Repent in Love

I have a release date! May 20, 2015

Book 2 in the Angels in Love series.

Uriel, angel of repentance, wants Morta, the one woman he cannot possess. She is the Fate who holds power over life and death. A brief fling with her is not enough. He needs more than a warm body to extinguish the flames of desire—he needs to have all of her, body and soul.

Morta has burned for Uriel for centuries. But it can never be. She is forbidden to align herself with anyone, especially an angel. After a few fevered nights in Uri’s arms, she knows there will be no repenting for her sin. Morta cannot let go of the only being in the universe who rocks her world.

Only one other angel has violated a similar commandment and survived. Now Uriel must risk his life and find a way to do the same.

A Romantica® erotic fantasy romance from Ellora’s Cave

Watching Nony’s wheel incessantly spin threads of life grated on her nerves. Morta shuddered as she tried to shake the feeling that something bad was about to happen. She couldn’t stand the squeaking noise any longer. “Why don’t you oil that decrepit piece of shit?”

The wheel came to a complete stop and her sister peered up at her. “Are you feeling well, Morta?”

“I don’t know… Something isn’t right.” A deep sigh left her calmer. “I’m sorry, I just feel unsettled. It’s like a black cloud is hanging over my head.” A nervous laugh slipped out. “That’s such a human thing to say. Nony, what’s happening to us all?”

“Things change everywhere. They must change here also for us to continue to benefit mankind.”

“You sound hopeful.”

“I have faith.”

“I wish I had as much as you.”

Nony smiled at her. “Follow your heart, it’s strong and true.”

Morta wished it were that easy. She’d feel so much better if she could only see Uri and know that he was all right. Something happened last night, something she was unable to discuss with her sister. It didn’t matter. She didn’t understand it herself; how could she explain it to anyone else? “I wish it were that easy.” She nibbled at the tip of her fingernail. “Tell me about Marmaroth.” Mort had to be careful and not make the questions personal. Her sister would answer if it pertained to them all.

“There isn’t much to tell. God has always placed safeguards in his plans for the universe. He knew these trying times would come.”

“Why was he given power over us?”

“Does it really matter? If it wasn’t him it would be someone else.” Nony’s wheel squeaked back to life and threads were once again tied together with her magic. “I think he’s rather dashing, don’t you?”

“Nony! He holds the power of life and death over us. How could you think he’s anything other than a threat?”

“Morta, I only commented on his looks.”

“Make sure it stays that way.” Somewhere in the mess of twines were her and Uri’s threads. Why oh why couldn’t they be bound together? The same feeling she’d had at the lingerie store came over her. Morta’s skin prickled and grew warm. Shit! “Nony…”

“I feel it sister, Decima will arrive shortly. Together we are stronger.”

“Ladies.”

Morta noticed Nona’s hands shake slightly. Her sister feared nothing but the Lord. What was this? At least she found her voice, something Morta couldn’t do.

“Marmaroth, welcome to our home. It’s been a long, long time.”

His golden hair was pulled back into a severe plait and showed the hard angles of his face. Today he wore black slacks with a white shirt open to show a smattering of hair and myriad color lines crisscrossing his muscular chest. Morta took in the fact that his dark blue eyes sparkled at Nona while his lips curved in a sensuous smile of pleasure.

She was drawn to the latticework of lines on his torso and wanted to see more. Mentally shaking herself, Mort tried unsuccessfully to concentrate. Her sister Fate’s voice sounded far away. What the hell? Their voices droned on and on but she couldn’t understand a word they said. Nona’s cheeks were bright red. Where was Dec? She should have been here by now.

“Morta, last time we crossed paths, your lover wasn’t very nice.”

He was talking to her and she needed to answer, needed to pretend everything was normal.

Thank God Decima appeared. “Marmaroth, I see my sisters have welcomed you to our home. It’s good of you to drop by,” she said.

Morta glared at the angel, acutely aware that although he spoke to her, he remained focused on Nona whose spinning wheel now stood eerily silent.

“It’s always a pleasure to visit with three very lovely women.” Finally, he turned and pierced her and Decima with a strange look.

“How can we assist you?” Dec’s words hung in the air.

“This is a necessary visit, however, there’s no reason to be so on edge.” He glared at Morta.

“What?” Mort’s fist clenched and her nails dug painfully into her palms. The chill she released in the air gave away how tightly she was wound.

“Michael has trained you well. Even as a small child you were the frosty one.” He spun back to Nony who didn’t divert her eyes.

What was going on with her sister and Marmaroth?

“Decima, you understand this must be?”

“What’s he talking about?” Morta’s skin grew a thin sheet of ice. Flinching she looked at her hands and saw shards of ice forming at the tips of her fingers.

“You’d be no match for me so don’t think about it.”

Nony stood and moved slowly around her wheel. Waving in the air, she fashioned a loose black shirt shot through with silver threads and said, “You will be safe. Wear this to keep warm.” She helped Morta don the sparkling shirt and spun on her heels to look at the angel. “Touch a hair on her head, harm her in any way, you will never see the light of day again.” Nona touched the tips of her fingers to Marmaroth’s cheek. “She is my sister.”

He smiled at Nona, took her hand and kissed the very same tips that had rested on his face. “I only need to talk with her alone.” He jumped back and glared at Nona. “That wasn’t necessary.” Smoke drifted from his lips. Still gazing at the Fate who spun life, he added. “I’ve always loved the fire in your soul.”

Before Morta could move, she was whisked into a black hole and carried through the air. She couldn’t see anything and her throat felt constricted. She tried to scream but there was no sound. And there was nothing when she reached with her mind for Uri.

God help me.

Growl and roar-it's okay to let the beast out.

Short, tiny - The End

As promised, the end of the short, short, tiny story --

Crossroads

Ignoring the governor’s calls, Little spent the next week talking with Faye over quite a few delicious dinners.

Tonight, he didn’t want to leave. “You’re beautiful.” Many opportunities had arisen to slake his desires yet he found no one as refreshing and sexy as Faye. “Come to my hotel?” She nodded. Lit bumped the table when he stood and knocked over the saltshaker. Bad luck or lousy timing, his phone picked that moment to chirp. Walking around the table, he pulled Faye up and into his arms. “I have to go.”

“Will I see you again?”

The governor first.He kissed her lips softly and whispered, “I want to come back.”

“I’ll be here.”

Turning, Lit strode away from Faye and out the door.

Little was once again escorted to the small office where he paced as he waited.

Shaw arrived, slammed the door closed, and snapped, “Why didn’t you answer my calls?”

Lit sucked in a deep breath. “The truth or I’ll discover it on my own.”

“I was told you’d ask no questions.” The body of the man responsible for wresting the state from the brink of bankruptcy crumpled dejectedly into the chair behind his desk. “My son met Faye at a university function and he talked about her incessantly on his last visit home.”

“Go on.”

“He’ll become suspicious if I pry but their involvement is…it’s inappropriate.”

Falling into the seat flanking the desk, Lit clenched and unclenched his fist. “Damn you for thinking she’s not good enough.”

“You misunderstand.” The governor’s hands shook. “Faye is my daughter.”

So much for my stance on need-to-know.

“My wife was sick in the hospital for months before she died. I had a toddler on my hands… Hell, I don’t expect anyone to understand how lonely and scared I was when I sought solace in another woman’s arms.” He closed misty green eyes and sighed. “It doesn’t excuse what we did.”

“What a damn mess.”

Shaw stood and walked to peer out the window. “I need to keep this quiet.”

“What if her mother decides to tell her?”

“She won’t. Faye’s mother never expected anything.” Shoulders slumped. “She’s a real treasure.”

“Trésor.”

“She already worked there. I purchased and had the restaurant redecorated before giving it to her so she wouldn’t return to Birmingham.” Thinning gray hair and a telltale tremble epitomized the dire toll Martin Shaw’s deceitfulness had taken. “She picked the name.” A wan smile tugged his lips as he stared out the window and slipped into the past forgetting about Little Merrick.

“Christ.” Lit left unnoticed. On the drive to his place, he had thought about his two tours in the military after which he used the majority of time to build a solid reputation as a private investigator for anyone willing to purchase his services. Nearing forty, he’d barely made time for the occasional one nightstand but enough money had been amassed to live comfortably for the rest of his days.

Little had reminisced long enough.

He shoved the readdressed envelope containing the governor's last check into his mailbox, raised the tiny red flag, and headed back to Eddystone.

Entering Trésor, Lit grimaced as he conjured the vision in his mind of sitting at the crossroads.

Faye rounded the bar. “I’m glad you came back.”

“So am I, but we need to talk.”

Damn if anything is running over my ass.

Enjoy your weekend and if the opportunity arises –

Growl and roar-it’s okay to let the beast out.

Something short, tiny...

Last day to vote in Best of 2014 polls at the LoveRomancesCafe. (you must be a member)

**Best BDSM/Kink Book

Firstborn by J. Hali Steele (Changeling Press)

And for your enjoyment, a short, short, tiny piece (1,500) I wrote for a contest, didn’t win but there will be another time! J Giving you first half and hope you’ll come back tomorrow for the end.

Crossroads

Life doesn’t wait while you decide which path to take; sit at the crossroads too long—something will run over your ass. Little Merrick had read that somewhere. Clutching an envelope while standing in front of his mailbox, he recalled his latest job with distaste.

Two weeks ago, Lit had surreptitiously entered Trésor and the moment he laid eyes on his quarry, he realized everything would go to hell. He was even more conscious of that fact when, a few days afterward, he decided to meet his target face-to-face. Faye Warren had short, dark blonde hair, and hazel eyes more green than brown perused him head to toe as he approached the bar. Taking a seat at the end, he gave her the once over as a sinking feeling filled his gut. There was more here than met the eye otherwise Governor Martin Shaw would have used his own people instead of hiring him.

“What can I get for you?”

The soft raspy sound of her voice brought parts of Lit to life that hadn’t awakened in a decade. “Lager, bottle, no glass.”

Returning, Faye placed a cold beer in front of him. “Tough day?”

“No.” He studied the woman wondering if her sun kissed skin was as warm as it looked. “Why do you ask?”

“You growled.” She laughed lightly and well-knotted strings around his heart began to fray when she leaned forward and whispered conspiratorially, “I won’t turn you in to animal control.”

The unraveling began in earnest. “What if I bite?”

“I bite back.” Tilting her head, she grinned. “I’m Faye.”

“Lit.”

“Welcome to Trésor, Lit.”

“You welcome all the patrons this way?”

“No.”

“Why me?”

“I like the way you look.” Faye’s lips curved invitingly before she moved away to wait on a newcomer.

Lit finished his beer and left.

With a reputation as an investigator who operated on a need-to-know basis, he asked no questions, Lit accepted a job, finished it, and received payment. He was highly compensated for discretion and the less he knew the better. He spent the next few nights in the shadows at Trésor before driving two hours to the state capitol to give a brief report. Directed to a private office in the mansion, Lit took a seat and waited.

The governor possessed a heavy tread for such a slight man. “Well, Merrick?”

“She always goes home alone.” An extremely nice home shared with her mother, the owner of Trésor. That tidbit of information was a matter of public record. “She’s not seeing anyone.”

“Keep her under observation a few more days.”

Lit stood. “That’s another five grand.” His services didn’t come cheap. Striding to the door, he spun to face the man who remained at the desk with his head buried in his hands. “Mail it.”

“Done.”

˜ ˜ ˜

Eddystone was a small town containing one motel, and working in the only nice restaurant and bar for miles, Faye knew everyone. She hoped the tall, broad shouldered stranger with piercing blue eyes, buzz cut brown hair, and a gruff voice would return. Faye got her wish while subbing on bar duty for a sick employee. She grabbed a cold beer and made her way down the counter waiting on one customer before she reached the man. “Welcome back, Lit. Lager, bottle, and no glass, right?”

“You remember what everyone drinks?”

“Only those I like.” Air around Faye sizzled when their fingers brushed as she passed him the beer.

“Worked here long?”

Faye had received her degree in accounting before returning to assist in running the restaurant. She kept books as well as bartended in a pinch and, frankly, she enjoyed that part of the job more than pouring through mundane paperwork. “I’m the manager.” Lifting his beer to place a coaster beneath the bottle, she added, “Trésor is family owned.”

“Treasure.”

The kitchen door swung open and closed with a swish behind the evening bartender. “An endearment my father used.” Before Lit asked more questions, she blurted, “Stay for dinner, my replacement just arrived.” Not likely Lit would be a regular who’d complicate her life. “Where are you from?”

“Is your father dead?”

“Why would you think that?” She wiped the bar top.

“You said used, I thought maybe...”

She did. “Don’t know, I never knew him.” She’d become as adept at brushing aside questions about her father as her mother was. It didn’t bother Faye in the same way it did when she was younger. “Dinner?”

“Sure.”

Retrieving a menu, she opened it in front of him. “The chef is quite good.”

“A thick steak, rare.”

“I’ll be right back.” Faye instructed a passing server to prepare a quiet table, and after placing an order for two porterhouses with salads, she escaped to her office to check her hair and refresh her makeup. She returned to the dining area and took a seat across from Lit. Faye asked again, “Where you from?”

“Harrisburg.”

“Staying at the motel or making the two hour drive?”

“Motel. I’m finishing up some business.” Their food arrived and they ate in silence until Lit commented, “Your chef is better than good.”

“I’ll let her know.”

The man didn’t seem to be aware of the sex appeal he exuded. When he smiled, Faye made her mind up to do this every night until he was gone. “Tomorrow’s special is chicken pot pie.”

“With a flaky crust?”

“Always.”

“I’ll be here.”

Tomorrow...The End; meanwhile...

Growl and roar-it’s okay to let the beast out.

It's Friday

And it's cold! Nothing new if you live where I do. Anyway, I'm reading Graveyard Shift (Lana Harvey Reaper's Inc. Book 1) on my Kindle every chance I get, and boy, I'm loving it! I hope Angela Roquet doesn't mind my sharing that with everyone. *Smile*

Take a peek:

http://www.amazon.com/Graveyard-Shift-Lana-Harvey-Reapers-ebook/dp/B009M0ARH0

Since I'm sharing may as well throw in my favorite new commercial - Geico does the best damn commercials! Hey, Donna, have you seen this? *Laughing*


That's all for me, have a great weekend and don't forget -

Growl and roar-it's okay to let the beast out.

Her Maine Stud

Her Maine Stud

(SOS Series #3)

New today at Changeling Press

Tyrant Blue Blade Runner, special agent with the U.S. Dept. of Fish and Wildlife Special Outreach Services Division known as SOS, shouldn’t dally with a woman whose accident he perpetrated. Turns out Coral Gillespie is not only stealing cats from his property, she’s having some neutered! While monitoring the thief, her pert nose, saucy way with words, and generous swell of hips not only captures Ty’s attention, the wily woman may become his undoing.

Goddamn Gryphon! When he saw his brother, he’d demand to know why he hadn’t divulged information as important as Coral risking her life.

“You okay with this? You look funny.”

Ty tightened his hands around the steering wheel. “I’m fine.”

“Promise you’ll follow my lead or stay in the truck.”

Follow her lead! Christ, his ass was in deep shit because no way would he allow anyone to get within a hair’s breadth of her. “Sure, got it.”

“Pull over here. I want to peep in this guy’s backyard.”

“Why?”

“He’s got a shepherd he treats like shit. I’ve warned him once.”

“He doesn’t get a second chance?”

“Hell no.” She opened the door before he came to a complete stop and grinned at him over her shoulder. “Today, it’s the dog’s turn for a chance.”

After parking, he jumped out and trotted after her. Coral had already eaten up half the alley at a slow run. On her heels, he couldn’t keep his eyes off her ass encased in black leather. When she came to a stop, Ty slammed into the back of her and wrapped his arms around her waist to steady Coral. “Sorry.”

“Gee-willikers,” she hissed.

The words were so incongruous with her attitude and attire, Tyrant burst out laughing.

“Keep it down, he’s always home.”

“Sorry.”

She turned to glare at him, hands on hips. “You are.”

“I’m what?”

“Sorry.” She shook her head. “I can’t do this with you, go wait in the truck.”

“Like hell I will.”

“Tyrant! I don’t need you to back me up. I’ve done this for years.”

“Why didn’t I know about it?”

“Umm, because we just met?” Coral’s hazel eyes pierced him. “Look, you’re one hell of a specimen of man, but I could probably take your ass in under ten seconds.”

He grew more irritated with each passing moment. “Do what you have to so we can get the hell out of here.”

They reached a chain link fence with a hole only large enough for Coral to fit through, and she quickly folded her body and slipped into the muddy, garbage-strewn yard. She turned a corner and he lost sight of her. “Hey, boy.” Her soft voice slid down his spine and started his cock on a trip to bone-hard town. Christ! Not now.

He heard a gruff voice yell, “Gillespie, touch my dog, and I’ll knock your fucking ass out.”

“Okay, you know I’m here.”

A thud followed by grunting sent him into action. Jumping the fence, Tyrant ran a few feet and turned the corner to see Coral straddling a two hundred pound man and binding his hands with plastic cuffs.

“I’m leaving these a little loose.” She tugged the ties. “You can yell for your girl to cut them once I leave.”

“Bitch!”

“Another word, I’ll clobber your ass again, Jinks.” She tapped his face. “I told you he’d better look healthier in a week.”

“I feed him table scraps.”

“Jinks, he needs regular meals and fresh water. Don’t you get that?”

“One more chance, my kid loves him.”

“No more, it’s his turn now.”

“Fine. I can’t stand the fucker.”

“Then we don’t have a problem.” She looked over her shoulder. “Took you long enough. Loosen the dog’s rope and get him out of here.”

He got the dog loose and said, “I’m not leaving you.”

“Oh for goodness sakes.” She stood and nudged the man on the ground with a booted toe. “Don’t move until we’re gone or I’ll use this again.” She waved the nightstick in the air, and for the first time, Tyrant noticed blood running from the man’s nose.

Fuckin’ A, Coral was badass!

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Growl and roar-it’s okay to let the beast out. - jhalisteele

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