This week’s theme for Snippet Saturday is parties. I’ve picked an excerpt from Cat and Mouse, book five in my Middlemarch Mates series. This book is a standalone erotic romance, although you will probably enjoy it even more if you’ve read the other stories. Oh, and there are a few adult words in this excerpt. I thought about chopping them out, but in the end I thought I’d leave the excerpt as is. Enjoy!
CAT AND MOUSE by Shelley Munro
Country and Western music poured from the huge marquee along with laughter, some of it with a tinge of alcohol-induced hilarity, filled the air by the time Duncan and a couple of the other cowboys wandered over from the campsite. Determination rode him because he knew he’d have a fight on his hands to get close to Lana. Even though tonight wasn’t the main event, there were still a lot of people gathered at the party to raise funds for the local fire service who also carried out search and rescue in the area. The local men, the visiting cowboys and the woman herself would all get in the way of his goal. Too bad. He’d waited a long time and wasn’t about to back off without a fight.
The local committee had gone all out with decorations including wanted posters and a display of Western memorabilia just inside the entrance. He paid his admission and sauntered into the marquee looking for Lana or either of the Mitchells. Difficult to scent anyone in this crowd. Men and women packed the dance floor attempting to do a line dance.
Damn. He couldn’t see Lana. Cursing softly, he pushed his way through the crowd, pausing here and there to say hello to friends and acquaintances. Along with his unease came a contrasting sense of contentment. It was damned fine being home, spending time with his fellow shifters.
“Are you looking for me?” The throaty voice dragged his attention from the dance floor.
Jesus, she looked beautiful. She wore a dark green dress with tiny straps to hold it up. It clung to her curves before falling to swish in loose folds around her knees. The color highlighted her eyes, deepening jade green to a darker, more mysterious hue. The shadow of her cleavage drew his attention He took half a step toward her before stopping abruptly. Not the time or place. The closest he would get to touching during the next few hours would be a slow dance, or if he could persuade her to take a walk with him outside where the air was cool and privacy easier to find.
“Yeah. I thought you might be dancing.” But glad he didn’t have to see another man touch her.
She stood on tiptoe and kissed him on the lips, a brief brush on the mouth that had his feline purring. “I have been dancing. I saw you come in and wanted to say hello.”
The line dance ended and the band rolled into a slow dance. Perfect.
“Wanna dance with me?”
“Sure.”
They walked over to the makeshift dance floor and she slipped into his arms where she belonged. Her arms stretched up to grip his shoulders and their bodies brushed.
“You look beautiful.” Nothing less than the truth. The full skirt of her dress flirted with the tops of her knees, stirring with each gliding step. He would have preferred that she wear a sack, just so none of the other men could ogle her sexy form. Unfortunately, he could hardly complain since the other women were dressed in a similar manner. He wondered how long it would take to talk her out of that dress, pondered again the advisability of taking a walk.
“Thanks. You look pretty good yourself.”
They danced in silence for a while, Duncan content to hold her in his arms. One dance flowed into another.
“This is nice. I never have a chance to dance.”
He grunted an affirmative reply. That would make him a bastard if he asked her to take a walk. Fuck. Maybe he could steer her into the far corner where some enterprising cowboys had dimmed the lights. Yeah. Sounded like a plan. He danced her slowly across the floor, navigating dancers, cuddling her close and reveling in the soft feel of her body brushing his, her enticing scent of vanilla and the crisp outdoors.
The song ended and regretfully he stepped away from her. “Would you like a drink?”
“Sure. Emily and Saber are over in the corner. Do you want to sit with them?”
“Do you want wine?” Damn, the woman ate him up with her eyes. She shouldn’t do that—not if she knew what was good for her.
Lana winked, her dark lashes sweeping over her cheeks in a sexy fan. “That would be great.” His gaze drifted to her soft, glistening lips. Appealing and sensual. He fought the urge to dip his head and claim a taste.
“Go and sit with Emily and I’ll bring the drinks over.” He started for the bar before stopping and turning back. “Lana, don’t dance with anyone else.”
“But that wouldn’t be polite.”
“Fuck polite. You offered me the weekend.” Duncan strode off to the bar, urgency simmering through his veins. The bloody woman made him crazy. He knew what it felt like to bury his cock deep in her hot pussy and now he wanted a repeat. Once with Lana wasn’t enough.
Purchase at Ellora’s Cave or for Kindle
To read other Snippet Saturday excerpts follow the links below:
Vivian Arend
Moira Rogers
Ashley Ladd
Kelly Maher
Leah Braemel
McKenna Jeffries
Sasha White
Taige Crenshaw
Shelli Stevens
Shelley Munro
Eliza Gayle
Jody Wallace
Elizabeth Naughton
TJ Michaels
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I’m going out on tour again!
HOUSE OF THE CAT is that book, except I don’t think a trainer from Earth would recognize the horses on the planet Ornum.
What do tigers and amnesia have in common with Middlemarch?
