Friends to lovers

I have exciting news! I just signed a contract with Liquid Silver Books for a new erotic romance, Staking Claim! It's a friends to lovers story which is always one of my favs! Sooo, because I'm in a playful mood I thought I'd tease you guys a bit with a little taste of Jake and Gabrielle!

Blurb:
Workaholic Gabrielle Ellis never lets her relationships make it past a couple dates. The sooner she can ditch them, the less chance she has they might leave her. Of course, she never picks the kind of guys she’d want anything long term with anyway, but that's beside the point.

After a night out celebrating yet another escape from her jackass of the week, and her upcoming move, she wakes up in her best friend, Jake Marshal’s truck in the middle of nowhere. According to Jake, she dumps every guy she dates for one reason; they’re not him. He promises after one weekend of erotic bliss, she’ll know she belongs in his bed forever. Jake Marshal, consummate bachelor and participant in her hidden fantasies, is staking his claim. As much as she wants him, she’s scared, too. After one touch, Gabrielle knows she doesn’t stand a chance.


UNEDITED EXCERPT:

Jake’s soulful black eyes captured. “You want to know why you break up with all those schmucks, honey?”
Actually, she didn’t. Not tonight. “No, I don’t. I’m tired, hungry and annoyed you brought me to,” she waved her hand in the air, “wherever we are without my consent. I’m not in the mood to be analyzed tonight.”
Jake snickered before he spoke to her in that honeyed voice she’d heard him use on so many women in the past. “Well, I’m going to tell you anyway.”
Gabrielle threw up her arms. “Of course you are. Jake Marshal always does what he wants.” Despite being her best friend, he drove her crazy sometimes.
“I think you already know the answer, Gab, but I’ll spell it out for you. It’s because, they’re. Not. Me.”
Engage over reaction. “What? You are really full of yourself. We’re friends, Jake. You’re not looking to settle down, and I have too bad a track record to risk our friendship on your ego.” Thump, thump, thump. Her heart punched at her ribs.
Before she could stop him, Jake unhooked her seatbelt and pulled her onto his lap. Damn, the man was warm. He smelled like a mixture of fresh cut grass and man. He cupped her cheeks and, damn it, she wasn’t putting up a fight. “I’m going to change your mind, honey. I’m not letting you leave me. You’re mine, and I’m tired of waiting for you to figure that out.”
His mouth took hers. Jake never did anything halfway, so his tongue went straight for her lips, teasing them open. Gabrielle didn’t hesitate. Sure, this might be a huge mistake, but she was a woman who’d had nothing but bad sex lately, and Jake was as delicious as they came.
She opened her mouth and let him inside, their tongues tangled as he swept each and every contour of her mouth. Oh, God, she’d groaned, but she couldn’t hold it back. His scent wrapped around her like a Jake-quilt, making the apex of her thighs flood with heat. The warmth of his mouth traveled to her jaw line, her neck, behind her ear.
“Give me the weekend to prove it to you, honey. Let me love you, Gab. Let me worship your body and show you that you belong in my bed.”
No, no, no. This wasn’t right. It was Jake’s hands caressing her back, his mouth licking her oh-so-tender skin. They were friends. He was the only constant in her life and when this ended badly, she would lose him.
Gabrielle dropped her head backward to give him better access. For something so wrong, it felt damn right.


And... that's it. Like I said, just a tease. LOL. Hope you liked it. Their story was really fun for me to write. I'm a sucker for best friend stories. I love writing two characters who know one another so well before they take that next step. My hubby and I were best friends when we got together so those stories always hold a special place in my heart.

What are some of your favorite friends to lovers books?