Paranormal Romantics: Preview "The Witch's Dream Releases Under the Auspices of the Hallows Spirit"

Paranormal Romantics: Preview "The Witch's Dream Releases Under the Auspices of the Hallows Spirit"

The Witch's Dream Releases Under the Auspices of the Hallows Spirit

 

 Released October 14th.   BOOK TRAILER

Near Death Peace is Turned Upside Down in… The Book Waitress, by Deena Remiel

Writing is all about bringing to life the “what if’s” floating around in our minds. I had a “what if” moment during the summer. I’d thought about people I’ve known who have had near death experiences and have shared what they saw, felt, and heard. Every story speaks of peace and contentment, but being denied the opportunity to cross over. 

My brain started clicking. What if, at the end of the tunnel during a near death experience, instead of an angel or family member, or even God appearing, SATAN came for you? And what if he wasn’t prepared to send you back to the living? What if he wanted to claim you, but you were saved and ripped from his clutches?

I’ll let that sit on your brain for a minute… Okay, so pretty crazy thought, I know, but what a delicious twist to make this story unique, right?! Read The Book Waitress and you’ll begin a journey where Good and Evil clash, and the light at the end of tunnel isn’t what it seems…

Here's the blurb for this first book...

Camille Dutton learned early in life Satan was not to be trifled with. Escaping his evil clutches as a child, he’s come back with a vengeance for her now.

Derek Galloway’s inquisitive nature has led him to be an award-winning investigative reporter and straight into the path of pure evil.

When a child vanishes from a sleepy island town, Camille, its subdued librarian, becomes embroiled in Derek’s investigation. A satanic cult has plans for the child, while Satan has plans for Camille and the rest of the world. Amidst evil of the most supernatural and human kind, Derek and Camille find a shred of light and goodness in the form of their budding relationship.

First in the Book Waitress Series, the portal between Hell and Earth will be torn asunder, and it will take everything Camille and Derek have and then some to close it. Satan won’t go down easy, but nothing worth everything comes without a price.

Here's an excerpt...

     “Coming! I’ll be right with you!” Camille dashed over to her circulation desk to find a tall, blonde-haired man in loose-fitting jeans and a plaid shirt standing there with slips of paper in his hand, a beat up backpack slung over one shoulder.

     He turned and their eyes locked as she scurried around the desk and pasted on a professional smile. Thank goodness she’d been rushing about. It masked the true reason for her breathlessness- his heart-stopping, blue-green eyes. “How can I help you, today, sir?”

     “I’d like to take these out, please, but I don’t know where to find them.” He flashed a pearly white grin. “I’m hoping you can help me.”

     “Sure.” Looking at his order slips, she noticed they were all for newspapers. They were kept in a different place from the journals. She looked on the floor plan taped to the desk and located their home. “Follow me, please.”

     She joined him around the front of the circulation desk and walked to the far end of the room. Archived newspapers were in a small room off the main area. His slips listed local and national newspapers for June of the last six years.

     “I’m usually self-sufficient in a library, but I’m new to the island and this place is quite different from the ones I’ve been to. So thanks for helping me.”

     “No problem. I’m new here, too, actually. Just arrived about an hour ago, in fact.”

     “And you’re on the job already? Wow. That’s what I call dedication.”

     “Here we are, sir.” She opened the door and ushered him inside. “Newspapers are organized by name, alphabetically, then by year, month, and day. They cannot be signed out, and I believe they must remain in this room.”

     “Please, call me Derek. You’ll be seeing me here a lot from now on doing research, so it’s only right.”

     “Okay, Derek. Please keep all food and drink out of the vicinity of the reference materials.”

     “Yes, ma’am or…” He stood there, waiting. For what, she didn’t know.

     “Or what?”

     “Or maybe you could tell me your name so I don’t offend you by using that old lady term again.”

     “Ah, well, uh, my name is Camille. It just so happens the term ma’am, originally used in the 1660’s, is really a sign of respect when addressing a lady who is married. So it makes sense not to use that term for me since I am not a married woman. If you need anything further, I’m at the circulation desk. Good luck with your research.” She stepped toward the door.

     “I learn something new everyday, Camille. Thank you. It’s important work I’m doing here, you know.”

     “I’m sure it is. I’m just gonna head out now. New ‘round here. ‘Gotta learn the ropes.” She backed out of the room and closed the door, hurrying back to her desk where she touched her hands to her cheeks. A full-on flush had erupted on her face and neck. She could tell just by looking at her reflection in her computer screen.

The Book Waitress is serving up evil and oh, so good! Buy Link: http://amzn.to/MUfEse 

Shopping for New to Me Authors

I need to fall in love with a new author.

There's been a dry spell on my Nook this year and I'm still searching. I've taken recommendation from friends and found a few writers I enjoyed but they didn't blow my mind. Or my heart.

So I've started picking up anthologies to see if someone will grab my flaky attention.  This is what I'm reading now.



How do shop for new authors?

P.S.  I'm hosting @carinapress twitter account this week. Watch me crash and burn. LOL

A Hauntingly Good Month

by JoAnne Kenrick

Tis the season to be... scared out of your wits!
SAMHAIN.  HALLOWEEN. MISCHIEF NIGHT. ALL HALLOW'S EVE.  ALL SAINT'S DAY
Whatever you call it, it's the spookiest day/night of the year. Ghosts and goblins come out to play... or rather our children dress as ghosts and goblins, or Big Bird? Or Katy Perry!
Many have a tradition to watch a scary movie or two, or to read a frightfully spooky book by the fireplace  under candlelight. Others have traditions that go back to the pagan days, of inviting their ancestors over for dinner by lighting candles and placing them in the window and having dinner settings out for them. Hey, it's 31st October, anything could happen!

My tradition is to watch heaps of scary movies throughout October. Looking for some good ones? Check out these lists: Debra Glass compiled a list of her favorite ghost movies, and Denise A Agnew has a wickedly huge list of horror movie recommendations.

I also plan whacky trick-or-treat costume for my kids. The teenage son claims he's too old for candy begging this year. Fair enough. Guess I'll have to wait until the Halloween party phrase starts for him. Meantime, it's just may daughter I have to get my thinking cap on for. This year, she was adamant on Katy Perry. I did get panicked for a little while there, as the costume sounded like it might be a homemade-job with lots of candy appliqué sewing type things to do. To my surprise, and wallet delight, Walmart have a lit up blue wig just the right color, and a candy dress! The two together cost me $30. Now all she needs is some homemade candy jewelry and we'll fabric paint up a white sweater to wear over it, make it look like a tour sweater or something?? Hey, it's October, it'll be fricken cold out at night. brrrr.

And no Halloween is complete for me unless I'm curled up with a good, traditional horror book while the kids are munching away on candy and watching something like Monster House or Disney's Haunted Mansion. We're talking haunted houses or possession type stories. And if they're based on true stories, even better! Sometimes, I'll cross into the romance horror genre. But mostly, I'll stick with the EEP books.

Here's some teaser lines from perfect halloween reading... got any favorite scary lines from horror books/movies? Share them with us in the comments section!

Suddenly, she heard a noise from behind. Spinning, she grabbed Jenny and pushed in front of her, ready to face their foe head-on. She was terrified, but she sure as hell wasn't going to show it. - Weekend at Wilderhope Manor , Lucy Felthouse

George and Kathy Lutz moved into 112 Ocean Avenue on December 18th. Twenty-eight days later, they fled in terror.- Amityville Horror, Jay Anson  is the book I'm re-reading this year.

Hill House, not sane, stood by itself against its hills, holding darkness within; it had stood so for eighty years and might stand for eighty more. Within, walls continued upright, bricks met neatly, floors were firm, and doors were sensibly shut; silence lay steadily against the wood and stone of Hill House, and whatever walked there, walked alone. -- The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson was suggested by Stacy Graham of Girls Ghost Hunting Guide

The creature opened its mouth. An already bloated tongue darted out over cracked lips, and it issued a long, hoarse breath—a death rattle—as it approached. 
Intent, Sebastian realized. That was the thing different to the others. This creature moved with intent and from the glare in the dead man’s eyes, he guessed its intentions weren’t good.' - Dominion, book four in the Serenity. Out 30th October, Marissa Farrar

Listen to the children of the night. -  Dracula, a classic and a free kindle read. This line was suggested by the lovely Kathy.

An ominous howl of wild laughter drifted up on the night air from somewhere down the hill, closer to the Hudson River, in the mystical heart of Sleepy Hollow. - Sleepy Hollow Dreams, Taryn Kincaid
And will I tell you that these three lived happily ever after? I will not, for no one ever does. But there was happiness. And they did live. -- The Dark Towers, Stephen King

Looking for a book to read yourself this halloween, and want something a little sexy and a little dark? With a bite to it?

Series: Multi Author Series, 1Night Stand, book 48

ISBN # 9781613331392

Length: 11K

Heat Rating: four flames

Publisher: www.decadentpublishing.com

BUY NOW!

USA Price: 2.99

AMAZON US - ALL ROMANCE - BOOK STRAND - NOOK - KOBO

UK Price: 2.32

WhSMITHS UK - AMAZON UK

Cathela's Office Halloween Ball is a complete bust. She spills out of her Dracula's Bride costume, and her vamp fetish chases away her boyfriend. Only redeeming feature to the night? Necking multiple shots of Dracula's Kiss—a lush Black Cherry Vodka cocktail—and an interlude with a gorgeous man dressed Gary Oldman style.

No one comes close to satisfying Alec Murray's needs until he meets Cathela during some lame-ass party for bankers. One taste of her blood, sweet yet darkly dangerous, he knows she's perfect for him.

A night of goth bondage is planned for one. For the other, a night of sexual control is a must. A perfect fit. Alec is compelled to reveal his true nature but can their relationship survive his dark secret?

Renenutet the Snake Goddess - Excerpt from Dancer of the Nile

Since I just celebrated a birthday this week, I decided to take a look at some Ancient Egyptian traditions surrounding a person’s birth. Apparently they didn’t make much of a fuss over individual’s birthdays, not even Pharaoh’s. Festivals and celebrations were more likely to be tied to important dates in the cycles of the Nile, or the key events of a ruler’s reign, such as a great victory in battle. The Egyptians did celebrate the birthdays of some of the gods, however.

Their calendar was quite accurate, consisting of twelve months with 30 days each. Unfortunately this system left them five days out of sync with the Earth’s journey around the Sun every year, so the practical Egyptians solved the problem by slotting in some celestial birthdays. Osiris, Horus, Seth, Isis and her sister Nepthys received the honor of a day set aside for them.

The precise details of the ancient festivals are lost in time, but I can imagine there was feasting, drinking, dancing and a good time was had by all, don’t you suppose?

The Egyptians had beliefs centered around the birth of a child, however, including the idea that when you were born, the snake headed, cobra goddess Renenutet whispered your secret name in your ear. I’ve written Renenutet into one of my Tales of the Nile (currently a Work in Progress), as a protector for my heroine, although it’s not easy to summon the Great One. My heroine, Nima, Dancer of the Nile, and Kamin,  the warrior traveling with her, are trapped by black magic hyenas.

Here’s an excerpt from the WIP:

“I was an observer at a ceremony for Renenutet the snake goddess once,” Kamin said.

Shutting her eyes for a moment,  Nima shuddered.  “Yes, but I’m terrified of snakes.”

“If the goddess is attuned to you and sends her serpents to aid us, they won’t turn on you, I swear. What do we have to lose?” He held her away from him, gazing into her pale face.

“Magic for magic.” Nima nodded. “What do we do?”

“I’ll have to cut the amulet off.”  Reaching for his knife, Kamin raised one eyebrow, waiting for her permission.

               Nima swallowed hard.  

              Carefully he inserted the tip of the blade under the knotted black leather cords and slashed the bracelet free, catching the clay bead as it fell. “Do we have any bread left?”

                “You’re hungry at a time like this?” Reaching for the packs, she rummaged through the contents, coming out with a piece of flat bread.

                “Renenutet is a goddess of grain and harvests. Bread is the closest to a proper offering we can get on this rock,” he chided. Holding the bead carefully, he got up and walked to the edge of the ledge, checking on the hyenas. A chorus of eerie howls rose as he peered over the precipice.  “Still prowling. I had no real hope of their giving up and slinking away.”

                “What do we do now?” She rubbed her bare wrist.

                Setting the bread in the sunniest spot on the rock, Kamin laid the bead in center, pushing it into the soft bread and coiling the broken ends of the black thong in a circle. “I need one drop of your blood, sweetheart, so the great one hears the call through your bond with her –“

                 “You have a certain grim logic to this insane idea, soldier. Should I be concerned how much you know about black magic?”

                Gritting her teeth against sharp pain for a brief moment while Kamin made a small incision in her wrist with his belt knife, Nima clenched her fist in the fabric of her dress.

Kamin stood up. “I’m done. Let’s see if this will work.”

                As he moved the knife slowly over the bead, Nima watched first one, then two drops of her ruby blood fall onto the raised snake design on the amulet’s surface, coating the entire bead without dripping off the edges. Kamin laid the knife aside and spread his hands out, palms up. “Great One Renenutet, we pray most earnestly for you to send us thy servants, the black cobras of the rocks, to kill the hyenas waiting below. We ask for the one intervention you promised this woman’s mother, when you whispered Nima’s name into her ear at birth. Our need is dire and Egypt’s fate may rest on our shoulders.”

                Eyebrows raised, hand extended toward her, he nodded expectantly.

                Pure panic froze Nima’s vocal cords for a moment. I don’t know any chants! What does he want me to add?  She swallowed past the lump in her throat, licked her lips. “Please, if my mother meant anything to you, as a dancer, as your priestess, help Kamin and me now,” Nima said.

                A  thin tendril of black smoke spiraled up from the bead. Kamin half lifted Nima  away from the spot as first the bead and then the bread burst into angry purple black flames. Writhing in the fire’s grasp, the leather thongs grew, splitting in two and then splitting again,  lengthening, fattening and spreading beyond the circle of the offering, in a tangle of tails. Nima screamed as eight black cobras raised their heads from the center of the fire circle, sinuously weaving and entwining around each other, red eyes gleaming, black tongues flicking. Hood pulsating, a ninth cobra, black like the others but with a golden head, reared four feet off the surface of the rock. Lowering its heavy head the snake extricated itself from the tangle of lesser snakes, slithering  toward Nima.

               

And that’s a good place to leave it, for this blog post LOL. I’m editing as fast as I can, to be able to submit the manuscript to my publisher! A very happy birthday to any of my fellow Libras who might be reading this post - how did you (or will you) celebrate?

A man with no name?

Today is release day for me! I love release day, especially since today one of my favourite heroes to-date is being released.

Warrior Unbound is out from Ellora's Cave for their Hex Appeal series.

As for a hero with no name, it's true. I can't even tell you his name because he doesn't have one! He's the first hero I wrote who has no name at all. Which was tricky. Very tricky. He's simply known as the Warrior, because that was his destiny for centuries. A protector.

Hattie isn’t the best medicine woman in her order, but when an ancient evil threatens to escape, she’s the only one available to perform the spell to wake the great stone warrior from his slumber. Problem is, she’s not sure if she really believes in it, especially since the key component of the spell is her soul-shattering orgasm.

When the Warrior is summoned once again he is pleasantly surprised by the medicine woman who has called him, and has no problem giving her the pleasure she needs to complete the banishment spell, but something goes wrong. He still remains in the mortal realm instead of returning to stone. To make matters worse, he remembers nothing except the taste of the medicine woman on his lips.

They have two weeks before the new moon to fulfill the prophecy and they spend every moment wrapped up in each other, lost in passion. But time is ticking and there’s a price to pay for saving the world—one that may turn her stone Warrior to dust.

I loved writing this book. Loved it, in spite of the fact he had no name. I also got to name my heroine Hattie, which is named after one my favourite British actresses from the Carry On films Hattie Jacques.

Something else I loved about writing this book is its setting. It's set in North Bay, Ontario where I spent many, many summers and where my DH proposed to me. He got down on one knee on the shores of Lake Nipissing and asked me to marry him. He took me to North Bay because he knew how much I love the Canadian north, where my father's roots are from.

In two days time the DH & I are celebrating our 10th Anniversary.

So the release of this book is special to me on so many levels. My favourite Hero, the heroine has a name I've adored for so long, my favourite location and close to a special earmark in my life.

I hope you enjoy Warrior Unbound!

Fevered Hearts: Meet the Morning Star Clan

Raised by the Shaman Quanto, the Morning Stars are all survivors of the spirit fever and possess special abilities. Growing up in isolation on Quanto's mountain in far west Texas, they don't always observe the social niceties, but they are loyal and they are fierce. When you take on one, you face them all.

Marshal of Hel Dorado

Quanto Morning Star – Of mixed tribe descent, Quanto's gift as a shaman includes the ability to dream walk. Powerful images of fever outbreaks sent him on many spirit quests, each time, he returned with a survivor. Driven from his own tribe, he settled atop a distant mountain and built a home and a life for the children he set out to raise. His patience and wisdom offer even those with the most volatile of gifts confidence to overcome.

Wyatt – Little is known about the eldest of Quanto's 'children' except that Wyatt is extremely dangerous. He possesses one blue eye and one green. A chill fills the air when he is too close, and as much as his siblings love him, they know better than to cross him. The family saying is that when Wyatt rides, death follows.  His relationship with Quanto extends far deeper than son to father, because he is also Quanto's champion and protector.

Cody – Cody's earliest memories are of a small town in the middle of a Louisiana swamp. When the spirit fever killed everyone around him, four year old Cody survived his illness and transformed into a wolf to survive. When Quanto came for him, the young wolf attacked the shaman, but eventually Quanto was able to lure him out and bring him home.  For most of his life, Cody struggled with his wolf—the beast side of his nature often rising to ascendance when he was threatened. The wolf also believed his adopted sister "Scarlett" was his destined mate. When she married another, he went off to die, but met a gypsy named Mariska who helped unite man and wolf for the first time. Cody's fiercely loyal to his family and closest to his "brothers" Jimmy and later Kid.  His ability to wolf shift is transmittable to humans through his bite.

Brave Are the Lonely

Jimmy – The sharpshooter keeps his gift under wraps. Just a few months younger than Cody, these two hot heads actually get along with each other better than the rest of their family. Jimmy never believed he was fevered until sometime in his teen years. He enjoys wood carving and whittling as a hobby. When Scarlett married into the Kane family, he along with a few of the other brothers moved to Dorado to keep an eye on their sister.

Buck – Unlike all of his siblings, Buck is Quanto's son by blood. His mother died when he was young, in circumstances not described as yet. Like his shaman father, Buck has the ability to dream walk and often provides the communication link to their father and each other when they are away. Though he is the son of a shaman, Buck shows no shamanistic leanings, preferring to rely on hard physical work. He, along with Jimmy, Noah, and Cody now reside at the Flying K and have their own residence.

Noah – Born into slavery, Quanto discovered Noah as the lone survivor of the spirit fever which devastated his plantation home.  The six year old's gifts were apparent from the beginning, he can heal most injuries—even those otherwise considered life threatening. The worse the injury or illness, the harder it is for him. Noah's devotion to his family is matched only by his determination to save others. The least combative of the brothers, they are protective of his gift to keep others from exploiting him.

Ike – Gifted with the ability to make things grow, little is known about Ike's origin. He is a pacifist among his brothers, preferring to tend the land. He chose to remain on the mountain with Quanto and Wyatt when his siblings moved to Dorado to be closer to Scarlett.

Micah & Mrs Miller

Rudy – The youngest of the seven brothers, Rudy's ability to phase through solid objects led to many pranks. He also helped them rob banks when the brothers determined they needed gold to save Quanto's mountain. He can phase up to one person at a time and pass them through the solid objects with him. Rudy chose to remain on the mountain with Ike, Quanto and Wyatt as well.

Scarlett – Rescued by Quanto as an infant, Scarlett was the only survivor of the fever outbreak near Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Her volatile firestarting ability is directly tied to her emotional state. Because anger and pain could lead to a firestorm, she was often coddled by her siblings and father as she grew up in near total isolation on his  mountain. As a young woman, Scarlett longed to see the rest of the world—finally tagging along with her brothers for 'adventure.'  Arrested by Sam Kane for robbing gold from a bank, Scarlett struggled to keep her gift a secret and to return to her family, but fell in love with the Marshal along the way.  Scarlett's greatest fear is to lose control and hurt those around her.  Her marriage to Sam united their families.  

Read more about the Morning Stars, Kanes and Fevered Hearts at Heather's website.

It's raining men!

Please join me in celebrating two new releases today. Oh, and not just those two releases. No! I'm also celebrating a kindle freebie!!
And how else to celebrate? With lots of hot, wicked heroes! (and exclamation points!!)

Releasing today from Lyrical Press, MetalMark stars Lye, virgin hero and prince to his planet who knows exactly what to do with Jazz, the piratess who falls in his path. (more info)


Free at Amazon for five days, Wolf-Bitten features Brock, the determined wolf-shifter who hunts his mate, Allie. Get it free today: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009DUVR9Q (more info)

Also releasing today, Passionate Exhibitions is an erotic romance anthology with eight delicious heroes from eight romance authors. My story, Dragon Rodeo, introduces a multi-talented dragon bronc rider named Rand. Trust me, this guy knows how to use his hands. (more info)

All those heroes! It's practically raining men!

Want one for yourself? Leave a comment and I'll be giving away an ebook version of one Lye and one Rand. Just tell me, if it started raining men, would you prefer blond, brunette, red, or a mix?
(deadline Wed, Oct 10th, 11:59pm EST)

Other chances to win at my blog: elladrake.blogspot.com

***
Ella Drake is a dark paranormal and science fiction romance author. You can find her on Twitter, Facebook, & Goodreads.

Her latest releases are MetalMark (Lyrical Press), Passionate Exhibitions (TMP), Desire the Banshee (Ellora's Cave) & Desert Blade, a near-future post-apocalyptic romance from Carina Press. Other titles include The Forbidden Chamber, Silver Bound, Jaq’s Harp, Braided Silk, Firestorm on E’Terra and the recently re-released erotic paranormal romances Scent of Cin and Wolf-Bitten.

Check out Christine Bell's new HOT release!!

Truth or dare…

When Lacey Garrity finds her groom in flagrante delicto in the reception hall closet with her bridesmaid, she’s saved by her best friend’s older brother—childhood tormentor, crush, and boxing bad boy Galen Thomas. Galen’s solution is both exciting and dangerous. What better way to forget the mess of her life than go on her honeymoon with a hot guy who can’t promise anything beyond today?

…or TKO?

Galen had been counting on Lacey’s wedding to put her out of reach—and out of his mind—once and for all, but their steamy Puerto Rican escape is testing all his boundaries. Now that Lacey’s embracing her inner bad girl, Galen is tempted to throw in the towel and claim her for himself. But with the biggest fight of his career on the line and an important business merger threatening to derail Lacey’s resolve, their romance might be down for the count before it even begins.

Excerpt:

Sunlight streamed in through the window, like red knives piercing her closed lids. Lacey rolled to her side to escape it, wincing as her knee connected with something harder than itself.
“Oof. What the hell?” a low, male voice hissed.
She lurched into a sitting position, regretting it instantly as pain exploded in her temples and the whole room began to spin. Clutching at her aching head, she turned to see Galen stretched out on the bed next to her.
“Sorry,” he said through gritted teeth. “It’s just, when you gave me that nice little wakeup kick to the Johnson, you grazed my nuts. Makes it hard to be polite.”
He sat up, sucking long breaths in through his nose and blowing them out his mouth, moving the sheet in the process. His broad shoulders came into view, and she found herself needing to do the whole breathing thing, too. Man, he was fit. His traps were thick and strong. Hard-looking, like—
Oh my God. I kneed him in the wiener. And oh my frigging God, it was like stone.
The gauzy white curtains across the room fluttered in the balmy breeze, inviting and coy. So unlike the curtains in the Thomas family cabin. Memories from the previous night battered around in her mind until she settled on the only one that mattered right now.
They’d done it. They’d really done it.
“I dare you to go on your honeymoon without him,” Galen had said last night. “I’ll even go with you to keep you company. I could use the rest. I just came off a big fight, and my organs haven’t settled back into their proper places yet. You’d be doing me a favor.”
“You’re insane!” Even as tipsy as she’d been, it had taken her almost twenty minutes to talk herself into it. She’d tossed up every roadblock she could think of at first, ticking them off on her fingers as she went, ending with, “The flight’s probably sold out by now and you don’t have a ticket.”
“Well, if Marty doesn’t show up, then they’ll obviously have an open seat for standbys,” he’d said, a challenging gleam in his eye.
They’d gone to her apartment to pick up her bags and then went straight to the airport. By the time their flight was called a couple hours later, though, she’d been as sober as a nun and had almost backed out. Galen must have seen it coming, because he had leaned in close to whisper, “Bock. Bock.”
For a long moment, she’d just gaped at him. “Seriously? You’re seriously going to make chicken noises at me? What are we, ten?”
He’d just folded his arms over his chest and grinned.
“Last call for all passengers on flight seventeen fifty-six to San Juan, Puerto Rico,” the ticket agent had squawked through the loudspeaker.
“What’s it going to be, squirt?”
Maybe it had been the bock-ing. Maybe it was that stupid nickname that he wouldn’t let die. Or maybe it was that, when she had gone through her alternatives one last time, the thought of staying home and dealing with the aftermath of the wedding just yet was too much to bear. Whatever it was, she’d gotten on that plane.
And now she was on her honeymoon with Galen Thomas.
Panic threw a splash of nausea into the pitching cauldron of noxious brew that was her stomach, and she groaned.
“It’s okay. It’s going to be fine.” His words and the awkward pat on her shoulder barely registered as she rolled off the bed and stood, scrabbling for the headboard when the room tilted.
When she thought she could stand it, she opened her eyes, made her way over to the window, and pushed the curtain aside.
“I can’t believe we’re here,” she whispered. When they’d arrived in the wee hours that morning, it had still been dark, and after having more drinks on the plane to bolster her waning courage, neither of them had been able to muster up the energy to do more than fall into the only made-up bed in the villa. She stared out at paradise for a long moment and then turned to take in the room—the wash of paint the color of ripe peaches and the sparse, cream-colored wicker furniture—as what had started out as a dare suddenly became very real.
Her partner in crime scrubbed a hand over his wickedly handsome face before grinning at her. “Welcome to Puerto Rico.”

~*~

BUY LINK

Christine can be found on the web at www.christine-bell.com and on Twitter, under the handle @_ChristineBell