Read In Too Deep Online

Authors: Ronica Black

In Too Deep (45 page)

“You look beautiful,” she said, watching the wind toy with Liz’s hair. She smiled at the color on her cheeks, brought on by long days in the sun and wind. She was so breathtaking, Erin knew she would never tire of looking at her. Lightly, she touched the angry scar on Liz’s bare arm, and tears formed in her eyes. The hauntings from that night returned, the night she could’ve lost her.

“Hey…it’s okay.” Liz could read her so well. She stroked her cheek and hugged her close.

They had both needed to get away. On the yacht, they were surrounded by water, not people. Eventually the nightmares would stop. Eventually, Erin would feel safe again. She knew Liz would see to that.

Erin tilted her head to gaze up at her. “I love you so much,” she said, her eyes filled with wonder. “I never thought I could feel like this.”

“I’m glad.” Liz kissed her again. “Because there’s something I want you to have.” She reached into the pocket of her white linen pants and withdrew a deep red velvet box.

Erin immediately placed her hand over her mouth and watched, eyes wide, as Liz opened the box to display the diamond ring inside.

“I love you Erin McKenzie,” she said, her voice thick with emotion. “I want to be with you always. I will protect you and love you for the rest of my life.” She took Erin’s hand and slipped on the ring. “If you’ll have me.”

Erin threw herself into Liz’s arms, completely overwhelmed with emotion, and kissed her long and deep. Liz groaned against her and pulled Erin into a tight embrace. When they finally paused for breath, she reached up and fingered lips that tingled after the hungry kiss.

“I take it that’s a yes, then?” she asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Absolutely.” Erin tugged on Liz’s white tank top, drawing her closer. It was going to be okay. All of it. She had Liz by her side, now and forever. Together, they could get through anything.

“You know…” Liz leaned down to bite Erin’s neck. “We still have another hour before we make port at Lesbos. What do you say you and I go inside and celebrate our honeymoon a little early?”

Erin shuddered under her warm mouth. “Mmm. Only tonight,” she said, rubbing her thumbs across Liz’s nipples, “it’s my turn.”

*

Baja Peninsula, Mexico

Jay sat in the white thick sand of the Baja Peninsula, staring out at the sea. As the waves crashed against shore, she thought about her sister and all the wrong that had been done in her name. She reached down and ran her hand through the soft grains. She still felt guilty about letting Kristen manipulate her to do things to hurt Lizzie. But there was nothing she could do about it now, and her sister was safe and off cruising the world.

She stood and wiped the sand from the backs of her legs. Yet again, Lizzie had helped her escape. And as long as she promised not to hurt anyone else, she would remain free. As she walked back up the beach, she renewed a silent vow to her sister. If anyone ever tried to hurt Lizzie again, like those men did, or like Kristen…she would be there. She would be there to protect her. Always.

About the Author

Born in North Carolina, Ronica Black now lives in the desert Southwest, where she spends her time painting, drawing, and writing. A lover of true crime books, she spends any remaining time engrossed in the tales of unsolved crimes and forensic files, where she gets many of her story ideas. Romance, passion, and creativity are her great fortunes, and she shares them all with the woman she loves.

Reading, photography and outdoor sports are a few of her other sources of entertainment. She also relishes being an aunt and she thoroughly enjoys the time spent with family and friends.

In addition to the erotic intrigue novel
In Too Deep
from Bold Strokes Books, she has short story selections in
Erotic Interludes 2: Stolen Moments
and
Erotic Interludes 3: Lessons in Love
from Bold Strokes Books and
Ultimate Lesbian Erotica 2005
from Alyson Books.

For more info on Ronica, visit her Web site at www.ronicablack.com.

Books Available From Bold Strokes Books

Wild Abandon
by Ronica Black. From their first tumultuous meeting, Dr. Chandler Brogan and Officer Sarah Monroe are drawn together by their common obsessions–sex, speed, and danger. (1-933110-35-X)

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The Exile and the Sorcerer
by Jane Fletcher. First in the Lyremouth Chronicles. Tevi, wounded and adrift, arrives in the courtyard of a shy young sorcerer. Together they face monsters, magic, and the challenge of loving despite their differences. (1-933110-32-5)

A Matter of Trust
by Radclyffe. JT Sloan is a cybersleuth who doesn?t like attachments. Michael Lassiter is leaving her husband, and she needs Sloan's expertise to safeguard her company. It should just be business–but it turns into much more. (1-933110-33-3)

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The Devil Inside
by Ali Vali. Derby Cain Casey, head of a New Orleans crime organization, runs the family business with guts and grit, and no one crosses her. No one, that is, until Emma Verde claims her heart and turns her world upside down. (1-933110-30-9)

Grave Silence
by Rose Beecham. Detective Jude Devine's investigation of a series of ritual murders is complicated by her torrid affair with the golden girl of Southwestern forensic pathology, Dr. Mercy Westmoreland. (1-933110-25-2)

Honor Reclaimed
by Radclyffe. In the aftermath of 9/11, Secret Service Agent Cameron Roberts and Blair Powell close ranks with a trusted few to find the would-be assassins who nearly claimed Blair's life. (1-933110-18-X)

Honor Bound
by Radclyffe. Secret Service Agent Cameron Roberts and Blair Powell face political intrigue, a clandestine threat to Blair's safety, and the seemingly irreconcilable personal differences that force them ever farther apart. (1-933110-20-1)

Protector of the Realm: Supreme Constellations Book One
by Gun Brooke. A space adventure filled with suspense and a daring intergalactic romance featuring Commodore Rae Jacelon and the stunning, but decidedly lethal, Kellen O'Dal. (1-933110-26-0)

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The Temple at Landfall
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Force of Nature
by Kim Baldwin. From tornados to forest fires, the forces of nature conspire to bring Gable McCoy and Erin Richards close to danger, and closer to each other. (1-933110-23-6)

In Too Deep
by Ronica Black. Undercover homicide cop Erin McKenzie tracks a femme fatale who just might be a real killer–with love and danger hot on her heels. (1-933110-17-1)

Stolen Moments: Erotic Interludes 2
by Stacia Seaman and Radclyffe, eds. Love on the run, in the office, in the shadows–Fast, furious, and almost too hot to handle. (1-933110-16-3)

Course of Action
by Gun Brooke. Actress Carolyn Black desperately wants the starring role in an upcoming film produced by Annelie Peterson. Just how far will she go for the dream part of a lifetime? (1-933110-22-8)

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ustice Served
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Distant Shores, Silent Thunder
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Hunter's Pursuit
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The Walls of Westernfort
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Change Of Pace: Erotic Interludes
by Radclyffe. Twenty-five hotwired encounters guaranteed to spark more than just your imagination. Erotica as you've always dreamed of it. (1-933110-07-4)

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Fated Love
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Justice in the Shadows
by Radclyffe. In a shadow world of secrets and lies, Detective Sergeant Rebecca Frye and her lover, Dr. Catherine Rawlings, join forces in the elusive search for justice. (1-933110-03-1)

shadowland
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Love's Masquerade
by Radclyffe. Plunged into the indistinguishable realms of fiction, fantasy, and hidden desires, Auden Frost is forced to question all she believes about the nature of love. (1-933110-14-7)

Love & Honor
by Radclyffe. The president's daughter and her lover are faced with difficult choices as they battle a tangled web of Washington intrigue for...love and honor. (1-933110-10-4)

Beyond the Breakwater
by Radclyffe. One Provincetown summer, three women learn the true meaning of love, friendship, and family. (1-933110-06-6)

Tomorrow's Promise
by Radclyffe. One timeless summer, two very different women discover the power of passion to heal and the promise of hope that only love can bestow. (1-933110-12-0)

Love's Tender Warriors
by Radclyffe. Two women who have accepted loneliness as a way of life learn that love is worth fighting for and a battle they cannot afford to lose. (1-933110-02-3)

Love's Melody Lost
by Radclyffe. A secretive artist with a haunted past and a young woman escaping a life that has proved to be a lie find their destinies entwined. (1-933110-00-7)

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by Radclyffe. A mysterious newcomer, a reclusive doctor, and a troubled gay teenager learn about love, friendship, and trust during one tumultuous summer in Provincetown. (1-933110-13-9)

Above All, Honor
by Radclyffe. Secret Service Agent Cameron Roberts fights her desire for the one woman she can't have—Blair Powell, the daughter of the president of the United States. (1-933110-04-X)

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