…about MORE BLAZING BEDTIME STORIES?
I am not hearing a whole lot of feedback on this 2-in-1 Blaze that Julie and I have out right now, which I love. So, since I am SLAMMED right now because I’m absolutely determined to send this book in tomorrow (the one I finished weeks ago but have been rewriting and rewriting as I try to add some, erm, romance to the romantic suspense–this book just wanted to be written a certain way!) I figured I’d take a blog break, as well as trying to convince any fence-sitters who aren’t sure they’d like a pair of sexy fairy tales to give this book a try.
This excerpt is a little spicy, but it also gives you a great glimpse at the relationship between this fabulous wolf hero, Lucas, and the goth, punked-out Princess Penny.
I hope you enjoy a little heat with your bedtime stories!!
And after you’re done, why not head over to eHarlequin and order it at 25% off?
Here’s a little setup: Half-wolf lawman Lucas Wolf has come to earth to find the long-lost Princess Penelope, who’s supposed to marry stuffy, fussy Prince Ruprecht. (That is, of course, if she can pass a princess test, which includes a mountain of mattresses and a pea.)
Lucas’s big problem is that, even though he’s tracked her down so he can bring her back to marry another, he has absolutely no intention of letting Penny go!
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God, the woman really needed to learn how to hide what she was thinking. Considering he was trying like hell to keep his own secrets, knowing how much she wanted him didn’t help.
Later. Want me later. When I don’t have to be strong enough to resist you. He had to be strong now. Not only because he still had a job to do—bringing her home. But because he couldn’t take what the woman was offering until she understood exactly who she was offering it to.
She wasn’t entirely happy about it either. Her small jaw stiffened, as if she needed to imbue herself with resolve. “I can’t believe you used my razor.”
He shrugged. “I’m not worried about using something that has come in contact with your legs.” Far, far from it.
More of that color appeared, more of that confusion. More of that feisty attitude. “Yeah, well, how do you know my legs are all I use it on? Huh? Maybe I use it somewhere a whole lot more intimate than that.”
He considered for a moment, then realized what she meant. This time, his had to be the face filling with color, so hot an explosion rocked through him. His heart was definitely beating harder, his breaths thick, each one tasting like her.
“That I’d like to see,” he admitted before he could stop himself. He’d heard of women over here sporting that smooth, shorn look, but he’d never actually seen it himself. The trend might eventually make its way over to Elatyria—with the number of travelers back and forth between the lands on the rise, some other customs were certainly making their way across.
Frankly, he could have done without ever seeing a gnome with a one-inch ear gauge.
She sputtered, rising from the bed. “I was kidding.”
Shoving away a flash of disappointment, he insisted, “You don’t have to get up to defend yourself from me. I wasn’t about to rip your clothes off to see if you’re telling the truth.”
Those lavender eyes hadn’t darkened with fright; she didn’t fear him. Which was good, she didn’t need to. Although, how she could know that, he couldn’t say. He wondered if she felt it too, the instant connection. The certainty that they were supposed to be together. Something beyond mere want. Though, right now, mere want was pretty powerful in and of itself.
“I’m sorry, I’m being a shrew. You bring out the beast in me for some reason.”
Mutual.
“You saved me from something pretty awful tonight
He frowned at the thought. “He won’t get away with it.”
“I know. I’ll contact the sheriff in the morning. But I doubt he’s anywhere near here. He probably won’t stop running until he hits the Gulf of Mexico.”
“He can run as far as he wants to,” he muttered.
“Anyway, thank you, Lucas. For saving me, for bringing me back here, taking care of me.” She moved closer, the soft smell of her perfume filling every molecule of air between them.
“You’re welcome,” he replied, his voice just as low.
He didn’t know what she was about, what she intended. At least, not until she rose on tiptoe and leaned toward his face. Saying nothing, she brushed her soft lips across his in a touch as fleeting as a caress from a summer breeze.
Lucas gritted his teeth and steeled his will. Fisting his hands by his sides, he used every ounce of his power to remain still, not grab her in his arms and kiss her with all the deep hunger he’d felt for her since the moment he’d seen her.
“Why did you do that?” he asked from a tight throat when she let her heels fall to the floor to stare up at him.
He expected to hear a stammering response—It was a thank you kiss, an expression of my gratitude. Instead, he got pure honesty. Pure Penny.
“I wanted to.”
Some deep-rooted self-masochistic gene made him growl, “Do you want to again?”
She nodded once. “Yeah. A lot.”
With a groan, Lucas gave up all resistance. The invisible restraints that had seemed to bind him erupted in an explosion of pure hunger. He wrapped one arm around her waist, cupping her chin in the other hand. Dragging her up, he bent to meet her, and their lips crashed together and parted.
As Penny’s warm tongue thrust against his in deep, hungry tastes, he swallowed down the wild, untamed flavor of her. He tilted her head to one side, his to the other, needing to go deeper, wanting to devour her whole, from the inside out.
They kissed deeply, paused to gasp for air, kissed again. Penny pressed against him, hard, her soft body molding against his. He couldn’t stop himself from lowering his hand, brushing it down her neck.
“Oh, please, keep touching me,” she whispered against his lips, arching up toward his fingers.
As if he could stop. Lucas slid his hand down, determined to be careful, not to hurt her the way he knew he could, especially at this time of month. When he wanted to be…wild.
Brushing the soft curve of one breast, he let his thumb slide down over its taut tip, which thrust provocatively against the filmy shirt.
She hissed when he reached his prize and plucked at it.
“Oh, God, yes.”
He kissed her deeply again, sucking her tongue into his mouth, imitating what he wanted to do to her nipple. And her sensitive clit, which he was dying to see, touch, taste.
She didn’t have to beg him to give her what she wanted. He knew by her tiny whimpers, the cries in her throat. Without thought, without planning, he tugged the fabric up, lifting his mouth from hers just far enough to pull the shirt all the way off her. Then he touched her again, feeling warm, puckered flesh.
Plus something else.
“What the…,” he muttered, looking at the beautiful breast in his hand. Perfectly formed, pert and lush. And bejewelled.
“What the hell have you done to yourself, woman?” he asked, somehow pushing the words out of a throat that felt too tight to keep bringing necessary air into his longs. Because while part of him wanted to spank her for doing something to mar her perfect body so painfully, another part was sure he’d never seen anything as wickedly erotic in his life.
Leslie Kelly used to say she wanted to be a doctor when she grew up, but then she discovered Nancy Drew books. Being a flashlight-under-the-covers-nose-in-book reader throughout her childhood, she couldn’t think of anything else she’d rather do as an adult than continue to lose herself in fictional stories. Her real life marriage of 20 years to the man of her dreams is a constant reinforcement that happily-ever-afters really can happen…and that they’re worth writing about. Living in Maryland, Leslie spends her non-writing time laughing a lot with the above-mentioned romance hero and their three daughters. Though an author of more than thirty sexy, contemporary comedies, she has recently branched out to write dark romantic suspense under the pseudonym Leslie Parrish.
ANOTHER WILD WEDDING NIGHT
Hard to Hold
Love Me If You Dare
Wild For Him
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mine was put in the mail yesterday, hopefully with your autograph. i should have it read by the weekend, sooner if i wasn’t working on nano.
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Leslie,
I just finished it last night!!!!! I loved it. I can’t wait until May 2010 I beleive for the next one.
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The book was AWESOME :) Love, love, loved it (and I am not a fan of warewolf type stories).
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Not on the fence, just don’t have time to read! But I do want it, I swear :)
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I got my copy last month…then packed it to take on a trip and haven’t found it yet. Will be re-buying a copy as soon as it arrives at Target(will be there tonight to check). I’m sure I’ll find the other copy as soon as I buy another, but figure that way the library will also have a copy for others to read too.
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I read this over the weekend and it was Great! I enjoyed both stories and look forward to reading the next one. :)
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Hi, I have it, haven’t read it, yet!!! I really wanted this book and my Walmart didn’t have it, good for you. When I finally got to a Borders I had a cold. Well following the cold I had the flu and am not quite back yet. So, I don’t want to read a hottt book and not feel up to using the heat!! I have read good reviews and I do plan to read it soon. I have no doubt that it’s a fab read!! At my Borders it was in a nice prominent Blaze display in the middle of the area. I will report back after I’ve read this book. Thanks, Sue
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I got a gift card recently and use it. Blazing Bedtime stories should be winging it’s way to me even as I write this. Great excerpt!
Cher :fallleaf:
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I haven’t read it yet, but I want to. It’s on my list of books to buy – but to do that I need space on the credit card. If I want to get hold of it in NZ, then I have to wait around six months.
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Hey Les, I have the book already, I have just been really swamped and trying my hand at NaNo…I am so behind in word count it isn’t even funny. I am going to read that book tonight though. It is my day off/evening off, so I will set some time aside to read it.
How was your booksigning?
Happy writing, and I am sure you will get what you need to get done, so no worries. Talk to you whenever you get a chance to come for air from under the new WiP.
Peace and love,
Paula R.
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I bought this book last Thursday and finished it Thursday nite….loved, loved, loved it!!!!
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I have the book and did a review on it over at the Petit Fours and Hot Tamales blog on Saturday. LOVED IT!!!! You definitely created a fan and I have added your names to my “must buy” list. I’ll be looking for more books from you ladies the next time I make it to the store.
If you want to check out the review, here is the link! Thanks a ton for two wonderful stories!!!
http://petitfoursandhottamales.blogspot.com/
Tami Brothers
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I read it and reviewed it over at the Petit Fours and Hot Tamales blog this past Saturday. I LOVED it!!!! You guys definitely made a new fan and I’ve since added you both to my “must buy” list.
I’ll be looking for other titles from both of you the next time I head to the store.
Thanks a ton for two awesome stories!!!
Tami Brothers
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Just wanted to say a quick THANK YOU to everyone who has bought it, and if you’ve read and loved it, DOUBLE thank you. I’m so happy to hear it!
Tami, I just went and checked out the review–how totally cool! Thank you so much, I really love your blogsite (and love the name…very clever)
PS: Book is DONE and GONE and now I’m back to work on the next fairytale novella for Blaze, which I had been working on and now have to get back to and finish by next week!