Tangled

by Karen Erickson

  Again, she shook her head. Her body tingled at the thought. “Not at all.”

  Trevor smiled, dropped his finger from her lips. “Perfect.” He dipped his head, his mouth hovering above hers. “Now be a good girl and kiss me.”

  She did. She kissed him with all the longing, all the love that had built up in her heart, her soul, her everything. He kissed her back with the same intensity, his lips lingering, his velvety tongue hot as it slid against hers. She melted in his embrace, disbelief filling her that this was actually happening. That she was getting what she wanted. That she could actually be this happy.

  All thanks to Trevor.

  “Are you ready to take this wild ride with me?” he asked, his mouth moving against hers.

  “It’s already been a pretty wild ride,” she cracked, and he laughed.

  “It has. But it’s going to get even wilder in New York.”

  She sighed, slipped her arms around his neck. “I’m ready, Trevor.”

  About the Author

  After leaving the crazy working world to become a stay at home mom, Karen realized she needed to get crackin’ and pursue her lifelong dream of being a published writer. A busy mother of three, she fits her precious writing time in between chasing her children, hanging out with her wonderful husband and pretending she has a maid. She lives in California.

  To learn more about Karen Erickson, please visit www.karenwritesromance.com. Send an email to Karen at www.karenwritesromance.com/contact or join her Yahoo! group to join in the fun with other readers as well as Karen! http://groups.yahoo.com/group/karenericksons_newsletter/

  Look for these titles by Karen Erickson

  Now Available:

  Fortune

  Fortune’s Deception

  Fortune’s Chance

  Fortune’s Promise

  Midsummer Night’s Steam

  Spontaneous

  Playing With Fire

  Forbidden

  Jesse’s Girl

  He always wanted what he couldn’t have…

  Forbidden

  © 2009 Karen Erickson

  Playing With Fire, Book 1

  Forbidden desires, secret needs…that’s not what girls are made of. At least, that’s what Michaela’s past boyfriends told her when she revealed her darkest, dirtiest fantasies. She knows she’s better off without the exes, but she’s lonely—and horny. It doesn’t help that her roommate, Austin, is the most gorgeous man she’s ever laid eyes on. Too bad he’s bisexual…or so he says.

  There’s a reason Austin hasn’t been with a woman in a long time. The only one he wants is Michaela. He’s fought his attraction for months, waiting for a sign, desperate to show her she’s everything he wants in a lover. One illicit kiss leads to an explosive night of sex that leaves her wanting more—yet afraid. But Austin is a patient man, more than willing to tear down her boundaries piece by piece. Exposing her to pleasures she’s never known.

  Trust leads her to whisper her most deeply held fantasy. One that rouses a new emotion Austin didn’t expect: jealousy. Possessiveness. He’s the only man he wants in her life. And he’ll do whatever it takes to prove it…

  Enjoy the following excerpt for Forbidden:

  Shaking her head, she started up the stairs, her legs growing more tired with every step. The last two weeks had been exhausting, overwhelming. So many things to learn. So many things to do. A nice dinner would be a joy. Especially since she’d been living on fast food lately. She wondered where Austin was taking her.

  Opening the door, she sucked in a shocked breath, drinking in what was laid out before her.

  The house seemed staged for seduction. Warm golden light glowed from the dim lamps. The shades were drawn, helping cast shadows throughout, and lit candles flickered on the coffee table, along the kitchen counter, atop the small dining room table.

  Michaela shut the door behind her, leaning against it to take the scene in. Soft music played in the background, mellow and sensual. The apartment was actually clean—no thanks to her since she’d worked so much, the couch plumped and inviting, rich velvet pillows scattered across it.

  “You’re late.”

  She looked up, caught the broad shadowy figure standing in the kitchen doorway. Austin emerged from the shadows, breathtaking in a simple black button-up shirt, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and faded jeans. She couldn’t move, could barely think as he approached her, his lips tilted upward, eyes crinkling at the corners just before his mouth broke out into that full smile she loved so much.

  “I’m sorry,” she said as he stopped just before her. “Work has been hectic and I tried to get out of there on time, but Tania needed to go over something with me…”

  He silenced her with the press of his index finger over her lips. She quieted, her lips parting when he traced them, his touch sending shooting sparks of electricity spiraling throughout her body.

  “You need to relax. You work too much.” His velvety voice smoothed over her, made her limbs weak, her heart race. He was being kind, thoughtful and she’d been such a bitch.

  She didn’t deserve this. She didn’t deserve him.

  Clearing her throat, she forced the words out. “Did you make dinner?”

  He laughed, the sound rich and inviting, and her panties grew damp. All because of his laugh. Lord, she had it bad. “I burn water. I ordered in. Your favorite.”

  “Chan’s?” Their go-to for Chinese takeout. They both loved that place.

  Nodding, he took her hand and led her to the table. It was set with her only placemats and her favorite dishes, cloth napkins that matched the placemats folded atop the plates. A cluster of cream candles burned in the center of the table, their wicks sputtering and flickering, and she turned to look at him, the surprise she felt surely written all over face.

  “You did this all for me?” Her voice squeaked, and she felt her cheeks heat. Embarrassment flooded her that he would think of her like this and yet she had treated him shabbily.

  “Yes.” He pushed the hair away from her shoulder, his fingers lingering on her bare skin. “We haven’t spent much time together. I wanted to make tonight special.”

  “Thank you.” She went to him, stood on tiptoe and brushed a lingering kiss to his lips. “I’m starved.”

  His eyes sparkled with interest. “I’ll bring dinner out.”

  He waited on her, bringing out plate after plate of steaming food, all of their favorites and she figured he must’ve spent a fortune. The food was excellent, she spent the first ten minutes just consuming food, no time to talk. She couldn’t remember the last time they had ordered from Chan’s.

  Austin acted like the perfect gentleman, asking her about work, and she poured her heart out, giving him all the details of the last two weeks. She couldn’t believe she’d kept all of this from him, had avoided him for so long. She’d done it out of fear, afraid that things would be forever changed between them and though they were, they still had this easy comfortableness together.

  Yet she was aware of him as a man. A rather sexy man. The way his fingers wrapped around his glass, long and tapered, smoothing up and down. Reminding her of how they had touched her, glided over her skin, sunk deep inside her.

  So not smart to go there. She squirmed in her chair, her panties growing damper by the minute, and he caught her staring, his gaze snagging hers, a knowing look on his face.

  “I’ve missed you, Michaela.” His voice was soft, husky. “But it sounds like things are crazy at work.”

  “They are.” She paused and looked down, drawing her fork across her plate, playing with the leftover rice. “I’ve been avoiding you, though. It’s not all been work.”

  “I know.”

  Michaela watched him, the way he slouched in his chair, his forearms resting on the edge of the table. He looked delectable. He always did, no matter what. “You didn’t have to do all of this for me.”

  “I wanted to.” He sat up straighter, his expression going serious. “We need to talk.�
��

  Oh, God, here we go. She should tell him how she really felt. It would be easiest now, with the table as some sort of barrier between them. She could spit it out and be done with it.

  She only hoped he was receptive.

  What's a werewolf to do when she finds her soul mate…twice?

  Total Eclipse of the Heart

  © 2008 Crystal Jordan

  An In the Heat of the Night Story

  In a world where all magical creatures are out of the closet, Rachel and Jerrod’s bar, Eclipse, is still considered unconventional. Under the uneasy eye of their werewolf pack elders, Eclipse is the culmination of a dream—neutral territory for weres, vampires, and everything else that goes bump in the night.

  That’s not all that’s out of the ordinary. Though Rachel has been faithfully mated to Jerrod for five years, she suppresses a lingering longing for multiple partners—both male and female. And when Lena walks into the bar one night, Rachel’s carefully balanced world turns inside out.

  Lena senses Rachel is her mate, and nothing will stop her from claiming what’s hers. Not even the fact that no werewolf has ever had two mates at the same time. Rachel is terrified, not only of her love for Lena, but also of hurting and losing Jerrod.

  His possible reaction is not her only worry. The council could use her transgression to destroy their dream—by closing down Eclipse for good.

  Enjoy the following excerpt for Total Eclipse of the Heart:

  My hand shook as I slid a frosty glass and a bottle of Corona onto a small round table. Unease wound through me, and I didn’t know why. The feeling skittered up my back and made my skin crawl. I knew this feeling, but I couldn’t place it. Some instinct within me was kicking into high gear and I was drawing a big fat blank as to what I was supposed to be getting. It was damned annoying, and inconvenient. I woke this morning to a lead ball in my stomach, and it had only gotten worse all day. I’d done everything I could to ignore it, to hide it from Jerrod, but it hadn’t helped.

  “Thanks, Rachel.”

  “No problem.” I tucked my hair behind my ear and flicked another glance around the bar. The place was packed, but that was normal. Everything appeared…normal. So why couldn’t I shake this feeling? I rolled my shoulders to try and ease the tension.

  Fifteen more minutes and I’d be off for the night. I could drag Jerrod upstairs to our big apartment and let him screw my brains out. I’d wake tomorrow and everything would be fine. It had to be or I was going to go nuts. Rubbing my temple, I tried to massage away a headache that began to form.

  “It hurts because you’re fighting it.”

  The woman’s voice had a whiskey kick to it, soft and rough at the same time. I spun to face her, needing to see the person attached to that voice. Werewolf definitely, I could smell the wolf on her. She had the smoothest cocoa skin I’d ever seen. Her black hair fell in a riot of curls around her face and emphasized her ebony eyes. They were fathomless, beautiful. They drew me in, and I stepped toward her. Our gazes locked, heated and my heart lurched. All the instincts I’d been suppressing today jumped up to bite me in the ass. Something snapped inside my chest, some deep pull of recognition.

  Mate.

  “No,” I gasped the word, stumbling back and lifting my tray like it was a shield. Shock roared through me. My heart squeezed, and I couldn’t breathe. Oh God. Oh. God.

  “Yes.” Possession flashed hot in her gaze. “I’m Lena.” She stepped forward, reaching for me.

  And I wanted her to touch me, stroke me. Lust twisted inside me, fire licking my veins. No. I turned and fled for the stockroom. Jerrod would kill me. How could this happen? Was it even possible? I’d heard of werewolves having two mates in one lifetime before, but after the first mate died, not at the same time. No one would believe this was possible, especially not other werewolves. But, there was no denying what I felt. It was just like the first time I’d met Jerrod, the instantaneous kick to the heart and loin. Everything inside me wanted her. To know her, to love her, to possess her.

  “Oh God,” I breathed. My stomach pitched, and my palms grew slick. Clamping a hand over my mouth, I fought back the need to vomit. What was I going to do? I couldn’t lose Jerrod. Infidelity was unheard of among my kind. Matings were for life, forever. Jerrod was my mate, my everything. A soul mate fashioned just for me.

  So was Lena.

  Stomping down on the inner voice, I leaned against the wall and bent to stick my head between my knees. My heart hammered against my ribs as all the blood rushed to my head. I just needed to breathe, to think clearly.

  Being bisexual, I never thought I’d have just one person forever, but life was full of surprises. And Jerrod was the best thing that had ever happened to me. I couldn’t fuck this up. Fisting my fingers in my hair, I pressed on my skull in an attempt to ease the shrieking pain. The need to mate was there, ripping into me with the fierce jaws of the wolf within.

  I sucked in a deep breath and pulled Lena’s scent to me. Somehow, I already knew it. It was imbedded in my psyche already, just like Jerrod’s. Just her smell was enough to make me want, make me wet. The muscles in my thighs locked, shaking with the need to go to her. Tears pressed against my lids. Jerrod. Where was he? I needed his steady strength. But Lena was out there, between me and my mate.

  The door to the stockroom swung open and then closed with a solid thunk.

  It was her. Lena. I didn’t need to look up to know. My instincts cried out in recognition, rioting within me. My nipples tightened, my pussy dampening with the hot need to claim and be claimed. No. Please, no. I dug my nails into my scalp, welcoming the pain. Anything to distract me from the pulsing want clawing at my flesh.

  “Why do you run?”

  My mind scrabbled for any excuse to make her leave. “You can’t be in here. Staff only.”

  The heat from her body enveloped me as she stepped closer. I snapped upright, pressing my back against the wall. There was no escape. I couldn’t get away. I didn’t want to. My breath panted out, logic and instinct warring inside me. I closed my eyes, trying to shut out the inevitable.

  “Rachel.” Her breath fanned against my ear.

  I moaned. The sound of my name in that husky voice made my body ache with lust. “How do you know my name?”

  “That’s what the men you served called you, isn’t it?”

  “Yes.”

  “Yesssss.” She flicked her tongue against my neck.

  I shuddered, molten heat rolling through me. I was so wet I couldn’t stand it. My legs felt too weak to hold me up. I tilted my head back, swallowing hard. My breath bellowed out.

  Her hand lifted to cover my breast, tweaking the tight nipple. A soft cry ripped from my throat. I arched into her caress, lust clouding my mind. Nothing mattered right now but the mating ritual, taking what was mine. I needed it—her. Now.

  Jerrod’s face flashed through my mind. I couldn’t do this. I couldn’t hurt him that way. I couldn’t.

  Her love for two men could save their future. Her secrets could destroy them all.

  The Chancellor’s Bride

  © 2009 Kirsten Saell

  Recently re-elected Chancellor Collin sur-Gaerig is a rising star on the political scene, and everyone expects he’ll soon be rewarded with an estate and title. He also has a dirty little secret: he’s in love with his manservant, Harral. If anyone—especially the wife he’s expected to take—discovers their affair, all his aspirations will go up in smoke.

  The mysterious woman he finds lying half-dead in the street is strong, beautiful, independent…and aroused when she catches him and Harral in a compromising position. As Aelis worms her way past their closely guarded defenses and into their bed, they realize she’s the perfect match for both of them.

  But Aelis has a secret of her own, an ex-lover’s blackmail scheme that could get them all killed. To save the men she’s come to love, she’s willing to sacrifice her own happiness, maybe even her life.

  Collin’s not about to let that h
appen. For the first time in his life, he’s willing to risk it all in order to have it all. Even if it means he could lose the man he’s loved for years—and the woman they both want to love forever.

  Enjoy the following excerpt for The Chancellor’s Bride:

  “Come for another eyeful?”

  She didn’t scream—no sound could have squeezed past her heart where it lodged, pulsing, in her throat. She did jump half a foot in the air, spinning on her heel and shrinking against the wall.

  Harral—gods, where had he come from?—stood there in an untucked shirt and trousers, near enough that she could feel his heat on her all-too-bare skin. As she tried pointlessly to think of some excuse for her being outside Collin’s bedroom door, he crowded even closer, his eyes burning, mouth curved in a smug little smile. His menacing posture was a blatant reminder of the incident last night, but she didn’t turn her face away this time. She couldn’t. His gaze held her rapt, helpless, a thrall.

  Time seemed to creep along as he placed one hand on the wall beside her head, and the other gently on her neck. The pressure of his fingers was terrifying and thrilling at the same time. Her pulse-point fluttered against the pad of his thumb, and he stroked across it once, twice.

  “That’s what you’ve come for, isn’t it?” he said, his voice soft and smooth as silk. “It excited you to see me fucking him last night. It made you wet between your legs.”

  She thought about denying it, but what would be the point? Her knees had turned to water. Despite her rapid breaths, she couldn’t seem to get enough air. If not for his hand at her throat and the wall at her back, she’d have collapsed in a heap. His breath fanned her face like the wind from a furnace. Her cunt filled with pressure, so hot and wet she thought she’d come at the merest touch.