UPDATE: So, the winner is…Debbie Kolins!

* * * * *

The New Release

Just a quick reminder! I do have a brand new release! If you love lusty, sexy stories with plenty of BDSM and menage interplay, well, this one’s right up your alley! Just click on the cover here!

The Contest

Leave a comment—an answer to the question below—for your chance to win one of the following recent releases…

  

The Question

If a TV show that’s been off the air for a while could have a reunion show,  which one would you love to see back?

You know I have this great big backlist of books I have to republish. Begging For It is one of them. I’ve been hunting for artwork like a crazy person, spending way too much time looking through pictures for things that might suit my stories, or could be massaged in some way to work, and then I found this picture, and it’s absolutely perfect just the way it is.

TJ’s not a submissive looking for a Dom. She’s a woman who needs pain to get off, and who better than a Dom to do it? There’s plenty of kink inside this story. Plenty of angst, too, because you know she has a problem that causes her to be the way she is. Best part of the story? Cross, my Dom, who’s fated to be with TJ in ways she won’t fully understand until the end. I hope you’ll pick up a copy this weekend. I’d love to hear what you think!

Begging For It

She needs punishment…before she deserves pleasure.

Tragedy scarred TJ Lipton. Now, the only way she can find pleasure is when its delivered with a heavy-handed dose of S&M. But finding a lover who can give her what she needs proves an elusive quest—until she finds the sex club La Forge and a Dom named Cross McNally.

Cross understands all too well what drives TJ. He takes command of her body to give her everything she needs—restraint, the stinging kiss of a flogger, the thrill of a three-way—a sexual adventure that pulls her beyond her painful past and has her begging for more of his tender brand of domination.

Get your copy here!

An excerpt…

“Have you and Tanner been friends a long time?”

“Long enough.”

She swirled her hips to wet the tip of his cock. “He the guy you had fuck my mouth last night?”

“Yeah, does it bother you, putting a face to the dick?”

A shallow pulse forced him inside an inch. “Yes, I didn’t want him last night. I wanted your cock.”

“I was a little busy giving you what you really needed.”

He said it in a gruff, masculine tone that clued her to the fact he was just as tightly wound as she was. She pressed down, taking the cap inside another two inches. Her thighs flexed, and she fought the urge to shove downward. She wanted to savor the stretch—this fuck had been a long time coming. And because she was a little annoyed that he’d made her wait, she asked, “Do you like fucking?”

His smile was a quick, tight flash. “One of my favorite things to do.”

Her nipples were hard, aching, but she resisted the urge to cup them. She wanted his hands there but wasn’t able to command him. Her voice would lack strength. She feared he’d laugh if she tried because she shook with need. “Why didn’t you take me? You knew I wanted you to do it.”

“I told you, baby. It was about you. What you needed. And I wanted to build your trust.”

She came up but missed the solid heat of him filling her and pushed quickly down again, taking him deeper. Sweet Lord, she was wet. He slid inside with a succulent sound. “You don’t need my trust. Not for this,” she said breathlessly. “You can have me. Have me any way you want, so long as you do one little thing for me. You know what that is.”

“Have you any time?” he asked, his lips pulling away from his teeth. “More than just today?”

She shook her head but dug her fingers into his chest as she gave him another shallow stroke. “Don’t go getting possessive. I don’t need promises. You don’t want mine.”

“You don’t want to see me again?”

Her mouth gaped as she slid down a little farther, almost dizzy with relief, feeling as though every inch she consumed deepened their emotional connection. She shook her head, waging an internal battle for control. “I don’t want to make plans. Don’t want promises,” she lied. “But I wouldn’t mind you knocking at my door some night.”

His jaw flexed. “For a quick fuck but not a date.”

“This isn’t good for you?” She was wetter now, and the glides were faster, getting deeper, her breaths shortened, and her face flushed with heat. His strong hands took some of the burden from her straining thighs.

“This isn’t enough for me, TJ,” he said, slamming her down his cock now. “I want the whole woman.”

She slowed, shuddering hard. “That’s the problem,” she said, smiling with tears in her eyes. “I’m not whole.”

His palms slid up to cup her breasts, gently kneading them. “Tell me, sweetheart. Tell me why.”

She blinked away the moisture. “Just be quiet. Please.”

His lips closed, forming a thin line.

Closing her eyes to his disapproval, she continued to rock, but even though her body melted all around him, even though arousal curled inside her, she knew her limits. Her thighs gave way, and she sank against him. “Cross?”

“Open your eyes when you speak to me.”

A shiver hit her hard at his change of tone. She gave him a glare but knew the corners of her mouth were pulling downward, and that her bottom lip was trembling.

“What do you need?”

Her shoulders fell. Her head bent. “For you to take over. For you to punish me.”

“Do things my way?”

She nodded.

“Will those legs hold you up if I tell you that you have to stand?”

She nodded again then gave a little gasping hiccup. She hated being so needful, so out of control. He’d think she was a complete basket case, but maybe that was already too late.

His hands cupped her ass, and he lifted her. His cock slid from inside her and bobbed against his belly. “Go stand under the hooks.”

Her nipples spiked. Fluid dripped from inside her, and he knew because a fingertip followed the trail. He brought her moisture to her mouth and painted her lips with her own arousal.

TJ moaned and leaned down to kiss him.

His hand fisted in her hair to anchor her close, and his lips roamed over hers, rubbing hard, before he pulled her hair to raise her head. “Go now,” he rasped.

Even though she trembled with need, she pushed off him and slid from the mattress. The bed groaned behind her. His footsteps shadowed hers.

When she stood beneath the hooks, she raised her arms obediently and let him close the padded cuffs around her wrists. With her now secured, he walked to the wall and pulled down a handle to an apparatus where the ends of the chains were wrapped around a small wheel. He began to turn it, tightening the sturdy linked chain above her until her heels left the floor.

“Higher,” she grated out.

“You want to be stretched? Like the girl at the club?”

She nodded, and he winched her higher until she swayed on her toes.

“If this gets to be too much, if your arms go numb, you’ll tell me.”

She nodded, but it was a lie. Numbness would be a blessing. Pain would be rapturous. Already she felt a dull ache swell in her shoulders along with the lump burning the back of her throat.

Cross went to the dresser and pulled open a drawer. Poised on her toes, she peered down to see an array of implements. He picked up a flogger but discarded it. Then another. He drew a finger across the suede leather ends then glanced up at her. “I’m in charge now.”

She nodded, even though he hadn’t worded it as a question. Licking her bottom lip, she whispered, “Yes Sir.”

I think writing erotic love scenes that don’t make our readers cringe with embarrassment are very challenging. I liken them to filming exquisitely sensual sex scenes. In order to make them appear sexy and seductive, the director has to film a million controlled takes. And they definitely are not sexual for the actors participating in them. But when they get it right, the end result is worth every take. Likewise, to make written love scenes authentic, you have to expose your inner woman, that part of you that is most private and vulnerable. Not easy!

Here’s a small look-see at my approach.

My characters have to stay in character.

If my hero is an ex military fighting-fit alpha protective male, I can’t have him turn into a polite metro-sexual lover who says penis instead of cock or dick, because dirty-mouthed bossy men may freak me out. That’s not going to cut it. Likewise, if said alpha stud makes my heroine’s thighs quiver with desire, I have to let her admit to it, embrace it, and relish it. Holding onto any socialized primness will most definitely kill the mood. This might sound obvious, but when you’re writing erotic love scenes with explicit descriptions, it’s not. Because I not only have to tap into my own sexuality, I have to put it out there for my readers to see.

Arms and legs have to stay where I put them.

Overthinking body positions can lead to reams of unsexy explanations. Just picture how she went from kneeling on the bed and slipping off her bra, to lying, legs spread, against the pillows. Or how he went from lying on top of her, to lying on his back with her astride him. Visualizing it is sexy-hot. Writing it can be sexy-not! It may sound weird, but trying to describe, in the shortest and most sensual way possible, the movement of an arm or a leg into a position where it can add to the erotic scene, can be decidedly unsexy. Limbs have a tendency to get in the way, not to mention the occasional instance when a third arm pops into the picture—and I’m not talking ménage here! So, if I don’t want my readers to burst out laughing, or turn the book upside down like a roadmap, trying to understand how he could be cradling her face with both hands while stroking her butt as well, I need to take care to count my limbs!

Finding the line between erotic and pornographic.

This is a tough one because I think it differs for everybody. My mantra is to be true to myself, and true to the love story. The focus is always on emotion, not sex. When he pulls off his shirt and she touches his ripped chest for the first time, how does her heart react, her mind? What is she feeling? When he spreads her legs, and dips his head to taste, is he driven by lust, or a need so primal that if he can’t have her, his soul will wither and die? With every touch, I try and make sure their emotions spiral higher. I take every expletive, every explicit description, and carefully wrap it in the language of love. Because for me that is what is at the core of an erotic romance—the story of love.

If you want to see if I’m getting it right in the love-scene department, why don’t you read my newly released novel, Luke’s Redemption. It’s a contemporary romantic suspense—erotic!—and I’m delighted to say that it’s already receiving 5-star reviews from popular bloggers. However, one of my favorite reviews is from an Amazon Reader: “Whew! Honestly one of the sexiest books I have read. This book is like a really good thriller that surprises you on Sunday night TV: you start, next minute you are hooked and stay up way past your bedtime to see how it ends. And those steamy sex scenes… yes.”

Luke’s Redemption

Chased by her criminal kingpin father, Katya Dalca runs to New Orleans and straight into the arms of Luke Hunter. Sucked into the carnal world of the French Quarter, she succumbs to Luke’s potent sexuality. He not only steals her breath, he steals her heart, and the only leverage she has against her father. She’s left with no choice but to pick up the pieces and rebuild her life alone.

Undercover DEA agent Luke Hunter thought his newest assignment—recover a stolen flash drive to gain the trust of the Russian mob—was like any other. But his target brings him to his knees, and after one taste of her intoxicating beauty, he’s in too deep. Doing his job means walking away, leaving his heart behind with nothing but a promise to reunite. It’s a promise he can’t keep.

When Katya’s past reaches out and her world unravels, her only hope is the one man she is most vulnerable to—Luke.

EXCERPT

I snuggled deeper into the cosy bedding, lazy and heavy-limbed. Shifting slightly, warmth spread through me as the slight stickiness between my legs brought with it delicious memories of the night before. I never dreamed that I could be so wanton, so wildly desperate for one man’s touch.

And boy, did he touch! His potency evident in every aching muscle in my body.

Mmmm. Heat flickered as his musky scent infused my senses.

“Katya.”

I loved his voice. Especially when he said my name, so deep, rich like dark molasses.

“Katya!”

I forced my lids open. And drowned in sensual, male beauty. “Hi,” I purred. And it was a purr. I sounded like a sated cat. Inching a hand out from under the covers, I reached up, hungry to stroke his rough morning stubble.

He reared back as if stung.

What?

My hand hovered midair as he lowered himself to a chair that was pulled up close to the bedside.

How did that chair get there? Was he watching me sleep?

Sluggish, I looked at the window. The curtains were drawn together but didn’t quite meet. Faint light trickled in. It was barely morning. I looked back at Michael and cold started to seep in. Shit. He was fully clothed, he was even wearing his jacket. Only his hair looked out of place. He obviously couldn’t find the cord that I’d enthusiastically pulled from it like a wild woman, and now it hung loose to his shoulders. Bed-hair. Do men get bed-hair?

He was still. Hands clasped together, elbows resting on his knees. Here, but not here. Only his eyes flickered as they roamed intensely over my face. Such wickedly, beautiful eyes. After he came inside me they had turned an inky-blue, almost black.

Now, they were deep shards of navy. And they sent ice cascading through me.

I was still naked and he was fully clothed. I jerked upright and pulled the covers to my chin. My stomach quivered, only it wasn’t in a sexy way.

BUY LINKS

Amazon.com – https://a.co/iplcQ4N
Barnes & Noble – https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/lukes-redemption-anni-fife/1124824689?ean=2940156958900

Luke’s Redemption is also available from Kobe, Bookstrand, iTunes and The Wild Rose Press. All these Buy Links are available on Anni’s website: https://annifife.com/

About Anni Fife

Anni Fife left a successful career in television to fulfill her lifelong passion, writing. In the space of one month, she shut her business, packed up her city life, and moved to a small seaside village to begin her new life…as an author. LUKE’s Redemption is Anni’s debut novel. Anni loves spending hours on the beach searching for pansy shells, more hours drinking red wine with her gals, and the most hours writing steamy romance novels filled with hot alpha men, and the sassy intelligent women they can’t live without. Coming soon, GRAY’s Promise.

You can read more about Anni on her website, and join Anni’s Posse to get regular updates and Bonus Treats—www.annifife.com
Or LIKE Anni on Facebook—https://www.facebook.com/AnniFifeAuthor/
Or follow Anni on Twitter—https://twitter.com/AnniFifeAuthor
Amazon Author Page— https://www.amazon.com/author/annifife
Goodreads— https://www.goodreads.com/AnniFife

Hello Delilah fans! Spring is upon us, most of us at least. Libidos stir in days of budding flowers and warm air. What better time to enjoy a torrid romance?

I’ve got a freebie for you again this month, but fair warning—giveaways with future blog posts may not include frequent freebies as they have in these past few months. If you want to never miss a giveaway, subscribe to my once-a-month newsletter. That’s where to nab freebies plus notices of upcoming releases, juicy tidbits, and other good stuff. Sign-up at https://eepurl.com/bHOyS9 and be assured that your info goes no further than my fingertips. The newsletter is free and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Now to a brief confession: sometimes when I write a story, it keeps on living after I quit. I consider that a success as far as writing goes, but it can become quite the nag. After nearly two years, the nagging that surfaced after I finished writing “The Captive” became deafening. So I’ve written a second installment, “The Escape,” in what seems destined to become a lengthier tale.

“The Captive” is a short story set in the late 9^th century England when the Saxons and Danes were fighting over control of the land. Seeking a brief time of secret pleasure with a captured Danish warrior, Elspeth Lady of Hystead hides away in a remote cabin on her estate and has the man delivered to her. Her aging invalid husband will be none the wiser. Yet an unexpected problem arises and it has nothing to do with her husband. It has to do with this stunning man standing before her, tied and injured, his long blond hair partially hiding the disdain in his intense stare. This was not what she expected.

Not at all.

Book 2, “The Escape,” is a novelette, available at your favorite bookseller.

So here you go—use this code RE54R for your free copy of “The Captive” at Smashwords—and always remember, Indie authors thrive on your reviews!

~~~

About Lizzie Ashworth

A bit about me – I live in the wilds of the Ozark Mountains with three cats, two hound dogs, and whichever child has taken up temporary residence between grad school and relocation. I’ve been writing my entire life and can’t express how wonderful it is to share stories with readers like you. Every book comes from the heart in the hopes that you will find a bit of pleasure within those pages.

Follow me for free erotic short works, hot photos, and the occasional rant on my blog at https://lizzieashworth.com/

Like my Facebook author page for updates on other nice and naughty works https://www.facebook.com/AuthorLizzieAshworth/

Enjoy some amazing eye candy? Check out my Pinterest page https://www.pinterest.com/ashworthlizzie/

Delilah, thanks for the chance to come on your blog and share one of my favorite things about my new release Heating It Up: A Red Hot Russians Novella.  Heating It Up has a unique setting—a remote research station in Antarctica, and while that’s one of my favorite things about the book, as a romance fan, we know that the hero is the sexy icing on the cake.

So it’s with pleasure that I introduce Heating It Up’s hero, Alexei Zaikov, the head of the Amity Bay Antarctica station and my latest Red Hot Russian.

Welcome, Alexei.

Spasibo! That means thank you in Russian.

Alexei, as the head of an Antarctic research station, you have an interesting job. Tell us a little about it.

As station manager, I am a bit like mayor, a bit like sheriff and a bit like a psychologist! It is my job to see that Amity Bay runs smoothly, even though our buildings are old and need repair, and Antarctic climate is like nowhere else on earth.  I also must see everyone stays safe and follows the rules, which isn’t as simple as it sounds. Here is where psychologist part comes in. The people who call Amity Bay home come from all over the world. Some had hard lives before they came here—not that living in Antarctica is easy! But our isolation means we have to accept our differences and find ways to get along. People at Amity Bay are like family, and it’s one of the things I love about living on the Ice.

What are some other things?

Living here fulfills a dream I’ve had since I was a boy, and my mother gave me an old globe. I knew someday, I wanted to go to the big white continent at the bottom. I was born and raised in Siberia so cold has never bothered me. I’ve been to the South Pole, climbed Mt. Eurebus, which is an active volcano, and spent time in Dry Valley, an unearthly landscape that resembles Mars.  This land is so beautiful and also very strange. There are lakes and a mountain range buried beneath glaciers. There are animals in the waters no one has ever seen.  Icebergs that are blue and green, a waterfall that is red. And a lake that never freezes.

Besides the cold weather, what’s hardest about life on the Ice?

While the isolation has brought people here together, it’s hard being so far from people I love. My father is in Russia, my brother Misha and his wife live in America. We stay in touch online, but I don’t get to see them as much as I would like. I would like to find someone to share my life, as Misha has with his Amy. But as station manager, I can’t start something with any of the women who work for me, and women I meet off the Ice, lose interest as soon as they find out I spend most of my time in Antarctica. Those ones it doesn’t bother, usually because they have something to hide, as I learned the hard way.

What would make me happy is if I could find a woman who does not work at Amity Bay, but loves the continent as much as I do. Maybe one day, I will meet someone like that.

Curious about Red Hot Russian Alexei’s chances to find the woman of his dreams in the frozen wilderness of Antarctica? Download Heating It Up: A Red Hot Russians Novella, now at a limited time sale price, and enjoy this excerpt:

A woman?  Dread prickled inside Alexei’s clothes. “Hello?” His voice echoed in the emptiness.

He started up the stairs, every sense alert. Who was she? How did she get here? Most of all, why would a woman hide out alone in an empty building during an Antarctic winter?

The second-floor landing opened into a library.  In the middle of the room, was a worktable, covered with drawings. Stunned, he picked up a drawing of a luminous green iceberg that looked more like trapped emeralds, than ancient plankton and sea plants which were the real cause. Again, came a startling thought of Quinn’s secretary Nora, with the ethereal green eyes.

From behind, a floorboard creaked.

He spun around; coming face to face with someone he’d never expected to see again. Her once-ruby lips were pale and taut, but there was no mistaking those eyes.

“Put it down. Now.”

* * *

Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/Heating-Up-Red-Russians-Novella-ebook/dp/B01NBI008P

Barnes and Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/heating-it-up-elizabeth-harmon/1125305385?ean=2940153876726

Kobo
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/heating-it-up-a-red-hot-russians-novella

Apple ITunes Books
https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/heating-it-up-red-hot-russians/id1185123438?mt=11

Smashwords
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/684794

Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33292473-heating-it-up

 

Giveaway

NEW RELEASE #GIVEAWAY WIN DIGITAL COPIES OF THE FIRST THREE BOOKS IN THE RED HOT RUSSIANS SERIES.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

About the Author

Elizabeth Harmon loves to read and write romances with a dash of different.

A graduate of the University of Illinois, she has worked in advertising, community journalism and as a freelance magazine writer. She feels incredibly blessed to have a career that allows her to spend her days imagining “what if?” and a loving family that keeps her grounded in the real world.  Her debut novel, Pairing Off is a 2016 RITA Award Finalist.

An adventurous cook, vintage home enthusiast, occasional actress, and entry-level figure skater, Elizabeth makes her home in the Midwest, where life is good, but the sports teams aren’t. She loves to hang out on her front porch, or at her favorite local establishments, enjoy good food and wine, and talk writing with anyone who will listen.

Follow Elizabeth: Website |  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Amazon  | Goodreads | BookBub |  BookLikes  | Google+

I’m up to my eyeballs in work! I feel like a broken record! I’m eking out stories here and there, editing and releasing golden oldies, editing for clients, but there are soooo many distractions (grandma’s care, kid’s doctor’s appointments, flu!) that writing has been taking a bit of a back seat. Today is the day I get back in the saddle with a new-ish story—the Happy-Ever-After for Viper from my Night Fall series. I wrote a rather sweet & sad short story for him a while back. Now, I’m adding the pages folks wanted to reunite Viper with Mariah. So, in between edits, I’ll be pounding out pages. Watch me fly! Where’s the coffee?!

Comment for a chance to win one of these stories!
“Attagirls” would be helpful!

Sweet Succubus

Melanie Bradshaw is driven to horny desperation by her torrid dreams. When she finally acts on her desires, things go horribly wrong and she witnesses the murder of an overly amorous lounge lizard—whose body disintegrates before her eyes.

Detective Moses Brown isn’t thrilled to get another “full-moon case”…until he meets the delectable Melanie, who took a walk on the wild side straight into vampire territory. Moses doesn’t know why vamps are interested in her, but until he can find out, he’s going to stick to her like glue, doing his best to ignore their instant attraction.

But pretty little Melanie has designs on his body. Her hunger for sex is voracious, even downright insatiable. As the mystery surrounding begins to unravel, keeping her safe—hell, keeping himself safe from her—presents some interesting complications…

Get your copy here!

Excerpt…

The door creaked, footsteps padded his way. He flipped the sheet she’d given him, covered his hips, then leaned up on an elbow to peer over the couch.

She hovered near the bedroom doorway, a thin nightgown draping her slender curves. “I just wanted to make sure you’d be all right…on the couch.” Her teeth bit into her bottom lip. Her eyebrows drew together.

She didn’t look worried, but rather, annoyed. Moses gave her a faint grin. “It’s a little short. The couch, I mean.”

“I could sleep here. You can have the bed.”

He shook his head, knowing he’d be in hell sleeping in sheets drenched with her feminine scent. “Get some shuteye, Melanie. You’re safe.”

She remained in the doorway, her expression awash with indecision. “Why are you doing this?”

“I’m one of the good guys,” he murmured, wanting her to relax. Needing her to move inside her bedroom so he could relax.

She came closer, hovering beside the couch.

Her expression was fluid, gliding from anxious to something he was afraid to read too much into. Cursing himself for being a horn-dog, he dropped his legs to the floor and sat up, careful to keep the sheet masking his hard-on. “Sit.”

“Okay.” Melanie came around the couch and hesitated over the space he’d made, then, instead of sitting beside him, eased over his lap.

Moses held his breath, his hands clenching the edge of the sofa. “Melanie, what’re you doin’?”

Her hands clutched together in her lap; she didn’t meet his gaze. “I’m sorry. I don’t have anyone else.”

She sat square on his erection, crowding it down against his thigh. Not something she could miss, but she wasn’t shying away.

All she wants is comfort, he reminded himself. “Well, hell,” he muttered, and raised his arms to enfold her. He sat back, taking her with him, letting her curves settle against his chest.

“You want me,” she said bluntly.

Moses rolled his eyes. “Yeah, and how do you know that?”

She snuggled closer to his chest, wriggling her soft ass against his growing erection. “Do you really need me to answer that?” she asked. Before he could respond, she continued, “And…you’re very nice.”

“I’m not,” he said, starting to sweat as her bottom shifted again. He wished he could clutch her hips and hold her still, but the thin fabric of her nightgown was hardly any barrier at all. “Don’t kid yourself.”

“I wouldn’t mind,” she whispered, her face nuzzling into his neck before she tilted back her head to meet his gaze.

“Mind what?” he asked, lungs tightening.

“Sharing a bed.” She ground down against his cock. “Taking care of this. I owe you.”

“You don’t owe me a damn thing.” But girl, I’m not shoving you off my lap either, am I?

“I was looking for a hook-up,” she whispered, swallowing before looking away. “It’s why I went to the bar.”

A hook-up. With a stranger. His stomach turned. Why that bothered him so much wasn’t something he wanted to examine too closely.

The fact that she looked away briefly was telling. As much as he wanted to fuck her, he wasn’t about to take advantage of the fact that, obviously, she was scared and embarrassed. His hand caressed her back. “Why don’t you have a boyfriend? You’re pretty. Plenty sexy. You shouldn’t have to resort to havin’ sex with a stranger.”

“I haven’t lived here all that long. I haven’t met anyone. I work in a library with a bunch of women.” She raised her head, cupped the side of his face with her palm, and swiped a thumb over his bottom lip. “I’ve wanted to feel this mouth on my skin since I first saw you.”

Moses growled deep in his throat. But he shook his head, striving for sanity, for safety, one last time. Last thing he needed was to get mixed-up with her. Mixed-up with anyone. He walked in a dangerous world. The darkness clung to him like dirt. Sometimes, it followed him home.

Even though it killed him, he said, “I’m not what you want, sweetheart.”

She gave a soft snort. Her lips tightened. “Look, truth of the matter is, I’m scared as hell. Freaked out, really.” Her fingers tightened into a ball on his chest. “And I know what I want…what I need,” she said, swallowing hard, “is dick.”

Moses blinked, not believing what just came out of her sweet mouth.

She leaned forward and kissed his cheek. Her expressive eyes held a militant gleam. “Do a girl a favor. I need to be fucked. Long and hard. And I think you have exactly what I need.”

“Damn girl,” he whispered, his cock twitching its own halleluiahs.

“I want sex. Nothing more. No strings. Promise.”

Taking a deep breath to still his excitement, he tried one last time to do the right thing. “If all you want is to be held while you sleep…”

She leaned away and began to smile. A catlike grin that said she knew she had him. She climbed off his lap then crawled over him again, this time spreading her thighs, straddling him. “I’m not sleepy. For days, I’ve had the most lurid, raunchy dreams—every time I close my eyes. It’s why I couldn’t stand it one night longer. I need this. I need you. Right now, Detective Brown.”

With her steamy center bearing down, grinding against his covered shaft, he gave up. He let her move against him, watched her eyelids fall, her sweet mouth open as she moaned and dragged her pussy forward and back along his shaft. He dragged away the sheet from between them. Only her thin panties and his briefs were between them now. Both were wet.

His hands cupped her butt, and he lunged upward, long strides taking him to her door, right toward her bed. Her clothes lay in a puddle beside it, the necklace she’d worn dropped carelessly in the center. He stepped around the mound then leaned over the mattress and crawled to the center on his knees, one hand still clutching her soft bottom, keeping her hot pussy pressed tightly against him.

When he knelt in the middle of her soft bed, he bent, depositing her there. Her hands clutched the hem of her nightgown, and she wriggled to pull it over her head. He shoved down his briefs, getting them to his knees before she took over, her cheek sliding against his abdomen, making the muscles jump, as she reached to push the shorts off his legs. Her mouth pressed a kiss against the tip of his hard cock, but he shoved her back, too aroused, too desperate to be nice now.

Not that she seemed to mind. The corners of her sweet mouth lifted in a siren’s smile as she laid her arms on the bed, stretched out at her sides. He tucked his fingers under the waistband of her panties and tugged them off. Then she slid her heels up to bend her knees and parted her thighs.

As he looked at her sex, red and glistening, his balls drew tight against his groin. “Ever had a brother?” he rasped.

“Think I can’t take you?”

“Last chance.” He arched a brow. “I’m not little.”

Her laughter was soft and husky, sexy as hell. Her fingers wrapped around his shaft and squeezed before falling away.

Well, he’d given her an out. If she wasn’t worried, he wouldn’t be either.

Leaning over her, he tapped his cock against her center once, then pushed inside. She was small, tight, but so fucking hot he couldn’t be gentle, not now. He tunneled deep, groaning as he worked his way inside her, slick heat surrounding him every inch of the way.

Even as tiny, as slender as she was, she took him. Without hesitation or complaint, her throaty cries punctuating the air, hips churning to urge him deeper still.

“Lord have mercy,” he moaned. “Hold still. Just a minute,” he said, gasping.

Her nails dug into his ass. “Don’t stop. Not now. Detective Brown, move!”

Moses tried to hold back. Reached deep for control, but she was touching him, raking his skin with her nails, undulating so sweetly, so urgently, her pussy tightening all around him, gripping him, squeezing with feminine contractions that rippled up and down his shaft.

And already she was coming. Hard. Her head digging into the mattress, her mouth stretched wide. A choked scream ripped from her throat.

He caved, hammering her, pounding so deep, so hard, the bed jerked and scraped on the hardwood floor, the headboard thudding against the wall with each powerful surge of his hips. Only Sidney had ever been able to withstand his full-on thrusts. But this little woman, this tiny, fragile thing, writhing like a wild animal trapped beneath him, was taking it, taking all of him.

“Sweet Jesus…fuck… Oh, goddamn,” he said as his balls exploded, streams of cum shooting through his cock, filling her until he was sliding, churning in liquid so hot and thick he kept right on rocking, unwilling to end the sweet, wet pleasure.

But at last his strength gave, and he sank against her body, resting his chest against her quivering breasts. Her legs and arms were wrapped tightly around him, her face snug in the curve of his neck. When her mouth glided in the sweat coating his skin, he realized with a start he’d fucked her without ever kissing her, without ever touching her intimately. He’d crawled right over her and fucked her like a whore. And he hadn’t given a thought to using a goddamn condom.

He felt like an ass.

Ashamed, Moses buried his head in the bedding. Her hands made long, slow glides up his sides, over his back, soothing him. Dragging in deep gulps of air, he raised his head and pushed up on his hands to take his weight.

Her features were soft, her skin dewy and pink. Her eyes blinked sleepily and a smile spread slowly across her face. “Thank you.”

Disgust at himself had him curling his lips. “Don’t. That was…a huge fucking mistake.”

Her smile faded, and her brows drew together. “Because you’ve already got someone?”

“Because I’m a cop. And I’m supposed to be protecting you.”

“I asked for this. I needed it. And it was…good.”

Moses growled, irked now. Good? That’s all she had to say about sex that had his body still shaking in the aftermath? He gritted his teeth, pulled out of her silky heat, then climbed off her and rolled to his back at her side.

“Name’s Moses. I’ll sleep on the left.”

 

Melanie shot Moses a glance, but he wasn’t looking her way. His forearm covered his eyes. She wasn’t fooled. He’d been into it. Deep into her. Maybe he didn’t like the fact she’d come on to him. Maybe he was the kind of guy who liked to make the first move. Or maybe he really was disappointed in himself that he’d let down his guard.

However, she didn’t believe for even a moment that he hadn’t felt as pulled, as compelled, to have sex as she had. The sex had been raw, hard, and fast. Far too urgent for him not to have felt how special the coupling was. He’d rivaled the dark fantasies swirling in her dreams.

For now, however, she’d let him have his sulk. She had a few things to figure out anyway. Least of which was why she felt such a strong attraction to a man she’d just met—beyond the biological urges that had led her into trouble in the first place.

In the meantime, he wasn’t going anywhere, and she felt safe with his large body sprawled beside hers. Safe at last. Even if he was sulking.

Her lips twitched, a grin tugging, wanting to stretch, but she suppressed the urge, sure that if he peeked her way he’d be in a real huff.

Instead, she gave a little sigh, rolled to her side toward him, and tucked her body close, ignoring the way he stiffened for a moment before his hand curved over the back of her head and held her closer.

Never had she felt like this. Thrilled to her toes but wrapped in warmth, cozy and safe. She closed her eyes, rested a hand over the dull thud of his heart, and drifted into sleep.

It started again, even before she sank deep into the dream. Part of her aware she stroked his skin. Part of her floating away, drifting toward the ceiling, gazing down curiously at the couple entwined on her bed.

As she watched, Moses’s features grew lax in sleep. His legs twitched. The length of his cock, still drying in the air, lay curled against his thick thigh.

Her attention snagged on his sex. Read the rest of this entry »

Every once in a while, as a writer, you run across a group of people that you just know are special. I know quite a few such women and am fortunate enough to collaborate with many of them in things like critique groups, writing events and the occasional anthology. Now every group has their specific things like a critique group may have a deadline to get your story submitted whereas a submission for an anthology will be different.

It occurred to me during my last such effort with the Sin City Romance Writers, that each of those groups, especially those doing anthology projects have a few things in common. Here are six important factors needed for a successful anthology collaboration.

1. Describe the Project ~ When being part of an anthology, you want to know just what you’re getting into before you join. Here are some good questions to ask:
   1. What is required?
   2. How are the writers assigned their portions? Do they just submit a story or are they given a specific task?
   3. What are the critique criteria?
   4. How is the editor chosen?
   5. Who does the formatting?

2. Set realistic deadlines ~ This is very important when one is trying to put together an anthology as opposed to a boxed set. Boxed sets are where the stories are already done while anthology stories are normally something new the author has written. Thus more time is normally needed to do a regular anthology. Here’s a list of some of the deadlines normally needed during an anthology project:
   1. Submission date ~ when the authors need to submit their story.
   2. Editing date ~ when the stories be edited.
   3. Formatting date ~ when the stories be formatted for ebook and print book versions.
   4. Pre-order Date ~ when the anthology will be available for pre-order on all the big venues.
   5. Release date ~ when the book is set for release.

3. Specify Ownership ~ Early on in the process, all the participants need to decide just who owns the work. Chances are the stories will be still be owned by their authors but the publishing house, and in most cases the group itself, will ‘own’ or rather ‘lease’ the rights for a certain period of time. Even if you are a group of friends, it is always a great idea to have a contract in place to make sure everyone follows the same set of rules. Also, contracts vary from publishing houses, so make sure you understand just what you are signing.

4. Money ~ It all comes down to money and frankly, it doesn’t matter if you make a little or a lot. You still need to decide just how you’re going to allocate the income and deal with the expenses. If this is publishing house, you will know from your contract just what the royalty rate will be. Most expenditures on your part will be for marketing.

In a group situation, you may have decided to put this in the contract as well. Normally, the income is divided equally. In our case, we had a marketing clause that outlined just how much money each of us would put into the marketing pool.

5. Marketing ~ This is one of the hardest parts when doing an anthology. Sometimes, by the time people get to this phase, the thrill is gone and they aren’t pushing as much as they should be. Still, for our group, we put our minds together and came up with a marketing plan that worked for us all. It did require that we put money into the plan and then do whatever we could on our own as extra. The very fact that we sat down and planned it all out is what makes it work. There was tones of discussion on just what had worked for people and what hadn’t.

6. Reward yourselves ~ Once it’s all over and things are done, reward yourselves with a group dinner where you can plan your next anthology.

Hopefully, I’ve simplified the whole collaboration thing a little for those of you thinking about doing an anthology with a group of writer friends. One thing to remember, writing is a business and even if you are friends, you need to approach it that way.

Now you tell me if we did okay on our project, Decades of Love!

Decades of Love

Love hits the jackpot in these six seductive tales, each set in a different decade in the hottest, wildest, most sinful of cities – Las Vegas.  In Elizabeth Spaur’s Miss Atomic Bomb, a beauty pageant brings a cowboy and city girl together.  A desperate singer finds new hope with a not-so-jaded casino owner in B.A. McIntosh’s Home at Last.  In Lynn Crain’s, Hooked on a Feeling,  two Vietnam vets get a second chance at love while facing enemies at home.  A rodeo star falls hard for a showgirl in Diane Deeds’s Total Eclipse of the Heart.  In Kay Phoenix’s An Unexpected Knight, a hero on a mighty steed captures the heroine’s heart. A good girl learns that being bad can be very, very good in Tami Cowden’s It Happened One Vegas Night.   Mobsters and G-men, cowboys and showgirls, singers and dancers, and even a knight in shining armor  all find that Sin City is not just a place to have fun – but  also a great place to fall in love.

It Happened One Vegas Night by Tami Cowden

Jorja Knox has been a good girl all her life, but all she has to show for it is a cheating fiancé. Now she wants to try being bad. But when you work for the FBI, being bad just isn’t done.  So her brother’s Las Vegas wedding seems the perfect time to take a walk on the wild side. After all, like the commercials say, what happens in Vegas ….

Las Vegas lawyer Tony Santori has always walked a very straight line, steering clear of his uncle’s mob connections. But being a good boy in Sin City loses its appeal when a drop-dead gorgeous blond “tourist” from Denver decides he is her Vegas fantasy. The last time the FBI tried to get to his family through him, he was left heart-broken. This time, he’s spotted the bluff. This time, he’ll be the one who wins.

Hooked On A Feeling by Lynn Crain

Now that she’s returned home from the Vietnam war, all Reggie Genarro wants to do is forget she’s part of the infamous Vegas Genarro mob family. True, her father had broken the mold by becoming one of Las Vegas’ premier prosecutors, but it doesn’t negate the fact that her name has caused her more problems than it’s worth.

When she finds Michael Vanzetti, an ex-lover from her time in Vietnam, dumped in the trash by her great-uncle Sonny’s goons, she knows it’s time to confront her family ties to the mob instead of ignoring them. This may prove an impossible task as her feelings for Michael may overwhelm her before she can meet with her uncle.

Michael Vanzetti, on undercover assignment from Army Intelligence, is stunned when Reggie Genarro comes to his rescue. She’s all he ever wanted in a woman but he could never prove it to her while they were stationed in Vietnam. She never made it any secret that her family was mob connected. So, he volunteered for the assignment to find out how involved her family was with the Asian drug and weapons trade in hopes of seeing her again.

Total Eclipse of the Heart by Diane Deeds

Cody Hunter, a talented young bull rider, is in Las Vegas in 1986 for his first National Finals Rodeo. Cocky and overconfident from a good year, he is, however, haunted by the death of his best friend by a rank bull. Cody now considers all bulls as demons to be conquered.

Las Vegas showgirl, Sandy Keyes, can dance any position in the Celebrations revue. However, her current move to topless performer isn’t sitting well. She would never consider it, except she needs the extra money to repay her brother’s gambling debts.

Sandy knows nothing about the rodeo, but when she meets Cody, she encounters an exciting world wholly removed from her city life. She especially likes how he treats her like a lady. But she doesn’t need the responsibility for another man who never grew up.

Cody must face his demons, including riding the devil bull, Total Eclipse, in order to win Sandy’s heart. However, this cowboy has a difficult road ahead to convince the city mouse to join him in his country life.

Home At Last by B.A. McIntosh

After four years on her own in foster care and another three searching, Ella Montgomery has finally narrowed the hunt to her little sister’s last known location – Las Vegas. It’s been seven years since she’d last seen Emma, and Ella would do anything it takes to bring her family back together, including moving to Vegas with nothing but a few bucks, a talent for singing and her dreams.

Casino owner Luke McBride’s businesses are wildly successful, yet his personal accomplishments always leave him feeling unsatisfied and empty. Restlessness haunts him until one fateful night a beautiful and mysterious new lounge singer catches his eye.

Luke is determined to get to know the lovely Ella better despite her reticence. His persistence catapults them on a journey that demands they learn to trust each other, or risk heartache.

An Unexpected Knight by Kay Phoenix

Sarah never expected to see Kyle again, let alone to have to work with him.

Kyle became a Knight, not guessing “the one that got away” would be the one he’d rely on each evening.

But, magic can still happen in King Arthur’s arena.

Miss Atomic Bomb 1953 by Elizabeth Spaur

All Lily Genarro wants is a family of her own. If only she wasn’t a pawn in a war between two Chicago Families. Her uncle thinks he’s got a way to save her –make her the next Miss Atomic Bomb. Nobody asked Lily what she wants, so she comes up with a crazy plan to sabotage everybody else’s ideas and do things her way.

Back home from Korea, all Jack McFadden wants is to get back to work on his family’s ranch. He’s too solitary for his mother’s taste. She insists he get off the ranch and back into the world and has just the job to make that happen – escort his little sister when she competes in the Miss Atomic Bomb Pageant.

The last thing Lily and Jack expect to find at this crazy pageant is love. The pageant might be a bomb, but their love is explosive.

Welcome to Sin City!

We’re the Sin City Romance Writers and we welcome you to the wonderful Las Vegas landscape. We hope you love our take on the decades that made Vegas what it is today. We’re a diverse group of authors with many different careers from CPA to lawyer, geologist to graphic artist and even intelligence screening. We have done it all. Each of us have a passion for writing, our families and Las Vegas even though many of us are transplants from other places. We call Vegas home and as everyone knows, home is where the heart is.

While this is our first anthology, it will not be our last. Please connect with us at one of the venues listed below. Learn about us as a group and about us individually. And we promise, what happens in Vegas may just stay here. Or not. Read us and see.

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