UPDATE: The winner is Debra G!

* * * * *

Thanks so much for hosting me today, Delilah!

Readers of science-fiction romance, futuristic time travel, or fans of strong heroines may enjoy my new book, In The Court Of Love And Loss.  I’ll be giving away a free e-copy at the end of this blog post!

What inspired this story? When I was young, I always wanted to be an astronaut. I mean, how cool would it be to travel in space, discovering new things? Unfortunately, it turns out I get sick on a simple roller coaster, so the idea of being nauseous in the weightlessness of space was not exactly appealing. (And NASA probably wouldn’t have accepted me into its astronaut program anyway…) The solution? I became a science fiction romance author!

The best part about writing science fiction or futuristic romance is being able to build an entire world from your imagination. There are no rules, except the ones you create. My most recent book, In The Court Of Love And Loss, is set on a planet I call Sirene.

Here’s a little synopsis:

As Mistress of Justice on Sirene, Kyrie is able to judge an accused person’s guilt or innocence with a mere touch. Her unique gift makes her invaluable to the planet’s dictatorial leader, Galen, but Kyrie is dying. Abandoned as a child by her people, the Ouri, when they mysteriously fled Sirene, she’s grown up among the planet’s “other” race. Now, at age twenty-five, she must find an Ourian to mate with or die. Except there are no Ourians on Sirene.

Proteus is sent back to Sirene to rescue a five-year-old child accidentally left behind when he and all the Ouri fled the threat of uprising. But through a trick of time, what he finds instead on his return is an Ourian woman he is forbidden by law to mate with, even if it means saving her life. And when the autocratic Galen forces Proteus to sexually service Kyrie, Proteus uses every trick at his disposal to keep her alive, all while plotting their escape.

Galen and Proteus are desperate to save Kyrie for very different reasons–but they both know the fate of the planet depends on her survival.

This novel is full of secrets and lies, surprising twists and unexpected revelations, with a strong heroine whose fierce loyalty to her sense of right and wrong forces her to make hard sacrifices for the good of her world. And they are choices which affect her own life in profoundly shattering ways.

If you are a fan of A Court of Thorns and Roses, and A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas, you will enjoy this book!

Here’s a brief excerpt:

“I can’t leave here, Proteus.”

“What?” Proteus crossed the short distance to where Kyrie was sitting.

She looked up at him, a plea in her eyes. “I appreciate that you were sent back here to rescue me. After twenty years of wondering why I’d been abandoned when the Ouri fled, it is a relief to know I was not intentionally left behind. But if I can save even one innocent person from Galen’s false accusations—from his wrath—then this is my purpose. My destiny. I help these people, Proteus. I can’t leave here.”

“Kyrie, you are Sirene’s princess, the future of this planet. And now the woman I love. It is my fault you were left behind during the Ourian evacuation, and it is my duty to return you to your people. But there is still much you don’t know. About Galen. About your own people. You must come with me.”

“I made a promise to Galen that I would not leave Sirene.”

Proteus smiled. “You won’t have to leave Sirene to be reunited with the Ouri, Princess, because they are still here.”

“What? No one has seen an Ourian on Sirene for the last two decades!”

“Exactly,” Proteus agreed. “And the reason for that involves a trick of time.  Let me explain.”

*~*~* 

Sound interesting? If you’d like to read more, In The Court Of Love And Loss is available at:

Amazon:https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N63TY5Z/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1479256852&sr=8-4&keywords=jenna+ives
Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/in-the-court-of-love-and-loss-jenna-ives/1125150547?ean=9781682522592
iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/in-the-court-of-love-and-loss/id1176691132?mt=11
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/in-the-court-of-love-and-loss
LooseId Publishing: http://www.loose-id.com/in-the-court-of-love-and-loss.html?___SID=U

Contest

For a chance to win an e-copy of the book, answer this question: What is the name of the antagonist of In The Court Of Love And Lost? (The answer can be found in my synopsis.) Leave your email address with your answer in the Comments section J One winner will be chosen at random. Good luck!

A little about me:

I’m an award-winning author who writes for several publishers under a variety of names, but mainly it’s to protect my poor sainted mother (who used to read sweet Harlequin novels) from discovering how sexy modern romances have become! I love to tango, travel and I’m obsessed with the Rolling Stones, travelling to different cities and countries around the world to see them play. You can visit my website at www.jennaives.com or my blog at http://www.fierceromance.blogspot.com. Or connect with me on Twitter @JennaIvesAuthor or on Facebook, Goodreads or Pinterest.

Thanks again for hosting me today, Delilah!

Jenna Ives

On Tuesday, this cowboy story releases. It’s a “new-old” story—one I wrote way back when, and which was published with a now-defunct publisher. You may not know of its existence, so it’s “new”! 🙂 Pre-order now so you don’t forget! Then play along with me.

If you’d like to win a free story from my current cowboy series, Cowboys on the Edge, find the answers to the following questions and send the answers in an email to me at delilah@delilahdevlin.com. DO NOT SHARE YOUR ANSWERS IN THE COMMENTS BELOW! This contest will run through Tuesday, and I’ll select two winners!

Here are the questions. Some are general knowledge. Some are specific to my series, and the answers can be found by simply reading the short descriptions of the books. Just so you don’t have to surf too far, here’s the Cowboys on the Edge page.

Name the following!

1. leather “sleeves” worn by cowboys to protect their legs
2. a loop of rope intended for capture and restraint
3. famous brand of cowboy hats that starts with “s”
4. the state where the Cowboys on the Edge series is set
5. last name of the fire chief in Caldera, Texas
6. someone who sets fires for personal gratification (use word in story blurb!)
7. first name of lawman who saves a mobster’s girlfriend
8. title of the latest story in the series
9. a cowboy’s seat on a horse
10. a cowboy’s shiniest accessory
11. device placed in a horse’s mouth
12. loop that holds the feet of a rider
13. a deep cleft in the earth

So, was that fun? A pain-in-the-ass? Would you like to see more scavenger hunts?

Enjoy your weekend! ~DD

How erotic can a historical romance get? Especially with straight-laced Victorians, prudish Puritans or proper Regency society?

When an agent asked if I could turn my Regency-set romance into an erotic romance, it turns out it wasn’t that hard. The fact that the Regency was a period where proper manners and polite society were of paramount importance made the taboo even more naughty.

The granddaddy of kinky wickedness—the “S” in BDSM—lived from 1740 to 1814. The Marquis de Sade was a French aristocrat and sexual libertine. One of his affairs involved his wife’s sister. Others involved prostitutes and servants. According to Wikipedia, “[h]e coerced women into performing sodomy, mutual flagellation, and other unorthodox sexual acts, and poisoned several of them with aniseed and cantharides.” His mother-in-law secured an arrest warrant, and de Sade was eventually imprisoned in the Bastille in the 1780’s. During his imprisonment there, he wrote his magnum opus, The 120 Days of Sodom.

My historical romances are mostly set in early 19^th century England, and de Sade’s works were not widely published then. According to Wikipedia, the first uncensored English translation of his novel, Justine, or The Misfortunes of Virtue, was not published until the 1950’s. But de Sade wasn’t the only novelist writing kinky stories.*

John Cleland (1709-1789) was arrested for the 1748 publication of his novel Fanny Hill: or, the Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure. The story, featuring a young innocent woman and her sexual encounters as a prostitute, includes menage, orgies, voyeurism, flagellation and non-consent fantasies.

After reading de Sade and Cleland, I didn’t find the idea of a BDSM club set in a historical so far-fetched. (Actually, nothing I can think of can come close to the stuff de Sade wrote in The 120 Days of Sodom, which was required reading in my political philosophy class in college.) I had a lot of fun researching what was possible, and the prevailing norms of society back then only adds more tension to the erotic elements.

If you’re curious to read an erotic historical romance, you can get a free copy of my book, Punishing Miss Primrose, here. It starts off steamy but gets more wickedly wanton as it progresses.

About Punishing Miss Primrose

The Marquess of Carey intends to provide Miss Primrose a set-down she will never forget after what she did to his brother at the Inn of the Red Chrysanthemum, where members indulge in illicit pleasures. He entices the wicked harlot to spend a sennight at his estate. But when Miss Primrose enflames his passions, will she prove too hot for him to handle?

Get your free copy here!

*’Kinky’ may be far too tame a word to describe de Sade’s writings, which many find extremely disturbing.

Greetings, Delilah fans…

Today I’m sharing a sexy excerpt from my brand-new release, the erotic romance Hollywood Honkytonk. It’s a full-length novel starring Jack, a rising Hollywood star, and Riley, a country songwriter on the run from her douchebag ex. Together, Jack and Riley dodge paparazzi and battle their insecurities, finding love and lust in La La Land.

Hollywood Honkytonk is a standalone read and book two in my Kings of California series. These steamy books star the Lamont brothers, three sun-kissed boys from the Golden State. The Beach Boys may have sung about California girls, but let me tell you…California boys? *sigh* Just as dreamy.

To celebrate the release of Hollywood Honkytonk, I’m giving away a signed paperback copy of book one in the series, Deep Down. I’m also giving away a travel sized tube of “Better Than Sex” mascara from Two Faced. Is it really better than sex? I’ll let you decide. You can enter the giveaway below.

Thanks for reading!

Excerpt from Hollywood Honkytonk… 

“Tell me something,” she said.

“What?”

She shut her eyes, feeling like a high schooler. “Have you been thinking about me?”

“The truth?”

“I usually prefer the truth. As a rule.”

“Every waking moment. I’m having trouble keeping on task. Spacing out in the middle of interviews.” When she giggled, he feigned offense. “Don’t laugh at me. It’s bad.”

“What have you been thinking about?”

His voice sobered. “You’re a good girl, Riley. You don’t want to know what I’ve been thinking about.”

Riley turned off her bedside lamp and slid down deeper into the covers. “Tell me.”

“Are you serious?”

She’d never had phone sex. “Do you want to know what I’m wearing?”

“I don’t care what you’re wearing,” he said. “You’re naked underneath. That’s all that matters.”

Riley laughed softly. “So tell me.”

He said nothing for a long time. She heard his breathing over the phone, soft and even. “All right, if you really want to know.” His voice got deeper, hardening into dominance. “Do what I tell you. Everything. Understand?”

Her heartbeat sped up. “Yes.”

“Close your eyes. Touch two fingertips to your lips. Rub them back and forth—slowly. Very slowly.”

She did it. The intimate touch forced her to focus. Her fingertips were warm and dry. Her lips were delicate, filled with nerve endings that tingled as she brushed her skin gently, back and forth like he said.

“Those are my fingers,” he said. “I’m touching your mouth. I’m there with you.”

And like magic, in Riley’s brain, Jack appeared in her bed. Stretched out beside her, propped up on one elbow, looking down on her as he touched her lips.

“What are you wearing?” she whispered.

“What’s this obsession with clothing?” A little impatience touched his words. “Nothing. I’m fucking naked. Can you picture that?”

God, could she.

“Focus, sweetheart,” he said. “Are you still touching your lips?”

“Yes.”

“Good girl. Open your mouth slowly. Just a little. Press your thumb right in the middle of your lips.”

She did it.

“Now,” he said. “Rub the tip of your tongue against your thumb. Lick it. Make it wet.”

Jack’s voice filled the darkness. Heat suffused her body, gathering between her legs. Her pussy tingled as she licked her thumb. The light salt of her own skin made her mouth water.

“Rub that wetness over your bottom lip for me. Make it smooth and slippery.”

She dragged the wet tip of her thumb over the sensitive flesh.

“Are your eyes still closed?” he asked.

“Yes.” She struggled for breath, turned-on beyond all logic.

“Good,” he whispered. His voice was rough. “That’s my cock. Right there. Sliding along your pretty pink lips. Imagine it. Can you taste me, gorgeous?” Deep under the power of his voice, Riley heard the faint sound of him unbuckling his belt and pulling down his fly. “You make me so fucking hard, sweetheart.”

Her imagination went wild. Jack sitting in the shadows, slouched in an arm chair, shirtsleeves rolled back, his big dick in his hand—the image summoned a fresh rush of heat between Riley’s legs. She moaned. He was thousands of miles away. How did he make her feel this way?

“Now take off your clothes,” he commanded.

HOLLYWOOD HONKYTONK

Can their love survive the limelight?

With nothing but her dog, her guitar, and her cowboy boots, songwriter Riley Marion arrives in Los Angeles on the run from her abusive ex. A quiet job teaching music sounds perfect, but her low-key lifestyle is threatened when she reunites with a sexy old flame—now an up-and-coming celebrity who’s constantly dogged by paparazzi.

Charming and driven, Jack Lamont is a Hollywood actor on the rise to stardom. Ready to outgrow his playboy reputation, he’s happy to leave the hard partying to his entourage. Romantic entanglements? Jack’s not interested. At least, not until he gets tangled up with the one who got away—a smoking-hot woman whose memory has haunted him for the last ten years.

Available in e-Book & Print

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Kobo | All Romance | BookStrand | The Wild Rose Press | Goodreads 

About the Author

Award-winning author Mia Hopkins writes lush romances starring fun, sexy characters who love to get down and dirty. She’s a sucker for working class heroes, brainy heroines and wisecracking best friends. She lives in the heart of Los Angeles with her roguish husband and waggish dog.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest | Newsletter

SPECIAL RAFFLECOPTER GIVEAWAY

Would you like to win a signed print copy of Deep Down and a travel sized tube of “Better Than Sex ” mascara from Two Faced? Enter the Rafflecopter by clicking here.

UPDATE: The winner is…Jen B.!

* * * * *

Elite Metal and Elite Ghosts are two HUGE labors of love that a group of my favorite people and I put together over the last three years. It’s a shared world of three groups of military men and women brought back from the “dead” to catch a wolf. Red Wolf. Revenge against the baddest of the bad is what drives them, and to take back the lives he stole from each of them.

Elite Elements will be the final book in this epic trilogy. This is the story of the men and women who saved Elite Metal on the snow covered ground in Moscow. These are the men and women from around the world who don’t exist and pulled Elite Ghosts into the shadows with them. These are the soldiers who gave up everything to take down a wolf. And in this book…everything you thought you knew reaches the point of no return.

Elite Elements will be here in February. I. Can’t. Fucking. Wait.

In case you haven’t found Elite Metal and Elite Ghosts yet….let me blow your mind. http://www.jenniferkacey.com/books/elite-metal.html

For decades the US Marines funded a top-secret unit known as Elite Recon. A deadly group of men and women sent to infiltrate dozens of countries completely undetected. Mission objectives so extreme casualties were not only probable, but expected.

The current batch of operatives had returned from hundreds of assignments unscathed…until one mission went horribly wrong. Several men lost their lives and the group disbanded. The remaining leathernecks were scattered in the wind with new identities. They were told to blend in. Be normal. Or face being forever silenced just like their fallen brothers.

Now, two years later, each living member of the group is kidnapped and given a chance to make things right. But this time they’re no longer under the thumb of Uncle Sam. A mysterious private backer who knows about their past has brought them back together. No longer are they forced to turn a blind eye to the lost and forsaken.

Duty is their salvation.

A new life. A new future…Elite Metal.

Amazon Buy Link

Then we have Elite Ghosts… http://www.jenniferkacey.com/books/elite-ghosts.html

For more than two years they’ve been ghosts. Nothing but names on empty tombstones. Men and women forced to fade into the background after being pulled from the rubble. Dead Marines saved from a fate worse than death, but ordered to stand down while their lives disappeared all around them.

Some knew it could happen if a mission exploded. Double crossed by more than just Red Wolf. But now is their time to be reborn from the flames of a Phoenix. No longer imprisoned in the shadows. A half-life between them and their future. To make things right coming back to life is their only option.

Loyalty is their salvation but damage is always more than skin deep.

A new hope. A new family. Elite Ghosts.

Amazon Buy Link

In honor of the above awesomeness I’m going to have a HUGE giveaway! Three print books and lots and lots of other swag and kinky goodies! Plus a mug and tea and a pretty WIP bag to hold it all!

**GIVEAWAY – US ONLY**

Look at all the awesomeness you could win!! So tell me if you’ve ever read any of the Elite Warrior stories!! And if you have – what you’re most looking forward to in Elements!!

I’ll pick a winner on Monday the 16^th!! Good Luck!!

Decadently Yours,
Jennifer Kacey

About the Author

Jennifer Kacey is a writer, mother, and business owner living with her miniman in Texas. She sings in the shower, plays piano in her dreams, and has to have a different color of nail polish every week. The best advice she’s ever been given? Find the real you and never settle for anything less.

Website – Newsletter – The Decadent Divas– Amazon Page
Facebook – Facebook Author Page – Twitter – Goodreads – Pinterest

Hello Delilah readers,

I’m so excited to be joining you here today.  I’m Megan Westfield and I know Delilah through a group of female military veterans who write romantic fiction. (Thanks for the opportunity, Delilah!).  My very first book, Lessons in Gravity, came out in October and is a new-adult rock-climbing romance set in Yosemite National Park.

Since we’re just a week past the new year, resolutions are still strong on my brain. For me, it seems like the meeting of resolutions always comes down to time: the fact that there is never enough of it.  As an author who has a day job and two young children to care for, there’s no way I’d be able to get everything done if not for multitasking, and one of most effective ways I multitask is by doubling up my workouts with other things.

So whether you’re a person has resolved to be more active in 2017, or a person who is amply active wants to eek out more time in the day to focus on other resolutions, here are a few ideas for multitasking your workouts.

1. Listen to an audio book.

All of us Delilah blog subscribers all have this in common: we love to read.  My suggestion is to play an audio book on your phone, grab a pair of earphones, and head out the door for a walk.  Or go ride a stationary bike.  Or hit the bouldering wall at the climbing gym.  This concept can be combined with many of the suggestions below for triple-tasking credit.  J

2. Workout on your lunch break.

This has been a habit of mine since my military days when I’d combine my allotted workout time with my lunch break so I could do a long road bike ride or go swimming at the base pool. Some private companies offer a fitness perk similar to this, but if your company isn’t one of these, an hour lunch break is plenty of time for a 30-40 minute cardio workout with a shower afterward.  Alternately, if you have a shorter lunch break or don’t have access to a shower, you could do a low-impact workout: one where you don’t get drenched in sweat and therefore don’t need to change clothes beforehand or shower afterward (ex., going for a walk, or doing high-repetition, low-weight strength training).

3. Walk your errands

I do not live in what is considered a “walkable” neighborhood, but there is a strip mall about a mile from our house with good sidewalks the whole way.  I save time by making the day’s workout be a walk down to the grocery store to grab a few things for the evening’s dinner, or to run a different errand at one of the other stores.

4. Take your kids on your workouts

For me, this means using a double jogging stroller, or carrying one kid on my back and pushing the other in a single jogging stroller.  Kids love to be outside and joining in on parents’ activities, so not only are you doubling up on the tasks of taking care of children and getting some exercise, the kids are getting a “win” as well.  My daughter is just old enough to start riding her strider bike alongside me, so this has been a fun variation for us.  And don’t forget that many gyms offer free child care!

5. Make your workouts a group activity

This is the same principle as #4, but instead of taking your kids, you arrange to meet up with a friend for a workout rather than of doing something sedentary. The multitasking element is that you’re having fun and maintaining connections while also being active.  My best conversations with friends happen during long jogs and walks!  Triple up by meeting with a friend for a weekday lunch-walk.

6. Walk or jog your errands with kids in tow

This combination of #3 and #4 is a triple-tasking method that I do almost daily. Since my kids are small enough to ride in a stroller, the basket in the bottom comes in handy for holding groceries or other goods, but a backpack works just as well.  If you live somewhere that’s truly un-walkable, you can always drive to an area that is, like a nice park that adjoins  shopping area.

***GIVEAWAY***

Let’s get a conversation going so we can share even more ways to gain more time by doubling up daily tasks with workouts.  See below!

Book Trailer

https://youtu.be/RirUUEW8rjg

Back Cover

All eyes are on Josh Knox…

Fearless. Guarded. Cut-to-perfection. Daredevil rock climber. The best in the world.

This time he’s poised to scale Yosemite’s notoriously treacherous Sorcerer Spire, with Walkabout Media & Productions filming every move.

April Stephens’s dream to be a documentary filmmaker rests on her acing her internship with Walkabout, and that means getting the abrasive Josh to give her more than one-word answers in his interviews.

The problem is, with every step forward professionally, she and Josh are also taking a step forward personally, and after watching her stunt pilot father die in a fiery crash, a guy who risks his life for a living is the last person she should be falling for. Especially because in one month her internship will have them dangling three thousand feet in the air from the side of the Sorcerer. She’ll be filming. He’ll be climbing without a rope.

Amazon  |  B&N  |  iBooks  |  Kobo  |  Goodreads

About the Author

Megan Westfield has dabbled in many hobbies and pastimes over the years, ranging from playing the cello to cake decorating (i.e., icing-eating) to a dozen different outdoor adventure sports. Eventually, she discovered the only way to do it all was though writing—her first and strongest passion. She grew up in Washington state, attended college in Oregon, and lived in Virginia, California, and Rhode Island during her five years as a navy officer. Megan is now a permanent resident of San Diego where she and her husband count family beach time with their two young kids as an adventure sport.

Website  |  Twitter  |  Facebook  |  Instagram  |  Pinterest  |  YouTube  |  Newsletter

***THE GIVEAWAY***

Post a comment below about how you double up daily tasks with workouts (or write about a fitness barrier you find especially challenging) and I’ll enter you in a drawing for an e-copy of Lessons in Gravity at the end of the week. Triple-tasking suggestions welcomed, too!

UPDATE: The winner of the free download of Bad Moon Rising is…Kim Smith!

* * * * *

This one came out a little over a year ago. Love panther-shifters? Love a sexy Cajun drawl? Enjoy the excerpt!

Comment for a chance to win a free download of Bad Moon Rising!

Bad Moon Rising

On a whim, romance author DiDi Devereaux decides to travel to remote Louisiana bayou country to take possession of a house she inherited from a reclusive relative. But before she reaches her destination, she drives her car into a ditch to avoid a large animal that leaps into her path. Rescue comes in the form of a sexy sheriff, whose gruff demeanor seems to hide a feral attraction. As DiDi settles into her new home she finds herself torn between her attraction to the sheriff and the raw, handsome bad boy whose offer to help her renovate her home is a little too convenient and tempting.

Nothing in Bayou Noir is what it seems. When strange things begin to happen, her natural curiosity leads her into danger…

Get your copy here!

Read an excerpt…

DiDi hit SAVE and shut down her computer. Her newest story was beginning to pull together—or at least, the characters were coming alive. The external plot of her novel hadn’t yet gelled, because she hadn’t discovered what secrets the sheriff and the bad boy hid.

But the characters were now fully fleshed—the two men appealing to her heroine in ways DiDi understood all too well. The question she still struggled with was which man her heroine would ultimately choose. The thought made her smile.

DiDi closed the computer lid. Of course, Sheriff Breaux and Bobby Sonnier were the models for her two heroes. All the while she’d described her heroine’s first meeting with the men, she’d described her own feelings, and how her curiosity and body had both been aroused. Which man did she, DiDi, prefer? Funny, she couldn’t remember the last time she’d thought a man so disturbingly attractive. But in this remote location, within a single hour, she’d met two.

She stretched her arms above her head and glanced at her watch—two o’clock AM. Since she was a night owl by habit, she didn’t worry. However, the room was warm. The AC chugged along, but didn’t seem to cool very well. Upon returning to the room, she’d changed to cutoffs and a tank top, but the fabric stuck to her skin. Maybe drinking something ice-cold would cool her enough to rest comfortably. She slipped the pass key into her back pocket, tucked a couple of dollar bills into the front one, and let herself out of her room.

Outside, she breathed in the thick, humid air. The night was quiet except for the distant, blended hum of insects and frogs. Maybe it was the cloying heat, but she felt restless and aroused. Her thoughts swirled with the erotic fantasies she’d been spinning into a story.

A woman caught between two men.

On the outside, one wore a white hat, the other dressed like he’d just dragged himself out of bed. But inside, both souls were painted with the same darkness.

The soda machine stood next to the office, so she walked barefoot along the sidewalk, slid her money into the slot, and hit the button for a Coke. The machine shuddered, but nothing dropped into the well at the bottom.

“Damn.” She hit the button again. Nothing. Cursing, she bent and stuck her arm up into the opening, found the bottom of her can lodged at an odd angle, and rattled it until it dropped into her hand.

When she straightened, she held the can away and opened the tab, letting it spray outward.

The can was icy cold, and she drank down several gulps before turning back to her room.

DiDi drew up short. A car had parked in front of her room. A sleek Caprice with the township’s emblem and blue lights on the top. Sheriff Breaux stood with his arms crossed over his chest, watching her.

Had he seen her wrestle with the coke, her butt in the air? Would she ever catch a break with the guy?

DiDi made herself straighten her shoulders and sauntered toward the large man. Did he always wear that expression—so dark and intense, so watchful? She caught the way his narrowed glance scanned her bare legs and feet, and she shivered.

She’d take his frown over a smile from another man any day—the gesture did things to her. Challenged her. Made her tingle in all the right places. “Evenin’, Sheriff,” she drawled, walking closer.

“Miz Devereaux,” he said, nodding.

“DiDi,” she replied, curving her lips. “I thought we were getting friendly.”

His expression didn’t soften. “It’s late. Doesn’t a city girl like you know it’s not safe to be alone outside after dark?”

“Tell me,” she said softly, teasingly as she leaned against her room’s door. “This is a small town. What should I fear? And is the danger sporting four legs or two?”

His features stilled. He stepped closer and looked down his nose.

A move like he was trying to intimidate. She didn’t know why, but his stance aroused her.

“Bayou Noir is a quiet town,” he said, his voice dead even, “but you’re a beautiful woman. More temptation than man or beast might be able to resist.”

DiDi blinked, all bluster gone. Heat soaked the crotch of her panties. He thinks I’m hard to resist? “Looks like I don’t have a thing to fear with you here, Sheriff.”

His lips crimped in irritation, and he shook his head. “Told you before, Mason,” he bit out. “Seein’ as how we’re friendly now.”

Two could play this game of chicken. She stepped close enough she could smell him. “What if I like sheriff? I like a man being in charge.”

His nostrils flared. His eyelids fell. “Careful, chère…”

“Am I really that hard to resist?” DiDi lifted her chin.

He didn’t answer, but his gaze fell to her mouth.

DiDi knew she’d roll her eyes if a character in her book licked her lips at a time like this, but she couldn’t resist the tease. She stroked her bottom lip, wetting it and watching Mason’s eyes narrow further, homing in on the simple little motion.

“You like playin’ with fire?” he muttered, his voice guttural.

“I’m not playin’.”

His eyes were shadowed, a touch sinister and frightening.

She couldn’t have said why, but she wanted to rattle him. Answer his challenge with one of her own. DiDi leaned into Mason, pressing the hand not holding the soda against his chest and rising on her toes. When her mouth approached, she saw his lips part.

But he held still, watching her with that dark, steady gaze.

She placed her lips against his and rubbed, and then did it again when he still didn’t move. Pulling back, she gave him a slight glare. His expression hadn’t changed, but that didn’t defeat her. No way could she be this hot if he wasn’t returning some of the heat.

Plus, he hadn’t warned her away with a word or a gesture, hadn’t moved back either. Not exactly a no.

Angling a hand backwards, she set the soda on the windowsill and reached up to clutch his shoulders, pushed her chest against his, snuggling closer, and kissed him again.

His hands curled gently around her waist.

Her heart sped up, her body melted. She pressed her lips harder.

However, Mason pushed her away…but his fingers didn’t let her go.

Rather than reach for him again, DiDi curved her fingers into her palms. She’d never thrown herself at a man like that, without an ounce of encouragement. Feeling like a fool, she pushed at his hands. “Don’t worry,” she said, unable to hold his steady stare now that she’d humiliated herself. “I promise I won’t attack you again.”

“DiDi.”

“What?” she snapped, lifting her face, hoping to salvage her pride.

“Dammit.” His lips slammed on top of hers. His hands let go of her waist and glided around her back, pulling her against him. And then he was walking her backward, pushing her against her door while he devoured her mouth.

DiDi thought she’d been ready for his kiss. Ready for whatever he’d bring, but under the onslaught, her head swam, her knees weakened. She locked her fingers behind his neck.

Scents intensified—the smell of thick, green forest, the exhaust of his car, his aftershave, the unique smell of his masculine musk.

Sounds—an indistinct hum before—returned, becoming louder. Crickets chirped, frogs croaked. The wind sifted through the trees, rustling leaves and creaking branches. And his heartbeat grew loud enough, insistent enough, her own matched its beat.

And God, the lush, wet thrill of that kiss! His mouth was hard, his tongue sinfully fluid, sliding along hers then tangling and twisting until she had to suck on it to keep him still and savor the sensual connection.

DiDi felt as though she drowned in a perfect moment, falling deeply into lust, her body shivering and bending toward him.

Mason broke the kiss. His gaze raked her face; his jaw tightened. “Better get inside an’ lock that door, chère.”

“And if I don’t want to?” she asked breathlessly, looking deep into his dark eyes.

“Gimme your key.”

Relief made her knees shake. He’s coming inside. She dug into her pocket for the key card and handed it over. He swiped the key and pulled down the latch next to her hip. Then he tossed the key toward the bed behind her and grasped her waist.

DiDi began to reach up to enfold him in her arms—

Scowling, Mason pushed her backward and closed the door in her face.

“Fuck,” she whispered. That had never happened before.