As you see – an exclusive excerpt from Cassandra Carr‘s newest, Collision. I can’t believe it’s the fourth Tuesday of the month! Someone hit “pause” on time, kay?!
Olympic Gold medal-winning figure skater Leah Fitzpatrick, dubbed “The Ice Queen”, is on the down slope of her career when she finds herself roped into a joint promo gig on the professional bull riders’ tour. She’s paired with “The King of Rodeo”, Brady Parrish, and although his looks could stop traffic, she’s got a future to worry about that doesn’t leave room for knocking boots with the sexy bull rider. No matter how hot he is.
Brady is living the good life. He’s at the top of his profession, and has no idea something is missing until the cool Leah is thrust into his life. But he sees something in her that hints at an underlying fire, and sets out to prove her nickname wrong. In the midst of their steamy affair, he falls hard. Blindsided by the potent combination of beauty and vulnerability Leah displays, Brady is determined to melt “The Ice Queen’s” heart.
Leah made it to her room in record time. Once there, though, she sank onto the bed. She was sure this wasn’t a good idea, but dammit, she was tired of being the good girl, tired of being the one who dated only the guys she was “supposed to date”. Brady made her feel things she’d thought were impossible. Unrealistic. Things like red-hot lust, and that lust didn’t seem to hinge on who she was or what she could do for him. When he’d pulled her into the alcove and kissed her she had melted right away—it was simply too hard to fight against the tide of arousal he stoked in her. Though she knew getting involved with him wasn’t a smart idea since she was leaving in a few short weeks and would never see him again, she was tired of denying what she really wanted.
Biting her lip, she wondered what he meant when he said to be ready for him. Did he want her to undress? She looked down at her clothes. Shrugging, she took off her shirt, leaving her lacy, black La Perla bra on and then removed her boots and socks. Rising again, she shimmied out of her slacks. She took her clothing to her bag of dirty clothes and deposited everything inside, then grabbed her robe, wrapping it around herself.
She ducked into the bathroom to check her appearance and was brushing her hair when she heard a brisk knock at her door. Knowing he was probably standing on the other side of the door vibrating just like she was, she scurried to answer.
He ducked past her and turned around, his mouth dropping open when he spied her. “Holy mother of… Open the robe.” His tone brooked no argument. She noticed his Adam’s apple bobbing. Slowly, to tease both of them, she parted the sides of the robe and let it fall to pool at her feet. He closed his eyes briefly, and when they opened they were shining with a heat she’d never seen before from any man she’d slept with. She took a small step back. “Oh no, you don’t,” he warned, crooking his finger. “Come here.”
She moved toward him and when she got close he reached for her, bringing her into the circle of his arms, his hands resting possessively at the top of her butt. He kissed her and she latched on to his bulging biceps like a lifeline as his tongue plunged into her mouth, taking what he wanted from her. With a groan from deep in his chest he lifted her to press into his insistent hardness. Feeling just how big he was, she pulled away from his lips with a gasp.
“You’re so… I don’t even know what, Brady.” She glanced down at his arousal.
His features went taut with excitement as he rubbed his erection into her stomach. “Oh yeah, darlin’, that’s what I want. I won’t hurt you, though, I promise. You can take me.”
He walked them both backward to the bed and pushed her onto it, following immediately after, covering her with his leanly muscled body. Pushing one thigh between her legs, he forced hers apart and she eagerly opened for him with a welcoming rise of her hips. “You’re so hot, baby,” came his raspy whisper, tickling her ear. “Do you have any idea what you do to me?” He pulled back and grasped the sides of her face in his big, rough hands. His eyes held so much heat that Leah felt herself melting from the outside in. Her sex heated and contracted around his thigh and her breasts scraped against their lacy confines.
“Touch me,” she begged him. She’d hardly gotten the words out before his mouth had descended on her neck, pulling strongly on the sensitized skin and forcing a huff of breath out of her mouth. “Brady…” His lips moved down to her collarbone as his hands swept down, pulling her breasts free from her bra before he palmed them, cupping and kneading in turn. Her overwrought brain could hardly keep up with the sensations bombarding her, but she knew she wanted to touch him. She needed to feel his bare skin against hers. “Take off your clothes.”
He looked up at her, the glazed expression in his eyes clearing. Sitting back on his haunches, he gestured to himself and then leered at her. “Do it for me.”
Copyright 2012, Cassandra Carr
Cassandra is also giving away a set of romance trading cards of the first book in the Buckin’ Bull Riders series, Impact. So what’d you think? Have you read this book yet? Or anything by Ms. Carr before? Do you read ebooks, or books from Elora’s Cave?