Hey, y'all!
Even though it's always warm here in Hot MAMA Land, some places aren't so fortunate. As November wears on, and fall becomes crisper as winter creeps up, we're all looking for a way to stay warm. Curling up by the fireplace with cup of hot tea- our favorite fuzzy socks, and a good book. What could be more lovely?
I'll tell you. If the book can raise your body temperature all the more, that's what could be better! Turn down the thermostat, pick up a hot book, and save yourself some money, honey!
In need of a hot book? I humbly submit my Christmas themed erotic romance, Seducing Sheri, for your consideration.
One beta reader commented: "The heat between them was so hot, they were roasting chestnuts just by standing close to each other!"
Want a little taste? Read the excerpt below:
As her late model sedan breezed down NC
421, Sheridan Cole let her eyes scan the horizon ahead. She
could feel the exhaustion setting in, so she blinked her eyes several
times to push away the bleariness, then turned the dial on the
console to turn the heat down. The digital thermometer in the dash
displayed a chilly 38 degrees, typical for December in North
Carolina. She knew if she kept the heat blasting, she'd fall asleep
for sure.
It was Saturday evening, and outside the warm cocoon of her car, only
a few other vehicles occupied the road. She'd chosen to leave her
place just outside of Philly on Friday, planning her trip so she
could spend the last leg in a traffic lull. She'd traveled I-95
south, then caught I-85 going west to get her to this point. After
what she'd dealt with while driving in the city, and on the
interstate highways today, she needed this break from bumper to
bumper gridlock.
On the right side of the road, she glanced at the green and white
road signs directing her journey. She didn't make this trip very
often, and she didn't want to miss her exit. She'd only come home one
previous Christmas, and that had been just after college, three years
ago.
Her mother, Clara, was constantly asking her why she didn't come home
more often. She'd been honest with her mother- Evelyn Yancey, her
boss at the CPA firm, worked them extra hard around Christmas to
prepare for the coming tax season. Most years, she was simply too
exhausted to make the trip. Her mother hadn't seemed satisfied with
the answer, but it was the truth. Mercifully, this year, her boss had
taken a rare vacation, freeing everyone in the office to actually
celebrate the holidays instead of slaving away at their desks.
This was one hell of a long drive. She ran a hand over her
eyes, and reached for her now tepid coffee. Taking a sip, she
continued to look for the sign that would direct her back to her tiny
hometown.
Finally, the sign she was looking for came into view. NC 62- Climax
Creek. Pressing down on the turn signal lever, she moved into the
right lane, and took the appropriate exit.
The setting sun dipped low behind the clouds in the overcast sky as
she drove through the town center. Through her tired, droopy eyes,
she could see that not much had changed since she'd last visited.
Most of the businesses were closed, but all of them were decked out
in holiday finery. Fresh spruce wreaths, finished with red velvet
ribbons, hung on the doors of every shop and store. The town's lit
wreaths hung from every light post.
Climax Creek had two gas stations, a BP and a Kangaroo. There was a
small Guilford County library branch, along with a couple of fast
food places and a Walgreen’s. The town hall occupied a small
sloping piece of land inside a traffic circle, and off the main road,
there were at least four churches of different denominations. As she
drove around the traffic circle, she groaned. They'd put the infernal
thing in when she was in high school, and she'd always hated it.
Aside from that, there wasn't enough traffic in Climax Creek to
warrant a circle- the whole town had less than 1600 people. At least
the trip around the circle let her get a good look at the town's
Christmas tree. It was beautiful this year, with all white lights and
ornaments of silver and gold.
She spotted Cool Beans, the local coffee shop that had been on Climax
Road since she was knee high to a piano bench. Across the street she
could see the florist shop, owned by Minnie Hughes, mother of her
best friend and high school classmate, Carlotta.
When she passed Dunn's Grocery, she cringed. She knew the Dunn family
well- especially the oldest son, Nick. Every time she passed the
place, she thought about the same two things: the rivalry between the
Coles and the Dunns, and how drop-dead sexy Nick was. She pushed the
thoughts away. Right now, all she wanted was to get home to a warm
bed.
Her eyelids dipped again, this time coming dangerously close to
shutting completely. Shaking her head vigorously to fend off the
sleepiness, she made a quick maneuver, turning left off the main road
and into the parking lot of Cool Beans. If she was going to make it
home safely, she had to stop in for a pick-me-up. The cold coffee in
her travel mug just wasn't going to do.
Slipping the car into an empty spot, she cut the engine and got out.
There were only four other cars in the lot, so she knew it would be
pretty easy to get in, grab herself a dark roast, and get back on the
road before her mom started calling her cell phone. Clara hadn't been
crazy about her taking the long drive alone, but it was two days
before Christmas. She didn't want to be anywhere near Philadelphia
International Airport in the middle of the holiday travel madness.
The air held a biting chill, but the aroma of the coffee wafting from
the shop brought a smile to her lips. Nothing could warm the bones
like a good strong brew, and Paulina Gray, owner of Cool Beans, could
brew with the best of them.
With her purse in hand, and her cell phone tucked into the hip pocket
of her jeans, she pushed through the door into the warmth of the
coffee shop.
Inhaling the heady aroma of the freshly ground beans and brewing
coffee, she stepped forward toward the counter.
A man stood there, his back to her, fiddling with his cell phone. She
assumed he was waiting on his drink, so she hung back a bit to let
him have his personal space.
Paulina flitted over with a steaming cup in her hand, the
ever-present smile lighting her face. "Here you go, Nick. Have a
good evening, darlin'."
Hearing that name, her heart stopped. Surely she didn't mean that
Nick. Over her now racing heartbeat, she sent up a silent prayer that
another Nick, any Nick, had moved to town since she'd been away, and
had endeared himself to Paulina enough for her to call him by a pet
name.
The man took the offered cup. "Thanks, Lina."
Her heart dropped straight to the soles of her leather boots. She
knew that voice.
He turned around fully, his cup in hand. As soon as he saw her, that
sexy smile broke out over his full lips. "Sheri? When did you
get back in town?" As he spoke, she watched the way his eyes
moved over her body like a caress.
And just like that, her plans for a quick trip home for the holiday
flew out the window like a bird escaping a cage.
***
Eying Sheridan Cole, Nick was suddenly very glad he'd stayed later
than he intended to grab a hot chocolate. He'd spent the last hour or
two sitting in the shop with his younger brother, Dalton. They'd been
discussing possible courses of action to take now that Purcell Foods,
Incorporated was chomping at the bit to buy out his family's grocery
store. He and his brother acted as manager and assistant manager,
respectively, and the surprise offer on the store had put quite a
damper on their holiday. No one in the entire Dunn family seemed to
agree on what to do about the offer. As the eldest child, and
designated voice of reason, his stress levels had been high for the
last two weeks from to get everyone to a consensus.
But now, looking at this tasty morsel of femininity that fate had
seen fit to drop in front of him, he thought his Christmas spirit
might be returning in full force. Wearing a pair of skin tight, dark
denim jeans and an emerald green sweater beneath a black leather
jacket, she looked like the best gift he could ever hope to unwrap.
The clothes clung to her in every place they should, showing off the
womanly curves she'd acquired. They'd known each other since
childhood, but now, she was all woman and looked every bit the part.
She'd come a long way from the math genius in glasses he'd known in
high school, and even from the recent college graduate he'd seen on
her last visit. He watched her stand there, trembling like a
chihuahua in a freezer, and waited for her to answer his question.
"I...uh....just got in. Decided to stop off for something warm
on the way home." Her hand went to the straight, dark locks of
her hair, hanging over her shoulders, and she twirled a few strands
around her fingertips. Watching her do that just made him want to run
his hand through the silken tresses.
He smiled, reaching out for her hand with his free one. "Welcome
home. It's so good to see you. How long has it been...three, four
years?" Her hand was shaky as he captured it in his larger one.
She nodded. "About that long, yeah." As if she realized she
was playing in her hair, she stuffed the offending hand into her
jacket pocket. Still gazing at him, those chocolate eyes wide, she
asked, "How have you been?"
"Good, good." He took a sip from the cup of cocoa, through
the tiny hole in the plastic lid. It was scorching hot, but somehow
not as hot as Sheri. "Still managing the store. How about you?"
Her gaze flickered, dropped for a moment. "Still working at the
firm."
"Well, you look fantastic. Whatever you're doing up in
Pennsylvania is obviously working for you." He lifted her hand
up to his lips, and kissed it.
"Ah."
The sound that slipped from her mouth may not have been intentional,
but it was audible. He heard her sigh, loud and clear. Hearing her
utter that throaty, pleasure filled sound made his pants feel about
two sizes too small in the crotch. At this point, he had two options.
He could either go stand in the corner, cross his legs, and think
about last year's ski trip to Aspen, or he could invite her home with
him. Right away, he knew which one he preferred, although, it would
be quite a feat to drive in his current condition.
Paulina cleared her throat, and they both turned in her direction.
"Don't hog Sheridan, Nick. Come on over here and tell me how
you've been doing, girl!"
Releasing a long breath, Sheri excused herself and went to the
counter to converse with Paulina. He watched her round hips swaying
from side to side, then moved to a nearby table and sat down,
covering his lap with his trench coat before he embarrassed himself.
He sat there and waited for the two women to finish their
conversation, all the while wondering what Sheri would say when he
asked her to come home with him. They were well acquainted, so she
probably wouldn't slap him in the face, but he knew what he was about
to do was still more than a little forward. Back in high school, she
completely ignored him, preferring to spend time with her math books
over dating. He hoped to God she'd changed her mind, because what was
throbbing between his legs told him that if he didn't have her, he'd
never get to sleep.
He waited what seemed like hours for her to finish chatting with
Paulina and order her drink, while he shifted back and forth on the
hard wooden seat. There just wasn't any comfortable way to sit in a
chair like that when he was so damn hard. Finally, mercifully, she
got her drink and turned back in his direction. "I was on my way
home, so I guess I'd better get back on the road."
He stood, careful to close his coat as he did. Rather than announce
his intentions now, and risk getting shot down in front of the
gossiping Paulina, he offered his arm. "Let me walk you to your
car."
She gave him a small smile, linked arms with him, and he pressed the
door open with his elbow so they could step out into the cold night
air.
Outside, they walked toward her dark blue sedan. He watched her face,
and the way she seemed to be avoiding making eye contact. When she
made a move to slip her arm out of his, he stayed her.
She looked up at him with those doe eyes. "What is it, Nick?"
He sat his cup on the roof of her car, then took hers and did the
same. With both hands free, he cupped her face in his hands. "Sheri,
why don't you come to my place?"
The long lashes fluttered. "I...didn't I just say I was on the
way home?"
"You did." He dipped his head low, and placed a soft kiss
on her lips.
The same sound she'd made earlier, when he'd touched her hand,
slipped out again.
She stepped back, pressed a hand over her mouth. "Oh, God. You
heard that, didn't you."
He nodded. "Yeah. Both times." He kissed her lips again,
loving how soft and yielding they felt beneath his. Unable to stop
himself, he kissed her again, and again, giving her little pecks
until his mouth, craving more of her, opened to slide his tongue
between her lips.
Her arms wrapped around his neck, and that was his cue to pull her
flush against his body, his hands resting on her hips. She relaxed
into his embrace, and let the kiss deepen.
The chill of the night faded away, until all he could feel was the
heat the two of them were generating. His hands moved around to cup
her the full cheeks of her ass, and he gave them a firm squeeze. For
the third time, she moaned; this time, the sound was muffled by his
mouth covering hers.
He released her lips, pulled back for a moment. Looking down, he
could see the desire shimmering in her eyes. "Do you want to
stand out here in the cold making out, or do you want to continue
this at my house? It's warmer, and much more private."
**I hope you enjoyed the excerpt. If you did, you can purchase Seducing Sheri for only .99 at one of the following retailers:**
Until Next Time,
Kianna
