I hope you had a great week and have a terrific weekend! Spend it with a book…like The Beautician and the Billionaire!
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Tag: love
Free Friday!
Today’s FREE book is The Beautician and the Billionaire Episodes 1-4!
Charisse withdrew her shaking hand, making a fist in the hopes he wouldn’t see it. She’d been prepared for his cold business mask—the one she was sure he used when taking over companies. Instead he’d arrived with sincerity and honesty. She’d almost leaned in and kissed him when he told her why he’d been such a rat bastard after the shampoo yesterday.
She should’ve kept her restraint instead of practically offering to undress him. Jeez Louise, she was getting in way over her head.
He watched her as he slowly slid his tie out from beneath his collar and undid the top buttons of his shirt. To keep herself from undoing the rest, she turned away and pulled out a towel from a shelf behind the sink.
Steady girl. You’re not ready for a relationship, especially with a tycoon like Conor Grishin.
But the words in her mind echoed hollowly throughout her head as she concentrated more on the way his body eased into the chair. Fantastic butt and broad shoulders just as she liked them. She tucked the towel around his collar and pressed on his shoulders to indicate he should lean back. She didn’t speak for fear her voice would shake like her hands.
But he understood and leaned back with his eyes closed. She drew her hands away slowly as he’d done when he touched her arm early. Turning on the water, she sprayed it over her hands until it was hotter than she’d had it get yesterday. She guessed by the way he drank his coffee fast while it was scalding, he wouldn’t want the water lukewarm.
The water cascaded over his head. “Is that too hot?”
“Not at all,” he said. His voice already sounded drowsy. He must not take much down time. She combed her fingers through his hair and raised the bottom of his head up to make sure the back got wet too. When she began massaging the shampoo into his head, she relaxed the muscles in her arms and allowed her connection to him to guide her fingertips.
He exhaled a long breath. His face appeared serene. The Mozart music made her recall her fantasy of walking through the gardens of Versailles. But France was so far away. They should start with dinner. No, he’d just asked her to shampoo his hair, not go on a date.
Her gaze trailed down his chest, broad like his shoulders, over his slim torso and right to a large bulge in his pants.
Her hands froze for just one moment. Then she drew back and turned the water on. So maybe dinner was an option. Or maybe he was hoping to get down and dirty at the sink. She stifled a nervous giggle. He was probably just hoping she hadn’t noticed. But how could she not? He was huge.
It was good to be a woman. Her panties had been wet since he’d touched her arm at the couch, but she wasn’t advertising it.
After she finished rinsing his hair, she took out a fresh towel and dried his hair, sneaking peeks at his lap—still bold and big. Her face burned with embarrassment or desire, she wasn’t sure which. She dropped the towel into the sink and styled his hair with her fingertips. She should just tell him she could style his hair at her chair. And ignore what was going on in his pants.
He still had his eyes closed and appeared at peace. He hadn’t fallen asleep again had he?
She stepped to his side and put her hand on his shoulder. “Conor?”
He gave a sigh, but didn’t open his eyes and didn’t say anything. She tugged at the towel around his neck. He finally lifted his head up and opened his eyes.
“I thought you’d fallen asleep again,” she said with a smile as she removed the towel around his neck and also dropped it into the sink.
His hand caught hers and his other hand wrapped around her waist. A second later, she was sitting on his lap with her legs hanging over the armrest of his chair. Her whole body tingled. She blocked off her rational mind telling her she wasn’t ready for any sort of intimacy and allowed the emotions and lust to flow freely.
He searched her face and gazed at her lips before pressing his own gently against hers.
Be sure to buy Episodes 5-9 to go with it!
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:
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:
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
Shifting Into Love First Gear: The Cowboy
I extended the giveaway to July 8 to get some advertising in. Please enter!
Chase’s truck rumbled over the dirt road leaving his land. Dust billowed behind him making everything in the rearview mirror hazy with the red glow of his taillights. The week spent driving corn to the grain elevators had him beat, but the need for human contact drove him out of his empty house. Continue reading
Shifting Into Love First Gear: Fluctuation b
Good morning! I was busy yesterday formatting and uploading. Shifting Into Love First Gear is on sale at All Romance for $1! You can download it for Kindle, Nook, epub and pdf.
Shifting Into Love First Gear is also available Amazon!
I’ll let you know when it’s up and other sites.
Please enter my giveaway for $10 Amazon Gift Cards! Just follow my blog for one entry and go back every day until Tuesday for a free entry!
And now I’ll continue the story…. Continue reading
Shifting Into Love Giveaway!
Welcome to my blog! First, a couple of freebies. For Independence Day I redid the cover of Veteran Hearts and added fractals to the beginning of each chapter (yes fractals in a romance!). The new updated version is available exclusively for FREE at All Romance! Also the first episode of The Beautician and the Billionaire is available for FREE at all vendors including Amazon.
For those of you who read The Beautician and the Billionaire, Shifting Into Love is another serial. It’s shorter. I have it planned at only 3 maybe 4 episodes. I won’t be posting all of every episode on my blog…just about the first third. The first episode is available at All Romance and Amazon!
For the Fourth of July Shifting Into Love is only $0.50 at All Romance!
In the mean time, I’m giving away three $10 Amazon gift cards!!! Continue reading
Great News!
My editor is amazing and already sent back Shifting Into Love to me! I will stay up all night to make the necessary changes and post the first section tomorrow. I’m not blogging the full story this time. I’m going to blog about a third of each episode to entice you. Continue reading
The Beautician and the Billionaire: Finale
Have I held you in suspense long enough? I was up all night working on Shifting Into Love. The style is quite hard to maintain so it’s taking a lot of rewriting individual sentences that stick out when I read it.
I can’t believe this is it for Charisse and Conor! I feel like there should be a parade or something. Thanks to all of you who have read through the story! Please stay tuned for news about Shifting Into Love. Also, drop me a comment or an email if you want to see more stories in the Beautician and the Billionaire world. There’s five other stylists to write about plus Marie, but I’m having a hard time judging if that’s where I should spend my energy.
And now, the Happily Ever After…
He held his hand out to her. When she took it, he stood up with her following his lead. When they entered the salon area, she squeezed his hand and exclaimed, “It’s even lovelier than today. The lights, the quartet…I can’t believe it.” She pushed a strand of stray curls behind her ear. Continue reading
The Beautician and the Billionaire Episode 9: Scene 11e
“Can we sit down?” asked Gianna.
Charisse stared at her. Gianna seemed more comfortable than Sunday, wearing jeans and a blue untucked blouse with long sleeves. Her curly hair was pulled back in ponytail, making the mother daughter similarities striking.
“Yes, of course,” said Charisse, finally. She led her over to a small couch.
They sat and stared at each other. Charisse’s nerves made her clench her jaw. She didn’t want to be the one to begin. Continue reading
The Beautician and the Billionaire Episode 9: Scene 11d
Good morning! There’s been a couple of posts at night I’d like to direct your attention too. First is my FREE Friday post. I’m going to be setting a different book for free each Friday this summer through the end of July. Also please check out my Shifting into Love posts especially about the cover and cowboy or biker 🙂
The Beautician and the Billionaire ends next week. I hope you’ve enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it!
After a cup of much needed coffee, she approached Raul at the fountain and said, “Mother’s coming by soon. Feel free to go on break or leave for the day if you like. I can’t tell if you want to see her again or not.” She still hadn’t told him Gianna wanted to apologize to him. It would be too awkward, and if her mother wanted to apologize, she’d do it. Continue reading
Evelyn Aster 