Hello! Welcome back to My Sexy Saturday. Today, I’m sharing from Desire Unexpected.
These 7 sexy paragraphs are from Ethan and Nadia’s first date at the Art Institute. They are in front of their favorite exhibit and Ethan has asked her to share what she sees.
❤ Enjoy!
“Ladies first.” His left eyebrow rose.
“All right.” She had a feeling it wouldn’t be the first time she let him have his way. “I have favorites on each, from the fiddle, to the musician, to the bright sun, and then the dancers over here. To be honest, I enjoy them all. It’s the pieces that make it whole. So simple and so complicated. Together they are complete.” She turned to him and found him watching her. “Sorry, I got lost there for a minute.”
“Don’t be. I enjoy experiencing things from a different perspective. We each bring our view and it can shape our experience.” He stopped in front of the left pane and reached out toward the window and into the blue rays shining through the stained glass.
“What do you see?”
“It changes for me.” He moved his hand to the left, the blue glow changed to white, then green and red. After moving again, it changed back to blue. “Right here, I sometimes see a mother holding her child and other times I don’t see it at all.”
She stepped closer. “This is her hair. I see it. I don’t think I ever noticed it before.” She tilted her head. “Very observant. I have a glass orb at home. Its colors remind me of the windows.” She turned toward him and found him unnervingly close. His kissable lips became her focus. Would his kisses be tender or demanding?
“You want to get out of here?”
Blurb:
Life is passing Nadia Duskin by from her position in the mailroom. It only fulfills two necessities, keeping the repo man away and keeping her up to date on her sexy CEO.
Ethan Wright is prepared to frighten and fire the nosey girl who sorts his company’s mail. After engaging with her at one of his favorite places in the world, he digs deeper.
Together, they find the kind of pleasure that could keep them satisfied for a lifetime. Her love may be the key to putting both of their lives back on track, but to what end? When a man he’s been contracted to kill threatens Nadia’s life, he forces her to face reality. Either they’ll delve deeper into the desires neither expected or they may die trying.
Be Warned: spanking, light BDSM, public exhibition
Click here to see a list of those participating this week.
Thank you so much for visiting me, it means a lot to me that you took the time to visit my little place on the web. Don’t forget to check out the other weekend memes, includingSaturday Spankings, Weekend Warriors, and the Snippet Sunday Facebook Group.
Voting begins today in the final round for The Romance ReviewsReaders’ Choice Awards. I’d love to get your vote! Click on the picture, log into TRR, and click the bar at the top of page. ❤ ❤ ❤
Hello! Welcome back to My Sexy Saturday. Today, I’m sharing from Desire Unexpected. It’s up for your nomination at The Romance Review’s Readers’ Choice Awards! I hope you’ll consider nominating it. Simply login to TRR and click here.
Thank you!!
These sentences are from the same scene as last week. Nadia and Ethan are still in the middle of you know what. ❤ Enjoy!
Her fingers lost their grip on the headboard and she struggled to keep arms spread wide.
“One of the things you need to work on is keeping your body still. Your focus needs to be on my touch and shutting out everything else.”
“Yes, sir. I’ll try.”
He blew across her pelvic bone. “Well done. There’s that pretty little clit coming out to play. Remember, no movement.” He blew again.
Blurb:
Life is passing Nadia Duskin by from her position in the mailroom. It only fulfills two necessities, keeping the repo man away and keeping her up to date on her sexy CEO.
Ethan Wright is prepared to frighten and fire the nosey girl who sorts his company’s mail. After engaging with her at one of his favorite places in the world, he digs deeper.
Together, they find the kind of pleasure that could keep them satisfied for a lifetime. Her love may be the key to putting both of their lives back on track, but to what end? When a man he’s been contracted to kill threatens Nadia’s life, he forces her to face reality. Either they’ll delve deeper into the desires neither expected or they may die trying.
Be Warned: spanking, light BDSM, public exhibition
Click here to see a list of those participating this week.
Thank you so much for visiting me, it means a lot to me that you took the time to visit my little place on the web. Don’t forget to check out the other weekend memes, includingSaturday Spankings, Weekend Warriors, and the Snippet Sunday Facebook Group.
I’m so excited to share that Kacey Hammell has a new release! Squee! I got an early read on this one and I was blown away. I encourage you to add this to your TBR list. Guarding Midnight is a must read.
It’s my pleasure to give me blog over to Kacey today. She’s sharing what a good writer needs, all the details on her new release and a sexy excerpt too. Enjoy! ❤
Sometimes, it takes a village. And it’s true. It takes a cohesive family to raise a child right. It takes a band of friends and family to pull off a great wedding. It takes a group of friends to support an actor, singer or a writer.
A good writer needs:
A great story, a fabulous editor, an amazing proofreader, honest and no holds barred critique partners, a skilled cover artist, and a supportive publisher.
I’ve been lucky enough to have all those, and one person in particular has been in my corner for a number of years. She’s the one that I can email every day, cry on her shoulder, tell my deepest secrets to, rant to about when my husband is being a dick (which doesn’t happen often), and share the joys of family, writing, and have a camaraderie of sisterhood.
She’s very important to me. A dear, dear friend, whom I couldn’t help name my heroine after in Guarding Midnight. Shree “Walker” is a wonderful, living and breathing woman who I could rave on and on about for days (she’ll read this, so I better not), and I just hope that when she gets the chance to finally sit and read the full edition of the book, she’ll be pleased with the results. (She did read it long, long before it was a finished first draft! But it’s changed drastically since then!)
So to my dear, Shree… Love ya. Thank you. For everything! xoxo.
K.
Guarding Midnight
by Kacey Hammell
Canadian Muscle 1
Contemporary/Suspense/Erotic/Romance
ISBN: 978-1-77233-292-6
Released April 1st with Evernight Publishing
Blurb:
Canadian Muscle …
When Desires Need Protecting.
No one knows sacrifice better than former Army Sergeant Gavin Bennett. He’s witnessed firsthand the emotional, physical and mental toll of being caught in the crossfire. Being a bouncer-slash-bodyguard may not be Gavin’s dream job, but he’s willing to do just about anything to help out family. When Gavin reports for his first day of work, he quickly discovers a woman who threatens to crack his legendary cool.
Shree Walker is on the run from a dark past she tried to shut away. Battered and broken, a happily ever after doesn’t exist for her. Ready to start fresh with a new life in a new city, she is happy dancing at the Vixen Club. She’d be even happier without the presence of the prickly new bouncer who won’t let anyone or anything get past his carefully guarded defenses. He’s a distraction she doesn’t need. And a temptation she can’t resist.
When Shree is kidnapped by the criminal mastermind hell-bent on taking the club at any cost, Gavin has to make a decision. Hold tight and continue to keep Shree at arm’s length. Or break down his walls and take a chance on something more powerful than them both: Love.
“You women are so pigheaded.” He inched a step closer. “You never know when to shut up and just listen. I’m trying to take care of all of you here.”
“Then go tell some of the other girls. You’ve given me my orders. Fine. You’re done. We’re done.” Chin up, Shree turned away.
He grabbed her arm, startling her. She spun back, legs unsteady, and reached out blindly as she began to fall.
The world spun around her, and she braced to hit the floor.
Warmth wrapped her waist, and then darkness smashed into her.
A deep groan brought her back. Scanning the room, the realization hit her. She was atop Gavin. She gasped. His strong body had broken her fall, though she’d probably end up with some bruises. He gazed at her with his beautiful cognac eyes.
Getting involved with him would be a very bad idea. She had to study, work hard to finish school and get away from clubs for good. She searched his gaze, searching for what she didn’t know. Maybe some sign that her heart wouldn’t be bruised after he was done with it.
“Shree.” Jesus. Her name rolled off his lips almost like a growl. The rasp put her body into overdrive. Her pussy clenched and pricks of electricity tingled along her back.
This man wasn’t right for her. She was going to get hurt. Deep in her gut, she knew it. And she always listened to her gut. Always.
Not this time.
No, she couldn’t—wouldn’t—miss out on taking what she could. For herself. To forget school, the job, and the past, she’d jump in with both feet and screw what might happen.
She captured his mouth with hers. A deep moan of delight escaped her.
His palms skimmed up her back, his mouth opening wide and allowing her entrance into the deep recesses of him. Stale coffee and mint coated her tongue.
Her palms skimmed over his bald head, caressing with her fingertips, acquainting herself with the feel of him. She lingered at each bump and scar, over his ears to his cheekbones.
Never before had she tasted anything as delicious or been so engrossed in the textures of a man’s roughened skin before. Tight, tough skin that was from hard living, rough times, and that of a man’s man. He was glorious. An Alpha man who was allowing his woman to take the lead.
No. No, dammit, not his woman.
Shree pushed the annoying voice aside and pulled back. Staring at him, his eyes blazed with desire…no, there would be no going back now. For now, in this moment, she would be his woman. He could brand her, claim her as his, but only this once. And she’d walk away knowing the decision was all hers.
Sitting up, astride his hips, she held his gaze and tossed the towel from around her neck aside. Her palms skimmed over his chest. The blue button-down shirt he wore did little to hide the feel of his tight muscles. His warm palms sat on her thighs, as if waiting for her permission to touch.
She leered at him, certain he was anxious to take over, loving the feel of tension in his arms and pecs as he held himself in check. How he understood that she needed this, she didn’t know. Nor did she care.
Silence filled the small room as she opened the buttons of his shirt to the waist. There was a heaven, and she was looking at it. Naked golden skin and tight ridges took her breath away. He worked hard to stay in this shape. Who was she not to admire it?
“Keep looking at me like that and I’ll have you under me in five seconds.” His gravelly voice cut through her thoughts.
Empowered by the passion in his eyes, she grinned at him then shrugged. “Nothing wrong with that, but I like to be on top.” She shifted on his hips, her breath catching as she felt his hard shaft against her ass.
Oh yes, this man had been blessed very well. His length pushed against her, and fire spread from her pussy straight to her toes. Her nipples pebbled tight, aching and throbbing.
Her body rocked against his, friction from his jeans and the spandex covering her was delicious. It was crazy to be so into a man like Gavin so soon after meeting him. But her body led the way. It wanted the connection to him, needed to feel him inside and around her.
These tumultuous emotions were foreign to her.
“Shree.”
“Shh, just hush,” she whispered, shifting her hips against his. She shoved the hem of her bra up over her breasts.
“Fuck, you’re gorgeous.” A growl erupted from his throat.
Gaze locked on his, she lifted his hands and pressed them against her aching nipples. She gasped. The heat of his touch swirled through her body. Shifting her hips down, her pussy lips cradled his shaft through their clothes.
Delirious. Out of control.
Her mind spun with images of how she wanted to ride him. The powerful friction from their clothing and his skin set her on fire. Adrenaline rushed through her, wanting him, and to satisfy the hunger racing over her.
Desperation this strong had never hit her so hard.
Her hands went to his belt, unbuckling it, and drew it apart.
He stilled her movements. “Are you sure?”
Shree withdrew from under his hold, yanked open the button, and parted the zipper. “Going to back out on me?” she challenged, fearing he’d leave her needy.
He chuckled. It was light and relaxed to her. “Not bloody likely.” His fingers pushed beneath the leg of her shorts, pulling it all into each hand.
Frowning, she gaped at him. “What are you do—” She screamed, body jerking as he pulled her shorts apart. Staring at the mess of spandex he held, her jaw dropped. It was like sitting atop the Incredible Hulk whose strength was feared while admired.
The garment lay in tatters, the waistband the only thing keeping the material around her. Gavin tossed the bits that remained in his palms over his head.
His touch eased over her bare mound, reawakening the arousal coursing through her. Thankful she hadn’t worn any underwear, she lifted a bit, allowing his fingers to slide between their bodies and find her clit.
Giving herself up to his touch, she sucked in a deep breath and tilted her head back.
Moisture coated her channel, filling her, making it easier for him to glide his fingers back and forth. Electric currents of heat surrounded her clit and her pussy tightened. Two digits slipped inside her, and the breath rushed out of her. His guttural moan cut through the air.
Her eyelids lifted. She needed to regain control. It was best for her to lead this brief interlude, and remind herself just how strong she could be, realize how much she could still love her body and the needs that couldn’t always be denied.
Adjusting up on her knees, she pushed his touch away. She lowered his jeans and underwear to the floor and off his feet. The gorgeous sight of his hard cock caught her breath and saliva filled her mouth.
She’d never given a man head before, and didn’t know if she could ever bring herself to do so, but in this moment, having him inside her cunt was way more important than anything.
Watch the Guarding Midnight Book Trailer:
Avid Reader. Romance Author. Redhead…
Canadian-born author Kacey Hammell is definitely a book-a-holic. A romance reader from a young age, she fell in love with happily ever afters. These days, as a multi-published erotic romance author, she enjoys adding a lot of heat, sass, and emotion to the many genres she writes.
A mom of three, Kacey has made certain each of her children know the value of the written word and the adventures they could escape on by becoming book-a-holics in their own right. She lives her own happily ever after with her perfect hero in Ontario, Canada, and is a true romantic at heart.
I’m super excited to have Cait Jarrodhere today with her brand new release. Her cover for Breaking All Barriers is lovely. She’s brought all kinds of goodies, including a giveaway AND she’s answered a bunch of questions. There’s a special note for you from Cait below, too. Enjoy!
Breaking All Barriers By Cait Jarrod Release Date: March 13, 2015 Publisher: Wild Rose Press Genre: Romantic Suspense
Can a single kiss change your life?
Businessman Cole Dunbar stays focused inventing the latest techno gadgets. When he learns of his deceased wife’s betrayal, he shuts the door on any personal relationships. There’s just one problem—the sexy Dina Wright who lives down the hall. He can’t keep her out of his thoughts and fantasies. When he sees her frightened on a New York City street, he tosses aside his reservations and reaches out to her.
Dina is high on life. Not only is she starting an advertising agency and her best friend is returning to NYC, an honest-to-God hunk is sending her spine-tingling looks. Despite past betrayals interfering, the budding romance picks up momentum, but Mother Nature spins her wrath. Amidst the chaos, Dina vanishes.
I’ve been writing for approximately five years. My first book released in February of 2013.
Can you tell us about some of the challenges or tough decisions you’ve had to make in publishing your books?
Picking a publisher that matches my needs the best was the hardest decision, especially with the release of my first book. I didn’t know what I needed or wanted.
I hear you there. I didn’t know what I didn’t know. I certainly got lucky with Evernight. Can you tell us about a criticism you’ve received that pushed you into a better writing place?
Yes, I was fortunate to win a critique from Madeline Hunter. She tore it up, told me my scenes were too long, amongst other comments. It stung, but after a day or two of thinking about it, I went on a mission to learn more. Thanks to her, I’ve taken advance-writing classes and now feel I have a better grasp on some of my weaker areas.
That’s amazing. I know some of my biggest growth as a writer came after harsh criticism. Once I could see past the sting, I was able to really see where I needed to go. What is the most surprising thing you discovered while writing your book(s)?
*snickers* That I could write a novel and love it.
Lol! What is the one thing you do after finishing a story?
Smile.
😀 Tell us a bit about the projects you are working on now?
I just sent my manuscript, Faith-a story in the Girl Code anthology, to my editor.
A little bit about Faith:
Selena Bodine returns to rural Pearl, Ohio, after receiving a frantic phone call from her father. Years had passed since she made her escape into the United States Air Force to leave behind the physical abandonment of her mother, the emotional neglect of her father, and the one man who she refused to let herself love.
Responsibility and honor are the traits former Secret Service agent, Cullen Wilson, lives by. When he finds himself going against his integrity for money to help his brother, his world flips on its axis. Still, the world flipping wasn’t the worst. Locating the woman who jilted him years ago sends him into a whirlwind of angst, love, and hope.
The question is, will Cullen have the strength and patience to wait for Selena to realize she does have Faith in him?
Currently, I’m working on the sequel to Faith, Matt’s story. He’s Cullen’s brother in Faith.
Hi readers!
I’m excited to be here. I hope everyone is staying warm and safe this winter.
From March 13-19, I’m having a Facebook party on Breaking All Barriers’ page, https://www.facebook.com/BreakingAllBarriersbyCaitJarrod. Each day, there will be a chance to win an autograph print book, ebooks, and more. Speaking of which, I have a raffle coinciding with the blog tour for an autograph copy of Breaking All Barriers. You can enter below. In addition, leave comments on the blogs with an email address and your name will be entered.
Happy reading!
A huge thank you to the blog host for having Breaking All Barriers and me!
~Cait
Excerpt:
A single gunshot echoed in the night.
An invisible death-grip tightened his throat. The road and buildings warped. Sound faded. Cole’s fear came to fruition, the worst moment of his life.
He needed eyes on Dina now!
Cole forced his legs to move faster into the darkness. The small amount of glow, seeping around the trailer from the junker’s headlights, gave him a visual to the only other intact car, parked next to the overturned truck.
The cloud pattern shifted and the moon brightened the darkened sky. Beyond the downed trailer, demolished truck, past the crinkled unmarked car, hope soared, clenching Cole’s heart and stealing his breath. He stopped and stared, not sure if he could believe his eyes.
The moon spotlighted Dina standing in the middle of the wreckage, staring at the road, her body shaking. Fright and pain visible in her profile felt like a bullet to his chest, forcing the wind out of his lungs and weakening his muscles.
Her gaze left whatever caught her attention and she peered over her shoulder. Their eyes locked. In that moment of time, no one else existed, not the swirling bright blue and red lights approaching or the loud sirens demanding attention.
Too afraid if he ran, his legs would give out from the overwhelming emotions, he walked toward her.
Not moving her gaze from his, she pulled her lips inward and wiped a hand across her face. She’d been through so much. Instinctively, he wanted to pull her to him, feel her warmth against his chest. Afraid sudden movement might scare her, he tempered his urge and stopped in front of her. “Awe, babe.” He stroked a finger down her cheek and searched her face.
Tears welled in her eyes, and something more frightening smeared across her skin—a reddish-brown color—blood
Buy it links: Wild Rose Press | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo Don’t miss Cait Jarrod’s other works:
Kidnapped Hearts – Band of Friend Series, Book 1
Mystic Hearts-Band of Friend Series, Book 2
Entangled Love
Girl Code anthology, releasing Spring 2015
About the Author:
From writing ‘every girl’s dream heroes’ to ‘strong, down-to-earth heroines,’ Cait Jarrod twists ‘cliff hanging plots’ and ‘clever, unpredictable sub-plots’. She loves diving into a good book as much as she loves writing one.
Mother of three gorgeous daughters, she’s married to her best friend, hangs out with the WWC—a great group of women, and loves a good glass of wine.
Cait’s debut novel, Kidnapped Hearts, won awards in the categories of Best Happily Ever After, Best Suspense, and Editor’s Choice. She also made the Amazon Best Sellers list.
GUARDING MIDNIGHT by Kacey Hammell Series: Canadian Muscle 1
Contemporary/Suspense/Erotic Romance
Coming Soon with Evernight Publishing
Being the hired muscle just got a whole lot harder…..
No one knows sacrifice better than former Army Sergeant Gavin Bennett. He’s witnessed firsthand the emotional, physical and mental toll of being caught in the crossfire. Being a bouncer-slash-bodyguard may not be Gavin’s dream job, but he’s willing to do just about anything to help out family. When Gavin reports for his first day of work, he quickly discovers a woman who threatens to crack his legendary cool.
Shree Walker is on the run from a dark past she tried to shut away. Battered and broken, a happily ever after doesn’t exist for her. Ready to start fresh with a new life in a new city, she is happy dancing at the Vixen Club. She’d be even happier without the presence of the prickly new bouncer who won’t let anyone or anything get past his carefully guarded defenses. He’s a distraction she doesn’t need. And a temptation she can’t resist.
When Shree is kidnapped by the criminal mastermind hell-bent on taking the club at any cost, Gavin has to make a decision. Hold tight and continue to keep Shree at arm’s length. Or break down his walls and take a chance on something more powerful than them both: Love.
In this stand-alone prequel to the explosive Corpus Brides romantic suspense/espionage series, found out how everything started when one of the agency’s deadliest became the target of a rogue faction.
Before the morning
…is the time of greater darkness…
A trained killer with borderline sociopathic tendencies
Rayne Cheltham traced out her life’s path when she was twelve: she would marry her best friend and bear his children, and in the process, stifle the restless edge in her. When he vows never to marry, she gives in to the darkness and becomes a clandestine agent—until the day he walks into her world again, and her carefully fabricated façade crumbles.
A former cop burned by life and his personal demons
When Ash Gilfoy meets a woman who reminds him of his childhood best friend, he starts upon a path that leads him down into the abyss once again. The day Rayne waltzes back into his life, he knows she is his second chance, and the one who will save him.
Each thinks the other is their redemption…until they discover how deep darkness goes inside both of them
The secrets between them make them sit on a keg of gunpowder with a lit fuse in their hands. Rayne’s whole life is built on a lie, and the truth is threatening to explode in their faces. But that is not the only menace they have to face. Someone is out to get Rayne, and she must disclose her secret past before it is too late.
Can Rayne and Ash survive all that’s thrown in their path? Can they hang on to the last thread of their relationship, and can they emerge, still together and still alive, in the morning after the deepest darkness?
Rayne did not exist when this series started – it wasn’t even supposed to be a series, but then it started niggling as to how it all started, and how did the Corpus come to find out? Rayne was thus ‘born’ into the ranks of the clandestine Corpus Agency, and of course, she had to be the most dangerous of them all!
This story started on a dare from Goodreads users in the Dangerous Hero Addict Support Group – all those taking part needed to write a story about a dangerous hero (that was a given!) and we had a few tropes to choose from. “Friends to lovers” sounded really interesting, so this became the main trope for this book.
Ash Gilfoy is the embodiment of ‘honour’. He had to be the character with the most beautiful yet tortured soul; still, he only wanted to do the right thing, especially with Rayne whom he believes is an innocent entrapped in the vortex of his darkness. It was a labour of love giving him his absolution along with Rayne’s.
Where Walking The Edge focused more on the ‘Nikita’ vibe, Before The Morning took on more of a ‘Burn Notice’ comedy aspect of espionage…when the families were brought in! Rayne has been trained to kill without blinking and without making any mess; she goes toe to toe with the most sociopathic of criminals out there…but tell her she has to come back into her family fold, for a wedding, no less, and she breaks into cold sweat and yearns to run away!
The book takes place even more around Europe, with a stint in Las Vegas, too, at one point. Prague in the Czech Republic features heavily in there (fyi, the image on the cover is of Prague). Then there is London, especially the Ritz and Soho, and Hastings in East Sussex on Sea, a location not usually seen in stories. There’s a hop to France, as well, to the French Provence at Arles and the Alyscamps Roman necropolis located there. Research about underground tunnels under the Thames took me to Brunel Tunnel and its grand entrance hall, where a pivotal scene is set.
The character of Anastasiya—heroine of the third and last Corpus Brides book—is introduced in this story. She is Rayne’s best friend inside the agency, a woman cloaked in secrets and made for the clandestine life…until she cuts and run. Most believe her to be behind the mutinous conspiracy to take power inside the ranks.
Corpus agent Scott makes another hefty guest appearance in this tale—an integral part of the ‘good guys’ camp, he saves Rayne’s arse on more than one occasion.
The whole story is even more a plethora of guns and danger. Makarovs, Walthers, Glocks, Micro Eagles—you name it and it’s probably in there. Proved to be fun to research (as well as giving whoever’s watching the kind of information to put this computer on the ‘to-watch list’, LOL)
Family and relationships are an integral part of the plot, as much as the danger and espionage form part of the story. Rayne has existed in her bubble as assassin Kali for half of her life—it is now time for her to reconcile with the woman, daughter, sister, and wife, inside of her…and no amount of training has prepared her for this!
Despite being the prequel to the whole series, the story stands alone and there is a definite conclusion to the romance of Rayne and Ash, all while spring-boarding the events in both Books 1 and 3 (Walking The Edge and Let Mercy Come, respectively).
Excerpt
From the front-facing window on the second floor of the Shepherd’s Close freehold, Corpus secret agent Rayne Cheltham watched the ambulance pull away from the curb.
Shivers crept up her arms, and she hugged herself tight to ward them off.
Get a grip!
She was a professional on an assignment, for God’s sake. An elite, trained operative from a clandestine agency that handled operations for governments and international forces as a stealthy left hand. Her superiors entrusted her with the most important missions—nothing should faze her.
Before today, she would’ve said that nothing could affect her when she had her eyes on a goal.
But she couldn’t be sure anymore. She’d never had her past collide with her present like a few moments ago, in the form of her childhood best friend.
Ashford Gilfoy, better known as Ash. The boy who had been there to catch her when, at six, she had slipped while climbing the chestnut tree that sat right on the border between their two houses in Hastings, two days after her family had moved there from Salisbury. The boy who had taught her how to ride a bicycle without the training wheels on the long and winding, gravel-covered lane leading to her parents’ mansion. The teenager who had smashed the nose of the first lad who had broken her heart, at thirteen, during recess in the schoolyard. The young man she had left seventeen years ago on a platform at London Waterloo, on the day she’d bid her old life goodbye.
For the first time since that day, she’d stepped back on British soil, and kismet decided Ash should cross her path.
Why now, of all times? She stood a hair’s breadth away from closing the contract on this mission. Seven months of intensive infiltration work and she remained poised to achieve her aim—neutralize Nikolai Grigorievskiy’s criminal operations before she took out the man. The Corpus always sent her for the kill, but the trick spelled that she had to make her target’s death appear self-inflicted, at the bare minimum, or an accident, in the direst of cases. Measles, as such operations were known in their clandestine world—a planned assassination not leaving any indication of the cause of death. She would then have to sanitize everything—leave no evidence, no witness, nothing to lead back to her. Unlike her other agency counterparts, she wasn’t an out-and-out black ops assassin, but a different level of highly implicated agent provocateur.
In other words, a consummate actress who got to her ends by manipulating people and circumstances. All those years of drama school, at her mother’s insistence when, obviously, she’d be too tall to become a ballerina, had come in handy. In fact, her portrayal of Lady Macbeth in the drama school’s end of year play had caught the eye of the people who had recruited her into the Corpus. Seventeen years now into the agency, fifteen of them as Kali, her operative name, a sociopath with no apparent conscience who followed her orders with diligence. Never had any one of her targets come close to figuring she could be an undercover agent. Her track record was flawless—each assignment undertaken with one hundred percent success rate and a marginal body count.
Until today, when she’d almost gotten burned.
Author, editor, smitten wife, in-over-her-head mum to a tween boy, best-buddy stepmum to a teenage lad, bookaholic, lover of all things fluffy & pink, chronic shoeholic, incompetent housewife desperate to channel Nigella Lawson (and who’ll prolly always fail at making domestic goddess status)…
Zee hails from the multicultural, rainbow-nation island of Mauritius, in the southern Indian Ocean, where she grew up on the figurative fence—one side had her ancestors’ Indian and Muslim culture; the other had modernity and the global village. When one day she realised she could dip her toes into both sides without losing her integrity, she found her identity.
This quest for ‘finding your place’ is what she attempts to bring in all her stories, across all the genres she writes. Her heroines represent today’s women trying to reconcile love, life, & relationships in a melting pot of cultures, while her heroes are Alpha men who often get put back into their rightful place by the headstrong women she writes. Love is always a winner in her stories, though; that’s a given.
**Find more about the latest on Zee and her works in her monthly newsletter http://eepurl.com/5GULr
Please help me welcome Cait Jarrod. She’s here sharing from her brand new release, the 2nd book in her Band of Friends series, Mystic Hearts. First up, Cait is going to share her inspiration for the series. Welcome, Cait! 😀
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I’ve often been asked why I chose a circle of friends to write about for my first series.
Bringing a new story about the tight knit group of friends from Fredericksburg, Virginia, was like coming home, especially since I’ve lived in the area all my life. The friends I’ve made over the years, and have continued to keep in touch with, are much like the people in this book—minus the bombs and gunfights. Instead of a weekly cocktail hour, we get together at least once month at a winery, brewery or the lake.
Temptation landed at Special Agent Larry Newman’s feet—literally. Charlene Smith captured his heart after he rescued her from terrorists two months ago. A failed relationship and being an abused child have turned him into a loner and workaholic. The scars weigh heavy on him and keep him from pursuing her. So what’s a guy to do when the woman he pines for passes out in front of him while working a case?
Battling psychological wounds from abduction is easier than coming face to face with the sexy FBI agent she’s fantasized about for months. A single mother, avoiding the drama that dating would bring to her son’s life, she allows Larry close only in her dreams. Now, she’s second-guessing her decision. Should she have a relationship with this man who makes her feel alive just by being close?
As the couple forges into an abyss of emotions, they plow through secrets and criminals, and fight for the one thing that’s worth fighting for—each other.
Here’s an excerpt from a Cocktail hour, just before the guys arrive. The things good friends say to one another….
“I figured you’d be uptight and would need to blow off steam,” Celine said around a mouthful of margarita.
“Nope. I’m declaring Cocktail Hour an Andrew-free zone,” Charlene said.
Celine choked. “You had sex!”
“Shush!” Pamela’s eyebrows slashed over her blue fierce eyes. “This is a PG establishment.”
“Sorry,” Celine said with a small, mortified smile.
Pamela gazed over her shoulder into the café.
No one watched them except for the bartender. He eyed Celine.
“No foul,” Pamela said then faced Charlene. “Fess up, you have.”
“How’d you two get the idea I had sex from me not wanting to talk about Andrew?”
Celine and Pamela exchanged a silent conspirator glance.
Oh, boy. So, much for wondering if she should talk about Larry, they’d do it for her.
“Larry?” Pamela’s normally welcoming smile transformed into calm tone and she arched an eyebrow at Charlene.
If she hadn’t known Pamela, she’d actually have been nervous and answered immediately. As it was, Charlene would use this time to collect her thoughts and work out what to say. Hanging out on the pier, her and Larry chatting with one another in a way that was so comfortable she felt like she’d done it forever. Well, until her mouth ran away from her and confided her feelings. After that, things between them had become awkward.
Her mind jumped to the kiss next to her mom’s car…phew…she fanned herself and sipped more of her drink to camouflage the heat rising from her body to her face.
“That does it.” Celine gulped her drink. “I want some of what Charlene’s having.”
“Oh, no. You can’t. We’re exclusive.” Charlene looked at her half-empty drink. “This stuff is like truth serum.”
From writing ‘every girl’s dream heroes’ to ‘strong, down-to-earth heroines,’ Cait Jarrod twists ‘cliff hanging plots’ and ‘clever, unpredictable sub-plots’. She loves diving into a good book as much as she loves writing one.
Mother of three gorgeous daughters, she’s married to her best friend, hangs out with the WWC, a great group of women, and loves a good glass of wine.
It’s special treat day at the Maylee ehouse. I have the D.C. Stone here today sharing her latest release. Check out that cover. Yum! And that’s just the start of the post. Enjoy!
Intimate Danger
Romantic Suspense
Release Date June 11, 2014 from Evernight Publishing
ABOUT THE BOOK:
When FBI agent Trent Rossi arrives to investigate a chain of crimes—devastating murders and violent rapes—an inexperienced small town Detective, Charlie, who’s assigned to assist, finds her desire surging for the agent—only to realize he is the primary suspect.
A sleeping threat has awakened in the small town of Nyack. Crimes in the cozy village, garner the attention of the FBI, who assign two agents to assist Charlie in tracking down the sick and deranged perpetrator. Agents Trent Rossi and Dillon Echols work closely with Charlie, but as the crimes progress, dark secrets begin to cloud the air, blurring the line between who is on the side of the law and who’s against it. Being Charlie’s first major case, she’s unprepared not only for the menacing killer on the loose, but also with the unexpected feelings Trent draws out of her.
While Trent holds secrets, disappears at random, and seems to understand their perpetrator all-too-well, Charlie’s suspicions grow along with the pull she feels toward him. Her attraction could become fatal, yet she does not realize it until it is too late.
EXCERPT:
Jesus, he should be looking for this Detective Lopez, but his body screamed for this woman. He fought the urge to fidget, cursed the hours he had been working, unable to get any kind of companionship. He would have to work quick and then find Charlie. “I’m Agent Rossi with the FBI.” He leaned against the desk, gave her the look that had gotten him into pants faster than any of his college buddies, and held out a hand. She looked at his palm as if it were a serpent ready to strike.
“And? How can I help you, Agent Rossi?” She rose from her chair and crossed her arms under her breasts. He tried—and failed—to ignore how the movement pushed her plentiful mounds up toward her chin.
He pulled his hand back and ran it through his hair.
Bad move! The stench coming from under his arm made him wince.
“Look, I know you probably have things to do,” he said.
She nodded, brows lifted to her hairline, as if saying “no shit.” He went on, “But I do need to find Detective Lopez. You’d be a real sweetheart if you could point me in his direction. I’m here on a case and I don’t know…maybe after I’m done briefing him, you’d like to have dinner with me? That is, if you’re not busy?”
The contortion of her brows twisted before a sly smile spread.
“You’re looking for Charlie, huh?”
Someone groaned, and Trent glared over his shoulder, perplexed. The heavyset guy in need of Tide shook his head and looked away. Irritated at the interruption and apparent lack of man code, Trent turned his attention back to the cute little female.
He nodded. “Yeah.”
The woman shifted and sat in the chair with purposeful, slow movements. She set one foot on the desk, crossed a long leg over the other. Each action played out in slow motion through his lust-filled brain. He shifted, his focus glued to the smooth expanse of a jean-covered thigh, and stepped closer.
Hummidy, hummidy, hummidy.
“And why is it you need Charlie?” The woman ran a hand up the outside of her leg and his attention followed it. His mouth went dry.
“Umm, a case.”
“A case?”
“Yeah.” When silence met him, he realized what was happening. You didn’t have to go through interrogation and interview classes in order to figure it out. He was being led. His gaze snapped to hers, except this time, her face did not look friendly. If the hardening of her mouth was any indication, she looked pissed. And he’d been totally caught just checking her out.
Resigned, he let out a breath.
“Yeah, a case. Look, I’m sorry for all—” He waved a hand between them. “This. Could you just point me in the direction of Detective Lopez?”
Her hard mouth softened and she stood from her chair again, lips turning up at the corners. Leaning in to him, her scent surrounded him and he got a whiff of coconut.
His gaze tracked along her face, and dropped to her shirt, which parted as she leaned forward. He about choked as he tried to swallow, his mouth dry as the Arizona desert.
“Well, Agent Rossi.”
Lean forward a little more, please.
“If you could stop staring at my tits for all of two seconds, then I’ll tell where you can find Detective Lopez.”
The noisemaker behind him let out a strangled cough.
He snapped his regard up to hers. Hazel eyes blared with anger. Crap.
“Shit, I’m sorry. Seriously, it has been a long damn day. If you’d just tell me where he is, Miss?” He raised his brows, wanting her name. Good Lord, he wanted her name.
She smiled sweet, the transformation of her face a thing of beauty. “It’s Detective.”
He raised a brow, a sick feeling creeping up his spine. “Detective?” he croaked.
The smile spread to her eyes. “Yes, and to not only help you, but to also answer your question, it’s Detective Lopez. How can I help you, Agent Rossi?”
About the author: D.C. Stone is a romance author and full-time fraud investigator. She lives in the north-east with her incredibly supporting husband and two kids. She’ll deny any association with the grumpy cat that also resides in the house, but he is there, never-the-less.
After serving eight years of service with the United States Air Force, she went on to transition into the world of financial crimes and became a lead investigator for many years.
Reading has always been a passion of hers, getting lost in a good, steamy romance is one of her favorite past times. She soon after discovered her own love for writing and recreating stories and characters in her head. Her writing concentrates on romantic with specifics in paranormal, suspense and erotica.
Now, when she isn’t trying to solve a new puzzle in the world of fraud, she is engulfed with coffee, her laptop, and all those crazy characters in her head. She is a member of the Romance Writers of America, New Jersey Romance Writers, RomVets, RWA Kiss of Death, and the Liberty State Fiction Writers. She currently serves as the Vice President and 2014 Conference Chair for NJRW. Come stop by on Facebook, Twitter, or her website and say hello!
It’s special treat day. I have Alexa Bourne today with her brand new release, DANCE AWAY, DANGER. She didn’t come empty handed either. She brought the hero of her story with her, Matt Rylan for an INTERVIEW. Plus, below you’ll find the details on her prize pack GIVEAWAY.
Blurb:
Sensible dance instructor Tessa Gage likes her life organized, risk-free and on her own terms. When her cop brother goes missing, his crooked partner tries to kill her, and a handsome stranger claims he’s come to protect her, she’s forced to leave her comfort zone. With more dance and business sense than survival skills and no idea who to trust, Tessa has no choice but to rely on this man who’d rather be anywhere but by her side.
When carefree carpenter Matt Rylan gets a late night call from an Army buddy who once saved his life, he finds himself where he never again wanted to be—responsible for someone else. Honor demands Matt cooperate, but he never expects his simple babysitting job to test the limits of his self-control. Nor does he expect it to explode into a race against time for his very freedom.
As Tessa and Matt get closer to the truth, and to each other, Tessa learns to step outside the safety of her world to help set the wheels of justice in motion. For Matt, supporting this courageous woman suddenly becomes everything to him. Yet, his biggest challenge remains sharing his closed-off heart with her before the danger silences them both forever.
Bio:
Alexa Bourne is a teacher by day and a romance writer by nights, weekends, and all school holidays. She also teaches online classes for writers throughout the year. She writes romantic suspense and contemporary romance and is thrilled to have the chance to share her stories with readers everywhere.
When she’s not concocting sinister plots and steamy love scenes or traveling and exploring new cultures, Alexa spends her time reading, watching brainless TV, and thinking about exercising. Okay, she also spends way too much time interacting with readers and writers on social media sites. But don’t tell her editors! Find out more about her and her books on her website, www.alexabourne.com.
Hello! Thanks for joining us today and thank you to SJ Maylee for inviting us to hang out here. Who is ‘us’, you ask? I’m Alexa and today I’m interviewing the hero from my latest romantic suspense book, DANCE AWAY, DANGER. Matt is a very low-key guy, very calm under pressure and quick to make an assessment about any situation. He was best friends with the heroine’s brother a while back, which causes some…issues in the story. Ready to learn more about this awesome guy? Let’s get started!
Alexa: What sound or noise do you love?
Matt: I’m not allowed to tell you on here since this a G-rated site, so I’ll tell you my second favorite sound: Tessa’s laugh when she’s happy and relaxed.
Alexa: Speaking of Tessa, what do you love most about her?
Matt: She’s a happy, upbeat person who always tries to see the good in people.
Alexa: If you were given a chance to travel to the past where would you go and specifically why?
Matt: I’d travel back to when my father was alive and I’d stop him from dying.
Alexa: Yeah, I’m sorry I had to write the story that way. What do you do to unwind and relax?
Matt: I really like sanding the stuff I make.
Alexa: Folks, for those of you who don’t know Matt is a contractor and a carpenter. What one thing about Tessa drives you crazy?
Matt: I may be a simple kind of guy, but I’m not stupid. I plead the fifth.
Thank you to Matt for answering my questions and to SJ for inviting us! I hope you’ll follow me this coming week. I’m touring several blogs and sharing something different about Dance Away, Danger each day. If you leave comments anywhere along the way, you’ll be in the running for a Dance Away, Danger prize pack!
Horatia’s plan to join the London literary set takes a dangerous turn. Now that the war with France has ended, Baron Guy Fortescue arrives in England to claim his inheritance. When Guy is set upon in London, a stranger, Lord Strathairn, rescues and befriends him. But while traveling to his country estate, Guy is again attacked. Guy suspects his relative, Eustace Fennimore, is behind the attacks on his life. Horatia refuses to believe her godfather, Eustace, is responsible. Secure in the knowledge that his daughter will finally wed, Horatia’s father allows her to visit her blue-stocking aunt in London. But Horatia’s time spent in London proves to be anything but a literary feast, for a dangerous foe plots Guy’s demise. She is determined to keep alive her handsome fiancé, who has proven more than willing to play the part of her lover even as he resists her attempts to save him.
Thank you, Maggi, for chatting with me today. I want you perfectly comfortable, so picture your favorite place in the world. Now, can you tell us a little bit about the place you’ve pictured?
I’ve visited a friend in her home in Richmond, England many times. The lovely historic town nestling beside the Thames River is often featured in my books. The ton during Regency times traveled from London to picnic in the park where King Henry VIII used to hunt deer. Deer still roam the park. The view from Richmond Hill takes in the graceful bend of the Thames which has been painted by many famous artists.
That sounds wonderful. I’ve been to London once and would love to back. What was the last book you read that made a lasting impression on you?
Seven Nights in a Rogues Bed by Anna Campbell. I really enjoy her writing and her characters are wonderful.
I’ll have to check that out. Can you tell us about your challenges in getting your first book published?
It took me some years. But I studied the craft and honed my voice, so that time wasn’t wasted.
Most excellent. Craft study is the first thing on my agenda everyday. What is your idea of perfect happiness?
To have my family around me, all happy and in perfect health.
I completely agree with you and I love that you added healthy. We’ve all suffered with colds this last month. We are very ready for spring. What turns you on creatively?
My mother was an artist. I’ve inherited her love of color, interior design, architecture (especially Georgian) art and sculpture. These things often feature in my books. Old black and white movies can sometimes give me ideas for a story.
My mother used to paint and I keep bugger her to pick her brushes back up. She’s quite talented. Old black and whites, interesting, a new source for plot bunnies I’ll need to check out. What quality do you most admire in a man?
Humor and warmth.
What quality do you most admire in a woman?
Kindness.
I read in your bio that you support the RSPCA (The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to animals) and that animals are often feature in your books. Can you tell us a little more about this?
Cats and dogs frequently appear in my stories. In A Baron in Her Bed, Horatia rides her father’s magnificent black stallion, The General, without his knowledge.
In my Victorian novella, How To Tame a Rake, Wilhelmina adopts a fox cub, annoying her reluctant fiancé Blake, no end. Here’s a bit:
Spying a statue on a plinth in the distance, Willy strode towards it. Before she reached it, she saw something lying stretched out on the grass. At first, she thought it a pile of autumn leaves. On closer inspection, she found a fox cub. As she knelt down to him, he lifted his head, his dark eyes pleading.
“Oh, you poor, poor thing,” she said, stroking the red-gold coat. How beautiful he was. He’d hurt a leg, probably in one of those horrid traps. It was broken, dangling at an odd angle. She knew just what to do about it. She’d splinted one of her dogs back home when he broke his leg jumping from a high wall.
Picking the cub up carefully, she cradled him against her chest. He didn’t struggle. Perhaps he knew that she was a friend, or was too weak to care.
Willy carried him along the path. As she rounded the corner of the house, she came face to face with Blake.
“I’m glad to see you out and about,” he began. He looked surprised. “What on earth do you have there?”
“A fox cub. He’s hurt his leg. I’ll have to splint it.”
“You’ll do what?”
“A splint. You use a straight piece of …”
“I know what a splint is, Willy! But this is fox hunting country. We can’t keep a fox here.”
“Why not? When his leg is healed he will go and join the other foxes.” Her lip trembled. “And then you can hunt him down and kill him.”
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
My children, grown up now.
Aw, I love that. My kids are still young and I totally can see where you’re coming from. They’re the most important thing to me. Tell us a bit about the projects you are working on now?
I’ve just completed Taming a Gentleman Spy – Book Two of The Spies of Mayfair Series. The hero is John Haldane, Earl of Strathairn, the heroine, Lady Sibella Winborne, who comes from a very large family. I’ve grown quite fond of them all, including her acerbic mother, and would like to write more books about them.
Here’s a taste (unedited):
Lord Strathairn picked a full creamy bloom and held it out to her. “You look lovely tonight, Lady Sibella.”
“Thank you, my lord.”
“I always enjoy seeing your mother.”
“Do you? Not everyone does. She is very plain spoken.”
“That is what I like about her.”
“Have you been visiting your estates?”
He leant over her to brush away a branch scattering petals. “You’re remarkably inquisitive this evening. Why do you ask?”
“I don’t know. Perhaps because you are a bit of a mystery. You intend it that way, I suspect.”
“We’ve discussed most of my past: my schooling, Eton, then Oxford, and the army.”
“I know only what you wish me to.” She couldn’t explain the feeling she’d always had that his life held more excitement than he revealed. Would he be content concentrating on mundane matters after his years away at war? A keen rider herself, but surely even horses had limited appeal. “It’s just …do you miss the army life?”
“Many men find it hard to settle down. I admit to suffering that for a while.”
“But you’re settled…now?”
“As much as I wish to be.”
She glanced at his profile for a sign of annoyance. She was too inquisitive. He always affected her so.
I am now working on Book three, What a Rakes Wants.
Thank you, Maggi. That was fun.
EXCERPT:
“This is a dance with which I’m familiar,” the baron said, drawing her close in his arms. “We danced it in Paris long before it came to England.”
She supposed he considered England far behind Paris in most things fashionable. Finding herself pressed up against his hard chest produced the memory of how it looked unclothed. Her breath caught, and she wriggled within his arm. “We do not dance this close in England, my lord.”
He let her go in surprise then took up the pose again, leaving space between them. “Merci. I did not know. You have saved me from making a faux pas.”
She suspected he knew quite well, for the devilry in his eyes betrayed him. “You might learn by observing others, my lord,” she admonished him.
At least now she could breathe. But this was unlike the night they had spent together, when her disguise had protected her. Did he find her attractive?
She had no idea if his charm was merely part of his personality. It shouldn’t matter, for he would choose a bride from the aristocracy, but somehow it did.
His hand at her waist, guiding her, made her recall their time in the hut and his indecent revelations of lovemaking. Her breath quickened at the thought of such an act perpetrated by him on some woman, and even possibly her. His proximity and the strength and pure maleness of him overwhelmed her.
Breathing in the familiar woody Bergamot scent, intermingled with starched linen and soap, she closed her eyes, but that made her dizzy. After examining his masterfully tied cravat adorned with a sapphire pin the color of his eyes, she raised her eyes to his. “I have not seen a cravat tied in that way before. What is it called?”
He smiled down at her. “I believe it is called Trone d’Armour.” The style hailed from France most likely. He was different from the English in other ways too. The French had a disconcerting way of looking at someone. Was he the real Baron Fortescue or an impostor?
I am an Australian author with a BA in English and an MA in Creative Writing. My lawyer husband and I live in a pretty, historical town in the Southern Highlands with our spoiled Persian cat, plus the assorted wildlife we feed: chickens wander in from next door and give us lovely eggs, ducks swim in our pool, parrots and possums line up for bananas and seed. I write historical romance, contemporary romantic suspense and young adult novels.
Breaking All Barriers
Cait’s bio:
S.J. Maylee 