maybe you’ll win one of these or another of the BP books I’ve written. Keep reading…

Tyson’s Mission

A former Navy SEAL is tapped to provide security for a team of archeologists working to uncover a Mayan temple deep in a Mexican jungle that a local drug cartel is targeting.

After surviving a catastrophic helicopter accident, former Navy SEAL Tyson Quigley is taking well to his new life with the Brotherhood Protectors in the Yellowstone, Montana, office. Life’s looking up. He’s working with old teammates and loves volunteering in the national park.

Then he gets a call from his university professor brother, who is worried about a colleague working on an archeological dig in southern Mexico. The team has had problems with thefts of equipment and supplies and has received veiled threats from a drug cartel because their dig is in their territory. Now, one of the dig team members has been kidnapped and held for ransom, but they quickly figure out the finger they were sent in the package demanding payment is from an already dead person. Now, they have no idea whether their team member is alive or dead, and they think the labor they’ve hired to work on the site is on the cartel payroll, too.

After a quick conference with his Brotherhood Protector teammates, Ty heads down to Mexico to pose as his brother’s friend’s boyfriend to provide her protection for the remainder of the dig.

Cara Woodward doesn’t need a babysitter. Sure, things have gotten scary since her friend’s abduction, and she doesn’t like the fact the university wants to leave her recovery to the local police. However, Tyson’s everywhere she is, and it’s getting on her nerves. His looming presence is distracting, to say the least. He’s too handsome, too intense. Thankfully, after arriving on site, the lead archeologist on the dig quickly puts Ty in charge of overseeing site security which splits his attention.

As the dig team continues documenting their work before they pack up and leave, they suffer another theft and an attack—this time, too close to Cara for Ty’s comfort. He’s locking her down, with no daylight between them for the duration.

Read an Excerpt Here

All the Brotherhood Protectors stories I’ve written so far…

Click on the covers to learn more about them!

  

  

Contest

For a chance to win one of the stories shown above, tell me whether you’ve read any of these, and what settings you prefer!

UPDATE: The winners are…Kerry Jo, Misty Dawn, and Sandy Kelly!
*~*~*

I love my Montana Bounty Hunters. I’ve said it before, but I try hard to make each of them individual rather than cookie-cutter characters with different names. I also love to dream up unique takedowns for your reading pleasure and to showcase who these men are. One of my favorite characters is Brian, an amputee who has fought back from feeling useless at the beginning of the series to being an integral part of the bounty hunters’ team and a warrior again. I did a ton of research to get him right. Hope you’ve enjoyed his story.

Brian

MONTANA BOUNTY HUNTERS: Authentic Men… Real Adventures…

The haunted gaze of one wounded warrior sparks a challenge in a physical therapist who’s determined to help him regain what he’s lost whether he wants her help or not…

Physical Therapist, Raydeen Pickering, has seen her fill of stubborn veterans, some too angry to get on with their lives, some still living in hell in their minds, and then some unwilling to let their broken bodies hold them back. She hasn’t figured out which Brian Cobb is yet. The first time she met the handsome, wounded warrior, he was wary and defensive, his gaze always sliding toward the door, looking for as a quick escape from the Soldiers’ Sanctuary meetings.

Even now, there’s something about the ex-Army MP, now bounty hunter wrangler, that sets him apart from the other men she’s helped mend. There’s something more–not just the haunted look in his eyes or the stubborn set of his chin. The way he looks at her when he thinks her attention is elsewhere gives her hope that she’ll reach him, and that he’ll let her help him regain more of what he’s lost.

First though, he has to figure out he’s in love with the wrong woman. The one he needs is right here, and if she has to do the chasing, so be it, because those looks he gives her have rekindled a fire she thought was lost forever…

Contest

Are you all caught up reading the original Montana Bounty Hunters series?

For a chance to win a download of one of the stories you may have missed
(I’ll pick three winners!), tell me this:
What profession other than bounty hunters would you like to see my heroines involved with in my Montana Bounty Hunters—Yellowstone branch stories?

Here are all the Bear Lodge Montana Bounty Hunters! Yes, it’s an old meme, but do you really care?

MONTANA BOUNTY HUNTERS: Bear Lodge, MT
Authentic Men… Real Adventures…
Reaper: https://amzn.to/2NztLpv
Dagger: https://amzn.to/2zo6Dav
Reaper’s Ride: https://amzn.to/2KKkisI
Cochise: https://amzn.to/2zq4avV
Hook: https://amzn.to/2UrpyYh
Wolf: https://amzn.to/2yUTjr5
Animal: https://amzn.to/2H4Roob
Big Sky Wedding: https://amzn.to/33GprwK
Quincy: https://amzn.to/2QlleM8
Brian: https://amzn.to/2ZV8m2G

Excerpt from Brian:

Sweat trickled down the sides of Brian Cobb’s face. His helmet felt heavy on his head, his pack dragged on his shoulders, and his boots were so hot he was walking in pools of water. The transport vehicles his squad had been promised hadn’t arrived, so they were hoofing it back to camp with half a dozen prisoners chained in a line. Still, their plight was better than the infantry platoon’s they’d left a click back. Once they’d given the ISIS fighters into Military Police custody, they’d headed back to continue their sweep for insurgents hiding inside the village with the unpronounceable name.

“Hey, Corncob,” Private First Class Benny Sanders said as he walked beside him.

“You know I hate that nickname, Sanders,” Brian muttered.

“Yeah, I do,” he said, his smile stretching across his dark face. Benny jerked his chin toward the slender figure striding ahead of the chained prisoners, her dog Tessa walking, unleashed by her side. “I see how you look at her. Are you and she…?” Read the rest of this entry »

So, maybe medieval paranormal isn’t your thing. How about erotic romance? An alpha male? A woman in captivity? Secrets kept? Do those tropes appeal? Then this novella will be one you’ll want to gobble up!

After awakening in a castle, bound and at the mercy of her captor, Voletta has every reason to fear the mysterious man holding her in his arms. Instead, his brooding presence intrigues her, and his hard body excites her. However attracted she is, she must escape before he discovers her dark secret…but then she learns he has one of his own.

Order your copy now!

Opening scene of The Demon Lord’s Cloak…

“We’ll all be dead by morning.” Martin’s voice quavered as he emptied another glass of Frau Sophie’s precious peach schnapps.

“Who’d have guessed it’d be nigh on impossible to find a virgin in this valley?” his companion said.

“Pah! Even my own daughter,” Martin moaned. “What’s the world coming to, Edgard? Young women giving themselves like barmaids…”

Edgard’s shoulders slumped. “I tell you it was the last May Day celebration. The bürgermeister should never have let Sophie provide the drink.”

“We should have locked every last one of the unmarried maidens in a cellar.”

“Well, no use grousing.” Martin set down his glass. “We have a problem. Now’s the time for clear thinking.”

“There’s no solution. The village will disappear, swallowed by Hell itself when we fail to provide his bride.” Edgard’s reddened eyes widened. “Couldn’t we mount a raid on Fulkenstein down the valley…take a girl or two…”

“There’s no time left. We only had the new moon to give that devil his due. It ends tomorrow night. We’d never be back in time.”

Edgard shook his head, sighing. “We’ve failed. Daemonberg will be no more. Best get the women packing tonight so we can flee come morning. A thousand years of prosperity and health–gone for the lack of a single maidenhead.”

“We’re doomed, I tell you.” Martin lifted the schnapps bottle and tilted it over his glass. He gave it a shake, and then slammed it down on the table. Turning toward the bar, he shouted, “Sophie, liebchen, bring us another bottle, will you?”

As he turned back to his friend, he saw a woman step through the doorway of the inn. Her beauty arrested him–far prettier than any of the strapping blonde women of the village, this one was slender, delicate, with deep reddish hair that glinted like fire in the torchlight, rather like the bay he’d bid on and lost at an auction in early spring.

He elbowed Edgard beside him. “Look there.”

Both men turned to stare at the young woman entering.

“Where’s her escort?” Edgard whispered.

“She looks wary. I’d wager she’s on her own.”

They shared a charged glance, shoulders straightening.

“What do you suppose the chances are she’s a virgin?” Edgard asked softly.

“She’s beyond fair. What man would care whether he was her first just so long as he’s her last? Besides, what other options have we?”

Sophie slammed another bottle in the center of the table and gave them a scathing glance. “If you go home to your wives legless with drink, I’ll not take the blame.”

“We’ll have just one more glass,” Martin assured her, reaching around to pat her rump. “For the road. We’ve business to attend.”

Sophie rolled her eyes and turned, her ample hips rolling as she walked across the room to greet the young woman who waved her away.

“If they only knew the solemn duty we perform,” Martin whispered. “They’d call us heroes.”

Only they could never tell a soul. That too was part of their sacred oath, handed down from father to son.

Edgard poured them both another drink, then lifted his glass. “To another hundred years of peace and wealth.”

Martin lifted his glass with one hand and crossed himself with the other. “To the fair maiden with the red hair—God rest her soul.”