Lily Harlem's Blog, page 293
November 25, 2011
Blurb for Cold Nights, Hot Bodies.
I've been busy writing the blurb today for my soon to be released novel Cold Nights, Hot Bodies. Here goes....
All my life I've been the quiet bookworm, the office mouse. It hasn't bothered me. Immersing myself in erotic novels has kept me wriggling on the edge of my seat at work and firmly entrenched in my own fantasy world at night.
Though one thing is bothering me—my damn virginity. If only I could find a sexy bedroom expert to introduce me to the delights of having a lover. Someone handsome and charming, who can rival the hunky alpha males in my books. I have a very vivid, very well-fed imagination—he'll have to keep up.
Then, one bitterly cold night, thanks to a devious, conniving so-called-friend, the perfect opportunity to rid myself of this pesky virginal problem comes along. Before I know it, the heroes in my novels have come alive in the person of Shane Galloway, who's pleasuring me with every trick in the book and wheedling into my heart in the hottest possible of ways.
Lily x
All my life I've been the quiet bookworm, the office mouse. It hasn't bothered me. Immersing myself in erotic novels has kept me wriggling on the edge of my seat at work and firmly entrenched in my own fantasy world at night.
Though one thing is bothering me—my damn virginity. If only I could find a sexy bedroom expert to introduce me to the delights of having a lover. Someone handsome and charming, who can rival the hunky alpha males in my books. I have a very vivid, very well-fed imagination—he'll have to keep up.
Then, one bitterly cold night, thanks to a devious, conniving so-called-friend, the perfect opportunity to rid myself of this pesky virginal problem comes along. Before I know it, the heroes in my novels have come alive in the person of Shane Galloway, who's pleasuring me with every trick in the book and wheedling into my heart in the hottest possible of ways.
Lily x
I Am The Wind by Sarah Masters
I've just finished this awesome little book. Its a darkly satisfying M/M and certainly deserves its place as top seller of the week at ARe. Go grab a copy and enjoy...
Two men who have secrets from the past just can't let them go—until they meet one another.
Two men, both mistrusting adults who have secrets they'd rather not share. After a drunken night out, Christian goes back to Alfie's house for sex, the thought never crossing his mind that Alfie will hold him hostage in his cellar. As weeks pass, Christian would never have thought he'd come to care for Alfie either—but he does, and although he can't explain how he feels, it doesn't much matter. There's no one out there to miss him anyway.
Alfie has his reasons for keeping Christian tied up, and they are heartbreaking. He's had a terrible past, one no child should ever live, and the morning after the night he took Christian home, he snapped. He couldn't bear for yet another person to leave him and, knowing what he was about to do was wrong, he did it anyway.
Despite their harrowing pasts, the two men form a bond and together discover that there is a way to trust—finally.
Lily x
Two men who have secrets from the past just can't let them go—until they meet one another.
Two men, both mistrusting adults who have secrets they'd rather not share. After a drunken night out, Christian goes back to Alfie's house for sex, the thought never crossing his mind that Alfie will hold him hostage in his cellar. As weeks pass, Christian would never have thought he'd come to care for Alfie either—but he does, and although he can't explain how he feels, it doesn't much matter. There's no one out there to miss him anyway.
Alfie has his reasons for keeping Christian tied up, and they are heartbreaking. He's had a terrible past, one no child should ever live, and the morning after the night he took Christian home, he snapped. He couldn't bear for yet another person to leave him and, knowing what he was about to do was wrong, he did it anyway.
Despite their harrowing pasts, the two men form a bond and together discover that there is a way to trust—finally.
Lily x
November 23, 2011
Great review for CROSS-CHECKED
I just woke up to a fabulous Forbidden Bookshelf review for the second in my HOT ICE series, Cross-Checked.
Here is what the reviewer Stella said -
I enjoyed Hired, the first book in the Hot Ice series by Lily Harlem and was looking forward to the next books to discover more about the other Orlando Vipers hockey players and how they would find love. Cross-Checked is Brick's story. We already got a glimpse of Brick in Hired and despite him being kind of an arrogant jerk there I suspected he had more to him and I had a soft spot for the young but warm-hearted and funny charmer even back then, so I was curious and excited to finally read his story.
Cross-Checked is narrated by the heroine, a respective athlete: Olympic medalist cyclist Carly. Carly has had a crush on Brick for a long time, she is obsessed with him and has an elaborate plan on how to seduce him and keep his interest hooked for longer than a quick tumble into bed. She wants Brick for more than the simple rink bunnies do. But when nothing goes according to her plan and Brick acts nothing like she expected she feels her control on the plan and his seduction slipping.
I dare every warm blooded woman not to melt when reading about Brick's courting of Carly:
"I'll take you home." He grinned. "I'm going that way.""But you don't even know where I live." I tugged my wrist from his grip even though having him touch me sent waves of delight over my skin.He shrugged. "Wherever you live, I was going that way."
Despite being a huge and muscle solid man Brick has a very open and generous heart. He is playful and flirty, but underneath that easygoing charmer is a man who has depth and hidden vulnerabilities. When he spoke of his deceased father and how much he still misses him even though he hasn't lost him recently, it made me tear up and squeezed my heart. It was surprising and sobering to see the flirty playboy become instantly intense and one could not mistake his seriousness as to his relationship with Carly.
"You're not a game to me," he said quietly. "When I said you were all I could think about, that you were the star of all my fantasies, I was being honest. When I thought I was coming to the hospital to identify a body and help your parents organize a funeral my world ended." His lips squeezed together and he dragged in a deep breath. "I have never, ever in all my life wanted anything as much as I wanted you to be all right, not even last year, when I really wanted to lift the Stanley Cup."
"If I hand myself over to you, Carly," he said, softening his voice, "then you need to be there for me, don't you get it, you've become my weakness. I'm a big, strong guy but if anything happened to you it would destroy me."
I found Carly's internal monologues a bit too sappy and her self-doubt and lack of confidence in herself and in Brick irritating, I often would have liked to shake Carly a few times to finally realize what a good man Brick was and not to miss out on her chance to be happy with him. It was nice to have a story where it was the hero who was sure of his feelings and set on the course to take their relationship further.
Just like Hired, Crossh-Checked is rather a sensual romance than erotica due to the well developed storyline, characters and emotional journey of the characters taking the main stage instead of the physical scenes.
I have to say I liked Cross-Checked even better than Hired, it was wonderfully hot and heartwarming. I love how 3D Lily Harlem makes her characters, they feel like real people and not just cardboard props in a story. A great story and series I would recommend!
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Story: 4.5 out of 5
This reviewer really pulled up all the points I wanted to make about my characters and it was a joy to read. I'm off to celebrate - oh, not yet, I have a sexy scene in my next HOT ICE book to write first!!
Lily x
November 22, 2011
WHEN ONE IS NOT ENOUGH
November 21, 2011
Busy!!
Not much happening on my blog today - I have to get my head down and do some of the real stuff - which for me is writing.
I am mid-edits for Cold Nights, Hot Bodies, and anticipating it being released just before Christmas.
And also I am half way through writing my fourth Hot Ice novel, it has a working title of Teamwork and I am using these hot guys as inspiration. What do you think??
All I can tell you about the book at this stage is she is one very lucky heroine!!
Lily x
I am mid-edits for Cold Nights, Hot Bodies, and anticipating it being released just before Christmas.
And also I am half way through writing my fourth Hot Ice novel, it has a working title of Teamwork and I am using these hot guys as inspiration. What do you think??
All I can tell you about the book at this stage is she is one very lucky heroine!!
Lily x
November 20, 2011
Sunday Snog - The Actress
Hi everyone who has joined me from Victoria Bliss' website. This weeks Sunday Snog is taken from a short story called The Actress. I wrote this for the Coming Together Anthology last year, a charity book in which all proceeds go toward One who's aim is to end global poverty.
The book only costs a few cents/pence and by purchasing it you will be doing good while being bad!
Here is the blurb -
Sapphire Makepeace has lived her red carpet life of champagne, caviar, and glittering Oscars to the fullest. But she's also used her celebrity to raise money for charity, one such endeavor included a daring expedition to the summit of Mount Everest in which the world feared her early demise when she became trapped by a furious storm.
It was this storm that resulted in the queen of cinema, Hollywood's angel, having a secret shared with only two men: Andy and Lee Driver, brothers, English, mountaineering adrenalin junkies.
Fifty four years later their names still roll around her tongue a hundred times a day, because an encounter that extreme, that intense is one that lasts an entire lifetime
SNOG!
Terror uncoiled within me, I looked past Lee's face at the billowing fabric of the tent only a foot away, another two feet beyond that was a deathly drop through the elements.I began to shake even more than I had when I was cold. Every nerve and muscle in my body jumped around like a bouncing bean."Hey, hey," Lee said. "Stop worrying. It's okay. We won't let anything happen to you." And then his lips were on mine. Pressing down firmly, dominantly, his tongue probing past my teeth and sweeping around the inside of my mouth.I squeaked and pushed at his chest. "What are you doing?" I said. "Lee…""Taking your mind of it." He licked his bottom lip as though savouring my taste."I'm married," I said with a frown. "To Dean Mayer.""Yeah, I know. Everyone on the planet knows. But he's not here to distract you from the terror of being on Everest in a storm, is he?""Or the discomfort of suffering from acute hypothermia," Andy added as he snuggled his face into my nape. The soft bristles of his soul patch scratched at my delicate skin. "Let us take your mind off it, Sapphire. I promise it'll help.""No," I said. "I can't." Though the way Andy was making me melt with peppering little kisses towards my left ear seriously reduced the conviction in my words."But what if we all die up here," Lee said, running his fingers through the messy hair at my temples and staring down at me. "And this is the last thing we could do for pleasure and we don't take the opportunity?"How the hell did he know playing with my hair always did it for me? "No," I whispered, though my body was disagreeing violently. I could feel my nipples hardening beneath the layers of clothes, jutting out eagerly for a harder connection with Lee's chest. Andy nestled further into my back, his demanding penis sending sparks of desire rushing through my veins and firing my nerve endings."You're even more beautiful in real life," Lee said in a gravely voice, rubbing the pad of his thumb over my cheek bone. "I've admired you for years in films and magazines, but watching you climb in the mountains over the last week… well…" His eyes dropped to my mouth and his eyelids drooped. "I guess we're lucky guys to see Sapphire Makepeace at her most glorious."I knew he was only trying to appeal to my vanity, the vanity every actress has by the bucketful, but it was working. He was winning me over, not least because I knew at that moment in time I looked hideous. Deathly pale skin blotched red to resemble squashed raspberries on a white sheet. Long blonde hair tangled and un-brushed. Not a scrap of makeup or jewelry, not even my wedding ring. My only concession to being a woman was the small bottle of spiced Paris perfume I treasured like gold and sneakily applied several times a day.And then Lee was kissing me again, though this time I didn't stop him when his soft mouth parted my lips and began to move in a gentle dance. He tasted of man and sex. His golden bristles caught on my chin, and his tongue was hot and confident. I let out a small moan and splayed my hands over his chest as he cupped my face to his. He was right. We might all die up here; we had to take pleasure where we could.My moan was like showing a red cloak to a bull. The temperature of his kisses heated up, his hands traveled down into the sleeping bag and searched out the base of my thermal top. Flesh finally connected with flesh, and his calloused palm slid up my perfectly flat belly and settled over the satin cup of my bra. I pressed in for more, all thoughts of Dean flying from my mind. Behind me, Andy's hand searched for the hook and eye fastening. He quickly found it and released me from my underwear. I felt dizzy with longing, overwhelmed with the urge to have these two men touching me all over, making me forget the perilous situation we were in.
I hope you enjoyed this weeks snog. Have a great day.
Lily x
The book only costs a few cents/pence and by purchasing it you will be doing good while being bad!
Here is the blurb -
Sapphire Makepeace has lived her red carpet life of champagne, caviar, and glittering Oscars to the fullest. But she's also used her celebrity to raise money for charity, one such endeavor included a daring expedition to the summit of Mount Everest in which the world feared her early demise when she became trapped by a furious storm.
It was this storm that resulted in the queen of cinema, Hollywood's angel, having a secret shared with only two men: Andy and Lee Driver, brothers, English, mountaineering adrenalin junkies.
Fifty four years later their names still roll around her tongue a hundred times a day, because an encounter that extreme, that intense is one that lasts an entire lifetime
SNOG!
Terror uncoiled within me, I looked past Lee's face at the billowing fabric of the tent only a foot away, another two feet beyond that was a deathly drop through the elements.I began to shake even more than I had when I was cold. Every nerve and muscle in my body jumped around like a bouncing bean."Hey, hey," Lee said. "Stop worrying. It's okay. We won't let anything happen to you." And then his lips were on mine. Pressing down firmly, dominantly, his tongue probing past my teeth and sweeping around the inside of my mouth.I squeaked and pushed at his chest. "What are you doing?" I said. "Lee…""Taking your mind of it." He licked his bottom lip as though savouring my taste."I'm married," I said with a frown. "To Dean Mayer.""Yeah, I know. Everyone on the planet knows. But he's not here to distract you from the terror of being on Everest in a storm, is he?""Or the discomfort of suffering from acute hypothermia," Andy added as he snuggled his face into my nape. The soft bristles of his soul patch scratched at my delicate skin. "Let us take your mind off it, Sapphire. I promise it'll help.""No," I said. "I can't." Though the way Andy was making me melt with peppering little kisses towards my left ear seriously reduced the conviction in my words."But what if we all die up here," Lee said, running his fingers through the messy hair at my temples and staring down at me. "And this is the last thing we could do for pleasure and we don't take the opportunity?"How the hell did he know playing with my hair always did it for me? "No," I whispered, though my body was disagreeing violently. I could feel my nipples hardening beneath the layers of clothes, jutting out eagerly for a harder connection with Lee's chest. Andy nestled further into my back, his demanding penis sending sparks of desire rushing through my veins and firing my nerve endings."You're even more beautiful in real life," Lee said in a gravely voice, rubbing the pad of his thumb over my cheek bone. "I've admired you for years in films and magazines, but watching you climb in the mountains over the last week… well…" His eyes dropped to my mouth and his eyelids drooped. "I guess we're lucky guys to see Sapphire Makepeace at her most glorious."I knew he was only trying to appeal to my vanity, the vanity every actress has by the bucketful, but it was working. He was winning me over, not least because I knew at that moment in time I looked hideous. Deathly pale skin blotched red to resemble squashed raspberries on a white sheet. Long blonde hair tangled and un-brushed. Not a scrap of makeup or jewelry, not even my wedding ring. My only concession to being a woman was the small bottle of spiced Paris perfume I treasured like gold and sneakily applied several times a day.And then Lee was kissing me again, though this time I didn't stop him when his soft mouth parted my lips and began to move in a gentle dance. He tasted of man and sex. His golden bristles caught on my chin, and his tongue was hot and confident. I let out a small moan and splayed my hands over his chest as he cupped my face to his. He was right. We might all die up here; we had to take pleasure where we could.My moan was like showing a red cloak to a bull. The temperature of his kisses heated up, his hands traveled down into the sleeping bag and searched out the base of my thermal top. Flesh finally connected with flesh, and his calloused palm slid up my perfectly flat belly and settled over the satin cup of my bra. I pressed in for more, all thoughts of Dean flying from my mind. Behind me, Andy's hand searched for the hook and eye fastening. He quickly found it and released me from my underwear. I felt dizzy with longing, overwhelmed with the urge to have these two men touching me all over, making me forget the perilous situation we were in.
I hope you enjoyed this weeks snog. Have a great day.
Lily x
November 18, 2011
More Inspiration
Okay, so if you haven't checked out the delicious inspirational photographs I use when dreaming up my heroes, click on the hottie below!
Lily x
Lily x
November 16, 2011
Inspiration
Today I am over at K D Grace's - A Hopeful Romantic - chatting about inspiration. I hope to see you there.
Lily x
Lily x
November 14, 2011
Slap Shot review
I am thrilled to announce that Slap Shot has had yet another great review.
Here is what the Whipped Cream reviewer had to say...
Rick "Ramrod" Lewis seems to have it all. Expensive car, big house, an exciting career as the captain of the Orlando Vipers hockey team, and even a crazed stalker-fan who's been sending him 'love notes' after a one-night stand mistake. Unfortunately, none of it means as much anymore since he doesn't have anyone to share it with. The unfulfilled feeling makes all of the materials things he possesses feel a bit lacking, but all of that changes the day he meets a most organized, unadventurous, and beautiful woman wearing fire-engine red heels.
She resists his charme, and he can't resist the challenge. It is too tempting to resist and before long it becomes his mission to see that the infuriating woman become the "wild thing" he believes her to be. It soon becomes apparent to Rick that the cold shoulder she tries to throw his way is just a front of self-protection, which makes him even more determined to know the woman who has bewitched him and then to win her heart.
For Dana Wilcox, event organizer and owner of Best Laid Plans, two years of sexual abstinence and swearing off men is about to go flying out the window. She knows her priorities and getting caught up in the sexually charged firestorm that is Rick is not one of the them But with fate constantly throwing them together, keeping her priorities in check proves harder than expected. The "old" Dana wouldn't have thought twice at jumping on the sexy captain, but the "new" Dana is afraid of unleashing her, even for just one night, and unraveling all the hard work she's put into her image and business.
Dana's experienced past with absent parents and the "seedy nocturnal world" ended one morning with a rude awakening of sorts and since then she hasn't looked back. She may not be proud of some of things she had to do to get there, but she is proud of what she has accomplished. Even her taste in men had changed. The plan was to find "Mr. Absolutely Spot-on Perfect" later in life, yet the persistent guy wanting to try out for the role is anything but and yet everything she needs. However, someone has been watching their every move and is determined to make sure that the threat is eliminated.
With a mixture of emotionally enriched characters and sexual chemistry, this surprisingly suspenseful story takes flight right from the start and will capture the attention of any romance reader. Ms. Harlem never fails to instill vividly intense sex scenes into her stories and this one is no exception with an incredibly heated spin to an unplanned pole dancing session. The character and relationship developments were a pleasure to read and very well done and I really enjoyed the updates on the first two couples from earlier in the series as well. Now I'm even more excited to continue exploring more of the alpha men from the Orlando Vipers team and the women who tame them, but Slap Shot will definitely be staying on re-read shelf. To any erotic romance reader who hasn't read a Lily Harlem story, here is a great place to start.
Here is what the Whipped Cream reviewer had to say...
Rick "Ramrod" Lewis seems to have it all. Expensive car, big house, an exciting career as the captain of the Orlando Vipers hockey team, and even a crazed stalker-fan who's been sending him 'love notes' after a one-night stand mistake. Unfortunately, none of it means as much anymore since he doesn't have anyone to share it with. The unfulfilled feeling makes all of the materials things he possesses feel a bit lacking, but all of that changes the day he meets a most organized, unadventurous, and beautiful woman wearing fire-engine red heels.
She resists his charme, and he can't resist the challenge. It is too tempting to resist and before long it becomes his mission to see that the infuriating woman become the "wild thing" he believes her to be. It soon becomes apparent to Rick that the cold shoulder she tries to throw his way is just a front of self-protection, which makes him even more determined to know the woman who has bewitched him and then to win her heart.
For Dana Wilcox, event organizer and owner of Best Laid Plans, two years of sexual abstinence and swearing off men is about to go flying out the window. She knows her priorities and getting caught up in the sexually charged firestorm that is Rick is not one of the them But with fate constantly throwing them together, keeping her priorities in check proves harder than expected. The "old" Dana wouldn't have thought twice at jumping on the sexy captain, but the "new" Dana is afraid of unleashing her, even for just one night, and unraveling all the hard work she's put into her image and business.
Dana's experienced past with absent parents and the "seedy nocturnal world" ended one morning with a rude awakening of sorts and since then she hasn't looked back. She may not be proud of some of things she had to do to get there, but she is proud of what she has accomplished. Even her taste in men had changed. The plan was to find "Mr. Absolutely Spot-on Perfect" later in life, yet the persistent guy wanting to try out for the role is anything but and yet everything she needs. However, someone has been watching their every move and is determined to make sure that the threat is eliminated.
With a mixture of emotionally enriched characters and sexual chemistry, this surprisingly suspenseful story takes flight right from the start and will capture the attention of any romance reader. Ms. Harlem never fails to instill vividly intense sex scenes into her stories and this one is no exception with an incredibly heated spin to an unplanned pole dancing session. The character and relationship developments were a pleasure to read and very well done and I really enjoyed the updates on the first two couples from earlier in the series as well. Now I'm even more excited to continue exploring more of the alpha men from the Orlando Vipers team and the women who tame them, but Slap Shot will definitely be staying on re-read shelf. To any erotic romance reader who hasn't read a Lily Harlem story, here is a great place to start.
November 12, 2011
Sunday Snog - Shared Too
As promised this weeks Sunday Snog is from SHARED TOO, the sequel to SHARED.
Excerpt taken from near the beginning the book...
Feeling hot, I shrugged off my fleecy sweater and wiped my forearm over my brow. Straightening, I sensed the stable darkening as a long shadow stretched around my feet.I turned and pressed a hand to my chest, startled by a second presence when I'd been lost in my thoughts.Standing dead center in the doorway, filling half the space with his broad shoulders was Quinn, silhouetted by the setting sun that shone golden behind him like a full-body halo. He wore an expensive, tailor-made suit. His hands were shoved deep into his pockets and his short dark hair was highlighted around his ears and neck by the light. I couldn't make out his expression."You made me jump," I said. "The dogs didn't bark.""I'm sorry about that." His voice was deep and drawling—he still had an American twang even after all these years. "They didn't look up from their bones."He stepped through a shard of light dancing with dust motes. I stared up at him as his face came into focus. He looked so brooding, black brows low, mouth set, and my heart somersaulted—I was anxious as to the outcome of his day."Well?" I asked. "How did it go?"He swallowed and the sound was noisy in the quiet stillness."Quinn," I said more firmly. "How did it go?"In a sudden rush he stepped forward and grabbed me around the waist. Lifted me into the air and spun me a full three-sixty. "I got it. I damn well got the money, Ariane.""Oh, wow!" I put my hands on his shoulders and smiled down at his delighted face as he hoisted me higher still. "You did? Really?" I knew how much this meant to him."Yeah, really. Two million for the next six months with a potential further two if the research looks promising." He pressed his lips to mine in a hard, excited kiss. "And it will, I know it will. Initial trials are right on track." He set my feet on the floor but kept me pulled up against his body."I'm thrilled for you, Quinn." I slid my hands up the smooth lapels of his silver-gray jacket. "I didn't doubt you'd make a good case for the grant, but two million. It was asking a lot.""Yeah, I know, but think how much they'll make if I can prove that 'their' immune suppressants work. They'll be rolling in it." He threaded his fingers into my hair and tipped my face to his. "Plus, and more importantly, I really think this is going to save lives."I smiled up at him. His black eyes sparkled with triumph. Or so I thought. Because then he bent his head and kissed me—hot, wet and thoroughly. I kissed him back, loving his dark-chocolate flavor and his spiced scent. There was something about the kiss that told me the sparkle in Quinn's eyes had more to do with lust than pharmacology."The girls got to school okay?" he asked, pulling back just far enough to study my face."Yes, fine.""Good." He was kissing me again, his hands sliding up and down my back, over my butt and thighs, sending tingles of sensation through my clothes and onto my skin. "No more having to be quiet and discreet then," he said breathlessly as he kissed over my cheek and onto my neck."No." I pushed my hands into his hair, messed it up and offered myself for his kiss. His chin, coated in short evening stubble, scratched my flesh in a wickedly tempting way. "No more having to be quiet, no more having to wait until nighttime and locking the door." I leaned harder against his body. The steely length of his erection prodded my stomach.He moaned and squeezed me all the tighter. "Let's celebrate," he murmured."What, the pledge or the fact we can have sex when and wherever we want to again?""Both." Sneaking his hand up the inside of my t-shirt, he filled his palm with my breast—massaging and kneading, drawing my nipple to a stiff peak through the satin.I whimpered in delight and shoved at his jacket. Celebratory sex sounded like a great idea. He released me for a split second and the expensive jacket slipped down his arms and landed on the dusty floor with a quiet whump.
I hope you enjoyed that sexy little extract - sorry to stop it just before it gets seriously hot!
If you get time, my HOT ICE novel SLAP SHOT is up for book of the week at Whipped Cream - votes are based on whether or not you enjoy the review. If you enjoy what the reviewer said about my sexy hockey story you can vote HERE.
Have a wonderful weekend.
Lily x
Excerpt taken from near the beginning the book...
Feeling hot, I shrugged off my fleecy sweater and wiped my forearm over my brow. Straightening, I sensed the stable darkening as a long shadow stretched around my feet.I turned and pressed a hand to my chest, startled by a second presence when I'd been lost in my thoughts.Standing dead center in the doorway, filling half the space with his broad shoulders was Quinn, silhouetted by the setting sun that shone golden behind him like a full-body halo. He wore an expensive, tailor-made suit. His hands were shoved deep into his pockets and his short dark hair was highlighted around his ears and neck by the light. I couldn't make out his expression."You made me jump," I said. "The dogs didn't bark.""I'm sorry about that." His voice was deep and drawling—he still had an American twang even after all these years. "They didn't look up from their bones."He stepped through a shard of light dancing with dust motes. I stared up at him as his face came into focus. He looked so brooding, black brows low, mouth set, and my heart somersaulted—I was anxious as to the outcome of his day."Well?" I asked. "How did it go?"He swallowed and the sound was noisy in the quiet stillness."Quinn," I said more firmly. "How did it go?"In a sudden rush he stepped forward and grabbed me around the waist. Lifted me into the air and spun me a full three-sixty. "I got it. I damn well got the money, Ariane.""Oh, wow!" I put my hands on his shoulders and smiled down at his delighted face as he hoisted me higher still. "You did? Really?" I knew how much this meant to him."Yeah, really. Two million for the next six months with a potential further two if the research looks promising." He pressed his lips to mine in a hard, excited kiss. "And it will, I know it will. Initial trials are right on track." He set my feet on the floor but kept me pulled up against his body."I'm thrilled for you, Quinn." I slid my hands up the smooth lapels of his silver-gray jacket. "I didn't doubt you'd make a good case for the grant, but two million. It was asking a lot.""Yeah, I know, but think how much they'll make if I can prove that 'their' immune suppressants work. They'll be rolling in it." He threaded his fingers into my hair and tipped my face to his. "Plus, and more importantly, I really think this is going to save lives."I smiled up at him. His black eyes sparkled with triumph. Or so I thought. Because then he bent his head and kissed me—hot, wet and thoroughly. I kissed him back, loving his dark-chocolate flavor and his spiced scent. There was something about the kiss that told me the sparkle in Quinn's eyes had more to do with lust than pharmacology."The girls got to school okay?" he asked, pulling back just far enough to study my face."Yes, fine.""Good." He was kissing me again, his hands sliding up and down my back, over my butt and thighs, sending tingles of sensation through my clothes and onto my skin. "No more having to be quiet and discreet then," he said breathlessly as he kissed over my cheek and onto my neck."No." I pushed my hands into his hair, messed it up and offered myself for his kiss. His chin, coated in short evening stubble, scratched my flesh in a wickedly tempting way. "No more having to be quiet, no more having to wait until nighttime and locking the door." I leaned harder against his body. The steely length of his erection prodded my stomach.He moaned and squeezed me all the tighter. "Let's celebrate," he murmured."What, the pledge or the fact we can have sex when and wherever we want to again?""Both." Sneaking his hand up the inside of my t-shirt, he filled his palm with my breast—massaging and kneading, drawing my nipple to a stiff peak through the satin.I whimpered in delight and shoved at his jacket. Celebratory sex sounded like a great idea. He released me for a split second and the expensive jacket slipped down his arms and landed on the dusty floor with a quiet whump.
I hope you enjoyed that sexy little extract - sorry to stop it just before it gets seriously hot!
If you get time, my HOT ICE novel SLAP SHOT is up for book of the week at Whipped Cream - votes are based on whether or not you enjoy the review. If you enjoy what the reviewer said about my sexy hockey story you can vote HERE.
Have a wonderful weekend.
Lily x
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