Deilv on Horseback: Jake - CAPA Winner Excerpt

First, let me say thank you to Tina, Holly, Katie and all the amazing folks at TRS for the CAPA! I'm amazed Jake has won since the first book in the series, Nate, won a CAPA last year. Amazing and humbling!

Without further ado, here is an excerpt from Jake.

Devils on Horseback: Jake

Haunted by war, a thief finds salvation in the arms of an angel.

On the surface, Jake Sheridan is an easygoing man whose problems roll off him like water off a duck’s back. Truth is, Jake holds so many past demons inside him, he daren’t let them out for fear he’ll never get them all back in.

He and the Devils are hired to help rebuild a town ransacked by marauders. Everywhere they turn, they encounter secrets—enough secrets to turn the town to dust if they don’t uncover the truth.

Only one person in town isn’t glad to see them: Gabrielle Rinaldi, the miller’s daughter. A strong and independent woman who is used to being disrespected for speaking her mind, she makes no secret that she doesn’t believe hired guns are the answer to the town’s woes. Yet she finds herself drawn to the enigmatic and charming Jake.

In spite of himself, Jake falls hard and fast for Gabby. But she’s wary of handing her heart to a man who lives by his guns.

When tragedy strikes, Jake and Gabby must fight to find a way to save the town—and their hearts.

Excerpt:

Gabby didn’t know what it was about Jake Sheridan that fascinated her, but she was damned determined to find out. Her future had been a hazy mix of keeping the mill going and perhaps one day finding a husband, although that was an unlikely scenario since Tanger had no eligible men. And now, everything had changed within a few days.

“May I speak to you outside for a moment?” She forced a smile at Gideon and Lee. “I need to talk to Jake about the woman he helped earlier. You two can go in and see Zeke.”

After his friends left, Jake stared at her until she took his arms and led him outside. Although he was a tall man, it was like moving a small boy—there was no resistance at all. When they stepped out into the shadows of the night, she let him go and walked a few paces away.

“I don’t know what happened tonight after we brought Margaret here. I know men who have come back from war who can’t sleep at night or even live a proper life.” She hugged herself. “I can’t even imagine what you went through before you came here, and I wanted you to know none of it matters to me.”

Gabby whirled to face him, his light complexion visible in the moonlight. This was the moment of truth for her, the moment she either turned her back or jumped forward into a future full of uncertainty and unknown challenges. Life was too short not to take a chance.

“I can’t seem to think when I’m around you,” she confessed. “You are always in my head.”

Jake’s mouth dropped open. “I didn’t do anything to you. You stepped into my life, Gabby. All I can do is hang on and hope I survive being obsessed with you.”

Gabby’s heart stuttered. “Obsessed with me?” She’d made the right choice, she was certain of that.

“Well, um, not obsessed. What I meant to say was that you were on my mind a bit, okay more than that. Oh hell, I don’t know what I’m saying.” Jake grabbed hold of her arms and pulled her to him. The hard wall of his chest was warm, almost hot, against her already heated body. Her nipples stood at attention, throbbing for more, to feel skin on skin. She looked up into his blue eyes and saw the same confusion and frustration she felt, as well as desire.

Gabby knew she and Jake would be together as a man and woman should be, naked and full of the sweet passion that drove them. She could almost picture them on her bed—on the white sheets his red hair would stand out like a beacon in the night or day. He was a beautiful man, muscular, tall and with a smile that could melt paint off a wall.

All her thoughts whirled around in her head while his mouth descended on hers.

Ah, God, help me.

Gabby hung on for dear life as he kissed her. At first it was a demanding kiss, full of thunder, almost bruising, but she returned it full force. Like two animals mating in the wild, they grappled and pulled at each other, moans of pure lust bursting from their throats. Then as he began to gentle his lips, Gabby rode along with him, savoring the journey from fierce passion to sensual heat. He opened his mouth, drawing her tongue into the deep caverns of all that was Jake. It was like a sweet dance between them without moving their feet.

Gabby nearly drowned in the sensation, so poignant and perfect. His arms encircled her while her arms wound around his neck until Jake couldn’t be much closer without his body entering hers. The very thought of Jake being inside her made her knees turn to jelly from the sheer lightning that snapped through her.

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