by Mlissa | Mar 3, 2012 | Simple Need
First impressions. Sometimes they’re good. Sometimes they’re horrid. But, they most often last forever and ever.
Do you remember the first impression you had of your SO? Did you even dream they’d become your SO? Did you like them? Want them? Revile them?
In most of my books, the main characters have already met off page, but a few of them, have met on the page and strangely, those seem to be my most popular books… Whether our characters make a good impression or bad impression on each other, the impression they make on the reader is lasting…
Snippet:
The bartender leaned against the polished, scarred wood of the bar. “Another one?”
Elise looked at the bottom of her glass and debated what the correct answer should be. Would she rather drive home or call a cab?
“Yes, let the lady have another.”
She turned her head at the man who had come to straddle the barstool next to hers. Short auburn hair, ice blue eyes, both arms covered in brightly colored tats, fingernails painted black, and a barely contained sex appeal reached out and enveloped her from her head all the way down to her toes. She wanted him. Right here, right now.
She cleared her throat, found her voice, and was pleased at its steadiness. “I appreciate it, but no. I think it’s time for me to call it a night.” In his bed would be a nice place to do that, but she’d just called a halt to all men for a while. Even gorgeous ones with hard dicks pressing against worn denim, and solid muscles framed to lean perfection beneath faded black tee shirts.
God, she needed to go home. He was way too tempting and her bruised ego was way too vulnerable.
“Why?”
Yes, why indeed. “It’s just time. Been a long day and all that.”
He reached out and stroked the back of her hand that was wrapped around the empty glass. “Going home alone?”
Would you like to come home with me? “Yes, alone.”
“Hmmm. That doesn’t sound like fun at all. Tell ya what. Why don’t you let me buy you another drink and you can fill me in on why it’s been such a long day. I’m a pretty good listener.”
He had a deliciously, well-defined mouth and Elise wanted to let her lips fall down on his. His voice rolled over her like a warm blanket, soft and comfortably deep. “The guy I’d been seeing ended things today. I got the text message at lunch.”
“Text message? You serious? Dumbass man.”
She tried not to smile but couldn’t help it. It was just a small smile, but nonetheless he answered her with one of his own and she swore her pussy melted in her jeans.
“No. I was the dumbass in this one. I really did know better and now, well, hindsight is twenty-twenty.” She shrugged and the bartender chose that moment to set another rum and Coke in front of her. The smell of the alcohol made her feel lightheaded. Whoa. She didn’t need to drink it, she could just inhale it. Instead of calling a cab, she would be sleeping on the floor beneath the stool she sat on.
“What did you know better about?”
“Trust me, you don’t want to know.” She took a small sip of her new drink. The rum burned going down and it felt good. Tattoo man would feel better, but…
“I do.”
“He was married.”
“Oh. Yeah, that’s never good. Are you?”
“Am I what? Good? Yes.”
He grinned at her and heat flooded her cheeks. She had no idea where that teasing, suggestive comment had come from, but she liked it, liked that she made him grin. He was devastating to look at.
“Mmmm. I’ll give you a chance to prove it later. Are you married?”
She shook her head. “No, I’m not.”
“Then why waste your time on a man who is?”
She never would have if she’d known. Where were all the damn warning signs? “I didn’t know he was married. See, that’s me being the dumbass. He gave all his numbers, his address. There were never any restrictions on communication or seeing one another.” And there hadn’t been. She could call him whenever, though she always let him call her. She’d never been one who could chase a man, even one she was dating. She could see him every night, every day. He’d introduced her to people he worked with, friends he hung out with. There had been nothing that she could remember, and she’d been racking her brain all afternoon trying to figure out, trying to jog her memory, trying to find something that would have hinted that there was a Mrs. But there was nothing.
“When did you find out?”
“In his text message. He said he was going back to his wife.” And there it was all over again…the shock, the humiliation at having gotten involved with a married man without having realized it. There hadn’t even been a tan line on his ring finger. She’d looked. Going back obviously meant that he’d been separated from his wife, but still…
She lowered her head and laid her forehead on the bar. That twinge inside her gut, that complete lack of understanding at how her character judgments had become so flawed, gnawed at her. She used to be able to read people, guys especially, mainly because she watched more than she talked. What had happened that she couldn’t choose a guy anymore who was worth anything, who wasn’t a loser? What had happened to her once-upon-a-time, never-let-her-down intuition?
Tattoo Man leaned close, his breath whispered into her ear, fanned across her skin, and she fought not to shiver, fought not to lift her head and turn it just a fraction of an inch to her right. “Let me take care of you.”
And then there was hot and yummy next to her. Her intuition was screaming loud and clear regarding him.
Don’t ask. Don’t ask. Don’t. You. Dare. Ask. “Take care of me how?” Dammit. She couldn’t help but ask though. No man had ever asked her to let him take care of her, to give herself in such a way as to be cared for. It didn’t matter right then what he wanted to do to her, how he wanted to take care of her. All that mattered was that he did.
End snippet
(I’m thinking Elise’s first impression of Vinter is a very positive one, don’t you?)
Please enjoy first meeting snippets from the following awesome authors:
Megan Hart:Read in bed!
Rhian Cahill
Jody Wallace
Eliza Gayle
Mandy M Roth
Mari Carr
McKenna Jeffries
Myla Jackson
Taige Crenshaw
Delilah Devlin
HelenKay Dimon
Lauren Dane
Leah Braemel
Shelli Stevens
Shiloh Walker
TJ Michaels
Zoë Archer
Have a great weekend, y’all!
~lissa
by Mlissa | Feb 9, 2012 | Food, Simple Need, Vinter
Welcome y’all! Pull up a seat.
One of my favorite things to do is cook. I love being in the kitchen most of the time. It’s not always and not every day that I want to make a mess and then have to clean it up, but for the most part, I’m in love with cooking and baking and all things kitchen. Because of that, it makes sense for me to have characters in my books who cook.
Today’s character is Vinter. In Simple Need, the morning after with Elise, he made her breakfast…waffles and bacon. Now, of course, Vinter being Vinter, he couldn’t help but be a little naughty with the syrup. Luckily, Elise was all too happy to oblige him. He wanted to make her feel that she was welcome, that he wanted her company for more than the hot sex they were almost constantly having. And well, there was also that need for sustenance 😉 . After all, they did work up a bit of an appetite.
I have a love affair with breakfast foods, especially sweet breakfast foods. Waffles, pancakes, sweet breads, muffins, doughnuts, etc… I don’t have these things often, but when I do, it’s like a party. I love going out for pancakes or pastries, but more than that, I love making them. Nothing better sometimes than the smell of cooking waffles and bacon and warm maple syrup. It has to be real maple syrup, too. Not the flavored syrup, but the real thing, usually in the glass bottles and more expensive than the stuff at eye level. Real syrup can be used sparingly too since it’s sweeter.
Since I cook so much, I try to do it in a healthy way. I love food blogs and am always perusing them, spending hours reading through them for new and interesting takes on recipes. I use a lot of natural sweeteners instead of white sugar. Whole wheat and whole grain flours instead of white unless necessary, like for cakes and such.
So, because our bad boy hero, Vinter, made Elise waffles, I thought I’d share with you one of my favorite waffle recipes from one of my most favorite food sites, Deliciously Organic.
Whole Wheat Waffles
Adapted from Christopher Kimball’s The Cook’s Bible 
Serves 6
2 1/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour
2 tablespoons cornmeal
3/4 teaspoon sea salt
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 large eggs, separated
1 3/4 cups buttermilk
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Preheat waffle iron.Whisk flour, cornmeal, sea salt and baking soda in a mixing bowl. Whisk egg yolks with buttermilk and melted butter. Beat egg whites until they hold a stiff peak. Add egg yolk mixture slowly to dry ingredients while stirring with a spatula until just mixed together (there will still be lumps and maybe a few patches of flour). Gently fold in the egg whites until just mixed together. (It’s important not to over mix).
Using a ladle, spoon batter onto waffle iron and cook until deep brown. Serve immediately.
If you are cooking for a crowd, simply preheat the oven to 200°F and place a cooling rack on top of a baking sheet. When the waffles are cooked place them on the cooling rack/baking sheet and place in the oven to keep warm.
Now, this following bacon recipe is an indulgent recipe and I make it once in a blue moon and not to serve with waffles or pancakes since it’s so sweet already. It’s taken from the blog, Mommy’s Kitchen.
Brown Sugar Bacon
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne (optional)
1/2 pound thick-cut bacon, 8 slices
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Mix brown sugar, cayenne, and black pepper together in a medium bowl. Add bacon and toss. Line a baking sheet with a wire rack and lay bacon on the rack. Pat any remanding spice mixture on the bacon. Put the baking sheet on the top rack of the oven and bake until crisp, about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven to a serving dish and let cool slightly before serving.
*Note: If using thick cut peppered bacon, omit the pepper in this recipe.
When I was looking for a waffle iron, I had the hardest time finding one that wasn’t for Belgian waffles. I wanted a regular thickness for waffles and I finally found one by Cuisinart for about $30. I love it.
Have you read about Vinter? If not, here’s the cover and blurb:
Vinter is not your typical businessman. Tattoos, piercings and not a suit and tie in sight. One-third owner of a bar and a tattoo parlor along with being a bassist in a band, Vinter comes and goes as he pleases. He likes his beer cold, his music hard and his women scorching hot. Until he’s knocked off his game by a suburban doll he can’t stop wanting.
Elise needs a change. In men. The buttoned-up businessmen she’s been dating leave a lot to be desired—in romance, in respect and most definitely in sex. A recent text message from her now ex-lover drives Elise into a popular bar on the outside of town, where she meets one of its owners. He’s just the kind of man she’s never had and definitely the kind she’s always fantasized about. Big, bad and oh so naughty.
Unexpected tenderness. Unimaginable lust. Being dumped has never felt so damn good.
Available as an ebook from: Ellora’s Cave, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, All Romance eBooks, Sony Reader, Kobo, Powell’s
I hope you’ve enjoyed this first installment of In the kitchen with… and that you’ll come back each Thursday to find out what and who is cooking…
~lissa
by Mlissa | Dec 4, 2010 | Ellora's Cave, Simple Need, Vinter
It is author’s choice. And as the author, I decided to ask my readers what their choice would be for a snippet today. I was not surprised in their answer, however, I thought perhaps someone would come up with a different answer here and there, but, no. The results were overwhelming in the favor of…Simple Need. Everyone wanted a Vinter snippet.
I swear, if I could figure out how to re-create that magic, I would. Y’all kill me with how much you love him. Gives a girl a complex for every other male character she creates… And just imagine how those other heros feel… Be careful, they may gang up on Vin and beat his hotness right out of him. That wouldn’t be pretty! You might consider spreading the love a little… Grins.
So, as my readers have spoken, so it may be…
Snippet:
“Thank you. I just think names are a complication this kind of thing doesn’t need.”
“This kind of thing? Just what do you think this is?”
“You know, one night.”
“Huh.” He nodded once, though he completely disagreed and slid off the barstool, gesturing for her to walk ahead of him. She stopped short and had he not been paying attention, he’d have bumped right into her. As it was, he was able to catch himself just a hairsbreadth from her. When she turned around, her nose brushed his chest and she ended up being the one to stumble back in surprise. He caught her around the back of the neck only to haul her into his body.
Her breath came out on in a whoosh. “Th-the drink. Are you sure?” she panted out, her gaze locked in the center of his chest.
“I’m sure.” Vinter breathed in deep, the warm scents of fruit and spice wrapping around him. She looked up, questions in her eyes, and he smiled. “I own part of the house.”
“Oh. Okay then.”
She gave him a short, crisp nod and maneuvered out of his hold and out the door. He ignored the laughter ringing out behind him from the bartender and followed her outside into the cool night air.
She was on him in a second. The force of her launching herself at him pressed him back against the wall of the building as she pulled his mouth down to hers. Maybe she wasn’t as buttoned down as he’d first thought.
Her kiss was hungry and desperate. He hated that she’d been driven to need what he could give, but at the same time, he’d give it all and then some, grateful that he had what she needed. He was suddenly very glad that he’d stopped at the bar on his way home.
His arms wrapped around her and he turned them, reversing their positions. With a groan, he tore away from her mouth only to trail kisses along her jaw. “Put your legs around me.”
“N…no, I can’t. I’m too heavy. You can’t hold me up.”
He nipped at her neck and tugged on the skin with his lips, wanting to soothe the anxious edge in her voice. “My build is deceptive. I may be slim, but I’m strong enough. Trust me, I can do it. I’ll help you.” And to show her he meant it, he reached down and wrapped one hand around the back of her knee and lifted her leg up around his thigh. He pressed into her harder. “Lift your other leg, baby. I’ve got you, I swear.”
Her hands slid up his arms and her fingers gripped his shoulders as she lifted her foot off the ground. He shifted slightly and caught both her legs in his hands as he moved her up the wall with his body. She was heavy against him, but god, it was a glorious heavy and he fucking loved it. Her soft body and full curves welcomed him into the plushness and his cock strained against the zipper of his jeans where the heat from the juncture of her thighs teased him.
“Shit, woman. You’ve got to be the sexiest…” His lips captured hers again before he finished his statement. Tongue met tongue, breath mingled with breath, and as her hands slid up over his head, his fingers flexed around her thighs and ass, wanting her naked. She rocked against him and he shoved himself against her, the fucking through their clothes a frustrating and delicious friction. Could she feel the ridges of his cock piercings through the double layer of denim separating their flesh from one another? He sure as hell could. He felt them rubbing the inside of his jeans. What would she think, how would she react to seeing the metal along the shaft and through the head? He wondered these things and a lot more in the space of a few seconds and then stopped wondering altogether.
Forcing an end to the kiss, Vinter looked into her face, his hips still pumping against her. She tightened around him and gasped air into her lungs with her lower body bearing down. She was going to come. He could see it in her face, feel it in the tensing of her muscles. The street lamps, the parking lot lights showed everything in her expression.
“Please…”
It was a whisper as he surged up hard. It was a whimper as he ground into her.
He was going to have her this way back at his place with the exception that they’d both be naked. He was going to hoist her up against the door, the wall, set her on the kitchen counter, anchor her on the back of the couch, and fuck her. There wasn’t going to be a single surface left untouched in his house when he got through with her.
Then, after a little recovery, he was going to start all over again. Outside. On the porch, on the hood of his car, in the grass.
Snippet #2: (just because y’all are nice)
Gently, he turned her face to him and kissed her eyelids. She moaned and nuzzled her cheek in his hand. She was so sweet to look at. He hated that she’d been hurt, but he didn’t regret being the one who would get her through it to the other side. He knew what tonight was about and he was okay with that. There might even be more than just tonight, but they’d take it one step at a time. He was nothing if not patient when he wanted something and he damn sure wanted her. He knelt on the ground and leaned in to kiss the corner of her lips. “Wake up, baby. We’re here. Let’s get you inside.”
After a few seconds of him rubbing his thumb over her cheek, her eyes fluttered open. “I fell asleep.”
Her voice was all soft, sexy sleepiness. He smiled. “Yes, you did.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. C’mon, I’ll help you out of the car.” He took her hand in his and let her take her time getting up out of the deep bucket seat. He grabbed her purse from the roof, closed the door and walked her slowly up to the front of the house, holding her close against his side. He pressed the lock button on the key fob for the car, then inserted the house key and unlocked the door, ushering her inside.
“Kick off your shoes,” he murmured once they were in the house.
She leaned back against the door and did as he said. He hadn’t noticed her pretty painted toenails before now, but heavens when she toed off her sandals, her bright pink toes winked at him in the hallway light. Was there going to be anything at all about this woman that didn’t make him want to throw her down and rut like an animal? Because so far, everything she did made him want to stuff himself inside her, feel her close around him, and fuck. She had the body of a pin-up girl from way back when and while she wasn’t his regular type, as he wasn’t hers, perhaps things were about to change for both of them.
With her head reclining back and her dreamy, half-closed eyes gazing at him, he stripped her of her shirt and bra. She never protested, just moved her body to accommodate him and made it easier for him to undress her. His breath caught in his throat when he had her naked from the waist up.
Her breasts were full and would overflow his hands, but not by much, and he had to fist them to keep from reaching out. His fingers itched to tug on her nipples, make her gasp as he twisted them, rolled them and bit them. He didn’t do any of that right then, only trailed the tips of his fingers over the pale, plump mounds.
“Do you want to sleep naked, in panties or in one of my shirts?” he asked as he went to work on her jeans. The snap was popped and the zipper pulled down and then he was pushing them down over her full hips and legs until she could step out of them. He didn’t know what it was about her that compelled him. She wasn’t dressed to pick up a guy, hadn’t been looking to do it. She’d been dressed as though she were going to have a casual dinner with some friends. Her jeans hugged the curve of her hips and the dip of her waist, molding around her ass, though they weren’t tight on her. Her bra was serviceable, plain, no adornments or lacy trim. It did nothing more than hold her tits in. It was designed for function, not for seduction. But everything about her when she’d looked at him in the bar screamed “fuck me”.
He took a step back and just stared at her, his mind filled with all the things he wanted to do to her, his cock filled to unbearable hardness. She was lush and gorgeous standing there in black lace panties that covered her lower belly and her hips. Her curves should be on display all the time, minimally covered and marked by a lover. He’d be lucky if he didn’t come in his jeans again just by looking at her.
“Panties and a tee shirt.”
“No, you get to choose only one.” Taking her by the hand again, he led her through the darkened living room to the bedroom. He tugged her inside and turned on a lamp. Damn, he should have made the bed. The blankets and sheets were strewn in all directions, one pillow rested on the floor, two more were piled one on top of the other against the headboard. He looked down at her, an apology on his tongue at the mess that greeted them, but the longing in her face as she looked at the bed erased the feeling. He left her in the doorway and went to right the covers and rearrange the pillows. “What’s it going to be?”
“Both please,” she whispered, a blush stealing through her cheeks and shoulders.
How could he deny her? “Okay, baby. I’ll let you have both tonight. Tomorrow night though, only one. Understand?”
She nodded and he walked to his dresser. He pulled the second drawer and snagged an old, soft shirt. Her eyes were closed as he stepped in front of her again. “Lift your arms up. Good girl.” He slipped the shirt over her hands and head, letting it fall around her body. It came to rest just below her ass. He’d never seen anything quite as sweet and sexy as her half asleep in his shirt. “Come get in the bed.”
She was on the mattress without having to be told twice, her full tits bouncing and swaying beneath the threadbare cotton. He pulled the covers over her after she curled on her side. Vinter knelt to be at eye level with her and brushed her hair back over her ear.
“I’m sorry I’m not much fun tonight. Drinking makes me sleepy. And the orgasm really made me feel good. You’re very nice to let me sleep here.”
“It’s all right. I’ll let you make it up to me in the morning.”
End Snippets
Please visit the following blogs for some awesome snippets…
Leah Braemel
Mari Carr
TJ Michaels
McKenna Jeffries
Taige Crenshaw
Delilah Devlin
Eliza Gayle
HelenKay Dimon
Lauren Dane
Sasha White
Jody Wallace
~lissa
Oh and because I’m going to the ACC Championship Game tonight here in Charlotte…
Go NOLES!!!!!!!
by Mlissa | Jul 1, 2010 | Carnal Ecstasy, Ellora's Cave, Simple Need
I swear, this is what I feel like some days. I would whore myself for coffee. And it’s not even the whole cup that matters. It’s just the first few sips. The aroma. The warmth. The fact that I know in a couple minutes, I’m gonna feel better.
Does the coffee really do that or is it just mind over matter for me with it? I’m gonna say it’s the coffee because I know plenty of others out there, that would swear the same things I did above. Although, some days it might take the whole cup and one or two more to feel better, but, you get the idea…
I am still primarily in the writing cave today. I promised my editor this book and dammit! she’s gonna get it. I also have a few pieces to add to the shifter edits before I can turn them back in this weekend or so… One day, I’ll get out of the cave… One day the characters in a book will behave and not go all crazy on me, having sex when it wasn’t planned for them to have sex, and having deep conversations when they really weren’t supposed to, not to mention the utter brattiness of the heroine just because she didn’t get her way… Her reward for it…no, she still didn’t get her way, I don’t believe in rewarding that behavior. No, all it got her was the hero telling her to get the fuck over it and walking away… Damn, I’ll chase a man like that!
Anyway…I digress… In light of being in the cave (thank GOD I’ve got the coffee pot in here), I am guesting over at Naughty Author Chicks today. I was approached to give an interview by one of my favorite authors and new friends and writing guru’s Cara McKenna. I would never deny this woman anything… She’s so incredibly awesome, talented, and prolific! I provided NAC with a couple naughty excerpts, one from each book so, pop on over there! I’ll be giving away a copy of both Simple Need and Carnal Ecstasy tomorrow.
There is also a hot, yummy (different) excerpt from Carnal Ecstasy over on Smutty Hussy Cecile’s blog, All I Want and more… We didn’t plan a contest, but the weekend isn’t over yet and y’all know me, I’ll have a giveaway somewhere and I’ll let all y’all know!
I’ll be posting today on Kiss and Tell Girls… Yes more promo for this book! And if y’all think this is bad, just wait til August and I start promoting my first shifter novella!
So, while I get back to the cave for some more hard and heavy writing, y’all visit some blogs and leave some comments, and lust after the man that’s gonna be bringing you naughtiness tomorrow… Dallon…
~lissa
by Mlissa | Jun 28, 2010 | Carnal Ecstasy, Ellora's Cave, Simple Need, Vinter
Y’all remember Vinter, right? Simple Need? Elise needs a bad boy and finds the ultimate one in the bar? Tattooed and pierced Vinter? You do? Great!
It just so happens that my new book from Ellora’s Cave which is coming out this Friday, July 2nd, is about Vinter’s business partner, or one of them, Dallon. He tends the bar where Elise walked in and tried not to cry in her drink.
When I started on Vinter’s story, I knew there were going to be two others. I knew there was going to be a hot, yummy, to freakin’ die for bartender, and I knew there was going to be a hot, yummy, to freakin’ die for artist.
Dallon is our bartender. Jaspar is our artist. I am still working on Jaz’s book and he’s being given a run for his money because the lovely woman that wants him…REALLY WANTS him. And she’s come to get him. But, y’all will just have to wait for that one!
In the meantime, Dallon has agreed to let me post an excerpt for you to keep you…on the brink, as it were, until Friday. He might let me post snippets here and there throughout the week, but I don’t think I’ve begged enough yet.
Blurb:
When good girls go bad, very, very bad…
The minute Carrie meets tattooed, bad-boy bartender Dallon, her decision is made. He’s the one, her ticket to freedom and a new, independent life. She’s tired of dictates and zero dates and following the path laid out before her by her well-meaning-but-completely-out-of touch-with-her-reality religious parents.
Dallon sees the buttoned-up, full-of-curves woman outside the grocery store and feels the flames of hell licking at his heels. When she asks him for directions to the large, nearby university where she’s starting work, his gut-twisting lust for her doesn’t diminish, but those flames start to singe his tough-as-nails hide.
With the promise he made to himself about not fornicating with anyone associated with the university his father is the dean of about to go up in smoke, Carrie takes the first exit off the Heavenly Highway straight onto Sin Street. She wants Dallon to teach her all the things a good girl should never know and she won’t take Hell no for an answer.
Reader Advisory: What Dallon does with a beer bottle may be illegal in forty-eight out of fifty states…and at least two territories.
Excerpt:
Damn, but she had a pretty mouth.
“I don’t want to leave.”
Shit. Don’t say anything. Not a word. Not a single solitary word. “You should.”
She raised her eyes to look him square in his, a silent challenge reflected there. “Why?”
Dammit. He planted his hands on the edge of the bar and leaned toward her until he could smell the beer on her breath. “Because you don’t know who I am and you don’t know what fire you’re playing with.”
She licked at her lips. He wasn’t even sure she knew she did it. “W-who are you?”
No sense lying about it or anything else now. “The devil himself.” Even if he could protect her by doing so, she didn’t want protection from him. He knew that as well as he knew his own name. “You were headed out to the college earlier.”
“Yes. I was hired a few weeks ago. Why? What does that have to do with anything?”
“The dean is my father. He is also the pastor of the big downtown Baptist church here.”
“Oh. I didn’t know.”
“Right. Very few do. You don’t need to be messing with me, Carrie. You really don’t. If ever there was a black sheep, I’m it. My reputation is bad, very, very bad. It’s best that you go. Now.”
She lowered her gaze and he thought he’d gotten through to her, even though he hadn’t said much. He’d hoped it was enough and it appeared that it was. When she looked back up at him, he knew he was in deep trouble by the sheen of tears and the clenching of her jaw. She took a deep breath before she spoke again.
“I quit my job.”
It was said so softly he wasn’t sure he’d heard right, but the determined set of her jaw told him he had. “You quit?”
She blinked rapidly to keep the tears from falling. “Yes.”
“Why?”
“I want something in my life that is all mine, that no one else has a say in. I’ve never had that kind of freedom and now that I’m out on my own, out from under my parents’ thumbs, I want it.”
Don’t ask, man. Please for the love of all that is twisted and dirty, don’t fucking ask. “That’s all you want? Freedom?”
“No.”
FedEx was going to bust through the doors, package him up, and send him straight to hell by ten the next morning for asking his next question and already knowing the answer. “What else do you want?”
“You.”
His dick throbbed at the one clearly spoken word. “You shouldn’t, Carrie. I’m not the kind of guy you need. I don’t do good girls,” which was a huge lie, “and you are one. I don’t do tears either unless they’re the kind that come from me spanking the shit out of you or the kind that come from you begging me to stop fucking your ass so hard.”
As he spoke, shock widened her eyes, her mouth formed a little “O”, and her cheeks turned a delectable shade of dark pink, much like the shade he imagined her pale butt would turn. She balled her hands into fists against the bar then flattened them out, pressing down until the tips were white. Had that finally gotten through to her? Had he finally said the right thing to get her to leave?
“Well, okay.”
Her body relaxed and she dropped her hands and her gaze to her lap. Yes, she got it. Dallon breathed a sigh of frustrated relief and ignored the pinch of disappointment. He wasn’t right for her. She was too clean for him and his rough, kinky ways.
Then she spoke, and at first it was hard to hear her, but as she went on, her voice grew louder with anger and her eyes shot daggers at him when she looked back up.
“It’s not up to you to decide what kind of guy I need. If you don’t want me, if I’m not the kind of woman that you…that you ‘do’, that’s one thing, but don’t tell me what I do and don’t need. I’ve had enough of that in my life. I can make my own choices, my own decisions.”
Dallon smiled. His little innocent had spunk. He’d never expected it, but he damn sure liked it. If she wasn’t going to take his hints or his outright telling her to go, he wouldn’t fight it anymore. “Okay. I won’t tell you what you need. At least not when it comes to this. And I do want you, I just don’t want you to have any regrets after. I might be a bastard, but I don’t want you hurt when I don’t turn out all sweet and tender with you. That’s not me.”
“Oh. Good. That you want me too, I mean.”
Now she was looking everywhere but at him and he had to bite back a laugh. She was going to be more fun than he’d first imagined, what with the sparks she’d already fired at him. Oh, he knew sure enough that he should still walk away, that he should try harder to convince her he was bad news, but he wasn’t going to. The woman said she wanted him and he was just bad enough he was going to let her have him.
So, what do y’all think? Interested?
~lissa
First impressions. Sometimes they’re good. Sometimes they’re horrid. But, they most often last forever and ever.
