Mary E. Thompson's Blog, page 47
January 10, 2016
Brand New World (Jan 10)
Eddie wanted to keep Emily in his arms forever. She felt right there, like she belonged. Like she was meant to be his.
Which was exactly why Eddie stepped back. Emily was still in his t-shirt. Her clothes had been moved to the bed, but nothing was missing from the pile he’d painstakingly created the night before. Picking up her skinny jeans and deep purple sweater hadn’t been that difficult, but when he pressed the clothes to his nose he’d filled himself with the scent of her, soft and sweet and perfect. The tank top she’d been wearing under the sweater showed off her peaked nipples when she’d stripped the other clothes. And when that was gone and she stood before him in her matching purple thong and push-up bra Eddie stopped breathing.
Then those garments hit the floor and she stepped toward him.
Eddie pushed the thoughts away as he backed out of the room again. “Get dressed and come have breakfast,” he grumbled on his way out the door.
He knew he was acting like an ass, but he couldn’t help it. She wasn’t his and she never would be, and that made him a grouchy asshole. He knew it. He’d known it for a long time. Eddie got close enough to Emily to know exactly how much he loved her, then stepped back whenever Nick showed up.
Eddie’s best friend.
Emily’s boyfriend.
The man who never deserved her.
The man who always had her.
But all that changed on New Year’s Eve. Eddie knew Nick would screw it up eventually. Nick wasn’t good enough for Emily, even though he’d thought the opposite. Nick had told Eddie more times than he could count that Emily wasn’t enough of a tiger in bed for him. That he was just biding his time with her until someone who could really get him going showed up. Eddie told him to let Emily go, but Nick would just laugh. He wasn’t willing to step back and let someone else have her unless he was done with her.
And apparently he was done.
But Emily was crushed. She’d started drinking. Eddie watched her closely. He hated seeing her upset. He wanted to do something for her, tell her how perfect she was, but when he finally managed to say the words she was too drunk to even notice.
Eddie knew she wouldn’t remember what he’d said. The way he’d held her on the dance floor and kissed her gently, tipping her lips up to his. Softly meeting her lips and feeling like his heart was going to burst out of his chest. She wouldn’t remember her telling him she deserved better than Nick when she’d admitted he’d broken up with her. She wouldn’t remember her asking him to make her forget him, make her feel better.
Which also meant she wouldn’t remember him refusing once he realized how drunk she was. Telling her he would only make love to her when she could remember every swipe of his tongue on her flesh, every brush of his fingers across her body, every thrust of his body into hers. And she wouldn’t remember the way she gasped and her eyes dilated as his words turned her on.
But Eddie was fairly certain all the things she would never remember, he would never forget.
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January 9, 2016
Brand New World (Jan 9)
Emily watched Eddie rush out the door and wondered what happened. She shook her head and pushed the thoughts away.
Then immediately regretted the motion.
Her head spun again and she leaned over the toilet. Nothing came out, but she heaved a few times anyway.
Emily finally managed to stand and walked back into the bedroom. She was assaulted by the scent of Eddie, something she’d never noticed before, and her knees went weak. Gripped the bed for support, she fell onto the surface, letting the soft mattress envelope her for just a minute.
Then she realized what Eddie said. Her clothes were in the bedroom. She looked down at what she was wearing.
A t-shirt.
A plain white t-shirt.
A nearly see-through plain white t-shirt.
No wonder Eddie bolted. He didn’t want to see her naked, or nearly naked. Wait… How did she get into the t-shirt?
Emily groaned and fell back onto the bed. A knock on the door startled her before she heard Eddie’s concerned voice, “Are you okay, Em?”
“Um, yeah, I’m fine,” Emily said with forced cheer. Had she slept with Eddie? If not, why was she, she peeked, yep, naked. Under his t-shirt. Her clothes were folded neatly on the dresser next to the picture Emily had been trying to see. She stood carefully and retrieved her clothes, looking at the picture of herself, Eddie, and Nick.
Her stomach rolled again. Or was that her heart? It didn’t matter. Emily was about to be sick again.
She rushed back to the bathroom and leaned over the toilet. Her body convulsed and tried to rid itself of all the bad stuff. Her head spun and her heart ached. Nick. She didn’t want to think about Nick. About the way he’d spoken to her. About how foolish she’d been. How happy she was just 24 hours ago. Hell, not even that long.
She was an idiot.
Emily heard Eddie pounding on the bedroom door. He sounded frantic. He hadn’t been afraid to come in before, why wasn’t he there with her again? She hated to admit the feel of his arms around her took away the discomfort in her stomach better than anything else. But it was Eddie. She couldn’t actually like him.
Emily forced herself back up, rinsed her mouth again, and went back to Eddie’s bedroom. He was still pounding on the door. Emily turned the knob only to find it had been locked. Why did he lock the door when he left? Emily shook off the question and unlocked the door, then let Eddie in.
His hands gripped her cheeks, wiping tears she hadn’t realized had fallen. “Are you okay?” he asked softly.
Emily nodded, staring into Eddie’s concerned eyes. His beautiful green eyes fell closed and he pulled her to him, his arms circling her again and chasing away the bad memories and feelings. She melted against him and wrapped her arms around his waist, wondering if she could just stay there forever.
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January 8, 2016
Brand New World (Jan 8)
Eddie hated seeing Emily so sick. She’d had a rough night. He knew it would only get worse, but he hoped she wouldn’t be so sick.
He ran a washcloth under cool water and pressed it against her neck. Gently, he pried her hair out of her hands and pulled it back. He wrapped a band around it very messily, he’d never done that before, but it stayed out of her face. Eddie sat behind her, cradling her back against his front, and willed his body to not react.
Not that he thought that was possible.
It was Emily. The woman he’d been in love with since he’d met her. The woman he always knew deserved better than that asshole.
Eddie caressed her back, hoping it would help her feel better, and prayed the heaving would stop soon. He’d made her his own hangover remedy, one that tasted like shit, but relieved the pressure and pain if you could choke it down. Getting the concoction into Emily might prove to be more of a challenge than he’d originally figured.
“Thank you,” Emily choked as the vomiting subsided. “I’m sorry.”
Eddie smiled to himself. That was Emily. Always apologizing for things out of her control. “No worries, Em. I just hope you feel better.”
“You know me?” she asked, trying to push back. She craned her neck and looked up at him. When her endless brown eyes met his she sighed in relief. “Eddie. Thank God. I didn’t know where I was. I thought I’d gone home with someone. You know, like slept with a stranger.”
Memories of the night before flashed through Eddie’s mind unwarranted. His body responded to the images his brain was replaying, images of Emily pressing herself against him on the dance floor. Of her crawling on his lap to kiss him in the cab. Of her stripping out of her clothes in his living room and begging him to take her to bed.
Eddie deserved a fucking medal for being a gentleman and putting her to bed. In one of his t-shirts. Alone.
He was fairly certain the only thing she was wearing was his t-shirt. He’d left her clothes on top of his dresser, but judging by how quickly she’d rushed to the bathroom, she probably hadn’t pulled on her panties.
Which meant she was bare beneath his shirt.
Eddie jumped up quickly, before Emily felt his erection against her back. “I made you a hangover drink when you’re ready for it. Your, uh, your clothes are in the bedroom. I’ll let you get dressed.”
Eddie bolted for the door, closing the bedroom door on his way out. He leaned against the wall and prayed she wouldn’t realize just how effected he was by her.
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January 7, 2016
Echoes of the Past Cover Reveal
::: SYNOPSIS ::::
Emily Bradshaw waited over twenty years to see Connor again…
When her childhood friend, Connor Walsh, returns home to see his ailing father, Emily is elated to be reunited with the handsome man who moved to London so many years ago. But excitement fades to disappointment when he doesn’t remember her—or their first kiss. With her crush on Connor still in full swing, she’s determined to enjoy the short time he’s in Fermosa Bay, even though she knows her heart will break when he returns to his life in London.
When Connor receives news that his biological father is terminally ill, he returns to Fermosa Bay, Australia.
With memories of his childhood tucked fondly in the back of his mind, returning to the small, coastal town leaves him to wonder how life would have been if his mother had never taken him away. Would he have been married and had children? Perhaps with Emily Bradshaw…
Secrets from long ago begin to unfold…
As Connor and his father grow closer, Connor learns his parents have a broken love story of their own. Will the echoes of the past lure him into staying, maybe for good? Or will he relive his parents’ tragic story and flee to London?
Walking away from a real chance at true love…
::: MEET THE AUTHOR :::
Iris Blobel was born and raised in Germany and only immigrated to Australia in the late 1990s. Having had the travel bug most of her life, Iris spent quite some time living in Scotland, London as well as Canada where she her husband. Her love for putting her stories onto paper has only emerged recently, but now her laptop is a constant companion.
Iris resides west of Melbourne with her husband and her two beautiful daughters.
Next to her job at a private school, she also presents a German Program at the local Community Radio.
CONNECT WITH IRIS BLOBEL:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IrisBlobel
Twitter: https://twitter.com/_iris_b
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4067254.Iris_Blobel
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January 6, 2016
Brand New World (Jan 6)
Emily woke up with a pounding head. She’d expected it before she started drinking, but she couldn’t fathom the intensity. It sounded like someone was running a blender inside her brain. Maybe they were. She couldn’t get any more messed up than if her brain really were in a blender.
Her heart ended up in one the night before.
With great effort, Emily forced her eyes open. Then immediately clamped them shut again.
Where the hell was she?
She remembered drinking. A lot. It was New Year’s Eve so no one thought twice about the volume of alcohol she consumed. If they did, they must have assumed it was because she was having fun. No one guessed the real reason.
But that was Emily. Never letting anyone see what she didn’t want to show them. No one got past her defenses.
Which was why being in a strange bedroom was even more confusing. Emily never went home with strangers. Never. She was careful and she only drank when she knew someone would be there to take care of her. So where the hell was she and whose bedroom was she in?
Emily opened her eyes again and tried to push past the pain behind her eyes. She was fairly certain surgery without anesthesia was less painful. Without sitting up, Emily took stock of the room. Neat. Organized. Definitely male. The sheets smelled delicious, a hint of cologne mixed with a sexy man smell she wasn’t sure she’d ever forget. Whoever she’d gone home with, she knew whenever she smelled that scent she’d think of him, even if she couldn’t remember their night together.
When she was fairly certain she wouldn’t throw up, Emily sat up. She tried to process the rest of the room, squinting in an attempt to make out the pictures sitting on the dresser across the room. The effort was too much for her though. The room spun, her stomach rolled, and she knew if wasn’t going to end well.
A frantic search revealed a door in front of her with tile floors and a sink in sight. Thank God, Emily thought as she pushed herself from the plush bed and ran for the bathroom. With a silent prayer of thanks that whoever she’d gone home with kept his bathroom clean, she shoved her head in the toilet and relieved herself of everything sitting in her stomach.
Emily struggled to keep her hair out of her face as she vomited in the stranger’s bathroom. She hoped he didn’t hear her, then heard, “It’s okay. Just get it out. You’ll feel better in a minute.”
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January 5, 2016
Shapely & Stunning, First Kiss
Of all the books in the Big & Beautiful series, this was the most challenging. I knew Lexi and Mike were lovers before the book started, but that was all I knew. Even though it comes as book three in the series, it was the last one I wrote because I couldn’t figure out the story.
But, once I did, the book poured out of me. I loved Shapely & Stunning! It might be my favorite book that I’ve ever written.
In one week you can read Shapely & Stunning, but right now you can preorder it, and get a little preview of Lexi and Mike. I think you’ll like them.
Excerpt from Shapely & Stunning
Mike and I stood there staring at each other until the rumble of Luke’s truck faded in the distance. We were alone.
“What are you doing here?” I asked the same time Mike said, “What the fuck were you doing with him?”
I sighed heavily. “You don’t get to ask me that Mike. We’re over.”
“The fuck we are, Lexi. Dammit, I told you I wasn’t letting you go that easily.”
“You didn’t look like you were fighting when Yvonne was sitting on your lap the other day,” I spat, knowing as soon as the words were out that I sounded like a jealous ex.
Mike ground his jaw some more. I started to worry he was going to actually crack a tooth. “She fell on me. She’s trying to get me into bed. I told her I wasn’t interested.”
“Well, why would you do that?” I asked innocently. “You’re an attractive single guy. You should go for it with-“
Mike’s lips came down on mine so fast I didn’t know what happened. I hadn’t even realized he was close enough to kiss me until his lips were touching mine. Without warning my lips parted and my tongue darted out to find its friends. Mike’s mouth opened and his tongue brushed mine, sending bolts of lightning through my body. I clutched at him as he backed me up into the nearest car. I didn’t know whose it was and frankly I didn’t care. My neighbor’s car was about to get my ass prints on the hood if I really had a say in the matter.
“Inside, now,” Mike growled at me, nipping my lip and thrusting his hips against mine.
“Inside the apartment or inside me?” I asked, the sexual fog making my brain fuzzy.
“Both, Lexi. Now.”
Preorder now from Amazon, Smashwords, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, or Kobo!
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January 1, 2016
Moving Forward, Looking Back (2016)
At the end of one year and the beginning of the next, I often reflect on what has past and look forward to what might be coming.
If you’ve been here a while, you already know 2015 wasn’t that great of a year for me. I’ve been telling myself 2016 will be a better year, but then I realized 2015 wasn’t that bad of a year.
Yes, I got cancer.
I also beat cancer’s ass.
A lot of things I’d been praying for in my personal life came to reality in 2015. We had a lot more good happen than bad. I saw some of my dreams come true.
Sure, getting cancer wasn’t a dream. But getting rid of it certainly was a dream come true.
At the end of the year, my family is much better off than we were a year ago. We are living where we’d hoped to live for years. We are closer to our dream house than we’ve ever been. We are all healthy and happy and together.
And at the end of the day, or end of the year, there’s nothing more we could ask for.
I hope you have a happy new year.
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December 31, 2015
Secret Santa (Dec 31)
Holly hated the way her heart leapt at the sight of him. He was wearing one of the suits she liked the most, charcoal gray with a midnight blue dress shirt beneath, no tie. The shirt set off his eyes and the dark color of the suit made his hair look even darker.
She hated how attractive he was.
She also hated that he needed to talk to her, although she knew why.
“You’re not leaving,” he said once they were inside the office. “I know you don’t have another job to go to and I’m not going to let you leave.”
Holly bristled at his demanding tone. She’d been doing fine on her own and he wasn’t about to tell her how to live her life. Sure, she was going to have to give up her home and move in with her parents if she couldn’t find something new in about a week or two, but that was her choice to make, not his.
“I’m sorry, but I don’t see where you get a say in it. You’re my boss, that’s all. No matter what I might have thought before.”
His eyes locked on hers and held, like a missile ready for launch. She knew she shouldn’t have said that last part, but it slipped out before she could clamp her mouth shut. And of course he didn’t miss anything.
“What did you think, Holly?” he asked softly, almost as though he was afraid of the answer.
“It doesn’t matter. Not now. Not after I found out you manipulated me and my son.”
He closed his eyes, hiding his thoughts and emotions from her. When he opened them again, she was startled to see everything he laid bare at her feet.
“I never meant to hurt you. When I saw you that first night… you were the most beautiful woman I’d ever laid eyes on. Once you were close enough for me to realize who you were I knew I was sunk. I hated the way you and Bobby spoke of me, but I knew you were both right. I was an ass, probably still am, but I’m trying. I don’t want you to leave. I understand why you feel like you should, but I promise you I’ll keep my distance from you. I won’t do anything to make you uncomfortable. And I still want you to work the adjusted hours we spoke of last week. Nothing’s changed except you know how much I want you.”
Holly wasn’t sure she could speak. He’d all but professed his love for her, and she stood there gaping at him like a fish gasping for breath. He couldn’t be serious though. They barely knew each other.
“You don’t even know me,” she finally managed to blurt out.
Bryan shrugged. “I know how your eyes sparkle when you look at your son, how your cheeks flush when you’re happy, how your lips part when you’re surprised. I know how you forget everything and everyone when you’re making sure Bobby is okay, how you’re dedicated to your work so much that you sacrifice everything else, and for that I’m sorry. I know you only want the best for everyone, and will put yourself last if you can do something for someone else. What I wish I knew was how your lips tasted when they touched mine, how your skin felt beneath my fingertips, the sound you’d make when I pulled you closed, the scent of your body first thing in the morning. I know I’ll never know those things, Holly, but if I were to meet Santa, and he were to give me one wish, that’s what I would wish for.”
Holly stopped breathing, seeing the truth in his eyes. He wasn’t teasing her. He was telling her the truth. So maybe she needed to tell him the truth as well.
“When I first saw you as Santa, I knew you were attractive. I also knew you were familiar. When you carried Bobby to my car you stole a piece of my heart. Then when you told me to spend more time with him you took another piece. All week you’ve been working your way past my defenses. Defenses I’ve worked a long time to construct. Defenses that came crumbling down when I realized the Santa I wanted to know and the boss I already knew were one in the same man. I was hurt, and scared, but what scared me the most was how much I wanted you.”
“Dear God, please tell me this isn’t a joke,” Bryan ground out as he stepped closer to Holly.
She tipped her head up and met his eyes, sliding her hands up his chest to his shoulders. “It’s not a joke, it’s a miracle, Secret Santa.”
Then she kissed him.
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December 30, 2015
Secret Santa (Dec 30)
Bryan hated the look in her eyes when she realized who he was. Terror and sorrow and a little bit of anger thrown in for good measure. He’d wanted to do something nice for her, but now all she saw was a vindictive man who used her for his own personal gain.
The worst part was, Bryan wondered if she was right.
He shook the thought away and pushed through the doors to his office. He was in early again, hoping to beat her in. He knew Holly was going to try to go back to her old schedule, her old ways, but he wasn’t willing to let it happen, no matter what it took to convince her. Bryan was telling her the truth about wanting her to get back to the tasks he’d hired her to do, not baby-sit him.
Bryan also wanted her to have more time with Bobby. He was a good kid who deserved having his mother around more. Just like she deserved time with him.
Bryan busied himself with making coffee and sorting through email, waiting for Holly to arrive. It was four days before Christmas and Bryan was going to make sure Holly knew, before she left for the holiday, that she wasn’t going to lose her job, she didn’t have to work like crazy, and he never lied to her.
He’d barely slept all weekend, thinking about how hurt she’d been when she found out who he was. His eyes were having trouble focusing on the words in front of him, so he stumbled across the room for some coffee than sat down and tried again.
No matter how many times he read it though, the words said the same thing.
Holly was resigning.
Bryan swore out loud and threw the wooden pencil cup from his desk across the room. It shattered on the opposite wall and made him feel only slightly better. She was still leaving.
He knew she didn’t have another job. If she did he was confident she would have told ‘Santa’ on Friday. Nope, she was just leaving. Giving her two weeks notice.
Bryan glanced up at the clock. She would be there soon, and damn if he was going to roll over and accept her walking away from him.
When Holly finally arrived, Bryan had cleaned up the splinters of wood and the pens and pencils. He’d printed out her email and had a copy of it on his desk. He knew she wasn’t going to voluntarily go see him so he waited a few minutes until she was settled at her desk then walked out.
Bryan stood beside her silently for a moment, knowing she knew he was there. She didn’t look up at him, just stared at her computer screen. When he cleared his throat she took her time peeling her eyes away from the screen before meeting his. The red around her eyes and the blotchiness in her cheeks told him she’d been crying, probably as recently as on her drive into work.
His heart sunk and he knew, he just knew, he had to make things right between them.
“Could I see you in my office, please?”
She nodded and followed him wordlessly, but she did follow him.
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December 29, 2015
Cover Reveals, Shapely & Stunning and Bulky & Beauteous
I couldn’t wait to share the covers with you for this new series. I’ve been working on them for months and finally think I’ve gotten them to where I like them. I have to admit though, the Bulky & Beauteous cover might be my favorite one of all of them. What do you think?
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