Monthly Archives: August 2012

Romancing the Blog Hoppity and Goodies

What is your favorite thing about Romance? Well, we authors are ready to share our romantic tips and favorite romance reads! Starting on Friday and ending on August 31st, over 100 Authors and Bloggers will share their favorite things about romance, reading romance, and dating.

And while we do that, we are EACH doing a giveaway. Yep. There will be over 100 giveaways on each blog hosted by that Author or Blogger.

But that’s not all….

We have THREE grand prizes. You as a reader can go to EACH blog and comment with your email address and be entered to win. Yep, you can enter over 100 times!

1st Grand Prize: A Kindle Fire or Nook Tablet

2nd Grand Prize: A $130 Amazon or B&N Gift Card

3rd Grand Prize: The following Swag Pack!

What do you love about romance?

I love knowing that the characters are going to make it through their issues, to find love and their happily ever after. If only it always happened in real life, right :)

Leave your answer in the comments (with your email address to be contacted if you win my prize or the Main Hop prizes).

My Giveaway

Two winners will be randomly chosen from the comments to receive a $5 gift card to Amazon.com

Then, check out the other blogs in the Hop to be entered as many times as you comment for the Grand Prizes.

Good luck, and have fun :)

New Release~Woot! and other news

I’ve written everything from urban fantasy, to paranormal, to erotic romance, and I’ve enjoyed each story.

Recently, the whole 50 shades of you know what, has plopped erotic and BDSM stories in the news seemingly all over the place.

I think that’s awesome for authors, because in my mind, it’s just one more thing getting headlines and therefore getting people thinking about books and reading.

Okay, so I may be a bit optimistic, but I’m okay with that ;)

It also helped me to take the plunge and publish the first of a short story series I’ve had in mind for a couple years, based on Red Riding Hood… adult style, LOL.

So enjoy a PG peek of Red’s Wolf: Beginnings

Available at Amazon     Smashwords     Kobo

Most know of me, or at least have heard my tale. 

Certainly you would recognize my crimson cloak, perhaps you have even been regaled by tales of my battles against the wolves.

 But as with most stories, that is only part of my life.
 
Once I was the belle of my village. Men came from miles around to try to win my heart, and my hand.
 
Only one succeeded.
 
Yet, the story of my beloved Jonah remains shrouded in the mists of time. Nothing is mentioned of all we meant to each other, of the family we created, raised and sent out into the world.
 
If you are truly curious, then sit for a while. Join me and discover for yourself the truth about the woman with the dark red riding hood.
 
***
Samantha Grant headed down the wide, dirt path along the edge of the dark forest, swinging a basket of food. The late afternoon sun shone brightly. The air was cool and scents of pine trees and wild flowers filled the autumn air. It helped calm the butterflies fluttering in her stomach.
Brushing back a strand of long red hair from her face, she tried to soothe her nerves by whistling a simple tune.
Today she was to meet Jonah at the edge of the forest, for a picnic lunch. Her stomach quivered with a girl-like giddiness as she anticipated the tryst with her newly found love.
She was of marrying age. Her childhood friends were long attached, some already with babies. Men travelled from villages near and far, hoping to convince her to accept their proposals. Yet no one had managed to capture her attention like Jonah.
He reminded her of a pirate from one of the countless old tales Gran used to tell, late at night in front of the fireplace. From monsters to heroes, She’d known of a story for everything. A pang touched Samantha’s heart from thoughts of her beloved Gran, gone now for nearly a year.
The sun dipped behind some clouds as a chill wind blew over her from the forest. Scents of something she couldn’t name, almost irresistibly sweet, yet underlain by an odor of rot, swept through the air. Her steps faltered. Shivers crawled over her skin as the urge to turn and enter the thick, deep shadows between the trees beckoned.
Gran had warned her to always stay away from the frightening forest. Strange beasts roamed there, creeping out during the dark of night to steal children or rip townsfolk to pieces. Samantha backed up a step, ready to turn and flee back home.
But nearby, just a little further, was where Jonah wanted to meet. Her nerves thrummed, her pulse raced faster. For today, she and Jonah would consummate their love.
She ignored her feelings of trepidation and continued on, if a bit faster.
Finally, she rounded a large rock jutting up from the earth.
Jonah stood in shadow, his back to her as he stared into the forest.
She took a moment to watch him, enjoying how the wind pushed his shirt taut against the muscles of his back. Dark trousers encased thick legs, full of strength. His very presence was commanding, and comforting. This was a man who would always keep her protected and well cared for.
She tugged her bodice down a bit, adjusting her chemise to reveal more cleavage. She wasn’t quite indecent, but a thrill swept through her blood as Jonah turned. His gaze swept over her face, dropped to the swell of her breasts.
Strapping, strong, he towered over her slight form. His dark hair and strange golden eyes enhanced the image.
And when he touched her, she felt like a woman.
“Sami,” he whispered, his voice deep, husky.
The sound slid down her spine like silk. “I’m here.”

~Enjoy :)

And other News

Bloodstorm (Heart of a Vampire, Book 1) is now FREE at most major E-tailers. Check out the links on the left : )

Take care and hope your weather is turning into fall. Ours is not ~ we’ve still been in the 110 range, with high humidity. *Steps outside and literally melts*

~Enjoy :)

Guest Author – Liz Crowe and Conditional Offer: Stewart Realty Book 5

Please welcome the lovely Liz Crowe to the blog today. Not only is she a terrific author, but does she have some stories to tell : )

Sometimes I feel like that chick “Dharma” – you know, from Dharma and Greg? The free spirit girl married to the zipped up attorney? One of the long running jokes on that show was that Dharma had done pretty much everything. If you mentioned you liked a Led Zepplin song she’d played backup guitar for the band. She’d piloted a hot air balloon around the world and taught sign language to chimps. You name it, she’d done it.

I find myself saying things like “well, when I lived in Turkey,” or “when my passport was stolen in Southern Spain,” or “well the fourth time I saw Paris in the springtime” a lot. And many times people think I’m full of it.  When my 8 year old daughter told her 2nd grade teacher that she was born in Hiroshima, Japan and had lived in 2 other countries, and ridden elephants in Thailand when she was three the teacher called me, “worried about Julia’s tendency to exaggerate and lie.”  Yeah.

Well, I’ve been blessed/cursed with that sort of life. I’ve worked in Washington D.C. for one of the largest non profit fund raising entities known to the modern world (United Way), managed a daily newspaper’s graphics and special sections department, been marketing director for a giant corporation that owns nursing homes, lived in 3 countries, travelled to many, sold real estate and now I’m a fairly successful writer and own a fast growing craft brewery. Yeah.

It’s been an interesting life and I try to channel a lot of it into my books. As a result, I have a style and sort of genre bending formula I like to call “romance for real life.” It’s full of heat, and heart but the people do not always act the way traditional romance characters do. They F%$# up in other words and I let them. They screw up perfectly good relationships by being selfish, rude, or mistrustful. I have won a lot of readers who say “GOD I threw my kindle across the room when ‘heroine’ said that to ‘hero.’ But when is the next book coming out ???”

It does not work for everyone, but it does for me so I’m sticking with it!

And check out her new release!

Available at:

Conditional Offer: Stewart Realty Book 5

Craig Robinson and Suzanne Baxter had no reason to meet, no real excuse to be friends. But when heart calls to heart…blood to blood…should two people who seem destined to be together heed the spin of Fate’s wheel? 

Craig spent years floating through life on cruise control, using directionless jobs, his rock band, swimming, and a string of older women in his bed to smother feelings of loneliness and loss.  He finally thought he had found his true love in one Sara Thornton — A sexy, beautiful, fellow real estate agent and mentor. But his self-doubt and innate sense of failure is only reinforced when he realizes her heart belongs to another man.  

When Sara introduces him to Suzanne, a woman fighting her own demons from an abusive marriage and subsequent feelings of inadequacy and deep unhappiness, that chance moment snaps Craig’s hazy existence into crystal clear focus.  A bond born of instant physical attraction is nurtured by time and shared experience, and plenty of erotic energy.  

 As Suzanne’s past continues to haunt her, making her push Craig away just as he thinks he’s getting closer, each of them must come to terms with their true selves and face their ultimate realities. 

“Pre order” on ARe, Releases on Aug. 25.

https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-conditionaloffer-907922-148.html

CONDITIONAL OFFER TRAILER (it’s awesome I love it)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SvlYO_zzx18

Liz Bio:

Microbrewery owner, best-selling author, beer blogger and journalist, mom of three teenagers, and soccer fan, Liz lives in the great middle west, in a Major College Town.  Years of experience in sales and fund raising, plus an eight-year stint as an ex-pat trailing spouse plus making her way in a world of men (i.e. the beer industry) has prepped her for life as erotic romance author.  When she isn’t sweating inventory and sales figures for the brewery, she can be found writing, editing or sweating promotional efforts for her latest publications.  Her ground breaking romance sub genre: “Romance for Real Life” has gained thousands of fans and followers, interested less in the “HEA” and more in the “WHA” (“What Happens After?”)

Her beer blog a2beerwench.com is nationally recognized for its insider yet outsider views on the craft beer industry. Her books are set in the not-so-common worlds of breweries, on the soccer pitch and in high-powered real estate offices.  Don’t ask her for anything “like” a Budweiser or risk painful injury.

Find her:

www.lizcrowe.com

www.brewingpasssion.com

www.a2beerwench.com

www.facebook.com/lizcroweauthor

www.twitter.com/beerwencha2

www.facebook.com/romanceforreallife

www.facebook.com/jackgordonrealtor

 

Other Books in the Stewart Realty Series:

Floor Time

Sweat Equity

Closing Costs

Essence of Time

Conditional Offer

Escalation Clause (November 2012)

House Rules (March 2103)

Due Diligence (May 2013)

Good Faith (September 2013)

Ashlynne Laynne shares a #Steamy excerpt of Blood Bonds

Please help me welcome Ashlynne Laynne as she shares a steamy excerpt of Blood Bonds.

Blood Bonds Blurb (The Progeny Series #2)

“Forever. For always. For eternity.”

The ties that bind two hearts are powerful. For Ascher Rousseau and Shauna McCutchin, it’s more than just a blood bond. Their union is that of vampire legend. Their love is a predestined prophecy foretold centuries ago.

It’s a week before Ascher and Shauna’s sealing and the couple is making final preparations for their eternity, but Ascher’s ex has other plans. Ursula is hell-bent on revenge—revenge fueled by lover’s scorn and her father’s death—and she begins breeding a fresh army of newborn darklings to do her bidding.

When Ursula finds a new weapon—an ally with the capability to dismantle the Rousseau clan— Ascher and Shauna’s bond is tested and they must stand together against Ursula or lose each other for eternity.

Available Here:

Amazon Kindle US     Barnes and Noble Nook     Smashwords     All Romance E-books

Blood Bonds Steamy Excerpt

“I can remember a time when all I did was to fantasize about how making love to you would be. I dreamed about how your lips would feel on my body, how you’d feel inside of me.” She placed his hand between her legs. “If you need me to take control tonight, I will.” She directed his fingers to her pussy, guiding them inside her wet passage. “Do you feel that Ascher? This is what youdo to me.” She moaned as she wrapped her legs around his waist, threading her fingers into his hair. “Come on, Ascher. Don’t over think this. It’s still just you and me.”

Shaunamolded her impassioned lips to his as her hips moved in sensuous rhythmic circles, slidingher warm wetness along his fingers. Hard kisses on his mouth became softer, more deliberate tongue twirls as her mouth journeyed down his neck causinghis stiffness to poke her stomach. Reaching down, she took him in her hand, swirling her thumb around his swollen crown.

He drew an uneasy breath as a true blaze ignited, sweeping his body, burning him everywhere at once. “Shauna.”

She shook her head at him. “I don’t want to hear it.”

His body quivered, the warmth spreading and making its way to his vision. His fingers delved deep inside of her as she masturbated him into painfully stiff proportions.

Lifting herself off him, she pushed him back, motioning him to lie down. “We’re sealed now,” she whispered against his neck. “That means…” She kissed a slow, teasing trail down his stomach, tracing wet circles into his flushed skin with a stiff tongue. “That I can pleasure you anyway I please. Even this way.”

An involuntary gasp slipped from his lips as he instinctively grabbed a fistful of her hair, winding his hands into it to stop her. He’d had to use this protective measure several times—most of them with Ursula, once before with Shauna and with two overzealous volunteers.

Shauna’s lips pursed with determination. “No.” Her insistent hand found his rod, pulling and stroking it again.

Ascher’s eyes morphed red as the combustion took him over. He attempted to pull her head up to him, but she refused. His restraint and will weakening, he concentrated on keeping control of himself.“Shauna, I think that…”

“I don’t want to hear it. No thinking…”

“But…”

“Sealing was the prerequisite for me pleasuring you in this way—a way you’ve been unselfish in pleasuring me numerous times.”

Stunned by her aggression, he was unable to speak.

She flashed her ring finger at him. “I’m sealed and married to you. There are no more excuses. I want to do this. Think of it as a wedding gift.”

His grip in her hair loosened. He should have considered himself lucky because somemen bribed, begged and sometimes coerced their wives into this, yet she was eager, ready and willing to give him this pleasure. “I don’t know what my reaction is going to be. I’ve never—”

“Well, I’m not exactly sure of what I’m doing. I mean, it isn’t like I’ve ever done this before,” she assured him. “We’ll learn together. I’m sure you’ll let me know how it feels.” She bit her lip and gave him a sneaky grin. “If you’re worried about me, then don’t. I desire to share this experience with you.” Her hands came to his thighs, kneading and massaging them. “You won’t hurt me. Let me pleasure you, Ascher.”

Her head returned to his stomach, her wavy locks gliding along his chest, her warm mouth peppering his skin with more kisses. The heat crept down to his shaft, concentrating there.

He closed his eyes, anticipating what was coming and felt her warm breath against him, causing him to stiffen more. His cock registered her mouth’s close proximity as her tongue flicked the sensitive head with soft and careful laps, tracing wet kisses up and down its length.

Pearly beads bubbled up from the crown, causing the head of his cock to throb with each swipe of her tongue. She flashed him a heavy lidded gaze before sucking the milky offering into her mouth and licking her lips. It felt so good and he couldn’t stifle the rumbling in his throat, forcing its way out of his trembling mouth. His vision saturated with red heat as her mouth enveloped him, taking in as much as she could.

Having never been religious, but finding no other words to describe the intense sensations her mouth gave him, he surprised them both when he moaned, “Oh, my God.”

The familiar tingles coursed his body, only tonight it was an inferno burning the length of his spine. His entire bodyshuddered as her scorching mouth taunted him with heated and determined pulls, coaxing the release out of him. More beads oozed from the depths of his shaft. She rolled her velvety tongue around his crown, greedily sponging up his love offering.

His fangs pulsed in his mouth, aching to make an appearance, as it flooded with uncontrollable thirst. He’d never felt so open to another person, so vulnerable, cherished and scared out of his mind. His breaths quickened as the claws sprangfrom his nails. Horrified, he tucked his hands underneath him as they nearly shredded the slippery red sheets.

Climax approached as the bloodlust set in. His eyes rolled in his head.“Shauna, I can’t.” He growled as another wave of unimaginable pleasure vibrated along his nerves. “You shouldn’t.”

“Let go, Ascher. Don’t hold back.”

“Baby, you don’t understand.”

Her mouth latched onto him with ferocity, her lips milking him, her tongue torturing and feverishly seducing his release to the surface. “Oh, baby,” he moaned, his hand holding her head securely in place. It now felt too good for her to stop. The fire that once coursed his spine was now a deep burn blazing all over his body as warm waves of lust swallowed him up.“Oh God, baby.” His rod became a flesh covered block of solid steel. “You have to stop, Shauna. If you don’t—”

“No,” she groaned as her hand stroked him faster with her mouth keeping a constant pace.

His head fell back as pleasure moved up his shaft, filling him with warm electricity. “You shouldn’t…” He attempted to speak but his tongue was too heavy. “I mean, I don’t …” The words became harder to say. The satisfyingsensations leached the vocabulary right out of his brain, and left unnatural and beastly sounding growls, snarls and howls behind—sounds that no human woman should ever hear come from the man she loved.

She lifted her head, flipping the hair from her face, gazing into his eyes. “I want to see you when you come.”

His crimson gaze burned at her and a clamorous roar forced its way from his convulsive body as he succumbed to an intense climax. She never wavered from her task, taking him deeper into her mouth until not a drop remained. The feeling was like none he’d ever experienced. It was the urge to feed and kill mixed with the most unbelievable sensual shock speeding through every inch of his body.

Available Here:

Amazon Kindle US     Barnes and Noble Nook     Smashwords     All Romance E-books

About The Progeny Series

At its core, The Progeny is simply a story about a man and woman who fall in love, andthe fact that he’s a half-blood (half-human, half vampire) and she’s a Wiccan human are secondary factors. When we meet Ascher, he’s grumpy. Frankly, who could blame him? He’s engaged to seal to Ursula—a cold and careless vampire who wants nothing more than to get her hands on a bloodstone— and he feels conflicted about his existence.

All of that changes when he meets Shawnette McCutchin. She’s beautiful, intriguing and possesses some of the most potent blood that he’s ever smelled. A war immediately begins inside Ascher. He craves Shauna’s blood just as much as he craves her body and the closer they get, the harder it is for him to control his urges. After Ascher calls off the sealing to Ursula, the trouble begins. His family’s peaceful period ends when Ursula’s army attacks the Rousseaus.

This series is about a family of which we’ve never seen before. They share a common mortal and immortal bloodline but loyalty is the thread that holds this clan together. Once you become a part of this family, the others will risk their lives to protect you. We see examples of this throughout the journey. There is no shortage of romance, steam and surprises in The Progeny Series but these books are for adults and contain adult sensuality, language and themes.

Book one of the Progeny Series—The Progeny—re-released on May 7, 2012. The “revamp” is a second edition full of extended scenes, new details and tighter editing. Book two—Blood Bonds—released July 14, 2012.

<<<<>>>> 

<<<<>>>>

About Ashlynne Laynne

Ashlynne Laynne has always had a soft spot in her heart for vampires but grew tired of the garlic fearing, sun-loathing creatures of old. An avid horror movie fan, she tends to enjoy media and music that is of a younger, more eclectic nature. This was the catalyst for her writing The Progeny. The vampire/witch pairing is unique and different when most books pair vampires with werewolves.

Ashlynne loves writing on the edge and teetering between the erotica and romance genres, and thinks of Ascher and Shauna as the wicked, damned version of Romeo and Juliet. She is currently working on books three and four of her Progeny Series, book one of her upcoming Rocker Series, and an untitled novella WIP. In her spare time, she enjoys cooking, reading and spending time with her family. She juggles the hats of wife, mother, full time employee and part-time writer, hoping to write full time one day soon.

Ashlynne lives in North Carolina with her husband and teenage son.

Find Ashlynne Online

Twitter     The Progeny Series Facebook Page     Ashlynne’s Facebook Page     Romance Novel Center     Manic Readers

Blog     Website     Reader Email

Guest Interview Emily Ryan-Davis

Hey all, please help me welcome Emily Ryan-Davis to the blog today.

 BLURB:

There’s only one substance on earth that can create a new vampire–the blood of a Chalice, a rare individual with magic in her veins. Atlanta’s human-vampire Civility Laws demand that if a Chalice is found, she must be destroyed. Vampire Teijon Reyes allowed the mortal girl Dessa Collier to live despite the threat she posed to society. If he ever finds her again, he will kill her, personal desires be damned.

Heiress to a family tradition of ward-working, house painter Dessa Collier has spent the past twelve years pretending vampires don’t exist. When a friend-enemy walks back into Dessa’s life after a decade-long absence, everything Dessa has been hiding from comes crashing down on top of her.

Thrown together on a mission to protect a city under seige, Dessa and Teijon can no longer hide from the powerful attraction that binds them…or the monsters out to destroy them.

Available here: Amazon     BN     Smashwords     All Romance Ebooks

And don’t forget to check out the excerpt after the interview :)

What is a typical day for you like writing-wise?

Oh, jeez. Typical isn’t a word I get to use anymore. I have an infant (8 months!) who sets all the schedules. On a day when I get lucky, he only wakes up twice during the night. From wake-up time until 11 am, he and I play in the living room and I check e-mail, try to get blog posts together, peek in on Twitter and Facebook and forums. If he takes a morning nap and I choose writing over breakfast, I manage to fit a few words into that half hour or so. At 11, my husband gets up and takes the baby so from about 11 am until 4 pm, I write as much as I can between feedings, diapers, and general “no more daddy, only mommy!” fits.

The evening nap is another one of those 45 minute spans where I have to choose between food and exercise and writing. When I’m on a deadline, writing wins. After the evening wake-up, I bide my time until my son goes to sleep, then I write as much as I can until my brain stops working.

It’s a rough schedule and some days I miss having hours upon hours to sit and procrastinate and mull and perfect every sentence the first time out, but most days I manage. I’ve even accomplished a couple of start-to-finish projects on this crazy schedule!

Congrats on the little one, Emily. I remember those crazy hectic days, but the good news is, they do eventually sleep on a semi-regular schedule ;)

What’s the first thing you did when you received word you’d sold a book?

I chose a pen name. And ever since, I’ve decided at least three times a year to change my pen name. I never do because I’m lazy, but I almost constantly want to. Aspiring authors reading this right now: be darn sure you want to live with your pen name forever! J

What hobby do you enjoy when not writing?

I love knitting wool socks. I haven’t made a new pair for myself in a few years, between deadlines and pregnancy and being a new mom, but I very much look forward to the day when I don’t have a winter deadline or two, and I have my hands free long enough to dig into a ball of soft Merino wool.

If you could be any supernatural creature, what would it be and why?

I haven’t named this creature yet, but I know it’s spooky secret power is the ability to think a book directly into MS Word without having to plot or type or revise or character sketch or run spell check.

Best answer I’ve ever heard!!

What’s your favorite comfort food?

Don’t gag, but pepperoni sandwiches do it for me. Two slices of cheap white bread piled high with pepperoni, a slice of mozzarella, nuked in the microwave until the pepperoni oil soaks into the bread and the crusts get a little crispy with melted cheese, and my diet is over for days. It’s a throw back from growing up in my mother’s house, where the gourmet meal of the week was potato soup (5 pounds of potatoes, a stick of margarine, a handful of salt in a pot of boiling water; boil to a salty paste).

The pepperoni sandwich horrifies my husband, who has a culinary degree.

I don’t think it sounds too bad, in fact, I’ll have to try that. Hopefully with that degree he does a lot of the cooking ;)

If you could time-travel, where would you go and why?

I’m not sure. I’m not much of a traveler. I prefer my clothes in my own drawers and the freedom to roam around in my underwear (or out of them) at will. Right now if I had to choose, I’d probably do a forward jump just to make sure that forty years from now, my little boy (only 8 months old now) is happy with life and love – and if he isn’t, forty years from now, I’d figure out what went wrong so I could work on preventing it. That would probably get me into some kind of weird Ashton Kutcher Butterfly Effect trouble, wouldn’t it?

LOL, one never knows :)

Why are manhole covers round?

Because men aren’t triangular?

Do you have any upcoming news you’d like to share?

All my current news is “just happened” news, but if I can share some “just happened” stuff, then I’m really excited about my August 3 Ellora’s Cave release NAKED & UNLEASHED, which isn’t paranormal but is definitely something different for me. I’m still totally in love with that hero.

And the Following Fast Five:

Coffee or Chocolate? Coffee.

Jewelry: Precious gems or gold? Gold.

Beach or Mountains? Mountains.

Early Morning or Late Night? Late night.

Fruit or Veggies? Veggies.

And last, but not least, where can we find you on the internet:

Web Site: http://www.emilyryandavis.com

Blog: http://emilyryandavis.blogspot.com

Facebook Fan Page: http://www.facebook.com/emilyryandavis

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/emilyryandavis

Newsletter Sign-Up:

http://scorchedsheets.us2.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=f1bafe4b2387d167a0edb26d2&id=02995832f4

Paint for Blood

Available Here: Amazon     BN     Smashwords     All Romance Ebooks

EXCERPT:

She turned slowly, only gathering sensory impressions of his alleged safe zone. They faced one another across a sitting room furnished with sofas, chairs, and a writing desk. To her right, the dark shape of an open doorway suggested a more intimate area.

Teijon lifted his shirt over his head, revealing smooth skin, dark and satiny over the pads of muscle beneath. She averted her eyes before they strayed to his waist. The tension was all wrong. She shouldn’t want him, not with his mood switch hanging in the air between them. She should have questions, should demand answers. And he should put his clothes back on.

“What now?” she asked after the silence began to take on a sound of its own. “Earlier tonight…” She licked her lips. “I created vampires, didn’t I?”

“You didn’t by choice.”

“No. I did because Donovan wanted me to.”

“Yeah. And that’s why I have to find Donovan. I need to meet with some people, so you’ll have most of the night to yourself.” He walked past her and went into the bedroom.

Sighing, she raked a hand through her hair. He’d somehow managed to bring his tension under control, but hers continued to run wild. How would she sleep, surrounded by his scent?

He returned to the living room moments later, tucking the hem of a fresh shirt into clean trousers. “I don’t have any women’s clothes around, but you can use anything of mine you’d like. Shower and get some sleep. I’ll be back… late.”

“Wait. I need to know how this is possible.”

“What do you mean, how? It just is.”

“How is it possible that I’m more than one thing? I know I’m not normal. I never have been. But my heritage is…” she hesitated, came up with nothing better than, “good. White-light stuff. Protective. Do you have any idea how long my ancestors have been protecting people from their fears? That’s what I do. Who I am. I can’t be this too. This Chalice.”

He frowned. “Why can’t you?”

“It’s too many roles to fill. I have to make decisions about what I can and can’t work into my life. I have clients already, and my painting doesn’t make me feel like all of me is being sucked away in a mass of yearning. I choose that. I don’t choose you.”

When a flash of something unreadable crossed his features, her chest tightened. Backpedaling, she said, “I mean your kind. Vampires. I can’t protect people from y—from vampires and other fears and serve as a support structure for the creatures I’m warding against. It doesn’t make sense.”

He closed the distance between them and grasped her shoulders, pulling her onto her toes. The rough texture of his beard abraded her jaw when he tucked his face into the curve of her throat and opened his mouth over her skin. His perfectly-normal teeth closed around a tendon in her neck. At the contact, her thighs weakened and her skin tightened over her limbs, heated until her ears and cheeks burned. Teijon’s groan vibrated against her throat. One of his big hands slid into her hair. The other shifted from her shoulder and curved around her breast. He moved, walking her backward, until her spine came up against a wall and she could feel him thick and hard at her stomach.

Memory zapped the strength she had left. She could smell the damp of the cave at Stone Mountain, the limo’s air freshener, the sliver of rose soap from her bathroom. Her body shivered with a backlash of the dread she’d experienced descending into the dark behind Teijon. She recalled every detail of that kiss. And every detail of what followed.

Available Here: Amazon     BN     Smashwords     All Romance Ebooks

BIO:

Emily Ryan-Davis is a lifelong East Coaster whose passion for the written word saw her through jobs writing obituaries, press releases and grants before she decided “I’m going to do this” and sat down to write a book. She made that decision in 2005 and has since published several short stories and novellas with digital publishers including Ellora’s Cave. On May 24, 2012, Emily left supervisors and payrolls behind in order to focus her efforts on writing and raising her son.

Emily has been a member of the Writer’s Digest-recognized writing community Romance Divas, where she volunteers as a moderator and organizes the annual “Not Going to Conference” Virtual Conference, since 2006.

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