Showing posts with label erotic. Show all posts
Showing posts with label erotic. Show all posts

Thursday, March 28, 2013

Sabrina York Celebrates her Anniversary with Giveaways Galore!



It’s almost April. The birds are chirping in the trees and the skies are no longer filled with snow-laden clouds.

And I am excited because April marks one year for me as a published author. My first book, Adam’s Obsession, released on April 4th, 2012. It’s been an exciting journey ever since. I've met some of the most amazing people and made some really wonderful friends.

I want to thank my readers and my fans for all their support. It really means a lot.

I am excited to report that I now have ten titles out and four more coming soon…plus a bunch in the hopper!  

I've included a list below with links if you’re tempted.

I am even trying my hand at self publishing. Rebound, the first novella in the Tryst Island Series releases in April. I am so excited about that, you know I just have to give one away to a lucky commenter! Just mention the title in the comments section below and I’ll add you to the drawing.

Here’s the blurb:

Rebound by Sabrina York
Kristi Cross has had the hots for her friend, Cameron Jackson as long as she can remember, but she knows she’s not his type. She’s nothing like the women he dates. So when he suggests they play for a kiss over a game of Hearts, Kristi can’t resist. Even if she loses, she wins. Because she’s finally going to taste him.

Of course, one kiss can quickly become something altogether steamier, especially when both parties are on the rebound…








And if you’re in the mood for a super quick, steamy read, check out my most recent release, Man Hungry, a Quickie from Ellora’s Cave:

Man Hungry by Sabrina York

Blind dates are hell. At least that’s what Justin thinks before he’s set up with Jessica, a sizzling-hot schoolteacher who captures his heart—or at least his lust—at first sight. He can’t let their date fail so he does what any sane, rational prankster would do—he pretends he’s there to meet someone else. A man-hungry schoolmarm.
Jessica knows full well that Justin is her date, so she decides to have a little fun and show him exactly how man hungry a “schoolmarm” can be. And Jessica’s hunger is all for Justin. On the dance floor, atop a table, up against a door…she just can’t get enough.
A Romantica® erotic romance from Ellora’s Cave

And yes, if you mention the title in the comments section below, you could win a copy of Man Hungry as well!

***ENTER TO WIN SABRINA’S TIARA***
Oh, and this is important! March 31st is the LAST DAY to enter my Tiara Giveaway.

Well…until I decide to give away another. My bling closet is getting kind of cluttered. (But darling, if you’re going to be a hoarder, shouldn’t you be hoarding bling?”)

To enter, just sign up for the Royal Hotsheet (Sabrina’s Newsletter). Newsletter subscribers are eligible to win all coming contests as well as random giveaways. Because, have I mentioned? Tiara closet? Cluttered?
Send an email with "Enter Me" in the subject line (this is erotica, after all) to sabrina@sabrinayork.com. If you want to win a copy of Man Hungry, mention that in the body of the email!

The drawing will be March 31, 2013. It is a completely random drawing. I made it a point to have the one person on the planet who ABSOLUTELY DOES NOT CARE about the results draw the winner.

That is, after all, what teenage sons are for.

Remember, only one entry per person, but if you refer your friends you will earn bonus entries.

Refer Your Friends Bonus Entries
Tell your friends about Sabrina York, Her Royal Hotness. If they sign up for Sabrina's Hotsheet you earn another entry, plus a chance at a Referrals Only drawing for more bling. (NOTE: They must tell me that you referred them in the message box so I can give you credit).

Good luck!!!

About Sabrina York
Sabrina is an award winning author of erotic romance with nearly a dozen titles available, ranging from sweet & sexy erotic romance to BDSM to erotic horror. Connect with her on twitter @sabrina_york or Facebook.

Check out Sabrina’s books and read an excerpt on her webpage (www.sabrinayork.com) or explore on Amazon or at Ellora’s Cave.


Books by Sabrina York
Five Alarm Fire (Erotic Contemporary for the High Octane Heroes Anthology, Cleis Press)—coming soon
Lust Eternal (Erotic Fantasy, Ellora’s Cave) —coming soon
Making Over Maris (Erotic Contemporary, Ellora’s Cave) —coming soon
Rebound: A Tryst Island Erotic Romance (Erotic Contemporary, Available soon on Amazon)


Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Catching the reader’s eye




This has been the plague of many a new writer, as well as those more established. The trend seems to be go bigger and it’s all better. I’ve watched as we’ve moved from small “giveaways” of a new book, to gift certificates, and more recently I’ve been looking at blog tours that offer eReaders and $100 gift cards to winners. So, is it the prize or is it the author/book that is pulling in the reader’s interest?

I have to be honest here, and I only speak for myself of course. I don’t make enough money to be able to offer up prizes like that, even after almost ten years in this business. So where does this leave new writers? Or writers who honestly can afford to offer their readers the big prizes that are becoming so commonplace? I was curious, to hear from readers, and perhaps other authors–do you think it’s becoming harder and harder to meet the rising odds in this business? For those established, there’s the advantage of having built an audience who will quite probably stay with them throughout a career, but what about the newcomers who are struggling so much to have their voices heard/read?

We all love to get things for free, hell that's human nature, but do we have to buy reader loyalty? It seems to be the new trend, especially in the ePublishing business where everyday there’s a new publisher vying for a piece of a rapidly shrinking market. In some cases those publishers aren’t even people with any experience of the business, and their authors equally inexperienced. In this day where anyone can put up a website and “start a publishing business” you don’t have to wonder why there is so much on the market that even ten years ago would never have been accepted–by legitimate publishers and, perhaps more importantly, by readers. Love it or hate it, ten years ago the publishing world would never have allowed a book like Fifty Shades of Grey to be released, and not because of the story content–which makes me wonder if the standards we expect have really diminished because there is a lack of quality, or if we’re getting resigned to mediocrity in our jaded world?

Slick marketing can make any book a success, if you have the money to invest it the campaign to get it seen. But does that make it good, or even “right” when so many truly excellent stories never get the chance to be seen? I don’t think I’m jaded enough to believe success has to be bought, I’d like to think there are still discerning readers who value authors who work hard to consistently produce a good story. What do you think?


RECKLESS ASSIGNATION

The shock of the cool chair against her bare skin sent another shiver through Cinthya. But before she could recover completely, Rick had most of her clothes off and was halfway through tying her ankles back to the legs of the chair, this time to the back legs, leaving her thighs spread wide.

Her heartbeat doubled when his fingers began a slow, barely perceptible pattern of caressing her legs, starting at the back of her ankles and gradually moving upward. The room actually did a crazy spin when Rick bent his head and started following the path of his roaming hands with his lips.

Cinthya squirmed with renewed urgency as she tried to free herself from the surprisingly strong bonds. Rick’s tongue barely touched the wet folds between her legs, but the featherlike contact created a spasm of reaction in her. She shuddered and gasped, the sound becoming a tiny moan when he repeated the gesture with a slow, lingering sensuality. Then he leaned back to look up into her eyes.

“Why…?” She wasn’t even sure what it was she wanted to ask as the words got caught in another trembling twitch. His fingers were smoothing gentle touches on the inner skin of her thighs.

“Because I love you, Cindi,” he answered around a huge smile, supplying his own meaning to the gasped query.

She looked down to watch his hand brushing over the dark-gold thatch of hair between her thighs and tried to thrust into the contact. Frustration played through her when he refused to accommodate her.

“Rick? Do you think maybe you could love me a little faster?” The words were expelled like a choked breath of air and her face warmed with the heat of her embarrassment as well as her passion.

“How fast are you thinking, sweetheart?” His grin was on the verge of dissolving into laughter.

His finger finally delving into her wet heat effectively cut off any attempt at an answer, her hips again shifting into his touch. He probed deeper into her and started a slow, gentle rhythm, his own breath becoming audibly strained when her head fell back and her lips parted with a breathy sigh.



BIG NEWS - the stunning Kayden McLeod cover for my novel OUT OF THE PAST is up for an award. I need votes for this amazing cover, so PLEASE, if you would, drop over and vote. Voting closes next Monday, and all you have to do is register at the site, confirm your email, then vote - nothing more: http://indtale.com/cover-contest - THANKS SO MUCH!!


Thursday, February 28, 2013

Sabrina York on The Importance of Being Earnest…And Steamy Erotic Regencies


In my newest steamy erotic Regency, both Helena and James are pretending to be someone they’re not. Helena, because she’s running from an unwanted marriage and James because, well, he wants to seduce Helena. He pretends to be a lowly gardener.

This farce of identities was so much fun to write—my favorite part being when James realizes that his “Eloise,” the adorable waif who has become his perfect sexual partner and even enjoys his darkest fancy (yes, spankings!), is actually his intended. James is mortified. A Lord does not indulge his baser desires with a wife. Once they work everything out, Helena has to convince him, quite earnestly, that spankings are perfectly fine with her.

Needless to say, he’s pretty easy to convince…

I have attached the blurb and a steamy excerpt for your enjoyment. Dark Fancy is available on Amazonand at e-tailers everywhere.

In the meantime, check out Dark Fancy  on The USA Today Happy Ever After Blog!

http://www.usatoday.com/story/happyeverafter/2013/02/21/erotic-romance-erotica-new-releases-february/1937039/

Dark Fancy
By Sabrina York

When Lady Helena Eloise Simpson flees an unwanted marriage to a revolting lord, she finds refuge with James, a charming, handsome man unlike any she’s ever known. Helena concocts the perfect solution to her problem. She asks—begs—James to ruin her. Surely her betrothed will repudiate her if she is no longer pure. And if all her efforts fail and she still ends up married to a horrid man until the end of her days, she will—at least once—have known true passion.

But James is not all he seems. He is, in fact, a wicked lord with a dark fancy. When Helena awakens his desire, he becomes determined to take everything she has to offer and more. No matter the cost.


Dark Fancy by Sabrina York

An excerpt from: DARK FANCY
Copyright © 2013 by Sabrina York, 2013
All Rights Reserved, Ellora's Cave Publishing , Inc.

By reading any further you are stating you are at least 18 years of age. If you are under the age of 18, it is necessary for you to exit this site.

James stared at Eloise, brave, proud, innocent Eloise. He could relate to the passion in her plea. He had a sudden desire to be released from a betrothal himself. He fiddled with the corner of his napkin. “There is always the chance your betrothed won’t care if you’re ruined.” Some men did not.

Her lashes fluttered. When they rose again, there was a look in her eye that sent lust coursing down his spine. It settled in his cock. “If I’m to be married to a bilious flounder of a man for the rest of my life, I should like to know passion just once. Just once, James.”

“J-just once?” His voice cracked.

Her smile blossomed. “Perhaps more than once.”

He had to laugh, although this was clearly no laughing matter. “My dear. I would be happy to oblige.”

“Excellent!” She clapped her hands with glee.

Unfortunate, that, because it made her look, once again, like a little girl. But then she picked up her cup and ran her pink tongue around the rim, lapping at the wayward drops. He reached for the second bottle.

She held out her cup for a refill. “You will need to show me what to do.”

He almost forgot to stop pouring. Hell yes. He’d love to show her what to do. He’d love to instruct her—in elaborate detail—what, precisely, to do. Something snarled in his belly.  His palm itched.
He forced down that decadent desire. Chained the beast.

For God’s sake. She was an innocent, a virgin. If he opened with that card, not only would she truly be ruined, she would probably hie off to the nearest nunnery and spend the remainder of her life in seclusion.

Oh, he would bed her. He would despoil and beguile her, but only in the very gentlest of fashions.
But his fantasies, the darkling imagery of what he would truly like to do, simmered.

“Are you…” He cleared his throat. “Are you ready for your bath?”

“Heavens, yes.” Once again, she clapped her hands.

The childlike gesture was off-putting since, at the moment, he was thinking of sinking his cock into her body and swallowing her moans with his mouth. But he liked her enthusiasm. It also made him desire—very deeply—to tie those hands to the bedposts. So she couldn't clap them.
Why that thought made him salivate, he didn't know.

Ah hell. Of course he knew.

Despite the lust snarling through him, he managed a modicum of chivalry, although it was perfunctory at best. “I’ll fashion a curtain.”

Her next words nearly unmanned him. “You don’t need to.”

“I b-beg your pardon?”

“You don’t need to bother with a curtain.” For a shy and demure innocent, she had something of a brazen streak. “I mean, if we’re going to…you know…”

“Make love?”

“Yes. If we’re going to make love, you will see me naked anyway.” A frown crossed her brow. “Won’t you?”

He chuckled. “Most certainly.”

“I thought so. But people are not very forthcoming when one asks about such things.”

“Really?” That had not been his experience in the slightest. Then again, she was a girl. The world sought to save and protect innocence. Until it ravaged it.

He did not know why he trembled as he poured the heavy buckets into the tub. He was a man of the world. Jaded and used to much more decadent fare than initiating virgins to the delights of the flesh. He should hardly be nervous about the prospect of having her.

Then again, maybe it wasn't nerves. Maybe it was just pure, seething desire.


Dark Fancy is now available on Amazonhttp://www.amazon.com/Dark-Fancy-ebook/dp/B00AN86ILY/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1355761557&sr=8-4&keywords=dark+fancy

About Sabrina York
Sabrina is an award winning author of erotic romance with over a dozen titlesavailable, ranging from sweet & sexy erotic romance to BDSM to erotic horror. Connect with her on twitter @sabrina_york or Facebook.

Check out Sabrina’s books and read an excerpt on her webpage (www.sabrinayork.com) or explore on Amazonor at Ellora’s Cave.
·         Adam’s Obsession: Contemporary Erotic Romance  
·         Extreme Couponing: Contemporary BDSM
·         Dark Fancy: Erotic Regency
·        Folly: Erotic Regency
·         Pushing Her Buttons: Contemporary BDSM  
·         Rising Green: Steamy Erotic horror
·         Training Tess: Contemporary BDSM  
·         Trickery: Magical Domination  
·         Tristan’s Temptation: Contemporary Erotic Romance  

Coming Releases

Win a Tiara From Her Royal Hotness!
Enter to win a gorgeous tiara by signing up for Sabrina York's Royal Hotsheet (new book and contest info only--no spam! Your e-mail address will not be shared). If you're already getting the newsletter, don't fret. You're already in the drawing. Send an email with "Enter Me" in the subject line (this is erotica, after all) to sabrina@sabrinayork.com. The drawing will be March 31, 2013.

One entry per person.

Refer Your Friends Bonus Entries
Tell your friends about Sabrina York, Her Royal Hotness. If they sign up for Sabrina's Hotsheet you earn another entry, plus a chance at a Referrals Only drawing for more bling. (NOTE: They must tell me that you referred them in the message box so I can give you credit).

Good luck!!!



Sunday, January 6, 2013

New Year's Goals and Vamps with ATTITUDE


Firstly, a very Happy New Year to everyone! 2012 is gone, and 2013 is beginning not so much with resolutions as it is with goals set, and determination to make this a very productive and special year! I decided late in November that once the commitments from 2012 were cleared away, 2013 would be approached differently. So, I’ve got a plan, and it will mean fewer releases, but I hope better ones when they are available. I have three novels in the planning stages, my first YA paranormal, an Historical Western, and a new fantasy tale. Each very unique stories that I hope will be of interest to readers.

The new year’s also kicked off with a bang in that I am currently in the #1 spot on the Predators and Editors Poll for Author of the Year – at least I think that’s what it is? Anyway, here’s a link if you’re inclined to give me a vote:

One of my most recent books is a return to the dark and somewhat deviant vampires that I really enjoy writing. The book has a touch of Dom/s included, and ménage, plus a pair of very lethal vampire lovers who love what they are and revel in it! That book is Hunters’ Game. It was suggested that the central character of that book would make a great interview, so I’ve interviewed my vampire for you–and damn, he has more attitude than I’d ever want to tangle with–so here we go:

Interview With A Vampire

First, I’d like to thank my friend April, as well as the ladies at my Facebook group and Talking Two Lips for the suggested questions for Demetri deVerieux from HUNTERS’ GAME:

The interview:

What do you and Cliantha look for in a person when you’re looking for a toy for the evening? Do you go for looks or lack of intelligence to make it easier for you to trap your prey and make them compliant?

Demetri: What do we look for? You mean apart from a warm vein? *raising an eyebrow to emphasize the sarcasm* What I look for, and let’s be clear on this, I select the prey, Clia is the bait. Intelligence makes the game more interesting and more satisfying. Anyone can lure a drunk or some poor bastard who’d jump at the chance to breathe in the same air Cliantha inhabits, to entice an intelligent human into coming to us willing is always a victory. Since we’re looking to indulge in an array of passions and hungers, appealing prey is preferred. Compliancy isn’t an issue, willing or not, I control this game and all the players in it.

Who turned you? How old are you? How did you hook up with Cliantha? Are you into the BDSM lifestyle or is it just with Cliantha that your inner caveman comes out?

Demetri: I was turned by Stavros almost 500 years ago. Cliantha is the reincarnation of the only woman Stavros ever loved. Several hundred years ago, I let her be killed to save my own ass, he was more than a little annoyed about it and we parted company for a couple of centuries. Clia is mine now. After I put Stavros in his crypt for the final time, she was broken. I offered her shelter. She’s entertaining, so I keep her.

Inner caveman? If you call a male who takes what he wants and makes it his, then perhaps I am. She knows better than to fight with me, she loses. And then I have to make her aware of who is the master and who is the slave in this relationship. *smiling* BDSM is not a lifestyle to males of my breed. We are masters, and you are our slaves.

What are you going to do about the glimpse of betrayal you’ve seen in Clia?

Demetri: *laughing* Clia is never going to betray me, she knows how painful my vengeance will be if she dares to attempt it. *shrugs* If she feels the need to test my patience, I’m certain it will be memorable for us both.

How did you and Cliantha meet? Are you satisfied with your existence as a vampire? Is there anything you wish were different? What's on your "bucket list"?

Demetri: Clia was devoted to Stavros when I met her, it was simply my wish that she belong to me not him. It took several hundred years, but I get what I want.

*eyes the interviewer and laughs* Satisfied with my existence? I can’t die, I have no laws to obey, can do anything and no one can stop me. What’s not to love? I have no bucket list, because what I want, I take. What I want to do, I simply do.

What is the relationship between you and Stravos? How did it come about? Is it an amicable relationship or strained?

Demetri: I’d hardly call it a relationship. His daughter wanted me as her pet, so he ripped out my throat, turned me and gave me to her. I gave him her heart while it was still warm once I got tired of her. I’d call our interactions strained for some reason.

Was there a time when having a normal life, growing old, having family, meant something?

Demetri: Yes, it meant growing old, getting sick, and dying. I can’t imagine why I didn’t want all that. *stands and smiles* Thank you so much for this fascinating conversation, stay off the streets later if you’d like to continue breathing.

And with the interview ended by our illustrious vampire, if you’d like to know more about him and his partner, check out their story here:

HUNTERS’ GAME


In modern Toronto, two vampires stalk the night, their hunting a game that is seductive and deadly. In a darkly compelling Goth Club, they find the prey they seek for their pleasures, and the night runs crimson with blood and unquenchable thirsts....


Excerpt:

A flicker of reddish blond hair caught her eye and her vampiric sight pierced the murky atmosphere, saw him smile at her from across the room. Already her body hummed with the knowledge that his hands would soon be on her skin, inciting a hunger that no one else could feed.

She brushed past the few who lingered near the top of the stairs, and skirted the metal bars that gave the place such a distinctive look. By the time she reached where he’d been, he’d vanished. Grinding her teeth, she whirled around and studied the crowd. Again, his pale presence drew her. One arched eyebrow rose in amused challenge.

“Your game is intriguing, love,” she whispered. He’d hear her despite the deafening music.

And which role do you prefer to play? Predator or prey? His answer whispered inside her head, and she grinned.

What does it matter? It always ends the same and I have never objected...


* * * * Leave a comment, or even a question for Demetri, and on Friday, January 11th I’ll pull a name and send you a copy of HUNTERS’ GAME * * *

Silver Bells - a romantic Duet for the Holidays
Sensual Romance - Historical Western and contemporary

Connected by several generations of family tradition, a gift originally given back in 1878 finds its way into the hands and heart of the newest addition to the Hamiltonfamily. The silver bell earrings are an heirloom blessed by love, and once again the magic of the holiday combines with the magic of the heart to unite lovers touched by Destiny.

A Second Chance by Denysé Bridger
(Historical Western romance)

Blurb: Enroute back to his home in Montana, Joshua Hamilton is bushwhacked and left for dead. As stubborn as he is strong, Josh makes his way to the nearest homestead, and meets Sara Grant. Left alone after travelling to reside with her brother and his wife only to lose them to illness, Sara nurses Joshua back to health, all the while trying to deny the tender awakening of love. As the holiday approaches, danger arrives to threaten the future they haven't even begun to share.

A Christmas for Beginnings by Brigit Aine
(Contemporary erotic)

Blurb: Stephanie is worried that starting over, by moving to Wyoming to work for a guy she's never even talked to, might be a bit extreme. Cole doesn't know what to expect from his new cook, but he hopes to take some of the work load off his mom. Together, they learn that fate is at work, and with a little Christmas Magick, all will be well.


Denyse

Denysé Bridger
"Live the Romance, Become the Fantasy..."
** Best-Selling Author of 2011 **
Fantasy Pages (general): http://fantasy-pages.blogspot.com
Bound By Passion (adult content): http://boundpassion.blogspot.com

Friday, December 28, 2012

The Folly of Sabrina York

I am delighted to join the Sweet & Sexy Divas! My name is Sabrina York and I write all kinds of steamy erotic fiction—with an emphasis on erotic romance, because I really dig the vibe between a vulnerable heroine and a hard hot hero.  
I’ve been published for about a year and have eight titles out with Ellora’s Cave—and many more in the works. If you don’t know me yet, please take a moment to snoop around my website and check out my books. There’s still a little time to enter my year-end contest to win a Tiara and a spot on the 2012 Royal Court, but only a few days so if you’re interested, don’t wait. The drawing is December 31st. I’d love to hear from you on Facebook or Twitter too.
On this, my virgin blog for Sweet and Sexy Divas, I would love to tell you about one of my recent releases, Folly, an erotic Regency. Of all my books, I chose Folly, because it’s my absolute favorite so far. There’s just something about the strictures of the Regency era, and the sensuality simmering just under the surface, that lends the period to erotic musings.
In this story, our hero is a wounded man. He was savaged, body and soul by the foul Lord Ulster. He dreams of revenge. To make matters worse, he has always lusted after Ulster’s wife, the exquisite Eleanor. Ethan hates that he wants her, because she’s remote and cold…and Ulster’s wife.
And then Ulster dies.
Eleanor finds herself widowed and threatened with penury by her heartless in-laws. She hatches a plot to save herself. Determined to produce the Ulster “heir,” she seduces a stranger at tawdry masquerade. Little does she know, this magnificent masked lover is none other than her husband’s greatest nemesis, Ethan Pennington. Sadly, this tryst is not successful. Eleanor takes refuge with her friend Helena, Countess of Darlington.
When Ethan and Eleanor come face to face at the Darlington estate, both are mortified…until he overhears her predicament, and her plans to place a cuckoo in the Ulster nest. He is more than willing to oblige. The opportunity to finally have her, while taking the revenge he craves, is more than he can resist. Ethan strikes a bargain with Eleanor, promising to provide her with the heir she so desperately needs…but requires she meet his needs in return—every decadent one of them.
When he learns the truth about her marriage to Ulster, and discovers she is the mysterious stranger who stole his heart on a moonlit night, thoughts of revenge melt away beneath the hope for something more. A fleeting affair becomes a seductive courtship, and then a desperate pursuit as Ethan realizes…he is running out of time to win her.
I enjoyed writing this story so much and fell in love with the characters. Before I finished, James and Helena were telling me their story (Dark Fancy, which will be coming in 2013 from Ellora’s Cave). Before I finished writing that one, one of their friends, Edward Weyth the Dark Duke of Moncrieff started whispering in my ear. And as I was sketching out the bones of his story, his cousin Violet— Well, you get the picture.
This group of friends are quite chatty.
And naughty.  If you enjoy a dark, dominant hero and strong, willful heroines who are easily led astray, please check out Folly and the other stories in this series. Be warned, there will be mischievous play. And spankings. Perhaps a little light bondage. But also, lots of tenderness and tea. Definitely lemon cakes.
I have attached an excerpt from Folly below. I hope you enjoy it.
In the meantime, perhaps I shall see you on my website, SabrinaYork.com, or on Facebook, Twitter (@sabrina_york) or Goodreads. I’ll be watching for you.
There are a few more days to enter to win my Tiara... Send me an email at sabrinayorkhrh at gmail dot com with the words "Enter Me" in the subject line. I will add you to my newsletter list and enter you in the contest!
Keep it hot baby,
Sabrina York

An Excerpt From: FOLLY
Ethan carried Eleanor directly to his room, fully prepared to defend his actions, but they saw no one, not even a footman in the hall. Of course, he was moving fairly quickly. Hell. He had her in his arms, the most beautiful woman in the world. A woman he’d wanted—and hated wanting—from the instant he’d set eyes on her.
If he was being honest with himself—and now he could, because there was no reason left to lie—he’d dreamed about this moment. But it had always been just that. A dream. And a damn frustrating one to boot.
He’d fantasized about taking Ulster’s wife, punishing her for husband’s sins, making her beg and plead and weep for mercy, for his cock. He had, in the deep cloak of night, pleasured himself to visions of Eleanor tied to his bed or bent over the divan, languishing beneath the lash. But mostly, whimpering with pleasure beneath him.
But now, Ulster was dead. Eleanor was in his arms, compliant. Wanting him. Wanting him to fuck her. It was no longer a fantasy or a vague imagining. She was warm and heavy in his embrace, and he was minutes away from finally having her.
The anticipation was excruciating.
Still, when he reached his room, he didn’t toss her on the bed and mount her, as the beast inside him urged. No. He wanted this to last. He wanted this to linger. He wanted to ratchet up the tension…for both of them.
Gently, he set her on her feet in the center of the room and headed for the table by the window, bearing an assortment of decanters. He poured himself a drink and then threw himself into the armchair by the fire, facing her, reveling in the fact she was here. In his room, his lair.
She stood silently, quivering slightly.
Exultation—that of a predator who had finally captured his prey—lashed through him.
“Take down your hair.”
She did so, pulling out the pins, one after the other until the heavy mass cascaded down her slender back. He stared at it, transfixed. He wanted nothing more than to wrap it around his fist and bring it to his nose and draw in her scent. But first…
“Remove your dress.”
She blushed and showed him her back. “I cannot.”
Rage and bitter disappointment flashed through him. “My lady, we have a bargain. You must do as I say.”
She glanced back at him, over her shoulder, and shot him a shy smile, a tentative offering. She lifted her hair, revealing a long line of tiny buttons running from her neckline to her hips. “I cannot take off my dress. You will have to unbutton me.”
Scalding lust replaced his rage in an instant. He was rock hard in a breath.
He swallowed a sudden pool of drool in his mouth. Bounding from his chair, he bolted across the room to her side.
The buttons were tiny and, truth be told, his fingers shook, but he managed—somehow—to undo them. He stroked the creamy vee of skin he revealed with the first few. A thrill shot through him, straight to his balls, when she quivered at his touch.
He was possessed, suddenly, of the urge to hold one side of the garment in each fist and rip. But he didn’t. For one thing, that would end this too quickly and he didn’t want to end this quickly. Instead, he satisfied his roiling hunger by nibbling on the back of her neck, licking and sucking on her nape as he blindly fumbled for the next button. And the next. When the gown opened far enough, he turned her and, slowly, drawing his palms over her shoulders, nudged the dress off. He swallowed as, bit by bit, her graceful shoulders were revealed. Then her chest.
Damn. She wore a chemise.
But her breasts, swollen and pert, were visible through the sheer material. Her nipples, puckered and fat, taunted him. Unable to resist, he thumbed a taut peak. She moaned, which brought his gaze up to her face.
God. She was beautiful, her lashes fanning her cheeks like sooty moons, her lips slightly parted and damp, her nostrils flared.
“Do you like that?” he whispered.
She colored. A red tide crept up her cheeks giving her a rosy glow.
Had he ever thought her cold? How had he ever decided she was reserved?
“Yes, Ethan.”
He could tell she was aroused. It was evident in her short, hard gasps, the trembling in her form, the rising scent of lust. It nearly drove him mad.
But he returned to his chair and sat, facing her once more. A whole room away.
It nearly killed him.
Her eyes flew open at his withdrawal. He nodded curtly in her direction. “There. You’re unbuttoned. Finish the job yourself.” Because, God, he wanted to watch her undress. For him.
She swallowed and nodded and let the dress fall to the floor. 
He ground his teeth, bit his tongue, curled his hand into a fist around the arm of the chair. Anything to keep him from flying across the room, taking her in his arms and planting himself inside her.
No. He sat there in the plush chair and watched as she revealed herself to him. For once her dress fell, she lifted her chemise. His heart thudded in his chest—in his cock—as her creamy belly, her abdomen and finally, her breasts were bared.
God. She was beautiful.
She pulled the chemise all the way off and let it fall to the floor. Let her gaze fall as well. She peeped up at him, standing there in nothing but her drawers.
“Finish it.” His voice was as rough and uneven as gravel.
She hesitated only for a heartbeat then hooked her thumbs into the waistband and tugged her drawers off.
Dear. God.
At the sight of that silken triangle damp with dew, his heart stuttered.
She was naked.
In his room.
Eleanor.