Tia Louise's Blog: ONE TO BLOG - Posts Tagged "one-to-protect"

Who's ready for more Derek + Melissa?!

First, I'm SO excited about reader response to these books--THANK YOU all so much! ((huge hugs))

ONE TO PROTECT is an idea that hatched while I was writing ONE TO KEEP. We know Sloan eventually gets what he deserves, but how? He's rich, he's got slick lawyers, he dodged a conviction before...

The setup for OTP: Melissa wants to forget the past and move forward, but Derek can't do it. He becomes a bit obsessed with making a certain ex pay and with removing a potential threat to his little family.

Patrick is (shockingly!) the cooler head this time. He sees his partner headed down a potentially illegal path, and he won't let that happen. He also sees a way to catch Sloan in the act via someone he knows intimately...

This one will be dual-POV (Derek & Melissa), and I'm having a blast getting started. Now if we can call off the snow and get the kids back in school so I can write it! ;)

Happy reading, keep in touch, and stay sexy ~ <3

Derek & Melissa have incredible chemistry. They mesh so well as characters, and they are smokin' hot together. I love writing these two.

Part of the way I prepare is by sitting and thinking about the characters, their personalities, their motivations--to get a firm image of them in my head so they act and react consistently.

Melissa is focused, smart, beautiful, strong, and stubborn. She loves Derek very much, but past experience won't let her give in to him easily. She will give in to him (who wouldn't?), and she knows it. But she still instinctively fights it.

Derek is so controlled. He's also focused, smart, stubborn, and HOT, and part of what makes him hotter is when he loses that control. (Like he did in Scottsdale.) I love being inside his head when Melissa tests him. He won't hurt her, but he does need to call the shots. And he will take her.

He's already lost one woman he loved deeply, and he's not about to lose the second one, the surprise one. Melissa has given him what he never thought he'd have again--in two ways. So he's very protective of them.

In ONE TO PROTECT, his control and his ability to have what he wants are both tested. His slip on the reins this time could land him on the wrong side of the law. Lucky for Derek, he has a friend who's got his back.

Ahh... back to the writing cave--more soon! <3

Hard at work on One to Protect, I've arrived at the point where Elaine and Patrick make their first appearance together.

Patrick is the happiest he's ever been in his life with Elaine... which of course, makes the Evil Writer in me want to throw them a curveball. (I know, if you've read One to Keep, you're thinking, "Another one?")

Back to what makes him so sexy.

In my imagination, Patrick's the hot charmer who always gets the girls. He's got that wicked grin, he's impulsive, he's completely uninhibited in bed...

All of those things get him into trouble, but in true ladykiller fashion, he manages to get out of it. The golden-brown hair and hazel eyes don't hurt. Along with his smokin' bod. (Thanks to training with his business partner.)

He's all these things that should make him an asshole, but he's unexpectedly thoughtful. Dangerously sweet.

Elaine loves to feel dominant. Patrick is dominant, but he also likes being her little bad boy. They're electric together.

I guess I'll let them enjoy their happiness for now. *wink*

I hope you have a Happy Valentine's Day! If you're looking for book fun, join my Valentine's Weekend Scavenger Hunt! We're having Flash Giveaways, Hot Contests, and a chance to Win the signed set of One to Hold + One to Keep.

More info is here: https://www.facebook.com/events/39615...

I'm back to writing. Stay sexy~

Oh, the delayed gratification!

I'm right in the middle of ONE TO PROTECT, which I LOVE--Derek + Melissa fans should be very happy with this one... *shivers*

and ONE TO LOVE keeps flashing in my mind every time I turn on Pandora! Every song has me diving down the rabbit hole after Kenny and her love affair with Mr. X.

Mr. X and his aloofness, his ice blue eyes and tattoos. What are all these secrets he's hiding? Why does he resist her? What happens when he finally stops?

I know the answers, of course, and they're HOT and shocking and thrilling...

l went on and made a playlist of all these songs driving me crazy. It's here: https://play.spotify.com/user/authort...

more on that soon~

**ONE TO HOLD/ONE TO KEEP fans...

•♥•.¸¸.•♥• LOVE NOTES •♥•.¸¸.•♥•
If you missed all the Valentine's Day fun on Facebook, check out the GORGEOUS "Love Notes" from

*Derek to Melissa: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/42193105...

*Patrick to Elaine: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/42193105...

Also,
•♥•.¸¸.•♥• SEXY •♥•.¸¸.•♥•
Derek had a very special Valentine's Day treat for Melissa. You can read about it here:
http://bookboyfriendreview.blogspot.c...

I hope you all had a loving, warm Valentine's Weekend in spite of the snow.

Back to writing ONE TO PROTECT with me!

*Newsletter subscribers get special sneak peeks from One to Protect. If you want to sign up, here's the link: http://eepurl.com/Lcmv1

Stay sexy~ <3
#backsoon

I'm in the cave, so here's a sneak peek at what's happening... this excerpt is from Derek's POV~

ONE TO PROTECT
By Tia Louise
*unedited draft, subject to change*
expected release April 2014
© 2014, Tia Louise

Her fingers touch my brow and smooth it back. “You’re less tense than you were when I got here, and now I have to leave again.”

“You forget, I’m trained for long separations.” Even as I’m saying it, I know nothing makes telling her goodbye easier.

She pushes up into a sitting position and moves me onto my back. “So being a Marine means you don’t miss me?” Her elbows are bent, and one cheek rests on her palm.

I can’t help laughing at her eyes narrowed in disbelief. I’m not fooling anyone. “I miss you like the worst pain in the world. Like missing water in the desert.”

“That’s something you have experience with.”

Catching her neck, I pull her forward for a kiss, but she arches away before I can take it further. “Tell me more about your training. You haven’t mentioned any special skills. Can you fly a plane?”

I shake my head. “Sorry, darling. No piloting for me, but I think Patrick did some flying—”

“I don’t believe it. You know things.”

Pressing my lips together, my eyes move down to her chin then to her slim neck. Yes, I know things.

“You keep so many secrets from me,” she sighs. “What are you thinking now?”

“The things I know aren’t things you want to hear about.” Reaching over, I slide my palm down the curve of her waist.

She catches my cheeks in her hands and draws my gaze back. “I want to know everything about you.”

For a moment I hesitate. Then my eyes are drawn to the scar, that tiny silver line that starts at the top of her forehead, just above her temple, and disappears into her hairline. “I can kill a man with my bare hands.”

Our eyes meet again, and I can tell she knows where my thoughts have gone. “Have you ever done it?”

When I answer her, my voice is quiet. “I’ve had to kill people.”

Her hands move to my shoulders, and her voice is equally quiet. “I’m sorry. I’m not trying to bring up painful memories. We don’t have to talk about it.”

Wrapping my arms around her torso, I pull her closer so I can kiss her neck. “Have I told you how amazing you are?”

A laugh bubbles in her throat. “You always say that. I’m not so amazing.”

Rolling us so she’s on her back, I look down into her beautiful face. “You’re smart and beautiful. You’re incredibly busy, but you make time to show up here—”

“When I know you need me.” Leaning down, I kiss her jaw as she continues. “Besides, I can work from anywhere.”

“Then work from here.”

“You can work anywhere, too.”

Our old argument. Neither of us chases it any further—not on our last morning. We’re counting down the hours before we’re apart again, and instead I focus on trailing my lips down to her collarbone, where my floating heart lies. Lower to her breasts until we’re lost once more...

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stay sexy~ <3

Today I've got another Special (exciting!) Sneak Peek from One to Protect for you!

One to Protect is the latest Derek + Melissa novel, and it's due out mid-April 2014. See what you think so far:

One to Protect
By Tia Louise
*unedited draft, subject to change*
expected release April 2014
© 2014, Tia Louise


Nikki was still talking, but I wasn’t listening. Cold realization flashed in my brain like lightening striking a tree.

Jessica Black. It was the name on the email Melissa had put in front of me that day she visited our offices. The day she dropped a nuke on all my dreams of a life with her, when she revealed my former “mentor,” her ex-husband Sloan Reynolds’s secret double-life. He had high-end escorts all over the country, and Jessica Black was his first careless slip. Melissa had found it.

Nikki was still reminiscing as I spun around in my chair, shaking my computer awake. Fingers flying over the keys, I pulled up all the information I could find on the dead girl.

She’d been living in Baltimore for three years. I wondered if she followed him from wherever they’d hooked up the first time. Why would she do that? Was it possible she was in love with him? Was it for the money? Had he promised her anything?

It didn’t matter. She’d disappeared off the police blotter from the time she arrived there until now, when she’d turned up dead.

Reasons scrolled across my brain of all the possible causes of death, but looking at her beaten face, all I could see was the photo Melissa had put in front of me all those months ago.

My instincts were on high alert. Sloan was getting antsy, and I knew what he wanted. Jessica Black might look like the real thing, but she wasn’t it.

Substitutes would never fill the possession he felt. I’d followed enough of these twisted fucks to know. He was coming for Melissa, and it was just a matter of when.


Add One to Protect to your TBR list today: http://bit.ly/1neSMkD

* * *

What's this about an eARC?

► I'm putting together a special "Invitation Only" list for eARCs of One to Protect! Want to be on it? Sign up for my newsletter, and get all the deets: http://eepurl.com/Lcmv1

And if you like Book Trailers, check out this HOT new one for One to Keep: http://vimeo.com/88268296

Thanks for reading!

~ stay sexy! ~

<3

First, HUGE thanks to everyone who joined us for yesterday's (St.) PATRICK'S DAY event! It was super fun, and lots of prizes were given out.

Today, I've got an excerpt showing BOTH our favorite guys doing what they do best. See what you think~


✥✥✥ EXCLUSIVE EXCERPT ✥✥✥
ONE TO PROTECT
By Tia Louise
*unedited draft, subject to change*
expected release April 2014
© 2014, Tia Louise


The cottage is dark when I arrive at 6 a.m. Elaine is the only one with an early wake-up call, so it’s possible I can get into Melissa’s room before they’re up and stirring.

Driving all night might not have been the most restful approach, but with the energy surging through my chest, I knew I wouldn’t get any sleep anyway. I’ll nap a few hours this morning and be ready to go without losing a day.

Dropping my duffel by the stainless fridge inside, I ease off my boots and place them one at a time by the door, doing my best to keep quiet. Grabbing a water bottle, I head to Melissa’s bedroom, but I nearly slam it against the skull of a half-dressed Patrick.

He’s right around the corner, holding a wooden baseball bat high, like he’s about to use my head for the winning homer in the World Series.

“SHIT!” we both whisper-shout.

“What the fuck?” Patrick lowers the bat and breathes.

I recognize the energy surging through his muscles. It matches the rapid tweaking of my own, and I take a second to recover.

“You could’ve shot me a text.” He drops onto the couch. “Did you fucking drive all night?”

“Couldn’t sleep.” I clap his shoulder as I pass. “Glad to see you’re on your toes. You’re officially off guard duty.”

“Hey!” I pause, and he tosses me the bat. “Happy to help. I’m going back to bed.”

Catching his “weapon,” my brow lines. “Think you’ll be able to sleep?”

“Nope.” That grin spreads across his face. It’s the same one that used to tick me off because I knew it meant I’d be cleaning up his shit sooner rather than later.

“Just keep it down. I don’t need to hear that.”

He points back at me as he heads down the hall. “Right back atcha.”

Shaking my head, I turn Melissa’s bedroom door handle as softly as possible. Unlike my younger partner, I don’t plan to wake her this early. I know the pregnancy makes her tired, and I’ll be content to be beside her. It’ll be the first good rest I’ve had in four days, knowing she’s beside me and safe.

She’s curled in her familiar sleeping position, and I can’t help a smile as the warmth of love fills me. I will never get tired of watching this woman sleep.

Jeans off, I whip the thin, navy sweater I’m wearing over my head and slip into her king-sized bed. She doesn’t even stir, and I’m happy she feels so secure with Patrick in the house. He might have been a pain in my ass in the past, but he’s more than made up for it with this assignment.

* * *

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<3 Thanks for reading! <3

~stay sexy~

It's Release Week for One to Protect, and celebrations are happening all week on Facebook!



Several Book Bloggers are holding giveaways...

★★★ LOVE & WIN ★★★
Enter to WIN one of two Signed Copies of One to Protect, a Super SWAG Pack, or an Amazon Gift Card here~
➜ http://tinyurl.com/nhz46ww

✥✥✥ EXCLUSIVE EXCERPT ✥✥✥
For an exclusive, sexy SNEAK PEEK of One to Protect, go here~
➜ http://wp.me/p2YIUs-3PN

Get your copy of One to Protect Today!
Amazon US: ‪http://amzn.to/1moNHrG
Nook: ‪http://bit.ly/RBflaL
Google Play: ‪http://bit.ly/1qU5Uzl
ARe: ‪http://bit.ly/1mdbTzr
Kobo: http://bit.ly/1h7ueux
iTunes: *coming soon!*

•♥•.¸¸.•♥• THANK YOU •♥•.¸¸.•♥•
Thank you so much for buying and reading my books! If you like them, be sure to leave reviews!

stay sexy~

It's Teaser Tuesday... who wants a peek at Slayde?

ONE TO LOVE
by Tia Louise, (c) 2014
*unedited draft, subject to change*
✮ Everywhere Oct. 9! ✮


Everything went away when I was boxing. Elbows tight, my gloves were right at my cheekbones, a little brush before each hand shot out like a cannon, hitting with an explosive force I felt through my entire shoulder, down through my torso.

I didn’t know how long I’d gone at it before I finally let loose with my signature move, the Slayer Death Attack, a rapid-fire volley of jabs and hooks. High-volume punching not a single fighter could beat. Every time I used it, my opponent hit the mat. I was the victor.

It was so good. I was a junkie freebasing the best coke on the planet. All the shit was gone, and it was just the fight and me.

I felt the rumble rising at the base of my throat until I backed away, slamming my fists against the wall, resting my head on my gloves as I returned to this room.

It’s why I would’ve been the champ. I was young, and I was fit, and I could keep that shit up for days.

But in one moment, I lost it all. Those dreams were gone. I’d never have it again, just like my life would never be the same, just like I’d never find her.

Anger. Deep, dark, violent, and bitter anger stirred in my chest. It was the heat rising, and I opened my mouth to let out the rage…

That’s when I heard her voice, and I turned around.

Teetering on the edge of giving up, of quitting and losing all the ground I’d gained, she spoke to me through the fog of heartbreak. I looked up, and the noise died away.



*¨*.¸¸.✶*¨`* Kenny + Slayde *.✫*¨*.¸¸.✶*¨`*
-Pre-order ONE TO LOVE: http://smarturl.it/OTLAA

► Get caught up today!
-ONE TO HOLD (Derek & Melissa): http://smarturl.it/OTHAA
-ONE TO PROTECT (Derek & Melissa): http://smarturl.it/OTPAA
-ONE TO KEEP (Patrick & Elaine): http://smarturl.it/OTKAA

* * *

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*¨*.¸¸.✶*¨`* Kenny + Slayde *.✫*¨*.¸¸.✶*¨`*
Having a little fun with a hot recent release...

ONE TO LOVE
by Tia Louise, (c) 2014
*unedited draft, subject to change*
✮ Everywhere Oct. 9! ✮

Everything was cleaned and squared away by early afternoon, and I headed back to the front to return my key and check out.

I’d done my best to avoid members, and I’d only passed a brief greeting to Pete, who seemed to be the only trainer working this weekend besides Tammy. He was nice enough, but I didn’t take it any further.

A slender girl with light-brown hair pulled up in a long, messy ponytail was behind the bar now, and without even looking, I could feel her watching me closely.

“Hey.” She spoke fast, like a short order cook. “It’s Slayde, right? What brings you to The Jungle Gym?”

I was tired and hungry and not in the mood to answer questions, so I didn’t.

Without looking up, I went to my slot, where I found another bag waiting for me. Pulling it out, I shoved my key in its place, catching another whiff of what smelled like food in the mystery package. I wanted to go to the truck and open it right away, but when I turned around, the girl was doing something with her hands.

My brow lined as I watched her. She waved her hands in a sweeping motion then circled one around her finger. The entire time her eyes bored into mine as if they were attempting to communicate silently.

“What are you doing?” My voice was husky from not talking all day.
She straightened, blinking fast, and her cheeks flushed slightly. “I was asking if you spoke sign language.”

“Why would you ask me something like that?” I surveyed her appearance—long, tie-dyed smock over a white tank and jeans that were shredded at the knees. Around her neck were several necklaces in addition to the lanyard holding her key, and her fingers were covered in rings.

“You didn’t answer when I spoke to you, so I thought maybe…” Her light-brown eyes traveled down to my throat. “I just finished this novel about a guy with no voice. It was really hot.”

“I can speak just fine. I’m also tired and hungry. I’ve been here since seven, and I don’t feel like answering twenty questions.” Even that much explanation was pissing me off.

Her eyebrows rose, and she leaned forward on the bar, giving me a little smile. “I can make you a matcha-tea smoothie if you want. It’s my newest specialty. Very relaxing and full of protein.”

“I don’t like smoothies.” It was a lie. I didn’t have money to pay for it.

“Oh, I’m a wizard at them. You’ll love it.” She leaned back and eyed me up and down. “I’m Mariska, by the way.”

“I’ll take a pass, Mariska. I’m heading out.”

Her pink lips pressed together in a thin line. She was pretty. Hell, she was really pretty, but I wasn’t interested in female drama, much less from a hippie-chick who spoke sign language.

“You’re going to have to try one at some point. I’m here every day but Friday.” She gave me a wink, but I kept going. “See you tomorrow!”

* * *

Know what book Mariska's referencing? Hop over and WIN some SWAG on the Facebook page*: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorTiaLouise

► Get all the ONE TO HOLD books today!
-ONE TO HOLD (Derek & Melissa): http://smarturl.it/OTHAA
-ONE TO KEEP (Patrick & Elaine): http://smarturl.it/OTKAA
-ONE TO PROTECT (Derek & Melissa): http://smarturl.it/OTPAA
-ONE TO LOVE (Kenny & Slayde): http://smarturl.it/OTLAA

*Giveaway ends 10/1/14