Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Finished & Submitted: Harley's Heart


HARLEY’S HEART
Special Operations 4
After being rescued from ten months spent in hell, all Harlan Thomas wants to do is go home to the one man whose memory kept him alive. Trouble is, Miko is not where Harley left him.
Mitsuaki Thomas was heartbroken when his husband didn’t come home from a mission. He didn’t give up when the letters stopped or even when his mother-in-law had a funeral for Harley. But when he’s forced out of his home, Miko finally admits that maybe Harley is gone. Still, he wants to continue the dreams they had discussed, no matter how impossible they might be.
When Harley shows up on his doorstep, Miko is shocked to learn that he’s alive. Miko just doesn’t know if the life he created will be enough to keep the man home and happy.
When trouble starts, Harley and Miko have to put aside their differences and learn to work as a team or the people bent on keeping them apart permanently just might get their wish. With the help of some friends, they just might have the chance to keep their little family together.

Coming March 12th from Siren Publishing

STORY EXCERPT
"I think this is it."
Harland 'Harley' Thomas fingered the long scar running down his cheek as he looked over to where his driver and friend, Manny, was pointing. His heart pounded a little faster as he glanced at the driveway. He couldn't help but chuckle when he read the ranch sign hanging over the driveway.
Crazy Acres
That sounded just about right.
He couldn't see anything of the place beyond the sign as trees lined both sides of the driveway for as far as the eye could see. Harley nodded to Manny and the SUV slowly turned onto the driveway.
"Damn!" Manny said as they drove past the tree line and the view opened to show a majestic sight. He gave a low whistle as his eyes darted over the land. "This is pretty nice, man."
Harley couldn't agree more. It was just as he had imagined, maybe even better. Fencing lined both sides of the driveway all of the way up to the house. The field on the passenger side of the vehicle was empty but the field on the driver's side had several horses grazing in it, looking as if they didn’t have a care in the world.
Beyond the house and fenced in pastures, the entire place was surrounded by tree covered hills, like the little valley the ranch sat in was created just for it. The driveway came to an end in a round circle right in front of a large log cabin. Situated right inside of the circular drive was a large oak tree with grass growing around it.
Manny brought the SUV to a stop right in front of the house. "Do you want me to go in with you?" he asked as he cut the engine and turned to look at Harley.
Harley grinned as he looked at Manny, and then into the backseat where Bill and his lover Angelo were seated. He shook his head. "No, I have this."
Harley opened the door and swung his legs down to the ground. His feet hit the paved driveway and he grimaced when he had to reach back in for his cane. He would have preferred doing this without a cane but if he wanted to walk, he had to carry the damn thing with him.
As he headed toward the house, Harley’s eyes gazed over the place, taking in the vision he had dreamt about. It looked exactly like it had in his dreams, right down to the wraparound porch and the large front windows. He hoped the inside looked just as he had seen it in his head as well.
Using his cane, Harley slowly made his way up the steps to the front door. He took a moment to look around, seeing the hard work that had gone into building the place. Besides the fenced pastures and the house, there was a barn set just beyond the driveway. It was all so picturesque.
And perfect.
Before lifting his hand and knocking on the door, Harley drew in a fortifying breath and then slowly blew it out. This was it. The next few seconds could make or break him and he knew it. He had been through a nightmarish hell, and lived for only one single reason. With any luck, that reason was about to be his reward for staying alive.
Harley's heart felt like it was climbing into his throat and squeezing the very breath from him when he heard a soft musical voice from inside the house and then the door slowly opened. His breath froze in his lungs and he found it hard to breathe when his saw a long cascade of black hair and the soul deep caramel-brown eyes that blinked up at him through the screen door.
Harley had to literally make himself start breathing again. The vision was so breathtaking that all he wanted to do was just stand there and admire the man.
"Hello, Mitsuaki," he whispered in a voice that sounded echoed and seemed to come from far away.
"Harley-chan?" There was a slight tinge of wonder in Miko's voice, the magical lilt pulling Harley in deeper. "You alive, Harley-chan?"
Harley felt tears clog his throat but he managed a tremulous smile despite them. "I'm alive, Miko." Barely, but now wasn't the time to think about that. Harley would rather think about the beauty standing before him. He had pretty much been thinking of nothing else for months.
Miko had haunted Harley's dreams, awake or asleep like a vision that wrapped itself around him and brought him comfort in a time when he needed it most. He was pretty sure the gorgeous man was the only reason he was alive and standing on the front porch of a house he had only fantasized about instead of dead in some drug lord’s crazy clutches in Central America.
The screen door slowly pushed open and Miko stumbled out, staring up at Harley like he was seeing a ghost—like he wasn’t real or tangible. Miko's hand trembled as he reached up and pressed the lightest of touches against the side of Harley's face, his fingers as smooth as silk and as warm as the summer sun.
"You alive, Harley-chan!" 

ADULT EXCERPT
Harley felt the uneven rhythm of Miko's breathing and knew his lover was just as affected by their closeness as he was. He trailed his finger over Miko’s silken skin, circling his bellybutton before moving further up his chest. He might not be able to see where his fingers were going but he could see the response to his touch in the slow tenting in Miko’s boxers.
“You like it when I touch you, don’t you, Miko?”
Hai,” Miko groaned. “Yes.”
“You missed my touch,” Harley murmured as he brushed his fingers over Miko’s taut nipples. The anxious whine that fell from Miko’s lips was the man’s only response. Harley felt a ripple of excitement roll through him at the needy little sound. “I missed touching you, Miko.”
God, he had missed touching his lover. Miko’s body was built to be made love to. His slim frame fit perfectly into Harley’s arms. His soft skin and delicate bones were in such deep contrast to Harley’s hard toned body that it was almost awe inspiring to look at.
Miko cried out and arched, pushing into Harley’s hand when he rolled one hard pebbled nipple between his fingers. Harley’s mouth went dry at the sight. Miko had always been so damn responsive to his touch, and knowing that he was the only man to ever see Miko’s pleasure made it even more special.
Harley reached down and grabbed the hem of Miko’s t-shirt and pulled it up. Miko lifted his arms and Harley pulled the cotton shirt off, tossing it off the side of the bed. Harley brushed his hands down over Miko’s chest again, pushing them down to the edge of Miko’s boxers.
When the man offered no protest, Harley pushed the waistband of the boxers down, freeing Miko’s thick erection. It bounced up and slapped against Miko’s abdomen, leaving a trail of pre-cum against Miko’s skin.
Hunger spiraled through Harley at the sight of the hardened flesh. Miko’s cock was perfect in his eyes—not too small and not too large, not too thin and not too thick. It was perfect, just like Miko.
Harley heard Miko’s breathing hitch when he wrapped his hand around him. Harley smiled and blew a breath of air against Miko’s ear. “Do you like that, baby?” he asked as he gave the thick shaft one long stroke with his hand.
“Hai!”
 There was a glint of wonder in Miko’s eyes as he looked up at Harley. It was too much for Harley to resist. He fisted his hand in Miko’s hair and brought their mouths together, devouring Miko’s lips with all of the pent up hunger he had been feeling for the last two years.
At the same time, he stroked Miko’s cock, tightening his fingers then loosening them, drawing out the pleasure as long as he could. The little needy noises Miko started making drowned out the thundering of Harley’s heart.
Harley slid his hand down to Miko’s abdomen and pulled the man back into the apex of his thighs as far as he would go. It pushed Miko’s back right up against him, trapping Harley’s hard, aching cock between them.
“My sweet baby,” Harley whispered against Miko’s lips, knowing that his lover liked to hear him talk when they were alone like this. It was one of the few times when Miko felt he could be open and free with what he was feeling. “So beautiful and all mine.”
Hai, Harley-chan,” Miko whimpered. “All yours, just yours.”
Music to my ears.
“Come for me, Miko,” Harley demanded as he sped up the movement of his hand. The wiggling of Miko’s body against his cock was pushing him closer to his own release and he wanted to watch Miko come before that happened. He needed it. “Show me how much you want me, baby.”
A knot rose in Harley’s throat when Miko cried out and arched up. Miko’s hips thrust up, driving his cock into Harley’s hand. Ropes of pearly white cum shot from his cock and splattered over Harley’s hand and Miko’s abdomen.
“Damn, baby,” Harley whispered as a hot ache grew in his throat. He leaned back against the pillows so that he could reach down and palm his own aching cock but before he could, Miko flipped around and swallowed him down to the root. “Miko!”
Harley’s eyes rolled back into his head as intense pleasure swamped every nerve in his body. Harley knew it had been a long time but he came almost embarrassingly fast. One long lick of Miko’s tongue and a deep swallow and Harley was shouting out his release, pumping shot after shot of cum into his lover’s mouth.
Harley closed his eyes as he collapsed back against the pillows, panting heavily. He felt Miko move up to stretch out beside him, and felt the tentative touch of the man’s delicate fingers on his chest.
“You okay, Harley-chan?”
Harley smiled as he opened his eyes to stare up at Miko. “I’m perfect, baby.”
“Not…” Miko’s worried eyes roamed over Harley’s body. “Not too much?”
“No, love, it was just right.” Harley glanced around then laughed. “But a washcloth would be a good idea,” he said as he held up his cum covered hand.
“I get.” Miko bounced off the bed and ran to the bathroom. He was back a moment later with a clean washcloth. Miko hurriedly wiped them both down then took the washcloth back to the bathroom. The bed bounced again when Miko came back and climbed on.
Harley held out his arm, letting out a deep sigh as a peace he hadn’t felt in months entered his soul as Miko curled into his side. Miko’s head rested on Harley’s chest, his finger gently stroking his skin. Harley wrapped his arms around Miko and held him close, stroking his hand up and down Miko’s smooth back.

Thursday, January 3, 2013

NEW COVER

PROTECTIVE CUSTODY

Pre-Order Today!

Available January 29th

Hayden Flynn saw something that put his life in jeopardy. Put into protective custody for his own safety, he’s whisked away to a secret location. Pretending to be someone’s live-in lover isn’t so bad except his new love interest is a man.

Christian Jackson had been an F.B.I. agent for several years. He had been trained by the best but nothing prepared him for his next assignment—pretending to be the gay lover to the hottest straight man he had ever seen. Trying to keep Hayden alive seems to be easier than keeping his hands off of the man.
 
When Jackson and Hayden finally give into their desire, sparks fly. Hayden tries to blame it on the threat of death hanging over his head. Jackson tries to pretend that it wasn’t the best night of his life. Both men are confused by the feelings developing between them. But that doesn’t seem to matter when they discover that the threat to Hayden’s life is even closer than they thought.
 

AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER

UNCONVENTIONAL MATE
Katzman 5
Nari Khenti is running for his life. His contract holder has been murdered and he’s accused of the crime. Now, the real killer is after him, intent on killing Nari. The only place he can think of hiding is on Katzmann.
Semyon Barak is concerned when Doctor Saris tells him someone stowed away on his ship until he realizes that the gorgeous green eyed man is his ate—his very pregnant mate. Now he has to figure out how to keep the frightened man safe while keeping the hardest truth from them…the fact that they are mates.
Taking Nari into the desert might not be the best choice possible but it’s the only one Semyon has because the man after Nari is closing in on them and he has the power of the Elquone thrown behind him. Semyon will have to use every bit of training he’s ever had to keep his mate and their child alive because if the dangers of the desert don’t kill them, the bands of roaming bandits just might.

STORY EXCERPT
“Okay.” Saris started wringing his hands together as he walked away from Chellak and began pacing. “I was going through the supplies that Semyon had brought in on his last mission when I came across a box that wasn’t on the manifest. At first, I didn’t think much about it. Mix-ups like that happen, you know?”
“But?” Chellak encouraged.
Saris tossed his hand up in the air again, looking exasperated. “But the damn box started making tapping noises.”
Semyon’s jaw dropped. “Taping noises?”
Saris nodded rapidly. “When I tapped back, I heard someone speaking from inside the box.”
“There was someone in the box?” Why hadn’t he heard anything when he checked the supplies? Hell, how had he missed an extra box that wasn’t on the manifest? He usually wasn’t so oblivious.
Semyon was very stringent when it came to loading his ship. For someone to get an unmarked box past him was a feat. Now he was just as curious as Chellak. He also wanted to know who in the hell had gotten past him.
“Yes. His name is Nari. He’s the man Garret was telling me about, the one the rumors are about.”
Chellak sighed as he walked back over to sit behind his desk. He rubbed the bridge of his nose for a moment and then clasped his hands together. “From the beginning, Saris. What rumors?”
 “Nari is Brüter. He entered into a contract with a man off world. It seemed to be a good match from everything I heard, and then suddenly Nari was brought back to Elquone to face charges that he killed the contract holder. When it was discovered that Nari was carrying, his execution was held off until after the child is born, which is in about two month, give or take a week.”
“Wait,” Semyon said as he stepped toward the doctor, feeling a sudden unfamiliar urge to know everything about the rumors Saris had heard. “I thought he was being brought back to face charges. I didn’t hear you say that he was found guilty in a trial.”
“That’s because there was no trial.” Saris’s words were controlled.
“Then how–“
“The family of the man Nari was charged with killing comes from money, a lot of money. They greased the right palms and the High Ruler declared Nari guilty without a trial.”
“Can he do that?” Semyon asked as he looked at Chellak.
“I don’t think so, but things are still pretty precarious on Elquone since the last High Ruler died. I’m sure a lot of things go on that aren’t exactly above board.”
“Nari says he didn’t kill the man. It was the guy’s brother,” Saris quickly added.
“Do you believe him?” Chellak asked.
Saris’s lips thinned and he looked pensive, as if he was truly giving the question some thought. “I can’t honestly say. I know Nari is terrified. The brother is demanding the babe be turned over to him as required by the contract. He is saying that the babe is the only thing he has left of his brother.”
“Isn’t the contract nullified once the contract holder dies?” Chellak asked.
“Yes, and that’s what they are using to convict Nari. They say that he killed the contract holder in order to keep his babe. Word is that Nari is insane.”
When Saris pulled out a vid-pad and held it out to Chellak, Semyon peeked down at the information before the vid-pad passed into Chellak’s hands. His breathe caught in his throat when he saw the vivid green eyes staring back at him from the picture of the man in the contract.
Those eyes mystified him. There was so much hope and determination in them. How could a man with that kind of outlook on life become a cold blooded killer?
“Is he insane?” Semyon asked.
“I think he’s terrified.” Sadness sapped the color from Saris’s face. “They want to take his babe from him. I think he has a right to be terrified.” Saris looked up. There were tears in his eyes as he glanced over at Semyon and Chellak. “I would be if someone tried to take my baberen.”
“Is there anything we can do to help him?” There had to be something. Semyon didn’t know the guy but he felt for him. And that was strange. Semyon didn’t tend to make a lot of personal friendships, not after watching Bogden—the shaikh of the Leonid pride on Katzmann—get betrayed by another warrior. It had almost cost Bogden his life–and his mate. Semyon never wanted to be put in that position.
“If we continue to hide him here on Katzmann, Chellak could get in trouble with the Federation. But, if we turn him over to the High Ruler of Elquone, then Nari will lose his babe and be executed,” Saris said as if he were truly split on what to do. 
“I’ll take him.” It was a bold statement. Semyon barely registered what came out of his mouth before both Saris and Chellak were staring at him like he might be as crazy as Nari. Maybe he was, but Semyon couldn’t allow Nari to be killed for a crime he hadn't even had a chance to have a trial for. It wasn’t right, and Semyon wasn’t going to allow the man to come to any harm.
“Semyon,” Chellak said slowly, “do you know what you’re saying?”
Not really.
“If I sign a contract with Nari and claim him according to Katzman law, it should keep them from forcing him to return to Elquone and keep Chellak from being caught in the middle of this shit storm.”
“Semyon, you can’t mate with someone that isn’t your mate,” Chellak insisted with adamancy. “Even you now that.”
Semyon grabbed the vid-pad from Chellak and stared down at the man’s green eyes again. He could feel something move inside of him, something he had not experienced before–at least, not on this level.
The urge to protect the man and his unborn babe became almost more impetrative than the duty he felt toward Chellak Rai, and that was something he had lived by for more years than he could count. He felt an overwhelming need to physically claim the man, to protect him and cherish him.
And that was insane, because it could only mean one thing.
“I think he is my mate.”

ADULT EXCERPT
Nari’s hands clutched in the blankets on either side of him as Semyon’s mouth moved along the vulnerable arch of his throat, lavishing his skin with kisses and little nips from his sharp teeth. When that wasn’t enough, Nari reached up and fisted his hand in Semyon’s hair, holding the man’s head to him.
“Need you so much, Nari.” Semyon’s voice seemed to glide over Nari’s body like the brush of silken sheets against his skin. It made him ache with want. “Always going to need you,” Semyon whispered along Nari’s sensitive skin.
Nari shuddered. He couldn’t explain the indisputable bond between them. There was some force beyond his comprehension, driving him toward Semyon, making him want to beg for the man’s touch. He just no longer cared what it was, or even why it was.
Nari licked his dry lips nervously, needing to touch Semyon as much as he needed to feel his touch. Semyon’s rough, rasping tongue stroked over his neck. When Semyon’s mouth closed over the mating mark, sucking at the flesh softly, tenderly, Nari felt his cock swell and pulse.
 “My mayht, always mine,” Semyon whispered against Nari’s skin.
Semyon’s golden eyes glittered with sexual intent as the man raised his head and gazed down at Nari. His cheekbones appeared flushed beneath the dark tan, his lips fuller, more sensual. They looked kissable.
Much to Nari’s relief, Semyon leaned down and latched onto his mouth. Their tongues danced together, gently exploring, tasting, until air became a necessity. They both drew deep drags of air into their lungs. Their lips met seconds later but this time it wasn't the slow gentle kiss it had been before. This time it was out of control, frantic, and filled with everything needy.
When Semyon lifted his head and gazed down at Nari, there was a feral light in his eyes that almost scared Nari. If it wasn’t for the gentle way that Semyon caressed his skin and moved down his body, Nari would have questioned his intentions.
Nari licked his lips, starting to pant with need as Semyon spread his legs and knelt between them, crying out when he felt Semyon’s fingers brush over his tight entrance. He squirmed when Semyon pushed his legs up, fighting for breath.
Semyon’s tongue slid down to Nari’s puckered hole and swirled around. Nari gasped for breath as Semyon licked him, Semyon’s growls of pleasure echoing through his body. He could feel a wild, uncontrollable sensation building. His body tingled. The pressure increased as Semyon’s tongue stroked around his ass, over it, pushing gently but insistently against his tight opening.
“Semyon.” Nari’s plea was a breathless moan as his hands went to Semyon’s shoulders, his nails biting into the man’s tanned skin. He needed. “Please.”
Semyon was up and between his legs before Nari could barely register the man moving. Nari gasped as the thick length of Semyon’s cock slid into him, stretching him. One hard thrust buried the thick erection into Nari’s body to the hilt.
Nari watched Semyon’s handsome face stiffen, his jaw ticking as he fought for control. His eyes closed and his body went tight, tense. Nari’s breath caught in his throat as he watched, entranced. Semyon was a creature of pure beauty as his control fought his need for pleasure.
Semyon’s eyes opened just as quickly as they had closed. He started moving, thrusting his hard length in and out of Nari’s tight hole. The burning intensity in Semyon’s eyes as he looked down at Nari made him gasp. No one had ever looked at him with such need, such want, or with such tenderness. Nari felt like he could live the rest of his life in that look.
Semyon drove his cock harder and harder into Nari, rocking the carriage with the force of his thrusts. Nari moaned as the long thick cock that seemed to fill him so perfectly brushed across his prostate with every thrust of Semyon’s hips.
His head arched back as Semyon leaned down over him and nuzzled at his neck. He groaned, shivering at the feel of Semyon’s teeth scraping over his throat. Semyon licked the soft flesh just beneath Nari’s ear before sinking his teeth in.
“Semy!” Nari cried out. He was held still by Semyon’s hard body, his thrusting hips, and the sharp fangs imbedded in his skin. Semyon growled around the flesh in his mouth, low, primal, demanding Nari’s surrender as he drove his cock into Nari over and over again.
Nari’s eyes widened and he stared at the room of the carriage in stunned silence for a second before his orgasm hit and he screamed. His climax was like a tidal wave, tearing through him. He held tight to Semyon’s hair, praying for some anchor to hold him to this realm of existence because he was positive he was dying.
No one could survive that much pleasure.