Tory Richards's Blog, page 70

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I have 31 boards to explore of animals, history, artwork, castles, books, nature, foods, trinkets, hunks, and more. Below are a few pictures in my collection.

Fancy Shoes

Le Silla
Anything Vintage


House of Worth, ca. 1900. Silk and rhinestones.
The Titanic


"Joseph Laroche and Juliette Lafargue were an intershade couple aboard the Titanic. As the ship sank, Joseph stuffed his coat with money & jewelry, took his pregnant wife and children to the deck and managed to get them into a lifeboat. He gave the coat to his wife, and said: “Here, take this, you are going to need it. I’ll get another boat. God be with you. I’ll see you in New York.” Joseph died in the sinking. He was the only victim of African Descent on the Titanic."
Beartastic


Elegance


Places I've Been

Venice Italy

Amazon Gift Card

How much will it be from 6/15 to 7/14?

For the last few months I've run a monthly rafflecopter giveaway for my loyal newsletter subscribers only. I've decided to switch things up a little. In stead of the usual $10 GC I've decided to change the amount of the giveaway every month. Again, this is for my newsletter subscribers only. Sign-up is located on the Extras tab at the top.

Every month the rafflecopter is placed somewhere different on my site, it's up to you to find it. The winner is announced in my monthly newsletter, which goes out on the 15th. It's also up to the winner to contact me and claim their GC.

Camel Toe

The first time I heard the term I suppose like most people who hear it for the first time I pictured the toes of a camel. You know, the animal. I tend to be literal that way. According to Wikipedia camel toe wedgie is also the slang term that refers to the outline of a woman's labia in tight fitting clothes. I'm talking about swimwear, shorts, I've even seen camel toe on someone wearing jean shorts. I can't imagine anyone walking around with their clothes so tight that it's all up in their business but I've seen it. Personally I'd rather see someone picking their seat to pull the material free than see the outline of someones goods. 


Male camel toe...ouch! It doesn't look comfortable and 
nothing about it says sexy to me, not like the bulge of a nice 
big you know what. And speaking of that, where is it?
Now that's tight! Leaves nothing to the imagination. Do you suppose she thinks that it's sexy? Maybe it is to some (males) but I'm all about comfort. 

Anyone like Spicy?

Bet you thought I was talking about books, huh? 

Sometimes I experiment with ingredients just because it sounds like it would be good in my mind. I love spicy! So the other day I decided to make a spicy pizza from scratch. It came out so tasty that I thought I'd share my recipe with you. It was easy to make. I greased the pizza pan with olive oil, then used some fresh bread dough that I bought at my local grocery store bakery. Spread a light layer of spaghetti sauce over that, then added a package of mozzarella cheese. Topped it off with two cans of mushrooms, thinly sliced onion, crushed red pepper and jalapeno peppers. Baked it on 400 for about 25 minutes.

Next time I'm going to make it with a seasoned crust.

FREE TODAY ONLY!

Smashwords Promotional price: $0.00Coupon Code: YT25BExpires: June 12, 2016

Almost Over!

Newsletter subscribers, you only have 3 more days to enter the monthly rafflecopter for a chance to win an Amazon GC. Rafflecopter is somewhere here, just have to find it. Winner announced in my June 15th newsletter.

Tease Me Thursday

Running Wild by J.L. SheppardAmazon Vampire Bites Box SetAmazon An Unexpected Bonding by Lilly RaymanAmazon

Four Letter Words by Charlotte Howard

 OUT NOW: FOUR LETTER WORDS by Charlotte Howard@Shy_Tiger
#FourLetterWords #Erotica #Contemporary #Romance


Four Letter Words Blurb:

Paige Holmes has made her choice. But as she begins to get her life back on track, she also starts to question her decision.

Then, the letters arrive. When Paige finds herself in trouble once again, she must decide who she can trust.

Will she go back to the one she denied, or will she stand by her choice?

Love and lust are, after all, both Four Letter Words.

BUY LINK: http://www.tirgearrpublishing.com/authors/Howard_Charlotte/four-letter-words.htm



Excerpt from Chapter One:

Laying my head back against the black leather seats of the Jag and gazing ahead, I lifted a finger and touched my lips that were swollen from his kiss. The weariness of the past few weeks was beginning to take over, weighing on my eyelids as they began to droop. I should have been reassured by the man sitting next to me.

I shifted in my seat so I could watch him as he drove on. He was a force that even nature had no hold over. There was an urge to reach out and cling to his broad bicep, a need to feel the security of his physical strength, aching somewhere deep inside of me.

We didn’t speak as he pressed all his weight onto the accelerator, urging the car until it was over the speed limit. I half expected the shine of blue lights to fill the inside of the car, with sirens blaring around us. But they didn’t. Of course they didn’t. Even if a marked car was to pass, I doubted Vance Ellery would slow down, and I had even less that the police would attempt to pull him over. I suspected that the personal phone number of every single high-ranking officer in the country, was tucked away in a neat Rolodex on Vance’s desk or even stored in the memory bank of his mobile phone for easy access.

The silence should have been soothing. I should have been able to let my lashes flutter against my cheeks, and slip into a relaxing slumber. Instead the lack of conversation added to the tension that built behind my eyes. I closed them, hoping that soon I would drift off into a deep sleep, where I would be surrounded by falling flowers, rainbows, and sunlight. Ha! If only I was deserving of such luck. There were no pleasant dreams awaiting me after the sandman visited. Only nightmares wanted to be part of my night. They tormented me, bringing memories that I’d tried to bury and forget. They hounded the darkness, giving me nothing but misery and pain and suffering. It was as though all my sins from a previous life had been rolled over into this one.

If the visions of his face, the sound of his voice had been the only elements of my slumber, then I might have been willing to slip away and let the desperation of rest take me to the shadowed places I dreaded. My soul was destined for torture though. I was to be punished for his crime.

The mere suggestion of sleep forced my blood to pulsate until it was the only thing I could hear, throbbing in my temples. The searing pain of anxiety and panic stabbed at my chest, pins pricking my skin, as I let my eyelids fall. A shudder fell down my spine, waking me from the light doze I’d stumbled into.

Breathe in, breathe out. In with the good, out with the bad. In through the nose, out through the mouth. Breathe in, breathe out. A mantra, taught to me by a yoga instructor years before hell had entered my life, repeated over and over in my mind. I inhaled the cool air through my nasal passages, allowing it to slip down into my pain-filled lungs, exhaling all the bad out of my mouth in a gigantic whoosh.

Ahead, the roads were empty, weaving out of the village and headed towards Richart Courts, the hotel that was to be my sanctuary for the next couple of days before I had to face the next challenge. New York City.

How anyone could expect me to go back there was beyond belief. The only logical explanation for their plans for my future was that facing New York was the lesser of the two evils that haunted me, threatening to rip away the seams that had begun to fray around my already tattered edges.

Four Letter Words is the second, and final, part to Paige’s story. To celebrate its re-release, the first part of the Words Duet has been reduced to 99p / 99c!



Seven Dirty Words Blurb:

Paige Holmes hides herself in a masculine world in a desperate attempt to remain safe.

Just as she is ready to face her fears and her past, she finds herself torn between Matt Jackson and Vance Ellery: handsome, rich, and safe – or handsome, rich, and dangerous?

Which will she choose?

The one who appears to be the most perfect, or the one who makes her use all Seven Dirty Words?

BUY LINK: http://www.tirgearrpublishing.com/authors/Howard_Charlotte/seven-dirty-words.htm

Author bio:

British author, Charlotte Howard, was born in Oman and spent much of the first part of her life flitting between Oman, Scotland, and England. Now settled in Somerset, Charlotte lives with her husband, two children, and growing menagerie of pets.

Her career as a writer began at an early age, with a poem being featured in an anthology for the East Midlands. Since then Charlotte has written many short stories and poems, and finally wrote her first full-length piece of fiction in 2010.

During what little spare time she has, Charlotte enjoys reading and writing (of course), spending time with her family, and watching action movies whilst eating curry and drinking tea.

Charlotte is an active member of Yeovil Creative Writers Group.

Social Media links:
Website
Facebook
Twitter
Blog

Paranormal Romances from Lyrical Press Blog Tour!

Ever Boundby Odessa Gillespie Black~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GENRE:  Paranormal Romance
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
1879, Tennessee. A farmhand on the vast Rollins estate, handsome young Colby Kinsley makes the mistake of his life when he becomes briefly entangled with conniving Grace Rollins, the plantation owner's beautiful but unstable daughter. Yet matters become even more complicated when he finds himself falling truly in love with Grace's clever younger sister, Annabeth...
Intent on escaping her darkly troubled father and her melancholy home, Annabeth is also determined to avoid Colby. Yet she is still drawn to his quick wit and many talents. And when he performs an act of astounding courage, she can no longer deny her true feelings for him…just as her sister cannot hide her jealous rage. Grace will do anything to destroy the blossoming romance—even invoke dark, powerful supernatural forces. And as her dangerous machinations begin, the passions of all three are set on a tragic course—with a conclusion that will echo across lifetimes…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EXCERPT



After Mama made a supper fit for kings and queens, I walked out the back door of our cottage full and happy. It wasn’t dark yet, so maybe I could get some fishing in. A small rut worn in the middle of a long path led down to a pond set far away from the main house.
“Colby? What’s your middle name?” a girl asked from behind me.
Not again.
For three long years, since the day we arrived at the Rollins Plantation, I’d dealt with Grace Rollins’ tiresome advances. No matter how many times I rejected her, she became more insistent. I could never have a moment’s peace without her searching me out. Other than her sister, Annabeth, who was buried in her studies and the arts, we were the only young people. That left me with no one to become acquainted with. Which was just as well. Time to myself had become scarce, since lately, I could never find any.
“Well?” She eyed me with the gaze of an interested mountain lion.
“Kendall. Colby Kendall Kinsley.”
“Hmm. It’ll do.” She twirled a black tendril of hair about her finger as her gaze intensified. “Colby Kendall Kinsley, have you ever kissed a girl?”
I spit into the pond. “I beg your pardon?”
“Have you ever kissed a girl? It’s a simple question with a simple answer.” She examined her fingernails the way a cat would before she clawed your face. She tapped her chin, then pointed at me. “You’re scared of me.”
I put my pole and worms beside the water’s edge. There was no sense in bothering to fish. She’d scare them all off with her incessant rambling. But I would figure out a way to run her off before dark. Just before the sun set over the tall trees south of the property, they really started biting.
“You keep darting away from me when I try to kiss you. You haven’t kissed a girl before.”
“I kiss my mom all the time. She’s plenty enough female in my life.” I took out a medium-sized hook and ran the line through it. “I don’t think this is an appropriate subject.”
She giggled and stood. “You know by now that ‘proper’ isn’t exactly a concern of mine.”
“Don’t you have lessons to attend or some knitting to do?”
Pressing her dress down, she walked toward me. “I’m a big girl. I do what I want, when I want.”
“I’m going to have to insist you bring along a chaperone if we are to be in each other’s company.” I jabbed a hook right through the biggest, juiciest night crawler I had, hoping to send her retching.
“If you’re asking for a chaperone, that makes me believe you would like to call on me in the near future.” She slinked closer.
I almost tripped on my bowl of worms and took a tumble into the pond. “I used to wonder why you came out here with all the bugs and frogs and slimy creatures, but it’s quiet. I might accompany you while you fish more often. It would get me away from Annabeth and all her goody-goody college talk. I swear, she’ll never find a decent husband.”
Just as I gained my balance and looked up, Grace was nose to nose with me. I slid out of her clutches before she could lean in to put her lips on my face.
“Colby,” Mama called from the back of our house.
Relieved, I slipped around her and scooped up my fishing supplies. “I have to go.” “We’ll meet tomorrow night.” Her demand followed me as I fled.  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and Links:


Odessa Gillespie Black lives in the beautiful North Carolina foothills with her husband, four children, Chihuahuas Little Bit and Rico, and rescued Lab and Pit mix, Mo. When not chasing dogs around the backyard and tackling the daily duties of mother-and-wife-hood, she enjoys watching horror movies, and reading and writing paranormal romance. Readers can visit Odessa’s website: odessablack.wordpress.com, and find her on Facebook.
http://www.kensingtonbooks.com/author...

BUY LINKS FOR EVER BOUND: amazonkindle, http://www.amazon.com/s/?field-keywor..., http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/isbn9... Google, https://play.google.com/store/search?..., http://www.kobobooks.com/search/searc...  http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/97816...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE

The authors will be awarding digital copies of all books on the tour to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Never Been Bittenby Sonya Weiss~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GENRE:  Paranormal Romance
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
Amid the lore of 19th century England, even a woman of science isn’t immune to the charms of a wickedly handsome, dangerously sexy vampire…
The devilishly seductive, irresistibly rakish Mr. Macane is ravishing all the ladies of the ton—despite the fact that he is penniless, untitled—and believed to be a vampire. Hired to disprove such an absurd claim, the skeptical Miss Elspeth Ramsay does not expect to tremble in his presence—until the graze of his teeth on her neck ignites an appetite of her own, and she finds herself biting him back! Surely this sudden bloodlust can only mean danger for her family and her heart—or a love for eternity...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EXCERPT
A slow smile curved his lips, gapping just long enough to flash a sliver of white teeth. Not fangs, Ellie told herself. Just teeth. As normal as hers. She took a deep breath and shivered as she inhaled the scent of cologne and clean linen.
Everything had an explanation. Macane was an accomplished rake, not a vampire. He happened to be brilliant at the art of illusion. With his absent cravat and his close-lipped smiles, he lent just the right touch of mystery and illicit adventure to woo the golden flock. Genius, actually. If she’d thought of it first, perhaps she’d be the celebrated Original of the ton, rather than the spinster who investigated frivolous claims for the rich.
She glanced up at him again. His mouth was no longer curved in a smile, but it was still wide and firm. The swooning ladies could keep their macabre fantasies. She’d much rather have that sensual mouth kissing her than biting her. If there weren’t such a crush of people . . .
As if they shared one mind, his next artful spin took them from the sparkling dance floor to a spot behind a hand-painted Chinese folding screen—which hid the entrance to the gardens. Before she could object (presuming she would have objected) Ellie was out the door and beneath the moonlit sky, still cradled in Macane’s arms.
A frisson of trepidation caused her to catch her breath. She stared up at him in a panic. Might he actually kiss her? As far as she could remember, no one had ever tried. No gentleman had ever noticed her long enough to think of it. And now—what if she did it wrong? What if she did it right? What would be expected of her then?
“You’re beautiful,” he murmured. “You dazzled me even as you tried to hide.”
Well, that was laying it on a bit thick. Ellie wasn’t ugly, but nor were artists dueling for the honor of painting her portrait. She was plain. Worse than plain: She was nondescript. Wracking her brain for an appropriate setdown to such ridiculous flattery, she narrowed her eyes at him . . . and nearly swooned at his expression.
He was sincere. Or if not, he gave a bloody good impression of it.
His eyes were rapt on her face, as if he had been searching for her all his life. His gaze had softened, making his features less harsh and more open. His arms cradled her gently, his hands splayed at the curve between waist and hips. He was being far more familiar than anyone of her acquaintance—far more familiar than any right-minded young lady should allow—but Ellie was so enamored by the idea of having entranced him that she couldn’t bring herself to pull away.
His lips parted. Hers did too, mostly because she was having trouble remembering to breathe. Her lips suddenly felt too dry. She edged out the tip of her tongue to lick them and gasped when his hold tightened painfully. She felt strangely powerful, as if she truly were beautiful.
He lowered his face to hers. His eyes were no longer the crystal green of the sea, but rather a shimmering black. Rather than try to process the transformation, Ellie cleared her mind and let her own eyes flutter closed. She was going to be kissed for the first time. And she was going to enjoy it. Her brow creased when the delicious pressure of his parted lips brushed the base of her throat rather than her waiting mouth. The sharp edge of bared teeth grazed the tender skin at the curve of her neck. He wasn’t going to kiss her—he was going to bite her! Instinct forced her to react at lightning speed. But instead of shoving him away as she could’ve sworn she had instructed her limbs to do, Ellie returned the favor and sank her own teeth into his cravat-free neck.
Mutual shock held them immobile for an interminable moment. Realizing the ignominy of what she’d just done, Ellie pulled away in horror before he could thrust her from him bodily. To label him thunderstruck would be the understatement of the century.
He touched his neck with the tip of a finger. The pad of his white glove came away pink with blood.
“Good Lord,” he growled, his expression fierce. “Did you just bite me?”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

New York Times bestselling author Erica Ridley learned to read when she was four, which was about the same time she decided to be a writer when she grew up. Now, Erica writes Regency-set historical romances. Since becoming active in the writing community, all of her manuscripts have finaled in or won various RWA chapter contests. Erica is also the webmistress of her local writing chapter. When not reading or writing romances, Erica can be found riding camels in Africa, zip-lining through rainforests in Costa Rica, or getting hopelessly lost in the middle of Budapest. Readers can visit her website at ericaridley.com.
https://twitter.com/EricaRidleyhttps:...
Buy links:
 amazonkindle, http://www.amazon.com/s/?field-keywor... Apple, http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/isbn9..., https://play.google.com/store/search?..., http://www.kobobooks.com/search/searc...  http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/97815...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE

The authors will be awarding digital copies of all books on the tour to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
a Rafflecopter giveaway



Reckoningby Sonya Weiss~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GENRE:  Paranormal Romance
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
The Great Extinction, the prophesied war between the humans and the Supernaturals, has begun.Born a Supernatural, Juliet Sawyer has the ability to save the world from disaster. But after barely escaping the underground, power-sucking prison known as the Void, she finds herself on the brink of death and in the middle of a vengeful war. To survive, she’ll have to make a deal with her human captors. But the stakes are raised when she learns the government is holding her sister hostage. To rescue her, Juliet must become a weapon for humanity, fighting against her own kind—including Riley West, the boy she fell deeply in love with—and by whom she was abandoned.
Forced to desert Juliet, Riley is on a mission to capture the human’s president and bring her to the Supernatural’s king. But if he fails, there will be no stopping the Night of Grief, which will unleash horrors capable of destroying humans and Supernaturals alike. With battle lines drawn, amid a flurry of secrets and betrayals, can Juliet and Riley rescue their love as well as all life on Earth? Or will someone get caught in the crossfire?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EXCERPT
I’d forgotten the execution of revenge always brings a reckoning. Revenge was the reason for my predicament. I’d told myself I was following my destiny to save the humans, but that was a lie. In truth, I’d wanted to get even with the leaders of our world for murdering my father.
I choked back a sob as I fought the despair threatening to overwhelm me. I needed to save my little sister, Maisy, but I was trapped, unable to get to her. She and the other mixed-blood children with her depended on me to protect them from the humans and the Supernaturals and instead I was deep in the bowels of the Void. It was a triple D place to be. Dark. Dank. Dangerous.
The cold, dark, stone walls of this Supernatural prison were designed to absorb our power. Robbed of our abilities, we were as weak as the humans.
Careful to avoid the loose rocks dotting the ground all around me, I struggled to my feet, worry over my sister’s safety driving me to move my aching body. Shut down the fear. Shut down the pain. Do whatever it takes to get out.
A noise to the left caught my ear.
Riley moved haltingly toward me. Even in blue jeans and a T-shirt, his royal bearing was unmistakable. He drew his arm tight against his body as he favored his ribs. Failure and guilt struck again, smacking me in the face. He’d had to save me and I hated that. Hated leaning on him when I knew what I would be called on to do to him. Falling in love with Riley wasn’t logical, but when does the heart ever listen to logic? It simply looks into the eyes of the other person, into their soul, and falls. The idea that once he knew my secret he might not ever forgive me, much less love me back, chilled me to the bone. Could I handle seeing the love disappear from his eyes?
The tip of his black Converse caught on a rock and he pitched forward, throwing his hands out to catch himself. The muscles in his arms flexed and he rested his forehead against the wall for a second, shaking his head as if dazed, which I didn’t doubt he was. The fall into the opening from the castle above us was a neck breaker. We’d been lucky to live through it.
Riley had risked his life and given up his freedom for me. By jumping into the Void with me in his arms, he’d found a way to stop my own power from killing me.
I made a sound that was half laugh, half sob as a conversation with my late father popped into my thoughts. Use your power for good. Remember your purpose, Juliet.
Sure, Dad, but what good is having power when it comes with a nasty side effect like death? I didn’t have an autonomic fail-safe to govern the temperature of my power like all the other Supernaturals did. Every time I used my power, I risked being barbecued from the inside out. When my last manmade fail-safe blew, I’d almost died and Riley had saved me then too.
I blinked back tears and smiled when Riley reached me. Putting my hand on his side, I checked the area he’d favored, and my hand trembled as I remembered the intimacies we’d shared.
“I’m okay,” he said. I knew the words for the lie they were. He was far from okay physically and emotionally. His handsome face was covered in bruises, his skin scraped raw in places. Wounds caused when his own father had tried to kill him. Riley reached for my hand, faking a smile. Even in his battered state, he was still incredibly hold-my-breath hot, making me forget everything I wanted to say at that moment.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Sonya Weiss is a freelance writer, ghostwriter, and author, including the Stealing the Heart series with Entangled Publishing. She's addicted to great books, good movies, and Italian chocolates. She's passionate about causes that support abused animals and children. Her parents always supported her bringing stray animals home, although the Great Dane rescue was a surprise. Visit her site at sonyaweiss.com, find her on Facebook at facebook.com/AuthorSonyaWeiss and follow her on Twitter at twitter.com/sonyaweiss.
BUY LINKS FOR RECKONING:
 amazonkindle, http://www.amazon.com/s/?field-keywor..., http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/isbn9..., https://play.google.com/store/search?..., http://www.kobobooks.com/search/searc...  http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/97816...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE

The authors will be awarding digital copies of all books on the tour to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway




Wicked Burnby Rebecca Zanetti
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GENRE:  Paranormal Romance
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:

Simone Brightston knows she can beat the rap her enemies are pinning on her. An Irish witch is nobody's fool, and she didn't get to her position on the high council without serious power. But her cousins want her to hide out—and they somehow convinced her arch nemesis to play getaway driver.
Of all the men she's known, Nikolaj Veis is the hardest to intimidate. With his demon-dark eyes and his inscrutable beauty, he's as desirable as he is dangerous. And he knows better than to underestimate Simone. So when he pulls up on a roaring bike and tells her to climb on or fight it out, she grabs a handful of jacket and holds on tight. Running from the law may not be the smartest plan. But when it comes to Nick, hot pursuit and a blazing fast ride are exactly what Simone's looking for . 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EXCERPT
The helicopter maneuvered gracefully through the buildings, keeping above him, tracking easily.
Honking cars and screeching brakes pierced the day behind him as the SUVs kept pace.
“Pull over,” Simone hissed into his ear. “We can’t outrun them.” No, but perhaps they could get to safety of a sort. Even the Guard wouldn’t risk a full immortal fight with human witnesses. So he kept driving, avoiding a wreck, knowing full well the risk he took. The skyscrapers turned to three-story buildings. Then homes. Finally, trees began lining both sides of the road and filling the air with the scent of pine.
“Where are you going?” Simone whispered against his ear, her breath hot.
A shiver wound through his body to his groin. Jesus. He was about to take on a cadre of witches, and his cock wanted to play? Simone Brightston had always destroyed his system. It was a relief to know that she still could. In his darkest moments, he’d wondered whether he’d ever find his way back to warmth. “I have a cabin prepared for you.” At least then, they’d have a chance. The roar of pipes echoed through the trees, and within seconds, men on careening Harleys and dirt bikes surrounded them. Nick hunched over the bike. “Hold on,” he yelled.
Her thighs tightened on his, and she slipped both arms around his waist to hug tight.
Two men moved in on either side of them, and he smelled shifter. What the hell? Turning, he eyed the closest threat. Lucas Bryant? A grizzly bear lieutenant? What the fuck?
Lucas narrowed his dark eyes and jerked his head toward the rider on the other side.
Nick glanced the other way to see another man draw a gun from his jeans. The shifter smiled.
Nick shook his head.
The shifter lowered the gun toward Nick’s front tire. Damn it. Nick leaned to the left and kicked out with his right leg, hitting the guy in the ribs. The male’s eyes widened, and he flew off his bike with an animalistic bellow, his bike dropping and spinning around in his wake.
Nick yanked to the side, swerved to avoid the shifter’s head, and drove straight into the forest.
Simone screamed and tucked her face against his neck, her hold tightening until his ribs protested.
Branches whipped into them, and the bike skidded on wet pine needles. Instinct guided him as much as his enhanced senses, but he didn’t know these woods. The bear shifters careening through the trees in his wake certainly did.
His only hope was to outrun them and find shelter. The Guard’s helicopter was visible through the treetops, but at least he’d lost the SUVs.
The bike hit a patch of tree roots and shot up in the air. He held tight and corrected when they came down, jerking the handlebars before opening the throttle again. The trees thickened, providing cover but less visibility.
“Where are you going?” Simone yelled into his neck.
There were more weapons at his cabin, if he could just outrun the shifters. He turned right, barely missing a sapling, and then snapped around another tree. Branches scraped his cheek, and his left eye watered, so he used his right.
Lucas Bryant flew out of a bunch of cottonwoods, his bike in the air and his gun already firing.
Nick tried to jerk away, but a bullet sliced into his front tire. The explosion was deafening.
Panic swept him. They pitched into the air. He turned, enfolded Simone, and wrapped himself around her as much as possible, protecting her head with his arms. They flew through the forest, hitting trees and branches.
Pain exploded through his back.
His head impacted with a tree, and stars flashed behind his closed lids.
Something shattered in his shoulder a second before agony ripped through his neck. Simone’s screams echoed in his head, gravity took over, and his skull cracked.

Unconsciousness took him before he felt the ground.



AUTHOR Bio and Links:

New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author Rebecca Zanetti has worked as an art curator, Senate aide, lawyer, college professor, and a hearing examiner - only to culminate it all in stories about Alpha males and the women who claim them. She writes contemporary romances, dark paranormal romances, and romantic suspense novels.
Growing up amid the glorious backdrops and winter wonderlands of the Pacific Northwest has given Rebecca fantastic scenery and adventures to weave into her stories. She resides in the wild north with her husband, children, and extended family who inspire her every day—or at the very least give her plenty of characters to write about.
http://rebeccazanetti.com/http://www....
Buy links:
WICKED BURN: amazonkindle, http://www.amazon.com/s/?field-keywor..., http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/isbn9..., https://play.google.com/store/search?... Kobo, http://www.kobobooks.com/search/searc... http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/97816...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE
The authors will be awarding digital copies of all books on the tour to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

First Chapter of Big, Black and Beautiful

Big, Black and Beautiful
Chapter 1
Tony
“Open up the door!” Tony waited about a minute, his patience wearing thin. He knew Shelly was inside, and he was pissed at her for making him come all this way. If she’d just answered the phone like a normal person he’d still be home in bed, getting laid by the hot chick he’d met at the bar. “Damnit, Shelly! Open the door before I break a window! I know you’re in there!”
“Go away!”
He could tell by the sound of her voice that she’d been crying. “No. Now open the door. I want to make sure you’re okay.”
“I’m okay.”
“Then why didn’t you answer your damn phone? I’ve been calling all day.”
Silence, before she said in a reluctant, slightly apologetic tone, “I turned my phone off.”
“Yeah, I figured that out after about a dozen tries.” Tony leaned against the door, frustrated and tired as hell. As soon as he’d found out that she and Peter had broken up he’d been trying to get a hold of her. As far as he was concerned she could do a hell of a lot better than a pretty-boy accountant who wore a different color sweater vest every day of the week.
Sweater vests for Christ’s sakes.
Ever since Tony’s best friend, and Shelly’s brother, Steve, had asked him to look out for her while he was in Iraq, he’d become her stalker. Well, not exactly a stalker, but Tony had taken Steve’s request seriously. He’d kept close tabs on her.
“Come on, honey.” Tony decided to try a different tactic since his He-Man attitude didn’t seem to be working. “Let me in. I have to pee.”
“Go behind a bush,” was Shelly’s response. 
“Damnit, Shelly!” So much for that, Tony’s anger was simmering too close to the surface for him to hold it back. “I didn’t come all the way here to talk to you through a door.”
“You shouldn’t have come here at all. I’m a big girl, Anthony. My brother had no right to ask you to babysit me.”
Tony released a harsh breath and leaned his forehead against the door. She knew that he hated when people used his full name. “I swear to God, if you don’t open this fucking door—” He heard the click that indicated that Shelly had unlocked it, but he knew she wouldn’t open it, she was just that stubborn. By the time he opened the door, Shelly was walking away from him.
“Come on in Mr. Big, Black and Beautiful,” she said in that teasing tone she used whenever she called him that.
Tony’s gaze automatically fell to her ass, admiring the way the soft roundness filled out the sweats she was wearing. Shit, don’t go there, man. She’s off limits. He closed and locked the door.
“See?” Shelly tossed over her shoulder, the wild waterfall of her thick, auburn curls bouncing with the movement of her head. God, she had great hair. “I’m okay.”
Tony could tell by her tone that she wasn’t. He caught up to her and reached for her arm. “No, you’re not.” He forced her around to face him, his gaze dropping to what she had in her hands. “Oh, hell no, you’re not doing this, baby.” He reached for the quart of ice cream, noticing that it was half gone. “You’ll regret this in the morning.”
“How do you know?” Shelly asked as they as they went back and forth, each trying to take control of the container.
“Because I know you.” It was true. Tony and Steve had grown up as best friends, and had spent a lot of time at each other’s houses. Shelly was only three years younger than them, but she’d always been around when he was at their home. Over the years he’d seen a lot, including that she always seemed to pick the wrong men.
“You think you know me, but what you don’t know would surprise you.” She finally gave up and let him take the ice cream away from her. For a moment they stood silently staring at one another.
In that quiet moment Tony let himself take in all of Shelly. He’d first met her when she was a cute, chubby ten-year-old. Over the years that baby-fat had redistributed into one sexy, curvy woman that took his breath away and tested his libido. It was getting harder and harder to keep his attraction for her a secret, like right now, when all he wanted to do was kiss those soft, full lips pouting up at him. But that wasn’t all that Tony wanted to do to Shelly, and that was the problem.
In the face of her quiet anger he picked up the spoon and took a big bite of the ice cream, hoping to take his mind off Shelly as a desirable woman and get it back on track. She was his best friend’s little sister, and was therefore off limits. His attempt at lightening up the situation backfired though, when his mouth closed over the ice cream and her gaze dropped to his lips. She licked her lips, turning the situation into something hot and intimate between them.
Damn! This was not a feeling Tony wanted right now because he was barely holding on by a thread, his cock letting him know that it wanted inside her delectable pussy. He moved around Shelly to put the ice cream in the freezer, aware that she was close behind him. By the time he turned back to her she was standing with her hands on her hips.
Fuck! His cock jerked. Bad move for Shelly. Her challenging position pulled the thin material of her short top tight across her large breasts, which Tony noticed were braless. A strip of bare silky flesh was exposed where her top had ridden up, and the sight of her pierced belly button was the sexiest thing he’d ever seen.
Right before his eyes her nipples were hardening, and he thought that it was only fair, since his dick had done the same damned thing right before her watchful gaze. He hoped Shelly didn’t notice, took a deep breath, and tried for nonchalance. 
“You want to talk about it?”
Something changed in her eyes, a flash of disappointment that was extinguished by a stronger emotion, like anger. “Go to hell!” She swung around and stomped off toward the living room. 
Tony held back a grin. “By the looks of you you’re already there.” She plopped herself down on the couch. He thought it was safer if he took the chair opposite her. He sat on the edge and leaned forward, letting his clasped hands dangle between his knees.
Shelly shrugged. “It’s the same old story,” she admitted in a low voice.
“Well, since I don’t know what the old story is, care to enlighten me?” Fuck, why did she have to be so appealing? He decided he would get the story, give her the comfort and support she needed, and then get the hell out of there as fast as he could.
Her pretty eyes narrowed, shooting shards of green glass at him. “No, you’re not my keeper, Tony. You’re barely even a friend,” she finished with a whisper.
He narrowed his eyes on her, angry at her comment, and angrier still at what he was pretty certain was a handprint bruise on her arm. Tony was used to Shelly’s bluntness, she was a lot like her brother in that respect, but the thought of a man putting his hands on her in anger far outweighed his need to sympathize and comfort her during another breakup.
“Did he put his fucking hands on you?” His brows came together as he scowled.
Shelly surprised him by laughing out loud. “A man usually does when we’re fucking.”
Oh, hell no, she didn’t go there! The visual her words created weren’t something that Tony needed, because in his mind Shelly was talking about him. He was the one fucking her sweet body. He’d been fighting his need for her for years, fighting to keep his distance, using other women to fuck her out of his thoughts. Tony wondered what he’d done in life to deserve the kind of torture he was going through by desiring a woman he couldn’t have.
It suddenly occurred to him that Shelly’s time was running out. He’d had a hard-on for her since she turned twenty and he’d come home from a stint in Afghanistan to find a woman in place of the girl he’d left. If Steve knew that Tony had the hots for his sister he would have never asked him to watch over her.
“That’s not what I meant,” he practically barked the words out. “Did Peter hurt you? Did he put his fucking hands on you in anger?” She glanced away, but there was no denying the slight color staining her cheeks. By the time she returned his gaze Tony had seen enough to draw his own conclusions. He jumped to his feet. “I’ll kill him!”
Shelly jumped up too, surprise on her face at his outburst. “What? Don’t be crazy, it’s over.”
“No man puts his hands on you in anger,” Tony snarled, looking down at her. What he really wanted to say was that no man put his hands on her, period, only he didn’t have that right. God, he had to get the hell out of there before he caved and showed her the side that he kept hidden from her.
The man who wanted her in every fucking way.
“What about in lust?” Shelly asked, touching Tony’s arm as if to calm him down. “Is it okay to leave marks during rough sex?”
“What the fuck?” He scowled down at her, trying to ignore the way his dick was pounding away behind the zipper of his jeans. Was she purposely baiting him? He was still angry, though it was for a different reason now. He had to make a quick exit before things got out of hand. Maybe it wasn’t too late to go back to the bar and find someone to spend the night with him. Tony needed an outlet, needed to get laid, and bad. And if he didn’t get away from Shelly soon…
He turned to leave, rushing toward the door with a desperation that unnerved him.
“Where are you going?” Shelly was right behind him.
“Look, I just came over to make sure you were okay. Next time answer your damn phone and save me a trip.”
“You know what I’ve noticed about you, Tony?” The sudden softness of her tone should have warned him.  “That you always run away when the conversation between us turns to sex.”
“Yeah, well, you just reminded me that I left a hot piece waiting for me back in my bed.” He hadn’t really, but she didn’t have to know that.
She was like a vicious dog after a bone. “Really? Do you leave marks on her when you’re fucking her?”
Shit! What is Shelly playing at? This wasn’t like her at all. Tony reached for the door handle, ignoring the volcanic heat rushing through his system. His dick was hard as stone and trying to unzip his jeans on its own. He opened the door with every intention of getting into his car and getting out of there as fast as he could and not looking back.
“You want to know something?”
Her seductive, slightly challenging tone caused Tony to pause from leaving, but he didn’t turn around. If he looked into her eyes he’d be lost, because there was something else in her tone, an emotion that turned her words hoarse with need. A deaf man would be able to hear the hunger in her next words.
“I broke it off with Peter because he wasn’t you.”

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