Day: June 3, 2019

Release Blitz

GIVE UP THE GHOST by Jenn Burke

Book Review Virginia Lee Blog

Give Up the Ghost by Jenn Burke

Series: Not Dead Yet #2

Release Date: June 3, 2019

Subgenre: MM Paranormal Romance

Order here: Harlequin: https://www.harlequin.com/shop/books/9781488036262_give-up-the-ghost.html Amazon US: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07LGBFM99/ Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/give-up-the-ghost-7 B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/give-up-the-ghost-jenn-burke/1130026240?ean=9781488036262 Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/ca/book/give-up-the-ghost/id1449963995?mt=11&ign-mpt=uo%3D4

Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Jenn_Burke_Give_Up_the_Ghost?id=6BSADwAAQBAJ

Synopsis for Give Up the Ghost:

The bigger they are, the harder they maul.

Immortal not-ghost Wes Cooper and his vampire partner, Hudson Rojas, have it all—rewarding private investigation work, great friends and, most important, a love that’s endured. But ever since Wes sent a demon screaming back to the beyond, his abilities have grown overpowering and overwhelming. He’s hiding the fact that he’s losing control the best he can, but it’s hard to keep anything a secret for long when your partner’s a former cop…and especially when your partner’s a former cop who wants to move in together.

When all hell literally breaks loose in Toronto and superstrength ghosts are unleashed on Wes and his friends, he and Hudson are thrown into a case unlike any they’ve seen before. To save the city, Wes needs to harness his new power…and find some answers. But when he gets them, the solution to fix it all could mean losing everything.

Release Blitz Teasers:

#1:

“We’re good together, right?”

I pushed up on my tiptoes to kiss him, trying to ease the worry in his face. “We’re amazing together.”

“And we can—we can talk about…stuff. Even weird stuff.”

My smile dimmed. Had Hudson figured out that it wasn’t PTSD I didn’t want to talk about, but something more magical?

#2

It was your typical surveillance tape—black-and-white, a little grainy. It flipped between two cameras: one at the front of the store, and one in the back room. The light was not good, but it was enough to make out the counter at the front of the store with some items on display and the register, and in the back office, the desk, with its computer monitor and chair set slightly askew, as though someone had gotten up and not set the chair neatly against the desk.

For a few rotations of the image, the shop was empty, motionless. And then—

“Is the chair moving?” Hudson asked.

It was. The chair, which had been completely still, was now sliding out of frame. Not quickly, but consistently. The seat rotated, though whether that was simply from the motion of the chair or from an unseen someone manipulating it, I couldn’t tell.

“Wait,” Kat said.

The image flipped back and forth a few more times, and then I saw movement behind the counter in the front of the store. A drawer near the bottom, to the right of the cash register, was opening. Centimeter by centimeter, it extended out from the counter, pulled by an invisible force. It moved as we watched it, so it wasn’t like someone was pulling at it only when the camera wasn’t on them.

“I see why you wanted us to see it.” I couldn’t help it—my voice was shaky. There were way too many fucking ghosts in my life at the moment.

“Wait,” Kat stressed.

Just as Kat said it, something rose from the drawer. Before I could identify what it was, it disappeared—and all movement in the shop stopped.

I cleared my throat. “That was…uh.”

“Weirder than normal?” Hudson suggested.

“Definitely weirder than normal,” Iskander said.

Release Blitz Excerpts

Excerpt #1:

Everything was lit up.

Not only tiny fairy Christmas lights left over from the holiday season, but sculptures made of light. Against one wall, lasers traced a figure of a woman, making it seem as though she were dancing with strips of ribbon flowing around her form. A little farther down was the form of a dog, with lights twinkling to give the illusion of fur blowing in the wind—even though the dog was simply a wire sculpture without any covering. Above our heads, butterflies flitted by in a seemingly random path. Everywhere I looked, there was something new and creative that someone had dreamed up, and it took my breath away.

When I pointed out a new amazing thing, Hudson smiled that wide, brilliant smile I adored. He spent more time looking at me than at the lights, and I didn’t protest when he tugged me into a dark corner after we’d been walking for about thirty minutes. The kiss he gave me was soft, full of love and tenderness, and I soaked it up like dry ground in a drought.

“How did you know?” I whispered when the kiss was done and I had tucked my head into his chest.

I felt the rumble of his chuckle more than heard it. “Because my Wes likes pretty things.”

I shook my head, but I couldn’t help smiling. He was right. Quiet time was good, but nothing recharged me like surrounding myself with beauty and life.

The moment changed subtly. I could feel tension in Hudson’s muscles that wasn’t there a moment before and I drew back so I could look up at him. His golden-brown eyes regarded me with a weight I hadn’t expected, and his fingers trailed down the side of my face, skimming along the curve of my cheekbone to my jaw.

“What?” I whispered.

“We’re good together, right?”

I pushed up on my tiptoes to kiss him, trying to ease the worry in his face. “We’re amazing together.”

“And we can—we can talk about…stuff. Even weird stuff.”

My smile dimmed. Had Hudson figured out that it wasn’t PTSD I didn’t want to talk about, but something more magical? “Yeah,” I said cautiously.

“Good.” A heavy breath escaped him. “Because there’s something—” Hudson’s phone chimed in his pocket. He pressed his lips together in a firm, white line, before deflating. “Goddamn it.”

Excerpt #2:

Let’s investigate. Simple. Direct. Easy.

Except I’d forgotten about the wet blanket known as Hudson Rojas.

“No,” he said, his arms crossed. The fabric of his long-sleeved, eggplant-colored Henley bunched across his biceps. He was tall—way taller than my five-seven frame—and broad, muscular, barrel-chested. His dark brown hair was more silver than not these days, and long enough for gentle waves to tease his collar. His everyday appearance was intimidating, but when he let his vamp out and flashed his fangs, he could be downright scary.

Not to me, though. Never to me. Just looking at him made my blood sing.

Usually. Right now, though, it was starting to boil.

“What do you mean, no?” I demanded. I cast a glance at Lexi and Iskander for support, but their attention was conveniently occupied by other important things in the office. Like the coffeemaker. And a wall. “Look at the big picture. Those imps got through somehow.”

“Wes has a point,” Lexi interjected. At Hudson’s glare, she shrugged. “Just saying. We should find out how they ended up here.”

“We’re not the paranormal police,” Hudson countered. “And do you think the cops or health inspectors or whatever are going to let some random investigators wander through the scene?”

“You’re not a random investigator,” I said. “You used to be one of them.”

“Not the point.”

“Okay, so…we could sell our services to Bhavana. I’m sure she’d like to know—”

“What? How the nonexistent rats entered her café?” Hudson scoffed.

I squinted at him. “You don’t want to investigate because it’s a paranormal thing.”

Iskander let out a soft groan. “Oh, here we go.”

“No, that’s not why, and you damn well know it,” Hudson growled. “We’re investigators, not exterminators. How the hell are you going to sell our services to Bhavana?”

“I could—could—” I waved a hand in the air. “I’d make something up!”

“Good business practice. Start out by lying to your client. Excellent.”

My magic, reacting to my temper, pounded in my head to the time of my increased heartbeat and I let out a frustrated noise. “You always have an excuse.”

“An excuse for what?”

“Not taking on the cases that seem a little weird.”

“The cases that ‘seem a little weird—’” he made air quotes “—are weird because they’re not legit cases.”

“You don’t know that.”

“C’mon. Give me some credit for knowing people and knowing when their stories are bullshit. I was a cop for nearly forty years.”

Excerpt #3:

I lifted my head and he took the invitation for what it was. His lips brushed mine, his skin cooler than a regular human’s, but not cold, not deathly. Lexi had explained more than once that Hudson and Evan weren’t dead—in fact, they’d never died, unlike what traditional Hollywood vampire lore would have you believe. They simply traded their human life force for blood-driven magic at the moment before their death.

Hudson’s tongue slipped inside my mouth, dancing with mine, and I sighed into the kiss, feeling the tension I’d been carrying around—for forever, it seemed—melt away. This was what I’d craved, without even knowing it. Hudson’s warm but not too warm touch, his slightly elongated fangs as he fell into the sensations we brought out in each other, his smoky cedar scent that surrounded me, infused me.

We were suddenly moving—Hudson’s doing, not mine, because I couldn’t even remember I had legs—and in an instant, I was lying on my bed, looking up at him. His eyes were glowing a soft

yellow, a sign he was aroused.

“Do you want to?” he asked.

God, if I didn’t already love him, I would have fallen right there.

I didn’t often feel sexual attraction. Objectively, I could evaluate a man’s appearance as handsome, rugged, beautiful—but it was an esthetic appreciation, not an “I want to jump his bones” kind of one. I rarely felt the need to be close to someone, to kiss someone, to make love to them. In fact, there had been only two men in my life I had felt that way about—Michael and Hudson. But even though I desired Hudson and most of the time, just looking at him was enough to get my engine revving, sometimes my body wasn’t on board with the sex stuff. Sometimes it wanted cuddles and closeness rather than passion and orgasms. And the best thing? The absolutely amazing best thing?

Hudson accepted that without question. He always had.

“Yeah,” I said with a grin.

He yanked off his shirt. Commence drooling. Hudson wasn’t model-chiseled—his chest was too broad, too hairy, too much of a barrel shape to fit into society’s image of a perfect body. But I loved it.

Hudson hooked his thumbs into his waistband, then paused. “Aren’t you going to join me?”

I folded my arms behind my head. “Too busy enjoying the show.”

He smiled, the full-wattage version that rarely made an appearance, the one that made the corner of his eyes crinkle. I loved that smile. He shucked off his pants and kicked them aside, then held out his arms so I could look to my heart’s content.

And look, I did.

Hudson’s body was all power. From his barrel chest to his plump biceps to his thick thighs, everything about him was solid. Unmovable. Just looking at him, a sense of safety and security flooded me. He would never let anything hurt me.

After eighty-some-odd years spent mostly alone, that was incredibly reassuring.

His cock twitched under my perusal—half-hard and standing up farther with every second that passed. It wasn’t obscenely huge, but thick enough and long enough to be in scale with the rest of him, and make my mouth water.

I licked my lips and scooted back so I was sitting against the headboard. “C’mere.”

Hudson didn’t have to be told twice. He knelt on the bed and crawled over me, straightening again when he was straddling my waist. His dick was pointing at me, daring me to lick it. He grabbed the base and waved it in front of me. “You want it?”

“God, yeah.” I opened my mouth wide and he leaned forward to place the tip against my tongue.

Author Bio:

Jenn Burke has loved out-of-this-world romance since she first read about heroes and heroines

kicking butt and falling in love as a preteen. Now that she’s an author, she couldn’t be happier to bring adventure, romance, and sexy times to her readers.

Jenn is the author of a number of paranormal and science fiction romance titles, including the critically acclaimed Chaos Station science fiction romance series (authored with Kelly Jensen) from Carina Press.

She’s been called a pocket-sized and puntastic Canadian on social media, and she’ll happily own that label. Jenn lives just outside of Ottawa, Ontario, with her husband and two kids, plus two dogs named after video game characters…because her geekiness knows no bounds.

Author links: Website: http://www.jennburke.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/jeralibu Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/jeralibu/ Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/295814398039168/ (Jenn Burke’s Epic Adventurers) Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeralibu/ Newsletter sign-up: http://bit.ly/jennburkenewsletter Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/9869819.Jenn_Burke

Giveaway:

Win a spooky ghost-themed prize pack, including paperback copies of Not Dead Yet and Give Up the Ghost (not available in stores!) and other goodies!

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Direct Link: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/88d45f0396/?

Book Tour

The Hypnotist’s Assistant

Book Review Virginia Lee Blog
The Hypnotist’s Assistant
by Richard DeVall
Genre: Coming of Age
When 13 year old Gary Crockett hypnotizes Earl Lancaster and Earl stands from his wheelchair everything changes for both of them. Gary suspects Earl of lying about his paralysis and Gary’s mom thinks Earl is sexy and a business genius. Before long all three need to leave town in a hurry.
This coming of age tale is full of surprises and quirky characters, twisted circumstances and weird resolutions. It’s a breezy look at race relations, ladyboys, virginity, snake biting churches and meditation.
The novel is a one day read and sprinkled with humor.
The Hypnotist’s Assistant explores healing, romance, religion, deception, dysfunction, inspiration, gender, addiction and loss.
What begins as an extraordinary event ends with new found love, true friendship and hope. Bottom line – this book ultimately does what books do, it brings the reader entertainment and escape.
**Only .99 cents or FREE May 22nd – 26th!!**
Richard DeVall was born in Virginia near the Washington D.C. border. He worked as a 1st Class Steam Engineer in D.C. and then became a class A General Contractor. He now lives in Richmond Virginia where he’s retired and fulfilling a lifetime dream of publishing books. He like books of all flavors and is always working on at least two novels at any given time.
Follow the tour HERE for exclusive excerpts, guest posts and a giveaway!
Uncategorized

Mrs. Murray’s Hidden Treasure

Book Review Virginia Lee Blog



An avid gardener, artist, musician and writer, Emily-Jane Hills Orford has fond memories and lots of stories that evolved from a childhood growing up in a haunted Victorian mansion. Told she had a ‘vivid imagination’, the author used this talent to create stories in her head to pass tedious hours while sick, waiting in a doctor’s office, listening to a teacher drone on about something she already knew, or enduring the long, stuffy family car rides. The author lived her stories in her head, allowing her imagination to lead her into a different world, one of her own making. 

 As the author grew up, these stories, imaginings and fantasies took to the written form and, over the years, she developed a reputation for telling a good story. Emily-Jane can now boast that she is an award-winning author of several books, including Mrs. Murray’s Ghost (Telltale Publishing 2018), Queen Mary’s Daughter (Clean Reads 2018), Gerlinda (CFA 2016) which received an Honorable Mention in the 2016 Readers’ Favorite Book Awards, To Be a Duke (CFA 2014) which was named Finalist and Silver Medalist in the 2015 Next Generation Indie Book Awards and received an Honorable Mention in the 2015 Readers’ Favorite Book Awards and several other books. A retired teacher of music and creative writing, she writes about the extra-ordinary in life and the fantasies of dreams combined with memories. 

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~ Website ~ Twitter ~ Blog ~



There is a hidden treasure in the grand old mansion on Piccadilly Street, in a place called London, but not the real London of English fame. There’s also a lot of mystery and a murder that’s been unsolved for decades. But it’s the treasure that captures Mary’s interest.

Mary lives in this house along with her family, her Brownie friends and a ghost. When the ghost reveals her secret about the hidden treasure, there’s no stopping Mary, her Brownie friends, or her enemies to searching for this treasure. 

Why the intrigue? Apparently there’s a little bit of magic connected with this treasure. And so the adventure begins. 

Who will find the treasure first?





  
~ Universal Amazon Link ~ 
  


Snippet:

Once the house settled down for the night, Mrs. Murray, the resident ghost, was out on her nocturnal prowl. Satisfied that the house was safe and secure for the night, after all the musical vibrations that shook the rafters earlier, she took her place at the end of Mary’s bed and waited patiently for the girl to stir from her sleep and take note of her presence.
            “What?” Mary groaned, pulling her eyes open as she emerged from a deep sleep. “What now?”
            “We need to talk.” The wispy figure of what was once a very distinguished looking lady, sat down at the end of Mary’s bed and looked the girl firmly in the eye.
            “Now?” Mary groaned. “It’s the middle of the night. What time is it?”
            “What difference does it make? Sit up and let’s talk.” The ghost was not going to take ‘no’ for an answer. And, it would appear, feigning sleep would not send her away either. So, Mary pushed herself into a sitting position and rubbed her eyes again, hoping to eradicate the sleep that threatened to make them close.
            “Where are the others? Where’s Brunny?” she asked.
            “Asleep in their little space. And it’s not a natural sleep either. They’re all in the deepest of sleeps, all except Elizabeth, who slipped out of the house a few hours ago, just after the lights went out and your family snuggled in for the night.” Mrs. Murray slid a little closer to Mary. “She’s still not right, that Elizabeth. She’s good and well shackled by that witch.”




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Release Blitz

WINE & DINE by L.B. Dunbar

Book Review Virginia Lee Blog









Dolores Chance.
When I was falling apart, I fell in love.
It wasn’t supposed to happen like this.
I ran away from life and ended up running into…his dog.
Actually, his dog ran into me. I don’t care for dogs.
Then I met the owner.

Garrett Fox.
When my neighbor’s sister came to visit,
I promised to show her around town.
I’m an investor in things, not people, not emotions.
I’m not a fan of love. I’ve been burned before.
Then I met Dolores.

When a sexy mature, man-of-means encounters a silver vixen, healing her broken heart might be worth more than gold.

Romance has no age limit.

ADD TO GOODREADS























L.B. Dunbar has been accused of having an over-active imagination. To her benefit, this imagination has created over twenty novels, including a small-town world (Sensations Collection), rock star mayhem (Legendary Rock Star series), MMA chaos (Paradise Stories), rom-com for the over forty (The Sex Education of M.E. and After Care), and a suspenseful island for redemption (The Island Duet). Her alter ego, elda lore, creates magical romance through mythological retellings (Modern Descendants). Her life revolves around a deep love of reading about fairy tales, medieval knights, regency debauchery, and strong alpha males. She loves a deep belly laugh, a strong hug, and an occasional margarita. Her other loves include being mother to four grown children and wife to the one and only.

You can find me on Facebook, where I spend too much time.

NEWSLETTER | WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM


Book Tour

Author Spotlight: Cheryl Holloway

Book Review Virginia Lee Blog
June’s Double Rainbow
by Cheryl Holloway
Genre: Contemporary Romance
When love and monogamy fail…Her fiancé breaks off the engagement.
At first, June is stunned, but then, she is determined to move on to better things…like an unplanned trip to Paris for her job—where she falls deeply in love with a man from another part of the world. He wines and dines June; sweeps her off her feet; and ultimately, wins her heart. Their short romance echoes an endearing love. When she returns to the US, he calls her faithfully every day. Then suddenly, no call…
Can their love survive on different continents?
“An engaging story with beautiful imagery!”
In this heartwarming romance, June learns to embrace each challenge and wait for a transformation in her life.
This beautifully written romance is complete escapism. Each of the characters has been well developed, considering the length of the story, and the dialogue revealed a great deal about their personalities. ~ Lesley Jones for READERS FAVORITE
A Quick Romantic Read…This is a nice story for someone looking for love. Everything happens for a reason. Love comes when you least expect it. ~G. Littlejohn for Philadelphia Publishing House
Readers, this is a quick read; yet, an epic romance. If you’re a fan of Debbie Macomber, you’ll soon be a fan of Cheryl Holloway!
**Get it FREE!!**
The Proposal: A Leap of Faith
by Cheryl Holloway
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Cheryl Holloway’s knack of presenting an in-depth love story is remarkable. The detail in each page enabled me to connect with the characters like I was holding Carol’s hand each step of the way.
–5 Star Readers’ Favorite
If you love contemporary romance with real-life events…
Carol and Marvin love each other and have dated off and on for over ten years; however…Carol becomes jaded about the relationship when Marvin won’t ask her to marry him. Marvin’s commitment to the relationship never waivers despite being afraid to commit to marriage. Finally, he wants to move their relationship to the next level—on Valentine’s Day. After a heartbreaking event and crying for days, Carol is ready and at last she thinks he is, too. Will he ask her to marry him or does he have something else on the agenda? Will commitment-phobic Marvin take the plunge…
Smart and sophisticated, with a plot twist that will give the reader a jolt!
Similar to books written by Shirley Wine and Becky Wade.
Cheryl Holloway’s The Proposal: A Leap of Faith is inspired by a real-life women and real-life events.
Loves Ride
The Struggle Book 1
by Cheryl Holloway
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Love makes the ride worthwhile…or does it?
Bob is ready to take the next step in his relationship, and he wants to marry Ava, the woman of his dreams. He’s been secretly saving up money for the “special” ring that she wants. To quicken the process, he gets a part-time job as a Ryde driver, but…Bob stumbles upon Ava’s secret. The struggle begins.
Can their relationship withstand secrets and cheating?
Love’s Ride is a literary roller-coaster ride that will make you happy, scared, excited, angry, hopeful, and more—not necessarily in that order.
Cheryl Holloway is a contemporary romance author, journalist and award-winning editor. She has eBooks, The Cougar Tales Series, Book 1: Father and Son; Book 2: The Italian Basketball Player; Book 3: Jamaican Love; Cougar Tales Box Set (Books 1-3); The Bane Bath Salts, (Teen Drug Prevention); The Proposal: A Leap of Faith; A Sisterhood of Women Living Life: A Short Story Collection Book 1; and June’s Double Rainbow available on Amazon.com and Smashwords.com. Cheryl’s blog is where an author writes information about writing, literary events, books, and her writing journey. She pays-it-forward to other authors with Guest Author Interviews. You can visit the blog at: www.CherylHolloway.net/blog
Follow the tour HERE for exclusive content and a giveaway!
Uncategorized

Jace by Jessie Cooke

Book Review Virginia Lee Blog
Title: Jace: Phoenix Skulls Motorcycle Club
Series: Phoenix Skulls MC
Author: Jessie Cooke
Genre: MC Romance
Release Date: May 18, 2019
Ignored, unloved and verbally degraded since the day he was born, Jace didn’t know what real love was. He spent his young life trying to stay invisible. It was the only way he could avoid the ugly taunts and physical assaults of his peers. But when you’re twice the size of the other children around you, invisibility becomes a problem, and at that point Jace had to learn how to fight, and fighting became a way of life, a means to survive.
There was one person on earth who loved Jace, and who he truly loved in return. That was his little sister Rosie. Rosie was autistic and destined to be as neglected by their father as he was. Jace recognized her worth and her intelligence at a young age, but his stepmother, frightened of what she didn’t understand and envious of how much Rosie loved Jace, insisted he be sent away to a boarding school.
Jace languished, miles away from the family that couldn’t stand to look at him, and the sister who he knew needed him, until once again his world was rocked and he returned to Boston. On his way home, at fourteen years old, he met a legend…or maybe two. A man with blond hair and incredibly intense blue eyes named Doc Marshall that reignited a spark of interest inside Jace that he’d been too busy to covet for a while. He wanted to ride a Harley. He wanted to be in a motorcycle club, and he wanted more than anything to be the guy in a leather vest who rode off into the sunset with his beautiful old lady behind him.
Jace had to put that dream away for quite a few years. Although he was bigger, stronger and smarter than most of the adults in his world, that lost, scared little boy still lived inside of him. The rage that lived there too lay dormant, most of the time. When it flared up, however, it could be lethal, and more than once it was.
By the time Jace was twenty-five, he’d been incarcerated more than once, beaten, stabbed, burned and constantly abused. Meeting two men would change his life. One had a heart of gold and saw the potential in Jace and fed it. The other he’d met once before when he was a boy, and the other man was barely out of his teens. It was Dax Marshall, now the president of the Southside Skulls. Jace was flabbergasted to find out that Dax was not only impressed with his work, but came to be impressed with him as a man as well. Between his boss and his mentor, and the place in the Skulls Dax offered him, Jace finally had real hope for his future. Then one day he skidded into the life of the most beautiful woman in the world and although Jace knew she was way out of his league, he was helpless not to fall in love with her. Of course, she had a few flaws of her own. She was possibly the meanest woman Jace had ever met, and she might just be addicted to sex as well…but sometimes a man has to make a decision to take a right, or a left, or continue up the mountain and around the tight, dangerous curves. Everything Jace had learned or experienced in his life, had led him to that moment…climb on the back of his Harley as he revs up the engine and find out which way he chooses to go!
Chapter One
Jace Bell changed schools four times before he got to the fourth grade. He hated that, and he resented his father because of it. He never told him that, though. Already at eight years old, there was nothing that scared the boy, except for his father. “The Colonel,” as Jace called him–behind his back of course–was a real colonel in the army at that time. He was a career military man and he never said no to an assignment, no matter how much it might fuck up his only child’s life. Jace didn’t have a mother. He never wondered about that until he started school and realized that almost everyone else did. He asked the Colonel about it and his response was, “She didn’t want to be a mother. She didn’t particularly like either one of us, so she left.” That was it. That was the only conversation they ever had about her.
Jace wasn’t always the only new guy. Military life meant going to school on an army base where there might be a new kid every day of the school year. He also wasn’t the only kid that got picked on, but as a little boy, with no one to talk to about it, he felt completely alone in his misery. Each time they moved, the town changed, the army base looked a little different, and the schools and teachers changed…but the bullies were always lurking. At only eight, and in the third grade, Jace was already as tall as a sixth grader. He looked about twelve years old, and mean kids liked to point out the obvious. They called him “Jace the giant” or “Jaliath,” and sometimes on the playground they would actually pretend he was Goliath, and they would throw stones at him.
Jace never once thought about telling the Colonel about the abuse. He did his best to avoid it, by avoiding everyone. He knew he was big and ugly, but he thought if he stayed silent, and out of everyone’s way, they would forget he was there. It worked at home. Sometimes, even when the Colonel was there, he’d go days without talking to Jace. Most of the time he wasn’t there, but it was even worse when he was gone. Jace would be left with a babysitter or nanny, and those were as ever-changing as his schools were. He had a lot to do with that. He wasn’t nice to them. He wasn’t necessarily mean either. Jace didn’t know the meaning of the word “intimidating” back then, but nevertheless he had figured out how to become it. He would quietly stare at the young babysitters no matter what they said to him, refusing to answer them, and giving them the meanest look he could muster. Most of them didn’t come back after the first day, and by the time Jace turned nine, the Colonel had given up and just started letting him stay by himself.
Jace maintained the anger he felt inside of him, the hate he felt for other people, the sadness and worthlessness he felt over never being wanted…well into the middle of the third grade. Then a well-placed rock and a particularly bad day unleashed a kind of rage that no third-grader should even possess. That particular day, he’d waited in the boy’s bathroom, like he did most days, for the rest of the kids to leave before he started walking home. He wasn’t afraid of them, but he preferred avoiding them to the confrontation if it was at all possible. That day as he was leaving, he saw the only person in the world he could honestly say he liked. It was his third-grade teacher, Miss Morgan. She had pretty blonde hair and light blue eyes and she smiled at him, a lot. No one else ever smiled at Jace, and it gave him a warm feeling deep in the center of his chest. She always wore flower print dresses and when she stood close to him, Jace could smell her floral perfume. It was like being in the middle of a sunflower field with the sunlight shining down on his face. Sometimes Miss Morgan would rumple his hair with her hand or look at one of his assignments and tell him how smart he was. No one else ever told him he was smart either. He’d just assumed that he wasn’t at that time. Jace didn’t understand the feelings he had for Miss Morgan. For months he thought that he only wished she were his mother. He imagined her making him cookies after school and giving him hugs and saying nice things. But that day he had a new feeling. It was jealousy, or envy, but again, Jace had no words to describe it.
He heard a loud rumble as he came out of the bathroom and he looked in that direction toward the front of the school. A big, dark motorcycle, black and shiny with a ton of chrome, pulled up in front of the school and the man on the back of it pulled off his black helmet. Jace was fascinated by the machine, at first. He spent a lot of his time at home, putting together model cars that the Colonel let him buy with his allowance. He thought about buying a motorcycle once, but so far he hadn’t. Now looking at the black Harley made him want to run right out and get one…a model, that is. It might have been the coolest thing he’d ever seen. But then, he saw her.
Miss Morgan came out of the front door of the school…but she looked different. She wasn’t wearing the yellow sunflower dress she had on that day. She’d changed into a pair of jeans, and a long-sleeved black shirt and boots. Jace had never seen her in anything other than a dress, but when she walked straight for the motorcycle, and the man on the back of it…he understood. That ugly feeling started in the pit of his stomach when Jace saw the way she smiled at the man. It was even prettier than the smiles she gave Jace. Her whole face lit up. But that wasn’t the worst of it. That ugly feeling moved up into his chest when he saw the man stretch out a tattooed arm and pull Miss Morgan in for a kiss. Jace had only seen people kiss like that on late night television, the kind he wasn’t supposed to be watching. It looked like the man was trying to suck off her face, and Jace almost went over to help her. When she pulled back, however, she was still smiling, only now there was another kind of look about her, like a glow or something. The man on the bike handed Miss Morgan a helmet, and Jace watched her put it on and climb on the bike. She wrapped her arms around the man and laid her head against his back. Once her legs were pulled up and her feet on the chrome pegs, the bike took off…and Jace felt like he was watching his princess ride away on someone else’s horse.
With those confusing feelings festering inside of him, Jace started walking toward home. He made it about three-quarters of the way before he felt a stinging feeling on his right cheek. He thought he’d been stung by a yellowjacket at first until he heard the giggles. He looked over toward a clump of bushes and trees and the freckled face of Randy Barr. The biggest bully in school was looking out at him. Randy was laughing and Jace would never know if it was still about what he was feeling for Miss Morgan, the feel of the rock hitting his cheek, Randy’s smiling face, or the culmination of all of it…but he snapped. For the first time in his life he felt the need for violence. He could almost taste blood in his mouth as he dropped his backpack and began to run toward the bushes.
Jace was almost there when his nemesis seemed to realize that this time, Jace was going to fight back. His green eyes widened and Jace heard a scream just before he dived through the bushes toward him. He missed, and Randy took off running after the two girls and a boy that had been with him and had already gotten a good head start. Jace’s legs were long, and Randy’s weren’t. In three long strides, Jace caught up with him. He pounced on the boy, knocking him to the ground. Randy’s face was buried in the dirt and when Jace grabbed his shoulder and pulled him over onto his back, it was so filthy that all Jace could see were his frightened eyes and the blood that seeped from the kid’s nose and ran down his chin. Randy opened his mouth to say something. Later, he would claim that he was going to apologize for what he’d done earlier. Jace didn’t believe that, and he didn’t care. Before Randy had a chance to speak, Jace unleashed all that anger. He beat that boy until he was unconscious. When Jace realized Randy was no longer moving, that’s when he stopped. Just like that, the rage was gone, and Jace just felt tired…and ugly inside. The “ugly” was probably guilt, but Jace’s grasp of emotions was all over the place all the time. All he knew at that moment was that he did feel sorry for what he had done. But he didn’t feel sorry enough to believe he might never do it again.
He got off the boy, leaned down, and picked him up…and he carried Randy home. Randy’s mother was still screaming when the MPs got there and took Jace into custody. Probably because of who the Colonel was, they didn’t hold him long. The Colonel picked him up, angrily lecturing him all the way home about how a “man” does things. When they got there, he was told that he was grounded for two weeks. Now Jace would never dare laugh in the Colonel’s face, but laugh he would later on. Being grounded meant nothing to him. It meant spending all of his time in his room, watching television and putting his models together. His “consequences” had only further impressed upon him that fighting back had been the right thing to do.
Jace was suspended from school twice that year for fighting. He didn’t like Miss Morgan anymore. He’d felt betrayed that day when he saw her kiss the motorcycle man…but the rock on her finger and the swelling of her belly a few months later really did him in. He stopped even trying to ignore his tormentors, and he would revel in the feeling that unleashing all of that anger gave him afterward. It was almost the end of the school year when he was expelled altogether. That made him even happier. He’d gotten into putting together model motorcycles, small, replicas of Harley Davidsons. Not having to go to school kept him from having to see Miss Morgan. It kept his tormentors away, and it gave him time to do the only thing that really calmed him down: put together and take apart his models. It didn’t really matter anyway. The Colonel had new orders and it was time to pack up and move again. There would be another new school, and new bullies and a new teacher he already decided that he wasn’t going to like. What Jace hadn’t bargained on was the new woman that would come into his father’s life, and into his home. Myrna would be the catalyst that would change everything, but at the time, when Jace was only nine and his father announced he was marrying her, and they were having a baby…Jace was sure it wasn’t going to be for the better.
Jace knew from the start that Myrna didn’t like him any more than anyone else did. She tried to pretend in front of the Colonel, but Jace knew it was fake, and what Myrna wasn’t bright enough to realize at that point was that the Colonel couldn’t care less if she liked his son or not. Jace did wonder sometimes about why he was so unlovable. He thought it was mainly because he was big, and ugly. He’d never been little and cute like any of his classmates. His hair was dark, his eyes were black, his nose was too big and his lips too small. When he was nine years old his hands and feet were bigger than the Colonel’s and by the time his father married Myrna, Jace was half a foot taller than her. She acted like she was afraid of him, although Jace had never even intimated that he’d lay a hand on her. His rage was focused on the kids at school who gave him a hard time. He didn’t like Myrna, but he never thought about hurting her.
He thought about Miss Morgan often, even after the move. Each time he saw a Harley on the street with a woman on the back, he wondered about her. He also had to watch Myrna’s belly get bigger every day, and that reminded him of his old teacher…his first love…as well. Jace also instinctively knew, even at such a young age, that Myrna and the Colonel both already liked the unborn baby more than they did him. Myrna had people in and out of the house, decorating the nursery. She turned it into a fairyland, as soon as she found out that she was having a girl. Jace wasn’t allowed in the nursery. His father told him he’d break something or trip over something with his huge feet. To spite him, Jace would break into the locked nursery door at night. He would move things around, and sometimes take things. Then he’d lock the door on his way out and let Myrna wonder about it the next day.
The day that his sister was born, the Colonel came home from the hospital and made him take a shower and dress in his good clothes. Jace didn’t tell his father, but he had no desire to see the baby. He’d never known a baby, but he’d seen them on TV and they didn’t look all that interesting. When they got to the hospital, the Colonel checked in at the nursing station with an older woman with white hair and bright pink lipstick and scrubs.
“I brought my son to see his new sister.”
The nurse looked at Jace and smiled. “Well, isn’t she a lucky girl to have such a big, strong brother to look after her?” Jace didn’t say anything until he felt a nudge in the middle of his back.
“Yes, ma’am,” he said, in a voice that was already much too deep for a nine, almost ten-year-old.
The nurse came around the desk and led them to Myrna’s room. Jace stayed in the background while the Colonel fussed over Myrna and the baby in a way that Jace had never seen the old man act. Jace wondered if the Colonel would like the baby more, just because he liked Myrna more than Jace’s mother. Jace was smart enough to know that didn’t make any sense, since it wasn’t his fault who his mother was. It wasn’t his fault that she had made him ugly. The Colonel was a good-looking man with light brown hair and green eyes, so Jace was sure his mother had been the ugly one. But what confused him was how he was the only one who seemed to know that wasn’t his fault.
“Jason, come meet your sister,” the Colonel snapped at him. “Why are you always lurking in the corner? It’s creepy. You remind me of a serial killer, or something.” Jace didn’t know what a “serial killer” was, but he knew “creepy.” The kids at school had called him that, plenty of times. He wasn’t surprised that his old man used the term to describe him, especially now that he had a new kid to love. Jace did as he was told and went close to the bed. The Colonel held his arms out to Myrna, and reluctantly, it seemed, she placed the baby in his arms. Jace was suddenly looking into the baby’s face, and at first, he wasn’t impressed. She was pink and wrinkled and her eyes were closed. Her lips and cheeks were moving rapidly, like she was sucking on something. Jace thought she looked like one of the aliens on the old black-and-white movies he watched late at night. “Her name is Rosie,” the Colonel told him. As if the baby already knew her name, she pulled open her eyes and she was looking directly into her big brother’s. In shock, because he’d never seen anyone who looked like him, Jace said:
“She has black eyes, like me.” He was happy about it, but Myrna stole his joy once again, snatching the baby from his father’s arms and saying:
“They’re brown, and I’m sure they’ll lighten up eventually.”
Jace hoped not. He hoped that God…or whoever was up there…had finally put someone else on earth like him. For the next few hours, Jace was forgotten again, as usual. But he kept his eyes on the baby. He got a strange feeling when he looked at her, especially when she opened her black eyes and looked back at him. It was a good feeling. It made him feel warm inside…and he felt something else too…protectiveness. He knew, before he left the hospital that day, that he was never going to let anyone hurt his baby sister. Maybe that was his purpose in life all along. He was too young to know about any of that. But what he did know was that from that point on, the only time he felt content, and safe, was when he was in the company of his little sister, Rosie. Rosie liked him too. She’d smile and coo every time he looked at her. When she got old enough, she’d reach for him and cry. Myrna didn’t seem to like how close the two of them were, especially since Rosie seemed to prefer Jace over her. The Colonel didn’t notice any of it, of course. He was back to business as usual and Rosie’s newness, or whatever it was, seemed to have worn off.
When Rosie was two years old, Jace woke up to the sound of her screaming. His heart raced as he jumped out of his bed and ran down the hallway to the nursery. When he got there, Rosie was on the floor, bleeding from her tiny little mouth and nose. She’d tried to climb over the side of the crib and she’d fallen four feet to the floor. Jace ran over and scooped her up into his arms, just as Myrna came into the room. From there, it took Jace a while to even process what had happened. Myrna was screaming, and then an ambulance was there, and then the MPs. The Colonel showed up not long after and within days, Jace was on a bus, headed to a private, military boarding school, one thousand miles away from his sister.
Twelve-year-old Jace stared out the window of the bus, thinking about Rosie. His little sister was barely two years old and she wouldn’t understand why he went away. She was too small to understand that it wasn’t his fault, that he’d done everything he could do to protect her. The pain consumed him, mile after mile. It felt like it was eating his insides out and even at twelve years old he knew he’d never survive it. He had to find a way to deal with the pain…so somewhere along the path between Boston and his new school in New York, he let the pain simmer, and then burn, and ultimately turn into rage. Jace knew rage. He’d known it for years. The difference between rage and pain was that he knew what to do to release the rage when it burned too hot. From that moment on, Jace was like a volcano, always on the verge on a spontaneous eruption…and for the next fifteen years of his life, that rage would be his compass, leading him, guiding him, controlling him…and every so often leaving him dangling on the very edges of hell, sometimes hoping the thread would snap and put him, and everyone around him, out of their misery.
Jessie Cooke writes hot romance novels about tough guys, bad boys, bikers, fighters and lovers and the women of strong character who tame them.
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Blog Tour

Balance by KE Osborn

Book Review Virginia Lee Blog
Title: Balance
Series: The Chicago Defiance MC Series #6
Author: KE Osborn
Genre: MC Romance
Release Date: May 29, 2019
“Smart, sexy biker!? Yes, please! Strong, independent starlet!? Hell yea! …this book has a fast paced plot that will keep you interested until the very end.” ~Amazon Review
“This is a beautifully written story which is thrilling, emotional and heartbreaking…” ~Amazon Review
Opposites attract.
That’s how movies tell the tale.
My lifestyle—not for the faint of heart.
My oath—to protect the brothers I’ve come to call family.
This life isn’t for everyone.
Especially those in the spotlight.
Meeting a Hollywood A-lister isn’t on my bucket list, and falling for one does not suit my plans.
But a biker who hides in the shadows and an actress bathed in neon lights, calls for disaster.
This story isn’t only about finding stability—it’s friendship, conflict, deception and slaughter. 
Death—it’s coming.
Will we find the right balance?
Australian author K E Osborn was born and raised in Adelaide, South Australia. With a background in graphic design and a flair for all things creative, she felt compelled to write the story brewing in her mind.
Writing gives her life purpose. It makes her feel, laugh, cry and get completely enveloped in the characters and their story lines. She feels completely at home when writing and wouldn’t consider doing anything else.
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Blog Tour

Too Hot to Handle by Avery Scott

Book Review Virginia Lee Blog
Title: Too Hot To Handle
Series: The Catch Book 3
Author: Avery Scott
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: May 31, 2019
Some things are too good to be true…
Gigi Sinclair has it all. Just check out her social media feed. It’s full of designer clothes, first class travel and snapshots of her TV-star fiancé. 
Behind the scenes, things are a bit more complicated. When Gigi’s fiancé calls off their engagement just months before the wedding, she’s devastated and determined to win him back before he marries someone else.
Then she meets Tony. He’s a firefighter, but he’s also good at turning up the heat. Blue collar, streetwise and sometimes silly, Tony is nothing like Gigi’s camera-ready ex. He brings out a side of her personality that she buried long ago. 
Two men. Polar opposites. Is one of them Gigi’s perfect match?
Isha Coleman (Goodreads) – “You know you love a book when you stay up all night to finish reading it.”
Courtnay Gray (Goodreads) – “I love finding new authors, like Avery Scott, that get me hooked to a story from the very beginning.”
Jennifer Richey (Goodreads) – “Gigi & tony had some great chemistry. Add a hot firefighter & beautiful blogger it’s magic!”
Professional by day, Avery Scott leads a secret double-life as an award-winning author of contemporary romance.
When Avery isn’t staring into a glowing screen, she loves travel, playing with her Westies, running and – of course- reading.
Avery loves to hear from readers, especially when they tell her what they would like to read next.
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Release Blitz

Fairy Tale Lies by DK Marie

Book Review Virginia Lee Blog
Title: Fairy Tale Lies
Author: DK Marie
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: June 3, 2019
Cover Design: Creative Paramita
Greta and Jacob aren’t looking for love, but when they meet their attraction is white hot, melting away all self-restraint. Both times. The first is a stormy spring afternoon, spent indulging in each other’s bodies. They parted ways convinced they’re nothing more than an erotic chapter in the other’s life. However, when they unexpectedly meet again, Jacob isn’t willing to let Greta slip away. He convinces her to give them a chance.
Lust turns to love, but resentments fester. People close to Greta repeatedly interfere until Jacob’s convinced Greta will never see him as anything more than a blue-collar nobody. A temporary indulgence. Greta fears she isn’t strong enough to stand against both her family’s scorn and Jacob’s growing anger.
As tempers flare and passions deepen, Greta and Jacob have to decide if their love is strong enough to shatter the cynicism and misconceptions of what it means to be each other’s fairytale ending.
Chapter 3
“You want the last strawberry?” Without thinking, she popped it whole into her mouth.
She froze before biting down, realizing her faux pas.
Amusement played over his face, and he gave her a wicked smile. “As a matter of fact, I do.”
He was having way too much fun at her expense. Straightening her spine, she stared him in the eyes and pushed the berry out with the tip of her tongue. She raised her brows with a come-and-get-it look.
Disbelief flickered across his face, giving her a burst of satisfaction. Seconds later a wave of lust replaced it, and his eyes pinned her with a promise of paradise.
“With pleasure.” He leaned in slowly and bit off the tip of the berry, brushing his lips softly across hers. After swallowing the small piece, he ran his tongue gently along the bottom of her lip, capturing a small bead of juice. He tasted of strawberries, desire, and sin.
The erotic playfulness of his mouth was the hottest thing she’d ever experienced while fully clothed, heck, maybe even naked.
“That was one hell of a sweet strawberry,” he hummed, running a thumb along her bottom lip.
She swallowed the fruit and resisted the urge to suck his finger into her mouth. “Maybe it wasn’t the berry,” she said, with surprising boldness, relishing the way he fixated on her mouth.
“Maybe not.” His voice was laden with desire. “I’ll need another taste to be sure.”
He leaned in, pressing his lips tentatively as if waiting for her to pull away. When she didn’t, he explored her mouth with a little more heat. His tongue brushed against hers, like the sweep of a match before tossed in a can of gasoline and just as hot.
She grasped his shoulders then ran a hand to the back of his neck and slid her fingers into his hair. His hand traveled up her thigh while he ravished her mouth with delicious expertise; the myriad of sensations was exquisite. The brush of his lips and the scrape of his rough stubble against her sensitive skin sent a coil of need between her legs. He made her simultaneously melt and ignite with need.
His hands snaked around her waist. “Come here,” he rumbled.
The desire in his voice matched her own, and it didn’t even occur to her to resist. She moved to sit sidelong on his lap.
Maybe later she’d regret her impulsiveness. Right now, all she wanted was to lose herself in the warmth of his muscular body and sensual touch.
Her hands returned to his hair, and this time she dug her fingers around the thick locks and tugged him closer. A deep moan escaped him, thrilling her to the core and emboldening her.
Breaking the kiss, she slid off his chair and stood on shaky legs. His fingers gripped her waist, urging her back toward him. Straddling him, her dress slipped farther up her thighs. He ran his calloused hands around and cupped her lace-covered bottom. She couldn’t resist rocking against him.
“Greta…you’re killing me,” he growled against her mouth.
He gathered the material of her dress in his hands and skated it up her body. They separated long enough for him to pull it off. Tossing it to the floor, he cupped her breasts and ran his tongue over the tops of them, sending shivers of ecstasy throughout her body.
Needing more contact with his skin, she tugged at the hem of his shirt. He took the hint and leaned back, yanking it off. His naked torso was a sight to behold. Even the tattoo covering most of his upper left chest and shoulder was appealing.
She ached to touch him everywhere, to run her tongue along every inch of him. She settled on running her fingers lightly along the design of an intricate Raven, beak starting at his collarbone and the body moving to his chest.
As she traced along the wings to a broken clock on his bicep, she murmured, “Why a Raven?”
He didn’t answer, and Greta glanced at his face. His concentration riveted to the trail her fingers were making. Maybe he sensed her gaze because he looked into her eyes and gave a small shake of his head.
“They represent renewal, reflection, heal–” His words cut off when her fingertips circled one of his nipples. He sucked in a sharp breath then captured her lips in a kiss so hot she swore her blood might set fire. He ran his mouth along her jaw to her neck, not stopping until he reached her breasts.
He pushed down her white lace bra, placing his mouth on her nipple and breast. Using his lips and tongue, he teased and tasted her, bringing her close to climax. The part of her that could think was amazed. Orgasms were few and far between for her, and to be teetering on the edge of one when he hadn’t even touched her below the waist was a miracle.
“Fuck, you taste good. I want to lick and taste you everywhere, not just your breasts but your arms, your stomach, your thighs…between your thighs,” he rasped against her flesh, never stopping his heavenly assault.
His explicit talk should shock her, be a turn-off. Instead, she loved as much as his touch. She tried to slip her hand between them, to his slacks but was distracted when his mouth trailed back her neck and bit. The pressure was perfect, a little pain and so much pleasure.
“More,” she pleaded.
A clap of thunder reverberated through the house, followed by a flash of lightning. The power flickered then went out. Jacob didn’t seem to notice, and she wouldn’t have cared if a tornado carried them off to Oz.
All that mattered was he didn’t stop.
His hands slid under her bottom and picked her up. “Where’s the bedroom?”
“Down the hall, last room on the left.”
He stood, supporting her with his hands under her bottom. She wrapped her legs around his waist, and as he carried her, he continued to ravish her with his lips, tongue, and mouth.
They somehow made it to the bedroom, though she would’ve let him take her in the hallway. She’d never desired a man as she did him.
He stopped at the side of the massive oak bed, sitting on the edge with her on his lap. She readjusted her legs from around his waist and crouched on her knees, his body inches from hers. Resting her palms flat against his strong shoulders, she pushed until he lay against the scarlet duvet.
The storm had turned the day dark, but the window over the bed let in enough light for her to take in his magnificent body. Her gaze took in his perfect chest and torso, following the enticing trail leading into his gray work slacks. Her eyes widened, taking in the impressive bulge straining to break free.
With shaking hands, she trailed her fingers down his body and stopped at the button of his pants. She bit her bottom lip, hesitating, then ran her palm along his erection.
A gratifying shudder passed through him. “Your touch is a mixture of sweet bliss and torture,”
“Torture?”
She glided down his body, removing his slacks and boxer briefs. Standing, she stared. Stark naked he was even more gorgeous than she’d imagined.
“Yes, torture,” he grated, scooting to the center of the bed. “You look like you want to devour me. Come here.”
She did as commanded but stopped at the edge of the mattress. Placing shaky hands on his ankles, she slid them up his body. His muscles went taut at her touch, and, by the time her hands reached the junction of his thighs, most of her timidity had evaporated. She kneeled between his legs and took his hot, pulsing erection in her hand.
He arched toward her touch, a guttural growl escaping.
In the face of his sensuality and obvious pleasure, her inhibitions fled. She wanted every inch of this beautiful man. With her hand grasping him, she leaned down and took him in her mouth.
His hand buried into her hair and her name rasped from between his lips. His words sounded like both a plea and a prayer.
The way his back arched off the bed and sounds of him rapidly unraveling, and knowing she was the cause, gave her a high she’d never experienced.
“Greta…Greta, you need to stop…have to stop. I’m not ready for this to end.”
His short, choppy breaths told her he was close.
Suddenly, he gripped her under her arms and drew her up his body. When she was flush against him, he rolled over and glided down her, deftly removing her panties. Coming back, he stopped at her waist and bit her hip. She bucked at the unexpected pleasure, and he grasped her bottom, covering her sex with his mouth.
Greta tried to press her knees together. Her ex had disliked the act, and, in turn, she now shied away from its pleasures.
Jacob pushed her legs apart. “Don’t you dare.”
She hesitated, peering at him through her uncertainty and apprehension. Hunger stared back at her. Desire was etched on every hard plane of his face. He wanted this, wanted her. Her insecurities vanished and she relaxed her legs.
He conquered her with his mouth. Within minutes, he had her writhing and whimpering with complete abandonment. Then he did something incredible with his tongue, and all coherent thought escaped as she was engulfed in a wave of pleasure. Her legs tightened around him, but he continued to lave her with his mouth, not stopping until her spasms had subsided.
She relaxed and released the death grip she had on his hair, hoping he wouldn’t rebuke her for the loss of control. He made his way up her body, placing soft kisses along the way, with the last one on his neck. She prayed they weren’t done. His erection pressing against her thigh suggested they weren’t.
Thank God.
Her climax had been pure bliss, yet she wanted more. This new insatiable side was thrilling and scary.
“I don’t have any condoms.”
“What?” Her lust-fueled brain didn’t want to comprehend his devastating words.
“No condoms. Your touch, your mouth, it drove me crazy. I only remembered two seconds ago.”
“Really?” She huffed in consternation. “Aren’t guys required to carry them?”
“Believe me, had I known…”
An old memory jolted her. Months ago, her sister, Cindy, had jokingly given Greta condoms as a breakup gift when she’d left Blake. “I have a couple in my purse, on the kitchen table. Would you—”
Jacob out the door before she finished her sentence, returning in record time, purse in hand. He was a vision of pure male satisfaction as he strode toward her, without a hint of shyness.
Why would he be? He had the body of a Greek god and a wicked countenance to match, one that promised naughty and delightful times.
“You have any idea how good you look lying there rumpled and sexy?” He slid in next to her.
He leaned over, kissing right under her ear. He moved to her jaw, to her mouth and stayed. Kissing and nibbling her into a frenzy, all the while removing the condom from its wrapper.
Once on, to her surprise, he didn’t immediately push inside her. Instead, he rested on his forearms and leaned in to nuzzle her neck.
Did he want her to beg? She would.
“Please, Jacob.” She rocked her hips, needing everything he had to give.
He looked into her eyes. “Are you sure?”
“God, yes,” she breathed. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she brought his mouth back to her lips.
He entered her slowly; desire stamped on every strained muscle and every shallow breath.
She gasped at the pure ecstasy of it.
He immediately stilled. “Are you okay? Want me to stop?”
“Don’t you dare.”
He let out a low, sexy laugh against her neck. “Thank God. It might’ve killed me.”
Driving in deeper, he filled her completely and groaned. He rocked his hips, slow and steady, transporting her to a paradise where only touch and need existed.
She met him thrust for thrust, each one becoming more powerful and urgent than the previous. Rapidly, her body tightened as another powerful orgasm built.
“Greta, you feel incredible,” he grated through his clenched jaw. He looked like a man trying to hold back a violent storm, and barely able to contain it.
Without warning, another orgasm ripped through her body, and she splintered into a million pieces. She bit down on his shoulder, hoping it would hold her together; instead, he groaned her name as his body shuddered with his own release.
Later, rain drummed against the window, tapping on her conscience, reminding Greta she was entwined with a stranger.
She tried to care but couldn’t. Her body was too languid and satiated.
Jacob smiled and kissed her temple before leaving the bed to dispose of the condom. As he shut the bathroom door, Greta’s phone chimed inside her purse. It was her mother’s ring tone.
So much for the afterglow.
DK Marie’s a voracious reader. Her number one love is romance and devours any and all of its genres, but also enjoys thrillers, horror, and non-fiction. Basically, if there are words on a page and a spectacular story, she’s diving in, heart and soul. However, there’s one thing she loves even more, and that’s writing her own steamy contemporary romances. They’re a mixture of heart, heat, and humor. Brimming with confident heroines and kind heroes, all living, loving, and lusting in and around her hometown of Detroit, Michigan. 
When not falling in love with her characters, DK Marie is laughing, relaxing, and planning her next adventure with her family. Okay, and also drinking boatloads of coffee, chatting on social media, and dreaming about her next travel destination.
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