Mastering Free Fall – #AmWriting #AuthorCraft #Characterization

Image by Steve Bidmead from Pixabay

My current work in progress is driving me crazy.

I am about halfway through a sci-fi lesbian romance novella, tentatively entitled Free Fall. I started it early in April, and I’m sorry to say that it’s not going smoothly. Do you know the phrase “blood from a stone”? That’s what this feels like.

In past blog posts, I’ve waxed eloquent about the joy of being in the creative flow, when the words and emotions pour onto the page without conscious effort. This is just the opposite. I have a general idea of the plot arc and I’m gradually refining my understanding of my characters. But getting the words—the right words—down on the figurative paper is turning out to be devilishly hard.

The genre is part of the problem. Science fiction poses unique challenges. People read scifi to discover new and original visions of the future. On the other hand, the future always emerges from the past. Thus, your fictional world must be simultaneously surprising and plausible. As in historical fiction, the author needs a clear grounding in her chosen period (about ten years from the present, in my current WIP), but no matter how much research you do, you can only guess how technology and society will change. Then, after you’ve decided the shape of the world you’re building, you must figure out how to describe it in order to make the unfamiliar comprehensible.

Another issue I’m facing, though, is common to all genres. I am struggling to give each of my protagonists a distinctive voice. In their comments on my early chapters, which alternate point of view between my heroines Mariel and Rain, my critique group told me they were having difficulty telling the women apart. The two have very different backgrounds and personalities; the perspectives of each chapter should have been obvious. Re-reading the early chapters, however, I realized that my crit partners were right.

I’ve gone back to the beginning and established what I hope are clearly recognizable patterns of speech and thought for each of them. Rain is a streetwise, urban creature. She’s a bit brash, uses slang and isn’t afraid of profanity. Mariel comes from the rural MidWest. She has led a more sheltered life and comes across as shy and more refined, maybe even prudish.

As I’ve been working on this problem, I have come to understand that I am its source. As is probably true of most authors, I put myself in the head of the POV character when I am writing her scenes. If I am not careful, both of them will end up sounding like me!

For instance, I’ve recently noticed that I have a tendency to use low frequency words that would not be natural to either Rain or Mariel, neither of whom have attended college. I am trying to stay alert for this sort of inappropriate vocabulary, swapping my first word choice for something more common.

If I want each of my characters to have her own authentic voice, I need to remain vigilant. My early books featured characters with whom I had a lot in common. There was a lot of overlap between their voices and mine. Now, though, I need to remain conscious of the differences between me and my fictional creatures.

It’s a bit exhausting. Indeed, most of the time writing is hard work—except for those rare moments of magic when inspiration takes over.

His presence is like a drug … #MFRWHooks #RivalsToLovers #BDSMRomance #MulticulturalRomance

For today’s MFRW Book Hooks, I have a bit from my BDSM erotic romance The Heart of the Deal. Like many of my novels, it doesn’t fit neatly into a specific sub-genre and it breaks some of the “rules” of romance. For one thing, though the primary pairing is MF, there’s a lesbian subplot involving some secondary characters. In addition, both the male and female protagonists have sexual interactions with other people as they try to work out the prickly aspects of their own relationship.

I didn’t know about tropes when I wrote this book. (The first edition was released in 2003!) Now I realize that it’s a classic rivals-to-lovers story. And the main characters do eventually find their way to a happy ending!

Blurb

All's fair in lust and business

Ruby Maxwell Chen, lovely and ruthless CEO of a huge British business empire, has no qualms about playing dirty – very dirty. She’s happy to use sex to help her close a deal, especially when she’s the one on top. Ruby loves the game, and she expects to win. When she encounters the oddly charismatic American entrepreneur Rick Martell, though, she wonders if she hasn't met her match.

The Hook

He saunters over to the bookcase, pulls out one of the sailing books, and leafs through it. His movements are fluid and full of energy. I burn, wanting to reach for him, to feel those wiry arms around me, to feel that energy surge through me.

“We’re at a critical phase in our design work,” he says finally. “I have little time for anything else. For instance, I never get a chance to sail anymore.”

“You sail?” I ask, and cringe inwardly at the inanity of this response. Of course I knew about that, and his other hobbies, from his dossier as well as his bookshelves. Then I forgive myself. At the moment, it takes all my will to remain coherent.

“Oh yes!” His face floods with joy. He looks younger. “I’ve got a thirty-six foot Eastern Star sailing yacht, sloop-rigged, down in Marina del Rey. She’s a sweet craft, let me tell you. But I haven’t had her out for more than six months.”

“That’s a pity,” I murmur, desperately trying to hold up my end of the conversation.

“Do you enjoy sailing?” Rick asks suddenly. “I’d expect that you’d love it. The speed bubbling through your blood like champagne. The wind tearing at your clothes. Maybe you’re just the excuse I need. If you’re interested, we could take her out on Saturday and make a run over to Catalina Island.”

“I don’t know if I’ll still be here on Saturday.”

“Oh?” He shoots a sharp look in my direction. “You expect to have Baktar in your pocket by then?”

“Perhaps. In any case, I have meetings in Geneva in the middle of next week that I have to prepare for. You’re not my only business, you know. In fact, you’re just a minor distraction.”

I sound testy and annoyed. Rick laughs. “Lighten up, Ruby. You’re much less attractive when you’re bitchy.” A blush races across my cheeks. There’s nothing I can say.

“Anyway, we can see about the sailing trip. The reason I’m came down was to ask if you wanted to come with me to Burbank, to my plant, this afternoon. I thought that you might find it interesting to see our operation.”

I’m both terrified and drawn to the notion: sitting beside him in the car, spending the afternoon together. “I had suggested to Margaret that she and I go walking on the beach this afternoon.” My voice has the tiniest quaver at the mention of my assistant.

Rick’s grin grows broader. “I’m sure that Margaret can amuse herself while we’re gone. Besides, we’ll probably be back well before sundown. You can take your walk then.”

I am tempted to take him up on his offer. I am curious about his company, naturally. After all, he might become a client if I succeed in buying the fab. And though it is agony to be in his presence, it’s a rather pleasant agony.

“If I go with you, do you promise not to try any of your tricks?”

He looks at me with well-feigned innocence. “Tricks? What do you mean?”

“You know very well what I mean. This is a business trip and you are a business associate. That’s all. That’s the way I want it.”

He searches my face, thoughtfully. “Is that really what you want, Ruby? Well, whatever you say. But if I make this promise, you have to promise something in return.”

My heart is pounding. What will he ask of me? “Yes, what is that?”

“Promise me you’ll stop being so suspicious. That you’ll trust me, or at least give me the benefit of the doubt.”

I laugh at his earnestness. “I’ll give it a try. But you’ll have to prove yourself worthy of my trust.”

“It’s a deal,” he says with a smile. “Let’s shake on it.” When his palm presses mine, the flames rise again. My vision blurs, my head swims. His presence is like a drug. I wonder, for the millionth time, what are the real terms of my bargain with Rick Martell.

Buy Links (Ebook)

Kinky Literature

https://www.kinkyliterature.com/book/6188-the-heart-of-the-deal-business-bondage-discipline-and-desire/

Amazon US

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07SJY8PTC

Amazon UK

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07SJY8PTC

Smashwords

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/942426

Barnes and Noble

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-heart-of-the-deal-lisabet-sarai/1131920310?ean=2940163239221

Kobo

https://www.kobo.com/th/en/ebook/the-heart-of-the-deal-business-bondage-discipline-and-desire

Apple Books

https://books.apple.com/us/book/x/id1466637147

Add on Goodreads

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/46258845-the-heart-of-the-deal

Audio Book

https://www.amazon.com/Heart-Deal-Business-Bondage-Discipline/dp/B08RLY6YBN

https://www.audible.com/pd/The-Heart-of-the-Deal-Audiobook/B08RLT7GQK

I hope you’ll visit all the other authors participating in today’s Book Hooks!

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Review Tuesday: After Midnight by Trevann Rogers -- #LGBTQ #ParanormalRomance #ReviewTuesday

After Midnight by Trevann Rogers

Lam Publishing, 2023

Everyone knows about vampires, right? They’re ancient, fabulously powerful, wealthy and sophisticated, dark and brooding, irresistibly seductive. Not to mention almost always straight.

Trevann Rogers crushes those tired clichés in her urban fantasy After Midnight. Though both Ria and Jewell are vampires, they’re just getting by, living in a cramped apartment furnished with cast-offs and thrift store finds. Jewell has just finished university; Ria’s working, but she’s not much older. Both have parent problems, seriously exacerbated by the fact that they’re lesbian partners. Their committed relationship is complicated by their mutual love for Cheyenne, a charismatic, free-spirited rock musician who happens to be an incubus.

Vampires and incubi are traditional rivals. They’re definitely not supposed to fraternize. But love—and desire—transcend the conventional boundaries. Jewell, Ria and Chey aren’t bothering anyone. They just want to be free to love on their own terms.

Other members of the supernatural community aren’t going to let that happen.

I loved the characters and the premise of After Midnight. Anyone who reads my own books will know that I’m a huge fan of polyamory. Trevann Rogers does a spectacular job portraying the intense yet playful erotic interactions among her protagonists. They’re very different from one another. Jewell is the hippie earth-mother type, casual and sensual. Ria’s a dominant, high-energy, high-fashion beauty with a streak of snark a mile wide. Cheyenne’s laid back, self-confident, more powerful than either of the women but delightfully unassuming. I’d love to know more about their back story, how they came together to form their deliciously transgressive triangle.

In addition to the main arc of the story (which I’ll not describe in order to avoid spoilers), the author provides lots of entertaining detail on what it means to be a vampire in her fictional world. Ria and Jewell need blood to survive, but they also eat normal human food. There’s one scene involving a BLT that made my mouth water! Like traditional undead, they are inert and unconscious during the day, alive and active at night. These gals, at least, love to party into the wee hours. There are no graveyards or coffins in evidence; they seem to experience their daytime stupor in their own beds. There’s also no suggestion that Ria or Jewell came into existence through being turned, as they both refer to their parents.

My main complaint about After Midnight was its length. The novella whet my appetite but didn’t completely satisfy it. I wanted more: more drama, more danger, more magic, and yes, more sex. I probably should get a copy of The House of the Rising Son, a novel-length story in the same universe that centers around Cheyenne. I’m a bit confused because it’s listed as Book 1 in the series, with After Midnight as Book 2 but billed as a prequel.

Oh well. Muses can be messy and things don’t always make sense.

Original and arousing, After Midnight breaks the tired rules of vampire romance with gleeful aplomb. Exactly the kind of book I love.

Sizzling Sunday: Pushing the limits of lust and love -- #Erotica #Romance #SizzlingSunday

Happy Sunday!

On Wednesdays when I participate in the Marketing for Romance Writers Book Hooks hop, I have to keep my excerpts rated PG. (Sometimes that’s a bit hard to do!) For my Sizzling Sunday feature, though, I can pull out all stops.

Still, my excerpt today, from More Brides in Vegas, is pretty romantic as well as red hot.

Enjoy!

Blurb

Tying the knot — with no strings attached!

Who can resist love at first sight? The minute Ted saw Annie shedding her clothes on stage at The Fox’s Den, he fell head over heels for the petite, busty redhead. She had to make the first move, though, dragging him into an impromptu orgy in the Den’s VIP suite, along with technically-virgin bride Francesca, secret slut Laura, and hot black mama Chantal.

Now Annie and Ted are getting married, and they’ve invited all their friends from that wild Amateur Night to the party. Taking over a vintage eighties motel with a courtyard and pool for their private function, the bride and groom expect a certain amount of carnal excess. Still, nobody’s prepared for the sexual free-for-all that breaks loose, involving not only the gals from the Den but also Annie’s rock star brother, Ted’s MILF mother, Chantal’s new slave girl, a lascivious hippie couple, a susceptible priest, the butch hotel manager, and an entire Scottish rugby team. As the wedding guests act out their secret fantasies, they push the limits of both lust and love. Finally arriving at the altar, after an exhausting, arousing twenty four hours, Annie and Ted realize that tying the knot doesn’t have to mean tying themselves down.

Excerpt – Rated X

Back in the kitchen/dining area of the ground floor “honeymoon” suite, she checked her phone. Almost five. She hoped Ted would be back soon. She’d told the other guests—a few very select friends—that the party would start at seven thirty. They still had to fire up the grill, set up the buffet and the bar, and install the rented speakers. Plus she wanted to shower and change into the special outfit she’d chosen for what was, quite frankly, their stag party.

She flipped to the note-taking app to check her list. Was there anything she’d forgotten? She’d already called the florist to confirm the next morning’s delivery. The caterer, too. Father Fred had said he’d drop by this afternoon for a last minute consultation about the ceremony. Hopefully he’d be here shortly. It wouldn’t do to have him arrive during the party, which she expected would not really be priest-appropriate!

Quite a few out-of-town guests were expected to arrive on flights tomorrow morning. The motel had made their van available for airport pickups as a complimentary service. Well, she was bringing them a nice piece of business. She didn’t imagine the rather age-worn Holiday House hosted all that many weddings these days.

Bent over her phone and concentrating on her list, she was startled when a pair of strong arms slid around her waist and a warm mouth nuzzled her ear.

“How’s my beautiful bride?” Ted licked his way down the side of her neck, making her shiver, then turned her head so he could plant a kiss on her mouth.

“Much better, now that the groom is back!” She melted into his arms, offering him a more convenient angle. Ted kissed like an angel. For long moments, Annie dwelt in heaven.

“Everything go all right?” she asked, when he finally released her.

“Like clockwork, except that I missed you.” Ted palmed her breasts through her thin top, his thumbs circling her nipples. Her nubs snapped to attention. Pushing the shirt up to her armpits, he bent to suckle the tender buds, making them harder still. He dragged her hand to his bulging crotch. “See? I need to be inside you, Annie-belle. Right now.”

“We don’t have time, baby,” she protested, even as he shimmied her shorts down her shapely legs. “The guests—”

“Are coming for our wedding, Annie.” He hoisted her up so she was sitting on the dining table and spread her thighs. “This weekend is about us. Our love. Everything else comes second.” Leaning in, he took a lungful of her musky scent. “You’re turned on, don’t pretend you’re not. You want me.”

“Of course I want you—oh!” Her fiancé’s tongue left a trail of fire as he swept it through her folds. “Oh, god, that feel’s so good! Oh, Ted…!” Her lover burrowed deeper into her snatch, licking and biting, driving her crazy. “Ted—the glass doors—anyone could be watching!”

“Let ‘em watch,” he replied, tearing open his fly to release his pulsing erection. Positioning himself in the V of her legs, he drove his cock into her juicy cunt in one smooth, glorious motion.

Annie sighed with bliss as he stretched her wide. He felt incredible. No slow starts for her Ted. Right away he was pounding her pussy like a jackhammer, with a force that made her toes curl. Resting on her elbows, she opened herself to his fierce thrusts.

God, she loved the way he fucked her! She remembered the first time, in the VIP quarters at The Fox’s Den. She’d wanted him the minute she stepped onto the stage and saw him seated at the edge, his eyes following her every move. Sure, she had entered the Amateur Night contest hoping to win one of the generous prizes, to help cover her university tuition, but once Ted appeared, he was all she thought about. She’d danced for him only, to seduce him, to win him. She could see he was shy and a bit nerdy, with his glasses, clean-shaven cheeks and neatly clipped hair. Well, Annie knew how to get a guy hot. In her debut performance as a stripper, she’d used every trick she could think of.

Not that Ted really needed encouragement, once they were alone. He’d plunged his fine cock deep into her hungry cunt and ravaged her just the way she liked. Even when it turned out they weren’t exactly alone—Franny and Jake, Laura and Steve, Chantal and Foxy, even fusty old Aunt Giulia had ended up in carnal clinches in the VIP suite that crazy night—Ted hadn’t stopped fucking her until she’d climaxed four times. Only then did he roar and fill her with his cum.

A true gentleman, her Ted. With a very talented cock.

Find all the buy links on my website: https://www.lisabetsarai.com/morebridesinvegasbook.html

Muse versus Market - #Inspiration #AmWriting

 Image by Julius H. from Pixabay

As sometimes happens, I woke from a vivid dream with an idea for a new story. Consumed with excitement, I grabbed the notebook I keep on the shelf in my headboard and scribbled down a synopsis, in the dark. When the next day dawned, I was delighted to find that (a) I could actually read my notes, and (b) the story premise still struck me as really promising.

I’ve been wondering what project I should tackle next. This new concept—a scifi tale that resonates with a lot of contemporary issues—really got my mental wheels turning. Though the dream was little more than a single scene, with hints of a back story, I could see how to expand it, and how to focus its harrowing emotional intensity. Tragically romantic—intellectually challenging—distinctly different—the idea really sank its claws into my psyche.

Then I realized that although what I’d envisioned was a love story, it definitely did not have a happy ending. So if I wrote and published it, I couldn’t sell it as romance. And at this point in my publishing career, romance is what I know how to promote. The readers on my 300-odd mailing list, the daily visitors to my blog, the people who enter my giveaways, are almost all readers of romance. They crave an ending where the characters ultimately get what they want, not a finale where the hero dies. Yet that’s the natural way my dream would play out, if I spun a story from it.

Could I make it into a romance with a HEA? Probably, though finding a believable solution to the hero’s impending demise would take significant creativity. As a romance, I suspect this would sell, at least among the readers who have come to appreciate my unconventional approach to romance tropes. Did I want to turn this notion into a happily ending tale, though? Wasn’t that a betrayal of my midnight vision?

I could always keep the original ending and market the book as erotica, of course. Although the thematic core of the tale is not primarily about sex, I expect it to contain a significant amount of carnal activity, since the hero is a prostitute. Even erotica readers tend to shy away from dark endings, though. They might not require the characters to make a commitment, but they like it when everyone ends up satisfied. Heartbreak, injustice, terror—these aren’t favorite topics in erotica.

In any case, I don’t know how to market erotica these days, at least not stuff that would probably be more literary than smutty. Who would even look at it?

What about turning the dream into mainstream fiction? Tragic endings are always welcome in literature. Or genre science fiction? But then what would I do about the sex? Play it down? Leave it out? I’d probably need to create a new pseudonym, too, to avoid being tarred with the opprobrium of also writing “porn”. I’d be starting from scratch, in an environment about which I know very little, at least as an author.

Let me be clear. I don’t make my living from my writing. Heaven forbid. I don’t write primarily for the money. On the other hand, I have very limited time to write, so I try to produce books that I think people will actually read. That’s the payoff, for me—emails like the one I received a few weeks ago, from a guy who absolutely loved Rajasthani Moon, or gushing reviews I’ve received for The Gazillionaire and the Virgin. I write to be read. So I don’t want to put effort into creating something that will go over like a lead balloon.

It’s a dilemma. Do I follow my muse down a barely-trodden path, or divert her onto a more well-traveled highway? I go back and forth about this. Is it principled or foolish to stick to my original notions? Or maybe a bit of both?

A lot of authors read this blog, so I’ll ask: what would you do? Which would you choose, the muse or the market?

Now she’s everyone’s target – #UrbanNoir #EroticSuspense #MFRWHooks

Welcome to this week’s edition of the MFRW Book Hooks blog hop. Today I’m going way back in time, to one of my earliest novels, Exposure. Although the book has romantic elements, I’d categorize it more as erotic suspense.

Exposure features one of my more unusual heroines. Stella Xanathakeos is an exotic dancer with working class roots who has brains and guts as well as beauty. The novel’s set in Pittsburgh, a distinctive, multi-ethnic city where I spent some of the happiest years of my life.

If you’re looking for something a bit different – give this one a try!

Blurb

Sex, blood and betrayal: it's all in a day's work.

I strip for the fun of it. Don’t let anyone tell you different. It’s not the money. I could make nearly as much working at the mill and keep my clothes on, but then I’d have to suck up to the bosses. Up on stage, I’m the one in charge, and I like it that way.

Tony Pinelli hired me for a private dance. I was determined to give him his money’s worth. I didn’t expect to be caught in the cross-fire of a double murder. When his widow shows up at my door, I know I’m in way over my head. Now I’m everyone’s target. I can’t trust anyone – not even the police detective who was sweet on me in high school. My only chance at survival is to shift through the lies and expose the truth.

The Hook

My next stop is the Fourth Precinct police station. It’s not in my neighborhood, and it’s not near the Hyatt, but I know someone there. I limp in, trying to look dignified, and ask for Detective James Ostermann. The huge grin that lights up his face when he sees me makes me feel better than I have all day.

“Stella! What a treat!” He pumps my hand with boyish enthusiasm. “What have I done to deserve this honor?”

Jimmy and I went to school together. There’s always been some kind of sexual tension between us, though we never did anything about it. He was one of the few guys who respected me, who didn’t try to get into my pants. Last time I saw him, at our fifth reunion, he had just been promoted from beat cop to detective. Then just six months ago I read an article in the paper about him heading up a new task force against organized crime. That’s how I knew where to find him.

“Hello, Jimmy.” I return his smile. “I wish I could tell you that this was just a social call, but in fact I’ve got something pretty serious to discuss with you. Can we talk in private?”

“Always a pleasure,” he teases, but his face takes on a professional expression as he leads me into his office. “Bill, would you mind taking a walk?” he asks his partner, a hefty black man that I haven’t met before.

“Sure, Jim, no problem. Give a yell if you need me.”

Jimmy closes the door and seats himself behind his desk. I sit across from my old friend. There’s a newspaper on the surface between us, the headlines screaming about the double gangland murder that claimed the mayoral candidate and his aide. Jimmy notices my glance.

“Hear about what happened to Tony Pinelli?”

I nod and swallow my nervousness. “Yeah. I was there.”

“What?”

“That’s right. There at the Hyatt, Room 422, last night around eight forty-five.”

He looks grim as I relate my tale. Shakes his head when I describe Mr. Clean’s attack and Tony’s reaction. I don’t tell him my theory, though, about me being the target. I’ve got no evidence, and anyway, this morning it seems kind of crazy.

“So you didn’t see anyone else, other than Pinelli and Henderson?”

“No—though I guess there might have been somebody else in the bedroom of the suite. It had a separate door out to the hall.”

“How long after the shooting was it that you checked the bedroom?”

“I’m not sure. I was kind of in shock. Five minutes. Maybe ten.”

“Was the dead bolt on that bedroom door thrown?”

“I didn’t notice. I don’t know. I could hardly think straight.”

“And the corridor was empty when you left?”

“I think so. I was in a hurry to get out.”

My voice stays calm through my original story, but now, being grilled, I’m trembling. His questions bring it all back, all the fear and the blood.

“Did you go out the front door of the hotel?”

“Yeah.”

“And how’d you get home?”

“I took a cab...” My voice is shaking. “Look, this is really hard for me. I’ve told you what I know. If I think of any other details, I’ll call you.”

Jimmy looks up from his notepad. He suddenly sees how upset I am.

“Jeez, I’m sorry, Stella. Just doing my job. I get carried away.”

“That’s okay. It’s just—I really don’t like to think about it.”

Jimmy comes around to my side of the desk. “I’m so sorry. God, Stella, it must have been horrible.” He gives me a brotherly hug.

His strength feels wonderful. I relax a little and let him soothe me.

He strokes my hair back from my face, murmuring nonsense into my ear. “Poor girl, I’m so glad that you came to me. I’m sorry to be such a dolt. If there’s anything I can do...” Nothing has changed, but for a moment it seems as though the weight of the world has been lifted from my shoulders.

 

Find the buy links and another excerpt at https://www.lisabetsarai.com/exposurebook.html

Be sure to visit the other authors participating in today’s Book Hooks!

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Ours... always. #ContemporaryRomance #WhyChoose #Giveaway

Blurb

Adam:

Men like me don’t get happy endings.

When my demons talk to me, I talk back.

I heeded their call when they demanded my parents’ death.

I even listened when they ordered my own.

And they nearly won.

Until her.

One night changed my life. Then I lost it all. I lost her.

Now, I’ll do anything to get my sunshine back.

But can a sinner like me be willing to share after learning I’m not the only one craving her light?

Jordyn:

When a man shows you his red flags, run.

But running from Adam is easier said than done.

When he re-enters my life, my world implodes with the secrets he’s keeping.

Can I forgive him and learn to live in his shadows? To be the light he thinks I am?

Or will his darkness consume me?

Abel:

Witnessing your twin nearly die, hardens something in you.

I’ll do whatever it takes to keep Adam breathing.

As kids, he’d protected me, even though that was my job as the older brother.

Now, it’s my turn to protect him.

You can run little sunshine, but you won’t get far.

If Jordyn’s what my brother needs to keep his demons at bay, then I’ll claim her for us.

She’ll be ours, always.

Excerpt

I hum a tune under my breath, slightly dancing in place as I move forward in the line, wiggling my body back and forth.

Caffeine makes me happy.

And I enjoy the excuse to get out of the house, to feel like an actual human being instead of a robot answering calls and dealing with insurance prior authorization claims—my work-from-home job. It pays decently, but I still pinch pennies, and these little treats are worth every dime.

For mental health.

Nodding to myself in agreement, I smile when it’s my turn at the counter, spitting out my order by memory alone without needing to look at the menu. I’m reaching down for my purse when a familiar pair of tattooed fingers enter my line of sight, tapping a card to the terminal before I’ve a chance to grasp my wallet.

Whirling around, I gape up at Adam, soaking in the sharp angles of his face, piercing aqua eyes, and aristocratic nose. Metal glints in the light, a piercing on the edge of his bottom lip and three hoops through the upper helix of his left ear, leaving the right undecorated.

I’ve missed him so much I could kiss him.

I don’t, though, blinking and taking a step back upon realizing we’re holding up the line.

He places a hand on my hip, guiding me away from the counter to the area where completed orders get placed. Stunned, I let him.

“W-what are you doing here?” I mumble then mentally say fuck it, reaching a hand out to grasp his bicep.

About the Author

Mae K. Knight is a self-published author based in Louisiana, who enjoys writing “trauma boys” as her readers coined them, BIPOC FMCs that look like her and fast, smutty stories that leave you craving for more. When not writing, she’s reading monster romances penned by her fellow indie authors, studying for her nursing degree, or lifting heavy weights in the gym to feel like a bad bitch on a competition platform.

If you want to read more of her work, check out her website: https://maeknight.carrd.co/, buy signed paperbacks directly from her: https://mackandmae.shop/ or go directly to her Amazon page for her KU titles: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Mae-K.-Knight/author/B0D3674KWR.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61560507610143

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/49729390.Mae_K_Knight

Threads: https://www.threads.com/@maek.knight

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@maek_knight

Mae K. Knight will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner.

a Rafflecopter giveaway