So sorry this is late. I had my Word Weavers meeting last night and didn’t get home until after my usual bedtime. I forgot all about the Tuesday Teaser and just fell into bed. My apologies. I hope you’ll find this (unedited!) snip was worth the wait.

Sky stood up from his chair, setting the newspaper aside and staring hard at his mate. He didn’t know why she was so damn mad at him, so how could he make things right? Rose stepped into his office until she was only a few feet away from him and seemed to fumble to find the right words to say. “Sky, I’m sorry. I didn’t understand. What will happen to Lily?”

Tension, knotted like a rope in his chest, eased slightly at her troubled voice. He resisted the urge to close his eyes in relief and instead looked at her with a steady gaze. “We’ll keep her safe. No matter what it takes, we’ll make sure she’s never hurt by a man again.”

The tears gleaming in her blue eyes made his hands clench. “Sky.” It was all she said before the tears spilled over and ran down her cheeks. Finally he listened to his wolf and put his arms around her to draw her close to him. The feel of her body against his summoned a tremble that rose from his knees and spread out to his fingertips. He buried his face in her hair, claiming the scent that was uniquely hers. Her arms reaching up to curve around his neck eased the tremble in his fingers. He had never felt anything as welcome as his mate’s arms wrapped around him. She’d slept beside him because he gave her no alternative, but she never touched him voluntarily. As far as any relationship or love was concerned, she might have been back at the Den.

“Rose,” he whispered, aching with unspoken gratitude at her embrace..

She cut him off. “Sky, I didn’t understand what you were doing here in Omaha. No, I knew what you were doing, but I didn’t understand how important it was. How many girls have you rescued? Girls like Lily who might be dead . I feel awful for doubting you. Please, forgive me?”

He clenched her to him, not ashamed of the tears burning his own eyes. “There’s nothing to forgive. I should have told you why I stayed in Omaha instead of coming to court you. Can you forgive me?”

Her answer stunned him. Her arms tightened, and she pulled his head down so she could kiss his lips. Maybe she meant it to be a gentle, friendly kiss, but the warmth of her mouth made him want more. Passion swept through him like fire in dry grass. He demanded more by opening his mouth on hers, and she responded. The kiss multiplied until all he was aware of was the heat of her mouth, the claim of her tongue on his, the feel of her hair against neck, and the shape of her lithe body under his hands.

He wasn’t sure how long their kiss lasted. It seemed to last an hour, yet when he felt her begin to withdraw, it might have been only seconds. It was a heroic effort to allow her to draw back and release her mouth. He kept his arms around her loosely, not willing to let her go completely.

He looked down into her face and saw her normally pale cheeks were flushed and her lips were as red as strawberries. “Love,” he murmured. “I’ve waited so long for you.”

Rose wiggled free from his arms and seemed to have trouble looking him in the eye. “I guess you need to get going. You don’t want to be late for the mayor’s poker game.”

What do you think? Worth the wait?

In the time since Ellie’s Wolf and Wolf’s Vengeance came out, I’ve had several emails asking me about Stone and Sara. Jelly (as Stone was called before he was given an adult name) was always a favorite of mine, and I think a lot of readers appreciated him too. Sara and Stone’s story was left hanging after Mel and Snake found their Happily Ever After, but that will be resolved in Wolf’s Princess.  Many readers thought Sara wasn’t good enough for Stone and I can understand that. It’s my job to make you all believe that they can be happy together. By the way, have you ever wondered what I think Stone looks like? Here you go.

Today’s teaser is the scene when Stone finally goes to Sara’s house to meet her for the first time in two years. I hope you enjoy it!

As Stone stepped over the threshold the fugitive scent of his mate strengthened. In haling it was like breathing in electricity. His wolf lunged frantically inside him, needing to see his mate. It took more of an effort to force him down than Stone had ever exerted in his life.

He realized the struggle with the wolf had taken a minute or so because Mr. Nelson’s brows were raised. “Sorry,” he said, and obeyed the man’s gesture to walk through the small entry way to the living room. The tiny sound of a footstep jerked his gaze to the opposite door. There, framed within the door like a piece of art, stood the mate he hadn’t seen in two years.

Stone’s breath stopped. She was beautiful. Her hair had darkened from honey blonde to honey brown and her face had lost most of its tan. His heart seized at the blaze of happiness that lit his mate’s face. An answering blaze of joy welled up inside him, utterly out of his control. It might have been from the wolf, but he didn’t think so. It felt too visceral for it to be from any heart but his own.

“Sara.” It came out hoarse because his breathing hadn’t started up yet. “Sara,” he said again.

She was visibly trembling. “Stone! Oh God, I’m so glad you’re here. I’m so sorry I missed you yesterday. Can I… Would you… Please, I want to hug you.”

He finally dragged air into his lungs and crossed the room in three steps. He opened his arms and she stepped into them. He held her so tightly against him he doubted she could breathe. The weight of her head against his chest was indescribably precious. The warmth of her breath whispering over the base of his throat made him want to cry. She was his. His mate, and his wife by the laws of the Methodist Church and the state of Kansas. He had never smelled anything as entrancing as his mate. The salt of her tears wetting his shirt only added to her scent.

The salty scent reminded him of the tears he had shed after her betrayal. He stiffened and pushed away. He was gentle when he pulled her arms away, but he knew his face was grim. “Sara. We need to talk.”

What do you think?

It’s time for another Tuesday Teaser! After Rose and Sky arrived in Omaha, Mayor McGrath invited them to supper. During the conversation over dinner Rose learns a lot about what Omaha is like, and she despises it. She despises the mayor too, but she feels sorry for his wife. Years ago, they had two children, a son and a daughter. The daughter has died in childbirth, and Rose is told the son is gone too.  She examines the pictures of the children on the walls and the boy, who appears to be 16 or 17 in the last picture, reminds her of someone.

“Thank you for a lovely evening,” Sky said. “And for your generous welcome to my bride.”

As he escorted Rose past their hostess, Mrs. McGrath reached out to catch her hand. “Please do come and visit, Mrs. Wolfe. It would be so nice to get to know you better.”

Rose held the fragile hand. From this angle she could just barely see the last portrait of the McGrath’s son. The expression on his mother’s face meshed with a memory and something clicked in Rose’s head. “What was your son’s name?”

The gaunt face showed brief surprise. “Ryan. Ryan Thomas McGrath.”

Rye Thomas. Rose’s breath left her in a rush. She opened her mouth to say something, but changed it. “I’m very sorry that I brought back bad memories earlier.”

Mrs. McGrath pressed her fingers. “Not at all. Some memories can hurt, but others bring joy. Do come again soon.”

“Thank you, I will.”

She could hardly stand to wait until she climbed into the backseat of the car next to Sky to tell him her discovery. But as soon as she opened her mouth to ask him if the McGraths’ son was really dead, he closed his over it. Any thought of the Rye Thomas Trading Company flew out of her head. This wasn’t a quick peck. It was a hot, overwhelming onslaught of tongue that froze her in place. She flashed back to the hallway of the den, eight years ago, when he’d pinned her against the wall and kissed her with unschooled savagery. A tiny pang of fear was squashed by trembling, uncertain passion. And just as she began to relax into the kiss, he lifted his lips and replaced them by his fingers.

“Hush, darling.” A flick of his lashes reminded her of the driver in the front seat. “We’ll be home soon. Then we can finish this.”

So, it looks like we’ll be seeing old faces in Wolf’s Princess. Good thing? Bad thing?

I’m moving right along with Wolf’s Princess. I’m a little past the halfway point in the rough draft. Here’s a little snip I wrote last week:

Sky loosened his tie as he climbed the stairs to the top floor. The house was quiet, the guests were gone, the money was counted and placed in the safe in his office. It had been a grindingly long day, and he hadn’t seen his mate since breakfast fifteen hours ago. His need to see her had burned in his chest every minute of the evening. Knowing she was in the house was a taunt that drove his wolf crazy.

He came to the top of the steps and went into the bathroom. The sight of Rose’s comb and toothbrush made him smile. She was here. His mate was here. He stripped, hung his tie on the doorknob, tossed his clothes into the hamper, and took a quick shower. With a towel wrapped around his waist, he stepped out of the bathroom. Rose’s door drew him like a magnet. He paused there, listening for her breathing, inhaling her scent.

How had he lived without that scent flowing through him, rousing his wolf and calming it at the same time? Carefully, trying to be quiet, he turned the knob and opened the door a few inches. After only a day, the air in Ms. Mary’s old room was saturated with Rose’s scent. She lay on her back under the feminine pink quilt, her face turned to the door, showing her lashes as golden arcs against her pale cheeks. Sky shifted his weight, ready to step to the bed to be closer to his mate, but a new scent caught him. On the end of the bed, draped over his mate’s ankle, glowered her horrible cat.

Lupine and feline glared at each other for a long minute. If that cat weren’t here he would have touched Rose’s face with his lips. Damned cat. With one last deep inhale, Sky silently left, closing the door behind him. It was time to begin wooing his mate. Tomorrow, he would kiss her. Not the chaste pecks he gave her at breakfast. A real kiss, when he could take his time to let his lips and his tongue tell her how much he wanted her. If he were lucky, maybe he’d get to do more.