Love
Me, I Dare You! (Hell Yeah)
Joshua Long, World
Champion Cowboy, is known wide and far as the ‘cowgirl whisperer’.
His looks are fallen-angel handsome and his talents in the bedroom
are legendary. Josh prides himself on being able to give a woman
sheet-clawing, back-arching, toe-curling multiple orgasms. But at the
peak of his career, Josh loses it all when his knee is shattered by a
one-ton bull and his reputation is shredded by a scorned woman.
After investing
blood, sweat, and years into the rodeo, he has lost his career and
the lucrative sponsorships that went with it. Returning to his
hometown of Kerrville, a place he hasn’t always felt welcome, Josh
is uncertain of the direction his life will take. But sometimes fate
is kind and the lifeline that we need to hang onto our hopes and
dreams appears just within our grasp. Josh has such a moment when he
walks into Isaac McCoy’s HARDBODIES bar. There, surrounded by old
friends who offer him a second chance, Josh’s gaze lands on a
beautiful, blue-eyed redhead who draws him like a moth to a flame.
Emma Zachary has
lived life on a dare. There is nothing she won’t try, she grabs
onto happiness with both hands, embracing every moment of joy she can
find. Unwilling to accept the hand that life has dealt her, Emma
refuses to let her blindness hold her back. She intends to make all
of her dreams come true, especially the ones that include a certain
cowboy who seems to always be there when she needs him. Emma longs to
know what it’s like to be loved, so she takes a dare and bids on a
date with rodeo Romeo, Josh Long. What she discovers is that one
night in Josh’s arms will never be enough.
Josh is tired of his
reputation. He wants to be more than his father’s son; he wants to
be more than just a buckle-bunnies fantasy man. Joshua wants a woman
who sees him for who he really is, failures and all, and loves him
anyway.
Emma is tired of
being alone. She needs someone who will look beyond her faults and
want her in spite of the challenge she faces.
Their journey
together is filled with laughter, tears, danger, and sex hot enough
to set the Hill Country of Texas on fire. Join Emma and Josh as they
learn the true meaning of love.
I dare you.
**Content Warning:
This book contains adult language and situations. It is intended for
18+ ONLY**
EXCERPT
Josh frowned. She
had a weird sense of humor. “I never know what you’re going to do
or say. One minute you’re dancing on the bar and the next you’re
feeding me.”
“Hey, the man
dared me. Plus, I believe in the barter system – trading something
you have of value for something someone else has that you want. The
dance earned me the right to milk a cow for the first time. Last week
I sang with the band on a dare and earned myself a ride on a Segway.
The week before that I helped a guy train his dog for some fresh
vegetables.”
He shook his head,
then realized she couldn’t see him doing it. “You’re something
else. I wish I had something to trade so you’d cook for me every
once in a while.”
They did say the way
to a man’s heart was through his stomach, but Emma wasn’t under
any illusions that she stood a chance of winning his heart or even
catching his attention. He’d been kind to her and she wanted to be
kind to him. “You don’t have to trade anything, I love to cook
and I always cook too much. I can have a plate waiting for you any
night you say.”
Josh was taken
aback, watching her fill another mug from the tap. Instead of putting
her finger over the edge to monitor how close to full it was, she
seemed to be testing the weight.
“I don’t know…”
He didn’t get to
finish before Isaac’s voice sounded over the loudspeaker. “It’s
time, ladies.”
“Oh, no.” Josh
said. “Here we go. I guess I’d better go get into position.”
“Oh, you’ll do
great.” Emma encouraged him as he went to join the other men. He
might do fine, but she didn’t know about herself. She hated the
idea of another woman gaining his attention. Which was stupid. From
what she’d learned, women flocked to Josh in droves.
Isaac continued. “To
my left, lined up against the wall and ready to parade in front of
the bar are a dozen…count ‘em…a dozen of Kerrville’s…”
There was a slight
pause and Emma wondered what was happening, but in the next heartbeat
Avery started speaking.
“Give me that
microphone, Badass. Only a woman can do this special moment justice.”
Isaac barked out a
laugh and there was the distinct noise of a kiss being shared.
“As my handsome
husband was saying, we have a dozen of Kerrville’s handsomest hunks
ready to strut their stuff for you. Noah McCoy, my smart
brother-in-law will be in charge of the money and my sister-in-law,
Jessie, is going to be our auctioneer. The rules are simple, raise
your hand, wait to be called upon and give your bid. Jessie will give
you all the information on each gentleman so you can make an…shall
we say…informed decision. “Avery ended her speech with a
flourish. “So…if our band would give us some Chippendale-worthy
background music, we’ll begin.”
At her cue, the band
cranked up and a countrified burlesque tune filled the air. Emma
would’ve given her eyeteeth and a year or two off of her life to
have been able to see what was going on.
Josh would’ve
given his eyeteeth and left nut to be anywhere else. He was last in
line, bringing up the rear on a pair of crutches. His knee wasn’t
paining him too much, but he was beginning to itch a little. As he
scanned the crowd, he felt like he was looking at a school of toothy
hungry sharks. There was no question he liked women, and hooking up
with them was a joy he never wanted to give up. Right now, however,
he sorta felt like bait.
One thing he never
gave up was control. He might not be a Dom like Isaac, but he needed
to be in charge. As the seconds passed and the first poor schmuck was
introduced and the bidding began, he felt that much cherished control
begin to slip through his fingers.
“Second up,
ladies, for you ogling enjoyment is Denver Bolden. He’s a sexy
cowboy who works at Tebow. Just imagine him going for a ride without
a shirt. Denver has made plans for dinner and dancing on one of the
most romantic rooftop clubs in downtown Austin.”
The women tittered
and Josh moaned. The guy in front of him snickered and punched the
man ahead of him, pointing to the bevy of women who were sending
obvious sexual signals their way.
At the bar, Doris
walked up to Emma. “I swear I have never seen so many good-looking
men in such a small place before.”
Emma sighed. “Care
to give me a running commentary?”
“Ha!” Doris
laughed. “That I can do. Well…” As the music played and the
money flew, Doris kept Emma entertained with a blow by blow
description of every man who was put on the auction block. “You
ought to see this one, Emma. Oh, my land-sakes-a-Goshen, his muscles
have muscles.”
“Yes, ladies, up
next is Canyon Brady. His plans for an evening together is a hot-air
balloon ride over Lake Travis and a romantic evening at a Tuscan
vineyard. He is our town blacksmith and lord-have-mercy he’s built
like one. Wouldn’t you just love to see him glistening with sweat
after swinging a big hammer…”
At Jessie’s
description, Emma burst out laughing. She might not be able to
witness this spectacle with her eyes, but her imagination was working
overtime.
“I don’t know
about you, but I need something cold to drink. I seem to be getting a
little overheated,” Doris confided as she slipped both of them a
beer. “Here, on me.”
“Thanks.” Emma
took a swig, listening as the bidding went well over a thousand
dollars. “I wonder if he’s going to be worth the price.”
“I don’t know,”
Doris whispered, “but I sure would love to shake him down to see.”
“Who’s next?”
Emma asked, not wanting to just come out and inquire about Josh.
Earlier, she’d entertained the idea of putting in a bid herself.
After some debate, she’d talked herself out of it. Dare or no dare,
she hated to think her first date would be one she had to buy.
“I don’t know
his name, girl, but he is red hot.”
“Our next bachelor
is Devon Lancaster, another Tebow cowboy. And don’t tell my husband
I told you this.” Jessie winked at Jacob who was sitting at a table
right in front of her. “But I have seen this man use a rope. And
ladies…you are going to beg him to tie you to the bedposts. He’s
offering an evening of dancing on 6th
Street and dinner on a riverboat sailing down Lake Austin.”
“Oh, my goodness!”
Emma giggled. “Jessie is as bad as Avery. What is it about these
McCoy women?”
“I can tell you
what it is.” Doris leaned in to confide. “They’re all rode hard
and put up well-satisfied, that’s what.”
Emma blushed at the
thought. After Devon went for twelve hundred, Emma was trying to
mentally calculate how many were left. “Was that the last one?”
“No, Mr. Rodeo
Romeo himself is coming this way. You ought to see him, Emma. Josh
Long is dressed in all-black. The man is fallen angel handsome. His
shoulders are wide, his eyes are dreamy and if you don’t bid on
him, I will.”
Inside of her chest,
her heart was beating a rat-a-tat rhythm, her palms were sweating and
Emma felt like she might jump out of her skin. Just the thought of
spending time with a man like Josh made her dizzy.
“Now, the man
you’ve all been waiting for ladies…” Jessie’s voice rang out.
“Mr. Joshua Long, cowboy extraordinaire. The date he’s planned is
a romantic one, watching the sunset together, then a horseback ride
in the moonlight and a picnic on our own Guadalupe River. Doesn’t
that sound amazing?”
Before Jessie even
called for bids, a multitude of voices rose, shouting numbers at
Jessie. “Order, order please.” She banged the little gavel in her
hand and looked toward her husband for help. Josh watched all of
this, his mood varying between fascination at the array of females
all clamoring to be with him and a slight feeling of panic. “Lord
have mercy,” he whispered.
Emma was very
conscious that he was standing right in front of her about to step up
for his turn.
“You’re about to
twist that dishrag in two,” Doris quipped under her breath.
“Sorry.” She
laid it down.
“Step-up, Joshua
Long and let the women get a good look at you.” Jessie directed to
the squeals of the crowd.
“Bid, Emma!”
Doris elbowed her to Emma’s chagrin.
Josh heard the bar
manager addressing Emma. “That’s right, Miss Emma, save me,” he
whispered loudly.
“A thousand!”
one voice cried out.
“Twelve hundred!”
another yelled.
“Fifteen hundred!”
came yet another bid from the back.
Jessie was repeating
the bids, the numbers piling higher and higher.
“Eighteen
hundred!” A woman enthusiastically screamed while standing on a
chair. Josh’s eyes widened, amazed at the frenzy.
“Eighteen
hundred!” Jessie repeated.
“Two thousand!”
Another voice rang
out. “Twenty-two hundred from me and my twin. We want a ménage!”
Josh coughed,
choking down a laugh as he caught Isaac’s eye who was watching the
process with amusement.
“All right!”
Jessie cheered enthusiastically. “Twenty-two hundred? Any more
bids? Going once…going twice…”
Emma was on her
tiptoes, every nerve straining. She knew Josh had been teasing, but a
feeling was rising within her that this was it – this was her
chance. Josh Long was the first man that she’d ever felt a
connection to, a drawing, like maybe when he looked at her, he saw
more than just a blind woman. Yea, it was a lot of money, but for a
good cause. People might suspect she was buying a date because she
couldn’t get one otherwise. But what the heck, there was one thing
she’d learned in her life, if you didn’t go after what you
wanted, you didn’t have a chance in hell of getting it.
Do it, Emma, I
dare you.
Emma smiled. She
didn’t know if that thought had originated in her heart or in her
mind – all she knew was that she was going for it.
Doing a quick mental
review of her bank account, she took a deep breath and shouted.
“Two thousand five
hundred!”
“Sold!” Jessie
declared with a quick strike of her gavel. “Miss Emmalyn Zachary
just bought herself a man!”
About
the Author:
Sable Hunter
is a New York Times, USA Today bestselling author of nearly 50 books
in 7 series. She writes sexy contemporary stories full of emotion and
suspense. Her focus is mainly cowboy and novels set in Louisiana with
a hint of the supernatural. Sable writes what she likes to read and
enjoys putting her fantasies on paper. Her books are emotional tales
where the heroine is faced with challenges. Her aim is to write a
story that will make you laugh, cry and swoon. If she can wring those
emotions from a reader, she has done her job. Sable resides in
Austin, Texas with her two dogs. Passionate about all animals, she
has been known to charm creatures from a one ton bull to a family of
raccoons. For fun, Sable haunts cemeteries and battlefields armed
with night-vision cameras and digital recorders hunting proof that
love survives beyond the grave. Welcome to her world of magic, alpha
heroes, sexy cowboys and hot, steamy to-die-for sex. Step into the
shoes of her heroines and escape to places where right prevails, love
conquers all and holding out for a hero is not an impossible dream
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