Tidings of Comfort & Schnapps by Erin Nicholas

Sweater Season continues! Along with the awesomely ugly sweaters on Facebook, we're sharing short stories starring some of our already-have-books characters that you may have met and fallen for in the past! :)

Cody Madsen and Olivia Dixon are actually the stars of my *upcoming* release (Feb 25th), Best of Four.  But readers have already gotten to know these two in the first three books, She's the One, It Takes Two and Best of Three. And they have a bit of a past that I was happy to reveal in this short holiday story! Enjoy!

Two years, one week and three days ago

There was nothing sexy about gingerbread men.  Especially ones that were really just big

blobs of gingerbread with a foot sticking out here and there.  There was also nothing sexy about sugar cookies.  Especially ones that were burnt on the bottom.  And there should be nothing sexy about his best friend’s little sister muttering words that would have shocked her mother while putting colorful gumdrops on the top of green Rice Krispie treat trees.

But Cody Madsen found himself a little tighter in his blue jeans when he stepped into Olivia Dixon’s kitchen.  She was beautiful.  Her jeans were faded across the butt, her hair was escaping the twist on top of her head, she had green frosting smeared up one arm and cocoa powder on her left thigh.

And he wanted to kiss her.

But then again, he wanted to kiss her nearly every time he saw her, green frosting or not.

The timer on the oven went off, startling him.  She turned away from the table where she

had at least four different kinds of cookies spread out and saw him.

“Cody!”

“Hi.  Didn’t mean to sneak up on you.”  Of course, with Bruce Springsteen belting out his version of Santa Claus Is Coming to Town, she couldn’t have heard his knock or him coming in through the front door.

She reached for the stereo that sat on the shelf where she kept her cookbooks and turned down the volume.  “No problem.”

“Conner asked me to come over and get his cooler.  He said he sent it home with you after the last tailgate.” Among other things, Cody and Olivia’s brother Conner, played on the local amateur football team, the Omaha Hawks, together.  Once a month, the guys hung out with fans pre-game at the Hawks sponsored tailgate party.

“It’s in the garage,” Olivia said, gesturing toward the door.

Cody started in that direction, but something in her eyes made him stop.  He’d only been able to appreciate her from the side.  Now looking at her straight on he realized she’d been crying. 

He frowned.  “You okay?”

She sniffed, but nodded. “I’m baking for the bake sale at St. Anthony’s.”

St. Anthony’s was the big local trauma center where Conner, and their buddy Ryan, worked as paramedics.  The Christmas bake sale was an annual event that raised money for Christmas gifts for the local women and children’s center.

“It smells great.”

It did.  Underneath the aroma of burnt sugar.

“My gingerbread men are more appropriate for Halloween, my Rice Krispie trees are too mushy, I’m out of coconut, and I can’t even get the sugar cookies to turn out.  And,” she went on. “I have to come up with a unique recipe for the contest and everything I’ve tried has ended up in the garbage.”

It was obvious she was distracted.  Olivia was a fantastic baker.  He’d had her cookies, pies, cakes and brownies in the years since he’d met Conner in college.  They were all amazing.  Almost as amazing as his.

“What’s going on?” he asked.

She sniffed again and shrugged. “Nothing. I’m just stressed about getting the cookies done.”

“How many are you doing?”  There were a lot of cookies in that kitchen already.

“Ten dozen.”

“Ten?”

She lifted a shoulder.  “Baking makes me happy.  It comforts me.” 

“You need comforting?”  He hated that idea.  Olivia was the sweet one of the Dixon Divas—as she and her three sisters were collectively called.  She was the bubbly optimist.  Everyone loved that about her.  Cody loved that about her.  She was one of those people that could put you in a good mood no matter what else was going on.  He hated to think she was anything less than happy.

“No.  I just need to make six dozen more cookies.”

“I’ll help.”

Her eyes widened.  “You’ll help me make cookies?” 

Well, hell, he hadn’t really meant to say that but… cookies he could do.  Comforting a woman, he wasn’t so sure about and he suspected that she did actually need comforting.

Cody tossed his keys onto the counter by the coffee pot and rolled up his sleeves.  “I’ll help you make cookies.”

She looked wary.  “Do you know how to make cookies?”

“Olivia,” he said, stepping to the sink to wash his hands.  “I’m going to blow your mind with how I make cookies.”

Her expression brightened.  “Well, I haven’t had my mind blown by a man in a long time.”

He paused and looked at her.  Was she flirting?  Did she mean that the way his mind had taken it?

Her cheeks were pink.  “In the kitchen,” she added.  “I haven’t had my mind blown by a man in the kitchen in a long time.”

Yeah, he could blow her mind in any room she wanted. 

He focused on the running water.  No he couldn’t.  She was his best friend’s little sister. His best friend who had seen Cody watching Olivia across Trudy’s Tavern three months ago and said “Don’t even think about it.”  Cody’s response had been “nothing to worry about man”.  It had to be.  Conner knew things about Cody’s past with women that gave him good reason to worry about Cody getting involved with someone Conner cared about.  The fact that it was his little sister… yeah, never gonna happen.

“Tell me about this unique recipe you have to come up with,” he said, reaching for a towel.

“It’s for the Cookie Contest.  Winner gets a hundred dollars to donate to their favorite charity.”

Feeling a little more composed with talk of cookies and charity, he turned to face her. 

She was beating something in a big plastic bowl with a vengeance.  And wearing a deep scowl.  He rescued the innocent cookie dough, setting it to the side.

“What do you have for the contest so far?”

She sighed and reached for the huge mug sitting in the middle of the stove, then leaned against the counter.  “I’ve done a peppermint sugar cookie that wasn’t pepperminty enough, I tried making mocha gingerbread men—” She wrinkled her nose.  “—that were a disaster.  And I tried an eggnog cookie recipe that was… okay.”

He looked around.  “Where are the remnants?”

She leaned to the right, revealing a plate of cookie pieces behind her.  He reached for one but she didn’t move, which meant that his body ended up closer to hers than it had ever been. 

He was instantly hit by heat and the urge to put his lips against her neck.  As he slowly straightened, he caught the scent of peppermint.  But it wasn’t coming from the cookies.

“Schnapps?” he asked.

She sipped from her cup again and nodded.

“You tried the schnapps in the cookies to make them more pepperminty?”

She smiled.  “I put the schnapps in my hot cocoa to make my attitude better.”

“Bad day?”

She shook her head, but said, “Yes.”

“Is the schnapps helping?”

She drank again.  “Yes.”

He bit into one of the peppermint cookie pieces.  It was good.  It wasn’t amazing, but it was good.  “I can fix these cookies,” he said.  “Does that help?”

She looked at him in surprise.  “Yes. That would definitely help.”

He moved toward the collection of ingredients she had spread out on the counter top.  “I think it’s interesting that you didn’t realize what you needed to do here.”

“What do you mean?”

“Peppermint cookies are good, but chocolate peppermint cookies are awesome.”

She opened her mouth, then looked down at her cup, then up at him.  Her mouth curved into a smile.  “I guess I’m a little slow today.”

Cody started measuring and stirring.  “Yeah, what’s going on?”

“I went to the grocery store for supplies.  I ran into George.” 

He glanced at her. Her eyes filled with tears and Cody abandoned his bowl and spoon, instinctively stepping forward.  He didn’t know who George was, but the encounter had clearly upset her.  That made him want to punch George.

“He was with another woman.”

Ah. The fact that she was upset about George being with another woman probably meant he wasn’t her accountant.  Cody reached out and ran his hand up and down her arm.  “I’m sorry, Liv.”

She smelled like chocolate and peppermint.  He loved both.

“You were dating a man named George?” Cody asked, trying to concentrate on the issue.  George making Olivia cry.  The fucker.

“Yes.  And George is apparently dating a woman named Maggie.”

Dammit.  He definitely wanted to punch George.  “But he took her to the grocery store.  That’s not very romantic.”

“They were buying whipped cream and chocolate syrup.”

Cody thought about that.  “Ice cream?” he suggested.

Her eyes filled again.  “George has sensitive teeth.”

Cody thought about that.  Then laughed.  “You’re better off without George.”

“It’s not his fault his teeth are sensitive to cold.”

“George was buying whipped cream and chocolate syrup with another woman, Liv,” Cody said gently.  “He’s an idiot.”

She shook her head.  “It’s me.”

“It’s not you.”

“It is.  I told him…”  She trailed off and sniffed, wiping her hand over her wet cheek.

The motion left a streak of green granulated sugar behind.  Which went along well with the powdered sugar that dusted her hairline at her temple, the red frosting that was smudged on her neck and the streak of chocolate at the corner of her mouth.

Cody felt himself move in closer without even thinking about it.  “You told him what?”

Please God, don’t let her have said she loved him.  Cody wasn’t completely clear on exactly why that idea put a huge knot in his gut, but it did.

“I told him I wouldn’t sleep with him.  It was too soon.  I wasn’t ready.”

Cody let out a long relieved breath. Relieved was a strange emotion to be feeling about it, but he decided it was too complicated to spend much time on at the moment. “I think that’s amazing.  Good for you.”

One eyebrow went up.  “Amazing?”

“You deserve a guy who will wait and put every effort into winning you over.”

She shook her head.  “Why do men only think of sex? I mean, is it really that important?”

Cody shrugged.  “Well… yeah.”

“But with the right woman… a guy would be willing to wait, right?”

He looked into those big blue eyes, the tendrils of blond hair escaping her ponytail, the bright red apron that covered her and said, “Absolutely.”

“So, what’s wrong with me?”

“Not one damned thing.”

She stared at him for a moment, then shook her head.  “I think what’s wrong is that I only wanted to kiss him.”

“That doesn’t make you wrong.”

“It means that I was with the wrong guy,” she said, setting her cup down.

There was something in her eyes, and her voice, that made him swallow hard. “It might just mean you weren’t ready to move to the next level with him.”

“That’s strange considering that with you I’m ready for the next level right now.”

Her words rocked through him and now he couldn’t swallow.  “Wh…wha…what?”

“You heard me.”

“You’re drunk.”

She shrugged. “I’m tipsy. But it’s not like this is the first time I’ve wanted to kiss you.”

“Liv,” he said, his heart twisting in his chest.  “We can’t.”

“You don’t want to kiss me, Cody?”

She reached behind her and untied her apron.  She slipped it over her head and tossed it to the side.

He blinked.

“What are you wearing?”

She looked down and smiled.  “My ugly Christmas sweater.”

“Why?”

“It was supposed to cheer me up.”

The sweater was a light knit in shimmery gold.  Except for the two Santa-type mittens curving around either side and covering her breasts.  The bottom said “Feel the joy”.

He couldn’t resist his own smile.  “Did it work?”

“A little.” She moved closer.  “Not as much as kissing you would.”

He took a deep breath.  She was tipsy.  But she was also sad.  He hated that George had chosen Maggie over Olivia.  She understandably needed some reassurance.  He was a big fan of hers, so he could easily assure her that she was amazing. “You’re gorgeous and sexy and sweet and any guy would be a damned fool if he didn’t kiss you every chance he got.”

She looked him straight in the eye. “Prove it.”

Yeah, he’d kind of known that’s where this was going.

Even as he stepped closer and put his hands on her hips, he knew he shouldn’t.  Even when he lifted her up to the countertop, he knew he shouldn’t.  Even when he stepped between her knees, lifted his hand and wiped the chocolate from the corner of her mouth then licked it off, he knew he shouldn’t.

But he did anyway.

He pulled the clip from her hair and tossed it over his shoulder, he ran his hand through her hair then cupped the back of her head.

He took a moment to appreciate the way her breath caught. The way her pupils dilated. The way her cheeks flushed.

Then he kissed her.

And it turned out that the chemistry he’d imagined between them, was very, very real.

The kiss went from sweet to spicy in two seconds.  She gripped the front of his shirt, arching closer.  He opened his lips over hers and she moaned, allowing him to stroke his tongue deep, tasting the chocolate and peppermint and the underlying deliciousness that was all Olivia.

She wrapped her legs around his waist.

He slid his hand up under her sweater, stroking her spine, her ribs, then cupping her breast.

Feel the joy, indeed.

She whimpered as he brushed his thumb over the hardened tip.

Just as he heard the front door bang open.

“Liv, we’re here to help!”

Cody ripped his mouth from Olivia’s as her sister, Amanda, called to her.

“Damn,” Olivia muttered.

Cody stepped back, taking a deep breath and trying not to notice how gorgeous she looked with her hair tousled and her mouth wet from his.

She pressed her lips together and pulled her ugly sweater down as she met his gaze.  “Damn,” she said again.

Yep, that about summed it up.

Olivia slid off the counter as her sisters came into the kitchen.

Cody reached for the bottle of peppermint schnapps.

Want the recipe that Cody whips up?  

Click here for Cody's 

Chocolate Candy Cane

Overload Cookies

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Cody and Olivia get their full story February 25th!  Mark your calendars for Going for Four!

Counting on Love, Book 4

It’s either true love…or the biggest mistake they’ve ever made.

Cody Madsen has stayed away from Olivia Dixon for almost two years—technically. Even though he talks to her every day and sees her every weekend. But there’s no kissing, touching, or telling her how he really feels. Because they’re just friends.  Anything more than that would mean crossing the line that Olivia’s older brother—Cody’s best friend—has firmly drawn between them.

Olivia wants what her three sisters have—true love. She could almost believe she’s found it with Cody, if it weren’t for the fact that her brother won’t have it. And he’s never steered her wrong before. Her head is telling her to trust her brother, but her heart won’t let go of Cody.

Her solution? A dating site where she and Cody can each find their “Perfect Pick” once and for all.

But when the site yields some unexpected results, their real feelings come front and center. And they have to decide if it’s worth the risk to cross the line from friendship to love after all.

Warning: Contains a starry-eyed romantic, a wanna-be Knight in Shining Armor, and chocolate chip cookies. A lot of chocolate chip cookies.

You can also catch up with Cody, Olivia and the whole gang right now with 

She's the One, It Takes Two and Best of Three!

http://erinnicholas.com/books.html#countingonlove

 And there's MORE!   

Tidings of Comfort & Schnapps 

Part TWO is at my blog!  :D

http://erinnicholas.blogspot.com/

For more information about this event, 

check out last Friday's post!

And remember that all comments here get entered to win your very own ugly sweater kit! You can also comment over on our Sweater Season event page for a chance to win, or hey, post an ugly sweater pic there for a chance to win a $50 gift card!

RELEASE DAY & GIVEAWAY-- Everything You've Got

Yesterday was the release day for my 7th book-- Everything You've Got!








(seven? wow-- not sure how that happened )



You first met the hero (Luke) and heroine (Kat) of EYG last year in Anything You Want



Well, FINALLY, they get their story told!



Long story short: I wrote an entire book (it was then titled Falling Hard... or, in more casual circles, This F---ing Book) with Luke and Sabrina as the primary couple.



It wasn't until I was done... yes, done, that I realized why the book never seemed to really work.



Sabrina was with the wrong guy.



There was a reason the sparks flew whenever she was in the same room with Marc (who, incidentally, I thought I'd hook up with Kat... just sayin')



Once I realized that she belonged with Marc, their story came together easily. But it left someone with a broken heart. Being a fan of happy endings and happily ever afters I, of course, had to give him a girl too! And turns out... she was already there. And crazy about him.



Not that Kat's easy for him. She makes him work for it-- for some very good reasons! Luke's pretty used to getting his way, so... well, I hope you find it as fun to read and I did to write!

And to celebrate I'm giving away a copy of Everything You've Got to someone who comments today!

Here's more about Kat and Luke...



Everything You've Got
Erin Nicholas



A girl, a guy, a set of handcuffs… What more could happily ever after possibly need?

Anything & Everything, Book 2


Luke Hamilton’s requirements for the perfect woman are straightforward: live, work and play in his beloved hometown—and get along with his mother. Dr. Kat Dayton’s got it all. And Luke’s noticed.

It’s obvious to him that his long-time friend belongs with him, especially after the world-rocking kiss she lays on him at his birthday party.

While Kat can’t deny she’s imagined a kiss like that—and more—for years, she’s less convinced they’re destined for happily ever after. Still, Luke figures that’s nothing a friendly kidnapping and a three-day road trip won’t fix.

Kat would love to let Luke in, but if he discovers the truth—that committee meetings bore her to tears and she’d rather have a root-canal than go to another potluck—his white-picket-fence dreams will be crushed.

Being stuck in an RV with Luke should be three days of flirtatious fun, but for Kat it’s heavenly hell. The close confines and good old-fashioned lust are making a mockery of her perfect-woman façade, and if he finds out about the mistake that might cost her job— and force her to leave town for good—it’ll take more than a sexy pair of handcuffs to keep him close.

Warning: Contains a man who's willing to do anything for the perfect woman, an RV and surprise road-trip to help him prove it, and a woman who's wondering just what the hell she's gotten into.


Excerpt
copyright Erin Nicholas 2012



“You ready?” she asked, her breath on his cheek.



“Is anyone ever really ready for you?” he asked.



“Aw, you say the sweetest things.” Then she touched her lips to his.



The contact was relatively chaste, and the heat and want that washed over him was completely out of proportion. But one taste and he had to have more.



When she started to pull back, Luke reached up with his free hand, cupped the back of her head and opened his mouth.



She didn’t even hesitate. She groaned as she leaned into the kiss, meeting the stroke of his tongue with hers. The next thing he felt was her straddling his thighs and climbing onto his lap.



From there everything went crazy. Her hands went to his hair, holding his head still. His hand went to her lower back, pressing her closer. His hips lifted and her pelvis pressed down, pulling moans from both of them.



Then her hands went to the front of his shirt while his hand moved to the back of hers. She unbuttoned buttons while his hands slipped under the stretchy fabric of her blouse and onto bare skin. Goose bumps broke out under his hand and she shivered as he ran his hand up her spine to her bra and down again.



And then the song “Be Our Guest” from Disney’s Beauty and the Beast erupted from her purse.



Kat tore her mouth from Luke’s. He felt her panting against his lips.



The song continued. Because it was Kat’s ringtone for Marc.



“Ignore him,” Luke said gruffly, once again cupping the back of her head and attempting to bring her forward.



But she pushed against his chest. “Hold on. I have to talk to him.”



Luke pulled the blindfold from his eyes. “It’s Marc. He’s got nothing interesting to say.”



She slid back and off his lap. “Let me just—”



“Put him off,” Luke said firmly. “Then get back up here. We’re not done.” Damn the handcuffs.



Suddenly he realized they weren’t as great as he’d first thought. He couldn’t grab her as she was backing away.



She met his eyes and for a moment she froze. Now, without the blindfold, he could see it in her eyes—everything had just changed.



They had kissed. Really kissed. The kind of kissing that involved so much more than only lips. The kind of kissing that led to other things. The kind of kissing that changed friends into much, much more. Not the kind of kiss that had anything to do with done.



That was a just-getting-started kiss.


Buy

'Tis the Season!

I don't know if I've ever mentioned it, but I'm a huge college football fan ;)

I really, really, really, really am.

I haven't always been. I've always watched-- didn't want to get disowned after all-- but I didn't really get it... or care... until I was in high school. And then it was more about the fact that several of the cute boys in my class played.

But over the years I've learned more about the game and have come to truly love it.

It's such an interesting game. I think partly because it's a guys game. The way they interact on the field is different than anything women do. Oh, sure there are rare examples of girls stepping up to the line of scrimmage, but for the most part, certainly at the college level and beyond, it's a testosterone infused display. And as liberated as I am, I'm okay with that. Really okay.

(For one thing, they hit to hurt. I mean, the slower the other guy gets up, the better they feel about it. No woman in her right mind would get on the opposite side of that).

Anyway, 'tis the season and I got to thinking (with a little help from Twitter) that football really does have a lot in common with... you guessed it... sex.

In fact, I came up with ten things football and sex have in common.

1. Deep penetration is a good thing.

2. When you do it right, there's a lot of groaning and sweating.

3. The guys who know what to do with their balls are the ones you want on your team.

4. Sometimes you just have to go up the middle.

5. There comes a point when you just have to go for it.

6. There should be good tight ends.

7. For every guy involved... it's all about scoring.

8. When a guy does finally score, all his friends are just as excited as he is.

9. Everybody wants the guy with the good hands.

10. Sometimes just a few more inches make all the difference.

Feel free to add more! :)

And here's all I really need to get my heart pumping! Go Big Red!

Enjoy the season!

Just Right is in print!

Just Right, the first book in the Bradfords series, is out in print!! (And I got my print copies delivered on my birthday!)
All three books in this series came out in 2010 and I’ve had such a good time with them. Now having them coming out in print in 2011 will prolong the fun!

For today, I thought I’d share the usual blurb and an excerpt (and a giveaway!) but also thought maybe I could include some trivial tidbits that you wouldn’t otherwise know about this book.

• It’s first title was Letting Loose
• Originally Jessica (who is an ER nurse) was a police officer
• It got me my first 1st place contest win (in a synopsis contest of all things!)
• I have five deleted scenes between Mario and Sophie—two of the teens featured in the story. The scenes show their romantic relationship develop too. (The book was over 100,000 words long with those scenes )
• Derek Jeter, of the New York Yankees, was the inspiration (physically) for Ben
• When I wrote Just Right I had no idea it was the start of a series.
• I wrote a huge amount of Just Right on an Alphasmart when I was between computers
• In the book, there are quotes painted on the walls at the youth center where Jessica volunteers. One is from Mark Twain (Always do right. This will gratify some people and astonish the rest) and another is from Ralph Waldo Emerson (… to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.)—I had both of these quotes hanging in my locker in high school.

I really want to give a copy away today so how about this—everyone who posts a favorite quote in the comment section will get entered into a drawing for a copy! (I'll draw a winner on Wednesday! Don't forget to include your e-mail addy!)

And without further ado, the blurb and an excerpt (one of my favorite scenes) from Just Right. Thanks for reading everybody! Erin

Just Right, available now from Samhain

To save one good man, she’ll have to let her inner bad girl out to play…

ER nurse Jessica Bradford is a good girl. Okay, a reformed bad girl, but she’s done her late father proud. Now she’s one step away from landing Dr. Perfect, aka handsome, sexy, heroic Ben Torres—the hot fudge and cherry on top of her hard work scooping out a respectable life.

Ben learned the art of sacrifice from his missionary parents, but when a drunk driver he saved kills three people, he quits. To be precise, the fist he plants in the man’s face gets him suspended. And the first dish he wants on his newly empty plate is Jessica—preferably naked.

Jessica can’t believe the Ben she’s found drowning his sorrows in a bar is her knight in shining scrubs. And he won’t be pried loose until she bets 48 hours of her time in a game of pool. She loses. And the next morning she stands to lose much more.

The Chief of Staff’s recommendation for the promotion she’s been after rides on her ability to keep Ben out of trouble until things blow over.

Except “trouble” is all Ben wants. And despite herself, Jessica finds that she’s more than willing to go down with him…

Warning: Contains hot love in a store dressing room and in the front seat of a car—at the expense of a very nice strawberry patch, unfortunately—oh, and hooker boots. Can’t forget the hooker boots.

Excerpt

“I’m in.”

Ben turned to see Jessica standing next to Hank, shoes off, holding a pool cue.

“Do you know how?” Ben asked, smiling at the picture she presented. This wasn’t the type of place he’d ever pictured her in, but she seemed to be adjusting… almost getting comfortable. Interesting. Very interesting.

“As bad as you suck, I’m not sure it matters if I know how,” she said. “But yeah, I’ve played.”

“Well, by all means,” Ben said, gesturing at the table. “Show me what you’ve got.”

“I think we need to establish what the stakes are.” Jessica rubbed the little blue square of chalk over the end of her stick as she watched him.

He shrugged. “I’ve only got about fifty bucks left.”

Jessica moved into position to break. She leaned over the end of the table, her skirt riding up on the backs of her thighs, positioned the cue between her first two right-handed fingers and lined up her shot.

And he just might let her win if it kept her standing like that.

“If I win, you let me take you home, finally.” She looked at him over her shoulder and smiled knowingly when she caught him studying her posterior assets.

“Okay.” This pool game suddenly seemed like the best idea he’d had in a long time.

Jessica looked smug as she turned back to line up her shot again.

“Don’t you want to know what I want if I win?” Ben asked, blatantly taking in the view.

“Sure. What do you want?”

“The next forty-eight hours with you.”

She stared at him over her shoulder, then straightened and faced him. “What?”

“If I win, you spend the next forty-eight hours with me.”

“Just like that?”

He shrugged. “Yeah. You drive me home and then you stay.”

“I’ve… um. I’ve got… stuff… to do.”

“Call in sick.”

She didn’t hesitate. “I’m not sick.”

Ben shook his head. “And you won’t lie about something like that, right? It would be irresponsible.”

Jessica raised her eyebrows. “Of course it would be.”

Ben sighed. It was typical that the first woman he wanted to sleep with in far too long to remember was a good girl.

Ben rested a hip against the pool table and regarded Jessica. “So, what happens when you really want to spend the whole day in bed?”

~ ~ ~

That annoying little flippy-thing happened in Jessica’s stomach again. It had been a long time since she’d wanted to stay in bed for the reasons Ben was implying. But, yeah, he had a point. If that happened, what would she do?

She cleared her throat. “I could put the stuff off until later, I guess.”

“I want you to spend the whole day with me, Jess,” Ben said seriously. “Two days, actually. Forty-eight hours.” Then he shrugged. “I can probably find someone else that would be interested though. Since you’re too busy.”

Jessica frowned. Come to think of it, she did feel ill when she thought of Ben with any other woman.

“Fine. My stuff can wait.”

Ben straightened and looked at her for a moment before he asked, “But you won’t lie about being sick, right?”

“I’m not sick,” she repeated. “But I’ll take care of it.”

“I’m sure you will,” he said, almost to himself. But before she could ask him what he meant he said, “So, it’s an enthusiastic yes?”

“It’s a reluctant ‘fine’.”

He grinned. “Good enough.”

Jessica broke the triangle of balls apart with a resounding clack… and went on to sink five of her seven balls before even pausing to survey the table.

Ben was staring at the pocket into which yet another striped ball had just fallen when she turned to smile at him smugly. It was worth all the irritation to see that look on his face.

She walked around the edge of the table to position her next shot. As she pulled her cue back she was confident that she would only need one more shot after this. But as she started her forward motion, Ben leaned over.

“Look at this picture,” he said softly. “A long stick, hard balls, you bent over the table…”

She missed.

Jessica stared at the ball that had bounced off the edge of the table and rolled back toward her. Damn. That should have been an easy shot.

Ben laughed and came around the corner of the table. He nudged her aside with his hip against hers.

“Okay, big shot. Let’s see if you can win without me letting you.” She slid over only enough to let

him line up his shot and crossed her arms.

Ben lined up the shot and Jessica watched and heard the balls smack together, then the dull thud of them falling into the pockets: two balls in the same shot, in the two corner pockets on the opposite end of the table. It was a brilliant shot. The shot of someone who had played a lot. Not the shot of someone who had been losing money at the game. Not the shot of someone who had been drinking heavily.

He continued shooting until no solid balls were left on the green surface.

“Game over,” Ben announced as the eight ball was still rolling down the shoot. He tossed his pool cue onto the table and lifted the beer mug, finishing off the last half.

She was still staring at the table.

“Let’s go.” Ben took her hand and started toward the door without a word to any of the people he’d spent the better part of his night, and wallet, on.

“You could have done that all along, couldn’t you?” she asked, grabbing her purse off the sticky tabletop as they passed and then tripping along behind him.

He glanced back at the table. “Yeah, probably.”

“Why didn’t you? With those guys? Why drop all that money?” she asked as he pulled her out the door and into the parking lot.

He shrugged. “No motivation to win.”

Jessica suddenly realized that she might just have her hands full with Ben Torres. Still stunned over how he’d finished the pool game just as she’d been completely convinced he could barely walk a straight line, Jessica stopped at her car door and inserted the key to unlock it. She might have her hands too full with Ben Torres she amended. And not in a good way.

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No Matter What in Print!

You know what's cool and dorky at the same time?


Me putting a print copy of No Matter What on my keeper shelf between Susan Elizabeth Phillip's Ain't She Sweet and Erin McCarthy's Date With the Other Side.


This is my first print book! I love, love, love e-books and honestly read electronically on my Kindle 90% of the time but... well, I have shelves and stacks of print books and okay, it's pretty neat to have one of my own!


It's also a little weird to talk about this book because for me it's actually been out for almost a year! :) It came out as an e-book in last November. But I love talking about it. This is a special book for a lot of reasons so I don't mind going on and on about it again!


Here's a little intro (or reminder?) for ya'!

Oh, and I'm giving away a copy!! All comments get entered-- include your e-mail-- and I'll choose a winner Saturday!


No Matter What
Erin Nicholas

The best doesn’t come cheap…and this time it could cost him his heart.

Adam Steele is good. Good at using his money to get his way. Money always works—until he realizes he can’t buy his daughter’s way out of her new wheelchair. Three private physical therapists later, he’s almost given up on Emily walking again. Then he meets Dr. Jaden Monroe. And his match.

Jaden doesn’t know the meaning of the word “quit”. But she knows a lot about “fired” after a public blowout with her ex jeopardizes the donation her hospital was counting on. Now the most tempting man she’s ever met has made her just the offer she needs to save the new children’s rehab wing—one million dollars to rehabilitate his daughter. In return she finds herself making Adam rash promises: that his daughter will walk in time to take the lead in the school play. And that he won’t entice her into his bed. No matter what.

But Jaden didn’t anticipate a teen whose injuries are more than physical. Or a man so passionate and devoted—and as tenacious as she is. As Adam wears down her defenses with kiss after kiss, the only thing harder than keeping her promise will be keeping a hold on her heart.

Warning: Contains heated arguments that erupt only slightly more often than hot kissing, a new perspective on kitchen appliances, and sizzling sex occurring everywhere BUT the bedroom (though they eventually make it there).

Excerpt:

“I didn’t realize I was under house arrest. I have things I have to do. And I did not ‘slip out’.”

“A million dollars is a lot to pay for an eight hour work day.” He lifted the coffee cup that she had not noticed until that moment.

She felt a wave of indignation wash over her but she held her expression stoically. “This is not exactly a typical business arrangement.”

A long silence followed her statement.

“You’re right.” His words took Jaden by surprise. “For instance, any other time I hire someone, I ask a lot of questions about them personally as well as professionally. I like to know about their families, their interests and hobbies. Their habits. I should have asked more questions about you. My primary concern at the time was that I hire the best therapist there was for Emily.”

“You did.”

“Yes, but I didn’t think beyond the therapy sessions. I didn’t fully consider all of the things you would mean to Emily besides being her therapist.”

Jaden frowned, wishing she could see his face more clearly. “What do you mean? And what did you mean by ‘their habits’?” She wasn’t sure why but she felt offended by the comment now that she replayed it in her head.

“I expect Emily will get very attached to you. You are a young, intelligent, successful woman and Emily will likely look up to you.”

“And that concerns you.”

“Frankly, yes.”

“Why?”

He came to his feet in one quick, fluid movement. “Because it’s one in the morning and you’re just getting home.”

Let him guess and assume about what you were doing. Make him a little crazy for a change.
“I don’t like that you’re assuming the worst about me. I have given you no reason not to trust me.”

He took a deep breath. “Okay, then, I have only one question for you. Where were you?”

She swallowed hard and tried to get a grip on the thoughts and responses that were stumbling over one another in their haste to make it to her mouth first.

“I was out, Adam. That’s all you need to know.” She added a flip of her hair to emphasize how casual she was about the whole thing.

“Jaden…” He took a deep breath and she saw him consciously work to unclench his fists. It struck her how personal her name sounded from his lips even when he was frustrated. That only increased her aggravation.

His voice slightly calmer, he spoke again. “It is important to me. At least tell me that you weren’t…”

“What? That I wasn’t… doing drugs? Drinking all night at the bars? That I’m not a call girl in the evenings when I’m not at the hospital? Smell my breath, Adam, if you don’t believe me. Diet cola was the strongest thing I had tonight.”

He came toward her quickly and she tipped her chin up to meet his gaze. He leaned in, braced his hands on the counter behind her on either side of her hips, and took a deep breath.

She held hers. Having him suddenly this close was overwhelming and she fought to remember what they had been talking about.

He reminded her quickly. “How about all of the above?” His voice was lower now, huskier, and his eyes studied hers closely. “How about reassuring me that you wouldn’t dream of doing any of those things?”

She didn’t like that he doubted her. She wanted to stomp and yell and demand that he believe in her. But, at the same time, this might just be perfect. She’d been off balance since meeting him. He shook her up, as much as she hated it. Clearly her conduct during off-duty hours interested him, and worried him. So, this might be her chance to turn the tables a bit. Not that getting a man like Adam off balance would be easy. But it would, very likely, be fun.

“I’ll tell you this much. Drugs and prostitution aren’t my thing.”

He pressed closer and she felt the edge of the counter against her low back. Perhaps it was her decision to try to overwhelm him for a change, but for the first time, when he got close to her, dropped his voice low and looked at her like he wanted to make all of her fantasies come true, she reveled in it.

She found the scent of his cologne and the warmth of the arm braced on the counter beside her appealing rather than aggressive. In fact, this close, she found that his blue eyes, swirling with emotion, were impossible to resist. He was a passionate man. He cared about his daughter, his household and stood firm in his convictions. It was his unflinching devotion that made her want to know more about him. For instance, what else stirred Adam Steele’s passions?

“So tell me, what is your kind of thing?”

The huskiness in his voice made her nerve endings dance.

She studied his full lips for a long moment before her eyes traced his strong jaw shadowed with dark stubble. Eventually, she moved up slowly to again meet the midnight blue eyes that seemed to pierce straight through to her soul.

“Arrogant millionaires evidently.”

As his lips met hers, she momentarily stopped disliking anything about him.


Another excerpt here or here
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When things are Just Right

One of my favorite books to write is now available. Tuesday was the official release day for Just Right and I said something on Twitter about how release day for a new book is better than my birthday. And here’s why:

Release days happen more than once a year (so far for me anyway!)
Release days make me feel creative and appreciated (Birthdays… well, maybe appreciated… )
There was no cake to try to say no to, to eat anyway, and to then feel guilty about
No one asked me how old I was on Tuesday
Release days mean I give stuff to other people rather than getting stuff

For instance, I’m giving two copies of the book away right here, today!

Now here’s the best part. Yes, there’s an excerpt below. Yes, this the first book in a three-book series with details on my website. Yes, I’m having a contest on my website. BUT, to get entered into this drawing you don’t even have to work at it. All you have to do is say something nice about me, my writing, my books (okay, it's an ego thing--so what? :))… a simple “Erin, you are gorgeous, intelligent and talented!” or “I can’t live without reading everything you’ll ever write!” will suffice! LOL

I’ll draw from all comments posted by 10 p.m. CST!

Oh, and this excerpt is exclusive to this group/ never-before-seen (unless you’ve already bought the book and read it-- and if that's the case THANK YOU! :))!

Blurb:


To be a good bad boy you have to find just the right girl…
ER nurse Jessica Bradford is a good girl. Okay, more like a reformed bad girl. She’s determined to be the woman her late father wanted her to be. And she knows she should be with someone like Dr. Ben Torres-- in charge, dedicated, selfless. The tall, dark and handsome part is just a bonus.

So Jessica agrees to keep Ben out of trouble after he’s suspended from the hospital for punching a belligerent, drunk patient in the emergency room. She’ll get the needed recommendation from the Chief of Staff for the promotion she wants and she’ll have a great reason to spend more time with Dr. Perfect. But suddenly she’s got a problem. Outside of work Ben’s not so dependable, or perfect after all…and he’s even more tempting than before.

Ben’s done being everybody’s hero. What’s being a trauma surgeon ever gotten him but horrible hours and a bunch of responsibilities that make his life complicated? His sudden time off from the hospital is not only overdue, it’s a blessing. Which he intends to enjoy fully.

Jessica can’t believe Ben is acting more like a kid in a candy store than a man who’s about to throw his career away. Even more, she can’t believe that she still wants him like ice cream wants hot fudge. She tries her best to keep him out of trouble—except “trouble” is all Ben’s interested in.

And suddenly Jessica’s having trouble remembering why that’s a bad thing…

Excerpt:

“Pull over.”

She looked at him. “What?”

“I said, pull over,” Ben repeated, more firmly. “Now.”

“Ben, you’re being grumpy because I—”

“Jessica, pull the damn truck over right now!”

She took her annoyance out on the brake, bringing his truck to an abrupt stop.

“What are you—”

“Pull in there.”

He pointed ahead to a dirt alley about a hundred yards from the massive house that sat up a slight rise off to the right of where they were stopped.

Jessica followed his instructions, turning in and bumping along the narrow path for about twenty feet before stopping.

She shoved the gearshift into park and turned to face him. “I don’t know what you’re trying—”

“Turn off the lights.”

She did, angrily.

“Anything else?” she asked with fake sweetness.

“Yeah. Come here.” His command was soft, but very firm.

Her frown deepened. “Excuse me?”

Ben couldn’t have put to words exactly what he was feeling. Jealousy seemed to be the most logical, but that seemed too simple an explanation. This woman was important to him and he wanted to be important to her. He knew that John Shepard, no matter how much money he’d spent on her, hadn’t appreciated her. It didn’t sound like he’d even pleasured her. Which, strangely, made Ben happy and pissed him off at the same time. It wasn’t just the other guy. It was that Jessica had been cheated and she deserved the best. With him.

“I said come here.”

“Where?” she asked, looking less irritated and more wary now.

Ben spread his arms. “Right here. Now.”

She hesitated long enough for him to grow impatient. He reached out, looped his arm around her waist and pulled her onto his lap.

Round eyes met his. Her skirt hiked up high as her legs spread to straddle to his. “What are you doing?”

“I can’t take you to Paris tonight and I can’t give you thousands of dollars to spend on shoes, but I sure as hell can give you an orgasm.”

He held the back of her head in one hand as he took her mouth with all of the frustration and jealousy and anger he felt. But most of the anger was on her behalf and he was a very smart man. He knew he was holding one of the sexiest, smartest, best women he’d ever met and he was going to savor every minute.

He gentled his mouth and kissed her until she was breathing hard and had the front of his shirt clenched in her fists.

“Did John-boy ever do you in a car?” he asked against her mouth.

She tried to shake her head, but Ben wouldn’t let her head move enough. “No,” she whispered.

“Up against the pyramids in Egypt?”

He felt her small smile against his lips. “No. It was always a bed, always dark, him always on top.”

Ben moved his hand to her thigh and moved it to cup her buttock. “That’s great. I don’t know how I’d top the pyramid thing.”

And the angry tension left her body all at once. She melted into him, moving her mouth against his, her tongue stroking across his bottom lip until he opened and took possession of her mouth.
She pulled back two minutes later. “It’s not a competition. With you it’s—”

“It’s going to be different in every way,” he interrupted. “It’s going to be everything it wasn’t with him.”

“It already is,” she said with a soft smile.

But that wasn’t good enough. Ben was pretty sure he was already one up with the dressing room stunt earlier, but he wasn’t finished. When he was done with her, she wouldn’t remember how to spell John Shepard.

“Tell me what you want me to do to you.”

She sat back in his lap. “What do you mean?”

“You’ve never told a man what you like, what you want, what will give you the most satisfaction. Tell me.” Just thinking about her telling him where she wanted to be touched was enough to make him hard. But more, the idea of giving her pleasure she’d never come close to made his heart pound.

She bit her bottom lip, watching his face and Ben wondered if she’d be too embarrassed to say her thoughts out loud. Or if she wouldn’t know what she wanted.

“Jessica, I can—”

“Lick my nipples.”

He almost swallowed his tongue. He watched, speechless as she stripped the tiny T-shirt off and arched her back, bringing her breasts to his face.

“You’ve got the best nipples I’ve ever seen,” Ben said gruffly, cupping one breast in his hand.

“Yeah, we might have to talk about your sexual past too, eventually. But right now I want that orgasm you promised me,” she said, letting her head fall back.

He lifted her breast, bringing her nipple to his lips where he obligingly licked. Again and again.

She went from holding her breath to breathing raggedly.

He moved to the other breast, but licked only once before sucking gently, then more firmly as she put her hand at the back of his head to urge him on.

“What else?” he asked, somehow.

“I don’t know if I’m going to be big into foreplay,” she said, breathlessly.

“Whatever you want.” Ben ran a thumb over one of her stiff nipples.

She moaned and wiggled on his lap. “Touch me…”

“Where?” he urged as she shifted.

“You know,” she whispered.

“Say it.”

“I’ll show you instead.”

Part of him wanted to hear it, but he certainly wasn’t complaining when she moved his hand between her legs, shifted her knee so he could better reach and then pressed him against her heat.

“There,” she purred as he slid a finger under the edge of the thong and inside of her. “Right there.”

How any man could have had her all to himself for ten months, every night, and not managed to take the time to fully enjoy her was beyond him. But he wasn’t complaining about being the first and only.

Or was he…

“Did you have an orgasm with Tim Hubert on his basement couch?” Ben asked, stroking in and out even as he spoke.

She shook her head. “No. Not until you.”

He’d wanted it. He’d assumed it for a few minutes. But hearing it, not until you, made him harder than he’d ever been in his life. He wanted to be her only everything.

“Hold on tight, darlin’,” he said, increasing the pressure and rhythm.

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