Moon Crazy

When I first started Moon Crazy, the idea was that I’d write an erotic romance that appealed to men. It would be graphic, visual, and have a hero who lived on the edge. As I started writing it, I thought, "this will be too gritty for women," but beta readers who were women told me otherwise.

  

A reviewer had this to say: “You know this man is terribly confident—and a wee bit crazy—to even consider putting these two women on the same deck, but that swagger makes him entirely irresistible.”   ~  Heather Bennett

   So, does Jace have swagger or is he moon crazy?

   Of course there were some bits that ended up on the cutting room floor. After my second round of edits, I was going through the manuscript and came across this lovely section. It stopped me cold. I was like, “D L, what the heck were you thinking?” The comments attached to the cut, are actual comments to my editor. I thought you might like a peek at an authors editing process and the things that sometimes go through their heads during this stage of the production:

***Unedited section***

Quadraxians lived in domes beside the ocean and in the shallows. Every night the tides came up and anywhere from fifty to a hundred feet of water would cover the domes. During the full phase of the moons, the domes remained covered for several days, but since they were all  self-sustaining, it didn’t cause issues. Special processors extracted air from the oxygen rich sea water. Fish-like creatures provided the bulk the proteins  and since most  Quadraxians had indoor gardens within the  biospheres, they had variation in an otherwise carnivore diet. The dome-dwellers could go for years without coming out of their dwellings if necessary.

Many of the homes  bored into bedrock several feet below the ocean floor, giving them subterranean rooms. Tara’s had three levels. Her bedroom she kept above ground—his below. The sides of her home were wrapped with glass while the top consisted of a a concrete-like material, stronger and lighter than the Terran version and air and water tight when she shut the vents.

She had a room the level below hers, where she could free dive if she chose. Open to the sea, she need only jump in to go for a swim. Since Quads had gills, Tara improvised with a breathing apparatus if she needed to go out at high tide. She was never stranded or stuck, but rarely went out after dark. Nobody went ashore at night.

The domes served two purposes. The first was protection from the violent storms that plagued the planet. The round shapes resisted high winds. Hail bounced off them and water washed around them and over them like stones in a river. They were also anchored deep and created in a manner that they were air tight and submergable. This was the other reason the communities were built on the oceans and beaches.

The second was to avoid the other residents of the world, carnivores, who were strictly nocturnal because of their translucent skin and inability to tolerate the light from the radiant star. And they enjoyed humanoid flesh. Terran, Quad, they didn’t care. They also couldn’t swim. Since light was coming in, he could leave now, but decided to shower before going.

Author comment about section:  “Wow, little bit of exposition here. You want me to cut this? Nothing is really pivotal to the plot going forward, and I just realized I dumped all over this story here. It’s nice to have details in sci fi, but I don’t think it’s necessary, and damn...just damn. Smack me upside the head when I do this shit, will you? LOL”

I hope you’ll check out Moon Crazy, my naughty little erotic science fiction story. But until then, enjoy this snippet:

Jace cracked an eye. Warm morning starlight streamed in through the glass behind him. The light illuminated Tara. She looked so innocent while asleep, and, truth be told, he could watch her for hours when she slept, but it wasn’t safe to let his guard down. Sometime during the night, he’d made the mistake of falling asleep in her bed. Good thing she hadn’t woke first.

She’d had a room built into her dome, for him, when he came over on occasion. After they’d had their fill, she wanted him to go to his room to sleep off the night until the ocean receded and he could leave without something eating him.

Her eyes fluttered open, and she stared at him. Beautiful aqua irises glowed in the light, their almond shape accentuated with a thick fringe of lashes. She studied him, her lips parted and swollen from her activities the night before. Her platinum hair glowed around her like a halo, taking his breath away. How he missed waking up next to her. He didn’t want to admit it, but he stilled loved her.

Unfortunate she didn’t feel the same way. It had been a long while since he’d spent the night in her bed, and, this time, only by mistake. A smiled tugged at the corner of her mouth.

Jace cocked a brow. Well, she looked friendly. Perhaps she wasn’t upset about him staying in her bed. No reason not to be social. “Good morning.”

The heel of her palm struck him in the breastbone, sending him reeling off the hovering platform, all flailing arms and legs, tangled in the sheet.

Jace hit the floor with a thud. “What the fuck.”

“What did we decide about you sleeping in my bed?”

“Damned harsh for a man who launched your rockets all night.”

“You have your own room.” 

Have a great Fourth of July, weekend!

D L Jackson

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Website: www.AuthorDLJackson.com

Duty, Honor, Love

 By Angela S. Stone

It’s here! It’s release day. I am so very, very excited to be here today talking about Duty, Honor, Love!!

I am in love with this series’ main character. Jaden Black. She’s a sexy and mysterious telepath with a heck of a secret and one amazing power. This book is told entirely from Cameron’s POV, but in the original draft it was about 50/50 being told from each of their perspectives.  Jaden’s mind is a bit chaotic so I abandoned her perspective and stuck with Cam (Who doesn’t love a hunky cop anyway?). Jaden is a dynamic, incredibly smart, often sassy detective; she worked her way up through the ranks with determination and sheer will power! I’m excited to say that in book 2, Duty, Honor, Sacrifice, we actually get a small hint as to what being Jaden must be like! And yes, I am crazy I’m already onto book 2 as book 1 is just rolling off the presses. Duty, Honor, Sacrifice, features two characters from this book (I’ll let you guess which two!) and their story is one you don’t want to miss!

I often have people ask me the inspiration for this series. How does one create a slightly alter contemporary world? I think for me it’s the fun in imaging, What if we could read people’s minds, what if we could move a glass with our minds,  answer our cellphones with-out moving a muscle, what if we could control our dreams, or someone else’s?  I love watching trashy TV it’s a bit of a guilty pleasure of mine, (and it makes for good background writing noise). What if someone really can talk to the dead [And as Jaden loves to point out, Medium’s don’t exist—or do they?]. I guess you’ll have to read to find out what awesome powers the characters in Toronto’s Elite have. In the meantime here is a special preview of Duty, Honor, Love!

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Blurb:

Cameron Olsen believes in three things: the duty to his badge, the honor of being a police officer, and the love he has for his partner.

As a member of Toronto’s elite Special Investigations Unit, he has the privilege of working with Jaden Black, a powerful but naive telepath. As they hunt down a child rapist and killer, the case takes an unexpected turn, Cameron questions his badge, his profession, and who exactly his partner is, and what she’s been hiding from him.

Excerpt:

“You can’t eat him, Paul.” Jaden’s panicked voice filled the cave.

The green dragon turned to look at the black dragon hurrying toward them. She stood on her hind legs, and Cameron could see she wasn’t all black. A green starburst the exact color of Jaden’s eyes splashed across the dragon’s chest.

“You should be resting,” Paul admonished.

It made perfect sense to him the black dragon with the green star was Jaden.

“I was cold,” she explained.

“Go lie down. I’ll be there once I take care of our guest.” He tried to give her a small push with his tail, and she reacted by raising her spikes.

“I told you, you can’t eat him!” Her deadly spikes swished to and fro with menace.

The green dragon sat on his haunches. “I wasn’t going to eat him. I was going to show him to the door.” He gestured toward the opening to the cave with his shorter forelegs, doing his best to appear innocent.

Cam watched in amazement as Jaden, the dragon, grew in size until she towered over the green one. “Do not lie to me, Paul! You were going to eat him.” Smoke curled from her nostrils.

“Now hang on a moment. He’s an unwanted visitor here. We cannot have people like him here, luv. They’re dangerous.” Paul, the green dragon, stared at Jaden.

“He’s not dangerous. I brought him here.” She shuffled closer to him, spreading out her wings to shield him.

“How could you bring him here?” Fire shot from the green dragon’s nostrils. He flinched and leaned in close to Jaden, convinced they were both going to be barbequed.

She fluttered out her wing, protecting him from the fire. “I didn’t mean to bring Cameron here, Paul. It was an accident.”

“Cameron. He’s Cameron?” He reached out with his broad green wing and lifted Jaden’s black one. “So, you’re Cameron.”

“Yes.” He hid behind the black dragon’s large hind leg, protecting himself from Paul.

The green dragon leaned in a few inches, regarding him with large yellow eyes. “Well then, why didn’t you say so?”

Jaden ruffled her wings, and slowly she decreased her size to normal. She nuzzled Cam with her snout. “I’m glad you stayed.”

“Dragons?” This all seemed a bit much. He felt calm, but the logical part of his brain screamed something wasn’t right, this wasn’t real.

Jaden smiled, or at least he thought it was a smile—her teeth were large and pointy. “It’s my natural dream guide. Come.” She folded her wing out and picked him up, tucking him into her side. She moved to where Paul had settled, waiting for her.

Paul sniffed Jaden. “I suppose you want him to sleep with us.”

“He’ll be cold.”

He huffed, smoke curling out of his nostrils. “Fine, we’ll sleep in a proper bed, then.”

Author Bio:

Angela S. Stone is a twenty-something Registered Nurse living in Ottawa, Canada. Angela finds inspiration in real life personal events for her books, often writing about issues she’s experience in her life. She is a proud Canadian and an even prouder girl from back east. She thoroughly enjoys writing novels featuring character that live in or are from the Maritimes. She’s recently met Mr. Right and when she’s not occupied with him she can be found hanging out at her local Bridgehead writing. She spends her free time advocating for minorities and persons with disabilities.

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Pushing Limits with Her Master’s Gift

 By Dena Celeste

Hello everyone! I’m so excited to be here. Today I’m going to talk about limits, as it’s something that features heavily in my new release, Her Master’s Gift. Limits are really important in relationships, but especially in BDSM dynamics. There are soft limits and hard limits, one which is allowed to be pushed and the other which is to be absolutely respected.

Soft limits are generally to be worked through. They can be things that scare you a bit, that you just don’t like (but don’t hate), or that you have no interest in but don’t care either way. I know that, for some, anal, flogging, and even whips make that list! The relationship style in Her Master’s Gift is Master/slave, where Sam is the Master, and Katie the slave. His primary role is to protect, but also to guide her and push her to her fullest sensual potential.

One of Katie’s soft limits is being with women, especially dominant women, after a previous experience scarred her. She’s bisexual, and very much appreciates women sexually, but the idea of being at another’s mercy is too much to handle. Well, to handle alone.

Part of what I loved about exploring her character and her journey is that she wasn’t by herself. There were steps she needed to take of her own volition, but the collar she’d earned, the master she belonged to, and her friends in the Lifestyle, all provided support for her to make her way. The community is so important to her story and her growth.

I find BDSM fascinating because trying new things is encouraged. There are lists of things to try, new skills to learn, and passions just waiting to be awakened. Testing the limits, seeing just how far you can push the envelope while still remaining within Safe, Sane, and Consensual boundaries, is part of the thrill. 

Buy Her Master's Gift here:

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Never Too Old to Learn ... Or to Change Gears

By Nancy Fraser

Let me start off by saying, I’m no spring chicken. As a matter of fact, I’ve retired...twice.

I was not “born” on the Internet. My first book was written on an IBM electric typewriter. I went through a lot of correction fluid before they invented those wonderful little orange spools with the tape built in.

I did not “grow up” on Facebook. As a matter of fact, I had a Facebook profile for nearly a year before I realized what those little icons at the top were for. I had no idea you could click on them to see who’d commented on a post. Or, who’d asked to be your friend. Or, even who’d sent you a message. My old-fashioned self was fixated on the worded tabs to the left because I understood what they were asking/telling me.

I did not “mature” on Twitter, or Pintrest, or Google+. Heck, I don’t even know what LinkedIn is or why people keep asking me to follow them. When I first signed up for Twitter I was hoping for 100 followers. Thankfully, I’ve far surpassed that goal. And, I’ve also learned how to use Hootsuite to my advantage. Yeah me!

It’s been a very wide learning curve. The “old hen” has learned some new tricks. I have to be honest though, I still appreciate the value of face-to-face networking. Of exchanging business cards and email addresses. We then follow our new friends on Facebook and Twitter but, still, the initial contact was made in person. You can put a warm body to the profile, rather than a cutesy icon, or family photo.

Thank goodness for conferences where you can not only make those one-on-one connections but also attend workshops on how to navigate the ever-growing, always-changing social media.

I see social media advances, especially for someone who began writing in the 1990s, as ongoing education. And, as challenging as those changes are, there’s also a bigger challenge ... what I like to refer to as the “reinvention” of the romance genre.

When I started writing, you’d have never found a romance novel that including spanking, or a ménage. Erotic novels, yes. But not romance. The traditional publishers had very firm rules on what was taboo!

Five to ten years ago, swearing was still avoided in romance novels. Now, it’s almost impossible to find a romance without one ... with the exception of Christian romance, category romance, and those labelled “sweet” by both the author and publisher.

As difficult as I found learning social media to be, the change in popular romance posed an even bigger hurdle for me.

There are certain words that I find very unromantic. Most of them have to do with female body parts. Because I wanted to continue to write, and sell, I’ve embraced a number of the terms that were once considered too risqué for romance. Still, there are some I will never use.

So, how did I get past the changes to embrace my naughtier side?

I read a lot. Not just the most popular authors, but also some of the up and coming authors and publishers. I made myself a list of words that were now acceptable and then red-stroked the ones I would not use.

I watched some “R” rated movies (not that I hadn’t already seen most of them). I made another list of possible plot devices. Yes ... I’m a list maker.

Finally, I took a tried and true romantic trope and filtered in both the plot twists and, heaven help me, the bolder words. There were actually a few words I enjoyed using ... they helped with the frustration when a scene wasn’t going exactly as I wanted it.

One of the things I discovered when writing my first erotic romance, The Muse, was that my creativity got a definite jump start. The freedom of writing without as many boundaries let loose an entire new side of me as an author.

By the time I got to the next book, The Mysterious Mrs. Pennybaker, due out this spring, I had a good handle on both my risqué side and pushing the language barrier. Mind you, both books are set in the 1920s, so there was a bit of timeframe language to deal with, but ... naughty words are still naughty words.

By the time my next project comes out I should be old hand at this ... I hope. And, if I long for a traditional story, or want to push less boundaries, I’m confident I can backpedal and find the perfect home for even the softest of romance novels.

In the meantime, it’s back to the next idea and that dratted social media schedule. It’ll be fun to see what trouble I can get into next. 

What do you get an alien for Valentine's Day?

by Jessica E. Subject

With Valentine’s Day fast approaching, many are wracking their brain as to what type of gift to get for their lover. I know, I am. But, what if you have two blue aliens as your lovers? That’s the case for Tara, the veterinarian in Crash Landing who lives in the woods at the edge of a lake. She just happened to rescue the first alien when he washed up on the shore in her backyard. Another crash landed in the lake. Now, they are both her lovers, but she had a hard time deciding what to get them for Valentine’s Day.

 She found key chains that say “I *heart* my alien husband”, but wanted something more personal for each of them. For Cael, she found a piece of his ship on the shore and had it encased in a glass box. For Mare, she ended up locating a glass helmet he could wear that filled with water and would allow him to stay on land for longer.

Giveaway!

What about you? What would you get for your alien lover on Valentine’s Day? Leave your answer in a comment below WITH YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS for your chance to WIN an ebook of Crash Landing! Must be 18 or older to enter.

Crash Landing

A story from The Edge

By Jessica E. Subject

Sci-Fi MMF Ménage Erotica

ISBN: 978-1613333884

As his ship plummets toward Earth, Cael believes his life to be over. His last ditch effort to save himself ends in a fiery crash. When he wakes up, he believes he’s entered the afterlife, but his surroundings indicate otherwise. He made it to Earth. But who saved him, and what do they want with him?

Available from:

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Excerpt:

He rushed to the right, his rod too hard to wait. The slurping, sucking, and cries of pleasure continued as he reached the entrance behind which the action took place. The door ajar, he dared a quick glimpse into the room. With a gasp, he stepped back into the hall, but could not take his eyes off the sight in front of him.

With her rounded pink ass and swollen sex folds in full view, a woman went to work sucking off a man. The musky scent of her desire wound through his nasal passages and drew him closer. She rested on her hands and knees on a platform, while the guy kneeled in front of her. But unlike any beings he had ever seen on the vids of Earth, the guy had blue skin. Not his deep, almost indigo shade, but lighter, closer to the color of the water he’d landed in. Long blond hair flowed over his shoulders, onto his muscular chest.

The man held the woman’s shoulders with his webbed hands—yes, webbed hands—drawing her on and off his dick. “You have the mouth of an angel.” He threw his head back and thrust faster and faster between her lips.

The sight stimulated Cael. They weren’t trying to make babies; it seemed they were having sexual relations for pleasure. He yearned not only to bury his face in the wet pussy in front of him, but to taste the man’s blue dick, feel it inside of him. Back on Narien, he’d crafted his own devices made from the soft, flimsy bark of the totmos plant, to experience the pleasure both men and women felt in the stadium, why they cried out during mating, but never seemed injured. And learn he had, anxious to be ready when he reached his thirtieth year and was allowed to mate. He’d turned that age a half year ago, with no one on his ship to be his partner. Would he finally have an opportunity?

When the man lowered his head again, his brilliant blue eyes flashed open, fixing on Cael.

Oh shit. But he couldn’t move. He couldn’t stop watching.

The man slowed his movements to long drawn out strokes, but didn’t stop. “It seems our guest has finally woken up.”

“And?” the woman mumbled around his cock.

“He appears healed.” The man winked at him. “And from the hard-on he’s sporting, very anxious to join in.”

Bio:

Jessica E. Subject is the author of contemporary and science fiction romance, ranging from sweet to erotic. In her stories, you could meet clones, or a sexy alien or two. You may even be transported to another planet for a romantic rendezvous. 

When Jessica isn't reading, writing, or doing dreaded housework, she likes to get out and walk. Fast. But she just may slow down if there is a waterfall nearby.

Jessica lives in Ontario, Canada with her husband and two energetic children. And she loves to hear from her readers. You can find her at jessicasubject.com and on twitter @jsubject.

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Knockin' Boots

   For those of you who read my books, you know I like to write about troubled heroes. For example, Blake Massie in Soul Dreams had survived a horrific fire with scars. In Knockin’ Boots, Clint Gorman is a tired veteran of the battles in Afghanistan and suffering from a from of PTSD. He estranged himself from the only members of his family remaining and he can’t seem to find peace no matter where he goes. On his huge motorcycle he’s riding the country looking for someplace he can find that peace of mind and people he can relate to.

   But this is a fairy tale, right? Where people’s wishes can and do come true? So maybe the old man telling the story knew exactly what Clint wants and needs and magically led him in this direction, to a chance meeting at a boot store in the tiny Texas town of Whistling Creek. The out-of-the-blue invitation he receives from Dan Franklin and his wife, Kylie, might just be the answer to his prayers.

   “I’d just as soon let the two of you take the lead. But I’m not shy about asking if something pops into my head.”

   “I don’t know if Dan mentioned it, but I do have a secret wish.” Kylie looked at Dan, who nodded. “We would love to find someone to move in with us permanently. Of course, that would be asking an awful lot.”

   “Yeah?” Clint tried not to show his surprise. He’d been in a lot of one-night ménages. Sometimes even two-night encounters. But a permanent one? Would that ever interest him? He gave the other man a questioning look. “And you’d be okay sharing your wife on a regular basis?”

   Dan drained the last of his beer and set the empty on the little table beside the couch. “Hell, yes. I mean, I know there would be a lot of logistics and specifics to work out, but if we could find someone on our wavelength, someone we both wanted to include, that would be the ideal.”

   “But that’s just a dream, you know?” Kylie leaned into her husband. “Today, let’s enjoy each other. I’m more than ready”

   “Sounds good to me.” Yeah, he was more than damn ready, too.

   He wondered if, when it was his turn, he could get Kylie to straddle him in this chair and ride him hard. At the thought, his poor cock, which was already in distress, about strangled itself trying to get free. He tugged on the worn denim of his jeans, trying to ease the pressure.

   Kylie’s low, throaty laugh sizzled his nerve endings.

   “Got a little problem there, Clint?”

   “No, I’m good.” But, of course, he wasn’t. His cock wanted out right that moment.

   “Maybe I can help you.” She set her bottle down beside Dan’s, hopped off his lap, and walked over to the recliner, reaching out her hand. “May I?”

   He didn’t know exactly what she was asking permission for, but what the hell? He nodded, his eyes dropping to her cleavage and the tempting swell of her breasts.

She unfastened the button at the top of his jeans, slowly lowered the zipper, and reached inside. Her fingers eased his shaft through the fly of his boxer briefs and closed lightly over his flesh, stroking it a few times. At her touch, heat flashed through his entire body, and his cock flexed.

   Holy shit! They didn’t waste much time on preliminaries or social niceties. Well, fine by him. He wasn’t much for conversation anyway.

   “Mmm.” She ran her tongue over her plump lower lip in a teasing motion. “This man really has it, sweetie. Maybe you should show him what you’ve got, too.”

   Dan stood up and, as if she’d asked him nothing more than to move a pillow, began stripping off his clothes. When his dick popped free, Clint was sure it rivaled his in length and breadth. The thought popped into his mind that if they both fucked her at once, they’d be filling every inch of her. He hoped she was up for it because the image made his mouth water.

   His eyes widened in surprise, though, once Dan was naked, to see him pull his boots on again.

   “Surprised? Yeah, we’ve got this little fetish. We like to fuck with our boots on.” The man nodded at the box Clint had placed next to his helmet beside the chair. “Good chance to break your new ones in.”

   Clint smothered a smile. This gave a whole new meaning to the term knockin’ boots.

   “Okay, but you have to tell me how it started. You can’t just throw it out there without explanation.”

   They looked at each other, and Dan grinned.

*****

I hope you will join me at all the places where you can find me on the Internet. And be sure to email me. I love to hear from my readers.

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Buck up, cowboy, Ruby’s here!

I love bringing my heroes to their knees, making them suck it up, and endure a challenge. Especially when that man is a cowboy with certain ideas set in stone…or so he thinks.

Not only does my latest release For Ruby’s Love have such a cowboy, but also there is his lover, a CEO, for a spunky horse therapist to deal with.

Book Blurb:

Rancher Calhoun Cordell and businessman Daniel Patterson have struggled for almost two years as a couple, with careers and goals often in conflict. A tragic fire, leading to a traumatized valuable breeding mare, has Calhoun sending for a well-known horse whisperer. Except the man is dead. His daughter, Ruby McMurtry, shows up for the job instead and complicates their lives even more.


Buy Links:  Decadent Publishing || Amazon || Kobo || iBooks || Barnes & Noble

Excerpt:

He pulled open the over-sized front door and gaped at the bit of a woman shivering on the porch. She appeared a foot shorter than him and a good sixty or more pounds lighter. What hit him most were her eyes—an odd dark green, like jade or something. Her eyes narrowed as he looked her over.

Finally, she stretched to her full minimal height and bristled at him. “When you’re done checking me out, do you think you could let me inside? It’s colder than cold out here.”

Daniel stepped beside him and intervened. “Let the lady in, Cal.” He looked around her and asked, “Where’s your car? Assuming you drove here.”

She slid between them into the tiled foyer before turning back. “No car. And I didn’t drive here, at least not exactly.” Her teeth chattered.

Calhoun closed the door against the sharp winter breeze and watched her pull off a battered pink Stetson, unveiling chin-length strawberry-blonde hair. “What does ‘not exactly’ mean?” He added, “Who are you, anyway?”

She worried her trembling lower lip and glanced from him to Daniel and back. She pulled off a glove and stuck out her hand. “Ruby McMurtry.”

Instead of taking her hand, he puffed up in annoyance. “You’re late! Where’s your father?”

She started to lower her hand, glowering at him.  But he noticed something besides anger in the depths of those enchanting eyes. He couldn’t get a handle on the emotion.

While he tried to calm down, wishing he hadn’t jumped on her, Daniel reached out and shook her very red-looking hand.

“You feel like ice,” he said in concern. He took a second to scowl at him.

As she blinked at her hand sandwiched between Daniel’s, her already pink-chilled cheeks turned pinker. “I should’ve worn my thicker gloves,” she muttered in clear discomfort. When she managed to slip free, she glared at him.

A twinge of guilt about his rude behavior passed through him, but his anger came out first as he repeated himself. “Where’s your father? I have a serious bone to pick with him.”

Those eyes that still captivated him welled up with tears. His gut tightened.

Her lower lip wobbled and she sputtered, “He…he…he’s dead.”

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CONTEST: In honor of my spunky cowgirl, I am giving away a pink and black ball hat claiming “Hell Hat No Fury Like a Woman in Spurs.” Leave a comment about why you love a cowboy and include your email address. One lucky commenter will be chosen on January 27^th.

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A Christmas Sleigh Ride

***SPOILERS***

This scene takes place after the ending of Everybody Hates Fruitcake

My heart pounded in my chest as I waited in the barn. Absently, I patted the reindeer I’d selected to pull my sleigh. She huffed, stomping her hoof and antsy to go. I was a bit anxious myself. An hour ago, I’d left Jimmy in the great Hall, still unable to believe he actually liked fruitcake.

Could this be happening? Had I found a man to accept the very thing I had been hiding from everyone?

Movement at the barn door caught my attention and my grin almost made my cheeks hurt when I saw Jimmy.

Cheeks flushed and pink from the cold air, he was all bundled up in a grey fur coat. He gave me a happy wave. “Hey, Ivan.”

“You came,” I said with a rush of relief.

Jimmy quirked one eyebrow. “Did you think I wasn’t going to show up?”

I looked sheepishly at the ground, shuffling my feet. “Well, it would only be fair considering I didn’t show up yesterday.”

“True,” he said with a shrug. “But you said there were some things to work out, so I guess I get that.” He gave me a hopeful smile. “As long as you plan on letting me in on them eventually.”

“I will, I promise,” I said and it was true. Now that I knew he liked the taste of fruitcake, I couldn’t wait to tell him everything!

Jimmy gave the rail of my sleigh a pat, rattling it a bit as if testing it for stability. “So this is your sleigh?”

Embarrassed heat scorched my face. I was such a moron! Jimmy came from a royal family and my sleigh was big, bulky and rough around the edges, kinda like me. Why hadn’t I thought to borrow someone else’s? “I can get another one if you don’t like it. I can—”

Jimmy put his hand on my arm and I stopped talking immediately. “It’s perfect, Ivan. Relax. Why are you always so nervous?”

I chuckled, unsure how to answer that without sounding like a lovesick fool. Knowing that he loved fruitcake should have made this easier but I had never had a boyfriend before. Surreptitiously, I crossed my fingers, hoping that was where this was headed.

Clearing my throat, I gestured to the seat. “After you.”

I took his hand and helped him up. Once we were both seated and I had the reigns, Jimmy reached over and took my hand in his.

Though we both wore gloves, warmth from his touch went through me faster that the hottest cocoa on the coldest day. Overcome with affection, happiness, and gratitude, I gave into the one thing I’ve been dying to do for over year.

I kissed him.

Not a passionate kiss, full of hot promise, just a gentle brush of lips. When I pulled back, those green eyes met mine and we came together once more, our tongues connecting briefly, like the delicate kiss of a snowflake on a chilly cheek.

Cheeks reddening, Jimmy turned away and looked down at our clasped hands. His thumb ran along the length of mine and the air frosted around his mouth as he let out a sigh. “So where we going, Ivan?”

Holding onto the reigns with one hand—there was no way I was letting go of this elf ever again—I gave the reindeer a giddy-up. “Wherever you want, baby. Wherever you want.”

Deanna Wadsworth might be a bestselling erotica author, but she leads a pretty vanilla life in Ohio with her wonderful husband and a couple adorable cocker spaniels. She has been spinning tales and penning stories since childhood, and her first erotic novella was published in 2010. When she isn’t writing books or brainstorming with friends, you can find her making people gorgeous in a beauty salon. She loves music and dancing, and can often be seen hanging out on the sandbar in the muddy Maumee River or chilling with her hubby and a cocktail in their basement bar. In between all that fun, Deanna cherishes the quiet times when she can let her wildly active imagination have the full run of her mind. Her fascination with people and the interworkings of their relationships have always inspired her to write romance with spice and love without boundaries.

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Everybody Hates Fruitcake

Ivan has the bad luck to be the only elf at the naughty North Pole with fruitcake-flavored cum—and he’s not telling anyone. When fellow elf Jimmy hits on him, Ivan fears revealing his secret and losing a chance to have a real relationship with the sexy elf.

After all, everybody hates fruitcake!

Danni's wife Sheila is the Head Chef at the North Pole. Unfortunately, while Sheila hunts for the perfect recipe for fruitcake, she neglects her wifely duties. So when Ivan tells Danni about his dilemma, she devises a plan to solve both of their problems.

Can these two girls help Ivan realize he is perfect just the way he is? Will Danni's wife perfect her fruitcake recipe with Ivan's special ingredient? But most importantly, will Ivan have the courage to take Jimmy up on his offer?

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EXCERPT:

   A soft hand caressed mine. “Why don’t you like Jimmy?”

   Naturally, Danni wouldn’t let it drop. “It’s not that,” I answered. “I like him a lot, actually. That’s the problem.”

   She shook her head, her long black ponytail swaying. “That makes absolutely no sense.”

   “Of course you don’t get it.” I brushed a lock of silky black hair off her brow. Her bangs were always falling in her eyes, and she didn’t flinch from my familiarity. “You’re perfect.”

Grinning, she said, “Well, that’s obvious. But it still doesn’t explain why you say you like Jimmy, yet you ignore all his advances.”

   “Because I don’t know if I should do anything about it. He’ll just end up being disappointed.”

   “I’m still going to go with, that makes absolutely no sense.” She gave me a head to toe once over. I managed a smile when she tipped back to take in my ass and give me a whistle—she was such a flirt. “You’re gorgeous, Ivan. And you’re funny. You forget I’ve seen you take care of those pathetic earthbound reindeer.”

   “They’re not pathetic.”

   “See what I mean? All the other Dökkálfar in the stables prefer to work with the flyers. But not you. You’re kind and patient. A real caregiver. So I ask you, what would Jimmy have to be disappointed about?”

   I squirmed in my seat, unsure if I should tell her, but desperately wanting to. I had not breathed a word of it since I’d arrived, preferring to have my choice of lovers, rather than be laughed at like I had been in my hometown. But something about the sincerity, the kindness in Danni’s brown eyes made me feel like I should trust her. Like it was finally time to tell someone the truth.

   “Because I taste like fruitcake.”

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