NEW RELEASE - EVERYTHING BARED by Kristine Cayne and GIVEAWAY

Introducing the newest Six Alarm masterpiece from Kristine Cayne just released today. 

Wanna get sexy?

After you read all about the book and the other six-alarm books, scroll down so you can enter the giveaway. Kristine is giving away An Exclusive Six-Alarm Sexy T-shirt and one Under His Command Custom Bookmark.

Tile: EVERYTHING BARED

Author: Kristine Cayne

Genre: Erotic

Publisher: Kristine Cayne

Release Date: July 30, 2013

Two polar opposites—she’s kinky, he’s uptight—discover they share a taboo desire that may destroy both their futures.

Firefighter Dani Harris has always wanted a family, but doesn’t think it’s possible because of her demanding, high-stakes career. Her sex life is as high-adrenaline as her job, and that’s just one more thing that makes her unsuitable to be a wife and mother. Her secret kink—exhibitionism—has gotten in the way of more than one relationship. Will she ever find a man who not only shares her wild fantasies, but loves her for them?

Burdened with ensuring the success of the struggling family business, William Caldwell IV needs a wife suited for a CEO—one with money and connections, who can manage his busy social life and raise their 2.5 children. He’s got everything all mapped out, but when he meets Dani, a woman who’s  every kind of wrong, she taps into desires he’s only half-recognized and long-suppressed. Suddenly his carefully crafted five-year plan feels as confining as a straightjacket.

As Dani and Will’s sexual experimentation escalates, they test the limits of polite society by baring all and risking exposure—an exposure that could cost them their reputations and careers.

Short blurb

When firefighter Dani Harris meets William Caldwell IV, sparks fly even though they’re polar opposites. She’s fiery, sexually adventurous, and takes no prisoners; he’s a tiger in the boardroom, but his tie is just a little too tight outside of it. Dani’s wild ways and exhibitionist side shake up William’s buttoned-up world and ignite his secret fantasies—but threaten to derail his five-year plan for becoming CEO. Can she loosen him up so they can find a middle ground? Or will his ideas about who he needs to be torpedo their sizzling attraction?

Breakfast Excerpt (PG13)

When he rounded the corner into the kitchen, she almost choked on her coffee. Shit. The man was a walking, talking advertisement for Brooks Brothers. She’d teased him about wearing a tie to a barbeque once, but the truth of the matter was that Will wore a suit like he was born to it. The light gray fabric of his jacket molded his wide shoulders and chest to perfection, reminding her of the man in her dream. His trousers hugged thigh muscles that rippled with each step he took toward her.

Pure suit porn.

A few feet away from her, he stopped and surveyed the kitchen, his brows furrowing into a deep V. “What’s all this?”

She flipped her ponytail over her shoulder. “Breakfast. A meal generally eaten in the morning.”

“Ha. It looks like you’re expecting your whole platoon.”

Ignoring his sarcasm, she slathered butter on her toast, then indicated the chair across from her. “Sit. Have some.”

A resigned expression on his face, he pulled out the chair and sat. He sipped his coffee and nodded. “I see you found my Caffé Vita.”

“S’good stuff,” she said around a mouthful.

A corner of his lips quirked up as he regarded her with amusement. “Do you always eat this much?”

She set her fork down with more force than she’d meant. Why did men always make comments about how much or how little women ate? “What’s it to you?”

“Nothing really. It’s just most women I know don’t eat anything if it isn’t green.”

“Then you know the wrong kind of women,” she said before shoveling a piece of toast loaded with egg into her mouth. Yeah, she knew it was bad manners, but fuck him. She took a sip of coffee to help the food go down, and that’s when she noticed he hadn’t taken a single bite. “What’s wrong? You don’t like eggs?”

“I usually eat cereal.”

“Really? All I saw was a box of that bran crap my mom used to force down our throats when we were constipated.”

His face turned red. “Don’t you have a filter?”

“Didn’t think I needed one. We’re roomies now.” She tried not to laugh, but the expression on his face was priceless. And she couldn’t help poking at him just a little more. “If you’re having a problem, I could pick up some Metamucil for you.” She grinned.

Award-winning author Kristine Cayne is fascinated by the mysteries of human psychology—twisted secrets, deep-seated beliefs, out-of-control desires. Add in high-stakes scenarios and real-world villains, and you have a story worth writing, and reading.

Kristine’s heroes and heroines are pitted against each other by their radically opposing life experiences. By overcoming their differences and finding common ground, they triumph over their enemies and find true happiness in each other’s arms.

Today she lives in the Pacific Northwest, thriving on the mix of cultures, languages, religions and ideologies. When she’s not writing, she’s people-watching, imagining entire life stories, and inventing all sorts of danger for the unsuspecting heroes and heroines who cross her path.

To learn more about Kristine and her stories, visit her website: www.kristinecayne.com

Kristine Cayne’s links:

Blog (http://kristinecayne.blogspot.com/)

Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/KristineCayneAuthor)

Twitter (http://twitter.com/KristineCayne)

New Releases List (http://kristinecayne.blogspot.com/p/new-releases-list.html) or

Website (http://www.kristinecayne.com)

Goodreads (http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5428452.Kristine_Cayne)

Six-Alarm Sexy Series Book Links

 Everything Bared (Six-Alarm Sexy, Book Two)

Amazon:   ; Amazon UK:   ; Amazon CA:   ; Amazon DE:   Amazon FR: 

 Aftershocks (Six-Alarm Sexy, Prequel)

Amazon: http://bit.ly/12Jl1Rd; Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/YbD1lR; Amazon CA: http://amzn.to/10aZT1x; B&N: http://bit.ly/YQCT6Z; iTunes: http://bit.ly/XT0kBE; Kobo: http://bit.ly/ZnT0MJ; ARe: http://bit.ly/11F9K2j; Smashwords: http://bit.ly/14ktyw6

Under His Command (Six-Alarm Sexy, Book One)

Amazon: http://bit.ly/XRWR1H;  Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/V0pefF; B&N: http://bit.ly/ZRWPK0; iTunes: http://bit.ly/13hCJK2; Kobo: http://bit.ly/14rdf0B; ARe: http://bit.ly/X8Sc0G; Smashwords: http://bit.ly/ZnUmXG

Six-Alarm Sexy, Volume One (Bundle Aftershocks & Under His Command)

Amazon ebook: http://bit.ly/16JJxjO; Amazon print: http://bit.ly/14ZpHCW; Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1bdNrsZl; Amazon CA: http://amzn.to/13b0KRVl; Amazon DE: http://amzn.to/15eb3b8; Amazon FR: http://amzn.to/18y18yB; B&N: http://bit.ly/14ZpQGA; Kobo: http://bit.ly/18lrt2G;

NOW THE GIVEAWAY

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INDIE AUTHOR BLOG HOP JULY 25 - 30th

What do you get when you mix teenage love, betrayal and disaster together?

Allusive Aftershock

Being in love when you're only seventeen or eighteen doesn’t mean it feels any less important or less powerful than if you're twenty-five or fifty. Love is love, no matter how old you are. So many people marry their high school sweethearts and manage to stay married for 70+ years. That's pretty powerful if you ask me. Although I wasn’t one of the lucky ones to have found my soul mate in high school, the fact there are many, says so much about the power of young love.

Writing Allusive Aftershock took some time traveling back to my own young adulthood years and back to my first serious boyfriend. It was serious up until I went away to college and he didn’t. Things happen. But he was my boyfriend during that awful earthquake we went through in our senior year of high school. The one I used in the beginning of Allusive Aftershock actually happened almost the exact way I described it in the book, except I didn’t have a little sister and brother. But, the earthquake in the beginning is the only part of the book that was taken from experience. The rest, I hope never happens, except maybe the love part.

In Allusive Aftershock, both boys in the book are hot, so I had fun imagining I was Adela and having the difficult decision of figuring out which one she should actually trust, or like or even love.

Natural disasters happen all over the world, whether it’s an earthquake, hurricane, tornado or fire they can all be devastating. I chose an earthquake for this story, only because I’d experienced them and could relate a little better. However, the ones that happen in Allusive Aftershock are fiction except for some similarities of the first one, but I would never want to be in one as horrible as the ones in Allusive Aftershock. My heart goes out to everyone who has ever experienced anything life-threatening caused by mother nature. When I wrote Allusive Aftershock, for me, it was more about the relationships between Adela, Courtland and Max that fueled the story, not the disaster. If you read Allusive Aftershock, I’d love to hear your thoughts and you can email me at susangriscom@hotmail.com or simply leave a review on Amazon.com. Be sure to enter the rafflecopter below for a chance to win a personalized autographed copy of Allusive Aftershock. Sorry, but with the high cost of shipping, this contest is USA only for the print book. But I'm also giving away 5 more e-book copies on Anna Dase's blog Read Between The Lines so be sure to enter that one which is international. 

Available in AUDIOBOOK format too! Great fun to listen while you exercise or clean house. You can find it on Amazon, Audible.com and iTunes. 

Click

to listen to a sample.

 Enjoy this excerpt from Allusive Aftershock from Adela's POV

With no electricity, I could barely make out the two figures standing by the door to the cellar. If not for the half moon, I would not have been able to see them at all. I stepped up to them and realized they were staring up at the sky and my eyes naturally followed their gaze. I had never seen such an awesome sight. Without any city lights for miles and miles, the stars in the sky were unusually bright and plentiful. A truly beautiful sight.

“Wow,” I whispered, standing between Max and Court. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Court’s focus change and he stared down at me. There was something strange about the way his eyes bored into me, as if he could see into my soul. I waited for him to look away but he held his gaze on me while I pretended to marvel at the sky. I’d never seen him stare at me that way before and I got nervous. My fingers fidgeted with each other and I clamped two of them in my other hand to steady them. If I hadn’t known better, I never would have guessed in a million years he had injuries. His eyes stayed fixed on me with an intense tenderness I had never seen from a boy before. Maybe Courtland Reese wasn’t so bad after all. Standing between the two of them in all their glorious hotness had my stomach doing flip-flops. I knew it was wrong to think these things under the circumstances, but maybe my mind just needed the distraction … or confusion. I loved Max, but I was beginning to like Courtland too. Man, I was in so much trouble. 

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HAPPY READING AND LISTENING!!!

Check out the other blogs in the tour for some more goodies to win!

WINTER NIGHT FALLING - by Ryan S. South - Excerpt and Character Bios

Book Title: Winter Night Falling

Series:  Ti-aran Chronicles: Rise of the Guardians Book One

Edition: Second

Author: Bryan R. South

Publisher: Freaky Fiction Writing - http://freakyfictionwriting.wordpress.com/

Cover Art: Bryan Rainey

Tour Organizer:Cu’s Ebook Giveaways - http://cuhelpingauthors.blogspot.com/

Book Blurb:

The Four Kingdoms are in peril. A demon Lord thought forever imprisoned in limbo has escaped and begins to summon his Horde once again to take his revenge. In his twisted black iron tower he summons a massive wall of darkness that brings the winter storms in the fullest.

            Now the Four Kingdoms are each proud and full of themselves.  All the races of the realms must come together and fight the demon lord once again. Magic has been outlawed, and it is up to the reawakened Grand Mage, an eccentric old man, and what is left of the Mage Knights, as well as a budding Guardian to try to keep the peace.

            Can the Grand Mage and his friends get the other kingdoms to move in time to stop the Demon Lord? Does the Demon Lord have more than one objective now that he is free? Only time will tell.

About the Author:

Bryan R South  was born and Raised in the Pacific Northwest. He Graduated Kamiakin Highschool  in 1993 . Bryan has had several poems published and has been working on the Rise of the Guardians Series since he was 16, and did his senior year paper on being a fantasy novelist.   He has worked as a Linecook, in construction, and other odd jobs. He resides with his wife and fell author, S. Cu’Anam Policar, and their children in the Pacific Northwest still.

Author Links:

Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/BryanRSouth?fref=ts

Good Reads - https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1196582.Bryan_R_South

Website - http://bryanrsouth.blogspot.com/

Smashwords - http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/brsouth

 The characters of Winter Night Falling:

Orindyll Ravenslock – Arch mage of the First Order, Acting Grand Mage of the Orders of Five, Earl of Raven’s Bluff

J’Lann Silverhand-- Mage-Knight; First Sword of the 2^nd Order, Later Preceptor (commanding officer) of the Mage-Knights.

Joran Silverhand—Mage-Knight; 3^rd Order

Tomas Silverhand-- First thought to be a magus of the First Order; he is later discovered to be the Last of the Guardians, as well as a Divine Agent of Adara the Lost. Goddess of Knowledge, Nature, and Magic.

Count Evan Dupont-- Count of the Township of North Keep

Zatchion D’Orsk— Arch Magus of the 2^nd Order.  Great Grandson of Orindyll Ravenslock. Baron of Caer Percivor.

Sarah D’Orsk -- Arch Magus of the 3^rd Order. Great Granddaughter of Orindyll Ravenslock.

Sirenthial Silverbranch -- Arch Magus of the 4^th Order. Heir to the Elven Throne of Erinor. Chronicler of the Orders of Five.

Chase Summers – Mage-Knight of the First Order, Traitor

Gregory Pecorian – Mage-Knight of the 2^nd Order; Sergeant

Aileen Mistwinter—an Elven Hunter of Erinor; Twin of Tariel

Tariel Mistwinter – An Elven Hunter of Erinor; Twin of Aileen

Duke Echias of High Point – Duke of the City of High Point.

Captain Rancos – Captain of the Black Watch of High Point

Jack – Arch Mage of the 5^th order. From Tiramon

Haicho – A portly Journeyman Mage of the 5^th Order from North Keep

Kelvin – Former Grand Mage of the Orders of Five; Arch Mage of the First Order, King of Tiramon

Arrowthorn— Ranger of Tiramon, Heir to the Throne of Tiramon. Kelvin’s son

Alindryia Silverbranch—Queen of the Elven Kingdom of Erinor. Priestess of Adara. Mother of Sirenthial

Korinthial Silverbranch—Son of Sirenthial, Heir Presumptive of the Elven Kingdom of Erinor. Blade-Weaver.

Sebastion Thr’ask— Mage-Knight of the 4^th Order. First Sword.

Orion Brighthammer— Mage-Knight of the 3^rd Order. First Sword

Erik Joruss— Heir to the throne of the High Kingdom of Pendys

General Tapi— General of the Armies of Tiramon

Tir’alac— Shadar-Hai War-Leader.

Balin Ironfist— Dwarven KingsGuard. The maker of Joran’s Broadsword (though both do not seem to mention it in the story) Brother to Borodor

Borodor Ironfist— Dwarven KingsGuard. Brother to Balin.

Lee Featherhand— Mage-Knight of the 2^nd Order

Charles Stormcloak— Mage-Knight of the 5^th Order

Brother Bradley— A powerful Priest of Galaen the Just. God of Justice

Akbar— Dwarven Journeymen  Mage of the 2^nd Order

Ermina— a Sylph bound to Joran’s Sword

Jarrack—A powerful Corrupted Portal Master of Limbo.

Cassandra— Lady of the Oak Glade, Guardian

Nysander – Shade of the Great Guardian of Erinor . Cassandra’s Grandfather.

Tyramononix—The Very First Guardian of the Four Kingdoms, Soul is bound to a Golden Torc Tomas wears

   Excerpt - Joran's admittance into the Mage-Knights of the Four Kingdoms

  

  They quickly divided up the food amongst themselves and then ate quietly, each lost in their own thoughts. When the food was gone they sent Tomas to go find Joran who hadn’t appeared for breakfast. They returned a few moments later. Joran sat down with care not to stain his new attire he had purchased, a pair of Black leather boots, black dyed leather trousers and a bright yellow over tunic.  A new broadsword hung from a new baldric on his left hip, and his short sword now rose on his right. He gave each a nod, and waited for introductions of Sirenthial and Sebastion before he settled more comfortably into a seat on the bench a little ways down from Count Evan.

  “Alright then, to business then. Count Evan since we are in your principality we are going to allow you to sit in on what in the old days would be known as a Guild meeting. Gentlemen today we are going to start rebuilding the Orders of Five, as well as the Mage-Knights.” he paused to look at each in turn to allow his statement sink in.

  “Seeing how I am the most Senior Arch-Magus present, I am going to be acting Grand Mage, until we discover the whereabouts or demise of the current Grand Mage. Sirenthial here will be my Chronicler or Second. Any questions so far?” Everyone looked around at the others at the table, and seeing how no questions were forth coming Orindyll continued.

  ”First Sword Silverhand until by Challenge will be the Mage-Knight Preceptor. You Sir will see Sirenthial and I later. Sebastion you will hold your current position as First Sword of the 4th Order. To the next matter of business then, Gentlemen we have a warrior-adept among us who would join the Mage-Knights. He has been tested magically and been found with the talent. IF he is accepted into the Order of Mage-Knights, he will be of the 3rd Order. He has already completed half of his training, he was taught his sword lore by the Preceptor himself.”

            Sebastion stood up. “I would not attest to this normally, but has he been tried? We’re going to be traveling some dangerous roads in the near future.”

            J’Lann couldn’t contain a grin. “Joran, would you be interested in showing the assembled your skills?” 

     Joran gave a grin that matched his fathers and rose to his feet, stripping off his tunic, drew his swords and assumed a battle stance. Sebastion also stripped out of his tunic and picked up his battle axe and gave it an expert swing. J’Lann gestured to the others.

  “Gentlemen give them some room”

            While the others moved the table to allow for more sparring room, and kept themselves out of harm’s way, J’Lann turned to face the combatants. “First Blood, three separate cuts is declared winner... that is it ..... Begin.”

            The two combatants began to circle one another, each sizing the other up. Suddenly Sebastion lunged in, his axe coming in from the right, whistling through the air. At mid-swing he reversed the direction of the axes blade bringing it up in a nasty cut from below. The sound of steel on steel filled the air Joran crossed both his blades over the Axe in a parry designed to drive the axe down to the ground. Joran then brought his right foot up to kick the overextended Sebastion in the jaw sending the older warrior over backwards.

      With a roar of anger Sebastion kipped off his shoulders onto his feet and charged in swinging a deadly overhand chop towards Joran’s head. Joran parried with the broadsword and then dropped low and brought his short sword in a horizontal slash from the right that gave a quick slash into Sebastion’s left thigh, parting leathers and skin alike. Sebastion countered with a haft hook to Joran’s jaw sending him to the ground.

            Sebastion again roared and charged in with a swirling downward chop to Joran’s exposed back. Joran kicked out behind him catching the older warrior in his unprotected groin, and then sprang to his feet. he swung his swords in a fast spinning combo slicing open Sebastion’s exposed ribs on the right side, once, twice, and finally a third time.

 “ENOUGH” Roared Orindyll.

            Joran dropped down into a defensive crouch, one sword in the air behind him and the other in a forty-five degree angle in front of him. Sebastion stood cursing softly as he held his bleeding ribs with one hand while the other cupped his groin.  Orindyll walked over to Sebastion and laid a palm on the man’s ribs and uttered a quick incantation. Joran watching felt his jaw drop as he watched the older warrior’s wounds close right before his eyes. Orindyll gestured for both of them to resume their seats at the table.

 “Are his skills enough to satisfy you First Sword?” asked Orindyll.

            Sebastion coughed and nodded. “He kicked me so hard I am still coughing up the family jewels; yeah I would have him at my back or at my side.”  He paused and looked over to J’Lann. “You taught the boy some dirty tricks Preceptor.”

  “Anymore Objections?” asked Orindyll. Everyone shook their heads, and Sebastion chuckled and socked Joran in the arm playfully. Orindyll then gestured for Joran to come and stand before him. “Give me your sword Lad.” Joran reached down and pulled his broadsword from its scabbard and held it out to Orindyll hilt first.

 “Kneel. That’s it.  Joran of the Sixth Royal House of Silverhand, do you accept the Charge of guarding magic, and all things magical as decreed by the Order of Five with your life?”

 “Yes.”  He replied softly.

 “Do you accept the Charge of guarding the homes, families, and persons of your Brother Mages with your Life?”

 “Yes.”

 “Furthermore by accepting these charges, do you understand that you now renounce the Authority of the Lower Crowns over your Person? And that you are no longer subject to their rule?  You are now outside their Caste system, and will hold only titles given to you by me, the Preceptor, or the High King?” 

 “I understand.” said Joran.

 “By accepting these charges your life is no longer your own. The only other authority over me is that of the High King. You now belong to the Order of Five and the Order of Mage-Knights until we release you from service.”  Orindyll then began a long incantation that was deep and loud, and the broadsword in his hands began to glow with a strong yellow light. He then touched each of Joran’s shoulders with the sword and then lastly set the sword on top of the young warriors head.

   “Bound by Five. Given by Five. Your sword is mine.  Arise Corporal Joran Silverhand, Mage-Knight of the 3rd Order.”  When Joran had reclaimed his feet, Orindyll set the point of the glowing sword over Joran’s heart and incanted once more. When he finished the smell of burning skin filled the air, and when he removed the swords tip, a glowing purple sword tattoo identical to his fathers glowed though his skin for all to see.

            Sebastion rose from his seat and came over to Congratulate Joran with a warrior’s arm shake. J’Lann was next who wrapped him in a huge bear hug that stole the boy’s breath. When everyone had congratulated Joran, Orindyll gestured for them to return to their seats

RELEASE DAY BLITZ - SAY WHEN by Tara West

Title: Say When

Author: Tara West

Series: Something More (#1)

Genre: Adult Contemporary Romance

Publisher: Shifting Sands Publishing

Release Date: July 19 2013

Blurb/Synopsis:

He told me to say when, but I can’t. Not with Andrés. It’s so hard to say anything when he’s trailing feather soft kisses down my neck, or when his touch sends hot currents of lust rippling across my skin.

Then there’s the way he smiles and offers soft words of encouragement when I’m creating art, almost like he believes I have talent.

He’s not like any guy I’ve ever met. Not like my ex-fiancée. Not like my father. He’s got me thinking that maybe we can have something more. More than just lust, degradation, and abuse.

And now I’m scared, because that means I’ll have to trust him with more than just my body, but with my heart, too.

Christina Duval  

***Warning: this book contains graphic language, sex, and mature situations. Not intended for young adult readers.***

Book Links

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A former Texas high school teacher, I enjoyed coaching the writing team and even the hectic deadlines that came with running the school publications. After taking a break to raise my baby girl, I now work from home as a cover artist.

In my spare time, I loves to read, exercise and spend time with family and friends. I contribute the cover art for my Whispers Series and have designed covers for over 500 other books.

Please visit me at http://www.tarawestauthor.wordpress.com/ or www.tarawest.com where you can check out my Whispers series and sample my artwork.

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 Excerpt

 Scene from chapter three...

    I don’t know what force of nature compels me to break my “no eye contact” rule. Maybe it is his heady musk, or the warmth radiating off his frame, but when I look into his eyes, I swear I nearly wet my pants. The guy is gorgeous. Warm chocolate eyes, thick lashes, flawless tanned skin, marred only by the slightest bit of stubble on his square jaw. Black hair cut short frames his angular face. And that mouth, so full and sensual, my traitorous lips part as if compelled to kiss him.

            When he looks down at me and smiles, I know I’m done for. My knees weaken and the heat rushes through me and spreads like wildfire. Damn me for acting the love-struck fool and smiling back.

            His sensual lips part and I think, Oh, gawd, this is it. You’re about to totally violate your anti-slut protocol and make out with this random stranger. I don’t even have the strength to tell myself I’m acting like an idiot.

            He leans toward me, and before he gets the chance to kiss me, he points to something just beyond my shoulder. “Do you girls need help?”

            His deep, rich voice startles me, but not as much as the fact that I was about to kiss a total stranger—a stranger who’s obviously not interested in kissing me back.

            I turn toward Karri. She’s slumped against the driver’s side door and sobbing into her hands. Well, don’t I feel like the total bitch?

            My sexy Latin stud brushes past me, the click of his cowboy boots ringing across the pavement as he walks toward Karri. He’s a soldier. I can tell by his rigid, uniform stride, although his cropped hair should have given it away.  Karri’s brother is in the Marines, and he’s got a similar stiffness in his gait. I follow this guy, even though my legs are almost useless, weakened by my stupid crazy hormones.

            “Uh, oh,” he says as he circles the car.

            It’s still smoking, and I worry maybe Karri should back away, even though I’m pretty sure cars only blow up in the movies.

            Karri looks at him through wide, watery eyes, and something flashes in her gaze. Oh, yeah, her slut sonar must be on high alert. I can’t say I blame her. His physique is just as impressive from the rear. His jeans mold to that ass perfectly, and even through his striped linen shirt, I can see the outline of a man in prime condition.

            Karri wipes her eyes with the back of her hand. “My stupid car broke down.” She pouts and bats her lashes while thrusting out her generous cleavage.

            “It’s not the car that’s stupid,” I say before I have the chance to stop myself. I slap my hand over my mouth. What the heck is wrong with me? But as I watch my friend slant me a dirty look and then turn a big smile on the stud, I know exactly what’s wrong. I’m being territorial over a guy, which is weird, because I’ve never been that way before, not even over Jackson. And for some odd reason, money grubbing hos are always throwing themselves at him.

            “Mind if I take a look?” Stud muffin asks, but he’s already inside the car popping the lever. Smoke pours from the engine when he lifts the hood.

            I take several steps back because the fumes are unbearable. Karri screeches and stomps a foot. He surveys the damage, and when he frowns, the tendons in his neck flex beneath his stiff shirt collar. Damn. I imagine the muscles beneath that shirt are even tighter. Double damn.

            I cross one leg over the other, balancing awkwardly as I try to quell my raging hormones—that is how hot and bothered I am over a guy.