Writers have been creating fictional towns for as long as stories have been told. Some readers want to know why. The reasons are fairly simple. An author can create the town or even world they need in order to tell their story. When you create a world, you are able to put in landmarks, homes, shops, and everything you need. When you use a real town or city, accuracy is important and can sometimes get in the way of the story.

Then it depends on the kind of book you’re writing. Not everyone looks kindly on having their small town used in a book, especially if it’s a murder mystery or horror novel or even a romance. It can get complicated unless it’s a big city. Then no one really cares all that much.

I’ve created two small towns in my years of writing. The first was Jamesville, a small town in Maine that was patterned after the place I was living at the time. I set seven contemporary stories there.

Then there is Salvation, North Carolina. I first created this town for Stefan’s Salvation. I figured, what better place for a vampire to find salvation than a place with that name. The woods and mountains of North Carolina were isolated and perfect for the setting, so I put my own fictional town there. I went on to use this same small town in my Salvation Pack werewolf series. The vampires have never met the werewolves. Not surprising since Stefan and Laurel Rose left their at the end of their story.  🙂

Stefan’s Salvation

Dalakis Passion, book 3

Laurel Rose McCaffey never minded being branded an outsider, even when it meant carving out a solitary life for herself in the wooded hills of North Carolina. Now resort developers want to take her land, and vicious locals who stand to benefit from the deal have begun making threats. When a dark stranger enters her life, first as a protector, then as a lover, Laurel Rose is both fascinated and frightened by his mysterious power and all-consuming sensuality. But as the threats escalate into outright violence and her world begins to spiral out of control, Laurel Rose turns to the only man she knows she can trust—Stefan Dalakis, a creature of the night.

Stefan has roamed the earth for centuries in search of his one true mate, and as he becomes ever more tormented by loneliness, his every impulse compels him to unleash the raging beast within. When he retreats to the countryside to avoid harming the human population, his travels take him to a small roadside bar in North Carolina, where an overheard conversation leads him directly to Laurel Rose—and a love so complete he will do anything to save her . . . and anything to possess her.

As Stefan finds blissful release from his anguish and Laurel Rose surrenders to her first sweet erotic taste of belonging and acceptance, they must still confront the danger that presses in from every side. And when their newfound happiness faces the ultimate peril, the two outcasts must form an unbreakable eternal bond and give themselves completely to the overwhelming passion and love that engulfs them.

BUY LINKS:
Amazon: : https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07432JBP6/
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/737240
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/stefans-salvation-nj-walters/1022140515?ean=2940158788284
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/stefan-s-salvation-2

About the Author

N.J. Walters is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author who has always been a voracious reader, and now she spends her days writing novels of her own. Vampires, werewolves, dragons, time-travelers, seductive handymen, and next-door neighbors with smoldering good looks—all vie for her attention. It’s a tough life, but someone’s got to live it.

Visit me at:
Website: http://www.njwalters.com
Blog: http://www.njwalters.blogspot.com
Newsletter Group: https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/awakeningdesires/info
Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/N.J.WaltersAuthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/njwaltersauthor
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/NJWalters
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/author/njwalters
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/n-j-walters

Ready for another Night Fall tale? Love werewolves? Well, maybe you’ll want to give Long Howl Good Night a try! It’s set in the Night Fall world, but outside my vamp/were timeline, so it works well as a standalone. You honestly don’t have to read any other story in the series to enjoy this. It’s set back on Dark Mountain in North Carolina, a place I visited in Night Fall on Dark Mountain. Fertile were-lassies are rare and highly prized. Therein lies my heroine’s dilemma. She doesn’t want to be wanted for her ovaries alone. Admittedly, the story is a sex-fest. But with handsome, droolworthy were-males, that’s okay, right? 🙂 Enjoy!

Long Howl Good Night

Werewolf Aila Mack is ready to get her groove on during a full moon. Because she prefers to keep her liaisons strictly about the sex, she’s a part-time were-hooker. She’s had a taste of were-domination, but now prefers to be in charge of her own destiny.

Brothers Kynan and Jack Parker are on a mission. When their Dark Mountain clan finds an agency dealing in female werewolves, they aren’t happy learning that women are selling their bodies to satisfy their monthly howl. However, they have to take action once they discover there’s a fertile female in the agency’s stable. Their species is in dire need of breedable females.

Kynan and Jack are given the job of bringing home their mate, but they quickly discover there’s more going on beneath the surface than simply a stubborn female who refuses to be collared. Aila’s tempted like never before, as the brothers, one gentle and one fiercely intense, peel away the hard shell surrounding her Wolfen heart.

Get your copy here!

Excerpt from Long Howl Good Night…

With a shake of her head, Aila Mack tousled her curls then gave her mouth one last swipe of lipstick. Nothing spelled “hooker” quite like cherry-red lipstick and a skirt so short a sneeze would show off the half-moons of her ass.

And that’s exactly what she was—for this weekend, anyway. As tawdry as that sounded, some things couldn’t be left to Mother Nature. Not if she wanted to maintain the life she’d fought so hard to live. Sure, working as an executive assistant to bank manager wasn’t what she’d dreamed of when she was younger, but the job paid her bills, and living hidden among humans kept her free.

She stepped out of her car, tugged down the hem of her black skirt, and vamped to the door of the mountain cabin where she’d been directed by the agency.

Light glared around the edges of the curtains; smoke billowed from the chimney. The remoteness of this particular client didn’t worry her. If things got a little rough, they could easily take the action out of doors.

After shooting one last glance around the moonlit clearing, she took a deep breath and knocked.

The heavy tread of a man’s footsteps sounded on the other side, and the door swung open. Aila glanced up…and up…locking gazes with one of the most handsome men she’d ever seen—not handsome in a pretty-boy way, but his angular, hard-edged features appealed like no other’s she’d ever seen.

Coal-black hair was brushed back from his forehead and fell well past his shoulders. Chilly blue eyes gleamed as his gaze slowly raked her body. A broad, muscular chest above lean hips and powerful thighs made her hopeful that, this time, she’d find her own pleasure in the mating. She was almost envious of the soft chambray shirt and wash-softened blue jeans that hugged his large frame.

He shifted to the side and silently waved her into the room.

All that brawn. Mmm-mm.

She wished he wouldn’t speak and ruin it. Read the rest of this entry »

Lavender

When distilled, a few drops of lavender oil on a pillow aid sleep. Her lavender oil scented candles also sell well. Sometimes Viola uses it to make flavoring sachets, but it also sells well when distilled and marketed as an insect repellant.

Even the fiercest warriors love a rub down with lavender oil. It eases the pain from their aching muscles. Afterwards though, they’re not very keen on the girly smell.

Mint

Mint tea is almost everyone’s favorite. Just steep a few mint leaves in boiling water and strain. Not only is the infusion a natural decongestant, but it’s good for the digestion. Best of all, it tastes good.

Rosemary

An infusion of rosemary gives dark hair a wonderful shine. It improves the memory and helps combat muscle pain.

Saffron

Saffron helps asthma sufferers and loosens phlegm. It also boosts the body’s immune system.

Even Tempest, heroine of Claimed by the Vampire, Seduced by the Werewolf, grows these. Sadly, her magic isn’t the greatest and something always goes wrong. Like the time she summoned an ancient Spartan Vampire, or the time her demon death spell tickled her attackers. If her vampire and her werewolf hadn’t joined forces to defeat them, she’d have been real trouble. Such a shame they hate each other.

*~*~*

Claimed by the Vampire, Seduced by the Werewolf

After seven centuries, Elias, a former Spartan turned vampire, finds his eternal bride.

Seth, Elias’s werewolf half-brother, scents his mate.

Vampire and werewolf loathe each other. The only thing they agree on is that Tempest is their mate–and they’re not sharing.

A prophecy will force Tempest, a twenty-first-century witch, to choose between them. As the half-brothers vie to win her heart, they teach her about spanking, the way pain heightens pleasure, and the joy of multiple orgasms.

A vampire can’t survive without his fated bride. A werewolf dies if he loses his mate. Their future rests in Tempest’s hands. Which one will she choose?

• Note: While loosely linked to the Scattered Siblingsseries, this book may be read as a standalone story

Buy links
Loose id: https://app.bitly.com/BebnjNZnvC8/bitlinks/2pFyQ5Z
Amazon USA: http://amzn.to/2pLmmK4
Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/2pd1Hvt
Kobo: http://bit.ly/2qBMdl5
Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/claimed-by-the-vampire-seduced-by-the-werewolf-kryssie-fortune/1126320331?ean=9781682523636

*~*~*

About Kryssie

Kryssie Fortune writes the sort of hot sexy books she loves to read. If she can sneak a dragon into her paranormal books she will. Her paranormal heroes are muscular werewolves, arrogant Fae, or BDSM loving dragons.

Kryssie likes her contemporary heroes ex-military and dominant. Her heroines are kick ass females who can hold their own against whatever life – or Kryssie – throws at them.

Kryssie’s pet hates are unhappy endings, and a series that end on a cliff hanger.
Her books are all stand-alone even when part of series. Plot always comes before sex, but when her heroines and heroes get together, the sex is explosive and explicit. One review called it downright sensual.

Media Links
Website: http://kryssiefortune.wixsite.com/kryssie
Blog: http://kryssiefortune.blogspot.co.uk/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/KryssieFortune
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KryssiesFortune
Pinterest:  http://bit.ly/1OGFnjc
Goodreads: http://bit.ly/2kxqabJ
Amazon Author Page: http://amzn.to/2hA0ZVO

*~*~*

Excerpt from Claimed by the Vampire, Seduced by the Werewolf

Accepting his offer of coffee had been stupid. She knew that now. Eyes closed, she tried to picture Elias. Major fail. Her confused emotions showed Seth cradling her in his arms. She shouldn’t lust after him, not with Elias waiting for her at home.

Seth’s delicious scent—all fast-flowing rivers overlaid with the scent of ripening corn—pulled her in like a lure. His solid muscles made her want to run her hand down his torso. She loved his dimpled smile and kept stealing glances at his tempting lips. Part of her wanted to taste him right back. Damn it, I’m not a sleep-around kind of girl. With Seth, her wicked intentions punched a hole in her good-girl persona.

Determined to resist him, she shoved at his shoulder. Undeterred, he lowered his head toward hers. She ran her tongue over her lips and puckered up for him. Surely one kiss—one tiny taste—won’t hurt. Leaning toward him, she buried her hands in his curls and tugged him closer. He smiled as he moved in for his kiss, a butterfly caress that whetted her appetite and made her greedy for more. Kissing Seth seemed sensual and abandoned, a taste of forbidden fruit she couldn’t resist. Didn’t want to, really. One gentle sweep of his tongue over the seam of her lips, and she opened for him, inviting him into the damp heat of her mouth. Another moan escaped her, soft, low, and desperate. She needed him inside her, screwing her hard.

Pulling back, he cupped her cheek and gazed down at her face. His intensity, his need, and his determination to claim her showed in his eyes. She’d never felt so alive—and excluding last night—so desperate for sex.

As if in slow motion, he lowered his lips back to hers, plundering her mouth for kisses the way a pirate did treasure, and slid one arm beneath her thighs. He rose to his feet and sat her, legs open, on the table. She supported herself by putting her hands behind her as her legs dangled over the edge.

Seth shoved her skirt up her thighs, stood between her legs, and untied the bow on her blouse. The unadulterated joy in his gaze made her think of a little boy unwrapping a long-awaited Christmas present.

Thank the Goddess I’m wearing my raciest bra and panties. Her pulse rate rocketed as Seth kissed his way down her neck and ran his tongue over her breasts. It felt raspy and rough over her skin.

A needy shiver ran down her spine as he slid her blouse from her shoulders and unfastened her bra. She sat with her skirt pulled over her thighs and her torso bared for Seth’s delight. Forgetting everything except the deliciously sinful man who held her with reverent intent, she curled her arms around his neck. He’d protected her in the parking garage, comforted her, and now his lips dominated her into sweet submission. Head spinning, she clutched at his shoulders. Her pussy filled with her intimate juices, and her nipples stood like scarlet beads atop her generous breasts.

“More,” she gasped. “I need more. Make it hurt.”

Thank you Delilah for letting me come hang out today! I can’t tell you how excited I am to present Julian’s book, Ghost Wolf, for your enjoyment. Every journey begins somewhere. We met our first Enforcer, Margo, way back in Wolf Bite, when I first introduced you to Mason, Alexis and the Wolves of Willow Bend.

Margo was a tough character, and I was thrilled to explore her story in Rogue Wolf, which was the 4th book in the series. During Margo’s book, we met even more characters including the enigmatic and somewhat brutal “boss” Chief Enforcer Julian.  From the moment he was first mentioned, he captivated my imagination.

When he arrived in the flesh, late in the book, I have to confess to having chills. I wanted to know everything about him. Some facts, became clear immediately while others unfolded over time. It would take me three more books before I began to fully grasp the depth of just who Julian was and by then, I knew I had a longer journey to peel back the layers of his tale.

Here we are. Over the last several books we’ve discovered many things about the Wolves of Willow Bend. We’ve discovered what makes them strong, what challenges them, and what threatens to break them all. We’ve journeyed to every pack in the U.S. We’ve met their Alphas, their healers, and the mates who changed their lives and the world around them.

I can honestly say that Ghost Wolf, while the culmination of the journey we began way back in Wolf Bite, is not the end—but a brand new beginning.

Please accept my invitation to join me and discover Julian’s truth, the world he knows and the answer to so many questions.

I can’t wait to hear what you think!  If you’re new to me or to Willow Bend, please pick up a copy of Wolf at Law, it’s the prequel to the series and free just for you!

Before I forget, I will be at #RT17 in Atlanta. Here’s my schedule! Please don’t hesitate to find me and say hi!

Wolves of Willow Bend
 Ghost Wolf

Most Lone Wolves have a story—a pack they left behind, a love they lost, or worse, one they buried. Some leave their packs to roam because they crave freedom, and independence. Some leave because, in their hearts, they can’t bear to stay. Some leave because they see no way to go back…

Packs attacked. Humans forced to turn. Enforcers murdered. Following near miss assassination attempts on several prominent wolves, the packs are furious—out for blood and ready for war. Julian has been juggling the conflict without a real target for months. They always seem to be just one step behind the volchitsa, and even the wolves they’ve captured can’t tell them enough. With the fate of the packs resting squarely on his shoulders, Julian, the Chief Enforcer, will swallow his pride and seek out the one wolf he knows can help them all. She’s the only one who seems to know all the players and who can think like them. If anyone can find the Volchitsa, it’s the ghost he’s hunted for decades.

Dallas Dalton has lived on the run so long, she doesn’t really remember any other way of life. For an all too brief time, she had her daughter with her and the feeling of family until Julian got to too close once again. The damn wolf wouldn’t leave her be, no matter how much she’d sacrificed for him. Seeing him in Russia had been both a blessing and a curse, because no matter what she did, she couldn’t get him out of her system. Then he asked her for help…

Side-by-side, the Enforcer and the Rogue will have to work together to deal with the Volchitsa once and for all, but can they keep from killing each other in the process?

Find excerpt for Heather Long’s Ghost Wolf below.
https://books2read.com/Ghost-Wolf

Focus on Willow Bend

Series Reading Order:
Wolf at Law (Prequel)
Book 1: Wolf Bite
Book 2: Caged Wolf
Book 3: Wolf Claim
Book 3.5: Wolf Next Door
Book 4: Rogue Wolf
Book 5: Bayou Wolf
Book 6: Untamed Wolf
Book 6.5: Wolf with Benefits
Book 7: River Wolf
Book 7.5: Single, Wicked Wolf
Book 8: Desert Wolf
Book 9: Snow Wolf
Book 9.5: Wolf on Board
Book 9.75: Holly Jolly Wolf
Book 10: Shadow Wolf
Book 10.5: His Moonstruck Wolf
Book 11:  Ghost Wolf
Book 12: Ghost Wolf

About the Author

USA Today bestselling author, Heather Long, likes long walks in the park, science fiction, superheroes, Marines, and men who aren’t douche bags. Her books are filled with heroes and heroines tangled in romance as hot as Texas summertime. From paranormal historical westerns to contemporary military romance, Heather might switch genres, but one thing is true in all of her stories—her characters drive the books. When she’s not wrangling her menagerie of animals, she devotes her time to family and friends she considers family. She believes if you like your heroes so real you could lick the grit off their chest, and your heroines so likable, you’re sure you’ve been friends with women just like them, you’ll enjoy her worlds as much as she does.

Contact Details:
Website: http://www.heatherlong.net
Email: heather@heatherlong.net
Bookbub:  https://www.bookbub.com/profile/heather-long
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Heather-Long/e/B002BMBCUC/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/HeatherLongAuthor
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/HVLong
Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/iKxQ5

Excerpt of Ghost Wolf by Heather Long

“Miss Dalton, there’s a procedure to these things…a custom.”

“Of course there is,” she replied, whirling to walk backwards and look at him. “There’s protocol to every interaction we have. Boring, staid, mired in way too many years of history because some overactive dominants need to have their asses kissed.”

“Are you finished?” He halted, and though his expression didn’t change, she knew she’d reached the end of the little path so she stopped, too. They were a safe distance from the pier and alone with the rocks and the sea.

Tilting her head, she considered whether she was done. “No,” she said after waiting a beat. “I think it’s important to establish where we both stand. You bark orders to total strangers and think it’s okay. I don’t listen to orders from people I don’t know, much less respect, and I definitely never kiss an ass.”

Folding his arms, Julian released a sigh. Impatience seemed to thread through his posture. Satisfied she’d found a chink in his armor, Dallas smiled.

“There, I’m done. We understand each other.”

The wolf shook his head slowly. “You are a piece of work, Dalton.”

“Maybe, but I bet you think I’m groovy now…” The tease elicited the first hint of a smile on his stone cool face.

The man had a gorgeous smile, and her tummy did a little flip. Would he play with her?

“You are something,” he said, conceding, and she resisted the urge to cheer. “Now, you’re going to listen to me or I’ll put your smart mouth on a bus back to New York with a note to your pack to keep you caged until you learn some manners.”

Dammit. So much for playing. “Boring,” she sighed. “Fine, do your worst. Give me the lecture.”

There should be a rule about stone cold foxes being stone cold meanies. Folding her arms, she met him glare for glare.

“How the hell did they let you out of your pack?”

“Because no one can keep me where I don’t want to be.” Not anymore.

It would be her mantra. She was free.

She planned to stay that way.

I definitely enjoy a good Christmas story. The cheery and poignant ones are very nice, but I have to admit I have a weakness for holiday horror. Growing up, my favorite moment in every version of A Christmas Carol was when the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come appears.

As an adult, I’ve made it a tradition to watch Christmas horror movies at this time of year. Today I’d like to share some of my favorite holiday horror with you and if you have some scary Christmas favorites, please let me know so I can add them to my watch list!

1. And All Through the House (Tales from the Crypt Season 1): This was probably the first true Christmas Horror show I ever watched and it’s still among my favorites. A woman and her daughter are stalked by a maniacal Santa on Christmas Eve. It’s scary but like most Tales from the Crypt shows, it has moments of humor, too. It’s definitely at the top of my holiday horror list.

2. Sint (Saint): In this movie, St. Nicholas isn’t jolly old Santa–he’s a supernatural murderer. Very creepy!

3. Jack Frost: A human killer becomes a killer snowman in this slasher-type holiday horror movie.

4. A Christmas Horror Story: I just saw this one recently and from now on it will be on my yearly list of holiday horror. Several different stories are linked in this creepy Christmas anthology. My favorite is the one about Santa fighting zombies!

Whether you like your holiday entertainment scary or sweet, I hope you have a safe and happy holiday season!

Kate/Saloni

Yule Tied – Under the Mistletoe

by Saloni Quinby

M/M Erotic Werewolf Romance

Alone in Scotland on Christmas Eve, Vilek thinks his luck has turned when he finds a castle on the moors. Seeing candles and mistletoe in every window, he assumes it’s a friendly place, filled with holiday spirit. Unfortunately, the sole occupant, handsome but grumpy Leland Reid, is less than welcoming.

Leland’s ancestral home is the site of a rare portal that once a year can allow demons to pass from their world to ours. As a warrior witch, Leland’s duty is to keep the portal closed and defend the castle from beasts that wish to set their evil kin loose on our world.

The last thing Leland wants is to entertain a guest, yet he has little choice but to invite Vilek in. He doesn’t realize that Vilek is no stranger to magic and is fighting demons of his own. Only together can they hope to survive Christmas Eve and find a love neither expected.

From Changeling Press

About Saloni Quinby

The child of a painter and a psychic dreamer, Saloni Quinby feels spirituality and storytelling go hand-in-hand. She loves the scent of gardenia, the sound of wind chimes and the taste of honey. By listening to what isn’t said, she creates works based on unspoken desires. Saloni prefers blurred gender lines and many varieties of romance. In a world where passion must at times be restrained, she believes erotica is a pleasure to be shared. With her stories she would like to make her fantasies yours and hopes you enjoy the ride. She also writes under the name Kate Hill. Please visit her online at http://www.kate-hill.com, http://www.twitter.com/katehillromance, http://www.twitter.com/compbeastsblog and https://www.facebook.com/kate.hill.92505.

I’m up to my eyeballs in work! For months, I’ve eked out little stories here and there, edited and released golden oldies, but there were so many distractions (kid’s surgery, grandma’s fall) that writing took a back seat. Today is the day I get back in the saddle. I have three things to accomplish today:

1. Work on edits (two chapters) for a client
2. Work on edits of the next Night Fall story, Truly, Madly…Werely
3. Write a chapter of Flashpoint

Not much, right? Well, I have a window without responsibilities or kids, so I’m taking it! Watch me fly! Where’s the coffee?!

Comment for a chance to win one of these stories!
“Attagirls” would be helpful!

Wolf in Plain Sight

“[Wolf in Plain Sight] has suspense, intrigue, and surprises that grab your attention and never let you go until the last page.” ~ 5 Stars, Just Erotic Romance Reviews

“A wickedly funny and passionate series, fans of paranormal erotic romance will enjoy [Wolf in Plain Sight] tremendously. Ms. Devlin has done it again!” ~ Romance Reviews Today

“Her realistic writing of well-packaged vampires and werewolves leaves the reader thirsting for the forbidden and a driving need to be possessed within her erotically charged worlds.” ~ 5 Blue Ribbons, Romance Junkies

To Super-cop Max Weir, the only good vampire is a dead one. Since his special police unit integrated with vampires, he’s had to suppress his natural hatred to work side by side with the undead to hunt down and terminate the deadliest killers. Now the unit’s hot on the trail of a new menace in town, a pack of werewolves prowling for vampires who don’t care whether humans get in their way.

When a stakeout goes awry, Max enters a bar looking for a fight or woman to help him blow off a little steam. What he finds is a winsome siren whose sexual appetites match his own.

Vampire Pia D’Amato is on a secret mission to take out Max–either by seduction or turning him. He’s become a liability to the Masters’ Council setting up jurisdiction in southern Florida, and she’s not leaving until she’s done the job. But Max is more man than she bargained for with a deadly secret of his own.

Enjoy this sexy excerpt!

Pia D’Amato wondered how things had gotten this out of control so quickly.

She’d planned to play hard to get ever since she’d glimpsed him striding toward her. His large, heavily muscled body had radiated hunger, and he’d moved with a rangy, masculine grace that raised her nipples in an instant to full alert. When his gaze had found hers, she’d felt the searing heat of his brand.

Never one to question the vagaries of fate, she accepted that tonight was meant to be.

His golden eyes had honed sharp as an eagle’s on a bunny rabbit. Assholes she could deal with, and she’d prepared her standard rebuff. However, the hint of wary desperation—and his expectation she’d resist—made her hesitate. She’d sensed he needed to win their battle of wills, but that he also needed her to give him hurdles to overcome. Why pleasing him became important mystified her.

Not that she intended to refuse him.

Then she’d found herself uncharacteristically tongue-tied, overwhelmed by his relentless pursuit. At first, all she could do was blink dumbly and try her best not to drool. What woman could resist the mesmerizing intensity of a full, frontal assault?

His gaze had stripped her while she sat on her bar stool. The look he’d given her once he’d finished said he’d staked his claim. If any other man had so blatantly given her that once over, she’d have delivered a set down he’d not soon forget.

But Max was a man like no other. He embodied a mix of strength, stubborn determination, and an underlying vulnerability she was sure he kept buried from the world. Already, he attracted her—madly.

When his jean-clad thigh had scraped the tender flesh between her legs, she’d laughed at herself, at her eagerness to rub on him like a cat in heat. And she’d thought to manipulate him!

All she wanted was him—inside her. Now.

He turned his head, and his hot mouth kissed each thigh, the scrape of his evening shadow glancing against the lips of her pussy. Covered by the sheerest silk thong she owned, she felt moisture dampen them in an instant. As uncomfortable as she found her perch, there was something pretty damn exciting about having all this mega-male’s attention concentrated on the core of her femininity.

His gaze smoldered, and his nose twitched as he inhaled deeply. But he didn’t give her the kiss she wanted. He really was going to wait for her to ask him sweetly before he plundered her body.

The man was blatantly male; he called to her body on its most primitive and elemental level. Built large and rugged, his shoulders were so broad they easily spanned her spread thighs. His biceps were so thickly muscled they strained the arms of his dark T-shirt.

His face was too hard and masculine to be handsome. A square jaw, heavy brow, and a broad nose that was slightly askew on his face, were a match for his rough and ready attitude. He was too much man to manipulate. Too much man to refuse.

His hot breath gusted against the wetness gathering at her entrance, and her belly tightened around a coil of desire so strong she trembled.

But her pride demanded she couldn’t beg for release. Bad enough he’d managed to ride roughshod over her willpower. She still wasn’t certain how he’d managed to get her into this predicament—holding on to the top of a bathroom stall with her legs draped over his shoulders—waiting for him to fulfill the promise in his golden gaze.

And why her? She took a deep breath and glanced down her body. Why had he chosen her? Had she somehow given herself away? Or was she just an easy conquest to him?

While the thought rankled, she had to admit, the evidence was pretty damn convincing. She was after all splayed wide for his taking, her small breasts squeezed beneath the hem of her halter. Her nipples constricted so tightly they begged for attention.

Like she would have to beg if she was ever going to feel the warmth of his mouth on her dripping sex.

And how long had it taken him to convince her? Fifteen minutes? Maybe.

He tongued the crease between her thigh and her pussy, wetting her skin. The air conditioning cooled on her open thighs. The contrast of the cool air on her crotch, and his warm hands, each cupping a bare buttock, drove her over the edge. To hell with who had control. And to hell with the last remnants of her dignity. She needed his mouth on her most intimate flesh.

“Please,” she said, surprised by the husky timbre of her voice.

He kissed her thigh. “I like the way you say that, but I want the words, baby,” he said, and lapped at the fabric covering her sex again.

Her womb tightened. He wanted the coarse, nasty words—the ones that made her flinch. Saying them would strip away any pretense she might want to keep for her pride’s sake that this was anything but what it was—a physical mating, a carnal fuck.

Pursing his lips, he blew a stream of warm air over her damp flesh.

Her breath caught on a sob she didn’t know was coming. “Eat me, Max.”

His lips lifted, baring his straight, white teeth. Not a smile—more an animalistic grimace of triumph. His hands slid from her ass and around the tops of her thighs. They met at her mons.

Oh God.

He bent his head and licked the seam of her pussy through her underwear. He rubbed his tongue over her, pressing into the silk, poking inside her opening to swirl his tongue in the shallow sheath he’d made.

She moaned and felt her womb clench. All too soon, it wasn’t enough. Why hadn’t she taken off the goddamn panties?

One clever hand tugged rhythmically at the strap that rode between her buttocks, drawing the elastic tightly against her anus. The other traced her slit through the crotch of her panties.

“More, please,” she begged, looking away from the hard-faced man who was quickly ratcheting up the heat of his caresses.

“Tell me you want me to fuck you with my fingers,” he said, his voice rough as gravel.

Oh, yes. She pumped her hips, eager for him to hurry.

“No, baby.” He nipped an outer lip through her panties. “Tell me.”

She gritted her teeth. “Please, fuck me with your fingers,” she said, her voice rising. “Please fuck me, Max.”

With his nose, he nuzzled aside the crotch of her panties, and his tongue touched her directly for the first time, delving between her labia to flutter the tip against the notch at the top of her slit.

Pia nearly screamed, biting her lips to hold it inside.

His gaze slammed into hers as he curved his fingers to plunge inside her.

She wished he wouldn’t watch her so intently. She didn’t want to reveal how vulnerable she felt this near to release. Or how close she was to tears at the powerful rush of desire that swept through her.

“Come for me, baby,” he growled, while pressing his fingers deeper. Then his lips closed over her clitoris, and he sucked—hard.

Pia flung back her head and howled, her body shuddering as the coil unwound, pulse by pulse.

When finally her climax waned, she clung limply to the wood, gasping for breath, her body sagging.

He kissed the nest of hair that covered her mound before sliding her soaked panties back into place. “Come home with me.” Not a request. But not exactly a command. His expression betrayed his naked need.

Naked as hers still was.

Her throat closed. This powerful but needy man was her quarry, and she’d betray him tonight.