Beth Kery's Blog, page 17

Julie James and About That Night! (with giveaway)

Please welcome the talented Julie James to the Because You Are Mine Contest!

About That Night by Julie James

HE’S PLAYING GAMES.

Though Rylann Pierce tried to fight the sparks she felt for billionaire heir Kyle Rhodes the night they met, their sizzling chemistry was undeniable. But after being stood up on their first date, Rylann never expected to see him again. So when she finds herself face-to-face with Kyle in a courthouse nine years later, she’s stunned. More troubling to the beautiful assistant U.S. attorney is that she’s still wildly attracted to him.

BUT SHE’S MAKING THE RULES.

Just released from prison, Kyle Rhodes isn’t thrilled to be the star witness in a high-profile criminal case—but when Rylann comes knocking at his door, he finds she may be the one lawyer he can’t say no to. Still as gorgeous and sharp-tongued as ever, she lays down the law: she doesn’t mix business with pleasure. But Kyle won’t give up on something he wants—and what he wants is the one woman he’s never forgotten. . .

EXCERPT

After she paid the bill, they walked out of the diner and stood momentarily underneath the L tracks.

“I plan to bring the matter to the grand jury next week,” Rylann told him, raising her voice to speak over an approaching train. “I’ll call you as soon as I have the exact date and time you’ll be testifying.”

She extended her hand in farewell, and Kyle closed his hand around hers.

“This is a good thing you’re doing, Kyle,” she said. “Just remember—”

The train roaring directly overhead made it impossible for him to hear her. Kyle gestured to his ear, shaking his head. She stepped close to him, and put her hand on his shoulder as she stood up on her toes to speak in his ear.

Her breath was a soft caress on his neck, her voice low in his ear. “—Don’t screw it up.”

He turned his head so that they were eye to eye, his lips mere inches from hers. He said nothing for a moment, and neither did she, and he became very aware of the catch in her breath, the warmth of her hand on his shoulder.

Kyle felt a sudden urge to pull her closer. He’d teased her in the diner about their kiss, but unless he was wholly off his game after those four months in prison, the vibe he was getting from her right then was very real. If he bent his head just the slightest, he could brush his lips over hers. Find out if she tasted as good as she did in his memory.

“How are we doing on that eight-minute stretch of getting along?” he asked huskily.

Rylann stayed where she was at first, their lips still so close. Then she cocked her head and met his gaze. “Time’s up.”

Julie has generously offered to give away a copy of About That Night to one commenter on her post here today! And don’t forget, if you haven’t yet entered the huge BECAUSE YOU ARE MINE contest, with giveaways including a Kindle Fire and Nook, do so here!

The Winner of Hanna Martine’s Liquid Lies Is…

Limecello

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Congratulations Limcello! Write to me at bethkery@aol.com to claim your prize (please let me know what format you’d like).

Up next, Julie James and About That Night!

Hanna Martine, Liquid Lies and a giveaway!

The Perfect Hero? by Hanna Martine

When Beth asked me to participate in this blog contest to launch her incredible new erotic series, I told her I was going to talk about the hero I want to fall in love with when I read, and the man I love to write about in my own books.

You know, that incredibly poised man who commands a room, whether it’s from the words he speaks or merely his presence. In contrast, he can be brought to his knees by someone else. Someone who crumbles his poise, or who forces him to give over command, whether he wants to or not. In those rare moments when he’s caught off guard, when he’s stripped of that careful control he carries with him in every other facet of his life, his grace falters, he isn’t perfect. It’s a beautiful thing to witness, as he regains the dominion that’s his and his alone.

That man who is confident where and when he has to be–with his job, or dealing with people, or in his beliefs. Maybe he’s a bit bull-headed when it comes to certain things, but he’ll eventually admit he doesn’t know everything. Though he may be reluctant to learn new things at first, when the lessons hit, they hit hard, and the person he loves is usually wielding the bat. Afterward, he isn’t shy or ashamed to seek comfort.

That man who has secrets. Ones you know he has … and ones you don’t. He thinks he wants to keep those secrets, that it’s better to keep them locked up and hidden away, until someone breaks through and shows him they’re easier to bear on two sets of shoulders.

The kind of guy who knows exactly what he likes and wants in the bedroom. The kind of guy who can satisfy his partner. He may want to be in control or he may let his partner take the reins, but either way he is present and invested, and most likely his heart gets tangled up in all the physical pleasure. He loves it furious, but also slowly passionate. Above all, he knows how to kiss. And he always lets the other person teach him a thing or two.

He’s protective of what’s his, but doesn’t believe in leashes. He acknowledges the need for growth in the person he considers a match, and he’d pound the crap out of anyone who says differently. His partner is his, no doubt, but he or she is also their own person, capable of making their own choices, taking care of themselves. Above all, he believes in respect.

And of course, he’s sexy. Not just because of the way he looks, but because everything above amplifies his physical appeal tenfold.

So. I was going to write all about that hero, and then I realized … those are the exact same traits I look for in a romance heroine.

Take everything I just said above. Exchange “she” or “her” pronouns where warranted. Voila. Put this layered woman up against such a profound man, and that, my friends, is the holy grail of romances.

Magic is Corporate America’s best-kept secret.

Gwen possesses the unique ability to pick up any language in an instant—a power that will globally expand the profitable family business. As dutiful future leader of her race of water elementals, she’ll do anything to protect her people’s secrets and bloodlines—including enter an arranged marriage. Inside, however, she yearns for forbidden human men.

Reed is a mercenary addicted to the money and adrenaline rush of his work. After he inadvertently saves Gwen’s life, he ignites her taboo desire for men without magic—and with bodies of gods. Just as things heat up, Reed discovers that Gwen is exactly who he’s been hired to kidnap. He resolves to put work before lust, yet her luscious beauty and fiery spirit unravel him…

But there is a terrible truth behind Gwen’s family business—and now, caught between the kinsmen she no longer trusts and an enemy bent on vengeance, the only ally she has is her abductor…

Excerpt

The Allure was intoxicating. A tempting, evil drug that could snare you permanently if you weren’t careful. At this point, surrounded by Mr. Tattoo’s sizzling heat, trying it once and then going cold turkey seemed virtually impossible.

Disobedience had never felt so seductive.

“I like the way that skirt looks on you,” he said, staring at her mouth. His tone changed. His words changed. They felt like a caress. “And those boots.”

She took the compliment the way she knew how, by deflection. “Came straight from work. One of those days.”

That tease of a smile again. “Yeah. It sure was.”

When the denim of his jeans brushed against the small bare patch of skin between her knee-high boot and skirt hem, she gasped.

He leaned in, so close his breath ruffled the hair next to her ear. “What’s your name?”

The rest of the bar dropped away like a trapdoor.

She turned her head just enough to make out the details of his tattoo. Leaf- and thorn-covered vines twisted around his neck, the tip of the last leaf resting just below his earlobe. She clenched her fingers, resisting the urge to touch it. To touch him.

Her voice came out in shaky threads. “Gwen.”

She felt him smile. “Gwen. I’m Reed.”

Hanna has generously offered a copy of LIQUID LIES, format of winner’s choosing, to one randomly selected commenter here today! (Please make comment relevant to Hanna’s post). And if you haven’t yet entered the Huge Because You Are Mine contest (including giveaways of a Kindle Fire and Nook) do so here!

The Winner of Tempting the Bride is

Jessica

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Congratulations Jessica! Write to me at bethkery@aol.com to claim your prize (snail mail addy needed).

Up next, Hanna Martine and Liquid Lies!

Sherry Thomas, Ravishing the Heiress and an ARC Giveaway!

Help me in welcoming talented, multi-award winning author Sherry Thomas! I got so used to seeing her accept the RITA every year at RWA, I’ll be discombobulated she isn’t there this year. Sherry is one of the most unique women I know, and certainly is one of the most talented. Here’s her blog post to you all.

My July release, RAVISHING THE HEIRESS, has porn in it.

by Sherry Thomas

And I am not talking about people snickering at romance as porn. There is bona fide erotica, i.e., literature intended to arouse sexual desire.

It came about like this. When I conceived of the Fitzhugh trilogy, my agent advised me to make it tightly knit. And to do that, she felt it was best to make sure the story of the third and final couple is threaded throughout the trilogy, starting from the first book. So in BEGUILING THE BEAUTY, book 1 of the trilogy, I establish that Helena and Hastings, the hero and heroine of book 3, have a love-hate relationship, in that he loves her—though she doesn’t know it—and she kind of hates him, for having always been an ass to her.

So in RAVISHING THE HEIRESS, book 2, Helena and Hastings run into each other. They trade their usual insults. As much as I enjoyed watching them needle each other, however, I felt the scene needed some momentum and some revelation.

And the following happened. (Helena owns a small publishing firm, by the way.)

“I’m looking for a publisher,” he said abruptly.

She had to yank herself out of the memory of their midnight kiss. “I didn’t know you were literate.”

He tsked. “My dear Miss Fitzhugh, were Byron to come back to life today, he’d take a club to his good foot, out of jealousy of my brilliance.”

She had a horrible thought. “Please don’t tell me you write verse.”

“Good gracious, no. I’m a novelist.”

She breathed a sigh of relief. “I do not publish fiction.”

He was undeterred. “Then consider it a memoir.”

“I fail to see what you have done in your life that is worth setting down in print.”

“Did I not mention that it is an erotic novel—or an erotic memoir, as it may be?”

And it isn’t just any kind of erotica, but a bondage story–a total coincidence, as this manuscript was completed long before I’d ever heard of 50 Shades of You Know What.

To wit, this is the opening of THE BRIDE OF LARKSPEAR, Hastings’s grand oeuvre,

I shall begin with a description of my bed, for one must make the setting of a book clear from the first line. It is a bed with a pedigree. Kings have slept on it, noblemen have gone to their deaths, and brides beyond count have learned, at last, why their mothers ask them to “Think of England.”

The bedstead is of oak, heavy, stout, almost indestructible. Pillars rise from the four corners to support a frame on which hang heavy curtains in winter. But it is not winter; the heavy beddings remain in their cedar chests. Upon the feather mattresses are spread only sheets of French linen, as decadent as Baudelaire’s verses.

But fine French linen is not so difficult to come by these days. And beds with pedigrees are still only furniture. What distinguishes this bed is the woman attached to it—her wrists tied behind her to one of the excessively sturdy bedposts.

And this being a work of Eros, she is, of course, naked.

My bride does not look at me. She is determined, as ever, to shunt me to the periphery of her existence, even on this, our wedding night.

I touch her. Her skin is as cool as marble, the flesh beneath firm and young. I turn her face to look into her eyes, haughty eyes that have scorned me for as long as I remember.

“Why are my hands tied?” she murmurs. “Are you afraid of them?”

“Of course,” I reply, “A man who stalks a lioness should ever be wary.”

The restraints actually symbolize the bonds of marriage, as Hastings, in real life, is concerned that he and Helena might be pushed into a hasty marriage of convenience if she is found out to be overstepping the boundaries of acceptable conduct with another man, one she loves but cannot have. Hastings fears that Helena would hate being married to him, and the erotica is his way of dealing with that fear.

I don’t know about you, but I am totally tickled that TEMPTNG THE BRIDE, my October release, has a porn writer as my hero. I’m not sure whether he is completely unique in that sense among romance heroes, but he has to be unusual. ?

There will be more excerpts in that book, but only excerpts. So I’ve decided that if other deadlines and life allow, I will self-publish THE BRIDE OF LARKSPEAR in its entirety as an e-novella sometime in September. In the meanwhile, I have an ARC of TEMPTNG THE BRIDE for a commenter. If you’ve read another porn writer hero, by all means, let me know. ?

RAVISHING THE HEIRESS by Sherry Thomas

Millicent understands the terms of her arranged marriage all too well. She gets to be a Countess by marrying an impoverished Earl. And in return, the Earl Fitzhugh receives the benefit of her vast wealth, saving his family from bankruptcy. Because of her youth, they have agreed to wait eight years before consummating the marriage—and then, only to beget an heir. After which, they will lead separate lives.

It is a most sensible arrangement. Except for one little thing. Somehow Millie has fallen head over heels in love with her husband. Her husband, who has become her very best friend, but nothing more… Her husband, who plans to reunite with his childhood sweetheart, the beautiful and newly widowed Isabelle, as soon as he has honored the pact with his wife…

As the hour they truly become husband-and-wife draws near, both Millie and Fitzhugh must face the truth in their hearts. Has their pact bred only a great friendship—or has it, without either of them quite noticing, given rise to a great love?

Excerpt

His name was George Edward Arthur Granville Fitzhugh—the family name and the title were the same. But apparently those who knew him well called him Fitz.

Fitz, her lips and teeth played with the syllable. Fitz.

At dinner, the earl let Colonel Clements and Mrs. Graves carry the majority of the conversation. Was he shy? Did he still obey the tenet that children should be seen and not heard? Or was he using the opportunity to assess his possible future in-laws—and his possible future wife?

Except he didn’t appear to be studying her. Not that he could do so easily: a three-tier, seven-branch silver epergne, sprouting orchids, lilies, and tulips from every appendage, blocked the direct line of sight between them.

Through petals and stalks, she could make out his occasional smiles—each of which made her ears hot—directed at Mrs. Graves to his left. But he looked more often in her father’s direction.

Her grandfather and her uncle had built the Graves fortune. Her father had been young enough, when the family coffer began to fill, to be sent to Harrow. He’d acquired the expected accent, but his natural temperament was too lackluster to quite emanate the gloss of sophistication his family had hoped for.

There he sat at the head of the table, neither a ruthless risk taker like his late father, nor a charismatic, calculating entrepreneur like his late brother, but a bureaucrat, a caretaker of the riches and assets thrust upon him. Hardly the most exciting of men.

Yet he commanded the earl’s attention this night.

Behind him on the wall hung a large mirror in an ornate frame, which faithfully reflected the company at table. Millie sometimes looked into the mirror and pretended that she was an outside observer documenting the intimate particulars of a private meal. But tonight she had yet to give the mirror a glance, since the earl sat at the opposite end of the table, next to her mother.

She found him in the mirror. Their eyes met.

He had not been looking at her father. Via the mirror, he’d been looking at her.

Mrs. Graves had been forthcoming on the mysteries of marriage—she did not want Millie ambushed by the facts of life. The not-so-pretty reality of what happened between a man and a woman behind closed doors usually had Millie regard members of the opposite sex with wariness. But his attention caused only fireworks inside her—detonations of thrill, blasts of full-fledged happiness.

If they were married, and if they were alone…

She flushed.

But she already knew: She would not mind it.

Not with him.

****

Sherry has generously agreed to give away a brand new ARC of her upcoming release, Tempting the Bride, to one lucky commenter here on her post! And if you haven’t yet entered the Huge Because You Are Mine contest, with prizes like a Kindle Fire and Nook, make sure you do here!

One In a Billion Releases Today and The Winner of Bethany’s contest is

I do have a winner announcement to follow, but I also wanted to remind everyone that I will be at RWA, taking place in Anaheim, CA from July 25th to 28th. If you are in the vicinity, please stop by for the enormous Literacy Signing, which takes place at the Anaheim Convention Center on Wednesday, the 25th, from 5 to 8 pm. It is not required to be signed up for the convention to attend this event. Soooo many of your favorite authors will be there. I’ll be at table 202, near check-out.

Also, Julie James and I will be doing our workshop: The Contemporary Challenge: How to write 300 Page of Romance without Demons, Death, or World Destruction on Thursday, July 26 from 2-3 in Platinum 3. If you are attending the conference, hope to see you there!

I’m pleased to announce that ONE IN A BILLION, the fourth story in my Home to Harbor Town series from HSE releases today (ebook release on August 1). One in a Billion should be out at your grocery or local store now! I woke up this morning to this awesome Grade A review of it from The Good The Bad and the Unread! So excited!

Now, the winner of my contest is Tory

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Tory, write to me at bethkery@aol.com to claim your prize! I will just need the email addy where you want your novella and gift certificate sent!

Up next, the talented Sherry Thomas! If you aren’t familiar with Sherry’s books yet, you are in for a treat!

Bethany Kane and Bound to You! (with giveaway)

Most of you know that Bethany Kane is the pen name I use for the One Night of Passion series, so I’m really cheating here by having myself guest. :) Welcome to…me.

Bound to You by Bethany Kane, A One Night of Passion novella

The last thing John Corcoran expected on his manly retreat in the woods was to be seduced by the sound of a sex siren singing. Being blind since birth had conferred him with an acute sense of hearing, and this particular song belonged to not just any seductress—it belonged to none other than film goddess Jennifer Turner. Worried for the movie star’s safety in a dangerous part of the forest, and perhaps influenced by his long-term fascination with a potent feminine sexuality that crossed the barrier of his disability, he unwisely plunged into the woods after her.

Jennifer Turner had been happy enough hiking alone in the glorious woods until a large, rough, intimidating man had warned her to halt. The next thing she’d known, she’d been falling into a deep, dark hole beneath the forest floor, her only companion the enigmatic, attractive John Corcoran whose blindness and confidence of the ways of the woods becomes an asset she increasingly depends upon. But Jennifer has a secret—she’s terrified of the dark. As night slowly settles upon the trapped couple, she must also rely on John’s raw, smoldering sexuality. Only his masterful, dominant lovemaking has the power to make her forget her fear as they kindle their own fires in the darkness, and John teaches her what it is to see without light.

But will their electric, passionate connection break once John saves them from the underground cavern? Or will their hearts be bound eternally?

Excerpt

Suddenly he was staring directly at her and she glanced away. Why was she blushing? He couldn’t see. She knelt tenderly in preparation to sit, suppressing a groan when her hip hit the ground.

“Come here,” he said.

“Uh . . . what?” she asked, confused by his request. Had he somehow sensed her staring at him—admiring him?

“Take off your jacket and come here.”

“I don’t think so.”

He rolled his eyes. “I’m not going to attack you. Your muscles got beat up on that fall. You got it worse than I did. You’re not going to be able to move tomorrow morning if we don’t do something to help you. Take off your jacket.”

She did so reluctantly.

He waggled his finger at her in a beckoning gesture. “The sun will keep the muscles good and warm. Now come here.”

She scooted toward him. He circled his hand in the air. “Your back to me. I do a lot of massage and acupressure in my chiropractic practice. It’ll keep your muscles from seizing up.”

She sat before him. He swung one leg around her so that her hips were just inches from his spread thighs. Ever so gently, he stroked her hair.

Her heart stalled for a moment, but then she realized he was smoothing the strands over to one side so that they wouldn’t get caught in his massaging fingers. Was it her imagination, or did he linger at his task? How did her hair feel against his fingertips? She resisted an urge to touch it herself, strangely curious as to how he experienced her.

He put his hands on her shoulders and began to rub. She moaned, all thought vacating her brain.

“Hurt?” he asked, his deep voice just inches away from her right ear.

She just nodded. His hands paused in their kneading motion, but he continued to touch her.

“Does it hurt bad, or hurt good?”

She heard Enzo snuffle and whine above them in the silence that followed.

“It hurts good,” she admitted in a hushed tone.

He continued his massage, loosening stiff, sore muscles. The sunshine beat down on the top of her head, upper back and shoulders. Her pain slowly faded, as did her anxiety. Her flesh grew more supple beneath his deft hands. Her eyelids became heavy as she fell under a spell.

He focused on her neck for several minutes.

“Do you get headaches?” he asked.

Her eyes blinked open. “Yes. A few times a month, pretty bad. How did you know?”

“You carry a lot of tension in your neck and shoulders.”

She moaned softly when he used his thumb to work the kinks out of her spine. He moved lower down her back. He was a magician. She lowered her chin to her chest and drifted. A pleasant, heavy sensation settled in her sex and tingled her clit when he opened his hands and cradled her waist as he continued to rub her spine with his thumbs. She realized his size was making her feel delicate in comparison; feminine . . . aroused.

“These knots aren’t from the fall. How come you’re so tense? Is being an actress that stressful?” he asked gruffly.

“It depends. I put most of the stress on myself. I tend to be a bit of a perfectionist.” She turned her head, resting her chin on her shoulder. “You never told me how you knew I was an actress. Have you seen . . . I mean . . . do you go to movies?” she fumbled.

“Sometimes. Not much. I’ve never gone to one of yours.”

“Then how did you know about my job?”

For a moment, he didn’t reply, just continued to knead at the knots in her lower back using his thumbs. “I listen to music a lot. I have the CD from Golden Idol. A friend of mine knew I liked Sierra Gallas, and she bought me the soundtrack from the movie,” he said, referring to the 1950s movie siren who had also been a singer of jazz and blues ballads. Jennifer had played the role of Sierra Gallas several years ago in the film Golden Idol. She’d been awarded an Academy Award for her performance.

She twisted her torso to try and see him. He stopped massaging her back but kept his hold on her waist. His unseeing gaze was fixed where his hands were wrapped around her.

“And did you like the recording?”

“I’ve been known to listen to it once or a hundred thousand times,” he said, deadpan.

As if he’d known she smiled, he returned it. Her grin faded.

He was really something to look at when he smiled. The pleasant ache expanded in her pussy.

“I read you did all the songs yourself. No voiceovers,” he said.

“That’s right,” she murmured. She was utterly focused on the feeling of his hands holding her hips and the movement of his mouth. “I had an exceptionally talented voice coach. I practiced for more than a year before doing the movie and recording.”

“You did a phenomenal job.”

Her cheeks heated. He didn’t appear to be the type to compliment people often, and so she appreciated the sentiment all the more because of it. “Thank you.”

“It’s how I recognized you this morning in the forest. You were singing ‘Love in the Moonlight.’”

Her mouth fell open in amazement. “You mean . . . you literally knew it was me when you followed, not just a random woman staying with the Pierces who happened to be singing an old Sierra Gallas tune?”

“I knew it was you,” he said simply. His hands shifted lower. He began to make subtle circular motions over the swell of her hips, massaging her, but also . . . stroking her.

She felt a rush of warmth between her thighs.

******

–I really enjoyed this erotic novella by Bethany Kane with edgy, explicit sex scenes.

Smexy Books



The author takes a very far-from-ideal circumstance and turns it into a darkly erotic environment, complete with sensory deprivation. Scorching!–Read Our Lips Blogspot

This is a great novella and definitely worth a read. Romance Novel Reviews

******

One commenter on today’s post will win a free ebook copy of Bound to You, which includes the entire first chapter of Exposed to You–Everett Hughes’ story coming out in November 2012! I’m also throwing in a $5.00 Amazon gift card! And if you haven’t yet entered the Huge Because You Are Mine contest, with giveaways including a Kindle Fire and a Nook, do so here!

The Winner of Shayla’s Giveaway and a Few Announcements!

Anas Attic Sexy Tales

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Ana, write to me at bethkery@aol.com to claim your book (please give your backlist choice and your snail mail addy).

I have a few other announcements to make. First off, if you are in the vicinity of Anaheim, CA next Wednesday, I hope you’ll stop by the giant Literacy Book signing which will take place at the Anaheim Convention Center 7/25 from 5-8 pm. I’ll be signing along with hundreds of other authors. I’ll be at spot 202, near the cash registers. (The authors are not in alphabetical order this time). If you’d like a pdf of author’s seating to help you find your faves, write to me at bethkery@aol.com and I’ll send a seating chart in PDF.

Also, just a quick announcement that things have been really exciting on the publishing front. Berkley plans to do another serial novel, due out in January of 2013. I also signed on to do three other books with Berkley. Lastly, Because You Are Mine, the second serial and my entire backlist will be published by Headline publishing in the UK. They are super excited about Because You Are Mine, and plan to release it at the same time as Berkley in the U.S., beginning July 31st!

Up next, my super sexy long novella BOUND TO YOU from my One Night of Passion series, which will be given away on Tuesday morning! Also, I do hope you’ll enter the Huge Because You Are Mine contest. Anything you can do to spread the word about the contest and a comment will get you entered. If you are having trouble with the widget, you can just post a Because You Are Mine cover along with a link to the contest, or tweet, etc. I have several eReaders and gift certificates that will be given out to four lucky commenters on July 31, so what are you waiting for? :)

Shayla Black and Mine to Hold (with giveaway)

Please join me in welcoming the lovely Shayla Black to the Because You Are Mine contest! Shayla is here to tell us about her latest, Mine to Hold, and she’s included a cute interview with her characters, Tyler and Delaney.

Mine to Hold by Shayla Black

Tyler Murphy was an LAPD detective, single and happy—until a near-fatal tragedy crippled his friend, fellow detective Eric Catalano. While he supported Eric, he also became a shoulder for Eric’s wife, Delaney, to lean on. But with one naughty suggestion from Eric, a drunken night with Delaney spilled into erotic abandon. Before it was over Tyler saw his best friend’s wife as a woman and yearned for more. When Eric struggled to deal with the aftermath, Delaney begged Tyler to leave. Crushed, he fled to Louisiana, hoping to escape his longing for the one woman he could never have again…and unaware of what he’d left behind.

A lover’s desire.

After two years of living with regret, Tyler finds Delaney on his doorstep, her husband having abandoned her long ago. She’s protecting a shocking secret and desperately needs refuge from a killer determined to see her dead. As they fight to stay alive and catch the stalker, they struggle to resolve the guilt of their past pleasures. But they can’t deny that what was once a spark is now a flame burning out of control. To possess Delaney—body and soul—Tyler must heal her pain and thwart the evil that’s a mere breath behind her…

MINE TO HOLD EXCERPT



“Please, let me go. I know best, really. If you’ll just . . . do this for me—”

“You mean leave you now when you need me most, just like I did after I touched every inch of your body and got deeper inside you than any man ever has? Leave again, simply because you asked me to? Because you think you know best?”

Tyler advanced even closer, and suddenly, his bedroom door was at her back. He planted both of his large hands on either side of her head and leaned in. Her heart picked up speed viciously. That woodsy, testosterone-oozing scent swamped Delaney, and her legs trembled beneath her. She flattened herself against the door . . . but Tyler kept coming closer, leaning in, his green gaze darkening, drilling into her.

“How well do you think me listening to you worked out last time?” he challenged.

Terribly. Eric had eventually screamed that Tyler slinking off only made him wonder how long they’d been fucking each other. Her protestations otherwise had fallen on completely deaf ears. The positive pregnancy test had been the death knell of their marriage. By then, Tyler had been long gone, and she’d missed him so much. But . . .

Delaney closed her eyes. “This is different.”

“Yeah. It’s worse. Seth could lose you for the rest of his little life. I could lose you forever instead of for two years. Not happening, angel. Last time I saw you, I listened to you about everything. This time? It’s my way.”

Tyler cradled her face in his big hands. His stare zeroed in on her mouth. He pressed the length of his body against hers. The thin T-shirt she wore did nothing to protect her from the blistering heat of his body. He notched his heavy, steely erection against her mound. Delaney’s heart stuttered. And then his lips hovered right above hers, his head cocking to the side as his gaze ensnared her. He lowered his mouth so, so close. She curled her fingers into fists at her sides so that she didn’t wrap her arms around him, her legs around him, and beg for everything he could give her—safety, comfort . . . feverish desire, shattering pleasure.

He exhaled against her mouth, parted his lips. God, she couldn’t breathe. Already, she wanted him desperately. Her heart pounded. Her pussy ached. If he kissed her, it would only make everything ten times more difficult.

“Don’t,” she whispered.

He hesitated, dropped his head near her ear. “My way, Del.”

Then Tyler nipped at her lobe with his teeth. A shiver wound through her, all the way to her toes.

She didn’t get in another breath before Tyler’s lips took hers, at first hungry but searching, as if testing his reception. The past, his long list of conquests, the pain between them—all instantly obliterated in the comfort of his solid embrace. His aching familiarity. His seductive kiss. There was no way she could stop the welcome bubbling inside her. Her lips turned pliant, yearning.

An instant later, Tyler groaned, bulldozing his way into her mouth. His heat crashed over her, inside her, surging low in her belly—then spearing deep between her thighs. The warmth of his breath as he seized her mouth and shoved her lips farther apart with his own burned her up. His arms twisted around her body, jacking her tight against the inferno of his taut muscles and steely cock.

She gasped into his mouth. He went deeper, even as his palm worked under her shirt, branding the suddenly feverish skin of her back, holding her against him without a breath of air between them.

Without conscious thought, she whimpered, her body melting into his, hands fisting his T-shirt, then clutching his shoulders to drag him closer. She opened wider for the hot thrust of his kiss. Needed it. Tyler gave it to her, then grabbed her thigh in one hand, slung it over his hip, and pressed harder against the needy flesh throbbing between her legs. She moaned.

Then Del caught herself.

No, no, no . . . Please let the response shimmering inside her be like a mirage on a hot highway, glimmering with promise. Not real.

Because if it was, she was in a whole world of trouble.

But it felt all too genuine, too intense. It had been so long since she’d experienced the tug and pull of attraction, that agonizing want making her sink against a man’s body.

Now wasn’t the time to be distracted. Her life—and her son’s—were on the line.

Interview with Tyler & Delaney

Okay, I want to give a warm welcome to, Delaney Catalono and Tyler Murphy (Waving franticly, trying to get the besotted couple’s attention). I know you two have gone through a lot to get to your happily ever after so I will try to be brief. (Blushes scarlet as she catches the intimate glance between the soon-to-be newlyweds, clears her throat). Okay, so you two are still in the “honeymoon stage”, I see. I would like to know what each of you thought when you first laid eyes on the other. Was it love at first sight?

Delaney: Not at all. He was my ex-husband’s partner at the LAPD and his best friend. The first thing I loved about him was that he became my friend, too. He was my rock, my shoulder, and my confidante when I needed him.

Tyler: Lust at first sight, sure. But I wasn’t poaching on my buddy’s fiancé, you know? Total violation of the man code. Then her ex, Eric, turned into a douche in about every way possible. His loss was my gain.

I’m curious. Delaney what was your first impression of Tyler? Tyler, I would love to hear your thoughts about the first time you laid eyes on Delaney. =)

Delaney: Strong, gorgeous, tough…and an absolute player.

Tyler: Sexy as hell, smart, and totally off limits. Damn it…

Was it love at first sight or lust at first sight?

Delaney and Tyler together: Definitely lust.

Tyler: But I suspected pretty quickly there was something more. I just didn’t want to admit it.

Delaney: Same for me.

Delaney, when was the moment you knew that Tyler was for you?

Delaney: *blushes* The first time he kissed me, I think deep down, I knew. I just fought it for a long time.

Tyler, name one thing about Delaney that you believe changed your outlook on love.

Tyler: Her faith in me as a protector and a father. She didn’t believe at first that I had the staying power to be a husband. But she’s so smart and sexy and funny…and perfect, that, hell, I just had to have her. She made me want to be a better man.

Delaney and Tyler, I absolutely adore you two. I have become addicted lately with books about time travel. This got me to thinking. If I handed you my time traveling piece would you use it to go back in time to change anything?

Tyler: Absolutely! When Del tried to put distance between us a few years ago just before her marriage fell apart, I would refuse to walk away, if I could go back in time.

Delaney: If I could go back in time, I would never try to put distance between us. It was a huge mistake, I admit. I thought I was doing the right thing… I had no idea how badly trying to be noble in that instance would turn out.

Delaney did you have any apprehension about getting involved with Tyler?

Delaney: *snorts* Should I give you a list of all the reasons? Yes, I was really apprehensive. How does a leopard change its spots, after all. Tyler was always going to be a player, right? And I had our son to raise. But…he’s proven me wrong, and I couldn’t be happier.

Tyler, what about you? Did you have a sliver of doubt about becoming involved with Delaney?

Tyler: Only at the beginning. I worried that I couldn’t be what she needed. But I quickly realized that I wanted—and needed—her. I resolved to get my shit together and be not just a man, but her man. After that? Not a shred of doubt.

Do you, Delaney and Tyler, believe that love conquers all?

Delaney: Completely. We’ve overcome so much to be here, and I’m grateful.

Tyler: Are you fucking kidding me? We wouldn’t be sitting here together if it didn’t. Of course, I’d rather be home and naked in bed celebrating that fact with Del, instead of here flapping my jaws. No offense. Or looking at flower bouquets and fabric swatches for the wedding. Can’t we skip that, angel?

Delaney: *Elbows him.* Behave!

One more thing before I let you go. Do you believe that everything you two went through to find one another, fall in love and finding your happily ever after was worth the price you had to pay?

Delaney and Tyler together: Yes. Without question.

****

Shayla has generously offered to give away a copy of winner’s choice of her backlist, signed, to the winner! Please leave her a relevant comment on her post to enter. And if you haven’t yet entered the Huge Because You Are Mine Contest, with giveaways including a Kindle Fire and a Nook, do so here!

The Winner of Sylvian Reynard’s Giveaway is

Rachel (27)

Congratulations, Rachel!

Write to me at bethkery@aol.com to claim your prize.

Thanks to Sylvian for joining us at the Because You Are Mine Contest!

Up next, Shayla Black!