Today’s free read is a little different! We’re back to the dark side with this excerpt from TO LOVE AND SERVE.
Why the darkness today? Well, next month The Calling\Reborn celebrates it’s 10th anniversary and I’ll be having a release of a new novella, VAMPIRE REBORN, on March 18th to celebrate. FIGHT FOR LOVE, the continuation of the story which begins in VAMPIRE REBORN will be out in the early summer.
Some of you have asked if the books in the REBORN series are re-releases of the earlier books from The Calling series. Nope, the REBORN series books are all new, but with the characters you loved from The Calling. I had to change the name of the series when I switched publishers.
For those of you who have written to say how much you’re liking the new books and seeing more of Diana and Ryder: THANK YOU! 🙂
The REBORN series is how I had first envisioned these stories and I am so glad I can continue the series with Diana and Ryder in each of the books in a major way. In fact, in VAMPIRE REBORN, you’re going to see a whole new side of Ryder. It will be a fight for Diana to reach him and bring him back from the darkness, but I know that these two will always find a way to work things out. But I do love making them fight for it, you know? LOL!
I hope you enjoy this read and have a great weekend.
Free Read
Diana loved the feel of the wind racing past them and the crisp smells of the early autumn night as they drove through Manhattan. She raised her head and took in the silver, glittering stars and the familiar Lower East Side skyscrapers, golden against the night sky. But then Ryder turned off Park Ave too early, heading away from his club.
“I thought we were going to the Lair?†she asked, swiveling on the bench seat to face him.
He shrugged uneasily and his hands clenched and unclenched the large steering wheel. “Some stuff is up there, and I thought—â€
“You didn’t want to trouble me with it.â€
He shot her a quick glance. “I guess you can say that.â€
She laid a hand on his thigh and noted the tension in his body. “You should know by now I’m not afraid of trouble, and if you need me—â€
“I know. I can just ask. But tonight, I didn’t want any drama.â€
“What if I said I want to go? Want to remember what it was like that first time…the magic I felt with you?†She stroked his thigh, feeling tension of another kind work into his big body.
He groaned and sneaked another quick peek. “You’re not playing fair, darlin’.â€
She grinned and inched up on her knees until she was close enough to whisper in his ear, “Didn’t you say all was fair in love and war?â€
For good measure she licked the shell of his ear and he growled his response. “Never let it be said I didn’t fulfill a lady’s desire.â€
With a chuckle and another quick swipe of her tongue, she sat back down. “No one ever said I was a lady.â€
Her humor calmed the tension beneath the surface and with a few quick turns, they were on their way to the Lair.
As Ryder wheeled the car into the alley next to the club, she sighed and said, “That was nice.†It was dark and intimate between the tall buildings, and for a moment she imagined them climbing into that big back seat for some sexiness.
When Ryder shot a heated glance back there, too, she realized his thoughts weren’t far from hers. She tucked her legs beneath her, kneeled, and leaned forward to brush a kiss against his lips.
He smiled and wrapped his arm around her waist, keeping her close as he returned her kiss. “I’m glad you enjoyed the ride.â€
“I did. It brought back some nice memories.†She raked her fingers through his thick, cocoa brown hair.
“You didn’t have to do this.â€
“I wanted to. I want you to be happy.†Cradling her cheek, he rubbed his thumb along the line of it before tipping his head to kiss her again.
It began as a simple touch, but he lingered, tracing the edges of her lips with his, tunneling his hand into her hair as he deepened the kiss. She accepted, opening her mouth and sampling him. How she’d hungered for his taste. Needed the feel of his strong body hard against hers.
Ryder didn’t want the moment to end. This was how it should be. Simple. Loving. Full of promise.
Diana broke from him only long enough to draw a breath, then she met his mouth again. Her lips were mobile and welcoming. The soft press of her breasts against his chest oh-so-tempting. But through the haze of his desire, the uneven beat of her heart registered. It was too unsteady, He held back, worried that the almost frantic rhythm was from more than passion.
When she bit his lower lip, he shuddered, fighting his need, but then a push of power grated against his vampire senses. An energy filled with both light and dark, and familiar now that he’d been touched by it.
Reluctantly he ended their kiss, leaned back, and glanced in the direction of the formidable energy.
