Summer Heat and Running Mate (Read An E-book Week)

Werewolves and weather magic….both these books are the first in two of my favorite series with Ellora’s Cave!

Running Mate is the first book in my Devlin Dynasty werewolf series. Read all about it here

Summer Heat is the first book in my Storm For All Seasons series. Read all about it here.

Blurbs, links to excerpts and how to win these books after the jump

Warning: Adult Content Ahead!

RUNNING MATE BLURB:

Senator Jason Devlin has big plans for his career in Washington, D.C. As long as he’s able to keep who and what he is a secret from the ever-present press. Kelsey Harper is a reporter for one of D.C.’s biggest papers, and eager to drag skeletons out of politicians’ closets.

When these two meet in a passionate encounter, it’s strange bedfellows indeed. Kelsey uncovers a secret that could blast the lid right off the Devlin dynasty. But she’s torn between what she knows and her growing feelings for the enigmatic senator. Jason hopes that his love for Kelsey is enough to contain the dark secret he’s been trying to hide.

RUNNING MATE EXCERPT:

Somewhere in the recesses of her mind, Kelsey knew she should object. She should push Jason Devlin away and slap him soundly. Then, she should hightail it out of there armed with a hot story about how she was nearly assaulted by the senator.

But as his tongue stroked hers intimately, deliberately evoking responses she’d never felt before, she knew that wasn’t what was happening here at all.

Clearly, he had been expecting someone else. He probably thought Kelsey was that blonde bimbette who’d been escorted out the door. She could have spoken up at any time, yet she hadn’t, so she had no one to blame but herself.

Maybe the blonde was a prostitute! Holy hell, did he have to pay for sex?

No, no that couldn’t be it. Jason Devlin could have any woman he wanted with a snap of his fingers.

So, who was the blonde?

Oh hell, how could she even think when he was kissing her like this?

Kelsey inhaled Jason’s heady fragrance, an earthy scent that made her mouth water. Her mind was awhirl with sensation as he stroked his lips over hers and gently assaulted her mouth

Dammit, she didn’t want to be turned on by this stranger. She was a journalist. Impartial, uninvolved. She was only here to get a story.

If she didn’t stop him, she’d be getting a story all right, but not one she could put into print.

His tongue darted out and traced the outline of her ear, his teeth closing over the lobe just enough to make her shiver. “Tell me your name.”

Her name? What the hell was her name, anyway? “Kel…Kelsey,” she managed, the word dragging out of her mouth on a ragged breath.

She’d only known Jason Devlin as a poised, cool, politician. What she’d seen in press releases and interviews and on television, anyway. The man holding her in his arms was not the cool and calm senator. This was a man whose body was taut with tension, muscles straining under his tux. A man whose touch was hot, burning her from the inside out.

“I’m going to strip that dress off you, Kelsey,” he said, and she knew he wasn’t asking for permission. He reached behind her, found the zipper and slowly tugged it down. His knuckles brushed her spine, sending tingling shots of pleasure throughout her body. If ever there was a time for her to put a stop to this, now was it.

But she couldn’t. Her body had stormed to life in a wicked way, demanding satisfaction from an aching need she hadn’t even known she possessed. She’d been lost from the moment she’d laid eyes on Jason walking toward her. Their eyes had met and he’d focused on her as if a hunger possessed him, and she was the meal to satisfy him. In that brief second, his eyes had turned from light whiskey to darkened, golden amber, his movements like the slow, sensual grace of an animal predator.

In that instant, she’d tumbled headlong into a vortex of spiraling sensations that knocked the common sense right out of her.

SUMMER HEAT BLURB:

Aidan Storm is part of a unique New Orleans family whose magical connection with the weather goes back many years. Aidan uses his powers only when it suits his purposes. Wielding the magic of summer heat can be advantageous when heating up the sheets with his latest girl-du-jour. Until he meets Melissa Cross. She fires him up hotter than a Louisiana heat wave and if he doesn’t watch his heart he might suffer a meltdown.

Melissa Cross is a staid Bostonian feeling like a fish out of water working alongside Aidan Storm and his peculiar family. When strange things start happening whenever she’s with Aidan, she wonders what kind of magic he possesses. After all, it isn’t every day it rains in the bedroom! It isn’t long before Aidan heats up Melissa’s summer and melts her frosty heart.

SUMMER HEAT EXCERPT:

Aidan led Melissa to his office, watching as she unloaded her laptop, presentation folders and notepad, lining them up neatly on his conference table.

He resisted the urge to laugh. He’d be lucky to find a pencil somewhere in his office. Having a near photographic memory helped, considering he rarely wrote things down. He had a secretary to enter important dates and information on his computer, not that he’d ever look at it.

When it was time to design a marketing plan he’d drag out the laptop and printer and go at it, pulling forth all the vital information he’d stored in his brain. Other than that, he kept it all within handy reach of his memory.

Apparently Melissa did things differently. She slid a neatly designed binder in front of him. “Now, if you look at the presentation folder in front of you, I’ve developed a initial marketing plan as a starting point. Open to your suggestions, of course.”

“Of course.” He quickly scanned the contents, impressed with her expertise. Then he closed it and looked at her, enjoying the way her green eyes flashed whenever they made eye contact.

Melissa Cross might insist she was all about business, but Aidan had a sixth sense about these things. And his sense told him underneath her cool Bostonian exterior beat the heart of a wildcat. The sudden urge to peel her frosty layers away piece by delectable piece had him hardening painfully.

“That’s it? You’re not going to look at it any further?”

The play of emotions in her expression was priceless. Shock, then indignation soared across her face. Her pert little nose wrinkled and she crossed her arms.

“I read it. It’s good. I’ll have more to add. There are a few changes I’d like to make, specifically on page four, paragraph three of the marketing plan. I think we need to play up the background of the two companies more, as well as identify the strategic marketing concepts in a bullet point presentation to make it clear what our primary goals are.”

Her eyes widened. “How did you do that?”

“Do what?”

“You know what. You barely glanced at the binder, which has over 100 pages. And yet you pointed out an exact page and paragraph and knew precisely what it contained.”

“I read lightning fast and have a photographic memory. No magic involved.”

At her arched brow he nearly cringed. Why did he have to say that? Magic was an intrinsic part of his life, but he rarely mentioned it outside the family. Although the thought of using some magic to heat up Melissa Cross had already crossed his mind more than a few times. In fact, right now might be a good time. Maybe a little play and that was all. Just to see how she’d react—gauge if his intuition about her was right.

He rubbed his index and middle finger together, the warmth beginning deep inside. The singe of heat lightning was never painful, only a tingling excitement that never failed to arouse him. The air swirled, charged with electricity, centering in his middle like a gathering storm.

He opened his hand and let the magic sail across the table.

Oh, yeah. An invisible breeze wafted Melissa’s hair and her eyes widened. Her creamy cheeks blushed pink, and she opened the top button of her blouse, shuddering when the warm air crept inside.

He leaned back in his chair and felt her, the heat buried deep inside her, and knew right then there was something different about this woman. No one had ever reacted instantly to the slightest bit of magic from him. No one had ever fired the heat waves back toward him, letting him experience exactly what he’d sent out.

Hot damn, that was exciting.

“Something wrong?” he asked, trying to sound innocent.

“Don’t you feel it?”

“Feel what?”

Blowing out a quick breath, she said, “It just got really hot in here.”

“No kidding. I didn’t feel a thing.”

She fanned herself with her hand. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I guess I must be more unaccustomed to the New Orleans heat and humidity than I thought. Mind if I take off my jacket?”

“Go right ahead.” Take anything off you like, darlin’. Jacket, skirt, panties and bra, anything. He shifted to accommodate his burgeoning erection, welcoming the heady ache that came with arousal.

She stood and headed to the bar against the wall and poured a glass of ice water. Without her long suit jacket he glimpsed a better view of her body.

Lithe and slender. Perfectly shaped ass outlined against the well-tailored suit. Her breasts weren’t large, but they fit the rest of her. Sleek, like an athlete, with long legs that seemed to go on for miles. Oh yeah, he’d bet a million bucks she was a runner. Or maybe a dancer with those shapely calves.

Damn, he was hard now. Hard and pulsing with the need for release. He briefly wondered what Miss Boston would do if he reached down and caressed his shaft through his pants? Wouldn’t it be fun to shock her just a little more?

She took her seat again and sighed.

“Feeling better?” he asked, knowing the minimal magic he’d tossed her way only lasted a few seconds.

“Yes. Sorry. I don’t know what happened. It just got very warm in here.”

“Don’t be. Gets hot here. You might want to lose the suits unless we have an official meeting.”

“You’re wearing one,” she countered.

He slipped off his jacket and hung it on his chair back, then loosened his tie. “A rarity unless I have an appointment. Typically it’s jeans and a polo shirt. Feel free to dress casual around here.”

She lifted her chin. “I’m not used to casual at work.”

“This is the Big Easy, cher. We don’t get too formal.”

She shrugged and mumbled something about different worlds.

He’d like to show her different worlds. He’d like to grab hold of this ice queen and really melt her frosty little ass. And if he guessed right, Melissa would be more than eager to have a little warmth. If ever a woman looked like she needed to get laid, it was this one.

And he bet she wasn’t even aware of how badly she really needed it. Just the little strike of warmth he’d sent her proved how unfamiliar she was with the kind of heat a passionate coupling could provide.

His brother’s warning not to screw with their new partner flickered in the back of Aidan’s mind.

Flickered, then snuffed out like rain on a campfire.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

For a chance to win both e-books, tell me what you’re doing this weekend.

We’re having a bonfire to rid ourselves of a giant pile of cut up trees and limbs that Biker Dude has been compiling in our back yard. (We had that huge ice storm in December and lost several trees). We’ll be roasting marshmallows over said fire. Come on over. :giggle:

I’ll draw a winner on Saturday for this and all the contests! Yes, I’m delaying by a day, so be sure to check back to see if you’ve won! And don’t forget you can still post on any of the e-book contests I’ve put up for this week, so check the blog posts below this one.

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