Tuesday! April! Eek! As you see we welcome Marquita Valentine back with us again! So much fun! She’s very patient and get a gold star for being very gracious about some behind the scenes “oops.” I also want to point out, the cover I’m sharing is not attached to the excerpt she’s sharing – that isn’t available yet! So I posted the first two in this series. 😀

Thanks for hosting me again Lime! Today I’m sharing an exclusive excerpt  (raw and unedited) of the next full-length novel in my Going the Distance Series, Drove All Night.

The hero,  Jake Henley, and the heroine, Allie-May Rogers, have known each other since they were kids, but they are far from being friends. In fact all they do is one up each other with practical jokes and digs.

But now a huge Power Company wants to put up enormous power lines on Allie-May and Jake’s farms (they adjoin one another) and she needs his help to fight them.

In this scene, Jake has decided to call her bluff and tell Allie-May the he’ll help her, but everything goes wrong. <G>

Cornering her beside the jukebox, Jake smiled. “We need to talk.”

Despite repeating those very words to him at least twice a day for the past week, Allie-May gulped. This couldn’t be good. No good ever came of that smile. “I’m busy.” She tried to skirt around him, but he simply blocked her path.

“You ain’t busy.” He leaned against the way, one hand beside her head. “Besides, I figure you owe me for that stunt you pulled last year.”

“What do you mean I owe you?” She internally winced at his scowl. Maybe she shouldn’t have said that, not when she actually needed his help.

“C’mon, Allie-cat. We’ve been doing this for years: He said some shit. She said some shit.” He took a pull of his beer. “It’s time to break the cycle. You want something from and I want something from you.”

Her lips twisted, almost involuntarily. “God, you’re such a guy, Jake.”

He leaned in, smelling of beer, leather and that cologne of his. A lethal combination for any woman between the ages of sixteen and dead. Or maybe just for her. “Not sex, baby. I’d have to be drunk, blind and desperate.”

If she hated him so much and didn’t give a rat’s tail what he thought of her, why did his usual insults hurt? “At least we agree on something.”

“Oh, yeah?”

Taking a step closer, she rose on the balls of her feet, putting herself inches from his handsome face. “Completely.”

“Jesus, I can’t stand your ass,” he said, his breath fanning over her mouth.

“That’s because you’re a horse’s ass.”

He dipped his head again, their lips brushed and her knees got all weak while her eyes went wide. Desire shot through her, warming everything inside of her that had been cold for so long. She wanted him to kiss her again. She wanted this warmth he offered, with only the fleeting touch of his mouth on hers.

Ohmygod,ohmygod,ohmygod, her mind frantically chanted.

Those dangerous lips of his pressed against hers once more, his hand that had been on the wall finding the curve her neck. Slowly but surely he coaxed her mouth open and her eyes closed. She slid her arm around his back, then let it coast down to grab a butt cheek. His oh so very fine butt.

She heard him murmur her name, his tongue glided across her bottom lip and two fingers traced the skin under the straps of her camisole.  The man knew how to touch, she’d give him that. He nipped at her chin, kissing his way to her ear and bit down.

“Like that, honey?” he asked, his voice like gravel.

She answered him with a shaky nod and moan.

Jake stood paralyzed by that moan, by what he’d just done and the fact that her hand was on his ass. Her hand. And his…his wasn’t that far away from her breasts. Breasts that he shouldn’t even know she had, not in the her-tits-were-crushed-against-chest type of way. But there they were, firm…maybe a handful. Definitely perfect.

And he was definitely out of his mind. He shoved away from her, watching as her big blue eyes opened. All dazed and sexy as hell as she blinked up at him. Her mouth was red and swollen, tempting him to kiss her again.

“Was that my punishment?” she croaked, wiping off her mouth with the back her of hand. Damn, but if he didn’t expect her to spit on the floor.

Ego and anger flashing, he said, “Nah, that was mine. Guess I only have to be drunk to kiss you. Desperate can’t be far off though.” He wanted to kick himself at the kicked-puppy look she gave him.

“What’s wrong with you?” she cried, thankfully her face stayed tear-free. “I knew you were a dumb jock, but I never dreamed you could be so mean.” When her efforts to shove past him again failed, she crossed her arms and tipped her cute nose in the air.

“Prepare yourself, baby doll, because I’m about to get downright cruel.” Taking a deep breath to clear his mind of visions that involved him, her and his bed, he said, “You want my help going up against CoPat, then for the next three weeks you have to be nice to me.”

“In public. And sing my praises,” he added.

She gasped and made then made a face. “Oooh, I swear—”

“A month.”

She punched him in the shoulder. “Who do you think I am-Mother Teresa? No one could be nice to you that long.”

“Fine. Six weeks and you have to sit in church with me, go as my date to XXX’s wedding and the Watermelon Festival. It’s my final offer. Take it or leave it. I couldn’t care less where those power lines go.” He took another pull of his beer, emptying it this time and set it on top of the jukebox while waiting for her answer. It was very possible that she would tell him where he could shove his offer.

“Deal.”

He blinked. Son of a bitch. He never expected her to go for it.  “Deal.” Pivoting on his heel, he strode to the dance floor and found Lila. Grabbing her wrist, he headed for the entrance

“Allie-May doing her ice queen routine?” Lila asked as they walked outside.

The moon and stars shone bright in the night sky. But he didn’t give a shit. He was horny as hell, all because of that damn mule-headed redhead he’d left by the jukebox.

“I’m not looking to talk, Lila.” He opened the door, lifted her by the waist and set her on the seat.

She giggled, something that usually got him going, but tonight it left him cold as the ice queen she’d accused Allie-May of being. Shit. He had to stop thinking about her.

“Get over here and kiss me, Jake,” she said.

He obliged her, slamming his mouth against hers, his hands cupping her big tits and… felt nothing but lust. Not like with—“Motherfucker!”—he jerked away from Lila and punched the door, wincing as pain exploded in his knuckles. Yeah, he really was a dumb jock.

“What in the world is wrong with you?” Lila’s nose scrunched.

“Sorry, sugar. I’ve had too much to drink,” he lied.

“Oh.” Rimming her lips with her pinky finger, Lila shrugged and sauntered back inside. “Have a good night. Don’t forget to take your pill.”

Pulling a face, he managed a weak laugh. “Very funny.” Another strike against Allie-May. He slid in his truck, slammed the door shut and cranked the engine. “Just you wait, Allie-Cat,” he muttered. “Being nice to me is going to be the death of you.”

What’s your favorite book of 2012 and 2013 (thus far)? Two lucky commentors will receive my newest book, a novella in the Going the Distiance Series, Driving to You.

 Nationally Bestselling author, Marquita Valentine, writes small town romances that are anything but small. Lisa Kleypas, Carly Phillips and Rachel Gibson are among her favorite contemporary authors. Marquita met her husband aka Hot Builder at Sonic when they were in high school. She suggests this location to all of her single friends in search of a good man — and if that doesn’t work, they can console themselves with cheesy tater tots. She lives in North Carolina in a very, very small town with Hot Builder and their two children.

You can find Marquita all over the internet, staring at her webpage.

What fun, yes?! A raw and unedited excerpt! Right here for you all! What did you think? Have you read any of these series? Did this little taste tempt you to? ;D