RIDE
Liquid Silver
Male/Female
Summer 2008

buy it now
read reviews
read an excerpt

Bull rider Risa Forrester and Sheriff Duke Boone have been dancing around their attraction for the better part of a year now. Almost everyone in Quinten, Montana can see it, even though Risa and Duke have never so much as kissed, let alone anything more. Risa has been in love with the sheriff for a long time and senses Duke feels something for her, too. He's so damned rigid though -- and used to being in complete control -- that he won't let go with her and act on the fire that burns between them.

Duke knows he can never give in to the simmering lust he feels for the much younger Risa Forrester. Their age difference alone makes anything between them wildly inappropriate, and he will not invite small town gossip to his front door by engaging in a relationship with the vibrant young woman, who also happens to be his son's best friend.

But when Risa begins to seriously compete against men in her bull riding career, emotions long unused start to stir in Duke, ones he cannot ignore. Duke's fear of Risa getting hurt drives the passion between them, and before Duke knows it he is knee-deep in an affair with

the hottest, most wildly engaging woman he has ever known. Duke finds himself almost obsessed with Risa -- something he hates feeling -- and is constantly fighting desire he swore he would never let in his life again.

The need to keep Risa safe pushes Duke into a reckless ultimatum, and in doing so forces the independent Risa right out of his arms. Can Duke find a way to let go of the strict control he holds over his life and allow a woman back into his heart? And if he can, how much of his soul will he have to give to this fiery woman in order to convince her that she's the only one he wants, forever?

"...Cameron Dane has done it again with her newest release, Ride...The passion simmering between Risa and Duke has been going on for so long that it was only a matter of time before it exploded, bathing them in the flames of mutual desire... The central characters are both intriguing and interesting on their own, and together a perfect match. The story is realistic, open, well-written, and having Risa participate in bull-riding as her chosen sport is an unusual twist for a female lead in a contemporary romance...Add in good integration of characters from the previous books and you have a story meant to be enjoyed now and in the future. This series is a definite keeper."
-- Mystical Nymph from Literary Nymphs Reviews Only

"...Cameron Dane writes with such passion in her stories and this one is right up there with the best of them...Risa and Duke are such a unique pair. Risa is strong, independent, and at times bull-headed. Duke is equally as strong, independent, and bull-headed, so when these two get together the fireworks begin. Not only in their disagreements but also in the passion they long to share with one another. I would not only recommend this one, as it's a well-written, emotionally-charged story but, I would highly recommend each of the stories in this series as they are the best."
-- Sandra from The Romance Studio

"...Frank sex scenes dominate the plotline and make your fingertips snap, pop and sizzle with their intensity...a mystery sub-plot regarding a local petty thief rounds up the plot with a new spark...I grinned from ear to ear...Ride is a definitely a high energy read that is going to play on your emotions to bring out the right reaction."
-- Mahaira Fatima from Just Erotic Romance Reviews

“…Risa is feisty and very independent…Duke is a bit old fashioned, very sexy…They make a great match in bed. Out of bed, they have some trouble…The sex between Risa and Duke is very hot. Cameron Dane tells a good story. Her writing really stirs emotions, especially the naughty kind!”
--Joyfully Reviewed by Nannette

Ride Excerpt 1: PG-13 to R-ish

Ride Excerpt 2: PG-13

Excerpt # 1

Duke sat out on the porch of his farmhouse and enjoyed the late evening breeze. He took a long drag off his beer, letting the icy cold brew slide down his throat before setting the bottle down beside the leg of his chair. He kicked his boots up on the porch railing, tipped his head back on the top rung of the chair, and let the brim of his Minnesota Twins ball cap slide forward over his eyes, blocking out the soft glare from the porch light.

Christ, he was bone tired. A series of petty thefts around town filled most of his thoughts lately, and the fact that he hadn't yet successfully anticipated the guy's next move grated on his usual unflappable patience. Watching Risa ride that damn bull today hadn't helped his mood any either. Jesus, he hadn't known what to expect when she shot out of that chute on the back of a two thousand pound killing machine. Fear, anger, helplessness; he'd anticipated all of that—and had experienced it in waves that sent trickles of sweat down his back. He had not counted on or expected his cock to stir to life behind his zipper and push to get free.

Damn it, Risa Forrester was so goddamned beautiful that it hurt to look at her sometimes. To have such complete awareness of her as a woman and know he couldn't do a damn thing about it killed him. At forty-four years old, he had twenty years on her. Worse, the close friendship she and Ren shared. If Duke let anyone see his desire for Risa it would only be a matter of time before people started wondering and wagging their tongues about just how far back his attraction to her went.

No one would believe he had only become aware of her as a woman less than two years ago. Hell, he hadn't even recognized it as sexual attraction at first. He just knew that when she'd taken up this damn dangerous bull riding it had fisted fear in his stomach, cutting him open as he thought of her being hurt, possibly killed, in this new endeavor of hers. For the longest time he refused to look at why that bothered him so much, knowing on instinct that nothing good could come from understanding the root of his sudden interest in Risa's life. Only, they crossed paths so often because of their overlapping friendships that he could never wipe her out of his mind once she had taken root there. Noticing other intriguing things about her soon followed, and then the sexual fantasizing had begun in earnest.

A year later, and his passion for her had only grown more real, tangible, and profound.

"You owe me an apology." Her throaty, feminine voice slinked into Duke's mind, tugging on his need. "And I want it right damn now."

Christ, his thoughts of her reached so damn deep he could actually hear her voice.

Duke growled against the fast stab of lust. Seconds later, a snort of impatience hit his ears. Pressure forced his legs off the railing and his boots hit the plank floor with a resounding thud.

Duke pushed his hat up and came face to face with the greenest eyes he had ever seen in his life.

"Risa." His voice scratched hard. "What are you doing here?"

"You heard me well enough the first time." She slid her hands into the pockets of her long, oil-skinned duster. "You walked away from my ride today without a word, you bastard, and I want an apology."

Risa's long, strawberry hair flowed wildly around her face. Her pale skin flushed a rosy hue, and her eyes sparkled like emeralds.

Duke had never wanted a woman more in his life.

"I watched you ride the damn bull," he said, his voice hard. "You finally got what you've wanted for over a year now. What else is there to say?"

Risa stalked up to Duke and wrapped her hands around the chair on either side of his head. Her powdery fragrance wafted into his nostrils and made him dizzy. Simple deodorant and woman, nothing else. Her gaze trapped his prisoner, and he couldn't look away.

"How about we start with the truth?" she said softly, her eyes twinkling in the night.

"What truth?" His voice cracked, and he could have kicked his own ass for the tell.

Her beautifully arched brow kicked up a notch, and confidence filled her eyes.

"You think I'm good." Shock laced her voice.

Relief flooded every pore of Duke's body. "Of course I think you're good. I've heard enough people brag about your talent that it didn't shock me to see you stay on the back of that bull."

Leaning down until their mouths almost touched, her eyes darted all over his face. After a few beats, a small smile tilted the corners of her lips.
The lift of Risa's lush lips spiked fear into Duke's heart.

"What?" he asked. He barely stifled a groan as her tongue dipped out and licked the edge of her mouth. "What now?"

"You didn't walk away today because you're a petty, stubborn jerk who can't admit when he's wrong," she answered, her gaze lifting back to his. "You ran because you didn't want me to see how much my riding excited you." Pushing her weight off her hands, she stood up straight and crossed her arms against her breasts, bracing her legs in a tough stance. "Son of a bitch. You fraud. You weren't thinking about how hard and long I'd be able to ride that bull at all. You were wondering what it would be like for me to ride you."

A low groan escaped Duke's lips as he thought about that very thing. Risa's gaze slid down to the bulge in his lap and eyed his stiff dick that, even through the barrier of his jeans, pushed his member against the fabric. He leaked a puddle of precum, and a small stain spread on the blue denim.

Pushing back into the chair, he determinedly blinked all traces of desire from his eyes before lifting his attention to her once again.

"So you turned me on," he admitted blandly. Christ, sporting a boner three feet away from her made it difficult to deny. "You're young and pretty, and I'm only human. It's biology, honey, that's all. I've already acted on my attraction to the wrong woman once and paid the price for ignoring my instincts. I've had a lot longer than you to learn how to control my impulses. Nothing will come of any gut reactions I might have to your luscious body."

Risa leaned back against the porch post and crossed her booted feet. "You want to put money on that, Sheriff?"

"Darlin', I don't think you're in a financial position to give away even a penny of your hard earned cash."

"Why don't you let me worry about that?" She drummed her unvarnished, short fingernails against the leather of her coat. "Unless, of course, you're not one hundred percent confident it's gonna be me handing over the money."

"Oh, I'm confident." This woman had no idea how long he had battled his attraction to her. He'd already prepared himself to deal with it for as long as they continued to share a town. "We're not even in the same league, sweet Risa. It wouldn't be a fair fight."

"You're right," she said. Something wicked shone in her eyes right then. "It's not."
She pulled the zipper on her slicker, slipped it off her shoulders, and Duke could barely breathe. She stood before him in her competition vest, chaps, cowboy boots ... and nothing else. ...

Excerpt # 2

Duke entered the loud, dimly lit bar and dance hall, the pull too powerful to stay away. He knew he should already be on the road heading toward home, but he found that he could not ignore the gut-churning emotions Risa had riled up in him today. Watching a bull come this close to trampling her in the ring tonight tore him to shreds. He had immediately moved in for her, but couldn't get to her quickly enough through the crowd. By the time he reached hearing and seeing distance to her, he overheard that young buck invite her out for a drink. Risa had smiled vibrantly and given the man a thumbs up, and Duke held back in the shadows, his head making the argument that this was for the best and he should step out of the way. His heart wouldn't let him go back to Quinten without checking on her one more time, though. And maybe, just maybe, to have a word with this young rider and make sure he treated Risa right.

Duke scanned the big, crowded space and spotted Caleb sitting at the bar. He made his way through the throng of people out for a good time and pushed his way in between Caleb and a happy couple that needed to take their fun to a private room.

"Where is she?" Duke leaned his back against the bar and tracked the hall in a deliberate fashion, one grid of area at a time. "I don't see her with that kid who asked her out for a drink."

Caleb slid an assessing, knowing gaze Duke's way. "Hello to you, too," he murmured, his lips hidden behind his beer. "I'm fine."

"Sorry." Duke would have kicked himself in the ass if he could. Every time he got in the same room with Risa he gave a little more of himself away. "I heard that young guy ask her out, and I feel an obligation to check on her to make sure he's treating her right. For Luke and her mother's sake, and even for Ren."

"Wow." Caleb raised a brow. "My bulls don't even crap piles of shit that big. Be careful you don't get stuck in it, Sheriff." Caleb swiveled on his barstool and focused in on the far end of the dance floor. "There she is." He pointed, and Duke followed his finger. The music changed to a slow number and everyone dancing paired up close. "Ahh, I believe Jake has snagged her for another two-step."

"Jake?" Duke's heart arrested as he found Risa among the couples. Even in jeans, a long-sleeve white shirt, and her hair pulled back in a simple ponytail, her beauty had no comparison in the room.

Risa tilted her head back and laughed at whatever Jake said. Her arm settled around his shoulders as they swayed to the music, and blood boiled hot in Duke's veins.

"What in the hell is she doing dancing with him?" Duke snapped. Christ, he hadn't forced himself to walk away so she could take up with a guy so damn close to his own age. "She is supposed to be on a date with a younger guy." Duke sorted through his memory of his brief introduction to Jake Chase. "Isn't this Jake guy married? Where in the hell is his wife?"

"Deceased," Caleb answered with a pointed look that shamed Duke. "Besides, they're just dancing." Caleb took another swig of his beer, his eyes following Duke's to the couple on the floor. "Maybe." Duke barely heard Caleb's voice over the music and chatter. "For now."

"Shit." Duke pushed off the bar. "Excuse me. I've got something I need to do."

"Good luck." Caleb spun back around and faced the bar. Duke could swear he heard the man chuckling as he sipped his beer.

Great, nothing had even happened and he already had people judging and laughing at him. Exactly what Duke had figured when he first became attracted to Risa. He could just hear the whispers already. That he was an old man chasing a woman young enough to be his daughter. And that it was pathetic that he couldn't see that he was past his prime, and just leave Risa alone. Duke knew he should do just that. Walk away.

He put one booted foot in front of the other and made a beeline for Risa and Jake.

"Excuse me," he said when he reached their side. Risa started when she heard his voice, her green eyes flicking up to him. Her attention, even so simply like this, stroked Duke deep inside, like the most loving caress. He cleared his throat and threw a brief glance at Jake. "Mind if I cut in?"

Jake looked to Risa, and Duke's grudging respect for the man went up a notch.

"Is that okay with you?" Jake asked. Risa nodded, her gaze switching warily to Duke as Jake let go of her and stepped away.

Duke slid right into Jake's place. Risa stiffened under his hand for just a moment and then relaxed into his lead. She rested her cheek against his shoulder as he moved them slowly, shuffling really, nothing anyone would exactly call dancing. Duke hadn't danced with a woman he wanted in close to twenty years, and he'd forgotten how to do much of anything except appreciate how damn right this particular woman felt in his arms. He rubbed his fingers along the small of her back and dipped down to smell her honey-scented hair.

Risa pulled away from his shoulder and laid a direct gaze on him. "I didn't expect to see you here tonight," she said, her tone short. "I thought you'd hightailed it back to Quinten before I even got on the back of my final bull."

"And I thought to find you here dancing with that young guy who asked you out after your final ride. What in the hell happened to him?"

Risa's eyes widened to big, green saucers. "You watched me ride?"

"Answer my question first," Duke countered. Christ, he couldn't think about what had come on the heels of that final ride of hers yet. "Where's the other guy?"

Risa's gaze darkened to the colors of a forest on a stormy night. "It wasn't a date. He invited me for a round of drinks with the other guys on the tour, you jackass." She punched his shoulder. "You hurt me tonight when you disappeared from the crowd at the rodeo. I looked for you after my ride."

"I tried to get to you," Duke admitted, his voice gruff with unchecked emotion. "I saw that bull coming for you, hitting your back more than once, and my heart stopped beating. All I could think to do was get to you. You had already jumped over the railing, accepting your congratulations from the crowd by the time I got to you. Your fellow rider gave his high-five too."

Risa reached up and cupped Duke's cheek, her eyes full of her open, generous heart. Duke's knees almost buckled right then and there.

"Why didn't you come to me?" she asked. Her thumb brushed over his lips, and Duke reached close to heaven with just that small touch. "I wanted your hug and high-five more than anyone else's in that building."

Duke reached deep for that one last attempt at nobility. "I heard that guy invite you out and thought it best if I got out of your way and let someone closer to your age, with similar interests, maybe catch your eye."

"God, Duke"—Risa shook her head—"you have such old-fashioned ideas about what kinds of people should be together."

Duke stiffened, stopping their modified dance as heat flared in his belly. "Well, I apologize if you find that objectionable, but I am an old-fashioned guy."

Risa slid her hand down Duke's stomach and around his waist. She leaned in close and whispered near his ear, "So try something new." She pressed a kiss high on his cheek. "Let go, for once"—she flicked the tip of her tongue across his skin, and his cock responded as if she'd grazed his slit—"and let something you want happen naturally."

The answering tug of desire for this woman spread as infectiously from Duke's heart as it did from his dick.

He groaned as he fell a little bit more, knowing that this could only lead to heartache and trouble.

He tilted her face up to his anyway, for once not hiding even a speck of emotion toiling within him for this one complex, fascinating woman. "We need to get out of here"—his voice resonated gruff and thick to his own ears—"before I get very, very hard, and it becomes obvious to everyone in this place exactly what I want."

Risa took his hand and led him out of the bar. ...

Copyright Protected Work
Cameron Dane, Author. Liquid Silver Books, Publisher.

- back to top -