Jamie DeBree's Blog, page 77

Serial Novel: The Biker's Wench, Chapter 11

This serial novel is posted in draft form every Tuesday and Friday.




Ch. 1 | Ch. 2 | Ch. 3 | Ch. 4 | Ch. 5 | Ch. 6 | Ch. 7| Ch. 8 | Ch. 9 | Ch. 10




The Biker's Wench

Chapter 11




Betsy nodded. "It was our mother's. She gave it to me to wear on my wedding day." She let out a long breath. "The thing is, I'm in love with a man who isn't going to marry me, ever. And I saw the way you and my brother looked at each other. I think mom would have wanted you to wear it, no matter why you're marrying him." She walked over to the dress, taking it carefully out of the bag. When she held it out draped over both arms, a long train that hadn't been visible before spilled out in a riot of creamy satin, displaying more of the beautiful beadwork Monica had been admiring. "Please. Harlan deserves that much for helping you, don't you think?"



Reluctantly, Monica took the dress, marveling at how smooth the fabric felt after all these years. To wear it would desecrate the memory of Harley's mother, that much she knew for sure. But was Betsy right? Would it make Harley happy to see her wearing it? Part of her said no. The other part pushed her to hurry up and make a decision. He was waiting, after all.



"Okay," she said finally, her voice barely over a whisper. She laid the dress over a chair and looked around, grateful Betsy had apparently gone. Quickly stripping out of the saloon girl outfit, she pulled the dress on and zipped it up the side, then turned to examine her profile in the big mirror. It fit perfectly, hugging her curves as if it had been made especially for her. She tried to blink back tears of guilt and longing, wishing that for one moment, she could pretend that everything was real. But she couldn't. Instead of wearing a dress lovingly passed down by her mother, hers was meant for someone else. Rather than marrying a man she loved and couldn't imagine living one more day without, she was using marriage as a means to solve a problem. Everything was wrong. She brushed furiously at the tears on her face with one hand while reaching for the zipper with the other. So much was already wrong with her life. She wouldn't add this to her sins, and she certainly wouldn't drag Harley into it. There had to be somewhere she could hide until her father had gone...



Heavy footsteps came closer and somewhere in the back of her mind she registered that they were too firm and deep to be Betsy's stilettos. She wiped her face with both hands, blinking quickly in an attempt to compose herself as Harley came around the corner. Catching sight of her, he stopped, just staring for a long moment. When he finally spoke, his voice was husky and raw.



"Beautiful."

Weekly News & Goals 10/11/10

First off, you must check out this spectacular logo that Heidi Sutherlin created for my self-publishing business. I am completely in love with my little serpent here - who started as a custom sketch *by hand*, which blows me away. Serious talent here, folks!

This is the image (or one iteration) and name you'll see on all of my self-published work from here on out, no matter what name I use or genre it is. Branding is important - this will be my "umbrella" brand to encompass all my work.

Thanks again to Jody Hedlund for joining us last week. This week another wonderful author, Christine Fonseca is joining us Thursday to talk about intense emotions in relationships. She's promoting her new book, Emotional Intensity in Gifted Children, which I'm sure will be a great resource not only for parents and teachers, but for writers as well. The better we understand all types of human personality, the more real our characters will become.

I don't normally do book reviews here, but Sunday I'm reviewing a horror novel that I really wanted to read, and could get for free in return for a review. Since I don't have my thriller blog set up yet, I'm doing it here - if you're like me and enjoy a little horror in your reading diet, drop by Sunday for something quite a bit different.

This Week on The Variety Pages

Tuesday: Ch. 11 of The Biker's Wench

Wednesday: Everyday Romance – Sleeping Arrangements

Thursday: Guest Post by Christina Fonseca

Friday: Ch. 12 of The Biker's Wench

Sunday: Review of Draculas (A Novel of Terror) by Blake Crouch, Jake Kilborn (J.A. Konrath), F. Paul Wilson and Jeff Strand

Thursday at Beyond the Words

Passive Marketing

Goal Reports

I didn't do too badly last week – started off slow, but I'm about half-way done with the Desert Heat revisions now, and got one extra scene done for TBW, along with the first scene of my horror novel (Jan. 2011) and a new start for my big pen name project. The new project is going to work better if I have reader input, so I've decided to serialize it much like I do with my novels, though it's decidedly different in many ways. I'll tell you about it, and then you can decide if it might be something you're interested in helping me out with.

First, it's full-on erotica. It will delve pretty deeply into darker, fetish-type lifestyles in graphic terms, so if that's not your thing, it's not for you. Secondly, it's written in second person/present tense, which is remarkably different than my normal third-person/past preference (I'm quite enjoying the challenge). In the style of choose-your-own stories, the reader is the main character, choosing which direction to take at the end of each scene. My plan is to craft paths through the story for both men and women, and to that end, the first choice is one of gender. I'm still not sure of how this will work in a blog format, but it will be a fun experiment, I think. I've decided trying to keep my pen name secret is futile (mostly because I screwed up several times just establishing it, and will undoubtedly do it again), but because the work is so different from the romantic suspense I write under my own name, I'm keeping it to clearly distinguish between the two genres.

All that said, if you're interested in participating or just like to watch, go here . Comments are moderated for obvious reasons, 18 and older only.

As far as the business side goes, I've got the Brazen Snake Books web site and blog about half-done, and still need to get back to my spreadsheets. And on the personal side, no workouts done, and now that serious decorations are coming out I won't get any workouts in now for a couple weeks as the workout room/TV is part of the "haunt". We've done a lot of cleaning and now it's just a matter of getting the haunt scenes set up – we've got less than two weeks to the party, so everything's kicking into overdrive!

Goals for the Week

Writing

Finish the DH revisions and send ms to editor (yay!)

Two new scenes for TBW

One more scene for NE (pen name) story

Business

Finish the basic blog/web site design for BSB

Send two review requests out

Personal

Finish basement decorating

Sort and donate unneeded decorations

Finalize all food plans/menus/table layouts

Finish reading Draculas and post review here Sunday.

That's what I'm up to – it's crunch time! What's going on in your world? Read any good books lately?

Serial Novel: The Biker's Wench, Chapter 10

This serial novel is posted in draft form every Tuesday and Friday.




Ch. 1 | Ch. 2 | Ch. 3 | Ch. 4 | Ch. 5 | Ch. 6 | Ch. 7| Ch. 8 | Ch. 9




The Biker's Wench

Chapter 10




"Ready." Monica slid her hand under his arm like the lady she wasn't, and forced her feet up the walk. This is the biggest mistake of my life.



She stepped into the eerie rose light, and nearly jumped out of her skin as a tall, long-legged blond in a very short maid's costume stepped out of a doorway to the right.



"A lady of the night - a good choice, brother dear." The woman's voice was low and practically hummed with sex. A slight accent made Monica wonder how they'd managed to find a real live French woman to play the maid here. No doubt she was very well paid.



"Knock it off, Bets." Harlan's annoyed tone snapped Monica out of her musing. She looked and them both in turn, the woman's words sinking in. This was Harley's sister? "Monica, this is my sister Betsy. Betsy, would you show Monica to the dressing room, and let her pick out a gown? I need to find Pete."



"He's in the sanctuary," Betsy said, dropping the accent. Her lips curved up in a smile and she turned to Monica, her eyes glancing down and back up her frame. "You come with me - I know just the dress."



Too dazed to argue, Monica followed Betsy down the rose-colored hall to a small door on the right. She was ushered inside, finding herself surrounded by tall racks of what appeared to be five different styles of wedding dresses in every size, plus racks of the same bridesmaid dress in a rainbow of colors beyond. The door closed behind her, and she turned as the lock snapped home to see Betsy leaning against the wall, staring thoughtfully. Finally, she spoke.



"I know you're not in love with him, so why are you marrying my brother?"   



Monica sank down onto a large upholstered stool, exhaling long and slow. "He's trying to protect me," she said, realizing how weak that made her sound the second the words crossed her lips. "My father wants me to marry this other guy, and I ran away. But he's coming to get me and take me back. He won't give up easily. Your brother is strong and confident and my dad respects that. He might leave me alone if he thinks I'm married to Harley."



"So you're just going to use him until your dad leaves you alone, then leave? Why would Harlan agree to that?"



Monica wasn't sure just how much Harley would appreciate her telling his sister about his predicament, so she just shrugged. "I offered to leave. This was his idea. The deal is for one year."



Betsy tilted her head, her eyebrows raised. "Interesting." Pushing off the wall, she walked past and Monica stood, following her deeper into the rows of satin and tulle. When they reached the back of the room, she pulled open a closet door and stepped in to take a garment bag off the clothes rod, holding it out to Monica. "This is your dress. And it's not a loaner - it's yours to keep. I'll wait by the door while you change - holler if you need any help." Avoiding Monica's eyes, she brushed past and strode back toward the front of the room.



Monica frowned, hanging the bag on a nearby hook conveniently located at the side of a large mirror. She pulled the zipper down slowly to reveal a strapless, simple bone-colored sheath with an intricate vining pattern of seed pearls hand sewn around both the top and the knee-length hem. The style was timeless, classic and yet she had the feeling it was very old, a perfectly preserved antique. Stepping back, she shook her head. There must be some mistake. This was someone's heirloom, one of those dresses you pass down over generations. What was Betsy doing letting her wear it, much less telling her to keep it? She turned to find the other woman watching her, arms folded across her chest.



"I can't wear this," Monica said, waving a hand toward the garment. "Something tells me this is supposed to be yours."

Winner! The Preacher's Bride

Congratulations to the winner of a copy of Jody Hedlund's The Preacher's Bride! And the winner is....





bridgemama!



I've sent you an email...please reply with your mailing address and I'll forward it on to Jody.



Thanks again to all who participated!

Author Interview: Jody Hedlund

Today I'm pleased to welcome author Jody Hedlund, author of The Preacher's Bride to The Variety Pages. Pull up a chair and grab a cuppa tea - let's find out a little more about Jody. Read through to find out how you can win a copy of her book...

1.   When did you decide to pursue writing seriously?

      After I finished getting my Master Degree in Social Work, I had a difficult time finding a full time job. I lived in Madison Wisconsin at the time, and it was saturated with social workers. So I ended up working part time for a while which freed me to begin seriously pursuing my love of writing. I worked hard at learning basic-fiction writing techniques as well as completing quite a few novels (which I now lovingly refer to as my practice novels).

2.   How did you choose what genre to write – or did it choose you?

I admit! I'm a historical romance junkie! I rarely read anything but historical romance and I adore historical romance movies (my latest favorite Young Queen Victoria—it was divine!). I'm also a bit of a history geek—I love reading biographies and finding interesting but little-known facts and people from history. All of that naturally leads to my passion for writing historical romances and I honestly can't see myself writing anything but that.

3.   Tell us a little about your writing process. How do you get from idea to completed draft?

I spend about 6 weeks reading biographies and any other time-period books.  I sift through plot ideas, wanting to stick as closely to the facts as possible, but also knowing I need to dramatize the story to bring it to life.

A large part of my planning involves the process of getting to know my characters. I use an extensive character worksheet (available on my blog for free). I try to use what history knows about the real characters, but then fill in the rest and make them larger than life.

Then after my characters are living and breathing in my mind, and after I have a basic plot outline, I start the actual writing. My last book took me five months to write. I challenged myself to write about 800 words a day and ended up with 100,000 words.

4.   What are some of your favorite authors to read?

I'm rubbing shoulders with so many other writers throughout cyberland, And I love picking up the books of friends that I've met. I have to say the writers I admire the most are the ones who make an effort to connect in a real way with others. Yes, twitter, facebook, and blogging have revolutionized the way we view authors.

Of course, we still want quality writing, but the social in social media is also important in building admiration. Those with warm personalities and kind attitudes can influence us to buy their books. And likewise, we can easily be deterred by authors who come across as cold and haughty on social media sites.

5.   What do you like do when you're not writing?

      I love to snuggle with my 4 year old daughter on the couch and listen to my youngest son read. I have fun taking walks with my twin daughters and shooting hoops with my oldest son. And I enjoy chatting with my husband over Qdoba burritos. In other words, I love hanging out with my family!

6.   How do you balance writing with the other aspects of your life?

      I struggle every day to balance the new demands of being a published author and the mother to five busy children.  I try to set personal deadlines ahead of publisher ones so that I'm not running behind. I also keep myself on a fairly strict writing schedule. I block time into my day and stick to it. I give myself daily word count goals or number of chapters to edit, and I work hard to meet my goals. And then I try to be just as intentional with my family—especially setting aside regular family time together.

7.   Who is your favorite literary character?

      One of my favorites is Jo in Little Women. Of course I love that she was a writer! But I also really admire her creativity, strength, and determination. She worked hard and beat the incredible odds of becoming published. She's always inspired me to reach higher and work harder!

8.   Is there anything else you'd like to add?

      My debut book is currently hitting bookstore shelves and it's been very fun to hear where readers are getting their first sight of it. If you see my book, be sure to take a picture of yourself with it and send it to me via my email so that I can put it into the slide-show in my blog.

      Also, I really like connecting with readers! So please make sure to stop by my Facebook page or on Twitter and say hi!

Jody Hedlund is a debut historical romance novelist who was a double finalist in the 2009 ACFW Genesis Contest. She received a bachelor's degree from Taylor University and a master's from the University of Wisconsin, both in Social Work. Currently she makes her home in Midland, Michigan, with her husband and five busy children.

      She's represented by agent Rachelle Gardner and her debut book, The Preacher's Bride, released in Oct. 2010 and is available online and in most bookstores. Stop by her blog, Author, Jody Hedlund , where she chronicles her journey to publication and dispenses more of her two-cent writing wisdom

Thanks so much for stopping by today, Jody. I'm looking forward to reading your book soon.



To win a copy of The Preacher's Bride, leave a comment here before midnight my time (Mountain Daylight Time), and I'll pick a random winner via random.org. Please be sure you leave a valid email address in the comment form so I can let you know you've won and get your mailing address. I'll post a quick announcement here Friday morning as well.



Note: Comments take a few moments to post here, so you won't see it immediately.

Everyday Romance: Gettin' Him in the Mood

Last week was all about the girls. This week? It's time to explore what gets the guys revved up.



Oh wait. Maybe it would be quicker to list what *doesn't* get guys in the mood, eh? Most guys seem to be ready anytime...



But just in case your man isn't always ready when you are, here are some of the things I've found to be effective:



- No bra, tight shirt.

- Related - flash him.

- Sneaking in little touches here and there in...private places

- Innuendo. Guys seem to *love* innuendo....so go wild with it.

- New toys. Men love toys. Seriously.



There's my top five - anything you'd like to add to the list?

Serial Novel: The Biker's Wench, Chapter 9

This serial novel is posted in draft form every Tuesday and Friday.




Ch. 1 | Ch. 2 | Ch. 3 | Ch. 4 | Ch. 5 | Ch. 6 | Ch. 7| Ch. 8




The Biker's Wench

Chapter 9




Monica shrugged and walked over to the discarded helmet, shaking it off before stowing it under her arm. "I get it," she said, avoiding his gaze. "It's okay. I'm sorry I threw myself at you like some sort of...saloon girl." Smoothing over her skirt, she supposed she'd need to pay him back for the costume. "I'm just tired and it's been so..." She took in a deep breath, forcing a carefree smile to her lips. "Never mind. If you would just drop me off near a hotel where I could find a phone, I'll take it from there. You've already given me far more help than you'll ever know, and I appreciate it."



She walked past him to stand by the bike, keenly aware of him following barely two steps behind. She lifted one leg and awkwardly straddled the motorcycle, raising the helmet to her head.



"Wait," he said, reaching out to take the helmet from her. "This one's ruined now. Wear mine."  She reached for it, settling it over her head with the visor up. Staring at the ruined equipment, she sighed. One more thing she'd have to pay for.



He stared at her, his gaze making her warm and cold all at once. "Where will you go?"



"I don't know," she replied, her shoulders lifting slightly. "I never know until I get there - I just run until I find somewhere that seems safe. Somewhere my father might overlook, at least for awhile."    



*****



Harley watched the woman on his bike, her slim body out of proportion to the large black head gear framing her face. The way she'd felt pressed against him on the ride out had been amazing, and when she'd been draped across his lap, her hot center pressed against his cock, he'd nearly come undone. Keeping her with him, even for the short jaunt into town was dangerous. Women threw themselves at him all the time, but he hadn't wanted one quite this badly in a long time.



Marrying her was a really bad idea, lawyers be damned. The fact that he couldn't keep his hands off her had the potential to create exactly the sort of emotional attachment he wanted to avoid. Unfortunately, men like her father only understood one thing. Possession. Until Monica was married off to a man strong enough to claim ownership, she'd get no peace from her own private nightmare.



Staring into her stoic brown eyes, he exhaled long and slow. Helping her the first time had been a mistake. Kissing her had been an even bigger one. The whole thing had been his idea though, and even though he knew it would probably be the biggest mistake of his life, he also knew there was no way he could just send her off to be hunted down by her father and his lackey again. He'd offered protection, and she'd get it. He hoped to hell she didn't take him for all he was worth when all was said and done.



Resigned to his fate, he stowed the ruined helmet and straddled the bike in front of her, reaching back to pull her hands forward when she didn't automatically hold on to his waist. Satisfied she was secure, he started the machine and made a careful U-turn before gunning the engine. Her fingers flexed into his ribs as he drove back toward the ranch. The temperature had dipped lower, and he could feel her shivering against his back as she gave in and snuggled close to his heat. When he finally pulled into the ranch, she was plastered so tighly against him he wondered if she'd ever come off. Strangly, the idea didn't frighten him like it should have.

"Monica?" He removed his headgear and glanced over his shoulder after he turned off the engine, but she didn't move. "Hey, Princess. We're home." He grasped her ice-cold hands and pried them from around his waist. Swinging a leg over and off the bike, he stood and gently lifted the helmet off her head. Her gaze was as icy as her fingers.



"What do you want from me?" She wrapped her arms tightly over her chest. "First you want to marry me, no sex. Then you kiss me and it's incredible and your response is to put me on the first plane out of town. Now we're back here and I'm confused and tired and I really need to disappear before my father's goons get here. They're a lot scarier than Braden, trust me. So stop jerking me around, dammit!" She turned away, head bowed and shoulders hunched as she scuffed the toe of her boot in the dirt.



He reached out to touch her shoulder, but she stepped away. "I suppose I deserve that," he said, moving to her side. "Come on. Let's get this settled." He took her hand in his, tightening his grip when she tried to pull it back. Pulling her along behind him he pulled out his cell phone with the other hand and dialed his assistant as they walked past the Sultan's Harem across from the Double D and cut through the alley between the Racing Heart Speedway and Mystery Mansion. "Cindy, I need you to call Pete. Have him meet me at the chapel. Yes, we'll need witnesses." Monica tried to take her hand back again, and he looked back, grinning at the fire in her eyes. It wasn't just anger, he was sure. He stopped abruptly, yanking her off balance so he could wind his arm around her back her as she fell against his chest. "Sure, come on down. You may as well meet the new missus." He hung up just in time to keep her from wiggling out of his grasp.



"Let me go!"



He tightened his grip. "No," he said, using the same tone of voice he'd developed as a bouncer to calm and control. Her eyes widened as he bent down to touch his lips once, twice, three times to hers. Straightening, he looked into her eyes again, the arousal and need mirrored there nearly his undoing. "Let's go get married, so your immediate problem is solved.  I promise those guys won't lay one finger on you. Then we'll figure out what's next, take one thing at a time. Okay?"



She looked down at his chest, staring for a long moment while she nibbled her lower lip. Finally she nodded. "Fine."



"Atta girl." He released her and held out his hand, pleased when she took it voluntarily. "Regardless of the circumstances, I think you're going to like this. Most women do." He winked and led the way through the alley to another dirt lane lined with smaller structures sporting more specialty facades. Most were special order suites, to be outfitted to order for special parties and events. At the end of the road stood a small church, complete with a faux cemetary off to one side and a bridal bower to the other, both barely visible in the darkness. The church was white with a tall bell tower and the door stood open, a warm rose light spilling out onto the stepping stone walkway.



 He stopped at the wrought iron arch over the main gate, and looked down at her, finally remembering the costume she had on. The laces were tight across the center, and sometime during the night the shirt underneath her corset had slipped, allowing her cleavage more room than he remembered seeing when she'd come out of the saloon. Would she let him free her the rest of the way after the ceremony?



She stared up at him, one eyebrow raised and her mouth turned up in a smirk. "Like what you see, Mr. Majors?"



"You have no idea." He grinned, then crooked his arm, offering his elbow like the gentleman he wasn't. "Ready?"

Weekly News & Goals 10/4/10

It's the first week in October - just a few more weeks to Halloween and NaNoWriMo! Everyone ready for one or both? My username on the NaNo site is "outofwords" if you'd like to add me as a buddy there.



Lots of fun stuff going on around here this week. On Thursday, I'll be interviewing author Jody Hedlund as she stops by on her blog tour for her newly released book, The Preacher's Bride . She'll be giving a copy away to one lucky commenter, so be sure to stop in and say hi!



If you're interested in self-publishing at all, I'll be guest-posting at Liana Brooks' blog sometime this week about my cost and profit so far for Tempest. Feel free to drop by and add to what's sure to be a stimulating conversation.



This Week on The Variety Pages



Tuesday: Chapter 9 of The Biker's Wench

Wednesday: Everyday Romance - Turning Him On

Thursday: Author Interview - Jody Hedlund

Friday: Chapter 10 of The Biker's Wench

Thursday at Beyond the Words

Sales, Stats, & Emotions

Goal Reports



Honestly? Last week was a wash. I feel like I worked my butt off on mark-ups for Desert Heat, and got nowhere. No drafting done, the revisions are still way behind, and I let other stuff, like twitter and TV get in the way of progress. Such is life sometimes. At least the Halloween party invitations are done, and I've got my business finances sort of organized. I also managed to get my business license last week, register my business name with the state and applied for membership to RWA (Romance Writers of America). So things did get done, just not the things that should have.   For those of you who are interested, all of my self-pub books (under my own name and pen names) will now bear the publishing name of Brazen Snake Books. This excites me more than I can tell you - my writing is now officially a small business, just like a little tea shop or computer repair service. Way cool.



Goals for the Week



Writing



- Finish the Desert Heat markups by Wednesday night.

- Start DH revision type-ins

- Two scenes for TBW

- Once scene for short story



Business



- Start designing web site

- Refine spreadsheets & learn functions for accounting



Personal



- Workout 3 times

- Catch up all laundry

- Clean and start decorating in basement

- Finish reading Widow's Tale

- Catch up on leaving book reviews



What? You didn't think I'd go easy on myself due to a little set-back, right? I have a secret though - next Monday is Columbus Day, which means I'll be off work from the day job. A whole extra day to get things done.



That's it for me - what's going on in your world this week? Read any good books lately?

Serial Novel: The Biker's Wench, Chapter 8

This serial novel is posted in draft form every Tuesday and Friday.




Ch. 1 | Ch. 2 | Ch. 3 | Ch. 4 | Ch. 5 | Ch. 6 | Ch. 7




The Biker's Wench

Chapter 8




Monica couldn't think, much less breathe. Her senses were overwhelmed as Harley plundered her mouth with his tongue, stroking her higher and higher with every thrust against her lips. She rocked her hips against the hard ridge in his jeans, pressed her chest against his and nearly whimpered in disappointment when he pulled back after one last nibble at her bottom lip.



She prepared herself for the worst before she opened her eyes. Had she really just agreed not to have sex with this man for an entire year? Looking up into his intense blue gaze, she hoped like hell he wasn't serious. Because there was no way could she live with him and be expected to keep her hands off such a tasty treat.



"I think we get the point." The sheriff's amused voice broke the spell, reminding her that they had an audience. Heat fused with excitement at the thought of the display she'd just been part of, quickly followed by embarrassment as the sheriff's lips turned up.

"Why don't you two take this show back to the ranch, and I'll escort Mr. Thomas here back to the hotel. I think we've seen what we needed."



Braden stepped forward, hands balled into fists at his side. "You bitch. You haven't heard the last of me."  Monica leaned into Harley, her hands gripping his ribcage as he pulled her to his chest, turning a shoulder towards Braden in a clearly possessive move.



"Come on, Mr. Thomas." The sheriff took Braden's arm and pulled the man aside, following when he pulled away until they got back to the cruiser. The flashing lights went out a couple seconds after they got in the car, and Monica watched them drive away over the black leather-wrapped bicep of her...fiance. She leaned back slowly, shivering as the cool night air took the place of his warmth. She wanted to snuggle into him again and pretend that they were really a couple. That he wasn't just another man who wanted to possess her for his own gain. At least Harley only seemed interested in a short-term lease. Best deal she'd been offered yet, even if the terms were less than desirable. Though the electricity snapping between them gave her hope that there might still be time to negotiate.



Finally gathering the courage to look up at him, she saw him staring out across the desert, toward the lights of Reno. Denying the urge to reach up and trail kisses over the hard line of his angular jaw, she lost her balance as she tried to shift back on the seat. The motion pushed her harder into Harley's groin and he twitched between her legs. Those intense blue eyes met hers for a long moment as he grasped her waist, lifting her easily off his lap so she could swing her leg across to stand beside the bike. It took all she had to keep her knees from buckling as he pulled away



"This isn't going to work." His voice was husky, and stared down at his bike as he spoke. "Put your helmet back on. I'll take you into town, and buy you a plane ticket. You'll at least get a head start before they come looking for you again." He pulled on his own helmet and started the engine, revving the engine loud enough to drown out any protest she might have made. Monica stood frozen for a moment, her head spinning at the unexpected words as she tried to decide whether he was insulting her or just crazy.



She didn't want to run anymore. He'd offered her a way out, and the thought that he could actually help her get her life back had taken root in her mind. Freedom was only a year away, and after offering her all that he was just going to dump her on the first flight out? Like hell. She crossed her arms over her chest and stared, willing him to shut down the bike so they could talk. He stroked the engine again, clearly impatient to get moving. Screw that.



Grabbing the helmet off the back of the bike, she marched around to stand in the headlight beam where he could see her clearly. Lifting it over her head, she slammed the heavy item into the dirt, crossed her arms over her chest and waited. Several long moments passed before he shut down the motor and yanked his own head gear off. He swung a leg over the machine and strode toward her, his expression hidden in the darkness until he was standing so close she nearly took a step back.



"What the hell is wrong with you?" He leaned in, his breath warm on her face. "I just offered to pay your way anywhere out of here you want to go, and you start throwing my stuff around?" He stared at her a few more seconds before stepping back, rubbing a hand over his neck as he turned away. "I should have just handed you over to the sheriff." He turned back and put his hands on his hips, casting a striking profile in the dim moonlight as he waited.



Monica shivered, fighting back tears that had been close to the surface since Braden had walked into the saloon earlier that night. "I don't want to leave," she said quietly, looking down at the dark dirt. "You said you could help me, and I promise to do whatever you want. I can help you too." Looking up, she walked slowly to stand in front of him, her fingers sliding up his chest. "I can't run anymore. I'm tired. I don't want live like this." He flinched under her touch, but didn't pull away, and she hooked her hands lightly around his neck. "I'll do anything you want," she said, placing a soft kiss at the base of his throat. "Anything." She nibbled her way up the side of his neck to lick that scar on his jaw that had intrigued her earlier and tugged on his neck, wanting to feel his mouth against hers again.



Iron fingers circled her wrists, and pried her hands away as he forced her back, holding her in front of him at arm's length. The tears she'd been holding back escaped, spilling over her cheeks and she closed her eyes, bowing her head in defeat as she twisted out of his grasp. Humiliation flooded through her at the thought of what she'd done. Was this what she'd been reduced to then? A woman willing to trade her body for protection? She might as well go back to her father, since she'd obviously forgotten what she was running from in the first place.



Turning away, she swiped at her face with her half-frozen fingers. Not only had she become the very thing she'd always feared, but she'd offered herself up to a man who didn't want her. She might as well just crawl out into the desert and disappear.



"You don't understand," Harley said, frustration in his gravely voice. "I can't be around you, not after tonight. It's better for both of us if you just go."

Everyday Romance: Gettin' in the Mood

I'm gonna go out on a limb here and guess that I'm not the only woman on the planet who sometimes has a hard time getting in the mood for some "personal time" with my husband. Let's face it, ladies...sometimes life intrudes and takes more of our focus and attention than it should. Right?



It's important to put our relationship first though, even when it's been a long day and we're tired, or when we've got so much to do that it seems frivolous to even think about sex (you knew that's what we were talking about, right? No? Surprise!). Sex is important in a healthy relationship, and no one should be ashamed if they need to put a little work into it now and then. It's easy to get complacent. Don't fall into that trap.



So what can we do when we need to switch gears from super-woman to sex goddess (oh stop laughing...it's a mental state)? Here's what works for me:



- Romance novels (of course). The hotter the better...and erotica is the ultimate.

- New toys (yes, *those* kind of toys. We're not talking My Little Ponies...unless that's what really turns you on.

- New underwear (matching sets, anyone?)

- The promise of a massage - feet or back (let your hubby in on this, and I guarantee you'll get more of 'em)

- Teasing/flirting with the husband (we'll talk about that next week)



Your turn - what's one thing that turns you on when you feel more like a medieval peasant than the Queen of the castle? And as a bonus, does your husband know? Why or why not?