If you have subscribed to my monthly newsletters, then you probably know I'm writing book one of a romantic comedy series. The novel is titled Chasing Ginger. I am in that final stage which requires a bit of research, some last minute details and working on character worksheets. After that, I can launch into editing! ;)
Here is a peek at the book I'm writing...
Returning to her
phone, she woke up the screen, eyes bugging at the image on display, as she
sank onto the mattress. It was a text thread, for sure. The one with Lance. And
what was that? She didn’t remember sending a picture to him. Clicking on the
tiny icon, the screen flared to life with a humongous set of breasts. Strangely,
they looked familiar.
Frowning, she
was sure she had some kind of phone virus or got hacked. She wasn’t a
porn-watching kind of woman, but wasn’t a prude either. Uggh…maybe Lance had
sent a multimedia message to her. Geez, that was in poor taste. But no, on
second glance, she saw that it had been sent to him from her number. How was
that possible?
Except…wait, was
that a telltale freckle on the left side? With an eerie sensation trickling
down her spine, she peeled up her shirt to look. The view was identical. Plus,
she’d seen them enough in the mirror over the years to know the pair pretty
well.
Then she
recalled all the chaotic swipes at the screen of her phone, and how she'd lost her balance outside the shower. Obviously, it had
glitched out, not only capturing an image she wouldn’t have sent even if
someone forked over a million dollars, but humiliating her in the process of
randomly texting one of her contacts. Flipping out of the thread for a moment,
she double-checked to make sure it had only been sent to that person.
Thank God for
small mercies, she thought.
But now she
didn’t know how to face the man again. It was unbelievable to think she’d not
only sent a selfie without meaning to, but she’d been completely naked to boot.
Embarrassingly so.
No!
She was tempted to bang her head against the wall. This soooo wasn’t happening. And what was worse, she had no idea if the
guy was religious or something. It was Sunday after all, and if that was the
case, she’d seriously crossed the line.
Mortified,
Ginger dove into the text thread and typed fast.
OMG! So sorry. That was an accident. Didn’t
mean 2 send anything like that to u.
She sent it complete with an
embarrassment emoji. Damnit…how stupid did she have to be with this man? Maybe
she’d never have a chance with him, but that didn’t mean she wanted to make a
total fool of herself in front of him. Besides, he might get the wrong idea,
think she was one of those women. She
certainly wasn’t into casual flings. Not only was it the kind of selfie she’d
never go for, she had probably grossed Lance out. Shit, she might have to find
a new dance partner. No way would he talk to her after this disaster. Giving
out business advice and dancing in a competition together did not imply that nude
selfies were acceptable.
Then
her phone dinged and she grabbed for it. Frowning at the screen, she didn’t
understand what she was seeing for a moment.
Hot!!! Who is this? What’s your name, babe?
Seriously?
He didn’t even remember who she was? The thread should say her contact info. Was
the idiot drunk?
Is he? Guess you'll find out when the book releases... ;)
In other news, I am tackling a romantic mystery collection, comprised of two different tales. The collection is called First Target. Think of it as a mix of amateur sleuth and a seasoned detective, and both women can't seem to shake that first bad guy, no matter what they do to stop the culprit. These are their stories.
Here is a look at the collection...
“It’s never felt like this, babe. This is…” His brown eyes bore into
her soul.
“I know.” She kissed
him, pouring all the regard she had for him into each union of mouths. They
strained together for that ultimate moment, making new paths across the bed.
When she sat atop him,
drawing that perfect part of him deeper into her body, his gaze widened and he
clamped his hands on her hips. “I’m so sorry, Gwen. But we’ve gotta stop.”
She froze. “What?”
“I mean it.”
Shit, what now? Shame
worked its way through, and she went weak with it. What was so wrong with her
that she couldn’t keep a man around?
Because they were both
ever still, the frenzy of their passion was fading. His features appeared grim
now. “I never do this. We got carried away. I was so lost in you.”
She shook her head,
lifting her chin. Hell, no way was he going to make her feel bad about herself.
They’d both started this. “Be straight with me. What are you saying? You don’t
want me now?”
Graham cursed. “No,
never that. You’re beautiful, and I’m beyond lucky to be with you. The problem
is I forgot to put on a condom.”
“Oh.” She bit her lip.
Yeah, they had been in a hurry and should’ve thought of that. How foolish.
“Well, do you…I mean, I don’t have them, and I never date anyone so I’m not on
the pill.”
He shook his head.
“It’s not your fault. It’s mine. I haven’t been dating for a while either.”
Her eyes flipped to
his. “Really? I thought—”
“No, I’m not as social
as you think. I don’t sleep with all the people I do nice things for.”
“I didn’t mean that.”
“It’s cool. But I
should’ve had something on hand.” With a grimace, his hands swept over her
skin. “God, you feel so good. I don’t want to stop.”
To make sure, she
rocked a little, and still felt the hard plunge of him within her moist depths.
She watched him grit his teeth, eyes rolling back.
“Me too.”
“But, babe, we should
be smart.”
She nodded. Neither of
them could afford an unplanned pregnancy. Cops just didn’t get paid that well.
“I guess we could go
to the store,” she offered.
“Yeah.” He lifted her gently
and set her on the bed beside him.
When he put his boxers and jeans back on so
quickly, she felt exposed. Grasping a long tee shirt nearby, she shrugged it
on. She felt strangely bereft; her body still
yearned for his possession. She’d always considered herself asexual. Tonight
there was cause to believe otherwise. “Um, so…” “Yeah.”
The truth was that neither of them knew what
to do with this. They were partners who were, apparently, very attracted to
each other. But they were about to go undercover, couldn’t make any promises
right now, or even have a hookup without consequences. Gwen just wasn’t wired
that way. Once she trusted someone, she grew attached. And if she let Graham
any deeper than she already had, she’d fall for him.
The lead ball in her gut wouldn’t ease,
though. She cleared her throat. “It’s okay. I think we both know we shouldn’t.
At least…”
“Damnit, I know. Not right now.” He swept a
hand through his hair, then she watched as he shoved his shirt back on and
buttoned it.
“You’re way too hot for my sanity, Detective Cavanaugh.”
He laughed. “You’re not so bad yourself,
Donovan.”
She let him hug her close for a few minutes –
she knew being away from him for the next while would be hard enough – and then
she threw her real clothes back on. Hell, he’d already seen her naked. It just
didn’t matter. Obviously, he didn’t mind that she wasn’t generously endowed.
His dark gaze was hooded where he watched
from the bed. “You’re going to enjoy tormenting me.”
She shook her head.
His tone softened. “No, it’s true. I always
worry about you, Gwen.”
“Me too. For you.” Gwen checked her watch. “I
really should get settled at my new place.”
“Right.”
“Listen, don’t worry about all this.” She
managed a shrug despite her racing heartbeat. “Consenting adults and all that.
We both know it’s too complicated to dive into. We should’ve known better.”
“Yeah.” He stood up and followed her to the
door.
Every undercover cop knew the risks, not just
the danger, but that it might take time before the assignment was over. And
that could be hell on a relationship. That was the number one reason she’d
managed to avoid romantic entanglements thus far. She wasn’t a virgin, but before
Graham she hadn’t had a lover in years, not since college. It wasn’t like there
were often many prospects found in her job. Most of her fellow officers were
either married or just not her type.
But her partner was intelligent, with an edge
of dangerously sexy that attracted most women. Whether he wanted them or not,
they flocked around him like bears to honey. And he smelled fantastic, like
some kind of refreshing woodsy scent. So, what was her problem? Why hadn’t she ever
thought of him as anything other than one of the guys? Until now. Perhaps it
was simply because for the longest time, she’d been utterly focused on Frank
Callavani, and getting revenge for her sister’s murder. She’d vowed long ago he
would pay for that crime against her family, her blood. Pursuing anything
outside of that goal and doing her job as well as she could had seemed
ridiculous.
Still, he’d woken something long dormant in
her. She was sure it had spooked them both. But she couldn’t afford to get
distracted. Not now.
However, it couldn’t hurt to plant a seed, right?
Clearly the man was attracted to her.
Graham’s gaze scanned
the apartment. “Good thing you’re going somewhere that’s furnished.”
“Why? Something wrong
with my place?”
He shook his head. “I
just wouldn’t want you to lose any of your stuff.” He looked over at the wall
of her makeshift office. There was a dry erase board with photos pinned up and
notes written. It was a veritable collage of everything she’d learned about
Frank Callavani, including exclusive details about her sister’s murder. A
bullseye was drawn over Frank’s last known picture, as the bastard was known
for being elusive. Others might not believe he was involved due to evidence
being circumstantial at best. But intuition told her he had ordered the kill.
And he would get what he deserved, whether it was a jail cell or a little
accident devised by her own hands.
Gwen believed in justice, and she certainly
knew how to do her job well, but she wasn’t unwilling to dance outside the
legal system if necessary. At least in this case. So much rode on it. If Callavani
escaped again, she feared it would be the last. He would disappear; probably
find a safe haven in a place with no extradition treaties. He’d be untouchable.
She just couldn’t let
that happen.
“Be careful, Gwen. I
know why you’re doing this. What’s driven you all along. But you’ve gotta keep
a cool head. I know you want vengeance for Cassie, but I hope you do it the
right way. Don’t let your emotions blind you…”
Gwen nodded. “I
promise.” She turned back to the bags she’d packed, then grabbed them, setting
each one closer to the door.
A loud honk came from
outside. She strode over to the window nearby, and brushed the shade aside.
“That’s my Uber. They dropped off my new car at the place.” She glanced around
the apartment, trying to remember if she’d missed anything.
“Good luck then.”
“Thanks. You too.
We’ve all got a big job to do.”
He murmured an
agreement.
“I’d ask you to be
careful as well, but I think you know better.” They were both aware she was the
impulsive one in their partnership. Gabriel was the level-headed investigator,
always trying to keep her in line. But she also knew he meant well.
He chuckled. “So
right…”
“I still worry about
you, though, like I said. Don’t forget I’ll be thinking about you guys.”
Graham offered a tight
nod. “Thanks.”
She knew they were
beyond handshakes, more like huggers at times, but she sensed an embrace now
was only going to lead to what they’d been into earlier.
Courage made her step
up to him and she placed her hands on his chest. Even though they’d already
went well past the line, his eyes widened. “Don’t for one moment think I don’t
want you, Graham. I think that’s obvious. You know as well as I do that there’s
something here, if we chose to act on it. I can’t pretend that anything will
happen in the future. I just want you to know that was me all in with you back
there. We don’t have to be so noble about it. I guess I never really thought
about anything being between us until then. But it did happen, and I don’t
regret it.” Leaning forward, she traced her tongue over his bottom lip. She
felt his body shudder against her. She wanted to curl a hand around his neck
and bring their mouths together again, their chests, bare skin pressing against
one another. She wanted to get lost in him too.
She didn’t. Instead,
she brushed her mouth against his so softly, she wasn’t sure he even felt it.
But she sure as hell did. It rocked to her core and back, but most of all, the
ache in her chest said something else was happening.
Easing back, she
looked into his dark eyes. “I care about you, Graham Cavanaugh. I don’t know
what any of this means for us, but I do know I want you. Too much.” She
released a sigh. “Take care of yourself, Detective.”
“You too, Gwen,” he
replied in a hoarse tone.
“I’ll see you soon.
And if I don’t, I hope you know—”
“Don’t,” he demanded.
“You and I, we never talk that way. We’re not fatalists.”
“No, you’re right.” She managed a small smile. “Goodbye, Graham.”
“Bye, sweetheart,” he
whispered.
Blinking, she wondered
if he was aware of what he’d said. But maybe he was joking around with her. For
some reason, she didn’t think so.
With nothing else to
say, she hauled a bag over each shoulder, then left the apartment. She knew Graham
would lock up behind her as he had a spare key for emergencies.
Shivering, she thought
of that kiss, how he’d touched her in ways no one else had. The way he’d felt
inside of her. So perfect. She wasn’t sure where any of it could lead, but some
part of her wanted to find out.
Odd how that was more terrifying than the
idea of Callavani getting away again.
Hmm...oops! Did I tease you too much? LOL.
Additionally, I wanted to let you know that the boxed set of the Heiresses in Love Series recently got a cover redesign! ;)
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| https://books2read.com/u/4EMMPe |
Woo hoo!
Well, happy reading, everyone, and have a great weekend! :)
