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Cara North: 10 Free Ways to Support Your Favorite Authors (Contest)
Thursday, June 9th, 2022

10 Free Ways to Support Your Favorite Authors:

  1. Write a review. Seriously, even a few words about being excited to get the book or looking forward to the next one matters to the algorithm. Note: Even bad reviews count as reviews and push those books to the top of search feeds. 
  2. Share what you are reading on social media. This is one of the most awesome things to see as an author. We love it when people share that they are reading our books! 
  3. Have a print book and limited space? Gift it to a friend, put it in a free library, and share it with someone rather than sending it to the recycling or landfill. 
  4. Join their Facebook reader groups. You get all the details, the opportunity to interact with the author(s), and other readers reading the same books you are. 
  5. Like their social media pages. 
  6. Comment on social media posts. Even emojis can make their day. 
  7. Send a message or comment about your favorite book. Sometimes authors feel like giving up, like no one wants their books, so little comments, if you like a book, may be the difference in a series you love getting completed or pushed to the back burner in favor of another book in the author’s mind that they think people will like. 
  8. Be kind. A lot of indie authors are not making 3 much less 6 figures on their books. It may take a bit of saving to get better covers, more detailed editors, etc. Everyone starts somewhere. 
  9. Don’t return books. Again, most indies are not rolling in the cash. Every return hurts. Use your local library to get digital or print copies of books. It costs the time it takes to get a library card and ask the librarian to add it to the digital or physical shelf. 
  10. Join an influencer, street, or advance review copy (ARC) team for your favorite authors and volunteer to read the books first in exchange for sharing on social media or leaving a review. 

💜Check out this wonderful #giftaway!💜

🎁You could win a KINDLE FIRE, sponsored by the Rituals & Runes Anthology authors.🎁 

➡️Clickity click: https://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/1be7623384/
(No purchase necessary to enter.) 

📘Be sure you have your copy of Rituals & Runes reserved so you can get lost in over 25+ ALL NEW stories by your favorite bestselling authors including Gina Kincade, C.D. Gorri, Bella Roccaforte, C.A. King, Piper Stone, J. C. McKenzie, J.E. Taylor, Serenity Rayne, Cara North, and so many more!📘

➡️Buy Links:
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3oz9aGJ
Universal: https://books2read.com/rituals

Author Links:
Patreon Page: https://www.patreon.com/musesandsirens
Website: https://www.creativewritingwithdrnagle.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AuthorCaraNorth
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/caranorthauthor/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/caranorthauthor
Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/caranorth_author/?hl=en
Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20650398.Cara_North
BookBub : https://www.bookbub.com/authors/cara-north
Amazon Author Page:  https://www.amazon.com/~/e/B002BLLE1U
TikTok: https://vm.tiktok.com/TTPdht9Kg1/

Anna M. Taylor: M is For the Million Things She Gave Me (Contest)
Friday, May 27th, 2022

UPDATE: The winner is…Katherine Anderson!
*~*~*

This month on May 26th, my mother turned 92. As I thought about an African-American woman I wanted to honor in my post this month, Catherine Louise Williams Taylor Phillips came to my mind.

Lately, I’ve been asking her questions from a book/journal called My Mother’s Life: Mom I Want To Know Everything About You. I speak to her every morning and after our check-in ritual, I ask her if she’s ready for the question of the day. She says yes, answers what she can recall then shares anecdotes that have nothing to do with the question. That’s my momma.

I don’t know how many of you are familiar with the turn of the 20th-centuryth century song “M-O-T-H- E- R (M Is For The Million Things She Gave Me).” Here’s a vintage recording if you want to give a listen. It’s a schmaltzy ditty that touches my heart because of the mother I was fortunate to have. So today, I want to celebrate a few of the million things my mother gave me.

My mom was born on May 26, 1930 and was sent to live down South with her grandmother when she was a few months old. She shared with me that she didn’t even know there was a depression and regales me with stories of being the spoiled red-haired fox her uncles chided and chastised.

When Alex Haley’s Roots was televised, she wondered what the big deal was then proceeded to tell me about the Pitt family that owned her grandparents. When I let her know I’d decided to pursue a Masters degree two years after graduating from college and having worked in the big bad world of advertising, it was only then she shared that she had been hoping I would go back to school. She even declared, “Why who knows? You may want to go on and get a PhD.” That was the first time I realized my mother wished things for me, but by her restraint showed she respected that what I wanted when and if I wanted it was what was important.

In things small and large, she made it plain—not only to me but to my sister as well—that we were to be who we wanted to be. We weren’t put on this earth to live up to anyone’s expectations. She recalled a time my sister came to her with a picture she had drawn and said, “I couldn’t do it as good as Anna.” To which my mother assured her she wasn’t supposed to do it as good as Anna. She was supposed to do it as good as Muriel. When I felt unconfident or about to settle for less than what I was worth, I recalled her telling me with great vehemence, “You can scrub toilets before you kiss anybody’s ass.” She doesn’t remember saying this but I do, and I will always be grateful for the confidence those words instilled.

As a minister, I’ve helped families in which the relationship between mothers, daughters and sons was strained and far from loving. They can’t sing without reservation as I can the last line of the song I shared above but thanks to the love I have from my mom, I’ve found ways to help honor their struggles and woes.

The last line of M-O-T-H-E-R goes, “Put them all together they spell MOTHER. A word that means the world to me.” I will forever be grateful to my mother who means the world to me. For a chance at a $10 Amazon gift card, share in the comments about someone who was a mother to you or perhaps you have mothered.

Haunted Serenade – by Anna M. Taylor

All the women in Anora Madison’s family have lived haunted by the curse of Poor Butterfly: women still longing for but deserted by the men they loved. Determined to be the first to escape a life of abandonment, Anora fled Harlem for Brooklyn, not only severing her ties with her mother Angela, but also ending her relationship with Winston Emerson, her lover and the father of her child.

Six years later, Anora comes home to make peace, but an unseen evil manifests itself during the homecoming and targets not only Anora, but her little girl Cammie.

With nowhere to run, Anora must confront the evil now trying to destroy her life. She vows to protect her daughter at all costs, but if that protection can only be found with Winston back in her life, how will Anora protect her heart?

Excerpt from Haunted Serenade

In September 15, 1963, the one year anniversary of my aunt Diana’s death, four young girls in Birmingham, Alabama died when their church was bombed for its involvement in the Civil Rights movement.

My mother called that evening and inquired after my health and the health of my daughter Cammie – the granddaughter she vowed never to acknowledge.

Fear, anger and sorrow sounded in her voice. Mine too. We mourned those girls, their families and the sister/aunt we both loved. In that spoken grief, I silently mourned what had died between my mother and me.

The following month she called again, this time inviting me to bring Cammie to dinner. Like some sulky child, I felt tempted to ask what took her so long. Instead, I swallowed my hurt and came home.

Buylink: https://amzn.to/3aXifyu

N.J. Walters: Romance and Its Series!
Thursday, May 19th, 2022

Romance is well known for its series. It’s rare to see a stand-alone book that doesn’t connect in some way to a previous work by an author. Why do we love series so much?

There’s comfort in the familiarity of going back to visit places and people who are as recognizable to us as our next-door neighbors and friends. Being able to immerse ourselves in a world where we know bad things can and do happen, but there will be retribution and a happily ever after at the end. Sometimes when the world’s gone crazy, it’s a nice escape to visit one of these make-believe worlds.

The same reasons I love to read series are also the same reasons I love to write them. In fact, I can’t seem to not write them. Every time I start to write a book, before I’m finished it, I’m already thinking about one or more of the other characters, and I know they must have their story told. But with my latest series, I’ve taken it a step further.

I first met the Salvation Pack wolves a decade ago. I’d planned on a five-book series. You know what they say about the best-laid plans, right? Nine books later I was done. Or I thought I was. All the original pack members had their stories, along with new members we met along the way. But I couldn’t stop thinking about the pack or about the children, the next generation. Who would they grow up to be? What would happen to them?

Turned out I wasn’t the only one with questions. Readers kept asking for more, so I dove back into that world and created the Salvation Pack: The Next Generation series. I’ve planned for five-books—everyone gets their story told.

It’s been a joy to revisit characters I love and create brand new stories.

Wolf Meets His Fate features Aaron LaForge, the youngest son of the alpha from the original series. He’s set out to find his fate, but it—or rather she—finds him.

Be sure to check it out.

Wolf Meets His Fate
Salvation Pack: The Next Generation, Book 4

Orphaned at birth, Jesse is raised in the Louisiana swamp by powerful witch Lottie Broussard. Hated by her father and shunned by the pack that should be hers, she is forced to run for her life after Lottie’s death.

Searching for his life’s purpose, Aaron LaForge has left his pack and is living on a farm in West Virginia.

When their paths cross in a local bar, he sees it as fate. At first, he only wants to help but quickly realizes she’s his mate. Jesse isn’t ready or willing to trust anyone—let alone a male wolf. But Aaron is as stubborn as he is convincing. As their relationship heats up, the dangers around them mount. Can their love survive their fight to stay alive?

Teaser from Wolf Meets His Fate

Closing her eyes, she tried to catalog everything she remembered about him. It had all happened so fast, but he’d left an impression. And it wasn’t only his physical appearance.

Yes, he was handsome in a primal way with his broad shoulders and muscular build, but there’d been something in his eyes—compassion, understanding—that made her want to run toward him instead of away. That made him dangerous.

If you want to read more, you can find Wolf Meets His Fate here:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09Y88YHNF/
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1143126
B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/wolf-meets-his-fate-n-j-walters/1141379428
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/wolf-meets-his-fate
iBooks: https://books.apple.com/us/book/wolf-meets-his-fate/id1620590154

About the Author

N.J. Walters is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author who has always been a voracious reader, and now she spends her days writing novels of her own. Vampires, werewolves, dragons, assassins, time-travelers, seductive handymen, and next-door neighbors with smoldering good looks—all vie for her attention. It’s a tough life, but someone’s got to live it.

Visit her at:
Website: https://www.njwalters.com
Blog: https://www.njwalters.blogspot.com
Newsletter Sign Up: https://eepurl.com/gdblg5
Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/N.J.WaltersAuthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/njwaltersauthor
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/NJWalters
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/author/njwalters
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/n-j-walters

Cameron Allie: Somewhere to Belong (Giveaway & Contest–3 Winners!)
Friday, May 6th, 2022

UPDATE: The winners are…bn100 and Debra!
*~*~*

I debated what to write about for today’s blog post. Nothing felt quite right, but that could be because my face still hurts from the dental work I just had done. When I realized Mother’s Day was coming up, I figured I should tell you about my single mom romance story.

Somewhere to Belong is a cute but steamy romance that ties off my Unexpected Changes series. No, you don’t have to read the other three books to read this one. Each story can be read as a standalone book.

It opens with a hot one-night stand. The characters walk away knowing they’ll never see each other again but are haunted by memories of that night, ones they’d like to repeat. Of course, they get thrust back together when Kevin is assigned as her new realtor.

Lillian, a widow, is raising two young children. Cole, age seven, is one of those super cool kids who gets bullied because he’s different. He loves reading and books and wishes he could be homeschooled. Mackenzie is a sassy, red-headed, kindergartener who isn’t big on rules. Together, they keep Lillian on her toes.

Kevin has sworn off love after one too many heartbreaks. He’s a big softy, a cinnamon roll, a hero, who falls further and further in love with Lillian’s small family.

Trouble comes during their house hunt. Lillian vetoes every house that comes up in her price range, and Kevin begins to suspect she isn’t being honest with him when it comes to what she really wants in a home. Trying to get her to trust him is a greater challenge than he expects.

A lot of the scenes involving Cole really stuck with me. He is such a sweet kid that gets bullied and picked on. I love how he grows and develops in the story and how he has such a profound effect on both Lillian and Kevin.

Somewhere to Belong is available in eBook and paperback. You can visit my website for a longer excerpt and to learn more.

Excerpt from Somewhere to Belong:

“God, girl, was there a Magic Mike convention at your work today?”

Confused she asked, “What?”

He chuckled. “What’s got you so hot and bothered?”

“You.” She grabbed the front of his shirt and backed him toward the bed. His calves hit the mattress and he dropped. Wasting no time, Lillian straddled him. “You took care of my kids all day and then fixed the sink. Seriously, doing work around the house is such a turn on.”

“Good to know.”

“Uh huh.” She tugged at his shirt. “Now shut up and strip.”

Giveaway and a Contest!

How about a free short story? Get Arrested Valentine now by subscribing to my newsletter.

Did you know I also write fantasy romance? For your chance to win an ebook copy of Love Spells, Full Moons, and Silver Bullets comment below and tell me a positive memory you have of your mother, mother-in-law, grandmother, or female role model in your life. I’ll be giving away three copies. Winners will be selected from the comments at random.

What do you do when your ex’s werewolf boss wants to feast on the mortal you’ve sworn to protect?

Quinn was unaware of the love potion her meddling cat dumped into her tea, so when Ian Hannigan ends up injured on her property, she thinks she’s dealing with another mortal, not the man who can help mend her heart. Her life becomes a balancing act as she attempts to keep him safe while hiding secrets better left buried with the dead.

In a realm filled with things that go bump in the night, Ian didn’t expect to find security and happiness in the arms of a green-skinned witch, yet for the first time since his parents’ tragic car crash, he’s found some measure of peace. The rumors he hears in Clayridge aren’t pleasant, but Ian knows there’s more to Quinn than what people would have him believe. If he’s placed his trust in the wrong hands, he’ll be paying with more than just his heart. He’ll pay with his life.

April into May (Contest — and more contests!)
Sunday, May 1st, 2022

UPDATE: The winner is…Carol Cox!
*~*~*

April

Dark Seduction

April was extremely busy for me, but I didn’t make as much forward progress as I wanted on…well…everything!

Here’s what I managed to accomplish…

Work-related:

  1. I revised and re-published the sequel to Dark Legacy, which is book #2 in the Dark Realm series, Dark Seduction. It’s a full-length novel, so it took some time!
  2. I completed 5 editing projects for other authors in April! Two of them were last-minute, thrown over the fence at me, but I got them done!
  3. I’m six chapters into my next book!

Health-related:

  1. I’m continuing with Weight Watchers and can proudly say that I’ve lost 28 pounds as of today! I’m not pushing to lose fast because I like how I feel (which is a good thing because I only lost 5 pounds this month!). I’ll continue my daily mantra: Slow is good!
  2. I didn’t do so well increasing my activity.

Happiness-related: 

  1. I’m continuing to work on the #100DayProject art challenge! It’s still HARD fitting in playtime, but here are a few samples of what I finished…

 

 
 

May

Here’s me putting this out in the world…

For work-related, I plan:

  1. To revise and compile the Danger Zone trilogy into a single bundle and publish it!
  2. To complete my next romantic suspense story.
  3. To begin work on my next Hot SEAL story!
  4. To complete 4 editing projects in May!

For health-related, I plan:

  1. To continue with Weight Watchers and hope to lose at least 5 pounds, remembering: Slow is good!
  2. To get the pool ready and begin swimming!
  3. To begin some low-impact aerobics, which will include a video workout, plus, add some outdoor activities, like pool maintenance and blowing the patio—counting the things I should already be doing to get ready for pool season. Maybe I’ll do more housework, too.

For happiness-related, I plan: 

  1. To continue working on getting my art room better organized, because I plan…
  2. To produce something art-related every day this month for the #100DayProject art challenge!

Contest

Comment on anything you’ve read in this post. Tell me what you’re doing to make yourself happier and healthier. Tell me what you plan to read…

Like I said, comment on anything for a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card!

Open Contests

  1. Saturday’s Puzzle Contest! Plus, More Open Contests!This contest ends soon! Win an Amazon gift card!
  2. My Affirmation for the Day! (Contest)This contest ends soon! Win an Amazon gift card!
  3. Michal Scott: The Hope and the Dream of the Slave – Anna Julia Haywood Cooper (Contest) — Win an Amazon gift card!
  4. Gabbi Grey/Gabbi Black: My Heart is Breaking (Contest) — Win an Amazon gift card!
  5. Saturday’s Puzzle Contest! — Win an Amazon gift card!
Cara North: The Road to Nowhere, NC
Thursday, April 28th, 2022

I was inspired to create Nowhere, NC in 1998 after reading an article about a road in a town in NC that ended because the funding ran out. The photograph showed nothing but woods at the end of this road. My writer brain said, “That is the town but ordinary people can’t see it.” 

It has been a long road to Nowhere since then. I’ve written several short stories for it, but only published a couple of them. I am currently revising Veronica Grimm and will conclude her journey in the revised book. In the meantime, you can listen to the original on Audible and read a bit about Nowhere in the Witches & Whiskers Anthology (https://books2read.com/charmedmagic1) . All the proceeds from the anthology goes to an animal sanctuary. 

Links:
Patreon Page: https://www.patreon.com/musesandsirens
Website: https://www.creativewritingwithdrnagle.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AuthorCaraNorth
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/caranorthauthor/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/caranorthauthor
Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/caranorth_author/?hl=en
Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20650398.Cara_North
BookBub : https://www.bookbub.com/authors/cara-north
Amazon Author Page:  https://www.amazon.com/~/e/B002BLLE1U
TikTok: https://vm.tiktok.com/TTPdht9Kg1/

Arriving after midnight: DARK SEDUCTION! (Read an excerpt!)
Monday, April 25th, 2022

Ready for a meaty, sexy read (full-length novel)? Plenty of plot twists? Vampires, demons, and zombies? A yummy menage? A sexy, sexy hero (this one’s EROTIC!)? Well, it drops tonight after midnight!

Dark Seduction

Dark Seduction

A raging storm unleashes a tempest of desire and an ancient evil…

For nearly 800 years, Revenant Nicolas Mountfaucon has dedicated his life to ensuring an immortal monster never walks free. When a terrible storm unleashes the beast, Nicolas’s past rises to haunt him, taunting him with the memory of the death of his bride and the loss of his brother at the hands of the ancient demon known as “The Devourer.” Nicolas turns to the only person who can provide him emotional and physical solace, Born vampire Chessa Tomas, sure she will join the hunt for the evil creature.

Only Chessa wants nothing to do with hunting the “Big Bad”—she’s shed her responsibilities as a Born, refusing her seat on the council because she doesn’t trust their leader. However, Nic isn’t as easily dismissed—he appeals to the secret side of her nature that begs to be dominated.

Pre-order your copy here!

An excerpt from Dark Seduction

Fresh from her shower, Chessa heard the heavy knock and glanced at her clock on the bedside stand. Still an hour before she had to be at work.

Not the super. She’d paid her rent. Besides, he’d fled with the rest of the building’s inhabitants when the Mayor had ordered evacuation.

And not her partner seeing whether she wanted to get a cup of coffee before reporting to duty. Her partner wasn’t coming today.

Or ever again.

Curious, she threaded through piles of discarded clothing to her front door and peered through the peephole into a hallway lit only by grayish, pre-dusk light from the landing window. The power had gone out sometime during the night. Just one more annoyance on top of the last hellish twenty-four hours.

A familiar man stood on her threshold. Broad shoulders, long dark hair—her body clenched. “Nic?” What was he doing in the city again so soon? How the hell had he gotten in? She’d heard most of the roads around the city were closed due to flooding.

“Chessa, open the door.”

Something in his voice had her gripping the doorknob tight. Her breath hitched. She didn’t want to know what had brought him here.

“Please,” he said, weariness and raw, aching need flavoring the rich timbre of his voice.

Although they’d sated their appetite for sex a few hours ago, Chessa’s body softened instantly, heat tightening her womb. She hated the way her body betrayed her.

They’d said their farewells, she reminded herself. “We had a deal, Nic. You stick to your turf—I’ll stick to mine.”

“Chessa, open the goddamn door.”

The “or else” he left unspoken in his lightly accented voice. She got the message and turned the knob, stepping aside to let him in as she wrapped her towel tightly around her body.

A quick, sweeping glance told her there was trouble. Big, fat vampire trouble. Nicolas looked a mess.

His long black-brown hair hung in damp, curling tendrils around his lean face. His exposed skin was grimy-looking, and he smelled of sewage and sour swamp water.

His hands reached for her.

Without time to sidestep, she found herself smashed against his chest, his strong hands clutching her close.

She leaned back in the circle of his arms and stared into his face. What she saw troubled her. His jaw was clenched tight, and his face was unnaturally pale—even by a vampire’s standards. “What’s happened?”

His throat tightened, but he shook his head and lowered it.

Only she’d just had a shower, and he stunk to high heaven. Besides, she needed space to calm the riot of feelings he aroused. Ones she was still uncomfortable acknowledging even existed. She pressed her palms against his chest to halt him.

She loved Rene. Although he’d chosen to enter a mage’s sanctuary with another Born vampire, Chessa wasn’t over him yet.

Her feelings for Nicolas were strictly carnal—and she needed to get her libido back under control. Unbridled passion had been unleashed by proximity to Natalie Lambert’s coming into season, as only a transforming Born could inspire. That arousal had spilled over onto Chessa and Nicolas—it was the only explanation Chessa would allow for the strength of the desire that even now made her body yearn toward his.

Nicolas’s chest heaved, and his eyes narrowed to feral slits. “Don’t deny me. Not now.”

She wrinkled her nose. “You stink.”

“Then we’ll shower,” he said, a dangerous edge to his voice.

As always, his first terse words had her melting. “Tell me why you’re here,” she said, searching for a way to put him off while she shored up her fading resistance.

Another shake of his head, this time sharp and violent. “Later,” he ground out.

Then she noted the wildness in his eyes. Something had rattled his cage. Nicolas was never anything but completely in control. Chessa felt the last bit of solid ground crumble beneath her. “All right,” she said softly and held up a hand to ward off a kiss. “But shower first.” He’d have to let her go to follow her.

However, Nicolas wasn’t giving her the space she needed to regroup. He grabbed the top of her towel and ripped it away then slammed his mouth on hers, backing her toward the bedroom.

Chessa’s bare feet skidded on her wood floor as she dug in her heels, but he swept her along, through her bedroom into the bathroom, all the while punishing her lips with a brutal kiss.

When the edge of the tub brought them up short, he reached behind her and yanked aside the shower curtain. “Turn it on.”

Dumbly, she reached behind her, fumbling to turn the knob, finally sending a spray of water that misted around them before he lifted her above the rim of her tub to set her inside.

Nicolas tore at his clothes, dropping them at his feet, then stepped beside her in the stall, crowding her against the cool tile walls with lukewarm water falling all around them. “Any more objections?” he asked, in his oddly rasping voice.

She shook her head, overwhelmed and mute with rising desire. Her body already strained toward his. Her breasts swelled, her nipples ruching tight and hard. Her legs trembled, and her sex released a trickle of fragrant moisture she couldn’t deny.

His hands reached around her and grasped her bottom, lifting her off her feet, crushing her breasts to his chest, her mound against the base of his rigid cock.

With his erection pressing into her belly, any objection was obliterated. She flung out her arms and gripped his shoulders, aiding him as he angled her body toward his and thrust his cock between her legs.

Chessa groaned as he slid inside her. “Bastard, we had a deal.”

His response was a flex of his hips to thrust hard inside her, tunneling deep, pressing higher until the strength of his hips and cock had her feet dangling above the porcelain bottom of the tub.

When he’d reached inside her as far as he could, he wrapped his arms around her, squeezing away her breath and laid his cheek alongside hers, his chest heaving.

She shivered from arousal so strong it nearly choked her and from fear of whatever had shaken Nicolas to his core. She’d never seen him like this. “What is it? What’s happened?”

His head drew away, and his gaze burned as it slid to her lips. “Later,” he groaned.

Again, the wildness in his gaze and the tension that gripped his broad shoulders and arms as he held her unsettled her. This wasn’t Nicolas with his sardonic quips and ever-watchful gaze. Accustomed of late to him showing up at unexpected times to tempt her, this was different.

He was frightened.

Although tempted to argue, to chide him and try to drive him away, she wound her arms around his neck, her legs around his waist, and pulled him close, dragging his head down to bury against her shoulder.

If she were honest with herself, she was glad he’d come.

Not that she was ready to be anybody’s rock. She had problems of her own. A life to sort out. One far away from the vampire enclave at Ardeal.

Nicolas was entrenched in that life, but she had broken free decades ago and had vowed she’d never go back. Whatever was bothering him now wasn’t her problem.

But she could hold him and let his warmth and strength provide her comfort as well. She had her own needs and a desolate loneliness that had filled her when she’d shut her apartment door hours earlier and realized the only friend she’d had in the world was lost to her forever.

“Stop thinking,” he growled.

“Just fuck me,” she bit out, meeting his hard gaze with a glare of her own.

Their hips churned together in a desperate coupling. Not at all the sexy, teasing pummeling she’d come to expect—that in itself was an indication of his upset. His movements lacked finesse. He gave no thought for her pleasure, which he was always so careful to draw out—torturing her with her own desire.

Instead, his hands gripped her ass hard, pushing her up and down his cock, grinding her back against the cool tiles as he powered into her.

When he came, his eyes squeezed tight, his body grew rigid, and he held his breath for one endless moment. After his pulsing release waned, he dropped his forehead against the tiles. “Get out.”

Surprised at the harshness of his voice, she didn’t question him, just unwound her legs from his waist and slid down his body. She stepped out of the tub to dry herself with a towel while he remained inside, drawing the curtain closed behind him.

She couldn’t think of a thing to say. Despite the humid air inside the room, she shivered.

Damn. It sure as hell felt like she cared about the fact he’d tossed her out of her own shower.