Thayer King's Blog, page 6

I Want You Back Excerpt

For those of you who read The Girl Across the Hall, you've probably already seen this excerpt. (This excerpt has been abbreviated from what was published there.) But for those of you who skipped the excerpt at the end or  who haven't read The Girl Across the Hall, this will be new for you. And if you have read it before, don't worry, I will be posting another excerpt before the release date. Enjoy!

     There he was. Stephen Ashcroft. Seven years ago, his thick black hair had tumbled in wild disarray about his broad shoulders. Memories of burying her fingers in his inky curls as he drove his hard body into hers flitted through her mind. She would gather it at the nape of his neck to keep the sweat soaked strands out of his eyes and so that she could see his face as he made her his. Blinking away the heated vision, she focused once more on her target. His locks were shorn in a tapered cut that hugged his scalp and all but obliterated any hint of a curl. His dark brown eyes were trained on his companion, a slender brunette who smiled up at him, her adoration of him clear to anyone who looked upon the couple.
     Ashley White froze and her steps faltered, her resolve deserting her. She accepted a glass of champagne from a passing waiter and changed course. Maybe confronting him here wasn’t the best idea. Ashcroft-Burke Shipping had made a large donation to the local hospital. Tonight was the official opening of the Denton Ashcroft Memorial Wing, named after Stephen’s late father. Good grief, she thought with a twist of her lips. They couldn’t have chosen a more undeserving bastard. But then, they weren’t naming the wing after him because of his worthiness as a human being. This was an accolade purchased by deep pockets. Denton hadn’t possessed a kind bone in his entire body, but he sure as hell had money, Ashley reflected as she meandered through the well-dressed crowd.
Soon the director of the hospital was calling for everyone’s attention. Ashley tuned him out, her eyes focused on Stephen. He lived in a beautiful home in Virginia Beach. She’d been by three times. Twice no one was at home. The last time she’d visited the door was answered by a butler that she didn’t recognize. She’d left without giving her name. Likewise, she had been unable to secure an appointment with him at his office. Stephen was a very busy man and his calendar was full for foreseeable future. When she’d swung by the Ashcroft-Burke Headquarters, he had been out of town for the day and his receptionist had let her know that he didn’t have any openings in his schedule for the next four months. Not that scheduling an appointment would have been possible for her.
Stephen stepped forward and began to speak briefly about his father’s illness and the fine treatment he received at this hospital. That he had loved and respected Denton was clear.
     If only Stephen knew the part that his father had played in their break up, Ashley thought. Though there was no love lost between her and Denton, she realized that this was not the night to present Stephen with her proposal. She sipped her champagne and maneuvered her way closer to the exit.
Placing her glass on a server’s tray, she turned to leave and almost bumped into a hard male chest.            “Excuse me.”
     “Ashley White, I thought my eyes were deceiving me,” he said, the tone mocking and cool.
     She swallowed a groan. Of all the people here, she would bump into Jeremy Weiss, Stephen’s best friend. The years had been good to him. His face was a bit fuller but he didn’t look like he’d aged much. As he pushed the thin frames of his glasses up the bridge of his nose, she thought he could have walked on any college campus and easily blended in with the student body. He had the boyish good looks that appealed to some. Ashley couldn’t recall if they’d ever been attractive to her. Since she’d known Jeremy, she’d grown to hate the look. He was a spoiled, lazy, snob. “Jeremy, it’s good to see you,” she blurted for lack of anything better to say.
     “As I recall, you’ve always detested me.”
     “Now that you mention it....” It was closer to the truth to say that he’d never liked her. Stephen had been the friend he’d gone out with to drink and to pick up chicks. When they began dating, Stephen had become hers exclusively. If they went to bars, she was tucked under his arm. If there was a party, she was his date. She made to move around Jeremy but he shifted to block her. There was polite applause as Stephen finished his speech.
     “Why are you here, Ashley? Stephen doesn’t need you fucking around with his head tonight.”
     “Who says I’m here for him?”
     His lips twisted and he tilted his blond head to the side. “When hasn’t it been about him? Take my advice. There are too many memories of his father floating around at the moment. Seeing you will only remind him about how spot on his father was in his evaluation of you.”
     She ground her teeth together. Denton hadn’t been the only one to think that a middle class African American girl wasn’t good enough for the Ashcroft heir. He’d always treated her like a temporary trick, never taking Stephen’s feelings for her seriously. With every word he spoke, Jeremy reminded her why she hated him. She’d tried to like him for Stephen’s sake, but it was a wasted effort when he wasn’t willing to extend her the same courtesy. “Thank you for stating the obvious. I was just leaving.”
     “Excellent.”
     “You haven’t aged or improved with time.”
     He laughed. “Neither have you.”
     Ashley gave him a parting glare and pivoted.
     “I don’t rate even a hello? You wound me.”
     She gasped as the rough, deep voice rolled over her. Stephen! Heart thumping, she turned around. Her head felt light, her stomach fluttered and her bones turned to jelly. My God, he’s sexier than I remember. Stephen couldn’t be called anything as boring as handsome. His was a man’s face. It was masculine and angular. His body was big and hard. The only soft thing about him was his lush mouth. Recalling the feel of them suckling her nipples, trailing over her belly, and feasting between her thighs had her pussy growing moist. His effect on her hormones was as devastating as ever. Eyes wide, lips trembling, she tried to smile. “Stephen, of course you do.”
     “You remember Aster?”
     Her gaze swung to the brunette. She nodded her head at the other woman. Of course she remembered her. In college, she’d always dyed her hair blond. Perhaps that was why she’d not recognized Aster Burke immediately. Aster was the other heir to the Ashcroft-Burke Shipping business and the woman Stephen’s parents had encouraged him to marry.
Aster stepped forward and tugged her into a warm hug. “It’s wonderful to see you again. You look magnificent. I like your hair that way.”
     Ashley fingered her short pixie. “Thank you.”
     Stephen’s dark eyes bored into her. His jaw was clenched. “I thought for sure I was mistaken when I saw you. How could you come to an event honoring my father?” His voice was hard and colder than she’d ever heard it. She hadn’t known how he would react to her sudden reappearance. Uncertainty had been eating away at her nerves. But now she had her answer. The man was furious with her.
     “Stephen, don’t.” Aster put a restraining hand on his arm.
     Stephen shook her off. He reached out and grabbed one of Ashley’s wrists. “Come with me.”
     “Shit, Stephen,” Jeremy hissed. “Don’t do this.”
     Ashley didn’t fight as he ignored his friends and pulled her out the exit. Even if she had, his grip was unbreakable. The night air was cool and her dress was sleeveless. She shivered but Stephen didn’t notice. He was too intent upon his goal.  “Where’s your car?”
     “There.” She pointed to the right where she’d parked beneath a light. “The black Prius.” She stumbled as her heel found a hole in the pavement. “Slow down. I can’t keep up.” They were of a comparable height but her pumps put her at a disadvantage. If he heard her, he pretended not to and they continued at the same pace until he drew to a halt in front of her car. Ashley bit her lip as she collided with his muscled back. Stephen wasted no time turning around. He manacled both her wrists in his large hands.
     “How could you, Ashley?”
     She was inches from his face. How often had she longed to be in his arms again? She’d ached for him every day since the moment she’d decided to leave him. He shook her when she didn’t answer and his eyes glittered with anger. “Stephen, I need to talk to you, but not tonight. I understand now isn’t the time.”
     “The inappropriateness of your appearance here tonight only just occurred to you? How could you be so selfish?”
     “I… needed to see you. I couldn’t get an appointment with you and you’re never home. Please, can we meet again?”
     He made a sound of disgust and released her hands. “We have nothing to discuss. Everything you had to say to me, you said it in your letter.”
     She could barely recall the excuses she’d given to break off their relationship in that final letter. It didn’t matter. It was all lies. She’d never stopped loving him. She wanted him back and she wasn’t leaving until he heard her out. “Please, Stephen, it’s important.”

Coming December 15

Seven years ago Ashley White made the difficult decision to give up the love of her life. She's never forgotten him. She’s returned and she's willing to do anything to win back the man she’s never stopped loving.

Stephen Ashcroft has never recovered from Ashley's betrayal. She has the audacity to ask for his forgiveness. He'll never trust her again, but for the sake of revenge, he’s willing to pretend that he can.

One More Week

The Girl Across the Hall releases next Friday. Time for another excerpt. Enjoy and have a good weekend.

     So certain was she that it was Felicia that Zoe didn’t even use the peephole before opening the door. “Good morn…” It wasn’t Felicia. It was The Pervert. Zoe gulped for air.
     For a pervert, he was damned gorgeous. The impossibly thick, dark chocolate waves of his hair shone in the dim overhead lighting provided in the hallway. His eyebrows were dark slashes over vivid aqua blue eyes framed with the sort of luscious lashes she only achieved when using that expensive special microfiber mascara Felicia insisted that she needed. Enough couldn’t be said about his eyes. They slanted at the corners, giving him a sleepy sensual appearance. His nose was straight and pretty but broad enough to look masculine. His lips were the full sort that made her question when white boys started being born with mouths like that. It was the kind of mouth that gave a woman ideas—ideas about what his lips would feel like pressed against her own or trailing over sensitive parts of her body. A plain gray t-shirt strained at the seams over his broad shoulders and chest. His jeans were faded and worn soft in all the right places.
     Zoe snatched her gaze away from the distractingly substantial bulge at his crotch and gripped the door in case she needed to slam it in his face. “Um…”
     “Morning, Zoe.” He grinned. “I was wondering if you had any of those dishwashing packets.”
     She closed her mouth. Okay. So not only were they on a first name basis in his world; they were also close enough to mooch off one another. “C-come in,” she invited reluctantly. She made a point of leaving the door open behind him.
     He stepped over the threshold and immediately shivered. “It’s like a meat locker in here.”
     Zoe wrapped her sweater closer around her body. She preferred shivering over sweating. “I hear it’s supposed to be almost ninety degrees outside today.” Shifting so that her back wasn’t to him, she searched the cabinet beneath her sink. She had two bags of dishwashing packs. The open container had only two of the squares left. She grabbed the almost empty bag and stood up.
     And then blinked in surprise. He’d moved while she wasn’t paying attention and was now so close she could smell his soap and aftershave. He smelled amazing. And she so didn’t. She hadn’t showered or brushed her teeth. Or done her hair! A self-conscious hand flew up to touch her hair. She hadn’t felt like doing anything more than putting her hair in a ponytail last night which meant her face was surrounded by flyaway frizzy curls.
     She pressed the bag of dishwasher packs to his chest. “You can have these.”
     He covered her hand and removed the proffered bag in a caressing manner, his palm warming her before he withdrew. “Thank you so much, Zoe. I forgot to buy more when I was out.”
     “No problem,” she said.
     “Let me pay you back. I’ll take you out for coffee.”
     She shook her head. “You don’t have to do that. And I don’t drink coffee.” She crossed to the door so that he would understand that this conversation was over and it was his cue to leave.
     “Zoe, please, let me pay you back. I really appreciate what you’re doing for me.”
     Frowning, she asked, “How do you know my name?”
     “I overheard your friend say it. My name is Noah, by the way.”
     He must mean Felicia. She was the only one who came over and Zoe was beginning to wish that she didn’t. “Nice to meet you, Noah,” she said automatically. Social graces weren’t her forte. In fact, if he didn’t leave soon, she would be out of things to say and then she’d start to sweat even though she had the thermostat set on seventy degrees.
     “We could go to lunch,” he suggested.
     Was he asking her out? She wasn’t good at reading people. She thought of the mistakes she’d made with Henry Thomas, one of the partners at the investment firm where she worked. Had that been her fault? She kept analyzing it afterward and she didn’t think so. His motives had seemed so clear. But she must have been mistaken. He wasn’t interested in her. And Noah wasn’t either. She’d seen the type of woman he dated and it definitely wasn’t her. He liked outgoing, confident women. Not women like herself who had to psych themselves up for any social interaction.
     When she didn’t reply, he continued, “What are you doing later?”
     Absolutely nothing. And she liked those plans. She intended to have a quiet day in, surfing the internet and maybe catch a movie marathon. “Um,” she faltered, trying to come up with a lie so that he’d leave her alone. She wasn’t interested in have a friendly lunch with a guy she was pretty sure was a pervert. She could give him the benefit of the doubt and assume that he didn’t sleep with all the women she’d seen him with. But just because she was shy didn’t mean she was naïve or ignorant. So that meant he probably just wanted an introduction to Felicia. It was what most guys wanted.
     “I-I’ve got a thing…so-so, I can’t today. But thanks for the invite. You really, really don’t have to pay me back.”
     He frowned and tilted his head to the side like a confused puppy. “Okay. Maybe we can do it some other time.”
     Never, she thought. But she gave him a false smile. “Sure.” When he still didn’t seem to take the hint and get out, she said, “Well, I need to do a bit of cleaning up before…my thing.”
     “Yeah, sure.” He held up the dishwasher detergent. “Thanks again.”
     “Anytime,” she said, not meaning it for a second. Hopefully this would be the last time he invaded her personal space. If he wanted to hook up with Felicia, he’d do it without any assistance from her. Besides Felicia had a man. She and Henry were all but engaged.
     Zoe sighed in relief as she locked the door behind him. That would teach her to open the door without checking the peephole first. Then she grimaced. Now she’d have to go out so that he wouldn’t know she’d lied about having a “thing.” Well, she’d better get showered and changed for her pretend errand. This is what came of befriending neighbors, she thought grumpily.

An Excerpt!

The Girl Across the Hall is available for preorder at Amazon and All Romance Ebooks. It will also be available for purchase at Barnes & Noble on the date of release which is October 21. In light of that, I thought it might be fun to have an excerpt.

     “Snap to, Zoe,” Zoe hissed at herself. So what if the man looked like he was ripped off the cover of some fitness magazine. She’d known he was fit. But damn. Seeing it was different from merely suspecting what might be under his clothing. His tight abs alone had turned her into a drooling simpleton.
     She realized suddenly that she could never have sex with that man. She had an okay body, but she didn’t have a sculpted anything. Felicia was right. She was in way over her head. But Zoe had been goaded by Felicia’s command into doing the exact opposite of what she’d advised. If it hadn’t been for Felicia, Zoe would probably still be wavering over her answer. Nothing irritated Zoe more than being ordered around by someone who had no right to do so. It made her contrary and rebellious.
     What was she going to do? They had only just begun, but she couldn’t keep seeing him. That would be leading him on and that would be cruel.
     She’d have to break up with him. And right away. A pang like a knife being shoved between her ribs made her catch her breath. No matter how much it hurt, she would have to do it.
     She’d unloaded the food quickly and searched Noah’s cabinets for dishes. She was laying out the flatware when he came in running his fingers through his slicked back hair. He smiled at her and pulled her into his arms. “You made me so happy today, baby.”
     Though it killed her to do so, she slapped her hands against his chest and turned her face from his kiss. “I can’t do this.”
     His answering scowl was fierce. “What do you mean?” he asked roughly, his arms going rigid around her.
     Zoe winced at his tone. “Noah, I’m…Oh, hell, I saw you. You’re un-freaking-believable. There’s no way I can ever take my clothes off around you.”
     Noah burst out laughing. “You’re kidding me?”
     She glared at him. “No, I’m not.”
     He shook his head. “Zoe, do you know what I was doing before you got here?”
     “No.”
     He cupped her chin and tilted her face up to his. “I was taking a shower and jerking off because I knew I’d see you soon. I do it every night, too, thinking about just your smile or the kiss we shared. Just that little bit is enough to get me hard as fuck until I can’t stand it. So no matter what you look like under your clothing, I’m going to want you.” He kissed her forehead. “Now, you can forget about dumping me. Give your man a kiss.”
    She lifted herself onto the tips of her toes and pressed her lips to his. Noah groaned and his tongue came out to play. Heat curled low in her belly and down between her legs. She slid her fingers in his hair. It was still damp. He walked her backwards until he had her pressed against the counter. And if she’d doubted his desire for her before, he made sure she was aware of it now. He rolled his hips, branding her with the rigid outline of his erection.
     Zoe gasped and Noah deepened the kiss, his hand spreading across the back of her head as his mouth slanted over hers. Zoe sucked his tongue and rubbed herself against his cock, wanting to feel it again.
     Abruptly, Noah broke away from her, his breathing rough and choppy. He dropped his forehead onto hers. “Give me a second and we can eat.”
     “I want another kiss,” she whispered.
     Noah groaned. “If I give you another kiss, I’m going to fuck you on the counter, Zoe. And you’re not ready for that, are you?”

Coming October 21

Noah Granger likes his life uncomplicated and drama free. Though he’s grown weary of trolling clubs for casual hookups, he doesn't date and he doesn't do relationship—ever. Lately, he’s become obsessed with the shy beauty across the hall. He knows she’s not his usual type, but it can’t hurt to ask….

Zoe Browning can't believe that Noah, her seriously hot neighbor, is interested in her. But when Noah suggests a no-strings affair, her answer is an emphatic no. The guy is a player and a pervert. He's always got a different girl on his arm and he always stares at her as though he can see through her bulky clothes.

Undaunted by her refusal, Noah decides they will be friends—at least until he can convince Zoe that they can be much more.

Some Nostalgia, Yammering, and More

Last weekend I awakened just in time to hear the sound of the lights going out due to a tropical storm. They were only out for a few hours. (My record for going without electricity was about two weeks after a hurricane.) As a kid, I was quite accustomed to the power going out. We used to joke that the powerlines where we came from had to be made from rat hair since even a thunderstorm meant you’d be going to bed in the dark. And let me tell you, it was a nightmare. Not only did we not have light. We didn’t have running water because our water came from a deep well. I mentioned this to my eight-year-old and she asked me what a well was. The water from the well tasted better as it never had to be chlorinated and never smelled funny. You could drink it straight from the faucet and in the winter, it was cold and delicious. Unfortunately when the lights were out, the pump for the well didn’t work. As I explained what a well was and looked up photos on my phone, it reminded me of all the times we sat around our house talking when the lights went out. Strangely enough, it was one of few times we’d get to hear about our family’s history. My mom would tell me about when she was a child. Or my siblings would tell me about what it was like when they were growing up. I’m the youngest and, yes, I’m spoiled. What else could I be when the sister closest to me in age is ten years my senior? Anyway, I love the conveniences that electricity brings to our lives, but sometimes, it’s nice to just sit and talk to family.

That said, growing up as I did, I could not appreciate the guys who do the repairs to downed power lines and such more. No matter what time of day or night it was, they’d come out and they wouldn’t quit until the job was done.

Enough with the nostalgia. I’m sure you’re curious as to what I’ve been up to. I did finally finish that book I started long ago (listed as Ashley, but will be titled I Want You Back) and immediately got started on writing something new (currently untitled and masquerading under the name Kyle on my Works in Progress tab). I now have two finished books that are in need of finishing touches before they can be published. No release dates yet. I don’t like to plan a date until I have everything together. But my hope is that it will be very soon.

As much I’m having fun reading and writing, I’m going to have to gain some discipline and do some of the other stuff that comes with self-publishing. When I finish a book, I’m always anxious to release it out into the world. I have my moments of infinite patience and then times where I have absolutely none. There are a few hundred tiny things that need to be done and I want to do them all at once. I’m a multi-tasker, you know. I read, write, play games, and watch television all at once. Think I’m kidding? I usually have a Kindle in one hand, my phone (playing Covet) in the other, whilst I sit in front of my laptop, and watch television.

A Real Update

I hope everyone is having a wonderful summer. Last time I really didn’t have much progress to report. The book I’d been working on for several years is still unfinished. I was so very close and then I got another idea. Shockingly, I’ve finished that book. What this means is that I will have two more new releases this year! I haven’t decided on a title for the finished book. It still needs to be edited and so on but the longest part of the process is done. I will keep you updated.

I have plans to re-release Deceived and The Deal before the year is up. I need to have new covers made and I haven’t decided on a release date. The hope is to have them back up very soon.

I entered Karizma & Devin and The Arrangement in the Swirl Awards.

Now that we’ve covered the essentials, I can just yammer about the other stuff I’ve been doing. Mostly reading. I have a habit of finding an author I like and then buying just about every book they’ve published. This would explain why my husband has about 70 books on his Kindle and I have about 700. (I don’t even know how many paperbacks I own.) I guess this also explains why my Kindle battery only lasts a few days before it has to be recharged.

Not So Much of an Update . . ..

It’s been a long time since I’ve done an update. There hasn’t been much reason for me to update. I’m still writing, but the going has been slow. I’ve been doing more reading than writing. I’ve had a few setbacks. I got a new computer because my old one died. It was old and it had served its time. I worked on my new computer for about three months before I got tired of errors and the software had to be reloaded. And now, I still don’t trust it. I turn it on about once every two weeks just to check for updates. However, I am close to with finishing a book I started years ago. I hope to have it finished in time for a summer (or late summer) release.

Release Day!

The Makeover is available for purchase today! Good time for another excerpt, you say? I agree! Enjoy!
     Balancing a large bowl of popcorn in one hand, Mykal climbed onto Greg’s bed. Greg set up the DVD player and turned out the light. He joined her on the bed before starting the movie. She fluffed up the pillows at her back before settling down. This wasn’t the first time they’d watched movies in his bedroom. She’d even fallen asleep on a few occasions. Greg would wake her up and walk her home when the movie ended. Of course, she didn’t tell Tania or she would never hear the end of it.      Greg grabbed a handful of popcorn. “So…what’s next?”     “You have to run into Daria accidentally.”     “How am I going to do that?”     “I know a club she frequents.”      He frowned. “Does she go alone or with Gary?”     “I think it’s a girl’s night thing. She’s usually with a group of friends.”     “She never did that when we were together. At least, I don’t think she did.”     Mykal smiled and scooped up some popcorn. “Maybe she’s bored with Gary. It could be a good sign.”     “Or she’s living it up and she won’t want to come back.” He sighed and tried to run his hands through his hair. He laughed as his fingers grasped air. “I forgot.”     She grinned. “It suits you. It’s sexy.” And it was. The shorter hair made his pale eyes appear larger and more luminous. His lashes were thick. They were longer at the edge of his eye, giving him a sleepy, sexy look. He’d taken to the diet with a determination that proved his love for Daria. He’d lost the extra weight and carved out muscles by lifting weights. His arms were cut and his abdomen was flat. Even now in a simple t-shirt and sweat pants, he was yummy. And all she could think was that Daria sure as hell didn’t deserve him.       Greg cleared his throat. “Um, what if Tania is right? What if she left me because I’m lousy in bed?”     “Oh, Greg, don’t let Tania mess with your confidence.” She should have tried harder to kick Tania! “She doesn’t know what she’s talking about.” But he wouldn’t meet her gaze. Sighing, she moved the popcorn bowl to a nightstand table. She grabbed the remote and paused the movie. “Okay, give me your repertoire.”     “My what?”     “What do you do in bed? If we were going to do it, what would be your first move?”     “If we…” Face red, he cleared his throat. “Um, I guess I’d start with a kiss.” He stared at her mouth and she could feel her lips tingle. “I’d kiss you deep to see if you taste as good as you smell. I’d kiss your earlobes and your neck, breath in your sweet fragrance.” He took a shuddering breath. “I’d take your clothes off, undressing you slowly to reveal each inch of your beautiful body. I imagine your breasts to be like mounds of toffee topped with chocolate kisses. I’d hold them in my hands as I sucked the centers.” His voice had taken on a rough husky tone. His pupils had enlarged to the point that there was little light blue left at all.     Her own breathing was shallow so her chest heaved even as he described to her how he’d suck her nipples. Mykal swallowed. From the way he was speaking, this wasn’t the first time he’d thought about making love to her. More shocking, was her reaction to it. Her nipples were tight. An ache between her thighs was beginning to make itself known.      Greg leaned closer so that his breath fanned her parted lips. “And when you were twisting beneath me, I’d lick my way down your body, taste your belly button, spread your thighs, taste your-”     Feeling slightly dizzy, she slapped her hand over his mouth. “I don’t think you should go on.” Her voice was barely a whisper.     He took her wrist and pulled her hand down until he caught the tip of her middle finger between his lips. He wet it with his tongue before raking his teeth over it. She shivered. It was just a finger. It shouldn’t feel that good. “Why should I stop?”     She shook her head to clear it. “I shouldn’t have asked you to do that. We’re entering dangerous territory.”     “Mykal, sometimes I think that you forget that I’m a man. You pat me on the head like a little boy. I’m not a boy.”     “I know that.”     “Do you? I do what you say because I want to. You give good advice.  And you seemed to believe that my problems with Daria could have stemmed from what I did or didn’t do in bed. So I need to know. And the only way to know is for me to show you. And then you can tell me what I’m doing wrong.”     “S-show me?”     “Mm, show you.” He wrapped his arms around her, cupping the back of her neck so that her face was tilted up to his. 

As some of you may have noticed, The Makeover is availabl...

As some of you may have noticed, The Makeover is available for pre-order on Amazon and All Romance Ebooks. It will be available on Barnes & Noble on the 25th. There's a brief excerpt available at All Romance. I posted a slightly extended version below. Enjoy!


     The doorbell rang shortly after seven p.m. Irritated, Greg dropped his pizza slice. He wondered who it could be. After getting dumped by Daria, he’d been too ashamed to call his old buddies. They used to have a standard game night once a week, but he’d stopped participating. Daria said it was a waste of time and he should be devoting his evenings to her. Since that usually included sex, she didn’t really have to work that hard to convince him.
     “Hi,” said his beautiful neighbor from next door. She wore a short-sleeved black t-shirt, matching leggings and neon pink pumps with heels so high he wondered that she hadn’t snapped an ankle on her walk across the yard. Flashing him a bright smile, she toed off her shoes. “Where are your garbage bags?”
     “Huh?” But he was talking to her back. She was already headed for his kitchen. Shaking his head, he muttered, “Come right on in, why don’t you?” He closed and locked the door before following her. This was becoming an annoying habit. Beautiful women seemed to traipsing in and out of his house taking whatever they wanted.
     She was rifling through his pantry. Coming out with a box of garbage bags, she announced, “It’s cleaning day.”
     “Oh. Well, you’re welcome to borrow them.”
     “These aren’t for my house. My place is spotless. It’s for yours.” She took out a bag and shook it out.
     “I can clean my own place,” he pointed out, trailing behind her as she began attacking his den.
     She held a pizza box between her fingertips as though it were distasteful. He noticed that her long nails were the same shade of pink as her shoes. And, of course, her dainty little toes matched as well. “Then why don’t you?”
     Speechless, he sputtered. “I was going to,” he said finally.
     “Humph. Well, don’t just stand there. Go upstairs, take a shower, shave, and put on your best clothes. Whatever you would wear to impress Daria.”
     Greg blinked. Maybe she was crazy? She was slender but with curves in the right places. He could take her in a fight if he had to. “Excuse me?”
     “Oh, don’t worry. We’re not going to see her tonight.” She straightened up from where she’d been struggling to dislodge a takeout box that had somehow wedged itself under his sofa. Her eyes flicked over him from head to toe. He hoped that she hadn’t seen him ogling her ass. But seriously, it was amazing. She couldn’t blame a guy for taking note. “You’re not ready for that yet.”
     “Look…” He stopped, realizing that he didn’t even know her name. “What’s your name?”
     “Mykal.” She stuck her hand out and spelled out her first name as though it was an activity she had to do often. “Mykal Cooper.”
     He shook her hand. It was slender and soft. “Gregory Scott. Call me Greg.” Her full attention focused on him, he was once again struck by how lovely she was. Her skin was smooth and creamy like caramel. Her black hair was shiny and sleek. Her beauty was the reason he’d been so angry with her in the first place. Why did beautiful women treat normal, nice guys like dog shit? But then he’d been wrong about her. She was as much a victim of a cheating mate as he was. He cleared his throat. “So, you want me to change. Why?”
     She smiled at him. “I’ve decided I’m going to help you win Daria back.”
     His heart stopped and then thumped back to life. Every day for the last two months, he’d been hoping that it was some misunderstanding. Daria hadn’t really left him for another man. She’d be back any day now. But then night came and he went to bed alone. And reality came crashing down. For the first month, he’d lived in denial. But then July came. He had no job. No woman. No reason to even get dressed in the morning. “You can’t help me. She won’t even take my calls.” Lately, he hadn’t been able to reach anything but her voicemail.
     She made a strangled sound.  “Please tell me you haven’t been calling her?” Before he could come up with a way to answer that didn’t shame him, she waved a hand and continued. “Trust me on this; I can get her crawling back to you. Who better to help you win a woman’s heart than another woman? I admit, we’re not all the same, and I don’t know Daria well, but I think I know her type. And you can fill me in on any questions I might have. You’re going to have to make some changes. Some you’ll like, some you won’t.” She went back to cleaning.
     “Not that one,” he said as she picked up the pizza box he’d left on the couch. “That’s tonight’s dinner.”
     “Then eat it in the kitchen like a civilized person. Or at least use a plate.” But she put it down. “Are you with me on this?”
     “You really think you can help?”
     “I know I can.”
     He took a deep breath. She was so confident. Maybe this could happen. He could get Daria back. God, he was so lonely! He’d have his life back. Excitement gripped him. “What do I need to do?”
     She grinned and winked at him, which had the unexpected effect of making his dick go rock hard. “Go get pretty for me.”