Contemporary romance – Behind Closed Doors

@dochappycamper Joins the #FreedomHop Celebrating Reading Across the Genres

Live. Lov Romance Beckons e. Read.

THE FREEDOM HOP hosted by ROMANCE BECKONS

As a book lover, don’t take for granted your freedom to read. In this era of technology, books are at our fingertips and reading is something we make time for. eBook, audiobooks and good old-fashioned paperbacks give readers of all types the opportunity to enjoy reading.

Which type of books do you enjoy? Is it the fingernail-biting suspense? The thrill of an erotic romance? Or the fantasy of paranormal romance? Do you like your books to take you out of this world? Or is all about the possibilities in a contemporary romance?

Welcome to Behind Closed Doors and the next stop on the Freedom Hop. I’m author Tammy Dennings Maggy and I’m thrilled to take part in this event with thirty-nine others to celebrate our freedom to “live, love, and READ!” Books have always been my best friend. In fact, I can’t remember a time when I didn’t have my face buried in a book. There are pictures of me, barely able to sit up on my own holding a book in my chubby little baby fingers. All of those stories opened up so many avenues for me. My love of animals came from reading. My adoration of Science and English came from reading. The shy, introvert became the bold and brassy heroine through the books I read growing up. All of them made me who I am today and help me to tell the tales of my own characters.

When I went through some of life’s toughest challenges, I knew I could always rely on my books to get me through. Those stories encouraged me to make up worlds of my own and share them with other readers. Hopefully, I can give back to them what all those authors have given me over the years. One specific challenge I had to get through, was the loss of my step dad in 2005 to Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. This time of year is still a little hard for me to get through. You see, Dad’s birthday was July 4th. Every single year we would use his birthday as an excuse to have a big gathering at our house with BBQ, swimming, volleyball and of course tons of fireworks. Dad loved this time of year not only for his birthday, but because as a Marine he participated in many celebrations honoring the freedoms we hold dear in the United States.

Five years after his death, I made the journey back home after my first marriage fell apart and love from the past shattered my heart beyond repair. I was at my lowest point then and about to find my path to my happily ever after—but I didn’t know it at the time. The following is a poem I wrote on the plane ride from California to Michigan. This is one of several poems I published in Follow Me: Poetry from the Heart and Soul.

Home Again

©Tammy Dennings Maggy 2010

As soon as the wheels touched down,
The memories came flooding back.
Last time here was to say goodbye to the head of our family,
Our Rock, Provider, Protector.

Could feel him with me today,
As I left yet another plane.
Could feel his hand in mine;
Could hear him whisper
“it’s gonna be okay. You’ll get through this too.”
I am here. Lean on me.
Lean on the family.
That is why you are going home.

Five long years have passed
Since he was laid to rest.
But his guidance remains
Pulling me home again when life became unbearable.

So many emotions run through me as I drive North toward Home:
Shame to have failed yet again in love,
Failed at the marriage he had blessed.
Ashamed to have let another steal my heart and soul
so completely and leave me devastated.

But this time the Fixer of Broken Hearts and Souls
Was not there to pick up the pieces
and give me a reason for going home

This year was supposed to be different
Thought I found another to help me mend.
For three long years I barely existed,
Losing myself with each passing hour and day.

An old friend returned the smile to my face
And the laugh to my soul.
My Heart was nearly mended enough to trust again.
But the love that was promised was not true.
It was not meant to be.
So the heart that could not mend, shattered all the more.

Now I return home to my family and friends.
They will help bring the joy back into my life,
The smile to my face, and the laugh to my heart and soul.
For this is why I return again.
This is why I am going home.

I’ve used my poetry as outlines for a few more series I have underway and have included some poems in books I have out now. My vampire inspired poetry Courtship of the Vampyre details the stories I’m telling in my Kayne Legacy Series. The first of which should be out by the end of this year. In The Surrender of Julia (Now and Forever 3) I used my poetry for wedding vows. Julia’s story is so far my most controversial book and one my dad would have been tickled pink over. He always challenged me to follow my dreams and my heart no matter where the path would lead. I knew Julia’s story had to be told even though others told me I shouldn’t switch to a F/F coupling when the first two books in the series were M/F.

Well, Dad. I did it. I followed my heart and Julia’s story is now out there for everyone to enjoy.

In honor of the hop and my Dad’s memory, I’m giving away FOUR eBook copies of The Surrender of Julia. If you want a copy, all you have to do is leave a comment below with your contact information. I’ll announce the winners on Tuesday July 8th.

BLURB

L.A. artist phenom Julia Santos appeared to have it all. After a nearly two year long dry spell, her creativity was at its peak and she had her muse and model Jacob Hartley to thank for it. He brought the fire and raw sexuality back to her sculptures and into her bedroom, and a sense of security that only one other person in her life had ever given her. At last she had found the perfect balance between her professional and private lives, until the day a single call from someone in her past threatened to tear her world apart.

Fearful of losing all she’d worked so hard to accomplish, Julia delved deeper into the hedonistic lifestyle she’d come to rely on to give her an escape from the horrors of her past. Instead of bringing her comfort, her sexual urges lead her down the path of destruction; not only for herself, but those around her. With Jacob fighting for his life after a near fatal motorcycle accident and Julia on the brink of death herself, Fate and her Guardian Angel Daniel intervene and transport her to a safe haven called the Island.

There she’s given a choice: stay on the Island and wait for her next rebirth, or go back and fight to be with the one who has been there for her through every lifetime. Will she take the easy way out and leave all the pain behind, or will she choose the long and hard road reliving the horrors of her childhood in order to have her happily ever after with the Mistress of her dreams?

Make sure you check out the other blogs in the hop. You’ll have chances to win some fabulous prizes and maybe even find some new authors to add to your “must read” lists.

Have fun!
~Tammy

CHECK OUT ALL THESE GREAT AUTHORS for books you might enjoy!

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Behind Closed Doors With @MtnMoxieGirl Amber Lea Easton’s Reckless Endangerment #romance #suspense #ASMSG

Welcome to Behind Closed Doors! Today is Throwback Thursday and I have a very special treat for you all today. My friend, fellow Siren author and fabulous editor of the Muses anthology is here today to talk about her romantic suspense novel Reckless Endangerment. Technically this one was released in April 2013 so it is a “throwback.” I thought it would be fun to dip back into catalog for today’s post. I’ll just let her take the reigns. Sit back and enjoy!

~Tammy

Behind Closed Doors…I love the name of this blog. What really goes on behind closed doors? Do we really know someone from their appearance and social persona, even if we regularly associate with them? Image is just that, a snapshot of who we are.

In my novel, Reckless Endangerment, Hope Shane appears to the world—and even to those closest to her—to be a badass reporter who needs no one and has more ambition in her little finger than most do in their entire bodies. But she’s more than that. She’s a woman who wants to fight for her marriage, who mourns the loss of too many friends she’s seen killed in a warzone, and who wishes people could see beyond the public persona.

Can you relate to that? Have you ever felt like you were living up to a standard that was exhausting to maintain? Maybe you’re not perfect, but guess what? No one really is. It’s easy to judge by appearances but it’s rarely accurate.

Michael Cedars is decorated war hero who has an image in his mind of who he is supposed to be in life, but all of that is erased when war wounds leave him partially paralyzed. The difference between his new reality and his expectations of himself as a man push him toward the edge. The very image he’d projected to the world no longer serves him and he doesn’t like his options. Yet everyone in his life is tugging at him to do this, be that, look ahead…and all he wants to do is give up.

Everyone struggles. People all have their challenges, but life moves forward sometimes at a faster pace than we can handle. So we plaster on the smile, live up to the image we choose to project, while we figure out exactly who we are and what we’re going to do about it. Fight, surrender, adapt, or mourn? Often it’s all of the above all done behind closed doors.

Blurb of Reckless Endangerment:

Heroes come in many forms–soldiers who fall and rise and ordinary people doing extraordinary things. Sometimes heroes fall and take the ones they love down with them. Colonel Michael Cedars and reporter Hope Shane fell in love in a war zone, but then the world blew up, and splintered their lives in two.

Michael Cedars returns home from Afghanistan wounded and unsure where he fits in this ‘new normal’ of civilian life. Unsure if he’ll walk again, he questions his abilities as a man, husband, and father. Accustomed to giving orders, he’s thrown into a world where he doesn’t know the rules anymore and no one is respecting the officer in the room.

Hope isn’t one who gives up easily—not on her marriage and not on the innocent victims of a human trafficking ring she’s investigating. As the danger of her story intensifies, she struggles with her own post-traumatic stress disorder and a husband who resists her love.

Danger intensifies as Hope searches for truth and justice. Everyone she loves is at risk. Will her reckless pursuit of the human trafficking ring jeopardize their lives?

Michael knows she needs him, but doubts his ability to be the hero she still believes him to be. Is he still the man she married or has he become a liability that could get her killed?

Excerpt:

“You’re a selfish bastard.” She shoved her hands through her hair and counted silently to twenty. “Say what you want, I don’t care because I’d rather fight with you than mourn you. I’d rather you hate me than feel nothing.”

“I do hate you.”

Blowing a strand of hair from her face, she grabbed the ouzo bottle, opened it and slammed cabinet doors looking for a glass.

“I know you’re lying,” she said.

“Get the hell out of here,” he yelled.

“Where are your goddamn glasses?” she asked between clenched teeth.

“How would I know? I’ve been here less than six hours.”

“Who needs a glass, right?” She took a long swig of the liquor. The alcohol burned her throat but felt damn good. She took another swig before meeting his gaze.

“Is that how you’re dealing with your guilt? Drinking it away?” he asked.

She held the bottle out toward him. “Want a taste?”

He looked at her through narrowed eyes, muscle working overtime in his jaw.

“C’mon, babe, look at it this way…maybe a taste will kill you,” she said.

For the first time since entering the room, a flicker of humor shot through his eyes. With a shrug, he grabbed the bottle and drank without breaking eye contact.

“I’m still alive,” he said.

“Sorry to disappoint you…again.” Needing to touch him, she reached for the scar that zigzagged across his forehead.

He flinched away from her touch.

“You need to leave. You don’t owe me anything,” he said without looking at her face.

She caught her lower lip between her teeth and studied his bent head before answering. “This isn’t about owing you anything.”

He met her gaze then, annoyance flashing in the brown depths. But there was something else there, too…pain so intense she took a step back.

“What is wrong with you?” he asked. “Just because I’m in this chair doesn’t mean that you can bully me.”

“Am I bullying you?” She grinned at the idea of bullying him. He’d always been the badass Marine with more arrogance than necessary. Her independence clashed with his attitude more often than not, but that had been a good thing. Maybe—just maybe—he’d missed it. “I brought you fast food and alcohol. We even had a fight. I think you like that I’m here. I’m livening things up. You looked pretty bored when I walked in.”

He grabbed her hand before she could snag another fry. He squeezed her fingers so hard she thought her bones would snap. “Look at me. I’m not the man you married. I’m not even a Marine anymore. Look at me.”

She only saw the man she loved who stared back with desperation in his eyes. She saw his hair thicker and longer than she’d ever seen it before and liked it. She saw his teeth sink into his lower lip and wanted them sinking into her skin. She only saw Michael.

“You’re still the sexiest man on the planet,” she said.

“You’re delusional.” He dropped her hand as if the mere touch of her skin sickened him.

“Maybe I am.”

“What are you getting out of this?”

“A headache.”

“I can’t. I’m changed. We’ll never be able to be like we were.” He looked at his legs. “Not like how you remember me anyway. I’m different now.”

“So am I. We’re all different.”

“It’s more than that and you know it. You and me…sex…there will be…expectations.”

“I see, so I should pretend you don’t exist because you feel awkward about sex? You must not think much of me, Colonel.” She bit out his rank between clenched teeth.

“When I see you that’s what I want, are you satisfied now? Right now I would like to throw you up against that counter, rip those jeans from you and fuck you. I remember how we were together. That’s what I want. I can’t do that. Do you hear me? I can’t have what I want and seeing you is torture for me. I can’t have you.”

Silence quaked in the room.

She put both of her hands on his knees, conscious that he couldn’t feel her touch. “You keep talking about what you’ve lost, but you haven’t lost me. Don’t you see that? You may not be a Marine anymore and you may not be able to walk anymore, but you have me. I love you. I need you. Can’t that be enough? And you have your son. What about him? He needs you, too. You haven’t lost him.”

“I wish you hadn’t come here.”

“Too bad, I’m here. Deal with it.” She moved onto his lap and moved her hands over his shoulders. “What’s the problem?”

“Stop this,” he whispered.

“You want me to kiss you. You want to kiss me back.” She could see it in his eyes, the need, the desire, the question. “Is that what you want, Michael?”

“What would that prove?”

“Does it have to prove something? Can’t a kiss be a kiss?”

“No.”

“Typical man.” She leaned within a fraction of his lips. “Don’t you remember high school? Don’t you remember when a kiss meant everything?”

In a sudden move, he grabbed the back of her head and ground his lips against hers. She knew the intensity was meant to shock her so she matched it with her own. She sat on his lap and plunged her tongue into the recesses of his mouth until he moaned. His free hand squeezed her breast through the thin material of her blouse but, instead of hurting, it ignited her blood.

The Michael she knew still lived inside this man. She felt him in the warmth of his mouth, the strength of his hands on her body, the restrained power of his touch.

She couldn’t stop touching him, hands moved through his hair, over his face, along his shoulders. Alive. Here. She fought back a Hallelujah.

Buy Links:

Amazon: http://getBook.at/REALEaston

Barnes and Noble: http://bit.ly/Z4F3qj

All Romance Ebooks: http://goo.gl/d7RRSt

Smashwords: http://bit.ly/14lTKrb

Contact information:

http://www.amberleaeaston.com,

http://www.facebook.com/AuthorAmberLeaEaston

and Twitter http://www.twitter.com/MtnMoxieGirl

Author Bio:

Amber Lea Easton is a multi-published author of both nonfiction and fiction. She spent years working in journalism and advertising with a brief detour into the financial sector. She has three published romantic suspense novels—”Kiss Me Slowly”, “Riptide”, and “Reckless Endangerment”—and a contemporary romance novella, “Anonymity.” Her memoir about surviving the suicide of loved one, “Free Fall”, published in September 2013.

Easton is also an editor and professional speaker. Links to radio interviews can be located on her website, http://amberleaeaston.com, and her videos about romance writing have been showcased internationally on the Writers and Authors television network.

Easton currently lives with her two teenagers in the Colorado Rocky Mountains. She gives thanks daily for the view outside her window and healthy children. As long as she’s writing, she considers herself to be simply “a lucky lady liv’n the dream.”

#SaturdaySpotlight is on Author @MonicaGarry and Her New #Holiday #Contemporary #Romance

Saturday Spotlight

Welcome to Behind Closed Doors and our Saturday Spotlight feature. Today we have a special treat. Author Monica Garry Allen is here to share a bit about her new Christmas holiday release Christmas Confusion. Instead of me continuing to blab on, I’ll turn things over to Monica and let her tell her tale. ~Tammy

The Sexy Boy Next Door.

We all dream of one day meeting Mr. Right. We want him to be as close to perfect as possible. It would be nice if he was filthy rich also. Most of us want him to look like Chris Hemsworth, face and body. *Sighs.* That would be wonderful. It would be even more wonderful if he rode a motorcycle and had a nice array of body ink. Let’s not forget sexual prowess. Mr. Right has to have a lot of energy and stamina and he also has to have a tongue that is able to work magic. Most of us dream of billionaires with mansions and private jets. We want our perfect dream guy to spoil us and buy us huge diamond rings.

But sometimes Mr. Right is right next door. He may not be rich or drive a limited edition car, but he’s still perfect, just the way he is. It seems as if we’ve all forgotten about the sweet boy next door. The guy who works with his hands. The guy who offers to take your trash out for you when he sees you on your porch. The guy who helps you carry your groceries inside when you return home from the market. The guy who fixes your refrigerator for you when it breaks down on a Sunday afternoon and there’s no one else available to come out and fix it. Some of us call these types of guys, Mr. Handy Man, but Bailey calls her next door neighbor, Mr. Perfect. But to his face she calls him Max, because, well, that’s his name.

In Christmas Confusion, Bailey has just moved into her first apartment. She’s just graduated college and has landed her first ‘real’ job. She’s also fallen in love for the very first time. But she’s slowly realizing that love isn’t as wonderful as people make it out to be, especially when the person you’re in love with is in love with someone else. Or so she thinks. The more Bailey tries to avoid Max the more fate seems to throw them together causing Bailey to fall deeper in love with her next door neighbor. What she doesn’t realize is that he’s fallen just as hard for her. It takes them a while to finally figure things out but when they do sparks fly and Bailey finds herself experiencing a few more firsts, thanks to Max Davis aka Mr. Handy Man.

Christmas Confusion Blurb:

Can two people be any more confused than Bailey and Max?

Bailey Cooper is very much attracted to her neighbor, Max Davis. Unfortunately for her, Greg – Max’s lover, is slowly becoming one of Bailey’s best friends. Bailey’s emotions are torn; she adores Greg’s friendship while at the same time she craves Max’s touch. What is a girl to do when she ‘thinks’ the man she’s in love with is in love with someone else?

Max Davis and his baby brother Greg Davis are co-owners of the apartment building they live in. Max has fallen for his tenant, Bailey, but she avoids and ignores all of his advances. Soon he becomes suspicious of the friendship blooming between Greg and Bailey. He believes Bailey has a crush on his brother but Max wants Bailey all to himself.

Will a holiday weekend full of chaos and confusion finally get Bailey and Max on the right track? Or will a few innocent caresses lead to more Christmas Confusion?

Amazon Buy link:

http://www.amazon.com/Christmas-Confusion-Monica-Garry-Allen-ebook/dp/B00H4OI2EQ/

Meet the characters of Christmas Confusion.

Bailey – My name is Bailey Cooper and I’ve just moved into my first apartment. Living on my own is kind of scary. But not as bad as I thought it would be thanks to the big hunk of a man living next door to. His name is Max and he’s extra yummy. He’s also extra gay and his boyfriend, Greg, looks better in skinny jeans than I do. How unfair! Anyway, one interesting fact about me is, I play in stool, urine, blood and any other fluid the body can excrete, on a daily basis. I’m a Medical Technologist, so I get paid to be gross. Oh, one more fact: I’m in love with my neighbor, yeah, the gay one. Have I mentioned how unfair life is?

Krista – Hi, my name is Krista. I’m Bailey’s best friend and play cousin. There are a ton of interesting facts about me, but if I have to pick one to share I will share this one, I have always been and will always be a daddy’s girl. I love my dad with all my heart and I think there is nothing more special than the bond between a father and his daughter. Can I give one more? I’ll be quick. Another fun fact about me is that I when I’m tipsy I like to dance, but who doesn’t?

Max – I’m Max Davis. My two brothers and I own and are currently renovating, Lake Teresa apartment complex. It needs a lot of work but we are managing to get it done in a timely manner. I have a new tenant, Bailey Cooper. She’s the most frustratingly sexy woman I’ve ever met in my life. And she keeps ignoring my advances. My brother, Greg, is driving me crazy with his attempts to get Bailey and I together. Maybe we just aren’t meant to be. Damn shame though, because I know I could make her happy if she would give me a chance.

Greg – Hey, Y’all. I’m Greg. The youngest and most fabulous of the Davis brothers. One interesting fact about me; hmm let me think. I’m a great listener…. I bet you thought I was going to say something else. Okay, I’ll say it. I am homosexual and I’m proud of it. Oh and I’m also a part-time deejay. Just ask my new tenant and bestie, Bailey. My goal this Christmas is to get her and my brother together. I swear straight people can be so obtuse sometimes. Just call me the Christmas Cupid.

Christmas Confusion Excerpt:

Max scooted back on the couch, he reached toward Bailey, eyes straying to her legs. Even though she wore jeans, he still pictured her legs bare, like they were when she jumped on his counter.

Her eyes widened as his hand came closer and closer. Max leaned forward, stretching his arm even closer to her body, he ached to touch her. His fingertips itched for a chance to slide down her body. As he moved closer, he heard her inhale deeply and he couldn’t escape the erotic images that flowed through his mind. Oh, the sounds I could cause her to make, if she would give me the chance.

Max continued edging forward, until his fingers wrapped around what he was reaching for. He picked the remote control up and moved back to his side of the couch. His hand shook slightly. Bailey exhaled. The sound sent chills over his body. Max pointed the remote at the television and pressed play.

He cleared his throat. “Do you want to start from the beginning or do you want me to find the last scene you watched?”

Max waited on her to answer but all he heard was the sound of her breathing. He kept his eyes straight forward, fearing the sight of her chest rising and falling would be his downfall. She took so long to answer that he forgot what his question was.

“Whatever you want,” she whispered, and his gut clenched. Max pressed pause.

What was his question? For the life of him, he couldn’t remember what he’d asked her. But her answer ‘whatever you want’ was the answer he craved. A thousand questions raced through his head, ‘Bailey, what do you want me to do to you with my tongue?’ Her answer of ‘whatever you want’ would be perfect for that question. ‘Bailey, what do you want me to do to you with my hands?’ Whatever you want would be the perfect answer to that question. But none of those were the question she was answering. What had he asked her?

“Or we could just watch television,” she said. “We don’t have to watch the movie, I know it’s a chick flick and you may not like it.”

Oh yeah, the movie. “No, no, we can watch the movie.” Get it together, Max.

“Okay,” Bailey smiled and snuggled further into the comforter. His comforter, the one he would sleep under later on tonight. The comforter that would have her sweet scent on it until he decided to wash it, if he decided to wash it. Get it together, now, Max.

Max cleared his throat again. He felt like his t-shirt was getting tighter, choking him. Max found it hard to swallow. “We can just watch it from the beginning. How long is this movie anyway?” he asked her.

“It’s a short movie, about an hour long.”

He would have an hour in her company, an hour with her sitting within arms-reach of him, an hour of sweet torture and he would enjoy every minute of it.

“Can I have a little cover?” he asked her.

“Sure, here.” Bailey leaned forward pushing some of the comforter his way.

“Thanks,” Max told her, before draping the cover over his legs and pressing play. The first scene of the movie came on. Bailey’s eyes were glued to the television screen. Making good use of his peripheral vision, Max watched her from the corner of his eyes.

He loved watching her smile at the funny scenes and tear up at the sadder ones. Emotion after emotion flitted across her face as she watched the movie. He wondered what kind of emotions he would draw from her if she was underneath him. Would she be as passionate in the bedroom as she was outside of it? Max had a feeling she would be.

‘Whatever you want,’ she’d whispered; Max groaned again.

Monica Garry-Allen author links:

Twitter: @MonicaGarry

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MonicaGarryAllen

Website: http://mgarryallen.wordpress.com

#OhMy! Author @DD_Symms Talks About #Boarding, His New #Contemporary #Romance

Welcome back to Behind Closed Doors. It’s Monday once again and time to introduce you to another author and their newest release. Today I’m excited to welcome author DD Symms to our site. Boarding is his very first erotic romance novel and I’m thrilled to have him here today to talk about it. So without further adieu…DD, the stage is all yours!

Glad to visit Tammy, and thank you for hosting me. Boarding, is the first book of The Jessie Carter Fashion Series: True Friends are Life’s Greatest Pleasure. I”m currently working on the second book now, but today is all about introducing you to the heroine, Jessie. She’s a young fashion designer who dreams of working with a world famous model and suddenly gets her wish. Jessie Carter gets the surprise of her life during a visit to New York City when she gets a call to design a dress in one day for a world renowned model. Her work is cut out for her as she has to fight the objections of her boyfriend, fend off a crazed gossip columnist and fight falling for the assistant to the model’s manager. Oh, did I mention the assistant is bisexual? As you can see, Jessie has a lot on her plate and she still has to design that dress!

The Characters

Jessie Carter loves her craft of designing fashion and that’s what appeals to me. She’s not start struck even though she does admire the model, Veve Rouselette. Jessie’s watched shows of Veve’s commitment to quality and that’s what she strives for in her own work. Alas, Jessie has a wonderful but controlling boyfriend in Raymond. He designs mobile apps and has big plans for Jessie’s life that he “knows” would be better suited for her.

Callan DeLongpre, the bisexual assistant and lover of Torrey Johnson, simply takes pleasure in helping others. He and Jessie connect in a way that’s more fully developed in a later novel, my current WIP Arrival.

Boarding doesn’t foucs on the glamour of the fashion industry, but on the relationships of the characters and how their sexuality draws them together and creates a lot of tension when their desires are not aligned.

Giveaway

I will send the first 3 chapters of Boarding to any reader who comments below with an email address.

In the meantime, how about a little teaser? In this excerpt, Jessie and Raymond are in separate cities. She is performing for him on webcam…

Excerpt

Jessie arranged the pillows so she could lean back on them. Her legs dangled over the edge of the mattress and she ran the crystal toy the length of her body and then spread her legs wide. “Can you see?”

“Yeah. You’re so lovely.” He gritted his teeth.

She ran the curved tip over the few tiny hairs on her mons and then pressed once on her clit. Whoever crafted the product was a genius. There was an unusual balance to it, so even though it had no batteries it still felt like it had its own natural movement.

She leaned back on one elbow and raised the point with the other hand. “I got this in London.”

“London?”

“Yeah.” Jessie moved the tip along the lips of her labia.

“Why?” Raymond sounded shocked and incredulous.

“Huh?” Jessie did a double take.

“Why’d you buy it?”

Jessie inserted the tip but just like a balloon bursting with the prick of a pin, the molten lust flowing in the air instantly cooled. She reclined and pulled it out. “What do you mean ‘why did I buy it’?”

“Was it expensive?” He was awakened from his sensuous daze. “Cash or credit? You told me there are specials online all the time.”

Perhaps Raymond was a long, lost relative of Ebenezer Scrooge. “Aw, sweetheart.” Jessie collapsed on the pillows and the ceiling seemed to close in on her. She wished Raymond could appreciate the experience of walking into a store and browsing. She had been so hot and so close to striking a fucking orgasm when the fire department from the Kingdom of Pure Pragmatism arrived in time to completely douse her. “Why the hell would you care?” She couldn’t help raising her voice.

“Now, Jessie—”

“It’s my money, goddamn it.”

“Of course it is. And you’ve mentioned your concerns about not having enough.”

Ugh, I sound like a child. Swearing from anger was distasteful, especially when lying naked on silk sheets in a five-star hotel overlooking Central Park. Her long-term career options weighed on her more than spending habits. He couldn’t hear that.

Raymond had such an ability to inflame her passion when he wanted. He knew how to apply tiny quick kisses and lather her in luxurious strokes with his tongue and his hands. But the past several months after his tech firm launched, his playfulness had grown dim like the diminishing wick of a candle. Now he huffed, puffed, and extinguished the flame.

Author Links

DD Symms Website http://ddsymms.wordpress.com

Facebook.com/ddsymms

Goodreads, DD Symms

Amazon page, DD Symms

All Romance eBooks, DD Symms

Kobo, DD Symms

OhMy! @KaraLeighMille1 and Her Whirlwind #booktour Celebration #newadult #romance

It’s that time again and I’ve got a special treat. Author Kara Leigh Miller is in the middle of two book tours. One celebrates the release of her new YA contemporary romance and the other with her New Adult contemporary Death of a Waterfall. Kara started out her Waterfall tour with my blogs on Sassy Vixen Publishing just two days ago. We decided to split up the fun and have her do an interview then, and share the blurb and excerpt with us here today for Oh My! Monday.

So let’s get to the good stuff!

Blurb

Teghan Jacobs didn’t think anything could be worse than learning she’s pregnant by a man she’s been dating less than six months. Boy, was she wrong. Her mother, whose drowning in the river of denial, refuses to take a side on the issue. And her overbearing, manipulative father threatens to disown her and cut her off from her trust fund if she doesn’t have an abortion.

Donnie Marks couldn’t be happier. The woman he loves, the woman he fought so hard to be with, is going to have his baby. Life has never been better. But when she shows up in his dorm room, sobbing and heartbroken, he learns the horrible truth of what happened. He vows to get revenge on the man who’s responsible: Teghan’s father.

Excerpt

Teghan walked to the door and opened it. “Get out.”

He approached her. “I’m not leaving.” They stared at each other in a silent battle of wills. “I know I broke a promise to you and I’m sorry, but I come here to fess up, to make things right and I find you with another guy. I’m the one who should be angry here, Teghan, not you.” He crossed his arms over his chest. There was no way in hell he was leaving when he knew she was so angry with him–all though he still didn’t know why she was so pissed.

“Fine.” She swung the door closed.

Donnie hated the way her voice had flattened. “We can get through this,” he said.

She faced him. “You wanna know the best part of Alex’s message?”

He cringed. God only knows what Alex said. “No.” He really didn’t want to know, but knew he had to hear it.

“Alex said he still loves me, and that’s why he made that bet with you. The one where you two bet me over a basketball game. You know the one I’m talking about, don’t you, Donnie?”

Donnie looked at her, stunned. “What?” Of everything Alex could’ve told her, Donnie hadn’t expected Alex to tell her that. Why had he? Surely it didn’t look good for Alex either.

“Don’t play dumb. I want to know what the bet was,” she said.

“Does it really matter?”

“Yes.” Teghan folded her arms across her chest and leaned up against the door.

Donnie sighed. “Alex and I bet on a basketball game. I win and I get to take you out. Alex wins and I walk away from you for good. It was just a stupid bet, Teghan. It didn’t mean anything. We were drinking and…”

“Who won?” Donnie looked down at the floor. “Who won?” she repeated.

Click on the following link to get yourself in the running for the prizes!
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Where to Find Kara and Her Books

#Oh My! @tiffcarmouche Gives Us a Sneak Peek into the World of Her Alaska Trilogy #romance #suspense

Instead of dreading Mondays, I decided to take them back and make the day into something fun. What better way than to invite fellow authors to share sneak peeks at their latest WIP or new releases. This week for Oh My! Monday, I’m excited to have with us romantic suspense author Tiffany Carmouche and the second book in her Alaska Trilogy.

The first book The Impostor, introduces us to Nicole, a young single mother, who escapes an abusive ex-boyfriend and leaves behind the broken dreams of becoming an artist. She travels to Alaska, a place she knows little about, on a journey of self-discovery.

Nicole is scared of getting hurt again, but Dylan’s chiseled body, chocolate-brown eyes and charm captivate her. She begins to fall in love. In Alaska, she discovers the power of friendship and true love and starts to let down her guard. But is her security a facade?

Soon Nicole’s innocent beauty taunts a sinister man, and she is caught in a web of deception and danger. Someone evil is stalking her. Someone she had trusted. Will she be saved? Or will she be hunted?

The second book in the trilogy, Obsession and Sacrifice, promises even more suspense and intrigue.When Nichole wakes up in the hospital room from a coma, she has no memory of who she is or how she got there. Only the scars on her body reveal some horrific event took place and she is lucky to be alive…alive…but could she still be in danger?

Her only hope to rediscover her past and avoid a killer’s obsession lies in the hands of two men: sexy Dylan, her boyfriend, who used to captivate her and now prays she will remember how much they cared for one another, and Bradley, her charming best friend, who has secretly loved her all along. She feels safe around both men, but to her, they are strangers. Nicole must decide who to trust, not only with her heart, but with her life.

They are rivals–both men want to win her love. But they are allies as well. The two vow to give her a second chance at life and both will sacrifice everything to make sure she survives.

Wow! Those covers alone grabbed my attention. How about you? Do you want to learn more? Here’s a little teaser excerpt from Obsession and Sacrifice that promises to pique more than just your interest. 😉

…He laid her down on top of the covers so he could see her every curve, her every breath, her every desire. He wanted her, wanted her so badly.

He watched her gently pant as she lie waiting for him to take her. She was his. A mixture of the lustful passion and the genuine love he felt for her made the adrenaline race through his veins like a raging river. He wanted to cherish every moment, every inch of her body, every kiss because it could be their last.

“My body has craved your body.” He leaned over, brushing his hand over her hair so he could look in to her eyes as their lips met. “Every minute,” he gently kissed her again. “Of every day,” his kisses grew even more passionate and he pulled away almost teasing her, “since you last made love to me.”

He lowered himself to her, whispering in between kisses. “You. Are. Simply. Delicious.”

He caressed her breast and his tongue obeyed each nipple’s cry to be tasted. His warm mouth covered them, and they melted to his tongue like cotton candy. As he gently sucked her nipples, her body stirred as he teased. Sighing with obsession, she ran her fingers through his hair again.

As he traveled her body with his tongue, he continued down her tight abdomen, gently nibbling on the sides of her little waist. Tickling her and awakening all of her senses, he arrived again at the lace covering her essence. The scent of her arousal filled his nostrils as his fingers slid beneath the fabric feeling the juices of her passion. As his fingers slid over her clitoris, she jumped. Her body trembled and she swallowed hard.

He tenderly slid her panties down her thighs and off her body, spreading her legs as his tongue slowly entered her again, gently sucking her clitoris. She squirmed in delight, clenching onto the covers below her. The tip of her toes curled as she shivered. Goosebumps traveled up her body. “Aaa,” she softly sighed, as he stimulated her again…

If you want more of these books, you’ll have to pick up your own copies. They’re available on Amazon right now. Tiffany will also be visiting my sister blog Sassy Vixen Publishing on Saturday March 30th for an author spotlight. Let’s see if we can tease a bit more out of her about her books!

Fan Created YouTube Video for The Impostor

About the Author

When Tiffany Carmouché is not writing romance novels, you can find her sculpting, traveling, teaching, singing, dancing, escaping in music or enjoying her family.

From skydiving in Alaska to scuba diving in Hawaii, Carmouché has traveled the worls seeking adventure. These include riding camels in Africa, swimming under the stars in Puerto Rico, dancing salsa in Ecuador, and walking the cobblestone roads of Assisi, Italy. She has also found fulfillment working with the disabled and orphans in Argentina and Mexico. Her most cherished moments, however, have been watching her two beautiful daughters grow and strive to accomplish their own dreams.

Despite all of these amazing experiences, she has survived many struggles. There was a time she felt defeated, but now she is recommitted to savoring experiences both in the novels she writes and in the life she lives each day. Her secret hope is that anyone who is struggling will realize there is a light at the end of the tunnel and no matter how hard the fight, no matter how many times they have been knocked down, it is always worth staggering up to their feet and learning to breathe again.

Where to Find Tiffany

Lies, Betrayal, Heartbreak, Oh MY!

I’ve never been too fond of Mondays until I started up Oh My! Mondays to showcase steamy hot excerpts from some fantastic authors. This week I’m thrilled to welcome back to Behind Closed Doors, my friend and fellow Siren author, Amber Lea Easton. Today she’s sharing an excerpt that will melt your panties off and leave you begging for more. Would you risk it all for a chance to get your happily ever after or are you the type who is afraid to take any chances at all? Let’s see what Amber has to say about taking risks…

Riptide cover — Available now from Bookstrand

Risk: a word that terrifies some people. Artists take risks when they put their heart on display for the world to judge. Policemen, firefighters, and military take risks when they rush in when we’re rushing out.
We human beings take risks all the time whether we’re conscious of it or not–when we decide to call the guy back, make eye contact with that hottie we’ve been daydreaming about for weeks, quit our jobs for something better, leave a relationship that’s comfortable for the unknown, buy that dress that’s more seductive than our “usual style” or reinvent ourselves so we can live the life we’ve always dreamed. All of those are risks that may not be life-threatening, but can certainly feel like it.
In Riptide, my hero and heroine have learned the hard way that people lie, that betrayal is too easy for some, but they risk being hurt again when they open their hearts to one another.
That’s what love is about…trusting one other person with your raw and open heart, letting go of the fear of rejection for that adrenaline rush, breaking down the walls that protect you, and risking it all for your chance at happily ever after. It’s not easy ..but, as they saying goes, nothing worthwhile ever is.

Blurb from Riptide

One violent night shatters Lauren Biltmore’s life. As an anchorwoman, she’s accustomed to reporting the news rather than being the lead story. She escapes the spotlight by fleeing to her brother’s home in the Cayman Islands. Haunted by nightmares, all she wants is a distraction from reality.

Distraction arrives via sexy screenwriter Noah Reynolds. His take-me-to-bed looks mask a past ripe with scandal. He knows he should stay away from Lauren, especially when the worst night of her life unlocks his writer’s block and while he’s dealing with a stalker of his own, but ethics are his weakness.

Attraction sizzles beneath Caribbean sunshine. As their relationship grows, Noah’s stalker intensifies her torment. Lauren wonders if her paranoia is justified or a carryover from her past. What’s real? What’s imagined?

Tentative trust is tested as their love is swept up against a riptide of deceit, murder, and revenge.

Adult Excerpt

“Hey, sexy lady.” He sat behind her, pulled her between his legs and rested his chin on her shoulder. “What do you think of my boat now?”

She sipped her wine before tilting her head to look at him. “There’s more to it than meets the eye, kind of like the captain.”

“Captain, huh?” He moved her hair and kissed the back of her neck. “I don’t suppose I could get you to call me sir for a few hours?”

“Oh, I see what your game is.” She laughed and leaned her head back to allow him easier access to her neck. “Whatever you say, sir. Your boat, your rules.”

“Good answer.” His mouth toyed with her earlobe. “I like having you all to myself. Seems like we’re always interrupted at the house.”

She twisted her head to look him in the eye. “Are you thinking about the house?”

“Not right now.” He brushed her hair from her face. Damn, she was beautiful.

He kissed her neck. She tasted like salt air and citrus. He unzipped her dress and smoothed his hands over her bare back. When his fingers slipped over her ribs, he heard her sharp intake of breath. Smiling against her neck, he moved his hands over her breasts. Squeezed. His mouth toyed with her ear. He liked the way her breasts filled his hands perfectly, as if they were made for him.

He kissed the line of her jaw as his hands slid over her flat abdomen. He felt the scar and traced it with his thumbs before sliding his hands back over her breasts.

Her hand gripped the back of his head as she ground her lips against his. Her mouth was wet and urgent beneath his, her tongue insistent.

He pulled the dress from her shoulders before pushing her down. Dragging his mouth from hers, he raised up enough to look down at her bare torso. Stunned by the intensity of emotion that flooded through him, he buried his face between her breasts and pinned her wrists against her sides.

Wine spilled. Both the bottle and glasses rolled toward the edge.

His mouth made love to first one breast and then the other. He savored every inch of her skin. She squirmed beneath him, but he refused to release her wrists. She needed to surrender, to enjoy being worshipped.

“Noah, please,” she said, her squirming making him insane with desire. “I need you inside me. Please. You’re torturing me.”

He slid down, his teeth pulled at the silky material of her panties. He released her wrists and moved his hands over her naked torso as his teeth worked her panties lower over her hips.

“Damn it, Noah. You’re killing me.”

He smiled against her hipbone. “Relax. We’re gonna get there.”

He pulled her panties and her dress from her legs and tossed them aside without looking away from her body. He ran his hands up her long legs, kissed the inside of her knees, licked the inside of her thighs, tasted the center of her, felt her body contract around his fingers as he slid them inside her. Wet and hot, she tasted sweet and intoxicating.

Her body arched beneath his mouth. Her hands were in his hair. She moaned his name over and over.

He kissed a trail over her abdomen, lingered again on her breasts, moved to her neck before merging his mouth with hers. She pulled his shirt off of his shoulders while he fumbled with the zipper of his shorts with one hand. Muttering something against his mouth, she pushed hard until he rolled onto his back, taking her with him.

She bent over him, hair trailing across his face as she kissed his neck and chest. Her hands pulled his shorts low, reached for his penis before her tongue licked the tip. He rolled his head back and gasped for air.

“Condom in my pocket,” he said between gritted teeth.

She knelt over him, hair blowing across her face as she rummaged in the pocket of his shorts for the condom.

“Give it here.” Propped on an elbow, he grabbed the package and ripped it open. Damn, he needed to be inside this woman with an urgency he hadn’t felt in years—if ever. The need pulsated through his veins and reverberated in his ears.

And then she was on him, rocking, hair blowing across her face, hands pressing against his chest, breasts moving with her rhythm, body silhouetted by stars in a night sky. She looked like a sea goddess having her way with him. He grabbed her waist and ground his hips against hers. She leaned over and kissed him with an urgency that shook him like an earthquake.

He rolled her back over and thrust into her again and again, needing to go deep. They were a tangle of limbs as their bodies merged in a desperate dance. Mouths found one another. Breath caught between them. When he climaxed, he let out a shout. She laughed—breathless—her nails scratching down his back.

“I can’t get enough of you.” Her breath brushed against the sweat of his neck.

“I know what you mean.” He muttered against the top of her head. “Damn, I want to do that again.” He kissed her forehead. “And again.” He kissed her lips and lingered. “And again.”

“Stay inside me. Don’t move.” She fisted her hands in his hair and looked him in the eye. “I think my dress blew overboard.”

He laughed, enjoying the feel of her legs still wrapped around him. “Do you care?”

“Not even a little bit.” She kissed him, eyes wide open.

He held her head close and looked into her eyes. Despite everything—her history, the note on his door, the mess he was in, her pain from the past and uncertainty about the future—she was brave enough to be here with him naked on the bow of his boat surrounded by deep water and darkness.

“I was right that day at The Lazy Turtle when I said you were dangerous,” he said against her lips. “You’re the most dangerous woman I’ve ever met.”

Didn’t I tell you? Melted your panties off didn’t it? (fanning self) Want a bit more of Riptide? Check out the video trailer. Buckle up! This will knock you off your feet!

Amber Lea Easton is a multi-published fiction and nonfiction author. For twenty years, she’s worked in the fields of journalism and advertising with a brief detour into the financial industry. Although she holds a BA in Communications & Journalism, she is a perpetual student of life who enjoys taking post-graduate courses on a wide variety of subjects when time allows. Smart is sexy, according to Easton, which is why she writes about strong female characters who have their flaws and challenges, but who ultimately persevere.
Easton currently lives with her two teenagers in the Colorado Rocky Mountains where she gives thanks daily for the gorgeous view outside her window. She finds inspiration from traveling, the people she meets, nature and life’s twists and turns. At the end of the day, as long as she’s writing, she considers herself to be simply “a lucky lady liv’n the dream.”

Where to find Amber and Riptide

Siren Bookstrand

Amber’s Website

Facebook

Guest spot on The House of Taboo

Thank you for sharing with us today, Amber! For those of you who want another look at Riptide, head over to my sister blog Sassy Vixen Publishing on August 9th when she shares the first thirteen sentences of the book. And yeah…they are SMOKIN’! See ya there! ~Tammy

Suspect Infidelity? It’s Balls to the Wall time…Oh My! with author May Water

Once again, I’m happy to welcome back to Behind Closed Doors fellow Siren author May Water. Just yesterday, her latest book was released. Balls to the Wall Detectives, Inc is an erotic alternative romance that grabs you right from the first sentence and never lets go! At the heart of it, it follows Marley Winters as she hunts down cheating partners and either helps them get back with their loves, or nails them to the wall for their infidelity. It’s a very interesting topic to cover in a romance novel. Not that there aren’t cheating partners, but how often do you come upon a private investigator who not only goes after the “cheater” but tries to help them mend their relationships as well? So why this topic? May responds:

While infidelity runs rampant in our society, with about half of all marriages dealing with it directly, you can avoid the likelihood of it ever happening. “It takes meeting several emotional needs at once,” says Dr. Willard F. Harley, Jr., author of several books on the subject and founder of marriage counseling center, Marriage Builders. When most reveal that sex isn’t what drives the affair Harley agrees it’s absolutely true, citing the lack of a romantic relationship causing many to seek others to fulfill their emotional needs.

“There are really four emotional needs that are primarily romantic: affection, intimate conversation, recreational companionship and sexual fulfillment,” says Harley. “If you have a romantic relationship in your own marriage, an affair is much easier to resist.” If you suspect your spouse might be doing something unsavory, Harley feels you have every right to investigate, whether by installing tracking software on the computer or even hiring a private investigator. If anything is found, Harley advises saving the evidence for the confrontation. “A husband and wife should be so transparent that any effort on the part of one to look at what the other is doing should never be considered off limits.”

I agree wholeheartedly! Having been through a divorce and now remarriage, I can fully attest to the fact that if you are missing any of the four emotional needs mentioned above, you become one very unhappy person. You begin to doubt yourself and your self esteem plummets. What happens when you have all four? Well, you have found your soul mate. It’s as simple as that.

What about cybersex? Is that cheating or just “harmless fun?” May’s heroine Marly Winters (dontcha just love that name?) has a few ideas about that. Here’s the blurb and an excerpt from Balls to the Wall Detectives, Inc. Let May know what you think about her new story, and better yet, go out and get your own copy today while it’s still at a special price! Currently it’s only available through our publisher Siren Bookstrand. Click on the cover of her book above and it will take you right to her page!

Blurb

Is cyber sex cheating real? Marly thinks it’s nothing a little BDSM can’t cure. Those naughty boys will wish they never touched a mouse. Marly can whip couples back between each other’s arms and legs. Or simply nail his cheating balls to the wall. Either way: bad boys beware.

Her detective agency hunts down cheating partners, delivering not only evidence, but a remedy for what ails these couples: hot, sexual abandon. Her role as sex vigilante causes a brush with the law though. She’s crafty but can she get her ass out of that sling?

Despite her tough shell Marly unexpectedly finds love amidst the whips and chains. She really wants love, yet our heroine has loads of heartache to heal. Which one will help lick her wounds? Sweet younger Katie softens her spirit. Quirky lovable Jock literally knocks her off her feet. Can either one tame our excitable girl?

ADULT Excerpt

“Oh god yes,” Marly panted as she pinned Katie against the wall and ground into her. Both of them had to restrain themselves the entire half-mile walk back from the mall. They had barely made it up the elevator and into her dark apartment.

“I’m so fucking wet,” Katie whispered, nibbling Marly’s neck. When she licked the length of her throat, Marly moaned, unable to remember the last time she was that sexually excited.

“Me, too,” she panted, her mouth finding Katie’s again in the darkness. When their lips parted Marly whispered in her ear, “I wanna fuck you.”

“Do it,” Katie responded quickly. Marly backed away from her slightly, her hand caressing one of Katie’s breasts. Her eyes had acclimated to the dark, so she could just barely make out Katie’s face.

“Do you have anything so we can, ya know…have sex?” Marly whispered, feeling like a teenager at her inability to say the word dildo.

“Have anything? Like what?” Katie asked, quizzical. Marly bit her lower lip, suddenly feeling totally embarrassed.

“Um like a dildo,” she whispered.

Katie giggled. “Why would I have that?”

Marly shrugged her shoulders. “I figured that California gay women have all sorts of toys,” she whispered.

Katie smacked her shoulder playfully.

“What, it’s not true?” Marly asked with a laugh. Katie found Marly’s lips as she pressed her body against her. They made soft humping motions as they kissed. Marly ran her fingers through Katie’s long hair with one hand as she pulled down her tank top with the other. Her excitement grew when she realized that Katie wasn’t wearing a bra. She enveloped one perky breast in her hot mouth, loving that it was exactly a mouthful. Katie groaned as Marly sucked her tits more firmly. After a moment Marly lifted her head.

“How about pot? You must have that,” she whispered. Katie laughed out loud at her words.

“My god, Marly, you crack me up!” she replied with a huge smile. “But yeah, I do have toys. And pot. I was just teasing you. It’s all in my bedroom.”

Katie giggled, grasped a handful of Marly’s shirt, and pulled her to a room off to the side. There was a streetlight across the street, which illuminated the room just enough to not require additional lighting. As soon as they entered Marly pushed Katie gently onto the bed, lowered herself on top of her, and resumed her breast sucking.

“I love your tits,” Marly whispered in between her adoration.

“They’re too small,” she responded. Marly shook her head and gazed up at Katie, a nipple in her mouth. After one long suckle she spoke.

“They’re perfect,” she whispered, truly meaning it. Katie’s entire body felt so very good. The word that came to mind was sleek. Marly got lost in the removing of her new lover’s clothing and the lavishing of each body part revealed. It didn’t take very long considering she was only wearing running shorts and a tank top. Once Katie was fully naked, Marly made quite sure that no part of her was left unkissed. Both of them were breathing heavily.

“You make me feel so good,” whispered Katie as she fumbled with Marly’s jeans. Marly helped her out, shrugging them off her hips quickly. As she stepped out of them she gazed down at Katie.

“Your toys. Get one,” she whispered. Katie reached out to push Marly’s panties out of the way, but Marly grasped her wrist. “You can do that later. Right now I have to fuck you.”

May wanted to share one more thing with us before she left us to go back to her writing cave. It’s a quote from William L. Phelps that I think sums up relationships from the male perspective quite well.

“The greatest of all arts is the art of living together. Every man who is happily married is a successful man even if he has failed at everything else.”

Food for thought, don’t you think?

Where to find more from May Water

http://www.bookstrand.com/may-water

http://www.facebook.com/MayWater

Internet resources & support groups regarding cyber cheating

http://www.howtobehappyagain.com/emotional-infidelity-top-10-signs-of-cyber-cheating

http://www.chatcheaters.com/

http://www.advicediva.com/ad/loveebooks/affairsandcheating/howtostopinternetcheating.asp

Coming up on June 7th, May will be a guest on our sister blog Sassy Vixen Publishing. She will share the first thirteen sentences from Balls to the Wall Detectives, Inc. Make sure you stop in there and tell her hello!

Behind Closed Doors Welcomes author Nicole Morgan

Nicole Morgan has written several books for Siren Bookstrand including her Sweet Awakenings series and Sudden Devotion. Today she stops by to talk about her newest release for Total-E-Bound Publishing.

beckandcall_800 (2) — Beck and Call buy link

Beck and Call is a sizzling erotic contemporary novella. Here’s an excerpt:

All Jenny wanted was to run her resort hotel without the constant interference from her boss. All Beck wanted, was her.

Jenny Somers is the General Manager at a resort hotel in the beautiful Caribbean. She loves her job, but she hates her boss. Constantly cutting corners to meet budget constraints she finds herself doing handyman work just to keep the hotel running.

Beck is a drifter who comes to Jenny’s rescue during a plumbing emergency at the hotel. He is arrogant, cocky and absolutely everything that Jenny despises in a man of his type.

Together Jenny and Beck find out just how real the term “opposites attract” is, and along the way find something they weren’t quite expecting along the way.

ADULT Excerpt

He was watching her. She could tell he liked it. She noticed a small bead of sweat on his forehead that she would lick off if he was close enough. He was holding her thighs apart and hadn’t deviated from his rhythm for several minutes when she felt him do just that. His pace slowed and he released one of her thighs from his strong hold. She was disappointed. What he was doing had felt so good. She didn’t want him to stop. Not for a second. He slid his hand up towards hers in what she thought was going to be a playful massage of her breast, but instead he surprised her when he pulled her hand away.

“Beck? What are you doing?”

She asked the question, but if she had waited the answer would have been clear. He took her hand down to where their bodies were connected and placed it on her saturated clit.

“Rub yourself, Jennifer. Touch yourself. Let me watch you.”

His voice. Again, his voice sounded deep and hypnotizing. Was there anything he could ask of her she would not do? Without hesitation she spread her lips further apart with her index and ring finger. Her eyes were locked on his as she flicked her middle finger across her swollen clit.

She gasped. The sensation was more than she’d expected. Something flashed in his eyes and his jaw clenched. She loved knowing she was driving him crazy. Wanting to make him just as hot as he did her, she continued to play with herself as he watched. He was still buried deep inside her and the feel of being so completely filled while touching and teasing her sensitized nub was like nothing she’d ever experienced before.

“Taste yourself, Jennifer.”

Her eyes widened at his demand. Taste myself? She had never done anything like that before. How could she… As quickly as she’d asked the question she realized the choice was no longer hers. Beck pulled her hand away and raised it to her mouth.

“Suck your fingers, sugar. Lick all your juices off for me while I watch.”

Oh my God! She couldn’t possibly. Hesitation washed over her when her scent tickled her nose and her taste hit her tongue. She liked it? She wanted to question how it was possible, but instead found her lips closing over her fingertips. Unconscious moans escaped from her as she did exactly as Beck told her to, licking and sucking on her fingers.

I am a writer of erotic romantic novels, which put strong emphasis on the characters emotions while also throwing in some spicy and really hot love scenes.

I want my writing to inspire you, the reader, and open your heart to feel the same things the characters are going through.

298838_1492697334234_1738060902_704331_208517475_n — Nicole Morgan

While still trying to stay true to my style, I am finding my writing is evolving. Wanting to take on new and unchartered terroritory, at least for me anyway. There are many areas of erotica out there that I haven’t had a chance to really delve into and am anxiously looking forward to doing just that.

Find out more about Nicole and her books at the following links:

blog http://nicolemorganauthor.blogspot.com

Facebook http://www.facebook.com/NicoleMorganAuthor

How Stupid Can I Get?

Welcome to Behind Closed Doors! Today, author Roz Lee shares with us her experience with something many of us have gone through: accidentally wiping out something we’ve spent hours working on.

About the author –

Roz Lee has been married to her best friend, and high school sweetheart, for over three decades. These days she splits her time between their home in rural New Jersey, and Southern California, where her husband works. Even though she’s lived on both coasts, her heart lies in between, in Texas. A Texan by birth, she can trace her family back to the Republic of Texas. With roots that deep, she says, “You can’t ever really leave.”

Roz and her husband have two grown daughters they couldn’t be more proud of, and are currently raising a ten-year-old Labrador Retriever, Betty Boop, who isn’t aware of her canine heritage.

When Roz isn’t writing, she’s reading, or traipsing around the country on one adventure or another. No trip is too small, no tourist trap too cheesy, and no road unworthy of traveling.

Sometimes I just have to wonder, how stupid can I get? Today is one of those days. I’m closing in on my two favorite words – The End – with my current work in progress. This morning, I even skipped my usual early hour trip to the gym in order to put in some serious time working toward that light beckoning me home. All was going well. I’d managed to write ten pages, mostly dialogue. The scene was emotional, and a pivotal moment between my hero and heroine. I broke away for a few minutes to do some mundane things – like laundry – and came back to it. Still feeling satisfied with where I was, and where the story was going, I decided it was time to take a serious break, perhaps to come back later in the day.

So…I moved my cursor to the little red box in the top right corner, and clicked on it. Bless Word’s heart for popping up a little box asking me if I wanted to save the changes I’d made. At that moment, I had a brainstorm. One little thing I wanted to change before I forgot it. I moved the cursor away from the ‘yes’ selection. My mind had already wandered to the minute change I wanted to make. I should have remained focused on the task at hand. Instead of moving the cursor all the way over to the ‘cancel’ button which meant, no, I’ve changed my mind about doing this, my finger reflexively hit the enter key – with the cursor directly over ‘no’, which we all know means – no, I don’t want to save the changes I’ve made to the document.

A day’s work disappeared in the blink of an eye. No way to retrieve it. All gone. Bye, bye.

Jumping off a bridge began to look pretty good, but for a solid five minutes, I stared at the screen in disbelief. I whimpered like a kicked puppy. All that time – lost. Worse – all that wonderful, emotional, pivotal dialogue – gone.

Hours , and a Grande Hot Chocolate with all the calories and fat the Barista could possibly cram into it, later – it still hurts. I’ll write the scene again, and perhaps it will be better the second time around, but I can’t help but feel a kinship with artists who work in transient mediums. I’ve always wondered why anyone would bother to build a magnificent sand or ice sculpture, knowing that it would only be there for a short period of time before nature claimed the medium back. Or what about those artists who painstakingly ‘paint’ in chalk or colored sand, only to see it washed or swept away soon after? As a writer, I like to think my work is more permanent, but today I was reminded that it is only one human error, or one computer glitch away from being as transient as skywriting.

I’ve learned a valuable lesson – one about saving my work more often. To be honest with you, I thought the program was set to auto-save every so often. Maybe this is something I made up in my own mind, but if the program will do that, I’m darned sure going to see that it does it from now on. There is much I don’t know about computers, and truth be told, I do good to operate my cell phone. Maybe that’s stubbornness on my part. I’ve never taken the time to learn all the wonderful little things that my electronic gadgets can do for me. Perhaps it’s time I did.

Four of Hearts_final_lyn compressed — Get your copy of Four of Hearts

I did manage to complete my latest book without losing any scenes, so I hope you’ll check it out. FOUR OF HEARTS is available from Red Sage, Amazon, B&N and All Romance eBooks.

Here’s the blurb –

Marriage hasn’t tamed Candace Callahan’s sexual curiosity, something her husband Ryan is grateful for, but when she asks him to tie her up for her anniversary present, he knows he’s going to need the help of their friends, Richard Wolfe and his wife, Fallon.

Dr. Fallon Enright is the resident sex therapist aboard the Lothario – the cruise ship co-owned by her husband and Ryan Callahan. When Ryan asks to participate in one of their couple’s rope bondage classes, Richard isn’t sure it’s a good idea, but Fallon assures him all will be well.

What begins as innocent curiosity, blossoms into a polyamorous relationship none of them could have expected, but they are powerless to ignore. When the tabloids expose their new lifestyle, the foursome must choose between the love they feel for each other, or accepting society’s moral constraints.

And an Excerpt –

Ryan froze with his lips against the pulse in Candace’s neck. His erection surged with new vigor against her stomach. Why couldn’t his wife ask for something easy for their anniversary? Something like diamonds, a villa in France, hell, even an expedition to the North Pole. The image in his brain coalesced, and he knew he would give her whatever she wanted.

“You want me to tie you up?” he asked as soon as he found his voice.

“Don’t even try to tell me it doesn’t excite you.” Candace wiggled her soft mound against his cock. “I felt that.”

He had no intention of denying his interest. Only a fool would, and Ryan Callahan was no fool. He continued his exploration of his wife’s creamy soft skin, all the while forming and reforming the new image in his head. His lips left her neck, slipped to her shoulder where he tasted every inch of skin, before angling lower toward the perfect swell of her breasts. His hands held hers pinned flat on either side of her head. He’d tied her hands once, when he’d spirited her away from the Lothario and onto the Vixen, but that had been role-playing more than anything else. He was pretty sure she had something more in mind. He hoped to God she did.

Her request shouldn’t have been a surprise. She’d spent a lot of time lately talking to his best friend’s wife. Rope bondage was Fallon’s new research topic, and a passion shared with her husband Richard. Ryan inched his way lower, and teased one nipple to a marble hard peak with his tongue, before taking it in his mouth. Candace drew in a sharp breath and arched her back, encouraging him to suck harder. He obliged his wife.

His wife. The moniker still sent a thrill through his body every time he thought, or said the word. Candace Callahan. His wife. God, what a wondrous thing that was. For nearly a year, she’d been his constant companion, his lover, his…everything. Before he met Candace, he’d been lost and alone, searching for something he couldn’t name. Now it had a name. Love.

“Well?” Candace prodded on a gasp as Ryan switched breasts, sucking the poor, neglected one in his mouth without preamble.

Surely, she knew the answer. He couldn’t deny her anything. Still, he made her wait for his reply. It wasn’t as if he hadn’t given it any thought himself. There wasn’t much he hadn’t imagined doing with Candace.

He released her hands and slid lower until he lay pillowed between her thighs. He brushed his thumbs over the neatly trimmed auburn triangle that drew him like a compass needle to magnetic north. The scent of her arousal filled his nostrils and fueled a primal need. He swept his tongue through her juices. She ground her swollen flesh against his face, and he knew she’d forgotten everything but this. He dedicated himself to keeping the status quo for the foreseeable future.

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