Jessica E. Subject's Blog, page 103

Merry Christmas!

WISHING YOU ALL A

VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS!

#CoverReveal for RAZOR by @Jon4Keys #BeyondFairytales #MMromance

RAZOR
by Jon Keys

a Beyond Fairytales retelling of Little Folks

James and Micah both face serious illness. Checking off things from their bucket lists, they find themselves drawn to a club like none they’d ever experienced. From the doorman’s leather kilt, to the waiter’s jockstrap uniform, they thought they had seen it all, when a tower of masculinity in leather and stainless steel walks onto the stage and turns the couples lives upside down and inside out.

 

Micah made the landing and stood watching James ascend. A few seconds later, he reached the top and looked around. They found themselves outside a door almost as dark as the night, set into a wall of cimmerian brick that disappeared into the gloom on either side.  The doorman standing beside it was equally striking. He stood taller than James’s six feet, and wore only a black leather kilt and heavy boots that seemed to consume the lower part of his muscular legs. No one would dare challenge the man. His torso rippled in ways James had never seen before. His face was rugged, covered with a few days scruff trimmed precisely along his jawline. Before he could think of what they should do, the doorman spoke.

“Welcome to Razor. What’s your pleasure tonight?”

He stood speechless as the deep bass of the man’s voice resonated through the night. “The music. The music is wonderful. We caught it from a few blocks off and wanted to hear more.”

A smile emerged on the man’s face and changed him from executioner to guardian. “Of course, the music. You’ve found the right place. Just in time, too. Tonight is drawing to a close.”

He grasped the bronze door pull that was easily as long and thick as James’s forearm and opened the massive door with little apparent effort. He motioned them into the portal with a wave of his hand. “Go. Enjoy yourself.”

Find Jon Keys here:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Pinterest

 

 

 

#FREEread ~ UNTIL MIDNIGHT a romantic holiday story by @Melissa_Landers #Alienated #scifirom

UNTIL MIDNIGHT is here
…and it’s FREE!

Happy Holidays, everyone! I’m Melissa Landers, author of the Alienated series, and I have a present for you—a brand new e-short from Disney Hyperion!

UNTIL MIDNIGHT takes place onboard an intergalactic transport, soon after ALIENATED ends and before the sequel INVADED begins. The story details Aelyx and Cara’s last day together before he returns to Earth to mend the alliance and she continues to his home planet. It’s sweet and romantic, and as a bonus, it includes a four-chapter preview of the sequel, which releases February 3rd.

Oh, and did I mention the best part? IT’S FREE!

You can download UNTIL MIDNIGHT from the following e-tailers:

Kindle | Nook | iBooks | Kobo | Google Play

 

*If you live outside the USA and cannot get Until Midnight in your country, no worries. I’ve uploaded the story to Scribd for you. (The only downside is it doesn’t include the bonus preview chapters, due to technical reasons from the publisher.) Link: http://www.scribd.com/AuthorMelissaLanders

 

To celebrate this new release, I’m offering TWO lucky winners an autographed swag pack complete with a personalized bookplate, mini-poster, bookmarks, and stickers—open internationally! Just fill out the rafflecopter form below.

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Best of luck, and happy reading!

Melissa Landers writes romantic science fiction for teens and the young at heart. To learn more, or just to say hello, visit her at www.melissa-landers.com

A fairy set to enter the human world ~ THE LOVE COMMISSION by @VickiBallante #Giveaway

The Love Commission
by Vicki Ballante

Gelsey is a savannah sprite—a fairy in Africa who works to preserve the earth. She’s a pro at eco-balance, but when the fairy queen gives her a commission to become a human to learn the meaning of love, she’s miserable. She has to give it her best as it’s the only way to get her dream job—to save the African Wild Cat.

After a short time in her new life, Gelsey is swept into the world of Evan’s love. Now, she must make an impossible choice—give up her life with the man who owns her heart or lose her fairyhood forever.

 

The queen must have chosen the noisiest moment to give her the commission.

“You are to enter the human world…as a human.”

Gelsey blinked, her wings trembling against her back. Four fairies had entered the human world and only one had come back safe, having succeeded in her commission. Two others had remained human, and the last one had been killed.

“I don’t understand….”

“You are a young fairy who has an amazing ability to calm down the most frightened bird or insect. I believe you will be as suitable for this commission as you are beautiful and humble. You know you aren’t perfect. Someone humble enough to admit her weaknesses would be just right for the human world. You won’t lose your personality at all when you take your new form. You won’t even lose your wings. They will merely remain dormant. You will be divested of some of your powers, though. But your power to calm down the distressed will remain. That power will enable you to succeed in your commission.”

“What am I to do?”

“You are to marry a man for a year. You will find out why the humans want love and sex but not children. As you may have learned in your studies at nature school, Homo sapiens reproduce differently to fairies. They reproduce by sex between a male and female. But the species have devised several means to prevent babies from being formed in the female body even though they continue to have sex. This has lowered the reproduction rate of the creatures who are important for the balance of the earth, specifically in South Africa. For this purpose, I want you to enter into their world and feel what they feel. You are to know what it is to love a male human with their type of love. You will go at the first break of spring and will be able to return home at the start of the following spring. We will give you your own vial of fairy dust. The gold dust should be used only twice. The first time is when you find a suitable man to marry. When you find someone who is single and who cares about the balance of nature, you must sprinkle the fairy dust on his head. The magic will make him want to marry you. Once the magic has worked, you cannot find another man. He is the one for you. If you mistakenly choose a married man, you will get one more chance.”

Gelsey’s wings beat against her back until they ached. Become a human and marry one? How would she know what to do? And a whole year? She would miss out on spring. It had been a long, cold winter, and she wouldn’t get to see or hear all the new baby birds or play with the flying ants when the rains came.

“The second time you should use the fairy dust is to come home. You are to sprinkle the dust on the man you have chosen to make him turn away from you. He will forget every instant shared with you. He will forget his marriage, and so will everyone he knows. Then you can come home without arousing any suspicion. Ziana will explain where you are to go and what job you will take on in the human world to make you fit in there. You have a month to find this man you are to wed. While you are married to him, you need to find out from him or anyone else you meet, like other females, the reason for the humans not wanting as many children. You are to research your own emotions and those of the male’s, and work out what is happening to humans to change their future.”

“What if I don’t find anything of importance?”

“By becoming one of them, you will automatically understand how they think and what is happening in their hearts. Although you may not comprehend in the beginning, marrying a male human will help you to understand. Well, that’s what we believe.”

Gelsey wasn’t so sure. The queen had much more wisdom than the general fairy, but what if she didn’t know everything? Fairies knew little of the human world. They had never understood humans and their strange behaviors.

“If you succeed at your commission, you will be promoted to Head Endangered Animal earth fairy for South Africa.”

Gelsey gasped. To be able to save an animal from extinction had been her dream for years. But could she fulfill this commission?

Available from:

Decadent Publishing | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

iBooks | Kobo | Smashwords

 

Vicki writes erotic and fantasy romance. She loves taking her characters into an alternate world where strange and sexy things happen. She lives with her patient husband and three noisy kids in South Africa. In between being a busy stay-at-home Mom who hates housework and spends half her life cooking everything from scratch, she runs several blogs, writes under another name, and buries herself in the delightful world of her characters.

Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest

Vicki Ballante is giving away a $5 Amazon Gift card and 2 x At Second Glance (her other novel) Kindle Ebooks.

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Will he act on his fantasies? Extended Excerpt from BITTEN BY SNAKE OIL @ShilohSaddler #MMromance

Bitten by Snake Oil
by Shiloh Saddler

Beyond Fairytales retelling of The Old Man Made Young Again

After the death of his wife, blacksmith Jed Riker has been fighting his attraction to men. When a sexy medicine-show man comes into Tumbleweed, Kansas, Jed buys his potion hoping for a cure, but gets erotically vivid dreams of the perfectly built salesman instead. He is bitten by snake oil. Dare he act on his fantasies and at what cost?

Available from:

Decadent | Amazon | Amazon UK | Kobo | iTunes | B&N | Smashwords

 

Enjoy an extended excerpt…

I stomped the embers out and stuffed the pipe in my coat pocket then headed over to get a closer look at this new man who’d piqued my interest. Standing in line in front of the brightly colored wagon made me think of the last time the circus had been in town. Quite luckily, that evening, I’d found myself a man for the night after the show—a very nimble acrobat. Since he wouldn’t be in town long, he was a good choice. I couldn’t risk my secret urges being known or the good citizens would run me out of town. There was no way I could indulge in my desires with a man from Tumbleweed. I had to take advantage of a rambling stranger.

Peter Saint had drummed up good business, and, as each customer before me took their powder or tonic, I hoped there would be something left for me. The smartly dressed man had climbed down from his platform and stood at the rear of the wagon, reaching for the stock way in the back.

I held my breath, silently admiring his tight backside. His rounded ass would be good to hold on to while I thrust into him hard.

Peter Saint turned around quickly, and his eyes widened a fraction.

My heart forgot how to beat. Fire blazed from my ears down my neck. I cleared my throat and tried my best to look innocent, although I had been caught in the act. With nothing I could say to explain my actions, I stood there, mute.

“Good afternoon, sir,” Mr. Saint said as if being stared as was nothing out of the ordinary. “How can I help you today?”

I groaned. If the man only knew, he wouldn’t have said those words.

“I…uh….” I shifted my weight from one foot to the other, trying to figure out what to say. “I’d like to get rid of unwanted feelings,” I murmured. After saying those words, I held my breath.

Not a soul laughed at my problem. Maybe none had heard me.

The medicine-show man nodded. “That will be one dime.”

I already had the dime in my hand and gave it to him in exchange for a bottle of elixir.

“One tablespoon of this will keep those unwanted feelings away. Before each dose, tell the spoon what you wish it to rid from your mind. But be sure they are truly unwanted. Oh, and one more thing—it works best if you are very specific.”

“So one dose will last twenty-four hours, then?”

“Eight hours. It is a difficult elixir to create. Such a powerful miracle is short-lived.”

I tucked the small bottle into my trouser pocket and walked back across the street to my shop.

The bottle looked like it only held eight doses. The cheap miracle had suddenly turned expensive. Several dollars a week to keep from desiring the company of a man for the rest of my life was not practical.

Of course, it likely wouldn’t work, anyway.

 

Shiloh Saddler likes to do research for her steamy romances first hand. She has invented a time machine and travels back to the 19th century on a regular basis. There are experimental settings on her time machine which could propel her into the future and even other worlds. She believes love and a good book makes anything possible.

Shiloh’s Social Media Links:

Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Amazon Author Page

Add some sizzle to your holidays! BOX OF 1NIGHT STANDS Volume 2 is only #99cents!

I am pleased to announce the release of 17 SIZZLING NIGHTS, Volume 2 of Decadent Publishing’s Box of 1Night Stands. It is such an honor to have my stories included in both of the box sets. Satin Sheets in Space was included in the first. And the new box set includes Celestial Seduction. I hope you’ll check it out! This box set has only been out for a couple of days and already made category bestseller lists at Amazon, as well as the overall bestseller list at All Romance. Last time I checked, it was #14 at ARe.

Box of 1Night Stands
~ 17 Sizzling Nights ~
Volume 2

ISBN: 978-1-61333-779-0

By popular request, Decadent Publishing takes great pride in presenting a second volume of some of our favorite stories from award winning authors in our 1Night Stand Series.

Enjoy stories from the military romance of the fabulous Heather Long to the oh-so-sexy shifters of Rebecca Royce and USA Today Bestselling Author Mina Carter and the steamy, heartwarming romance of NYT Bestselling Author Sabrina York…. Travel to the Regency Era, Ancient Egypt, snowy Alaska at Christmastime, even outer space. Madame Eve always promises the customers of her unique matchmaking service one night of passion but, somehow, always gives them so much more.

Let a 1Night Stand – or 17 – change your life. We dare you.

AVAILABLE FROM:

      

Edited by Valerie Mann & Kate Richards

Includes the stories:

Fierce by Sabrina York

When her best friend sets her up on a blind date–for sex–Katie is determined to resist…until she sets eyes on Sebastian, the most irresistible man she’s ever met.

Melody’s Wolf by Mina Carter

Money, fame, looks—rock star and werewolf Aaron Rixx has it all, except the one thing that truly matters…love. He never anticipates Madame Eve might find the one woman on the planet who doesn’t recognise him on sight.

The Marquis and the Mistress by Dominique Eastwick

Take one heartbroken Earl, a mistress with a secret, and 1Night Stand date. Result: one hell of a spicy reunion.

Sweet Irish Kiss by JoAnne Kenrick

1Night Stand dating service shakes and stirs things up for Bell’s Irish Pub and makes a match seemingly made in heaven for divorced workaholic Shaun Bell…until morning rolls around and he can’t bring himself to say good-bye. Can he win her over with his secret weapon, a Sweet Irish Kiss, or is Rachel still too scared to love?

A Dance with Death by Louisa Bacio

A dance between life and death…

When an accident threatens to cancel the evening of romance, Isabella and Raul will have to dance to a new beat.

The Two and the Proud by Heather Long

Thrown together by chance on a 1Night Stand, Rowdy and Kim have a combusible chemistry, but do these two jarheads have what it takes?

Two Men and a Virgin by Kate Richards

Friends to lovers on a 1Night Stand in Castle Alaska. Andi’s taking a chance her two best friends can become the men in her life.

Pharaoh, Mine by Kerry Adrienne

A lonely veterinarian gets a little help from Madame Eve to seek comfort and possibility in the arms of a young pharaoh. Can a 1NS in Ancient Egypt be the answers they’ve both been seeking?

A Different Class by Leigh Ellwood

Glenn is mired in the past, while Rod prefers to forget it. 1Night Stand sets up these two former classmates on a reunion neither will soon forget.

A Hard Day’s Knight by Cate Masters

Tired of running from a witch’s curse, Lance wants the one thing he can’t have with Gwen: time. Can a 1Night Stand change their fates?

Curve My Appetite by Melissa Kendall

A curvy woman and the man of her dreams. Can Sally go through with her one night stand when she discovers who it is she has been set up with or is she doomed to spend the rest of her life alone?

Celestial Seduction by Jessica E. Subject

Scarred after her divorce, Carrie applies to 1Night Stand to experience an evening of pleasure, something long forgotten. But, can one night with an alien lead to forever love?

Unsportsmanlike Conduct by Angela S. Stone

Owen is so far in the closet that even the dust bunnies don’t know he’s there, but when his teammates unknowingly set him up with sexy cop Addison for a 1Night stand, can he take his shot at love, or will he let the best thing that ever happened to him walk away?

Accidentally Beautiful by Deanna Wadsworth

1Night Stand concierge Martin just met a sexy Dom during his tropical vacation, but is their erotic encounter really an accident? Or did Madame Eve plan the perfect night for this sub without him ever knowing?

This Endris Night by D.L. Jackson

Gunner is in Alaska to recover the wreckage of a century old crash before the existance of his world is uncovered. He finds more than he bargained for when he comes face to face with Shiya, a Yupik supermodel, who has a secret of her own—one that might get them both killed.

Believe in Me by Rebecca Royce

Werewolf Jack knows his mate his human, and Madame Eve is the perfect person to find her for him. Now, if he can only convince the little human that Werewolf’s are real and he can save her from her abusive ex husband.

Ravished Before Sunrise by Lia Davis

Vampire Darian Wyman is surprised when his daughter signs him up for a one-night stand. However, one night of adventure turns into so much more than he dreamed.

A sexy ride in a starship #MySexySaturday from SATIN SHEETS IN SPACE #menage #1NS

Hello everyone! Welcome to week 73 of My Sexy Saturday! Here are the details: every Saturday, published and unpublished authors will be sharing 7 words, sentences, or paragraphs from a work-in-progress or an already published story.

Today’s theme is…

A Sexy Sleigh Ride

While I don’t have any sleighs in my stories, how about a sexy ride on a spaceship? Here’s seven from SATIN SHEETS IN SPACE, an erotic sci-fi menage romance.

Set-up: Danyka is on a 1Night Stand and decides to leave with her date. In a matter of moments, she finds herself on a spaceship with her date and his just-as-sexy brother. While at first, she is worried about being abducted by aliens, but then she learns the don’t want to bring her any harm, just pleasure.

She didn’t care what sodalis meant, for these two worshiped her body, their hands and mouths exploring every inch. A nip here, a squeeze there, sent her closer to release. By the time they’d laid her on the bed, they’d stripped her of all her clothing. Volan stretched his naked body beside her, his large cock jutting into her hip, and stroked her breasts. At the edge of the bed, Galan finished removing his garments. He crawled behind her, pressing his body, his ample erection against her bare ass.

How could she have gotten so lucky? Her time with these men had already lasted longer than any sexual experience she’d ever had.

Galan rolled her onto her back, claiming her mouth, his untied hair acting like a curtain to keep her focused on the moment, while his brother suckled the peaks of her breasts. No man had ever paid so much attention to her body. If a boyfriend lasted her minimum six weeks, they’d dump her after the first quick fuck. To have not one, but two men ravaging her body felt divine.

Volan kissed her stomach, nipping and licking, all the way down to her aching mound. She’d heard from her friends oral sex could be exhilarating, but none of her previous partners had ever taken the time to show her just how much. She needed more. Sliding to the end of the bed, Volan held her legs open. With the first lap of his tongue across her needy spot, she moaned into Galan’s mouth.

“You like that, do you?” Galan asked.

She nodded, thrusting her hips into the air. Volan continued to savor her, pushing down on her legs.

Galan brushed his hand across her face. “Well then let’s take this a step further.”

~ ABOUT SATIN SHEETS IN SPACE ~

Danyka’s unusual height and radiant red hair earn her the cold shoulder from any guy she approaches, unless he wants to experiment with a giant. So when her boss sets up on a one night stand, she hopes for a prince but expects the usual toad.

As a captivating stranger whisks her away from the ball and introduces her to his equally gorgeous brother, she fears her fantasies have become a nightmare. Has she finally given into impulse only to become a lab rat in an unknown world?

Available From:

      

Also part of my INTERGALACTIC HEAT 1Night Stand box set ~ $0.99 at…

       

For more My Sexy Saturday postings, check out the participants’ list here.

Saving his betrothed ~ WINTER WARM-UP #BlogHop December 19-22 #HopsWithHeart

Thank you very much to Jane Wakely for organizing another wonderful hop!

For more information and details, visit the blog: www.hopswithheart.blogspot.com

Prince Deion must save his betrothed

Prince Deion is the hero from my new release, THE STAR PRINCESS. While he has never met the woman he is destined to marry, he does care about her, and does not want her to think ill of him or Earth. Here’s an excerpt from after the Princess has been deceived by Deion’s friend and Deion races after her…

With each cautious step forward, he glanced around and listened for any sounds, but all he could hear were his own guarded footfalls. Deion moved into a clearing, thankful to be out of the savage vegetation. A body of moving water reflected the rosy color of the disappearing sun before plunging over the edge of a steep cliff. A twenty-foot drop, at least. On the bank of the river, stood the woman he’d chased after. She wore nothing but bikini panties and a bra, her dress folded neatly on the rock beside her with her tiara on top. Toes over the edge of the rocks, she glanced down.

“Ro’sa, no!” He couldn’t let her jump, not when she didn’t know the truth. “Please, let’s talk.”

“You shouldn’t have followed me. I came here to be alone.”

“But there’s something you should know.”

“All I know is that I just witnessed my future husband making out with someone else.” She sniffed and wiped her cheek. “He had his hand down another woman’s top, cupping her breast. He was supposed to do that with me, not other people.”

Inching closer so as not to scare her into jumping, he reached out to her. “It’s all a mistake.”

“Yes, it was a mistake for my parents to agree to this betrothal in the first place. I saved myself for him, but I doubt he did the same for me.”

“Yes, Ro’sa, he did. I mean—”

She jumped before he could tell her the truth. He lunged to grab her, but his fingertips connected with empty air. His heart leaped into his throat as she plummeted toward the swirling water below. He’d never forgive himself for allowing his friend to get away with playing prince.

Without giving his fear a chance to stop him, he leapt off the edge. If he couldn’t save her up top, he’d grab her from the water before she drowned.

The Star Princess

New Adult Erotic Science Fiction Romance

In one week, Princess Ro’sa will board a spaceship, leaving her home on Minjet to be with her betrothed on Earth. The only problem is, she detests the prince’s selfish and arrogant ways, preferring to spend time with his personal aide, a man who stirs her desires in ways she never imagined possible with his radiant blue eyes and smouldering lips. And oh, the way he touches her.

Earth’s post-apocalyptic landscape offers little but the alliance offers much and a princess must do her duty, no matter the danger to her person and to her heart.

Only 99¢ at Amazon.com!

Also available from:

      

The Star Princess is currently being produced into an audiobook. So, I am offering my other audiobook title, ANOTHER NIGHT, ANOTHER PLANET.

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Be sure to visit the other blog hop participants…

 

Read an extended excerpt from Tara Quan’s FIREWORKS AT MIDNIGHT @LaylaTarar #1NS #NewAdult

I’m becoming quite the frequent visitor here at Jessica’s starry pied-à-terre. Those who’ve been enticed by my two previous excerpts might already know Dulcina “Sweets” Gato, the smartass heroine who stars in my latest paranormal romantic comedy, Fireworks at Midnight. As the title implies, this witchy 1Night Stand is set on New Year’s Eve, and yes, I’m now officially out of holidays (aka book releases) for this year.

As is the case with many new adults, Sweets is a struggling college graduate who is just coming to terms with the thrills and perils of newfound independence. Add a pinch of magic, supernatural mayhem, and Madame Eve’s renowned matchmaking service, and we’ve got the beginnings of a stormy love story. Here’s a sexy sneak peek…

FIREWORKS AT MIDNIGHT

A Witch’s Night Out, 3

by Tara Quan

Recent college graduate and part-time cat familiar Dulcina “Sweets” Gato is having the worst New Year’s Eve in living memory. End of year expenses trigger serious cash flow problems, and her microwave just went up in smoke. To make matters worse, her best friend’s overprotective big brother is back in town, and his return threatens to put a huge crimper on her nocturnal activities. The only thing she can look forward to is Madame Eve’s 1-Night Stand service. After all, she’s sick and tired of being a 21-year-old virgin.

Enforcement Agent Mikal Knight is a warlock on a mission. Having finally scored a transfer to Washington, D.C., he’s now at liberty to pursue the object of his desires—his baby sister’s best friend. But first, he has a vigilante to track down and a mysterious matchmaking service to investigate. Sent on an undercover operation, he resigns himself to a pointless 1-Night Stand on New Year’s Eve. As luck would have it, his mystery date’s identity might let him kill several birds with one stone.

Genre: Paranormal Romantic Comedy, Interracial/Multicultural

 

Sweets shook her head as she waited inside Mikal’s Chevy Tahoe. The guy couldn’t be more obvious about working for Enforcement. She didn’t know why Council folk loved these clunky SUVs. It might be reliable and useful on an IKEA trip, but a car should say something about its owner. Given, the man who’d driven her to Starbucks could be counted on for unfailing support and would come in handy if she ever got around to buying furniture, but he was by no means generic. He deserved to drive something memorable—something unique—and not a soulless means of getting from point A to point B.

If she ever scraped together enough cash to buy a car, it’d be a Beetle or a Mini Cooper, and she’d never pair black-leather seats with the same color exterior. Being stuck in this monochromatic pristine box threatened to give her hives.

When had he become the epitome of boring? She missed the boy who’d annoyed all their neighbors with his motorcycle, the guy who got her and Shelley their first fake IDs. Ever since he’d morphed into a responsible peon, had a security clearance, and drew a steady paycheck, his mere existence turned her into an unsuccessful loser by comparison.

Playing with the seatbelt’s metal clasp, she looked up through the sunroof. Light glinted into her eyes, and, in a hazy precognitive rush, the glass was gone.

The sky shifted from bright blue to an ebony expanse dotted with white twinkling stars. The car’s confines should have been cold, but a warm circling breeze licked her skin. She sat on the same seat, facing the opposite direction. Bare shoulders occupied her vision; strong hard legs rippled under her ass. Cinnamon, mint, and sweat filled her lungs, all laced with an undertone of pine. She kissed a beard-covered jaw, trailed her lips down a corded neck, and explored a muscled chest the color of chocolate.

Calloused palms slid up her back. Strong sure fingers unhooked her bra and smoothed the straps off her shoulders. Coarse facial hair rasped over her nipple before a hot, wet mouth closed over it and sucked. Her shoulder blades hit the dashboard. His swirling tongue feasted on her breast. His hand shoved her legs apart.
He circled her clit with his thumb, pulsing over it until her head rolled back.

She spotted fireworks through the glass, flashes of red, white, and blue reflecting off rippling water. Her own voice echoed in her ears—pleas she’d never dreamed of voicing.

Two thick fingers filled her, spreading as she spasmed. A scream ripped from her throat. “Mi—”

The door opened with the quiet click characteristic of new cars, shattering her erotic daydream. Her breaths shallow and her panties damp, she dug her nails into the leather beneath her hands. The back of her head met the seat. She’d never experienced a vision that vivid—one lush with scent, sight, touch, and sound.

With a frowning glance, the vehicle’s owner slid inside and handed her a cardboard cup. “This should get you in a better mood.”

Wiping sweat off her forehead despite the nippy air, she accepted the huge container. Nothing would come of the premonition—as nothing had come of all the ones that came before. She’d broken her rule and allowed them to be alone in an enclosed space. She wouldn’t make the same mistake again any time soon.

Taking a calming breath, she focused on sounding as normal as possible. “How’s this a regular coffee?”

“I got you what you always get in winter—a venti pumpkin-spice latte.” He sealed them in and started the engine. With the turn of a knob, heated air hit the tree-shaped freshener. Its scent mingled with his spicy aftershave. After that vision, she almost moaned at the imagery the smell invoked. She’d been sexually frustrated to begin with, and having him so close propelled her libido into overdrive.

Fanning her burning face, she grumbled, “It’s not what I asked for.”

“Don’t be such a cheapskate. I told you, it’s my treat.” He settled against the backrest, his head angled in her direction. Sipping his drink, he released a long breath, the corners of his lips lifting to form an expression of pure bliss.

Her nipples tightened into sharp peaks, and she doubted the cold had caused it. “Thanks, but—”

“My sister’s brainwashed you, hasn’t she? How about you buy me a triple-shot espresso in a few weeks?”

She tried to wrangle her thoughts back into some semblance of coherence. “Nice try. You’ll be back in New York in a day or two.” If not, she’d self-admit into an insane asylum.

“Sure about that?” He looked too smug for comfort.

An unprecedented flood of excitement and elation threw her off balance. What the hell? She should be scared shitless, not so happy she almost jumped out of her seat at the thought of him quitting. “Enforcement doesn’t operate in the District—not in the open, anyway.”

“Things change.”

Pure unadulterated fear eliminated any lingering embers of desire. “Since when?”

His brows drew together. “Since a fire mage short-circuited a hotel elevator and ice sculptures of Godzilla made headlines. Why are you freaking out?”

She had two reasons but chose to voice the less-important one. “Why do you think? If they find out—”

“There’s no they. It’s just me.” He tapped her cup’s plastic cover. “Drink this before it gets cold.”

Her brain ceasing to function at optimum levels, she savored the bittersweet drink of the gods. She needed an exit plan, pronto. None came to mind. “So, you’ll cover for me?”

He shook his head. “Nope. You’ll register. You’re not a scared fourteen-year-old anymore. You want to be an adult? Instead of insisting I can’t pay for your coffee, own up to what you are.”

Beads of cold sweat chilled her forehead. “They’ll take me away—lock me up in some white building—”

“Not on my watch. I’ve worked for them long enough to know they won’t force you into anything you don’t want. You’ll have to get tested at the Institute, they’ll ask me to keep an eye on you, but they’re not monsters, they’re—”

“Old-school, black-caped, cauldron-stirring, out-of-touch-with-reality warlocks and witches who still believe in blood pentagrams and animal sacrifice.”

Her hand shook hard enough she had to lower the coffee to her lap.
He raised his gaze to the clear tempered-glass roof. “Where do you witches get these conspiracy theories? Do I look like I own a cauldron?”

Fireworks at Midnight is available from:
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Globetrotter, lover of languages, and romance author, Tara Quan has an addiction for crafting tales with a pinch of spice and a smidgen of kink. Inspired by her travels, Tara enjoys tossing her kick-ass heroines and alpha males into exotic contemporary locales, paranormal worlds, and post-apocalyptic futures. Her characters, armed with magical powers or conventional weapons, are guaranteed a suspenseful and sensual ride, as well as their own happily ever after. Learn more at www.taraquan.com

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Some secrets are best locked away in the past… UNTOUCHED by Lauren Hawkeye #giveaway

UNTOUCHED
by Lauren Hawkeye

New York Times and USA Today bestselling romance author Lauren Hawkeye serves up a captivating story of loss, self-discovery, and deep-seated desire.

Some secrets are best left locked away in the past…. 

Alexa Kendrick has no recollection of the car accident that left her scarred and sent her life careening wildly off course. When the half-sister she thought she’d never meet shows up at her door with an invitation to a new life, Alexa finds herself in Florence, Arizona, a town notorious for being populated with more prison inmates than actual citizens…a town that has done its best to hide its own dark secret.

After Ellie is called out of town, she leaves her sister with the keys to her flower shop and Alexa finds herself swapping lives with her sibling: running Ellie’s business, living in the house left to them both by their absentee father…and forging a smoldering relationship with sexy-as-sin penitentiary officer, Nate Fury—a man with his own demons.

But arranging flowers by day and tangling with the only man who has ever seen her real self by night isn’t enough to silence the mysterious panic that fuels Alexa’s dark dreams. When Nate brings home a book written by an inmate, one describing an unspeakable crime, the shackles binding Alexa’s own lost memories begin to shatter. And as the devastating truth comes to light, she realizes that Nate holds the key to unlocking her past, as well as her heart.

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Lauren Hawkeye/ Lauren Jameson never imagined that she’d wind up telling stories for a living… though when she looks back, it’s easy to see that she’s the only one who is surprised. Always “the kid who read all the time”, Lauren made up stories about her favorite characters once she’d finished a book… and once spent an entire year narrating her own life internally. No, really. But where she was just plain odd before publication, now she can at least claim to have an artistic temperament.

Lauren lives in the Rocky Mountains of Alberta, Canada with her husband, toddler, pit bull and idiot cat, though they do not live in an igloo, nor do they drive a dogsled. In her nonexistent spare time Lauren can be found knitting (her husband claims that her snobby yarn collection is exorbitant), reading anything she can get her hands on, or sweating her way through spin class. She loves to hear from her readers!

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Whether you were good or bad this year, Lauren Hawkeye is pulling something very special out of her Santa bag just for you. Because you shouldn’t get punished for being naughty, right? Sometimes naughty can, in fact, be nice.

Enter the UNTOUCHED “Naughty or Nice?” Giveaway to possibly win one of two Grand Prizes – a Nice Swag Bag or a Naughty Swag Bag worth approximately $150.00 each. Use the Rafflecopter widget below to enter. And, don’t forget to visit Lauren’s “Naughty or Nice” Pinterest board to see what might be headed your way this holiday season.*

*Pinned items are only a representation of possible final prize items. Similar items may or may not be included in the final grand prize bags, at the sweepstakes Sponsor’s discretion. 

 

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