Crushed: A Western Romance (Red Velvet Series Book 3) Read online

  Daisy was shaking like a leaf in the dry Texas wind now, as her heart pounded rapidly.

  “Do you still like fireworks, Daize?” he whispered low.

  Daisy couldn’t even swallow. She never wanted a man like she wanted Rand Monroe. “Yes…” Her whisper was so faint she couldn’t even hear it herself. By fireworks, he meant the best lovin’ she’d ever known. The kind that would make a woman beg for more even while she was passin’ out!

  “We’ll make a deal this time around.”

  Her eyes met his. “A deal?”

  He nodded and thumbed her nipples.

  The tingles he was causing shot along her body from her nipples straight to the apex of her now very wet leotards. Her mind whirled. A devil of a deal with an angel of a man who put her on a cloud once before in her life. Could she survive another trip into the heavens with him?

  “I’ll make the rules this time.” He lowered his mouth and latched onto a nipple while tweaking the other between his skilled fingers.

  Daisy’s body drooped and her knees almost gave way as he suckled and played with her. Her thoughts faded away.

  Rand’s hand roamed along her breast down to her hips and he grasped an ass cheek, tugging her closer as he continued to suck and nibble on a nipple.

  She tried to keep from slipping into this net, but she failed. He was using her body as a human lollipop, and again she tried to swim up to sanity, to fasten onto what he just said. But the ground that was solid earth slipped away from beneath her. She knew at this moment, she would agree to any damn thing this angel man proposed.

  This time? She wasn’t gonna drop the harp through the cloud. I can do it. Heaven awaits you, Daisy Plush!

  Red Velvet Book Four

  GET BOOK FOUR NOW CLICK ON THE COVER

  BRAND NEW EXCERPTS

  BOOKS FOUR & FIVE

  HAMMERED

  BOOK FOUR

  TIME TO BE PICKIN’ THEM DAISIES

  Plush Stud Ranch, Victoria Texas…

  Daisy’s Romper Room

  Rand finally arrived. He’d done caught up with her. Her mama always said he would…

  And…here he was, standing in her room! All the way from the land down under, across the world… A world, Daisy thought she’d put between them. Just his presence made her tremble like a scrawny bush in hell fire’s wind.

  He clasped his hands together and gazed around at the room. It looked as if he clamped his large hands to keep from reaching for her. His gaze stopped at a certain point in the room.

  Oh…crap on a cracker! He sees it! Daisy panicked.

  “You still have that picture?”

  She gulped and didn’t answer.

  “Daisy?”

  She released a huge breath. “Yes—I kept it. You were the only man who ever had a place on my mantle, okay? Happy now?”

  “I haven’t really been happy since the day you left.”

  Daisy drew in her breath.

  His gaze turned to her. “My kids have made me happy. They’re both something to be proud of. My work has even seemed to fill some holes. I’ve had a fling or two. Being a man, I always have the need. Then, over the years, there’ve been a few women who wanted to give me all that you wouldn’t.”

  Daisy stared at him now. “I couldn’t give—not wouldn’t.”

  They both stood still…it was as if they were both remembering—time seemed to slip away. Daisy remembered when she first saw him that day, many years ago and goose bumps rose on her arms… Leather chaps, powerful legs and a body women in America would have paid dearly to see without all that leather. Hell, women anywhere in the world would have dropped to their knees just to get him to notice them.

  Yeah, Leather, Fireworks and Daize….

  “So…what will it be?” Rand asked.

  ~~****~~

  Summer, 1993

  Queensland, Australia, the Gold Coast

  “So, what’ll it be?” the bartender asked, his accent thick.

  Daisy sat on a stool at the Electric Horseman bar on the gold coast of Australia. She’d traveled by airplane here alone, which hadn’t bothered her at all. Her Aunt Teeny paid for the entire thing, so Daisy could ‘sow some wild oats’ she’d said.

  Well, poor Aunty Teeny never knew about Daisy and her wild sowing. She’d already sown, plowed and replanted her wild oats. She snickered a little whenever she thought about it.

  Wild is right, she thought, gazing around with a small rush of excitement. Everyone was here for the Aussie Rodeo. She glanced up at the bartender as if she just heard what he said. “Um…do you know what Sex on the Beach is?”

  The man halted his wiping of the bar top as his mouth popped open.

  “Well, if he doesn’t, I sure the hell would like to try it,” a deep voice answered from behind her.

  Daisy swung her barstool around, a pithy but painful zing of a retort on her lips, ready to keep the lowlife shit eatin’ barflies from hitting on her.

  What stood in front of her wasn’t at all what she expected. No, no barfly or any kind of insect. A man—but not just any kind of a man. Tall in build, so tall even as she sat on a stool, she still had to peer up a bit to see his face and when she did, her gaze met with blue eyes that bettered any sky she’d ever seen. Her words and mouth instantly and completely dried up.

  Then he had the audacity to smile at her.

  His smile could only be described as dazzling sunshine in a Blue Norther, and it made her heart pound like bulls stomping the ground in a stampede.

  Tilting his dusky head at her, he chuckled a bit. “Sorry, sheila, I just couldn’t resist.”

  Daisy finally found her voice and she hoped it didn’t squeak like a pathetic church mouse caught raidn’ the cheese traps. “My name ain’t Sheila, so I guess ya got the wrong beach.” Her words sounded braver than she felt, but she forced herself to turn her damn barstool around—hard as it was to avoid gawking at such a display of hot Australian beef. Yeah, men who looked like walking gods from a place where they controlled all the life around them? Nah, that kind of man wasn’t meant for her. She liked ’em good-lookin’ but they needed to be more pliable…more eager to be controlled.

  Her stool spun all the way back around. Gasping as it halted, Daisy now felt like a spider trapped in a sensuous compelling web as she stared into a cerulean blue gaze.

  His eyes met hers and amusement twinkled there as his big hands held the barstool. “Yeah. I get it. It looks like I’m hittin’ on you. I promise I’m not an ocker.”

  Daisy blinked her eyes at him, like a slow simpleton. She could listen to his voice and stare into his baby blues all day and twice on Sunday. Just exist off breathing in the scent, or maybe it was a flavor of whatever the hell delicious aroma this man exuded—simply ogle him from head to gorgeous toe, like a dime store window mannequin. Her panties were getting wetter with every word he spoke. Her nipples hardened by simply staring down at his big, rope callused hands and long strong fingers.

  Then realization dawned on her, and she almost tisked aloud. It goddamn figures, she would have the hots for a cowboy. Come all the way from Texas, USA, to another land across the wide world, and immediately get the panty sweats and booby bothers over an Aussie cowboy!

  His voice caught her again from wandering her helpless eyes over that sexy sizzling bod of his for the umpteenth time. Even if she didn’t understand half of what the big Aussie said. Hell, he could speak Swafuckinghili and she wouldn’t care a whit.

  “So, whaddya you say?” he asked.

  Again, she batted her eyes to clear the fog of this sexy man from her usually steady brain. “To what? Sex on the beach?” She almost winced visibly when the dumbass words tumbled out of her big, fat mouth.

  The hot Aussie halted as his eyes widened.

  Daisy gulped heavily. I’m dumb, dumb…dumb as a bag of doornails.

  He threw his head back and laughed with exuberance. He slapped his knee and just laughed.

  Daisy almost jumped from the stool a
s the sound caught her totally off guard. Boy howdy, does this walking cowboy god have a sexy infectious laugh. She rolled her eyes at herself. Daisy the comedian, yep, that’s me. She let out a sigh.

  In the meantime, the beefy male standing in front of her tried to catch his breath and swiped at tears of laughter. He then ceased with his guffaws and grabbed her hand. “Come on and I’ll show ya the beach.” He tugged her along the bar floor and out the door.

  ~~~****~~

  Daisy’s daydreaming about the day they met came to a sudden halt, as Rand pulled her into his arms and lowered his lips to hers.

  “I’m not here to ask. I’m telling. I’m staying here at your…” he paused, “ranch, because you and I have a lot of unfinished business.”

  With his warm breath on her lips, and his announcement, Daisy felt like a sonic boom just reverberated through her body. He’s still hotter than red-eye gravy. Do men get smoother and sexier as they get older? I know this one did.

  Then, a first happened. She had nothing to say…Daisy Plush had nothing at all to say.

  Rand smiled to her lips.

  Ahh shit, I’m in a hailstorm of trouble this time.

  He lowered his fingers to her breasts and pinched both her nipples through her blouse.

  Her knees almost gave way.

  Then, his mouth came down to her neck and he kissed her tender skin there. He kept playing with her nipples and kissing her skin with that blazing mouth of his.

  Daisy couldn’t breathe; she knew this man could take anything he wanted from her. He always could, but now she knew for sure—he always would.

  This is why she ran from him 20 years ago. No man before or after him ever overwhelmed, over powered and over stimulated her like Rand Monroe. Her breath hitched as her leotards were now surely wet from her body reacting to him and his touch.

  Abrupt like, he turned her around and nudged her along until they stood in front of her dresser. He reached around and lowered her blouse. Her large boobs were pushed up by the corset she was wearing. Rand watched her face in the mirror.

  Oh, Lord Almighty, he is gonna be the sexual death of me.

  PRELUDE TO TRIPLE VELVET

  BOOK FIVE

  Coming Soon

  Yep…there are just too many hidden arrows in his quiver for my comfort!

  Daisy’s Romper Room…

  Daisy now lay nude on her bed, hoping Rand found her just as desirable as he did all those years ago.

  He tugged his boots off then his jeans.

  Her breath caught in her chest while she stared at nothing but glory. I remember now… His skin felt as smooth as velvet but it always looked like hammered steel.

  He stood gazing intently at her.

  “The years have been good to you, Rand,” she whispered in awe.

  His hot gaze roamed all over her skin as he tilted his head at her. “They have been more than kind to you too, Daize.”

  She shook her head. “I’m not eighteen anymore.”

  “Well, you were twenty when I met you. So, you were never eighteen to me.”

  She tittered at his joke and felt anxious to have her leather back. “Well, big man? Are ya gonna jump into my saddle?” she asked outright… Daisy style, that is.

  He grinned and lay down next to her, tugging her close.

  She let out the most satisfied sigh when his smooth skin met hers.

  “Now, don’t go and get mad at me,” he warned.

  Batting her lashes as she almost felt drool pooling at her lips in want of licking him like a man popsicle from his ankle to his chin, she peered up at him. “Now, why would I—”

  “We aren’t gonna do anything tonight.”

  Her mouth popped open in pure unadulterated shock.

  At her fish out of water expression, he chuckled a little and pulled her close then wrapped a sheet over their bodies.

  “Wha—what?” she whispered in shock.

  “I am saving myself for my wedding night.”

  Daisy sat bolt upright in the bed and gaped at him.

  Rand kept a steady gaze with her as he shrugged at her, his smile wide.

  “Now, leather man, you’d best be kiddin’ me!”

  Rand stared at her face for a full minute and then laughed so hard, he fell over in the bed.

  Daisy felt her glower leave as relief flooded her and she lay back down, wrapping her arms around him. “I knew you must be just playing with me.”

  He slowed his chuckling and pulled her closer. “Nope.”

  Daisy again froze. “You mean you’re serious?” Her voice rose.

  “Yep. I sure am… We did all this backward, you know?”

  “Backward?” With her anger rising now, she squirmed in his arms. Rand held her tight and she now remembered his strength when she couldn’t rise up, even by an inch.

  “We met, had sex on the beach, then birthed a baby, then set a wedding date.”

  Daisy rolled her eyes. “Yes, Rand, I do remember all the sordid—”

  He sighed. “But we never had a wedding night…” His voice sounded strange, odd-like.

  Did he sound—forlorn? she wondered.

  “Well, this time we are going to do it right. I—we waited 20 years to have a wedding night and by holy hell or high fucking water? We will have a genuine honeymoon night like we always should have had.”

  Daisy settled down; in fact, he shocked her down. Maybe she did need to realize how she’d hurt this big-hearted sexy man all these years. “I am so sor—”

  Rand tugged her up and planted his lips over hers, soundly cutting her heartfelt apology short. He kissed her do deep, so hard, Daisy thought she might pass out. His velvety, hot tongue meshed with hers, while his warm hammered chest met with her soft bouncy jugs. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she vowed to make it up to him. Nah, it couldn’t be done, truth be told. But hell, she swore right then, she was gonna die trying.

  ~~* * * *~~

  At the Cook’s Cottage, Triple K

  Travis held her hand and led Maggie down a long sidewalk at the side of the big house. She shivered suddenly and felt odd, like everything was echoing around her and she knew she’d become light headed as they walked along. A giggle slipped out as she realized she might just be drunk.

  Travis halted and turned to look at her. “What’s so funny now? Did I do something stupid again without knowing it?”

  Maggie tiled her head back and stared intently at him. “Well someone sure has issues!” She laughed loudly.

  Travis blinked his eyes at her. “Are you—” Maggie started to fall backward and he caught her. “—Drunk?” he finished his question.

  She let out a hiccup and grinned at him. “How come you gotta be so dammed sexy? Huh? Why couldn’t my dream man be a little more—normal looking?” She laughed loudly again.

  Travis swung her up into his arms and carried her along the walk. “I guess we’re all built like we are?”

  Maggie giggled. “And some are built like hot cowboy sundaes!”

  Travis grinned at the odd expression. “What?”

  “Nothin’.” She shook her head. “You can’t tell him, ya know—that I think he’s this hot sundae who needs a good lickin’?”

  Travis halted and stared down at her. “You think I need…” He looked shocked, then he again shook his head and kept walking. He carried her to a door and kicked it open with his boot.

  “Whoa!” Maggie shouted. “That was too fucking cool, like Bruce Lee or Van Damme cool! You must have boots made for—kickin’ ass!”

  He chuckled and carried her over to a couch, setting her down.

  “Oooh, comfy couch!” She tried to sit up and failed.

  Travis stood above her wearing a puzzled expression. “Did you have a lot to drink?”

  Halting her struggles, she peered up at him. “God damnit, you are yummy!” she blurted out, entirely ignoring his question altogether. Then, she tried to sit up again and this time managed to do it, rather wobbly—but she did do it. “How�
��s ’bout we just get it the hells over—over with and…” She reached down and tugged her shirt off. “…DO IT!” She tossed her shirt aside.

  Travis’ eyes widened. “Okay, now I know you been drinking.”

  She unsnapped her bra and let her very large breasts plop right out—in the open, her nipples bared.

  “God damnit, Maggie!” He swore with awe in his voice and took a step back.

  “What?” Her head wobbled as she peered down. “Oh, these? Um, yeah double D’s!” She giggled. “Double D’s at the Triple K!” She laughed hard at her own joke until she snort laughed. She put her hands underneath them and lifted her boobs right up. “I’ve always been on the busty side, ya know?”

  Travis bit at his lip. “Just sooo…” His breath seemed to catch as he stared.

  “Want some, big chicken hawk?” she asked with wickedness in her voice. “They’re yours for the pilfering!”

  He looked uncomfortable as he then knelt down close to the couch. “I swear, Maggie, you are the damndest, most annoying…” His voice faded away. “…Beautiful woman I have ever met!” He licked at his lips and stared at her ample breasts as though they tempted him to do naughty things.

  Then, he stood up.

  Maggie leaned all the way back to keep her doubled gaze on him. “So…what’ya gonna do about it, big chicken hawk cowboy? Here’s the chick all served up.” She unsnapped her jeans. “Hot and ready.”

  Travis brought his hand up to his lip and tugged on it as though he were now more perplexed than ever before or he was tempted more than ever. “God damnit!” he yelled and stepped up to the couch again.

  ~~* * * *~~

  Kanda’s Hog-tie Party

  Hours after the hoedown party, Wade lay in Kanda’s bed…sound asleep.

  Kanda sat up slowly and quietly peered down at her big man. He fits well on my ole’ brass bed. She stared over at the ornate spiraling old-fashioned metal. Made strong to hold lots of weight and lots of lovin’. Only, I never, in my wildest imaginings, thought it would ever hold a man such as this!