Wednesday Excerpt

This week I have Lola Drake with me with her new release Pursuit of a Kiss.

Ousted from Olympus until he can restore true love to the world, Eros stumbles upon a match made in heaven – if they can survive hell first.

Juliet doesn’t have much in common with her namesake. Her career-centric life sorely lacks romance. Then one night everything changes when she witnesses a gang shooting, and she ends up a victim herself.

FBI Agent Jake Parker has known Juliet for years, but only as the baby sister of his best friend. He still imagines her as the awkward teenager she used to be. When Jake must protect Juliet from the gang determined to eliminate the only witness who can testify against them, he discovers that he’s not the only one who’s changed in the last ten years.

As sparks fly and the danger mounts, Juliet and Jake must decide what they’re willing to risk in the pursuit of what’s possibly true love’s kiss.

Excerpt

Juliet emerged from the shower, relieved to be out of the hospital and back at her own house. Pulling off the plastic bag that had kept her arm dry, she limped to the closet – her hip still a bit sore from the “flesh wound.” Easy for doctors to say––it wasn’t their flesh that bullet had blazed a path across. She knew she had far more pressing things to worry about, but she couldn’t help taking a moment to hope the scar wouldn’t be too ugly once it healed. 

Ablutions complete, she sank, exhausted, onto the chair in front of her old-fashioned white vanity. Her mother had used that vanity as a teenager, and she’d given it to Juliet for her sixteenth birthday. Now, even at twenty-nine, Juliet still loved using it. Somehow she always felt prettier seeing her reflection in that ornate antique mirror than she did anywhere else, especially in the last few years since her mother died. She trailed her finger over a tiny crack in the wood. Her mother had been furious when Juliet had done that. Now, however, as she rested her palm upon it, she couldn’t think of anything in the world she wanted more than a hug from her mother and her reassuring voice saying everything would be all right.

The soft knock on the door startled her. “Come in.”

Jake poked his head in the doorway. “Are you doing okay? Need any help?”

“I’m managing.”

“You in a lot of pain?”

Juliet shook her head, attempting to brush her hair left-handed. “The medication helps. I’m more frustrated than anything.”

“So let me help.”

Jake came up behind her, took the brush from her hand, and stroked it through her hair. His thumb grazed the back of her neck as he gathered up a section of curls, holding them so he wouldn’t pull at her head as he worked out a tangle. Their eyes met in the mirror and held. Juliet’s heart thumped in her chest so loudly she wondered if Jake could hear it. If he did, he gave nothing away as he ran his long fingers gently across her scalp.

“You have beautiful hair.”

Juliet chuckled. “Now I know you’re feeling sorry for me. My hair’s brown and boring.”

Jake shook his head, gently separating out a few strands. His eyes met hers in the mirror once more. “No it’s not. It has shades of auburn and even gold under certain light. It’s beautiful.”

Her breath caught. The air around them grew heavy with expectation as once more their eyes locked through the mirror. Slowly, as though afraid any movement might startle him like a frightened deer in the woods, Juliet turned around to face him. Desire flared inside her. She’d wanted him for so long, and now, with the heat in his gaze… was he finally going to kiss her after all these years? 

Keeping her eyes glued to his, she rose, their bodies so close they practically touched. Jake’s breath warmed her cheek and a need, a hunger flared in his eyes. As he leaned in, Juliet’s eyes drifted closed, the anticipation of having his mouth on hers at last overwhelming her. And then it happened, his lips touched her––on the forehead. 

What the…? Juliet’s eyes flew open. 

Jake abruptly stepped back, setting down her brush. “Got any good movies? Let’s go watch a movie. I need a beer.” He turned on his heel and practically sprinted from the room.

Juliet couldn’t understand what the hell had just happened. She did know she wished she had thrown the brush at his retreating back. He clearly wanted her. Didn’t he?

A photo of her and her brother Aaron from her high school graduation caught her eye. Oh yeah. Aaron. Maybe that had prompted Jake’s decision not to touch her? At least, she hoped that was the reason and not that he still thought of her as an ungainly kid sister. But she felt sure she hadn’t imagined anything. He had lightly licked in his lips in that moment before leaning in, and the way he had caressed her hair definitely didn’t feel like something a brother would do.

No, Jake wanted her. And she would convince him to see that.

You can purchase Pursuit of a Kiss from Evernight Publishing.

Wednesday Excerpt

 I know I’ve been away for a small break, but now I’m back and have switched to doing Excerpts on Wednesday’s instead of Tuesday’s. This week I have Allison Grey with me.

BLURB

Newly wed half-vampires Reney and Ahulani have just had their first child, and they couldn’t be happier…if they didn’t live in constant fear of the vampires Jane and Marian. The cousin of the vampire Richard, Marian is a notoriously sadistic intellectual who will stop at nothing to please his lovers. When the half-lings find out Jane will only be satisfied with the murder of their daughter, they must travel to the homeland of the vampires to try and make the first move in a horrifying race to save their daughter.

Only a head vampire stands a chance in a fight with Marian Popescu, and Reney can think of only one with any incentive to assist…. He wants his throne back. Reney wants her life back. But will their worst enemy really team up with them without turning on the half-lings himself?

EXCERPT

He kissed her, and they embraced for a moment before Reney became aroused as her body caressed her lover’s. The pregnancy hadn’t taken much of a toll on Reney’s figure, and the weight had wilted off her tall frame in a matter of a few weeks. Even if it had not, Reney wouldn’t have minded. ‘Olina was everything she had ever dreamed of. The moment her baby was born, an intense and instantaneous love struck. It overtook her so much she found herself in tears at moments. With Ahulani beside her, it was somehow easy to forget all the horrors they

had seen since they had met last year. Richard was the hardest to try and stop thinking about. He was the vampire who had lured Reney to the Hawaii in order to drink the blood of a half-vampire, and Reney hadn’t even known what she was yet. She was a half-ling, a half-vampire, and the blood of her kind was like ambrosia to the full vampires. They had faced him again in Romania. It was there that Reney’s former best friend, Jane, had killed him. The two women had worked together in New York as interns at So Glam magazine. Their cubicles had been side by side, and a close friendship had formed between them. But their entire friendship had been no more than a ruse, a plot to lure Reney into Richard’s hands. Jane was also a half-ling, but had known her entire life. She had been obsessed with Richard. Infatuated to the point of madness. She had killed Richard when she found out about….

Reney shook away the thought. It was all in the past now. A mistake. Jane, now a full vampire after drinking Richard’s blood, hadn’t made contact with them thus far. But Reney had feared retribution from Jane, who became furious when she found out Richard had seduced Reney. This had all taken place while she was with Ahulani, further galling Jane and mortifying Reney to the point of denial. After she had slept with him, Richard revealed to her that a special half-ling like Reney would be unable to resist the charms of a full vampire. He had used it to his advantage, to try to mate with Reney and produce an heir for himself.

It was better that he had died. Reney had been terrified of an attack from Jane while she was pregnant with ‘Olina. The pregnancy had passed peacefully though, if one did not count morning sickness. Reney suspected now that Jane had regretted killing Richard shortly after the fatal staking. Hopefully she had gone too mad with grief to even seek revenge. Jane had never been one for biding her time. Reney took solace that Ahulani’s family, all powerful half-lings, surrounded her. She may be able to raise their daughter in a rather normal, safe environment. At least, she hoped so.

But for now, they had a rare moment together. The first few months of ‘Olina’s life had been constant waking and feedings, and she treasured her private time with Ahulani in a whole new way.  She breathed in Ahulani’s scent. That sweet cinnamon fragrance he seemed to exude from his very pores. Reney kissed her husband, the man who had put a ring on her finger immediately after discovering the pregnancy. It had all been so fast, but Reney was fine with that. She knew in her heart she was meant to be with Ahulani for eternity.

    “Kiss me, you fool,” Reney said, and rolled away from him. 
    He grabbed her by the shoulders and she giggled as he flipped her over.
    “Yes, Ma’am,” he smiled.

He pressed his mouth to hers, engulfing Reney in his charming aroma, coveting her. She sighed. Within a few moments, her satin nightgown lay on the floor next to Ahulani’s clothing. Reney moaned, enjoying every touch as his warm hands explored her breasts. He handled her body as if she were a new and fascinating lover every time he was with her.

    It was faster than either of them would have liked. Ahulani writhed his warm, soft hips into her own, shaking her insides faster and faster until he ground her pussy into a shuddering orgasm. She bit her lip in an attempt to not wake the baby Her efforts were foiled by a knock on their door. In the middle of the night, it would most certainly be unwelcome news.
    Ahulani jumped under the covers while Reney struggled to get her nightdress on. She tried her best to pull her hair back into something suitable for company, a smooth style that wouldn’t give away their activities. ‘Olina had awoken, and Reney picked up the squealing infant. She pressed her daughter close to her heart. More than anything, motherhood had come
naturally to the half-vampire. The birth of ‘Olina had sealed her bond with Ahulani to the core, bringing new life to their love.
    She was surprised to find Ahulani’s father at the door.
    “Akua,” she said. “What brings you here at this hour?”
    Akua, who was usually in bed by nine, rarely came by the apartment. He favored meeting in the common area downstairs, as his limbs were stiffening and he found it hard to make it upstairs. He did not partake much in the drinking of animal’s blood with the rest of the family. Akua wished to die at a typical human age, rather than live out the two hundred plus years he might acquire as a half-ling. Reney moved ‘Olina to her other hip in nervousness. If Akua had come up to the apartment, he must have important news for them.

You can get your copy of Half-ling: Bloody Promises from Evernight Publishing.