Seasons of Seduction II (Projective Affairs, Book One)

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Excerpts From: ELLORA´S CAVEMEN: SEASONS OF SEDUCTION II

An Excerpt From: GILLIAN´S ISLAND

Copyright © LANI AAMES, 2007

All Rights Reserved, Ellora's Cave Publishing, Inc.

Somewhere in the Caribbean

Gillian Alford sat close to the fire that Brandt had built before Paige and Tony went for help. She watched his muscles ripple as he gathered driftwood along the stretch of beach. Besides being a gorgeous hunk with sun-streaked blond hair, ice-blue eyes and a body to die for, Brandt could light a fire...inside her as well as with wood and matches.

"Are you comfortable?" Brandt asked as he set the bundle within easy reach. He dropped down beside her and checked the strip of canvas he had tied around her sprained ankle as a makeshift bandage. A battered tarp and a few broken pieces of the boat were all of the flotsam and jetsam that had washed ashore after the storm. "Are you sure you aren´t in pain?"

"I´m fine, I promise." It was only a small lie to keep him from worrying. A sharp pain shot through her ankle occasionally, but as long as she didn´t move her leg too much, it happened less frequently. Otherwise, she had come through their harrowing ordeal unscathed.

It was a miracle any of them had survived.

But, she decided as worry wrinkled Brandt´s brow anyway, if she had to be stranded on a deserted island, she couldn´t have picked a better hunk to be alone with. Handsome, strong, capable-Brandt Powers was everything she´d ever dreamed of in a man. They had been dating over a year, and for Gillian, it had been the happiest year of her adult life. She had fallen wildly in love with him and believed he loved her, but neither had said the words yet.

Gillian was too afraid of breaking the spell, afraid voicing the words would somehow jinx their relationship. She didn´t know why Brandt hadn´t said them. Maybe he thought actions spoke louder than words, not realizing she needed to hear them anyway, even though his actions were always those of a loving, caring, giving man.

Unwilling to rock the boat-pardon the pun, considering their predicament-Gillian had allowed their relationship to remain unchanged. She wanted more, but didn´t know how to go about getting it without taking a chance of spoiling what she did have.

"I can´t believe it." Brandt put a few more sticks on the fire then settled by her side on the dried-out tarp they had spread out on the sand. He leaned against the dead log they used for a backrest. "The first real vacation we´ve taken together and this has to happen."

Gillian patted his arm. "Think of it as an adventure. We all came out of it okay. Tony lost his boat, but we all could have lost our lives. And Paige and Tony are on their way to the other side of the island to get help. In fact, they should be in Pearl City by now."

"If we´re on the island you think we are."

"I can´t be positive, but I think this is Pearl Island. I spent all my summers, until I was fifteen, fishing with my dad around the Pirate Keys."

Brandt frowned. "That was over ten years ago. You haven´t been back since."

"I know. That´s why I jumped at the chance when Paige and Tony invited us to spend a week cruising the Keys."

She touched the waterproof pouch, fastened securely around her waist, that had miraculously survived the storm, the capsizing of Tony´s cabin cruiser and her swim to shore. She had another reason to return to the Keys, but no one else knew about that, not even Brandt.

An Excerpt From: DEVON´S VIX

Copyright © REBECCA AIRIES, 2007

All Rights Reserved, Ellora's Cave Publishing, Inc.

The air rippled on the opposite side of the bed and then a familiar figure took shape in front of her. Blond, broad-shouldered and intimidating, Devon hadn´t changed since she´d last seen him. He was still a predator.

She´d dated the man and come close to sleeping with him. Something about him had drawn her the moment they´d met in the trendy bar. Even now, it was hard to keep her hands off him if she was near him.

He wasn´t pretty. His hard features, the deep brown of his eyes and his slightly bent nose didn´t lend themselves to sweet and cuddly or even handsome, but he oozed sex appeal.

Devon had a body made for fighting and sex. She loved his hard, corded muscles and the smooth glide of his walk, not to mention his gorgeous ass.

When she´d been with him, she´d thought that he was human. Her jaw had dropped when she´d seen him walk into Protectorate headquarters with two known vampires. Generally, vampires and the Protectorate worked together to catch the rogue vampires. It was just amazing she hadn´t seen him before that. She´d considered herself lucky to have found out there and not in bed.

She´d broken off the relationship that day. As much as she wanted him, she hadn´t been prepared to take the risk. She´d had too many secrets to keep. Secrets he now knew thanks to Steven´s panic.

"That´s why you stopped seeing me and started dating Joshua Ryland. You didn´t want to take the chance that I´d taste your blood and discover the truth." He cocked a golden eyebrow.

She shook her head, clearing it of the arousing image of his mouth at her neck. Dressed in a light gray t-shirt and blue jeans, he looked very casual. His stance belied that impression. Muscles tensed, his long legs braced to leap, he was ready for any move she made.

She gritted her teeth. Damn Steven-she´d told him that she´d be fine. She´d even agreed to stay in this hotel for a few days. Those fanatics hadn´t even wounded her.

"What I do is my business. Get the hell out of my room." She clenched her hands into her fists.

"You know better than that. It stopped being your business seven months ago. You know the law. You were required to report the discovery of your reaction to that bite to the Vampire Council." He stepped around the bed, his long stride carrying him across the room in a few steps.

That law sucked and she´d intentionally ignored it. The council had only one policy when it came to women going through the change-full conversion. She wasn´t about to give up her freedom because of a biological reaction to a bite. Luckily, compliance was basically the choice of the woman, because there were virtually no penalties that affected anyone but the female vix.

It had happened during a hunt for a vamp who´d left bloodless bodies behind him as he moved from city to city. She´d been cornered, bitten by the rogue vampire before the rest of the team arrived to help. Physically she´d been fine. She hadn´t lost much blood and the wound was minor. It had needed only field treatment. Two weeks after the bite, she´d gone to the unit medic for required after-bite tests.

She´d never been bitten before, but she didn´t expect the medic to find anything strange. Very few people could be changed into a vampire. Her world had shaken when she´d learned the results.

The blood test had been conclusive. She was changing. That one bite had begun altering her DNA.

An Excerpt From: WENDY´S SUMMER JOB

Copyright © CHARLOTTE BOYETT-COMPO, 2007

All Rights Reserved, Ellora's Cave Publishing, Inc.

Had the living god with an ass just dying to be groped not come out of the doorway across the street at that exact moment, Wendy wouldn´t have seen the Extraordinary Receptionist Wanted sign. As he´d walked past the sign, it had been his luscious butt that grabbed her attention first but her eyes had reluctantly snapped back from that delectable tush lovingly molded in black leather to the white sign with the red letters. Perking up, she looked down the street to watch him until he disappeared, then scrambled off the bench.

Paying no heed to what kind of business was seeking a receptionist she squeezed between two parked cars at the curb. With a couple of cars blasting their horns at her as she sprinted across the street-rolling like a ship under full sail with only one heel stabilizing her dash-she entered the establishment, chest heaving.

The man behind the counter looked up from the cash register, looked down at the drawer and then did a double take as she closed the door behind her. A slow grin stretched across his handsome face. "Can I help you?" he asked.

Wendy stared at him. He was absolutely mouthwatering-dark brown hair with a wayward curl dipping over his brow, green eyes, white teeth, dimples and a nicely muscled chest stretching his shirt.

"Ma´am?" he asked, one dark brow elevated.

She had to swallow before she could squeak out the one word, "Work."

His long-lashed eyes swept down her from head to waist-since the rest of her was blocked by the counter-and he shut the cash register drawer. "Looking for or wanting?" he inquired.

Without realizing she was doing it, Wendy put out her tongue and licked her lips. "Wanting," she said, her voice husky and inviting. "Boy, am I wanting."

Folding his arms over his brawny chest, he gave her a look that set her loins to throbbing. "What I meant was, do you want to work for us or do you want us to work for you?"

Thinking of all the things he could do for her, Wendy had to bite her lower lip, tucking it between her teeth, watching his eyes flare with interest. "Me working for you," she answered, and could feel her heart pounding, her blood rushing through her veins.

"Well, let´s go into the office and talk about it," he said.

Wendy watched him skirt the counter. In his dark blue mechanic´s pants, his ass was as luscious as the man she´d seen leaving earlier and looked hard enough to bounce a quarter off.

Wendy blinked. "Mechanic?" she heard herself say.

An Excerpt From: CHASING THE DRAGON

Copyright © MEGAN KERANS, 2007

All Rights Reserved, Ellora's Cave Publishing, Inc.

A tall man in red pants and a tunic appeared on the dock. "I am Yinlo. Follow me, Captain."

With no alternative, she fell in step. The air in the long, gray tunnels thickened with each turn. She ran her tongue along the suddenly moist roof of her mouth. The knowledge a thousand forms of bacteria had entered her lungs didn´t diminish the pleasant sensation.

Yinlo rounded a corner and pointed to a pair of enormous, black double doors carved with savage serpentine dragons. "If you harm Raj Cad, you will not leave Shilin alive." Promise burned in his hard, dark eyes.

Jade caught herself before she stepped back. Absolute devotion from employees was unknown. What did a man do to inspire such loyalty? She forced herself to relax. "I only wish to bargain."

Yinlo nodded. "The Dragon is waiting."

She flexed her fingers around the door´s heavy metal ring and pushed. The bottom edge squealed as wood scraped over stone.

She stepped inside the dark chamber. A trickle of sweat ran down her spine before her flightsuit vaporized the moisture. Sharp spicy smoke tinged with sweetness assaulted her nose. Had The Dragon been sampling his own crop?

As her eyes adjusted, the lengthy room came into focus. A long red-and-black floor pad led to a dais at the far end. Rounded lanterns threw small pools of golden light on colorful pillows in every shape and size. In their midst sat shiny, ornate urns, with eight thin hoses connected to a narrow pipe lying in the sculpted stone basin below.

"Curious."

She whirled at the deep, masculine voice from the opposite end of the chamber.

"Did you come for chui lung?"

"The only Dragon I´m chasing is you." She strained to see the man, but the soft light from behind the throne made him invisible.

The slide of a metal blade echoed in the dark.

Jade´s pulse quickened. "I´m here to talk. I mean you or your crops no harm."

A hard chuckle sent goose bumps over her skin.

"You wouldn´t succeed if you tried."

His arrogance reflected in his voice. Although he was right, she bristled. She strode down the aisle and stood at the smooth steps of the dais.

"While nothing would please me more than proving you wrong, it´s not why I´ve come."

"Are you certain nothing else would satisfy you?"

His delicious rough voice carried erotic promises that curled around her like smoke. Warmth bathed her skin. Her flightsuit adjusted its temperature. But instead of cooling, her body heat increased. Her suit must have a malfunction. "I´ve come to purchase a sizeable amount of Dragon´s Eyes seeds." She squinted into the darkness.

"No." The single word packed anger hotter than the blue flame of a comet´s tail.

"I haven´t made an offer." She struggled to keep her temper from her voice.

"You don´t have the funds."

Jade´s boots rapped against the marble steps. The hell if he´d dismissed her when thousands of lives were at stake. "How do you know?"

"Money can´t buy everything." Bitterness replaced his sexy tone.

"I´m not leaving." She no sooner took a second step forward than an enormous, fierce shadow shot toward her. She jumped backed.

"Men have died for annoying a warprince."

Over a head taller and twice as wide as her own soldiers, Raj Cad made an awe-inspiring sight. Shiny black fabric, the same shade as his long hair, covered his muscular body. Her breath caught. Power and virility surrounded him and neither was related to the wicked blade in his right hand.

"I am not a man," she said.

The flicker deep in his ice blue eyes told her he´d noticed.

An Excerpt From: VIKINGS PLEDGE

Copyright © MELANY LOGEN, 2007

All Rights Reserved, Ellora's Cave Publishing, Inc.

Raynor´s strides lengthened in anticipation of those who awaited his arrival.

Storr, his trusted friend, stayed in step with him as they made their way from the longship. Home. He´d been gone too long on this trip. He´d missed his young son, Advar. But most of all, he´d missed Mista, his thrall.

Her dark eyes had haunted him while he´d been gone.

He didn´t know what had urged him to purchase the girl those years ago, but he had missed the little slave. Mista had been too young to be worthy of jealousy, but still his wife, Snorra, had hated her. Nei. It had been more than hate. And he could no longer ignore his fault in the matter.

Since the moment of Advar´s birth, he hadn´t been able to get her out of his head. Snorra´s rejection of their son had compelled Mista to step in to care for Advar. From that moment, he hadn´t been able to keep his eyes from the little slave.

No matter he´d denied himself the pleasure of fucking her once she came of age-Snorra´s hate had grown with the girl.

He had never done anything but protect the little thrall.

His own mother had trained Mista when he´d brought her to his home. But she had feared him. Because Mista´s eyes twisted his heart, he had been easy with her. They had talked, he had taught her...and grown to cherish her. In many ways he had begun to neglect Snorra, built a relationship with Mista where he had failed to kindle one with his wife. And as the seasons changed, the slave had come to trust him.

His stride lengthened further, hoping her life had been easy in his absence. Swinging up, he mounted his steed with an eagerness that surprised even him.

They were quiet as they traveled, giving him the time to wonder at the changes in Advar...and Mista.

Advar, only an infant when he had left, would be walking now, speaking some words. Mista had returned from his parents´ home as a woman when his wife birthed Advar. His cock stirred to life. Every night while away, he had lain in his berth and remembered her smiling mouth, her dark eyes and the soft curves of her body.

Odin, he had enjoyed looking upon her beauty.

Storr took Raynor´s mount once they reached the farmstead.

"How fare those within?" Raynor asked, his chest tight, his legs suddenly leaden on the path. It had been little more than a long season since he had left, and still the memory of her filled him with lust. In a moment, the memory would be real, touchable.

"All are well. You have a fine son. Mista seems to be-"

Raynor turned sharply. "What? She is well?"

Storr averted his gaze. "She is well. Only quiet. Gymir...while you were away..."

"What! The bastard what?" His fists balled, nails biting into his flesh. "Did he bed her?"

Storr moved to his side, clasping his shoulder. "The girl is fine. I stopped him in time. He´d tossed her skirts up, but he didn´t stick her." He sighed, stepping back. "You´ve spoiled her rotten. She fought like a wildcat. I protected her when I could, as I promised you."

Raynor grunted. Good. He´d hope she´d fight if she didn´t want to fuck. Most other thralls, male or female, would bend over for a price. "My thanks."

Storr nodded. "She´s slept in your chamber while you were away as you requested."

His cock stirred to life.

"The other thralls talk behind her back. Say she´s bewitched you." Storr glanced away. "I don´t understand. You´ve kept her in your chamber for many snows and not taken her."

An Excerpt From: TAKING IT ALL

Copyright © CHEYENNE MCCRAY, 2007

All Rights Reserved, Ellora's Cave Publishing, Inc.

God, but she had to get a life.

Lisa Peterson slammed the door of her plain vanilla two-door car that went along with her plain, vanilla two-door life.

Door one, work. Door two, home alone.

She gripped the steering wheel in both hands, leaned back against the seat and tilted her head to look at the car´s faded interior.

When did her life get so boring?

"More like, `When has it ever been interesting´?" she grumbled as she lowered her head and looked at the nondescript, gray stone bank building she worked in as a teller. It was a warm Arizona early evening-she was one of the last to go home, always staying a little later to close up.

Boring, boring, boring.

Another day at work. Another lonely Friday night to head home to an empty apartment where she couldn´t even have a cat or a dog to greet her. "Maybe I should get a bird. Or a goldfish. Yeah, that would be real interesting."

Not.

She could just see herself now having long, meaningful conversations with a goldfish.

Lisa put in so many hours at the bank that she didn´t have time to see any of her old girlfriends very often. Besides, they were all married and rarely had time to go out. They had lives.

Yeah. She definitely needed to get one of those.

Grinding her teeth, she jammed her keys into the ignition and started the car. After a couple of chugs it thrummed to life, sounding like someone gargling through a bullhorn. Time for a visit to the local mechanic to get ripped off once again.

She gave a frustrated huff, threw the car into reverse, pressed her foot on the gas pedal and backed out of her parking spot-

And saw the man in her rearview mirror too late.

The car´s bumper struck the man from his side as she slammed on her brakes. One second he was in her mirror, the next second he wasn´t.

"Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit!" Lisa´s hands shook as she put the car into park, turned off the engine and fumbled for the door handle. Her heart raced as she flung the door open and stepped out of her car, almost tripping in her high heels. "I´m so sorry," she said as she hurried to the man who was pushing himself up from the ground.

His back was to her, and if she wasn´t so worried about him being hurt, she probably would have taken a better look at his powerful back and taut ass. His shirtsleeves were rolled up to his thick biceps and his muscles flexed as he got to his feet.

"Are you okay?" Lisa said as soon as she reached him. "Do you want me to call an ambulance? Take you to the hospital?"

The big man slowly turned to face her and her breath caught in her throat. Such incredible green eyes met her gaze that for a moment she lost the ability to speak. Clearly. In complete, understandable sentences.

"Uh... I´m... Please forgive... I´m... Uh... Sorry." Her face flamed as he cocked a brow and looked down at her.

And what a sexy brow it was. Dark brown like his ruffled hair that was cut short at the sides and only slightly longer on top. It had gold highlights from being out in the sun, which was obvious from the tanned skin she could see on his bare arms and face. His features were well defined and he was entirely too handsome.

Shit. She´d almost killed the Marlboro man.