Wedding hookups. You hear about them. Rumor has it they’re almost inevitable. But I can tell you that I have been to (and in) a lot of weddings, and I have yet to encounter one of these mythical beasts.

Are they the stuff of urban legend?

I mean, it wasn’t that I was unavailable. I was a bridesmaid NINE times and flying solo for eight of those gigs. I attended several more as a guest—no butt-bow required—still no play. I never once found myself playing kissy face in the corner. I’ve shaken my tail feather in the Chicken Dance, danced a passable Hora for an Irish-Catholic girl, and turned myself around for the Hokey-Pokey. Still no hanky-panky.

Maybe that’s why I had to write a story about a couple who meet and uh, greet, at a wedding. The fact that I am now a married woman and allegedly not allowed to hit on eligible bachelors, made the whole ‘second chance at love’ aspect of it appealing. Not that I’m looking to trade mine in, but once you’ve been kissing the same guy for a decade or two, you get a little wistful when you think about first kisses.

So I channeled a little of my leftover wild child into Three Little Words, my new release from Kensington-Lyrical Press. Here’s the set up:

It’s never too late to make the best impulsive decision of your life.

Jo Masters isn’t the party girl she used to be, but now that she’s a woman without obligations, she’s ready to recapture a little of her misspent youth. Her niece’s wedding, with its open bar and dark dance floor, proves to be the perfect opportunity to let loose.

Gregory Stark is just trying to make it through his son’s wedding day… and make some time with the gorgeous brunette on the bride’s side of the aisle. His kid’s wedding probably isn’t the best occasion to put the moves on the sexy woman, who introduces herself only as ‘Josie’, but his best friend is closing in on her too and he has to act fast. With a couple of tequila shots under his belt, Greg propositions Josie — and neither wants to refuse.

Three Little Words is available now at the fine retailers listed below, but I’d love to give a digital copy to one of Delilah’s readers.  Just comment below and tell me the wildest thing you’ve ever done at a wedding (No details necessary) and we’ll choose a winner! Good luck and thanks for reading!

Maggie

Amazon ~  Apple ~  B&N ~  Google ~  Kensington ~  Kobo

By day Maggie Wells is buried in spreadsheets. At night she pens tales of people tangling up the sheets. She’ll tell you she’s a deep down dirty girl, but you only have to scratch the surface of this mild-mannered married lady to find a naughty streak a mile wide. The product of a charming rogue and a shameless flirt, she just can’t help herself… That’s part of her charm.

Website: http://www.maggie-wells.com
Twitter:  https://twitter.com/MaggieWells1
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Maggie-Wells/175597205824257

UPDATE: The winner of the free ebook is…Arlene Messa!

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Thanks for inviting me, Delilah.  I appreciate the opportunity to meet with you and your followers and look forward to a lively discussion.  I must admit, I didn’t have any difficulty choosing a topic.  Brainstorming has always been a favorite part of writing with me.  Every time I begin a new book, I can hardly wait to hear the “what if” suggestions from my critique partners and friends.  Not only do I consider the exercise fun, it can be a lifesaver.  There is not a plot that can’t be enhanced, and through brainstorming, one can discover that “ah ha” moment.

When to brainstorm?  I’d suggest early and often.  Waiting until your manuscript is finished can result in rewriting a good portion of your book.  Not fun!  Be sure to consider all the possibilities, but before implementing any change, make sure it’s what you need.  Don’t create additional problems.  Brainstorming can also enrich your manuscript in other ways.  For good or bad, the change can test your characters.  You can count on it to build tension and ramp up the pace.  As an author, you just have to be brave and willing to make changes.

Do you brainstorm?  Have you ever experienced that “ah ha” moment? Leave a comment, and you’ll be entered to win an ebook of my latest release.

Mellow Yellow-Dead Red, Book 3 of the Bawdy Boutique Mysteries, is scheduled for release January 6.  And yes, lots of brainstorming went into this series.  Book 3 begins with Halloween and a late-night fun run in costume, alongside a swamp.  What could possibly go wrong?  When fashion divas, Susan and A. K. stumble upon a murder, Susan sets out to solve the crime.  Did I mention she’s also psychic?  Visions are one thing, but hard evidence is a necessity.  The small Southern town of Palmetto isn’t prepared for what unfolds.

I hope you’ll consider reading the series.  Print and ebooks are available at Amazon and Barnes and Noble.  View all my books at www.sylviarochester.com.  Join me on Face Book: http://www.facebook.com/sylvia.rochester and on Twitter:  @sylviarochester.

Thanks again for letting me visit.

SEAL’S PROPOSAL came out on Dec 9th. It’s book #5 in the TAKE NO PRISONERS series and it revisits the hero and heroine from Book #2. Remy has decided it’s time to pop the question which brings up the subject of proposals.

I can’t even remember how my husband proposed to me. It was probably, “Hey, we should get married.” Not very exciting or memory-worthy, but we’ve been together for 25 years.

I think women dream of the great proposal where the man takes her on a trip to the beach and proposes with a dramatic sunset as backdrop, or something equally heart-throbbingly romantic.

****For a chance to win a $5 Gift card***

Leave a comment about your special proposal or your dream proposal.
I’ll choose a winner tomorrow.

Take No Prisoners #5: SEAL‘s Proposal
Ibooks Amazon Kindle Kobo

He wanted it perfect for her…someone wanted her dead

Remy LaDue, hot Navy SEAL with SEAL Team 10, is on a mission. He’s planned a special vacation to the Colorado Rockies with the express purpose of proposing to the woman he loves on Christmas morning. He knows it a long shot, with both their jobs keeping them away from each other for months out of the year, but he wants her as his forever lover and will risk everything to marry her.

Mitchell Sanders is as dedicated to her work as an FBI Special Agent as Remy is to his calling as a Navy SEAL. Independent, driven and passionate about justice and protecting innocents, she would no sooner give up her job as Remy.

When a criminal she helped to capture and convict escapes on the eve of their departure, Mitchell is torn between sticking around to recapture him and going with Remy, opting to follow her desire this once. Plans change as the mountains become a nightmare and they struggle to put an end to the threats that plague their idyllic vacation and Remy’s plans for his Christmas surprise.

Excerpt:

“Hey, I just saw your fiancée on the news. Everything all right?”

Remy’s pulse leapt. “Don’t know. I’ll get back to you.” Dropping his phone on the couch, he dove for the television remote, clicking it on, and setting it on the local news station.

Images of the courthouse appeared on the screen, with gunmen and people scattering in all directions. In the background, he made out Mitchell’s SUV. The image switched to a reporter pressing a microphone into Mitchell’s face, asking her what had happened.

Mitchell’s hair was pulled back into a ponytail and her face was grim. “No comment,” she said, and pushed past the reporter, her body tense.

The news anchor droned on about Rocco Hatch’s escape as Remy absorbed what had just happened. He was reaching for his cell phone when the scrape of a key in the lock caught his attention. Before the lock twisted, Remy was there, yanking open the door.

Mitchell stood in the frame, her face tired, the knees of her suit trousers ripped, and a smudge of dirt across her face. Her lips lifted. “Hey.”

“Oh, baby.” He opened his arms and she fell into them. He eased backward and closed the door behind her, gathering her against his body.

“You’re a sight for sore eyes,” she said, her words muffled against his naked chest.

Her breath was warm on his skin, stirring his blood. “Yeah, and you’re not so bad yourself.”

She snorted and pulled back enough to give him a crooked smile. “I had planned on being home hours ago, having a gourmet dinner cooked, and lying naked on the couch for when you walked through that door.”

His cock twitched at the erotic image. “We can still do all that.” He waved toward the kitchen counter. “I have an Italian gourmet dinner. Your favorite pizza pie with pepperoni, onion, and black olives.” As he spoke, he slid her jacket over her shoulders and let it drop to the floor. Then he slipped the buckle of her shoulder holster loose, and eased it too from her shoulders, draping it over the back of a chair.

“Now you’re talking.” Mitchell skimmed her hands over his chest and around to his back, dropping low to capture his ass in her palms, pressing him closer. “Miss me much?”

Already hard, his member nudged her belly, ready to skip right to their reunion sex. With every ounce of control he could muster, he set her away from him. “You should eat. I need my woman to have the energy to last all night long. And tomorrow we’re on our way to Colorado.”

Her hands tightened on his buttocks and pulled him back against her. “I don’t want food. I want you.” Flashing a sexy grin, she leaned up on her toes and pressed her mouth against his.

His control unraveling, Remy’s blood heated and he captured her head in his hands, slipping the ponytail free. God, it felt good to run his fingers through her hair, and to feel her body pressed against his.

The tight buds of her distended nipples scraped his chest through her shirt and bra, and he couldn’t wait to get her out of her clothes.

Sucking in a breath, Mitchell slipped her hands inside the elastic of his shorts and gripped his naked butt. “Aren’t we a bit overdressed?”

About the Author:

New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author ELLE JAMES also writing as MYLA JACKSON is a former IT professional and retired Army and Air Force Reservist. She writes romantic suspense, mysteries and paranormal romance that keeps her readers on the edges of their seats to the very end of every book. When she’s not at her computer, she’s traveling to exotic and wonderful places, snow-skiing, boating, or riding her four-wheeler, dreaming up new stories.

Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | GoodReads | Newsletter | Amazon Author Page

Update! Ellen Blakley is the winner of the free download! DD

* * * * *

Two more days. I can hardly wait. When you read it, you’ll get back to me, right? Let me know what you thought. Tell me who you want center stage in the next story…?

This book’s about more than just the sex. Yes, there’s tons of sex, but it’s about a firehouse that’s hurting too. No one more than Coop. I’m sharing the opening of the story with you below so you can see the demons he’s fighting. Coop’s a little bitter and closed off. You know what he needs.

And if you haven’t already pre-ordered your copy…
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Samhain | Kobo | iTunes 

Post a comment today to win a free download of your choice
from among my Delta Heat titles!

The opening…

One of the crappiest shifts of firefighter John “Coop” Cooper’s life took another nosedive when his lieutenant caught him before he’d even had a chance to drop his turnout gear after their latest run. With sooty sweat stinging his eyes and his suspenders half-up half-down, he sighed as the LT curled his fingers, beckoning him over.

Coop knew exactly what this was about, and despite his fatigue, his mind zipped through all the possible excuses he could muster to escape.

“You’re the last one,” Lieutenant Knox Triplett said, his face hard and his hazel gaze narrowing on Coop.

Used to be that Coop cared about pleasing Knox. He’d strove to be first to his gear and into the truck, first in the door of a burning building, and was careful never to fuck up  a room-to-room search. He’d cared about being the best firefighter he could be. But lately, he’d just been showing up, going through the motions. Doing what he had to do to get through the shift.

Knox had been patient, his gazes merciful and sympathetic. But it looked as though he’d reached the end of his tether so far as Coop was concerned.

Coop wished he could feel anger or shame. But all he could muster was irritation. He wanted out of the station. The shift was nearly over and he had to dodge this bullet one more time. “The last one? You sure about that?” Coop asked, not bothering to look Knox in the eye.

Knox tapped his clipboard. “I asked for a hundred percent cooperation with the internal investigation, with the NIOSH assholes. Don’t know what it is with you guys. This should be the easy part. The counselor’s here to help you.”

Coop raked a hand through his hair. “That’s the point, LT. I don’t need his help. I’m tired of talking about it.” Read the rest of this entry »

Update! Janice is the winner of the free download! DD

* * * * *

On Tuesday, the first of the Firehouse 69 books releases. If you loved the Delta Heat cop series (5 Ways ‘Til Sunday, Fournicopia, A Perfect Trifecta, Twice the Bang, and Once is Never Enough), and were sad to see it end—well, it didn’t. The Firehouse 69 books are an offshoot of that series, and some of the characters from the first five books will appear throughout.

Rest easy. My firemen are every bit as kinky as my cops were. 😉

If you haven’t already pre-ordered your copy, here’s where you can go to rectify that oversight: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Samhain | Kobo | iTunes 

And if anyone out there would like to host me on their blog to talk about this book or share excerpts, I’ll bring prizes and promo the hell out of it! Just email me.

Post a comment today to win a free download of your choice
from among my Delta Heat titles!

* * * * *

Burnin’ Up Memphis

She’s the one fire he may not be able to control.

Firehouse 69, Book 1

When a roof collapse kills his best friend and his girlfriend clears out his apartment and leaves, firefighter John Cooper knows he shouldn’t sit alone in his empty apartment. But when he accepts an invitation to Club LaForge, his feet get colder with every step he takes inside.

The sights, sounds and smells of the BDSM club make him sweat, and not because he’s turned off. Yet he can’t bring himself to admit—to himself, or to his luscious guide, Moira—that this lifestyle might just be what he needs.

An experienced BDSM trainer, Moira senses that Coop is not only a Dom in the making, but exactly what she’s been looking for. A man to be her lover and her Dom. The only problem is, Coop isn’t looking for anything complicated.

Moira’s willing to start slow and easy, but even once there’s enough trust to bring Coop into her world—and to her Dom—she’s still worried he’ll look for the nearest exit.

Warning: Do you smell smoke? Don’t worry, it’s just a hot and sexy firefighter getting down and dirty. Contains BDSM scenes, ropes, floggers, some spanking, some sharing, and some five-alarm sex.

Okay, so this excerpt’s a little raw. Enjoy!

So here she was, edgy and needy. So excited she was afraid she’d be a useless lay because she’d come like a rocket. And she wanted to be the best he’d ever had. Wanted him to want her even a fraction as much as she wanted him.

Watching him play with his friends, watching as he’d been hammered time and again for his inattention and then watching those spurts of power and speed had proved he was in some damn shape. All hills and hollows and oodles of stamina. And now she knew how hard the muscle was cloaking that tall, angular frame. She wanted everything he’d bring to bed.

When they reached the parking lot, he dragged her straight to his car. “We’ll get yours later.” All during the five-minute drive to his apartment, his hand remained on her thigh, anchoring her there, claiming her in a way. Something that kept her hot.

Moira waited silently beside Coop as he fumbled with his keys at the apartment door. Her whole body felt tight and hard. And she was shivering despite the heat. Read the rest of this entry »

I want to give a super huge THANK YOU to the fabulously talented and amazingly generous Delilah Devlin for hosting me today. To celebrate, I’m giving a lucky commenter his/her choice of any one of my titles + a $5 gift card.

I must confess to being a rabid Delilah Devlin fan since reading Fournicopia in July of 2012. Fournicopia was the first *official* BDSM romance I ever read, and I got seriously hooked on Ms. Devlin’s stories as well as reading – and writing – in the sub-genre. In fact, I just released Grace, the third novella in my Heartache and Hopeful series. These novellas, as well as my full-length novel Shattered Trust, incorporate elements of the BDSM lifestyle.

With the holidays upon us, I’m reminded of the old lesson that it’s better to give than to receive. But what about giving instead of taking? One of the misconceptions swirling around the kink lifestyle – and one that I myself, as a vanilla, was guilty of holding – is the assumption that a D/s relationship is just about the power; about someone taking control away from somebody else. It’s not. There’s a line from the Rihanna song, Stay, which I think lends itself perfectly to the dynamics of a D/s bond: It’s not just something you take, it’s given.

Nothing says it better than that. A submissive gives his/her control to the Dominant – the Dominant doesn’t take it. To be brutally blunt, when a person’s control or power is ripped from them, it’s assault, or worse rape.

That line from Stay became the crux of a pivotal love scene between Grace and Seth. Seth has the choice of submitting to Grace; she doesn’t force him. For one, she can’t because he’s much bigger and stronger. But if even if that wasn’t the case, there’s no satisfaction for a Dominant or Top if he/she has to coerce a submissive or bottom. It’s my understanding that part of the pleasure for the Dominant/Top comes from knowing the submissive/bottom trusts them. Trusts them enough to relinquish their control. And that trust must never be violated.

Are you a reader/writer of BDSM romances? If so, what are your thoughts concerning the nature of a D/s connection? Also, share your favorite BDSM authors – I’ve shared one of mine! And remember, leave a comment for the chance to win one of my titles and a $5 GC…

Thanks again to Delilah for letting me hang out today!

On the Corner of Heartache and Hopeful…

Revenge is a dish best served cold—and according to Grace Harrington, while wearing three inch stilettos and wielding a flogger. No longer the bullied, nerdy kid she was in high school, Grace is now a take-charge corporate lawyer in Omaha, Nebraska. She’s also a take-charge Top in the bedroom. The last thing she wants to do is go back to the small town of Tatum, but to save a treasured landmark from destruction while exacting retribution on the guy who ground her heart to dust? Hell yes!

Seth Reisner never wanted to leave Tatum. He thought being a country lawyer slash gentleman farmer would be the perfect life. But his agricultural kingpin uncle had other ideas. And when dear uncle foots the bill for law school plus signs your paycheck, you suck it up, alter your plans and move to Dallas, Texas. Now Seth divides his time between litigating on behalf of his uncle’s company and trying to find his “Mrs. Right.” When the opportunity to return to Tatum comes up, he’s grateful for the chance to go home.

Grace and Seth end up on opposite sides both in and out of the courtroom. Grace is determined to get her vengeance while Seth only wants to make up for his unintended past transgressions. When the verdict is read, who will win—and at what cost?

GRACE Excerpt:

Grace took hold of his wrists and molded his palms to her breasts. The feel of his calluses tightened her nipples into stiff buds. How does a high-end lawyer get calluses? “Did you like being tied up?”

His body tensed. “Why are you asking?”

She rose up slightly then settled back onto his thickening cock. “Don’t beg the question, counselor. Answer it. Did you like it?”

He frowned and averted his gaze. She lifted off him then kept herself suspended over him with his tip just inside her cunt. He growled and thrust his hips up. She hoisted herself higher to keep him from embedding himself inside her. His fingers flexed around her breasts. He thrust harder, but she stayed out of reach.

“Answer me,” she cooed. “Did you like it?”

His face crumpled with palpable aggravation as the tendons in his neck protruded. “Yes,” he finally gritted out.

“And you’re not happy about liking it, are you?” She kept a nonthreatening tone.

“Not particularly.”

She rewarded his truthfulness by lowering slowly onto his cock. “Don’t you like giving up control?”

“Does anyone?”

“If done right, it can be very freeing. Can you honestly tell me that you didn’t come like a fire hose before?” She circled her hips which elicited a gurgled groan from him.

“No.”

“Then let go. Trust me, baby. I’ll keep you safe.”

She freed his hands. He kept them on her breasts for a long count of five, then slowly raised them over his head…

About Lynda:

I’ve always loved stories, especially romances. For me the only thing better than reading a romance is writing one. That and drinking red wine while eating dark chocolate.

My romances are full of passion, with heat levels that range from hot to sizzling! I’m proud to have been a 2010 finalist in the prestigious Golden Heart®. Please join me for laughter and love, and where the good guys always win in the end.

I live in Reno with my husband of thirty+ years and our two pampered pooches.

Stalker Links…
Website: https://www.lyndabailey.net
Blog: http://www.lyndabailey.net/category/blog/
Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/LyndaBaileyRomanceAuthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/authorlyndab
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/baileylynda/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6472849.Lynda_Bailey
Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Lynda-Bailey/e/B007UQHW9E/

Hey there! I just looked at the calendar. Where has this year gone? I don’t know how 2014’s been for you, but it’s blown by me. And next week’s Thanksgiving, which means if I blink it will be Christmas. Another blink and it will be 2015! It’s time to start thinking about my New Year’s rez list. Do you do one? Do you always have “Lose weight” at the top like I do? Maybe I won’t even bother putting it on the list this year because I don’t want to bomb the first item on the first day. 🙁

So, it’s Saturday, which for some means a day off and time to kick up the feet and spend some quality “me” time. Maybe read a book…? Is that what you do? Tell me about your Saturday!

If you post a comment today, you’ll be entered
to win a free copy of the story below!

Oh, and one last thing before I share a fun excerpt from one of my favorite Lone Star Lovers novellas—I’ll be sending out a newsletter soon, filled with goodies you won’t want to miss. So, if you’re not already signed up, here’s the link: Newsletter Signup.

Breaking Leather

One for remembrance…one for healing…and one to seal her heart forever.

Lone Star Lovers, Book 4

Chrissi Page has tried to find one man who heats her bed the way the Kinzie brothers did one shameful night years ago. She’s failed miserably, leaving her with no choice but to bank that inner fire—and keep a lid on her inner bad girl.

She’d been weak, unable to choose between three men who appealed to her in different ways. And when they’d confronted her as a tease, anger had boiled over into a passion so wild, she’s still trying to live it down.

Since that night, Ezra, Cade and Joshua have individually sown their wild oats with pretty much the entire available female population of Two Mule, Texas. Yet nothing erases the attraction they still feel for Chrissi. And when she ends up stranded on the road near their ranch, it’s their last chance to turn their mutual obsession into an unusual proposition.

One weekend, three on one. If she can’t stand the heat, they’ll let her go on with her life. And try to find a way to live with the hole she’ll leave behind in theirs.

Warning: A girl who thinks she can’t have it all, and three brothers who set out to prove otherwise. One on one, two on one, and three on one; bondage in the wild; a bit of riding crop action. And a pickup truck load of emotion.

Chrissi Page raised her cell phone in the air, staring at the screen. No bars. Not even a hint of one skinny, green nub. “Oh, come on,” she moaned as her radiator hissed behind her. “Damn, damn, damn.”

She’d been tempted to ignore the CHECK ENGINE light when it first appeared, wanting to take the chance she could limp back into Two Mule. However, the steam seeping from under the hood had pretty much killed that hope.

Today was not the day for her car to break down. Not so far from town. Not so close to their ranch. Any minute now one of the Kinzie brothers might happen by.

They’d stop because they’d never leave a woman stranded.

They might not let her go because of their shared past.

And she didn’t know if she had the strength anymore to fight fate or her own inexplicable needs.

Macy Pettigrew, her best friend and boss, had sent her to the Dunstan house to make sure the owners had followed her suggestions to increase the house’s curb appeal. Never mind that there wasn’t a curb. Not really even a road—more of a caliche-covered goat trail that meandered up a steep hillside, rutted from runoff during recent summer storms.

Something must have happened to her car on the run up that hill. She’d heard the rocks pinging against her undercarriage but had been too busy thinking about Ms. Dunstan’s handsome neighbors. She’d been afraid she’d pass them or that they might stop in to see old Lettie Dunstan, the widow selling off her roughhewn, century-old home.

Chrissi had forced a smile on her face, looked at the potted plants the old woman had placed in pretty window boxes and admired the paint she’d used to spruce up the weathered door and window frames. The junk the old woman’s husband had accumulated, and that she hadn’t had the heart to part with after his passing, was gone from the front lawn. And lo and behold, grass was beginning to grow to fill in the brown patches where engines and tires had lain.

Macy would be pleased. They had a potential buyer. One who’d relayed an offer via email, which had checked out with the mortgage lender. Details Macy had been eager to handle herself, leaving the showings to Chrissi.

Chrissi heard a powerful engine rev. She slowly lowered her arm and glanced nervously over her shoulder. A metallic sage pickup truck pulled off the road behind her, and her stomach dropped to her toes. She’d known the moment her CHECK ENGINE light had shone that this was going to happen.

And good Lord, it had to be Ezra Kinzie. His dark gaze narrowed on her through the windshield, the intensity of it feeling like the hissing heat of a brand against her skin.

He opened his door and stepped down, slamming it with a decisive shove. Everything Ezra did was deliberate. He never wavered once a decision was made.

Long ago, he’d decided he wasn’t going to fight his brothers for her. If she wasn’t going to decide among them, then she’d have to take them all.

And, Lord help her, she had.

She’d never gotten over that night, had never been able to push it to the farthest corner of her mind when she lay down to sleep. Just the memory of it made her hot, cold, wet…

And horribly ashamed. Anyone could have seen them beneath the bleachers at the homecoming game. Gossip hadn’t followed, but that didn’t make her any less self-conscious when she strode down the sidewalk on Main Street.

Someone might know. Someone might tell. The thought of that sordid night being revealed left her feeling nauseated. Her life had been circumspect ever since, her love life nonexistent.

They’d left her scarred. Unable to move on.

Not because they’d harmed her physically, but because she hadn’t been able to shake off the terrible attraction that tempted her every single day since that fateful night.

Boots crunched on the gravel at the side of the road. The brim of Ezra’s straw cowboy hat left his ice-blue eyes in shadow.

She straightened away from her car and squared her shoulders.

“Havin’ trouble, Chrissi?”

“It just showed up,” she said under her breath, determined not to let him see how flustered she felt.

One side of his mouth quirked up. He glanced up at the sky, squinting against the bright Texas sun before leveling that devastating stare on her again.

Her belly clenched, and she fought hard not to give him any clues about how he still affected her. Just the rumble of his deep voice always made her think of crisp, cool sheets and hot, slick skin.

Her glance flicked over his body-hugging dark tee, noted his well-developed chest, the bulge of his biceps, his taut abdomen. She started to sweat. “Will you call a tow truck for me when you get home?”

A frown dug a deep crease between his dark brows. “Get in my truck, Chrissi. I’m not leavin’ you on the side of the road.”

“I’m not goin’ anywhere with you, Ezra Kinzie,” she said tightly.

A muscle rippled alongside his jaw. “I’m just offerin’ you a place to wait out of the sun. And a cool drink. Nothin’ more.”

His features were stern, his jaw rigid, but the heat blazing from his eyes mesmerized her, made her want to sway toward him. The intensity of that unblinking stare made her wish he’d take the decision right out of her hands. She’d never willingly take that first step. Her days of following his commands were over.

Chrissi swallowed hard and broke from his glance, looking down the road and praying someone else would appear over the crest of the hill. She needed rescuing from the deep emotions roiling inside her—from the temptation his large, hard frame embodied. However, only the shimmer of heat waves rose off the black tar.

A trickle of moisture dripped between her breasts, gliding along one curve—and just like that, her imagination replaced the slide of that hot little bead with the tip of his tongue. She turned away from him and dragged in a couple of deep breaths, trying to stiffen her resolve, but the only things hardening were the tips of her breasts. She crossed her arms over her chest and lifted her chin, then turned to aim a glare at the one man who had the power to make her knees quiver.

So many memories swamped her as she stared into his handsome, rugged face. So many regrets sat like soured milk in her gut. He’d been “the one” until she’d succumbed to a dark sensual greed.

Too bad she couldn’t turn back the clock about seven years. She’d make damn sure she’d never let him take her hand and pull her into the shadows.