Mari Carr's Blog, page 107
February 28, 2011
Quote of the Week
"The knack of flying is learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss." – The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy
February 26, 2011
Saturday Snippet
The moment in Come Monday…when Keira and Will both begin to sense her submissive tendencies…
Snippet:
She rushed into Professor Wallace's office shortly after nine with an apology hovering on her lips.
"Shut the door, Miss Collins," he said before she could speak. "And lock it."
She obeyed, wondering at his too-calm disposition.
"Come here."
Again she complied and a tiny part of her marveled at his ability to make her follow his commands. She wasn't the type of person to take orders easily from anyone. She'd spent far too much of her life in charge, the responsibility of caring for her family weighing heavily on her shoulders.
"You're late," he said.
Again she started to apologize, but he placed a firm finger against her lips, halting all sound.
"I warned you."
She nodded.
"Turn around and bend over the desk. Lift your skirt in the back."
She shivered at his request before her fantasy broke briefly.
Why am I wearing a skirt? I never wear them.
Shrugging off the wayward thought, she bent over his big desk, her mind only slightly aware of the fact the surface had been cleared.
His hand lightly brushed the back of her thigh as he helped her raise her skirt to her waist. She whimpered softly at the impact of his touch.
"Shh," he soothed. "This is for your own good." As he spoke, he brought his hand down against her buttocks. Over and over he spanked her as she trembled against the wooden desk. Her body revolted against her mind, the ingrained part of her that said this was wrong, as she lurched back, aching for more of his blows. His hand fell without restraint, without ceasing, and before she could make sense of what was happening, she came. Loudly.
"Ahh!" Keira bolted upright in bed and glanced around, afraid she'd woken her sisters with her cry. Riley and Teagan didn't stir, a fact for which she was grateful. They'd think she'd had a nightmare and there was no way she could explain that fantasy to them.
She silently gasped for breath, her body trembling, demanding the climax she'd dangled in front of it then ruthlessly denied. A trickle of sweat ran down her cheek. She wiped it away, wrapping her arms around her bent knees, trying to regain some semblance of control.
She'd never fantasized about such things before entering Professor Wallace's class. In the four short months she'd been his student, her mind had wandered to so many dark, forbidden places she wondered if the man had somehow hypnotized her. She'd never experienced such intense, powerful fantasies. She took a deep, calming breath and lay down again.
Figured. Her first real taste of hardcore, passionate need and it was directed at a man who was completely unattainable. He was her teacher, for God's sake. She glanced at the clock. In six hours she would be alone with him—and heaven help her, because she was sure she'd never be able to hide her desires from his too-knowledgeable gaze.
He was too perceptive, too attentive.
Too everything.
* * * * *
Keira stood outside the door to Professor Wallace's office and took a deep breath. It was five minutes to nine and she was functioning on less than two hours sleep. She'd tossed and turned most of the night, distracted by one red-hot fantasy after another. It seemed the good professor had hit three sevens in her sexual jackpot and had released the flood of coins—or in her case—unending, flowing arousal.
No use prolonging the agony. She straightened her bag on her shoulder and knocked.
"Come in," his deep voice beckoned. She shivered at the sound and wondered how in the hell she'd make it through this meeting without ripping her clothes off and throwing herself on his desk.
Opening the door, she stepped inside, tentatively hovering on the threshold. He looked up from the stack of papers before him and offered her that too-gorgeous smile.
"You're right on time, Keira. I like that."
She nodded and smiled tremulously. One glance at his handsome face and her body was already staging its own show. A quick glance down proved her nipples were rock hard and poking through her cotton blouse. As she started across the room, she felt an unfamiliar stickiness between her legs. Christ. She was soaking wet.
"Please shut the door," he said, after she'd only gone two steps. She turned to close the door with a shaking hand and cursed her weakness. She was running on empty and seriously wishing she'd gotten some sleep.
As she approached the desk, she stopped and stared briefly at the smooth surface. For a moment, her dream of lying facedown upon it drifted back and she felt a rush of heat flush her cheeks. Mercifully, Professor Wallace didn't seem to notice her distress.
"I trust you brought your past assignments."
She nodded and reached into her bag, pulling out the endless stack of C papers she'd accumulated over the semester.
"I thought we'd begin by looking at the very first paper you wrote for my class again. I believe it was the one-page description of a special place."
She shifted through her essays, recalling her dismay at discovering a C-minus on her first paper. Little did she know the trend would continue for weeks on end. She'd been pleased with her description of the restaurant and sure the paper would receive an A. Finding it in the stack, she handed it to him.
"Ah yes. You wrote about your family's restaurant, Pat's Irish Pub. An interesting choice." He looked down as he spoke and she remained silent as he briefly skimmed her writing. "This is the family restaurant where you work."
She nodded. She'd yet to speak a word, too afraid her voice would betray her nervousness, her agitation.
"Tell me why you chose the restaurant as your special place."
She considered his question for a moment, wondering how much she should share. She shrugged. "I suppose I wrote about it because I've spent so much of my life there."
He frowned and she sensed he wasn't happy with her answer. "I've lived in the same apartment for twelve years. I wouldn't choose it as my special place merely because of its familiarity."
Twelve years. Again, she tried to guess his age. If he began teaching at twenty-two, he could be as young as thirty-four. He cleared his throat and she shook herself, aware he was waiting for her response.
"The restaurant is more than just a home to me." The moment he'd issued the assignment, she'd known she would write about the restaurant. It was the first place she'd thought of.
"What is your major, Keira?"
She sucked in a breath at her name on his lips. Why did the mere sound of it run through her like a tornado-force wind?
"I'm a business major."
"That makes sense," he replied with a nod.
"I don't understand."
He grinned. "In my experience, business majors tend to cut to the chase. They are rather no-nonsense kind of people."
She thought he'd described her well. She also knew he didn't consider his words to be a compliment.
"Your description of the restaurant is very factual, very observant, very boring."
She narrowed her eyes. "It's detailed and accurate."
"Close your eyes, Keira."
Her voice seized up as she considered his request. When she was able, she muttered one question. "Why?" Her heart raced at the idea of leaving herself even a tiny bit vulnerable in his presence.
"I want to do an experiment." He waited and she realized that refusal would be futile. Professor Wallace was a man who didn't take no for an answer. That thought sent a fresh round of juices to her already-drenched panties and she squeezed her legs together to fight the onslaught.
He quirked his eyebrow and she slowly closed her eyes.
"Describe this room." She started to open her eyes but he halted her. "With your eyes closed."
She struggled to remember what any part of the room looked like. She'd been so preoccupied with the office's lone inhabitant that she'd failed to truly look around. The only piece of furniture that seemed vaguely familiar was the desk, and even then, only from her rather raunchy fantasies.
"There's a desk in the middle of the room," she said at last.
His light chuckle sent her hackles up and she forced herself to try to think of more. "There are bookshelves on the wall." Which wall, she couldn't recall.
"Stop relying on what you can see, Keira."
She considered his suggestion and realized she could sense many things about the room. "It smells of leather in here. Leather and old books and," she paused, sniffing the delicate odors, "your cologne."
"Very good. What else?"
She turned her head slightly and was immediately struck by the silence. "I can't hear anything. It's remarkably quiet in here."
He seemed to agree. "One of the reasons I hold my office hours so early. I relish the peacefulness. By this afternoon, the noise of all the students out in the hallway and on the campus outside my window will fill this room. You mentioned the desk. It's right in front of you. Touch it."
She bent forward, thankful her eyes were closed, praying he couldn't detect the slight shaking of her hand.
"How does it feel?"
"Smooth," she replied, running her hand along the surface. "And cooler than I would have imagined. It would feel cold against my cheek." Her eyes flew open when she realized the strangeness of her remark.
Professor Wallace's eyes were studying her intently.
Come Monday is available at Ellora's Cave, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, All Romance Ebooks, and Sony.
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February 23, 2011
WiP Wednesday
It's Works in Progress Wednesday. Thought I'd give you a sneak (and unedited) peek at what I'm working on now. This book was just accepted by my editor on Saturday, so it should hit the Ellora's Cave site sometime in the next few months.
I'm sharing a bit from Three Reasons Why. This is the long, overdue sequel to Kiss Me, Kate and it features Wes and Jill.
"Wes," she said quietly. "You scared me. How long have you been standing there?"
"Just a few minutes." He grinned. "Enjoying the view."
In the past, his teasing words would have provoked an equally witty rejoinder and the two of them would spar with words until one cried "uncle." This time, she merely shook her head in annoyance and turned back to her work. He swallowed his anger at her dismissal. If Jill Harper thought she could be rid of him that easily then she didn't know him at all. He stepped into the storeroom and shut the door. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her spin around in time to see him turning the lock.
"What are you doing?"
"Well, pixie, the way I see it, you and I have some unfinished business to attend to and I aim to see that you stay in place while we do it."
"I have no idea what you're talking about." He watched a blush cover her cheeks. She knew exactly what he was referring to. Jill's sister, Kate, and Rick were engaged to be married and, lacking any other family in the area, the four of them had celebrated Christmas together. When the other couple slipped away for a while, he and Jill had done quite a bit of their own private celebrating under the mistletoe.
"Yes, you do." He inched closer as she continued to back away from him step for step. He couldn't help but grin when she hit the end of the room and realized she was truly trapped.
"I see you got your cast off." Obviously she was attempting to dissuade him from his pursuit.
"Yep. Two legs now. All the better to chase you with, my dear."
She rolled her eyes at his Big Bad Wolf imitation. "And your ribs? Your wrist?"
"All healed. Two hands." He raised his palms to her. "All the better to catch you with."
"Wes." Her breathing was labored, but he wasn't in the mood to be lenient. Ever since their first kiss on Christmas day, she had avoided him like the plague, and now he was going to finish what they'd started.
He continued forward until their bodies were only an inch or so apart. He reached down and grasped her small waist, pulling her toward him until every inch of them was connected.
"You've been a very hard girl to capture." His lips descended toward her cherry-red ones.
"I have?" she whispered.
"Mmm hmm." He was finished talking. Claiming her mouth, he laid waste to her lips and tongue, drinking in every bit of her sweet breath. He was incredibly pleased when she returned his heated kiss with an even hotter one of her own. She gripped his hair so tightly in her fists, he sucked in a breath at the pain she produced in her desire to pull him closer. Sex with her would be an adventure. She was passionate and not shy about expressing it.
"Easy, pixie," he murmured. "We've got all the time in the world."
February 21, 2011
Quote of the Week
"Show me a man or a woman alone and I'll show you a saint. Give me two and they'll fall in love. Give me three and they'll invent that charming thing we call 'society.' Give me four and they'll build a pyramid. Give me five and they'll make one an outcast. Give me six and they'll reinvent prejudice. Give me seven and in seven years they'll reinvent warfare." – Stephen King, The Stand
February 20, 2011
Facebook Change
In planning a Facebook party with Jayne Rylon for our virtual book tour, I realized I would be better able to do what I wanted to do if I had a Fan page rather than a Friend page on Facebook. SO…I'm making the switch. Eventually, I will phase out my friend page completely (probably by the end of March).
I hope this is a relatively painful process, but there are two parts…
1. Click here and "Like" the Mari Carr, author page.
2. Then, click on your friend list and unfriend Mari Carr.
Our big Facebook party will be on March 11 and I'm hoping to have as many folks on the fan page by then since that's where I'll be holding the party. It will allow me to post some red-hot excerpts! AND there will be prizes. Did I mention the prizes???
Thanks so much for your patience and understanding.
February 19, 2011
Saturday Snippet
Today's theme is love letters…I thought I'd share a love letter the hero in my Carina book, Do Over, wrote to his wife as they celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary.
My beautiful Faith,
I remember my dad telling me when I was younger I'd know instantly when I met the woman I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. At the time, I thought the old guy was off his rocker. Dating had never been comfortable for me and I was pretty sure married life would be more of the same—endless hassles and complications.
Then I met you. It's always been easy between us, Faith. Easy to talk, to laugh, to love. I'd dated lots of girls
before I met you and it was always damn hard work. I felt like I had to think before I spoke, that I was always second-guessing every gesture, every move, playing games with no clear-cut rules. I never did any of that with you. You just came into my life and let me be me. When I look back now, I can't remember a time when you weren't there or a time when I didn't want you there.I remember the day I proposed to you like it was yesterday. I'd carried that damn little ring around in my pocket for nearly a week, trying to find the right time, the right words. And after all that worry, I still fucked it up. We walked around that stupid lake for hours and the whole time I was giving myself an internal pep talk, determined you'd have my ring on your finger before I took you home that night.
Finally, my nerves snapped and when we sat down on that bench, I blurted out, "Hey, let's get hitched." Days of practicing flowery proposals and that's what came out. I didn't remember my dad's words about knowing the right woman until you answered me. You just smiled, laughed a little and said, "Okay. That sounds like fun," and I knew the man was right. You didn't want the fancy words or flowers or even a big ring. You just wanted me and in that moment, I felt like I was ten feet tall.
You have always been the only woman in the world for me. You're my best friend, my lover, my wife and my life.
Troy
Do Over is available at Carina, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Sony, and All Romance Ebooks.
February 16, 2011
WiP Wednesday
It's time for Work in Progress Wednesday. Each week I'll share a short snippet of some of the stories I'm currently writing. Please bear in mind lots of these excerpts will be from rough drafts (aka unedited).
Today, I'm sharing a snippet from Slam Dunk. This story is the sequel to Happy Hour and features Trey. I've just recently submitted the completed book to my Samhain editor and I hope it will become the sixth book in the Black & White Collection.
When Derek leaned down and tried to kiss Ellie, Trey felt the cable snap. For the first time in his life, jealousy snaked through his body and he started toward the dance floor. He pulled up short when he saw Ellie break away from Derek, whispering something in his friend's ear. Derek headed back to the table, while Ellie took off in the direction of the ladies' room.
He debated which direction to go and then he followed her. She'd just entered the small restroom when he pushed the door open, walking in after her.
"What the hell—" she started.
He cut off the rest of her complaint with his lips. As he kissed her, he turned and pushed her back against the door. Raising his hand, he flipped the lock. It wasn't until he'd secured them inside that he realized she wasn't fighting him. She'd raised her arms, wrapping her hands around his neck. She was kissing him back. Seriously kissing him.
If he hadn't been so into her sweet kisses, he'd have been grinning his ass off. For several moments, he let himself fall into the pleasure of simply holding her. He licked her lower lip before pushing his tongue inside to taste the slight tang of the tequila and lime. She returned the touch.
"Ellie," he whispered, but she stopped him from saying more, pulling him closer, keeping his lips pressed to hers.
Finally, they parted, staring at each other and breathing heavily.
"I don't like you dancing with Lisa," she said.
Her words tweaked something inside him. She wouldn't go out with him, but he wasn't allowed to dance with anyone else? For a second, his brain failed to process the fact he didn't want to dance with Lisa. "Tough shit. I don't want you kissing Derek."
She narrowed her eyes. "I can kiss anyone I want. I don't belong to you."
"Like hell," he growled, kissing her once more.
Ellie's fingers gripped the front of his shirt tightly as she roughly pulled him closer. He knew what was driving his hungry motions. It was jealousy, pure and simple. It appeared Ellie shared the sentiment. She raised her leg and wrapped it around his waist. He took the cue. Gripping her ass, he lifted her so that she could raise both legs. The position pushed her skirt higher and made it easy for him to press his denim-covered cock against her pussy.
Trey reconsidered his previous assumption. It wasn't jealous driving this moment. It was desire.
February 15, 2011
Book Luvre Interview
I was interviewed by Sarah over at Book Luvre to celebrate Valentine's Day with a romantic review of Do Over. I thought I'd share the link. One commenter will win a copy of the book!
If you're looking for a love story to celebrate the day of love, Do Over is available now at Carina Press. It's a story about the enduring nature of true love.
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…
February 14, 2011
Quote of the Week
"Say you'll share with me one love, one lifetime. Lead me, save me from my solitude. Say you'll want me with you here beside you. Anywhere you go, let me go too." – Phantom of the Opera
February 12, 2011
Saturday Snippet
Today's theme is a favorite. It's all about the love scenes. This is one of my personal favorites and it's from Sugar and Spice.
Snippet:
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 available at Ellora's Cave, Amazon, Sony, All Romance Ebooks, and Barnes and Noble.
