With Caution

by J. L. Langley

  After a momentous dance at a season ball, Aiden and Nate find themselves exchanging important information and working closely together. They have to fight their growing attraction long enough to find out who stole the weapons and keep themselves from a compromising situation and certain scandal.

  Warning, this title contains the following: explicit sex, graphic language, violence, hot nekkid man-love.

  Enjoy the following excerpt for My Fair Captain:

  The window to Nate’s left shattered.

  Shit. Nate hit the ground, landing flat on his stomach. A white polo ball rolled across the wood floor and onto the rug, coming to a stop inches in front of Nate’s face. What the… He picked up the ball, got to his feet and crossed to the broken window.

  “Hello there.” A young man with wide shoulders and a friendly smile waved from atop a sorrel horse. “Sorry about that. I didn’t hit you, did I?”

  Nate shook his head. “No, you didn’t hit me.” He held up the ball. “Would you like this back?”

  “Yes, please. Are you the earl?” the horseman asked.

  “Yes, and who might you be?” Nate tossed the ball out.

  “I’m Prince Colton. Pleasure to meet you, milord.” He tipped his head and heeled his mount off toward the ball.

  Colton? The second to youngest prince. Judging from the looks of him and the similarity to the other two gentlemen Nate had seen since his arrival, he realized they were probably siblings. Good Galaxy, the royal family was a handful. He was starting to get a suspicion as to why Jeffers was shut down.

  Stepping away from the window, a rustling sound made Nate stop mid-stride. Leaves rained down and a grunt came from above. “Bloody black hole and imploding stars,” a soft masculine voice hissed.

  Way up in the tree closest to the window, a boy balanced precariously on a thin tree limb. He reached toward a flat computer screen of some sort that had snagged on an adjacent branch. At his unbalanced angle a fall seemed imminent. Likely a shout to be careful would bring the teen plummeting to the ground, so Nate raced to a set of French doors on his left. Hurrying outside, he got to the base of the tree just as the branch the kid balanced on snapped.

  “Whoa.” The boy wobbled and fell against the limb holding the computer, knocking the device loose. “Dust!”

  The flat screen clipped only one bough before falling free. Nate caught it before it hit the ground.

  The young man gasped, his gaze meeting Nate’s.

  Nate started. The boy—no, that wasn’t right, he was young, yes, but not a lad—was absolutely gorgeous. Nate stared into the big gray eyes, mesmerized. The man was simply beautiful. He had a small frame that had, at first, deluded Nate into thinking him a child. A mass of ebony curls surrounded a handsome face, and a full bottom lip was caught between even white teeth.

  “Uh, thanks. I, uh— Whoa.” The man’s booted feet slid off the tree, leaving him dangling from his hands ten feet in the air.

  Nate set the computer screen down and held his arms out. “I’ve got you. Drop.”

  “Uh…”

  “Drop.”

  “Okay. Please don’t miss.” The man let go with a reluctant whimper.

  The negligible weight landed in Nate’s outstretched arms. He bent his knee slightly to keep from jarring the young man. Nate glanced at the handsome face and his gut clenched. Up close the man’s eyes were the color of molten steel. He had flawless ivory skin and full lips. The heat of his body pressed against Nate’s chest made his cock stir. The man was slim and not very tall, but he had broad shoulders that spoke of nice muscles under the well-tailored clothes. What he wouldn’t give to see this slim body completely bare of clothing and those pretty lips wrapped around his hard cock. Closing his eyes, Nate concentrated on getting his pulse back to normal. He was here on a mission, not to get involved. Besides, this was most likely his hosts’ offspring.

  He opened his eyes in time to see a pink tongue dart out and wet the beguiling lips. Nate’s cock—fully erect now—strained against the placket of his pantaloons.

  The man’s gaze roamed over Nate’s face as long, elegant fingers came up to trace his beard. “Who are you?” he asked in a seductive whisper.

  Nate hadn’t even realized he’d leaned forward until the smaller man jerked, nearly spilling himself out of Nate’s arms. Setting the man on his feet, Nate watched him straighten his waistcoat. When he brushed off his trousers, he seemed to realize he had a problem.

  Good, the young lord wasn’t unaffected, just surprised. Not, of course, that it mattered. Nate wasn’t interested. Yeah, right. He bowed. “Nathaniel Hawkins, Earl of Deverell.”

  The younger man’s gray eyes shot wide and he hastily tried to hide his obvious erection. He squirmed before spotting his computer. Picking up the screen, he held it in front of his groin and met Nate’s gaze. His enticing mouth formed an “O”, followed by an inhalation of air, then the man blinked and shook his head as if to clear it. “Thank you for rescuing me, milord. I, uh, got my screen caught on the way up.”

  Nate was about to ask the man’s name and why he was in the tree in the first place when an older version of the young man appeared in the window. “What in stars happened to the window? Aiden?”

  The younger man, Aiden, frowned. He darted his gaze to Nate and gave a barely perceptible shake of his head. “I didn’t do it, Cony. I was trying to get a different perspective on the garden.” Aiden glanced back at Nate, his eyes pleading, and bowed. “Thank you again, milord.”

  Before Nate could respond the vision bounded off toward the back of the castle. How odd. Apparently the imp didn’t want Nate to mention his fall from the tree. Or did he not want Nate to mention who broke the window?

  “Lord Deverell?”

  Nate dragged his attention from Aiden’s retreating backside and turned toward the window. “Lord Raleigh?”

  Raleigh smiled. “Yes, please come inside. You wouldn’t happen to know what became of the window, would you?”

  In the twilight shadows, nothing is what it seems, and not all the monsters have claws.

  Twilight

  © 2007 Ally Blue

  Available now at Samhain Publishing

  Book Three in the Bay City Paranormal Investigations series.

  While leading an amateur ghost-hunting expedition in Asheville, NC, Bay City Paranormal is called to investigate Sunset Lodge, a rustic inn situated on a remote Smoky Mountain peak. In recent weeks, employees and guests alike have seen a weird, frightening creature in the forest near the lodge. A creature which sounds all too familiar to the BCPI team.

  Sam Raintree doesn’t want to deal with another interdimensional gateway. The last one they faced nearly took the life of Sam’s employer and lover, Dr. Bo Broussard, and Sam can’t stand the thought of it happening again. Especially now that he and Bo are finally together and working through their problems. But Sam’s psychokinetic abilities give him the power to permanently close the gateways, and he can’t bring himself to ignore that. With the safety of the Sunset Lodge staff and guests at stake, Sam, Bo and their colleague, Dean Delapore, make the trip to the Lodge to determine if it indeed hosts a portal to another dimension.

  Once at Sunset Lodge, a missing man, a grisly discovery and a moment of carelessness converge to reveal secrets much different—and far uglier—than any the BCPI team expected. Secrets which not only put their lives in danger, but which might provide Sam with an escape from the portals. If he’s willing to take it.

  Warning, this title contains the following: explicit m/m sex, graphic language, violence.

  Enjoy the following excerpt for Twilight:

  Chuckling, Bo leaned forward, lifted Sam’s shirt and kissed his belly. “I’m hard as a rock, Sam. You want my cock in your mouth or your ass?”

  Sam considered. Sucking Bo off was tempting. But the thought of Bo fucking him made his knees weak. It always did.

  Winding the long braid around his hand, Sam pulled Bo’s head back, bent and kissed him hard.
“Want you to fuck me,” he whispered, and bit Bo’s lip. “Right here in the chair.”

  A soft groan escaped Bo’s lips. “The lube’s in my backpack. Outside pocket.”

  Sam kissed Bo once more, then yanked his jeans and underwear up and turned to fetch the lube from Bo’s pack. They’d stopped using condoms as soon as all the tests came back negative. To Sam’s surprise, Dean had gotten tested as well, and shared his negative results with them both. Just to be on the safe side, he’d said, even though he and Sam had used a condom the one time they’d been together.

  With the bottle of liquid lube clutched in one hand, Sam crossed back to Bo and knelt on the floor in front of him. He laid his palms on Bo’s sides, thumbs hooking beneath the elastic of Bo’s underwear. “Lift up. Let me take these off you.”

  Bo obediently lifted his hips, allowing Sam to slide the boxer briefs over his buttocks and down his thighs. His cock sprang free, flushed and rigid, hitting his belly with a damp smack. Sam stared at Bo as he pulled the garment down and off. Bo’s braid had begun to come loose, errant strands of silky black clinging to his face and neck. His breath came sharp and quick between parted lips, and his eyes burned.

  Sam wanted to kneel at his feet forever and bask in the sight of him, decadent and beautiful in the grip of his need.

  A dazed smile spread across Bo’s face. He reached out to touch Sam’s cheek. “Come up here, Sam. Come ride me.”

  Rising to his feet, Sam tuggedoff his hiking shoes and skinned out of his jeans and underwear. He stood astride Bo’s lap and handed Bo the lube. “Get me ready,” he ordered, tugging the rubber band off the end of Bo’s braid. He started unwinding the long, heavy strands, delighting in the satin softness between his fingers.

  Bo held Sam’s gaze as he flipped open the lube, coated his fingers and tossed the bottle on the bed. “Take your shirt off too,” he murmured, slipping a single slick digit into Sam’s hole. “I want you naked.”

  Sam’s cock twitched and started to fill, making it hard to think, hard to do anything. Thanking his lucky stars he’d worn a sweatshirt instead of something with buttons, Sam tore the shirt over his head and let it fall in an inside-out heap on the floor.

  “Mmmm,” Bo purred, inserting a second finger into Sam. “Mine.” He wound his free arm around Sam’s waist and pressed open-mouthed kisses to his bare skin.

  “Yours,” Sam gasped, working loose the last twist in Bo’s hair and burying both hands in its dark length. “God. I want your cock in me now.”

  “Here it is.” Removing his arm from Sam’s waist, Bo grabbed his own prick and held it upright. “Sit.”

  Sam didn’t need any more invitation than that. With Bo’s free hand steadying him, he held his cheeks apart and lowered himself onto Bo’s cock. They both groaned as the wide, smooth head penetrated Sam’s hole. Sam moved as slowly as he could manage, wanting to savor the feel of Bo’s shaft pushing relentlessly into him, filling him up and setting his world on fire.

  Finally, Sam’s ass rested in Bo’s lap, with Bo’s prick fully buried inside him. Staring into Bo’s eyes, Sam gave an experimental rock of his hips. Bo’s eyelids fluttered, his breath hitching. “Fuck, Sam. God, tight.”

  Sam moved again, trying to keep his full weight off Bo’s injured leg. His thighs burned already with the strain of holding himself in this position, but he would’ve rather died than stop. Having Bo inside him like this felt too good. Besides, it was clear from the fine tremors shaking Bo’s body that he wouldn’t last long.

  Panting, Sam rested his forehead against Bo’s and clutched his shoulders. “Okay?”

  Bo nodded, one hand curling around Sam’s renewed erection. “Okay.”

  Tilting his head, Sam captured Bo’s mouth in a slow, wet kiss. Bo growled. He gave a short, sharp thrust that zinged over Sam’s gland and pulled a kiss-muffled cry from him. Fingers digging into Bo’s skin, Sam began to move in a seesawing figure eight which he knew from experience brought a swift, explosive orgasm every time.

  “Oh Christ,” Bo breathed. His thighs spread, hips pulsing up and down to match Sam’s rhythm. “Not gonna last, Sam.”

  “Don’t try.” Taking Bo’s lower lip between his teeth, Sam sucked on it for a second, then let it go. “Fuck me. Come inside me.”

  “Uh. Yes. Love fucking you.”

  Hands clamped hard onto Sam’s hipbones. Bo thrust up into him, the angle sharp and deep enough to hurt. Sam keened, pressed his palms to the wall behind Bo’s head and forced himself down onto Bo’s cock, again and again and again, until his legs shook and sweat dripped from his face and ran in rivulets down his back. Beneath him, Bo’s hips snapped up and down in a brutal rhythm. Bo buried his face in Sam’s neck, biting and sucking, his breath coming in harsh grunts Sam could feel against his bruising skin.

  It was rough, unrefined and bordering on violent, and Sam wished it would never end. If he could halt the flow of time right here, with Bo’s cock in him, Bo’s lips hot on his neck and his prick rubbing against Bo’s ridged belly, he could die a happy man.

  Their love knew no shape, no limit, no boundary. Until someone destroyed their trust.

  Trinity Broken

  © 2007 Jamie Craig

  Coming December 25, 2007 to Samhain Publishing

  Scientist Joshua Ames committed the unforgivable sin. He fell in love with his research subjects, shapeshifters Cameron and Sara. Despite the taboo against humans mingling with shifters, Josh left his life behind and moved into theirs without regret.

  Then Sara disappeared.

  When Josh and Cam finally find her, she is unconscious, emaciated and shackled. They thought the hard part was living without her. But as soon as Sara wakes, they realize the hard part will be putting their lives back together.

  Sara barely remembers life with Cam and Josh. All she remembers is a monster, a shifter who wore Cam’s face, who tortured and tested her for two long years. Without a home, conditioned to fear her own abilities, Sara struggles to start over.

  Solving the mystery behind Sara’s kidnapping is the key to her recovery, because whoever destroyed their relationship is hunting her, intent on getting her back.

  The truth could bring the three lovers peace—or send them spiraling apart.

  Warning, this title contains the following: explicit sex including m/m and m/m/f, graphic language, violence.

  Enjoy the following excerpt for Trinity Broken:

  Sara sat up against the headboard. Without looking away from Cam, she slowly shut her eyes and inhaled.

  “That’s good,” Josh said.

  “Now, we want to clear your mind. When you exhale, focus on how you feel when you breathe, what your lungs are doing. With your next breath, just focus on how it feels to inhale.”

  Cam’s voice sounded softer with her eyes closed, like the caress of a warm summer wind. Following his instruction was frighteningly simple, and when she took in a second breath, she loosened the fingers she’d had crushed around Josh’s, the sensation of her chest rising and falling hypnotic.

  He coaxed her through the breathing exercise for what could have been several minutes. His voice was lulling, even soothing, and soon, she could feel Josh’s breath begin to echo hers, like he was following the same directions.

  “Now I want you to think about the first form you ever shifted into. I want you to think about every single detail. What did it feel like to shift? What did you look like? Recreate it.”

  It was a memory she had relived more than once. Josh had been fascinated by the stories of her childhood, and even Cam had been amused and more than a little impressed when he heard how early she’d done her first shift.

  She was two, and the world was a loud place, with laughter and the television blaring in the background and her father playing Santana’s ‘Abraxas’ over and over and over again. And there was Tofu curled up under the coffee table, her long black tail swishing around the wooden legs.

  It was easy to crawl over, easy not to get stopped, not so eas
y to actually catch the cat’s tail before Tofu woke up and leapt out of the way, jumping to the window ledge and glaring down at Sara with narrowed eyes. Her mother went out into the kitchen, and her father trailed afterward, and all Sara could see was the cat’s black tail, sweeping along the wall beneath the ledge.

  The weight of Josh’s arm disappeared, and the mattress moved beneath her bottom. It took Sara a moment to realize that the bed hadn’t shifted.

  She had.

  Sara immediately backed into Josh’s body, trying to wedge herself in the space between his back and the bed.

  “Sara.” Cam’s voice startled her, and she ducked against the pillows.

  “Hey,” Josh murmured, lifting her and repositioning her on the bed. “Be careful there.”

  “Sara, don’t tense up and be frightened. You’ll lose your concentration. Look.”

  Her nose quivered as Cam’s distinct smell faded, replaced by the scent of another cat.

  Opening her eyes felt odd this time, especially with her perspective unexpectedly altered. Josh’s legs were mountains in front of her, while on the chair sat a large ginger tom. With blue eyes.

  Her tail flicked.

  Cam only blinked.

  She should have been terrified. Just because she couldn’t see his face didn’t mean she didn’t know it was Cam sitting there. And her captors had made him—the other him—shift in front of her all the time. That was his whole purpose for being there, she’d reasoned.

  However, they’d never had him shift into an everyday, normal housecat. This wasn’t scary. She’d seen him, fought him, even flown with him, in guises more dangerous than this one.

  Her tail flicked again.

  Cam dropped to his haunches, wiggled his back legs, and then sprang across to the foot of the bed. He walked up Josh’s legs, coming to a rest on Josh’s stomach.

  “Thanks, Cam. You weigh a ton,” Josh said, but didn’t push him away.