Tuesday, September 30, 2014

~Blog Tour~ Take Me Down Lauren H. Kelly

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  Synopsis  
Take Me Down, sizzling hot interracial romance (BWWM), is a stand alone novel in the Suits in Pursuit series. One night changed destiny. Six years later, Ashley Turner is confronted by the anger and bitterness that has become her crutch. Scars have left her calloused and with an attitude as sour as vinegar served neat, keeping men at a necessary distance. Real estate investor Sebastian Stone has a huge problem. The high-rise on Peachtree Street is a financial drain on his business. A personal tragedy left him void of a solution and harboring a grudge against women bigger than his salty alter ego. Fate orchestrates a series of events that unite the two tortured souls, proving their chance acquaintance is anything but coincidence. Unhealed wounds, lies and betrayal at play between them cannot stop the forces of attraction. To land the promotion Ashley wants and to save everything Sebastian has spent a lifetime building, they are bound by necessity to work together. Unhinged passion erupts, but revenge threatens the second chance at love that fate intended.
Meet the Author
LHK Headshot BW 200x243Lauren H. Kelley is the bestselling author of sizzling hot contemporary romance across the color lines. She aspires to bridge the racial divide with provocative storylines that arouse the senses and transcend race, focusing on issues that unite us all through our shared experiences in love. Lauren is an active member of Romance Writers of America and lives in the Southeast. Book Trailer Social Links
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~Blog Tour~ Night Magic (Magic Series) by Susan Squires (Excerpt)

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BOOK INFORMATION

TITLE – Night Magic SERIES – Magic Series AUTHOR – Susan Squires GENRE – Contemporary Paranormal Romance PUBLICATION DATE – September 8, 2014 LENGTH (Pages/# Words) - 374 pages, 110,000 words (including excerpt from next book) PUBLISHER – Susan Squires COVER ARTIST – Rebecca Poole - Dreams2Media
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BOOK SYNOPSIS

DESTINY ISN’T CALLING. Kemble Tremaine is thirty-seven. He knows he’ll never get magic like the rest of his family. The Merlin gene has passed him by. No true love, no magic power to help the family in their fight against the descendants of Morgan Le Fay. Since it doesn’t matter who he marries, he asks his sister’s best friend, Jane. At least he’ll be rescuing her from a horrible home life.
CINDERELLA MISSES THE BALL. Jane Butler has loved Kemble since she was twelve years old. She’s well aware he’s not marrying her for love, but she hopes she can make him comfortable.
HAPPINESS IS RELATIVE. Comfort isn’t on the menu for the Tremaines. Kemble’s sister has been having visions of tragedy. The family finds one of Merlin’s precious artifacts, meant to increase the power of those with magic. Morgan and her Clan want it too. They can’t be far behind. Can Kemble and Jane find destiny in the face of danger and even death?
 

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EXCERPT

Kemble strode around the car without a word, got behind the wheel and slammed the door. His lips were a thin, determined line. Then he seemed to see her for the first time. “Jane, that…that cheek looks really painful.” His face contorted with an angry look. “I should have been over here first thing this morning.” He was angry with himself, of course. “I could have gone to the doctor if I needed to, you know,” she said. He snorted. “You never want anything for yourself, Jane. I’ll take care of that too.” What did he mean by that? The motor purred to life and Kemble put his arm over the back of her seat to turn and look out the rear window as he backed out. His fingers brushed her shoulder. She closed her eyes as the sensation shot up her spine. Did he have to be so careless? As they turned onto Palos Verdes West she glanced over to him. He was fairly vibrating with…nervous tension? Determination? She couldn’t quite figure it out. He surprised her by sliding into the little shopping center behind the Admiral Risty, an old-school, red-booth dinner place with a wide-water view of the Pacific. “Aren’t you going to be late for dinner at home?” “Yes, I am.” He nodded his head convulsively. The man was sweating. “You want to loosen the tie or something?” He really looked like he was about to choke. “No.” He took a big breath and let it out slowly. Then he turned to her. “I have something I want to ask you, Jane. And I don’t want you to say anything until I’m done explaining.” “Uh. Okay.” Jane was getting a very bad feeling about this. It was going to be something about what he wanted to do with her mother. She just knew it. And she wouldn’t be able to accept his largesse, so he’d try to bully her into it. He looked out over the parked cars. “I’m never going to get magic. I talked to Senior and he agrees. We think the gene is recessive in me. I’ve known it for a while.” She started to protest, but he held up a hand. It was shaking a little. That stopped her far more effectively than anything he could have said. He wasn’t the kind of guy to tremble. “So.” He acted as though that settled everything. “So he agrees that I ought to get on with my life. Settle down. And if I’m not waiting for the bolt of lightning, well, then I can marry whomever I want. So I’m asking you.” Jane felt like she’d been struck deaf, dumb and blind by that lightning bolt. Kemble was… asking her to… marry him? After all these years, he’d realized he loved her… “Now don’t say no,” he rushed on. “Just because we’re not in love doesn’t mean this can’t work out. You need a refuge Jane, and if we marry, I can give that to you.” Jane carefully shut her mouth, though that didn’t mean she could breathe. Kemble looked down at his hands, still on the steering wheel. “The family already loves you. And I’ll make sure your mother is taken care of. Enough money cures everything, Jane, and if it’s one thing I have, it’s money.” His eyes were so earnest it might break her heart. He’d given up. So he might as well marry her. Something heavy sat on her chest. He got an anxious look. “So…uh…what do you think?” She hardly trusted herself to speak. “Oh. Wait.” He lifted his hips to get his hand into the pocket of his slacks, and drew out a small square velveteen box. It said the name of the department store at the top of the hill on the bottom. He fumbled with it until he got it right side up and popped it open. A diamond ring gleamed in the rosy light of the setting sun. The setting was simple, just a band with three medium diamonds set in it. They glinted in the afternoon light. “I didn’t think you’d want one of those big diamonds that are always catching on everything. These… these are nice stones though.” He cleared his throat. It was actually just the kind of ring she would want the man she loved to give her. But not like this. She took a breath. “Kemble, you don’t want to marry me.” It took all the courage she had to speak those words. “But I do,” he protested. “You’re perfect. You’re smart. You’re a calming influence on the family, especially the younger ones.” His voice softened. “And marrying me will give you a place, Jane. Let me take care of you.” She couldn’t marry Kemble when he didn’t love her. That would be too selfish. He put the box with the ring on the dashboard and took both her hands in his larger ones. After the shock that went straight to her groin and the points of her breasts, what she noticed was that the warmth, the slight moisture born of his anxiety, enveloped her with his inherent goodness. She felt…maybe not loved, but at least treasured. “I need you, Jane,” he said. “And I think you need me too. Sometimes life just provides solutions we aren’t expecting.” The words were simple, spoken from his heart. He needed her. It was the one ploy that might get her to agree to this. She couldn’t bear how unhappy he’d been lately. Maybe this solution freed him from the razor-sharp pain of wondering if magic would ever happen for him, thinking he’d never be good enough. She wanted to believe that, because suddenly, she wanted to throw all sense and caution off the cliffs at the Breakers and accept him. Married to Kemble Tremaine, just as she’d dreamed since she was fourteen. A real member of the Tremaine family, with a right to make tira misu for their dinner or cut fresh flowers for the table. There was another problem. “What if you find your destined love after we’re married?” “Never going to happen.” He shrugged as though it didn’t matter to him. But in his blue eyes she saw that it did. He wasn’t over mourning his loss yet. But maybe someday he could be. Maybe time would heal his regret. Maybe they could have something together, if not true love, then companionship, respect. That was more than she was like to have any other way. “You have to promise me something, Kemble Tremaine.” “Anything.” He didn’t mean that, of course. He couldn’t give her the one thing she really wanted. And God, he was so close to her, he was overwhelming any sense she had at all. “Promise that if you ever do find the one really meant for you, you’ll tell me. I’ll set you free the next moment with no regrets.” Well, none she wouldn’t have anyway, whether she married him or not. She’d always regret he didn’t love her. His brows drew together sharply. He really hadn’t thought this out, had he? Finally he nodded. “Okay.” He cleared his throat. “Does that mean you will do me the honor of being my wife?” God help her. She nodded.
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AUTHOR BIO

NYT Bestselling author Susan Squires published twenty-two novels and novellas with Dorchester Publishing and St. Martin’s Press, as well as self-publishing her new Magic Series. She’s won the Golden Heart and the Holt Medallion, been a finalist in the Rita contest and garnered several Reviewer’s Choice awards from Romantic Times BookReviews. Publisher’s Weekly named Body Electric one of the most influential mass-market books and One with the Shadows a Best Book of Year. She lives at the beach in Southern California with her husband, who is also a writer, and two Belgian Sheepdogs who help her by laying their chins on the keyboardddddddd.

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~Release Day Blitz~ Underneath by Andie M. Long (Excerpt and a GIVEAWAY!!)

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Underneath
by Andie M. Long
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Release Date: September 30, 2014



LAUREN LAWLER’s life is visually perfect. However husband Niall seems to have forgotten she exists. Running a Vintage shop on Ebay and meeting her best friend Monique for coffee and shopping, Lauren feels settled but bored. Collecting her nine year old son Joe from school one day, she discovers that the new mum at the gates is her old school foe Bettina.

Lauren is initially wary, but encouraged by Niall, attempts to be friendly, getting involved with the school’s summer fair so that Bettina can meet other parents. This throws Lauren into working with Seb, an outwardly nerdy looking teacher who turns out to be a hidden attraction. As Niall continues to be distant, Seb’s attentions become ever more tempting.

Bettina says she is back escaping a violent husband, but best friend Monique doesn’t buy it and warns Lauren to be careful.

As a vendetta threatens everything Lauren has taken for granted, she has to discover who she can trust. But how much does anyone ever really know about those around them, what’s underneath?




Driven by adrenaline, my hands won't stop shaking as I turn off the alarm set for three thirty am and consider what I'm about to do, part two of my plan. I suck on my top lip, trying to get some saliva into my dry mouth. I push back the duvet revealing the black DKNY top and J. Crew trousers, chosen so I look hot if arrested. I imagined Monique's voice should I face the police dressed in Value jeans and so assembled an ‘attractive assassin’ combo. My armpits feel damp and my heart races to the point that I can feel its thud within my neck, it reminds me of old movies when the monster moves slow before attack. I breathe deep, this is self-defence. I can barely tie the converse I slip on my feet and for a moment I surrender, lay down on the floor in child’s pose, trying to regulate my breathing. It does no good. I must go now. I pull my wavy blonde hair back in a bun, grab my bag, slide on my D&G sunglasses and exit the house.

Behind the wheel of my faithful Nissan Micra, I drive to the bitch's estate and park around the corner, leaving the car obscured by a row of garages. I glance around checking for witnesses. Though I see no-one, I can hear the inebriated screams and laughs of people on their way back from the clubs. I walk casually to her house, my posture straight so should anyone see me they wouldn't question my being there. As I arrive at the front garden I appraise how immaculate it looks, planted with symmetrical bedding in oranges and purples. Box hedging as neat as a newly cut fringe ensures my cover from the estate. She must either love gardening herself or pay a fortune for someone to keep it so pristine. As someone who has grown vegetables from seed and tended to them like an expectant mother, I hesitate before I put on the rubber gloves. Can I really do this? Are things really this bad? As I consider past events I feel my jaw clench and my teeth grind. She deserves everything she gets. I reach down, my fingers grip the neck of the plants and I lift and smash them onto the path where the soil parts from the roots and spills out like spewed guts. I'm horrified to feel a grin that I cannot stop form from my lips. I carry on, full of energy, until the bedding plants are no more and the piled up soil resembles a grave of the newly buried. I move onto her dustbin, retrieve a bag of food waste and push it through the letterbox imagining the smell on her return, putrid and decaying.

I open my bag, fixed together only with one stud, extract the weedkiller and pour it over the meticulous green lawn. I try and dribble it to spell out the word bitch. A few days and hopefully yellowing dead patches will reveal my handiwork. I re-check that no-one watches me as I move around the back of the house, take a screwdriver from the front pocket of the bag and use it to disable the security light in order to prevent its on and off SOS. Pre-dawn light allows me to write WHORE in carefully disguised font across her white PVC door. For my finale I empty fake vomit out of a plastic container over her patio furniture. I silently thank the person who posted the recipe on Pinterest.

Back in the driving seat, I punch a fist in the air before I burst into tears. I turn down the visor and peer at my reflection within its mirror, seeing the reasonably happily married woman turned revenge seeking missile. Ground down and exposed to my rawest state, if you looked closely you'd see every part of me, each individual cell, be able to look within the membrane to the protoplasm. See what's underneath ...







Andie M. Long is a bonkers mother of one, who spends most of her time when not working as a Research Administrator/Medical Secretary on Facebook. She has a long suffering partner.

Author of the erotic novel The Alphabet Game and drama/suspense Underneath,
she has several published short stories and poems; including an upcoming release for Cracked Eye. Andie has a regular blog at www.wordbohemia.com, ‘The Emergence of the Invisible Writer.’

Andie will be signing at Orchard Book Event, Peterborough, UK in March 2015, Tattooed Bad Boys Event, York, UK April 2015, Dublin July 2015 and Silver City Signing, Aberdeen, August 2015.  For details keep in touch at www.facebook.com/andiemlongwriter







~Cover Reveal~ The Jeweler by Beck Anderson

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SUMMARY
Fender Barnes profits from an institution he doesn’t believe in: marriage. He’s a talented designer, but a reluctant jewelry store owner, thanks to his pop’s retirement. He’s cynical, he’s jaded, he’s not entirely certain about the concept of love, but he’s happy to sell an eager young guy an engagement ring for his fiancée to be—until moments after the transaction when that eager guy is hit by a car and killed, and Fender’s conscience pays a rare visit.

He retrieves the ring and decides to find the woman his customer intended to marry. That woman turns out to be Ginger Stevens, twenty-something ski instructor, who—despite being full of guilt and self-doubt after the death of her boyfriend—is someone Fender finds he quite enjoys being around. He’s smitten.

Which is all well and good, except that after he meets her, Fender can’t do it. Though it’s right there in his pocket, he can’t tell her about the ring. Instead, he embarks on a long, ridiculous quest to find a way to tell her the truth he knows she deserves. Aided by advice from Pop and the antics of his best friend Sam, Fender tries desperately to juggle his budding romance with the reality he knows could ruin it.

Will he find love or foul it up? Can Ginger move out of the past to embrace what the future has to offer? Meet this unlikely pair in Beck Anderson’s heartfelt and fabulously funny second novel, The Jeweler

AUTHOR LINKS

Bio

Beck Anderson believes in the power of perfectly imperfect women and in the healing power of love. Her first novel, Fix You, grew out of those beliefs and the time to write afforded by the worst Thanksgiving blizzard she’s ever witnessed in West Yellowstone.

Beck balances (clumsily at best) writing novels and screenplays, working full-time as an educator, mothering two pre-teen males, loving one post-40 husband, and making time to walk the foothills of Boise, Idaho, with Stefano DiMera Delfino Anderson, the suavest Chihuahua north of the border.

~Release Day Blitz~ Between the Stars and Sky by David James

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BETWEEN THE STARS AND SKY IS OUT TODAY!

A note from the author: I'm so excited for BETWEEN THE STARS AND SKY to finally be released. This book is... different for me. First, it's a contemporary story. It's real. It could happen. Writing something like that was so different for me I wasn't sure if I could do it. But then I found these characters, and in Jackson and Sarah I found a place where I loved to write. Second, this story. THIS STORY. I didn't think I would get through it. It's one of those stories that is so big and so small and so delicate and so IN YOUR FACE lovely and scary and sad and happy that I wasn't sure I could make it through this book alive. But again, THESE CHARACTERS. I love them. And I love this story. It's a minimalistic story, so there is very little filler. Just words that mean something. To Jackson, the main character, this is important. I took what was important to the characters and reflected that in the way I told the story. This isn't a long story, but it is a big one. Complete with a crazy, scary dare, a secret game. A test of bravery. A love story. Kisses. Betrayals. First loves. Second loves. Diverse loves. All kinds of loves. Life and death. Fear and not. And in the end, I'm not sure if this story wrote me, or I wrote it. I guess you'll find out. :)

If you have questions about the content of this story, READ HERE.

"Between the Stars and Sky
 is a vivid contemporary novel from Young Adult author David James. Lyrical and deeply romantic, Between the Stars and Sky is a poetic and heart-stopping read for fans of Lauren Oliver, Gayle Forman, and E. Lockhart.

 In the small, lakeside town of Huntington, the Firelight Festival marks the end of summer. A time to laugh, to live, to love. And for Jackson Grant, it is a chance to begin again. But there is a darker side to the Firelight Festival, a deadly tradition known as the Firelight Fall. A secret game. A legendary lie. A test of bravery. Those who fall risk everything, and Jackson is on the edge. Until he meets a girl who pushes him over. For Jackson, falling for Sarah Blake might be as dangerous as jumping in the Firelight Fall. As summer burns away, Jackson and Sarah ignite an unstoppable love game. For her, his heart is on fire. And soon, Sarah shows him life, saves him from loss, and opens his heart to an infinite and wild love found between the stars and sky."

 David James writes books about stars and kisses and curses. He is the author of the YA novel, LIGHT OF THE MOON, the first book in the Legend of the Dreamer duet, as well as the companion novellas, THE WITCH'S CURSE and THE WARRIOR’S CODE. A Legend of the Dreamer anthology, SHADES OF THE STARS, was released July 2013, and includes the exclusive novella, THE ENCHANTER'S FIRE. The final book in the duet, SHADOW OF THE SUN, will be released in 2015. BETWEEN THE STARS AND SKY is his first contemporary novel for young adults. Living in Michigan, he is addicted to coffee, gummy things, and sarcastic comments. David enjoys bad movies, goofy moments, and shivery nights. Also, hipster glasses!

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~Release Day Blitz~ Two Breaths Too Late by Rochelle Maya Callen (Excerpt and a GIVEAWAY!!)

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Two Breaths Too Late

by Rochelle Maya Callen

9.30.14

Young Adult



After years of secrets and bruises, Ellie Walker takes her own life only weeks before her high school graduation. She expected to be free, but instead is forced to face the brokenness she has left behind. 

This story isn't about happily-ever-afters. 
It is about the millions of terrible and beautiful moments that make up a life and the hope that lives in even the darkest of places. 


A Message from the Author:


EXCERPT:

Death,
I let you take me. I handed you a rope, a chair, and a hollow shell of a girl forgetting that I didn't have to be hollow at all.
I press my forehead against the glass. The feeling rakes through me. There is no relief or freedom here, in this in-between, in this limbo. This is not the sanctuary I wanted.
Hope can't be a hollow wish or dream. It needs to be filled, levied, brimming over with intention and action and belief and reaching, reaching, reaching, stretching until your muscles ache because you want it that damn much, and you won't stop reaching until you hold it.
Until it is yours.
I let go too soon.



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About the Author:


ROCHELLE MAYA CALLEN is a bestselling YA author. Her first novel became a #1 Hot New Release on Amazon in 2013 within 24 hours of its debut. She has pet llamas in Ecuador, built homes in Mexico, played with orphans in Argentina and has spoken the words of Mother Teresa in front of 27,000 people at Reliant Stadium. She has been a speaker to young people since she was a teenager and has been a behavioral coach for 10 years. She lives with her husband and young daughter near Washington, D.C. Her personal experiences of loss and strength inspired her novel, TWO BREATHS TOO LATE and the #HoldOn2Hope suicide prevention project.


FIND ME ON FACEBOOK AND TWITTER.
Follow the HoldOn2Hope project.
www.RochelleMayaCallen.com
www.HoldOn2Hope.org

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~Release Day Blitz~ Learning to Trust by Cynthia P. O'Neill (Excerpt)

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Title: Learning to Trust
Author: Cynthia P. O'Neill
Genre: Contemporary Erotic Hosted by: Lady Amber's Tours
Learning to Trust Blurb:
When Garrett Andrews finds something that catches his eye, he goes after it, letting nothing stand in the way of what he wants to possess...
The first woman to arouse his heart could be the one person who helps him to finally open up and feel again.
Laurel Hart was a swimming champion until a frightful event and unknown health issues derailed her career…
With a recent degree from MIT in Bio-Medical Engineering and an offer to join one of the leading innovators of medical equipment in the world, she plans on making a new life for herself; letting nightmares from her past stay in the past, or so she thinks.  
Once Garrett finds out about Laurel’s past, all rules in regards to "relationships" are changed, because one false move could drive her away. He attempts to calm her nightmares and gain her trust so he can show her who he really is and the relationship he desires from her.
Will they be able to overcome the damage their hearts have encountered?  Can they find happiness? Can they trust their minds or will life throw each of them another curveball?
Only time will tell if they can…
learn to trust…
I grew up in a small town in South Florida called Clewiston and moved to Central Florida to attend college.  I married my friend, love, and soul mate and still reside in the area with our amazing son, and a feisty, four-legged little doggie boy.  
In my books, I draw on my background in healthcare, business, and science, along with my husband’s engineering and wireless technology knowledge. 
I currently write on all levels of Romance.   The Learning Series is for those who like a little more steam with their books, falling into the categories of Contemporary and verging on Erotica, with a hint of Suspense.  The Remembrance Series encompasses Young Adult, with a touch of Paranormal activity and a hint of Historical romance. A new contemporary romance series is underway, called Need.  It will be different than the others, because each book will focus on a new couple, while the other characters will still have a large presence throughout the series.
I try to make my writing very personal and close to her heart. Regular life is the inspiration for my books, but I'm only limited by imagination taking ideas to new heights, opening up possibilities that would normally not exist. 
On a more personal note...I love to cook and create in the kitchen and on the bbq grill.  I sometimes lose myself in a song at the piano.  I often sing with my son while we are driving or making dinner together.  I enjoy crafts (flower arranging, making wreaths, painting pottery, needle point and drawing in pencil and charcoals).   My music tastes are eclectic at best, ranging from classical piano to hard rock/heavy metal.  It all depends on the song, group, and if it has a good beat or is a soulful ballad. 
To learn more about me, feel free to check me out at www.cynthiaponeill.com.
Cynthia P. O’Neill Links:
Twitter: www.twitter.com/cynthiaponeill     or @cynthiaponeill
Learning to Trust Buy Links:
Amazon:  http://www.amazon.com/Learning-To-Trust-Series-Book-ebook/dp/B00NUFEUEY/%3Ftag%3Dkndtracker-20
He pulled his phone from his pants pocket, typed some words rather quickly, and then returned it to his pocket. 
“What are you doing?” I wondered aloud. I sincerely hoped that wasn’t about me.
“Nothing you need to concern yourself with.  Just had a thought that I’d like to run by someone and wanted to jot it down before I lost it.”
”Just so you know, I don’t like it when people are secretive around me.  It makes me nervous and I tend to push people away.”  I don’t know why I was being so upfront with him, but, this phone messaging had me on edge.  I can’t stand secrets.
He walked towards me with a wry smile and backed me slowly against the wall.  He leaned into me, tracing his nose up my neck, and I heard the closet door close.  “I like that you’re feisty, Laurel, makes life more interesting.”  His hands came to rest on the wall along each side of my head, caging me in, as he continued to trace his nose up to my face, across my chin, and down the other side of my neck.  His tone in his voice became sultry. “Do you still trust me?”
The electricity between us hung heavy in the air.  It was so palpable you could taste it. My skin was on fire from his touch.  Every synapse of every nerve ending was firing off rapidly and my breathing continued to accelerate.  Something felt dark and dangerous about Garrett, but at the same time, I’d never desired anyone more.  No one had ever managed to elicit the kind of reactions he was driving from my body. 
He leaned in closer, his body molding up against mine. “Are you going to answer me?” he whispered in my ear, his voice becoming a little more commanding.
  My eyes closed, trying to make sense of what I was feeling.  Just his voice and soft touch made my head spin; I was thankful that I had the wall to lean into for support.  I finally found the strength to answer. “Yes,” I murmured.
His lips began to nibble on my left earlobe. “Yes, you’ll answer, or yes, you trust me?”
“Yes, I trust you.”
His hand began to caress my face as his lips continued their assault on my earlobe and neck.  “Do you have any idea how breathtakingly beautiful you are tonight?  You’re driving me crazy.”
My head began to spin as his lips moved up across the side of my cheek to my chin at an achingly slow pace.  At the same time, his right hand started to travel down my neck, where his fingers traced the low neckline of my dress. 
My heart raced as the palm of his hand brushed gently across one of my breasts.  I was surprised by how heavy my breasts felt.  I could feel my nipples harden, straining against the fabric of my bra.  Soon his lips were pressed hard on my mouth, tugging at my bottom lip.  “Ahh,” I moaned as his tongue plunged deeply into my mouth, sending my mind scattering to the heated overload of sensation my body was feeling.  Our mouths began to move in perfect unison with one another.
            My conscience screamed at me. Tell him to slow down.  You know this is moving too quickly.  What are you thinking?!
            I tried to move away, ever so slightly put some distance between our bodies, but his hips pressed harder, grinding into mine.  His erection felt huge, bulging out hard from his slacks and pressing up against my belly.  I couldn’t believe how much this man wanted me and was surprised that my body was responding with unheeded desire for him.
            Garrett finally pulled back long enough for us to take in deprived lungs full of air.  After a few more breaths, I asked, in a rather shaky and exhaustive tone, “Can we please slow things down a bit?” 
            Both of his hands rose up the wall to rest on either side of my head.  He took a few more deep breaths and kissed me chastely on the lips before resting his forehead against mine.
            “My apologies, Laurel, I don’t know what came over me.  There’s something about you that makes my body respond so intensely.  I’m like an alcoholic drawn to your intoxicating beauty and scent; I just can’t seem to get enough.  I’ve never had this kind of reaction to anyone before.”  He paused for a moment, taking in a deep breath to clear his mind. “I agree, though, we need to take things slower.”
He lifted one of my hands towards his lips and kissed it gently before placing it atop his shoulder.  He repeated the same thing with my other hand, indicating he wanted me encircling his shoulders.  Then he cupped my face with his own hands and leaned in for a gentle kiss.
The tenderness of this new kiss made me feel more secure in his arms.  We continued this way for what seemed like an eternity, until I heard the door open and Hannah walk in calling, “Laurel?  Are you here?”
We both pulled away from the wall.  He had a quizzical look on his face, as if he’d forgotten we were in the closet in my dorm room. “Roommate?” he whispered. 
I nodded in response. What are we supposed to do now? Wait her out?
We waited to hear what she was doing.  As soon as we thought the coast was clear, we tried leaving the closet, only to find her standing there with her arms crossed and smiling up a storm, knowing she’d caught us.
She didn’t wait for an introduction, but stuck out her hand to Garrett. “Hi, Handsome, I’m Hannah, Laurel’s roommate.  And you are?”
 

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