Steamy: A Romance Anthology That Sizzles Read online

  Steamy

  A Romance Anthology That Sizzles

  Tawdra Kandle

  Cat Johnson

  L. Ann

  Sarah Bale

  Dylann Crush

  Tracie Delaney

  Melinda De Ross

  K.D. Elizabeth

  Jamie Garrett

  Jessie Harper

  Diana A. Hicks

  Heather Kinnane

  Nadia Mack

  Lasairiona McMaster

  Michelle Mink

  Ivy Nelson

  Danielle Pays

  Eliza Peake

  Delancey Stewart

  Cynthia Terelst

  Craig Martelle, Inc

  Someone to Fix © 2021 Eliza Peake

  Devil's Bride © 2021 Sarah Bale

  First Time Feels © 2021 Lasairiona McMaster

  Heating Up © 2021 Heather Kinnane

  Out of Sight © 2021 Tracie Delaney

  The Marriage Pact © 2021 Delancey Stewart

  Embracing Her One © 2021 Danielle Pays

  Bumper Crop © 2021 Jessie Harper

  The Wild One © 2021 Tawdra Kandle

  Waiting for the Rapture © 2021 Michelle Mink

  Promises Kept © 2021 Jamie Garret

  Waiting on Wood © 2021 L. Ann

  Back to You © 2021 Cynthia Terelst

  Sweet Tooth © 2021 K.D. Elizabeth

  Country Songs & Righting Wrongs © 2021 Dylann Crush

  Nobody's Perfect © 2021 Nadia Mack

  Rocks © 2021 Ivy Nelson

  Lost Raven © 2021 Diana A. Hicks

  Cupid's Target © 2021 Melinda De Ross

  Hot SEAL, Cold Water © 2021 Cat Johnson

  Formatting by Erika Everest

  Cover by Maria Kusel at Steamy Designs

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Craig Martelle, Inc

  PO Box 10235

  Fairbanks, AK 99710

  First Edition, January 2021

  ISBN (Print) 978-1-953062-07-9

  Created with Vellum

  * * *

  Curators

  Lasairiona McMaster

  Erika Everest

  Jamie Garrett

  Ivy Nelson

  Danielle Pays

  * * *

  Beta Readers

  Mary Atchley

  Sarah Budd

  Robynne Edwards

  Courtnay Gray

  Joy Lynch

  Hayley Richell

  * * *

  Contents

  Foreword

  Craig Martelle

  Someone to Fix

  Eliza Peake

  Devil’s Bride

  Sarah Bale

  First Time Feels

  Lasairiona McMaster

  Heating Up

  Heather Kinnane

  Out of Sight

  Tracie Delaney

  The Marriage Pact

  Delancey Stewart

  Embracing Her One

  Danielle Pays

  Bumper Crop

  Jessie Harper

  The Wild One

  Tawdra Kandle

  Waiting for the Rapture

  Michelle Mink

  Promises Kept

  Jamie Garrett

  Waiting on Wood

  L. Ann

  Back To You

  Cynthia Terelst

  Sweet Tooth

  K.D. Elizabeth

  Country Songs & Righting Wrongs

  Dylann Crush

  Nobody’s Perfect

  Nadia Mack

  Rocks

  Ivy Nelson

  Lost Raven

  Diana A. Hicks

  Cupid’s Target

  Melinda De Ross

  Hot SEAL, Cold Water

  Cat Johnson

  Foreword

  Craig Martelle

  Steamy romance is different from sweet romance is different from erotica. Steamy brings the heat around an intense plot where sex is not the focal point, but icing on the cake.

  Unless it’s whip cream, and that’s good, too.

  Many of the authors contributing to this volume are established but some are new. All are here because they have crafted a compelling tale that brings the heat. It takes practice and persistence to write better and better until the story flows.

  We adore winners in the game of love, and when it comes to reading these stories, it’s okay to see things unfold through the open door.

  I want to thank Lasairiona McMaster for her stewardship, leadership, and vision in keeping the steamy cats properly herded. To Erika Everest for wanting the steamy anthology so badly that there was no saying no. I’ve never published in this genre before. This will be the first time, because this volume is here, right now, for a limited time only.

  And for those people who pulled double duty with the curation team of Lasairiona McMaster, Erika Everest, Danielle Pays, Ivy Nelson, and Jamie Garrett for their work in bringing this anthology to fruition. A huge number of stories were submitted for this volume, but only these made the cut. Read for yourself and know that only the best of the best made it across the finish line and into these pages.

  And strawberries. To go with the whip cream, of course.

  Where was I? Distracted. That’s where I was. And that’s what you get with a good story. It takes you away from the trials and tribulations of your everyday life. It lights your imagination on fire. For a short period of time, you disappear. When you come back, the world isn’t all that bad because more stories await. Read them all and judge for yourself. Where did those eight hours go?

  What more is there to say? Get a glass of wine and get comfortable. Get a fan, too, because the heat is coming.

  This is a 20Booksto50k® initiative on behalf of all our members as we teach the business of being a professional author, because we believe a rising tide lifts all boats.

  Peace, fellow humans.

  Craig Martelle

  January 2021

  Someone to Fix

  Eliza Peake

  He wanted to give her his heart, instead he gave her someone to fix.

  1

  Unexpected Welcome

  Landon Gray scanned the cavernous room in front of him. His agreement with the US Army may have come to an abrupt end, but the training was ingrained. His instincts were quiet though. The faint smell of rubber from the floor mats and the echo of a guy grunting through a deadlift posed no imminent threat.

  His gaze snagged on the woman at the far end of the gym. She racked weight plates with competence, her movements quick, economical. Dark hair was pulled into a ponytail that swung with each motion. Black shorts showcased tanned legs that woke up certain baser instincts he’d let go dormant after his accident.

  When she turned and walked his way, a customer service smile on her lips, he kicked his sneakers into gear. Jesus, she was a stunner.

  And oddly familiar.

  Her footsteps faltered as she drew closer around the same time realization set up camp in his chest. No way.

  “Landon?”

  “Iris?

  Twenty feet away stood the woman he’d once wanted in the “forever and ever, amen
” kind of way. He’d never told her, not wanting to ruin their friendship.

  It was just as well. He no longer believed in forevers.

  She squealed before launching herself into his arms, legs wrapped around his waist. He caught her and held on tight, his eyes sliding closed. The warmth of her body was a soothing balm to his battered soul.

  Mine flashed in his head, but he shoved that dangerous thought away.

  Iris pulled back, her indigo eyes shiny with unshed tears. “You’re back,” she breathed out.

  “I’m back.” He grinned. “You win for best homecoming hug.”

  Iris looked down as though realizing she clung to him like a koala. She dropped her gaze to his lips before untangling herself and sliding slowly down his body. Heat flared in his gut, nearly knocking him to his knees. When her feet touched the floor, she dropped her arms before stepping away. “Sorry.” Her mischievous smile said otherwise.

  Landon shoved his hands into the pocket of his hoodie. “Don’t be sorry on my account.”

  Her hands landed on her hips while she assessed him. “You look good, Gray.”

  He couldn’t quit smiling. “You too, Armstrong.”

  A pink blush stained her cheeks. “Been home long?” she asked, walking behind the counter.

  “About a month. Staying with my folks until I get situated.”

  She leaned forward, her eyes serious. “Even though you quit writing me, you’re still my best friend. I missed you.”

  “Ditto.” It was all he could manage around the swelling in his chest.

  Her smile dimmed and shadows crossed her eyes. She looked away and reached for a tablet. “What brings you in? Besides the obvious.”

  “I heard there’s a trainer here specializing in rehabilitation conditioning.”

  She narrowed her eyes, a slim finger tapping the edge of the tablet. “Really?”

  “Know where I could find the guy?”

  Her smile was slow and fierce. “I don’t know the guy, but I do know the trainer.”

  Landon’s stomach met his shoes and his jaw clenched.

  Well, shit.

  2

  Heroes Need Not Apply

  Iris rubbed her forehead to ward off the headache brewing. The amount of questions on the loan application could make a saint want to cliff dive into a dry canyon. All she wanted was to make Ridge Fitness the best rehab and fitness facility it could be. Help those life knocked around to find their way back.

  But the admin shit was part of the deal, so she plowed ahead. A few pain-in-the-ass questions weren’t going to stand between her and owning the square footage around her.

  The bell on the front door rang, a smile curving her lips when she saw him.

  Landon Gray. Her best friend since their bedwetting days.

  And damned if he hadn’t grown up to be the hottest man she’d ever seen. His dark hair was buzz cut, that strong jaw covered in stubble, and those amber-colored eyes stood out against tanned skin. It didn’t take a personal trainer to know that under that hoodie and sweatpants—yeah, she was drooling—was a body honed by years of physical training courtesy of Uncle Sam. Or a psychiatrist to know he wore his brokenness like a cloak.

  “Morning, Gray.”

  “Morning.”

  He looked as though he’d bolt any second, so she wasn’t going to waste time. “Ready to get started?”

  “Yep.”

  “We’ll start with an assessment of your range of motion, check a few things. Then make some goals.”

  Landon rolled his shoulders before nodding “go ahead” with his chin. “After you, Armstrong.”

  She grinned. “Ah, three words. For a minute I thought you only spoke in one-syllable words.”

  “Smartass.” When he grinned, her heart pounded against her ribs. God, she’d missed that grin.

  She chuckled and led him over to an open area of floor mats with racks filled with weights. “Shed the hoodie,” she said.

  He hesitated a moment before pulling his hoodie over his head, revealing a snug T-shirt that molded to muscular biceps and skimmed over abs no doubt lined with a six-pack.

  Heat landed right between her legs. Yep, her best friend had gone and turned into a hottie. Had it been anyone else, she’d ask him to drinks, see where the night led them.

  But this was the man she once dreamed of forever with, yet had been too scared to take a chance on. She had learned love brought nothing but pain. She couldn’t love him like that.

  She cleared her throat. “Let’s get started.”

  Once or twice during the session, she had to correct his form. At her touch, he twitched as though recoiling before the muscles settled, but his face remained impassive.

  He’d hugged her back yesterday—though she had launched herself at him—but now it was as though her touch repulsed him. His face never betrayed the thought, but his body did every time.

  When they finished, his gait and his motions were slower as he gingerly pulled the hoodie over his head. She studied the notes she’d made during the session and from the goals he’d given her.

  “Let’s start with you coming in twice a week, and we’ll work up from there. That work?”

  “Yeah.”

  The one-word answers drove her crazy. “Landon, are you going to trust me to help you?”

  Landon’s eyes met hers before he dropped his head and let out a long sigh. He parked his hands on his hips and paced away from her. “I can’t…”

  “You can’t what?”

  He stalked back and stared down at her, the muscle beneath his cheek ticking. A storm of emotions filled his eyes. The air around them grew so thick with tension, she could hardly breathe. Lust whipped through her body, but like always, her desire wouldn’t find an outlet with him. It’d be a self-induced outlet.

  Just as the tension and heat reached a fever pitch, he stepped back. “Nothing. Yes, I’m going to trust you.”

  “You sure about that?”

  “When’s the next session?”

  Iris crossed her arms, tapping a finger on her bicep. “That’s how it’s going to be?” She shook her head when he stayed silent. “Thursday. Take a hot bath with Epsom salt if you’re sore.” She turned and headed to the safety of her office.

  She closed the door and laid her head on the desk. Landon had a hero complex a mile wide and thought his injury made him weak. He wasn’t the first former soldier she’d worked with. But it was the first one she’d cared for more than she should.

  The riot of emotions in her heart were exactly why she didn’t do love.

  3

  Where Does it Hurt?

  For two weeks, Landon showed up at the gym with the singular goal of being physically whole again.

  Mentally? He was nowhere near whole again.

  It didn’t surprise him Iris was in the profession of healing people. With a firefighter father, a nurse mother, and a law enforcement brother, she came from a long line of caretaker types. But it made for a chaotic childhood. Her parents weren’t around much, and with her brother being eight years older, he’d left home when she was ten.

  Landon had been the one she told her secrets to, who comforted her broken heart, who beat up the boys wanting more than she was willing to give. He’d been her protector, her hero.

  Now he could barely save himself, much less anyone else. It was brutal to be so close to her and yet be so far away. All he’d ever wanted was Iris. Thoughts of her got him through endless days in the sand pit and his recovery in an army hospital.

  She’d saved him then, and she was saving him now. But she didn’t need a man to fix, which was why he’d never be more than a paying client.

  “Landon, you with me?”

  Her smooth voice washed over him, a balm for his battered body and soul. He blinked and shifted his gaze to hers. “Yeah.”

  She pursed her lips, hands on her hips. “Okay, then. What’s the next stretch?”

  Shit, busted. “Can we take a break? The leg needs a res
t.”

  Concern instantly lined her features. “Of course.”

  She walked off, and a few moments later she came back with two bottles of water. After she handed him the water, she kneeled in front of him. “Where does it hurt?”

  He grinned. “You sure you want to know?”

  Iris tilted her head with a wry smile. “I walked into that one, didn’t I? But seriously, where?”

  He swallowed and met her gaze. Trusting her to rehab him was one thing. Letting her see the physical scars that broke him was another.

  Her eyes softened, and she laid a gentle hand on his knee. “There’s no judgment here. I promise.”

  Landon held her gaze for a long moment. She stared back, solid, strong, and sure. He lifted his pant leg and revealed the ugly red scar running down the side of his leg from knee to mid-calf.

  Her stare dropped to his leg. A trembling hand reached out but stopped just before touching him. “May I?”

  Anxiety rioted around his body until she touched him. Under cool fingertips, his fear quieted as they brushed over the scar.

  “Does it hurt?” she asked, her voice soft, eyes on the puckered skin. Of all the times he’d imagined her on her knees in front of him, it hadn’t included her studying a big-ass scar one wrong step in the desert had given him.

  “Not right now.”