Jan Irving's Blog, page 10

Loving Kindness out

Kealton James has possibly the most beautiful body Gwendolyn Thompson has ever seen-—no wonder he does katas in the nude, flaunting himself--but that doesn't change the fact the man is keeping secrets. Anyone with any experience with alliance agents can tell he is not who he seems to be, mild mannered martial arts teacher aboard the Loving Kindness, an interstellar cruise ship.

Kealton mocks Gwen about the way she lives her life—a perky cruise director with a thing for professional suits and the occasional tepid affair with gentlemen passengers. Gwen likes her life, likes it predictable and more importantly, under her control. But despite how much Gwen tries to keep Kealton at a distance, when pirates take over their ship, her warrior keeps Gwen safe and gives her a taste of his own loving kindness.

It's out now! The story is quite sexy so under the cut is an excerpt which is NWS.

"Kneel." Kealton's voice was hard, inflexible. Testing Gwen, seeing if she was ready to be his submissive.

Oddly, his confidence in being her master made it easier. Gwen knelt and waited on him. Kealton continued to move around the great room, doing his martial arts routine. When he finished he turned at last and tugged his silken pants down and off, revealing himself to her completely.

Gwen's breath suspended so all she was aware of was the drum of her heart as she looked at him. She was back to the night when she'd first watched him doing katas in the nude. His blue eyes were almost black under the artificial lighting as he walked to her.

Kealton loomed over her deliberately, looking at her until she dropped her gaze. Moments passed. She was aware of the rise and fall of her bare breasts with each breath.

"I think some yoga first."

Gwen's gaze shot up to meet Kealton's. His face was flushed, his pupils enlarged, giving his eyes the look of a bird of prey from a menagerie on one of the zoo worlds.

"The cat, let's see it."

More testing and…something else: the reason he'd taken the time to brew her the special tea. He wanted her relaxed, in the mood.

"Yes, master," she whispered.

She moved onto all fours and with an indrawn breath began the movements he'd taught her months ago, jutting out her buttocks, dropping her belly and raising her chin like a stretching cat.

He watched her, expressionless, and with the cool air against her skin, she was aware of how sexual the asana was. How had she never seen this before?

She closed her eyes, surrendering to the moment, to the breath. She could feel his gaze on her like a hand and then she felt a real caress as he cupped her bare ass.

"Bound ankle."

Moving gracefully—was this really her?—she shifted into position, legs bent and soles together, hands cupping her ankles as she bent forward.

"Spread your legs, lean back against me." This wasn't yoga now, this was a place she'd never gone before, a place where Kealton was her lover, her master.

Available here at LI with an excerpt of chapter one .

Update

I've been really sick lately but finally I seem to be recovering. I thought I'd update on what is happening. My first m/f Loving Kindness will be out next week. I have the cover rough and hope to share the final cover with you soon. I kind of got stalled on Wounded Cowboy for a bit but hope to finish it this month. Right now I have edits for Ardent.

I was interviewed last fall by Michele and Lisa and it's up now. Take a look if you like here .

And Shifter Cowboy had its first review at Literary Nymphs here .

Cover art for Shy Cowboy

I have my cover art for book three of my Uncommon Cowboys already so wanted to share it.

Cowboy Cass Drake puts himself on a crash diet shortly after he meets Tom Black. Built like a linebacker, Cass has always been self conscious about his size and his shyness isn't helped by all the teasing he endures in the bunkhouse. But his quiet new friend Tom actually seems to be flirting with him. When Tom is brutally attacked one night, it's Cass who comes to his rescue. Tom has a thing for his innocent cowboy but he also has secrets that could put Cass in danger.

Coming early June from Total E Bound.

Definitely inspiring for finishing Wounded Cowboy though I honestly have been so busy gardening and I block printed curtains so the writing has been slow this week. Spring is here.

Shifter Cowboy out today

When cowboy and wolf shifter Cody Marshal wakes on a country road scratched, naked, and lacking his favorite pair of boots he doesn't expect the caring touch of his rescuer, Adrian Le Roy, or the way it makes him feel, man and wolf.

Veterinarian Adrian Le Roy knows something is strange when he finds cowboy Cody Marshal sleeping off an apparent bender in the middle of the dirt road leading to Adrian's new practice out west. For one thing, Cody is scratched and bruised and he's completely naked. When he runs off into the woods Adrian can't shake the feeling he's walked into some kind of primal dream.

Twice a month Cody wakes up somewhere bare-assed, lacking even his favourite pair of boots. As far as he's concerned, being a wolf shifter sucks. Complicating things is his desire for Adrian, his gentle new employer.

It's out now.

Here is an excerpt for Shifter Cowboy.

Gravel and dirt sprayed Cody Marshall where he was lying curled up in the middle of an unpaved road. He put a hand instinctively over his eyes, shielding them from the stab of headlights.

"What the…" The creak of a truck door, boots crunching on gravel…A slight figure blocked out the headlights and Cody looked up at a man with brown hair in his eyes. He knelt next to Cody, reaching out to gently grip his arm. "Are you hurt? Can I help you?"

Oh, shit. Cody's cheeks heated as he realised two things: one, he was lying in plain sight recovering and second, he was completely naked.

"'M fine," he mumbled. Blood. He could smell it on himself.

"No, you're not." Soft eyes held his, their colour reminding Cody of a string of tiger's eye, clear brown with strands of amber. "Look, I'm going to help you to your feet. Are you okay to try that? If you're hurting anywhere, let me know—"

"I'm not." Crap, just his luck he'd get some do-gooder on a little used road in the middle of fucking nowhere on a Friday night. The man looked young and attractive enough, so why wasn't he doing the traditional thing and partying like most of the cowboys who lived in the area?

"Okay then." Strength. Warmth. The stranger exuded it as he helped Cody to his feet. The front of the truck loomed suddenly closer as Cody wavered but before he could fall, he was snatched close to a hard, protective body. He felt the crispness of denim against his bare thighs and the cotton of a T-shirt brushing his sensitive nipples. He caught his breath, his hands fisting as powerful sexual hunger beat in his blood.

No. He shook his head, desperately holding onto his control. It was tough when he could see the waning moon through a clump of trees, when he could smell lime aftershave and feel the caring in the stranger's touch.

Nothing got to Cody like someone touching him with tenderness.

"Fucking let me go!" He shoved the man away from him, unable to handle it.

Shocked velvety eyes widened. "Hey, mister, I'm trying to help you!"

Cody dropped his gaze away from the other man's. What Cody needed was to feel in control again. He took a deep breath, pushing back his long black hair with a shaking hand. "What's your name?" he demanded, pretending his nerves weren't shooting sparks like a downed power line.

The stranger tilted his head, as if considering Cody. Cody hunched his shoulders, wanting to attack, wanting to ghost back into the trees while a third impulse licked up his thigh. Want. Not the pale human thing, but want like the satisfying crunch of bone under his teeth. He wanted to wrap himself around that slender body, him nude, the other man dressed, it didn't matter. He wanted to spread the stranger out on top of the truck, bury himself inside him while looking into those yellow-brown eyes.

Panting, Cody fought the need, curling his arms around himself.

"I'm Adrian Le Roy," the man finally answered gently, as if he had some sense of the wildness crashing through Cody. "I'm new here."

Cody thrust his hand out. "Howdy."

Adrian blinked and then his lips curved into a rueful smile. He took Cody's scratched and dirt-encrusted hand. "Howdy," he said in that deep voice that tightened the muscles in Cody's lower body like strings on a guitar. He had a slight southern accent that Cody couldn't help but find sexy, the slow drawl adding an old-fashioned courtliness to his words. "May I ask your name?"
Shifter Cowboy at TEB .

Saddle up n Ride out in print

The collection is out in print if that is your thing: here .

I am on the cusp of finising my IR m/m/f menage A Pastry Princess. I had great fun writing it. Want to do another sometime,possibly a contemporary.

And I had edits for Shy Cowboy, which my editor liked. I'm already half way
through Wounded Cowboy which I'll resume writing when I finish the menage.
That's book four of the series. Tentatively I have two more ideas for Uncommon
Cowboys. One called "A Cowboy in Venice" and another called "Karma Cowboy."

Wee snippet from Wounded Cowboy

It seems a long time since I've done this, but I thought I'd share a wee snippet from Wounded Cowboy, someting I'm working on now. It's about half written. This is work safe.

Charlie teaches restorative yoga part time to recovering cancer patients.

Charlie was never sure how many students he'd have from class to class. This time he was happy to see a woman who had never given her name, in fact had barely spoken, but who he'd named 'Mrs. Twinkle' in his mind because of the way she seemed to sparkle. She was about the age his father would have been if he'd lived and she gave their shared practice the same kind of energy.

He was grateful she was here today because when he walked into the small space they used as a studio, chilly carpeted floors with yoga mats spread in a half fan around the room, he was still shaking from his confrontation with Luka.

As if she sensed his agitation, Mrs. Twinkle got up from her mat and made her way over to Charlie's at the centre of the fan. "Everything all right?" she asked gently, brown eyes solemn on his face.

Charlie fought with himself, not wanting to distract her with his stuff, but then gusted out a sigh. "No." He looked around but he saw no sign of Luka. Where had the other man gone? "I, uh, just had an argument with someone."

"Someone you care about enough to get you all stirred up. Good," she said, pitching her voice low so what they exchanged wouldn't be overheard by the other students as they brought bolsters and blankets out from storage.

Charlie raised his brows. "Good? I don't think so."

But Mrs. Twinkle merely smiled. "You're entirely too comfortable in your rut, Charlie. It's a good rut with lots of ways to fulfil yourself, but it's still a rut. You need someone to shake you up. You need to be desperate, to be unhappy."

"That's...a very interesting philosophy."

"Thank you." She grinned at his sour look. "I lived very happily for forty years with a man who did just that for me, but he also made me happy." She got up and made her way back to her own mat, giving him a moment to reflect. He closed his eyes, listening to himself.

Luka made me happy but Luka hurt me.

Damned if he knew what made him more afraid, that someone could make him happy...or hurt him. Reluctantly, he had to admit Mrs. Twinkle had a point. He liked things comfortable and uncomplicated. And that just wasn't Luka.

Shy Cowboy out June 6th

I have a little news. The third story in my Uncommon Cowboys series at total ebound, Shy Cowboy will be out on June 6th. I've begun work on Wounded Cowboy, book four. It's coming strong, really love writing these stories.

And I'm getting closer to finishing A Pastry Princess, a M/M/F for LI.

Sam's Reviews had some recent reviews here at Blackraven and was Joyfully reviewed .

And the Saddle up N Ride collection was reviewed at Whipped Cream. That was such fun to take part in. Saddle up N Ride .

Nice review of Saddle up N Ride collection

I liked the take on Straight Cowboy since it's based on real country I grew up in the foothills of Alberta. Find it here .

Bones like a Bird

I was inspired by this photograph to do a little free story. This is m/f and not work safe.

Diana Blaine was his step sister. She could never be his girlfriend. She could never see herself as his lover. She was ten years older than he was and she thought of him as her little brother.

It didn't matter that he was in his mid-twenties now and they lived in this house alone since their parents had passed away. That during the day he worked at the fire hall and she worked behind the barista of her coffee house on Fourth.

Bones like a bird

Luka Cade knew Di's step, knew the sound of the exact stair that groaned under her feet as she snuck into the house he shared with her.

Tonight he found himself holding his breath, holding it almost like the sound of the world falling still. It seemed a moment when anything was possible, when stars could collide, when the sand below the posh beach house where they lived could be covered with flood waters that would rise and take back the palm trees, the sprinkler-fed grass...

When she might walk into his darkened bedroom and lie down beside him on his lonely bed.

Instead, she walked past his door.

He let out a breath as the world realigned to the same routine. It hurt, knowing she'd been out dancing with some guy. It always hurt so goddamned much. He squeezed his eyes shut, telling himself he could endure another night, keep his secret.

It would be worse if he didn't have her at all.

Diana Blaine was his step sister. She could never be his girlfriend. She could never see herself as his lover. She was ten years older than he was and she thought of him as her little brother.

It didn't matter that he was in his mid-twenties now and they lived in this house alone since their parents had passed away. That during the day he worked at the fire hall and she worked behind the barista of her coffee house on Fourth.

None of these things seemed to change the most vital thing for him, the fact that it was Friday night and he was lying in a bed that might as well be a twin for all the action it saw and she was walking past his bedroom door after another of her dates.

Suddenly he erupted from the bed, stalking across the darkened room in his boxers, swinging open the door so he could glare down the empty hallway.

But she was standing there, looking over her bare shoulder at him, as if she'd somehow known he would appear.

"Can you help?" Di asked, serene gray eyes on his face, her brown hair caught up above her neck. He told himself she was too skinny, 'bird bones,' she'd been called in high school, but her long arms seemed perfect as she tugged at the zipper on the back of her dress.

"Yeah, all right," he grumbled, as if his heart wasn't racing at the thought of touching her intimately. He'd have to pretend she didn't move him, but her skin would be under his hands...

He couldn't help but notice she wasn't wearing a bra under the dress. Not that she needed to. She had small, delicate breasts. He knew when they were growing up she'd lamented her slight figure, but he liked everything about her, from the way she smelled to the way she walked. Not that she'd cared what the irritating little kid who lived under the same roof thought.

"I think it's busted," he said after pulling her zipper up and down, trying to get it to move.

"Probably my slip got caught in it. Can you check?"

He looked up at that moment and her hair collided with his head. A slinky bit of brown fell between them, curling against his neck. He caught his breath.

Di stared at him for a moment and then jerked her head forward.

Just what had she seen in his eyes?

He swallowed around a dry throat. "What color is this dress anyway?"

"Why do you ask?" Her voice was husky. She cleared her throat. "Going to splurge on one for Valentine's day for Maggie?"

Maggie. Luka had to search his brain to remember who that was while he was peeling cloth away from Di's back, his fingers actually--Christ!--touching bare skin. She had a mole just above her ass that he'd always wanted to kiss whenever he'd seen her in a bikini. Just put his mouth to it and suck until she laughed and turned around and he could put his mouth on her somewhere else.

"The receptionist at work, right," he said. "She's seeing someone."

"Oh. I thought you had a thing for her."

Irritated, he said, "No. And if I did, why would I give her a dress?" The idea baffled him.

Di laughed. "Because you actually asked me the color of mine. I thought you liked it."

"I like it because it's yours and tiny."

Oh, shit. Way to be subtle. But he was kneeling at her feet and if she turned around, his boxers weren't going to hide just how much he liked her dress.

She was quiet after that until he cursed.

"What?"

"This is not caught on anything! It's broken, Di."

She pulled away and he had to let his hands drop. He balled them into fists so he didn't just give into temptation and yank the thing off her like a wild man. Di liked charming men, he knew. Men who were smooth and educated. Nothing like Luka who had always been so physical.

"Okay, thanks." She paused, looking down at him. "I saw you are Mr. February this year."

His cheeks heated. "Yeah." He'd posed with his surf board and nothing else. "I didn't know you'd seen it."

"Are you kidding? It's up in the kitchen at work." Di's cheeks were also flushed now, he noticed. "Since we're all gals, we're shamelessly exploiting hot young men in our calendar art."

Hot young men? Wait, forget the young part, she thought he was hot?

"Well, sorry I woke you up," She said. "I'll try to be quieter next time."

"You didn't wake me up. I wasn't sleeping."

Her body swayed as if she were on the verge of heading into her own room, closing the door, leaving him on the outside again. Tonight he just couldn't let it happen.

"Luka--"

"I'm not the street kid who moved in when your Dad married my Mom," he said. "I'm..." He spread his fingers, wanting her to see him. He was an adult now. He'd made something of himself. He helped people.

And some part of him knew it had been for her. He'd worked so hard, wanted to be someone she'd respect. For her, all for her.

Her eyes widened and she knelt beside him, reaching out to grip his hand. "Oh, I know that. Luka... You've come so far from that kid who would barely say anything when you first lived here. You broke my heart, my Dad's heart. We both wanted you to have opportunities." She studied him, her gaze on his shoulders, his chest. He liked to think she liked what she saw since he worked out. "Now you're a hero."

He blinked. "Did you just call me a hero?"

A crooked smile touched her lips. "I'm so going to pay for being sappy, huh?"

"You totally are." He liked the hint of green in her eyes. They were large in her small face and her mouth was a little off center, the top lip fuller than the bottom. He liked it, he wanted to kiss it.

"It feels like forever since we really talked," she said. "Why is that?"

"Maybe because you're always out with some guy. Who was it this time? The architect or the gym owner?"

"Luka--"

"Don't tell me it's none of my business, Di. We're all we've got."

"No, I don't accept that." She climbed to her feet, her dress sagging like a sail without any wind, putting her back on display. Firm skin, small bones, strong. Strong like the way she'd been for him when his Mom had cancer, holding him, letting him know with her body against his that he wasn't alone.

"Then why do you still live here? Why are we both living under the same roof?" Fuck it, he was pushing things, he was probably ruining things but he couldn't take it anymore. He was on his feet, hands on his hips, looming over her.

"It's just easier--"

"That's bullshit. It's not easy for me," he said. "I still live here because I need to be close to you."

She shook her head but he crowded her against the wall, waiting, watching her to see if she wanted free of him. When she only stared up at him he leaned down and put his mouth over hers, claiming her.

Di made a small sound in her throat and then her fingers were digging into his arms. She tasted like coffee and dessert and fresh annoyance hit him when he thought about how she'd shared it with another man.

When his tongue touched hers, she jerked in his arms, her body fully pressed against his now as he crushed her against the wall. She felt amazing, better than anything he'd ever felt, so he tore his mouth from hers and yanked his boxers down, wanting them to be skin to skin.

Her eyes looked shocky as he also tugged down her dress, leaving her wearing only her panties. One his fingers curled under the top of her underwear, moving back and forth, letting her know he wanted in.

"You're what I want." He reached up and cupped one of her breasts and she groaned, her eyes closing tightly. Closing him out? Fuck, he didn't care. Now he was in a heat to mate and he didn't care if she didn't want to acknowledge that she was finally letting her little step brother have her.

They kissed again, man to woman, her lips pressing against his, her tongue shyly touching his as he took command of her mouth. He growled and she made another soft sound and his hand moved down to grind against her mound, finding her damp through the cloth.

He knew he should slow down but this might be the only time she ever let him have her. After all these years, he was desperate. He broke away. "You're on something, right?"

"Uh, what?" Dazed, heavy eyes met his.

"I'm clean but I need to know if you're on something." He wouldn't mind making her pregnant but telling her that would probably have her running for her bedroom.

"Yes." She blushed again.

He pulled down her underwear so it fell to her ankles and cupped her, holding her gaze as his fingers touched her slick folds and then delved deeper. She made a growling sound of her own now, gripping him tight. Close, he was so close, ready to be touched off into an explosion.

"Hold on to me, baby," he whispered, lifting her high against the wall. Her legs wrapped around him. He was shaking as he took himself in hand, one arm supporting her weight as he positioned his penis and thrust into her.

It was...Oh, God...

But Di's fingernails stabbed into his shoulders so he looked into her indignant eyes and he guessed he had been clumsy like a bull was clumsy, oh, shit. His woman in his arms at last and he--

"How does that feel?" he made himself ask.

"Big. It feels big."

"Oh." He held her suspended, not hammering into her the way he wanted. "How long before it doesn't feel 'big,'" he whispered. "Di, please, baby."

"Uh..."

He reached between them, his arm burning from taking all of her weight but he found her and her eyes flared wide. He wished he was on his knees, that it was his mouth touching her. He loved to do this for her, loved to see her shudder as he touched her. "Big is bad," he whispered in her ear.

She laughed and he grinned back at her. "Big is a lot to, ah, accommodate."

But as he continued to play, she shivered again, and it was like her body was holding tight, living for every touch.

She squirmed, pushing down and he pushed up, meeting her while holding her wide gaze. Oh, yeah.

"You're my woman now," he said.

"Luka, you can't--" Her tone was meant to put him in his place. Luka the kid, Luka who is misguided. Fuck that.

A bead of sweat ran down from his hairline. He needed her to shatter for him. He needed her soft and wet and complaint and not telling him he couldn't, they couldn't--

When she was in pieces, he could get into her bed.

She ground against him when he pushed up. It touched something off so he was pounding in and she clawed his back. He grunted, hands digging into her hips. She'd have bruises in the morning; she might want to put this aside but her body would remember him.

"Can't--"

"Oh, yeah, you can." Relentless. They slid down the wall and her hands scrabbled against it. He pressed his fingers against her, tapping like relentless rain, her eyes going wide so he was swallowed in them as she came. He felt her contracting around him, brought down, brought down to his level, to his hands stained with engine grease, to the dirty things he wanted to do to her.

He came in a scalding rush, marking her, wishing he could inscribe a symbol on her soul. Meant to be from the first time they'd met. Mine.

He held her, feeling every part of her was his.

But then while he still trembled, arms burning, Di stiffened, vibrating horror. He could almost hear her thoughts, what had she done? He was her little step brother and she had let him fuck her. And more than that, he had made her come.

"Di--"

She scrambled off him. He caught her, held her gaze.

"It'll only happen again."

"No, it won't."

"Yes."

He let her go, watched her snatch up her dress. Her door slammed a second later.

He guessed he wasn't going to be invited into her bed. Not tonight anyway.

A taste of loving kindness

I had such fun writing about the concept of loving kindness for Lisabet Sarai's blog. After a brush with a blood clot, I got into yoga and meditation and my experiences made their way into a lot of my stories including my upcoming IR M/F story Loving Kindness which will be out later this spring from LI. There is also a very NWS snippet from the story. Take a look if you like: A Taste of Loving Kindness .