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Here's this week's theme.
A wake up call. It could be a wake up call to reality, to anything. A realization. Be creative. Shoe mw what you've got.
When sharing an excerpt, please remember this:
Leave title and author name,
Buy link if available, or a website, something for readers to reach you and your book.
Excerpts should not be longer than 750 words and should follow the theme.
And, share! Share with readers and writers! The more we get around here, the better your chances are at someone seeing your book.
Ready, set, go!
I'm Ella Quinn. My blog is at http://ellaquinnauthor.wordpress.com. My email is ella@ellaquinn.net
ReplyDeleteHere is my excerpt from unpublished novel Lady Caro's Accidental Marriage.
Mid- October, 1816, Padua, Italy
Gervais, Earl of Huntley, heir to the Marquis of Huntingdon, followed Lady Caroline Martindale up the narrow stairs of an inn in Padua, Italy. He struggled to keep a smile off his face as he enjoyed the view of her lush derrière and reflected on how nicely it would fit in his hands. She glanced back over her shoulder and glared. Widening his eyes, he lifted a brow and gave her the most innocent look he possessed. She stopped, causing him to almost, but not quite, make contact with the object in question. So close. Who could blame him for wanting to reach the few short inches and caress?
Lady Caro closed her eyes briefly, clenching her jaw. “My lord, perhaps I should follow you up the stairs.”
He started to bow then realized that if he did, he’d be so close his lips could brush against her bottom. She must have had the same thought as she hastily backed against the wall, thus removing the tempting sight.
He stifled a sigh and climbed past her. “Thank you, my lady.”
She inclined her head stiffly. “My lord.”
Huntley directed her to the room at the end of the corridor. He’d reserved all the chambers between Lady Caro’s and his, located near the head of the stairs. If the Duca di Venier or his grandson came looking, he’d be there to greet them.
Huntley hadn’t thought he’d be retracing his steps so soon after he’d left on his tour of Europe. But all was not well when he arrived at his aunt’s house in Venice a few weeks ago.
Nikki, what a great idea. This excerpt is from my Viking romance, The Eagle's Woman. Ari Bjornsson, second son of an impoverished, ailing chieftain, raids for booty and slaves in order to feed his people. When he abducts Maeve from her peaceful Irish fishing village, it is for the purpose of selling her and she knows it. She considers him only a heathen, murdering savage. Inside the little enclosure where he moves her for safety, though, she first begins to realize he's something more.
ReplyDelete“What?” Ari asked, reaching with his free hand to take her chin in it. His thumb caressed her bottom lip and she thought she was not out of danger with him, no matter how disheveled her appearance. This man wanted her, no doubt of it. Not enough to commit violence on her, apparently, but she thought gentleness held its own dangers. If she was not careful, it could weaken her will. He was not unattractive—with fair skin, strong angular features and striking eyes—though just then he looked like a drowned rat as all of them did. It did not obscure the strength of his body or the keen intelligence in those eyes. She turned her head to the side, dislodging his thumb.
“I have not seen tears from you before,” he said thoughtfully, “though many of the others are crying. What has finally broken you?”
“I am not broken,” she spat, “only mourning two good people who raised me. But I am sure you know nothing of such feelings.”
He sat back on his heels. “Do I not? Two good people raised me as well. One lies crippled in his sickbed and the other waits for me to bring coin to buy things a sick man needs.”
Maeve was silent, surprised and momentarily chastened. She had never seriously supposed he had motives other than greed.
“Do you think raiding is worthy of a fighting man?” he persisted. “I would rather face an army than hungry children.”
She stifled an impulse toward sympathy. “Ours are dead or captive. You seem to have no trouble facing that.”
Abruptly, he set both feet beneath himself and got up, undaunted by the motion of the ship which made such things impossible for Maeve. She had not noticed a wineskin hanging from the rigging, but she saw him reach for it then. “I cannot help your children.” He took a fulsome swig. “Just mine.” Wiping the neck with his wet tunic, he held the wineskin out to her.
It was decent wine, probably from their monastery, tasting of strength and summer. She needed strength to remember that summer would come again, so she drank.
LINK: http://www.amazon.com/The-Eagles-Woman-ebook/dp/B008RZD4Q2
Also available at Fictionwise and AllRomanceEbooks
Hiya, thanks for the opportunity! This is just right for the season and poor Fae certainly gets a wake up call in this excerpt!
ReplyDeleteCue Me In – A short, sweet and spooky tale is now available from Astraea Press and all good e-tailers!
Fae Heath wants to be on TV, but not just any show. She wants to be on Ghost UK. She intends to win the contest to find the next presenter. Tall, slim and blonde and access to a haunted Welsh Castle on Halloween – how can she fail?
‘There’s the castle.’
Fae braked at Flash’s words and they stared into the darkness at the building before them. Half of the castle was clearly uninhabitable. Fragmented stones stood like jagged broken teeth along the broken battlement. Mist twisted around the surviving tower and range of buildings. A couple of the windows showed yellow light in to the blackness and Fae breathed a sigh of relief. There was someone home.
‘Right, let’s get this show on the road.’ Fae eased the car into the courtyard of the castle. As she cut the engine an eerie baying sound echoed around the stone walls.
‘Wow, a welcome committee.’ Flash leaned forward into the gap between the front seats, his dark head next to Fae’s.
‘I expect living alone up here, miles from anywhere, they keep dogs,’ Izzy snapped as she picked up her bag from the footwell.
Fae swallowed hard. She hoped Rhodri Morgan would be the kind of man who was susceptible to feminine charm. In her mind she’d pictured a stooped, elderly antiquarian who on meeting her would instantly change his mind and grant her free access to film the castle and its secrets.
The baying grew louder when Fae opened the car door. The next thing she knew she was pinned to the side of the Mini by the biggest dog she’d ever seen in her life. A large paw was planted on each side of her shoulders as the dog breathed stale meat-breath in her face.
She twisted her head to the side and saw an archway of light appear on the far side of the courtyard.
‘Help!’
Izzy and Flash remained in the car, round-eyed and open-mouthed with shock.
‘Nice doggy.’
The hound responded with a lick down her face covering her with drool. She heard the sound of footsteps crunching across the yard in the darkness.
‘Down, Fang.’ A firm male voice with a hint of accent came out of the mist. A shape loomed out of the darkness illuminated by a storm lantern. A large man’s shape.
© Nell Dixon 2011
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Cue-Me-In-ebook/dp/B005XSEQJU/ref=pd_rhf_gw_p_t_1
http://www.amazon.com/Cue-Me-In-ebook/dp/B005XSEQJU/ref=pd_rhf_gw_p_t_2
http://www.nelldixon.com Romance with Heart
Here is mine from the soon to be released The Driver's Seat.
ReplyDeleteHe slammed the hood down and came back inside. “All right, darlin’. Your car is all fixed up and rarin’ to go.” He winked.
Her insides twisted deliciously. What he was doing to her should’ve been illegal. “Thanks. I really should get on the road. What do I owe you?”
“A hundred and fifty.”
She nodded and pulled the cash from her wallet.
He sighed his disapproval and took the money. “You aren’t gonna get five miles in this storm, and then I’m gonna have to come pull your ass out of the ditch.”
“I assure you that you will not have to do anything to my ass.”
He licked his lips...again. “That’s a shame.” His face darkened and went resolute. A shudder rippled over her. He threw up his hands. “All right, darlin’. You can go.”
She held her composed smile, but her heart hammered. She knew it wasn’t the wisest decision to leave during a winter storm, but was staying here with Pete-the-mechanic any safer? The heat throbbing in her core and her wet panties said no fucking way. “Thank you, Pete. I appreciate your help.”
He dangled her keys. She grabbed them and walked to the door as fast as she could without appearing to run.
His sexy drawl seduced her ears just before she opened the door. “But darlin’, if I do have to dig you out of a ditch, I promise I will toss you over my knee, pull your panties down, and tap that ass until you can’t sit.”
She spun around to glare at him. Anger burned in her chest along with a host of other, more erotic, emotions she wasn’t about to confront. Using the one weapon that always produced success, she flashed her best sexy smile. “I’m not wearing panties.”
A bold-faced lie that worked like a charm. His eyes rolled back in his head and closed as he tried to control the desire that flashed over his rugged features. He took a deep breath, and she noticed the seams on the crotch of his pants looked a little strained.
She smiled in satisfaction. Worked every time.
But then he was on her, pinning her against the glass door with his massive body. The entry bell jangled with the force. She couldn’t catch her breath. His hands roamed her sides, touching and grazing. She couldn’t move and didn’t want to. The heat of him lit her on fire, and every place their bodies met ignited a flame.
He buried his nose in her hair and blew a moist breath in her ear. “Won’t that make it easy then?”
This is a great idea and I'm enjoying the excerpts so far.
ReplyDeleteToday I'm sharing a short excerpt from my erotic dragon shifter novella, Tova's Dragon, published by Amber Heat.
Tova, an earth mage, rejuvenates through sex magic. She's on a mission, but her magical energy is running low. How is she to know the handsome half-naked man she encounters is not only an outlaw, but a dragonshifter? Talk about hot and steamy sex. And nothing is simple after that...
Kane has always loved Velosian women and their sex magic. Tova's warmth stirs his passions and her courage touches his heart, but dreads telling her of his true nature. But Tova's acceptance surprises him. Together, Kane and Tova have the power to save Velosia. If they survive the upcoming battle.
Excerpt (PG-13):
Tova awoke to find herself on a soft bed wrapped in the embrace of a very hot, very aroused man. She opened her eyes and looked around the dimly lit chamber. “Where am I?”
“In my cave. You fell and hit your head.”
She squirmed around to stare at the man, and it all came back to her—the climb up the mountain, the lightning storm, being guided to the cave, and falling in the tunnel. “Your cave,” she repeated. “And you are?”
“I am Kane.”
Why did his name sound so familiar? She studied the face just inches from her own. He was older than she, perhaps in his third decade. Long black hair hung down to his shoulders and his eyes were a warm shade of amber under straight black brows. Her gaze dropped to sensual lips above a cleft chin. He was handsome as sin and naked to the waist. A shiver traveled up her spine and her heartbeat increased.
Around his neck he wore a heavy gold chain with a large, luminous pearl dangling from it. When she reached out to touch the pearl, she sensed power radiating from it, from him. “It was you who guided me to the cave, was it not? I thank you.”
“It was my pleasure, daughter of earth.”
She smiled at the apt nickname. “I am called Tova Svensdottir.”
“How are you feeling, Mistress Tova?”
She assessed the situation. Though she was warmer, her head still hurt and her energy was depleted. Self-healing would take a long time in this state. “Weak, a feeling I can ill afford.”
“Where were you headed in such a hurry?” he asked, his voice casual. “What on earth brought you to my mountain?”
She hesitated, not certain whether or not to trust him. Mutti Zee’s instructions echoed in her head. “I seek the Lord of Drakkenberg.”
Kane raised his brows. “You have come to the right place, though the old lord is dead.”
Suddenly, she realized who he was and scooted away from him.
’Twas just her luck to be rescued by the most feared outlaw in the land. “Please do not hurt me, Kane of Drakkenberg.”
With a sigh, he rose from the bed, clad only in his breeches and hose. “I would never hurt you, Lady Tova. I am not the monster legend depicts me. Well, not entirely.”
Website: http://www.lyndilamont.com/TovasDragon.html
Amazon Buy link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007AZAN0U/
Also available at All Romance eBooks, Amber Heat and eReader/Fictionwise.
How Fun! Here's an excerpt from my new release, Worth The Weight. This is more of our heroine trying to explain her metaphorical awakening to her besties.
ReplyDeleteMara Jacobs
www.marajacobs.com
“Because all those years ago my mom sent me a clipping of a wedding announcement for Finn Robbins,” Lizzie quietly said. There was silence while Alison and Katie exchanged confused glances.
“I don’t get it, are we supposed to yell Eureka! and everything becomes crystal clear? Twelve years of using Krispy Kreme as a significant other and three years of turning that around, and it’s all because you saw a clipping of Finn Robbins’s wedding announcement? I don’t buy it,” Alison said.
Alison wasn’t dubbed “the smart one” for nothing.
“And maybe there’s nothing to buy,” Lizzie conceded. “Maybe it’s all just coincidences, and I’m trying to psycho babble my way into one giant rationalization…maybe it just boils down to being really, really hungry for twelve years,” she joked with a small smile. That’s right, always keep ‘em smiling. Make them like me.
“Okay, let’s for the sake of argument say that his wedding announcement triggered your virginity loss, and that disappointment triggered the emotional eating, the eating spirals out of control for twelve years while you concentrate solely on the professional side of your life, becoming a mover and a shaker in your field and then one day, three years ago, you meet this Davis Cummings, have your epiphany and start to lose the weight. Have I got it?”
Lizzie nodded and watched as Alison ruminated on this.
“I don’t know, Lizard. This plan of yours could so blow up in your face. Having sex with no emotional connection is what caused you to turn to food for solace in the first place. Do you think it’s going to be so different if you have sex with Finn now?”
Lizzie didn’t answer right away. She finally shrugged her shoulders. “I think it will be different, because I know what I’m doing now. I know my reasons for being with Finn. And it’s not totally unemotional, I’ve always cared for Finn. I just know there’s no future there.”
Worth The Weight on Amazon
http://amzn.com/B009MZQMAQ
Read a Different Kind of Paranormal Romance from Debra Jayne East
ReplyDeleteRadiance:Love after Death Promo~
Something strange was going on in Lily Dale. Marena Jacobs went there to search for the only man she would ever love. David had vanished and she was beginning to think he was gone forever. The small scrap of paper with angelic script on it was all she had to go on.
Gabe, a man with pscychic abilities, befriends Marena and they stumble upon an incredible secret about the town's people no one would ever believe.
Gabe's abilities are no match for Samuels though, who has powers of his own. He is from an ancient sect of fallen angels called the Nephilim, and the one goal he has is to seduce Marena and destroy the love she has for David. You will believe that true love never dies.
Excerpt:
Mortified, I wonder what I’m going to do. Things like this always happen to me. “What’s your problem here, maybe I can help?” He takes a few steps closer. “Are you really blind?” I ask, unsure. “Well, see if this will help you decide. He pulls out one of those folded, walking
canes. When he whistles, a small, brown, Cocker Spaniel dog, jumps instantly, through the window.
“Meet Bradley, my official Seeing Eye dog, and this is my walking cane,” he smiles. He uses it to walk closer to me sweeping from left to right. He manages to avoid objects in his path, and he stops just a few feet away. Not a bad looking fellow, just intimidating, I think to myself.
My mind starts racing, and suddenly, I wanted to get out of this situation before it got any worse.
I realize I can stay in the tub all night, or get on with the evening, and ask him to help me. I swallow my pride. I become flustered but I try to sound calm.
“It’s nice to meet you David. I seem to be stuck in the tub. I’ve been in an I’ve been in an accident, and my knee hasn’t quite healed yet. Could you help me out?”
“I’ll try.”
I’m glad if I had to be stuck in an embarrassing predicament, that it’s a blind man who has come to my rescue. The absurdity of the situation puts a blush on my face. Before I could dwell on it too much, he comes over and lifts me out of the tub, into his arms. I’m getting him wet, but he doesn’t seem to mind. As he holds me, his eyes never once look towards my face, or down at my body. Despite the fact, he seems unaffected by my nakedness; my body chooses to respond against my will. A flush of excitement takes me by surprise. He is incredibly strong and the most masculine type of male I’d seen in a long time.
XOXO Publishing: http://t.co/skrRzpQD
http://www.amazon.com/Radiance-Love-after-Death-ebook/dp/B005KQ5E32/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1326066658&sr=8-1
http://www.bookstrand.com/radiance-love-after-death%20%20%20
https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-radianceloveafterdeath-751110-140.html
http://debrajayneeast.blogspot.com
http://yearoftheangel.blogspot.com
http://twitter.com/juliet2cool4u
http://askdavid.com/reviews/book/paranormal-romance/2312 - websites
http://youtu.be/2s_bdXQHdhg
This excerpt is from Redeemed by Jill Hughey.
ReplyDeleteWhat in God’s name had he just done?
Not even that could rest as a rhetorical question. He knew exactly what he'd done. He’d acted like Drogo, letting his anger cause an unfair lashing out at an undeserving victim. He turned to place his back against the bedstead and cradle the wooden chest on his lap. He slowly looked at each piece of Philantha’s jewelry, carefully untangling the chains, weighing the pins in his palm, studying the intricate turns of the earrings.
Philantha described her jewelry correctly. The pieces were not especially valuable, nothing like what he’d seen adorning the women of the Emperor’s family, for example. But they were her things, the normal trappings of a woman of medium social stature. And she was a soft, quiet woman of steady emotion. He was not acquainted with many women but his gut told him she was neither greedy nor manipulative. She’d come in here to clean a room that was supposed to be her own sanctuary but in very short order had been confronted by a lunatic accusing her of stealing his dead mother’s trinkets. "I would have been proud to wear anything of hers as your wife," she had said. But "I do not need your mother’s treasures."
So there.
He leaned his head back on the hard platform of the bed. He was so tired of being the man he was, exhausted by lugging around his ancient history. So tired of paranoia and pent-up rage. Tired of denying himself the things normal men took as their right. He wanted a wife.
Yet when an opportunity came, he was still as likely to kick it in the teeth as welcome it into his life. Philantha had come to him as though conjured from his acknowledged hopes and his deepest unacknowledged dreams. But today he had figuratively kicked her in the teeth over nothing.
He did not want to be this man!
What if she decided not to marry him? She could leave tomorrow and never return. A block of cold stone settled in his gut. That was simply out of the question.
He was not sure he could be better than he was. But he had to try. He had to prove to her that he could - at least - try. The need propelled him to his feet.
Amazon buy link for Redeemed: http://amzn.com/B007FDRV0M
Also available at most other ebook vendors and CreateSpace.com
Visit Jill Hughey at http://jillhughey.blogspot.com/, follow on FaceBook at http://www.facebook.com/jillhugheyromance, or on twitter @jillhughey.
Thank you for the opportunity to post here!!
Thanks for the opportunity. This wake up is from a near-drowning when Linden realizes that the murderer who tried to kill her and her boss if finally dead.
ReplyDeleteRAPTURE OF THE DEEP by Kelsy George
**Keep bre…**
“Breathe, dammit!”
Linden felt the thump on her chest and heard the words. She sputtered and puked water, all the while wondering what had happened. When she finally opened her eyes, a total stranger loomed above her where she lay on something hard. She spluttered and gagged on another mouthful of seawater and rolled on her side, groaning then trying to push herself to a sitting position. She wretched again, spewed more water and choked on the aftertaste.
“Here, take a swallow to rinse your mouth,” said an unfamiliar voice, holding a bottle of water toward her.
“Carson?” she croaked. The seawater seemed to have done something to her voice.
“If that’s the guy who was with you, with the rather spectacular knife wound, he’ll be okay. He’s in the cabin below, being stitched up and getting a little top up of the red stuff.”
The relief his words brought made her weak and she fell back onto what she now saw was a red and grey blanket spread out on the deck. The man above her wore the uniform of the Coast Guard.
“What about Bailey Warner?”
“Who’s he? We only picked up two of you. Did we miss someone?” he asked, his concern visible. “The radio report only mentioned two people.”
“I…I don’t…maybe not. I can’t remember. I thought…” Linden tried hard to remember and what she recalled terrified her again.
More frightening, for a moment, was the sight of Bertie standing behind the sailor, a Bertie decked out in his full diving regalia.
He smiled at her and shimmered, seeming to grow faint and she knew he was leaving. Whatever had happened in the Sound was done. Bertie had finished what he set out to do. His spirit was at rest.
That must mean she was finally safe. Carson was no longer in danger and Clete’s killer had been dealt with, in whatever manner angry spirits deal with their killer.
She remembered what happened at Jericho Beach and shuddered. Ghosts of dead sailors, legends of Haida history. Together they’d rid the world of the evil that was Bailey Warner. She’d seen his boat, a large trawler that looked like it had been around many years. On its deck, a man she recognized from Clete’s description as the man he saw with Bailey. While she watched, the boat split in two, the men on board screaming as the halves were drawn down into a spinning maelstrom of blackened, angry sea water. The waves crushed the trawler, the shrieking sounds of metal tearing apart nearly drowned out by the howling and wailing of the spirits that claimed it.
Next, justice for Bailey Warner.
Linden closed her eyes and pictured again the final moments, before she lost consciousness and, she’d been certain at the time, her life.
A good swimmer for such an overweight man, Bailey swam toward her, the knife in his hand flashing in the strange light above the cove.
Then she saw them. Wolf; behind him Dogfish and above them both, Eagle. She’d known then. One would kill, all would dispose. When they finished, there’d be no trace of Bailey Warner.
Linden tried to shut out the sight of Wolf clamping his wicked, slavering jaws around Bailey’s leg. Dogfish claimed the man’s body with sharp, pointed teeth and Eagle’s talons ripped him into pieces that Eagle carried out to the open water of the sound. Once there, Eagle dropped what was left of Bailey Warner into the now calm seas.
She’d seen it happen and, now it was over, felt no sorrow for Bailey Warner.
He got what he gave. He got what he deserved.
No wonder the Coast Guard found only two. If there was anything left to find, it would be on the bottom of the Sound, beneath the waters that nearly claimed Carson’s life, and hers.
RAPTURE OF THE DEEP is available now at www.amazon.com/kindlestore/
Here's mine from my newest release The Billionaire Playboy available now
ReplyDeleteTurning on her heel, she noticed that Jake had pulled his white dress shirt out of his pants. Before he could begin to unbutton it, she moved closer to him and brushed his fingers away from the tiny buttons.
“Let me,” she whispered against his lips. She heard a deep intake of breath and couldn't contain her smile.
Charlie took her time undoing each tiny pearl button. Between each one she placed a gentle kiss on his lips or caressed his arm or back. The change in his breathing let her know her actions excited him. As she trailed a hand down his chest she wondered just how long she could tease him before he turned the tables. Jake didn't give her the opportunity to do anything else before tearing his arms out of the shirt as soon as she slipped the final button from its hole. The white t-shirt he wore underneath immediately followed, both of them quickly landing in a pile on the floor.
Jake with clothes on was gorgeous, but half-naked he was simply a sight to behold. Unable to stop herself, she ran a hand over his powerful chest then down his sculptured abs. She felt his abs contract and a new feeling of empowerment flowed through her. Without pausing she let her hand travel down further toward his belt buckle. With deliberate movements she undid the buckle making sure her hand brushed over his erection more than once.
After her third pass, he gripped her wrists. “I suggest you let me finish.” Jake didn't wait for a reply. Once he undid his tux pants and added them to the growing pile on the floor he took a step back toward her. “My turn.”
He began by pulling the pins from her hair. Once the twist she'd fashioned was gone, he slid his hands over her bare shoulders and back to the zipper of her dress. Inch by agonizing inch Charlie felt the zipper move downward until the only thing holding the dress up was the fact that her body was pressed tightly against Jake.
“I think it's time we get rid of this.” As Jake whispered in her ear he took a step back and the dress began to fall away from her body.
Determined to remain calm, she fought the unexpected urge to grab the dress and yank it back into place, and when the dress hit the floor around her ankles she deliberately stepped out of it. Her heart pounded an erratic rhythm as she stood there in nothing but her white lace thong, strapless bra and heels. Despite her discomfort she never once looked away from Jake's face.
The raw desire she saw on his face as his gaze slowly and seductively slid down her body extinguished any fears and replaced them with a burning desire that set every inch of her body on fire. Her entire body craved his touch and she wanted nothing more than to fall into the bed behind them, wrap her body around his and satisfy her craving. With every intention of doing just that Charlie took a step toward him, but Jake reached for her first and held her in place. Slowly his eyes traveled from her face down to her feet and then back again. As his gaze moved over her it left a trail of pulsing excitement behind on her skin.
“You're sexier then I imagined.”
Whether because of his compliment or the way his eyes devoured her, Charlie's confidence grew stronger. Before she could rethink her decision, she undid the tiny hooks at the back of her bra and tossed it on the floor. At the sound of Jake's sharp intake of breath she smiled. Before she could do or say anything else he closed the gap between them and scooped her off her feet.
Available at the following links:
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ReplyDeleteSorry, the formatting on the links went wonky above. Let's try this again:
ReplyDeleteThank you for the opportunity to post an excerpt, Nikki! I'm Chantilly White and this is from the prologue of my new release, Pearls of Pleasure, available at the following links:
http://amzn.to/RLSpkF Amazon
http://bit.ly/RLSrci B&N
http://bit.ly/RLStB9 AllRomance
http://bit.ly/RLSuEY Smashwords
Pearls of Pleasure
The sirens woke her. She came out of the dream slowly, disoriented by the late nap, and sat up on the couch, pushing the heavy length of her hair out of her face. She felt fuzzy and gummy and a little nauseous.
Padding to the kitchen for a glass of water, Gwen stood at the sink, sipping slowly to rinse the cottony coating out of her mouth. A wave of dizziness swept over her and she swayed, grabbing the edge of the counter to right herself.
"Whoa," she said. "That's new."
Belly rolling uneasily, she made her way out to the deck for some fresh air. The lake was still as glass in the late-afternoon light, the only ripples flowing from a family of ducks passing by the end of their dock.
Slow, deep breaths seemed to help her equilibrium. She stretched lightly, side to side, changing hands with the water glass as she moved.
Sirens sounded again, drawing her eyes to the left and over the tops of the trees toward town.
"Oh, no."
Black smoke boiled into the sky in thick, curling clouds. Black and oily and heavy, smoke only a building fire could produce. It was hell smoke, shot through with deep red flames.
And David—David was working.
The back of her neck prickled and goose bumps shot across her skin, making her shiver. Sending a quick prayer heavenward for David and his fellow firefighters, she hoped they'd contain the blaze quickly, before any people or any more buildings were jeopardized.
She couldn't smell it yet, or taste the acid of it on her tongue. The breeze blew the spiraling smoke away from her for now, but it wouldn't be long before the searing brimstone of it overwhelmed the wind and swept across the lake.
Gwen tamped down the usual urge to go investigate, to hover, just as she tamped it down every time her husband worked a blaze. She'd do more good at home, preparing for his return and staying out of their way at the scene.
Later—later, she and Julie would take food to the station.
David would be tired when he got home. He'd be hungry. He'd. . . he'd—a brutal pain stabbed into her chest, making her gasp, and the dizziness swooped over her once more.
"Damn it."
Shaking it off, a hand to her chest, she struggled to draw a deep breath. The pain faded slowly. She rubbed the ache over her heart and strove to regain her train of thought.
Food. She'd been thinking about food.
Her belly rolled again. Maybe something more bland than the spaghetti with meat sauce she'd originally intended.
Mentally adjusting their dinner plans, Gwen had half-turned to go back into the house when the explosion sounded. The boom of it shook the ground, the house, rattled the windows. It startled the birds from the trees and sent the ducks flapping across the lake.
The churning cloud of deep black smoke tripled in size in an instant and violent, multi-hued flames spewed into the sky like lava.
But it was the second, sharper pain arrowing into her heart that had the water glass slipping from her fingers to shatter at her feet.
And she knew.
And she began to run.
And she began to scream.
Thanks again for allowing us to post, Nikki! All the best, Chantilly White
http://ChantillyWhite.com