Fighting for Your Man. . .

THE WINNER OF YESTERDAY'S SCAVENGER HUNT IS CHRISTINE!!! CONGRATULATIONS!!

Even if you’re the most gorgeous babe on Planet Earth, you surely have experienced what every other female has – being hooked on a guy who simply cannot commit. No matter how he craves your company and can’t keep his hands off of you, the thought of a forever relationship gives him the dry heaves. It’s easier to get him into a doctor’s office for a prostate exam than to corral him for one episode of Say Yes to the Dress.

And yet, you know in your head the bum loves you. He shows it when he takes your side against family members even though you’re the one who’s been way out of line. He’s there when you have the flu, holding onto your hair as you give up your lunch. He surprises you by doing the dishes and only expecting minor applause for his feat.

Yeah, he loves you. He just won’t admit it to himself. So you’re going to have to fight for him to make certain he does.

That’s the underlying premise in my most recent erotic romance Lush Velvet Nights where anything goes carnally, which leads to an emotional bond that surprises the hero and deepens the heroine’s conviction that he will be hers. Here’s a blurb and an excerpt:

BLURB:

Lush Velvet Nights - When wanton desires & love demand all…

During the day, Adriana’s a lonely corporate heiress, helming a supermarket empire. At night, she hires escorts, scripting provocative fantasies of kidnapping, lust, submission and endless longing. It’s all she has to excite her until she meets Nathan Wynn. Tall, blond and muscular—like a modern-day Viking—Nathan’s a labor relations attorney representing Adriana’s union employees. His imposing presence intensifies her basest desires. When he protects her from an escort he believes is an attacker, she knows he’s wonderfully dominant and unrestrained. Fascinated by Adriana’s underlying sensuality, Nathan brings her to his secluded mountain estate, determined she submit fully to his hunger. At a gentleman’s club, he makes certain she denies him nothing. Engaging in a seductive sexual journey, Nathan’s caught off-guard by his stunning need for Adriana. An attraction he fears because of past events in his life. A growing emotional connection she will not let him deny.

EXCERPT:

(In this scene, Nathan is trying to break it off with Adriana. She’s burrowing too deeply into his heart. However, she’s not about to give up on him. . .she intends to fight for her man. The scene begins in his POV.)

“Do you mind if we change our plans for tonight?”

A look of panic swept across her face. “Why?”

He couldn’t show her how he’d lived since deciding nothing much mattered except having a good time. She deserved better. After a nice dinner at an upscale restaurant, he’d let her down easily and hope to god she didn’t notice how deeply he’d already fallen for her and how bad it would be for both of them. “You wouldn’t like what I had in mind.”

“How do you know?”

He shook his head. “It’s too …” He couldn’t finish.

She did. “Kinky?”

“For lack of a better word, yes. We’ll have dinner at Melisse. I’ll call now and wrangle us a table. Get in.”

“No. I don’t want dinner.” Resting her hand on his chest, she slid her fingers past his suit jacket and tie to touch his tattooed pec. It jumped too readily. She murmured, “I want to know about you. Everything. Including where you planned to take me tonight.”

He frowned. “You won’t like it there, Adriana.”

“Will you be with me? Can I count on you to keep me safe?”

“Hell, yes. But that’s not the point.”

“Of course it is.” She cupped his face in her free hand, providing tenderness and affection he hadn’t known in too long. “Show me something wild, Nathan. Make this a night I’ll never forget.”

He sighed helplessly. “You’re fucking nuts, you know that?”

“I’m being honest. Show me.”

“It’s a gentleman’s club, Adriana. Anything goes, and I do mean anything.”

Her passion didn’t abate. “Am I overdressed?”

Nathan laughed, wanting to give her a bear hug, aching to be as guileless as she, knowing it could only lead to remorse for both of them. “You’re beautiful, but disobedient. You didn’t wear stockings.”

“Couldn’t with my sandals. But I did wear something underneath my dress I know you’ll like.”

She was killing him.

“Let’s go, Nathan. It’s too late to turn back now.”

The tenor of her voice, her words and expression made a persuasive argument. She wanted to know about him and didn’t fear whatever he’d show her. He wished to god he deserved her confidence. Because he did not, he’d have to convince her how misplaced it was. His explanation would never do. She’d have to see it for herself. “Fine.” He gestured her into the passenger seat. “I’ll take you to Zanes.”

The name had no meaning to Adriana and she didn’t ask for a description of the establishment or what went on there. “Anything goes” pretty much summed it up. With another man, she would have been terrified. With Nathan, she settled into a state of paralyzing expectation mingled with building bliss. The kind she’d experienced as a kid when her mare Penny attempted a particularly high jump and succeeded without killing either of them. Her love for the animal gave her the confidence to hope for the best and to see things through.

Nathan drove slowly and said little, apparently not sharing her mood. They left the Los Angeles basin and drove up the coast, away from too much civilization. In Malibu, he pulled up to a gated estate overlooking the Pacific. As with many mansions in the area, the public couldn’t see the home from the street. Nathan was well down the asphalt drive before Adriana caught sight of their destination.

Her heart made a weird twist in her chest. She’d been wrong to think Nathan’s Lake Arrowhead estate was as formidable as the chateau where O began her sexual journey. This place held the distinction. Gothic in appearance and constructed of what looked to be black granite, the three-story structure called to everything wanton in a human’s soul.

Nathan eased to a stop well short of the valet, a young woman with blonde hair hanging to her waist. Her breathtaking features made her an aspiring model, actress or a future trophy wife. She wore tight black pants, a low cut white blouse and spike heels. Adriana pulled her gaze away from the girl’s perfection and caught a glimpse of the rolling sea sparkling beneath the moon. Did Zanes’ patrons make love on the beach? She suspected they did not, considering the activity and locale too tame.

Nathan shifted in his seat. “Is your nickname Lizzie?”

Surprised at his question, she looked over. “Yeah—did Joe call me that when he grilled you?”

He nodded. “Did you tell him we met at a spa?”

“No. He knows you negotiated Greco’s union contract. Why do you ask?”

“No reason.” He pulled up to the valet.

She opened the passenger door first. Adriana shrugged out of her wrap, leaving it on the seat. To help her from the vehicle, the valet offered her hand. It was velvety soft, her manner so seductive heat rose to Adriana’s chest and cheeks, warming her despite the chilly night. The stiff breeze delivered the young woman’s fragrance—magnolias and ripe youth. “Ma’am,” she murmured.

Not lingering for a response, she went to Nathan’s door. There, the girl offered him a feline smile and barely contained excitement. "Nice to see you again, Mr. Wynn." She kissed Nathan on his mouth, driving her fingers through his wind-tousled hair. His hand went to her ass, his long fingers cupping and squeezing her right cheek as they necked freely.

Adriana’s heart dropped.

You won’t like it there, he’d warned.

At her sudden dizziness, Adriana locked her knees, unable to look away, watching the scene helplessly.

Too many seconds passed before Nathan finished the kiss. The valet suckled his neck one last time then got into his car. Looking over, he held out his hand to Adriana, a wordless command for her to join him. She met his eyes. They were absent of passion, unlike the times he’d kissed her. Instead, his gaze held renewed counsel for her to call this off.

No way. She would prove he belonged to her. No matter how many other women were inside, he would see and want only her.

With an accelerating pulse, she joined him and placed her hand in his. “Let’s go inside.”

Lush Velvet Nights is available April 14th from Ellora’s Cave

Buy link

Website/Blog: http://www.tinadonahue.com/


SCAVENGER HUNT RULES: (I'll announce the winner Wed, April 7)

1. Throughout the day, I’ll post four questions here and at my website (answers found on my website)
2. Keep your answers until all four questions have been asked
3. The first person to email me at tina@tinadonahue.com with the correct answers to all four questions will win her choice of one of my following titles:

1. Adored – 4 Stars Romantic Times; Second Place Winner NEC RWA contest

2. Deep, Dark, Delicious – nominated for Book of the Week Whipped Cream Reviews

3. Close to Perfect – 4 Stars Romantic Times – “A walk on the wild side for romance readers!”

4. Bad Boys with Red Roses – an erotic anthology with my novella Tempt Me, Tease Me, Thrill Me

5. Take My Breath Away – 4 ½ Stars Romantic Times – a Romantic Times top pick – Booklist wrote: “Fans of Lori Foster will enjoy Donahue’s light, sexy romp.”