Burn!

How about an excerpt from my upcoming Samhain release, Burn? This story comes out Jan 6th...It's so hot I had a hard time finding an excerpt suited to the blog. LOL

Blurb:

a woman scorned...can be damned delicious!

Ally Ryan and Blake Steele were high school sweethearts. In love and inseparable. Ally always assumed she’d be his wife. Raise his babies and live happily ever after. Those dreams were shattered the day Blake left her and his small town life for the bright lights of New York City.

Now, ten years later, Blake is back. He wants to pick up where they left off. Ally has other ideas. Naughty ideas. With the help of her kinky girlfriend, Heather, Ally shows Blake her wild side. When her little plan backfires though, Ally’s very much afraid that she may lose the only man she’s ever loved, for good.

Warning: This title contains explicit sex, graphic language, anal play, ménage a troi (m/f/f), whips and whipped cream.

I pulled my Lexus into the grocery store parking lot and found a spot. The only available space was at the back. Figured. Not that it mattered. I needed the extra exercise. Being a writer, sitting for hours a day, usually meant a little extra to love, especially in the rear. I turned off the engine and checked my hair and makeup one last time, then left the car.

Ever since the phone call with Blake, he’d been in my head. Invading my dreams. Slipping in under the cracks when I least expected it. Two days after that call and I could still feel his deep voice in my ear. It was crazy after all these years, carrying a torch for a guy who threw me away without so much as batting an eye. Dumb. I’d already given myself a stern lecture—several of them. It wasn’t doing any good.

As the doors slid open, a draft of cold air hit me, cooling my overheated skin in an instant. The dog days of August were in full swing. The overbearing heat made me glad I’d worn shorts and a tank. I grabbed a cart and forced my mind on my mental list of foodstuffs. It was Thursday and tomorrow Heather was flying in for a visit. Since she lived in Florida, most of our visiting was done through email and phone calls. As wild as Heather was, her trip to Lancaster was bound to wake up the sleepy little town. Hard telling what she’d get into. Already I was getting jazzed. It was a rare treat for me to play hostess, and I was aching to cook up something fun in the kitchen.
As I imagined the dishes I planned to prepare, I wasn’t watching where I was walking and smacked my cart into a wall. When I looked up, my mouth fell open. Not a wall.

“Ally?”

I tried to swallow, tried to speak, but there seemed to be a rather large rock wedged into my throat. Finally I managed a squeaky, “Blake?”

“Yeah.”

We both just stood there, staring. It seemed neither of us knew what to say. My heart sped to a wild gallop. Every feeling I ever had for him came back like a monsoon. A floodgate tore open and the emotions poured through. And, oh wow, he’d definitely aged well. Blake was gorgeous as a teenager, but as an adult, he was delicious.

My body liquefied as I took in his long, muscled legs and massive shoulders. His six-foot-plus frame filled out the charcoal-gray suit like nobody’s business, too. I noticed his hair hadn’t changed much. It was still the same dark shade of espresso and tossed about as if he’d just stepped off a motorcycle. Knowing Blake, he probably had. Damn it. Pornographic thoughts slid around in my brain. I felt like a total perv.

A wave of self-consciousness came over me as I imagined what he’d think of the way I’d aged. Would he like what he saw? I watched him blink his sexy blue eyes several times, then look me over. Slowly. When his gaze rested once more on my face, I spoke.

“Hi.”

“Hi.”

His voice sounded hoarse, like a man turned on. I crushed that thought and stepped forward, took him into my arms. “It’s good to see you again.”

Blake’s arms came around my waist as he hugged me tight. Really tight. Almost as if he didn’t want to let go. I didn’t want to think of that right now, so I pulled away.

“Parents got you grocery shopping already?”

He rolled his eyes. “Mom’s been cooking up a storm. I’m going to get fat if I don’t find an apartment soon.”

“You have a ways to go before you have to worry about that.” He looked so damn edible I wanted to scoop him up and purchase him for dinner tomorrow night!

He laughed. “Thanks, but between the errands and the dinners, I’m starting to feel like I’m back in high school again. I’m waiting for Mom to give me a curfew.”

The mention of high school was what did it. I didn’t want to think about the last time we’d been together. “Well, good seeing you again. I better get moving.” I grabbed the handle on the cart and started to move around him. He placed his hand on my forearm. My gaze darted to his.

“You sure you don’t want to have dinner with me?”

God, this was too cruel. Seeing him. Wanting him. Walking away from him. No woman was that strong. But I surprised myself when I said, “I’m sure. Take care of yourself, Blake.”
Then, before I could rethink my decision, I moved off, leaving him standing there. My legs felt like rubber. My stomach ached. Being the one to walk away wasn’t as satisfying as I’d thought. In fact, it sucked.

***

As I ticked off the last item on my list, I went to the checkout. I needed to escape. When I reached my car, Blake called my name. I popped the trunk and turned around to see him sprinting toward me, two bags in each hand.

Without preamble, he said, “I couldn’t let you leave without this…” He leaned down as if to kiss me, and I gave him my cheek. He stopped an inch from my skin. I could feel his hot breath, and desire rushed through my body. He smelled the same. His scent threw me back in time. I shuddered. He chuckled, kissed me briefly and straightened. “You always were a temptation.”

I wanted to protest that ridiculous statement, but he looked me over one more time and growled, “You look good, Ally. Real good.” Then he walked away.

He was several feet across the lot before my heart started back up. Oh, God. This denial business was going to be a lot harder than I’d imagined.

I finished putting the groceries in the trunk, slammed it closed and got in behind the wheel. It was his kiss that did it. An idea had started to take shape the instant his lips touched my skin. Maybe I could give Blake the date he so badly wanted. Only with a twist. I smiled and reached for my purse lying in my lap...