Mari Carr's Blog, page 101

Carina Blog Tour!

The authors of International Heat are just one stop on the celebratory tour of Carina Press. The pub turns one today and I was extremely blessed to be a small part of their inaugural year. Carina offered a contract for my story, Do Over, on June 2, 2010 and I can still remember how thrilled I was to receive that acceptance email from Angela James.

If you'd like to participate in the blog tour (there are LOTS of cool prizes), simply click here to begin.

Do Over

Sometimes once is not enough…

After twenty-five years of marriage, Faith Wainwright wonders what she'll do next. Her kids have moved out and sometimes she feels so distant from her husband, Troy.

Right before their anniversary, Troy gives Faith an unexpected gift: a journey through their hometown to reenact all their "firsts." Their first date. Their first kiss. And especially the first time they made love—only better.

Each stop on their tour becomes an opportunity for Faith and Troy to rediscover how explosive their passion can be. Now Faith knows exactly what she's going to do: Troy, over and over again…

Excerpt:

When the parking lot was almost completely clear, he turned to her. "Happy anniversary, Faith."

Her brows lowered. "Our wedding anniversary isn't until next Tuesday."

He shrugged. "It's close enough. I wanted to celebrate it with you here."

"At the high school?"

He chuckled. "No, here. In Carlylse. Home."

She smiled at his words. "This place hasn't been home in nearly thirteen years."

"It'll always be home. Too much of our lives happened here for it to be anything else."

She nodded, knowing he was right. Then, he picked up the present and she blushed. "I feel terrible. I didn't get you anything yet."

Truth be told, she hadn't planned on buying him much more than a card. After twenty-five years of marriage, a simple card exchange and dinner out had sort of become their standard routine. There wasn't too much that either of them really wanted and with two kids in college, spending money on anything frivolous seemed like too much of a waste.

"You give me plenty, Faith," he said, tapping her nose playfully, and she had to take a quick breath to fight back the tears at his unexpected, sweet comment. She loved her husband and she knew for a fact that he loved her, but neither of them spoke in flowery phrases. Every night of their lives together, they'd kissed good-night and said the words, "love you," but after awhile, the meaning behind the words was lost in the rote pattern.

Looking down, she carefully opened the beautifully wrapped package. Pulling off the lid and digging into the tissue paper, she was surprised to find a photo album. She started to open the cover, but Troy's hand covered hers.

"You can only look at the first page," he said.

She looked up, the question in her eyes, but he didn't give her time to voice it.

"This is only the first stop in our celebration. One page for each place. I'll tell you when you can turn the page."

She looked at him for several moments, trying to assimilate this man and this incredibly romantic gesture with the easygoing guy who'd been leaving wet towels on her bathroom floor year after year.

Opening the photo album to the first page, she saw a picture of her and Troy the night of their senior prom. They hadn't come to the dance together, but they'd certainly left the gym hand in hand. His original date had come down with the flu, canceling the morning of. She'd come with Travis Scottsdale, her first semi-serious boyfriend and asshole of the century. Ten minutes after arriving at the dance, he told her he wanted to break up with her, leaving her sitting alone while he proceeded to make out in the corner with Amber Cooper.

"Oh my gosh. Look at us. We're so young."

"And sweaty," Troy joked. "We danced our asses off that night."

"It didn't help that the AC in the gym didn't work." Faith grinned at the memory.

"Must've been at least a hundred degrees in there."

Faith looked back at the photograph. "Where did you get this picture? I've never seen it."

"It was in the pocket of that letter jacket. I can't remember exactly where I got it. I think Judy Hayes gave it to me a couple weeks after the dance. I'm pretty sure I was supposed to pass it along to you."

"And obviously you forgot." Forgetting little things was a special talent of Troy's. She always had to remind him it was garbage day or to stop on the way home from work to pick up the dry cleaning.

Troy shrugged. "I was a teenage boy falling in love for the first time. Believe me, I was not about to give up that picture. I looked at it all the time."

This time, she couldn't hold back the tears his kind words provoked.

"Troy," she whispered.

He bent forward. "Kiss me," he murmured. Their lips touched. They'd kissed a million and twelve times in their lives, but this kiss, gentle and sweet and innocent, reminded her of their first. It was in this parking lot after the dance and she could still remember the excitement she felt when Troy Wainwright offered her a ride home. They'd gotten into his car and before he started the engine, he'd turned to her and said the exact same words.

Kiss me.

The request and the action had taken her breath away that night and she was feeling the same lightheadedness now as she had then. As soon as the memory entered her mind, she pulled away with a gasp and looked around. If she wasn't mistaken, this was very nearly the same parking spot.

"Our first kiss."

He grinned, pleased she'd remembered. "Yep. Right here. In front of the school." He turned on the radio and slid in a CD. Pushing Play, he pointed back down to the photo album as the sounds of Fleetwood Mac drifted through the speakers.

For the first time, her gaze traveled from the picture on the left page to a letter protected under the plastic film on the right page. It was written to her in Troy's handwriting.

"What's this?" she asked.

"Read it."

Faith,

You and I have known each other nearly our entire lives, traveling the same path through elementary, middle and high school. While we were acquaintances through those early years, I feel like I never really knew you, never saw you until the night of our senior prom.

            Betsy Jordan coming down with the flu was probably the best thing that ever happened to me, even though I didn't realize it at the time. I remember how pissed off I was after her mother called and said she couldn't go to the dance with me. I almost stayed home that night, but my mom insisted I put the rented tux to use. You know my mom— waste not, want not.

            I came late and by the time I got there, that dickhead, Travis had left you sitting all alone. I knew you all had been dating, so I was surprised when I saw him with Amber. I can still remember the look on your face as you watched him dancing with that other girl. You were so pale and yet, so strong. I could see how hard you were fighting not to cry, to hold on to your dignity. It was like a light went on inside me. I'd passed you in the hallways for years and never really looked at you, but that night, you were the most beautiful girl I'd ever seen and I wondered why in the hell I'd never noticed it before.

            I was nervous as shit when I walked over to you and asked to sit down. You smiled at me and I felt like somebody had punched me in the gut. Talk about an instant attraction. We talked and laughed and after awhile, we started dancing. The last song of the night was "Landslide" and I took you in my arms and we slow danced while Stevie Nicks sang. After the dance, you said I could drive you home and we had our first kiss in the parking lot. I fell in love with you that night even though I was too stupid at the time to know it. When I dropped you off at your house, I asked if I could call you again and you said yes. I smiled the whole way home, thinking about you.

            Even after all this time, I only have to think about you and I smile.

Love, Troy

Quote of the Day

Hell yeah!!

"No explanation, no mix of words or music or memories can touch that sense of knowing that you were there and alive in that corner of time and the world. Whatever it meant."- Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

Guest blogger Randi Alexander

New Release and Book Giveaway!

I want to thank Mari for having me here today. The excerpt below is a scene I wrote from a memory of being in the hospital when I was very young. I had something going on with my foot, and had surgery, and had to ride around in this tiny little wheelchair. 

I don't remember much about it, but when I picture it in my mind, I know it was a traumatic time. I'd never been away from home, and sleeping in a hospital all alone was scary. Actually, everything was scary. The needles, the doctors, the nurses. But I remember the day when all of us sick kids were brought down to the playroom where a volunteer was setting up to entertain us.

He was a young man, probably college age, and he had an old record player and a stack of 45s (those are small, single-song records, for those of you born post-8-track era. He played the records, and we all got to sing along to our favorite tunes, like Row, Row, Row Your Boat, and Mary Had a Little Lamb. It was so much fun, and such a nice change from sitting in my room watching TV.

I was released from the hospital just before my birthday, and I asked my parents for a little record player and some records. Because when I got bigger, I wanted to be able to go to hospitals and make other sick kids happy.

While my record player didn't last long enough for me to lead sing-a-longs, I do volunteer at my local children's hospital, playing with kids, reading to them, taking them for wheelchair rides, or just sitting with them in their rooms and talking. It's rewarding, and I always leave the hospital feeling that I've helped bring a tiny little bit of happiness into those children's day.

I hope you enjoy the excerpt.

My first book, Chase and Seduction was released May 27 from The Wild Rose Press' Cowboy Kink line.

Country music superstar/actor Chase Tanner has yet to be denied anything–and he's never wanted anything or anyone more than gorgeous screenplay writer Reno Linden. So when the film they are working on is finally finished, Chase decides to turn up the volume on seducing Reno. 

Reno Linden lived a quiet, rural life until she was thrust into the Hollywood scene when her book was adapted to film. Chase Tanner is larger than life, sinfully sexy and hell-bent on getting her into bed. Skittish after a failed wedding engagement, Reno risks the plunge into Chase's arms, and is surprised that her good girl self can keep up with bad boy Chase. 

Though Chase returns to his cowboy roots often, and Reno cherishes the time spent with him on his ranch, the two find their careers pulling them in different directions. Will their attraction survive the glitz and stress of fame? 

EXCERPT: Over 18 only

Chase played for an hour and a half. A few parents stood in the back of the room, the mobile kids danced, the ones in wheelchairs wiggled and clapped, and everyone sang along. A few called out their favorite songs and Chase was hard-pressed to remember the words to some of them, but he'd gotten good at making them up.

Reno sat smack in the middle of the kids on a tiny chair, her knees nearly up to her chin. But she sang along, clapped, and talked with the children. His heart filled with emotion each time he looked at her.

Then a nurse popped her head into the room. "Bedtime, everyone. Say thank you to Mr. Tanner, and start heading back to your rooms."

"Aw!"

"Already?"

Chase stood and set his guitar in its case. "I'll be back in a few days."

One little girl with IV lines into her stomach started crying, and her mother picked her up and brought her to Chase. She asked, "Can she give you a hug?"

His throat choked shut, and all he could do was nod.

"Cassie, thank Mr. Tanner for singing for you."

Cassie released her mother's neck and grabbed a hold of his. Her little body felt like a warm, soap-scented bird in his arms. "Tank you for singing." Then she kissed him full on the mouth.

A sweet-hot burn grew behind his eyes, and he whispered, "You're welcome, Cassie."

She stared at him, her tiny arms were light as feathers against his neck. She whispered, "I love you."

"I…love you, too." Chase blinked back a swell of tears as he handed her to her mother. They walked away, then he caught Reno's gaze.

Tears ran from her eyes down her cheeks.

He watched her, unmoving, unable to breathe for fear the tears would leak from his eyes. In his side vision, he saw the princess castle, the toy trucks, and the pretend kitchen. He'd love to have a kid. Maybe two. A boy and a girl. When he imagined his own little girl, she looked a lot like Reno.

To celebrate the release of Chase and Seduction, I'm giving away, to one lucky *commenter, an e-copy of my novella Her Cowboy Stud. Just leave a comment today and we'll choose a winner tomorrow. *Commenter must be 18 years of age or older to win.

I'm also giving away a cowgirl hat to one subscriber to my newsletter. For more details, and to sign up for this contest, please go to my website, RandiAlexander.com  And while you're there, you can read the first chapter of Chase and Seduction.

Good luck, and thank you!

Randi

RandiAlexander.com

WildAndWickedCowboysBlog

Buy Chase and Seduction at The Wild Rose Press Wilder Roses

Saturday Snippet

Today's theme is work and I thought I'd share a passage from Do Over. Tuesday, June 7 marks the one year anniversary of Carina Press. I was fortunate enough to publish a book with this wonderful pub during their inaugural year. Happy Birthday Carina! 

Snippet:

"Are you sorry we left Carlysle?" Troy asked.

Faith looked up at her husband, surprised by this question. "You had a good job with the construction company. The transfer was a promotion and raise we couldn't turn down."

"That's not what I asked. I could have found another job, Faith."

"We took the right path. It may have been hard at the time, but looking back, I know deep in my heart, we were right to leave."

Troy's face cleared and suddenly she realized her husband had carried around the weight of the move for a long time.

"Why didn't you ever talk to me about these things, Troy?"

His brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, it seems like you've been carrying around a hell of a lot of baggage these past twenty-five years."

"Baggage?"

"The engagement ring, taking my virginity, the move. Troy, our life together has been nothing short of perfect. I've always thought that and I thought you felt the same way."

Troy reached out to pull her close. He rubbed his nose against hers, his typical gesture of affection, and he grinned at her. "If you wanna know the truth, I never worried too much about any of that stuff until I started planning this anniversary weekend. You know me, Faith. I'm a man of few words. I don't always find it easy to say what I'm thinking, let alone what I'm feeling. The letters were the easiest way for me to gather my thoughts, tell you some things I thought you should know. Thing is I started writing those letters and I started remembering things I'd forgotten. After awhile, I realized I was the luckiest bastard on the planet and I was sort of amazed you stuck with me this long."

She laughed at his admission. "Thank God. I was starting to worry you'd been living with all these guilt issues for years."

Troy pulled back and gave her an amused look. "Oh, hell no. You're still hitched to the same caveman you've always been stuck with."

"You're no caveman and you don't appear to have been oblivious to anything these past twenty-five years. Heck, I'm starting to think you're more observant than me."

Troy laughed, but after listening to her husband's concerns, she felt as if she needed to make a few amends, as well. "Troy, I think I sort of lost my way these past few months. Let myself wallow in my depression over Jenna leaving without taking your feelings into account. I'm sorry about that."

"No apology necessary."

She smiled. "You know. Home has never been a physical place for me. It's never been a specific dot on the map. Home is anywhere you are." She looked back at the first home she'd secretly been heartbroken to leave and she realized the truth behind those words. It hadn't been as hard to leave Carlysle as she'd thought because she was with Troy and the kids.

He sighed contentedly as he took her hand and led her to the car. "Ready to move on?"

She nodded. She already had.

As they pulled out of the driveway, Troy gestured to the photo album. "Time for the next page."

Faith,

The hardest thing I'd ever had to do was tell you that the construction company was expanding and we would have to move to Parksville. Asking you to uproot from your hometown, to leave your parents and to start from scratch in a city full of strangers felt like way more than I had the right to request. You'd already given me two healthy, beautiful children and you'd worked hard to make our house on Anders Street into a home.

After our wedding, we'd chosen to live in Carlysle because we knew it was a safe place and that we would always be surrounded by our families. We said Carlysle was where we wanted our kids to grow up. I worried for days before I could actually bring myself to say the words aloud to you.

And, in your typical fashion (you would think I would have known better after twelve years of marriage), you smiled and said let's go. You treated it as an adventure and I think it was your enthusiasm that made it so easy for the kids to accept. Hell, it made it easier for me to accept. All of us were nervous, afraid of what the future would bring and yet, you made certain our adjustment to a new city and our new lives was painless, easy.

Once again, with your quiet confidence, you gave me the courage to make a fresh start somewhere else. You helped the kids adjust to their new schools, you made our new house from almost from the first week we moved in, and you never made me feel like you were anything other than completely happy with our changed circumstances.

You're my home, Faith. You always have been and God-willing, you always will be.

Love, Troy

Do Over is available at Carina, Amazon, Sony, Barnes and Noble, and All Romance Ebooks.

"Work" your way over to read some more snippets by these amazing authors.

Jody Wallace

Emma Petersen

Leah Braemel 

McKenna Jeffries

Taige Crenshaw

HelenKay Dimon

Sasha White

Shelli Stevens

T.J. Michaels

Spring into Savings – Inflamed

 

Spring into savings with this super-charged erotic m/m/f/cowboy menage.

Stuck in a rut in every way possible, Keri decides her first step in a bid for change is moving back to the Texas home she left years ago. The second step? Spicing up her sex life with the crazy-hot cowboys she left behind. Too responsible (and smart) to touch her way back when, Max and Shaw filled Keri's hottest teen dreams. Now she's older, wiser—and more than ready to make up for lost time.

Max and Shaw were always fond of Keri, but the stunning woman strutting back into their lives is a far cry from the serious, studious teen they remember. She wants to take a walk on the racy side—with both of them—and the cowboys are only too happy to oblige. As they suspected, the sex is explosive, though Max and Shaw aren't sure Keri can really handle everything they have to give.

Nor do they know if she can handle the sexy secret they've yet to divulge.

Excerpt:

Shaw tossed back the last of his beer and then waved the waitress over, asking her to set them up with another round. They'd danced up a sweat, Max and Shaw each taking turns with Keri on the floor.

"Thought you said you couldn't two-step," Shaw said. She'd more than held her own, twirling to the music like a professional dancer.

She laughed. "You were right. I'd never had the right partners before."

Shaw considered her answer and the way she looked at them. Her gaze was hungry, inviting. He glanced at Max, but his friend shook his head slightly. Obviously Max was going to be stubborn. Shaw was tempted to pull him outside and tell him how often Keri's hand had grazed his ass when they were dancing. She was putting out more than a few signals, and his pigheaded friend was pointedly ignoring them.

Shaw looked at her flushed face and decided it was probably time for a break.

"How about a game of pool?" he suggested. "There's a small room off the back of the bar that doesn't get used much."

Keri nodded quickly. "Sounds like fun. I haven't played pool since college."

Shaw rubbed his hands together as they rose and started toward the back room. He gave her an appraising look. "Is that right? Hmmm. Maybe we should come up with a wager then."

Max shook his head, laughing. "He's a shark, Keri. Beware."

"Oh, you don't have to worry about me," Keri replied. She stood and let Shaw tug her toward the pool room before continuing. "I may have been gone awhile but I have a very long memory. Don't think I've forgotten about you scamming me out of two weeks' allowance while teaching me how to play Texas Hold 'Em my sophomore year."

Shaw laughed at the memory. "Hey, darlin'. I warned you before you joined that game, if you played with the big dogs, you were bound to get bit."

"Maybe so, but be warned, sometimes the puppy bites back."

Her sexy innuendo was accompanied by a quick glance below his waist. Shaw reconciled himself to the fact that his cock—which had been residing at half-mast most of the night—was finished fooling around and had made a full-fledged appearance. Nothing short of sex or a quick hand-job in the bathroom was going to cure that affliction. Keri noticed his problem and gave him a wicked grin.

"By the way," she said, "you can't claim that as a handicap."

Shaw's mouth went dry at her red-hot tease and he looked around to see if Max had heard. Sadly, his friend was still at the table handing the waitress some money and grabbing their fresh beers. Fuck. It was going to be a long night.

They walked into the back room and claimed the pool table just being vacated by a couple of cowboys. The room was dark and dingy and the table wasn't exactly level, which explained why no one ever used it. Shaw was simply using it as an excuse to get Keri alone for a little while. The loud music was dimmed by the walls, so there was no way Max could continue to pretend not to hear that she was coming on to them.

Shaw narrowed his eyes as one of the men leaving the room slowed his departure to check out Keri more thoroughly. She was wearing a miniskirt that was two inches too close to baring too much for Shaw's comfort. While he hadn't minded getting a good look at her long, luscious legs in the truck on the way here, he'd been battling the impulse to pulverize every man who'd leered at her since they'd entered the bar.

"So how do you want to do this?" Keri asked as she picked up a pool cue. "Kind of hard to play pool with three people."

"You're on my team," Max replied, entering the room and setting the beers down on the lone table. "We'll take turns shooting against Shaw."

Shaw narrowed his eyes. "How come you get Keri? Maybe I want her on my team."

Keri laughed. "Believe me, I'm going to be the weakest link. Personally, I think you two should be fighting over who has to take me."

Shaw suppressed a groan. He wanted to take her, all right. "I don't think that's ever gonna be a fight Max and I will have."

Max threw him a warning glance as he bent down to rack the balls. "We'll take turns. I get Keri for the first game. You can have her next time."

"Or," Shaw said, rubbing chalk over the tip of his cue, "we could share her. She'll play with both of us." Shaw walked up behind her, bending her slightly over the table. "In the interest of sharing our vast experience with you, of course." He handed her the stick and wrapped his arms around her, pretending to show her how to hold the pool cue. The move was purely sensual. Shaw ignored the daggers he could feel Max shooting in his direction as his friend finished racking the balls. Shaw was done pretending so that Max could soothe his guilty conscience. She may still be sweet Keri, but she wasn't an innocent by any stretch of the imagination. Time to take off the kid gloves.

Keri grinned as she looked over her shoulder. His wicked intentions weren't lost on her. She bent lower and pushed back slightly, her ass rubbing against Shaw's cock.

"Like this?" she purred.

He gritted his teeth in an attempt to withstand her sneak attack. She'd taken him down with his own weapon. There was no way to mistake her movements as anything other than a pure come-on.

All bets were off.

Inflamed is also available at Ellora's Cave, Barnes and Noble and All Romance Ebooks.

June Update

Thought I'd take a minute or two to update you on the latest happenings in my writing world. It's been a movin' and shakin' spring and summer looks even more exciting!

I've had two recent releases at Ellora's Cave. Inflamed and Black Jack are now available at EC as well as other third party vendors (like Amazon and ARe). I'm very excited about Black Jack as it's the first in *what I hope* will become a series of stories that alternate between a historical time period and a modern-day romance in a Fetish Club. They are red-hot romances.

Northern Exposure, the first in the Compass Brothers series and my co-written series with Jayne Rylon, released in March. The second book, Southern Comfort, will come out on July 12. The cover was designed by my good friend, Valerie Tibbs. I think she did an awesome job depicting Seth and Jody. Jayne and I are currently working on the third book, Eastern Ambitions, which features Sam. It will release in November. The final book, Western Ties will be along in March 2012 and I'm chomping at the bit to start working on Sawyer's book. Just love that character.

I have another release coming at Samhain on Sept. 27. Slam Dunk is part of the Black & White Collection and is the sequel to Happy Hour. I've never really connected any of my B&W books other than by theme, but the requests for Trey's story were overwhelming. And…I'll admit it, I wanted him to find a happily ever after too! I *think* I'm going to have a cover to unveil to you very soon. I've seen the mock-up and it's PERFECT!

As for the summer, I have lots of writing plans. Hope I'm not being too ambitious, but my to-do list includes Because You Loved Me, the long overdue sequel to Because of You. It will feature Caleb's younger twin brothers, Matt and Mark. You guessed it–it's going to be a menage/romantic suspense. Once that's completed, I have an idea for a Wild Irish Christmas story featuring Pop and Sunday. Then, I want to write a story for Travis (from Black Jack). Tentative title is White Knight.

As for appearances, I will be attending Romanticon September 29-October 2. It's in Akron, Ohio and it looks like it's going to be a heck of a lot of fun! This will be my third time attending and every year it gets better. I've made some wonderful friends there and the cavemen WILL be in attendance. Ooo la la!  I'm also trying to swing Lora Leigh's RAW as well, but that's not a definite yet.

Quote of the Day

Sigh…Pooh…the wisest of us all.

"Promise me you'll always remember: you're braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think." A.A. Milne, Winne the Pooh

Saturday Snippet

 

This week's theme is HOT SPOTS. I considered showing a scene featuring summertime or some steamy locale, then I decided, nope–let's go sexy! Black Jack is my latest release at Ellora's Cave and this book has LOTS of hot spots! I thought I'd share one with you today!

 

Black Jack snippet:

 

"Go lie on the bed."

Emma gave him a strange look. "What the hell for?"

"I think we should practice the phony sex thing."

"What about the rest of the show? My heroine is supposed to fight tooth and nail. She's not going to just hop in the bed and say 'have at it'."

He laughed. Emma had more in common with the spunky heroine than she realized. They were both headstrong, stubborn women who wouldn't bend to any man's will. Jack's cock thickened even more. Those attributes were hotter than hell.

"I know you're going to fight. I can handle that part. The tricky part is going to be the simulated sex. We have to make it look real."

"The lighting helps with that," Emma said matter-of-factly. "We've got it set up so that certain areas of the bed are in shadow at the beginning. Once you start moving, there are a lot of flashing, colored lights that help enhance the scene until the climax."

Jack grinned and wiggled his eyebrows.

She smirked and slapped him on the arm, well aware of the dual meaning of her words. "I mean the climax of the story, you dork."

"Get on the bed," he repeated. He was pleased when she obeyed without kicking up a fuss. She really was determined to play this role.

She was wearing a short skirt with a soft cotton T-shirt. Emma was beautiful in a simple, unassuming way. Her clothing was never ostentatious or flamboyant. The best word he could think of to describe her was classic. She had light brown hair with natural blonde highlights thanks to the California sun, big blue eyes and the slightest smattering of freckles on her nose.

Tonight her outfit would consist of a blouse and long skirt. She'd shown him the costumes earlier. He was looking forward to ripping some of that clothing off her.

He felt certain Emma never would have dialed his number if she'd realized exactly how much he wanted to do this. Last month, he and Travis had finally had a heart-to-heart and come clean about their unusual sexual desires. While they'd been best friends forever, the subject of what they liked in the bedroom—and who they'd like in their bed—had never come up. After consuming a bottle of Jim Beam while watching the fetish show from Travis' lofty tower office, Jack had confessed why he'd sent his latest love interest walking.

While it was little mystery to his friend that he was a serious dominant in the bedroom, there was one aspect of his nature he'd never shared with Travis. If he hadn't been three sheets to the wind, he never would have revealed his penchant for sex with a twist at all. The truth was he'd harbored the secret desire to perform before an audience for a long time, but not as an actor. While Emma shone in the spotlight back at school, he'd been content to work in the wings. No, his need wasn't to be yet another wannabe actor roaming Hollywood Boulevard.

Jack liked sex in public. Not all the time, but more than he realized most women were comfortable with.

Growing up, he'd felt like there was something wrong with him. In North Dakota, his desires would have gotten him drawn and quartered at dawn or committed to a mental hospital. However, in a city of sinners, he no longer felt it was wrong to experiment with that particular fetish and he'd indulged more than a few times with women who'd shared his interest—mainly actresses who thrived on attention. The problem was he'd yet to find a woman who could hold his attention outside the bedroom, unless he counted Emma. He'd never seriously pursued her sexually, though they'd flirted for years. There was a part of him that suspected she'd balk at his fetish. Besides, he valued their friendship too much to risk it.

As far as Jack was concerned, performing onstage at Scandals was an acceptable form of sex in public, even if it was simulated. Nearly perfect. Nearly as exciting.

Travis had understood and confided his own twisted fantasy. While Jack longed for the sexual spotlight, Travis liked to watch. He'd built his office and the club simply to fulfill his need for visual stimulation. Unfortunately, Travis hadn't found anyone to share his peeping Tom pleasures with. Jack worried Travis would never find a companion. God knew he wouldn't as long as he continued hiding behind the glass.

Travis had given him shit for hiding his feelings for Emma, calling him to task for wasting so much time. Truth was Jack had taken special care to hide his true nature from her. His deception wasn't based on shame or anything like that. It was simply something he'd never felt comfortable telling her. Emma was as straight as they came, which made her agreement to participate in this show all the more surprising.

Emma climbed onto the bed, sitting in the center of the large mattress. Jack shook his head. "Lay down, Em. On your back."

She narrowed her eyes and he knew she was irritated at being commanded to do anything. "This is pointless."

"Not at all." He walked to the bed and crawled on. He sensed Emma's surprise when he continued moving, pushing her until she was caged beneath him. Once he had her where he wanted her, he froze, giving himself time to take stock of her response to his close proximity. Her breathing accelerated slightly and he could see the tiny pulse at her neck racing. Her nipples made an appearance, poking against the material of her T-shirt.

"I've watched the fetish shows before," he said. "And you're right. The lighting and sound effects are deceptive. Always made me wonder how much was real and how much was make-believe."

She nodded and licked her lips. A nervous reaction? Or an invitation?

Jack decided he didn't give a shit. He'd waited a lifetime to kiss her. He bent down and placed his lips on hers.

Black Jack is available at Ellora's Cave.

Emma Petersen

Leah Braemel

McKenna Jeffries

Taige Crenshaw

Vivian Arend

Delilah Devlin

Eliza Gayle

T.J. Michaels

Jody Wallace

Spring into Savings – Any Given Sunday

 

Spring into savings with the last book in the Wild Irish series, Any Given Sunday. It's an m/m/f menage with shades of BDSM. Woooo! It's a hot one!

The child who is born on the Sabbath day, is bonny and blithe and good and gay.

Sean Collins is happy working at the family pub and sharing a house with the woman of his dreams. He and Lauren are equals in every way, including in bed, where they burn the sheets. Life is good. Even if he must hide a couple of secrets to keep it that way.

Lauren is madly in love with Sean. They share everything—almost. She can't deny sensing…something. A certain feeling when she, Sean and their friend Chad are all together. But she doesn't press. How can she when she's not being completely forthright herself?

Chad is feeling pretty miserable, and renting a room in Sean and Lauren's home has only made it worse. In a house filled with secrets, Chad's are doozies.

When an opportunity arises to explore their deep desires, the trio plunges into a sex-filled, emotionally charged ménage. Long-buried feelings are revealed, changing their lives irrevocably. Whether for better or worse, only Sean, Chad and Lauren can decide.

Excerpt:

"I kissed Lauren this afternoon."

The words flew from his lips more abruptly than he'd intended.

Sean stared at him for a very long, very frozen moment. Then his gaze traveled to Lauren. "He did?"

From the corner of his eyes, Chad saw Lauren nod.

"It was my fault," he added. "She tripped and I caught her. It was a stupid, impulsive thing to do, but I swear to you, man, it'll never happen again."

Sean rubbed his cheek and Chad stood his ground. It was impossible to know how Sean would respond to anything. Typically his reactions were so unconventional, they left Chad speechless.

This time was no exception.

"You've never kissed her before today?" Sean asked.

Chad shook his head, confused.

Sean looked at Lauren then winked. "Is he a better kisser than me?"

She released a loud breath that betrayed how much confessing to Sean had scared her. Leave it to his friend to break the tension with humor. "Sean," she said.

Sean shrugged. "Sort of surprised it's never happened before this. I mean, you guys have been in each other's faces pretty much night and day for the past six years."

Chad put his hands in his pockets, unsure how to reply. Sean was right. He'd lusted after Lauren for years. Spent at least a thousand nights dreaming of her soft lips…

He needed to get out of here. He wasn't sure how to explain the difference between living in this house versus the apartment he'd shared with Sean, but it was as if his entire life was suddenly moving too fast, as if his days were numbered.

Sean and Lauren would get married, move on without him, and he was acting like an ass trying to cling to something that wasn't there to begin with.

He sighed. It felt as if a huge part of his life was missing.

"You don't wanna take a swing at me?" Chad asked. "I think if the shoe was on the other foot, I'd pound your ass into the ground."

Sean shook his head. "I'm not mad."

Chad looked at Lauren, who grinned as they both recalled her saying the exact same words a few minutes earlier.

Sean sat down on the couch. "I guess I should be, but I'm not. In fact…" He paused and Chad waited to hear the rest of his sentence.

"In fact what?" Lauren asked.

Sean grinned crookedly. "Naw, it'll sound too weird."

"Say it," Lauren prompted.

"I'm sort of sorry I didn't get to see it."

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" Chad asked, his temper exploding. He'd been kicking his own ass all afternoon, feeling like the world's biggest shit, and now Sean was saying he was sorry he didn't get to see his best friend betraying him.

"Told you it was weird."

Lauren perched herself on the end of the recliner. "Only you would regret something like that." She laughed lightly before sobering. "Sean, I love you. I would never, ever cheat on you. I swear it."

"I know that. And I think if it had been any other guy doing the kissing, you'd be pulling me off him right now as I tried to beat him to a pulp." Sean looked at him and Chad fought to catch a breath at the complete and unquestionable understanding in his friend's gaze. "But Chad's different. He's a part of us."

Sean's words hit him like a blow to the chest and Chad realized two things. One, he wanted to be a part of them. And two—he wasn't.

"I'll pack," he said. "Move out."

"What?" Sean stood quickly, shaking his head. "The hell you will. Didn't you hear what I said? You belong here." Sean looked at Lauren. "Right?"

Clearly Sean was suddenly worried Lauren would be uncomfortable with the current living arrangements.

"Right," she said, so confidently there could be no mistaking her agreement.

They both wanted him to stay. He'd never felt so wanted…and so trapped.

Any Given Sunday is also available at Ellora's Cave, Barnes and Noble, Sony and All Romance Ebooks.

Salvation

My very dear friend, Jambrea Jo Jones had a new release yesterday and I wanted to take a minute to SHOUT about it. It's called Salvation and it's book two in her fantastic Alliance series. You can buy it at Total Ebound.

Salvation: Can three people save each other?

Rock is a gun runner who was set in life. The only thing missing is a partner. He thinks it could be Sela, but he wants to be sure he isn't after her because she reminds him of an old crush. When Dr. Alexander d'Ado explodes onto the scene, he is a goner. Can he have his cake and eat it too?

Zander is a scientist who lives for his work. He is usually oblivious to anything else. When his ship explodes around him can he find salvation in two roughened warriors? He has no idea why someone would be after him, but the three race to find out before someone kills him.

Will the trio find love while on the run?

Reader Advisory: This story contains m/m intimacy as part of a polyamorous relationship, non-consensual sex, sexual assault and graphic violence.

"What the fuck?" Rock stumbled as the ship shuddered. He looked up as Sela ran onto the bridge. "Hold on to something. A ship just exploded in our path." He focussed on steering the Salvation out of the flames but something caught his eye. "Se, there's an emergency pod! See if you can find their frequency and hail them," Rock said over his shoulder, fully expecting her to jump to it. She was efficient that way. He scanned the area to see if there were any other emergency crafts, but didn't see any other pods in the aftermath of the explosion.

"I'm supposed to be on vacation. I didn't sign up for this," Se grumbled.

"You didn't have to come, you know." It came out more harshly than he'd intended, but they were in crisis mode right now.

"Rave wouldn't have forgiven me if I'd let you go on a gun run on your own," she said clearly, then he thought he heard her mumble, "Stupid libido."

"I've been doing this solo for a while. I don't need my hand held by Rave and your cousin. Or you for that matter. Shit. Someone's shooting at the pod. You get a frequency yet?" Rock threw back at her.

"I'm going as fast as I can."

"Go faster," he snapped. He wasn't irritated with her but he needed to get to the pilot of that pod. He'd apologise later. Maybe.

"Damn it, Rock. If you don't like my speed, do it yourself."

"Stop arguing with me. I'd like to find out why my gun sale went south." He didn't understand her need to fight him at every turn. Most days it was a turn-on, but this wasn't the time or the place for his cock to take charge.

"What are you talking about?" Se sounded peevish.

"That ship was my contact. Maybe whoever escaped in the pod has the answers I need."

"Put more pressure on me, why don't you?" Se said under her breath.

"Se!" He was about to lose what little sanity he had left. Didn't she know that?

"It isn't the fate of the world. It's one gun sale." Se sighed, pushing her hair out of her face.

"Those guns were going to a planet being overrun with marauders. The inhabitants need to protect themselves or they'll be enslaved. So, yeah, the fate of someone's world could be at stake. We need that pod." They were going to have to do something about the sexual tension between them soon because he couldn't take the fighting anymore. He'd rather be fucking. And now wasn't the time. Damn.

"Stop it with the bleeding heart stuff. I've got them," Se mumbled almost to herself.

"I'm the bleeding heart?" That made him smile. He'd never been known for his sympathy. Not that he wasn't sympathetic, but money was a bigger motivator.

Se laughed. "Just talk to the pod. You're keyed in."

And just like that, his sanity was back. They really did work well together.

"Emergency pod, this is the captain of the Salvation. Do you need assistance?"

There was no response. Fuck. That couldn't be good.

"Are you sure this is right?" He looked over at Se.

"Yes. They probably don't know if we are friend or foe. They did just come off an exploding ship and who knows who's there or what shape they're in." Se shrugged.

"This is the captain of the Salvation. We will shelter you. Please acknowledge," Rock tried again, realising that Se was correct—anyone could be in there and only a handful of people had known he was meeting up with the ship.

"How do you use this thing? Hello? Hello?" A masculine voice floated over the airwaves.

Rock bit back a shout of relief. "I hear you. Do you need us to bring you in?"

On screen, another shot hit the pod. Rock couldn't look away—it was like a bad vid streaming in 3D, and he had front row seats.

"Rock, you need to get that ship in here or it's going to fall apart." Se's worry coloured her voice.

"Emergency pod, we've got a lock on you. Don't touch anything. We're bringing you in." Rock manipulated the controls and the pod slowly inched its way towards the Salvation.

Come on, come on.

It was taking forever. Or seemed to be. He needed to upgrade his fucking equipment.