Welcome my good friend, Cathryn Fox, as I help her celebrate her latest sexy release! ~DD

Impulsive: An Eternal Pleasure Novel
NAL Heat (May 10, 2009)
Eternal Pleasure, Book 2
ISBN-10: 0451229967
ISBN-13: 978-0451229960
Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Borders | IndieBound

“This dark paranormal novel is the latest in Fox’s Eternal Pleasure series about shapeshifters. Fox brings together two unforgettable characters, transformed after one devastating night, adds plenty of erotic tension and draws readers irresistibly into their world. It¹s all about second chances in this sexy, suspenseful and satisfying read.” — 4 Stars, RT Book Reviews

He is the hunter.

She’s fled her alpha wolf—and the entire paranormal community of Serene. Now a free woman—wolf, Sunray returns to Chicago, full of bittersweet memories. The last thing she expects to find there is her reincarnated lover, who died at her feet the night she was changed into a lycan a century ago. Still, Sunray knows they can never revive their intense passion. Because now he’s a lycan hunter—and she is his prey…

She is the hunted.

Not for a minute does Kane believe this beautiful lycan’s story, that they were once lovers. Still, he recognizes Sunray as the woman who’s been seducing him in his dreams. For now, prey and predator have forged an uneasy, temporary truce as they join forces to capture a rogue shifter. But after their work is done, will either of them be able to resist a passion that could be dangerously all-consuming?

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Chicago: A Century Ago
October

Hurried steps carried Ray Bartlett across town; his dark clothes and the black sky masked his foolhardy presence. As he approached the train tracks, the silhouette of the old abandoned building on the other side of the railroad came into view, prompting him to reach into his pocket and pull out the heavy tin can he always brought with him—a familiar beacon in a dark, eerie night.

“Here, kitty, kitty,” he called out as he gently shook the scratched and dented container of sardines, letting the thick oil inside slosh about in an effort to herald his approach. He pitched his voice low, knowing the sound would carry in the breeze and alert the lone occupant of the building to his presence, and signal her to free the latch. His glance darted around, and he hoped like hell he’d gone undetected by any resident gangs, should they be lurking about. After all, he was a far cry from his elite Gold Coast neighborhood and was now stepping foot into Chicago’s seedy south side—a testament to his foolhardiness, for sure.

As he took note of his shaking fingers, he slid the can back into his breeches and stuffed his hands into his coat pockets to still his rather unusual jitters. His discomposure was partly because he’d snuck out of his dorm (and should he get caught, the consequences doled out by the headmaster would be most severe), and partly due to his excitement at seeing the girl waiting for him on the side of town he had no business frequenting—the side of town the folks in his social circle avoided like a diseased wharf rat. But, unlike him, they didn’t have Sunni Matthews waiting for them.

Sunni…

God, his heart raced and his body grew needy just thinking about her. She had a certain energy: a light in the darkness that filled him with a deep warmth and unearthed things he’d never felt before.

Everything from the way her golden hair framed her porcelain skin and the way her beautiful blue eyes sparkled with love and laughter to the way she trusted him completely and thoroughly with her body, heart, and soul rattled his emotions and rendered him practically senseless. Ribbons of want—no, need—worked their way through his veins because he knew he was only minutes from gathering her into his arms, pressing his mouth to hers and paying homage to her lush body until the early hours of the morning.

As he took in the shape of the slumbering structure tucked just inside the woods, a mixture of joy and sadness invaded his thoughts. He was thrilled to spend a few stolen moments with Sunni—he ached to embrace her, to feel her naked body against his skin—but it pained him to know that he’d wake up tomorrow between a set of starched white sheets, and she in a dusty cot. His heart twisted and his stomach clenched. He halted his forward momentum and fought down the feeling of helplessness, as well as the pang of loneliness that ate at his guts like a thousand hungry cockroaches.

Soon, he reminded himself. Soon they’d be together forever, and he’d make things better for her. It was a promise he’d made to her a long time ago, and a promise he intended to keep.

Off in the distance, the whistle of an approaching train pulled him back to reality. The high-pitched whine broke through the unnatural silence as he carefully counted the wooden sleepers and made his way over the tracks—tracks he knew better than to cross. Yes, it was dangerous, maybe even downright suicidal, for him to venture into this part of town, but it was a damn strange thing how love affected one’s ability to make rational decisions.

He ducked into the woods and glanced around, camouflaging himself among the towering maple trees and densely packed foliage. As he stepped onto the overgrown walking path, he once again took note of the unusual quiet surrounding him. Not even the cacophony of the bullfrogs from the swamp just beyond the tracks could be heard. It was as if someone or something had scared them silent. That thought aroused the fine hairs along his nape as the long, unkempt weeds and gangly blades of grass climbed up his breeches and pawed at his ankles.

He blinked to adjust to the dim light and took two measured steps forward. Because there had just been a week of heavy rain, the heels of his patent leather shoes sank in the wet, moss-laden ground. Ray turned up the collar of his wool sack coat against the cool autumn breeze and carefully picked his way forward, his heart pounding harder and harder with each footstep.

Overhead, the tightly knitted clouds peeled back to reveal a full moon. The bright beams broke through the canopy of high leaves and provided sufficient light for him to see the dark metal latch on the door, still a few feet out of reach. His lips turned up in a smile, and he shook the can again to let Sunni and the menagerie of tomcats seeking warmth and shelter inside know that it was he who approached, not some gang member sneaking up on them.

A low noise—not unlike the growl of a wild wounded animal—came from behind, taking him by surprise. Survival instincts kicked in, and he glanced over his shoulder in time to spot a shadow moving in the distance, weaving in and out of the trees in a drunken circular pattern and keeping a wide berth.

Ray narrowed his eyes and peered into the darkness. The shadow sat low, crouched on all fours. He took it to be some sort of dog, but bigger than any canine he’d ever encountered. Ray was not by any means a small man, but to take on a rabid dog without weaponry would certainly make him a dense one.

As his pulse pounded, his skin prickled in warning and propelled him forward. Moving swiftly, his long legs ate up the short distance to the building. Before he could reach the latch, a low noise serrated the air and stopped him dead in his tracks. His blood ran cold and he swallowed hard. The strangled sound carried in the wind as he slowly turned in the direction of the growl. He took great care not to make any sudden movements while he tracked the shadow as it closed in on him. A moment later, a large canine stepped into the clearing and two pewter orbs flashed beneath the full moon.

What the hell kind of animal has pewter eyes?

A burst of adrenaline pushed Ray on, and he yanked open the door with much more force than was necessary and charged inside. With his breath coming in quick, unsteady gasps, he slammed the door behind him and collapsed against it, using his body weight to seal it shut.

The light from the candle flickered as Sunni approached. Her palm closed over his cheek and the warmth of her hand drove back the cold of the night. “Ray, what is it?” she asked.

With concern in her eyes, she looked past his shoulder at the secured door. “Were you followed?”

He shook his head and let the tension drain from his body as he took pleasure in the alluring sight of Sunni and the seductive way the soft candlelight fell like a halo over her petite frame. As he drew in her distinctive floral scent, his heart swelled and his cock thickened, forcing him to struggle to find his words.

He widened his hands to show the animal’s excessive size. “Wild dog,” was all he managed to get out as his blood raced south.

She frowned. “I thought I heard the same dog earlier when I snuck in here.” Just then, one of the many tomcats hissed at the door before it turned its attention to more pressing matters, like the food in Ray’s breeches. The cat brushed up against Ray’s leg and pawed at his pocket—and the can of sardines he knew would be inside. As a few other cats moved closer and joined in the chorus, Ray pulled out their food.

Sunni carefully positioned the candle on the ledge next to them, away from the boarded windows, and went to work on feeding the hungry felines. After opening the can and placing it on the floor, she turned back to Ray and furrowed her brow. “What should we do?”

“Let’s wait it out.” Every instinct he possessed warned him of danger, causing a foreboding shiver to prowl through him. It took effort to keep his voice even as he added, “With any luck, it will just lose interest and wander off.”

Her fingers stroked his hair. In an obvious attempt to lighten the mood, she went up on her tiptoes and whispered, “I’m not afraid of any wild dog attacking me when I’ve got a protector like you, Ray.”

Ray slid his hands around her back to anchor her to him. His edgy laugh churned with passion. “Maybe it’s me you have to worry about attacking, Sunni.” His erection pressed insistently against her stomach, and he diligently fought down the urge to tear her clothes from her body and ravish her like an animal in heat. A torrent of emotions washed over him, but he knew he’d never act purely on primal impulses; not with her, not with his Sunni, because it was never just about sex with her. She deserved so much more than that from him.

Her blue eyes gleamed with mischief and she caught her bottom lip between her teeth. “Speaking of attacking, what on earth shall we do to occupy ourselves while we wait for the mongrel to lose interest?”

She looked at him with pure desire, and his body responded with a shudder. God, he loved her openness, her sense of adventure. He’d never had the inclination to divulge—let alone indulge—his secret fetishes to the girls in his social circuit. Sunni had never looked at him like he was a circus sideshow for wanting to tie her up and have her at his mercy. He wasn’t sure where that deep-seated need to dominate her had come from; only that it was strong and was not to be denied. Ray could just imagine how the women in his neighborhood would react to his unusual desires. Nevertheless, Ray only ever wanted to share those intimacies with Sunni.

His mind raced back to her playful question and considered the invitation in her voice. “Do you have something in mind?” he asked.

She palmed his thigh muscles, then slipped a hand between his legs to cup his aching cock. She gave a breathy, intimate laugh and playfully responded, “Maybe not something in mind, but definitely something in…hand.”

As desire jolted through him, they exchanged a long, lingering look, and any fears he had about the rabid dog abated. His fingers tightened around her waist, and he pulled her impossibly closer, crushing her small body to his.

“Sunni,” he murmured as he captured her mouth in a slow, simmering kiss, “you do have a way with words.”
Eager hands slipped under his coat to massage his shoulders, and her throaty purr resonated through his body. “And here I’d rather you had your way with me.”

To learn more about Cathryn or her latest release check out her website. Cathryn Fox’s Website