Excerpt - Diamond Moon:
He reached out with his Wolf senses. The feedback froze his fingers on the doorknob. Female. Damn, she smelled good. Human. Wolf. Wait…both? The copper tang of blood hit his nose. And injured.
He flung open the door. His abrupt move caught his visitor off guard, one small, white fist raised to knock. The woman startled and fell forward. Catching her, he pulled her inside, kicking the door shut with his foot.
She sagged against him, a shivering bundle of wet woman. Underneath the dampness, her scent drop-kicked his gut. Apples and cinnamon. Roses and honey. His body perked up, taking extreme notice. He fought the growl of possession threatening to tear out of his throat. Holy hell, had his potential mate just walked into his home in the middle of a storm?
The scent of her blood jump-started his brain into action. He lowered her gently to the floor. “Jesus. You okay?”
His instincts urged him to check her for wounds, but he was a stranger and didn’t want to spook her. But goddamn, he wanted to touch her. Peel off her wet clothes. See all of her. With a jacket covering her torso, tight jeans hiding her legs, and her ball cap pulled low on her face, all he’d seen so far was her quivering pale chin, full red lips, and those delicate, trembling hands.
“S-s-sorry, d-dripping all ov-v-ver your f-f-floor,” she said, teeth chattering. Her snow-white fingers curled on the hardwood, arms trembling with her effort to keep herself upright. Blood streaked the wood. A line of liquid crimson slid down her jaw and dripped from her chin onto her jacket.
To hell with propriety. “You’re injured. Let me help you.” He pulled off her cap and damn near swallowed his tongue.
Big green eyes blinked up at him from a face so pale it made him think of moonlight. Drenched, short black hair lay plastered to her head, the ends framing features reminiscent of the fairies his sister loved to draw for the hidden-object games she designed. Ethereal beauty. My beauty. […] “I’m Ross. You’re safe here. Promise.”
* * *
Excerpt - Under A Mating Moon:
A billion butterflies battered Lexi's stomach. She shifted her attention from Ross to the piano. Sure enough, the music had stopped, and Jake faced her from his seat on the bench. Man oh man, the heavy stare from those sky blue eyes sent shivers skittering down her spine. His gaze held the same intensity she remembered from him as a kid, as if he saw into the heart of people, exposing their deepest secrets. It had driven her crazy back then, and she'd spent much time teasing him, pulling his hair, trying to distract him from being so serious all of the damn time. They were teenagers—partying was supposed to be their sole focus.
With his ice-blue stare locked on her, Jake rose to his feet, all taut muscle and predatory power. His energy swept over her like a tsunami, forcing all of the moisture to abandon her mouth while parts much lower wept with want. Her inner Wolf howled, answering the call of this Alpha, the first Dominant male ever to make her sit up and take notice. Holy crap. Her muscles shook with the need to bound over to him, jump in his arms, wrap her legs around his torso and writhe against his hard, hot, tattooed body.
Jake said something to his uncle then stalked straight at her, cutting a path right through the middle of the tables and the many, too-curious patrons.
A whimper escaped her throat.
Surprise sparked in her brother’s brown eyes. "You're kidding me. Him?" He burst out laughing. "Wow, sis, that's some major, big-time irony right there."
Darci’s expression conveyed her bewilderment. "Now what are you two talking about?"
Her annoying brother grinned. "See that angry Alpha headed our way? My sister here rejected him when they were teens and he's apparently her—"
Lexi socked her brother in the ribs. "Shut it, Ross."
"Ouch." Ross rubbed his side and chuckled at her plight. The jerk. "Come on, Lexi, you have to admit the hilarity of the situation."
No, she did not. Nor did she have to admit that J-Bird was right all those years ago. He was her mate. O to the M to the G…. They were mates.
Even so, he didn't look happy to see her at all. In fact, he looked positively enraged. Shit, shit and triple shit. What a mess she'd made eight years ago. Well, she was woman enough to pull on her big-girl panties and fix it. She straightened her spine and lifted her chin in challenge, meeting Jake's stormy stare. He halted before her.
I can do this. "Hey J-Bird. Nice to see you." Lovely. Her voice sounded like she'd eaten the gravel from the lot in front of Gee's bar. Embarrassment heated her cheeks.
One breath, two breaths, three…. J-Bird glared. Tension coiled between them in the silence. Lexi bit the inside of her cheek to avoid babbling at him. She'd said hello. It was his turn. Damn it, J-Bird, say something. He wasn't making this easy.
"Alexina." His arctic tone dismissed her…
* * *
Excerpt - Jasmine Moon:
Evan tipped his head and eyed the ceiling. Prompt replies, punctual people. Striking deals and hitting deadlines. These items made his world tick. Not loitering around a miniscule airport pulling a Waiting for Godot moment on infinite repeat for a no-show, flakey designer from California.
God grant him patience and balls of steel when he showed up without the designer and the all-important wedding dress, because his future sister-in-law Darci would certainly be unhappy. […] He took a deep fortifying breath and froze. Airport smells assailed his senses—the sharp tang of bleach and lemon-scented cleaners, the floral perfume from Rental Car Girl who eyed him like a piece of candy. Black coffee, donuts, fried fast food, and under it all, the distinct musk of wolf.
Female wolf.
She smelled damn good. His wolf perked up, and his legs propelled him toward the empty baggage claim, where one bright-pink suitcase covered in Hello Kitty stickers sat, unclaimed, on the unmoving L-shaped conveyor belt. Her scent, stronger here, socked his gut, and his gaze shot to the corner.
The chaos around the woman stunned him silent. Large, paper coffee cup, half-eaten banana, and a quarter of a powdered doughnut perched on a brown paper bag next to her. Crumbs splattered the linoleum and the woman’s long-sleeved blue blouse in a thick layer of white, sugary dust. On her other side, two pink garment bags lay like corpses, along with a bubblegum-pink unzipped duffel as long as her outstretched, denim-clad legs. Some of the bag’s contents—pads of drawing paper and large swaths of fabric—protruded over the opening, the fabric splaying over her legs in a rainbow-colored blanket. Her feet peeked out of the mess, encased in sparkling pink UGGs. Good grief, sequins? She smacked her shiny boots together in a poor imitation of Dorothy and bobbed her head from side to side in time to some music only she seemed to hear. Her shoulder-length red hair, the color of ripe dark cherries—his favorite fruit—gleamed under the harsh airport lighting and curtained most her face from his view, save a pert nose and small chin, both speckled with a generous amount of freckles.
He’d always liked freckles.
Clearing his throat, he stepped closer, but she didn’t flinch in surprise or look up. Her attention remained on the tablet on her lap, the stylus between her pale, freckled fingers swiping without hesitation over her screen. […] Did she have those cute little spots on the rest of her? Speckled fur when in her wolf form? His wolf huffed his interest in finding out, but Jasmine the Oblivious Designer didn’t acknowledge his presence. […]
He positioned himself right in front of her wiggly, booted feet. “Excuse me, J—”
“Sh.” She raised her arm and flicked her hand in the universal get lost gesture.
He gaped at her. “Excuse me?”
Another wave of her hand while her stylus streaked across her tablet screen with the other. “Not interested.”
Nice voice. Low and husky. Her attitude, on the other hand…. “But—”
“Go away.” Her velvet voice carried a stubborn edge.
In other circumstances, he would’ve admired her strength. […] “Fine. Get your own damn ride to Los Lobos. Jasmine.”
* * *
STEAMY EXCERPTS
Excerpt - Diamond Moon:
…he peppered her skin with slow, gentle kisses. He needed to take this slow. Mustn’t scare his mate.
When she reached out and stroked his hair, she made him the happiest man in all of Los Lobos.
Her breath left her in a sexy rush. “It’s as silky as it looks.” She bit her lip, her brow furrowing as if she hadn’t meant to say those words out loud.
He smiled. “Play away, Moonbeam.”
A shudder rolled through her. Her nipples pearled to tight buds visible through her shirt. No bra. His control broke. To hell with this.
He burst to his feet. “Don’t move, Moonbeam.”
He strode around the table. She watched him come, hands clutched against her breasts, eyes wide, cheeks flushed a pretty pink.
He shifted her chair so she faced him then knelt before her. His gaze met hers at this level, an intimacy he fucking loved. He gripped her wrists and moved her unresisting hands to rest on his shoulders.
Her fingers curled, nails scraping his skin through his T-shirt, sending jolts of lust to his groin. “Why do you call me that?”
He gripped her knees and inched them apart, pleased when she didn’t object. She felt it, too, he was sure of it, the need for closeness created by the call of their Wolf-mate bond. “Call you what?”
She slid her hands to his biceps. “Moonbeam.”
He pressed in close, closer. “Your skin. Pale as moonlight.” He glided his hands along her outer thighs, over her hips, to circle her waist.
“Oh.” She let out a delightful shudder and stared at him, her parted lips tempting him closer.
A growl escaped his throat. He closed the distance and kissed her.
* * *
Excerpt - Under A Mating Moon
Wow, oh wow—J-Bird could kiss. Like melt her clothes clean off her body, kiss. Lexi moaned and parted her lips for Jake’s sexy, demanding mouth. He slipped his tongue inside, darting everywhere at once, exploring her so thoroughly her knees shook and she sagged in his iron embrace. God, his body was hard, nothing like the skinny kid from her memory. But his scent, that was the same. Musky man and smoky oak, like the white oak trees in the Hoosier National Forest where they used to hang when they were kids. Plus that sweet touch of maple. Delicious.
She let her tongue tangle with his, tasting the mint of his toothpaste mixed with the beer he’d obviously consumed before entering the house. Sparks of pleasure darted down her body all the way to her toes. Her boring ex, Dean, had never made her feel like this.
In fact, no one had ever kissed her like this, as if the zombie apocalypse had descended upon them and this was their last chance at happiness before doom struck them dead and ate their brains. Desperation, need, hunger, deep longing...it was all there in the way his hands clamped her tight to his torso, there in the way his mouth claimed hers, owning it.
She wound her arms around his neck, letting the pads of her fingers massage along the shaved hair at his nape…
* * *
Excerpt - Jasmine Moon
Of all the insufferable, stubborn, cocky...she crossed her arms. “This is war.”
“Bring it, Short Stuff.”
Mina could almost feel steam exploding from her ears. Oh, no he didn’t call her that.
She slammed a lid on some irksome childhood memories and opened her mouth to really lay into him then clamped it shut. Anger wasn’t working. Time to switch gears.
She gave him one slow blink and licked her lower lip.
His gaze shot to her mouth.
She planted her hands on the arms of his chair and leaned in close, exposing a generous heap of cleavage in her V-neck sweater. “Oh I will, Tough Guy. Watch me.”
His nostrils flared as he scented her. He leaned forward a smidge, almost closing the distance between them, but she straightened, spun, and headed for the door, swishing her hips for all she was worth.
Chew on that, Mr. Rejection. Her inner wolf harrumphed in agreement.
A wave of dominant power smacked her in the back. Evan’s large hands snagged her by the waist, and he turned her to face him, pinning her against the door. His mouth took hers in a fierce kiss, frying her brain and boiling her blood. She growled and kissed him back with equal aggression. He lifted her higher against the door, and she wrapped her legs around his waist, squeezing hard. Damn, the things the man did to her. No one had ever made her feel so out of control, needy, and angry all at the same time.
She grabbed his head, broke off the kiss, and glared at him. “I still don’t like you.”
“Right back at ya, Red.”
“Good.” You sexy jerk.
“Fine.” He claimed her mouth again, swallowing any further words.
Thanks for stopping by the tour for my Black Hills Wolves. :-)
Music is an essential part of my writing process. Here’s the soundtrack for Diamond Moon, my high-heat, paranormal romance starring Ross and Darci. Enjoy!
* “Is Your Love Strong Enough” - Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross (feat. How To Destroy Angels)
Diamond Moon is the twelfth book in the Black Hills Wolves line, a multi-author, shared world series from Decadent Publishing, full of sexy wolf shifters. Each book in the series is a unique, stand-alone read. This means you can dive in and read the stories in any order you want, such as right here! My three “Moon” stories (Diamond Moon, Under A Mating Moon, Jasmine Moon) star the Luparell siblings and their love-interests. Happy reading!
Under A Mating Moon: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLyK3wPMzleDVdwi_8z9q-H-rNWk4TYdEX
Jasmine Moon: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLyK3wPMzleDU21lhqsY_yIcyNk5ZG5RPE
I like the covers. They are very well done and they set the tone for the book.
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