Mari Carr's Blog, page 104

Spring into Savings – Everything Nice

 

Spring into savings with the sequel to Sugar and Spice, Everything Nice. It's a red hot, m/m/f menage!

Charlie's wants Allie. Allie and Alex want each other—and Charlie. But does Charlie want Alex? Plunging headfirst into a ménage is one way to find out…

After Alex confesses to Allie that he wants both her and his best friend, Charlie, in his bed, Allie skips town like a thief in the night. Now, six years later, Allie is back in their lives, all grown up and more alluring than ever. What starts as a night of three friends catching up turns into intimate explorations in Charlie's truck…and Alex's shower…and his king-size bed…

While Alex and Allie are thrilled with the threesome, Charlie struggles with the idea of sharing Allie, and with his newfound feelings for his best friend. A hot encounter at the office—with Alex bent over his desk—only confuses Charlie further. It's up to Alex and Allie to convince him that two plus one can equal love.

Reader Advisory: Everything Nice, a sequel to Sugar and Spice, offers intense scenes of male-on-male sex and heart-stopping ménage. The meek need not apply.

Prologue

Allie Brooks leaned back against a log, gazing into the bonfire and enjoying the pleasant buzz of the alcohol flowing through her body. Travers, Taylor and Anderson were throwing an end-of-summer bash out by the river to celebrate the first anniversary of their successful engineering firm, and Allie was having a great time although she was fairly sure she'd be sorry about the number of beers she'd consumed tomorrow. She glanced down at the pile of empty bottles by her feet and tried to remember if they were all hers.

While she was happy for the group of men and her sister—who was serving as their office manager—she couldn't help but feel a bit envious. She'd been hanging around since her high school graduation four years earlier, waiting for her life to begin, while her sister Ginny seemed to have her future all mapped out. Allie was still living at home and working at a job she hated, despite the fact her mother's cancer had gone into remission ages ago.

Just last night, she'd been offered a new job, a better job. Shit, the world's greatest job. Yet instead of being thrilled, she sat alone, watching the flames and contemplating the idea of moving away from the only home she'd ever known to take a chance at fulfilling her dream of seeing the world. She should be screaming her excitement from the rooftops, but something seemed to be holding her back.

Glancing across the bonfire, she watched Charlie Anderson talking to Travers. Anderson looked especially hot tonight in his cut-off jean shorts and dark green T-shirt. She admired how the T-shirt was just tight enough to accentuate his perfect pecs. He was wearing his light brown hair longer these days and she admired the tousled look as he ran his fingers through it, pushing it off his face. At some point, she supposed she would have to get over her schoolgirl infatuation with her sister's friend, but—like everything else in her life—that plan seemed to be on hold too.

She'd been sitting here for nearly an hour studying the man's perfection in relative anonymity. "Relative" being the operative term, as Alex Taylor came and planted himself beside her on the ground and she realized she hadn't been as careful as she should have.

"So how long have you been in love with Anderson?" Taylor asked.

Allie turned to look at him briefly before letting her gaze drift back to the man in question. "Forever," she confessed, the alcohol loosening her tongue. "How long have you been in love with him?"

Her question was nothing more than a taunt, a petty way to strike out against the man, and she expected him to ignore her challenge, offer a flat-out denial, call her a fool.

She'd only come to suspect Taylor's feelings toward his best friend since they'd moved home from college. For some reason, after their return, she'd begun to watch Taylor as much as Anderson. A fact she couldn't even begin to explain to herself as the man had been a thorn in her side for most of their childhood. To say they butted heads often was an understatement. Ginny had teased her about her volatile relationship with Taylor, once claiming that they were both too much alike.

She was surprised to hear his heavy sigh of resignation.

"How did you know?" he asked.

Allie offered him a light laugh despite the fact her heart felt far from happy. "I'm not blind."

Taylor nodded as if her answer were enough. "It would seem that blindness only affects Anderson."

"He doesn't know?"

Taylor chuckled, though the sound offered no mirth. "Never came up in conversation."

"In twelve years?"

"He's not gay, Allie."

She raised her eyebrows at his words. "I wouldn't have said you were either, if your list of female conquests was any indication."

"You're right. I'm not gay," he admitted. He turned away from watching Anderson and moved closer to her. His intent gaze, while making her uneasy, drew her toward him like a moth to a flame.

"Care to explain that statement?" she asked, the alcohol in her system making her say things she'd never have had the nerve to voice otherwise.

"Ever heard the term bisexual?" he replied sarcastically.

She scowled, but before she could chastise him for being such a smartass, he grinned at her and ran his hand down her cheek in a more-than-friendly way. "Allie, I love women too. I love being with women, making love to them, tasting and touching them."

"But you've been with men as well?"

"A couple in college," he confessed.

"Neither of them stole your heart?" she asked, silently wondering why it felt so natural to be having this far-from-normal conversation with a man she'd always suspected detested her.

"My heart's not available," he answered simply.

"It belongs to Anderson?"

Taylor glanced back at his friend. "He's the only man I've ever truly found myself attracted to—in a forever kind of way. I can't help wondering what it would be like to be with him."

She nodded. "Well, that certainly explains why you hate me. I never realized it before, but I suppose I'm the competition."

Taylor's eyebrows lowered, furrowed. "I don't hate you, Allie. I never have."

Allie was surprised by his answer. "But I thought—"

"Allie," Taylor interrupted, moving closer to her. "You aren't the competition. You're part of the equation."

Before she could respond, his lips lowered to hers, taking them in a kiss that was gentle and hard at the same time, tentative and possessive in the same breath.

She tried to understand what was happening, but the alcohol left her brain feeling fuzzy while Taylor's kisses and roving hands left her body feeling very warm.

When he pulled back, Allie opened her eyes. "I'm drunk. And confused," she admitted, and Taylor laughed, drawing his finger softly down her cheek again.

"Soon, hellion. Soon it'll all work out. You'll see." And with that enigmatic comment, Taylor got up and walked around the bonfire, joining in the conversation with Travers and Anderson.

Allie took a deep breath and struggled to understand what just happened. She looked around at the other people at the party. No one seemed to have noticed Taylor kissing her, everyone engrossed in their own conversations.

What the hell am I doing?

Kissing Alex Taylor—a confessed bisexual who happened to be in love with the same man as she—was not smart.

Shit, she was drunk and depressed about her life. Her mind was playing tricks on her. There was no way she could have possibly understood Taylor's intentions correctly. He couldn't have meant that he intended to have her and Anderson, could he?

She struggled to take a deep breath and a feeling of claustrophobia closed in on her as she realized she could give in to his desires far too easily. Apparently Ginny had been right. She and Taylor were similar people with similar hopes and needs.

But if she succumbed to Taylor's invitation, where would that leave her?

Here, she thought sadly. Stuck in this same godforsaken town, waiting tables at the fucking diner. The image of her exciting new job offer floated before her eyes.

Stay or leave?

Stay or leave ?

She felt someone watching her and her gaze traveled to Anderson. She saw him studying her, his eyebrows lowered. So many emotions seemed to be controlling his face, she couldn't tell what he was thinking or feeling. Curiosity, anger, jealousy, concern?

So she'd been wrong. One person had seen the kiss. One person had seen it all.

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

Quote of the Day

I just don't want to die without a few scars.  ~Chuck Palahniuk, Fight Club

Spring into Savings – Sugar and Spice

Happy Easter! Thought you might want to celebrate the holiday with a little sweetness…and a LOT of spice!

Sugar and Spice

Ginny's thirtieth birthday is shaping up to be the worst ever, until her best friend, Ryan, takes her to the Way Down Under, a new sex club she's been dying to visit. Too bad Ryan refuses to let her see anything but the club's tasteful bar.

Sneaking off to explore, Ginny is busted by Ryan in the Voyeur Room. But instead of taking her home, Ryan intends to teach her a lesson—and immediately commands her to strip. Stunned, Ginny obeys, and embarks on a night unlike any other. From shattering orgasms in front of strangers to light bondage, Ginny endures hours of sexual ecstasy, made to succumb again and again to her wildest urges—all by her best friend.

After hiding from Ryan the rest of the weekend—resulting in delicious punishment in his office on Monday—Ginny discovers emotions in their lifelong friendship that may have been there all along. She doesn't know if she can convince Ryan of the same…but a bit of "sweet" bondage might help.

Excerpt:

As he opened up the package of SweeTarts, he spotted an old photograph lying in the drawer. Pulling it out, he grinned to see a picture of him with Brooks and Anderson standing by a campfire and hamming it up for the camera while Taylor snapped the shot. He was amazed to see how little they'd all changed over the years. The photo was from a camping trip at the end of summer after their high school graduation, sort of a last hurrah before the guys went off to college and Ginny started her new job.

Ryan was a bit embarrassed by how often he thought of that night, the memories of it burned on his brain so that it truly did feel as if it had happened yesterday. He'd waited until the other fellas had fallen asleep…

"Scoot over, Brooks."

"Travers, what are you—"

"Shhhh, do you wanna wake up the other guys?" Ryan whispered as he unzipped Brooks' sleeping bag and attempted to crawl in.

"What are you doing?" she whispered.

"It's our last night together."

"No shit, Sherlock. Why do you think we're camping out?"

"Well, I thought I'd take care of your problem for you." Ryan curled up beside her and ran his hand along her rib cage, pleased when she shivered with delight at his touch.

"What problem?"

"Your orgasm problem," he answered simply as Brooks froze.

"Travers, I am not having sex with you."

"I never said anything about sex, just orgasms."

"What's the diff—"

"Shhhh. No more talking. And do me a favor, Brooks—try to concentrate on what I'm doing and nothing else. Okay?"

He was slightly surprised when Brooks fell silent. She was never one to give in easily and it thrilled him that she trusted him enough to let him proceed without an argument. He even got the sense that she wanted him to touch her.

He reached down and tried to work the boxers she was sleeping in down over her hips. Anderson and Taylor were sacked out on the other side of the campfire.

Once he had her boxers past her knees, he whispered, "Kick them off or they'll be in the way."

Brooks complied and Ryan grinned. He wasn't sure why he felt so compelled to do this, but he'd sensed Brooks' disappointment ever since prom night and he didn't want to leave for college without proving to her that sex really could feel terrific. God only knew what kind of clods she'd start dating without him around to weed out the unsavory ones. She sure had shitty taste in men.

Once she was bare from the waist down, Ryan dragged his fingers along her hip and around to her shapely buttocks. She was fit and trim and her ass filled his hand nicely.

"Open your legs," he whispered and again, Brooks obeyed without hesitation. Ryan sucked in a deep breath and struggled to ignore his raging hard-on. He pushed his waist away from her a bit, afraid she'd feel his erection and freak out.

He grabbed her left leg and positioned it over his right hip. He was aware of the fact he was mostly lying on the cold ground rather than in the sleeping bag, but all he really cared about was that Brooks was covered up. It wouldn't do for Anderson and Taylor to wake up and find him with his fingers buried in their best friend's pussy.

They lay side by side, facing each other, and Ryan could feel her accelerated breathing on his cheek. "Relax, Brooks."

"I'm trying," she insisted, "but this is weird."

Ryan chuckled and brought his fingers to her pussy. He slowly pushed his finger through her curls until he found her clit. She hissed in a breath as he touched the sensitive button.

"There it is," he whispered, increasing the pressure until she began squirming. "You like that?"

"Oh my God, yes," she replied breathlessly.

Ryan forged on and trailed his fingers down to her wet opening.

Shit, her soaked opening was more like it. She was dripping with juices and her cunt was on fire. Ryan stifled a groan at the thought of what it would feel like to push his cock into that hot pussy. He pushed one, then two fingers inside and Brooks' hips starting moving against them, trying to force them farther in.

"Easy," he murmured, but she didn't seem to hear him. She was gyrating wildly on his thrusting fingers and he was having a hard time holding back his own enthusiasm. She was so incredibly sexy it was all he could do not to come in his pants. When he sensed she was close, he moved his thumb back to her clit and tapped it firmly, twice.

He sensed Brooks wasn't going to come quietly so he moved fast to cover her mouth with his other hand. He wasn't disappointed.

"Shhh, wildcat," he whispered, attempting to soothe her moans as she slowly came down from the peak. Glancing over, he saw that Anderson and Taylor were still sound asleep. Thank God. Brooks would have been mortified if they'd woken up.

Slowly he moved back, loving the sounds of her regretful whimpers as he pulled his fingers from her quivering pussy.

When his hand was free, she hugged him. He wrapped his arms around her and for several moments, neither of them said a word.

"Travers," she whispered, leaning back to look into his face.

"Yeah, Brooks?"

"Thanks."

He kissed the end of her nose and reverted back to his usual teasing. "Well, we men have a duty to uphold the reputation of all mankind. Couldn't let you go around thinking we were all crap in bed."

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

Saturday Snippet

This week's theme is my favorite–HUMOR! I try to incorporate humor in all my stories because I think it's such an important aspect of every day life. Today, I thought I'd share a snippet from Assume the Positions, available at Ellora's Cave.

Snippet:

"You're late. Again."

He shrugged, unconcerned. "Caught a bad guy right at the end of shift. Lousy paperwork took awhile."

"You couldn't call?" she asked, aware her voice was snippy, but he'd truly frightened the hell out of her.

He looked at the clock that hung on the wall. "I'm only five minutes late, Rachel."

She gave him a crooked smile and acknowledged the truth of his words. "Sorry," she muttered. "Bad day."

"Lose a list or something?" he asked, gesturing toward her notebook. He'd teased her relentlessly about her list fetish ever since asking about the book one night. She'd foolishly shown him the thing and for some reason, he'd found her fervent list-keeping hysterical.

"Ha ha. No, Mr. Smart Ass, I didn't lose a list. I just don't happen to like the one I'm working on."

He quirked his eyebrows with interest and she cursed her loose tongue. The last thing she needed was to give the man another reason to ridicule her. He already had far too much fun at her expense. A fact, she had to admit, she sort of enjoyed. They seemed to share the same twisted sense of humor. In addition to being too hot for words, Ethan was funny and friendly and it hadn't exactly been a hardship to volunteer to stay late to accommodate his crazy work schedule.

"Forget it," she said quickly, hoping to deter his sudden interest.

"Let me see your list. Maybe I can help you with it." Ethan grabbed her notebook and she swiftly attempted to pull it out of his grasp. They struggled over the book for several seconds before she lost her grip.

"It's personal," she said loudly when he won their tug-of-war. Her protest was too late as he read the heading on the page.

"Potential Younger Men for Cougar Challenge?"

Rachel prayed to God he didn't know what "cougar" meant. She'd only learned of the term while reading her erotic romance novels. She'd been shocked to discover how much the idea of an older woman hooking up with a younger man turned her on, pushed her hot buttons.

"It's just something silly…something stupid, really. Give me back my notebook and we'll get started on your exercises."

Ethan ignored her and she watched as he scanned the list of names. When he closed the book with a snap, she flinched at the unfamiliar look on his face. She'd never seen him look so serious or…angry. "What are you doing, Rachel? What the hell is this list about?"

She took a step back, confused by his reaction. Over the course of the past two months, she'd felt a friendship forming between her and the young cop. As a result, she now found her fears, her anxiety over the challenge falling from her lips uncontrolled.

Even though she was sure she was making a mistake, she told him everything—from meeting her friends at the conference to the blog to the dare to sleep with a younger man. She didn't leave out a single detail and throughout her entire confession, Ethan was quiet. In the end, it was his silence that unnerved her more than his initial anger.

"So there," she said at last. "That should keep you busy in the teasing department for months. I'm an insane, horny-as-hell woman who's actually contemplating throwing herself at a younger man on a dare. And before you say anything, yes, I know…I'm old enough to know better." She walked away from him as she said the last, too embarrassed to face him.

She'd only made it two steps when he reached out and gripped her forearm, turning her back around. "Old enough to know better?" he asked. "You think you couldn't land a younger guy?"

"Maybe I could," she said, surprised to find him taking this conversation so seriously. "I mean, I don't think I'm unattractive, just sort of out of practice with the whole dating scene."

Ethan grinned and she spied the usual mischievous sparkle in his gaze that she'd grown accustomed to over the past few weeks. "Wish you'd mentioned this horny problem of yours earlier, Rach."

"It's not something a polite woman advertises," she said.

He continued pulling her toward him until they stood face-to-face, close enough that she could smell his skin, a pleasant combination of fresh shower, soap and—yummy—man. Rather than look up, she stared straight ahead, placing her line of vision at the top of his chest. There was no way she could look at his handsome face and not spend the rest of their session imagining him naked. He wore a tight T-shirt and she could just imagine what his bare pecs would look like. She swallowed heavily, her mouth watering at the thought.

"Isn't that a shame," Ethan added. "Advertisements like that sure would take a lot of the guess work out of dating."

"I haven't been doing a lot of dating since my divorce from Voldemort."

"Mm hmm." She felt certain if she hadn't been standing so closely, she wouldn't have heard the small, guttural sound—a growl?—that emanated from him. Did it make him angry to hear her mention her ex? "Look at me, Rachel," he said as she felt his gaze bore through the top of her head.

"I am," she said, her eyes remaining locked in place, several inches below his chin.

He reached down and gently forced her head back with firm fingers at her jaw. She took a deep breath and faced him. His head was cocked to the side, his lips painfully close to hers. An impractical woman would lean forward and initiate a kiss. A woman without any common sense would rise up on her tiptoes, close the gap separating them and take a nice, long taste of him. An adventurous woman—

Her mouth stroked his briefly and her mind struggled to understand how she'd gotten close enough for that touch. Had she moved?

Her lips brushed his again, but rather than move away, she continued to push closer.

Oh shit.

She was kissing Ethan. Her brain kicked into high gear.

Red alert! Abort! Abort!

Assume the Positions is available at Ellora's Cave, Amazon, Sony, Barnes and Noble and All Romance Ebooks.

Why not laugh along with some other fantastic authors today?

Jody Wallace

Emma Petersen

Shelli Stevens

Lissa Matthews 

McKenna Jeffries

HelenKay Dimon

Taige Crenshaw

Delilah Devlin

Lauren Dane

T.J. Michaels

Spring into Saving with Covert Lessons!

 

Gangs are taking over the hallways of Lowell High School. Desperate to save her alma mater, English teacher Kelly Finch reaches out to at-risk students in an effort to steer them from more dangerous pursuits. Still, gang activity is rising, and when the superintendant seeks help from an undercover task force, Kelly is forced to play host to the most arrogant, infuriating, sexy man she's ever met—Lt. Jared McNally.

The opinionated pair clash constantly, especially when Mac sets his sites on Kelly's favorite student. As the intensity of the mission grows, so does their attraction, leading to an erotic "punishment" for Kelly when she consistently disregards her own safety.

But the stubborn beauty's devotion to her students continues to bring her closer to the escalating gang violence. If Mac can keep her safe long enough, she'll definitely need a few more sensual, covert lessons.

Sexy Snippet:

"Such big words, Lieutenant."

The immediate disappearance of his smile clued her in to her mistake. Glancing around quickly to make sure they were alone, she held up her hand to ward off the chastisement she read on his lips.

"Sorry. Slip of the tongue. It won't happen again, I promise."

He stalked toward her and she found herself backing up involuntarily at the anger she saw in his face. In four steps, she found herself cornered in the book room off the office, backed up against the wall and watching him kick the door shut with his foot. The room was tiny at best and finding herself in such close proximity to him left her struggling to take a deep breath.

"I said I was sorry." However, he simply continued to glare at her.

"Sorry isn't really enough, Kelly," he said sternly. "If Meg or anyone else had been in that room, my cover would have been blown in an instant. Not only would you have ruined my chances of working here covertly, you would have made it next to impossible to sneak someone else in without raising suspicion."

"I understand all of that." She was unhappy with being treated like a child by this infuriating man.

"Do you?" he asked hotly. "Do you really? Because from where I'm standing it seems to me you'd be very happy to see this investigation fail."

"That's not true," she retorted. "I don't like the underhanded way you're going about it, but I do realize the need for change. I don't like my students being in danger and I'm perfectly aware of the fact that gangs are dangerous. Hell, I broke up two fights just last week outside my classroom door! I'm not an idiot."

At his deepening scowl, she feared her words weren't soothing his temper at all. "What do you mean you broke up two fights?"

She was taken aback by the quick change of topic. "Verbal altercations and a little shoving. Not fights, really."

"Well, you won't be doing that again."

She was appalled by the man's conceit. Surely he didn't think he could solve all the school's problems in one day? "Well excuse me, Mighty Miracle Worker, but I hardly think you can claim there won't be any more fights simply because you're in the building."

"Oh there are bound to be more fights, but you won't be breaking them up. Good God, woman, what were you thinking? Tiny thing like you? You could have been hurt."

She was confused by his immediate about-face. One minute he was yelling at her for nearly blowing his cover and the next he was yelling at her for endangering herself. Infuriating, frustrating man. Anxious to recover the upper hand, she dismissed his words with a shrug of her shoulder. "It's part of the job. Besides, as I recall, you were brought here to put an end to gangs taking over the hallways, not to act as my personal bodyguard. If trouble starts up again, I'll step in."

He leaned toward her as a smile she immediately distrusted claimed his handsome face. "Perhaps it's time for us to establish some ground rules."

"Rules?" His lips hovered mere inches from hers. The temperature in the small book room shot up and she fought the impulse to fan herself.

"You're a teacher." He moved even closer, although she wasn't sure how that was possible given the fact that it already felt as if he were taking up every available square inch of the room. "No doubt you have rules in your classroom and consequences if those rules are broken. That might be a good idea for us as well."

"Fine," she choked out. "Rule one, you can't keep—!"

He interrupted her. "Oh no, sweetheart. You misunderstand. I make the rules."

Fury rippled through her at the thought of Mac attempting to impose a bunch of rules on her. Did the pompous male chauvinist pig actually think she would consent to such foolishness?

"You can kiss my ass if you think—"

"Careful, Kelly, you might not want to give me that particular permission. You see, there's nothing I'd like so much as to kiss your…" He reached back to envelop her rear end in his strong hands, letting his fingers fill in the blanks.

"Get your hands off me!" She was shocked by the liberties he was taking. And in the English office, first thing in the morning. "Someone could walk in!"

Rather than removing his hands, he started lightly stroking her buttocks through her dress slacks. "So you wouldn't mind me doing this if there weren't a chance we'd get caught?"

"God." She drove both her fists against his rock-hard chest. "You are the most annoying, irritating man I've ever had the misfortune to meet!"

Taking his hands away from her bottom, he smiled and moved them up until he gripped the shelf of the bookcase right above her shoulders. "You played with fire yesterday, Kelly, and now I think it's important you realize how dangerous that was."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't you?" He leaned forward and, taking her earlobe in his teeth, he nipped lightly. "We had a name for a girl like you when I went to high school. A cock-tease."

Offended by his words and insult to her reputation, she started to protest, but he bit her ear again, this time hard enough to sting.

"Rule one," he whispered as his tongue dabbed the sore spot briefly. "The next time you undress me with those sexy eyes or tease me with that husky voice, I'm going to give you exactly what you're asking for. Rule two, if those lovely lips of yours call me 'lieutenant' again, I'm going to fill them up so you can't speak at all. And rule three, if you put yourself in danger and attempt to break up another fight, I will turn you over my knee and spank that lovely ass of yours, then I'll take you up on your invitation and kiss it better. Understand?"

She was overwhelmed by his powerful words. She knew she should be appalled by his rough treatment, yet she was incredibly turned-on. God help her, what did that make her? She wasn't some weak-willed woman who let a man order her around and yet, the idea of taking orders from Mac in the bedroom made her so hot and bothered she could barely breathe. The temperature in the damn book room must have been pushing at least a hundred and ten.

When she failed to respond, he pushed away from her and looked at her face. "I said, do you understand, Kelly?"

Gathering her wits about her, she replied with as much strength as she could muster. "I'm not one of your subordinates, Lieu—"

His lips devoured the rest of her words as he demonstrated exactly how he intended to silence her. 

Covert Lessons is also available at Ellora's Cave, Sony and All Romance Ebooks.

Spring into Savings with Retreat!

 

Retreat was my second book with Ellora's Cave. It was my first foray into romantic suspense and BDSM.

Jon Walker and Night Thomas lived their childhood in a cult. They embraced the lifestyle, and it was there that they were trained as BDSM Masters. Only when the cult was infiltrated by undercover agent Reilly did the boys learn of the cult's seedy underside, and help to destroy it.

Nearly fifteen years later, Jon's job as a high school teacher—and his lust for the school's gorgeous secretary, Carly—bring him close to the normal life he's always craved. Just when that life is within his grasp, Reilly returns. An incarnation of the cult has resurfaced with Jon's evil mother at the helm, and Reilly wants Jon and Night to go undercover to stop Cassandra Walker once and for all.

Shocked by his mother's return and his BDSM past come back to haunt him, Jon is terrified of Carly discovering his dark secrets. Including the darkest of all—his complex relationship with Night, and his unrelenting urge to share Carly with his best friend.

Snippet:

"What the hell is wrong with you today?" She yanked off her denim jacket and threw it across the room.

Still angry, he was itching for a fight. "I'll tell you what's wrong with me. You!" He pointed a finger at her before divesting himself of his own leather coat. "You're what's wrong with me, but you know what, Blue Eyes? I'm about to correct that."

"I don't know what you're talking about." She backed away slowly but he matched her step for step.

"I'm talking about the fact that you are so fucking blind to your own beauty you can't see when a man is attracted to you. That was no goddamn pity kiss and if you can't tell the difference, then it's obvious you need to be taught a lesson about kissing."

"Lesson?"

He halted her retreat by grabbing her upper arms and pulling her toward his chest.

"Lesson." His lips descended on hers in a kiss that her insecure mind could never mistake for pity or friendship. It was an outright possession, an unreserved claiming. His tongue explored her mouth and his teeth nipped lightly at her lips as his hands moved up to cup her face, holding her still for his amorous assault. And an assault is exactly what it was. He gave her no quarter, no reprieve, no opportunity to misunderstand his meaning this time. She was not going to be his friend or his girl next door.

She was going to be his.

When he lifted his lips from hers, he saw such a mixture of emotion in her eyes that he didn't know what to respond to first—the confusion, the fear or the desire. Both of them were breathing heavily and he allowed her to take one step back. He needed to give her time to consider his actions, his intentions, his longings. He was finished fighting the past. He wanted a future. Clearly she read his objective without words, because he saw her eyes widen with the realization.

"Come here." He deliberately softened his tone, not wanting to frighten her any more.

"Why?"

"Come here, Carly."

"Jon…" She was obviously stalling for time, but his patience was in tatters. Refusing to listen to any more of her rambling diatribes, he grabbed her roughly, pushing her back against the nearest wall. His lips cut off her protest, taking hers as if his life depended on stealing all the breath in her body.

She was stunned motionless for several moments before he felt something give way and she succumbed to his intense kiss. Her hands slid slowly up his chest, continuing until his grip on her upper arms loosened enough that she could wrap her arms around his neck, her hands pulling his hair, keeping his lips on hers.

Unwilling to give up control of the kiss, his own hands traveled down her back until he reached her buttocks, firmly gripping each cheek and pulling her toward him until he was able to grind his hard erection into her soft stomach.

She seemed shocked by the intimacy of his actions and he felt her pull back from the kiss. "Jon?"

"No. No more talking." 

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

Bibs and Bobs…

Lots of stuff going on, so I thought I'd do a "catch all" blog post today.

First of all, the Easter Blog Hop was great fun and I was thrilled to see so many folks come out to participate. I really enjoyed reading the comments about the covers. I must admit…as a writer, I've been extremely blessed with some beautiful covers. The winner of the print copy of Wild Days is June M. Thanks to everyone for hopping over!

Secondly, I've got lots of pans in the fire in terms of future releases. I hope you'll check out the coming soon page to see what's hitting the bookshelves in the next few months.

Finally, as I've mentioned before, Ellora's Cave has lowered its prices on my books at third party vendors so that it now matches their website. As a Kindle owner, I can seriously appreciate the ease of "Buy with One Click". I thought it would be fun to do a little excerpts party over the next few weeks. Each day, I'll feature a different EC book along with a "red hot, never before seen" snippet.

Today–I'm showcasing Kiss Me, Kate, my very first EC book ever. I'm especially excited to share a bit of this book because I recently contracted the sequel, Three Reasons Why. Look for it to hit the EC site in June or July.

Kiss Me, Kate

Kate is blindsided when her husband cleans out their house and bank account before skipping town with another woman. Desperate to get out of her sister's apartment, Kate jumps at the chance to help Rick and Wes, DEA agents whose latest case finds them in urgent need of a house-sitter.

Taking care of the old farmhouse is just what she needed. As the months pass, a stronger Kate emerges. She's also developed an email friendship with Rick, and it isn't long before they secretly begin starring in each other's lust-filled fantasies. Problem is, after her failed marriage, Kate wants only a physical relationship. She's terrified of losing her heart—which is exactly what Rick intends to capture upon his return.

They reach a compromise. One that involves explosive, no-strings sex—for now. Rick patiently deflects her fears and willingly slakes her passion while keeping his darker fantasies in check, afraid of scaring his shy, innocent lover. But unbeknownst to Rick, Kate has a few untapped fantasies of her own.

Snippet:

"Tonight I planned to seduce you." She spoke so quickly he had to struggle to understand her words.

"Seduce me?" Her words hit him with the force of a two-ton truck. He anticipated having to convince her they should begin dating and as far as seduction, he thought he would be the one initiating any bedroom play. To hear she was thinking along the same lines thrilled and relieved him. Hell, more than that, he was aroused beyond belief.

Kate, obviously confused by his failure to respond, merely nodded and he watched her courage begin to waver in the face of his continuing silence.

"Seduce me," he whispered.

Surprised by his acquiesce, Kate didn't move at first. Then, as if awakening from a long sleep, she gave him the most seductive smile he'd ever seen.

Rising up to kneel beside him, she leaned forward and initiated a kiss so hot, Rick wondered if they would set off the smoke detector in this room as well. His shy angel turned into a vixen and Rick struggled to keep up. Her hands were touching him everywhere—in his hair, along his day-old beard, over his shoulders. Just when he thought she couldn't surprise him any more, she threw a leg over his to straddle his lap, gripped the lapels of his flannel shirt and pulled roughly. The buttons popped as they tore from the material, but his wild Kate simply continued her assault, her fingers and lips toying with his now-hard nipples.

"Jesus." His hands clung to her soft hair. It smelled like orchids. When he'd first come in tonight, she'd had it pulled away from her face in a fancy braid, but now it hung loose and long over her shoulders. He would have to make sure she always wore it down for him.

Small fingers at the button of his jeans caused his grip in her hair to tighten. For a moment, he thought he was hurting her as her fingers stilled, but her accelerated breathing clued him in—Kate liked his rough touch. Testing the waters, he pulled her hair again. This time Kate groaned, her hips thrusting against his upper thighs.

Beautiful, he thought. By God, she was the most beautiful, sensuous woman on earth and she was going to be his. He was going to teach her how to use all that latent sexuality with him. Before he could consider it further, Kate was moving off the couch, kneeling between his legs.

Dear Lord, maybe Kate had a few lessons of her own to share.

Kiss Me, Kate is also available at Ellora's Cave, Barnes and Noble, Sony and All Romance Ebooks.

Quote of the Day

Ah…an oldie, but a goodie.

"As God is my witness, as God is my witness they're not going to lick me. I'm going to live through this and when it's all over, I'll never be hungry again. No, nor any of my folk. If I have to lie, steal, cheat or kill. As God is my witness, I'll never be hungry again." – Scarlett, Gone with the Wind

Saturday Snippet

Today's theme is something active, something fun…like singing or dancing. I chose a snippet from Friday I'm in Love in which the heroine overcomes her inhibitions and goes onstage to sing karoake. The scene was lots of fun to write! Hey! Did you know Ellora's Cave has dropped its prices at third party vendors for certain authors? Guess who's one of them. ME!!!! If you love the buy with one click feature at Amazon,  Barnes and Noble, All Romance Ebooks, or Sony, please check out the low prices before they run out!

Excerpt:

"I want you to get up on stage and sing."

She laughed hysterically, clearly thinking his words a joke until he added, "I dare you to sing a song, Nat."

She sobered up at the earnestness of his tone. "You can't be serious."

"I'm completely serious."

She fell silent for a moment and then grinned as if she'd found the magic loophole. "I will if you will."

"Fine," he answered easily, provoking a frown to cross her face. "But you go first."

She looked around and he sensed she was trying to find another way to escape the dare, so he threw more fuel on the fire. "Of course, if you're too afraid to get up there, I could always—"

"Where's the song list?" she asked, and he waved Sean over.

"What's up, bro?" Sean asked.

"Natalie wants to sing. Do you have one of those lists with the music selection?"

Sean quickly brought over a notebook filled with song choices and handed it to Natalie. "All right!" he said enthusiastically. "Way to keep the ball rolling, Nat. We're having a hard time getting folks to sign up. I owe you one." His brother bent down and gave her a friendly kiss on the cheek, the sweet gesture making her blush.

She studied the list for so long, Ewan feared she'd back out. He was surprised when she pointed and said, "This one."

He looked down and laughed. "Showing your age there, aren't you?"

"Bite me, Ewan. Go put my number in. And while you're at it, put yours in too. We had a deal. If I'm going to make an ass of myself, you're going down right alongside me."

He rose and turned in their two numbers. Sean grinned at his choice. "Duet?"

"Don't tell Natalie. I don't want her to have a chance to run."

Sean slapped him on the shoulder. "She's gonna kick your ass."

"Yeah, well, she seems to be on the verge of that every waking minute. It's sort of starting to lose its effect."

Sean laughed. "You got it bad for Sky's best friend."

Ewan considered denying it, but there wouldn't be any point. Of all his brothers, he was closest to Sean. Killian and Tris were twins and older, so that played a major role in the situation. Plus, Sean was just easy to be around.

"She's got my heart in her teeth. It's not a comfortable feeling."

"I guess not, although I don't see what the problem is. She's got the hots for you too."

Ewan considered that. "You think?"

"She hasn't left your side all week, bud."

"Yeah, well, that's actually because I've been working with her on something." Ewan wasn't sure why he didn't want to tell Sean about the life lessons, but something told him Nat wouldn't want anyone to know about her depression.

"Maybe so, but she can't take her eyes off you. Even now, she's checking out your ass."

Ewan grinned, but couldn't resist taking a peek over his shoulder. Natalie's gaze was definitely on his southerly regions until she spotted him looking at her, then she quickly turned her head.

"She leaves in two days," he said, speaking the words that had been eating a hole in his gut all day. He was running out of time.

"So I guess you better kick it into high gear."

Ewan looked at his brother, his words striking a chord. "Yeah, I guess I better. Make sure you cue up her solo song first."

Sean grinned. "She's next. As soon as this guy finishes butchering Michael Jackson. I swear to God if he whips out the moonwalk, I might piss in my pants. This is even funnier than I thought it would be."

"Well, it's certainly brought in a crowd."

"Human nature," Sean said. "People are fascinated by tragedy."

Ewan shook his head, chuckling as he returned to the table. "Sean says you're up next."

"Great. You know, I think I failed to mention something."

"Oh yeah?" he asked. "What's that?"

"I can't sing."

"At all?" He was surprised by her confession. She had a lovely speaking voice, husky and sexy as hell. He just assumed that would translate to her being a pretty decent singer.

"Sky told me once he thought I might be tone deaf, but I can hear the melody, the harmony, everything that makes his songs great. I just can't make my voice do that."

He wondered why she wasn't more bothered by the prospect of getting on stage if she really did sing as bad as she said. "You're sure you're okay with getting up on the stage?"

"Turnabout's fair play," she said.

"Meaning?"

"Meaning," she leaned closer as she spoke, "I've spent years making fun of people for their shortcomings. I think maybe it's time I gave them a turn to take a few shots at me. Isn't that what this lesson is about?"

Ewan shook his head. "No, not at all. I was hoping you'd learn to stop caring what people think about you. You think the world hates you, sees you as a bitch. You pretend that doesn't bother you, but I think deep down inside, it does. This isn't about letting people laugh at you, Nat. I'd never set you up for that."

She sighed. "You are the most annoying man I've ever met."

"Why's that?"

"I find it very difficult to stay mad at you. And I really want to be mad at you right now."

He grasped her hand. "That's funny. I'm having some difficulties of my own in regards to you."

"What kind of difficulties?"

He pulled her hand into his lap, aware that the table was shielding them as he moved her palm to his very erect cock. "I really want to be inside you right now."

She started applying pressure to his cock, slowly moving her fingers along his covered flesh. "We already did the sex lesson." Her tone didn't match her words and he thought for a moment she was sad about the idea of not sleeping with him again.

"That wasn't a lesson, Nat. And I didn't intend for it to be just one night." Before he could say more, tell her exactly what the previous night meant to him, Sean was calling her name, gesturing for her to take the microphone.

She removed her hand and stood slowly. "Good."

"Good?" He was wondering how he could convince Sean to skip her in the line-up, but Natalie ignored his question and threw one of her own at him.

"You wanna know something?"

He nodded.

"I've always been jealous of Sky's time on the stage, in the spotlight. I've always wanted to try this just once and you're right, it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks. This is for me."

"Break a leg," he said, smiling at her sudden enthusiasm.

"But don't say I didn't warn you." She laughed as she walked away and Ewan watched her take her place on the stage, admiring her courage as she stood in the spotlight. As the music started, she held the microphone to her mouth and sang.

He covered his mouth to hide the grin emerging as she belted out Wilson Phillips' Release Me. Sean caught his eye and gave him a horrified look. She hadn't exaggerated about her singing. She looked at him as she continued, her twinkling eyes proving—unlike the American Idol wannabes—she knew exactly how bad she sounded.

Regardless of the sound, she was winning the crowd over with sheer showmanship. As the pace of the song increased, she started dancing, her motions sultry and beautiful, despite her singing. She started working the crowd, pointing to a few of the men, who began wolf-whistling. Their enjoyment pushed her further and he broke into genuine laughter when she left the stage and started singing to the cowboy in the purple shirt, playing with his fringe.

The crowd was eating up her antics and a few women stood up and started singing along. Apparently, she'd stumbled upon some sort of '90s girl anthem. Everyone started clapping, dancing at their seats, and Sean turned to give him a thumbs-up.

As the song ended, she received the first standing ovation of the night and she ran back to the table where he stood waiting for her. She hugged him, laughing with complete, unrestrained joy and, as everyone watched and cheered louder, he kissed her.

Friday I'm in Love is available at Ellora's Cave, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Sony and All Romance Ebooks.

Dance your way over to these sites to read more snippets!

Jody Wallace

Shelli Stevens

Lissa Matthews 

McKenna Jeffries

Selena Blake

Taige Crenshaw

Delilah Devlin

T.J. Michaels

Easter Blog Hop!

My contest is very easy. Simply click on the Books page and check out all the cover candy. Leave a comment here, telling me which cover is your favorite and why. One lucky winner will receive a signed copy of Wild Days (the print combo of Come Monday and Ruby Tuesday).

Once you've left your comment, why not hop over to some of these other super cool blogs for a chance to win even more prizes?!

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