Sex and the Season Series by Helen Hardt

Friday, June 29, 2012

GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR UNPUBLISHED AUTHORS
ENTER THE HEART OF THE ROCKIES CONTEST

I know I've been talking about Ivy League Cowboy's win in the RomCon Readers' Choice award, but long ago in 2008, the book finaled in a different contest -- Colorado Romance Writers' Heart of the Rockies!  Ivy League Cowboy took second in short contemporary that year, and A Cowboy and a Gentleman took third. I also took first in the erotic category that year which led to my association with Ellora's Cave, still one of the premier publishers of erotic romance.

Yes, the HOTR has been very good to me.

Now is your chance to shine!  Enter the HOTR this year.

Heart of the Rockies Unpublished Author Contest 

Colorado Romance Writers is pleased to announce the 2012 Heart of the Rockies Contest for unpublished writers. Numerous past Heart of the Rockies entrants have gone on to publish their works in book-length fiction. This year, there will be nine categories with achievement awards given in each. Entries are limited to the first 215 received. Any entries received after the limit is reached will be rejected and returned to the owner. Each entry will be judged by two experienced judges. Entrants will receive one written critique and two comprehensive evaluations of their work based on twenty different potential problem areas. Each category uses an individualized score sheet for its particular genre. Manuscripts that qualify for the final round will be judged by select editors or agents. All finalists will be notified via phone or email no later than September 10, 2012. The First Place winner in each category will receive a cash prize of $25.00. In addition, winners will be announced in the Romance Writers Report. All finalists will receive an achievement certificate.

Please contact the Coordinator Grace Larralde at: HOTRCoordinator@yahoo.com.

The entry deadline is midnight, Friday, July 13, 2012. Any entries received after that time will be disqualified and returned to their owners. Permission to forward granted and appreciated.

Tweet: Colorado Romance Writers Heart of the Rockies Unpublished Author Contest, Now Open! http://crw-rwa.ning.com/

Thursday, June 28, 2012

MUSA - A NEW KIND OF PUBLISHER

You all know how thrilled I was to win the RomCon Readers' Crown contest for Ivy League Cowboy.  The contest is judged solely by readers and the standards are tough to final.  Only three short contemporaries made the cut, and I'm pleased to say A Cowboy and a Gentleman was also among them.  The other was a Harlequin release, which had me feeling a bit intimidated.

You see, Harlequin rejected Ivy League Cowboy three years ago.  I had written the book with Harlequin in mind.  It was my 2007 NaNoWriMo project and it spawned two sequels.  I kept the word count to around 50K to work within the Harlequin lines I was considering.

These books about the sexy McCray brothers were special to me, and after the rejection from Harlequin, I held onto them.  I couldn't let them go just anywhere.  Meanwhile, I made a name for myself as an erotic romance author.

Fast forward to autumn 2011 -- My editor from another publisher (who shall not be named), Celina Summers (one of the best editors I've ever worked with), along with three other women, announced the opening of Musa Publishing. Finally, I thought, here is a publisher I trust with my cowboys.  I queried Celina and offered her the books.  She contracted them sight unseen.  I've never had someone have such complete faith in my work, and I'll be forever grateful.

The rest is history.  Ivy League Cowboy, A Cowboy and a Gentleman, and Rodeo Queen released in November 2011, December 2011, and January 2012, respectively, to excellent reviews and respectable sales.

As for Harlequin's rejection of Ivy League Cowboy?  Well, the readers have spoken. And to those of you who love the characters of Bakersville, Colorado, three new books are coming beginning in November!

To learn more about Musa and how they differ from other publishers, click here.

To purchase the McCray Brothers books, click here.

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

HUMP-DAY HUNK
Nick Ayler

I thought about taking the time to surf the web for more pictures of model Nick Ayler, but really, what would be the point? Does it get any better than this?



Monday, June 25, 2012

IVY LEAGUE COWBOY WINS 2012 READERS' CROWN

I had a great time at RomCon this past weekend, and the cherry on top was winning the 2012 Readers' Crown award for Best Short Contemporary!  Both Ivy League Cowboy and A Cowboy and a Gentleman were finalists, and Ivy League Cowboy won. The lovely Michelle Callahan, who runs RomCon, told me that I beat myself, as A Cowboy and a Gentleman got the second highest score.  Both are available from Musa Publishing.  Find them here.

Thanks to Michelle and RomCon, and especially to the wonderful readers who judged my books!

Friday, June 22, 2012

FINALISTS IN READERS' CROWN AWARDS


RomCon began last night here in Denver, and I was thrilled to find out that both Ivy League Cowboy and A Cowboy and a Gentleman are finalists in the 2012 Readers' Crown Awards!  This is a very important contest for authors because all books are judged solely by readers who routinely read the genre.  Thank you, RomCon!

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

HUMP-DAY HUNK(S) and FREE BOOK
Gerard Butler and Clive Owen

Two classic hunks today -- why, you may ask?

Why not?

Scotsman or Englishman? They're both delicious...but I gotta go with Gerry. Who's your pick? Leave your vote in a comment and follow my blog for a chance to win an e-copy of Slow and Wet, my contemporary erotic short from Ellora's Cave.



Friday, June 15, 2012

PARANORMAL FREEBIE!

I'm excited to be participating in the Paranormal Freebies blog hop!  Of course, after I signed up for the hop, I realized the two paranormal stories I had published are now out of print...  Have no fear!  I have a free read, originally published at The Pink Chair Diaries, a wonderful website that was taken down recently.  I'd like to share that story here.  I hope you enjoy it, and please visit the other hop authors.  You can find a listing here.

Caution -- This is erotic romance with graphic sex :)





     From the heavy shadows of the dense evergreen woods, Julian watched the young woman impale herself on the thick pink phallus.  Veiled in the light of the full moon, her skin glowed like fiery opals.  Her rosy breasts, full and swollen, bounced as her movements became more rapid.
     Beautiful.  Her mahogany hair fell in waves around her milky white shoulders, her body covered in a silky sheen of moisture.  Her emerald eyes pierced the darkness.  God, yes.  Absolutely beautiful.
     Her crimson lips parted, and, “Ah!”  Her voice, but a seductive whisper, carried across the night air to Julian’s ears.  The blood flowed through her veins in a heady whoosh.  He silently thanked God for his acute senses of sight and hearing.
     And smell.
     Oh yes.  Smell.
     The spicy musk of her heated sex slammed into him.  What would she taste like?  Sweet and creamy, like apricot nectar?  Or tangy and spicy, like Granny Smith cider spiked with cinnamon schnapps?
     Spicy.  His lips curved upward.  Definitely spicy.
     Damn.  He wasn’t going to survive this.  He absently rubbed his palm over his arousal, the roughness of his denim jeans increasing the friction.
     Luscious burgundy nipples, surrounded by swollen areolas the size of small plums.  They jiggled as she rode the pink beast, seeming to cry out for Julian’s lips.  Lick me.  Taste me.  Suck me 'til I scream.
     Slowly he unzipped his jeans, each tooth of the zipper zinging in his sensitive ears.  The heat of his cock scorched his palm as he wrapped his fingers around its thickness.
     “Yeah, baby, fuck that pink cock,” he whispered.  “Fuck it like you want to fuck me.”
     “Ah!”  Her husky voice said again.  “Ah, yeah, that’s good.”  The garnet folds of her labia, slick with her juices, slapped against the seat of the inflated chair with each downward plunge.  The pink pearl of her clit glistened with cream.
     “Oh, baby, show me that pretty red pussy.”  If he could lick it, just one slick swipe of his tongue against that sweet nub of flesh, she would come.  And so would he.
     “Come on, baby, ride that cock,” he said.  “Ride it, and come for me.”
     He stroked himself in time with her thrusts, imagining with each forward movement that he was pushing his raging cock into her hot core.
     “Yeah, baby.  Yeah.  Come for me.”
     Her fingers plucked at her hard nipples, and Julian swore his cock grew thicker in his hand.  God, she was beautiful.  And so fucking hot.
     Then one slender hand traveled downward, caressing the taut skin of her abdomen, fingers lacing through her nest of dark curls, until they settled on her clit.
     “Ah, yes!”
     Her cries catapulted Julian into a frenzy of heat.  She was coming.  That hot little pussy was coming all over that big pink cock.
     And so was he.
     He closed his eyes and grunted as his seed spurted, each spasm shaking him to the marrow.  “Oh, yeah,” he heard himself say.  “God, yeah.”  His body tingled and his head swam.  Then the stinging of his gums as his fangs elongated, ready to pierce flesh and bring the orgasm to true completion.
     But not tonight.
     He shuddered, willing his fangs to retract, still awash in the remnants of his climax.
     After a few moments he returned to reality and peered at the small moonlit alcove where the woman had been.  She was gone.
     Julian wiped himself with his handkerchief and zipped his jeans.  Since when had he become a peeping tom?  He should be disgusted with himself, but he wasn’t.  Watching her pleasure her lush body had been the hottest thing he’d experienced in years.
     Where the hell had she gone?  He sniffed.  Nothing.  He should have been able to scent her.  Strange.  Would he ever see her again?
     He looked at his watch.  3:30 a.m.  Only a few more hours until sunrise.  He raked his fingers through his long coal black hair.  He stretched his arms upward, letting his capillaries burst and oxygen flow through his veins.  He inhaled, embracing the aroma of the warm night.
     The fresh mountain air, the pungent pine needles, the sweet fragrant Columbine, and...the earthy musk of her.
     Yes.  He had picked up her scent.
     His legs catapulted him forward.
***
     Kira ambled into her remote Rocky Mountain cabin, lugging Andre with her.
     Andre, of course, was her pink dildo chair.  She’d named him after two months.  He was her savior, after all, and the longest relationship she’d ever had.  The hot pink color didn’t really scream masculinity, but the big dick?  Yeah, that was Andre.
     Within minutes Andre rested in the back of the walk-in closet in her bedroom.  Kira headed to the kitchen.
     She poured herself a glass of Merlot and collapsed onto her leather couch in her small living area.  She sighed, stretching.  One more night, and then she’d be free for another month.
     She sipped her wine, the crisp, dry fruitiness dancing over her taste buds.  She had just closed her eyes when a knock sounded on her door.
     What the hell?  At nearly four in the morning in the middle of the mountains?”  She set her wine down and went to the door.
     “Yes?” she said, then could only stare at the gorgeous man standing there.  Thick hair the color of obsidian touched his broad shoulders.  His face was fair, like her own, and was sculpted in perfect chiseled angles accented by a few days’ growth of dark beard.  His deep brown eyes scanned her from head to toe.
     Her heart fluttered and she felt her skin heat.  Damn.
     “It’s really late,” she said.  “Can I help you?”
     “I was just passing by and I saw your light.  I wanted to make sure you were all right.”  He held out his hand.  “I’m Julian Ross.”
     “Kira Cameron,” she said.  “And I’m fine, thanks.”
     “A woman living out here alone is a recipe for disaster.”
     “I’m fully capable of taking care of myself.”  If he only knew just how capable.  “But thanks for your concern, Mr. Ross.”
     “Julian.  Please.”
     “Okay.  Julian.  If you’ll excuse me...”  She hesitated.  Why was she trying to get rid of him?  The moon was still full, and though her four hour escapade with Andre had sated her enough to regain her sanity, her body still craved more sex.  “I’m sorry.  That was rude of me.  Would you like to come in?  I have some Merlot open.”
     Julian smiled, his full pink lips parting to reveal perfect white teeth.  “I’d like that.  Kira.”
     Kira walked to the kitchen and came back with a second glass of Merlot.  “Here you are.”
     “Thank you.”  His lips curved upward in a lazy grin, then took a sip of wine, his tongue snaking out to catch a drip in the corner of his mouth.
     Heat crept up Kira’s arms to her neck.  She cleared her throat.  “Do you live around here?”
     “I have a place about a mile from here.  Small cabin, a lot like this one.”
     “What are you doing out and about at this hour?”
     “I work nights.”
     “Oh.  Doing what?”
     “Writing.”
     “Writing?”  Kira arched her eyebrows.  “Why would you have to do that at night?”
     “It’s when I do my best work.”  He smirked.  “I don’t argue with my creative genius’s internal clock.  I just finished a difficult scene and needed a break, so here I am.”
     “I see.  So you sleep days and write at night.”
     “Something like that.”  He took another sip of wine.  “What do you do?”
     “I’m an herbalist.  I have a mail order business that I run from here.”
     “Herbs, huh?”  His grin spread across his face.  “Interesting.”  He set his wine down on her oak end table and trailed a finger across her bottom lip.  “Are you married, Kira?”
     Her pulse raced into overdrive.  “N-no.”
     “Engaged?”
     “No.”
     “Attached in any way?”  His finger edged over her jaw line, then down the side of her neck, sending shivers through her.
     “No,” she said.  What the hell was going on?  She had planned to seduce him.  “A-are you?”
     “No,” he said, his finger tracing the low neckline of her stretch cotton top.  “And I’ve never been so very glad of that fact.”  His gaze dropped to her breasts.  “You’re very beautiful, Kira.”
     “Th-thank you.  You’re quite something yourself.”
     “I was hoping you’d think so.”
     A strange jolt of deja-vu shot through Kira’s body.  “Have we met before?”
     He smiled.  “No, sweetheart.”
     Sweetheart?  “Hmm.  It’s weirdest thing.  I feel like...”  Kira shook her head.  “Don’t mind me.  It’s late.”  She giggled.  “Or early.”
     “Do you want to keep talking?”
     What?  “Uh, sure.  I wasn’t planning to go back to bed.”
     Julian gripped her shoulders, his dark gaze boring into hers.  “Now that’s a shame, sweetheart, because you going back to bed was definitely part of my plan.”
     Kira shuddered at the low, feral sound of his voice.  “Oh?”
     “Oh, yes, baby.  And I’m going with you.”
     Julian’s mouth dropped to hers, but stopped a hair’s breadth short of fusing to hers.  “I’m going to fuck you tonight, Kira.”  His whisper was a feathery caress against her lips.  “I’m going to shove my cock deep inside your ruby red pussy and fuck you ‘til we both explode.”
     Heat pooled between her legs, and she opened her mouth in a gasp.  His tongue swept inside, tantalizing and demanding, as a low rumble echoed from him, vibrating against Kira’s sensitive lips.  He kissed with a passion Kira had never encountered, his whole mouth devouring hers.
     And she liked it.  Oh, how she liked it.
     Her tongue wandered out to meet his and he groaned again, sucking it into his mouth and nipping it.  The inside of Kira’s mouth burned with his possession.  She kissed him back savagely, carnally, her voice letting out little moans of desire.  She gripped his strong, muscular shoulders, digging her nails into the fabric of his shirt.  His tongue continued its assault on her, probing deeper and deeper.  Kira’s heart thumped wildly against her sternum as she pushed her body into his, desperate for more of him.
     She whimpered when he broke the kiss, but moaned in satisfaction when he nibbled his way across her upper lip, then her lower.  “You taste like heaven, Kira,” he whispered against her chin.  “Do you like my tongue in your mouth, baby?”
     “God, yes.”  Her breath came in rapid, shallow puffs against his cheek.
     “Do you want my tongue on your pretty nipples?  Inside your hot pussy?”
     “Ah!”  She gasped as he lifted her and ground his erection between her legs.
     “Oh, yeah, baby.  I love that sound you make.”  He trailed moist kisses across her throat.  “You’re going to make that sound for me again.”  He nibbled at her pulse point, swirling his tongue on her hot skin.
     “Ah!” she said again, and he swept her into his arms.
     “Bedroom?” he groaned.
     “Straight ahead.”
     Kira heard Julian fumbling with the doorknob, then pushing the door open with his feet.  Within seconds, she was lying on the bed, Julian on top of her, his tongue in her mouth again.  As he kissed her, he pushed her shirt up, the touch of his hands scorching the sensitive skin of her belly.  She felt him groping her breasts under her lace demi-bra.
     “Beautiful.  I want to see those gorgeous tits, baby.  I want to kiss them.  Suck them.”
     “Ah!”
     “God!”  He ripped her bra open with a flick of his fingers.  “You make me so fucking hot!”
     Without preliminaries he latched onto a nipple, tugging at the flesh with his teeth.  Kira arched into him, moaning, the tingles rippling from her nipple straight to her pussy.  “Julian, God.  Julian!”
     He lifted his head, letting the nipple slide from his mouth.  “You like that, sweetheart?  You like when I suck your pretty nipples?”
     “God, Julian, yes!”
     He bent back to his work, licking her hardened bud while he squeezed the other between his fingers.  Kira felt moisture drip between her legs.  She squirmed.  “Julian,” she said, her voice breathless.  “Too many clothes.”
     He released her nipple and grinned, his dark eyes scorching her.  “I couldn’t agree more.”  He helped her shed her clothes, then spread her legs.
     “Julian.  What about your clothes?”
     “Yeah, yeah.  Later, Kira.  I have to taste your sweet cunt first.”  His fingers feathered across her folds.  “So wet, baby.  Such a sweet, wet pussy.  God, you’re pretty.  This is the reddest pussy I’ve ever seen.”
     Kira’s head flopped back and forth against the soft comforter.  “Julian.  You’re killing me.  Please!”
     He chuckled.  “Please what?”
     “Taste me.  Suck me.  Fuck me with your fingers.  For God’s sake, do something!”
     “Oh, I will, baby.  I’m going to suck your pussy ‘til you scream.”
     He slowly ran his tongue from her anus all the way to her clit.  She shivered, her body aching for more.  Then again, slowly. 
     “Julian!”
     “Hmm?”
     “I’m dying!”
     “What a way to go, eh sweetheart?”  He grinned lasciviously between her legs, his chin glistening with her juices.  “Your pussy is so wet, and you taste like a tangerine dream.  I want to savor you, baby.  I want to suck all the honey out of your pussy and make you come against my face.  Again and again.  And then I’m going to fuck you ‘til the sun comes up.”
     “Ah!  God, Julian.”  Kira panted.  “The sun...  The sun won’t be up for over two hours.”
     His teeth glistened in the moonlight pouring in through her window.  “What’s your point?”
     “God.”  Two hours of fucking this gorgeous man?  She could live with that.  “No point.  Too.  Much.  Talking.”
     “Agreed.”  His tongue lapped at her folds, then his teeth pulled at them, nipping and biting.
     “Ah!  Julian!”  His tongue felt like wet silk against her sensitive, swollen flesh.  Each stroke sent shivers through her.  When his lips closed around her clit and sucked hard, she jerked upward, her body arching and writhing.
     “You’re close, baby.  I can feel it.”  His voice hummed against her thigh.  “Come for me.  Come in my mouth, sweetheart.”
     His mouth clamped onto her clit once more and he thrust two fingers into her.  Her walls clenched down as the climax took her, spiraling through her body like a tornado.  “Ah!  God, Julian!  Yes!”
     “That’s it, baby.”  Julian’s husky voice hovered over her like a pearly fog as the spasms continued.  “Take what you need.  Take it from me.”
     Slowly his fingers circled inside her, nursing her through the waves that kept coming.  She moaned his name again and again.  Gradually she became aware of him climbing forward, then his lips brushed against hers in the softest caress.
     “Kiss me, sweetheart,” he said.  “Taste yourself on me.”  His lips smothered hers with demanding mastery.  She gasped into his mouth, tasting the tang of her own juices on his lips, his tongue.  Mixed with the dark sweetness of his mouth, it was intoxicating.
     When he released her mouth, she heard him draw in a breath.  “You’re so beautiful, Kira.  So fucking beautiful and so hot.  God, I want you.  I want to bury my cock inside that creamy pussy and fuck you hard.  So hard.”  He covered her cheeks with wet kisses.
     “Julian?”
     More kisses.  “Hmm?”
     “You still have too many clothes on.”
     She felt his lips curve against her cheek.  “So I do.”  He chuckled.  “What do you propose we do about that?”
     Kira let her natural strength take over, and she rolled to the side, pinning him beneath her.  “I can take care of it.”
     “You can, can you?”  He filled his hands with her breasts, lightly thumbing her nipples.
     Kira rubbed her pussy against the erection under his jeans.  “Ah, Julian.  You feel good against me.”
     “I’ll feel better without the jeans.”
     She laughed.  “No doubt.”  She pulled his shirt out of his waistband and shoved it upward and over his head.  “Oh!”  She couldn’t help gasping.  His sculpted chest was lightly dusted with black hair, his nipples a succulent dark pink.  Kira rested her hands on his pecs and relished the sleek hardness.  He was beautifully formed.  A masterpiece even.
     “You like?”  He winked.
     “Oh, I like,” she said, then slithered her hips down onto his thighs to unsnap his jeans and slide them over his hips.  His cock jutted forward, huge and inviting, a pearly drop of pre-cum glistening at its tip.  She shuddered.  “You’re beautiful, Julian.  Can I taste you now?”
     “Kira, sweetheart...”  Julian’s dark eyes fluttered shut.  “You never have to ask that question.”
     Kira lowered her lips and took the tip of Julian’s cock into her mouth, lapping up the pre-cum, savoring its salty flavor.  She swirled her tongue over his head, the smooth hardness like velvet against the inside of her mouth.
     “God, Kira,” he said, panting.  “Suck me.  Yeah, just like that.”
     Kira took the entire length of him into her mouth, the tip nudging the back of her throat, her nose buried in his black nest of curls.
     “Damn,” he said.  “Damn, Kira!”
     She eased back, licking and nipping, then thrust her mouth onto him again, feeling the shudders of his body, knowing she was pleasing him.
     “Kira, God.  You’ve got to stop that.  I don’t want to come yet.  I want to...”  His voice trailed off as she sucked him hard.  “Ah, fuck, Kira!”
     Before Kira knew what was happening, she was on her back, and Julian was fumbling in the pocket of his jeans.  Kira heard the rip of a foil packet, then Julian was hovering over her, the head of his cock nudging against her still sensitive entrance.
     “I’m going to fuck you now, sweetheart,” he said against her lips.  “I’m going to sink my hard cock into your sweet cunt and fuck your brains out.  You ready?”
     God, was she.  “Oh yeah.  Fuck me.  Fuck me now.”
     With one sweet stroke he was inside her, stretching her, filling her.
     “Oh, baby.  That’s the tightest little pussy I’ve ever felt.”  He pulled out, then thrust back into her.  Hard.  “Sweet and wet and red and tight.”  Another thrust.
     Kira’s body quaked as he plundered her.  With each stroke he touched her more deeply, awakening sensitive tissues that she hadn’t known existed.  She lifted her hips to urge him farther into her body.
     “Yeah, sweetheart,” he said, gripping her buttocks and ramming into her.  “Take me.  Take me deep.”
     “Ah! Julian!”
     “God, I love those noises you make, Kira.  Damn.”  He thrust again, shattering her.  “I can’t hold on much longer, baby.  I’m...”  He thrust again and reached between their sweat coated bodies and pinched her clit between his fingers.
     “Ah!  Julian, yes!”  Kira’s muscles clenched in climax around his hard cock.  She closed her eyes as the ripples shook through her.
     “That’s it, baby.  Come.  Show me how much you love my big hard cock.”  He thrust again.  “I can make this spectacular, sweetheart.  For both of us.”  He pumped harder as Kira continued to rock through her orgasm.  “Will you trust me, Kira?  Will you trust me to make it great?”
     He wanted her to trust him?  What?  In the midst of such an intense climax, Kira was sure she’d agree to anything.  Her body was on fire.
     “Trust me?”  He said again, his cock sending shivers through every cell of her body with each thrust.
     “Yes.”  She inhaled sharply, the pleasure almost too intense to bear.  “Yes, Julian.  I trust you.”
     “Oh God, baby.”  Julian covered her mouth with his in a devouring kiss, then moved to her neck, trailing moist kisses along the way.  His fingers dipped to her clit once more.  Still on the edge of her climax, Kira began to soar again, and just when she thought she couldn’t go any higher, teeth pierced the tender flesh of her neck.  She gasped at the stinging invasion, but the pain turned immediately to pleasure, and she felt Julian, his very essence, invade her mind and body.
     “Stay with me.”  Was that his voice?  Or had he spoken in her mind?  She was hurtling through a maze of intense sensation, a kaleidoscope of glittering colors and shapes, and Julian was with her, guiding her.  Kira felt him convulse inside her.  His body shook and the sheen of their sweat mixed together, creating a musky fragrance that was sweeter than anything Kira had ever smelled.
     “That’s it, baby.”  His voice again, or so she thought.  “Let me in.  Take all of me.”
     When she finally spiraled downward, Julian was licking her neck.  Then he took her mouth, clamping his lips onto hers as he milked the last traces of her orgasm from her pussy.  He tasted darker, sweeter, spicier. 
     Still kissing her, Julian turned onto his side, curling her into the curve of his body.  She snuggled against his muscled hardness.
     “You’re wonderful, baby,” he said in her ear.  “Now sleep for me.”
     She brushed her lips against his neck and fell into peaceful slumber.
     ***
     Julian’s heart slowed, the euphoric joining with Kira settling his body into a deep relaxation.  Oh, she was beautiful.  And sexy.  An amazing and tender lover.  Her pussy had gripped him so tightly, like she had been created to sheath him.
     But all that paled in comparison to the intense joining when he’d taken her blood.  Her true essence.  Its zest had sated him like nothing he’d ever imagined.  It was a potent, intoxicating concoction.  One he wasn’t sure he could live without, now that he’d sampled it.
     How he longed to stay, her body cradled in his arms.  To wake up with her and make love to her again.  And again.
     But the sun would rise soon, within the hour.  He had to leave.  He disentangled himself from her gently, then left the bed and dressed.
     She wouldn’t wake up for another several hours.  The rapturous haze of her first blood sharing orgasm would keep her out cold.  Julian had wanted to share himself with her fully, but now he felt a twinge of regret.  If he hadn’t, he’d be able to say good bye now.
     He brushed his lips lightly against hers.  “Sleep well, beautiful Kira,” he whispered.  “I’ll see you tonight.”
***
     “Fucking full moon.”
     Kira couldn’t believe she had slept the entire day away.  She’d probably still be out if the moon hadn’t called.  It had been some night.  At least for her.  Incredible sex with a gorgeous stud, and several orgasms, the last of which was the most mind blowing sensation she had ever experienced.
     The jerk might have at least left a note.  But no.
     Kira headed to the bathroom for a quick shower, stopping at the mirror.  Her long hair was in complete disarray, and her face was flushed with the look of a woman who had been well serviced.  Well, she had been.  She couldn’t deny it.  Too bad he hadn’t stuck around.
     As she turned on the faucet she noticed a couple of pink spots on her neck.  Hmm.  She smoothed her fingers over their slightly raised surface.  Must have been some mosquitoes in the meadow last night.
     She showered quickly, then dressed.  By the time she had dried her hair, the full moon was shining brightly, and her itch was becoming unbearable.  She walked to her closet and opened it.
     “Time to go to work, Andre,” she said, pulling out the pink chair.  She gathered her small fanny pack of supplies, then, lugging Andre along, she headed out into the woods behind her cabin.
     The meadow, as usual, was beautiful under the full moon’s veil of sparkling light.  She set Andre on the mossy grass, then pulled a small vial and a disposable syringe out of her fanny pack.  She plunged the syringe into the rubber top of the vial and watched as the clear liquid filled the small tube.
     “Kira?”
     The husky voice surprised her, but she didn’t jump.  She turned to see Julian striding toward her from the woods.
     “Please tell me you’re an insulin dependent diabetic,” he said.
     She held the needle poised above her upper arm.  What was he doing here now?  “No.”
     “Then that’s a vitamin B-12 shot?”
     “Wrong again.”
     His face twisted into a frown.
     Anger bubbled up into Kira.  “You left without so much as a good-bye this morning,” she said hotly.  “What does it matter to you if I’m a drug addict?”
     “You were asleep.”
     “I bet if you’d tried hard enough, you could have found a pen and paper.  I’m not a writer like you, but I do keep them around.”
     “I was in a hurry.”
     “Of course.”  She plunged the syringe into her flesh.  No sting.  No pain.  She was used to it now.
     “I don’t believe you’re a drug addict, sweetheart.”
     “I don’t care what you believe,” she said.  “Now if you’ll excuse me, you’re on my property, and I have...an engagement.”
     “With that?”  He nodded to the pink chair.
     “None of your business.”
     “Kira.”  He moved close to her and took her hand.  “Please tell me what you injected yourself with.”
     The itch consumed her, traveling from her pussy out to every cell of her skin.  His touch made it worse.  And yet, better.  She wanted him.  God, she wanted him.  But he wouldn’t be able to satisfy her tonight.  “Sorry, Julian.  I can’t tell you.  You wouldn’t understand.”
     “Try me.”
     “No.”
     “Please.  Trust me.”
     Trust me.  His low, husky words echoed in her ear.  He had uttered them last night, right before their mutual climax.  The climax that had rocked her world.
     “Fine,” she said, plunking her bottom onto the soft ground.  “Sit.”  She patted the grass beside her, and he sat down.  “You’ll probably want to run screaming in several different directions after I tell you this, but first I need your promise of confidence.”
     “I won’t run away from you,” Julian said, taking her hand and massaging it lightly.  “I promise.”
     His touch ignited her.  Damn moon.  “That’s not the promise I need.”
     “Confidence.  Yes, of course.  You have it.”
     Kira took a deep breath.  “The substance in the syringe is an herbal extract that I mix myself.  It...suppresses certain physiological responses.”
     “I’m listening.”
     “I carry a gene.  An ancient one.  It causes me to...”  She cleared her throat.  Could she really tell him her secret?  She looked into his dark eyes.  She saw desire.  But she also saw concern.  And...love?  “Julian...”
     He leaned forward and brushed his lips over hers.  “I’m not going anywhere, Kira.  Tell me.”
     “I’m a shifter, Julian.  A wolf.”  She closed her eyes and winced, then opened them.  He was still there, smiling.  “You’re not running.”
     “No.  I promised you I wouldn’t.”
     “I just told you I’m a werewolf.  You should be screaming and running a hundred miles an hour.”
     He chuckled.  “I’m not going to run away.  I want to be with you.”
     “Excuse me?”  Her pulse fluttered in her throat.
     “You heard me.  Now tell me the rest.”
     She willed her voice not to stammer.  “I can control the change, but I can’t control other aspects of my body.  The full moon triggers my reproductive cycle.  My body goes into heat, and I must mate under the moon to satisfy the drive.”
     “Is that all?  Why didn’t you tell me?  I’d be happy to offer my services.”  He laughed, feathering his fingers over her arms.  She shivered.
     “It’s not that simple, Julian.  I have to copulate for three, sometimes four hours, before the urge goes away.  No man has ever been able to last that long.  And I don’t like the idea of multiple men, one after the other.  So I found an alternative.”
     He chuckled.  “Hence the chair.”
     “Yeah.”  She felt herself redden.  “I call him Andre.”
     Julian smiled, but then turned serious.  “Kira, you said the injection suppresses certain physiological responses.”
     “Yeah.  My...pheromones.  I give them off in concentrated super strength.  If I didn’t suppress them, every human and wolf male within a ten mile radius would respond.  I-I don’t want that, obviously.”  She let out a shaky laugh.
     “Ah.  That explains why I couldn’t track your scent last night.”
     “What?”  Kira jerked backward.  “You were here last night?”
     “Oh yes, sweetheart.”  He wiggled his eyebrows.  “But only for about ten minutes.  I only saw the end of your escapade.”
     “You’re a fucking voyeur!”
     “No.  I’m really not.  But I watched you, and I don’t regret it.  I couldn’t help myself.  You were so beautiful.  And so hot.  I knew we would be amazing together.”
     “How did you find me?”
     “I caught your scent after you left.”
     “But the injection should have...”
     “My sense of smell is a bit stronger than average, you might say.”
     “Why is that?”
     “Trust me?”
     “Julian, I’ve just poured out my innermost secret to you.  Of course I trust you.”
     He smiled, his teeth glistening in the moonlight.  Suddenly his eye teeth began to grow.  Kira’s hands flew to her mouth.  A vampire?  Julian was a vampire?  She slowly trailed the fingers of one hand from her mouth to her neck.  “You bit me, didn’t you?”
     “Yes, sweetheart.”  He closed his eyes and the muscles of his face softened into a serene glow as he sighed.  “It was wonderful, and I’m deeply grateful for your trust.  Thank you for sharing yourself with me.”
     “But...”  She should be angry.  Madder than hell, even.  But she couldn’t bring the emotion to the surface.  She had given him her trust, and he hadn’t harmed her.  No.  Instead he had given her the most incredible orgasm she had ever experienced.  They had bonded on levels she hadn’t known existed.
     He opened his eyes and gazed into hers.  “We’re right together, aren’t we?”
     “Yes, but...”
     “But what?”
     “You don’t understand, Julian.  My drive is...calling me.  I have to...  Fuck.  I have to fuck.  Now.”
     “I think I can accommodate you, baby.”
     “No.  No human male can handle what I need.”
     His lips curved upward revealing his still elongated fangs.  God, he was gorgeous, even with vampire teeth.  Especially with vampire teeth.  He oozed charm and sex appeal.  “Need I remind you, love, I’m not human.”
     Kira grinned, then giggled.  “Okay.  Let’s try it.  But no foreplay.  I need your cock and I need it now.”
     “Oh, baby.”  He smiled, then lifted her shirt over her head.  “I may not be human, but I’m still a male, and those are mighty sweet words.”
     Kira ripped at his shirt, then his jeans.  “Condom?  I’m extremely fertile.”
     “Yeah.  In my pocket.”  He scavenged through the rumpled clothes and quickly sheathed himself.
     Kira lay naked on the soft grass, the moon shining down on her.  For once she wasn’t filled with resentment.  Instead of the smirking globe she usually saw, the bright yellow ball seemed to smile knowingly.  “Now, Julian.  Now.”
     “Yeah, baby.  I’ve got you.”  He lowered himself over her body and thrust inside her.
     “Ah!  Julian, I am so ready for this.”
     “Me, too, baby.  Me too.”
     He plunged into her and she came in heady convulsions.
     “Already, love?  Damn, I’m good.”
     She swatted his arm affectionately.  “It’s the moon, Julian.  I’m going to come a lot.  I mean a lot.  But you don’t get to come ‘til the end.  You still want to do this?”
     “More than I want to breathe, I think.”  He thrust into her again, and her pussy clenched around him.  She felt him on her skin, in her belly, in her very marrow.  This man touched her in so many ways.
     She shivered and shook as another climax took her, and she grabbed the cheeks of his ass, pulling him closer to her core and moaning his name.
     “God, you’re so beautiful when you come,” he said, slowing his strokes.
     He turned her over and took her from behind, squeezing her breasts as he pumped.  His balls slapped her clit with each thrust, and she shattered again.
     Next she straddled him, taking him as deep as she could into her body.  He plucked at her hard nipples, then laced his fingers through her hair.
     “You’re so fucking beautiful.  Ride me baby.”  His sexy voice trickled over her like a fine Bordeaux.  “Take what you need.  I’m here.”
     “Fuck me, Julian,” she heard herself say.  “Fuck me hard.  Fuck me all night long.”
     “Yeah, baby.  I’ll fuck you.”  He thrust upward, hitting the edge of her womb.  She leaped into nirvana.
     For the next two hours they made love.  Spooning.  Standing.  Both of them kneeling as they tasted each other’s mouths in searing kisses that left them breathless.  Kira’s animal urges took over her body and she fucked Julian with a carnal passion that she had never used on any other man.
     “Kira, sweetheart, your pussy is so tight.  So fucking tight.  So wet for me.  God, how you hold my cock.  So hot.”  He continued to slam into her.
     With one last scalding climax, Kira finally felt herself begin to cool.  She rolled onto her back, pulling Julian on top of her.  He gentled his rhythm, taking more shallow thrusts, trailing moist kisses along lower lip, her jaw line, then her neck.
     “All right, sweetheart?”
     “Ah, yes, Julian.  Yes.  I’m more than all right.  I’m wonderful now.”
     He chuckled against her neck, his breath a sweet tickle.  “You said it would take three or four hours.”
     She giggled.  “I guess you’re better than Andre.”
     “Then I can finish?”
     “Yes.  Please.”
     He sucked at the sensitive flesh beneath her ear.  “Will you share your blood with me again, sweetheart?”
     “God, yes, Julian.  Always.”
     She groaned as he swept her hair off her neck then pierced her flesh with his teeth.  The stinging pain morphed into the familiar sensation of joining to his mind, his soul.  “Let me love you, Kira,” he said silently.  “Let me give you all of me.”
     “Yes,” she whispered against his neck, then she whirled into the rainbow of sparkling colors and sensations.  The soft tugs of Julian’s mouth on her flesh scorched her.  Her whole body throbbed, her blood boiling as it coursed through her veins.  “Julian!” she cried.  “My God, Julian!”
     When the waves of nirvana rolled to a stop, she felt Julian’s soft tongue licking at the wound he’d made.  Then his smile against her sensitive skin.
     “All right, love?”
     “Perfect.”  She sighed, her body floating in relaxation.
     He lifted his head and smiled at her, the tinge of her blood on his lips an erotic sight.  “I’m available every month, you know.”
     “Only every month?”
     “Okay, every night.”
     She captured his lips with hers, tasting the metallic tang of her own blood mixed with his dark spiciness.  “Mmm.  Then every night it is.”  She rolled over and straddled him.  “I guess I can get rid of him.”  She gestured to Andre.
     “Oh, I don’t know.”  Julian winked.  “I think we might be able to find some use for him.”
     Then he pulled her down to his mouth and kissed her senseless.