#RAGT14
Hello! I meant to get this blog post out yesterday, but I got swallowed up reading. I read three books yesterday! I ignored everything and just sat and read. Ever do that?
Me and Janet Rodman
Me and Jessica
Holly, me, Jennifer
I am just back from the Annual Reader & Author Get Together in West Chester Ohio, just outside Cincinnati. I went with my good friend, Jessica. I had a great time, as always. I got to meet some new readers, like Holly Smith and Jennifer Sapa, and I got to meet Janet Rodman, who I already knew online. Hi, Janet!
Paige Tyler and me
There is so much going on at RAGT that I don’t know where to start! There were panels, meet-and-greets, games, book signings, shopping, a raffle baskets, and more. The first person I saw when I arrived was Paige Tyler. Paige is a fellow Romance Diva, and she has always been so kind to me. I can’t tell you how much I love Paige.
Ty Langston, Tatum Throne, Maddy, Paige Tyler
I met many authors for the first time including Ty Langston and Tatum Throne, who were part of the Writing Divas and a Dude boardroom. The other Divas were Paige Tyler and Tigris Eden. Tigris wasn’t able to be there due to a family emergency. One of the things my boardroom did was a fashion show. I have
lots of SCA garb, from many different time periods and cultures, and the hard part was deciding which to bring! Here is a pic from that: Tatum Throne in Viking, Ty Lanston in 16th Century Florentine, Paul in late 20th Century Indian, Paige Tyler in a sari, and Marilyn Mandalis in 16th Century Japanese. The fashion show was a lot of fun and people seemed to like it. I think we’ll do it again next year.
Tatum Throne, Ty Lanston, Paul, Paige Tyler, Marilyn Mandalis
Marcie and Maddy
Jessica and I also put together a raffle basket. It was won by Marcie, who seemed to be very excited about her win. I hope she enjoys the afghan I made, and the books and the $40.00 Barnes & Noble gift card that Jessica donated.
Yes, next year. I’m already very excited about it!
Which Hero in the After the Crash Series is Right For You?
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Tuesday Teaser 6/3/14 Wolf’s Lady Part 21
First some housekeeping. On Wednesday morning I am leaving Fargo to drive to West Chester Ohio for Lori Foster’s Annual Reader & Author Get Together. I have been CRAZY busy getting ready for it, and as a result, the snip this week is rather short. And I will have just gotten home from RAGT next week so there won’t be a snip on 6/10. Sorry about that! I promise to make it up to you!
Also, you may notice some gaps in the story or it seems rushed to you. A reader emailed me to ask about that, so let me explain. You are not getting the entire story. For instance, at the time of this snip, Sand has been courting Amanda for about three weeks. Amanda has taken Sand home to meet her father and her young cousin, who has come to stay with him for a few years. Some things I’m leaving out because they could be spoilers for Wolf’s Vengeance, and because I don’t want to reveal some things for Wolf’s Princess yet. But I promise you’ll get to read the whole thing for free by the end of the year. I’m going to polish it up and post it on the blog in its entirety before Wolf’s Princess comes out.
So… Enjoy!
A knock sounded on Amanda’s door and Cayla poked her head in. “Hey,” the younger business woman said. “Some of us are going shopping. Want to join us?”
No, she didn’t. She wanted to hear what was happening to Sand. But it could be hours before he and Sky returned from the mayor’s house, so she might as well keep herself occupied. “Sure. Give me ten minutes to change.”
When the ladies of Sky’s House went out en masse on what Sky called an assault on Omaha’s shops, men on the street took notice. Knowing they would draw attention, and thus more business, Amanda and the other ladies always dressed for it. Not sluttishly, no. They left that for the women who worked at Gabe’s Girls. Instead, they wore pretty clothes and made their faces up in a more dramatic style than Omaha’s married ladies did. Amanda put on one of her favorite prairie skirts and a loose top with a low scoop neck, some jewelry, a little more lip gloss and mascara, and went downstairs to join Cayla, Helen and Tasha.
Amanda walked down the road to the bus stop, Tasha and Helen in the lead, laughing and talking, with Cayla beside her, putting a comment in now and then. Amanda tried to join in, but her thoughts kept circling back to Sand. Cayla noticed. She was a loud woman, with a boisterous laugh and an off-color sense of humor, but a strong streak of empathy ran through her too.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
“Sure.” Amanda forced a smile. “What are you shopping for today?”
“I heard that a new shipment of winter dresses has come in from Lisa & Hannah. I’d like to get a few more things from that company. Everything they put out is so pretty. What about you?”
“I think I’ll just browse,” Amanda said vaguely. “Maybe something will catch my eye.”
Cayla’s smile was just a little wicked. “You should buy something for Sand. He looked good enough to eat in Sky’s suit this morning.” Her voice fell into a fake southern drawl. “Lawdy, Mr. Wolfe, you can huff and puff and blow my house down any old time you please.”
A tiny shaft of jealousy shot through Amanda, so she laughed to brush it away. “He does look good in a suit.”
Cayla tucked a lock of her brown curly hair behind her ear. “You could buy him a suit for your wedding,” she suggested in a very innocent voice.
Amanda sucked in her breath, imagining Sand waiting for her at the front of a church while she paced up the aisle, dressed in her mom’s wedding gown. A part of her was startled by how appealing that image was. The rest of her just felt comfortable with the idea. Very comfortable, like she felt when she walked into her dad’s house and knew she was home.
Cayla broke into her thoughts with a snap of her fingers. “You are going to marry him.” Her voice lifted in a teasing lilt. “Put the poor man out of his misery? Aren’t you?”
A roar heralded the approach of the bus. Amanda hitched the strap of her bag higher on her shoulder. “Yes,” she said firmly, peace and happiness flowing through her. “I am going to marry him.”
Ignoring Cayla’s dropped jaw, she mounted the bus with a flip of her hair over her shoulder. Now she knew what she wanted to buy. She needed a negligee for her wedding night. It had to be new, something no other man had ever seen her in, something for only Sand to see. She settled into a seat on the bus, smiling. She could hardly wait until Sand came back so she could tell him she would marry him.
Tuesday Teaser May 27, 2014: Wolf’s Lady Part 20
This is, once again, almost late. Mea Culpa! I was crazy busy yesterday with Wolf’s Vengeance’s release. However, here it is. Again, please remember that this is raw, with absolutely no editing, so there will be typos and other errors. Enjoy!
Sand didn’t like the look of the mayor’s house. From what he could see above the thick wall that enclosed it, it was more of a stone fortress than a house.
Sky nodded at the man who came to the gate in the tall, thick wall. “Good morning, Arthur. This is my cousin, Sand Wolfe. We have a meeting with the mayor this morning.”
The man looked them over with no expression. “You’re expected, Mr. Wolfe,” he finally said, and directed two men to open the heavy gate.
It was habit that made Sand automatically catalogue how many guards there were at the gate in the tall stone wall, and how many more were positioned along the wall and in the grounds, and how they were armed. He figured there were at least twenty, but probably more, around the back where he couldn’t see, and they all carried heavy batons perfect for cracking skulls, as well as guns and knives. They could be trouble if he and Sky needed to leave in a hurry.
Sky walked confidently over the decorative gravel drive to the house. Out of the corner of his mouth he muttered, “Remember to keep quiet unless you are asked a question. Answer honestly, but do not mention your wolf.”
Sky had already said that several times during the half hour it took to walk here. “I remember.”
“And quit tugging on your tie like that; you’ll ruin the knot.”
Sand lowered his hand to his side, remembering his mate’s hands twisting the length of fabric into a complicated pattern at his throat, and her heady scent so close to his nose. Another guard answered the front door. This one wore a suit, but Sand saw the outline of a gun beneath the coat.
“Mr. Wolfe,” he said, with a little bow. “Please come in. Mayor McGrath is in the library.”
It was cool inside the house, but Sand began to sweat anyway. He followed Sky to the back of the house, past half a dozen armed guards into a room with a fireplace, a round table in the center, and books on the walls. Another time he might have liked to look at the books, but now all he saw was the smug, oily face of Terry Askup. Just as his lip began to raise in a snarl, Sky jabbed his elbow into his side. Terry, seated at the small table, tilted his head with a smile that made Sand yearn to punch his fat mouth. Sand subsided and watched the other man rise from the table to shake Sky’s hand.
“Sky,” he said warmly. His hair was brown with lots of gray, his body tall and going soft around the middle, his smile wide, with too many teeth showing. He reeked of cologne. Sand’s hackles, barely smoothed after sighting Askup, threatened to rise again. His wolf didn’t like this man, or his perfumed scent. “Thank you for coming.”
Sand shot a glance at Sky. They’d had a choice? His cousin took the mayor’s hand with a smile as falsely cordial. “Thanks for setting the investigation here instead of at City Hall.”
“I think we can get things settled a little more quietly, don’t you? There’s no need for formality.” The mayor sent Askup a quick frown before he turned the wide, too perfect smile on Sand. “And you must be Sand Wolfe.”
Sand allowed the mayor to pump his hand up and down and hid his distaste behind a cool nod.
“Let’s all sit down and make ourselves comfortable. Coffee?”
Sand declined, Sky accepted. He sat in the leather arm chair and forced a calm, polite expression on his face. Sky and the mayor wasted a few minutes exchanging pleasantries about the mayor’s wife’s delicate health, the weather, and some upcoming social event that Sand couldn’t care less about. Askup didn’t seem to care either. His stare was fixed on Sand with an unpleasant smirk twisting his lips.
The mayor set his coffee cup down. “So, let’s get down to business, shall we?”
“Certainly,” Sky said, leaning back in his chair with supremely relaxed smile. In the years he’d been away from the Pack he had become a fine actor. Sand thought that was sad. At the den Sky had never used a word like ‘certainly’.
“Terry has made a complaint about treatment he received at your house a couple of weeks ago. He tells me Mr. Sand Wolfe threw him out without explanation when he had a long-standing appointment with Miss Amanda. He incurred some physical injuries during the encounter.”
Sky just kept smiling. “Naturally the House regrets any inconvenience to Terry. We always have reserved the right to cancel appointments at the lady’s discretion. Amanda has canceled all her appointments for the foreseeable future.”
Askup sneered at Sand. “Because he threatened her if she didn’t?”
Sand barely controlled his wolf’s snarl, but forced himself to keep his mouth shut as instructed.
“Not at all.” Sky crossed lifted an ankle to the opposite knee. “Miss Amanda is taking some time to consider if she will accept Sand’s marriage proposal.”
Askup slapped a hand on the table. “Now, see? That’s just wrong. Amanda is my fiancée.”
Only Sky’s foot slamming down on his kept Sand and his wolf from exploding. Sky was still smiling, but the smile took on a fiercer curve. “I believe you are mistaken, Terry. You asked Amanda to be your wife, but she declined.”
Under the overpowering reek of the mayor’s cologne Sand caught a whiff of Askup’s self-satisfaction.
Askup waved that off like it was smoke irritating his nose. “Every woman wants to be pursued, especially a whore.”
Sand’s wolf nearly took over. He fought to keep the wolf back. Sky lost the smile and the relaxed posture. He shot up straight in the chair. “We never use that term for our ladies.” His voice was almost pleasant; his face was not. “I would appreciate it if you’d remove that word from your vocabulary.”
Askup laughed heartily. “We’re all men here. We don’t need to pussy-foot around the name. Speaking of pussies…” He leaned forward, his lips shiny with spit, to leer at Sand “Have you tasted Mandy’s? I don’t usually like to eat pussy, but Mandy’s is worth it. Just hearing her beg me to go harder when I stick my tongue up her–”
Sand’s control broke. With a howl he lunged over the table, hands closing around Askup’s throat. He’d barely begun to squeeze when Sky’s arms dragged him back, forcing his grip to break. Vaguely he realized a dozen men had poured into the room, but he didn’t’ care. He just wanted to feel Askup’s blood on his tongue.
“Let me go!” he growled.
“Calm down,” Sky commanded in Alpha tones. It took a few moments of hoarse panting for Sand to identify Askup’s scent. Gloating triumph didn’t show on his face, but the scent was clear. The townsman reeled out of his chair, clutching his reddening throat.
“See? He’s a dangerous, out-of-control criminal! I want him arrested for assault!” he demanded.
Was that regret on the mayors face? He gestured to the guards standing around Sand and Sky. “Place Mr. Sand Wolfe under arrest and take him to the city cells.”
Wolf’s Vengeance is OUT!
WOLF’S VENGEANCE
Template to be used to assemble cover art for Liquid Silver Books. It was created in PhotoShop CS6.
The next book in the After the Crash series is available at most etailers now!
In a future world where modern technology is unknown and women are rare, werewolf Snake Wolfe claimed Melissa Dirk as his mate the moment he laid eyes on her. Mel is a woman willing to do anything to save her mother, even marry the werewolf who promises to help.
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The Tale of the RAGT Afghan
For the past four years I have attended the Annual Reader & Author Get Together in Ohio. One of the fun things about the event is the raffle baskets the attendees put together. The proceeds of the raffle go to www.OneWayFarm.org, an organization that helps neglected, abandoned and abused children. This year my raffle basket will contain a nice lap afghan that I crocheted out of a washable wool/acrylic yarn. But there is a story behind this afghan.
My newest kitty is named Dixie. She was rescued a couple of years ago from a hoarding house along with many, many other kitties. CATS Cradle Shelter in Fargo, ND does great work saving cats and finding them homes. You might have heard of them from my author bio. They are the shelter I donate a portion of my royalties to. They do amazing things to save kitties, and that takes money. You can learn more about them at www.catscradleshelter.org.
From the first I wanted Dixie. She is exactly the kind of cat I am drawn to: needy, frightened of people, and sweet-natured. However, I already had three cats when she first came to the shelter, and that is my personal limit. My landlord readily agreed that I could have four, but I have to look at the cost of food, litter and vet visits realistically. If I can’t afford to take care of four cats, I wouldn’t be doing me or them any good. Three was the most I could comfortably support.
Fast forward almost two years. I was down to two cats after Magic had to be put to sleep after her stroke. In a happy set of circumstances, I was able to bring Dixie home with me back in December. I was so excited! I had to control myself so I didn’t scare her. She came out of her shy shell slowly but surely. She sits in my lap about once a week. She loves demands to be petted. She’s not a cuddly kitty most of the time–when she’s in a mood, she tends to sit as far from me as she can get– but she’s happy and healthy, and I adore her. I think she’s coming to love me too, as more than just a set of hands that will stroke her on demand.
What, you ask, does that have to do with the afghan? Well, I’m always careful about yarn and cats. If they eat it, it could cause serious trouble, so I keep it shut up in project bags to be sure it’s out of reach. But Dixie has never shown much interest in my yarn until I began putting the blocks together. Then she seemed to become fixated on the afghan. When I was sitting in my chair working on it, she would sit inches away and carefully watch me.
If I had to get up for a minute, Dixie
would be curled up on the afghan when I came back.
When I’d put the afghan away in its bag, Dixie would drag it out and lay on a corner of it.
Dixie LOOOOOOVES this afghan! I was afraid it would break her heart when I’d have to pack it up to send for the raffle. So I began a new mini Dixie-ghan, just for her, hoping she would tranfer her attachment to it. And look! She likes it. Now I just need to get it away from her long enough to make it bigger. 🙂
Tuesday Teaser May 20, 2014: Wolf’s Vengeance
I’m so sorry, everyone, that the next bit in Sand and Amanda’s story isn’t ready. On Thursday I was struck down by the norovirus. Usually I write Sand and Amanda over the weekend, but this past weekend I spent almost all my time in the bathroom or in bed. In other words, I haven’t written anything new. However, it is only a week until Wolf’s Vengeance comes out, so I thought maybe you’d like a a little snip from that book.
Mel woke, feeling cool morning air on her back and warmth on her front. It was solid yet soft against her cheek as she yawned. It felt like—
Her eyes shot open, and she stared into Snake’s smile, only inches from her nose.
“Good morning,” he said.
She was proud of the smooth, unhurried way she climbed out of bed. “Looks like I overslept,” she said, trying for a casual tone. “Breakfast is going to be late if I don’t hurry.”
He moved even more smoothly than she did and twice as fast. He rolled out of bed and caught her by the arm. His kiss was a light brush of lips over hers.
“I’ll run downstairs and get some water pumped for you,” he offered and left the bedroom, closing the door behind him before she fully registered his kiss.
“Good grief, Mel, get a grip,” she muttered to herself and jerked her fingers from her lips. “It wasn’t much of a kiss.”
She gave a quick, disgusted shake of her head and pulled open a dresser drawer to grab clothes for the day. She dressed, buckled her gun belt around her waist, and hurried downstairs to the kitchen where Sara and Stone were facing off.
Sara flicked at glance at her as she came in. “See?” she said to Stone. “Mel’s here now, so you can go do whatever you need to do.”
Stone backed a few steps away, and Mel saw his face set into stoic lines. “I’m going to run a wide perimeter patrol. Be back for lunch.”
Mel frowned. “What about breakfast?”
He shrugged, heading for the back door. “I’ll catch something on the run.”
Sara made a horrible face. “And tear it open and crunch its bones, I suppose?”
He turned with a glare. “Depends on how big my catch is. Rabbit bones are hardly worth the trouble.”
The door closed behind him with a controlled slam. Sara scowled. “I think that’s disgusting. You want me to go out to the hen house and collect eggs?”
“Yeah, thanks.”
As Mel went about cutting bacon and slicing potatoes, she felt energized. Sleeping next to her husband had been very restful. She felt more relaxed and awake than she had in a long time. If he caught bunnies and ate them raw, well, that was normal for a wolf, right? Nothing for her to worry about. She wondered how much of Snake was present when he was a wolf. She would have to ask him sometime. Maybe later, when she knew him better.
Breakfast was a half hour late, and Mord and Mike clearly wanted to complain, but Snake came in from chopping wood and stopped them with a cold glare whenever they opened their mouths.
Wolf’s Vengeance Winners
A big thank you to everyone who entered. I love reading your comments. You’ve helped me see what is working for the series. Specifically, it seems everyone likes how the wolves treat their mates. Thank you again! And now for the big announcement.
The winners are Lindsay K and Jessica W!
I have emailed these two ladies. If I don’t hear back from them by noon tomorrow (central time) I will draw again.
Someone emailed me to ask how I do the drawings. I use excel spreadsheets. When someone enters I copy and paste their name and email addy into a spreadsheet. At the end of the contest I go out to mailchimp and download the most current list of newsletter recipients. I use the find function to compare the two lists. Any email addy that is on the contest entry list AND the newsletter list is added to the contest entry list again so that person has two entries. Then I use the random number picker at www.random.org. Each line of the spreadsheet has a number. So if I have a total of 81 entries, starting at line 2, I enter 2 through 82 and click generate. I find the number it comes up with on the spreadsheet, and bingo, there’s the winner. 🙂
Wolf’s Vengeance Giveaway!
Need something to read this weekend? How about Wolf’s Vengeance?
Template to be used to assemble cover art for Liquid Silver Books. It was created in PhotoShop CS6.
Yes, I know it doesn’t come out until May 26th, but I’m going to give away two downloads (in either ePub or kindle format) on Saturday night at 7:00 pm central time. That’s Saturday, May 17th, just three days away! To enter, just leave a comment below before 6:00 pm on Saturday and tell me one thing you like about the After the Crash series. I will draw 2 names and email the winners. If I don’t hear back by Sunday at noon, I will draw again. (as always, those who receive my newsletter are automatically entered twice to win)
Good luck!
Tuesday Teaser 5/13/14 Wolf’s Lady Part 19
This is a bit longer than usual, but I don’t expect you’ll mind too much. As always, please excuse the typos and errors. And I’m including a pic of what Sand looks like that morning. I can see why Amanda would notice him and want to play with his hair! Wouldn’t you?
Sand woke with the warmth of his mate’s back pressed against his front. His nose was buried in the wealth of her hair, and the scent of it was a comfort, a joy, and a call to arousal all at the same time. Waking with her like this for the rest of their lives was the most wonderful future he could imagine. His hand rested on her soft belly, just below the temptation of her breasts and it was all he could do to not caress her. His imagination supplied a vision of him cupping her soft breast in his hand while she woke and turned on her back with an inviting smile. He would push her tauntingly thin nightdress up past her waist and slide inside her. He always wanted her, but right now, his desire was like fire in dry grass.
The pinch of his jeans over hardening flesh reminded him that last night she’d required him to wear something to bed. She wouldn’t welcome his advances this morning. He shifted to ease the pressure of his jeans and relaxed against her. At least he had this. If the investigation didn’t go well, at least he’d have the sweet memory of lying beside his mate, her body lax and trusting in sleep against his.
The next ten minutes passed with him savoring the scent of her hair and the warmth of her body against his. She woke as he’d imagined, with a sleepy smile as she rolled onto her back beside him. He had to clench a fist and press it into the mattress to keep from caressing her.
“I’ve never done this before,” she murmured in a voice husky with sleep. The edge of her teeth showed in a small smile as she reached he palm to cup his cheek.
“Done what?”
“Wake up with a man.”
That startled him almost enough to not notice the way she smoothed her hand over his cheek. “Never?”
“No, never.”
Pride swelled his chest, mixed with awe. She had been with many men before, but he was the only one she’d slept beside. “Do you like it?”
Her smile was small and tender. “Yeah, I like it.” Her eyes looked closely at his face, obviously thinking of something else now. “You don’t need to shave, do you?”
It wasn’t really a question. “No. I pluck a few hairs sometimes, but I don’t use a razor.”
He hated to let her go, but when she squirmed to get out of bed he made himself lean back out of her way. In the thin cotton nightdress that hid nothing of her beautiful body, she scrambled past him out of bed and went to the door.
“I’m going to brush my teeth and wash my face. I’ll be back in a minute.”
After she left, he lay for another minute on the bed that smelled of her. Last night when she explained that she had more than one mattress he had been surprised and confused, but also vastly relieved and pleased that no man had ever been on this mattress before. Depending on what happened today at the mayor’s office, this might be the only time he lay in this bed.
Amanda was preparing herself for the day; he should do the same. He jumped out of bed and hurried down the stairs and outside to the bunkhouse where he stored his few toiletries. He used the facilities, washed his hands and face, and brushed his teeth, but didn’t waste time doing anything with his hair. It was still in the same braid he had put it in yesterday, rumpled and frayed from sleep. Leaving it a mess, hurried back to Amanda’s room. He tapped lightly, but she didn’t answer so he slipped back inside. The room was empty. She must still be freshening herself. How long did it take her to get ready? The women at the den didn’t take very long.
He was straightening the sheet and blanket on the bed when he heard her walking down the hall to her room. She came in, her hair damp, dressed already in a floaty skirt like the one he had first seen her in and a pale green blouse with puffy sleeves. Her nightdress was over one shoulder, and she carried a suit on a hanger in her hand.
“Look. Here’s the suit Sky sent for you to wear this morning. I think this dark charcoal gray will look good on you.” She lifted a couple of ties. “I think the red will look best for you, but do you like the blue one better?”
A tie too? Sand swallowed his inner growl. “Red is fine. If you like that one best, I’ll wear that one.”
She flipped a smile over her shoulder when she turned to hang the suit up on a hook over her door. “And now I finally get to play with your hair! Sit down.”
The chair she indicted was the frilly fragile-looking one at her vanity. He hesitated, then settled himself on the little seat. “No one has combed my hair for me before, not since I was a baby.”
Her hands were fumbling at the end of his braid, unfastening the twist of rawhide he used to tie it off. “So, this morning we both get to enjoy something new. Don’t worry. I’ll be gentle.”
Sand’s eyes closed in bliss while his mate carefully unraveled his plait. He had a few mats from sleeping on it, but Amanda was true to her word, and her hands were gentle when she untangled the clumps with her fingers before gliding her comb through the length
of his hair. With him sitting in this low chair, she had to kneel to comb the ends. She fastened it with one of her hair ornaments at the nape of his neck. Then, apparently deciding she preferred it loose, she unfastened it and pulled it over his shoulders.
“I love your hair,” she murmured, smoothing her hand over it in the wake of the comb. “It’s so smooth and shiny.”
He met her gaze in the mirror and a contented smile curved his lips. “Did you know that in the old days, Lakota wives took pride in their husband’s hair? It was their privilege to take care of it.”
“Oh, I see.” There was an oddly blank note in her voice. He wasn’t sure what it meant. “It’s 7:40. You better get dressed so you have time for breakfast before you have to leave. Here/ put on the undershirt.”
He did, then reluctantly accepted the pressed trousers she handed him. She turned her back so he could
slip his jeans off and pull Sky’s borrowed pants on. They were the right length, he supposed, but maybe a little loose in the waist.
“Turn around,” Amanda commanded, and he obediently turned. “Damn,” she sighed. “There is nothing like a male ass in a pair of well tailored trousers.”
Blushing, he rushed to put the coat on. His mate licked her lips when she looked at him. “Mr. Wolfe, you are yummy! But you need to put the shirt and tie on before the jacket.”
He blushed harder and took the coat off. Amanda touched his hand. “I’m sorry if I embarrassed you.”
He wasn’t sure if it was embarrassment. He felt ridiculous in the scoop necked undershirt that barely covered his nipples, and her blatant admiration of his butt had caused heat to rise in his cheeks. But it raised another kind of heat inside him. The trousers didn’t hide his erection.
“Oh, dear,” she said. “I’m sorry.”
“You don’t sound sorry.”
“Ouch!” She pretended to shake sting from her fingers, as if to imply his words had hurt her. “I am sorry, to have to send you off like that, without giving you relief. If we had more time…”
He groan a short phrase in Lakota.
Amanda seemed to have decided that going on to the next thing was best. “Here’s the shirt. Shall I help you with the tie?”
Her fingers looping the narrow silk around his throat did nothing to cool his blood. It took every ounce of self-control he possessed to stand still while her breasts brushed over his chest while she tortured the tie into a fancy knot at his throat. She held the coat for him and then stood back to look at him.
“You really are very handsome,” she told him, smoothing a bit of lint from his sleeve.
He scented Sky outside the door even before the knock came. “Thank you,” he told Amanda quietly, before he opened the door.
“Ready to go?” Sky asked.
“He hasn’t eaten yet,” Amanda said quickly.
“I’ll be fine,” Sand shrugged. “Wolves are used to going hungry.”
“You’ll need to be sharp at the mayor’s office,” she argued.
“I’ll be fine,” he said again, but the knowledge that she cared made him smile.
One of her hands squeezed the other hard enough for the knuckles to go white. “You don’t know that. This could be the last time I see you. I mean…”
He brushed a quick kiss over her cheek. “It will be okay, Amanda,” he whispered. “I’ll be back soon.”
He saw the uncertain glance she gave Sky, and the grave smile Sky gave her.
His cousin nodded. “Tom won’t want to disrupt the flow of our taxes,” he said, his tone encouraging. “Kiss your mate good bye, Sand. We can’t be late.”
Her kiss tasted of suppressed tears. “It will be fine, Amanda.”
She nodded briskly. “Of course it will. I’ll see to that myself, if I have to.”
His gaze lingered on her as he went out. Already he was anxious to get back to her. She cared for him. He was certain of it. All he needed to know was how much did she care?
