Truly, Madly, Deeply

Truly, Madly, Deeply
Vicki Lewis Thompson

Ten years ago, Dustin Ramsey and Erica Mann shared their first sexual experience in the back seat of Dustin's red Mustang. And the interlude was…a complete disaster. Now Dustin is facing a huge challenge–taking over the family business. But before he does, he has to get past his one and only failure. His plan: to find–and seduce–Erica again. Only, this time he's got to do it right….Erica is amazed when Dustin shows up on her doorstep. True, he has a business proposition for her, but the look in his eye tells her what kind of proposition he's really offering…. Erica has come a long way in ten years. Her newsletter, Dateline: Dallas, has gained her a reputation as the Dr. Ruth of the Dallas area. So if Dustin thinks he can just walk in and seduce her senseless, he'd better think again. Because Erica intends to seduce him first….

“I’d hoped my first sexual experience would be…different,” Dustin admitted

“I loved every minute of being in that back seat with you,” he added quickly, then shook his head. “Or should I say, every second. But once I was inside you, the sensation was better than I ever dreamed it could be…. I’m afraid I went a little crazy.”

Erica’s tension became more centered, setting up a deep throbbing between her thighs. Outside the truck, a cricket began to chirp. If she closed her eyes, she could imagine they were back on that country road.

“Turns out I have the same reaction now that I had ten years ago,” Dustin said softly. “Get me alone with you in the dark, and all I can think about is being inside you.” He paused and cleared his throat. “I know we’ve had good sex, and you said we’ve wiped out the old memories. But I really can’t agree.”

Erica opened her eyes and looked at him. In the shadows, he could still be that eighteen-year-old boy she’d had such a crush on.

“I’m not asking you to go back to my hotel,” he said. “I realize now that what I’ve wanted all along is for you to climb into the back seat of this king cab with me and re-create one of the most important moments in my life. Only, this time I want us to do it right….”

Dear Reader,

What a thrill to be linked to that terrific continuity series, TRUEBLOOD, TEXAS! So many lives have been touched by the Finders Keepers Detective Agency, founded by Lily and Dylan Garrett, descendants of Isabella Trueblood. And like the Rio Grande surging toward the Gulf of Mexico, the saga grows wider and richer with every story. And wilder, too! Somehow, I doubt good old Isabella ever imagined a pursuit quite like this one….

Because now TRUEBLOOD, TEXAS is heading into Blaze territory! It doesn’t get much hotter than Texas in August. And the torrid encounters between Erica Mann and Dustin Ramsey sure resemble spontaneous combustion….

And the heat wave is going to continue into the fall. Next month Tori Carrington sets Houston on fire in Every Move You Make. And then in October, Debbi Rawlins fans the flames in Hands On. So don’t miss out. Join us for a Blazing good time, TRUEBLOOD, TEXAS style!

Enjoy,

Vicki Lewis Thompson

P.S. To drop me a line, or find out about upcoming releases, visit my Web site at www.vickilewisthompson.com. And please check out tryblaze.com!

Truly, Madly, Deeply

Vicki Lewis Thompson

www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)

To Sebastian, my most excellent writing partner.

You’re a great cat.

Contents

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Epilogue

Prologue

PEERING AT THE COMPUTER screen, P.I. Jennifer Madison muttered a few swear words in her native Spanish. The investigative software she’d installed was malfunctioning yet again. Finding Erica Deutchmann should have been a snap, but computer glitches were turning it into a two-day nightmare.

Then, miraculously, the program coughed up the information she’d been struggling to find.

“Ayiyi! There she is, living in Dallas!” The minute the triumphant words left her mouth, she cringed. Sure enough, the baby in the crib next to her desk woke and started to cry.

“Ah, baby Annie, your mama didn’t mean to shout.” Quickly activating the print icon on her computer screen, Jennifer rolled her chair to the crib and reached for the wailing baby as the printer began to hum.

“What happened?” Still holding a whirling automatic toothbrush, her husband Ryan charged into the home office. “Is Annie okay?”

“She’s fine.” Jennifer held Annie against her shoulder and rolled the desk chair back and forth. “But you’re getting toothpaste all over.”

Ryan glanced down at the toothbrush and shut it off. “Whoops.” He swiped at the droplets on the door. “But I heard you shout and then Annie started to cry….”

“That’s my fault.” Jennifer stood and carried the baby over to Ryan. “I got excited when I finally found Erica Deutchmann, and I scared Annie. She’s okay, now, see?” She turned so that Ryan had a view of the baby as she settled back to sleep on Jennifer’s shoulder.

And the agency was all hers now that Morales and Budnicki had both retired. She loved being in charge. She’d closed the downtown office and moved home temporarily, but now that Annie was two months old, Jennifer was looking for a new office close to home, a place where she could meet with clients a couple of days a week. With her recent software problems and the time spent office-hunting, she was way behind. No, she really couldn’t have Ryan staying at home. He needed to be out inspecting his drilling sites so she could do her job.