Lolita Lopez's Blog, page 3

Vote for Vicious and Menace!

Grabbed by Vicious and Caught by Menace are up for two different awards at S&M’s Book Obsessions. The first annual Lady Boner awards (LOL) are happening right now and you can vote for my big sexy sky warriors to win their categories! There are tons of other great categories and some fantastic books that have been nominated. One voter will win a vibrator (hot!), the 12 winning ebooks and a Kindle Fire!

 

Caught by Menace is up for Best Alien/SciFi Abduction.

 

Grabbed by Vicious is up for Be My Master, I’ll Be Your Slave.

Don’t forget! One voter will win a vibrator (hot!), the 12 winning ebooks and a Kindle Fire! So hop over to S&M’s Book Obsessions and vote!

Caught by Menace–ARe Staff Pick and S&M’s Book Obsessions Giveaway

Got back from a quick getaway with kiddo and the Great Dane late last night and am trying to catch up on email and Facebook. If you’ve sent me a message, I’ll get back to you ASAP. Also–if you’re ever tempted to travel 6 hours across Texas to visit family with a Great Dane and a preschooler all by your lonesome–don’t! Or bring reinforcements! But never let it be said I wasn’t adventurous in this life!

Some quick news and links for Grabbed By Vicious and Caught By Menace:

 

Mistress L at S&M’s Book Obsessions reviewed Grabbed By Vicious and is holding a giveaway here.

 

Caught By Menace is an ARe Bestseller and a staff pick!

 

Caught By Menace–#1 SciFi Romance and #5 Erotica Bestseller on Amazon!

 

I’m so freakin’ thrilled to be able to share these screen grabs of Menace taking the number one spot on Amazon’s SciFi Romance list and the number five spot on the erotica list. Huge thank you to all the readers who have enjoyed Menace and Naya’s story. I can’t wait to get Venom’s story (Grabbed #3) out to you.

 

 

New Release: NIKOLAI (Her Russian Protector #4)

The other me, Roxie Rivera, has a new steamy romantic suspense out this week!

You can find NIKOLAI at Amazon, B&N, All Romance eBooks, Kobo and Smashwords . It take s a little longer for Apple to approve books so as soon as those links are live I’ll update the main Her Russian Protector page. If you’re interested in a print book, I expect to have the book proofed by the middle of next week so it should be available by the first week of July.

One of the main questions I get about the Her Russian Protector series is this:  Are there going to be more books?! And the answer is:  Yes!

Sergei, Kostya and Danny will definitely be getting their own books in the near future. I want to get Sergei’s book out sometime this fall, probably between the Fighting Connolly books. You know, in a perfect world.   I think Eric Santos deserves a happy ever after, too.

I’m also on the fence about whether or not this book is really the end of Nikolai and Vee’s story. Yes, the book ends with a complete wrap-up of their arc. (No crazy cliffhangers here!) But I feel like their story may just be beginning. I could do short stories like I’m writing for the other couples…but Vivi and Nikolai are pretty intense and 5,000 words here or there might not be enough. So–we’ll see!

Don’t forget! You can read the first four chapters of NIKOLAI here, here, here and here.

And I’m still on tour with YURI and NIKOLAI and there’s a giveaway of the first four books signed in print.

**Book 4 in the Her Russian Protector series**

After a brush with death as a juvenile delinquent, Vivian swore she’d never stray across that line again—but there’s just one problem with her plan to stay on the right side of the law. She’s completely, irrevocably and unabashedly in love with Nikolai, the Russian mob boss who saved her life.

From the moment Vivian appeared in his life on that tragic April night, Nikolai felt himself inextricably bonded to her. She’s the bright light in his dark world and the only thing that keeps him from sliding deeper into a life of crime and violence—a mobbed-up life he can’t escape no matter how hard he tries.

After Vivian is ripped from his arms in a brazen blitz attack, Nikolai will stop at nothing to get her back—but rescuing her and keeping her safe in his arms isn’t enough. Suddenly, Nikolai’s only chance to keep her safe is to do the one thing he vowed never to do—he’ll drag her deeper into his shadowy world and bind her to him forever.

Because their tangled pasts are about to collide and the shockwave threatens to bring Houston’s criminal underbelly to its knees…

*NIKOLAI is 87,000 words/325+ pages long*

Available now at Amazon, B&N, All Romance eBooks, Kobo and Smashwords.

New Release: Caught By Menace (Grabbed #2) #scifi #bdsm

 

Caught By Menace (Grabbed #2) released on Friday! The book is available at Amazon, Ellora’s Cave and All Romance eBooks. When it’s available at B&N and Kobo, I’ll drop the links here, Facebook and my website. I know how annoying it is to hunt for links when you want to read a book right now so I’ll make it as easy as possible!

The next book in the Grabbed series is Venom’s story. I’ll be turning that book into my editor by the end of July so I’d expect Ellora’s Cave will put it on the release schedule sometime in early fall. As soon as I know, I’ll let you know! Make sure to follow me here or Facebook or sign up for my newsletter to get info and updates on new releases, free reads, swag, giveaways, etc.

 

Caught By Menace

 

Menace’s plan to catch a sweet, docile woman is shot to hell when he’s tackled by a dark-haired beauty who wants to save her friend from being Grabbed. Refusing to leave the planet’s surface empty handed, Menace claims the spitfire with his collar.

Naya clawed her way off the streets of Connor’s Run and vowed to never let any man have control over her. She plans to make Menace so miserable he’ll set her free but the ruggedly sexy warrior disarms her with his unexpected patience and kindness.

Against her better judgment, Naya surrenders to Menace’s masterful hands and mouth. Submitting to her new husband brings her more pleasure and happiness than she’d ever imagined possible. For the first time in her life, she willingly trusts a man to protect her.

But when Naya’s past misdeeds catch up with her, the depth and strength of their feelings are put to the test. Determined to prove he’s worthy of her trust, Menace will stop at nothing to save her.

Inside Scoop: Our heroine learns to love every decadent delight the hero offers, including BDSM play and a sizzling M/F/M ménage.

 

Available now at Amazon, Ellora’s Cave and All Romance eBooks.

You can read excerpts and teasers here, here and here.

 

Caught By Menace Sneak Peek #3 #Grabbed #sexy #scifi

 

Caught By Menace, the second book in the scorching hot scifi erotic romance Grabbed series, releases this Friday, June 21! As links go live on Amazon, B&N, All Romance eBooks and Ellora’s Cave, I’ll make them available here, on my website, on Facebook and Twitter. I know what a pain it is to have to hunt down a link for a book you want to read, like, right now so I’ll make it as easy as possible to find them.

I’ve offered two sneak peeks of this book here and here. This sexy little scene is the follow up to the second sneak peek from last week, just in case you want to, you know, reread it as a refresher…

 

Excerpt #3

 

Mouth dry, Naya licked her lips and stared right back at Menace. Was he serious? He looked deadly serious. Emphasis on the deadly. She marveled at his thickly corded arms and ridiculously broad chest. With his gray undershirt stretched across his muscled form, he looked a little less intimidating. She noticed the heavy tattoos running from the edge of his neck to his wrist but only on the right side. The long stretch of tanned skin on his left remained unmarked.

“Naya?” he prompted gently and took the flogger from her hand. “What do you say?”

She considered his dare. Multiple orgasms? Surely that couldn’t be true. She had a hard enough time finding one climax on her own and had never been able to find one with a partner. Of course, she’d never had a partner as dangerously sexy as this man. Menace scared her with his hulking size and fierce features, but he exuded such raw sexuality. If any man in the universe could coax two orgasms out of her, it was probably this one.

To be at his mercy terrified her. Could she really trust a man she’d known less than a day to make love to her? She examined his honest face. He’d promised he would never hurt her and she believed him. The way he’d taken down those canes was proof enough of his desire to be good to her. The cynic in her screamed that it was all for show, but she didn’t believe that. He’d come in here with a white flag of surrender. That had to count for something.

Her gaze jumped to the cold metal table where his hand rested. She shook her head. “Not there.”

His eyes widened slightly. He seemed just as surprised by her acceptance of his offer as she was in giving it. Was she really going to do this? Was she really going to let this stranger touch her?

“All right.” Menace gestured around the room. “Pick a spot that seems comfortable.”

Gulping nervously, Naya gripped the tough fabric of the uniform shirt covering her nakedness and scanned the room. She spotted a black couch-like contraption against the other wall. It had a curved shape, the sleek fabric gently sloping and rolling like an S. It looked comfortable enough and as close to a bed as she was going to get. “What about that?”

Menace followed her pointing finger. “I think that’s a perfect choice. Come with me.”

She gazed at his outstretched hand. Asking her to come with him seemed a huge improvement over being Grabbed and tossed over his shoulder. She gathered her courage and placed her hand in his. She gripped his fingers. “Don’t make me regret trusting you.”

His lips twitched in a smile. “Never.”

Naya let him tug her along beside him. When they reached the big curving couch, he dropped her hand and moved to one of the cabinets lining the wall. He dropped the flogger with the wide, soft strands onto the countertop. He opened a bottom door and retrieved a wedge-shaped cushion that he placed in the lowest curve of the couch.

“To support your back,” he explained. “You Calyx women are a lot smaller than our women. So many of our supplies are made with them in mind but the manufacturers are starting to add supplements like these to make them work for your kind.”

Naya anxiously nibbled on her thumb. She’d just noticed the numerous loops adorning the edges of the odd furniture piece. There was only one reason for them and it wasn’t decorative. “Are you going to cuff me again?”

“Why do you sound so worried? You still have that hairpin, right?” Menace glanced at her and smiled as he secured the extra cushion in place. “Do you want me to cuff you?”

She shook her head and pinched the pin between her fingertips. “No.”

“Why not?”

She blinked. “Because it’s weird.”

He frowned at her and gestured for her to hand over the hairpin. She hesitated before giving it to him. He slipped it into his pocket. “Weird? That’s not very helpful. Do you mean uncomfortable? Do you mean frightening?”

“All three,” she replied. “It’s weird that a grown man wants to cuff a woman and restrain her for sex. Where I come from, men restrain women so they can hurt them. It’s as simple as that.”

“But what if I ask for your permission to restrain you and I promise not to hurt you?”

She couldn’t help but laugh. “Are you trying to negotiate with me? You realize that I ran one of the most successful shops in Connor’s Run, right? You can’t beat me when it comes to negotiation.”

Menace looked surprised. “I didn’t know that you were a businesswoman.”

“You didn’t ask.”

He had the decency to look chagrined. “You’re right. What did you sell?”

“Everything and anything I could make a profit on, but my main business was pawning.”

“That’s loaning money, right?”

She nodded. “A customer brings in something of value and asks for a loan. I keep the item until they repay the loan plus a small amount of interest. If they don’t come back for the item, I sell it in my shop. Simple. Easy. Uncomplicated.”

“Were you very wealthy?”

Naya laughed. “Hardly.”

“But you said your business was successful.”

“It was, but the only way to get wealthy on Calyx is to deal dirty and do people wrong. That’s not my style. No, I ran a clean shop and treated my customers right. I earned a comfortable living.”

“What happened to your shop?”

“I sold it the morning they announced the lottery results and had the money transferred to a bank in the city. A friend of mine will transfer it to the colonies in a week’s time.”

His eyebrows arched. “You must really trust this friend to give him complete control of your funds.”

“I do.”

“More than me?”

She eyed him carefully. “You’re not my friend.”

“I could be,” Menace countered. “I could be more than your friend.”

More than her friend? Her lover? Her confidant? Her support system? She doubted any man would ever be able to be all of those things to her. “You’re my captor. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.”

Menace grunted in annoyance. “I thought we were past that.”

“How about we go back to your planet and I’ll hunt you down and take you back to Calyx where you’ll be my property. Let’s see how quickly you get beyond that.”

“Fair enough,” he finally conceded. “But we are together now. You’re mine. That collar around your neck makes us mates.”

Naya fingered the offensive circle of white leather. Rather glumly, she said, “Not exactly a silver wedding band, is it?”

Menace instantly perked up. “Would you like one? If it would make things easier between us, I’ll get two in the morning and find someone to perform a ceremony.”

His enthusiastic response shocked her. She hurriedly shot him down. “No, I don’t want to get married.”

His face fell. “I see.”

Seeing the hurt etched on his face made her ache. “No, I don’t think you do. Marriage is forever. It’s a real commitment.”

“I made a real commitment to you the moment I put that collar around your neck.”

“We must have different ideas of what commitment means. Where I come from, it means love and affection and dating and laughter and all that wonderful stuff.” Judging by the look on his face, she was only making things worse by pointing out everything they didn’t share. “Look, I’m sure you’re a nice guy, but I don’t plan to stick around here.”

“Are we back to that? To threats of escape?” He shook his head. “It’s a foolish dream, Naya. No one ever escapes. Ever.” He reached out and grasped her hand. His fingers brushed the raised bump along her wrist where they’d implanted one of their damn ID chips. “You’re being tracked around the clock. You’re on restrictions until I give word to security. You can’t even get out of this room.”

His words circled round and round in her head. The ominous threat left her sick and cold. She snatched her hand away and turned her back on him. “You’re a real miserable bastard, you know that?”

A long, painful moment of silence stretched between them. When Menace’s hands touched her shoulders, she flinched. Dwarfed by his big, hard frame, she couldn’t run. Maybe she didn’t want to run. It was maddening, really. One moment she wanted to bop him right in the nose for being so infuriating. The next she wanted to fall back against him and enjoy the strength of his arms holding her tight.

Menace gently kneaded her tight shoulders, his powerful hands easily manipulating her sore muscles. His body heat penetrated the fabric of the uniform shirt she wore and soothed her raw nerves. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.”

“It’s the truth.”

“It is, but now you think I’m a controlling jerk.”

“To be fair, I thought that before you told me about the chip implanted in my wrist.”

He snorted with amusement. “Thanks.”

A white-hot frisson pierced her core as his thumb stroked the side of her neck. Trying to ignore the wonderful sensation he caused, she asked, “Why are you so intent on keeping me? Why not let me go and try again at the next Grab?”

“I want you. I’m keeping you.”

Recalling his ugly remark in the forest, she wondered aloud, “Even though I’m just the consolation prize?”

His hands stilled on her shoulders. With one swift step, he moved in front of her. Hands cupping her face, Menace gazed down at her, his expression one of concern. “Naya, do you think I meant that?”

“You said it,” she snapped back. “I learned a long time ago to believe what people tell you, even if it’s said jokingly.”

“Naya, I was joking. I was smiling when I said it.”

“Yeah, well, I couldn’t exactly see your face, could I?” she grumbled unhappily. “You’d thrown me over your shoulder, remember?”

“Yes.” He exhaled roughly and wiped a hand down his face. “I can’t seem to get anything right with you.”

Naya noticed the vulnerability in his expression. The depth of his remorse left her questioning everything she’d believed about this man and his culture. Sure, he’d Grabbed her, gagged and restrained her in flight and cuffed her to a chair in this torture chamber, but he hadn’t shown her any violence, not even when she’d struck him first. She’d been rude and nasty and had verbally abused him so badly his fellow soldiers had been laughing openly—and still he hadn’t raised his voice with her.

It occurred to her that maybe she was the one who had everything wrong. All along she had considered escaping to the colonies was the ultimate goal in her life, that only in Jesco or Safe Harbor could she find happiness. What if she’d been wrong? What if Danny’s tale of the Artist who was Grabbed living a life of luxury and happiness was true? What if this was her chance?

Fingers trembling, she placed a hand on Menace’s chest. His pale eyes flashed with uncertainty. Considering how badly she had behaved, he probably thought she was going to strike him or try to shove him backward to flee. She held his gaze and rose on tiptoes to kiss him. He was still much too tall for her to reach his mouth but he got the message and dipped his head.

Their lips finally touched. The bright burst of bliss filled her chest with such warmth. For the first time since meeting Menace, she relaxed completely. His lips were softer than she’d expected and moved gently across hers. She put her other hand on his chest and gripped the thin fabric of his undershirt. His scent, completely natural and unadorned, filled her nose. He smelled of man and soap and nothing else.

As if he feared spooking her, Menace cautiously placed his hands on her neck and face. He caressed her skin with his callused fingers. The rough sensation of his fingertips gliding over her neck and cheek ignited her desire. She couldn’t remember ever being this aroused by a man. Maybe it was the danger of the unknown or the primal maleness of Menace, but she practically vibrated with lust.

His tongue stabbed between her lips. She welcomed the invasion with a swipe of her own. His heavy breaths fanned her face. Their tongues dueled, but Naya quickly realized this was a battle she wasn’t going to win. She didn’t want to win it. For the first time in her life, she wanted to give up control.

“Menace…” She breathed his name as need gripped her.

“Tell me I can have you,” he instructed, his voice husky. “Give me permission to have you, Naya.”

She didn’t think twice. “Yes.”

 

 

On Tour with Yuri and Nikolai (Her Russian Protector #3 & #4)

The other me, Roxie Rivera, is on tour 6/17-6/30 with YURI and NIKOLAI, books three and four in the Her Russian Protector series. I’ll be visiting a lot of great reader and reviewer blogs doing interviews and guest posts and the like. There’s also a giveaway–a signed set of the first four print books in this series plus a tote bag and swag and two runners up will get a signed copy of IVAN plus swag.

NIKOLAI will be out Monday, June 24, and the first three chapters are available here, here and here with the fourth chapter coming this Friday.

Here are the stops I’ll be making:

6/17- Books, Books & More Books (series spotlight & review)
http://booksbooksmorebooks.blogspot.com/


6/17- Reading Between The Wines (guest post)
http://www.readingbetweenthewinesbookclub.com/


6/18- Nina’s Literary Escape (series spotlight)
http://ninasliteraryescape.blogspot.com/


6/18 Flirting with Romance (interview)
http://flirtingwithromance.blogspot.com/


6/20- The Reading Café (series spotlight & review)
http://thereadingcafe.com/


6/20- United by Books (interview)
http://unitedbybooks.blogspot.com/


6/21- Book Monster Reviews (guest post)
http://www.bookmonsterreviews.com/


6/22- Night Owl Reviews (series spotlight & review)
http://www.nightowlreviews.com/v5/Blog/Articles/Roxie-Riveras-Her-Russian-Protectors-Series-Continues


6/23- Romance Junkies (series spotlight & review)
http://www.romancejunkies.com/rjblog/


6/24- My Reading Obsession (series spotlight & review)
http://4myreadingobsession.blogspot.com/


6/25- Offbeat Vagabond (series spotlight & review)
http://offbeatvagabond.blogspot.com/


6/26- Cocktails and Books (series spotlight)
http://www.cocktailsandbooks.com/


6/27- Salacious Reads (series spotlight)
http://www.salaciousreads.com/


6/27- Riverina Romantics (guest post)
http://riverinaromantics.blogspot.com/


6/29- Book Lovin Mamas (guest post)
http://booklovinmamas.blogspot.com/

Summer Seduction Blog Hop Sign Up with @SilkenSheets

 

The group blog I belong to–Silken Sheets and Seduction–is doing a blog hop in August to celebrate the sexy days of summer! If you want to join the hop, click here and add your blog. If you’re an author, you can toss in a book to our digital giveaway.

 

If you’re a reader, get ready to enter for a chance to win some seriously fabulous prizes! My alter ego, Roxie Rivera, will be giving away a full set of the Her Russian Protector print books (hotness!) and I’ll be giving away…well…I’m not quite sure yet. But it will be awesome.

 

 

Caught By Menace Sneak Peek #2 #Grabbed #sexy #scifi

 

Caught By Menace, the second book in my wickedly hot scifi romance GRABBED series, releases from Ellora’s Cave on June 21, 2013. I posted the first sneak peek last week. You can read it here. And now for sneak peek #2!

 

Blurb

Menace’s plan to catch a sweet, docile woman is shot to hell when he’s tackled by a dark-haired beauty who wants to save her friend from being Grabbed. Refusing to leave the planet’s surface empty handed, Menace claims the spitfire with his collar.

Naya clawed her way off the streets of Connor’s Run and vowed to never let any man have control over her. She plans to make Menace so miserable he’ll set her free but the ruggedly sexy warrior disarms her with his unexpected patience and kindness.

Against her better judgment, Naya surrenders to Menace’s masterful hands and mouth. Submitting to her new husband brings her more pleasure and happiness than she’d ever imagined possible. For the first time in her life, she willingly trusts a man to protect her.

But when Naya’s past misdeeds catch up with her, the depth and strength of their feelings are put to the test. Determined to prove he’s worthy of her trust, Menace will stop at nothing to save her.

Inside Scoop: Our heroine learns to love every decadent delight the hero offers, including BDSM play and a sizzling M/F/M ménage.

 

Excerpt

 

Nearing the door to his playroom, Menace realized Naya was being awfully quiet. The fine hairs on the back of his neck stood on edge. He tapped the door frame, activating the mechanism that pulled it wide open, and stepped into the room. The sight that greeted him left his mouth gaping wide open. “How the hell did you get loose?”

“Oh, nice of you to come check on me now!’ She shot an angry glare his way. With one ankle still cuffed to the chair where he’d placed her after her shower, Naya frantically worked to pick the lock. “What if I’d passed out chained to this chair?”

“There are sensors in the cuffs. They measure your pulse and respiratory rate. If you’d been in any distress, I would have been alerted.” Menace shook himself from the stupor of finding her nearly free. “How the hell—”

“For a soldier, you’re really bad at frisking.” She stuck out her tongue at him. “Always check the cheek, Menace. You’d be surprised how easy it to hide something like, oh, a hairpin, in there.”

He remembered the small black pins she’d been wearing in her hair during the Grab. He’d been sure he’d taken them all when he’d pushed her into the bathroom for her shower. Apparently he’d been wrong.

In a flash, she worked the final cuff free and jumped to her feet. She raised her hands as if prepared to fight him. “Get back, Menace!”

“Or what?” He laughed and shut the door. He pressed his thumb to the keypad there, activating the biometric lock. “You’ll stab me with a hairpin?”

She glared at him, her dark eyes flashing with such intense hatred. “Don’t tempt me.” She snatched up the chair and wielded it like a bat. “Maybe I’ll knock you upside the head with a chair. How does that sound?”

“Like first-degree assault,” he muttered.

“Exactly! Now get my clothes and get the hell out of my way.”

Menace let his interested gaze rake her naked form. His cock instantly responded to the sight of so much silky brown flesh. The memory of her struggling beneath him in the forest sent heat rolling through his stomach. So small and hot, her body had instantly called to him. The sight of her naked skin made his heart race.

Her perky breasts heaved with every shallow breath. Her nipples had drawn tight to dusky peaks. Not from arousal, of course. Fear. Cold. All those things could elicit the same response.

His needy gaze moved lower. His fingers just itched to ride the gentle slope of her curving waist to her full hips and thighs. Though petite, she carried more weight than most of the women he’d seen from her planet. She had the sweetest curves he’d ever seen. What he wouldn’t do for the chance to worship between her thighs.

“Are you deaf? Where the fuck are my clothes?”

Her waspish tongue ripped him from his lusty thoughts. Frowning, he said, “They’re in the laundry. I’ll give you clean clothes in the morning. If you cooperate,” he added, figuring this might be one of the few bargaining chips in his arsenal.

“Cooperate?” She scoffed loudly and let the chair drop with a noisy clatter. She gestured to the wall of implements he’d so carefully organized. Some of the floggers and crops and canes he’d had for years. Others, like the gags and clamps and toys, he’d chosen in preparation for bringing home a new wife. “Look, I don’t know what you think is going to happen tonight, but I’ll tell you this, Menace. The only person getting their ass beat tonight is you.”

And there it was. Under all that bravado, she was afraid. She was scared. Of me.

The knowledge hit him hard. Realizing he’d gone about this all wrong, Menace quickly reassured her. “Naya, I told you earlier today that I will never hurt you. I meant that. Never will my hand or any of those things,” he pointed to the wall, “touch you without your consent.”

“Well, don’t hold your breath! My consent to be battered and abused will never come.”

“Battered? Abused?” He reeled in shock at her strong language. “Naya, domestic discipline and a little rough love between a husband and his wife is not abuse. So long as there is consent,” he added. “It’s sexy. It’s exciting. It’s intimate and loving.”

“Sexy? Intimate? Loving?” Eyes wide, she vehemently shook her head. “I’m sorry but this torture chamber isn’t inspiring any feelings of sexiness or intimacy.”

“That’s because I’ve screwed this up,” Menace admitted. He took a cautious step forward. “I should never have followed the usual protocol for claiming a wife. I should have done this differently.” He exhaled roughly and ran his fingers through his hair. “Can we just—can we call a time-out here?”

Her expression softened. The fists that had been raised and ready to pummel him slowly dropped. “All right.”

“Thank you.”

She gestured to his hand. “Why the hell are you carrying around a sock?”

He glanced at the white sock and sheepishly smiled. “I came in here hoping to offer you a truce. I didn’t have anything else white in my quarters.”

Surprise filtered across her beautiful face. “A truce? Why?”

“Because this isn’t the way it’s supposed to be, Naya. I don’t want a war with you. That’s the very last thing I want from you.”

She swallowed hard. “What do you want from me, Menace?”

“I want…” He faltered and search for the right words. “I want a wife and a family. I want you to be here when I come home in the evenings, Naya. I’ve spent the last twenty-four years of my life training, fighting, training some more and trying not to get killed. I’ve earned the right to some comfort, to some happiness. I want—I want that with you. Let me make you happy.”

She moved closer, the caginess gone from her once-mistrusting gaze. Now she looked at him with sadness in her dark eyes. “That’s not the way happiness works, Menace. The people in a relationship have to be happy by themselves before they can be happy together.” She hesitated. “Are you happy, Menace?”

“I am,” he replied honestly.

“But?”

“But I’m lonely,” he admitted, baring his secret to her. “Were you happy in Connor’s Run?”

“Most of the time,” she confirmed.

“But?”

“But it’s a hard life down there on Calyx,” she said.

Menace seized his opening. “I can give you a better, easier life here, Naya. You’ll never be hungry. You’ll never be cold. You’ll have access to medicine and technology. You’ll never be alone again. I will take care of you.”

“Why?”

“Because owning a wife, mastering a woman, it’s a precious thing. It’s the one thing I’ve strived for all these years. Owning you is my reward.”

Her voice grew tight and annoyed. “I don’t want to be owned.”

He understood her frustration with her new classification. “The laws are the laws, Naya. I own you now, but that doesn’t mean you’re property. It simply means that I’m responsible for you. I will never treat you any differently.”

“Yeah, sure you won’t.”

“I won’t,” he insisted.

“You own me, Menace. We’re different.”

“On paper,” he said. “In real life, it’s nothing like that. Don’t think of yourself as being owned. Think of yourself as my partner.”

“Your partner?” she repeated in disbelief. “You just said that mastering me is something precious. How can we be partners if you’re my master?”

“I want to be your master when we’re in here or in my—our—bedroom. The rest of our relationship would be equal.”

She rubbed her cheek and shook her head. “I don’t understand, Menace. It doesn’t make sense to me.”

“It’s because we’re from two vastly different cultures.” His gaze skipped around the playroom as he tried to think of a way to explain this to her. Noticing the way she rubbed her upper arms, he unbuttoned his uniform shirt and slipped it off his shoulders. “Here. Take this. You’re cold.”

She eyed the offered shirt for a distrusting moment before finally taking it. “Don’t think this is winning you any favors.”

He chuckled softly. “Believe me, Naya. I’m starting to understand just how hard I’m going to have to work to earn your trust.”

“Good luck,” she said grumpily and slipped into his shirt. “That extra appendage between your legs has automatically put you on my shit list.”

He grimaced. “Could we maybe tone down the language a bit?”

She blinked at him. “You have a problem with cursing?”

“I do.”

“But you’re a soldier. You’re, like, a soulless killing machine. You hunted me down like a rabbit and dragged me back to your ship like a prize. I’m supposed to believe someone cold enough to do that to me doesn’t like to hear a good fuck you once in a while?”

He gritted his teeth at her description of him. “I am not a soulless killing machine. Every single life I’ve taken in battle has stayed with me.” He tapped his chest. “I carry the horror of war with me every day. It’s not a game to me, Naya.”

Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment as she finished buttoning the shirt. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.”

He sighed and slashed his hand through the air. “It’s fine. It’s forgotten. I’m sure you’ve spent most of your life hearing awful things about my people.”

She nodded. “So far most of them have proven true.”

He followed her gaze to the wall of impact-play implements. Remembering her earlier statement, he clarified, “This isn’t a torture chamber, Naya. This is a playroom.”

“Playroom?” She laughed. “I think words may not have the same meaning in your culture as they do in mine. A playroom is where kids keep their toys.”

“Well, this is a playroom for adults. These are our toys.”

“Your toys, maybe,” she replied hotly. Pointing at the wall, she said, “I am brutally aware of what those felt like on my bare ass. I assure you there was nothing playful about it, Menace.”

His gaze moved to the thin, snappy cane. “You’ve been caned?”

“Yep.”

“By a lover?”

She snorted. “By a principal and a teacher.” She pointed out a long leather strap. “My mother was rather fond of one of those.”

He was taken aback by the idea she’d been struck by her mother and in school. “Your teachers hit you?”

She stared at him as if he were the dumbest man in the universe. “Well, yeah. It’s called corporal punishment, Menace. You know, that thing you want to do to me.”

“No,” he said quickly. “I don’t want to beat you as punishment. What adults do in the privacy of their playrooms is in no way comparable to a grown adult beating on an innocent child.”

“To be fair, I wasn’t always innocent.”

Menace grunted in irritation. “It doesn’t matter. We don’t strike children in my culture.”

“But you go to military school at like, five, right? You honestly expect me to believe no one at the academy ever knocked you around?”

He shook his head. “Never. Not once.”

“You were obviously luckier than me.”

He was beginning to see that. Her obstinate behavior made more sense. “Why did your teachers strike you?”

She shrugged. “Sometimes it was for fighting. Most of the time it was for code infractions. My mom…” Her voice trailed off to nothing. “I didn’t always have a clean uniform for school. That was a big no-no. I finally figured out how to do my own laundry. Then, after my dad died, I missed a lot of school or I was late. Eventually I just decided it was easier to leave school than have a permanently black-and-blue ass.”

Menace let that tiny glimpse into her childhood sink in and take hold. The similarities to Hallie’s miserable childhood were so obvious. He finally understood why Vicious had taken such a drastically different route with Hallie—and why he was so overly protective of her.

Wordlessly, Menace strode to the wall and started yanking down the canes and crops and striking implements. He stuffed them in one of the drawers in the corner cabinet. Glancing back at the wall, he spotted the floggers. Those would have to go  too.

“What are you doing?”

He started to take down the floggers. “I’m putting away the things that scare you. There’s no reason to keep them out if I’m not going to use them.”

She stepped forward and hesitantly touched one of the soft tendrils of a flogger crafted for teasing and warming up a sub. “Why do you do it?”

The siren call of her body heat filled him with need. This was the closest they’d been without cursing or fighting. Calm and curious, she tempted him even more. He couldn’t help but compare her to the friend who had escaped him. He’d considered that one the epitome of his desires. Standing this close to Naya, gazing down into her dark eyes and breathing in her scent, he realized his first instinct had been dead wrong. It wasn’t the docile, sweet thing he needed. It was this young woman, this spitfire who drove him crazy.

“It’s our way,” he said finally.

She frowned at him. “What does that mean?”

“It means that our women are different than yours.” He placed his armful of floggers on the nearby restraint table. He selected the one she’d touched, the easy warm-up flogger, and handed it to her. “This is a flogger. It’s used for hitting fleshy parts.”

“Fleshy parts?”

“Buttocks, thighs, breasts…”

“I see.”

“There’s some new research that shows that the biochemical makeup of our Harcos women is vastly different than yours. Your bodies react much differently to endorphins, adrenaline and oxytocin.”

She glanced away from him. “I don’t really understand what that means. I never—I didn’t finish school, remember?”

His gut clenched at the shame filling her voice. Daring to touch her, he tipped her chin and forced her to meet his gaze. “It’s all right. You may not have book smarts, but you clearly have street smarts.”

She didn’t pull away from his touch. “You learn quickly how to survive. I can do math and I can read, obviously. I just don’t have much of a science background.”

“Would you like one?”

She looked surprised. “What do you mean?”

“Some of the wives have lobbied for a school program. It starts in a few weeks, I think. I’m sure Hallie can fill you in on the details.”

“Hallie?”

“My friend’s wife,” he explained. “She was Grabbed six months ago. She’s from Harper’s Well. That’s close to you, right?”

She made a face. “It’s nearby—and a hellhole. I mean, even when my life was at its shi—crappiest,” she hastily corrected, “I gave thanks that I wasn’t born in Harper’s Well.”

His lips twitched with amusement at the way she’d skipped over the profanity. There was hope for her yet.

“So tell me about these endorphins,” she instructed.

He let his fingers drop from her chin. “Women from our planet require pain to find pleasure. It’s just the way their body chemistry works. It might be something as simple as a nipple pinch to send them over the edge into climax. It might even require something as hard as a thorough caning and predicament bondage. But your women?” He eyed her carefully. “Your bodies respond much more quickly and easily to pleasure.”

“I guess.” The prettiest shade of pink colored the very tips of her ears. She kept her gaze averted and gestured with the flogger. “So people—my people—really enjoy this?”

“So far,” he confirmed. “The locker room talk is that most of your women enjoy multiple orgasms under the hands of their mates.”

Her shocked gaze snapped to his face. “Multiple? Is that even—I mean—no way, right? That has to be bullshit tall tales between friends.”

Menace decided it was now or never. He fingered one of the long, wide strands of the flogger and held her disbelieving gaze. “Let me show you good I can make you feel, Naya. Hop up on that table and give me an hour. We’ll test out the locker room stories.”

 

 

Caught By Menace Release Date & Teaser #Grabbed #Sexy #Scifi

Caught By Menace (Grabbed #2) has a release date! The book will be available June 21, 2013! I’ll be offering up some teasers and sexy snippets in the weeks leading up to the books release. Make sure to stalk this blog, my Facebook page or even sign up for my newsletter for updates, teasers, etc. Also–I’ve picked up some nifty swag for readers–but more on that later.

Menace’s plan to catch a sweet, docile woman is shot to hell when he’s tackled by a dark-haired beauty who wants to save her friend from being Grabbed. Refusing to leave the planet’s surface empty handed, Menace claims the spitfire with his collar.

Naya clawed her way off the streets of Connor’s Run and vowed to never let any man have control over her. She plans to make Menace so miserable he’ll set her free but the ruggedly sexy warrior disarms her with his unexpected patience and kindness.

Against her better judgment, Naya surrenders to Menace’s masterful hands and mouth. Submitting to her new husband brings her more pleasure and happiness than she’d ever imagined possible. For the first time in her life, she willingly trusts a man to protect her.

But when Naya’s past misdeeds catch up with her, the depth and strength of their feelings are put to the test. Determined to prove he’s worthy of her trust, Menace will stop at nothing to save her.

Inside Scoop: Our heroine learns to love every decadent delight the hero offers, including BDSM play and a sizzling M/F/M ménage.

A Romantica® sci-fi erotic romance from Ellora’s Cave

EXCERPT

Cutting through the woods, Naya checked the forest for signs to help her navigate. This tree, that rock formation, the winding empty creek beds—all of them helped her stay on course. She estimated she was less than ten minutes from the safe zone and the spot they’d chosen to rendezvous with Josef.

“Naya!” Jennie’s bloodcurdling shriek ripped through the forest. Spurred into action, Naya sprinted even faster in the direction of the scream. Her stomach clenched so tightly she was sure she would heave her guts. Legs burning and sides aching, she burst through some thick underbrush into a clearing. The slap of the thorny branches left her bare calves nastily scratched, but she couldn’t think about that now.

Naya’s stomach dropped at the sight of Jennie trying to evade the clutches of the sky warrior with the pale-white hair and green eyes. Refusing to let him Grab her best friend when they were this close to the safe zone, Naya reacted without thinking. She raced across the tall grass separating them and slammed into the man’s side, wrapping both arms around his upper thighs and taking him to the ground.

His shocked grunt ricocheted off the trees. Stunned she’d been able to throw him off balance, Naya scrambled to her feet before he could recover and grabbed Jennie’s hand. She roughly tugged on her friend. “Move. Now!”

They ran as if the flames of hell licked at their heels. Naya ignored the pain accompanying every breath. She was certain she hadn’t broken anything, but she’d definitely bruised her shoulder and right side tackling that behemoth.

“Come back here!” he growled menacingly and chased after them. “You won’t make it. Not both of you!”

Naya refused to even consider that possibility. They were so close to making their escape. She couldn’t give up hope now.

“Jennie!” Josef appeared at the tree line. He sucked in ragged breaths, his sweat-soaked shirt clinging to his lean frame. “Jennie! Hurry!”

Relieved by the sight of Josef, Naya shoved her friend forward. “Move, Jennie. Move! We have to—aargh!”

“Got you!”

Naya lurched forward and then snapped back as a massive hand gripped the back of her shirt. She heard fabric tearing as her momentum was cruelly arrested. As if in slow motion, she fell backward, her shoes sliding on the dewy grass and her hands snatching at empty air. “No!”

Jennie grabbed her hand and jerked but she wasn’t strong enough. “Naya! Naya!”

“Leave her,” Josef shouted as he rushed toward them. He frantically forced Jennie’s fingers open and hauled her up into his arms. Eyes glistening and chest heaving, he sobbed, “I’m sorry, Naya. I’m so sorry.”

Panicked and overcome with dread, Naya screamed for help. “Jennie! Jennie!”

But Josef didn’t stop. He ran. He ran with the woman he loved tucked safely in his arms. Yet again, Naya had been left behind.

Naya shuddered in revulsion as the warrior tried to flip her over. She balled up her fist and whacked him on the jaw as he finally succeeded in forcing her onto her back. He hissed in pain but didn’t strike back. Instead, he captured her smaller hand in his and restrained her arm overhead. Shockingly, he didn’t try to hurt her.

“Enough,” he whispered harshly. “It’s done. You’re caught.”

“Please,” she sobbed, her emotions overwhelming her. “Please let me go. My friends—”

“They left you. They’re long gone.” The briefest flash of sadness crossed his face. “You’re mine now.”

Naya dragged a slow, shaky breath into her lungs. She hated herself for crying in front of him. Showing a man—especially one as dangerous as this—weakness was a terrible mistake. “You’re going to regret Grabbing me.”

“Probably,” he agreed with a sharp laugh. “The same way you’ll regret coming to the aid of your friend. You could have been halfway to space by now if you’d just kept running.”

“I will never regret saving Jennie from you. She loves Josef. She belongs with Josef.”

“And now you belong to me,” he reminded her.

“Not for long,” she warned.

He laughed again, the sound so cruel. “You aren’t the first bride to threaten that and you won’t be the last.” His fingertips trailed her cheek. “It won’t work. It never does.”

She choked back the sob that threatened to escape her lips. As if curious, he lowered his face until their noses nearly touched. Eyes closed, he inhaled deeply, drawing her scent into his lungs. When his eyes opened again, he tilted his head. “I’m Menace. What’s your name?”

“Naya,” she whispered. Menace? What the hell kind of name was that? She studied his face but it was pointless. Try as she might, she couldn’t read this man. The unsettling feeling of being completely at his mercy made her stomach lurch.

“Naya,” he repeated slowly. His fingertips moved down her jaw and along the side of her neck. “I like that. It’s different.”

Her breath caught in her throat as his fingers glided across her collarbone and down the center of her chest. Her ripped shirt displayed too much flesh. Menace took advantage and swept his fingertips across her bare belly. His touch, so intimate and possessive, caused goose bumps to blossom on her hot skin.

Pinned beneath his powerful frame, Naya could barely move. Trapped and terrified, she tried to slow her panicked breaths. She fought the claustrophobia gripping her chest.

Menace must have read the fear in her face. Caressing her arm, he urged, “Easy, Naya. Deep breaths. You’re safe with me.”

Despite his surprisingly kind voice, she chortled sarcastically. “Safe? With you?”

His jaw visibly tightened. “Your people may think we’re all monsters, but it isn’t true. I’ve never harmed a woman in my life. I won’t allow you to be harmed either. Do you understand? You are mine now. Mine.”

The possessive word rang in her ears. Her new reality washed over her like cold water, chilling her right to the bone. Unlike many women in her world, she’d been able to live a fairly independent existence. Even as a homeless, orphaned teenager, she’d found a way to escape the clutches of men who wanted to make her their own. To now be owned by someone—by this stranger—left her feeling ill.

“I don’t want to be yours.”

His lips settled into a grim line. “It’s too late for that. I’ve Grabbed you. It’s done.”

Putting an end to the discussion, he reached into the front pocket of his black uniform shirt and withdrew a thin white collar. Squeezing her eyes shut, Naya cursed the tears that dripped from her lashes onto her cheeks. The collar was slipped around her throat and fastened, not too tightly, but snug enough to remind her that she was this man’s property now.

“Don’t,” he rasped and wiped the wetness from her face. “I gave you my word, Naya. I’ll take care of you.”

“Take care of me?” She laughed caustically. “If stealing me away from my planet and forcing me to be your sex slave is your idea of taking care of me, I’ll pass.”

“Luckily for me, I’m not giving you the option.” He rose to his full height, reached down and swept her up off the ground. His pale eyes fixed her with a warning stare. “Don’t even think about trying to kick or hit me or run away, Naya.”

She arched her brow and informed him of the obvious. “You’ll have to put me down sometime.”

Menace snorted and patted her backside. “Don’t worry about that. I’ve got cuffs and a gag waiting on the ship.”

Her jaw dropped with shock. Indignant, she whacked his arm. “You’re a pig, you know that?”

“Is that the worst you’ve got for me?” Laughing, he shifted her in his arms and threw her over his shoulder.

Forced into the awkward position, she stiffened in fear of being dropped right on her head. “What kind of a dirtbag carries around cuffs and gags?”

“The kind who plans to protect his investment,” he replied matter-of-factly. “I survived some of the nastiest, most brutal battles of the war to gain enough points to Grab a wife. I’m not about to let you run off or get taken by another male. You might not have been the one I wanted, but you’re pretty enough for a consolation prize.”

His words wounded her more than his fists ever could have. Not the one he wanted? His consolation prize?

Suddenly she was taken back to the night her mother had packed her bags and left with the sky trader. Only six years old, Naya had tearfully begged her mother to take her along, to please not leave her behind, but the answer then hadn’t been any different than Menace’s cutting remark just now. Her mother had revealed she’d never wanted her and had viewed her as little more than an obstacle in her path to happiness.

And then there had been her older brother, Nattie. What had he told her the night he’d chosen to take Sindee, his girlfriend, to the colonies instead of her? I love her. She’s everything to me.

Because, in the end, Naya had meant nothing to him. After she’d risked her life to make the money they needed to run, she’d been disposable. Nattie had easily discarded her in his quest for freedom and a new life with his girlfriend in the colonies.

Forced to relive some of the lowest memories of her life by Menace’s cruel remark, Naya fought the urge to punch him in the kidneys. Just the knowledge that his three hundred pounds of dead weight would crush her on the forest floor stopped Naya from taking some revenge for his hurtful words.

All the fight left her then. She sagged against his powerful shoulder and let his thick, corded arms bear her full weight. This would go down as one of the worst days of her life. She’d been abandoned by the last person she’d loved and trusted and captured by a man who didn’t even want her. Now he was taking her back to his ship where he would force to do all kinds of degrading and perverted things.

But that didn’t mean she had to go quietly. She’d make him so miserable he’d trip over himself to put her on a transport ship bound for the colonies just for some peace and quiet. Oh, she’d let him think he’d won this battle, but their personal war? It was far from over.