Excerpt: Bound to Surrender

I don't have a release date for Bound to Surrender, but since the cover is ready, I think we are getting close! To celebrate I thought I'd post a teaser. This is from an early scene. There is a heat wave in South Jersey, my heroine, sexy school librarian Christina, has just decided to get ice cream. Who should walk in behind her but the man she's just been fantasizing about, Bryce Walker. Bryce begins the scene:

“I hear the vanilla here is very good, but if I were you, I’d be a bit more adventurous.”

With a bolt of awareness, Christina recognized Bryce Walker’s throaty baritone. His voice sent chills up her legs. When she glanced sideways, the muscles behind her knees weakened further.

Eyes like his should be illegal.

Her reaction to him was the exact reason that she’d avoided the man for months. She could not control her body’s response to him, no matter how hard she tried. Damn hormones. Every time she got within ten feet of him, a shiver started somewhere behind her lower ribs and slithered down, pulsing in her sex and forcing her to seek release—either by self-distraction or, more frequently, in the privacy of her bedroom with the help of her vibrator.

Bryce was not a man to be trifled with, however, and she’d had her fill of overbearing males, thank-you-very-much.

His rakish smile stopped just beneath his sunglasses. I’d be more adventurous. Christina had no doubt of the double-entendre of his suggestion, but she couldn’t act offended. Her body drummed the truth. She wanted nothing more than to pick up what he was putting down.

“Hello, Mr. Walker,” she said, in her best librarian-voice. “Thanks for the advice, but I wasn’t considering the vanilla.” She lifted an eyebrow. Their eyes locked and the pulse in Christina’s sex began.

The bells clanged as another customer entered the shop. She turned back to the server.

“I’ll go with the maple walnut,” she said, correcting her posture and straightening her skirt.

“Cup or cone?” the teenage clerk droned.

Bryce stood way too close. His heat radiated through her blouse, contrasting with the cool sensation of the counter against her belly. Christina suppressed the urge to giggle.

“Cone, please,” she replied in clipped tones, but on impulse she added, “and you know what else I want? I want Jimmies.”

The clerk nodded, not bothering to glance up before preparing her order.

“Feeling reckless?” Bryce asked, cocking his deliciously masculine head to one side.

She shook her head no. “Indulgent, more like. It’s my birthday.” Why did I tell him that?

“In that case,” Bryce turned and spoke to the clerk, “I’ll pay for the lady, and add a single cone of vanilla to the order.”

The clerk nodded, handing Christina her cone. She thought of refusing Bryce’s offer, but decided against it. To tell the truth, his gesture made her feel ridiculously pleased, even giddy. She couldn’t remember the last time someone had bought her ice cream.

“Hey, I thought you said to try other flavors…” she laughed. “I wouldn’t have pegged you as a vanilla man.”

“Oh, I’ve tried other flavors,” he replied. “Once I know what I like, though, I stick with it.”

Christina swallowed. “Mr. Walker, you really don’t have to pay for me,” she forced herself to say.

“But I want to,” Bryce purred, taking his own cone and handing the clerk cash. “Besides, it’s your birthday.”

Bryce held out his arm toward one of the shop’s small tables. He placed a warm hand on the small of her back and guided her toward the table. Then, he slid in across from her and leaned forward.

“Happy birthday, Ms. Welch,” he said, his voice low. “Do you have a wish for me to grant?”

Bryce’s eyes held her, testing her and challenging her to respond. She swallowed a lick of ice cream. The cold sensation slid into her belly as she tried to remember the reasons why she’d held this man at bay. Bryce was strong, virile, and clearly interested. Why had it seemed so necessary to keep him at arm’s length?

Work. Michael. Oh yes, and the uncontrollable flame he stoked in her pussy.

Just as she was about to slow it down, her mind rebelled. Too much denial, it screamed, too much restraint. What harm could a little flirtation cause? She practically salivated with the need to take what he offered.

“A wish, Ms. Welch?” Bryce prompted.

“Mr. Walker,” she asked as her throat dried, “are you flirting with me?”

Covers for Bound to Surrender & Bound to Ignite

I just received the covers for my next two books in the "South Jersey Heat" series of 3. The upcoming releases are Bound to Surrender (Christina's Story) and Bound to Ignite (Gillian's Story).

These covers are soooo HOT, I could have used them for my "Photo Tuesday Tease"!

Like the first, they were desiged by my talented editor Angela Anderson, who captured the feel of both the story and the characters in each one. Yea! I feel so lucky.

What do you think?

Updates & Previews

I haven't posted for awhile, but I have been working!

Today I sent in the blurbs and excerpts for Bound to Surrender & Bound to Ignite.

Want a preview?

Bound to Surrender

Though single motherhood taught Christina Welch ruthless self-denial, in her heart she secretly craves a man who'll drive her wild in bed. Now that her son is spending the summer with his father, and she can't keep her mind off the one man who has haunted her dreams all year long: her son's baseball coach.

Bryce Walker lusts after the sexy librarian who never missed one of her son's home games. Respect and caution hold him back, but every time she peeks at him under her lashes, instinct tells him she needs what he has to offer.

When Bryce meets Christina by chance on her birthday, desire smolders hotter than the early summer heat wave. He buys her ice cream, but they both know only one thing will cool them down. As Bryce leads Christina into the a world of sensual pain and pleasure, she discovers heights of emotion she never knew existed. She learns to trust Bryce with her body, but can she trust him with her heart? Summer doesn't last forever, and Christina must decide...

Bound to Ignite

Gillian Daniels keeps a secret buried deep in her heart: she craves an erotic spanking. When a friend’s wedding reunites her with the man who first ignited her fantasies, she can no longer deny her desire. Though Gillie has been friends with Eric since high school. She knows he'll never settle down and she'd never be stupid enough to fall under his spell. She's certain, however, that for one night, he'd be willing to make her darkest desires come true.

Eric has wanted Gillian in his bed and in his life for longer than he cares to remember. But she throws him a hell of a curve ball: she wants him to spank her. The idea makes him hot and ready, but contrary to Gillie’s belief, he’s never been involved in that lifestyle before.

Through the night, Gillie and Eric sink deep into the “game”and the bond between them strengthens. Eric never intended for this to be a one-night stand, but as he experiences Gillie's willing submission, his “dom” instinct is roused and he's even less willing to let her go. In the bright light of morning, will their bond be strong enough for Gillie to trust?

And, just to refresh your memories, the story that started the trilogy (still available):

Bound to Be Mine

Stripping had not just been profitable for Lisa Emery; it had given her the power, the control, to be the woman she wanted to be. She’d had a stimulating job and the perfect man at home—her master. Together, they were exploring the darker side of passion, and both seemed to bloom with the knowledge. Why then had he suddenly disappeared just when things were going so well? And why now was he back?

Ben Johnson knew the “life” he and Lisa were living had been wrong...just knew it. Something that felt that good couldn’t be right. According to his therapist, “only by atoning for your wrongs could you really grow and change as a person.” Why then, after so many months apart, did he still need to dominate Lisa, to bend her to his will and give in to his baser instincts?

Reader Responses!

I'm having a great day! I received reader feedback from two readers today. (They could, for all I know, be the same person, however...hummm...)

Anyway, On Bound to be Mine's page on the Wild Rose Press site, Texas Lady wrote, "I loved the book, I started at 8 PM at night, and could not put it down, until I had read the very last word. I loved the characters Lisa and Ben and could understand where Ben was coming from. I look forward to more books by the author."

Woo Hoo! I've been hoping since February that someone would post a review. If I'm on the fence about a book, I always buy it if there is a few favorable reader review.

And on a forum I recently joined, a reader wrote and tole me she could not put down my story.

***Tess collapses into her cheapest-model Jennifer Convertible couch and sighs into the pen-ink stained pillows***

I so needed this.

I love, love, love to hear from readers. So if you have anything to say, or want to suggest a blog topic, or chat--please drop me a line!