Anne Marsh's Blog, page 4

Bayou Wolves — Excerpt #4!

It’s release week for my new Bayou Wolves Boxed Set: Luc, Cruz and Gianna. I’m thrilled to share the trio’s complete story–and some sexy excerpts–with you!

GIANNA

 

It’s hard to look at the defendant and not see an animal. Literally. Maybe it’s something in his eyes, the flat look that says he’ll go through me if that’s the way he can exit my courtroom. He made it clear that night in the biker bar that he doesn’t play by the rulebook, which is why he’s here. He’s also really, truly an animal. I watched him shift, watched his human form disappear in a sea of fur and claws. Life was a whole lot saner before I learned that werewolves exist and that a werewolf Alpha had decided I was his fated mate.

But if the defendant had been assigned to me, I’d still have made him regret every broken rule. He made choices that he’ll pay for, but he’ll get his day in court and his chance to explain before the law comes down on him heavier than my stepdad’s belt. I love the law, with its safety and intricacies. The law is full of fight too, and that’s one more good thing to add to my mental list.

It doesn’t matter. The wolf who will be sitting in the defendant’s box has already won in many ways. I’ve just been sidelined from my job, told I’m not capable of doing it, and that I should let some man take over and protect me. I stand on my own two feet now, and that’s too important to give up for anyone—or any wolf.

“I know you’re not runnin’.”

A hand—a large, far-too-sexy hand—cups my elbow, halting my exit. Who knew a man’s hand could be so damned sexy? It pisses me off too because I have a new no-werewolves policy for my personal life. I study Cruz’s hand, and there’s no way to tell looking at him now that he’s a werewolf, too. He could shift, just like that, and there’d be nothing I could do to stop him.

“I don’t run,” I tell him and pull away. I know he knows this—and that it drives him crazy. What is it about wolves and protective instincts? Cruz and Luc would bubble wrap me and hide me in a tower if they could get away with it. Cruz’s fingers come right back to tease, the rough pads rubbing lightly against my skin through the silk of my dress and my jacket. All the clothes in the world aren’t armor enough against the way he makes me feel. I was an idiot to think he’d read my text message about needing space and back off.

I push open the door to the fire stairs and step out onto the landing. The courtroom is on the second floor, and I’ve got energy to burn. The stairs look good right now, plus I’m too impatient to wait for the elevator. That won’t hurt Cruz’s feelings any. Like all the wolves I’ve met, he doesn’t like being enclosed. Sure enough, he’s right on my heels.

“Gianna.” He says my name, the word low and rough. Sometimes—most of the time—he’s such a closed book that it drives me crazy. It’s hard to get a read on Cruz, on what he’s really thinking. He just stares out at the world, all calm and composed. He’s Mr. In Charge, and I really can’t afford to let him take charge of me.

Even if the sex would be amazing.

I turn around—see, no running—and gaze up at him. And up and up, because Cruz Jones is no small man. He’s pushing six foot four, with broad shoulders that fill out his sheriff’s uniform and fill up the space around me. His dark hair is cropped close to his head, his jaw already rough with stubble and begging for my fingertips. Touching him was such a pleasure, and our one night together was nowhere near enough to get him out of my system. He smells good too, like heat and male and an outdoorsy sunshine-and-pine scent that has my body sitting up and taking notice. Now that I’m this close to Cruz, mine is a steady drumbeat in my head and in my blood. I want him. I’ve always wanted him, and we both know it. The wanting complicates things though, and I’d planned on making my life simpler.

Hence the break-up text message.

While I look and drool, he’s already moving, his large body crowding mine backward. My back brushes the wall.

“What do you want?” I ask instead of telling him to move the hell away from me. It’s not a good negotiating tactic. Now he knows I’m willing to bargain. The problem is, my whole body comes alive around Cruz, because the man is a genius when it comes to knowing how to give me exactly what I’m craving. My girl parts are practically begging that he demand dirty, filthy, wonderful sex and that I put out on the spot. Except I’m still in the courthouse, where even the cameras have cameras, and nothing could be more unprofessional.

“You broke up with me by text,” he says calmly, despite the tension in his big body. “The morning after you agreed to marry me. And you want to know what I want?”

He braces a hand over my head and leans in.

That’s how I know that I’m not in charge here and probably never have been. It’s heaven. It’s hell.

Because Cruz has clearly decided what he wants—and it’s me.

 

Bayou Wolves — Excerpt #3!

It’s release week for my new Bayou Wolves Boxed Set: Luc, Cruz and Gianna. I’m thrilled to share the trio’s complete story–and some sexy excerpts–with you!

CRUZ

My woman is sex on a stick and hell on wheels. Sure, the words are a bunch of clichés, but nothing I can imagine even begins to do her justice. Gianna Lynn is smart, tough, and one of the best lawyers in Baton Rouge—and that’s not my dick talking. This isn’t the first time I’ve watched her work a courtroom, although it is the first time since I seized my chance to fuck her when she and Luc Breaux invited me into their bed that one screwed up, wonderful, fucked-me-for-the-rest-of-my-life night in the Louisiana bayou a month ago. We talked marriage. We were all about the happily ever after—and I meant the forever kind of ending. The next morning, however, she texted me and said she’d rushed into a decision and wanted to slow things down.

Slow things down apparently being code for I can’t believe I slept with two werewolves at the same time and I therefore plan to avoid you for the next four weeks. It’s possible she’s been busy, but I don’t buy that. She ran from me, and that makes my wolf want to chase her. Hunt her, hold her, and convince her that I’m her keeper guy. Since my responsibilities as sheriff also have me in court today, this is my best chance to get started on that plan without veering into stalker territory.

I lean against the wall, arms folded over my chest, and watch her move across the courtroom to the witness stand, her red heels eating up the floor. The white suit and jacket clinging to her figure has me mentally peeling off her clothes and taking down her zipper. The best I can do is not let my thoughts show on my face, because she’s earned her place in the courtroom and I’ll kick my own ass if I screw that up for her. She’s a woman and a lawyer, but too many of the guys crowding the courtroom can’t get past her having a pair of breasts. As if gorgeous tits somehow preclude her having the smarts to lawyer rings around them.

The bailiff is all business, holding out a Bible for her to lay her hand on. I can’t help but notice that her ring finger is bare. The last time I held that hand she wore Luc’s ring, her easy acceptance of that band telling me all I needed to know about her feelings for Luc. My rival slid the pretty diamond onto her finger right after the three of us had sex together for the first and last time. I was already playing second string, second best, and I’d watched the moment, my heart splitting open. I hadn’t asked to have a heart or for it to feel so much, but even then giving up hadn’t been an option.

So I’d said my piece. Told her I loved her too and wanted a future with her. With Luc, if that was what it took. Hell, even Luc agreed to give our threesome a shot, but I’m not convinced either of us really meant it, despite Gianna’s seeming acceptance of our strange new situation. Her text the next morning was a kick in the balls and the heart, and I’ve been waiting for my chance ever since. I want to take charge, to own her. Possess her.

Bad wolf.

“State your name for the record,” the bailiff says.

“Gianna Lynn.” Gianna speaks calmly, a smile playing over her face. A bring it on look, as if she’s looking forward to each and every minute of the hearing. She may not pick a fight, but she never backs down from one, either. That’s something we have in common, and that sets us apart from Luc, who’s never met a fight he didn’t join—and then win. Luc loves winning.

But he hasn’t won our fight for Gianna. Neither of us has. I don’t hear wedding bells ringing anytime soon. My brothers have teased me about my new penchant for ménage a trois, but they think I’m having kinky-ass sex and not a relationship. If they knew the truth, they’d have harsher words for me because the Louisiana wolf packs maintain an uneasy truce at the best of times, and two Alphas loving the same woman is a recipe for disaster. I don’t want to merge our packs and I don’t want Luc. The truth is that I only want one person and she’s Gianna. Accepting Luc was the only way to have her that night in the bayou, so accept I did. If I could cut Luc out of our happily ever after, I’d do it in a heartbeat.

I’m also traditional enough that I’d like to change that last name of hers along with putting my own ring on her finger to make it obvious to the entire human world that she belongs with me. Gianna Jones sounds perfect. Pigs will fly though before Gianna takes my name, and not because she isn’t thinking about keeping me. She’s fought too long and too hard for her place at the attorney’s table to give her coworkers an opportunity to little lady her. She’s more likely to tell me I need to take her name and become Cruz Lynn.

Honestly, if I weren’t pack Alpha and charged with protecting the Jones wolves, I’d do it too. I belong to her and we both know it, so wearing her name for the whole world is fine by me. Hell, I’d do it happily. I grin, and she stiffens on the witness stand as if she senses my presence here. I’ve picked my spot carefully, and I know she can’t see me. When I hunt out in the bayou, I force my prey into an ambush, and the theory’s the same here, even though I have no intention of hurting her.

I’m just going to catch her, once and for all.

And I’m woolgathering, lost in my thoughts while the courtroom proceedings barrel happily on ahead without me.

“I’m a lawyer with a firm in East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana,” she says into the microphone in answer to a question I didn’t hear.

The preliminary hearing is the prosecution’s opportunity to prove to the judge that substantial reason exists to go to trial. It shouldn’t be difficult. Gianna was kidnapped by a Baton Rouge motorcycle gang and taken to their clubhouse. Luc and I busted her free, at which point my day job as sheriff came in handy. I’d arrested the wolf who had his hands all over my woman, and now said wolf is about to get his comeuppance in a human court of law. I can hardly wait.

As the attorney walks her through basic stats, including her date of birth, I discover one thing after another that I don’t know about Gianna. I have a collection of those things, filing each new piece of information away. As sheriff, I could look her up in a half dozen different state databases, but that would be unethical and I’ve chosen to play by the rules up until now.

Unfortunately, my competition doesn’t share a similar set of ethics. Luc, the Breaux Alpha, is not what anyone would call a nice guy. In addition to being a good-looking bastard, he’s a fierce, dirty fighter who protects his brothers and their women at any cost. He’s single-handedly held his pack of werewolves together for a good hundred years or more, and under other circumstances I’d raise a cold one to celebrate his finally finding a mate he can love.

Problem is, he not only found my woman, but he found her first. His pack believes that a blue moon rises in the sky to lead them to their fated mates, and Luc claims that’s what happened between him and Gianna. So now he’s got some kind of mystical claim on her that sounds far more romantic and compelling than my I fell in love with you from afar and let’s get to know each other story. I know Gianna’s right for me, but Luc has Fate on his side if you believe him.

Done with the basics, the lawyer deposing Gianna gets down to business. “On the morning in question, did you go to work?”

“I stopped by to meet a witness.” Easy as fishing, she teases the line out, giving it some play to see if she gets a bite.

“How did you get to work?”

“My car had been in the shop, so Luc Breaux gave me a ride to my office. He dropped me off at the back of the building.”

“Why not the front?”

She shoots the examining attorney a charmingly rueful smile. “Between the No Parking signs, the FedEx guys dropping off deliveries, and all the other people popping in and out of the building, that front entrance was Grand Central Station. Pulling into the parking lot behind the building was quicker.”

Luc and I must have gone over her entrance strategy a hundred times. She’d slip into the back of the building, swing by her office and discover her “witness” had cancelled, and then parade on out front with a big target painted on her. We knew the Breed would be watching and had bet that the other wolves would seize their opportunity. Luc’s pack members, Dre and Landry, had been tailing Gianna, and I’d watched too. No way I would let her face the danger alone, not when I could be close at hand, ready to defend her. Neither I nor Luc was happy about the plan, because using Gianna as bait wasn’t right. Unfortunately, it was the only workable option we’d had at the time.

“How long were you inside the building?”

“Approximately ten minutes.”

“And then what happened?”

“I left. I went out front to meet a friend who was dropping off my car from the shop.”

“I’m going to ask you to tell the judge about what happened that evening, after you stepped outside. Do you remember that evening?”

“Yes.” She gives her testimony, all cool and collected, and not being a nice guy, I keep my eyes on her face but remember the details of our last—and only—night together.

She’d asked, “Are you in?” and hell yeah, I was. I’d picked her up in my arms and carried her straight to bed. Never mind that Luc Breaux already had a place in that bed and I’d never had a desire to get naked around the other Alpha. For a chance to love on Gianna, I’d do whatever it took. And he’d agreed. “No pack business in the bedroom,” he’d said, and then we’d both started touching Gianna.

The lawyer nods, clearly ticking off his mental checklist. “Did you meet your friend and pick up your car that night, or did something else significant occur?”

“I moved toward the edge of the sidewalk, looking for my car. My friend had dropped it off, and it was parked on the street. I walked up to it, but before I could open the door and get in, two bikers drove up.”

“How close were they?”

“There was less than a foot of space between their bikes and me. I could feel the heat of their exhaust pipes on my legs.”

“Did you attempt to move away?”

“Yes.”

“And then what happened?”

“The defendant struck me on the side of my head.”

“And what’s the next thing that you remember?”

Gianna hasn’t talked to me much about what happened that night. I don’t know if she just isn’t much of a talker or if it’s me specifically she doesn’t want to share with. She was hurt when that asshole struck her, even if she’d agreed it was part of the plan, and I hadn’t been okay with that. I didn’t ever want her hurt. She still had the bruises, faded yellow and purple, when Luc and I went after her and asked her to be ours. We’d been so busy asking her about her feelings for us that we hadn’t asked her if was still scared of the Breed or worried that this thing with them wasn’t over yet.

I fucked up right there.

“I woke up in what I later learned was the back room of the Lucky Ten.”

“Had you been there before?”

Gianna shakes her head. “No. I’d driven past it, and I recognized the name from multiple court proceedings over the past two years.”

Lucky Ten is a dive bar in one of Baton Rouge’s seediest neighborhoods. It stinks of wolf piss and worse. Rough and violent are the adjectives that best describe even the most casual drinkers there, and some really nasty arms- and sex-trafficking goes down in the back rooms. Luc had made the case that the Breed was also selling to the vampires on the down-low. Since vampires and werewolves are mortal enemies, that particular relationship doesn’t make either Luc or me happy. We both know trouble when we see it.

It’s not the kind of place a woman like Gianna belongs. Fuck me, but it’s not the kind of place any woman belongs. The Breed’s females are either pass-arounds the males share for sex, or they’re prostitutes the pack whores out as moneymakers. Maybe I should have put an end to their presence in my city years ago, even if it meant all-out war and the possibility of exposure. The risks of attacking had outweighed the benefits though, and I’m pretty sure Luc felt the same way. Neither of us would chance getting our brothers killed in an iffy cause.

While Gianna finishes answering questions, I go outside to recon the building and its exits. I gave my testimony earlier, so the judge doesn’t need me. Gianna does, however, even if she hasn’t admitted it yet. The proof lounges right there across the street from me in the form of two big, rough-looking males straddling Harleys. The leather kuttes they wear over their T-shirts proclaim their membership in a motorcycle club, and even without seeing the patches I know that MC is the Breed. The stink of their wolves is all too clear, and that’s before the wolf on the left flashes me the bird. Normally my response would be to cross the street and arrest their sorry asses. There are rules and laws that are meant to be obeyed in the human world, and these two live to cross lines. They’re the kind of males who perform a fucking touchdown dance as they cross said line before doubling back for a repeat violation just to make a point. Problem is, I have Gianna in that courtroom, and the best thing I can do to keep her safe is to act like the sheriff I am. As pack Alpha, I’m the voice of God in the werewolf world, but my sheriff’s badge gives me the right to act in the human world as well, which means added protection for Gianna.

So I just incline my head, letting the wolves know that I’m watching them, and then head back inside, because Gianna isn’t facing trouble down without me at her side. Or better yet, her front. If she’d let me, I’d stand between her and any shit life decides to throw at her.

Inside, the judge has wrapped up proceedings, and Gianna is already standing at the prosecuting attorney’s table, arguing in a low voice with the two older men in suits sitting there.

“Paid administrative leave,” the fat one in the dark suit announces loudly enough that I would hear him even without my wolf’s sensitive hearing. “You go on paid administrative leave, and we put you in protective custody.”

He isn’t asking, he’s telling, and Gianna stiffens very slightly, although the pleasant smile on her face doesn’t fade one bit. If she ever looks at me that way, I’m in trouble. She doesn’t like what she’s just heard, but she’s pushed her reaction down deep and is plotting next steps. She fights as hard as any wolf, but she does it with words and logic.

She’s sexy as hell when she’s kicking ass.

“You can’t prosecute cases while this trial is going on,” the smaller of the two men added. His gaze flicks to the larger man to double-check his words. He smells like drugstore cologne and the cheeseburger he had for lunch. Definitely the Beta.

“The case could last months,” Gianna points out.

“It’s a conflict of interest,” the fat man continues, as if she hadn’t spoken a word. “You think of it as a little vacation, honey. You enjoy the downtime.”

The idiot actually reaches out as if he intends to pat her arm. Fortunately for him, he stops short of actual contact. Gianna does her ice princess shield thing, the expression in her eyes cold, cold, cold. She doesn’t want a paycheck for doing nothing, and she definitely doesn’t welcome her boss’s patronizing words, but she nods her head after a long moment.

“The motorcycle club might come after you again, and we don’t want that.” The fat man shifts uneasily, as if he subconsciously recognizes Gianna as an Alpha.

“No. We don’t,” she says drily. Anger rolls off her in waves, but her boss just beams at her like they’re all on the same shitty page and isn’t life great?

“We’ll set something up with the sheriff,” he declares. “You don’t have to worry. Everything’s going to be fine.”

“I can take care of myself,” she snaps. “I don’t need a man in uniform to do it for me.”

Her boss dithers and flaps—the male wouldn’t last a day in a pack—but she walks away from him, the conversation over. Gianna doesn’t look my way when she exits the courtroom, but she knows I’m here. I’d bet on it. No part of me—man or wolf—likes her ignoring me. But I force myself to wait a beat. She’s pissed off. She’s just been told that she can’t do her job. Now is absolutely not a good time for her.

Deliberately, I catch the eye of the fat man and nod. I’ll protect her.

She’s mine.

I follow her out of the courtroom, already decided. This is the last time she takes the lead while I trail around after her like a Beta pup. Once upon a time when she was still talking to me, she offered to spend a week with me, getting to know me. I’m not entirely sure if she planned on me accepting said offer, but I am. If she doesn’t want to plan our wedding, I’ll take those seven nights starting now.

Feudal? Oui. My pack is long-lived, although we aren’t as old yet as Luc’s. Too fucking bad. I’ve done plenty of living and I won’t apologize for not having been born in the Middle Ages. Gianna has biker wolves following her, hunting her gorgeous ass, and I don’t like it. And although I have eyes on her, I’ll bet Luc does too. Keeping her safe when she’s on the move could start a territory war neither of us wants. If I don’t piss off the Breed, I risk encroaching on Luc’s territory.

But that’s the thing. Luc might own the bayou, but he doesn’t own Gianna. She isn’t territory, even though we’ve admittedly both done our best to mark her. She can’t be forced or taken—she has to want to come to one of us. To both of us. Fuck, but things are messed up. I pick up the pace because I’m not losing her now.

It’s time to hunt.

 

Bayou Wolves — Excerpt #2!

It’s release week for my new Bayou Wolves Boxed Set: Luc, Cruz and Gianna. I’m thrilled to share the trio’s complete story–and some sexy excerpts–with you!

Gianna doesn’t have to ask me twice. I swing her up into my arms and carry her inside. By the time I set her down on the bed, I realize my mistake. I was so focused on convincing Gianna to take a chance on me, that I didn’t consider the implications of hopping into bed with Luc Breaux. Christ. If fucking another Alpha’s mate is grounds for pack warfare, how about doing the male himself?

“This is about Gianna only,” I say gruffly. “Not you. Not me.”

Luc jerks his head in agreement. “No pack business in the bedroom.”

That settled, I consider my next move. Whatever the Breauxs get up to out here in the bayou—and I do not want to know—I’ve never done something like this before. Agreement or no agreement, I’m also not stage managing taking Gianna to bed. I’ll touch her. Luc can touch. She’ll react. That represents the sum total of my plans.

Gianna pushes up on one arm, the movement sending the fringed thing she wears sliding down her arm. A kind of wrap, I decide, like a robe but made out of a thin, blue gauze with bright pink flowers. Since I can see the skin of her arm through the translucent fabric, I like it. Of course, I’d like it even better if she were naked and wearing only that. She stares at me, pink cheeked. Desire—or embarrassment? Christ, as much as I like looking at her, touching would be even better.

“Guys first,” she announces. “Strip.”

Luc doesn’t hesitate. He just strips down. He’s not wearing much to begin with—jeans and a T-shirt. Hell, I have even less to lose since my entire wardrobe at the moment consists of a pair of borrowed pants. As buttons pop and pants hit the floor, I watch her, gauging her reaction. If she changes her mind, if we frighten her, I don’t want to push when I should pull back. I bet she hasn’t done this before either, which makes me feel better. We can be ménage virgins together.

She certainly doesn’t look scared or nervous. When I shuck my jeans, her eyes darken, her lips parting. Hello. She’s gorgeous and I have no idea what I did to deserve this invitation. I’ll make it good for her. Meeting Luc’s eyes, I read the same determination there.

“Your turn.” I reach for her shorts. She helps me get them off, revealing a lacy yellow thong. She likes her colors.

So do I. I run a finger down the center of her panties. “Off?”

“Off,” she agrees.

She lifts her butt to help me. Screw getting her shirt off. That’s Luc’s problem. I grab her hips and pull her toward the side of the bed. Sinking down on my knees, I push her wide with my shoulders and drink in the prettiest sight I’ve ever seen. Wet, slick folds. Soft, pink flesh. I lean forward and kiss the top of her mound.

Luc drops onto the bed, sliding behind her. He cups her breasts, gently squeezing the tips. She moans and leans back into his support. Good enough. I don’t really get off on watching Luc touch her, not when she’s spread out like a feast. I want to eat her up, lick her folds clean of her juices. My first kiss on the soft skin of her thigh is another fucking revelation. She wriggles and shivers, pressing into my touch like she can’t get enough.

I kiss my way higher.

Her scent lures me, has me curling my fingers into her hips to hold her mercilessly still for my touch. Higher, planting a kiss on the ticklish crease between her hip and her pussy.

Then… yeah… I’m in heaven. I open her up carefully with my fingers, drinking in her gasps as I kiss her. Savor the sweet taste of her. I fantasized about this, but the reality is so much better. This part of her is perfect too.

She likes what I’m doing. She might be shy about asking for two guys together, but now she’s got us in bed, she isn’t holding back. I love that about her. Once she decides to go for something, she really, really goes all in. I rim her small entrance with my tongue.

Having her stretched out between me and Luc is surreal. Luc caresses her breasts with his hands, taking her mouth in a long, hot kiss. I brush against Luc as I kiss Gianna again. Avoiding the other man isn’t possible. And it isn’t bad, just… different.

Gianna starts making those throaty moans I love so much as I tease her some more. Lick another lazy figure eight around her clit and down again. Luc gets her tank top off at some point, and our clothes are scattered across the bedroom floor like the white flag of sweet surrender.

I lift my head. “You wan’ to switch?”

“Don’t I get a vote?”

I pet her with my fingers while I wait, her silky tissues clinging to me as I penetrate her with a finger.

“If you behave yourself,” Luc says roughly. “Otherwise, we’re in charge, shug.”

Sounds like a no to me and I desperately need to be inside her now, so I climb up onto the bed, roll onto my side, and pull her backside up against my dick.

“Impatient?” She moans again when I penetrate her and I slow down. Tight and slick, she has the sweetest death grip on me. Oh, yeah. I’m not lasting long tonight.

 

Bayou Wolves Boxed Set: Excerpt #1!

It’s release week for my new Bayou Wolves Boxed Set: Luc, Cruz and Gianna. I’m thrilled to share the trio’s complete story–and some sexy excerpts–with you!

Gianna comes strolling across the lawn toward me. She walks sweetly casual, her hips doing a roll and sway that makes me want to chase her down and kiss her. Her pink dress clings to her breasts and her ass. She’s magnificent, beautiful as hell inside and out, but she’s rumpled. Messed up more than a little. The fabric below her waist sports sharp creases like someone has crushed her skirt beneath his fingers, and there’s no missing the grass stain on her back when she turns to greet someone.

I’m almost certain she’s not wearing panties anymore.

The closer she gets, the more I smell Luc on her. Not the male’s seed, but something more pervasive, like he’s touched her skin, pressed his own against hers over and over. Shit. The other Alpha has staked his claim on her in the most primitive way possible. I think about that while I wait for her to come to me. I still want her, and this isn’t about the sex. Gianna’s a beautiful woman, but I can find that with someone else if I look. Gianna herself is the prize, the reason to play this game. I have a bad feeling she’s unique, my one and only, and I’m betting she’s just come all over my competition’s tongue.

“Hey,” she says, gliding to a halt in front of me. Her eyes flicker down. Right. I have my arms crossed over my chest while I lean back in the beribboned rental chair Riley decided matched her wedding theme. I probably don’t look too friendly. I force my body to relax. I don’t want to run her off.

I want to hold her.

Take her.

Win her.

“Hey yourself,” I say. My voice sounds gruff, as if I haven’t done the small talk thing at all while she’s been off getting to know Luc a whole lot better. Don’t think about it.

“Luc and I had some things to talk about.”

I don’t want to hear about talking either, so I gently tug her down into the empty seat beside me. I like having her that close, my knee brushing against her leg, because I won’t pull back any farther. Crowding her some, reminding her that I’m here. I’d prefer to park her sweet little butt on my lap, but I’ve already pushed my luck today by bringing Luc’s mate to the wedding as my own fucking date. Riley will kill me if Luc and I fight in the middle of her reception, and I’d deserve it. Riley has planned this afternoon for months. Violence can keep until tomorrow.

“You get everythin’ settled?”

I have to know if I still have a chance. It’s late afternoon, the time of day when the light takes on a gold tinge as the sun thinks about packing it in for the day. The color painting Gianna’s cheeks is a really pretty pink, however, that has nothing to do with the time or the weather. Right. Because it’s awkward telling your date that you’ve just snuck away for a quickie with someone else. I wait patiently. She’ll tell me or she won’t, and then I’ll know where I stand.

“Luc wants me to give our relationship a chance.”

Usually I’d be all rah-rah supportive. No matter how much I play the field or enjoy women, I believe in the mating bond and settling down with the one perfect someone. My pack doesn’t have this blue moon dating service bullshit that Luc’s pack does, but that doesn’t make our feelings any less intense or valid. So I stretch my legs out a little more, brushing against her bare legs. She jumps, but doesn’t move away. Victory. Maybe this thing with Luc and her is only sex.

“Commitment is important,” I say, because fuck me if I have a script for this and I need to add some words to the silence.

She nods enthusiastically but then makes a face. “We might have been almost married for ten years, but right now it feels more like ten hours.”

I’m more interested in the past ten minutes.

“But you’re going to give him his chance.”

“It’s only fair.” Her blush deepens. “He asked for a week and I agreed. I don’t know what I want, but he and I made promises to each other, even if we didn’t think them through, and we need to work it out. Is that a problem?”

The unspoken for us has my damned wolf whining in happy agreement. I can probably come to terms with sharing her body for the moment. It’s her heart I want one hundred percent.

I shook my head. “Hell if I know, but it won’ make anythin’ easy.”

“You boys don’t do easy.” She flashes me a smile that makes my insides melt into a puddle of happy.

I figure my slow grin is answer enough. “True.”

The wedding winds down around us, the caterers moving in to break down the tents.

“I’m spending the next week with Luc,” Gianna reminds me, blurting the words out as if she’s tried to work her way up to them and then given up on finesse.

I bet Luc has every intention of using his week to convince her to make their relationship permanent. It’s what I’d do.

“I can’t be getting’ in the middle of that.” But I want to. The words tumble out of my mouth before I can apply the verbal brake. “You goin’ to give me the next week?”

The way her face turns scarlet is so cute. Maybe it’s a human thing, being embarrassed at the possibility of having sex with two guys. It’s different for me. The sex is important, sure, but the emotions that go with it were key. At the end of the day, sex is just a case of body parts getting along and having a real good time. Apparently I can accept Luc in her bed as long as I’m the one she holds in her heart.

“Please,” I add roughly. “You give him a chance, you give me a chance. Then you do any deciding you need to do.”

Her short, jerky nod surprises the hell out of me. Holy mother of… she agreed.

“Is that a promise?” Pushing your luck, wolf man.

“Yeah.” She stares at me, surprise painted all over her face. “It is.”

It’s no fucking shock that Luc picks this moment to intrude, striding over to us with an unmistakable note of possession in his eyes.

 

 

 

Excerpt from TEASING HER SEAL!

GRAY absolutely wanted to believe that she’d picked him. The reasons didn’t matter so much, although he couldn’t be a gentleman if his life depended on it. Laney Parker drove him crazy. From her methodical, let’s-schedule-everything-including-sex approach to life to the way she stared at him as if he was the most mouthwatering brownie on the plate and she planned on having him. Now. Maybe he drove her a little bit crazy, too.

As he followed her inside his room, he realized something else. Laney dressed up for date night drove him more than a little crazy. His awareness of her was a ten on the Richter scale, her sassy sundress begging to be stripped off as she strolled into his room with a sexy roll of her hips. Giving in to temptation, he ran his fingers down the exposed line of her spine. Her dress dipped almost to her waist in the back, a clear hint that she wore no bra. The only thing between him and all her pretty, sun-kissed skin was a handful of cotton.

He pulled her back against him and wrapped one arm around her waist. With his other hand, he tilted her chin up and kissed her. A hard, demanding kiss because if she wasn’t ready for this, for him, he needed to know. For her, he’d slow things down, kiss her until he got it right. He bit her lower lip, catching the plump flesh between his teeth. She tasted like raspberries, pink and tart where she’d slicked some sort of gloss over her lips. He licked her once, twice, then swept inside her mouth when she gasped.

But she pressed back against him, her tongue flirting with his, and when he increased the pressure of his mouth, she moaned. She moved her hands, too, stroking his arms, petting his thighs, as if she couldn’t get enough of him. And then she drew back.

“Wait,” she said.

Crap. He’d scared her. “Laney—”

She wriggled around, turning in his hold until she faced him. “So much better,” she sighed, tipping her head back. “Carry on.”

She was right.

He backed her toward the bed, suddenly grateful for the room’s small size. Five steps and her knees hit the mattress. The room’s lack of romantic extravagance was a plus. Hell, the place was downright sterile. As a resort “employee,” he merited four walls, one door, one window. He also had a twin bed, a set of plain white sheets and a navy blue comforter, none of which he’d put to much use because he’d spent most of his downtime in the SEAL camp. Frankly, the difference between this room and Laney’s bungalow was the difference between, say, Siberia and Fiji. It probably mirrored the differences between the two of them, as well.

“Can we have sex now? Please?” She tugged at his T-shirt.

“I want you to try something for me first.”

“What?”

Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a pair of silk ties. Usually, he would have used whatever was handy—a cord, a length of rope, his belt. But for her, he’d wanted something special and one of a kind, because she was all he could think about. Thank God none of his team had spotted him going into the hotel gift shop where he’d picked out a pair of pink silk ties while the saleslady smirked at him from behind the counter. But it had been worth the small amount of humiliation on his part. The fabric was soft and wouldn’t burn her skin. He’d also be able to free her easily if she panicked.

“I want to tie you up.”

She made a sound, her face flushing. But she didn’t take her gaze off the ties in his hand. Then she looked up at him, her eyes glazed with a sweet, lush need. “What do I do?”

He set the ties down on the bed and then reached for the strings around her neck holding her dress together. One good tug and they parted, just like he’d imagined. The cotton slipped to her waist when she wiggled. She liked what she was doing, or maybe she just liked turning him on, because her nipples were tight, her breasts flushed.

“Look at these waiting for me.” He cupped her breasts, rubbing his thumbs over the hard tips.

The dress hit the floor.

Laney hooked her thumbs in the waistband of her panties. She must have toed off her sandals because that scrap of black lace was all she wore. And, Jesus, she wore it well. The wicked black vee barely skimmed her mound. She was all shadowy curves and sweet, decadent temptation in the dark room.

“Leave the panties. Kneel on the bed and put your hands on the headboard.”

She hesitated. “I love these panties.”

So did he.

Spend a wild night with some very wicked Alphas…

SPEND A WILD NIGHT WITH SOME VERY WICKED ALPHAS…

 

Find

your next red-hot read in this sizzling collection of paranormal

romance scenes, featuring werewolves, dragons, vampires, witches,

psychics, angels, goblins, aliens, a succubus, and sexy cowboy shifters.

Your favorite authors (including New York Times and USA Today

bestsellers as well as rising stars) share the steamiest scenes from

their latest works!


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Stuff Your Kindle!

More than 40 romance authors listed ALL of our freebie books in one place so you can STUFF YOUR KINDLE (or Kobo, Nook or iPad!) now that the hard work of the holiday is behind you. Treat yourself for FREE!

Click HERE: http://www.omgreads.com/stuff-your-kindle/

 

More from the SEALs of Summer Authors!

 

6/16       A Book, A Beer, & A Dream

http://abookabeeradream.blogspot.com/

 

6/16       Books Books and More books

http://booksbooksmorebooks.blogspot.com/

 

6/18       The Snarkology

http://melissasnark.blogspot.com

 

6/18       Vampires, Werewolves, & Fairies, Oh My

http://vampireswerewolvesfairiesohmy.blogspot.com/

 

6/18       More Romance Please

http://moreromanceplease.blogspot.com

 

6/19       Rage Sex and Teddy Bears

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6/19       Mythical Books

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6/20       Snarky Mom Reads…

http://www.snarkymomreads.com

 

6/21       Angels With Attitude Book Reviews

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6/21       Dirty Girl Romance

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6/23       For Whom The Books Toll

http://forwhomthebookstoll.blogspot.com

 

6/23       Bookin’ It Reviews

http://www.bookinitreviews.com/

 

6/24       Inner Goddess

http://www.InnerGoddessForum.com

 

6/25       RomanceJunkies.com

http://www.romancejunkies.com/rjblog

 

6/25       Literary Nook

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6/26       Kristina’s Books & More

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6/27       Queen of the Night Reviews

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6/27       Words of Wisdom from The Scarf Princess

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6/27       Sassy Book Lovers

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6/28       Queentutt’s World of Escapism

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6/28       In the Pages of a Good Book

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6/29       For the Love of Bookends

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Excerpt #3 from Smoking Hot!

Time for a third excerpt from SMOKING HOT, my Smoke Jumper novel that is part of the SEALs of Summer boxed set! (which releases tomorrow–soooooo excited!)

Excerpt – Smoking Hot

The firehouse door was propped wide open, so there was nothing stopping Tye Callahan’s forward advance. Intel said his target was indeed inside the building. Painting. He’d spent his first three days in Strong learning the lay of the land, where the exit points were. Katherine Lawson rented a bungalow on Spruce Street—and he must be getting used to the wholesome Americana feel of the place because the fact that all the side streets in Strong were named after trees barely made him wince now—and she drove an impossibly small Kia with a correspondingly large dent in the front fender. Surrounded by friends and family, she had plenty of bolt holes if he scared her and she ran.

So he wouldn’t scare her.

That’s an order, sailor.

He paused just inside the door, quartering the hallway. No visible hostiles, but the open door to his left led out to the garage bays. One fire truck was partially visible, the bay echoing with the cheerful din of men checking gear. Framed black-and-white photographs of the firehouse in its glory days lined the hallway to his right. The place had looked better fifty years ago, no surprise. He’d looked better ten years ago himself. A strong smell of paint wafted from his right and… bingo.

Target acquired.

He moved out. The hall went straight for twenty feet, then bent ninety degrees. As soon as he reached the turn, he got his back to the wall. Going in blind wasn’t an option he favored, so he peered around the corner and—holy Mary. Targets in the good old U.S. of A. were a hell of a lot prettier than anyone he’d made in Baghdad or Afghanistan.

When the blonde at the bar had mentioned painting, he’d imagined a gallon of Behr’s finest and some roller action. Color him wrong. His target faced off against a large wall half-filled with an explosion of pinks, greens and yellows, although he had no idea what the mess was supposed to be. She fisted a paintbrush like it was a weapon, reaching out to brush another stroke of bright pink over the layers and layers of paint on the wall, her ponytail bouncing as she worked. The shoulder-length hair was mostly brown, but the southernmost end was pink and—he squinted—purple. Huh. He hadn’t spotted any purple in the monstrosity she’d splattered on the wall.

She brandished the brush at the wall. “You, sir, are supposed to be done.”

Tye looked at the wall again. Nope. The wall still sported a good fifteen square feet of empty space. Unless this was some kind of post-modernist crap, she was way behind schedule.

She sighed, cursed—was that French?—and bent over to dunk her brush in the paint can by her bare feet.

Color him a dirty old man because, sweet Jesus, in all his thirty-two years he’d never seen a sexier pair of legs. Katherine Lawson—and if this woman wasn’t Katherine, he’d eat his BDUs—wore some kind of itty-bitty romper thing where the top and the bottom were all one piece. One very short, ass-hugging, boob-clinging piece covered with yellow and white polka dots and held up by thin straps. A lacy scrap of ribbon traced her cleavage and outlined sweet curves his fingers itched to touch. Hiding a bra underneath that top was mission impossible, which had to be his favorite part of her get-up. Dip his fingers beneath the edge and he’d find nothing but sweet, bare skin.

Stand down, sailor.

As she crouched to daub more paint on the bottom of the mural-in-progress, Tye reminded himself he wasn’t on leave. The romper pulled tight, outlining the curve of her ass and hinting at a tantalizing strip of hot pink that definitely advertised thong territory. He wasn’t here to—Jesus¬—date or even one-night-stand Katherine Lawson. There was one reason and one reason only for his presence in Strong. To make sure she was as okay as she could be and do whatever he could to make up for his part in her fiancé’s death. That dose of cold reality took care of whatever else might have been stirring in his BDUs.

Almost.

This was Kade’s girl? The letters she’d written Kade had been funny, although not half as funny as the wicked drawings she’d doodled in the margins. Little vignettes from Strong, poking gentle fun at the town’s residents and small town life. Reassuringly, blessedly normal news and chitchat while he and Kade had been parked in the middle of hell. He hadn’t realized how young she was. Kade had been twenty-eight to Tye’s thirty-two, but Kade’s Katherine… was even younger. No wonder Kade had worried about her. Had made Tye promise to look after her if shit hit the fan and he couldn’t finish the job.

Fall back, sailor.

Except then… the firehouse siren went off. With a startled shriek—Katherine Lawson had a pair of lungs on her, because he heard her over the siren’s ear-splitting wail—she toppled backwards. Tye sprang into action, swiftly closing the gap between them to crouch down behind her and cup her elbows.

Her headed thudded backwards, banging into his chest even as her back hit his spread thighs. He caught a glimpse of wide brown eyes before she twisted in his arms. Yup. He’d scared the shit out of her. Way to go.

Her foot lashed out and the paint can flew up. An Olympic diver would have scored full marks for the perfect somersault—and then lost every last point on the ultimate splat. He’d had no idea one small can could contain that much paint. There was paint on the wall, on the floor, and all over those long, bare legs he’d be fantasizing about later tonight… He tightened his fingers on her elbows, holding her above the rapidly spreading pool of red.

“I’ve got this,” she snapped, jerking against his hold. “Let go.”

No, she didn’t.

But, hey, he knew no when he heard it and he was turning over a new, gentlemanly leaf. So he let go and she ass-planted right in the small lake of paint. Right at his feet.

“That’s what I was trying to avoid,” he observed.

“Merde,” she said with the worst French accent he’d ever heard and tried to get to her feet.

He could see what was coming next, but there was no way he moved in time. She slipped—the paint was as slippery as it was red—and her hands shot out, grabbing for support. Her palm slapped against his crotch, painting his BDUs with a red X-marks-the-spot.

“Oh, my God.” She stared at her hand like she couldn’t believe she’d just pawed a total stranger. Which meant she also stared right as his dick, which decided her words had to be a compliment. “I mean, mon dieu.”

***

Pre-order today — read tomorrow ;)

Freebie Friday

Freebie Friday! SEALs of Summer releases on Monday, but a number of us have free books on Amazon, if you want to get started on all the crazy goodness.

The Cowboy’s E-Mail Order Bride (Cowboys of Chance Creek) by Cora Seton

Link: http://amzn.com/B00CJJ91VE

Crash and Burn: A Men of Crash, Fire and Rescue Short Story by Anne Marsh

Link: http://amzn.com/B00DL1NKWA

Tempted by the Pack: Blue Moon Brides, Book #1

by Anne Marsh

Link: http://amzn.com/B009XU69GM

(if you want the really naughty stuff!)

See Me by Zoe York

Link: http://amzn.com/B00GREIPI2

Ivan (Her Russian Protector #1) by Roxie Rivera

Link: http://amzn.com/B00BKRR2MG