Autumn Lishky's Blog

A NEW SHORT STORY | Workplace Taboos: BEN III

excerpt

Sarah splayed across his desk, panting as Ben’s fingers worked her to another orgasm. Her pulsing pussy made him hungry for her.

Ben found that he was always hungry for her.

Leaning down, he sucked her clit into his mouth and was rewarded with her soft cry. Three dates outside of these walls, and he wanted more. Wanted to take her home again, but she’d refused.

Ben worked hard not to push her too fast. All of her confidence hid some kind of hurt that shut her down when prodded.

Oh, but like this, she was completely transparent for him.

Her hips lifted to his mouth following the languid laps of his tongue as he withdrew his fingers from her throbbing core. Sarah was so fucking greedy for pleasure, and he was more than happy to offer her more.

Thrusting his tongue into her arched her back, and her moan vibrated through him. Could the Tiffanys hear her through the walls? Part of him hoped so.

Devouring her became his new passion. Every touch and lick and kiss, every thrust and plunge, every caress became his obsession. Sarah had become his obsession.

He tried to show her instead of telling her.

As much as she valued words and honesty, those would send her walls back up, and he’d only begun to chip them down.

Her hand sank into his hair, hips stilling as he found the spot she liked. The way her noises turned soft and breathy signaled her impending orgasm.

Ben doubled down, pressing into her harder until her toes curled and her shoulders lifted from the polished wood. 

Freeing himself had his hand around his cock as she pulsed against his tongue.

Her grip loosened, so he shoved to his feet, towering over her as she seemed to enjoy. His cock pressed against her wet pussy as he licked his lips.

Sarah shuddered, but her hips lifted at the weight of him nestled against her. “Fucking temptation never stops.”

Her grin tapped into his drive to claim her. She had no idea how dangerous she was to his sanity. To his control. The sparkle in her hazel eyes said that she might know.

Fuck, he couldn’t wait to be inside her.

Ben ran his head through her soaking folds, spreading her juices over his skin before he pressed in. He bit back his groan as she opened to him, and he slid home.

Her small whimper dug claws into his heart. How could he feel this way about someone who wasn’t his wife? About someone who only showed glimpses of herself to him?

After a few thrusts, Sarah reached for him. Ben leaned over to give her access, and her hands were under his shirt in less than a beat, tracing the movement of his muscles, touching his skin like she needed it.

It made him feel needed by proxy, and he wanted to believe she did. In some way.

Her gaze flashed up to his, and he bent closer, hiking her legs back and tightening her around him.

Sarah’s grip shifted, circling around his neck and pulling him in for a kiss. The sweet noises that vibrated between them overwhelmed him. He couldn’t last like this. Shouldn’t, given it was only their lunch break.

But Ben would prolong every interaction with her if he could because it would mean she stayed with him a little longer.

An inch in retreat dropped her fingers to his mouth. She panted softly, and he nipped at her. 

This was his favorite position, front row, center, for her pleasure, for the impending orgasm he was tapping into her.

“You’re beautiful when you’re about to come.”

Sarah laughed between her moans, brows creasing as her knees shook in his elbows and her core fluttered around him.

He took his cue, driving himself toward his own end as cried out and bucked beneath him. She didn’t make one move to stop him, goading him instead with the little noises at the back of her throat.

But her eyes did him in—how intently she looked at him as he unraveled above her—and he fell into her.

Read the rest of Ben’s story here.

Moving to Mating Metropolis means giving into sexual whims with neighbors, co-workers, and strangers. It means forgoing long-held taboos.

Ben is a man obsessed. Sarah occupies more time in his thoughts than she should be allotted, but he has no defenses against her magnetism.

When they finally have the moments he’s been craving—the opportunity to have her in a bed again—he finds they share before more invigorating.

How will she react when he requests more intimacy from her?

Dive into this short, playful erotica story now.

A New Short Story | The King Will Finger You

EXCERPT

Omi had a magic about her, a general draw that could easily be dangerous. It was why he’d assigned her a team of guards around the clock. Even that had been trying at first.

The strength of her succubus power was still unknown, and Theo had spent hours reading the archives, his father’s diaries, her mother’s, too. His father and hers were brothers, but she was not his uncle’s child. They clearly knew Omi was the spawn of an incubus, but they made a sweet and loving family, so no one treated them differently.

Who was Theo to judge when he didn’t know why they’d made the choices they did? They’d been happy together.

Omi slowly pressed a chocolate between her lips, letting it pop and crunch between her teeth slowly. The squirt of the jam filling and the delight in her gaze brought him back from his thoughts.

How she met his gaze with brazen heat made his cock jerk to life.

The clock in the hall clanged midnight, softly echoing in his sitting room. Naomi would turn sixteen in thirty-nine minutes. Theo didn’t know what to expect.

“We should discuss what might happen tonight—when you’re finished.”

Nodding, Omi took another big bite of the cheesecake. It was half gone already. That was something he’d always enjoyed about his cousin. She could eat and eat a lot. It didn’t take her long to clear the platter, and she savored the last bite of cheesecake as he stepped forward again.

The fork lingered in her mouth as he neared. He brushed her hair back from her face with one hand, slowly pulling the fork from between her lips with the other.

Her breathing went erratic, and he swore he could hear her heart pounding.

But when she blinked rapidly and gripped his arms, he pulled her away from the hot hearth and toward a backless settee by the heavily cloaked windows. Theo drew the curtains away as she sat, and she pressed her forehead to the cold glass.

“You’re all right.”

Omi nodded, slowly recovering, her hands still clinging to his arm.

Theo knelt beside her, smoothing her hair from her face again, tucking the strands behind her ear and holding her until she met his gaze again. No confusion or cloudiness, just want.

Leaning in parted her mouth, tipped her head toward him, and the soft intake of air when their lips brushed annihilated him. A spark drove down his center, so he kissed her more firmly. The small noise in the back of her throat sank claws into him.

Gods, was this her succubus power or simply her?

Gathering all of his strength, he forced himself to pull back. Their heavy breathing mixed in the air between them.

“We have little time to talk before—”

Omi swallowed and nodded.

“You’ve been conducting your own research?”

“Yes.” Her voice came out as mostly breath, and it twisted so many naughty things inside of him.

“You understand the kind of tests and training we will need to implement over the next year?” Until her power could be fully harnessed and controlled. Fully understood.

Her fingers played with the collar of his shirt. “Yes.”

“I will do my best to ease you through it. Find ways to make it the most pleasurable I can for you.” Surely, not all of it would be pleasant. Training of any kind never was, but with how invasive it would be for Omi, he’d do everything in his power to make it easier on her.

Those teasing fingers toyed with his throat and the edge of his collarbone. Fuck, he wanted her hands splayed across his skin.

“Have you been touched before?”

Bright pink spread across her cheeks, and she gave a small affirmation.

He brushed the heat of her skin with his thumb. “That’s okay. But I’ll need you to tell me how much and where.”

Asking felt perverse, but he couldn’t know where to start unless he knew what she’d already done.

Omi took his hand and cupped it under her breast. “When my hormones flair, they hurt, and I’ve had them rubbed.”

“Just rubbed?” He lightly squeezed the swell of flesh.

Shaking her head, she whispered a no against his mouth. “Rubbed, sucked on, played with on bad days. Until I come.”

Fuck, the strain of his cock caught a groan in his chest. “Only playing with your nipples?”

“Sometimes a thigh between mine, so I can grind and seek relief.”

Struggling not to ask who and when and how often, Theo nodded and took a small breath. “What else?”

“Nothing else.”

“No fingering, oral, penetration?”

“No.”

Oh, the innocence. He wanted to be all of her firsts. “That’s going to change. Very quickly.”

Her breath quickened again. “I know.”

Surging to his feet, he lifted her and turned, sitting with his back to the armrest and spreading her over his lap.

Omi sank her hand into his hair, and their mouths met the moment he had her settled. Already her hips canted over his hard-on and her muted moan tightened his fingers over her flesh. Meeting her slow thrusts, Theo struggled to rein himself in.

Gods, he wanted to be inside of her.

Not tonight.

Not if he could help it.

Read the rest of Omi and Theo’s story here.

Dirty promises.

Broken innocence.

A well-kept secret.

Omi is the only full-blown succubus in the collective kingdoms.

And Theo, her king, will be in charge of her training.

He’ll take all of her firsts, personally uncovering her powers.

Because Omi is an asset Theo doesn’t want to lose.

MY BOOK WILL BE featured in bite me box

Y’all, I wrote a fan fiction of my Wooing the Alpha series and made it a cozy fantasy.

Bite Me Box picked up a special, signed edition of it on sale until the end of the month at bitemebox.com, so order one now!

To celebrate, here’s an excerpt from the full-length novel.

Read the Selected Spicy Chapters Below!

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE (WINTER)

I arrived in the south by the Cliffs, freshly washed and ready to head home for some peace and quiet. The last couple of days were filled with a lot of travel and redirection. Another few long days until I had access to a hot shower.

But now, I could move without the stiffness of dirt chafing my skin, and I could find a decent meal before I returned to the quiet torment of my life.

Funny how I’d never really seen it that way before.

Gingerbread wafted across my path, pausing me in the street. Then, I saw him across the road before a carriage trotted by. Basil, the soldier who’d kissed me and rolled around in my tent but refused to sleep with me. Part of me screamed to ignore him since he’d disappeared before I woke up.

He caught my gaze with his bright blue eyes, and I felt stuck in place, breath catching on nutmeg and molasses again as he crossed the street. That smile of his was infectious, pulling one at the corners of my mouth. I fought it back.

When he stood in front of me again, so close that the heat of him tried to draw me in, Basil looked at me with that emotion I struggled to define. “Hey, sweetheart.”

I frowned at him. “I am not your sweetheart.”

That spread his grin wider. “Let me make it up to you.”

I narrowed my eyes and crossed my arms over my chest. “Make what up to me?”

Basil tucked a loose strand of hair from my face. “For getting called away. I didn’t want to leave, but I had to.”

His touch left a spark in its wake, and my nostrils flared. 

“The clan is in the middle of their week-long fair. Let me take you.”

“That sounds an awful lot like a date.”

His slender shoulders shrugged, the button-up collared shirt accentuating them nicely. “What if it is?”

“I don’t go on dates.” I never have. Didn’t see the appeal of romance and everything that came with it. Sex was easy. Emotions were not.

Basil tugged my hand free, dropping my defensive posture. “There’s a first time for everything.”

Taking a deep breath only filled my lungs with his scent, so I stepped forward when he turned to lead me down the sidewalk, keeping my hand and linking those impossibly long fingers between mine.

Why did that simple gesture send such a spark through me? Why did the slow, drawn-out way he courted me make me want him so badly? Why couldn’t I just drag him to a hotel room, throw him down, and take what I wanted from him?

I want so much more than one night with you. The way he’d whispered those words against my skin before he crawled into my tent behind me sent a shiver down my spine.

Like he read my mind, Basil lifted my knuckles to his lips. And that look made my knees wobbly. Why do you look at me like that?

Mechanical noise and children squealing greeted us when we weaved our way to the edge of town. I squeezed his hand, not great around children. Not even as a child had I been great with others.

“Don’t run away on me.”

I hadn’t yet. As many opportunities as I’d had.

Basil leaned in, his breath brushing my ear. “I bet I can beat you at the water race.”

My frown deepened to a competitive glare. “And what do I get if I win?”

“Whatever you want.” The promise lingered against my skin; he pulled me over to a booth with water guns and a line of metal wolves set at the starting line. Basil placed a few dollars on the counter for the man running the game as he called more players to join.

Two others took up the handles at the other end, and Basil winked at me before the man in charge called for us to start.

Water sprayed hard and unruly before I aimed it at the narrow opening in the clown’s mouth. My metal wolf jutted forward, sprinting for the finish line alongside Basil’s.

Come on. Come on.

It didn’t matter how hard I squeezed the handle, the water only streamed out so fast, and in the end, Basil’s wolf reached the end with less than an inch between us.

I let out a hard breath when his smug smile turned to me. His fingers brushed the backs of my arms, and his smug transformed into genuine joy. Goddess, why did he have to look at me like that?

“Again.” This time, I paid because I could.

I enjoyed how he didn’t try to stop me.

When his wolf made it to the finish line with the same minuscule gap, I suppressed the fit swelling inside. I was not a poor sport, no matter what anyone else said. Still, the things were rigged.

My attention darted across the other tents and booths as Basil coaxed my hand back into his.

I let him lead. This was not a scenario I maintained great comfort in.

Kids screamed and cried and laughed and made all of the noise in the world. It was disconcerting just how loud they could be en masse like this. 

He stopped us in front of another game, and I grinned at the fluffy clown faces and bean bags. Basil paid for our first round, and we were evenly matched at knocking over those faces. Ching. Ching, ching, ching. 

They fell in quick succession, and the man in the booth howled at our competitive speed. We knocked into each other once we threw the last bean bag, and his arm came around my shoulders. Tension drew us tighter together.

“You are a beast.” Basil pointed to the stuffed alligator hanging from the top of the booth. “How many wins for that one?”

“Five.”

“Guess we have a few more rounds to play then.” His wide grin was even brighter up close; it smoothed away the panic of being against him, especially in public. Touch sliding down my back, he took my hand again as if he could read my mind. “After this one, we’ll find you a treat.”

“You don’t presume it’s you?” So many men did.

“No.” His words dropped in my ear. “You are. Watching you eat is.”

I snorted. Why would my eating be a treat? Although he did seem to feed me often. My eyes narrowed at him in suspicion.

“You always seem happy when you’re eating. I figured with your appetite, I can offer you an afternoon of happiness. Or at the very least, contentment.”

I didn’t have much time to think through that with the beanbags stacked for me to throw. The round went quickly, and I knocked down one more clown face than Basil. My pride had me hopping in place. Basil’s arms circled me, having me bounce into his chest.

As slender as he was, he was still wider and taller than me. Hard male to my softer female. 

I leaned into him, hands running up his back. I didn’t do this, touch men in public, show any special attention to, well, pretty much anyone. But his molasses and nutmeg scent drew me in. I wanted his mouth on me again nearly as badly as I wanted food.

“You like to win.”

A nod had me peering up at him. “So do you.”

“Yes. Although I much more prefer not to lose.”

I laughed. “To most, there isn’t a difference.”

“But you know better.”

Touching his lip had him suck in a sharp breath, that look of his deepening with other wants and desires. What was that extra thing? It didn’t make sense.

“Come on, one more, and we get the alligator.”

“Why do you want the alligator?”

“Because it’s a swamp creature.”

His thumb stroked the pulse in my neck, and my lungs seized. I turned toward the game again, and the male manning it smiled knowingly. It sent heat into my cheeks as I took a bean bag in my hand. 

Basil stepped in beside me, looking thrilled. Like a kid with a pile of presents on their birthday.

We made an even go of it again, which sent us both into laughter.

The game attendant handed Basil the stuffed alligator, and Basil tucked it between us as his long arm returned around my shoulder.

“So what do you think first? Tacos, funnel cake, a blooming onion, pie…”

“Corn dog. The giant ones. Two, please.”

His laughter made me so warm.

I bought the dogs without argument. He didn’t challenge my dominance in those ways. Didn’t seem to mind my independence. Didn’t tell me not to behave like me because women weren’t meant to be brash and angry and strong-willed.

The first dog went down quickly. Before I realized it. Like normal.

That’s why I got two. I could slow down on the second and enjoy the taste a bit more. The all-beef dog carried a lot of flavor. They’d fried it so that the breading was perfectly crisp and fluffy and not bogged down with grease. Instead, it held its own to the dog. 

It took Basil as long to eat one as it did for me to eat two, but when we were done, he towed me back to the games. The next one was darts, and I saw a theme. We passed ones that invited luck. Basil focused on skill instead. Skills we both possessed.

Winning prizes was easy since we tied so often, and we gave them all away to kids except for the alligator. I’d keep that one.

He escorted me to several booths with fried foods, taking a bite of my oversized plate most of the time, except for the funnel cake. He got strawberries and chocolate on top.

A sweet tooth.

I was partial to cheeses and meats, but I devoured my own cake dusted with powdered sugar. When he pointed out fried butter on one of the menus, I couldn’t contain my curiosity and excitement. I loved butter. Sometimes eating it in stick form.

Basil’s laugh held no taunt. “You must try it.”

Biting into it left a hollow center with a half-melted ball of butter. I slurped the liquid out to Basil’s cringe. My tongue dipped in to scoop out a little of the solid mass left over.

I might have simply shoved them in my mouth if not for this alpha’s attention.

Once I finished the four in my basket, his gaze heated me up, and I pulled him around the back of the food truck and pressed myself against him, taking his mouth in a hot kiss flavored in butter. He moaned softly and leaned into me hard.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR (BASIL)

The salty flavor of fried butter on Winter’s tongue sent me into a tailspin, leaning her against the back of the truck like I might hump her right there. She grabbed me and held on, and I wanted nothing less than to drag her away.

Our kiss didn’t last. Common decency must be at least remotely maintained.

When her mouth fell from mine, I couldn’t help my smile.

“Come try the strong man test.”

Her grin and the way she sized me up dealt a sucker punch.

I was enamored with her. Beyond the sex appeal and compatibility, I didn’t want to let her go again. Not unless someone ripped her from my grip.

I escorted her to the game, and she let me go first. Whatever she wanted.

The hammer had weight to it, but it wasn’t heavier than the weapons we handled daily. My swing rocketed the metal into the bell.

Winter took the hammer from my hands, her own slipping along my bare forearms below where I’d rolled up my shirt sleeves.

My hands tucked into my pockets as I stood back to watch. She looked so dainty in her black tee and tight jeans, hair curling around her waist and shoulders, across her throat. Her muscles appeared when she readied the hammer, swinging it with a fluid grace that spoke of her strength. 

That small piece of metal zinged up into the bell as fast as mine had.

Winter smiled at me, then she peered around at the kids gawking at her. Her happiness dimmed.

I tugged her forward to block them out and said, “Breathtaking.”

I hoped she saw how much I meant it. If she knew everyone else saw her that way, too, I’d be screwed, but I still wanted her to know.

Her touch crept around my waist, spreading warmth through my shirt as she closed around me. Winter lay her head on my shoulder, taking a deep breath. Pink splayed across the part of her cheek exposed to me, attracting my thumb along that delicate swoop before my fingers sank into her hair.

I tipped her face up toward mine. “They’re all simply in awe of you, sweetheart. Can’t blame them for being struck.”

Her snort was adorable, and the wilderness of her eyes sent me tumbling.

She let me kiss her, chaste, amongst the children and families milling around.

“We should collect our prize. We have many more to win yet.” I dropped the words softly in her ear, and her grip tightened on me before she let go, taking the stuffed alligator squashed between us with her.

She hadn’t given it to a kid yet like she did all of the others. It sent hope soaring in my chest. 

I took Winter Jarl to a fair, and it was a real date. Her first.

We played more games, venturing to the lucky ones when we ran out of challenges, but she schooled me on the rope ladder, speeding up that thing like a monkey to win the big prize. I managed to crawl up it after I flipped over, but her agility knew no bounds.

My thoughts turned to her crawling on top of me instead. Or under me. Gods, it really didn’t matter.

Once every game had been played and most of the treats consumed, Winter curled against me again. This time, she didn’t hide, and it caught my breath in my lungs with a hard pang to have her looking at me that way.

“Do you have a hotel room?”

I did. Next to Fang, who had ordered room service and would probably spend the entire night to himself.

Now, he might get more entertainment than he’d planned on.

My nod had her stumbling me backward, out of the fair and toward town, the only place I could be staying. “Show me.”

I would. I walked faster than normal, and Winter kept pace right beside me, hand in mine as we marched through town to the small hotel. On the second floor, we both breathed heavily when I pulled the key from my pocket.

She grabbed me and pulled my mouth down to hers before I got the key in the lock. I growled into her kiss, wanting her more than life.

Fingers in my hair, Winter pressed her body against mine, and I slid the key into place, abandoning it to keep her close for a few extra heartbeats, then I unlocked the door and pitched us both inside.

She nimbly unbuttoned my shirt as I kicked the door closed.

I smoothed her tee up her back. Her touch spread across my chest and stomach. My groan dropped her mouth from mine, and I pulled her shirt over her head. Another needy kiss erupted between us.

It felt like she might climb me, so I swung her up into my grip and carried her to the bed. Lying down with her under me spiraled my dreams around us. She’d haunted me at night, wishing she was with me. Like this.

Wrapped up in each other until we both woke up. The one time was not enough.

It didn’t seem like anything would be enough with her.

I ground my hips into hers as her legs wrapped tighter.

Winter raked her nails up my back, scratching along my shoulders so that I shuddered above her. Our noses bumped. I retreated a few inches, wanting to memorize her this way.

Her hands crept between us, tugging my fly open. “You have too many clothes on.”

My laugh punched me hard in the gut. Yes, I did, but I didn’t mind taking it a bit slower.

Winter was all rush, like how she tended to march ahead of the army, devour food at double speed, use short sentences and looks as answers. I traced her nose, bumping my thumb down her lips. She bit the pad, eyes blazing with being denied before.

No, I won’t deny you again, but I will take my time.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE (WINTER)

The way Basil’s eyes darkened when I bit him sent a jolt of pleasure down my center. I wanted this man, and he’d better not reject me this time.

My grip breached his tight boxers and grabbed a hold of his silky cock. There was no denying how much he wanted me, too, but he moved so slowly. It drove me crazy.

“We have all night,” he said into my ear, mouth delivering small nips and kisses. “I want to enjoy having you under me like this.”

Basil stroked my ribs, making my muscles tight and tingly. As his touch crept up to my bra, my nipples hardened. Everything in me begged him for more, and he teased.

I grunted in frustration and stroked him before he peeled my bra free of my chest, a simple black sporty one from work that offered real support rather than simply looking pretty. My breasts spilled out and into his waiting hand.

Gods, he set me on fire, and I was going to burn up before he got to stoke it. Jerking my hips up, I caught the head of his shaft as he lowered out of reach.

His moan surrounded my nipple when he pulled one breast into his mouth, sucking hard enough to bow my back. Basil switched, tonguing my other hard pebble as those impossibly long fingers bumped over the wet one he’d just released.

I whimpered, writhing under him with far too much need.

His mouth worked its way down the center of my stomach as he popped the button on my jeans and gathered the material in his hands to tug it free of my hips.

Okay, I liked where this was going, but seriously, fuck me already.

Splaying his fingers over my panties spread my thighs for him, and he smirked up at me, feeling how soaked they were. 

Yes, I want you. Now, get your ass up here and do something about it.

He didn’t. Instead, he bent to maw at me over the fabric, electric blue eyes caught on mine.

My breath huffed in my chest, watching him eat at me through my undies. His moan vibrated against me; hands curling around my hips, he closed his eyes and doubled his effort, using lips, teeth, chin… All of it sent pleasure spiraling up my body.

If only he would remove the barrier between us.

My moan made him double down, and I fought the impending climax with a growl.

Basil peered up at me again, sucking and lifting his brow.

Pleasure quaked in my core. Fuck him and his talented mouth.

“I want you, all of you, inside of me.” 

His soft laughter made me shiver. “Oh, me, too, sweetheart, but I’m aiming for way more than that.”

My huff seemed to make him smile.

“Why don’t you want me to give you as much pleasure as possible? Why are you so intent on rushing through it?” Those nimble hands massaged and squeezed my curves.

“Because you can do all of that after I get what I want and shower. We have all night.”

“I believe that was my argument.”

“I know.”

Basil grinned and added a little more pressure along the center of my panties before he retreated, yanking them down my legs with him. The bastard paused again.

My growl brought his gaze up to mine.

“I just want to commit this to memory.” The way he roamed over my body without touching me tightened my skin and made me ache.

A low groan escaped his parted lips, and he was in motion again, dropping his slacks so that his cock bobbed between us.

Yes. Finally.

My body arched into his when he crawled back between my thighs, and he caught the good bits in his hands. I pushed myself against the hard length of him as his mouth lowered over mine.

Fingers in his hair, I held on hard enough to make him grunt.

“Fuck, sweetheart. I can’t help but enjoy how badly you want this.” He thrust against me, layering me with another kiss that threatened to end me in too many ways.

Shifting his weight, he reached between us and ran his head through my folds, splaying them nicely, so close to what I nearly begged him for more. I’d repay him for that later. With one last hesitation, Basil cradled the back of my neck and pushed himself inside of me.

Gasping, I rolled my hips up to feel the length of him stretch my core. Wet and ready or not, it had still been a while since I’d been with someone, and gods did it feel good.

Basil moved slowly, elongating his thrusts to drive me crazy.

I squeezed him with my knees and core to prod him into action.

“Fuck, Winter. You keep doing that, and I won’t last very long.” The pinch of his brows showcased his restraint.

Drawing my hands up his sides, over his pale chest and throat, I tugged him down for a kiss. It simmered with such heat and need that my insides pulsed with it.

His moan tasted sweet.

Finally, he moved, a slow build until he established a steady pace. This wasn’t the ferocious fervor I was used to, but when he tilted himself in just a way, I lost all access to my breath.

Basil’s smile returned, sweet and gloating as he listened to my body.

Once I breached my threshold for restraint, I wrapped my arms around him, fingers spreading between his shoulder blades, and I moved with him.

Breath seethed through his gritted teeth, so I sank my nails into his back. A strangled moan dropped along my throat until he planted delicate nips along my flesh and matched the power of my hips.

Pleasure rocketed up and up and up until my head flew back. It seized me with a molten wash of ecstasy.

He pumped harder, burying his face against my neck as I held on. Contentment and desire tumbled together. The force of his hips jarred me to a new height, so close to another orgasm.

I knew he would handle my body properly, that he could read my silences well enough to satisfy me.

Basil lifted himself a few inches, hovering with this dreamy kind of pain etched over his features. As his brows bunched and his mouth parted, I knew we were both goners. I met his thrusts with my own intent.

I wanted to end him, to take that kind of control away after he’d exerted so much over me.

The soft strangled noise low in his throat had his gaze glaze over before it snapped onto mine, and that look sent my heart into a frenzy. Holding onto him as he lost control, we ground together, his pelvis pressing my clit and sending me over the edge.

Basil sank me into the mattress, kissing along my sweaty skin as our bodies relaxed.

Somehow, I didn’t want to push him off me now that we were done. I trailed his spine, tracing every bump of his vertebrae. 

He stroked my thighs with his palms as they shook.

“I knew I wouldn’t last with you like this. It’s been too long.” His words were confident, but his voice confessed his fears.

I brushed my fingers through his hair, wet from the sweat we’d built up. “When I can move again, you’ll come shower with me.”

The bunch of his cheeks meant he must be grinning.

“You can show me again how talented you are at reaching difficult places but with soap this time.”

His laughter made me wish we could stay this way for a long time. “Anything you want, sweetheart. I am at your disposal.”

A legendary warrior and a lethal lieutenant’s battle for control.

Winter

I am nobody’s sweetheart.

Being the daughter of the chief has a few perks—people know my name, and they leave me alone. Better yet, they fear me.

But no one seems to have told Alpha Lieutenant Bathilde this. He looks at me like I’m more than what I am.

And what I am is angry, cold, and deadly. 

Basil

I am a sucker for punishment.

It took decades for me to earn my own command, even if my squad of warriors are a bunch of delinquents.

But when the most notorious—and most beautiful—warrior holds me at sword point after a battle, it complicates my priorities.

I rethink how we protect our country, and I need her help to change it.

This low-stakes cozy fantasy romance is packed with sass, charm, and sex. Be swept away into a magical world filled with tropes you’ll obsess over.

*He falls first.

*Reverse Grumpy/Sunshine.

*She threatens to kill anyone who touches her.

*Nice guy.

*Forced Proximity.

*HEA guaranteed.

A NEW SHORT STORY | Workplace Taboos: Sarah III

excerpt

Sarah squirmed in the front seat of Ben’s car as they zoomed through Mating Metropolis. His large hand came down on her knee at a light, ceasing the bouncing of her leg. Warmth unfurled across her skin with his touch, grounding her. Reminding her of why she’d signed that new contract.

But now, they were on a date. Like a real one. Something she hadn’t thought about since she’d moved here and left her ex-fiancé behind.

Spreading her knees a little naturally drew his hand between them, and teasing him with her sexuality sent her back into a comfortable place.

His honey eyes flashed over to meet hers, the corner of his mouth curling as he squeezed her flesh. She grinned in return.

“Most fucking tempting creature I’ve ever met.”

A thrill ran through her, making her wiggle again in her seat. “Where are we going?”

“It’s a surprise.”

Pouting only made his smile bloom in full. Sarah liked it when he smiled. When she was the one to make him do it. Ben was so serious all of the time, focused and intent. Between his smiles and what it looked like when she was unraveling him, Ben affected her more than anyone had in too long.

Biting her lip, she slowly turned her attention back to the metropolis, tracking streets and neighborhoods and trying to piece together where he was taking her. They passed some of her favorite spots: her usual sushi place, the massage parlor, a fun little dance club, Vinnie’s–the best Italian food in the city–and the public garden, which was right around a corner when Ben finally parked.

Sarah didn’t know where they were going. This wasn’t the best spot for anything she knew. She lifted her brow at him, intrigued.

He met her around on her side, offering her a hand after she’d already opened the door. The heat of his palm swept through her with unsaid promises.

She stood and pressed her hand down his tie.

His gaze darkened, and he pulled her closer, touch slipping down around her back.

“Are you taking me down a dark alley to do unspeakable things to my body?”

A slow smile curled the edges of his mouth and showed off that dimple in his cheek. “That’s an idea, but no, we’re headed to one of this city’s best-kept secrets.”

Ben guided her body between two buildings with such ease and confidence that it might have made her melt back in the regular world. But here, it made her ready for him to put his hands elsewhere.

Halfway down the alley, he paused and tapped on a rusted sliding door.

After a heartbeat, it slid open and let loose tantalizing scents of sticky sweet sauces and sesame oil, the low beat of sultry dance music, and the heat of human bodies. A thrill went through Sarah.

This was going to be fun.

A tall man nodded to them after Ben leaned in to whisper something to him, and a well-dressed but smoking-hot woman appeared to escort them down the hall and through a series of privacy booths.

The center was a circle, showing three levels of tables, some with the glass fogged and others with couples, or throuples and more, enjoying drinks, food, and some other special treats. One woman was sandwiched between two men, her skirt pooled around her hips as she rode both of them.

The sight made Sarah’s insides clench. Ben had just made her orgasm a handful of times back in his office, but already, she wanted to have him inside of her again.

She bit her lip and batted her lashes at him as he peered down at her.

“You are a perpetually naughty girl.”

“Are you just now figuring that out?”

Thumping bass vibrated up her feet and drowned half of his soft laugh, and his hand squeezed her hip.

Stepping up to a balcony, their escort dropped them in a small booth meant for two, and Ben tipped her before she left.

Sarah entered first, turning to tug Ben in after her, luring him down for a slow, all consuming kiss. It shouldn’t reach inside of her so deeply, so thoroughly, and tie up her heart like it’d begun doing.

His hand breached her hair, feasting on her mouth until they both had to come up for air or suffocate.

His chest heaved with hers, breath heavy as he caressed her cheek and throat. “Most fucking tempting thing…”

Another small kiss had him pulling back, those honey eyes smoldering at her.

“You say that like it’s a bad thing.” He really didn’t, but Sarah loved to fuck with him almost as much as she loved fucking him.

That slight narrowing of his eyes crinkled his crow’s feet. She reached out to touch them without thinking.

“How old are you?”

“Forty-one.”

Her brow shot up, lip pinched between her teeth again. Twelve years. Is that what made him so stoic and domineering?

Nah. He’d have been this way long before midlife.

“And you already know how old I am because I’m sure you’ve read my personnel file. Probably long before you offered me the first contract. Creeper.”

“I do, and I have. I don’t make decisions on a whim.”

“Mmm. They do say opposites attract.” She allowed him to help her down to the seat, which was a half-circle of cushion with a round table that he slipped into the other side of and pressed the entire side of him against hers.

It sent a delicious shiver through her.

Ben pulled a menu from somewhere she couldn’t see and opened it for her. “They have excellent sushi, including some specialty rolls with the masago you like.”

“Sushi at a sex club? Should I trust it?”

He laughed, all shaking body as she leaned harder into him. He draped an arm around her shoulders and pressed his mouth to her temple. “You never turn it off, do you?”

“I’m more of the turn on person than the turn off kind.”

He breathed down her throat, and she wanted his mouth on her skin, so she tipped her head to give him access. Ben took the bait, planting kisses there with a small groan. Each stage of newness between them seemed to be overwhelming and instinctual.

Sarah enjoyed how it made her feel as much as it scared her. She couldn’t fully live if she didn’t challenge and change.

Ben retreated and tapped the menu. “Make a decision, so I can order and lure you onto the dance floor.”

She laughed. “Dancing? You?”

Both his brows lifted, and he gave her a look that said she didn’t know nearly enough about him. Not as much as she wanted to believe.

Sarah took a few minutes to make a decision, and he tugged her out of the booth. “What’s your favorite color?”

Shaking his head, he escorted her down the steps toward where a few other couples danced. “You’re really digging for the good stuff.”

Allowing him to pull her against his wide chest, her head tipped back to look up at him. “Careful, it’s going to color everything you ever get from me.”

Lining their bodies up with an arm around her back, he dipped her, making her pulse jump.

“Red.” Righting her, he led her through simple motions, testing her abilities.

Sarah was more of a shake her hips and grind her ass against her partner kind of dancer, unless she was stripping. She could be a bit more creative during that.

“Let me guess, yours is black?”

“Yellow, actually.” She smirked at the surprise in his features. She’d pegged him as a red, though: passionate, disciplined, dominant, and competitive. It fit him perfectly.

Ben used the dance to tease her, spinning and dipping and moving her across the dance floor.

“What else do you want to know about me?” His question was a tantalizing whisper against her ear.

Her body rumbled with her need for him. “Where did you learn how to dance?”

“In a series of dance studios when I was young.” His big hand gripped her ass the way she liked, but he lifted and spun her a few steps before setting her down on her noticeably more wobbly feet. “I had inner ear trouble, and dance helped me with my balance…and other things, later.”

Sarah’s laugh was loud and hearty, head fallen back as he trapped her against him on the dance floor. “Now, that I can see the influences of.”

That damn dimple appeared again, and her thumb swiped across it before she offered her mouth to him.

Ben took it, soft, lingering, and sweet, but it sent molten need down her center.

He loosened his control over her as a sultry pop song thumped through the speakers.

Sarah grinned up at him, twisting in his grip and pressing her ass back into his groin. His sharp intake of breath and the evidence of his arousal nestled between her cheeks as she swung her hips side to side, arms reaching up and back to hook around his neck.

“This is how I learned to dance when I was younger.” Which basically consisted of utilizing him as a pole.

His touch roamed her as he simultaneously worked not to restrict her movements. It made her bolder. Such dangerous unspoken permission. She dropped, bent over, wiggled, flung her hair around, and the entire time, she worked her ass against his hard-on.

The attention they attracted was mild. This was only foreplay after all.

When she turned again, her leg wrapped around his hip, and he easily kept her in place. Ben’s nostrils flared, and his eyes blazed.

“I take yoga and pole dancing classes for the occasional workout.”

“Of course, you do.”

“Oh, something you didn’t know about me? I thought you’d be thorough with that personnel file.”

Longing smoothed out the varying reactions he tended to experience in her presence.

Her fingers brushed down his prickly jaw and tapped his chin. “How much do you know about me?”

Ben took his time in answering, leaving her to take in the scene again as he worked through it. More booths were hidden behind the frosted glass, and even more were filled with copulating couples and groups than before, but the best was the couple in the center of the dance floor having sex. Her short skirt was merely lifted in the back, and he hadn’t even unbuckled his belt.

As sex clubs went, they were being discreet.

Ben’s fingers tapped at the small of her back. “Not nearly enough.”

“Hmm?”

“I don’t know nearly enough about you.”

Sarah swept away the fact that she’d been thinking the same thing about him not so long ago. “You know most of the important things, like how to make me shake and beg and come.”

His gruff laugh embraced her intimately.

“Mmm. It still feels a bit dangerous to offer you the opening to ask me what you want to know.”

“Dangerous how?”

Pushing up to her toes, Sarah brushed her nose against his. “Dangerous because you might not like what you learn.”

His grip on her tightened, and he pulled back to look at her like he’d just learned something about her. “Not everything about our pasts and personalities is pleasant, Sarah, but I still want to know you.”

The pressure of his hands was nothing compared to the pressure in her chest. “No. You really don’t.”

Ben swung her off the dance floor. “Why don’t you let me make that decision.”

Sarah tried to catch her breath as he escorted her back up the stairs to their booth. Steaming mugs of tea and a bottle of Japanese whiskey waited for them.

His hands on her hips kept her in the door.

“Do you enjoy being watched?” she asked. “I know you like to watch, but do you also enjoy putting on a show?”

Facing him, she used his tie to lure him down for a seductive kiss. Her brow rose as she slid into the booth.

Read the rest of Sarah’s story here.

Moving to Mating Metropolis means giving into sexual whims with neighbors, co-workers, and strangers. It means forgoing long-held taboos.

Sarah’s life is all about trying new things, reveling in the small—and big—pleasures of living in a city that allows her such sexual freedom.

Somehow, the exact kind of relationship she’d sworn off upon moving here is changing the day-to-day of her life. She’s dating her boss, and he’s uncovering the emotions she’s boxed away for the last seven years.

Will she be able to give Ben what he wants or will this new dynamic be the end?

Dive into this short, hot erotica story now & get some deals from GET THAT BOOK!

Launching Craving Winter

Y’all, my 14-part series just launched book thirteen, and it’s time for you to meet Newt! He’s Winter’s best friend, so she can’t run from him easily. How will she react when she discovers his best-kept secret. One that makes them admit things to each other that will change their relationship forever.

I’m launching a new book in the series every 28 days in 2022, and the series will be complete on December 31st.

To celebrate cycle thirteen, stay with me because the three chapters of the book is below for you to read!

Read the First Three Chapters Below!

CHAPTER ONE

Winter walked circles around the first floor of the house for the hour before her next—and last—visitor arrived. Not an alpha. Couldn’t be one. But who was it? The suspense drove her mad. 

Rather, she focused on what her father had shared with her about his job instead of the anticipation. She’d have people in each clan report to her; she’d have to make difficult decisions when local mediation and rulings on disputes didn’t work: something she already figured from looking through his notes.

Amarok reminded her that being reactive was only part of the job. She needed to be proactive, too, like her lingering thoughts for arming the people with basic self-defense skills. 

She shrunk her circle of pacing as it neared noon, but instead of a knock, the door swung open, and the broad shoulders and loose hair were backlit before Newt stepped inside with a dark duffle bag over his shoulder.

Shock stuck her in place when her best friend stepped close, bent, and planted a chaste kiss on her mouth—over before she could process it, but the taste of honeysuckle lingered.

“You have changed,” he said as he continued on to the kitchen where he dropped his bag. Opening the cupboard, he pulled out a glass and poured himself some of her tequila.

Winter followed, grabbing the edge of the island counter. “What are you doing here?”

Newt smiled, those mismatching eyes sparkling with his natural humor. “What? You didn’t think anyone else would spend a cycle alone with you, did you?”

She’d known it would be him, felt it in her gut the moment she found out about number thirteen coming from her clan. But this caused so many problems. This meant her longest lasting—and only—friendship was over. How could it survive this?

He threw back another few fingers of tequila, and she wanted to reach for it. The desire turned her around, and again, before she grabbed her own glass and slammed it down for him to fill, which he did. The burn didn’t ease as much as she’d hoped for.

Winter walked around the counter’s end and peered out the front kitchen window at the drive.

Was this really happening?

“Did you want to be here or is this simply a duty?” She cut her gaze to him, practically spitting the next words. “An honor?”

Newt’s nostrils flared, but there was no pummeling attraction or heat. It signaled his disagreement with her. They could read each other too easily already. He closed the gap between them, abandoning the tequila and his glass and picking up his room key from its spot.

His sweet scent hovered in front of her when he bent again. “I’m here for you.”

Hauling up the bag, he stepped around her and clomped to his room. He knew where it was after all. He’d spent as much time in this house as she had.

Panic filled Winter’s chest, and she scrambled with the emotion. She couldn’t do this. How could any of them expect her to do this?

Out the back door, she changed into her wolf form and scampered up the mountain. Run. Run. Just run.

She did, so hard that she had to think about her steps and her breath. The agony of the exertion erased everything from her thoughts. As long as she was getting away. Away from Newt. Away from her father’s expectations. Away from her responsibilities. Away from what would happen over the next twenty-eight days.

Magic surrounded her, feeling her torment and trying to soothe her. But it didn’t work. She was too worked up to let it in.

She just ran.

CHAPTER TWO

Newt took the room beside Winter’s—the one he stayed in when he spent the night. The one that let him hear Amarok when he was in pain when the chief most often refused to say anything. 

He showered off the morning’s work: the sword he had to sharpen before he took an extended vacation and the therapy he did with Amarok this morning to keep him moving. The hot water eased off the hostility of Winter’s reaction to his arrival. One he expected.

Winter was very much the same but not. Sharp as ever but less lethal. No, that wasn’t right. Less likely to be lethal without provocation. Her blunt tongue also smoothed.

I suppose spending a full year without being able to avoid people and conversation might do that to her. Give her some practice for civility.

Not that Newt much minded the way she’d talked to him before, but he had always wanted more openness from her. More emotion. Guess he was in for it now. 

He closed his eyes under the hot water. The same warring thoughts pummeled him in that silence. What did he want out of this? Did he want Winter? Newt hadn’t let himself think about the possibility for decades, and it hadn’t seemed real until he came here…knowing they’d be alone, that he’d be here for her heat, that he’d get to play out a few of his teenage fantasies.

He had no answers. No more than before, but this was happening. He needed to figure it out. They could survive this if they both wanted to.

She’d been a part of his life for so long; he couldn’t imagine it without her. The past year had been hard enough, coming here to deliver packages and not being able to talk to her. To see her, although he did once by accident.

The memory burned through him, and Newt shook away the glimpse of alpha number ten taking her at the kitchen table. It both made him jealous and turned him on.

Not the right response.

Shutting off the water, he dressed and went looking for Winter. He wanted to know how she was doing. No matter the reassurances his mother and her father gave him, Newt needed to hear it from Winter.

She hadn’t wanted to do this. And she survived it—almost. But was she okay?

The scent of her faded in the kitchen and trailed out back. Clothes left by the door. 

Winter’d run off.

She didn’t want him here.

Part of what he’d said was true: none of the other clansmen would have survived a cycle alone with Winter, but that didn’t mean they wouldn’t want to try. She was a beautiful female after all. No one could ever deny her that.

Should he go after her? It’s what he would normally do.

If she ran because of him, she didn’t want him following.

Why did everything with Winter have to make him war with himself?

He’d go because he couldn’t help it. Newt always chased after Winter. Shifting into a wolf, he tracked her by scent, coming upon her after a few minutes. They were only allowed so many places. He caught her on her usual trail and tackled her, tumbling them both into the brush.

Winter wiggled out from beneath him and ran off again without even a playful yip.

Newt bounded after her, nipping at her heels and tunneling into her again.

She rolled and sprang toward home, faster. He couldn’t keep up.

By the time he reached the backyard, she’d already changed and was disappearing into the house. Newt yapped at her, but she slipped away instead of turning back.

Human again, he redressed and scooped up her discarded clothes for the wash. Disappointment weighed on him. Winter was really upset about his being here.

Newt didn’t want her to be, spreading fear and hope that he could change her mind.

CHAPTER THREE

Hiding in her room with some filched food, tequila, and research, Winter went back to Cobalt’s problem, sussing it out even though Amarok confirmed his help. She compiled a new list of notes, of ingredients and spells that remotely linked to his problem or suggested it might benefit him.

Winter’s hunger finally defeated her. When did she start thinking of Newt as dangerous?

The moment he stepped into your home as a potential mate.

This was stupid, right? Just go get food and tell him off. Not as if he’s unused to it. Although he might be after a year. It seemed like an eternity and no time at all now that it was nearly over.

Winter pushed away the rebounding panic and brought her dishes downstairs, putting dinner in the oven and draining a beer in the time it took to cook. Newt sat on the couch—in her spot—but he hadn’t said anything. She worked not to acknowledge him, the anger and betrayal burning her up inside.

The oven beeped; she plated her food and grabbed two fresh beers, placing them on the coffee table before pinning Newt with her glare. He blinked at her, his gaze saying, Oh, am I not invisible now?

“That’s my spot.”

“I don’t see your name written on it.” Mirth tainted his attempt at seriousness.

Winter sighed. Usually, this would bait her, and they’d argue, and she’d hit him, and she’d wrestle him out of the spot to take it. But she didn’t feel like it today. “It’s been mine for the last twelve cycles, and it will be mine after this one, so don’t fight with me about it.”

Newt’s small smile dimmed, and he looked away. “Only if you share.”

Rolling her eyes, she extended a beer to him. “Fine. Move over.”

He took it and did as she said, taking his own cushion so that he didn’t crowd her but didn’t sit too far away. A show was queued up, and he did know her well because it was a movie she’d been eyeing for the last week.

They ate and watched and talked and teased, and it almost felt normal.

But it wasn’t. Panic spiked when parts of their bodies brushed each other in some way, and Winter had to force herself not to jerk from it. She couldn’t pretend this was the same as it’d always been, standing and stomping off. She needed a long bath to be by herself again.

Newt grabbed her by the elbow before she was out of the room. “Are you okay?”

Sarcasm laced her laugh. “Peachy.”

“Seriously.”

“Does it really matter?”

Worry and pain pinched his brows. “Why wouldn’t it?”

“Because all I am is a prize—a beautiful woman, a devoted wife and mother, a means to ruling our land.” She was other things, too, none of them better than the renewal of objectivity banging in her skull.

Newt’s laugh slapped her. “If anyone expects you to be a means to an end or give up what you love, they’re fools.”

Winter wanted to correct him. “And why are you here, again? I can’t help but feel like my father decided to reward you for all you do by sending you here.”

“Why is that bad? If anything, I’m the only one that doesn’t see you that way.”

“No? Because he seems to be paying a family debt with my body.” Heat built with her anger. How could her father do this?

“That’s not what this is.” Newt’s hand lifted as if he wanted to touch her again, but he dropped it.

“Did you even consider turning him down? Or did you just thank him for the guaranteed sex?” Her limbs wouldn’t still, and if this didn’t end soon, she’d start a real fight.

“Of course, I considered it, but sex never seemed to bother you before.”

“Not when I got to choose.” Could he really compare this to her past? She’d never shown any romantic inclinations. She had simply wanted the physical release after slaughtering the opposing armies. Not this.

“Some undeserving male you see across a fire?” His tone offered judgment of her choices.

“What? And I suppose you’re more deserving.” This, right here, was going to end their friendship.

“No, but that’s what this whole thing is meant to offer you.”

Hot, hot anger and grief and shame closed her fist. Winter was going to hit him. She ground the next words between her teeth. “If you think that every male who’s come here deserved to fuck me, you’re wrong.”

Something more delicate flitted through his gaze. The only thing that saved him from her immediate violence. “I suppose you wish someone else from our clan was here instead of me.”

Winter took a deep breath. “I don’t, and that bothers me, too.”

His exasperation was clear, knowing he could find no ground for further argument, but a small triumph flashed in his eyes.

She couldn’t stand it.

​Thirteen Clans. Thirteen Males. One prize.

Winter Jarl is the most notorious female warrior of her species. Her father is chief, and he’s dying, so he’s cashed in on a promise she made long ago: he’s setting her up with an alpha from each of the thirteen clans before she takes over his position.

Sentenced to a year of isolation, she will spend twenty-eight-days alone with each man. By the end of it, Winter must choose one to stand beside her. 

The challenge? She must be in love to produce an heir. 

Cycle Thirteen: Craving Winter

Winter has been dreading this day for three long months. Her thirteenth guest is no alpha, and her worst fears are confirmed when her best friend shows up. How could her father take the last piece of her old life from her like this?

Newt is worried about what’s happened to Winter over the last year. He promises her that nothing will change between them, but once the heat hits and he gets a taste of her, he’s not so sure he can keep his word.

Jump into this intense paranormal erotica now and see who you want to win Winter’s heart.

A NEW SHORT STORY | Workplace Taboos: Ben II

excerpt

Sarah wasn’t waiting for Ben when he arrived early to work, but she was her usual twenty minutes early to her cubicle, and she scarcely twitched when he hovered in the doorway. Her frown and narrowed eyes didn’t deter him.

But she did make him more tongue tied than he’d experienced in a long time. It made him thankful for the contract in his hands.

Her arms crossed over her chest, and it was all the invitation she was going to give.

Ben stalked into the small space, throwing the contract on her desk, and the closer he got, the more clearly he saw the small tremble in her. Her arms dropped as he neared, and she backed into the opposite wall, eyes going a wide.

“I was being an asshole,” he said, and that sweet, seductive tension clawed at him just the same as it always did.

“You were.” Her hands pressed into his chest like she might push him away, maintaining the inches necessary to keep him from kissing her.

Her nails sank in, silently demanding his apology.

“I can’t seem to help it. Not with you.” He leaned in a little closer, and her muscles stiffened. Ben breathed her in, taking her deep before saying the one thing he needed to. “If someone else gives you more than this… If you want them instead of me… I won’t bother you any longer. I won’t get in your way. I won’t reap any repercussions on you.”

Breath gone haywire, Sarah’s body language morphed. She didn’t want that. Thank fuck.

“They don’t.” Her voice was so soft that it nearly tore his heart in two.

Ben braced the back of her head and dropped his mouth to hers. Fire tore through him.

Sarah latched onto him, kissing him back.

He smashed their bodies together, needing her in a way that defied logic.

She devoured him, drawing her leg up his hip for him to press his hard cock against her. A few rocking motions had him lifting his mouth from hers to breathe against her mouth.

“I missed you. Yesterday. This weekend…” He let his hand trail down her side, over her hip, to squeeze her thigh.

Shaking her head, she traced his bottom lip with her thumb.

“I want to change our contract. I drew up a new one.” Ben pushed her skirt up to give him access to her panty-clad core. The extra barrier she didn’t usually put between them. Her leg lowered as she lost her balance, but she spread herself enough to allow his touch. His fingers dipped into the cotton, rubbing her until she gasped and her hips canted with his rhythm.

“What are the new terms?”

Ben shook his head, kissing under her jaw to her ear. Her strangled moans tore at him worse than her nails. “I need you to read the contract.”

Her fingers found purchase in his hair. “Tell me.”

Fuck, she always demanded him to express himself in the ways he was weakest.

“I want more discretion. I want to spend time with you outside of the office. I want to know that you feel this…this pull. The tension that twists between us when we’re close. That it makes you lose sleep at night.”

Like it does me. That you need me half as badly as I need you.

Closing his eyes, Ben rubbed her more vigorously, enjoying the way moisture spread and soaked her panties.

When his fingers pulled the fabric aside to test her folds, Sarah let out a soft cry in his ear and adjusted to give him better access. He probed her with a finger like this was the first time he’d gotten to play with her. Thrusting into her slowly, he was rewarded with the tremble in her limbs, like she was tightly wound and just waiting for him to unravel her.

Had she not played with anyone since they were together last?

He hadn’t been in the mood yesterday, but he wouldn’t hold it against her if she had. Not if it meant losing her.

The low murmuring of new voices in the office told him to be quick. Sarah taught him what she liked enough that he could make her come with nearly a couple of strokes. And he wanted the satisfaction of causing her pleasure more than the dominance of drawing out and getting her caught with him in her cubicle.

Angling his grip, he found the spot that made her whimper and dissolve, but it was already too late to keep them from being spotted by her co-workers.

Ben kissed her to keep her from noticing the man that hovered in her doorway as he broke her apart. Turning his face to hide hers as the starting pulses of her orgasm squeezed around him, she moaned into his shoulder, her grip on him so hard that a small kernel of peace finally bloomed in his chest.

The figure behind him moved away, and Ben pulled back to look at her. Those twinkling hazel eyes were a little clearer than they’d been before. A little more readable.

“Review the contract.”

The smile that preceded her laugh lanced him with something more than desire. “You are quite succinct on paper.”

Grinning as he kissed her, he slowly withdrew himself from her orbit. “Come to my office at the end of the day, and let me know your decision.”

Read the rest of Ben’s story here.

Moving to Mating Metropolis means giving into sexual whims with neighbors, co-workers, and strangers. It means forgoing long-held taboos.

Ben’s finally been on the receiving end of Sarah’s touch, and it hasn’t eased the tension between them one bit. It makes how she disappeared in the middle of the night from his home hit him all the harder.

Ben wants more from their arrangement, prompting him to draw up a new contract and corner her in her cubicle at work.

Will she agree to the new terms of their relationship or will she cut him off completely?

Dive into this short, hot erotica story now & get some deals from GET THAT BOOK!

ENCHANTING Winter Launches Today

Y’all, my 14-part series is launching book twelve tomorrow (eep!), and it’s time for you to meet Cobalt! He’s another magic user: a good one, a strong one, and he wants to help Winter. Can he untangle the mess her previous experiences have created?

I’m launching a new book in the series every 28 days in 2022, and the series will be complete on December 31st.

To celebrate cycle twelve, stay with me because the three chapters of the book is below for you to read!

Read the First Three Chapters Below!

CHAPTER ONE

The dreaded anticipation of welcoming—or really not—a new alpha into her home warred with Winter’s relief at this being number twelve, which meant she was almost done with this whole ordeal. But the thought of picking one of them turned her stomach to lead.

Now was not the time to think of it even though it was all she could think of when she didn’t have something—or someone—distracting her. That and who her thirteenth guest would be. He’d be here all too soon, but first, Cobalt from the cliffs. His clan was made up of mystics and magic users. The kind that were less known for being con men and more of the type to develop medicines and helpful tinctures. Amarok made the distinction clearer for her, and the notes in his office confirmed as much.

Still, magic scared her now. She’d never had it touch her like Comet’s had. Winter didn’t want to battle against it again.

The soft knock yanked her out of her thoughts, and a deep breath settled her nerves before she opened the door to a morose-looking man. Charcoal lined his eyes. The tattoos on his chest peeked out of the collar of his silver-studded leather jacket; another crawled up his neck and accentuated the shaved hair around his ear. The rest of it was long and pulled to the right.

Those ice blue eyes snapped with magic though, and they made Winter’s heart swim in adrenaline.

Cobalt bowed his shoulders, gaze averted and almost brooding. “Winter.”

Another deep breath sucked in his lemongrass scent, and she nodded in return. “Cobalt.”

They hovered there for a second in silence before he met her gaze again. 

“You do magic?”

A small quirk of his mouth softened the rest of his face. Another pretty one. “Yes.”

“What kind?” Winter folded her arms.

“The helpful kind.” His response was calm, like he’d been warned about what he was getting into, about her baggage.

Fine. I suppose we’ll see.

“This way.” She stomped back to his room, sure to keep more than an arm’s distance from him. Magic bred too much unknown. Too much vulnerability.

Unlocking the door, she left the key dangling.

“I’m not your mom. Not your maid,” she said.

Cobalt stopped beside her. Melancholy sparkled in his frozen eyes. “Cool.”

She left him to get reacquainted with his room and sought her bottle of tequila. It burned all the way down, filling her with fire. Winter was strong enough to combat the magic. 

She was strong enough.

And why did he seem familiar? What about his name and magic struck her?

Her feet brought her around the counter, brought the bottle to her lips, and brought her through circular thoughts. Where did she know Cobalt from?

CHAPTER TWO

Fear. He’d seen raw fear on Winter’s stony but beautiful face as she sensed the magic in him. Which was odd. This place was heavy with it.

Cobalt opened the window, and the cold fall air embraced him. The mountain’s song carried on the wind, calling to his own. Different but just as powerful. Likely more so when harnessed properly.

Trepidation dumped across his shoulders when he remembered Comet in the back parlor on that first day. Cobalt came across him and his girlfriend several times in the magic community, and they were cons. Unfortunately, they had the magic to make it up if they wanted to use it for something real. It made Cobalt sad, but all he could do was report them when he saw them swindle someone. What had he done to Winter?

Closing the window, he showered off his travels.

Part of him wanted to go straight outside to run around, to avoid approaching a woman who clearly didn’t want him here, but the other part wanted to make her rethink her views on magic. Many of his people touched magic but didn’t connect with it the way he did. Even amongst his clan, Cobalt was an odd man out.

What else was there for a man who connected more with nature than with people?

Dressed in fresh jeans, a black tee, and his leather jacket, he re-met Winter in the kitchen. Her red-tinted hair caught the midday sun and created a fiery halo around her. She took two swallows from the clear bottle in her hand and narrowed those big eyes at him.

“Do you have tea?”

She pointed to the cupboard beside the fridge. Inside displayed a variety of teas. Nice to know whoever stocked this had some taste. Or perhaps, some were her preferences, and some were her father’s. Perhaps, they were leftovers from the previous alphas.

Passionfruit and lemon balm called to him, something to soothe the anxiety festering in his guts. The calm exterior was hard won. Most of the time, he believed it, but in moments like this, he was glad to have the practice of faking it.

A kettle sat on the stove nearly full of water. “Would you like some?”

“Are you going to read my leaves or something?”

That drew his attention, and her green hazel eyes flashed with danger. “No. I planned on drinking it.”

She nodded and went back to her bottle.

“You know, most of that is just for show, right? Parlor tricks. No real magic involved.”

Winter’s back straightened. “What does it involve? Real magic?”

Flames flared beneath the kettle, sizzling along the metal. “Intent. Good will. Necessity.”

“Must be a lot of fake magic then.”

“Tricks. Yes. Cons. Distractions. Real magic can’t be used without feedback, without it taking or giving a real cost for its use. If you treat it poorly, it will bite you. But if you take care of it, it protects you.”

“Like a wolf.”

Cobalt smiled, the small thing he had practice using. “Yes, like your wolf. It is you. It extends you. I’m surprised you don’t know that with how packed this place is with it.”

The kettle whistled, and he poured the hot water over the tea. Citrus and earth bloomed in the steam.

“I hear it’s better when you hike up.” Winter pointed out back, the direction his room faced. “Easier as a wolf.”

Another cup clattered on the counter beside his, and she dropped in the same mix he had. Cobalt poured the water for her before he set it back on the stove.

“It smelled good.” Her half shrug was a gentle, confident show of insecurity. 

It did, but somehow, she smelled better. Mint and pine and rosemary. “I think I’ll check that out after my tea.”

A few spoonfuls of sugar. Tap, tap, tap of the spoon, and Winter retreated. “Have fun.”

She left him to drink his tea. His went down quickly, and he took up Winter’s suggestion. Changing under the back deck, Cobalt sprinted through the trees, abiding by the trails until the magic called to him.

This mountain was magic—not merely filled to the brim—like an entity, whispering to him a story about a little girl and her father and the history of this place.

CHAPTER THREE

Was Winter always seemingly immune to magic because she lived here? Because she lived with it for so long? Because the woods connected with her so deeply? This was her home. Her roots. 

And had going away made her more susceptible to having it used against her? Did it disconnect her from it and make her more vulnerable?

Life was easier without it. Strength, speed, surprise. Those were her magic. Her weapons. Her way of navigating the world. And now, she had to face it again.

The tea settled on a coaster as Winter sank behind her desk, and she pulled volumes off the shelves, skimming through them until she found Cobalt’s name. The file with Comet’s ex-girlfriend. He’d been the one to make the complaint on her.

Winter ran her tongue over her teeth. Did that mean she should trust what he says about magic?

Almost laughing at herself, she closed the file and put the stacks back. No. Not without some more proof. Without more reason to trust him.

After nibbling on a few cookies, she went to train, to clear her head. The weight of the staff in her hands twisted and twirled, testing her balance and her underworked muscles. She’d not been in a real fight for far too long.

Winter let herself get soft. No matter what anybody else told her, that’s how she felt. Her body changed, her attitude, her perspective. All she’d wanted out of life was to be a warrior, forged in battle to protect her people.

Heavy doubt of her ability to be a leader made her push harder.

And harder.

And when she took a breath, her body screamed for rest in a way she’d not felt in a long time.

Outside showed darkness. She’d missed lunch and dinner.

Shaking herself out of it, Winter went first to the kitchen, grabbing sandwiches and beer and the few leftover cakes Fox made.

Cobalt didn’t come searching for her, thankfully. His magic already pulsed through the place.

Retreating to her room, she ran a hot bath and soaked, batting away flashbacks of Comet, of the vampire that tried to decapitate her, of her mother dead in her parents’ bedroom—her bedroom.

The salts soaked her sore muscles, helping her off to sleep.

In the morning, Winter was the first to the kitchen to make coffee. A few sips in and Cobalt appeared, leather jacket still in place, all in black, dark around his crystalline eyes. She actually liked the look, the obvious brooding; she could get onboard with that. It was her own default after all. 

“Did you enjoy my mountain?”

The lip quirk again. He caught her word choice. Yeah, bravado. It made up for a lot. “I did, and I can show you some of the easy magic lingering here.”

Adrenaline dumped again, but the slow sip of her coffee settled the jolt in her muscles. Should she let him introduce magic so soon? To be so close to it again? 

Cobalt didn’t flinch under Winter’s attention, even if he kept his gaze averted, eyeballing the cupboard with the tea behind her. She stepped away to give him access.

One brow raised, sharpening his face.

Hating the weakness, she slurped and maintained eye contact over the cup’s rim. “Okay, before or after breakfast?”

“Before. Better on an empty stomach.” He offered her his hand, steady before her as she stared at it.

Finally giving him hers, she rolled her eyes and made an after you gesture. His grip was firm but nice as he drew her out through the front door. They circled the house to the back, but each step swirled magic between the trees. Cobalt took her to the path she’d suggested yesterday, and they climbed a little ways before veering off on a smaller path that ended in a giant willow. Its roots knotted like vines along the withering grass. 

He stopped her, sliding in from behind, arms circling without touching too directly. Extending his hands, blue twisted around his fingers. The color lightened, turning purple before it glittered and spun out to the small cove surrounding the willow.

Magic sprinkled, a mix of lemongrass and mint, and Winter’s chest tightened. The trees burst bright green and dark woods, to warm yellows and oranges and reds until leaves littered the ground around them. Tingling taps tangoed between her ribs, and her breath clipped shallow. A version of her pulled away, running into the thickening trunks and limbs.

A piece of Winter disappeared, making room for terror.

Thirteen Clans. Thirteen Males. One prize.

Winter Jarl is the most notorious female warrior of her species. Her father is chief, and he’s dying, so he’s cashed in on a promise she made long ago: he’s setting her up with an alpha from each of the thirteen clans before she takes over his position.

Sentenced to a year of isolation, she will spend twenty-eight days alone with each man. By the end of it, Winter must choose one to stand beside her. 

The challenge? She must be in love to produce an heir. 
​

Cycle Twelve: Enchanting Winter

Magic invades Winter’s home for a second time, and it raises her shackles until she realizes just how sad her new alpha is. Can she figure out how to fix that?

Cobalt’s job is to help others, and Winter needs help, even if she wishes she didn’t. With what he breaks open inside her, he hopes he hasn’t pushed Winter too far.

Jump into this intense paranormal erotica now and see who you want to win Winter’s heart.

Get free and discounted books, including my newest short: Workplace Taboos: Sarah II!

A NEW SHORT STORY | Workplace Taboos: SARAH II

excerpt

Sarah followed Ben up the driveway to his enormous home. She didn’t get nervous, normally, but the majority of her sexual escapades were spontaneous, spur or the moment, or with people she’d been with before. And she never let someone take her home.

How had Ben convinced her to come home with him, meet his wife, and play with her? She liked women, enjoyed playing with her friend Tabitha and a few of the girls down at the club, but she had a type, more so than with men, and that had her worried.

Ben smiled at her as they stepped into the garage. “I’ve never seen that kind of look on your face before.”

She shrugged. “I’m a bit out of my element.”

“Don’t worry, she’ll love you.”

“Of course, she will. I’m fucking fantastic.” But if she didn’t, would Sarah get to keep playing with Ben? Would they finally get to forgo the rules if she did?

Taking a deep breath, Sarah nodded for him to go on and to stop stalling.

Ben still waited, brushing his thumb over her cheek and zapping her with tension. The desire for each other hadn’t dimmed this whole time. An entire month of teasing and building to this. His touch dipped along her mouth, and the possibility of getting to kiss him, touch him, and have him the way she’d wanted each time they’d been together rolled through her.

For fuck’s sake, she had an extra twenty-one-hundred dollars in her account from the giddy way they couldn’t keep their hands off each other.

So much so that her regular work buddies mentioned it, especially Luke, who’d been promising to take her home for more than a year. Sarah’d always avoided that kind of situation.

It changed things.

And why was she here again?

His chest pitched with a sharp breath when she pinched him with her teeth. The look he gave her said how much he wanted her.

Yes, fine, let’s get on with this.

Finally, Ben opened the door and led her inside, through an ordinary laundry room and into a beautiful kitchen. Oh the kinds of things Sarah could make in a kitchen like this, with its tall ceilings, displayed pots and pans, and abundant counter space.

Just beyond the wide island, a stunning woman stood, her dark hair pulled over one shoulder, her lips a deep red, and by god, the way she presented those tits made Sarah fight to hold back the naughty grin spreading over her mouth.

“Christine, I would like for you to meet Sarah.” Ben’s hand pressed into Sarah’s back to steady her as his wife stepped forward.

This woman was gorgeous. Why on earth did he seem so fascinated with someone like Sarah when he had this at home?

Christine took slow steps forward, looking Sarah over with the same kind of interest.

Good, Sarah was at her best when confident that she could turn somebody on. She reached out to touch the waves of Christine’s dark hair, and the throbbing vein in her neck was a sweet reward.

She matched Sarah’s smile. “Oh, you look like you’ll be fun.”

“You have no idea.” Sarah winked.

Christine shared a brief look with Ben over her shoulder, biting her lip.

“Can I get you something to drink, Sarah? Wine, beer, water…”

“Water, please.”

Christine nodded, and Ben’s heat retreated from her back. Yet, his wife stepped closer, so Sarah let her touch find that quick pulse at Christine’s throat, stroking it and watching the fire flicker to life in her eyes.

She leaned in to tease her with the same denial she’d been fighting each time she was with this woman’s husband, brushing their noses together as Christine’s plump breasts pressed into Sarah’s tiny ones.

“Mmm… You smell delicious.” 

Christine’s hands found Sarah’s shoulders, one finger stroking the strap of Sarah’s oversized purse. “What’s in there?”

“You’ll see.”

Lips parting, Christine purred at her, dropping her grip to take Sarah’s hand and pull her forward a little.

Ben held two glasses of water, gaze pouring over them both with the kind of arousal that screamed of the naughty things to come.

Sarah took one glass and sipped it. “Mmm, good. We’re going to need to stay hydrated for this.”

Christine’s groan tore her attention from the way Ben was filling out the front of his slacks.

The way she filled out those tight pants desperately asked Sarah to swat those voluptuous cheeks. Fuck, how did he keep other men’s hands off of her?

Sarah followed Christine through the first floor, past their sunken living room with the enormous wall of windows, and down a small hall to a spare bedroom. The bed was big, big enough for three or four to play on comfortably. Their furniture seemed sturdy and unadorned, clearly used for fucking on.

Did they have toys hidden in the drawers of the dresser? A swing set up waiting under the bed to pull out as a surprise.

Once inside, Christine paused, the small hesitation and what she’d learned about Ben screamed for her to take charge. She grabbed Christine by the waist and lured her closer, drawing her fingers under the fabric of her blouse. Hot, soft skin greeted her, and she drew the shirt up over her head.

God, those tits were full and barely restrained within the lace bra Christine wore.

“Fuck, you’re beautiful.”

Christine’s laugh rang sultry and tempting.

Sarah grinned at her, fingers catching the button on her pants. Before stripping them from her, too, Sarah dipped her fingers down between her legs and made a breath catch in Christine’s lungs. “Now, I know you don’t like fingers, but how are you with rubbing?”

This woman’s moan made her nipples perk, and she rubbed Christine with more vigor.

Those dark eyes turned molten as her hips moved against Sarah’s hand.

Christine drew her touch under Sarah’s skirt, grabbing on to her bare cheek with a strangled groan. “God, you have a round, firm ass.”

Grinning at her, Sarah leaned in to whisper in her ear. “So do you.”

Heat pressed them into each other, and she shifted her leg between Christine’s, rubbing that sweet sex over her thigh.

Mouth parted, Christine rode the small movements.

“I want to strip your clothes off, taste every inch of your skin, and ride you into oblivion.”

“God, yes.”

Read the rest of Sarah’s story here.

Moving to Mating Metropolis means giving into sexual whims with neighbors, co-workers, and strangers. It means forgoing long-held taboos.

Sarah doesn’t spend the night with her lovers. She doesn’t go home with them. Never. It means more attachment than she’s willing to give.

But tonight, she’s breaking her cardinal rule and is going home with Ben…to meet his wife.

Will this be the climactic end to the overwhelmingly tense playtime or will it drop all of the boundaries keeping them from truly enjoying each other?

Dive into this short, hot erotica story now & get some deals from GET THAT BOOK!

Teasing Winter Launches Today

Y’all, my 14-part series is launching book eleven tomorrow (I can’t believe we’re almost there), and it’s time for you to meet Fox! He’s young and inexperienced and a little wild. He’s the perfect alpha to test Winter’s new plans for the country on. Can he withstand it?

I’m launching a new book in the series every 28 days in 2022, and the series will be complete on December 31st.

To celebrate cycle eleven, stay with me because the three chapters of the book is below for you to read!

Read the First Three Chapters Below!

CHAPTER ONE

Winter couldn’t help the melancholy that took over her after she returned from visiting her father. Her heart tore in too many directions, and now, Remus was gone, too. And she had to start all over again.

Outside sent chillier gusts of wind her way. October threatened to keep her inside more, but it didn’t stop her pacing the kitchen while she waited for noon to arrive and bring her a new alpha. His knock was light and continuous until she opened the door. A giant ginger stood on her porch, easily twice her size but completely boy in the face.

He smiled, nervous instead of confident. “Hey. Um, I’m Fox.”

A giant hand swung out toward her, and Winter took it after a heartbeat. When he lifted it for a kiss, she pulled free. 

“Don’t do that.” She crossed her arms and tried not to glare too forcefully, but it took effort. This one was not smooth, but he wished he was. Great.

“Oh. Um. Okay.” Fox teetered in the doorway, the red spreading through his cheeks.

Winter rolled her eyes. “Come on. Your room is this way.”

She walked him to his room on the first floor and held the key out to him as he approached. Fox didn’t touch her this time.

“Hey. I’m not your mom or your maid, okay?”

That seemed to embarrass him, but his smile became a bit more sincere. “Five guys walk into a bar.”

Winter narrowed her eyes.

“You’d think one of them would’ve seen it.”

Shaking her head, she turned to go. Just a big goddamn kid. She retreated to the kitchen, one of her safe spaces. Plus, food. Remus haunted the place. He’d made a habit of cooking for her. As had several of the others. They overlapped each other, which wore Winter out. 

With the jalapeño poppers and chicken wings cooking through, she slumped down on a stool and nursed her bottle of tequila. Maybe she should go running around the woods in wolf form. It cleared her head a bit once she’d been alone again yesterday, but the peace never lasted.

This cycle would surely be a disaster.

The tequila burned on the way down. She should know better than to drown herself this way by now. Now was not the time to change. Not yet.

Fox appeared in the doorway, pausing when she glared at him. Like it was his fault.

Just because it wasn’t didn’t mean she had to play nice.

Another long pull distracted her.

“Yeah. I’d drink, too, if I were stuck with me for a month.”

Her gaze cut back to him when he rounded the counter. That fake smile returned. She didn’t need to see many of them to know it. Thanks again, Thunder. 

“Don’t presume to know why I’m drinking.”

Fox’s smile faltered.

The oven beeped, so she rotated the trays and planted her butt against the counter beside it to analyze this alpha again. He towered above her, a half head taller than the fridge, but he didn’t have much control over his limbs, at least not completely. Gawky and awkward.

“Liquor might not solve all your problems, but it’s worth a shot.” His ears flared pink before he’d finished his joke.

Winter bet his friends found him funny, but he needled the start of her headache. “Just stop. Be quiet.”

Her sigh had him blinking at her and looking away in shame. A little guilt built with the warmth from the spirits. Then, he started digging through the fridge, the cabinets, and she got out of his way, back to her bottle.

At least they could sit in uncomfortable silence. Well, he moved about, searching for something. She didn’t want to know.Then, Fox started gathering things, and real confidence steadied him.

CHAPTER TWO

The kitchen didn’t have a lot of fresh stuff for him to work with, and Fox knew that he could make requests but didn’t remember how. Enough scattered about for him to make a sauce to liven up the fried foods she’d stacked in the oven. Acid and flavor to cut the grease.

A little bit of sour cream and citrus and garlic. Some small tomatoes with oil, vinegar, and parsley. Surprised by the fresh herbs, he bit back his questions about it.

Winter watched him and had his heart hammering. She was different than the girls he and his friends hung around. They liked how he flirted and joked and teased. They were young and silly. But this alpha female was so serious. Without his playful and, albeit, stupid sense of humor as his secret weapon, what did he have to offer her?

Fox focused on the food and the way the scents mixed together. This he had talent with. And it always eased his stress.

Goddess, she had him sweating bullets. It took everything not to shake while he sliced through the cherry tomatoes. This time, when he looked up at her though, she didn’t seem so scary. Kissing the bottle, she followed his movements with a minor curiosity.

The oven beeped, and he steeled himself in place to keep from getting in her way when she pulled the food out. He did meet her gaze once she had them plated, however.

“Is that your contribution to the meal?”

Fox nodded and stumbled in retreat, the rosemary and pine scent of her overtaking the rest. He enjoyed the mix, how mint layered over the natural scents of her. But she was deadly gorgeous up close. Well, at any distance.

Her finger dipped into the sauce, and her mouth closed around it. Her glare softened with the jump of her brow. “Okay. Grab it and come on.”

They moved the food in front of the TV, and she brought a few bottles of beers and a bag of chips with the rest before she plopped down at the far side of the couch. He followed and sat safely between the other two cushions.

She seemed even smaller when her legs tucked up around her. Half his size, but when she started eating, he could have sworn she was a giant.

“You make me wish someone looked at me the same way you look at food.” One more joke, an easy one. One that would make the girls back home blush.

Her gaze cut to him.

“You know, because you seem to really like the food. Maybe more than I do. And I’m a big guy.” Now, he was ruining it. He had no game with her. Why couldn’t he just give up and remain silent.

“Yeah. And you’ll see why at some point.” Winter stood and retrieved a few more beers, and she handed one over.

“I didn’t mean that in a bad way.”

“Mmm hmm. I know.”

“I actually think that’s—”

“Fox. Stop it. Eat and watch the movie.”

He took a deep breath, glad she stopped him from spiraling and making a fool of himself again. “Okay.”Why did he feel like he was being scolded by his teacher?

CHAPTER THREE

Fox confused Winter. Hot and cold. She seemed to scare him, which was all right. A slow month would be nice. Hopefully, she could get him to quit trying to impress her with his sense of humor—corny and childish.

Did it work on the girls back home?

Maybe Winter was too used to being on the offensive to enjoy it. Maybe she wasn’t innocent enough. Probably had never been.

The training room welcomed her. Wood floors, mirrors, and stale sweat, like every other training room she’d ever been in. Well, most of them anyway. Some placed pads along the floor. Amarok preached how padding kept warriors soft.

Winter learned to agree. Battleground didn’t soften your fall.

Pulling out a pair of practice blades, she dropped into the burn, the motions, and muscle memory. Fake foes were too easy to thwart in practice, even if the lack of threat stunted the sharpness of her arching sword or slowed the speed of her thrust.

Swinging around a weapon was the closest Winter came to meditating—the best way to work out her emotions.

She missed Remus: the effortless conversation and rapport, the instant respect and emotional intelligence, the loving way he held onto her. Her long sword swished through the air, and Winter spun, following through with her short sword and stabbing it into a fictitious gut.

Fox appeared in the door’s window, eyes wide and glittering as he watched her.

After a few more turns, Winter waved him inside.

“I don’t fight,” he said, standing in the doorway. “I don’t want to get in the way.”

Rolling her eyes, she grabbed him by the front of his shirt and yanked him inside. “Then, you’ll learn.”

That made him stumble. “Against you?”

“You know someone better to learn from?”

Fox’s jaw dropped and worked before he closed it and shook his head. “No.”

“Help me with something.” Winter put away the long sword and pulled a shorter one for Fox. She wanted to test her abilities in a new way.

Red swathed his cheeks and neck as he took the practice weapon. He dwarfed it. “Okay.”

Nerves darted his gaze around her and the room.

“Don’t worry. You’ll walk out of here by your own volition. I just want to teach you some basics.”

“Why?”

Her lips pressed together. So many reasons. “Because I want you to be able to defend yourself.”

Fox squeezed the handle of his sword and nodded.

“Good. Stance first.” Winter walked him through the fundamentals, which she’d learned so long ago, and she tried to go slow. After a half hour, she tapped him for sparring moves, pushing him faster in combos as he grew used to the weight and balance of the sword.

By the end, he bent over his knees in a flop sweat. “You’re terrifying.”

Winter patted his wet back. “That’s kind of the point, but it gets less so with more practice.”

“You want me to do this again?”

“For as long as you find me so terrifying.”

Fox’s lack of breath blunted his laughter. “We’ll be here until one of us has perished.”

“Go shower and eat. You’ll feel better.”

He handed her the short sword and made for the door, holding it open for her. 

“I still have energy to expend, but thanks.”

A huff followed him out, and Winter went back to her thoughts and the tranquil burn of her muscles. Ideas chased each other around the initiative she hoped to launch soon after her ascension to chief. If she did nothing else, she wanted her people to be able to defend themselves, like those human Vikings.

Fox might hate her determination by the end of this cycle, but she needed to have a purpose to set her drive against before she lost everything she’d made of herself. Her plan evolved, so her stamina dipped, body ready for rest.Winter took her own advice and ran a bath with oils and salts to soothe the impending aches. She dozed off in the water, mulling over the pleasant surprises from these last ten cycles. When had her priorities begun to change?

Thirteen Clans. Thirteen Males. One prize.

Winter Jarl is the most notorious female warrior of her species. Her father is chief, and he’s dying, so he’s cashed in on a promise she made long ago: he’s setting her up with an alpha from each of the thirteen clans before she takes over his position.

Sentenced to a year of isolation, she will spend twenty-eight days alone with each man. By the end of it, Winter must choose one to stand beside her. 

The challenge? She must be in love to produce an heir. 
​

Cycle Eleven: Teasing Winter

Alpha number eleven is not as funny as he thinks, and Winter is so tired of dancing around new personalities and insecurities. Surprisingly, Fox worms his way under her defenses when she conscripts him for her own purposes.

Fox is terrified by Winter, her words cut him as deeply as her silences do, but when he discovers her passion and sense of humor, he finds that Winter has become an important part of his life.

Jump into this intense paranormal erotica now and see who you want to win Winter’s heart.

A NEW SHORT STORY | Workplace Taboos: Ben

excerpt

Sarah swayed back and forth as she examined a painting hanging outside of his office. Her skirt today was a rich olive green and swished with movements. It mesmerized him for a moment before she turned and caught him watching her.

Pink bloomed in her cheeks, but fire burned in her gaze. That dominance, scarcely contained, boiled his blood. She plainly told him that she wanted to do all of the things she wasn’t allowed to do to him.

The fact that he wanted her to do them, too, drenched the space between them with tension.

It didn’t seem like it was going to lessen any time soon.

How Sarah waited for him to approach had him stepping forward with the desire to simply press her against him. To trap her between him and the wall.

The timid facade faded as he neared, and her hand lifted between them to press along the underside of his mouth with a naughty smile.

Ben wanted to lean down and kiss her, but he refrained.

How much longer would he be able to hold himself back this way?

Sarah dropped her hand, remembering the rules, but how her jaw clenched screamed of her wanting to sink her teeth into him.

Not yet. Not yet…

But maybe soon.

The silky fabric of her top clung to her body, showcasing her perky breasts and hard nipples.

“Are you going to invite me inside?” Sarah gestured to his office.

Ben leaned in closer instead of leading her behind a closed door. “I want to touch you.”

Mouth quirking, Sarah said, “Well, yes. I thought that was the point.”

He shook his head, eyeing her breasts again.

She took a deep breath, but he couldn’t tell if she was teasing him or not. The standstill spread for a long moment between them.

“I believe it’s your rules that require verbal consent, so you’ll have to tell me what you want to touch before I can agree to it.”

Fuck, how she weilded this power over him added to the allure of her. What would Sarah be like given free rein? The stories of her around the office weren’t anything compared to the raw sexuality he experienced being this close to her.

Her hands fiddled with my tie, allowing her knuckles to brush his chest and stomach.

“I would like to fondle your breasts.”

That smile sent such a deep pang down his center that he had to fight his growl of impatience. Fight his instinct to take what he wanted without waiting for her response.

She peered into his eyes for a heartbeat more than he could handle. “You may.”

Her agreement jerked through his muscles, and he worked to move slowly, lifting his hands to smooth beneath them, cupping the undersides of the small masses and squeezing.

Sarah’s inhale stuttered before he brushed his thumbs over those hard peaks. Her gasp was such a reward. Ben squeezed again, drawing circles around her nubs as her thighs rubbed together.

“Do you like that?” He plucked at one, and her hands curled into fists around his tie.

She nodded.

Everything inside of him screamed to splay his mouth across her body, to undress her and pull those tits between his lips, to taste her skin and sweat and the slick slit between her legs.

She pulled him closer until their noses nearly bumped, and he could smell the sweet caramel from her coffee this morning. The inevitability of their kiss simmered there. How long until they both threw out the rules, the contract, and gave into need?

Ben lowered his hands to her waist and hips, swaying her into him for a brief embrace that would let her feel just how badly he wanted her, even though he couldn’t have her yet.

When he released her, he couldn’t unravel the look she gave him.

Why did she draw him in so deeply? Tap into that part of him that no one but his wife had reached before.

And they barely knew each other.

She stood in front of his door so that Ben had to press into her back to unlock it, and Sarah paused when it swung open. He took the few seconds to inhale the sweet scent of her, a shampoo he couldn’t place.

When she stepped forward, he felt the loss of her heat. How impossible…

Once he closed the door, Sarah turned and cornered him against it. How much she could control without touching him amazed him every time.

“Why do you like to have me spread across your desk?”

Those beautiful hazel eyes twinkled with challenge. Ben had always propped his office girls on his desk, put their feet in the custom holds so that he could see them fully–or as fully as he was allowed. If he only got access to their pussy, he wanted every part of it. And that meant feasting on it with his eyes.

“Because there’s nothing more beautiful than a wet pussy as it comes.”

Her nostrils flared as she hovered in his space before she rounded his desk and shook her hair over her shoulders.

His cock ached with the want to take more from her and the knowledge that he could if he asked for it. Ben stalked around the desk slowly and leaned into her like they might kiss, heart hammering with adrenaline as her mouth parted and her breathing grew strained.

Gathering her skirt in his hands, he drew the fabric up her thighs, refusing to retreat as he grabbed her hips and lifted her to the edge of his desk. Their bodies remained close, and Sarah’s knees squeezed him.

Fuck, he wanted her. Wanted her badly enough that his wife teased him about it.

But he couldn’t have her. Not yet. Not here.

Instead, he’d take what he could right now, cupping under her knees to settle her feet wide in their slots.

“Do you get nervous when I have you this way?”

Her smile curled hard. “No. I just like to understand the kinks of the people I play with.”

Cold jealousy scorched him. It shouldn’t, but it did. He didn’t want to think about the other people she played with, slept with, fucked, when he was with her. But for how much of this did she think about the fact that he was married? Especially with the rules in place. The ones that kept her from taking what she wanted from him.

Prolonging this was another of his so-called kinks. He liked that she obviously wanted him by the way she acted because her frustration with it was clear the more he worked her up. The bigger the frenzy, the deeper her desires.

How long until she broke? Until he did.

When would he know if he could take her home? It was too serious of a step. Too soon for it.

So he drew his hands down the insides of her thighs and found her pussy bare and wet enough to allow his finger to slide smoothly into her.

Fuck, that small gasp made his cock jerk against his slacks.

Teasing her prompted her pout, and he pushed her skirt further back to reveal more of her. Slick and more than ready for him, she watched as he tentatively worked another finger into her.

“See, you like watching my fingers disappear into you, too.” The sight haunted his dreams, both at night and during the day. Sarah made it unbelievably difficult to make it through the eight-to-five. 

“I do, but I can’t help but wonder how much more I would like watching your cock filling me up instead.”

His growl escaped before he could tamp it back. “You like to push your limits.”

“Test my boundaries, sure.” She bit her lip as he curled his fingers inside of her the way she liked. “But if words are all I get, you better believe I’m going to use them on you.”

Sarah made it clear from their first interaction that she rebelled against his authority and the control he scarcely maintained when she was nearby. This woman had a habit of picking at his armor.

Planting his hand on the desk beside hers, he didn’t let an inch of space between them that he didn’t need to. He decided to make her come fast to take the edge out of her. It was the only thing she would succumb to. The only thing she let him truly control.

When her toes curled and she panted against his cheek, she made him fall for her a little. Fuck, she wasn’t allowed to worm her way into him like this.

Sarah took to the rough pounding of his fingers, the fast slapping of his palm’s heel against her clit, and she bore down with her impending orgasm. Those delicate hands curled into fists.

Ben enjoyed the small signs of her struggle. She wanted him almost as much as he wanted her.

Good.

If she could remain patient, or whatever that looked like on her, they had a better chance of getting what they both craved.

Her soft moan undid him, and he bumped their noses together.

“Are you coming for me?” He didn’t need to ask; he felt it–the quaver of her muscles. Sarah liked to talk, liked the few dirty things he’d said to her so far.

Her whimpering cry was her answer as she abandoned herself to the pleasure.

Wet spread across his boxers with his own arousal.

Once her lids stopped fluttering, she speared him with her gaze again, daring him to do a fraction of what she might let him.

How could she be this tempting?

Read the rest of Sarah’s story here.

Moving to Mating Metropolis means giving into sexual whims with neighbors, co-workers, and strangers. It means forgoing long-held taboos.

Sarah likes to tease–co-workers, neighbors, the barista at the cafe down the street, but she doesn’t mess with bosses. It’s too much of a headache to navigate.

When Ben, the floor manager, aka her boss’s boss, shows up to offer her a contract, she’s not sure that she wants to say no.

Is a surprisingly intense attraction enough for her to take what he offers, or will she turn down his proposition?

Dive into this short, hot erotica story now & get some deals from GET THAT BOOK!