Sneak Peek Sunday

Good morning! This is out on Tuesday, although you can pre-order it now. It'll be going on KU for a limited run starting on Wednesday, so if you want it from Kobo - grab it now! Excerpt from the book is below.

Winter Boys: Tommy

Meet the Winter boys – Todd, Tommy and Troy. Can these triplets each find their happily ever after?

Tommy is a cop in Ottawa. He likes his job a lot because he enjoys helping people. It doesn’t leave him a lot of time to meet guys, though, as he often takes extra shifts to help out the officers on the job who have families. All that changes, though, when an old academy friend gives him a call and asks him to check in on the ex-husband of a famous actress.

Ian Fitzhugh loves his life. He married his best friend and they had three children together before she hit it big as an actress. They’re both now out and happy, and Ian has custody of the kids in Ottawa while Elaine lives the Hollywood life. Unfortunately, that life includes stalkers, and when Elaine’s discovers her ex and their kids in Ottawa, Ian isn’t ready for the ramifications of losing their quiet life.

Tommy and Ian feel an attraction immediately, but Elaine’s stalker isn’t going to give them time to gradually get to know each other. Instead, they’re thrown into a trial by fire. Can they find their way through the danger to each other?

Pre-order now at:
Amazon
Kobo


Excerpt:

Tommy headed out to his car to give Steve a call.

“Tom? Tom Winter?”

The urge to go duh was huge. He managed not to, though. He’d been an officer long enough to have learned how to hold his tongue on his initial reactions to a multitude of things. He’d developed an amazing poker face.

“Yeah. Been a few years. How’s it going?” Go him. He’d even managed a spot of small talk.

“Busy. You know of Elaine Lester?”

“The actress?”

“That’s the one.”

“Of course I know. She’s a local girl made good. Still comes back home on occasion, too, if I’m not mistaken. She lives in the States now, though, doesn’t she?”

“LA. That’s where I am. I’m with her. I’m head of her security team, and I’m calling to ask a favor.”

Oh, interesting.

“Sure. If I can help.” He wasn’t sure what a cop from Ottawa could do for a famous actress in LA, but he was ready to listen.

“Her children live with their father. He has full custody—there in Ottawa. She has been having trouble with a stalker, and there’s evidence he’s found the kids. No one is listening to me, though….”

Tommy winced. Stalkers were hard. Dangerous, but usually the authorities couldn’t do anything until most of the damage was done. “You want me to swing by and talk to the dad? See if they’ve had any problems?”

“Please. The kids are young—a set of four-year-old twins and an eighteen-month-old. The father’s name is Ian Fitzhugh. Good guy, but not a bit security conscious.”

“I imagine he doesn’t usually have to be.” He certainly hadn’t known Elaine Lester had a family. He was probably like a good portion of the general public—well aware of her orientation and her advocacy for the LGBT community, but not much else aside from that she was originally from Ottawa.

“No. They married out of high school, and they’re exceptional friends, but her career keeps her running and they decided to divorce when she was pregnant with the littlest. He’s a great dad, but I wish he was a little less…scattered.”

“Scattered.” It was an interesting choice of words and could mean a lot. “Don’t worry. I’ll take their address and stop in, make sure things are okay.”

“Thank you. Seriously, man. I owe you.”

“And one day I’ll collect. You want me to report back?”

“Please. Let me know, so I can let Elaine know.”

“All right. I’ll go now unless I get a call. Take care, Steve.”

“I’ll text you the deets.”

“Perfect. Talk to you later.” He disconnected the call, and when the address came in, he ran it. It came up clean, as expected, and he plugged it into his GPS and headed off.

The house was in Island Park, the part with the big old houses. Nice.

There was a huge black SUV sitting outside the gates, just sitting there, and he frowned as, when he pulled up, it drove up. That was suspicious.

He got out of the car and pushed the button on the intercom, then scanned the street as he waited for an answer.

“Hello? Daddy’s in the potty!”

Oh, lord. Tommy bit back his laughter. “Hi there. Can you let me in?” Hopefully she said no, but they’d see.

“Do we know you?”

“Who is it, Amy?”

“A visitor.”

“Daddy’s in the potty.”

“I’m Officer Tommy. I want to speak to your daddy. Will you let me in?”

“Officer…. Annie, you have to.”

“But…”

“He’s a police man and he will put you in jail, sister!”

“I don’t want to!” He heard tears and then he was buzzed in.

Damn it, he hadn’t meant to cause drama and upset. He got back into the car and drove through the now open gates, feeling like an ass.

He pulled up in front of the house, got out of the car, and took the front stairs two at a time.

Two beautiful little dark-haired girls stood at the front door—one in tears, one with fists at the ready, which was completely at odds with the glitter and fairy wings they both wore.

He hated that he’d upset them, but it was a good test of their security—which was thin at best if a four-year-old could just let anyone in. “Hey there. I’m Officer Winter. Nobody is in trouble, but is your father home?”

“Uh-huh. Brother is getting him.” Miss Fists stared at him. This must be Amy.

“Good deal. I’m sorry if I upset you. I didn’t mean to do that.”

“I’m Amy Fitzhugh. This is Annie. We’re nice.”

“Girls! Girls, what did I tell you? Never never open the gate without me!” A stunning man with hair the color of a crow’s wing and bright, light blue eyes came rushing up, a little blond boy in his arms. “Can I help you?”

“Hi there. I’m Tommy Winter. Steve Anderson called me and asked me to drop by and check out your situation. You know who Steve Johnson is?” He sure hoped so.

“Yes, he’s my wife’s head of security. He texted and said you’d be by. He sent a picture. You look different.”

“Well, I’m guessing the picture is from our academy days and that was some time ago.” He pulled out his wallet and handed over his ID. So far this guy was about as security conscious as he expected anyone to be. He had told the kids not to open the gate without him and he was being cautious now.

“Come on in. Annie, love, stop crying. Amy, fists down. We don’t threaten our guests.”

“I didn’t mean to upset them. I’ve just come to make sure you guys are all doing okay. Can I come in? I’ve got a few questions…”

“Of course. Please, come in. Would you like a drink? We have tea, coffee, milk, orange juice…”

“No, I’m fine, sir, thank you.” He followed Mr. Fitzhugh into the house. It was nice. Old but big, the foyer opening onto a large hall with a living room to the right, a kitchen straight ahead and a lovely wooden staircase with an ornate banister. Someone had put some loving care into the place. Also, Mr. Fitzhugh had a great ass, but he wasn’t supposed to be noticing things like that.

Sean

smut fixes everything

Sneak Peek Sunday

I thought I'd share an excerpt of Winter Boys: Todd, currently available for pre-order and available for download on Tuesday!

Winter Boys: Todd

Meet the Winter boys – Todd, Tommy and Troy. Can these triplets each find their happily ever after?

Todd lives in Northern Ontario and works as an adventure guide, aided by his best friend Smokey the malamute. It’s his dream job, and life is pretty good until a deep winter tour brings five executives, including Todd’s ex, to his neck of the woods.

Simon is working the job of a lifetime, but he’s living in a big city where he knows very few people and he’s lonely. On top of that, one of his co-workers has made his work environment less than comfortable. The last thing he wants to do is spend time in the northern wilderness with four of his fellow executives, including the man who clearly doesn’t like him. When he discovers that their guide for this ill-advised bonding exercise is his ex, it feels like the universe is playing a cruel joke.

Forced proximity helps both Todd and Simon remember why they were together in the first place, but the things that saw them ending their relationship are still factors. They’ll have to find a solution that works for both of them if they have any hope of getting their happy ending.

buy links:
Amazon
Kobo


Excerpt:

Todd whistled up Smokey and she came bounding out of the woods to the cabin. His tour group was scheduled to arrive soon and he wanted her inside before the helicopter landed. She was a beautiful grey malamute who’d been with him for four years now. His only constant companion.

He kissed the top of her head and offered her a chew. She grabbed it and went to sit in her bed, where she made short work of the treat before curling up and putting her nose on her back paws. Todd went back to making sure he had their supplies equally distributed between the six backpacks. He had a company president with four of his VPs coming for two weeks in the wild to “bond.” Lord help him.

He hated when the prissy city boys came. They were grumpy, unhappy, and generally tough to deal with. Not to mention it was the middle of the winter and there wasn’t going to be any relief from the cold. He wasn’t sure they really understood that. Toronto was way warmer than it was up here.

Still, they brought in the cash, and that was important. And these guys were coming in early enough that they could start out after a quick meal of chili. He liked starting them off with a hot meal. He also liked starting them off sleeping rough—that way they didn’t bitch about the accommodations in the cabin. Somehow they always expected they’d be starting out from a luxury hotel or something.

He shook his head. He would wait and see what this batch were like. Maybe they would surprise him. Smokey chuffed at him. “Yeah, I know. But we can hope, right?” At least they usually liked his dog.

He heard the ’copter whirring overhead. Okay, time to go to work.

He slipped out, closing the door to keep Smokey in until the ’copter was gone again. He stayed against the cabin as it landed in the clearing in front of his home, offloading five men. Waving to Bill in the pilot’s seat, he hunched against the wind from the blades and headed for the execs, holding out his hand to the one who looked like the big boss.

“Hello there. Kix Middleton. This is my team—Sam Lowers, Bob Gruene, Simon Lord, and Arthur Williams.”

Simon Lord. No, he couldn’t have heard that right. No way. That would teach him not to actually look at the signed release forms when he printed them up. “Good to meet you, Mr. Middleton. Welcome to Winter Getaways.”

“Thank you. Come on, lads! Let’s do this!”

“I thought we’d start off with a hot meal and then head out before we lose the light.” He ignored the other execs and led them to the cabin, holding the door for them.

Smokey jumped up and began barking. He whistled at her and got her next to him and quiet. She growled deep in her throat, her hackles rising. Well, then. This was that Simon Lord. The asshole who’d dumped him.

Sean

smut fixes everything

Sneak Peek Sunday

Today is Sneak Peek Sunday, so I thought I'd do a cover reveal! Winter Boys is my new three book series, following the Winter triplets - Todd, Tommy and Troy! Todd was loudest and got the first book. Look for it on pre-order on Kobo this week, and on Amazon/KU starting July 10.

Sean

smut fixes everything

Sneak Peek Sunday

Inked Music is coming out on Tuesday! I'm so excited for you guys to meet Rene and Gavin.

You can read the first chapter on the book's page at Dreamspinner Press. The excerpt I've chosen to share brings them face to face.

Inked Music

Can a wealthy but bored businessman rescue a tortured musician from his self-imposed purgatory with a scorching kinky romance?

When Rene Conette attends an intimate performance at a local bar, the guitarist moves him enough that he attempts to go backstage but is stymied by the man’s bodyguard. Putting it down as not meant to be, he goes on with his life only to run into the man again, late at night at a bookstore.

Gavin Turner used to be a famous musician until an obsessed fan kidnapped and tortured him. Then it came out that he was into the BDSM lifestyle, and the court of public opinion ravaged him. He lost his Master and his self-confidence. Now he hides behind his ink and his bodyguards, who make sure he doesn’t come into contact with anyone or anything he doesn’t want to. Though it’s been years since he satisfied his needs, he doesn’t think he can trust again.

If Rene can work his way past Gavin’s defenses, they might find they complement each other perfectly.

Buy links:
Dreamspinner Press
Amazon
Kobo
Barnes and Noble

Excerpt:

Rene  dropped Amanda at her apartment and pulled off his cravat before shrugging out of his morning coat . He tossed both onto the seat next to him. The fundraiser this evening had been a full-on shindig, and he’d played his part until the bitter end. Amanda was often his date at such events. A socialite, she wasn’t interested in a relationship right now, and it worked for both of them to be each other’s plus-one . He flirted like crazy at all the events—he had a reputation as a playboy to uphold after all. The joke, of course, was that he wasn’t even straight. Most people didn’t care to dig deeply enough to figure that out, though.

He sat in the car a few moments, his eyes closed as the engine idled. Bernard sat quietly behind the wheel, waiting for his command. The thing was, he didn’t want to go home. He was keyed up. He would never get to sleep like this, and it was too late on a Wednesday night to hit a club and find a sub for an hour or two, or even to have a drink and some conversation.

He wasn’t really in the mood for a random hookup anyway. He wanted… a quiet corner with a good book. The Book Refuge  downtown was open twenty-four hours. He could wander the stacks, find something good to read, curl up in the huge chair in the back room, and then walk home from there whenever he was ready. Perfect.

Leaning forward, he touched Bernard’s shoulder. “The Book Refuge on Charles, please.”

“You got it, Mr. Rene.”

Smiling wryly, Rene sat back. He’d asked Bernard countless times to call him Rene and nothing more, but Bernard had made a huge concession by calling him Mr. Rene instead of Mr. Conette, and Rene had been unable to get him to budge any further on the formality scale. From a generation or two ago, Bernard believed in formality and manners. He also believed in keeping his mouth shut about his employer, which made him invaluable.

Traffic was nonexistent this late. If it had been a Friday or Saturday night, 1:30 a.m. would have been just the beginning of the real parties, but on a weekday it was a different story. Bernard pulled up to the curb in front of the bookstore.

“Thanks. You can go home.” Not only was he more than capable of walking the kilometer or so to the apartment, he wasn’t sure how long he’d be, and he didn’t want to keep Bernard out later than necessary.

“Are you sure?” Bernard asked, looking around with a frown.

“I’ll be fine. If I’m not up to walking home, I’ll call an Uber. Go on now.” He gave Bernard’s shoulder a squeeze and let himself out, leaving his tie and coat behind. As he entered the store, he undid his cuff links and slipped them into his pocket. He took a deep breath, already feeling better.

The lighting was low, giving the place a cozy feel, a sensation added to by the warmth and the pot of tea and cookies on the table to the right of the door. The Book Refuge really was a refuge, and if you were respectful and treated both the books and your fellow customers with care, the owner was happy to let you spend the night in one of the many chairs that dotted the store. Rene knew this because he was the owner in question, though it was a tightly guarded secret. He didn’t do it for notoriety or kudos. He did it because it was needed.

Drake Longhorn, the weekday nighttime manager, waved at him from behind the counter, and Rene gave him a nod before heading for the suspense section. He was in the mood to lose himself among spies and explosions.

He loved how the walls were lined with shelves, each one crammed full of books. It was like a library, and the fact that there was no music playing and the place seemed currently devoid of customers, making it very quiet, only added to that. Rene spent his time reading back covers until he settled on a few books that looked interesting, then headed over to his favorite alcove and the huge overstuffed throne of a chair there. He was almost at the chair before he realized it was already occupied, which brought him up short. Not so devoid, then. There was a lean man curled up on the seat, an old Stephen King book in one hand, a cup of tea in the other.

Rene was surprised enough to exclaim, “Oh.” He blinked a few times.

The man looked up at him, eyes so dark they were like holes in a blanket. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine. I just didn’t expect to find anyone back here,” he admitted, fascinated by the skinny man in a faded T-shirt and even older jeans in front of him.

“Oh. Sorry. I’ll move.” The man stood, preternaturally graceful as he moved. “Enjoy your book.”

Rene felt like he’d met this guy before, but he couldn’t figure out where. Maybe it was the electricity between them that made him think he knew the man. “No, you were here first. You don’t have to go. There’s lots of chairs.” Of course this one was big enough for two.

“That’s fine. I know a longing look when I see it.”

“Oh, you do, do you?” He grinned, imagining a look of longing on the guy’s face. He was hit with a wave of desire. Damn. He hadn’t felt lust at first sight like this since… since that night at the club with the guitarist. And that’s where he knew this guy from. It was the musician himself. What a happy coincidence.

“Yep. Have a good night.” He got a nod, and then the bare feet padded toward the far back of the store. “I’ll be back here, Drake.”

“You’re fine, Gavin. Relax,” Drake called back.

Gavin. Now Rene knew the guy’s name. 

Sean

smut fixes everything

Sneak Peek Sunday

I have the cover for book 4 of the Dragon Soul Series! Born to Air is Mark's story and it will be available in June and available for pre-order soon! I do love the covers for these books.

Sean

smut fixes everything

Sneak Peek Sunday

New Undground book coming soon!

Sean

smut fixes everything

Halloweenpalooza - Day 8 - Sneak Peek

As the 8th fell on a Sunday, I figured I'd do a sneak peek post, even if it's not longer Sunday!  Look for a smutty excerpt for this one on Saturday!

The Supers is currently on pre-order, and it comes out for download on October 15. I enjoyed writing  this ghost story a lot!

The Supers

Hunting ghosts and finding more than they bargained for.

Blaine Franks is a member of the paranormal research group the Supernatural Explorers. When the group loses their techie to a cross-country move, newly graduated Flynn Huntington gets the job. Flynn fits in with the guys right off the bat, but when it comes to him and Blaine, it’s more than just getting along.

Things heat up between Blaine and Flynn as they explore their first haunted building together, an abandoned hospital. Their relationship isn’t all that progresses, though, and soon it seems that an odd bite on Blaine’s neck has become much more.

Hitchhiking ghosts, a tragic love story forgotten by time, and the mystery of room 204 round out a romance where the things that go bump in the night are real.

Buy links:
Dreamspinner Press
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Kobo

Excerpt:

“Okay, Mrs. Michaels. I have two pounds of tomatoes, a bunch of spinach, and some okra. You want anything else?” The heat was hanging on today, the sun beating down on the makeshift building that was the official King and Franks Farm Stand, named after his mom and dad’s families.

“No, Blaine, honey. That’s it. How’s your mom?”

“Good. Good. The chemo is done, and she’s recovering. She’s a stud.” And Dad was Dad—working his ass off on the organic farm that kept them in quarters. One day Blaine would go back to college, get a job that helped out, but for now they needed him here, working the stand, hawking veggies.

It was a good life, really. He hated being cooped up, hated being trapped under fluorescent lights, and the idea of a cubicle made him gag.

And this way he got to work with the Supers on the side. Well, at night really, as that’s when they tended to do their thing. They hadn’t had a gig in a few weeks, but then they hadn’t had anyone doing tech work since Jill left. She’d moved from Port Hope to BC with her girlfriend.

Jason had found someone new, though, had promised to bring him by today to meet Blaine.

His folks teased him about being a spirit chaser, but they indulged him. Hell, he was a grown-up; they didn’t have the right to tell him no, but still….

The guys were important to him. They believed him—mostly.

He hoped the new guy wasn’t too much of a skeptic. It was hard to find tech guys who believed that ghosts might be real. They’d discovered when they’d first banded together that most tech guys were there to prove that ghosts didn’t exist.

The huge van pulled up, Supernatural Explorers written on the side of it. The thing fit all their equipment, six people—though there were usually just four—and in a pinch a couple of them could sleep in there too.

Jason, who ran the group and got them gigs and stuff; Darnell, their cameraman; and Will, their, well, roadie for want of a better word, all spilled out, with another guy in tow. He had to be the new guy, and he was handsome. He didn’t look much like a scientist. More like a football player. Tall, broad-chested, with dark curls that spilled around his face in an unruly manner, the guy was quite handsome.

Blaine knew what he looked like—a dishwater-blond hippie with dirt under his fingernails and torn-up clothes. He was a child of the earth, after all.

Jason was skinny as a rail, had an acne-ridden face, and wore glasses. Darnell was a stud, milk-chocolate skin accompanied by the most amazing dreads, while Will looked like a biker and had the muscles to move any equipment they brought with them. They were a scruffy crew who didn’t quite look like they belonged together, but they were ghost hunters—they weren’t exactly hired for their matching attire, and not a one of them was interested in wearing a uniform.

Jason gave Blaine a wide grin and waved at the new guy. “This is Flynn Huntington, potential com tech. Flynn, this is Blaine, the guy who has the final say on whether or not you’ve got the job.”

Flynn held out his hand and gave him a friendly smile. “Nice to meet you. So you’re the leader of this motley crew?”

“Me?” He’d never led the guys anywhere but into trouble. “I’m not the leader. I’m just the flashlight guy.”

Blaine was the one who tended to see something if there was something to see. He heard them—the ghosts—talking to him, but it wasn’t clear. It was like a constant, crazy murmuring.

“Like I said, he who leads.” Flynn winked, and when he reached out and shook Blaine’s hand, a flash of something sparked between them. Flynn must have felt it too. His eyes widened, his mouth opening on a soft gasp.

A rush of heat and pleasure and a jolt of something dangerous, and this had never happened to Blaine, ever, so it couldn’t be real. Had to be the heat.

It wasn’t until Flynn dropped his hand that Blaine realized he’d still been holding it. Flynn’s smile seemed warmer this time.

“We all grilled him and gave him the okay, but now it’s your turn,” Jason informed him, looking around. “I’ll man the stand if you want to take him to the side or something. I don’t mean to press you, but we’ve got a gig this weekend.”

“Just watch the cash, okay?”

Jason gave him a hurt look. “Dude, how many summers did I work here?”

“Yeah, yeah. You’re right.” This was the first summer, though, where it felt a little like life and death. They needed every penny they could scrape together to pay the fucking hospital bills.

Flynn followed Blaine to a quiet corner, and Blaine was overly conscious that as tall as he was, Flynn was taller. Seriously, he hadn’t known they built scientists in extrastudly.

“So, why us? Why this? Tell me everything.” He grabbed a plum from a basket and tossed it over.

Flynn grabbed it easily and rubbed it against his shirt. “Thanks.” He took a bite, the juice running down from one corner of his mouth.

Blaine was struck with the urge to lick it away. He forced himself to look into Flynn’s eyes instead.

“I want to prove that ghosts exist, and you guys had an opening in my area of expertise just as I graduated. Kind of seems like fate.”

“What’s your area?” Blaine liked Flynn’s attitude already, though. He wasn’t going into it predisposed to disbelief. He wanted to prove ghosts existed, like Blaine.

“Electromagnetism, biology, and computers. I’ve written a few programs to crunch the data for temperature changes, etc. And they can totally be tweaked as needed. Plus… well, I guess you guys are the ones for whom this is a pro not a con, but I’ve experienced ghosts before.”

“Yeah? When?” That wasn’t particularly unique. Ghosts were everywhere, and people also got spooked by things that weren’t ghosts all the time.

“Most of my life, actually.” Flynn held his gaze for a long moment, and Blaine felt like the guy was testing him. He must have passed because Flynn continued. “My parents died when I was five. Car accident. Every now and then, when I really need her, my mother comes to me.”

“I’m sorry, man. Honestly.” Blaine knew the fear of losing his folks. He lived in terror of losing his mom, especially now.

Flynn shook his head. “It was a long time ago, and like I said, I still have my mother when I really need her.” This time his grin was self-deprecating. “Of course I learned early not to tell people about it. I’ve experienced other phenomena too, that I know were from beyond, so I want to prove it.”

Prove I’m not crazy.

Though unsaid, Blaine was pretty sure he could hear that in Flynn’s thoughts.

Sean

smut fixes everything

Sneak Peek Sunday - Bound by Thorns

For today's sneak peek, I have an excerpt from Bound by Thorns, the third book in the Dragon Soul series from Carina Press, which is coming out on September 25.

Bound by Thorns

Park ranger Luke Beteferoce likes the quiet of the forest—a place he can be alone. The dragon shifter keeps himself busy maintaining his territory in the park…that is, until he meets ex-soldier Greyson Paulson. Suddenly, Luke finds himself thinking of all sorts of scenarios that involve Greyson. And with the kind of tension he's feeling, hot, sweaty, nonkinky sex is only the beginning. 

While he's perfectly fine being left alone, Greyson finds he enjoys the company of the bossy yet tender park ranger. Soon, trying to fight the heat between them is a losing battle: he's ready to give in to the irresistible lust he feels for Luke. Greyson may not be ready to completely submit, but he still can't stop himself from following every command Luke whispers his way. 

Luke hasn't felt this kind of connection and satisfaction with anyone ever before, leading him to discover Greyson's marked as his mate. But with Greyson battling his own limitations and lack of experience, it's going to take Luke more than hours-long hot sex to convince Greyson to stay and accept his destiny. 

 Book three in the Dragon Soul series 

buy links:

Carina Press

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Google Play

iBooks

Kobo

Book 1 of the series is Branded by Flames.

Book 2 of the series is Seduced by the Tide.

Bound by Thorns Excerpt:

The snow was whiter out here. In the city it turned gray so quickly; here it just built up around the cabin and insulated the world, leaving him alone with his whiskey and his private war.

Greyson had never been anywhere this isolated. It wasn’t a matter of his nearest neighbor being a certain distance away—he had no nearest neighbor.

The whiskey burned all the way down and he winced. He needed to grab wood. He needed to make a tin of soup. He needed to do a lot of shit.

What he did was sit and watch the snow.

The leafless trees made interesting shadows and he watched them moving, changing with the wind. That one there looked like a dragon, big wings flapping across the landscape. Then the next looked like a missile, and he closed his eyes against the memory of fire licking against him, of the shrapnel biting into him. 

No. No. Eyes open. Focus. Snow. White. Cold. Implacable. The snow simply was.

Greyson took another swig of the whiskey and let it drown him that much more. Please, God, I don’t want to remember. I don’t want to dream.

A crunching noise made itself known, getting slowly louder, drawing near. 

He frowned and stood on shaky legs, looking out the window. No one was supposed to know he was here. No one was supposed to be here. No one.

A guy geared up for the winter appeared, some sort of insignia on his sleeve. He kept coming toward Greyson and he didn’t disappear. Not a hallucination, then.

“Great. Fuck.” He made sure the door was locked, closed the curtain. He wasn’t talking to anyone.

The knocks on the door sounded like shots, breaking the heavy silence.

“Go away. I don’t want any.”

“Park ranger. Open up.”

Goddammit, he didn’t want to see anyone. He imagined “park ranger” was as good as “police” out here in the extreme boonies, though, and not answering the door was going to be more trouble than not.

“Oh, for fuck’s sake.” He opened the door. Christ, he hadn’t changed his clothes in two days. At least. 

“What can I do for you?”

“You can tell me who you are, what you’re doing here, and how long you’re staying.” The voice was all growl.

“I’m just a guy. I rented this cabin. And as long as I want to.” He could snap with the best of them.

The ranger crossed his arms. “This land is a part of the park, so you’re in my territory. You respect that. You respect the land.”

Greyson snapped to attention and saluted.

Piercing dark green eyes narrowed. “Are you sassing me?”

Sassing? Really? Did he look like a fucking twelve-year-old? He’d been a fucking sergeant for Christ’s sake. “I am. I rented this place. I’m not hurting anything.” And he’d asked for their most isolated cabin when he’d made the arrangements. He hadn’t wanted to be bothered. He’d paid for a month in advance and they had his credit card number to keep charging unless he told them otherwise. This was not in his plans.

“Have you been drinking?”

“Yup.” It took the edge off the constant ache in his thigh and made the daily muscle cramps and shooting pains more or less tolerable. Not that it was any of this asshole’s business.

“Out here all by yourself? You might want to reconsider. If you forget to put on winter clothes when you go out—or even if you do, but pass out in the snow—it’ll kill you. And then there will be paperwork. I don’t like paperwork.”

“Paperwork. God forbid. I’ll try not to freeze to death on your watch.” He’d bet dying like that wouldn’t hurt.

“See that you don’t. I’ll be back to make sure of it. You got enough fuel? Food? Water?” The words were concerned, the tone more exasperated.

“I think so, yeah. Thanks.” Did he? How the hell did he know? He’d never done this before. But he wasn’t about to tell Dudley Do-Right that.

“You think so?” Dudley snorted. “I’ll be back. Try not to die before then.”

The guy was huge, and, Greyson imagined, intimidating, if he was in a place to be intimidated. Either way, Greyson wasn’t fucking impressed.

“I’ll do my best. Have a fab day.” Asshat.

That earned him another snort. “Ditto.”

“Yeah.” He closed the door with a click, locked it, and stumbled to his chair.

The crunching of the ranger’s footsteps faded away, leaving him alone in the woods once again.

Alone with his nightmares. Alone with the snow.

It was all he needed.

* * *

Luke patrolled the forest every day, shifting into his dragon and flying over it, making sure everything was as it should be. For a couple of weeks, he avoided the quadrant where the stranger was staying. No one had been at the little cabin on that corner of the land in a long time. It was too far out even for the service to use as storage, so it sat empty. He went by twice a year to make sure everything was in good repair, but aside from that, it had been empty for years. 

It wasn’t empty anymore, as he’d discovered by accident when flying over it some fifteen days ago. 

No. Now it was filled with a shaggy blond drunk with the palest blue eyes he’d ever seen. Someone had dropped the ball somewhere, not letting him know the place was now occupied, especially given the time of year. 

He found himself flying too close again, sniffing hard, seeking the stranger’s scent to make sure the guy was still alive. If he wasn’t careful, he was going to get caught. There was only one thing for it. He was going to have to go back. He’d take over a lasagna, a case of water, and maybe some milk and a box of cookies or something. Check up on the man. That ought to assuage his need to make sure the guy wasn’t about to expire on him.

He packed the cooler on the trailer behind the snowmobile and headed for the cabin. He was going to deal with this nonsense, once and for all. These were his forests. Nobody came here during the winter. It was too isolated, too far north, too easy to get trapped once the rain turned to snow.

He pulled the snowmobile up next to the cabin, and slowly got off it, noticing a car-shaped tarp next to the building. Was the guy going to come to the door because of the noise, or was he really going to wait until Luke knocked? It wasn’t like he was here for anyone else. He took a moment to look under the tarp, finding a beat-up jeep that had seen better days. Letting the tarp go, he went back to the front door.

When no one appeared, he shook his head, then knocked. 

The man answered the door in a pair of boxers and nothing else, long blond hair covering his shoulders, beard masking a heavy frown. Fuck, that lean body was covered in scars, most of them concentrated on one thigh. Luke tried hard not to stare, but damn, they were brutal. Made him wonder what had happened to the guy.

“Can I help you?”

“Wellness check,” he said, pushing his way in. Luke wasn’t waiting for an invitation, especially as he didn’t figure he was going to get one. 

“What the fuck? I’m fine!” 

Sean

smut fixes everything

Sneak Peek Sunday

For a Sneak Peek today I've got a bit of Bound by Thorns - the third book in the Dragon Soul Series. It will be out on September 25 and is available for pre-order at Amazon! Still loving all the covers in this series.

Bound by Thorns

Meet the Beteferoce brothers: five dragon shifters, each with a strong elemental power. And each with a fierce desire to find his soul mate…  

Park ranger Luke Beteferoce likes the quiet of the forest—a place he can be alone. The dragon shifter keeps himself busy maintaining his territory in the park…that is, until he meets ex-soldier Greyson Paulson. Suddenly, Luke finds himself thinking of all sorts of scenarios that involve Greyson. And with the kind of tension he's feeling, hot, sweaty, nonkinky sex is only the beginning.

While he's perfectly fine being left alone, Greyson finds he enjoys the company of the bossy yet tender park ranger. Soon, trying to fight the heat between them is a losing battle: he's ready to give in to the irresistible lust he feels for Luke. Greyson may not be ready to completely submit, but he still can't stop himself from following every command Luke whispers his way.

Luke hasn't felt this kind of connection and satisfaction with anyone ever before, leading him to discover Greyson's marked as his mate. But with Greyson battling his own limitations and lack of experience, it's going to take Luke more than hours-long hot sex to convince Greyson to stay and accept his destiny.

Book three in the Dragon Soul series is available for pre-order on Amazon.


Excerpt:

The snow was whiter out here. In the city it turned gray so quickly; here it just built up around the cabin and insulated the world, leaving him alone with his whiskey and his private war.

Greyson had never been anywhere this isolated. It wasn’t a matter of his nearest neighbor being a certain distance away—he had no nearest neighbor.

The whiskey burned all the way down and he winced. He needed to grab wood. He needed to make a tin of soup. He needed to do a lot of shit.

What he did was sit and watch the snow.

The leafless trees made interesting shadows and he watched them moving, changing with the wind. That one there looked like a dragon, big wings flapping across the landscape. Then the next looked like a missile, and he closed his eyes against the memory of fire licking against him, of the shrapnel biting into him.

No. No. Eyes open. Focus. Snow. White. Cold. Implacable. The snow simply was.

Greyson took another swig of the whiskey and let it drown him that much more. Please, God, I don’t want to remember. I don’t want to dream.

A crunching noise made itself known, getting slowly louder, drawing near.

He frowned and stood on shaky legs, looking out the window. No one was supposed to know he was here. No one was supposed to be here. No one.

A guy geared up for the winter appeared, some sort of insignia on his sleeve. He kept coming toward Greyson and he didn’t disappear. Not a hallucination, then.

“Great. Fuck.” He made sure the door was locked, closed the curtain. He wasn’t talking to anyone.

The knocks on the door sounded like shots, breaking the heavy silence.

“Go away. I don’t want any.”

“Park ranger. Open up.”

Goddammit, he didn’t want to see anyone. He imagined “park ranger” was as good as “police” out here in the extreme boonies, though, and not answering the door was going to be more trouble than not.

“Oh, for fuck’s sake.” He opened the door. Christ, he hadn’t changed clothes in two days. At least. “What can I do for you?”

“You can tell me who you are, what you’re doing here and how long you’re staying.” The voice was all growl.

“I’m just a guy. I rented this cabin. And as long as I want to.” He could snap with the best of them.

The ranger crossed his arms. “This land is a part of the park, so you’re in my territory. You respect that. You respect the land.”

Greyson snapped to attention and saluted.

Piercing dark green eyes narrowed. “Are you sassing me?”

Sassing? Really? Did he look like a fucking twelve-year-old? He’d been a fucking sergeant for Christ’s sake. “I am. I rented this place. I’m not hurting anything.” And he’d asked for their most isolated cabin when he’d made the arrangements. He hadn’t wanted to be bothered.

“Have you been drinking?”

“Yup.” It took the edge off the constant ache in his thigh and made the daily muscle cramps and shooting pains more or less tolerable. Not that it was any of this asshole’s business.

“Out here all by yourself? You might want to reconsider. If you forget to put on winter clothes when you go out—or even if you do, but pass out in the snow—it’ll kill you. And then there will be paperwork. I don’t like paperwork.”

“Paperwork. God forbid. I’ll try not to freeze to death on your watch.” He’d bet dying like that wouldn’t hurt.

“See that you don’t. I’ll be back to make sure of it. You got enough fuel? Food? Water?” The words were concerned, the tone more exasperated.

“I think so, yeah. Thanks.” Did he? How the hell did he know? He’d never done this before. But he wasn’t about to tell Dudley Do-Right that.

“You think so?” Dudley snorted. “I’ll be back. Try not to die before then.”

The guy was huge, and, Greyson imagined, intimidating, if he was in a place to be intimidated. Either way, Greyson wasn’t fucking impressed.

“I’ll do my best. Have a fab day.” Asshat.

That earned him another snort. “Ditto.”

“Yeah.” He closed the door with a click, locked it, and stumbled to his chair.

The crunching of the ranger’s footsteps faded away, leaving him alone in the woods once again.

Alone with his nightmares. Alone with the snow.

It was all he needed.

Sean 

smut fixes everything

Sneak Peek Sunday

Coming this week - a brand new book in the Fairytale Shifters sereis!

Look for Little Red Riding Hood this week!

Sean
smut fixes everything

Sneak Peek Sunday

Coming in under the wire with a sneak peek cover.

I had put most of my old Amber Quill titles out as anthologies and I've had some requests to put the books out individually. So I shall be doing that over the next while. I have the cover for one of the first ones - coming soon!

Sean

smut fixes everything

Sneak Peek Sunday

I had a great little series going called the Kennel Klub about a BDSM club where all the subs were werewolves, and the Doms were all shifters. The first two books were out with a now defunct publisher (2016 was not my year!) and I will be self-publishing them both this coming week on Amazon and Evil Plot Bunny. And now that I have my rights back, I can also make plans to write more in the series :)

Brush and Whip

The Kennel Klub takes pride in matching dominant shifters with the perfect mate. Theo Brundy is looking for just that: someone to pleasure, to love, to take care of. Having lived most of his life forced into his were form by the cruel man who killed his parents, Theo uses his human form as a shield, both physically and emotionally. No one can hurt him if he's human.

Drew hasn't shifted in more than a year. After spending his life serving a cruel alpha, he was cast aside when the alpha married another. Drew has found that it's easier to protect himself if he's a wolf. A sub at heart, Drew is both apprehensive and desirous of the idea of losing control.

Can these two men find what they need in each other, both in bed and out of it?

Previously released by another publisher.

Pack and Mate

New to the city, Finn never dreamed he’d have a mate of his own, especially not one found at the Kennel Klub, where spankings are optional.

Sweet beta werewolf Finn is at a party for his cousin’s collaring when he first meets Cort. It’s just too bad Finn has to leave with his twin brother and packmates before the two can really connect.

Cort, Alpha male all the way, is immediately drawn to Finn and knows the sweet pup is his mate and he’s ready to do whatever it takes to find Finn again. Once he does, is he going to be able to convince Finn that they belong together? Or will Finn’s family commitments keep them apart?

Previously released by another publisher.

Happy Sunday everybody!

Sean

smut fixes everything

Sneak Peek Sunday

I have two self-pubs coming out this week. These are both reprints that were with a now-defunct publisher. I think the new covers for them rock.

Look for these to come out with Evil Plot Bunny and Amazon.

Winter's Gift

Badly disfigured, Geoff lives alone in the woods with only his wolf as companion. It’s a solitary life, but one he is comfortable with. When he discovers a fairy with an injured wing at the beginning of winter, his whole ordered world is turned upside down. But will Mauve be horrified by his rescuer’s visage? Or can the fairy look beyond the scars and see into Geoff’s heart?

Originally published in the Bus Stories anthology and as a stand alone with another publisher.

Flying With Dragons

Having annoyed the council, Grunk is assigned the job of Director of Human/Dragon Relations. Unfortunately for Grunk, he hates the city, he'd rather be in his dragon form than his human one, and he already hates the job even though it’s only his first day.

Then he meets his assistant, Kyfan, and he's instantly smitten. When he finds out that Kyfan has never really flown and rarely spends any time in his dragon form, Grunk is shocked and insists on changing that, immediately. After all, flying with the lovely Kyfan's way better than sitting behind his desk in his office.

It turns out that Kyfan is a lovely little dragon and once they've flown together, Grunk knows that they share a bond and he prepares to make his claim. The fact that it's going to annoy the council is only a bonus.

Originally released with another publisher. 

Happy Sunday to all!

Sean

smut fixes everything

Sneak Peek Sunday

Coming next month is Just the Right Notes. This one is a reprint and I have to thank Dreamspinner Press for giving it a new home :) There's a hot 'n sexy architect and his hot and sexy composer/conductor lover. They play it vanilla in their every day lives, but kink it up at their getaway cabin.

Just the Right Notes

Elliot is an up-and-coming architect who just opened his own firm—which is a lot more work and pressure than he expected. His partner, Graham, is a respected composer and conductor. They share their love and lives in a beautiful house designed by Elliot, and whenever things get too hard to handle, they retreat to their cabin getaway where Elliot becomes Dom to Graham’s needy little sub.

When things at Elliot’s firm begin to crumble, Graham needs to be the tough one, the one to suggest the cottage and the games they play there, knowing Elliot’s role as Dom will give him strength and that their games will recharge his lover. Together, they keep working to find that precarious balance in their lives—until an accident threatens to change everything. Elliot and Graham’s love faces its greatest challenge yet, and only the resilience they draw from each other can see them through hardship and keep the music in their lives.

This will be on pre-order soon and I'll share links then.

Here's a sneak peek:

God, what a day.

Elliot hadn’t realized quite how much nonarchitectural work would be involved in running his own firm. It wasn’t even like it was a big firm or anything. Him, two junior architects fresh out of university, and a secretary.

He pulled into the driveway and took a minute to admire the house. It really was beautiful, if he did say so himself. He chuckled as he got out, grabbing his jacket and his briefcase. It was probably egotistical as hell to love your own work so much, but he did.

Now, if Graham was just in a better mood than when he’d left this morning, his Friday night just might be salvageable.

He let himself in. “Hey, honey, I’m home.”

Silence.

Well, that could be good or bad….

He wandered through the living area into the kitchen, where he found a half-full bottle of wine and a shattered glass. He was leaning toward not good, and a plan began to form in his mind. The bag was packed and it was late enough they’d have missed the worst of the traffic. An hour and a half and they could be at the cabin.

He headed for the study.

The light was on, Graham sprawled over a chair, score sheets crumpled and torn around him, tears streaking his lean cheeks even in sleep.

Oh, he didn’t think so. Enough was enough. If anything or anyone was going to torture Graham, it was going to be him, and Graham was going to love every fucking second of it.

Elliot turned on his heel and headed for their bedroom to grab the black bag from the back of the closet. He didn’t need to check it—it would have everything they needed. Every time they used it, he carefully repacked it when they got home again so it was always ready. He took it out and put it in the trunk of the car.

Back inside, he called his work number and reset his outgoing message to indicate he would be unreachable for the weekend.

Then he went to wake Graham.

His beautiful lover’s jet-black hair was loose, wild, and tangled, undisciplined and uncontrolled. He reached out, stroked a hand through it, and Graham’s eyes fluttered open.

Crouching next to Graham, Elliot smiled into the most amazing green eyes he’d ever seen. “G. Love.”

“Hey, El.” Graham reached up, cupped his cheek. “I… I must have fallen asleep.”

“Yeah. You had a bad day.” It wasn’t a question. “You’ve had a bunch of ’em lately.”

Leaning in, he pressed their lips together, tasting tears and wine and the intense, addictive flavor of Graham himself.

Graham kissed him softly and then leaned back. “The song won’t come out. I keep working on the bridge.”

“Well.” He stood and stretched and then held out a hand. “Leave it for now. You’re coming with me.”

“I am?” Graham’s long, talented fingers slid into his, the green eyes just beginning to wake up.

“Oh yes. You are.” He walked backward, taking Graham with him, grinning.

“You look wicked….” Graham looked back at the papers on the floor, that frown returning.

He let go of one hand to take Graham’s chin in his fingers and turn his lover’s face back to him.

“That’s because I am wicked.”

The lean cheeks went pink, Graham’s lips parting just a bit. “Are you?”

“Very wicked.”

Sean

smut fixes everything