Rhian Cahill's Blog, page 34

Five For Friday – Truth or Dare

Five paragraphs from Truth or Dare. The first five pages can be found HERE!

 

Mikaila slid her right hand over her left to hide the mark that refused to fade. She’d worn a ring for seven years, and when she’d finally removed the gold band from her finger the obvious indent and lack of colour left behind stood as a silent reminder of what she’d foolishly allowed herself to believe. She didn’t expect all trace to disappear overnight, but it had been eight months now and still the slightly lighter skin was noticeable.
 
She sighed. The thought of telling Dayne and Grant the gory details of her failed marriage made her sick to the stomach. But she couldn’t deny her body’s desire to take them up on their offer. There was just one problem. She didn’t know if she’d be able to find the strength to walk away when their night together was over, and she wasn’t fool enough to believe there was any kind of future in a three-way relationship. Hell, she couldn’t even make one work with two people. Add a third and she was bound to stuff things up.
 
A quick glance at each of them told her they were waiting for her to make a move. It looked like it was her turn for some truths, no matter how much they hurt. Taking a deep breath, she straightened her spine and prayed she wasn’t making the biggest mistake of her life. Although after the David disaster Miki figured she’d probably used up her lifetime’s mistake quota.
 
“If I’m going to tell all I’ll need something a little stronger than coffee.”
 
Dayne laughed and Grant shook his head.
 
“Sorry, sweetheart, but you’re off the booze for the rest of tonight.” Grant took her hand and pulled her toward the house.

 

 

You can purchase Truth or Dare from -

 

SAMHAIN  ~  AMAZON  ~  BARNES & NOBLE

 

Want some more Five For Friday?

 

Jambrea Jo Jones
Bianca D’Arc
Lila Dubois
Lexxie Couper
Mari Carr

Six Sentence Sunday – Spin The Bottle Pt4 – #sixsunday

 

 

Picking up from where we stopped last week -

 

The black dress had been replaced with a skin-coloured one. But unlike the previous dress, this one didn’t coat her body like paint. This one flowed, skimming over her curves like hot fudge on ice cream. He licked his lips and shifted position so she wouldn’t see the hard-on that had sprung to life the second she moved into sight. Damn, she was sex on legs. Long, smooth, tan legs left bare by her mid-thigh-length hem.

 

 

For more information on Spin The Bottle go HERE!

 

Or you can purchase the book from – SAMHAIN  ~  AMAZON  ~  BARNES & NOBLE 

 

Don’t forget to check out the other six sentences up this week HERE!

 

Six Sentence Sunday – Spin The Bottle Pt2 – #sixsunday

 

 

Picking up from where we stopped last week -

 

The black dress had been replaced with a skin-coloured one. But unlike the previous dress, this one didn’t coat her body like paint. This one flowed, skimming over her curves like hot fudge on ice cream. He licked his lips and shifted position so she wouldn’t see the hard-on that had sprung to life the second she moved into sight. Damn, she was sex on legs. Long, smooth, tan legs left bare by her mid-thigh-length hem.

 

 

For more information on Spin The Bottle go HERE!

 

Or you can purchase the book from – SAMHAIN  ~  AMAZON  ~  BARNES & NOBLE 

 

Don’t forget to check out the other six sentences up this week HERE!

 

Snippet Saturday – Rain On Me

 

Interesting theme this week and I couldn’t find any scene with actually ‘rain’ but I figured snow comes close.

 

He retrieved her bag from the truck and headed for the button to shut the roller door and pressed it, but movement at the end of the driveway caught his eye and he quickly aborted the action. Peering into the night, Steve tried to focus but the lack of light outside and the abundance of it inside combined to make it impossible. He stepped to the edge of the garage for a better look when he heard someone behind him. Spinning on his heels, fists raised, he came face-to-face with Dale.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you.”

“No worries, I’m a little jumpy.”

“That’s expected. What are you doing?”

Steve pointed down the driveway. “What is that?”

Dale leaned forward. “You got floodlights?”

“Yeah, let me get the switch.” Steve strode to the other side of his truck and flicked a couple of levers. Light illuminated the entire front yard.

“Shit!” Dale took off running.

“What the fuck?” Steve dropped Doc’s purse and raced after the sheriff.

The new layer of snow on the ground proved difficult to traverse and they slipped and slid their way to the end of the drive. They skidded to a halt as a woman wobbled and lost her footing in the slippery conditions, crumpling beside Dale’s car. At least Steve thought it was a female bundled up under all that snow gear.

He crouched down and gripped her shoulder. “Hey, are you all right?”

“C-c-cold.” Her voice was muffled by the beanie pulled down low on her forehead and the scarf wrapped around to cover what was left of her face, but neither could hide the chattering of her teeth.

Steve pushed the cold, wet material aside. “Recognize her?” he asked Dale.

His friend sucked in a breath as he squatted beside him. “Tatum. It’s Tatum Brant. William’s granddaughter. But she hasn’t been back in the mountain for years.”

“Let’s get her inside out of the weather.” Steve slid his arm around her as best he could with the bulky jacket she wore. He lifted and Dale steadied them as they got to their feet.

One on either side of her, they headed back to the house. She trembled against him and Steve could feel the damp and cold seeping from her clothes to his. It was awkward, she seemed to be wearing a wardrobe full of clothes beneath her thick coat. They reached the garage and crossed to the connecting door where Brogan and Quinn met them.

“Who the hell is that?” Quinn asked.

“Tatum Brant,” Dale answered.

“Where’d she come from?” Brogan asked.

“Bottom of the driveway, she was trying to make it to the house,” Steve said. “Can you go shut the garage door and turn off all the lights, Quinn?”

“Sure.”

“Oh, and Doc’s bag is on the ground near the light switches.”

“Got it.”

Her trembling had turned into bone-rattling shakes by the time Steve guided them into the living room where he and Dale lowered Tatum to the couch. He began removing her wet outerwear and quickly discovered the reason for her bulky mass. The women came in from the kitchen and immediately rushed over.

“Jesus. Is that…” Kat asked.

“Tatum Brant,” Steve said.

“Is she…?” Doc’s sister seemed to be having problems forming complete sentences.

“Pregnant?” Steve finished for her.

“I haven’t seen her in years. How’d she get here?”

 

You can purchase Coyote Whispers from -

 

ELLORA’S CAVE  ~  AMAZON  ~  BARNES & NOBLE

 

The list of authors participating this week -

 

Leah Braemel

Mari Carr

Shiloh Walker

McKenna Jeffries

Taige Crenshaw

HelenKay Dimon

Lauren Dane

TJ Michaels

Six Sentence Sunday – Spin The Bottle Pt3 – #sixsunday

 

 

Picking up where we left off last week….

 

 

Numerous scenarios had flashed through his mind between the time he dumped Watson’s celebrity arse on the floor and checked on Lilli.

At first he’d thought the worst, and he still wasn’t convinced he shouldn’t go down and beat the shit out of one of Australia’s favourite TV faces. Mac smiled, the image of a busted-up Aaron hosting his game show bringing mild satisfaction. But the incident furthered his anger at Lilli for having this stupid party in the first place. If she’d just stuck with what he wanted—

The door across the room opened and Lilli stepped out.

 

 

For more information on Spin The Bottle go HERE!

 

Or you can purchase the book from – SAMHAIN  ~  AMAZON  ~  BARNES & NOBLE 

 

Don’t forget to check out the other six sentences up this week HERE!

Six Sentence Sunday – Spin The Bottle Pt2 – #sixsunday

 

 

Picking up where we left off last week….

 

 

Numerous scenarios had flashed through his mind between the time he dumped Watson’s celebrity arse on the floor and checked on Lilli.

At first he’d thought the worst, and he still wasn’t convinced he shouldn’t go down and beat the shit out of one of Australia’s favourite TV faces. Mac smiled, the image of a busted-up Aaron hosting his game show bringing mild satisfaction. But the incident furthered his anger at Lilli for having this stupid party in the first place. If she’d just stuck with what he wanted—

The door across the room opened and Lilli stepped out.

 

 

For more information on Spin The Bottle go HERE!

 

Or you can purchase the book from – SAMHAIN  ~  AMAZON  ~  BARNES & NOBLE 

 

Don’t forget to check out the other six sentences up this week HERE!

Snippet Saturday – Best Friend

The theme this week is best friend so I thought I’d share a snippet of conversation between Brogan and Quinn from Coyote Wild. Enjoy.

 

Brogan let his muscles relax and his coyote subside. The beast was still wide awake but no longer threatening to pull free. Knowing what he was dealing with made things easier. He couldn’t just take El and expect her to fall into line. If she was a shifter it would be easy but she wasn’t. He wasn’t even sure she knew what they were, never mind that he was one.

“You need to back off some.”

Quinn’s quiet voice pulled Brogan’s gaze across to where his friend stood beside the fireplace. When had Quinn moved from the lounge? Normally he was aware of everything around him. Had El messed up his instincts so much that he failed to notice what went on next to him?

“I know. I just didn’t expect it. I’ve never struggled to hold my control like that before. Was it like that for you?”

“Yeah. You get used to it and once you join it’s not as bad.”

“Jeez, no wonder you drove me insane all those years ago. Good thing you and Rowan finally sorted everything out.”

“There was never any doubt as there isn’t with you and El. But it’ll be an interesting time between now and then.”

Quinn’s smirk had his hackles rising but Brogan knew he deserved everything the other man dished out. He’d given Rowan and Quinn plenty of crap while they had danced around each other before she’d been forced to leave home. Brogan sighed. Obviously it was his turn at the mating waltz.

“The problems won’t just be between you and El,” Quinn said.

“I know. But since I can’t change who my mate is I’ll just have to deal with what comes.”

“The Council will have to be informed and there are those who will use El’s non-blood status to undermine your position.”

“I don’t care about any of that. What I care about is making sure El doesn’t freak out when she discovers we aren’t exactly human.”

“That might prove to be the easy part yet.”

“I doubt any of this will be easy.”

“Probably not, but we’ll have to keep her from the pack until she understands, Brogan.”

“Yeah, I’m more than glad you and Rowan decided on a small ceremony. El won’t have to face anyone until after.” Brogan didn’t say after what, they both knew that until he turned El she couldn’t be left alone or come in contact with any members of the pack.

“She’ll be safe here but after the wedding we were supposed to take her up to the cabin. She wants to take wilderness photos for her next book. That gives you a week to convince her to stay and do what’s necessary so she can.”

“And if I can’t convince her?”

Quinn shrugged. “You don’t have a choice and you know it.”

Brogan had no idea where to start when it came to wooing El. He’d never wooed a woman before. All he had to do was open his bedroom door and they fought each other to get inside. El would be different. For starters he had to tell her what he was without scaring her half to death and then convince her that he wasn’t an animal when in essence he was.

The first step would be to actually meet her. The sooner they got used to each other the sooner they could get on with what had to be done. Hopefully Rowan was telling her who and what they were, but if not, he’d have to. He swallowed over the lump in his throat and rubbed the back of his neck. His muscles were tight—hard—but not from the beast wanting to break free.

No, now he was tense with nerves. If he didn’t do this right he stood to lose more than his mate. He stood to lose his position as sovereign of the pack.

 

You can purchase Coyote Wild from:-

 

ELLORA’S CAVE  ~  AMAZON  ~  BARNES & NOBLE  ~  ALL ROMANCE eBOOKS  ~  iBOOKS  ~  KOBO  ~  SONY

 

Don’t forget to check out the other authors taking part this week:-

 

Jody Wallace

Leah Braemel

Mari Carr

Shiloh Walker

McKenna Jeffries

Taige Crenshaw

Shelli Stevens

HelenKay Dimon

Lauren Dane

TJ Michaels

Five For Friday – Coyote Wild

This week I’m taking a random five pages instead of the first five which I already did for Coyote Wild back HERE!

 

Brogan came up behind Rowan and pinched a slice of the cheese she was cutting for dinner. When he went for a second piece she smacked his hand away with the back of the knife.

“Stop it! You’ll spoil your dinner.”

“Dinner won’t be for a couple of hours and you know nothing could spoil my appetite.” He quickly snatched a second piece and darted to the other side of the kitchen.

“Brogan,” Rowan warned.

“Okay, no more I promise.” He held his hands up. His mood was light since he’d come to a truce of sorts with El. Plus, he’d made it clear she and Rowan were not to leave the house. Between now and the wedding he or his sister would find the right time to tell El about their heritage. Yes, things were starting to come together.

“Where’s El?” he asked.

“Out front.”

“What!” he yelled.

“She’s sitting on the front steps getting some fresh air.” Rowan turned to face him, an eyebrow raised.

“Outside?” His voice had lowered but would still have been heard upstairs.

“That’s where the front steps were last time I looked.”

What the hell was wrong with her? How could she have let El leave the house?

“Jeez, Brogan, lighten up. She’s just getting some air, not going on a mountain trek.” Rowan shook her head and returned to cutting cheese.

For a second his mouth flapped but no words came out, then adrenaline kicked in and the beast sprang to life.

“Rowan!” he roared.

“What? Why the hell are you yelling at me?” She raised her voice but wasn’t yelling.

“How could you let her leave the house? You both promised you wouldn’t until after the wedding.” He spun on his heel ready to charge through the front door and drag El back inside.

“For Christ’s sake Brogan, she’s just out front. Nothing’s going to happen on our own porch.”

Brogan stopped. He didn’t want to tell her but he had to now. Had to so she’d understand El couldn’t leave the house. He looked at her over his shoulder. “She’s marked, Rowan.”

“Marked?”

He nodded.

“You had sex with my best friend?” Her soft tone didn’t bode well. Any second the explosion would come.

Sure enough, the knife she’d been using sailed past his head and embedded in the wall behind him. Most would say he was lucky she missed but Brogan knew luck had nothing to do with it, she had a true aim. If she’d wanted to hit him she would have, either between the eyes or through the heart. Rowan never missed a target.

“We didn’t have sex. It didn’t go that far.”

“But you marked her!”

“I didn’t mean to. It just happened and…”

Rowan flew past him into the hall.

Oh God, Eloise!

He tore out of the kitchen after her. Quinn came down the stairs as they headed for the front door.

“Where’s the fire?” Quinn asked.

The door crashed back against the wall.

“El!” Rowan screamed.

“What the hell’s going on?” Quinn was right behind him as Brogan hit the porch.

“El came out to get some fresh air,” he ground between clenched teeth.

“What? When? Where the hell is she?” Quinn demanded.

“And when the fuck did it start to snow?” Rowan whispered.

“Where is she?” Brogan swung his head, frantically searching for El. There was no sign of her.

“I don’t know. She said she’d just be here on the front step.”

“Quinn, go in and get some gear.” He pulled his sweater and shirt off together.

“Brogan, what are you doing?” Rowan asked.

“I’m going to find her. I’ll bring her back if I can. If not I’ll keep her in place until Quinn gets to us.” He unbuttoned his jeans, pushed them down and yanked his boots off with them.

“Brogan, you can’t go to her in your coyote form. You’ll scare her to death.” Rowan protested.

“I’ve got no choice. She’ll freeze to death if we don’t get to her soon.”

Quinn came out the door, his jacket on, a pack thrown over one shoulder and El’s jacket in his arms. “She didn’t take her coat. We need to move now.” He picked up Brogan’s clothes and shoved them into the pack.

Brogan left the porch at a run as muscles stretched and bones popped. He bent forward and by the time his hands reached the ground they were paws. Shifting for him took no thought, no effort. In seconds he was sniffing the air and following El’s scent along the path into the woods.

He heard Quinn running behind him, the distance between them getting greater with each stride. Nose down, he bounded down the trail and quickly disappeared from view. How had she managed to get so far? The storm was rapidly turning into a blizzard and his keen vision was the only thing keeping him from crashing into the trees.

His fur hung limp, wet from the snow and the sweat pouring out of him. He pumped his legs, his heart racing. The strain and pull on his muscles went unnoticed as he ran for all he was worth. The fear of not getting to her soon enough rode his back, made him push harder.

He’d left the path, slowed by the density of the trees and thick underbrush. Why had she left the path? Burs caught in his fur. Brogan ignored them. He had to get to El, had to find her before she froze to death. Or worse, someone else found her.

The snow fell into his eyes, blurred his vision. His lungs burned but nothing except finding El would stop him. Her scent grew stronger, the wet conditions didn’t hamper his senses. Closer now, he slowed. She didn’t need him barreling down on her in coyote form. He’d have to approach with care, not frighten her.

Two things hit him at once, the sight of El through the trees fifty feet in front of him and another coyote between him and her.

 

El stared at the wild animal in front of her. Teeth bared and hackles raised, he had obviously taken exception to her being in its forest. Well he wasn’t the only one. He looked scrawny, his coat unkempt but what did she expect? A well groomed canine?

“Nice doggy, good doggy.” Hands in front she backed away.

He followed.

The grumble vibrating up his throat stopped her cold. Without moving her head, she searched the area, looking for anything she could use as a weapon to protect herself. He wasn’t big, had to weigh less than she did. If she could find something to bash him over the head with there might be a slim chance she’d get to freeze to death after all.

She tried not to think of how else she might die. Those pointy yellow teeth sent icy fear skating through her veins. Saliva dripped from his curled lips and El’s flight impulse kicked in. The urge to run, to turn and run, shuddered over muscles rigid with fear, but she didn’t move. To do so would mean certain death.

One paw moved forward as a back one followed. With infinite care he walked toward her. He snarled wider, showed more of his menacing jaws. He was stalking her and all she could do was stand there. Wait for him to get closer. She might be able to kick out with her foot if he came within reach without lunging for her throat. How far could he jump?

When he got within twenty feet his snarl turned into a gut-stealing growl, teeth mashing together as he snapped at her. His legs bent and his chest dipped and she knew this was it, he would attack her now and it would be a fight for her life.

She braced her legs apart, bent her knees and bounced on the balls of her feet. All the things she’d been taught in her self-defense class. El figured she could get a good solid kick into his throat if he jumped the right way. If not she’d plant her foot in the first thing it connected with.

The coyote leapt and all her muscles tightened, ready to spring up.

She never got the chance.

With a spine-tingling howl, another coyote pounced. At first she thought it was coming for her but when the newcomer took out the first one in a swift bone-crunching tackle she knew it was time to run. Blood sprayed across the pristine white snow and El’s stomach turned. She would not vomit.

Sprinting to the left, she took off. Trees and bushes slapped at her but she didn’t stop. Her heart pounded in time with her feet, her toes squelched in her wet sneakers and her chest burned with each ragged breath. She needed to hide. She’d never outrun the coyote if he gave chase and she was sure he would.

El scanned the area as she ran, looked for anything that might conceal her. There was only one option. The last time she’d climbed a tree hadn’t turned out well but if it was the difference between life and death, she’d do it. Spotting one that looked as if it would be easy to climb, she headed straight for it.

 

You can purchase Coyote Wild at ~

 

ELLORA’S CAVE  ~  AMAZON  ~  BARNES & NOBLE  ~  ALL ROMANCE eBOOKS  ~  iBOOKS  ~  KOBO  ~  SONY

 

Want more Five For Friday?

 

Jambrea Jo Jones
Bianca D’Arc
Lila Dubois
Lexxie Couper
Mari Carr

Hot Down Under authors take over Coffee Time Romance and More blog

Starting at 8 am US time the Hot Down Under authors are taking over the Coffee Time Romance and More blog. Be sure to check in throughout the day as there will be news posts going up every hour or so. I’m popping in at 4.30 pm US time and not only will you get a sneak-peek at Shut Up And Kiss Me but I’m running a contest for 24 hrs from when the post goes live.

You can check it out HERE!

Six Sentence Sunday – Spin The Bottle Pt2 – #sixsunday

 

Welcome back for another six. I’m still on a high from Tuesday’s release of Spin The Bottle so here’s a little more of Mac and Lil.

 

 

Mac waited for Lilli to come out of her bathroom. She’d been in there less than a minute, but that was sixty seconds too long as far as he was concerned. He wanted to know what that arsehole downstairs had done to her. Needed to know. The rage that had surged through him when he’d seen her pinned beneath Aaron Watson had nearly crippled him. When he’d pulled the man off her and smelled the liquor emanating from the Armani-clad jerk, Mac’s gut had rolled.

 

You can purchase Spin The Bottle at -

 

SAMHAIN  ~  AMAZON  ~  BARNES & NOBLE

 

And don’t for get to head over to the official Six Sentence Sunday site for the list of authors offering six this week HERE!