Wicked Wednesday – Free Read from SINS OF THE FLESH

SINS OF THE FLESH by Caridad Pineiro Grand Central Publishing November 2009This Wicked Wednesday I wanted to share some more SINS OF THE FLESH! This scene is farily along in the book, after Mick and Caterina have had an initial encounter and the attraction between them has started to grow as they battle to find out what is happening with Caterina and if she truly is a murderer.

I hope you enjoy this Wicked Read!

Please do not proceed if you are not over 17

The right thing, Mick thought, closed the door and approached the bed where Caterina rested, her gaze locked on him as he neared.

Her skin had lost the flush of fever and returned to its creamy hue. Thick curly locks of her nearly black hair, heavy with moisture, rested against the side of her face.

As she turned the deep blue of her gaze up to meet his, she said, “No matter what happens at the end, you’ve done the right thing by me.”

At the end, he thought, unsure of anything other than the fact that this would all not end well for someone. Whether it was Edwards or Mad Dog or Caterina or even himself, someone would likely pay a high price at the conclusion of this assignment.

Mick sat on the edge of the recliner and cradled her cheek. Her skin bore a slight chill from the water and was smooth beneath the pad of his finger. So smooth and womanly.

Caterina covered his much larger hand with hers. His palm was rough. Clearly the hand of a man who worked hard with his hands. A strong hand, she thought as she moved her hand past his wrist and to his forearm. The hair on his arm soft beneath her palm. His body muscled and lean until she reached the edge of the bandage on his forearm covering the wound he had received battling for her. Another scar to add to the others on his body.

It had to be the fever that was making her remember just how that body had felt against hers when he had held her in the pool. How he had kissed her and she him, rousing passion that might be better left unexplored only . . .

“Would you hold me?” She needed the human contact. Needed the affirmation that she was still a woman. A desirable woman unless she was misreading the signals he was giving off.

“If holding is all you want, I may not be your man,” Mick replied and dipped his thumb down to trace the edges of her lips.

“I want more. I want to feel alive again,” Caterina said.

She was using him, but it wouldn’t be the first time or the last that a woman did that, Mick thought. Considering he found her damned attractive, weird genes and all, why not give into the temptation and get it out of his system.

“Move over,” he said.

Caterina shifted to the center of the bed and he joined her there, lying on his side and facing her. Their bodies less than a foot apart.

“Touch me,” she said and pulled away the sheet, exposing the fullness of her breasts with their soft tips.

He ran the pads of his fingers across the tip of one breast. Cupped the weight of it in his hand and rubbed his thumb across the tip until her nipples beaded into stiff nubs. He needed to taste, he thought and bent his head, licked the one tip while continuing to caress the other nipple with his hand.

She arched her back to give him easier access and cradled the back of his head. Moaned as he teethed the peak of one breast. He soothed that gentle nip with another lick and suckled at her breast while shifting one hand downward, across the flat expanse of her midsection. Past the delicate indent of her navel until the curls between her legs brushed the tips of his fingers.

She moved closer and threw her thigh up over his, inviting him to her most private core.

Tardily he accepted that invitation, skimming his fingers across her center until the sensitive nub swelled and his fingers dropped lower and experienced the wet of her femininity.

Caterina gasped as he explored that dampness, gripping his shoulders as he eased in first one finger and then another, stretching her in preparation for his possession.

“Mick,” she keened, shifting her hips against his hand. Holding his head to her, but wanting to feel the warmth of his body beside her.

He slipped inches away and she reached for the hem of his shirt. Pulled it over his head while he skimmed the sweat pants down his body, revealing the nakedness beneath the fleece.

She laid her hands on his shoulders once more and took a moment to enjoy all of him that was visible. The articulated and defined muscles of his body. The scars and bruises that spoke of a man familiar with danger and accustomed to violence.

But there was nothing violent about the way he touched her. About the gentleness of his mouth and hands as he resumed his loving.

She once again granted him access and he used it to full advantage, rousing her passion much as she urged him on, using her hands to stroke him. Playing him much as she might a sonata, each measured beat and pull of her hands giving him pleasure until he, too, was trembling and breathing roughly.

“I can’t wait anymore, Cat,” he said, rolling her beneath him. His arms braced on either side of her body as he slipped between her legs, but paused before entering her.

“I can’t either, Mick,” she replied and dropped one hand so she could encircle him and guide him into the center of her.

He sucked in a shaky breath as she gasped at his entry, held still as her body accommodated to the size of him. Thick in girth and perfect in length, he filled her completely.

She was the first to move, raising her knees to grasp his hips. The motion driving him even deeper within.

He met her gaze then, his eyes almost black with desire. A flush across the high cheekbones inherited from some long ago Aztec descendant. Full lips she wanted to savor.

She cradled the straight strong line of his jaw and brought her lips to his. Eased her tongue past the seam of his mouth to mimic the motion of their bodies. Her tongue darting against his much like he was drawing her ever closer to release with the pumping of his hips.

His movements grew more hurried and she urged him on with the soft cries of pleasure she whispered against his lips until something suddenly coalesced in the center of her.

The energy gathered into a ball and then exploded throughout her body, pulling him into her and caressing him as her climax overtook her body.

Mick exhaled roughly against her mouth as her soft cry of completion came against his lips and the muscles of her body milked him, pulling and tightening on him as his own release erupted in his body.

He managed to drive into her a few more times, prolonging her climax, but then he dropped down onto her, drained. His body heavy against hers, but she wrapped her arms around him and urged, “Don’t leave me yet.”

Yet, he realized, glad that she understood the limits of what they had just experienced, but saddened by that as well.

He allowed himself to bask in the pleasure of her soft skin beneath him, and the heat and wet of her center as her body caressed him while he slowly softened within her.

The temperature of her body remained warm, a little more than normal. Thankfully nothing like it had been earlier in the night.

Guilt rose up on so many levels, but he ruthlessly drove it back, justifying what had just happened with one simple truth.

They had both wanted it to happen.

The question was, now that it had, where did they go from here?

Goody Time!

Dragon*ConI’m off to Dragon*Con on Thursday! Dragon*Con is an immense pop culture convention which focuses on science fiction and fantasy, gaming, comics, literature, art, music, and film in the United States. I’ll be a Dragon*Con virgin, but will be with friends who will hopefully help me survive.

I also hope to be bringing you daily updates of what’s happening, since I hear this is an amazing convention!

In preparation, I’ve been putting together a number of goodies which are beneficial to have for conferences or conventions.

Many of the promotional materials that are going out are directed at the science fiction and fantasy crowd at Dragon*Con because of SINS OF THE FLESH is really a hybrid of romance, science fiction and suspense. Some have called SINS OF THE FLESH a science thriller, others paranormal romantic suspense. But regardless of what you call SINS, it clearly falls within the science fiction/fantasy realm thanks to the genetic engineering aspect in the book which leads to the romantic suspense.

Because of that, the bookmarks and postcards for Dragon*Con stress all those elements of the novel. If you’re in need of either bookmarks or postcards, there are a couple of good places that I’ve used and have been happy with — overnightprints.com and nextdayflyers.com.

If money is tight, there is Vistaprint where you can layout some smaller sized bookmarks using their postcard template. Use the free postcard option and you can make 200 bookmarks for the cost of the shipping. Take the postcards to a local printer and they can cut them down for you if you don’t want to do it yourself, but for greater volumes, try the other two companies. The stock is of heavier quality and glossy on both sides.

**Note on Vistaprint – make sure you know what you are signing up for when you click on any third party specials or to get any rewards. Some of them do involve fees.

What else will I be taking? Some t-shirts of course. Those are always popular. For low volume color t-shirts, again try Vistaprint when they are running a 50% special. For THE CALLING t-shirts, I used Creative Solutions, a local NJ company that did a beautiful job with them, especially since I got several hundred at a shot.

Buttons, buttons, buttons. People love to collect buttons. Purebuttons.com did the trick for me!

Pens. What kind of writer doesn’t like pens? National Pen and 4Imprint (who did a marvelous job on the lunch bags) are ones to check out.

Cover Flats are always a good thing to have. Fans love to have autographed cover flats in their collections. Your publisher should be able to provide you with a supply of these when it is closer to the release date of your novel.

For reader/writer based conferences — if you can get ARCs to distribute that’s a good thing. Be sure to ask those that get ARCs to offer reviews on the various online bookstores. If you can’t get ARCs, prepare excerpts for people to take home and read.

Finally – there will be professionals at these conferences, in particular, press people. Make sure to prepare a press kit to be placed in the press area and also have one or two with you at your booth/signing area to distribute. Also make sure to have a good supply of business cards. Vistaprint is a great source for inexpensive business cards.

I hope today’s Tuesday Tip will be of assistance when prepping goodies for your own conferences. Also, although I’ve used the above-mentioned companies and have had positive results, it’s possible that your experience might be different. So please do not hold that against me and be sure to check out any and all companies before entering into any legally binding contract or offer.

Wicked Wednesday – Behind the Scenes at Fort Hancock

NPS photo Fort HancockIt’s fun to research the places where you’ll be setting your novel and I always try to visit those places as well. That’s why part of the book takes place in Philadelphia, one of my favorite cities, and also why the rest of the book is set on the Jersey Shore. I love the Jersey Shore and taking time to explore its unique towns this spring and summer has been a blast.

When it came time to find somewhere intriguing for the big finish, there were lots of places to consider. Cheesequake State Park and the Twin Lights came to mind. Then I remembered taking a trip to the tip of Sandy Hook and knew where those scenes would take place – Fort Hancock.

Aiming the Guns at Fort Hancock - Copyright ExpiredFort Hancock has played a major role in the defense of New York Harbor, from its days in the late 1800s when the Nation’s first concrete gun batteries were built there, to World War II when it was used to watch for German subs and the 1950s, when the Nike Air Defense missiles were housed there to protect against airborne attack.

In 1958, a series of Nike Ajax missiles exploded at the park, killing ten people. You can visit the memorial at Guardian Park in Fort Hancock. To read more about this, you can click here.

The invention of ICBMs made the Nike system obsolete and the Fort was decommissioned in 1972 and the National Parks Service took over the area.

Gun Battery from National Parks ServiceThe fort has a number of gun batteries, some of which you can visit, and some which are closed off due to their delicate state. Beneath those batteries are tunnels and ammo storage areas that provided a perfect place for me to set some scenes! You can click here for some great photos of the area and tunnels.

If you’re in the area, drop by and check out Sandy Hook and Fort Hancock. It’s a beautiful park, the buildings and batteries are fascinating to see and you have an amazing view of New York Harbor as well.

For more behind the scenes looks at the SINS OF THE FLESH, please check out these other posts!

SINS OF THE FLESH
November 2009 – Grand Central Publishing

Click here for more on SINS OF THE FLESH

Caterina Shaw’s only chance for survival is a highly experimental gene therapy – a risk she willingly takes. Now Caterina has new, terrifying powers and she’s been accused of a savage murder, sending her on the run. Mick Carrera is a mercenary and expert at capturing elusive prey. Yet the woman he’s hunting is wounded, vulnerable, and a mystery of medical science. Caterina’s innocent sensuality tempts Mick to show her how thrilling pleasure can be. The heat that builds between them is irresistible, but surrendering to it could kill them both.

Preorder at Amazon
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Preorder at Borders
Preorder at Books-a-Million
Preorder at Powell’s
Preorder at an Independent Bookstore

Want to find out a little more about SINS OF THE FLESH? Click on the links below to get a Behind the Scenes look at some of the locations in the novel as well as read some free excerpts!


Coming in October 2009

AWAKENING THE BEAST October 2009 Silhouette NocturneAwakening the Beast
October 2009
Silhouette Nocturne


A collection of sexy Nocturne Bites featuring:
Honor Calls, Return of the Beast, Mortal Enemy, Immortal Lover, Claws of the Lynx and Wilderness by Caridad Pineiro, Lisa Renee Jones, Olivia Gates, Linda O. Johnston and Barbara J. Hancock

Preorder your copy today!

Caridad’s Current Releases
FURY CALLS
March 2009
Silhouette Nocturne
Click here for more info on HONOR CALLSHONOR CALLS
February 2009
Nocturne Bite
Click here for more info on SOLDIER'S SECRET CHILDSOLDIER’S SECRET CHILD
December 2008
Silhouette Romantic Suspense
Click here for more info on MOON FEVERMOON FEVER
October 2007
Pocket Books
Click here for more info on SEX AND THE SOUTH BEACH CHICASSEX AND THE SOUTH BEACH CHICAS
September 2006
Downtown Press
Click here for more info on SOUTH BEACH CHICAS CATCH THEIR MANSOUTH BEACH CHICAS CATCH THEIR MAN
September 2007
Downtown Press


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