Posted in Brothers of Mayhem series, excerpt, Naked Heat

Excerpt from Naked Heat

Naked Heat should be coming out in February. It’s Wolf’s story. Now you get to meet his heroine, Sofia Cruz, beloved cousin of Toro. Toro is the leader of the Thirty-Second gang and mortal enemy of the Mayhem Brothers. Think Westside Story with a happy ending. All my books have happy endings.

Sofia and Wolf are at the Brothers of Mayhem clubhouse.

~~~

They weeded their way through the crowd. A couple brothers slapped Wolf on the back and a few more nodded his way, but none paid her any attention. Were they used to him being handcuffed to a woman? They finally stopped at a bar that sat in one corner.

“What do you want to drink?” he asked.

“I’m not drinking a beer this early in the morning.”

“No alcohol is served an hour before church. So how about a soda or water?”

By the grin on his face, she felt silly for what she’d said. “Water would be nice.”

“Water for the lady, prospect.”

The man tossed a bottle his way. Wolf easily caught it one handed. His grin widened. His arms circled her as he twisted the cap and then handed the bottle to her.

“Thank you.” She took a large swallow.

“That’s one of the things I liked about you. Always so polite.” He brushed a strand of hair behind her ear.

Sofia wanted to melt into his touch, and his sweet talking always caused her to blush. The way he looked at her with such tenderness had her heart pounding. She wanted to run her tongue up the side of his cheek. The man was dangerous to her self respect. He had been the one to dump her. Then again, any chance of them being a couple — what with the Mayhem versus Thirty-Second situation — was doomed.

“Who do you have here?”

The man with the deep voice had a crooked nose and deep scar across one high cheekbone, warning anyone who saw him that he knew all about pain. He leaned over the bar and grabbed a soda, his long braid swinging over a shoulder. With his black hair, tanned skin, and dark brown almost black eyes, he looked to be a Native American.

“Sofia, this is Cutter. Our VP.”

Without thinking, she reached out to shake his hand and came up short. The handcuffs stopping her. Heat seeped into her cheeks.

“What the f**k, man? Do you have to shackle your women now?” Cutter’s eyebrows lifted as he laughed.

Even if she could think of something to say, she doubted he or any Mayhem Brother would consider helping her if she asked.

“Long story. I’ll tell you after church.” Wolf nodded to where an older blond man walked down the stairs, stopping every couple feet to make a comment or point and laugh. “The asshole does love being president,” Wolf muttered.

“Yeah.” Cutter glanced her way before shaking his head at Wolf. “Later.”

The crowd started moving toward a door at the other side of the huge room.

Finally, he would have to un-cuff her. She lifted her arm.

“I’ll see you inside. The boss will be happy to see you made it.” Cutter slapped Wolf on the back and walked away.

“In a sec.” Wolf turned to her. The apologetic look alerted her that she wouldn’t like what he planned next. “Come over here.” She wasn’t sure why he thought it necessary to tell her that. It wasn’t like she had a choice.

He led her to the end of the bar where a thin pipe came out of the wall about eye level to Wolf and disappeared into the floor.

“No! Don’t you leave me chained up like a dog. You let me go.” With a simple click of a key, he attached his end of the handcuff around the pipe.

“I can’t risk you leaving. You’ll be safer here.”

“Are you crazy?” She leaned forward. “It’s like leaving out a bag of blow on a coffee table and not expecting a junkie to touch it,” she whispered.

His smile returned. That beautiful flash of white that always made her heart skip a beat. Damn him for being so sexy. With her emotions going from terrified to anger to desire, no wonder she felt dizzy every time he touched her.

“You’re no old bag, and I’ll break anyone’s hand if they touch you.” He caressed her cheek with the back of one knuckle. The sweet look he gave her brought warmth to her face.

She was in hell, and she had the hots for the devil himself.

~~~

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Here are the links to my other books including the Brothers of Mayhem novels if you want to check them out.

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Posted in Brothers of Mayhem series, excerpt, Naked Heat

Excerpt from NAKED HEAT

I thought you might be interested in a little excerpt from NAKED HEAT.

A scene when the heroine remembers meeting Wolf Savalas for the first time.

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Calling him adorable was like calling a grizzly cuddly.

He’d noticed her standing a couple feet away with her hand over her mouth, trying to hide her laughter.

“What the hell’s the difference between a glaze, rub, and brine? I told them not to send me. What the hell? Thanksgiving isn’t for another two weeks.” He shook his head, tossing black hair into his eyes while the rest fell over his ears and straight around the nape of his neck.

His pale blue eyes peeked between the dark strands. God, they were almost otherworldly as he watched her. She guessed him to be taller than her cousin. That would make him easily six-three. The plain beaten-up brown leather jacket looked perfect for his olive skin and that gorgeous hair, giving him a bad boy look. She did have a problem being attracted to bad boys. She really needed to stay away from men like her soon-to-be ex-husband.

Turning on her heel, she made two steps before a hand reached out and lightly touched her arm. “Sorry, beautiful, but I have a feeling you know the difference. Could you help?”

Unable to say no when asked so nicely, she faced him and smiled. No one had called her beautiful before, and she didn’t care he was lying to assure her help. She blushed. He smiled back, and she knew she was screwed.

If she hadn’t been in the final stage of an ugly divorce, he would’ve had her panties off that afternoon when they met for coffee.

That had been the beginning of the most exhilarating time of her life. They’d seen each other almost everyday for the first three weeks though most times it had been only an hour or so. They talked about their childhood and their plans for the future, but never about their current life. Except on their second week together, she did mention she was going through a divorce, and her voice had cracked. His eyes had filled with compassion. Later, when he walked her to her car, he’d kissed her. It had been heaven.

Posted in Brothers of Mayhem series, excerpt, Hidden Heat, Special Price

A Real Deal

My book, HIDDEN HEAT, is on sale for 99 cents. Presently, it’s on sale at Amazon and Kobo. Probably by Wednesday, it will be on sale at B&N and elsewhere. Remember that it only comes in e-format.

Hidden Heat_Swafford

Here’s a small excerpt.

Her gaze moved over the hood of the car and skidded to a stop on the man leaning against the bar’s outside wall facing the car. He inhaled on a cigarette and continued to watch her. Thorn. That was what Stonewall called him.

His eyes squinted against the bright sun. No sign of embarrassment in being caught staring, he remained there, one foot flat against the brick and a thumb hooked on a belt loop, taking another long draw. Silver rings on long fingers glistened in the sun. How long had he been there?

With a flick of his finger, the cigarette stub sailed over the hood to the asphalt parking lot.

Please go away.

Posted in Circle of Defiance, Circle of Dishonor, Contests, excerpt, Giveaways, My Books, Special Price

The Contest Continues for the iPad Mini

New Jack Drago adIf you haven’t caught the news here or on Facebook, I’ve decided to give more people time to read CIRCLE OF DEFIANCE (novella – in other words, short story) and answer the questions for a chance to win the iPad Mini. The contest has been extended to June 30. If you’ve already read it, click here and answer the questions. They give you three possible answers. They’re not easy, and a couple are trick questions. BUT, if you read the book, you won’t have a problem.

CIRCLE OF DEFIANCE is only $2.99.  And during the contest, I’ve made CIRCLE OF DISHONOR free during this time. So double bonus!

Here’s a little tidbit from CIRCLE OF DEFIANCE. (No answers given away.)

He lightly squeezed the woman in his arms. Who was he kidding? He was up shit creek without a paddle when Kat learned the truth. So, he’d keep her safe and when it was over, leave. Same old, same old. Chances were she wouldn’t want anything to do with him when she found out he still worked for The Circle, and they had set her up.

[June 30, 2015: Congratulations to Jenn Williams. She was one of the few to answer all the questions correctly. The iPad Mini will be mailed this week!  Please keep reading!  Thanks! Carla]

Posted in Contests, excerpt, Giveaways, Guest

Welcome Katherine Bone (Giveaway)

MyLadyRogue500x750Please welcome Katherine Bone! I love this woman. She’s sweet and talented. Not only talented in her writing, but in making jewelry. I have a beautiful pair of cameo earrings she gave me for just being her roommate at a conference a couple years ago.

Lucky me!  I’ll be your roommate anytime, Kathy!

In the hope that she will look favorably on me again, I will be giving away her book, My Lady Rogue (ebook).  The winner will be picked from a commenter and announced on Wednesday night (May 27).

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Everything Simon and Gillian have done has led to this moment… Will it be too late?

Baroness Gillian Chauncey thought she’d seen everything during her years of devotion to England. But as war escalates and political bonds are severed, a devastating betrayal forces Gillian to make a life or death decision to save the man she loves.

Lord Simon Danbury’s loyalty to the crown has never been questioned — until now. As death’s darkening veil cascades over London, a hostile mole inside Nelson’s Tea tries to assassinate him. Surrounded by the greatest spies in England, only one thing stands to defeat him — losing the one woman who has made life worth living.

Excerpt

“DO YOU REALLY think this will be the last time we are all gathered together?” Gillian moved into Simon’s welcoming embrace, swallowing back a heart wrenching sob.

Ten minutes had passed since Garrick had left the townhouse. Ten long minutes of watching Simon’s brows furrow ever tighter, deepening until the aristocratic lines of his handsome face were grossly disfigured. Gillian couldn’t bear the ugly transformation, for his expression only hinted at the war building inside him. His steadfast code of morality and honor had consistently succeeded in suppressing his own needs and desires. What of sorrow? Would the news of Nelson’s death prove a more impenetrable shield? Could she shore up this wounded man’s agony? And more importantly, how could she if she tried?

In the past, their separations had been purely physical, an exhausting distance no preoccupation could eliminate. Today, her new enemy held greater influence on Simon’s emotions than marriage vows and honor. And she knew well enough the folly of ignoring this new foe. She’d seen what despair had done to Garrick.

She ran her fingers over Simon’s shoulders, luxuriating in the feel of the exquisite lines of his tailored morning coat. They were as close as they could possibly be, and yet the distance had never been further. Too much stood between them, Lady Danbury’s and Nelson’s deaths, the fate of Nelson’s Tea, their unspoken feelings. Did he feel it too? She’d long dreamed of sharing a deeper intimacy with this man who haunted her days and nights, absorbing his scent of sandalwood and spice, taking all of him, holding nothing back. Now she suppressed a shiver in the resounding quiet. Her long wait for Simon had come to an end at last, hadn’t it? But at what cost?

Her heart cried out with longing. He was no longer married. He could be hers, if not for the sorrowful voices haunting their lives or the ones they heard pulsating throughout the city.

Nelson is dead! Nelson is dead!

Simon inhaled deeply, breaking the uncomfortable silence. “We cannot fail. Our business is not only risky, it relies solely on His Majesty’s grace. With Nelson’s assistance, leadership, and guidance, we were assured good measure. No longer.”

She hesitated to ask why. “And now?”

Surely King George respected Simon enough to allow him to continue Nelson’s Tea after he and Lucien had saved the king’s life at Drury Lane?

His winded sigh heightened her doubts. “I’m not as certain as I once was. Without Nelson at the helm, Nelson’s Tea’s motivation is gone. Once morale is gone—”

“Not all gone,” she said, clinging to him as if her life depended on it. And it did. Simon was everything to her. He was her night and day, her moral compass. He was the most intelligent man she’d ever met. His skill at disguise, his mastery of language, culture, and stratagem far outweighed any nobles servicing England in the House of Lords or the Admiralty Board.

He stepped back, only slightly, and lifted her chin, tilting her face up to his. Her gaze traveled from the lapels of his coat to his starched cravat, upper neck, and chin, finally settling on his generous sensual mouth. She held her breath as hundreds of butterflies fluttered to break free from her chest and waited for him to speak as if her very life depended on his next words.

“You and I are not of this world, are we?”

She closed her eyes absorbing his warmth like she’d been deprived of the noonday sun. “I am part of any world you reside in, Simon. I would follow you anywhere.”

When he said nothing, she opened her eyes, suppressing the chill that swept over her. Why wouldn’t he let go and just be? She leaned toward him, absorbing the power emanating from his body.

Dark hair draped over his forehead as he glanced down at her. Heaven help her, she was a selfish woman. She trembled with desire, wanting his mouth on hers, longing to know how he tasted. She wanted assurances, his promise that their dreams of being together hadn’t been crushed. It was wrong to desire these things, so very wrong. It was too soon.

~~~~

Katherine Bone has been passionate about all things historical since she was an Army bratMy Lady Rogue Meme traveling all over the world. Initially, she dreamed of being an artist, but when she met and fell in love with Prince Charming, her own dashing Lieutenant vowing duty, honor, and country, she found herself saying, “I do.” Whisked away to Army bases, castles, battlegrounds, and cathedrals, where tales of swashbuckling adventure filled the lonely gaps when the Army called Charming away, Katherine’s imagination took flight. No longer nomadic, she calls the south home and spends most of her time daydreaming about Charming and heroes of yesteryear.

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