Good bye 2009 and happy 2010! Sorry I’ve been remiss in blogging. Between holidays, deadlines, company, and an avalanche of this & that, I haven’t had the chance to blog. BUT I wanted to start 2010 off right. So I’m sharing a new excerpt for DELICIOUS. There’s also a little contest below… Keep reading!

DELICIOUS
Wicked Lovers, Book 3
Publisher: Berkley HEAT
Genre: Erotic Romance
Release Date: March 2, 2010
ISBN-13: 978-0-425-23242
Pre-order: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Borders
Books-A-Million | Indie Bound | Overstock
Pre-order Download: Kindle

Excerpt – DELICIOUS

 “Take this threat seriously.” He grabbed her by the shoulders and spun her around.

Alyssa raised a brow at him. He looked agitated, his breath coming fast. She blinked slowly, getting a long look at his erection on the visual journey down. Definitely aroused. She repressed a smile.

“I’d like to, but I can’t afford to ignore the pending opening to focus on a few odd events. How did you phrase it earlier? What I want isn’t what I need.” She smiled at him, crossing her arms under her breasts and pushing her cleavage above her tank’s neckline.

Predictably, his gaze followed. He swallowed hard.

“Don’t ignore the danger because you’re angry with me.”

Alyssa wondered why she mattered to him at all. Interesting question . . .

“I’m not. Just stating facts.”

With that, she pulled away from his grip and spun around. She had a suspicion that Luc was used to being in control and getting the last word in. He wouldn’t like it if she turned her back on him now—especially if the view included her skirt clinging very low on her hips and exposing the rose tattoo on her lower back.

With a sway of her hips, she prowled toward the nearest stainless steel counter, stroked its sleek surface . . . and waited. She barely heard him cover the handful of steps separating them before he fisted her hair in his hand and forced her gaze up to his.

“Stop pissing me off,” he growled.

“Stop telling me how to react.”

Luc’s mouth tightened, as did his grip on her hair. Alyssa merely sent him a challenging stare and a matching smile.

Something about this argument was getting to him, revving his blood. The gentlemanly Southern chef had a nasty side, and she was making him feel it.

“Damn you!” His mouth crashed over hers.

He shoved her against the counter as he pushed past her lips, into the hot cavern of her mouth, and inhaled her all at once. His tongue was everywhere, possessing, tasting—branding. In an instant, her body burned, blood tingling. She clutched at his starched white shirt, grabbing the collar to pull him closer.

Luc was everything she remembered—full of finesse, power, steel covered in silk, insistent—and more. Never had a man’s kiss alone made her wet and aching, made her long to be closer to him in every way.

She ran her hands down his body, feeling every bulge of his shoulders, every ripple of his chest. Her palm flitted down his six-pack—and kept descending. Oh, so slowly, she dragged her hand over his erection. He hissed in a shocked breath, breaking the kiss, and hardened beneath her touch.

Smiling, she reached for his fly.

He groaned. “Alyssa, we—”

She palmed him again, squeezing his cock, then flicked the button of his pants open. His zipper went down, a bare rasp in the otherwise quiet. Then she ran her thumb over the sensitive crest.

“Dear God.” He sucked in a breath. “We shouldn’t . . .”

She said nothing, but simply sank to her knees.

Before Luc could stop Alyssa, she’d pushed his pants and briefs to his hips and taken his cock in her hand.

To be fair, he didn’t try very hard to stop her.

The moment her palm wrapped around his erection, he sizzled, jolted as if he’d been pumped full of a thousand volts. God, everything about her was potent, overwhelming. He was drowning—the feel of her tight grip, the silkiness of her golden hair in his hands, the gut-punching sight of her licking her lips.

“Alyssa,” he hissed.

Shit. He had to stop this. But how, when he wanted her so badly?

He’d eschewed sex for weeks. After his night with Alyssa, he’d pinned all his hopes for a child on Kimber and Deke, single-mindedly bedding the girl every bit as often as his cousin. But he’d be lying if he said Alyssa hadn’t lingered in his thoughts. Being with Kimber had been absorbing. He realized later it had been the situation . . . not the woman. After that, he’d pushed aside his sex drive in favor of a future, a wife who would be the sort of devoted mom his own was.

Now the woman he’d ached for since that wild, dark night was on her knees in front of him, and God help him, he didn’t have the willpower to stop himself from urging her mouth closer to his throbbing cock.

“You want this?” she whispered.

“Yes!” he bellowed, struggling for control . . . and failing. “Yes.”

She opened her mouth, started to ease forward. Then she stopped. “You’re sure?”

Now she was taunting him. That teasing allure had been his undoing three months ago, turned what should have been a normal night of sex into an unforgettable marathon in which he’d been determined to . . . He almost didn’t have words for his urge. Put some sort of stamp on her. Leave his mark. If she wasn’t careful, she was going to get the same treatment in her very own kitchen.

“Suck me,” he demanded, his voice low and harsh.

Alyssa sent him another of those playful smiles. “Yes, sir.”

Her words set his blood on fire. God, she was going to destroy him. This wasn’t smart, and he knew it. At the moment, he didn’t fucking care. He had to get her mouth around him, had to feel her tongue lash him, see her submissive at his feet.

Why now? Why this woman?

She moved in, parted her lips. Luc widened his stance, bracing himself for the first electric lick, his whole system jacked up on lust and need to possess. Then Alyssa exhaled on the sensitive head of his dick, and he shivered. Sensation rioted, and he held his breath. Trembled.

Her tongue peeked out. It was the most fucking erotic thing he’d ever seen. Closer, closer…

* * *

Spread the word about the Delicious excerpt and register to win a SJ Day/Shayla Black tote. Post a link to the book’s information page (http://www.shaylablack.com/bookshelf/erotic/delicious/) and/or a link to this blog post to your MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, Blog, Bulletin Board, or Yahoogroup, etc. Copy the links here in a comment. I’ll register you for a chance to win one of these handy bags.  I’ll announce the winners in 1 week!

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Wow, you all commented about the DELICIOUS excerpt! Merry Christmas to me!! All these comments are a treasure, and I’m tickled pink that you’re all so eager for this book, and no one has forgotten Luc. I’m hoping you all love it.

And the winner of the longer excerpt is… Patti! Contact me via the form on my site and I’ll send the excerpt you via email.

Running crazy now with holiday planning, shopping, baking, etc. Speaking of Delicious…share your favorite holiday cookie or cake recipe. (Please no nuts or coconut – family allergies.) I’ll choose one recipe to make before New Year. Can’t wait to hear what you love!

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As a little holiday present to those awaiting the release of DELICIOUS (Luc’s book), I’ve put up an excerpt just for you! Read and comment. I’ll draw a lucky winner next Monday to receive a larger e-excerpt of the book.

Other than that, the holidays are consuming a bit of my time, as I’m sure is true with all of you. I’m working hard to race to The End of a past-due deadline. Making progress, but it’s a bit slower than I’d like. One day at a time…

I hope everyone has a great week!

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A couple of odds and ends before I share a special recipe with you all. For those in the US, I hope you had a great Thanksgiving. Mine was lovely, but I’m ready to get back to work and finish Doomsday Brethren 4, which is now titled ENTICE ME AT TWILIGHT. Editor and I decided that Book 5 will be titled EMBRACE ME AT DAWN. My next DB novella (in an anthology with Jeaniene Frost) will be titled “Mated”. These release next fall, beginning in October with the novella. I’m super excited…just have a lot of writing to do between now and then.

Last Monday, I blogged about Kris Cook’s THREE TO PLAY. The winner of that contest is TigMode! Email me via the contact form on my site, and I’ll get your prizes to you. Congratulations!

Lastly, a very special bookseller, Gina of Joseph-Beth Booksellers in Lexington, KY, featured SEDUCE ME IN SHADOW for her November romance readers book club. When they met to discuss the book, Gina (who loves to bake) made cookies in Caden’s honor and has graciously agreed to allow me to share the recipe. I’m going to make these for the holidays, as they sound fantastic!

CADEN’S CANDY COOKIES
1/3 c. melted butter
1/4 c. sour cream
1 lg. egg
1 Devil’s Food cake mix
1 c. chopped Heath candy bars and/or Hershey’s bars (optional: Crunch, Choc. w/nuts, etc.)

Preheat oven to 350; set aside 2 ungreased baking sheets.

In a large bowl mix butter, sour cream and egg.  Add cake mix and beat on low for 1 min., then on medium for 2 mins.  Stir in candy.

Shape tablespoonsful into a ball and place on sheet.

Bake 12-14 minutes.  Let cool on sheets 2 minutes then remove to cooling racks to cool completely.

Yield: 3 1/2 doz.

Cookies may be frozen

If anyone tries them, please tell me how much you enjoy them. I’m off to sink back into the world of the DB. Have a great Monday!

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Happy Monday, all. Today, my fellow author and bestest bud, Kris Cook, releases his second ebook, THREE TO PLAY, from Siren Publishing. As you can see from the rockin’ cover, it’s a menage book. MMF with a May/December romance… Yum! Here’s the official blurb:

Just three weeks from her dreaded fortieth birthday, Beth Taylor’s radio show is turned upside-down. Corporate gurus force her to take on sexy duo Clint Moore and Dustin Lake for a new broadcasting morning team. Beth doesn’t have the patience to deal with the young bucks, in or out of the bedroom. But both Clint and Dustin are determined to share her, and nothing will get in their way.

When the three end up in bed, will old secrets force them apart or bring them together for a lifetime of passion?

 “Sizzling hot and tender in all the right places…”  ~ Melissa Schroeder, international bestselling ebook author.

Excerpt – Three to Play

Clint peeled his pants off and tossed them to the floor. Boxers. The head of his cock stood out of the waistband.

All that control she’d seen the past few weeks masked what loomed inside him. Instinct and heat. Intensity.

If she didn’t hold herself together, he’d overwhelm her in minutes.

Clint unbuttoned her pants and slid them off. His fingers skimmed along her thighs. Goosbumps and a hot zing followed his hands. When her pants cleared her ankles and puddle on the hardwood floor, her arousal clamped tight inside her.

Dustin slid next to her on the couch, kissing her shoulder.

Beth looked down. She’d chosen pink panties. Her cheeks heated to a temperature of an iron on the hottest setting. On the front of the delicate silk, her desire left a large damp spot. Before she could cover it, Clint dove over the material with his mouth. Every cell in her body began to roar, to electrify. His tongue on the fabric lashed her clit underneath. She cried out.

“How does that feel, darlin?” Dustin murmured, kissing his way up her neck.

“A-Amazing. More. Please…”

Dustin stroked her hair. The guy could be so gentle, so kind. And yet so dangerous.

“Tell me what you’re feeling, Beth.” Dustin said, as he moved his hands to her nipples and latched on.

“Light-headed,” she panted. “Excited.”

With his dark eyes full of promise and raw desire, Clint ripped her panties away. An instant later, Dustin darted between her thighs and laved  his tongue over her clit. Her mouth went lax, insides doing somersaults. Gripping the soft silk of his hair in her hands, she moaned.

“Do you want more?” Clint’s mouth on her breast was erotic torture.

Dustin drove her wild with his tongue on her clit.

She wanted to answer, but with both men tonguing her to new heights of intoxication, she couldn’t.

She couldn’t hold back another second. A vibration swirled inside her. “Y-Yes!”

Clint and Dustin didn’t ease up on her. Their mouths worked magic on her, and her orgasm exploded from her core to every nerve ending.

After a bit, her climax faded back. Her breathing steadied.

“You came for us. Good.” A hint of a smile showed on Clint’s face. “Just the first of many.”

Every whisper seemed to wander over her skin, raising goose pimples along the way. And the way he caressed her, kissed her, spoke to her blew her mind. A total tease at the outset, but he’d delivered, even as he reassured her.

Clint kept her on edge. He was more urgent, focused, as he took her mouth again. He never seemed to tire of her favorite activity. She closed her eyes as he deepened his kiss. When she opened them again, she saw his dark eyes staring back, unblinking, intense. He’d take and demand, then exact more. At that moment, she doubted herself. Could she satisfy such a man? Beth’s body stiffened at the thought.

As if sensing her fear, Clint gently slid his hand up her thigh while continuing their kiss. As his fingers skated over her mound, settling in firm circles on her clit, she tensed again, this time neither from fear or unease. Instead, the infinite want these two men extracted from her made her rigid all over.

Clint continued his friction on her clit. Another climax took her.

“G-God!” Tears fell from her eyes. Detonations from the orgasm erupted inside her.

“That’s it, Beth.” Clint whispered. “Let yourself go. Feel everything. There’s more to come. Much more.”

When her climax quieted, Beth locked gazes with Clint. She imagined him hungry, ready to pounce.

He lifted her up from the sofa as if she was made of air. She could feel his rock-solid arms, one around her shoulders, the other beneath her knees. She leaned her head into his chest.

“Time to move this to the bedroom.” Clint’s voice, low and measured, seduced.

Dustin nodded. “I agree.”

Beth’s toes curled. The bedroom. She knew what would happen. Here, in her living room, she might still be able to stop them from moving horizontal. But in there?

Still, she couldn’t find the will to end the evening.

* * * * *

Tell me what you enjoy about the excerpt most or what in the excerpt intrigued you most. Comment here by Friday, and I’ll randomly choose a winner to receive an ebook of Kris’s first menage book, PERFECTION and a copy of my menage ebook, DANGEROUS BOYS AND THEIR TOY. Enjoy!

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Sorry for the long absence, all. I’ve had a few mom things that needed attention and was feeling a bit under the weather last week. Better now, I think.

Not much news to update you on… Still working on DB4 and beginning to make progress. The plot has been approved by my editor, so it’s full steam ahead. Just waiting on the official title, since my first suggestion was too close to another title Pocket is publishing next summer. Bummer, but not much I can do.

I’ve done a self-edit on my half of FOUR PLAY (anthology with Maya Banks), Her Fantasy Men. I’m happy with the story and can’t wait to share it with you. It’s uber hot, if I say so myself. It comes out next October, but I’m hoping you find it worth the wait.

I’ve been surprised by emails requesting a book about Blade and Lucia (the continuation of the Sexy Caper series after Strip Search). I’m also receiving a fair amount of requests for more books about Cam, Thorn and Brenna (from Dangerous Boys and Their Toy). I’m also hearing from readers about what they’d like to see happen next in the Doomsday Brethren series. I wish I could accommodate all these requests, but eventually I may get to hit a few, at least. I’ll keep you posted.

Other than that… I bought advance tickets for New Moon this coming Friday. Can’t wait! I picked up a DVD of The Ugly Truth. I loved that flick! We also purchased Band Hero over the weekend. It’s probably one of the most fun in the Guitar Hero series, IMO. I watched way too much HGTV and History Channel this weekend. Oh, and I raked leaves. Ugh!

So now that it’s Monday, I’m back on track (I hope). Wish me luck!

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Not to imply that everyone isn’t a winner… But with Bonnie’s help, I have the names of the winners from my two most recent contests:

The winner of the $50 Amazon gift certificate is…Christy!

The winner of the 10 books, including 2 signed by me is…Blanche!

Ladies, please use the contact form on my website to give me your information. To everyone, thank you for participating, and getting the word out out POSSESS ME AT MIDNIGHT!!

Still fighting my elbow, so I’m blogging sparingly, but more soon!

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Hello! Shayla was super gracious in allowing me to talk with you all today. My name is Bonnie Hoffmaster and I’m an obsessive reader and HUGE Shayla fan.

So after reading the most recent installment of the Doomsday Brethren, POSSESS ME AT MIDNIGHT, which is absolutely wonderful by the way, I had some questions and I’ve been given permission to ask away!

What I’m really curious about is: how and where do you find a new-to-you author? Do you have certain websites or blogs you visit, or perhaps an email group? For myself, I came across my first Shayla Black book quite by accident. I’m a member of Rhapsody Book Club, which is for romance lovers. So one day I was just looking around the site when this SEXY cover caught my eye – it was the cover for Wicked Ties. So I read the description, then the excerpt and realized I had to have that book! And the rest is history, as they say, because I am such a Shayla fangirl it’s almost embarrassing LOL.

So tell me – how did you first find out about Shayla’s books? And what kind of promotional stuff catches your eye? Do you look for new-to-you authors on Facebook? MySpace? Are you big on message boards or Yahoogroups? This inquiring mind wants to know!

Keep spreading the word about POSSESS ME AT MIDNIGHT in your favorite ways! Post the title, Shayla’s name, blurb and/or what you’d like to say about the book. Post that wherever you like to hear about books from other readers, then leave a comment here with the link and/or description of your post. Shayla will register you for a NEW drawing to win a $50 Amazon.com gift certificate. Deadline is 11/3. Post as many times as you want. You’ll be entered you for each post.

Happy Friday!

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It’s FINALLY here!!! POSSESS ME AT MIDNIGHT should be available everywhere in both print and eBook format. I’m putting up another of my favorite excerpts below…along with prizes.

Doomsday Brethren Series, Book 3 — Ice’s story
Publisher: Pocket Books
ISBN-10: 1416578463
ISBN-13: 9781416578468
Genre: Paranormal/Urban Fantasy Romance
Release Date: October 27, 2009
Scroll down to read the first chapter!
Order: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Borders
Books-A-Million | Simon & Schuster | Indie Bound
Overstock | Target
Download eBook: Kindle | Barnes & Noble
Fictionwise | Sony |Simon & Schuster

An apocalypse approaches in the new novel from bestselling author Shayla Black’s electrifying Doomsday Brethren series, as a magical warrior and a spirited witch ignite a smoldering passion that could destroy them both.

As a mysterious dark cloud drains the life of her beloved brother, Doomsday Brethren leader Bram, Sabelle Rion can think of little else. Still, every time she meets Ice Rykard’s intense green gaze, her body aches with need for the sexy warrior. Their attraction is explosive, incredible—and forbidden. As dangerous as he is unpredictable, Ice is her brother’s sworn enemy. But as Bram weakens, a more sinister force is gaining power. Evil Mathias and his ruthless Anarki army are on a bloodthirsty hunt for the Doomsday Diary. Sabelle must guard the potent book with her life—and Ice vows to protect the beautiful witch with his. Duty demands that Sabelle deny her lover’s fiery call of possession and mate with a man who can sway the magical Council against the impending rebellion. With the fate of magickind hanging in the balance, will she forsake the burning desires she can’t ignore or turn her back on her people for the courageous man she can’t resist?

Reviews
Rated HOT! “The volatile emotions in this tale are truly combustible!” ~ RT Bookclub

“Captivating… POSSESS ME AT MIDNIGHT [is] a book you won’t want to miss.” ~ Romance Reviews Today

Recommended Read! “Page-turning magical suspense… Wring[s] emotion from every pore… leaves readers clamoring for more.” ~ Fallen Angels Reviews

“I could not stop reading. POSSESS ME AT MIDNIGHT is absolutely perfect.” ParaNormal Romance Reviews

“I love the angst and passion between Sabelle and Ice; it’s tangible and often breathtaking. Possess Me At Midnight is another exciting chapter in the Doomsday Brethren’s fight…” Joyfully Reviewed

“Totally rewarding and particularly satisfying.” Single Titles

“Better?” she asked.

Gingerly, he nodded. He looked white and exhausted and utterly depleted.

“Internal damage?”

“Healing.” He squeezed her hand. “I stopped the burn in time.”

A whole sentence. And now, he was breathing easier. His injuries were healing. “You’re certain?”

Again, he nodded. More a jerk of his stubbled chin than anything, but enough. “The damage stopped when you dragged me from the cellar. If you hadn’t come for me—”

“Of course I would.” Did he just assume she would leave him there to die?

“You could have run straight into danger, Sabelle.” He swallowed and fought for a breath, squeezed her hand again. “When I’m well, I’m putting you over my knee for that.”

Despite the gravity of the situation, her face flamed. “You’ll do no such thing.”

He rolled his eyes. “Don’t take away all my fun.”

A joke? He’d nearly died ten minutes ago, and now he was telling a joke. He didn’t wish her to know the extent of his injuries, clearly.

“Amusing, indeed.”

“Infuriating,” he corrected. “No more chances with your safety. On this point, Bram and I agree. You’re into magickind’s troubles too deeply.”

“I’ll tell you what I told Bram: I won’t sit about like some helpless princess while the rest of magickind fights. It’s my cause too.”

“Your funeral as well, if you’re not careful.”

“It could be anyone’s,” she argued. “Everyone’s. That’s Mathias’s doing. Not mine. Now, stop arguing and tell me how you feel. The internal damage has stopped?”

“Yes. I fought it off in the cellar, then you took me away. Between distance and your touch, I’ve improved.”

“Anything else?”

He hesitated. “My head. When the mine hit me, the force of it thrust me back. My head hit the wall. I heard a loud thump.”

Judiciously avoiding looking at the lower half of his very naked body, she gripped his large calloused hand in hers. Closing her eyes, she gathered up her power and summoned the siren in her. To Ice, she sent waves of healing, peace, sleep.

He growled. Suddenly, a wall shot up between them, blocking her well-meaning sentiments. Sabelle gasped. Where had that come from? Ice? Did he have the energy for that? Or was the mine still working its dark magic?

Then the barricade crumbled, and she felt Ice again. But this time, he sent her a blast of something else—desire that was thick, hot, screaming with lust and sex and need.

With a gasp, she pulled back.

A tired smile creased his face, and despite his exhaustion, his arrogance shone through. “Felt that, did you? I told you, I’ve no need for your happy sunshine and rainbows.”

“I sent you peaceful healing,” she argued. “You do need it.”

“Rubbish. I let you feel what I truly need.”

That overwhelming battering ram of desires and yearning? She placed a hand to her chest and forced herself to breathe evenly. Knowing he wanted her that badly staggered her. She blinked, looked at Ice, focusing on those green eyes of his that glowed with unquestionable want. Exhaustion still etched his face, and she knew that sending her any emotion had cost precious energy he didn’t have. Why bother?

“No one has ever bombarded me with their emotions like that.”

“You tell others what to feel and they abide?”

She frowned. “I try to be helpful and soothe the troubles or worries others have. I’m hardly forcing unwanted feelings upon them.”

“I didn’t want to sleep, princess.”

Sabelle felt her face flush again. “So I gathered.”

“Glad we’re clear.”

“Ice, you hardly have the energy to be wasting on such things. My touch has given you some, I suppose. But the sleep was to help you. I meant no insult. You must concede, your energy is dangerously low. Your magical signature is nearly transparent.”

He pressed his lips together and said nothing.

“Is—is that why you sent me the sexual vibrations?” She bit her lip and felt her cheeks flame up again. What was it about Ice that made her feel so feminine? “You need…energy?”

He stared, heavy, glowing, jaw clenched. “Sabelle…”

“You do.” She swallowed, studying his increasingly sheer magical signature. Normally a bold green laced with a fiery red. Black rimmed it, and she’d always worried that was a commentary on his sanity or his soul. But now, she could see straight through it all. And that frightened her. Without recharging, he would be unable to run, flee, help her evade Mathias. Yes, her touch, because he had Called to her, provided a bit of energy. But without a full dose of power, eventually he would die.

She eased off the bed and rose to her feet. With trembling hands, she pulled off her shirt. Instantly, she felt his gaze on the slopes of her shoulder, the curve of her neck, the lacy cups of her bra. His icy-hot eyes made her shiver. She locked stares with him, unable to look away.

Sabelle reached for the button of her jeans. Instead, he reached up and clamped his hands around her wrists. “Don’t.”

“But you need energy.”

“Yes, but—”

“You Called to me, so you can touch no other. And…I have no anger in me now to try to boost you that way. You want me and—”

“You know it. But I will be damned if I’ll let you make me into your next Lucan: a patient, a duty, a burden. What passes between us will never be an act you endure merely to heal me.” He squeezed on her wrists. “I would rather die.”

“Your pride is misplaced. My opinion is neither here nor there. Your life—”

“Will mean little if I have to swallow the bitter pill of being nothing to you. I hardly expect you to Bind to me, but I won’t have your pity.”

His passionate speech had used up more energy he could ill afford. The stubborn man! Frustration built inside her, a crescendo that trumpeted into fury. Ice could die, and he wanted to debate the meaning of an act intended to save his life? He sought to force her admission that she trembled for his touch before he allowed her into his bed. The energy exchange would be clean, simple, if he would merely accept her help. Did he not understand that crowding it with words and confessions would only make matters more difficult?

She tore her wrists from his grip, stepped away, and stripped off her pants and knickers. Her bra quickly followed. Ice’s eyes clamped onto her. His nostrils flared. His entire body tensed, and though she swore she would not look down, her gaze drifted across the harsh rise and fall of his chest, the undulation of his abdomen…and fixed on the hard stalk of his cock rising between his well-muscled thighs. A sudden gush of dampness slicked her intimately, where she now ached. She swallowed against the riot of sensations, a need unlike anything she’d ever felt.

If she admitted that to Ice, he would use this desire against her mercilessly.

Sabelle wanted to believe, more than anything, that Ice was motivated strictly by his desire to possess the witch he perceived as his mate. But niggling doubt made her wonder if revenge fueled him more.

“You have my help.” Her voice trembled as she sat on the edge of the bed next to him. “You need no more than that.”

Ice raised a dark brow. “You have no idea what I need.”

Before she could argue, he grabbed her around the waist and threw her under him, until her back hugged the sheets steeped in his warmth and earthy scent. He loomed over her, his shoulders blocking out most of the room’s light. She felt surrounded, enveloped. Overwhelmed.

“Did you come for him?”

His big, hot hands gripped her hips, and slid up her torso until his palms cradled her breasts. And his touch burned her. She bit her lip to hold in a gasp, but the aftershocks of their contact reverberated, crashing wave after wave of desire through her body. She softened. Her nipples peaked. She grew wetter.

He stopped. Sniffed. Smiled. “You want me.”

“My body is ready.” She dared not admit more.

His smile slipped, and he grunted. “Bloody answer me.”

Damn it all, she’d forgotten the question. “I’ve no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Lucan,” he growled. “Did you want him? Did he give you pleasure? Bring you to peak?”

Very direct questions. That shouldn’t surprise her. But she couldn’t answer him. No answer would satisfy him. In either event, he’d turn this into some sort of chest-beating competition. And the truth would only cause…issues.

“It’s hardly relevant. You need me, and I am offering. Nothing more or less.”

He flicked his thumbs across her nipples. Slowly. Back and forth. Until she gasped.

“I plan to make certain it is much, much more.”

To celebrate release day, I’m giving away a signed copy of TEMPT ME WITH DARKNESS and SEDUCE ME IN SHADOW, plus free reads from some favorite authors including Maya Banks, Gena Showalter, Sabrina Jeffries and others. 10 books in all! To register to win, SPREAD the word about POSSESS ME AT MIDNIGHT. Mention the book, series and release day (blurb appreciated but optional) on your Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, blog, message/bulletin boards, etc OR review the book on an online bookstore or personal blog. Comment here with the link and you’re registered to win. The winner will be drawn on 11/3.

Hope everyone enjoys the release!

29 comments