Veteran Romances

I hope my readers in the states are looking forward to a long weekend! It’s overcast here in Albuquerque, which I love, and I’m sipping some iced coffee with toffee nut at Michael Thomas Coffee Roasters. It’s the first Friday of the month, and I’m very tempted to head over for Fractal Fridays at the New Mexico Museum of Natural History as featured in Veteran Hearts. Do you think I’d meet someone like Kyle?

If you’re looking to celebrate Independence Day by reading some hot veteran romances, please read mine: Veteran Hearts and Thankful Hearts.

For something short with several sex scenes, please read Veteran Hearts:

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Excerpt:

To her surprise, he turned off the truck and killed the lights. Maybe he was coming in after all. He turned sideways to look at her and said, “I’d love to come in, but that might be too fast for me. I know in the book we read they hit the bed after the first hello, but even after two months of knowing you, it’s hard for me to get closer.”

He had his hand on the console between them, and she placed hers on top. “You could just come in for dinner. I swear I won’t molest you.”

His gaze softened though it was hard to see in the shadows. “Maybe I’ll just walk you up to the door, old fashioned like.”

“I’d like that.”

She withdrew her hand, sorry he wouldn’t be staying but still feeling like they’d taken a big step in their relationship. When she stepped out of the truck, he was already out and around, ready to take her hand as she stepped down. Her soul thrilled when he laced his fingers between hers after he closed the door.

She opened the tall wooden gate and smiled at the gurgling of the fountain in the corner of her patio. She’d have to turn it off soon before the first freeze, but she was glad it was on tonight.

“Nice courtyard,” he said as he entered.

She shut the gate, cutting off the view of the rest of the neighborhood. She’d forgotten to turn the porch light on when she left, which allowed the moonlight to cast a romantic glow.

When they arrived at the door, she turned and faced him, not knowing if he wanted to stay and talk or if he’d leave right away. She had a wrought-iron bench over to the side by the fountain and a table with two chairs on the other side. It’d be more comfortable inside.

She realized he was staring at her with a mix of affection and regret on his face. It made her want to stand on her toes to kiss him, but she was sure she’d scare him away if she tried that.
Much to her astonishment, he slipped his hand beneath the hair on the back of her neck, leaned down and brushed his lips against hers.

Heaven.

Goosebumps erupted all over her body. She’d imagined the first kiss so many times that she couldn’t believe it was better than all her scenarios.

He pulled back just enough to speak. “I’m sorry I’m so crazy. I really like you, and it scares the shit out of me—not the liking part but the possibility of losing you in the future. I lost a lot of friends at war.”

It was weird to feel relief at his statement, but at least now she knew what was wrong. Before it’d been a vague generalization of being a veteran. Now she knew something of the cause.

Buy Links:

All Romance: Free for the Weekend https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-veteranhearts-2064021-149.html

Amazon: $1.99 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B017Y6RG3Q

Barnes and Noble: $1.99 http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/veteran-hearts-evelyn-aster/1122952967?ean=2940152466577

Or if you’d like a full novel with an involved plot and several sex scenes, please read Thankful Hearts:

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Excerpt:

She broke the silence and asked, “Did you miss home while you were away, or did you try not to think about it?”

He looked at her profile as she stared out at the city. It was probably an innocent question to her, but it brought up all of his theories and fears about PTSD that he hadn’t talked to anyone about. He wasn’t planning on talking about it ever, but his words betrayed him.

“I thought about home every damn day. I wanted to keep in mind what I was fighting for to distance myself from the violence I was a part of. Soldiers come home and blow up when they hear people complaining at the mall about a dress that doesn’t fit or the fucking barista misspelling their name on a cup of coffee, but that’s why we’re fighting. So someone’s misspelled name is the worst part of their fucking day. I didn’t want to come home and be mad about it.”

Her breath hitched, and in one smooth move, she placed her hand behind his neck and pulled him in for a kiss. At first he stood still, unable to register what was happening. But her lips warmed his and brought movement to his body. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her right up against his chest. Their lips parted, and she slipped her tongue inside his mouth. He loved her assertiveness—he didn’t have to guess what she wanted. But then he tensed. She might discover his gun.

He broke off the kiss and said, “That wasn’t a line. It’s really how I feel.”

She smiled and said, “I know. Was I overly appreciative of your philosophy?” She drew her hands off his neck and tried to step back, but he held her fast.

“No, I just don’t want you to think I’m full of shit.” His face burned when he spoke. He didn’t know why it was so important what she thought of him. He hadn’t been considering her as a girlfriend; at least he didn’t think he had.

Buy Links:

All Romance: On Sale for the weekend at $1.99. https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-thankfulhearts-1921896-149.html

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B017OA0S46

Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/thankful-hearts-evelyn-aster/1122923280?ean=2940152453270

Weekend Reads

It’s been a great week for me. Monday I’ll get back to The Beautician and the Billionaire Episode 3: The Third Ship. To my amazement, Episode 2 recieved a review today on Smashwords.

To my further amazement, my brand spanking new short story in the Holiday Cafe Series, Veteran Hearts, received a 5 star review at Smashwords. I never get reviews at Smashwords. It also broke my record for number of downloads in one day there.

Thankful Hearts is still on the Best Seller list at All Romance!!

To help me celebrate, please enter my Giveaway! You could win a free Kindle!!

So if you are looking for something light and sexy, try Veteran Hearts:

VeteranHeartsARe

Available at:

Amazon
All Romance
Smashwords

If you’re looking for something intense and sexy, read Thankful Hearts

Thankful Heart FOR WEB

Available at:

All Romance
Amazon
Smashwords
Barnes and Noble

Wow!

What a great opening day I had! Please keep the sales coming and make this a great opening weekend too!

I have some surprises coming next week that I’m working on as a thank you. I can’t wait!

Here are all the links for Thankful Hearts. Please pass them on to a friend!

It’s live on Amazon now!! http://www.amazon.com/Thankful-Hearts-Holiday-Cafe-Book-ebook/dp/B017OA0S46/

All Romance: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-thankfulhearts-1921896-149.html

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/590880

And a new one, Coffee Time Romance! http://www.coffeetimeromance.com/BookStore/pubs_product_book_info/thankful-hearts-p-14338#.Vj5GpLerTIU

Thankful Heart FOR WEB

Hudson sat up straight but didn’t see the motel room. Instead, he saw a shithole apartment he’d crashed in for weeks in Afghanistan protecting convoys. He heard a steady thumping against the wall. What the fuck? This place was supposed to be deserted. He jumped out of bed, and for the first time he saw Stacy lying there. Why was Stacy in Afghanistan? Why was there pounding on the wall? He wanted to grab her and run, but the memory of her grinding against him burst through his head. He glanced around, and his breathing slowed—he was just in a shitty motel in Albuquerque.

The noise stopped. He realized sweat was running down his face despite being naked in a freezing room. He needed to get the fuck out of here. He should wake Stacy up, and they could take off on his motorcycle. He didn’t know why he needed to leave, he just knew he did—and he wanted Stacy with him.

Before he had made a move, he heard a woman’s voice from the other side of the wall. “Give me my fucking money, asshole!” There was maybe laughter, followed by a smack. He stepped to the nightstand. The lamp still shone, reminding him of the erotic ways Stacy had moved her body when they made love. The thought made him pause with the drawer open. Stacy didn’t want to call it lovemaking, but his emotions for a woman had never been so intense.

The sound of glass breaking startled him into action. He pulled his Smith & Wesson Model 64 revolver out of the drawer and ran toward the window. A loud bang made him cautious as he looked between the blinds. In his peripheral vision he saw Stacy sit up. She was going to think he was crazy. He’d been determined not to have PTSD, but right now it sure as shit seemed like he did. He couldn’t endanger Stacy like this. He should leave sooner than Sunday.

Update!

Thanks for the love for Thankful Hearts at All Romance! It’s my best opening day there for a paid book! It’s on sale for a buck until Veterans Day. You can get it in Kindle, epub and pdf formats.

Amazon is still reviewing it, but it’s also up at Smashwords! You can get it there in even more formats:  epub mobi pdf rtf lrf pdb txt html.

I have a new vendor I’m working with. Hopefully I’ll get that going today and then back to The Beautician in and the Billionaire!

In the meantime, here’s another tasting of Thankful Hearts:

Thankful Heart FOR WEB

Gratitude and amazement welled up inside him. He reached out to her and pulled her back to his body. She didn’t even flinch. Her hands clasped together behind his neck, and he kissed her, forcing her lips apart and their tongues together in an aggressive dance where both partners tried to lead. He gripped her back with his fingertips. He needed to get her back to his motel room. It was kind of a long drive from here, but he was sure he’d stay hard the whole way.

They kept making out like they were there to watch the end of the world. Her hands trailed down his chest, over his hips and to his ass. She pushed his hardness against her belly, drawing out a moan from deep inside his throat. Maybe he wouldn’t last all the way back to the motel. He kept one hand on the small of her back and brought the other around underneath her blouse to cup her breast. It was her turn to moan.

She closed her mouth against his and kissed his cheek to his ear. “Maybe we should delay dinner,” she whispered.

He withdrew his hands from underneath her shirt and pulled away, leaving his hands on her hips. “I was just thinking about taking you back to my motel, but I’m happy to do dinner first.” He wasn’t really, but it seemed like the gentlemanly thing to say, though they seemed way past that at this point.

She burst out laughing, catching him off guard. “You must think I’m such a slut.”

He’d never seen someone appear so happy and embarrassed at the same time. He pulled her to him, needing to hug her tightly. “I’m actually not doing much thinking, which is a nice change. I don’t see why it’s so bad for a woman to want to jump into bed as much as a guy does. I’m just happy you do.” He kissed her tenderly, hoping she didn’t suddenly decide she needed to be coy or play hard to get. All the nerves in his body wanted to drown in her touch—her lips.

Cover: Thankful Hearts!

I’m so excited about the release of Thankful Hearts next week!!!

Enjoy the cover by Hang Le and a sneak preview of the story:

Thankful Heart FOR WEB

Hudson felt her resistance in her muscles and wondered what had happened to his own hesitations. He’d just decided to leave before Sunday and then turned around and told her he wanted to stay longer. She’d been so calm about the gun, so soothing to his nerves. She was the antidote to his weariness. His lips traveled up to her ear, and he whispered, “I’m ready to go back to bed now.”

For one moment she relaxed her body into his. But then she said, “We should just leave. This is no place for us.”

He liked the us, but he didn’t want to bother with getting dressed or shoving stuff into his pack. He wanted her again. His shaft hardened against her skin, and he moved his hand up and around so his thumb could tease her nipple. “The police are outside now. We probably can’t even get out of our parking spots. And I can’t stop touching your body.”

She drew in a slow breath. He pressed against the small of her back and felt the tension leave her muscles.

Come on,” he pleaded. “When the cops leave we’ll go get something to eat and find a new motel.”

He felt her body vibrate with a laugh. “You sure know how to make a woman feel like she’s in college again.”

Final Teaser for Masked Hearts!

Before I post the last teaser, I revealed the cover for Thankful Hearts on the ARe Cafe Blog! Go check it out!!

Mark had one romantic comedy picked out and one action movie picked out. He wasn’t at all sure she’d show up, but the lunch conversation had been fantastic until her phone rang: probably the douche bag. He frowned at his romantic comedy selection: The Princess Bride. Shit, he’d been a kid when that was popular. Had she even been born? He didn’t want to think about it. He picked it up to go find something else, but the doorbell rang. His heart pounded. She’d actually come. He put The Princess Bride under the Avengers movie and hoped she was into comic book super heroes.

He took a final glance around the den. He’d tried to put away all of his kids’ toys, but crayon scribbles covered the bottoms of the beige walls where his kids had drawn as toddlers. He’d never wanted to paint over them. At least the back wall was a window looking out onto the desert and down over the splayed city of Albuquerque, lights twinkling everywhere.

He walked through the kitchen with its spotless stainless steel appliances and an island where he’d set out a few recipe books to show her he cooked. He’d also left a bowl of fruit on the kitchen table to show her he knew how to feed his children. He’d have to get all the details right to impress a kindergarten teacher.

The doorbell rang again. At least he knew he hadn’t imagined the first ring. He jogged through the doorway to the living room, which was definitely not kid friendly with its leather couches and glass coffee table, but they wouldn’t be spending any time there. Two steps led down to the large front hallway with a couch on one wall and a mirror to make the hallway look even larger on the other wall.

On a small table by the mirror was a vase filled with a dozen red roses and a dozen white interspersed together. There was a card sticking out of the top; Sienna’s name was scrawled on the envelope. He’d spent most of the evening figuring out what to write in the card. Now he had second thoughts. No it was fine. But he’d leave it on the table rather than answering the door with it—it was just too big.

He reached for the knob and opened the door.

His jaw dropped.

Sienna had her brown hair pulled up in a messy ponytail, stray strands falling over one side of her face. Her red lipstick brought a lushness to her lips that he’d never observed before but had definitely felt in her kiss earlier that day. She wore a black leather jacket tied at the waist. He imagined she wore nothing under the jacket because her legs were bare and shaved smooth all the way down to the black, spiked high heels.

And that’s all you get for free! Now go buy the book so you don’t miss out on the great sex!

Masked Heart FOR WEB

Only $0.99 until Novemebr 1!

Amazon
All Romance
Smashwords
Barnes and Noble

Masked Hearts Chapter 5

Masked Heart FOR WEB

Only $0.99 until Novemebr 1!

Amazon
All Romance
Smashwords
Barnes and Noble

5 | The Decision

The washing machine chugged through its cycles with a driving rhythm as Sienna tended her orchids by her front window, ignoring the phone still in her purse in the living room. She should’ve stuffed it under a couch cushion or something because she could still hear the damn phone when it rang—so far, Glen had called a half dozen times.

She allowed a drizzle of water to fall from the can as she recalled Mark’s kiss—his body toned and powerful, his lips tender yet lustful. Glen’s kisses had been more forced than passionate and a little bit slobbery.

Her phone chimed a text notification. She cut off the stream of water and scooted on her knees to the next orchid. When it chimed again to remind her that she had a message waiting, she set down the watering can and pulled herself up off her knees. She walked to her phone and clicked it on: Mark’s address as promised. Time to decide.

She dropped the phone and walked to the bathroom, looking in the mirror at her boring clothes and plain Jane appearance. Even if she went for the movie date, she’d have to spice herself up. It was hard to believe he’d chosen her over Mia; Mia seemed much more his type with her beauty and, judging by her Audi and designer clothes, money.

But she was the one with Mark’s address on her phone. Visions of snuggling close to him on the couch while a movie played filled her mind. Maybe he’d have some wine out, and he’d said something about roses…

The washing machine buzzed the end of the load, smashing her picturesque date.

She turned from the mirror and headed to the coat closet. Not much of a selection there either except—she pulled some coats away from the corner and saw the black leather jacket that she’d bought fresh out of college. Maybe with some heels…