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Just released! GILDED CAGE! Get your FREE copy!
Monday, May 13th, 2019

I have something dark and sexy for you—if you’re not persnickety about a f/f romance. However, if you love something dark (it involves the Blood Countess, Elizabeth Bathory!), which depicts a witch and a vampire in a life and death battle for dominance, and takes place in New Orleans, you’ll love this. It’s intensely erotic with BDSM elements. So, be warned!

This is a story that was previously released through Ellora’s Cave but has been significantly revised. And there’s more in the series to come. It’s only 12,000 words, so not terribly long. I hope you’ll give it a try. And best yet? If you have Kindle Unlimited, you can read it for FREE!

Gilded Cage

A f/f paranormal novelette…

Since her turning, Elena Csintalan has wrestled her inner demon on a nightly basis. She never expects her limits to be tested—until she finds herself drawn to a tawny woman whose lush curves make her eyeteeth spike. Before she knows it, she’s dangling inside an iron cage, one that’s frighteningly familiar. And the punishment she endures is oh so divine…

Despite a surprising empathy she feels for the vampire she’s captured, Cassia proceeds with her coven’s plan—drain Elena of her blood at the height of orgasm to complete a potion that will protect them from Elena’s maker. Cassia scried the darkness coming their way, and the monster has a name…the Countess Elizabeth Bathory.

Get your copy here!

Sam Heathers: “Too Deep” from STRANDED (Contest)
Tuesday, May 7th, 2019

UPDATE: The winner is…Flechen1!
*~*~*

I am so excited to be included in Stranded: A Boys Behaving Badly Anthology. For the most part, I don’t consider myself a fiction writer. I’m a lawyer. I started working with fiction as a way to improve my legal writing. But the more I do it, the more I love it. I saw the call for submissions just three days before they were due, and my mind started racing with different ideas. That night, I couldn’t fall asleep because I was mulling over scenarios and concepts, most of them involving heroines being professionally stranded.

Then, the nugget of an undercover officer popped into my head.

I wish I could say I had a classy, magical inspiration for the idea. I didn’t. It was a movie. A bad one. Like, one that’s so bad I’m a little embarrassed. It was 2 Fast 2 Furious. At least it wasn’t Tokyo Drift.

Fortunately, that meant that when the idea of an undercover officer came to me, an image of a heroine came with it—Eva Mendes’s character. I jotted down the idea (I knew I wouldn’t fall asleep if I didn’t) and laid back down.

As I waited for the bus the next morning, I wasn’t even sure I wanted to submit the story. I’d never done anything like this before, and I was nervous about trying to get a story together in just two days. But I couldn’t get the idea out of my head. I figured I had to give it a shot. I hopped on the bus, pulled out a notepad, and mapped out the beats on the way to work.

My writing process wasn’t anything special either. After work, I sat down at my computer and started following my outline. It was a late night, but productive—I got the first draft done a little after midnight. The next day, my significant other read the draft and loved it. We chatted about ideas and edits, and I spent the second night fixing the draft up. The next morning, I did some fine-tuning and sent it in.

The one thing I would say was different about this, was how much fun I had. In a sense, I write for a living day-in and day-out. It can be difficult to come back home and keep writing. I’ve been in the middle of writing a few different novels for ages, and it’s tough to find the energy to return. But with an idea I knew I liked, a tight word limit, and a quick turnaround, I was excited the entire time. When I finished, I felt like I had a fun, enjoyable romp, which is everything I wanted from it.

Sam Heathers

Excerpt from “Too Deep”

When an undercover officer loses her handlers in the outside world, she must trust the top lieutenant of a gun-running gang to survive

Stranded

“Pick up, pick up, pick up.” I paced the park walkway with a burner to my ear, trying to will Frank to answer. Five rings. Ten. After the twentieth, the phone system cancelled the call. This had already happened twice in the last ten minutes.

Frank hadn’t shown up to a meet for three weeks. For the last two, his voicemail had picked up after four rings. This week, no voicemail.

I glanced around the park as I sat down. Normally, I opted for the cheaper flip-phone burners. But with Frank’s disappearance, I bought the more expensive smartphone and a data card.

After opening an Internet browser, I typed FRANK HASNA and hit search. Random results, nothing helpful.

I drew a deep breath and added…OBITUARY.

The first link delivered a nightmare. The article was from three days ago. Frank was dead.

Shit.

I dialed the number for the local Bureau office. “Agent Drew Bowers,” I said before the operator finished answering.

After some clicks and annoying hold music, another voice answered, “Vice Unit.”

“Agent Bowers.”

“Agent Bowers isn’t with the Bureau anymore.”

Frank hadn’t told me that. Why the hell hadn’t Frank said anything? “Where did he go?”

“Can I help you?”

“You can tell me where the fuck Agent Bowers went.”

“I’m not at liberty to—”

I hung up.

Shit. I was stranded.

Stranded. That’s what we call it when an undercover cop is left without contacts. When I went undercover, I gave up everything. What I got in return was a new identity. New social security card. New driver’s license. New rap sheet. The point was to make the old me disappear.

Two people knew who I really was: Frank Hasna and Drew Bowers. Frank was my primary contact—my old Captain. Drew, my Bureau contact. If anything happened to one, I could reach the other. They were the only two people who could get me back to my real life.

But once in a while, agents’ contacts died, leaving the agents to fend for themselves. Sometimes, they made it back alive. Other times, the script stops being an act—the undercover embraces the life and is lost. And sometimes, the jig is up. That’s when we get killed.

My other phone buzzed and brought me back to reality. I looked at the burner, hoping. No such luck.

Meet at the warehouse in an hour.

I put my phone back in my pocket, took the battery out of the burner, and threw it in the last trash can on the way out of the park. I carried the burner another block and tossed it in a dumpster.

Shit.

Get your copy of Stranded: A Boys Behaving Badly Anthology here!

Contest

Head to Delilah’s Collections to enter to win a signed copy of this book! 
Rogues: A Boys Behaving Badly Anthology!

Rogues

Michal Scott: “Put It in a Book” from STRANDED (Contest)
Friday, May 3rd, 2019

UPDATE: The winner is…Debra!
*~*~*

Note from DD: My scheduled guest was a no-show today, so I’m recycling a post from the Collections website that appeared there yesterday. I’m sharing excerpts from all the stories in Stranded to help you make the choice to purchase a copy of your own! There’s an amazing variety of themes, genres, settings, but all are very, very sexy. Enjoy the excerpt, enter the contest, then head on over to the Collections site to read more about this anthology and meet the authors! ~DD

*~*~*~*

My writing journey resembles a spiral that took me from writing for newspapers through seminary and ministry to writing romance in retirement. I have a journalism background and worked as a stringer for awhile. Writing fiction during that time had always been a way to make the world come round right after a day of covering stories when everything in the world was all wrong. When I became involved in the church, writing remained a hobby, but I did it less and less.

Then I became an X-Files fan, and I entered the heady fun-filled world of fan fiction under the name Rev. Anna. I really enjoyed myself making up stories again. A challenge from my mother-in-law to put my energy into writing my own characters came at the same time the radio program “This American Life” did a segment on Romance Writers of America national meeting in NYC. Jeanette’s challenge and that segment lit a “Why not?” fire in my writing soul. I joined RWA in 2003, joined chapters, entered contests, won a few, and finally got published in 2008. By then, I’d attended a retirement seminar that encouraged us to start thinking now about what we wanted to do in retirement. Another “Why not?” flame ignited, and now here I am an erotic romance writing retired minister.

Michal

Excerpt from “Put It in a Book”

Stranded

Trapped in a book by a sorcerer for rejecting his sexual advances,
an ex-slave’s daughter discovers one hope of rescue – a nosy thief

Aziza, if you want to hide something from Black folk, put it in a book.

If her father had said this once, he’d said it a hundred times. As the daughter of a freed slave, Aziza Williams had resolved with every book she’d read, with every bit of content she’d memorized, no one would hide anything in a book from her.

How ironic the adage was being used against her now that she lived in the Free and Independent Republic of Liberia. Only someone as evil as Dulee Morlu could leave her stranded in a book.

Each time he removed The Story of Aziza from its shelf in his library, he’d badger, cajole, even plead with anyone present to read it.

“This book will change your life,” he’d say in a tone, always enticing, sometimes seductive, but never serious enough for anyone to take him up on the offer.

When they’d gone, he’d pressed his mouth to her image on the flyleaf. “No one will ever read your story,” he whispered with snake-like malice. His laugh bruised her heart each time he congratulated himself on his ingenuity. “You will remain hidden in these pages until you give yourself to me.”

Never had been her answer when he’d propositioned her a week after she’d arrived in Liberia. Never was her answer when he’d caught her pleasuring herself by the river’s edge after her morning swim. Never remained her answer from the day she’d awakened entombed within the pages of her own story to this.

How often had hope flared at the possibility of someone opening these pages and setting her free?

Too often.

How many times had Morlu’s possessive grip caressed her prison’s spine, his wet thumb sliding down the edges of its pages?

Too many.

“Everyone I’ve imprisoned yielded within a day. You’ve resisted for thirty,” he exclaimed. “I must dedicate a chapter to your resilience.”

He splayed his fingers across her prison’s pages, too accurately mimicking the spreading of her thighs. Her captive limbs shuddered. His calloused finger slid along the book’s gutter. Her inert hands tensed, unable to shield herself from the erotic—albeit vicarious—chafing his touch provoked.

“Your opposition makes your eventual capitulation that much sweeter.” He slid his finger faster, deeper between the pages. “And make no mistake…you will surrender.”

Each time he placed her back on the shelf, he planted a cold kiss on the book’s spine. Aziza quivered against the chill, unable to staunch the revulsion roiling in her throat—or at least, where she imagined her throat might still be.

“Until then,” he whispered.

Her spirit cringed at those words. She’d escaped from plantation owners eager to punish her for secretly teaching slaves to read. Her spirit had remained unbowed after fourteen harrowing weeks crossing the Atlantic. Even the hardships that had killed more than three-quarters of all who had emigrated to Liberia hadn’t vanquished her. If neither threats to her life nor dangers at sea nor the high mortality rate could defeat her, she’d be damned if this self-serving sorcerer would.

Still…

Her imprisonment seemed an unending stream of consciousness, punctuated only by Morlu’s uninvited intrusions. Thirty days. This sudden awareness of time weighed on her spirit and threatened to undo her.

How much longer could she hold out?

Get your copy of Stranded: A Boys Behaving Badly Anthology here!

Contest

Comment for a chance to win a copy of Michal Scott’s eBook,
Better to Marry Than to Burn.

STRANDED: A BOYS BEHAVING BADLY ANTHOLOGY is out today! (Contest & Excerpt)
Tuesday, April 30th, 2019

UPDATE: The winner is…Booklady!
*~*~*

It’s finally here! 322 pages of goodness! My latest anthology, filled with wonderful stories—some action-packed, some poignant, some funny! All of them are sexy! I can’t wait to hear what you all think. And after you’ve had a chance to dive in, I want to hear what you’d like to see me do next. My plan is to publish at least one a year, depends on how busy I am. As always. 🙂

Anyway, I’ll give you an overview of the book then an excerpt from my shorty, which is a prequel to another Montana Bounty Hunters story (to be written soon!). My entry is entitled “Quincy Down Under”, and you’ll get the joke/double entendre when you read it. LOL

And there’s a contest, of course! You’ll have a second chance to win if you head over to the Collections website and comment there, too!

Contest

Comment for a chance to win a download of one of the full-size books below. You can tell me whether you love short stories. Tell me what theme you’d like to see for the next one. Or just ramble about what you’ll be doing while you’re reading the sexy shorties in this collection (passing time in a dentist’s office, reading sexy stories to your significant other in bed at night, etc.). Just be sure to comment!

Here’s what you might win (click on the covers to learn more):

Rogues Blue Collar Pirates

Stranded: A Boys Behaving Badly Anthology

Stranded

Get it in Print or eBook!

The stories inside…

A Stranger’s Kiss by A.C. Dawn – Sparks in the sky ignite an inferno when a millionaire bad boy rescues a struggling romance writer stranded in an airport

Shelter from the Storm by A.J. Harris – A rogue super soldier and an ocean-dwelling scout discover the keys to surviving enemy soldiers and giant super-storms on their flooded world may be each other

Reviving Artemis by Ara Geller – Defying her alpha’s direct orders, a young warrior braves a pack of hunting werewolves to finally claim her Mate

Quincy Down Under by Delilah Devlin – A bounty hunter following a lead is trapped in an underground-bunker-turned-beauty-salon with a pretty beautician

Rescuing Alaska by Elle James – A Coast Guardsman on an Alaskan fishing trip jumps into frigid waters and dares a bear-ridden island to rescue a beautiful deckhand

Hourglass by Kenzie Mathews – With danger all around them, time-hopping graduate students find it hard to keep their clothes on while their time machine glitches

Out of This World by Kimberly Dean – When an astronaut is stranded without a research partner, her mission’s bad boy commander volunteers to help her complete her studies…on sex in space

Burning Stars by Kimberly Lithe – Heated glances and flirtatious banter ignite into a fever pitch when a mechanic aboard a stranded starship looks for her rescue from an intergalactic criminal

Switching Call by Lucrecia Christina – Stranded in a field, a tow truck driver learns from his sassy rescuer that there’s more to getting stuck in the mud than spinning tires

A Change in Predicament by Melanie Jayne – A doctor with a death wish and a history of bad decisions uses her wits to survive a kidnapping by the wounded leader of a dangerous gang

Put it in a Book by Michal Scott – Trapped in a book by a sorcerer for rejecting his sexual advances, an ex-slave’s daughter discovers one hope of rescue – a nosy thief

Undercover Lover by N.J. Walters – A DEA agent working undercover as a waitress in a dangerous biker bar is stranded without backup until a man from her past walks in

Too Deep by Sam Heathers – When an undercover officer loses her handlers in the outside world, she must trust the top lieutenant of a gun-running gang to survive

Going Down by Sukie Chapin – One broken elevator, one sexy boss, one hot night…maybe falling isn’t so bad after all

An Excerpt from “Quincy Down Under”

Meet my heroine…

“Looks like a damn hickey,” the elderly beauty operator said in her raspy voice as she set the straightening wand in its metal stand.

Tamara Adams rose from the seat at Miss Gracie’s station and leaned closer toward the marquee lights. Yup, the tender mark on her neck did indeed look like a love bite. She touched her finger to the burn and hissed.

“A little aloe vera will fix you right up,” Miss Gracie said and rummaged through a drawer to pick up a tube that looked to be twenty years old and squeezed of all its precious cream.

Tamara bit back a grimace and waved the woman away. “Thank you so much for straightening the back of my hair, but I’ll take care of the burn. You have a dinner at the senior center. Don’t want to be late,” she sang.

Miss Gracie’s eyebrows shot halfway up her forehead. “Thanks for reminding me.” She quickly retrieved her purse from her bottom drawer and headed toward the door leading out of the beauty shop.

The older woman glanced down at the cinder block holding the door open then gave Tamara a pointed stare. Tamara waved her hand in acknowledgement of the issue she still hadn’t addressed, and then held her breath as the woman slowly climbed the steep steps. Miss Gracie disappeared into the sunlight that filtered down the metal staircase—the only natural lighting in Tamara’s tiny shop.

When she was alone, Tamara moved toward her own station, her Sketchers sticking to the misting of hairspray that always surrounded Miss Gracie’s chair, making a sound reminiscent of Squidward’s tentacles.

She opened her own drawer, pulled out a tube of concealer, then did her best to mask the nasty red burn. So, maybe she should have treated it with antibiotic cream first, but she planned to hit Slim ’n’ Shorty’s for a drink as soon as she finished cleaning up and counting her earnings for the day.

Tamara snorted. Wouldn’t take a minute to empty her cash drawer. Miss Gracie’s elderly clients, the ones who could make it down the steep steps, had been the only customers that day.

Staring into her well-lit mirror, Tamara didn’t get it. She was a walking advertisement for her skills. Her messy-wavy, chin-length bob was all the rage in Hollywood. The platinum color with the lone rose-pink streak was flawless.

But she knew the problem was the location of her shop, and the fact she needed more noticeable signage for customers to even find it. Again, she snorted.

Hell, a billboard wouldn’t be enough to convince women to make the trek down into her doomsday-bunker-turned-hair-salon.

Footsteps sounded on the metal staircase, and she whirled, excited that she’d have at least one paying customer this day. However, the huge man descending the steps wiped her smile away. There was something about him that told her he was trouble. The hairs on the back of her neck prickled. She’d have to remember to take a razor to them later.

Read the rest of this entry »

Print is available now–eBook drops Tuesday! And I have a blurb!
Sunday, April 28th, 2019

I just wanted to let you know that the print version of this book
is available now for purchase–and the eBook, all 320 pages is just $0.99!

Also, be sure to head over to the Collections website. For the next couple of weeks, we’ll be sharing excerpts and giving away prizes! You won’t want to miss a day, so subscribe and be sure to get the posts delivered to your inbox! Collections website

Stranded
Stranded

Pre-order eBook! (releases Tuesday!)
Order print version!

Women alone, unsure and in trouble… Real heroes showing up when a woman needs a little help…

Do you crave stories about savvy, capable women who suddenly find themselves in challenging circumstances—vulnerable to the elements or their situation? Love those stories even more when their fear is surpassed by attraction, and they become vulnerable in different ways…sexy ways?

Here’s just a glimpse of the stories you’ll find in STRANDED…

Inside these tales you’ll find damsels in distress, but they aren’t weak and waiting to be saved. These women are determined to save themselves. In Sam Heathers’ “Too Deep”, an undercover officer loses her handlers and is forced to trust a top lieutenant in a gun-running gang to survive. A woman trapped in a book by a sorcerer is rescued by a thief in Michal Scott’s “Put It in a Book.” In “Rescuing Alaska” by Elle James, a Coast Guardsman leaps into the frigid Alaskan waters then braves a bear-ridden island to save a woman swept overboard during a storm. You’ll find astronauts discovering love in the International Space Station, genetically-enhanced humans struggling to survive in a flooded world, werewolves warring with an outlaw clan, along with your more conventional corporate scion in an unconventional encounter in “Going Down” by Sukie Chapin. In all, you’ll find fourteen stories with one thing in common—couples depending on each other to survive and, perhaps, falling in love.

NINE GREAT AUTHORS! NINE GREAT STORIES!
Tuesday, March 12th, 2019

Flu’s running through the family! Three of us now are fighting the effects. Not fun! But I do need to slip in the door and tell you about my new release! This is one you won’t want to miss! If you loved my Uncharted SEALs, you’ll love my entry in this collection–Along Came a Spider

Men in Uniform

Nine sexy stories about our favorite men in uniform, from some of the biggest names in romance…

Along Came a Spider by New York Times Bestselling Author Delilah Devlin: All Spider Longren wants is time alone to recharge after a grueling mission, but what he gets is caught in the double crossfire of passion and danger.

Coming in Hot by USA Today Bestselling Author Kate Meader: Firefighter Tyler has one problem. He’s still got his V-card. And he wants his best friend Evie to help him lose it, only she has no idea he’s wanted her for years. Time to make his move.

Precious Cargo by USA Today Bestselling Author Nicole Morgan: With a hit out on Alena’s life, U.S. Marine Brandon is faced with protecting her while completing his mission… And keeping his hands off her is the hardest task of all.

View from the Top by USA Today Bestselling Author Carmen Falcone: Retired Air Force pilot Mack always desired Jenny but couldn’t act on it because she’d been too young. Now, years later, he’s ready to show her they’d make a great couple—in and out of the bedroom.

Two for the Road by Bisou deVie: One city girl from LA. One sexy Greek paramedic from Canada. One road trip. What could go wrong?

Call Me Crazy by Rebecca Royce: Faith keeps calling Sheriff Wyatt about something odd she keeps seeing in her yard… But all he sees is one sexy woman he wants for a night of hot passion.

The Navy SEAL’s Secret Baby by Kat Baxter: A hot NAVY SEAL, an awkward teacher, and a weekend of hot sex. It was supposed to be temporary, but a baby changes everything…

Always Ready by Kimberly Nee: In town for a few days from his job in the Coast Guard, Steve helps Lauren live out her sexual fantasy. But it’s the staying together part that’s challenging…

Ready for Trouble by Tina Donahue: Jake loves his job as a cop and loves the steamy Florida women more—as long as they’re into casual. And that means hands off his boss’s sister…

Get your copy here!

 

Pre-order now! Men in Uniform! (Contest)
Saturday, March 9th, 2019

UPDATE: The winner is…Misty Dawn!
*~*~*

On Monday, Men in Uniform will be out there, ready for you to binge-read nine succulent, sexy tales about those men in uniform you love! This is a collection of novellas, all by Entangled authors in their super-hot One Handed Reads line!

My story, of course, features a Navy SEAL. Now, if I published it by myself, you’d be paying $2.99 for the title. But for only $2 more, you will get 8 more stories from some truly remarkable, smutty-minded ladies! You know you don’t want to miss this.

To entice you further, I’ve included the “first kiss” scene below, but if you’d like to read the fun, high-octane action scene where they first meet,  you can find it on this page:  Men in Uniform. Don’t be fooled by the opening line. It gets crazy pretty fast!

Want to win a $5 Amazon gift card? Read the excerpt and tell me how likely you are to try to get your hands on Men in Uniform!

Men in Uniform

Men in Uniform

Nine sexy stories about our favorite men in uniform, from some of the biggest names in romance…

Along Came a Spider by New York Times Bestselling Author Delilah Devlin: All Spider Longren wants is time alone to recharge after a grueling mission, but what he gets is caught in the double crossfire of passion and danger.

Coming in Hot by USA Today Bestselling Author Kate Meader: Firefighter Tyler has one problem. He’s still got his V-card. And he wants his best friend Evie to help him lose it, only she has no idea he’s wanted her for years. Time to make his move.

Precious Cargo by USA Today Bestselling Author Nicole Morgan: With a hit out on Alena’s life, U.S. Marine Brandon is faced with protecting her while completing his mission… And keeping his hands off her is the hardest task of all.

View from the Top by USA Today Bestselling Author Carmen Falcone: Retired Air Force pilot Mack always desired Jenny but couldn’t act on it because she’d been too young. Now, years later, he’s ready to show her they’d make a great couple—in and out of the bedroom.

Two for the Road by Bisou deVie: One city girl from LA. One sexy Greek paramedic from Canada. One road trip. What could go wrong?

Call Me Crazy by Rebecca Royce: Faith keeps calling Sheriff Wyatt about something odd she keeps seeing in her yard… But all he sees is one sexy woman he wants for a night of hot passion.

The Navy Seal’s Secret Baby by Kat Baxter: A hot NAVY Seal, an awkward teacher, and a weekend of hot sex. It was supposed to be temporary, but a baby changes everything…

Always Ready by Kimberly Nee: In town for a few days from his job in the Coast Guard, Steve helps Lauren live out her sexual fantasy. But it’s the staying together part that’s challenging…

Ready for Trouble by Tina Donahue: Jake loves his job as a cop and loves the steamy Florida women more—as long as they’re into casual. And that means hands off his boss’s sister…

Pre-order your copy here!

An excerpt from Along Came a Spider

“Thank you, Spider Longren. You’ve gone above and beyond the call of duty.”

One brow arched. “I’m all in, all the time…”

Her breath caught. Knowing the moment was heading into dangerous territory, she forced a smile. “That some SEAL saying?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

She drew another deep breath. “We should rest.”

He nodded but didn’t move. Neither did she.

“I want to kiss you,” he said.

Oh, I’d like that, too… But then what? Was she really ready? Was this even real?

“Just a kiss. I think I earned it.” Then he groaned. “That didn’t come out right. Babe, you don’t owe me anything.”

His voice was a little raspy, sexy as hell. Her nipples prickled and hardened. “Oh, but I do feel…indebted,” she said, letting her voice go husky. Running a finger along the side of his cheek, she teased, “A girl should always pay her debts, don’t you think?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

She moved forward on her cushion and turned her body. He did the same. When he lifted his hands to cup her face, she felt as though every bone in her body melted. She licked her bottom lip then tilted her head to the side and closed her eyes.

His kiss was gentle but thorough, his mouth pressing against hers. At first, she only noted the warmth and firmness of his mouth, and then he began circling his head, dragging their lips, and heat built inside her.

When she gasped for breath, his tongue swept inside, and she couldn’t hold back a little moan. It felt so good. So freaking hot.

When he pulled back, she followed, but his hands still held her face. His chuckle was warm, and she couldn’t hold back a little laugh of her own. She’d been so eager to continue.

“Now we know,” he whispered. He dropped his hands then pushed up abruptly from the sofa. “I’ll grab a sleeping bag from the bedroom. Until we have better hardware on the door and some sort of warning system set up outside, I’ll sleep on the porch.”

She nodded, even though she felt guilty about him sleeping on the hard porch. Still, he was right. Someone needed to stay alert. With a sigh, she rose and moved toward the bedroom. They met at the doorway, and she moved backward, feeling a little awkward now that her body was cooling.

Spider started to move past her but then paused and reached out an arm. He dragged her against his chest and kissed her forehead. “I don’t expect anything, Jessie. This isn’t…payment. You understand?”

She nodded, her face rubbing against his. “It feels good.”

“Feels right,” he said, his voice rumbling. And then he moved back. “I’ll be outside.”