Release Day for Bidding on Her Boss

Tuesday is the 1st of September, and the release day for my second Hawke Brothers book, Bidding on Her Boss. 

And what's the most appropriate way to celebrate the release of a book about a florist? Why, a bunch of flowers of course! So my plan on Tuesday is to duck out and buy myself a lovely flower arrangement. 

But that begs a question: when you receive a bunch of flowers, either from the shop or handpicked, do you stuff them in a vase, or do you rearrange?

I'm a chronic rearranger. Though, if it's clearly an artistic arrangement in the first place, I try to make as few changes as possible and really only move them around a little to match the vase shape (after trimming the bottom of the stalks, naturally).

When I was researching Bidding on Her Boss, I watched a lot of clips on Youtube. (Well, I told myself it was important research. It might have been a little bit of me indulging a hobby...)

My heroine, Faith, is a florist who works in one of the Hawkes Blooms stores. Dylan Hawke is one of the three brothers who run the company, and Dylan's area of responsibility is the retail arm - the florist stores. So, you see, with all that flower action there was a very real need for me to keep watching these videos...

And it's possible that now I'm a little addicted to flower arrangement clips...

Of course now that Dylan and Faith's book is done and will be out in the world tomorrow (and the third brother's book, His 24-Hour Wife, will be out in October), I don't really have an excuse to keep watching them. Perhaps I need to write a new series about florists...

How about you - do you plop your flowers in the nearest jar of water, or do you have an urge to play? And most importantly, do you have any flower arrangement tips for me? I'd love to hear them! 

Florist Faith Crawford has a brilliant plan—win her company's CEO at a bachelor auction and use their "date" to show him her designs. But her plan backfires when the focus of their meeting shifts from flowers to a floor-tilting kiss. 

For Dylan Hawke, it's time for damage control. Promoting the talented Faith is a no-brainer, but fraternizing with her is strictly forbidden. Dylan must remain professional—the fate of his business rests in the balance. Too bad Dylan won't rest until he gets another kiss…

Sunday Smooch with Sue MacKay

Welcome to another LoveCats DownUnder Sunday Smooch!

Today we have a smooch from Sue MacKay but first 


... the winner of last week's Sunday Smooch Giveaway is Deanna


Can you please contact Jennifer St George  at
jstgeorge.author(at)gmail(dot)com to receive your copy of The Billionaire's Passionate Revenge.


And now for today's Sunday Smooch from Reunited ... In Paris by Sue MacKay.

Blurb

A second chance ...
When Dr. Tori Wells arrives to speak at a conference in France, she finally feels as if her dreams are coming true! Until her ex-husband, Dr. Ben Wells, turns up unexpectedly...
Ben might be a changed man after his pride nearly destroyed his career, but one thing certainly hasn't changed: the way Tori makes him feel.
Reunited in Paris, the city of love, Ben and Tori are forced to share the secrets that tore them apart seven years ago. Dare they take another chance on their future - together?

Scene set-up

Ben and Tori spent the night in hospital with their friend who's had a heart attack. Now they've gone back to their hotel for some much needed sleep and breakfast, except Ben fell asleep in Tori's room while waiting for breakfast to be delivered and Tori didn't have the heart to wake him.

Smooch  -

The alarm was harsh, the bleating phone worse. Tori blinked awake and reached first for the hotel phone. There was a weight around her waist. Warm and heavy, and comfortable. Familiar.

‘Merci,’ she muttered into the phone and hung up, slid her mobile phone alarm to off.

‘That went too fast,’ Ben growled in her ear.

Rolling over, Tori came face to face with him, and this time she did run her fingertips over his stubble-darkened chin. ‘You were asleep when I got back from Rita’s room.’

‘I was drinking coffee. How did I end up on your bed?’ he whispered. Then, ‘Who cares how? I’m here and I slept.’ His eyes held the rest of that sentence. With you.

Sort of with her. Ben still lay on the outside while the bedcover hid her body from sight. Her dressed-only-in-lingerie body. ‘You’re going to have to leave so I can get up.’

‘In a moment.’ His head was inches from hers. Those startling eyes watched her with an intensity that reached deep inside her. That mouth that could do the most amazing things on her skin looked soft after sleep. His arm was still on her waist, only now she was being pulled closer to his body. ‘I’ve missed you, Tori. I’ve missed us.’

‘We were great together.’ What was she talking about? Their lovemaking? Or everything? Their life, their love, everything.

‘Did we give up too easily?’ he whispered, just before his lips brushed her forehead, then trailed down her cheek to her mouth.

‘Ben,’ she cried softly against his mouth, and her lips opened, pressed against his. Ben. Benji. Her heart.

Their mouths became one, moulded together, while their tongues got reacquainted.

I remember this.

Ben pulled her closer still so there was only the bedcover between them. All the while they kissed. Her eyes were wide open, watching him, drinking in every line, each eyebrow hair, his eyes that were watching her back. Benji.

This was us.

Kissing Benji had always been her favourite way to start the day. His passion and love set her up and made her feel good. Like she was beginning to feel now. Warmth stole from their joined mouths, moved down to her breasts and the peaks that were tightening. Down to her stomach and beyond to that place that needed Ben, had missed him for so long, was moistening in readiness for him. Could they find the way back to each other? Right now anything seemed possible.

‘Hell.’ Ben pulled away and flopped onto his back. ‘Sorry.’

Author photo

Me on top of the Eiffel Tower. What an amazing experience.

Question - Do you believe in second chances ?

Come back next Sunday, when the winner of today's giveaway will be announced and a smooch from Michelle Douglas will be posted!

Of conference, babies and other things.

When you read this I will be at the RWNZ conference in Auckland with other Lovecats - Louisa, Barbara and Yvonne. I can't wait to catch up with my writing friends and indulge in talking writing for three days.
I'm also looking forward to the Awards Dinner on Saturday night. Being the contest coordinator I have the wonderful job of announcing winners.
Then there's the Koru, RWNZ's acknowledgement of their published authors. Yvonne is a finalist twice, and I'm also one. This is the one contest I have no idea who's won so that will be fun.

Right now I need this weekend very much.
If I ever get my bag packed that is.
Chaos is reigning. Why can't I take 50kgs on the plane? There are loads of books to go up for the goodie bags, let alone those shoes and clothes.

The last few weeks in my family have been all over the show emotionally. We said good bye to a good friend.
BUT we also said hello to an absolute cutey. Our wee granddaughter arrived in a big hurry two weeks ago, not waiting for anyone. All the plans of phone calls and driving the five hour trip to be there to babysit went out the window. It didn't matter. Baby and mum are doing fine, baby putting on weight despite her small start, and mum trying not to put on any extra kgs.

Our two and a half year old grandson is not happy, blaming mummy for bringing this baby thing home. Hopefully he'll come round soon. How could he not? He wanted the baby's face covered for this photo. :)

I also sold my eighteenth book last week. Breaking All Their Rules will be out in March. So now it's back to writing the next one - if I can come up with a story line. My muse has gone on holiday at the moment - another reason to be looking forward to conference. Surely someone will inspire me? The Blenheim Writers group have all told me to take a couple of months off and focus on other things. I'm trying. :) I did not work on writing last weekend and stomped around the house trying to be busy with other things. Even got to know the vacuum cleaner. Scary.

Do you ever have weeks where everything is up, down, all over the show? How do you get back on track?

In the land of make believe…

Ever since I was a wee small thing, I’ve been attracted to places that don’t exist. Make believe worlds have always fascinated me. The thought of being whisked away to experience adventure and see beautiful things beyond the scope of the ordinary made me ache with longing.

I remember Peter Pan being read aloud to me as a tiny tot…and going to sleep hoping to wake up in Neverland.

I once stayed in the back of my grandmother’s wardrobe hoping to be whisked away to Narnia.

I formed an unbreakable attachment to Enid Blyton’s The Magic Faraway Tree as well as her Mallory Towers series. I wanted to climb The Magic Faraway Tree and have adventures (while eating honeypuffs with Moon-Face), and then race home to Mallory Towers (best boarding school in the world) to have midnight feasts with Darrell and Alicia.

Even now I’ll sometimes write fan fiction in my head where I have a starring role in Middle Earth. And Hogwarts. ;-)

Of course, not every town where I’ve set a book actually exists. And, yes, that also gives me a crazily special thrill. So you can imagine my delight when I was asked to be part of the Vineyards of Calanetti series. Monte Calanetti is a medieval village of cobbled streets in Tuscany with vineyards rolling up and down the adjoining hillsides. And you know what? I’ve discovered it’s even more fun creating a make-believe place with other people! Each of the eight of authors involved in the continuity all want to move there.

Here’s a couple of snippets describing Monte Calanetti:

The driveway in front of him stretched through an avenue of grapevines to a series of buildings in the distance. Grapevines stretched in every direction, up and down hillsides in neat ordered rows. They glowed green and golden in the spring sunshine and the warm scents and even warmer breeze tormented him with a holiday indolence he had no hope of assuming.

She led him through cool cobbled streets that wound through the town with a grace that seemed to belong to a bygone age. He found himself entranced with houses made from stone that had mellowed to every shade of rose and gold, with archways leading down quaint alleys that curved intriguingly out of view. There were walled gardens, quirky turrets and fountains in the oddest places.
 
She waved to a group of men on the other side of the square before leading Ryan to a bench bathed in warm spring sunshine. The square rose up around them in stone that glowed gold and pink. In the middle of the square stood a stone fountain—a nymph holding aloft a clamshell. It sent a glittering sparkle of water cascading, the fine mist making rainbows in the air.

It sounds gorgeous, doesn’t it? Wanna move there too?

What’s your favourite make-believe place?

REUNITED BY A BABY SECRET is available from September 1

Amazon

iTunes

Barnes and Noble

Kobo

Avagreatweekend

*****apologies in advance for higgledy piggeldy formatting. Attempting to write this on my iPad and it's not letting me fiddle with the picture layout ******

Avagreatweekend. That's what we say here in Oz. Did you avagreatweekend? All run together like that. And I'm here to tell you I had a bloody great weekend!

In fact I had a bloody great five days. Why? Well it started with a wedding. A surprise wedding - very romance writer. A bush wedding. My besties daughter and what a gorgeous bride she was! And check out the dramatic backdrop! Also my own proud mummy moment with my own gorgeous daughter being one of the bridesmaids.

And then I flew to Melbourne for the Romance Writers of Australia  conference. I caught up with a bunch of people I only ever see once a year including LoveCats Annie West, Michelle Douglas, Rachel Bailey, Bronwyn Jameson, Kandy Shepherd and Jennifer St George and to cap it all off I walked away with a Ruby!!! As did fellow LoveCat Annie West.

How was your weekend?

With Nicola Marsh and Ally Blake

With Annie West and Michelle Douglas

Gala Award Night, my RuBY winner on the big screen

No caption needed!

Welcome to another LoveCats DownUnder Sunday Smooch!

Today we have a smooch from Jennifer St George but first 


... the winner of last week's Sunday Smooch Giveaway is Debbie


Can you please contact Amy Andrews at amy (at) amyandrews  (dot) com (dot) au to receive your copy of The Colonel's Daughter


And now for today's Sunday Smooch from The Billionaire's Passionate Revenge by Jennifer St George.

Blurb

Heiress Lady Zara Ravensdale and Xavier Hunt, the gardener's son, were once inseparable. But before their romance had a chance to bloom, it was crushed by scandal and betrayal. 

Xavier is now an international celebrity and sexier than sin while Zara is deep in debt, running Ravensdale Manor as an upmarket hotel to make ends meet. Unable to forget the past, Xavier returns to the manor, determined to exact his revenge on the Ravensdale family – once and for all.

Together again, passions reignite and the old chemistry becomes impossible to ignore. But Xavier and Zara are both keeping secrets and neither can forget their troubled history. Will they be able to uncover the truth of that night or will Xavier's need for revenge tear them apart forever? 

The Billionaire's Passionate Revenge is the third book in the Billionaire series.

Scene set-up

Zara fell ill just days before she was to host a charity Fair at her ancestral family home, Ravensdale Manor. Xavier stepped in to complete the final preparations so the event didn't fail. After all, the charity was for a very worthy cause. But was his hard work only for the charity or was there something else at play?

Smooch 

‘I think you’ll find that the stables are now satisfactory for the charity auction,’ Xavier said.

He hauled open the heavy wooden doors, his muscles tensing and bunching under his T-shirt. She held herself tight, to stop herself reaching out and running her hands over those gorgeous shoulders.

‘Your new exhibition space,’ he announced with a flourish.

She stepped inside. Her eyes took a moment to adjust to the dim light. She’d explained to the fair organisers that the space would still be rather rustic but clean.

Slowly, the transformation of the space became clear. She gasped, staring, eyes wide. Xavier turned on the lights and the reality of what he’d achieved in three days was revealed. An electric tingle ran down her arms and her hands flew to her chest.

Whitewashed walls, a freshly laid wooden floor, pearly-white down lights that directed the light into all the right spaces. The beautiful old beams had been sanded back, taking off hundreds of years of muck, and had been finished with a beautiful golden stain. The natural beauty of the ancient wood shone, highlighted against the simple white walls. The old grimy stables were now better appointed than the local art gallery.

‘How . . . What . . . How . . .’ She didn’t even know what questions to ask.

He took her hand and walked her to the middle of the room.

‘Well, I was going to do what you’d planned. Clean it out and whitewash the walls, but it had so much potential. I couldn’t stop at a little paint. So I drew up some plans and called in some help.

She turned slowly around and around, drinking in the changes. Xavier had perfectly blended the old-world charm of the building with modern features. It must have cost a fortune.

The heavy pressure of panic settled on her chest. ‘Xavier, I can’t afford this.’

He held both her hands. ‘Don’t worry. I’ve got it covered.’

‘But . . . why would you do this?’ she asked weakly, not believing it was all real.

‘Well, we couldn’t let the kids down and you were sick, so. . . .’

Pure love flooded her heart. She threw her arms about his neck and hugged him tight. How could she ever have doubted this man?

‘Thank you. Thank you.’

This was her Xavier. The man she’d loved. Surely this must clear the slate of his teenage misdemeanours. He was honourable. He was ethical. He was trustworthy.

His arms circled her waist, bringing her body flush with his. So close. So close she could feel the beat of his heart. Her breath stalled.

He drew her closer. This was no friendly hug. The light caress of his breath stroked her neck. He brushed his cheek against the sensitive skin beneath her ear, then his lips followed. Fire blazed through her bloodstream. She drew in a stuttering breath.

‘Xavier,’ she whispered, her voice already altered with desire.

‘Say it again. Say my name again.’

His demand drove beads of desire deep, down low. Hell, she wanted to scream his name.

‘Xavier,’ she breathed, her lips close to his ear.

His body shuddered and he trailed kisses down her collarbone. She ran her fingers through his hair.

He straightened. The rings around his irises looked like molten gold, his eyes smouldering with want.

‘Now say you want me,’ he commanded.

His words sent a shiver of raw desire straight to her core. Zara placed her palms on his cheeks and drew his face in close to hers. The scent of cloves and raw masculinity assailed her nostrils. She dragged in a breath, dizzy with need. Her body demanded to be touched.

‘I’ve never stopped wanting you.'

* * *

The Billionaire's Passionate Revenge is out on September 15th but is available for pre-order now at Amazon, iTunes, Kobo and other e-tailers so I do hope you'll drop by your local e-book store and pick one up. 

In the meantime you have a chance to win a free e-copy if you leave a comment on this question - have you ever been part of organising a charity event - big or small? Did it all run smoothly?

Come back next Sunday, when the winner of today's giveaway will be announced and a smooch from the fabulous Sue McKay will be posted!

Smooch Graphic by WebWeaver

Come Fly With Me......

A couple of weeks ago I had the opportunity to take a flight in my brothers aeroplane. The weather was just perfect, the wind low and the experience was simply magical. Since I am chronically afraid of heights, my husband and my brother were both concerned it would be too much to handle....but on the contrary, it was amazing.

Here's the take off....

I live in a small town by the sea, but there's a larger regional town close by and the surrounding areas are a crisscross of farms growing sugar cane, sweet potatoes, strawberries and melons. Seeing it from the air in such a sweeping way was incredible. Usually a jet takes off and it's up so quickly the landscape disappears within minutes....but this was truly scenic.

As we flew along the coast we spotted fishing boats and being only five hundred feet up, it's amazing how much detail can be captured.

AND....I flew over my house and spotted my horses grazing in the paddock behind. It was just amazing.

By the time we flew back to the airport I was exhilarated and so happy I'd pushed past my fears.

Have you ever pushed through your fears or boundaries? Do you fancy a bit of bungee jumping or white water rafting? Horse riding or a trip around the city on a segue?

How Do You Choose Which Book to Buy? Annie West

Confession time here. Things have been rather frantic in the West household and I looked on the calendar and realised I was scheduled to post with the LoveCats. What to choose? With my brain scrambled by other things I thought I'd tackle and hopefully get some views on something which all authors, and some readers, wonder about.

How do you choose which books to buy?

Specifically, how do you choose which romances?

Everyone is different so I assume there'll be a variety of views.

I'd love to think lots of readers went shopping looking specifically for Annie West stories (or stories by another particular author they love). But favourite shopping only accounts for part of our buying. I for one often find myself tempted by a new-to-me-author.

Could it be the cover, I wonder? I'm sure this one of Sarah Mayberry's caught the eye of a lot of people. Would you buy based on a cover? Or would the cover attract you to take a closer look?

 

If not the cover, would you buy based on the back cover blurb? Are you a sucker for the boy next door romance or a marriage of convenience or beauty and the beast, or some other romance theme? Do you scour the books on sale to find a back cover blurb to suit your mood?

 

Are you influenced by reviews? I'm particularly intrigued by this as I hear so many different things? I've had readers mention they picked up their first book by me because of a review. On the other hand I've heard from people who seem to ignore them. But I've also had people refuse to read a book because of a review (which made me grit my teeth as the review was misleading, but that's another story).

 

Do you buy based on title? I'm particularly wondering about this as I've noticed sales of my current book, 'The Sinner's Marriage Redemption' don't seem to be doing as well as my other recent titles. I don't think it's the cover (see below). Personally I think this is a corker of a cover, with just the right intensity. Maybe it's the theme or the writing or the title. Who knows? There are so many variables it's just about impossible to pin down to a single factor. Here's the US cover in a gratuitous attempt to give it a plug!

Maybe you buy based on friend's recommendations. I do. Not always, but people who know my reading tastes have been a terrific source of suggestions for new books.

 

Or maybe it's just an ad that catches your eye. Seeing a book at just the right time, or perhaps at a reduced price can be serendipitous.

 

Finally, I know there are readers out there who won't buy without reading the first page - or the last! I've seen them browsing in stores then putting books back before making their final choices.

 

Where do you stand? Are you and impulse cover/title buyer? A dip into the text browser? Or maybe you'd like to comment on things that make you decide NOT to buy. I'd love to hear.



The Best of Melbourne

This post might seem strange coming from the girl who put a whole hemisphere between her and her hometown, but I really do love Melbourne.

Koko Black - chocolate lover's heaven!

 Many Aussie romance authors will be heading there this week for the Romance Writers of Australia conference, and I am so very sad that I won’t be there this year. But, I thought this would be a good opportunity to highlight a few of my favourite things to do in Melbourne.

Tram Car Restaurant

I’ve done this twice now and it’s a real treat. You get ride all around Melbourne on a restored tram, taking in the sights and having a wonderful lunch or dinner. Personally, I love the night tour because of all the city lights – but be warned, the food is great so you might want to wear a stretchy skirt or dress!

Get a hot chocolate at Koko Black

I might be a coffee gal through and through, but Koko Black could totally tempt me to the dark chocolate side. They do amazing hot chocolates and it’s also the perfect place if you want a nice, small gift for a family member back home. My favourite drink is the cinnamon hot chocolate and why not treat yourself to a little desert while you’re there?

Walk along the Yarra river

Morning is the perfect time to catch the hot air balloons

A necessity after all the chocolate! The Yarra is a beautiful place to wander at any time of day. Keep an eye out for the enormous geese who often frequent the area, chill out on a park bench and just breathe in the peacefulness admist the city.

 

Get a coffee

Seriously, Melbourne has the most amazing coffee of any of the places I’ve been. Anywhere in the world. There are so many great cafes to try depending on what area of Melbourne you’re in. If you want to grab a bagel with your coffee try Manchester Press in Rankin Lane, Mr. Tulk is a personal favourite and is right next to the State Library of Victoria, or try Sensory Lab coffee which is the in the back of David Jones building accessible from Little Collins street so you can indulge in a little shopping as well.

See an exhibition at the National Gallery of Victoria

Easily one of my favourite spots in Melbourne. The gallery is a great place to wander and soak in some culture, they change exhibitions frequently so check of their website to see what’s on before you go. As a bonus, it’s right near the botanical gardens so you can go for a lovely walk or have a picnic afterwards.

After writing this post I feel suitably homesick! Who’s heading to RWA in Melbourne this year and what else are you planning to do while you’re there? If you’re not going now, have you ever been to Melbourne before?

Welcome Party Winners!

Thank you to everyone who came out to help us welcome our new LoveCat, Kandy Shepherd. Welcome again, Kandy! We're so thrilled you've joined us.

It was a fab party! But now down  to business. ;-) Drumroll please for the announcement of the lucky winners of the prize packs…


Prize Pack #1
Assorted Mills & Boon and Mira titles from Harlequin Australia

WINNER: MARY PRESTON


Prize Pack #2
The Billionaire’s Passionate Revenge (eBook) – Jennifer St George
Tempted by Her Italian Surgeon (print) – Louisa George
Reunited…in Paris (print) – Sue Mackay
The Sinner’s Marriage of Redemption (print) – Annie West
Bidding on her Boss (print) – Rachel Bailey
From Paradise To…Pregnant (print) – Kandy Shepherd
The CEO’s Baby Surprise (print) – Helen Lacey
The Wife He Couldn’t Forget (print) –Yvonne Lindsay
The Bouquet List (ebook) – Barbara DeLeo
The Tycoon’s Stowaway (print) – Stefanie London
The Millionaire and the Maid (print) – Michelle Douglas
Retro Harlequin-inspired Notebook – Amy Andrews
$5 Amazon gift card – Sharon Archer
K/Candy! – Bronwyn Jameson

WINNER: DIANA TIDLUND


Prize Pack #3
The Sinner’s Marriage of Redemption (print) – Annie West
The Billionaire’s Passionate Revenge (eBook) – Jennifer St George
Bidding on her Boss (print) – Rachel Bailey
Reunited…in Paris (print) – Sue Mackay
Tempted by Her Italian Surgeon (print) – Louisa George
Hired by the Brooding Billionaire (print) – Kandy Shepherd
The CEO’s Baby Surprise (print) – Helen Lacey
The Wife He Couldn’t Forget (print) –Yvonne Lindsay
It Happened One Night Shift (print) – Amy Andrews
The Tycoon’s Stowaway (print) – Stefanie London
The Bouquet List (ebook) – Barbara DeLeo
Cat bookmark – Michelle Douglas
$5 Amazon gift card – Sharon Archer
K/Candy! – Bronwyn Jameson

WINNER: KATRINA WHITTAKER

Congratulations Mary, Diana and Katrina!

If you're a winner, contact me at michelle (at) michelle-douglas (dot) com with your postal address and I'll arrange the prizes for you.

Thanks again to all of those who helped us party! :-)

Sunday Smooch

Welcome to another LoveCats DownUnder Sunday Smooch!


Today we have a smooch from  Amy Andrews but we have some housekeeping first!

The winner of last week's Sunday Smooch Giveaway - Annie West's is Heather Northover. Please contact Annie at annie@annie-west.com







The winner of Louisa George's RITA smooch was
Malvina. Please contact Louisa at louisageorgeauthor@gmail.com 

And now for today's Sunday Smooch from The Colonel's Daughter.......

The sting of this Scorpio is unforgettably hot...

Ivy Danforth is out from under her Colonel father's overprotective control, and she's making it count. Big time. She's taken the summer off to travel through Australia with her bestie and experiencing all that life has to offer-when you're not under constant military surveillance. She wants to end her summer with some sexy fun, and she has just the hottie in mind.

Seth Rodrigo is ex-Special Forces working undercover and keeping an eye on Ivy as a special favor to her father. All he has to do is not give the game away and reveal who he really is. And especially not give into the hunger that's burning through his careful control...

Then they're forced into protective custody. Alone. Together. For four days. And this time, the Colonel's daughter isn't taking no for an answer...

Scene set-up

Ivy and Seth (who she thinks is Dean) have been holed up on a hotel room for a few days while the police hunt a drug dealer who has put out a hit on them. Ivy is trying her damndest to seduce the guy but he's taking honour to a whole new level. But then the police ring to say they've caught the guy and Ivy's not leaving that hotel room without her V-card well and truly cashed in. 

He propped his head on his hand and looked down at her before stroking his index finger down her nose and over her lips and chin to her throat. When it reached the hollow it continued lower passing through the valley of her breasts, dissected her stomach, and swirled around her belly button.

Ivy’s pulse spiked as it travelled lower and she made a little noise at the back of her throat as it slowed right down, but his gaze held hers captive and she couldn’t look away.

She sucked in a breath as his finger furrowed through the hair at the apex of her thighs and came to a stop tantalisingly close to ground zero.

“Has a guy ever made you come?”

Her eyes widened and her vocal chords almost went into paralysis at the frank question. It scandalised and titillated. So this was how the big boys played.  Her breath scorched her lungs, hot enough to ignite. “No.”

“Do you give yourself orgasms?” he asked, his eyes never leaving hers.

“Sometimes.” Bloody hell. She couldn’t believe she’d just admitted that. But his question emboldened her. “Do you?”

He smiled. “Sometimes.”

She got wetter just thinking about Dean touching himself. Would he think of her, of this, when he did it next? She hoped so. She knew for damn sure she’d be thinking about it—about him—next time she did.

His hand drifted back up again and Ivy couldn’t work out if she was bereft or relieved. He’d been close, so close. But she was happy to let him take the lead. His fingers swirled around her nipples from one to the other in a figure eight and she moaned and arched her back.

“I like watching your eyes when you’re turned on,” he said, holding her gaze. “They go really green.”

Ivy was incapable of saying anything as his fingers kept up the maddening rhythm, circling close, so close to her nipples before skating away again. “And I’m obsessed with your mouth,” he muttered, his fingers trekking up her throat to her lips, his thumb rubbing back and forth along the bottom one, her belly clenching tight. “I love your mouth.”

Ivy drew in a ragged breath at the surprising choice of words, but didn’t get a chance to respond or even process it properly before his mouth was proving just how much he was obsessed with hers.

He nuzzled it lightly, dancing a trail of wispy kisses across it, adding in tiny licks of his tongue
along her bottom lip, mimicking the path of his thumb earlier. They drove her crazy, stoking not satisfying. She chased each one, frustrated at his gentleness, trying to get him to linger, to open, to give her more.

“Dean,” she whispered against his mouth. “Please.”

His deep groan rumbling around her told her she’d discovered the magic word as his control seemed to snap, a hand planting on her opposite shoulder as his mouth opened hard and hungry over hers.

Ivy was ready, every cell rejoicing at the relentless pressure, her hand furrowing into his hair as she sought to pull his head closer, to invite his tongue in deeper, to grant him all the access he demanded, to stoke the deep well of need inside her into an inferno.

He could have all of her.

Any time.

Always.

She was always going to want this. Want him.

His mouth left hers and Ivy whimpered in protest. “Shh, it’s okay,” he murmured, his lips brushing against hers with every word, “I’ll be back.”


Are you a fan of bodyguards romances? Do you have a fav book/TV/film with this trope? I'll giveaway a digital copy (will gift from Amazon) of The Colonel's Daughter to one lucky person who leaves a comment.

Come back next Sunday, when the winner of today's giveaway will be announced and another smooch will be posted!