He might be one of the best riders in the world, but she’ll give him the buck of his life.
WOULD YOU RATHER… Go through your entire life without ever falling in love? OR… Have a rough-and-tumble cowboy stomp all over your heart with his sharpened spurs before riding off into the sunset like John f***ing Wayne?
Yeah, that happened. And frankly, I knew better. All cowboys are trouble. I’ve grown up around them my entire life, so I know how they operate. I’ve broken some of the toughest horses in the business. But for some reason, I found this thoroughbred impossible to resist.
A lot of good it did me too. Nothing but tears and comfort eating in the aftermath.
Suddenly, after a year away with no phone calls or texts to show for it, he’s back. He thinks we can pick up where we left off. But I’ve got news for him: His eight seconds with me are already up.
Little do I know, there’s a reason why he’s come back. And it’s the absolute last thing I expect.
Melanie grew up in the Midwest, but she loves living in the Southeast (where the beaches are!) now with her husband and daughter. Melanie’s other passion is traveling and seeing the world. With anthropology degrees under their belts, she and her husband have made it their goal in life to see as many archaeological sites around the world as possible. She has a horrible food addiction to pasta and candy (not together…ew). And she gets sad when her wine rack is empty. At the end of the day, she is a true romantic at heart. She loves writing the cheesy and corny of romantic comedies, and the sassy and sexy of suspense. She aims to make her readers swoon, laugh out loud, maybe sweat a little, and above all, fall in love. Go visit Melanie’s website and sign up for her newsletter to stay updated on release dates, teasers, and other details for all of her projects!
Hot as a California summer and off limits. Too young. A rich, snobby princess, but I couldn’t help crave her innocence as much as the next man. No matter how much her feigned hatred stirred up obsessive want inside me, I found myself protecting her from the real predator. Betrayed by Addilyn and my father, I ended up in jail for assault. But I’m a free man now, and I have what I need to get my revenge. I’ll destroy the man who uprooted my life. Make Addilyn pay for her part in ruining me. My obsession has not waned in five years, so to hell with wanting. This time, I’m taking.
WARNING: Taking, the second book of the Forbidden Obsession Duet, contains triggers and mature themes. Recommended for 18+
Addilyn and the asshole eventually exited, moving across the parking lot together. My stare burned on the back of her head. She stumbled and nearly fell—until the blond fucker touched her.
Fucking touched what didn’t belong to him.
Jaw clenched and hands fisting, I roused my self-control to hold still, allowing him to help her right herself, all the while cursing his existence, his smile.
They moved forward once more, and I shifted with the deep darkness of the night, determined to get closer. To stop the fucker from putting his hands on her if he tried.
He bumped her arm a second time, blatantly flirting, and I growled, fingertips itching to rip his face to fucking shreds.
The thought he might kiss her goodnight—or even worse, follow her home to her place, raised my goddamn hackles, and I shivered with the need to unleash some violence. The hunting knife strapped to my waist suddenly felt heavier, the blade seeming to whisper as I slid it out into my palm. One slash would spill blood and keep whoever the fucker was from touching her ever again.
From behind a truck, I gritted my teeth and watched them approach her car.
Waited, every cell in my body vibrating.
She went to open her car door, and he reached out for her arm, halting her.
I took a step forward, the handle of the knife in my hand in a blink.
A few mumbled words—and he turned back the way they’d come, sending me sliding into the shadow of the truck.
Addilyn peered after him for a few seconds before climbing inside her car.
I stayed put and pressed against the truck, contemplating the blade in my hand and the clueless fuck seconds from passing me by.
Twinkie had taught me how to wield a knife and where to best stab to end a life.
And I considered it. Fuck, did I think on it.
Saw it in my mind… A quick grab, a single slash across the fucker’s throat. The spray of blood reddening the snow and slush at my feet. Soothing my rage’s need to unleash.
But he could easily shout before steel met flesh.
And the other people exiting the pizzeria behind me would see.
Five years in prison had been more than enough, and I couldn’t afford to land there again without finishing what I had planned.
Pulling back tight against the truck, I held still. Didn’t breathe.
And the clueless fuck waltzed right on past, not realizing fate had given him a generous second chance at life.
Lynn Burke is a full time mother, voracious gardener, and scribbler of spicy romance stories. A country bumpkin turned Bay Stater, she enjoys her chowdah and Dunkin Donuts when not trying to escape the reality of city life.
Title: And Hell Followed Author: Beckett Riley Genre: Dark, Western Romance
We all have our demons
My parents thought emigrating from Germany to the American frontier was going to be a good thing for everyone. But it seems that a darkness is doomed to follow us wherever we go.
Life can be harsh and unforgiving in this world, especially for a woman. Luckily, I have my brother, Thomas, to watch out for me and protect me. He can only do so much, though, and after that vile attack, I find myself in need of protection more than ever. It was then I realized that festering darkness came from within.
Although society won’t take kindly to it, we have forsaken God and embarked on an unholy life, but just as things finally began to calm down, the past reared its ugly head and came back to tear us apart and destroy and everything we’ve built.
But as Thomas once told me, I would ride my steed through the fires of hell to salvage the only thing worth living for, and if the devil himself gets in my way, he will beg to God for mercy.
Beckett Riley resides in the sunshine state where she writes in between taking care of a four-year-old daughter, three dogs, six chickens, a grumpy barn cat, and a husband (sometimes in that order according to him). She loves writing erotic stories as much as she enjoys reading them. Dark romance and happily ever afters with hot, possessive, guys bring tears of joy to her eyes so please excuse the alpha males roaming her pages, they know not what they do.
