Sunday, January 20, 2013

Donna Michaels' Book Tour - Captive Hero




Welcome to the 2nd stop in Donna Michael’s Book Tour for Captive Hero. She has two great prizes she’s offering up on this blog tour. After you read about her book, stop by the bottom of this tour stop to find out how you can win a free download of any of Donna’s backlist, plus a $15 Amazon Gift Card!

Test flying an invisible plane—unreal
Time-shifting to WWII—unbelievable
Capturing a hero—unavoidable.
 
Buy from AMAZON
When Marine Corps test pilot, Captain Samantha Sheppard accidentally flies back in time and inadvertently saves the life of a WWII VMF Black Sheep pilot, she changes history and makes a crack decision to abduct him back to the present. With the timeline in jeopardy, she hides the handsome pilot at her secluded cabin in the Colorado wilderness.
But convincing her sexy, stubborn captive that he is now in another century proves harder than she anticipated—and soon it becomes difficult to tell who is captor and who is captive when the more he learns about the future, the more Sam discovers about the past, and the soul-deep connection between them.
As their flames of desire burn into overdrive, her flying Ace makes a historical discovery that threatens her family’s very existence. Sam’s fears are taken to new heights when she realizes the only way to fix the time-line is to sacrifice her captive hero...or is it?
Can love truly survive the test of time?
                                                                             


PG-13 Excerpt:
The door suddenly jerked in and to the right with such force Sam stumbled forward into the cabin.
Son-of-a…
Before she could regain her equilibrium, something big hit the back of her calves and knocked her to the floor—hard.
Intruder? So help me, if he hurt the captain…
Instinct kicked in. Knee thrust upward, she made contact with a solid object and heard a muffled oath before she rolled in the opposite direction. Large hands gripped her waist, and despite her clumsy attempt to hold on to the threshold, he yanked her back.
Yeah, coming here without a weapon had been a real good idea.
Fast and precise, she drove her elbow into the vicinity of her assailant’s jaw and sent a sharp jolt up her arm. She swallowed a cry of pain and rejoiced in his second muffled oath. Two for me. With a quick roll, she scrambled to her knees and began to rise when a heavy weight hit from behind, dropped down and pinned her face-first to the cold, wooden floor.
“Not so fast. Sam is it?”
That familiar, deep voice split the silence, while hot, panting breathes stirred more than the hair on her neck. Uncontrollable shivers covered her skin as recognition stole the fight out of her. This wasn’t an intruder. It was Captain Mitchell. Thank God. He was safe.
But she wasn’t.
The instant she stopped struggling, her body became deliciously aware of every hard, solid inch of the six-foot-two-inch frame completely covering her from head to toe.
Holy Black Sheep.
The urge to wiggle just so he’d press tantalizingly closer was almost more than she could bear. If only I was on my back… The errant thought sent a wicked quiver straight to her core.
You’re a Marine. You don’t give in.
Sam tamped down her burgeoning desire and willed her voice to convey calm. “Let me up, Captain. I can explain.”
“No, and damn right you can.” He lifted up slightly, easing some of his weight.
Thank goodness…I think.
Instead of knocking him off balance and regaining the upper hand, she drew in a few breaths and refrained from retaliating. She’d abducted the man. He was out of his element.  She needed to keep things civil.
Mistake number one.
A swift motion had her arms yanked behind her back, while he wrapped her crossed wrists with something strong and thin. Fishing line? Oh, hell no!
“What in the world do you think you’re doing?”
No answer.
“Damn it, Captain. You let me go, now.” She thrashed from side to side, trying her best to free her legs from his shifting weight.
“No,” he said, and granting her earlier wish, pressed closer.
Funny, she wasn’t as happy about the pinning as she’d originally imagined.
Unable to move, and barely able to breath, she stilled. Best to see what he wanted, and bide her time until he let his guard down. And he would let it down, of that she had no doubt. Men always did.
Cold from the floorboards cooled her heated skin as she twisted her face to the side. What little breath his weight would allow funneled into her lungs. “You can get off me now.”
No answer.
“Captain.” She tried to draw in another breath but only coughed. “I c-c-can’t brea…”
He lifted a mere fraction, but the extra space was enough to fill her lungs with a proper amount of air. “Thanks.” She coughed again.
In the next instant, he hauled her up off the floor and pulled her to the center of the sprawling living room. Alarm raced down her spine. He’d moved the furniture to the side. Damn man must’ve had this planned for days. Could she blame him? Of course not. He was a Marine. She would’ve done the same.
Plopped onto a wooden chair, arms hooked around the back, she clenched her teeth against the pain ripping her muscles. Dammit. If he wasn’t a Black Sheep, she’d kick his ass. Turning the tables on him would not be a problem. But she refrained. Barely.
He doesn’t understand, her mind reminded. You plucked him from the middle of war and dropped him in the middle of nowhere. Therefore, you will not give him a permanent limp.
Discipline once again kicking in, she relaxed her shoulders and the stiffness from her arms, and soon the sting of her restraints lessened.
“Now, Captain,” she said as calm as possible. “Kindly tell me what the hell you think you’re doing?”
“Why, I should think that was obvious…Sam.”
The Marine’s unfriendly tone sent shivers of the wrong kind down her spine. Her blood froze. This can’t be good. She lifted her chin, refusing to be intimidated. She also refused to look him in the eye. The last time had completely disoriented; not at all what she needed right now.
With her gaze fixed on his regulation tan shirt, she stared at the uniform, hoping to find the view safer.
Wrong.
Broad shoulders forced the material to hug his lean frame. Damn. He sure had wonderful muscle definition for someone born before the fitness craze. Her mouth dried. And the waxing craze. Ah hell. He had hair, too. A light sprinkling peaked out from his collar, teasing her with thoughts of what else his uniform concealed. She gave herself a mental shake and concentrated on the situation at hand. 
“What’s obvious, Captain, is that you’re being a jerk. So you’d better spell it out for me. What are you doing?”
He stepped closer without a reply.
More intimidation tactics. Instinct cried out he wasn’t going to speak until she looked up. Damn, stubborn… 
“I’m not interested in playing ‘who’s the baddest Marine’ with you. It’s been one hell of a long week. I’m tired, hungry, and thanks to you, I’m sore, so let’s call our tussle a draw.” Composed, her voice belayed the turmoil swirling in her gut. Fine, he wanted her to look up, she’d look up.
With fingernails biting into her palms, she tipped her head and stared into a pair of unmerciful, cold, blue-green eyes. Beset with an overwhelming urge to swallow—okay, gulp; his unfriendly gaze demanded she gulp—Sam’s cowardly side did an about-face and her chin lifted higher.
“Well? Do you always treat women this way? Does man-handling make you feel big and strapping?”
Frosting further, eyes now more blue than green narrowed as his clenching jaw cracked out an ‘I’m losing my control’ tune.
Way to go, Sam. She pushed him into pouncing tiger mode and was the only flesh around. At least she possessed the good sense to back down. Usually. Too bad she left good with common back on the base.
“Okay.” Keep your mouth shut. Zip it. “Can I take your silence to mean there’s a reason you attacked me and tied me up?”
Muscled arms folded across a broad chest, while a humorless grin crossed his face. “Oh, there’s a reason all right, Sam. A very good one.”
“And your reason is?”
His grin disappeared, along with her breathing.
“To capture the captor.”

R Rated Excerpt:
What the hell was he holding? A slingshot?
A very expensive, sexy slingshot. No, Mitch’s mind insisted. It was underwear. Samantha had a matching top. His gaze shot to the purple bra. The skimpy scrap of satin had to be underwear. Fuck me. His mind instantly conjured up a vision of the temptress wearing the decadent scraps. His groin dutifully hardened.
Damn, sexy spy.
Spy…
His gaze sought the purple satin in his hand again. Son-of-a-bitch! Maybe it was both. Underwear which doubled as a weapon. A small shaft of admiration broke through his haze. Ingenious.
“Um, if you’re done inventorying my bag, I’d like my clothes now.”
He dropped the slingshot at the same time his gaze ricocheted to the towel-wrapped agent dripping in the bathroom doorway.
Holy mother of God.
She was naked. Thanks to him.
In a towel. Thanks to him.
Dripping in the doorway. Thanks to him.
Try as he might, Mitch couldn’t get his mind past those facts. The same thoughts shot through his head over and over again. Probably because the sight of the sexy vixen sent all the blood rushing to his groin—where it now throbbed with painful precision.
Damn. She was pin-up worthy. The fierce urge to nibble, stroke, and lick had him squirming in his seat. That…and his zipper bit unmercifully into his swollen dick.
“Well, Captain?”
He blinked and attempted to focus on her face. Nothing doing. What a pair of gams. His gaze stayed glued to the legs he had known would be a sin to cover. Long and lean, curvy and supple, they gleamed under the glow of the fire since the sun had set. I should be the only thing allowed to cover those beauties.
Shit. Where the hell had that thought come from?
“Yo? Captain? Earth to captain? My eyes are up here.”
He heard her words, followed by a clicking noise. Mitch blinked again, and realized the woman was not only snapping her fingers, she was smiling.
“That’s better,” she said. “So, can I have my clothes back?”
 “No.”
Hah! That wiped the smile from her smug face. Shit. Wait. Now she was striding closer, green gaze glistening like twin emeralds, a bounce rippling through gorgeous, full breasts, despite the tightly wrapped towel.
“No?”
Heaven help him, she grabbed the edge of the table and leaned closer. His mind went blank. What a view! Her delectable cleavage and all that silky skin filled his horizon. She was flawless, supple and he wanted desperately to explore.
“What do you mean, no?”
Yes…
“Captain!”
He jumped, and reluctantly ripped his gaze from her mind-drugging curves. “What?”
“I want my clothes. Now.”
She reached for a pile. But he was quicker. He grabbed her wrist, and a damn fission shot through his body again. What the hell? She yanked free and stepped back.
Ignoring the pounding in his veins—and both heads—he slowly rose to his feet, positioning himself between her and the table. Hell if he’d allow her to take anything until he knew it was safe.
“I’m not done yet.”
“Oh, for crying out loud.” She groaned. “It’s just my clothes.”
His brows shot up. “Really?” He reached behind him for the strange little packet of pills he’d found. “Then where the hell do you wear these?”
A small smile tugged at her lips, and son-of-a-bitch, a spot of color seeped into her cheeks. She was blushing. Why was she blushing? Spies don’t blush. Do they?
“You don’t wear them. Y-you take them.”
He waved the packet. “No shit.” What did she think, he was an idiot? His heart hammered and he wondered just what she’d planned on doing with the pills. He stared hard at his blushing abductor, but spoke soft. “You plan on drugging me, Samantha?”
Amusement flittered through her remarkable eyes. “No. Not unless you’ve grown a pair of ovaries.”
There wasn’t anything funny about…Wait? Ovaries? He glanced at the pills.
“They’re my birth control pills, Mitch. Give me them.” She stepped closer and reached for the packet.
Birth control what? He held the pills out of her reach and frowned down. “Control birth?” Shit. “Are you pregnant?” Cripes, he hoped not. Not after the way he manhandled her today.
“No!” She shook her head, her shoulders rounding in exasperation. “I’m not pregnant. The pills prevent pregnancy.”
Was that even possible? Maybe. He wouldn’t put anything past the Germans.
He folded his arms across his chest, his body heating before he even got the words out. “So, you are planning to seduce me.”
“What? Oh for the love of…” Her mouth clamped shut, eyes glittered and body stiffened. “If you must know, I need the hormone therapy to help with cysts. I have to take one pill a day at the same time every day, and I’ll need one first thing in the morning. Now, give me my damn pills!”
Before he could react, she lunged for the packet and gripped the bottom edge. Damn, she was fast. He pulled while she tugged, and he tried desperately to ignore the soft curves brushing his body or the mouthful of wet hair tickling his face.  God, she smells great. More vanilla. He inhaled and a layer of warmth increased the heat already throbbing inside. Touching her was out of the question. He’d just have to keep twisting and lifting.
Several more seconds of sweet torture and he finally got the upper hand. Success. He ripped the pills from her grasp.
“Dammit, Captain,” she growled, her warm breath hitting his chin.
Didn’t the woman know how to give up? Apparently not. She continued her delicious assault, pressing against him, reaching, trying to crawl up his body for the damn packet. Fuck. She was potent.
And naked.
All the struggling loosened the towel which softly thudded on to his right foot.
“Shit!” She released him and bent down to grab the wayward towel, brushing his throbbing body along the way.
He went still. Very still. He didn’t even dare to breathe. But he did look. Oh, hell yeah, he looked.
The whole right side of her was in his line of vision. Her smooth back and fantastic ass mesmerized, drew him in until he became dizzy from not breathing. He closed his eyes and gulped in air. Damn, the things he wanted to do to her. Eyes opening, he stared at the naked beauty clutching the towel in front of her in a feeble attempt to cover up.
Too late. He saw every last glorious inch of the front of her body. God, she was mouthwatering.
And hairless…
How? His racing pulse stopped for two beats, then tripped into hyper speed. She was unhindered. No hair. Nothing. Just smooth, soft, silky…
His gaze lingered in the barely concealed section where her hand now held the towel in place. Was it a German thing? Hell, it didn’t matter. A strong urge to touch her and taste her, to sink deep inside tore through his body with unrelenting force. He fought back a groan. Fuck. He was hard enough to pound spikes into concrete.
“P-please, Mitch,” her soft plea rattled him.
Make that railroad ties. His dick was hard enough to pound railroad ties. With one swing. And no hands. He dragged more air into his lungs, praying it would unfog his brain as he slowly lifted his gaze to her face.

Captive Hero --Book One in my Time-shift Heroes Series: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009XLK6CY is available now at Amazon. The second book –Future Hero will release this summer.
I also currently have a novella out through The Wild Rose Press. Cowboy-Sexy is part of their Honky Tonk Hearts Series, and is now available in several eBook formats. And on Amazon for kindle here: http://www.amazon.com/Cowboy-Sexy-ebook/dp/B009KEXE2S/ref=pd_rhf_dp_p_t_1


A little bit about Donna…
Multi-published in eBook and print, I write from short to epic, sweet to hot across several romance genres through The Wild Rose Press, Whimsical Publications, and this book--Captive Hero marks my first foray into self publishing.
I’m married to a military man for over twenty-six years. We have four children, several rescued cats, and live in Northeastern Pennsylvania, where we enjoy all four seasons…although, I’d love to enjoy summer a bit longer and winter a bit less.
NOW ONTO THE PRIZES…
HOW CAN YOU WIN?
READ BELOW AND FIND OUT!

To be eligible for a free download of any of my backlist plus a $15 Amazon Gift Card, simply sign up for my newsletter at the bottom of my Home page www.donnamichaelsauthor.com then email me with the address you used to sign up so I can verify and then add your name to the ‘pot’. At the end of the tour, one name will be randomly drawn and I will email the winner.
Thank you, and good luck!
~Donna

Learn more about me and my titles at my website:  www.donnamichaelsauthor.com

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Tuesday, January 8, 2013

Book Spotlight ~ Legacy of the Wolf by Lori King



15% off through January 15th
* NEW RELEASE ALERT *

Built like Vikings, the Whetstone brothers are a force to be reckoned with. As Beta Wolves of the Gray Pack, Rafe and Ryley are simultaneously two of the strongest men in the pack, and firefighters for the Kansas City Fire Department.

Twenty years have passed since their parents disappeared, and they dream of finding their mate, and having a family. They want to build a legacy of their own, but fate just dumped a big old monkey wrench in their plans by the name of…Shandi Martin.

Fighting cancer for her life, she was devastated when her boyfriend left her. So why would she want to risk her heart again? Facing destiny, she realizes that she stopped living to protect her heart three years ago. But when a mysterious rogue wolf threatens their new relationship, they are forced to make a choice. Can they accept a life with just each other, or do they need a family to be happy?


STORY EXCERPT

“Big feet mean big—” Jennifer was saying, but Lily interrupted her with a laugh.
“That’s a load of crap. My last boyfriend wore a size fourteen shoe, but his dick was pinky sized. I don’t buy into that old story at all.” Lily snorted.
“Well, you remember Dale? That guy I took home on our last girls’ night out? He made a believer out of me, and I for one will pay attention to all of the clues before selecting another bedmate,” Jennifer said with a big cocky grin. Shandi couldn’t help but roll her eyes at her friend’s comfort with her own sexuality.
Unable to bite back her response, she smarted off, “Shoe size has nothing to do with penis size. If it did there wouldn’t be a single man with a shoe size over a 12 left in the world.”
It wasn’t until both of her friends started to snicker that she realized she had spoken fairly loudly. There were several other patrons of the bar currently chuckling at her bold statement. One particularly deep rumble of mirth came from her right. The direction of the two sexy Viking Firemen she was trying to ignore.
She whipped her head around to find herself face-to-face with the two men who had been starring in her sexual fantasies for the day. They were both smiling like dogs stalking the mailman, and she swallowed hard before turning back to stare into the bottom of her mug of beer.
“Excuse us, ladies, but it’s not every day that we get to listen in on beautiful women discussing their preferred male attributes, so we were paying close attention. Hello again, Shandi.” Ryley spoke with a smile gracing his lips. Shandi’s complete attention went to his full, luscious lips. She wanted to grab him and pull him down against her so that she could taste them herself. She shook her head, realizing what he had said, and blushed even harder.
“Hello again. And it was actually a private conversation,” she snapped in an irritated voice. What is wrong with me? she thought to herself. Stop being such a bitch, and invite them to sit down.
“Our apologies for interrupting. You look like you are all having a good time, and we were just hoping to join you,” Ryley said with a practiced wink in her friends’ direction.
“Of course we always welcome sexy men to join us,” Lily said flirtatiously, batting her eyes at Ryley. Shandi wanted to rip Lily’s false eyelashes from her eyes and feed them to her. She struggled to tamp down her jealousy.
Before she had time to come up with a witty response, Ryley had pulled a chair over between Jen and Shandi and was straddling it. He was close enough that his knee pressed against her upper thigh. Her brain went slightly misty at the close contact, but then it went downright cloudy when Rafe pulled up a chair on her other side, and rested his large arm on the back of Shandi’s chair, so that it was pressed against her shoulder blades.
She took a deep breath, only to feel almost dizzy with desire. They smelled amazing. Like sunshine, and new grass. She couldn’t remember the last time that she smelled something so appealing...oh wait, that’s right, it was earlier this afternoon in her classroom. She had to close her eyes to get her equilibrium back before she spoke.
“Sure, why not. Please, join us,” she said sarcastically with a pointed look at Jennifer, who looked confused and irritated with her snarky attitude.
“Thank you. I’m Ryley Whetstone, and this is my brother Rafe,” Ryley said, holding his hand out to Jen and then Lily.
“Lovely to meet you, handsome. I’m Lily, and this is Jen. How is it that you know our Shandi?” Lily had her sex-kitten smile plastered on her gorgeous face, and Shandi couldn’t shake off the second wave of jealousy that hit her.
There was no excuse or explanation for it, but the green-eyed monster inside of Shandi wanted to reach out and smack the seductive smile right off of her best friend’s face. It wasn’t like Ryley was her possession, or even her man for that matter. She had no reason to feel anything toward him, but she sure as hell couldn’t watch him screw her best friend either.
“We met at the school today,” Rafe explained. All the while he watched Shandi as she fidgeted in her seat.
“The firemen?” Jen asked excitedly, and both men nodded. “Damn, I wish I had seen you. I would have skipped the last hour of the day to come and watch your presentation. Do you think you could come back and do another for my class?”
Jen leaned forward in her seat and pressed her breast against Ryley’s arm encouragingly, but Shandi was pleased to see him pull away from her.
Damn it, Shandi, stop it, she scolded herself in her head. Jen and Lily were both single and ready to party, so what was the big deal? If they wanted Rafe and Ryley, and could distract them from asking her out again, then that was all the better. Now if she could just figure out why that thought had her seeing a haze of red anger.
“Just call the firehouse and schedule with the commander. We don’t really get to pick which ones we do, but you can make a request,” Rafe explained, and then he turned back to Shandi. “I am really glad we got to see you again, Shandi.”
She tried to return his smile politely, but her face felt strange. In fact her whole body felt all tingly and hot. Specifically where Rafe’s arm was draped over the back of her chair, rubbing erotically against her back, and where Ryley’s thigh butted up against hers. She nearly moaned out loud when Rafe’s fingers danced over the bare skin of her shoulder.

ADULT EXCERPT

“Are you guys just going to look?” she asked curiously, cracking her eyes open to peek at them, and Rafe growled in response. Her eyes widened, reminding him that she didn’t know the whole story about him and Ryley yet. He was going to have his work cut out for him restraining his wolf and staying in control.
“Nope, baby girl, we’re going to look, touch, and taste every square inch of you. Roll over. I’m dying to see that pretty ass,” Ryley said, reaching for her bent knees to nudge them in the direction he wanted her to move.
When she was on her stomach, Rafe reached out and ran his hands over her round white ass cheeks. His fingers danced over the curve of her waist and up to the hard ridge of her shoulder blades. Her skin was absolutely flawless, and softer than a wolf pup’s fur.
The smell of arousal rolled off of her, making Rafe’s brain slow. Ryley was kissing his way up her legs, tasting her luscious skin all the way, and Shandi was moaning her pleasure.
Rafe met Ryley’s gaze and they spoke silently.
Heads or tails, bro.
I’ll take heads this time. I’ve at least tasted her already.
Fuck, I can’t wait to get inside of her.
Take it easy, Ry, we’re bigger than humans. You might hurt her.
Ryley stood up next to the bed and tugged Shandi until she was on her belly with her legs spread around his hips. With one hand under her soft belly, he lifted her up to her knees, and she groaned and tilted her hips back in invitation.
“That’s a fucking gorgeous sight.” Ryley moaned, and Rafe envied him for a moment.
“Mmm...Ryley, please…” She moaned, dropping her forehead down to rest on the bed. Her hands clenched into the comforter, and her hips swayed with her rising passion.
Deciding that he wasn’t interested in sitting on the sidelines, Rafe moved up onto his knees on the bed near Shandi’s face. “Angel, I want to feel you, too. Taste me while Ryley fucks you.”
When she lifted her face again, her cheeks were bright pink, and her lips where swollen from their kisses. She reached out and gripped Rafe’s cock in her small hand, just as Ryley rubbed his dick over her pussy. By the way she gripped his cock he could guess how much of Ryley she had impaling her now. She panted loudly, and groaned as Ryley eased his way into her.
Rafe’s cock was nearly as hard as the wooden bedpost when she seemed to remember what she had been doing and her tongue darted out to lick him teasingly. His breath hissed through his teeth, and she pressed her lips against his cockhead in a full kiss. Then she swallowed him. There was no slow, teasing caress, or tender lead into it. She just deep throated his cock, and he was suddenly tickling her tonsils. It was a heady feeling, and his balls tightened up almost immediately.
“Whoa, angel. This is going to end way too fast if you don’t slow down,” he complained, gripping her long hair in one hand to hold it back from her face. She instantly groaned and swallowed him another inch deeper, and he grinned to himself. Wrapping her hair in his hand more tightly, he began to tug at it to direct her. It was like he had a direct connection to her center of orgasm with her hair in his hand, as she began to follow his lead.
Shandi bobbed up and down on his length, her hot mouth enveloping him, and her teeth just barely scraping him. Rafe was in heaven. He could feel the momentum of his brother’s thrusts deep into her womb as it pushed her forward onto his own cock. It was taking every ounce of self-control to keep from blowing his load right down her hot throat.
Ryley’s movements became more frantic, and Shandi’s bobbing slowed down. She was losing focus, so Rafe eased out of her mouth, but he kept her hair gripped in his hand. She seemed to enjoy the sting of him pulling her hair so much that he did it again and again. Anything that increased her pleasure ultimately increased his own.




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Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Book Spotlight ~ Maiden's Hope by Cheryl A. Cornell

15% off through midnight CST, January 10th
 * NEW RELEASE ALERT *

Billie Ferris always knew she would inherit Maiden's Hope, her father's family farm. She spent every summer learning the intricacies of the business. They'd ride the boundary fences with Aunt Willa impressing upon her what a treasure the farm truly was.

When her aunt passes unexpectedly, she's crushed by emotions and, ultimately, the responsibility. Still adjusting to the loss, strange things begin to happen at the farm. Nuisances turn serious when her vehicle is tampered with and she has an accident. Waking in pain, she sees Ward Castel, her childhood nemesis and first crush, has come back to help. While his military training will be helpful, Billie can't help but bristle at his tactics.

Billie and Ward are both still attracted, and she hopes they'll finally have an adult sexual relationship. That will have to wait until they discover who is trying to run her off her land and why.


STORY EXCERPT

Billie chose to believe the locals who clasped her hand with downcast eyes or bear hugs were genuine. They left her smelling like thirty different kinds of perfumes and aftershaves that would cling to her skin forever. She understood that no amount of washing would cleanse the scent from her memory. Adding to the perfume smells were those of rotting floral arrangements covering the whole private, family graveyard. She prayed the aspirin she took would lessen her headache. She knew the pounding within her was a conglomeration of sorrow, stress, and perfumed scents. Billie knew she’d make a point of not putting the clothing she currently wore in her closet. Instead they would head directly to the dry cleaner. The last thing she needed was her whole wardrobe to carry the assortment of scents. What she needed now was a few moments of peace and quiet to gather her wits before heading back inside to her guests.
She was mistress of Maiden’s Hope now. Taking off on horseback just wouldn’t do when there was still a house full of strangers to deal with. How she wished she could bolt down to the barn, throw a saddle on one of them, and ride the fields. Feeling the breeze on her face and the control over the animal was cathartic in many ways. Today she couldn’t ride, but the idea reminded her of the many times she and Willa rode side by side, checking the fields and the boundary fences. Those were their special times, when Willa would explain how the farm worked. Willa’s words struck her at that very moment.
“This is a special farm, Billie. One day you’ll learn all her secrets and you’ll know what to do and how to handle the secrets.”
“What secrets?” she’d ask every time Willa brought up the subject. Instinctively, she’d known not to ask questions in front of anyone else. Only when she and Willa were alone did she try to get more information.
“When the time is right, you’ll learn all about them. But for now, we check the fences and the crops.”
Billie smiled, remembering how old Willa looked to her at that time. Now those days seemed a lifetime ago, and in reality they were. Twenty years was a long time.
As she grew each summer, she’d been given a bit more independence. Tomorrow, she promised herself, she’d make a point of taking a ride in Willa’s honor. Then she could enjoy her memories instead of being anxious that strangers would intrude.
Car doors slammed in the distance, commanding her attention. She hoped that soon the last of the mourners and caterers would leave. All she wanted was the house to herself, void of interlopers and sightseers. She bent down and repositioned a floral arrangement on top of Willa’s grave and smiled. It was a spray of gladioli in white variegating to deep purple tips. It was sent from Ward Castel. He hadn’t made it to the funeral, but Billie didn’t hold it against him. She knew he was her aunt’s favorite friend and he could do no wrong. She also knew he worked for the government and his time wasn’t his own. While she didn’t know what his job was, she just knew he was in the military and often away from the area for months on end. How she wished he’d been there to steady her during the service and then she was instantly glad he wasn’t. It wouldn’t do for anyone to see or assume they had a personal relationship, even if it was one of Billie’s fantasies.
She thought back to the first time she saw him. She was ten that season and Ward was the new farm boy. Even then, though she didn’t understand her excitement, she knew he was special. That he wouldn’t give her the time of day made her more curious. Every summer from then on, she couldn’t wait to get there and see Ward, even if he treated her like a child. It wasn’t until she was fifteen that she understood her fascination with him. The next year, she cornered him in the barn and tried to kiss him. He’d been adamant about her young age and his and that Willa would shoot him if he touched her. She let out a small laugh, remembering the look on his face when she all but launched herself into his arms.
There was more noise from the house and the memory was gone. She turned her attention back to the grave site, waiting for these strangers to leave. She knew she was supposed to be there accepting their condolences, but she didn’t move.

ADULT EXCERPT

Ward pushed the phone back in his pocket. He looked down at her, saw anger and angst. Her hair was pulled from its normally sleek braid, and she had dust on her cheek where he’d dropped her to the ground. “Just stay down, Billie. If they wanted to hit one of us, they could have. They’re toying with us. But we’re vulnerable here.” Ward tried to keep his tone even.
“I’ve been stationary for the last five minutes. Why didn’t they shoot me then?”
“I don’t know.”
“Maybe they don’t like you.” She tried to hold back her laugh but didn’t.
Ward knew her laughing was a nervous reaction. He decided to take advantage of the moment and held her tight to him. “Now do you believe me when I say you need to stay in the house?”
“Yes I get it, but I’m not going to let anyone make me a prisoner.”
“Billie, you try my patience. If I thought it would do any good, I’d take you over my knee until you figure out you’re in real danger.”
Billie froze under him for several seconds. He watched a wide smile slowly overtake her lips. “You want to spank me for being bad?”
“It’s a passing thought,” he grumbled.
“What else would you do to me if I don’t listen to you?” She shifted under him, her hand reaching for his cock. Ward tried to pull away but she had her hand cupping him, her fingers squeezing against him. “You’re hard, Ward. So the idea of spanking me gets you hard. Do you picture fucking me afterward so you can see how red you made my butt? Am I facing you, taking your cock in my pussy or am I draped over something and you’re fucking my ass? Am I tight around your cock?”
“Billie, shut up!”
“I’ll shut up, but you better tell your cock it’s chosen an inappropriate time to rear its head.” She was laughing at him.
He looked down at her and didn’t care that they were possibly in jeopardy at that very second. Instead, he dropped his mouth over her, kissing her hard. It was her reaction to the kiss, spreading her lips and thrusting her tongue against his that made him groan. She continued to pump his cock with her glove-covered hand. “You’re getting harder,” she told him as she pulled from his mouth. “Ward, rub against me.” She lifted her other hand and let her fingers sift through his hair, closing around his neck and drawing him back to her lips.
Ward knew this wasn’t a good idea and at the moment didn’t care. His cock was doing his thinking. “Billie, if you keep doing that you’ll make me come.”
“Then come for me,” she told him, holding his face between her hands. “Open your pants and slide up here. Let me suck you.”
“So danger turns you on?” He forced himself to lift up off her only a bit, enough to let his weight ride on his forearms.
“A lot of things turn me on. You just never bothered to find out what they are.”
“Billie, this is not the time or place.”
“We never have the right time or right place. Tell me, Ward, why you always push me away. I’m not looking for a permanent commitment. I’m looking to fuck you until we’re both exhausted and sated. I want to feel how you’ll stretch my body with your fingers and cock.”
“Willa will kill me.”
“Willa’s dead. She can’t do a thing about us. I’m an adult woman with sexual needs and wants and would like to see if you can satisfy them. Don’t you have needs, too, Ward? Haven’t you ever wondered what it would be like to bury your cock inside me at this time in our lives? We’re both older and more experienced. I have and I can only imagine how you’d make me feel right now. I know how it felt to have your fingers stretch me while you sucked my clit. I know you would have fucked me that night in the barn if the storm hadn’t rolled by and shut down the power. I’d like to get past imagining and actually experience you.” She sighed but didn’t look away. “The only time I’ve felt your cock inside me was out here on the land. Maybe that’s your turn-on. Do you have to be outside with the danger of getting caught to get off?”
“Billie,” he started and grabbed her wrist, halting her motions against his erection. Her hand movements were getting faster, her grasp around him harder. If he didn’t stop her, she’d make him come.
“Ward, I want this.” She gave him a smile he hadn’t seen from her before. It said, “I’m confident and experienced.” He felt his cock pulse against her fingers.
“What happens when it’s over?” He was staring down at her and instantly knew it would be too hard to leave her when their itches were scratched.
“I’m a big girl. I can fuck a man and not expect him to marry me. I’m looking for pleasure and release.” She stared up at him, her gaze a dare that matched her words.

 
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