Hi friends! So I know it isn’t Tuesday, but whatever! It’s the same deal. đ And – we have a new release TT Feature today! Played just came out on the 25th! Beverley Kendall was kind enough to share an exclusive with ALBTALBS, so I hope you enjoy it! Congratulations on your newest release, Beverley! And y’all – read the whole post for a freebie at the end! đ
The summer Josh and I got together, we agreed to keep things strictly physical.
And it was.
Until our casual hookups stopped feeling casual.
Having sex with him stopped being just about sex.
And the thought of calling a halt to it left me feeling empty and cold.
But Josh doesnât âdoâ relationships, so I called it quits before I started to fall. Luckily, I was able to move on from the experience completely unscathed, my heart fully intact.
Or so I thought.
Until I saw him again.
His arm was wrapped around her. And unlike me, she isnât a hookup or a âbootyâ call.
No, sheâs the girlfriend he told me he didnât want. And sheâs getting from him everything heâd said he couldnât give any girl.
So it turns out that Josh isnât averse to being in a relationship after all. He simply hadnât wanted to be in a relationship with me.
Exclusive Excerpt
Iâm in the zone, my muscles looser, my breathing even and my emotions calmer when the chirping of my cell phone sounds. Itâs on the dresser where I left it, too far and inconvenient to warrant me getting up to answer it. I let the call go to voicemail.
Not even ten seconds after it stops ringing, it starts again. Continue reading →
Hi friends!!! I’m so excited to welcome back our friend Theresa Romain! She’s absolutely fabulous! And she was the first person to figure out “ALBTALBS” stands for “A Little Bit Tart, A Little Bit Sweet!” Which yes is the actual name of this site! I know, right?! She’s also got a new book coming out on Tuesday – Lady Notorious! Whee! A good month for historical romance releases indeed!
Limecello, thanks for the chance to visit ALBTALBS! I always love stopping by here, and this time Iâve got an exclusive excerpt to share. Itâs from Lady Notorious, my next historical romanceâcoming your way next Tuesday, February 26.
In Lady Notorious, Cassandra Benton is an unofficial Bow Street Runner who works alongside her twin brother until heâs injured on a case. To cover the familyâs expenses, Cass takes a private case for George, Lord Northbrook. The scientifically-minded marquess, a dukeâs son, suspects his fatherâs life is in danger from one of the friends who formed a tontine with the dukeâa  survivorâs wagerâdecades before. But which friend is the culprit? To help George protect his father, Cass masquerades as a family cousin and infiltrates the ton. And the more she learns, the more she places her heart at riskâŚContinue reading →
One of the perks of helping Lime out with formatting and scheduling posts is that I get to see everything before the rest of the world does. And it’s been quite the challenge sitting here waiting for everyone to be able to read this exclusive excerpt from Lillian Marek!Â
A Match for the Marquess will be out August 7th, so go ahead and exercise your 1-click finger and pre-order it now!
Decisions, decisions…
Should Lady Anne Milhaven marry the wealthy and handsome young marquess, or should she resign herself to living out her life in poverty and disgrace, exiled from the world she was born to?
Should Philip Tremaine, the new Marquessâ¨of Penworth, redeem his honor and marry the proud and beautiful earlâs daughter whom he has unintentionally compromised, or should he prove himself as dissolute as his contemptible family?
They are not fools, but marriage is only the beginning. They have an estate to restore and reputations to repair. In addition, they must learn to work together if they are to thwart the vile plots of their scheming relatives.
A Match for the Marquess is the prequel to the Victorian Adventures series.
I am so excited to have Jessica Scott with us today, sharing an excerpt from her upcoming book Catch My Fall, the fourth book in her Falling series!Â
Iâm so grateful to Lime for hosting an excerpt from my new book CATCH MY FALL. For people who arenât familiar with the series, it follows a group of Army veterans adjusting to life around a prestigious southern college campus. In many ways, the series reflects some of my alienation that I felt while attending grad school and when I first started teaching at West Point.
My novels tend to deal with some of the more real aspects of coming home and deployment because for me, they reflect an opportunity to process everything â the good and the bad.
I decided to incorporate cadets into this book because I wanted to reflect some of the really difficult questions they ask and the ways that we as instructors and mentors struggle with providing them with answers.
And yeah, thereâs a romance involved too. Because it wouldnât be a true romance without smoldering looks between the two protagonists.
I hope you like this glimpse of Deacon and Kelseyâs classroom and some of the struggles theyâre working through! And thanks again to Lime for hosting me!
Former Army Sergeant Deacon Hunter is trapped.
Trapped in the friend zone. Longing for the woman who captured his heart when they were deployed in Iraq.
Former Army Sergeant Kelsey Ryder has scars, the kind of scars she hopes that no one ever sees. Working around the guys at the Pint, sheâs reminded of everything she lost when she left the Army behind.
But some scars refuse to stay hidden.
One fateful night changes everything and neither of them know if their relationship will ever be the same.
All Deacon knows is that heâll be there to catch her when she finally falls.
Hello, everyone! Iâm Theresa Romain, historical romance writer and coffee drinker. (The two are frequently related. Limecello, thanks for hosting me at ALBTALBS today to talk about my newest book, Scandalous Ever After.
Scandalous Ever After is the story of Evan Rhys, an antiquities expert, and Lady Kate Whelan, the friend heâs long loved. Kate is the widow of Evanâs best friend, and when the story begins, she and Evan meet up for the first time in the two years since her husband died. Evan is just as in love with Kate as everâthough she has no ideaâand seizes the chance to travel with her from Cambridge to Newmarket for the fall horse races.
This exclusive excerpt is from a scene set on race day, when Kateâs horse-mad relatives are running Thoroughbreds and Kate is struggling with a whole pile of feelings–including a growing attraction to the man sheâs thought of as a friend for thirteen years.
After years apart, old friends Lady Kate Whelan and Evan Rhys reunite at a race. They’ve been masking their feelings for each other for years, but when Evan must protect Kate from her late husband’s secrets, he may not be able to resist her any longer.
After being widowed by a steeplechase accident in Ireland, Lady Kate Whelan abandons the turf. But once her mourning is complete, her late husband’s debts drive her to seek help in Newmarket amidst the whirl of a race meet. There she encounters antiquities expert Evan Rhys, her late husband’s roguish friendâwhom she hasn’t seen since the day of his lordship’s mysterious death.
Now that fate has reunited them, Evan seizes the chance to win over the woman he’s always loved. But once back within the old stone walls of Whelan House, long-held secrets come to light that shake up everything Kate thought she knew about her marriage. Now she wonders who she can trust with her heartâand Evan must decide between love and a truth that will separate him from all his heart desires. Continue reading →
Hello my ducklings! (I mean who doesn’t love ducklings?! I love them…) You may know, June is my birthday month. If not, I’m telling you now đ June is my birthday month! So the idea is for me to superload it with fun fun fun! Also, because every week there’s a Guest Author & A Giveaway post. And … it almost seems like Maisey Yates is a June TT staple – just check out the archives ;). I got her to agree to provide an exclusive excerpt for us – and who knows, I might be lucky enough to get the other authors in this [series] too! Whee!
TEN YEARS AGO ONE DEVASTATING NIGHT CHANGED EVERYTHING FOR AUSTIN, HUNTER AND ALEX. NOW THEY MUST EACH PLAY THEIR PART IN THE REVENGE AGAINST THE ONE MAN WHO RUINED IT ALL.
Austin Treffen was born into a world of privilege, but behind its gilded doors lies a corruption so sordid New York’s elite would never believe itâespecially as his infamous philanthropic father is at its core! With everything he believed in shattered, how can Austin take down his fatherârisking his family name and those he lovesâwithout any proof?
Until one earth-shattering night with Katy Michaels unlocks not only their deepest, most passionate desires but also the key to bringing Jason Treffen’s reign to an end. But with an intense sexual attraction that combines a heady mix of exquisite pleasure and sublime pain, will they satiate their thirst for revenge and each otherâŚor lose themselves forever in the darkness?
He had no right to be lusting after her like this. Not now. Not when heâd walked in on her like that without an announcement.
Of course, sheâd been the one in his shower. His shower, when there was one right near her bedroom that she could have used. And all her girly shit was spread out all over his counter. As though she had every right to come in and take over his space, her things landing everywhere like a cloud of frilly locusts.
That was her fault.
She appeared a moment later, looking fresh scrubbed and wary, wearing a pair of gray sweatpants and a long-sleeved pink top, her hair wet and hanging loose.
âDidnât anyone ever tell you knocking is polite?â
âYou were in my shower, baby. I didnât expect to find you there.â
âThe music and running water werenât a clue?â
âThey were a trail of bread crumbs I felt obliged to follow. I honestly didnât expect to find you naked and dripping wet in my shower when you have your own.â
âWell, you told me to make myself at home.â
âSo you decided that meant going into my bedroom?â
Heâd never had a woman in his personal space before. Ever. Heâd had girlfriends, yes. But he spent the night at their places typically. Or he took them out and they spent the night in hotels. He wasnât a hugger. He didnât talk about his feelings. He didnât let women leave their trappings all over his room.
There was room for one toothbrush in his bathroom, and that was his.
âWell, yeah. You railroaded me into moving in with you. Youâre a Treffen therefore my trust in you is…eh. And so I decided to snoop around in your stuff. Then I saw your shower.â
âYou went through my things.â
âYes. And Iâm not going to apologize. Anyway, no whips, chains or invoices for sexual favors. On that score you check out.â
âDisappointed?â
âAbout?â
He crossed his arms. âThe lack of whips and chains. You like that sort of thing.â
She arched a brow. âYou got your rocks off that night too, so donât go putting it on me.â
âYou were out of line going through my things.â
âAre you really all up on my butt for being intrusive?â
âExcuse me?â
âAre you really getting on my case for being intrusive?â she repeated, her hands on her hips. âBecause the last I checked, you got me fired from my job. You effectively got me evicted from my apartment. You forced me to move here by default and then you said, make yourself at home. And so I have. And now youâre mad at me? Youâve interfered in every corner of my life and youâre pissed because I used your shower?â
âAnd left your girl crap all over everything.â
âMy girl crap? What are you fourteen?â
âNo, but I donât share my space.â
âYeah, well, newsflash, Austin, I havenât done anything but share space my entire life. Iâve had had to make sure my schedule was conducive to taking care of my younger brother. I had to make sure my emotions never made a blip on the radar, because I had to keep things smooth and stable for Trey. Then I moved to New York and moved in with a roommate who had her name on the lease and who I had to tread softly with so that I wouldnât find myself out on my ass. Then, guess what? Because of you I did find myself out on my ass. And now? Now Iâm sick of treading lightly. You said make myself at home, Iâm going to make myself at home. Iâm not here because I want to be, buddy, Iâm here because you stuck your all-powerful Treffen hand in my life and screwed with things.â
âSo that means my punishment is…leg wax on my bathroom counter and music that…was it talking about…?â
âYes,â she said, her cheeks turning pink. âYes it was. I like that song. Sorry if it bothered you. Or maybe Iâm not sorry if it bothered you. Grow up.â
âDid you just tell me to grow up?â
âYeah. I did. Like you canât handle song lyrics about sex. Again I ask: are you fourteen?â
âIt didnât bother me.â
âWell then why are you complaining?â
âYou have a bathroom. You could use that one.â
She arched a brow. âIt doesnât have three shower heads in the shower.â
âSo? You donât need three shower heads,â he said.
âSays the man who has three shower heads,â she said, putting her hands on her hips. âPersonally, I value the ability to cleanse myself with the ârainforest mistâ setting on. It makes this whole ordeal feel less traumatic.â
âI think youâre milking it,â he said, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning back against the wall.
âDo you?â she asked.
âYes. I do.â
âI donât know if you know my pain and suffering. I was fired and thrown out of my house on the same day.â
âAll right. If you want to use my bathroom, thatâs up to you, but Iâm not knocking on my own bedroom door and I will use my bathroom when I feel like it. If youâre so married to the shower heads, thatâs your business, but you may end up with a guest.â
Her eyes widened. âI thought I told you I wasnât sleeping with you.â
âAnd I thought I told you not to trust me.â The air thickened between them, her lips parting, her eyes darkening. âAnd you definitely shouldnât look at me like that,â he said.
âLike what?â
âLike youâre considering letting the horse out of the gate again.â
She blinked. âIâm not. I just wanted your shower, not your body. Calm the hell down.â
âHave you eaten?â he asked, deciding it was best to change the subject. And to take the conversation into neutral territory. And to move them to neutral territory. Territory that didnât have a bed with a very useful looking headboard…
âNo,â she said. âI was going to order something.â
âAnything in particular?â
âI was sort of craving Thai.â
âIâm very good at ordering takeout,â he said. âCooking not so much.â
âI can cook,â she said, following his lead and leaving the bedroom, heading down the hall a couple of paces behind him. âReally gourmet stuff. Ramen noodles, with some vegetables for added nutrition. Mac and cheese. In the blue box, I donât screw around. Also, beanie weenies. A can of pork nâ beans and some cut up hotdogs. My skills cannot be beat.â
âI donât think Iâve ever had any of that.â
âNot even in college?â
He tossed a look over his shoulder. âNo. I had a meal plan.â
âOh, yes, of course. How could I forget? Youâre all steeped in privilege. Which I guess I should remember since I just used your shower. Three shower heads.â She held up a matching number of fingers. âThree.â
He shrugged. âYes. Yes Iâm privileged. Lucky, lucky me. My dad is a pimp.â He headed down the stairs and he could hear her behind him.
âThere are different kinds of privilege. I mean, sure, thatâs a sucky reality you have to face. But I grew up in terrible circumstances and I didnât get to eat good food. So you know…â
âYes. Life was easy for me then. I wonât lie to you and pretend I had any great struggle. But looking back and realizing just how little I saw outside of my bubble? Thatâs hard. Iâm not stupid. More than that, in my line of work, Iâm trained to read people. I have to know how to read between the lines, how to re-interpret what theyâre saying I have to know how to manipulate. But even with that, my world was so insulated, so damned perfect, that I just couldnât imagine the kind of thing my father was doing. I couldnât have imagined Sarahâs pain. Iâve seen more since then. I know more about human nature. About how truly horrible life can be. I look back…I hate that idiot that couldnât see past the glitter all around him. Who thought bad things happened to other people. To other classes of people.â
âAnd since then youâve learned…?â
âLife is shit for everyone. Itâs just that for some people itâs shit with three shower heads. Pad Thai sound good to you?â
~*~*~*~*~
I also cajoled Maisey into a giveaway – cuz you know – birthday month! She’s willing to give one lucky commenter her (or his) choice of Avenge Me in print or e! Whee! So what’d you think of the excerpt? Also, there’s a free prequel right now – Take Me and you should get that [too]! đ
Valerie Bowman‘s birthday is June 28th! YAY BIRTHDAYS! She’s sharing an exclusive excerpt with us today, because it’s JUNE. And that means BIRTHDAY MONTH. Which means Thursdays masquerade as Tuesdays. Because I can.
Anyway, the excerpt.
Miss Frances Birmingham has set her cap for the dashing Mr. Charles Holloway. She and her best friend, Annie, have the most clever idea. Theyâve arranged a bachelor auction for charity. The proceeds will go to the Royal Society for the Humane Treatment of Animals and the winners will be escorted to the most talked-about ball of the Season by their bachelor of choice. When Frances makes a bid for Charlie, will one fun nightâs amusement turn into a lifetime of love?
Excerpt set up: Through a set of circumstances and hijinks, Frances ends up with the mistaken belief that Charlie is, ahem, light in the instep. When Charlie discovers she believes that about him, he intends to set the record straight but not until Frances (who’s been clued in finally by her best friend Annie) has a bit of fun with him first. (wink)
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Charlie spent the entire next day attempting to get Frances alone to explain the truth to her. He had no real idea how heâd broach the topic once he got the chance, but he intended to be blunt and quick about it. The sooner she discovered he did indeed prefer womenâher, actuallyâthe better. It was suddenly of utmost importance for her to know.
But every time he so much as broached the topic of speaking with her, she made an excuse about helping Annie and Lily with the wedding preparations and nearly ran from him. He couldnât blame her. She was obviously still uncomfortable after his deplorable behavior last night. And she was here, staying with Annie, to help her friend. It was exceedingly rude of him to try to take any more of her time. But try he did, in between bouts of drinking to his brotherâs impending nuptials in the study. The wedding was in a matter of days, and Charlie intended to stay by his brotherâs side through it. As a result, by the end of the evening, Charlie had had a bit too much too drink.
The ladies retired soon after dinner, and it was that bit too much that convinced Charlie it was a good idea to sneak up to Francesâs room and tell her the truth. The ladies would be leaving the day after tomorrow for Ashbourne Manor for the final wedding preparations, and Charlie wouldnât see Frances again until the wedding.
He downed the last of his brandy, excused himself from the two other men in the study, and took the stairs up to the bedchambers two at a time. He rapped only once upon the door before it swung wide, and he stalked into Francesâs bedchamber.
* * *
Frances and Annie had carefully orchestrated their retirement from the dining room tonight. Claiming exhaustion, both women had gone straight up to bed. Charlie well knew they were leaving for Ashbourne Manor soon. Heâd been attempting to get Frances alone all day, and sheâd successfully eluded him. Sheâd been half afraid heâd just out with it in the middle of the drawing room full of mixed company and declare himself partial to women right then and there. Thankfully sheâd managed to avoid him, and now sheâd left him little choice but to come up to her room and confront her.
Right on time, she thought when the knock sounded on the door.
âCome in,â she called and the door swung wide. Charlie stalked toward her, thrilling her a little.
Indecent to have this man in her bedchamber? Absolutely.
Welcome? Oh, yes.
âCharlie, Iââ
âWait. You must listen to me.â
The look of determination in his dark eyes made Frances doubt her course for a moment, but she quickly rallied her confidence. âNo. You must listen to me first,â she said with as much conviction as she could muster.
Charlie snapped his mouth shut. He was obviously impatient to speak, but sheâd insisted, and he was a gentleman.
âFirst, be a dear and help me with this.â She turned her back to him and presented the buttons of her gown.
âWait. What?â His voice shook a bit.
âUnbutton me, please?â She was thankful she was turned away from him so he couldnât see the look of pure glee that was surely pinned to her face, although she was also a bit disappointed that she couldnât see the shocked expression on his.
âI canâtââ
Frances gave a showy sigh and tapped her foot impatiently. âI wonât argue that itâs not exactly proper for you to be in my bedchamber, Charlie, but youâve come here, and I canât very well call Mary to help me while youâre here, and my stays are pinching me something awful tonight.â
Charlieâs voice faltered. âBut Iââ
She still didnât turn to face him but secretly smiled to herself. âBesides,â she added for good measure, âletâs not pretend. We both know this is hardly tempting to you, is it, Charlie?â
She could nearly hear his brain working. He was thinking, all right. Thinking about his options. He could either tell her immediately what heâd come here to say, in which case undressing her was out of the question, or he could play along with her little game and perhaps get an eyeful. A gentleman would tell the truth immediately. But an aroused, tempted gentleman? What would he do? She smiled to herself. She was about to find out.
Her answer came when Charlieâs warm, deft fingers began unbuttoning the back of her gown.
~*~*~*~*~*~
I wanted to thank Lime for having me on the blog today and give a VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY shout out to her! We share the best birthday, ever, JUNE 28th! I believe Henry VIII shares the day with us as well. Hmm. Not sure what to think about that. This year on my birthday, I will be going to the spa, eating strawberry cupcakes, reading magazines, and generally doing whatever I like. Pure bliss. Lime, I trust youâll be having similar good times! So, happy birthday to both of us and I hope you all enjoy my teaser post!
Awww, isn’t she sweet? <3 Valerie also sent along an author bio, but you’ve seen it before, as she’s been super cool and visited us at ALBTALBS before. See? So feel free to check her out and her other awesome excerpts and posts!
Valerie is giving away one copy of this e-novella (A Secret Affair). đ So wish this generous girl a happy birthday!
BIRTHDAY MONTH! … It’s drawing to a close, almost. Isn’t that crazy? As you see we have Maisey Yates sharing “definitely an exclusive excerpt.” With us today. And you know, birthday month is why the excerpts are every week, on Thursday in June. Because this month is super loaded.
Hi Limecello! Thanks for having me on your blog. đ
I have a brand new series starting in June. Contemporary romances set in Silver Creek, Oregon with some very sexy cowboys.
The first book, a novella called Unbuttoned is out on June 18th, and I want to share an exclusive excerpt with you.
Carly Denton has learned to keep her buttons and emotions firmly fastened. Her parentsâ constant drama, and an unrequited crush on her brotherâs best friend, taught her to keep her passion beneath the surface. But she can no longer avoid the one man with the ability to bring that passion to a boil…
Lucas remembers Carly as a freckle-faced tomboyânot a frosty woman who treats him like a burr under her saddle. But when they must work together on a charity project, Lucas is shocked to find their bickering melt into some serious mutual attraction. Heâs determined to show Carly that heâs the man for her, if only sheâd learn to let loose.
Lucas is the last man on earth Carly should give in to. The freedom she finds in his arms has her feeling happier than ever, but is it enough to make her realize that the greatest risk isnât losing your heart, but losing the chance at happiness?
âWho is it?â she called, heading to the door.
   âLucas.â
   She cursed fluidly under her breath and opened the door, pasting a smile to her face. She wasnât going to act bothered. No. He would like that too much. âLucas,â she said, far too brightly, blocking the doorway, âwhat brings you here?â
   Her held his hand up, a twenty dollar bill folded between his fingers. âYou forgot this.â
   âI paid,â she said.
   âNope. I did.â
   âOh, of all the macho . . .â she started to say, then took the money. âThank you. Thank you very much. Iâll see you . . . later.â Hopefully much later.
   âIâm sorry,â he said.
   The words stopped her cold. âYouâre what?â
   âSorry. For what I said earlier.â
   âI . . . thank you.â She dropped her hand from the door frame and took a step back. âItâs . . . it takes a lot to admit when youâre wrong.â
   Lucas seemed to take her movement as an invitation to enter the house. He walked past her and into the living room. âOh, I wasnât wrong. But Iâm sorry I said what I said the way I said it.â
   She narrowed her eyes. âExcuse me?â
   âYouâre wound up tight, sugar, no mistake. I wasnât wrong about that. But I shouldnât have picked a fight with you, not over something so sensitive, and not in public.â
   âIâm not . . . sensitive. And I didnât invite you in.â
   âFamily friend, remember? Iâm allowed to come in.â
   âWhy are you so dead set on driving me crazy this week?â
   He paused. âA good question. And I could ask you the same thing.â
   âWhat? I thought you were going out with my brother tonight, anyway.â
   âBlew him off.â
   âWhy? I thought you were going to go hook-up, or whatever you guys call it.â
   âNot interested.â His dark eyes clashed with hers and her stomach tightened. âAt least, not with some random girl from the bar.â
   She swallowed hard, her stomach so tight it was painful. âI donât . . . I . . . and what do you mean you could ask me the same thing?â
   âWhy are you so dead set on driving me crazy this week?â he asked.
   âIâm . . . Iâm not. I havenât done anything to you. Everywhere Iâve been, work, my brotherâs house, my houseââshe made a sweeping gesture with her armââyou are. Thatâs not me doing anything to you. Thatâs all you.â
   He shook his head. âThatâs not what I mean.â
   âWhat do you mean then?â
   âYou donât know whatâs been going on in my head, sugar.â
   âNo. No, I donât. And I probably want to keep it that way, so maybe you should . . .â He took a step toward her and brushed his thumb over her bottom lip. âYou keep doing that,â she said, his thumb still touching her skin.
   âI know,â he said, âand when Iâm not doing about it, Iâm thinking about doing it. I donât think I ever should have touched you.â
   Her heart started pounding hard. âWhat do you . . .â
   He raised his other hand and placed it on her cheek, shifting so that both palms were cradling her face, his dark eyes intent on hers. âThis was also a bad idea,â he said, his voice rough.
   âWhat was?â she asked.
   âWell, touching you more. That little bit was bad idea enough. This . . . this is even worse.â
   Carly couldnât remember the last time a man had looked at her like Lucas was looking at her now. Like he was starving and she was the answer to the hunger inside of him.
   The reason she couldnât remember the last time sheâd been looked at like that was because she never had been. And she was very aware of it in this moment. Aware that she was on the verge of something that was well outside her experience.
   The strangest thing was that right now, she wanted it. She knew, somewhere in the dim, hazy corners of her mind, that she might regret it later. No, that she would. But right now, for some reason, she didnât care. Not even a little bit.
   Because all she could focus on was Lucas. His eyes, his lips. Lord, but he had beautiful lips for a man. It had been years since sheâd let herself notice them. She had before, though.
   There had been a time when this moment, the possibility of it, had been her dearest fantasy. And it was something she didnât even let herself remember now. There had been a time when sheâd dared to want.
   His words from earlier rang in her ears.
   Live dangerously.
   Just a little. Just a taste. It wouldnât be so wrong. Not any worse than one french fry.
   She leaned in, her lips brushing his. Her breath caught in her throat and held, electricity shooting through her veins, immobilizing her.
   But Lucas wasnât immobile. Far from it. He dropped his hands from her face and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her tight against his hard, muscular body.
   She whimpered and he deepened the kiss, his tongue sweeping the inside of her mouth. The wet friction stole every thought from her head, made it impossible for her to do anything but feel. She was lost, completely, in his touch. In a whole world of new desire and need.
   Sheâd thought sheâd known what attraction was. Had thought sheâd known, intellectually, how she would handle it. But sheâd never felt anything like this. She hadnât known. Not at all.
   She pressed her hands to his chest, curling her fingers around his shirt fabric, clinging to him as he kissed her, long and deep.
   âKiss me back, Carly,â he growled against her lips.
So – what’d you think? Do you like cowboy romances?
Hello my darlings! Welcome to yet another birthday month post!Lisa Renee Jonessharing an excerpt with us, so exclusive that the book doesn’t even have a cover yet! Even more, poor Ms. Lisa has been evacuated from her home due to the wildfires, so how awesome was she to even send anything at all? Master Undone is scheduled for release in August, so I hope to be able to update with the cover etc and buy links soon!
This is a book from Mark, the hero’s POV.
ETA ***Warning: Lisa told me this excerpt contains a spoiler for Being Me so proceed with caution!!!***
Master Undone
An Inside Out novella
I told him goodbye, and I will not call him. I know if I do, it will be my undoing, and I’ll once again be caught up in his spell. I will once again be . . . lost.
In her private journals, Rebecca laid bare her soul, revealing her obsession for the one man whose erotic demands captivated her imagination–and enslaved her forever. Now, with Rebecca no longer in his life “he” is lost, questioning everything he thought he knew about himself and about control he holds in such high regard. One women will reach out to heal him and then turn away, leaving him haunted . She is nothing he thought he wanted and somehow everything he needs. He tells himself to forget her but he cannot escape his desire for her. He has to have more…
****
Once my flight lands in New York, Iâm anxious to get to the hospital. I quickly make my way to the baggage claim and locate my carousel.With some fast footwork Iâm at the front of the crowd and Iâve just snatched my single piece of luggage, besides the one hung over my shoulder, when I hear, âMr. Compton?â
I turn to find a pretty blonde standing before me, her long, silky hair draping the shoulders of her pale pink, primly cut suit jacket. I arch a brow at her. âAnd you would be?â
âYou are the Mark Compton, correct?â
âIâm Mark Compton,â I confirm, wondering where this is headed.
âI thought so. I recognize your picture from Riptide.â Her perfect pale cheeks flush.âOh. Sorry. I should introduce myself.â
She offers me her hand. âCrystal Smith, the new head of sales for Riptide, and thrilled to be working at one of the most prestigious auction houses in the world.â
I donât reach for her hand. But my need to avoid touching her isnât control, itâs weaknessâand I hate weakness. I close my hand over hers. âNice to meet you, Ms. Smith.â My palm warms, and I donât want to be warmed by this woman, or by any woman I havenât chosen as a submissive.
Her lashes lower, and I know sheâs hiding her reaction to the touch. Despite myself, I am intrigued. Even more so when, almost instantly, she smoothly recovers and her lashes lift, her eyes directly meeting mine. Any sign of whatever sheâd felt is gone.
Impressed by her rapid recovery and quick control, Iâm surprised by how reluctantly I release her hand. Iâm rarely reluctant about anything.âSince when is it the duty of the sales manager to pick someone up at the airport?â
Her brows dip and she gives a delicate snort.âItâs not like youâre just anyone.Youâre your motherâs son.â
I inwardly cringe at the sore spot sheâs hit. I love my mother, but thereâs a reason why I opened my gallery across the country.âShe ordered you to pick me up.â
Her lips curve. âYour motherâs as feisty as ever from her hospital bed.â
âIâm not surprised,â I manage tightly. Just thinking of my mother in a hospital bed creates a dull throb in my gut. âSheâs impossible to say no to, even for me.â
âI thought for sure her pride and joy would be the one person who could.â
Fighting a wave of something dark Iâd rather not name, I struggle to maintain my normal steely composure.âMy mother is the only person I canât say no to.â
She gives me an odd, quizzical look.âThe only person?â
âYes, Ms. Smith.The only person.â
She frowns.âIâm sorry,â she says, and then waves me toward the door.âMy carâs parked in a fifteen-minute spot.Weâd better run before I get towed.â She turns and starts walking, expecting me to follow.
I stare after her. Sheâs sorry? What the hell does that even mean, and why do I have this intense need to race after her and ask, when I never run after anyone?
So what did you think? Have any of you read the Inside Out trilogy? The titles are If I Were You, Being Me, and Revealing Us. And did you know it’s been optioned by Starz to be a TV show? There’s also been another novella from Mark’s point of view, My Master.
And guess what?! Lisa has very generously offered a giveaway today to go along with this excerpt! One lucky commenter will win a set of Rebecca’s Lost Journals! (This hasn’t been definitely confirmed, but I’m guessing it will be The Seduction, The Contract, and His Submissive, at least. :D)
So tell me. What heat level do you like in your books? Are you a sweet girl or a spicy girl? (Or guy!) Or anywhere and everywhere in between? What’d you think of the excerpt? (And take a moment to wish Lisa and all the others facing all sorts of natural disasters out there well, would you? <3)
My friends! It’s Teaser TuesdayThursday! Because we’re in June! And that’s fun! We’ve got the ever fun and fabulous Ruthie Knox sharing with us today! I know you don’t want to hear what I’ve got to say when Ruthie’s on deck, so here we go!
Hi, Lime! Thanks for inviting me to visit today.
Iâm sharing an excerpt from Flirting with Disaster, which is the third book in my Camelot series. I call it, with fondness, my âstuttering hackerâ book, because the hero of this one, Sean, is just thatâa (sort of) former hacker with a stutter heâs tried to ditch, with some success . . . until he returns to his hometown and the past hits him upside the head. Hereâs the blurby thing:
In the latest eBook original novel in Ruthie Knoxâs scorching-hot Camelot series, a no-strings fling looks an awful lot like falling in loveâor flirting with disaster.
Fresh out of a fiasco of a marriage, Katie Clark has retreated to her hometown to start over. The new Katie is sophisticated, cavalier, and hell-bent on kicking butt at her job in her brotherâs security firm. But on her first assignmentâdigging up the truth about the stalker threatening a world-famous singer-songwriterâKatie must endure the silent treatment from a stern but sexy partner who doesnât want her help . . . or her company.
Sean Owens knows that if he opens his mouth around Katie, sheâll instantly remember him as the geeky kid who sat behind her in high school. Silence is golden, but he canât keep quiet forever, not with Katie stampeding through their investigation. Itâs time for Sean to step up and take control of the case, and his decade-old crush. If he can break through Katieâs newfound independence, they just might find they make a perfect teamâon the road, on the job, and in bed.
And hereâs an exclusive excerpt. Seanâs just gone for a run, at night, in Buffalo, in Februaryâbecause yeah, he needs to get distance from Katie that badly. Unfortunately, sheâs waiting for him at his hotel room when he returns. Poor Sean. There is very little hope for him at this point.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
He passed through the parking lot and let himself in the side entrance, peeling the traction cleats off his running shoes and trying to knock most of the snow out of the coils before he came fully indoors. The Mansion hosted wedding receptions in its plush downstairs rooms. It was no place for a smelly, irritable guy to be dropping chunks of ice and snow.
On the way up the stairs, he pulled his jacket over his head, knocking off his hat in the process. The lightweight wool shirt heâd worn as a base layer was soaked with sweat, and he barely had the strength left in his legs for the second flight.
He definitely didnât have strength for the sight of Katie knocking on the door to his room with a bottle of wine tucked awkwardly under her arm and two mugs dangling from her free hand.
Heâd just have to find some.
âWhat do you wuh-want?â
Focused on the door, she hadnât heard him coming. When she turned, her free hand went to her throat. As he approached, her eyes raked over him, head to toe and all the way back up.
âSweet Baby Jesus,â she said. âYou were running? Outside? Itâs, like, minus two hundred degrees out there.â
According to the outdoor thermometer, it was 3 degrees, not counting wind chill. The sight of Katieâs smooth, bare shoulders was nearly enough to make him break a sweat.
She wore her flannel pajama pants and the sleeveless top sheâd had on in the car. What the hell was she doing with bare arms in the middle of the winter?
Sean brushed past, careful not to touch her, and opened the door to his room. âGo away, C-Clark.â
âDonât be rude,â she said. âThereâs a Jackie Chan marathon on, and I brought wine.â
âChicks donât like Jackie Chan.â
âI do. You want me to tell you all my favorite parts of Rumble in the Bronx to prove my credentials?â
âNo. I wuh-want you to g-go away.â He walked into the room, leaving her in the doorway and hoping sheâd take the hint and quit torturing him. The red bra straps werenât peeking out from under her top anymore, which could only mean one thing.
No bra.
Sean dropped his jacket, hat, shoes, and cleats on the towel heâd left inside the open door to the bathroom. Katie walked in like she owned the place, setting the wine bottle and mugs down on the table by the TV.
âHey, no fair. Your room is bigger than mine.â She peeked into the bathroom. âYour shower is bigger, too.â
When she looked back at him, he was staring at her, hoping sheâd be intimidated by the glare he sent her way.
âWhat?â she asked.
âAre you ffflirting with me?â
âMaybe. Would that be really bad?â
âYes.â
She stepped closer, giving him a view right down her shirt. She had small breasts. Soft swells on either side of her sternum. Shadows and valleys, a dozen places where his mouth would fit.
He closed his eyes.
He hated this. This weakness. The sound of his own voice, choking on feelings he didnât want to have. The sound of him losing his grip.
âOkay,â she said. âThen Iâm not flirting with you.â
He exhaled and searched for some kind of response. Some way to get Katie out of his room before he fucked up irrevocably.
âIâm n-not sssleeping with you.â
Smooth.
She narrowed her eyes and parroted back the line heâd given her a week ago. âI didnât ask you to.â
The challenge in her eyes was unmistakable, though. She would play it this way, I just stopped by braless in my jammies with a bottle of wine, as buddies do, and anything that happened would be an accident. It would be his fault for not being able to keep his hands off her.
Damn it, he wouldnât play along.
âYou d-did, c-coming over here d-d-dressed like that.â
She looked down at her flannel-clad legs. âItâs not like Iâm wearing a French maid outfit.â
âYou havenât g-got a b-bra on.â
âI hardly have any boobs. Whatâs the big deal?â
âThe b-b-big d-deal is I c-can ssee your arms and yuh-your . . .â Sean gestured at the expanse of her chest and her neck.
âMy arms, Sean?â Her voice sliced at his composure. âYou think Iâm trying to seduce you because you can see my arms? Is your virtue that easy to compromise?â
âThatâs n-not what I m-m-mââ
âYou seem like a civilized guy. Canât you control your animal impulses?â
Because he wanted so badly to grab her and kiss her until she shut up and glazed over and turned into an animal, too, he grabbed two fists of shirts at the back of his neck and pulled it over his head. Then he edged even closer, so he was breathing right up against her, his bare skin separated from hers by a millimeter of empty space charged with sweat and sex.
âC-can yuh-you?â
She didnât say anything, but her eyes jumped around, flitting from his chest to his shoulders, his neck, his face. His cock grew heavy and began to ache.
âWant to watch a m-movie, ssweetheart?â he asked. âWant to ssit on the c-couch, getting drunk and not t-t-touching each other for a few hours?â
Katie raised her eyes to his. âHoly shit,â she said. âSean. Oh my gosh, Sean, look at you.â She placed one palm flat on his chest, over his heart, and he knocked it away.
âDonât p-p-play with me,â he warned her. âWeâre going to be p-partners. Thatâs all.â
A perplexed frown knit the space between her eyebrows. âYou were hitting on me in the car.â
âI knuh-know.â
âAnd at my house, right? I didnât just make that up?â
He shook his head, disgusted with himself. âI wuh-was. Buh-but I sh-shouldnât have. Weâre not g-going to watch m-movies together, and weâre not going to ffflirt, and weâre not g-going to sleep together.â
Katieâs gaze slid below his waist and held there for a moment, then meandered its way back up. When she met his eyes, hers held a single question. Why not?
He looked away from her and counted to twenty. It didnât help. âIâm luh-leaving t-town.â
âWhat? When?â
âSsoon. When we ffinish the c-c-case.â
âWhy?â
âI have a juh-job b-back in C-c-california. A c-computer sssecurity c-company I ruh-run. I nuh-need to g-get b-back to it.â
The furrowed forehead again. âI thought youâd moved back to Camelot.â
Sean shook his head. âN-no. Iâm juh-just . . . Itâs t-temporary, the juh-job with your brother. Iâm luh-leaving. So I d-d-donât wuh-want to . . .â He raised his arms out to the side, palms flat, a gesture that encompassed his bare-chested self and her compromising outfit. The room. The bed. The entire situation. âI d-donât wuh-want to.â
Katie flinched, but Sean couldnât think of any way to take it back without actually taking it back.
âYouâre being a gentleman.â
âSssort of.â
âDonât. The last thing I needâthe absolute last thingâis for you to be a gentleman. You know, people do have meaningless flings. Itâs a thing. I keep hearing about it from, like, every form of popular culture ever.â
âN-no.â
She crossed her arms and took a step back. The confidence had drained out of her, and she looked younger. Smaller. âYouâre confusing.â
âI know.â He sighed. âIâm ssorry. Itâs c-c-complicated.â He clenched his hands into tight fists. It was even harder to keep from touching her when she looked so bewildered and hurt. Hard not to comfort her, but he knew where that would lead.
âItâs really not.â She fiddled with the ties to her pajama bottoms. âThe way I remember it, itâs super simple. Kind of an Insert-Tab-A-into-Slot-B thing. I might be remembering wrong, though. I havenât had sex in almost two years.â
Two years. She hadnât been with anyone since Leviâwhich meant she probably hadnât been with anyone but Leviâand now she wanted him, and he was turning her down. He was out of his fucking mind.
âFffind someone else.â Even as he said it, the thought of her having sex with another man made him homicidal.
She lowered her eyes to the carpet. âNo,â she said, crossing her arms over her chest. âI think Iâm all tapped out.â
Slowly, it sank in.
First Levi, then Judah, now him. The third man in a row to tell Katie she wasnât good enough. Sheâd gathered up her courage and come over here, maybe not throwing herself at him but at least open to the possibility. Sheâd done it because heâd encouraged her to, the way heâd talked to her at her house, and in the car. And now he was turning her down.
Not gently, either. Badly. Clumsily.
âIâm ssssââ He couldnât make the word come out, but he had to. She deserved a decent apology. He tried again. âI ap-p-pââ
She flapped a hand and turned her back on him. âDonât worry about it. You want a drink?â She popped the cork out of the wine and poured two measures into the mugs. âHope you donât mind, I already started the bottle. Liquid courage and all that.â Turning toward him, she lifted one mug in invitation.
âI n-n-need a sh-shower.â
âYeah, I noticed. Well, itâll be here.â She put one mug down on the table and settled onto the couch with her own drink. The remote was on the coffee table, and she lifted it, turned on the TV, and began flicking through channels.
âGo shower, Sean,â she said after a moment.
He didnât move. He couldnât figure out why she was still in the room, much less talking to him.
Katie raised the mug to her lips and drank down the contents in four long gulps. She wiped the back of her hand over her mouth and sighed.
âYou donât want me,â she said without turning around. âItâs not a crime. I know Iâm not, like, centerfold material. Itâs fine. Weâll watch kung fu movies and work our way through this bottle of wine. Youâll stay on your side of the couch, Iâll stay on mine, and by the time I go to bed after three or four hours of Jackie Chan, weâll be friends, and Iâll be able to sleep.â
He stared blankly at the back of her head.
Balls. Katie had balls.
She went through life with her heart on her sleeve, saying what she meant, telling people how she felt, what she wanted, what she needed, and she got slapped for it. But she didnât let it set her back.
He couldnât remember ever having been like that. Not one day in his life had he been that unguarded.
She found the right channel, and the screen filled up with a young Jackie Chan wearing a tank top, high-waisted jeans, and what looked like a womanâs belt while he beat the crap out of three bad guys.
âTake a shower,â she said flatly. âI donât want to sit by myself in my room feeling like a complete waste of space, okay?â
He didnât know what to say, so he grabbed some clothes from his bag and headed for the bathroom, leaving her alone, bathed in the flickering light of the television.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Fun, huh? If you like torturing characters. Which I do. Very much.
Speaking of torture, whoâs your favorite flawed hero? The flaw can be physical, mental, or both. Tell me, and Iâll give away an ebook copy of Flirting with Disaster to one random commenter in the format of your choice!
About Ruthie: USA Today bestselling author Ruthie Knox writes contemporary romance thatâs sexy, witty, and angstyâsometimes all three at once. After training to be a British historian, she became an academic editor instead. Then she got really deeply into knitting, as one does, followed by motherhood and romance novel writing. Her debut novel, Ride with Me, is probably the only existing cross-country bicycling love story. She followed it up with About Last Night, a London-set romance whose hero has the unlikely name of Neville, and then Room at the Inn, a Christmas novellaâboth of which were finalists for the Romance Writers of Americaâs RITA Award. Her four-book series about the Clark family of Camelot, Ohio, has won accolades for its fresh, funny portrayal of small-town Midwestern life. Ruthie moonlights as a mother, Tweets incessantly, and bakes a mean focaccia. Sheâd love to hear from you, so visit her website and drop her a line.
Did you love it?! đ No need to wait long because Flirting with Disaster will be available on June 10! Whee! You know the deal – what’d you think? (Answer Ruthie’s question for a chance to win! To remind you: whoâs your favorite flawed hero?)