Wednesday Words

How could I forget? Forgive me, Halloween stole my thunder.

This is from a story I wrote but never published, and still mean to get to--Service With a Smile. Isabel is a Seeker, trying to track down an amulet. Bum Bum. And this is her story. (Sorry, a little too much Law and Order in my diet. haha)

          “Remember, Isabel. It’s a large chest, and gleaming gems of emerald wink out from its face. Hard, sturdy material will protect what needs protecting.  The heart of the thing is pure, so treat it with gentle hands. You’ll find your compass encased in glass.”

            Shit.  Gertie’d been describing the Adonis under the water, not an actual compass to direct her toward the amulet.  “The compass encased in glass” wasn’t in the antique china cabinet, but in the damned see-through shower stall large enough to hold four grown men. 

            Staring bemusedly at her supposed “help,” Isabel groaned.  Gertie had really outdone herself. 

            The body underneath the shower spray made Isabel’s mouth water.  No normal undine, this male stood taller than her own formidable five ten, when most of his kind rarely reached five feet in height.  His broad chest and ropy muscles met the needs of a waterdweller, those powerful arms and torso no doubt aiding in his propulsion through the ocean…kicked into gear by those potent thighs and those tight glutes.  Which was to say nothing of the impressive flesh hanging both long and thick between his thighs.  She licked her lips.

            The stories she’d heard about an undine’s capability to bestow pleasure suddenly magnified while looking at him.  His long, blond hair clung to his scalp like wet silk.  And the ecstatic expression on his face as he turned into the spray above him made her think of bedsheets, naked bodies, and an undine’s compulsive need to please.

            He blinked in surprise when he finally noticed her and opened the shower door.  She still couldn’t hear the running shower, and figured him trapped in a spell of some kind.  Mishra? he mouthed.  His eyes, a bright, glowing emerald green, stared at her with an intensity that spooked her, as if he could see inside her soul.  His gaze remained locked to hers as his full lips curved into a wide, sensual grin.  And he slowly slid his gaze over her face, caressing her neck, her breasts, and lower still before rising to her breasts again.  Figured.  Most men couldn’t resist what she considered her best feature. 

            The undine licked his lips and immediately his cock rose, impressing her with its incredible length.  She swallowed hard, imagining taking that into her body, her mouth...

            He took a step forward, breaching the stall’s barrier,  and as he did so, the bubble around him broke.  She could now hear the running water and watched as he stepped onto the bath mat dripping wet, a giant wrench on her libido in the form of naked man.

            Towering over her, he inspected her from head to toe.  “Mishra,” he said again, and she prayed they wouldn’t have a language problem.  She really was on a timetable, though her libido seemed to have forgotten the fact.

            “Um, Gertie told me you’d be here.  I’m Isabel.”

            He blinked and leaned closer, oblivious to the drops of water sliding from his body to hers.  “Isabel,” he murmured, his green eyes so bright they looked like neon. 

            “Look buddy, do you know Gertie or not?  I don’t have time for--”

            Too quickly to counter, he took her in his arms and stole her breath with a kiss.  A rock hard chest pressed her sensitive breasts as he sought and commanded her response.  His tongue penetrated, licking the cavern of her mouth and sucking on her tongue with such carnal need she actually melted in his embrace. 

            Growling low, he maneuvered her against the side wall bracing the shower and aligned his body tightly against hers.  She tried to catch her breath, but the sexual creature wouldn’t let her.  Instead, he deepened the kiss and dragged his hands under her t-shirt.  The feel of his cool wet palms against her back made her shiver.  He rubbed her back, first lower, then higher as he slowly, determinedly, stroked toward her ribs, her belly, and upward until he cupped both of her taut, aching breasts.

            “Oh, God.”  She arched into his hands and his mouth, wanting him in the worst way.  She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had sex, but she knew it hadn’t been anything close to this liquefying sensation.  Her bones felt like water, her head as if it swam in a pool of raw desire. 

            He broke free of her mouth and began licking and kissing his way down her throat.  His body felt like iron, his erection prodding to enter her as he continued to tease her breasts. 

            Stop, she thought, needing a moment.  How that hell had this happened?  Her mind refused to cooperate. 

            He thrust against her belly, and as if with a mind of their own, her thighs parted, allowing him better access.   He refused to touch her sex, though, as much as she needed him to.  She pushed, prodded and pulled, and still he continued his seduction without penetration. She thought he groaned, but her senses felt so skewed she couldn’t be sure.  Pure, sizzling desire filled her from head to toe, and she literally shook with the need to come, to feel him inside of her.  He thrust once more against her belly before nipping hard at her pulse. 

            And Isabel exploded. 

            Her body convulsed in a shocking orgasm that shook her entire world.   When she finally regained her senses, she saw his eyes shuttered, watching her as he fisted a hand around his weeping cock.  She stared through widening eyes as he suddenly tensed and came over his hand, jets of cum splashing over his palm, her belly, and her shorts.  And then his pale blue semen simply vanished as if it had never been. 

            “What, how…?” Speechless, she stared from his still semi-hard cock to her clean clothes.  A male undine?  Blue semen?   A man who could cause an orgasm without touching her clit, without even entering her?  Gertie must have enchanted the house with a pleasure spell, or some other witchy bullshit.  Hell, there was no way this guy was real.  He looked like perfection personified and had actually allowed Isabel to come before he did.  So not normal.  

            But when she took a good, hard, seeker look around her, she saw no otherworldly enchantments.  Just a mouth-wateringly naked undine.

            As she stared at him, his eyes twinkled and he bowed his head. 

            “My apologies, Mishra.”

            “Huh?”           

            “I regret my loss of control.”  He didn’t sound regretful.  He sounded arrogant, male satisfaction bleeding through his soft words.  “I brought you to bliss much too quickly, too taken with my own needs.  My only excuse is that I hadn’t counted on my overwhelming reaction to you.  But I promise, it won’t happen again.  On my honor, you will know such ecstasy as none of your kind can conceive.”

            Isabel stared, flabbergasted.  “Who the hell are you?”

Happy Halloween!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

MAY YOUR JACK-O'-LANTERNS BE FULL OF TEETH, LIGHT, AND FRIGHT

Book Lovin' Mamas--Backlist Giveaway!

Blog Tour and Giveaway! Today I'm at Book Lovin' Mamas. I friggin' love that name. I'm talking about Tip of the Spear, my latest release, and giving away an e-copy of any of my backlist to one random commenter. So stop on by and read a steamy excerpt, then leave a comment for a chance to win. It's EASY. And I'm all about the big E. 

Enjoy your Tuesday...one more day until Halloween!

The Return from Emerald City

Whew. Trying to catch my breath! What a great trip to Seattle. The weather wasn't pretty, which actually made staying in the hotel and conference even more enjoyable. The conference was a blast. With great people and well-run, the Emerald City Writers' Conference offered a lot of important information, wonderful keynote speeches by Susan Wiggs and Stella Cameron, and a ton of fun activities. I was able to meet a reader, the terrific Lindsey E., who won a raffle basket, as did my roommate (yes, it had to be rigged because I won nothing,) and I purchased some great books of my own.

I also got to meet the very talented Shelli Stevens and Karen Erickson, both of whose books I've read before and thoroughly enjoyed. I also danced the night away with Michelle, Amanda, and Jude, also featured in the picture below. (I should note, I picked up Amanda's latest release, True Highland Spirit, which I look forward to reading, along with Shelli's Holding Out for a Hero and Karen's End of Days anthology.)

from left to right, Jude, me, Michelle, Karen, Amanda, Shelli

And now I'm back to work and trying to make my own deadlines, so that when the real ones come knocking in December, I can cross them off my list. 

the lovely Westin Hotel in Bellvue with my roommate getting ready for dinner

the basket I donated. Marie Harte's Favorite Things (note the chocolate almonds...yum!)

Emerald City

Well, I'm off to the Emerald City Writers Convention in Seattle for a few days. Back to work on Monday, though.  I'll be posting some pictures and maybe an update or two on the conference, unless I've had one mojito too many. So have a nice weekend, and happy reading. Cheers!

Blog Tour and Wednesday Words: REAPER'S REWARD

Blog Tour: Ramblings of a Chaotic Mind

Today I'm at Ramblings of a Chaotic Mind on my blog tour for Tip of the Spear. I'm talking about my villains, and I realized I have quite a few in this story. Love those bad guys. There's an excerpt and another giveaway of Tip of the Spear. So stop by and take a look.

Wednesday Words: REAPER'S REWARD

I absolutely love Ethan Reaper. He's one of my favorite heroes, just because he's so alpha and yet vulnerable. Enjoy this excerpt between undercover Jewel and Ethan Reaper, who's also on an assignment with definite perks.

EXCERPT

Practical, as always, Jewel thought with a grin, which faded as she stared down at her short, blue, fanciful sundress. In keeping with her sexy, desperate persona -- thanks so much, Uncle Tommy -- she’d worn a cornflower blue sundress covered in purple, green, and yellow flowers. The cursed thing had spaghetti straps, which showed the thin blue straps of her bra, allowed too much cleavage, and was way too short. It came to the middle of her damned thighs.

Fidgeting, she practiced sitting ladylike on the settee, reminding herself not to spread her legs in comfort unless she wanted to go for the sexual side of employment here. Jewel snorted, imaging her uncle’s expression should he learn she’d gone native in a sex resort.

“Serve him right,” she muttered as she leaned toward the open window, unable to take her gaze away from the beauty of paradise.

“Serve who right?”

She had to look up, way up, to match the face with the gravelly voice. This close, she could see the dark brown color of the guard’s -- Ethan’s -- thickly lashed eyes. Hot damn, but he fairly oozed sex appeal, and Jewel was taken aback at her awareness of it. In Hastings’s office, Ethan had been intriguing in a standoffish, don’t-screw-with-me kind of way. But now, he looked as if he wanted to dance the horizontal mambo…with her. And her heart wouldn’t stop racing.

Swallowing loudly, she glanced beyond him. “Is Mr. Hastings finished with your meeting?”

“He has a few things to take care of or he’d join us.” He leaned down and took her hand in his, dwarfing her with his size. Electricity zinged through her at the contact.

This is so not normal.

Helping her to her feet, he caught her by the small of her back and walked her down the hallway. Plush green carpet softened their steps. A chair rail along the corridor separated the pale mango upper wall from the white wainscoted lower wall. Beautiful and classy when combined with the island prints framed in dark walnut on the walls. But the décor still wasn’t enough to blot out her consciousness of her hunky escort, who stood way too close for comfort.

“Um, so this is the tour?” Jewel wanted to slap herself for the obvious comment, especially when his brows rose as if questioning her intelligence.

“Part of it at least. You’ll notice there aren’t too many people in the hallways. Most of the action today is outside, in the private cabanas and in the central courtyard out back. But I think we’ll start by taking you through the hotel to your room. You look scared already, and the scene poolside takes some getting used to.”

She immediately bristled at his tone. “Look, I applied for this job. I may be new, but I don’t need to be handled with kid gloves.”

His hand shifted on her dress, and Jewel squelched an insane urge to increase the contact.

“Well then, Miss Assertive, let’s go outside, shall we?”

Though his voice hadn’t changed much, she could tell she’d pricked his temper. Good. Jewel needed a handle on those around her, and Ethan was like a locked vault. Apparently, chatting up security with a wide grin and a hint of boobs wasn’t going to work. Although… She glanced at Ethan from the corner of her eye, recalling the heated look he’d given her earlier.

Best to smooth over his annoyance. Smiling up at him, Jewel breathed deeply, throwing out her chest as she did so, and earned his attention. “So are the employees’ rooms grouped together?”

He studied her, but not with the sex-crazed expression she’d hoped for. “Yeah, on the fifth floor. Depending on your duties, you’ll either stay up there or transfer to the main floor.”

“Depending on my duties? I thought I’d been hired to waitress.”

He grinned suddenly, and the sight of his smile transformed him from arrogant tough guy to sex personified. “Baby, no one here is paid to fuck. We have food staff, housekeepers, landscapers, and more. You’re here to wait on the guests, food-wise, but Satyr’s Myst is all about service. Like the others, you’ll be trained to please the guests in every way. But that’s a side benefit of the job.” His grin faded at her look of shock, and his eyes narrowed. “That is why you’re here, isn’t it?”

Jewel sputtered, then found herself outside under the shaded canopy of the hotel, overlooking group sex by the pool. Holy shit.

Ethan took her to the side, still under the shade and in full view of anyone looking, then lowered his head to murmur in her ear, “I told you it takes some getting used to. But since you’re here to participate, why not start your training now?”

“I’m not…”

“Not what?” he asked softly, positioning himself firmly behind her. She felt his erection brushing above her ass, but was distracted when his hands circled her front to cup her breasts. “Not here to service the guests, Jewel? But that’s what you applied for, after all. You told me not to handle you with kid gloves, remember?”

Tell him to get the hell off. To back away. But she said neither. Anticipation made her light-headed. He pinched her nipples, and she moaned, amazed at the flood of need pooling between her thighs. She had never been this turned on in her life, and by a stranger no less. The erotic tableau before her only spiked her arousal higher.

“Look at the water, Jewel. The play there is only the beginning.”

She helplessly glanced up, her body no longer hers to control as he played with her breasts and circled her belly with one large, hot hand.

Several naked people in the pool -- she had yet to see a guest wearing clothes -- were having sex with each other and masturbating. One man sat on the ledge, gripping his cock with desperation as a petite redhead watched. He cried out and came, and the redhead quickly bent to catch his cum in her mouth. As she bent over, a dark-skinned man with a huge cock buried himself in her ass even as she swallowed her other lover’s orgasm.

Jewel stared so hard her eyes hurt. She’d seen a few pornos before but nothing so decadent as this. And Ethan’s hands on her only increased her stimulation. To her shock, Jewel felt on the verge of orgasm.

“Hmm, a closet hedonist, eh, Jewel?” Ethan chuckled and continued to play with her breasts, while his other hand traveled lower, inching up the hem of her skirt. “But what have we here?”

His finger inched past the silk of her thong, delving into her wet heat.

“Ethan,” she gasped, jolted out of her daze by the intrusion. What the hell was wrong with her that she allowed a stranger to fondle her in public? You’re undercover. Go with it. The devil within her prodded her to cooperate. Besides, you need this.

“That’s it, honey. Damn, you’re wet.” He rubbed his cock against her backside, his excitement making her wetter. “Feels to me like you’re over the bastard who dumped you.” He chuckled and shoved another finger deep inside her. “Shit, baby, you need this as much as I do.”

He began priming her.

“That feels so good.” Was that her shuddering under a stranger’s touch, in full view of anyone happening by? Undercover my ass. The sane part of her took charge, and Jewel squirmed, trying to free herself from Ethan. But the movement only put her clit in direct contact with his knuckles, and she moaned his name in a throaty voice, needing more.

“That’s it, baby. Come. Drench my hand with your cream.”

She didn’t need it. Jewel didn’t need sex, didn’t need some bossy, bodybuilder type telling her what to --

“Oh, my God.” She blew apart, between one breath and the next, exploding into the biggest orgasm she’d ever had in her life. She shuddered and moaned while Ethan’s fingers plunged in and out of her with greater speed.

She was dimly aware of the sound of a zipper lowering and then felt another shock, this one fatter and thicker against her ass.

“Bend over,” he growled and turned her to face the wall. Before she could comply, he had her bent at the waist, her legs spread apart.

“Ethan, wait,” she protested before he thrust deep. The feel of him took her breath away. He was huge, hot, and incredibly arousing. He fucked her with long, hard thrusts, his breath raspy as he pushed inside her. Arousal spiked, and she felt the beginning of another climax when he stilled and groaned.

“Fuck me,” he rasped, pulling out only to slam back into her. When his hand came around to stroke her clit, she felt his touch before she shattered again, clenching him tight.

“Baby, you’re killing me.” He groaned and repeatedly thrust, coming inside her with such force that cum starting dripping down her legs.

When they both finally stopped, Jewel realized what she’d done, and with whom. She’d just had sex, in public, with a man she’d met only minutes ago. Talk about going native…

Ethan pulled out and straightened his clothes, then reached into his back pocket and retrieved a handkerchief. Without a word, he squatted down to clean her legs, then pressed the cloth between her thighs.

Too sated to feel embarrassed, she stared at him. She couldn’t believe her nonchalance at what they’d just done. But Jewel had always been adaptable, and she resolved to feel no guilt for the amazing sex she’d experienced. No one around them seemed to care, engrossed in their own sexuality. And hell, it had been a year since her last sexual encounter. Why not break her cold streak with a no-strings-attached, one-shot deal?

Glancing down into his eyes, she murmured, “Always prepared, hmm?”

“Not always.” Ethan’s gaze probed deep. He rose and stroked her cheek, taking her lips in a breath-stealing kiss. “Now for the rest of the tour.”

To read more about Reaper's Reward, click here.

Dylan's Story...It's Coming!

Lately I've been getting a lot of questions about the Warren brothers, first introduced in Enjoying the Show. We've seen Gage (Enjoying the Show) and Derrick (Closing the Deal), now what about Dylan, Derrick's sexy twin who's so good at giving others advice? 

Good news. Raising the Bar, Dylan Warren's story, is with my editor at Samhain. Not sure on a release date yet, but as soon as I know more, I'll share, gladly. :)  

The Warrens are a special family, three brothers who love each other and care deeply for their mother. Not a lot of dysfunction, just four people trying to find happiness and love in their lives. 

Here's a small peek at Raising the Bar (before edits, mind you)

BLURB

Dr. Dylan Warren is too old to be swapping places with his twin, but to save a career-making deal, he’ll play his part. He hadn’t counted on a sexy, nosy contractor being able to tell the difference between them. In order to protect his brother’s reputation and explain his side of things, Dylan agrees to meet with Harper for dinner—in an upscale Victorian which turns out to be high a class club catering to their patrons' every need.

Dylan has never made any bones about being bi, but he’s never experienced two lovers in his bed before. Suddenly, he’s in lust with not only Harper, but the hot bartender serving him more than drinks. Between Freddy, a beautiful woman who seems to know him better than he knows himself, and Harper, a man who won’t take no for an answer, Dylan finds himself in that most uncomfortable of places—falling in love and not sure what to do about it...with two people. 

EXCERPT

Dylan Warren paced outside the government complex and shivered in the cold December wind. Even in Augusta, Georgia, winters could get a bit chilly.

I can do this. It’s nothing but a thing. No one has to know.

After taking a deep breath, he let it out and entered the building, all the while cursing himself for letting Derrick take advantage of his generosity. How could he have forgotten, for even a second, that his twin was the Warren brother who never lost a bet?

Because of Derrick, the freakin’ Bears who couldn’t seem to win a game, and his own stupidity in betting a favor, of all things, Dylan found himself doing something he hadn’t done in twenty years. God, I am too old for this shit. As he entered the narrow corridor leading to professional suicide, he tugged at the raggedy sweater that passed for Derrick’s Sunday best and swore again, clutching the handful of papers he’d memorized last night.

A gift for total recall was the only thing going in his favor today. He had a meeting with his mother later that he’d been dreading. As he waited in the quiet lobby of the planner’s office, he tried not to dwell on what might go wrong with Derrick’s stupid scheme. Except this fiasco was keeping his mind from his mother. He had a hard enough time living up to her estimable reputation without playing dress-up. Christ, if Dr. Barbara Ann Warren got wind of this, he’d never hear the end of it. But then, that might be preferable to hearing about—

“Derrick Warren?” a prim older woman who looked like she walked with a stick up her ass stood in the doorway to his left and stared down her nose at him. The dreaded secretary, Marly Bennett. Derrick had warned him that the woman ate contractors like candy.

“Yes, ma’am?” He gave her his best grin, and her frown turned into a tight-lipped line.

“Ms. Wielder will see you now.”

“Thank you.” As he drew closer, he stopped and sniffed. “I hope you don’t think this too forward, but you smell wonderful. You’re wearing Vintage, aren’t you?”

She blinked at him. “Why yes, I am.” The woman looked old enough to be his grandmother, but the warm smile she gave him told him she appreciated him noticing.  At least the old Warren charm hadn’t disappeared along with his good sense.

He entered the office and found the city planner, Natalie Wielder, waiting impatiently at her desk. He stepped forward and held out a hand. “Ms. Wielder.”

She shook it and gestured for him to sit. “Mr. Warren.” She blew out a breath. “Cut the crap, Derrick. You’re late.” Apparently she and Derrick were on a first name basis. One more thing his idiot brother hadn’t told him about today.

He frowned. “I was told the appointment was for noon.”

“Try eleven forty-five. You’re lucky you’re good looking or Marly would have tossed you out on your ass. She has a thing for younger men, you know,” Natalie added with a smirk.

Friggin’ Derrick and his suck-ass ability to tell time. “Sorry. I must have written it down wrong.”

“Whatever.” Natalie waved aside his protest. “You know Harper.”

No, he didn’t. Dylan forced himself to hold it together as he glanced over his shoulder at a man leaning against the wall, his thick forearms crossed over a broad chest. He had sandy hair and dark brown eyes and dressed in a flannel shirt, jeans and work boots. A faint reference to Harper somebody came to mind. Derrick had been bitching about something…blah, blah, blah, and Harper fixed it.

Dylan nodded to the man. “Harper.” The guy had long eye lashes, a tanned complexion, and really thick forearms. He was handsome, ruggedly so. And not someone Derrick would ever find sexually attractive. Dylan, on the other hand…

“Derrick.” Harper’s eyes narrowed as he looked Dylan over, but he said nothing more.

“Give me the papers, Derrick. Derrick?” Natalie raised her voice.

Dylan turned away from Harper and his chocolaty brown eyes and handed her the report he’d been carrying. “Sorry. Been a long day.”

“And it’s only noon,” Natalie jeered. She studied the notes, reading though Derrick’s presentation, giving him a moment to compose himself.

A good thing, because Dylan found himself rattled. Derrick had given him the bare bones about today’s meeting. A necessary evil to clinch the new city development deal. Derrick had already been given the green light. He saw today as a mere formality. Yet Dylan considered the meeting anything but.

Natalie Wielder treated him with barely concealed disdain. He’d already been late. And holy shit, but this Harper guy stunned him. Dylan had particular tastes in his sexual partners. He was a professional, dated professionals, and liked men and women equally. He cared less about pedigree and looks than about a person’s inner character, probably because he’d grown up trying to figure out what made people tick.

But his reaction to Harper alarmed him, because he didn’t normally grow breathless around…well, anyone. He chalked up his nerves to being exposed as a fraud and did his best to focus.

Natalie asked Dylan questions about the bid, and he answered them easily enough. He concentrated on being Derrick, aware his brother was counting on him. Sydney had finally put his brother out of his misery and moved in with him, and Derrick planned to capitalize on his good fortune with a weekend of unbridled sex. The lucky bastard.

If only the Bears had made that final field goal, Dylan wouldn’t have lost that stupid bet. Then Derrick would have had to postpone his trip to Charleston. Derrick would have answered all of Natalie’s questions. And Derrick wouldn’t have to ignore an unwelcome attraction to the tall, brooding Harper.

Natalie asked Dylan a few more questions before turning her attention to the hunky guy in flannel.

She said his name twice, and Dylan belatedly realized Harper had been watching him instead of paying attention to her. Hell.