Category Archives: Evernight Publishing
Nicola’s Sunday Shoutout: Gale Stanley
Today’s Sunday Shoutout goes to Gale Stanley, whose smouldering new M/M erotic romance One Night in Bangkok is now available at Evernight Publishing. Take it away, Gale!
The temperature in Thailand is a humid ninety degrees but things are about to get a lot hotter. David Elliot is in Bangkok on business, but when he meets Kai, the younger man turns his world upside down. It was never meant to be anything more than a pleasant diversion but David can’t walk away when it’s over.
Story Excerpt
The door closed behind them, and suddenly David felt a little shy. He stared at Kai for an awkward moment, wanting to touch and be touched, but not quite believing they were finally alone. Or maybe he was just used to Bernie taking the lead.
Kai waited silently. He really was hotter than any man had a right to be, with those almond-shaped eyes and pouty lips just begging to be kissed. David’s gaze slid south and settled on the full, hard cock straining against the thin material of Kai’s pants. God, he wanted to hold Kai’s prick in his hand, breathe in the scent, taste the drops of precum leaking from the tip….
When he looked up, he saw Kai still watching him. The heat in those brown eyes turned his insides to mush. Desire overcame shyness, and David edged closer. Kai met him halfway and David let out a moan as he captured Kai’s mouth, teasing him with his tongue. Two arms snaked around David’s waist, and their swollen cocks rubbed as they kissed. Hot spikes of sensation flared at David’s groin, and he pulled Kai tighter against his body.
When they broke for a breath, Kai was flushed and panting. Without a word, he slipped from David’s grasp and went to his knees. His slim fingers gripped the waistband of David’s slacks and tugged until they puddled at David’s feet. Eyes so wide and dark they appeared black looked up at him. Then Kai pressed his mouth to the silky fabric covering David’s erection.
“Oh, fuck.” David threaded his fingers in Kai’s thick black hair.
When Kai sucked on the tip of David’s cock, David swore he could feel the wet heat through his boxers. His thoughts scattered and he swallowed hard in anticipation. “Kai, please.” He tightened his grip on Kai’s hair and pulled gently.
Kai stood, and they undressed each other like they had that day at the temple. David smoothed a palm over Kai’s chest, muscles tensed and quivered under his touch. The goal had been to get inside this man who tempted him beyond reason, but now he didn’t know if he’d last that long.
Where To Buy
About Gale Stanley
Gale Stanley is a hopeless romantic, who grew up in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, with her nose buried in a book of fairy tales. If a story ended badly, she created her own happily ever after. Now, she writes romance, in all its many splendored facets, because she believes the world needs more love and happy endings.
Where to find Gale Stanley
Website
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Fabulous Friday Reads: Intimate Danger
Let’s kick off this lovely weekend with the brilliant D.C. Stone and her thrilling new erotic romance Intimate Danger, now available from Evernight Publishing and other purveyors of fine erotic romance. D.C. was kind enough to sit down with her main character Trent Rossi for a fascinating one-on-one interview. Enjoy!
I glance across the table at Trent and fight not only a shiver, but also not to shift under his intense, blue gaze. Of course I know much about the dark FBI agent (after all, he was born from my mind), but the silence in the room, with only four white walls, a door, the wooden table between us, and two chairs, is quite thick. We’re locked in a battle of wills, to see who can turn away or blink first; an unspoken challenge, but ones there nonetheless.
After minutes of eyes burning, glaring, and face stoicism, I break and heave out a sigh.
“Fine, you win.”
His smile is brief and blinding. Really, the man should smile more often. It lights his whole face, like the sun breaking over the horizon at dawn. You know you shouldn’t stare, but you’re unable to turn away.
He clears his throat. “I always win, DC.”
My nose wrinkles. “I know a certain detective who’d take offense to that.”
He shrugs, a slight lifting of his shoulder. The movement may be small, but both he and I know it says so much.
You see, Trent knows how to read people; he’s been trained to not only uncover the pure essence of someone based on their actions, but also to understand just what a person is saying without them having to speak. The art of body language is complex thing, and yet, sometimes, movements, eyes, and expressions tell an investigator more than the person they’re speaking to.
As it is, I’ve been trained in the same art, and this is something he knows.
He shifts and stretches his arms forward, interlocking his fingers before him. “So what’s this all about, DC?”
“Apparently I’m supposed to interview you.”
He lifts one dark brow and his blue eyes dance with humor. “For what?”
“For your story, which is releasing. People want to know about you.”
His chin juts in and a look of incredibility plasters on his handsome face. “But why?”
I blink. Seriously?
I don’t realize I’ve spoken aloud until he says, “Yes, seriously. I’m no one important.”
Despite his self-mocked words, my heart softens, as does my face. “Trent, you’re very important, a big part of this story. And your role in what happens is something not many will forget.”
He still doesn’t look like he believes me, if the slack jaw, narrowed eyes, and scrunched nose say anything. But instead of arguing, he settles back in his seat and opens his hands briefly before clasping them again. “Fine, ask your questions.”
I resist the urge to roll my eyes at the sarcasm in his tone, and instead look down at my pad and grab a pencil. “Okay, what’s your favorite color.”
“Really?”
I glance up and just stare.
“Fine,” he grumbles, “green. But not just any green, the type you’d see coming from the ground after a long, hard winter. The first blades of grass poking through the soil.”
I dubiously lift my gaze to him with a brow. One side of his lips is curved up and his eyes dance with suppressed laughter.
“Touché, Trent. Okay,” I say and clear my throat. “Tell me one surprising thing that no one else knows.”
Now it was his turn to lift a brow. “Why would I do that?”
I blow out a frustrated breath. “For the interview.”
He shifts forward and rests his elbows on the chair. “But why would I tell you something no one else knows? You know as well as I do, I like my privacy. Why tell you something that you’ll just go spread around? Doesn’t that defeat the point in being…private?”
“Fine,” I huff and move on to the next question. “If you could be anyone, who would it be? They can be living, dead, someone in the future, you name it.”
Again with the narrowing of his eyes.
“Stop that,” I snap.
“What?”
“That damn eye thingy you’re doing.”
His brows scrunch down into a dark vee. “What eye thing?”
I glare at him.
He glares right back.
This lasts several minutes, with the silence in the room growing thicker and thicker until not even a knife would be able to slice through.
“You’re not going to let me interview you, are you?” I ask, conceding to the test once again. I really hate conceding. But I’m not about to sit here all night. And that’s exactly where we’d be. His patience is unbreakable.
He grins, a quick flash of straight white teeth. “Not on your life.”
I huff and sit back. “I knew it. You’re a pain in my ass, you know that?”
His smile widens. “But you love me.”
“I may,” I say with a dismissing flick of my fingers. “But I’m telling Charlie on you.”
His widening eyes tell me all I want to know. I grin in triumph.
When FBI agent Trent Rossi arrives to investigate a chain of crimes—devastating murders and violent rapes—an inexperienced small town Detective, Charlie, who’s assigned to assist, finds her desire surging for the agent—only to realize he is the primary suspect.
A sleeping threat has awakened in the small town of Nyack. Crimes in the cozy village, garner the attention of the FBI, who assign two agents to assist Charlie in tracking down the sick and deranged perpetrator. Agents Trent Rossi and Dillon Echols work closely with Charlie, but as the crimes progress, dark secrets begin to cloud the air, blurring the line between who is on the side of the law and who’s against it. Being Charlie’s first major case, she’s unprepared not only for the menacing killer on the loose, but also with the unexpected feelings Trent draws out of her.
While Trent holds secrets, disappears at random, and seems to understand their perpetrator all-too-well, Charlie’s suspicions grow along with the pull she feels toward him. Her attraction could become fatal, yet she does not realize it until it is too late.
Story Excerpt
Jesus, he should be looking for this Detective Lopez, but his body screamed for this woman. He fought the urge to fidget, cursed the hours he had been working, unable to get any kind of companionship. He would have to work quick and then find Charlie. “I’m Agent Rossi with the FBI.” He leaned against the desk, gave her the look that had gotten him into pants faster than any of his college buddies, and held out a hand. She looked at his palm as if it were a serpent ready to strike.
“And? How can I help you, Agent Rossi?” She rose from her chair and crossed her arms under her breasts. He tried—and failed—to ignore how the movement pushed her plentiful mounds up toward her chin.
He pulled his hand back and ran it through his hair.
Bad move! The stench coming from under his arm made him wince.
“Look, I know you probably have things to do,” he said.
She nodded, brows lifted to her hairline, as if saying “no shit.” He went on, “But I do need to find Detective Lopez. You’d be a real sweetheart if you could point me in his direction. I’m here on a case and I don’t know…maybe after I’m done briefing him, you’d like to have dinner with me? That is, if you’re not busy?”
The contortion of her brows twisted before a sly smile spread.
“You’re looking for Charlie, huh?”
Someone groaned, and Trent glared over his shoulder, perplexed. The heavyset guy in need of Tide shook his head and looked away. Irritated at the interruption and apparent lack of man code, Trent turned his attention back to the cute little female.
He nodded. “Yeah.”
The woman shifted and sat in the chair with purposeful, slow movements. She set one foot on the desk, crossed a long leg over the other. Each action played out in slow motion through his lust-filled brain. He shifted, his focus glued to the smooth expanse of a jean-covered thigh, and stepped closer.
Hummidy, hummidy, hummidy.
“And why is it you need Charlie?” The woman ran a hand up the outside of her leg and his attention followed it. His mouth went dry.
“Umm, a case.”
“A case?”
“Yeah.” When silence met him, he realized what was happening. You didn’t have to go through interrogation and interview classes in order to figure it out. He was being led. His gaze snapped to hers, except this time, her face did not look friendly. If the hardening of her mouth was any indication, she looked pissed. And he’d been totally caught just checking her out.
Resigned, he let out a breath.
“Yeah, a case. Look, I’m sorry for all—” He waved a hand between them. “This. Could you just point me in the direction of Detective Lopez?”
Her hard mouth softened and she stood from her chair again, lips turning up at the corners. Leaning in to him, her scent surrounded him and he got a whiff of coconut.
His gaze tracked along her face, and dropped to her shirt, which parted as she leaned forward. He about choked as he tried to swallow, his mouth dry as the Arizona desert.
“Well, Agent Rossi.”
Lean forward a little more, please.
“If you could stop staring at my tits for all of two seconds, then I’ll tell where you can find Detective Lopez.”
The noisemaker behind him let out a strangled cough.
He snapped his regard up to hers. Hazel eyes blared with anger. Crap.
“Shit, I’m sorry. Seriously, it has been a long damn day. If you’d just tell me where he is, Miss?” He raised his brows, wanting her name. Good Lord, he wanted her name.
She smiled sweet, the transformation of her face a thing of beauty. “It’s Detective.”
He raised a brow, a sick feeling creeping up his spine. “Detective?” he croaked.
The smile spread to her eyes. “Yes, and to not only help you, but to also answer your question, it’s Detective Lopez. How can I help you, Agent Rossi?”
The noisemaker behind him snorted out a laugh.
Where to Buy
Evernight
Amazon US
Amazon UK
All Romance eBooks
Add it to your TBR with Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22397858-intimate-danger
About D.C. Stone
D.C. Stone is a romance author and full-time fraud investigator. She lives in the north-east with her incredibly supporting husband and two kids. She’ll deny any association with the grumpy cat that also resides in the house, but he is there, never-the-less.
After serving eight years of service with the United States Air Force, she went on to transition into the world of financial crimes and became a lead investigator for many years.
Reading has always been a passion of hers, getting lost in a good, steamy romance is one of her favorite past times. She soon after discovered her own love for writing and recreating stories and characters in her head. Her writing concentrates on romantic with specifics in paranormal, suspense and erotica.
Now, when she isn’t trying to solve a new puzzle in the world of fraud, she is engulfed with coffee, her laptop, and all those crazy characters in her head. She is a member of the Romance Writers of America, New Jersey Romance Writers, RomVets, RWA Kiss of Death, and the Liberty State Fiction Writers. She currently serves as the Vice President and 2014 Conference Chair for NJRW. Come stop by on Facebook, Twitter, or her website and say hello!
Where to find D.C. Stone
Mid Week Tease: Breaker Zone #MWTease #MidWeekTease
Happy Hump Day! It’s time for some more sexytimes from my current WIP Breaker Zone. In this teaser, Nick is very glad to be home after a tough day, and Aidan and Liam want to show him just how much he’s appreciated. Ahem.
Enjoy, and make sure to hit the list after the teaser to see other great Mid Week Teases!
With his life in ruins thanks to a psychotic ex, Dr. Nick Gardiner winds up at Olympic Cove looking for sanctuary (and free beer) with his friend Ian. The last thing he expects to find is Ian living with two redheaded sea lords and learning how to be a storm god. Adding to the confusion is a wounded merman named Aidan who washes up in the cove, requiring Nick’s professional help. Nick soon learns that the handsome mer and his partner Liam have their own plans for the ER doctor — to claim him as their agapetos, their destined mate, and fulfill his need to submit.
A chance encounter at a local junk shop reveals that Nick has his own role to play in Ian’s battle against the insane Nereid Thetis. Under the reluctant mentorship of Chiron, Nick must master the use of the Rod of Asclepius if he wants to rescue his mates from a ghastly fate and help Ian save the planet.
###
Two hours later, Nick was showered and spread out naked on his stomach over the bed while Aidan and Liam gave him a rubdown. He hadn’t expected the mers to wait up for him, but they were both in the living room as he came into the cottage. His appetite, dulled with worry about Delphine, roared back with a vengeance when Liam brought out a slightly overcooked but perfectly edible pizza. He explained the day to them as he dug into the food with relish, polishing off a piece of strawberry rhubarb pie for dessert.
“I know we had pizza in the freezer, but do I want to know where you got the pie from?” he said, licking a last smear of strawberry glaze off his fork.
Aidan grinned around his own mouthful of dessert. “Ian drove us to Publix,” he said after swallowing. “I never had pie before, so I tried a piece earlier. I think I’m in love.”
“Great. Now you’re cheating on me with pastry.”
The mer gave him the filthiest smile. “I’m open to a foursome if you are. Me, you, Liam, and pie.”
“That does sound like a good idea,” Liam drawled. “But not right now. Tonight, chuisle, we’re going to take care of you.”
Once they were sure he was finished with dinner, the mers chivvied him into the shower, Aidan shucking out of his own clothes and joining him for an oddly thorough washing session. Afterwards, he was escorted into the bedroom, where an equally naked Liam waited for them both with a bottle of massage oil. “More goodies from Publix?” Nick asked, stretching out over the coverlet.
“Yup.” Liam popped the final p with relish. “Hope you like coconut and pineapple.”
“Yay. I always wanted to smell like a piña colada.”
“Hush and relax, boy.”
He did, sinking into the deep, soothing joy of his men’s touch. Liam worked on his shoulders and back, gently undoing all the knots that had accumulated during the day. Aidan’s hands rubbed his legs and feet in long, strong strokes, sensual without being overtly sexual. Although when the handsome mer started massaging his feet, Nick let out an orgasmic groan. “Oh, God. Keep doing that and you can have anything you want,” he mumbled into the coverlet.
Aidan’s hands stilled. “Anything?”
“Mm.” Belatedly, Nick realized he’d just handed them the equivalent of a blank check written on his body. After a moment, however, he relaxed. Whatever his Doms wanted to do with him was fine. He trusted them, body and soul, and knew that they would always take care of him. “Anything.”
Aidan’s hands left his feet and drifted up his calves, then his thighs, until they rested just under the crease of his ass cheeks. “What if we wanted to have you, chuisle?” His hands slid onto Nick’s ass, rubbing the globes of muscle there. “Both of us?”
The question confused him. “I’m yours, sir. Both of yours,” he said honestly. “If you want me, have me.”
“I don’t think you understand, boy,” Liam said softly, shifting until he was opposite Aidan and massaging one cheek. “We both want to be inside you, here. At the same time.”
Nick’s breath caught as Liam’s meaning dawned. Both of the mers were well-endowed, and sex with either of them required a certain amount of prepwork and stretching. To be penetrated by both of them at the same time was theoretically possible, but… The medical part of his brain screamed about fissures, damage to delicate tissues, muscle tears.
The submissive part of his brain rolled over and begged. To be used like that, opened so wide and taken by the masters he loved, sent blood coursing to his cock. He shifted uncomfortably, knowing his face was flushed and glowing red. “I’ve never done that before,”
“Neither have we.” Liam squeezed his ass harder, digging pleasantly into the muscle. “But we want it, Nick. We want to feel you tight around both of us, fill you up all the way, until all you can think about is us.”
“Let us do that to you, chuisle,” Aidan murmured, hand so warm as it slid into Nick’s crease, massaging the tight whorled muscle there. “Let us in.”
Nick swallowed hard, pressing his face into the coverlet and his ass into Aidan’s caresses. “Yes, sir. Please.”
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Wicked Wednesday Reads: Head Over Heels
It’s time once again to help you over your Hump Day and spice up your week with a tasty M/M erotic romance from Evernight Publishing. This week, I’m featuring Remmy Duchene’s Head Over Heels — check out the excerpt below for a teaser!
Thank you so much for having me here today – I am Remmy Duchene and I write interracial manlove! I have a thing about cultures. *grins*
Today I’m here to talk about scars and this strange thing we have about being “perfect” in everyone’s eyes.
Papa Roach sings “And my scars remind me that the past is real.” Is that true? Are your scars just reminders that you weren’t just born yesterday and all the things (good and bad) that happened to make you who you are today were actually real—they actually happened? If that is true, why do we spend so much money every year buying creams and oils and potions trying to get rid of that scar where little Johnny pushed you off your bike and you scraped your knee? Or when you thought Parkour was a fun sport to try and missed your landing?
We want to be deep and rock out to Papa Roach singing about the wonderfully, angsty lives of scars yet we are too vain to keep them around or show them off. In Head Over Heels, my newest release from Evernight Publishing, my character Christian is a firefighter who was caught in a burning building. Needless to say he’s scarred all over and it’s a source of pain for him.
This touches on the idea that though they always say boys should be proud of their scars, it’s still a sore spot for most of us. We want to be flawless, perfect and though we know perfection is a myth, we still want that. One of the things I hope people take away from this book is you don’t have to be perfect in the eyes of the world but ideal in the eyes of those who love you.
Let me explain.
If your lover sees you and you have a few pounds on but he/she stills adore the halibut out of you, that you’re not perfect in the eyes of everyone else but to this one person that matters to you most in the world – you are so fabulous there is nothing he/she would change about you.
Firefighter Christian Shane, badly scarred from a fire that ravished a city block, runs away from New York to Beacon Cove, hoping to hide away in his family’s beach house. All he wants is to be left alone.
Case Jenkins never met a sexy, muscled stud he liked. They were always jocks and always dicks—plain and simple. He was too much of a nerd and not built like a brick house. But when he sees Christian Shane, he can’t control himself. Nothing worth having ever comes easy, and Case isn’t quite sure he has enough patience. But there’s a mad-man trying to burn down the world, and in the end, both men must come to terms with their feelings.
Story Excerpt
Christian’s nightmares had gotten progressively worse over the past two days. Since he could do nothing but sleep, there was no way to avoid it. Every time he drifted off, he woke up in a cold sweat. The first few times he jerked awake, he heard someone screaming. Then he realized the sound was coming from him as he clutched at his throat. The machines beeped furiously and his nurse rushed in, pleading with him to be careful.
He felt like a moron.
He’d chosen the career, and the moment the bad of it raised its ugly head, Christian felt useless and confused. When he thought deeper about it, he felt discarded and betrayed. For so long he hungered to become a firefighter and worked tirelessly toward his dream. During his fight to make his dream come true, everything else had fallen by the wayside, and somewhere over the years he’d become a sheltered, jaded ass.
Christian sacrificed everything for his dream. Then, that dream scarred him for life.
One day faded away, followed by a few more he couldn’t keep track of. From time to time, his doctor would force him out of bed to walk around a bit with the help of a cane and a nurse. Another moment when he was lucid, his friend the doctor was standing in the room, peering pensively at his chart.
“Hey, Doc.”
“You’re a very lucky man, Christian Shane.” Dr. Clancy O’Neal didn’t look at him but scribbled away at his clipboard. “A really lucky man.”
“I don’t feel like it.” Christian’s throat was like he swallowed sandpaper—dry. He shifted on the bed, and a burning sensation shivered through him from his back. “I feel like someone doused me in hot water.”
“That’s what happens when you have half of your back covered in burns. You could have died, Christian.” Clancy looked up then to focus his piercing green eyes on Christian. “You have to always remember that. It doesn’t matter how scarred or damaged you think you are, life is way more precious than beauty—and if I swung your way, I’d definitely tap that.”
Christian laughed. “You do swing this way.”
“No, no. Not that way.” Clancy hooked the clipboard to the foot of the bed.
Christian arched a brow and tilted his head. “Em… maybe it’s the drugs, but I’m lost. What way are we talking here?”
“I meant.” Clancy laughed. “If I went for the buff, firefighter types.”
“I see.”
“Seriously, though. Just remember you could have died, but you didn’t.”
For so many years, Christian had said those same words people he pulled from fires. He would tell them to be thankful they were still alive with only a few scars, to be happy. As he lay there, hearing those words tossed back at him, he felt physically ill. “Quick! Hit me over the head with a mallet.”
“Stop being dramatic. You’ll be fine. You just have to remember you’re alive and there are people who didn’t wake up this morning.”
“Why are you saying all this?”
“Because I’m your friend and I know you. You spend hours per week making sure your body looks a certain way, and these scars are messing with that. I don’t want you to think anything changes because of them. You’re still as sexy as before… just with a few additions.”
Where to Buy
Where to find Remmy Duchene
Executive Assistant: Manlove Edition is a bestseller
Executive Assistant: Manlove Edition is definitely doing well — not only is it a bestseller at Bookstrand and All Romance eBooks, it’s also #10 on Amazon’s GLBT Short Stories bestseller list. Which is good, because, well…
Remember “The Art of Grant Management”?
All those snippets I posted for Mid Week Tease? Well, you can now read the whole thing!
Evernight Publishing’s new anthologies Executive Assistant and Executive Assistant: Manlove Edition are now available on their website, and will be available from All Romance eBooks, Bookstrand, and Amazon on June 20.
As well as some delicious stories from a collection of brilliant writers, Executive Assistant: Manlove Edition also includes my naughty contemporary M/M short story “The Art of Grant Management.” I always knew those years of administering NSF grants would eventually come in handy.
Straitlaced scientist Dr. Peter Loeffler and freewheeling administrative assistant John Quincy are the Odd Couple of the Kenilworth Research Center; their ongoing battles over funding are the stuff of legend, and their bickering can be heard up and down the hallways of the center. But in the aftermath of a very important site visit, the scientist and the admin find out that they may have more in common than they first assumed.
Nicola’s Sunday Shoutout: Ela Stein
Today’s Sunday Shoutout goes to Ela Stein, who is our twofer for the day — not only is her debut novel Love’s Labyrinth available from Evernight Publishing and other retailers of fine erotic romance, but she also has the free read Pleasure Android 7.1 available at Evernight. Here’s what Ela has to say about her new publications:
Hello, everyone! I’m here today to talk about my two new releases with Evernight Publishing, but first of all, a very huge thank you to my blog hostess for having me. These are my first publications, so I am excited and a little scared 🙂 Writing has always been a part of my life, and getting published a dream and a goal, so it’s a cool feeling to have two books for my very first release date.
First, a little bit about my Free Read because… well, it’s free. So you can try out my writing at no risk, and I hope you enjoy it. This is a quick and short read, at a little over 5,000 words. “Pleasure Android 7.1” came about as the result of the eternal “what if” question. With all the advances we’re making in artificial intelligence and robots, it seems almost inevitable that this will be our future. I saw a video about the robots they are creating in China… they look like people, they talk, they make eye contact. It’s exhilarating, the progress we’re making, and a little creepy at the same time. Nico, the hero of “Pleasure Android 7.1” is definitely not the least bit creepy. He was created to be every woman’s fantasy and has the database to deliver (wink, wink).
Zola is dismayed to discover that for her 40th birthday, her friends teamed up to purchase her a hot sex droid. She refuses to let herself get attached to a machine, and tries her best to avoid the temptation. He is programmed to overcome such resistance and knows how to wear down defenses and sell himself like a pro using his perfect charms and impeccable skills. Though she suspects it’s nothing more than a sales pitch, she begins to question whether beneath his perfect manufactured exterior can lie genuine feelings and desires.
Story Excerpt
What the fuck.
A seven-foot-tall box occupied the middle of my living room. I stared at the prime male specimen behind the clear front panel. Well over six feet tall, with dusky skin, dark brown wavy hair, broad shoulders, aquiline nose, full lips—basically, he looked like a model, the kind you’d drool over in an ad for high-end products.
With his eyes closed, his long, thick lashes grazed his chiseled cheekbones. He looked as though he slept—an illusion of the most expensive kind.
I sighed, hands on my hips. My best friend, Lexia, had done it. For my fortieth birthday, she got me a sex droid. She’d joked about it, but I never thought she’d actually follow through. It had to be her—she was the only other person who had access to my apartment.
On the box, in large, blocky print, it proclaimed “Domestic Android 7.1” and underneath it, in fancy script, “For Your Pleasure.” Alrighty then. And what if it was my pleasure to get rid of it? I stalked to the box and circled around it. The back and both sides were solid panels of striking red. If it was supposed to be romantic, their marketing department missed the boat. I wasn’t a big fan of Valentine’s Day, and this was even cheesier than a heart-shaped box of chocolates.
Although, I could remember a time when chocolates, roses, and a little stuffed bear made my heart skip a beat. I had grown a bit jaded over the years, which was probably why my friends decided to gang up and torture me with this… thing. It stood there, like the proverbial elephant in the room. There would be no vid watching on my birthday, cuddled up with a bowl of ice cream. No relaxing in the tub with a good romance novel. Now I was too distracted, and I wasn’t going to be able to enjoy myself until I got this thing out.
A plan formulated: get the box outside and message his creator, Atlas Robotics Corporation, to come pick him up. No, not him. It. I studied the box. At five foot five, it had well over a foot on me. I tried to tilt it to the side, planning on then pushing it out the rest of the way. The damn thing was heavy. So heavy, it didn’t even wobble when I gave it my all.
Exhausted, I plopped down on my yellow pleather couch to glare at the box. I refused to build up a sweat today of all days. What a disaster my birthday was turning out to be. There was no getting the box out until Atlas Robotics agreed to stop by. Since they had no incentive to be eager to process a return, it could be days. Maybe even weeks, I thought miserably.
Not fair that here I was, suffering, while he—it!—stood there, all serene and peaceful. I jumped to my feet and approached the box. There was an easier way to do this. Turn him on and order him to take a hike on his own two legs. The more I considered it, the more I liked this plan. Quick, easy, smart.
Okay, I hope you liked the beginning of my free short story. Now, onto my novella, “Love’s Labyrinth”. I am a huge fan of fantasy, and this novella is very close to my heart. It’s set in the far future, on a colonized planet. Humans weren’t doing too well with surviving on it after a crash landing, but the Gods took mercy and intervened, helping them figure it out. The Goddess of Love left behind her magical Labyrinth, where once a year, those who participate get to meet the ones they’re fated to be with. Unfortunately (or fortunately?) the ratio of men to women is skewed, so it’s not uncommon with a woman to find more than one mate. As everyone knows, the Goddess makes no mistakes.
Auria enters the magical Labyrinth on New Year’s Eve, and its halls guide her to the two men she is fated to be with. Brener has loved her from afar since they were children, and Jhennen is a Warrior-Guard, commanding in personality and intimidating in physical presence. They share a life-changing, passionate night together, but come morning, they must decide if their one-night menage can be the beginning of something new. When trouble threatens to tear Auria away from her life and the two men she is starting to develop feelings for, their connection just might be her only hope for salvation.
Story Excerpt
Brener’s tongue flicked masterfully on my clit. He knew what he did to me. I held my breath, feeling my insides begin to gather, ready for that final moment.
But just before it came, Brener stopped and jerked back, leaving me alone. My pussy protested, my clit throbbing almost painfully. My eyes flew to him in protest, in supplication, but then my whole being froze.
Brener was sitting back on his heels, his lips wet from his ministrations, his body stiff with shock. The same shock I myself felt, as I stared up at the stranger that seemed to have appeared from nowhere.
He was gigantic, appearing to loom like a mountain from my prone position. Whereas Brener had an athlete’s body, this stranger had a warrior’s body with a broad back and wider hips and his entire physique encased in bulky muscle. Blond hair, almost white, was pulled back in a long ponytail—I could see its bottom reached to his lower back. My eyes flew to his face, his cold, pale blue eyes. He seemed to regard me with some measure of amusement. A long pale scar saved his face from being almost pretty, as did the rough bump in his aquiline nose. Leaning against the green wall of the Labyrinth with one shoulder, his relaxed stance was at complete odds with the tension that gripped me.
I gasped and used my hands to cover my breasts, while drawing my legs up to cover my splayed pussy.
Seeing this, he chuckled and shook his head. “No need to cover all the loveliness,” he said, and his words held a hint of an accent, the difference in inflection conveying he was not from our village. It sounded like a northern dialect.
“Who are you?” I could think of nothing else to say in that moment. My heart jumped to action, pounding away like crazy with a surge of adrenaline.
“Jhennen,” he replied, as though we were out to tea, having a pleasant chat. As an afterthought, he added, “Jhennen Vayment.”
“What are you doing here?” Brener almost growled, coming to his feet now, bristling. With them standing, it was clear Jhennen was a couple heads taller. All the more sweet that Brener thought to protect me from him, dwarfed as he was by this man, who looked battle-trained and used to combat.
“I suppose the same thing as you are,” Jhennen drawled out almost carelessly. His stance was nonthreatening, but his eyes glinted with definite danger. “The Goddess brought me here, same as you. So stand down, and either watch or participate, your choice.”
Outraged, I sputtered, and would have flown at him to slap that presumptuous smile off his face, but remembering my complete nakedness, I stayed put. “What do you mean, participate?”
“Is it the word or the concept you’re not clear on?” He turned to me now, his tone light.
“You’re not participating in anything here, or with anyone here. Feel free to turn about and go back the way you came,” I shot back, angry now.
“I think not. The Goddess doesn’t make mistakes, and to be honest, I hoped we’d cross paths here.”
Where To Buy
Pleasure Android 7.1
Evernight Publishing
All Romance eBooks
Bookstrand
Love’s Labyrinth
Evernight Publishing
Amazon
All Romance eBooks
Bookstrand
About Ela Stein
Reading was my entertainment and salvation as a child, and it transferred into a passion for writing. I am still very much a reader, and love many different genres, from erotic romance, to fantasy (and dark fantasy… Game of Thrones, anyone?), to historical fiction, and that love is reflected in my own writing as well (I don’t do contemporary very often). If you’d like to learn more about me, or chat about books and life, you can find me all over the web. I’d love to get to know all of you, and even though my blog is new, I post regularly and update on life and my writing progress. Thanks so much for stopping by today and reading.
Where to find Ela Stein
Fabulous Friday Reads: Taking Courage (Love Projects #2)
Let’s kick off this lovely weekend with my release day sister S.J. Maylee and her hot new erotic romance Taking Courage, now available from Evernight Publishing and other purveyors of fine erotic romance. Take it away, S.J.!
Janna’s ready to make over her life and get out from under the controlling thumb of her father. She doesn’t want another failed arranged marriage. She’s ready to do whatever it takes for the career she wants, enter the lifestyle she craves, and to earn the trust and love of the man that has captured her heart, but heartbreak and career hiccups seem to be her destiny.
Simon’s still recovering after his last submissive lied her way into his life. He’s not ready for Janna and how she pushes against his prejudices. He needs to decide if he’s willing to lose her or if he’ll fight for her love and submission.
Story Excerpt
“Head up now.” Something was agitating the tender bundle in his arms. Simon wanted to help her through it. He may have taken a step back on his training responsibilities since his last experience, but Janna felt perfect under his hand. He’d have to find out if she’d be back.
“Yes, Sir.”
“What’s troubling you, pet?”
“I forgot to mention something earlier.” She tucked the blanket under her chin.
“Oh?” He rubbed in big circles around her back. “Why don’t you tell me now?”
“This was my first time, Sir.”
“Your first?” His confusion was thick. She tried to hide her eyes from him, but he saw shame. Sometimes newer submissives struggled with firsts. “Is this your first time being a guest?”
“Yes, Sir.”
“Is your home club much different?” The safe rules of BDSM clubs were pretty universal, a real gift to traveling kinksters, but sometimes a scene in a different setting could be unsettling.
“I don’t have a home club, Sir. Well, not one that I physically visit.” She rubbed the edge of her blanket. “I’m an active member of their chat rooms.”
He hadn’t heard her right. No. She felt like an experienced submissive. Was she just playing the part? Anger ticked a quick pace up his spine.
“Are you telling me I just gave you your first scene?”
“Yes, Sir.”
“Why did you withhold this information?” When she didn’t answer he added, “Why weren’t you honest with me?” He pushed her slightly, in part to get some distance and to keep her safe from him. “Answer me, now.”
“I forgot. It all happened so fast, and I forgot one of my lines.”
“Lines.” He finished shoving her from his lap and stood. “I hope you had fun tonight.”
“I did, Sir,” she said as she stood to join him. She tugged at the edge of the blanket that had stuck in the couch. “Please, let me thank you for tonight.”
“There is no need. You lied to me, and you had your fun.” He scratched his brow. “Go home now.” He took two storming steps away and stopped. He forced himself to return to her, disgusted by how good it felt to see her face once more. He stopped within an inch, forcing her to look up. “Do yourself a favor. Enter that club at home, get yourself in a training program, and do not ever lie to a Dom again.”
He wanted to hit something. What was it with submissives and their lies? The lie might have been smaller this time, but it was still a lie.
He thundered past the scene areas and kept walking, increasing his speed. Folks saved themselves and moved out of his way. Fury radiated down his arms curling his fingers into fists, almost there.
Some members thought Keller was crazy when he’d installed the small gym next to the club. When the roster quickly filled, it was Keller that was laughing all the way to the bank. Simon had a regular date with the bag hanging in the corner. He may no longer enter the ring, but the regimented workouts kept him strong and centered.
A couple more steps and he’d entered the gym and saw the innocent bag hanging right where he needed it to be. He slammed his fist into the bag. Pressure reverberated from his hand straight to his heart, but it didn’t release the revulsion.
“Damn her.”
He needed to get this out and get back on the floor. One of his best friends was about to collar his sub. The bag swung around. He walked around it and rolled his shoulders back. He wanted to witness the happiness a pair could have when things worked out and no one lied.
It was just a scene, something he could shake off, and she was just a guest sub. There was no possible way she could have felt as right as he thought. The anger was tricking him. She was just another lying sub. A sub to forget. A sub he would never see again.
“Damn her.”
An image of her regret filled face tugged at his resolve. His fingers flexed as he remembered her velvet channel. His cock twitched, and he hit the bag again.
GIVEAWAY!
SJ’s giving away one $10 Amazon gift card and THREE swag packs. To enter: read the excerpt, answer this question in the comments, and click away on the rafflecopter.
Simon definitely sees Janna again. Do you think she’ll get a second chance with him?
Where to Buy
Evernight Publishing
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
All Romance eBooks
BookStrand
About S.J. Maylee
S.J. Maylee fell in love with storytelling at a young age and with it came a deep-seated desire for everyone to find their happily ever after. She’s finding the happy endings for her characters one steamy story at a time.
When she’s not reading or writing, you can find her caring for her garden, laughing with her two young sons, or dancing to her husband’s music. She’s a PMP (Project Management Professional), Nia instructor, and coffee addict.
As a writer she has a tendency to break hearts, but she always glues them back together.
Where to find S.J. Maylee
Blog
Twitter
Facebook Page
Google+
Goodreads
Pinterest
Amazon Author Page
Release Day: Two to Tango (and yes, I’m running a contest!)
Happy Thursday, you gorgeous people! I was planning on having a huge, splashy release day event, but we wound up adopting two young cats on Monday and I’ve had to be the Cat Whisperer and integrate them with the current feline population.
But enough of my new little fuzzbutts — today is the official release day for my rollicking romp of a SF erotic romance caper novel Two to Tango, now available from Evernight Publishing, Amazon, All Romance eBooks, Bookstrand, and other purveyors of fine erotic romance.
Rory MacLellan, AKA the Highlander, may be the most successful interstellar art thief in the Known Worlds, but he still has a conscience. So when he runs into a suicidal museum worker during his latest job, he has no choice but to stun the man and rescue him from certain death.
Dr. Dmitri Grigoryev was an up-and-coming exoarchaeologist until a disastrous dig left his career in tatters. Hungry, broke, and desperate, the last thing he expected was a dashing thief to come along and save his life.
Thrown together by accident and with interstellar police on their tail, Rory and Dmitri reluctantly join forces for a major heist. But will their simmering attraction get in the way, or prove that they were meant to be together?
But wait, there’s more! I’m also running a contest with the following prizes:
- A $25 Amazon Gift Card
- A pair of 14K gold and opalite earrings from Belaurient Arts
- A grand prize package of all my ebooks, plus a sneak peak at the first three chapters of the second book in the Olympic Cove series, Breaker Zone.
To win one of these prizes, simply leave your name and email address in the comments below before midnight CST on June 13, 2014, and answer the following question: What is your favorite gemstone? You MUST answer the question to be entered in the contest.
Thanks for reading, and good luck with the contest!
Cover Reveal for Two to Tango
Finally, it’s here! My M/M SF caper erotic romance (say that in one breath, I dare you) Two to Tango will be out from Evernight Publishing on June 12, and this week I’m going to be holding a contest and offering some nifty prizes!
• A $25 Amazon Gift Card
• A custom piece of jewelry from Belaurient Arts
• A grand prize package of all my ebooks, plus a sneak peak at the first three chapters of the second book in the Olympic Cove series, Breaker Zone.
The fun starts tomorrow — stay tuned!
Rory MacLellan, aka the Highlander, is one of the most successful interstellar art thieves in the Known Worlds. Dmitri Grigoryev was an up-and-coming exoarchaeologist until a deadly dig left his career in tatters. Thrown together by accident and with interstellar police on their tail, Rory and Dmitri reluctantly join forces for a major heist. But will their simmering attraction get in the way, or prove that they were meant to be together?
Excerpt
Dmitri turned over, glancing down the line of their bodies. Rory’s erection was very obvious in his kilt, almost comically so. The other man must have been contorting himself to keep it off his ass. Of course, now that he was face up, his own erection started filling out nicely.
Rory started massaging his shoulders and arms, going nowhere near his nipples or other erogenous zones. Finally, he couldn’t stand it anymore. “Um, you’re hard.”
“I know,” Rory said evenly. “Don’t worry about it.”
“Kind of difficult to do that when it’s right over my stomach. Besides, so am I.”
Rory gave a half shrug. “Totally normal. Lots of guys get an erection during a massage. Don’t worry, it’s not like I’m going to make a move on you or anything.”
He didn’t understand why that admission annoyed him, but it did. “Of course not,” he muttered. “Why would you?”
Rory stopped at that, frowning. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I don’t know.” He turned his head, staring at the bulkhead. “Never mind.”
“Hey.” Long fingers cupped his chin, urging it back. “I’m not making a move on you because I don’t believe in hitting on someone when they don’t have a way out of the situation. I mean, yes, I think you’re incredibly hot, which should be obvious by the fact that my cock can now cut diamond.” Rory glanced down at his crotch and grinned. “But that’s my problem, not yours.”
That’s what you think. Dmitri could feel Rory’s body heat moving through him, lighting up nerve endings. He’d been sure that his life would be one long, slow slog through museum workshops, getting older and more bitter with each passing year until he was shunted off to some sterile senior station to die.
Instead, he had been kidnapped during a heist by the Known Worlds’ sexiest antiquities thief, rescued from CAPOD by said thief, been given the chance to restore a shattered Saolao ceremonial bowl, and now had the same sexy thief kneeling over him with a rock-hard erection after giving him the best massage of his life. Except he’s backing off like I’m a nervous virgin.
It was time to take matters into his own hands, quite literally. He cupped his palms over Rory’s exposed knees, feeling the other man twitch from the unexpected contact. “What if I said yes?”
Rory frowned. “I’m sorry?”
“What.” Dmitri slowly ran his fingertips under the tartan, up Rory’s thighs. “If I.” He pressed the heels of his hands against the soft prickle of hair and the lean muscle underneath, continuing his upward slide. “Said yes?” His fingers reached the top of each thigh, dancing over the crease where leg met groin. The skin was smooth there, but he could just feel the beginnings of crisp pubic hair brushing his thumbs, and the heat from what had to be an aching cock.
He wouldn’t let himself touch it. Not until he was sure they both wanted this. “Or do I have to spell it out for you?”
“Nooo, I think I’m catching on.” Eyes gleaming, Rory leaned over and kissed him. “Is this all right?” he whispered, each word the softest puff of breath against Dmitri’s lips.
“Definitely.”
“Good. Because if you don’t put your hand around my cock in the next thirty seconds, my head is going to explode.”
Dmitri couldn’t help chuckling. “Well, we can’t have that, can we?”
Nicola Cameron Writes 