Dark Obsession: Now in PRINT!

A few weeks ago Syd and Kate held down the fort, so to speak, while the rest of us were living it up at RT. Today I'm repaying the favor (in part, anyway *g*) by posting about Sydney's new print release.

Dark Obsession is the fourth book in the Shadow Destroyers series. If you take your paranormal romantic suspense red hot and fast-paced, this is the series for you! A kick-ass, demon slaying heroine. A lust-demon-initiated hero. What's not to like?

Scorching desire…fatal consequences.

Shadow Destroyers, Book 4

Demon slayer Rae McAvoy refuses to let anything stand between her and getting the job done. Especially her ex. Loving Parker nearly destroyed her, and if partnering with him one last time means he’ll be reassigned and out of her life for good, bring it on.

If Parker was the only threat to her heart, tracking down one rogue scientist would be a snap. Except the scientist in question is Rae’s father, and his experiments are hitting much too close to home.
Parker Walsh hasn’t forgotten the passion that once burned between them, and he’s determined to remind Rae every chance he gets. But giving in to more than just lust could mean surrendering to the darkness inside him—the same darkness that once drove her away.

Riding the edge of their rising desire pushes them to the breaking point, until an explosion of passion raises the stakes even higher. Especially when long-buried secrets force them to break the last links to their past—or else be consumed by an obsession so dark it could tear them apart for good.

Warning: Contains a fierce battle of wills between reunited lovers, explosive sexual tension, sarcasm, gritty demon-slaying violence, scorching sex and a love worth fighting for.

Excerpt:

It all came down to a towel.

Hundreds of hours logged in the training room until her muscles ached from exhaustion, dozens of injuries—some that had come close to killing her—countless demons tracked and slayed, and Rae McAvoy was about to be done-in by a white terry cloth towel.

More precisely, the white terry cloth draped precariously around her ex’s waist.

The second she stepped off the elevator and spotted Parker Walsh leaning against the wall next to her office, in nothing but a towel, she gave serious thought to turning around and hitting the close button on the elevator panel.

Need—hot and sharp and all kinds of trouble—buzzed through her veins. For about ten seconds, anyway, then she was back in control, striding down the hall toward him as though she couldn’t care less what he wore. Or didn’t wear, for that matter, even if she had to fight to keep her gaze locked on his face.

Telling herself not to look was a lot like not reaching for a weapon when she crossed paths with a Shadow Demon—it just wasn’t in her, not where Parker was concerned. She might be determined to keep things professional between them, but that didn’t make her blind.

Parker had a good five inches on her in height, not to mention the solid wall of muscle that was just inches away. Smooth, hot muscle she’d been thinking about running her fingers down for weeks. Years, if she counted the time between their rough breakup and his reassignment to her field office seven weeks ago.

Unfortunately, he hadn’t changed nearly enough over the years. He wore his dark brown hair in the same careless style—just long enough to run his fingers through when he was frustrated and still hide the scar on his forehead she’d given him when they’d met.

His smile still carried that playful, I-could-eat-you-up edge she’d found increasingly difficult to ignore lately. And those deep, earthy green eyes that promised night after night of long, hot—

No. No way was she going there today.

Parker’s size, his overwhelming nearness, ultimately meant nothing to her. She’d worked too hard to let anything like personal history get in the way of taking down the enemy. He might not be an emotion-hungry demon, but that didn’t make Parker her ally either.

Not when he’d broken her heart.

Parker’s grin widened as she approached, and after seven weeks of him shadowing her every step, tracking her every move, watching her every breath, both her patience and her willpower were wearing thin. That arrogant I-know-I’m-getting-to-you smile of his really had to go.

Today worked for her.

Giving him her best bored look, she opened her office door. “Funny, I don’t remember any memos about a change in acceptable dress code. Do you?”

She directed the last part to Drew Reid as he stepped into the hall at that exact moment.

Knowing Drew, his timing likely hadn’t been a coincidence. He carried the same gene she and Parker did, one that allowed a demon’s dakorum, its essence, to mutate their DNA, giving them the same abilities as the demon that attacked them. With his acutely heightened senses, thanks to the stealth demon that initiated him, he’d probably heard her the second she’d stepped off the elevator and wanted to watch the show.

She might have been annoyed at the reminder that the friction between her and Parker was the hottest gossip to hit the Shadow Destroyer water cooler scene, if she wasn’t so relieved she had an excuse to avoid looking at Parker’s solid chest.

Any excuse would do, even if it meant that whatever Drew witnessed would inevitably be passed along to the rest of her team. Seemed like the only thing Rae could count on these days were demons running loose on her home turf and her agents wasting time speculating on her sex life.

Hopefully the former would keep the other Destroyers—trained demon slayers whose DNA had also been mutated during a demon encounter—from dwelling on any new tidbit for long.

Drew rocked back on his heels, shooting a knowing look between her and Parker. Probably the same look she’d been firing his way a month ago when he’d gotten involved with another agent’s sister.

“Awkward,” Drew finally mumbled, then turned and strolled down the hall as though he wasn’t chomping at the bit to report the latest to the rest of the team the first chance he got.

As much as she wanted to glare after Drew and order him into her office—surely he’d screwed up something lately—she squared her shoulders and sailed straight past Parker.

Her fleeting hope that he’d go back to his office—or better yet, to the personal quarters down the hall that he’d made his temporary home—fizzled and died when he trailed after her. At least he left the door open. Knowing him, he did it to prove he didn’t need to box her in to intimidate her.

She slid behind the desk and accessed her e-mail to mask just how much he did. She’d long ago given up on figuring out why being outnumbered by demons with only chopsticks to defend herself didn’t feel half as threatening as being in the same room as Parker.

She slanted him a quick look, noticing his bare feet. God, even the man’s toes were sexy.

“There’s no hot water in my quarters, Rae.”

“So you didn’t get my e-mail about the scheduled maintenance work for the next week or two?” Longer if she could swing it.

“There’s hot water in the locker room.”

“Weird how all that plumbing stuff works.”

He flattened his palms on her desk. “Playing games won’t get you what you want.”

A rush of heat worked up from her toes, warming her stomach before she forced herself to ignore the distracting sensation. He’d need to do more than flex a few pheromones to get her to back off.

Since Parker had been initiated by a lust demon, his mutated DNA left him with a particular skill set that took “weak in the knees” to a whole new level. But today her intimate knowledge of how easily he attracted other people, even when he wasn’t trying—unlike now—left her with the advantage.

Expose someone to something long enough and they learned to build up a tolerance to it.

But since he deserved a little credit for the effort, she only arched a brow instead of rolling her eyes. “And what is it that you think I want?”

A seductive smile caught his mouth, reminding her of how she’d ended up in his bed to begin with. Judging by the flare of heat in his eyes, he knew exactly what she was thinking about. Hard not to when the man oozed raw, earthy sex from top to bottom and everywhere in between.

“If you’re not comfortable here, there’s always a hotel.” She refused to consider his relocation permanent. She’d been hanging on by a thread for the last few days. One tiny, stretched-taut thread. She needed him out from under her feet and wasn’t above cheating to do it.

“If you want to get rid of me you’re going to have to get a lot more creative.”

Rae shrugged. “Seeing as you’re due for reassignment any day now, what would be the point?” Aside from her personal satisfaction, of course.

His cocky grin widened, a sliver of menace creeping in. Without a word he turned and left the room, the flimsy towel doing nothing to detract from the rugged determination in each stride.

Damn it, he knew something.

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Old Sins, Long Shadows: New Release

There were times while I was writing this book when I wondered if it would ever see the light of day. You might think, after you've gotten a few books under your belt, that writing would become routine. Uh...no. That's not what happens. At least not all the time. Definitely not with this book.

True, I was a little preoccupied during some of that time. Let's see, there was the moving, the writing, the re-writing, the editing (all for other books, you understand) more re-writing, promoting, traveling, another move, not to mention a whole host of family related mini-crises...

So, yeah, maybe it's not such a surprise this took so long to finish. But I think the real issue here was my need to do justice to these characters. Sometimes characters work their way so deeply into your heart that it's almost paralyzing. There's the need to make their scenes as perfect as possible--to the point where you go over and over the same pages so many times you could recite them in your sleep. There's the fear that, no matter how much you fuss with it, you still won't be able to pull it off. There's the knowledge that, no matter what you do, there are always going to be people who just don't like it. Even people who loved the first book in the series--and, right after your characters, those are the last people you want to disappoint! 

Eventually, however, you reach this point where I am now. Old Sins, Long Shadows is finally off my hands, out the door and on its own. And while I rarely subscribe to the "books are authors' babies" theory, I have to admit my emotions are not altogether different than they were the morning my son went off to kindergarten for the very first time. Just like then, I suspect I'll be holding my breath for most of the day.

Living forever is hard, but loving forever? That’s damn near impossible.

Children of Night, Book 2

1856, New York City. Moments after Conrad Quintano drives his life-mate away, heartache and guilt descend around his heart like a pall. Convinced that Damian’s hatred is as permanent as the scars Conrad has inflicted on him, Conrad steels himself for an eternity of emotional torture.

Present day, San Francisco. For the sake of vampire twins Marc and Julie Fischer, Conrad and Damian present a united parental front. In reality, their truce is a sham. Conrad, weakened by his recent ordeal, struggles against the urge to bring his mate back to his bed. And Damian misinterprets Conrad’s explosive temper as proof their relationship is irreparably broken.

When an old enemy’s quest to create a dangerous new breed of vampire threatens the twins’ lives—and the precarious state of vampire peace—it’s imperative the estranged lovers put the past behind them. Or the shadows of the past will tear apart everything they hold dear.

Warning: This book may not be suitable for readers with an aversion to emotionally damaged vampire heroes. Caution is advised if you have experienced prior sensitivity to any of the following: costume parties, fencing lessons, interspecies, inter-generational or intra-gender dating, occasional mild violence, and/or recreational blood-drinking. 

Excerpt:  

Ah, there you are!” Damian swept into the kitchen, startling Conrad, who was seated at the table. “Good. I’ve been looking for you.”

Conrad fumbled the PVC blood bag he was holding, nearly dropping it. He bit back an oath and glanced up, scowling. Damian was dressed as though he’d just come from the gym, and all in black like a damn cliché. His dark hair was pulled away from his face and the scent of exertion still clung to his skin. Conrad’s fingers clenched more tightly around the bag in his hand. His heart pounded with a savage rhythm. Of all the people he could not bear to be this close to right now, with his hunger running rampant and his self-control at low ebb, Damian undoubtedly topped the list.

“What do you want?” he growled, frustrated by his inability to tame the simmering need that even now was urging him to grab Damian by the throat, slam him against the nearest surface, bury his fangs in his neck and his cock in his ass and reclaim what was his. He buried his fangs in the bag instead and felt his gut heave at the faint chemical taste.

It tasted wrong. It was always going to taste wrong. And it was never going to be enough to satisfy either his hunger or his thirst.

“I need to talk to you about something.” Seemingly oblivious to Conrad’s foul mood, Damian pulled out a chair and seated himself. He was close enough to Conrad they could have clasped hands on the tabletop had either of them been so inclined. Close enough that they might speak softly to each other and not be overheard. Entirely. Too. Close.

“Very well then. Talk.” Forcing himself not to recoil, Conrad swallowed another mouthful. Another tremor wracked his frame. He tried not to imagine the pitiful picture he must be presenting. He would survive it. His pride had taken worse hits than this over the centuries.

Damian made no answer. Conrad glanced impatiently at him. “Well?”

Damian waved a hand at the bags heaped on the table. “What are you doing here with all of this?”

It was so stupid a question Conrad refused to even dignify it with an answer. “Is that really what you came down here to talk to me about? I would have thought you’d have better things to do with your time.” He drained the pouch in his hand, tossed it aside and was reaching for another when Damian put out a hand to stop him.

“Espere,” he said. “Querido, wait.” His fingers closed on Conrad’s wrist and time stalled.

A low growl rose from Conrad’s throat as he stared, transfixed, at the hand on his arm. His control began to slip. Furious, he lifted his gaze to Damian’s face and the hand was hurriedly withdrawn, but Conrad’s skin still burned from the touch. With his eyes locked on Damian’s, daring him to try and interfere again, he picked up a new bag and deliberately sank his teeth into the plastic.

Damian’s nostrils flared. “Honestly, if this is all you’ve been eating, it’s no wonder you’ve yet to regain your full strength. You need fresh food, Conrad. Living food. Shall I find you some?”

Conrad sighed. He knew exactly what he needed and didn’t need, as well as what he could and could not have. He drained the second bag and reached for a third, forcing himself to speak calmly. “No, this is not all I’m eating. But, this early in the day… I fear I do not always find myself in the proper frame of mind to attempt anything else.”

He toyed with the unappetizing bag while he considered his options, coming quickly to the same conclusion he’d already drawn. There were none. By later this evening the edge of his hunger would be blunted. The worst of his venom would have been reabsorbed. He would have more choices. Until then, no matter how much he wished to feed from the living, he would not do it. He couldn’t take the chance of damaging one of the staff. That would only cause trouble, start rumors and end badly. As for attempting to take nourishment from one of his own… Appealing though the thought of it was, as an option it was even less acceptable.

His gaze following his thoughts, he cast a glance in Damian’s direction. His eyes cut to the scarf knotted at Damian’s throat. Anguish flared. Did Damian mean for it to serve as a constant reminder to him of the injuries it covered—injuries Conrad himself had inflicted—or was that just a happy accident?

He forced his gaze back to Damian’s face and inquired coldly, “You weren’t by any chance thinking of offering yourself for the purpose of slaking my thirst, were you?” As he’d expected, Damian’s face blanched. One hand crept protectively toward his neck. Conrad sneered, cruelly amused by the sudden increase in the tempo of Damian’s pulse. “No. Not such a pleasant thought, is it?”

Damian swallowed hard. He placed both hands on the table and deliberately folded them together. His face impassive, he met Conrad’s eyes with a steady gaze. “You still aren’t sleeping well, are you? Is it the nightmares again?”

Above all else, Conrad hated that Damian should know him so well. That he could so unerringly pinpoint the exact location of every weakness, every fault line, every flaw. “Yes.”

“What can I do to help?”

Conrad sighed. “You can tell me whatever it is you came here to talk to me about and then you can leave me to finish my meal in peace.”

Buy it Here 

Just Like That

It's release day (well, tomorrow) for the print version of Just Like That! This is Book 2 in the Bradford series, Sam's book, and it might be my personal favorite! :) I know, authors say their books are like their kids and they can't pick a favorite. But honestly, I have some good reasons for this one being my fave.


1. Sam. I don't know why but Sam was an easy hero to write. He just behaved the whole time- well, at least when he *didn't* I was okay with it! ;)
2. No cover drama. I love this cover. This was the first cover I saw for it and it was perfect!
3. No edit drama. I have so few edits in this book that it's my favorite if for no other reason!
4. The guys. We got to see more of the friendship between the guys--Mac, Kevin and Dooley-- and they were a ton of fun to write.
5. Danika. She's the kind of girl I would totally be friends with and the kind of girl I'd secretly want to be. She can take care of herself for sure, and she calls Sam on his B.S.-- of which, he has plenty.

So, I do really love this book and am thrilled to have it out in print now too!

Even though my author copies got send to Australia accidentally (I couldn't make this stuff up), I'm still going to give a copy away today! (I'll send it out as soon as I get it :))

Just leave a comment and you'll be entered to win! I'll draw a winner on Friday!

And here's an excerpt from Just Like That. One of my favorite scenes with Sam and his buddies:

“Do you mind not ogling my…”

Everyone grew silent and four pairs of eyes turned to look at him.

Damn.

His what? That’s what they were all wondering. Including Sam.

What was Danika to him? What did he want her to be? It should have been an easy answer. She was a one-night stand waiting to happen.

“Ride home,” he said, staying with a more immediate answer and stubbornly ignoring that there might be another answer anyway.

But the four people in the room with him knew him. Well. He got three snorts of laughter and one expression that said That’s the best you can do?

“You know what?” Mac slapped him on the shoulder. “As soon as she’s more than your ride home I’ll stop ogling her.”

“She’s definitely ogle-worthy,” Dooley agreed. “And as long as you’re just friends you don’t get to put up anti-ogle rules.”

“Anti-ogle rules?” Sam said.

Dooley shrugged. “Not my best effort, but descriptive.”

Sam looked at three of the best friends he had in the world. Then he sighed. He wasn’t in the habit of warning other guys off women. He generally felt that if he and another guy—even a friend—were interested in the same woman he would let her decide. If she chose him, great. If not, no hard feelings.

Until now. This was Danika.

“Listen, if there are going to be any rules about Danika, I get to make them. And you are all going to abide by them.” Sam pointed to each of his friends, one at a time.

Dooley looked at Mac who looked at Kevin who looked at Dooley.

Mac spoke first. “You know us, Sam. We’re not exactly rule followers.”

He should have expected something like that. He pointed to Kevin. “He is. The Bible is full of rules. Especially the one about coveting your neighbor’s things, right Kev?”

Kevin shrugged. “She isn’t your wife and she isn’t your donkey so that one doesn’t apply here.”

He couldn’t believe this. He turned to Dooley. “Rule number one, no talking about her when I’m not around.”

“I thought rule number one was no ogling.”

“Fine.” Sam gritted his teeth. “No ogling. Then no talking about her.”

“What if we say nice things?” Dooley asked.

“No.” Sam glared at the guy who had once pretended to be his probation officer to get him out of
a bad blind date. “Rule number three, no watching her leave a room.”

“Isn’t that kind of like ogling?” Mac asked, smirking.

Sam turned his scowl on the guy who had once driven with him sixteen hours straight so he could enter a poker tournament. “Next, no thinking about her after she is out of sight.”

“How will we know she’s out of sight if we can’t watch her leave?”

Sam gave up. These guys were great friends who knew him well. Which meant that this entire conversation was a huge waste of time. He grabbed Danika’s wrist and started for the door. “Time to go.”

“Careful. What about her knee?” Kevin called.

Danika started limping on cue as the kitchen door swung open.

“You don’t have to…” Sam turned and caught the smug, knowing grins on the faces of his three buddies. At least he could try to keep the number of people thinking he was a lovesick idiot to three. He turned and caught Danika under the knees to carry her into the main room.

“Is she all right?” Sara asked, clearly concerned at seeing Danika seemingly unable to walk on her own.

“I’m fine,” Danika assured her.

It occurred to Sam that these were the first words Danika had said in several minutes. Of course, with Kevin, Dooley and Mac it was hard to get a word in edgewise, but she hadn’t protested or contributed to the conversation in the kitchen.

“But he’s carrying you,” Sara pointed out.

“Oh, he’s—”

“You need to get the kids home,” Sam said, bypassing the entire topic of Danika’s knee.

Sara’s attention was effectively diverted as Mac, Kevin and Dooley surrounded her and hustled her away to divide the kids up between the various adult drivers who would be taking them home.

Whatever else he had to say about those guys, they really did have his back when he needed it.

He carried Danika all the way to the front lobby. They were out of sight of the party as soon as they stepped through the double doors leading into the hallway, but he didn’t put her down until they were completely alone by the front door.

He let her feet swing down to the floor, but before he let her go he kissed her, deep and soft.
“I’ve been wanting to do that for at least an hour now,” he said when he finally lifted his head.

“But you’ve been resisting because your friends will tease you?”

“Nah, if I was worried about them teasing me, I wouldn’t have brought you tonight in the first place. With them if it isn’t that it will be something else.”

She smiled. “They love you.”

“Yeah.” He knew they did. But being loved by those guys was a pain in the ass sometimes.


Buy it here on sale!

The Naughties Get Smutty with Crystal Jordan

Greeting from sunny California! Okay, I'm kidding. It's actually raining here in my neck of the woods in Cali, but considering I've lived in places where they made me dig my car out from under a small mountain of snow just to get to work every morning, I'll take the rain and not complain.

Right, right. You don't want me to talk about the weather. All righty then, here's how I'm going to roll today. We have a theme we're talking about this week, so I'll play with that. Then I'm going to lay down an excerpt on you from my book that comes out next month. My first full-length novel even, so I'm so excited I could just burst about it. And to make up the fact that I'm throwing down some blatant pimpage on you, I'm going to offer up some free goodness that plays into both my new book and being a Smutketeer.

Eden, naughty girl that she is, told me we should talk about our favorite smutty moment on film. Because we're Smutketeers, don't you know? We know smut when we see it. And, for the record, she said it wasn't allowed to be porn. Well, fine, if you want to limit my creativity that way. Hee.

All right, seriously. Smuttiest film moment. I asked my guy, and he voted for the love scene in Last Tango in Paris, but I haven't watched that one--I may have to now! I have to admit the smutness that revved me up was that sex scene in Brokeback Mountain. Anyone who's seen the movie knows exactly what I'm talking about. Oh, yeah. That late night moment, two hot guys in a tent together and they go from zero to hot sex in about 2.5 seconds. I wasn't the only one getting an embarrassing little flush going in the theater, was I?

Mmm-hmm. Yum. That's definitely the smuttiest moment that comes to mind for me. Jake and Heath worked the hell out of that movie.

While several of my books have guy on guy sex scenes, my upcoming one EMBRACE THE NIGHT is just one guy with one girl. Though, I'm toying with a guy-on-guy-on-girl ménage for later in the series. It might end up being a permanent threesome or one of the guys might go off and find another girl. The characters haven't told me yet. Anyway, enough teasing and on to some real details about the book.

They're the Magickal ones...vampires, werewolves, witches, and fae who dwell among humans, united by extraordinary talents and unbridled sexual powers...

Chloe Standish went looking for a one-night stand to erase the memories of her cheating ex--and found the hottest sex of her life. A witch and biochemist working on a cure for werewolves, Chloe knows all about magic, yet Merek Kingston evoked a spellbinding lust beyond anything she'd ever felt. But now her ex-boyfriend and research partner is dead, his part of the formula in terrorists' hands...and the detective in charge is Merek, the same man who's haunted her dreams ever since the frenzied night together.

Chloe is the one person whose future Merek can't predict...the only woman who could make him break every rule just to posses her again. Nothing will stop him from protecting her, and an explosive passion too primal, too perfect to forget...

Where to get EMBRACE THE NIGHT (which comes out on May 31st)--Amazon, Amazon Canada, Barnes & Noble, B-A-M, Borders, Chapters, IndieBound, Powell's


Excerpt

“Mmmph.” Something heavy landed on Chloe's stomach, jerking her out of the erotic dream, the erotic memory. Her heart thundered, sweat slid down her face, and her lungs heaved in a desperate bid for air. Icy fear and hot lust warred for dominance inside her as the fantasy gave way to reality. She shuddered, her fingers balling in soft cotton sheets. Her familiar's eyes glowed in the low lighting of the lamp she'd left on, a freakish little alien head peering down at her. Ophelia blinked, her whiskers twitching. Chloe groaned, shoved the Siamese cat off her belly, and flopped over to bury her face in the pillow. “Gods.”

How many times was she going to have that dream? How often did she have to relive that wild night? It had happened two months ago, and hardly a night had passed that she hadn't had the dream.

Maybe she just needed to get laid. Get that night out of her system. She moaned into her pillow, squeezing her thighs together as a lingering throb of desire went through her. That was how she'd ended up having that night in the first place, by telling herself she needed to get laid, to get her cheating ex out of her system.

That had gone so well for her.

She'd gone out to Sanguine, her favorite Magickals-only private club, scoped out every species of hotty the Magickal community had to offer--elves, Fae, vampires, werewolves, warlocks--mentally debated the sexual gifts each species could bring to the table--bedroom, whatever--and then she'd seen him. After that, there'd been no contest. Chemistry was a bitch like that. She would know--she was a biochemist.

Sighing, she rolled over, kicked the sheet off of her, and forked her hands through her sweaty hair. Her body still burned, her sex aching with a need to be filled with more than just her vibrator. “Damn it.”

Dwelling on her lack of a love life since her one-night stand wouldn't help her. And thinking about Damien-Raines-the scum-sucking-vampire who'd left her for a she-vamp he'd knocked up, which was where her shame spiral had started, wouldn't help her disposition at all. However, the fact that his ferret familiar was probably still hexed into an ugly lampshade made her lips quirk. Vampires sucked at casting spells. Damien had just sucked, period. Too bad it had taken her so long to figure that out.

She heaved herself out of bed and played soccer with Ophelia's sinuous body as she tried to twine herself around Chloe's legs while she walked. Tripping, she hit the swinging door to the kitchen and almost face-planted into the floor. “Damn it, Ophelia.”

The cat sniffed, leaped up onto the counter, and flicked a delicate paw at her food bowl in an unmistakable feline demand. Chloe rolled her eyes and grumbled all the way to the cabinet that contained the outrageously expensive cat cuisine her familiar liked. Dumping the contents into the food dish, Chloe went about retrieving her own sustenance while the cat dug in.

Thirty seconds later, she had a steaming mug of coffee cradled between her palms. The first sip made her moan. “Ahhh.”

Bless the Normal human who'd invented the automatic coffeemaker. Magic did some awesome things, but sometimes Normal technology trumped all. She leaned against her counter and gazed out her kitchen window at the morning mist shrouding her Queen Anne Hill neighborhood, drifting out into downtown Seattle. The city lights were a pretty haze that streaked the skyline. Sunbeams began to pierce the fog, so she knew it would be a rare sunny day in the Emerald City. Yesterday had been wicked hot, too, but Chloe loved the brightness. She'd have to remember to go for a walk during lunch today.

Bon Jovi's “Bad Medicine” blared from her cell phone, jolting her from her reverie, and she jogged into her living room to grab it from the charger. Her best friend, Tess's, name popped up on the caller ID. Grinning, Chloe punched the button to answer. “Dr. Jones, I presume. What are you doing up at the ass crack of dawn this morning?”

“Still haven't slept from last night.” A huge yawn fuzzed the phone line. “We're short-staffed so I pulled a double. Budget cuts.”

“Ouch.”

“Tell me about it.” Tess worked as a pathologist for the FBI. The Normal side of the FBI. She was one of the most Normal humans Chloe had ever met. “I haven't put in hours this awful since my residency.”

Along with werewolf Jaya Nemov, they'd become friends in med school, which was the only reason Chloe and Jaya had gotten close to anyone outside the Magickal community. Most Magickals didn't bother because it was just too hard to keep people in their lives they had to constantly lie to about who and what they were.

Chloe knew she should probably ease out of her relationship with Tess, but when Jaya died during a full moon Change, it emphasized to Chloe that a good friend was hard to come by, magic or no magic. Tess might never know the truth behind Jaya's death, but she'd still shared the loss of someone they all loved. So, Chloe kept her friend and did what she had to do to keep her secrets.

Then again, a part of her had always wondered if the reason she held on to Tess was because her long-dead mother had been a Normal. She grinned, and it wasn't nice. Her family was almost as horrified that she had befriended a Normal as they had been when her father had married one and bred a halfling.

Another yawn sounded through the phone, recapturing Chloe's attention. Her grin softened and she cradled the phone closer to her ear. “So, you're calling because . . . you want to get together for dinner tonight and tell me more about the suckfest of budget cuts?”

Tess chuckled. “You're a mind reader.”

“Sure. That's totally a plausible explanation, Doctor.” Chloe inserted as much drawling derision into her voice as possible, and Tess laughed. Telepathy wasn't one of Chloe's magical skills, so it wasn't an outright lie, it just wasn't the whole truth. This time. A familiar twist of guilt knotted her insides, but she pushed it aside. Tess was Normal, Chloe was Magickal; there was nothing she could do about the need to prevaricate. “How about you meet me here around seven?”

“Perfect. See ya. I'm hitting the hay now.” The call was punctuated with one final yawn from Tess before both women disconnected.

Chloe went to drop the phone in her purse and saw she'd missed a call about an hour before. There was a voicemail message waiting for her. She hadn't heard the phone ring, but then, why would her subconscious want her to wake up from a steamy episode of her regularly scheduled Merek-dream?

She shoved a hand through her disheveled hair and pushed the reminder of her one-night warlock out of her mind. Flipping her cell over to speakerphone, she accessed her voicemail while she wandered into her bedroom to dress for work.

A deep, silken male voice emerged from her phone. “Chloe, it's Damien.”

Chills crept down Chloe's spine and a hollow feeling settled in the pit of her stomach. The last person she expected to get a call from was Damien. Hell, the last person she wanted a phone call from was Damien. Shaking off that inane thought, Chloe zipped up her skirt and shoved her feet into a pair of ballet flats. While she walked into the bathroom to brush her teeth and hair, she hit the buttons to replay the message she hadn't really listened to.

“Chloe, it's Damien.” A muffled thump sounded in the background of the call, but Damien hurried on. “I'm sorry to bother you at home. Don't erase this . . . I need to talk to you about work. It's . . . It's important to the project. Call me back. Please.” The call ended abruptly, as if someone had stabbed the End button with more force than necessary.

The please gave her pause. Damien never said please. Then again, he also never said I'm sorry. He was a vampire. They were, by definition, coldblooded. They also tended to have superiority complexes and thought everyone, from other Magickal species to Normals, were so far beneath them they didn't even register on their radar. Sure, most of them would stoop to having a fling with a non-vampire, maybe one or two non-vampire friends, just for variety, but anything else was out of the question. They didn't mix.

Luckily, Chloe hadn't wanted more than that from Damien, but she had expected fidelity while they were together. Apparently, that had been beneath him, too. She sighed, disconnected the call, and slid her cell into her pocket.

The worst part about dating someone you worked with was when it ended badly. She'd learned that lesson the hard way. They were both team leads in pharmaceutical R&D for Desmodus Industries, but since those teams were working on the same project, they did see each other, but not that often. Thank the Gods.

Shoving her arms into a jacket, she picked up her handbag and headed for the side door that lead to her detached garage. If the bloodsucker wanted to talk to her about work, he could do it when she got there.

She wasn't calling him back.

-------

Since you made it to the end of the blog post, here's what you can win. Just make a comment on this post--tell me what your favorite paranormal being is, since I have so many I'll be playing with in the EMBRACE THE NIGHT series--and you're entered to win a pair of copper “Wicked Witch” earrings AND your very own copy of the book. They're kind of steampunky, which is Smutketeer-ish, and the wicked witch label fit my new book, so I just couldn't pass them up when I saw them on Etsy (this contest is limited to people in the continental US. Sorry!).



Hope it was good for you too!

-Crystal Jordan

All for Smut, and Smut for all!

www.smutketeers.com

The Naughties Get Smutty with Eden Bradley/Eve Berlin

The Smutketeers have been having a blast taking over the Naughty Nine's blog this week, so why stop now? We *love* being in control. Add in a little naughty, a little smutty, and we're in heaven! What more could a girl ask for? Prizes, you say? We've got those, too! Read on, and I'll announce my giveaway at the end of this post.
Today I'm going to give you all a peek at two of my books.

The first is THE TURNING KISS, Book Three in my Midnight Playground series. If you like sexy vampires, dark, mysterious sex clubs, a little menage with your sex, and just a touch of kink, then this could be the perfect book for you!

They have nothing to lose…except the one gift they never expected to find.

Midnight Playground, Book 3
Ilana escaped a life of sex slavery, using her extraordinary beauty to survive among the few remaining wealthy humans in London. But she has higher aspirations. For two years she has haunted the BDSM dungeons of the Midnight Playground, hungering for The Turning Kiss—that deep drink that will make her one of them. An immortal vampire.

Turned out onto the streets of Edinburgh as a child, Calam’s tortured path led him to a job at the club, where he also engages in exotic and dangerous sex play with its clientele. Craving, like Ilana, the eternal escape of the Turning Kiss.

Ilana is undeniably drawn to the beautiful Scotsman, but she has no time to waste; the club takes no one over thirty. When a sinfully compelling vampire pair brings them together for an unusual foursome, she and Calam are shocked to discover it isn’t the vampires they crave, it’s the tenderness and emotion they feel for each other.

After years of seeking to feel something, anything, other than the pain of the past, the ultimate gift is within Ilana’s reach. Yet the cost—leaving her heart behind with a mortal—could be more than she can bear.

* * *

EXCERPT:

She looked away, scanning the crowd. It was packed tonight. A few of the vampires had moved onto the dance floor. They were more than merely beautiful. Graceful beyond any human capacity. And among them were a pair she hadn’t seen before.

Two males, stunning, as the vampires always were. They were dressed alike in black leather pants and no shirts, both of them tall. One with a short crop of spiky brown hair and a tight, muscular body, porcelain pale skin. The other with a leaner build, his black hair hanging in a thick braid down his back. His face was exotic, his skin a shining gold, as if he were nearly exoskeletal, made of polished metal. They moved together, their bodies in perfect synchronicity. As she watched, they surged closer, until the short-haired one was straddling the thigh of the leaner one.

Need shimmered over her skin like a wave of heat as she watched them dance. They were exciting. Exquisite.

The short–haired vampire raised his gaze and gestured with his hand. It took her a moment to realize he was motioning to her. She took a breath, stood and joined them on the dance floor.

She felt the stinging warmth of their bodies close in around her as she moved with them, one on either side, hips and shoulders barely grazing her skin, in time with the music. Then a hard pair of hands smoothing over her shoulders. Desire was an instant, steady pulse beat between her thighs.

The one with the long braid, moving behind her, whispered in her ear, “I am Luka.”

“And I am Konstantine. You are Ilana, yes?” He spoke with a Russian accent, softened with time. She could feel the weight of his years as he stood before her, gazing into her face. She knew he was very old, older than the other one, Luka, by several centuries. “We have heard of you from some of the others. You are as enchanting as they said. And you smell luscious.” His voice was a low purr. “Human, yet something else…”

Luka leaned in, until she could feel his breath against her ear. “Yes. She smells like smoke. Like incense.” His accent was the same as Konstantine’s, perhaps a bit heavier, lyrical, with an exotic edge she couldn’t identify. “Like flowers.”

“And sex,” Konstantine added, smiling.

His eyeteeth gleamed in the pulsing lights, razor sharp and beautiful. She could see now his face was harsh featured, rugged, all hard edges and square lines. But gorgeous. His eyes were a deep, liquid brown, like two pieces of gleaming glass. His mouth was full and red, as if he’d recently drunk.

He took one of her hands, brought it to his lips, scraping his teeth across her knuckles. A wave of need rolled through her, staggering her. She swayed against Luka and he held her close, his hands closing around her waist. He had long, tapered fingers, the hands of a musician. She wanted to see him, to turn around, but she didn’t dare. And she was too stunned by them both, by the sensations already spearing into her sex, simply having them this close. In fact, she was soaking wet. Ready. For anything.

So ready she was surprised when she found herself distracted by the Scotsman stepping onto the dance floor with another vampire, a petite female with a lush, rounded figure, radiant ebony skin and curling dark hair. The vampire pulled him down for a brief kiss, and she felt a strange sensation in her chest. Envy? How could that be? He was merely human. And here she was with two vampires, both beautiful, exotic, and shining with that immortal light.

Luka’s hands moved down, his fingertips brushing the edge of her the low-slung skirt, and pleasure was like a knife, cutting into her, just as their teeth would later, if she were lucky enough.

“We offer you an invitation,” Konstantine said, still smiling. He reached out and ran one finger along her jaw. She trembled with need.

Yes, must have him. Must have them both.

“We want you with us this evening,” Luka whispered from behind her. Then he turned her in his arms.

His face was smooth, pretty almost. So different from Konstantine’s. A little androgynous. But every bit as beautiful. Incandescent. His eyes were a glowing hazel, silver and bronze and dusted with gold. His black hair was like liquid jet, dark and shining like a raven’s feathers. But with that hard gleam of the vampires.

Her breasts ached.

Yes…be with them…

“Come with us, Ilana.”

She nodded.

As they took her hands and led her from the dance floor, she couldn’t help but notice the redheaded Scotsman once more, her heart giving a sharp thud.

Whatever was wrong with her? She had exactly what she wanted. Or the beginning of it, at least. Perhaps these two vampires would be the ones to offer her the ultimate gift. And in any case, they were offering her an evening of sex—the most amazing, mind-blowing sex any human could ask for.

She wanted it. Needed it. Her body hummed with that need, a stark desire so pure and strong, she was dizzy with it.

So what was it about that man?

He was human. Nothing more. She could put him out of her mind and focus on the pair of exquisite creatures who were leading her up the grand marble staircase to the private rooms upstairs.

She burned with need. For Luka, Konstantine. And some part of her she wanted to deny, but couldn’t, for that beautiful Scotsman with the charming dimple and the enormous muscles, who was in the arms of another vampire downstairs.

* * *

Just a small peek at what's to come-literally and figuratively...*G* Hope you've enjoyed a taste of my Midnight Playground series. I adore my naughty vampires, and my favorite, the ancient and mysterious Ever, will not only get his own book later this year from Samhain, but I'm also currently working on a prequel that tells the story of how he became a vampire, which will be available very soon! Meanwhile, Books One and Two, THE SEEKING KISS and BLOODSONG, are out now!

As some of you may know, I also write for Berkley Heat as Eve Berlin-very romantic BDSM erotic fiction. PLEASURE'S EDGE is already out in both print and e-book formats, and DESIRE'S EDGE will be out in September. But let's focus today on DESIRE'S EDGE...I first wrote about the hero, Dante De Matteo, in PLEASURE'S EDGE, where he appeared as the hero Alec's best friend and fellow sexual dominant. But he was just too damn sexy to be contained in one book, and bossy man that he is, he demanded to have his own story. But I *love* a bossy man, given the right circumstances, don't you?

Giving in to desire…

As a lawyer, Kara Crawford knows how to keep a secret, especially after being spurned by an ex for revealing her sexual needs. Kara doesn’t expect to find anyone who can fulfill her more extreme desires—bondage and spanking–until she experiences one of the most incredible nights of her life with a man she’s always admired from afar.p>

…can set you free…

Sexual dominant Dante De Matteo knew Kara back in high school, and he never imagined her darkest fantasies would align so perfectly with his. The lovers don’t expect their passion to last more than a night, but when Dante’s new job turns out to be at Kara’s law firm, they find themselves confronted daily with the sparks of their blistering chemistry.p>

…but only if you give yourself completely.

As intense desire draws them closer, deep-rooted fears threaten to pull them apart—unless they can learn to embrace both the pain and pleasure of love.

* * *

EXCERPT:

He leaned over the bed and pulled the covers back, moved her onto the cool sheets, then climbed in with her, laying his now-naked body over hers.

“I need to be inside you, Kara. Just fuck you hard. Can you take it?”

“Yes.”

“Tell me you want it.”

God, his body was like burning silk against hers. His skin so smooth. His cock so hard, resting between her thighs.

“Kara. Tell me,” he commanded.

“Yes, I can take it. I want it hard. I like it hard.”

“Hard fucking? Or more?”

“More?” Why did her breath catch in her throat when he asked her that? Was he asking what she thought he was? “Dante?”

He kissed her neck, his lips firm, yet soft. He nipped at her with his teeth, and the pain was nothing more than a sharp pleasure. He was tracing her lips gently with his fingertips, and she could smell her own ocean scent there. He was all contradictions, this man. She loved it. Loved that he touched her all over at once. Sensation overload.

“I like my sex a little rough,” he told her, kissing her neck once more, then the curve of her jaw.

“Oh . . .”

“Does that shock you?”

“No. Not much shocks me.”

“Do you like the idea, Kara? Because I think you do. As soon as I said it your whole body let go.”

“God, Dante. I . . . Yes. I like it. It’s what I want. Exactly what I want.”

It was his turn to moan. “Ah, you are perfect,” he said. Then after a few breathless moments he said again, “I like it rough. I like to really pump into you. To bite you. To pinch your nipples.”

“Yes . . .”

God, was he really saying these things to her? Her wildest fantasies come true. The ones that had sent her ex, Jake, running in the other direction. Telling her she was crazy. Some sort of weirdo. But she didn’t want to think of him now.

Dante said quietly, “What I really want to do is spank you.”

“Oh!”

“Now I’ve shocked you.”

“No. It’s not that.”

“What is it?”

“It’s just . . . what I’ve always wanted. Craved.”

She felt a shiver go through him. Then there was a long pause before he said, “This is going to be very good, then. I promise you, Kara.”

She was shaking all over. Waiting. She was absolutely soaked. Wanting. Dazzled. And it hadn’t even happened yet.

But it was about to.

* * *

Time for a CONTEST!!!

So tell me, why do you think we love a dominant man? Because no matter how competent, how controlled, how much in control we are in our everyday lives, there's something about being released from all responsibility in the bedroom that makes most of us all warm and shivery inside. Answer the question and be entered to win one of two prizes!

~The Vampire Prize for US residents only is this gorgeous pair of blood drop earrings!

~The BDSM prize for anyone outside of the continental US is a $10.00 Amazon gift card!

I'll announce my winners here on Saturday in the comments section, so be sure to include in your comment whether or not you're a US resident-and be sure to check back to see if you've won this prize, or any of the others, including our Day One Surprise Package!

Ooh-and before I forget, I demanded…er…asked of all the other Smutketeers that they tell you all what their favorite smutty movie scene is. Mine, of course, is the spanking scene from Secretary. If you haven’t seen it, you must! So hot and wrong and the tension is unbelievable! *shiver*

Meanwhile, for more about me or my books, drop on by my websites: www.EdenBradley.com www.EveBerlin.com or the Smutketeers blog, where the Naughty Nine are no doubt messing up our sheets, leaving piles of empty champagne bottles and discarded silk undies lying around, and generally trashing the house! As long as they don't do anything I wouldn't do...which kinda leaves that door wide open...;)

All For Smut, and Smut For All!

Eden/Eve

A Tall Tale of Panting Passion

The year:


1818

The location: 

Netherloin Park, Somewhere in England

Home to His Grace, the Duke of Earl

A single man in possession of no fortune...

Meet Colin Darcy, Duke of Earl. Colin is in no great hurry to become leg-shackled to any female, no matter how comely, but with the future of his estate in financial peril, his uncle assures him that marriage to a titled heiress is the only possible solution. Colin is certain his uncle's choice for him, Lady Chastity Feelsgood, will make a fine wife—for somebody else. But Colin has other dreams and aspirations. And in these dreams there are perfect maidens swooning at his feet. There's high adventure on the open ocean. There's rum to be swilled, swords to be crossed, wind in his hair...he's on a boat.

So what's a disaffected duke to do?

Why, run away to sea, of course, where he can live the care-free life of a cut-throat pirate, buckling swashes, battening hatches, uncovering bountiful treasure chests and testing his mettle in endless battles against...ninjas?

Ninja vs Pirate...

The only survivor of the shipwreck that claimed the lives of her family, Quinn Fitzgerald was rescued and raised by Ninjas. Now known as Quan Yin the Ninja Queen, she sails the seven seas defeating pirates, reclaiming plunder and setting innocent captives free.

Colin, however, is one innocent buccaneer whose booty she'd like to repeatedly plunder and in this duel-of-wills the only thing likely to be captured is her heart.

But whilst the duke is away...

Enter Firth...that is, Westley, or should we say, Roberts? Whatever. All we know for certain is he's the scurrilous Dread Highwayman who's come to Netherloin to take Colin's place. Blackmailed by the missing duke's evil uncle Wickham, Firth/Westley/Roberts agrees to impersonate the lost duke, marry the heiress, pass the...that is, save the duchy and split the lady's dowry with Wickham.

After all, where's the bad? The actual duke is undoubtedly dead (and therefore unlikely to object too strenuously to the impersonation) and the venison is delicious. But the pseudo-duke is lost when he comes face to face with his destiny—the beautiful and very proper Miss Julia Fitzgerald.

In love with a proper scoundrel...

Poor Julia. Left orphaned and destitute when her father's eponymously named ship, the Edmund Fitzgerald, foundered off the coast of Japan, Miss Fitzgerald counted herself lucky when she convinced the Duke of Earl to engage her as governess to his ward, Ward. But there's something different about the duke these days. And although Julia can't quite put her finger on what that difference is, her maiden's heart responds to it.

How very unfortunate for her that, just as she finds she's fallen in love with him, the duke should suddenly choose to announce his betrothal to another.

A Tart in any other age...

Just like her descendent and namesake, Lady Chastity Feelsgood is nobody's fool. By which, of course, we mean she's not yet been spoken for by anyone. Determined not to be left on the shelf, this black widow bride will stop at nothing to trap the Duke or trick him into marriage.

But in this shell game that is life at Netherloin, a lady must be very careful at which Duke she sets her cap. 

Keep your friends close...and your family closer.

Best known for his inability to differentiate between parrots and ducks, the duke's uncle and guardian, the honorable Willoughby Wickham the fourteenth, did not start out a villain...although there's a certain bird who might tell you otherwise.

But, unfortunate incidents aside, Wickham clearly has the Duke of Earl's best interests at heart—a fact that remains constant regardless of whoever happens to be answering to the title at the moment. Because, after all, one duke is very much like another.

Birds in their little nests agree...

Life at Netherloin would be a lot easier for Mr. Wickham if it weren't for Pemberley the peerless peer's purple pet parrot.  This lovely lavender light o' wing takes the prize as the most loyal member of the duke's household, and the most loquacious.

Pemberley's had his eye on Wickham for a long time now. Sooner or later, one of the others will have to notice...won't they?

Children should be seen and not heard.

The only resident of Netherloin who's more intelligent and, sadly, even less significant than Pembereley is the duke's ward...Ward.

The duke's not quite sure how he ended up with a ward in the first place and Ward's even less certain how he ended up in Netherloin's nursery where no one seems to listen to a word he says and the double  threat of warm milk and early bedtimes haunts his every waking hour.

*****

Be sure to join us next Thursday when we unleash the scandalous first installment of this sensational new serial. 

Love's Savage Whiplash

The Naughties Get Smutty with RG Alexander

***WINNERS ARE...***
StacieDM $10 gift card
SheriV- $10 gift card
Jennifer Mathis-ebook Piercing the Veil
Joder- signed copy of Possess Me

Woohoo! It's my day on the Naughty Blog! Time to get comfy in my new surroundings :)

I'm RG Alexander, and despite what Karen may have told you...I am the innocent one. *batting eyelashes furiously* Seriously. Ask anyone. (Crystal, Eden, don't mention the rimming thing-not in front of new people!) I have several series out with Samhain and Ellora's Cave, and a few books coming out this year with Berkley Heat-which I'll talk about in a minute-along with giving away a few PRIZES

Eden wanted me to share my favorite smutty moment in film. I've seen what the other Smutketeers have talked about, and I have to agree-all high on the sexy smut-o-meter. Mine isn't a movie-but I'm sure most of you know the HBO series True Blood? I JUST discovered it last year (I know, I know-but I've been very busy lol). Hubby and I were rewatching a few of the first season's episodes last night and I saw the scene where Bill climbs out of the ground, grabs Sookie and...well you know what happens next.

Ahem...that actually qualifies under several definitions of smut. The first time I watched it I felt like wandering a graveyard at night hoping Bill would find me (smutty obscene). The second time I saw it my husband and I both thought...wow...he's covered in dirt...EVERYWHERE. That can't be entirely comfortable. hehe (smutty-sooty-dirty)

I do write about vampires...and werewolves...catshifters, fae, half-demons, voodoo spirits etc. And although on occasion I have been known to write contemporary, even then I add a magical component (like three extra men). I do plan to have several ebooks out this year, but I want to mention my menage antho set in Sedona Arizona, Three Sinful Wishes, that comes out in June- and Tempt Me, the sequel to Possess Me, that comes out in November from Berkley Heat.


In hot and steamy Sedona, Arizona, three women are about to be granted their most intimate desires.

Little fact about me, I used to live in Sedona. It's where I fell in love with my husband. So when I decided to write about three friends wishing on some falling stars, and finding love in the most unlikely of ways with the most unlikely of partners...well it isn't ALL autobiographical of course but...


In the sultry heat of the “Big Easy” desire can be a dangerous thing
I'm so excited about this story! Not only because I get to go back to New Orleans, to the Toussaints, Rousseaus and Adairs (I love those families), but also because of some new characters that have somehow found their way into Bone Daddy's world of Possess Me. BD couldn't be happier, and neither could I. :)

Instead of an excerpt I am going to have a contest with 4 prizes and 4 winners. Just look at my WEBSITE, then come and post here and tell me which ebook of mine you'd like, if you've read Possess Me, (or if you're all caught up) just say hi.

I have a few ebooks, a signed print copy of Possess me and an Amazon gift card or two waiting just for you :)

Thank you Naughty Niners, for inviting me in! I really liked switches...I mean switching!