Monday, October 31, 2016

Holiday Ever After by the Los Angeles Romance Authors @JewelQuinlan #LaraRWA #holidayeverafter


Holiday Ever After by the Los Angeles Romance Authors
@JewelQuinlan #LaraRWA #holidayeverafter

Blurb:
Baby, it’s cold outside! Come snuggle up with Holiday Ever After, a collection of 15 stories filled with love and passion sure to put you in the holiday spirit.

Get tangled up with a Regency tavern wench, your own Mr. Scrooge, or the ghosts of Christmases past and present. Open your home and your heart to visitors from far away. Is your secret Santa a Navy SEAL, a handsome jock, or an artist? Perhaps you’d like to ring in the holidays with that office party hottie, the sexy exchange student next door, or a Vegas stripper? Whether you like your holiday treats sweet or spicy, there’s something for everyone in Holiday Ever After.

Featuring stories by the Los Angeles Romance Authors (LARA), Holiday Ever After will keep you warm on a chilly winter’s night.


Where you can buy it:
Amazon  |  iBooks  |  Kobo  |  Nook  |  All Romance eBooks
Add it to your shelf on Goodreads

Enjoy this excerpt from My Oktoberfest Escapade by Jewel Quinlan:
Lars stopped us again, this time at a hat vendor. There were all kinds of hats. Some were traditional Bavarian ones like Lars’s. They came in green, gray, and brown with all different kinds of trim and decorations on them. Other, less expensive hats were on the comical side and shaped like kegs or mugs. One had beer holders with straws so the wearer could drink as they walked.
“You can’t leave without a souvenir,” Lars said.
I looked up from the stand of felt A-shaped hats I was examining.
He shoved some money and a receipt into his pocket and then presented a hat to me that looked like a full beer mug, complete with froth, and placed it on my head. I held still as he tugged the brim into position and arranged my hair, pulling the light-brown locks forward over my shoulders. He trailed his fingertips down the length of the last cluster of strands, making the base of my scalp tingle. We stood so close I could detect the mild scent of beer on his breath.
The boots I wore had a decent heel on them, but I still had to tilt my head back to meet his gaze. “How does it look?”
“Perfect.”
Our eyes locked, and it was as if time sucked us backward to that day so long ago when we’d said goodbye. It overpowered the world around us, forcing it into the background. All that existed was the two of us. As the longing in his gaze registered, my breath caught. Does he feel the same way I do? I got my answer when his lips pressed down on mine, and he wrapped his arms around me, pulling me tight.

About the Author:
Restless by nature, Jewel Quinlan is an avid traveler and has visited sixteen countries so far. Lover of ice cream, dark beer, and red wine she tries to stay fit when she’s not typing madly on her computer concocting another romance novel. In her spare time, she likes to do yoga, hike, learn German, and play with her spoiled Chihuahua, Penny.
For more information about Jewel Quinlan
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Sunday, October 30, 2016

Who is Ethan Ross? #vampire #romance and #magic

This story concept was originally formed for a proposed series. Now it has been completed revised, lengthened, and re-edited for Hot Ink Press.

Essentially a vampire erotic romance, it also has threads of magic, and taking place in New Orleans, it's set in a music club/rock club, the mysterious StarZ.

Ethan Ross, the vampire hero, has been in New Orleans since his girlfriend and sire, dumped him in 1922. He's used to the weird undercurrents of the city and now works in StarZ that caters to the supernatural folks. His band, Deep Dream, play there. He's tasked with taking care of the 'ordinary humans' that arrive in the club and he does this happily ...

With a broken heart to heal Ethan swore off love long ago ... that is until starry eyed Anna Prideaux wanders into his life. 
Then sparks start to fly ...



 Snippet Sunday:

She watched him disappear into the gloom. Anna stood and scooped her phone from the counter. She glanced around to check who might be watching her. When it looked like no one was, she quickly followed Marcus. She quickened her pace as she lost sight of him in the swirling mist at the back of the club’s main room. Marcus disappeared.

When she reached where she’d last seen him a shiver spiked up her back. The mist was freezing cold, the air thick with potent. Anna turned away as a weird fear gripped her. She practically ran back to the bar, weaving through the groups of patrons, and muttering, “Sorry,” as she knocked into one, splashed the drink from the glass of another, until she stood in front of Ethan.

His gaze mesmerized her. She wasn’t even sure she actually heard his voice, but somehow he soothed her.

“Anna, it’s time you went home now. You want to go home. You have work to do transcribing the interview with the band. Everything’s fine.”

She smiled at him. “I’m off now. Thank you for answering my questions. Thank Marcus for me. He left.” She gestured toward where she’d run from. A flutter of fear rose in her stomach and then Ethan was leaning forward, his blue eyes capturing her so that she dreamily froze to soak up his low voiced words.

“Goodnight, Anna.”
She left the club happily, a faraway feeling carrying her along ...
©Elodie Parkes Hot Ink Press 2016


Saturday, October 29, 2016

Get your #vampire fix with #PNR A Little Mysterious #teaser

He’d been sent off course…he thought he was lost…until he found Daisy.

His vampire abilities were special. He belonged to an elite group. Moving home, they are set off course by a storm that lands Dhruv alone, hungry, and desperate in a strange town.
A story of lust, love, and coincidence.

Read the teaser:
The sun was warm on her shoulders as she walked to work. Daisy looked forward to the night, as she’d never done before. She went into the cool interior of the bar and sighed in relief.
“Wow, you look very special,” Ivor said. Grinning, he continued, “This has to be for the pale stranger.”
Daisy smiled. “I like him very much, Ivor.”
The older man gave her a kindly look. “I hope it works out.”
Daisy put her belongings in the small locker assigned to her. Her bag held the concealer and a lip-gloss, as well as her wallet. She put her cell phone by the side of her bag and locked the door. Without a pocket now, which she would have if she were wearing her usual Capri pants, she slid the key down inside her bra.
The bar was busy at lunchtime, and Daisy found the afternoon flew by.
She began to watch the time as it ticked past five, six, then seven, and finally eight at night. Outside darkness enveloped the street. Lights on in the late-night stores and eateries threw pools of glowing yellow, white, and pink on the sidewalk. She stood by the window after serving steak sandwiches to a customer at a table nearby, and looked down the high street.
It was nine-thirty when Dhruv finally walked in. Daisy was already shaking from worrying he wasn’t going to show. Her heartbeat sped up. She watched him as he walked towards the bar counter. It was as if the groups of people magically stood back to provide him with a clear path. When he was in front of her, she smiled.
Copyright Elodie Parkes Evernight Publishing

Get your vampire fix
5 stars on Readers' favorite
"  A Little Mysterious is a steamy love story guaranteed to burn up the sheets and the story of how Dhruv came to find Daisy was fantastic. Although this is a short story, Parks packs it with all the right details to make us not only care about the characters, but about how their story turns out."

Saturday, October 15, 2016

Saturday #teaser #contemporaryromance #suspense from @HotInkPress


Jake’s a member of an elite club, the Candy Apple. Years ago, it used to be a gentlemen’s club, but now it caters for other needs. When he first sees Ellie sitting alone at one of the tables near the dance floor, he makes it his business to find out about her.
Jake’s enchanted by Ellie. He wants to give her what she needs.
Ellie takes him up on the offer.
The trouble is, Ellie’s needs will shock Jake and set him on a quest to find her, when after a night of passion and rescue, she slips away into the night.
Finding Love–a contemporary, erotic romance/suspense with a twist of darkness and an HEA.

What would you do to find love?

Read the teaser
Jake didn’t wake up until midday. As he turned over and checked his cell phone for the time, he remembered Ellie was in the next room. It brought a smile to his face. He saw the time and leapt out of bed. The towel dropped to the floor and he scooped it up. He ran into the bathroom and splashed cold water onto his face. He cleaned his teeth, and then ran his hands through his hair. He dragged on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt.
He made coffee and put waffles to toast. They were frozen but not bad if you loaded them with fresh strawberries. He poured orange juice and warmed the dishes for the waffles as he rinsed off a tray of pre-hulled berries. When breakfast was on the table, he stood back and surveyed it. He looked forward to seeing Ellie. Happiness buoyed him. He smiled as he went to the guest room and knocked softly on the door. He’d knocked a few times before he carefully opened the door in case she was sleeping, but all the same wanting to check she was okay.
When he saw the bed not even slept in and Ellie’s duffle bag gone from the low table under the window. His heart flipped and then started to race. He went into the room and opened the blind. He checked the bathroom and then stood in the middle of the guest room with sadness and concern vying for first place in his head.
He went back to the little dining alcove and sat at the table. He picked up his cup of coffee, then he put it down again. Not even a note. Nothing. She must have gone as soon as I was asleep. Jake’s disappointment at Ellie’s leaving was so acute he couldn’t eat breakfast. He scraped the waffles and berries from the dishes into the trash, and poured the coffee away. He put the crockery into the dishwasher, and stared out of the kitchen window. I really liked her. Bet she’s run from that nutcase boyfriend again. I would have kept her safe. I would have beat the crap out of him if he showed his face. Poor Ellie. What a shame. Fucking hell, I hope he doesn’t find her again, wherever she ends up this time.
Jake didn’t feel like being at home, but he hung around for a couple of hours wondering if she’d change her mind and come back to his place. Around three-thirty he pulled on a jacket and went for a walk. He’d usually take a run and maybe visit the gym for an hour when sadness or loneliness struck, but this time sadness weighed heavy on him and he wandered despondently around the park until he got to the pond. He stopped there and watched some kids feeding the ducks. They clamored and scrambled for the food racing with their tail feathers wagging as they ducked their heads to snatch up the bread before it sank deep beneath the water.
I hope she’s safe. He couldn’t keep thoughts of Ellie away. He walked home.
Copyright Elodie Parkes 2016 Hot Ink Press
Buy the book

Themes: flawed characters, love at first sight, women’s issues, love story, banishing your demons, HEA, relationships, what people do for love. Triggers, bullying, abusive relationships. 
Please note this book is erotic romance 18+ only

Monday, October 10, 2016

Chasing Victory from @joannejaytanie #romance #contemporaryromance spotlight on the Winters sisters #series

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BOOK INFORMATION

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TITLE – Chasing Victory SERIES (& Book #) – The Winters Sisters, Book 1 AUTHOR – Joanne Jaytanie GENRE – Romantic Suspense, Paranormal PUBLICATION DATE – July 31, 2016 LENGTH (#Pages/# Words) – pg- 322 PUBLISHER – Joanne Jaytanie
NOTE – Books must be read in order.


Everybody’s chasing Victory: a power-hungry scientist, a corrupt conglomerate, and her own government.
Victory Winters is on the run. A world-renowned geneticist, her mission involves conquering disease and improving quality of life. But a co-worker has been murdered, putting Victory and her mission in danger. Chasing her are all sorts of men who want to recruit and control her, manipulating her genetic secrets and research for their own corrupt purposes.
Naval officer Tristan Farraday is undercover investigating Biotec, a conglomerate that trumpets a better tomorrow in its bright, shiny annual reports. But Tristan’s bosses suspect that beneath Biotec’s carefully-managed exterior lies more than simple violations of a few experimental protocols.
Farraday is following a trail of murder, kidnapping, and blackmail. The trail leads him to Victory, who has been forced into Biotec’s world. Can Tristan chase down the truth and win the race for Victory?

BUY & TBR LINKS

EXCERPT

Whenever Victory found herself in an enclosed space or in a crowd of people, she would often get the feeling of being watched. Over the years she realized, it was merely her ability to sense people’s emotions. Coupled with her sharper-than-average hearing and it could make anyone neurotic. Had she not taught herself years ago how to filter out the bombardment of noise and emotion which now encompassed her, she would have fallen to her knees from the deluge of sensations.
Victory felt a whisper of electricity run the length of her spine. She paused. She didn’t hear a specific conversation, and yet she could feel a conversation; this was new—what kind of sensation was this? Slowing her pace, she glanced around, and surveyed her surroundings.
People seemed to be going about their business, grooming dogs or talking with friends or studying the competition. For one brief instant, she saw the back of a massively built man with jet-black hair; her attention had been drawn to him. In the blink of an eye, he disappeared out the door.
“Geez, now I’m really getting jumpy,” she muttered to herself.
Art flowers in the morning in an English park

BOOK INFORMATION

TITLE – Payton’s Pursuit SERIES (& Book #) – The Winters Sisters, Book 2 AUTHOR – Joanne Jaytanie GENRE – Romantic Suspense, Paranormal PUBLICATION DATE – July 31, 2016 LENGTH (#Pages/# Words) – pg- 344 PUBLISHER – Joanne Jaytanie


Will Payton’s pursuit of truth be her last?
Payton Winters is thrust into the position of CEO of The Winters Corporation after the sudden death of her parents. But the challenge of her new role is nothing compared to coping with her evolving enhanced abilities. Payton can ground those who possess psychic powers—some of whom have taken refuge at the Winters Corporation. Now she has unwillingly become a mental anchor for a man she wants no part of, Collin McBain. While on a routine mission, Collin is drugged, tortured, and injected with wolf DNA. Believed dead, he is secretly assigned to the Winters Campus; his only road back to life is through Payton.
Faced with her new roles, Payton realizes her life is based on half-truths. Now she’s compelled to pursue her mother’s research to understand why she and her two sisters were genetically altered before birth. Payton’s pursuit embroils her in a world of secrets, lies, kidnapping, and murder, but her future depends on deciphering the lies of the past.

BUY & TBR LINKS

EXCERPT

He understood the “all hands on deck,” for their team had a limited number of men, and every man had a job. He also figured Tristan wanted him somewhere where an eye could be kept on him. He appreciated the effort, but unfortunately it didn’t make a damn bit of difference. He felt hemmed in and uncomfortable. True, there was only one other person in the room, yet still he felt inundated by people, even if they were only images on a screen. Consequently, it took every bit of focus for him to keep himself together.
The last thing the sisters needed was for him to spiral into a fit of rage in the middle of their important event, ruining the gala and giving Payton one more reason to despise him. Why did it matter what she thought? From what he could see, Payton Winters was just one more spoiled rich girl, totally focused on business and making a profit, and he was their newest asset.
Try as he might, Collin found it more and more difficult to stay in control while being immersed in people and their thoughts. Their emotions rolled off them and saturated his mind. At this rate, he would have to burrow himself into some deep dark hole or go insane.
He felt more and more agitated, as though his own skin suffocated him. The blackness of rage began to consume him, and he knew he would have to escape soon before he totally lost his grip on sanity and howled like a wolf.
book-3-willows-discovery

BOOK INFORMATION

TITLE – Willow’s Discovery SERIES (& Book #) – The Winters Sisters, Book 3 AUTHOR – Joanne Jaytanie GENRE – Romantic Suspense, Paranormal PUBLICATION DATE – October 6, 2015 LENGTH (#Pages/# Words) – pg- 362 PUBLISHER – Joanne Jaytanie


Willow’s next discovery could get her killed.
Willow Winters has been safely ensconced in London managing the international division of the Winters Corporation. But the vicious Kaleidoscope Group is relentless in its pursuit of the Winters sisters and their scientific breakthroughs. They’ve planted a mole in the company ranks, making Willow’s paranormal abilities crucial in the search for the traitor. Unearthing this spy will expose Willow as a threat and put her squarely in the sights of the murderous Kaleidoscope Group.
Wyatt Farraday is a military liaison to the Winters Corporation. Consumed with keeping Victory and Payton Winters alive, he’s had no life of his own. Now the third triplet has returned home and his job just got exponentially harder. Willow outdoes her sisters in the hardheaded department. She’s independent and can take care of herself and she doesn’t need Wyatt to watch out for her. But Wyatt’s determined to watch her in every way he can.

BUY & TBR LINKS

EXCERPT

“What do mean you read company email?”
“Sorry, I forgot how much happened when you were in England. I guess I figured Payton told you. Jack and your brilliant cyber department created a way for him and me to monitor company email. Strictly for security purposes, I assure you.”
“You’ve read every email I’ve sent to Payton and Victory?”
Now she lost every drop of color from her face. He should relish making her squirm; hell, she did it to him all the time. Only he felt terrible. What the hell is going on? he thought.
“They do have a way of making you chase your tail, don’t they bro?” Tristan popped into his head, his booming chuckle resonating though his mind.
“Beat it. I’ve got enough on my plate, trying to keep the peace with Willow. It’s like dancing through a field of land mines.” Wyatt shot back at his brother. Tristan laughed again and faded away.
“No, no. We can’t read your personal emails between the three of you. The way the program’s set up, the system flags employee names and certain words or phrases. Those emails come to our computers.”
“Thank the—” She stopped in mid-sentence.
“You were saying?” Now it was his turn to smirk at her, making her color rise again.
book-4-corralling-kenzie

BOOK INFORMATION

TITLE – Corralling Kenzie SERIES (& Book #) – The Winters Sisters, Book 4 AUTHOR – Joanne Jaytanie GENRE – Romantic Suspense, Paranormal PUBLICATION DATE –April 10, 2016 LENGTH (#Pages/# Words) – pg- 258 PUBLISHER – Joanne Jaytanie


Will Kenzie ever find peace and security inside the corrals of her ranch again?
Kenzie Vaughn is lucky to have a big-city, big-paycheck position. But her great job serves as nothing more than the path to her dream: a horse boarding and training ranch outside the big city. Kenzie is a horsewoman who loves Dobermans and peaceful country living. Now she’s found the perfect ranch, right next door to a lovely campus that houses the Winters Corporation. Her luck is holding, for the Corporation is run by the Winters’ sisters, wonderful women who could easily grow to become great friends.
One night her peace was shattered by a gunshot that wounded her horse, Boone. Good thing for Kenzie, Victory Winters is a veterinarian. Still the gunshot was no accident, and Kenzie’s past and the Winters’ present are dangerously intertwined. Kenzie is sucked into a vortex of rogue scientists who only want her for her DNA. Fortunately, the Winters Corporation can help. Even better, a Special Ops team member, Logan Mendoza, is assigned to watch her ranch. He isn’t interested in Kenzie’s DNA; he wants her for much more. Logan takes Kenzie’s personal security personally.
Will corralling Kenzie become Logan’s full-time mission?

BUY & TBR LINKS

EXCERPT

He backed out slowly, walked to the stairs, and listening carefully, crept up the stairs. The first room looked like an office, and it was a disaster. It seemed the intruder spent most of the time there. Logan couldn’t even walk into the room without stepping on something. He heard a soft creak and whipped around, gun aimed dead ahead. He held his body rigid and listened. A pop rang out, followed by a knocking sound. He ran out of the room and down the hall. As he got close to the doorway of the last room he was hit with a blast of frigid air.
In one smooth, swift motion he entered the room, scanning it wall-to-wall. The window stood wide open, the shade bouncing off the window. He stepped to one side as he approached the open window. Logan saw the boot print in the snow on the exterior window sill. He inhaled and stepped squarely in front of the open window. No one was there and there were no boot prints on the roof of the first floor. He looked out over the blanket of fresh snow and saw no signs of boot prints anywhere. Then he saw something at the far edge of the illuminated ground.
He jumped on to the roof and then down to the ground. He ran to find out what he’d seen. The intruder had landed on all fours on the snowy ground and disappeared into the night.
“What the hell?” he said as he walked in a circle, making sure he hadn’t missed any boot prints between there and the house.

AUTHOR BIO

Joanne was born and raised in Sherburne, New York, a quaint village surrounded by dairy farms and rolling hills. From the moment she could read she wanted to explore the world. During her college years she slowly crept across the country, stopping along the way in Oklahoma, California, and finally Washington State, which she now proudly calls home. She lives with her husband and Dobermans, in their home located on the Olympic Peninsula with a panoramic view of the Olympic Mountains.
Joanne writes romantic suspense, paranormal, supernatural suspense, and contemporary romance. She loves to submerge herself in the world of her characters, to live and breathe their lives and marvel at their decisions and predicaments. She enjoys a wide variety of books including paranormal, suspense, thriller, and of course romance.
Joanne is a PAN member of Romance Writers of America, (RWA), Kiss of Death, (KOD), Greater Seattle Romance Writers Chapter, (GSRWA), Sisters In Crime, and Fantasy, Futuristic & Paranormal, (FFPRWA). She served as President of Peninsula Romance Writers, which was Debbie Macomber’s home chapter.

YOU CAN FIND JOANNE HERE

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Saturday, October 8, 2016

New release #LGBT #gayfiction romance today from @EncompassInk and a #giveaway



Businessman Will has hoped to meet musician Josh for so long, he’s astonished and elated when Josh finally notices and pursues him at one of the band’s gigs.
After a heady night of love, Josh is devastated when Will turns out to be a millionaire. He’s not a hustler. He couldn’t take and he couldn’t compete. He retreats into his music.
Will is sure they could have something special and tries to prove his love for Josh in the only way he knows how. Trouble is—it’s the wrong way.
Josh is shocked to discover he can’t forget Will.
They want each other. Their chemistry is scorching.
But Josh is running in the opposite direction as Will longs to love him.
Can love triumph?


Read a teaser:

Josh saw Will at one end of the bar and his heart leapt. Flutters started up in his stomach and he took a deep breath trying to steady himself. The encounter had rocked him to the core. He’d never in his wildest dreams expected to feel the way he did about a man whose name he still didn’t know. I want to, though. I want to know all about him. I want him in my life, and from the way he responded, he wants me bad. That’s great. I need it.
He watched the play of emotions cross Will’s face as he approached and stood close.
“Hi. I’m Josh Winters and you are…?” He grinned mischievously.
“Will—Will Trenton.” Will’s eyes held warmth, affection, and desire.
A spark of recognition lit in Josh’s mind. “That’s a familiar name, but I wouldn’t have been able to put a face to it. Are you famous or something?” He gestured to the bartender.
“A beer thanks—and for you?” He gave Will a tender look designed to tell the guy he liked him a lot.
“The same but let me … let me get them.”
Josh shook his head. “We have a tab.”
He saw a look of worry flit through Will’s eyes.
“It’s really okay, Will.” Josh moved even closer to Will. The toe of one boot touched the toe of Will’s. He gazed into Will’s eyes. Time slowed for Josh. This man was even more attractive close up with his handsome face lit by the bar’s sparkling white downlights. He took in the shade of stubble and wanted to bite Will’s chin. He ached to grab Will and thrust his tongue between those perfect lips. He recalled the way Will’s thick hair had felt as he grasped a handful. Softness filled his stomach. He didn’t know if this was love, but it sure was tenderness.
Copyright Elodie Parkes 2016 Encompass Ink


Buy the book on Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Forever-Kind-Thing-Elodie-Parkes-ebook/dp/B01M1BMFQ6
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Forever-Kind-Thing-Elodie-Parkes-ebook/dp/B01M1BMFQ6
Available on all Amazons and kindle unlimited
PLEASE NOTE THIS BOOK IS 18+ gay romance

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Monday, October 3, 2016

On the #romance writers blog @RueAllyn with #historicalromance

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Herald’s Heart Blurb

Royal herald, Sir Talon Quereste imagined that one day he would settle on a quiet little estate, marry a gently bred damsel, and raise a flock of children. The wife of his daydreams is a woman who could enhance his standing with his peers. She is certainly not an overly adventurous, impulsive, argumentative woman of dubious background who threatens everything he values then endangers his heart.
When her family is murdered, Lady Larkin Rosham lost more than everyone she loved—she lost her name, her identity and her voice. She’s finally recovered her ability to speak, but no one believes her claim to be Lady Larkin. She is determined to regain her name and her heritage. However, but Sir Talon Quereste guards the way to the proof she needs. She must discover how to get past him without risking her heart.
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Herald’s Heart Excerpt

Larkin climbed the stairs to the second floor. She was weary to the bone, but at least she no longer smelled like a midden. She looked longingly at the solar. The bed there was soft and warm, and she dearly wished to sleep in comfort. But Sir Talon the singer occupied that bed. He might welcome her, but she would not welcome the consequences of joining him. Especially not if it involved meetings and greetings like those he’d sung about. That cursed song had tortured her thoughts all afternoon. She’d tried every trick she knew to escape the bawdy verses and met with failure at each attempt.
She shook her head and told herself firmly to get about finding a place to sleep undisturbed when a shout of laughter from the solar stopped her. There was a small chamber, directly across from the solar that was not too filthy. It held a cot with ticking, and she’d gotten linens and blankets from the laundress. Tomorrow she would scour the room from top to bottom. For tonight ‘twas enough to have clean linens, a warm blanket, and privacy. No skin-tingling, toe-curling, off-key voice would disturb her rest. She’d not allow it.
“Arrh, you’ve no need to be sharp with me. I am beset with feminine invasions of my chamber. First that red-haired nymph steals into my bath. Now you, Cat, steal into my bed.”
Anger carried Larkin through the solar door before she had time to think things through. “You wretched man. You knew I was here.”
He dropped his jaw, as if her words made no sense. “I beg pardon?”
“All the time you sang that horrid song, you knew I listened.”
His lips turned up. He stepped between her and her view of the bed’s occupant then pulled the bed curtain closed.
She wanted to strike the grin from his face. “And then you stood up, while I watched. You knew I watched. Did you enjoy it? Did it please you to flaunt your nakedness like any bawd?”
“I think it more to the point to ask if you enjoyed it?”
“Y. . . You . . . you . . . know I could not.”
“Why?”
“’Tis unseemly.”
“You could have left,” he said blandly.
“With you to see me, and all the world to know I was in the room when you bathed?”
“If you shout any louder ‘twill be known all the same.”
“You wished to insult me.” She reined in her voice.
“Nay, I do not insult women.” His tone became hard. “’Tis not uncommon for serving women to assist nobles when bathing.”
“It is if they are . . .” aware she was about to reveal that she too had been naked, Larkin stopped.
“Yes? If they are what?” he invited her to finish.
Larkin opened her mouth to speak, then shut it. What could she say? If they are naked in the same room with you, as I was. She couldn’t, wouldn’t say that.

Herald’s Heart Links


 
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Rue Allyn Bio

Historical romance author Rue Allyn lives in southeast Michigan with the love of her life and one tyrannical cat, where she works daily on making Happy Ever After come true.

Rue Allyn Links