H.K. Carlton's Blog, page 168

#FreeRead Chapters 1 and 2 of SWAP #erotic #contemporary #romance

 As I reported last week, I've asked my publisher for the rights to Swap back and soon it will no longer be available for purchase. (If you'd like to read that post find it HERE and that is also where you'll find Chapter One in its entirety)  Check it out before you move on to Chapter Two of  Swap.

You've heard that saying, You can't help who you fall in love with? That's what this story is about. Sometimes you just fall for the right person at the wrong time. And often it will haunt you and make every day life extremely difficult especially when that person is a part of your extended family. 
                               

Hailey loves Mike. Simple.Except both Hailey and Mike are married to other people. And one more annoying factor to make this situation just a little more complicated, Hailey's husband Brent and Mike—     are brothers. 
Hailey's crush on Mike might be manageable, if it were only one sided. But is it?
   
Enjoy!

Swap Chapter ONE (find it here)

Chapter TWO
On Saturdays, as a foursome, we normally went to the car races at our local track just outside the city limits. I gathered up my jacket and our blanket in case the bugs were out or the weather turned chilly. Brent was revving up the engine of the car in the garage.
 I opened the door. “Brent, you almost ready? Mike and Cheryl will be here any second.”
 “Yeah, babe. Five more minutes and I’ll have her purring.”
 I rolled my eyes as he shut the engine off just as Mike’s truck pulled up outside. Mike walked into the garage and my stomach flipped. He and I had been very intimate lately, at least in my mind. My face grew hot at the thought. If he only knew, he’d be blushing too.
 “Hey, Hails.” He always called me that. He draped an arm around my shoulder, giving it a quick squeeze before he released me.
 “Hey, Mikey.” I smiled.
 He looked down at me and grinned. He touched the end of my nose with his finger, calling out my blush. “Nice.” He moved away to look over Brent’s shoulder.
 “What are you doing to this freakin’ thing now?” he asked.

“Oh, hey, Mikey, check this out,” Brent got behind the wheel and cranked up the car again, revving. “Sweet, eh?” he asked, looking for his brother’s approval.
 “Yeah, sweet,” Mike agreed. Brent grinned proudly, revving it up even more.
 Mike looked over at me. “What am I supposed to be listening to? It sounds the same as it did the other night when he dropped Cheryl off.”
 I shrugged and shouted over the noise. “He put some thing on it that’s supposed to give it more horsepower or some such thing.”
 “Ahh, of course—now I hear it.”
 “You are a liar,” I accused.
 “Yes. I. Am.” He chuckled. “You guys ready to go?”
 “I am,” I answered.
 “Brent,” Mike yelled over the racket. “Let’s go.”

His shoulders sagged and I knew what was coming. “Hey, why don’t you go on ahead without me, Hail? You know I won’t pay attention when my mind is back here trying to figure this out. Go have a good time with Mike and Cher and I’ll see you when you get back. ‘Kay?” He was asking gently for my permission for him to stay.
 “’Kay.” I didn’t bother kissing his proffered cheek, but followed Mike out to the truck. I was feeling like a third wheel when I realised Mike was holding open the truck door for me, and Cheryl wasn’t in the passenger’s seat.
 “Where’s Cheryl?”
 “She dumped me tonight too.”
 I got in. He closed the door and ran around to vault into the driver’s seat. He started the engine, then slid his arm across the back of the seat so he could back out. His fingers grazed the back of my neck.
 “I guess you’re stuck with me.” He grinned cockily, as if he knew that didn’t bother me in the least.
 “I could think of worse people to be stuck with.”
 “Yeah, like who?” he asked as we drove down my street.
 “Jack the Ripper. Hitler,” I teased.
 “Both dead. They don’t count.”
 “Charlie Sheen.”
 “Yeah, I’m better.”
 “Indeed,” I agreed.
 “Winning.” He chuckled.
 We drove in silence for a while before I asked idly, “Something wrong with Cheryl lately?”
 He shrugged. “Why?”
 “She was pretty, um…” I wondered how to put it kindly that she’d been a bitch the other night. “Uh, pretty much a party pooper the other night. She mad at me or something?”
 “Do you care?” Was that a yes?
 “No. I guess not. She’s never kept her feelings about me or Brent a big secret.”

“She’s always hated Brent. From the first time they met, and it was mutual. They hated each other on sight. I’m sorry—I guess it just spills over to you, by association.” He tried to apologise, but it wouldn’t change the facts. There was no sugar-coating it.
 “But it’s starting to make things uncomfortable. For you and me.” And there was no way I was willing to give up my time with him.
 He looked at me sideways, then back at the road.
 “I mean,” I rushed to explain, “I love our time together. Whether it’s all four of us or just you and me. I can talk to you about everything. My work, the races, your photography, the news—the goddamn weather, for that matter—and I know that you hear me. If she’s going to be so prickly it makes things difficult for you to spend time with Brent and me. And I’m sure she holds it against you when you get home.”
 “Don’t worry about her. I’m not sure she likes anybody these days. Including me. Hey…” He rushed to change the topic. If there was one thing I didn’t like about the Hollinger brothers, this was it. When they didn’t want to talk about something, they changed the subject. Feelings were not to be discussed. “I can get tickets to Bristol next year. Interested?”
 My heart leapt. “Are you serious?” He and I shared a love of all kinds of sports, including NASCAR. “The night race?”
 “Mm-hmm.” He wiggled his eyebrows and I could see his excitement.
 “I’m so there.”
 “Do you think our other halves will join us for that trip, or will we just be the dynamic duo?”
 That also opened up a whole new series of fantasies for me. Just him and me alone for an entire weekend? “Well, let them stay home. They’ll miss out on all the good stuff.”
 “Yeah, let ‘em. I can think of worse people to spend a weekend with,” he joked.
 “Oh, yeah, like who?”
 “Jennifer Anniston. Christina Applegate. Heather Locklear.”
 I laughed. “Your age is showing, Mikey. And none of those women sound like such a hardship.”
 “That was my point,” he said, as he wheeled into the speedway to park. “Spending the weekend with you wouldn’t be.”

I was still blushing when he came around to open my door. He chuckled. “That’s cute.”
 “What’s cute?”
 “The permanent blush you got goin’ on tonight.” He took my heavy blanket.
 “Oh, fuck off,” I said without heat, heading for the line at the ticket booth.
He laughed again as he caught up. “That reminds me, what were you blushing about when I showed up tonight?”
 “You don’t wanna know,” I told him.
 “Oh! Now I really wanna know. Having fantasies about me again?” he teased.
 He had no idea. Men could be so dumb. So I went along with the truth and made him squirm for a change. “Yes, that’s it exactly. Want me to tell you all about them in great and colourful detail? I’m a writer. I could make it really good for you.”
 He cleared his throat as we stepped into line to wait for admission.
 “Now who’s red-faced, Mikey?” I laughed.
 “Just for that, you’re buyin’.”
 “Just for what? Because I use your body in my dreams?” We moved up. 
“Maybe you should owe me. Maybe you’re gettin’ a whole lot more in my dreams than in reality,” I continued teasing.
 “Cut it out,” he said, and the deepness in his voice made me look up at him. He avoided my gaze. Had I hit a nerve? I was beginning to get the impression that things were really not good for him and Cheryl, either.
 We stopped at the concession stand and I ordered us a large box of fries, pop for Mike and coffee for me. I sprinkled vinegar on one end and ketchup and salt on the other. We’d been spending so much time together lately that we were becoming very familiar with one another’s likes and dislikes. We ordered for each other in restaurants and were even beginning to finish each other’s sentences, like a real couple. I found it hard to believe after all these years of knowing him that there were still things I didn’t know about him.
 He took the box from me and I carried the drinks. He took my arm and helped me up the rickety wooden steps leading to our seats on the bleachers. Kate and her date were already there. I was actually surprised to see them, and maybe even a little disappointed. I wanted Mike all to myself.

“Oh, fuck,” I heard him mutter when he realised Kate was there. There was no love lost between my best friend and—let’s face it—my other best friend.
 “Hey, guys,” I said, smiling. Mike spread my blanket out for the two of us and we sat down.
 “Hey, where’s everyone else?”
 “Just me and my best guy tonight,” I said, not really thinking. His thigh was right up next to mine. He placed our box of fries, balancing it between our two knees.
 “Oh, and do you have your wife’s permission to be out tonight, Mike?” Kate asked nastily.
 “Hey, Kate—did you get a day pass?” he sneered back.
 “Hi, I’m Hailey and this is Mike,” I introduced us to her date. He was cute. 
Dark hair, scruffy growth of beard, like he hadn’t shaved today.
 “Derek,” he said. He shook hands with Mike and me, then offered Mike a beer from inside his jacket. Mike hesitated.
 “Go ahead,” I said. “I’ll drive.” Mike took the beer. Strange as it was, Mike was not a big drinker. Not in public or private. Even when we all went out, he was always the DD. He wasn’t the kind of guy who let go of his control easily.
 “I thought it was Brent and Hailey?” Derek asked, trying to clarify who Katie’s friends were.
 “Yeah, it is, but Mike and Brent are brothers and Hailey just picks which one she wants to take out at any given time.”
 “Katie,” I said scathingly.
 “Ya know, brothers, they’re like boots. Sometimes you want leather, sometimes you want suede,” Kate explained, laughing.
 Derek looked at me and grinned crookedly. I could see amusement and interest in his dark eyes. I smiled.
 “And which of us is leather and which is suede, Kate?” Mike asked menacingly. “As if I didn’t already know your opinion.”
 “It doesn’t matter. She can interchange for whatever occasion or whatever mood she’s in.”

“Mmm,” Derek commented. “How can a guy get in on a gig like that?” He grinned, then reached into his jean jacket pocket and pulled out another beer.
 “Do you have a brother?” I asked jokingly.
 “I do, if that’s what you’re into.”
 “Derek!” Katie laughed and I could tell from the sound that she wasn’t sure about him.
 “What a dick,” Mike muttered, for my ears alone. “Where does she find these guys?”
 “So, Katie, where’d you and Derek meet?” I asked, smirking at Mike before I turned back to face them.
 “We met at the bar,” Derek answered.
 “That explains it,” Mike muttered. I took a French fry slathered in ketchup and shoved it into his mouth, trying to keep him quiet. He bit at my fingers as I tried to remove them quickly. I started to laugh when a big blob of ketchup dripped onto his chin. I took a napkin and wiped it away, smiling into his handsome face as I did so.
 “Are you trying to shut me up, Hails?” He laughed.
 “No, whatever gave you that idea?”
 He picked up a fry and touched it to the end of my nose, leaving a dot of ketchup there.
 I narrowed my eyes, feigning anger. He grinned back at me unapologetically as he put the fry into his mouth.
 “Ya want me to light your sleigh tonight?” I asked, unable to keep an eruption of laughter from bursting from my lips.
 Mike threw his head back and laughed. He put his arm around me, and before I could guess what he planned to do he kissed the end of my nose, removing the ketchup with his lips. My stomach flipped at the action, and my gaze met his. How could he not know how he made me feel?
 I could feel the rumbling of laughter in his chest as he continued to hold me. I reached out and touched his cheek, smoothing my thumb over his chin where the ketchup had been. His smile slipped a little as his gaze darted to my lips . That beer was sure loosening him up.
 The engines started and the cars came out to begin hot laps. I removed my hand from his face, grasping his thigh unthinkingly as I straightened up to watch for my favourites coming out onto the track. I moved around, trying to get a better look, and felt the muscles in his leg tighten right before he took my hand in his. I wondered fleetingly why he would remove my hand, hoping it was because I was affecting him like he did me. He kept my hand in his, holding it, and I wondered if it was because he wanted to hold my hand or to keep me from squeezing his thigh.
 
“Hey, Hail.” Kate caught my attention. “Isn’t that that girl from school? Oh, what’s her name? Dawn, Donna, something like that?” She pointed ahead of us, at a blonde sitting just down from us.
 “Deana, wasn’t it?” I responded.
 “Yeah, that’s it. Did she finish?”
 “I don’t know.” I didn’t care. I wanted to watch the cars.
 “You two know each other from school?” Derek yelled over the noise.
 “Yeah, we met in college.”
 “Is Hailey an intern too?” he asked.
 “No, she’s a writer.”
 “Oh, really?” He seemed even more interested, leaning in to look at me. I ignored him.
 “We were assigned to the same dorm. I thought, Oh, God, why did they team me up with this studious, uptight brainiac? I went to college to party and I wanted a roommate who could keep up with me.” Kate laughed.
 
I remembered thinking something similar—Why would they pair me up with this party girl who brings home a new guy every night? “It all worked out for the best, though. You still partied and I made sure you got home okay.” The cars quieted as the drivers readied for the prelims.
 “Hey, there was some mutual getting home in one piece going on. Some nights you needed my help, too.”
 I laughed.
 Mike looked down at me. “And Brent thought you were studying hard.”
 “She was. She was studying other guys, wondering if she should settle for Brent or find herself another brainiac like her.”
 Mike’s fair brows shot up in surprise. “And what tipped the scales in Brent’s favour?” he asked.
 “The car!” Kate blurted out, laughing her fool head off.

Mike snorted beside me. “Yeah, that must be it.” I knew he didn’t buy that one for a second. He knew the car was a point of contention in our marriage. I’d complained to him enough about it.
 We watched the races, and Kate’s date continued to guzzle beer after beer. I leaned over. “Where does he keep getting those from?” I asked Kate. He seemed to have an endless supply of beer cans in his jacket. Occasionally he’d hand one to Mike.
 Kate gave me a helpless look and shook her head, shrugging. He finally got up and stumbled down the bleachers. Probably needed a pit stop after the last half dozen.
 When he came back he deposited himself between me and Kate. I grabbed Mike’s thigh to steady myself as he shuffled his hip to make room for me. His hand covered mine as his other arm came up to encircle my shoulder. He gave Derek a push, indicating he should give us some room.
 “Hey,” Derek said. Quite inebriated now, he slapped at Mike’s hand.
 “Derek,” Kate growled.
 “Oh, shut it, Karen. I’m just trying to get to know your friend here.”
 “It’s Kate!” I defended her.
 He swung around to look at me, and grinned sloppily. “Where have you been all my life, gorgeous?”
 Mike’s hand still rested on my shoulder, even after he’d taken a poke at Derek. “What? Am I not here, fucktard?”
 “What? Hey, bud, I was just admirin’. You should be proud.”
 “And you should be payin’ attention to your own date, instead of hittin’ on mine.” Mike leaned towards him threateningly.
 “But that’s just it. She’s not yours.”
 I felt Mike stiffen. I tightened my hand on his thigh and felt his muscles contract. “It’s okay, Mikey,” I whispered. “No harm. I can handle him.”
 Thankfully, the green flag dropped, making conversation impossible.
We watched the races, and as usual I cheered for my faves and jeered the more aggressive drivers when they sent ‘my’ drivers into spins. As one of the cars hit the wall, the crowd came to its feet and I couldn’t see. Mike gestured for me to stand on my seat so I’dhave better luck. He took my hand and helped me up. I placed my hand on his shoulder for support, but more selfishly just so that I could touch him.
 The driver who had spun got out of his car, took off his helmet and threw it at the windshield of the driver who’d spun him out on the next circuit. That driver came to a screeching halt and came out of the car window like a shot. Taking off his own helmet, he raised it as if he was going to throw it too, but then thought better of it. Instead, he made a beeline for the original helmet-thrower.
 They started trading punches, to the delight of the crowd. I was so absorbed that I didn’t even realise what I was doing until I felt the telltale tingling in my left breast. I had pressed it into Mike’s shoulder as I trailed my fingers in little circles just under his ear. But even after I consciously realised what I was doing, and that I was turned on by it, I didn’t move away from him. And he wasn’t moving away, either. I could almost laugh at the cheap thrills I gave myself where Mike was concerned.
 The fight ended and people started to sit back down. Mike’s gaze met mine levelly as he helped me down. If I wasn’t mistaken, his complexion looked a little ruddy—as if he, too, might have been affected by my boob pressing into his shoulder. I almost believed he knew exactly what I’d been doing, and that he had allowed it.
 “Did you see that?” I asked him. “That fucker just turned him around!”
 
Derek laughed. “Oh, you got a mouth on you. What else does it do?”
 “Okay!” Mike stood up. “That’s enough.” He pulled his arm back as if he were going to deck this idiot.
 I wrapped my hand around Mike’s fist and pulled it behind my back, holding it there.
 “Katie, don’t you think Derek needs to go home?”
 “Yeah,” she said, but I could see in her panicked eyes that she didn’t want to be the one to take him there.
 Mike was still vibrating at my side. I needed to calm him down. I didn’t want him getting into it with this asshole.
  I took his fist and flattened his palm out over my backside. Purely selfish on my part, but it worked. His fingers were stiff for a moment, and I thought he was going to pull his hand away, but then he slid it slowly down, curving it around my ass. My eyes almost crossed at the sensation.
He was being protective of me, too. I knew he was only doing it on Brent’s behalf, but I liked it. And I liked him touching me.
 I turned to Mike. “Sit.” His turbulent gaze met mine. He slid his hand to the small of my back and we sat down together.
 “So where are Brent and Cheryl?” Kate asked, trying to ignore her date and make meaningless conversation.
 “Brent stayed with the car.”
 “I thought this was Brent.” Derek turned to Kate.
 “No, I told you. This is Mike, Brent’s brother.”
 “So explain it to me again.”
 “I’m her brother-in-law, dick. What don’t you get?”
 “I don’t get why you’re kissin’ and gropin’ each other. I mean, I’m as open as the next guy. I just don’t get it. Do you guys, like, swap? I want in.”
 “Oh, my God!” Kate exclaimed. “You’re such a bastard. How was it you were such a nice guy the other night? Add a few beers and you’re a complete asshole.”
 “Look, Karen. You were an all right lay, but I’m not sure I want a repeat…”
 I didn’t let him finish. I saw red. I stomped on his booted foot and hauled back to slap his face. Mike grabbed me and quickly moved me to his other side, putting himself between the irate drunk and me.
 “You fuckin’ little bitch…” he swore as Mike captured his arm, twisting it behind his back.
 “Hey, Mike? Everything all right there?” One of the regulars, just guys we knew from the racetrack, came to our defence.
 “No. I think this guy just decided it was time he went home.”
 As if on cue, track security started up the steps towards us. Mike gave over custody to them, and they escorted Derek from the premises. He cursed at us as he went.
 I gave Kate a sympathetic look. She waited until Derek was long gone, then leaned over. “Well, can I pick ‘em or what?”
 “Maybe you should quit picking ‘em up at the bar,” Mike said sarcastically. “You deserve what you get.”
 I gave him a little elbow.

Kate glared at Mike. “I’m gonna go,” she said to me, ignoring him.
 “’Kay. I’ll call you in the morning.”
 She nodded and headed down the bleachers.
 “She didn’t need to hear that,” I told him.
 “Yes, she did. Somebody’s gotta point it out to her. She’s never going to meet a decent guy the way she goes about it.”
 “Well, maybe that’s true, but she didn’t need to hear it right now.”
 “All right, tiger, you’ve stood up for your friend enough tonight. Sit down and watch your races.”
 I sat down, still a little miffed. He tried to fit the blanket around us. “Well, he was a complete and total asshole. You can’t blame that on her. I mean, whether she met him in a bar or at the freakin’ grocery store, that guy was still a…”
 As I was ranting I spoke with my hands, as I tended to do when I was riled up. He took my hand and placed it casually low on his back.
I stopped speaking and froze. What the hell was he doing? I was almost touching his ass.
 “What are you doing?” I asked, shocked.
 “Isn’t that what you did to me earlier, to keep me from taking a poke at the jerk? Distracted me?”
 “Distracted you?”
 “Yes, by sliding my hand over your sweet little backside?” He looked down at me, grinning. He’d never spoken to me like this before. Must be the beers talking.
 “My… Well… I didn’t want you to get into it with him.” I looked away. “And it worked, didn’t it?”
 “Yep,” he agreed. I could still hear the smile in his voice. I decided to do some distracting of my own. I curled my hand around what I could of his butt-cheek, the part that wasn’t touching the hard bench.
 “You got a pretty nice ass yourself, there, Mikey!”
 He stiffened. I didn’t look up at him, but I was almost positive he’d lost his cocky grin.
 The cars continued to circle. I loosened my grip on his well-developed glutes and just slung my arm around his back, holding on to his opposite hip.
 We covered back up, and I had to fight the urge to snuggle deeper against him inside the blanket. I wanted to run my other hand over his chest and up his neck, and coax his head down so I could kiss him. I would dig my fingers into his thigh and run them upward, touching him, feeling him grow hard as I stroked him, leaving him with no doubt as to what I wanted. I wanted to drive him crazy, the way he did me. I wanted to race back to the truck with him and fuck him, right there in the parking lot.
 The race ended and I didn’t even know who’d won. Mike carried my blanket and held my hand as he helped me down the steep stairs, but even when we’d reached level ground he didn’t release it.
 I was making too much out of everything. I was still too caught up in my latest fantasy. That was my problem. Always had been. I lived in the stories in my head. That was why I’d decided to go into writing as a career. Mike and I were buddies—that was all. I had a girlish crush on my husband’s older brother. It didn’t mean anything. So, then, why was I throbbing like I was gonna get some?
 He handed me his truck keys and we drove towards town. Mike, as usual, was hungry. “Wanna stop and get something to eat? I’m starving.”
 “Sure. I’m hungry too.” I leaned over and turned on the radio, and started to sing along.
 “You have a nice voice,” he said.
 “Sorry, I didn’t mean to sing out loud.”
 “No, I like it. With that face and that voice, you should have gone into television. Been a broadcaster or reporter. You could have written your own copy.”
 I laughed. “No. I trip over my tongue when I get nervous.”
 “I know. I remember. When Brent first started bringing you around, you were so quiet.”
 “Ah, back in the good old days when I was quiet…”
 “Naw, I like it better now. You can actually have a conversation now without biting through your own lip.”
 “Wow, you give a girl a compliment and you take it away.”
 “Yeah, but ya love me anyway.” He grinned.
 I nodded, sighing. “Yeah, there is that,” I said softly, and he must have caught something in my voice. His eyes met mine, and he looked the same way he had after I’d had my boob pressed against his shoulder.

“So,” I broke in, trying to cover up. “What’ll it be? Burgers or pizza?”
“How ‘bout we go to Jim’s? I feel like lasagne.”
 “Big appetite tonight?”
 “Yeah.”
If you've enjoyed Chapters one and two of SWAP, buy it now while you still can!
Tune in Next Week for Chapter Three when things really heat up between our forbidden lovers.
Cheers All, until next time,H K

#NewRelease Playing for Keeps by @GlendaHorsfall #BlogTour #erotica #BDSM @ScandalousBlog

Matt is worried! Their relationship is in trouble. Cassie has been begging him to add role-play to their lovemaking, but the kind of role Cassie wants him to play leaves him cold. When he discovers her stash of erotic romance novels, he comes to suspect that what she really wants is dominance.

Matt takes Cassie away for the weekend to celebrate her birthday. She is disappointed that the ‘highlight’ of the weekend is to be a costume party. A costume party is not the kind of role-play she’s fantasized about. She is surprised when she realizes it will be a party for two and that Matt has actually taken her to a BDSM club.

Cassie agrees to be his ‘love slave’ for the weekend and promises to obey all her ‘Master’s’ commands. Matt is surprised at her enthusiasm and is turned on by her ready acceptance of his domination.

At last, he understands her desire to role-play and Matt indulges her fantasies, along with a few of his own. However, the weekend away has changed their relationship and has taken them in a direction he hadn’t foreseen. Now he’s wondering if they can survive the changes.



















PLAYING FOR KEEPSMy wish listCAST OF CHARACTERSIf this book was ever
to be made into a film!

Matt to be played by Mariano Ontanon
Matt is one of the good guys; a loving and generous
boyfriend, good company and a great lover.
He’s worshipped Cassie from afar, for a long time. Now that he’s got
her, there’s no-way he’s going to let a little something like her need to
experiment with sexual role-play, get in his way. He’s a man on a mission,
determined to give the girl he loves, everything she needs to be fulfilled.
It’s amazing the lengths he’s prepared to go to.

Cassie to be played by Jana KramerCassie is confused. She’s known Matt all her life and been
dating him for several months. She can’t fault him – he’s good company, great
to look at, romantic and a good lover. So why does she hanker for more… she
wants to spice up their love life, and is unhappy when he resists. Why can’t
she put into words exactly what she desires? What will it take to make her
realize that her desire to be spanked, hides an even deeper desire to submit?

 "Cassie, come here," he commanded.
With legs which were almost bare to the waist she rose from her kneeling position to walk towards him.  His body immediately went into overdrive and he felt like he had swallowed his tongue.  He cleared his throat, trying to cover it up with a cough.
“Sit on the cushions facing me.”  She sat down, making herself comfortable with her knees drawn under herself, her gaze downcast.  The sight of her obeying his command, without question, nearly caused his mind to shut down and he had trouble remembering what he wanted her to do next.
After taking a moment or two to get himself back together, he told her, “I have a present for you. A Birthday gift for my slave.”  He slipped his hand under her chin to look directly into her eyes. “Remove your top.”
Her eyes widened and he saw the burst of lust that she quickly tried to hide by lowering her lashes.  Without comment, she unfastened the buttons between her breasts and slowly peeled the top down her arms to let it drop behind her back.   Her eyes locked onto his, as she sat still and awaited his next move. Her tongue crept out to wet her dry lips and he couldn’t resist leaning forward to lick along the seam of her mouth.
He kissed her hard when she eagerly opened her mouth to him, thoroughly enjoying her response.  He felt a twinge of guilt, when she moaned in disappointment as he pulled away from her.
“Stroke your nipples for me.  I want to see them erect and begging to be kissed.”
Frustrated at his inaction and sorely disappointed, Cassie looked down at her breasts and then back at him.  What was the point if she was going to play by herself?  He was an idiot! Couldn’t he see they were already erect?  How much more did he think they would enlarge?  He had said ‘begging to be kissed.’ If he didn’t kiss them soon, she would be reduced to begging. She was so turned on her nipples were standing proud and her stomach muscles quivered in anticipation of his next move.
As if he had read her thoughts, he growled, “I want them harder!”
Cassie brought her hands up and across her breasts; the palms of her hands massaged and rolled her nipples. She was already highly aroused and her nipples were very sensitive to her gentle touch.  She closed her eyes and let her head fall back on her shoulders, thrusting her aching breasts towards him. She teased and pinched her nipples.  Christ, if he didn’t get his act together soon, and join her on the floor, she was going to come without him. What was he waiting for?
“Stop!”
What did he mean stop! She would die of frustration if he didn’t make his move soon.  “Put your hands behind your back.”  Aiming to please, and hoping he would now get things moving, she quickly put her arms behind her back and sat on her hands. There. Done. Asshole.
He leaned forward and took her right nipple between his thumb and index finger, rubbing it almost painfully as he tugged on it sharply.  The sensation was overwhelming, the pain erotic in a way she struggled to understand. She kept her eyes on his fingers, watching him as he played with her nipple.  When he pulled extra hard a shaft of sensation coursed straight to her core and her inner muscles pulsed with need.  He was driving her mad. She needed him to stop playing and she could not hold back her moan of need. The passion within that he had unleashed, was driving her mad. She felt raw. Primal. She wanted fucked and she wanted it now. She couldn’t hold on much longer. She needed to feel him driving into her with force, claiming her with every stroke.
Matt released her nipple and reached behind the divan to fetch a jeweler’s box. “You will only wear these for me.” He told her, his look serious.
Christ, she thought, for a man who hadn’t wanted to role-play, he was sure getting into his role tonight.
He opened the box to reveal what looked like a pair of extra large gold hoop earrings with small screws attached.  They reminded her of the type of ring a bull would wear through its nose. Without another word, he leaned forward, pinched her nipple again and brought the first of the rings to her nipple.
“This is a nipple clamp. I am going to fasten this on you.” He lifted her head and looked straight into her eyes, “tell me if it gets too tight.”
She couldn’t move, didn’t dare breathe. Christ, he was really getting into this Dom thing.   He leaned forward and drew her nipple into his mouth, sucking so hard she would have sworn that her womb contracted. He released her now moist nipple from his mouth, pinched it between his fingers and positioned the clamp.  Matt slowly started turning the side screw to fasten the clamp upon her nipple.  It was slightly painful, sharper than him pinching her nipple, but at the same time surprisingly erotic.  He turned the screw tighter, and she had to bite her lip to stop herself from moaning.  Again, he turned the screw.
“Enough – it’s tight enough!” she cried. Shit, that hurt.
He took possession of her mouth, his kiss hot and hard; at the same time, he gave the screw another turn. “Aagh…..” Oh God, the pain, what the hell did he think he was doing? Tears sprung to her eyes.
“Relax, breathe, deep steady breaths - embrace the pain – it will soon fade.”
She wasn’t sure about that and wondered how he would feel if his nipple was clamped tight. He lowered his mouth to cover her nipple, which was now forced into permanent erection by the clamp, and slowly laved both her nipple and the ring with his tongue, alternatively sucking and blowing on her nipple. Oh God, it felt so good.  She would never have believed that something so painful could make her feel so horny.
“Now, let’s fit the other one.” 













MUSIC PLAY LIST FOR PLAYING FOR KEEPS
Toni Braxton – You’re Making Me High Leanne Rimes – How Do I Love Without You Etta James – I Just Want To Make Love to You Boyzone – I Love the Way You Love Me Sam Cooke – You Send Me





Glenda Horsfall was born and brought up in the beautiful city of Edinburgh
From an early age she was an avid reader. She became engrossed in reading romance novels in her early teens and promised herself that one day she would sit down and write her own.

That dream has now been achieved with the publication of her first novel ‘Playing for Keeps’. A tale of Domination and submission, the story is also a romance with a Happy Ever After ending!

Glenda now live on the Fylde Coast of England with her own hero. She has a grown up son and three beautiful grand-daughters.

Having worked for many years as an Accountant she loves being able to let her creative imagination run wild as she creates romantic stories for you to enjoy.


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The entire ALWAYS CAMBRIDGE series is now Available @Amazon #RomanticSuspense #crime #mob

The entire Cambridge series is now Available at Amazon


Follow the saga from the Beginning....

The Always Cambridge Series chronicles the life of Holly Cambridge through her tumultuous childhood, violent teen years, into adulthood, and the consequences that stem from being the daughter of mob boss, Bill Cambridge.



Always Cambridge Book One


He is her guardian, but she’ll do anything within her power to protect him. His only duty is to keep her safe but he can't save her...   

Holly Cambridge is just a typical kid, or so she thinks, until one day, she takes a good look around and realizes her friends don’t have bodyguards dogging their every step.

At the age of sixteen, Holly is assigned a new bodyguard, Randy Phillips. He is a tall, muscular, God-like force in the young, impressionable and lonely girl’s life. He is her friend, her confident, her conscience, and the older man she adores beyond reason.

Randy Phillips is fully aware of his young charge’s adolescent crush on him. Although he is flattered by the adulation, he maintains a safe distance and professional demeanour until Holly is wounded in a rival family blood feud, and the course of both their lives is changed forever.


AMAZON
Book Two
Running

No matter how far or fast you run, you'll never escape the past   

 It’s been three years since anyone has seen or heard from Holly Cambridge. But when she surfaces, she doesn't return home to the loving arms of her family. Instead, she heads straight to the FBI offering information that will destroy the Cambridge crime family.

Special Agent Alex Orton sees Holly Cambridge as nothing more than the next commendation standing between him and the ultimate promotion. What he doesn't bargain for is the shy, damaged, but feisty little woman that convinces his superiors to let her infiltrate a rival family, with Alex heading up the mission.

Holly and Alex clash at every turn, but Alex is intrigued by Holly’s sharp mind and boundless courage and must constantly fight his burgeoning feelings for his lovely informant. Alex is a strict disciplinarian of the rules and can’t reconcile the girl who can’t play by them.

As Holly carries out the sting and insinuates herself into the enemy’s camp, she develops a close and common bond with the middle Mayhue son, the exotically good looking and charismatic Victor. The very man who could end her life, if he were to discover her secret.

Hands tied, Alex must stand back, for the good of the team, and watch the tragedy play out.

AMAZON
Book Three
Misfortune of Birth


When constantly surrounded by violence, corruption and immorality, how do you keep from becoming the very thing that you abhor 

 Holly Cambridge barely recognizes herself anymore. Pretending to be another person is beginning to wear thin. Disguised as Randi Yates, she entangles herself into the perilous life of the irresistible Victor Mayhue. But day by day, she falls more desperately and impossibly in love with her natural enemy. Together they explore a highly sexual, dark and dangerous relationship. The lines between right and wrong and good and evil, begin to blur. And while attempting to shield and protect Victor from the Feds and even his own family, Holly loses sight of her original goal.

Victor understands her more than anyone she’s ever met. Essentially they have lived the same life. He is her other half. But once he discovers who she really is and what she’s done, there will be no going back. Victor Mayhue is not a second chance kind of guy.

And in the end, one of them will be forced to face their true nature.  


AMAZON

Book Four
Law and Order, Crime and Chaos 




The wheels of justice might turn slowly, but destiny's punishment can be swift and merciless     


In the next highly charged installment of the Always Cambridge Family Saga Series, all the men in Holly’s life come together in one common goal—to keep the woman they love alive.

Special Agent Alex Orton of the FBI prepares Holly for the rigorous court proceedings to come, where she will testify not only against her own family, but also against the Mayhue crime family, including Victor’s volatile and sinister older brother, Lorenzo.

However, in the midst of all the personal turmoil, Holly’s first love and former bodyguard, Randy Phillips, emerges from the chaos. He vows to not only stand by her through the trials, but accompany her into Witness Protection and her afterlife, if in fact they make it that far, as both the Mayhue and Cambridge crime families swear retribution.

But in a twist of law and fate, Lorenzo Mayhue is unexpectedly released from prison and lures Holly to the Mayhue Excavating warehouses under the guise of Victor.

Five people enter the storehouse, but only three walk out.

AMAZON Book Five

Afterlife



Dreams of second chances are only nightmares in the making    


Holly Cambridge and Randy Phillips are dead!

But they re-emerge in Witness Protection as Beth and Andy Gregory, far away from the mob life that nearly destroyed them.

Can Holly finally realize her dream and live in peace without the threat of violence shadowing her every step? Settle down in one place, put down roots with the husband and the loving family she’s always dreamed of?

Or will the Mayhue vendetta reach across the ocean and strike Holly where it hurts the most?


AMAZON
And the Conclusion to the Always Cambridge Series
Book Six  - Always Holly

Only the worthy are rewarded with happily-ever-after         In this final emotional installment of the Always Cambridge Saga Series, Holly Cambridge lives a quiet unassuming life as Beth Gregory in Witness Protection.

While drowning in heartrending grief, Holly struggles to move on with her life. Her nights are filled with nightmares of ghosts and regret. Her days seem unending, grey and lifeless. She plods through for only one reason. One very important one.

But one surprise meeting brings a ray of light into her darkness, in the form of Victor Mayhue, the love she’d been forced to leave behind.

However, with that glimmer of hope, Victor forces Holly to face the demons of her past. She is compelled to confess her sins and reveal the secrets she and Randy had squandered a lifetime to hide. And she must suffer the harshest judgment of all, from the one person whose esteem and respect mean more to her than life itself.

Will the Mayhues finally destroy the existence Holly has always dreamed of by taking away the one thing she’s fought her entire life to achieve? Or in the end, will Victor ultimately realize the role he was always meant to fulfill?
  AMAZON

#MasturbationMonday The Newbs #erotic #excerpt from SWAP

Masturbation Monday has Arrived!


This is my first time taking part — so I'll be gentle.

Here's a quick release from erotic contemporary romance, Swap, a little story about a married woman who has developed the major hots for her equally married brother-in-law.  :o
SWAP
I woke to the phone ringing and Brent’s deep voice from the kitchen. “Hello… No, she’s still sleeping… I don’t know. I heard her up working most of the night… No, she does that sometimes… Oh, yeah? How many beers…? Ya pisstank, you. That’s like a keg for you. I wondered why your truck was here.”
 
It was Mike, I thought, closing my eyes.
 
“Sure, be there in about ten minutes.” Brent laughed and my stomach clenched. Why hadn’t I realised that sometimes he sounded just like Mike? Why couldn’t I just be happy with what I had? This was so weird, even for me. I’d always lived half in reality, half in the stories that revolved in my head. It was why I’d picked writing as my profession—I’d hoped I could remove some of it, if I could just put it all down on paper and make room for what was real. It got me into trouble from time to time, when I couldn’t separate fact from fiction.
 
I couldn’t afford to do that in my marriage. I could make myself very unhappy reaching for something I could never have when I had a great guy of my own. I wasn’t sure what last night had been about. Had it all been me? Had I made last night happen because I was putting off some kind of vibe, or was Mike really there with me, too? I knew it had happened. It hadn’t been a dream, but I needed to know that he had wanted it too.
 
A few minutes later I heard the car start up, and then the standard revving that I could see no reason for—but Brent did it every time. I heard him drive away, the roar getting duller.
 
I rolled over and allowed myself to replay the previous night’s events in my head. Right from the moment Mike had tucked my hair behind my ear, there had been no turning back. I could almost smell him, taste him and hear his harsh breathing, that growl from his chest as his lips had wrapped around my nipple. I was getting so aroused just thinking of it. I ran my hand over my breast, circling my aching nipple through my tank top, wishing my fingers were his lips. I moved my other hand lower, running it over my panties, then inside. I was wet and slick, swollen, waiting, wanting, frustrated. I wanted it to be him touching me. I slid a finger inside, then out slowly, then swirled it around my highly sensitised clit. I circled it leisurely, at the same time making the same, slow circle around my nipple. I gave my boob one last squeeze, then let that hand slide down over my ribs to join the other. I held open my lips with one hand and ran my slick, hot fingertip slowly over the bud until it began to burn. The feeling was so intense. I wanted to go slow, drag it out, but I couldn’t be patient enough. I was still wishing for Mike to finish it. I picked up the speed and tempo, then exploded, bringing myself to a thundering climax.
 
But I wanted more. I pushed and kneaded my flesh, trying to double the pressure, reaching inside with one finger, then two, then three, priming myself, in and out, imagining it was Mike’s solid, pulsing cock thrusting into me…but I couldn’t reach far enough. I wanted it deep and hard. I wanted him to fill me up and take away the emptiness I was left feeling. I was not the type to own a vibrator, let alone go out and buy one, but if I’d had one I would have put it to good use. Hard.
 
I finally slowed and pulled my panties back into place. The climax had been good, but only enough to take the edge off. I was left wanting more.
 
I got up, washed and went for a pee, then went into the kitchen and poured myself a cup of the coffee Brent had made earlier. I turned on the radio and leaned over the counter on my elbows to flip through the newspaper.

I’d never been with a guy other than Brent, I thought, as I mindlessly turned the pages. There had never been anyone else. At least, not for me. Not even in college, because the whole time I’d been there, I was with Brent. I’d experienced every one of my firsts with him.

He’d been with other girls, of course. He’d taught me everything I knew, the way he liked it. When I thought about how we had sex, it was all the same. I could choreograph it out in my head right now. His hand here, my hand there. It was our pattern. I was with him as a teenage girl, and now I was a woman. We’d grown up together. What would it be like to just be me, and take and give what I wanted? As an adult, with my own needs and ideas of what I wanted and how to get it?
 
Maybe that was half my problem. I just wondered what it would be like to be with another guy. There was that unknown. Could it be better, different, with someone else? And I remembered that rush and expectation of all that newness. But I wasn’t looking for it with some stranger. I was looking for all that with Mike.

“Wow!” I jumped at the sound of Brent’s deep voice. “I love it when you sleep in.”

I turned slowly to find Brent and Mike both staring at my barely covered ass. I was still in only my tank top and panties. Fuck! I thought—the same damp panties I’d just masturbated in, over the man standing beside my husband, whom I couldn’t even look at.
 
“I didn’t hear you come in,” I said, my voice faint.
 
“Obviously! But I’m not complaining. You never walk around like that. You’re always covered up.” Brent walked towards me and I cringed inside, hoping he wouldn’t touch me. He grinned and gave me a wink as he walked past. “I’ll get your keys,” he said to Mike, and continued on into the bedroom.
 
“They’re on my night table,” I called after him.
 
I crossed my arms over my chest, trying to cover myself before I looked at Mike. I could feel my face flush, but it didn’t stop there. It was like a wave, and I knew it was an all-over bodily reaction.
 
Mike looked intense. Maybe even angry. He ran his tongue over his lower lip.
 
I couldn’t stand the silence. How would anything ever be normal between us again? Maybe I didn’t want this. It might ruin everything. Not only between me and Brent, but Mike and I had a great thing going, too. I didn’t want to lose that. “I’m sorry I didn’t get up to return your truck first thing this morning,” I blurted.
 
I saw his Adam’s apple bob before he started towards me. Just like last night, he tucked my hair behind my ear and his thumb grazed my cheek. My lips parted as I remembered, and I knew he was thinking about it, too. I wanted to touch him. I let my hands fall and I wrapped my fingers into his T-shirt at his waist. My eyes darted across his face, trying to figure him out. What could he possibly be thinking? I wasn’t sure what to expect from him.
 
“Nice,” he said, his voice husky as he called out my body blush. “I wish I had my camera right now. I’d photograph you just like this.” He brushed the back of his knuckles over my already puckered nipple. “The cotton T-shirt, the sleep-swollen lips and slight but sexy bed-head.”
 
My hand went immediately to my hair.
 
“No, don’t. Leave it,” he said, taking my hand and directing it back to his waist. His hands found my hips, gripping me. “Did I keep you out too late?”
 
“No. My fault. I couldn’t sleep.” My voice sounded meek and pathetic.
 
“Neither could I,” he admitted.

“I thought you’d sleep well after all those beers.” I tried to tease and smile, but came up short.
 
His eyes drifted downward, skimming the U of my tank top. “I had a lot on my mind,” he said as his eyes rose back to mine.
 
My turn to swallow hard. “Find anything appropriate for my eighties piece?” I asked, sputtering more nonsense. I wasn’t even sure if he still wanted to go through with it. Hell, I wasn’t sure that I did.
 
He exhaled harshly and I felt his warm breath on my neck and chest. His hands tightened on my hips.
 
“I couldn’t find them.” Brent came back into the room. Mike took a step back from me. “They’d fallen down onto the floor.” He tossed the keys to Mike, who caught them easily. Brent looked at me. “You okay? Don’t you feel well?” His hand cupped my cheek and I wanted to die.
 
“No, I’m fine. Just didn’t get enough sleep, I guess.” I moved away from him.
 
He looked between the two of us, obviously sensing something. “What’s up?”

I hope you enjoyed this little diddle from SWAP. 

Happy Monday!

#MySexySaturday One Last Hot Summer Fling with some naughty in-laws #erotic #romance #excerpt SWAP

Welcome to the 58th week of My Sexy Saturday.
It’s nearing the end of the summer in many parts of the world. For those in the southern hemisphere, it will just be starting soon. So this week, we’re going to have one more summer fling.




Summer Fling –Keeping it all in the family. How about a refreshing dip to cool off... with the oh-so-hot Mike and Hailey from erotic contemporary romance SWAP – they make the water boil...

God, I was dying, drowning, swimming in sensation. Just having him close to me, touching me, desiring me, kissing me… It made me crazy. I was so very close to coming. I trembled, in spite of my overheated skin. I wanted to dive over the edge and take him with me. “Touch me,” I pleaded. He cupped my backside with both hands, pulling me fully against his impressive hard-on and sending another tingling shiver of electricity through my body.
“We need to cool off.” Mike took my hand and we walked to the water. I didn’t want to cool off—I wanted to fuck him. Why wouldn’t he just let go and give us both what we wanted?
We held hands as we waded out. “Oh, it’s chilly,” I uttered. He let go of my hand and wrapped his arm around my waist. I did the same to him as we strode deeper. He started to drift off to the left, where a huge willow hung over the water, its sweeping branches creating shade and—dared I hope?—privacy. As soon as we were under its cover, he pulled me to him and devoured my mouth. I revelled in his kiss, taking his mouth over the way I did in my fantasies. I didn’t hold back. Our hands were everywhere, touching, exploring. I slid my hand down over his throbbing cock, letting my fingers mould and shape him. I could feel the contained excitement rushing through it, almost boiling under the thin skin, just waiting to burst free. I wanted to do that for him. 
It excited me to know that I was causing him this forbidden pleasure. He moaned and elbowed my hand away, signalling he couldn’t take much more of that, then trailed his mouth down my chin, his teeth grazing my neck, making my skin sizzle with sultry heat. He kissed the swell of my breast just before scraping his teeth across my nipple through my top. I cried out when I felt the warmth of his tongue lap over me, sending a lightning bolt of need straight to my engorged cunt.
With the help of the buoyancy of the water, I floated my legs up, wrapping them greedily around Mike, holding his hardness to my softness. He circled my ass with his hands, gripping tightly. I rubbed my greedy crotch shamelessly over him as he continued to lave my nipple. I was practically riding him. I wanted him to release his hot cock from those shorts and shove aside my bikini bottoms and come inside me, ending this exquisite torture for both of us.
I was so turned on that even the coolness of the water could not dilute my need. I could feel the telltale fluttering begin deep inside me. I sobbed deep in my throat, as my body took over the rhythmic abrasion that would end the burning torture for me. I pulled his head free from my breast and I fed on his mouth as I came, trying to eke out every last shudder of ecstasy coursing through me. Did he know what he did to me?
“Hailey,” he rasped, easing my legs from around him. “Hailey.” He swallowed, breathing deeply, then closed his eyes and shook his head. “This is crazy! What are we doing?”
For a limited time now, you can purchase Swap at the following distributors:
(this novel will no longer be available after the 30th of September)
Grab it while you still can!
   Blurb:

Hailey Hollinger has it all—a great husband, a fantastic career in journalism, good friends…and one hot brother-in-law that won't stay out of her fantasies.

When Hailey Hollinger was eighteen she thought her boyfriend, Brent, was the best-looking guy around. That was until he introduced her to his older brother, Mike. From that moment on she had the biggest crush on him and he became the star of all her teenage fantasies.

Hailey's all grown up now and has been married to Brent for three years. They have great careers, a nice house—they enjoy life and each other. Everything is supposed to be perfect. Except for that pesky little infatuation with her husband's brother has never completely gone away.

A crush, by nature and definition, is supposed to be short-lived and should diminish over time. But, unfortunately for Hailey, it hasn't, and it is beginning to mess with what she thinks should be perfection. And if her life is so great, why does she then find herself groping her brother-in-law in the cab of his truck like some sex-starved teenager? And the biggest question yet—why is he groping her right back?

Totally Bound   Amazon Canada   Amazon US  Amazon UK  All Romance Ebooks    Barnes&Noble    BookStrand

 I hope you enjoyed this steamy snippet from SWAP. To read the entire first chapter of SWAP, scroll down to Wednesdays post. Don't forget to check out all the other MSS authors from the linky list below.
Have a Sexy Saturday!

Time is Running Out on my first novel - SWAP #erotic #romance #FirstChapter

If you've ever flirted with the idea of reading Swap, time's almost up!

I've asked my publisher for the rights back to my debut novel. As of October 1st, they revert back to me and this book will no longer be available. It's going into the vault! LOL

So, for the next few weeks I'm going to share some of my favourite snippets from this novel and whet some appetites while readers can still get their hands on this story. (Or perhaps I'll just put up the first three chapters here and run some teasers on Facebook) Stay tuned!

This was the first book of mine ever published. It will always have a special place in my heart, but it's time for me to put that part of my life behind me; time to close that chapter, so to speak. 

I will always be grateful to Totally Bound and my awesome editor Amy Parker, for accepting my very first erotic story, because it opened a flood gate of acceptances that have sent me on this wild and crazy journey, that I love with all my heart. Writing and sharing my stories has changed my life. I've learned a ton, good and not-so-good. And along the way I've met some incredibly generous and talented people. Like I always say, if this writing gig doesn't work out, I have met some people who will be life-long friends, even if we never meet face to face. And you know who you are, dawlings, and how much I love you. ♥ 

This was also my first taste of covers and art design and Emmy Ellis, did an incredible job on this one. For an entire year, I think this guy's amazing backside was how people saw and identified with H K Carlton on social media! And I'm okay with that. That is one amazing posterior to be associated with! :D 


I'm taking this opportunity to show off all the artwork I have, since this will also be the last chance to admire it.  
   
One reviewer on Amazon described Swap as "Twisted Good! Damn good storyline! Suspenseful sexy complicated family drama! Damn good sex scenes and fantasies come alive!!!" It was one of my very first reviews and I was thrilled by her comments. Thank you, Brooke!

But because of the subject matter, adultery and cheating, I also received some negative feedback and even lost some followers on twitter. At the time, it hurt because I was just a fledgling myself, and this story meant and still means a lot to me, for many different reasons. But it was one of the first lessons I learned. You need to develop a thick skin in this business and in a hurry. (I still haven't achieved it though). :) But you can't please everyone, all the time. Although, you'd truly like to.
 
At this time, I have no plans to re-release this story or self-publish it. But I will never say never. Because I have toyed with the idea of telling Brent Hollinger's story. I mean let's face it, the poor guy deserves an HEA, after being cheated on by his wife and his own brother. Right?

Another little known fact, I started to write the entire novel again, in Mike's POV. But some other stories elbowed their way in and took over my time, in the form of Always Cambridge and The Devil Take You and Mikey took a backseat. 

So here's the blurb and a the first tease on the last call run for my beloved SWAP...

♥I love you, Mikey and Hails!♥


Excerpt #1 

Chapter One
 When I was eighteen I thought my boyfriend, Brent, was the best-looking guy around. That was until he introduced me to his older brother Mike. From that moment on I had the biggest crush on him, and he was the star of most of my teenage fantasies. At the time he was twenty-five and newly married, but that didn’t stop my overactive imagination. I was so shy back then, and every conversation with the man left me a blushing, tongue-tied mess.
 
Even now, sometimes he could still make my poor cheeks suffuse with crimson. I was twenty-six, had been married to Brent for three years, had a great career in journalism and I was sketching outlines for my first novel.
 
Brent and I both had great jobs, although he travelled a lot. We owned a nice house. We enjoyed life and each other. Everything was supposed to be perfect—except that my infatuation with my brother-in-law had never completely gone away. A crush, by nature and definition, is something that’s supposed to be short-lived and should diminish over time. But, unfortunately, mine hadn’t, and it was beginning to fuck with what I thought should be perfection.


Mike and his wife of eight-plus years now, Cheryl, lived nearby. They seemed fairly happy too, until you looked a little deeper, which I often did. With Brent away so much, I spent a fair amount of time with Mike and Cheryl. I spent time with my friends too, but Mike and I had a lot in common, and not only interests-wise—we were both creative. I had writing and he had this passion for photography that I thought I’d finally convinced him to pursue. He worked in construction and I knew he hated it, especially now that he was getting older and his back and his knees had started to protest his constant activity. I mean, thirty-three wasn’t old by any means, but it wasn’t just his body that it was taking a toll on. He wasn’t happy, and I knew from my own experience what a rush it was to have an article published or some kind of recognition for a job well done. Mike’s work was really good and I knew in my heart that he could make a go of it, if he would just give himself the chance.
And how did I know all this? Well, even though we did a lot of things together as couples—when Brent was home, which wasn’t often—lately, it had just been Mike and me.

We found ourselves spending more and more time together. Cheryl was often busy with her newest get-rich-quick scheme. To her, life was all about money and other people’s perceptions of her. She liked people to think that she and Mike lived a whole lot more comfortably than they did. Brent, when he wasn’t away on business, had a passion of his own. And it wasn’t me. Currently, she was housed in the garage under a car cover. She was sleek, shiny and black—four hundred and six cubic inches of raw power that I couldn’t compete with.
 
I walked out onto the back deck where my friend from college, Kate, and my sister-in-law Cheryl sat comfortably in my new puffy deckchairs. Katie passed me a vodka cooler as I threw myself into the overstuffed cushion.
 
“I don’t know what to get Brent for his birthday. Any suggestions, ladies?” I asked, hoping for some burst of inspiration.
 
“Get him a new chamois for his hot rod,” Kate suggested cheekily, knowing full well how I felt about the third wheel, so to speak, in our relationship. I’d complained to her on more than one occasion that he spent more time with the shiny machine in the garage than with me. “God knows he’s probably worn the one he’s got out by now.”
 
“Mmm.” I gave Kate a black look. “Lucky girl gets rubbed down more than I do.”
 
Kate laughed.
 
“Oh, don’t be so hard on him. At least he’s at home, Hailey. He’s not off running around. And he thinks you’re just as hot,” Cheryl said, pointing the neck of her cooler at me. “The first thing he’ll do when he walks through those doors is grab your ass and plant a big sloppy one on you. We’ve all seen how he gropes you. It was fine when you two were teenagers but geez, now it’s just gross.”
 
“Sounds like you’re jealous to me, Cheryl,” Katie shot back in my defence.
 
“Jealous? Me? Of them?”
 
I couldn’t help but be pissed off at the slur that maybe we were not worthy of being envied. I narrowed my eyes at her in a silent question, and she scrambled to explain. “What I meant was, you two are still practically newlyweds. Wait until you’re married as long as Mike and I—then you’ll have plenty to bitch about.”
 
From where I stood, she had nothing to bitch about. Mike was awesome. I mean, I realise you always think the grass is greener…but I could pick out more faults in Cheryl, not only in her character but also as a cause of the problems within her marriage, than I could in Mike.
Physically, the brothers resembled each other quite a lot. Both tall, six foot two-ish, blond, blue-eyed, muscularly built—Mike because of his work, Brent because he worked at it in the gym. You knew right off that they were related, but that was pretty much where the similarities ended. Brent was outgoing, boisterous and opinionated. He needed to be on the move, he always needed something to do to occupy his time. A new project, whether it was home improvement or restoring his newest four-wheeled obsession. He couldn’t just relax and have a few beers or watch a movie. Mike, on the other hand, was quiet and intense. Introspective. Like me, he was a homebody—which Cheryl couldn’t stand. She wanted to be out and about, being seen and heard by whoever would give her some attention.
 
Cheryl and Brent had always butted heads. Cheryl didn’t care for Brent and Brent didn’t care for Cheryl. Sometimes I wondered if that carried over to me. I often thought she only tolerated me because she had to, rather than actually liked me.
 
Right now, I wasn’t about to argue with her. I wasn’t the confrontational type. I simmered in my own head or went off on Brent, but I certainly wouldn’t tell her I thought she was insane to her face. Besides, even though I could write a thought-provoking article that sometimes created a firestorm of controversy, verbally I was no match for the sharp-tongued woman sitting across from me. I did my best work on paper, where I could write and edit again and again until it was perfect. But in person I was an awkward, stuttering mess, especially when provoked or upset.
 
“Any ideas then, Cheryl?” I asked, bringing the conversation back around to Brent’s birthday.
 
“Why don’t you go to one of those car shows with him that he loves to go to? Maybe one of those big ones out of state. I’m sure that would please him. When was the last time you did that?”
 
I looked over at Katie. What did Cheryl mean by that? When was the last time I’d accompanied Brent to a car show? Or when was the last time I’d pleased him? I decided on the first one—we had no complaints in the pleasure department. Well, that wasn’t completely true, either. He was away far too much for us to do too much of that. But we sure made up for it when he was home.

I shrugged. “You’ve seen one car show, you’ve seen ‘em all.”
 
“Oh, just give him some of your precious time. You used to go to those things all the time, as I recall, when you two were just dating, before you got married. You used to follow him everywhere. Now that you’ve got him you don’t make the effort to support any of his interests.”
 
I couldn’t believe she was saying that to me. That was the pot and the kettle right there. I could have said the exact same thing to her about Mike. I was hurt by her words and I retorted before I thought better of it. “Oh? And how’s Mike’s photography going, Cheryl?”
 
Her brown eyes flashed to mine. “Well, you would know more about that than I would, since you’re the one pushing him to do such a crazy thing. He talks to you about that. Not me.”
 
“So I should support my husband, but you can’t see your way clear to do the same for yours?”
 
“What does he need my support for? You’re all over that. In fact, you’re just feeding into his crazy idea that he could actually make a living just taking pictures.”
 
“He can. He’s very talented.”
 
Cheryl stood up, none too steadily. She’d consumed a few more drinks than Kate and I had.
 
“Okay, ladies,” Kate interjected. “In-law jousting is over. We came here to relax, not air out family BS.”
 
“I’m ready to leave anyway.”
 
I sighed, feeling bad now. I wasn’t sure why—I knew she didn’t.
 
“Let me call Mike and get him to come pick you up,” I suggested.
 
“Don’t bother.” We all jumped at the deep voice coming from the patio door. “I can take her,” Brent said.
 
“Hey, baby,” I greeted him. “I didn’t hear your truck drive up.”
 
“Obviously,” he said, opening the door and coming out. I wondered how much he’d heard. He slipped his hand around my back, then, trailing it down, he cupped my ass and kissed me. Apparently, he’d heard it all because he made an exaggerated show of groping me.
 
“Just as advertised,” Cheryl quipped snidely.

“Oh, sour grapes, Cheryl,” Kate shot back. “Brent and Hailey will still be groping each other when they’re seventy. That’s just the way they are—they’ve always been that way. You married the uptight one. Get over it. Go home and grab his ass. I’m sure he’d love it.”
 
Cheryl gave Kate a glare and continued on into the house.
 
“I’ll call you tomorrow?” I called after her.
 
“Don’t bother,” her muffled voice responded.
 
“What’s her problem?” Brent asked me, snugging his hardness against me, unashamed that Kate could clearly see what he was doing.
 
“She’s not getting any, apparently.” Kate giggled.
I ignored that. I honestly didn’t want to think about their sex life at all. “Oh, you know, the usual. Mike’s not perfect.”
 
“Oh, shit, I coulda told her that and saved her the trouble.” Brent grinned, giving me one last squeeze and a peck on the cheek. “I’m the perfect one. I’ll take her home to Mr Not So Perfect and when I get back I’ll remind you why I am.” He winked at me. “Night, Kate.”
 
“Night, Brent.” She laughed.
 
I smiled and shook my head. He was so easy-going. I wished I could be more like that.
 
Kate and I followed them into the house just in time to hear Cheryl say, “Can’t we take your car, Brent? It’s been so long since you last took me for a ride.”
 
I narrowed my eyes as I looked at Kate. We heard the garage door open and the roar of Brent’s pride and joy fill the silence. I placed my hand on my hip. 

“What the fuck was that?”
 
“Who knows? Don’t try to figure her out. I’ve always hated her, y’know.”
 
“I know. You remind me every time we’re all together. In-law jousting, Katie, really? Sounds like the newest reality show.”
 
She shrugged. “Let’s face it, Hailey, if she wasn’t your sister-in-law, there’s no way the two of you would be friends.”
 
“Yeah, I know.”
 
“But is it that you actually don’t like her? Or is the truth more like you’re just jealous because she gets to do it with your dream lover whenever she wants, and you just do it with him in your own head?” She smiled at me cheekily.
 
“I think we both know the answer to that.”

Her smile widened to a smug grin. “That was weird, though. You and Mike have been spending a lot of time together lately, just the two of you. Do you think she might be a little bit on the jealous side?”
 
I snorted. “Cheryl? No. Mike says she doesn’t have a jealous bone in her body.”
 
“I wouldn’t be so sure about that. You’re smarter than her, prettier than her, you make more money than her… You’re younger than her. Maybe it’s finally dawning on her that you and Mike have more in common than she thought. It’s always been that way, even back when you couldn’t even talk to him without committing verbal suicide. I’ll never forget when Mike and Brent came to see you graduate. You were so funny. Anyone with eyes could have seen how gaga you were over Mike. You got up on stage and gave the valedictorian speech, moving people to tears, like you’d been public speaking your whole life… Then you got off the stage, your boyfriend’s brother gave you a hug and offered congratulations, and you spat and sputtered…”
 
“That’s enough. Do we have to relive that every time we talk about Mike?”
 
“No, it’s just so funny. Your words are your living and you couldn’t even string together a simple ‘Thank you’. And your face—oh, my God, it was the colour of my scarlet lipstick. And let’s face it, you’re gorgeous and she pales in comparison. She might not be jealous, but she’s not blind, and neither is he. I’ve seen the way he looks at you when he thinks no one is paying attention.”
 
I folded my arms over my chest.
 
“Okay, I’ll stop. Come on, I’ve got a date tomorrow. Can I raid your closet?”
 
“Sure.” I followed her into the bedroom and flopped onto the bed as she went through my stuff. She pulled out this and that, and I gave my opinions.
 
“Oh! What’s this? And this?” She pulled out some black and red lacy lingerie that I hadn’t ever worn.
 
“Ya can’t borrow those, Katie, that’d just be weird.”
 
“Eww. I don’t want to borrow anything Brent’s slobbered all over.”
 
“They’ve never been slobbered on. They’ve probably gathered dust, though.”
 
“You know, you poor, old, dried-up, dusty married ladies are not making us single ladies want to settle down. Between you and Cheryl, you’re giving married life a bad rap.”
 
“It’s not bad, it’s just different,” I said, turning over onto my back.

“You know what you need?” Kate sat on the edge of the bed.
 
“What?”
 
“You need to take these babies out of retirement, or out for a test spin, as the case may be.”
 
“Oh, and you think he’ll see me past that thoroughbred he has in the garage?”
 
“I’m sure he gets off on his machine, but you can give him things she can’t. And you can go out in the winter,” she teased. “I have an idea.”
 
“Uh-oh!” I replied dramatically.
 
She ignored me. “Ever heard of boudoir photos?”
 
“Yeah. Isn’t that where you take dirty pictures of yourself in cheesy lingerie? Didn’t that stuff go out in the nineties?”
 
“Don’t scoff. This could be your answer. When you go to the car shows or you see the hot rod magazines, what is it that they have draped all over the hood to get the guys’ attention? Hot women, hot cars.”
 
“Jesus, Kate, he’d kill me if I sat on the hood—and God forbid one of those nasty snaps scratched the ten grand in paint and clear coat. I practically have to get naked to get into the goddamn thing as it is.”
 
“Come on, Hailey. I think he’d love to see you in one of these”—she shook the lace at me—“bent over the hood of his baby. His two favourite girls playing nice. A garage-à-trois, as it were.” She snorted at her own cleverness. I rolled my eyes. “I’ll bet it’s one of his fantasies.”
 
“I wouldn’t feel comfortable. Some stranger taking my picture in one of those? What kind of perv takes pictures like that?”
 
“So use the timer on your digital and take them yourself. Then, if you don’t like them or you’re too embarrassed, you can just delete them and no one will ever know.”
 
“Yeah, you know how coordinated I am with that. Do those things even have timers?”
 
She shook her head, exasperated. “Are you serious? For a smart girl, you are tech illiterate.”
 
“Guilty.”
 
“Okay, so I’ll take them.”

“No! Forget it. This is just not me. It’s not something I would ever do. 

Remember how you had to get me drunk just to wear a bikini to that frat party?”
 
“Yeah, and remember how good that turned out?” She grinned.
 
“No, I don’t.”
 
“Yeah, you don’t. Isn’t it great?”
 
I rolled my eyes. I wasn’t sure what I’d done that night, but she’d been pretty impressed. That scared me, and Kate had kept it to herself all these years, too. I didn’t want to know. It was better this way.
 
“Come on, we could get all liquored up…”
 
“No! No, it’s just too weird.”
 
“You are such a prude. How are we friends?” She sighed. “Well, I better get going too, before Brent comes back to show off his Mr Perfect. God knows I don’t need to see that.”
 
I followed her to the door.
 
“Thanks for the clothes, Hail.”
 
“No prob, Katie. Maybe my clothes will have more fun than me.”
 
“I hope I’m not wearing them long.” We laughed as she gave me a hug.
 
“I think you should take the pics, Hail,” she said as she pulled away. “I think he would really love it.”
 
“I’ll think about it,” I said, but I didn’t mean it. Sex was not our problem—sleazy pictures wouldn’t do it for him or me.

She started down the driveway, throwing over her shoulder, “You know, you could always recruit that shutterbug brother-in-law.” She turned and smiled deviously. “Since you two are so supportive of one another, and he is so talented.”
 
All of a sudden I had a flash of me in the red lace, bending over the hood of the car, looking seductively over my shoulder at Mike behind the lens of his camera, and him looking back at me with smoky eyes. Certain body parts got heavy just thinking about the possibilities.
 
“Hailey!”
 
“Huh?”
 
“Oh, you liked that one, didn’t you? Think of the possibilities. You could fulfil one or two of your own fantasies.” She grinned.

“Go home, you shit disturber.”
 
I closed the door on her laughter. But the more I thought about it, the more I liked the idea and the hotter I got. I’d concocted a whole new fantasy in my head by the time Brent got home. I almost didn’t need his Mr Perfect, but I used what he was offering anyway. It wasn’t the first time I’d pretended with him.

For a limited time now, you can purchase Swap at the following distributors:
(this novel will no longer be available after the 30th of September)
Get it while you still can!
Totally Bound   Amazon Canada   Amazon US  Amazon UK  
All Romance Ebooks    Barnes&Noble    BookStrand

New Release - The emotional conclusion to the Always Cambridge Series - Always Holly @eXtasyBooks

Join me for the emotional conclusion to the 
Always Cambridge Series Book 6 Always Holly Available Now @ eXtasy Books
 Holly Cambridge has always dreamed of happily-ever-after. But she learned cruelly at an early age that happy endings only happen to good people. And after the things she’s done in her life, she knows she isn’t one of the worthy few.

Only the worthy are rewarded with happily-ever-after.
 
    The Always Cambridge Series chronicles the life of Holly Cambridge through her tumultuous childhood, violent teen years into adulthood, and the consequences that stem from being the daughter of mob boss Bill Cambridge.
  
                                                                 ~
 
    In this final emotional installment of the Always Cambridge Saga Series, Holly Cambridge lives a quiet unassuming life as Beth Gregory in Witness Protection.
    While drowning in heartrending grief, Holly struggles to move on with her life. Her nights are filled with nightmares of ghosts and regret. Her days seem unending, grey and lifeless. She plods through for only one reason. One very important one.
    But one surprise meeting brings a ray of light into her darkness, in the form of Victor Mayhue, the love she’d been forced to leave behind.
    However, with that glimmer of hope, Victor forces Holly to face the demons of her past. She is compelled to confess her sins and reveal the secrets she and Randy had squandered a lifetime to hide. And she must suffer the harshest judgment of all, from the one person whose esteem and respect mean more to her than life itself.
    Will the Mayhues finally destroy the existence Holly has always dreamed of by taking away the one thing she’s fought her entire life to achieve? Or in the end, will Victor ultimately realize the role he was always meant to fulfill? 
Available now at eXtasy Always Cambridge : Always Holly (expected Amazon release date September 8)
Follow the saga from the beginning... Always Cambridge 

Running  Misfortune of Birth  Law & Order Crime & Chaos  Afterlife  Always Holly 

Author Note: This series is a true saga. Each new installment begins precisely where the last ends. The books should be read in sequence. 

#MySexySaturday Hunky Highlander anyone? #erotic #timetravel #romance

Welcome to the 57th week of My Sexy Saturday.
This week, we’re traveling the universe as we give our wonderful sci-fi romance, of any subgenre, a nod to entertaining us with their wonderful stories. Have you ever wondered just what those sexy sci-fi girls are thinking when they write those fantastic stories? Well, here’s your chance to see just how good they are at weaving their unforgettable stories.


The closest to sci-fi from my backlist would have to be Lost Time, an erotic time-travel romance. Hunky Highlander anyone?


Within this frame, his curse is time… 

Hannah Keys thinks she’s setting off on the trip of her dreams—a month in England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland—but after one mishap after another—beginning with her best friend abandoning her in the airport and ending with the man of her dreams dead—she’s renaming it the vacation from hell.

When Hannah discovers a four-hundred-year-old portrait in Wales, she is intrigued and somewhat saddened by the handsome Highlander portrayed by the artist’s masterful, lifelike strokes. But when she runs into the majorly hunky model for the painting—in the flesh, in the middle of the night—she learns first-hand all about masterful strokes when she shares a night of medieval passion with him.

Lockhart Munro has been cursed inside the portrait until he meets Hannah Keys. For four hundred years, no one has heard him or seen him, let alone touched him. The one woman who can do all these things may be the key to his long-awaited freedom.

But if Hannah sets Lockhart free from his prison, will she be cursed to spend the rest of her lifetime without him?

Or perhaps freeing Lockhart will be just the beginning…

 So, here’s my 7...
Hannah was about to leave and Llach couldn’t stand the thought of her not being near him. He was loath to let her out of his sight, still fighting the darkness that was threatening. He reached for her hand. She immediately coiled her fingers around his as if he were her lifeline. Another blast of sexual heat slammed into him. Fuck! What is that? He wanted this woman, this stranger. He wanted her under him, on top of him, going down on him, crawling all over him. He could almost see it, feel it—he could smell her, he could taste her. He wanted to grab her and crush his lips to hers. His emotions were so erratic lately. He was impulsive and unpredictable. He never knew what to expect from himself anymore and this inexplicable, painful attraction he had for her just might prove his undoing.
He shook his head trying to clear it. “I know what you’re goin’ through,” he said, looking up at her. “Never knowing what’s real or imaginary. Feeling like no one believes anything you say. Wondering if you can believe yourself, your own thoughts and actions. My family share memories that I have no recollection of but they insist I was there when these things happened. I’ve had people I’ve known all my life come up to me and I don’t know them. That’s why when ya touched me I asked if I knew ya. I honestly don’t know anymore.” He moved over to the next seat, pulling her down beside him.

A tear streaked down her cheek. His chest tightened at the sight of it. He resisted the urge to reach out and catch it. “The worst is the lost time,” he continued.

“Lost time?” she whispered. Her luminescent green eyes searched his.

“Aye. Blackouts, they tell me. I do and I say things, and I don’t remember doing or saying them. Or I imagine things that are not. I dream people I don’t even know. I wake up in places that I did not go to sleep in and have no recollection of how I got there. Have ya experienced this?”

“Yes. I lost three days,” she said. He found himself spellbound by her accent and the sound of her voice. He could smell a hint of vanilla, from her shampoo he guessed, and he found himself inhaling deeply trying to absorb it into himself.

“But I feel like I lived more in those three days than I have my whole life,” she continued. “And now I just want to go back and live those three days over and over.” Her full bottom lip trembled. He wanted to reach out and trace that lovely lip with his thumb. What if she’d kissed him earlier? He wouldn’t have stopped her. Surely he would have been arrested for what would come next. Because he knew that kissing her would be explosive.

Lost Time ebook edition  Totally Bound      AMAZON     All Romance Ebooks       Barnes&Noble          BookStrand Lost Time In Print 
 Totally Bound     AMAZON     Barnes & Noble
Chapters/Indigo Canada 
I hope you enjoyed the snippet. Don’t forget to check out the other MSS authors from the linky list below.
Have a Sexy Saturday!

This #LaborDayWeekend Your Mission if You Choose to Accept It...

Coming September 1st the conclusion to the highly emotional and compelling new series Always Cambridge will be released by eXtasy Books

6 Books in 6 months! Is there any other way to devour a good series but with virtually no wait time between installments. And as of Monday, the entire series will be available. 

This Labour Day Weekend, Your Mission if You Choose to Accept It...  Catch up on the series fans, readers and reviewers are calling an addictive roller coaster. 

The Always Cambridge Series chronicles the life of Holly Cambridge through her tumultuous childhood, violent teen years, into adulthood, and the consequences that stem from being the daughter of mob boss, Bill Cambridge.

Violence, danger, hot sex, the mob, the FBI, death, an angsty love story and so much more! 

One Reviewers take on Holly Cambridge:

She is not a cardboard cut out "feisty" heroine who spews vulgarities and lets her libido make her life decisions, nor does she let herself be dominated by any of the strong male characters in the story, as attractive and dominant as they may be. She has led a life full of violence and horror, rejection and betrayal. Yet she remains positive. A bas la tristesse seems to be her motto. That's what I liked so much about her. Her fight to live, her proactive handling of her life and her fierce independence. She has dignity and integrity but she is not a goody two shoes. She is just an amazing character to follow and I can't wait to see where her story is going in the following books of the series.

Reviewer on the Heroes of Always Cambridge:

As for the three main male characters, again, the author has managed to paint three alpha males with very distinct personalities and looks, each one of them with redeeming qualities and attractiveness but each one of them also with flaws.

...I have not enjoyed a book series this much in a long time if ever.

Read the entire Review HERE

Follow the saga from the beginning...   Always Cambridge 
Running  Misfortune of Birth  Law & Order Crime & Chaos  Afterlife  Always Holly – September 1st(expected amazon launch date for Always Holly September 8)
Author Note: This series is a true saga. Each new installment begins precisely where the last ended. The books should be read in sequence.


The entire Cambridge Series to date @ eXtasy Books 

Long and Short Reviews 7th Anniversary Bash and Massive #giveaway @LASReviews #LASR_Anniv

I'm helping celebrate Long and Short Reviews Anniversary with a summer themed post and giveaway too!

Here's the link to my post. 

I hope you'll stop by and leave a comment for a chance to win a copy of Hard and Fast, a great hot summer read, perfect for beach weather. I guarantee you'll need a cool dip after reading. Meet the smouldering repairman Billy Maas. When Joss' air con unit goes on the blink, Billy makes a service call, Joss won't soon forget! (my post at LSR is all the about the real-life inspiration behind the divinely chiseled Billy.)


There are tons of prizes to be won, including gift cards and lots of awesome books from some of your favourite authors and I hope you'll discover a few new ones too!  

Happy Anniversary Long and Short Reviews!