First off, huge thanks to Kerry for letting me hang out on
her blog today. J
One of my favorite aspects of writing is creating
characters. I spend so much time with them, sharing their heart breaks, their
happiness, the ups and downs as they journey toward a happily ever after. It’s
no small wonder that I particularly love writing series books, since it means I
can revisit with the characters I’ve come to care so much for. I’ll admit that
the majority of the time when I’m writing a new book I’ll deliberately think
ahead to possible future storylines for the supporting cast of characters. My
latest release, Checking It Twice, is a prime example of this idea at work.
Jana Colton, the heroine, first appeared in The Naughty List, and I knew from
the very first word she uttered, she absolutely had to have a book of her own.
Not to mention she has a fondness for using meat metaphors and her ringtone is
dogs barking Jingle Bells. Really,
how could I not make her a heroine?
One of the heroes, Kevin, also appeared in The Naughty List, but in a very
minor role. I really enjoyed getting to tell his story this time around, along
with the very naughty Nick’s. In case you’re wondering, the set of main players
have been cast for the next book in this series. And yes, one of them appears
in Checking It Twice. After that book, I have at least one or two more stories
planned within this series. But you never know. With my love of revisiting
characters, the possibilities are endless…
And now for a giveaway! One commenter will win a $20 eGC
from Samhain Publishing. Good luck!
Checking It Twice
’Tis the season for double
seduction.
The only item on Jana Colton’s Christmas list this year is Kevin Monahan.
Preferably naked in her bed. The delicious, hunky chef has been resisting her
forever, but she’s pulling out all the sexy stops this holiday. Especially since
his acceptance of an out-of-state job threatens to nix her quest to rock his
boxers off.
Jana has always been Kevin’s personal Kryptonite, but giving in to her isn’t an
option. Relationships are a four-letter word in his book. He cares far too much
for Jana to let his emotional baggage ultimately break her heart.
With the arrival of his best friend, Nick Pappas, the balance of temptation
shifts. From their past history of sharing women, Nick knows every dirty trick
it takes to lead Kevin astray, and he’s not afraid to use them. Particularly
since Nick’s convinced that Jana is exactly what Kevin needs to be happy and
whole.
Their game of seduction quickly snowballs into something that feels an awful
lot like love—in triplicate. But with Kevin dead set on leaving Michigan,
there’s a real possibility it could be a blue Christmas for them all.
Warning: This book contains an extremely tormented voyeur, a
very naughty and not so saintly Nick, a liberal application of candy
cane-flavored body paint, a buzzing butterfly, and enough raunchy fun on a sex
swing to melt a snowman…or two.
Excerpt
“I’ve been a very naughty girl, Santa. Think you better spank me with your
big candy cane.”
Choking on his swallow of beer, Kevin Monahan jerked his gaze upward just as
Jana Colton draped her arm around his neck. Flashing a cheeky grin, she leaned
forward and planted a chaste kiss on his forehead that was in direct opposition
to the wicked sparkle in her dazzling blue eyes. Her position thrust her
generous breasts square in his face, awarding him a bird’s eye view of the
luscious cleavage peeking from the scooped neckline of her pink sweater. A
sweet and sensual floral scent drifted from her peaches-and-cream skin,
tantalizing his already overtaxed senses. The bead of sweat crawling down his
nape couldn’t be blamed on the too-warm interior of Hadley’s Bar and Grill.
He and Jana had known each other for five years and been good friends for at
least four. He should have been immune to her outrageous flirtations by now.
Apparently his libido was too sadistic to let him off the hook that easily.
Jana straightened and tugged off her fingerless gloves before shrugging out
of her leather trench coat in a seductive shimmy that officially fried a few
more of his brain cells. “Hope I didn’t keep you waiting long.”
Desperately grappling for every ounce of inner strength he possessed, he
tore his entranced stare from the outline of Jana’s perky nipples and schooled
his expression into the blandest one he could manufacture. “No. I’ve only been
here a few minutes.”
Jana arranged her coat over the back of the chair opposite him and plopped
onto the seat. He didn’t fail to notice the lewd glances and snickering
whispers she garnered from the neighboring table of college frat boys. A
completely inescapable flash of protectiveness streaked through him, prompting
him to offer the ogling boys a cold glare. Taking the hint, they returned to
their raucous conversation and beer chugging. He allowed a fraction of the
tension to ease from his shoulders.
He knew he had no right to be the slightest bit territorial where Jana was
concerned, but it also didn’t stop him from wanting to kick the ass of every
punk kid who eyed her like a side of beef while making crude comments to his
dipshit friends.
Displaying her typical blasé disregard for the attention she generated in
the opposite sex, Jana propped her arms on the pockmarked wooden tabletop and
focused the full wattage of her smile on him. As always, it possessed the power
to seduce the pants right off him—something Jana would undoubtedly take full
advantage of if she knew the true scope of his weakness where she was
concerned. For the past ten months, she’d really amped up her quest to take
their friendship to the next level. He had no intention of giving in to her and
the inevitable fallout that’d result if they slept together, but it didn’t mean
his vigilant resistance wasn’t a fierce struggle.
She wiggled in her seat, drawing his rapt, albeit reluctant, scrutiny to her
bouncing breasts. He mumbled a soft curse.
Tucking a lock of her shiny blonde hair behind her ear, she twitched her
nose in a way that was both adorable and admonishing. “I missed you, you jerk.
I thought you said you’d call me while you were in Vegas.”
A niggle of guilt worming through him, he situated his pilsner glass on the
coaster, taking his time with the task on the off chance she’d grow bored with
his silence and move on to another topic.
She didn’t. “Did you have a nice visit with your dad?”
“Yeah.” If you could call enduring three days of awkward tension remotely
pleasant. Then again, it hadn’t been anything less than what he’d expected.
Tense visits with his dad were standard fare. Not that Jana knew anything about
the harsh reality of his relationship with his father. It was yet another facet
of his life he preferred to keep locked away in his closet of dirty secrets.
“Do anything exciting while you were out there?”
His thoughts automatically veered to his meeting with the departing
executive chef at the Cinders and the resulting job offer that’d been presented
to him. The meeting had merely been a formality. The position was his from the
get-go, thanks to his father’s majority share in the Cinders. Richard Monahan
wasn’t averse to using his money and power when it came to getting what he
wanted. Right now, that something was the prestigious five-star
Metro
Cuisine ranking that Kevin toted. He held no delusions about possessing any
further value in his father’s eyes than that. Still, he owed this to his dad.
It wouldn’t absolve Kevin of the guilt he’d lugged around for the last fourteen
years, and it sure as hell wouldn’t change the past and the transgressions of
his youth. But taking the job was one small act of repentance.
He cleared his throat. “Not really.” It probably made him an ass for lying,
but telling Jana he’d accepted the Cinders proposal and would be moving to
Vegas in a couple of weeks would only upset her. He didn’t want to ruin her
Christmas.
“Okay, on to the most important question of all.” She batted her eyelashes
endearingly. “Did you bring an awesome X-mas pressie back for me?”
Her blatant maneuvering tactic did the trick of lightening some of the
heaviness weighing at him, and he chuckled. “Actually, I bought your gift
months ago, but you’re not getting it yet.”
“I won’t peek.” She sighed when he raised an eyebrow. “Okay, I totally will.
Can I help it that I have no willpower?”
She wasn’t the only one. In his case, his personal Kryptonite was a certain
blonde with a quirky personality and the prettiest, kissable-looking lips in
all creation. He dragged his gaze from her mouth and reached for his beer,
slamming another desperate swallow. The frosty ale did nothing to douse his
desire. Not by a long shot.
Jana was a crippling addiction he couldn’t kick. Worse, she was a temptation
he couldn’t give in to. For years he’d been able to use the excuse of her being
the little sister of one of his bosses at the Dockside, but soon he wouldn’t
have that flimsy copout to cling to. It was no secret she had a crush on him.
If he were a selfish prick, he’d take advantage of what she was openly
offering. God knows, it was a battle to resist. Especially when she was staring
at him with a sinful glint in her eyes, like she was mentally engaging them in
all kinds of naughty acts that were likely illegal in forty-nine states.
Despite her propensity for brazenly flirting with him, it didn’t change the
fact she was a good girl at heart. A bit wild, yes, with a vocabulary that’d
make a construction worker cringe. But there was no denying that an innate
sweetness radiated from within her.
The heaviness from earlier settling in his heart, he plunked his glass down.
It’d rip him apart if he hurt Jana. And sooner or later, that’s precisely what
would happen. He wasn’t any good at letting people into his life. His
dysfunctional past guaranteed that. No way in hell he’d drag Jana into the hot
mess of his psyche. She deserved better than that. Deserved better than him.
Shoving aside his glum musings, he waved the waitress over. After ordering a
glass of sangria, Jana picked up her napkin and fidgeted with it for a second
before spreading it across her lap. “So I was thinking…” Despite her casual
tone, a slight nervous flutter wavered through her voice. “Why don’t we make an
entire night of it next Saturday? After
The Nutcracker, we can hit a few
clubs downtown, maybe even the casino. It’d probably be easiest to get a room
while we’re at it, so we won’t have to worry about driving home. I hear the
hotel at the MGM Grand Detroit is super nice.”
The unspoken part of her proposition hung sultry and oh so irresistible
between them, tempting and teasing him with seductive possibilities. It didn’t
take much creativity on his end to mentally conjure a scene straight out of his
fantasies. A sumptuous suite and a king-sized bed big enough for two. On the
nearby nightstand—chilled wine, chocolate-dipped strawberries…a blindfold and
wrist restraints. He swallowed. Hard. Damn it, he wasn’t even into bondage, for
the most part. What the hell was wrong with him?
He took a steadying breath, digging deep for the right words. They weren’t
the ones he wanted to say, but his conscience reminded him of the necessity of
them, regardless. “Jana, I don’t want to lead you on.”
She tried for an innocent look that fell far short from working its mark.
“In what way would you and I sharing a room be leading me on?”
He lowered his voice. “Because I know you’ll finagle for a single bed.”
“Would that be so terrible?”
The taunting fantasy of the blindfold and restraints paraded through his mind
again, and he discreetly adjusted the uncomfortable snugness of his zipper.
“Not a good idea.” His overheated libido grumbled in protest.
Wetting her bottom lip with the tip of her tongue, she traced the pattern
engraved on the handle of her fork with her fingernail. “Did I happen to
mention I sleep naked?”
His erection perked up even more in interest, and he silently groaned.
You’re
killing me, baby.
At the ripe age of seven, Jodi Redford penned her first
epic, complete with stick figure illustrations. Sadly, her drawing skills
haven’t improved much, but her love of fantasy worlds never went away. These
days she writes about fairies, ghosts, and other supernatural creatures, only
with considerably more heat.
She has won numerous contests, including The Golden Pen and Launching a Star.
When not writing or working the day job, she enjoys gardening and way too many
reality television shows.
She loves to hear from readers. You can email her at jodiredford@jodiredford.com and
visit her online at www.jodiredford.com
and her blog www.jodiredford.blogspot.com
. You can also find her on Facebook and Twitter.
