How many of you remember being advised to write what you knew? I tried that and to be perfectly honest, never felt truly comfortable trying to write the book I thought a publisher might be interested in. However, I clearly remember the day I decided to take the plunge and write what terrified me most, the erotic sex scene.
Choosing a genre wasn't difficult. I'd always loved paranormal romance and it wasn't too long before I started researching jaguars. Oh boy, reclusive loners were right up my alley, all I had to do was build them a world and give them a big old conflict. Did I mention that when I started writing, besides sex scenes, I hated conflict and always tried to resolve it too quickly?
These days, sex scenes and conflict don't terrify me and I still love writing shifters, but ASSASSIN'S KISS will always have a special place in my heart. Here's an excerpt to whet your appetite if you find sexy beasts appealing...
I’ve never
been able to resist a reluctant hero or a heroine who doesn’t realize how
strong she is until she’s tested. Throw in a steamy jungle, a forbidden
attraction, unrelenting danger and of course some hot sex and you have the
first book in the Jaguar Assassin’s series, ASSASSIN'S KISS.
"Brandon
has created a detailed world and provides a well-crafted plot filled with
action, danger and great characters..."
–Romantic Times Book Reviews
–Romantic Times Book Reviews
"...Assassin's
Kiss is a must read for fans of suspense, action, shifter and erotic romance
genres"
–Just Erotic Romance Reviews
–Just Erotic Romance Reviews
"...
As a rule, I usually enjoy stories of this genre and Ms. Brandon totally brings
the idea to the next level"
–Romance Junkies
–Romance Junkies
Excerpt: Adult
Balancing
his front paws on a splayed limb, Sebastian crouched in the notch of a low
hanging tree. His growl had netted him a snarl that warned the female was ready
to shred his ass. Ungrateful bitch. His vow to protect the innocent trumped his
assignment to kill the rogues he’d been tracking for days before her trail had
crossed theirs.
He was
questioning his sanity as he watched the two young males circle the small
female. Sheer determination seemed to be the only thing keeping her on her
feet. He smelled her fear, and underneath it, the same pulsing desperation that
clawed at his insides and begged to be answered.
He forced
a low purr and jumped in front of her, barking a warning when one of them
feigned a charge so the other could cut the female from his protection. She
flipped around, crouching and hissing, covering his back.
Heat and
confusion rippled off her in waves, calling to him as it called to the young
rogues. Taking on two heat-crazed males was risky enough. Protecting a wounded
female at the same time was asking for trouble he didn’t need. He was counting
on ingrained behavior.
Jaguar
protocol demanded that the alpha female’s death during a moon ceremony be
honored. With Fontaine, the Jaguar Priest, leading them, not even rogues would
leave one of their own to rot without full ceremonial rites.
The two
males paced but their attention wavered between him, the wounded female at his
back, and Fontaine’s demanding snarls, just beyond the clearing. They slunk
off, one after the other. He whipped around to hiss a warning but the female
lay on the ground, wide-eyed and panting hard, her tawny fur matted with blood,
dirt and leaves.
He cursed
the vow trumping his mission, clamped down on the loose skin at the back of her
neck and started dragging her. They needed to make the river before Fontaine
sent the tracker, Diego, after them.
Sebastian
shook the female by the scruff of her neck, trying to revive her enough that
she realized they were going into the water. She dug her claws into the earth
and managed a weak hiss. There was no time to explain that Diego could track a
fish through water if he weren’t so afraid of it. He wound himself around her,
jerked her free and rolled them into the river.
Water
churned over them as he held her, struggling against the current. She was still
fighting him when they went under a second time and then she started to
convulse, her muscles and bones shifting. She’d drown them both before he could
get them to safety inside the cave behind the waterfall. He had no choice but to
release her and shift into his human nature while she reformed, sputtering and
bobbing in the roiling water.
One sure
stroke brought him hard against her naked back and he cursed as she flailed,
backhanding him. He snaked one arm around her, cradling her hips with his own,
settling her over the ridge of his growing erection. She stilled instantly. Her
rumbling purr seeped through his bones and muscles, belly and cock.
Growling,
he nipped gently at the side of her neck, nudging her jaw up enough to keep her
head above water. She tasted of fear and excitement, heat and death. Primitive,
feral desire twisted through him, answering the promise he’d followed for days.
She whimpered and burrowed against his chest and belly while he kicked,
propelling them backward until he felt rocks beneath his feet. Almost there.
He half
crawled, half dragged them both through the falls. The cave was little more
than a shallow niche hollowed into the rock lit only by the moonlight filtering
through the mist the falls produced. He wasn’t dragging her any farther without
knowing who she was and what the hell she’d been doing following Fontaine’s
mercenary rogues. Her dark, spiky curls tickled his nose when he scooted them
into a reclining position.
He was
honest enough to realize that his panting was only partly due to the adrenaline
rush of their escape. Even now her scent curled through him, drawing him into a
promise he’d followed for days. Who was this naked, shivering woman he might
have just imperiled an entire race to save?
I love the sparkly new cover by Winterheart Designs. Thank you, Lex Valentine! Assassin’s Kiss, Book 1 of the Jaguar Assassin's series, is
available now for $.99 at these outlets…
Amazon: https://goo.gl/FuZe2P
iTunes: https://goo.gl/2p9e8s
B&N: http://goo.gl/wbZCu2
Until next month,
Happy Reading!
Paris Brandon
