Wait? Do you know what day it is? MikeMikeMikeMikeMike! It’s Wednesday! Guess what that makes tomorrow?!? RELEASE DAY!!!!!!!! *breathes into a paper bag*
I don’t know why I’m more nervous about this release than I have been about any other. Okay, that’s not true. I do know. It’s because I have so much of myself invested in this series and I’m pretending that if it flops, I won’t be bummed out and majorly devastated. It’s just a book, just a series. Made up people. Made up places–well mostly made up. Made up stuff going on. But when you’re a writer, you spend so much time in your head making this stuff up, it’s like the Velveteen Rabbit. It takes on a life of it’s own and becomes real.
Positive thoughts, right? Readers will find and love these books as much as I do. *nods* So let the party continue! As you may have noticed, I’ve added the soundtrack for SEASON OF THE WITCH to the Penumbra tab. And you’ll notice that the songs aren’t just for each chapter but for scenes within the chapter. So…click on THIS LINK (which goes to YouTube because…full song!) and listen to the song in one tab while you read the excerpt below.
To set up the scene, Sade has been at a very brutal crime scene. She’s cold, discouraged, and instead of going to her hotel, she heads straight to Sinjen’s place. That’s not something she would normally do so there’s been a subtle shift in their relationship. 😉
****
Sinjen felt her coming closer. Closing his eyes, he remembered the first time he had seen her, those long legs gliding across the bare floor of his prison. He smiled as his body reacted. He left his vantage point at the window and crossed the room to await her arrival at his door. He wiped the impatience he felt from his expression. He pictured her hand lifted to ring the bell; opened the door before she had the chance.
Sade looked at him, startled but taking him in, her pupils dilating slightly, the corner of her mouth quirking. He watched her, felt her impressions of him—tall, muscular, ruggedly handsome. Sade didn’t stop to think; she simply stepped into him, leaning as her arms circled his waist.
“Honey, I’m home,” she murmured, her cheek resting against his shoulder.
He knew she’d meant to make a joke. As she stepped back to pull away, his arms tightened around her. “Yes,” he murmured into her sweet-smelling hair. “You are.”
He felt her heart stutter-step at his words. Sinjen backed up, moving deeper into the apartment without releasing her. Turning, he bumped the door shut with his shoulder and then, finally, loosened his arms so he could take a half step away. His nostrils flared, drawing in her scent. Gardenia from her shampoo clung to her hair. She smelled of rain, of something earthy like Irish moss, and a spicy musk that reminded him of cloves.
He cupped her right cheek with his palm, his thumb tracing her lips before coming to rest on the beauty mark at the corner of her mouth. He leaned in and kissed her, just the barest brush of his lips yet the touch elicited a shiver. He felt it radiate out from Sade’s core. Her eyes closed and she leaned toward him, her chin rising in invitation.
“You have had a trying day, milady,” Sinjen whispered, recognizing the pain in her eyes and the dark circles beneath them.
Sade started to laugh but clamped down on it. The little hiccup that managed to escape had the sound of hysteria lurking in it. “Yeah. You can say that again,” she muttered laying her head against his shoulder again.
“You have—”
Her brittle laugh cut him off. “Don’t be so damned literal, Sinjen.” The silky material of his shirt muffled her order.
“Language.” He reminded her automatically now, enjoying the game his cautions had become.
“I’m getting sick and tired of people telling me to watch my language,” Sade groused. “I’ll cuss if I want to.”
Sinjen tilted his head and regarded her. “Why would you want to?” he finally asked, truly puzzled.
“Because I can.” Her lame assertion had no effect on him.
She tried to pull away, but he tightened the arm still around her waist. His thumb pad brushed across her lips again, followed almost immediately by his mouth. This was no skirmish of his lips teasing hers. His mouth claimed Sade, his tongue licking the seam of hers, asking at first for admission and then demanding it. She didn’t resist him, parting her lips and he swept his tongue inside, tasting her as he’d longed to do since first laying eyes on her.
Sade’s brain turned to mush as Sinjen kissed her. If his arm hadn’t tightened around her waist, she’d have hit the floor as her knees went weak. Holy crap, she thought, kissing him back. Her arms circled his neck and she leaned into him.
“Language,” Sinjen murmured.
Had she said that out loud? Hormones overloaded her brain, clouding her thinking as her girlie bits all lined up, insisting they be introduced to his manly bits. Pressing her whole body against the hard length of him, Sade growled, “Fuck you.”
****
Well? Do you want to read more? Did the song fit? Let’s talk, because guess what tomorrow is?!? Tomorrow, you can have the whole book! And today, I have a print copy of the book for one random commenter. And a really COOL bookmark! So…talk to me, people!
And as a personal aside, HAPPY BIRTHDAY to The Only! 😀
How was everyone’s weekend? My OSU Cowboys won. Crossing fingers they can keep it up but they’ve got a hard schedule coming up. It’ll be a fight. I started reading DEADTOWN by Nancy Holzner, based on B.E.’s recommendation. I’m not too far into it but enjoying it so far. I have a bunch of reading to catch up on if I’m going to match my updated Goodreads challenge. I’d originally put down 100 but I reached that back in…July? I upped it to 150 but my reading time took a big hit this fall. We’ll see if I make it.
