Aryanna & Dexter Excerpt

I know, I know. This excerpt is so late. But if you haven't read Aryanna & Dexter, this is new to you. And if you did read it, it's a nice flashback. Enjoy!


     “I think that both you and I know that Dexter & Brent has little use for the services of Woodside Consulting.”
     Aryanna wasn’t terribly surprised by Dexter’s statement, but she was confused. She stared down at the plate of pasta he had prepared. It was delicious. It tasted as though someone had spent hours on the sauce, though she knew that wasn’t the case. Dexter had the most high-tech kitchen she had ever seen. He’d pushed a few buttons and out had come two plates of pasta topped with grilled chicken and what appeared to be freshly chopped bell peppers.
     Everything in his place was high-tech. The man obviously loved his gadgets. Lights came on and went off automatically as they entered and exited rooms. Doors opened and closed. Even the chairs in the dining room molded to conform to the user. That had given her quite the surprise when she sat down.
     “Mr. Sloane, then why-”
     “Call me Dexter or Dex.”
     She didn’t feel comfortable calling him Dex. “Dexter, why am I here? If you’re not interested in signing a contract, why meet with me? You could have handled this over the phone.” It wasn’t that she regretted the opportunity to spend more time with him. Dexter Sloane was serious eye candy. And he smelled delicious. She hadn’t been able to smell him last night since it was pretty impossible to smell anything over the perfume that Melissa favored.
     He took a sip of water from his goblet. “Can I be honest with you?”
     “Yes.”
     He leaned forward and his violet blue eyes bored into her. “I invited you here because I wanted to know what I have to do to get you in my bed.”
     Aryanna gasped so hard that she began to choke on the swift inhalation of air. Coughing, she grasped at her glass of water.
     “I see that I’ve shocked you. I like to be straightforward in my communication. I could have continued to drag out the pretense of being interested in a contract, but I felt it would have been a waste of both our time. This way is so much more efficient, don’t you think?”
     Aryanna gulped her water and cleared her throat. She was surprised at how detached and clinical he sounded about the prospect of their sleeping together. She did find him very attractive. She would have to be blind not to. He was gorgeous.  If pressed, he could make his living as a model. The breadth of his shoulders alone was enough to leave her breathless. And she had always found intelligence sexy. Without a doubt, Dexter Sloane was the most intelligent man she had ever met. But did she want to be with a man who sounded as though he’d be cataloging the experience as though it were some sort of experiment? No.
     Dexter muttered something indecipherable before sighing. He straightened up in his seat. “Aryanna, would you like to go to dinner with me? Tonight?”
     She blinked at the sudden change in topic. Then she realized what he was doing. The direct route didn’t work so he’d decided to go to plan B. She didn’t know if she should let him get away with it. Wouldn’t dinner just be more of the same? He’d probably proposition her after dessert and she’d have to make a decision.
     She wet her lips and his gaze tracked the movement of her tongue. Then she saw it—the flare of heat in those dark eyes. He quickly extinguished it, but she knew it had been there. Mr. Sloane was not as detached as he seemed. It intrigued her. She’d been prepared to turn him down, but she found herself nodding. She smiled. “That would be lovely.”

Update-ish

Well, I’d say it was way past time for a 2019 update. I’ll tell you a secret: I’m really good at starting a story. Getting me to finish it is the challenge. I begin full of excitement, but that euphoric buzz wanes as I get to work nailing down the details. At that point, I have to push myself to focus. That’s why my Works in Progress Tab always has multiple listings. 

Because it’s closest to being complete, I decided to concentrate on finishing my werewolf story. I love a werewolf story. It gives your hero legitimate reason to be big, sexy, and growl-y. You can keep up with my progress on this book and others by checking my Works in Progress tab. The werewolf story is simply called Dade at the moment. Even if I don’t do a full blog update, I try to update my word count regularly.

After Dade's story, I’m going to bend myself to something regular with no magic because I know there are readers who just want an ordinary love story.

Shockingly enough, I never posted an excerpt from Aryanna & Dexter. And I love posting excerpts! I know most of you have already bought it, but I’ll post an excerpt soon. Hopefully, shortly after, I can post an excerpt from something new.

I hope everyone is having a fabulous 2019!

Aryanna & Dexter

Happy Friday! Rather than making everyone wait a week for pre-order, I decided to publish Aryanna & Dexter right away. It's available for purchase at Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Enjoy!

The Next Bioexpa Book

If you were disappointed that I didn’t have a release earlier in the year, you weren’t the only one. Aside from difficulties with the home, I had to deal with an old/new addiction to Supernatural. I watched it years ago and lost track of it for some reason. While we were in a hotel during the snow storm earlier this year, I started watching reruns. It’s scary. It’s funny. And, really, who could resist the combination of Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki? (I might be slightly obsessed with Jensen Ackles.)

But enough about Supernatural. I’m writing to say that I finished Aryanna & Dexter. It’s a Bioexpa book. There’s a tiny bit more work to do to get it publication ready. So, there’s no release date yet, but it will be out before Christmas. As soon as it's ready to go, I'll publish it.

I appreciate everyone's patience with me this year. Here's to hoping next year is better!

Is it really almost June?

I was checking the blog of an author whose books I’ve purchased in the past. I noticed that she hadn’t updated her blog in a couple of years and she hasn’t published in over a year. I was wondering what was going on and if she’d quit writing. Then, I realized that I hadn’t updated my blog in a while either.

I am still writing. I was certainly hoping to have something done by now. Instead, I’m only half finished. I’m working on my first werewolf book and another Bioexpa book while other ideas circle around in my brain.

By the way, for anyone who was wondering after reading my puppy rant, I do love my puppy now. She’s eleven months and about 115 pounds. I can just look at her soft face and she makes me happy.

If You're Thinking of Buying a House....

Usually when I’m listing excuses at the beginning of the year as to why I have not been writing as diligently as I should, it’s usually holiday and occasion related. Boy, do I miss those minor reasons.

Last year, my husband and I decided to buy a house. We now often wonder why. We liked our apartment. Management was excellent. Whenever something needed to be fixed, they handled it right away.

Moving was stressful, but we have more room than before. And having a home meant I could get a big dog. We could do stuff in the yard. Plant flowers, grill, etc. (None of that happened by the way.)

We had our first leak during the summer. It was easily fixed in a day. The second one happened the week of Thanksgiving. It required the plumber to tear up part of the flooring and drill beneath the concrete slab. The next leak came on Christmas eve. This ruined the flooring in all the rooms downstairs with the exception of one. The next leak was New Year’s Day. It was repaired in one day. That repair lasted for five days before bursting again. During a blizzard. Our heating system uses water to heat the home. So, we had no heat. Again, I remind you that this was during a blizzard. At this point, my husband, quite understandably, had had enough and decided we should replace all the pipes in the house. Due to the weather, lots of other people were dealing with pipe issues as well and it took a while for a plumber to be available. We ended up staying in a hotel for two weeks. We had the board the puppy at a vet. The cat spent a couple of days at the vet as well before we learned that the hotel allowed pets to stay for free. We couldn’t bring them both as the cat can’t stand the puppy. Also, the puppy tends to be destructive and she exceeded the weight limits of the hotel. (She is a Newfie, after all. At her last vet visit, she was 90 pounds.)

Repairs are going slowly, but the home is livable. We’re just getting back into our normal routines. I’m writing, but I am often disrupted with repairmen tramping through the house. I am rather disappointed to not have anything finished at this point in the year. I might be later than I’d like to be getting anything into publication, but I still have hope. I hope everyone had a much better holiday than I did.

Chaldor is out today!

Still on the fence about about Chaldor? How about another excerpt?

     “Would you like more of the soup?” Kiana asked him.
     He shook his head, not wanting to inconvenience her any more than was necessary. As a pet, he did not have his own plate. Kiana fed him from hers. He should feel like a child. He certainly had objected to her feeding him when he was unwell. Somehow, having her feeding him now was entirely different. He definitely did not feel like a toddler being fed by its mother. It was a lustful, sensual business that had his cock swelling.
     Kiana was to blame. Whenever she put food in his mouth, she cupped his jaw with those long, graceful fingers of hers, stroking him as she pulled the silverware from between his lips. And she stared into his eyes until he felt like he was falling into the beautiful charcoal gray of hers. He was certain he had never seen that particular shade of gray before. It was an arresting contrast to her dark skin. If Kiana had been trying to seduce him on purpose, she could not have done a better job. It was a damned good thing the tunic she had purchased him covered his groin.
     “You have barely had anything to eat,” she said as the second course was served. “Are you feeling ill?” She frowned, pressing the back of her hand to his brow.
     “I feel fine.”
     “Then eat. Not even a week ago, you were at death’s door. You need your strength.” She held out a bit of meat on a fork.
     Obligingly, he opened his mouth, his eyes on hers. Fortunately, he was allowed to look her in the eye. He did not believe himself capable of doing otherwise. Kiana gently cupped his jaw as she withdrew the fork. Then she rubbed her thumb over his bottom lip to wipe away a drop of juice from the meat. Chaldor’s breath caught. Talk about a mind-fuck … this little virgin had him twisted in knots.
     There was something about her. Yes, she was beautiful. He had noticed that the first time he had opened his eyes and seen her standing over him. Beauty generally did not move him. Diamond, for example, was very lovely on the outside, but one look into her eyes was enough to let one know that she was dead inside. He was glad Kiana had objected when he had offered to sacrifice himself and go to Diamond’s bed.
     At night, he found himself thinking about Kiana’s smell, trying to identify the elusive scent. It was faint …yet intoxicating. When he found out she had given him her bedroom, he’d thought that was why he could not get the scent out of his head. But he had been almost painfully aware of her enticing fragrance all day today, as well. It was as though it surrounded him.
     Dessert was some type of custard topped with berries. Chaldor had never been fond of custard, so he declined to try it when Kiana offered. She dipped her spoon in and swirled it around before tasting it herself. “Mm, delicious,” she declared. “The berries are fresh.” She licked the back of the spoon. “Are you sure?” she asked, dipping her spoon into the creamy confection again.
     Chaldor shrugged and opened his mouth. The second the spoon touched his tongue, he almost came in his pants. He realized instantly that his reaction had nothing to do with the custard and everything to do with Kiana. She was feeding him from the same utensils she was using herself. The taste of the dessert had yet to even penetrate his senses. No. It was the taste of Kiana that had him on edge. She had been unwittingly doing this to him all evening.
     His eyes closed and he groaned. He surreptitiously dropped his hand into his lap to grip his cock. He prayed he would not embarrass himself in front of her family and a tableful of strangers.
     Kiana smiled. “You like it that much? Here. Have more.”
     He shook his head. “No!” One more bite and he would be done for.
     “What is happening? Is there a problem?” Queen Bettini asked.
     “No,” Kiana was quick to reply.
    “Then why is he raising his voice to you?”
     Kiana stroked his forehead and his cheek. “He is unwell. I had better return him to my chambers. I fear he may be suffering a relapse.” His resulting pained groan from her touch gave credence to her words. “Your skin is hot and flushed,” she said with alarm growing on her face. Chaldor wanted to explain, but not here.
     “Is it contagious?” Diamond asked fearfully. Her query was followed by several frightened gasps.       Those nearest him leaned away and covered their noses and mouths.
     “Not at all,” Kiana snapped, placing her napkin on the table as she stood. “If you will excuse us?”      She took Chaldor’s hand and led him out of the dining hall. He followed her stiffly. “Are you unwell?”
     Teeth clenched, Chaldor shook his head. He held his breath to avoid inhaling more of her fragrance. He was on edge and it would not take much to push him over. Once they reached her chambers, he sat on the dainty little chair they called a couch. When she would have approached him, he held out a hand. “Give me a moment, please.” She halted, nibbling her lower lip and wringing her hands. He closed his eyes against the sight of her. Though she was thin, she was shapely, with a full bosom currently accentuated by a square neckline that showed off too much cleavage for his peace of mind.
     “Are you in pain? Does your head ache?”
     He was in pain, but as there was nothing he could ask her to do about it, he shook his head. He could hear her footfalls as she began to pace.
     “Is there anything I can do? I can scan you again. Mayhap I missed something in my earlier evaluation of your health.”
     “Kiana, I am not experiencing a relapse. I am just … aroused.”
     “You… you’re…” She fumbled to a stop. “Oh.”