Love…Vintage Style

Love is…patient.

Love is…kind.

Love is..a swift kick in the butt we don’t always want.

This is certainly the case in FIERY, my fourth Whispering Cove novella. Carmen has always wanted a place to call home, where she felt like she belonged. She came close when she and her sister made a home in Whispering Cove, but when no one is looking, when she’s alone with her thoughts, she drifts into a loneliness she hasn’t been able to fill.

Writing FIERY allowed me to shop for fifties style clothes and home decor, and it was fun to figure out why a modern day woman would want the kind of life a housewife in the fifties led. Or the life she thought they’d had. Ryan and Carmen challenge each other the way great partners should. They push each other’s buttons, but are just as quickly ready to help each other. They’re just not sure they fit as smoothly together as Whispering Cove’s matchmaking grandpas think they do.

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Carmen is convinced that life in the fifties was simple, women were cherished by their husbands and kids were never left behind. Families were filled with love instead of dysfunction. And the clothes were cool.

What do you think? Do you agree with Ryan that Carmen is looking for an ideal that does not, and has never, existed?

 

Connect with Nikki at her other online homes.

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Good Things in Small Packages…

I published a short story on Amazon the other day. If you like science fiction/futuristic stories set on Mars, check it out. And if you like the story a lot and want to see more in a possible series of Martian tales, let me know…

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Here’s an excerpt…

The transport arrived amid a whirl of dust kicked up from the barren yard beside the house. The gritty air nearly obscured the moon, Phobos, as it made the first of several orbits for the day. The aircraft hovered, framed by the uneven curves of the asteroid, then set down with a thud that shuddered the fiber-board planks of her front porch, vertical engines stalling then shutting off altogether. Slowly, the dust settled.

She’d been sweeping, preparing the cabin for the transport’s arrival. As with every element of the company’s schedule, the ship arrived precisely on time. Although she was prepared, a flutter of anticipation tickled her belly. She set aside the broom, wiped her palms against the sides of her sturdy blue work pants, and descended the stairs, eager to meet the shipment.

A man dressed in a gray company coverall climbed out of the cockpit and strode toward her.

Mary’s heart skipped a beat when she realized she hadn’t had a face-to-face conversation with another human being in a very long time. She pasted on a smile. “Welcome.”

His sharp gaze swept her little cabin, the golden fields beyond it, then finally rested on her. “You Mary Bledsoe?”

He likely wondered how someone of her stature had managed to pass the physical tests to qualify for farming. She stiffened her spine to add a few centimeters to her small, wiry frame and met his gaze with her usual calm, chilly stare. “I am.” She bit back a sarcastic, Who else do you think I could be? Every one of the thousand colonists had been handpicked and transported by the company—they had a monopoly on Martian transportation and industry.

His mouth twitched, but he kept his gaze steady. “I have your shipment, and I’ll need your signature on the bill of lading.”

She nodded. “I’ll need to inspect.” She’d received notice of the contents of the shipment via the comm-console situated in the cabin’s main room shortly after claiming her homestead.

Although the fields had been pre-planted and her new home fully furnished, there were still some items, especially the perishables, that needed stocking: replacement blades for the combine sheltered in the barn, pallets of foodstuffs, clothing, and fuel packs…and her mate.

Trying not to appear overeager to see him, she waited as the transport commander’s crew scurried to let down the rear ramp and roll out the pallets. With well-trained efficiency, they stacked them beside the porch. She counted the pallets with their quick-wrapped goods, scanned her gaze over the identifying labels, signed for delivery, then shoved her hands into her pockets to hide the fact they were beginning to shake.

The commander’s mouth firmed into a straight line. “Did you receive training in the use of the B-Mod collar?”

He knew she had. Otherwise, she wouldn’t be here, already in possession of a land grant. She gave a curt nod. “Yes. I also signed saying I knew there were no guarantees for my safety or his willingness to work. If we don’t suit, if he proves stubborn, then I’ll return him.”

“Just don’t get too attached, ma’am. You have enough on your hands without coddling one of these rejects.”

The brusque quality of his voice surprised her. Was he truly worried? Should she be more concerned? Her hands drew into fists inside her pants pockets.

But then he extended the chain with the controller for the prisoner’s behavior modification collar, a thin ID tag with a recessed button on one side. She slipped it over her head and followed him to the side of the transport. The guard inside the vehicle opened the door. The prisoner scooted on the seat toward the edge, hands still in manacles, then slid to the ground beside her.

Heart rate rising, she gazed up into a face set in grim lines. Blue eyes, cold as ice, sparked with some deep emotion as he stared back.

He was larger than she had expected. Surprisingly so. Prisoners built like this one were generally shipped to company loading docks or to the dome’s arena. He was dressed as she was in sturdy denim pants and long-sleeved shirt. She studied his broad chest and wide shoulders. He was built like a gladiator; his arms and thighs were deeply muscled. “You’re sure he’s mine?” she asked, turning toward the commander who’d fished a key from his pocket to unlock the prisoner’s handcuffs.

The pilot’s grunt and the flinty glare he gave the prisoner said he too had some reservations. “His collar matches the invoice. Guess they thought you might need the extra muscle.”

Anger flashed at his comment. She’d had enough of men thinking she wasn’t up to the rigors of Martian prairie life. Her hand still gripped the B-Mod chip. She slipped it slowly away, remembering her training. Show no fear. As long as she had the chip, she had control.

Without glancing at the metal torque hugging the base of his neck, because she didn’t want to betray her sudden case of nerves, she lifted her chin and cleared her expression.

“Do you have a name?” An inane question. She winced inwardly.

One side of his mouth quirked. That flash of movement might have been her imagination because he gave her a stony stare.

“Colm O’Riordan.”

The commander cleared his throat.

“Ma’am,” the prisoner amended with a drawl.

Heat crept up her neck, but she ignored the blush threatening to suffuse her face. Turning back to the commander, she offered her hand.

His grip was strong, the look he gave her doubtful. “Good luck to you, Mary.”

Not a professional form of address, but no one had called her by her first name, alone, for a very long time. For that small gift, she gave him a warm smile. “Thanks for everything. We’ll be fine here.”

A duffel was tossed from the transport by one of the guards. The bag was small. Likely only a couple changes of clothing for the prisoner. She jerked her chin toward it, knowing she was still being observed by the crew. “Bring it,” she said, making her tone curt. She turned, walking toward the cabin, wondering if the lock on her new mate’s door would actually hold the man.

Once is Never Enough

OnceIsNeverEnough72webEver have a character in a book who was larger than life, who you knew would scare the crap out of you if you met him in the real world?

Meet Mondo Acevedo. Not a cowboy. But he is another brand of iconic hero—a cop!

And he’s a Dom. The last man standing in his very close-knit, kinky band of brothers in blue. Readers have been asking for his story since the first of my Delta Heat books came out. It’s been a long wait. There were five other stories leading up to this one. I know you won’t mind the wait. Not once you reach THE END.

The novella drops into online bookstores tomorrow. I can’t wait to hear what you think. 🙂 For now, you can pre-order you copy here: Samhain Publishing

Here’s what the story is all about…

It’s time for this Dom to learn he may not always know what’s best.

When his four Memphis PD friends needed to let off steam, Mondo helped them all navigate the BDSM world—his world—and find the women of their dreams. Now the vice cop and La Forge Master/Dom is the last single man standing. And he’s feeling a little like the odd man out.

He’s been waiting a long time for the right woman, one strong enough to match his dark passions. A timid grade school teacher definitely doesn’t make the short list.

Sunny Boudreau was content with her rather prosaic life until a trio of lovers moves in next door. But as she gets to know them and all their friends, she’s drawn to the edge of their ménage/BDSM play. She’s tempted to take the plunge—except Mondo warns her off.

Her first taste of the club only whets her appetite and ignites her desire to prove she’s exactly the woman Mondo’s been hungering for.

Warning: BDSM play at your favorite kinky club, group play at home, some fun BDSM, girl-on-girl kissing, an orgy…the usual for our boys in blue.

Excerpt:

Sunny refused to think about what she was doing, concentrating instead on moving one foot in front of the other, despite her trepidation and embarrassment. Part of her couldn’t believe she was doing this, walking nude into a roomful of strangers. The other part clung to the sight of the man walking in front of her. Anger at how quickly he’d dismissed her commitment to this path without really knowing her fueled her forward movement.

He didn’t know how lonely she was, how out of step she was with her acquaintances at work. They had their boyfriends, had their plain vanilla sex, their ordinary lives, when she dreamed of something more. Something rare and exciting. Not until she’d met Pansy had she understood her need to explore her true nature.

Since the night she’d masturbated, knowing full well Mondo watched, she’d devoured every book she could find on BDSM and fetishes, and much of what she’d read left her feeling as though she’d only been half alive before. And now she stood on a precipice, ready to take the dive into deeper, dark waters.

And Mondo was the key. The teacher she needed. Already he was more attractive, more mysterious and dangerous than anyone she’d ever met. As a vice cop, he faced dangers at work she could only imagine. A far cry from her own job, which she loved, but which didn’t fill her need for adventure.

Her first sight of him, standing on her doorstep, had taken her breath.

Even now, wearing his collar, her breaths were so shallow she had to consciously force them to deepen or risked fainting. And wouldn’t Mondo love it if she did, proving he’d been right all along? Following Mondo out of his playroom and into the noisy, boisterous salon took an act of courage—courage she hadn’t known she possessed. Just summoning up the nerve to step inside La Forge fully dressed had taken nearly everything she had.

She didn’t like crowds, had hated lining up with the others who hoped they’d be chosen for play and instruction, on display for an entire room of barely dressed people to be eyed like they were trussed-up chickens in a meat market.

Pansy had wanted to take her shopping, to buy something sexy and appropriately subbie, but Sunny had hesitated. Sure, she’d read a lot about the lifestyle, but she wasn’t prepared to act as though she knew more than she did.

Everything she’d read had excited her, but she knew herself well enough to know she had to enter this adventure on her own terms, be completely herself, or she’d balk at the last minute from fear and embarrassment.

The fact that Mondo had managed to get her out of her clothes so quickly and striding toward the noisy room was a testament to how much she wanted him as a teacher. Or perhaps how much she wanted to prove him wrong. Anger continued to fuel her bravado.

Pansy had extolled his skills, his sensitivity, his strength. She’d told Sunny that he could push a sub farther than her pre-conceived limits—and it had to be true, because already she was naked and aroused—something any of the dozens of players turning their way to note their passage would see. Her nipples were tightly beaded, her areolas dimpled. Moisture was pooling between her legs. She hoped the dim lighting would hide the gleam between her thighs.

Shutting the others out before she lost her nerve, she kept her gaze on Mondo’s broad shoulders as he moved with purpose through the center of the room, past chairs and sofas where a dizzying array of sexual acts were occurring.

Her mouth dropped as she spotted Pansy, bent forward with Billy holding her hands to provide her balance, her pregnant belly bared, while Beau clapped his hand on her naked bottom—not harshly enough to rock her body, but her cheeks were pink, her pussy flushed and engorged—for anyone to see.

Sunny’s cheeks burned for her new friend. Taking another step, she bumped into Mondo, who turned his head and gave her a searing glance. “Sorry, Sir,” she mumbled, not able to meet his knowing gaze, because she’d been caught staring at another woman’s pussy.

“That interested you?” he asked, pointing his chin toward Pansy, whose desperate gaze met Sunny’s.

Pansy gasped at the next thudding clap and then winked.

Sunny swallowed hard, surprised at how much she envied Pansy’s predicament. Meeting Mondo’s hard gaze, she quivered inside. Sensing he’d know if she tried to give him anything less than the truth, she admitted her interest with a whispered, “Yes, Sir.”

Mondo stepped closer, forcing her head up to maintain their locked gazes. A hand slipped between her thighs, fingers gliding in the moisture coating her smooth outer labia. Shock sent a shiver straight up her spine at the intimate touch, and she nearly reached out to push his hand away.

Without any emotion in his eyes, Mondo smiled. “I’ll touch you however I want. No matter who watches.”

She nodded, but gasped a quick, “Yes, Sir,” when he pinched her swollen clit.

The urge to widen her stance, to invite further caresses warred with the chilling awareness that others watched.

Mondo gave her a long look. Everything inside her made her want to lower her gaze, to hide the longing surging up inside her. For him. For what this place offered. How much of that longing was for him specifically or for what he might be able to teach her, she wasn’t sure. But she held his gaze, braving out the tense moment.

Mondo gave a soft grunt and then glanced around them. Heads turned swiftly away at his glare.

She ducked her head, averting her gaze as she’d been instructed. She almost smiled at his irritation but firmed her lips to hide her amusement. The fact she wanted to smile when she was nude and vulnerable surprised her. She’d never done this before. Even with the few lovers she’d had, she was quick to find a robe rather than parade naked.

“I want you to watch with me tonight,” he said, his voice pitched low. “Be my shadow. When I pause, you kneel. When I move, you follow.” He trailed a finger down the side of her face. “If I caress you, you will let me see whether you feel pleasure or discomfort. Hide nothing.”

“Yes, Sir,” she whispered and then wet her lips, wishing he’d kiss her again.

His sensuous, firm mouth quirked up at one side. “You are a surprise.”

Her mouth twitched. “Sir?”

“Yes, Sunny?”

“Will you make love to me tonight?”

He pulled his head back and looked down at her, his eyes narrowed as he studied her face. “I shouldn’t. You’re bold and shouldn’t be rewarded. You have a lot to learn.”

“You didn’t say you won’t.” The further narrowing of his eyes told her she’d displeased him. Quickly, before he could respond, she slowly knelt in front of him. “You paused, Sir.”

Mondo’s teeth flashed. He shook his head. “Dios, the things I want to do with you.”

The Taste in TASTE ME DEADLY

In TASTE ME DEADLY, the heroine has a passion for making chocolate, though she buried it years earlier. There is something sexy about melting chocolate and smoothing it out over a granite countertop, working it into mold, making shavings and drizzles. Its silken smoothness against your skin and the excitement of imagining your lover as the countertop while you work the chocolate over him.

Put simply, it’s joy.

In TASTE ME DEADLY, Liam helps his heroine, Grey, rediscover her passion while encouraging her to make a few new friends. And what better entertainment could there be for four women in a kitchen than chocolate and talking about men?

Of all the recipes I found while researching TASTE ME DEADLY, the one that I’m hoping to one day make are baby tortes. This one that I found on Pinterest looks sweet and romantic and perfect for a romantic dinner with a lover.

Are you a baker? What is your favorite thing to make? What would you make for a sexy dinner?

Commenters on today’s blog will be entered into a drawing for a digital copy of the first two Sensory Ops books.

Can be found on Pinterest

TASTE ME DEADLY releases tomorrow, so be sure to order your copy!

Under the knife, under the gun…and under no illusion he’ll sacrifice everything for her.

THE BLURB:

After five years in Witness Protection, Greycen Craig’s life of careful routine is upended when she learns her sister is the victim in a hit and run, hospitalized, unconscious, and needing a kidney only Grey can give.

Despite warnings that this “accident” is a ruse to draw her out into the open, Grey risks everything to race back to Miami—where she comes face to face with the one man she aches to trust.

FBI agent Liam Burgess thinks he’s prepared for the moment Grey walks into her sister’s hospital room. But the moment the woman who holds his heart appears, his tongue is almost too tied to remember to ask one burning question—why she disappeared in Las Vegas two years ago.

As Grey struggles with what to tell him—everything or nothing—the danger that drove her underground resurfaces, threatening everyone she loves. And the only safe place to run is the arms of the one man she can’t tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.

PreOrder the eBook.
Samhain | Amazon | Barnes & Noble – Nook

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It Happened On The Way To Trial

Stories abound about drastic circumstances changing people’s lives. Poor choices easily lead to a wrong path, but what if a poor choice, or series of them, put someone on the right path? Even a path to redemption?

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In TASTE ME DEADLY, Greycen Craig became the person living that life. Her choices put her in the wrong place at the wrong time, or the right one depending on the viewpoint, and she found herself in Witness Protection with no choice but to get her life on track. Regrets motivated her to make better, safer, choices. And then she read a newspaper article that upended her life again. Little did she know that stepping into a hospital room to see the sister she’d left behind would threaten more than her life.

As a writer, much like life, every story holds new challenges. Often the challenge lies in finding the one person who accepts us for who we are, who we were and who we could be. The excitement of exploring that kind of love is what drew me to romance as a reader, and then encouraged me to write a story of my own.

I love to hear from and chat with readers, so I hope you’ll find me on Facebook or Twitter where I chat, share contests and much more. Currently, on Facebook, I’m sharing cover glimpses with some fun quotes and excerpts from TASTE ME DEADLY. Swing by!

 

Cowboys on Nitro!

So I’m mixin’ cowboys and street-racing, and there are no fast cars in Texas Surrender, but I think you get my meanin’, right? Texas Surrender is not for the faint of heart. This is a verrrrrra sexy book. So if you don’t like a woman overwhelmed by too much attention (two or more suitors!), skip this one. If you’re intrigued, read more…
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There’s more than one way to capture a heart.You want it? You’ve got it. Four more Lone Star Lovers come a-courtin’, Texas style!Four Sworn
Shanna is determined to get out of Two Mule, Texas—after fulfilling one last, wicked fantasy. Instead, Bo and the Kinzie brothers challenge her in to a four-way game of sexual chicken.

Breaking Leather
Years ago, the Kinzie brothers accused Chrissi of being a shameless tease, and the confrontation boiled over into an unforgettable night. Now they’ve got one weekend, three on one, to convince her to stay. If she can’t stand the heat, they’ll let her go.

A Four-Gone Conclusion
Challenged to a race to wed, Johnny figures he’s got this in the bag. Mean Ellie Harker is ripe to fall into his arms—until his cheatin’-ass brothers kidnap her out from under his nose…

Two Wild for Teacher
There’s only one woman who’s ever held Jace and Mason’s attention for more than one night—pretty Molly Pritchet, their former teacher. Now they’re about to school her in the art of indulging forbidden desires.

Warning: Texas heat any way you want it—in more sexy combinations than should be legal! If someone asks why you’re flushed, don’t blame the moonlight.

What’s real in romance books?

It’s pretty safe to say that non-romance readers think everything in a romance story comes straight from fantasy land. There are even romance readers who think that. There are also people who think if it’s in a book then the person who wrote it has to have lived it.

Not so.

Some of us work to make up every aspect of our stories. Some of us have stories come to us, fully formed like a movie we’ve seen. Some of us work off things that inspire us. It only takes one small nugget to kick off an entire story.

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That’s how it happened for me when I began thinking about Her Miracle Man. A joke inspired a title – The 12 Dates of Christmas. That title inspired the framework of the story – 12 dates at Christmas time. The real question became what would happen on those dates. Planning that was where the real adventure began, and it became more real than I could have imagined.

In my mind, I invented a hero who had been a doctor before moving into hospital management and then came to run the place. He knew staff, patients and family members by name. The hospital had a reputation for being one of the best in the country for all things kid related. They were connected to Ronald McDonald House, or something like it.

During a visit to Indiana, I visited Riley Hospital for Children where the Chief Medical Officer had once been a doctor. The staff called him by his first name. He knew theirs, the patients and the families. Riley is also connected to Ronald McDonald House.

The parallel between my hero and the real life CMO was eerily real. The stories of the patients involved could easily belong to real people. The characters and the romance were absolutely made up, but with all the reality in the story, they felt as real as anyone I’ve known in life.

What stories have you read that have felt completely real? Or, do you fall into the camp of

Nikki can be found online at her website, Twitter and Facebook.

A Busy Month!

Sometimes, you wait and wait for books to release. Sometimes, you have so many you can’t keep up! June will be my busiest month this year. Take a look! Click on the covers if you want to read the blurb or an excerpt!

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Crescent Moon began releasing June 4th! What do I mean by that? It’s a serialized full-length book. Montlake, an arm of Amazon, will release a new installment every two weeks. You pay one price, $1.99, and get the new installments shipped automatically to your Kindle every time they release! Fun, right? And the story? Well, think mummies and demons and cops…

Twice the Bang? It releases June 18th—tomorrow! You know what to expect there if you’ve been reading the Delta Heat books. It’s book #4 in the series. I plan 5 stories total for my horny Memphis cops!

Lost Souls is the sequel to Shattered Souls, the next Caitlyn O’Connell PI story, and there are more spooky happenings in Memphis! It releases June 25th!

If you read one of them, I’d love to hear what you thought! ~DD

Are you coming to RT? So are we! Come see us!

A whole bunch of the AM authors are hitting Kansas City next week…come see us at the mega booksigning on Saturday!

The signing takes place during the RT Convention in Kansas City.  Check out the site to see which other authors are going to be there, and to learn more.  The signing is on Saturday, May 4th, 2013 from 11am – 2pm at the Sheraton Kansas City Hotel at Crown Center in Kansas City, Mo.

The AM authors attending:

Shiloh Walker
Sylvia Day
Jules Bennett
Mary Wine.
HelenKay Dimon
Shayla Black
Beth Williamson
Nikki Duncan
Delilah Devlin
Rhyannon Byrd

The mega booksigning is open to the public. There is a $5 fee to get inside and then you get to go crazy and meet and greet like mad.  If you live in or around the area, we’d love to see you!

Signing at TURN THE PAGE

Signing in Boonesboro, Maryland

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I’ll be at Turn the Page in Boonesboro, Maryland on Friday April 19th from 11:30 – 2, along with:

Mary Burton/Mary Ellen TaylorDarynda JonesDorien KellyJane PorterSarah WendellGrace BurrowesSally MacKenzieAlethea KontisAllison Leotta,  Hope Ramsay,Nora Roberts/J.D. RobbChristine TrentWilla BlairRebecca YorkP. J. O’Dwyer.

If you can attend, that would be awesome.  Make sure you check out the signing etiquette… this is the store owned by Nora Roberts’ husband and they have some seriously awesome signings.

If you aren’t in the area but would like to order one of my books, this is a great time.  This is a wonderful option for my international readers.

TTP can do online orders via their store and they can also order quite a few of my backlist books, if you give enough notice.  Basically, they need to know now.  Books take about a week to get in and the signing is at the end of next week.  I’ll sign the books while I’m there and they’ll ship them out to you.

The books they’ll have at the event are Wrecked and The Reunited and probably a few of my more popular titles.  If you want one of my older ones, just contact them and see if they can get it.

You can call the store at (301) 432-4588, email them at info@ttpbooks.com  or use their contact form.  But if you want one of my older titles, make sure you contact them ASAP.  They need enough time to get the orders in!