Mari Carr's Blog, page 77

Saturday Snippet

Today’s theme is a particular favorite of mine. One of my favorite things about romance books is the thrill of the chase, the wooing. That’s right…”I want you to want me.”

Snippet:

“I have a career,” she said.

“Singing in your family’s bar in front of a handful of old men. Teaching music to a bunch of kids one day a week. That’s your idea of a career?” he asked, uncertain why he was reacting so harshly. For some inane reason, it suddenly felt as if the success of his solo career was inexplicably linked to Teagan’s song. Besides, the woman was extremely talented and clearly oblivious to the fact.

“I suppose you think I should be an overly ambitious musician. One who hops on the fast track to fame and fortune with no regard for the quality of my songs, no concern for what junk I produce so long as it makes me rich and famous. Is that right? You know, there are some people out there who actually make music just for the sheer pleasure of it.”

Sky took a deep breath, aware that his anger was merely fueling hers. This wasn’t the way to negotiate a deal. He knew better than this.

“I’m sorry, Teagan. My reaction was out of line. I’ve been running on empty for over a year now and I had no right to take it out on you. I love your song. Seriously love it. You said yourself you write songs to make people happy. I’m offering you a much bigger platform to do just that.”

She fell silent for a few moments and he could see his words had struck a chord. “Would you change it?” she asked.

He knew this was going to be a sticking point for her, but he refused to lie. He had a definite idea of the sound he wanted and it didn’t include an acoustic guitar. “I would add more instruments, change the pacing a bit.”

“Electric guitar instead of acoustic?”

“I play the electric guitar.”

“You can’t play an acoustic one?” she asked.

He sighed and prepared for round two of the battle they seemed destined to wage over her song. “Of course I can, but that’s not part of my signature sound. I’m known for my abilities on an electric guitar.”

“I don’t know how you could make my song mesh with so much noise.”

“I hardly consider the music produced from an electric guitar ‘noise’,” he said, mustering as much patience as he could to keep his tone even.

“Darn it. I did it again. I’m sorry, Sky. I don’t think your music is noise. I’ve never even heard your music. I just don’t think you understand the concepts, the subtleties of folk music well enough to do Maybe Tomorrow justice. I would die if my song suddenly sounded like every other song on the radio. Filled with overdone guitar solos, digitally enhanced singing and that blasted repetitive drumbeat. People can’t even dance properly to most of the music produced these days. They just bob in place.”

“How old are you?” he asked, cursing the words the moment they flew from his lips.

“What’s that got to do with anything?” Her eyes narrowed angrily but he couldn’t resist finishing his thought. She’d insulted him and his music one time too many—all without even hearing him sing.

“Your ideas about music and dance seem more fitting for a woman in her eighties. Hell, my grandma is more hip about music than you.”

“It doesn’t have anything to do with being hip. It has to do with personal preferences. If you were educated in more types of music, you’d realize there are some really fine songs out there that don’t require more to move you than a single instrument and a beautiful voice.”

“You think I’m not educated in music?”

“I didn’t say that.”

“Yes,” he insisted, “you did—and you meant it. For your information, gypsy, I’ve studied music extensively. In fact, I’ll bet I have a better grasp of the subject than you.”

She sat up straighter and for a moment, he was finally graced with the shadowy shape of her breasts through her damn loose blouse. Fucking thing was at least two sizes too big in his opinion and he felt his cock stir once again at the sight. Despite her antiquated opinions on music, Teagan had triggered some serious arousal in him. Maybe Marty was right. He did need to get laid.

“Don’t do that,” she said, leaning closer.

“Do what?”

“Undress me with your eyes.”

He grinned. “How about I do it with my hands?”

Ruby Tuesday is available at Ellora’s Cave, Amazon, Sony, Kobo, All Romance Ebooks and Barnes and Noble.

Megan Hart:Read in bed!

Rhian Cahill

Eliza Gayle

Jody Wallace

Mandy M Roth

Lissa Matthews

Leah Braemel

McKenna Jeffries

Myla Jackson

Taige Crenshaw

Delilah Devlin

HelenKay Dimon

Shiloh Walker

Lauren Dane

Digital First

Today I’m hanging out over at Tracy’s Place and taking part in the Digital-First Read-a-thon. If you haven’t had a chance to check out this exciting event (it’s been happening all month), you should pop over and visit! There are lots of prizes to be won as well. Leave a comment and you will be entered to win an ebook copy of Misplaced Princess.

Misplaced Princess

Woo Hoo! It’s release day and believe me…I’ve been WAITING for this one for a long time. Lexxie Couper and I first started discussing the idea of co-writing a series well over a year ago, but between real life and other writing commitments, it took us some a little while to actually get down to work on it. The result of our collaboration is a new series called Foreign Affairs and the first book, Misplaced Princess, is OUT TODAY!

Foreign Affairs, Book One

Annie Prince has impetuously flown halfway ’round the world to visit a sexy cowboy she met online—only to find herself stranded in Sydney. Seems she and Dylan crossed wires, and he’s on his way to New York. His twin, Hunter, saves the day and whisks her back to the family cattle station. Hunter’s as easy on the eyes as Dylan, and even easier to talk to. Annie might have flown to Oz to meet one brother, but soon sparks are flying with the other.

Hunter considered Dylan a dumb arse for jetting off to America for some stranger—until he met Annie. Turns out the New Yorker is a smart, funny, hard-working jillaroo…and hotter than the Aussie desert. Hunter’s not normally one to poach his brother’s women, but he can’t keep his hands, lips, tongue and other body parts off this sexy city girl.

When raging lust leads to emotional attachment, where does that leave Annie and Hunter when her vacation comes to an end—or when Dylan finds out?

Excerpt:

Hunter ran his finger down the pretty blonde’s arm, enjoying the flirting and easy banter. He’d hit the bar after seeing his idiot brother off at his gate. They’d flown the station helicopter to Sydney, leaving so early this morning it had still been dark. Hunter had a couple of hours to kill while he waited for the flight mechanic to refuel the chopper and clear him for takeoff.

“So you live on a cattle station?” the blonde asked. He’d forgotten her name the second she’d said it. One of these days he was going to have to learn to pay attention to details like that.

“Yep. Farpoint Creek. My family’s owned it forever. Established it back in the 1800s.”

The woman feigned interest, but Hunter could see the disdain in her eyes. She was clearly a city girl and the idea of living out whoop whoop in the Outback was less than appealing to her. Lucky for both of them, he wasn’t considering taking this game of slap and tickle out of the airport.

She leaned closer, accidentally brushing the side of his arm with her breast. They’d started their flirting at different tables. Then he’d joined her. After a few minutes of sexual innuendoes, he’d given up his seat across the table and moved over to share her side of the booth.

“You know, I’m a member of the Qantas Club.”

“Is that right?” he asked.

“I was actually thinking of heading over there and freshening up before my flight. They have showers in the lounge.”

“Showers, eh? Bit bloody fancy.”

She dragged her hand along his leg, starting at his knee and working her way up. He liked a woman who knew what she wanted and wasn’t afraid to grab it. His dick twitched when her hand crept closer.

“Wish I had someone to wash my back,” she purred.

He started to offer his sudsy services, but something on the PA caught his attention. “What did she say?”

“What did who say?”

The PA announcement was repeated. Dylan Sullivan, please meet your party at the customer service desk located at terminal one.

What the hell? Dylan wasn’t here. At least, he bloody well shouldn’t be.

Hunter reluctantly pushed the woman away while silently cursing his brother. “Sorry, love, but I gotta go do something.” Dylan would pay dearly for costing him a shower with this beauty in the high flyer’s club. He retrieved his hat from the table and put it back on his head.

“You’re leaving?”

Hunter nodded regretfully. “Yeah. Afraid it can’t be helped.” He threw enough cash on the table to cover both of their drinks and a generous tip for the waitress. “Sorry.”

He walked toward terminal one, trying to figure out why Dylan wasn’t jetting away from Sydney, getting closer to making one of the dumbest mistakes of his life. He’d loaded his brother on a plane headed for New York over an hour ago.

Hunter had spent most of their morning trek to Sydney trying to convince Dylan that taking off halfway around the world to hook up with some broad he’d met on one of those stupid online dating services made him look pretty desperate.

He’d also pointed out that precious little could come of this trip, besides getting a piece of New York tail. Dylan lived and worked on Farpoint Creek cattle station. In Australia. Trying to hook up with some American chick wasn’t exactly practical.

Dylan, ever the romantic idiot, seemed to think Annie had the potential to be his soul mate. Jesus, his brother had actually used those words—soul mate—and was supposed to be headed to New York to prove that asinine fact.

Had Dylan missed his plane? Hunter couldn’t figure out how. They’d made it to the departure gate in plenty of time. And if so, why would he page himself rather than ask the customer service rep to page Hunter? Maybe Dylan had given his own name as well and the lady had fucked it up.

He glanced at the crowd standing around the service desk as he walked toward the terminal. He and Dylan weren’t lacking in the height department. If his dickhead brother was around, he sure as hell wasn’t standing up; he’d tower over these people. Add the fact he and Dylan hardly ever took off their bloody hats and Hunter should be able to spot him a mile away.

He started to get in line at the desk to ask who’d paged Dylan when a woman walked up to him.

“You’re here!” she said.

Hunter tried to place the woman’s face. She looked vaguely familiar. “I am?” His mother claimed he’d been cursed with a sarcastic streak as wide as Farpoint since the day he was born. While his mum found it annoying, Hunter had never found a good reason to curb that personality trait.

The pretty woman smiled. “I was starting to worry.”

Before he could tell her she had the wrong bloke and should go ahead and hang on to her anxiety, she took a step closer and threw her arms around him.

The hard-on Hunter had managed to batten down as he’d walked away from his potential shower partner reemerged when her firm breasts brushed against his chest. Bloody hell. Who knew the airport was such a great place to pick up women? He might have to fly to Sydney International more often.

Never one to pass up an opportunity, he accepted the embrace, loosely wrapping his arms around her back. The lovely lady was just the right height for him and had some sexy curves. He liked a woman with meat on her bones.

She pulled away slightly and he started to release her, but she kept her arms wrapped around him and upped the ante, kissing him.

It started as a sweet, friendly kiss, but Hunter wasn’t having any of that shit. She smelled and tasted too good. He grasped her soft face and held her close. He turned his head and deepened the kiss, pressing her lips open so he could get an even better taste. He was thrilled when her tongue met his halfway. Jesus. This chick could kiss.

Misplaced Princess is available at Ellora’s Cave, Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

The Language Barrier

For two countries that speak the same language, I swear it’s like Lexxie and I are from two different planets. She’s fluent in pig Latin and I’m a native Gibberish speaker. I spend a great deal of my time using context clues during my conversations with Lexxie just to figure out what the heck she’s saying!

Today, we thought we’d tried to break some language barriers for you while sharing some snippets from Misplaced Princess and Misplaced Cowboy.

A barn is the US is called a shed in Oz.

From Misplaced Princess: Annie carried a Vegemite sandwich wrapped in a paper towel to the shed for Hunter. She’d panicked a bit when she’d come to the kitchen for breakfast this morning and discovered he wasn’t there. She was typically a fairly self-reliant person, but she felt like a fish out of water in Australia. Having Hunter around made things easier, less intimidating.

Hazel had put her at ease almost instantly at the breakfast table, entertaining her with funny stories about life at Farpoint. At least, Annie thought they were meant to be humorous. Mrs. Sullivan’s Australian accent was rather thick and she tended to use some colorful expressions. Annie was still trying to piece out exactly what “dry as a dead dingo’s donger” meant. She certainly had her suspicions, but still. It had been a bit shocking to hear, coming from the older woman’s lips. She’d have to use that line with Monet one night. Her girlfriend would love it.

A ranch in the US is called a station in Oz and a cowboy in the US is called a stockman in Oz.

From Misplaced Princess: “I’m writing a four-part series about life on a cattle station. And I’m supposed to interview a real live Aussie cowboy.”

She looked at him hopefully—and he knew he was in trouble.

“I’m a stockman, Annie. We’re called stockmen over here, or grazier, if we’re being more formal. Which we’re not.”

“Oh. Okay. Then I need to shadow a stockman.”

“Me?”

She lifted one shoulder as if to ask why not. “I’d intended to interview Dylan, but he’s not here and likely won’t be for a while. The first piece is due in three days and once I start, I sort of need to stick with the same cow…er, stockman.”

She really expected him to take her back to the cattle station? Let her follow him around for two weeks watching him work? How was he supposed to keep his hands off her if she was under his roof and his bloody brother was half a world away?

Dylan better get his arse back Down Under, and quick.

Otherwise, this was not going to end well.

A lake in the US is called a billabong in Oz.

From Misplaced Princess: “Oh look,” she said, pointing to her right. “A lake.”

Hunter glanced over his shoulder. “That’s where we’ve been heading all this time. And love, that’s a billabong.”

He directed the horse toward a clearing. Hopping down, he reached up for her. Annie leaned forward, placing her trust in Hunter as he caught her, delivering her safely to the ground. He kept his arms around her as she struggled to find her footing.

“My legs are wiggly.”

He laughed at her description. “You’re not used to spending so much time on horseback. It gets easier.”

Once she’d gotten her sea legs back, Hunter released her, grabbing their lunch and a large blanket from the pack.

Annie walked closer to the water, enjoying the fresh, clean air and smell of wet earth. It was a welcome change after several days spent in the dry heat surrounding the homestead.

“It’s beautiful here.”

Misplaced Princess is available for preorder on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

Check out Lexxie’s blog to break down some more language barriers and for some sneak peeks at Misplaced Cowboy, which will release at the end of August.

And don’t forget to check out our Misplaced Scavenger Hunt (details in the previous blog post). One lucky winner will receive a Kindle! The scavenger hunt runs until June 30.

 

Misplaced Scavenger Hunt

It’s time for the “Misplaced” Scavenger Hunt! Lexxie Couper and I have “misplaced” several important items relevant to our new Foreign Affairs series and we need your help finding them. Feel like going on a scavenger hunt? At each of the websites listed below, you will find one of the pictured items. Be warned–you may not find the item on the homepage…you’ll have to do a little hunting!

Cat Johnson, Beth Williamson, Pearl’s World of Romance, Delilah Devlin, Desiree Holt, Smitten with Reading, The Smutty Kitty, Guilty Pleasures, Scorching Book Reviews, Maldivian Book Reviewer’s Realm of Romance, Seductive Musings, and Sophie Oak.

Check out the links, then email us at carmichm1@yahoo.com to let us know the URL where you found each item. One lucky hunter will win a Kindle. All entries must be received by June 30 and the winner will be announced on July 1.[image error]

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Saturday Snippet

Everybody was Kung Fu Fighting! Hee hee. Sorry. Bet that tune sticks in your head for a while. Today we’re all about the fighting scenes and I thought I’d share one from an older story of mine called Retreat.

Snippet:

“It’s worse than we feared.”

“Worse how?”

“Yes, Night, tell her how it’s worse.” The door banged open against the wall and the room flooded with light. Carly was horrified as a barrage of guards entered the room and completely surrounded them in less than a minute, each of the bruising brutes armed to the teeth. She knew Jon and Night had come to the compound unarmed and by the resigned looks on their faces, she could see they were regretting that decision.

At the doorway stood Cassandra, dressed head to toe in leather. She slowly took off a headset and tossed it to the floor.

“Bugging the offices, Mother? Don’t trust your employees?” Jon asked and Carly was shocked by the steadiness of his voice.

“How many times do I have to tell you not to call me ‘Mother’, Jon?”

“You knew,” Jon said quietly to his mother. He’d moved closer to Carly’s right once the lights came on and Night was pressed tightly to her left side. They’d moved to flank her when the danger presented itself and she hadn’t even realized it.

Cassandra laughed cruelly. “Actually no, I didn’t. Although I suspected, Jon. Always. And now I know it’s true. You betrayed me.” Cassandra turned to look at Night. “And you betrayed your father. What greater sin can a son commit than to turn against his own parents? I’ve tried for years to determine the truth. Now that I’ve discovered your treachery, I can see I was right to wait. Right to bide my time.”

“Why is that?” Jon asked and Carly was shocked to hear how calm, how resigned he sounded.

“You’ve given me the truth I sought and the means for my revenge all in a single night. Imagine my delight in discovering I can bring you and Night to your knees with a single blow.”

Cassandra waved her hand toward the guards. They moved in closer, all of them aiming their weapons directly at them. “I suggest,” Cassandra said, “that you come peacefully. How you react now will determine how merciful I am later.”

Carly felt her lovers press closer to her, covering her almost completely with their large forms. They would take every bullet in those damn guns to protect her. The idea filled her heart so completely that her love for them seemed to obliterate all her fears, all her worries in an instant. They would lay down their lives for her.

Her path suddenly appeared before her, clear as a blue sky in spring.

“No,” she whispered, aware that only Night and Jon could hear her. “Move away.”

Neither man responded.

She raised her hands and shoved. Her sudden movement caught them unaware and she managed to push them away enough that she was able to step out from between. They started to move back into position but the guards halted them as she continued forward and away from them until she stood directly before Cassandra.

“Take me instead,” Carly said.

“Excuse me?” Cassandra narrowed her eyes at her.

“Let them go and take me instead. They’ll only be more trouble then they’re worth to you. Take me, train me, sell me. Whatever. Just take me and let them go. Believe me, they’ve suffered enough from you. I won’t let you hurt them anymore.”

“No Carly, you don’t know what you’re saying!” Jon’s voice was strong and sure, but as she looked around the room, she could see the impossibility of escape. She had no doubt both men would fight ’til the death, but she refused to let it come to that.

“If I come with you, if I do everything you say, do you promise not to hurt them? Will you let them go?”

Cassandra grinned at her request. “You are a feisty, cheeky little thing, aren’t you? But I fear, my dear girl, Jon is correct. You really don’t understand.”

A ball of ice the size of Antarcticaformed in her stomach when Cassandra looked at her. Really looked at her.

She shook her head, trying to block out the white noise threatening to consume her. Cassandra intended to hurt her, possibly—hell, probably—kill her in an attempt to destroy Jon and Night.

Cassandra raised her eyebrow at her foolish request. “I don’t have to lift a finger against them to cause them pain.”

“No,” she whispered. She saw the cold-blooded pleasure Cassandra took in her triumph and turned quickly, desperate to reach her lovers. Jon and Night rushed forward but were roughly shoved back by the guards. She was surprised when Cassandra grabbed her from behind with a strength she wouldn’t have known the older woman possessed and placed a gun against her temple.

“Now, now, now, boys. We can do this the easy way or we can do it the hard way.”

Jon and Night both brought up their fists, clearly opting for the hard way. Carly fought against a scream as she watched the guards grab them despite the fact her two lovers were putting up one hell of a fight.

“Stop!” she yelled. “You’ll kill them!”

Cassandra seemed to agree as soon as it became apparent their valiant defense was pointless in the face of so many opponents.

“End this,” Cassandra hissed. “Quickly.”

Two of the guards raised their weapons and brought the butts of their guns down against Night and Jon’s heads. Both of her beloved men collapsed on the floor at her feet. Carly started to struggle—desperate to reach them—but Cassandra’s grip on her was unbreakable.

“You want to save them, little Carly?” Cassandra whispered the question in her ear.

Carly stopped fighting. “Tell me how?” Her words sounded dull, flat, lifeless, even to her own ears.

Cassandra laughed, low and harsh. “If you survive the next twenty-four hours, I’ll let them live. If you die, they die—painfully. But I should warn you, my darling girl, I have no doubt you’ll be begging to kill them yourself before I’m finished with you.”

Retreat is available in ebook at Ellora’s Cave, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Sony and All Romance Ebooks.

Want more snippets?

Megan Hart:Read in bed!

Rhian Cahill

Eliza Gayle

Jody Wallace

Mandy M Roth

Lissa Matthews

Leah Braemel

McKenna Jeffries

Myla Jackson

Taige Crenshaw

Delilah Devlin

HelenKay Dimon

Shiloh Walker

Shelli Stevens

Zoë Archer

TJ Michaels

Lauren Dane

Misplaced Princess

For the next couple of Sundays, Lexxie Couper and I are going to share some insider details regarding our new series, Foreign Affairs. The first book, Misplaced Princess, releases on June 20.

Foreign Affairs, Book One

Annie Prince has impetuously flown halfway ’round the world to visit a sexy cowboy she met online—only to find herself stranded in Sydney. Seems she and Dylan crossed wires, and he’s on his way to New York. His twin, Hunter, saves the day and whisks her back to the family cattle station. Hunter’s as easy on the eyes as Dylan, and even easier to talk to. Annie might have flown to Oz to meet one brother, but soon sparks are flying with the other.

Hunter considered Dylan a dumb arse for jetting off to America for some stranger—until he met Annie. Turns out the New Yorker is a smart, funny, hard-working jillaroo…and hotter than the Aussie desert. Hunter’s not normally one to poach his brother’s women, but he can’t keep his hands, lips, tongue and other body parts off this sexy city girl.

When raging lust leads to emotional attachment, where does that leave Annie and Hunter when her vacation comes to an end—or when Dylan finds out?

Everything I know about Australia, I learned from Lexxie Couper

5 – The men in Oz are the manly types who don’t show a lot of affection or talk much, but they make up for it in all the places that matter. When we wrote about our heroes, twin brothers, Hunter and Dylan…this handsome guy was our inspiration!

4 –Australia is one BIG-ASS country. When we were trying to “place” our fictitious cattle station and we started talking about flight distances from the Sydney airport, my eyes were opened! We finally decided to set Farpoint Creek Cattle Station near Cobar.

3 – Vegemite is vile, black, salty stuff, but Lexxie loves it anyway. I did a little research on the stuff and discovered this information.

A Vegemite sandwich to an Australian kid is the equivalent of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich to an American kid – but the taste is QUITE different!

Vegemite is one of several yeast extract spreads sold in Australia. It is made from leftover brewers’ yeast extract (a by-product of beer manufacture) and various vegetable and spice additives. It is very dark reddish-brown, almost black, in color, and one of the richest sources known of Vitamin B. It’s thick like peanut butter, it’s very salty, and it tastes like – well let’s just say that it is an acquired taste!

2 – Most cattle stations are so large (think Texas-size!) they have their own schools or students learn via the School of the Air.

1 – Use caution when sitting on the toilet. You never know what sorts of creepy-crawlies (snakes and spiders) you may encounter…on the seat or in the water.

Misplaced Princess is available for preorder on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

For more fun facts, check out Lexxie Couper’s blog.

Saturday Snippet

This week’s theme is a sweet and sad one. After all, how can you mend a broken heart?

Rough Cut snippet:

“Now this is the way I like to wake up,” a deep voice said beside her.

Gwen opened her eyes, briefly surprised to find her face only inches away from Ty’s. She blinked a few times to make sure she wasn’t dreaming, then their nighttime conversation drifted back through her consciousness.

“You were supposed to stay on your own side.” Her voice was gruff with sleep. As she came fully awake, she became aware of his hand lightly rubbing a bare bit of skin at her waist, beneath her T-shirt.

“So sue me.” He leaned so close to her the only air she could feel was that of his soft breath on her cheek. His hand stopped caressing her waist and instead gripped it, pulling her even closer to him.

“I don’t think this is a good idea,” she whispered, despite the fact her hands were resting, unresisting, on his chest. She’d placed them there to push him away, but instead the traitorous things were exploring the rock-hard definitions of his pecs.

“I think a kiss in the morning is always a good idea.”

“Just a kiss?” She cursed her sudden breathlessness.

“Just a kiss, Gwen.” She was shocked by her disappointment until he added, “for now.”

His lips brushed hers and her body shuddered at the impact. His mouth wasn’t gentle, it wasn’t easy. He took her lips with a roughness that proclaimed his possession. He took everything she offered with her lips and tongue and demanded more. His hands drifted up to her face, engulfing her cheeks in his firm grip, turning her head exactly the way he wanted it. His teeth nipped at her lower lip and she thought for a moment she heard him growl before his tongue plunged into her mouth, tangling with hers. She’d never been kissed like this in her life and the feeling was heady. It made her dizzy, giddy, reckless and she suddenly realized she wanted more. Hell, she wanted all.

She reached up and held his face to hers, twisting her fingers in his hair. He mimicked the action with her own long tresses and she was amazed by her reaction to his rough touch. Each time he pulled her hair, the sensation of pain flowed pleasurably down her body, causing her hips to flex, searching for relief. Her body felt as if he’d set it aflame and she found her reactions shockingly animalistic.

“Harder. Pull harder,” she begged and he responded in turn. His lips trailed along her face, his rough beard scratching her sensitive skin until he reached her ear. He bit her earlobe, pulling her hair at the same time and she cried out, her hips gyrating wildly.

His hard body came over hers as he took control of her wrists, dragging them above her head and holding them firmly in place with one of his hands. She sensed he knew what his actions were doing to her as he pressed his covered cock firmly between her legs, letting her feel the proof of the desire they shared. She wanted to scream at him to take off his pants and give her what she needed, but instinctively she knew he would refuse her.

“Shhh.” He tightened his grip on her wrists while planting soft, sweet kisses on her face. “Calm down, gorgeous.”

She was panting, frustrated, and she foolishly felt as if she were on the verge of tears.

He leaned back at the sound of her soft cry, the look on his face a perfect mixture of shock, awe and naked, red-hot desire.

He smiled as she struggled to regain composure, her body screaming for relief.

“I can see there will be no such thing as innocent kisses with you,” he said.

She blinked rapidly, determined he shouldn’t see the tears threatening to fall. Christ, she was a fool.

“I-I, shit.” She struggled to free her hands. He released her and she pushed him away. He moved over easily and she realized she wouldn’t have been able to budge him if he hadn’t permitted it. She walked away from the bed, pressing her back against the wall for support.

“This is not, I mean, I don’t—” She was gasping for air and her voice and her body betrayed her, shaking uncontrollably.

He sat up slowly and she knew he was deliberately keeping his movements unhurried lest he frighten her. “Gwen, you didn’t do anything wrong.”

She wanted to laugh at the understatement of his words. He’d pulled her hair, held her down and she’d responded like a bitch in heat. He didn’t think that was wrong, weird?

“I told you before, Ty. I want us to keep our relationship professional. Sex muddies the water. You know that.”

“No, I don’t think I do. Gwen, there’s nothing wrong with admitting that we’re attracted to each other sexually. Shit, I can’t think of anything I want more than to tie your lovely body to that bed and bury myself between those hot thighs of yours.”

“Stop it! Stop saying stuff like that. It isn’t going to happen. Ever.”

He scowled at her words and rose from the bed, crossing to where she stood, trembling. “Well, I think you and I are about to have our first disagreement.”

He leaned toward her as she pressed her body flat against the wall. He caged her in, grasping her hands by the wrists once again and pressing them against the flat surface, just above her head. “You and I are most certainly going to have sex, Gwen. Hard, hot, incredibly intense sex and you’re going to love every minute of it.”

“You smug, conceited—”

“Pull your pants down,” he said as he loosened his grip.

She wanted to deny him, wanted to drive her fists against his chest and tell him to get the hell away from her, but his deep voice, his demanding words spoke to the loneliest part of her soul and she felt as if she’d been sunk neck-deep in quicksand.

“Pull them down now,” he repeated, his voice commanding. Clearly he expected her to comply. This was so wrong. God dammit, it was wrong. And yet her body felt alive for the first time ever.

She reached for the waistband of her pajama bottoms and she slowly shimmied the soft cotton over her hips. The material fell to her ankles and she stepped out of it, never taking her gaze off his determined face.

“Good girl,” he murmured and she raised her hand to slap him for his condescending comment. He caught her wrist and pressed it against the wall. “You don’t want to do that.”

She closed her eyes in surrender and he released her hand.

His dominant actions, his powerful words, were truly soothing her weary soul, despite the fact her head was demanding she run away from him. Ty Ransome was the one man who could be her complete and utter downfall, yet rather than escape, she found herself relishing every touch, every word he offered.

Rough Cut is available at Samhain, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Sony and ARe.

Want more snippets?

Megan Hart:Read in bed!

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Jody Wallace

Mandy M Roth

Lissa Matthews

Leah Braemel

McKenna Jeffries

Myla Jackson

Taige Crenshaw

Delilah Devlin

HelenKay Dimon

Shiloh Walker

TJ Michaels

Lauren Dane

Guest blogger Marie Treanor

Beginnings and Endings by Marie Treanor

Hello, everyone! Mari, thanks so much for having me here today!

This is a really exciting week for me – my first new release in over six months! BLOOD GUILT is the start of a new series – Blood Hunters – which is a spin off from my Awakened by Blood trilogy (BLOOD ON SILK, BLOOD SIN  and BLOOD ETERNAL). And it’s got me thinking all about happy endings… and wondering how obsessive I’m being in writing this series!

As romance readers, we all love “happy ever after,” or at a pinch “happy for now”. However, this usually applies only to the heroes and heroines, so tell me: as a reader, do you mind if a likeable supporting character is left unhappy?

If you haven’t read the Awakened by Blood books, I’d better explain they were all about Elizabeth, an academic researcher debunking vampire myths, who accidentally awakens Saloman, the most powerful vampire of all time, and manages to fall in love with him while they’re trying to kill each other. By the time I was finishing up the trilogy, I already knew I was going to miss these two. What I hadn’t bargained for was the way in which the lesser characters had crept up on me and became not only real, but demanding in their quest for happiness.

To be honest, I’d really only invented the vampire hunters as a device to show Elizabeth the vampire world. They began as strong people but slightly wooly characters, then gradually became individuals with all their own idiosyncrasies, problems, pasts and aims. Totally dedicated to protecting humanity from vampires, they’re admirable, capable people who’ve long accepted they’re unlikely ever to find personal happiness except in their vocation – tragic figures in many ways.

So, when it came to saying goodbye to Awakened by Blood, I found I couldn’t just leave Elizabeth’s friends the hunters with all their issues unresolved. The story of the vampire world had moved on in my head, and striding through it to the front were the hunters. Even in the climactic fight scene at the end of BLOOD ETERNAL, I couldn’t resist a tiny moment of possibility between the hunter Mihaela and the most mysterious of vampires, Maximilian. That tiny moment grew into BLOOD GUILT, the first of the Blood Hunters series.

Of course, it’s been great fun catching up with Elizabeth and Saloman again, but it was the unhappy hunters I couldn’t let go of. Their world is turned upside down by recent events and even their self contained team on which they’d relied for years is blown apart by Istvan’s crippling injury and Konrad’s implacable opposition to Saloman. I needed them to deal with that in their own way and grow. And yes, I SO want them to be happy… but you’ll have to read the books to find out how, or even if… J.

Anyway, I’d like to know if I’m alone in this kind of obsession. Do you find yourself worrying about unhappy or unresolved lesser characters in books, the way I did about my hunters? Let me know and I’ll donate a $5 Amazon gift card to one commenter!

Blood Guilt is available now in ebook from:

Amazon

Amazon UK

Barnes & Noble

 

Racing to Love – Carter’s Treasure

I met this gal, Amy Gregory, on Goodreads a few months ago. She emailed me about my books and we struck up a conversation. She’s a lovely person to talk to and she’s also a new writer. Her first book, Racing to Love,  releases today. She’s obviously excited, nervous, thrilled–all those crazy mixed up emotions. I remember the day my very first book, Erotic Research, released. My stomach actually hurt I was so anxious. It’s a big day for Amy and I wanted to take part in it. It’s definitely something to be celebrated and shouted about.

So…here’s a bit about Amy’s first book, Racing to Love – Carter’s Treasure.

From the outside, Molly West had everything, beauty, brains, and a career she’d retired from not once, but twice.  Being in the limelight and in a sport that was male driven, she was often surrounded men.  She ignored first the boys, and as she got older, the men.  Unfortunately, they were all the same, all after one thing, and she had absolutely no use for them.  Her cold shoulder and patented not a chance in hell look were usually enough to get her point across.  Occasionally, she had to resort to her sass—and her brother.

Molly had no plans in changing what was a perfectly good system. That is until she walked into the pits.  When she stood toe-to-toe with the sex in jeans, she knew right then and there that the man her adoptive mother always told her was out there, was now standing right in front of her.

Carter Sterling had traveled the racing circuit since he was a boy.  He’d heard all the old standbys, She’s out there somewhere, love comes along when you least expect it.  Good things come to those that… Yeah, he’d heard them all.  The last place he expected to meet the love of his life was on a pro track.  All she did was smile, and he knew, looking into her sapphire blue eyes, Molly West was his.  Forever.

If it was only that easy.  From the moment he laid eyes on her, he had a gripping feeling in him.  An overwhelming need to protect her.  A girl he’d just met.  Carter had learned a long time ago that gut feelings are almost never wrong.

Molly now held his heart in her hands, but it was going to take a lot more than just love to protect her from the past she thought she’d buried a long time ago.

Racing to Love is available now at Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

Wanna find out more about Amy? Here’s where she hides. LOL

www.amygregory548.blogspot.com

www.sapphirestarpublishing.com/amygregory

amygregory@sapphirestarpublishing.com

Twitter @amygregory548

FB:  http://www.facebook.com/pages/Amy-Gregory-Author/350551304968344

Pintrest:  http://pinterest.com/amygregory548/