Holding On To Heaven
Erotic Romance/Historical
Keta Diablo
AVAILABLE NOW ON KINDLE AND NOOK: Amazon Author Page
Watch the Video trailer: http://bit.ly/lbBTir
BLURB:
When the blazing fires of revolt ravage the countryside,
Lauren and Sage McCain are trapped amid the flames of destiny. The Civil War
has crumbled a Nation, and the Dakota Sioux uprising has turned southern
Minnesota into a violent battlefield.
Holding on to Heaven is a story of love between two men and a woman, love between siblings, and love that crosses all boundaries and forges all cultures.
Holding on to Heaven is a story of love between two men and a woman, love between siblings, and love that crosses all boundaries and forges all cultures.
* * *
Setup and Excerpt:
The
Horse Race. Creed and Lauren race against one another at a family gathering. An experienced rider, Lauren soon
realizes she can’t beat Creed unless she cheats.
*
* *
Through
the pounding heartbeat in Lauren’s ears she realized she wanted Creed, wanted
him like she’d never wanted another. Damn, had she lost her mind? The man
reeked danger and abandon, would take her body quicker than . . . no, it
wouldn’t be quick. He’d take her slow. Their love would be wild, crazy and
passionate, all the things she’d yearned for, craved, in the dark solace of her
dreams. Lord, how she wished she’d never laid eyes on the decadent man.
Brand’s
calm voice pulled her from her tumultuous thoughts. “Time for that race,
Lauren.” He rose and offered her his arm. “I’m placing my money on you.”
“I
wouldn’t advise you do that.”
“You
can beat Creed. Concentrate, and no matter how much you want to see if he’s
about to run you over, don’t look back.”
She
chewed on the inside of her cheek and nodded. “It’s going to take a miracle to
win, isn’t it?”
“Miracles
happen every day.” He brought his fingers to her face and brushed her cheek.
“Ride like you rode against me today and you have a chance.”
*
* * *
An
indefinable feeling snaked through Creed’s gut when Brand walked forward with
Lauren. Anna pressed her voluptuous breasts into his side and wished him luck,
but he didn’t hear her words. Tired of Anna’s continual demands, the time had
come for them to go separate ways. He’d known Anna for years, but only in the
last several months had he succumbed to her fleshy curves. The woman had tried
every wile known to female to rein him in, and all had failed. Although warm
and eager, Anna had never held his interest for more than an hour or two. But
then no woman had ever intrigued him the way Lauren McCain did.
He’d
stifled the jolt of lust pedaling through his veins as she watched him during
the meal. It had taken all his reserve to act detached while she sat beside his
brother and flashed her cat-like eyes at him. He didn’t like the feelings she
aroused in him. They left him sullen and edgy. Jesus, what in hell was wrong
with him? He barely knew the she-cat with a tongue sharper than barbs.
Now,
with every step she took toward him, the blood rushed to his groin. He wasn’t
prepared for the vision she presented, the snug riding pants and filmy blouse.
A dark brown ribbon held her hair back from her face and then tumbled down her
back in a veil of burnished copper. The color of those silky tresses reminded
him of autumn leaves. Brown eyes slanted upward at the corners, topped by
arched brows that rose articulately depending on her expression. How had he
missed that nuance when he’d committed to memory every other feature of her
face?
Tall
for a woman and thinner than smoke, he imagined running his hands down the
small of her back, her perfect bottom and . . . hell, he had to stop thinking
about fucking her all the time. He had to beat her in the race, and beat her he
would. Smiling to himself, he savored the thought of what it would be like to
take her down a notch or two. Only then would that smirk be wiped from her
lovely face—the I’m-better-than-you-sneer
she flaunted now as she sashayed forward.
“Miss
McCain, I hope you haven’t gorged yourself.” Inwardly, he smiled when color
stained her cheeks. “I’d hate to see your mount weighted down for the final
race.”
“Don’t
worry about Adobe or me.” She spat the words and mounted. “We’re more than
ready to leave you in our dust.”
The
gold flecks in her eyes sparked. For a brief moment he forgot about the crowd
and longed to yank her from the saddle and introduce her back to the dust she
spoke of.
“To
your success.” Creed raised his tankard of ale, downed it and set it on the
ground near his feet. He spoke to Mason as he swung a leg over the saddle, his
words confident and bold. “Let’s be about it then.”
The
crowd broke into rowdy whistles and then fell silent at Mason’s words. “On the
count of three. One . . . two . . . three!”
The
horses bolted at the retort of the pistol. Adobe and Creed’s black mare ran
neck and neck to the opposite end of the field. Thick clumps of sod flew
through the air from Adobe’s hooves as he sailed over the bundles in perfect
sync with Creed’s mount. He dragged his gaze from her expert riding skills and
concentrated on the race.
Someone
obviously had warned her not to look over her shoulder. She rode low, close to
the stallion’s mane her lush body one with the horse. The very air enveloping
them groaned with a competitive edge he’d never felt before. The spitfire
intended to beat him at any cost.
Although
fleet of foot, his mare lacked size against the stallion. When they reached the
bales at the far end of the field, his time had come to overtake her. Her
stallion navigated the crazy-eight with ease, and so did the mare. His moment
was at hand. As the mounts crossed over and headed for opposite sides, she dug
her heels into Adobe’s side and drove him into the mare’s withers. His horse
stumbled to her stifles, her frightened whinnies echoing through the air.
Lauren pressed on without as much as a backward glance.
The
mare found her footing and like her rider, rage spurned her onward. She made up
for the precious lost seconds the reckless stunt had cost them, but not enough
to charge over the finish line before the stallion.
The
crowd went wild as the riders swept past them in a swirling haze of dust. Damn,
the cheating bitch had won. Halting near the corral, Lauren dismounted and
bolted from her mount.
Creed
dogged her heels, so close, he saw her knees quake. “You cheated!” He advanced
and poked a finger into her chest. “You could have killed me with that crazy
stunt you pulled!”
She
backed away, visibly shaken. “Whatever are you talking about? You lost, fair
and square.”
He
screamed so loud, she jumped. “Liar!”
“Your
clumsy mount lost her footing and plowed into Adobe!” Their gazes locked, and in
that infinitesimal moment, he lost pace with his breathing. “You, Creed
Gatlin,” she said her voice quavering. “Were bested by a mere woman so live
with it.”
“You’re
no woman.” He didn’t know if he wanted to ring her slender neck or toss her to
the ground and slam into her until she admitted that she cheated. “You’re a
spoiled little bitch!”
An
audible gasp fell from her lips before her brown eyes narrowed.
“You
could never beat me fair and square and you know it.” He struggled to control
his emotions. She’d beaten him in the race, albeit by cheating, but why did he
sense she was beating him again now?
Her
bottom lip trembled. He became aware of her childlike vulnerability, and his potent desire for her. The
cutting remarks, the bold, confident persona were nothing more than a façade on
her part. Her nearness sent his senses reeling―the scent of woman, horse and
leather adding to the roaring chaos in his head. She stumbled on the words she
tried to speak and tears filled her eyes.
“Leave,
now,” he said. “Before I do something we’ll both regret.”
She
raised her dainty chin and held his eyes for an eternity it seemed. Then her
long lashes swept down across her cheeks before she bustled passed him in a
cloud of dust.
Tune in tomorrow for more from Keta Diablo
Keta is offering an ebook to one lucky commenter from today and tomorrow. Please leave your name and e-mail below to be eligible to win. Your e-mail will never be used by Keta for any purpose other than this contest. However, if you'd like to sign up for her newsletter, you can do that here: http://ketaskeep.blogspot.com (upper right hand corner). The owner of Cowboy Kisses will select a winner tomorrow and announce it on the blog. Winner will also be notified by e-mail. GOOD LUCK everyone!
Tune in tomorrow for more from Keta Diablo
Keta is offering an ebook to one lucky commenter from today and tomorrow. Please leave your name and e-mail below to be eligible to win. Your e-mail will never be used by Keta for any purpose other than this contest. However, if you'd like to sign up for her newsletter, you can do that here: http://ketaskeep.blogspot.com (upper right hand corner). The owner of Cowboy Kisses will select a winner tomorrow and announce it on the blog. Winner will also be notified by e-mail. GOOD LUCK everyone!
1 comment:
This sounds really interesting Keta. A time period that is certainly fraught with danger and challenges, not to mention hardships.
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