Delilah Devlin's Blog, page 510

Sunday Report Card

GO VOTE! As of this posting, I'm still holding the lead at Whipped Cream Reviews for Book of the Week, but the wonderful Cari Quinn is trying to kick my butt. If you haven't voted, head on over there. I promise I'll offer her a consolation prize. Wouldn't you love to have her come here to play?

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The big news this week was the acceptance of She-Shifters: Lesbian Paranormal Erotica by Cleis Press! All the authors have been notified of acceptance or rejection. I listed the names of all the authors who will have stories in the anthology, but did I also mention that Kate Douglas (you know, WOLF TALES!) is providing the foreword? More to be excited about, right?

I also completed making my initial selections and editing for Cowboy Lust for Cleis Press. I can't let anyone know the verdict yet—Cleis has final approval—so be patient!

I finished copyedits of Five Ways 'Til Sunday, due out November 22d!

And I'm back working on two projects now—the sequel to True Heart, which is the younger brother's story, Lone Heart, and a short story for a collection that has something to do with lesbians in a locker room… Fun!

So, busy, busy. Not much time to chat, but I will be around. And don't forget, I have TWO CONTESTS ongoing. Be sure to play!

New contest–a signed book, anyone?

A Four-Gone Conclusion is up for Book of the Week at Whipped Cream Reviews!

And it needs your vote: Vote Now!

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An Autographed Book!

Since the battery was too low to take a picture with my camera of a new prize, I'll offer an autographed book this time around! The reader will have a choice of any of my backlisted print titles, other than Enslaved by a Viking—if I have a copy of it in stock. And I have nearly all of them other than some Ellora's Cave books.

What do you have to do to win?

Post a comment here or on my facebook page.

This contest ends on November 6th!

Also, the Promo Ho Contest continues!

What can you win?

One $25.00 Amazon.com gift certificate

What do you have to do to enter?

See the covers below? These books are in sore need of online reviews by readers. So I'm offering a tempting bribe. You know there won't be as many entries for this contest as for the Grab Bag contest, so you stand a better chance of winning! And wouldn't you like to have some cash to spend on new books? And who knows? Maybe you already have these stories sitting on your TBR pile. Time to move them to the top!

Give an honest review for one of these stories on one of the online bookstores. Send me the link at del…@delilahdevlin.com. It can be the same review on three different sites, but send me three separate messages with the different links. Doesn't matter if the review is on Samhain's or Ellora's Cave's website, Amazon or Nook—send me the link to the review. Easy as that. And if you've already posted a review, it counts too. Send me the link!

This contest ends November 15th!

Review at Barnes & Noble

Review at Amazon

SHE-SHIFTERS is a go!

The new contest announcement will go up tomorrow because I have news I can't wait to tell!

It's funny that I wrote yesterday morning's post, asking authors to remain patient for news about the final lineup for Beastly Babes, and yesterday afternoon, I received acceptance from the publisher! That's the way it works, though. Put a thought out there in the ether…

Anyway, I'm extremely excited to announce that Beastly Babes, now She-Shifters: Lesbian Paranormal Erotica (with or without the hyphen, I'm not sure ) is a go!

And just to give you a hint about what you'll find inside this volume, this is what I said in the introduction of the book.

Usually, the idea of shapeshifting creatures is one meant to elicit shivers of horror. But imagine the possibilities if the animal lurking under the skin of a woman was searching for love. Even a demon with fangs and fur can long for a tender caress. Imagine again, a human who discovers her most erotic fantasies embodied in a wild, untamable lover.

Inside She-Shifters, you'll discover how it feels to be embraced inside the warm, feathered wings of a phoenix, explore faded memories of a past life to find your one true love, race through a rain forest morphing from tiger to kingfisher, and watch your lover surrender her seal's pelt to walk hand-in-hand with you along a cold and lonely shore.

Love comes running, slithering, flying—in all shapes of desire.

This is your lineup of authors and their stories:

Paisley Smith—The Night Crow

Anna Meadows—Verde

J.L. Merrow—Nine Days and Seven Tears

Angela Capterton—Sweetwater Pass

Christine d'Abo—Scorched Retribution

Michael M. Jones—Thwarting the Spirits

Adele Dubois—She's Furry Yiffy

Karis Walsh—Totem

Giselle Renarde—Sneak

Myla Jackson—Purrfect in Venezia

Sacchi Green—The Dragon Descending

Victoria Oldham—All the Colors of the Sun

Tahira Iqbal—The Handler

Chris Kouju—Bound in Bronze

Delilah Devlin—Catnip

J.L. Merrow—Belling the Kat

Congratulations, authors! Readers, sorry to say, you'll have to wait until Fall 2012 to find this book!

Update on Beastly Babes and The Cowboy

Just an FYI for writers who submitted stories for Cleis Press's Beastly Babes (which has been renamed She-Shifters) and The Cowboy (now, Cowboy Lust) Calls for Submissions!

I've completed my work. Both books have been submitted to Cleis Press for their approval. Because they have the last say on whether the stories I selected are ones they want, I can't make any announcements just yet. Be patient. Believe me, I am dying to give a shout out about the final lineups for both!

One more note. I will announce a new contest tomorrow. Haven't decided what to offer up as a prize just yet. I have a lovely mermaid journal, a pretty fusion glass bookmark made by a local artist here, and a Strangeling Fairy or two. And books.

Do you have any preferences?

Random Sneak Peek

Psst! The winners of the Authors After Dark Grab Bag and the first Promo Ho

$25.00 gift certificate are listed at the bottom of this blog!

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Thought you might enjoy a little glimpse of "Drive Me Crazy", which will be featured in Cleis's Best Erotic Romance, due out in December. Enjoy!

Just a glimpse of him standing in profile, arms crossed over his well-developed chest and leaning his firm, round butt against the dispatch counter, was enough to shore up my weakening resolve. Dressed in faded blue jeans, a black, chest-hugging t-shirt, and a red Razorback ball cap turned backwards on his dark shaggy hair, he was every woman's blue-collar fantasy. My mouth dried as I glanced down his tall, muscled frame. What woman in her right mind wouldn't want one night with all that ripped hotness?

And that's all it could be—one night. I'd waited until the last possible moment to make my move.

The midnight drive to the dispatch office had given me plenty of time to argue my way out of what had seemed like a good plan earlier when I'd realized that the planets had aligned to give me this one last chance to fulfill my long-standing fantasy.

There'd never been the right time. For the longest time, I was married. When my husband dumped me, Danny had been living with a woman with two kids, and seemed to be heading down a straight road to marriage.

We'd flirted; he'd issued lazy invitations for dates or a quickie at the Motel 6 down the road. But I'd never detected even a hint of serious interest. If something was going to happen, I had to be the one to make a move. Today had been my last day at Henderson Transport. It was now or never.

All the reasons why I was crazy to consider it fell away as I ticked through them in my mind:

He's too young—He'll be happy because I won't have any expectations, I said to myself. Well, none beyond a really good time.

I'm management and he's a driver—Midnight had just ticked past, so not true anymore. We were both free agents. Both consenting adults. All he had to do was say yes.

"You'll never see him again," I muttered under my breath as I rubbed my cold hands together. "If he turns you down, you won't have to live with his smug smile."

I sucked in a deep fortifying breath, adjusted the neckline of the red Lycra top to show my breasts to their best advantage, and pushed through the glass door.

His head turned at the sound, and then he straightened away from the counter and dropped his arms. "You cuttin' my route, Angel?"

I gave him a crooked smile. "Think I'd do that and ask you to wait for me here in the middle of the night?"

His brows drew together, curiosity glinting in his gaze before it dropped to my boobs. I'd worn a bra that pretty much left everything sitting on a shelf. My nipples were outlined against the red, stretchy fabric of my top, the tips spiking because I'd given them a little tweak before I'd exited my car.

His frown deepened. "What's this all about Angela?"

I cleared my throat and tried for a sultry look. "I think you know."

He cocked his head and looked me up and down again. Slowly. "You don't have to hijack a man's keys to get his attention, sweetheart."

I planted my hands on my generous hips. "Apparently, I do, because you sure as shit haven't followed through on any one of your invitations."

His lips twitched. "I thought you flirted like that with all the guys."

"You ever see me do it? Even once?"

His jaw tightened. Fatigue showed in the shadows under his eyes. Stubble clung to his craggy cheeks.

I felt a momentary twinge of guilt over the fact I was keeping him from his bed, but that was all I'd allow. He was young and hot as hell. If he needed sleep that damn bad, he could tell his latest squeeze to come around another time. Tonight, he was mine.

"My keys weren't in the lockbox. I know I left 'em there."

"You did indeed," I said nodding. Then I looked him up and down, making sure he hadn't mistaken my intent. "Fact is, I have an itch that needs scratchin' and I'm hopin' you'll help me out."

I tried to exude more confidence than I felt, but lost my nerve on the return trip up his hard body. I paused and swallowed hard, then gave a little cough to loosen the knot lodging at the back of my throat. When I reached his mouth, he was grinning..

Shit.

"Angela, is there somethin' you want?"

You, preferably naked and tied spread-eagle on a bed so you can't stop me nibbling every edible part of you.

"Angela?"

"Is there something I want? Yeah, there is."

"Then just say it."

But I couldn't. I felt foolish enough. I reached into my purse and drew out his key ring. "Look, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have taken this so far."

"You made me wait half an hour, when I could have been home, showered and in bed. You know how long I've been out this time."

"I know. I arranged the schedule."

Still, he didn't take the keys.

I took a step toward him and had to tilt my head to maintain the lock on his gray gaze.

His hands settled on my waist."You want somethin', sweetheart?" he repeated, his voice lowering to a sexy rumble.

I squeezed my eyes shut, prayed for courage and that the blush staining my cheeks would fade. "I want you," I said, then opened my eyes.

His grin widened. "Now, was that so hard?"

"Matter of fact it was."

He bent toward me, his gaze narrowing on my mouth, but I turned away my face. "Not here. Your rig."

His eyebrows shot up, and he pushed me gently back. "After you. You know where I'm docked, and you have a key. Let yourself inside and get comfortable. I'm hittin' the locker room for a quick shower. I smell like diesel." He turned on his heel, giving me another view of that backside I'd drooled over for months.

A moan slipped from my mouth, and I heard a chuckle as he pushed through the door and left me standing weak-kneed in his wake.

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The winner of the Authors After Dark Grab Bag is…Janice Peruzzini! The winner of the first $25.00 Amazon.com gift certificate for being a stellar Promo Ho is…Crystal Hynds! Ladies, email me at del…@delilahdevlin.com to arrange delivery of your prizes! Congrats!

In Curve Magazine…

Just a reminder! Today's the last day of the Authors After Dark Grab Bag and Promo Ho ($25.00 Amazon gift certs!) contests! See details on my CONTEST page!

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How cool is this?

Girls Who Bite was covered in Curve, a best-selling lesbian magazine. See the tearsheet of the article below. If anyone finds a copy of this magazine in her local bookstore, I'd be happy to reimburse her for any expenses.

Girl Fever's a go!

One quick note! Randi Alexander, one of my blog sisters at Wild and Wicked Cowboys, needs your vote! Her vampire cowboy erotic romance, This Cowboy Bites, is one of the four final stories at All Romance eBook's Just One Bite Contest. You can read the entire story, plus three others, free at ARe. Thank you! ~DD

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Did I mention that a short story I wrote for Sacchi Green's call for submissions for Girl Fever: 69 Stories of Sudden Sex for Lesbians made it into the anthology? The book will be released in May 2012. My story is entitled "Ignition Switch" and you can imagine what body part I'm talkin' about! To see the entire roster of stories and authors, check out Sacchi Green's blog. And 69 stories? 69 authors to work with? She's a matyr! Just kidding, I bet the challenge was envigorating.

For you writers out there who want to know where I see these calls for submissions, check out the Erotic Readers & Writers Association website.

And for you readers, I thought I'd give you a heads up for the stories releasing between now and the end of this year.

11/22/2011 – FIVE WAYS 'TIL SUNDAY, Delta Heat series, eBook (Samhain)

11/29/2011 – DRAGON'S DESIRE, Alluring Tales-3, eBook (Kindle)

12/06/2011 – RED HOT WINTER, print anthology (Samhain), includes my novella "True Heart"

12/13/11 – BEST EROTIC ROMANCE OF 2012, print anthology (Cleis Press), includes my new short story "Drive Me Crazy"

This "Energizer Bunny" needs new batteries

The winner of the free autographed book I offered during my visit with the Smutketeers is Shadow! Shadow, be sure to email me with your snail mail address

so I can get your prize to you!

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I think I have most of my family obligations out of the way now. I'm buying the Red-Headed Hellion a house, and we closed on Friday. Yesterday, we bought cleaning and painting supplies, contacted the handyman, worked on getting utilities scheduled. Today, we did one last drive by Walmart for last minute supplies. Since I'm the bank, I don't have to do the work. I'm free now to do what I do best—write.

But now I'm running on empty. Have any suggestions for ways to get me energized? Any secret family recipes? What do you do rev up for a hard week? I'm drinking a cup of coffee as I write, but I'm sure I'll need more to get me through the next couple of weeks. I have to keep my head down, ignore the family, and pretend my office is a cave deep inside a mountain with a dragon guarding the door while I slave away.

Any suggestions?

Also, I sent out my first newsletter using a new newsletter hosting site yesterday. If you didn't get a copy (and it was a little skimpy on news, only because I didn't have time to add a personal note) be sure sign up for the newsletter. The signup blank is easy, and located to the left of this blog, although you might have to scroll down a little to find it. I will be running some contests in the newsletter that are only for subscribers!

Yippee-effing-Kai-Yay!

OMG! I have a stable Internet connection again!

I live in the boonies so I don't have the option of calling the local NERDS to come fix my computer problems. So, it was a process of elimination. First, checking the satellite connection/strength, figuring out whether other computers in the house (six!) had the same issue. All did, excerpt for the one connected directly to the router by cable. Sooooo…

I ordered a new router. It's installed. And so far, so good. You have no idea how time-consuming and frustrating it is trying to work with spotty connection. The only time I seemed to get good connection was the middle of the night, so I set alarms to get up at 3 AM to take care of email and blogging. I know friends who tried to reach me during the day thought I'd dropped off the face of the earth.

Anyway, here it is 10 AM and I'm happily cranking out today's blog about INTERNET WOES. Not sexy, right?

The next problem I have is trying to figure out why my computer goes to the Blue Screen of Death when it hibernates. Guess I'll uninstall every piece of hardware I have, one at a time, to see if one of them is the issue. Then maybe I can get back to writing!

I did finish a very sexy, funny short story this week to include in the Cleis cowboy collection. After reading the sexy stories other writers contributed, I was just a little intimidated. Took me a while to figure out what I wanted to do that would fit with the collection and still be distinctive.

Yeah, I get the advantage of doing that since I get to read ALL the stories first.

Remember, if you've read any of my recently published stories and don't feel wierd doing it, post a review and send me the link. You'll be entered in the Promo Ho contest. Details about the stories I need reviews for are listed on my "Contest" page. You only have 3 more days to enter!

The winner of yesterday's flashback download (selected by random number generator) is…Fedora! Fedora, congrats and email me!

Flashback: Raw Silk

If you post a comment today, you'll be in the running

for a free download of this book!

TGIF! Not that it means much to me anymore. Whenever I crawl out of bed is the start of my day. And I'm never installing a webcam at my desk because then you'd know I write in sweats with my hair spiking around my head and not a stitch of makeup. Very unglamorous.

Enjoy this long excerpt. Get to know my two sexy Austin firefighters. Camille sure will.

"… This is one hot book. This is my first m/f/m, m/f/m/f, f/f, and m/m all in one book! And whoa nelly, this was a smoking hot story…." ~ 5 Stars and Top Pick, Night Owl Reviews

"…Delilah Devlin has a scorching hot read on her hands with RAW SILK…Ms. Devlin gives her readers a sexually charged romance…Ms. Devlin turned up the heat with her intense love scenes and memorable characters. I loved Raw Silk, and I would recommend this story to every reader."

~ 5 Angels and Recommended Read, Fallen Angels Reviews

"…The always exhilarating author Delilah Devlin knows exactly what her readers want – daring, erotic and wicked delightful stories filled with amazing characters, exciting story lines, passion and an abundance of emotions that will keep them riveted to the pages and once again she delivers the goods with RAW SILK…"

~ 4 Hearts, The Romance Studio

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A wicked, no-strings one-night stand turns unexpectedly complicated when three lonely hearts collide…

Camille sacrificed romance for success long ago. Now that the lingerie company she and her best friend built is hugely successful, she has a few regrets. Wanting to let down her hair and explore the possibilities, she agrees to meet a man at a bar for drinks only to wind up needing help when she rebuffs his sexual overtures.

Jake and Daniel are two firefighters hitting the bar for a quick drink after a long shift when they see a classy beauty fending off an overzealous boyfriend. With a flex of biceps they chase him off then settle in to seduce the lovely woman whose eyes reflect a hunger they understand all too well.

What starts as a simple, pleasurable one-night stand, quickly burns up the sheets. While Jake knows he can't let Camille crush their relationship because of age differences, Daniel still thinks he can walk—until he gets a whiff of Camille's best friend Lacey. Suddenly three isn't enough.

Reader Advisory: Burning up the sheets is putting it mildly! Inhibitions are out the door with scenes of m/f/m, m/f/m/f, f/f and m/m.

Nothing was better than a lip-gloss kiss—sweet, silky, made for savoring.

Jake Lassiter picked up his beer and drew on the froth, imagining another kind of cream slipping between his lips while he stared at the woman's shiny pout. She didn't seem to realize anyone stared as she slicked her lips with a clear lube, tucked a stray blonde curl behind her ear and closed the mirrored compact. Or maybe she did and the performance was just a tease.

"Dayum, bro. Gotta have me some of that," Daniel Parker murmured.

Jake shot him a glare, just to check, and sure enough, his best buddy was staring at the same honey-haired beauty. "I call dibs."

Danny scowled, humor gleaming in his dark brown eyes. "Can't call dibs. I saw her first. I watched her come in the door while you were paying for the drinks."

"Oh yeah? What color is her hair?" Jake asked, leaning toward the bar to cut off Danny's view.

"Who gives a damn? Did you see her ass?"

Jake snorted, annoyed they were talking like two never-been-laid teenagers, but that's what usually happened after a long week when both of them were too worn out to rub a single brain cell between them.

That either had been able to lift bleary eyes past their beers said a lot for the woman's appeal. She shone like a beacon in the badly lit bar.

"Why not let the lady make her own choice?" Danny drawled.

"Like she'd come near either one of us," he muttered, his gaze sweeping the expensive cut of her navy suit, the sleek fall of her chin-length hair and understated makeup. She wore "class" like he did a pair of well-washed jeans—comfortably.

Still, it had been her expression that had snagged his attention. Something soft and wistful shone in her large, dark eyes. She wished she was anywhere but here.



"Speak for yourself," Danny said in his usual imperturbable fashion. "I showered at the station before I left. I mean it, man. Let's ask her which of us she'd rather have."

Jake shook his head, fighting a smile. Even when he was being an ass, his buddy's rakish grin made him laugh. He prepared to shove away from the bar. "How 'bout I just invite her over for a drink? She looks like she might like the company."

Danny leaned past him and grimaced. "Hate to break it to you, but I don't think she'll go for it. She's got a boyfriend sliding right in."

Jake's head swiveled her way, just in time to see a suit with a flashy tie bend to kiss her cheek then take the seat beside hers. "Tall and pasty-faced" sat and stretched his arm across the back of the woman's chair.

A sudden flash of anger stiffened Jake's shoulders. He had never seen the lady before five minutes ago but he felt as if he'd already staked a claim.

"He's making damn sure the rest of us know she's taken," Danny muttered.

Jake sighed and angled his body toward his friend, ready to finish the beer and call it a night. "It's just as well. I'm beat."

Danny's glance remained fixed on the table behind Jake then slowly narrowed. "Not so fast. I don't think she's that into pretty boy."

Jake didn't want to look, preferred to forget his impossible attraction, but he turned and watched the woman lean away from the arm draped behind her. Her eyebrows lowered and those bowed lips tightened in irritation.

"Boyfriend" moved closer, ignoring the not-so-subtle clues, and tucked his face into the corner of her neck to nibble.

She shrugged, trying to escape, and her voice raised just enough for Jake to hear the tone but not the words.

"Think she needs rescuing?" Jake asked softly.

"Think he'll listen? Or are you ready for a fight?"

Hell yeah he was. Jake clapped his cowboy hat on his head and rose slowly, fisting his hands. "Watch my back."

"Like I'm gonna let you be the white hat?"

"Bro, I'm wearin' it."

Danny grinned. He lifted his beer and emptied it then slammed it on the table and followed.

Jake sauntered toward the pizza-pie-shaped table and halted in front of the couple, hooking his hands on his hips. The motion stretched his firehouse t-shirt across a chest he knew commanded more than a few stares.

The woman saw him first, her brown eyes widening as they trailed up his body to his face. "Boyfriend", however, hadn't a clue how close he was to dusting the floor with his expensive suit.

Danny cleared his throat.

Jake lifted his chin and captured the woman's gaze. "Baby, I thought I told you I don't like it when you tease me."

Boyfriend muttered and jerked back his head, taking in Jake and Danny in a single annoyed glance. "Beat it."

Jake ignored him, turning his attention to the woman. "What do you say, sweetheart?"

Her lips quirked. "Honey, Malcolm, here, doesn't take no for an answer."

A scrape sounded beside him and Danny set a chair backward at the tiny table and straddled it. Malcolm gave him a killing glare, but Danny ignored him, reaching for the bowl of peanuts at the center of the table and grabbing a fistful, which he held above his face and dropped into his open mouth in a steady stream.

"Guess the table's gonna get crowded," Jake murmured. "Name's Jake, since you asked," he said thrusting his hand in front of Malcolm's face.

Malcolm's narrowed glance looked at Jake's hand, and then he angled his body toward the woman. "How about we blow this place?" he said, a trace of a pansy-assed British accent in his voice.

"I don't think so," she said evenly. "I only agreed to meet you because you said you wanted to talk about the proposal. I chose this place to kill two birds." Her gaze rose to Jake's again.

He nodded imperceptibly, and smiled at Malcolm. "We have a date."

"The two of you have a date with her?" he said, his tone disbelieving.

Danny coughed and held up his hand. Finally, he cleared his throat. "I think you get the drift, buddy. The lady's ours."

Malcolm's mouth curled in disgust. "I knew you were a firecracker, but I had no idea. It's a little crowded for me, love." He straightened his tie, glanced around the darkly lit bar and stood, not looking back once while he sauntered toward a lone woman seated at the bar.

"Thanks, I think," the woman said, wrinkling her nose. "Now my reputation's going to be in shreds. Not that that's a bad thing," she muttered under her breath. "And I can't say I'm not glad to get him off me."

Jake liked her easy humor, liked her husky, whiskey-laced voice even better. "Do you really think anyone will believe a word from that slimeball?" Jake said, settling into Malcolm's vacated seat.

"Guess not," she said, eyeing him then Danny. She took a deep breath. "Can I buy you both a drink since you rescued me? I can't leave just yet. We'll have to make this look good."

"We'd be much obliged," Danny said, grinning. "You've already met Jake, and I'm Danny."

"Camille." She cleared her throat and signaled to the waitress.

Jake and Danny shared a charged glance, and Jake knew exactly what was poking around Danny's mind. The lady hadn't looked all that shocked when "boyfriend" concluded she was dating the two of them. But if that was what enticed her to spend a little time with them, he'd bite back his natural urge to corral her all for himself.

Up close, the woman was even more attractive, if a little older than he'd originally thought, with pale, creamy skin and a small dent on the underside of her jaw. He liked the stubborn tilt and the little groove underneath her round jaw and imagined rubbing his tongue and anything else she'd like along the sexy notch.

"Malcolm's still staring," she murmured, turning her head and pointing with her finger hidden in her hair.

From the bar, Malcolm's malevolent gaze was trained on the trio.

"Maybe he doesn't believe you're really with us. Why don't we remove his doubts?" Danny said, his dark brown eyebrows giving a devilish waggle.

Her lush lips pursed as she considered, and Jake felt his body tighten.

"What do you have in mind?" she said, her voice sliding softer.

"Wanna dance with us?" Danny said.

Her brows rose. "Both of you?" Something wicked sparkled in her eyes.

Jake couldn't resist that hint of interest. He met Danny's glance, wondering how far his friend really wanted to take this. From Danny's tightening expression, he surmised he was willing to let the lady set the course.

His fatigue melted away as a slow aching throb pulsed between his legs. His body was way ahead of his mind, it appeared. He slowly slid his arm along the back of her chair, not touching her shoulders but still crowding her a bit. Her gaze met his and locked. Her pupils dilated, her breath hitched, but she leaned back, easing into his embrace.

Jake liked the way her body relaxed against him and the waft of spicy perfume that teased his nose. "Probably wouldn't call it dancin'," he said, keeping his voice even although he felt a predatory growl rising inside him. "There won't be much room for you to move."

"Do you really think that's what it will take for him to get the message?" she asked doubtfully. But while her response sounded reluctant, he detected a flare of heat entering her warm, cognac-colored eyes.

"I guarantee he won't be able to miss it." Neither would anyone else watching them inside the bar. "Come on. I promise we won't do anything you won't like." He unwound his body from the chair and held out his hand.

Camille shook her head, her expression turning rueful, but she let Jake grasp her hand and tug her up.

Danny fell in on her other side as they walked toward the small parquet square that passed for a dance floor. The music was loud and bluesy, the rumbling bass slower than a lazy heartbeat.

Jake turned her into his arms and waited for her to raise her hands and settle them against his chest. Then he gripped her hips and pulled her closer.

Her body stiffened and her hands dropped to shove his upward, but he resisted, his fingers biting into her soft flesh. He bent to whisper in her ear, "I'll stop if you really want me to."

She tilted back her head. A flash of panic widened her eyes, but she held his gaze for a long moment then her body slowly relaxed. She took a deep breath and tucked her face into the corner of his shoulder. A soft moan warmed his neck.

Above her head, he gave Danny a subtle nod.

Danny moved in behind her, dropped his hands to the sides of her thighs and scooped her bottom against his groin.

The three of them barely breathed for a long, charged moment until Jake slowly set the depth and rhythm of their movements, sliding his thigh between hers, and letting Danny crowd her back closer to his chest.

"I can't catch my breath," she gasped when Jake rubbed his thigh between hers.

He pulled back his head. "That a problem, sweetheart?" His gaze caught hers and satisfaction filled him. He read the feminine fear and startled arousal in her widening eyes and softening lips.

"Guess not," she whispered. Her fingers clutched the tops of his shoulders and she nestled her cheek against him.

They swayed together, heat building between their bodies. Her belly trembled, and he felt it vibrate against his cock.

"You okay with this?" Danny whispered, his hands beginning to smooth up and down her thighs, drawing up her skirt to allow Jake's thigh to press higher.

"It's just a dance," she bit out, her thighs clamping harder around Jake's.

"Sure it is," Danny murmured, and bent to nuzzle her neck.

The music changed to something faster, with a raw, raucous beat.

Camille took a deep breath and lifted her head. Her lips quirked into a strained smile, waiting for them to move away, but Danny lifted an eyebrow to Jake who gave him another nod.

Danny pulled back and turned her toward his body, settling her just as close as Jake had held her, sliding his thigh intimately between hers.

Jake cupped the tops of her hips and bent until his lips were just beside her ear. "Malcolm's watching now."

"Do you think I'm stupid enough to believe this is all about him?" she said tightly.

"We never thought that. Just helpin' you kill those two birds."

"Which birds are you referring to?" she asked, shivering delicately when his lips grazed her neck. "I'm not sure they're the same species I had in mind."

"Getting rid of boyfriend…and getting your groove on, sweetheart."

"Not exactly what I had in mind." But she groaned deeply and another shudder trembled up her spine.

"Do you have any objections?"

A short, shattered laugh jerked her between them. "What are you guys? You're both…huge."

"Why thank you, ma'am," Danny said, his voice thick and husky.

She groaned. "I'm talking about your bodies."

"So were we."

"Right."

"Firemen," Jake broke in, cupping her hips and massaging them. "We're both firemen."

"Firemen…figures."

Jake leaned back, bending his knees and taking her with him so that her bottom molded against groin. His hips rubbed and ground, rocking her with the beat. Her head fell against his shoulder and she gave a little shimmy, side to side, that nearly killed his composure. "Got something against firemen?"

"Of course not," she said over her shoulder. "But it explains…the muscle."

Danny bent toward her, nipping at her ear. "We're big; doesn't mean we don't know how to be gentle."

"When it's needed," Jake said, finally unleashing the growl and enjoying the way she shivered in response.

"Jesus," she groaned. "And I thought this was going to be a tedious evening."

"Place yourself in our hands," Jake said, whispering in her ear while locking gazes with Danny. "I promise you won't be tempted to yawn even once."