I'm still working on edits, but I thought I'd pop in to post a brief excerpt. I still haven't decided on a release date. It's looking like late this month or early next month. Enjoy!
When
he pulled up to the house, Melisandre stood on the porch, unlocking her door.
Rick glanced at the little yellow car with
false eyelashes as he walked past. He smiled. No wonder he’d been so entranced
by the driver’s lips even as Robin had sat at his side. It had been Melisandre,
his mate.
As he’d approached, she’d let herself into
the house, but she paused at the threshold, making him proud of her bravery.
He’d expected her to slam the door in his face after what Halle had told him. Taking
her history into consideration, he slowed his gait and halted at the base of
her steps. Keeping his distance was best. It gave her the impression of safety
and if he got too close, he’d be unable to resist touching her.
He stared up at her. She was fucking
beautiful. He’d never really cared about looks, but he wasn’t blind. “Fate
loves me,” he murmured reverently as he took her in from her bounty of thick
blonde curls all the way down to her slender sneaker shod feet. And it was a
long way down. She was tall for a woman. As he recalled, she reached his chin.
She was slender but curvy with full breasts and rounded hips. Her legs were long,
and he couldn’t wait to feel them wrapped around his waist. He wet his lips.
“Melisandre.”
“Everyone calls me Missy.”
He nodded. “I’m not everyone.” He cocked
his head to the side as he mulled it over. “Though it’s a bit of a mouthful for
when we’re in bed.”
She placed her hands on her hips. “How did
you find me?”
“Dade.”
She huffed. “Just because you declare me
your mate doesn’t make it so. I have a choice in the matter.”
“Yesterday, before I caught your scent, I
was at a traffic light. You were in the car behind me. Just the sight of your
lips moved me. I wanted to see more. We’re meant to be, Melisandre.”
She rolled her large expressive eyes.
“That’s physical.”
He acknowledged the truth of her words
with a brief nod. As a beautiful woman, she’d probably heard all manner of
compliments about her appearance. “You’re right. It starts there, but it
doesn’t end there. We’ll learn about each other over time. I wouldn’t be here
if it were just about your beauty.”
“And I suppose the fact that I’m human
means nothing to you.”
He smiled. “It means you’re going to try
to deny this, but that’s okay. I like the chase. It means that the first time
we fuck, I won’t put you on your hands and knees because you’ll need a little
more time to submit to me.”
Her breathing sped up and she trembled.
And while he caught a spark of irritation in her eye, he could smell her
desire. He was happy to note the absence of any scent of fear. “Submit? Never.”
Rick groaned. He was a perverse bastard.
His dick actually jumped when she denied him. Fuck, he really loved a
challenge. He couldn’t recall when he was last presented with one. “Have you
eaten dinner?”
She blinked and shifted from one foot to
the other. “No.”
“Let me take you to dinner.”
She licked her full lips, and he swallowed
a growl. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea.”
That wasn’t a “no.” He could work with
that. “I’m not going to change my mind about you being my mate. You need to
know me before committing? Have dinner with me.”
Expelling a huff, she shook her head and
mumbled, “Hell, might as well get it over with.” Rick hid a grin. He didn’t
bother to mention that with his werewolf hearing he would hear her clearly. To
him she said, “Give me a minute.”
