Dr. Nate Roman

Heartbroken.

Once was enough. I’ll never give my heart to another again. One night with a woman is enough for me now. As a psychologist, I deal with emotions all day long. Life gets messy when emotions are involved, and I like my life uncomplicated.

Dr. Lynsey Henderson intrigues me. Her smile makes my heart skip a beat. I want her in my bed, but she isn’t proving to be an easy conquest.

Dr. Lynsey Henderson

I finally have everything I dreamed about since I was a kid. Well, almost. I have the best job as a pediatric orthopedic surgeon, and I live in a beautiful historic home in a quaint small town. I’m missing someone special to share my life with. Someone special to love. The last time I tried was a colossal disaster.

My path has crossed Dr. Nate Roman’s multiple times at work. He is beyond gorgeous and just the kind of guy I swore I’d stay away from….he has a different girl every night, and I’m not going to be one of the many.

He is so damn sweet when he tries to convince me to go out with him, and I don’t know how much longer I’ll be able to resist.

Goodreads

I received a copy of the book from the author for an honest review.

After reading Breeze my heart went out to Nate. He found love and lost it. He closed off his heart and watched his love walk away. Not believing he could ever love again that is until he saw the green eyes of Lynsey.

Lynsey is a Pediatric Orthopedic surgeon who came to this small town to forget her past and move on. She is determined not to be just another notch on Nate’s bed post. Her heart could not handle that.

Nate is driven to make Lyndey feel special and make her realize she means more to him than any other girl in his life. Can these two overcome their past and learn to dream again or will their pasts ruin their future.

I loved watching Nate woo Lynsey he did a wonderful job stealing her heart and mine too. I was so proud of our girt when she stood up to small town gossip and put those in their place that needed to be. I fell in love with Nate’s parents so loving, caring, protective, and supportive. I will say my heart and jow dropped when the twist came along I mean really NO, this cannot be happening to Nate. I would love to see more of Nate and Lynsey.

Ashley Hampton works as a Licensed Psychologist in private practice during the day. When she leaves work, she puts on her writer and photographer hats and enjoys living in the worlds created in her mind. She lives near her hometown of Birmingham, Alabama with her cat, Gemma. Ashley wanted to find a creative way to meld her love for music and psychology with writing, and the Southern Rock Lyrics series was born. With other series planned, Ashley wants to write in the romance, erotica, and psychological thriller genres.

Chapter One

Henry

Rain fell from the sky in sheets. It’d only been drizzling when I’d boarded my private jet not even a half hour earlier.  Now, I could barely see the airport outside my window.

“No, babe, it’s not a big deal. I just would have liked to see you while I was in town. It’s been a while. That’s all,” I said, shifting the phone to my other hand.

Dipping my finger into the empty glass that had once been the home of gin and tonic number three, I stared at the melting ice as I stirred it in a circle.

Her raspy, sleep-filled voice no longer sounded anything like that of the little girl I’d met when she was only five. But, after sixteen years, Robin Clark no longer resembled that child, either.

“I swear I thought the shower was next weekend. I got my dates mixed up. I’m so sorry,” she lied. She did that a lot.

“Don’t worry about it. It’s cool,” I said, pretending to believe her.  I did that a lot.

And it killed us both a little more every time I did.

“I love you, Cookie,” she whispered.

I wasn’t sure if that was a lie or not anymore.

But I knew one thing was true. “I love you too, kid.”

We sat in silence for several seconds, neither of us willing to hang up. However, neither of us knew what else to say.  A million words hung between us, but none of them would solve anything. God knows I’d said them all over the last five years. Still, she’d never heard any of them. Not really.

With my heart physically aching, I swallowed hard and bit the bullet. “Listen, I’m about to take off. I’ll be in L.A. for a show next week. Why don’t you come and we’ll hang out for a few days?” It was an honest invitation.

I didn’t receive an honest response.

“I’ll be there!”

“I’ll have Carter set it up. I’ll come by tomorrow afternoon and give you the details. I can’t stay long, but maybe a quick dinner or something.”

“Perfect.”

We didn’t linger with drawn-out goodbyes. A few seconds later, my phone was off and I was once again gazing out at the pouring rain, wishing I were anywhere but on a plane.

Carter, my head of security, settled in the seat beside me and opened the latest issue of Sports Illustrated magazine.

My stomach clenched when the plane jerked as we backed away from the gate.

“Tell Levee I love her, okay?” I said to Carter without dragging my eyes off the terminal disappearing in the distance.

“Here we go,” he mumbled, closing his magazine and turning his attention my way.

“Can you do me a huge favor? If I don’t survive, make sure it’s open casket and I’m wearing—”

“Blue. It makes your eyes pop,” he finished for me.

“Right, but—”

“But your eyes will be closed, so you should wear green instead. It looks better with your complexion.”

“Yes, but—”

“But your complexion will be ashy since you’re dead and all. So let’s just go with a sleek, black suit. It’s timeless.” He arched an incredulous eyebrow.

Lifting my glass in the air, I rattled the ice at Susan, my personal flight attendant. She was busy buckling herself in for takeoff, but she flashed me a warm, motherly smile in acknowledgement that she had seen me.

“So maybe we’ve had this conversation before,” I told Carter.

He rolled his eyes. “Every time we fly.”

I huffed but didn’t bother explaining. He knew exactly how terrified of flying I was. He’d been there the day it’d all begun.

You would have thought that, after having traveled the globe for years, a simple two-hour flight wouldn’t have been a problem. My racing heart and sweating palms argued otherwise.

In the eight years since my career had taken off, I’d gone from a somewhat-popular YouTube personality to the king of the music industry when Levee and I’d released our self-produced debut album, Dichotomy. Filled with half of her tracks and half of mine, it had soared to the top of the charts. There hadn’t been a radio station in the country not playing our music. In a matter of weeks, our careers had exploded, which had forced the whole world to take notice.

The following years had been a whirlwind. Grammys, record deals, fame, fortune, security. I could have retired six months after I’d started and never wanted for anything again. Well, that’s not totally true. The one thing I really wanted could never be bought.

I wasn’t even sure it could be earned.

It was something so rare that I feared it didn’t actually exist.

Love. Unconditional. Unwavering. Eternal. Love.

I gave that to exactly two people in my life.

I only received it in return from one.

I’d been born a gay man. There had never been a moment in my life when I’d been remotely sexually attracted to women. If I had been, I would have married Levee Williams the second I’d laid eyes on her. Because I’d known, just that fast, that she was going to be the best thing that ever happened to me.

And she had been.

Riding the state’s dime to college, I’d branched out on my own at eighteen, armed with nothing more than a guitar and a headful of mediocre lyrics.

In a lot of ways, alone felt better.

In most, it felt worse.

Luckily, within weeks of starting my new adventure, I met Levee at a local bar on amateur night.  She wouldn’t admit it, but she’d been attempting to hit on me when she’d first strutted over after her set. I understood how she’d misinterpreted my intense stare while she’d performed. But, when her kind, brown eyes lit as our gazes met, I knew, straight or gay, I needed to meet that woman. That night, over beers and more laughs than I had ever experienced, we bonded over music. Less than two weeks later, I moved in with her. Part of my heart bound to hers in a way I had never felt before. With no parents, no siblings, not even a foster mother who’d taken a liking to me, I’d spent most of my life searching for the sense of belonging she gave me only minutes after we’d met.

I fiercely loved that crazy woman. And it amplified as the years passed when I realized the feeling was mutual.

Levee was more than my best friend. Outside of Robin, she was the only family I’d ever had.

Which really meant she was the only true family I’d ever had.

I’d heard that God wasn’t exactly stoked about homosexuality, but come on. What kind of a masochist sends a gay man his soul mate with boobs and a vagina?

Especially considering she was now married to Sam Rivers and six months pregnant with his baby girl.

I’d tried dating over the years, but the few men I’d found interesting had found me temporary. I was good for a night of fulfilling their secret fantasies. But that’s where it ended. I guess that’s what I got for having a thing for straight men. I couldn’t stop myself though. It wasn’t the sex. As a celebrity, I had plenty of men vying for my attention. Ass was easy to come by. But the high that came from being with a straight man, knowing he was going against his own genetic coding just for one night with me, made every minute of the pain worth it.

Those forbidden encounters were a drug.

And I was a junkie.

The hunt of finding that perfect blend of brute masculinity and subtle curiosity.

The chase of teasing and taunting, ramping them up until they were unable to get my clothes off fast enough.

The victory as they finally broke, giving in to the one desire they had never considered before they’d landed in my crosshairs.

That was the high.

But it was always followed by the crash.

Including the inevitable spiral down when they realized what they had done.

Some freaked, slinging insults and threats at me as if I had somehow magically cast a spell and charmed their dick into my mouth. Some wore their shame on their faces, gathering their clothes and rushing from the room without a backward glance. Some felt the high too and came back for seconds, desperate for more.

But they all left, one way or another.

Always.

Once I’d accepted that those encounters were nothing more than a fix, it’d stopped gutting me when they walked away.

While I’d had my fair share of partners, I was far from a whore. I didn’t launch my expert skills of seduction on any straight man who crossed my path. That would have been a wasted effort. I was good; don’t doubt that. But men didn’t just fall naked into my bed, begging for me to take their bodies in ways they would never forget. At least, not the men I wanted. It took patience and dedication to achieve my high.

I spent two years working my way into a certain NFL quarterback’s bedroom.

Worth every single second.

Or so I’d told myself as I’d felt another piece of my soul break away when he’d dismissed me from his life the very next day.

Maybe I was a whore after all.

But I’d tried the relationship thing and it just didn’t work.

I’d given my heart to a man once. He’d given it back a month later.

I was devastated when he left. I was ruined when, two months later, I watched him marry a woman I knew he didn’t love.

No. That’s not true. It was me he didn’t love.

That was a common theme in my life and exactly why I was so successful as a singer-songwriter. It was hard to be all “woe is me” with millions of adoring fans acting as if you were a god who’d returned to Earth.

While Levee struggled with the weight of her fame, I flourished under the spotlight. I was alive on stage. And, with no one waiting for me at home, I’d devoted years to touring. The roar of the crowd fueled my happiness to the point I feared the day when I would have to settle down.

And, right then, I was white-knuckle gripping the armrest as the jet accelerated down the runway before lifting into the sky.

“Shit. Shit. Shit,” I mumbled as my stomach dropped when the landing gear loudly locked into place.

“You’re fine,” Carter said absently.

I was absolutely not fine.

“I’m gonna puke,” I groaned.

His eyes never lifted from the pages of his magazine as he shook a vomit bag open and passed it my way.

“Thanks,” I replied, disingenuous.

“No problem. Now, take a deep breath and try to relax. We’ll be there in no time.”

As the plane leveled out, so did my stomach.

Blowing out a loud breath, I dropped my head back against the headrest. “We should’ve taken the bus.”

“There wasn’t time for the bus. Your ass is supposed to be on stage in four hours. What we shouldn’t have done is drive to San Francisco in the first place.”

“We’ve been over this. I wasn’t missing her baby shower.”

He grumbled, adjusting in his seat. “I think Levee and Sam would’ve understood.”

I narrowed my eyes and turned to glare at him. “Don’t even start with me. They would have understood perfectly. But that doesn’t change the fact that I wanted to be there.”

My tour had been scheduled over a year in advance. Tickets had sold out in less than five minutes. But none of that had mattered when I’d found out that Sam’s mom was planning a baby shower for Levee. I had very few priorities in life. However, being there for her was always one of them.

Susan approached my seat. “Can I get you another drink, Mr. Alexander?”

“Thank God. Yes!” I lifted my glass in her direction.

“No problem.” Her eyes nervously shifted to Carter. “A word?”

Carter unbuckled his seat belt and moved past me. They huddled together behind the small bar in the front, but my focus was on the mini bottle of gin she was emptying in my glass. I was well aware that I needed to slow down. Drunk on stage wasn’t exactly a novelty in my business, but slurring my words and stumbling over lyrics was a deal breaker for me.

Just as I was about to tell her to hold off on the drink, the plane suddenly jerked and my nerves skyrocketed all over again. I sucked in a sharp breath, and both sets of their concerned eyes jumped to mine.

Yep. I can sober up later.

Snapping my fingers, I ordered, “Drink.”

Susan smiled compassionately before shooting an impatient glare at Carter. I would have cared what they were whispering about if I hadn’t been about to pull an Incredible Hulk and peel out of my own skin.

“I’ll tell him,” Carter relented with a sigh, tagging the drink from her hand and then moving in my direction.

With shaking hands, I took the glass and tipped it back for a sip, relishing in the distracting burn in my chest.

“Tell me what?” I asked, settling the glass in a cup holder.

He motioned his chin at my drink. “Why don’t you finish that first?”

The clear liquid sloshed as the plane suddenly banked to the left.

“Excellent idea,” I said.

Carter’s gaze once again lifted to Susan’s in a silent conversation.

Her lips thinned.

Throwing the rest of my drink back, I bounced my attention back and forth between the two of them. Susan looked downright nervous, and Carter appeared more than a little annoyed.

“Okay, what the hell is going on with you two?” I demanded.

“The pilot is having some chest pains,” he announced.

Suddenly, there wasn’t enough gin in the world.

Fighting to make my seat belt tighter, I gasped, “Did he pass out? Are we going down?”

Carter’s expression remained impassive.

“Of course not!” Susan cut in.

Her reassurance did little to comfort me, because whatever magical mechanism kept the cabin pressurized suddenly failed. If the pain in my lungs was any indication, there was absolutely no oxygen left on that plane. We were all going to die.

Carter’s heavy paw landed on my back, pushing my torso down so my head was between my knees.

“Calm down and breathe. We aren’t going down. The copilot is taking us back to San Francisco. We’ll be on the ground in no time.”

The vise on my lungs didn’t loosen.

Still hunched over, I nodded, having heard his words but finding no relief in them.

Susan kneeled beside me. “It’s okay, Henry. Co-captain Baez is an amazing pilot. You won’t even know the difference.” She rubbed my back.

Embarrassment mingled with the worthlessness I felt in that moment. But I was helpless to reel it in. My body was out of control. I was left as nothing more than a marionette being held captive by my fear.

Reaching out, I gripped Carter’s thigh desperately searching for a way to ground myself.

The man was a beast. At six-five and well over three hundred pounds, with short, black hair and nearly black eyes, he looked every bit of the scary bodyguard I’d hired him to be. There wasn’t anything soft or gentle about him. However, he’d been with me for almost a decade. He knew how I worked, even if he didn’t like it.

He patted my hand, and then I heard the crinkle of his magazine opening.

“You’ll be fine,” he said.

I wasn’t sure he was right.

Henry Alexander’s story will arrive on May 17th

in The Spiral Down by Aly Martinez!

Add this M/M Romance  to your TBR list on Goodreads!

http://bit.ly/1OrgYS4

RELEASE DATE: May 17th

Blurb

I was afraid to fly.

He made me soar.

After years of climbing the ladder of success in the music industry, I finally had everything I could want.

Yet I still found myself wandering through life alone.

Captain Evan Roth was the one man I never saw coming.

Tall, dark, mysterious… Straight.

We were both damaged beyond repair and searching for something so elusive we weren’t sure it even existed.

But, when two broken souls collide in midair, falling is a given.

I just never expected to crave the spiral down.

About the Author:

Aly Martinez

Born and raised in Savannah, Georgia, Aly Martinez is a stay-at-home mom to four crazy kids under the age of five, including a set of twins. Currently living in South Carolina, she passes what little free time she has reading anything and everything she can get her hands on, preferably with a glass of wine at her side.

After some encouragement from her friends, Aly decided to add “Author” to her ever-growing list of job titles. Five books later, she shows no signs of slowing. So grab a glass of Chardonnay, or a bottle if you’re hanging out with Aly, and join her aboard the crazy train she calls life.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

THANK YOU!

How Cassie Got Her Grind Back

Book Blurb:

How Cassie Got Her Grind Back can be pre-ordered now!

Cassie Villalobos promised Samson and Ivan Cutter on the day they graduated high school that she would pursue her dreams of becoming a singer-songwriter, no matter what.

Raised under the dictatorial thumb of her father, Cassie’s promise went unfulfilled. Newly single, her hands are full running her coffee shop, Divine Drip, and dealing with her aging parents, and lothario ex-husband.

Samson and Ivan left Divine after graduation, never intending to return, but they’ve never forgotten their love for Cassie.

Banked embers flare between the three at their thirty year class reunion. Although she has friends in ménages, Cassie is intimidated by the desire of two men, believing she is past her prime and the men set out to change her mind.

Samson’s passion for sadism is balanced by Ivan’s easy affection, and Cassie finds the combination irresistible. Hope flares for fulfilling all her dreams while stirring the distorted illusions of someone obsessed with controlling her.

Insider’s Guide to the Divine Creek Ranch Collection

Blurb:

Another exciting offering coming May 6th for lovers of the series and readers who would like an overview of each book, PLUS there’s a novella, AND it’s FREE!

Dive into the iconic world of Heather Rainier’s Divine Creek Ranch and explore the inspirations for the series.

The guide gives an overview of each book, offers Heather’s insights into her writing, character summaries, music playlists, and her favorite excerpts from each book. It also features an original Divine Creek Ranch ménage novella entitled Divine Déjà Vu, which is available only with the guide.

In Divine Déjà Vu, LuAnn and Maynard have moved on from their dramatic first encounter in Divine Phoenix. Eight months along in their relationship, Mayn returns home with an unexpected guest. LuAnn’s introduction to Mayn’s brother Daniel is eerily similar to her first meeting with Mayn. As they overcome embarrassing circumstances to explore the undeniable pull LuAnn feels for both brothers, can she deal with the prospect of another long distance relationship?

Box Set: Divine Grace, Her Gentle Giant (Parts 1 & 2), Heavenly Angel

Blurb:

More excitement coming on May 6th! Siren-BookStrand is releasing the Divine Creek Ranch Collection boxed set, Volume One for $4.99. All three stories bundled together at a fantastic price for 500,000+ words…

In Divine Grace, with the help of three gorgeous men Grace is able to free herself from an abusive boyfriend. Jack, Ethan, and Adam know they have found the one woman they want to pleasure and protect, but the real difficulty comes in convincing her that their interest is in far more than just a fling. For them, this is forever.

In Her Gentle Giant, Part 1: No Regrets, Eli Wolf, a cross between Viking and Indian warrior, has found in Rachel Lopez someone infinitely more compelling than the women who flock to him nightly as security at The Dancing Pony Nightclub. When Rachel’s apartment burns down, Eli invites her to stay with him and begins the work of overcoming Rachel’s jealous nature, the one thing that could keep them apart.

In Her Gentle Giant, Part 2: Remember to Dance, as Rachel and Eli prepare for a future together, painful memories surface from Rachel’s past. Though she protests to be unaffected by them, Eli is not so fast to forgive. He recruits the men of Divine Creek Ranch in his effort to correct the offense. Rachel confronts a test of her own as she decides once and for all whether her trust in Eli is absolute.

In Heavenly Angel, Angel Martinez spends months patiently coaxing the beautiful Teresa out of her self-imposed shell. Teresa has left a painful past behind in order to begin a new life for her and her son. She cares deeply for the Divine Creek Ranch foreman but, just as she is ready to let her guard down, the arrival of Joaquin, Angel’s brother, throws her for a loop. Now her efforts of moving on are doubly tested as she considers the alluring possibility of having both the heavenly Angel and the devilish Joaquin.

Meet the Heroes of How Cassie got Her Grind Back

Samson Cutter, late 40s

Occupation: Emergency Services Dispatcher (911 operator). He served as an MP in the Army, and then as a police officer in Morehead, before being injured in the line of duty put him in the desk job. He’s also a Dominant at Hazelle House, an exclusive BDSM club in Morehead. He’s very popular among the masochists and submissives…now he just needs the right one to satisfy his darker cravings and lonely night.

Samson’s Favorites:

Food: Steak and baked potato, with a salad alongside it. Maybe. Ivan also makes a crawfish etouffee that he wouldn’t pass up.

Color: Red

Books: Classic sci-fi, like Ray Bradbury, Jules Verne,  Robert Heinlein, and also some Michael Crichton.

Movies: the classic sci-fi action movies like Terminator, Alien, Predator

Band: AC/DC – I don’t “get” a lot of the tunes Joseph plays on the sound system at Hazelle House and I’m usually so busy I tune them out anyway. I like classic rock.

Song: Back in Black

Quote: “Life is hard; it’s harder when you’re stupid” by John Wayne. There’s also a more recent favorite from my good friend, Bunny Carrigan: “It’s not gonna spank itself, Sir.” Yeah, I know it’s not necessarily original with her but that little redhead is a hoot, and she sure keeps my friend Joseph on his toes.

TV Show: M*A*S*H (Yeah, I’m old school, I know.)

Holiday: Christmas

Sport: Football. Is there any other? And yeah, Dallas Cowboys rule! And Ivan can suck it.

Which Do You Prefer?

Pepsi or Coke: Coke (with bourbon)

Boxers or Briefs: Boxer briefs or Commando (Why do people want to know this?)

Angelina Jolie or Jennifer Aniston: Uh, Marilyn Monroe or Sophia Loren. Please.

Die Hard or Terminator: Terminator

Ford or Chevy: Chevy! Ford sucks! Ivan sucks more.

Steak or Chicken: Always steak. Rare.

Star Wars or Star Trek: Star Trek

Beer or Wine: Beer.

Interview with Samson

What is your most cherished possession? By this question I assume you mean inanimate objects. I try not to get too hung up on possessions but if pressed I’d have to say my impact toy collection, mainly whips that I’m especially fond of using, and my book collection.

How do you feel about being the center of attention? I don’t mind it. I like being in a leadership role which often means having eyes on me. At the club, I don’t generally notice, especially during scenes. My focus needs to remain on whoever I’m working with. I take that responsibility seriously.

What makes you blush? Compliments…and questions about what kind of underwear I prefer to wear.

What makes you laugh out loud? The stuff Bunny says to Joseph at Hazelle House just to see how he reacts, usually with a ball gag and a paddle…or orgasm torture if she’s especially naughty.

How do you feel, generally, about the opposite sex? Unworthy, and I mean that in the larger sense and not as a lack on my part. I grew up with loving parents and in general I love the fairer sex. I think they’re stronger than men in almost every way except for possibly the physical sense…but then I think of them giving birth and yeah, nope. They’re stronger all the way around.

What is your worst habit? Not going to the gym more. And maybe cussing.

Do you have any irrational fears or phobias? Heights really bug me.

How do you think your exes would describe you? Distant, maybe? I think in the back of my mind I was holding out because no one compared to Cassie.

How deeply does your job / social role define you as a person? To a high degree. I like being in a position of leadership and direction, whether it’s on the job or at the BDSM club. People rely on me and I enjoy that role

What are you the most hopeless at? Small talk. I hate wasting time with chit-chat. I prefer action to talking.

What would you never do, no matter the price? Cheat in a committed relationship. In my line of work in both the military and as a police officer I’ve seen a lot of it, as well as the consequences and the collateral damage.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ivan Cutter, late 40s

Occupation: Executive Chef at Hermione in Morehead, Texas. He had dreams of attending college on a football scholarship but those were dashed when he was injured his senior year. His knee injury also kept him from his Plan B which was to serve in the Army along with Samson so he went to school and became a chef. He worked for Texas’ most mercurial and demanding restaurateur, Hermione Jones, creating great meals, feeding lots of people, and enjoying life…and then a gorgeous brunette from his past came back into his life.

Ivan’s Favorites:

Food: Any kind of food if it’s well prepared. I have a special place in his heart for a good spicy shrimp/crab/crawfish boil eaten outdoors with an ice cold beer.

Color: Green and blue

Book: Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, and sci-fi fantasy graphic novels. Oh, and Shakespeare.

Movie: See up above translated into movie form.

All-time Favorite Singer: Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble

Song: I love too many songs to have a favorite. Top three: “Pride and Joy” by Stevie Ray Vaughan; “Stuck On You” by Sugarland; and “When a Man Loves a Woman” by Percy Sledge.

Quote: “If you can’t stand the heat get out of the kitchen,” from Harry Truman,  and from Shakespeare, “When I saw you I fell in love, and you smiled because you knew.” I always thought that last one was pretty romantic.

TV Show: I work so many nights I don’t have any favorite television shows, although I was a big fan of “Dirty Jobs” and “Friends” which I can usually find late night on reruns somewhere on satellite.

Holiday: Christmas

Sport: Football. Oh, and the Dallas Cowboys SUCK! *cough*So does Samson*cough*

Which Do You Prefer?

Pepsi or Coke: Cherry Coke with real cherries, not the bottled stuff.

Boxers or Briefs: Cotton knit briefs. Gotta be cotton because the kitchen gets hot and I wouldn’t want a heat rash, ya know.

Die Hard or Terminator: Die Hard, of course! “Yippee-Ki-Yay, Motherfucker!”

Ford or Chevy: Fords Rule! (I said that just to piss Samson off. *cough*Chevy’s suck!*cough*

Steak or Chicken: Either if it’s cooked right.

Star Wars or Star Trek: Star Wars

Beer or Wine: Wine

What is your most cherished possession? My knife collection and my cookbook collection.

How do you feel about being the center of attention? Love it!

What makes you blush? Nothing, honey. That’s just the heat from my Viking stove.

How do you feel, generally, about the opposite sex? Love them. LOVE THEM. Especially this gorgeous brunette I knew in high school. Man, she was an angel. Too bad she wound up with a total dickhead who didn’t deserve to kiss the soles of her feet.

What is your worst habit? I’m bad about forgetting to return calls. I tend to procrastinate. Oh, and I suck at parking.

Do you have any irrational fears or phobias? Clothes shopping.

How do you think your exes would describe you? Too committed to my career and the long hours restaurants keep. And when I’m not cooking I’m talking about cooking…or thinking about cooking.

How deeply does your job / social role define you as a person? Deeply. I want to feed everyone. It’s genetic. My mom is the same way.

What’s your favorite smell? Remember that brunette I mentioned earlier? She owns a coffee shop and bakery in Divine, and a friend of mine brought me one of her fancy cupcakes in a gift box. I opened that box and this heavenly aroma of vanilla bean, hazelnut, and some exotic spice… My mouth is watering just thinking about it. Now I associate that smell with my memories of her.

What are you the most hopeless at? Understanding women. I think I need a woman who likes to cook as much as I do and then we might understand each other.

What would you never do, no matter the price? Bungee jumping. And cheating in a relationship. Never gonna happen, either one.

~~~~~~~

Find out what happens when Samson and Ivan encounter the woman who has haunted their dreams and fueled fantasies for decades

Order your copy of How Cassie Got Her Grind Back today!

Excerpt from How Cassie Got Her Grind Back:

“Whatever you do, Samson, don’t give her the steely-eyed dominant stare. And what are you? A nervous thirteen-year-old girl calling her BFF for pointers on how to act around the boy she likes?”

Samson had called Ivan while waiting for Joseph and Bunny’s wedding to get started to let him know Cassie was in attendance. Samson watched as the woman of their dreams entered the hallway outside the suite Bunny had been holed up in for the last two hours.

Samson scowled at his phone and then put it back to his ear. Chuckling silently, Jack Warner looked over at him and lifted his chin inquiringly at the phone. Samson shook his head and looked down at the floor. “Lower your voice, man. I just wanted you to know she was here. I guess she’s one of Bunny’s bridesmaids or attendants. I didn’t know they were that close. Shit.” He wasn’t smooth like his brother, and the first thing he’d thought when he’d laid eyes on her was to call Ivan.

“When you get a chance, just slide on up to her and start a conversation with her. Don’t give her the stare.”

“What stare?”

“The one you give people who you want to do your bidding. Probably the same one you use when you want to beat on one of your poor masochists.”

“They’re not my ‘poor masochists,’ fucker,” he ground out as he walked a short distance down the hallway. “I only give them what they need, and I would think you’d know that by now since you know how to use Google. I’m not a monster.” Jack snorted in amusement and Samson stepped farther down the hall.

Ivan’s chuckle on the other end made him grind his teeth. “No, you’re a big squeez-y teddy bear. You got all that growling out of your system now? Take a deep breath and…just smile at her. Offer to get her a glass of champagne. Dance with her. Don’t say anything about the past, and for fuck’s sake, don’t tell her you like to spank naughty girls.”

Samson grinned, imaging for a split second how her lush bare butt cheek would feel under his hand. “At least not yet.”

“Just never in front of me, okay?”

“She’s in a mansion housing a BDSM club, and she’s friends with several subs. I think they’ve talked. So it shouldn’t come as any big surprise to her. Fine, I won’t say anything about my sadistic tendencies, okay?”

“And I wouldn’t say anything about attending the class reunion. Just let her be surprised.”

“I wasn’t going to since you need to be with us before I say anything about…you know.”

“Right. So just establish you’re the nice guy she remembers and you’re still single. And try not to give her the impression she’s in your sights.”

“Our sights.”

“Whatever. I’m not getting my hopes up until I get a green light from her. I have to go. My ganache is thickening.”

Gazing at her delicious form from the rear, he admired the sensual sway of her hips and the graceful curve of her bare back and neck as she moved past a window. “That’s not the only thing thickening. Later.”

“Pervert.”

Thank you note from Heather Rainier:

It’s always a pleasure to share the world of Divine, Texas with erotic romance readers. Thank you so much for hosting me today, and giving me a chance to share my stories with your followers.

Seize the day, Baby! Heather Rainier

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www.heatherrainier.com

Genre: Contemporary Romantic Comedy

Release Date: May 4, 2016

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Amazon US: HERE
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Blurb:

Miranda Rose absolutely lives for writing. Unfortunately, there aren’t many readers that live for her books.

At least she can distract herself from bad reviews with her favorite hobby – trolling Charlie Shivers online. That dinosaur smut peddler wouldn’t know literature if it mounted him from behind. And, for further distraction, she meets the world’s hottest guy at her favorite writing conference, and when he mounts her from behind, she forgets all about that wannabe author.

Until she realizes Mr. Hottie Pants isn’t the cover model she’d presumed. He’s her archenemy in the flesh, Charlie Shivers.

She’s mortified!

And yet she still can’t keep her pants on around him.

Joe McCoy, aka Charlie Shivers, is over the moon attending his first Romancing The World conference as a panelist, especially when he meets the smoking author at the bar. But now that he’s discovered the true identity of his one-night stand, he’s tangled in a sticky web, thicker than a spider shifter (dibs on writing that one next!)

Though, sleeping with the enemy is kind of hot.

And scandalous.

And awesome.

But then he finds himself falling hard for the too-serious novelist, and now he’s pretty sure there’s no way he’ll make it out on top.

 

About the Author:

Kayti McGee is a former Kansas Citian who now follows the Royals from Colorado. Besides writing, her hobbies include travel, cooking, and all thing Whovian. She also writes as the latter half of Laurelin McGee. Like her co-author Laurelin Paige, she joined Mensa for no other reason than to make her bio more interesting.

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Title: Just Once

Author: Rebecca Brooke

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Release Date: May 19

A chance encounter changes everything.

After the loss of his closest friend, and with a scheduled deployment closing in, the last thing Army Ranger Colin Dunham wants is to start any new relationship. But Joey, with her gorgeous eyes and blunt honesty, grabs Colin’s attention from the moment he catches her watching him from across the bar. He knows one night is all they can have. This mysteriously addictive girl ends up taking over every one of his dreams and nightmares, though, crossing the line of another night he’d rather forget.
As dreams become reality, Colin steps in to protect Joey from a threat he never imagined. And when tables turn, it’s Joey who must protect him.
Circumstances are never what they seem.

Can just one night lead them to the other side of heartache?

Rebecca a New Jersey native has had a passion for reading all of her life. No matter the genre, turning her dreams into stories for her readers to treasure is more than she could ask for. She lives with her family wishing every day could be spent in the summer sun.

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Unseen Messages

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“Instincts are what keep us safe from fate.

Ignoring them can change your life forever.”

Pepper Winters wears many roles. Some of them include writer, reader, sometimes wife. She loves dark, taboo stories that twist with your head. The more tortured the hero, the better, and she constantly thinks up ways to break and fix her characters. Oh, and sex… her books have sex.

She loves to travel and has an amazing, fabulous hubby who puts up with her love affair with her book boyfriends.

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Destroyed

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“Secrets brought us together but they ultimately destroyed us.”