Old Habits Die Hard

I’ve been pondering some (bad) old habits lately.  Not because of any resolutions I made for the new year, because I quit making resolutions I wasn’t going to keep ages ago.  Just pondering in general.  And not just habits, but maybe things I’ve believed about myself for such a long time that they’ve become habits.  Those kinds of things don’t have to stay habits, if one really wants to change, but once a person has settled into that rut, it’s hard to get out of it. 

Like meeting new people.  Social situations where I don’t know many people make me uncomfortable to the point where I tend to stay to myself and the few people there I do know, whether it’s offline in my ‘real life’ or online in groups I’ve joined specifically to meet new people.  Silly, right?  To meet new people, you have to risk rejection, and it’s much more pleasant to avoid that altogether and just stick with people you know will treat you well, who already like you.  But how many other people are missing out on making new friends because of that same ‘habit’?  I’m fairly certain I’m not alone there.  That is one habit I’ve determined I’m going to change, difficult as it is. 

Or telling myself I’m good at last-minute desperation moments, like at work last week when we found out an unexpected delivery was coming the next day and had nowhere in the stock room to put it.  By the time my shift was over, we had plenty of room for it.  But I was beat, bruised and sore.  And I really am too old for that crap.  But other last-minute situations arise, like something for one of the kids at school, or for myself.  I have to admit, however, that some of those don’t necessarily need to be last-minute situations.  That one is a long-seated ‘habit’, too, since I used to wait till the night before a paper was due at school to write it, or the night before a test to start studying.  Then, there are so many other, more pleasant things to do, so that icky stuff like homework, well, that’ll just wait, right?  But as adults, we’re expected to make better decisions than teenagers.  I wonder if it’s possible to kick habits like that?  Maybe not for a teenager, but as an adult?  I think it can be overcome.  Eventually. 

My messy work area here in the office is another bad habit I should really kick.  I have a towering stack of books on one corner, and paper piles in several other places.  Periodically, I do clear my space, but it never lasts.  I always think I’m going to need this email, or get right back to that list, and somehow, it’s six months later and I can barely see my monitor over the mess.  Too many stories waiting to be told to bother with cleaning.  Too many family things to do to obsess over every speck of dust on my desk.  Wherever the desk is under there.  Maybe.  That habit is actually on my list for this year, as in, regularly clear off the work space.  It’s a really good thing there are eleven more months in the year, because I haven’t made much progress on this yet. 

How many other bad habits like that are there?  Probably more than I can count.  How many of them am I guilty of?  Probably far more than I want to admit to in a public venue. 

I have a heroine in a manuscript I’m working on who is having to change her mindset about some ‘habits’ of her own, which is, I suppose, why I’ve been thinking about my own bad habits.  She has gotten into a situation she never dreamed she’d be in, and her old habits are going to hold her back from getting the one thing she most wants in the world.  Unless she can change her mindset. 

So while I’m helping her change her mindset, I’ve got more work to do on my own.  How about you?  Any old habits you’re trying to break this year?  Or at least modify?  Maybe we can work on them together. 

Elizabeth Andrews

https://elizabethandrewswrites.wordpress.com
Twitter: @elizwrite
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ElizabethAndrewsAuthor

Hunting Medusa, 1/28/14
Samhain Publishing

The Sexy Ghost

Happy Medium, the third book in my Ramos Family trilogy, was released by Berkley Intermix on January 21. All three books are ghost stories, and they feature a family of reluctant mediums who only discover their powers when they’re confronted by some nasty ghosts who need to be eliminated.

When I started working on Happy Medium, I’d already used ghosts who wanted someone to avenge their deaths (the traditional ghostly function) in Medium Well and with ghosts who wanted to increase their power by sucking vitality from humans (a slightly less traditional ghostly function) in Medium Rare. So I’d dealt with ghosts seeking justice and seeking power—what else could they be looking for? Sex, maybe?

Succubi (and incubi, the male version), are spirits who get off on sex with humans. This idea has been around for a long, long time—Lilith, Adam’s first wife, is supposed to be a succubus in Jewish mythology, and succubi show up in folklore in a variety of cultures. Succubi are seductresses, who prey on unsuspecting men with their sexual skills. And they’re also shape-shifters, which allows them to assume the form of loved ones, or someone you truly covet.

My hero, Ray Ramos, has to contend with this seductive ghost, but he’s more repulsed than attracted. This particular succubus haunts the house he’s trying to renovate, and she’s set free when he takes part in a séance that was supposed to be fake. Unfortunately, when Ray, a hereditary medium, takes part in the séance, it becomes the real thing. Leaving Ray with a sexy ghost who has definite boundary problems.

But I along with Ray’s difficulties, I wanted to do something slightly different with my particular succubus. She also haunts my heroine, Emma Shea, who has a few self esteem problems. As it turns out, my sexy ghost finds female victims by convincing them her skills can bring them the man of their dreams. It’s a very seductive promise—let me use your body, and he’ll never leave you. My heroine knows better than most that that promise is fatal, but even she finds herself tempted.

In the end, Ray and Emma have to find a way to destroy the succubus without being destroyed themselves, all the while working around Emma’s employer, a phony television medium who has no idea what she’s up against—or even that she’s up against anything at all.

Here’s a little taste of what Emma’s up against:

She closed her eyes. If this room wasn’t safe, what room was?

You’re nothing. You’re less than nothing, the voice whispered. He’ll leave you soon.

Emma stiffened. “I know it’s you,” she muttered. “This won’t work.”

He’ll leave you because you’re nothing, the voice hissed viciously. You’re pitiful. Look at yourself. A fat frump. He doesn’t want you.

Emma’s shoulders tightened. She shook her head.

He’ll leave you. Why would he stay? What could possibly make him want you?

Her breath rattled in her throat, her hands fisting at her  sides.

I could help you. I could make him want you. The voice was smoother now. Almost seductive. Once he’d experienced what I can do, he’d never leave.

Emma shook her head, her heart hammering almost painfully. “Like you helped Amina? No thanks.”

An image flashed through her mind—Ray naked beneath her, staring up with glazed, adoring eyes. He’d never leave. She’d never have to worry. She’d have him always, all hers. No matter how fat she was. No matter how ugly.

All hers. Until the succubus consumed them both.

Emma closed her eyes. “No. I won’t. No.”

You’re nothing. Nothing, nothing, nothing.

She turned toward the door, running, half-blind with tears.

The blurb for Happy Medium:

 

Love is good for the soul… unless it’s one that you’re trying to exorcise.

Ray Ramos has a problem–the King William District mansion he and his business partner purchased for a fast renovation needs more work than expected. Ray could use a quick infusion of cash. Enter Emma Shea, assistant to Gabrielle DeVere, the star of American Medium. Gabrielle is looking for San Antonio houses to use for her televised séances, and Ray’s fixer upper seems to fit.

When Gabrielle does a sample séance, Ray and Emma become the target of a touchy ghost with no respect for boundaries. After Ray learns his family has a special affinity for ghosts, the two decide to investigate the haunted house. It doesn’t hurt that Emma is immediately attracted to the laconic Ray or that Ray is intrigued by the buttoned-down beauty who seems determined to hide her considerable assets behind sober business suits. But can the two of them fight off a vengeful succubus bound to the house while getting a lot closer than either of them planned?

Amazon | Barnes and Noble

A Sexy Soldier

Is there anything better? What about two? That’s better right?

A couple of months ago I was talking to my critique partner over coffee about the next story I was going to write for the Universal Defiance series. I wanted to write something that was darker and scarier than anything I’d ever written before. And I wanted to write more about the genetically enhanced soldiers I’d introduced in Shared Objectives. Only, this time, I wanted to focus on the soldiers still serving the government.

She listened to me as I gave a rough sketch of what I envisioned the story to become. I’m a pantser, so that’s pretty much all I ever have when I start a story. And then she said the words that would change the course of the story forever. “So, you’re going to write an m/m (male/male) story? I mean—they’re a group of enhanced soldiers on a mission, right? There aren’t any women.”

Oh. I hadn’t thought about that. I’d actually never thought about writing m/m. Sure, I’d read and loved it. But I’d just never seen myself as an m/m author. But she was right. There was no reason for a woman to be on this mission. And if I put one there just to make the story m/f (male/female), her character would feel contrived. There’s nothing worse than a contrived character.

So Julian and Gates were born, in my head at least. And the more I wrote them, the more I loved them. Julian with his domineering and controlling father and Gates with his drive to overcome all the obstacles of his disadvantaged childhood—they came to life with each word and each action of the story. They became my two super sexy soldiers.

Want to know more about them? Here’s the blurb for their story, Extreme Circumstances:

Universal Defiance, Book Three

Julian hadn’t wanted to become a genetically enhanced soldier. His father, the colonel, expected it. But when he sees his commanding officer for his first mission, he admits there might be some perks. Commander Gates is a wet dream wrapped up in a standard-issue military uniform.

He knows better than to screw around with an officer though. The last thing he wants is the complication of a relationship. But when the mission goes sideways and soldiers start dying, he realizes sex might be the best way to simplify things, especially given the scorching encounters Gates provides. A relationship though? They’ll have to survive the mission before they can worry about that.

Inside Scoop: Gates and Julian share some super-hot male/male action on a planet where gruesome monsters deal out grisly death.

A Romantica® sci-fi erotic romance from Ellora’s Cave

And you can find an excerpt for Extreme Circumstances on the Ellora’s Cave website:
https://www.ellorascave.com/extreme-circumstances.html

Author links:
Website: www.ChandraRyan.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chandra.ryan
Twitter: @ChandraRyan

Are You All Tied Up … or Just Being Held Back?

Hello, Delilah D fans! Once again I’m honored to be visiting with you on DD’s gorgeous blog.

She’s All Tied Up, Book 2 of my Club 3 series debuts tomorrow!

Not only am I thrilled to unleash my latest hero on you all, sexy ex-Marine and body-builder dom Jake, I get to introduce you to his heroine, Carlie. Carlie is very special to me because the thing that is holding her back from living life to the fullest is something that I have battled as well. The battered self-concept that co-exists in our culture with excess pounds.

Doesn’t matter if the extra pounds number in the single digits or the triple, does it? Staring up at us from the scale under our pedicured toes, they can send us to our dimpled knees. Those numbers can also keep us from remembering the things that truly make us attractive– a smile on our face, a kind word for those we meet and a real interest in them. A verve for life, whether it’s the quiet little pursuits or the big, wild ones. There are people who can share what we love … if we have the courage to reach out.

Carlie was raised, like so many of us, by a well-meaning mother who only wanted what was best for her. My mom has never eaten an extra bite in her life, and thus never understood why I sometimes stuffed food in my face to deal with emotion. So, yeah, I kinda patterned Carlie’s mom after her, I admit it.

It took me years to discover what Carlie—lucky girl—learns in the course of her story, that she’s just fine the way she is, and no one else really cares about the five or ten extra pounds on her hips. Jake certainly doesn’t. He’s dumbfounded and then angry to learn that she considers herself too plump, and not woman enough for him.  God bless men who prefer an armful, right? Can I hear an Amen!

Carlie also learns that self-concept doesn’t really change with weight. We must love ourselves thick, or we won’t when we’re thin. Happiness comes from within, not the mirror.

In accepting this, we can reach out and accept that when that certain guy says we’re perfect for him, he’s telling the truth. And it’s one we deserve to hear.

If you’d love to share the heartbreak and triumph of discovering what’s truly important–along with some very hot, hot moves with Carlie and Jake, leave a comment and let us know what you enjoy about reading D/s and BDSM. I’ll give away a copy of the ebook, She’s All Tied Up right here. PLEASE leave your email addy so I can find you!

She’s All Tied Up

His control sets her free…and her trust throws him for a loop.

Club 3, Book 2

Carlie Milton is finally out from under her judgmental mother’s thumb. She has a great job, great friends, a loving father and brother… but her love life is a series of disasters.

When she’s rescued from her latest dating debacle by bodybuilder Jake Stone, she can’t resist his invitation to his BDSM club. The results are orgasmic, and Carlie comes back for more…until the night she goes all in. And Jake’s reaction, driven by a ghost from his past, drives her back into her shell.

An ex-Marine, Jake believes self-discipline and control are the only things holding his life together. Until Carlie. Her lush body, tender vulnerability and unquestioning trust shake him to the core, jarring loose the tight lid he keeps on his demons—at the worst possible time.

Now, to help her find the courage to try again, he’s going to have to do something he’s never done before. Make peace with his past…and convince himself that leading with his heart doesn’t have to end in pain.

---

Product Warnings

Contains a hard-nosed ex-Marine with a soft heart and a way with knots, and a plucky heroine who isn’t afraid to let him learn to navigate her curves.

For an excerpt, visit Samhain Publishing.  And c’mon by my website to learn about my self-published books, too.

Best,

Cathryn Cade
Goodreads, My Website, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Samhain Author Page,

And sign up for My Newsletter for a chance to win goodies!

Some days I feel like a clown

Thanks, Delilah, for allowing me to visit again, especially on a weekend. 🙂

People often ask authors how they juggle everything else in their lives and still manage to write. We all have things we have to do…work, school, family, extracurricular activities, whatever.  If you toss writing into the mix, which is really a full-time job in itself, well, you’ve essentially got a circus. At least some days it feels like that to me. And I know I suck at juggling. I’m forever wondering how in the world I’m going to get everything done, and not let anyone down, myself included. So I thought I’d learn how to juggle. You can learn anything on the internet.

“Juggling is a challenging but rewarding hobby; studies show that people who learn to juggle increase their brains’ grey matter! While juggling may seem and be difficult to master at first, it becomes easier once you’ve learned the basics and practiced it.” 

The statement above and the steps below come from https://www.wikihow.com/Juggle. (for those of you wanting to learn a new trick in time for your next family reunion.) The steps appear quite simple and strangely enough, relatable in so many ways to what anyone who has to manage multiple commitments face every day.

1. Choose suitable balls. I work full time; I have a family, and other commitments.  Every day I need to decide what my priorities are for that day, what’s critical, what’s not. I need to plan. I need to know what’s realistic and achievable so I don’t set myself up for failure.
2. Choose a suitable place to work in. I need to be in the right environment for each of my tasks so I can concentrate appropriately. I can’t write sitting in the middle of a family birthday party. Now if it were on beach? Maybe J
3. Toss one ball from hand to hand to get the feel of juggling. To me, this is about learning what works.  How many tasks can I “juggle” at one time and still feel like I’m accomplishing something?
4. Practice scooping. Simply scoop, or dip, your hand before tossing the ball. Keep the dip shallow though; it isn’t going to work if you scoop too deeply. I think one is knowing when to stop, maybe change tactics. When to step back and take a breath. I admit I have a difficult time with this one.
5. With a ball in each hand, toss ball A, and when it reaches the top it its arc, toss ball B. Practice until it becomes comfortable. At the top is key. This will give you the most time for your next catch. When you start working with 3, 4, and 5, this becomes especially important.  Wow!  It’s all about planning and scheduling, isn’t it?

So, what about adding more balls?  What does wikihow say?

“Juggling three is a matter of understanding the ball’s trajectories and how they intertwine. Juggling five balls is just like juggling three, but you have to move your hands a lot faster and you need to throw the balls higher. Keep practicing –– it takes time and patience to master.”

Such sound advice.  So, then I looked at a few of their tips and discovered some are very applicable to any of us who juggle more than one thing at a time.

• Think of juggling as being less about catching and more about learning.
• Find a pattern that works best for you.
• Relax, breathe, and don’t get frustrated.
• Start out slowly. If you fail do not worry. Take a break and try again.
• Juggling is hard and sometimes depressing, annoying, repetitive or frustrating or all of these at once. But that is the same for any skill that is worth the time spent mastering it.
• Do not attempt to juggle fire axes. Only professionals know how to do this. (Just thought I’d throw this one in to see if you’re actually reading this.J)

And, finally, the most useful, the most important piece of information I took away from this…

“Anybody who juggles knows that drops are common. Of course, you will practice your act and try to perfect it, but at some point, it’s not a question of whether you drop, but when. It’s not the end of the world, and if you’re prepared to recover quickly and well, it’s not the end of your act, either.” 

Brand new release from Anne Lange

Can a summer of sexual exploration, lead to an unconventional forever.

When his best friend moves to the area, Tyler seizes an opportunity to fulfill his wife’s fantasies while, hopefully, leading her in the direction of his.

They shared women in the past, and Connor’s the only man Tyler trusts with this special summer assignment. But when neighbors start to gossip, and the actions of strangers threaten their already precarious threesome, he worries that Angela’s uncertainties and Connor’s ex will end what could be the perfect forever.

Check out an excerpt at Anne’s site.

Video for Friends with Benefits

Author BIO

Anne Lange loves to read. In fact, if you take a close look, she’s got either a book, her Kindle or her Kobo with her where ever she goes, and will usually sneak in at least a chapter or ten whenever she can spare a few minutes. She reads many genres of fiction, but prefers to write sexy romance with attractive men, strong females, and always a happily ever after.

While embarking on a career as a romance author, Anne juggles a full time job and a family. She grew up in Southern Ontario (Canada), but now makes her home in Eastern Ontario where she lives with her husband and three children, and Rocky the bearded dragon.

Connect with the Anne

Web Site | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads  | Pinterest  | Amazon

Medieval Madness

I’d like to introduce myself. My name is Elizabeth Rose and I am the author of 27 romance novels, including small town, medieval, paranormal and fantasy. I am mostly known for my medieval novels, and have loved castles, knights, dragons, swords, etc. for as long as I can remember. One of my all time favorite movies is the 1985 movie, Ladyhawke, which featured not only Michelle Pfeiffer but also Matthew Broderick. It is a wonderful romance and always makes me cry at the end – in a good way of course. And I also love the paranormal aspects as well.

My latest release is Onyx, Book 1 of my Scottish medieval, MadMan MacKeefe series. Onyx and his friends, Aidan – Book 2, and Ian – Book 3 are all madmen. The more dangerous or adventurous the task, the more it makes them feel alive. Onyx has two different colored eyes, and as a baby he was thought to be dead and put into a chest and was supposed to be thrown into the ocean.

Back then, people were very superstitious and also very religious. If you were left-handed, you were thought to be a devil, and the second born twin was also supposed to be evil. So someone with one orange eye and one of black, would be considered a demon for sure. Actually, Onyx is the brother to the four girls in my Daughters of the Dagger series. If you’d like to know more about how they were all named after gemstone daggers and the superstitions of their mother, you can read my FREE series prequel. And watch for Aidan and Ian’s stories coming up in the next few months.

I found it quite interesting to add my historical research to my novels, for instance in Ruby – Book 1 of the Daughters of the Dagger, the story deals with a child thought to be the king’s bastard. Kings back then almost always had illegitimate children and mistresses, so this was very common.

In Sapphire – Book 2, I take you on a journey with wool smugglers and the secret passageways that even today are still beneath some of the taverns of England. With Amber – Book 3, I pushed the envelope a little, as my heroine is a novice in an abbey, and I show some of the corruption as well as the power the church back then. And in Amethyst – Book 4, I take you on a journey of a woman put into a position of power in building a medieval castle.

Another of my medieval series is my Legacy of the Blade series. Watch video. In this series of four books, I include some special features such as a blind heroine who is the leader of a band of renegades in Lady Renegade and a female pirate heroine in Lady of the Mist.

I love dark, dangerous, tortured heroes, both physically and mentally/emotionally. Most of my heroes have issues they are dealing with from the past. And I also love to empower women, so my heroines usually know how to wield a sword, stand their ground, and are far from wimpy.

That brings me to some of my paranormal novels, which are my favorites to write. My Greek Myth Fantasy series has gods, goddesses, and even an amazon warrior princess. (Watch book trailer video.) Remember the old Xena and Hercules tv shows? That is what inspired those novels, years ago. And my Elemental Series, (watch video), has four powerful women who control the elements of fire, earth, air and water. And if you like shapeshifting, I have a warlock in denial along with a heroine who shapeshifts into a cat at night in Familiar. The guy on the cover is very sexy. Watch the video to see more about the book.

Or if medieval or paranormal is not your cup of tea, I have my small town contemporary Tarnished Saints series, about 12 brothers. These men are sons of a preacher, named after the twelve apostles. But they are far from saints. Matter of fact, they are nothing but trouble. Check out my new, sexy cover for Luring Levi, the second book of the series. And watch for Judging Judas, book three, coming in April, 2014.

Stop by my website at https://elizabethrosenovels.com to read excerpts of any of my novels, as well as to watch my book trailer videos. And if you sign up to be on my mailing list, you will get announcements as to my new books that come out nearly every month, as well as get sneak peeks at the upcoming covers.

I also do all my own book covers, as well as my own book trailer videos. And since there are other authors by the same name, my books can be identified by my trademark – my red rose by my name on every cover. Watch for new books monthly, as well as a few new series I have planned for this summer.

Thanks,

Elizabeth Rose

UPDATE! Pam Howell is the winner of The Pulse! Congrats, Pam!

* * * * *

So What Happened To That Other Chick?

Do you ever read a book, and it wraps up nicely and all, but you can’t help but wonder what happened to the heroine’s best friend? The one that kinda stole the show a bit?

That’s what happened to me after I wrote The Pulse, Book 1 in the Pulse Trilogy. I couldn’t stop thinking about Jenna, Emily’s roommate on the Tracks, where they lived together in the FEMA camp set up in Grand Central Terminal, selling their bodies to the soldiers for an extra ration.

Jenna was fun for me, because while Emily was able to accurately look at the horror going on around them in my dystopian, post-apocalyptic New York City, Jenna looked at the exact same situation as one big opportunity. She was an office manager before The Pulse hit— but she came into her own on the Tracks, quite enjoying her myriad of sexual adventures, thankyouverymuch.

So when, in The Escape, Book 2 in the Pulse Trilogy, the wool is pulled from Jenna’s eyes, and the truth closes in around her—that she’s in danger, and better run, fast—everything changes.

I loved having the opportunity to take a woman like Jenna out of her element (because, for her at least, she was very much in her element in the camp) and take everything from her. Put her on the run. Have her chased by the sexy soldier sent to capture her and bring her back to the Tracks.

Because, you know, I like to mess with my heroines. Getting them into trouble is half the fun. And when Jenna can’t manipulate Private Barker and must team up with him instead, well… smexytimes abound 😉

If you haven’t yet read The Pulse, Book 1 in the Pulse Trilogy, I’m gifting a digital copy to one commenter today. And if you haven’t read The Escape, Book 2, yet… take a look, because it just released from Simon & Schuster Pocket Star on Amazon, B&N, iBooks, Amazon UK and wherever ebooks are sold 🙂

Here’s the blurb for The Escape, Book 2 in the Pulse Trilogy:

In Book Two of the erotic dystopian Pulse Trilogy, Jenna escapes New York City only to be tracked down by a soldier who might be her only hope of survival.

Jenna doesn’t know if she believes what Emily and Mason told her—that America is rebuilding and a better life awaits her outside of Manhattan. But with the power grid down and no connection to the outside world, Jenna will die if she stays at Grand Central’s FEMA camp, selling her body to soldiers.

Private Ken Barker is sent to capture Jenna when she escapes—but Jenna knows he’s one of the good guys and tries to seduce him into joining her. Their passionate sex kindles something even stronger than lust between them, and when Barker goes back to Grand Central he sees the horrors there with new eyes.

Now it’s his turn to escape the city, and he knows he must take Jenna with him or she’ll die at the camp. On the road, they’ll start a new life together, hoping against hope that the electricity between them will prove more than just a spark—that together they might finally light up their dark nights.

****And now, an adults-only excerpt you won’t find in the sample pages!

An excerpt from The Escape, Book 2 in the Pulse Trilogy
© 2014 Shoshanna Evers
Published by Simon & Schuster Pocket Star. All Rights Reserved.

Barker couldn’t tear his eyes away from her full breasts, naked and so beautiful. It had been too long. God, how he wanted to wrap her in his arms and forget everything, for just one night.

No. Don’t do it. You can’t do it.

“Put your shirt on, Jenna.” He turned his back to her, confident she wouldn’t escape in the pitch-blackness outside the room, not with the way she’d clung to him earlier.

He waited for her to tease him again, but she didn’t. He heard the sounds of her putting her shirt on. The bed creaked when she sat on it.

“I must really disgust you,” she said softly. “I’m sorry.”

“No,” he said, swallowing hard. “You do not disgust me. Not at all.” He knelt down on the carpet and looked up at her pretty face. “You’re incredibly beautiful, Jenna. I want you, I do. But I refuse to take advantage of you.”

“I’m offering myself to you.”

“Would you have done that back in the day? Before the Pulse?”

“Everything’s different now.”

Barker got up and sat beside her on the bed. “Everything’s different, but I’m not. At least, I’m trying not to be.”

“See?” Jenna wrapped her arms around him, surprising him with the ferocity of her embrace. “You’re a good guy, Barker. You don’t want me to die. Don’t take me back there.”

Her body felt so good pressed against his, so right. Here, unlike the Tracks, they’d have real privacy. A bed. They could lose themselves in each other’s arms and pretend everything was normal, if only for a few hours.

“Are you hungry?” he asked. “I have food, in my bag. Water.”

“Yes.” Her voice sounded so small, like a child.

He pulled his bag on the bed and opened it. “I have a sleeping bag. We’ll use that as a blanket, okay? On the bed.”

Jenna smiled. “That sounds lovely. I haven’t slept on a proper bed in a long time.”

Barker smiled back. “I have two weeks of rations, because they didn’t know how long it would take for me to find you. We can eat until we’re full, if we want.”

“I don’t even remember what that feels like,” Jenna laughed.

He handed her two thick pieces of bread, and several strips of dried meat. It was chewy, but it did the trick.

They ate in uneasy silence. What would happen when they were done eating, and it was time to go to sleep?

He wasn’t sure how long he’d be able to resist her.

“Barker?” she asked, swallowing some water. “Do you miss your girlfriend? Is that why you don’t want to be with me?”

“I can’t even remember what she looks like anymore. Whenever I try to picture her face, it’s not quite right. So I don’t try anymore.”

“Why did you give me your ration that time?”

Barker shrugged. “Because I wanted to go to sleep that night, knowing you were sleeping too. Not—not being abused by one of the assholes who call themselves soldiers.”

“Sometimes I like it, though. A lot of times. Does that bother you? That I might like being a whore?”

Her long, unkempt blonde hair fell into her eyes, and he resisted the urge to touch her, to smooth it in place for her.

“I guess it’s better that way. Better than being like some of those other women. The ones who show up for morning rations with bruises. But don’t ever call yourself a whore again.”

His anger simmered within him. Fuck. He wished he could shoot the Colonel himself and take over, make everyone toe the fucking line and get their shit together.

Whoa. Where did that come from?

Something about this entire situation, being with Jenna, seeing her fear about being killed—it made him see everything he thought he knew about the camp in a different light.

Could he really trust the Colonel?

“Thank you for dinner, Barker.”

“I’m glad I got an opportunity to feed you,” he said.

“Let’s go to bed,” she whispered. “But . . . I sleep naked. Just thought I should warn you.”

Barker laughed, his mood considerably brightened now that his belly was full, and they were safe for the night. Alone. In a bedroom, with a bed.

And with a beautiful woman who was throwing herself at him.

“Fuck it,” he said, and set his rifle down on the dresser top.

He noticed her eyes follow his movements, but she quickly looked back at him, and grinned.

“Well, hello there. Glad we’re finally on the same page.”

She started to pull her own top off again, but Barker pulled her in close, and stripped it off for her, running his hands along her curves. Her hips flared out despite the lack of any extra meat on her, and he held her ass through her pants, his cock hardening.

“Fuck yeah, soldier,” she murmured against his lips. “Let’s do this.”

The Escape, Book 2 in the Pulse Trilogy: Amazon, B&N, iBooks, Amazon UK

and THE PULSE, Book 1 in the Pulse Trilogy: Amazon, B&N, iBooks, Kobo, Amazon UK

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About Shoshanna Evers

Critically-acclaimed author Shoshanna Evers has written dozens of sexy stories including Amazon Erotica Bestsellers Overheated, and Enslaved, Book 1 in the Enslaved Trilogy, as well as the post-apocalyptic dystopian Pulse Trilogy from Simon & Schuster Pocket  Star. Her work has been featured in Best Bondage Erotica 2012 and Best Bondage Erotica 2013, the Penguin/Berkley Heat anthology Agony/Ecstasy, and numerous erotic BDSM novellas including Chastity Belt and Punishing the Art Thief from Ellora’s Cave Publishing.

The non-fiction anthology Shoshanna Evers edited and contributed to, How To Write Hot Sex: Tips from Multi-Published Erotic Romance Authors, is a #1 Bestseller in the Authorship, Erotica Writing Reference, and Romance Writing categories on Amazon.

Reviewers have called Shoshanna’s writing “fast paced, intense, and sexual…every naughty fantasy come to life for the reader” with stories where “the plot is fresh and the pacing excellent, the emotions…real and poignant.”

Shoshanna used to work as a syndicated advice columnist and a registered nurse, but now she’s a full-time smut writer and a home-schooling mom. She lives with her family and two big dogs in Northern Idaho.

Sexily *Evers* After… ShoshannaEvers.com

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