Sandra Bunino's Blog, page 12
January 21, 2015
MID WEEK TEASE: I Kissed a Girl in Vegas #MWTease
Happy Wednesday!
Scarlet Chastain is taking over my MID WEEK TEASE with an oh-so-sexy snippet from her next release, I KISSED A GIRL IN VEGAS.
In this scene renowned chef, Gianna Lucini, invites Tessa Walker to be her guest at the private kitchen table in her newest restaurant. Gianna decides Tessa needs some TLC – Vegas style. Read on…
Waves of pleasure coursed through my body in the secluded room smack in the middle of one of the busiest hotels in Vegas. I should’ve been embarrassed by the attention. I should’ve got up and walked away. Things like that don’t happen to me. However, my ass might as well have been crazy-glued to the chair, because I wasn’t moving. The tablecloth brushed over my bare legs as Mark let go of one of my hands and his fingers brushed my thigh. He lowered his muscled body to his knees as Gianna gathered my hair into a ponytail. Her fingers raked through my scalp while Mark’s fingers drew imaginary lines from my knee to high on the inside of my thigh and back again. I swallowed hard as my pulse quickened. I was sure Gianna could see how fast my heart was beating when she pulled my hair and coaxed my face upward to meet her stare.
She smiled down at me. “I want you to clear your mind and just enjoy the moment. Can you do that for me?”
Look for I KISSED A GIRL IN VEGAS soon from Evernight Publishing!
Add I KISSED A GIRL IN VEGAS to your Goodreads TBR shelf:
Be sure to visit my teasing friends, won’t you?
Sign up for next week’s tease here:
January 19, 2015
@IyanaJenna finds “Love”ly #Inspiration from @EdSheeran
Today’s guest is the lovely and talented Iyana Jenna. Iyana and I share a love of Ed Sheeran’s music.
First of all, I’d like to thank you for having me on your blog. It means a lot to me. I would like to share with you and your readers my main inspirations of this story.
One day, my dear friend Louis Stevens posted a video of a singer Gavin DeGraw on his Facebook account. It was lovely and I loved the singer’s song. Well, one of my favorite singers is Ed Sheeran and I told Louis it would be a dream come true if Ed sings together with Gavin. A moment later, voila! Louis posted a video of them both singing together! Long story short, How Long Will I Love You was born. The title of this story was from a song but it was another story altogether and it wasn’t sung by any of the men.
By the way, here is the video of Gavin and Ed performing together on stage. I totally fell in love with them. I got completely inspired. My story isn’t in any way a real story about them, though. Heh. I wish! 
Now if you watch the video until the end, it was their hug that completely melted my heart. *sighs* And here are the real life Ed and Gavin.
Blurb:
It might look weird for a musician to *fangirl* another musician, but Ed Finley didn’t give a damn. He adored and had a crush on singer and pianist, Gavin O’Malley—to the point of sticking O’Malley’s pin-ups all over the walls of his room. Ed thought his dream had come true when he was scheduled to perform together with his idol on stage.
Gavin O’Malley thought Ed was okay when they ended up being together that night. The night meant everything to Ed, while it was only another one-night stand for Gavin.
Ed decides to stay away while Gavin, after rejecting Ed, couldn’t stop thinking about the other man. Will Gavin get a chance to tell Ed his true feelings?
Excerpt:
As soon as he got to L.A., Ed realized the mistake he’d made. Everything reminded him of Gavin, especially the invites to small jam sessions and dinners with fellow artists. He’d tried to avoid them all, but Nina, his assistant, kept reminding him not to miss those occasions.
“Don’t you see that I’m a human being, too? I’m tired, okay?”
Instead of answering, Nina squinted at him before she thrust an envelope at him.
“What’s that?” Suspicion crept into his heart.
“A live awards ceremony. Music awards. Next week.”
“Oh.” He took the invitation and looked at the card. It was a national show and it was going to be aired live on a major channel. It was a big deal. He glanced back at Nina. “Am I a nominee or something?” That was impossible. He’d have found out right away if he was nominated in a category. “Or am I going to present an award? How did you get this invitation?” Nina knew very well this wasn’t his type of thing.
She chuckled softly. The traitor.
“Relax. I didn’t have to kiss someone’s ass or get down on my knees for this. You’re an online phenomenon, Ed. They knew they’d get more publicity if they had you at their show.”
Ed wasn’t particularly afraid of what Nina would do if she wanted something, though he did worry about her sometimes. She’d do anything to get the things she wanted. But this was going to be a huge event with hundreds of celebrities. It was harmless. Safe. Even if Ed saw him there, he could easily slip away and hide. He sighed.
“All right. I’ll go.”
“Yay. I’ll RSVP.”
Ed rolled his eyes as he turned his back on a delighted Nina, who was already on the phone.
The invitation ruined the plan he’d made. Without Nina’s knowledge, he’d made a reservation to rent a cabin on a vineyard resort he often went to in Northern California. He needed fresh air and a place to clear his head. He’d thought being in L.A. would help, but the feeling that he could run into Gavin in any corner of the city kept haunting him. The shame—Ed could not get rid of it. He was lucky Gavin hadn’t talked to a tabloid about how Ed Finley literally threw himself at him and thought he had a chance to be Gavin O’Malley’s boyfriend.
A week or so on the vineyard would do him good. Too bad Ed had to postpone it now. He took a shuddering breath and cooked up another plan. The minute he left the award show, he would be on his way to escape to Moonshine Valley.
****
Nina walked ahead of Ed on the red carpet. He smiled inwardly at the sight of her—a diminutive figure, yet looking confident and ready to take any action Ed needed her to. Tonight she was lit up in her small, bright red dress with her golden hair tied up into a small chignon. She was pretty, Ed would give her that. He wouldn’t mind having her as his girlfriend if he liked girls. As it was, Ed didn’t mind taking her as his date tonight, though she might have minded if he’d insisted on going in his shirt and jeans.
“Ed!”
Ed jerked his head up. “Yeah?” He had been unaware of zoning out for a second there.
Nina gestured at him impatiently, so he headed toward her. She was standing near the velvet railing with a man on the other side of it who had a microphone in his hand.
“Hi,” greeted Ed. “How’re you doing?”
“Can you believe it? Louis Montague from the blog Louis’ Notes, himself! He wants to talk to you, Ed.” Nina sounded too chirpy for his liking, and his eyes narrowed in suspicion because the girl knew him well. He turned back to the man and offered his hand. Louis accepted and shook it hard.
“Ed Finley. It’s so great to finally see you.”
“Hi, Louis. Glad to see you too. I hope you like my songs.”
“Like your songs? I love them. They’re brilliant, man.”
“Come on.” Ed felt positively embarrassed. After all this time, he still couldn’t believe people actually listened to his work. He looked around and cursed silently when he found that Nina had disappeared.
“I’m serious. They’re emotional and fans really relate to them. I can’t stop listening to them. What’s coming up next from you?”
“Um.” Ed scratched his head, then promptly removed his wandering fingers. He’d spent more time than was necessary trying to tame his red curls, and he knew Nina would scold him for ruining them. “I write songs every night or between shows. I can’t stop the ideas from coming into my head. They keep bugging me until I write them down.”
“Sounds so easy for you.”
“Oh no, not at all. They’re raw ideas and thoughts. Mostly I still have to find the right tune for them, not to mention the lyrics and the music arrangements. Half of the raw ideas I have had have ended up in the garbage bin. Only half became full songs and just one or two of them get to be produced.” Ed thought he heard Louis mutter something. “Excuse me?”
Louis shook his head. “Nah. Just—if I tried to write songs, they would all get dumped.”
Ed snickered. “You don’t know that. You should try writing someday if you get an interesting idea.”
“I’d rather listen to yours, thanks.” Louis smiled widely. “So are you going to present an award tonight?”
“No. I’ll just sit tight and sweet in the audience. My pretty Nina did a good job finding me a place in there. She—” Ed waved sideways and stopped short. He gaped and his breathing became erratic. He hadn’t expected anyone to be standing next to him, to be so close to him, like…like…
“Hi, Ed.”
Like Gavin.
Buy Links:
Evernight Publishing ~ Amazon US ~ Amazon UK ~ Amazon Australia ~ Amazon Canada
All Romance Ebooks ~ Bookstrand
Giveaways
Author Bio:
Iyana writes M/M short stories and novellas. Her works have been published by Evernight Publishing, JMS Books, Books to Go Now, Torquere Press, Bitten Press, Leap of Faith Publishing, Breathless Press, and Alfie Dog Fiction.
Iyana lives in Jakarta, a city famous for its traffic jams, a lot of cars and motorcycles, and people selling stuff on the roads. You can spend two hours on the road going to a place you can reach in half an hour in a normal situation. Thanks to the traffic jams, though, Iyana can come up with a lot of stories, mostly shorties, as she prefers to spend the time during her trips writing into her cell phone rather than sleeping.
Another thing Iyana loves is kitties. Right now she has three of them. Their names are Cil, Horus, and Betsy, and one kitten. When she doesn’t write, she plays with them, or they would play with her when she writes.
Author Links:
@IyanaJenna finds Lovely #Inspiration from @EdSheeran
Today’s guest is the lovely and talented Iyana Jenna. Iyana and I share a love of Ed Sheeran’s music.
First of all, I’d like to thank you for having me on your blog. It means a lot to me. I would like to share with you and your readers my main inspirations of this story.
One day, my dear friend Louis Stevens posted a video of a singer Gavin DeGraw on his Facebook account. It was lovely and I loved the singer’s song. Well, one of my favorite singers is Ed Sheeran and I told Louis it would be a dream come true if Ed sings together with Gavin. A moment later, voila! Louis posted a video of them both singing together! Long story short, How Long Will I Love You was born. The title of this story was from a song but it was another story altogether and it wasn’t sung by any of the men.
By the way, here is the video of Gavin and Ed performing together on stage. I totally fell in love with them. I got completely inspired. My story isn’t in any way a real story about them, though. Heh. I wish!
Now if you watch the video until the end, it was their hug that completely melted my heart. *sighs* And here are the real life Ed and Gavin.
Blurb:
It might look weird for a musician to *fangirl* another musician, but Ed Finley didn’t give a damn. He adored and had a crush on singer and pianist, Gavin O’Malley—to the point of sticking O’Malley’s pin-ups all over the walls of his room. Ed thought his dream had come true when he was scheduled to perform together with his idol on stage.
Gavin O’Malley thought Ed was okay when they ended up being together that night. The night meant everything to Ed, while it was only another one-night stand for Gavin.
Ed decides to stay away while Gavin, after rejecting Ed, couldn’t stop thinking about the other man. Will Gavin get a chance to tell Ed his true feelings?
Excerpt:
As soon as he got to L.A., Ed realized the mistake he’d made. Everything reminded him of Gavin, especially the invites to small jam sessions and dinners with fellow artists. He’d tried to avoid them all, but Nina, his assistant, kept reminding him not to miss those occasions.
“Don’t you see that I’m a human being, too? I’m tired, okay?”
Instead of answering, Nina squinted at him before she thrust an envelope at him.
“What’s that?” Suspicion crept into his heart.
“A live awards ceremony. Music awards. Next week.”
“Oh.” He took the invitation and looked at the card. It was a national show and it was going to be aired live on a major channel. It was a big deal. He glanced back at Nina. “Am I a nominee or something?” That was impossible. He’d have found out right away if he was nominated in a category. “Or am I going to present an award? How did you get this invitation?” Nina knew very well this wasn’t his type of thing.
She chuckled softly. The traitor.
“Relax. I didn’t have to kiss someone’s ass or get down on my knees for this. You’re an online phenomenon, Ed. They knew they’d get more publicity if they had you at their show.”
Ed wasn’t particularly afraid of what Nina would do if she wanted something, though he did worry about her sometimes. She’d do anything to get the things she wanted. But this was going to be a huge event with hundreds of celebrities. It was harmless. Safe. Even if Ed saw him there, he could easily slip away and hide. He sighed.
“All right. I’ll go.”
“Yay. I’ll RSVP.”
Ed rolled his eyes as he turned his back on a delighted Nina, who was already on the phone.
The invitation ruined the plan he’d made. Without Nina’s knowledge, he’d made a reservation to rent a cabin on a vineyard resort he often went to in Northern California. He needed fresh air and a place to clear his head. He’d thought being in L.A. would help, but the feeling that he could run into Gavin in any corner of the city kept haunting him. The shame—Ed could not get rid of it. He was lucky Gavin hadn’t talked to a tabloid about how Ed Finley literally threw himself at him and thought he had a chance to be Gavin O’Malley’s boyfriend.
A week or so on the vineyard would do him good. Too bad Ed had to postpone it now. He took a shuddering breath and cooked up another plan. The minute he left the award show, he would be on his way to escape to Moonshine Valley.
****
Nina walked ahead of Ed on the red carpet. He smiled inwardly at the sight of her—a diminutive figure, yet looking confident and ready to take any action Ed needed her to. Tonight she was lit up in her small, bright red dress with her golden hair tied up into a small chignon. She was pretty, Ed would give her that. He wouldn’t mind having her as his girlfriend if he liked girls. As it was, Ed didn’t mind taking her as his date tonight, though she might have minded if he’d insisted on going in his shirt and jeans.
“Ed!”
Ed jerked his head up. “Yeah?” He had been unaware of zoning out for a second there.
Nina gestured at him impatiently, so he headed toward her. She was standing near the velvet railing with a man on the other side of it who had a microphone in his hand.
“Hi,” greeted Ed. “How’re you doing?”
“Can you believe it? Louis Montague from the blog Louis’ Notes, himself! He wants to talk to you, Ed.” Nina sounded too chirpy for his liking, and his eyes narrowed in suspicion because the girl knew him well. He turned back to the man and offered his hand. Louis accepted and shook it hard.
“Ed Finley. It’s so great to finally see you.”
“Hi, Louis. Glad to see you too. I hope you like my songs.”
“Like your songs? I love them. They’re brilliant, man.”
“Come on.” Ed felt positively embarrassed. After all this time, he still couldn’t believe people actually listened to his work. He looked around and cursed silently when he found that Nina had disappeared.
“I’m serious. They’re emotional and fans really relate to them. I can’t stop listening to them. What’s coming up next from you?”
“Um.” Ed scratched his head, then promptly removed his wandering fingers. He’d spent more time than was necessary trying to tame his red curls, and he knew Nina would scold him for ruining them. “I write songs every night or between shows. I can’t stop the ideas from coming into my head. They keep bugging me until I write them down.”
“Sounds so easy for you.”
“Oh no, not at all. They’re raw ideas and thoughts. Mostly I still have to find the right tune for them, not to mention the lyrics and the music arrangements. Half of the raw ideas I have had have ended up in the garbage bin. Only half became full songs and just one or two of them get to be produced.” Ed thought he heard Louis mutter something. “Excuse me?”
Louis shook his head. “Nah. Just—if I tried to write songs, they would all get dumped.”
Ed snickered. “You don’t know that. You should try writing someday if you get an interesting idea.”
“I’d rather listen to yours, thanks.” Louis smiled widely. “So are you going to present an award tonight?”
“No. I’ll just sit tight and sweet in the audience. My pretty Nina did a good job finding me a place in there. She—” Ed waved sideways and stopped short. He gaped and his breathing became erratic. He hadn’t expected anyone to be standing next to him, to be so close to him, like…like…
“Hi, Ed.”
Like Gavin.
Buy Links:
Evernight Publishing ~ Amazon US ~ Amazon UK ~ Amazon Australia ~ Amazon Canada
All Romance Ebooks ~ Bookstrand
Giveaways
Author Bio:
Iyana writes M/M short stories and novellas. Her works have been published by Evernight Publishing, JMS Books, Books to Go Now, Torquere Press, Bitten Press, Leap of Faith Publishing, Breathless Press, and Alfie Dog Fiction.
Iyana lives in Jakarta, a city famous for its traffic jams, a lot of cars and motorcycles, and people selling stuff on the roads. You can spend two hours on the road going to a place you can reach in half an hour in a normal situation. Thanks to the traffic jams, though, Iyana can come up with a lot of stories, mostly shorties, as she prefers to spend the time during her trips writing into her cell phone rather than sleeping.
Another thing Iyana loves is kitties. Right now she has three of them. Their names are Cil, Horus, and Betsy, and one kitten. When she doesn’t write, she plays with them, or they would play with her when she writes.
Author Links:
January 14, 2015
Mid Week Tease: “Cap’n wants to see ye.” #MWTease
It’s teasing time!
I’ve been working on a pirate novella over the past few weeks. I have a few more tweaks and it’ll be ready for submission. Woo-hoo!
Here’s the opener where we meet hero and ousted captain John Siege…
“Siege!” A hoarse voice rang through the galley.
John Siege glanced up from his dented tin bowl of weak fish bone stew. He craned his neck over the long rows of grunting men mindlessly slurping their grub. Their heads swayed in unison as the ship listed back and forth. Pushing his bowl aside, he spotted a man glaring at him from the mess hall doorway. “Yeah?” John called out. He recognized the owner’s voice as one of the captain’s officers who signaled to him by sticking his thumb over his shoulder. John stretched. His tight muscles ached from his duties aboard The Black Devil. As the new crewmember, John was charged with scrubbing the deck and manning the bilge pumps. Rolling his shoulders, he stepped over the wooden bench. The man set off down the hallway as John followed close behind. “I seem to be at a disadvantage. You know my name but I don’t know yours.” John said.
“You can call me Crow,” the other man grumbled.
John chuckled thinking the name suited his long nose and beady eyes. “May I ask where I’m being lead then, Crow?”
Crow snorted. “Cap’n wants to see ye.”
John picked up his pace to walk alongside Crow. “The captain? I didn’t think he even knew my name.” In fact, he’d hoped to stay incognito for the remainder of the voyage.
Crow let out an evil cackle but didn’t slow his step. “You don’t know much about Cap’n Waite, do ye? Cap’n knows everyone and everything aboard The Black Devil, mate.”
“Why don’t you inform me about Captain Waite. What’s he like?”
Crow shot him an almost toothless grin. “You’ll learn soon enough.”
Be sure to visit my teasing friends, won’t you?
Sign up for next week’s tease here:
January 6, 2015
Mid Week Tease: “How about we chance it together?” #MWTease
Welcome to a brand new season of MID WEEK TEASE! I like to keep things fresh and fun with a new graphic at the beginning of the year. Do you like it? It reminds me of the iconic skirt scene with Marilyn Monroe in The Seven Year Itch.
It’s hard to believe the MWTease is in its 3rd year! For new readers and authors, the MID WEEK TEASE is a way to share snippets from a new or coming soon release, an old favorite, or even something in progress. So grab your lunch or a cup of coffee and take a mid week break with us!
This month is my four year anniversary of being a published author! My very first novella was Marooned in Miami which was later enhanced and enlarged to Marooned with the Millionaire. Jason and Stephanie will always hold a special place in my heart as my first HEA. xoxo
Today’s tease is from the opening chapter of Marooned with the Millionaire. Jason sees Stephanie walking across the lobby of a small boutique hotel in South Beach and must meet her. Lucky for him, her feet prefer elevators over taking the stairs…
An angry crack of thunder boomed, and a flash of lightning lit the entire lobby. The chandeliers all flickered in unison as the elevator doors opened. Swearing under her breath, she looked down at her three-inch heels and considered walking up the six flights of stairs to her room.
“Hey, is it okay to take the elevator in this storm?” Stephanie called to the front desk clerk who nodded and gave her a small wave. A night stuck in the elevator was not in her plan. She debated for a moment about walking up barefoot when she heard a low voice to her right.
“How about we chance it together?”
She spun around to see the source of those words that washed over her like a slow-moving current. Stephanie’s breath caught when she turned toward the source of the silky voice. A man stood before her with his eyebrows raised as if he were waiting for an answer. He appeared out of nowhere; surely she would have noticed him in the lobby. Dark stubble covered his chiseled cheekbones below dangerous blue eyes. Stephanie’s heart raced, while she imagined her fingers combing through his dark wavy hair. Stop it! She shook her head slightly, hoping the action would rid her mind of thoughts that were relighting embers in her belly. An angel and a devil sat on her shoulders: one said kick off those heels and walk up all of those damn flights of stairs, but the other told her to take him up on the offer. The devil was winning. Hell, the front desk attendant didn’t foresee an issue with the elevator, so why should she?
Stephanie’s eyes narrowed, careful not to give him any indication of the attraction she felt, even though his dark hair and tanned complexion made her insides turn to mush. There was something about his presence that made her feel sexy. She couldn’t make sense of the feeling. Heat coursed through her veins and straight down to her core. How could a stranger have that effect on her?
Marooned with the Millionaire is available on Amazon and most major online book retailers.
Be sure to visit my teasing friends, won’t you?
Sign up for next week’s tease here:
January 5, 2015
We have a WINNER!
Thank you for visiting me during Evernight’s Holiday Hangover Blog Hop! The winner of my blog prize of a $25 Evernight GC is Mel B!
Congrats, Mel!
Don’t forget to stop by Wednesday for a brand new season of MID WEEK TEASE! What is the MID WEEK TEASE? Just what it sounds like. My author friends and I post a teaser from a published or non-published work. It can be a new release, an old favorite or just something we’re working on. New teasers are posted weekly. So grab a cup of coffee and hop the teases every Wednesday!
Check out the new MID WEEK TEASE graphic! Like it?
If you’re an author and would like to sign up, add your name, email and url here:
January 1, 2015
Evernight’s Holiday Hangover Blog Hop
Happy New Year from Evernight!
Now that the Christmas cookies are gone, gifts unwrapped, and your holiday visitors have left, you’ve earned some well-deserved TLC. Evernight authors not only have the cure for your holiday hangover, they have fantastic new books for your 2015 reading list, too!
Be sure to visit every stop on the hop and answer each question. The more you blogs you hop, the more chances to win the GRAND PRIZE of an iPad Mini sponsored by Evernight Publishing (one entry per blog). Plus, hop each blog for a host of other fabulous prizes.
So sink into your favorite chair and enjoy your holiday hangover!
2014 was a fantabulous year and I had the wonderful opportunity to meet so many Evernight authors from all over the world in person! I thought I’d share a few pictures…
In March, I stopped in Maryland on my way to take my daughter back to college to hear Carlene Love Flores read a passage from Sidewalk Flower. It was a joy to meet her in person. Bonus: Evernight author, Nicky Penttila, was in the audience too!
Nicky Penttila, Carlene Love Flores and me at Carlene's Lady Jane's Salon reading in Maryland
May not only brought Spring flowers, it also sent me to my first RT Conference! Other firsts: my first visit to New Orleans, my first real rat sighting (EEEK!) and my first time meeting Evernight authors Hazel Gower, Khloe Wren, Angela Castle, Kasey Hammell, Evie Knight and Wrenn Michaels!
The Aussie Invasion: sharing a toast to Evernight with Khloe Wren, Hazel Gower and Angela Castle
My first full-length novel, Colors of Us, released in August and I went on my first ever book tour! A book tour is not complete without a stop in Las Vegas. I met so many wonderful authors and readers at the Hot Mohave Knights event, including Evernight authors Jewel Quinlan, Nikki Prince, Beth D. Carter, Shannan Albright, and Daisy Phillips. I also got to reunite with some authors I’d met on previous trips like RM Sotera, CR Moss and my sister from another mister, Lila Shaw!
RM Sotera & CR Moss are two of my favorite LV girls! It was so nice to see them again.
Fun at the HMK Ball with Beth Carter, Nikki Prince, CR Moss, Lila Shaw and Daisy Phillips
One of my besties, Lila Shaw, and I were book signing neighbors.
Shannan Albright and me at HMK Salsa Night!
September sent me to two book events, Belmar BookCon with Kastil Eavenshade and the NJRW Put Your Heart in a Book Conference where I conducted a workshop about social media. It was great to see local author DC Stone again as well as meet Jessica Jayne and Cait Jarrod!
Under the Evernight tent with Kastil Eavenshade at Belmar BookCon.
NJRW Conference with Evernight darlings Jessica Jayne, DC Stone and Cait Jarrod.
Whew! What a year! What will 2015 bring? I do have a few things up my sleeve but you’ll have to wait and find out along the way. #tease
So, raise your glass (or mug) and join me in ringing in the new year in style! Happy 2015 everyone!
Enter for a chance to win Evernight’s GRAND PRIZE of an iPad Mini and my blog prize of a $25 Evernight GC by answering this question (be sure to include your email address to be eligible to win):
Who would you love to meet this year?
Your Holiday Hangover continues here:
December 28, 2014
Exclusive Excerpt: IN SELF DEFENSE by Loralynne Summers @LL_Summers
It’s my great pleasure to feature debut author, Loralynne Summers, today! Loralynne even spoiled me by granting my request of an exclusive excerpt from her new release from Evernight Publishing, IN SELF DEFENSE. Please enjoy the super sexy and cute excerpt as well as her inspiration for the story. Thanks for visiting, Loralynne!
IN SELF DEFENSE by Loralynne Summers
BLURB:
She fell in love—in self-defense…
The last thing that Sarah wants in her life is a relationship. Her track record was horrendous, and the last guy she’d dated had beaten her mentally and physically, landing her in the hospital. Almost a year later she’s back on her feet, thanks in no small part to her best friend Jason. Trouble is, lately she wants more than a friendship with Jason, and it scares the hell out of her. And then he kisses her…
His offense may hit a brick wall…
Jason has been in love with Sarah for longer than he’ll willingly admit to. Since bringing her home from the hospital, she’s grown into a strong, secure, confident woman. After seeing how perfect his best friend really is, he can’t get her off his mind. He’s convinced her feelings match his, and decides to go for it, only to scare her away.
Can best friends become something more? Or will she stay hidden behind her defensive wall?
Exclusive Excerpt:
Sarah was kicking his ass. He wasn’t holding back, but she was just too fast. And too little. It was difficult to fight someone a foot shorter than him. If he threw in the towel he’d never live it down—from her or the rest of the staff at the gym. Deciding to take a chance, he made a plan. He pinned his hopes on the fact that he’d woken up with her in his arms. If she wasn’t interested, she would have slept in her bed, right? And he certainly hadn’t missed her blatant claiming of him at the end of class. He’d almost burst out laughing at the disapproving look on her face when the other woman sized him up. Trusting that his assumptions were correct, he let her take him down.
Her fist slammed into his ribs, and he hunched over, hoping she’d take the opening. It didn’t require much acting. She was stronger than he’d realized and was hitting hard. A second later, her elbow connected with his head, and he let the momentum carry him. Closing his eyes, he landed on the mat and waited.
“Oh shit, Jason!” She took the bait, and he fought the urge to smile. Her knee dug into his side as she leaned over him. “Jason, are you okay?” He wanted so badly to nip at her fingers when she pulled his mouthpiece out. “Jason, can you hear me?” His eyes flew open, and he grinned like a fool at the shock on her face.
Reaching his arm up, he hooked it around the back of her head and pulled her down, locking his lips over hers. Catcalls, cheers, and whistles filled the air. “Hoo-ah!” The distinctive military shout rose from Carter, making Jason laugh.
Sarah struggled against him, pushing at his chest. He loosened his arm and she rose, fleeing the ring and running for the locker room.
“Ah, shit. Sarah, wait!” He ran through the crowd, dodging slaps on his back from some of the guys. “Sarah, stop, please.” He caught up with her in the hallway. “Sarah.” He touched her arm. She spun and smacked him, the sound echoing in the enclosed space. Of all the hits she’d delivered to him in the last half hour, that one hurt the most.
“What the fuck, Jason?” Tears ran freely down her cheeks.
“Sarah, I’m sorry.” She smacked him again. He knew he deserved it. “Please, forgive me.” He held her shoulders lightly, and she punched half-heartedly at his chest.
“Why, Jason, why did you have to do that?”
“I’m sorry.”
“You’re an asshole. And this time I mean it. You let me think I really hurt you.”
“I know. It was a stupid thing to do. I’m sorry.” He couldn’t say it enough.
“I saw you there, and all I could think of was how I’d knocked Alex out, and I don’t ever want to hurt you like that. I’d never forgive myself.” If she hadn’t cried on his shoulder so often over the years, he wouldn’t have understood the words that poured out in a rush through her sobs.
“I know, baby. I’m sorry. It wasn’t funny. It was a bad idea.” Suddenly, her words registered in his brain. “So, you’re not mad at me for kissing you, but because you thought you’d hurt me?”
“Yeah,” she sniffed. “I should kick your ass.”
“I’ve got news for you, baby—you were kicking my ass.” He stepped closer to her, cupping her chin in one hand.
“Really?” She backed up against the wall.
“Yeah.” He braced his hands against the wall on either side of her head.
“So that’s why you went down then?” She pressed her body into his, tilting her head up.
“One of the reasons.” He brought his head down.
“What was the other reason?” The words whispered from her lips as she stretched her face up to meet his. After last night, he wasn’t going to let this chance escape.
“To do this,” he said, closing the remaining distance between them.
Find In Self Defense here:
Evernight / Amazon / AllRomance / Bookstrand
AUTHOR BIO:
As a child, Loralynne was always the student getting in trouble for talking in class and at home for making things up. Combining her ability to go on and on and her flair for storytelling, she naturally grew up to be a writer. Originally planning to write fantasy, her muse had other plans. Once she opened herself up to the whims of her muse, she couldn’t type her first sex scene fast enough and now writes romance. Loralynne lives in Upstate New York with her husband, cats, and growing family. You can friend her on facebook or follow her on twitter under LL_Summers
INSPIRATION FOR THE STORY:
The story opens to Sarah mowing the lawn on a hot, humid day. And that’s exactly what I was doing when the idea first took root in my brain. My neighbor across the street arrived home on his Harley, and BAM! The whole opening scene was there in my head. I couldn’t type fast enough. There is a large part of my relationship in this story. Jason has some of my husband’s mentality, mostly in how he treats Sarah. I often tell my husband that I don’t deserve him, he is way better to me than I am to him! As for Sarah, I too fell in love with my best friend after leaving an abusive relationship. Thankfully, mine never reached the level of physical abuse, but the signs were all there, and it was only a matter of time. As in the story though, I was quite afraid of my feelings for my husband, because of how close our friendship was and I was terrified to ruin it.
Awesome! Thanks again, Loralynne.
Happy New Year and be sure to check back on New Year’s Day for the chance to win some great prizes including an iPad Mini during Evernight’s Holiday Hangover Blog Hop!
December 17, 2014
Mid Week Tease: Mystic Hearts by Cait Jarrod
What an amazing year of Mid Week Teases! For my last tease of the year, please welcome wonderful author and friend, Cait Jarrod, and her new release, MYSTIC HEARTS!
Tease ~
His breath drifted across her face, stirring a desire she’d only felt once before. Impossible, as Larry had been the only man who’d stimulated outrageous cravings. A hallucination can’t do that. Can it?
He slid another finger down her cheek. She quivered. The electricity produced a throbbing in her body and prevented her from grasping onto any one emotion. One second, she was delusional, the next, she melted. “How can I feel you?”
“You’re not asking the right question.” His voice filled with mischief.
The one she asked seemed important. “What is the right one?”
His hands slapped the wall on each side of her head, trapping her. Anticipating an imprisoned impression, she tensed.
It didn’t occur. “What is the right—” Her whisper broke off when he moved closer, aligning his over six-foot stature perfectly to her five-foot-five frame.
“Why do I allow you?” he asked, his voice teasing.
Good question, yet why did he joke? Was this a game to him? “Why?”
A mere fraction stood between their bodies, and she wanted to taste him, have his lips move across hers.
“I’ve wanted you since the day I saw you,” he whispered.
Her vision cleared. She bit her lip and gazed into his eyes, watching as the gold flecks sparkled. “Larry?” she asked, her voice a little louder than a whisper.
His dark, intense brows that made guys look extremely sexy, lifted. “Were you expecting someone else?”
She shook her head and let her eyes drift down the open shirt. Broad shoulders, flat abs framed by a narrowed waist. He had that sleek, muscled look that said he had kicked ass.
He lifted her chin with his finger, bringing her gaze back to his. “A woman’s wet lips captivate a man.” His eyes shifted to her mouth.
She fought the urge to squirm. The man was potent.
“When moisture forms on them,” his voice dropped an octave, “it lets him know if he’s worthy to touch her.”
The seduction warmed her already overheated body. “Are you…worthy?”
“Your lips say so.”
The air crackled between them.
Her pulse raced, throwing her back onto the merry-go-round ride. This time, her vision wasn’t distorted, her heart was.
“I’ve dreamed of doing this.”
If she was hallucinating, she didn’t want the delirium to end.
He leaned toward her, his mouth coming in for the capture. She couldn’t wait. Her lips parted.
His soft lips glided over hers. The kiss so delicate, so gentle, she felt like the treasure at the end of a rainbow. A gem someone looked long and hard to find. The hallucinations had played tricks on her all night.
Is this another trick?
She had to touch him to find out if she lived a dream or not. She placed her hands on his hardened pecs. Every nerve ending in her palms shot a jolt of awareness between her legs. If this was an illusion, she wanted more. Lots more.
A low growl escaped him, vibrating through her body. He nipped her bottom lip before taking the kiss deeper. His tongue tangled with hers, urging a response and threatening to pull well-hidden passion out of the secure hiding place she’d created two years ago.
Blurb:
~Editors Pick~
Band of Friends, 2
Nothing is as it seems…
Temptation landed at Special Agent Larry Newman’s feet—literally. Charlene Smith captured his heart after he rescued her from terrorists two months ago. A failed relationship and abusive child have turned him into a loner and workaholic. The scars weigh heavily on him and keep him from pursuing her. So what’s a guy to do when the woman he pines for passes out in front of him while working a case?
Battling psychological wounds from abduction is easier than coming face to face with the sexy FBI agent she’s fantasized about for months. As single mother, she chooses to avoid the drama that dating would bring to her son’s life. So she only allows Larry close in her dreams. Now, she’s second-guessing her decision. Should she have a relationship with this man who makes her feel alive just by being close?
Buy links: Amazon / Evernight Publishing
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I’m taking a brief hiatus from teasing for the holidays but MID WEEK TEASE will be back with a new look on January 7th! Stay tuned!
December 10, 2014
Mid Week Tease: Bought for Christmas by Doris O’Connor
woo-Hoo! How about a little Birthday Mid Week Tease with Doris O’Connor? That’s right! Doris visits me today with an exclusive excerpt from her new release, Bought for Christmas!
Here’s a tasty tidbit…
“Enough of this. Let’s get you out of here, kitten, unless you’ve changed your mind.”
“No, Sir, I haven’t. Please, just let’s go.”
A shiver went through her when the ice cold blast of air hit them the minute they stepped outside. It looked as though the weather forecast was right for a change. They might get a white Christmas yet.
“It’s warm in the car, kitten. Let’s get you in there.”
Emilia didn’t say anything, just let him steer her around the car, open the door, and guide her to her seat. He clipped her seat belt on for her, and frowned when she still didn’t respond.
She stayed quiet and silent, as he drove away from her father’s house. Negotiating the busy roads took up his attention, but when they joined the motorway to take them up north, and she still hadn’t said anything, he knew he had to do something. He set the car to cruise control, and reached inside his trouser pocket to finger the remote to the vibrating egg she ought to be wearing. Time to see how closely she had followed his instructions…
He flicked the control on and grinned when Emilia jerked and sat up straighter. He slowly increased the vibrations until she grasped the dashboard. Beads of perspiration broke out on her skin, and her breathing grew erratic as she threw him a glance.
“You have no idea how much it pleases me to see you’ve followed my instructions. Such a good girl, but you won’t come without my permission, will you?”
“No, Sir … I … oh.”
Emilia squirmed and panted, as he increased the vibrations to maximum for a few seconds before he dropped them back down again. Eyes closed, lips open, she hung onto the dashboard with white knuckled fists and groaned, and he chuckled to himself. She would be beautiful when she came, but not yet. Time to notch up the stakes a bit.
The traffic slowed, and Hunter took over the controls of his car again, leaving the egg to vibrate at just the right setting to keep his girl on the edge. He stopped right beside a lorry, as the traffic ground to a halt, and he increased the vibrations again.
Emilia’s little mewls were music to his ears, and he adjusted his throbbing dick with one hand while he kept her on the edge of painful arousal.
“Pull your skirt up and let me see how wet you are, kitten.”
Emilia groaned and shook her head, and he yanked that dial up to maximum again. She jumped and whimpered, the fine sheen of arousal covering her skin, as the vibrations no doubt threatened to push her over the edge.
“No coming without my permission, girl, and look at me.”
Her eyes flew open, their usual bright greenish blue darkened by her dilated pupils.
“Please … Sir … he’ll see.”
Hunter knew without asking who he meant. As it happened the lorry driver wasn’t looking their way, but should he choose to look down he would have a front view seat of his girl squirming.
“So, you better give him a show then, won’t you?” Hunter smirked at her outraged gasp that turned into a full blown moan when he reached across and ran his fingers through her wet slit.
“Hmm, such a naughty girl. If you leave a stain on these seats you’ll be cleaning them, kitten.” He flicked her clit, and Emilia went rigid.
“God, please … I need to come, please…”
Oh she pleaded so prettily, his balls drew tight, and Hunter was in danger of making a mess of his own. He withdrew his fingers and licked them clean, and he knew his bear was showing in his eyes, when he grasped her hair and pulled.
She went limp, and her mouth formed into a silent “O” when he yanked the dial up to maximum again and pulled her skirt up with his free hand.
“Come for me now, kitten, and I want to hear you.”
Emilia didn’t disappoint. Hips bucking, she threw her head back and moaned her orgasm, and Hunter’s beast damn near salivated at the sight of her glistening, puffy, pink cunt.
“Open your legs more. Let me see my pussy.” He growled the demand, and his claws ran out, not that Emilia seemed to notice, as she hastily complied.
Seeing her little hole clench in desperate need as she came hard had him transfixed. Her musk filled the air and sent his beast wild. Not caring of their audience Hunter bent down to taste her, and Emilia jerked and buried her hands in his hair, as she gushed into his waiting mouth.
Fuck, she tasted divine. A loud toot brought him out of his sexual daze, and he straightened and wiped his mouth glistening in her juices.
Emilia groaned and hastily pulled the hem of her dress down, cheeks flaming as it seemed to dawn her that they were holding up the traffic, and she had just come rather noisily in the slow lane of the M1.
“God, I never…”
She didn’t carry on with that sentence, just buried her head in her hands, and Hunter laughed.
“That was one. There’ll be another one every time we crawl to a stop again, kitten.”
Blurb:
~Editors Pick~
I’m the beast, haven’t you heard….
Christmas is supposed to be a time for miracles and one will surely be needed when Emilia Duncan finds herself sold to the beast to save her father’s company. Having lusted after the much older, enigmatic man for as long as she can remember, spending the Christmas weekend as his submissive will satisfy her raging libido, but can she protect her heart?
Bear Shifter Hunter Monahan cannot stand idly by when Emilia is thrown to the wolves. There is only one shifter who will get his claws into her and that’s him. The contract ensures her submission for the weekend. Too bad his bear wants much more than that.
Hunter is used to hiding behind his gruesome scars, but in the bid for Emilia’s heart, that is not an option this time. Isolated in his cabin, it’s not just the snow that melts.
Buy Links: http://www.evernightpublishing.com/
All other buy links can be found here:
http://www.dorisoconnor.com/bought-for-christmas.html
Add it on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23609529-bought-for-christmas
Author Bio
Glutton for punishment would be a good description for Doris… at least that’s what she hears on an almost daily basis when people find out that she has a brood of nine children, ranging from adult to toddler and lives happily in a far too small house, cluttered with children, pets, dust bunnies, and one very understanding and supportive husband. Domestic goddess she is not.
There is always something better to do after all, like working on the latest manuscript and trying not to scare the locals even more than usual by talking out loud to the voices in her head. Her characters tend to be pretty insistent to get their stories told, and you will find Doris burning the midnight oil on a regular basis. Only time to get any peace and quiet and besides, sleep is for wimps.
She likes to spin sensual, sassy, and sexy tales involving alpha heroes to die for, and heroines who give as good as they get. From contemporary to paranormal, BDSM to F/F, and Ménage, haunting love stories are guaranteed.
Stalking Links
Website Blog Twitter Facebook Pinterest Evernight Publishing
Amazon All Romance E-Books BookStrand Barnes&Noble
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