But it's only June!

So I've debated about and even delayed posting this. But...I am probably done for the year. I know what you're thinking. It’s the same thing my husband said when I told him this. It’s only June! It’s not that I don't want to finish anything else. I have several books in various stages of completion, as my Works in Progress page will attest. I simply don't see myself finishing any of them in time for them to be published this year. Summer isn't really productive for me. It’s busy and full of travel and a multitude of other distractions. But the main reason that I suspect that I’m done is that Sims 4 is due out Sept. 2. Again, I know what you're thinking. Seriously? Yes, seriously. I pre-ordered my copy last year. If this game is anything like previous releases, I will be sucked into an addiction so deep that I will only come out for annoying necessities such as eating, sleeping and possibly bathing—eating because I have a daughter who needs meals also, sleeping being entirely optional, and bathing for when I am forced to leave home.

Until September, I'll update my Works in Progress page if there’s anything to report. After that, I can't promise that I'll be available. 

The Deal Releases Tomorrow!

So The Deal will be released tomorrow at Amira. It will probably be about a week more before it's released at Amazon. I've been excited about it for a while and I'm glad it's finally coming out. In the meanwhile, I thought I'd post another excerpt. Enjoy!

Having changed into her pajamas, Kameron curled up in bed. Marcus’s guestroom was cool. She missed the warmth of her husband’s body. How had their marriage degraded to this state?

They’d met three years ago at an art showing for one of her friends. Gabriel had come with a date. Kameron had later found out that his date, a lovely redhead named Alicia, had forced him into attending. Gabriel didn’t have a high opinion of art or artists. Art purchased as an investment was fine, but he considered trying to make a living out of it to be foolhardy.

Kameron recalled their first conversation.

He’d bumped into her, jostling the champagne in her hand and sloshing sparkling droplets onto the midnight-blue gown she wore. She gasped. Gabriel immediately pulled his handkerchief from his pocket, handing it to her with an apology.

She’d accepted his apology and handed him back the silk cloth. His much larger hand closed over hers. At five feet eleven, she didn’t often meet men who towered over her as he did. When she looked up at him, his stare was intense. It was as though time froze. From his suit and his demeanor, she knew he was everything she didn’t want in a man. She dated artists, musicians, and poets. She’d seen him scowling at the paintings on display. A man like him could never appreciate the importance of art and thus a woman like herself who considered art as an integral part of her life.

Still, she couldn’t deny the electric current of attraction that pulsed between them. Swallowing, she took an involuntary step backward. Her retreat was halted with a jolt. He held her fingers prisoner in his grasp. “Can I have my hand back?”

Full, masculine lips curved up in a predatory smile letting her know that he had not missed her reaction to him. “Gabriel Blue. And you are?”

“Kameron Douglas.” She twisted her wrist and finally managed to free her hand. “It was nice to meet you, Mr. Blue.”

“Gabriel,” he insisted, his voice deep and gravelly.

She gulped. He had the deepest voice she’d ever heard. Could a voice be described as leg spreading? If it could, Gabriel had it. “Enjoy your evening,” she said. She could see that he wanted to detain her, but his date showed up at his elbow. Throughout the evening she felt his eyes on her. Whenever she glanced his way, he continued to stare until she broke visual contact. He made her nervous and excited at once. She’d never had a man look at her with such blatant hunger.

She decided the best course of action would be to leave. Having said her good-byes, she made her way to the exit. Only Gabriel was there, blocking her escape. With his broad shoulders and his above-average height, he made an impressive blockade. He held out a business card to her. “Call me.”

Glancing down at the card she’d recognized the Blue Department Stores logo along with his name address and phone number. She tried to give it back. “I don’t see as we have anything to discuss.”

“I’ll walk you to your car and explain it to you.”

Her eyes widened. Be alone with him? No, that was not a good idea. “Won’t your girlfriend object?”

“She’s not my girlfriend.” He cupped her elbow and led her out the door into the cool night.

“Your date then…Certainly, she won’t take kindly to you deserting her?”

“Let me worry about that.”

Seeing that he would not be deterred, she increased her pace. They stopped before her small rusting car. In the dark, the rusted sections were not as visible and blended with the black paint. The small black Mazda had been used when she bought it. It wouldn’t win any awards for looks but it got her where she wanted to go and it was fuel efficient. The door made a loud wail of protest as she opened it. She gripped the metal frame at the top of her window, holding it as a barrier between her and Gabriel. At his amused smirk, she snapped, “You said you would explain. You have two minutes.”

“I want to take you out to dinner.”

“No.” She slid behind the wheel of her car. Gabriel moved to stand between her and the door before she could close it. For such a large man, he was swift.

“That’s it? No elaboration as to why you’re refusing my invitation.”

“I don’t know you.”

“That’s the point of dinner.” He leaned down and put his hand on the back of her seat, effectively caging her in. She swallowed. “Don’t pretend you didn’t feel it, too.”

She broke eye contact. Concentrating on the steering wheel, she answered him, her voice tight, “I don’t date men like you.”

“Men like me? You just pointed out that we don’t know each other. Is it my skin color? My money?”

    “I don’t date men who purchase art to put it in a safe and wait for the artist to die and call it a good investment. I date men who create with their hands and their minds. And I definitely do not date men who chase women while they’re already on a date!”

He nodded and stepped back. “I understand. Thank you for your time. Good night, Kameron Douglas.” He closed her door for her and walked off. She watched him until he disappeared into the art gallery.

Irritation swamped her as she turned the key in the ignition. Because even though he was all wrong for her and a relationship with him would never work, she’d expected him to try harder. Why it disappointed her that he didn’t, she didn’t know. Thinking that would be the last time she ever saw him, she drove home and resolved to forget Gabriel Blue.

Excerpts

From The Last Witch Hunter:

     He emptied his cup and tossed it before taking Nikita by the elbow. She allowed him to guide her and even slid into his arms once he’d dragged her to the center of the dance floor.
     Her head barely reached his shoulder despite her high heels. Ronan held her close, one large palm spanning her back. The warmth of it seemed to encircle her. As they swayed together, she could feel her nipples tightening. Everything about him was hard and hot and oh, so big. It was only natural that she would find him sexy. She shifted in his arms, causing his erection to nudge her belly. Yeah, everything about him was supersized.
     She expected him to pull back and apologize. He did neither. He stroked her cheek with the backs of his fingers. “You’re so beautiful.”
     Nikita took his hand in hers and drew it away from her face. Her hand felt dwarfed by his much larger one. “Don’t.”
     “You can’t keep running from this.” He held her gaze as he lowered his head to hers.
     He was going to try to kiss her. Nikita was frozen as time seemed to slow down. It would be lunacy to let this go any further. Her reflexes kicked in and she turned her face and his lips grazed her ear before sliding down the curve of her neck, sending shivers of desire skidding down her spine. He emitted a growl mixed with a groan that caused heat to unfurl in low in her belly. Magic. It had to be magic. She shouldn’t want him this much. It was dangerous and stupid. And she never did stupid.
     “I want you, Nikita.” When she didn’t respond, his mouth opened over her nape in a kiss that was hot and wet, and oh, so delicious. He drew her closer so that her tight nipples were abraded by contact with his chest. He nipped her earlobe. “Can you imagine it? My tongue deep in your mouth, my cock buried in your sweet pussy?”
     Too easily she could envision it, hunger for it. Shaking her head to dispel the taunting image, Nikita stepped out of his arms. “That can’t happen. Take me home,” she told him.

From The Deal:

     “I’m sorry I forgot our anniversary,” he said softly. “But don’t you think you’re overreacting?”

     “This isn’t about yesterday,” she said beginning to feel anger simmering.

     “Then what is this? Why are you trying to leave me?”

     “Gabriel, this is about the past year. That you even have to ask is why I’m leaving. I’ve told you over and over that I wasn’t happy.”

     “Are you seeing someone else?”

     “No, of course not.”

     Some of the tension left his shoulders. “I don’t understand.” He ran a hand through his hair. “I love you, Kameron. And you said you loved me.”

     “I do love you.”

     “Then stay with me.”

     “I can’t. I don’t feel like I’m part of your life anymore. I think some time apart might help—”

     “That’s bullshit, Kameron. This is a marriage. We stick together through the good and the bad.”

     She bit her lip to hold back a sob. “But you’ve already left me. I never see you. We don’t talk. All you ever do is…” She covered her face and took a deep breath. “You work all the time. You would never put up with this from me.”

     “Damn it, you understood when I took this job that it would mean sacrifices for both of us.”

     “I didn’t understand that it would be every minute of every day, that it would mean that I would cease to exist as far as you’re concerned. If your mother hadn’t told you I was leaving, how long would it have been before you noticed I was missing?”

     “I would have known immediately.”

     She laughed harshly. “Oh, yes, because of the sex.”

     He leaned forward, his hands braced on her desk. “You enjoy it.” His tone dared her to deny it.

     “Yes, I do, but it can’t be all there is.”

     Gabriel growled. He walked away. Locking his fingers behind his head, he pinned her with his green gaze. “Kameron, I don’t have time for this shit. Stay, we’ll work through this.”

     She glared at him and wiped away her tears. “Am I keeping you from your precious work with the gorgeous Veronica?”

     “Damn it! Are you still jealous of her? I told you, I’m not interested in Veronica. The only woman I want is you.”

     Nothing she could say to him would make him understand why she needed this separation. She bent and double-checked her drawers to make sure they were empty. “You should inform her of that. The only thing I envy about her is that she has my husband’s undivided attention when she speaks. I, on the other hand, am treated like an unreasonable child for wanting to spend time with my husband.”

     “I’m sorry that I’ve been so busy. I’m trying to do something important here.”

     “Don’t you think that I feel that way about my job, also?”

     “So what do you want? What do you need me to say that will make you stay? Do you want me to quit?”

     “No.”

     “Then what? You’ve got me over a barrel here, Kameron. It’s all or nothing. The hours I work are necessary for the company and for us. Don’t forget, it’s my salary that makes it possible for you to keep your job at the gallery.”

     Kameron shook her head. She wanted to ignore him and his angry words, but the truth was that it hurt. It was true that the gallery didn’t support them and he made it possible for her to work there full-time. “I don’t have a solution,” she whispered.

“Give it more time, but don’t leave me.”

     She was surprised to hear the vulnerability in his voice. Gabriel detested begging or apologizing. He considered them to be signs of weakness. He crossed to her and pulled her into his arms.

     “Don’t do this to us, baby.” He kissed her and she whimpered.

     “Please, Gabriel, let me go. I-I’ve thought about this. This isn’t some spur of the moment decision. I promised myself I would leave. I’m doing this for us.”

     He cupped her chin and ran the pad of his thumb over her bottom lip. “Look at me. Tell me, Kameron, how long do you think you can go without me?” He pressed his hips against hers. The desk was at her back and there was no avoiding the hard evidence of his desire for her. “You pretend it’s all me. You want it as much as me. You’re always wet for me.”

     She averted her face and shoved at his chest but he didn’t budge. It was true. Even now his gravelly voice, his scent, and his proximity were working on her. She tried to hold on to her anger. He touched his lips to the sensitive skin of her neck and her skin sizzled. If she were superwoman, he would be her kryptonite. “D-don’t.”

     “Don’t what, baby? Don’t fight for our marriage?” He lifted her onto the desk and stepped between her thighs. His hands ran up her back and grasped her shoulders so that she was glued to him from chest to groin. Kameron felt herself going limp in his arms. She bit her lip to hold in another whimper. His teeth latched onto her earlobe, nibbling and suckling. Her nipples tingled to life.

     Kameron felt herself drowning. Sex had never been this way with anyone else. Gabriel had her wrapped around his little finger and he knew it. His mouth crept up to hers. With a moan, she continued to evade him. If he kissed her, she would be lost. Her pushes against his hips were ineffectual. Gabriel wasn’t moving until he was good and ready.

     “You want to leave me, baby, and you think I’m going to make it easy for you? Think again. You’re mine. I’ve known it from the moment I laid eyes on you.”

I hope you enjoyed those excerpts. Don't forget to join the hop. There are lots of prizes. Good luck!



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Blog Hop Prizes

Today I wanted to place more emphasis on the prizes. I don't think I did that yesterday. So I'm going to post that info and the other information again. I'll post excerpts from The Last Witch Hunter and The Deal tomorrow.

Since I recommended some summer reads yesterday, I'll recommend some more today. In keeping with the prize mode, I'm going to recommend a couple of free reads. This year I was happy to discover Artistic License by Elle Pierson and Tempted by Elizabeth Kelly. I found Artistic License to be unique since the hero was not handsome and never had been. He wasn't in an accident. He simply was always unhandsome. And the heroine was very shy. I read alot. My poor Kindle gets quite a workout. So many times a few weeks down the line I don't recall the details of most books. This one is memorable and a keeper. Likewise with Tempted. It was the hottest, sexiest office romance I've read this year. There is a 99 cent sequel that I also enjoyed.

To enter to win prizes comment on the blogs along the way or click on the Rafflecopter below.

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Hot n' Sprung Blog Hop

I'm going to let you in on a secret. The only reason I've ever liked summer is because of the vacations. When I was in high school and college, I would spend the summer reading as many books as I could. I know, I know. I was a boring kid. Now summers mean a vacation with the family. I read year round.

My first suggestions for a great summer reads are going to be The Submission Sessions by Teri Fowler and Rapt by Laurel Cremant. They are both oh so good and feature heroes worth swooning over. Both feature elements of BSDM, but in very different ways. Check them out on Amazon for full descriptions. I always recommend downloading the sample to make sure you're interested, but trust me, they are both 5 star reads.

To win prizes (and there are loads of prizes), click on any of the Rafflecopter links, leave a comment on this blog or any of the other blogs in the hop, or stop by the Facebook event page.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Blog Hop

Some of you may have noticed the button to the right about the Hot n' Sprung Blog Hop May 2 - 6. I hope you'll drop by and visit all the blogs. Prizes will be given away. One of which will be a copy of my last release The Last Witch Hunter. During the hop, I'll post a couple of excerpts. One will be from my upcoming release The Deal. The release date will be June 13.

The Deal

I got the cover art for The Deal. It's going to be published through Amira Publishing. I don't know the release date yet, but I thought I'd share the art and the blurb.

Separating from her husband was the hardest thing Kameron Blue has ever done. But what else was she to do? He was a workaholic who she only saw at bedtime. She hopes the separation will be a wakeup call to Gabriel. The situation goes from bad to worse when she has reason to suspect Gabriel of cheating.

Gabriel loves his wife and can’t believe that she would leave him. He’s in charge of saving his family’s company and he thought Kameron understood. When he receives an inheritance, he has what he needs to save his family’s department stores and his marriage. Unfortunately, the only deal his formerly loving wife is interested in involves him giving her a divorce.