Bad boys of romance blog hop winners

Thank you to every one who participated in the blog hop, and to everyone who left comments.

The three winners of my contest have been picked, and here they are:

Congratulations to Rachel M, Laura M and Susan P!

Jess

Luke Struthers, band manager or bad boy?

 

————–

Returning to the Speed series and looking at Bad Boys Of Romance, I’d like to introduce you to Luke Struthers – if you haven’t already met him.

Luke is Speed‘s indispensable band manager. He’s also Zachary Pace/Jonah Speed’s closest friend and Seth Pace/Jordan Speed’s sometimes lover.

Luke comes from bad blood. Real bad. And he has no doubt he’s just as bad as the mean bastard who fathered him. Which leaves him struggling with his feelings for Seth. Because much as Luke wants to be with him, he knows he’ll only be trouble.

Why don’t you decide if Luke’s a bad boy…

COLORS OF LOVE: The blurb

Their true colors are hidden…until one woman turns everything upside down.

Speed, Book 2

Seth Pace, guitarist of the rock band Speed, is a born dreamer, and nothing stands in his way of making those dreams a reality. Except when it comes to band manager Luke Struthers. He’s everything Seth wants in a partner, but even after five years of perfectly explosive sex, Luke refuses to commit.

After a childhood ravaged by abuse, Luke knows he’s a potential danger to anyone foolish enough to love him. Seth is safer without him, but Luke has no idea how to cut him loose painlessly. Until he spots Seth’s kind of woman—pretty, smart, friendly. The plan: seduce her into a sexy threesome, then leave the two alone to fall in love. Problem solved.

A night of excitement with the two hottest men on the planet? Yeah, baby! Yet Kaz’s inborn ability to read auras tells her something isn’t right. It’s obvious Seth and Luke are madly in love, but subtle clues in Luke’s aura signal he’s up to something. She’s not sure what, but if she doesn’t do something quick, the two men she’s quickly come to adore will wind up without the happily ever after they both deserve.

Warning: One man + one man + one woman = a whole lot of steamy two-way and three-way M/M & M/M/F sex, a hero or two to drool over, and a heroine who recognizes true love when she sees it.

COLORS OF LOVE: An Excerpt

“Don’t make this about me.”

“It’s always about you, Luke. It has been since I was fifteen years old.” Seth stood with a feline grace, his lean legs closing the distance between them in six loping strides, and poked Luke in the chest. “You’ve been my dream since the Christmas you came home from school with Zachary.”

Shit, the kid and his dreams. They might have been the birth of all things Speed, but for sure, they’d be the death of Luke. Seth spent his days lost in thought, lost in all the wonderful, magical possibilities of what could be. He imagined the ideal and then set about making it a reality. It was Seth who’d sat him, Nathan and Zachary down one evening and told them it was time to stop fucking around. Time to start dreaming big. To reach for the stars. Seth who’d described his vision for Speed and looked to his brothers and Luke to make it happen.

Luke pushed his hand away firmly, conscious that his chest tingled where Seth had poked it. “I was never your dream, kid. I was just a childhood fantasy. Your big brother’s friend. The one who understood you, appreciated your unique needs. The one you could identify with. That’s all.”

“Bullshit.” Seth’s hand was back on his chest, this time holding a handful of Luke’s shirt. “Fantasies aren’t real, but dreams can always be realized, no matter how big they are. And you were my biggest dream of all. You still are.”

He’d stepped closer, and the lemony tang of his aftershave slipped into Luke’s consciousness. Seth was barely old enough to shave. No reason he should be wearing the damn stuff. Especially not when the scent made Luke hard as a rock.

Goddamn it. He was no good for Seth. No good at all. Couldn’t Seth sense that about him? Luke would taint his dreams and sour his fantasies. He’d take all that was good about him and blacken it with his dark heart, his volatile moods and his rotten genes.

He had to let go, had to push Seth away before he hurt him emotionally and physically—just like his father had hurt his mother. And him.

“Step back, Seth. We’re not doing this now.”

Seth looked at him with heavy-lidded eyes. Eyes that brimmed with desire. “Not doing what, exactly?”

“Not doing the getting-naked thing. We’re talking song lyrics, that’s it.” It would help a whole hell of a lot if he actually believed what he’d just said. But he’d never stood a chance against that look of Seth’s.

He was far too pretty for his own good. With his perpetual unshaven cheeks and low-slung jeans—which covered a prime, male ass—he was, quite simply put, beautiful. And when the beautiful kid looked at Luke with his eyes at half-mast and his face an open book of intent, Luke knew he was in big trouble.

His cock stiffened, making him squirm in discomfort.

Seth read his reactions all too easily. His gaze dropped to Luke’s groin, and he smiled.

Fuck. “Okay, so apparently we’re not talking lyrics anymore.” Luke sighed. “Go to bed, Seth. It’s way past your bedtime, and you have a concert in less than…” He glanced over at the clock on the DVD player. “Eighteen hours.”

Seth’s hand dropped to Luke’s waist. He gripped his belt. “Go to bed with me, Lucas. We can realize my dreams together. We can write a whole new set of lyrics together.”

Luke tried to regulate his breathing, tried to steel himself against his persistent craving for Seth. He shook his head. “I can’t help you change the words. I can’t give you what you need. You know that.”

“That’s what you always say, and then you kiss me, and suddenly I have everything I’ve ever needed, ever wanted, pressed against my lips.” Seth looked so deeply into Luke’s eyes, it took a second for Luke to realize his fingers had moved again. Now both of his hands were on Luke’s stomach, exploring beneath his T-shirt, making their way upwards, finding his nipples.

Luke tried to keep his distance. Tried not to give in to Seth’s words or his scent or his proximity. Holy fuck, he tried. But…Jesus, Seth knew how sensitive his nipples were.

Shivers tore up his spine.

Maybe aggression would work better. It always had for his old man. A good backhand across the cheek or a fast jab to the stomach and his father got whatever he wanted. “Seth—”

Fuck! Not so easy to speak between gritted teeth. He gave up trying and shoved Seth instead. Shoved him hard.

Or he attempted to, anyway. But the second his hands found Seth, instead of shoving, they grabbed, tightening around his shoulders and hauling him closer.

————

Colors Of Love is available now from your favorite online bookstore: Samhain, Kindle or Nook

Now, don’t forget about the contest I’m running for The Bad Boys of Romance Blog hop:

1) A $10 gift voucher from Samhain Publishing

2) A $5 gift voucher from Samhain

3) A choice of one ebook from my backlist

To enter, leave your email address in the comments, and head on over here: a Rafflecopter giveaway (All email addresses will be added to my newsletter.)

AND… for the Grand Prize Rafflecopter, click here: a Rafflecopter giveaway To follow the tour click here:  Bad Boys of Romance Giveaway Hop

Jess

GLBT month going strong at the Down Under Divas

President Obama has declared June National GLBT month in America. In honor of this move, we’re holding a GLBT week over at the Down Under Divas.

This is the blog I just posted there:

When I wrote my first MMF romance, I had several heated discussions with my friends about about why I chose to write this genre. The discussions always amused me. Not because anyone criticized in anyway, and not because they disapproved of the same sex aspect of the romance. They simply couldn’t understand why I’d choose to write MM love scenes as opposed to FF ones. Male and female friends alike all emphatically believed FF loving was way more appealing than MM.

Now I guess I could have chosen to write FFM romance, but the truth is, it doesn’t hold the same appeal to me. I love exploring the dynamics of the MM relationships – simply because it is so foreign. It’s the one thing that as a woman I will NEVER be able to explore personally. And perhaps it’s the mystery of something that I can never be a part of that makes the genre so appealing.

I’ve written three MMFs now and still haven’t quelled my appetite for this particular combination of lovers. The first book I wrote featured MM action only within the threesome. The second had some hot man on man loving separate from the menage and the third featured a MM happy ending. Each book has gotten more explicit and more focused on the men.

The first one I wrote, the least explicit, holds a special place in my heart simply because it was my first. (And yes, we all love our firsts!) I reread some of it now for this blog post, and realize I may have used a ton of cliches while writing. But still, I love the book, and thought I’d post a excerpt for your enjoyment and in honor of GLBT month in the USA.

GOING ALL IN

The higher the stakes, the harder they fall—in love.

(Three Of A kind, Book 1)

Julia Savage’s weekly poker games are tearing her apart. She’s in love with two of her fellow card players, and much as she’d like to pick and confess her true feelings to one man, she won’t. Not if it means risking the love of the other.

Hunter Miles has wanted Julia for four months, and he’s about to deal a hand she couldn’t see coming. He’s determined to give her a New Year’s Eve celebration she never expected. He’s going to seduce her—in front of his friend and rival for her affections, Jay Baxter. But Jay’s not willing to lay down his cards. He’s going after Julia too, and he’s not above bluffing to get what he wants. Either way, one of them is going to win her over.

Unless they change the rules of the game. If they double up, there’s a chance they can split the pot…

Warning: this book contains two hunky heroes, a heroine worth betting on, sizzling hot three way action (m/f/m and m/m/f), a whole lot of unexpected fireworks, and a New Year’s Eve to remember.

AN EXCERPT:

If possible, Hunter’s cheeks turned even redder. “Don’t push me, Jay. I’ll kick your sorry ass out of the door faster than you can blink.”

Jay raised an eyebrow. “So that’s what you want to do with my ass? Kick it?” He snickered in obvious disbelief. “Mate, after the quality of that blowjob, I think there’s a lot more you want to aim at my ass than your foot.”

Julia’s jaw dropped open.

Hunter’s chair crashed to the floor. He was on his feet and advancing on Jay at killer speed.

“Hunter. No!” She grabbed his arm, trying to yank him to a halt. Her shoulder about jerked out of her socket before Hunter reacted to her anxiety and stopped.

“I’m sorry, Jules,” he said without looking at her. He stared daggers at Jay. “But you need to let me go. Now.”

Damn it, so much testosterone flooded the room there was only one way this argument was going to end. With someone lying on the floor, injured. While Jay might be taller than Hunter, Hunter was broader. It was anyone’s guess who’d be the first man down.

Jay stood a little straighter. “No worries, Jules. You can drop your hold on him.”

Not a chance. The muscles bulged in Hunter’s arm, warning Julia he was preparing to throw the first punch.

“See, he’s not going to hurt me,” Jay explained as he stared straight back at Hunter. “He doesn’t want a fight. He wants…this.”

To Julia’s flabbergasted surprise, Jay flashed Hunter. Even from five odd paces away, she could see the way Jay’s cock stood proud and erect. Good God, he was turned on. With all the craziness going on around them, he was aroused.

Before she had a full second to process her thoughts, Hunter had ripped free of her grasp and leapt at Jay. He landed against him with a sickening thud. The force of his attack sent them both crashing to the floor. Jay landed on his back, spread-eagle. Hunter landed on top of him.

Hunter pulled back, lifted his arm and clenched his hand into a fist. He looked murderous.

If his hand connected with Jay’s nose, he’d break it.

Jay said something in a voice so soft Julia couldn’t hear. But Hunter did and he froze. He relaxed his hand then clenched it into a fist again. Then relaxed it.

Julia dropped to her knees, closer to the men. When Jay spoke again, she heard him.

“It’s what you want, Miles.”

“No, Baxter.” Hunter’s hand formed the fist again. Muscle strained in his back and neck. “What I want is to smash your teeth in.”

Again Jay spoke too softly to hear.

“Never,” Hunter roared and his arm flashed through the air.

Before his fist met its target, Jay flipped them both. This time Hunter landed on his back, with Jay on top of him, pinning his body down with his chest and holding his arms with his hands. They were inches away from Julia.

“You’re lying,” Jay snapped. “You want it as much as I do.”

“I want Jules, you stupid fuck. Not you.” Hunter panted as Jay pressed his weight on his chest.

“Then why do you have a massive hard-on?”

Hunter bared his teeth. “It’s adrenaline, asshole. I’m about to beat the shit out of you, and I’m excited by the thought.”

Jay shook his head. “You want to fuck the hell out of me, dickhead.”

“It’s Jules I want to fuck. You I’m gonna beat to a bloody pulp.”

“You want to fuck both of us.”

To Julia’s astonishment, Jay twisted his hips, as though dry-humping Hunter.

“Fuck you,” Hunter bellowed.

“As you wish,” Jay shot back and dropped his head fast.

For the second time in minutes Julia stared slack-jawed. Jay crushed his mouth over Hunter’s in what could only be a bruising kiss.

Hunter froze for a second before roaring back to life. Sheer brute force must have motivated him. Jay lay like a dead weight on top of him, yet in a blur of motion the men rolled a second time, and once again Hunter was on top. “Goddamn you, Jay,” he snarled.

And then his lips were on Jay’s, his tongue pushing for entrance into the other man’s mouth. The kiss looked like a violent scuffle, or a nasty battle of wills, and Julia feared one of them might do permanent damage to the other.

But Hunter gave a small moan, and the fight seemed to ebb out of him. His arms relaxed and the tension in his back visibly slackened. Any violent undertones dissipated in the air around the two men.

Julia watched, gobsmacked, as Hunter’s mouth began to seduce rather than attack, as Jay’s arms wrapped around Hunter’s back and his hands traced the outline of his spine and shoulders. She watched as the kiss transformed into a seductive sharing of passion rather than a lethal end to a friendship.

Jay was right. Hunter did want him.

Had he wanted Jay all along?

—————–

Going All In is available at all your fave ebookstores, including Samhain, Amazon and Barnes & Noble

Jess

More Than Friends is now available

I’m thrilled to announce that More Than Friends, the first book in a brand new series, More Than… is now available for download.

(Insert mad happy dancing here)

More Than Friends: The Blurb

He was her best friend…until he became her fantasy.

A More Than story.

Lucy Lawson’s got it bad. Bad as in stunned speechless by the situation she’s in, by the feelings sitting on her chest, ready to explode. She’s in love…with her best friend.

Problem is, telling Sebastian Blackford could destroy the best thing in her life, but the longer she keeps her feelings under wraps, the stronger the need to spill her secret.

The last thing Seb suspects is that his best mate is madly, wildly in love with him, or that he’s the star of her seriously dirty fantasies. Worse, he’s just started seeing someone he’d like to see again–and Lucy knows it.

So why does her confession hit him like a runaway train? And why can’t he get her explicit description of her fantasies out of his mind? They’ve never been more than friends, but now that he knows how Lucy feels, everything is out of whack.

Seb figures it’s up to him to get their relationship back on track. He’ll do it too, just as soon as he establishes which track is the right one.

Warning: After reading this, you may just be tempted to jump your best friend. It’s recommended you keep your partner on speed dial or a toy with fresh batteries on standby.

————–

More Than Friends: An Excerpt

He pulled away and looked upward, beyond the ripped shirt, beyond the shredded lace bra and up to her face. The stream of tears trickling down her cheeks hit him like a blow to the gut.

His Loo, still trembling from the violence of her orgasm, stood slumped against the wall, crying. Her free hand—the one that wasn’t linked through his—covered her eyes, and her head drooped forward, brown curls cascading over her shoulders.

Seb bolted to his feet. Disentangling his hand from hers, he cupped her chin and cheeks between his palms and urged her to face him.

She refused.

“Look at me.” He was pressed close to her lower body, his clothed erection now nestled against her bare belly, and the knowledge nearly sent him over the edge.

As it was, he burned for release, burned with the impulse to come. He needed only to free his junk, pump himself once or twice and he’d blow like a crazed man.

But he fought back that primal drive. His orgasm was irrelevant compared to the woman sobbing against him.

Seb placed a thumb under her chin and forced her face up. Brown irises shimmered behind her tears, and as another drop escaped, he brushed it away. Her sobs wrenched his gut.

“Tears?” The word was a question. Just one word, because Seb’s heart had stuck in his throat, making speech difficult. Watching her cry tore him clean apart.

Her response was just as verbose as his, only a lot shakier. “Why?”

“Why?”

“W-why did you do that?”

“That?” Jesus, his head wasn’t working properly. His brain was still absorbed by the taste of her pussy, the feel of her cunt, the throbbing in his cock.

“This,” she corrected, her voice thready, her chest heaving. “Me. Naked. My clothes ripped. My… You…” She shook her head and closed her eyes, squeezing out more tears.

“You, my what, Loo?”

“You made me come.” She gulped in air. “Tore my shirt, my bra. Got me naked, and made me come. W-why?”

Seb blinked, the fog finally beginning to clear from his head. Why indeed?

“Why?” she asked again.

“I couldn’t not.” That was the best answer he had. The most honest one. “I followed you in here because I was scared you’d refuse to see me again if I didn’t. I wanted to be here, to talk to you, be with you, get us back on track. But then you showed me the bath, and you said you’d fucked yourself in it, and suddenly it was the only thing I could think of, the only thing I could see. You, naked and masturbating. Fuck, I needed to see it again, for real. Wanted to see it so bad it wiped rational thought from my mind.”

He’d acted on instinct. Experienced an impulse and followed through on it, without stopping to consider what he was doing or why. He’d wanted and he’d taken. Had Lucy not begun to cry, he’d have continued taking, continued licking her until he’d wrenched another orgasm from her tasty cunt. Maybe another two. Or three. The way he’d felt as he’d knelt before her, lost in his feeding frenzy, he wasn’t sure two or three more would have been enough.

He wasn’t sure a hundred orgasms would have satisfied him. He’d have been content to keep going until the only thing stopping him was sheer exhaustion—on Lucy’s part.

“The thought of you touching yourself was the sexiest thing I’d ever imagined. Made me hard as a fucking pole. But watching you do it? Seeing you with your hand on your pussy? Geez, imagination has nothing on you. Nothing.”

She swallowed, the muscles in her neck working against his forearm. “H-how did it make you feel?”

He grinned then and rocked against her, rubbing his erection against her bare belly. “You can’t tell?”

A shudder passed through her, but she shook her head and pressed her hand to his chest, right above his heart. “No, I mean, how did it make you feel in here?”

At that question, he faltered.

How did it make him feel emotionally? Hell, he didn’t have a clue. Hadn’t stopped to think about it. He hadn’t stopped to think about anything apart from how much he wanted her and how determined he was to have her. Physically, he felt fan-fucking-tastic.

Emotionally?

_______________

Purchase Links for More Than Friends:

You can buy your copy at Amazon, Samhain, Barnes & Noble or Kobo.

More Than Lovers, book 2 in the series releases on the 17th of September

&

More Than Words, book 3, releases on the 12th of November.

Happy reading,

Jess

The More Than series – a little sneak peek

I’m in the middle of edits for the second book in the More Than story, More Than Lovers. We’ve passed the hurdle of all the major edits, and now we’re just waiting to hear back from the line editor.The edits came through at a very apt time, seeing as I’m hard at work finishing the third book, More Than Words.

Since I have the More Than series front and foremost on my mind, I thought I’d post excerpts from the books over the next three days.

So let’s start at the beginning, with More Than Friends, which is currently all wrapped up and awaiting release on the 28th of May.

MORE THAN FRIENDS: The blurb

He was her best friend…until he became her fantasy.

A More Than story.

Lucy Lawson’s got it bad. Bad as in stunned speechless by the situation she’s in, by the feelings sitting on her chest, ready to explode. She’s in love…with her best friend.

Problem is, telling Sebastian Blackford could destroy the best thing in her life, but the longer she keeps her feelings under wraps, the stronger the need to spill her secret.

The last thing Seb suspects is that his best mate is madly, wildly in love with him, or that he’s the star of her seriously dirty fantasies. Worse, he’s just started seeing someone he’d like to see again—and Lucy knows it.

So why does her confession hit him like a runaway train? And why can’t he get her explicit description of her fantasies out of his mind? They’ve never been more than friends, but now that he knows how Lucy feels, everything is out of whack.

Seb figures it’s up to him to get their relationship back on track. He’ll do it too, just as soon as he establishes which track is the right one.

Warnings:  After reading this, you may just be tempted to jump your best friend. It’s recommended you keep your partner on speed dial or a toy with fresh batteries on standby.

MORE THAN FRIENDS: An Excerpt

“You’re worried about how I might behave tomorrow? How I might distance myself from you? I’m trying to focus on taking one breath after the next so I don’t roll up in a ball and die from your rejection. Trying my hardest just to deal with you standing here, so close I can touch you.” She took a shuddery breath. “So close it…it hurts not to touch you.”

She grabbed two handfuls of her lustrous curls and tugged on them, her white knuckles making her frustration that much more obvious. “It’s ripping my heart out. You’re ripping my heart out. Playing hell with my sense of self-preservation and self-worth. All I wanna do is throw myself into your arms and kiss you for the next year. Rip off your shirt and your pants, and fuck you like there’s no tomorrow, and all you wanna do is…is have a heart-to-heart. Work out the finer details of how we can still be friends.”

She grabbed the last remaining bag and marched out of the kitchen, yelling over her shoulder. “Don’t you get it?” Her voice grew even louder—and wobblier—as though she fought back either tears or fury. “I need you to get out of my place so I can breathe again, so I can find my balance. I don’t need you worrying about how I might act tomorrow.”

And with that she disappeared down the passage and into her bathroom.

He should go, should respect her wishes and leave her in peace. But Seb was too damned selfish to do that. Too damned concerned he’d lose her forever if he did, so he went after her, yelling, just like she had.

“No. It’s not okay. I know you too well. If I leave now, if I leave you to nurse your wounds alone, I’ll never hear from you again. I’ll be another guy you don’t talk to. Another loose end you tie up by ignoring me.”

He marched into the bathroom after her, found her slamming toiletries into the cabinet over the basin. Dove soap, Colgate toothpaste, Herbal Essences shampoo and conditioner. “I’m right, aren’t I? That’s how you intend on getting through this. By pretending I don’t exist.”

She didn’t turn around, didn’t modulate her tone. She just kept yelling. “I’ll deal with it however I need to. And right now that means you leaving me the hell alone.”

Seb was having none of it. He wasn’t going anywhere, and he wasn’t leaving her the hell alone. Instead he got in her face. Grabbed her by the shoulders and squeezed between her and the vanity, holding her still and forcing her to look at him.

She struggled to free herself, so he just held her tighter, pulling her closer, immobilizing her against his body.

“I won’t do that. And I won’t let you ignore me. I won’t let you pretend I don’t exist. I’m not one of them. Not an ex you can cut out and never think about again. No matter how unnecessarily embarrassed you might be now, you’re my friend, my mate, and I refuse to let your feelings for me come between us. Refuse to let you go because this is all making you feel a little awkward. We’re better than that. We’re stronger than that. Whatever’s going on, we can get through it together.”

“Get through it?” Rage blazed in her eyes. As did shame. “Get through it? Jesus, Seb. I masturbated in that very bath.” She jerked her head to the side, indicating the tub. “Fucked myself and fantasized it was you fucking me, and you want us to get through it? I don’t think so. I think I’m way past that point.”

Seb couldn’t help himself. He looked at the tub. And just like that, he was hard again. Painfully hard.

As fast as his head filled with images of a naked Lucy, lying in her bath, immersed in water with her hand buried between her legs, so blood filled his cock.

________________

More Than Friends is available now for pre-order from Samhain, Barnes and Noble and Amazon.

Jess

Rhythm Of My Heart: A sneak peek

(As posted on the Down Under Diva blog – because I have become very lazy with this blog, and keep forgetting to post to it!)

Just two weeks ago I typed those two little words every author strives to type:
The End.

The book I’d been working on was finished, the manuscript complete. The third book in the Speed series was finally done. Zachary Pace/Jonah Speed had his story.

I’d love to tell you I felt fantastic. Love to tell you I was on a high from the accomplishment. After all, I’d been waiting a year to write this book. A year to find the story and put it in words. But the truth is, when I typed those two words I felt a horrible sense of loss. I was saying goodbye to the characters I’d spent so much time getting to know and understand.

I’ve been living with these two characters for fourteen months. Listening as they whispered in my head, giving hints of their lives to me. I’ve also lived in utter frustration, desperate for them to give me more than a sentence or two every now and again. So when suddenly they started talking and refused to shut up, I sat up and took notice. And six weeks later, their story was told. But in the process of them telling their story, I grew rather fond of Zachary and Eve. So much so that I’m still thinking about them all the time. I’m not ready to let them go just yet.

And so even though their book only releases in October, I would love to share a snippet of their story with you. So here you go. This is the first kiss in the third book of the Speed series:

RHYTHM OF MY HEART (An unedited sneak preview snippet)

Her eyes closed and she let out a soft moan of pleasure.

“Good?”

Eve’s “Mmmmm” reverberated down his spine and echoed in his groin.

How the fuck could eating a chocolate turn into the most erotic encounter on earth? Eve made it look like she was lost in the throes of spectacular sex. The woman had a chocolate in her mouth, that was all. Yet the bliss on her face and satisfaction in her soft moan had Zachary hardening to a point of pain.

Christ, he hoped no one noticed.

She chewed, her red lips a beacon to his gaze.

He wanted to kiss her, wanted to mold his mouth to hers and taste the pleasure on her breath.

Yeah. Not going to happen. Not here, in a room packed full of curious eyes and cameras.

“If you carry on chewing like that,” Zachary’s voice was a low growl, “like you’re about to have an orgasm, I am going to throw you under the table and eat every last bit of you.”

Eve’s eyes popped open, and she swallowed quickly. “You know it would be way simpler if you just ate the truffle?”

“Maybe. But it wouldn’t taste half as good.”

“You know what you are, Jonah Speed?”

Aroused? Frustrated? Horny? “What am I, Eve Andrews?”

“A first rate, grade A flirt.” She lifted a second truffle to her mouth and licked it. Those cherry-red lips of hers framed the milk chocolate, and her tongue was just visible, dabbing at the treat.

The room full of curious eyes and cameras faded to insignificance. Sound faded too. The chocolate and Eve’s lips were his sole focus. His sole desire.

With one hand, he plucked the saucer from her hand and set it on the table. With the other he plucked her hand from her mouth and tossed the half-eaten chocolate over his shoulder.

Before she had a chance to object—and by the look in her eyes she intended to object, vehemently—he yanked her against him, bent his head and kissed her.

Just claimed her mouth with his, taking advantage of her surprised gasp to slip his tongue between those cherry-red lips and sample the chocolate she’d just licked.

Jesus, fuck. She was right. The chocolate wasn’t just good. It was delectable. Mouth-watering. It blew his mind. And he hated chocolate.

Eve sagged in his arms, as though she’d turned boneless. He hauled her closer, molding her to his body, squashing the rose between them. Her soft curves pressed tight against his firmer bulk. She clutched at him with one hand, grabbing his arm, squeezing it, then slowly letting her hand skim up over his shoulder until she buried it in his hair.

Her tongue drifted over his, toyed with it. Tasted him like he tasted her. And damned if it wasn’t the sweetest, hottest kiss Zachary had ever shared.

He kissed her harder, lost himself to the creamy, rich flavor of Eve and chocolate.

The chocolate had nothing on the woman. Couldn’t compete with her.

Lights flared against his eyes. Once, twice, a million times. Fireworks? From a kiss? That was a first. Not surprising though, not with the way his body reacted to the kiss, but a first.

Fu-uck.

Sanity returned like a sharp slap.

Those bursts of light weren’t fireworks at all. Not even close. They were flashes. Camera flashes. Tons of them.

Zachary broke the kiss with a silent, foul curse and stepped back, holding Eve’s arms to steady her.

Jesus, how stupid could he have been?

She blinked once, then again, scrunching her eyes against the flares of light, looking bewildered at first and then just a little terrified.

“Hell! I’m sorry.” He whispered the apology as he scanned the room. Luke would sort this out, instantly, leaving Zachary free to slip away with Eve. “I wasn’t thinking.”

No, he definitely wasn’t. All rational thought had fled his mind as she’d devoured those chocolates.

Shit. Shit, shit, shit.

The band manager was nowhere to be seen, which meant it was up to Zachary to initiate damage control. Problem was, hundreds of people had caught him and Evie, lip-locked, on camera. There was very little he could do about it.

Even now flashes continued, and mobile phones were more visible than faces. Every Tom, Dick and photographer had caught Zachary’s impulsive behavior on film.

It was just a matter of time before those photos appeared on the net, in newspapers, on TV, and in every gossip rag around the world.

—————–

Rhythm Of My Heart releases from Samhain on the 8th of October.

I truly hope you love this story as much as I do.

Jess

Australian Romance Reader Award Finalist

Sometimes the new year starts off with a bang, and this is one of those years.

Less than two weeks into 2013 and I have received FIVE pieces of good news.

What are those five pieces you ask?

Well, that’s easy. My books have been nominated for five Australian Romance Reader Awards.

Five! Holy moly. Talk about a bang.

These are the award nominations:

Office Affair has been nominated for FAVOURITE EROTIC ROMANCE 2012 and FAVOURITE COVER 2012

A Touch Of Confidence has been nominated for FAVOURITE EROTIC ROMANCE 2012 and BEST LOVE SCENE FROM A ROMANCE PUBLISHED IN 2012

The Speed Series has been nominated for the FAVOURITE CONTINUING ROMANCE SERIES

To say I am both delighted and overwhelmed is an understatement. The competition is fierce. (You can check out all the nominations here.) But I am honored to be nominated beside all those names.

Congratulations to all the other nominees, and thank you to all the members of the Australian Romance Readers Association.

Jess

AUSSIE AUTHOR SHOWCASE

During the month of January the Down Under Divas are having some very special guests over for tea. Or coffee, or maybe even something stronger. It’s our first ever Aussie Author Showcase.

We’re going to introduce you to some authors you might not know yet. Some have been published for a while, some are brand newbies to this author thing.

We’d love it if you came on over to the Down Under Divas and joined in the month long party.

Jess

Now Available: “The One That Got Away”

It’s here.

My short, sweet (okay, maybe not so sweet) story from Musa Publishing: The One That Got Away.

This little book releases as part of Musa’s Finally Ever After line.

The One That Got Away: The Blurb

Sometimes its impossible to know whether he was the one who got away or the one you’re definitely better off without…until he comes back into your life.

Lily Kember never dreamed a causal introduction to a friend’s friend would change her life, but three days after meeting Kai Jettison, she’s fallen deeply and irrevocably in love.

Kai falls just as hard, yet minutes after telling her as much he has no choice but to rip her heart to shreds, leaving whatever has blossomed between them lying in tatters on the ground.

It’s been five months since that fateful day. Five months of no contact. Now Kai is attending the same end of year bash as Lily, and bumping into him seems unavoidable. Lily’s choices are limited: either steel her emotions against Kai or risk losing her heart to him all over again.

The One That Got Away: A (short) Excerpt:

Lily was on her feet before she realized she’d moved. “Keep hoping, Kai. You smooth-talked your way into my heart and my life once before, then ripped them both to pieces when you finally found the guts to be honest. Do not think, even for a second, that I might give you a chance to do it again.”

She turned and walked away with as much dignity as she could muster, taking one cautious step after another, ensuring she didn’t trip over her own heels. She smoothed her dress down as she walked, aware of its less-than-chaste length. One sharp gust of wind and Kai and everyone else at the party would be treated to a view of her lace underwear.

Before Lily made it to the door leading back inside, Kai grabbed her hand and tugged it hard enough that Lily stumbled. Kai caught her against him, pulling her close, holding her upright. Without giving her a choice, he took several steps backward, leading them into a darkened spot in the garden. From there Lily could hear the music, but the only part of the house she could see was solid wall.

His arms wrapped around her, clasping her against his muscled abdomen, trapping her. Her nose was buried in the groove between his shoulder and neck, so when she breathed, his unique, spicy scent inundated her senses.

Claustrophobia and desire slammed into her in equal measures. A desperate need to escape, to free herself from his steely embrace and breathe fresh air warred with the ache to rub herself against him, press her breasts firmly into the wall of his chest and nip at the salty skin beneath her lips.

He surrounded her. She could see nothing but his shoulder, smell nothing but his spicy scent and feel nothing but his strength.

Awareness didn’t just slither through her veins. It hit her with the force of a hurricane, blowing away her rationality, vanquishing her logic. All she knew was Kai, his aroma, his body and her devastating need to get closer.

She struggled against him, using her fists to pound his arms and squirming her hips to break free, but all he did was tighten his hold and pull her nearer.

“Let me go.” She tried to yell, but her voice came out muffled. “Damn it, Kai, take your hands off me.” He had no right to touch her. No right to trap her like this. He’d had his chance five months ago, and he’d blown it.

“No. Not yet.”

____________________

You can get your copy of The One That Got Away for the bargain price of $0.99.

It’s available now at Musa Publishing and at Amazon.

The book will soon be available from Barnes and Noble, but if you can’t wait til then, you can buy it in .ePub format direct from Musa.

Jess

I do! (Or Bandicoot Cove: The Wedding releases today)

It’s been a long time coming, but Mack and Aidan’s big day is here.

If you’re not sure who Mack and Aidan are, well, they are the bride and groom of the biggest wedding of the year. The wedding taking place at the stunning, tropical Bilby Island, at the gorgeous, luxurious Bandicoot Cove resort.

And to celebrate, we have written three sexy, romantic love stories to make you go ‘Aaaaaaaah.”

And “Oooooh.”

And maybe “Ooooooh, yeah!”

So without further ado (because we really want you to get to the Ooooooh, yeah! parts) here they are. The three books that make up Bandicoot Cove: The Wedding:

A second chance at love is worth fighting for.

Bandicoot Cove: The Wedding, Book 1

Bianca Rogers is one signature away from finalizing her divorce. And she will finalize it just as soon as she gets home. But for this weekend, she’s putting her troubles aside and enjoying the gorgeous, sunlit luxury of Bandicoot Cove, the resort where her brother is getting married. The last thing she expects is to be knocked off her feet—literally—by gorgeous Brody Evans.

The fireworks are instantaneous. Brody is just her type: sexy, warm, friendly, and in the same boat as her: in the process of getting a divorce.

Spending time together is a mutual no-brainer. Attraction quickly grows to full-blown lust. But flying sparks come with increasingly personal conversations, and soon neither of them can ignore their past mistakes or the circumstances that have led them to the island.

Now it’s time to determine whether old hurts and sudden doubts will prevent love from leading them to a whole new happily ever after.

Warning: If you don’t believe in second chances, never thought it was possible to fall in love again and aren’t interested in scrumptious, hot love scenes, then this story probably isn’t for you. You’d be missing out – big time – but yeah…it’s probably not for you.

A photographer, a firefighter, a rake. Let the debauchery begin!

Bandicoot Cove: The Wedding, Book 2

When Kennedy bolted after a mind-blowing one-night stand with a sexy Australian firefighter, she never expected to be standing in front of him four months later on a tropical island resort. Naked, thanks to her phobia of butterflies.

Trouble is, she’s equally turned on by Luke and his hunky British cousin. Not exactly how she’d intended to spend her first day as Bandicoot Cove’s official photographer.

Luke never planned on falling for the feisty, flirty American he met at a New York bar. Now that he’s face to face with her again, he has two questions. Why did she run? And why can’t he stop thinking about sharing the woman of his dreams with his cousin?

Addison invited himself along on his cousin’s trip for a weekend of no-strings-attached sex. But he wants to get to know Kennedy on all levels. Seriously, this is no way for a rake to behave. And how the hell is he going to tell his cousin he’s interested in the very woman Luke can’t get out of his mind?

Warning: The setting sun isn’t the only thing heating up Bandicoot Cove, because when the word “threesome” gets thrown into the mix, it’s seduction on a global scale. (Note: No butterflies were scorched during scenes of burning passion.)

A new lover, an old flame, sultry moonlit nights. Why let inhibitions stand in the way?

Bandicoot Cove: The Wedding, Book 3

Two years ago, Hayley Bryant left Australia on a round-the-world odyssey that changed her life, and her attitude. After that, coming face to face with the man whose rejection sent her packing shouldn’t affect her at all, right?

Except there’s one thing that hasn’t changed—her former boss Mitchell Wood makes her burn as hot as ever. The difference is, Hayley’s now a grown woman who knows how to get what she wants, and she wants Mitch. Trouble is, she hasn’t come to her friend’s wedding alone. Her very sexy friend with benefits, Ty Butler, might pose a problem.

Business was always Mitch’s first love…at least until he hired his little sister’s friend as an intern. Pushing her away was the right thing to do, but now his sister’s wedding has Hayley re-entering his life—and the empty place in his heart. Soon he’s acting less like the consummate workaholic and more like a man crazy in love. But Hayley’s “plus one” is an unexpected obstacle.

Fortunately, Mitch has never been one to shy away from a little competition…

Warning: Bilby Island’s sensual spell strikes again. Book contains hot lovin’ made in beautiful tropical surrounds, some exhibitionism, voyeurism and bondage. Best read with a margarita in hand and the fan switched to high.