I Am A Reader Book Blast & Giveaway: Seaside Christmas (Stacy Clafin)

Seaside Christmas by Stacy Claflin He can’t stand her. She thinks he’s crazy. Will their feelings stay etched in permanent ink? Cruz Hunter has always stuck out in his small hometown. Now that he’s covered in tattoos, the residents peg him as even more of an outcast. It seems like the whole world is against his dream of opening a local tattoo parlor. When he finally finds the perfect place for his new business, Cruz discovers a pastor and his daughter have already bought it. The only thing more irritating than the change in his plan is Talia, a beautiful and feisty argument in a dress. Cruz would like nothing more than to have her out of his life and his mind, but for some reason, she’s the only thing he can think about. If Cruz and Talia can stop arguing long enough, opposites may do much more than attract.

Meet the Hunter brothers of Kittle Falls… The Seaside Hunters novels are a series of contemporary sweet romances. They’re set in the beach town of Kittle Falls, following the Hunter brothers as they make their way back to their hometown and find the loves they couldn’t elsewhere. Each book is a standalone.

 

Author Stacy Claflin I don’t stick to a single genre in my writing, reading, or viewing. My favorite shows include Supernatural, The Walking Dead, Pretty Little Liars, Lost Girl, Vampire Diaries, and Once Upon a Time. I've been writing and telling stories for as long as I can remember. As a kid, my story telling would get me into trouble because I would try to convince others that my stories were real. When I'm not busy writing, I like spending time with my family and friends. I also educate my kids from home.

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$50 Book Blast Giveaway Enter to win an Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash Ends 12/20/15 Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader and sponsored by readinglight.com. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. 

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HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!

Just wanted to say HAPPY THANKSGIVING to all of my amazing followers!! I hope you and your family have a wonderful Thanksgiving and THANK YOU so much for following my blog and being a fellow book lover!!

Waiting On Wednesday: The Shadow Queen (C.J. Redwine)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event that is hosted by Jill at 

Breaking the Spine

and spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Hardcover, 400 pages
Expected publication: February 23rd 2016 by Balzer + Bray

Lorelai Diederich, crown princess and fugitive at large, has one mission: kill the wicked queen who took both the Ravenspire throne and the life of her father. To do that, Lorelai needs to use the one weapon she and Queen Irina have in common—magic. She’ll have to be stronger, faster, and more powerful than Irina, the most dangerous sorceress Ravenspire has ever seen.
In the neighboring kingdom of Eldr, when Prince Kol’s father and older brother are killed by an invading army of magic-wielding ogres, the second-born prince is suddenly given the responsibility of saving his kingdom. To do that, Kol needs magic—and the only way to get it is to make a deal with the queen of Ravenspire, promise to become her personal huntsman…and bring her Lorelai’s heart.
But Lorelai is nothing like Kol expected—beautiful, fierce, and unstoppable—and despite dark magic, Lorelai is drawn in by the passionate and troubled king. Fighting to stay one step ahead of the dragon huntsman—who she likes far more than she should—Lorelai does everything in her power to ruin the wicked queen. But Irina isn’t going down without a fight, and her final move may cost the princess the one thing she still has left to lose. 

What book are you waiting for?

FFBC Blog Tour, Playlist, & Giveaway: The Family (Marissa Kennerson)

The Family
by Marissa Kennerson
Publisher: Full Fathom Five Digital
Release Date: October 8th 2014

Genre: Young Adult, Realistic Fiction, Cult

Just like any average seventeen year old, Twig loves her family. She has a caring mother and a controlling father. Her brothers are sisters are committed to her family’s prosperity…
All one hundred and eighty three of them.
Twig lives in the Family, a collective society located in the rainforest of Costa Rica. The Family members coexist with the values of complete openness and honesty, and a shared fear of contagious infection in the outside world.
So when Adam, their Father, prophet, and savior, announces that Twig will be his new bride, she is overjoyed and honored. But when an injury forces her to leave the grounds, Twig finds that the world outside is not necessarily as toxic as she was made to believe. When she meets Leo, an American boy with a killer smile, she begins to question everything about her life within the Family, and the cult to which she belongs.
But when it comes to your Family, you don’t always get a choice.

Twig and Leo’s Playlist

Music was such a huge part of my experience while writing THE FAMILY. I had this lovely, young, innocent, artistic and sadly -  victimized – Twig. I felt so passionately that music would be like a firecracker of inspiration for her. It would blow her mind.

Everything was blowing her mind after being raised in an oppressive, abusive cult environment. Music could whisper when she needed it, make her want to jump and dance and bounce and pounce at other times.

Music as healer. Music as poet. Music as intoxicant!

1. Teenage Dream – Katy Perry - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98WtmW-lfeE

Hazel dares Leo to dance to this POPsicle of song. He accepts the challenge and Twig just about loses her mind. The boy’s got moves, he’s hot and oozes charm.  He’s sweet. This song was just also a total guilty pleasure while I was writing. I kind of pumped me up and brought me instantly into the soul of the book.

Imagine Twig riding in a convertible, hair blowing…”Let’s run away and never look back.”

Thank you, Ms. Perry. Something really comes through in this song.

2. Remember the Mountain Bed – Billy Bragg and Wilco - http://www.amazon.com/Remember-The-Mountain-Bed/dp/B007QNRWLY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1427760578&sr=8-1&keywords=the+mountain+bed+-+billy+bragg

So, I am a Jeff Tweedy anything girl. Jeff Tweedy strung out and skinny,  Jeff happy and healthy and all dad making an album with his son, Jeff and his book of poems. You get the picture. And this is Jeff singing Woodie Guthrie’s words. Yes, please.

Remember the Mountain Bed – sigh. It’s just the most romantic, out in the woods, delicious business. My friend Sarah turned me on to it in the 90’s, and I knew it was perfect to describe the mood between Leo and Twig that magical Thanksgiving night in the woods when she decides to go on the surf trip with him. Twig in her vintage YSL on loan from Gran, the moon full and bright, their young love.

3. Mellow Mood – Bob Marley Wailers

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOniR2N63zQ

The Cohens and Leo were inspired by a family I knew as a teenager in Santa Monica, the Kaufmans. I had moved back to LA with my family after living in a very conservative, small, affluent (Laura Ashley/Pierre Deux) town in Northern California. I thought wearing Gunne Sax was cool when I got back to LA.

Sheila Kaufman and her family introduced me to a new way of experiencing life the way the Cohens do for Twig (on a smaller level for me of course). We would make fresh salsa, AMAZING music playing, swimming in their pool deep into the night and more laughter than I could ever describe.  Mellow Mood – just says Cohen. Says Kaufman. It’s what Leo and her family bring to Twig.

4. Side of the Road – Lucinda Williams

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1sob8iICHw

This song will rip you in two.

Ms. Williams articulates something so true in this song – it hurts. I had put the lyrics of this book but had to take them out for copywriting purposes.

“If only for a minute or two – I want to see to what it feels like to be without you…”  -LC

It’s Twig’s dilemma between the world she has always known –the world she has loved and this new world that is capturing every essence of her young being.

5. Goodbye Girl – The Shins and/or Squeeze – you choose!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JfF2t6AphJ0

When the Shins came out with this version of Goodbye Girl – it just struck this crazy chord with my 13 year old self and my 28 year old self – and the mix was heady. I came up with the Cohen’s musical car game: each family member has to bring a song and its cover to the table and everyone votes. It’s just so Cohen and so fun.

So which do you choose?

6. Appletree – Erykah Badu

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T67cJLg8kpM

Hazel is this sexy, sensual, badass, confident American teen. She’s kind of the antithesis of Twig. (Although they are both big-hearted gals!) Erykah Badu – well she’s like my super hero. This song just oozes cool. It was perfect for Hazel’s song during the Cohen Lip Sync night during the surf trip.

7. Love is Strange – Micky and Silvia

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KpEA5QGYJFQ

My dad and I were driving one day and he pointed out how adorable and bubbly this song is. Then there was the Dirty Dancing scene. It was just too perfect – Leo and Twig singing this song with one another. I think if the FAMILY ever does become a movie or TV show and they do this scene – I’ll just faint dead away of happiness.

8. Blackbird – The Beatles

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3xdeatlwYk

Leo gives moments a song. A soundtrack to life. Twig gives people colors. My editor gave the FAMILY a song. There you have it.

Thanks for the listen!

Let me know what you think!

Marissa

Follow the The Family by Marissa Kennerson Blog Tour and don't miss anything! Click on the banner to see the tour schedule.

Marissa Kennerson received her B.A. in English Literature from the University of California at Berkeley. Before earning her master’s degree in psychology and art therapy, she worked for Wired and Glamour. She lives in California with her family. The Family is her first novel (Full Fathom Five Digital) and will be coming out October 2014.

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Tasty Book Tours Release Day Blast & Giveaway: My Lady Gloriana (Sylvia Halliday)

 

Enter to Win a 

Print Copy of MY LADY GLORIANA

MY LADY GLORIANA

Sylvia Halliday 

Releasing Nov 24th, 2015

Diversion

In this twist on the Pygmalion story, a duke makes a wager that he can bed the uncouth Lady Gloriana. But the bet takes on a life of its own...
The year is 1725. Lady Gloriana Baniard is a beautiful fish out of water. Brought up on the mean streets of London, she is a brash, blunt, obscene force of nature. But thanks to a brief marriage to a disgraced aristocrat, she is forced to live with his noble family and endure the humiliating process of learning to be a lady. Rebelling, she runs away to Yorkshire, where she intends to be a blacksmith, a skill at which she excels. She knows she’ll need a manservant to front for her. When John Thorne appears, she hires him, stirred as much by his irresistible attraction as by his strength.
John Haviland, Duke of Thorneleigh, is an arrogant, indolent gambler and womanizer. Having seen Gloriana just once, he yearns to make her his own. When he learns she has run away from her family, he makes a wild bet with his wastrel companions―he will find the lady and bed her. Disguised as a humble servant, he becomes her assistant, learning the blacksmith trade. The clash of wills between these two proud people creates more sparks than a blacksmith’s anvil, as Gloriana learns to be a lady, Thorne learns humility―and desire deepens to love.

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Award-winning author Sylvia Halliday’s first historical novel, written as Ena Halliday, was chosen by Pocket Books to launch their Tapestry line. She subsequently wrote for Popular Library/Warner and Harlequin Historicals under the pen name of Louisa Rawlings, the name of her maternal great-grandmother. She has written for Kensington/Zebra under the pseudonym of Sylvia Halliday. She has published 14 historical romances. Her FOREVER WILD earned 5 stars from RT Book Reviews and Affaire de Coeur, and was a RITA finalist for the Romance Writers of America. Her latest offerings, published by Diversion Books, are MARIELLE (The French Maiden Series, #1), LYSETTE (The French Maiden Series, #2), DELPHINE (The French Maiden Series, #3), DREAMS SO FLEETING, GOLD AS THE MORNING SUN, THE RING, and SUMMER DARKNESS, WINTER LIGHT. FOREVER WILD, STOLEN SPRING, and PROMISE OF SUMMER, written by her as Louisa Rawlings, are available from Samhain Publishing.

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Tasty Book Tours Teaser Tuesday: I'll Be There (Samantha Chase)

I'LL BE THERE

Montgomery Brother's #6

Samantha Chase

Releasing Dec 1st, 2015

Sourcebooks Casablanca

Book #6 in New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Samantha Chase's popular Montgomery series
This Montgomery Has a Head for Business
Working for Zach Montgomery is challenging on many levels-coming from a wealthy and powerful family, he lives by his own rules and doesn't answer to anyone. But Gabriella Martine has no intention of backing down. She's used to handling stubborn men, and it doesn't hurt that Zach is smart, charismatic...and gorgeous.
And a Heart for Adventure
Zach's perfect world is turned upside down when a climbing accident leaves him broken, angry, and maddeningly dependent. In his slow quest for recovery, Gabriella is always there to help...but as Zach comes to see his beautiful assistant in a new light, he is forced to re-evaluate what it really means to be a man worthy of Gabriella's love.

Pre-Order Today

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Reaching across the table, Zach took one of Gabriella’s hands in his and just marveled at how soft it was. He always wondered what her skin felt like and now that he knew, he wanted to feel more. “Don’t leave me. Please.”

Her blue eyes filled with tears and she used her free hand to quickly wipe them away before they fell and then studied their hands on the table. “Zach,” she said softly, “we’ve been over this.”

“I know, I know,” he replied just as softly. “I need another chance, Gabriella. I need a chance to make things right.” He looked up, his gaze meeting hers. “I need you.”

Deciding to be bold, he turned her hand over and twined their fingers together and gently squeezed. He was surprised she didn’t pull away and thought maybe—just maybe—they were making progress. “I know I can’t erase the things I’ve said and done, but if you’ll give me one more chance, Gabs, I promise not to screw up. If I do anything to upset you, you can walk away. Hell, you can slap me in the face, kick me in the shin or throw something heavy at me and I’ll take it. I just…I can’t do this without you.”

Her eyes never left their joined hands. 

“I don’t want to do this without you,” he said quietly.

“I’m afraid to…believe you.” He barely heard her words, they were uttered so softly. 

Everything inside of him clenched with pain. His always confident, ever-efficient assistant was now distrusting and uncertain—because of him. “I don’t know what to say to make you believe me. Tell me. Tell me what I need to do. Anything. Anything you need from me to gain your confidence, and I’ll do it.”

She looked up at him. “It’s not that easy. Every day I walked into the office, I gave you another chance. Every time you berated me or made me feel like I screwed up and I came back, I gave you another chance. From my standpoint, you’ve had two years’ worth of second chances. I think I’ve been more than generous.”

His other hand reached out to cup her hand in both of his. “I know you have and you have no idea how much I appreciated it.” She looked at him with disbelief. “It’s true! I know I never said it but every morning you were there, I was thankful. Every time you walked into my office, I was thankful. Please. I’m begging here, Gabs.”

New York Times and USA Today Bestseller/contemporary romance writer Samantha Chase released her debut novel, Jordan's Return, in November 2011. Although she waited until she was in her 40's to publish for the first time, writing has been a lifelong passion. Her motivation to take that step was her students: teaching creative writing to elementary age students all the way up through high school and encouraging those students to follow their writing dreams gave Samantha the confidence to take that step as well.When she's not working on a new story, she spends her time reading contemporary romances, playing way too many games of Scrabble or Solitaire on Facebook and spending time with her husband of 25 years and their two sons in North Carolina.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | GoodReads

Haven't Started the Series?

WAIT FOR ME/TRUST IN ME 

are now available in a duo!

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Lola's Blog Tours Book Blitz: Mischief Under The Mistletoe

This is my stop during the book blitz for Mischief Under the Mistletoe. With focus on Kimberly Kincaid her story in this box set Play Me. The Box set Mischief Under the Mistletoe includes 19 short stories by 19 different authors. The stories are adult romance books, but vary from sweet till super steamy. The box set will be on sale for only $0.99, that’s 19 stories for only $0.99!

This book blitz is organized by Lola's Blog Tours. The book blitz runs from 17 till 23 November, you can view the complete blitz schedule on the website of Lola’s Blog Tours.

Mischief Under the Mistletoe
By Kristin Miller, Claudy Conn, Melanie James, Mindy Klasky, Holly S. Roberts, Stephanie Rowe, Diane Rinella, Kate Angell , Kimberly Kincaid, J.D. Tyler, Robin Covington, Suzanne Ferrell, Kathy Ivan, Selena Laurence, Jennie Marts, Teri Riggs, Jennifer Theriot, M.J. Fredrick and Deb Julienne
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Age category: Adult
Release Date: 17 November, 2015

Blurb:
Nineteen contemporary holiday hotties, just waiting to be unwrapped from your favorite NY Times, USA Today, Amazon Bestselling, and Award Winning Authors. This anthology won't last long. Grab it while it's HOT!

Kristin Miller - The Bad Boy Meets his Match
When lingerie-store owner Cora Brennan plans a getaway at a quaint mountain retreat, she never expects to reunite with the playboy she spent a memorable night with in college. Can they finally admit their true feelings for each other before love is lost to them again?

Claudy Conn - Collide & Burn
Charlie knows when she first sees Wade Devon that he is
trouble. Wade likes to win. It is what he does and he wants her...no strings attached. She has to ask herself, should she, or shouldn't she.

Melanie James - Snowflakes, Exes, and Ohs
With two men vying for her affection, Abbie's heart is torn between the two. One has always been there for her, no matter what. The other left when she needed him the most.

Mindy Klasky - Fly Me to the Moon
Lexi thinks she's recovered from the fire that burned her years ago. But when she falls for PTSD-ridden army veteran Finn, she learns how deep some scars can be.

Holly S. Roberts - Ruck
Van, one of the best players in rugby and the hottest player between the sheets is looking for a holiday miracle. His brother won the girl and Van's heart is broken. Could the gift of a lifetime be his for the taking or will this bad boy ruck it up again?

Stephanie Rowe - Wrapped Up In You
Can the Christmas magic of a coastal Maine island heal two broken souls when a winter storm strands them together?

Diane Rinella - It's A Marshmallow World
One Christmas, Darla was given a mystical gift, along with an ominous message. Years later, meeting Chris puts her head in a spin. Could it be that gift from long ago holds the key to their happiness?

Kate Angell - Snow One Like You
A Vermont Christmas Eve blizzard forces Allie to close Hartley's General Store. Her best friend Rhys arrives by snowmobile, not wanting her to endure the snowstorm alone. A playful kiss under the mistletoe warms more than their hearts.

Kimberly Kincaid - Play Me
Sophie Drayton has seen enough of the wild life to know that Emilio Barrett is bad news. But the sexy stripper has secrets of his own. Will Sophie's past come back to haunt her, or will Emilio prove that a bad boy can be also be a good man?

J.D.Tyler - One Last Miracle
After a case gone horribly wrong, FBI Agent Mark McClendon retreats to his late grandfather's isolated cabin, determined to escape his pain. He's completely unprepared to find himself falling for his pretty new neighbor--but when the past comes gunning for him, Mark's newfound love may mean the difference between a second tragedy and a holiday miracle.

Robin Covington - When You Open Your Eyes
War tore Gabe and Ellie apart and three years later, he's almost given up any hope that she'll come back to him. When she returns just before the holidays, he wants nothing more for the damaged, stubborn woman he loves to stay forever but she's ready to run as soon as the gifts are opened. Chased by her nightmares, Gabe's only hope of keeping Ellie is to convince her that he'll be there when she opens her eyes.

Suzanne Ferrell- Close To The Mistletoe
When teacher Holly Murphy walks into Westen's only bar to help her friend celebrate a divorce, she doesn't expect hot carpenter Nick Fisher to save her from an embarrassing situation. His heated kisses awakens something deep inside her, but when someone sets his sights on Holly, will Nick be the one to protect her close to the mistletoe?

Kathy Ivan - Yours For The Holidays
At her hospital's annual Bachelor Auction, event organizer, Dr. Alanna Reeves, is blindsided when the tables are turned and Blake Donovan offers a huge donation--for her! Can a trip to Florida for the holidays help them discover their true feelings or drive them apart forever?

Selena Laurence - Prince of the Press
Marcus Ambrose, the newest face in political media, is one hot ticket. But when he meets his brother's down-to-earth secretary Renee, his own heart takes a knock. Can Marcus's famous 'full-court press' convince the woman of his dreams to take a shot at love?

Jennie Marts - Worth the Shot
Addison Cavanaugh had one rule: Do not date hockey players. So kissing the newest trade to her dad's team
should have been off-limits--even if he is hot enough to melt the ice. Is the new player worth the shot or is she is risking her heart in a game she can't possibly win?

Teri Riggs - Finding True's Love
Six months after True's last boss viciously attacked her, she's ready to take her therapist's advice and go back into the work force. She wants her life to be normal again and working for another man will be a giant step towards that goal.
Nick has been betrayed by a pretty face for the last time and has sworn off relationships. Or so he thought until the day his new assistant, True Kelly, walked into his office.

Jennifer Theriot - Unwrapping Noel
Noel Calabrese hates Christmas as much as she hates her life. While in the Napa Valley on a business trip, she meets Leon Hallas. Could this sexy, silver fox be her ticket to happiness?

MJ Fredrick - Bluestone Christmas
Come back to Bluestone, Minnesota for Christmas, where single mom Willow Branson has moved from Texas to make a home with her daughter. But moving from a Texas winter to a Minnesota one is more challenging than she expected, and handsome handyman Chase Granzer is more than happy to help her adapt...and keep her warm.

Deb Julienne - All I Want For Christmas
Rafe Donnelly hates everything to do with the holidays. Ali Sanders is a single mother, juggling two jobs and missing most of her son's childhood. Who knew a little boy's Santa wish could change so many lives?

You can find Mischief Under the Mistletoe on Goodreads

You can buy Mischief Under the Mistletoe here:

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Kimberly Kincaid her story in the box set:
Play Me
By Kimberly Kincaid
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Age category: Adult
Release Date: December 1, 2015

As the daughter of rock and roll’s most notorious producer, Sophie Drayton has seen enough bright lights and big city to last ’til she’s ninety. Now that she’s ditched the wild life in LA to pursue her passion for books, she wants nothing more than to live on the straight and narrow. The last thing Sophie needs is the attention of a cocky bad boy stripper…no matter how sexy his smile is.

Emilio Barrett knows all about cover-ups—after all, his job is just one act after another. He can tell there’s more to feisty, guarded Sophie than she lets on. But Emilio has secrets of his own. His true lifeblood lies in music, and he’s getting tired of leading two lives on stage. He’ll do whatever it takes to get his break.
The more Sophie and Emilio get to know each other, the more they discover they’re not as different as they seem. But when her past collides with his truths, will Sophie’s defenses win out, or will Emilio prove that a bad boy can also be a good man?

You can find Play Me on Goodreads

Kimberly Kincaid writes contemporary romance that splits the difference between sexy and sweet. When she's not sitting cross-legged in an ancient desk chair known as "The Pleather Bomber", she can be found practicing obscene amounts of yoga, whipping up anything from enchiladas to éclairs in her kitchen, or curled up with her nose in a book. Kimberly is a 2015 RWA RITA® finalist who lives (and writes!) by the mantra that food is love. Her digital Line series is all about the hot cops and sexy chefs of Brentsville, New York. She is also the author of the Pine Mountain series, which follows small town singles as they find big-time love. Kimberly resides in Virginia with her wildly patient husband and their three daughters. Visit her any time at www.kimberlykincaid.com or come check her out on Facebook (www.facebook.com/kimberly.kincaid1) and Twitter (@kimberlykincaid).

You can find Kimberly Kincaid online here:

 Website * Facebook * Facebook page * Twitter

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The burst of crowd noise got lost in the louder thump of the slow, steady music. Sophie took a long swallow of her drink, but not even the incredible sweet-tart flavor could offset the odd jangle of excitement filling her chest. One by one, the dancers came out onto the stage. They were dressed in tight white T-shirts and low-riding jeans, which under normal circumstances wouldn’t be anything to write home about. But Sophie’s eyes lasered in on the last dancer to emerge from the shadows, and sweet baby Jesus, Emilio was anything but ordinary.

His fluid grace balanced out his muscular frame, both on full display as he crossed the stage. He moved with nothing but pure confidence, smiling at the women in the audience and rolling his hips with the same sort of ease most people used to breathe. The scrolling black tattoos on both forearms put a hard edge to Emilio’s lean muscles, reinforcing the definite bad-boy air that had triggered Sophie’s warning bells last night. 

Of course, that same demeanor was triggering a whole lot of something else right now. Namely, the very hot desire that was a very bad idea currently brewing between her thighs.

Oh God. She had to get back on the straight and narrow, fast. Sophie bit her bottom lip and crossed her legs as tightly as she could, but her thong still grew damp beneath the thin fabric of her black micro-mini.

“So which one is your guy?” Olivia half-asked, half-hollered over the music and the crowd noise, not tearing her gaze away from the stage. Her face was lit up like the Christmas trees decorating every department store in the nation right now, and Sophie’s hot and bothered flush traveled to her face.

“I don’t have a guy,” she said, just in time for Emilio to run his hand down the flat plane of his chest. Sophie’s palms went as slick as her panties as he lifted his T-shirt to reveal a set of abs so chiseled, she’d swear they were Photoshopped.

He moved around the other dancers, their routine seeming effortless and loose even though it had surely been choreographed. Tugging the hem of his shirt over his head, Emilio tucked the cotton behind his neck while leaving his arms in the sleeves, exposing his abs and pecs as he moved to the side of the stage where Sophie and Olivia sat. His eyes skimmed the crowd, and although he gave each woman in the audience equal, flirty attention, his stare never rested in one spot for longer than a second or two.

Until it landed on hers.

A millisecond’s worth of something she couldn’t name flickered over Emilio’s dark-eyed gaze, the emotion gone before she could even be certain she’d seen it. Then he gave up a sexy, mischievous smile that Sophie felt all the way to her fingertips, swaying his hips with a little extra suggestion as he tipped his chin at her ever so slightly in acknowledgment, and she couldn’t look away for all the straight and narrow in the galaxy.