Title: Passion in Paradise Duo
Novels Included: Cain's Salvation & Hard as Stone
Author: Sarah O'Rourke
Genre: Erotic Romance Suspense
In the small, sleepy Southern town of Paradise, not everything is as it seems. Nestled in the foothills of the Smoky Mountains, the tiny country town seems like it would be the perfect spot to raise a family, build a life and enjoy living in what most natives call ‘God’s Country’. What no one seems to realize is that there are secrets hiding in the families of this quaint little community – especially the McKinnon clan.
And everyone knows, in a family, secrets never stay secret for long.
Cain’s Salvation Excerpt
Suddenly Faith was there by his side, her slender hand circling his wrist and tugging frantically. “Cain! Let him go right now!” she ordered, pulling fruitlessly against the manacle-like grip he had on the drunk’s throat.
His gaze shifted from the asshole to Faith. “He put his hands on you,” he bit out, ruthlessly tightening his hold. “And then, he threatened you again.”
“I’m fine!” she begged, tugging again at his wrist. “The only one in danger here is you if you don’t let him go! He can’t breathe, Cain! Please!”
Flinging the asshole away from him with a twitch of his wrist, he sent the man stumbling backward into the Deputy’s grip, gasping for much needed air. Pointing a finger at the gaping man, he warned, “Come near her again and I’ll end you slowly.”
“Take him down to the station and get him booked,” Zeke ordered harshly to his Deputy before sparing a look toward Cain. It was clear to him that the other man was as likely to attack again as not. “Get him some air, Faith. Get Cain out of here,” he demanded, his voice brooking no arguments.
Faith nodded wordlessly as she slid her body between Cain and where the two Deputies held the straining drunk. Sliding her hands against his tense shoulders, Faith lifted on her tiptoes as she tried to catch Cain’s eyes with hers. “Cain, honey, please!” she whispered. “Let’s just go back to the office. Zeke and his boys will get rid of this guy, and Abel will look after Patience. Won’t you, Abel?” she said with a quick look at where his brother stood watching.
“You know I will,” Abel agreed quickly.
“Patience can take care of herself,” Faith’s sister called out as she came out from behind the bar. “Zeke, what the hell are you waiting for? Get that asshole the hell out of my bar!” she ordered imperiously, gesturing wildly toward the door. “He’s ruinin’ the vibe in here. Messing with my Zen and everything.”
“Sweet Christ,” Abel moaned, running a hand down his face before moving to intercept the tiny tornado headed toward them.
“See,” Faith said gently, rubbing one hand against Cain’s hard chest. “It’s all under control. Patience is gonna kick everybody’s ass for us. We don’t need to stick around for that. We can see that show anytime.”
Finally forcing himself to focus on Faith’s face, he saw worry swirling in the azure depths of her gaze. “You know they called me the Soul Reaper in Afghanistan for a reason,” he kept his voice low, but he stared deeply into her eyes.
“I’m not afraid of you,” Faith assured him serenely. “I’m afraid for you right now. C’mon, Cain. This is your chance. You said whenever I was ready to talk, you’d be ready to listen. Let’s just get out of here and let the good deputies of Paradise do their jobs,” she murmured, urging him toward door on the other side of the bar. “That guy isn’t our problem anymore.”
Cain disagreed. That bastard still felt very much like his problem, but with Faith touching him and staring so openly up at him, he couldn’t resist giving her what she wanted. Nodding, he grabbed her hand in his and stomped toward the door to the adjoining dining room, hauling her with him.
Hard as Stone
Stepping between her spread legs, Jake held her squirming body still as he fought not to laugh at her theatrics. “Calm down and settle,” he ordered against her temple, holding her firmly against him.
“I could have gotten on board with the pink carpet. I might even have been able to wrap my mind around a puppy. Maybe!” she railed, smacking his arm as she spat each sentence. “But dropping the bomb that you want me and my daughter to move in with you just takes the cake!” Jerking her gaze to him as she heard a low chuckle escape his mouth, she shook her head furiously. “Are you laughin’ at me? Trust me, I don’t find any of this funny, Jake!”
“I’m not laughin’ at you, darlin’. I’m just a little amused at our situation. See, I thought I’d been real clear from the outset about what I wanted. Are you honestly gonna tell me that this is a surprise, babe?” he asked, capturing her frantic eyes with his and holding them. “Look me in the eye and tell me that you didn’t realize that I was in this for the long haul. I told you weeks ago that I was staying in Paradise because of you, Harmony. And in the last month, I’ve gotten as wrapped up in Heaven as I am in her momma. Where the fuck did you think this was going?”
“I don’t know!” Harmony exploded in a burst of temper. Seriously, this is not the conversation she’d seen happening tonight. “Tonight, I’d hoped that it was leading to the bedroom, but I hadn’t thought too far beyond that.” Really, she’d just finally worked up the courage to get intimate with a man again after years of celibacy, and now he wanted more?
“Oh, the bedroom is definitely our destination for the evening, sweetheart,” he agreed with a slow, wicked grin. “But a night stolen here and there isn’t gonna satisfy me, Harmony. I’m a selfish bastard. I want everything you’ve got to give me. Your beautiful body is only part of that. Oh, it’s a gorgeous part, but I want the heart and mind, too. ”
“Jesus, Jake,” Harmony muttered weakly, her head falling against his shoulder as she sagged against him. “It’s all or nothing with you, isn’t it?”
“Told ya, baby. I’m a selfish bastard,” he whispered, wrapping his arms around her. “The good news is that I’m your selfish bastard. Yours and Heaven’s. And I’ll do whatever I need to do to keep you both safe and protected and to make sure you never doubt that you’re both loved and wanted.”
“I don’t know anything about you,” she whispered into his neck as her heart did a tap dance in her chest. What Zeke had said earlier in the day resonated in her brain. None of them really knew anything about Jake. She didn’t know if he’d ever been married or if he had any allergies or if he slept on the right or left side of the bed, for God’s sake. How the hell could she even consider living with a man she knew next to nothing about? How could that ever work between them?
He tilted his head for a second, then said, “No, I’ve never been married, I don’t have any allergies that I know about, and I sleep on whichever side is closest to the door.”
Closing her eyes, Harmony grimaced and burrowed her face against the space between his neck and shoulder. His familiar woodsy scent mixed with sweat and man comforted her, relaxing a little of the tension that hand taken up residence in her back. “I said all that out loud?” she asked in a tiny voice.
“You did,” he acknowledged against her ear. “And to answer your last question, this thing will work between us because I refuse to accept otherwise. We’ll find our way a day at a time, darlin’, but we will find it.”
“I could have gotten on board with the pink carpet. I might even have been able to wrap my mind around a puppy. Maybe!” she railed, smacking his arm as she spat each sentence. “But dropping the bomb that you want me and my daughter to move in with you just takes the cake!” Jerking her gaze to him as she heard a low chuckle escape his mouth, she shook her head furiously. “Are you laughin’ at me? Trust me, I don’t find any of this funny, Jake!”
“I’m not laughin’ at you, darlin’. I’m just a little amused at our situation. See, I thought I’d been real clear from the outset about what I wanted. Are you honestly gonna tell me that this is a surprise, babe?” he asked, capturing her frantic eyes with his and holding them. “Look me in the eye and tell me that you didn’t realize that I was in this for the long haul. I told you weeks ago that I was staying in Paradise because of you, Harmony. And in the last month, I’ve gotten as wrapped up in Heaven as I am in her momma. Where the fuck did you think this was going?”
“I don’t know!” Harmony exploded in a burst of temper. Seriously, this is not the conversation she’d seen happening tonight. “Tonight, I’d hoped that it was leading to the bedroom, but I hadn’t thought too far beyond that.” Really, she’d just finally worked up the courage to get intimate with a man again after years of celibacy, and now he wanted more?
“Oh, the bedroom is definitely our destination for the evening, sweetheart,” he agreed with a slow, wicked grin. “But a night stolen here and there isn’t gonna satisfy me, Harmony. I’m a selfish bastard. I want everything you’ve got to give me. Your beautiful body is only part of that. Oh, it’s a gorgeous part, but I want the heart and mind, too. ”
“Jesus, Jake,” Harmony muttered weakly, her head falling against his shoulder as she sagged against him. “It’s all or nothing with you, isn’t it?”
“Told ya, baby. I’m a selfish bastard,” he whispered, wrapping his arms around her. “The good news is that I’m your selfish bastard. Yours and Heaven’s. And I’ll do whatever I need to do to keep you both safe and protected and to make sure you never doubt that you’re both loved and wanted.”
“I don’t know anything about you,” she whispered into his neck as her heart did a tap dance in her chest. What Zeke had said earlier in the day resonated in her brain. None of them really knew anything about Jake. She didn’t know if he’d ever been married or if he had any allergies or if he slept on the right or left side of the bed, for God’s sake. How the hell could she even consider living with a man she knew next to nothing about? How could that ever work between them?
He tilted his head for a second, then said, “No, I’ve never been married, I don’t have any allergies that I know about, and I sleep on whichever side is closest to the door.”
Closing her eyes, Harmony grimaced and burrowed her face against the space between his neck and shoulder. His familiar woodsy scent mixed with sweat and man comforted her, relaxing a little of the tension that hand taken up residence in her back. “I said all that out loud?” she asked in a tiny voice.
“You did,” he acknowledged against her ear. “And to answer your last question, this thing will work between us because I refuse to accept otherwise. We’ll find our way a day at a time, darlin’, but we will find it.”
Sarah O'Rourke is the alter ego of two best friends who have taken their passion for romantic fiction and erotica to the publishing world. Born and raised in the southern United States, one lives near Louisville, KY, while the other resides in Atlanta, Georgia. Neither is ever very far from a tall glass of sweet iced tea, their dog-eared copies of Gone With the Wind, or their Steel Magnolias DVDs!
Formerly an accountant and a chemist, they are now overworked, stay-at-home moms who adore their children, their husbands...and writing about love in every way possible!
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Thanks so much for sharing! <3 <3
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