Excerpts
These are excerpts from my published works or works in progress.
Tuesday Teaser 6/30/15: Daughter of the Wolf Clan
It’s almost July!! That means it’s only a little over a month until the release of Wolf’s Princess. I expect to see it up for Pre-Order in about a week at the publisher and Amazon in about two weeks. That’s just a guess. As soon as I know anything I’ll be sure to let you know too. Also, don’t forget about the newsletter giveaway!
And now, here’s the next bit of Kit and Olivia. The end of chapter 5 isn’t quite working for me. I’ll go in later and add some more emotion and tension and hopefully make it flow better. But Chapter 6 is up next, and then we get some real tension. 😉
Her moan stabbed him like a knife. Her face was so beautiful. He couldn’t help himself. He lowered his head and put his lips on hers. For one wonderful moment she accepted his kiss, but all too soon she jerked her face away. He hid his hurt and turned her questions back on her.
“How many brothers in your pride? Your family?” he corrected himself.
“I have two brothers.” Her chin lifted as she stared in something close to a challenge. “The Clan has over two hundred men.”
He understood her meaning well enough. She came from a large pride and they would search for their stolen queen. The knowledge sank like a stone in the pit of his belly. “They won’t find you, Olivia.”
“Yes, they will, Kit.”
It was the utter assurance in her voice that shook him. “No, no one can find us here.”
His mate rose to her knees and fixed him with an urgent stare. “My father is called He Tracks the Wind in Lakota. He’ll find me. I told you that. And if he has to, he’ll bring the entire Clan to rescue me. How many men are in your Pride, Kit? Two dozen? The clan has twenty dozen. They’ll destroy your Pride.”
“No!” It was a visceral denial. “No one will ever destroy the Pride again. Never again.”
The urgency in his mate’s face faded to confusion. “What you mean, again?”
He had never spoken of that time. He didn’t remember it. He only knew the stories, but they were bad enough. “The day I was born, the pride was discovered by humans. They slaughtered almost all of us. Only the young survived. The queen who bore me had been badly wounded and I was born two months early. She died.” He closed his eyes against the unfamiliar sting of tears.
When he opened his eyes he saw Olivia’s eyes were wet. “That’s terrible. Years ago some men stole some of the women of the clan and murdered them. That’s one of the reasons why they protect women so fiercely.”
“Your pride understands what it’s like then. Did you notice there are no elders in the Pride?”
“No,” she whispered. “I didn’t see any old people in the other cave.”
“That is why we hate humans.”
The warmth of her hand on his arm eased the old hurt and rage. “Not all humans are like that.”
“But your family will destroy the pride to get you back. You said that.”
She withdrew her hand. “Yes, they would fight to get me back, but they wouldn’t murder people who hadn’t done anything to them. Kit, let me go.”
“Never.” It was a flat statement. “You are my mate. I can’t let you go.”
“You have to. I’m not rejecting you. You can come to my house and court me properly. We can take our time to get to know one another.”
Why did she have to insist on leaving him? “No.”
“But you have to!”
“I said no.” When she opened her mouth again he gripped her chin and his fingers and stared deeply into her eyes. “Sleep, my mate.”
He’d never seen anyone come so close to shaking off his compulsion. “Sleep,” he commanded.
Gradually she lost her fight against sleep and slumped against him a warm, precious weight that he swore he would never give up.
Chapter Six
Her head hurt. That was all Olivia could think of at first. And her hip was sore from the hard ground. Then she became aware it was dark and a heave weight was draped over her chest. An arm. Kit’s arm! She peered through the dark, trying to figure out where she was. Kit’s cave, she decided. They were lying together a few yards from the banked fire. The barest hint of a glow lit the outline of his long hair where it spilled over his broad shoulder and onto hers.
She sighed when she remembered his refusal to let her go. The story he’d told her –yesterday?— explained her reluctance to bring harm to his family. They had suffered enough, and though the Clan wouldn’t murder the women or children, they would probably kill anyone who tried to keep them from retrieving her. She had to escape. Could there be a better opportunity than this?
Slowly, carefully, she moved away from him, easing her leg from between his, and untangling his hair from hers. Her heart thundered while she stepped over him. It jerked into agonized stillness when he caught her hand.
Tuesday Teaser 6/23/15: Daughter of the Wolf Clan
You know, we’re far enough along with this story that I should start thinking about an actual title. I like Daughter of the Wolf Clan, but I wonder if there is a better title. What do you think?
This next bit is mostly dialogue. When I do revisions, I might condense this a bit. I know a lot of you are waiting to read the scene where Tracker catches up with his daughter, then again, I want the readers to get to know Kit and his feelings, and also explain a little of how the Pride works. We’ll see. Here is the middle of Chapter 5:
Kit leaned to press a gentle kiss to her forehead. “Tell me, my mate, what love is.”
“Love,” she said slowly, thinking about her mom dad and how they acted toward each other, “is when a person cares more about another person than they do about themselves. They want the other person to be safe and happy.” She frowned. “I think.”
A smile curved his lips, making him startlingly handsome. “I love you,” he said.
She leaned away from him. “No, you don’t! You don’t even know me.”
A shade of hurt crossed Kit’s face, dissolving the smile into a tiny frown. “If love is caring about another person more than I care about myself, then I love you. I want you to be safe and happy. You said that’s what love is. I love you, Olivia.”
She swallowed hard. “We haven’t known each other for very long. It takes time to fall in love.”
Inwardly she flinched. It hadn’t taken her dad any time at all to fall in love with her mom. He said he’d fallen in love with his mate before he’d ever laid eyes on her. But that was different. She blinked back the urge to cry. Just thinking of her parents made her ache to be home with them. She missed Parker and Taylor, as bossy and overprotective as they were, because even though they teased her, they loved her.
“Why does it take time? You’re my mate. I knew it as soon as I saw you.” Kit hauled her tightly against his side. “I love you. Do you love me?”
Olivia took a deep breath and let it out in a shaky sigh. “How can I? I don’t even know you.” A low growl rattled in his throat and her lips trembled. “So we should talk to get to know one another. Um, do you have brothers?”
* * * *
Kit stared at his mate, trying to keep his frustration back. Why didn’t she love him? He loved her. Why didn’t she want him to give her sex? He would act whichever way she preferred. Fast, aggressive, slow, tender. All she had to do was instruct him and he would obey. But she was rejecting him. He examined her carefully for any hints of her feelings. Her face was composed except for the tiny shaking of her lips. Her breathing was too fast and too shallow for calmness, but she pretended well. Was she angry? Or frightened? She wanted to talk, so he would talk. What had she asked? Were brothers the same in the human world as they were in the Pride?
“There are nineteen mature males in the pride. They are my brothers.”
She flashed him a quick glance out of her eerie, pale blue eyes. “No, I mean your siblings. The sons of your mother and father.”
Kit had an idea of what she meant by mother and father, but those were human terms. “The queen who bore me died. I don’t know which male fathered me. The Queens accept any male they wish to have sex with. Their children are all brothers and sisters.”
“Oh my God!” Olivia slapped her hand over her mouth. Her eyes were huge. “Do you mean that you and Maria and Juanita and Patricia might be literally brother and sisters? And you have sex with them?”
She looked utterly horrified. Kit sighed. “Humans don’t do that?” He didn’t need to hear her emphatic denial to know his guess was right. “I won’t do it anymore. I have a mate now.”
“Are any of those … children yours?”
His mate seemed very concerned about which male fathered which children. “All of them are mine. They are part of the Pride, and I am a mature male of the Pride.” When her horror didn’t diminish he quickly went on. “But only I will be the father of your children.” He frowned, troubled by another thought. Unless Patricia forced Olivia to have sex with other males as she had threatened. He caught his mate’s chin in his fingers and turned her face so she had to look at him. “I will not give you sex without your permission, but if you make me wait too long the Queens could take your choice away from you. Then I would have to fight my brothers. I won’t be able to win against them. If I am killed, I can’t bear to think what will become of you. If I’m not killed I could be banished from the Pride. Please, please don’t make me wait too long.”
Fear joined the horror in her eyes before she shuttered her emotions behind her closed lids. “Oh, God.”
Her moan stabbed him like a knife. Her face was so beautiful. He couldn’t help himself. He lowered his head and put his lips on hers.
Tuesday Teaser 5/5/15: Daughter of the Wolf Clan
Hello! Lori Foster’s Annual Reader & Author Get Together (RAGT15) is only a month away!! I am so excited! This will be my fifth year attending. I look forward to this event every year. I would like to go to other reader/author events, but with moving, surgery, cat vet bills, etc, my budget is sadly empty. Eve Langlais’s Romancing the Capital looked like soooo much fun! Maybe in a year or two I’ll be able to go. Is anyone going to RAGT? I just ordered my swag for this year, and I’m involved in a couple of “Find the Author” games that I think will be a lot of fun.
I’ve been working a little bit more on Olivia and Kit’s story. This is the end of chapter 4. Enjoy!
Tami was on the porch, arms folded tight around herself. Their older son, Taylor, along with his cousins Colby, Matt, and Red Horn, ran in their wolf forms from around the back of the house. Tracker slid off his horse before it stopped.
His mate was controlled, but he could smell her worry. “Tracker. Olivia’s horse came in a few minutes ago. Olivia didn’t.”
For one second Tracker stopped breathing. During that single moment, Taylor, Colby, Matt, and Red Horn shifted to human.
“Don’t worry, Aunt Tami.” Colby’s face was almost identical to his father Taye’s at age twenty-three, down to the dimple which wasn’t in evidence right now. “She’s fine. I bet she got thrown and she’s walking back right now.”
Taye’s son was doing what the Clan always did to sooth a worried mother. Tracker didn’t bother to tell Colby that Tami didn’t need empty words to comfort her. His mate was strong enough to take anything life dished out. “Where’s the horse?”
Tami pointed toward the barn. “The rifle’s still on the saddle. So is her canteen.”
It took Tracker only a minute to thoroughly sniff the horse. The sweat of terror lingered on the anima’s neck, raising sweat on his own neck. He jerked his head at his kin.
“Colby and Taylor, let your wolves out. Matt and Red Horn, stay at the house in case Olivia comes back. Tami and Parker, saddle up.”
Seventeen year old Red Horn fidgeted. “Don’t you think Aunt Tami should stay here?”
Tracker fixed a stern eye on his cousin Stag’s youngest boy. “She’s coming with us.”
As Parker and Tami hurried to saddle horses, check their rifles, and fill canteens, Tracker suppressed a smile when Matt cuffed his little cousin’s head. “You oughta know better than to try to keep a momma from her one ewe lamb.”
But the urge to smile died. His one ewe lamb was missing, and that was no reason for smiling. His wolf, usually a timid critter content to sleep, was silently howling inside him. That wolf loved Olivia almost as much as he loved their mate. Tracker gave Tami a long steady look, wordlessly promising her they would find their girl, and mounted up.
The horse’s trail was plain enough. Even someone with no trail experience could have followed the animal’s flight up the path. From behind, Tracker heard his son Parker mutter, “What were you doing so far from the house, Livvy?”
With every step his horse took along the rocky path, Tracker’s heart tightened. If Olivia had been thrown, they would have seen her walking home by now. Either she was hurt or … He swallowed, keeping his face impassive out of habit. He’d seen no sign of strangers. There was nothing to indicate Olivia had been stolen. He glanced at his mate and knew she was already thinking the same thing. Tami knew firsthand the evil men could visit upon a woman. His wolf forced a whine past his throat.
Taylor and Colby had run ahead, but loped back now. Colby turned human to talk. “We found where Olivia’s horse bucked her off. She started walking home.” He swallowed, not quite hiding cold fury. “You better come look.”
Tracker heard his mate suck in a quick breath, but she pressed her mouth into a flat line and rode beside him to the place Colby indicated. He handed his reins to Tami, meeting her eyes for a moment of silent communication. Her face was calm, but he scented her fear and it almost killed him.
He moved carefully around the tracks on the sandy path, reading the story they told like a man might read a book. He looked up at the top of the cliff lining one side of the path, measuring how far a man would fall if he jumped off. On the side of the cliff he smelled something that made his heart pound with sick dread and icy rage. His daughter’s terror and pain lingered here. He followed the tracks going northwest for about a quarter-mile before returning to stand at Tami’s stirrup. Even from her saddle she must have read some of the tracks for herself. She met his eyes, but he could see her composure was a front. He waved his sons and Colby over.
“The way I read it, Olivia was bucked off and started for home. Right here, she was ambushed by two men. One of them picked her up and ran off with her that way.” He pointed to the northwest with his chin. “The other one followed behind.”
“Are you sure it’s a man, Uncle? Both of them, I mean?” Colby asked respectfully. “He —or it— doesn’t have regular feet. They look more like mountain cat paws.”
“Doesn’t smell like a man either,” said Parker.
No, it didn’t. The boys were right. “It walks upright. We’ll call it a man until we know different. He’s moving almighty fast. We’re hours behind him so we need to cover ground quick. Parker, shuck your clothes and let your wolf out.”
Parker obeyed, stuffing his clothes in the saddlebag behind Tami’s saddle. Tracker did the same. Tami’s hands were clenched on the reins so hard her knuckles showed white even through her suntanned skin. “You’ll move faster without me.”
“Yeah.” Tracker looked up at the woman his wolf had chosen for their mate with something like gratitude. He’d fallen in love with her before he’d ever met her, and every minute he’d spent with her for the past twenty-five years had made his love stronger. Her light brown hair had begun to turn to silver, and sun, weather, and age had put lines on her beloved face. She was so beautiful to him, and so brave. It must be like a knife digging around in her guts to let her men go alone to rescue their daughter, but she smiled at him. No wonder he loved her. “We’ll bring her home to you, Tami.”
She gathered the reins of her horse, and the horses Tracker and Parker had ridden. “I’ll be waiting at the ranch.”
Before she could turn her horse, he gripped her knee. “Come here.”
He reached an arm up to draw her face down to his. The kiss was light but heartfelt, telling her he loved her, and he trusted her, and he would bring their little girl back to her. One tear slid down her cheek to touch his lips. She fisted her eyes and smiled at him while she straightened in the saddle. She nodded at all of them, and rode back down the path toward the ranch, her shoulders back and her head high.
There was no time to waste. The trail was hours old. He refused to think of what might be happening to Olivia. He would find her. He would bring her home to her mother. He would kill whoever had taken her.
Tracker let his wolf out and led his kin along the trail of his daughter’s kidnappers.
Tuesday Teaser 4/28/15: Daughter of the Wolf Clan
I’m slowly recovering from surgery. Too slowly! Seriously, I thought I’d be completely well by now, but I still experience enough pain to need to take a Percocet before bed. During the day I just take Tylenol, since I really can’t be taking strong pain pills while working the day job. I suppose I should try to take it easy and not expect to be 100% when it hasn’t even been two weeks yet. I guess I’m just impatient. 🙂
It’s been a while since we visited this story, isn’t it? Over the weekend I decided it was time to get back to it, and played with the idea for the next scene. I started to write it tonight. I didn’t get very far, though. I’m giving you the page I wrote, and at the bottom is a link to the story so far so you can read it straight through if you want. Please remember none of this has been proof read yet, so there are a ton of boo-boos. Please disregard them 🙂
Chapter Four
Dan Stensrud shifted his grip on the shovel he was using as a lever to pry the boulder out of the stream. Tami was right. If any more debris collected around the boulder the stream that watered this pasture would be completely dammed. The rock had to go. He nodded to his son. “On three. One.T…”
The clang of the ranch house bell, muffled by distance, kicked his heart into overdrive. Two clangs, a pause, and two clangs. That meant everyone was summoned back to the ranch immediately. Tami wouldn’t ring the bell without good reason. He released the shovel and ran for his horse. His son was two steps ahead of him. The boy hadn’t learned yet to hide his feelings; fear was plain on his face as he threw himself into the saddle. At twenty-one, Parker wasn’t a boy. Tracker had to remind himself that all his children were adults now, even his little girl. He drove his horse into a gallop.
Tami was on the porch, arms folded tight around herself. Their older son, Taylor, along with his cousins Colby, Matt, and Red Horn, ran in their wolf forms from around the back of the house. Tracker slid off his horse before it stopped.
Not being the clingy sort, his mate didn’t throw herself at him, but he could smell her worry. “Tracker. Olivia’s horse came in a few minutes ago. Olivia didn’t.”
For one second Tracker stopped breathing. During that single moment, Taylor, Colby and Red Horn shifted to human.
“Don’t worry, Aunt Tami.” Colby’s face was almost identical to his father Taye’s at age twenty-four, down to the dimple which wasn’t in evidence right now. “She’s fine. I bet she got thrown and she’s walking back right now.”
Taye’s son was doing what the Clan always did to sooth a worried mother. Tracker didn’t bother to tell Colby that Tami didn’t need empty words to comfort her. His mate could take anything life dished out. “Where’s the horse?”
Tami pointed toward the barn. “The rifle’s still on the saddle. So is her canteen.”
It took Tracker only a minute to thoroughly sniff the horse. The sweat of terror lingered on the animal’s back and neck, raising sweat on his own back and neck. He jerked his head at his kin.
“Colby and Taylor, let your wolves out. Matt and Red Horn, stay at the house in case Olivia comes back. Tami and Parker, saddle up.”
Red Horn fidgeted. “Don’t you think Aunt Tami should stay here?”
Tracker fixed a stern eye on his cousin Stag’s boy. “She’s coming with us.”
As Parker and Tami hurried to saddle horses and fill canteens, Tracker suppressed a smile when Matt cuffed his little cousin’s head. “You oughta know better than to try to keep a momma from her one ewe lamb.”
But the urge to smile died when Tracker stripped out of his clothes to let his wolf out. His one ewe lamb was missing, and that was no reason for smiling.
Daughter of the Wolf Clan
UPDATES!
I sent Wolf’s Princess to the publisher around 10:00pm on Monday, and I received an offer for a contract less than 24 hours later!
Sky and Rose and I have been on this journey together for a while now, and a lot of you have been along for the ride too. Thank you! This one took me a lot longer to write than I expected. Not because it was hard, really, but more because what I thought would be about 75-80,000 words grew into 120,500 words. For comparison purposes, Wolf’s Glory, Wolf Tracker, and Ellie’s Wolf are all around 72,000-75,000 words. Of course, during the editing that number could change. One of the reasons it is so long is because there are a few other story lines mixing in with Sky and Rose. For instance, Stone and Sara work out their differences to find their happy ever after, and there are some other wolves who find women to love.
I don’t have a release date yet. Generally, it is 4 to 6 months after the contract is signed. That could change, of course, depending on whether the publisher’s release schedule has an earlier opening, or if editing takes longer than expected. I will post when I have a date.
You’ve all been so patient. To thank you, I’ll be running a contest through my newsletter. I will be giving away ARCs of Wolf’s Princess, copies of my other books (ebooks, paperbacks, and audio), and I will be giving away a Kindle. That won’t be happening until June. More details will be forthcoming.
Tomorrow I am having surgery, so I’ll be out of the loop for a few days. It’s not major surgery, and the recovery time is pretty short. I should be back to work in 7-10 days, and probably will be able to hop on the internet for a few minutes here and there as soon as Friday night. So if you’d take a minute to think good thoughts for me I would appreciate it! Surgery makes me a little nervous. 😉 I’ll just have to pretend Taye is holding my hand. He’s better than a teddy bear!
Happy Reading!
Tuesday Teaser 4/7/15: Rose and Stone
How is everybody doing? I haven’t made a post for a while because the last few weeks were CRAZY for me! But I thought you might like an update on Sky and Rose. I finished the rough draft of Wolf’s Princess and sent it out to the beta readers around March 22. Then I began packing to move to a new apartment. That is a lot of work! Take it from me: if you don’t have to move, don’t! Packing, then moving all the stuff, then cleaning the old place, and then unpacking must be a version of hell. I was exhausted. Still am, really, but things will settle down now, I’m sure.
Anyway, I’ve gotten some of the comments back from the beta readers, and I’m expecting the rest in the next few days. So far readers seem to like it. They’ve pointed out a few things for me to work on, and I know I’ll have more soon. I LOVE when beta readers catch my mistakes and help me see where the story needs to be fixed! Makes me look good for my editor. J My goal is to do revisions right away and submit Wolf’s Princess to the publisher by April 14. I am having outpatient surgery on April 16. I’ve had it before, and it’s painful, but it’s just to get rid a bit of bone around my sinuses and cut the polyps out. Not pleasant, certainly, but not like a knee replacement. I should be up and around within 10 to 14 days, and probably sooner than that. If the publisher accepts the manuscript without requesting major revisions, the book will probably be released around late July-mid-August. That is only a guess, however. It depends on their publishing schedule.
Okay, you’ve been so patient with me. Enjoy a few paragraphs of Rose’s story.
At five minutes to eleven o’clock, Rose was in the front hall ready to walk to the hospital to meet Sara. Stone joined her and together they left for the hospital. Rose noticed that he seemed relaxed.
“How are you and Sara getting along?”
He walked for half a block in silence. She didn’t think he was ignoring her, just considering how to answer. “I think we’re getting along fine,” he said cautiously.
“That’s good.” What she really wanted to know was whether or not Stone and Sara would remain married. It wasn’t something she could come straight out and ask, so she tried to come at it from an oblique angle. “What do you talk about? I mean, you do talk, don’t you?”
“Some. She tells me about her work in the hospital, and she asks about Amanda and Sand. Stuff like that.”
Oblique wasn’t getting her the answers she wanted. There were times when Stone was far too much like his cousin Tracker. “Do you talk about how you feel about each other?”
He slanted a glance down at her, then looked ahead again. “Not yet.”
Flushed with her success in putting Zoe and Tanya in their place, Rose was sure she could help Stone and Sara work out their relationship too. Aware of the Stone’s expressionless face, Rose decided to keep that to herself.
Tuesday Teaser 3/17/15: Wolf’s Princess
Good news! I finished the rough draft of Wolf’s Princess this weekend!!
I have been hard at work now on revisions. It came out at over 123,000 words, so I’m going through to see what can be removed. Hopefully the beta readers will point out where else I am redundant and wordy. MY plan is to have it sent to them by Monday, and then concentrate on packing for the move. Wish me luck with that!
I said I wasn’t going to do any more Tuesday Teasers until after I settled in my new apartment but here is a little snip.
The sun had set while they were talking, and only a faint wash of light lit the room. He picked up the tray and put it outside their door.
“That should keep that blasted cat busy for the rest of the night,” he said, closing the door firmly.
Rose got into bed and pulled the sheet up to her chin. “Mitzi was a little heroine today.”
Sky got in beside her. “I hate to admit it, but she was.”
He didn’t sound like he hated to admit it, he sounded cheerful. She laid her head on his shoulder and draped her arm over his chest so she could trace the outline of his tattoo with her finger. “You adore Mitzi, don’t you?”
“I wouldn’t say that.” He stilled her hand with his own. “I tolerate her, I adore you.”
Tuesday Teaser 3/10/15: Wolf’s Princess
Wolf’s Princess is not finished yet, but I am soooo close. The poor kitty’s sickness really derailed me. She seems to be fine now, but time will tell if the antibiotic (which I had horrible trouble getting into her) was effective. My goal is now to have it done on Saturday March 14, and hopefully have it sent out to the beta readers by March 23. After that I will be frantically cleaning and packing to move on Saturday March 28.
This will be the last Tuesday Teaser until the 2nd Tuesday in April. I had a request for something from Sky’s point of view. I think I might have posted this already, or parts of it. I hope you’re still able to enjoy it. 🙂
The sun wasn’t up yet when Sky woke. His left arm tingled with the pins-and-needles feeling that came from having lain on it too long, but he didn’t move, because his mate was still sleeping cuddled against him. Her cheek pressed to the hollow of his throat. Did her right arm tingle from having slept on it? Her left arm was draped over him, and his right arm was over her. He smiled. They must have slept face-to-face in an embrace. Waking up with her like this was the most wonderful thing he could imagine. The only thing better would be if she wasn’t wearing the cotton gown and he weren’t wearing these curst shorts.
Her breath tickled his throat and his body responded. Carefully, he eased his hips away from her. He didn’t want to. His body was screaming at him to press closer. His mind knew better. Rose wasn’t willing to accept even his kisses yet. Anything more would have her storming across the hall to the other room and slamming the door shut in his face.
She drew in a breath, eyes still closed, before rolling away from him onto her back. Her movement slid her breast neatly into his palm. He froze, not even breathing, just as her eyes shot open. She looked down where his brown hand cupped her breast, and then stared, wide-eyed, in his direction. Was it light enough for her to see him? He didn’t think so. His own eyes felt wide. He should move his hand. He should apologize. He should get up and run for the shower before she noticed how his cock reacted to the feel of her warm flesh beneath the cotton.
He did none of those things. Without any conscious direction from his brain, his hand cupped her more firmly. When his thumb stroked back and forth over her nipple she gasped. His gaze finally left her eyes to stare at her parted lips the way he would stare at a cool stream after being stranded without water for three days.
“I want to kiss you,” he said in voice that sounded too raw to belong to him.
“I haven’t brushed my teeth.”
“I don’t care.”
Her eyes slanted down again to her chest where he still held her breast, and then came back toward his face. “Okay.”
The whisper was so low he almost didn’t hear it. Or maybe he just didn’t quite believe it. He lunged up on one elbow to stare down at her. She licked her lips and reached a hand to the back of his neck. The pressure she exerted was so slight he barely felt it, but he knew an invitation when he saw one. There was an almost imperceptible tremble in the fingers of the hand he lifted from her breast to smooth over her cheek to her chin.
Don’t attack her like a ravenous beast, he ordered himself. Be gentle.
He tried. Kissing someone gently was unknown territory for him. Kissing at all was unknown territory. Except for his mother, Rose was the only woman he’d ever kissed, and the few kisses he’d given Rose were not the same sort he’d given his mother. He brushed his lips lightly over hers, inwardly shivering at the feel of her breath against his lips. He did it again, lingering to touch his tongue to her bottom lip.
He braced himself, snatching at self-control with fierce desperation. One minute he was barely touching her, and the next his tongue was sliding along hers in her mouth. It took every ounce of his discipline, but he kept the kiss gentle. Her fingertips left trails of fire as she ran them up and down his back, pausing to stroke his hair at the nape of his neck, and then digging them into the muscles of his shoulders. Control frayed. She wasn’t just submitting to his kiss; she was participating. Hell, encouraging him! His blood was molten lava, most of it heading for his cock. He could feel the soft mounds of her breasts pressing against his chest. God, he wanted her. When he kissed along her jaw to her throat he could feel her blood pounding under her delicate skin. Her scent was laced with the musky tang of arousal. Just knowing she was aroused too made his restraint unravel. The damn blanket was twisted around their legs, keeping him from rubbing his cock against her. He needed to feel her. He loved caressing her face and arms, but he wanted to feel that place between her legs.
With rough, impatient hands he tore the blanket away and tossed it aside. He paused to drink in the sight of her. The room wasn’t light, but with his wolf-born sight he could see every detail: The hem of her nightdress twisted up to her waist, the prim white cotton of her underpants hiding her secret place, her silky thighs not much darker than the underpants slightly parted, as if she were inviting him in. Holding his breath, he reached in awe to touch the cotton shielding her pussy. And let it out in a shocked, pained howl as razor-sharp claws sliced into his ankle.
“F*ck!” He saw twin beams of feline eyes glaring at him. “Damn cat!”
A sharp kick dislodged the creature. She leaped in an arc of bristling brown fur to the floor. The cat sounded like a full grown panther when she screamed defiance at him. When Rose shoved him off and scrambled over him to get out of bed, her knee landed like a sledgehammer in his groin. White hot agony shot through his entire body. His scream drowned the cat’s out. When Rose snapped the light on, he was curled around himself, dragging in breath through tightly clenched teeth.
“Poor Mitzi,” his mate crooned.
Poor Mitzi? Still huddled around his injury, he looked over his shoulder and saw his mate bent over the cursed cat. The sight of her nightgown riding up to show her long legs and generous ass did nothing to calm his temper. If it hadn’t been for the stupid cat, he would have had his hands exploring those curves.
He would kill it. As soon as he was capable of standing, he was going to grab that damn cat and wring its f*cking neck.
Tuesday Teaser 3/3/15: Wolf’s Princess
I’m working on the last two chapters of Wolf’s Princess this week! My goal is to have the rough draft complete by next Sunday night. That might or might not happen. My darling Dixie kitty has been sick. Very sick. I honestly was afraid I would have to put her to sleep. But she’s home from the vet hospital now. Taking care of her is going to cut into my writing time this week. She has a number of medications that I have to somehow force into her at various times during the day. But I will write as much as I can after the day job and in between cat care. I am still hopeful for making my deadline. Think good thoughts for me and Dixie.
Here is a snip from Wolf’s Princess. Rose and some of the ladies who work at The Limit (Sky’s house) are relaxing on their night off. Enjoy!
Rose was afraid the city of Omaha trembled the edge of violence. Not long before she boarded the plane in 2014 string of riots sparked by racial tensions had spread across America. She remembered watching news coverage and businesses burned, homes destroyed, and people caught in the middle. The same thing could happen here, and the thought terrified her.
“Sky will make sure things don’t get that bad.” Rose wasn’t sure if she were convincing anyone, even herself.
Ms. Mary gave her a pitying glance and changed the subject. “What are you working on, dear?”
Rose held up the two inches of sock she’d completed so far. “Just another sock for Sky.”
Tasha leaned over the back of her chair to grin at Rose. “Uh-huh,” she said. “And how are you and the Mr. doing?”
For some reason, Rose felt herself blushing. “Fine,” she mumbled.
Now all the girls at the table were looking at Rose. Their attention didn’t seem malicious but she wished they would go back to painting their nails.
“You know…” Tasha dragged the word out into several syllables. “We’ve all had a crush on Sky at one time or another. There’s not one of us who hasn’t invited him to join us in bed on our night off.”
Michelle giggled. “He’s so handsome.”
“Hot as an August afternoon,” Aimee agreed.
Camille licked one finger and shook it as if it were burned. “Steaming!”
From her spot beside the piano Cayla lifted her head from her book. “And he’s nice. Handsome is fine, but it doesn’t last.”
Tasha licked her lips. “Maybe, but a man who looks like Sky just gets better with age.”
Giggles erupted around the table.
Rose shifted in her chair, trying for a casual tone. “You’re right. Sky’s dad is past sixty years old, and he’s a handsome man.”
They laughed again. Tasha waved her hands to dry the polish. “So what’s he like in bed?”
The giggles died. Rose thought Camille and Berniece looked a little embarrassed, but also interested.
“Sky’s dad?” Rose said, making a production out of counting her stitches.
“Ha-ha,” said Tasha. “No, Sky! Come on, any guy who looks like that has to be good in bed. Is he?”
Rose clutched her knitting needles so tightly her palms hurt. She tried to find words to say, but they ran away.
“Aww, look at her blush.” Tasha blew on her nails. “That’s so cute. Come on. Spill it.”
Tuesday Teaser 2/24/15: Rose & Carla
Happy Tuesday! Is it Friday yet?
This is going to be a long week for me and I’m already exhausted. I feel like I’ve been sick forever. In early January I caught a cold that by the end of January turned into a sinus infection. Then I hurt my shoulder, a teeny tiny tear in my rotator cuff. Then that sinus infection went down into my lungs. When I breathe I sound like I’m gargling, and then I cough non stop. Sheesh! Enough already!
Do you ever feel like that? Like it’s just one thing after another? But I think I’m on the mend now, and it hasn’t stopped me writing. In fact, the end of Wolf’s Princess is in sight. A few big scenes, a few little scenes, and an epilogue are all that is left. My goal for finishing the rough draft is March 8. I think I can do it!
Here is a little snip from Wolf’s Princess. This takes place in Carla’s room the evening of the day that Sky returned to the Den to talk to Rose. Enjoy!
Rose watched Little Feather’s tiny hands press against his mother’s breast as he nursed. What did it feel like to cradle a son or daughter to your breast and watch them suckle? She snapped her attention back to Carla at the next question.
“It would be nice for Sky to see his parents again. I’m sure he wants to. Does he plan to live here at the den or with the Clan?”
Rose opened her mouth, thought for a moment, and closed it. “I don’t know. It didn’t come up.”
“Maybe he’s waiting to see what you would prefer.” Carla lifted Little Feather to the other breast. “He is here to court you, isn’t he?”
“Yeah.” It had taken a bit of effort to get it out of him, but yes, he was here to court her. She tried to remember what he had said in that short time before supper. “He said no one would ever love me as well as he could.”
“That’s a nice start to a courtship,” Carla commented.
Rose shook her head. “Too nice.”
“Too nice?”
“Yeah. Slick. Glib. You know what I mean?” Rose saw Carla’s confusion. “Did you see the way he dresses? The way he acts?”
“He’s been in Omaha for nearly eight years.”
Rose cocked an eyebrow at the Lupa. “That’s not how I remember him. He used to be a hot head. Remember? He’s nothing like I imagined he would be.”
Carla’s smooth brow formed the crease that always appeared when she was thinking hard. “Well, the last time we saw him, he was only seventeen years old. Now he’s twenty-five. He’s matured in a city that everyone says is cosmopolitan.”
“Swanky,” Rose said, smiling at the memory of Sand’s disapproving description of Omaha. Her smile faded. “Sky came back only because Taye wrote to him and told him he was allowing me to be courted.”
“Does it matter why?” Carla lifted Little Feather to her shoulder to burp him. “He’s here now.”
“Yeah.”
“What’s wrong, Rose? Don’t you want him to court you?”
Rose raised a hand as if to stroke the baby’s small head, let it fall. “I want that.” She nodded at Little Feather. “I want to hold my own baby in my arms. I want a family.”
The Lupa nodded. “I know. I’ve seen it in you for the past few years. Don’t you think you could have that with Sky?”
“Maybe. But I’m not sure I like him.”
“What do you have against him?”
Rose threw up her hands. “I don’t know. He’s just so … smooth. I don’t trust him.”
Carla lifted startled eyes to stare at her. “You don’t think he would hurt you?”
“No.”
“Do you find him attractive?”
Rose ignored the heat that flooded her cheeks. “Oh, sure, he’s good looking.”
“That’s not quite the same thing. One thing all us mates have in common is the attraction we feel for our men.”
The heat multiplied. “He’s hot, okay? But he’s not the only hot guy around here.”
“Do you mean Jasper?” Carla laughed at her glare. “You know wolves are bigger gossips than most people think women are. I know all about your lunch with Jasper.”
“Of course you do.” Rose made a face. “I had a nice time this afternoon until Mr. City Slicker got off the train. I suppose I’ll need to cancel my Saturday night supper with Jasper.”
“Yeah, Taye will have one of the men tell him.”
Rose winced when she imagined how the message would be delivered. “I should write a note to him. I’d like to explain in person, but I don’t suppose I can.”
Little Feather was sleeping, a small milk bubble trembling on his lower lip. Carla smiled down at her son before looking back up at Rose. “Sky wouldn’t like that much. Are you going to let him court you?”
“Yeah.” Rose heaved a sigh. “I guess I owe him that much. But if don’t like him, I’m not accepting his mate claim. That’s final.”
