Taste of Kiwi: Blog of Author Shelley Munro

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

~ Grab your current read
~ Open to a random page
~ Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
~BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
~ Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My teaser this week comes from Play of Passion by Nalini Singh.

The huge wolf beside Indigo, its tail raised in a gesture of dominance, closed its very dangerous teeth around the boy’s throat. Joshua stayed immobile, quiescent, until the tracker let go. Apology accepted.

page 7, Play of Passion.

Passion and reason collide with explosive force in the newest installment of Nalini Singh’s “mesmerizing”* Psy/Changeling series. As a conflict with Pure Psy looms on the horizon, two powerful wolves fight a far more intimate war of their own…

In his position as tracker for the SnowDancer pack, it’s up to Drew Kincaid to rein in rogue changelings who have lost control of their animal halves—even if it means killing those who have gone too far. But nothing in his life has prepared him for the battle he must now wage to win the heart of a woman who makes his body ignite…and who threatens to enslave his wolf.

Lieutenant Indigo Riviere doesn’t easily allow skin privileges, especially of the sensual kind—and the last person she expects to find herself craving is the most wickedly playful male in the den. Everything she knows tells her to pull back before the flames burn them both to ash…but she hasn’t counted on Drew’s will.

Now, two of SnowDancer’s most stubborn wolves find themselves playing a hot, sexy game even as lethal danger stalks the very place they call home…

Purchase Play of Passion

I have a new feline shapeshifter release. Lightning Strikes Twice is part of my Middlemarch Mates series. And, even better, it’s free. Download your copy from Ellora’s Cave.

Here’s the blurb:

Lisa Jordan lost her husband two years ago and now it’s time to start living again. At the Middlemarch singles’ ball, she’s attracted to a sexy shifter, but his identity is a shock. Years ago she used to babysit him and now she feels like a dirty old woman.

Sam Mitchell has harbored a crush on Lisa for years and is eager to stake his claim. A few dances turns into a one-night stand full of exciting, satisfying sex. Sam wants more but first he’ll need to persuade Lisa to his way of thinking.

Download your free copy of Lightning Strikes Twice

In a few hours, the final story in my Middlemarch Mates series: Twin Trouble comes out at Ellora’s Cave.

Middlemarch Mates started out as a little 15,000 word Quickie called Scarlet Woman. Positive I’d written the best-ever story I emailed it off to my editor. When she emailed me back, it wasn’t a contract offer. She’d sent me a revise and resubmit instead. She liked the characters, the idea and the plot elements but thought I had too much plot for a short story.

Back to the drawing board.

I rewrote the story, doubling it in length, and the Middlemarch Mates series was born—the story of a leopard shifter community who lives secretly amongst humans in a small country town called Middlemarch.

My series bears an element of truth because the real town of Middlemarch has a shortage of women of marriageable age. To combat this shortage they held a singles’ ball to attract women to the area.

At the same time news articles started appearing in our New Zealand newspapers about sightings of an alien black cat in Canterbury. (That’s near Christchurch where the earthquake recently struck). I decided to combine these ideas and came up with Scarlet Woman.

Saber Mitchell is at his wits end. His four younger brothers Felix, Leo, Sly and Joe are out of control. He’s determined to marry them off at the inaugural Middlemarch Singles’ ball, except it’s Saber who ends up caught like a fish on a hook. Once he meets Emily he’s determined to keep her.

The next Mitchell brother to meet his match is Felix. He runs into Tomasine, a reporter the locals have dubbed Peeping Tom.

There’s an assassin running loose in Middlemarch and she has Leo squarely in her sights.

Logically, the next characters to get their own story should have been Sly and Joe, the Mitchell twins, but they didn’t seem old enough to find their happy-ever-after. Luckily the Mitchell brothers have lots of friends. Saul, their neighbor, stepped into the fray followed by Duncan and Jonno. All three men found their mates. Then it was Leticia’s turn – (I still get tears in my eyes when I read this one).

Still not quite ready for the twins, I introduced some new characters—tiger shifters who moved into the area. Brother Rohan and sister Ambar took over the village store and created more than a little turmoil with their arrival. In fact something that occurred after their arrival left Saber and Emily (from Scarlet Woman) reeling and this led on naturally to the tenth book in my series, Blue Lady.

Finally, it was time for the twins. I thought about them long and hard. Originally I’d planned a different story but the twins are both so cheeky I decided to be really mean and made them suffer. I hope you’ll enjoy Twin Trouble and their journey to happiness.

Here’s the blurb:

Man wanted: confident and charismatic, a virtuoso in bed and capable of supporting a woman in her quest for freedom.

Shifter Kiera Pascoe is desperate to foil her brothers’ plan to ship her back to England. She needs help, and hunky Joe Mitchell is the perfect applicant. Joe misses his twin Sly, and Kiera presents a diversion from his isolated state. From the start, hunger explodes between them and sparks fly with each intoxicating touch. The sex is fun and challenging—mutual ecstasy with a little spanking and kink.

Sly arrives home unexpectedly, creating chaos with their erotic hijinks. Emotions tangle and create a dilemma for all three. Joe has feelings for Kiera and wants to keep her. Kiera worries about exchanging one set of pushy males for another while Sly lusts after his twin’s lover. Two sexy shifter twins and one gorgeous feline woman—they’ve got trouble in Middlemarch and it’s gonna take time to unravel the steamy muddle.

Purchase at Ellora’s Cave

A final note: I wanted to have an even number of stories—an even dozen. To thank all my readers, I’ve written a free story called Lightning Strikes Twice. It is due for release on 25 April and is set at the same time as Scarlet Woman. Don’t forget to watch for Lightning Strikes Twice and download your free copy at Ellora’s Cave on 25 April.

Happy reading,
Shelley

Twin Trouble, my new release is out at Ellora’s Cave on 1 April. As the title suggests, my story features identical twins as the heroes. The Mitchell twins, Joe and Sly, inspired my topic this week.

Thirteen Facts About Twins

1. 1 in 250 pregnancies can result in identical twins.

2. Women pregnant with twins will have more ultrasounds, tests and prenatal appointments than women pregnant with singletons.

3. The average weight of twins at term is about 5.5 lbs

4. Identical twins share the same DNA, but have their own fingerprints

5. Fraternal twins (girls) have twice the chance of giving birth to twins than singletons

6. Gemellology is term use for the scientific study of twins

7. The chances of having a twin pregnancy naturally is increased by maternal age ( 30+), genetics and number of previous pregnancies.

8. China has the lowest rate of twins in the world

9. Twins share a special connection, and many report incidences of twin telepathy or extrasensory perception ESP phenomenon. Some twins create their own language.

10. Twins are generally born on the same day but in some cases twins have different birthdays

11. For the second-born twin the mortality rate at birth and within the first month of life is twice that of the first born

12. The use of fertility drugs, the increased use of in-vitro fertilization, and the use of contraceptive pills all influence the rise in the rate of multiple births

13. Twin Trouble is the name of my book featuring twins. Here’s the blurb:

Man wanted: confident and charismatic, a virtuoso in bed and capable of supporting a woman in her quest for freedom.

Shifter Kiera Pascoe is desperate to foil her brothers’ plan to ship her back to England. She needs help, and hunky Joe Mitchell is the perfect applicant. Joe misses his twin Sly, and Kiera presents a diversion from his isolated state. From the start, hunger explodes between them and sparks fly with each intoxicating touch. The sex is fun and challenging—mutual ecstasy with a little spanking and kink.

Sly arrives home unexpectedly, creating chaos with their erotic hijinks. Emotions tangle and create a dilemma for all three. Joe has feelings for Kiera and wants to keep her. Kiera worries about exchanging one set of pushy males for another while Sly lusts after his twin’s lover. Two sexy shifter twins and one gorgeous feline woman—they’ve got trouble in Middlemarch and it’s gonna take time to unravel the steamy muddle.

Read an excerpt for Twin Trouble

Do you have twins in your family? (My husband’s mother is a twin, but not an identical one)

Peeping Tom, which is book two in my Middlemarch Mates series, is now shipping from Amazon and The Book Depository! And, Peeping Tom has a new cover…

Here’s the blurb:

The residents of Middlemarch have a nickname for reporter Tomasine Brooks. They call her Peeping Tom and refuse to answer her questions about the mysterious black cats spotted in the vicinity. To them she’s an outsider—the enemy—who has no place in their close-knit shifter community.

Tomasine is determined to find a safe place to settle but earning the locals’ trust seems impossible. In desperation, she decides to seduce the sexy Felix Mitchell into giving away Middlemarch’s secrets because it’s a matter of life or death…hers.

From the moment feline shifter Felix Mitchell crashes into Tomasine outside the post office he desires her with an urgency that makes him suspect they are fated mates. When they are together the connection is hot, the sex is spicy and she makes him happy, but Tomasine is close-mouthed about her past—a past that can threaten their future together.

Purchase Peeping Tom

The theme for this week is a sad excerpt — tissues required. Several sad scenes come to mind, but they’re all pivotal scenes that slot in toward the end of the story. I don’t want to give any spoilers. The two stories I have in mind are Leticia’s Lovers and CatNap. In the end I decided to give you a quick scene from a recent release, Blue Lady. Blue Lady is the latest addition to my Middlemarch Mates series.

Blue Lady by Shelley Munro

Saber Mitchell prowled across the tussock in feline form, gradually picking up speed until he was galloping at full strength. His mind seethed with turmoil. Anger. Helplessness. Pain. He felt it all.

The emotions roiled inside him, combining into doubt and panic. Something had to change between him and Emily before it was too late and their marriage imploded under the strain. His muscles strained. His lungs labored as he fought the stiff breeze roaring over the brow of the hill. Running didn’t help. No matter how fast his sprint, he couldn’t outrun his fears.

He was losing Emily.

Anguish swelled inside him and he slowed, realizing he’d instinctively headed for the spot where he and Emily had made love during the heady days of their courtship. He’d known what he’d wanted then. Confidence had filled him as he’d pursued his goals. He’d wanted Emily and done his best to both seduce and woo her to his way of thinking. Officially bestowing his mark on Emily and mating with her was the best thing he’d ever done.

He loved her.

It might seem laughable to some, but Emily really did complete him. Her presence made him a better man. She pulled him and his brothers together, making them into a big, happy family, one full of love and laughter.

Hell, he didn’t know what to do, how to make things better or how to fix the yawning hole between them. Because there was one thing he knew for sure—he couldn’t survive without Emily. They were mates, meant to live out their lives together.

Saber came to a halt in the shelter of a large pile of schist, his sides heaving from the exertion. The scent of dried grasses and the underlying, more pungent aroma of the soil, damp from recent rain and cattle filled his lungs. He’d come out here to think, but his mind couldn’t get past the fact he was losing Emily and the reality—he’d never felt so helpless in his entire life.

It didn’t help that he hadn’t been there for her and their unborn daughter when they needed him. That’s what killed him most of all. He’d promised to look after Emily and hadn’t. He’d failed her.

The ache of failure intensified, hurting his chest. Despondently, he padded back into the wind, heading for his vehicle. This time self-sufficiency wasn’t going to work. He needed help.

Half an hour later, he walked into Gavin Finley’s surgery, halting just inside the door. Gavin was both doctor to the local feline shifters and vet for the human part of the Middlemarch community. Kiran, Gavin’s assistant, was with him as they worked on a golden retriever.

“Gavin, I need to make an appointment,” Saber said. “Can you fit me in?”

“Is there a problem?” Gavin watched Kiran carefully stitch the wound closed.

“No. Yes.” His hands curled to fists at his sides while he struggled to ask for help. He was the one who fixed problems. He didn’t need help. His shoulders slumped forward a fraction.

That was a lie.

He and Emily desperately required help.

Purchase from Ellora’s Cave, Amazon or All Romance eBooks.

To read more Snippet Saturday excerpts follow the links below:

Leah Braemel
Lissa Matthews
Vivian Arend
Delilah Devlin
Sasha White
Lauren Dane
Shelley Munro
Taige Crenshaw
McKenna Jeffries
Ashley Ladd
Helen Kay Dimon
Mari Carr
TJ Michaels

The theme this week is spooky, which is a suitable topic with Halloween tomorrow. But, the thing is we don’t really celebrate Halloween in New Zealand and, as it happens, I couldn’t think of a single spooky scene in any of my books. Note to self – write a spooky scene or two!

Instead I’ve picked a scene from Tiger By The Tail, book nine in my Middlemarch Mates series just because I like it. You have my promise to try to do better next year when spooky comes around again.

Tiger By The Tail by Shelley Munro

“Rohan. Rohan!” Ambar stomped into the house she shared with her brother and his mate Kiran. The scent of freshly brewed coffee made her turn in the direction of the kitchen. She burst through the doorway and glared at them both before focusing on Rohan.

“I asked you to do one thing. One thing! And did you do it? Oh no.” She threw up her hands in disgust, her scowl intensifying.

Kiran took one look at her face and stood. “Maybe I should go.”

“Sit,” Ambar ordered. “Rohan, you didn’t cancel the marriage broker.”

“I did so.” Rohan met her gaze without a hint of deceit. “I cancelled the contract with the marriage broker and told him his services were no longer required.”

“Then why did a man turn up in the store this morning and tell me he’d come to marry me?”

“What man? Where is he?”

Ambar glowered at both men. “I pushed him out of the store, slammed the door in his face and hightailed it straight here.” She twisted the golden band on her right hand, the ring she’d inherited from her mother and wore to remind herself of her desire to live an independent life. While men were lots of fun, she didn’t need one to survive. She did not need a mate to complete her life.

“Why didn’t you bring him here? Or ask him to wait at the store and call me so we could sort it out?”

“I’m not marrying him, and you can’t make me.” She wrenched on the gold band again, trying not to think about him. Hari.

“Rohan doesn’t intend to force you to marry anyone,” Kiran said, handing her a mug of coffee. His unruffled manner went a long way to restoring her calm.

“I can’t believe you closed the store,” Rohan muttered. “How are we going to grow our business with you shutting shop at the slightest provocation?”

“Provocation? You call this provocation?” Ambar snapped, the fragile hold on her temper fraying again. “I supported you and Kiran. I expect you to tell this…this man to leave Middlemarch and never come back. I told him, but I expect he’ll only listen to a male.”

Rohan pushed back his chair and stood, circling the table to stand at her side. For a moment Ambar wanted to deck him then she saw the concern on his face. All the fight drained out of her. Deep down, she didn’t think he’d arrange a marriage for her. He knew she valued her independence, but he didn’t know of her desire to travel. She hadn’t confided her list of dream destinations to anyone.

“Finish your coffee and we’ll go back to the store together.”

“But what if he’s gone?”

Kiran chuckled. “Isn’t that what you want?”

“He was actually quite nice,” Ambar said, recalling his tentative manner. “He had an awful scar on his face. I’d hate for him to think I acted like a boor because I couldn’t bear to look at him. I think he was nervous.”

“Where was he from? Did he say?” Rohan asked.

“I didn’t give him a chance.” Ambar frowned, trying to recall his face in detail. Apart from the scar, she didn’t remember much. “He wasn’t from India. He sounded English to me.”

Rohan took a sip of coffee. “I wonder if Dad used a broker over in England as well as the one in India. There’s a large Indian community in Manchester and a smaller one in London. I didn’t find anything in the paperwork in the office. Did he ask to speak with me?”

“Of course he did. I was consigned to the little woman box straightaway,” Ambar said, her top lip curling in disdain.

“Why didn’t you just tell him to piss off?” Kiran sipped his coffee, studying her carefully like one of his animal patients. “Why did you flick your tail and run away? You know a male tiger’s typical response is to chase.”

She winged him a glare. “I did not flick my tail. I’m not interested in another man. You know I’m going out with Jake.”

Rohan’s brows rose and his lips quivered as if he was trying not to laugh. “But you did run away.”

All the hot air whooshed out of her at the challenge. Heck, they were right. Why hadn’t she told him to take a hike?

Purchase from Ellora’s Cave or Amazon Kindle

Check out the recent review of Tiger By The Tail at The Book Binge

To read more Snippet Saturday excerpts follow the trail below:

Shelley Munro
Taige Crenshaw
McKenna Jeffries
Ashley Ladd
Mari Carr
TJ Michaels
Shelli Stevens
Jody Wallace
Eliza Gayle

The topic for this week is “In Between” and I immediately thought of Leticia’s Lovers. Leticia had a rocky road to love and her story remains one of my favorites. I hope you enjoy this snippet from Leticia’s Lovers.

Leticia’s Lovers by Shelley Munro

Morning came all too quickly. They shared a quick shower with only mild groping before they both dressed for work.

“Will you come and stay tonight?” Gavin asked.

Charlie tossed his damp towel aside and strode the two steps needed to reach Gavin. “The idea of not being with you hadn’t occurred to me.” He dragged Gavin into his arms and kissed him, not roughly but slow and gentle, pouring every writhing emotion inside into his kiss. When he lifted his head they were both breathing hard.

“Damn, I wish I didn’t need to go to work,” Gavin said with a glance at his wristwatch.

“I know the feeling. Do you have time for a coffee at the café?”

“No, I have a patient arriving in half an hour. I’ll have to prepare the surgery.” Gavin lifted his head, glancing toward the surgery with a frown. His shoulders tensed beneath Charlie’s hands. “Fuck.”

“You okay?”

“Yeah.” Gavin didn’t sound very certain.

Charlie heard the tap-tap of shoes and turned to the door. “Your patients come to your bedroom? Is there another door I should have locked last night?”

“The one to the surgery waiting room,” Gavin muttered. “I forgot to check it. I had other things on my mind.”

“Gavin, I thought I’d—” A decidedly feminine form skidded to a halt in the doorway.

Leticia—the woman from last night. Today she wore tight jeans and a formfitting T-shirt in pale blue. She wore a cap on her head, her blonde hair poking through the back in a long ponytail. What little color she had in her face flooded away when she took in both Gavin and Charlie. They both wore trousers but neither had donned shirts and they stood way too close to try the casual friends ploy. The scent of sex hung on the air and the rumpled bed gave more than a hint of how they’d spent their night.

Leticia’s brown eyes swept over Charlie, coming to rest on the mark. His skin prickled as if she’d physically touched him and he automatically covered the raised site with his fingers.

“You marked him?” The pain in her voice had Charlie wanting to comfort her. He noted it had the same affect on Gavin. Collectively they took a step toward her.

Leticia slapped her hand over her mouth and backed up, her eyes wide with panic and betrayal.

“Leticia, it’s not what it looks like,” Gavin said.

“Oh yeah?” Bitterness filled her words. Her eyes swept over both of them, skimming their bare chests and the obvious marks on their shoulders. “He bit you too. You can’t—I thought we…oh hell.” Leticia turned and fled.

Purchase from Ellora’s Cave or Amazon Kindle or All Romance eBooks

To read more Snippet Saturday excerpts follow the links below:

Shelley Munro
Vivian Arend
Taige Crenshaw
McKenna Jeffries
Lauren Dane
Ashley Ladd
Mari Carr
Lissa Matthews

The topic for this week is food. As much as I enjoy food and cooking, I don’t have many foodie scenes. Most of them are picnic scenes. In the end I chose this scene from Lynx to the Pharaoh, a historical romance with a feline shapeshifter hero.

Lynx to the Pharaoh by Shelley Munro

“I’d love to visit the oasis,” Charlotte said, ignoring the feminine pride inside warning her she would not look her best after sleeping in her clothes. And the knowledge that she shouldn’t go anywhere with a man she didn’t know. She risked another glance at him, and the silent gleam of approval in his eyes warmed her all over. This early in the morning, she couldn’t blame the heat of the sun.

They passed the camp, and as Sethmet had said, no one stirred apart from the servants. Charlotte told herself her brother would never know. They arrived at the edge of the oasis more quickly than she would have liked. Countless questions trembled at the tip of her tongue. Curious as a cat. That’s what George used to say, always in a chiding manner. Could she help it if she liked to learn new things and gain knowledge?

Sethmet stopped by the edge of the lake, in a small private spot screened from the main path, glad Lady Charlotte had agreed to accompany him.

A gentle breeze played a musical tune as it blew through the reeds. Not far from them a heron stabbed the water with its beak and came up with a wriggling silver fish.

He placed his basket down and helped Charlotte sit on a flat rock. Her lack of primping and fussing gained his approval, not that she needed to preen. Sethmet opened his woven basket. He had to stop the urgent need to touch, to run his hands across her silky cheek. A bark of laughter escaped at the thought. No doubt the lady would slap his face at the presumption.

“Is something funny?”

“Not a thing,” Sethmet said. “Would you care for flat bread and cheese?” He spread a blue woven cloth on the ground beside them and set out the food. The instinct to serve and nurture Lady Charlotte, or Charlotte as he thought of her, came as a surprise. Most women ran after him, but being with Charlotte felt right. He didn’t feel pressure or hunted for matrimony. He wanted to protect her, even if she came from the English camp and was possibly an enemy.

Charlotte was no longer committed to a man.

Satisfaction swelled within Sethmet along with an urge to kiss her. Hell, he wanted to do more than that. He wanted to claim her as mate. The thought gave him pause because he knew nothing of her. Yet he didn’t worry overly. Swift courtships were normal in his family, and their decisive nature when taking a partner was one of the gifts that came with feline powers. Everyone in his family married for love. They might argue at times, but he had no hesitation about following his heart.

He glanced up from laying out the food and saw Charlotte studied him avidly. For an instant, open desire shimmered in her blue eyes before her lashes lowered to screen the emotion.

Sethmet acted on instinct, going with his gut. He leaned toward her and took possession of her lips in a slow kiss of exploration. When she didn’t object, he deepened the contact, sliding his tongue across her soft, pink lips and urging her to open her mouth so he could taste. She was so soft, tasted so sweet, and he wanted more.

Purchase from Ellora’s Cave or Amazon Kindle

To read more Snippet Saturday excerpts follow the links below:

Mari Carr
Shelley Munro
Vivian Arend
Taige Crenshaw
McKenna Jeffries
Lauren Dane
Jody Wallace
TJ Michaels

Yay! Blue Lady, book ten in my Middlemarch Mates series, is out today. Blue Lady features Emily and Saber who were first introduced in Scarlet Woman.

Read the Blue Lady blurb and excerpt

Purchase Blue Lady

The theme for this week is vacations and exotic locations. If you’re a regular visitor to my blog you’ll know that I love to travel. I’m all about vactions and exotic locations. (Check my photo album to see some of the places I’ve visited.) My snippet this week is from my recent release Tiger By The Tail, and the heroine, Ambar is in Samoa for a short holiday.

Tiger By The Tail by Shelley Munro

Ambar ambled to the swimming pool, pausing at the poolside shower to wash the white sand from her feet. The days had slid together and she hadn’t looked at a clock since leaving New Zealand. She’d come to a decision about her mates though. In the end, it hadn’t been difficult because she’d pined for Jake and Hari even more than she’d missed her brother and Kiran. She’d made a list as Isabella had suggested, going for total honesty since no one would see it apart from her. The big disadvantage was the possible restrictions on her freedom. She considered her friends who were in relationships and had officially mated, acknowledging they all seemed incredibly happy. Somehow, she would work things out too. When she returned to Middlemarch, she needed to discuss the future with Jake and Hari and lay out all her fears. She’d discuss things calmly without panicking.

Ambar scanned the pool area. Due to a camera crew preparing to film a tropical version of a popular reality show, there were lots of people her age staying at the resort. She’d made friends quickly, although without Jake and Hari it felt as if a part of her were missing. The anger and confusion that had hovered like a storm cloud when she left New Zealand had cleared, a few days helping her to see things at a distance. She had feelings for both men. Whenever she’d considered her future, she’d hoped to have a mate. She just wished it had happened when she was older.

“Ambar! Over here.” Anna, one of the girls she’d met on the first day of her holiday hailed her. “We saved you a lounger.”

Ambar smiled and waved, heading in her direction. She dropped her orange straw basket on the ground and shrugged out of her coverall to reveal her lime green bikini.

“Ambar, are you sure you don’t want to go out with me tonight?” Sam, a cameraman from Texas leaned close, his face full of expectation.

“I told you. I have someone in my life.” She waved her left hand at him to flash the gold ring she’d inherited from her mother. Normally it resided on her right hand, but instinct had made her transfer the ring to her left soon after her arrival. Another telling action, she realized. She thought of herself as taken.

“I’m not sure I believe you,” he drawled as his gaze did a smooth trip from her head to toes and back again.

“If Sam can ask you out, then I want to throw my hat in the ring too,” Gary, one of the soundmen said.
Anna waved a languid hand at her. “Leave her alone, boys. She’s already told you she’s not available.”

“Tell us about your man,” another woman said.

Ambar blushed, thinking the relationship she’d become embroiled with was hardly traditional. “It’s too hot for a chat. I’m going for a swim. Anyone up for a game of volleyball?” She indicated the volleyball net strung over a portion of the pool.

“I’m knackered after trudging halfway around the island scouting for film locations,” Anna said in her English accent. “I’m staying right here.”

A punch of longing hit Ambar, the accent reminding her of Hari. Did she miss them? Yes. Did she want to give up her dreams? Definitely not.

A dilemma, that’s for sure. Hopefully they could reach some sort of compromise.

“I’m in for some volleyball,” Sam said. “I’m on your team, Ambar.”

Ambar jumped into the pool, the water slipping over her skin in a cool kiss. Like most tigers, she loved the water and felt perfectly at home in it. With a whoop Sam and several of the others, both male and female leapt into the water. They were soon embroiled in a hard-fought volleyball match, shouts and victory cheers filling the air.

Ambar watched the ball sail over the net and called it. She jumped from the water, doing a perfect spike over the net.

“Woohoo!” Sam shouted, pumping his fist in the air. With each successive point they scored, the man became more exuberant. He hugged her, copping a feel at the same time. The first time she ignored it. The second time she started to get pissed.

“Knock it off, Sam.”

He shot her an innocent look, as if he didn’t know what she was complaining about and moved away.

Ambar held her breath and counted swiftly to ten. The next time he touched her she intended to deck him.

Purchase from Ellora’s Cave, All Romance eBooks or Amazon Kindle.

To read more Snippet Saturday excerpts follow the links below:

Mari Carr
Shelley Munro
Vivian Arend
Taige Crenshaw
McKenna Jeffries
Ashley Ladd
Emma Petersen
TJ Michaels
Jody Wallace