I’m thrilled to be on talented author Delilah Devlin’s blog.

Real life affects my writing so today I’m going to talk about cheating. Infidelity is a big subject to tackle in a romance. When this happened in real life  to someone close to me, she described it as a piece of her heart had died. Not only was she in pain but so were her family and friends who grieved with her. What I didn’t expect was for my real life friend to get back together with her husband. Could she ever really forgive her cheating husband? I spent so much time trying to help my friend pick up the pieces I ended up writing a fictional novel about it.

In novels, we authors get to make things right again, but it wasn’t easy for me as a writer to find a way for my character to forgive her cheating husband. I had to find a real reason as to why my character cheated on his wife. I also wanted to explore the idea of the wife living out her fantasy of an erotic affair with a younger man, once she had decided her marriage was over, so I had a lot of fun with this sexy fantasy. I hope you’ll enjoy it too.

Best,
Cathleen Ross
www.cathleenross.com

Family, friends, culture, and expectation clash in this heart-wrenching story of a broken marriage — and the battle to repair it.

Gabriella Vitadini thought she had the perfect marriage until her husband Tony stopped wanting her, and started wanting other women instead. Throwing him out of the house was the only thing she could do — how does she throw him out of her heart?

When a much younger man reminds her that she is still a desirable woman, Gabriella reminds herself that turnabout is fair play. But even a naughty fling can’t eject Tony from her thoughts. What happened to their happy marriage? Why did Tony turn away from her? And is there any hope that they can find true love again?

As Dave walked beside me, his hand kept brushing mine. I could feel the little hairs on his hands touching mine. Already a shiver passed up my arm. I was supposed to be selling him an apartment, but I couldn’t stop thinking about sex.

When we arrived at the Temple, we took the elevator up to the apartment. “It’s good this time of morning. You’ll get to see the apartment in daylight.”

Dave stood close beside me, so that his leather jacket brushed my arm. I could smell his cologne, a mixture of spice and wood scent. The elevator door opened and we stepped out into the foyer and walked into the spacious living area.

“I already know I want it, Gabrrrriella. It is bellissima.”

“You do?”

“Si. I’ve looked already at many new apartments. This one is the best, no?”

I couldn’t believe it. There was a sale in front of me. A sale!

But Dave wasn’t looking around him at the view of the Harbour. Instead, he stood kissing distance away, looking straight into my eyes. “I want you in it. Last night I couldn’t sleep.”

My throat went dry. Dave bent and kissed me.

And what did I do?

I wrapped my arms around him like a woman starved of affection. Could I eradicate Tony from my life by being with Dave? I didn’t know, but I wanted to try. I should have been thinking about my sale, but Dave’s body was hard and lean and I so desperately wanted him inside of me. What woman wouldn’t want a man like Dave devoted to her?

*****

Where can you find the book?
https://www.amazon.com/Love-Lust-And-Lies-ebook/dp/B00EAEDY3W
https://www.escapepublishing.com.au/product/9780857990785

For the Love of the Game

When I fell in love with the romance genre I was a runty, asthmatic, bookish pre-teen who was so good at finding excuses to skip gym that at one point my attendance was so infrequent I got an ‘incomplete’ for the semester. I hated the competition, I hated the spherical objects flying at my head, and if you’d told me I would one day write a romance novel focused on sports, I would’ve laughed you out of the room.

Fast-forward a couple of decades, and guess what? On Monday, I celebrated the release of my debut, The Striker’s Chance – a contemporary sports romance.

It took me a decade and a half, but eventually I learned that romance and sports are a lot closer than they seem. I’d always had a passing interest in soccer, but when I moved to London in 2007 I saw the game like I never had before – through the eyes of hardcore British fans, including my soon-to-be husband. Have you ever watched a grown man go from excited chanting to furious swearing to joyful tears in the space of ninety minutes? At first I couldn’t understand why someone would enjoy what seemed like such a stressful experience – but then it occurred to me that it was not so different from investing hours into the fraught, burgeoning relationship between two fictional characters. I know the hero and heroine will get together, just like the sports fan knows that eventually the clock will count down to victory for someone – but it’s the journey that keeps us interested.

Now I understand how romance and sports go hand-in-hand. Whether it’s on the pitch or on the page, both are riddled with emotional highs and lows, both pivot on high-octane drama, and both are fuelled by a single, underpinning emotion: passion.

Are you a sports fan as well as a romance reader? Which sports are your favorites – and which do you avoid at all costs?

* * * * *

In The Striker’s Chance romance and sports collide with scintillating results when Holly Taylor lands the PR contract for North Carolina’s new soccer team, an assignment with the potential to take her career to the next level. Her task? Make Kepler “Killer” de Klerk, an athlete with a party-hard reputation, a star. But revamping the sexy footballer’s image while battling her unwanted attraction to him is easier said than done. She finds herself falling for the real man behind the tabloid persona, but when she’s offered her dream job for a price, she’s torn between the career she’s spent years building and the man she doesn’t want to give up.

Rebecca Crowley inherited her love of romance from her mom, who taught her to at least partially judge a book by the steaminess of its cover. She writes contemporary romance and romantic suspense with smart heroines and swoon-worthy heroes, and never tires of the happily ever-after. Having pulled up her Kansas roots to live in New York City and London, Rebecca recently relocated to Johannesburg, South Africa.

Her debut contemporary sports romance, The Striker’s Chance, is available now from Carina Press.

Buy links:
Carina Press | Amazon | Amazon UK | ARe | Barnes & Noble | Audible

To Tell the Truth

Telling the truth is the bedrock on which we build our human relationships, but truth is a slippery thing.

We teach our children to tell the truth. We swear in court to “Tell the truth and nothing but the truth.” The media says they tell the truth. All these are true statements.

The problem arises because the truth is that the “truth” is what we perceive it to be, and my perceptions will inevitably be different from your perceptions.

Some children lie. The “truth” in court may get one person acquitted and another person sentenced. As the British tabloid revelations and Rupert Murdoch have shown, some of the media truth is bought and paid for. But you can bet that in every situation, someone sincerely believed that he or she was telling the truth.

We live in a world where there are few concrete truths. The laws of physics, chemistry and biology, are true as far as we understand them. But in the sciences there are facts—truths—that under a variety of circumstances don’t change. Those facts are tested by the empirical evidence that the results will be the same, regardless if it’s the first time or the one-millionth time the statement is made.

Relationships between people is a shiftier shade of gray. Any time we make a “true” statement: “I love you,” “He did it”,   “Would I lie to you?”  the words are filtered twice. Once by the experiences, consciousness, training and understanding of the speaker, and secondly by the experiences, consciousness, training and understanding of the listener.

C.G. Jung developed the thesis of the collective unconscious, where we as human hold shared thoughts, and Carl Sagan wrote of the “Shadows of Remembered Ancestors”. Both taught that all people carry common threads of knowledge and understanding, whether from the emotional or the biological. Once those become individualized though, seen through our personal lenses, we listen more to the interference of our own experiences than to any shared knowledge.

Examine one of those true statements: “I love you.” To the speaker it means, “I want to be with you. You make me feel special. I want to take care of you.”

The listener hears: “You’ll always put me first in your life. My needs will be important to you.”

Not much difference on the surface, but translated into actions, “I want to take care of you,” can become, “I’ll spend a lot of money on you,” when the listener heard “You’ll help me with the things I find hard in life.” And once that misunderstanding of the “truth” embeds itself in the relationship, both parties will feel lied to and taken advantage of.

When that individual reaction is multiplied millions of times, and the relationships are not between individuals but nations, religions, life philosophies and ideas, the things that link us together in our unique human-ness get lost.

Most ancient civilizations had underpinning belief systems based on what we now call the collective unconscious, Today, those beliefs and civilizations are being reexamined to try and capture the truths that they knew.

In my paranormal romance series, The Kandesky Vampire Chronicles, a magazine editor reaches the top of her profession only to find that the media empire she works for is owned by vampires. Not only that, she’s falling in love with one of them.  There are layers of “truth” that the characters deal with, beginning with the basic understanding of what and who vampires are. Throughout, all the characters tell their truths and misunderstandings are compounded. It’s only when violent circumstances surround the editor that she finally begins to trust and, through trusting, understands the centuries of truth that the vampires have lived.

They tell the truth, they live by their word and she starts to see their world in a true light.

Where is your truth? Do you believe it’s a “truth universally acknowledged?”

*****

Michele Drier was born in Santa Cruz and is a fifth generation Californian. She’s lived and worked all over the state, calling both Southern and Northern California home.  During her career in journalism—as a reporter and editor at daily newspapers—she won awards for producing investigative series.

Her mystery Edited for Death, called “Riveting and much recommended” by the Midwest Book Review is on Amazon and the second book in the Amy Hobbes Newspaper mysteries, Labeled for Death, is published.

Her paranormal romance series, SNAP: The Kandesky Vampire Chronicles, is available in ebook, paperback and audible at ebook retailers.  All have received “must read” reviews from the Paranormal Romance Guild. SNAP: The World Unfolds, SNAP: New Talent, Plague: A Love Story and Danube: A Tale of Murder are available singly and in a boxed set at Amazon, B&N and Kobo. The fifth book, SNAP: Love for Blood rated 5 stars, is now out. She’s writing SNAP: Happily Ever After? for release in fall 2013 and a seventh book later in 2013.

Visit her website:  or facebook page,  or her Amazon author page.

Too Much of a Good Thing?

Can I tell you a secret? You can’t tell anyone. Promise. Okay, you look like a trustworthy bunch. Here goes. When I started writing Shared Objectives I meant for it to be a reconciliation romance. I meant for Lisa and Ben to end up together. They have a baby together. They were in love before the misunderstanding that drove them apart. Dixie was just a secondary character I needed to pull her out of the prison. After all, Ben hates her at this point. There’s no way he’d risk his life to save her. But then a funny thing happen. As I wrote this secondary character I started to like him. And the more I liked him, the more Lisa liked him. He was kind to her. He respected her. He even trusted her when no one else did.

So the question I had to ask myself was would she end up with Ben or Dixie? For a while, I didn’t know. The answer became apparent as I kept writing, though. It’s one of the aspects I love the most about being a pantser. I get to let the story develop as I go. Characters get to respond naturally. When it was all said and done, though, I was left with a new question. Did I leave Lisa with too much of a good thing? I guess that’s up to the readers to decide.

Wanna know more about Lisa, Ben and Dixie? Here’s the blurb and excerpt:

Universal Defiance, Book Two

When Lisa and her son are rescued from a military prison, one look at the genetically altered mercenary who carries her to freedom puts some racy ideas into her head. Dixie is strong, handsome and kind, an unfamiliar combination. Her job as a government geneticist usually sends men running, not rushing to her aid.

Unfortunately Dixie isn’t alone. Lisa’s ex, Ben, is another member of the Coalition, the band of rebels fighting against the government that locked up Lisa. After their split two years ago, she never thought she’d have to face his scorn again. But now she has to work with him without giving in to old temptations. Or so she thinks.

The men need her for her genetics skills. When they discover they’re both attracted to her, they have to find a way to share or risk destroying their friendship. And Lisa finds that two sets of sexy hands all over her body are hotter than one.

Inside Scoop: This ménage features a kiss between two men that sparks a plan to steal a woman’s heart.

A Romantica® futuristic erotic romance from Ellora’s Cave

And the excerpt:

By reading any further, you are stating that you are at least 18 years of age. If you are under the age of 18, please exit this site.

An Excerpt From: SHARED OBJECTIVES

Copyright © CHANDRA RYAN, 2013

All Rights Reserved, Ellora’s Cave Publishing, Inc.

“Ben’s wrong,” Dixie said, his back still toward her.

She couldn’t resist laughing at the statement. “He’s wrong about a lot of things. I’m afraid you’ll have to be more specific.”

“You’re a good person.”

She took the cup of hot salvation he held out to her and inhaled its heavenly fragrance. “I haven’t had coffee in…” She let the sentence die when it brought back too many painful memories of her captivity.

“You don’t want to talk about Ben?”

She took a sip and let the hot beverage soothe her suddenly edgy nerves before answering. “Ben has his reasons for his feelings. He didn’t know who I worked for and I didn’t know he was genetically enhanced when we met. When it all came out, he felt the government had found a new and inventive way to torture him.”

“It doesn’t sound as if he was exactly forthcoming with you, either.”

“I realized it was an honest omission on his part. He’s a techie, not a mercenary like you, so the differences weren’t quite as noticeable. But had I been paying closer attention, I would’ve guessed anyway. It just didn’t matter to me.”

“A lover’s genetic status wasn’t important to you?” He looked at her skeptically. “Forgive me if I call bullshit on that one. I’ve had women stand up and move to the other side of trains to avoid being near me. I don’t even want to tell you what they’d do to avoid being under me.”

The loneliness that haunted his eyes was something she could easily relate to. Suddenly wanting to comfort him, she reached across the table and let her hand rest on top of his. “Believe it or not, being a geneticist for the government doesn’t exactly have men beating down my bedroom door either.” She ran her thumb over his hand affectionately. “That’s probably why I never tell anyone what I do—did—for a living. It got to where I couldn’t stand the wariness in their eyes. Like if they fell asleep they’d wake up in a lab somewhere.”

He cocked his head and studied her a little more closely. “Did you ever tell Ben that?”

She looked down as she remembered the fight they’d had. “It’s hard to see your enemy as anything else.”

“But you said it didn’t matter to you.”

She glanced over at Nate as he shifted in his sleep. “Ben was never my enemy. I, however, was his before I ever said hello.”

“You two are going to have to work together. I can order him to be civil. But you don’t exactly fall under my jurisdiction.” He looked down at her hand as if it were an alien entity. “Will you be okay with that arrangement?”

“Will we be working together a lot?” She didn’t hate Ben but she wasn’t fond of the way he looked at her and talked to her with disdain.

“As much as it pains me to admit, Ben is the brains of this group.” Dixie shifted nervously and, for the first time since they’d met, looked uncomfortable. “He’s going to be assisting you.”

“I’ve already perfected the procedure. I don’t need an assistant, just a laboratory to work in.”

He took a heavy breath in and released it slowly. “Okay, he’s not assisting so much as…” His words died as he looked away from her uncomfortably again. It was then that the pieces slid together for Lisa.

No longer feeling the need to comfort him, she pulled her hand away. “Keeping an eye on me and double-checking my work.”

Dixie had the grace to look guilty before he nodded.

“I see.” She stood slowly and walked over to the door before turning back to look at him. “Say what you will about Ben, but at least he’s always been straightforward. His feelings about me are the same to my face as they are behind my back.” She opened the door and gestured into the night. “If you don’t mind. I’ve had a long day and tomorrow is going to be,” she rubbed her temple with her free hand as a headache bloomed, “difficult.”

He rose gracefully from the table and crossed the room in quick, even strides. “I understand.” He stopped when he stood in the doorway. “Before I go, though, I want you to know that having Ben verify your findings wasn’t my idea.”

She continued to rub her temple as he spoke. “Well, it sure as hell wasn’t Ben’s. He’s under the impression we’re not going to be seeing each other anymore. He’s pretty damn happy about that too.”

“I know. I’m going to clear up that misunderstanding as soon as I leave here.” He ran a finger down her cheek until it rested under her chin and then forced her to look up at him. “At the end of the day, he and I are both just soldiers fighting someone else’s war. This order goes over either of our heads.”

For one moment Lisa thought he might kiss her. Which was ridiculous. They’d only just met. And, though she’d been told she was pretty, she couldn’t be considered beautiful on her best days. With everything she’d been through, today could easily be considered one of her worst and she probably showed it. She shuddered to think of how she must look after weeks of captivity and her rescue. Still, he hovered over her and his gaze locked with hers.

In that moment, staring into his green eyes, she saw his loneliness mirror hers and almost wished he would kiss her. Only, that would make her the whore Ben called her. Wouldn’t it?

Before she could worry any further about the implications of wanting to kiss him, he smiled. “You look worried. Tell me, do I frighten you?”

“No.” A shiver swept through her but it had nothing to do with fear. His smile made her focus on his mouth and staring at his mouth brought back the desire to be kissed.

“Are you sure?” Instead of stepping back and giving her space, he braced one arm above her on the doorjamb and leaned even closer to her.

Yep. It wasn’t fear she was feeling. If she had to give it a name, she’d call it anxiousness. That fluttery feeling she’d get in the pit of her stomach when she knew everything was about to change. “I’m sure.”

“Good. I like you.” He stared at her for another moment before pushing away from the doorjamb. “I’d like to think the feeling is mutual.” He turned and then took several steps into the night.

Buy Link: https://www.ellorascave.com/shared-objectives.html#

Author Links:

Web site: www.ChandraRyan.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/chandra.ryan
Twitter: @ChandraRyan

UPDATE: The winner of the free book is Judy Stone!

*****

Hi! I’m Ashlyn Chase and my novel How to Date a Dragon releases today! Woo Hoo! Party!
A free copy of Flirting Under a Full Moon will go to a US or Canadian reader.

Some of you may remember me from an Ellora’s Cave anthology with Delilah called Red Stilettos. I Wrote Dear Sexy Lexie and she wrote Bad Bad Girlfriend. Our characters were friends and so are we.

Writer friends often find other things they have in common. Delilah and I both like to make jewelry…and we LOVE hottie firefighters! (grin)

My story’s hottie firefighter is Drake Cameron, who is the last of his dragon clan. He promised his mother on her deathbed that he’d find a female dragon and continue the species. But Zina, the only single female dragon he finds, is bat-shit crazy!

I should probably post the blurb here, but as usual, a reviewer has done a better job summing up the story, so I’ll post her summary instead.

“Bliss Russo has never had a problem seeing the funny side of life but just as she is completing her own Hall-Snark Greeting Card designs for a major television competition she loses everything when her apartment building catches on fire and there’s nothing to laugh about. But her dreams haven’t necessarily gone up in smoke, enter hottie fireman Drake, a dragon shifter who is smitten by the derisive designer. Can Drake Cameron give up his hopes of continuing his family legacy, and even if he does will human Bliss survive the paranormal pitfalls of a scorned dragon?”

Written by Pauline Michael for Night Owl reviews.

She also gave the book 5 out of 5 stars and a reviewer’s top pick! Wow! Color me tickled pink! https://www.nightowlreviews.com

So…what else would you like to know about the book? Okay, there are a couple of important things. This is book 2 in the Flirting with Fangs series from Sourcebooks. Book 1 Flirting Under a Full Moon was released in April. And there will be a third book in March of 2014 called Kissing with Fangs. All take place in my beloved Boston in the Beacon Hill area.

Series arc. Anthony Cross is a vampire who believes that the different paranormal factions would get along if they simply got to know each other. So he opens a bar in Boston’s upscale Beacon Hill area as a safe place for paranormals to congregate and socialize. Since immortals don’t seem to need or want wait-staff jobs, Anthony has to hire humans. The #1 rule for all paranormals is to keep humans ignorant of their existence.

But when some of the humans fall for their regulars, they could be in for the shock of their mortal lives!

Buy links and other good stuff can be found on my website https://www.ashlynchase.com

Thanks for letting me squee on your blog, Delilah! I hope you all have a wonderful week.

Current Events and Plots

Many people ask me where I get my ideas. Actually, they come from everywhere. Snippets of conversations, newscasts, newspapers, people watching, dreams and brainstorming. Current events are always a good place to start. I look at the world around me and there are ideas everywhere. Wars, political scandals, drug trafficking, human trafficking, murder, mayhem. It’s a wonder the human race survives! I chose the troubles we’ve been  having on the Texas borders with drug cartels, drug trafficking and human trafficking for the Covert Cowboys, Inc. stories. Then I added characters with real personal issues and gave them something to fight for and voila! Covert Cowboys, Inc! September’s release is the 3rd book in the series. Things are heating up for the team, join them in their fight for truth and justice.

And I hope you enjoy the following blurb and excerpt from:

BODYGUARD UNDER FIRE

Covert Cowboys Book #3

by Elle James aka Myla Jackson

 Amazon | Nook

A Special Forces soldier meets the baby girl he never knew existed in this book in Elle James’s Covert Cowboys, Inc. series. 

In a small town in Texas, everyone has a secret. Especially Chuck Bolton. Formerly a Special Forces soldier, Chuck now poses as a ranch handyman. His real mission? To protect his ex-fiancée, and the baby girl he never knew they’d created, from a malevolent masked man.

Who is behind the attack—and what could they possibly want with Peggy Jane (“PJ”) Franks? While the answer remains unclear, one thing is certain: Chuck never stopped loving PJ after she left him. And PJ, afraid of falling for the same man who broke her heart, doesn’t want to repeat history. But that’s the least of her worries when her enemy’s motive is finally revealed.

After a quick shampoo and rinse, she ducked her head around the curtain and listened to the monitor. A reassuring staticky silence was all she heard. As she closed the shower curtain, a different sound carried over the speaker.

Click.

PJ strained her ears.

Click.

She shut off the water and listened more intently.

Click.

Then a sharp sound, like something falling, echoed through the monitor.

What the hell?

PJ pulled on her pajama bottoms and top, grabbed her key and flung the bathroom door open.

The door to her apartment stood open.

PJ’s heart slammed to a halt and then kicked into high gear. She had been careful to close and lock the door when she’d left. As she stared into her dark apartment, fear rooted her to the floor for only a moment.

Her baby daughter was in that room. Cold dread filled her and she shot forward, ready to take down anyone who threatened to harm…

“Charlie,” she said and launched forward.

When she stepped through the open door, a dark figure wearing a black ski mask grabbed her and flung her inside.

PJ screamed and scurried backward and then turned to run. She made it only one step before a hand latched on to her hair and yanked her backward. PJ screamed again, her cry cut off by a large gloved hand clamping down over her mouth. She bit into it, her teeth barely making a dent in the thick leather glove.

Elle James’s Bio:

Elle James spent twenty years livin’ and lovin’ in South Texas, ranching horses, cattle, goats, ostriches and emus. A former IT professional, Elle is proud to be writing full-time, penning intrigues and paranormal adventures that keep her readers on the edge of their seats. She has 39 works with Harlequin, self published works under pen name Elle James, over 40 works with other publishers including Samhain, Elloras’ Cave, Kensington and Avon and 18 works self-published under pen name Myla Jackson. Now living in northwest Arkansas, she isn’t wrangling cattle, she’s wrangling her muses, a malti-poo and yorkie. When she’s not at her computer, she’s traveling, out snow-skiing, boating, or riding her ATV, dreaming up new stories.

Social Media:

ELLE JAMES  Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | GoodReads

Thank you, Delilah, for having me as a guest. I’m very excited about the release of Passion’s Poison. I mean, look at the cover! That’s Zach and he is a former logger turned chainsaw artist. He can pretty much tackle anything, except maybe Beatrice Rappaccini’s 6 fathers, but then again, to be fair, he was out numbered :-}

What Zach finds in Bea is a woman who is all about sex, but knows nothing about relationships. At first, that is fine with him, he doesn’t mind helping her explore new sexual horizons and explaining that she needs to return his calls. But what he doesn’t know is that his newest lover could kill him with her body’s toxins if he enjoys her too much.

Bea has to get creative if she wants to keep Zach and keep him alive. She finds herself willing to go to great lengths, even ignoring the anonymous letters telling her to stay away from him. Until things get ugly. Zach thinks the worst of her thanks to one of those letters, and she can’t go back to the one-night stands that keep her alive. For Bea, love is literally a death sentence.

I write erotic romances inspired by the classics. The inspiration for this story was Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story “Rappaccini’s Daughter.” It was actually Hawthorne who created a poisonous Beatrice. I just made her life a bit more complicated. I’ve included an excerpt from my story that may just show exactly how complicated her life is. I hope you enjoy.

Always, Lexi

Leave a comment for a chance to win an ecopy of Passion’s Poison. Feel free to share your complicated life. I will definitely understand.

Beatrice Rappaccini is tired of the one-night stands that keep her alive. Tired of the illness she causes when she releases her sexual poisons into her partners. But when she meets Zach Woodman, everything changes. Desperate for what she can’t have, she puts her heart and life on the line, ignoring the anonymous letters warning her to stay away from Zach.

Zach Woodman, logger turned chainsaw artist, has the perfect life, but no one to share it with after the deaths of the women he loved. Fascinated by the sexually experienced yet naïve Bea, he promises himself he will end their hot relationship before fate takes another beautiful woman from the world.

But he discovers Bea has no idea how to have a relationship, and he is perplexed by her strange behavior, hippie mother, six fathers and her request to give him every man’s sex fantasy. It is only when he might lose her that he realizes he must make a decision that will break his heart either way.

Bea’s brain kicked into gear at Zach’s words. She wanted him too, but not for just a night. Her pleasurable heat turned frosty. How could that be? She didn’t even know him, but her heart already named him hers. She pushed against his chest to break his embrace.

He let her go.

She staggered back, her knees shaky, her breaths coming fast. “I’m sorry if you got the wrong idea,” she rasped.

He stared at her quizzically. “What idea would that be? That you’re as attracted to me as I am to you? That this,” he motioned with his hand pointing between them, “is great?”

She shook her head, trying not to look at the large bulge in his jeans. “I-I don’t know. It’s too fast.”

He stared into her eyes. “You mean too hot, don’t you?”

She gulped as his words sent fire racing through her veins. She nodded.

He took a deep breath and jammed his hands into his front pockets. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. But it’s not something we can ignore.”

His gaze changed from polite to possessive. “I want you, Beatrice Rappaccini. I want you naked in my bed. Once you’re there I want to taste you, smell you, feel you and pump into you until I lose myself.”

At his words, Bea’s legs turned to slush and she sank into the nearest chair.

He hunkered down in front of her and took her hands. “Bea, is there any reason why we shouldn’t get together?”

Oh, was there. But none she could tell him. He wouldn’t believe her if she did. Her last long-term relationship back in high school ended with her boyfriend in a coma. Despite his eventual recovery, she still carried a pile of guilt around with her. As much as she wanted Zach, she couldn’t be happy with one night. This wasn’t about her need to cleanse the toxins she produced. This was about the idea of having one special man in her life. The only obstacle standing in her way was her deadly body.

Zach dropped her hands. “What is it? You hesitated for too long.” He stood abruptly. “Are you already seeing someone?”

She jerked her head up, surprised by the anger in his tone. “No, I’m not. It’s complicated.”

He walked away from her and stood behind the other couch. “Why do people always have to make things complicated? This is simple human nature, two adults who are attracted to each other. What’s so complicated about that?”

She straightened her shoulders. “First, I’m supposed to be here on business. I don’t think it appropriate to kiss a vendor on company time. Second, I don’t know anything about you except that you can create amazing statues with a chainsaw and you used to be a logger from Maine. I like to know a lot more about a person before I have sex with him.”

How little she knew about her one-night stands stabbed at her conscience, but she ignored it.

He grinned and came around to sit on the couch perpendicular to her chair. He took her hand again. “If those are your only concerns, I can work with that. You’re being very reasonable and I’m being impatient. Forgive me. You’re so damn beautiful, it’s hard for me to control myself.”

Heat rose in her cheeks and she looked down to see his big calloused hand holding hers. She wished it were so simple.

He raised her chin with his other hand. “Bea, I’ll try to be patient if you’re willing to give it a chance.”

She stared at him, this incredible man that her body and her heart seemed to crave. A man who would suffer if she gave in to her own needs, but she was weak. Her head nodded of its own accord while her mind screamed no.

He leaned forward and brushed a featherlight kiss upon her lips.

She wanted to cry at his tenderness and she silently cursed her deranged ancestor again for the poisonous nature he had inflicted on her, on so many Rappaccinis. “I better go.”

He stood with her hand still in his. “I’ll walk you to your car.”

She let him help her up, wishing she could figure out some way for a relationship to work, but a deep-rooted fruitlessness settled deep in her stomach.

He let go of her hand to cup her face in his palms. “You look as if you’re going to cry.”

She put her hands on his chest. “No, I—oh no.”

His brows drew together in concern and his hold tightened on her face. “What’s wrong?”

She stared at the scene over his shoulder. “I don’t think I’m going anywhere now.”

He turned toward the great windows, his arm coming around her, but he remained silent. He squeezed her waist.

Outside the snow fell hard, and on his massive deck a foot of the beautiful white flakes announced her imprisonment. The Tamwick roads would be impassable. How could she stay in his house overnight without sleeping with him? “Maybe, it’s not as bad as it appears. You must have gusts up here, right?”

He raised his brow. “Study the snow. It’s falling straight down. There’s no way you’ll make it back to Meriden in your vehicle.”

She stared at her silent jailer, unable to fault the large white flakes defined against the dark grayness outside. He was right. In his home with the snow piling up, it was as if they were the only two people on earth. But if that were the case, he would be dead within the week.

She shook herself and the foreboding that flooded her body. They weren’t the only two people in the world. In fact, she needed to call Craig. “I better make a few calls. Let people know where I am.”

He stepped away, the energy in his body palatable. “Sure, I’ll go downstairs and get wood for the fireplace. I’m thinking it’s going to be a cold one.”

Zach gave her a reassuring smile that did everything but reassure her. Then he headed downstairs, leaving her body in jitters, her heart aching and her mind frantically searching for answers like a chickadee caught inside a house, desperate to find a way out and accomplishing nothing but harm to itself.

Passion’s Poison is available in electronic formats:
Amazon | Ellora’s Cave

For more information about Lexi Post:

website:  https://www.lexipostbooks.com/
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