BOUND TO THE
ADMIRAL, book 1
Excerpt:
On the
writing desk in Kai’s chamber lay a gift package. Wrapped in pale blue silk and
tied with a midnight blue ribbon, it was clearly paddle-shaped. Paddles were a
common joining gift in Senne. They were sold in shops along with binding
ribbons and other ceremonial keepsakes. Gael knew that some couples treated
them as a joke, leaving them in a drawer with pretty garters and other souvenirs.
She’d seen some proudly displayed on mantelpieces beside family photos. But she
never thought anyone would have the audacity to give her one. She didn’t often
use her title and position to avoid unpleasantness, but she would have now if
she could.
Kai
handed it to her and the weight of it made her catch her breath. It was exactly
what she feared. She read the small tag that hung from the midnight blue
ribbon. To Princess Gael and Admiral Kai
with every good wish for a happy union.
“You may
open it,” he said, watching her intensely.
With an
enormous effort she forced her demeanor to remain neutral, not wanting the
dread surging through her to register on her face. “Who is it from?” she asked,
grateful that her hands weren’t shaking as she undid the bow.
“You’ve
seen the tag. You know as much as I do. My guess is that it must be from
someone close to you, someone who knows how difficult it’s going to be for you
to settle into a joined life for four years.” The corners of his mouth lifted
in a knowing smile.
Gael
stared at his resolute, unreadable face, wondering how she would manage for the
duration of their mateship. Four years. That’s how long the vows would bind
them. It might as well be forever.
When the
silk fell away, she held a long-handled ochre-colored paddle. One side of the
round head was decorated with Celtic knots. The other side had the words naughty girl carved into it backwards.
She puzzled over it, tracing the letters with her index finger.
“It’s
written in reverse so that when it’s properly used, at length and on the same
spot, those words will be paddled into your backside.” Kai said coolly.
Gael
shoved the package at him, trying to step away.
He
caught her by the wrist and his huge hand engulfed hers. Once again, his
muscular fingers imprisoned her wrist as effectively as an iron manacle. She
was helpless against his superior strength. Worse still, the memory of how
those powerful hands had lit her backside on fire and drenched her pussy
weakened her at the knees.
“Don’t
make your fate any worse that it is already,” he said, his voice soft.
Gael
looked around the room, wide-eyed, as if an escape portal might magically
appear.
Kai
nodded at the paddle. “This is a fine gift. We must use it immediately for good
luck.” He sat on the end of the bed, drawing her close to him.
BOUND TO THE COMMANDER, book 2
Excerpt:
[Quinn said] “We will go for a
walk before lunch.”
“I’m not really hungry,”
[Pepper] said. Her tone was sad, not defiant.
“I didn’t ask if you were. We
all travel on our stomachs. At times of great stress, the first inclination may
be to stop eating. You will not give into this self-indulgence. I’m here to
make sure of that. You will stay strong and healthy so you can help others with
your gift.”
Her mouth tightened into a sour
frown.
Pepper
swallowed audibly. “You have no right.” she said bitterly.
“I
have every right. Have you forgotten who I am already? You will be punished if
I decide you have earned it. No one questions my authority and if I tell
someone you’ve had the switch, I guarantee you that the difficulty you will
have sitting down will prove my words.”
Silence landed between them for
a few minutes. She blushed not just at the certainty that he could and would
use the switch, but also at the statement he might tell someone she’d had it.
When she didn’t reply, he
continued. “While you’re in Rosewyld, you are my ward, even if you are of adult
age and status in your town. You’re not in Rosemoor any longer, young lady. I’m
responsible for you now and everything you do will reflect on me. Therefore, I
will expect you to be on your best behavior.”
“Is this all because I worked on
Minister Mazrant?” she asked, staring into her lap.
For a moment, Quinn thought of
telling her of the arrest warrant that sat unsigned on the Lord Treasurer’s
desk. Instead he smiled as warmly as he could manage. “Apparently your
treatment of her was unprecedented. She has tried healers from Rosewyld to
Littington to Berlis. You’re the only one who has given her relief.” He didn’t
say that Daedra had whispered all that to her lover one night, unaware of the
listening devices planted in her bedroom.
“I’m pleased to serve my
country,” Pepper said. “But I would be most grateful, Commander, if you could
tell me how long I will be expected to remain in the capital.” Her words were
guarded and voice soft. When she was like that, docile and sweet, hiding her
wildness and fast tongue, he wanted to cover her mouth with his, to touch and
tease her until her true fiery, inquisitive nature burned just for him.
He almost didn’t have the heart
to say again, “For as long as it takes.”
“As long as what takes, sir?” There was a note of defiance in her voice that
made him suppress a smile. She really couldn’t hide it long.
“As long as it takes to
stabilize the symptoms of the Tribunal,” he said.
“All forty-one members of the
Tribunal?” Disbelief and clear indignation sharpened her tone.
“Those that have the illness.
And their senior staff.”
“Don’t I have any say in this?”
Her voice rose with unchecked fury.
“What does the Handbook tell us
about our duty?”
“From each according to their
ability to each according to their needs,” she muttered bitterly.
“Your tone of voice does not
reflect the attitude of a good woman as defined by the Handbook, does it?”
“How many good women are
kidnapped from their homes? There’s nothing in the fucking Handbook about that,
is there?”
Her hand was on the door handle,
preparing to bolt. He clicked on the safety lock.
“You’re not going anywhere,” he
said, “until I detect a serious change in attitude.”
Quinn glanced at the screens.
His bodyguards had parked a respectful distance away. As soon as Pepper had
used the facilities, he would march her into the forest while the guards
stopped anyone else from following.
Then he would cool some of
Pepper’s heat.
BOUND TO THE SHERIFF, book 3
Excerpts:
Falk walked over to where she
stood, holding the clothes up for him to see. As he approached, her nipples
tightened under the thin cotton of the borrowed shirt. When she pushed her
chest out, the sides of her cardigan fell away.
They stood for a moment, staring
at each other. His intense amethyst eyes wandered up and down her body, before
stopping to lock with hers. The heat of his stare turned her legs to jelly. Her
head swam as though she was drugged.
Without warning, he wrapped his
arms around her and covered her lips with his. She dropped her clean clothes
and molded her body to his, enjoying the sensation of his tongue darting into
her mouth and rimming her teeth.
“This is wrong,” he said,
speaking with coffee-chocolate breath. His hands ran up and down her back,
stopping to gently knead her buttocks as he kissed her deeper. He held her so
tightly there was no way she could get away.
The longer he held her, the less
she wanted to escape.
They leaned into each other,
swaying, joined by the rhythm of their desire.
“If this is wrong, arrest me.”
Takyu pressed herself against him harder, rubbing her breasts against his
chest. She laced her fingers behind his neck and drew his face closer. He
smelled like the lime soap in the shower she’d used. Their scents became one.
His tongue darted into her mouth
and she caught it between her teeth and sucked it. Their humid, sweet breaths
intermingled, clouding Takyu’s head with the image of a sultry rainforest where
everything was damp and fertile.
His hands roamed up and down her
body, stopping to squeeze her buttocks. He locked them on her lower back,
drawing her into a tighter embrace. Then he caressed her shoulders and fisted
her hair. He pressed her face to his and delivered bruising kisses to her
mouth, cheeks, and neck. She wished the kisses would never stop.
Her breasts swelled with arousal
under his hands. Her throbbing nipples furled and reached shamelessly toward
him.
Surging desire sent her head
reeling. She’d never wanted a man this much before. In fact, she’d rarely
wanted a man before at all, other than in her half sleeping fantasies.
His cock was pushing hard
against the confinement of his jeans and she ground her hips against it.
Everything about the man was hard. His buffed chest, his muscular thighs. His
strong hands returned to kneading her bottom, lifting her, forcing her to stand
on her toes so he could kiss her more deeply.
As his body warmed, a slight
scent of bergamot mixed with the lime. As hungry as she had been for food just
minutes before, Takyu was now that ravenous for Falk. She nibbled his earlobe.
Licked his throat.
Her nipples ached for his touch
again. She wanted his mouth on them, sucking and biting.
He took her head between his
hands and kissed her all over: her forehead, her eyelids. He teased her lower
lip by flicking his tongue along it before his mouth moved to her ear.
“I want to fuck you until you
scream,” he breathed.
Her skin came alive in fast
stages. Itch. Crawl. Flame!
She
trembled, her need for him now desperate. This might be the only time she’d
ever have to realize her fantasies about him. Wet and ready, her pussy clenched
and unclenched in anticipation.
What inspired you to write the Lighthouses of Devmaer
series?
The ideas started to flow in the spring of 2018 while on a
trip along the Washington-Oregon
coast. That stunning route has many gorgeous, haunting lighthouses. Seeing so
many of them, so close together quickly sparked several story ideas.
I saw a lighthouse as a possible prison. I imagined a
beautiful lighthouse island that might double as a holiday retreat. Being
something of an introvert, I also saw a lighthouse as an ideal retreat for
someone who likes a lot of solitude.
At the same time, I’ve always harbored a hope for
international peace and cooperation and I tried to imagine what might bring a
planet of differing, sometimes warring, nations together. A pandemic would do
that, I thought. Okay this was pre COVID which I think proves a pandemic isn’t
enough to unite nations against a common foe, but no harm in dreaming.
With those ideas in mind, I drafted rough maps of the faraway planet Devmaer. I
named the continents, sketched a few details of the socio-political systems in
each land, and sat down to write.
One of the biggest delights and biggest challenges was the
world building. Creating magical / metaphysical properties meant I had to
remember critical details from book to book so organizing became a pivotal part
of the process.
I commandeered a big pinboard and covered it with maps and
other inspirational images. I also set up a new Pinterest board for each
book so I could collect more images, this time in a way that could be shared
with readers.
Thank you for hosting me and my wild series today.
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