Archive for March, 2008
Leaving on a Jet Plane…
I know this is an old song, so pardon me… But I’m headed to NYC this morning and won’t be back until Sunday night. I may have someone come over here and watch the place while I’m gone. I’ll come back with pics, and I’m getting to see the lovely Sylvia Day and Sasha White, so it will be a great trip!
Have a wonderful weekend!
10 commentsCover, cover, cover…cover?
So the publishing business is a little odd to start with. But sometimes, it gets downright interesting. In the latest example, the cover for my May 13 Samhain release A PERFECT MATCH has been a musical chairs of versions.
Here’s the “official” blurb, just to set the stage…
Sports reporter Mitch MacKinnon is stuck writing an exposé about a local dating service, and no amount of foot-dragging or complaining will get him out of it. When he gets a look at the sexy blonde owner, things start looking up. He’d love the chance to date Juliette Lowell a time or two. But he’s here to dish the dirt that’ll be his ticket to a big-time newspaper; a relationship is the furthest thing from his mind.
Juliette’s got Mitch pegged from the word go—he’s an overgrown jock who wouldn’t know a true emotion if it was wrapped in pigskin. Delicious dimples and killer brown eyes aside, the man is incredibly infuriating. All she needs is one chance to prove she can find a perfect match for anyone. Even him.
Then her “foolproof” database spits out the results. Mitch’s perfect match? Juliette. If she’s right, Mitch will have to eat his words—and the story that’ll take him to the top.
So we started with a cover that the artist and I came up with together. I really loved it. Because I don’t have the rights to these images, Samhain asked me to remove the cover.
Samhain sent me another image that they also asked me to remove. It was too erotic and too orange for me. She looked bored. And he had total Bernie clothes on. Not who dressed him, butut that cover just wasn’t working for me.
Instead, I found this image and and a friend work up a simple mock-up like this:
Again, the publisher gave it the thumbs down. They sent me this finally.
It’s not my favorite, frankly, but the skyline of Los Angeles at the bottom is great, and these people mostly look like my hero and heroine.
Love your thoughts… To make this interesting, I’ll pick a winner next week to receive an ebook of A Perfect Match the day it releases May 13. Check back with me!
Before I forget again, the winner of WHAT SHE WANTS AT MIDNIGHT by Kimberly Dean is Limecello. Contact me with your street address in order to claim your prize.
Have a great week!
20 commentsI Haven’t Forgotten You…
Life has been one crazed mess after another this week. So much going! I have a new official blurb for my upcoming book for Ellora’s Cave, DANGEROUS BOYS AND THEIR TOY. Drumroll please…
Trading orgasms for information isn’t their usual way of doing business, but when a missing criminal-turned-star-witness and fifty grand are on the line, bounty hunter R. A. Thorn and Detective Cameron Martinez are prepared to put their bodies to the task and give gorgeous Brenna Sheridan everything she needs.
An exchange they never anticipated becomes an experience none can forget—or walk away from. Sexual hunger sizzles the threesome, but the stakes and danger rise as a mafia bad-ass stalks Brenna.
Soon, their “deal” is no longer about information—or sex. Emotions bind Brenna, Cam and Thorn together more tightly than they ever imagined as the men protect—and serve—the beloved woman neither can live without.
The release, which I thought would originally be July or August is now May 28! So I’ll be teasing you with excerpts soon. I don’t have an official cover for this one yet. Still also waiting for a cover for my May 13 Shelley Bradley/Samhain release, A PERFECT MATCH. As soon as I have deets for either, I’ll let you know.
Because I have nothing profound to say today, I’ll leave you with the man I meant to post on Monday. Yeehaw!
Your Questions Answered
I realized that many of you folks had asked me questions lately and I just hadn’t had the chance to answer them yet in the blur that is my life. Rather than bury them in the comments of various posts, I thought I’d toss the answers out here for every to see. If you want to add to this list, feel free. I’ll either amend this post or put the answer in the comments. Ready? Here we go…
1) Yes, I realize that last month’s newsletter didn’t look optimal for everyone. It looked good for me and the web mistress, but other people’s email programs turned the text anything from glaring yellow to black, which on a black background was tough. New template and we had technical difficulties installing it. Many apologies. We are working to correct it for next month. In the meantime, here are the winners from the blog/monthly contest. To collect your prize, please contact me directly with the prize you won and your steet address, so I can pass your information onto the author who donated the prize.
• Aliciaeflores1@… wins a copy of one of Jaci Burton’s backlist titles
• LeesBlueRoses@… wins a copy of Rhyannon Byrd’s LAST WOLF STANDING and LAST WOLF HUNTING
• Blog poster Kristen wins a copy of Cathryn Fox’s THE HOT LINE
• Blog poster Sonya wins Joey W. Hill’s MARK OF THE VAMPIRE QUEEN
• HillbillyChick23@… wins a copy of one of Lora Leigh’s backlist books
• Blog poster Deidre wins Mackenzie McKade’s eBook of BLACK WIDOW (or a print copy of LISA’S GIFT)
• Blog poster Ro aka Toygoddess wins Melissa Schroeder’s A LITTLE HARMLESS SEX
• MarkSara@… wins a copy of Nalini Singh’s SLAVE TO SENSATION
• Blog poster Allison wins a copy of Charlene Teglia’s SATISFACTION GUARANTEED
• Debbieellison@… wins a copy of Sasha White’s LUSH
• Blog poster JSL wins a copy of Beth Williamson’s DEVILS ON HORSEBACK: NATE
• SavvyBookReader@… wins a copy of Shelley Bradley’s A PERFECT MATCH
2) 
Lots of questions about why Luc’s book, DELICIOUS, as been put off. The simple answer is that my upcoming paranormal/urban romance series, The Doomsday Brethren, which launches with TEMPT ME WITH DARKNESS on August 26, introduces a very complicated world with lots of interesting people. I’d love to be able to say that I can crank out a book every 2 months, but alas, no. 4-5 months is the minimum. When Pocket came to me and asked me to change my schedule so that we could introduce more Doomsday Brethren books in 2009 so that readers wouldn’t forget this intricate world, I agreed. But this meant that I had to focus on nothing but Doomsday Brethren books for a while. I’m finishing revisions on the first, then will begin 2 and 3 in the series. Because they are being released back to back, they must be written back to back. I couldn’t squeeze Luc in there, too. I’m really sorry, and he’s on my radar. I hope you’ll be happy with these books until I can get Luc back into my schedule.
3) Which leads me to the question about why there’s such a long stretch between TEMPT ME WITH DARKNESS and the next two titles, which we’re tentatively calling SEDUCE ME IN SHADOW and ENTHRALL ME AT NIGHTFALL. If you’re not aware, print publishers need about a year to produce a book that winds up on your shelf. I will probably turn in the next Doomsday Brethren in the last summer/early fall. I’m hoping to turn in the one following shortly after the first of next year. So we’re already a little behind for October and November releases in 2009. But because there are SO MANY steps necessary to releasing a print book, I will be done with these books long before you’ll see them. I swear, I’m writing as fast as I can.
4) Will I be tempting you with more excerpts from TEMPT ME WITH DARKNESS besides the little peek I gave you on Valentine’s Day? Absolutely. This summer, you’ll be hearing a lot about Marrok and Olivia, along with the rest of the Doomsday Brethren: Bram, Duke, Lucan, Shock, Caden, and Ice. Subsequent books will deal with most of these heroes…though not necessarily in that order. 
5) With regard to A PERFECT MATCH, my May 13 Samhain title, I said that I’d started the book years ago and finally was able to finish it just recently. What was my sudden inspiration? I don’t know if I’ll call it that. I think it’s more accurate to say that I ran across the files on my computer one day, remembered that I’d always loved the characters and wished that I could find the right ending for them. I sat down and read what I had, and suddenly, the ending was all in my head. Sometimes, time away from a book gives an author enough distance to look at it differently and realize what should be changed. Sometimes it’s that you’ve matured or your sub-conscious has been playing with it for a while, and worked out all the problems. You just didn’t know it. Whatever happened here, I think it finally worked, so I’m pleased. Hope you are too.
6) Do I have a date for DANGEROUS BOYS AND THEIR TOY from Ellora’s Cave? Not yet. I finished up the edits on Sunday. My editor and I have been discussing a blurb. Once that’s done, she’ll be able to come back to me with a firm date. At this point, we’re shooting for late July/early August. I’ll keep you posted.
7) Finally, have I been watching New Amsterday? I have the first 3 episodes on DVR. I’m hoping to sit down with them soon. I’m trying to push something out the door right now, but as soon as I have a little break, I’ll race through all 3 and render a verdict. The buzz so far has been good, so I’m looking forward to watching it.
Happy Friday, all!
11 commentsWhat She Wants At Midnight
Kimberly Dean is not a new-to-me author by any stretch, but she might be new to you. I first found her writing in Secrets, Volume 9, published by Red Sage. I also read and adored her work for Black Lace and Ellora’s Cave. If you’re unfamiliar with Kimberly…you should change that. Today, with the release of WHAT SHE WANTS AT MIDNIGHT.
The man of Devon Bradshaw’s dreams is exactly that—in her dreams.
Cael Oneiros is a Dream Wreaker, descended from Greek gods, and ever since his first night at Devon’s bedside, he’s wanted to fill the luscious redhead’s sweet dreams with steamy satisfaction. It tortures him not to touch her, not to stay by her side until dawn — but without his help, none of his other mortal charges can sleep.
Desperate to touch her dream man, Devon casts a love spell…and is stunned when it works. With a little mandrake, some mugwort, and a few rose petals, she finally has her legs wrapped around Cael’s muscular body — and the sex is a mind-blowing pleasure ride she could never have dreamed up. But her magic didn’t come with a warning label, and while she’s burning up the sheets every night with her sexy sandman, her love spell has consequences she didn’t expect….
Here’s an excerpt:
© Copyright KIMBERLY DEAN, 2008.
Pocket Books, March 2008.
Slowly, she opened her eyes.
It was the same as it had always been. The room was dark, save for the moonlight slanting through the window by her head. Yet, as she listened carefully, she could hear breaths other than her own.
Her pulse began to thud.
Hesitantly, her gaze shifted upwards. Dark, fathomless eyes stared back at her. The distress in them nearly matched her own.
A soft whimper left her throat. Why must it always be this way?
She tried to lift her hand, and her breath hitched. Her arm drifted upward, almost weightless. She turned her hand to look at her palm, amazed when her muscles effortlessly obeyed.
Freedom! The crushing lethargy was gone. She was free to move!
She surged upright. She heard his sudden intake of breath and felt the air about her shift as he stepped backwards.
“No! Don’t leave me. Not this time.”
Kneeling on the mattress with the covers bunched around her feet, she hesitantly reached for him.
And found him. Warm and real under the gentle touch of her palm.
She watched in wonder as the moonlight haze cleared. The fog dissipated as particles assembled. Energy and matter collected at the point where she touched his cheek, and a rugged face appeared. Devon froze, afraid to move, afraid to breathe. She didn’t want to do anything to accidentally make this all go away. In awe, she stared into those dark eyes.
He let out a shuddering breath at the feel of her touch and, suddenly, he was there. Tall, muscled, and alive.
Her hungry gaze took in every inch of him. He had dark hair to match the dark eyes, a wicked slash of a mouth, and wide shoulders. She swallowed hard as her gaze drifted lower. Good God, he was ripped! Unable to stop herself, she slid her hand down to his muscular chest. She understood now why she’d always been able to feel his heat. He generated it like a furnace. Entranced, she watched as her fingers traced the lines of his body. She’d imagined him for so long. Now, he was here, and he was a thousand times better than anything her imagination had ever conjured.
“Devon?” he asked, his voice hoarse. His heart thundered under her palm. Shock shone in his eyes as his body went on the alert, but he didn’t pull back. Instead, his gaze dropped to where she touched him.
Hearing her name on those lips sent a shiver down her spine. “I finally found you.”
Confusion wrinkled his brow. “But what… How?”
“I wished it,” she whispered. “I made the dream continue.”
Her inquisitive fingers began to slide down to the well-delineated muscles of his six-pack abs. Her senses were bombarded with him. She’d always been able to sense him. Now she could see him. Touch him. Hear him.
She wanted to taste.
She swayed forward, but he drew back.
“What dream?” His dark eyes were lit with fire. She could feel the heat as he searched her face.
“This dream, my dream of us.”
She slowly reached for him again, and this time he didn’t stop her. Her fingers shook as she traced the line of his jaw. “I dream of you every night. You stand over me while I sleep.”
He stilled. “You’ve watched me?”
Her lips twitched. “I’ve watched you watch me.”
His muscles tensed, and he gradually stepped away from her. Putting the wall at his back, he quickly searched the room. When his gaze finally landed on her again, it was hot. Blistering hot, yet guarded.
“What’s happening here?” he asked, his voice tight.
Devon could see his wariness. She felt his desire more.
She slipped off the bed. “Why are you so upset? I thought you’d want this.”
He froze. Shock lit his face as he looked first at her and then back to the bed.
He caught her then, pulling her to him protectively. She gasped aloud. His touch on her flesh sizzled. He felt it, too. For a long moment, his hands lingered. Finally, he looked into her eyes. “Devon,” he whispered. “How did you ‘make the dream continue’?”
God, she loved his hands on her. “The power of suggestion,” she nearly purred.
He caught her chin. “Red, what did you do?”
She looked into those eyes that had tempted her for so long. “A love spell.”
Unbidden, the spaghetti strap of her nightie slid down her shoulder.
The glide of silk was inexorable. They both watched, unable to stop it as it slipped over his fingers, brushed against his knuckles, and bared the upper curve of her breast.
The air in the room thickened as they both went dead still.
Devon lifted her gaze slowly to his face. The muscles in his throat worked as he stared at her. Hungrily. Achingly. Devotedly. Desire hit her so hard, her knees nearly buckled. Those were the dark eyes she knew. This was the connection she’d always felt between them.
He looked at her helplessly.
Then turning his hand, he caught the teal blue strap and slowly tugged it down the rest of the way.
Yummy stuff! I can wait to read this!
WHAT SHE WANTS AT MIDNIGHT is available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Simon Says.
Kim will give away a copy of her anthology, IF THIS BED COULD TALK, to a lucky blog poster. Comment away. The winner will be chose this Sunday.
20 commentsManly Monday
Between Daylight Savings Time and revisions…you guessed it, I’m behind. I’ll catch you up on a few things before we get today’s…um, topic.
First, I finished the edits for my first Ellora’s Cave release, DANGEROUS BOYS AND THEIR TOY. I’ve sent them back, so I’m hoping to have an official release date soon. I’m shooting for July/August, but I’ll keep you posted.
It also looks as if A PERFECT MATCH may be going back for a revised/tweaked cover. Trying to get the scoop for you. I should know more in the next two weeks. I’ll be sure to post the new cover once it’s final.
The cover for TEMPT ME WITH DARKNESS is final. In case you haven’t seen, here it is.
Isn’t he purty?
Still working on the book, then will get started on the next two in the series, which are scheduled for release back to back in October/November 2009.
And, of course, the new site went up recently. Just love it!
I think that’s all the “big” news for now. So without further ado, I’ll get on to the inspiration for the day. Drumroll, please…
*sigh* Happy Monday!
21 commentsIt’s Summer…no, it’s Winter…wait, it’s Spring
What the hell? The weather around here is baffling. No wonder people are getting sick left and right.
Saturday, it was 80+ degrees. Monday night, it snowed. Tuesday was 60. There’s a saying around here… “If you don’t like the weather, wait 10 minutes.” That’s almost literally true. We have not had a single freeze or bit of ice all winter. So…the weather waits until March to snow? You know, this is the sort of thing that, if you wrote into a book, no one would believe you.
Tomorrow? Who knows…
15 commentsLast Wolf Standing
Okay, so I was supposed to get this done in February, but I’m running a tad behind. (Nothing new there…) Plus, this excellent book releases TODAY! Rhyannon Byrd is fun and fabulous, and her books are sexy as hell. LAST WOLF STANDING starts the Bloodrunners trilogy for Silhouette Nocturne. Check this out!
Here’s a quick blurb:
Five seconds earlier, Mason Dillinger would have sworn it could never happen . . .
That a woman who was his perfect match even existed. And that he’d find her in a bustling café. Yet just the scent of sweet, mortal Torrance Watson ignited a driving, explosive need to claim her that he knew his pack would never sanction. Worse, the rogue werewolf he’d been hunting had sensed that attraction and made Torry his prey. Forced to safeguard her from this ruthless assassin, who already posed a threat to his pack, Mason now faced the ultimate challenge. Did he have the courage to cross the line by sealing the blood bond that would make Torry his alone—a disloyalty few of his kind ever survived—or would he live an eternity without love?
Reviews for Last Wolf Standing:
4.5 Stars from Romantic Times! “…Fast paced and exciting, Rhyannon Byrd’s Last Wolf Standing is hard to put down. The characters’ feelings are realistic, as are their reactions to each other. Byrd wonderfully sets the stage for the new Bloodrunners series. Her characters are well drawn, and her males are the epitome of sexy.” ~ Alexandra Kay, Romantic Times Book Reviews
“…The Bloodrunners are sexy, bad-assed men who are entertaining as hell! I can’t wait to read all of their stories! I have been a longtime fan of Rhyannon Byrd’s. It is with immense pleasure that I say her first Silhouette Nocturne title Last Wolf Standing, is a fantastic start to what promises to be an amazing series!” ~Nannette, Joyfully Reviewed
5 Angels and a Recommended Read from Fallen Angel Reviews! “If you’ve never read a Rhyannon Byrd book then you need to start with this one. I’ve read every book that she’s ever written and they will leave you laughing your head off and bring you to tears…and I cannot wait until the next book that will come out in this series…” ~ Missy, Fallen Angel Reviews
Excerpt:
LAST WOLF STANDING by Rhyannon Byrd
Copyright © 2008
® and ™ are trademarks of the publisher.
The edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
An Unedited Excerpt from Rhyannon Byrd’s LAST WOLF STANDING
Chapter 1
If not for the bustling noise of the crowd, anyone standing within five feet of Mason Dillinger would have easily heard the two halting, roughly drawled words that slipped slowly past the tightening line of his mouth.
“Oh shit.”
Perhaps not the most erudite of phrases, but what it lacked in eloquence it more than made up for in conviction. In fact, in Mason’s opinion it summed the situation up to perfection.
After all, it wasn’t every day that one of his kind found his life mate in a throng of jacked-up caffeine addicts. Five seconds ago he’d have sworn that it could never happen—that a woman who had been created as his perfect match, the other half of his self, even existed—but there was no denying what that scent was doing to his head, not to mention his quickly thickening body parts.
“Hell,” he muttered under his breath, reaching down with one hand to rearrange himself, pulling the edge of his flannel shirttail in front of his bulging fly. “I’m screwed.”
The second he’d stepped through the doorway into the bustling interior of The Coffee and Croissant, the smell of her had hit him like a fist upside the head, rolling across his tongue like the sweetest sin, the most wicked of temptations. It was something he wanted to sink his teeth into and swallow. Something creamy and entirely his. The erotic promise of damp, pink flesh that would be slippery and warm to the lap of his tongue, rich and succulent like a treasure.
He wanted to eat her alive…and he didn’t even know who she was.
But he knew where she was. She was somewhere in this crowded, pain-in-the ass, prepped-out joint that his Bloodrunning partner, Jeremy Burns, had insisted they duck into before the entire day had passed them by without eating. With their accelerated metabolisms, it was unhealthy to go too long without sustenance, not to mention dangerous as hell to the general population at large.
Yeah, he knew where she was. And he knew what she was, too.
She was his.
Mason’s narrowed eyes quickly scanned his surroundings, taking everything in, and then his head tilted back and he allowed inhuman senses so much sharper than mere sight to take over and read the room. Hot, fresh-baked croissants were just being taken from an industrial oven in the kitchen. To his left, a small, distinct clatter of metal against crockery as a businessman added sugar to his double cappuccino. A toddler fussed in the corner, beside a belligerent, kohl-eyed teenager in black who scowled at her father as he lectured her on the importance of grades. The myriad of sounds and scents assailed him, chaotic and full, and yet, she burned through sharp and crisp like a radiant beam of light. Vibrant, breathtaking sunshine on a bone-chilling, cloud-smothered day. Something warm and comforting like home.
Hunger clawed its way up his spine, ripping through his system with such force that he expected to look down and see blood seeping through the thin cotton of his navy T-shirt and dark-gray flannel, spreading like death down to the ragged denim of his jeans. Ripping him open quicker than teeth or claws ever could.
His nostrils flared as another soft drift of mouthwatering scent crashed through him. Yes, it was right there…lingering on the air, and a hard shudder racked the long length of his body, his skin going hot and damp as a low, unfamiliar burn began in his belly. An animal lust…but different. The unmistakable hunger for hard, grinding, gritty sex, and yet utterly foreign from the driving need he’d known in the past. Hell, he’d screwed his share of women in his lifetime, leaving them quickly and yet, always with their well-used bodies heavy with pleasure, steeped in satisfaction—but this was more. Harder. Deeper. A sharp-edged, driving need unlike anything he’d ever experienced, raging and explosive.
He didn’t just want to bury himself inside her—he had to.
But first he had to find her.
“You’re growling.” The deep voice came low and lazy from just behind him, sounding almost bored, though Mason knew his friend well enough to sense that Jeremy had picked up on his tension, even without the telltale growl rumbling up from his chest.
“Shut up,” he muttered silkily, and Jeremy snorted in return, nudging him over as he forced his way in through the door, leaving the bitter wind behind them as the glass monstrosity pulled automatically to a close. A few customers turned their heads to look at them, doing double takes as they took in the sight of two hard, well-muscled men who stood over six-foot, their casual clothes in no way disguising the brute strength of their battle-honed bodies. The two Bloodrunners reacted to the attention the same way they always did—they ignored it.
Focused on finding the woman, Mason’s nostrils flared, the sound of his heart all but filling his ears as it began a hard, purposeful beat like the pulsing chords of a Goth song. “Don’t you smell it?”
“What I smell,” Jeremy sighed, exhaustion weighing his words, “is food, which reminds me we skipped breakfast in order to get a head start on our hunt and we still haven’t had lunch. Are we going to stand here in the entrance all day, or actually order something before I have to gnaw someone’s arm off?”
“You’re not scenting her?” he questioned again, ignoring Jeremy’s crude sense of humor, and recognizing the increasing gruffness of his own voice as a clear sign that he was losing control.
Bad timing, considering they were surrounded by the flesh-and-blood of other customers, but there didn’t seem to be a goddamn thing he could do about it. He wasn’t leaving until he found her.
“Which one?” Jeremy muttered, scrubbing one sun-darkened hand over the golden stubble covering his chin as he jerked his hazel gaze left to right, scanning the crowded café. “With all the soaps and lotions women drown themselves in nowadays, flowers are all I can smell in this place, other than the food.”
Mason shook his head in frustration. No, not flowers. The evocative scent was different—deeper…earthier…and it was getting stronger.
The smell alone had him tied in knots, his body feeling tight and hot and swollen. It was something succulent and rich that sat on the tip of his tongue like a warm drop of honey. He wanted to roll it around for a deeper taste. Draw it into the cavern of his mouth and bite down on it. Hold it. Keep it and fight for it.
Harsh, lust-thick images in blazing ambers and reds flashed through his hunt-tired mind, revitalizing him, jamming his system, jacking him up and taking him to a bigger high than any substance he’d ever used. Like most cross-breeds, he’d spent his youth searching for a way to fit in and find a measure of peace, but it hadn’t taken him long to learn that life held enough chaos without him screwing with it. By the time he was a man, his innocence had long since vanished. He knew what sin tasted like…and this was it. Wicked, and yet, as sweet as heaven—the most dangerous kind of pleasure.
His keen eyesight scanned the immediate area again, falling on a lush blond in a skintight spandex workout suit sucking down a coral-colored smoothie, before quickly moving on. Not her. No…this one was different. Something sharp and uncomfortable in his gut, an uneasy trepidation, told him far different than anything he was prepared for.
Give him blood and battle and he was right at home. Give him easy and loose, and he could make a woman scream without even trying. But give him a complicated female and he shut down. Too much work and he didn’t have the time, the patience or the inclination. Women had always come too easily for him, so why the hell should he work for one?
And this one smelled…complicated.
“Seriously, man,” Jeremy growled. “If you don’t want me turning to the dark side, we need to get in line and order. I’m hungry enough to do something that we’ll both regret.”
“You’re sick, you know that.”
Heaving an exaggerated sigh, Jeremy placed his hand over his heart. “Keep saying things like that and I’ll start thinking you don’t love me anymore.”
Mason opened his mouth, a smart-ass comeback ready to slip free, suitably biting and caustic, when her scent slammed into him so hard he nearly reeled. He spun toward the line that paralleled the one he now stood in, where customers were picking up their stylishly brown-bagged orders. He knew the instant he set eyes on her, though he never would have guessed she’d be the one, had that intoxicating scent not wrapped around him like a vise. But it was her. The innocent-looking little waif with the long auburn braid, her lunch tray tucked up in front of her and a bulky paperback wedged under her right arm, tortoise-shell glasses perched smartly on the bridge of her small nose. She was wearing a deliciously tight white polo shirt with faded blue jeans, a dark red jacket tied around her waist and braided bracelets circling one delicately boned wrist, a slender silver watch on the other. A simple outfit, nothing too provocative, but on her it looked downright sinful, the way it hugged her delicate curves.
A fierce, possessive wave of heat poured through his veins while his mouth watered, and it was only with a conscious effort that Mason controlled the urge to pant like a randy dog. A nice long howl would have felt damn good at the moment, but hardly appropriate, considering their surroundings. Left with no other choice, the animal inside him grumbled its agitation, curling around itself and settling down to quietly seethe, while his human half struggled against the intense need to grab her and run, as far and fast as he could, until he had her all to himself. Not a bad idea either, except that he’d probably scare her half to death before they got there.
Left with no other option, he waited.
Time seemed to stand still as she walked toward him, his lungs burning while the top of his head felt about ready to come off. Within seconds she was in front of him, without even having glanced in his direction, and with an utterly foreign sense of desperation, he did something that he’d never, in all his thirty-three years, thought he would do.
He tripped her.
Yum! To purchase LAST WOLF STANDING, go to Amazon, Barnes & Noble or eHarlequin.
Rhyannon is giving away a copy of LAST WOLF STANDING and a copy of the next book in the series, LAST WOLF HUNTING (April 2008). All you have to do to win is leave a comment on this blog entry. Anyone already subscribed to my newsletter is automatically entered to win, but leaving a comment here doubles your chances! To see if you won, be sure to look in my MARCH newsletter!
29 comments
