I love Montana. I mean, who wouldn’t? It’s like the contemporary version of the wild west with wide-open spaces, big, blue skies and mountains so rugged they pierce the horizon. My grandmother’s family is from Montana and many of them still live there. Her grandmother crossed the prairie in a covered wagon to stake a claim on the grasslands with a view of the Crazy Mountains in their back yards. My great-uncle was the sheriff of the small town where they grew up. He was also the mail man. When there were only so many people to do the jobs, you had to double up to get them done. The ranchers and farmers who still live there are as rugged as the hills and take care of their own.

I couldn’t think of a better place for my SEAL Hank Patterson to call home. He knew hardship and discipline before he joined the Navy and trained to become a SEAL. His upbringing made him the man he is. Now he’s back and starting a new life in the place of his birth. Saddle up and come along for the ride.

MONTANA SEAL

Brotherhood Protectors Series Book #1
Coming November 17, 2015
Free on Kindle Unlimited. Preorder now!
Amazon  | Amazon UK

Former SEAL and shining Hollywood starlet struggle against their burgeoning desire while trying to stay alive in the crosshairs of a murderous stalker.

Hank “Montana” Patterson never thought his call to duty would force him to leave his band of brothers in the Navy SEALs to return to the family ranch in the foothills of Montana’s Crazy Mountains. News that his father was shot, sends him rushing home to take over the reins of the Bear Creek Ranch. His forever belligerent father refuses his help, insisting Hank find the person who shot him. What Hank learns is the bullet was meant for the neighboring ranch owner, a Hollywood celebrity, a beautiful actress who once stole Hank’s heart.

Hometown girl, now a Hollywood temptress, Sadie McClain shot to fame and fortune on the big screen, earning her star on the walk of fame and a stalker who won’t back off. Escaping to her ranch in Montana, Sadie hopes to avoid her stalker, only to be hunted there as well. In need of a bodyguard with combat skills, Sadie hires her old flame, Hank to do the job.

Together they struggle to overcome their rekindled desire while fighting to stay alive in the crosshairs of a madman.

About the Author

Join my newsletter for a chance to win this great prize. Only subscribers are eligible for the drawing. I’ll choose a winner on Nov 1^st when my next newsletter comes out.

Elle Jame’s Newsletter

New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author ELLE JAMES also writing as MYLA JACKSON is an award-winning author of stories including cowboys, intrigues and paranormal adventures that keep her readers on the edges of their seats. With over eighty stories in a variety of sub-genres and lengths she has published with Harlequin, Samhain, Ellora’s Cave, Kensington and Avon. When she’s not at her computer, she’s traveling, snow-skiing, boating, or riding her ATV, dreaming up new stories.

Elle’s Links: Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | GoodReads | Newsletter | Amazon Author Page

My husband and I took the Celebrity ship, the Solstice, on a cruise that took us to Istanbul, Turkey for two days and a day in Kusadasi, Turkey.  I went to the Blue Mosque that was built in Istanbul by the Moslems five hundred years earlier.  It was beautiful, deeply peaceful feeling and all the people who visited it from around the world, fell in love with it.  You didn’t have to be of one specific religion to appreciate the beauty of the architecture, the respect and humbleness of all those who set foot inside (without shoes), to feel that incredible ambiance.  I sat there with a scarf over my head thinking that if only I could take the utter love within this mosque and spread it around the world, we really could have peace on this poor war-torn planet of ours.

On that same cruise, we sailed to Greece.  This was a lifelong dream fulfilled for me.  I wanted to go to the Acropolis, Pallas Athena, goddess of wisdom, temple.  I got to go there and sit and admire the incredible beauty of the alabaster columns in the sunlight, knowing that where I walked, Athenians over two thousand years before, had walked.  The Greek people were welcoming, warm, playful, and in love with life.

I wanted to take these incredible experiences I had and create a global family saga. I created Dilara Culver, the mother of Tal, Matt and Alexa, her children.  She owns and runs the largest charity in the world: Delos.  The nurturing qualities of the Turks, their fierce love of family, of supporting and being responsible toward the community, were all a part of her.  And because she came from one of the wealthiest family’s on the planet, she wanted to give back to those who had little or nothing.  Delos charities were born.

I took all the sights, the sounds, the tastes, the scents, the textures and colors of these two countries and decided that I wanted to build a family saga out of them.  Turkey sits between two huge continents….Europe and Asia.  It is a cosmopolitan, forward-looking country.  Dilara Badem fell in love with handsome USAF Captain Robert Culver.  When they married, they brought three continents together between them with their love.  And from that love came three children, Tal, Matt and Alexa.  They were fifty percent American, forty percent Turkish and ten percent Greek.  They mirrored our world that we live in today.

To find out more about them?  Just go here: About the Delos Series

I had to make family trees of the far-flung family.  And I had to go back several generations especially in the Turkish family, which was a lot of fun.

There is the American tree, the Turkish tree and finally, the Greece tree: The American Family Tree

You can also download Dilara Badem-Culver’s Greek and Turkish family tree here: Greek and Turkish Family Tree

Nowhere to Hide

Releases October 13th!

Lia Cassidy left the Army scarred physically and emotionally after a vicious attack by two fellow soldiers. She turns to helping others, working at a Delos Home School Charity in Costa Rica that aids abused women and children. But when the deadly drug lord, La Arana, attacks the school, Lia finds herself on the run for her life. The only person she can trust is the ex-SEAL sent to protect her.

Cav Jordan is strong, honorable and gorgeous…and intrigued by Lia. He knows she has suffered pain in her past, and he is determined to break through her barriers and earn her trust. But as Cav slowly chips away at the walls Lia has built, ghosts from her past threaten to destroy their fragile relationship.

Fall is my favorite time of year. In addition to cooler weather, the excitement of the approaching holidays crackles in the air. Spring colors enchant me; Fall creates electricity which enlivens my imagination.

My latest flight of imagination is a new western historical romance series called BRIDE BRIGADE, and JOSEPHINE is the first release.  Eventually there will be seven books in this series. Names of the diverse heroines to follow are Angeline, Ophelia, Cassandra, Lorraine, Rachel, and Prudence. Due to fitting these around other scheduled projects, Bride Brigade books will be spaced out over the next six or seven months. I hope you’ll read each one.

I have to admit I love the name of my fictional town, Tarnation, located in the Palo Pinto Mountains of North Central Texas just north of present-day Interstate 20. Every state has numerous unusual town names. This one makes me smile every time I use the word but I know why the town is called by that name. You have to read JOSEPHINE to find out.

Here’s the synopsis of JOSEPHINE:

Josephine Nailor is desperate to escape a terrible situation. When the opportunity arises via a newspaper ad, she and her best friend slip away from their oppressive fathers and head for Richmond.  Neither can relax until they’re far away from their tiny hometown. With wealthy young widow Lydia Harrison’s help, Josephine and six other young women have a new life waiting in Tarnation, Texas.

Michael Buchanan is fairly content running his mercantile and being mayor of Tarnation. The town is dusty and tiny, but it’s growing. He believes it holds all he needs to be happy—except a wife. There are no available women in town, but he hopes Lydia Harrison’s Bride Brigade will offer a woman he can wed. He is immediately attracted to Josephine.

But Josephine has every reason to mistrust men in general and politicians in particular. Will her misgivings ruin her chance at happiness?

Here’s an excerpt from JOSEPHINE:

Josephine stepped from the stage and stared at the men assembled. Every muscle and bone in her body ached from the long ride from Fort Worth. A breeze swirled dust from the street without cooling her skin.

She thought she’d been prepared for a small western town, but Tarnation shocked her. There were only a few stores. Surrounded by low hills she learned were called the Palo Pinto Mountains, the town must not have over two hundred residents.

One of the tallest and most handsome men she’d ever seen stepped forward and removed his western hat to display thick dark hair. His electrifying blue gaze locked with hers until she pretended to check her purse.

He said, “Welcome to Tarnation, ladies. Nice to have you back, Mrs. Harrison, Mrs. Gaston.”

Lydia brightened in spite of her exhausted appearance. “Girls, this is our mayor, Michael Buchanan, who owns the mercantile. The man beside him wearing a badge is Sheriff Adam Penders.”

Inwardly, Josephine cringed. Barely off the stage and already she encountered the mayor and the sheriff. While they were both nice looking and neither leered, she certainly wouldn’t trust either man. She’d hoped to reach a safe haven where no one knew her and she’d be free of her father and crooked politicians.

Josephine had no intention of being at the mercy of any man ever again. She’d look for some means to earn her own way. Glancing around the businesses, she realized her choices were severely limited.

The other men pressed forward and Josephine took a step backward. Mayor Buchanan raised his arms. “Gentlemen, please don’t crowd. You’ll all have a chance to meet the ladies soon. They’ve had a long journey and are doubtless tired. Give them time to get settled. In the meantime, give a hand with the luggage.”

In an instant, the trunks and cases that weighed down the stage were unloaded and hefted. Lydia led the girls, many of whom chattered excitedly. Following behind, men joked and talked while they carried the women’s belongings.

Lydia turned in at a neat gray clapboard home trimmed with white and wine. A painted picket fence surrounded the front yard. The house was huge, by far the largest in sight. Josephine believed this home would have been elegant in Virginia before the War. In this dusty Texas town, the effect was astonishing.

Lydia smiled graciously. “Thank you for your help, gentlemen. I’ll be sending each of you an invitation to our social events later.”

*~*~*

Buy Links include:

Amazon http://amzn.com/B015M4FJUY  in print or e-book
Apple https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1041863831
Kobo https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/josephine-25
Nook http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/josephine-caroline-clemmons/1122676778;jsessionid=93795F25673A572EB3B4D1AC1378BDCA.prodny_store01-va10?ean=2940152308112  in print or e-book.

Caroline Clemmons is an Amazon bestselling and award winning author of historical and contemporary western romances. A frequent speaker at conferences and seminars, she has taught workshops on characterization, point of view, and layering a novel.

Caroline and her husband live in the heart of Texas cowboy country with their menagerie of rescued pets. When she’s not indulging her passion for writing, Caroline enjoys family, reading, travel, antiquing, genealogy, painting, and getting together with friends. Find her on her blog, website, Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, Google+, and Pinterest. Subscribe to her newsletter here to receive a FREE novella.

Thanks to Delilah for sharing her blog with me today.

Have you ever wished on a chip?

After a recent trip with my boys to the orthodontist, we stopped at Subway for lunch (an ortho appointment ritual) and each got a meal deal that included potato chips (one of my greatest weaknesses). The first chip I pulled out was a wish chip and I asked my boys if they knew what a wish chip was. Neither of them did. Since we don’t keep potato chips in the house (I mentioned that whole weakness thing, right?), this was not a parental fail … and nothing that I couldn’t correct.

Do you all know what a wish chip is?

It’s a chip that’s folded over. You put it on your tongue, careful it doesn’t touch the side of your mouth or teeth, make a wish, then crush it between your tongue and the roof of your mouth (that’s my favorite part).

Silly, right? But it’s so fun. A boyfriend taught me about wish chips over 25 years ago and even though he wasn’t worth keeping, the wish chip knowledge sustained. After all, if you’re going to eat something that has the potential to kill you (sodium, fat, pure bliss), you may as well enjoy it thoroughly!!

The heroine in my January release, Marrying For Love, loves potato chips as much as I do (except she gives in to the weakness constantly). Jill has a 14-year-old son and she taught him early on about the magic of a wish chip.

In my December release, The Sound of Circumstance, Stacie’s weakness is Chai Frappuccinos from Starbucks – and yes, that’s another little piece of my reality that has made it into the stories I write. I believe there’s no bad mood a Chai can’t fix. By the way, my boys insist on hitting Starbucks after the orthodontist and we always pray for a streetside parking space because that’s the only way I’ll stop. So far, we haven’t had an ortho trip that hasn’t included a stop for Chai.

What quirky things do you do with food or weaknesses do you have? I’m giving away a $5.00 Amazon gift card, drawn randomly from everyone who responds before October 11, 2015.

About the Author

Big dreamer and certifiable overachiever Susan Ann Wall embraces life at full speed and volume. She’s a beer and tea snob, can be bribed with dark chocolate, and the #1 thing on her bucket list is to be the center of a Bon Jovi flash mob.

A national bestselling author, Susan’s newest novel, The Sound of Circumstance, is available for pre-order at the links included below!

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1jA1sXU
Barnes and Noble: http://bit.ly/1j5yGPa
iTunes: http://apple.co/1jA1pvo
Kobo: http://bit.ly/1O4RZ6k

Learn about all of Susan’s books at www.susanannwall.com and connect with her at the links below:

Facebook:  www.facebook.com/susanannwall.author
Twitter: https://twitter.com/@susanannwall
Pinterest:  www.pinterest.com/susanannwall
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Susan-Ann-Wall/e/B007NZU7X0
Goodreads:  www.goodreads.com/susanannwall
Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/nQ7wH

Well, it is October so discussing paranormal romance seems appropriate :-} Besides, it ties in so nicely with the lovely Venetian mask I’m giving away 😉

I write erotic romance inspired by the classics. That focus allows me to follow wherever the original story leads me. So far it has led me to contemporary cowboy romance, sci-fi romance and paranormal romance. Erotic paranormal romance is what I call my sweet spot. I don’t know about you, but I really enjoy reading paranormal because I’m never sure what kind of world I’ll discover.

Like most, I’m a fan of a good shifter or vampire romance as much as the next person. But I also like angels, ghosts, curses, special powers and anything else that might make the ordinary, extraordinary. In my own stories, I have all different types of paranormal:

In Masque, there are 73 ghosts and a hero who has been alive for over 150 years.

In Passion’s Poison, the heroine is cursed with genetic poisonous orgasms.

In Passion of Sleepy Hollow, the Sleepy Hollow village of 1790 appears in present day only one weekend a year.

And in my soon to be released Pleasures of Christmas Past, the Spirit of Christmas Past falls in love.

What type of paranormal romance is your favorite? Has there been one that was truly unique that you enjoyed? It seems a good time of year to take stock. After all, Halloween is at the end of this month 😉

That’s why I’ve made October my annual Mask Giveaway Month. I can’t leave Delilah’s blog without giving readers a chance to win one of the 7 hand decorated Venetian masks I’m giving away this month! And to celebrate this year, I have re-released Masque with a hot new cover. Here’s a short excerpt for your reading enjoyment, and don’t forget to enter the Rafflecopter for a chance to win. Good luck!

Always, Lexi
www.lexipostbooks.com

Rena Mills plans to turn an abandoned abbey into a haunted bed-and-breakfast to prove she can be successful without her ex-fiancé. What she finds inside is Synn MacAllistair, the distinguished, self-proclaimed Ghost Keeper. Her dreams soon fill with sexual cravings for him. But are they dreams?

Synn, born in 1828, is determined to free the souls of the resident spirits, blaming himself for bringing the Red Death that killed them. When Rena steps into the old Pleasure Palace, he’s sure he can take her through the after-midnight Pleasure Rooms and stoke her passion to complete the Masque so the souls can cross over. Her innocent fire makes him crave more, but it’s far too late for him.

As Rena begins her erotic journey, her heart becomes more involved with every sensual caress until she discovers by completing the Masque she would lose her ghosts. Synn’s betrayal wars with her compassion for her ghostly friends. Torn, she must make a choice between her financial security and freeing seventy-three trapped souls. Either way, she could lose her Synn.

Masque Excerpt:

Rena spun at the deep voice that caressed her senses. Before her stood a woman’s wet dream come to life, though as a respectable woman, she shouldn’t be having wet dreams, or so she’d been informed.

The man looked as if he’d stepped out of a nineteenth-century drawing room, except his coffee-brown hair hung loose about his shoulders. She was pretty sure it should have been tied in a queue to be proper. His entire demeanor projected upper class from his sharp nose, to his angular chin outlined by a neatly trimmed beard, to his broad-shouldered stance. A rather tall stance it was too, with one snugly encased leg crossed over the other. But his eyes stupefied her. They appeared gray, ancient, yet flickered with bright shards of blue.

Valerie recovered first, brandishing her tightly held candelabra as she stepped forward. “Who are you and what are you doing in here?”

He straightened and gave them a formal bow. “My name is Synn MacAllistair. That is Synn as in S Y N N. I’m the caretaker of the ghosts.”

Rena took a deep breath. She could feel her cheeks heating as his voice reverberated through her body. Sin fit him. When he moved his gaze from Valerie to herself, his intense scrutiny warmed her. She swallowed. “Uh, I didn’t think anyone lived here.”

His stare held hers captive. “I do.”

Valerie retreated to stand next to her. “Oh really. With a padlock on the outside of the gate?”

He raised his right brow, the look of arrogance worthy of Mr. Darcy. “There is a postern gate.”

Rena racked her brain. She’d heard that word before. Oh yes. “I thought only the owners of a castle knew the secret to that rear exit.”

He raised his brows together. “That is true but I desi—discovered it while following a small boy around the Abbey.”

Valerie crossed her arms. “A small boy?”

“Yes. The children in the neighborhood dare each other to get close to the Abbey. They want to see the ghosts, who are quite harmless to humans.” He gestured to the housekeeper. “Mrs. McMurray here will become more solid as the full moon approaches and will be pleased to help you in any way she can.”

They turned and stared at their ghost, having forgotten her. The older woman nodded vigorously, her white cap covering her gray hair falling to the side. Mrs. McMurray’s plump frame included pudgy arms sprouting from a short-sleeved blouse and a white apron that protected her skirt, but from the knees down, she didn’t exist at all.

Rena’s heart pounded. A real ghost. If what Synn said was true, that the ghosts would become solid, the possibilities for her new venture were endless. Could the ghosts serve breakfast to the guests? How would she pay them? She couldn’t resist asking. “Are you the one who keeps it so clean in here?”

Mrs. McMurray blushed and nodded again. She actually blushed.

Synn clarified. “She and a dozen maids have kept this place clean for centuries in the hopes that someone would come here to live. Do you plan to stay?”

She turned to answer him, but Valerie gave him a disapproving look. “The real estate agent didn’t say anything about anyone living here.”

He sighed, clearly bored. “No, I imagine he didn’t. He is what we refer to as a lickfinger.”

Rena chuckled at the strange word. She couldn’t help it. It sounded backward.

Valerie didn’t find the expression funny. “Well, you need to know, Rena owns this castle now, abbey, whatever you want to call it, and she has the right to throw you out.”

Rena grabbed her arm. “Valerie.” She changed her warning tone to a more pleasant octave as she addressed the sexy man in front of her. “You are of course welcome to stay, Synn. Perhaps you can help us understand the ghosts, the history of the Abbey and anything else that might be helpful.” She smiled encouragingly. She didn’t want him to leave.

He gave her an arrogant nod. “I would be happy to be of service. Perhaps I should start by helping you to bring your personal items upstairs as the footmen will not be solid enough to lift anything for another week.”

Another week? How strange. She didn’t remember seeing anything on television regarding ghosts changing with the moon. “Thank you. That would be perfect.” She could tell Valerie didn’t trust him. She, on the other hand, was thrilled to have him in the Abbey. Anyone who could help her succeed was welcome. The fact that the man was incredibly hot didn’t hurt either.

He nodded once and held his arm out to her. She looked at her friend and shrugged, then looped her arm with his. The second they made contact, a sizzling sensation raced across her skin.

He didn’t move. Did he feel it too? He gazed down at her, his face serious. “Shall we?”

She nodded, her throat having closed at his look. There was something sensual about his lips. They were strong, full and serious and made her want to taste him. Sheesh, hadn’t she learned anything from her failed engagement? She needed to keep her libido under control. Men like Synn wouldn’t appreciate her scandalous thoughts. Besides, who used phrases like “shall we”?

a Rafflecopter giveaway

We writers get asked all the time: “Where do your ideas come from?”

The answer to that is easy or hard, depending on your POV, the time of month, whether you’ve had your daily infusion of coffee… Okay, so they come from everywhere, and sometimes, from mysterious dream demons.

Can you tell it’s 2:42 in the morning after I dosed myself with Tramadol for a killer backache? So, I’m suffering from insomnia and a hazy fugue. I was lying there in bed, thinking about inspiration, and wishing my mind would just stop working because I really need to sleep, but this idea I had today wouldn’t leave me alone. Why today, you ask? Because I was invited to be part of a box collection with a very short deadline, and adrenaline works wonders for stimulating the muse!

I’m rambling. I know it, but right now I don’t care, because the idea I had wasn’t a new one. It was an old one I stalled on and killed over a year ago, but which now feels alive and well. Ready for another SEAL story? How about a SEAL helping a woman with PTSD? Not a soldier, a cop.

She dreams about her dead ex-partner every night, and wakes up after having experienced a change to the memory of that horrible day she lost her love. She can’t move past it, because it feels fresh every time she closes her eyes.

So, what’s a girl to do? Screw a SEAL. Well, of course, it’s not quite that easy—well, she is, because she just doesn’t give a damn and wants to feel something again. Plus, maybe if he exhausts her she’ll get some sleep. Okay, so maybe my needs and my PTSD-suffering cop are getting confused here. I really should try to go back to bed.

The only thing I know for certain is that I want to use this photo as a backdrop for the cover. Because hey, a girl can only move on if she goes island-hopping, right? Again, maybe I’m confusing my needs with hers.

So, want to help me with a title?

I thought “In Dreams” would be nice and very relevant to the story, but that’s been used quite a few times.

Then I thought, “In Her Dreams”, but again, it’s been used a time or two and very recently. So, no.

I started thinking about songs with “dreams” somewhere in the title, and came up with “Dream a Little Dream”—but it’s too sweet, too used, and now I have that Mama and the Papas song playing in my head.

This story is the next in the Uncharted SEALs series, following Watch Over Me, Her Next Breath, and Through Her Eyes. I did think about “SEAL in Her Dreams”, but I didn’t use SEAL in any of the previous titles, and hell, SEAL this and that has been used-used-used! And I guess for very good reasons!

What do you think? Should I chunk “dreams”? Do you have an idea for a title? Don’t be afraid to just put something out there. You may have the perfect title, or your title might spark an idea!

I’ve written two superhero adventure novels so far starring Chloe, a young woman who discovers she has previously unsuspected superpowers. Readers are fine with that part. What they don’t like is my heroine’s taste in men.

She broke up with a perfectly nice boyfriend, a computer nerd, comics geek, and good partner in goofy adventures. She threw herself into a fling with a ruthless executive type who never tells her the same thing twice, tends to go behind her back and not inform her what he’s up to, and who also is great in bed.

I’m not writing romance as such, but my readers still get all upset over Eric. The beta readers who see the stories before they’re published actually write notes to Chloe saying things like “Don’t do it! Don’t believe his lies!”

I made this guy up. He’s not real. He’s not even a superhero. But he’s hot in that Mad Men or bad billionaire way: He has power, he likes power, and he uses it for his own ends. Maybe sometimes he’s on the same side as the heroine. Maybe sometimes he’s not. Men like this DO get women to fall for them. Maybe they don’t keep them. Maybe they don’t even want to keep them. Or maybe they do, but the men themselves always come first in their calculations, not the women they’re sleeping with.

I’m tickled that I have created a man who is this true to life, but I’m a little sorry readers don’t seem to appreciate the fantasy thrill of a fictional relationship with Mr. Wrong. No harm comes to the heroine in my stories. She does get upset over Eric, but she’s a superheroine. She figures it out. Maybe that’s the underlying issue. Do readers worry that my heroine—or they themselves?—won’t be strong enough to resist the charms of a Mr. Wrong?

Temporary Superheroine is on sale at Amazon. Special discounted price October 8 through October 17. http://amzn.to/1L25FOw

Crisis at Comicon  (Temporary Superheroine Book 2) is available at a discounted pre-order price at Amazon: http://amzn.to/1FCz0id

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EXCERPT FROM TEMPORARY SUPERHEROINE:

“Chloe.” Eric determinedly came close to me so our breaths began to mingle. He eyed me with warmth and put a large hand on my shoulder, leaning in as if to kiss my cheek in greeting. I shrugged off both. I hadn’t forgotten he had snubbed me this morning. A lifetime ago.

“Chloe,” he repeated insistently, and leaned down and kissed my lips lightly, before I could fend him off again.

At the touch of his lips, secret parts of me started to melt. I feared they weren’t secret from him. I steeled myself and stated my mission. “I came for my amulet, which you stole.”

“I knew you would.” Eric smiled his predatory smile.

Ignoring his effect on me wasn’t working. I melted even more.

“I even told Bodacious Barb to make sure to tell you I had it,” he said.

“Why?” I was mystified. Eric was always a step or two ahead of me. In addition to all his worldly advantages, he simply was an ace manipulator.

“To bring you back to me,” he said. “I wanted to apologize for my cold shoulder this morning.”

“When you dropped me like a used tissue.” Since he’d given me the opening to talk about his behavior, I didn’t see any reason to sugarcoat it.

He had the grace to wince. “Is that how I came off? Sorry. I recognized the amulet last night while we were—ah…” He paused, obviously seeking a polite way of saying we were having sex.

“While our clothes were off,” I said flatly. “Continue.”

His expression was charmingly rueful. “I wanted to. So I didn’t question you about the amulet then. You wore me out, girl, then disappeared too fast.” He gave me a frank look. “I always thought women liked to cuddle afterwards, but when I woke, you were gone.”

My face had turned hot as he reminded me of the details of our time in his bedroom. Which had been too wonderful and had scared the hell out of me. Could my vanishing act have bothered him? My experience with men told me he was giving me a line of bull. When they’re done, they want you gone. At least the guys like Eric who can have any woman, because they are physically attractive and have money and power. He radiated virility. He could regularly sample a variety of women. I didn’t flatter myself that he cared about me.

“So?” I asked, refusing to soften at his confession. I wanted to hold onto my anger at him. Then he wouldn’t be able to play me. Again.

“This morning, I didn’t know what to think, and I backed off.”

“Oh, cut the crap, Eric.” I glared at him.

BIO:

Award-winning author Irene Vartanoff has combined her love of romances and comic books by working for Marvel Comics and DC Comics as well as Harlequin, Bantam, Berkley, and My RomanceStory.com. Her first superhero adventure novel, Temporary Superheroine, was quickly followed by her first sweet contemporary romance novel, Captive of the Cattle Baron. Irene is also the author of several romance graphic romance novellas including Breaking All the Rules and The Egyptian’s Texas Spitfire. Under her comic book nom de plume, Poison Ivy, she contributes to the MyRomanceStory.com blog.

Thanks!
Irene Vartanoff
Writer & Editor
irene@irenevartanoff.com