I have to admit, it's also the first time in a while I'd read through some of this story at all. I winced at some of my rookie mistakes but also marveled at some of the prose, coming across certain passages or phrases and was all, Damn! Did I really write that?
I'd originally hoped the audio book would release this summer, but here it is September. * sigh *
Anyway.
For my Friday Feature, here's an excerpt from the turning point in the story, where everything changes from slow and flirty and they're finally about to, you know... until the blood curdling scream.
Happy Friday to all - and Happy Reading!
Excerpt from CRAZY ABOUT YOU:
After
dinner, Chase and Emma descended the stairs next to the wharf and walked along the sandy
stretch of low-tide beach running parallel to the commercial strip. The full
moon reflected off the Atlantic, sending rhythmic ripples of silver and gold
washing onto the shore. The dark pilings of the wharf loomed behind them, the
low sounds of laughter and voices drifting from the shadows.
“I
hope you don’t mind if we skip going to the club to meet your assistant. So
many people crammed into too small a space. This is nicer.” She smiled up at
him and his heart skipped a beat.
“Totally
fine with me.” He managed to control his voice, sounding normal even if his erratic
heartbeat wouldn’t listen to him. “I’m not much for the club scene anyway. Makes
me feel old.”
She
snorted. “You’re not old, Dr. Anderson. Merely intense.” Emma reached for his
hand, twining her fingers through his, giving them a squeeze. “I love to walk
on the beach after dinner, don’t you? Especially at low tide, like this, when
the beach stretches on and on and the sky is filled with a multitude of stars
shining down, little pinpricks in the blackness where the gods and angels can
watch over us. Or spy on us. Whichever. The possibilities seem endless on
nights like tonight.”
Several
of those possibilities raced through his mind, each scenario steamier than the
last. He clamped his mouth shut, stifling a groan. This wasn’t like him. He was
usually calm, cool, and collected. Since when did his daydreams all turn
pornographic?
Since you met Emma, the voice in his
head reminded him.
She
tugged on his hand to get his attention. “What did you think of the Lobster
Pot?” He told her the raviolis surpassed the best seafood he’d been served
anywhere, better than anything he’d eaten in a long, long time. Definitely
superior to anything in New York City.
“Good.
I’m glad you’re able to admit it.” Her smile reflected the moonlight. “Some New
Yorkers won’t say anything is better outside of the city.”
He
shrugged easily. “I may be from New York, but I like to think I make up my own
mind.” He pulled her to a stop near a rowboat flipped over on the sand, keel
pointed toward the stars. He ran his thumb across her knuckles, feeling the
tremor run through her arm. “Tell me something about you. Something no one else
knows.”
She
stared up at the night sky long enough to count each and every star. “When I
was born, my dad was out at sea, fishing. He promised he’d be home to take Mom
to the hospital in Hyannis, but couldn’t make it back to shore because of a
storm.”
“So
what did she do?” Chase snaked his hand under the arm of her sweater, her skin
like silk sliding under his fingertips as he drew nonsensical lines along her
forearm.
“You
need to realize, the nearest hospital is an hour and a half from Provincetown. It
was fall, but still the end of tourist season, so things were busy. My mom had
to make promises to the woman who drove her there.”
“Promises?
Like pledging your firstborn?”
She
shook her head. “Almost worse. She let her choose my middle name.”
He
chuckled and slid his other arm around her waist, pulling her closer. “What did
she choose?” Despite the darkness, he saw her roll her eyes. “Come on, it can’t
be that bad.”
“My
mom was at her shop when her water broke. It was the tarot card reader next door
who drove her to Hyannis.”
“And
your middle name is…”
“Andromeda.”
She said it so softly he barely heard.
“Like
the constellation? Or the daughter of Cassiopeia?”
Emma
blew out a long breath. “I guess she meant the constellation, because she told
my mom the stars would bring Dad home. Sure enough, he showed up at the
hospital the very next morning. But I was already saddled with one heck of a
middle name.”
“I
like it.”
Her
voice came out as a whisper. “You do?”
He
nodded slowly. “I like you, too.” He bent his head to capture her mouth. She
leaned into him slightly, brushing his lips with her tongue, inviting him to
explore further. The kiss quickly deepened, her body pressed tight, urging him
to take more. She moaned when her breasts crushed against his chest, her
hardened nipples poking through the thin fabric of her shirt. Primal need seared
through his body. He found the bottom edge of her tank top and slipped underneath
to caress the silky heat of the bare skin at her waist. She shuddered and
pulled away from the kiss, nipping his bottom lip.
“Wow,”
she whispered, catching her breath. “Is this still part of that science experiment
of yours?” Her eyes sparkled in the moonlight, filled with wanting but also uncertainty.
He
touched his forehead to hers and waited for his breathing to even out. “I think
we’ve officially ruled out any scientific anomaly. But there’s still plenty of
room for exploration.” He kissed her again, tasting the salt of the night air
on her lips, satisfying his hunger better than any seafood. She opened to him,
leaning into his kiss.
His
world spun out of control as she clutched his shoulders and held on until he
needed to come up for air to stop the world from reeling. He tucked her head
under his chin and held her body against his, breathing in her honey lemon
scent with each panting breath, trying to steady himself. Hot breath puffed
against his chest, another small tremor
running through her.
“I
never planned for this,” he said.
“Do
you always have a plan?”
“Usually.”
“Kiss
me again.”
He
cradled her face with his hands and kissed her softly, running his tongue over
her lips, down her neck, kissing the soft spot at the base of her throat. She
trembled at his touch, moving her hands over the muscles in his back.
“You’re
driving me crazy,” she said in a breathless voice that sent even more blood
pounding to his groin. “But we should probably stop. I mean, we’re, um, still kind
of in public.”
His
lips brushed over her ear. “There’s no one near,” he whispered, unable to think
clearly.
“Still…”
she said on a sigh, her eyes fluttering shut.
“You’re
right.” He moved his hands away from her face. His fingers brushed over her
breast and she sucked in a sharp gasp, her eyes darkening. Holding her gaze he
trailed his hand the rest of the way down her belly, pushing under the edge of the
tank top and back along her bare midriff. He cupped her breast with reverence,
rubbing a slow thumb across the lace of her bra to tease already puckered
nipples. His other hand slid down her lower back to her rear, molding her body to
his, showing her his desire. She clenched her teeth and shuddered, pressing into
the hand on her chest, gasping at his touch. Her tongue traced a line up his
neck, biting down on his sensitive earlobe.
“Chase,
please.” Her breathy whisper sent another jolt to his groin. “Let’s leave the
beach. Now.” He nodded, his logical brain kicking into gear to estimate the
quickest route back to his motel room. He captured her mouth for one more kiss,
tamping down on his haze of need while he wondered whether to flag a taxi or
one of those pedicabs.
A
scream from somewhere nearby pierced the night air. He tore his mouth from
hers, looking toward the source of the noise. Shouts followed, along with the
sounds of feet pounding on the wooden staircase and along the boardwalk. Stream
of shadows swirled above and below the pier, bodies scurrying through the
darkness while the screams went on and on.
“What’s
happening?” Emma pulled away, shoving her shirt down, moving toward the sound.
Chase
tried to hold her back. “Where are you going?”
“Didn’t
you hear that? A woman’s screaming!”
“Didn’t
anyone ever tell you not to run toward danger?”
She
cocked her head. “Someone needs help. Either come with me, or let me go.” Reluctantly
he followed her lead, unwilling to release his grasp on her hand.
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