Mari Carr's Blog, page 71

Five for Friday

Today’s Five for Friday are from Assume the Positions. Though I always try to incorporate humor into my books, this was my first attempt at romantic comedy. I had a lot of fun with the characters. Hope you’ll give it a try if you haven’t already. It’s part of the Cougar Challenge series at Ellora’s Cave and, believe me, I was so incredibly honored when they asked me to join them for these stories!

Chapter One

Rachel Bridges stared at the computer screen and sighed. She was generally a happy-go-lucky kind of girl, but lately she couldn’t fight back the brief spurts of depression that plagued her.

Since her friend Monica had issued that ridiculous dare—Cougar Challenge, she called it—more than a few of her online pals had actually gone out and found themselves younger men. Crap, a couple of the girls had actually hooked up with two younger men. Her friends were turning out to be fearless and adventurous, and Rachel couldn’t help but be envious as she read about their sexual liaisons on the Tempt the Cougar blog they’d created together.

She’d met all but one of the women at RomantiCon, a conference for erotic romance novel fans. In one weekend, she’d formed a tighter bond with these women than with any friends she’d made in all of her thirty-seven years. Besides their shared love of hot books, they’d really connected personally as they shared their struggles to cope with the harsh realities of getting older. They’d been a godsend for Rachel at a time when loneliness and her own mortality had begun kicking her in the ass on a daily basis.

She clicked on her IM list, grateful to find Autumn online. Since buying a ranch on eBay and finding the hunkiest cowboy in Texas, her friend had been on the blog less and less. Having too much great sex all the time was clearly cutting into Autumn’s computer time. Bitch.

Rachel: Hey.

Autumn: What’s up, buttercup?

Rachel: My life sucks.

She was aware she was whining, but she didn’t care. She was PMSing and the damn vending machine ate her last three quarters without giving her the Milky Way she wanted. Now her hip hurt from beating the machine and the stupid son of a bitch was still dangling there, taunting her from across the room.

Autumn: Why?

Rachel: I’m never going to be able to complete Monica’s challenge. There’s no way I can find a younger man to sleep with me. Hell, I can’t find an old man to have sex with.

 

She’d never been into the club scene and she basically sucked at flirting. In fact, the entire concept of using her feminine wiles to attract the opposite sex struck her as downright silly. The few times she’d gone out to bars, she’d spent the entire time laughing at the antics of other women as they attempted to hook up. Her bizarre sense of humor clearly overshadowed every girly personality trait she possessed.

Her mother viewed her lack of relationships differently, saying she was far too practical for her own good and teasing her good-naturedly about the fact there wasn’t a romantic bone in her whole body. There was probably a basis of truth in both theories.

 

Autumn: Men would love to sleep with you. You’re pretty, successful, funny. Oh hell…where are you, sweetie?

Rachel stared around at the empty physical therapy office where she worked and grimaced.

Rachel: Work.

Autumn: That’s what I thought. Get the hell out of there. It’s Friday night. Get dolled up and hit a bar.

Rachel: I can’t. I have a client coming in.

Autumn: Dammit, Rach. You’re not even trying to find a guy. I hate to break it to you, but you aren’t going to find Mr. Right by hiding out at work all the time. You’ve got to get out there and take some chances.

Rachel: I know, but hitting the pick-up scene again is just too damn depressing.

Autumn: I really think this lack of confidence is your ex-husband’s fault. You’re letting him win.

Rachel: Voldemort already won.

Autumn: LMAO. He’d shit himself if he knew that’s how you referred to him.

Rachel: Truth hurts. Besides, can you blame me for being trigger shy? My whole life has been one big fucking cliché. Worked my ass off to support the shithead so he could attend medical school then dump me.

Autumn: He didn’t deserve you.

Rachel: No, apparently he deserved his twenty-something blonde nurse. You do realize the only way I’m going to get the image of them screwing in our bed out of my mind is to scratch my eyes out.

Autumn: At least you kicked the bum out on his ass.

Rachel: Wasn’t much of a kick. He wanted her, so he left. Catching them in the act just saved him the trouble of telling me.

After she’d divorced her husband, Rachel had pursued her own dreams, going back to school to work toward her physical therapy degree. For nearly six years, she’d managed to work herself into oblivion in hopes of avoiding the concept of “getting out there”. During the stressful time after her divorce, she’d turned to erotic romance as a means of escape. Curling up in bed with a hunky fictional character was a hell of a lot easier than dealing with a real flesh-and-blood man.

Autumn: Christ, Rachel. Don’t you miss hot, sweaty, set-the-sheets-on-fire sex?

She rolled her eyes. The only man she’d ever had sex with—her ex-husband—had made reading the changes in tax laws seem exciting in comparison.

Rachel: Hard to miss what you never had.

Autumn: All the more reason to get out there.

Rachel: Yeah. I guess you’re right. Thanks for the pep talk.

Autumn: Is that what this was? Because, sweetie, you don’t seem much peppier. Guess it’s a good thing I never went out for cheerleading in high school. Of course, with my lack of hips, I’d have spent the entire time cheering with that little skirt around my ankles. Nothing to hold it up.

Rachel grinned. Even through IMs, Autumn always managed to make her laugh.

Rachel: Talking to you always helps. Give Mitch a kiss for me.

Autumn: I will. Bye, sweetie.

She closed her computer rather than go back to the Cougar blog. Tonight, listening to all her friends chatter about their fun lives just deepened her depression. Hearing them talk about overcoming their problems and finding their dreams left her to wonder if there was something seriously wrong with her. She’d been dragged along with the Cougar Challenge and now they were expecting her to go out and have a fling with not just a man, but a younger man.

Shit.

She’d never be able to do that. She was too sensible to go around flirting with younger men who in all likelihood wouldn’t even notice her pathetic efforts. She was more the gal-pal type than the “pick up a stranger in a bar” sort of woman.

She pulled out the tatty notebook she always carried with her and flipped through the pages until she found the list she was looking for. She’d started keeping lists back in high school and the habit had never gone away. Once she filled a notebook, she bought a new one, loading the pages with list after list on every subject under the sun. In the beginning they were a way to stay organized. As she got older, they’d begun to also serve the purpose of reminding her of various things as she tended to be more forgetful.

She found the page she was looking for and scanned her pitiful list of potential younger men once again. She’d been keeping a running list since the night Monica issued the challenge, adding and marking out names for months. Unfortunately, the list was as pitiful now as it had been when she’d started it. There were currently seven names on the page, but four of those had been scratched out for various reasons. The three remaining prospects weren’t exactly thrilling. She leaned her head against her desk chair and fought back a groan. Apparently, she wasn’t cougar material after all.

She glanced at the clock, closed her eyes and sighed. Ethan was late again. Officer Russell was her most disgruntled patient. As a physical therapist, she was used to treating people who preferred to ignore their injuries, who chose instead to carry on with their normal activities without regard for the fact they were doing themselves more harm. Ethan took the award for stubbornness.

For the past eight weeks, she’d worked with him as he recovered from a gunshot wound to his upper leg. If not for the police department’s strict policy on the treatment of work-related injuries, she was certain Ethan would never have darkened her door, and it had taken more than a little bit of convincing on her part to get him to take the exercises and recovery strategy seriously.

If she had any feminine wiles at all, she’d be using the handsome twenty-eight-year-old officer to practice her seduction skills. But her work ethic prohibited her from becoming involved with a patient and her damn practicality prohibited basically everything else in regards to Ethan Russell.

“Whatcha doin’, Doc? Sleeping?”

“Oh shit!” She jumped out of her chair, her heart racing at the sudden sound in the room. She hadn’t heard Ethan walk in. There he stood, six feet four inches of mouth-watering perfection, with wavy dark brown hair and a smile that reduced her insides to utter mush. His hot-chocolate-colored gaze should be registered as lethal as his work-issued gun.

His grin at her alarm was remorseless. “Tsk, tsk, tsk. Napping on the clock,” he teased.

She shook her head and ignored his comment. “You’re late. Again.”

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

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

Want five more pages? Check out these websites!

Jambrea Jo Jones

Bianca D’Arc

Lila Dubois

Rhian Cahill

Lexxie Couper

Eastern Ambitions

Eastern Ambitions is out in print today at Samhain!

He’s lost everything. Can he win her heart?

Compass Brothers, Book 3

Sam Compton never liked getting his hands dirty, at least not on Compass Ranch. Armed with a business degree, he’s about to become the youngest VP at an illustrious Wall Street investment firm. Until his partner in an office romance turns into an ultra-refined snake in the grass.

Staggering from the punch of betrayal, another blow threatens to level him. His father is dying. He races home to lend his brain to his brothers’ backs at the ranch, and finds something he never expected. A sophisticated yet playful woman stimulates his mind…and parts below the belt.

Compass Ranch gave Cindi Middleton’s wounded soul everything it needs: a home, acceptance, and respect—not to mention unlimited sex—from the ranch’s sexy cowboys. Despite their instant and intense sparks, Sam’s defection to the bright city lights she left behind is a big red flag. She’s been there, done that, burned the T-shirt.

Yet the heat of their attraction brings them circling back to each other’s arms…until a certain snake reappears, threatening to endanger the acquisition of the one thing Sam has realized is truly priceless.

Product Warnings

Tissue alert! The authors recommend you have a few on hand while reading this book. To make up for any sniffles, a host of cowboys with open arms await to console you, distract you or make your wildest dreams come true.

Passionate Cooks!

I’m the world’s worst cook. Seriously. I am. Which is why I appreciate the irony of the fact I’m in a cookbook! LOL. Actually, I don’t think it’s my cooking that’s all that bad. It’s the fact that I don’t (according to my husband) love to cook. I do, however, ADORE eating. And I’m fortunate to be part of a large family of amazing cooks, who, despite my lacking skills, still *try* to make me feel included by sharing their recipes.

When I heard All Romance Ebooks was putting out a cookbook, I wanted in. Mainly because it’s All Romance Ebooks and I think they are way cool AND because I wanted to go back to my family and show them my name listed in a cookbook. Believe me, they will all laugh their asses off…long and hard. The recipe I shared for Cream of Crab soup is one that has been passed around in my family for years.

I can honestly go on record and say that I’ve made this recipe several times and EVERY single time, I’ve gotten rave reviews. Once…it even won in a “Souper Bowl” contest at my work…it’s THAT good. So…I hope you will all pop on over to ARe’s site and pick up your copy of this book today. There are recipes featured from nearly 150 authors! I’ve seen the ARC and I was very hungry after reading it. Everything in the book looks delicious!

Join the webring by clicking on the little icon over there to the right in the sidebar and see who else contributed recipes!

Anybody in Pittsburgh?

I’m participating in a public book signing TODAY at 1 p.m. at the DoubleTree by Hilton Pittsburgh – Green Tree, 500 Mansfield Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15205. If you’re in the area, please stop by! I’d love to meet you. Other authors in attendance include:

Lora Leigh

Sylvia Day

C.H. Admirand

Dana Marie Bell

Shayla Black

Monica Burns

Veronica Chadwick

Bianca D’Arc

Donna Grant

Stephanie Julian

Sahara Kelly

Erin McCarthy

Amanda McIntyre

Sophie Oak

Pamela Palmer

Ranae Rose

Carrie Ann Ryan

Jayne Rylon

Beth Williamson

Mary Wine

Saturday Snippet

It’s time for Author’s Choice so today I thought I’d share a spicy bit from Western Ties.

Snippet:

“God dammit, Sawyer. Go away.”

Stacey lightly touched her arm, alerting Leah that she’d spoken too loudly. Several people glanced in her direction and frowned. She was never going to achieve her goal at this rate.

Sawyer was the only person in the room who didn’t take offense at her faux pas. “You realize this is a weekend party?”

She nodded. It was starting to look like it would be a long two days.

Sawyer reclaimed her hand, slipping off the white bracelet.

“What the hell are you doing?” She tried to pull her arm free, attempting to grab the wristband back.

Sawyer’s grip was implacable. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a green bracelet. Suddenly, she felt dizzy. There was no way he would—

Sawyer slipped it around her wrist.

“No,” she whispered when he lifted her hand.

Sawyer leaned closer, his breath hot against her cheek as he murmured in her ear. “The host is going to come over to confirm you’ve been claimed by me. You’re going to tell him you’ve agreed to be my sub. If you don’t, I will personally drag you out of here, take you to the airport and load you on the first plane toWyomingmyself. Don’t test me on this, Leah, because I promise you won’t like the end result.”

The host, Ronald Grey, was a large, attractive black man in his fifties who, according to Stacey, had more money than God.

Ronald patted Sawyer on the shoulder in a familiar, friendly manner and Leah wondered how in the hell a cowboy from Bumfuck knew such a powerful man. “You don’t waste any time,Compton. You realize the green band signifies you’re claiming this young lady for the entire weekend? A lot of the players are opting for the purple bracelet—a one-night affair—so they can sample another variety tomorrow night.”

Leah narrowed her eyes at Grey’s condescending comment, talking about her like she was a fucking dessert while warning Sawyer against gorging on one flavor. Sawyer squeezed the hand he’d never released, warning her to remain silent.

“When I see something I like, I take it.”

Grey nodded approvingly before looking at her. “You consent for this man to serve as your Dom?”

Stacey had assured her that while the BDSM play was serious, no one would be allowed to touch her without her agreement.

Leah looked at Sawyer. Her plans were shot. He would do exactly as he threatened. She nodded.

Grey collected the white wristband she’d received at the beginning of the night and looked at Sawyer. “You and your sub may participate in the public games or you can take her straight up to the room you were assigned upon arrival.”

Sawyer thanked Grey and they watched the man walk over to another couple.

Leah stared at Sawyer, letting her annoyance show. He’d fucked up everything, and she wasn’t going to let him off easy.

Stacey shook her head in amazement. “Wow. That was fast. I was worried you wouldn’t meet anyone. Oh.” Stacey gestured toward the door. “Bill’s here.”

Her friend looked to Sawyer as if seeking permission for something. Sawyer nodded and Stacey smiled, going to meet her lover.

“What was that?” Leah asked.

Sawyer’s gaze hardened. “Did your friend give you any instructions about what your role would be?”

She nodded. “She told me a few things.”

“And did you listen to her?”

Leah blew out a furious breath. How dare he act like this? He was the one who’d ruined her trip. “Listen, Sawyer. You’ve obviously done what you intended. You’ve got me branded with this stupid green bracelet, which means I’m off-limits for the weekend. I get it. Party’s over. Thanks for nothing.”

She started to follow Stacey, intent on saying goodbye before returning to her friend’s apartment.

Sawyer tightened his grip, halting her escape. “Where do you think you’re going?”

“Back to Stacey’s.”

“No, you’re not.”

She paused. “What is your problem? It’s obvious you don’t like the idea of me hooking up.” She lifted her arm, pointing to the green wristband. “By the way, you screwed yourself out of a good time too. You want me to leave, so I’m going.”

Her voice had risen again, and several people standing close to them turned to look at her.

Sawyer put his arm around her waist and tugged her toward him—so close their bodies were connected from chest to toe. She tried to put some space between them, but Sawyer was too damn strong. The few muscles he hadn’t acquired through a lifetime of ranch work seemed to have been found during his last seven years with the Coast Guard. The man was rock hard. Everywhere.

Arousal awoke in several parts of her body when she became aware of his erection pressing against her stomach.

“I’m not going to punish you for that outburst.” His voice was deep and menacing—and God help her—sexy as hell. “You misunderstood my intent. So here’s what I’m going to do.”

He captured her gaze and held it. “I’m going to clarify for you in no uncertain terms what’s happened. If you still try to leave after I’ve finished explaining, it will be a punishable offense. Do you understand?”

Sawyer had never talked to her like this. Never treated her with anything less than friendly, attentive courtesy. She wasn’t sure how to respond to this commanding man, so she simply nodded.

“Good,” he continued. “I claimed you as my submissive. You gave your consent to the host. That means I own you, Leah. For the next two days, you’re mine. You aren’t going anywhere except to my bed.”

Western Ties is available at Samhain, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, Sony and All Romance Ebooks.

Want more snippets?

Rhian Cahill

Shelli Stevens

Anne Rainey

Jody Wallace

McKenna Jeffries

Myla Jackson

Taige Crenshaw

Delilah Devlin

HelenKay Dimon

Lauren Dane

Shiloh Walker

TJ Michaels

Leah Braemel

Five for Friday

Today I’m sharing the first five pages of the very first Wild Irish book, Come Monday. This series is very near and dear to my heart. If you haven’t had a chance to read the stories, I hope this wee sneak peek will entice you.

Come Monday

Chapter One

Keira Collins stared at the paper in her hands and bit back the growl of frustration that bubbled beneath the surface. She’d received another C-plus. Professor Wallace had finished handing out the graded work and was beginning his lesson on the importance of dialogue in fictional writing.

Screw him and his damn quotation marks.

She’d only taken this creative writing class on the advice of her advisor, who claimed she needed another English credit to fulfill the college’s stupid general education requirements. So far she’d taken two years’ worth of what she called “High School, the Sequel”, all without setting foot in a single class in her major program. She wanted a degree in business technology, not to be the next freaking Nora Roberts.

The worst part of this class was, she knew her papers were perfect. English had always been one of her best classes in high school. She knew how to write a complete sentence—unlike Roy Decker. She glanced at the nineteen-year-old frat boy next to her to try to see what grade he’d gotten. She’d been paired up with Roy as critique partners the first week of class back in January. All that basically meant was she practically rewrote every word of his papers while he stared at hers and said, “This is real good.”

Roy caught her gaze and flashed his paper toward her with an enormous grin, another C-minus, which apparently delighted the slack-ass boy to no end.

Great. They’d both gotten C’s…again.

Her temper rose and she shot daggers at the back of her professor’s head as he wrote the proper way to punctuate dialogue within a sentence on the white board. She’d tried—really tried—to use the man’s asinine comments to improve with each paper, but it was clear she was beating her head against a brick wall—a six-foot-two-inch brick wall with light brown hair and soulful, deep brown eyes.

Crap, why did her teacher have to be so hot? He made her think completely inappropriate thoughts and she’d be damned if she became a cliché—the college coed who falls in love with her professor.

She’d refused to question Professor Wallace personally about her papers because the idea of being anywhere alone with him intimidated the hell out of her. When he looked at her, she felt as if he saw way more than just the surface and she was uncomfortable under his all-knowing gaze. Usually she kept her eyes averted as she took notes from the man’s lectures lest she unwittingly reveal her less-than-scholarly interest in him.

But now it was mid-April, just two weeks from the end of the semester, and she’d finally hit her limit on all these damn C’s. He was younger than most of her college professors—somewhere in his mid-thirties, she guessed, which should make him more approachable, not less. At twenty-seven, she was just old enough to feel completely out of place on campus as she watched the barely-out-of-their-teens student body discussing last weekend’s wild parties. She should be old enough, mature enough to face Professor Wallace without babbling like a child. But there was something about the man. She didn’t have trouble telling anyone what she thought and she considered herself a fairly independent, outspoken woman…with everyone except him.

He turned back toward the class and caught her eye. In the past, she would have scrambled to avoid that intense look. Instead, she narrowed her eyes and held his gaze. He stumbled momentarily over his words and she felt a small, petty smile curve the side of her lips.

She’d shaken Mr. Unshakable. Caused Mr. Perfect to lose his implacable cool.

He recovered quickly, finishing his thought, but his eyes refused to move from hers and she felt the moment stretching into a battle of wills. For several minutes, he continued to speak as if she were the only person in the room while she merely stared, not bothering to write down a word of his lecture. She’d pay for that stubbornness later, but right now the only thing that mattered was winning this war.

“Um, Professor Wallace.” Roy’s hand went up, forcing both of them to break their concentration.

“Yes, Mr. Decker.”

“It’s time for class to be over.”

Professor Wallace grinned and Keira sucked in a deep breath at the sight. For a moment her confidence, her determination wavered and she considered avoiding the coming confrontation once again.

“So it is. I want you to bring rough drafts of a five-page short story to class next time. There must be a lengthy dialogue included in the story. Class dismissed. Miss Collins,” Professor Wallace added as she rose. “Please follow me to my office. I’d like to speak to you about your paper.”

Shit. Double shit.

She’d gone too far apparently, tempted the bear from his den and he had taken the decision to discuss her grade out of her hands.

She stiffened her spine and watched the other students file out as she gathered her things. Once the room was empty, the professor gestured for her to precede him down the hall. She knew where his office was, having stood outside the closed door on more than one occasion debating whether or not to knock and question his grading practices. She’d never managed to work up the nerve. She was starting to think she wouldn’t have held on to it tonight either.

They approached his office door and he unlocked it, again motioning for her to lead the way. As she entered the room, she heard the door close behind them.

She turned and glanced at the closed door. He followed her gaze.

“I want to ensure that we aren’t disturbed.” His words, though spoken lightly, sent a shiver of fear through her. His voice was deep, sensuous, and she found her thoughts drifting to places best left unexplored.

“How old are you, Miss Collins?” he asked.

She was taken aback by his unexpected question. “I’m twenty-seven. Why?”

“You’re considerably older than the other students in the class.” His reply was succinct, but far from an answer.

She didn’t think it was any mystery that she was older than most of her classmates.

“I don’t consider seven, eight years such a vast gap.”

He grinned at her and again she felt overwhelmed by the power of his close proximity. Every time the man got within five feet of her, her body shifted into overdrive. Her nipples were erect, her breathing stilted, her stomach tied in knots.

“I agree. It isn’t,” he assured her, and she realized at that moment he wasn’t completely unaffected by their nearness either. He seemed slightly nervous as well. “You don’t live on campus, do you?”

As he spoke, his eyes covertly traveled down her body and she was struck by the fact that his wayward glance didn’t bother her, as it did when patrons of the restaurant where she worked did the same. His look seemed to be more appraising, almost clinical, while with other men the look couldn’t be called anything more than a leer, an unsavory study of her body. She’d long ago accepted that men found her pretty. With waist-length, wavy black hair, porcelain skin and ice blue eyes, she’d fought off more than her share of unwanted attention. Of course, it helped that she had four enormous, overprotective brothers at her back.

“No, I don’t live on campus,” she replied. She still lived at home with her father and siblings, still worked as a waitress at the family business, still did everything the same as she had when she was a teenager. She sighed as she considered his question and how dull her life truly was.

Her mother had passed away midway through her senior year and the raising of her six younger brothers and sisters had fallen to her. Not that her father had ever charged her with that duty. As the oldest, she’d simply assumed the role because, well, there hadn’t been anyone else and because she loved her family almost to the exclusion of everything else. She wondered sometimes if she’d almost lost her own identity in that love.

She glanced at the clock that hung on his wall. Five fifteen. She only had forty-five minutes to weave her way out of this unusual conversation and bust ass across town to be at work by six.

“You have some concerns about your grade, I believe.” His astute comment, on the heels of his strange questions, left her reeling.

“Um, yes,” she began, struggling to speak her mind under his intense gaze.

What would he look like without any clothes on?

That inappropriate question sent a flush of heat to her face and she watched his gaze narrow, his lips twitch slightly. He couldn’t know what she was thinking. Could he?

“I don’t understand why you keep giving me C’s.”

“I don’t give grades, Miss Collins. My students earn them.”

She rolled her eyes at the old teacher line and was surprised when her reaction provoked a light laugh from the man.

“I used to hate it when my teachers used that answer on me as well,” he admitted.

“My papers are grammatically correct. I include paragraphs, proper punctuation and I know the spelling is flawless.”

“And this, to you, indicates A work?” he asked.

“Yes.” She looked up at him, wondering how they’d gotten so close. She could have sworn when they’d begun this conversation, he’d been halfway across the room. Had she moved? Had he?

“I’ve given you suggestions on every paper.”

She scoffed. “The same suggestion on every paper and it doesn’t make any sense. You say my writing lacks emotion. I’ve tried to address that, but you still say the same thing, every time. And you gave Roy Decker the same damn grade. His paper sucked.”

“Miss Collins, this course is over in two weeks. Why are you only now questioning your grades? That comment?”

Frustration and weariness won out in her fight to maintain her anger. She still had an eight-hour shift to work. “I guess I thought I could figure it out on my own, but I can’t. Fact is, I don’t understand what you want from me.”

He paused and for a moment she thought her question had taken him unaware, or somehow lowered his guard. “I want quite a lot from you actually.”

Come Monday is available at Ellora’s Cave, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, All Romance Ebooks, and Sony.

Want five more first pages? Check out these sites!

Jambrea Jo Jones

Bianca D’Arc

Lila Dubois

Rhian Cahill

Lexxie Couper

Bianca’s dragons are back…

…and better than ever. Samhain is reissuing Bianca D’Arc’s Dragon Knights series and they’re up to book two. They giving them all nice new covers too! If you missed this books during the first go-round, hop on board now! You won’t be sorry you did!

Hope returns to all dragonkind as enemies become allies…and lovers.

Dragon Knights, Book 2

As a young widow, Adora raised her daughter by herself, never dreaming that love could cross her path again. But now that her girl is married to a pair of dragon knights, Adora’s eyes are opened to all the possibilities the Border Lair has to offer…including two handsome men who catch her eye.

Lord Darian Vordekrais is about to turn traitor, giving up his title, his lands, and his home in order to warn the dragons and knights of his treacherous king’s evil plan. But after he meets the beautiful widow, his sacrifice seems worth the cost. Meanwhile, Darian’s old friend Sir Jared, who lost his first wife and child to treachery, is shaken by his own intense attraction to Adora. But Jared’s broken heart is frozen in solid ice. Or is it?

As war looms on the horizon, the knights and dragons of the Border Lair rise to the occasion. New allies rally to their side, and romance blossoms and grows even as evil invades the land. The knights and dragons must stand fast against the onslaught, the beautiful woman of royal blood bringing them hope, healing and love.

This book is a re- issue – all the books in the series will be re-issued.

Product Warnings

This book contains a couple of meddling, matchmaking dragons who won’t stop until two sexy knights realize the lady of their dreams can love them both separately and together. Ménage a trois and a bit of exhibitionism compete with the dragons for smoking hotness.

Available now at Samhain!

Spin the Bottle

And the Party Games continue! I think I’ve made no secret of the fact I LOVE this series by my critique partner, Rhian Cahill. The fourth installment, Spin the Bottle, is OUT today! Check it out!

Just when you think you know the rules, the game changes.

Party Games, Book 4

Lillian McDermott can’t complain about the years she’s spent at the top of a career she never wanted. But modelling gave her everything. Amazing experiences and enough money to leave it all behind to start her own perfume and fashion label.

The one thing it didn’t give her is Mackenzie Harris. Her brother’s best friend. The man who sees her only as a surrogate little sister. Now, at the launch party for her the next phase of her life, she’s done waiting. She’s going to rock Mac’s world until ignoring her is the last thing on his mind.

Mac isn’t blind to Lilli’s charms, and he never has been. But no best mate screws around with a little sister, no matter how tempting. No matter how much he wants to show her exactly how he’d like to respond to her teasing. But this time she’s gone too far, and he’s not backing down. She started it, and he’s going to finish it.

One spin of the bottle turns friends to lovers. But as the boundaries come down, everything changes. Including what they thought they believed about the other.

Product Warnings

Playing this game will result in breathless sexual anticipation, smoldering sexual chemistry and scorching sexual tension. And then the fun really starts…


Excerpt:

Each player, one after the other, took a card. All of them went above twenty-one and took a shot. A second round started up quickly and Lil stood off to the side to watch. She was enjoying the game when someone pressed into the back of her. Thinking the person wanted to get past, she stepped forward only to be stopped by an arm around her waist, a strong grip that pulled her back against the solid hot wall of muscle behind her.Warm air fanned over her ear and neck, sending shivers down her spine. His scent filled her nose, and he didn’t need to speak for Lil to know who had hold of her. Mac. He gripped her hip, splayed his fingers and urged her to take a step backwards. Her body was never her own when he was around, and she let him lead her where he willed. He moved them out of the way and stepped them into the corner of the room.In a second, Mac spun her around. He pushed her into the corner and caged her in, his hands flat on the wall either side of her waist. In her five-inch heels they were eye to eye and she could see the swirl of emotion in his blue gaze. She’d gone too far with tonight’s party, but that wasn’t what had her worried. No, what made her anxious was the look on his face that said he wanted to kiss her. They’d been there and done that with disastrous effects. Lillian didn’t know if she could survive a second time.

“You can run, Lilli, but you can’t hide forever.”

 

Mac waited for the explosion. He didn’t for one second think she’d let him get away with pinning her in a corner. No, Lillian McDermott never let anyone limit her. She took what she wanted when she wanted. It galled him to think she’d turned out exactly like her mother. That woman had a lot to answer for, the least of which was her absentee parenting. He shuddered. The last person he wanted occupying his mind was Gabriella McDermott. He’d much rather concentrate on her sexy daughter.

The one who drove him nuts but pulled him closer with every breath he took. He’d tried to stay away, tried to ignore the gut-burning need to see if the kiss they’d shared was a fluke. His gaze dropped to her mouth. Slightly parted, her cherry-red lips beckoned, a siren’s call he knew he couldn’t refuse—didn’t want to deny. Mac leaned forward, his lips a breath from hers.

“Mac?”

His name on her tongue, the puff of warm air that blew over his chin and the tremor of her lips made him smile. “Lilli.”

“What are you doing?” she whispered.

“I thought that was obvious.” He didn’t pull away but moved his body closer to hers, his chest barely touching the tips of her breasts when she sucked in a breath.

“You can’t.”

“Can’t?”

“N-no.” Her lips brushed his. “It’s bad, remember?”

Mac pulled back a fraction to focus on her eyes. “What?”

“Kissing me.” She licked her lips and sent his blood pressure soaring. “When we did it before, you said it was bad.”

For a second, he hadn’t a clue what she meant, and then it clicked. “Oh, no, it wasn’t the kiss that was bad, Lilli.” He lowered his head, brought his mouth back within touching distance of hers. “I’ll prove it.”

He slanted his mouth across hers. Thrust his tongue between her parted lips to plunder. Mac didn’t ease into the kiss. He dove deep, headfirst. She tasted of champagne and cherries. Of lush decadence that spoke of untold pleasure. The party faded away, lost in the mating of their mouths. Nothing existed but the woman now in his arms, her body plastered to his, her soft curves cradling his hard edges as he devoured her.

Her breath hitched when he sucked on her tongue, and the gaspy little moan that followed the caress of his hand down her spine dragged him further into the most sublime kiss of his life.

Saturday Snippet

I’m very sad to say my summer actually ended in August when I returned to work. So…today’s theme is definitely a painful one for me. LOL. In the Just Because trilogy, Gay Fest marks the end of summer, so I thought I’d share a snippet from Because It’s True.

Snippet:

“Hey, Jake! When’s the karaoke?” Jessie joined them. “You promised me a song.”

Jacob’s troubled look morphed into a smile that fooled his future sister-in-law. Rodney, however, could see the strain on Jacob’s face. He felt guilty for dimming his friend’s joy in the party.

“Song?” Rodney asked.

Jessie took a swig from her beer. “Jacob told me this afternoon he’d planned a special wedding song for Caleb and I. Bridget and I have a bet on which ABBA number he’ll be performing.”

Jacob looked like singing was the last thing he wanted to do right now, but he put on a good face. “Who said anything about it being ABBA?”

Jessie laughed. “Nice try, but I know you. It’ll be ABBA. Get up there. I want my song.”

Jacob looked around at the crowd. “I’m not sure everyone’s tipsy enough for karaoke. You know you have to time these things just right.”

It was a dodge. The partygoers were well into the making jackasses of themselves stage of the night. Jacob’s reluctance was his fault. Rodney was anxious to put the party back on track. “I don’t know what number you planned to sing, but could we make it a duet?”

Jacob’s heavy look slowly faded. “You’d get up on stage and sing with me?”

The idea actually made him slightly nauseous, but he owed it to Jacob. “Of course I would. How else am I supposed to go wild?”

Just like that, Jacob’s smile returned. “Awesome. Come on.”

He took Rodney’s hand and led him to the stage. “Jessie was completely right about it being ABBA. I was going to start the night off with this song. Do you know it?”

He pointed to the list of song choices in a binder, showing Rodney his choice. Rodney closed his eyes, suppressing a groan. “Jesus. Really?”

“It’s perfect and you know it.”

Rodney wanted to deny it, but it was pointless. It was the perfect song for the occasion. Jacob led him to the stage and handed him a microphone. A large group began to gather around, cheering when Jacob announced the beginning of karaoke, a tradition at Gay Fest.

He pointed to Matt, who was manning the technology, to cue up the song. Matt gave his brother the thumbs up, indicating he was ready.

“This first song is dedicated to my big brother, Caleb, and to the woman who is too smart to settle for him, but is still willing to hitch her cart to his horse, Jessie.”

The crowd laughed.

“And also to my best friend, Rodney, who has his own personal reason to celebrate tonight. He’s going to help me sing it.”

Rodney was touched by the compliment. Though they’d only known each other a short while, Jacob had become his best friend as well.

Matt pushed play on the canned music and the first strains of ABBA’s “I Do I Do I Do I Do I Do” filled the backyard. Rodney’s gaze never left the monitor feeding the lines to him through the first verse though he knew the song by heart. His mother had dragged him to see Mamma Mia the first year it released on Broadway. After that, she’d worn out her CD of the soundtrack, subjecting him to more ABBA than he’d ever hoped to hear in his lifetime.

The crowd’s enthusiastic reply and Jacob’s crazy dancing made him bolder and Rodney soon loosened up, throwing out a couple of Elvis’s signature gyrations. Bridget stood in front of him, laughing and cheering him on. He grinned, having far too much fun until he turned to look at Jacob.

Suddenly the screaming crowd faded away as he fell into Jacob’s bright blue eyes. Neither of them needed to look at the monitor, so their attention remained only on each other.

The lyrics took on a new meaning for him as they sang. The song was an outright declaration of love, but he and Jacob didn’t bother to hide from that or look away. When Rodney sang the words ’Cause it’s true, he realized his feelings weren’t going to go away no matter how hard he tried to ignore them. The truth was he’d fallen hopelessly and madly in love with Jacob James.

The song ended and the partiers went wild. Jessie hopped on stage and gave Jacob a kiss on the cheek, then hugged Rodney, thanking them both.

Jacob announced the next singers, handed over the microphones, then took Rodney’s hand. It probably looked like an innocent gesture to the bystanders watching, but Rodney felt raw need coursing through him. He was moving in slow motion as Jacob led him farther away from the party. The noise began to fade. They were nearly to the side door that would take them into the ranch’s kitchen before Rodney stopped.

“Jake, wait.”

Jacob turned to face him. “I don’t want to wait until tomorrow to have this talk, Rodney. I just don’t.”

Rodney shook his head. “You don’t understand. If we go inside that house, we’re not talking. We’re going to your bedroom.”

Jacob didn’t respond, but there was no denying the longing on his face.

“Fuck it. Come on. You’ll get your talk, Jacob. I can promise you that. But you’re going to get a lot more than that too.” Rodney tilted his head toward the backyard. “Can they do without you for a few hours?”

Jacob nodded. “My brothers will keep things rolling. Caleb just waved to me as we left the stage. He knows I’m gone. He’ll take care of everything.”

“Good.” Rodney was finished with the discussion, the denials, the waiting. For the first time in months, his life was moving forward. He wouldn’t resist. It was time he let the tide take him where it would. Better to drown in Jacob’s arms than die alone on dry ground.

Because It’s True is available at Samhain, Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

Want more snippets?

Rhian Cahill

Anne Rainey

McKenna Jeffries

Myla Jackson

Taige Crenshaw

Delilah Devlin

Lauren Dane

Shiloh Walker

Five for Friday

Um…forgot this last week. Sorry! Today, however, I’m back and ready to roll! How about a little romantic suspense? Thought I’d share the first five pages of Because Of You.

Chapter One

“I don’t understand why you can’t tell me who he was meeting with,” Jessie Warner said, her hands shaking with frustration. She’d tried for two weeks to get her late husband’s partner to agree to see her, but to say the man had been evasive was an understatement.

“Client confidentiality, Jessie,” Rex replied so smoothly she wanted to reach across the desk and ram her fist through his smug face.

“You’re an accountant, Rex. Not a fucking priest or psychologist. It’s not like I’m going to grill them about their back taxes. All I want to know is which clients Tommy met with the day he died.”

“Why?”

Jessie sighed, perfectly aware that this discussion was going to end like every other conversation she’d had regarding the night of her husband’s death.

“I just want to talk to them. See if they noticed anything strange in his demeanor that day.”

“Why?” Rex repeated, and for a moment Jessie was struck by the fact that the man was no longer looking at her with annoyance, but rather with pity in his eyes.

Shit.

She hated pity. She’d seen it on the faces of too many people lately and it only made her angrier, more frustrated. She was tired of being treated like she was weak, and she was sure as hell tired of being treated like she was crazy.

“Forget it,” she said, rising quickly. “You aren’t going to tell me a fucking thing. You know it and I know it. Thanks for nothing, Rex.”

“Dammit, Jessie, don’t leave like this. I know you think Tommy’s death wasn’t an accident, but believe me when I say it was. It’s been seven months since he died. You’ve got to let this go.”

An accident. She’d read the police and coroner’s reports and she knew what they all believed. They’d said it was an accident, but she couldn’t shake the idea that it wasn’t—despite the fact she had no proof to the contrary. Tommy had fallen on the ice and hit his head. It seemed to be an easy answer for everyone— everyone but her.

Shortly after his death, she’d begun probing into the details a bit more—asking the police and hospital workers questions, but so far everyone she had encountered had been less than helpful. They thought she was some silly, grieving widow who had watched one too many episodes of CSI and had decided to create a crime out of thin air.

Apparently Rex was no different. He’d ignored her phone messages until finally she’d decided to take the direct approach. Her spur-of-the-moment, “oh I was just in the area” visit had been a surprise to him. She knew he was too wrapped up in appearances to throw the widow of his former partner out on her ass in front of an office full of employees. She’d seen in his face that he wasn’t pleased about being shanghaied into this visit. No doubt he’d heard the rumors that she was chasing shadows and had hoped to avoid this conversation.

“I can’t let it go, Rex,” she said quietly as she reached for the door. At one point, she’d considered the man a friend, but nowadays she found it harder and harder to reconnect with the people she’d known before Tommy’s death. Aside from her best friend Todd, she’d drifted away from everyone else in her life. “Please help me.”

The man shrugged sadly. “I’m sorry, Jessie, but I can’t.”

“There’s a world of difference between can’t and won’t. I think you have them confused,” she said, storming out. She closed the door loudly behind her and sighed heavily. She’d known when she left the house this morning it would be a wasted trip. She’d been a fool to think that Rex would offer her any sort of help. Hell, the man had avoided her calls like she was a telemarketer.

“Jessie? Is that you?”

“Jordan.” She smiled at the older man in the foyer as he leaned down to hug her. Jordan Scott had been a good friend to Tommy in addition to being one of his biggest clients. He’d always been kind to her as well. He’d never forgotten to send a birthday card or his traditional bottle of champagne Christmas gift. They’d dined at his penthouse apartment on more than a few occasions. Neither she nor Tommy had been close to their families and in some ways Jordan had taken on the role of a beloved uncle. One they didn’t see often, but with whom they were always happy to reconnect.

“What a nice surprise,” she said as he released her. Always dressed to a tee, he was an extremely attractive gentleman in his mid-fifties, with salt and pepper hair and expressive deep blue eyes. She had often questioned him about why he’d never married. She couldn’t imagine a whole generation of women letting Jordan slip through their fingers. He was handsome, rich and charming.

“I haven’t seen you since—” He paused and Jessie nodded at the silence that followed.

“Since Tommy’s funeral,” she finished for him.

“How have you been, my dear? I meant to call, but I’m afraid a problem at work pulled me out of the country for a few months. I’ve only just returned from Italy this past week.”

“I’m fine,” she answered, the lie a familiar one. She hadn’t been fine for seven months. Not since the night she’d found her husband’s dead body.

“What brings you to the firm?” Jordan asked. “I thought Rex said you’d sold Tommy’s half of the business to him.”

[image error]

“Oh, I did,” she said. She looked into Jordan’s compassionate face and found her suspicions, her fears falling from her lips. “I’ve had this feeling since Tommy passed away that something was wrong and I wanted to know which clients Tommy met with the day he died. I was hoping to speak to them, hoping one of them could help me understand his frame of mind that day.”

Jordan’s puzzled look gave her a moment’s pause. “Frame of mind?” he asked.

“I don’t think his death was an accident.”

“You don’t?” he asked in such a way that for the first time, she felt a glimmer of hope that someone actually understood.

She shook her head.

“I met with Tommy the day he died, Jessie.”

Jordan’s confession stopped her short. She’d anticipated another pitying look, another pat on the head, another condescending comment about being foolish. She hadn’t expected an answer. “You did?”

“We met earlier that morning about the audit he was performing for my company. Rather run-of-the- mill stuff. I can assure you his behavior was perfectly normal. I wish I’d known then that I’d never see him again. So many things I would have liked to have said to the dear boy.” The older man looked away and Jessie could see the glimmer of tears at the corner of his eyes. When he turned back toward her, the look of sadness was replaced with one of concern. “What’s going on, Jessie? Why don’t you believe it was an accident?”

The tightness in her chest that never left eased as Jordan spoke. For the first time in months, someone was listening to her, answering her questions, taking her seriously. “Tommy called me earlier in the afternoon, the day he died. He said something that made me think—” She paused, uncertain how to word her concerns.

“Made you think?” he prodded.

She paused and shrugged, her thoughts were traveling a different direction. Jordan had seen Tommy, spoken to him that day. She couldn’t focus on anything other than that fact. “Was Tommy acting strangely that day? Did he seem preoccupied, overwrought, worried?”

“Not at all. What did he say on the phone, Jessie?”

“Nothing specific.” Tommy hadn’t said anything at all really. Perhaps it was his tone more than his words that had sparked her suspicions.

“I suppose you’ve spoken to the police about this,” he said.

She nodded and sighed. “Yes, for all the good it’s done me.”

“I take it they don’t share your belief that there was foul play involved?”

She shook her head. “No. I sort of get the impression they think I’m insane.”

Jordan laughed lightly at her lame attempt at a jest. “Nothing could be further from the truth. I wish there was something I could say that would help you, but honestly, there was nothing in Tommy’s demeanor that day that leads me to suspect foul play. Tell you what. Why don’t you let me do a bit of digging around? I’ll see if I can’t scare some information out of old Rex, the shyster.”

Jessie grinned. Jordan had never made any bones about the fact that Tommy was his preferred accountant in the firm.

“Would you? Really?”

“I’m not sure what help I can be, but if it will put a smile back on that pretty face of yours, I’m willing to try.”

“Oh, thank you, Jordan, you’ve already been more help than you know. If you remember anything else about that day, will you call me?”

“Of course, my dear. You will be the first person I call.”

She said her goodbyes and walked to her car feeling lighter than she had since Tommy’s death. She still hadn’t discovered any answers, but Jordan genuinely seemed to believe her and wanted to help. For the first time in a long time, she didn’t feel as if she was wandering around in a dark room with no doors. Jordan had just offered her a flashlight and, God willing, a way out—back into the sunshine that had eluded her for months.

Maybe she wasn’t so crazy after all.

[image error]

One month later

Chapter Two

“I can’t believe I let you talk me into this,” Jessie said as she walked up to the front porch of the huge ranch house. The party she’d been reluctantly dragged to was already in full swing if the blaring music and loud voices coming from inside were any indication.

“You need to get out, Jess. You can’t hide out in that tiny apartment of yours forever. You need to live a little,” Todd said, wrapping his arm around her shoulder and dragging her forward.

“I’m not ready for this. I told you that,” she said, repeating the argument that had begun several days ago when Todd, her best friend since childhood, had told her he was taking her out to a party.

“No,” Stephen said, walking on her other side. “I believe what you said was you weren’t ready to go out and meet other men. That’s not going to be a problem here.”

“Because?” she asked, waiting for Stephen to elaborate. He and Todd had been very closed-mouthed about where they were going.

Stephen laughed. “Our friend Jacob James lives here and throws this party every year. It’s an annual event he likes to call Gay Fest.”

Jessie rolled her eyes at Stephen’s joke. He and Todd had been a couple for nearly a decade and she adored them both. They’d rallied around her after her husband’s death. Although she lived over three hours away, in the city, they’d made the trek to Denver to spend many weekends with her in an attempt to help her through her grief. She was an only child, estranged from her mother and stepfather, and in her mind, Todd and Stephen were her family now.

“Very funny, Stephen. Really. Hysterical.” She replied deadpan as Todd laughed.

“It’s just a party, Jess. You used to love to go out. We’ll down a few shots, dance around Jake’s backyard, you can throw your bra on the bonfire, we’ll all sing karaoke and—”

“Oh Jesus, you never said anything about karaoke.” She groaned, stopping mid-step.

Stephen gripped her arm and started moving her toward the door. “Just ABBA songs,” he said.

“Shit,” she muttered. They made their way up the front porch and into the house. The place was packed with people and Jessie found herself instantly besieged by Todd and Stephen’s friends. Jacob was the first to greet them and Jessie instantly liked the man.

Because of You is available at Samhain, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Sony, Kobo, Fictionwise, and All Romance Ebooks.

Want five more first pages? Check out these sites!

Jambrea Jo Jones

Bianca D’Arc

Lila Dubois

Rhian Cahill

Lexxie Couper