Release Day!

The Makeover is available for purchase today! Good time for another excerpt, you say? I agree! Enjoy!

     Balancing a large bowl of popcorn in one hand, Mykal climbed onto Greg’s bed. Greg set up the DVD player and turned out the light. He joined her on the bed before starting the movie. She fluffed up the pillows at her back before settling down. This wasn’t the first time they’d watched movies in his bedroom. She’d even fallen asleep on a few occasions. Greg would wake her up and walk her home when the movie ended. Of course, she didn’t tell Tania or she would never hear the end of it. 

     Greg grabbed a handful of popcorn. “So…what’s next?”

     “You have to run into Daria accidentally.”

     “How am I going to do that?”

     “I know a club she frequents.” 

     He frowned. “Does she go alone or with Gary?”

     “I think it’s a girl’s night thing. She’s usually with a group of friends.”

     “She never did that when we were together. At least, I don’t think she did.” 

    Mykal smiled and scooped up some popcorn. “Maybe she’s bored with Gary. It could be a good sign.”

     “Or she’s living it up and she won’t want to come back.” He sighed and tried to run his hands through his hair. He laughed as his fingers grasped air. “I forgot.”

     She grinned. “It suits you. It’s sexy.” And it was. The shorter hair made his pale eyes appear larger and more luminous. His lashes were thick. They were longer at the edge of his eye, giving him a sleepy, sexy look. He’d taken to the diet with a determination that proved his love for Daria. He’d lost the extra weight and carved out muscles by lifting weights. His arms were cut and his abdomen was flat. Even now in a simple t-shirt and sweat pants, he was yummy. And all she could think was that Daria sure as hell didn’t deserve him.  

     Greg cleared his throat. “Um, what if Tania is right? What if she left me because I’m lousy in bed?”

     “Oh, Greg, don’t let Tania mess with your confidence.” She should have tried harder to kick Tania! “She doesn’t know what she’s talking about.” But he wouldn’t meet her gaze. Sighing, she moved the popcorn bowl to a nightstand table. She grabbed the remote and paused the movie. “Okay, give me your repertoire.”

     “My what?”

     “What do you do in bed? If we were going to do it, what would be your first move?”

     “If we…” Face red, he cleared his throat. “Um, I guess I’d start with a kiss.” He stared at her mouth and she could feel her lips tingle. “I’d kiss you deep to see if you taste as good as you smell. I’d kiss your earlobes and your neck, breath in your sweet fragrance.” He took a shuddering breath. “I’d take your clothes off, undressing you slowly to reveal each inch of your beautiful body. I imagine your breasts to be like mounds of toffee topped with chocolate kisses. I’d hold them in my hands as I sucked the centers.” His voice had taken on a rough husky tone. His pupils had enlarged to the point that there was little light blue left at all.

     Her own breathing was shallow so her chest heaved even as he described to her how he’d suck her nipples. Mykal swallowed. From the way he was speaking, this wasn’t the first time he’d thought about making love to her. More shocking, was her reaction to it. Her nipples were tight. An ache between her thighs was beginning to make itself known. 

     Greg leaned closer so that his breath fanned her parted lips. “And when you were twisting beneath me, I’d lick my way down your body, taste your belly button, spread your thighs, taste your-”

     Feeling slightly dizzy, she slapped her hand over his mouth. “I don’t think you should go on.” Her voice was barely a whisper.

     He took her wrist and pulled her hand down until he caught the tip of her middle finger between his lips. He wet it with his tongue before raking his teeth over it. She shivered. It was just a finger. It shouldn’t feel that good. “Why should I stop?”

     She shook her head to clear it. “I shouldn’t have asked you to do that. We’re entering dangerous territory.”

     “Mykal, sometimes I think that you forget that I’m a man. You pat me on the head like a little boy. I’m not a boy.”

     “I know that.”

     “Do you? I do what you say because I want to. You give good advice.  And you seemed to believe that my problems with Daria could have stemmed from what I did or didn’t do in bed. So I need to know. And the only way to know is for me to show you. And then you can tell me what I’m doing wrong.”

     “S-show me?”

     “Mm, show you.” He wrapped his arms around her, cupping the back of her neck so that her face was tilted up to his. 

As some of you may have noticed, The Makeover is available for pre-order on Amazon and All Romance Ebooks. It will be available on Barnes & Noble on the 25th. There's a brief excerpt available at All Romance. I posted a slightly extended version below. Enjoy!

     The doorbell rang shortly after seven p.m. Irritated, Greg dropped his pizza slice. He wondered who it could be. After getting dumped by Daria, he’d been too ashamed to call his old buddies. They used to have a standard game night once a week, but he’d stopped participating. Daria said it was a waste of time and he should be devoting his evenings to her. Since that usually included sex, she didn’t really have to work that hard to convince him.
     “Hi,” said his beautiful neighbor from next door. She wore a short-sleeved black t-shirt, matching leggings and neon pink pumps with heels so high he wondered that she hadn’t snapped an ankle on her walk across the yard. Flashing him a bright smile, she toed off her shoes. “Where are your garbage bags?”
     “Huh?” But he was talking to her back. She was already headed for his kitchen. Shaking his head, he muttered, “Come right on in, why don’t you?” He closed and locked the door before following her. This was becoming an annoying habit. Beautiful women seemed to traipsing in and out of his house taking whatever they wanted.
     She was rifling through his pantry. Coming out with a box of garbage bags, she announced, “It’s cleaning day.”
     “Oh. Well, you’re welcome to borrow them.”
     “These aren’t for my house. My place is spotless. It’s for yours.” She took out a bag and shook it out.
     “I can clean my own place,” he pointed out, trailing behind her as she began attacking his den.
     She held a pizza box between her fingertips as though it were distasteful. He noticed that her long nails were the same shade of pink as her shoes. And, of course, her dainty little toes matched as well. “Then why don’t you?”
     Speechless, he sputtered. “I was going to,” he said finally.
     “Humph. Well, don’t just stand there. Go upstairs, take a shower, shave, and put on your best clothes. Whatever you would wear to impress Daria.”
     Greg blinked. Maybe she was crazy? She was slender but with curves in the right places. He could take her in a fight if he had to. “Excuse me?”
     “Oh, don’t worry. We’re not going to see her tonight.” She straightened up from where she’d been struggling to dislodge a takeout box that had somehow wedged itself under his sofa. Her eyes flicked over him from head to toe. He hoped that she hadn’t seen him ogling her ass. But seriously, it was amazing. She couldn’t blame a guy for taking note. “You’re not ready for that yet.”
     “Look…” He stopped, realizing that he didn’t even know her name. “What’s your name?”
     “Mykal.” She stuck her hand out and spelled out her first name as though it was an activity she had to do often. “Mykal Cooper.”
     He shook her hand. It was slender and soft. “Gregory Scott. Call me Greg.” Her full attention focused on him, he was once again struck by how lovely she was. Her skin was smooth and creamy like caramel. Her black hair was shiny and sleek. Her beauty was the reason he’d been so angry with her in the first place. Why did beautiful women treat normal, nice guys like dog shit? But then he’d been wrong about her. She was as much a victim of a cheating mate as he was. He cleared his throat. “So, you want me to change. Why?”
     She smiled at him. “I’ve decided I’m going to help you win Daria back.”
     His heart stopped and then thumped back to life. Every day for the last two months, he’d been hoping that it was some misunderstanding. Daria hadn’t really left him for another man. She’d be back any day now. But then night came and he went to bed alone. And reality came crashing down. For the first month, he’d lived in denial. But then July came. He had no job. No woman. No reason to even get dressed in the morning. “You can’t help me. She won’t even take my calls.” Lately, he hadn’t been able to reach anything but her voicemail.
     She made a strangled sound.  “Please tell me you haven’t been calling her?” Before he could come up with a way to answer that didn’t shame him, she waved a hand and continued. “Trust me on this; I can get her crawling back to you. Who better to help you win a woman’s heart than another woman? I admit, we’re not all the same, and I don’t know Daria well, but I think I know her type. And you can fill me in on any questions I might have. You’re going to have to make some changes. Some you’ll like, some you won’t.” She went back to cleaning.
     “Not that one,” he said as she picked up the pizza box he’d left on the couch. “That’s tonight’s dinner.”
     “Then eat it in the kitchen like a civilized person. Or at least use a plate.” But she put it down. “Are you with me on this?”
     “You really think you can help?”
     “I know I can.”
     He took a deep breath. She was so confident. Maybe this could happen. He could get Daria back. God, he was so lonely! He’d have his life back. Excitement gripped him. “What do I need to do?”
     She grinned and winked at him, which had the unexpected effect of making his dick go rock hard. “Go get pretty for me.”