Good morning!  First and foremost, thank you so much to everyone who downloaded a copy of SAFE FROM THE DARK this weekend – it was such fun to write, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Today I’ve got a little SAFE FROM THE FIRE excerpt for you, and some new cover art for SHADOW OF THE RAVEN, the prequel novella for my HEARTS OF STONE series, which (fingers crossed) will be up at the end of the month, and then Book #1 in April.

Like it?  It may change a little, but overall I’m happy with it – I love  her tattoos, which fit in perfectly with the story, and the birds give it this whole Hitchcock vibe, I think.  Not to mention the gorgeous, bare, muscle-y man candy above.  That’s Cal.  He’s inspiring in more ways than one…LOL…and actually gets two books, as he’s our hero in Book #1 as well.  The title is still eluding me, but I have a little time on that.

And now for your weekly dose of Matt & Grace.  Enjoy!  I’m going to disappear into my writing cave and hope to have their story for you, with a new chapter of SHINY THINGS, on Friday.

SAFE FROM THE FIRE

EXCERPT:

DID HE HAVE TO take up all the oxygen in the room?  Grace supposed that when a man was as big as Matt Harris, he was going to take the lion’s share of breathable air.  She assured herself that her sudden breathlessness was not a result of her impossible attraction to the hot firefighter.  He was objectively beautiful, that was all – all that hard muscle that clothing couldn’t disguise, the face carved by a divine hand, thick golden hair, and sky blue eyes that practically shone with honesty and goodwill toward mankind.

She wanted to climb him like a ladder and lick every inch along the way.

Shit. Shit. Shit.

Grace forced a cool smile.

“Hi, Matt.  You remember my brother Adam.”

Matt nodded, clearly curious, but didn’t comment on her brother’s sudden reappearance.  Adam had been a nightmare for the Bright’s Ferry Fire Department, and Grace couldn’t blame Matt for being un-thrilled to see him again.

“Adam’s going to be staying with me for a while, taking some classes.  Isn’t that great?” she went on brightly, squeezing Adam’s hand reassuringly.

Grace knew the second Matt spotted the scars on Adam’s wrists, but again, he remained silent, just raised a surprised eyebrow.

“Did you want something?”  Grace cringed internally as the words left her lips, because for the briefest moment, Matt’s eyes flared with heat, and she felt an answering tug low in her stomach.

Oh, he definitely wants something.

Though she tried to block it out, Grace was one-hundred percent certain that Matt Harris wanted her, had wanted her for months, if not longer.  The shy giant followed her with his eyes whenever she entered a room, went out of his way to make small talk when they were in groups, though she knew it made him uncomfortable, and always seemed on the verge of asking her out.  Which was why she fled nearly every time she saw him.

Clearly, I have issues.

It wasn’t that Grace thought that Matt was unapproachable or bad relationship material, if she were looking for a normal, run-of-the-mill kind of relationship.  If anything, he was too perfect – smart and funny and kind.  The man rescued cats from trees and saved lives on a daily basis, for Pete’s sake.  The problem was Grace.  She knew who she was and what she wanted, and there was no way this wholesome, handsome, All-American Boy Scout type was going to be able to give it to her.  He’d probably be horrified the first time she asked him to spank her.

The thought of his hands warming her ass had her clenching her thighs together.

No way.  God, his hands are huge.

She didn’t give a shit about her own reputation around town, but she definitely didn’t want to be the one who “ruined” Matt Harris by dragging him down into a world of kinky sexual delights where he most definitely didn’t belong.

And you couldn’t handle it if he broke your heart, the tiny voice whispered, but she pushed that thought away, swallowing hard.

“So, I wanted to ask you – ” he began.

Oh fuck, don’t do it.

“I noticed this new Italian place across the bay when I was visiting Mom last week.  Right on the water.  I was wondering if you’d like to check it out with me?  Maybe Saturday?”

The hope in Matt’s eyes sent warm tingles coursing up her spine, and Grace was shocked to find herself blushing under his scrutiny, even as her heart sank at what she had to do.  She stood, scarcely containing the shiver as she noted that she barely came up to his shoulder.

He could pin me to the bed with no effort at all, she thought, her clit throbbing.

“Matt, that’s so sweet, but I don’t think it’s a good idea.”

His face fell.

“I’m sorry, I wasn’t sure – are you seeing somebody else?”

“No.  God, nothing like that,” replied Grace quickly, before realizing that that would have been the kinder lie, instead of making it sound like she found him unappealing.

Matt was trying to hide it, but he still looked like someone had kicked his puppy, and Grace was suddenly ticked at him for putting her in this position to begin with.  She knew Adam was watching them, along with the whole fucking diner.

I’m trying to protect you, you idiot.

The hurt on his face that he was trying to smother was unbearable, and Grace attempted to ignore the little voice that wondered if she really wasn’t just trying to protect herself.

Finally!  Here’s a new excerpt for you at long last – I know you’ve been waiting for it…LOL…I’m finally starting to feel like myself again, which is making the writing go much faster.  Hooray for cold meds and orange juice!  Happy Wednesday and enjoy!

SAFE FROM THE FIRE – BRIGHT’S FERRY BOOK #2

Firefighter Matt Harris has wanted edgy librarian Grace Mallow forever – there’s something about her purple hair and her sexy dark side that pushes all of his buttons, even if the rest of the town looks down on her.  Unfortunately, Matt’s memories of an abusive childhood have left him terrified of turning into a monster like his father.  He’s determined to find a gentle way to woo Grace, but he’s unprepared for the white-hot heat that burns when they finally come together.

Grace Mallow knows that no matter how badly she wants him, she doesn’t belong with a wholesome blond dreamboat like Matt, who would be horrified to learn that she wants to be sexually dominated.  But Matt is persistent, and Grace is having a hard time turning him down and keeping her emotional walls intact.  As the couple struggles to handle their passion for each other, an arsonist begins terrorizing Bright’s Ferry, and all signs point to Grace’s younger brother, a reformed firebug recently returned to town to make amends for his crimes.  Matt and Grace race to stop a madman, but can they find common ground and save each other and their town, or will passion and fire burn out of control and separate them forever?

EXCERPT:

MATT HARRIS KNEW THE second Grace walked in the diner without even looking up from his mountain of eggs.  There was always a brief pause in the conversation, a hitch, as the locals took in her latest outfit and her perpetually purple hair.

Judgmental busybodies.

He always wondered why Grace put up with it.  If it were him, he’d tell them all to stick it where the sun don’t shine.

Matt loved Bright’s Ferry, had loved it since he had moved his mother to Sunrise Glen across the bay after college in hopes that they could give her the care and round-the-clock attention he couldn’t.  That was a dark time for him – his father’s recent death had left him feeling conflicted and resentful and relieved, and his ruined knee had destroyed his football career and left his future uncertain and wide open.  Given how tight-knit the community was, Matt assumed that it would take forever to make friends and find acceptance, but all it took was some quick thinking when a stray sparkler set off the gazebo during the Harvest Festival for the town to proclaim him a hero.  That was eight years ago, and he’d joined the fire department and been their hero ever since.

The same couldn’t be said for Grace.  She was one of their own, but it seemed as though most of the town had classified her as a “disappointment,” and wasted no opportunity to remind her of that.

Matt knew she was aware of him.  Her eyes darted briefly in his direction before looking away, urging the scrawny young man with faded clothes and messy hair toward her customary  corner booth.  Matt barely noticed the young man at first, because his eyes were busy eating up Grace.

She was dressed down today, in what she would consider “work” clothes – a soft black sweater dress over striped witch tights, dark eyeliner and violet shadow highlighting her brown eyes that reminded him of warm chocolate.  Her hair was pulled back in a loose cluster of braids, with purple tendrils caressing the side of her face and the back of her neck.  The dress was demure, but hugged the gentle curves of her sweet breasts and waist, and the more generous swell of the most perfect ass Matt had ever seen.  Every last inch of her tied him into aroused knots, but it was that ass that threatened to drop him to his knees.

Matt’s body went hot as he caught a glimpse of a hot pink lace bra strap peeking out from the collar of her dress, and he couldn’t help going hard as he wondered if she was wearing panties and garters to match.

If she was wearing anything at all.

He was exhausted from last night’s shift – an office building near the harbor had gone up in smoke.  It was miraculous that they managed to arrive in time to keep the fire from spreading.  Still, one look at Grace and all of Matt’s fatigue disappeared.  He hoped he wasn’t drooling.

To distract himself, he shoved a forkful of eggs in his mouth and chased it with a swig of coffee, relieved and mildly disappointed when she finally sat down.  The young man said something and Grace laughed, and his wry grin was so much like hers that Matt nearly choked.

“No fucking way,” he muttered, wiping his mouth with a handy napkin.

It looked like the firebug had finally come home.

Grace is looking for a man who’s not afraid to fulfill her darkest fantasies. Matt is fighting a past that has left him terrified of turning into a monster like his father.  Here’s a spicy little excerpt of what happens the first time Grace maneuvers him onto a couch…LOL…

(unedited)

He was going to be gentle with her if it killed him, but the way Grace was rocking against him made Matt’s eyes cross with the need to grip her hips and drive deep inside her welcoming heat, thrusting until he’d claimed her with every inch of his body, until she surrendered to his superior physical strength and unrelenting lust.

Madness.

Matt carefully placed his hands on her thighs, lightly stroking her satin skin and sliding up to gently explore the lace-covered curves of Grace’s ass instead of holding her captive to move her the way he wanted to against his throbbing dick.  With monumental self-control, he kept his mouth gentle against hers, tasting and savoring with slow, hot licks, though every muscle in his body strained with the effort to hold back and not crush her to him and demand everything she had to give.  Grace tasted incredible, as he’d always known she would.

She was rocking harder against him now, widening her thighs to press her sweet pussy more firmly against the heavy bulge in the denim, burning him alive through the layers of cloth.  The little sound she made in the back of her throat was nearly his undoing, a hot little moan of disapproval at his light touch, an insistent plea for more.

“Easy, sweetheart,” Matt tried not to beg.

Grace traced a pattern with sharp little fingernails across his chest through his tee-shirt, and a shudder rippled through him, which she seemed to enjoy.  He cringed at the sound of ripping lace, and as she gasped, he pulled his mouth away from hers to stare at the frilly black scrap tangled around his fingers, erotic evidence that some of his control had slipped and her soft flesh was now naked against him.  As if he needed the reminder. 

Rather than voicing outrage, Grace cooed softly and wriggled until he had no choice but to cup the glorious bare cheeks in his big hands, cupping and kneading, rougher than he intended to be.  Matt caught a flash of her grin as her lips lowered to taste his throat, and the sensation had his eyes rolling back.

“We have to stop,” he managed, shaky.

Matt was fast losing control of the situation, that much was clear, because he knew that if he slid his fingers down that enticing crevice to dip into the hot, wet folds beneath, he was going to forget all of his good intentions and fuck her like a beast.

“Grace – ”

“Mmm-hmmm…”

Her intentions were clear as well, her fingers yanking up his shirt to explore his chest and torso, the touch of her fingers both a blessing and a curse.  Her movements were jerkier, her breath coming faster, and her eyes gleamed as she lowered her head.  Matt’s mind went blank at the feeling of her lips, her tongue, and those sharp little teeth scraping his nipple.  The shard of pleasure/pain that ripped through him as Grace bit delicately into his flesh pulled a rough groan from deep inside, and for one insane moment he tunneled the fingers of one hand through her hair to hold her mouth to him, his cock cradled against her, millimeters from Paradise. 

Perfect.

A whisper of leather and the feel of his belt loosening broke the spell, setting off alarm bells. 

How the fuck did I let this happen?