Tory Richards's Blog, page 133

Yield to Me excerpt

An uneasy feeling enveloped Sophie as she unhurriedly made her way around the room, not for the first time peering over her shoulder as though expecting to see someone there. Not paranoid by nature, she was certain someone was following her, and watching her. It wouldn’t be the first time in her twenty-eight years. As the daughter of a senator, she’d grown up in the spotlight, accustomed to being followed by reporters, and at times, bodyguards. However, it had grown worse since her engagement to millionaire Jonathan Lord had been made public. An engagement she would have kept private had it not been for his colossal ego.

Pausing, she examined an oil painting that made her immediately think of confetti. Splashes of bright color that, to her way of thinking, any child of five could have done without much effort. The outrageous price tag of four thousand dollars on it caused her to shake her head with disbelief, until remembering where she was. And who might be watching.

There were photographers about. If one of them managed to snap a picture of her at the wrong moment, that definitely would not be the kind of reaction Jonathan would expect to see on the front page in the morning paper. Furthermore, when he was displeased about something, he let it be known. Keeping up appearances was very important to him, ranking right up there with landing a wealthy senator’s daughter.

Sophie had learned early on that he tended to look at the smallest infraction as an embarrassment and personal attack on him. Even going as far as accusing her of going out of her way to embarrass him in public once, when all she’d done was show up after their engagement announcement not wearing the much-publicized ring. Without being obvious, she cast a glance down at the cold, meaningless stone, hating what it represented. A smile designed to hide her true feelings turned the corners of her mouth up but did nothing to diminish the sadness in her heart when she thought about her situation.

Forcing herself to move on, she ignored the prickling sensation at the back of her neck, resisting the impulse to look behind her a second time. Her imagination was working overtime, that was all. She took a deep breath to calm her nerves, reaching for a glass of sparkling champagne. She didn’t drink but maybe a small sip would soothe her nerves. Glancing up as she put her lips to the rim of the glass, she noticed him.

She froze, the man’s dark, compelling presence all but taking her breath away. More handsome than any man had a right to be, he stood well above any other in the room. He didn’t look like the black suit and tie type, yet it fit his broad-shouldered frame nicely, as though tailored specifically for him. He carried himself with ease, revealing a boredom she was used to seeing on the men who moved in her circle. Yet she sensed hiding beneath the surface was an alert predator, primed for action. There was a healthy outdoorsy look about him. His dark skin tone indicated whatever he did for a living wasn’t behind a door in an air-conditioned building somewhere, sitting at a desk.

He gave her the distinct impression he didn’t particularly want to be there. She took another sip of her drink, striving not to be obvious as she kept her gaze trained on him, taking in his jet-black hair. It looked as if he’d been running his hands through it all evening. Feminine interest had her wondering if it was as thick and silky as it appeared. She wondered if he was alone. A quick glance around the room revealed no one else who came close to measuring up to the raw magnetism he portrayed.

A male in his prime.

He brought his glass to his lips, glancing about the room over the rim until his gaze came back to her. Their eyes met and held, causing Sophie to catch her breath again. Her heart skipped a beat. A delicious heat uncurled deep inside her body making her pulse leap excitedly; a sensation she hadn’t experienced in a long time. And never with Jonathan.

Thank goodness she was skilled in the art of keeping her composure even under the most difficult of circumstances, praying no one observing her noticed the faint outward changes she couldn’t control. She didn’t need to glance into a mirror to know the heat filling her cheeks left them a rosy hue, branding her. Perhaps she could blame it on the champagne.

“ Darling, you’re drinking.” Cool, masculine lips briefly touched the exposed skin at Sophie’s collarbone. A shiver escaped her before she could stop it. She hoped Jonathan thought it was a quiver of desire and not the revulsion she actually felt whenever he touched her.

It wasn’t as though he were unattractive. On the contrary, Jonathan was extremely good-looking. A real life Ken doll with stylish blonde hair and sharp blue eyes. Yet it was the monster behind those boyish good looks and southern charm that scared her. From the beginning, she’d heard rumors about how he’d attained his wealth. Stories laced with unfavorable content, and now she had firsthand knowledge of how devious he could be when he wanted something.

“ You look ravishing tonight,” he drawled close to her ear, purposely letting his lips brush against her again. To make matters worse, his hands smoothed up her bare arms to her shoulders, caressing her openly as he went.

Sophie realized she’d have to get over her aversion to Jonathan soon enough. Once they were married, she’d hardly be able to keep him from her bed. As he seemed determined to stake his claim in an unusual public display of affection, she lowered her eyelids, effectively hiding her dislike from the others in the room.

“ Darling? Is something wrong?”

Sophie knew he was waiting for a response, but when she raised her head, it was the dark compelling stare of a stranger who captured and held her gaze.

Serve and Submit Series

Over the next few months I will be writing a series of short, erotic stories for a new series I thought about over the holidays. Each installment will be a stand alone story and as of right now I have ideas for at least five. Pulled Over comes out the first of February, and is available for pre-order now. On Fire, if all goes well, should be released around April. The other three titles are: Under Cover, Party Time, and Lovers. I'm really excited about this series, and may add more titles to it at a later date. 

Each hero wears a uniform, hence the serve in the title. They are dominant alphas our heroines just can't resist. Each book cover will be the same, with the exception of the title and book number. Stories will be anywhere between 5,000-6,000 words. 

Things you won't see me do

There's a couple things you probably won't see me do as an author. Both have to do with promoting myself and my work. Book signings and chats. I've tried both. In 2009 I spent a week at a Romantic Times Book Lovers Convention because it took place in Orlando, Florida, down the street from where I lived at the time. It was a good experience, but it just wasn't me. I have a hard time selling myself. I think it's because I have always considered writing a hobby and not a job. Writing is my passion and it's something I would do, even if I didn't publish my stories. 

I tried a chat once. It was hard keeping up with everyone and trying to respond to comments. I was so afraid of missing someone. After a while I got lost, and it got very frustrating to me. Again, because writing is a hobby and something I do for fun, I had to remind myself that doing chats was another way of selling myself. I enjoyed meeting new people but I steered away from talking about my books.

As an author, and I think I can speak for my fellow author friends, you have to decide what works best for you, and where you want your writing to take you. I will never be a Nora Roberts, and I'm okay with that. I write for me. It's a kind of therapy I've used since I was a teenager. It gives me confidence, makes me feel accomplished, and I get great satisfaction sharing it with people. 

Do I like the royalty checks? Absolutely! I'm not crazy. But royalty checks are not what drive me to write. At the same time I'd like to thank all of you who enjoy my stories, have helped support my craft and me, and continue to look forward to future publications. As long as I have fingers, and an imagination, I will continue writing.

It's All in the Jeans Excerpt

Libby swallowed nervously. If he rejected her now she’d leave the park and never return. However, what she saw on Logan’s expression wasn’t rejection. As he took his fill looking at her, she let her eyes roam down to the prominent bulge in his pants. My…it was a wonder it didn’t burst right through his zipper!

Without realizing what she was doing she reached forward and touched him to see if it was as hard as it appeared, sliding a naughty fingertip down the pulsing length. He was made of steel. And she couldn’t wait to have him inside her.

He sucked in his breath, his penis jumping strongly beneath her finger. His heavy lidded gaze slid down Libby’s exposed body in a slow, heated caress that made her heart pound and her pulse race. She felt her breasts swelling for attention, her nipples tingling almost painfully with excitement. Lord, it was a wonder she remained on her feet she was so turned on. And all they’d done was kiss so far.

What was Logan waiting for? Libby was all but asking him to make love to her. Didn’t he recognize the signs? Surely he wasn’t a virgin!

"Ah, Logan?" she questioned after a moment, curious as to why he hadn’t made his move yet when she expected him to sweep her into his arms and ravish her. His eyes swung lazily up to hers, the question in them apparent. "Ah, you’ve been with a woman before, haven’t you?" Her finger continued to toy with his erection. "Because if you haven’t, I can show you what to do with this."

The crooked grin spreading slowly across his face was sexy as sin, and Libby felt the heat of embarrassment crawl up her neck and span across her cheeks when she realized her mistake. All at once the wolfish look in his eyes was backed up with a predatory gleam, and his intentions became very clear.

He was about to make a meal of her.

"I thought I told you Libby, I like it slow and easy." His words reminded her of what he’d said that night at the bar. Before she was prepared he wrapped an arm around her waist and hauled her up against him. She was the one catching her breath now, feeling the ridge of his desire against her. "And looking is the best part," he finished in a voice of smooth velvet.

Cover Reveal for Pulled Over!

Book #1 in the Serve and Submit Series! Due out in February! These stand alone books are short, about 6,000 words, very hot stories where each hero wears a uniform of some kind.

PRE-Order Scent of a Wolf's Mate!

At All Romance Ebooks !

Blurb - Accepting a job as a wildlife veterinarian at the Savage Hills Wolf Sanctuary is Serena's dream job. Finding out she's the mate of Savage Hill's alpha werewolf turns her world as she knows it upside down. Trying to resist the sexy man is impossible. She's in heat, and he's more than ready to claim what's his.


Excerpt - Serena left the bedroom quietly, unsure of what she was going to find. Deciding to follow the aroma, she made her way to a kitchen equipped with every modern appliance you could imagine. Standing at the stove in low hanging pajama bottoms was a man. He was flipping bacon. Didn’t he know it was dangerous to cook without a shirt on?

She stood in the entranceway, slightly afraid and very confused. He was a big man. His dark hair was thick and wild, stopping at the top of his shoulders, shoulders that were wide and muscular. The muscles rippled in his back as he moved, and she could see his well-developed biceps and forearms.

A breeze rushed in through the open window over the sink. Serena watched the curtains dance wildly. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply when the cool mountain air reached where she was standing. Wisps of hair moved about her face, and something else carried on the wind, something that spiked her awareness, flowing together with the scent of pines and wild lavender, and him, an untamed and basic entity that reached into her soul.

“I know you’re there,” he said without turning around. “Don’t come any closer.”

Well, that’s not very friendly. Serena didn’t know what to do at that point. She clutched his robe tighter against her. Without warning he turned, pinning his dark eyes on her. His rugged face was set as though in anger. “I hope you don’t mind that I borrowed your robe. I couldn’t find my clothes.” She tried not to let her gaze wander, but there was no way she could ignore his hard, defined Pecs and six-pack abs. The man was powerfully built and sinfully sexy.

His gaze moved over her. Serena took note of the tic moving in his tense jaw, and she tried to imagine what she’d done to upset him. What did he expect that she would walk out there in her birthday suit?

“That’s okay,” he finally spoke.

“Where am I?”

“Do you remember anything about last night?”

“Some of it. I was running and tripped on something. The last thing I remember is a wolf pinning me down. Did you kill it?”

“I took care of it.” His tone was short and to the point.

“There was another wolf—”

“I took care of him, too.” He moved to the sink, put the plug in, and turned on the water, then turned back to face her.

“What?” She was confused. “But how? I, I…” She didn’t know what to say. “I never saw you.” She hadn’t seen anyone. “I guess I owe you my life, then.” Serena offered him a smile, hoping to erase the unfriendly look on his face. “My name is Serena.” She stepped further into the kitchen and held out her hand.

He just stared at it for a long moment as if it were a snake, and then finally said his name. “Connor.”

Cover Reveal for Scent of a Wolf's Mate!

Pre-order coming soon!

Scent of a Wolf's Mate will be available for pre-order soon! Maybe even as early as this weekend! And just wait until you see the hot book cover! I think it's the hottest cover I have to date. Blurb below.

Accepting a job as a wildlife veterinarian at the Savage Hills Wolf Sanctuary is Serena's dream job. Finding out she's the mate of Savage Hill's alpha werewolf turns her world as she knows it upside down. Trying to resist the sexy man is impossible. She's in heat, and he's more than ready to claim what's his.

My series got a name

The five short stories will be part of the Serve and Submit Series. Book 1, Pulled Over, will be out next month. Check the 2014 books link on the right for the blurb. 

Productive Weekend!

Happy Monday friends! I'm so excited! I wrote a complete short, erotic story this weekend. Once the idea came to me and I began typing, the words just kept coming. Do you know how good that makes a writer feel? I even stayed up until 2:00 one morning because I wanted to keep going while the mojo lasted. 

Haven't got a title for it yet. I've come up with an idea for a series, so need to come up with a name for that, too. These will be short, 5,000 word stories and I guarantee you they will be hot!